Dropping the Stones

I have felt under a lot of conviction the last couple of months.  It seems that Christianity has been under attack from all sides here lately.  And I have been on the attack back.  But not in the way that I should.  I have used phrases such as "They will get what's coming to them", "They make me sick", and even "Society would be better without them."  However, my feelings and words towards them was way out of line.  They do not fall into line with my Christian beliefs.  What was in my heart towards these people and individuals was hatred.  I began to have a change of heart with some study.

John 8:1-11
"But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “ He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “ I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

What I had done, was carry a stone in my hand.  I looked at the sin in peoples lives and allowed myself to be judgmental of them and their lifestyles.  And I began to realize, what do I expect them to do?  It is obvious they do not have Christ in their lives.  They are unable to see the sin in their lives.  And they do not understand when we debate them because there is no way they can understand.


1 Corinthians 1:18
"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

To enter into a debate with them is of no use.  Even scripture teaches that they cannot understand.  Does it make it okay for them to live in this lifestyle.  Absolutely not.  Everything that we know and believe teaches that it is wrong.  But, are we truly any better?  We have sin in our lives and sin everyday.

1 John 1:8-9
"If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The only thing that separates us from the ones that hate and persecute us is that we have confessed our sins and asked forgiveness for them.  Every time that we pray, we ask forgiveness of our sins.  We want Christ our Lord to look at us through grace.  And by grace receive forgiveness.  And yet when we look at the lost that continue to persecute us, we look at them through the law.  We do not always see them in the same light as Christ saw us before we were saved.  Christ loves us, all of us.  Not just His church, but all of the world.

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

He loved the entire world.  Those that would believe and those who would not.  Christ died for everyone.  We need to see that it is the sin in their lives that makes them this way.  It should break our hearts for them when we see them, because we know what they do have.  And we know where that will lead them.  And that is never a good thing, no matter who they are.  We need to love them, show compassion to them, and most importantly, share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This needs to be our mission in life.  We need to share with them His birth, life, teachings, death, and resurrection.  We need to pray for them daily, and make Jesus the center of all conversations with them.  And we need to let the stones fall from our hands.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless you all this week! 
 

Traditions

One of the things about Christmas the most is some of the family traditions that we have. These are special times and activities centered around this time of year that, for me, adds a bit of excitement to our celebration. For example, I love going Christmas caroling every year with my church. We visit rest homes and the homes of some of the elderly that cannot get out much and sing our favorite Christmas tunes. I also enjoy visiting with all of our relatives for gifts, fellowship, and of course THE FOOD!!!!!!!!!! But, probably my favorite tradition is the private Christmas morning with my little family. My wife and I tell our children the true Christmas story, and the real reason for gifts to our children, and then open presents. We want to instill in them the importance of Christ's birth, more so than the commercialism that is going on around us. It seems that society does not understand the true meaning of Christmas, or argue that we should not celebrate it, because it is not really Christ's birthday.

This brings up a good question. Was Christ born on December 25th? Probably not. The Bible does not give an exact day. It was more likely that He was born in the spring or summer. Luke chapter 2 tells us that the shepherds were out watching their sheep in the fields overnight. I do not believe they would practice this in the winter time. Many people believe that we should not celebrate His birth on December 25th because of that. This brings to mind 2 passages in the Bible.

Romans 14:4-6
"Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God."

Colossians 2:16-17
"Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."

I am of a mind to celebrate the birth of Christ this time of year. And the reason we do is based on a tradition began by the early church. But what is the problem with it? Nothing. The scripture above says not to judge someone on a day they see as a holy day, or to celebrate a festival. That is between him and God, and it matters so little in the scheme of things. We should spend more time spreading the news of Christ rather than arguing over whether to recognize December 25th or not. I believe having a day set aside, whether it be by tradition or whatever else, makes it easier for me to focus on being thankful for His birth. Because His birth was the fulfillment of a promise. And that promise is that we have a sacrifice great enough to cover our sins so that we can be forgiven and become sons of God.

Galatians 3:26
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."

Thanks for reading, God Bless you all, and Merry Christmas!

I would like to give you an opportunity to share some of your favorite family traditions around this time of year. Please comment below to share. If you do not have a Google ID or anything of that nature, you can post under anonymous and type in your name at the end of your comment. Thanks, and I look forward to reading!

Roy from Indonesia

Last month I decided every so often to look at the story of a martyr who died for their faith. This gives us a glimpse of what is going on in the world around us to those that share our faith. It is a reminder of how Christians are persecuted around the world, and is to offer examples of faith from present day believers. This post is the story of a 15 year old boy named Roy who lived in Indonesia. These events happened in 1999. This story is taken from the book "Jesus Freaks" by DC TALK.

The teens could tell that the shouts and chanting were getting closer and closer. An older
teen looked nervously at his friend. “The Muslims are coming. We’d better hide the kids,”
he said. Others, following his lead, helped the smaller children find hiding places in the
buildings nearby. Then they hid themselves.
It was January and a crowd of mostly Christian children and teenagers had gathered for a
Bible camp at the Station Field Complex of Pattimura University on the island of Ambon,
Indonesia. When the camp was over, cars came to take the laughing, rejoicing children
back to their homes. But there were not enough cars to hold the young people.
Mecky Sainyakit and three other Christian men had gone to Wakal village to try to rent
additional transportation to take the rest home. But they had not yet come back.
What the kids waiting for rides home didn’t know was that on their way to the village, the
men were attacked by a Muslim mob, who pulled them from their car and out onto the
road. Mecky and one of the other men were stabbed to death, and later their bodies were
burned by the mob. The two other men escaped with their lives.
Before long, the mob reached the University. They found many of the teens and forced
them to come out of hiding.
Roy Pontoh was forced from his hiding place and made to stand before the mob.
“Renounce your Jesus, or we will kill you!” they threatened.
Roy was terribly frightened. Though trembling, he answered, “I am a soldier of Christ!”
At this, one of the Muslim attackers swung a sword at his stomach. The sword hit the
Bible Roy held, and ripped into it, knocking it out of his hand. The man’s next swing sliced
open Roy’s stomach. His last word was “Jesus.”
The mob dragged Roy’s body out and threw it in a ditch. Four days later, his family found
it. Even though they are wracked with grief, Roy’s parents stand proud of their son, who
stood strong in his faith to the end.

Luke 12:8
And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God

Thanks for reading, and God Bless You all this week!

Defend Yourself

It has become apparent to me that Christianity has been vastly under attack this past decade. Many people believe us to be unreasonable, and even crazy for the way we believe. The majority of the world's population believes in other religions such as Islam, Buddhism, and even atheist. We are in a constant state of having to defend ourselves in our belief of God, and His Son, Jesus, who died on a cross and rose three days later. The pressures of this world weigh heavily on us. We receive ridicule, lack of respect, and even ostracization. How do we combat this? How do we stay strong and persevere? To this I love Ephesians 6:10-17. It reads "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Notice the scripture says to put on the full armor of God. Not just part of the armor. When I think of armor I think of our military. All the things they use to protect themselves in time of war. If they have to leave base without a piece of equipment, they are vulnerable and in danger. Such is the same for Christians. If we leave home everyday without a piece of our armor, we are vulnerable and in danger as well. Maybe not from bullets and bombs, but from the words and attacks of society. Everyday we need to speak the truth, believe in the Lord, read the scriptures daily, have faith, and ultimately we need to be saved. Constant devotion to these aspects prepares and protects us daily. It also helps us to grow and become more dependent on God's Love, rather than the love of the world. So, if you feel like you are under constant attack from those around you. I say, put your armor on everyday.

Thanks and God Bless You all this week!