Got Fruit ?

This past Sunday morning we kicked off a new study and discussion series in the Adult Sunday School class that I have been asked to "lead".  A few months back the book "20 Compelling Evidences That God Exists" was used for the Wednesday evening Young Adults class that I "lead" as well.

The initial stab at 20 CETGE was a rather bumpy road with the young adults, with many meetings resulting in the youngins staring back at me with a deer caught in the headlights look and the uncomfortable non-sound of crickets chirping in an open field.  Upon completion of the book with the young adults, I realized that part if not a major problem with the class was that the participants didn’t have their own books to read prior to our meetings; so we spent the bulk of the time reading what we were hoping to draw discussion from.   That coupled with first timers teaching inexperience and yours truly just flat out not "getting it".

This second time go around with 20 CETGE in the Adult Sunday School class should be much more promising in terms of discussion and growth for us all however as we’re taking a different approach.  Instead of relying on passive absorption of knowledge, we’ve refocused our efforts to take these evidences from the book, and apply the ideas from the perspective of:

• becoming more aware of objections to Christianity
• seeking better understanding from a skeptic’s perception
• learning how to address objections

More time for preparation is required as I have to make copies of each chapter to be read, however the group as a whole is very receptive to this series.  In fact a few members have even explained that in their work environments they have co-workers that are skeptics, so hopefully the class will be of benefit to them in witnessing to their respective peers.  Just hearing that on Sunday was enough to let me know that choosing not to so readily abort the book is probably the right thing to do.

A few thoughts have already been impressed upon me from the introductory pep talk on Sunday.  As Christians called to preach the Gospel, we need to continually check our own attitudes when engaging in conversations that have a twinge of skepticism, hostility or objection.  Instead of taking these things as personal attacks we need to remember that we are ambassadors of Christ and welcome the opportunity regardless of objections.  Instead of making it a personal agenda to be right we ought to simply share the truth of God’s desire for all to come to repentance and to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

Romans 5:6-8
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Another thought is that "just because" isn’t an answer.  Sure, there are tough questions that we don’t have an answer for, such as "Where did God come from?" or one that someone from church actually proposed this week: "If God knows all, and knew that man would sin, why create him?", to which I’d say at times, "I don’t know.", is an acceptable answer and also that not knowing the answer to those questions in no way disproves God’s existence nor His love for us.

Romans 1:20
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Grace and peace be with you.

Why is it opportunities always look bigger going than coming?

Source: “An Apple a Day: Treasured Selections from Apples of Gold” by Jo Petty

Grace and peace be with you.

I want to give a big THANK YOU to E. Barrett, Jen and Steve and for all of your comments on "Vanilla Christian without apology".  Each of you, in your own way have been a blessing. I thank you not only for the comments and fellowship, but the edification as well.  Steve and E. Barrett in particular have cleared up misunderstandings that I’ve had, and of which I hope in their sharing will also serve to help others more inclined to go with the term "Christian" avoid the temptation to blindly  lump someone inclined to identify with being a  "Christ-follower" as being in or of the Emergent Church.

As we’re all called to be discerning children of God in our walk with Christ, both the spiritually immature and mature Christian need to be mindful to pay attention to what one proclaiming to be Christ-minded is not only saying, but what they haven’t said.

Speaking for myself, but of which I think recent commenters would agree; the rethinking of Orthodox Christian doctrine by the Emergent Church is, I think, viewed as a byproduct of rethinking other Christian ideas.  Start with rethinking what Christian means, and to use E. Barrett’s phrase "water it down".  This I think is probably where some of us start to express concern when we see the term  "Christ-follower" to simply mean "one who follows the socially transforming ideas of Jesus Christ the historical figure", yet to take on the full doctrinal package of CHRISTianity is neglected.  To add to this thought, confusion further abounds (within the body of Christ) as a similar spirit of objection toward the term "Christian" has actually manifested (perceptions grown from the EC no doubt)  toward the term "Christ-follower"; due to some of the same perceptions that are already attached to Christianity in a broader scope of speaking:

• arrogant attitudes
• elitist mentality
• commercialization of Christianity
• cliques

Which in a timely way brings to mind this thought that Paul the Apostle had in expressing to the Church of Corinth that it is Jesus Christ who must be at the center of all things.

2nd Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 

Grace and peace be with you.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;
I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26

From our hearts comes our response to God. Apart from the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit, our hearts are extremely deceitful (Prov. 17:9). David prayed that God would cleanse him from the ravages of his sin and purify his heart (Ps. 51:10). God’s greatest desire is that His people love Him with all their hearts (Deut. 6:5). Jesus said we are blessed if our hearts are pure (Matt. 5:8).

Sin hardens the heart (Matt. 13:4, 19). The more sin we allow to pass over our hearts and through our lives, the more resistant we become to a word from God. The sin of unforgiveness stiffens our hearts. We cannot continue to resist the prompting of the Holy Spirit without becoming hardened against Him. Exposing ourselves to evil and ungodly influences desensitizes us to God and His word. Over time, our hearts become like stone, unreceptive to a fresh word from God. We become anesthetized to sin.

Has your heart grown hard toward God? Do you feel as though nothing could soften it? God has a solution. He will separate you from the influences that are destroying you (Ezek. 36:24). He will cleanse you from all filthiness and remove everything that has taken His place in your affections (Ezek. 36:25). He will remove your heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh, tender toward Him and His word. If your love for God is not what it should be, ask Him to renew your heart and restore your devotion.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

I’m having trouble coming up with a more intellectually sounding way of introducing this piece, so let’s just go with a plain ‘ole straight to the point approach.  In doing so,I’m going to disclose something about myself that I usually don’t hold in high regard as being of any significant importance to how I truly identify myself which is as a Christian.

In the latter part of 2007 I was nominated for the role of deacon.  Sometime in the early months of this year, I was "officially" designated as such.  The short answer to being a deacon is that he is simply a servant.  Much to my disappointment, there were no funny hats to accompany this new responsibility.

Taking a cue from an elder and friend, I try to not get wrapped up in titles, instead looking at the purpose and of even being honored to be called to serve.  That said, titles can be useful in maintaining an order of authority and accountability, when speaking in terms of a business or conducting business.  The flip side is that people can also go to such extremes in their fascination with a title that they lose focus of the purpose behind the title.   Titles should help affirm what one’s job, duties or responsibilities are.  Titles in general  however; shouldn’t identify who we are. An exception is to follow after this brief sidetrack…

Not quite  a week ago I visited a site by a professing believer.   The site was well put together and had a certain artistic flair to it.  The guy that runs the site has an obvious creative touch, but that’s not really the point of all this.  As I was exploring, I checked out blogger’s snippet about himself, which reads:

Web designer and developer. Loud discerner. Software engineer and programmer coder. Conservative. Musician. Christian-follower. Nuclear engineer. Libertarian. Jovial cynic.

Nothing unusual about using a strike through.  I’ve used it myself to make sarcasm of a situation, or to show that I have revisited a thought and edited accordingly, and I’ve used it to make a point about something by coyly drawing attention to that which is to be "disregarded".  For some strange reason though, seeing the strike through used in the word "Christian" to downplay the word and I assume magnify Christ struck me as an odd thing to do.  Don’t get me wrong here please, anytime we can get out of the way to allow Christ to be magnified in our lives is great!

As I’ve become acquainted with the Christian blogging world I’ve seen "Christ-follower" (minus a strike through of the trailing i-a-n) used several times, and even then the term has always struck me as an odd way to identify oneself.  It’s as if when one goes to the trouble to differentiate, they’re begging for separation not differentiation.  I guess the question I have is, "When did it become "in" to be ashamed to be known by the title "Christian"?"  I mean seriously, the early church thought it an honor to be known as such for whom they identified in (Jesus) to the point of willing to die for the true purpose behind the word.

Here’s something to think about… Did Jesus ever change His message of who He claimed to be or what His message was when it got a little uncomfortable for Him in His association with God the Father?

Matthew 26:59-66
59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.  Finally two came forward 61 and declared, "This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ "

62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" 63 But Jesus remained silent.
      The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."

64 "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?"
      "He is worthy of death," they answered.

Mark15:1-2
1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

2 "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.
      "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.

Notice that Jesus didn’t waver in His encounter with Pilate, perhaps replying instead: "King!?!? Hmm , king of the Jews carries way too much implication and discomfort, nah…. more like a historical model for man to "follow". No, I don’t see where Jesus was concerned about how the world perceived Him concerning His claims of who He is.

Acts 11:26
26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Now, I know that there have been many instances throughout history where people have done things in the name of Christianity that we’re not Christ-like when compared to what Scripture says.  The Crusades for example.  In recent history we have scandals and vandals that have the name Christian attached to them, be it the likes of Juanita Bynum, Benny Hinn, Todd Bentley or the way out in left field Westboro Baptist Churches of the world to name a few.

Acts 26:28
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"

Hopefully I’ve been able to articulate that if Jesus wasn’t ashamed of who He was, then we shouldn’t be ashamed to be known by the very name that the early church founded to identify with its creator.  In closing I leave you with a final verse concerning the word Christian and an invitation take 5 minutes to watch and listen to what Ravi Zacharias has to say (select the Video titled: Postmedernism: is it a new idea?).

1st Peter 4:16
16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

Grace and peace be with you.