The greatest calling on the life of any Christian is to become more and more like Christ.  This necessitates something called growth.  Spiritual growth.  We toss around words and concepts such as discipleship, maturity, and Christ likeness so easily yet I find that when I discuss or read about most Christians I find very little of any of these.

Pastors on forums constantly berating and deriding other pastors, leaders showing a lack of discernment that astonishes me when it comes to the delivery and interpretation of the Word of God, and the sheep sitting in the pews just bleating out “feed me, feed me,” are just a few of the observations that have led me to this conclusion.

Let’s discuss spiritual growth.

Is there a way to measure spiritual growth?

If so, what specific things can we look for in a Christian to determine if they are growing?

Do you think this is being judgmental?

Love you all

Tags: Christ, Christians, Discernment, Discipleship, Interpretation, Judgment, maturity, pastors, spirit, town hall, Tuesday, word of god

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Rom 12:1-2

My pastor used the text from Romans quoted above for his sermon this morning.  He focused on how a lot of us have not had our minds transformed.  Then I watched a video on Shannon’s site and read the comments there concerning homosexuality and how we react to this sin in ways that are very different from the ways we react to other sins.  (Another free plug, Shannon)

I agree with my pastor’s sermon this morning and I also agree with much of what was said on Shannon’s blog but I still have problems with all of this.

God did not make any of us the way we are.  We all come into the world through the act of procreation and not creation.  God stopped creating after He finished up the sixth day and then He has placed the rest mostly in our hands.  He still, I believe, steps in and works in this realm at times but it is mostly up to us.  We choose to be, do, say, and act out of who we are; which is a reflection of many things such as environment, how we were raised, the attitudes of our parents, culture, education, and lots of other things.  We live in a fallen creation and start out as slaves to sin.  This cannot be denied.

We need to learn to love.  We need to practice love.  We need to embrace each other as Christ embraced us.  And that includes homosexuals.  We have way too many fundamentalists in the Kingdom that are hypocritical and judgmental.  The sins that offend them the most are the sins that they believe offend God the most.  This is just not true.  So I would say that I agree with most of what I have read today.

But the problem I have is that most all of those trying to find another answer seem to want to just overlook sin in its entirety.  I am not saying this about those whose comments I have read today but I have been thinking this way myself a lot lately.  But is that going to do those in sinful lifestyles any better than the fundamentalist viewpoint?

Let’s say the fundamentalist is wrong and God loves everyone enough that no matter what they do He will not turn them away.  Then we really have to introduce these people to Christ so they can have a chance.  It is not up to us who is in and who is out.  It is up to God.

But look at what happens if those who want to say sin is alright and all things are forgiven and covered by the blood of Christ are wrong.  We may share some warm and loving moments while we reach out to those living in sin while we are on this planet, before eternity, and then have them turn to us at judgment and ask why we did not warn them.

I just don’t know.

This whole issue is tough.  I am of the opinion that neither side is right but I admit that I do not know where to draw any lines.  I do know that we must all, me, you, adulterers, homosexuals, liars, thieves, etc., present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.  We must also not be conformed to this world, but instead be transformed by the renewal of our minds.  And this is the only way that we can even begin to try to discern what the will of God is and what is good and acceptable and perfect.

One thing I do know is that we better get serious about finding out what God wants us to do about all this.  Just feeling good about our own beliefs is not the answer and there is more at stake than causing anyone to feel ostracized or unloved here.  There are eternal consequences to our answers to these dilemmas.

This is serious and I believe must be concluded but as I said, I just don’t know.

Love you all

Tags: attitudes, Belief, Culture, eternal consequences, Eternity, fundamentalists, Good, homosexuals, Judgment, living sacrifice, Perfect, procreation, Self, Sin

The people of this nation have spoken.  But what have they said?  They have said, in my opinion, “There is no God, and if there is I really do not have to pay any attention to Him.”

Before I go any further I want to say that I have held off this long before saying this because I have been consulting with my Father about what to say, or if I need to say anything at all.  I am convinced that I do need to.  And if you disagree, see me as judgmental, or as filled with hate, or as bitter, or any of a number of ways you could see me, I am not. 

I love you, I love Obama, I love all but, I love Jesus more.  So for Him I speak. 

It is no surprise that the lost have said there is no God.  That is why they are lost.  I used to believe the same thing.  And when I believed this, I hated you, I hated Obama, and I hated everybody else.  Unborn babies were nothing.  Starving children did not move me.  The poor and needy did not receive a thought.  I was my own god. 

It is a surprise to me that a whole lot of the self proclaimed body of Christ does not believe they have to pay attention to Him.  If eighty five to ninety percent of this nation is calling themselves Christians, (not my statistics), how in the world can a man who believes in the slaughter of the unborn be elected?  And he could not have been without a lot of those same people voting for him. 

I hesitate in the name of love and unity to write this.  But in the name of true love and real unity I must.  The Jesus who snatched me from the jaws of death and hell could not possibly be happy with the choices made yesterday.  If you believe differently, then you do not know the same Jesus.  And I really want you to. 

Understand this.  I am not saying McCain was the right choice either.  In fact, I voted for neither.  And if he had of won I would be writing about him.  The things that would make me believe in his need for salvation would just be based on other issues.

There is a whole lot of angry, bitter Christians out there today.  Then there are a lot of people actually calling for prayer for the new POTUS.  In that I am in agreement.   But not with their focus. 

The focus of the prayers that have been called for are not proper.   J. Lee Grady has tried to give us a list of specific prayers to be prayed here.  My problem with this and many other of the suggestions out there today is that no one is saying to pray that Obama be saved.  On one forum I suggested it and a believer was shocked. 

Why in the world can we not recognize that just because someone declares something, it does not make it true? The Jesus I met and now serve, instilled a compassion and love in me that causes me to feel physically sick over the rampant murder of the unborn.  And I truly, truly, used to not care.  If that is what Jesus makes me feel, then why wouldn’t I believe that Obama does not know Him?

Look at Grady’s 3^rd suggestion and tell me how in the world a man that does not know God can use His wisdom?

We are losing this war because we are not focused on the right things.  Those things are the things of God, and exposing what and who is not of God.  We are called to battle.  Whether we answer the call or not is totally up to us.

If you don’t like any of this or think I am something I am not, then so be it.  I will be in good company.

Because I love our president-elect I will pray for him.  I will pray that he meets Jesus Christ.

Love you all

Tags: Body of Christ, Christians, Death, God, Jesus Christ, Judgment, Love, McCain, Murder, Obama, POTUS, Prayer, Salvation, Self, Sin, starving children, unborn babies, Vote, War

Tomorrow is the first of four special days that the General Overseer of my denomination has called to be set aside as special days of concerted prayer.  Starting at midnight and going till midnight there should not be a minute of any hour when there are no prayers being poured out to God on behalf of ourselves, our families, our churches, and our nation and world.  It should be an awesome time of communion with our Father.  I intend to pray as much as I can.  I have actually determined in my heart and mind that I will pray more tomorrow than I ever have. 

What is prayer to you? 

I could go on quite a bit on this but that is not the focus for now.  So for now, I will keep this simple.  I believe prayer to be, at the simplest level, communication with God.  A discussion with our Lord.  A talk with our Father. 

I actually heard an evangelist say once that this is not what prayer is.  He said prayer was asking and receiving from God.  I have to disagree with this.  If this was all prayer is, then how in the world are we supposed to pray without ceasing?  I want and need a lot of things but, I can’t even begin to come up with enough to continuously, never cease, to ask from God.  And if prayer is also receiving and we look to James 5:16 to see that righteous men’s prayers accomplish much, then why aren’t some receiving a whole lot?

Tuesday, in my first attempt to stimulate discussion, I posted and posited a scenario and some questions in hope of provoking thought on prayer, its effectiveness, and to ask if it was truly enough, in a given situation. 

I thank the three, only three, that responded with their comments.  They were good, loving responses to the situation I put forth.  But they didn’t get to the place I wanted to get to. 

I am one of the first ones that will say we have to love, and love, and love some more.  But I also believe, no, I know, that that love will look different depending on the person, the situation, and the circumstances. 

In that post, I asked the following questions.  What do you do?  How do you pray?  What do you ask for?  And do you think it would be effective?

The answers I got were great answers, and loving answers in a way, but the whole post was really designed to let me ask this question.

When is it time to stop letting people off the hook, so to speak, and tell them in no uncertain terms, that your praying for them in their current state, is probably a waste of time? 

Whew!  I got it out.  You will never know how hard it was for me to write that question. 

When I asked; what do you do; I knew that the vast majority say to simply pray.  Don’t confront, that has been done.  Don’t instruct, they already know.  Don’t judge, they need compassion. 

When I asked; how do you pray; I knew the vast majority of the faithful would say to pray for his salvation, his healing or comfort, and for God to be glorified.  I didn’t think anyone would pray for strength and instruction on how to disassemble the lies and deception our adversary had woven in this man’s life.

When I asked; what do you ask for; I knew the requests would mainly be in how to show love to the man, how to show compassion and how to love him.  I somehow knew that no one would ask God how to tell the guy that he is on his own if He doesn’t do a little more himself, like joining in the battle for his soul, than just relying on other warriors. 

Finally, when I asked if the prayers sent up would be effective; I somehow knew that most thought they would be.  I would have been very surprised if James 5:16 had not been brought up.  It was, by two out of the three commentators.  I even used it above.  It is a powerful verse but, we all have to admit that sometimes, no matter how fervent, no matter how much faith we have, what we ask for does not come about.  Sometimes people are not saved, sometimes people are not healed, and sometimes God is not glorified in a given situation. 

Jas 5:13-16  Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Who is James talking to?  He is talking to the brethren; those who walk in service to our King.  The man in my scenario was not described to be one of the brethren.  Just going to church does not mean you are fighting on the side of the Kingdom.  But you say, I am the one that is righteous and asked to do the praying.  Look at the part I emboldened.  It is the first part of James 5:16.  It is the part that no one bothers to memorize.  In my scenario the man never said he wanted to confess, or get forgiveness.  I purposefully implied that he only wanted healed.  Most of the people in church who don’t have nothing to do with you, the true prayer warriors, will quickly turn to you when they really, selfishly, need something.  But does that mean God will do what we ask?  Because of our service, and our faith?

It is time that we did a little bit more.  Prayer is our most effective weapon in the spiritual warfare we are involved in.  But we have to get it out of our head that it is to simply ask and receive.  In my scenario it is actually more about discussing the battle plan with our King. How do we let this man know that He can be healed, and forgiven, if he will only turn from his iniquity? 

 Isa 59:2  but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

The man in my scenario, and many of those out there that ask for prayer, have caused God to hide His face from them because of their iniquity.  Some of my own children are in this group.  Do I stop praying for them?  No.  But do I let them know that that is probably not enough?  That they have a part to play in their own salvation?  Every chance I get. 

What is wrong with letting those that are on the wide path to destruction know that they bear the responsibilty for their choice?  As the people in the culture we live in accelerate ever faster towards their doom, isn’t it time we joined in the fight, to ram into them if need be, to knock them off the path to destruction? 

Sometimes, love hurts.

Love you all

Tags: Boldness, Christianity, Christians, Compassion, Faith, God, Healing, Iniquity, Judgment, Love, Prayer, Responsibility, Self, Selfishness, Servant Hood, Service, Sin, Spiritual Warfare, Weapons