Evangelism

A Change in Affections

1 Comment / May 1, 2025

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times. A pastor or a speaker shares “the Gospel”. It goes something like this:

“Are you struggling today? Do you feel lost and alone? Jesus can help you. He will meet your needs and be there for you in this life. And, if that’s not enough, remember that you get to spend eternity in heaven if you ‘accept Him’.”

Okay, so I am being a bit facetious but, in a nutshell, that is basically how the Gospel is presented.

But that isn’t the Gospel. This kind of “gospel” can be more likened to a self-improvement course.

The Gospel isn’t about accepting a god who will help us fulfill our dreams and fix our problems. It isn’t about a golden ticket to heaven.

And, while Jesus does love us and He will help us and He most certainly is the only way to spend eternity in heaven, He died for our sin. He died so that we can be right with our just God. He died so that we may LIVE. Not to live for self but to live for GOD. And He rose again to give us victory over sin and death.

He did not die and rise again so that we can have a happy life with less problems and fulfilled dreams.

About sin… do we even think we really sin all that much? And if we think about our sin, do we think it is that big of a deal?

Let’s look at sin from a different perspective, shall we? The root of all sin is selfishness. Anything done out of selfishness is sinful.

Now think about yourself in light of this truth. Do you, like me, grow a bit squirmy when sin is thought of in that light?

The tricky thing is that selfishness can masquerade as goodness. Many people are nice because it furthers their own goals. Many choose to be outwardly moral for their own selfish reason. They can look “holy” for their own selfish gain. They can be “cooperative and kind” because of their hatred of conflict and how uncomfortable it makes them feel.

Not all selfishness presents itself as ugly or negative.

And therein is the issue. SIN is far deeper and far broader than most of us have been taught.

I picked up a book this morning entitled Selfishness: The Essence of Moral Depravity written by a pastor who lived a few centuries ago named Nathanael Emmons.

The following quote is from the introduction of this book. It is worth sharing here, as I do believe that the church has been greatly deceived as a whole and has turned to a false Gospel—the Gospel of self-love to improve one’s temporal life—

The message of what is called the Gospel today is really nothing more than appeals to self-love which, in reality, is what people must repent of in order to be truly saved. We must repent of our selfishness rather than try to be religious and moral based on selfish motives (i.e. what helps me or benefits me the most.)…

…All over the world we encourage people to turn from sinful actions because it is good for them. But if they turn from sin from a principle of selfishness, then sinful self is being strengthened even as people are appearing more holy on the outside. We need to understand the true nature of sin in order to show people what true repentance is. Jesus told us that “if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The Pharisees were not willing to do that. They were willing to be very religious but they would not deny self. Instead they prayed for self, gave alms to self, and fasted for self (Matthew 6:2, 6, 16). They did all of their religious actions out of love to self rather than love for God. They were their own idols and all that they did in the outward practice of religion was moved by acts of self-love rather than love for God. If we do not have a true understanding of what sin really is, we cannot truly repent from the heart. We must understand the truth about sin or we will not be saved from sin. (Emphasis mine)

We can see then how…

The very system of the devil has been set up as orthodoxy in America in many places. We can see how the thinking of many, if not most within the professing Church has swallowed the teaching that self-love is the essence of morality when in fact it is the very essence of immorality and is living in the likeness of the devil. His (the author’s) next point is devastating: “If sinners are constantly under the governing influence of selfishness, then they must experience an essential change in their affections, in order to be saved.” In modern America it is taught that the very essence of sin is what moves us to be moral and yet those are the things that must be repented of in order to be saved. How diabolical and deceptive of the devil to set up his kingdom in the hearts of men and women by the teaching of many who are externally orthodox and actually use the Bible to justify their false teaching. How utterly deceptive to use the pulpits and the classrooms in America to preach and teach rebellion against God as the cure for sin. (Emphasis mine)

This has really got me thinking. If self-love and self-preservation are what turn us to Jesus, then do we really get salvation at all? If we are simply turning to Him to improve our lives and to give us a future that is pleasant, do we understand the heart of the Gospel?

I don’t think we can. And, while I think we all struggle with examining our hearts and our motives, true salvation means coming to the place where we recognize the wickedness of our own hearts and we fall on our knees at the feet of Jesus, begging His forgiveness and grace.

Some of us will come to that realization as we grow in the Lord and others have that happen immediately. But true salvation will eventually lead to this place. It has to.

The transformation of a true believer is the change in their affections. A change from self-seeking to seeking the Lord. A change from self-glory to God’s glory. Oh, not perfectly, but there is a recognition of our waywardness and there is a desire to seek God first before self, although we fail so often.

Where there is no change of affections nor even a recognition that there should be any change, there is not salvation. Scripture makes this so clear and yet so many hate this truth.

And can I be honest for a moment? I don’t particularly care for this truth, either. For its ramifications are truly terrifying. And yet truth is truth.

Truth is truth. Whether we like a certain truth or not is irrelevant. And that is hard for us “feelings-oriented” people to swallow, isn’t it?

May we pray for wisdom as we search for the truth and may we pray that God will help us to yield our selfish feelings and desires to His truth.

The Representative

1 Comment / April 8, 2025

In the past week, I ended up at the same restaurant two different times. Interestingly enough, I had two very different experiences.

During the first visit, my group was served by a waitress that was fantastic. She was there before you knew you had a need. With a smile and a pleasant word, she checked in with us often. She boxed our leftovers and gave us extra bread to take home with us. She just made the whole experience very pleasant.

The second visit was not as pleasant. The waitress wasn’t terrible but she wasn’t great either. I found myself searching the room for her several times, wondering if she had forgotten about us. She completely forgot one request and we didn’t ask again. She was pleasant enough but she seemed a bit scatterbrained and generally uninterested in the people at her assigned tables. I wondered if she is perhaps just not really cut out for waitressing.

Waitresses are the representatives of their restaurants. Like it or not, restaurant owners are putting their reputation in the hands of these people. We do the same with our landscape company. Employees represent their companies.

Sometimes, as in our first waitress, that is a wonderful thing. They represent well with stellar service and a smile. Sometimes, as in our second waitress, they are just okay. They don’t necessarily damage the business owner’s reputation, but they also don’t do anything to help it. And, sometimes, employees do irreparable damage to the reputation of a business. Lacking wisdom and only caring about self, they bring a carelessness of deed and tongue to their job that gives the company a bad name.

In all three cases it’s the same business. The same owners desire to have employees that treat their customers well. Unfortunately, they cannot always control how their employees treat customers and sometimes do not even know until it’s too late that there was a problem.

It’s just the way it is. It’s the way it has always been. It just is.

Do you see a similarity here to Christianity? Believers are representatives (lights) and we should represent our King well. What people think about God is often based on what they think about us.

Some represent Him very well—they speak the truth in love; they love and obey His Word; they love others well; and they strive to live holy, pure lives unspotted from the world.

And then there are others who don’t necessarily hurt Christ’s reputation but they certainly don’t help it, either. They struggle with worldliness and sin; lacking courage, they know they should speak the truth of God’s Word but they are are afraid ; they aren’t necessarily selfish but they aren’t really unselfish either, as they tend to things in their own little world.

And then there are those who profess Christ (only God knows the truth if they are saved or not) who claim to love Him and yet continue in sin and worldliness with not even one niggling conviction; they are self-focused instead of God-focused; they aren’t even thinking about speaking truth because they are too worried about what others will think. This last group does irreparable damage to the name of Christ.

(Parenthetically, I’d rather guess that many genuine believers vacillate between the first two types of representatives. Sometimes we do so well and we have courage and love well and then other times we get so distracted and fearful or caught up in some besetting sin that we need to battle. Probably none of us are 100% in one of the first two categories all the time. I know I am not. Praise God for His marvelous grace…!)

But, in the end, Jesus is Jesus. His weak (or even false) representatives do not change who He is.

I’ve heard of so many people who walk away from the faith because of the “hypocrites in the church”. Or use it as an excuse not to go to church or “get involved with religion.”

And I just want to say: Of course, there are going to be hypocrites in the church! Just as there will always be lousy employees.

People are people are people. Some things never change.

We should not judge a business based on one bad experience. And we certainly should never judge God based on His human representatives, genuine or otherwise.

We have to keep our eyes on Jesus. We can’t get mired in the broken, sinful world around us, wondering if what we read in the Bible is true and basing that belief on those who claim to represent Him here on earth.

The Bible IS true and if someone isn’t representing Jesus and what is written in the Bible with integrity and righteousness, we must turn from them, rather than turning from the One they claim to be representing.

𝘠𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. (Matthew 5:14a)

The Temptation for the Writer (and for the rest of us, too)

5 Comments / October 8, 2024

There is a temptation to anyone who writes that is hard to put into words but it exists nonetheless. It is the temptation to write what people want to read. We want to write that viral post or that next great bestseller. Whether it be fiction or non-fiction, we all desire to be liked and to have lots of readers/followers. By default, we writers (and any other content creator or social media influencer) almost always fall to this temptation as it is the amount of readers and followers that [supposedly] gives us validity.

And so it is a very conscious decision when a Christian writer (or content creator/social media influencer) chooses to share some truth from scripture that they know will not be popular or very well received.

As I have blogged here over these past fourteen years, it has continued to be my desire, above all, to write what I believe scripture teaches. But, as the years have passed by, I can see that interest in this is growing less and less popular. The average Christian seems to gravitate toward only two types of content: 1) Content that brings encouragement and warm, fuzzy feelings and 2) content that is new or sensational.

And so, I have had to ask myself many times– over the recent years especially– am I doing the right thing? Should I be focused on only encouraging believers? Should I try to be more creative in what I write here?

In the end, I keep coming back to the same conclusion: I write for God and not for my readers. And, while, of course, I really do write for you as I write for God, my goal cannot be to make you happy, to gather the greatest number of readers, or to agonize over whether or not what I write will be popular.

But this can be discouraging in a world that seems to only give validity and the label “successful” to the one who is popular and well-liked. Every so often, I pour out my heart to the Lord and He always reminds me: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God... (Matthew 6:33)

The Bible isn’t all warm, fuzzy feelings and sensational. While those two things are nice and they are both part of scripture at some places, much of scripture is about knowing God and understanding what He desires of those He has redeemed…things like holiness, purity, and turning from sin and the world. Never popular topics.

But this is not only about the writer or content creator. This is about you, too. I’d rather guess that you also face the same temptation to not speak or share on certain topics with your family, friends, and co-workers because of the reaction you will get. Popularity is not generally going to characterize the life of the believer who speaks the whole counsel of God rather than just the pleasant or good stuff.

However, as believers, we are to be sharing the truth of scripture–the whole truth and not just the good parts–because partial truth leads to lies.

For example, the good news of Jesus dying on the cross is inoffensive and impotent unless we understand the unpleasant truth that we are without any good; that we are lost and hopeless sinners and that Jesus Christ died so that we can be reconciled to God. “Accepting Christ” so that we have a better life, to find purpose, or to have a fulfilled dreams is NOT salvation but, in fact, is a damning heresy. We must speak the whole truth.

Thankfully, we are not responsible for someone’s response. This was a real relief when I finally realized this. It means we can lay our written and spoken words on the altar before God and let Him do what He will with them.

And, while we should always be examining ourselves to make sure we are speaking truth in love, “being popular” can never be the measuring stick to determine this (John 15:18-19) and, in fact, this may be a sign that we aren’t speaking the whole truth, as we should be (James 4:4; I John 2:15-16).

It is so important that we believers take time once in a while to evaluate and examine our testimony among others as we live each day and encounter the many different people that God brings into each of our lives. Do we only speak what we know will be well-received? Do we try to avoid ridicule or antagonism? Does our desire to be well-liked supersede our desire to please the Lord?

We need to remind ourselves that, if we claim to love Christ, our priorities are no longer what they were. We are new creatures living a new life. Old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17) Instead, our desire should be to seek God first and His righteousness. This will be a lifelong pursuit that will serve to keep our priorities in order, whatever the Lord has given us to do and wherever He has placed us. May we live for His honor and glory alone!

 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

God’s Impending Wrath

1 Comment / March 5, 2024

There are some things that are not fun to write about. Today’s topic is one of them. But my study of Revelation has led me to reflect on this subject and yesterday I felt I must dig into this both for myself and for my readers who are studying Revelation with me in the 2024 Bible Reading Challenge. As I’ve been studying, I thought it might be helpful and, yes, even encouraging to share what I have been learning with all of my readers.

I have to be downright honest and let you know right now that the last few chapters of Revelation have challenged my understanding of God and Who He is. Chapters one through five were amazing as I learned of God, His love for His people, and contemplated being in the Throne Room of God. But as I moved into chapters six and those that follow, where we begin to see God’s wrath poured down on earth, I began to struggle a bit. How could a loving God do this? This was the question that kept coming to my mind.

Of course, at the end of the day, reading a book like Revelation simply requires our faith in our God, who knows infinitely more than we do. We must submit to His will, even if it doesn’t seem “fair” to us. This is critical in any book of the Bible we read, but perhaps none more so than in our study of Revelation.

But, remembering that God’s Word is so cohesive and consistent, I sat down for a few moments to really ponder what God has to say about His wrath throughout the Bible. What I found both comforted and encouraged me. I hope it will do the same for you.

First, it is important to get some context regarding God’s justice. Why must a good God be a just God? To help us understand this, let’s think about a human judge in a court room. When someone breaks the law, it is the job of the judge to give the offender a sentence that matches their crime.

If the judge said, “Oh, you didn’t mean to murder that man? Oh, you poor thing. Just go on and go free then,” OR “Oh, you can’t afford an iPhone so you stole one? Oh, my, what a terrible life you must have, not being able to afford something so basic. You certainly don’t need a jail sentence to make your life worse,” what would we think of him?

Yes, we’d think he is a TERRIBLE judge. And it would lead to an even more TERRIBLE society. The judge’s decision to let a criminal go free would not be a loving one, it would be an irresponsible one. You see, we need justice as a framework for goodness and love. The world can’t be good or loving without it. We see this in real-time through the corruption of society and the lack of true justice in our fallen world.

God is no different. He cannot let sin go unpunished. We are all born sinners and deserving of wrath. A good and loving God cannot let the sinner go unpunished. BUT THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO THIS STORY! Let’s take a brief walk through the Word and discover some of important truths about this subject of God’s wrath.

1. God has made a way of escape.

For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18)

God has provided us a way of escape from His wrath through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus took our punishment! He died so that we could be saved from our sins and stand righteous before God. Think about that glorious TRUTH for just a moment!

2. God clearly tells us that no one has any excuse.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (Romans 1:18-23)

From these verses, we can see that every person has the opportunity to choose or reject God. All people who have ever lived are without excuse. Isn’t that a comforting thought? God has not just condemned man without first giving him the opportunity to escape His wrath.

3. God is longsuffering towards us and not willing that any should perish.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Why has God not poured His wrath down on this wicked world sooner? How can He watch all of the evil that takes place in this world day after day after day? It is because He is patient and He loves us. He is not willing that any should perish. But Revelation tells us that day will come. Oh, if you have not yet believed on Jesus Christ, I pray you don’t delay for the day of God’s judgment IS coming.

4. God warns us of His coming wrath.

 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. (Isaiah 13:9)

 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-27)

God, in His lovingkindness, has warned mankind that judgment is coming. It’s all throughout the Bible. We have been warned.

So, as I read and study Revelation, I have to understand that the man who has rejected God is deserving of God’s wrath. But, God in His lovingkindness provided a Savior to cleanse us from our sins and to give us the right to stand righteous before Him–not clothed in our own righteousness (for Isaiah tells us in chapter 64, verse 6 that our good works are as filthy rags before Him) but clothed in Christ’s righteousness ALONE! And God has not only made a way to escape judgement, but He has made it possible for all people to know about this way, He has been longsuffering and patient with us, and He has warned us of what is coming if we don’t choose Christ.

One thing that keeps coming to mind as I have been studying Revelation is that these horrific judgments upon the earth and its inhabitants are temporary. But hell is not temporary.

Oh, how my study of Revelation and God’s wrath gives me more zeal to share the Gospel! How I pray it gives anyone studying with me more zeal to share the Gospel. We get so caught up wondering what people will think about us that we hesitate to share the glorious TRUTH.

Christ died for us and rose triumphant over death so that we could be saved. And this will not only save us from God’s wrath which is coming to earth but, more importantly, it will save us from God’s eternal wrath.

Oh, that we may be filled with boldness and courage to share God’s wonderful plan of salvation as we reflect on God’s impending wrath.

The Challenge of Sharing the Gospel

5 Comments / February 27, 2024

I have been studying Revelation this year and the reality of what is coming for the world…and for many of the people around me every day…has been setting in. I’ve become more burdened than ever for the lost as I have been studying what is going to happen in what seems to be the very near future.

But…I also find it so very difficult to know the best way to “bring up” the Gospel in every day situations. Particularly in this culture of wishy-washy American Christianity where everyone thinks they are saved.

So I decided to do something I haven’t done for awhile: Pray that God would bring me an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

I have prayed this prayer off and on through the years and God always answers it in the most amazing ways. I am quite ashamed I don’t think to pray this more often.

At any rate, God provided me with no less than three different opportunities to plant seeds for the Gospel this past week. I couldn’t miss them. It was truly incredible!

However, as I talked with the first person God “dropped in my lap”, I quickly grew discouraged. I realized at that time that for anyone to find true biblical faith in this culture of deception and lies it would truly take a miracle (but then the redemption of any person is truly a miracle, isn’t it?!) But, let’s be honest: How is anyone to figure out their way through the maze that calls itself Christianity these days? A maze that is chock-full of dead ends and false teaching?

Most people turn to one of these dead ends when they are searching. They are resting comfortably in a dead end corner of the maze, thinking they have reached truth. Why did I think that sharing the Gospel with someone who is so confused could possibly be frutiful? How can I– a simple ordinary person– “unconfuse” them? Surely God needs someone much more knowledgeable and gifted than myself to do this job. My enthusiasm to share the Gospel was dissipating rapidly in the midst of these thoughts.

And that’s when the thought came: Just point them to the Bible.

Remind them that truth is found in the Bible. Encourage them to read their Bibles.

I could do that. I might not be gifted in evangelism and the person I am talking to might be super confused. But God is bigger than all of this. And He uses His Word to open blind eyes.

For it is the Word that will tell people the truth about their souls in a way I never could–

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

And Isaiah reminds us that God’s Word never returns void–

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

My discouragement that afternoon was replaced by a renewed enthusiasm. God doesn’t need me to share the Gospel so that someone can be saved. He can use a rock to do that. It’s not my responsibility to save someone. It’s my responsibility to plants seeds for the Gospel. Lots and lots of seeds. And I believe that I can do this most effectively by pointing people to the Bible.

And so I have been excited to plant seeds this past week. Just last night, God provided an amazing opportunity I never expected with a young man from the Philippines who was helping me through a tech issue. (Please pray for him if you think of it. His name is Joshua.)

And let me brutally honest here. I had to argue with myself a few times to bring up God to this young man. Why would I bring up the Gospel with this stranger on the other side of the world? But this thought kept coming to mind: Why wouldn’t you? I had nothing to lose and he had everything to gain.

God is slowly changing my perspective on witnessing. He is reminding me through His Word what is coming both on this earth and for eternity for those who reject Him. And He has reminded me that I need to be faithful to plant Gospel seeds when I am given the opportunity and let the rest in His hands. I have also been reminded that God answers prayer. Specifically, God is very faithful in answering the prayers for opportunities to share the Gospel. But, most importantly, I have been reminded that it is in pointing people to the Bible that people will figure out their way to biblical salvation through this crazy “Christian” landscape that looks so impossible to navigate.

There is a way for all to know the whole and wonderful truth about God’s marvelous gift of salvation. It is through the inerrant, inspired, and infallible Word of God.

So Quickly Forgotten

5 Comments / November 14, 2023

A few months ago, I was reading an old commentary on the pastoral epistles by an author with the name of Homer Kent. When I turned to the back of the book, I saw a photo of a middle-aged man that looked a bit familiar. You see, by the time I was acquainted with who this man was, he was president of the college I was attending. I thought he was old and, if I am blatantly honest…pretty irrelevant. As a naive college student, I had zero appreciation for all he had accomplished (and written). And yet, here he had made this really helpful contribution to the Christian world long before I was even born.

But, my guess is that very few of you have ever heard his name. He lived, he worked for Jesus, and then he died. Some of his works live on, but they aren’t popular or considered classics. I doubt most of you have heard of them, either.

A few weeks back, we attended an event at the Christian school where our kids had attended high school. When our kids were there we were actively involved and knew lots and lots of faces. But five years after our youngest had graduated, we knew few people. And even fewer people cared if we were there or not. We had gone from being an active part of the school family to being completely irrelevant.

Around the time of these two happenings, I saw an Instagram reel that talked about how we won’t be remembered in a hundred years. We are all so quickly forgotten. Even celebrities aren’t really remembered all that much. Do you know or care who was a movie star in the 1940s? Fame and popularity are just so fleeting, on whatever level we have it (national, community, church, school).

And, in fact, even our descendants will probably know very little about us. I know so little about my great-grandparents and next to nothing about my great-great grandparents other than their names. And I’d even have to think hard about that.

We live and we die and we are quickly forgotten.

And while this Instagram reel was focused on the joy of the daily life and encouraged it’s listeners to stop worrying about the things that are so temporary (“If it’s not going to matter in five years, don’t spend more than five minutes worrying about it”), I want to take a moment and consider this beyond even that wise advice.

What I write here today won’t matter to most people in the world. And, in fact, even few Christians will read this or care about it. And if the Lord tarries for another hundred years, this will have probably gone the way of many other written words through the centuries. With this in mind, it changes my perspective and my priorities.

And, yet the fruit of my labors may live on. The fruit of your labors, as well. If a person turns to Christ, it changes their legacy for forever. If a person’s life is changed through their study of the Word, they have an eternal impact on their families and co-workers and whoever God brings into their lives.

And I am, once again, reminded of Matthew 6:19-21 and Colossians 3:1-4. These verses remind us that we want to think on things above and build up our treasures there. If we can stay focused on this, then we can weather disappointing responses or hurtful remarks. We can handle rejection or just being ignored. We can stand strong through the antagonism and the hatred. Because these things are so temporary.

But as soon as we move our eyes to ourselves, we are so vulnerable. We get so entangled in our feelings and it strangles us and our effectiveness for Christ.

So let’s remember today what really matters and let’s encourage one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). While the world may so quickly forget us, the impact of our work for Christ will live on. May we keep doing the good works the Lord has prepared for us and embrace the opportunities He has given us to share the Gospel and support and encourage fellow believers.

Let’s point people to Christ. Let’s direct them to the Word. And let’s work through those unpleasant and very temporary feelings we may experience as we work, through keeping our eyes on things eternal.

And, may we remember: While our names may be quickly forgotten on earth, the impact of our works for Christ will leave a lasting legacy on the families that turn to Christ and walk with Him because of our courage to speak up and our obedience to serve Christ instead of self.

To God be the Glory!

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Some Reflections on the Past Thirteen Years

7 Comments / May 10, 2023

Next month will begin my fourteenth year of writing at Growing4Life. This blog has changed a bit over those years but the tag line of the blog is still the goal of the blog — to encourage believers to never be satisfied with “status quo” Christianity.

What is status quo Christianity? It’s the Christianity that doesn’t care a whole lot about what the Bible says about much of anything. It’s the Christianity that looks like the world, thinks like the world, and acts like the world. It’s the Christianity that finds its validity in church attendance or small group or mission trips. It’s the Christianity that is nice to people but rarely truthful; that focuses on self-fulfillment and dreams coming true rather than on pleasing God. It’s one or two of these things in some and all of these things in others.

As I started to study the Bible– really study it– God showed me that this isn’t what Christianity is about at all. And, in fact, that most religion that goes by the label “Christianity” today isn’t really Christianity at all. No, instead, I realized that biblical Christianity is actually quite the opposite of status quo in almost every way–

True, genuine Christianity cares about what the Bible says in every area of life (Psalm 19). Biblical Christianity seeks to “unfriend” the world and live separately from its philosophies, entertainment, and lifestyles (James 4:4). It finds its validity in a relationship and not in a list of good works (Romans 8). True Christianity is both kind and truthful (Ephesians 4:15). And it calls us to focus on God and His will, denying self in order to please Him (Luke 9:23).

And so this blog began to focus on this difference as I learned more and more (and continue to learn still today!) through my study of the Word. Through the years, the biblical and the status quo have begun to be more obvious in their differences. For a long, long time they walked side by side and they were intertwined in such a way that it was hard to distinguish between the two. But not so much anymore.

Interestingly enough, with this parting of ways, I’ve noticed a trend that saddens me deeply. People who I would have expected to stick with biblical Christianity have gone down the status quo road. They have followed after the latest and greatest and man’s philosophies rather than wholeheartedly searching the scripture.

If you have been around here for awhile, I am guessing that you are noticing this trend as well. Some of you have even mentioned it to me. It is a hard thing to watch people you trusted and friends or family you love take the path away from the Bible and towards the coming one-world religion.

Of course, this is not a statement on anyone’s salvation. Let’s be clear on that, shall we? I, myself, was caught up in worldliness but that didn’t make me unsaved. I imbibed books and movies with anti-god, unbiblical themes. That made me rebellious and disobedient and deceived but it didn’t take away my salvation. God, through His Word, is ever so faithfully leading me and growing me. All praise and glory go to Him for any good in my life. He is doing the same for all who are redeemed through Christ’s blood. It would be nice to be automatically spiritually mature from the moment of salvation but it just doesn’t work like that! So we must have so much grace for one another!

So this is never–and has never been–about judging someone’s salvation but it has always been about calling genuine believers to walk with God as we are called to in His Word. And to never give up on this, even amidst the failures and the stumbling and the discouragement (and I’ve shared many of my own experiences with these through the years. Writing here doesn’t make me immune to these things!)

Writing in this way and about this topic of genuine Christianity as opposed to status quo Christianity has grown increasingly unpopular. More and more, I feel isolated in my calling. I know there are others of us (you are probably one if you have read this far in this post!) out there but we are so few, are we not? And the hatred for “our type” is growing. To stand up for the truth of God’s Word is to basically open yourself up to ridicule, irritation, antagonism, and sometimes even persecution.

And then there is the confusion and chaos we need to constantly be wading through. It seems like if a speaker or ministry is biblical in one area they have another completely wrong. It’s so confusing and so discouraging and it is growing worse by the day. Just as we knew it would. I know that this theological chaos lead some to stop following me.

So I just want to reiterate here once again: I am following scripture to the best of my knowledge. If I ever find out that scripture teaches something different than I have posted here, I will admit it, apologize, and share the truth. That is my commitment to you, my reader.

Because the only thing that matters is what the Bible says! Only there can we find out what God thinks. And that’s all that matters. Don’t follow people. I hope I can encourage you towards the Word and in the Word but I am so imperfect. I struggle daily, just like you do. I am nothing without Christ. In Christ alone do I boast.

The other day, as has been my experience in the past, I heard of certain people who don’t like me. This kind of thing always knocks me for a loop. Even though it has happened so often. This very public platform that speaks regarding a very unpopular topic leads many to not “like” me. And perhaps some of it is deserved. As I’ve said above and before, I don’t do this perfectly. I am sure sometimes I am too harsh or say things that don’t need to be said. I wish I could do this perfectly but I know full well I do not.

Of course, most who dislike me don’t say it to my face. They just distance themselves through a variety of ways. Readers often just disappear, never telling me why. Even those who had reached out in friendship for many years. Because of this, I can honestly say that some days I find myself discouraged to be traveling this path.

But God clearly created this path for me to follow (you can read more about how He showed me this here) and so, for thirteen years, I have followed it. I plan to follow it until He clearly directs me off of this path. I just want to do what He wants me to do.

I am studying Jonah right now in the Growing4Life Bible Reading Challenge and I have been convicted by Jonah’s attitude. He was more concerned for his shade than he was for the lost. He cared more about himself than he did about others. When I grow discouraged here I know it is because I am caring more about myself than I am about others.

If God has shown us the truth from His Word, we must boldly proclaim it for it is only this truth that sets us free! We know that it is not only our only hope but the only hope for everyone else, too! It is the only hope for the lost to be found and for the saved to be sanctified. And so, no matter the cost and no matter our feelings, we must keep encouraging others in the truth of God’s Word. Remembering that it is God we seek to please and not self. As Paul reminds us–

 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.(Galatians 1:10)

So, instead of staying focused on our desires and dreams and disappointments, may we instead obtain an eternal perspective, keeping our eyes fully focused on God with hearts filled with compassion for others.

God’s Terms or Mine?

7 Comments / March 16, 2023

(Scroll down to the bottom for a brief update about me and where I’ve been the last couple of weeks…)

How often have we heard the words “well, I believe…” or “my opinion is…”? This is fine when it comes to most things. But when it comes to eternity this will never do. We cannot have differing opinions about how one can be right with God. Just as two plus two equals four (and not five or three), there is absolute truth regarding how we can be right with God. We don’t get to just decide what we “want” to believe.

We are not God and so we must turn to Him to find out if and how reconciliation with Him is possible. Thankfully, He gave us His Word to give us insight into this and to all of life. It is a treasure trove of wisdom from above for those who are willing to submit to and obey what it says. (Our spiritual eyes are blinded when we approach it with arrogance and misconceived, pre-determined notions. So one can read–and even study– the Bible without understanding. This is why we must always be praying for and striving for a humble, teachable heart.)

It is in scripture that we find God’s way of how we can have peace with Him. He has provided the bridge we so desperately need through sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus paid the price for our sins and has provided His own righteousness so that we can stand righteous before God. It is truly amazing! It is through Christ and Christ alone that we are able to have peace with God. It is only through Christ that we have the promise of eternal life. In God’s Word, we also find out how He changes us when He saves us and there we find many descriptions of the true believer.

A few weeks ago, we were in Sunday school discussing Cain and Abel from Genesis 4. And I’ve been thinking about this a great deal over the past few weeks. It seems like this story is symbolic of each one of us at some point in our lives.

The question is: Will I come to God on His terms or will I insist on my terms?

Cain gave something to God but it was not what God demanded. God demanded the best. I am uncertain if God had expected a blood sacrifice from Cain. I rather suspect He did but I haven’t studied this passage at great length. I do believe we can say with confidence, however, that He, at the very least, wanted the “first fruits” of Cain’s garden. It says in Genesis 4 that Cain brought “some of the fruits of the soil”.

Cain had decided in his heart to keep the best for himself. He deliberately chose to disobey God and to do things in his own way. Abel made a decision to do things God’s way.

This scene has played out throughout history in the heart of every man and the doctrinal statement of every church. Will we accept God’s terms or will we make up our own terms?

When we think we can merit salvation by our own good works, we are demanding God to accept our good works. But He doesn’t.

When we think we can say a prayer and then go on to live a life of sin and worldliness and still be saved, we are demanding the world and Christ, too. But God clearly says we can’t have both.

When we say that all ways lead to God and it doesn’t matter how we get there, we are demanding that God grant His grace to all. But scripture makes it clear that grace is only granted to those who call upon His name.

When we vilify God and make wrong assumptions about His character that are based on our finite minds, we are showing our deep-seated pride. God is good and perfect. He can still be those things, even when we can’t understand certain things in scripture. (As someone once said–we’d be so much better off submitting to and obeying the many things we can understand rather than getting so worked up about the few things we can’t.)

And, while all false religions make wrong presumptions about what it takes to be right with God, I want to turn our focus specifically to the false religion that goes by the name of Christianity for a few minutes. When an individual or church moves from Word-based Christianity to feelings or experience-based Christianity, we automatically move from God’s terms to our terms. Suddenly, we call the shots. Oh, surely, many believe that it is the Holy Spirit who is directing them. But this is a deception of the highest sort, because the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit works with and through the Word. He would never work against it. Not ever.

God has made so much so clear in His Word. And, boy, do we need that clarity for such a time as this! For it is only the Word that keeps us anchored to the truth about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit and, in fact, anchored to all Truth itself. Once we label the Bible unnecessary, irrelevant, and/or without authority, we’ve made a decision to come to God on our own terms. Whether this is how we think about it or not, this is what has happened.

There is a literal tsunami of this going on in Christian culture right now. And, in fact, to turn the eyes of the people back to the Word is to invite the harshest criticism from those who claim Christ. But it is what we must continue to do. It is the only thing that matters. It is the only way we can know the Truth about God and about life. We dare not trust an inner voice or a vision or a dream or a sign. We would have absolutely NO way to confirm where these things are coming from. We can sincerely believe they are from God, when they come straight from the Great Deceiver…that Roaring Lion who seeks to destroy; the Angel of Light who seeks to deceive. Oh, how great and grave the danger to those who, assuming these things are from God, embrace mysticism through the elevation of their experiences.

The thing I have discovered in my own study of scripture is that–

1) We can understand what we are supposed to understand. Yes, there are some difficult passages and I surely cannot understand everything. But God has clearly shown us in scripture how to be saved. He has also given many promises and much encouragement, along with great detail regarding sin and choices, as well as regarding the Christian life and how we will be changed if we are genuinely saved. These things can be easily understood by the average believer who is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. No degree necessary.

2) We can’t just pick and choose what we will believe. We must accept it all as God’s Word or we can not logically accept any of it. We can’t just decide that we believe the Ten Commandments or the “red letters” in the Gospel are from God. God very specifically kept His Word cohesive and consistent throughout the entirety of the Book. It is all or nothing.

3) God demands an undivided heart. As God so often does, He has recently brought all I am studying and listening all together into one common theme. I have recently been studying Mark 10 and, in this chapter, I read about the story of the Rich, Young Ruler. W. Graham Scroggie goes to the heart of what is happening in his commentary on Mark–

But what was the thing which this man lacked? The willingness to sacrifice everything to have Christ. Jesus does not teach that to gain eternal life one must be poor in this world’s goods, but He does teach that the divided heart loses the prize. This man wanted something better than he had, but he was not prepared to make any sacrifice to get it. If Christ could accept such, millions of people would join the Church at once. But He cannot, and so this law-keeping, money-loving man missed life. He wanted God, but not at the cost of his gold.; he wanted life; but not at the expense of luxury; he was willing to serve, but not to sacrifice.

Oh, how many want God and the world, too. They desire the golden ticket to heaven but also want to gratify the flesh.

And, oh, how this “say-a-prayer” easy-believism meets that desire! We can have it all and still have Christ. But, my dear reader, those are man-made terms. They are not God’s.

God’s gift is free. He doesn’t demand any works for salvation. But it is clear in scripture that true salvation transforms. Oh, it may not be instant and it will be at a different pace in each and every one of us. But this transformation does occur. It has to. For it is what proves that there is genuine salvation.

If you don’t like what I am saying or don’t believe what I am saying, then I encourage you to read the Bible. You will see that this is what it teaches if you are willing to read it with a humble and teachable heart. Start with the New Testament. When you do this, you will notice a very consistent message of salvation and the desire for holiness that is the natural result of a changed heart.

The Bible, and this alone, gives us God’s terms for peace with Him.

And we dare not miss this. For our very eternity and the eternity for every human being on earth depends on our acknowledgement of and our submission to God’s PLAN.

May we be like Abel and bow in humble submission to our King and His plan, rather than standing pridefully, like Cain, demanding God follow our plan.

For He is GOD and we are NOT.

I’D RATHER HAVE JESUS

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Refrain:
Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
I’d rather be true to His holy name

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs;
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead

QUICK UPDATE: Two weeks ago tomorrow, my elderly aunt was killed unexpectedly in a car accident. I have to smile to myself when I use the word “elderly” because she really didn’t seem even close to her 87 years. She was so spry and cheerful. She had been an “adopted” member of our family for several years, as her own family had passed away some years back. We had been planning to go visit our newest (ninth!) grandchild in Texas but God’s timing wasn’t quite our timing and so we had to postpone our trip by a few days. The past couple of weeks have been spent mourning the loss of my dear aunt and then celebrating new life with our new grandson and his family. Grief and joy side-by-side, as is so often the case in this world. Both have been a reminder of the fact that life never stays the same. Birth and death never take a break but are always happening. And death always reminds us of the fragility and preciousness of life. Oh, that we would live with this in mind as we we consider our actions and words with our families and friends, our neighbors and co-workers. I guess that’s all for now. Just wanted to give those of you that aren’t on Facebook a brief update!

What Makes You Really Angry?

3 Comments / July 27, 2022

I think we’ve all been angry at some point or other. There are probably some universal causes of anger–such as inept or rude customer service representatives; arguing children; or being betrayed by someone you trusted.

And then there are some causes of anger that seem to be more related to our personalities. Some people get angry at laziness or lack of common sense in those around them. Others get angry at circumstances beyond their control. Some people get plain mad at God when things don’t go their way.

We know that anger is not a righteous emotion. Most of the time.

There is that little caveat in Ephesians 4:26 where it says, “Be angry and do not sin.” This means there is sometimes a righteous cause for anger.

What is something that should make us very angry?

As I was studying in preparation for my upcoming study of Galatians, I realized that the main thing that should make us angry is any attack on the Gospel. Read these verses to see just how serious this is–

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert[a] the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be [b]accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-10)

These are not simply Paul’s words but these are God’s words. We can see from these verses that God takes an attack on the Gospel very seriously. Let anyone who warps and twists the true Gospel be accursed (which means devoted to destruction; imprecate evil or misery upon.)

Has the deluge of false gospels being pandered today made us immune? What other reason can there be that Christians aren’t up in arms regarding the countless attacks on the true Gospel? Why aren’t we defending it and refusing to allow the lies to creep in? Even in to our own “Bible-believing” churches?

What must God think?

I am not sure I ever really gave this much thought until reflecting on these verses yesterday (and listening to some sermons regarding these verses.)

There are two specific ways the Gospel gets perverted. Every perversion falls under one of these two.

First, there is grace plus works (legalism) perversion. ANY presentation or teaching regarding the Gospel that adds any works is not the true Gospel. This means that if you “need to get baptized” to be saved, it’s a false gospel. If you need to take communion or pray to saints in order to be assured of your salvation, it’s a false gospel. If you need to eat certain things, wear certain things, do anything to be saved, it is a false gospel.

Second, there is the hyper-grace (licentiousness) perversion. This perversion denies the many passages that call us to live a life pleasing to Christ. It denies that we become a new creation in Christ and, instead, says that, since we are no longer under law, anything goes. Here the Gospel is given without the message of sin and repentance. It is more focused on fire insurance rather than a lost and hopeless sinner’s reconciliation with God. Say a prayer and be saved–no fruit necessary, according to this false gospel.

These false gospels are dealt with all throughout scripture but in Galatians, Paul speaks specifically to both of them. Think with me for a moment what you know about many who lump themselves in with the modern day religion of “Christianity”. What do they teach about the Gospel?

If they are not preaching the true Gospel as is clearly presented in scripture they are not actually our brother and sisters in Christ. And this should upset us! This should make us mourn for the thousands–millions–who believe a lie about their eternal destiny. Not only do they believe a lie –but they believe a lie under the guise of Christianity and true Christians are not doing anything about it. Instead, they are encouraging them in their false faith and joining with them, declaring that “we are siblings in Christ”.

This is simply appalling! When you really think about it–could there be anything more unloving than allowing someone to believe they are truly saved– when they aren’t??

But we tend to get more upset about a spilled drink or an unexpected bill than we do about this tragedy taking place across the globe. Oh, how self-centered we are. How self-centered I am.

If we believe the true Gospel, then we need to not only live by it but pay attention when there is a departure from it. We need to stop making excuses and rationalizing away the damning differences. Like Paul, we should be up in arms and ready to defend the Gospel boldly and courageously!

 

*I have a page on the blog called “What is the Gospel?”, where we take a look at what scripture has to teach us about this subject. You can find it here.

*In 2016, I wrote about in some detail regarding some common false gospels. You can find that post here.

*I am looking very forward to my study of this book. If you are in the 2022 Growing4Life Bible Reading Challenge, I hope you are looking forward to it, as well. And if you aren’t in the challenge, it’s not too late to join for the rest of the year. Find out more information here.

 

The Guiding Picture for the Puzzle of Today

Leave a Comment / March 23, 2022

Well, the wedding of our last child to be married was this past weekend. They had been calling for a showery, clouded day, but, unexpectedly, the day dawned bright and beautiful. It was a lovely day and we thank the Lord for answering our prayers, along with the prayers of our friends, family, and even some of you, my readers (thank you for praying!)

Today, I am physically and emotionally drained and I considered not writing, but I heard something yesterday and wanted to take just a few moments to write about it.

Yesterday, when I got back from the airport I watched TV. After a week of non-stop activity, I was so very tired. I have two favorite “zone-out” shows that are old and totally  NOT critically acclaimed and which most people think are totally lame. I still turn to these two shows whenever I need something wholesome to watch that doesn’t take a lot of thought: Sue Thomas, FBEye and Doc (yes, the one with Billy Ray Cyrus, who, twenty years after the show’s production, is now totally messed up).

Anyway… I chose a random episode of Sue Thomas yesterday and as I was watching, a scene came on where a suspected terrorist had shredded documents and they were trying to put these shreds of paper together to make sense of them. One of the characters made the statement, “I hate putting puzzles together without the picture on the box.”

It dawned on me that this is what most people have been doing these last couple of years. They are trying to put the puzzle pieces of what’s happening without any guiding photo.

But we Christians have the photo! A clear photo that helps us put together this end times puzzle that we are living. The way things are lining up is truly incredible.

The things prophesied in Daniel and Revelation seemed way out there when I was a kid. Like–how could they even happen? But we believers took them as true purely by faith.

But this isn’t the case, anymore. If we are paying attention, we are literally seeing things get set up so incredibly perfectly for the literal fulfillment of Daniel and Revelation. In fact, the current events match the picture of what the Bible says is coming in the last days so perfectly, that it is hard to believe everyone can’t see it!

I believe, with all of my heart, by looking at the puzzle pieces and fitting them into the picture we are given in scripture, that the Lord is going to rapture us at any moment. Almost everything is set up for what is to come. To go much further past this current time would be to exceed the technology that we currently have lined up so perfectly with what we find in Revelation 13. And years out we would find the conversation about government structure totally changed (we would be far past the globalism conversation in fifty years). We also know that God won’t allow the proponents of trans humanism (who are trying to turn people in to cyborgs that do their will–look it up, it’s real and very much under way) to achieve their goal.

Not to mention that all of the signs we find predicted in the Bible for the end times are now on the world stage. They are not simply likely to happen but they have become probable: One world government, cashless society, tracking every human on the face of the earth, chipping humans in the wrist or the forehead, Israel and the dynamics surrounding her, the chaos necessary to bring in the antichrist, etc. etc. etc.

I know I’ve written about this before, so why do I keep writing about it?

It is for a couple of reasons but the main one is this:

The time is SO VERY SHORT and there are so many who are lost.

As we sat around talking about a friend of ours the other night who says they are saved but doesn’t really show the fruit of salvation, it dawned on me: What are we doing??

Is there even one of us who is brave enough to have a conversation about this with him? Do we love him enough to talk with him?

If the Bible is so precisely right about what is to come, then we know, without a doubt, that it is also right about heaven and hell. That eternity in hell is a certainty for so many in this world.

There are those who are clearly unsaved. Are we talking about God and the salvation He offers to sinners? Or do we just continue on talking about nothing that matters for eternity? Do we care enough to talk about the truth of God’s Word? What are we so worried about? That they will hate us? Do we love them enough to take that risk??

And then there are those who think they are saved and aren’t. What are we doing about this?

While we can never (and should never) judge someone’s salvation, we can pray for God to open their eyes. We can have the conversation with them about the things that matter.

Are we praying?

Are we pointing them to the Word?

I fear that most of us are not. But with time so clearly short, there should be an urgency within us to reach all we can with the Gospel. Both the clearly unsaved and those who think they are saved but have zero fruit. We don’t have to go to a foreign country to be a missionary. We are all missionaries. Are we acting like it?

So many are trying to fit the pieces of current events into some picture that makes sense but have no answers. They are missing the picture found in scripture. We can help!

So let’s pray and ask God for opportunities today to reach whoever He wants us to reach with the Good News of the Gospel. Let’s ask Him for wisdom and guidance as we seek to be the light in an ever-darkening world.

And let’s keep looking up! Our redemption most surely draweth nigh!!

 

 

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