Enjoy!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
New Pastoral Counseling Strategy?
Could this be the pastoral counseling strategy I've been missing and needing? Hmmm...
It's Saturday...loosen up a little and laugh!
It's Saturday...loosen up a little and laugh!
Friday, August 14, 2009
"Nominal" Christianity vs. "Normal" Christianity
What we’re actually dealing with in America (and Europe, too, but I’m thinking primarily about Christianity on this side of the ocean right now) is “nominal” Christianity versus “normal” Christianity. Nominal Christianity is a spiritual scandal! Maybe not to everybody but it should be to every child of God. The word “nominal” literally means, “in name only.” So, nominal Christianity carries the label but little else. It is Christianity “in name only.”
I call nominal Christianity scandalous because it preaches a cultural Christianity, looking and acting more like the world than the Lord. It is scandalous because it promotes a counterfeit Christianity, misrepresenting what it really means to follow Christ. And nominal Christianity is scandalous because it produces a Christless Christianity, a so-called faith that ignores the claims of Christ.
The Apostle Paul called “normal” Christianity simple, however, in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” Did you catch that? “…simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”
Normal Christianity can be called simple (not simplistic, by the way) because, at the heart of the Christian faith, it is loving and following Christ.
By the way, I need to clarify what I mean by “normal.” Contrary to what one might think, “normal” doesn’t mean “average.” The average temperature on a hospital wing could be 101 degrees, but that’s not normal. The average golf score of someone like me might be 105, but that’s certainly not normal. Average isn’t the same thing as normal.
We live in a culture in which we’re measuring our spirituality by whatever is average, not normal. We find average Christianity by looking around us (i.e. nominal Christianity)…but we find normal Christianity in the pages of Scripture and wherever people are deeply and passionately in love with Christ.
The late A.W. Tozer said, “The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are opposite sides of the same coin.” Good word!
I call nominal Christianity scandalous because it preaches a cultural Christianity, looking and acting more like the world than the Lord. It is scandalous because it promotes a counterfeit Christianity, misrepresenting what it really means to follow Christ. And nominal Christianity is scandalous because it produces a Christless Christianity, a so-called faith that ignores the claims of Christ.
The Apostle Paul called “normal” Christianity simple, however, in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” Did you catch that? “…simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”
Normal Christianity can be called simple (not simplistic, by the way) because, at the heart of the Christian faith, it is loving and following Christ.
By the way, I need to clarify what I mean by “normal.” Contrary to what one might think, “normal” doesn’t mean “average.” The average temperature on a hospital wing could be 101 degrees, but that’s not normal. The average golf score of someone like me might be 105, but that’s certainly not normal. Average isn’t the same thing as normal.
We live in a culture in which we’re measuring our spirituality by whatever is average, not normal. We find average Christianity by looking around us (i.e. nominal Christianity)…but we find normal Christianity in the pages of Scripture and wherever people are deeply and passionately in love with Christ.
The late A.W. Tozer said, “The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are opposite sides of the same coin.” Good word!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Love Jesus = Obey Jesus
Continuing yesterday’s thought, listen to Jesus’ words in John 14:
15"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
19"After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
20"In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?"
23Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
24"He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.
There’s a recurring thought throughout these verses: love for Jesus leads to and is expressed by obedience. Some might think that one’s love for God is measured merely by emotions and expressions…affections and affiliations; but contrary to our culture’s carnal connotations of the word, the Lord repeatedly described love toward Him as obedience.
15"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
19"After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
20"In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?"
23Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
24"He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.
There’s a recurring thought throughout these verses: love for Jesus leads to and is expressed by obedience. Some might think that one’s love for God is measured merely by emotions and expressions…affections and affiliations; but contrary to our culture’s carnal connotations of the word, the Lord repeatedly described love toward Him as obedience.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Business As Usual?
Want to know what keeps this preacher up at night? Want to know what’s on his mind as he stares off into space? Lots of things, I suppose, but one is this—I’m deeply disturbed by the disparity between those who claim faith in Christ and those who actually give evidence of such faith.
I belong to the spiritual family known as Southern Baptists. We’re the country's largest Protestant denomination, claiming more than 16 million members on our church rolls. But out of that number, only 37% (or just over 6 million), on average, show up to church on any given weekend.
The decline and disparity are worse in some other denominations, but there’s no comfort whatsoever in that to me. I’m gripped by this question, “When and where did we come to accept carnality and mediocrity and absenteeism as standard expectations of the Christian life?” We spend our time and energy defending our lack of spiritual depth and discipline instead of acknowledging it…and repenting of it. "Lord, help us..."
I belong to the spiritual family known as Southern Baptists. We’re the country's largest Protestant denomination, claiming more than 16 million members on our church rolls. But out of that number, only 37% (or just over 6 million), on average, show up to church on any given weekend.
The decline and disparity are worse in some other denominations, but there’s no comfort whatsoever in that to me. I’m gripped by this question, “When and where did we come to accept carnality and mediocrity and absenteeism as standard expectations of the Christian life?” We spend our time and energy defending our lack of spiritual depth and discipline instead of acknowledging it…and repenting of it. "Lord, help us..."
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Unbelievable and Outrageous!
For those folk in our country who have their heads in the sand as to where the current leadership in Washington wants to take our country, watch this video. We are on a steady, slippery slope toward socialism! Are you hearing me? SOCIALISM! And I'm not even talking at this point about the fact that our President has appointed an admitted communist, Van Jones, as his "Green Jobs Czar." Maybe later, though...
Watch this and tell me what you think:
Watch this and tell me what you think:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)