An excerpt from Chris’ book, Guided by Wisdom – Finding Wisdom for Life in God’s Word
Proverbs 8:35–36
35 For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord; 36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; All those who hate me love death.
Romans 6:23
Proverbs 8 in the New King James Version is titled the “Excellence of Wisdom.” When we talk about wisdom in this context, we are not talking about reading books, getting smart, and earning good grades in school. Wisdom in this context means respect for God. Hating wisdom is saying we aren’t buying in to respecting God, our Creator. This is how we commit wrong against our own souls and are destined for death, because separating ourselves from God is the definition of sin, and sin leads to death.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
We find life through God and His Word, by believing in His Son, Jesus, and by accepting His free gifts of unconditional love, salvation, and eternal life with Him.
Denying God is saying we do not want or need the salvation Jesus provided for us through His death and resurrection, which means we turn down His offer to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life.
Proverbs 28:5
5 Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the Lord understand all.
Guided by Wisdom
When we seek wisdom through our understanding of God and the study of His Word, we are given the keys, or the potential, to understanding all things. When we seek God, receive the Holy Spirit, and submit to His guidance, understanding can come through revelation. There will be times when we just know something is good, or when something is not right.
Proverbs 28 tells us an evil man can’t even understand justice. This man doesn’t know what it is to be fair or why it is reasonable to be punished for wrongdoing. What he does understand is how to come out on top and not lose, no matter the cost or sacrifice required of other people. If evil men can’t understand justice, then they cannot understand truth. Being void of truth and justice is not a foundation we want to build our success on. In the context of wisdom, success looks a lot different from the usual descriptions the world gives us.
Proverbs 24:3–4
3 Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4 By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches.
It is by wisdom, the fear of God, that our house will be built and filled with riches. And what kind of riches are they? They are found in the heart, and they are precious and pleasant. The riches of an evil man come with strife, distrust, and threats attached to them. It is God who fills our hearts with what’s important; the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22–23).
You can buy copies of Guided by Wisdom on Amazon or find links at my website:
I’ve avoided writing about gay rights since I started my Christian blog. As I have spent time preparing my heart to write about the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony, I’ve realized I still will not be writing about gay rights.
Why?
Because what took place at the Olympics had absolutely nothing to do with gay rights.
We need to stop pretending that unrestrained public sexual displays, like the Olympics’ opening ceremony, many gay rights parades, and public drag shows, are anything but what they are; events organized by an out-of-control sub-culture of the gay community to influence society by displaying what they worship – unrestrained and perverse sexual exploration.
I say this is a sub-culture within the gay community, not that I am an expert in this area. I have not read or researched gay influencers, commentators, or writers, conservative or liberal. I’m just not naïve enough to believe that all gay people condone this shameful public behavior. I refuse to believe that the entire gay community feels no pangs in their conscience when they know these activities are reaching the eyes of children and are potentially influencing their futures in a negative way. I can’t believe that the majority doesn’t realize that children should not be exposed to sex at all.
The opening ceremony at the Olympics was nothing but a gross display of unbridled lust and perversion. Men dressed in women’s clothing posing in sexually submissive and dominating positions, for families to see across the world. A mix of men and women dressed in sexually suggestive costumes, some exposing their genitals, while a couple of kids hang out amongst them. Openly and arrogantly giving the finger to God. A disgusting naked blue man, served up on a platter, ready for his sexual experiments and conquests. If anything highlighted the message the organizers, participants, and supporters of this display hoped to communicate, it was this man on the platter. It said sex, sexual lust, and unrestrained sexual activity are what we are about, and we are going to shove it down your throats.
This is actually liberating for many of us who have had no idea how to combat this social intrusion into our culture and our families. If gay rights are no longer the issue, and has become about idol worship and the false god of sex and pleasure, a false god that is attacking the world, then we have a specific darkness, a clear spiritual attack that we need to defend ourselves against.
It wasn’t free
There is no love in a false god, or the worship of that god. There is no love when an outsider attacks our families with evil and destruction. Now we can act with a clear conscience because we have something tangible to point to, which is:
The worship and obsession with sex in this gay sub-culture.
There is also another reason we should be compelled, even forced, to take action. That is anger.
Righteous anger.
These people blasphemed my God, whom I love with all my heart, whom I serve with everything I have, and whom I will spend eternity with because His Son made it possible. I am angry that they treated Jesus with any disrespect at all, but they spat in His face. How dare they do that to my King, my Savior, and my God!?!
What do we do? Here are some ideas. Some may apply to you, some may not. Regardless, if you are disgusted by what the Olympic committee, the organizers of this event, the government of France, allowed to pollute your living room, then you need to do something.
Say Something
Silence, as we learned from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, is the same as participation. At a minimum, you need to let those in your circle of influence know that you do not agree with the promotion of sexual perversion. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you need to let the world know you walk with Jesus and you are not ashamed of it.
Christians, we need to be brave and bold in our faith. There are too many of us who move in and out of our circles every day, where our faith is not defining who we are. Jesus Christ died for you, so you could stand before God. God is perfect holiness, perfect love, perfect mercy, and the perfect judge. He is to be loved and feared by you, in equal measure. A truth this powerful, a God this awesome, deserves to be the defining influence in our lives. Cowardice in the face of influence birthed in the world is shameful to us and our faith.
Get Rid of Your Rainbow Flag
The rainbow flag of the gay community is a false idol that represents a false god. Every Christian church that hangs one of these flags on their buildings is worshiping a false god. Yes, they are actively participating in idol worship.
Church leaders, if you have one of these flags on your building, you will answer to God for this blaspheme. The people who fly this flag spit in the face of God at the Olympic ceremony. That breaks my heart. Are you still going to fly their flag? How could you do it in the first place and how dare you do it now?
Boycott
When you see the rainbow flag proudly displayed in a shop window, as you see all over the town I live in, chose not to shop there. They are promoting this type of sexual disregard and are encouraging this sub-culture to continue their attack on values and truth.
National chains, like MODS Pizza, jump on this bandwagon every June, offering rainbow desserts, flying flags, and posting pictures. We need to let these businesses know that supporting these perverse displays in the public eye is not what we want to see, as they do not align with our values.
Pray
Is it not clear that this gay movement of normalizing perversion is directed at blaspheming God? If the Olympics has taught us anything, it is that this group is against Christianity, the one true God, the only path to salvation. Which makes sense. Why attack other religions when they are not the truth? You don’t. You attack the one that is legitimate.
Jesus, I love You
Jesus Christ died for the homosexual. He is the only Man who lived that loves them completely, yet He is the one who is taking their blows, their curses, and their attacks. They can’t see that they are attacking God, their Creator, who sits on His throne in perfect beauty and love, in the presence of rainbows. This is the God whom they should be seeking for answers, for direction, and for truth. But they are blinded by their own sin. So blinded by it they believe everybody in the world needs to be influenced by it and participate in it.
Stand on Truth
Read your Bible and recognize it for what it is, the voice of God, His words to you, to teach and guide you. If you’ve been tainted by Bible conspiracies, then rely on your faith in Him. How little is your faith? Ask yourself.
Homosexuality is a sin. It always has been, and it always will be. Monogamous or not, it is a sin because it is falls outside the lines of God’s creation, His perfection, and His truth. It is a sin the same way fornication is a sin; that is, sex before marriage. The same way adultery is a sin, either physical or visual.
Let’s face it, sex is difficult for a lot of us. It takes obedience to be faithful to another, obedience and planning not to fall into temptation, and a desire to honor God with our bodies.
Can a homosexual be saved?
I think so, but only if they can sit in a church and listen to a message on the sin of homosexuality and agree with it, repent for their struggle, and invite God into the struggle. I don’t believe their freedom from homosexuality is the key to salvation, otherwise our salvation is based on works, but the key is where their heart is with God. Not to excuse sin, but also not to disregard that we all have sin in our hearts. We are rescued from it by the work of Jesus, not by our personal victories over it.
Forgiveness
God is merciful. Jesus understands who we are and what our struggles are. He loves you. Yes, I’m talking to you. He loves you right now, regardless of what you did even 30 seconds ago. He wants to have a relationship with you right now, just the way you are. You don’t have to change anything to be accepted by Him. All you have to do is accept Him and invite Him to come sit with you. Jesus is still perfect love. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
John 5:41-44
41 “I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?
In our human experience we need to do things right-in the correct order, using the correct preparations, always having the best plan-to get the results we desire. But in our relationship with God, according to 1 Samuel 13 and 14, that is not always the case.
If it doesn’t come down to us and doing the everything correctly, then what does it come down to?
The Backstory
In 1 Samuel, chapter 13, we see the newly anointed king of Israel, Saul, preparing for battle against the Philistines. He waits seven days for the prophet, Samuel, to show up, so he can find out if God wants him to go down to battle or not. We see this a lot in the Old Testament. King David often checked with God before going into battle. Saul was given the same instructions by Samuel two years earlier when he was anointed king in 1 Samuel 10:8.
But when Saul’s army started to desert, and Samuel was running a little late, he took matters into his own hands. Instead of waiting for the prophet like he was commanded to, or asking the Levite who was with him at the time, Ahijah, a direct descendant of Eli, to do it for him, Saul sacrificed the burnt offering and the peace offering himself. Samuel shows up while the fire is still hot, and the meat is still cooking.
Samuel tells Saul he has disobeyed the Lord, and his kingship is stripped from him as a result. Ouch! Why the harsh treatment for being proactive? This is what we want to find out. To do that we need to study the Bible, and we can come to some conclusions by reading the next chapter.
In Chapter 14 we see Jonathan, Saul’s son, taking matters into his own hands. Without asking permission from Saul, nor asking God, he sneaks away with his armor bearer and attacks the Philistine garrison. Jonathan sneaking away without notice is meaningful, because God tell us in verse 3, almost as an afterthought, that Ahijah, the priest, was there, and he was wearing the ephod. The standard procedure would have been to consult with Ahijah.
Jonathan simply said to his armor bearer, “Come, let us go…it may be that the Lord will work for us.” (1 Samuel 14:6, NKJV) And the Lord did. He delivered the Philistines in the garrison to Jonathan and his armor bearer, let loose an earthquake, and then created mass confusion in the Philistine camp as they fought each other. In the meantime, Israel united and they attacked the Philistine’s as well.
During the pursuit of the Philistine’s, Saul errs again. He says no one is allowed to eat until the enemy is finished off. This puts a heavy burden on Saul’s soldiers, who finished the battle nearly fainting, causing them to break the law of God by eating their meat so hastily that they ate it with the blood. This is an Old Testament Levitical law, and Saul caused this sin. Meanwhile, Jonathan ate some honey in the forest, not knowing the vow his father had taken. Jonathan was strengthened by the food he ate, while the rest of the army was famished and suffering.
Saul and Jonathan seem to be committing similar acts in these two chapters, while at the same time they appear to be at odds with each other. They do the same things but get different results, and they are seen in constant conflict. Why?
The answers are in the word of God and in the heart.
The Reasons
Saul forgot about Gideon’s 300, in Judges 7 and 8, who accomplished a similar feat as Jonathan in this story. A small group of men had faith in God and went to battle. The result was confusion in the Midianite camp, and Israel coming together to finish off the enemy.
Saul forgot about Jephthah’s vow in Judges 11, when he made a rash oath to God, promising to kill anyone who ate food that day. When Jonathan, his son and the hero of the story was discovered to have broken the vow he knew nothing about, Saul was more than willing to kill him, unlike Jephthah who was in utter torment over his rash oath.
This reveals Saul’s arrogance and selfishness, his utterly rotten heart. His son would receive the glory for this victory, but Saul wanted the glory for himself. He would have killed his own son that day if the people had not intervened for Jonathan. Saul wanted to put the spotlight back on himself and to shame his son by announcing he had broken the oath of the king.
We also receive clues into Saul’s heart by what the way the people around him answer his commands, as opposed to the way Jonathan’s commands are answered. When Jonathan tells his armor bearer they will go and attack the Philistine garrison by themselves, his armor bearer replies, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.” (1 Samuel 14:7, NKJV) But later in the chapter, when Saul says they will go down and slaughter the Philistines in the night, finishing them off, the people answer, “Do whatever seems good to you.” They say it again when he decides to cast lots to find out who had eaten that day, the reason Saul grabs hold of when he is unable to hear from the Lord. (1 Samuel 14:36,40, NKJV)
Finally, we see a repetition of these events when David enters the scene. Once Saul sees David as a rival for the praise of the people, he exhausts large amounts of resources and tirelessly tries to hunt him down to kill him.
The Conclusion
It is a matter of the heart
It is simple, Saul acted from a selfish and prideful heart, Jonathan, nor David, did not. He acted from a heart that desired to serve God and serve the people of Israel, not himself.
God wants people to act, and to courageously use what He has given them
Saul was scared. He was unsure of himself and his leadership abilities. He knew he needed God to do the work for him, because he was incapable of believing that he was an able-bodied man chosen by God to lead His people. Again, Jonathan did not suffer from self-doubt. Jonathan acted with what God had given him and he acted in faith. Saul tried to use God as a means to his own end, evident in God’s abandonment of him.
We must read the Bible!
Is Saul had focused on the word of God, the success of Gideon and the folly of Jephthah would have been guiding lights for him. They would have shown him what to do, how to have faith, and how to behave in battle.
Are you thinking I’m being a little extreme here? Check this out. Look at what Joab, the commander of Israel’s army, says in 2 Samuel 11:21, when he sends a messenger to give bad news to King David; 21” Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?’” He knows it is standard behavior to know the Scriptures and to apply them to life.
Romans 15:4 tells us 4 “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” The Scriptures are written for our learning and guidance.
For us, when we read beyond 1 Samuel, chapter 13, we learn what is in Saul’s heart. We learn a great deal about the destiny of a prideful heart, the downfall of one who acts outside of faith, and the consequences of desiring the glory of men rather than the love of God. When we read on and learn of David’s plight with his father-in-law, our conclusions are reinforced when we relate them back to this interaction with Saul and his son, Jonathan.
Want to read more of Chris’ insights on the Bible? Check out this post from February, 2022, on the Book of Esther.
2020 was a tough year, and it was reflected in the church. All over America, the pulpit turned into a Sunday morning Fox News report and an American Family Radio commentary blended into one. Unfortunately, it was a proud time for many Christians. It was in February 2021 when I started blogging, and one of the first blog posts I wrote, along with a letter to Ozzy Osborne, was “Pharisees and False Prophets.”
I say that so you know I am not riding on the coattails of the latest controversy in Contemporary Christianity. I know the words Pastor Alistair Begg spoke on September 1, 2023 were guided by a heart of love and understanding of what it means to walk as light in the darkness. When I heard him speak them back in September my heart was joyful. Now, the right-wing Christian media and YouTubers, along with other pastors, are speaking out against what Pastor Begg had said. They speak against it with only legalism as their foundation, forsaking discernment, the guidance of the Spirit, and the amazing love Jesus demonstrated for us 2,000 years ago.
This is a defense of both Pastor Begg and his counsel.
History of denouncing sin with words seasoned with grace
Pastor Alistair Begg
In 2020, tensions were high. The Trump election, Covid, BLM, the border, and LGBTQ all battled to dominate the public’s attention. Churches across the nation took the bait and put Trump on a pedestal, denounced Covid and the work of public health administrators as a lie, belittled immigrants and internationals-I’m talking to you, AFR-and minimized the plight of African Americans and the pain and confusion of the gay person.
I had been listening to Pastor Begg for a few years and I have been edified and have grown in wisdom through his teaching on the word of God. During this time, I heard Pastor Begg denounce sin, gay marriage, and homosexual practices, now with harsh, proud, and judgmental words, but with a grace and love that I had not found. That is hard to do, but he does it repeatedly.
Arguments against his statement are all based on legalism, never love
Everything I heard on YouTube videos (I could only stomach a couple) and from the AFR commentators were based on legalistic arguments. Every argument states you are affirming, or agreeing with, or blessing, this union by going to the wedding (I’ll come back to that later). Let’s be clear, Pastor Begg never said to go and celebrate the wedding, but simply to stand as a light in the present darkness. One commentator put himself in the place of God, saying, “I’m where I have always been, and you drew away from me!” Putting yourself in the place of God makes you the judge. Trust me, you don’t want to do that. Jesus calls us to Go To the sinner. We are not on the throne and this argument is steeped in pride. One YouTube comment said you are participating in evil occurring within a holy place, the church, and a Christians presence in this holy place during an act of evil is worthy of hell. Sounds like a Catholic argument, but certainly not a Christian argument. Jesus said we will not worship here nor there, but in Spirit. That building means nothing. It is what is in your heart that matters.
They leave no room for discernment
No one has left any room for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They only have legalistic opinions and lines drawn in the sand. Jesus was mocked for talking to women, and not only women, but to a fornicator, an adulteress, and a prostitute. Yes, he was in the presence of sinners who were currently in their sin. He did not turn his back on them like a legalistic Pharisee. Instead, he showed compassion and love. Told them they were loved and invited them back into the Father’s grace through Him.
I’ve known several Christians who have not gone to a nephew’s or a sibling’s gay wedding because the church told them not to. They struggled with it. They had no peace over it. In the end, they didn’t go. I’ve seen the hurt and confusion in their eyes to this day as they continue to ponder that decision. I wonder what the Holy Spirit was saying. I know what legalistic men were saying.
They grab a statement and dismiss everything around it except the part that will give them ratings and a paycheck
Wake up, America. Commentators like AFR, and other right-wing, conservative Christians are not showing love to the outcast, the stranger, or the sinners who are sinning in the bigger arenas. They say Pastor Begg told Christians to go to the wedding, thereby to celebrate the wedding. They say that by simply attending, you are affirming, celebrating, will say “congratulations” at the end, and attend the party afterward. This is all hypothetical and simply not true.
I have heard AFR belittle foreigners and immigrants on their radio show. Their morning host told a joke making fun of Mexicans-on the air. They do not work in love, nor do they edify believers. Instead, they cause division, promote pride, and speak with arrogance.
Using Bible verses to validate their claims
Let me tell you, there isn’t a single Bible verse that can stand alone to solve this problem. You’re going to need the whole Bible for this one, and after that, you’re going to need the Holy Spirit. Take any of the myriads of verses being used to belittle Pastor Begg and I can give you one in defense.
My Conclusion
Praying
Imagine this: when a gay person gets married, every Christian family member they have shows up at that wedding. Every one of them spend the ceremony in silent prayer the entire time, standing as light in the darkness, just as Jesus would want us to do. At the end of the wedding, some may go up to the altar to kneel and pray for the lost and confused souls who are in that building. And when they leave the sanctuary, and the gay couple is at the door, instead of saying “congratulations,” say, “Can I pray for you?” If they say yes, then pray they will come into a personal relationship with Jesus, and He will use them for His glory in this life. Your present should be a Christian gift, stating and affirming your belief in the Bible and in Jesus Christ.
Believe me, someday, when they start to question their lifestyle, their decisions, and the God who created them, they will ponder on what you did that day, on the seed you planted that day because you weren’t scared of the Christian right-wind to follow your heart, and your actions will shine the light they need when all the others gave them was the darkness of the cold shoulder.
Finally, it is important to note that decisions like this, using proper discernment as to whether to attend or not, being guided by the Holy Spirit in what to say and how to conduct yourself, and simply being mature enough to handle this calling, is only for mature and biblically grounded believers. We need to read the Bible every day, spending time with God and seeking His guidance. That is the only way we can properly handle the difficult tasks that come our way as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
a sample chapter from Chris’ book, “Guided by Wisdom,” to be released in November
Proverbs 16:18
18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Pride is a tough topic to deal with because we all feel it, yet the Bible says pride is a sin, period. The sin of pride is when we exalt ourselves, replacing our faith in God with faith in ourselves. In the Bible, pride is almost always connected to haughtiness and arrogance. It suggests lifting ourselves higher than others, bragging about ourselves, and disregarding others in place of self.
Proverbs 21:24
24 A proud and haughty man—“Scoffer” is his name; He acts with arrogant pride.
Imagine scoring a game-winning goal or playing a difficult piece to perfection at a piano recital. We would feel proud of the accomplishment, right? The pride we feel has two potential sources: either from within ourselves over what we’ve accomplished, or from God and what He accomplished through the gifts He gave us. When you accomplish something, we can either say, “I did it,” or “Isn’t God awesome that He gave me this ability and led me to use it for His glory!”
Pride
Sample chapter from Guided by Wisdom
Proverbs 21:24 calls a proud person a scoffer. A scoffer is a person who makes fun of someone or mocks something, which is often something in a religious framework. Now we can see that when we take all the credit for what God has given us, according to Proverbs 21, it is like we are mocking God.
1 Samuel 2:3
3 “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.
To fight against pride, we must continue to give God the glory for who He has made us to be and for what He has gifted to us. This is a choice we must consciously make. Our parents can say, with honest hearts, they are proud of us. We are their children, and they delight in us the same way God delights in His children (see Psalm 18:19). But parents can’t say they are proud of what they have made us into, or proud of the path they have laid out for us, because this is pride that robs God of His glory.
Proverbs 11:2
2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.
The opposite of pride is humility, and we, as believers, strive to be humble. A humble person cannot be haughty or arrogant. Their hearts express love and compassion, which are natural by-products of humility. Humility reminds us that all people—the rich, the homeless, the famous, the convict, and the depressed—come from the same place in the eyes of God, fallen under the curse of sin. No one is better than anyone else, and we all need the saving grace of Jesus Christ. This path of knowing we are not perfect and are not better than any other person, shows us how to love and helps us to love like Jesus loved.
Now we can see why pride brings destruction and shame. Pride focuses on self and takes away the love we have to offer to others. Pride separates us from God and causes us to lose sight of His character and presence, blinding us to our sin and keeping us from repenting to God and seeking Him for our needs, wisdom, peace, and joy.
Guided by Wisdom, the first book in the Every Step series, shows adolescents how they can use the Bible to help them respond biblically to challenges and questions they face every day. It will show them how God’s Word is relevant in decision making and problem solving, guidance and character growth.
Look for it to release in November, 2023, on Sing Write Read / Books.
Recent Comments