Holiday Reflections

I know Christmas is passed and a brand new year has begun, but I’m still trying to resolve the seasons and celebrations in my mind. Every year that rolls another Christmas or Easter around, has me remembering years past, and wondering if we are missing something.

As a child, I remember fondly Christmases when everything was magical and I truly believed that reindeer could fly, snowmen come to life, and waited in anticipation for Christmas morning. I was indeed snuggled all safe in my bed, while visions of sugarplums danced in my head. I had wonderful Christian parents who, though they “fed my imagination” at times, also gave me a firm grasp on truth and where to go  to find it.

We all make mistakes with our children, and we were no different. Looking back there are many things I would have done differently. One thing I’m thankful for is the different cultural perspective on holidays they received from living overseas. Unfortunately, we brought a lot of cultural baggage with us, which I lovingly refer to as tradition. 

When we moved to Romania, I found it interesting how different holidays (holy days) were celebrated. Easter was the most significant of the year and was celebrated all week long…….. in church. There was no bunny and no egg hunt, the emphasis was completely and solely on Christ and the fact that He was risen from the dead, alive forever more.

On the 16^th of December, all “good” children cleaned their boots and had them neatly displayed outside the door so that St. Nicholas could come and fill them with nice things. This was not to be confused with Christmas, which was celebrated the 24^th and 25^th of December…….. in church. The emphasis was on the fact that God became man and dwealt among us. At night during the week of Christmas we always had carolers and we, ourselves, went caroling, singing (like the angels) and declaring the coming of the newborn king. There was something magical in that, too. Opening up a window onto the street. The light from the moon falling on the group of bundled up singers. Snow falling softly and voices rising in praise to our God. Afterward we would invite them in for something warm to drink and whatever goodies we had baked. It’s one of the things I remember most fondly and miss the most about the country of Romania.

I don’t begrudge a child their years of wonder, or their imagination and pretending. I just don’t think we realize, as Christian people, what WE have done with the holidays that were purposed for celebrating our Lord. I hear a lot of moaning about the holidays being too commercialized and stressful. I hear a lot of talk about losing the ability to say Merry Christmas. These are just symptoms of a much bigger problem. I don’t mean to be too condemning, because I know how easy it is to let the world sidetrack us and steal our joy.  I know there are many Christian people who work hard to keep the focus on Christ in Christmas. The truth is, Easter and Christmas in America, have Christ playing back seat to a bunny with colored eggs and a fat man in a red suit. We are indeed missing something. We have lost our joy. Traded it in actually, just as Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of soup. I suppose what I’m saying is that traditions are beautiful things. We definitely want to pass things down from one generation to another. We just need to make sure that what we are preserving is true, genuine,  and God honoring.

Political Weeds - An Observation

Every year in my garden, between May and July, there is something that springs up that I fondly refer to as “devil weeds”. They grow up with our peas and if we don’t get to them fast it is too late. They take over as quickly as ants would a grain of sugar. They look innocent enough but as soon as you reach down to try to pull one you discover they have long sharp thorns that are inescapable and razor sharp. You have to get the hoe and go deep to take them out at the root.

I’ve listened to debates and news aplenty the past few months and it occurred to me that we have these same weeds in our politics. They are horrible things that are rooted deep and will sting terribly if you touch them. I’m speaking of real issues like abortion and gay marriage among a multitude of others. Many Christians are out there hoeing away trying to go deep enough to root these monsters out and just not having a lot of success. Our country has been taken over and I’ll tell you why. We have been attacked at our foundation. The soil that so many Christians are throwing their seed (children) into has already been taken over by the enemy.

Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth.”

This truth is at the root of our faith and yet, our roots have been cut . Why are we losing over 80% of our children to the world? They have been systematically taught that there is NO God. We have little cliché excuses that make us feel better, like, “Our kids have a Christian teacher,” or “That’s really not taught at our school.” I’m 45 years old and even when I was in elementary and middle school we were “indoctrinated” with the “facts” that we evolved from monkeys. I can still see the little 2 pg. layout in my 6^th grade Social Studies book showing all the “stages” of man beginning with the APE. Even though my teacher told us that she didn’t believe this way, a picture is worth a thousand words. Children coming out of the public school system with their faith intact is strictly by the grace of God. And then at the college level, professors are “let go” from our top universities quite often for believing in a literal 6 day creation. All we have to do is look at the leaders of our country to see the effects of this.

If a politician believes in a literal creation today, they are a laughing stock, and labeled as a religious fanatic. Evolution is just assumed in any documentary that you watch, and yet an overwhelming number of scientists are saying it’s not a viable theory. I’m afraid it’s too late. Satan has done his best work in our education system. I’m thankful that we still have the freedom in our country to religiously educate our children, whether it be at home or at private schools, but the evidence is clear that the majority of our country does not believe in our God. President Obama was so right when he said that we were no longer a Christian nation.

We are reaping what we have sown. Since 1973, 54.5+ MILLION babies have been killed in the U.S. alone. Just from this statistic, without even touching the other weeds, it’s evident that our country does not believe in the God of the Bible.

We now look forward to another 4 years of a president who, from everything I have seen and read, is systematically trying to destroy our country. The majority of our country voted for this, and celebrated a great victory this month. I’m thinking at this point, all I can do is pray. I’m putting my hoe away. We can still gather the harvest as it comes in, but from experience I can tell you there is going to be pain involved.

Choosing a Church, Part 4 - Evangelism Implosion

When considering which church to attend, we must ask ourselves what a church should be. What is it’s primary purpose? I’m not even sure how it happened, but somewhere along the way our view of church has been turned upside down. The fundamental reason of church has changed over the years. The age of stadium evangelism has had a definite affect on the church and brought us into an age where most churches have an evangelistic, salvation message every Sunday morning so that the congregation can sing “Just As I Am” and the altar call can be given. I know the motive for this and I’m not trying to condemn anyone or make light of sincere conviction. The only problem is that we can be sincerely wrong.

We were missionaries for 10 years, so I definitely realize that reaching the lost is our goal. I can also say without hesitation that the church was NEVER intended to be an evangelistic tool. The church was established so that the saved could come together to worship, be strengthened and edified, and prepare themselves for war. The church was meant to be a retreat or a “sanctuary”  for a battle scarred, war torn people who were on the front lines every day of their lives. They sacrificed all they were and all they had to reach the lost in the world around them.

In Matthew we find the commission to the church to “GO, baptize, and teach” or disciple people, if you will, and all of that is done as you are GOING. As we “go out into the world”, which most of us do on a daily basis, we are supposed to take every opportunity to tell people about the object of our faith. Our message is the same one that John the Baptist preached, “REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We have the same message that Jonah preached to Nineveh, “REPENTANCE”. We have the same message that Jesus preached, “…unless ye REPENT, you shall all likewise perish.” God help us, this is not an easy task. Jesus also said, “ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” Matthew 15:18,19 Have you ever wondered why they hated Christ? There were a number of reasons, but one of them was His message. When you tell someone to repent or they are going to perish, it infers that they have something to repent of.(sin) When you show someone their sin, they become angry. We have a nicer, gentler message today, that takes part of the truth and twists it, but doesn’t ruffle any feathers. The new message is this, “God loves you(which is true) and he understands you.(true) All you have to do is ask Jesus in your heart and you can go to heaven to be with Him forever.(not exactly true) When we leave out sin and repentance, we not only leave out the key to justification, we take away any reason for the world to hate us. That works out great for us, but not to good for anyone that we are trying to reach. Battling with Satan, and having the world hate them was why meeting daily and fellowship with the brethren was so important to the first church.  

Today, in our churches, we have become friends with the world. The church is “culturally relevant” and “seeker friendly” and many(not all) have become nothing more than glorified social clubs where believers come together with unbelievers to mingle. One would never want to offend the other. The message of the gospel is LOST.

When choosing a church, I recommend finding one that is fulfilling the great commission, the way Jesus instructed His disciples to do it. I’ll be really specific here. They need to be going OUT to reach the lost, not inviting them in every Wednesday for pizza and games.  Find a church where people are living out their faith on a daily basis. When our church has visitors we welcome them with open arms whether they are saved or lost. I’m not saying that the lost should not be welcome in churches. What I am trying to say, is that the church needs to carry out the purpose that it was intended for, in the way that Christ instructed for it to be carried out. When we start leaning to our own understanding, we get into trouble.

Choosing a Church, Part 3 - The Truth is Out There

Providentially, one of the things that we began doing when we returned from Romania was to go through a book of systematic theology by Norman Geisler.

Rob soon came to the realization that the sermons he had always prepared and preached were topical. This means that he chose a verse or verses from scripture and built a sermon around the passage, which is very typical of Baptist pastors. We had not heard much of the word of God preached expositorally or systematically.

When we started the church here, He determined to preach systematically through books of the Bible. He started in Romans and went verse by verse looking at words and their original meanings in context. I think all of us were surprised at the outcome. What we found was that even though we had all been taught the truth by great men of God and listened to powerful sermons, there were “holes”.

Before, when Rob sat down to study, he had a subject on his mind or he would find something that caught his attention that he would expound on and research. The problem with this is that inevitably things get passed over. Hard passages, things that are unclear or not easily understood are passed by or overlooked. Most of the time this is not even intentional, it just happens and then you have……holes.

So I said all of that to say this. When looking for a church home, search for truth in it’s entirety. Don’t settle for someone preaching to “itching ears”, telling the congregation what makes them feel good. The prescribed preaching of our day doesn’t want to condemn anyone or make them feel bad. Sin and hell are becoming taboo along with a lot of other things. There is a big problem with this. John 3 says we all stand condemned, and if there is no sin and no hell, what in the world is Jesus saving us from?

Several years ago someone asked my husband what Sunday School literature we would use, and he said none, that we were using the scripture as our text. Their reply was that you can get into all sorts of trouble doing that. Well, may be that’s true, we have certainly had some interesting discussions. Truth should be something we seek diligently. It should be our number one objective when we are looking for a church. So many times, we compromise and settle for a social club with enough games and gimmicks to keep our mind and body occupied so that we don’t actually have to face the truth, because the truth is not pleasant. We automatically seek pleasure and avoid pain. These are things that come naturally. When we truly seek God and the truth from His word, we get cut to the quick. A two edged sword cuts both ways and is not pleasurable coming or going, but it is needful. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:13 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” II Timothy 3:16

We didn’t arrive here overnight in this “hole” that we’re in. We are here because our pride tells us that no one has the right to “reprove, correct or instruct” me in anything. We have to realize before it’s too late that this is not true. The truth is out there. It’s harder than ever before to find someone called of God to declare it. If providence should lead you to a church that’s teaching it, you’re home.

Choosing a Church, Part 2

Many people today look at music as a decision making factor of where they will attend church. “I love the worship part of the service, it really gets me ready to hear the word, or I like the traditional hymns, and so on.” Music has been a huge part of my life, so I’m right here with you on this one. One of the things that I loved so much about our churches in Romania was the music. The people loved to sing and did so with no inhibition. They truly just made a joyful noise to the Lord and it was loud and strong and beautiful.

I remember when “worship and praise” music was becoming popular in churches and there was such a debate, especially between young and old, about the type of music that would be dominate in church. This goes right back to the problem of children not learning respect for their elders. Because this music makes ME  “FEEL” good and puts ME in the mood to worship, it has to be the best way, right? We have definitely learned the lesson well that it is all about “ME”.

I’ve seen churches go several different directions on this. I’ve seen churches split over it, I’ve seen churches segregate the age groups over it, I’ve seen split services, where the early morning service is “contemporary” and the later is “traditional” or vice versa. I have seen churches that just leave the traditional hymns and go strictly with praise and worship, which is where I think most have gone. Some try to incorporate both to make everyone happy.

When we first started having services, we did a good deal of looking back at the first church and what they did. What did their services look like. Even though our culture is a part of who we are, we don’t want it to rule us. Culture doesn’t dictate truth. Culture does affect our lives, but it changes with time and from place to place. Do we really want something that changes with the passage of time to be our standard of truth. Of course not. So, what did the first church sing? The Bible says, “… psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” All of us knew the hymns, and spiritual songs is a more broad term. Praise and worship music could even fall into this category, at least some of it. When we think about psalms, I could probably count the ones I knew on one hand. There were a few children’s songs I knew that were based on psalms, but not many. The elders discussed it and we ordered psalters. I have to admit when we first started singing psalms it was a little awkward. We didn’t know these songs and so it really didn’t “feel” right. It is still hard at times, but I can honestly say that it is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. God said His word doesn’t return void. What could be more beautiful that singing God’s words back to Him? We are also learning many of the psalms in 4 part harmony, which has also been a challenge. Sometimes after singing one that we’ve been working on for a while, the words of Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life”  come to mind, “Hot Dog! It’s just like an organ!”

I would say that music is definitely something to be considered in choosing a church home. Should it be a deciding factor? I don’t think so. It has too much sway over our emotions. The key is to look at the music in the church to discern whether it is God honoring, not according to how it makes us “feel”. My emotions and feelings can be manipulated and deceived. Not that they are bad, but I can’t trust them. Always go back to the word of God. The fact that there are actually songs in the Bible written specifically for praise and worship is amazing. I don’t see how we could do better than that.

How to Choose a Church, Part 1

As I drove by a church in town this week and read their sign it caused me to ponder the subject of choosing a church. How should we choose a church? The sign read, “Something for Everyone” and I immediately thought, “Really?” May be I’m a little cynical, but church signs bug me sometimes. That is another post entirely.

When we first came back from Romania our kids were 15 and 16 years old which is a really critical stage. Being raised in a developing country they were very different from the teenagers that they encountered here in the US, and each one in their own way was going through major culture shock. We were somewhat prepared for this, but the effect of life in a new country was greater than we had anticipated. My first thought in looking for a church was, “We need to find a church with a great youth group where our kids can make good Christian friends and assimilate into the culture.” That sounds logical, right? Many people choose a church according to the ages of their children. “This church has a nursery with people that I know and trust, or an amazing children’s program, a fantastic youth leader, or whatever.”

In the Bible, from the synagogues to the temples to the first churches in the New Testament you will never see a segregation of ages. Families worshiped and heard the word of God together. (Joshua 8:35)

The concept that children learn better when lessons are taught on their own level is very new. If we go back even 60-70 years to one room churches and schools, which many times were the same building, children were learning just as well if not better than they are now. But they weren’t just learning to read and write or hearing Bible stories, they were getting so much more. An attention span longer than 15 minutes or manners and the ability to be self controlled and disciplined are very important lessons that were learned in this type of environment.  

Another very important lesson for children, that is not being taught in our present system, is the respect of elders or authority. (One quick example of the lack thereof) In almost any church that I’ve attended in the past 10 years, if a meal is served, children are served first. This also, is a very new tradition. I realize the practicalities of this process. Children are fussy and loud, so if we feed them first, they will be pacified and the mother might actually be able to eat her lunch in peace. Sounds great to me, too, but believe it or not, children are learning something from this. If I am fussy and loud and make life difficult for my parents then they will serve “me first”. Whereas, the Bible teaches that “tribulation” (whether it be in the form of them not being first or something a little more straight forward if they get overly fussy or loud), worketh PATIENCE…”and patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed;” Romans 5

I’m not telling you that there is a set way to go through the lunch line in the Bible. I’m saying it is a good thing for children to learn order and respect for elders and that everything doesn’t revolve around them. Since we, as evangelicals are losing over 80 percent of our children to the world, as statistics indicate, I’m only suggesting that there may be a problem with the methods we are using in training them up. Instead of our children being part of a church where everything is centered around them, maybe they need a church where everything is actually centered around God.

We all love our children, and I’m not saying that it’s wrong to consider them when you are choosing a church, in fact I think we should consider them. Ask yourself some serious questions. Is this a place where my children will systematically be taught the truth from God’s word? Is this a place where my children will be taught to honor and respect their elders and the authorities placed over them? Is this a place where my children will be able to see a biblical role model for the family? Will they see families worshiping together? Will they see children older than themselves and teenagers and young adults that are striving to follow God and being a living example? No one is perfect and we’ve all heard the joke that says, “If you ever do find the perfect church, don’t join it. It wouldn’t be perfect anymore.” That is so true. Churches are just made up of sinners, but they are sinners saved by the grace of God to do good works and fulfill the work of God in their lives. Churches today, ours included, need to stop, take a look back about 2000 years or even 200 and remember their first love. Let’s don’t lose sight of the one that we need to keep our eyes fixed on, Christ, who is…….the head of the church.

Horton on Home Schooling

We downloaded "Horton Hears a Who" for our granddaughter Elizabeth this year. I had never actually sat down and watched it with her until recently. I try not to be too hard on cartoons, but I expected more from this one. The movie released in 2008 was highly praised by anti-abortion activists who claimed that the motto of the movie, "a person's a person, no matter how small" was somehow helpful to the cause. I highly doubt it. The statement is definitely true, and it would nice if everyone watching it would have miraculously come away realizing that the killing of millions of babies annually is an incomprehensible sin, but I'm not so sure it was that enlightening. While the 1954 book by Dr. Seuss was sweet right down to it's core, whoever made the movie definitely had their own agenda.
Jane, the proud, annoying kangaroo, was the antagonist in the story. In the movie, they brought out the fact that she "pouch schooled" little Rudy. Poor little guy, he had no socialization. Toward the end of the movie, Rudy, ignoring his mother's orders to return to the pouch, grabs the clover and gives it back to Horton saving the proverbial day. So the problem I have is this. The film shows home-schooling, which is good, as evil. It also portrays Rudy's disobedience to his mother, which is evil, as good. All of the good that I could have found in the movie, was voided by these two things. The fact that Horton was willing to lay down his life for his friends was a very Biblical concept. I could have probably stood the little jab at home-schooling, but the Bible states clearly that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft". I heard in a sermon recently that "obedience" to God and His word does not mean that we follow His instructions only if we agree. Obedience means that we follow instructions even when we don't understand. When God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, Abraham didn't try to reason with God or persuade Him to his way of thinking. He obeyed. I realize that obedience and Biblical authority are not the order of our day, but do we really want our children seeing Rudy rebel and coming to the conclusion that the ends justify the means? I know most people say, "That's ridiculous. It's just a cartoon." Everyone has to draw their own lines, right? Actually, my lines have been drawn for me. If God calls something good, it's good. If God calls something evil, it's evil. In the words of Martin Luther, "Here I stand, I can do no other." So, my take on Horton? Skip it.