by CnC | Nov 9, 2021 | My blog |
Have you ever received a gift that you cherished? Maybe it was the best gift you received for your birthday a certain year, or it was given by someone you admired or respected. Then you returned it, and you didn’t even get a refund. Could you imagine doing that? That is exactly what I almost did with a gift that God had given to me one summer day in Athens, Ohio. I learned a great lesson that day, what we Christians like to call, “revelation.”
“Hi, my name is Chris, and I’m an alcoholic.” I have not been to an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting, but being a persistent drinker is where this story begins. I didn’t drink because I liked the taste, although I did like the taste. I drank to feel something. Sometimes I drank to feel nothing. Either way, I drank to get drunk. One day, after drinking with a purpose for several days, I realized that I had succeeded, even if only for a short while, in drinking my troubles away. My rocky marriage, business stress, a baby in the house, working on a Master’s, but mostly it was the rocky marriage that I was escaping. One day I realized that I hadn’t thought about any of those things for at least a day in a half. I had done it! I had done what they said could not be done, I had drank my problems away. But there they were, approaching at great speed and ready for rendezvous in about thirty seconds. It turns out I did not succeed, but that moment was eye opening because it reflected to me what I had become in my house.
Another day I was driving to scout a project in Missouri, it was ten in the morning. I heard a beer bottle rattle beneath my seat and when I reached under, I found two full bottles of beer. I drank them both, and probably got a six pack for the drive home that night.
I started drinking at a very young age, at twelve or thirteen, and since high school alcohol came to define a large part of who I was. When I came to the end of myself in my early 30’s and accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God and my Savior, I admitted to Him more than once, that I was aware He would require me to carry this burden for the rest of my days. By reading the narrations above you can see that escape was unlikely, freedom impossible. I knew I was destined to fight with my wife over it, to continually disappoint her, to occasionally embarrass my kids, eventually get a DUI and enter financial distress, and I’d never be able to quit. I accepted it, and I let God know as much. I didn’t expect anything of Him, I didn’t deserve it.
I am so thankful I serve the God of miracles!
One day at church, in June of 2016, I asked my pastor for prayer. He told me to go home and make a list of all the things I needed to forgive my father for, and to do it today. I thought that was an odd request, since it had nothing to do with what I asked him to pray for. I didn’t make that list that day, but it stayed on my heart, and I decided to be obedient to the request. What could it hurt? About a week later I sat in my car, it was late at night, and I got out my computer and I made that list. It took about ten minutes, and I included both parents in it. I closed my computer and that was the end of it, I didn’t even show it to my pastor or tell him I had done the assignment. I don’t know how many days had passed, but it wasn’t many (I like to think it was the third day). I woke up one morning and it was as clear in my mind as is my own name, I was freed from alcohol addiction. I can’t explain how or why I knew, I just knew that it no longer defined who I was, it no longer had any power over me. I didn’t ask God for it, I didn’t pray about it (except for in the negative), and I didn’t expect it, but it happened.
A year later, in the spring of 2017, I found myself scouting a project for the Wayne National Forest in Athens, Ohio. Athens is a small college town with a nice campus and a “strip” that houses shopping, restaurants, and bars. It was a beautiful sunny day when I arrived, and saving the field work for the next day, I explored the town and ended up walking the strip. As I walked the sun was shining brightly on a brick wall across the street, and in that brick wall was an open door, and in the open door was blackness. It was literally a black rectangle in a brick wall. Music, laughter, talking, and the clinks of glasses could be heard as they leaked out into the street. I contemplated my new freedom from alcohol, and I concluded that last year that black hole in the wall would have been my first stop, and possibly my only stop, before I stumbled out and went back to my hotel room. Instead, I enjoyed a nice walk, saw the sites, and ended up in a restaurant that grew its own vegetables. This restaurant also produced its own line of craft beers, about 40 of them! I received a menu and the waitress said she’d be right back. I picked out a dish for dinner and then contemplated the rows of tappers on the walls. I wondered if it would hurt is I had one glass of beer. I had everything under control, a freed man from the grips of alcohol, so surely, I could enjoy the taste of one beer. Then I thought better of it, and leaned towards a sampler, what is called a flight. Then I could taste more than one kind and still have the equivalent of one beer. Ready to order, and pleased with my ability to enjoy these drinks, thanks to the freedom I received a year earlier, I waited for the waitress to come back. She didn’t come. I waited. I thought. She didn’t come. I waited. I thought. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart. He said, “Chris, if you want to give back to Me the gift I gave to you, then that is your choice.” The waitress came. I ordered water.
Do you see how easy it is, even unknowingly, to return or reject a gift or a blessing the Lord has given to us? If I had taken those drinks that day, isn’t it possible that I would have lost the protection of that miracle I received a year earlier? A miracle, mind you, that affected my life so profoundly that I was walking down a sidewalk a year later contemplating how it had radically changed my life! I was minutes away from returning that gift to God!
What does God say in His word?
Maybe you haven’t returned a gift from God, but have you set one aside, or put one on a shelf for a little while? Then it is time to pick it back up, dust it off, and reclaim it. James 1:17 tells us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” That tells me if God gave you a gift, He gave it to you for a reason, and that reason still stands because God does not second guess the gifts He gives to you. It is still there, you can take it back, even if the world has deceived you away from it, or even taken it away from you. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that another gift from God is that we have been saved through faith, by grace. It is not our own doing. You have an abundance of grace available to you, and it is full of love which will cover a multitude of sins. The world, your mistakes, even your rebellion, can’t take you away from God, because by grace you have been saved through faith. I know you still have that faith.
Finally, God gave us the greatest gift in the history of the world. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” He did not send His Son to condemn you, He sent Jesus to save you, to give you life that you may have it in abundance on this side of heaven. I can testify that I am a free man today, only because I have Jesus Christ in my heart. If you have forgotten Jesus, or have not yet considered Him, now is the time to return and now is the time to seek. Do not wait. You are only putting off the greatest journey of your life.
Believe. Taste and see. Search your heart for what is already there.
Amen.
by CnC | Sep 30, 2021 | My blog |
Have you ever seen a miracle? Have you witnessed a miracle either in your own life or in the life of another? It can be anything: A life altering event that couldn’t have happened in the natural, or a coincidence that you were certain was not, or even the miracle of perfection in the tiny flower we call the Virginia spring beauty.
First, let’s define what a miracle is. The most common definition of a miracle is “an event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws, and it therefore considered the work of a divine agency.” Other definitions water it down to “a highly improbable event, which brings pleasant consequences.” Followed by an even less thrilling definition of an “amazing achievement.” Look at the progression of those three definitions. What do you see? I see a methodic retreat from anything related to God to the point where He is completely taken out of the picture, a retreat that ends with a glorification of SELF. Do you see it?
The miracles we experience, when we tell them to a skeptical and an unbelieving culture, are unmercifully stolen from us. Chance meetings with people who are on our hearts are passed off as coincidence. Unexplained healings become mistakes made at the hospital. A time saving parking space is random luck. The perfection seen in creation is called “evolution.”
Let me tell you a story, the one that put this writing on my heart. My son suffered a head injury in 2021. At the hospital he was conscious and talking to me. The cat-scan revealed a skull fracture and blood on his brain. As time passed, he stopped talking, he stared blankly at the ceiling, and his hands were frozen in the air. I asked the doctor what was wrong with him. He said there is fluid on his brain and his brain is swelling, his condition is deteriorating, and he needs to get to surgery immediately. My wife and I prayed. We prayed to God, declaring that He is the Creator and Healer. We asked God to intervene and to back the fluid off his brain and to take away the swelling. We asked Him to restore our son, completely. As I drove alone to St. Louis the report from the hospital when the helicopter landed was that our son was in surgery, and the first step was to see if there was any swelling or fluid on the brain. If there was, they would have to stabilize him and wait for the swelling to go down, this could take days. If there wasn’t then they would perform the surgery immediately. We prayed the same prayer. “You, God, are the Creator, and the Healer. You can reverse the fluids and the swelling. We love and praise You, God. Our faith is in You.” In the natural the surgery would be postponed until the fluids were drained away and the swelling went down, but we don’t live by the natural. We live by the spiritual. The next phone call told me they were doing the surgery now, my wife was giving her consent, there was no swelling! Amen! He is with us, right now in this situation. He is with our son, and we knew right then and there that our son would be brought through this by the mighty and loving hand of God Himself!
When I started telling this story to friends and family, I didn’t receive the soul saving response I had hoped for, even naively expected. The responses I heard were, “You can’t really see what’s going on just from a cat-scan.” “That’s why you always get a second opinion.” “The first doctor wasn’t a neuro specialist. He wouldn’t know.” I heard this so much, and I am ashamed to say, I started to believe it. Sure, the people in our church claimed it was a miracle, but I wondered if they just weren’t repeating the same words they always used in situations like this, and I wondered if the majority was right.
I struggled with this for weeks, until our son received a letter in the mail. It was from April Irons, a woman from our church. I don’t remember all April said in that letter, but at the end of it she wrote with boldness, surety, faith and simplicity, “This was a miracle!” That is when the revelation came, when God spoke. It was then that I knew the world had succeeded in softening my faith, in diluting it a little. In that moment I realized that if I was going to have this miracle then I needed to keep it, I needed to claim it and hold onto it. I needed to declare it with total faith. I needed to decide if I was going to believe it or not. From that day on I haven’t doubted the miracle that took place on the cold February night. The one where God Almighty laid His hands on my boy and personally prepared him for surgery. I repented and asked God to forgive my unbelief, I was so ashamed of myself. But remember this, every time you come through a trial of faith you come out a stronger Christian then when you went in. You come out with more heavenly knowledge, a greater realization of your need for grace, and a closer bond with your heavenly Father. Despair becomes delight, when it brings you to His feet.
Remember the Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his beloved servant in Matthew 8? Or the synagogue leader whose daughter was raised from the dead in Mark 5? How about the woman who was healed from a twelve-year illness when she touched Jesus’ cloak in the same chapter of Mark? Can you imagine anyone saying these things to them? “Your servant as sick for a long time. It is only natural he has finally recovered.” Or “Someone made a mistake; the girl was not dead after all. You should have asked a professional to look at her.” Or “What a coincidence, your twelve-year illness has vanished. Maybe when you were pushed down in that large crowd it fixed something inside you!” These are miracles performed by Jesus Christ, in real time, and I would have to assume that there were people who made these statements.
So, I encourage you, hold on to the miracles you know you have received or witnessed. The world will deny them, just like it denies Jesus Christ, just like it denies God Almighty. Remember who you are, a son or daughter of God. Remember what you battle, powers and principalities. Remember what you have, the Word of God.
Also know that by the Spirit of God you must discern what you are to share, with whom, and when. By no means are you meant to run around and tell everyone you meet about all the miracles God has done in your life. Look at Luke 2:19 and Luke 2:51, and see what Mary, the mother of Jesus, did as she witnessed the miracles of her Son’s upbringing. She kept them in her heart and pondered over them. She kept them to herself. It is good to keep these things for yourself and to yourself. If you run into the Monday morning meeting week after week and jubilantly tell your co-workers that God prepared a strategic parking space for you because you were running late, you will not be advancing the Kingdom on earth. Be humble and treasure what God has given you. Read about Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:12-19. He showed off all that God had blessed him with, and he was not considered righteous for it.
But in all seriousness about that great parking space you just scored when you were in a hurry, you need to decide if you’re going to recognize God’s hand in that or not. Many people are quick to say, “All for His glory,” but do they really mean it? Do you really mean it? We can easily give God the glory for surviving a car accident, but if you’re going to give Him “all” the glory, then He gets credit for your parking space too.
Luke 2:19
19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:49-52
49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Mark 10:27
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Jeremiah 32:27
27 “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
by CnC | Aug 27, 2021 | My blog |
We all have scars. They can come in many forms, not only the visible remembrances of an injury or a surgery. Other scars are emotional, unseen wounds, that even when explained appear too minor to be considered tragic. A scar can be a tattoo permanently drawn into your skin, a hole created by a piercing, or signs of early aging from long-term substance abuse. Some are regrets that we carry, memories of actions that we would take back if only we could, regrets of pain we have caused others. Forgiveness we desire from those who will not be able to give it on their own accord. The pains of a former life lived in drug addiction or abuse.
The tragedy of our scars is not what they represent about our past, but what they can do to our future. Too many of us have allowed our scars, our past, to define who we are today, and where we will go tomorrow. We have allowed our scars to tell us that we don’t belong here or there, that we can’t do this or that, or we will never be anything else. They tell us that we have already determined our fate in life, and that there is no going back, that scars remain forever. We have let our past, our scars, define who we are.
Like the smell of a skunk’s spray weeks after the unfortunate encounter, it is true that our scars can linger, they can stay with us. Even when we are in the midst of a time of peace and joy, the past can sneak up on us in the most unlikely places and methods, reminding us of who we are, telling us we will never escape the reality we created in years past. But that is a lie, because the past is nothing, it is gone. Below are some Biblical ways to overcome the past and discover a new path forward.
- Do not let your scars keep you from seeking, finding, and keeping God in your heart.
- God loves you. Yes, you! He loves you in the same way He loves me, just as much as He loves the little old lady from church who prays to Him every day. Believe that, because it is true. You may not have accepted Him, but He is waiting for you. Do not think for a moment that you couldn’t possibly turn to God, for any reason. Maybe you think the people around you would not agree, or the tattoos you have are evil, or your job is in a sinful industry. That is not your concern when it comes to you and God. These things are of the world, and when you hear people say to “come as you are,” that is exactly what it means. You don’t have to change anything in your life to kneel down and pray to God for the first time. He understands where you are, where you came from, and why. Jesus Christ walked the earth, and one of the reasons He did so was to ensure us that He is sympathetic to our struggle in this world, a struggle that has put us all in the same boat. Rich or poor, black or white, east or west, we are all sinners of equal magnitude in His sight. What is required of you is that you seek Him, and He will guide you into a relationship with Him, a relationship that will change your life.
- Do not let your scars continue to define who you are today
- Regret is a powerful and potentially life changing emotion. In the feeling of regret we know we have done wrong, we know we would not want to do it again, and we know we want to change. Does not regret call us to change? But so often we regress back to where we were before the regret, to try it again, hoping for a different, better, more acceptable outcome. Tomorrow is a new day, and yesterday is gone forever. The Bible tells us all we have is this day, this moment. Use it, right now, to start change in your life.
- Remove from your life those things, or people, that encourage your embracing of the past
- This is true for most of us who have experienced addiction. If we continue to surround ourselves with the same people who enable us to continue using alcohol, drugs, or sex, then we can not escape the hold it has on us. I know people who have left town, literally moved, in order to get clean. Our environments, acquaintances, and routines can discourage change, even if we are in toxic situations. We find we can not escape, it just won’t let us. It is hard to move on, to reject relationships with others who do not see the errors of their ways. Many times they are in as much pain as we are, and we bring comfort to each other through our toxic behavior. But it is a reality we must face, and a difficult decision we must take. In the end, both parties could be saved, but someone has to have the courage to act first, regardless of the pain it may cause.
- A child does not let the use diapers in the past determine how they use the bathroom in the future
- You were young once. Inexperienced, under the influence of others (others who may not have been godly, nonetheless kind), looking for adventure, pushing limits, learning, discovering, and making mistakes along the way. It’s OK, it is called life. But we grow, do we not? We gain experience and knowledge. The very essence of these insights is the encouragement to use them to build a better life. To use our past mistakes to make better decisions.
- Let your scars be something you have to offer for good, not for continuing in the darkness they created
- Pain and damage can be hard to overcome. One way to conquer our scars is to use them for good. Your experiences were real, and there is wisdom to be gotten through them. Sharing your experiences with others who are struggling in the same way you have, like addiction, or serving those who are in positions you have overcome, like homelessness, are powerfully encouraging to others. And when you do these things through our Lord Jesus, they are anointed and used to change lives. Lay down your scars at the foot of the cross and let the Lord use them for His kingdom. But first, you must surrender to Him, giving Him your life, your past, and your future. Your scars don’t have to be for you to keep, you can give them to God, and He will take those burdens from you.
Let’s look at the scars of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Physically He was cut and pierced, leaving scars on His back, in His side, on His head, and on His hands and feet. Emotionally He was humiliated, ridiculed, threatened, falsely accused, and denied. Socially He was isolated, rejected, and sorrowful. He was mocked by the religious elite, and abandoned as a fraud by the rest of His people. On a worldly level, the mental and physical turmoil Jesus experienced would be detrimental to the future of most of us. If we had survived, we never would have recovered, never again feeling worthy or fully accepted. But it is not men and women who we seek to be accepted by, for you can see what the results of those relationships are. Our calling, your calling, is to seek God, His favor, His love, and His grace. When you can see that, the scars on your body, the emotional damage and humiliation you suffered, the addictions that have controlled and defined you, the tattoos that represent former desires and attitudes, will mean nothing under the awesomeness and holiness of the love and the future God has for you.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our Savior. He died and was risen in victory to break the hold this world has on you and to give you the opportunity to be reunited with God, your Creator! Look at this world and consider how it leads you, where it leads you, and what it leads you to. You must be able to see the futility of pursuing desires that can not be quenched. Who of you has ever drank enough alcohol to bring lasting peace? Who has consumed enough cocaine or marijuana to achieve newness? Who of you has had enough sex to be satisfied for any length of time? Who has enough toys, games, cars, square footage, or online friends to fill the hole in your heart?
Have you considered God? Have you considered the historical, proven truth of Jesus Christ and what that might mean in your life? Have you considered to break away from days already gone, and look forward to the new?
Isaiah 51
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You
Zechariah 1
3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. 4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the Lord.
Joel 2
12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
13 So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
Jeremiah 30
16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
Those who plunder you shall become plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will make a prey.
17 For I will restore health to you
And heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord,
‘Because they called you an outcast saying:
“This is Zion;
No one seeks her.”
Isaiah 1
16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor;
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 9:2
The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
by CnC | Jul 31, 2021 | Christian Thought, My blog |
It has been known since the beginning of church history that we (believers) have not been united. When the western church slaughtered the eastern church in the Crusades we knew our political and cultural differences would continue to burden us. When Reformers slaughtered the Anabaptists over the issue of adult baptism, we knew that our opinions and our pride would trump acceptance of others who think differently. Before the most recent cultural invasion of our churches, which has made fractured denominations largely irrelevant, those denominations and their beliefs reminded us all that we could not be one on this side of heaven. We have hidden ourselves inside our own buildings, comfortable with the people we know, to the point that a member of one church would not go to another church’s fundraiser or outreach. Often believers who reach out to another church for assistance on a project will be turned away because, as they will likely tell you, “You are not a member of this congregation.”
I was thinking during a three-hour event that intended to bring the local churches together for a night of worship, how, or why, our local churches have largely isolated and kept to themselves. I believe it goes way beyond the fact that most churches are busy with their own missions, with some spending countless hours serving the poor, others serving families, others preparing missionaries, while others serve internationals. Being stretched so thin already, how could they participate in someone else’s ministry? Of course, they cannot. But they can make time to come together to celebrate our common beliefs and the mission we all share, to exude the love of Jesus and our faith in Him.
In my mind, it is political affiliation, opinions on social reform, economic ideas, and the way different churches apply the Bible to our current culture that are keeping us apart today. What do all these things have in common? They don’t belong behind the pulpit. I’ve experienced first-hand what it is like to listen to pastors include their political stance into their Sunday sermons. While I shared the views of the pastor, it was painful for me to listen to it each week, and others in the congregation did not necessarily share his views. It divided the church body and caused a lot of pain. I attended a weekly Zoom session that was dubbed as a Q&A on the Bible, which actually turned into a platform for the pastor to expose all the political and social conspiracy theories he read about or heard on the news. On a very poplar and favorite radio station I listen to in St. Louis, which hosts many of America’s top biblical preachers, I have heard their newest preacher in the lineup take a shot at economic policies of the current federal administration, give opinions on the war in Afghanistan, immigration policy, take jabs at the welfare system and more, without fail, every time I hear him speak; and his audience never cheers louder in the pews than when he throws punches at political, societal, and cultural topics. It is embarrassing to me to listen to the congregation applause and cheer at this rhetoric, it is clear the validation of their opinions and position are much more important to them than drawing nearer and being more like Jesus Christ. Still, in another experience, I talked to a pastor of a church who said he did not believe the Bible was completely relevant in today’s culture, and that we needed to interpret it to fit what we feel and believe in, today.
I can honestly say it has made me angry and is still making me angry today. I wonder if it is my place to tell a pastor what he or she should preach or speak on, if it is my place to feel such emotion over what the leaders of churches believe. After all, I am what they call a layman. I did not go to seminary, and I don’t have a degree or any right as far as I know to teach the Bible. But I do believe in the Holy Spirit, and I am certain, based on what I’ve read in the Bible, that He will give us the knowledge and wisdom to discern biblical truth and the voice of God when He wills.
Ephesians 1:16-18
…remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened…
1 Corinthians 2:10-12
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
Galatians 1:11-12
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
I meditated on that anger and my thoughts went to Jesus, who flipped over the tables of the money changers in the temple. The Bible says He was angry, angry because His Father’s house was being defiled. He was zealous for the Father and for His authority and due respect. What an action He took! Today, fellow believers, I think it is time we flipped over some tables! Excuse me for a moment while I use Biblical prose to speak in the Old Testament prophetic (I do not claim to speak prophetically here):
The Lord, your God says,
“You are using My pulpit to advance political agendas and your affiliations to political parties. You are causing division and anger, and most certainly isolation. Flip that table over and get it out of My house!
You criticize your leaders for their economic policies and their ideas for social reforms, insisting that yours are better. Why have you not prayed for the leaders I have placed above you? Instead you spread anger and hate for those I have placed in authority. Flip that table over and get it out of My house!
The judgements you make on people who are involved with social and political movements you do not agree with, no matter how wrong the movement might be, it is on a table in My sanctuary. They are my children too, and they are lost, hurting, bitter, and afraid! Who are you to judge? Did I not teach you to love? Flip that table over and get it out of My house!
To the liberal churches who no longer believe My Word is absolute and infallible truth, who fear preaching My truth due to the retribution they may face, who have bowed down to the demands of culture and the despicable idols of today, flip that table over and get it out of My house!
And for the congregations, who have joined together and gathered around pastors who will proclaim their political, social, and economic leanings, so they can feel safe in numbers, so they can know where their allies are, flip that table of pride and self over and get it out of My house!”
(I love reading the prophets!)
Jesus Christ spent some of His most precious and final words praying to the Father that we would be one in Him and in the Father, just as He and the Father are one.
Ephesians 4:4-6
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
How can we be one when we are divided so easily on the whims of the current (or previous) administration or the current cultural movement or the current social upheaval? How can we be one when one church preaches the Word of God, while another preaches current politics sprinkled with the Word of God, and yet another has thrown the Word of God out the window in favor of the demands of culture and how we feel? We cannot and we will not, until we can remove ourselves and our emotions and refocus on the focal point, the truth as spoken by the Word of God, the Bible.
When Paul was in Roman custody, in Caesar’s house, he did not bargain with or try to convince Caesar to change his policy on welfare, economics, slavery, or war. He preached the Gospel of Jesus. Why do we invest our time together as a body on these matters? Do you not see that this path is dividing us even further than our traditional differences in biblical interpretation ever could?
(As a footnote, don’t think for a minute that I don’t feel that biblical truths against abortion, sexuality, and oppression should be spoken on in church. Quite the contrary. These are biblical truths, not political sides, and I’ve heard many pastors speak on these biblical truths while keeping politics out of it. If you are looking for one listen too, check out Alistair Begg from Truth for Life Ministries (https://www.truthforlife.org/). I once made a simple statement in a church worship service I was leading that we need to “let our little boys be little boys and our little girls be little girls.” I was reprimanded and essentially fired by the pastor for being “political” in church. Hogwash! This pastor fears the world and what the world thinks when biblical truth is spoken and defended. There is a clear difference in preaching Truth and social/political bickering. If you can’t discern it, then pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you, He will be faithful to those who are seeking.)
by CnC | Jul 6, 2021 | Christian Thought, My blog |
Does not God know the number of the days we have to live? The Bible says that it is so, therefor it is truth. It is a fact that death awaits all of us, one day. Maybe it will come slowly, its approach well announced, and its arrival accepted. Or maybe it will come suddenly, without warning, taking us away and depriving us of any chance of repentance, opportunity, or farewell. Which is better? I suppose it depends on the circumstance, but it is probably safe to say that knowing the end is in close proximity would be desirable for most, if anything at least to use the remaining time to say goodbye.
But it wasn’t the case for him. Recently retired, in love, living a relaxed existence, unloading the toys of his younger days as he consciously unburdened and simplified his life, he was planning the next 15 years of the good life. Current events would have been the fireworks show this 4th of July, the pontoon boat on Labor Day. Future plans might have included a trip to Mount Rushmore, or where he’d watch the 2024 eclipse.
I can picture his last day. While his woman was out of town visiting family he stayed on the homestead, alone and content, piddling around in the garage, smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, and more often than not, mowing the large lawn and taking care of the grounds. He wanted for not much else than this simple existence, he was happy; they were happy.
When concerns were raised I was certain there was an explanation, but when I walked into the garage the next morning I was now certain the concerns were legitimate. Talking to her on the phone I entered the house, but he wasn’t there. I assumed he would have passed inside of a heart attack, and would have preferred it that way. What could have possibly happened out here? Going outside I saw a group of vultures in the yard, but there was noting else there. I told her I’d call her back after I walked around. The vultures held my attention for too long. At first it wasn’t comprehendible, unrecognizable. A double take and denial continued to rebuke reality; it couldn’t be real, maybe a Halloween decoration, but not real. Then the sudden, voluntary deep breath in, audible and familiar. A hand follows to cover the mouth as if to prevent any more of your own soul from escaping your body. Immediately doubts and alternative outcomes try to convince the mind in hopes of changing reality. Maybe it is not him! Maybe I am seeing it wrong. Finally, the two arms, bloated, discolored, and locked in place, sticking up out of the water as if they were reaching for heaven, desperately wanting to be saved, are recognized for what they are. His lawn mower was visible just beneath the water. A glance revealed the delicacies the vultures had preferred. Far from a scene of salvation, more like a scene from the pit of hell.
The journey from incomprehension to acceptance took seconds to complete. My friend, a man whom I’ve known for four years, was dead. The eyes that I had looked into, the eyes that revealed the kindness and simplicity that defined him were no more. The personality I interacted with had been extinguished. The easy-going neighbor, who liked to drink beer and show his love for us by mowing his yard, my yard, and the roadside up and down the lane, was gone. The voice that spoke no harsh words, nor revealed any pride or envy or bitterness, had been unexpectedly silenced forever. The work he enjoyed had ceased.
Taking no more steps closer, not wanting to carry the weight of any more detail on my shoulders, I turned and walked away from the pond. Mumbling what, I don’t remember, I hit my knees when I’d felt I had gotten far enough away and cried for my friend and the tragic end to his young life, and for the loss of those closest to him. In the hours that would follow, which blended into days, I would come back to that scene in the pond. I contemplated the burden of discovering that a living soul had ceased to be, being, at least for a short while, the only person who knew what his fate was. Being the person who would start the chain of events that would ultimately inform his family and friends of his tragic death. I wondered what kind of spiritual impact it had in the unseen. I contemplated on his final moments, wondering if he went straight under, pinned beneath the mower 30 seconds before he succumbed to the water’s superiority, or if he was able to get his head out, just high enough to take a breath. How long did he struggle in that posture before he was unable to fight any longer? I am so sorry, my friend. What a simple mistake, to simple to cause such calamity and pain. To perfect to result in this most tragic and permanent outcome. How viable it is that you would have stood and climbed out of that pond, losing only a lawn mower and a few breaths.
I wonder, now that you are gone, if you carried the Holy Spirit in your heart, if you knew how to give your life to Jesus Christ. We never talked about that. We only talked about projects we were working on, what we did over the weekend, simple and non-threatening, friendly and easy-going. Sometimes I was too busy, or in too much of a hurry to talk at all. I admit, sometimes I’d cut the conversation short, severing the little time we had, because I had something more pressing to do and I didn’t want to “waste” the time. I’m so sorry, my friend.
I gave you a copy of my CD, and now I realize my passive method of witnessing does not show up to the table when it really counts. It is a coward’s approach. How many others have I cheated by handing off a CD of unfamiliar songs, amateurly recorded, expecting that to lead them onto a path of considering the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Why don’t I use the giving as the start of the conversation, an opening for the deeper question? Now all I can do is hope. Hope that you knew Jesus and hope that I’ll see you again in the glories of heaven.
And, it feels most of the time, all I can do for the masses of people who are out there, living apart from God, largely in response to the influence of the world around them, is to offer yet another plea via a passive medium to consider God in your hearts. We do not know the day or the hour of our own demise, nor of the plans of God to send His Son, Jesus Christ, meaning urgency is prudent. Do not delay because you want to do it on your own accord, not because someone urged you too, lest you give them any credit or reason to boast. Think of the last time you considered God but passed on the thoughts because someone else was involved, or the situation wasn’t right, or you thought you’d do it tomorrow. How many times have you done that? When will the time be just right for you to consider? Now! It is now. He is waiting, patiently with love and anticipation at your running into His open arms.
by CnC | Jun 20, 2021 | Christian Thought, My blog |
On my way home at the end of a three-day road trip for work, I was flipping through the channels on the radio and I landed on a rock n’ roll station. The guitar riff, grabbing my attention, caused me to pause. The thing is I don’t listen to rock n’ roll much anymore, and when I do catch a good classic that takes me back, I usually end up turning it one or two songs later. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sound of the genre, I grew up on it, and for a time, was partially defined by it. However, the spiritual conviction that the majority of secular music creates in me is not the focus of this message. This message is about the song, and the artist that I happened to land on that late autumn day.
It was a song I’ve never heard before, and the singer sounded just like Ozzy Osbourne. I assumed it was a new band with a lead singer that had a similar vocal style, because I haven’t heard anything from Ozzy for years. As I listened to the lyrics it I was rapidly aware that they were dark and sad, even tragic, song. The lyrics told me this was a man who had given his life to the darkness and was admitting he was going to hell. It was hard to tell if he was willing to go or if he felt he had no choice, like it was too late. These lyrics were so dark and tragic that I became more confident this was not Ozzy. I knew his music. I saw him at OzzFest when Black Sabbath reunited with their lead guitar player, Tony Iommi. I had all of their recordings on CD. This wasn’t Ozzy’s song writing style, even though the lyrics could easily be transposed onto his life and potential eternal destiny. However, when the song was over the DJ announced that Ozzy Osbourne had released a new album, and my heart broke for this man.
Ozzy Osbourne, I need to talk to you. When I heard the lyrics of this song, which led me to read others from your new album, I found myself listening to a man who was very much aware of the reality, the activities, and the consequences of the spiritual world. It is clear that you know God exists, and you know it is a choice to either serve Him or not. But it is also clear that you are crying out for a miracle, that you are well aware of what you have dedicated your life too, the darkness, and that eternity for you, and many people that you have known, is hell. When I heard that song, I heard a man who felt trapped in his darkness and in his destiny. A man who feels that no matter what he does or how much he wants it, believes he can not change his fate; and Ozzy, that is a lie.
Ozzy, I need to tell you, man to man, as a man who was once just as lost as you are, that God loves you, and He wants you to be saved, He wants you in heaven with Him. After hearing your lyrics, I need to tell you that the devil can never win, and that you haven’t sold your soul to him, because it was never his to buy. He is only a liar and a deceiver. You can change your destiny, and you can turn to the light. I pray for you Ozzy. I pray for your pain, and that the cries for help that you bravely sing in your songs will be heard. I pray for your salvation, that you will see the light of Jesus Christ. All you have to do, Ozzy, is talk to Him. Admit to Him that you’ve served the darkness, but now you want to know Him, to be changed by Him, to be saved by Him, because He already loves you, Ozzy Osbourne.
I picked lyrics from three of your songs that I want to discuss with you. You wrote “Jesus Christ, I wish you heard me cryin’ out for help,” and I can tell you that Jesus Christ does hear you, Ozzy. He hears your cry for help, the same way I could hear it on the radio. But you need to act on His love, on the salvation that He provided to you through the cross and His resurrection. It is a matter of the heart, never the mind.
You know that hell is not a party. When you sang “my friends are waiting for me, I can hear them crying out for help,” it is clear you know they are suffering in the absence of God. No one serves the devil in hell, they only suffer with him. You know this in your heart, and it doesn’t have to be your fate.
You sing “Pray for me Father, for I know not what I do,” and “I gotta tell a million lies but I’ll be holy tonight.” These words are sung in the context of a song that hints to your approaching death. I can tell you from my own experience, that you are no different than me or any other flesh and blood sinner. We all do what we don’t want to do or what we know we shouldn’t do. This world has played its games on all of us, it has hurt us, and given us false promises. Our hearts, where the word of God is written, tell us this every day. You don’t have to tell lies to become holy in the eyes of God, He already knows all, and there is nothing hidden from Him. The blood of Jesus has already cleansed you, and you can be holy tonight in His sight, by asking His Son into your heart. It is not too late, just know that you have to seek Him, you have to be willing.
What causes me to respond to these songs so passionately is that you have spiritual knowledge, you know what the truth is, but I fear that you don’t believe it is available to you. But I know that it is! Finally, from the song that started all this for me you sang “don’t take care of me, be scared of me, my misery owns me.” Lay it at His feet, Ozzy. He will take the burden from you. It might hurt, no, it will hurt, because love always hurts, but you will come out of it a new man, a man of God, with no shame, only hope, and faith. Let God own you and give your life to Him.
God bless you, Ozzy Osbourne. May His face shine upon you. If you need to talk, I’m available. 618 534 2958
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