Lord Or Not?

 Ok, so I haven't blogged in a while, & really not sure that when I was blogging before if anyone was even reading, but I don't guess it matters much. What matters is that I get it out. 

 Let me begin by acknowledging that I know myself to be flawed. After all I'm still a sinner, I've just been saved by God's grace, through Christ's sacrifice, & my surrendered faith in Him as Lord. It's as the old song goes, "I'm prone to wonder, Lord I feel it".

 Listen, we all slip, we all fall, but that doesn't define our faithfulness to Christ, but rather it demonstrates the faithfulness of His promise & love towards us!

 Todays blog isn't about judging the flaws of "believers", but more about looking at the mindset of so many who profess themselves to be "believers". A mindset that has spread like cancer throughout the American church, across denominational lines.

 For years I've listened to "Christians" talk, watched their behaviors, & in more recent days, have read their Facebook & Twitter posts, & I must say...it's disturbing to see what so many, who claim to be "followers of Christ", actually believe to be truth. Now, I could take on each issue individually, but that would take quiet a while & the chances of anyone actually reading this would most likely drop significantly, so I'll just cut to the heart of the matter...

 This idea that a "Christian" can choose to believe what they want to believe, that one has the right to interpret scripture any way he or she sees fit, & statements like "I'm entitled to my own opinion", as a "Christian" is not only absolute nonsense, but is a complete contradiction to what is means to "trust in Christ as Lord"!

Let's look at what the bible has to say...

 Jesus said, in Luke 9:23, that if anyone wants to follow Him that they must deny themselves, daily. Likewise, the Apostle Paul states in Romans 10, that to be saved one must "confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus"...which, by the way, is not a recognition of Jesus being God, but rather a verbal submission to Jesus as ones Lord & Master; this is the act of becoming a "bond servant", someone who willingly gives themselves to another as their life long servant!

 When we as true followers of Christ make this covenant with God, we then forfeit the right to make our own descisions or to determine for ourselves what we will or will not do, what we will or will not say, or where we will or will not go...it's longer up to us, but to Him to whom we have pledged our allegiance. This is what it means to be a Christian. 

 I don't recall who said this or where I read it, but it's truth is so profound..."No one can say 'No Lord, for to say Lord is to say yes!"

 

 We, who say we are Christ followers, must understand this...

 Jesus did not die to fix us, He died to change us !

 Jesus did not die to make us better, He died to make us new!

 

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV)

 When we trust in Him for salvation we trust that His ways & His thoughts are higher than ours, that what He says (what the bible says) is truth, regardless of what we've formally thought, what we've been taught, or what society says. His views become our views...our opinions on all issues become molded & formed into what the Spirit of God tells us through His written word.

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

Here's my final word on the subject....

Ether Jesus is Lord or He is not!

 

Jesus, Either He Is or He Isn't!??

"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
(Luke 6:46 KJV)

In light of recent days, the presidential election & so forth, and the comments, conversations, and ideology of the popular perspective of "The Will of God", I have had to take a fresh look at what His word actually says.

I'm going to be blogging my findings and conclusions for any who are interested enough to read, how ever few that may be.

Let me begin today with a brief commentary on the Lordship of Jesus, because any frustration that may be sensed from my writing isn't focused on the lost, but rather the so called "saved", those who call Jesus "Lord". After all, wasn't it the "religious" that Jesus Himself took issue with?

How quick are we to throw around the word "Lord", whether it be a figure of speech, a short simple prayer over meal, or even a sincere declaration?
That term is used so loosely, and often time with little to no real meaning or intention.
In the modern church of Americanized Christianity, we have under-emphasized the importance of the biblical "Lordship" of Jesus Christ. For example:

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9 KJV)

This is my absolute favorite of all scripture, I call it "The Roadmap to Heaven". In today's church (more specifically the Baptist Church), we water that first past down to sound as if simply declaring that Jesus is Lord paired with the belief in His resurrection equals "salvation". This is greatly inaccurate, misleading, and dangerous!
The idea here, based on Jesus' time as well as the language of King James 1611, is that of slavery; a willing surrender to life long bondage! Your profession of Jesus as Lord or lack thereof, doesn't change the fact that He is the King of kings and The Lord of lords and according to scripture "the demons believe and tremble". (Js. 2:19)

Jesus said, in Luke 6:46, "why do you call me 'Lord' yet you don't what I've commanded you?"

When we reject the authority of Jesus in any area of our lives (including how we vote), the question must be asked of us; is Jesus truly Lord?

Dr. Bryce Evans once said...

"If Jesus isn't Lord of all, He isn't Lord at all"

And that's the Real Truth!!

A Waiting Walk

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor. 5:7

Paul spoke of living life in the expectant hope of what is to come for those who trust in Christ. That, by faith, we can sacrifice the riches and treasures of this life in exchange for those much greater. He chose to live in the supernatural, believing that God would "make a way, where there seems to be no way", and that normal logic, what makes sense, and human wisdom are made to be foolishness by God's faithfulness. (1 Cor. 1:20, 3:19) 

 Often times our faith is tried by what we see; when we choose to look at life and its circumstances with our physical eyes, they seem to overshadow who God really is and cause us to doubt Him, to question His calling on our lives, and we begin to "rationalize" our situations and make our own plans for success. But Paul did not say that "I walk by faith", he said "we walk by faith"; as followers of Jesus Christ, we do not focus our attention on what we see, the difficulties that lie before us, or the size of the enemy, we set our gaze on Christ, resurrected, ascended, and returning for His faithful beloved!

 There will be times when God has promised us or called us to something that "reality" will set in and those around us will tell us to "wise up", to "wake up", even to "curse God and die". There will be times where we will get anxious and want to do things on our own, make our own way, and began to question if God cares, if He's able, or if we really heard God speak to us...

"Be still, and know that I am God;" Ps. 46:10

Check out this link to Greg and Janna Long's "In The Waiting"



http://youtu.be/eQD7_pit9xI

What an amazing truth in these lyrics...

 I've been preaching, for better than 3 years now, a message entitled "Reckless Abandonment"; in fact, I've been writing a book with this same title, and I thing the title is self explanatory. The message of willingly surrendering everything to life a of sold out abandonment for the glory of the name of Jesus to the world. The message is a tough one, and to be honest, the majority of those to whom I've preached it and taught it, didn't care much for the idea and rejected to follow my leadership because of it. And now I find myself at a moment of decision, a crossroads of faith and doubt and I've got to decide if this was just something that I was teaching or something that I actually believe...

-has God really called me? And can I really trust Him?-

And that the "Real Truth"!

"Ain't Nobody Like Jesus"

 History has been marked by men who speak with power, authority, charisma even; men who, as they speak little light bulbs come on over our heads and we have those "aha" moments where things that didn't make since or we simply were unaware of suddenly become clear and their vision for leadership is even more clear.

 The world has been changed, our nation transformed, and the church re-ignited with a passion for the things of God by men who's voice carries these attributes.
 

A few come to mind; men like...

Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Charles Surgeon, & Billy Graham; just to name a few.

 These men have certainly had their impact on both the world and the church, in large part for their ability to speak words of freedom, relativity, and truth resulting in a sense of enlightening purpose into their hearers and a drawing of faithful followers to their cause.
 

Consider the words of the "officers" sent by the chief priests and Pharisees to arrest and put to death Jesus in John chapter 7.

"they said to them, 'Why did you not bring Him?' The officers answered, 'Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks." Jn. 7:45-46 (NASB)

Can I tell you that that truth hasn't changed a bit! Jesus' authoritative words and teachings still stand in truth and relevance today!
And that's the Real Truth!

What Does God Want From Me?

While there are a number of scriptures referencing and even more books written about "The Will of God",  we all  still seem to continue to "ask, seek, and knock" in our pursuit of it for our lives.We attend regular church services, listen to christian music (an assumption of coarse), and some of us even tithe (that's a very few "some" btw), but still, we seem unsatisfied, unfulfilled in our Christian walk and let's be honest, in that moment we've all asked yet again, "What does God want from me?",  right? It can be confusing, I know.

 Perhaps you've gotten involved in church activities, you're doing the same things most other church members (including leaders) are doing, and you've even given up so many things from your old life, and still it doesn't seem like enough. 

 I was having my daily bible reading (which I am not as faithful with as I know I should be), in John 6 where Jesus feed the five thousand and then calls Himself "the bread of life that comes down from heaven". I've read it a dozen times or more, I even preached on it a few Sunday nights ago, but today I was reading from the Contemporary English Version and this is what I read.

"What exactly does God want us to do?' the people asked." Jn. 6:28

 This question came after they heard His teachings and saw the miracles and still were unsure of what to do and wanted signs to prove that they could really trust Him; isn't that exactly what we're asking so often?

 We've heard His word proclaimed so many times that when the preacher is reading or quoting scripture or even when he calls out the book, chapter, and verse, many of us will start quoting it under our breath. In the same way, we've seen God do so many great things in our lives, so many prayers answered, and even witnessed a few miracles that could only be explained as God and yet we still find ourselves asking this same exact question for the same exact reason.

"What exactly does God want us to do?"

 Notice, now, Jesus' response...

"Jesus answered 'God wants you to have faith in the One He sent."

 Here it is, what God wants from us, that we simply trust in Jesus! That we believe in what He says! That we can surrender our "everything" and "take up our cross and follow Him", that truly "the last shall be first and the first shall be last", and that the treasures that we store up in heaven through our sold out work for His kingdom here on earth will not be touched by moth, rust, or thieves, and that He will remember us, and that counting all that this world has to offer as "dung" is worth what He has in store for us. To trust in Jesus; to believe that I can obey His every command without fear, doubt, or compromise and trust that He will see me through. This is His will and this is the Real Truth!

Hidden Truth

2 Corinthians 4:3 NASB

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,"

In C. S. Lewis' classic "Screwtape Letters", Screwtape tells Wormwood (speaking of demonic attacks)

"It's funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds; in reality our best work is done by keeping things out."

Not only do I see this technique as true and effective, but I also believe that we as believers play a vital role in assuring that this plan be accomplished.
Scripture says the "the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of those  who do not believe" and "our gospel is hidden to those who are lost". The very reason that "our gospel" is to hidden and the reason I say that "believers play a vital role" is because we generally don't share it with "those who are perishing".
Whether out of fear or apathy, the majority of believers keep "our faith" to ourselves and on doing so make the demons job (according to Screwtape) that much easier, while at the same time rejecting God's purpose for our lives!
And that's the "Real Truth"!

Mountains and Mole Hills

John 16:33b,
"In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

It's no new news that life is full of troubles; whether you call them storms or mountains, we all face them. 
In the midst of my own mountains whilst walking others through theirs in ministry, I've found that whether your a child dealing with bullying, a teen struggling with dating, a young adult in a financial crisis, or  a senior suffering with the loss of a spouse, when you're the one scaling the wall of these situations, a mountain is a mountain no matter it's size!

Throughout scripture we see the "greatest of Saints" facing their own kinds of mountains.

(In Gen. 6, Noah's was the building of an ark while the entire world mocked; in Exodus, Moses' was leading the children of Israel out pf Egypt into the Promised Land; David had Goliath, Daniel, a lion den full of lions; on & in it goes)

Now, Jesus speaks of faith with the power to cast these mountains out of our paths, however, I believe that many of these trials and difficult times of life are not meant to be cast but climbed! You see, it's in the climb that we grow strong, we learn our own strengths and more importantly our own weaknesses, but we also lean more deeply the mighty power and sufficient grace within the hand of God!
After all..

James 1:2-4 NASB

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have  its  perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

And that's the Real Truth!

Seeking Jesus

"Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matt. 7:7-8

 In John 1, John the Baptist introduces two of His followers to Jesus saying "Behold, the Lamb of God", immediately they leave John to follow Jesus. As He saw them following He asks them "What do you seek?". That's a valid question!

 Let me ask you the same question... "What do you seek?"; what are we seeking in our own, everyday lives? What is our number one pursuit, really? That's what Jesus was asking these two, in fact, that's what He was asking those of us who claim to be followers. All through His earthly ministry Jesus was seen testing the motives of nearly all who "pursued" Him; He was interested in their hearts, why they were following, what were they really expecting, what gains, what loses, how far was to far to follow Him, etc. He wants to know the same thing of us today; "what do you really want?", "why are you a Christian?", and "how far is to far for you to follow Him?".

Unfortunately, the majority of those tested in scripture lacked sincerity. Time and time again we see individuals that wanted the eternal life that Christ offered (and only Christ can deliver) turn back because their motives weren't pure, and the costs were much too high! Times haven't changed all that much, have they? Money is too valuable, our jobs or hobbies are too time consuming, and our families are much more important; but the "Real Truth" still stands, "he who seeks finds".

"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." Jer. 29:13

 Mark Hall, youth pastor and lead singer of Casting Crowns, wrote a book entitled "Your Own Jesus"; in it, Mark deals with this topic. What many of us know of Jesus (the experiences, stories, testimonies, encounters, etc.) are usually all connected with the church services we attend, a revival or concert we went to, a pastor who taught or preached with power, a close Christan friend or spouse or parent, when most of the time the truth of the matter is, when it all is said and done and we're all alone in our dark places of life the Jesus we knew was someone else's Jesus.

And that's the "Real Truth"!

I'd like to challenge you to do a few things:

1) Examine your personal walk with Jesus, see if this applies, and ask yourself... "what do I seek?".

2) Read the book, "Your Own Jesus" by Mark Hall (it's on my list of favorite reads).

3) Commit in your heart today to seek after Him with all your heart and find your own Jesus!

p.s. I'll be posting Mark Hall's daily video devotionals on this page; I encourage you to take a few minutes a day to view them, you won't regret!

Another Victory for the Wicked

"Speak up for those who can not speak for themselves, for all those who are destitute." Prov. 31:8

On November 8th, Mississippians had an opportunity to take a stand for godliness and once again we, the church, have failed to make the difference.
The vote on "Personhood" was to constitute life as beginning at conception, thus ceasing the annihilation of any more innocent children growing in their mother's wombs because they're an "unwanted mistake", a "tragic consequence of violent circumstance", or whatever other excuses there may be.
We live in a society were wickedness rules, life isn't valued, and to stand on biblical principles is not only unpopular but is also considered to be "unconstitutional" as well as"unintelligent" and unfortunately we as Christians are either ignorant to the truth of God's word on this issue, apathetic to it, or ashamed to take the stand.
Whatever the case may be, we seem to have lost out "saltiness" as the "salt of the earth".

"But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it be made salty again?" Matt. 5:13

And this is "real truth"!