Just Sayin' ...

If there is any one lesson that we should learn from recent new stories, it is that, if you want to get your way, the most effective course of action is to throw a big-enough fit. Two illustrations of this comes to mind:

1) In late February, troops at Bagram Air Field, the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan, burned Korans and other religious materials after the books were mistakenly thrown out with the trash and put on a burn pile. According to nearly every report, there was no malicious intent to this action. Repeated apologies have been made by the U.S. government over the mistake.
And the response of the Afghan people? An unbelievable display of violence by the Afghans against
Americans, resulting in the death of at least 6 in actions directly attributable to retaliation for the action (which really causes me to wonder why we are still there, providing help, and pumping into their economy billions of dollars in foreign aid, if they want nothing to do with us?). 

2) Kirk Cameron, in an interview with Piers Morgan, said concerning homosexuality, “"I think that it's - it's - it's unnatural. I think that it's - it's detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization." Now, here he is just giving his opinion in response to a question asked him. He is not stating that this is the definitive answer that every Christian needs to adhere to. 

And what was the response to Cameron’s honest opinion? Herndon Graddick, Senior Director of Programs of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), wrote, "Cameron is out of step with a growing majority of Americans, particularly people of faith who believe that their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters should be loved and accepted based on their character and not condemned because of their sexual orientation," In other words, what matters is not whether or not something is actually true, but what is the popular opinion concerning it? 

There was a day in the not too recent past when what mattered was whether or not something was true. Now, we find that truth has little or nothing to do with it. All that matters is how loudly you shout, Shout loud enough, throw a big enough fit, and people will surrender to your demands just to get you to shut up. 

As Christians, we have been called to be the proclaimers of the truth. We have been called to shine a light into the midst of great darkness. And there are a lot of people who are not that thrilled about that. They are comfortable in the dark. They like living in the shadows. Light hurts their eyes, and causes them to see things that do not appear in the darkness. 

It is extremely naïve for us to think otherwise. And it is totally contradictory to the plain teachings of the Bible:

• John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
• 2 Timothy 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
• 1 Peter 4:12-14 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”

As Christians, we have been called to be peacemakers. But even though we do not seek confrontation, we do not run from it. In love, we stand our ground, refusing to compromise what we believe. Now, for this people will consider us to be out-of-touch, confrontational, narrow-minded, and mean and hateful. But Jesus will call us blessed . So, who are we trying to please?

REVIEW OF THE EXCEPIONAL LIFE BY STEPHEN ARTERBURN

Arterburn outlines his book in a very simple manner. He deals with eight major areas:

·         Guilt and shame

·         Resentment

·         Fear

·         Anger

·         Instant gratification

·         Learned helplessness

·         Isolation

·         Addiction

Each of these chapters he then breaks down into five sections.

This book would serve as a good introduction to each of these areas. He gives us the basic principles on which we can build and develop through personal study.

My major concern with the book is that there are times when the author tends to take too long to make his point. His conversational style of writing is refreshing, but at times is a bit excessive. In addition, much of his humorous interjections could have been left out.

Overall, I found the book easy to read and comprehend.

I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers for an honest review.

The Focus of Our Faith

"That I may know him, and the power of  his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable unto his death." (Philippians 3:10)

   Here we find the apostle expressing  what was without question the consuming passion of his heart: "That I may know Him." He is not asking for a greater intellectual comprehension  of the teachings of Christ, to be able to more fully plumb the depths of all the academic implications of his faith. No, that which he is seeking here is for a deepening relational knowledge of Christ. That which he is seeking here is an ever-increasing intimacy with Jesus. What he is seeking and striving for here was a deeper comprehension of who Jesus was, not merely what He taught.

   Now, notice carefully that I am not for one second saying that doctrine is not important. You cannot read the epistles of Paul and not see that he was a man who swam in deep waters doctrinally. Even today, we can do little more than try to understand what he was trying to teach. Peter tells us that we need to always be ready to give a reason for th hope that is within us; i.e., to be able to explain why we believe what we believe.

   But doctrine must be seen from its proper perspective. J. Dwight Pentecost writes this concerning the subject of Bible prophecy:

   "Several years ago I was invited to a downtown office building to teach a Bible class. I took the occasion to survey events of the end time as revealed in the Word of God to show how current events are  preparatory to the final drama leading up to Christ's enthronement as David's Son on David's throne.
    "At the conclusion of the message a woman said, 'In the light of your study, it seems to me that the coming of the Lord Jesus must be very, very near. I have some dirty closets at home that I must clean out, for I would not want the Lord to come and take me home to Himself and have somebody come in and find the closets the way they are now.' That is the practical effect of prophecy on daily life. For not only in our  homes but in our lives are many dirty, crowded nooks and crannies that need to be cleaned out." (Pentecost, J. Dwight, Will Man Survive, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Mich. 1971 p.9)

   Now, what Pentecost had to say about the purpose of the study of Bible prophecy is also true concerning the purpose of the study of Bible doctrine. It is not an end in itself, but rather is a means to an end. What is that end? It is nothing less that the pursuit of the knowledge of God, to enable me to know Him more fully, to live Him more deeply, and to follow Him without hesitation or reservation.

   And thus we find ourselves coming to see what revival is. Revival is the process of entering into relationship with God, a relationship that is going to have ramifications in every area, every "nook and cranny" of our lives. It is to daily "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). It is the abandonment of our ambitions in order to pursue God.

It Takes Time To Be Holy

Something I learned from my time with the Pentecostals is that you cannot rush God. We give an altar-call, have people come to the front, yet in 5-10 minutes everyone has returned to their seats and are ready to go home.And what is worse, they really think that they have done business with God. 

The history of revival is that of protracted prayer, of hours and hours on one's face before God, of nights spend seeking God instead of sleeping. Prayer becomes the priority of life. Then and only then did God see fit to move in revival

  We wonder why there is so little by way of lasting results. Perhaps if we actually spent some time on our faces before God, quit worrying about what time it was or what other people were thinking, and got with God and stayed with God until God answered, we might not be lamenting the lack of revival in our churches, but might actually be walking in it.

DUST OR SMOKE?

   Something that we need to learn to do is to tell the difference between smoke and dust. When I was a kid, one of the games that we would play was war. And our favorite place to play war was in our garden. In our garden there were these large clumps or clods of dirt. We would pick them up and throw them, and they would explode in a cloud of dust. And we would throw these clods of dirt, which we would imagine to be hand grenades, imagining that the dust they would make would be smoke.

   We look at so much of what is taking place in our churches today, and all we see is dust. Oh, to be sure, it looks like smoke from a distance. And it might fool some people, and make them think it is real. But there is no fire. God is not present in what we are doing. And we are about as effective in our ministry as we were as boys playing war. We are playing games, out of contact, out of touch, with reality.

   How we need the fire of God to fall. How we need the glory of God to be burning in our midst. How we need tob e consumed by the desire to see God's fire burning brightly and hotly in our lives. 

WHEN WILL REVIVAL COME?

Psalm 85:5-6 "Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?  Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?"

   In a conference I recently attended, one of the speakers asked this question: "What hope do I see for revival coming to this generation?" And then he answered that question by saying, "The greatest hope for revival that I see lies in the fact that there does not appear to be any hope for revival."

   I was almost going to write, "God delights in doing the impossible." But then I was reminded of all the places in Scripture where we are clearly told that nothing is impossible with God. The clear teaching of the Bible is that all things are possible with God. God delights in doing things that we think cannot be done. And that includes revival.

   Our world today is in thick darkness. Our churches are in a state of decline. Yet it is in times like these, times of greatest darkness, that the light of God's glory has the potential to shine the brightest. This is the unanimous testimony of history, both scriptural and secular. And this will also be the testimony of the next great move of God. God comes when least expected to those who most desperately need Him. He sends His manna and living water to those who most intensely hunger and thirst after Him. He comes when all hope is lost, when all alternatives have vanished, so that no flesh can glory in His presence.