I’m a Cheater

Well, it’s confirmed, I’m a cheater.

I was shocked. I mean, I try to do my job with sincerity and integrity, but it looks like, to at least one prominent preacher, how I do my job makes me a cheater.

This came up recently on a blog from a rather famous US preacher. Don’t worry about WHO,I am not attacking or criticizing him. Everyone has their thing, everyone has an opinion. My point isn’t about who it is or fighting back – I am just evaluating this opinion because it applies directly to me. Specifically, my commitment to expository, verse-by-verse preaching. Here is an excerpt from the blog:

Question: What do you think about preaching verse-by-verse messages through books of the Bible?

>Famous Preacher<: Guys that preach verse-by-verse through books of the Bible-- that is just cheating. It's cheating because that would be easy, first of all. That isn't how you grow people. No one in the Scripture modeled that. There's not one example of that.

Eh, I’m not really convinced that I am cheating. And I am not going to change what I do. Here are 6 Reasons I Believe in Verse-By-Verse Expository Preaching:

1. Preaching verse-by-verse lets me preach like Paul, declaring the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). The only way to get the whole counsel of the Word is to preach through all of the Word as it presents itself. The Bible is written in books, with themes and ideas. And the only way to catch the totality of these themes is to work through the texts as they were written.
    
2. Preaching verse-by-verse keeps me from just preaching my favorite things. I think it would be easy to pick what I want to preach. Mercy, grace, love – and while these are important doctrines, they aren’t everything the Bible has to say. Which leads me to...
    
3. Preaching verse-by-verse makes me preach on things I would otherwise avoid. I don’t particularly enjoy talking about hell or judgment or sin – and I wouldn’t seek these themes out if I just preached on what I prefer. But they are there, and verse-by-verse preaching makes me deal with them – and God has them in His Word because He wants them dealt with!
    
4. Preaching verse-by-verse makes me avoid taking things out of context. I don’t want to misrepresent God, and it’s easy to make the Bible say what I want it to say – or misunderstand what it actually says – if I just rip a passage out of its context and preach on it.
    
5. Preaching verse-by-verse helps me have a plan about where we are heading as a church. I let the Word of God guide us as a church rather than use the Word for some man-centered agenda. I can only do that if I walk through a passage and let the Word speak for itself! And most importantly...
    
6. Preaching verse-by-verse helps people become better Bible students for themselves. What confidence do people have to read the Bible for themselves if they look at it like a buffet we walk through and pick out what we want? It wasn’t written that way and it should not be read that was. Going verse-by-verse gives people confidence to walk through the Bible themselves. They can do at home what I model in church Sunday mornings. Let’s walk through this passage. What does it say? What does it mean? What does it mean in light of what was said in the last passage? How can I apply this truth?

So I have to respectfully disagree with this preacher. Let’s be committed to be not just Bible respecters, or Bible fans... but Bible students.

p.s. - not a cheater... and not cheating my people

In Control and In Perspective

Last Sunday, we saw in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 that God’s people are to control their bodies (sexually), unlike the world, who doesn’t know God and lives out of control (again, sexually). We also saw that there are consequences for living “out of control”.

It didn’t take long for the issue to be in the news again, proving the truth of God’s Word. Jared Fogle, the famous Subway spokesman who dropped a ton of weight eating their submarine sandwiches, topped that crazy story by being accused of sexual activity with minors and being in possession of child pornography. Aside from the lives of children that have been ruined, think of the damage Jared has done to himself because he didn’t control his sinful sexual appetites. Worth 15 million dollars and the face of a franchise, he has lost his job, his wife, his 2 children, his reputation, and is heading to prison. Was it worth it? Reeling from that news, we were hit with the Josh Dugger accusation of having two profiles on a website designed to help people cheat on their spouse. Out of control. Destructive.

The church is not exempt from the dangers of sexual immorality, either. We must guard ourselves or else destroy our families, our reputation, or our testimony for Christ.

And I also want to caution on buying into some of the popular church teaching that good sex is the key to a good marriage. Yes, sexual fulfillment is meant to be enjoyed, yes it is meant to be apart of the oneness of marriage, but sometimes the teaching from the church creeps into the territory of “sex is the main event”. The way I have heard some preachers preach on sex, you would think sex is the main reason to get married. That’s not good.

Why the caution? We love to hit the extreme side of the spectrum. I grew up in church and always believed sex was a bad thing by the way it was talked about. That’s a wrong presentation. But if we jump to the other side, the “sex is ultimate”, the side of “good sex = good marriage”, we can end up concluding on that extreme side of the spectrum that “no good sex = no good marriage”. It puts eros (the Greek word for love that means “passion”) over agape (the Greek word for love that means “your needs over my needs”). In other words, physical intimacy becomes the focus instead of self-sacrificing, “lay my life down for you” love. If some physical anomaly resulted in a husband and wife unable to have relations, does that mean the marriage is over? Does that scenario justify marital breakdown and sexual immorality? “If I can’t have sex, what good is the marriage?” Whoa, wait a second, do you truly love your spouse or do you just love what they can do for you?

I’m not being some hyper-prude. Yes, enjoy your spouse. But make sure the physical intimacy is an overflow of the oneness that comes from the highest love. Don’t buy the world’s propaganda that the physical act is the highest priority over everything. Agape over eros.

p.s. - not a hyper-prude, or even a calm prude

So the Atheists Wrote Their Version of the 10 Commandments...

Did you hear? Not to be outdone, the atheists now have their own version of the 10 Commandments, called the “10 Non-Commandments“. You read that right. A contest was held for a more modern, humanistic alternative to the commandments given by God to Moses in Exodus 20. Here is the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/19/living/atheist-10-commandments/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Considering the time spent studying the original, I felt an evaluation of this new version would be in order. My comments will be in italics.

Here are the "Ten Non-Commandments" chosen as the winners:

1. Be open-minded and be willing to alter your beliefs with new evidence.

2. Strive to understand what is most likely to be true, not to believe what you wish to be true.

I call these first offerings the "ironic pair". Is this critical evaluation of evidence a two-way street? Does this include young earth science and evidence for the resurrection of Christ?

3. The scientific method is the most reliable way of understanding the natural world.

True. Science interprets the present, but cannot tell the past. That’s called history. (Come on, you didn‘t really think this non-commandment wasn‘t a plug for millions of years of evolution. If you did, email me about buying a bridge I am selling.)

4. Every person has the right to control of their body.

This is a push for abortio… I mean “pro-choice”, right?

I agree with this one. Control your body. Great. I agree. Control it. Monitor the activities it engages in. Babies, however, are a different body. Let them have the same right to life, and control, that you have.

5. God is not necessary to be a good person or to live a full and meaningful life.

Who defines "good" and "meaningful"? You used the words, so SOMEBODY has to define them.

“Good” and “meaningful” are meaningless words, unless there is a God who defined morality. If God defined morality, it is objective truth (x is good, y is bad - for everyone). But if we define it, it is subjective - and we know that doesn’t work! Some people think adultery and stealing are good and meaningful. Not the people who are victims, though.

6. Be mindful of the consequences of all your actions and recognize that you must take responsibility for them.

Yeah. I am on board with this. See #4.

7. Treat others as you would want them to treat you, and can reasonably expect them to want to be treated. Think about their perspective.

Ah ah ah!!! That's too close to Jesus talk (Matthew 7:12). No copying! You wanted your own version, make up your own!

8. We have the responsibility to consider others, including future generations.

I agree, but this sounds like a repackage and a tweak to the previous one. Are we running out of ideas?

9. There is no one right way to live.

So why make commandments? Oh, right, these are non-commandments. Is this validating me thinking the right way to live is through the exclusive salvation offered in Jesus Christ?

10. Leave the world a better place than you found it.

First His Words, now we are ripping off Jesus' ACTIONS. Shame on you.

God-less. Ecumenical. Vanilla. If these make it to the public square, will Christians protest to have them taken down? Will they get taken down?

If my tone sounds caustic and/or annoyed and/or sarcastic, I am. Stuff like this puts me in that mood. I’ll try to turn that around for next time. It’s just so wicked and so foolish, but somewhere out there right now, a group of atheists are high-fiving each other over this drivel.

Meanwhile, I’ll stick with the original. Heaven and earth will pass away (along with these foolish re-writes of God‘s Word) but the words of Christ will never pass away (see Mark 13:31).

p.s. - not sure about the rule as to when I should turn the italics off

Social Media and God's Word

Technology is quite an amazing thing.   

We live in an age of unprecedented access to information and connectedness.  We have the convenience of online bill pay, instant downloading of our favorite music, breaking news and sports updates, Google maps with street view.  When traveling, I've often asked myself, "what in the world did I ever do before I owned a GPS?".  iPods, iPads, iTunes, iCloud... smart phones, smart apps, smart cars,,, smart everything,   It goes without saying that these and other technological advances are certainly helpful and very useful in our lives.  
 
I remember in the late 1980's when households were getting their first personal desktop computers.  Paranoia gripped a segment of the population who nervously warned us about a drastic shift in the culture.  They called it 'virtual reality'.  Their far-fetched claim was that physical interaction with people would diminish significantly and that our interaction with computers would comprise most of our existence.   We would live life attached to a computer and eventually cease to be who we were meant to be as humans.  We would live in a world dominated by so much technology that it would be nearly impossible to tell the difference between what was real and what was fantasy.   This seemed to be quite an outlandish prediction at the time. 

Today however, the use of such technology is permeating our lives in ways we never thought possible even a decade ago.  Some if it is fantastic, but some of it can actually be harmful if we're not careful.  Our culture is one that struggles with addictions of many kinds, and with regards to technology we have insatiable appetite for social media.   We never seem to get enough.   

What's going viral?  What's trending?  Well, here are a couple things: 

1. Activism:  Social networks have given everyone a platform that they never had before.  In an instant, your closest 700 friends get a piece of your mind about something that is near and dear to your heart whether they care about your cause or not.   We are all guilty of this if we use things like Facebook or Twitter.  There's never a shortage of posts and comments ranging from abortion to physician assisted suicide.  People are not shy about telling you their view on same-sex marriage.  There are conservative posts, liberal posts and every idea in between.  Arguments and rants take place amongst people who are supposed to be 'friends'!   We no longer need to organize a protest and carry a sandwich board.  We can just type a quick statement, press the enter key and within minutes we have 15 snarky comments!
2. Self-centeredness: We love to brag about our vacation, the food we eat, how well-behaved our kids are. We love to post videos of ourselves and take pictures of ourselves.  I have even seen self portraits of people in the bathroom mirror!  Spare me the gory details please!  Social media has given us an opportunity to promote our own glory by shining the spotlight on ourselves and letting us scream, 'look at me!'.
3. Foolishness: Lack of wisdom and discretion online is rampant.  Sharing too much information, sharing links that contain graphic images and posting questionable memes that leave a shock value impression.   Playing games and taking surveys also have the potential to be a huge waste of time, dragging us away from more important things.  You know what I mean:  "Which Cartoon Character are You?", Candy Crush, etc.   I am not against games or surveys.  These are not necessarily evil things (depending on the game, of course!).  I am simply stating that when those activities consume all of our time and dominate our thinking, we are not being wise.  When we're sharing things about ourselves or our families that really are private matters, we are not being wise.  

What does God's Word have to say about all of this? 

While there is nothing in the Bible specifically about electronic devices, tracking your internet usage or choosing a cell phone plan, it does contain several principles that give us clear direction when dealing with technology: 

The Clear Eye Principle:  Matthew 6:22-23 says, "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness".  Having a 'clear eye' means having a single-minded devotion to Christ.  It means that we are entirely focused, free from any distractions, with our eyes set on one prize: namely our Savior.  Being zealous for good causes is not inherently evil.  In fact, there are many good things to be excited about and involved in.   But when these causes pull us away from our Lord, then that is a big deal.  When we're distracted from the things of Christ, then it is easy to set Him aside for the sake of our 'pet cause'.   Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith is an intentional daily discipline requiring much diligence and a heart that desires Him far above all else.   The enemy would like nothing more than to put a wedge between us and Christ, and what better way to do it than to have us 'busy' with other things. 

The Shut Up Principle:  Proverbs 10:19 smacks us with this truth, "where there are many words, transgression is unavoidable".  Translation:  speaking a lot will eventually lead us to sin.   As Christians, sometimes maybe it's best to just shut up.  Maybe saying nothing at all actually says volumes.   Before we post something on a social media site, we should ask:  Is my opinion on this matter REALLY necessary at this time?   Is it REALLY that important to stir the pot?   Do I REALLY like controversy and confrontation that much?  Is what I am about to say online REALLY edifying to those who will read it?   Of course there is a time to speak, but we should be very judicious as to when that is, and what words we should use (see also Proverbs 26:4-5 and Proverbs 13:3). 

The Justus Principle:  Acts 18:7 speaks of a man named Justus.  Some Bible versions refer to him as Titius Justus.  Not a whole lot is said in regards to this individual, but one thing we know from the Bible text is that he lived next to the synagogue.  Another important fact we see, which the writer of Acts thought was a vital detail, is that Justus was a "worshiper of God".  When thinking of Justus, one specific and defining characteristic stood out about Justus:  he was a worshiper of God.  Is social media defining who WE are?   Instead of being known as worshipers of God or known for being zealous for the things of the Lord, do people know us for some other external cause we promote?   Instead of people knowing us as humble lovers of righteousness, do people see us the way we appear in our massive collection of 'selfies'?  Instead of being known as people who are heavenly focused, do people just know us as Farmville players?  Just who ARE we anyway?   

So, are we to close out our Facebook account and terminate our cell phone data plan?  The answer to that is a resounding YES, if that technology is causing a distraction in your relationship with your Savior.  Social media can be a great tool and can actually be used to our advantage and benefit, but ONLY if we follow sound principles provided in God's Word that will guide our usage of this advancing technology.