From Pulpit To Pundit: When Pastors Enter The Political Fray

Pastor Robert Jeffress has been a lightning rod since becoming pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. He has consistently weighed in on the issues of the day, often promoting Biblically correct, yet politically incorrect positions. The first time I saw Dr. Jeffress on television, he was giving a statement from the pulpit of First Baptist Church in Dallas, addressing negative press he had received from the Dallas Morning News. He was not explaining his comment, nor was he apologizing. He was doubling down, and giving new information to back up his position, concluding his remarks that his position was the result of research, and that he was not "ignorant on this topic."

Initially, I was skeptical of his ministry, but after hearing one of his sermons via KCBI in Dallas, I began to appreciate his ministry a little more. (Ironically, his sermon was on the role of being a culture warrior AND a representative of Christ.)

Typically, when a pastor enters the fray of political discourse, he angers many, and people leave the church. Meanwhile, at First Baptist Church of Dallas, the congregation grows and efforts to build a new campus are currently underway.

While I can't say I endorse everything Dr. Jeffress has said (I haven't researched his positions on every topic on which he has weighed in,) I do appreciate his boldness in speaking out. In the above-posted video, Dr. Jeffress highlights the differences between Christianity and Islam.

Faith is not just something we feel on Sundays. Our faith is what shapes our lives, and drives our decisions. Which means our faith involves every single aspect of our lives, from how we behave at work, to how we vote, to whether or not we truly represent Christ. Indeed, our faith affects how we interpret the news and issues of the day. For that reason, pastors such as Dr. Jeffress weigh in, providing Biblical perspective to the events of our day.

Perhaps I should say that more strongly. Pastors such as Dr. Jeffress tell us what God says about the events of our day.

The goal here is not to deliver votes to the Republican Party, neither is it to force views onto others. It is an attempt to give Spiritual guidance to those who follow Christ, and to influence others into seeing the Christian point of view. Ultimately, we (Christians) all want a nation that pleases God, a nation that He blesses.

For that reason, it is incumbent upon pastors to give Biblical insight into the issues of the day, and a Godly perspective into the news of the day. All too often, pastors avoid this in order to avoid controversy which could impact the church. There are a few, however, that are willing to take on the controversy if it means that the truth gets spoken. And that's why pastors like Dr. Jeffress should be congratulated, even if we don't always agree with them. Pastors like Dr. Jefffress actually have core beliefs and convictions, and act out on them, and that is something that we call can appreciate.

But those are just my thoughts... what are yours? Should pastors use their platform to weigh in on the issues of the day?

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?

The Journey: Genesis 5:21-24 (Walking with God)

The Bible says in Genesis 5:21-24 that Enoch walked with God for 300 years.

And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

The word for "walk" in Genesis 5 literally means "to walk," but figuratively, it means to converse with, to commune with, to get to know. Think of two people who exercise together by walking together in a city park on a daily basis. No doubt, they spend a lot of time talking to each other, sharing each other's concerns, and getting to know each other. That's the type of relationship Enoch had with God.

Enoch walked with God for 300 years, which resulted in him becoming a spiritual giant. The book of Jude referenced Enoch's writings some 2,000 years after he was gone, and Hebrews 11:5 referenced Enoch's faith and testimony that he pleased God. Thousands of years after he was gone, people were still talking about his faith, his testimony, and the fact he was a super-Godly man.

If we walk with God, we will also see significant spiritual growth. So, the question becomes, "How do you walk with God?"

Walking with God involves conversation with God. It involves speaking with God in prayer. Philippians 4:6 says Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. We shouldn't stress out, or worry about things beyond our control. We should trust God to handle those things, all the while we tell Him about our concerns and request that He resolve those issues for us. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says Pray without ceasing. We should spend significant amounts of time each day in prayer.

Conversations, however, are two way streets. If we expect to be able to converse with God, we need to also be willing to listen to Him. We listen to God by studying His word. That is, we read and meditate on the Bible, His scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The Bible is scripture, breathed by God. God uses his word to teach us (profitable for doctrine), to point out that which is wrong in our lives (for reproof), to teach us how to correct our sin and errors (for correction) and how to live a life that pleases Him (instruction in righteousness.)

Why does God do that? So we'll be perfect... which means we'll be complete, the real deal, a Christian that is the same on the inside as the outside. God will teach us to be the people He wants us to be, if we'll listen... and we listen by studying His word.

My personal approach to this is to literally walk with God. I walk a mile a day, spending that time in prayer. This usually lasts for 20-25 minutes. I spend that entire time in prayer, then I read a scripture and meditate on its meaning and application. It has made a difference in my life.

Which brings us to the benefits of walking with God...

The first benefit of walking with God is a stronger faith. Hebrews 11:5-6 says:

By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Enoch had faith, which led to his pleasing God, so God translated Him. Faith is necessary to please God. So, in order to grow our faith, we have to walk with God. That larger faith will result in God being more pleased with us, which always leads to a blessing.

The second benefit to walking with God is that He hears our prayers.

Finally, we need people to walk with God. Enoch walked with God for 300 years, and had a testimony that lasted thousands of years. We need people to walk with God, leaving a testimony that inspires and encourages others. We need spiritual leaders, and those spiritual leaders must be the type that walk with God.

So, walk with God today. Spend time in prayer with Him, and spend time in His word, the Bible. May God bless you.

The Journey: Genesis 4:17-24

Genesis 4:17-24 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech. 19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. 23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

It's tempting to skip over genealogy passages when reading the Bible. Oftentimes, however, interesting nuggets of truth are contained between the lines of genealogical passages. In Genesis 4:17-24, we not only have the genealogy of Cain's descendents, but we have the record of the rise of an unGodly civilization.

Contrary to popular belief, Cain didn't move to Africa and live in poverty. He moved to Nod, which is east of Eden, in modern day Iraq or Iran. He then began fathering children, and thus became a grandfather and great grandfather. Along with his descendants, Cain founded a society that would go on to be the center of agriculture, commerce, music and craftsmanship.

Cain, unable to farm, wanted to prove to everyone how good he could be without God. Doesn't the world try the same thing today?

The Journey: Genesis 4:1-12

In Genesis 4, Cain brought God an offering of the fruits of the ground, but Abel brought the firstlings of his flock. The Bible says that God had respect unto Abel and his offering, but unto Cain and his offering God had no respect.

Many people have theorized why God respected Abel's offering, but not Cain's. Popular reasons include that Cain's vegetables weren't of the highest quality. Others theorize that Abel's sacrifice of lambs was a blood sacrifice, which God preferred over Cain's vegetable offering. The truth is that the Bible doesn't really support either of those positions.

However, Hebrews 11:4 says "By Faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice." What separated Abel's offering from Cain's is that Abel's sacrifice was made by faith. Abel had faith in God. Cain did not.

What, then, is faith? Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:6, which says "But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Faith means that you believe God exists. It doesn't just mean that you believe that there is a higher power or divinity, but that you believe in the God of the Bible. Given the fact that both Cain and Abel interacted with God, I think it is safe to say both men believed in God's existence.

Faith also means trusting God. In Hebrews 11:6, it says you must believe God rewards those who seek Him. You may believe God exists, but do you trust Him? Do you trust Him to save you? To protect you? To provide for you? Do you trust Him? Or like Cain, do you harbor resentment for God?

Resentment toward God hinders faith, and leads to conflict with God and His people... and that's a conflict no one will win. Cain went on to kill Abel, and God took vengeance on Cain. If you harbor resentment toward God, you will sin against Him... in fact you are already in sin.

On the other hand, if others are persecuting you for your faith, know that they are not fighting you... they are fighting God. That is a fight they cannot win.

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.

The Journey: Genesis 2:7 - God Made Man Different

Genesis 2:7 says "The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

Genesis 2:4-6 recount various aspects of the creation and how things functioned before man was created. Verse 7 then explains how man was created differently from the rest of creation. Instead of speaking man into existence, God formed man from the dust of the ground... meaning He actually molded man... hand-crafted him to be what God wanted him to be.

Ephesians 2:10 speaks to this when it says "For we are His workmanship...." Workmanship means craftsmanship. If you want to see the craftsmanship of God, look in the mirror. There are parts of the human body that science cannot replicate. Despite the advances in computer technology, man cannot create a brain like God gave him.

To put it another way, God made us specially.

Not only did God handcraft us, He gave us a living soul. When Genesis 2:7 says that God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life... it is not saying that God gave man mouth to mouth, it is saying that God gave man a living soul.

The Bible teaches that man is both flesh and spirit. The flesh is temporary, but the spirit (or the soul) lives forever. When it comes to salvation, we are not trying to save the life of the soul as much as we are trying to secure the eternal destination of the soul.

If a sinner dies without knowing Jesus Christ as his personal savior, his soul doesn't die. His soul spends eternity in Hell suffering the wrath of God.

However, if a sinner repents and trusts Jesus Christ as His savior, He looks forward to spending an eternity in Heaven with the Lord.

God handcrafted man, gave him life, and also gave him purpose. Genesis 2:15 says "God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."

God gave Adam a purpose... to keep and dress the garden. God always intended for man to work... He didn't design work to be so hard and debilitating in the beginning. That came as part of the sin curse which we will discuss in Genesis 3.

God gave Adam a purpose, and He gave us a purpose.

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."

God handcrafted us for a purpose, and He wants us to fulfill that purpose. He wants us to follow His plan for our life. But before you can do that, you must know Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Do you know Him? Do you know God's will for your life? Are you doing what God has called you to do? May God bless you and keep you.

The Journey: Genesis 2:1-3

The Journey: Genesis 1 - It All Begins with God

God's limitless power is beyond our comprehension, and it is on full display in the creation of the universe. Think about it, God created everything from nothing! He literally spoke it all into existence.

Science says matter can be neither created nor destroyed, yet, God in His infinite power, not only created matter, but spoke it into existence. The Bible teaches that God created all things, and He will destroy this present world before creating a new, perfect world.

To be honest, God's account of creation as recorded in Genesis 1 does not jive with popular science. In Genesis, there is light before the sun was created. There was water before dry land. There were fish and birds before mammals and land animals.

The most important thing we learn in Genesis 1 is Who God is.

IT ALL BEGINS WITH GOD.

Genesis 1:1 says "In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth." In the beginning, before time was even invented, there was God. In fact, Genesis 1:5 teaches that God created time.

John 1:1 echoes the sentiment that God is the beginning of everything. John wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John shifted the attention of creation from God the Father to our Lord Jesus Christ, but you still see in this verse that God is there in the beginning, and all things begin with Him.

God is not only the beginning of the world and all the things in it, He is the beginning of everything in our lives. He is the beginning of us, for He created us. Jeremiah 1:5 says "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."

God created Jeremiah to be a prophet. In the same way, He creates us with special talents and abilities to follow certain callings in our lives. However, the first step in following God's will for your life is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. This is done by repenting of sin and trusting that Christ paid for your sin when He died on the cross. However, even salvation starts with God.

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

Following salvation, God calls us to the special area of service He has set aside for us. Ephesians 2:10 says "For 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. He hand-crafted each of us to perform some sort of good work for him, and He fully expects us to use our talents and abilities for Him.

So, if we are going to do great things for God, we are going to have to stay close to Him. For John 15:5 says "He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without Me, ye can do nothing." God gives us all of our talents and abilities. The closer we are to Him, the more He will bless our abilities, and the more we'll accomplish for Him.

Everything about us starts with God. Who we are, what we do, where we live, what our calling is, and how successful we are.

GOD IS CREATIVE.

Genesis 1:9-10 says "And God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. (10) and God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He seas; and God saw that it was good."

The view from the top of Pike's Peak, the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert and the Florida Everglades were all God's idea, and His creation. The same goes for the beaches of Southern California, Hawaii and the Caribbean.

Genesis 1:11 - "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so."

Beautiful plants like roses and the great Redwood trees were God's idea and His creation.

Genesis 1:24 - "And God said, let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beasts of the earth after his kind, and it was so."

Horses, kangaroos, dinosaurs, cats, dogs, and all the magnificent creatures that may fascinate you were all God's idea, and they were His creation.

GOD INVESTED HIS PERSONALITY TRAITS INTO US.

Genesis 1:26 says "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing thing that creepeth upon the earth."

God made us in His image, in His likeness, with His personality traits, like creativity, emotion, intelligence, and the ability to conquer. He gave us limited control over the earth, which is always subject to His will.

Genesis 1:31 says "God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." God completed His creation, saw that it was good, then rested on the seventh day to bask in His greatness. Don't we do the same. When we complete a job or a project, don't we sit back for a moment and admire our work?

Hebrews 11:3 says "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

Do you believe God created the Heaven and the Earth in six days as is recorded in Genesis 1? If so, you have faith.

Grace Pointe launches YouTube channel.

In the spirit of using all the available resources God has given us to spread the Gospel, I decided to start posting devotions and scriptural, Spiritual encouragement on YouTube. Be sure to tell me what you think, and if you are so inclined, please feel free to post a link on your blog. Also, all videos will be available for imbedding, so by the off chance I say something you like, you can post it on your blog as well.

The link to the Grace Pointe YouTube channel is here.