(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

The next question in our Question & Answer week comes from a young woman who's facing a rather serious situation.  She's a new believer in a household that is not very welcoming to Christ.  Her parents are very anti-Christian and anti-Jesus to the point they're forbidding her to be associated with people who are Christians.  So her question to me is "how do I show respect to my parents and still pay honor to God?"

It's a tricky situation to say the least.   My heart is breaking for her because she's so fired up and wants to know so much more about Jesus and God and His word yet Satan is using her parents to try and drive her as far away from the Lord as possible.  (Now, her salvation is solid and Satan knows he cannot take that away from her but he can try to stunt her growth in the Lord as much as possible.)

Most people...even those who are not Christians...are familiar with Exodus 20:12 (ESV): "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you."  That Old Testament truth is still shown in the New Testament through Jesus when He did things like honoring His mother at the wedding feast where He made water into wine. 

Yet Jesus also said in Luke 14:26 (ESV) "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."  That appears, on the surface, to say that if you want to follow Jesus you have to suddenly hate mom and dad and would you honor someone whom you hate?  It seems like a conflict in terms.

On the surface, it is.  If your mother and father told you to stop worshipping Jesus and you refused to do so then you are not honoring their wishes.  However, what Jesus is saying is that you need to have Him first in everything you do in your life.  In doing that, you'll be showing love to everyone else because in seeking to be like Christ you'll show them the love that Jesus shows to you. 

Now, this means listening to your parents to a point. 

Remember that when Jesus was a child and his parents found him in the temple and commanded Jesus to come with them that Jesus left "His father's house."  He went with them and did not begin his public ministry until many years later.  While He was still putting God first in His life, he showed respect to His mother and father.

In your case, you have to do a similar thing.  While your parents could keep you from going to church, hanging out with Christian friends or even reading your Bible there's one thing they cannot stop you from doing and that's praying.  You can talk to God anytime, anywhere.  In this, you're doing the most basic act of worship and service to the Lord in honoring Him first in all you do.

Now, if you're faced with your parents trying to make you renounce the Lord or do something that goes directly against the Scriptures, you refuse.  Yes, it may drive a wedge between you and your parents.  You could even find yourself being thrown from your home.  In the end, devotion to Jesus is more important than anything else in your life.  In doing that, you're honoring your Father.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Day three of question and answer week has a very simple question that I've been asked many times usually by newer Christians as it was this time.  "Why does God allow bad things to happen to Christians?"

It's a question that many believers often ask even if they've been following Christ most of their life.  When the troubling times comes or something doesn't happen as we hoped it would or something goes horribly wrong when we thought everything was fine the first thing we ask is why God would do something like that.  The answer is that the question isn't always that simple and sometimes we need to look deeper than just the basic question of "why?"

For example, Paul writes in Romans 6:23 (ESV) "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  If someone doesn't choose the Lord, then when something "bad" happens to them it's not God doing anything to them.  They're not His and therefore they're at the whim of the prince of this world who is all about the "bad" and "evil" things.  So they're receiving exactly that which they are chasing after even if they don't realize it at the time.  Someone who doesn't know the Lord can do "good" things or be a "good" person but ultimately they are still under the sway and control of the enemies of Christ. 

I'm using quotes around the words "good" and "bad" because the concept of "good" and "bad" is defined by the world and sometimes that get carried over into the Christian's life where we expect "good" things and also "bad" things that happen to be defined within the world's terms.  When you keep that persepective, it can appear that God does bad things or sinful things and that plays right into the hands of the prince of this world who wants to do all he can to try and make God appear as anything but perfect love and truth.

A Christian needs to keep the perspective that everything we see, everything we are and everything that exists is God's to do with as He pleases.  King David said in Psalm 24:1 (ESV) "The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers."  When we say that something is "good" or "bad" we're putting our own perspective on the situation that isn't really applicable because nothing we have or nothing we see belongs to us.  In reality, we have no right at all to put a "good" or "bad" designation on anything that happens to us.

Even if you don't want to accept that the world is really the Lord's to do with as He sees fit to do you need to realize that as a Christian you don't have any rights to your own life.  Remember that Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price."  That price, of course, was Jesus' death on the cross so that we could have eternal life with Him but that also means that we are owned by the Lord and He can do with us, our families, our houses, our cars, our money, our Wii, our computer, our curling iron, our Latvian stamp collection whatever He wants to do with them.  When we start saying that God is doing "good" things or "bad" things with us we are again saying that ownership of these items is ours and not His.

Look at some "bad" things through the perspective of time.  It was bad that John was sent to the Isle of Patmos but while he was there living he wrote Revelation.  It was a bad thing for Saul to have been persecuting the followers of Christ but had he not done that his conversion wouldn't have been so monumental to the Jews of his time.  The deaths of the apostles certainly were not good things but they built the foundations of the faith.  Jesus' death wasn't what we'd consider a good thing when it was happening but we know the good that came from that!

So when something bad happens and we want to immediately wonder why God is doing something "bad" we need to stop and realize that all is His and in the end that we "know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."  (Romans 8:28 (ESV))  Try to look at the situation through the perspective of God and realize that He will bring good out of everything including fire, bankruptcy, cancer and even death. 

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Day two of question and answer week comes from a reader who was once a practioner of Wicca.  She asked me what could someone do to break free of Wicca and other religions that deny the diety of Jesus.  She said that when she left Wicca and turned to Christ she faced a lot of opposition both spiritual and physical.

My answer won't be Wicca specific because in reality there's little difference between leaving Wicca and leaving anything else including never having belief in anything or anyone in your life.  It all comes down to realizing what you're going to be facing when you turn away from what you had done before in your life because those things have power over you.

Now, that power comes from the prince of this world.  Remember in Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) Paul writes "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."  So someone who is a Christian will be fighting these forces of evil every single day.

Now, if you were a Wiccan or in any other "religion" that denies Christ, you were part of the spiritual forces of evil that were doing your best (knowingly or unknowingly) to defeat Christ and His people.  If you accept Christ you've suddenly become a turncoat to those who for years thought they had you under their control to do their bidding to destroy Christ.  Now you're not only someone standing for their enemies but you're someone that can show the world that you can turn away from those demonic forces and stand tall against them!

Don't you think that would get their knickers in a twist?

There's no way that the "forces of evil" are just going to whistle a happy tune and leave you alone.  They feel twice the anger at you because you've essentially betrayed them.  You're a more dangerous weapon against them for the Lord because you know their ways and you can say things that will reach the people still trapped in what you escaped.  These forces will likely attack you spiritually with feelings of depression or despair.  You might even see spirits or physically feel attacked by things unseen.  Spiritual warfare is very real and at times like this you're likely to see some of the worst of it.

They'll also attack through the people they still control around you.  You'll likely lose a lot of friends who will suddenly turn on you and attack you.  They'll say you're an idiot or fool or stupid or worse and they might even do things to try and harm you physically, emotionally or financially.  You have to realize that these people are still under the control of the forces you've renounced when you turned to the one true God.  Sometimes they don't even realize why they're doing the things that they're doing to you.  You need to pray hard and expect to see this. 

Find a good church and get in with God's people so that you can talk to them, study with them, pray with them and most of all get wise council from older believers in Christ.  When you come alongside strong Christ followers you'll discover that you will have more weapons in your bag to face the enemy when they come (and they will.)

Never take off your armor.  Never underestimate your enemy.  Never forget God is ruler over all.  Remember that James 4:7 (ESV) says "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." 

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Lately, I've noticed there is a push among some denominations and people calling themselves "Christian" pastors who are saying that Jesus was not the Son of God but just so highly evolved that He was pure love.  That His words in the Bible aren't always right because they reject the notion of Jesus say that He is "the way, the truth, the life."  They believe that you can come to the Father in ways other than Jesus.  This is, of course, completely against the full teachings of Jesus but that doesn't stop them.

What's hard in dealing with these people is that their deceptive doctrine resonates with a society where so many are raised to not have to deal with consequences to their actions.  People who can essentially do whatever they want to do and if they get into any kind of trouble there's a government program or some other organization that can help bail them out.  That's why things like abortion or pornography run rampant in America.

Jesus said in John 7:17-18 (ESV) "If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood."  This is very strong warning about false teachers and also how subtle these teachers will be when they appear.  That subtlety will come in when these teachers focus on God and "Jesus' teachings" but do not focus on Jesus as Lord.  It's a very very subtle difference but that denial on the part of those teachers speaks that these people are not seeking to do God's will but rather their own.  They just make up doctrine as they go along to meet whatever ends they want politically or socially or professionally.

In 2 Peter 2:1 (ESV) it reads "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction."  This is the most direct verse in the Bible regarding the false teachers who want to profess that they follow "Jesus' teachings" but deny the divinity of Christ himself.  They'll try to split hairs...the old Bill Clinton method of debate where you try to define what "is" is...and they'll try to belittle and attack those who disagree with them with personal insult and slander.  (That's another good way to see if someone is little more than a glory seeker.  If they try to smear those who oppose them and call their teaching false then you know they're only out for their own glory and don't want anyone stopping their personal agenda.)

So when you're looking at someone who is out telling everyone that they're a "Christian" pastor and that they're going to be starting churches and ministries and that they know the real teachings of Jesus and that all the major Christian denominations are wrong at their core in that Jesus was not the Son of God realize you're looking at a false teacher.  If someone wants to say that all religions are justified in their own paths to God then you're looking at a false teacher.  You're looking at someone who wants to likely justify what they want to do through a warped version of what Jesus actually said and taught because they deny Jesus' own words in John 14:6 (ESV): "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me."

Now, realize these people are going to get a lot of "love" from the world because these people are more in line with the world's way of thinking than God's way of thinking.  Anything that takes the truth of Christ and distorts it to the point that it can pull people away from His truth is something that is much to the delight of the world.  So these false teachers are going to get a lot of blind, sycophanic devotion from people who hate Christ and therefore His followers and will do anything to try and stop them from bringing the truth to people and part of that truth is sometimes false teachers will come and deny the divinity of Christ.

What to do when you find a false teacher?  Well, there's numerous things you can do.  You can choose just to walk away from them and not associate with them.  You can challenge them on their beliefs and ask them to back up what they're saying but you also need to be prepared that this person likely will instead of defending their distorted belief system attack you personally.  You can also present the truth of Jesus next to this person and point out the flaws in their "doctrine" without actually speaking to them directly.  In all cases, you can pray for this person to truly meet Jesus and not just the figment of their imagination that they call Jesus.

I know that can sound harsh but Jesus' words haven't changed.  As much as some people want to remove the passages of the Bible where Jesus said he's the only way to the Father they are still in there.  However, false teachers are going to do their best to try and get that removed over the next years and Christians need to stop being silent, stop being passive and stop allowing these people go to by without any challenge to their deceptions.  I'm not saying you should protest or lead marches or yell & scream...I'm saying that you should stand up for the truth of Christ and not be ashamed to say "no, you're wrong.  All religions do not lead someone to God."

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

A quick hit for a Friday...

A friend shared a story with me about a time she was in the elevator at her job heading up to see her patients.  When she looked down at her shirt she noticed that a wooden keychain of an Ithcus fish with the name Jesus burned on each side had covered her nametag.  She thought that it was interesting that they couldn't see who she was and all they could see was Jesus.

She at that moment, she heard a voice say to hear aloud "That's all I ever asked of you."

She was alone in the elevator.

Yeah, I had one of those moments where you were excited and chilled all at the same time.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."-Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

What that means is you follow and strive to be like your teacher...Jesus.  We are to follow in His path doing the things that He's doing and in such reflect him rather than ourselves and the sinful nature of our fallen flesh.

I don't know about you...but I'd love to have Jesus say to me sometime when I'm doing His work an encouraging word like He gave my friend.  The coolest part is that it could happen to any one of us if we're following Christ's teachings.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

I've been watching a discussion on a message board between some Christians and some people who despise Christianity and anyone who professes the faith.  It's been interesting to watch their exchanges because of the things that the Christian haters throw up as "valid" arguments against Christianity.  They'll bring up one verse from the Old Testament out of context and then claim that represents the whole of Christianity.  When it's shown where they are incorrect, they just ignore that and come back with how Christians are arrogant or intolerant because we say the only way to eternal life is through Christ.

To their credit, the Christians in this discussion aren't giving into the false accusations of intolerance and are standing firm on the truth of Christ.  They're keeping their focus where it needs to be...on Christ...and aren't focusing on the people who want to turn the discussion about the people.  However, this situation has me thinking about the times we all face the truly intolerant...those who believe we have no right to follow Christ and profess our faith.  The people who go on about how they're for "openness" and "tolerance" but as soon as a Christian begins to share their beliefs start to do the electronic equivalent of a stoning.

We cannot waver in our knowledge of the truth of Christ.  We can debate the ways we share our faith or the words we use or the times we're bolder than others but we cannot waver on the basics no matter how many times someone wants to mock you for it.  Remember, they're not mocking you as much as they're mocking Christ.  Jesus told us this when He said in John 7:7 (ESV) "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil."  Now, the world and those who love it cannot really hate on Christ directly because He is not here in the flesh so they hate on those who follow Him because it fulfills their earthly lusts for power.

Jesus also talked to us about that in John 15:18-27 (ESV): "“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, the will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning."

We have to expect this kind of treatment when we will not waver on this simple truth spoken by Christ:

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6 (ESV)

That means that no other religion is right.  No one who denies that Jesus is God is right.  No one who says that you can get into heaven without believing in Christ is Lord and that he was raised from the dead is right.  This is not a case of someone being "intolerant" as you will be accused.  It's a case of someone knowing the truth and not wavering in a world that wants to do all it can to eliminate that truth from the world.

We have to be strong enough to not deny Christ even when faced with people we know will receive the message with hate, anger and scorn.  You know those people...the ones that start a discussion on faith with "you think I'm going to hell?"  They want you to say yes because they want to attack...but you have to answer yes (if you know for a fact they're not a Christian) because that is the truth.

The key to remember is that the mockers know the truth.  They'll just do all they can to twist it to justify the fact they love the world so much they don't want to give it up...but that doesn't mean they don't know it.  If you deny it, they'll mock you as not knowing your faith or not believing it.

Either way, those who want to mock and throw derision toward others are going to do it regardless of your answer.  So why would you do anything to deny Christ just to get along with them?

To get along with the world?

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" - 1 John 2:15 (ESV)

If you deny the truth of Christ just to get along with people then you love the friendship of worldly people more than Christ.  That's not fun to say and it's certainly not fun to do...but it's the truth.  We can't compromise Jesus just to avoid someone who wants to vent their spleen over their hatred of Christianity.  Now, you can certainly pray and if the Lord leads just walk away from those people...but you cannot deny the truth when directly asked about Jesus.

Stand firm and celebrate that just like believers who have gone before us we're worthy to suffer even a little for the cause of Christ.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Sometimes, the devil can be really cool to have around you.

I'll pause for a minute while the Super Spiritual Christians! of you stop your fanatical blubbering that I said something regarding Satan that was actually said in a positive way.

Take your time.   You might want to wipe that bit of spittle off your shirt.

Yes, I said sometimes it's really cool to have the devil around you. Why?  Because if you're doing something for the Lord and temptations start to flood you like you were sitting along the mighty MIssissippi then you know you must be in God's will.

For example, let's say that you're feeling as if the Lord wants you to go on a fast.  What's going to happen to you?  If it's the Lord's will you stay on this fast then you'll be hit with temptations for food right and left.  Your small group at church will decide to have a picnic.  Your spouse will cook your favorite meal because they have forgotten you were fasting.  Everything on your schedule clears off and you and your wife get invited out for dinner.  Food will be everywhere.

That's when it's good to have the devil around to throw those temptations your way. It helps you be strong and helps you focus on the Lord and what He's called you to do.  After all, if it wasn't for the devil, you wouldn't have these temptations come before you.

Many Christians have been brought up in church with the misconception that God will tempt you with something to help build your faith.  The fact is that Scripture clearly tells us that this is not the case.  In James 1:13-14 (ESV) it says "Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire."  We have our own desires...for example, in the case of a fast it would be eating food...and Satan is more than willing to put things in front of us to try and get us to give into those desires that are against what God is telling us to do.

If anything, Satan's trying to get us to sin by ascribing to God things that are sinful in nature.  It's a clever ruse on Satan's part, but as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 2:11 (ESV) "we are not ignorant of his designs."  All Christians if they ask for the Lord's guidance and wisdom in these situations will be able to see right through what is going to be thrown your way by Satan and his minions.

So if you're feeling that Satan's pounding on you, celebrate it!  Praise God that you're worthy to be attacked because you're standing up for what God wants you to do...because if you're not feeling tempted by anything then you need to take a long hard look to see if you're not listening to what God wants you to be doing.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

I know I usually start out with a witty story or something that is designed to make you wonder exactly what in the world I'm going to be talking about today.  Well, today...something different.  I had an interesting thought while I was reading this passage from Luke 18:35-43 (ESV):

"As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God."

It hit me how fragile our faith can be.  All Christians at some point in our lives have had something happen either to us or someone around us that can only be explained as God.  Now, you may have to stop and think hard about when that time would be...it might not be on the level of a blind man getting his sight.  Perhaps it was finding ten dollars in an old pair of pants on a day you have no food in the fridge.  It might be that phone call for a job that you applied for months ago the week your unemployment was scheduled to run out.  It might be something as simple as your son walking across the stage by himself to get his high school diploma.  It's some moment in your life when you praise the Lord for His blessing.

And then we have a time in our life that is hard and where an answer from God hasn't arrived yet.  And we wait...and wait...and suddenly we find ourselves in a place where we start to doubt things even though we had our blind man moment at some point in the past where, as Romans 8:28 (ESV) says, we know "that for those who love God all things work together for good." We're so quick to write off the trying times as God not being able to deliver even though we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good (to paraphrase Psalm 34:8.) 

So I'm not here with a strong message today full of clever allusions to pop culture but rather just a pondering ramble about the fragility of faith and the relative strength of our faith.  As you read this, how easily did those blind man moments come back to you?  Have you been too quick to tuck them away in some spiritual filing cabinet to bring out at revival time but never seem to get dusted off when times of struggle arrive?

Maybe instead of filing them away we should make them wallpaper for our temple of the Holy Spirit.

(On a side note, next week will likely be a Q&A week.  If you have questions or things you'd like to see addressed in the Bible Blog, e-mail me at bb@thebibleblogger.com)

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Have you had a test to see if you suffer from Sunday Morning Myopia?

If you haven't...don't worry!  You can be tested today!  Just ask yourself these simple questions:

1.  When you attended church this past Sunday, did you notice anyone there that you knew was new to the church?

2.  Did you notice someone in the church body who might have been acting differently than normal?

3.  When the service was over, did you rush out into the foyer to get the kids and make sure you were first to the buffet restaurant down the street or did you look around to see if someone was in crying, in prayer to the Lord and just waiting for someone to come beside them with an encouraging word and prayer?

No?  Then you might be suffering from Sunday Morning Myopia.  See your pastor now!

OK...enough of the drug commercial parody.  The "illness", however, isn't a parody.

I've attended many churches over the years and the second the service ends it's like the running of the bulls toward the exits.  Very often the members don't stop to actually spend time in fellowship with their fellow church members because they have to get out for lunch or for various other things that they have planned for their day.  In and of themselves, there is nothing wrong with that. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing to plan to go to dinner with your family after church but sometimes we get so wrapped up in those "post-worship" events we can miss opportunities that God places in front of us to minister to others.

Sometimes the simple verses are the most powerful and when I think of the Stampede of the Believers as soon as the last note of the closing worship song is played it brings to mind 1 Thessalonians 5:25 (ESV) where Paul wrote simply "Brothers, pray for us."  There are commands throughout Scriptures for us to pray for each other and while we say we do it many times we only pray when it's convenient for us.  It seems almost like foolishness for us to make our family wait a few minutes while we kneel next to someone crying at the altar and just put a hand on their shoulder.  Yet that simple act of prayer could be a huge blessing to that person who is pouring themselves out in front of God.

I know this is Monday but I want you to think ahead to your Wednesday night church service or Sunday service.  When the service ends, instead of rushing for the door spend an extra minute in your seat.  Look around the sanctuary and ask the Lord to show you someone who could use an encouraging word, prayer, a hug or just a smile that says someone cares.  The buffet can wait ten minutes...and perhaps your example to your family could set forth a pattern of showing concern for others that will be examples of God's hands and feet for generations to come.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

A quick hit for a Friday...

You are not going to be the vessel God uses to save everyone you meet who doesn't know Christ.

I know that can be hard to accept...and it runs against the teachings that some Christian groups want to try and make you think that way...but you are not going to be the vessel that saves everyone. You might just be the watering can to dip onto a seed that's already been there that will grow and be harvested at a later time.

Remember in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 (ESV) when Paul writes "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor"? We are all one in the purpose of sharing Christ with the world but within that each of us has different duties like planting or watering the seeds. You cannot be angry if God wants you watering for a while instead of planting or picking the ripe fruit.

So when you're faced with someone who just refuses to listen to the truth of Christ don't feel like you have to keep debating the matter with this person.  Take, for example, someone who considers themselves to be really "logical" and set themselves up as if they're more intelligent than you because you're professing Christ as truth.  Often these people will get very elitist and condescending toward you.  They'll say how arrogant you are for speaking about Jesus and his truth because in their world of sliding truth they can't handle not being able to change the definition of "truth" to meet their means. 

Don't get angry or frustrated.  Remember that in 1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul wrote "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."  You'll find different levels of resistance to those who want to consider the truth of Christ folly and sometimes it's better to just present the truth and walk away to leave them stew in their self-righteousness and arrogant judgment of you. 

Don't be sucked back into debates with them by their charges that you're being arrogant or that you're giving Christians a bad name.  While there are times you could be doing that, realize that these are just tools used by many intelligent people who despise Christ and despise Christians to attack and belittle.  They're not interested in actual discussion...they just want to attack you and the faith all the more.  When you realize that not every battle is yours to fight and win...rather, it's all God's battle and we're just different parts of it...you feel a freedom to just say "have a nice day" and walk away. 

Pray and ask the Lord when it's time to fight and when it's time to walk away and let someone else come along to water the seed or harvest.   Once you realize it's not your responsibility to save the world...just be available any time God needs you as His hands, feet, mouth or fingers...you can truly be free to share Christ without fear.

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

I have a friend from a message board I frequent who has been asking me to read the writings of someone they esteem as a Christian leader. I can tell my friend really is a strong believer in what this person teaches so I've taken the time to read what this man has written and try to hold it up against God's word. He brings up some very valid points that on the surface would make you stand up and cheer because of the plain honesty. Then you look deeper and see in between those statements are things that run in direct conflict with the word of God.

It's a common trend among some people leading churches today to try and take parts of the Bible for their purposes and then ignore other passages because it doesn't fit with what they want to accomplish. For example, a lot of churches that are focused on "loving" people will not teach or speak about the passages in the Bible which speak of hell or sin or condemnation for the person who has not accepted Christ. They think if they "love" someone they'll automatically jump in and accept Christ as Savior because of all the loving and good things that are being done. The problem is that if they're being loved and accepted and never challenged on the things the Bible says are wrong then they have no reason to change their life at all. If they're being loved and accepted without any exposure to the consequences of not accepting Christ in their life there is no reason at all for someone to accept Jesus!

The long time readers of this blog know that I don't prescribe to any particular denomination or man made way of looking at Jesus. The whole position I have is that we go to the Scriptures, see what is there and then use that to guide our lives. Some people like to try and hold that up as people are worshipping the Bible as much as God...and that's an extremely foolish position for someone to maintain. That would be like saying someone values the operations manual of their lawn mower more than the mower itself. The operations manual tells you what you need to do to run the mower but you can't do anything without the mower. When you have a problem with the mower, you go back to it and find out why that could be happening. The Bible is a guide for living that points to Jesus who is the basis for all we do to live.

To tell people to just "love" others as "Jesus" did without giving them any basis for showing how Jesus loved people is like giving someone a complex tool and telling them to go use it. They might be able to do the basic functions but will not be able to enjoy and understand the full use of that tool. Just like someone can get the basis of faith in Christ without the Bible, they might not be able to understand the full scope of what Jesus taught all of us concerning especially our freedom in Christ.

For example, you have someone who knows the basics...Jesus died for their sins, rose again, eternal life. That's great...and they can use that to share Him with others...but it would leave out large parts of the Christian walk. For example, many know Romans 8:1 (ESV) "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." On the surface...which is all the further many Christians go...they take that to mean that they are no longer under the penalty of eternity in hell because they've accepted Christ. That would be true. HOWEVER, there's more to it than just that. As someone in Christ, you no longer have anything to fear regarding God himself. God sees you as He sees Jesus...so even though we sin and make mistakes it doesn't mean that God's sitting up in heaven with God's Mighty Anvil just waiting to drop it on you. You're free and not bound up by the chains of the law.

Now, I won't deny there are far too many churches out there that have a completely misguided focus when it comes to our walk with Christ. The church is the body of believers and not a brick and mortar building. Christians are not supposed to serve a church...they're to minister to others and the church can be a place where they gather supplies, encourage each other and provide the tools needed to go and minister. If someone were to come to me and say that the majority of churches in America today have their focus 180 degrees from where it should be I would be inclined to agree. To completely bastardize a quote from President John F. Kennedy...it's not what you can do for your church but what your church can do for the community. The church is a service center where you can be recharged and reloaded to serve others while also taking the time to show respect, honor and love to the head of the church, Jesus Christ.

But I digress...the point I'm trying to make is that you need to look at the whole of what's being taught by those who are most vocally and actively attacking the "church" as it's been traditionally defined. There is ample territory to come after the way man has twisted the nature of the Scriptures and the instructions given through the disciples. You have to be very careful, though, not to take that discontent with man's actions and turn it into places where you ignore parts of Scripture just to advance a belief system that is anti-"church" (and I mean that not in a hateful manner but rather someone who advocates a system contrary to the current "church" system.) Being a Christian is not a cake-walk, it's not all "love" and it's not "happiness." Sometimes being a Christian can be painful. Sometimes the teachings of Christ can hurt you. To ignore that part of Jesus' teachings is to deny Christ himself.

For example, if we teach about being wise with the financial blessings that the Lord has provided it's going to be a place the Holy Spirit can convict someone who's been throwing their money away instead of using it in a manner that honors God. That person is going to feel hurt and condemned and angry. Some people who are "anti-church" would say this is not a teaching from Christ because it wouldn't hurt someone. Clearly, that's not the case...without something that can hurt or sting there is no conviction of the believer to bring their lives more in line with Christ.

As much as some want to try and pretend this is the case, belief in Christ is not a "get out of conviction from your sin free" card. Condemnation (to declare to be reprehensible, wrong, or evil usually after weighing evidence and without reservation) and conviction (the act of convincing a person of error or of compelling the admission of a truth) are not the same thing. Be careful of those teachers who try to blur that line for the sake of "loving" others.

To be clear, I'm not saying that everyone who talks about showing the "love of Christ" is a false teacher or that they're Scripturally unsound or that they're wrong in what they're saying to people in general. There are a lot of those who warn of the fact most churches aren't in line with Scripture who make very valid and very Scripturally solid cases and should be given full attention to their statements. In some cases they are like a modern day Martin Luther nailing up a new version of the 95 Thesis. However, you have to look very carefully at the teachings of these men and hold up EVERYTHING they're saying against the Scriptures. See where the conflicts come in and the pray about them and ask God about what you're seeing. Ultimately, Jesus is your guide to all truth but His truth is not going to conflict with the things that He has said in His word.

After all, it's possible that not all you hear a preacher say to you is necessarily what's in the Scriptures...but that's a blog for another day. :)

(Listen to the Podcast at www.bibleblogpodcast.com or subscribe at iTunes.)

Let's take a guy. Let's call him Bob. Bob is a drunk. He gets up in the morning and has a beer for breakfast. He has a few martinis at lunch. He comes home to a waiting 24 pack of Old Milwaukee. He does this every day of his life.

Then one night he's out cruising around looking for a woman for the night when he sees the flashing lights in his mirror. After a nice ride with a police officer, Bob finds himself with a DUI charge and jail time looming so he takes a deal to get treatment for his alcoholism and an agreement to not drink for a year. Bob welcomes the change because he's felt that alcohol has been controlling him for so long and he wants to be set free. The first six months of his "new life" go incredibly well.

Then he goes to a friend's house to watch a football game. In the middle of the game, when all his friends are half in the bag, he thinks about what harm it would be to just have one beer. So he does.

The next week, they're back watching another game. This time Bob takes precautions and gets someone who isn't drinking to make sure they can drive him home if he has too much. He has a few more beers but not enough to be really legally drunk. Now, keep in mind he signed a court paper saying he wouldn't drink at all...

The following week he decides that he's going to go check out the game at the bar with some other buddies. The beer flows freely from the pitcher on the table and Bob doubles the legal limit. He gets in his car to head home and meets Mr. Officer At The DUI Checkpoint. Bob gets two years to know his cellmate Bubba.

Some from the outside would stand and wonder what happened to poor Bob. "He was doing so well," they would say. The reason for Bob's fall? It's because while he did clean up his life he still let himself be open to the temptations around him and wasn't really thinking that even the littlest step back would end up leading him to be exactly where he was in the first place. He couldn't do it on his own.

All of us in some way are Bob.

No, we're not all alcoholics. We are, however, all people who cannot make it on our own when faced with the things that tempt us. Just because we're Christians doesn't mean we're suddenly immune from Satan. It's a very common misconception among many Christians that as soon as they accept Christ they won't be turning to the same things that they did before they knew Christ. They think the love of money or sex or power or status will suddenly go away. While God has done those kinds of changes in people many times we're still facing those same urges within us.

And Satan knows the buttons to push.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 says "And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will."

Do you think any of those people who Timothy calls "opponents" were sitting around going "man, I wish I could be caught in Satan's snare and do his bidding!"  (Well, perhaps some of them...but you know the majority of them had no idea what had happened.) They likely were sucked in my Satan who tempted them in the ways they were weak.

In Acts 5 we have the story of Ananias and Sapphira who sell a piece of land and then instead of bringing the full amount of the sale to the disciples they bring a part and lie about the price.  In Acts 5:3 (ESV), we read "But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?"  Do you think that Ananias was someone who was upstanding, never lied and was never in love with money?  Do you think that Satan suddenly pounced on him with the temptation to keep back some of the money and it was the first time Ananias ever faced the prospect of using his money for himself?

Of course not...this was something that Ananias was prone to do and Satan knew it.  He used that against Ananias even though he knew Christ's teachings and followed the apostles.  When he came to Christ it wasn't a whitewashing of his personality and Satan knew it and used it against him.  It lead to Ananias' death!

Most importantly, God never promised us that we would not have temptations facing us in this life.  He promises us we can OVERCOME it through the Holy Spirit but we cannot eliminate it.  Remember in Hebrews 4:15 (ESV) it says "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin"?  That high priest is Jesus...who was tempted by the devil.  How arrogant it is to say that we will not be tempted when our Lord and Savior was tempted himself! 

We who are believers need to continually be aware to the temptations of the devil.  They can be right in our face or so subtle that we don't even realize it's sin until after we're on the eve of destruction.  I'm not saying that you should run around like Fox Mulder and look for little green men around every corner waiting to attack you but just be aware of the times that you're in a situation where in the past you've given in to sin.  If necessary, flee the situation.  Most of all, pray for God to be there to give you the strength and wisdom you need to deal with that situation. 

Remember that in 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) it says "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 

Just pray and ask for wisdom to be aware of the subtle tempations that can creep in.  Pray for the strength to endure any temptation and for the vision to see the way of escape when it's presented to you.  The Lord is faithful and He will not leave you twisting alone to just stand by your own strength and wisdom which cannot stand against all the temptations and attacks of Satan.