It’s the American dream…life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We are all pursuing happiness, we all want liberty, we all want a good life…how we get those things is the question. Religion has attempted to answer that question: Christianity says they have that answer, Buddhism holds claim to it as well. The New Age movement, Scientology, Mormonism, the Jehovah Witnesses, Islam, even Atheism and Satenism all say that their way is the way to true happiness. Many will argue that religion isn’t the answer…success, money, fame, seclusion, family, self-sufficiency, exercise all have their stake in the argument as well…you too can be happy if you…fill in the blank. I’ve, in the past, bought into the Protestant Christianity argument that says the only way to true happiness in this world is by giving your life to the Biblical Christ. As a man in full time ministry, seeing what I saw, that argument was proven out to me over and over. A man walks in to the counseling session with a problem, he’s unhappy, addicted, a wreck…I tell him, give your life to Christ and you, like me, will find happiness. I tell him that I found happiness in this world through Christianity and you too will find it if you simply do what I did and submit your life to Jesus. And I found that without fail, those who did fully commit to Christ did find success, they did find happiness…so by pure circumstance…what I was teaching was in my mind true, it made sense…Jesus is the only way to true happiness in this world. I was convinced that in the world everyone who looked happy was faking it…they couldn’t truly be happy, they were heathens, inside of their heart was a hole in the shape of Jesus and they (the happy-looking fake people) were filling that hole with other things, but were not being satisfied…that’s what I was taught…therefore that’s what I taught. Then I left ministry for a job in the world and, in the world, I began to meet people who had not given their life to Christ, who didn’t need to go to church for counseling, who were actually quite happy. They aren’t addicted to anything, they are happily married, have good jobs, nice homes, good children...all their needs are being taken care of and they don’t even go to church. I learned quickly that there are people in this world who don’t need my counsel to be happy as they define happiness. Why do you think that is? Maybe Christianity doesn’t hold a monopoly on happiness?
This thought began to fester in my head a short while ago as I was watching a PBS special where a very prominent Buddhist leader was lecturing about Buddhism. He looked very happy and claimed he was happy. He said he was “enlightened” and had found “peace” through meditation practices. Then it hit me like a ton of feathers… “I bet he is happy,” I said to myself… “I don’t think he is lying about his inner peace.” So I started to re-think this whole “where does happiness come from” theory I had been working under my whole adult life. Maybe there are multiple ways to find happiness in this life…maybe I just found one of those ways. Could the old saying “it doesn’t matter what you believe just as long as you believe” be true?
These thoughts continued to get legs in my mind as I started to look more deeply at some people who appear to be happy. Bill Gates looks happy. He’s got 60 billion in the bank, he’s quite a generous philanthropist, and appears to be happily married. Hugh Hefner seems happy. He’s living life in direct opposition to God and now in his 70’s, appears to have a pretty good life going for himself…if that’s what he wants to do then he seems happy doing it. My boss seems happy. He’s got a ton of money, buys extravagant toys from boats to cars like they’re candy, he loves his wife, adores his daughter, and appears to love his work. I have non-Christian friends who are for all intents and purposes happier in their life than some of my Christian friends. Some of my Christian friends are miserable, they can’t make ends meet financially, they give and give of their time and money with no apparent earthly reward, they are stuck in their singleness, wanting desperately to get married and they, quite frankly, hate their jobs…this isn’t all my friends…but it is a good portion of them… So what’s the deal here? Is Christianity the path to happiness? Are we “Kings Kids” as the televangelist tells us or are we just like everyone else in this world…happy at times… at other times, disappointed …for the most part just barely making it through life?
Yes, it’s true…sometimes Christians are not happy as the world defines happiness. Biblically this is true as well: Jeremiah’s nickname was the “weeping prophet.” Hosea had a miserable life. Joshua and Caleb, who didn’t complain and did believe, had to walk forty years in the desert along side the complaining, unbelieving nation of Israel. Do you think Joseph, Daniel and Paul were ecstatic to be thrown into prison every couple of years? How about John being boiled in oil, not dying and being banished to the island of Patmos…oh, the joy!
I say these things to make a point…we in Christianity have watered down the message of Christ so much that the pursuit of happiness, not the pursuit of Christ, has become our main objective. I’m willing to bet that some of you reading this column were surprised, if not insulted by my statement that Christianity is not the only way to happiness. This insulted you because you think like I did for years that happiness and prosperity are the main objective of Christianity. This thinking is imbedded in our noggin’ because when you go into most any church these days all you’ll hear are messages from the pulpit that are focused on finding our purpose, getting the best from life, positive thinking and money management. Turn the television to TBN and you’ll find every mega-church pastor in the country talking about having a positive self image, taking claim of your status as a child of God and how giving to the church will force God to give back to you ten fold…you’ll be rich! It’s all about us and our happiness. But the message of Christ is not “pursue happiness” it’s “pursue Christ”…it’s not “you can be happy in this world” it’s “you are not of this world.” We need to re-prioritize our message because our current message is leading many people to blame God for their unhappiness and to seek happiness in the world. Our idol in Christianity today has become prosperity and happiness and teaching people to seek those things will lead them down the broad path that leads to destruction not the narrow path that leads to God.
How do we change this? We need to move away from preaching topical, easy to package, Mp3 packet sermonettes and dig deep into the Word of God. We need to, like Nehemiah, open the Word and read it, leaving nothing out, no stone unturned. We need to seek out pastors and leaders who care more about being holy than they care about being relevant. You, individually, need to stop pursuing happiness and start pursuing Christ, understanding and accepting that if that doesn’t lead to prosperity as you define prosperity…that’s ok…as long as it leads to Him.
Deepak Chopra probably does have an inner tranquility. Bill Gates certainly doesn’t have to worry about finances as I tend to do at times. Hugh Hefner may very well laugh himself to sleep every night. I’ll even wager that Marilyn Manson lives a pretty content life (as he defines content). But for each of them, unless they give their life to Christ, their happiness will soon end while mine will continue through eternity. Jesus tells in John 14: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.” You see, the peace that I have is based on the fact that I know that Jesus is preparing a place for me in His future kingdom. The happiness I have today transcends the ups and downs that life can sometimes throw at us because I have faith that in the very near future Jesus is going to come back for me, take me out of this world and into His presence. The joy I experience daily is not based on my circumstance it is based on my confidence that the one whom I pursue, Jesus, is completely in control of my life, has my best interest in mind and will beyond a shadow of a doubt lead me to a place that is better then the miserable world I see everyday. That joy stays with me eternally, that peace will not pass away, that happiness will not end when my body dies. There are many paths to happiness on earth, but only one path to eternal happiness…please, please, please…pursue that one path…pursue Christ!
For in depth studies of the Word of God visit:
Fear to Faith
Searchlight
Word for Today
GodSword
The Pursuit of Happiness:
God given gifts? Do I have one?
Have you ever just sat and contemplated the design of an eye? The intricacy and complexity of the human eye is amazing. I mean to be able to transform light into brain waves, send those waves to the brain to interpret and form an image that gives you a visual of what you are looking at…is that not amazing! As much as we try to comprehend, God’s design of this world is incomprehensible…it’s fantastic…it’s perfect. Did you know that God also has an amazingly perfect design for the inter-workings of His church? For those who call Him Lord, He has put into place an intricate and complex method by which He uses us to accomplish His will here on earth. He has given each of us a function in this design so that when we work together, as one body of believers, we can achieve amazing things in His name. Each of us have been given a gift or talent that has been given specifically to us so that we can fit perfectly into God’s design to be used by the Him to minister to others in the body and to reach out to those who have not yet joined us. Wouldn’t it be great if we all knew our gift and how to use it?
In Romans chapter twelve there is a list of the seven gifts God uses in His design plan: prophesy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership and mercy. Everyone who has given their life over to the Lordship of Christ has at least one of these gifts, and everyone who wants to use their gift has been given the tools and the opportunity to do what they were created by God to do. Knowing what your gift is and how to use it is very important when you are seeking to serve God effectively, so in this column let’s look at each gift and try and focus in on which one you have been given.
Prophesy:
Prophesy is the forth-telling of the truths of the Bible. Those with this gift are generally a bit on the harsh side. They are the people who tell others the things they don’t want to hear but need to hear. They aren’t the most popular people around, but to those they help they are highly respected. Generally, they struggle with speaking the truth in love, but have an uncanny ability to find and expose the lies of Saten.
Ministry:
Ministry is the illustrating of the truths of the Bible. A person with the gift of ministry serves people in practical ways. They are generally the people who set up the chairs, mop the floors, bring the food and take out the garbage. They are very valuable, and often underappreciated. Generally they deal with signs of depression because the serve continually and are seldom noticed, but they have a great sense of what needs to be done and are willing to roll up their sleeves to do what others don’t want to do.
Teaching:
Teaching is (of course) the teaching or defining of the truths of the Bible. Teachers have the ability to make the complex simple. They are typically good communicators and are well liked. They very much struggle with pride because they are patted on the back so often, but they generally are good public speakers and help groups of people navigate life.
Exhortation:
Exhortation is encouraging others to find and follow the truths of the Bible. Someone with the gift of exhortation or encouragement does for individuals what teachers do for groups. They have the ability and desire to come along side an individual to encourage and motivate them to become all that God has designed them to be. They are generally soft spoken optimists and very popular. They sometimes have problems with negative confrontation, but when they overcome that they are excellent at speaking the truth in love.
Giving:
Giving enables the truths of the Bible to go out and reach others. Let’s be honest, money is required for just about everything in life. God knew this would be the case so he gave some people the gift of giving. Givers are generally successful and generous. They sometimes struggle with discernment of where to give, but their generosity enables people with different gifts to use those gifts effectively.
Leadership:
Leadership is the management of the activities/facilities that put into action the truths of the Bible. Those with the gift of leadership are typically executive types who have the ability to organize and facilitate. They are usually two or three steps ahead of everyone else, seeing and solving problems before they happen. They struggle with being power hungry, but are great at organizing chaos.
Mercy:
Mercy is the expressing of the truths of the Bible. The person who has the gift of mercy is usually very emotional. They laugh when others are laughing and cry when others are crying. They feel the pain of those they are ministering to and allow them to cry on their shoulder. This type of person struggles with making emotional decisions, but they are great listeners.
Jesus exhibited all of these gifts fully and each disciple of His (including you and me) has been given at least one. Some have one defining gift and maybe one or two secondary gifts, others simply have just their defining gift. God has equipped everyone according to their ability and will give us the opportunities to use our gift(s) if we allow Him to.
How do I know which gift(s) I have?
Most likely you already have an idea which gift you have simply by reading their descriptions. But there are a couple of other ways of determining what your gift(s) is. The first is by placing yourself in this story: A ten year old boy named Gregory comes to you in tears. He was out playing baseball with his friends when they got a little rambunctious and in the heat of the game Gregory threw his bat hitting a passing car, breaking its windshield. He is devastated and sorry for what he did and very scared of the consequences of his actions. What do you do…what is your initial reaction?
• Someone with the gift of prophesy would probably be a bit harsh and rebuke Gregory explaining that along with bad behavior comes punishment.
• Someone with the gift of ministry would probably get a broom and go out into the street to sweep up the broken glass then give directions to the owner of the car on where to get the windshield replaced. Then they would call the repair shop to find out if they are open and if they are available to fix the car.
• A person with the gift of teaching would pull Gregory aside and teach him about anger control and give him practical steps on how to, in the future, better handle the situation that got him into this mess.
• The person with the gift of exhortation would encourage Gregory that it isn’t as bad as it seems right now and that they are there to help him through this time and will encourage him to do better the next time.
• A giver would pull out their wallet and offer to pay for the damage to the car.
• A leader would make sure the broom was there for the minister, the driver of the car had all the needed contact information and Gregory’s parents are contacted and brought up to speed on the incident.
• Meanwhile the person with the gift of mercy will be holding Gregory in their arms comforting him and empathizing with his experience.
Wouldn’t life be grand if we all came together and used our gifts to help others? I know from this story that my primary gift is teaching and one of my secondary gifts is exhortation. I also know from this story that I don’t have the gift of mercy or the gift of prophesy. My first response would be to try and help Gregory learn from his mistake then I would offer myself to him in case he needed any help in the future. What would your first response be? The answer to that question will give you a very big clue about what your gifting is.
Another way of identifying your gift(s) is by asking yourself this question: If I were given absolute control over all decisions made at my church, I would…
• A prophet would desire that more truth about sin and the consequences of sin be proclaimed and proclaimed boldly from the pulpit.
• Someone with the gift of ministry would want the church to focus more on meeting the needs of the community. They would like to see the church more involved in practical acts of service like washing people’s cars, feeding the poor, and child care for single moms.
• A person with the gift of teaching would work toward having more classes where the word of God is taught clearly and concisely. And they would fight to have the Bible taught verse by verse, chapter by chapter from the pulpit.
• Someone who has the gift of exhortation would like for the church to concentrate more on one-on-one discipleship. They would put into place small group discussions and seek to follow up with anyone interested in learning more.
• An individual with the gift of giving would try and get the congregation more active in giving personally and as a body. They would seek to give to the needy that which is received in tithes and offerings.
• The leaders of the group would want more organizational structure, a chain of command, better communication. Seek to pay down debt, invest for the future and build infrastructure.
• Someone who has the gifting of mercy would want to start a hospice program, a homeless mission and a drug rehabilitation center. They would seek to get the church more involved in counseling and helping the hopeless in the community.
The Bible tells us that we are all one body. He put us together for a reason and He gave us all the tools we need to accomplish His will through us. But just as a human body, the church body works best when everyone is working together, not at odds. Under the leadership of Christ we need to humble ourselves and come together, understanding that each body part is important, and overcome evil with good.
How do I start using this gift that has been given to me?
This is the bottom line…you know you have a gift but perhaps you don’t feel empowered to use it. You may be scared or shy and for you that is a huge hurdle to get over. You may be comfortable in your inactivity and though serving sounds great, you don’t want to give up any personal time or space. Or, you may be like I was for the longest time and you don’t have any confidence in your gift…you know you have a gift but you are pretty sure that you’ll embarrass yourself by using it. There are a number of reasons why we don’t use our gifts…but can I tell you…when you find and begin to use your gift, you will find that God will use you in ways that were previously unimaginable to you. So how do you start? Do you remember the scene in one of the Indiana Jones movies where Indiana is being chased through a large cave when he comes up to a tremendous gorge? He stands at one end of this deep chasm looking over to the other side when he remembers something that he read that said all he needed to do was step out. He put his hand over his eyes and took a giant step into the unknown and…as his foot came down it landed on an invisible bridge! That to me is a great picture of faith. God has told us that when we step out in faith He will meet us there…God has this wonderful gift that He has given you, step out in faith and start to use it. Prophets, speak the truth in love…ministers, serve people in practical ways…teachers, teach the Word…exhorters, encourage and disciple those around you…givers, give liberally...leaders, lead faithfully and merciful ones, show mercy to those who need mercy.
We live in a self-centered society. We all want, even in the church, our agenda to be the main agenda and we want everything done our way. But if we work together as one body, using the gifts God has given each of us, seeking to accomplish God’s agenda, we can and will accomplish great things for Him and glorify His name! Boy…wouldn’t that be great?! It’s a great design…find out where you fit in and you’ll discover that lo and behold…you fit in!
Romans 12
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Why self indulgence is destroying the church.
We live in an egocentric society. “What’s in it for me? How will what you are doing affect my life? How does that help me?” We’ve gotten this way because of a convoluted belief that has permeated culture that says that it is more important that a person has a good self image than it is for a person to have an accurate self image. We give ribbons to losers and reward mediocrity with “Great Job!” star stickers in hopes that not making anyone “feel” bad will cause us all to gather together in harmony holding hands singing Simon and Garfunkel tunes. Unfortunately what that kind of thinking has wrought is a society so intent on not challenging self indulgent behavior because it may offend the self indulged, that self indulgent behavior has become the status quo. “If it feels good, do it” is now the societal mantra and if anyone would challenge your right to be the you that you want to be they are labeled as prudes who just want to prevent people from being “true to themselves”. Unfortunately that kind of destructive thinking has found its way into the church and if continued it will end with many professing Christians hearing the unfortunate words “I never knew you” from the mouth of Jesus as they stand before the judgment seat.
Walk into pretty much any “modern” church today and here’s what you’ll find: Service will start about 15 minutes late with people filtering in from the coffee bar. Before the start of “worship” the house lights are dimmed and spotlights are focused on the “worship” band. The leader of the “worship” team will welcome you and begin to sing an up-beat rock style “worship” song as smoke machines billow out fragrant smoke. The words of the song will be on huge screens on each side of the stage, but very few sing along because quite frankly you can’t understand the lead singer and the back-up singers are singing in indecipherable harmonious non-articulated rhythmic intonations. The drums are loud, the horn section groovy and the guitar riffs are Clapton-esque. All the spectators/congregants around you have their hands raised, their eyes closed and they are dancing to the bands funky rhythm. After three fast, two slow songs and a catchy chorus that is repeated 17 times, a GQ looking man in designer shoes with a high-tech, virtually invisible headset/microphone comes to the stage and introduces a multi-media presentation that invites you to an up-coming concert/skateboard demo/outreach event hosted by a hip celebrity wannabe who never-was. Once the smoke has settled and the ringing in your ears has subsided, another hip dude in jeans and an un-tucked designer shirt comes out with a big book and a bottle of water in his hands and sits down on a sofa. He gives a 30 minute message about how you can be a better father/mother/child/employee/boss/neighbor/cook (pick one)-never opening the book he brought out- supporting each point with a very well produced video/power-point clip. The service ends at exactly the right time because in the next 22 minutes the auditorium needs to empty of the early service goers so that the late service goers can file in to watch the start of the same show that starts 15 minutes late because the lines at the café are long. As you exit, being careful not to make eye contact with anyone, you overhear the 20 something’s behind you declare “that was awesome…the worship band rocks!” and you can’t help but to want to come back next week to experience that again. Meanwhile as you get to your car and head for the exit ramp, six cars cut you off, four honk and scream and seven parking attendants sustain minor injuries from impatient church goers trying to get home before kick-off…just another day at the Whispering Valley Epic Revolution Non-denominational Community Outreach Missional church.
There has been a deliberate paradigm shift in how church is done from “what can I offer my King” to “what can my King offer me.” We no longer are seeking to serve God we are now seeking to be served by God. We want to have a “cool worship experience” by having “worship” be performed to entertain us and we want to be amused by relevant teachings that cause us to feel comfortable in our various shortcomings and hopeful for a purposeful and successful life. “What’s in it for me? How will it affect my life? How does that help me?” But worship is in no way to be for us, worship is to be exclusively directed to God and intended for God…tailoring it to fit our desire to be entertained is leading us down a path that is contrary to Biblical Christianity and will not lead to a true experience with God. And teaching relevant, “you too can be successful in life and change the world” messages is just feeding the congregation's self indulgent tendencies and is doing a great disservice to that congregation. Church should not be about you, it needs to be about Christ.
Some would argue with me on this. Many say that it doesn’t matter how you believe…it just matters what you believe. They’ll tell me that they believe in Jesus just as I believe in Jesus therefore how church is done is purely a matter of taste. They say that they aren’t changing the Gospel just the delivery of the Gospel to more effectively reach the “post-modern” culture. I am conservative (which means boring to them) and they are free, seeking to worship and serve Jesus without burdensome constraints…get with the times…adapt to the culture…live free… But the real question is this…is the gospel you are teaching in the Gospel of the Bible or are you teaching a different - false gospel? Are you truly free to worship without constraint or are you in actuality being held captive by your desire to maintain control over and feed your fleshly desire to be relevant and admired? Is the message truly remaining intact when you change the delivery methods to methods that service people's need to be indulged and feel significant?
One of the highly respected so called thinkers of this “modern” church discussion wrote recently that “many of us understand the Gospel in terms of Jesus’ radical, profound, and expansive message of the kingdom of God” he went on to write that one of the central issues in the conversation of the modern church is the kingdom of God and then defined the kingdom of God by quoting another thinker who said it is “a generative people who believe that a more beautiful and sustainable way of life is possible.” He then added “within many of us there is a desire for the Good News of Jesus to really be good news for the people of the world and not just the promise of a world to come. Many find good news in the call of Jesus to join the kingdom of God.”* The delivery vehicle for this new hip message has refocused from preaching what they call “turn or burn” messages to preaching that helping people meet their physical needs will make you feel good and help you find your purpose. Solving world hunger, curing AIDS, world peace and communal prosperity are possible if we all join together, setting aside our differences and work toward the goal of establishing the kingdom of God on earth. That sounds great! Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the “kingdom of God” and have a “beautiful and sustainable” way of life? Helping others does make you feel good. And who would argue against working for world peace? But there’s one HUGE problem with that thinking that needs very badly to be pointed out…THAT’S NOT THE GOSPEL!
Jesus told us that we will know who His disciples are by their fruit. Teaching this false kingdom of God gospel has resulted in some very dangerous fruit leading many of the leaders in this emerging conversation to become proponents of some seriously heretical ideas like looking at other religions for insight on life. You see, if the kingdom of God is “a generative people who believe that a more beautiful and sustainable way of life is possible” then Buddha, Gandhi, John Lennon and Tom Cruise would be great proponents of the gospel. Most of us know people who are living life in direct opposition to the Bible who have great ideas on how to solve world hunger, cure AIDS, bring about world peace and communal prosperity. We all know of non-believers in Christ who have found an inner peace and centeredness through meditation and breathing techniques. So if how they’ve described the gospel is true, then there is more than one way to enter the kingdom and that is in direct conflict with the Gospel of Christ. And if we can join this kingdom of God (as they have described it) by simply working toward a beautiful and sustainable way of life in this world for everyone, then Jesus died for nothing.
A couple days before Jesus was delivered up to be crucified He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey while being cheered as a conquering king. Why did the same people who cheered Him as a king demand His death a couple days later? The Jews in that day were under the oppressive rule of the Romans and were cheering because they were expecting Jesus to defeat Rome and set up His kingdom right there and then, but He didn’t, it wasn’t yet time, so they turned from an adoring crowd to a murderous mob. As much as they wanted the kingdom of God to start that day…it didn’t. The same is today, as much as we want the kingdom of God to start…it isn’t time and it won’t be time until Jesus comes again and righteously judges the world that is oppressing His children. It will be at that time and only at that time that we will see His kingdom ushered in…and we have absolutely no control over that timing. Seeking (looking forward to) that coming kingdom and letting people know that they must repent to have access to the kingdom of God is what the Gospel of the kingdom of God is as laid out by Jesus in the Bible. The Good News is not that you can have a purposeful and successful life where everything you desire can be attained here on earth, the Good News is that God loved you so much that He sent His Son to pay the penalty for your sin so that if you believe that fact you can have access to His future kingdom and help today in navigating this fallen world. The evidence of that belief is self denial not self indulgence and the result of that self denial is inner peace not world peace.
If you are a pastor or worship leader I understand the desire for you to get people to fill the seats of your church…that is a good desire. But if you are getting people to come by putting on a good show and by feeding the worlds self indulgent need to be relevant and purpose driven, then you are leading your congregation down the broad path that leads to destruction. The function of a church should be to lead people in the worship of God, boldly proclaim the true Gospel, and disciple the congregation into a growing, fruitful relationship with Christ. Leading worship properly should never draw attention to the worship band…leading worship properly means that you are leading people to go to God humbly, by faith, to thank Him and praise Him for the fact that He has given His Son so that you can have access to Him. Teaching the true Gospel is not teaching about what God can do for you…teaching the Gospel is teaching about what God already did for you. And discipleship is not picking and choosing the topics that tickle the ears of your congregation…discipleship is teaching the Bible in its entirety and leading your congregation into a relationship with Christ based on absolute surrender to His will.
Jesus taught that if you want to be a disciple of His you must (in other words it is not an option) put aside your desires, die to yourself, and seek His will as opposed to your own. (Matthew 10:37-39; 16:24-25, Mark 8:34-35, Luke 9:23-24; 17:33, John 12:25-26; 14:23…among many others) The Bible also teaches that in order for you to be recognized as a child of God you must understand that you are without esteem and that humility is required from you if you want to find His purpose for your life. (Psalm 34:18; 51:17, Isaiah 57:15; 66:1-2, Matthew 5:3-5; 18:4; 23:12, Luke 14:11; 18:14, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:6…among many others) We need to be living and teaching what Jesus taught: surrender, brokenness and humility. If we do that we will find that it is in those things that we will find true life…an abundant life!
* Doug Pagitt and Mark Scandrette quotes taken from Relevant Magazine. {Link}
Are we living in the end times? (the non-intellectual version)
One of the things that has brought me to a logical belief in God and the inerrancy of Scripture is fulfilled prophecy. There are some things that are inexplicable if not for the existence of an ever present, all knowing, all powerful God. For example: the prophet Isaiah wrote that in the beginning of the end, a nation would be born in a day.
Isaiah 66:7-9
“Before she was in labor, she gave birth; before her pain came, she delivered a male child. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children. Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the LORD. “Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.”
The beginning of labor or “birth pangs” is symbolic throughout the Bible as being the sign of the coming age when Jesus will return to judge the earth and set up His kingdom. This passage tells us that one of the first signs that the end is near will be the birth of a nation in one day and it can only be talking about one historical event: Go to your local library, find a number of history books and search out whether or not there has ever been, in the history of the earth, a nation “born at once.” You will find that only one nation has ever been born in a day, that nation is the current nation of Israel who on May 14, 1948, by decree of the United Nations, was born…that’s right in one day, in one decree, a nation was born…just as Isaiah had foretold over 2700 years earlier. Now for you folks who believe Bible prophecy is true only because somehow, somebody wrote the “so called” prophecy after the fulfilled events took place then passed them off as though they were written before the event…I challenge you to find a Bible published in the 1800’s (there are plenty of copies available, maybe even in your grandmother’s possessions) and look up this passage. If Isaiah 66 is in there (and it will be) can we agree that it had been written before the event took place? If it was written even 50 years before, then will you concede that it is quite weird that someone would know that a nation would be born in a day when it had never happened ever before in the history of man?
I chose Isaiah 66 to introduce this teaching because it is an interesting passage that speaks of what I’ll call two births…”Before she was in labor, she gave birth”… In other words, before the end times birth pangs begin, the earth will give birth to a nation. I believe this tells us that Israel’s birth in 1948 was the beginning of the end. If that is the case then we can look at other end times prophecies to see if they might correlate with any events that have taken place since 1948 or are taking place currently. If there are correlations then we can, with confidence, say that we are living in the end times.
So let’s have a look shall we…
One guy guessing right 2700 years ago about a nation’s birth could be just luck right? Possibly…but Isaiah 66 is not the only passage that speaks of the re-birth of Israel. In Ezekiel 36-37, the prophet Ezekiel gets into a little more detail about a future re-gathering of the Jews in the current land of Israel. Ezekiel states about Israel that God will “make you inhabited as in former times” (36:11) and about the Israelite people that God will “take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.” (36:24) That’s exactly what happened after the birth of the nation of Israel in 1948…Jews who were scattered throughout the earth came back and once again inhabited the tiny strip of land called Israel. But wait…there’s more! Ezekiel also gave more detail…he speaks of the land becoming fruitful once again, yielding crops from once barren wilderness. (36:9, 29, 34) Today because of the strategically placed dams and ingenious irrigation techniques put into place by the Israelis, what once was swamp land and desert in the land of Israel has become fruitful farm land. So fruitful that, despite the fact that it is about the size of Massachusetts (the 6th smallest state in the United States) Israel has become one of the largest exporters of agricultural products in the world…Read Ezekiel 36-37 and see if you’d agree that it is a dead on portrayal of Israel post 1948.
We also find more end times prophecies in Ezekiel 38-39 that are eerily similar to current world events. Ezekiel 38-39 speaks of a last days showdown between Israel and a number of allied countries. You’ll have to do a little history research for this passage to make sense because the names of the countries written in this passage are the names of the countries as Ezekiel knew them 2500 years ago…the names have changed, but the geographical territories remain the same so we can know who Ezekiel was talking about by finding who now resides in those territories. Here is the list of nations that are prophesied to come together against Israel in the end times as found in Ezekiel 38:
-Magog: Modern day Russia. “Gog” in Ezekiel 38 refers to the leader of Magog (Russia)
-Rosh: This also refers to Russia
-Meshech: This is thought to be the ancient city now known as Moscow
-Tubal: This is thought to be the ancient city now known as Tobolsk in Russia
-Persia: This was the official name of Iran until 1935
-Cush: Modern day Sudan and Ethiopia
-Put: Modern day Libya, and possibly Algeria and Tunisia
-Gomer: Modern day Turkey, but also possibly Germany and Austria
-Beth-togarmah: Modern day Armenia and the Turkic-speaking peoples of Central Asia
The story as prophesied in Ezekiel is as follows: In the end days Russia will form ties with several modern day Muslim countries starting with Iran. Soon Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, Turkey and possibly Germany and/or Austria will join Russia and Iran to come against Israel in a final big war where God will defeat the enemies of Israel. Keep in mind that this was written 2500 years ago and history will tell us that in that 2500 years, the inhabitants of modern day Russia and Iran have never been allies, they’ve fought against each other, but have never been allied…until today… Over the past couple of years Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader (Gog) has been not only publicly forming ties with Iran and other Muslim nations but has been unashamedly arming those nations at a rapid pace. Russia is today allied with and arming countries who have vowed the annihilation of Israel…Islamic fundamentalist run countries who have vowed to come together against Israel…just as Ezekiel foretold.
Let’s continue…
In Daniel 12:4 we are given another end times prophecy. Daniel wrote that in “the time of the end…knowledge shall increase.” There has never been a time in history that knowledge has been more accessible. With the arrival of the internet all it takes is a couple of seconds to type a question into a search pane and you’ll be able to find out just about anything at any time…knowledge has increased. Many say this passage refers more to knowledge of scripture as it relates to the end times then to just general knowledge…if that is the case then it is even more so taking place today. So many of the end times prophecies would have been impossible to understand before the advent of today’s technologies. For example: there are prophecies that tell us of a cashless society…without current technologies, it would have been impossible to understand how this would happen even 30 years ago...but today, this could happen tomorrow if we wanted it to. There are prophecies about the whole world being able to witness events as they are occurring…without satellite television, it would have been impossible to understand how this would happen even 50 years ago...but today, we watch world events happening live everyday on several television stations. Ezekiel’s description of the war of Gog and Magog describes quite aptly a nuclear war…without knowledge of radioactive fallout, it would have been impossible to understand how this would happen even 70 years ago…but today… There are so many prophecies that now become clear for us when we read them in the light of current knowledge.
There’s more…
In Luke 17 and Matthew 24 Jesus said that the end days will be similar to the “days of Noah.” (Matt 24:37; Luke 17:26) In Genesis 6 we find a description of the days of Noah: There was a population explosion (v.1), wickedness was great among the people (v.5) and the earth was filled with violence. (v.11)
Population explosion:
Experts estimate that in 1800 the earth’s population was approximately 1 billion. 150 years later in 1950 it had increased to 2.5 billion. Since 1950 the earth’s population has grown to 6.5 billion. Let me put it another way: in the 148 years prior to Israel being born in one day the earth’s population grew by 1.5 billion…in the 60 years since Israel being born in one day the earth’s population has grown by 4 billion…a little more than one third the time, close to triple the growth……sounds like a population explosion to me.
Wickedness was great among the people:
Loosely defined, wickedness is that which is likely to cause harm, distress or trouble. The root of wickedness in people is pride… “I want my will and I don’t care how it affects you”…Unless you have been shut up in a cave for the past 10 years with no TV, internet or contact with the outside world, I think it is safe to say that we all have seen a rapid increase in prideful wickedness over recent years. The shopping season before Christmas is a prime example…routinely you’ll see that people are being literally trampled by other people to get the “hot” item of the year… “I want it and I’ll do anything to get it.” Thieves throughout the world are stealing other people’s identity…not just personal items as in the past, but full identities…names…social security numbers…credit scores…and with absolute disregard for the individual, these wicked people are destroying others’ lives for personal gain. In politics it is no longer appropriate to debate over ideas; it has now become essential that your opponent’s credibility, lifestyle, and even families be obliterated. We are living in a wicked society.
The earth filled with violence:
Here are a few headlines from the past couple of months:
- 13 killed in attack in West Kenyan village in land dispute.
- 7 shot at local fast food restaurant.
- Former police officer convicted in the murder of girlfriend and unborn child.
- Man throws his 4 children off bridge into river.
- Man shoots up church, 2 dead, 7 wounded.
- Outrage over election causes rioting in streets.
- Two police officers found shot dead in parking lot.
- Men wearing stolen police uniforms kill 8 at Honduras pool hall.
- 2 homicide bombings kill 24 in Baghdad.
- Marine suspected of rape now on the run, wanted for murder.
- Assassination of former prime minister triggers rioting in the streets.
Turn on the television any given evening and you’ll find more than one television network devoted exclusively to men (and as I saw last night…in some cases women) beating each other senseless in cages for money. Look through your children’s video game collection and I bet you’ll find mostly violent games…even the sports related video games are now filled with violent acts. Our popular music exalts violent “gang bang” activities and YouTube is filled with videos of teenagers beating up other teenagers for fun. Our earth is filled with violence.
Another interesting verse about the times of Noah is found in verse 2 of Genesis 6: “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” The “sons of God” here refer to the angels who were kicked out of Heaven with Saten by God. (Revelation 12:9) Evidently in Noah’s day those fallen angels took wives from among the humans. If we look at it from a human perspective what would that look like? I suggest that, from our vantage point, it would look like women dabbling in the occult… Have you noticed lately a huge spike in occult like behavior? Television shows about ghost hunting and witchcraft, children’s books and movies about warlocks and casting spells, magicians and musicians who blacken their eyes with make-up, drink blood, and perform some pretty scary stuff. It has become mainstream in our society to accept these types of practices…practices that just a few years ago would have been unheard of…practices that even Christian parents are encouraging their kids to explore by giving them these books, taking them to these movies, buying them the video games and TiVo-ing these programs. We seem to be marrying ourselves to these occultist practices?
Are we living in days similar to the days of Noah? Answer that for yourself…
Another reference to what the end times will look like is found also in Luke 17, Jesus says: “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” The days of Lot? If you read Genesis 19 you’ll see what society looked like while Lot was in Sodom. Just before Sodom was destroyed (judged), God sent a couple of angels into the city to get Lot and his family out. Seeing the angels, the men of the city marched through the streets demanding that the angels (male angels) be brought out of Lot’s house so that they (the men) could have sex with them. Homosexual men boldly walking the streets making demands that the followers of God accept them and give into their demands. The city of Sodom in the days of Lot was filled with militant homosexuality…that’s just a fact of that day (Sodom-sodomy)…I’ll let you decide for yourself if today has any resemblance to the days of Lot.
Just a few more…but these are just the tip of the iceberg…
Daniel 9:27 speaks of a peace treaty that is signed in the last days between Israel and its surrounding nations. Israel is now negotiating such a treaty with the Palestinians and both sides are closer than ever to signing it…all they really need that they don’t yet have is a charismatic leader who can broker a deal. I believe this refers to the treaty that will be negotiated by the Antichrist to rebuild the temple. Everything is in place for when the Antichrist is revealed for this deal to be immediately agreed to; even the materials to build the temple are in place today and are staged in a Jerusalem warehouse.
In Matthew 24, speaking of the end times, Jesus tells us that: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” This week in the news you’ll hear about the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the war on terror, holy wars, military bombings in Gaza, Israel and Somalia, Syria threatening war, Iran building weapons of mass destruction, Russia flexing its military muscle, China building a huge 2 billion man army, North Korea thumbing its nose at the U.N. weapons inspectors, and Venezuela ramping up its military at its border with Colombia. Also, since 1948 many earthquakes have been felt causing tsunamis and many deaths throughout the world. AIDS, SARS, Ebola, bird flu, and super bugs have been popping up everywhere. Drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis, malaria, staphylococcus and cholera are rearing their head around the world. In the past 50 years, droughts and famines (usually blamed on so called “global warming”) have been frequent and deadly as well.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 tells us: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” Sounds like Paul was watching today’s TV news.
We started this column with talk of “birth pangs.” My wife is 8+ months pregnant so I’ve been hearing a lot about birth lately. When labor begins the contractions (or birth pangs) she will experience will be about 15-20 minutes apart. As the time for delivery nears, those contractions will get closer together. When they are 5 minutes apart we will head to the hospital, when they are 2 minutes apart the time is very near and you can expect to see the baby at any time. God called the signs of the end times birth pangs for a reason. It’s a mental picture that everyone who has had a child or has witnessed a woman in labor can relate to. We saw the start of labor in 1948 and at that time we started seeing signs of knowledge increasing, the population exploding, wickedness increasing, violence escalating, homosexuality becoming militant, wars, pestilence, famines, earthquakes. These signs started to show up in the news here and there every couple of years. Have you noticed an increase in the frequency of these types of activities as I have? Take violence as one example: 30 years ago it was a rarity to hear in the news about a mass killing; a workplace shooting or post office shooting would happen maybe a couple of times a year at most. Today (and I’d love to be exaggerating but I’m not) hardly a day goes by when there hasn’t been a mass killing, school shooting or car bombing somewhere in the world. Today it was in Israel where a gunman opened fire in a rabbinical school, two days ago a car bomb in Bagdad killed 53, last week a man walked into a South Florida Wendy’s and shot seven people… Here is a link to FoxNews.com; read the headlines in the light of this teaching…birth pangs…they are very close together.
I am not a “the sky is falling” type of guy…but when the evidence is as obvious as this…I will say…the sky is falling. We are living in the end times…Jesus will soon come to judge the earth and set up His kingdom.
So what now?
The Bible is clear about what is going to happen in the 7 years prior to Jesus returning to righteously judge the earth. It’s spoken as the Great Tribulation and it will be worse than any other time in history…a time of great enslavement and suffering. But God has provided a way for us to miss out on all that suffering. Before the Great Tribulation begins (and I believe it will begin within the next few years) everyone who has given their life over to the Lordship of Christ will be taken out of this world and caught up into Heaven to be with Him and will return with Him when He comes to judge the earth and set up His kingdom. “Now that’s just weird…caught up…to Heaven…with Jesus?” You might say, “You had me up until then…you were making sense…but that’s just crazy!” If that is you, if you think that’s crazy let me ask you this: If what I’ve said about fulfilled prophecy is true…if God, more than 2000 years ago, inspired men to write about events that are taking place today…don’t you think it might be a good idea to look at what God inspired those men to write about that hasn’t yet taken place…and maybe believe it too is true?
For those of you with children:
Proverbs 29:21
He who PAMPERS his servant from childhood
Will have him as a son in the end.
Notice here it doesn’t say - he who HUGGIES his servant from childhood…from here on out it’s Pampers brand diapers for us…the Bible has confirmed it!
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