There is No Referee

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The Liberal disposition towards God is similar to a football player who’s on the field, playing the game, but doesn’t believe in a Referee.

There are no penalties, only plays. The idea is to move the ball down the field and enjoy the fulfillment that comes from putting points on the board. That is not only his goal, it is his right and with that sense of entitlement comes the authority to define the standard by which his conduct on the field is measured.

Should someone challenge his approach, because he’s unwilling to acknowledge the Reality of a “higher authority,” he sees it as a situation where he’s being compelled to adjust his perspective according to only the traditions and preferences of those on the other team and he will look at them and demand to know why he has to play by their rules and refer to them as judgmental and fascists.

There is no Referee.

This is why any conversation pertaining to morality or politics or the cultural in general is destined to fall short of anything influential because until he’s willing to acknowledge the Reality of God, he is his own bottom line. And his philosophical apparatus will interpret anything that comes across as critical of his behavior as not only a negative appraisal of his performance, but an attack on his dominion over all that constitutes the difference between right and wrong.

There is no Referee.

The answer to those four questions define one’s spiritual creed. Whether you answer those questions according to the Christian faith or a humanistic worldview, both are “religious” viewpoints.

Oftentimes the debate that happens between Democrats and Republicans ceases to be about policy as much as it becomes an argument about morality. The moment it becomes a moral issue, it is therefore a spiritual topic in light of what God specifies in Scripture. But if there is no Referee, than the only Standard by which moral conduct is defined and measured is whatever best promotes the humanistic agenda lurking behind the behavior being discussed. And what applies to one team may or may not apply to the other and what may be an infraction today may not even resonate as a headline tomorrow.

On the surface, the argument that defends the idea that there is no Referee can sound compelling in the way it suggests that to assert a Biblical position is to violate the separation of church and state and force a person to adopt a particular religious disposition that may or may not coincide with their personal convictions. But the idea that there is no Referee is a religious disposition in that it establishes man as his own deity. It’s not just a question of what the Liberal doesn’t believe about God as much as it’s what they assert as an acceptable replacement for the Role that God plays in, not only determining the difference between right and wrong, but the origin of the universe, the question of life after death as well as the purpose for one’s existence.

The answer to those four questions define one’s spiritual creed. Whether you answer those questions according to the Christian faith or a humanistic worldview, both are “religious” viewpoints. And to strip our nation of it’s Christian foundation by insisting that any reference to a religious framework is to violate the separation of church and state is revealed as a sinister absurdity once it becomes apparent that the atheist’s perspective on the human experience is just as much of a “religion” as much as Christianity and in that regard they are the very thing they claim to despise.

Yet, hypocrisy is only recognized as such when there’s a concrete Truth in place to flag when a person is being hypocritical.

But that’s not something that concerns a Liberal because…

…there is no Referee.

You Have to be More Than Nice. You Have to be Christ!

aceChristianity is not just loving your neighbor and giving to the poor. That’s the easy part. Anybody can smile and write a check. The real challenge is loving God. That’s the first and greatest commandment and it’s the way in which you love God that will shape the way you love others (Matt 22:37-39; 1 Cor 13:2).

For example, God says that if you love someone, you’re going to be willing to stand between them and a bad decision they’re getting to make (Eph 5:11). In other words, you’re going to try and improve their situation by showing them how their current decision making process is going to lead to a dead end based on, not your opinion or experience, as much as it’s based on God’s take on the matter (Prov 27:6).

So, first of all, you have to be able to accurately determine that their mindset is flawed – that’s going to require a familiarity with God’s Perspective as to whether or not their approach is wrong (2 Tim 2:15). And knowing God’s Word is part of loving God (Josh 1:8; Jn 14:21; 2 Tim 3:16-17).

Secondly, you can’t just tell someone they’re wrong. You want to be wise in the way you phrase things so they can see the advantages represented by godly behavior (Prov 25:11). Otherwise, it can come across as a self serving / judgmental confrontation that can make a bad situation even worse (Matt 7:1; Jn 7:24).

Knowing how to say something and when to say it requires a willingness to take your cue from God rather than simply blurting out something that satisfies your particular set of criteria (Lk 12:12). Again, that flows from being committed to God and not just your sense of convention.

Yet, sometimes, it doesn’t matter how you say it. You can be reeking of God’s Manner, Motive and Mindset and still have to contend with a negative response (Lk 9:5).

But here’s the thing…

You don’t refuse to run the ball down the field and put some points on the board just because you’re afraid of getting tackled. And you’re not “loving” someone when you have the opportunity to help them avoid the inevitable consequences of driving on the wrong side of the road and you say nothing (Ez 3:18).

That’s not love.

In that moment, you might be nice, but you’re not Christ. And you have to be more than nice!

That’s a combination of cowardice and neglect and no matter how you want to position it either as a “Christian” or a “loving” response, you’re contributing to their demise. And if you’re doing that, “in the Name of Christ,” you’re casting God as Someone Who’s indifferent to rebellion and the pain that goes along with it which is not only misleading, it’s toxic (Jer 23:16).

So, be careful when you’re hearing someone attempt to reduce God and the command to be like Christ to a situation where you’re like a firefighter who yells encouraging words to those inside a burning house, yet makes no attempt to put out the blaze.

In that moment, you might be nice, but you’re not Christ. And you have to be more than “nice.”

That’s what “love” is when you refuse to help the one you care about by telling them that what they’re doing is wrong – be it a situation where they’re oblivious to what they’re doing or they’re fully aware of they’re being off target and they’re just not considering the consequences.

That’s not love. That’s not being like Jesus, it certainly doesn’t happen when you’re loving and obeying God as you should…

…and that’s not Christianity.

What Does it Mean?

What does it mean to be saved and why do you believe in the death and resurrection of Christ? What makes you think it’s true and what difference does it make?

Saying that you were, “…brought up in a Christian home,” doesn’t really answer the question. Nor does it mean much when you say that you’re “Catholic.” You’re not explaining anything as much as you’re just labeling yourself with a generic sticker and perhaps hoping that no one asks you any more questions.

Maybe?

Here’s the thing… 1 Peter 3:15 says:

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, (1 Peter 3:15)

In other words, be ready to sound intelligent if someone asks you what you believe and why you believe it.

So, what does it mean to be saved?

Executive Summary

In order to ensure we’ve got something we can easily remember when we’re done, let’s break this down into four segments:

What Does it Mean?

You’ve been changed. The thing that drives the way you think, act and feel has been fundamentally altered. A relationship with Christ is not an add-on or a plugin. It’s an entirely new Operating System. This is what Paul was referring to in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Cor 5:17)

How Do You Get it Done?

You believe.

That’s it.

It’s a gift (Rom 6:23). You don’t earn it (Eph 2:8-9). You simply accept the Reality of Christ’s death and resurrection and His Identity as the Son of God (Lk 23:41-43).

You see that in Romans 10:9-10:

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

It’s important to realize, though, that the “belief” the Bible is referring to is the kind that goes beyond just forming the words on your tongue. It’s the difference between saying you’re in love and actually being in love. When you believe something in your heart, it affects your behavior (Lk 6:43-45) and the way you think. So, in this instance, the kind of belief that’s being referred to here is that the empty tomb isn’t just a historical event, it’s a personal reality.

What Actually Happens?

When you cross that line and you believe that Christ’s tomb is empty, God takes all of the intangibles that constitute Who and What He is (the Holy Spirit) and integrates them into your character.

That’s what happens when you believe:

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:13-14 [see also Ezekiel 36:26-27; Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19])

And this is just a part of what it means to be redeemed! The long and short of it is, you have been made alive.

As a sinner, you are a spiritual corpse:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. (Eph 2:1-2)

You are dead, spiritually (Rom 8:8). When God forgives of your sin, at that point you become alive.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Eph 2:4-5)

You can’t hope to justify yourself by suggesting that “I’m not that bad. (Is 64:6)”

You’re dead.

This is so much more and at the same time so much simpler than what’s represented by your record of wrongs (Jas 2:10).

From a spiritual perspective, you’re not breathing.

What makes sin so heinous is that it’s not just the physical consquences of the sin as much as it’s Who you’re sinning against (2 Sam 12:13; Ps 51:4; Rom 3:23).

Every sin, regardless of how serious or incremental it may appear, requires you to go up to God as He’s sitting on His Throne and telling Him to get out of your chair (1 Sam 15:23 [all sin is a rebellion against God’s Authority]).

It’s belligerent, outrageously rebellious and, ultimately, lethal (Rom 6:23).

It’s not something you can offset by trying to be more noble (Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Every human being, apart from God’s grace, is a lifeless body from a spiritual standpoint (Ps 143:2; Ecc 7:20; Rom 3:9-20).

The only thing you contribute to your salvation is the sin that makes it necessary. By forgiving you of your sin, you’re now not only blameless , instead of being a spiritual corpse, you now have a spiritual pulse which is indicated by the Holy Spirit now residing within you (Eph 1:7; Acts 2:38).

And that’s what it means to saved.

What Does it Look Like?

From an eternal standpoint, being saved boils down to being confident. From a practical standpoint, being saved gives you access to a collection of Divine Resources that enable you to be excellent in everything you do, think and say (Ps 19:14).

Confidence and Excellence.

Now let’s do a little deep dive into all this!

Here we go…

I) What Does it Mean?

The bottom line is that you’ve been changed. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says:

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Cor 5:17)

Everything that drives the way you think, act and feel has been fundamentally and permanently changed by God having integrated His Character into yours. While there’s a lot of practical theology that can be unpacked in order to fully appreciate just how amazing and transformational God’s grace truly is, that’s the bottom line. You have been changed, you are not the same person. It’s not that you’ve changed your mind as much as Christ has changed you. Whereas before you processed yourself and the world around you according to your personal experiences and life lessons, now you have access to the same Perspective and Strength that raised Christ from the grave (Eph 1:17-21).

But how do you get there? How can you experience this change?

II) How Do You Get it Done?

A) The Best Place to Go

The best place to go looking for the answer is the Word of God. Otherwise, you risk being told something that may be in line with someone’s tradition, but not necessarily consistent with the Truth. So, let’s start with Romans 10:9-10:

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Rom 10:9-10)

The first part seems almost too easy. “If you declare with your mouth…” How many times have you heard someone claim to be a Christian by simply saying, “I was brought up in a Christian home,” or “I’m a member of the Baptist church down the road.” While being a part of a church is certainly a part of  an active relationship with Christ (Heb 10:24-25), simply forming an affirmative disposition when it comes to your regard for Christ’s death and resurrection is only a part of what’s involved.

Consider what it says in James:

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (Jas 2:19)

Now why is that important?

Because if the demons believe in the death and resurrection of Christ – and they’re obviously not going to heaven (Rev 20:7-10) – paying lip service to the first Easter morning as a historical event doesn’t qualify you as being a Christ follower in that the foot soldiers of Satan believe that Christ rose from the grave as well.

It has to show up in your actions and your mindset which is represented in the second part of Romans 10:9-10. You need to believe it in your heart.

B) Your Heart

However you want to envision that part of you that drives the way you think, act and feel – whether you want to think of it as your, “personality,” or your “soul” – the important thing that needs to be established is that it’s more than just a mindset or a mood. It’s what makes you the person that  you are. The Bible calls that your, “heart.”

When you believe something in your heart, you are not just agreeing with a particular truism. It impacts the way you spend your time and your resources. It’s kind of like being in love. Saying that you love someone and actually being in love with them illustrates the difference between merely forming the words on your tongue and being passionately committed to the welfare and happiness of the one you adore.

When you acknowledge the death and resurrection of Christ in that way, it’s no longer just a historical event as much as it’s a personal reality. He’s not just the “King of kings.” He’s your King. Nor is He just the Savior of the world as much as He’s your Savior. You’re not just seeing Him as a distant deity, you’re like Thomas when he took a knee and said, “My lord and my God.” At that point, God responds by installing His Character into your heart.

Remember this too: Satan believes in God. He was there to see Him die and the devil saw Christ rise from the grave. This is why believing in your heart is so crucial. Even thought it may sound a bit poetic, it’s an absolutely crucial aspect of your approach because Satan isn’t going to heaven. Believing something to be true doesn’t really mean anything unless you it manifests itself in your behavior.

I can believe that eating right and exercising is important, but it doesn’t really resonate as a “truth” if I never go to the gym or pay attention to my calories.

Your can’t “pose” as a Christian. You’re not going to put on a godly looking expression and drop something in the offering plate and qualify as a godly man if you’re thinking that appearances alone can merit God looking at you and seeing someone who truly believes.

It’s when you cross that line that separates what’s purely academic and it suddenly becomes “real.” At that point, you’re no longer posing in that you’ve got the Power and the Perspective of the Holy Spirit working as both fuel and a filter through which you’re now processing yourself and performing in ways that go beyond what you’re capable of on your own.

C) Just As I Am

Over the years, a number of traditions have surfaced that attempt to give form to the exchange between the repenting sinner and his Messiah that translates to being saved.

Whether it’s the idea of, “asking Jesus into your heart” (Rev 3:20) or being publicly baptized (Acts 19:1-7), the only thing the Bible specifies is a fully engaged belief in Who Jesus Christ truly is.

That’s not to suggest that the various evangelism techniques or the countless Billy Graham Crusades that played, “Just As I Am” as thousands of people came forward to give their life to Christ represents something fundamentally flawed.

Not at all.

But the thief on the cross did not ask Jesus to, “come into his heart,” nor was he baptized (Lk 23:38-43). When the jailer asked Paul how to be saved, Paul responded by saying, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved – you and your household.” (Acts 16:29-34) Again, no ceremony or scripted prayer – just a heartfelt belief in Christ and the rightful place He therefore occupies as Savior and King.

It’s not a specific phrase or a special ceremony. It’s just like Thomas where you take a knee, either literally or figuratively, and accept the Lordship of Christ as the magnificent, personal Reality that it is.

Once you flip the switch and embrace the empty tomb, not as a general piece of non-fiction, but as a defining moment where you embrace both the Substance of Who Christ is and your need for His Grace, the mindset and the Strength of God become what inspires your mind (1 Cor 2:16), your behavior (Ezra 1:5; 1 Cor 12:6) and your emotions (Gal 5:22-23)…

Your wrongs have been permanently forgiven, you are utterly transformed and the Purpose, Peace and Power of God is now working in and through you.

That’s what it means to be saved.

III) What Actually Happens?

A) The Holy Spirit

A moment ago, we talked about how God responds to someone who embraces the cross and the empty tomb as a personal reality by installing His Character into their heart (Eph 1:13-14). That “Character” is the Mind of Christ, the Joy of the Lord and the Power of God. Again, there’s a great deal of theological substance that needs to be unpacked in order to fully appreciate the Holy Spirit – what we’re calling the “Character of God” – but the bottom line is that it’s more than just an incremental coat of “godliness” applied to your personality.

The Holy Spirit is the intangible dimension of God Himself that gives you access to His Attitude and Ability.

  • It’s Power (Acts 1:8).
  • It’s Perspective (Rom 12:1-2).
  • It’s Purpose (Phil 2:13).

It’s awesome!

But it’s also the defining characteristic of someone who’s born again…

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. (Rom 8:9 [see also Eph 1:13-14])

“If anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ…”

That’s what James was getting at when he talked about how the demons believe “…and shudder.” The change that God accomplishes in you manifests itself in observable actions that are consistent with God’s Agenda and Preferences. In other words, a valid salvation experience shows up in what you do as well as what you say. If your belief is nothing more than a verbal exercise, your status before God is no different than that of a demon. If, on the other hand, it’s a true belief, you’ve got the True Muscle of Christ living in and through you and your faith will manifest itself in deeds and not just declarations (Jas 2:17).

  • you have a legitimate reason to be optimistic regardless of your circumstances (Ps 119:114; Rom 8:28)
  • your future is founded on more than just your abilities (Phil 2:13)
  • your will to excel is powered by more than just your resolve (Is 41:10; Phil 4:13)
  • you have the capacity to be wise and not just smart (Jas 1:5)
  • you needn’t be concerned about falling into temptation (1 Cor 10:13)
  • you have the Mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), the Power of God (Acts 1:8) and the Fruit of the Spirt (Gal 5:22-23)

In short, you’re enjoying and participating in the “kingdom of God.”

Jesus makes mention of this throughout His Ministry in ways that refer to the Second Coming as well as what’s happening presently. Bottom line: It’s God’s Activity and Authority.

Nelson’s, “Illustrated Bible Dictionary” defines it as:

God’s rule of grace in the world, a future period foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament and identified by Jesus as beginning with His ministry.1

The point, here, is that while spending eternity in Heaven with Christ is obviously a part of the Salvation package (Jn 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:50–54), your relationship with Christ is to be deployed here and now in every nuance of the human experience (Col 3:17). To process your Redemption as something that only comes to bear after your funeral ceremony is to ignore the way Christ presented the practical mechanics of a relationship with Him. It’s not merely a “pass” to get to Heaven as much as it’s the Government and the Moral Perfection that exists in Heaven personified in you right now.

It’s now, it’s here and it’s Real!

IV) What Does it Look Like?

A) Confidence

My father was being treated for Congestive Heart Disease when he had a heart attack that put him in the hospital where he would stay for the better part of a year.

His heart was so weak, that they had to install what was called an LVAD into his chest. It’s a mechanism that keeps your heart beating and requires what amounts to open heart surgery to put it in place.

The surgery didn’t go as well as they would’ve liked. They had to go in three times to get it right which meant three open heart surgeries in 36 hours. In the aftermath, my Dad was in a drug induced coma for a number of days before he finally regained consciousness.

The patients on my father’s floor were all dealing with life threatening scenarios. No one was at a point where they could relax, knowing that their situation was stable and they would be going home soon. Everyone was facing an formidable collection of physical obstacles that would have to be overcome in order to be healthy once again, and some would not make it.

When you’re looking at a group of people that are all falling asleep every night wondering if they’re going to see the sunrise the following morning, it’s amazing to see the difference between those who are confident that when they do close their eyes for the last time, they will be looking into the face of their Savior…

…and those that are intimidated by the thought of dying to the point where they are scared and resentful.

One evening my Dad’s surgeon came into the room and asked him if he would be willing to give up his place in line for a new heart. By this point, a heart transplant was the only way in which he would be able to survive and a heart had become available. But there was another gentleman down the hall whose situation was so precarious that it was doubtful he would last the night. My Mom was in the room when the doctor was explaining all this. After he finished, my Mom and Dad looked at one another and said, “Sure.”

The doctor teared up. He was amazed at how willing both my parents were in making that kind of a sacrifice. My Dad’s situation was by no means stable. He needed a machine to keep his heart beating. But both my Mom and Dad knew that death was a door and not a wall and they were willing to put their trust in something other than a scalpel.

My Dad would get a new heart, but he would pass away not too long afterwards. My Mom has since gone home as well. Both of them faced their trip home with a calm that cannot be achieved as a result of any kind of comfort or counseling that comes from a human dynamic.

You can’t quantify death. You can’t take pictures of what happens on the other side of the grave and educate yourself on what to expect. You’re looking at something that goes beyond a human being’s ability to measure or understand. Hence, when you encounter a disposition that is certain and at ease, you can’t dismiss that as irrational or ignorant simply because it makes more sense to be frightened.

But here’s where the reality of the “peace that passes understanding” becomes evident and not just proclaimed (Is 26:3; Phil 4:7).

The Bible makes it clear that when you die, you go to heaven. You see that Truth communicated when Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be in heaven that very day:

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk 23:43)

Paul reinforces that in the first chapter of Philippians:

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. (Phil 1:21-24)

According to Paul, he’s got one of two options which is to be alive here on earth or to be with Christ. Jesus taught the same thing when He told the story of Lazarus in Luke 16 and how when Lazarus died he was immediately taken to heaven  (Lk 16:23).

When we die, we go to heaven. While death is a mystery and and can be an intimidating conclusion, we can face it with confidence knowing that it is not the end, but the beginning of something far better (Jn 14:1-3).

Do the Math…
Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank. (Prov 22:29)

Pursuing a standard of excellence in everything you do, think and say will ultimately have a positive impact on your performance in the workplace as far as improving it to the point where it’s potentially worth more in the mind of your employer or customer.

Being able to earn and afford more only becomes a problem when it translates to greed. Greed, like pride, can only happen when you’re focused on yourself. Matthew 6:33 provides the perfect vaccine against the virus of selfishness by admonishing the believer to stay focused on God’s Activity and Authority (His Kingdom). By doing that your possessions are prevented from possessing you and you’re able to enjoy the benefits of obedience without losing sight of Who it is you serve and what it is that you’re ultimately trying to accomplish.

B) Excellence

Colossians 3:17 says:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3:17)

When you’re born again, because you have the Holy Spirit living within you, you now have access to a collection of Resources that enable you to be and to do more than you would be capable of otherwise (Jn 14:12).

You have the Mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16; Jas 1:5), the Power of God (Acts 1:8; Col 1:29)  and the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) standing by at any given moment to be used in a manner where you’re able to make a difference and not just an appearance (Eph 2:10).

You see this in 1 Corinthians 10:31:

So whether you ear or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)

…as well as in 2 Corinthian 9:8:

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Cor 9:8)

Jesus Himself said as much in Matthew 5:16:

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:16)

There’s a couple of things that need to be understood in order for these verses to be processed and applied correctly.

1) He’s the Filing Cabinet…

The first thing is to recognize the all-inclusive nature of what’s being addressed.

The word, “deed” as well as the word, “work” are both translations of the Greek word, “ergon” which means:

…any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind.

In other words, these verses are not referring to church related activities only. What God is saying, here, is that even if you’re just mowing your lawn, you want to be doing it in a way that makes Him look good.

Your relationship with Christ is not a mere file folder that you reach for in those moments where there’s a spike of spiritual activity in your mind. Rather, He’s the Filing Cabinet where everything you do, think and say is adjusted and enhanced so the final result is representative of what God can do in and through a person who’s fully committed to Him.

2) True Quality

While the word “good” can sometimes mean a level of quality that is genuinely noteworthy, it can also be interpreted to mean something that is more or less acceptable.

The word, “good,” as it’s used in Matthew 5:16 and 2 Corinthians 9:8 refers to something that is far more than a mediocre rating.

Matthew uses the word, “kalos,” which means:

beautiful, applied by the Greeks to everything so distinguished in form, excellence, goodness, usefulness, as to be pleasing; hence (according to the context) equivalent to “beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable”

The word, “good” in 2 Corinthians 9:8 is a translation of the word, “agathos” which means:

excelling in any respect, distinguished, good. It can be predicated of persons, things, conditions, qualities and affections of the soul, deeds, times and seasons. To this general significance can be traced back all those senses which the word gathers from the connection in which it stands;

So, it’s similar to “kalos,” but it takes things a step further by it’s being used to describe something as being morally excellent and not just admirable from a practical standpoint or aesthetically pleasing.

The Virtue of God is the moral perfection that is within you because of His Holy Spirit being a part of who you are (Eph 1:13-14; 1 Pet 2:9). The Power of God includes the Divine Ability He gives you to restrain those attitudes and actions that prevent you from being able to perform in a way that translates to the best possible outcome (Rom 6:18).

When you choose to deploy those Resources, not only do you benefit (Josh 1:8; Ps 1:1-3; Jn 15:5), but so do those who are impacted by your obedience (Gen 39:5; 1 Sam 18:12-16; Job 42:7-8; 2 Cor 1:3-4).

3) A Position of Strength

The bottom line is that God is saying that you now occupy a position of strength as far as being capable of doing everything in a way that resonates, not only as a job well done, but something that inspires those on the outside looking in to want to know more about how you think and who you are.

Mind you, your relationship with Christ does not equate to a magic pill where the moment you’re saved you suddenly become more talented than you were a moment ago. Rather, you’re approaching the challenges and opportunities that cross your path with a different kind of energy (Col 1:29) and purpose (Phil 2:13). You’re now allowing the Virtue and Power of God to affect a result through you that can be accurately labeled as “kalos” or “agathos” and it’s then that your referencing Christ as the Source of your Strength and Resolve comes across as both compelling and appealing (see sidebar).

i) The Words that You Say

You see it with Joseph in the book of Genesis. When he appeared before Pharaoh, he was in a great spot to bargain for his freedom in exchange for interpreting Pharaoh’s dream. Instead, he replied to Pharaoh by saying:

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” (Gen 41:16)

Joseph’s words had to resonate with Pharaoh in ways that went beyond being impressed with Joseph’s confidence to discern his dreams. In verse 14, it says that Joseph had to shave and get cleaned up before he met with the leader of the most powerful empire in the world. Pharaoh had to know that his quandary gave Joseph an advantage. This is a man that was in a prison cell an hour ago. But rather than press his advantage by offering to interpret the dream in exchange for a commuted sentence, Joseph directs all the credit and attention to his heavenly Father.

Joseph’s words reflected a character that inspired Pharaoh to ask his officials in verse 37, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”

It wasn’t just Joseph’s insight, it was his whole bearing. By resolving to funnel every aspect of his presentation to Pharaoh through the filter of God’s Spirit, in the context of one conversation, Joseph’s status goes from inmate to second in command over the entire land of Egypt.

Now, not every conversation you have carries with it those kinds of ramifications, but the power of your words is substantial and how you speak can make a very real difference.

A job interview. A heated conversation. An emotional appeal. A sales presentation…

A conversation about the death and resurrection of Christ.

Whether it’s Joseph or Nehemiah (Neh 2:4) or Peter before a crowd of several thousand people in the 2nd chapter of Acts, the evidence is conclusive that God can work through the words you say in a manner that can make a big difference in any and every situation (Ps 19:14; Prov 25:11; Matt 10:19).

And you can do it! You have a choice. You can fly solo and ignore God’s Counsel, or you can take your cue from His Spirit and be like Joseph who was able to speak in a manner that ultimately saved Egypt as well as his own family.

Neither Joseph nor David had a relationship with Christ, but they were nevertheless impacted and guided by God’s Spirit. Pharaoh notices it in Joseph when he says in Genesis 41:37-38, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” David refers to himself not as the one who will kill the giant, but as the one whom God will work through to get the job done (1 Samuel 17:45-47). In both cases, you have men who subordinate themselves to the Guidance and the Power of God and are able to accomplish great things. It’s His Spirit that makes the difference and we have access to the same Wisdom and Strength!
ii) The Things You Do

Not only do the words of your mouth When David stood before Goliath, he made it clear that the contest was more what might’ve appeared to be the case in that he was coming against Goliath in the name of the Lord (1 Sam 17:45). The moment the giant started towards him, the Scripture says that David ran to the battle line and while he was running, he launched a stone with his sling that struck Goliath in the forehead.

The sling was a common weapon in Israel and while David may not have been as skilled as some of his counterparts from the tribe of Benjamin (Jud 20:16), given the fact that he was able to hit a moving target while he was moving himself, David obviously has done this before.

How many times do you think David practiced with his sling? How many times did he miss before he became consistent enough to be combat ready?

The point here is that God was directing David’s daily routine that included several hundred failed attempts with the sling, not to mention numerous encounters with the Divine that shaped David into a dangerous and godly threat to a nation that thought a giant would be enough to intimidate the God of Israel.

It wasn’t just that moment that he let go of that stone, it was the countless hours that David spent at the feet of His King living his life seven days a week. It’s not that David was “in church” all the time, as much as he chose to recognize the Presence of God in every nuance of his existence (Ps 139:1-6) and he saw himself as being capable of great things, not because of what he could do, but because of what God could do in and through him (Ps 18:32-36).

It’s because of that approach that David was able to take a skillset that may have struck him as something that applied only to guarding sheep and found himself using it to guard the entire nation of Israel. And you see the same thing in several of the key figures in Scripture: Moses, Gideon, Peter, Paul – all were able to turn in some great performances because of the way in which they allowed the Power of God to effect their actions in a way that translated to an “excellent” result.

ii) The Way You Think

Romans 12:2 says:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12:2)

There’s a difference between “positive thinking” and “profound thinking.”

You can cheer yourself up sometimes by being selective in what circumstance you focus on. That’s “positive thinking.”

“Profound thinking,” however, is a different animal altogether because you’re focusing on the One Whom your circumstances answer to.

Sometimes, “positive thinking” doesn’t do the trick and you need a Substantial Truth to clarify the difference between fact and fiction.

Take for example Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Imagine your response when your bride to be tells you that she’s pregnant.

Back then, it wasn’t just an inconvenient circumstance nor was it viewed as a mere immoral accident. It would’ve been perceived as an adulterous act and therefore punishable by death, according to Old Testament Law (Lev 20:10; Dt 22:23-24).

And then there’s the issue of you being betrayed and humiliated in a way that’s difficult to put into words.

It says in Scripture that Joseph was a righteous man…

Because Joseph her husband  was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her t public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. (Matt 1:19)

He’s going to do the right thing and do it in a way that gives Mary the opportunity to deal with her disgrace without being stoned.

He’s hurt, he’s angry and probably amazed that Mary was capable of doing such a thing. And anybody who’s close to Joseph probably feels sorry for him and views Mary as being utterly despicable. They may even question Joseph’s decision to not make things public and let Mary’s actions be known and publicly condemned.

Now, imagine the reaction of those same people when they find out that Joseph has decided to believe Mary’s story after all and go ahead and take her as his wife.

They’re probably thinking that he’s so in love, he’s not thinking straight if he’s thinking at all.

But he is thinking.

It’s just now he’s considering the situation in light of the angel having told him in a dream that Mary’s situation was legitimate – she was going to give birth to the Son of God and he should feel completely confident that he’s marrying an honorable woman.

However nonsensical it may have appeared on the surface, he was nevertheless processing his thoughts according to God’s Purpose and Perspective and as a result, he was able to be the earthly father to the Messiah.

Thing is, it probably wasn’t the last time he had to adjust his thoughts according to Something and Someone greater than himself. In addition to moving his new family to Egypt and then to Nazareth to keep them safe, Jesus was always referred to as the “son of Mary.” He was never called the “son of Joseph” which was probably due to the fact that most knew Jesus to have been born under some questionable circumstances which most likely manifested itself in the context of ugly comments and being made to feel like an outcast (Mark 6:3 [he’s referred to as the “carpenter’s son” in Matt 13:55, but nowhere in the Bible is Jesus addressed according to what would’ve been a normal naming convention).

But Joseph’s thought processes were subordinated to a Truth that allowed him to perform his role as Jesus’ father with excellence. However logical and understandable it would’ve been for Joseph to put some distance between himself and Mary, not only did he marry her, he stayed the course and raised his family which included at least two daughters and four sons in addition to Jesus – two of those boys would go on to write their own epistles (James and Jude).

Joseph did well and he was able to do so because of the manner in which he used the same Resource we have access to, which is a mindset that intentionally processes things according to the way in which God sees them (1 Cor 2:16; Eph 4:23).

V) Conclusion

Once you flip the switch and embrace the empty tomb, not as a general piece of non-fiction, but as a defining moment where you embrace both the Substance of Who Christ is and your need for His Grace, the mindset and the Strength of God become what inspires your mind (1 Cor 2:16), your behavior (Ezra 1:5; 1 Cor 12:6) and your emotions (Gal 5:22-23).

Your wrongs have been permanently forgiven, you are utterly transformed and the Purpose, Peace and Power of God is now working in and through you in a way that translates to a standard of excellence in the way you live and a confidence in the way you process death as the beginning and not as the end.

That’s what it means to be saved.

 

 

1. Nelson’s Bible Dictionary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1986, p616-617

Let it Burn

Apartment on Fire - 2If a building is on fire, you don’t criticize or restrict anyone who is helping to put out the blaze. Not unless you want to see the building continue to burn…

Everything you hear about COVID-19 is framed around “cases” and “death tolls.” Whenever any effort is made to include in the conversation recovery rates and successful treatments, those contributions are dismissed as cruel and insensitive distractions.

Just because the virus is real, doesn’t mean that everyone is getting sick.

Just because there are some getting sick, doesn’t mean everyone is being hospitalized.

Just because some are being hospitalized, doesn’t mean that everyone is dying.

And those who have passed away, in many instances didn’t die because of COVID-19 as much as it was a situation where the virus irritated pre-existing conditions to the point where their body ceased to function.

These are both valid and important distinctions that much of the media is ignoring. Couple that dynamic with the way in which they demonize the doctors who’ve gone on record insisting that the virus can be treated and cured based on the way it’s impacted their patients and you’ve got a situation where it’s obvious…

…somebody wants to see this building continue to burn.

It’s not about glossing over those who are genuinely suffering, but to use those cases as something that’s representative of the population as a whole is not only unethical, it’s genuinely sinister. Reason being is that now you can establish new rules based on “compassion” that would normally be immediately recognized as bogus and denounce anyone who disagrees as someone who is selfish and uncaring.

Again…

…somebody wants to see this building continue to burn.

freedom_doctors

click on the above image to learn more about how some Doctors are being told by Pharmacists how to treat their patients…

FYI: According to the “Post and Courier,” there have been no reported deaths as a result of the vaccine. But if you head out to openvaers.com, you can read for yourself the deaths, hospitalizations, office visits, cases of Anaphylaxis (acute allergic reaction) and Bell’s Palsy (temporary paralysis of the muscles in the face) experienced in the aftermath of the vaccine.

You can ethically say that these conditions are not the result of the vaccine, but only if you ignore the fact that no history or symptoms of the conditions experienced by the patient existed prior to being vaccinated. And to make matters even more disconcerting, according to a Harvard study, less than 1 % of vaccine side affects are actually reported.

In addition, Boston University published an article in October of 2020 saying that the death toll among Americans could actually be much worse than originally thought.

But at no point in the article does it reference with any real clarity the fact that 94% of those who struggle with COVID-19 have serious pre-existing conditions.

The Washington Examiner published an article in March of 2021 saying that the World Health Organization has recommended not to use Hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19.

This, despite the fact that a study by the Henry Ford Heath System, showed Hydroxychloroquine to be capable of significantly cutting death rates among COVID-19 patients.

So, which is it?

In addition to the obvious questions that arise as far as why the WHO would discourage the use of a treatment that’s been found to be very effective, what’s even more disconcerting is a statement made by the Henry Ford Health System that was made in an open letter entitled, “Hydroxychloroquine: An Open Letter to Our Community and Beyond,” written by Adnan Munkarah, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of the Henry Ford Health System and Steven Kalkanis, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, also of the Henry Ford Health System. A portion of that letter reads as follows:

Unfortunately, the political climate that has persisted has made any objective discussion about this drug impossible, and we are deeply saddened by this turn of events. Our goal as scientists has solely been to report validated findings and allow the science to speak for itself, regardless of political considerations. To that end, we have made the heartfelt decision to have no further comment about this outside the medical community – staying focused on our core mission in the interest of our patients, our community, and our commitment to clinical and academic integrity.

There are other voices and other aspects of this virus that are being either silenced or ignored entirely. Most of what we use to shape our perspective on important issues is what we allow into our inbox. In a lot of cases, that’s perfectly fine. But when you consistently encounter situations where both physicians and patients testifying to the effectiveness of different treatments are being intentionally buried beneath a mountain of selected statistics and biased professionals, you can bet you’re not being informed as much as you’re being influenced and those you’ve entrusted with the task of giving you an honest portrayal of current events…

…they’re not interested in putting out the fire.

They want to see this building continue to burn.

 

A Good Christian vs a Resurrected Hardcharger

emblemIn about an hour, He’ll come off the cross. He’s been there since 9:00 am this morning and it will take only six hours for Him to finally breathe His last. While some will take longer than that to finally pass away, they didn’t even have to break His legs. After the beating He got before they even put Him on the cross, He was close to dead by that point anyway.

The only two people that stayed were John and Mary. Everybody else has bolted and all those that were yelling His Name and applauding His entrance into the city only a few days before are now collecting their things after having shouted, “Crucify Him” and moving on.

The show’s over.

It’s a sad day. It’s sad because you’re watching God in the flesh being beaten, humiliated and betrayed to the point where you can’t help but feel sorry for Him. Granted there’s enormous theological implications to what’s happened and it’s going to land in a great place, hence the “gospel” which literally means, “good news.”

But the sick and twisted amount of despair is overwhelming. He’s God, but He was also a friend and a Teacher. Not only are those He offers salvation to laughing as they reduce His body to a tortured sack of flesh, everyone who ever proclaimed any kind of allegiance or admiration for Him has suddenly vanished and left Him utterly alone.

It’s not over though. You’ve got to keep reading.

Not only is He going to stand up, take off the grave clothes and proceed to change the hearts and minds of His disciples as only a risen Messiah can do, He’s going to institute something that’s been on the books for centuries as far as a “New Covenant” – a paradigm that distinguishes the Christians faith from every other religion on the planet in that you can’t merit your own salvation. You’re not, you don’t, you can’t and you won’t. But with Christ, you can, you are, you will and you do and it’s not because of who you are, but because of Who Christ is in you.

It’s awesome! But here’s thing that struck me about the title of today and where we are as a culture.

We can’t afford to be “Good Christians” anymore.

By “Good Christians” I mean those who get stuck on Good Friday and never make the practical trip to Resurrection Sunday.

You are more than your wounds and you are better than your sin. That’s not “positive thinking,” that’s “profound thinking.”

We need to be “Resurrected Hardchargers” – believers who are making a difference by reeking of excellence in everything they do, think and say. Applying the Holy Ghost Rocket Sauce that’s cruising through your veins in what you do, how you vote, the quality of your work, the way you love, how you drive, how you cut your lawn and – when it’s time – how you explain Who Christ is, why He makes a difference and why you should even care.

I was listening to a radio show yesterday that featured an interview with a former KGB agent that was explaining how our enemies are waging a war by allowing the US to destroy itself from within through what he called, “…the demoralization of America.”

No morals – no values. More specifically: No God – no point. And from there, it’s just a matter of time before all that which is based on a Divine Absolute goes away and we’re applauding as it’s escorted out of the building (Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Rule of Law, Moral Absolutes, etc).

There’s good news, though! You are more than a solitary voice and you’ve got more than two hands. We’ve got the One who beat death in our heart and in our mind. Hand Him the keys, let Him drive and stop rehearsing Friday and start living Sunday. That’s how you make a difference and not just an appearance. That’s how you succeed and not just prosper and that’s how you avoid being a “Good Christian” and instead be…

…a Resurrected Hardcharger!

Reconciliation

wokeRacism is an important topic to discuss in that to be a Racist qualifies you as one of the more detestable human beings on the planet. Wherever it shows up, regardless of to what extent, it needs to be identified and addressed as the godless and evil disposition that it is.

A Manufactured Majority and the Promotion of Socialism 

These days, however, Racism isn’t always a “topic” as much as it is a “tactic” and you can tell which approach is being taken simply by observing the extent to which the person speaking uses labels, mobs and crowds to make their point.

By using a faceless collective or the actions of a solitary figure to represent an entire people group (White Privilege, White Fragility, White Evangelicals, Black Crime Rate, Police Brutality), you can avoid having to elaborate on the personal history or individual character of those persons that make up your manufactured majority.

With this approach in place, you can characterize an entire race as cruel, a particular profession as sinister or make a criminal appear heroic.

But you can’t assume the conduct of one individual defines the morality of an entire group any more than you can use the behavior of a group to define the morality of an entire race. To do so makes you a Racist and it’s here where those who use Racism as a tactic become the very thing they claim to despise.

In that instance, it’s not Racism being contested as much as it’s Socialism being promoted.

Socialism doesn’t acknowledge the existence of fools. In the mind of the Socialist, there are only two categories of individuals:

  • The System which consists of the rich and the corrupt
  • The People who are poor and abused

Psychological Extortion

This is why everything you hear from the Democrat camp is framed around the “victim.” In addition to it being consistent with the paradigm they’re wanting to establish, you can’t criticize someone who’s in pain or the person who’s trying to help without appearing insensitive and cruel.

This is how you…

  • shut down anyone who challenges your platform
  • prevent anyone from seeing your true purpose
  • justify demonizing anything or anyone associated with your opponent

Still, you can’t claim to be a casualty of a flawed system if the majority of your wounds are self inflicted. Your cry for equality is nothing more than a demand for immunity if your personal record is littered with bad decisions and your appeal for “justice” is revealed as a veiled attempt to vaccinate yourself from the consequences of your actions.

When any kind of psychological extortion is being deployed – when certain assumptions are being forced into the conversation by claiming to be hurt and ignored – you’re not championing a platform as much as you’re concealing a poison. As least, that’s how you’ll be perceived by anyone who values the Truth over a soundbite.

From a Biblical Perspective

From a Biblical perspective, Racism doesn’t exist in the mind of God or anyone who understands the substance of Grace.

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:26-29)

You are responsible for your actions. Not your parents…

30 “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (Ez 18:30-32 [see also Jer 31:29-30])

43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Lk 6:43-45 [click here to read about the “generational curse”])

…nor your environment:

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. (Jas 1:13-14)

No Posing

Posing as a victim in order to avoid taking responsibility for your actions is futile, selfish and wicked…

No matter how you want to make your situation appear in the eyes of others, God sees your heart and nothing gets past Him:

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7)

If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done? (Prov 24:12)

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jer 17:10)

and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Rom 8:27)

Blaming others is cowardly and demonstrates an unhealthy preoccupation with one’s self. As has already been referenced in the context of Ezekiel 18:30-32 and James 1:13-14, God evaluates your morality according to your heart and your actions and not the behavior of others.

In addition, you can see throughout Scripture examples of individuals attempting to pose as a victim of someone else’s influence in order to avoid being held accountable for their actions. In each scenario, not only did it prove to be a pointless effort, it revealed the true nature of the heart behind the sin.

Here’s a few examples:

When God confronted Adam and Eve about eating the forbidden fruit, Adam started off by blaming Eve: “The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” (Gen 3:12). Eve responded by blaming the serpent: “Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen 3:13)In both instances, you’ve got an individual who’s trying to pose as a victim of outside forces rather than admitting the fact that they’re nothing more than a victim of their own poor decision making. As a result, not only did their attempts to avoid discipline fail, they showed just how weak their resolve was to obey God in the first place. In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul was instructed to destroy the Amalekites and their livestock. Instead, he spared the king and the best of the sheep and the cattle. When he was confronted by Samuel, he started by lying and saying that he had done as he was told and when pressed, he said, “The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”Whatever doubts may have been lingering about Saul’s true character, they were laid to rest when Saul attempted to conceal his own wrongdoing by implying that he was being blamed for the actions of other people. You could say that he was insisting he was a victim of a an unjust system…Samuel responded by informing that Saul would no longer be king… In Luke 19, Jesus tells a story of three men who were entrusted with different amounts of money that they were expected to invest and multiply. Two of them came back having done just that, but the third man had done absolutely nothing and attempted to blame his boss by saying that, “I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.“The fact of the matter was the servant was both lazy and wicked. He was lazy in that he failed to do what would’ve been a simple and easy thing by simply depositing the money and letting it gain interest. He was wicked in that rather than admitting his guilt, he not only attempted to make excuses, but he went as far as blaming his master – the one who gave him the money to begin with – for the shame that he now had to contend with.

In the Absence of Truth

In John 7:24, Jesus says to stop judging according to mere appearances, but instead judge correctly. In other words, be certain that you’re basing your convictions on what’s true – an evaluation of all of the facts – and now just on what’s accurate, which oftentimes is nothing more than a manipulation of just some of the facts.

In the absence of Truth, Love is Neglect, Compassion is a Subsidy and Justice is Favoritism.

Moreover, Reconciliation, in this instance, assumes that someone has been wronged and the oppressed is now magnanimously reaching out to the oppressor and offering forgiveness.

But if there is no “oppression” – only a campaign to either blame someone else for the mistakes you have made or a resolve to evaluate an entire demographic based on the character of a select few – than Reconciliation is nothing more than the Psychological Extortion that was referenced earlier, but on an even grander scale.

Now, you’re not just blaming another individual or even a select group of people. You’re blaming another race and labeling every Caucasian as being a problem, not because of who they are as an individual, but because of the pigmentation of their skin.

There’s a word that describes that mentality…

Racism.

Bottom Line

You and I are perpetually poised on the threshold of great things because the One Who made us has equipped us for a life characterized by purpose and fulfillment (Josh 1:8; Jer 29:11; Eph 2:10).

It’s True! It’s not “positive thinking.” It’s “profound thinking” and it’s right out of the Bible.

But we can’t blame something or someone else for wherever we failed to do something right (Gen 3:12-13). Nor can we expect our best performance to always be embraced and applauded if we would reach that place where we’re able to experience the life that God offers to those who trust and obey (Jn 16:33).

Those that we admire not only owned their mistakes and learned from them, they also persevered when they encountered disappointment and didn’t rush to demonize those who enforced a certain standard without first ensuring they were able to meet that standard themselves before voicing any concerns or criticisms (Matt 7:1; Lk 19:20-26).

The bottom line is that these days, in order to label something as “racist” you have to be a Racist yourself. The question isn’t, “Is he a black man?” or “Is he a white man?” The question should be, “Is he a good man?” That’s the mindset advocated by Dr. Martin Luther King and, more importantly, that’s the only criteria used by God when He evaluates the conduct and the character of an individual that He has made (1 Cor 3:12-15).

As long as your platform consists entirely of labels, mobs and crowds as a opposed to a name, a person and a choice, you’re employing the very same sinister mindset you would condemn in others and you are the very thing you claim to despise.

This is why Reconciliation, Woke, BLM, Reparations etc. fails to secure the collective endorsement of the public in general because of the way each of these campaigns reek of the very thing they supposedly detest.

Whatever racial tension or injustice exists, you’re not going to defeat it using the same mindset it is founded upon. In other words, you don’t destroy racial prejudice with more Racism and until those that are truly concerned about the welfare of those they represent focus on the individual character of the people being considered and not their skin color, they’re not helping anyone, they’re just making a bad situation worse.

You Have to Talk to Thomas

thomasApart from first hand knowledge, everything we know about the world is based on what we’ve been told.

Provided your resources are credible, you’re on solid ground in the way you formulate your convictions.

But when there’s more than one perspective being circulated and it all seems to be based on something authoritative, what might otherwise be a consensus is now a disparate group of passionate voices all convinced that they’re right and everyone else is just trying to catch up.

In such a situation, it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction and what’s true becomes defined more by one’s philosophical preferences than actual events and whole conversations.

In the end, the truth is going to be defined by evaluating all the facts. That, as opposed to scenarios where the commentator is manipulating just some of the facts.

Take, for example, the Resurrection of Christ.

You could talk to Pilate and get one perspective. You could talk with John and get something entirely different. If those two individuals are your only sources of information, in the absence of something undeniable, you will be drawn to the personality championing the platform more so than the platform itself.

But at some point, you have to talk to Thomas.

Pilate sentenced Jesus to death, John saw Him die but it was Thomas who refused to believe anything as nonsensical as Jesus having come back to life unless…

…unless he was able to physically touch where the spikes had gone through His wrists and put his hand into the wound created by the spear that had punctured His side.

The NIV Text Note for this particular verses says, “Hardheaded skepticism can scarcely go further than this.”1

Unless you talk to Thomas, or at least objectively consider his experience, your take on Jesus having conquered death is going to be based more on what you want to believe than what’s actually the case.

You have to talk to Thomas.

And the same thing applies to similar situations where you have a variety of viewpoints.

You have to consider all of the players involved and give extra consideration to the one that represents, not just an eyewitness, but someone whose testimony makes no sense apart from it being absolutely true.

And when you encounter a differing viewpoint who would accuse you of being biased in an effort to make their perspective appear more credible, figure out who the “Thomas” is, make sure you’re familiar with what “Thomas” said, and then say to your opponent…

You have to talk to Thomas.

 

1. NIV Study Bible, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1985, p1637

Truth

is_it_trueI was watching an interview between Don Lemon and Sheriff David Clarke back in 2016. They were talking about the recent events in Baton Rouge where three police officers were killed and three others were wounded. The first question Lemon asked the Sheriff was, “…we spoke to the heads of the Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department and the State Police down there and they told us how their hearts are reeling – their message is peace and coming together as a country. What’s your message?”

At this point Clarke looked at Lemon with a look of disgust – which is understandable given the fact that regardless of how he might choose to answer Lemon’s question, it would sound like he was wanting something other than “peace.”

What do you say in response to a question like that?

I was thinking about that recently and I decided that a good answer would’ve been…

Truth.

“That’s my message, Don. Truth. Peace in the absence of truth is nothing more than unopposed violence and that’s what you’ve got going on in Baton Rouge.”

And then go from there.

Regardless of the news outlet or the commentator, no matter how noble the “message” may sound, in the absence of truth it’s nothing more than evil dressed up as a pretty lie.

Apart from first hand knowledge, everything you and I know about the world is based on what we’ve been told. Provided the source is credible, our convictions are sound. If, however, that source is intentionally incomplete, yet insists that it’s telling the “truth,” at that point we’re not being convinced as much as we’re being conditioned.

Before we rush to condemn or defend a particular personality or premise, the first question we need to ask is “Is it true?” And we can’t allow ourselves to be influenced by the presentation as much as we need to focus on the substance of the answer.

It can become subjective and our philosophical preferences will influence our willingness to accept one testimony over the other. But that doesn’t change the fact that there is a bottom line and objective tests can be applied in order to know with at least some degree of certainty the difference between truth and fiction, regardless of what we want to be the case.

So, when you hear someone talk about “change,” or accuse someone of wrongdoing, regardless of how justified their disposition may appear or how passionate the witness may sound, before any action is taken or any conclusion is drawn, the first question that needs to be asked is, “Is it true?”

However well intended your convictions may be, if you’re basing your approach on an incomplete truth or a flat out lie, it’s like going the speed limit but headed in the wrong direction.

Regardless of what they say, no matter how they sound or how things appear…

Is. It. True?

 

Three Questions

I believe the way you answer the following three questions do an excellent job of revealing the “practical reality” of your walk with Christ (Col 3:18). By “practical reality,” I mean either those times when “ministry” includes working alongside dynamics that aren’t agreeable or safe, or… you’ll see what I mean.

Here we go:

1) If you had to create a billboard that promoted a relationship with Jesus Christ and you couldn’t mention anything about heaven or hell or how Christ helps you with your problems, what would your billboard say?

2) You’re the Good Samaritan. But instead of encountering the victim after they’ve been beaten and robbed, you encounter him as he’s being beaten and robbed. What does your ministry look like?

3) Your neighbor’s house is on fire. You’re working alongside several people put out the blaze when all of a sudden you realize that among those you’re working with, there are several whose lifestyles you seriously disagree with. Do you keep working to put out the fire or do you walk away believing that it’s wrong to be a part of any effort involving people who don’t believe as you do?

If you had to create a billboard that promoted a relationship with Jesus Christ and you couldn’t mention anything about heaven or hell or how Christ helps you with your problems, what would your billboard say?

It’s not “positive thinking,” it’s “profound thinking.” And you’re not using Him or His Word to forward your agenda as much as you’re following His Lead in order to accomplish His Purpose, know His Peace and wield His Power in way that translates to a game winning strategy regardless of what race you’re running.

Pray Big!

Your “ministry” is not just what you do at church. It’s the way you excel and achieve by doing the right thing at the right time in the right way for all the right reasons regardless of where you are or what the circumstance may be. That includes the way you show up to work on time, the way you love your family, the way you vote, the way you work out and even the way you mow your lawn!

Paul says in Colossians that you need to be doing everything in a way that merits Christ’s Signature. When you make a point of doing everything “…with all your might” and couple that with the moral excellence that characterizes the believer who’s on top of his spiritual disciplines, you’re not the kind of employee that people hire, you’re the kind of person people promote (consider the story of Joseph).

Do it right and you are perpetually poised on the threshold of great things as a believer because you’re processing every moment as an ordained opportunity and not just another task to get done. He created you to make a difference and not just an appearance. Put that kind of approach into place and you won’t look at a Monday morning the way way ever again!

How does Jesus help you succeed? That’s the question you need to answer in this exercise. It’s not just how you “deal” with life, it’s how you “succeed” in life. Messages like:

  • Don’t just be smart, be wise (Jas 1:5)
  • Don’t just be happy, be fulfilled (Ecc 12:13; Jn 4:32; Gal 5:22-23)
  • Don’t just be right, be effective (Lk 12:11-12)
  • Don’t just be confident, be certain (Matt 7:24; Phil 2:13; 1 Jn 5:13)
  • Don’t just prosper, succeed (Josh 1:8)

You have the Mindset, the Manner and the emotional Muscle of God cruising through your veins. In other words, His Spirit lives in you. That’s the Divine Trademark that’s been stamped on your life (2 Cor 1:22)! You have the ball! Move it down the field and put some points on the board!

He’s not just a Divine Emergency Kit. He’s also a Divine Tool Kit. He doesn’t say you’ll never be broke, nor does He say you’ll never lose or be sad. What He does say is that if you stick with Me, I’ll make you wise (Jas 1:5). If you make Me your priority, I’ll make your Strong (Is 41:10; Phil 4:13). And if you follow My lead, I’ll make you the kind of person who lights up the room when you walk in (Job 29:11; Matt 5:16; Jn 5:35; Phil 2:15; 4:8)!

There are times where something tragic has happened or you’re up against the wall and, apart from God, you have absolutely no other options. In those times, should someone come alongside you and suggest that if you had more “faith,” you wouldn’t be as concerned or as sad, you’re not listening to someone who’s sensitive as much as you’re hearing someone whose approach to Scripture is based on a handful of verses as opposed to the Bible as a whole.

We are to, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” (Rom 12:15) Denying yourself or others what amounts to a healthy emotional response to a loss or a threat is neither holy nor compassionate. We don’t grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thess 4:13), but we do grieve. Courage isn’t the absence of fear as much as it’s the strength and the confidence to do the right thing regardless of how scared you may be.

We have access to that Strength and Confidence  in Christ (Is 41:10), but Jesus wept just before He raised Lazarus from the dead and He also sweat just before Golgotha.

Yes, there’s rest and healing to be had and it’s important to remember who you are apart from Him and how utterly dependent you are on His grace (Jn 15:5). But He’s created you to make a difference and not just an appearance. Because of Who He is in you, you lack for nothing as far the resources needed to achieve and excel (1 Tim 4:8; 2 Pet 1:3).

What we’re talking about here is not the minimizing of the holy compassion and the divine charity that is needed to strengthen and comfort those who are hurting. What we’re emphasizing is the fact that you are more than your wounds and better than your sin because of Who it is that lives and moves within you. That said, yes, there is a time to hurt and a time to heal, but there’s also a time to win and you don’t want to let yourself become more preoccupied with what you can’t do instead of what it is that He can do through you. That’s motivating and that’s the kind of thing you want to have on your billboard! Things like:

Don’t Just Try. Win. Do It Right Dream Big, Pray Bigger Don’t Just Make an Appearance, Make a Difference

 

Your situation is not something to be processed merely as a random collection of walls and warnings. Rather, it’s nothing but doors and directions when you allow His Truth to shape your perspective.

Do it right and you are perpetually poised on the threshold of great things because you’re processing every moment as an ordained opportunity and not just another day to get through. Put that kind of approach into place and you won’t look at a Monday morning the same way ever again!

Go God, boo devil! Make a Difference!

For more reading on one’s “billboard,” click here.

You’re the Good Samaritan. But instead of encountering the victim after they’ve been beaten and robbed, you encounter him as he’s being beaten and robbed. What does your ministry look like?

Life isn’t always sectioned off in a way where the resulting shapes are characterized by straight and even lines. In order for the Truth to make an impact, you have to follow Christ’s example and communicate it in a way that addresses, not just the situation in general, but the unique “shape” of the situation to include the personalities that are involved, the topic being addressed and the setting that you’re in.

Rarely are you going to be in a spot where only one verse applies. Instead, there will be several verses to consider which is why it’s so important to be taking your cue from God’s Spirit and His Wisdom as opposed to a collection of guidelines and techniques that you manufacture on your own based on a portion of God’s Instructions as opposed to the whole Handbook .

Standing up for what is right is not always done in the absence of a physical / violent altercation. There is an evil out there that doesn’t respond to a gentle rebuke or even a stern warning. And to twist Christ’s admonishment to “turn the other cheek” or God’s command to not take revenge on someone for a wrong they’ve done to you in order to justify not standing up to Goliath or to insist that Jesus was talking about a pocket New Testament when He told the disciples to go purchase a sword, is an irresponsible and inaccurate application of God’s Word.

‘Turning the other cheek” is the biblical response to an offense, not an assault…

As in much of Jesus’ teaching, pressing his illustration the wrong way may obscure his point. In fact, this would read Scripture the very way he was warning against: if someone hits us in the nose, or has already struck us on both cheeks, are we finally free to hit back? Jesus gives us a radical example so we will avoid retaliation, not so we will explore the limits of his example (see Tannehill 1975:73). A backhanded blow to the right cheek did not imply shattered teeth (tooth for tooth was a separate statement); it was an insult, the severest public affront to a person’s dignity (Lam 3:30; Jeremias 1963:28 and 1971:239). God’s prophets sometimes suffered such ill-treatment (1 Kings 22:24; Is 50:6). Yet though this was more an affront to honor, a challenge, than a physical injury, ancient societies typically provided legal recourse for this offense within the lex talionis regulations (Pritchard 1955:163, 175; see also Gaius Inst. 3.220). (“Avoid Retribution and Resistance”, IVP Commentary, accessed April, 2 2009)

And to suggest that the New Testament somehow nullifies every Divinely sanctioned use of force in the Old Testament is to suggest that God changes His mind when it comes either swinging your fist or firing a weapon.

He doesn’t change His mind.

Ever (Num 23:19).

Judges 3:1-2 makes it clear that God placed a premium on making sure that the Israelites knew how to fight. It makes sense, given the number of times Israel was called upon to strap on their swords and do battle with the enemies of God.

In the New Testament, while Jesus does make it clear that to be reckless and hasty in resolving to remedy any and all disputes with a weapon is foolish (Those who live by the sword, die by the sword [Matt 26:52]), and He encourages believers to respond to insults and offenses by “turning the other cheek,” the context and verbiage of His admonishing the disciples to arm themselves taken along with God’s obvious endorsement of military force in the Old Testament compellingly demonstrates the Truth and Biblical place of “sanctified violence.”

So, if you were to come on a scene where bandits were beating and robbing someone, you’re doing the right thing by stopping them however you need to in order to stand up for what is right and protect those who may not be able to protect themselves.

Your neighbor’s house is on fire. You’re working alongside several people put out the blaze when all of a sudden you realize that among those you’re working with, there are several whose lifestyles you seriously disagree with. Do you keep working to put out the fire or do you walk away believing that it’s wrong to be a part of any effort involving people who don’t believe as you do?

Solomon followed the example of his father in that he contracted King Hiram of the Phoenicians for laborers and building materials. David used the cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters provided by King Hiram to build his palace (2 Sam 5:11). Solomon used the same resource for the cedar needed to build the Temple (2 Chron 2:3).

King Hiram resided in Tyre and ruled over a people who were descendants of Canaan. Canaan’s father was Ham  who was the son of Noah that had demonstrated an outrageous disregard for God in the aftermath of the flood. Noah saw the same belligerence in Canaan and rightfully prophesied that his descendants would go on to become perverse idolaters and wind up being the object of God’s Wrath in the context of the Israelites conquest of the Promised Land.

Tyre, however, was a boundary and not a target (Josh 19:29). It’s not that the Phoenicians were a God fearing people (Ezekiel 26:2; Lk 10:13). They were descendants of Canaan, but those that resided in Tyre were able to somehow distinguish themselves in the sight of God as being undeserving of the punishment that was doled out to Sidon and other neighboring Canaanite cities. Perhaps that was one of the contributing factors that allowed for a friendly relationship between Hiram and David and then, later, Solomon.

Their true, spiritual colors would be revealed later when they cheered as Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Israel and for that they themselves would be destroyed, as Ezekiel prophesied in chapter 26.

The point being, however, that God can, and often does, use unconventional means and a variety of spiritual dispositions to do His work. In those moments, you want to support His efforts and not question them any more than you would refuse the cedar coming from Hiram simply because he was a Canaanite. Yes, he was an idolater, but he was used by God to do good nevertheless.

At one point, the disciples were agitated by the fact that some people were casting out demons in the Name of Christ, yet they weren’t a part of Christ’s inner circle of disciples…

38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”

39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. (Mk 9:38-40)

However petty the disciples may have appeared to be –  as far as feeling like they were only ones capable of doing any good, being that they were a part of Christ’s inner circle – it’s not an uncommon complaint.

Appearances can be distracting. A person’s manner, their background – if it doesn’t line up with tradition or convention – it can be mistaken for something sinister.

Fact is, the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it (Ps 24:1). Everything that was created was made by Christ and for Christ (Col :16;Rev 4:11), so however dirty or different the glove may be, it’s the Hand inside the glove that’s doing the work and you don’t want to be so preoccupied with appearances or qualifications that you fail to appreciate how God uses different people to do His bidding.

That doesn’t mean you throw caution to the wind and assume everyone is reading from the same page of music. 1 John 1:4 says to test the spirits, but that’s not always accomplished by focusing exclusively on a person’s checkered past or a vulgar outburst.

King Cyrus is a great example of how God can use someone that doesn’t have a relationship with Christ and may even be a little offensive in their manner to do God’s bidding.

The Jews were in exile and their city was a mess. The Temple was a heap of rubble and the walls were completely torn down (see 2 Chron 36:15-19). God had said that the Jews would be allowed to return, but if you were to look at an aerial photo of Jerusalem, you’d be pretty skeptical – especially given the very unlikely scenario of your enemy permitting the reconstruction of your city let alone financing it.

King Cyrus of Persia would put things in motion by paying for the rebuilding of the Temple and issuing a decree that would allow any willing Hebrew to return to Jerusalem to get it done.

Here’s the thing:

Cyrus is addressed by name in Isaiah 45. God refers to him as someone He has anointed for the sake of his people. He also says of Cyrus:

For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor,  though you do not acknowledge me . I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you,  though you have not acknowledged me  so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is note beside me. I am the Lord, and there is not other. (Is 45:4-5)

Cyrus didn’t believe in God, but that didn’t change the fact that God used him to accomplish the reconstruction of Jerusalem.

The same thing applies to us be it a politician, a doctor, a contractor or any kind of service provider. No, you don’t applaud their sin but you do support them in whatever role they’re playing in accomplishing God’s Purposes. In other words, you vote for King Cyrus, you make the appointment, you go with the best option and you don’t sneer at the cedar that’s being delivered to your doorstep for the construction of whatever God is building because its being delivered by a bunch of idolaters (see sidebar).

Conclusion

There’s a difference between compromise and wisdom. Basing your convictions on personal preferences seasoned with some carefully selected Scriptures that can be taken out of context and made to sound like a solid biblical reinforcement of your prejudices is not the same thing as basing your outlook on Scripture as a whole and refusing to allow your life’s experiences to replace the Word of God simply because you’re more comfortable with your opinion than you are with the Truth.

Discipleship is not being accurately presented if it’s taught as something that only applies in the context of a crisis. Standing up for what is right is not always accomplished by a mere rebuke. David defeated Goliath with a sanctified response that included both a weapon and a word (1 Sam 17:45-47). And however rough around the edges God’s human instrument may be, Scripture proves over and over again that your focus needs to be on the Plot and not the players in order to determine who you should support and who should resist.

There is, and always has been, an aggressive campaign in place to exchange the Truth for a lie (Jn 8:44; Rom 1:25; 1 Peter 5:8). If the author of that campaign is to be defeated, not only can we not afford to be petty, we don’t have the time to watch our countermeasures fail because they were based more on tradition than they were on the Substance of God’s Word.

And even when your convictions are on point, your delivery has to be just as Inspired if the end result is going to be a legitimate win (Prov 15:23; 25:11; Mk 13:11; Titus 2:7-8).

The bottom line is this: You’re here to make a difference and not just an appearance. Christ is the Filing Cabinet and not just a file folder and to restrict His Instruction and all the advantages that accompany obedience to those times that line up with your traditions is to gut His Word, kill your witness and give the opposition all the more opportunity to do some damage.

On the other hand…

Be the kind of workman referenced in 2 Timothy 2:15 and you’ve got a winning strategy in place that will benefit you and everyone He puts in your path because instead of you working without Him, He’s now the One working through you.

The Victims of the Democrats

donkeyThe Democrat party is able to accomplish a great deal by framing their platform around “the victim.” By doing that they’re able to do three things:

  1. shut down any legitimate dialogue because you can’t criticize someone who’s hurting or the person that’s trying to help without appearing insensitive if not cruel
  2.  avoid having to defend their perspective or explain the true purpose of their actions
  3.  demonize everything associated with their opponent including their race, their creed and their gender

With this approach, moral absolutes can be dismissed, criminal activity can be excused, double standards can be applied, the rule of law can be ignored and some of the most nonsensical, humanistic agendas can be implemented without any objection or opposition.

Think about it.

  • Abortion: Reproductive Rights
  • Homosexuality: The right to be happy
  • Illegal Immigration: The right to a better life
  • Mail in voting: The right to be safe and the right to participate
  • Obamacare: The right to healthcare
  • Socialism: The right to a livable income (part of the Green New Deal)
  • Black Lives Matter: The right to equal treatment

Everything is framed around the idea that someone is deprived and therefore has a claim to something that anyone with even the slightest degree of compassion would be more than willing to accommodate.

It’s brilliant.

Even felonies can be made to look noble. Any news or media that dares to question or refute the Democrat perspective is sneered at and if the content can’t be sufficiently refuted, the character of the witness or the reputation of the author is assaulted to the point where the focus is no longer on what’s being said, but who’s saying it. And if their character doesn’t lend itself to something that is easily vilified, they’re simply accused of “fear and hate,” and their objections are automatically processed as selfish and sinister.

Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle.”
Thomas Jefferson to John Norvell, June 11, 1807

In the event public support of the Democrat platform begins to wane, vulgar buffoons and aggressive troublemakers are held up as representatives of the opposing viewpoint and with the help of a cooperative press, legitimate questions and real concerns are made to look immoral, foolish and even violent. Once those tactics have been successfully deployed, not only is the substance of the Democrat perspective restored, it then becomes reasonable if not needful to silence anyone or anything that stands in the way of the Liberal paradigm.

There are people who need help. Victims do exist. But there’s a difference between someone who’s been pushed to the ground and someone who’s voluntarily taken a fall, just like there’s a distinction between a desperate measure and a calculated crime.

You can’t claim to be a casualty of a flawed system if your injuries are self-inflicted and your right to be happy does not give you the authority to redefine moral absolutes. Reproductive Rights applies first to the bedroom before it’s considered in the delivery room. Mail In Voting is an appropriate convenience until it’s a means to cheat. Is the demand for equal treatment a cry for equality or a demand for immunity? You are responsible for your actions. There’s a difference between assistance and a subsidy. There is a God, He’s on your side, but you’re not Him.

None of these realities are welcome at the Democrat table given the way they way they compel a person to see themselves as a name, a person and a choice as opposed to a label, a mob and a crowd. When that happens, those that would otherwise categorize themselves as a victimized collective begin to rethink their political affiliation as they realize the only “victim” that exists in the mind of a Democrat is the one that prefers programs rather than progress and would rather exist and be supported than live and be successful.

And this is why, for the Democrat party, there will always be a “victim,” there will always be a “villain,” there will always be an excuse. But without being able to appear as though they’re “…just trying to help,” they have to reveal their true target which isn’t the welfare of their constituency as much as it’s the power to create a world with no absolutes…

…save the bottom line of themselves.