Lies, Lies and More Lies

"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices  and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator" - Colossians 3:9-10

Truth: Lying is an acceptable behavior in our society.

There is no doubt that sometime in your life you have lied about something to somebody. Actually, odds are you have lied in the past 24 hours about something. Lies are actually glorified in our society. From the big screens in Hollywood, to the small screens in our homes, lies are so prevalent in entertainment and advertising campaigns that they are expected rather than abhorred. Movies and television shows about couples lying to each other and covering up adultery are #1 hits.

Truth: Lying is an acceptable behavior in our society.

According to the folks at Gallup, 75% of people admit to lying on their resumes about their education and about what they accomplished in prior jobs (funny enough, the other 25% are lying about not lying). There are big lies, and small lies. There are lies that come in all shapes and sizes. Presidents lie. Church leaders lie. Homerun hitters lie! Everyone lies! Why? I would submit that in every situation (and I mean every situation!) it was done to protect or promote self in some way.

Truth: Lying is an acceptable behavior in our society.

The most common form of a lie is the 'little white lie". This is by far the most prevalent type of lie. For example, you know this scenario:

“Honey, do I look fat in these jeans?” You answer, “No! They look great on you! In fact, didn’t you wear those same jeans in high school when we were dating?” You smile and think to yourself “Smooth, good job getting out of that one.” In man’s economy that is an acceptable answer. However, that is not only an answer designed to protect the feelings of a loved one – it is chiefly designed to keep you from sleeping on the couch. That’s why a husband will ultimately tell that little white lie – to protect his self-interest.

Truth: Lying is an acceptable behavior in our society, but it’s NOT acceptable to God!

The problem with protecting the feelings of others and your own self-interest through lying is that it’s sin, which means that perspective and reasoning is man-centered and not God-centered. As believers in Christ, every time we participate in or originate a lie, we are guilty of not keeping in step with the will of God in our lives. Did you know that at least in part, Jesus went to the cross, based on the lie that Satan told Eve? That single lie resulted in the fall of all mankind. So you can understand why our God has a complete distain for lying.

Truth: Lying is NOT Acceptable to God!

Don’t take my word for it, read what God says in Proverbs 6:16-19:

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

^haughty eyes,

A lying tongue,

Hands that shed innocent blood,

^ a heart that devises wicked schemes,

Feet that are quick to rush into evil,

^ a false witness who pours out lies

And a man who stirs up dissension among brothers

Did you notice that God mentioned lying twice in the above passage as something He finds detestable? I am thinking that is substantial and something that should cause us to take notice in the body of Christ.

The world versus the Body of Christ

So what is the role of the believer in a world that is blind to the harm and fallout of lying and sin? What are we called to do and what are we not called to do? According to 1 Corinthians 5:12-13, we as Christians are not called to judge the world of it's sin:

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

We are not called to have fellowship (bonds) with the world or it's behavior:

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” – 2 Corinthians 6:14

But we are called to be a light in the world as a witness to the Truth of Christ in order that some may be saved:

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house – Matthew 5:14-15

Practical Steps for Protection:

There are some very practical commands in Scripture that lay people and leaders have been given in order to protect the sanctity of the body of Christ. The following is what Jesus instructed His disciples to do if someone sins against you and is a said believer:

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector” – Matthew 18:15-17

To Timothy, the Apostle Paul gave this charge:

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths (lies, emphasis mine). But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Conclusion

It is clear that God does not approve of lying or any other kind of sin in the body of Christ and we should always remember the following two verses:

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" - Hebrews 4:13

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly”- 2 Timothy 15-16

The Emergent Church: Should We Really Trust These Guys?

I know this is the internet and that at anytime someone from any part of the world can happen upon this rarely viewed website and read what I am saying. Honestly, that is why I dedicate time out of an already very busy pastoral and student schedule to continue to write.

There is an issue that is challenging the Church today that I cannot and will not be silent about any longer: The so-called "Emerging Church". While I am no expert about the movement (but I plan on becoming one), I have recently read and heard some very alarming things coming out of this movement that need to be rebuffed immediately. An Emergent Church leader, Brian McLaren, who is both a pastor and author, recently gave an interview where he claimed that the teaching of the doctrine of Hell and the teaching of the cross by Evangelical Pastors were "false advertising" for God. His main point is that if pastors and Christians continue to be mindful of the Kingdom of God in a future tense, then they will not be motivated to usher in the Kingdom of God in today's world. His belief is that the church can usher in a cultural utopia and that the prophecy of the end-times can be canceled. While this sounds as nice and fluffy as a circus clown, it isn't Biblical. I usually would not link to heretical teaching, however this has to be heard to be believed. Please listen to the whole interview and please take notes. Then, please turn to Galatians 1:6-9 and read. Then please return to this blog in the days, weeks and months to come because I plan to educate myself about the Emergent Church Movement and I plan to expose the false teachers, refute their teaching and share the Truth about the gospel of Christ.

It is amazing that after 2000 years, we finally have people who have been enlightened about the real meaning of Scripture, eh? (SARCASIM ALERT!!!) Please pardon me if I don't buy a word of it.

Storm Watch: Embracing the Storms of Life

I live in Southern California.

We don’t experience changes in weather here very often, so when we finally get a taste of wind or rain we can get really excited. In fact we can get so excited and sidetracked that it can get down right silly actually. Anytime we get more than an inch of rain the local television news is transformed into “Storm Watch 2006”. We get fixated on the weather so much it’s all we can talk about. Storm systems that are a normal part of life in other parts of the country often times snarl and gridlock our freeways because drivers aren’t sure how to drive while their windshield wipers are on.

I guess we aren’t used to the storms.

It struck me today that as a pastor I deal with people that are not used to storms either. Much like we who live in SoCal, they go on “Storm Watch” and let the storms of life impact them so much they too get snarled and gridlocked. They haven’t learned how to drive with their windshield wipers turned on yet.

I guess some Christians aren’t used to the storms.

The fact is that as Christians we should anticipate storms in our lives. God is clear in His word that He uses the storms in our lives to mature us as believers. The first century church understood all too well that persecution and trials were to be considered a blessing for the believer.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” – James 1:2-4

But today some Christians think they should be immune from the storms of life. I hear it all the time in the counseling room, “this isn’t fair…I am supposed to be happy, God is supposed to bless me because I am a believer!” When I hear this, I always ask people to turn in their Bibles and show me where God promises happiness to them. 100% of the time, I get blank stares and silence.

God promises a lot of things to those who are called according to His will…however complete and utter personal happiness isn’t one of them. Okay, let me interject something right here – I am not saying that Christians never experience happiness. Of course we do. All I am saying is we shouldn’t expect happiness 24/7 for the rest of our lives. We need to expect storms. We need to pray for storms!

Some of you just thought to yourself, “Wait...did he just say we need to pray for storms?”
Yes, I did.

Scan back up and read what James 1:2-4 says again.

That is a verse that doesn’t need to be exposited by a pastor for you to understand the application. It is pretty clear. Trials or storms produce perseverance in the believer. Perseverance is required for the believer to become mature and complete in their faith.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed – 1 Peter 1:6-7

There is a great line in the movie “A League of Their Own”. It is a movie about a women’s baseball league that was formed during World War II – Tom Hank’s character responds to a comment by Geena Davis’ character after she says she is quitting because her life and playing ball “got too hard”.

Tom Hanks responds, “It's supposed to be hard. If it weren’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great.”

I know it’s a movie … but that’s true. Think about it. In what circumstances have you had the most personal growth? Was it during easy patches, or during storms?

The fact is that God uses trials to test the Christian. God allows trials to mature the Christian. God brings trials upon the Christian in order to complete the Christian.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose” – Romans 8:28

We need to learn to embrace the trials and trust God through them. If it isn’t obvious yet why we need to do this, let me explain. What we often times view as bad or negative, God works for good. Read Romans 8:28 again, it doesn’t say in “all good things” it says in “all things”. The implication in the text is that God works “all” good, bad, easy, hard, joyful, embarrassing (and any other thing), “for the good of those who love him”.

Storms can be hard to charter through. Some storms can cause damage. However, expect them to come and expect them to grow you and mature you in your faith.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” – Matthew 7:24-25

A Call to Action for the Believer

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” – James 2:15-17

Everyone remembers or has seen those posters from the World War II era – Uncle Sam pointing his finger at the viewer with the phrase “I want you!” printed boldly under the artwork. That poster is now an iconic reminder of an era when Americans rallied behind the cause of freedom and fought and died to liberate Europe and beat back the threat of the Japanese in the South Pacific. As Americans everyone rallied behind the cause of freedom, no questions. There was a faith in the American way of life. There was a faith in our democracy and a faith that we were righteous in our actions as a nation to stand-up against the evil that was choking-out the world. Regardless of their backgrounds people all across the nation arose and united in the common fight against evil. Did you know there is a much more dangerous war that is being waged today? It is a war that is raging in the realm of the unseen and it too is being fought against evil.

Do you realize that as Christians we have been called by God to do the same thing as the Americans of the 20^th century? Since the ascension of Christ over 2000 years ago, we have been recruits called into action in the spiritual war that is taking place all around us. However, unlike the response received in the United States in the 1940’s, many Christians today have gone M.I.A. in this spiritual war. There doesn’t seem to be an understanding in the church that this battle has even bigger implications eternally than WWII ever did in the physical realm.

Did you know that according to George Barna, “only 18% of ‘born again’ believers said that completely understanding and carrying out the principles of their faith was the highest priority in their lives (14% of men versus 18% of women) (2005)”[i]. That is simply a staggering number. What kind of faith do many of these people who claim to be Christians have? It would appear that some of them may not have a saving faith, because we know that a faith without works is a dead faith:

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” – James 2:15-17

We have been called into action as proclaimers and defenders of the Truth of God.

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”- Ephesians 6:11-18

If you are a born again believer, you have been drafted into the battle that is currently being waged and there is an expectation that you will engage in this fight in order that you may glorify God. This truth is found in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians:

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves…In him we were also chosen having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. – Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

The hope for the Christian is that once the fight is over, they will be able to say the same thing that the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7-8:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Until that time comes, engage your culture and share the Truth. If your brother needs a blanket give it to him. If your sister needs a meal, provide it to her. If your neighbor needs to hear about the love and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, share it with him. Remember, Jesus is the ultimate spiritual protection from storms, the only true food for the soul and the only way to the Father (John 14:6). And acts of love done in His name and for His glory are the best way to witness to a dying world that needs His saving grace. So, get in the war.

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[i] http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=23

Forgiving Others: Optional or Imperative?

Forgiveness.

It’s an easy word to pronounce but it is not easy to ask for or to give. Often times we as the offended or as the offender place conditions on forgiveness. I counsel a lot of people in my role as a pastor. Many times in the counseling room, the major issue we are trying to work through is forgiveness. A husband might wrong a wife and because of pride or the need for control, the wife may not have a forgiving heart towards her husband, even though he has repented from his behavior and has asked for forgiveness and reconciliation. She knows that if she forgives her husband that she has to let go of her hurt and offer a full pardon for the pain that she has been put through by his behavior. She has convinced herself that the penalty of his sin must be greater yet still and that she will not forgive him unless she places some conditions on her forgiveness for him. While this may seem rational and ‘just’, it is not biblical. As a believer, she has forgotten the unconditional love and forgiveness that Jesus offered her while she was still in her sins. There is one Scripture in particular that I find myself turning to quite often in these circumstances:

"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." – Luke 17:3-4

There is no question of the literal imperative that Jesus is teaching His followers. If a fellow believer repents and asks for forgiveness, we are bound by a straightforward divine command to forgive that person of their particular sin. According to the text, we don’t have the option to say “yes, but…”

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”

– Matthew 6:14-15

The forgiveness of our sins (which simply means missing the target…i.e., God’s required perfection for fellowship with Him) was granted to us by a God who shows mercy and grace to those who call on the name of the Lord. We have been given forgiveness because we have believed (we know the Truth, we act on the Truth, and we trust in the Truth) so we should forgive others as they trespass against us as a sign of the gift that has been given to us and because of the command from God to forgive fellow believers (see Matthew 6:5-13).

If you are reading this and you are not a believer, the principles of Christian forgiveness may seem strange to you. You may have a notion or a demand for justice that requires a payment for a wrong against you. Christians believe that Jesus paid for every wrong (past, present and future) on the cross. And it is because of that we can offer forgiveness to those who wrong us - without condition. Because we have been forgiven, we forgive. In Romans 1:18-32 the Apostle Paul states that everyone who has ever lived knows the truth about God but because of their own desires for self pleasure, they squelch the truth and deny the Creator. Don't do the same. If you have general questions about the reliability of the Scriptures, please write to me at dale@compasschurch.org. There are a lot of really good questions about the authentencity of Christianity and the divinity of Christ. If you have any, let's talk about it.

“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

– Romans 10: 9-13

11,680 Days to Go - Maybe

So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

Have you ever been guilty of loosing track of time? Boy, I have. I Can remember sitting in school as a child, daydreaming and not taking advantage of the time to study and listen to my instructors. I was a habitual timewaster. I still am, just ask my wife.

I will turn 38 years old in one month. According to the Department of Health and Human Services the average American male life expectancy is 72 years. So, if all goes according to the norm, I have already lived more than half of my life. Of course, God in His grace could grant me more years than that, but He could also call me home today. When you really think about it, the old adage is true – “tomorrow is not promised to any man.” Here is what I am thinking: This knowledge should motivate me to share the Gospel more and to live out the second half of my life fully focused on serving Christ, His body, and my community.

Let’s do some math.

I became a Christian 8 months into my 27^th year. So, I roughly lived 332 months or 7,968 days before I became a Christian. That is 191,232 hours without living for Christ. That is staggering and quite frankly, somewhat depressing. So, let me total up some more optimistic numbers.
I have been a Christian since May 20, 1996. That means I have been a Born Again Believer in Jesus Christ for 10 years and 3 months (roughly). Which means that I have been a Christian for 123 months or 2,952 days. That is 70,848 hours. Now, if you average that I have slept 8 hours a day during that time (that is liberal) that means I have had roughly 47,000 hours to serve Christ. Wait, that is still depressing. Actually, that is convicting. If I were an employee at a company and my productivity on the job matched my self-perceived productivity as a Christian doing Kingdom work, I would have been fired long ago. It's with this realization that I hold onto the promise of John 10:27-28, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

I can’t be fired from being a Christian, but I can be an unproductive Christian. But because of God's grace I can't lose my salvation.

As I stated earlier, I am almost 38 years old. When I look back at my life before Christ, I count it lost. I know that whatever works of righteousness I did before I became a Christian will be burned as ‘wood, hay and straw’. I know this because Paul instructs that there are works of ours that we have performed in Christ that will be burned too. Here is the text from 1 Corinthians 3:11-15:

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”

This text is suggesting that there are things we do with our time on earth as Christians that won’t amount to anything in the Kingdom of Heaven. That is sobering to say the least. So with that parameter, I know there is nothing I did before Christ that will add up to anything in Heaven. Maybe it’s because I am now officially middle-aged that I am thinking this way. But I want to be a Christian that knows how to number his days as Psalm 90:12 instructs us. I want the remaining hours, days and months of my life to add up to something that will survive the fire of the Bema Seat Judgment. Bible.org does a good job explaining the Bema Seat Judgment so I will share with you what they wrote:

The Judgment Seat of Christ is not a place and time when the Lord will mete out punishment for sins committed by the child of God. Rather, it is a place where rewards will be given or lost depending on how one has used his or her life for the Lord. Both Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:9 speak of the “judgment seat.” This is a translation of one Greek word, the word bema. While bema is used in the Gospels and in Acts of the raised platform where a Roman magistrate or ruler sat to make decisions and pass sentence (Matt. 27:19; John 19:13), its use in the epistles by Paul, because of his many allusions to the Greek athletic contests, is more in keeping with its original use among the Greeks.

This word was taken from Isthmian games where the contestants would compete for the prize under the careful scrutiny of judges who would make sure that every rule of the contest was obeyed (cf. 2 Tim. 2:5). The victor of a given event, who had participated according to the rules, was led by the judge to the platform called the Bema. There the laurel wreath was placed on his head as a symbol of victory (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24-25).

In all of these passages, “Paul was picturing the believer as a competitor in a spiritual contest. As the victorious Grecian athlete appeared before the Bema to receive his perishable award, so the Christian will appear before Christ’s Bema to receive his imperishable award. The judge at the Bema bestowed rewards to the victors. He did not whip the losers.”³ We might add, neither did he sentence them to hard labor.

In other words, it was a reward seat and portrayed a time of rewards or loss of rewards following examination. It was not a time of punishment where believers are judged for their sins. Such would be inconsistent with the finished work of Christ on the cross because He totally paid the penalty for our sins.

Though believers are under no condemnation in respect to their sins, having been justified by faith (John 3:18; 5:24; Rom. 8:1, 13-17), they are subject to judgment at the Judgment seat of Christ in relation to their works. At the Judgment Seat of Christ believers’ works will be evaluated to demonstrate whether they are good or bad, and rewards will be conferred (2 Cor. 5:10; cf. Rom. 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 3:9-14; 9:24-27). The goal of the Christian in his life is to be pleasing to God whether in time or eternity. The Judgment Seat of Christ is not related to salvation but to the bestowal of rewards, and every Christian is assured that he will receive some reward (1 Cor. 4:5; cf. Eph. 6:8; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:12).⁴

According the national average, I have roughly 11,680 days left to live as a Christian. I pray that the quality of my work will survive the fire and that my reward will be great. I look forward to the day that Jesus looks me in the eyes and says “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).