I Destroyed The World, But The Apple Was Great!

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I have a spotted past. While I was never an "addict," a convicted felon, nor have I any tattoos to show for my wild oats, my younger years were full of sin, decadence and all-round bad decisions. The fact that I didn't wind in prison has more to do with the grace of God than it does with my character.

My testimony is such that, even my boss will discuss my turnaround when he presents me with my Christmas bonus at the company party. There are some things from my college years that I hope everyone has forgotten. Good thing social media didn't exist back then.

On occasion, however, we'll all get to swapping stories at the office, and on occasion, I'll share one from my wilder days. One day, in my office, I shared such a story, to which my boss replied, "I don't think I'd share that one again if I were you."

Driving home that evening, I thought about the day's conversations, the story I shared, and my boss's advice. Indeed he was right. That story was just plain awful and stupid. Sharing a story like that doesn't help my testimony, it hinders it. I'm going to follow my boss's advice, and not share the story. What I will tell you is that no one got hurt, and no laws were broken.

However, on my drive home, the thought occurred to me how silly it is that, as a Christian, I look back on some of the decadence of my youth with a certain sense of humor, and in some weird way, a little nostalgia. The decisions I made back then could have killed me, some destroyed parts of my life, and some consequences I still live with. Yet, here I am, acting like a fool, looking back on it as if it were something by which to be entertained.

Why do we as Christians look back on our lost days as "the good ole days?" Sure, we'd never return to them, but sometimes we find ourselves looking back on them with a certain nostalgia. When you think about it, that makes absolutely no sense.

Think about Adam. He and Eve made the conscious decision to rebel against God by eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That one decision brought the sin curse upon all men, so that we all face death, and God's wrath if we're not saved, because we are all now sinners. Adam's decision to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was the single event that sentenced Jesus Christ to die on the cross. Adam's decision to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was not merely to eat something God said not to, but it was an attempt to get out from beneath God's authority.

That one decision thrust mankind into the darkness that we experience today. Because of that one decision, we have crime, violence, war, starvation, death, disease, cancer. Every bad thing in this world can be traced back to Adam's original sin.

Adam lived several hundred years after God evicted him and Eve from the Garden of Eden. He had several hundred years to look back on that decision, and to see the devastating effects that sin had on the world, namely his descendants.

I wonder if, during those several hundred years, Adam didn't occasionally tell his grandchildren about life in the Garden. I wonder if he explained why they could no longer live in the Garden. What a difficult story that must have been to tell. "Hey kids, we could be living in paradise, but I blew it."

One thing I can almost guarantee Adam never did was describe that fruit, how good it must have tasted, how great the texture must have been, and how juicy it was. For some reason, I cannot imagine Adam sitting back on a Saturday evening, telling the story of eating the forbidden fruit with glee, and punctuating his story with, "I destroyed the world, but hey! The apple was great!"

When we get to looking back on the lost days with nostalgia, and telling stories of our previous decadence with glee, we have forgotten what sin really is, and the effects that it has on our lives, and on those around us. Let us never be guilty of missing this point, and celebrating things from which we seek God's forgiveness. God bless you on your journey.

When I Struggle With Sin...

... I feel like a hypocrite.

Every week, I speak no fewer than five times about the Lord. There's my Sunday School class, the Sunday morning sermon at Grace Pointe, two small group Bible studies, and a radio show. Then, every other Sunday, I preach at the Market Place apartments.

Each sermon includes warnings against sin, encouragement to have faith in the Lord, exhortation to center one's life around the Lord, and a commission to serve the Lord. I am sincere in my belief of these things. I honestly believe that God blesses those who live their lives for Him. But preaching the Word, and practicing what I preach are two completely different things.

Monday rolls around, and I tend to fall back into the same routines as everyone else. My life becomes about making a living, paying bills, and being frustrated that my wildest dreams have yet to come true. When your focus drifts from the Lord and into the day-to-day routine, you lose that Spiritual connection to the Lord, and He begins to seem distant. When this happens, we become susceptible to temptation. Such is the case with me.

I'm not going into a confessional here, but there are times that I misrepresent Christ. There are times that I fall short of the Biblical mandate to let my light shine. There are times that I betray my faith, and my Lord. And when my eyes are opened to my fall, I begin to wonder if all this is a facade, and if I am really a rotten human being. You may have experienced the same.

How can we reconcile our salvation and our lives in Christ with the sin that "so easily besets us?" (Hebrews 12:1).

We begin by recognizing that we are not alone in this struggle. Romans 3:23 says "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." We are all sinners, we all fall short. We all fail. Romans 3:9 says we are all under sin.

Scripture also lists examples of the great heroes of the faith who fell short of God's glory. From the depiction of David's adultery with Bathsheba, to the acknowledgement in James 5:17 that "Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are." Yet, David and Elijah did great things for the Lord. Romans 7:15-17 describes the same struggle that the Apostle Paul had.

The lesson we take here is that our struggle neither defines us, nor limits us.

We continue by recognizing what this struggle reveals in us. There are times that you overcome, and there are times that you fail. Through each time of temptation, you learn more about your Spiritual maturity, and where you stand with the Lord. However, failure is not as devastating as you think.

Romans 7:15-17 says:

For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.  17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

In Romans 7, the Apostle Paul confessed that he knew what he should be doing, and what he shouldn't be doing. He then confessed that he found himself doing the things he shouldn't (For that which I do I allow not.) He found himself doing the very things he preached against. He also confessed that he found himself not doing the things he should. (For what I would, that do I not).

Despite the disconnect between what he believed and what he preached, and what he actually did, Paul steered the conversation back to God's word. He didn't justify what he did. Rather, he promoted God's law, and declared its truth despite his failure. (I consent unto the law that it is good.)

So, if Paul knew God's law, agreed with God's law, and promoted God's law, why was he sinning? Simple. Paul understood that he was still infected with the sin nature. (Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.) This is not an excuse. He's not saying that he can continue in sin, as it's just in his nature. He is merely explaining his failure.

When we struggle with sin, we are reminded that we still have the sin nature. It's the flesh within us that desires sin, that desires the things that are forbidden. It's the same nature that wants to abdicate personal responsibility and live for the pleasure of the moment.

When we recognize the role that the sin nature plays in our struggle, we are able to move away from the notion that somehow we are just flawed, and not as good as everyone else, and we see our struggle as part of the human experience. When we understand this is a struggle everyone faces, this helps us see the struggle that others endure, and it helps us to be graceful to others when they sin.

The other thing that recognizing the role of the sin nature accomplishes is that it reminds us that conquering sin is not something we can do on our own. We need the Lord. Which brings us to our next point.

We return to our roots of faith in Christ.  In Romans 7:24-25, Paul exclaimed, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

In verse 24, Paul declares his inability to overcome sin, and turns to the Lord for deliverance. In verse 25, Paul trusts the Lord for that deliverance.

If you know Jesus Christ as your savior, there was a time that you surrendered, and called out to Him for salvation. At that point, you were exactly where Christ wanted you. In the days and weeks that followed, the Lord was able to lead you through a time of exponential Spiritual growth because you had total faith in Him. But, as time moves along, we drift away, and we wind up in the boat we're in today.

When you struggle with sin, and you recognize that it's part of life, and that you cannot overcome it yourself, the proper course of action is to surrender, ask God for deliverance, and trust the Lord to deliver you from that struggle. When you reach that point of surrender and faith, you are right where Christ wants you. When you reach that point of surrender and faith, God is then able to do great things in your life.

When I struggle with sin, I feel like a hypocrite, but I am not. I am a child of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, who has not finished his race here on earth. I remember that I stand on the shoulders of giants, that others have faced these same struggles, and that the struggle with sin comes as a result of my sin nature.

The only answer is to ask God for forgiveness, and trust Him to deliver me from these temptations. When I reach that point, God brings a revival in my life. He will yours as well. Keep the faith, God is on your side.

Roll Me Away!

"Took a look down a west-bound road,
and right away I made my choice,
Headed out to my big two-wheeler, 
I was tired of my own voice,
took a bead on those Northern Plains 
and just rolled that power on." 

- Bob Seger, "Roll Me Away"

Okay, I admit it. Over the past two months, I have come to understand the fascination with motorcycles that so many of my friends and family members have... freedom! Maybe it's the amount of time I spend at work, maybe it's summer and I have a house full of kids, or maybe I just need a real vacation... whatever the reason, I have found myself in a never ending Southwest Airlines commercial... "Wanna get away?"

I have friends who have itinerant ministries... they travel from place to place, from church to church, holding revival meetings, VBS events, camps, etc. What a life, huh? Be able to travel the U.S., or even the world, working for the Lord and having one big adventure. (Truth be told, they'd probably tell you it's not all it's cracked up to be.)

Meanwhile, every scripture I read, every radio sermon I hear, every conversation I have, seems to remind me of one fundamental fact... God is not finished with me in Brownwood... I am to stay right here, and honor my commitment to Him, and allow Him to work through me and Grace Pointe to minister to the people of Brownwood... oh, look at how pretty that sun looks setting behind Bangs Hill... maybe I'll just take a drive...

Basically, I just need to get my mind back on my business.

Romans 14:23 says "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Anything you do that is in disobedience to God, or that even disregards God, is a sin.

In this case, my sin is not being thankful for the blessings God has given me, and not being thankful for the things that He has done in Brownwood. Further, my sin is not completely trusting Him to bring Grace Pointe to a point where she is self-supporting... not trusting Him with the results... not trusting Him to bless His own work. There have also been times I have failed to recognize His hand in Grace Pointe's successes. I could confess more, but my father once told me that inner-most thoughts are called that for a reason, and many times, it's best that they stay that way. (Not exactly canonized scripture, but Dad does have a point every now and then).

I share this to warn you. Temptation doesn't always come in the form of an enticement to commit an act of immorality... it's not always an enticement toward sexual sin, greed, anger, theft or even murder. Sometimes, Satan tempts us by luring us into disobeying what God has called us to do with our lives.

When Satan tempted Jesus, he tempted the Lord to do three things. (1) Make the stones into bread. (2) Jump off the pinnacle of the temple to see if the angels would catch Him, and (3) to bow down and worship Satan. Each of these three temptations would have derailed God's plan of Salvation through the Gospel. Nevertheless, in Christ was no sin, and the Lord stayed obedient to the plan.

In the same way, Satan often tempts us to stray from what God wants us to do. If we fall for that temptation, we can derail our lives and miss God's blessings. To fall for this temptation is just as much of a sin as if you had fallen into immorality. Remember, after you are saved, the most Satan can do is destroy your testimony and render you useless in this life. If he can't get you to fall into immorality, he'll get you to do something that will silence your voice for the Lord. Be on guard.

Christianity is all about Healing

Folks, let's be honest. Sin is destructive. Despite the fact that our culture looks to excuse and legitimize sin, the harsh reality is that sin will destroy your life.

God does not define sin in the Bible with the intent to restrict you to a boring, miserable, self-less life. He defines sin in the Bible to instruct you to turn away from the things that will destroy your life. The Ten Commandments instruct us not to worship other gods, not to worship idols, not to take the Lord's name in vain, and not to profane the Sabbath. Why? Because rejecting God for more worldly things will eventually lead to eternal damnation.

The Ten Commandments also instruct us to honor our parents, not to kill, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to lie, and not to covet. Why? Because doing these things (or not honoring your parents) will lead to destruction. God gave us His commandments, and His word (which includes the Gospel) to warn us against the destruction of sin, and to teach us to receive eternal life by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal savior. God defined sin, and forbid it in His word for the same reasons a parent forbids certain behaviors (like playing in the street) for their children. The rules are meant to keep us safe.

I speak out against sin, not because I want everyone to conform to my lifestyle, and not because I want to force my beliefs on others. I speak out against sin because I have seen first hand the devastation caused by a sinful lifestyle.

During a recent conversation on Facebook, friends of mine were complaining about strict drug laws in the state of Texas, lamenting how it is unfair for certain possession charges to be labelled "felonies," which hurts a person's chances of finding gainful employment and recovering their lives in the future. To my friends, the cure (drug laws) was more devastating than the disease (drug addiction.) I disagreed, arguing that drug laws give local law enforcement the tools needed to intervene in a drug addict's life, to protect both the addict and his family.

The truth is, anytime there is drug addiction, there are victims beyond the addict himself. His children often endure neglect and abuse. His parents are often swindled out of cash, or bear the financial burden of paying for his mistakes. His wife has to endure a lot. Legal, or illegal, drug abuse is a sin that destroys a person's life. I have seen this first hand, so I am in favor of strong drug laws.

Nevertheless, whatever laws may be passed, sermons preached, and personal discipleship that takes place, eventually someone will make the mistake of sinning. Let's use drug abuse as an example. Despite the strong drug laws in Texas, where even the presence of methamphetamine residue results in a felony conviction, someone will become addicted today.

When that happens, their lives will begin to unravel. The drug will take over, and the addict eventually loses everything as he seeks to support his habit. In looking at situations like this, or a situation where one has wrecked his marriage with adultery, or a situation where a person is being sentenced to prison time over a burglary, it is easy to look down your nose and write the person off as a lost cause. However, to do that is to ignore the example Jesus gave us in the New Testament.

Throughout the four Gospels, you see Jesus healing various health conditions... leprosy, blindness, paralysis, coma, and He even brought Lazarus back from the grave. There have been many charlatans who have tried to recreate these miracles, and perform healing services by telling crippled people to "rise and walk," and declaring cancer patients to be "cured." Some of these snake-oil salesmen even have national TV shows, but I digress. Physical healing services miss the point altogether.

The healings Jesus performed (as well as those by His disciples in the Book of Acts) carried with them a Spiritual meaning, as well as a physical meaning. In other words, the physical healing was a picture of the Spiritual healing Christ performed in their lives.

A prime example of this is the healing of the man with palsy in Luke 5. Here, you have a man who is completely paralyzed, to the point that it took several of his friends to get him to Jesus (by cutting a hole in the roof and lowering him down, no less.) Jesus told that man that his sins were forgiven before healing him of his palsy.

In many ways, sin does to us spiritually what the palsy did to that man physically. It debilitates us and renders us helpless. We wind up stuck in a life where we are without hope, discouraged, and in pain. In those situations, if we repent and believe in the Lord, He heals us of the spiritual devastation caused by our sin.

Our goal as Christians is not to sit back and lament the fallen condition of our world, or those around us. Our goal is to see them healed. This comes in sharing the truth of God's word with them, and being willing to help them along as they rebuild their lives from the ashes left behind by their sin.

If you are reading this, and your life has been destroyed by sin, I am praying for you. My prayer for you is that you turn from your sin, and you trust Jesus Christ as your personal savior. He will heal you from your sin. After that, go find a Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching church, follow the Lord in Baptism, and lean on the encouragement and help from your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. May God bless you.

False Profits: Tearing Down the Righteous, and Lifting up the Wicked Since 600 BC

The blogosphere (at least in my circle) has slowed down considerably over the past few years, but four or five years ago, several of my fellow preachers, friends and acquaintances routinely took to our blogs to debate theological concepts and worship practices. During this time, the words "seeker friendly" were popularly used, and many criticized traditional churches.

Modern churches and preachers seem to face a new set of challenges... from our culture openly embracing homosexuality, to increasing poverty and drug use, to our culture turning its back on the churches in general.Churches face the challenge of reaching people in this culture, sharing the truth in love, without coming across like the Westboro group.

In facing this challenge, some have chosen to lash out at traditional churches, and to criticize pastors, preachers and teachers who dare to stand on truth, and call sin for what it is... sin. What the "seeker friendly" movement has done for us is that is has basically criminalized speech against sin in our churches. Teach against a sin, and you will be scolded, and admonished to "love the sinner, not the sin." You will also be told that you, too are a sinner, and there is no difference between you and the sinner out there on the street.

I once read the words of one preacher, who claimed to have told his congregation that he'd "rather offend 100 church members than one first-time visitor." That statement has bothered me for years. I understand wanting a visitor to feel welcome, and wanting to gently guide a new believer, or one who is on the verge of making a decision for Christ, to come to a knowledge of the truth, but why the animosity toward existing believers? You know, the people God refers to as "His children," who have received the "Spirit of Adoption whereby they cry 'Abba,' 'Father?'" You know, the people who have tirelessly worked for years to support the Lord's church and its ministries, whose faithful service God has blessed in a way that has resulted in there being a church there for you to teach and preach at in the first place? Why the animosity?

In many of today's churches, people expect their pastors to preach good, encouraging messages. And if he preaches a message against sin (especially if he addresses a specific sin like adultery, fornication, drug abuse, etc), he is criticized and told that we "should love the sinner and not the sin." He is also reminded that "he is a sinner, too," and the only difference between us and them is that we are "sinners under grace." In today's society, people get more offended by a man who goes to the scriptures and says "X is a sin," than they do about the fact that "X" is going on in the first place, or that "X" destroys lives, or that "X" has become a problem in the church. I can think of one church where the pastor had to leave because the congregation made him so uncomfortable because he dared confront adultery going on among its members.

This mentality boils down to the following mission statement: Encourage the Sinners, and remind the Saints of their Place. During my study of the book of Ezekiel (I am currently preparing a sermon series from that book), I found that the same mentality existed in Jerusalem, and all of Judea and Israel before the captivity. Wickedness had permeated throughout all of Judea and Israel, to the point that even the neighboring heathen nations were taken aback. Ezekiel was taken into captivity, where God called him to be a prophet... and Ezekiel's prophecies (words he received from the LORD) called out the sin of Jerusalem, and Judea and Israel in general.

In Ezekiel 13, God turned his ire on to the false prophets that had propagated the sinful activity that led to Jerusalem's downfall. In Ezekiel 13:22, God says, "Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:"

Those false prophets had lied to the people. They blasted the righteous, those who were right with God, and made their hearts sad. They criticized them, and then promised the wicked (those actively engaged in sinful, unGodly conduct) that God would deliver them. They claimed God's authority in saying these things, but God never said them.

As I read those words in my study, I couldn't help but think of all the things I have heard written and said, that were disparaging toward God's people. I couldn't help but think of the preacher who ripped his congregation on facebook because they wouldn't embrace contemporary worship, or the man who would rather run off the faithful so his church can be more appealing to non-church members. It made me think of the man who would tolerate openly sinful behavior from a non-believer, while blasting an older church member "for just not getting it." If the attitude described in Ezekiel 13:22 is prevalent in our churches today, its no wonder why more are closing than opening, and why the percentage of the unchurched continues to grow. God will not bless that environment.

If we condemn and preach against the members of the church, when God has not led us to confront their sin, or when we promise the wicked eternal life when he has not repented and believed, we are lying! And at that point, we have become false prophets.

Brethren, I propose we lay aside the church growth/planting books, and we get back to what made the Christian movement so powerful in the first place. I propose we get back into the Word, the Bible, and learn what God wants, how He sees things, and apply the things we learn to our lives. I propose that, instead of trying to manipulate decisions for Christ based on chords in an invitation song, that we actually go about making disciples, working with people one-on-one, teaching them the truth and exhorting them to turn from sin and trust the Lord... and that involves calling sin, sin.Finally, I propose we get back to what church is all about. It's not about modernizing, crowds, change, or presentation. It's about honoring God, worshiping Him in our gatherings, teaching His Word, and carrying out His mission of making disciples in our communities. Besides, if we can not love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, with whom we share the common background of the Gospel, how can we claim to love sinners? It's time to turn our hearts back to the Lord.

Empathy for Sinners

While out on visitation one day, I found myself taken aback by the appearance, demeanor, language, and overall condition of a woman who actually took the time to sit and talk with me. She smoked like a freight-train, and had visible signs that go along with long-term drug abuse. The house was in horrible disarray, and she acted as if she didn't really care to get any better.

While the temptation during visitation is always to steer the conversation toward the church, how great the church is, why the person should come to church, etc etc, I have learned to allow people to talk about themselves. (A) It makes them feel better. (B) It allows me to learn more about them, so I can learn how better to minister to them.

As the woman spoke, I learned a lot. She was basically abandoned by her parents, abused, and endured unspeakable horrors. As a means to escape that situation, she turned to drugs at a young age, and wound up in a bad way. As I learned more about her experience, I came to understand that this present situation which repulsed me was actually an improvement for her. She was making progress in her life.

She still needed the Lord, I believe she still needed salvation. She needed God's guidance in her life, and she needed the healing only He could provide.

When confronted by the devastation sin has left on the life of one who has been in a bad way for a long time, a Christian can be repulsed, jump to conclusions, and even be tempted to write off the one that has had their lives basically destroyed. What we need to do in these situations is try to gain some insight into what happened. No one wakes up and decides, "I am going to trash my life with drugs, and crime, obtain a criminal record, lose my job and home, and alienate my family." No one says, "I am going to trash my body today," or, as the old commercial says, "No one ever says, I want to be a junkie when I grow up."

The dilapidation in which a sinner finds himself is the result of years of sinful choices, bad decisions piled upon each other, each with a seemingly manageable consequence... but once all those consequences have been added up, total destruction is all that is left.

Often times, these decisions are made because of the sinner's background. In John 8:38, Jesus said "I speak that which I have seen with My Father; and ye do that which ye have seen with your father." From those words, we learn that Jesus is righteous, holy and all-powerful, just like His (and our) Heavenly Father. We also learn that we tend to mimic the activities of our earthly fathers.

Remember the Drug-Free America commercial, "Parents who use drugs, have children who use drugs?" Many people today grew up in dysfunctional situations. Having never seen good decisions modeled for them, they grew up making the same dysfunctional decisions, and life seems normal to them.

Others endured abuse. Abuse toward children has devastating effects. As the child fears for his safety, his brain function shuts down the higher-level thinking, and goes into survival mode. If the child remains in this condition long enough, his higher-level thinking never develops, meaning he never learns how to think through situations, make good decisions, and link causes to effects. Further, he becomes stuck in survival mode, meaning he becomes more volatile, develops a quick temper and takes rash courses of action. (Those are all self-defense mechanisms.)

The child who grows up in that environment will eventually become an adult, still incapable of hgher-level thinking. He will still be unable to think through situations, make good decisions, and link causes and effects. Of course, he will marry, or have romantic relationships, and father children, who will then be raised in the same environment that he knew as a child. The process repeats itself.

I tell you all this, not to excuse sinful behavior, bad decisions, or to blame the parents, but to explain why people often make the decisions they do. I am not out to justify Godless living, but it is well worth the investment to get to know people, and to love them on a personal level.

To disciple someone out of a sin-devastated life takes time, patience, energy, and lots of love. There will be setbacks, and there will be times when you wonder if you are really doing any good. However, if you are willing to invest in people, you will see fruit. You will see God work miracles, and you will see lives changed for the better. When that happens, there is no greater feeling on earth. May God bless you as you minister to those around you.

Genesis 20: In League with God

At the end of Genesis 16, Abraham had to be feeling low. He had followed Sarah's advice to father a child with Hagar, which led to problems between Sarah and Hagar, and Sarah and Abraham. In Genesis 17, God spoke with Abraham, and reconfirmed His covenant to give Abraham a son, through whom all the promises would come. The lesson we learn from that is that God forgives sin, He incorporates the effects of our sin into His plan, and He confirms His covenant with us. He keeps us in His plan.

God reiterated His plan for Abraham in Genesis 18, once again promising a son. Abraham prayed that God would deliver Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and we see the spirituality of Abraham was once again on the rise.

However, in Genesis 20, Abraham fell again, committing one of the oldest sins of which he was prone. Fearing his life, he told the people of Gerar that Sarah was his sister. This led to a repeat of the situation that happened with Pharoah in earlier chapters. Sarah was taken from Abraham and given to Abimelech to be his wife, but God intervened, and Sarah was given back to Abraham.

The more you study the life of Abraham, the more you learn that Abraham was far from perfect. His faith wavered. On two separate occasions, he said Sarah was his sister instead of his wife. He did that because he feared for his life. He was afraid that the people would kill him and take Sarah. He also violated God's plan for marriage by fathering a son with Hagar (Genesis 16) and fathering children with concubines (Genesis 25:6). Despite his failures, God still forgave him, and continued to work in his life. God kept His promises to Abraham.

When we fail, God forgives us and re-establishes His covenant, His plan with us. He calls us to repent, and calls us out of the sin we in which we trapped ourselves, but He restores us all the same.

God is with us, even when we fail. Abraham failed. He told the people of Gerar that Sarah was his sister. He also compelled Sarah to lie and say she was his sister. While this was actually half-true (verse 12), the aim was to deceive, thus it was a lie and a spiritual failure.

That failure came from a lack of faith. Even though God made promises to Abraham about his future and heritage, Abraham still feared the people of Gerar would kill him to take Sarah as their wife. (Sarah was nearly 90 years old at this time, which was still old back in that day. She must have been a looker.) The result is that Sarah was taken from Abraham and given to the king, Abimelech, as a wife. (They didn't know they took Abraham's wife, they thought they took his sister.)

Nevertheless, God was still with Abraham. He protected Sarah from Abimelech (verse 6), He confronted Abimelech, and He told Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham. Abimelech obeyed.

If you know Jesus Christ as your savior, you are in league with God. He stays with you, even when you make the wrong decision. He'll discipline you, but He'll stay with you. He will also restore you from that bad decision, if you know Him as Savior. He will get you back on track. God does not cast you aside, withdraw from you, revoke your salvation, or throw you away. He will lovingly discipline you, and get you back on track. If God can not get the wayward Christian to repent, He calls them home.

God calls heathens to repentance. Abimelech was a pagan king. He had multiple wives, but was basically a good ole boy. However, he didn't fear the LORD. God used the occasion of Abraham's failure to reveal Himself to Abimelech. He warned Abimelech to return Sarah, and promised healing and life for obedience. God gave Abimelech space to repent. Abimelech responded by obeying God.

God calls the lost to repentance. He confronts them for their sin, calls them to repent and believe, and gives them time to repent. Have you repented and believed in Christ? Will you, if you haven't?

God wants us to be a blessing. At the end of the chapter, Abraham prayed for Abimelech, and God healed Abimelech and his people. God identified Abraham as a prophet, which means that Abraham spoke for God. Abraham was God's representative. God's will for Abraham was for him to pray for Abimelech. Abraham did. God healed Abimelech, and God revealed His power. By praying, Abraham was a blessing.

God wants us to be a blessing. We are God's ambassadors on Earth. Represent God well. Present God to the lost, evangelize, and pray for the lost. Be a blessing.

If you are a child of God, that is, if you know Christ as your savior, you are in league with God. God will work through your life. He will work around your shortcomings (possibly incorporating them into His plan), and forgive your sin. Whatever happens, God is still with you. His hand is still on you.

May God bless you in a special way today.

Genesis 12-13: The Beginnings of Abraham

In Genesis 12, we meet a man named Abram, who will go on to become Abraham, a hero of the faith. Abraham is mentioned many times in the New Testament to illustrate salvation by grace apart from works, as well as the fact that if you have faith, works will result.

As great a man as Abraham was, he started small. He was called by God to go into a foreign land, he followed God, but his faith faltered on a few occasions... one of those occasions is in Genesis 12.

Abram, or Abraham, followed God. Genesis 12:1 says "Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." God called Abraham to leave home and go to a place where the LORD would lead. So, at this point, Abram has no idea where he is headed. He still follows God, though, because he has faith. In following God, we don't always have to know how things will turn out, or where the road will lead. We should follow God without having all the answers, because we have faith.

In Genesis 12:8, Abraham, or Abram, arrives. "And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD."

Abram followed God until he landed at a place called "Bethel," which literally means "House of God." There, he built and altar, worshiped God, and called upon His name. If you follow God, it will lead to His house... the church. God does not lead people out of His house, or His church, He leads them into it. There, believers are to worship, pray, and encourage each other.

Sometimes, though, our faith falters. In Genesis 12:10, "There was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land." There was a famine in the land. Food was hard to come by, Abram's ability to feed himself and his wife, and to keep his livestock was threatened. So, He went down into Egypt.

The problem with this is that Egypt symbolizes sin in scripture. People always "Go down into Egypt." They never "travel over to Egypt." They "go down" there. Then, they "come up out of" Egypt. They don't "travel from," rather, they "come out of" Egypt.

Tempted by famine and the possibility of losing everything, Abram went down into Egypt. He went down into sin. Often, God's people go down into sin when they are tempted and tried by hardships and tribulations. There, the destruction continues. Abram, in an attempt to save his own life, lied about who Sarai, his wife, was. He said she was his sister. The result is that Pharoah took Sarai to be his wife. So, Abram has gone down into Egypt, lied, and thus has lost his wife. Going down into sin leads to more sin, which results in lost blessings. But, there is time to repent.

God protected Sarai by placing a plague on the men of Egypt. Pharoah returned Sarai to Abram, and they left Egypt. They came out of Egypt.

Genesis 13:1 says "Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south."

They came out of Egypt, they came out of "sin." There comes a time in a prodigal believer's life when he has to repent and return to the Lord... notice where that repentance leads...

Genesis 13:3-4 "And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; (4) Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first, and there Abram called on the name of the LORD."

Abram returned to Bethel, the house of God, and there he worshiped and prayed. The repentant believer's path returns to the house of God, and there he should pray and worship.

Are you stuck in sin, are you stuck in Egypt? Has Egypt, or sin, robbed you of your blessings? Come out of that today, and return to the house of the Lord.

The Journey: Genesis 6

If you remember our study from Genesis 4:17-24, Cain founded a super-society. His society was influencial in agriculture, industry and entertainment. Not only that, but Genesis 6:2 said they had beautiful daughters.

Over time, the sons of God (That's the descendants of Seth) saw that the daughters of men (the descendants of Cain) were beautiful, so they took them as wives. As the sons of God married the daughters of men, they began adopting their lifestyles and values, and before you knew it, you couldn't tell the sons of God from the sons of men.

This is why the Bible teaches that Christians are not to marry non-Christians. The Christian will often compromise his/her values and convictions to get along with the non-Christian spouse. Often, the consequences of this are not completely realized until the children and grandchildren come of age.

The flood and Noah's deliverance are crucial passages of scripture. The condition of Noah's world mirrors our world condition. The imminence of God's judgment on Noah's world is similar to the imminence of God's judgment on ours. God saved Noah by grace, He saves us by grace too.

THE WORLD CONDITION

In Noah's day, you couldn't tell the sons of God (Seth's lineage) from the sons of men (Cain's lineage). Genesis 6:2 says "that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and took them wives of all which they chose." In choosing wives, these sons of God were following the lusts of their flesh, and basing marriages on sexual attraction, rather than what would honor God. In doing so, they began to adopt unGodly traditions and customs, which often seems to happen when believers marry unbelievers. Then, they began having children.

Genesis 6:4 says "There were giants in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men, which were of old, men of renown." So, the children and grandchildren of these sons of God and daughters of men became mighty and intelligent, but they became unGodly. They were living the Cainian lifestyle, and violence filled the earth (Genesis 6:11).

There was now no difference between the Godly lineage, and the unGodly lineage. The world was violent, and every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). All he thought about was evil, and then he did evil. Everything was evil.

In today's time, you can't tell most Christians apart from the rest of the world. (Admittedly, this is because many people claim to be Christian who really aren't). The divorce rate among Christians is no different than non-Christians, and many Christians have adopted worldly attitudes concerning alcohol and drugs, politics, habits and lifestyles.

Violence also fills the earth. We have wars and violence overseas, we have violent crime, and an all-round anger in our society.

Everything man thinks today is evil. From the evil fantasies that grow out of the abundant availability of pornography to the covetousness of a generation that thinks they deserve what others have.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:37 "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." The days preceding the return of Christ will be like the days of Noah. I believe we are close.

THE IMMINENCE OF GOD'S JUDGMENT.

In Noah's time, God said "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth." (Genesis 6:7). Why? Because "The earth is filled with violence through them: and behold, I will destroy them with the earth." (Genesis 6:13). How? "Behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die. (Genesis 6:17)"

God was warning Noah of imminent judgment. In our day, He is doing the same. 

Matthew 24:42-44 "Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. (43) But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. (44) Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh."

1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (3) For when they shall say peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape."

Revelation 22:20 "Surely I come quickly."

Seeing that the return of the Lord is near, as is God's judgment on the world, shouldn't we be preparing?

Luke 21:34 says "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." Don't get too caught up in enjoying this life, and don't get too caught up in the day-to-day business of this life, that the day of the Lord blindsides you. Luke 21:36 says "Watch ye therefore and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH.

Genesis 6:8 says "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Grace is favor that you do not deserve. While Noah was different than the other men in his generation (verse 9), he still didn't deserve God's favor, because the Bible says even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.

God looks down on us with a love that we don't deserve. John 3:16 says "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The world didn't deserve His love, but He still loved the world.

Romans 5:8 says "God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God loves us, and we don't deserve it.

God extended His grace toward Noah, but Noah was still different. Genesis 6:9 says "These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in His generations, and Noah walked with God.."

Noah walked with God. That means Noah had an active prayer life, and he communed with God and learned from God. He was just - meaning equitable and fair. He was an honest man. Noah was also perfect in his generations. He was a complete man of God, the real deal. All this came out of Noah's faith in God. The building of the ark was just an expression of that faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God.: (9) not of works lest any man should boast."

We can't save ourselves. God saves us. He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Then He reached out to us. That's grace. He saves us when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.

AND NOW A FINAL THOUGHT...

Noah stood out in his generation. Do we stand out in ours?

Daily Devotion Time: Psalm 101:3

Psalm 101:3 is a powerful verse of scripture. It reads, "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me."

Most people focus in on the first part of the verse... "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes." Obviously, this teaches us that we should be careful what forms of entertainment we choose... what we watch on TV, what we listen to on the radio, and what we view on the Internet. To set a wicked thing before our eyes is to take pleasure in it... and God regards pleasure in sin as being just as sinful as the sin itself (Romans 1:32).

As a child of God, a Christian, a Believer, one who has been Born Again, who is indwelt with the Holy Spirit, and is a new Creature in Christ... all of which a person becomes at the point of repentance of sin and trust in Jesus as Savior... we have a new nature. Sure, we still struggle with sin, but our new nature is one that is in line with God, and not our flesh. Therefore, when we sin, or when we take pleasure in sin, we are convicted by the Holy Spirit. We can't be comfortable in sinful situations.

Therefore, we don't set wicked things before our eyes because they no longer give us pleasure. It may seem fun at first, but then comes the conviction and guilt. Psalm 101:3 says "I hate the work of them that turn aside." Sin upsets us, because we see the consequences of it, and we see the eternal ramifications of it. It upsets us that people would choose to go that direction.

But the most profound part of this verse is the last part, "It shall not cleave to me." So far, you may have read this post and thought, "but I am still tempted, I still sin, and though I feel guilty and turn to the Lord for forgiveness, I sin again." If you thought that, you have a Romans 7 issue. But the key phrase to Psalm 101:3 is that sin "won't cleave to me."

I stumble. I fall. But I don't stay down. I confess my sins before God, and 1 John says He is faithful and just to forgive my sins. Sin happens in my life, but sin is not my lifestyle. It can't be. It runs contrary to my new nature.

Do you live in a sinful lifestyle? Are you comfortable there? If the answer is yes to both questions, then you may not have the new nature. You may not be saved. Repent of your sin and trust Jesus Christ as your personal savior. If you are in a sinful lifestyle, but are uncomfortable, repent of the sin and turn to the Lord.

Sin and virtue can not co-exist. Unrepented sin is not part of living for God. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, he reaps.

May God bless you as your continue your spiritual journey.

The Joe Paterno Tragedy

During junior high, my reading teacher led the class in reading Something for Joey, the story of Penn State running back John Cappelletti, and his younger brother, Joey, who had leukemia. John would go on to win the Heisman Trophy. Joey eventually succumbed to his disease. The book was later made into a TV-movie.

The book highlighted how the Penn State football team rallied around Joey, and how Head Coach Joe Paterno was an influence and a comfort to Joey and the Cappelletti family. From that point on, I had a certain affinity for Penn State, and Joe Paterno in particular.

Paterno enjoyed a reputation of being a father figure for many over decades. He played by the rules, always did the right thing, and was the picture of integrity... that is, until the world learned that when he was faced with a gruesome situation involving one of his assistants and young boys, he put the program first and did the bare minimum.

The man who had become synonymous with all that was good in college football has been fired in disgrace. It will take years for Penn State to recover its image. Paterno may never see his reputation restored.

One bad decision has erased decades of good service to his university, community, state and even his country. Nothing he can do will undo the decision he made.

Tragically, many people make the same mistake in their own lives. They live, doing good deeds, public service, and giving to charity thinking that their good deeds will somehow outweigh the sin in their life. However, no amount of good that we do can outweigh the sin in our lives.

Our sin separates us from God, and nothing we can do will overcome that separation. The Bible says even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. How, then, will anybody be saved and go to Heaven?

Romans 5:8 says that God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Our sin carries the consequence of dying and going to Hell. But the death of Jesus Christ on the cross paid that penalty on our behalf. The Bible says if you turn from your sins and trust that Christ died on the cross for your sins, you will be saved. In Bible language, it's called repentance and faith.

Do not go through life hoping that your good deeds will outweigh your sin. It won't. The only way you will get into Heaven is by the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Do you believe on Him? Do you trust Him?

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. (John 3:16)

The Journey: Genesis 3

Genesis 3 is one of the most important passages in the Bible because that is where we find the fall of man, and the first reference to the plan of salvation. In Genesis 3:6, man sins by eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Often we blame Eve for this sin, but the Bible says she gave to her husband "with her," and he did eat. The fact Adam was with Eve when she gave him the fruit indicates that Adam was with her through the conversation between her and the serpent.

1 Timothy 2:14 and Romans 5:14 are two of many passages that lay the responsibility of the sin on Adam's shoulders. I believe this is because God had specifically instructed Adam concerning the forbidden fruit, yet he allowed Eve to be deceived by not interfering in Satan's temptation.

Man's sin brought on the curse of thorns and hard work (Genesis 3:18-19) and death (Genesis 3:19).

However, Genesis 3 is also where God introduces His plan of redemption. Genesis 3:15 says "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

This is a picture of what Christ would accomplish on the cross. Jesus, the Seed of the woman, would crush Satan's power, but in the process would suffer a death blow (bruise His heel.) What Jesus did when He died on the cross was He paid the penalty for man's sin, but He also conquered Satan to where Satan is no longer relevant when it comes to man's eternal destiny. Man's eternal destiny, whether he goes to Heaven or Hell, is between him and God. Either He will respond to God's grace with faith, or he will reject God's grace and go to Hell. Satan can tempt him and distract him, but Satan has no say over whether a man goes to Hell or not.

In the above video, we discuss those concepts, as well as how God covers our sin (Genesis 3:21), assures our salvation (Genesis 3:20), and what the pitfalls to sin are.

Is it a sin to... ?

Anyone who has been in ministry any amount of time has been asked questions that begin with, "Is it a sin to...?" Such questions range from, "Is it a sin to drink a beer?" to "Is it a sin to watch R rated movies?" "Is it a sin to get a divorce?" "Is it a sin to listen to (country, pop, rap, rock, etc) music?"

While I understand the motivation behind these questions (I even asked some of them myself when I was younger,) the fact is that if these are the questions we are asking, we are approaching our Christian walk the wrong way. You see, just about anything can be made a sin in man's eyes (whatsoever is not of faith is sin) and almost anything can be justified in man's eyes (all things are lawful unto me, but not all things expedient.) While these questions may be asked with pure intentions, often they can spark endless and futile debate.

The question is not, "Is it a sin to...?" or "Am I allowed to...?" but rather, "What does God want me to do?"

Ephesians 2:10 says "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

We are God's workmanship, which means that God created us. Not only did He create us, but He hand-crafted us. That's what workmanship is, it is hand-crafting. Every year, Detroit creates millions of cars, but they are not hand-crafted. They are not workmanship. God created the heavens and the earth, but He spoke them into existence. The heavens and earth are not God's workmanship. However, Genesis 2 says God formed man from the dust of the earth. He hand-crafted man.

Not only did he hand-craft Adam, the first man, but he forms all people in the womb. (Isaiah and Jeremiah both speak to this, specifically Jeremiah 1:5).

God created us, He created all of us, and He created all of us with a purpose.

We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. What this means is that God created us with a purpose, and once we are in Christ Jesus (meaning, once we know Jesus as our Savior), we can know and follow that purpose for which God has created us, and He expects us to follow that purpose.

So, while moving to California and renting a two-room flat in L.A. might not be a sin per se, doing that if God wants you to go to New York is a sin. The prophet Jonah was called by God to go to Nineveh. Jonah opted to go to Tarshish. Jonah's decision, seeing that it was the opposite of what God wanted, was a sin. Not following God's will for your life is a sin.

So the question is, "What does God want me to do?" Good question. That's the one you should be asking, not whether it is a sin to consume high fructose corn syrup.

"How do I find out what God wants me to do?" Prayer, spend time studying your Bible, and take time daily to meditate on the Lord and His Word.

God bless you as you seek God's will in your life.

Getting back on track

I did some praying and Bible study, as well as some reading in "Spin-Off Churches," and I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things. Emotional and spiritual ups and downs are something I have experienced since being saved in November 2002, but it seems like my emotional and spiritual roller coaster has been more erratic since moving to Brownwood, and I am not sure why. My spiritual highs are higher, as are my emotional highs, but the lows are lower, and sometimes (especially during stressful times) we move from the highs to the lows back to the highs rather quickly.

I have identified some spiritual issues I am struggling with. These issues are:

• The lust of the flesh - I am struggling with a mild case of gluttony. I know which foods I should be eating, but still I gravitate toward hamburgers, junk food, fried chicken, chicken fried steak, and soda. Not only that, but I often overdo it. Gluttony is no less a sin than is pride, and has a devastating effect on one's body. If I am going to have a long, successful ministry, I have got to get this in check quickly.
• The pride of life - Ever since I was in high school, I wanted to be the best at whatever I did. From being the best on the debate team, to being the best at shooting the bull, to being the best at scoring concert tickets, etc, I wanted to be the best. (Oddly enough, this pride never translated to a desire for academic achievement). At work, I find myself wanting to outperform the staff in Brownwood (even though they have three-times the radio stations and four times the population). To do such would require me to work long hours, which would adversely affect the mission. As far as the mission goes, I often find that my motivation is wrong. God did call me out here, and I am doing His will, but too often I find myself thinking about the monthly reports and what we could do that would look good there. On both of these fronts, I have to get myself back in line, because pride comes before the fall. If my motivation in mission is the monthly report, eventually I will stumble. I'll either fall into heretical practice, or I'll be disobedient to God, choosing to please man rather than God. As for work, I have often seen those who want to be #1 fall flat on their faces.

If we look within ourselves, we will find sin. (If we say we have no sin, then we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us). Still, this sin needs to be dealt with, because if we choose to write it off as "everyone has sin," then our sin will eventually surface and cause us great harm.

God bless you, wherever you are, and in all your struggles.

Market Place has 12

Well, Satan is not going to concede Brownwood. Certain issues taking place within the Market Place Apartments contributed to a reduced attendance rate tonight.

Praise God that we did have 12 in attendance. I preached from Romans 6:1-14, on "Why we should not continue in sin."

Yeah, that's right. I preached on sin.

What did Eve do?

Is it Eve's fault man got kicked out of the Garden of Eden, or was it Adams?

What saith the scriptures?

Romans 5:12 - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

Romans 5:14 - Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similtude of Adam's transgression, who was the figure of him that was to come.

1 Timothy 2:14 - For Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

(And just for reference)

Genesis 3:6b - She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her, and he did eat.

Conclusion:

These scriptures teach that Adam willfully sinned by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thus bringing about the penalty of death, which passed upon him and all men. Eve's role in this is that she was deceived in the presence of her husband. She was in the transgression, but Adam committed the original sin because God directly told him not to eat, he stood by while Eve was being deceived, then he ate the fruit himself. Eve didn't return home to feed the fruit to an unsuspecting Adam. The Bible does not say Adam was deceived, it says the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression. Adam could have put a stop to the situation at anytime, but he didn't. Now, we live in a world of sin, death and hurt as a result.

Now let that be a lesson to you!