Autumn

   Looking outside, one can see the different shades of colors shining forth from the surrounding trees. Their brilliant reds, oranges, browns, and yellows. It all looks make believe, like a vision from a child's mind, at least that's how I see it each year. I was listening to a song as I drove to work the other day, seeing the sun glisten off of the changing leaves. It was called "Beautiful Broken World" by Warren Barfield. As the song played I couldn't help but sit in wonder at the majesty that was sitting right before my eyes. The song begins with; "Wonderfully arrayed on a bright Autumn day, The leaves set the trees ablaze, I'm sitting here beneath, This decaying canopy, Sunlight sitting through the shade, It won't be long, Until they're gone away, That's the price we pay, In this beautiful broken world, We laugh and then we cry, There's a wonderful pain and joy, In death and in life yeah, yeah (Yeah this is life),Oh, we are living in this beautiful broken world". In listening to that song I began to think about the ideas written below. I hope that they bring a new joy and hunger into your life this autumn as they have into mine.

   Something strange happens every autumn, instead of the warmth of summer giving way to immediate cold and death that we see every winter, there is a pause within God's created order of creation. Instead of merely creating the trees to turn brown and have their leaves fall off as a sign of death and barrenness, God created the trees to scream forth His glory and majesty. "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." (Romans 1:19-20 ESV) God not only declares that He is God through creation, He declares the gospel. Think about it. Most of the time we think about trees as being full of life when they are growing and green, yet we forget to think about what the leaves mean when they change color and paint the most glorious pictures. Instead of the leaves falling limply from all the trees as the seasons change and merely creating a picture of the death and destruction that has so immensely invaded our world due to sin, God gives us a small glimpse into the glorious mysteries of what He has actually done for His children. 

   Who would have thought that something as simple as a tree could relay such an amazing message of grace and salvation? Let's break it down further. In the spring and summer months, the trees are all green and luscious and look as if they are thriving. Yet, because of the way that the seasons work, we know that their time is short. Soon, winter will come and there will death. However, there is a break in this cycle. Autumn. Instead of the leaves merely dying and falling to the ground to return to the dust from which they came, God grants them the ability to experience a new life, one full of color and majesty. And yet, the only way that these leaves can experience this new brilliance for all to see, if to actually die. A leaf must first begin to die, before it will change colors. You don't see leaves in the spring being displayed with the wonderful colors of autumn, because there isn't any death in the spring. Yet, this glorious display of God's goodness and mercies that He shows to His children, can only be experienced through death. And so it is with Christians. No one can come unto Christ until the human sinful nature is put to death and a person is called by God to come unto His side. Just as the leaves cannot merely change color at any time that they wish, so it is with people. We cannot merely come to Christ by our own power or will, but rather follow the designed order and structure that God put into place at the foundation of the world. 

   We must wait for the season in our life that God has planned for us. We cannot choose what season we want to be in. We cannot choose how strong we want to be. We cannot choose the tests and hardships that we will have to face. Rather, we must wait on Lord for His timing and call. So pray for those you know and love and all those that you do not know that God would bring the season of autumn into their life. That they would be able to experience the gospel in a new and glorious way then they have ever seen before. For without death and a season of autumn, there can be no hope of a coming spring.

LGBT Support in the Church

   Over the past year we have seen an immense increase in the support of LGBT ideologies and their place within the "church". There have been many people who have joined the side that claims that we need to just love everyone. There have been many people who have joined the position of saying that those who are LGBT are not in sin, and therefore should be accepted into the "Christian" community and given the same rights and privileges as those who are heterosexual. And there has been a decline in the number of people who hold to the position that those who are LGBT are in sin and need to repent. We even have seen this within the "Christian" music scene. Over the past year it has come out that Vicky Beeching has declared that she herself is a lesbian and therefore believes that it is possible to be a LGBT and yet still be a Christian. She has written several blog posts on the topic. Stating that she wants discussion and conversations to be started to help the Church to gain a better understanding of the issues that surround LGBT ideologies. However, in asking for these discussions to happen, she asks Christians to set aside the Bible, to leave it out of the conversation so that lines are not drawn in the sand. She provides links and videos to all of these other people who think along the same lines that she does, and yet she does not provide any scriptural reference to anything about the issue.
 
   In a section that she labels "So… WHAT DOES the Bible say about sexuality?" she talks about everything but what the Bible actually says about sexuality. She states,

   "The Bible is a complex book. A beautiful, holy and authoritative one. But one requiring illumination from both mindful study and the Holy Spirit (our God-given guide as we read it). There is no such thing as one ‘plain, obvious reading of the Bible’. Everyone reads through a lens. Everyone interprets. Many people argued that the Bible supported slavery until they put time into prayerful study and realised they were wrong. Many used to (and some still do) argue the Bible says women should have no place within the priesthood, and should never preach or teach in church. Lots of people have realised from prayerful study that this is not what the Bible actually says. Superficial readings of texts should never be the foundation of our arguments. Nor should parroting off the things we’ve simply been told by others in church. What’s the Bible’s model for figuring out truth? To study, pray and question! Just look at the Book of Acts where it describes the Christians who lived in the city of Berea: “Now the Berean people were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness andexamined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:110). That’s right – even the teaching that came from Paul himself was something they put to the test. They questioned it. They studied the Scriptures “to see if it was true”. And as a result the Book of Acts says that behaviour made them “of more noble character“. It didn’t make them ‘less spiritual’ as they questioned and studied. It didn’t make them less full of faith. It was an approach that is praised by the New Testament itself! So we have that model as our guide. We should never be afraid to question what we are taught in church. Follow the example of the Bereans and dig into this topic and re-examine it.
It takes work to assess the historical context of verses – like when Paul said ‘women should be silent in Church’. When we look at their historical context, and assess the original language they were written in, some of these verses they make sense in a completely different way than they do from a first scan. The deeply entrenched views of the church on any topic are unlikely to change overnight. They have changed regarding slavery. They have changed, in many places, regarding the role of women. But it requires work to get there; to prayerfully examine the Bible. If you’re willing to do that, I’m going to recommend great places to start reading."

   This is the total extent of her discussion of what the Bible says on sexuality. The only part that even remotely comes close is her brief mention of a scriptural foundation that men are supposed to be the leaders in the home as well as the church, which is an idea that she scoffs at. She uses the argument that people believed that slavery was supported by the Bible for a long time. Yes, some people believed that, but it was not a universal belief nor one that was right. It is reasoning like this, one where you take something that people claimed the Bible stated and yet it does not, that causes people to become dualistic. You cannot take something that the Bible declares to be wrong, even though certain people twisted scripture to believe that it was right (slavery) and use it as a basis for claiming why something else should be viewed differently even though scripture is very clear on the issue. Vicky claims that there "is no such thing as one plain obvious reading of the Bible", and while I would agree with her on a whole. Meaning that the Bible is not something that you can completely understand without the guiding of the Holy Spirit to open your eyes. However, this issue is not one of those times.

   In I Corinthians 6:9-11 we see Paul very clearly lay out what God thinks about LGBT people. "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."  (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV) If a sentence that says "nor men" (meaning all mankind) "who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God" is not clear, plain, obvious reading of the Bible then I am afraid nothing and no one will ever be able to actually have a discussion with Vicky about this issue.

   She not only refuses to provide a reference within scripture to back up the claims that she is making, but she also fails to use the Bible as the "places to start reading". For her, it is not about the mysteries that are contained within scripture and the glory of God that explodes from it's pages, but rather she finds her comfort in recommending others to read the works of men as a starting point for this issue. I would also like to point out that so many like her would like you to read works by other mere men and use their views and thoughts as the background to reading scripture. This goes directly against the one verse that she does mention. That of Acts 17. The Berean people searched scripture to find out if what Paul had to say was true. This wasn't because there was no one else to ask or to read their work, but because scripture is the basis for all things that we know to be true. If we do not first start with scripture, then we have nothing to stand on and are reliant on what mere human beings have to say about an issue.

   This sadly is where so many people have gone over the past year or so. They have given in to the idea that mere man has the answer instead of Holy Scripture. That a "reinterpretation" of scripture is needed to "actually" understand it's meaning in our present time. I would argue that this is absolute heresy. God has kept scripture so pure and exact over the years that it constantly amazes scholars around the world. Not only has God protected it and kept it from changing, but there are hundreds of other old books that this has not happened with. And with the immense amount of Bibles that have been printed over the years and in so many languages, to see that much consistency is absolutely amazing. Instead of forsaking the gospel to try to incorporate a group of people into our congregations, why don't we first examine what scripture actually says and rely on God and not men to be the foundation upon which we stand.

   "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."

(Romans 1:16-32 ESV)

God's Sovereignty

   I recently listened to a new cd by the author Tedashii. It is a very moving and deep piece. It is a demonstration of what he wrote in his journal over the past year. For him, it was a year of pain, grief, joy, disaster, and comfort. Sometimes I hear people talking about the many things that make their life so miserable and make it so that they don't want to go on anymore. Yet, here is a man who, met with extreme grief and sorrow, turned to the only One who can heal and preserve. I came across this statement from Tedashii,

  "“From Below” is a collection of my thoughts, prayers and reflections from the past year of life. Step in to these Tumblr journal entries to experience all I felt, learned and grew from as I sought to understand life and God, below paradise.
It was the morning of a very cloudy and dreary Saturday - March 23, 2013.  My son Chase passed away. On that day everything changed for me, for my family.  Everything about me changed.
But the Lord did not change.
Isaiah 26:4 - “Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.” (NASB)
My flesh is tempted to believe that on that horrific Saturday morning, God messed up.  He failed me.  He forgot to love me.  But the Lord is an everlasting Rock - constant, immovable, the same yesterday, today, and forever.  So when I begin to forget that, I run to these truths, replaying them over and over in my mind:
His goodness towards me did not change, and it never will.
His faithfulness did not change, and it never will.
His love did not change, and it never will.
His intimate understanding of my circumstances did not change, and it never will.
He did not fail me, and He never will."

   This is the cry and belief of a man who has placed all of his trust in a God who is sovereign. If he did not believe that God was in control and ruler of everything, even the death of his son, then how could he ever believe the things that he states? It would be impossible for him to state that the Lord did not change, even though his son had been torn out of his life. It would be impossible if he did not believe that the Lord would not and cannot ever fail him, that He will never change, and that He knows exactly what He is doing for the benefit and strengthening of His body, the church. If by his son's death Tedashii is able to have a greater witness and impact on the world, then who would we be to say that this was not a beautiful and glorious work of God? Not that the death of Tedashii's son is beautiful, for that is a painful and extremely trying experience to go through, but the fact that Tedashii now has this amazing platform from which he can exalt Christ and lead others to the throne of grace through solid and biblical teachings is truly a blessing from the Lord.

   God is always in control, and when trials come our understanding of this truth always comes out. In Tedashii's case, hurt and sorrow have given way to joy and peace in a sovereign Lord who does not ever change and continually holds Tedashii in His loving hand. Providing him with everything that he needs for this life.

   May we never rejoice in the sufferings of our brothers and sisters in such a way as to take joy in the pain that they are experiencing, but let us always rejoice that the Lord is good and cares for His children in a more sovereign way than anyone could ever think or imagine. God is good and loves those whom He has called unto Himself.

What is the Meaning and Purpose of Your Church?

   In today's world, there are more "Christian church" denominations and sections than can be counted. So many of these denominations claim that they have the truth, are the most modern, present the easiest ways to understand the Bible, have the "true" translation of scripture, or even just claim to serve the best coffee around. And in our current world that we live in, these are all deemed as viable options by which we should determine what church is the best and most right to attend.
   I want to present you with a different viewpoint. It is not one of ecumenical oneness of all different beliefs pretending that we like each other for a short while and then can go back to our lines that we have drawn in the sand. But rather, it is the idea that there is but one Truth. That He is all that matters and if we do not follow what He has given us, the Bible, and hold true to it's truths we are not part of the church. The church, the bride of Christ, is not merely a building with chairs or pews, rugs, and a pulpit. Rather, the church consists of those who believe that scripture is the foundation upon which we stand. That scripture is all that we need in order to make decisions on faith and creed. That all we need for salvation is faith (this faith is not ours, but that of Christ imputed to us through salvation). And lastly, that God's grace and mercy covers every part of us. People can be from different denominations and yet fellowship, worship, and praise God together. The issues that divide people and break that fellowship are those that do not hold to scripture as the bottom line, those that do not believe that God's grace is enough, and those that think their comfort rises above the goodness and grace of scripture.
   Our churches are not meant to make us comfortable, rich, or complacent. Our churches should push, strengthen, and strive to equip us to further the reach of the gospel. God calls us in Romans, as well as the entirety of the New Testament, to spread the gospel to all those who have never heard, as well as to those who have heard. Churches are not meant to be safe havens where everyone who enters its doors will never be offended or challenged. Rather, we should be getting challenged in our churches. As Paul says in II Timothy 3, scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training. It is not merely to make us feel good about ourselves or to tell us that we have the option to share the gospel with those in our community, but rather churches are supposed to make us uncomfortable when we hear about something we are doing wrong. They are supposed to challenge our beliefs if they differ from what is written in scripture. Churches are supposed to expose sin and relay the message of salvation and redemption through Christ.
   If churches are not doing these things, then maybe they aren't doing what they are supposed to do. If we were to stop looking for a church that meets all of our comforts and desires, and would rather take part in churches that challenge us to hold to scripture above all else we would see an immense difference in what people would consider Christian churches.
   Many people within "christian churches" make fun of or discredit the Puritans and their pious actions that they demonstrated. Yet, why would they do this? It is because they do not value scripture above all else, they are insecure and think that those who are different in their actions and deeds therefore must be weird and odd. Yet, the doctrines and messages that the Puritans preached to their congregations make most "Christians" today run, or choke. They run because they are afraid to place all of their trust in a God who is sovereign over all of creation. They choke because the message that they hear is one so deep and submerged within the depths of scripture that it sounds like a foreign language, one which they have not learned or taken part in.
   If, in our world today, we can find a church that resembles that of a Puritan church, we would be grateful and blessed. Church is not about all the frills and extras, it's about the Holy Word of God. This is what the church is for. To teach and to train those who are followers of Jesus Christ and to minister and serve those who are not, those who are in need. The members of a church are meant to share in fellowship with each other, just as they themselves fellowship daily with our Lord and Savior. If a specific church does not make you want to know Christ and the beauties of scripture more, but rather encourages you to become involved in everything else the world has to offer, then that church is not one that is following God. Programs and activities are great as long as they are a means to fellowship and share with one another. However, when they begin to take the place of actually learning and digging into the Bible, then they are the easiest and most useful tools of the devil to drawn Christians away from God.
   When we look for a church, we need to look for one that believes that Bible. If they do not do this, but rather hold that other things are on equal ground with scripture, or that other things hold authority above scripture they are not a church that we should be involved with. I think that Charles Spurgeon sums up the heart of the issue nicely. He says,
“That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.”
― Charles H. Spurgeon

Simplistically Beautiful

   Recently, since my son was born, I have been taking greater notice of the wonderful and simple things that God has so wonderfully created. For instance, the simple way that my son looks around at things, his tiny little hands and feet, or the way he already recognizes who is talking. These things are truly amazing to me. God created a small human being that has so many little body parts and yet God created them to be exactly as they are, to work in accordance with his little body and to function as a whole to show the glory that God deserves.
   I have seen the plants in my garden begin to grow rapidly and begin to bear some fruit. To know that they came merely from a small seed, that seems dead until placed int the ground, only to sprout forth new life is truly amazing. The way that plants grow truly shows the wonderful creative and sustaining power of God. He causes plants to grow, bear fruit and sustain us. It is hard to believe that anyone can look at such things and not be amazed by the beauty of God. However, we know that even though the creation screams the existence of God, there are many that choose to suppress the truths that God continually displays to them through His creation. (Romans 1)
   This is one of the reasons that I believe in a sovereign, reigning, wonderful God. There would be no way that we could sustain life, or hold life even together without God's continual sustenance. My son could not make his lungs work, to breathe in and out on his own. He could not make his bowels work to process the food he eats. He could not have even learned how to eat unless God had given him that insight and guided him throughout his formation and life so far. Plants will not just grow on their own. Yes, we know scientifically that there are certain things that are need to make plants grow and live, and yet, why do those things even work? Because God is there causing His creation to continually function in the way that He so sovereignly created it to. There has never been anything created that has always been there without failing to work or deteriorating. So, why then do we even begin to assume to think that God does not guide and shape everything that happens. If He wasn't doing so, the whole world would just fall apart and that would be the end of it. Particles are held together by seemingly nothing, at least scientifically. Yet, things still hold their shapes when created, and grow into the actual things that they sprout from, and little babies grow into adult humans. Why, because God's hands and words commanded it to be so. God sustains every part of creation and causes it to scream that He is there, and yet, so many people just turn away and say that they don't care, that they would rather honor themselves instead of their creator.

My Son is Not Perfect, Merely Perfectly Created

   It has been just over two weeks now since my precious little son was born. During those two weeks I have continually heard people say that "he is perfect". Now, I know what they were trying to say. That he is beautiful, precious, sweet, wonderful, peaceful, joyful, calm, and created by God. However, my son is not perfect. Before you stop reading and think that I do not have a love and utmost pride in everything about my son, hear me out.
    People want to say that my son is perfect, well I cannot and will not ever say or agree to such a statement. To say such a statement, even in trying to say something else, is to say that you think my son is actually perfect. This cannot be. We see in Luke 18 that Jesus, in talking with those around Him says, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." (Luke 18:19 ESV) So, knowing this, how can I allow people to claim that my son is perfect? If no one except God is even good, how can I, or anyone else, claim that my son is perfect?
    I love my son with every ounce of my being and would do anything and everything for him. He can't take care of himself, feed himself, or even clean himself. Yet, I have no worries about his well-being. Scripture tells us that God will care for all of the needs, not wants, but actual needs of His children. So, not knowing the future or what God has planned for my son, I take my own strength and courage from the fact that God knows everything about my son. He knows that as he gets older, all those people that called him perfect will see his faults and sinful nature begin to show. God knows every piece of my sons body, He created it and knew him before time even began. I mean, if I cannot rest in knowing that God knows my son, created him, and knew him, actually knew him before the world even began, then what hope would I, am mere man, have in making sure that my "perfect" son has everything that he needs? I don't even stand a chance.
   Therefore, I rest. I know that my son has been born with his own quirks and sinful longings. Just because he is so small and helpless and cannot manifest them yet does not mean that they do not exist. In their existence, my son is so wonderful and sweet, and cuddly that I couldn't have even thought that God would bless me in such a way as to be given such a precious bundle to love and care for. And yet, the great part is that I can't even love him on my own, so God gives me love to be able to love my son as He has called me to. I don't have to worry about my ability to love my son enough. If I love God with all my heart and teach my son those same things, then I will love my son enough.
    Now, I know some people may read this and think that I am saying that God created my sweet boy with sin raging in his body. Quite the contrary, I believe that my son was perfectly created by our most wonderful Heavenly Father, but that due to sin entering the world upon the sin that occurred in the Garden of Eden, that my son does have a sin nature. I know that many people think that children learn to sin, but how would they do this? They begin doing things that they have never seen before and therefore they can not have learned them from someone else. This is what leads me to reject the statement that my son is "perfect". Not because I do not love him and think that he is the most wonderful little bundle that I have ever seen, but because scripture clearly tells us that no one is perfect but God alone. It is because of this that I must assert that even though my boy is amazing in every way, God's designs are positively incredible, he is not perfect, but merely perfectly created.

The Foundation

       I recently read a blog post from a Roman Catholic clergy member. In it he stated that the Catholic Church does not believe in scripture alone. This is the idea that if something doesn't line up with what the Bible says, then it cannot be true. Now, my heart broke when I read this. If you can't stand up scripture, then what can you stand on? I think that there is not nearly enough awareness among protestants that the Roman Catholic church does not believe anything in the same way that protestant churches do. We need to stand up the truth of scripture. If we can't do this, we have nothing. Everything else is the mere words of man and hold no eternal weight in comparison to the holy word of God.

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
        I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

(2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:5 ESV)