Category: Worldliness

A Lot to Learn in 2016 - Near sin?

2/18/2016

Once Lot separated from Abraham he moved near Sodom. He moved near those who were sinners exceedingly against the Lord - and did so for the wealth and supposed blessing of their area. But one cannot move closer to sin and not have it affect you negatively. By the time the battle of the kings takes place in Genesis 14, Lot had moved into Sodom. He soon learned that becoming a part of that community had far different results than being with godly Abraham.

Sodom and Gomorrah, we learn at the beginning of this chapter, are in bondage. What an interesting thing to learn - that they are in bondage to a king named Chedorlaomer. They had been serving him (most likely with payments of money as well) for 5 years - but decided to rebel against their bondage. They quickly learned that they did not have the power to break free from this bondage. Their lesson - a battle where they were soundly defeated - where they were taken captive - where they lost all their possessions - and where even their food supply was taken from them. The picture painted here is bleak - but it is also fascinating. Think with me for a few moments about what this meant for Sodom and its newest inhabitant, Lot.

They were in bondage from which they could not deliver themselves. Their physical situation mirrored their spiritual one. They were also sinners exceedingly against the Lord - and couldn't break from that bondage either. When they tried to become free, they did not have the power to break that bondage - the same was true of their sinful condition. They lived defeated lives - hiding from their enemy - even while the enemy pillaged them. They lost everything in their defeat - all their goods and even their families. Then finally, even their daily food supply was gone as their enemy took it and left them starving and unable to respond with any viable counter-attack that promised any deliverance. Without a deliverer to come to their aid - they were dead. And in verse 12 we read these words about Lot's situation: "They also took Lot, Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom."

There is a lot we can learn from Lot in all this. When you locate yourself near sin - and then move in with sin - your lot in life (no pun intended) will be the same as theirs. Regardless of all the years he followed Abraham - now Lot's future was identical to those with whom he identified. What happened to sinful Sodom - was now happening to Lot. He was in bondage. He was unable to free himself. He was defeated. He was subject to losing everything. He was now destitute. He was robbed of everything. He was facing death and slavery unless someone came to deliver him.

So - before we move on to the deliverance - we should ask a few questions. Where have you moved in your life? Have you moved away from following the Lord and toward sin? Are you identifying with this world more than you are God? Are you finding that your lot in life is changing because of your new affinity with sin? You will be in the same bondage - the same slavery - the same defeat - the same loss - the same destitute condition - and even in the same death spiral with none to save. For the true Christian - to find our hearts far from the Lord - and our condition more in line with the judgment of the world has to be a shock when we finally realize it. We are children of the King and sons of the Father - and yet here we are living in a pig pen longing to eat the scraps and leftovers the pigs are eating. Oh that we would awaken by the grace of God to see our condition and realize even our Father's slaves are better off that this. Oh that repentance would overwhelm us - and we would return to our Father rather than remain shut up with the pigs any longer. Moving away from a heart for God and choosing the pig sty of this world is so very foolish. It may begin with promise of immediate gratification and a valley of abundance - but it ends in bondage, defeat, and spiritual starvation.

Who will deliver us from such a fate - from our cruel bondage to the Cruel one? This must have been the thought of Lot as he stood among the captive slaves. But even as hope slipped away from him - word had reached his uncle about his situation. In a glorious type of Christ - Abraham sprung to action and gathered the all who were with him and moved to deliver his nephew. Abraham attacked Chedorlaomer and defeated him decisively - not only destroying him, but also delivering all those enslaved to him. This is what Christ Jesus does for us. We are unable to deliver ourselves from slavery to sin - but He comes and wins the victory defeating our enemy and delivering us from bondage to him. But what would be Lot's response to this wonderful deliverance? How would he respond to seeing the radical difference between the godly Abraham and the ungodly king of Sodom? Would he turn from living near the ungodly - indeed living with them - to return to the influence and nearness of the man of God?

Once this whole event was over - Lot returned to Sodom and lived among them. He didn't see the incredible contrast between living among the godly and living among the ungodly. The whole deliverance was lost on him. In our next visit with him - we will see that he has not just moved near Sodom - he is settled among them. He has so identified with them that he lives among them - chooses his daughter's future husbands among them - and allows his wife to so identify with them that leaving the lifestyle and company of Sodom seems horrific to her.

Oh precious saints of God - there is MUCH we should learn in a warning from Lot. There is much for us to see - and in seeing fear God and learn to hate sin as He hates it. There is nothing for us by moving closer to sin. What is promised as abundance and pleasure is only the disguise of the chains that will one day bind us and enslave us. Come out from the midst of them and be separate. Embrace holiness and shun a relationship with the sinful world. Turn from an identification with them and their lifestyles - and embrace a relationship with God that involves mortification, mercy, and ministry. Mortification as we die to sin and its lure of us away from the Lord. Mercy as we have compassion on those still entrapped and in bondage to it. Ministry as we go to them, love them, and share the only One Who can deliver them from it.

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What Does God Say about Cussing? Part 4 - Yes, I went there - because we need to get this!

4/8/2015

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Last week we began looking at how words that we use have meanings. This week we will continue that study as we look at some other commonly used cuss words and how God speaks of the things we are saying when we use them. Again, this is a very difficult thing to do because it is not my intention to write in a way that is offensive to anyone’s sensibilities. But in light of the coarsening of our culture, as well as how few, if any, are saying anything about this from a Biblical standpoint, I will endeavor to do this with candor as well as caution. As we did last week, we will not look at these things from a “you can’t say this” kind of attitude. What we are doing is looking at what Scripture says about what these words actually mean - and then ask ourselves the question whether using these words is a wise or godly thing for us to do.

One of the most commonly used cuss words in our day is the one that refers to the act of sexual intercourse. This word seems to be one that is gaining popularity more every year. Again most people use it as either an adverb or an adjective. It is used even as a response to someone when you are angry with them. My guess is that even non-christians are going to be pretty shocked to hear a believer use this kind of language. Even among those who are lost, this word is referred to with its first letter and the word bomb attached to it. That is most likely because when used, it has the effect of a kind of verbal explosion. When this word is used in a setting where two people are arguing with one another - there is a fair chance a fight will break out. Again, those who use it simply state that it is a word - but even then some shrink from using it because it can cause problems when used.

How does God view sexual intercourse - or at least someone referring to it when speaking to others. If referring to sexual immorality, the Word of God is very clear about this word. According to 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, we are to abstain from sexual immorality, learning how to possess our sexual desires in a way that honors God. In an even more strident text, we read in Ephesians the following admonition, “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;” (Ephesians 5:3). If God wants us to abstain from the act - and calls us not even to name immorality and impurity - one would think it is not a stretch to see that speaking such things flippantly and in anger would be unwise and would grieve God. Verses 5 and 6 of this same passage go even further stating that those involved in immorality are guilty of idolatry. Paul goes as far as to warn the Ephesians against being deceived with empty words about this - because the wrath of God would come on those who are the sons of disobedience. Colossians 3 reiterates the same thing as well. In addition to calling us not even to name such things among us - God also states in Hebrews 13:4 that the marriage bed is something holy and is to be held in honor. The writer of Hebrews warns that God will judge both fornicators (sex among unmarried people) and adulterers (sex involving someone having intercourse with someone who is not their husband or wife). This is how God views sexual intercourse itself - let alone the slang word for it regardless of whether it is in a marriage or being entered into by fornicators and adulterers.

God gave us sex. It is something that was given to married couples as a gift from God. As such, God treats it with honor and respect. He considers it something holy - and not to be spoken of without a sense of reverence for what He has given us. Unfortunately sin has taken something God intended to be holy, and made it something perverse outside of the marriage of a man and a woman. Discussion of such things should be in the context of God’s gift - in the context of marriage - and not for use as a cuss word that our culture seems to be saying every few minutes. It has degenerated into a word used to insult people and to cut them down. One aspect of this that I’ve seen again and again is that this is turning into an angry word - to be used when people are frustrated, mad, and often in the midst of a raging fit. When I get around someone who uses this word with great regularity, it is as if they have lost the concept of how to modify another word except by using this word perversely. It is also one that unfortunately has come to dominate our military. Often I’ve heard it used by those in the military and in films depicting our armed forces with a regularity that makes me cringe. The excuse that is bantered about is that this is just the way that soldiers talk. I find that sad - and an indictment against what I see as a false view of manhood. Unfortunately too many have bought into this with the result that boys who learn to cuss pick up this word and use it thinking it somehow makes them more of a man when they do. Nothing is further from the truth. A real man is one who has learned to control his anger and his language for the good of others around him. I’ll speak more of this in another article.

As I close this article I want to say that my study has led me to believe that this type of speaking is something that deeply grieves God. It is also something that because of its flippant use has cheapened what God meant to something incredibly personal as well as valuable. I’ll end this article with one last comment on the use of this cuss word. It is one that, when used, really damages the testimony of a believer. It is quite a statement when we see even the lost cringe when a believer speaks like this. They inherently know that someone who knows and loves Jesus is someone who puts away talk like this. Too bad that many in the church have so bowed to our culture that they don’t even get this any longer. May God once again teach us restraint and godliness in our speech.

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Who Exactly is the Consumer? (Consumer Church, part 1 of 4)

11/13/2014

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Consumer Church, part 1 of 4
Who Exactly is the Consumer?

            Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the Lord bless you and bring you to a place where you desire what He desires in His church. This week I will begin my series of articles on “Consumer Church.”

            When the whole idea of “Consumer Church” came on the scene, it began with churches thinking it would be a good idea to begin polling people as to what they wanted in church. It was not long before churches were in surrounding neighborhoods going door to door asking people in their city what they wanted at church. Statistics were gathered from these polls and strategies were formed to “reach the unchurched.” Subsequently, a church program was developed that would minister to the felt needs that existed among the community. Over time the churches grew due to their ability to address the felt needs of their community. The unchurched were reached in large numbers – which eventually gave rise to the mega-churches of the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s. Success, right? Before we begin our celebration we might consider a fundamental problem that exists with this model of “doing church.”

            There is a problem that is inherently part of the “Consumer Church” model. That problem is that the consumer changes over time. This is why companies like Apple constantly poll the consumer. They do so to stay ahead of their ever-changing desires. The consumer actually drives what is happening in “Consumer Church.” If his or her felt needs are not met, he or she will be looking for a church that will meet their needs. In the years that I have been a pastor I’ve watched the “Consumer Church” change numerous times. They had to revamp just about everything because they learned that the busters did not want the same things as the boomers. A couple of years later they found out that the Gen X crowd had different desires than the Gen-next group. Even preaching and worship styles changed every few years. They learned that certain words – and even the symbol of the cross was seen in a negative way – so they morphed to meet those desires of the consumer.   In time some churches even set up different worship services for different age groups so they could continue meeting the felt needs of the last group they just reached.

            This whole scenario begs for an answer to a very pressing question. Who are we supposed to be pleasing in the church? The “Consumer Church” model says that we are to be please the consumer. But what happens when the consumer wants something that God does not? What happens when the consumer’s desires reflect the very lost and sinful condition God wants addressed in the gospel? What happens when the consumer wants a less convicting atmosphere or preaching that acknowledges there is more than one way to get to heaven? What happens when society becomes more open toward sexual immorality and the consumer calls for a broader mindset toward alternate lifestyles? Is the consumer always right? Is the church always beholden to shift her views and stands accordingly?

            The core problem with “Consumer Church” is that the consumer is treated as the supreme authority in how church is done – and often even in what the church preaches. Biblical church sees the revelation of God in Scripture as supreme. This is the radical difference between “Consumer Church” and “Christ-centered Church.” The “Christ-centered Church” believes that there is already an infallible rule for faith and for practice in God’s church. God did not set up His church to be a consumer driven endeavor. God calls His church to honor and glorify Him. He commands the church to seek His face and submit to what He desires. The way one does this is not by taking polls of the lost community. The way one does this is to read and study the Scriptures so that we know God – and in so doing – know what He wants in His church.

            Please understand that God will not lead us to be rude or disparaging toward the “consumer” or better said, the lost person in our community. God calls us to serve and love them – to minister to them – and lay down our lives as we share the gospel with them. But that being said, the “Christ-centered Church” does not have the freedom to ignore God’s desires because they conflict with those of the lost, consumer in our area. Our first and greatest priority in the church is to glorify God and make much of Him in everything we do at church. To make more of our potential “consumer” than we make of God is idolatry – and in the end it will not bring blessing to the church. We have to remember that our target audience is just One person in the end – God Himself. What I find interesting is that God is referred to as a “consuming fire” by Scripture. So actually, we are conforming to the consumer.   It is just that we are defining the consumer as THE Consumer. It is very appropriate to poll and consult THE Consumer. What we then learn of and from Him rules all decisions and reigns in the focus, direction, and program of His church. May God make us ever more sensitive to THE One and Only Consumer, making sure that whatever He wants is done in His church!

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A Lot to Learn in 2016 - Near sin?

What Does God Say about Cussing? Part 4 - Yes, I went there - because we need to get this!

Who Exactly is the Consumer? (Consumer Church, part 1 of 4)

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