It’s been QUITE A WHILE since I last wrote in this blog. Lots of things have been going on. Right now my family and I have relocated to central Kentucky. In pastoral terms, I’m what you would call “between churches,” as I had resigned the church I pastored in southern Illinois in August; it was a decision my wife and I had prayed about for more than a year. We were blessed to have men and women of God who gave us godly counsel in making the decision. And we appreciate those who continue to pray for us as we seek the next steps God has for us in ministry.
In making that decision, there is one burning question I continually faced, that I believe every Christian and every Bible-believing church needs to face: if your church closed down tomorrow, would anyone notice? And if anyone did notice, would they even care? And I don’t believe this even addresses the issue of numbers. Jesus used 12 men to turn the world upside down. And conversely, as another pastor friend once said, a church of 10,000 can have absolutely NO impact for God’s kingdom!
One of the last messages I preached at the church was based on Mark’s account of the rich young ruler. I can send you an MP3 recording of the message if you contact me by responding to this blog entry. But the gist of the message is this: the rich young ruler was doing EVERYTHING RIGHT in his approaching Jesus, asking the right question, and in the way he treated others! And yet, he eventually walked away in great sorrow due to his many possessions—the idol he was not willing to give up to follow Jesus! Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s comment on this passage struck me like a thunderbolt; he concluded that the ruler was at least honest enough to admit he couldn’t hack it. “The difference between ourselves and the rich young man is that he was not allowed to solace his regrets by saying: ‘Never mind what Jesus says, I can still hold on to my riches, but in a spirit of inner detachment. Despite my inadequacy I can take comfort in the thought that God has forgiven me my sins and can have fellowship with Christ in faith.’ But no, he went away sorrowful. Because he would not obey, he could not believe. In this the young man was quite honest. He went away from Jesus and indeed this honesty had more promise than any apparent communion with Jesus based on disobedience” (The Cost of Discipleship, pp. 79-80).
I’ll be getting back to commenting on events. But I believe that my questions above spell out the central issue the church of Jesus in America will have to face, especially in the coming days.
The upcoming events don’t look very rosy for this country. There will most likely be a tug of war over the debt between the White House and the newly-elected House of Representatives—while the national debt continues to pile high. The ever reliable mainstream media, with its puppet masters in the Democratic Party and among “moderate” Republicans, will continue to try to use ANY violence to shamelessly smear Sarah Palin and the Tea Party. There is the “climate of hate” jabber aimed at talk radio, in spite of the fact that the Arizona murderer who tried to kill Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford was apolitical, mentally unstable and NEVER listened to the “hate-inspiring” talk radio. But it was a-okay for a Democrat in Congress to slander Republicans as Nazis (that’s TRUTH TO POWER, don’t you know), and the coverage of a LEFTIST’S attempt to kill the Democratic governor of Missouri continues to go unnoticed (check Glenn Beck’s web site on that one for starters).
World leaders, including our #1 creditor China, are calling for the abandonment of the dollar as the world reserve currency. There are surely more economic hurricanes coming our way (including what’s brewing in Egypt—see Caroline Click’s web site for the chilling scenarios). And the same ole Sunday Christianity which has permeated this country will not be able to stand, and will have no answers for the countless souls would will be shaken to the core and looking for REAL truth in the coming days!
We need to seek God like never before, and examine ourselves on whether we will be a dynamic church that is willing to lift up Jesus no matter what, as the early Christians did—or continue to lumber on as a church that is “3,000 miles wide and three inches deep.”
Martin Luther King, Jr., in his Letter from Birmingham City Jail, made this statement about the churches that refused to support the civil rights movement--but I believe it's even more appropriate for the American church in general, and the challenges its faces in the coming days: "If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning ..."
Friday, January 28, 2011
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Golf's new champion?
Remember when George W. Bush was president, how many in the media--including "investigative" filmmaker Michael Moore--chided him for playing golf? How out of touch! Look at how much time he's wasting. Bush eventually stopped playing golf in 2003, out of respect for those who lost family members in the Iraq War.
Now, fast forward to 2010, and check out President Obama's love of the same game here. A love of the game, it appears, that far surpasses W.'s. Also, check out the last line of the story--it appears Obama's golf obsession is a touchy subject around the White House these days.
Memo to GOP: You now have the perfect ad for the fall elections. Obama golfs while America goes down the drain. Better hop to it.
Now, fast forward to 2010, and check out President Obama's love of the same game here. A love of the game, it appears, that far surpasses W.'s. Also, check out the last line of the story--it appears Obama's golf obsession is a touchy subject around the White House these days.
Memo to GOP: You now have the perfect ad for the fall elections. Obama golfs while America goes down the drain. Better hop to it.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Obama tells Egyptian foreign minister he is a Muslim
Once in a while I like to run a check on the Matthew 25 Network website, to get their alleged “Christian” perspective on the sinking ship that is the Obama administration. So M25N, what IS your view of president’s mishandling (or non-handling) of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster? Did Obama’s aides REALLY try to interfere with a congressional election, by offering one Democrat an administration post in return for not running against Arlen Specter? Things like that.
But alas—M25N’s website is nowhere to be found! Is all this just too much for our “progressive Christian” friends? Maybe the real answer can be found in the article here, where Pamela Geller at the Atlas Shrugs website has uncovered public statements by Egypt’s foreign minister, claiming that Obama told him that he is indeed a Muslim. This high official in Egypt’s government would have no reason to lie about his meeting with Obama, and Geller spells out the evidence to back up this bombshell.
The implications are chilling, to say the least. Was Obama simply trying to “impress” the foreign minister? Then this is serious deception indeed for someone claiming to be a Christian. It could well be that Obama never abandoned his Muslim beliefs, but “played church” for social and political reasons (yes, non-Christians, even atheists, have been known to do this—not that “Pastor” Jeremiah Wright’s church could be considered a truly Christian church).
So is it possible that M25N—which ballyhooed Obama’s “Christian testimony” during the presidential campaign—are now crawling back into the woodwork with their folly exposed? In a way, I’ll miss their website: their diatribes against evangelical beliefs (which they withheld until after the election); their pouting about “social justice” (while apparently not doing anything in the way of actually helping anybody); and other such humorous readings. And let’s not forget their slamming of Sarah Palin’s “unchristian behavior” (by the way, M25N, what did Obama say he wanted to do to BP officials in that NBC interview? You may want to check the replay on that one, whenever you get your heads out of the oil-drenched sand).
But alas—M25N’s website is nowhere to be found! Is all this just too much for our “progressive Christian” friends? Maybe the real answer can be found in the article here, where Pamela Geller at the Atlas Shrugs website has uncovered public statements by Egypt’s foreign minister, claiming that Obama told him that he is indeed a Muslim. This high official in Egypt’s government would have no reason to lie about his meeting with Obama, and Geller spells out the evidence to back up this bombshell.
The implications are chilling, to say the least. Was Obama simply trying to “impress” the foreign minister? Then this is serious deception indeed for someone claiming to be a Christian. It could well be that Obama never abandoned his Muslim beliefs, but “played church” for social and political reasons (yes, non-Christians, even atheists, have been known to do this—not that “Pastor” Jeremiah Wright’s church could be considered a truly Christian church).
So is it possible that M25N—which ballyhooed Obama’s “Christian testimony” during the presidential campaign—are now crawling back into the woodwork with their folly exposed? In a way, I’ll miss their website: their diatribes against evangelical beliefs (which they withheld until after the election); their pouting about “social justice” (while apparently not doing anything in the way of actually helping anybody); and other such humorous readings. And let’s not forget their slamming of Sarah Palin’s “unchristian behavior” (by the way, M25N, what did Obama say he wanted to do to BP officials in that NBC interview? You may want to check the replay on that one, whenever you get your heads out of the oil-drenched sand).
Monday, June 21, 2010
Who is inexperienced now?
Remember the battle cry of Democrats in October 2008? "Sarah Palin is too inexperienced to take the presidency if something happens to John McCain." Maybe those same voters should have applied that same standard to Barack Obama. Radio commentator Peter Heck's excellent article here sums it up.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Obama's "Christian" voice silent
The outrage over the disinviting of Evangelist Franklin Graham from the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer breakfast is spreading throughout the church world.
But it also brings up an interesting question: President Obama is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. With one word, he can reverse this anti-Christian debacle and bring Graham--son of Billy Graham, who has been friends with every president since Harry Truman--back to speaking at the event. Where is Obama's "Christian" voice now?
Never have we witnessed such anti-Christian bias emanating from the halls of power as we have see with this administration--and it appears it will only get worse. It is now being more clear each day that Obama's "Christian faith," propagated during the campaign by media lapdogs and the pseudo-Christian Matthew 25 Network, was a mere vote-grabbing charade. If the president wants to reassure Americans that he is a "man of faith," reinstating Graham to the prayer breakfast would be a good place to start.
But it also brings up an interesting question: President Obama is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. With one word, he can reverse this anti-Christian debacle and bring Graham--son of Billy Graham, who has been friends with every president since Harry Truman--back to speaking at the event. Where is Obama's "Christian" voice now?
Never have we witnessed such anti-Christian bias emanating from the halls of power as we have see with this administration--and it appears it will only get worse. It is now being more clear each day that Obama's "Christian faith," propagated during the campaign by media lapdogs and the pseudo-Christian Matthew 25 Network, was a mere vote-grabbing charade. If the president wants to reassure Americans that he is a "man of faith," reinstating Graham to the prayer breakfast would be a good place to start.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Obama hates Israel?
Check our Dick Morris' excellent assessment of President Obama's continued humiliation of Israel here. The president's recent unprecedented mistreatment of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu at a recent White House meeting, according to Morris, may be more calculated than many believe. I at first thought the continued slapping of our allies was mere idiocy or naivety--remember how Obamaites jumped all over VP candidate Sarah Palin for her lack of foreign policy experience, while totally ignoring Obama's? You can't get much more idiotic than walking out of a meeting with a head of state while essentially telling that leader to get their act together.
While the liberal Democratic worldview that America is responsible for all evil in the world may also play a part in Obama's foreign poicy ineptness, Morris' assessment should be a wake-up call to Jewish Americans who have been blindly throwing their support behind Obama.
Recently, "evangelical" wolf-in-sheep's clothing Jim Wallis claimed that Obama critic Glenn Beck "hates Jesus" because he exposed the "social gospel" and its Marxist roots. Maybe it's time we appropriate Wallis' lingo to describe the true state of US-Israeli relations, and simply sum it up: Obama hates Israel.
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you!" (Psalm 122:6, ESV)
While the liberal Democratic worldview that America is responsible for all evil in the world may also play a part in Obama's foreign poicy ineptness, Morris' assessment should be a wake-up call to Jewish Americans who have been blindly throwing their support behind Obama.
Recently, "evangelical" wolf-in-sheep's clothing Jim Wallis claimed that Obama critic Glenn Beck "hates Jesus" because he exposed the "social gospel" and its Marxist roots. Maybe it's time we appropriate Wallis' lingo to describe the true state of US-Israeli relations, and simply sum it up: Obama hates Israel.
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you!" (Psalm 122:6, ESV)
Saturday, March 27, 2010
President Obama, put away malice
The following is an open letter to President Barack Obama:
“President Obama, Put Away Malice.
“As Christians, we are called to be respectful and loving toward our neighbors, honoring their intentions even if we disagree with their plans. We are also called to ‘put away falsehood’ (Eph 4:25) and to refrain from slandering, belittling, or speaking out of contempt for anyone.
“If these are the standards God has set for us in our personal lives, our church communities, and our neighborhoods, how much more so should they be the standards of those Christians who choose to be in the public eye? Shouldn't we also expect our brothers and sisters in politics to speak the truth in love and to extend respect and goodwill even to those with whom they disagree?
“In questioning not only his opponents’ policies but also their motivations, President Obama went far beyond what could be considered acceptable disagreement and into what seemed like open contempt for a political opponent.
“To be blunt, we saw very little of Jesus’ love in his recent health care speeches, as he heaped contempt on those who disagree with him politically, while offering no vision for how to resolve the critical issues facing Americans today.
“Therefore, we call on the president to repudiate his attitude of contempt towards political opponents and to tell the whole truth, not only for the sake of a more honorable politics, but also for the sake of our Christian witness in the world.”
By the way, if the above statement sounds somewhat familiar, it’s excerpted, with some changes, from a 2008 statement made by Matthew 25 Network, slamming Gov. Sarah Palin for her speech at the Republican National Convention. And I’m sure M25N will be jumping on this bandwagon, to urge Obama to exercise Christian values in his speeches, backroom deals … I mean negotiations, treatment of allies such as Israel and Great Britain, and in curbing some of that unchristian foul language we’ve been hearing from those around him, including his vice president.
“President Obama, Put Away Malice.
“As Christians, we are called to be respectful and loving toward our neighbors, honoring their intentions even if we disagree with their plans. We are also called to ‘put away falsehood’ (Eph 4:25) and to refrain from slandering, belittling, or speaking out of contempt for anyone.
“If these are the standards God has set for us in our personal lives, our church communities, and our neighborhoods, how much more so should they be the standards of those Christians who choose to be in the public eye? Shouldn't we also expect our brothers and sisters in politics to speak the truth in love and to extend respect and goodwill even to those with whom they disagree?
“In questioning not only his opponents’ policies but also their motivations, President Obama went far beyond what could be considered acceptable disagreement and into what seemed like open contempt for a political opponent.
“To be blunt, we saw very little of Jesus’ love in his recent health care speeches, as he heaped contempt on those who disagree with him politically, while offering no vision for how to resolve the critical issues facing Americans today.
“Therefore, we call on the president to repudiate his attitude of contempt towards political opponents and to tell the whole truth, not only for the sake of a more honorable politics, but also for the sake of our Christian witness in the world.”
By the way, if the above statement sounds somewhat familiar, it’s excerpted, with some changes, from a 2008 statement made by Matthew 25 Network, slamming Gov. Sarah Palin for her speech at the Republican National Convention. And I’m sure M25N will be jumping on this bandwagon, to urge Obama to exercise Christian values in his speeches, backroom deals … I mean negotiations, treatment of allies such as Israel and Great Britain, and in curbing some of that unchristian foul language we’ve been hearing from those around him, including his vice president.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
