Category: Evengelism

Principles for Life - and for Shopping

2/15/2017

What are we to do when a society becomes so toxic that every decision you make is taken as some sort of political statement or stance? Unfortunately, this is what is happening before our eyes – as businesses are starting to develop political profiles. Many are doing this so that buying their product or purchasing something from them is transformed from shopping to “making a political statement.” Eventually we will face holding a certain kind of cup or bag and being judged by others because of it. How are believers in Jesus to respond in a world like this? It is my hope that in a series of articles over the next several weeks I can give a few biblical principles to help guide us through the increasing minefield of our ever-politicizing marketplace.

First of all – I realize I have made a statement with a purchase I recently made. When I went to Wal-Mart recently, I made the following statement. “I need pants – oh, and I also need food.” Just on a personal note as we start, I don’t want every purchase I make to be a political statement. Honestly, after this most recent election – I’d like to not think about politics for a long time. And as I pick my next pair of Wrangler jeans, which I buy because they are inexpensive and they cover my lower body, I don’t want the thought in my mind that I am helping to advance some sort of agenda. I am buying a pair of jeans – sheesh! Yes, I realize that I am advancing the horrific agenda of older men not really giving a flip that they look frumpy in their “dad-jeans,” (cue the evil laugh track). Seriously though – if you don’t like my Wrangler jeans wearing statement in support of frumpiness among older dads – you don’t have to roll your eyes at me as I walk by. Ok – end of personal rant and sad attempt at humor. Here is the first of what I believe to be three principles that will help us live in a world like ours – without being dragged into its spirit.

Principle #1 – Everything for the Glory of God
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NASB)

The core principle above everything is to live my life for the glory of God. Since this is true, I live for the advance of the gospel – and to be rich in good works so when people see them – they will glorify God. Even the purpose of those works is to stimulate people to ask why we live this way. The answer . . . the transformation of my life by the Gospel!

When you search the Scriptures for the things that bring glory to God, you will find that at the top of that list is the proclamation of and transformation by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By the way – the end of this passage in 1 Corinthians 6 speaks of not offending Jews, Greeks, or the church of God. The ultimate goal of this admonition – was that by seeking the profit of others – the gospel might go forth and people would be saved. THE AGENDA for the Christian is the advance of the glory of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here is what greatly concerns me in regard to our overall topic here and I will express it in a couple of questions. Is the dominant thought in your mind God’s glory? Are you and I as consumed with the proclamation and advance of the Gospel as we are with the current political battle? (You do realize that regardless of who is in power, there is always one going on – right). Is your mind and heart being co-opted for these battles rather than for the battle of getting the Gospel to every tribe, person, and tongue on our planet – for the glory of God? Let me put it another way. When is the last time (or maybe how often) you shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone and continued in a relationship with him or her so that they would be saved? Now, compare that to how often you have spoken, written, or argued with someone (or shared your thoughts on social media) about politics. What was your result? Did the Gospel and the salvation of the lost win a resounding victory?

Please hear my heart. This is not a rant against politics – but it is a call for us to put the gospel and the glory of God ahead of politics. I want my concern to be first and foremost whether someone has received Christ in their lives. I want to know whether or not they have been justified by faith! I want to judge my own actions, words, and attitudes through a grid that puts God’s glory infinitely ahead of any party or political action or shopping list. And what I hope will reign in my heart and yours is not what some bag or cup says about a person’s political views. I hope that we are far more concerned with what someone’s choice concerning Who Jesus Christ is and what He’s done through His death, burial, and resurrection says about their eternal destiny.

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Advice for Evangelicals after the Election of Trump as President of the United States

11/9/2016

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Today is November 9th, one day after an election where Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. It is also a fact that he is president in large measure because he received over 80% of the Evangelical vote. Since I was one of those who went through the agony of eventually voting for our president-elect, I also feel very qualified to offer the following article on the other side of the election.

Voting for Mr. Trump was one of the most difficult and excruciating things I’ve ever done. In the end I did so primarily due to one issue – abortion. After watching former Secretary of State Clinton coolly and confidently support abortion up until the last minute before a child is born, while also stating that an unborn child has no rights whatsoever – that was the turning point for me. There was no sense of anything in her except great pride that we do this in America. Because Mr. Trump had made it clear that he would oppose abortion (albeit with a promise – not exactly the most trustworthy currency in an election) I chose to vote for him. I did so without a sense of great pride in my vote – without any kind of bravado – I simply did it to protect the unborn. Having said this – and having read far too many facebook posts from both sides that broke my heart after the election – I want to offer unsolicited advice to those who are evangelicals who voted for president-elect Trump.

President-elect Trump needs our prayers (as does President Obama) as he faces the presidency. First and foremost, it is my opinion, based upon his actions and words, that we need to pray for this man’s salvation. I was never under any deception that he was or is a Christian – regardless of what the President of Liberty University says. This man needs to repent of sin and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior – period. By the way, if that statement offends you, I believe all men and women need to repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If you are a “true evangelical” then this is THE issue for us ultimately – is he (or anyone else for that matter) someone who has come to understand that he is a sinner by choice and by nature – has come to understand that Jesus is the God-man who came and paid for sin by His death, burial, and resurrection – and has come to repentance over his sin and now has put his faith in Jesus Christ to pay for his sin and make him acceptable to God.

President-elect Trump also needs our prayers to govern wisely as the chief executive and commander in chief over our armed forces. Ask anyone who has ever held this office, there is tremendous pressure and responsibility associated with it. And take it from someone who is only a father and pastor of a local church – the more authority you have – the greater the damage you can do by making unwise and ungodly decisions. My unwise choices affect the 14 people in my family – and at least 175-200 people who attend the fellowship I am honored to serve. Things like pride, ego, marital infidelity, foul language, caustic comments, and perverse treatment of women, are unwise and ungodly from a biblical perspective. Sorry if this offends you but I am a pastor who is responsible to teach God’s Word – and advance a godly and righteous lifestyle. We can support him in some ways – but we need to be clear that these actions and attitudes are unacceptable. Should we show our president-elect grace and love? Absolutely. But can we afford as evangelicals to just gloss over the clear elephant in the room when it comes to his character and ungodliness? If we do – we will lose the moral authority to speak to our society – especially those who opposed him in the election who need the gospel so badly.

President-elect Trump – and our nation – need our prayers for healing and unity. Only someone who has lived under a rock for the last year and a half is unaware of the incredible rift that there is in our nation. He is not responsible alone for this rift – but this past election cycle only made us aware of how wide it is. I am painfully aware that much of this rift is due to vastly divergent worldviews. Both sides of this divide view the moral stances of the other as moral bankruptcy. He will face deep divides that will require wisdom, patience, and understanding to even begin to address. As an evangelical there are issues within our nation where I have to take a stand that is unpopular – very unpopular with those who oppose it. There are moral issues – issues about sexuality – issues about justice – issues about racism – issues about abortion and crisis pregnancies – issues about how to help those in financial need – so many issues that even trying to list them makes my head swim. What makes it worse is that currently any discourse about them has become so incendiary that basic communication (where we respect one another) seems almost impossible. We so quickly descend into sound bytes and insults at the drop of a hat. Oh how we need to move away from listening to the talking heads and talk radio and actually listen to one another once again. The rhetoric of the election has left us all battered and worn out emotionally. Pray that our President – and our president-elect can begin to heal the fractures – rather than make them worse.

One final word though to those of us who are evangelicals – and it is a word of great warning. If we choose to swagger through the next several months before and after the inauguration we are going to see the gospel itself face a terrible backlash. If we act as if Mr. Trump has great moral authority after what we’ve learned about how he treats women and his own marriage – we will alienate a large group of women who need to hear the gospel. They will see our joy over his election as an endorsement of his immoral actions – and will turn a deaf ear to the message of the gospel. If we act as if it wasn’t a problem that he didn’t distance himself from the KKK and other white supremacist groups with the strongest words possible – we will alienate many in the black community. They will see our joy in his election as an affirmation of what they already see as systemic racism and will turn a deaf ear to the gospel. If we act as if Mr. Trump’s bravado and pride – and the many morally questionable insults toward his opponents – should be seen as just politics as normal – we should not be surprised to see a rejection of our gospel as if it is associated with such insults. If we don’t at least attempt to see the political discourse toned down from its new lows in foul language that should offend people’s sensibilities - too many will deduce that we have come to endorse of this kind of talk. They will mock us when we say that the Bible teaches us to reject “corrupt communication from our mouths.” They will see such statements as just another way we’ve embraced hypocrisy as Christians. This will, in turn, justify in their minds turning a similar deaf ear to whatever else we have to say about salvation and the gospel. I’ve already seen too many posts by those on the other side of the political divide who are saying that if Trump represents evangelicalism – they are done with it.

Be careful precious saints of God – and be wise in the days ahead. Our attitudes and our demeanor can do much to either advance the gospel or turn people off to it. May God give us wisdom, especially in these days to prove ourselves true sons of God – who embrace both truth and our role to be peacemakers. THE most important thing is that we, as evangelicals, see that what our nation needs most is the grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are the only things that will bring about the much-needed revival in the church and the even more-needed spiritual awakening among the lost. So that these things may come to our nation may God give us grace to be men and women wise enough to navigate such a time as this.

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Can You Hear it? The Love Song of the Ages!

9/19/2012

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The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

I want you to listen today so that you can hear something. In order to hear what I want you to hear – you will have to pay attention to what is happening in the spirit world. If you are not careful to do this – you may miss hearing this wonderful song.

When was the last time someone sang because of you? Some women have the joy of having a troubadour come beneath their window and serenade them with music and song. When this happens, the woman is most often touched by the gesture – and she feels very loved. But not every woman is fortunate enough to have someone do this for her.

I read a passage today that pretty much blew my mind – and made me know that I am very loved. Please note that I avoided the phrase, “felt like I am loved,” because it was wholly inappropriate for what happened. I KNEW I WAS LOVED! Here is the kicker, though . . . YOU CAN KNOW TOO!

The prophet Zephaniah spoke of something God was doing – and would do. He was working wonderfully with His people – and He was “saving” them as a result! What a glorious thing this was – and still is! But even more glorious than this is how God reacts to His “saved ones” in whom He is working.

There are two sounds I want you to hear – and the fact of their occurrence is verified here by the prophet Zephaniah. The first is that the God who saved you is rejoicing over you with great gladness! There is something you need to hear – God is rejoicing over His saving work in your life. As you grow in grace, as you grow in your understanding of Who He is, as you grow in your faith, and as He sanctifies you more and more (and this is even as you struggle and fail and have difficulty) God rejoices continually in what is happening in your heart and life! He is thrilled over the ongoing changes that are happening in you. But there is more – and this is what truly amazes me.

God sings over you! Remember the beginning of this article? The prophet Zephaniah revealed to the people of Israel – and to all those who would experience God’s salvation in the future – that God sings over us. For those of you who maybe doubt God’s love – He is not singing to blues either. The word used here is very instructive to us. The word for singing here is “ranan.” This is a Hebrew word that means a ringing cry, a loud shout, or loud, almost rambunctious singing. The idea behind the singing and shouting is that jubilation is at the core of it. God sings for joy – filled with jubilation and excitement over how He saves us! He is rejoicing because of His grace. We read in Ephesians 1 that the marvelous salvation God has given us should be seen in the context of “the praise of the glory of His grace!” That is what is happening here. God is singing and shouting jubilantly not because of some great thing in us prior to salvation. He is singing and shouting because of the very glory of His grace given to us. He wants to sing for joy because how we’ve been redeemed – and how that redemption reveals the love and the true character of God. Oh, what a thrill to see grace at work, and it is such a thrill that God Himself is moved to song over it – and He sings over us as that grace is revealed in our salvation and transformation. I remember reading that the angels sing and shout for joy when a sinner repents. This is even more awesome – that God Himself sings all through the process of our salvation.

I want to offer a word of great encouragement to all those reading this. God loves you! He loved you enough to provide blood – the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ to pay for your sin. He loved you enough to give you, as a gift, the very righteousness of His Son so you could be acceptable in His sight. He loves you throughout the rest of your life as He sanctifies you - drawing you to Himself – changing and transforming you by His grace. He loves you and longs for the day when faith shall be sight – when the very presence of sin will be taken away at your glorification. He loves you so much that He sings loudly with shouts of joy over the salvation He watches at work in you. So the next time you wonder how God feels about you – oh, dear saint of God, listen. Don’t listen for what you can hear with your physical ear. Listen with the ears of your heart – listen with your spirit – read the Word of God, Zephaniah 3:17 especially, but read with understanding and grace the glorious truth of His singing. Listen for you will hear the exalted Lord of the universe sing of the grace that has been lavishly applied to you. He sings for joy – shouts with great gladness. He does so because more than you can know, more than you can imagine, and more than you can ever comprehend . . . He loves you!

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Physical and Spiritual Creation, by Greg Smith (elder @ Calvary Chapel)

8/1/2012

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PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL CREATION
How God made the world shows how He wants to make you a new person.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

One basic difference in the physical world is between space & matter. But, matter exists in & with space. A full container must have space that is being filled. Spiritually, there is also heaven & earth. The spiritual & fleshly (physical) are different, but in harmony. Heaven & earth can exist together. The Spiritual God is not against physical things, but wants people to know the true purpose in and beyond the physical.
But, a fleshly mind can’t see past the physical.

“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2. At first, the physical world was disordered, useless, empty & dark. But, God wasn’t finished. God would not only bring light, but also usefulness, order and fullness. Moral evil brings spiritual uselessness, disorder, emptiness & darkness into human lives. God’s Spirit hovered over the disorderly waters. We also need God’s Spirit to come over our chaotic hearts.

“And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:3-4. Unlike heaven & earth, light and dark are not in harmony, but in contrast. They can’t be truly together or one in the other. However much light there is, there is exactly not that much darkness. They are forever separate. Light doesn’t fill darkness, but destroys it. So it is with good & evil. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) God is never for evil. He is always against it. Evil cannot be with Him. Evil is not equal in power to the light of God, but is like a shadow that must be sheltered from light to exist. God allows evil a place to exist, not because He likes it or can’t destroy it, but shows that light is superior to darkness. And God gives more than light.

God gave order and fullness to the universe and made many wonderful things (see Genesis 1). There is meaning & purpose in God’s creation. Land and sea can represent what is stable (reliable) and what is not. Different kinds of life were made for different purposes. God gave plants to animals & people for food (Genesis 1:29).1 People were made in God’s image (likeness) to rule over animals and the earth (Genesis 1:26, 28). God cares for all creation, but people are especially important & especially responsible for how they honor Him and treat each other and His creation. A fictional hero was told, “With great power comes great responsibility!” Jesus said, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). But, people have misused the power given to them. Since evil came into the world by human choice, God is not pleased when we dishonor
Him and treat each other and the world badly.

God promises to have complete victory over evil and to restore all things by making a new heaven & earth where everything is good. In the new creation, the separation between light and dark will be complete. The new creation will have no night and no more sea (Revelation 21:1, 25; 22:5). There will be no evil or instability in the new creation. Right now, light and dark “take turns” in the same world with the coming of each day and night. Likewise in this world, people experience both good and evil. But, those who come to God will inherit a world that is only good with no evil. But, all who stay away from God and cling to evil will go
into a place of eternal darkness and pain and enjoy no good.

But, how can we come to God and have His light now and forever? “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6). The light that destroys spiritual darkness is to know the glory of God. God is all beautiful, wise, good, powerful & necessary. God needs nothing & no one, but everything & everyone needs God.2 One who does not know that God meets every need is in great darkness. God’s glory is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught people and showed them God’s great love. Jesus went around doing good, healing sicknesses, raising people from the dead and forcing evil spirits (fallen angels) to go away. But, most of all He defeated guilt, punishment and the power of death by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Everyone needs light, order, purpose & fullness, whether they realize it or not. Please ask God to show you what those things really are and to bring them into your life through Jesus Christ. (Bible quotes from ESV) 1 Before evil entered the world, all animals and people were vegetarian (Genesis 1:29-30). Eating meat is
allowed by God until He brings the restoration of creation.

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Living "Out of Season" - Part 4 - Sign Posts to Keep Us On Track

4/5/2011

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   For the past several articles we have been looking at what it means to struggle with times when you feel and are “out of season” spiritually. As Paul finishes exhorting young Timothy about the need to be ready whether we are in season or out of season, he offers this charge to him, But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:5, NASB)

     It is good for us to know the things we need to be doing regardless of our current emotional state or      feelings. These things are powerful sign posts that help us to stay on the road when we would rather pull off and quit—or take an extended vacation from walking with God and fulfilling our ministry in life. Paul lays out for young Timothy some very good sign posts for him. If we will learn from these things and make them a part of our life, we will find ourselves greatly aided in staying focused in those times when we are struggling with being out of season.

     The first of these sign posts is to be sober in all things. The word sober means to be sober-minded—or watchful in all things. We are to watch God’s Word, watch for God’s Spirit as He leads and teaches us—and watch for the dangers of temptation when we might otherwise be distracted by struggling with our emotions. If we do not watch and pray—we will find ourselves led by our emotions rather than by God’s Spirit.

     The second sign post is to endure hardship. We are all going to face hardships. This may not be popular among some theological circles—but it is quite popular with Jesus. When these times come we need to endure them. The word “endure” here is pretty awesome. It is the Greek word, kakopatheo—which means to endure evil or difficulty and the emotions that come with it. The second word “patheo” means emotions or passions. God knows that we will face difficult feelings and emotions when these times come—but we must endure them knowing He will give us grace to endure and stand fast.

     The last two sign posts are to do the work of an evangelist (keep working to lead people to Christ) and to fulfill our ministry. We have to keep keeping on in these things—no matter what we face in out of season times. These sign posts will help us keep going—and to not get turned down a wrong road. May God give both you and I grace to read the sign posts—and follow them—especially when we are “out of season.”

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Principles for Life - and for Shopping

Advice for Evangelicals after the Election of Trump as President of the United States

Can You Hear it? The Love Song of the Ages!

Physical and Spiritual Creation, by Greg Smith (elder @ Calvary Chapel)

Living "Out of Season" - Part 4 - Sign Posts to Keep Us On Track

Biblical Articles

Categories

Principles for Life - and for Shopping

​Advice for Evangelicals after the Election of Trump as President of the United States

Can You Hear it? The Love Song of the Ages!

Physical and Spiritual Creation, by Greg Smith (elder @ Calvary Chapel)

Living "Out of Season" - Part 4 - Sign Posts to Keep Us On Track

Biblical Articles

Categories

Advice for Evangelicals after the Election of Trump as President of the United States