We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

On Tuesday I tried to provoke a discussion about “rights” as declared in one of our nation’s founding documents.  I believe in a way that I failed.  It seems that we all have a tendency to assign our own definitions to words when it comes to ideology.  And many of us want to go off on tangents that take us to those things that we individually hold dear.  I sometimes get a little frustrated and when I try to clarify it may seem a little harsh.  I do not mean it that way.  I am just trying to get some answers to questions that I have.  I do want your opinions and your participation, even when we do not agree, but I do want to discuss from common ground.

If you have ever discussed theology with one of our Catholic brothers, then you might understand.  As Protestants, most of us shore up our doctrine with the Word of God as proclaimed in the Bible.  But Catholics will quickly let you know that some of their beliefs are not biblically justified but are just as reliable doctrinally due to other things such as church doctrine, Catholic writings, the catechism, and even the words of the pope.  We can’t truly discuss anything with them because of the basic lack of an agreed upon foundation.

The same thing seems to be going on in my previous post.  Being a simple man, and maybe not at the level of intelligence as some of my commenter’s, I tend to read most things as they are written.  I am not trying to apply a certain definition to “rights” or “equal” or “life” or “liberty” or “the pursuit of happiness”.  I simply define them for what they are in light of the context of the words I am reading.  So I will define what I see being said as I go.

We hold these truths (an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude) to be self-evident (evident in itself without proof or demonstration; axiomatic.), that all men are created (to cause to happen; bring about; arrange, as by intention or design) equal (Having the same quantity, measure, or value as another.), that they are endowed (provided or supplied or equipped with) by their Creator (God) with certain unalienable (Not to be separated, given away, or taken away) Rights (Something that is due to a person), that among these are Life (the animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual), Liberty (freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control, from external or foreign rule, from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint) and the pursuit (an effort to secure or attain) of Happiness (good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy).

It seems to me that this whole statement shows that the framers of this highly esteemed document did not really know the Creator very well at all.  Before you get angry at me, remember that I am not arguing about what the founding fathers wanted or tried to establish.  It seems they did their very best in a fallen, sin-stained, self-absorbed world to fashion a nation that takes the one thing in the statement above that is true, equality, and makes it almost a reality.  But even that has taken over two centuries.  Just think about why there was recently a historical precedent set when our newest president was inaugurated.

Our rights, especially life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are what we hang on to.  These are the points behind which we stand and declare that we are something special indeed.  It seems that our adversary relied on this same concept in the garden.  Aren’t we as special as God?  As Americans, we surely are.

When I read some of your comments over the last two days I am tempted to give in and agree with some of you.  All these things sound good to me but yet, I do not ever want to see something about God that is not true.  I really almost want to agree about life as a right but even that has to looked at as what it is.  And what is the word I would use instead of rights?  What, exactly, is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?  I agree these do come from our creator, but they are not rights.  They, like everything else God has given us, are gifts.  Someone used the word privilege and that to me is not quite right either.  Privilege is like an allowance, something given maybe because it is earned or due.  I believe we can become even better soldiers for the Kingdom when we realize everything, all that we have, are “gifts”.

When I read this famous statement and compare it to what I know and what the bible teaches me about God, about the only thing that stands as truth is the part about us all being equal.  But as we know from history, and even the times we live in, equality as a concept still has a long way to go.  Equality is very biblical.  We must start pursuing it like we do happiness.  We must start valuing it as much as we do our liberty.  We must start seeing it as being as important as life itself.

I, personally, do not think we have any rights, anything that I am owed just for existing, from God.  I instead thank Him for the gift of life, for the liberty I have in Christ, and in the place of happiness, for the sheer joy I have in being one of His.

My Declaration of Independence from the kingdoms of the world begins with…

I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and for a loving relationship with God and each other, that we are blessed by our Creator with more Gifts than we can imagine, and that among these are Life and  Liberty in Christ and Happiness and Joy by pursuing the Kingdom of God.

I thank God for these Gifts.

Love you all

Tags: America, catholic writings, catholics, certain unalienable rights, Christ, Church, Creator, Kingdom, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Love, relationship, Theology, Truth

This is the last installment in what I labeled the Combat Readiness series.  It originally started in a post entitled A Tactical Reassessment and was followed by Enemy Tactics.  Then I divided it up into seven entries called Combat Readiness.  All this started with a random thought I wasn’t even sure would fill a page.

I am sorry that this final entry comes so long after the others.  If you need to catch up, they are listed in the archives.

The thought that started it all was about how our enemy has used some things that otherwise might be good for the Kingdom and through his clever ways of deception has caused us to actually corrupt some good ideas.  And I believe it was all to do with the endgame of taking our eyes, us Pentecostals, away from a pursuit of holiness.  This was the beginning of this series.

The last area I defined to a small degree was relevance.  There is a definite need to be relevant to the culture we minister in.  So many in the past have tried to go into a culture and forcefully try to change the very way they live into something we deem more appropriate for Christians.
Paul had some things to say about this:

1Co 9:19-22  For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

Paul says to go to them, whoever we have been sent to, and be one among them so we might reach them.  He did not say to go to them and seek to change them first into something more recognizable.  Jesus never asked anyone to change either.  Instead, He simply said, “Follow Me”, and they did change, but it was from the close association with Him.

So we have some taking all of this to heart in the Kingdom today.  They call it being culturally relevant.

We now have ministers that use profanity from the pulpit, some for the shock value like Rod Parsley, and others because they think it is the best way to reach the younger crowd.  We have some ministers who seem to never speak of anything but Jesus as a friend.  They paint such a one-sided view of our King that it is no wonder why no one is serving Him.  Most of the younger generations just hang out with their friends, they sure don’t serve them.

The truth of Gods standards, of His Holiness, are nowhere to be found in the churches that are considered the most culturally relevant.  This is not the case in all churches, but it has spread far enough to be alarming.

This whole concept about relevance seems to miss the mark in one major way.  There seems to be no attempts at winning those some of us are being relevant to.  Paul said he would become all things to all people for one reason, to win them over; to lovingly, persuasively, bring them to the truth of Christ.  Our attempts have mostly only taken some of our own over to the worlds side.

By portraying the idea that profanity is no big deal, for instance, some of us have not brought about a change in those we attempt to reach, but instead has lowered us to their level.  If there is one thing I know for a fact about meeting the risen Lord it is that I change, not Him.

Relevance is about meeting them at their level.  Jesus was the master of this.  But then it is about the slow, steady change to Christlikeness.  Not the other way around.

We must reach out to a lost and dying world, not in condemnation, but in love.  Maybe stooping to their level, getting down in the dirt beside them, but never with them, and letting the light of the truth and the love of God convince them of the need for change.  Holiness is the goal and the proper explanation to a lost soul is that holiness is being set apart.  It means joining the gang.  The Holy, wonderful, life giving and love filled Kingdom gang.

And most of the younger generation would just love to be in a gang.

And that might just be true Kingdom relevance.

Love you all

Tags: Christ, Christians, Christlike, Church, Combat Readiness, Enemy, Holiness, Kingdom, Love, Pentecost, Pentecostal, profanity, Relevance, Relevant, Truth

Yesterday was a very good day.  It was my birthday and the day ended up having my wife orchestrate a small surprise gathering of friends at a local restaurant before church.  Then she brought a cake, baked and decorated to look like an open bible,  to share with my Wednesday class, which was also twice as large because of a Christmas displacement issue in our church so that another class needed to attend my own.  And anybody who knows me knows how much I like to talk about God and His Kingdom.

Yes, it was a very good day.  But it was not that many years ago that the things that went on today would just not have moved me, especially the gathering of that many people around me.  I know I have probably stated it here already, maybe even a couple of times, but I just didn’t use to like people.  Now it seems, I almost can’t get enough of the fellowship of my brothers and sisters in Christ.

This is also sort of what I taught and what I had in mind when I posted about the house church issue Tuesday.  It seems from reading the comments that not very many of you really knew what I was asking about.  I am no expert either, but from what I have read, the house church concept is about more than just a small amount of believers gathering together.  So while very small churches may find they practice what the concept is calling for, they have not set it up on purpose.  Most small churches would love to get larger.

It seems to be about some Christ followers not seeing a way to find authentic relationships within the structure of the modern church.  Instead, they find it necessary to stop “doing” church and start “being” the Church, at least to a few like minded believers.

When I first heard about it I thought it was probably just a new movement among the younger crowd to find a way to feel good about going to church, without having to go to church.  But now I don’t think so.  Sure, there are probably a few of these around, but from some of the things I am reading, it seems this movement is being fueled by those that are feeling disillusioned about the reality of any love being found in a lot of churches.  And the way the churches are set up, they do not push the great commission because it would hurt their model.

It seems the church model has become based mostly on a business model.  Growth is based on selling a product instead of training an army.  And the product is the church itself.  They want members, and they do not want these members to leave.  They want the amount of members to increase more than anything else and are willing to do most anything to achieve this, including obscuring the Truth, sometimes even denying it.  The modern church does not truly foster real, meaningful fellowship either.

When soldiers are in training together they know that someday they will be sent orders.  These orders will move them out of training and into the actual war.  Our churches do not want too many to leave and enter the war.  We want to build up the numbers, not the body.

True soldiers also develop a sense of camaraderie that we should also strive for.  If you’ve ever seen a group of veterans get together years after they served together you realize how truly close these guys are.  They were there for each other in a way most of us can’t imagine.

We should be the same.  We also are in a battle, not for lives in a temporary sense but in an eternal one.  We may not see torn limbs and bloody wounds, but one day we will know of the weeping and gnashing of teeth.  And even here, we all know someone, maybe even our own selves, that need the comfort of knowing someone “has our back.”

The house church model seems to be about these very things; a smaller group of believers that want to reach out and minister to each other in real loving relationships.  But with the goal of building each other up for promotion and advancement to actually leave and spread outward; taking the battle to other places by starting new fellowships and doing it all again.  Imagine that, advancing the Kingdom, instead of growing a “business”.

The reason I believe the ones espousing this model are real about their desire to love and disciple each other, and then send each other out to really advance the Kingdom, is that it seems to be a model that is focused on relationship rather than numbers and money.  It seems most of the people involved are not paid staff.  They are just Christ lovers that take the mission seriously.

It all boils down to the fact that we need each other.  Christ even prayed that we become “one” as He and the Father are “one”.  (John 17:11)  And it was because He was sending the out into the world; to conquer and destroy the works of the enemy.

I know Heath has a lot more knowledge about this.   He is actually a part of a house church.  Go to his sites here and here for more.

It does seem that a lot of us tend to “do” church when we are supposed to “be” the church, as I noted earlier.  The house church model seems to about this whole concept, this being the church.   I may be wrong and if I am, please let me know.  I am not saying that the churches out there can’t fulfill the mission either.  But we are letting a lot of souls fall through the cracks.

In smaller settings, the cracks would be fewer.

Love you all

Tags: Christ, Church, Enemy, Fellowship, God, Kingdom, Love, mission, relationship, Relationships, Truth, War, Work

Okay.  It is December.  It is probably the busiest month of the year.  The month when most people try to see family, shop for gifts, throw and attend party after party, decorate the yard, the house and the tree, and so on and so on.  It is an exhausting month of celebration but not often celebration of who it is supposed to be about.

Please don’t forget Christ as you go about the hustle and bustle of this season.

But it is Tuesday so I hope you can spend a few minutes here also.  I have held this topic for a few weeks because it has, I believe, the potential to get controversial.  But then again, I’ve thought that before and was wrong.

I was reading some comments on the internet a few weeks ago and someone made the following statement.

But I am an American. I am a Christian. I have a duty to God and Country.

They went on to expand on this to say what they had to about the topic at hand, which I can’t remember, but I could not forget it so I saved it.  I am referring just to the statement above that is in bold text.  It bothers me on some level.

• What do you think about the statement?

• Do you believe it is a truthful statement?

• What is this idea of duty and do I have a duty to these two entities?

• Do I have a duty to anything or anyone else?

What do you think?

Love you all.

Tags: America, Believe, celebration, Christ, December, God, Hope, Lie, Love, season, town hall, Truth