How Is Your Heart?

From the time of conception, the organ called our “heart” pumps with a regularity that is wonderfully uncanny and it indicates life. However, there are some people that want to ignore that single fact. Have you heard of the “Heartbeat” bill here in Ohio?

In July of last year, 2011, the Ohio House of Representatives passed HB125 to illustrate that when a heartbeat is detected in an unborn child, that the heartbeat indicates that there is life. It is one of the most pro-life laws that has been written and there are lots of states watching to see how the Ohio Senate responds to that bill. But since July, the Ohio Senate has been doing nothing with the bill and not even bringing it to the floor for a vote. The Senate President, Tom Niehaus, just needs to bring it to the floor. There are more than enough pro-life Senators to pass the bill. But it languishes. With every day it is delayed, another 71 babies are aborted under the guise of “choice”. The truth is that “Pro-Choice” is not a choice at all. It is for abortion. One Pastor spoke at the Pastor’s Press Conference last week at the capital and asked a profound question: “Why is it a baby when I want it and it’s not a baby when I don’t want it?”

For 39 years, we as a people have been lied to about life. Instead of recognizing this beating heart as an indicator of life, we have heard it as a sign of either inconvenience or just ‘fetal tissue”. Our careless and reckless treatment of life has resulted in millions of babies being aborted since the Supreme Court decision regarding Roe v Wade. Ironically we have thought that if a baby was aborted in a sterile surgical setting that somehow that made it right. It is time that we quit the delaying and encourage legislators here in Ohio to act. Please call Tom Niehaus at 614-466-8082 and simply ask that he bring HB 125 to the Senate floor for a vote. Pray that political leaders will have courage and boldness to make a decision for life. Even the Declaration of Independence presumes that our “Creator” has endowed us with certain “unalienable rights” . . . life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I wonder when we will remember and take seriously this right to life!

We Just Don’t Ask – That’s All!

Mom died in 1993. When my sister and I began to share the earthly goods that were left, one of the tangible things that I kept is one of my Mother’s Bibles. What is unique about it is not that it has some special note or observation written in the margin, although there are those kinds of notes there. What is powerful is the fact that the page in her Bible that is worn from use is Matthew 7: 7-12. It is the “Ask and it shall be given” passage. It not only was Mom’s favorite verse, it was a practice that she regularly employed in behalf of herself and so many people around the world. Her asking included missionaries with whom she had worked in Africa. Her words embraced us as children and families whether we were near or far away. It was a comforting feeling to know that no matter where she was, that she was in the habit or praying for her family members. She was not afraid to ask.

How are you with asking? Would you rather do it yourself or are you in the habit of routinely asking? I’m not refering just to the asking of a friend for assistance but asking God for help. I hae found that God is just waiting for me to ask for the help. The “ask” means that I recognize that I cannot do it all myself and desperately need His help. Then the rest of the story is this: I often do not have because I do not ask. (Check the Scripture found in James chapter 1).

Through my years in ministry, I have been asked countless times by other to pray for them and have done so. The other side of the coin means that I also need to ask you to pray for me too. How often we have missed the blessing that God has in mind for us and for others simply because we didn’t ask. This “asking” business has no qualifier of being good enough to ask either. God help us in all kinds of circumstances if we will just ask. We probably would be surprised if we would just ask.

Leadership Or Leaderless

Leaders define reality by developing a worldview and perspective that enables them to interpret life from the eternal vantage point of God’s truth. The truth, even when it’s hard, sets people free from ignorance and deception.Jesus is truth and sets the standard for truth.

One of the most complex issues of Jesus day had to be when he would quote the law and then compare it to what he was about to say: You have heard that the law of Moses says. . . but I say. . . (Matthew 5: 21 – 22) All of a sudden, all of history is summed up in a single phrase and the contrast that is about to take place is imminent. What is it that Jesus is going to say? Actually it doesn’t make much difference what the topic is, if Jesus is going to speak about it, I want to listen and learn. The Apostle Paul had the same idea with his words: Follow me like I follow Christ. (I Corinthians 11:1)

Can you imagine what might happen if every leader was seeking to add to another perpson’s life instead of manipulating that life for his own position? John Maxwell, who leads all kinds of leadership seminars and write prolifically on the subject identifies the reason for leading is “to add value to people’s lives”. I had the privilege of hearing John in person and he identifies four ways to get this “adding of value” accomplished: 

1. Value people. (This is done by accenting the value that a person has currently.)  2. Make yourself more valuable. (This means that you keep on learning, developing and growing. You are a continual learner.) 3. Know and relate to what other people value. (You actually learn this by listening and caring about people. That includes knowing what they care about and listening to what they have to say.) 4. Know and do the things that God values. (This is a Christian view that may not be identified by all who are in a leadership position.)

Christian leaders have a trust in God that is a priority. Next comes the influence that the leader has because people trust him or her. The qualifiers for a Biblical leader are found in I Timothy 3 and Titus chapter one. In a practical way from a “big picture” perspective those qualifiers lead us to ask three hard questions of church leaders that we may consider choosing: 1) Personally, do his internals match the externals? Is there consistency? Does the private world and public world match? This “Christian leadership” model has to include a genuine and authentic example that is without hypocrisy. 2. Domestically, would his family vote for him? Would his wife and children agree that he could make a significant contribution to the ministry in the church? Would the children say that their father’s leadership is the kind that the Lord would honor and use? 3. Publicly, would the community be surprised or confirming about the selection of this person as a church leader? Would the co-workers on the weekly job agree that this person would be a godly leader or would they be surprised because of the inconsistent example or language that is seen in the workplace?

Imagine what might be a response if every Christian leader had to give the names of three character references from his work place that were observations made by non-Christian people. What kind of consistency might that reveal?

I have a friend that has this saying on her office desk at a publishing company: “If you don’t practice what you preach, no one is going to follow you.” It is a great reminder and I want to have that kind of authenticity. It comes down to practicing leadership every day. Simple, isn’t it?

We Have Been Lied To!

For the last 40 – 45 years our educational system has been influenced by a flawed and empty philosophy that has produced a present disaster in the learning process. It is not because we do not have dedicated teachers who work hard and care about their students. It is not because we have not supplied enough money to support that system either. Rather the empty philosophy, that has been purported to be true, is that there is not a series of absolutes that should influence the teaching that we receive of give to others.

This shift began when our teachers began to accent our feelings instead of what was factual and true. Instead of learning by certain rules, students were encouraged to explore all kinds of information and then make up their own rules. Children were seen as fully able to make their own rules, so they did. John Dewey, one of the early educational gurus of the past, did not believe that a child was a creature of God, but rather just a biological organism that teachers ought to shape for the evolving that would come. Again, the accepted idea was that children were so innocent and close to the divine, that they would choose to be loving, selfless and creative. The idea that a child could be selfish or self-willed was not considered at all. So, parents and teachers alike began to teach the children that they could construct their own rules instead of having regulations imposed on them by adults. The idea that there was some kind of transcendent truth and morality was out of the question. So then parents began to accent the “self-concept” that was positive and building up the child’s self esteem.

Well, my friends that has been very successful. We live in a society that has been intentionally taught to make up its own rules and to ignore anything that might be classified as truth. In this multicultural society, each person has been taught to be true to himself/herself. Folks have a strong self concept. There is a problem with it, however. This strong self-concept has produced a confidence that almost refuses to be open to learning. So our present world is mostly un-teachable. The irony is this sense of positive self-image with no morality.

From my standpoint as a preacher of God’s Word, the people that hear the message of Scripture reject it out of hand because they have been taught there are no absolutes. Not only have you been lied to about absolutes, but flawed in thinking because you may not consider what anyone else has to say. It sounds comfortable! It sounds unreasonable! It sounds good. But it doesn’t work.

I really need to consider what God has to say about something in a serious manner. The warning is that this process might lead me to change my mind and action. But, then, when I’ve been lied to for so long, it is hard to admit that.

By the way, if you do not think that there are any absolutes, then please come and fly with me. I am an instrument rated private pilot. Let’s go to 5000 feet and you can just get out- – - that is, if there are no absolutes.

I really am not happy when I get lied to.

 

The Plot Thickens

There is no more subtle and obtuse motivation for nastiness than power. It serves to be both intoxicating and blinding at the same time. These elements were prevalent in the premeditated and intentional plan of the religious leaders of Jerusalem in the days of Jesus Christ. The target of those plans was this itinerant preacher from Nazareth, whose healing, miraculous ministry had been examined by some, followed by others and opposed by still others.

The religious leaders, called the Sanhedrin, had their minions follow Jesus with inquiry that was really designed to find some way to trap Him into an occasion for arrest and prosecution. The practical difficulty was that it was hard to bring accusation against a man for healing blind people, cleansing lepers, curing deafness and raising people from the dead. Somehow there are just no laws that have ever been written that have found that kind of action to be illegal. So, these Scribes and Pharisees were busy trying to deny Jesus’ power. The Bible records that some of them said that Jesus teaching was just craziness. Other teachers of the law suggested that the actual power for the healing was demonic. None of that made sense to those who had been healed or to those who listened carefully to the Master Teacher. Even logic escapes the mind here because sick people were now well, deaf people could now hear, blind people could see, hungry people had been fed and dead people were now alive. When these kinds of arguments didn’t seem to have an impact on the followers of Jesus, the new retort was to diminish the place from which Jesus came, as if Galilee could not be a place of origination of a teacher like this. Additionally, they questioned Jesus’ teaching because they didn’t know of the place where He might have studied to get such wisdom. Simply put, the religious leaders could not refute either His teaching or His miracles by innuendo or fact or personal witness. They were frustrated and were losing power in a daily way. In the face of that threat, something must be done to get rid of the teacher. The plot thickens.

The straw that seemed to break their back was the raising of Lazarus from the dead. It was not resuscitation or a recovery from a cardiac event by skilled CPR technique. Lazarus was dead. Not only was he dead, he was dead and buried and by the time Jesus came on the scene Lazarus had been dead for four days. Worse was the fact that many Jewish friends of the family had come to their home for this time of mourning and were eye-witnesses of the death and about to be seers of the resurrection of the deceased. (The Gospel writer John gives the narrative in John 11: 38-45.)

The motivation for the plotting of these “spiritual leaders” shows up in their discussion. Again John records it: “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” In short, the religious leaders were most concerned about their loss of power. So, in order to keep the power, the miracle worker must be eliminated so that their tradition, their position, their stature and their authority might be maintained. It’s an ugly picture that would lead to the bribery of Judas, the betrayal of Jesus, and His mock trial and crucifixion. These folks would not be comfortable until their enemy was dead.

So in the preparation for the Passover celebration, the plan to kill Jesus was being devised in spite of the ceremonial cleansing process that was happening in the temple. It is the diabolical picture of wickedness contrasted with a cleansing ceremony. It is a hypocrisy that is completely ignored.

What took place on that skull shaped hill outside of Jerusalem was not just a result of impulsive mob action. The crucifixion of Jesus was a plot that grew thicker with every miracle that He did and every lesson He taught. While it was opposed by those who should have recognized it as truth, the quest for personal power overwhelmed the truth of who Jesus was and still is.

So in this season, when the new life of spring and the celebration of Easter reminds us of the miracle that took place with the resurrection, we think about the plot that thickened into the sacrifice of Jesus for the sin of the world. That offering was not unknown or a surprise to the Savior who came into the world to be that sacrificial lamb for all sin for all time. It was a plot that got nastier with every plan. And “they” had no idea that God would use their quest for power to show His. The hill of Calvary has the love of God written all over it. The plot of man had accomplished the plan of the Almighty. (That is probably the one reason I can think of to call the day – “Good Friday”!)

A Stinging Rebuke

Hearing it is one thing. Receiving it is quite another thing. The Jews had investigated John the Baptist and frankly enjoyed his messages for a time. Then John crossed over the acceptable line to identify Jesus as the Lamb of God that would take away the sin of the world. That caused the Jews to doubt the testimony of John about Jesus.

However, when Jesus was questioned about his own life and ministry, he responded with a reminder that it was not human testimony about His ministry that was the most important. Jesus made it clear that popularity should never be a substitute for the true test. While the evidence that he made of Himself and the proof that John the Baptist gave were true, these witnesses would not be the most important. The first witness that Jesus accepted was the “work that the Father had given Him to do and which He was completing.” John 5: 36  The second witness was the very Scripture that the Jews diligently studied but blindly misunderstood. The esteemed authority they accepted was the authority of Moses. (At least, that is what they said.) The application of that core belief was what came in the rebuke of Verse 46. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?

Jesus provoked a question for these people to consider whether or not they were content to have knowledge of Scripture instead of believing the message of it. That same question is good for us today too. Do I recognize that what Moses wrote was to lead me to Christ? Could I get so involved in professing knowledge of Scripture that I miss the intention of it? What Moses wrote about Jesus is crucial for my learning about this Savior and Messiah. I do not want to miss the truth that the law was my tutor, my teacher and my schoolmaster to lead me to Christ. (Check Galatians 3: 23-25) In Christ I become Abraham’s seed and an heir of what God has promised.

Sure Jesus gave a stinging rebuke! I need to hear it too so that I constantly trust in Him whose testimony includes changed lives, Scriptural guidance, testimony of others and the magnificent work of God that only Jesus could accomplish. Thank you God that He finished the work you gave Him to do. I needed that rebuke!

If – Then . . .

“If” is such a small word, that it is often difficult to recognize that what follows is consequence. And, the “if” determines what the consuence really is. That is true in chemistry, math, algebra, science, music, astronomy, theology, education and family. If fact I cannot think of a case where the “if” of a condition is not followed by the “then” of a consequence.

Deuteronomy, chapter 28 is a wonderful reminder for us in this modern age too. The “if” of the chapter contains descriptive behavior like: “fully obey”, “carefully follow”, “keep the commands” and “pay attention”. (When I read that, a knowing smile formed on my face because I remembered times when the result of not paying attention brought about a consequence that was not desirable at all.) In the case of Deuteronomy the “then” was either the blessing of God or the withdrawal of His blessing. That withdrawal was called a “curse”. This refusal to “pay attention” to God brought about the consequences described as the result of sin and disobedience. The description is not pleasant at all. . . (You will add some of your own observations as you read the text.)  These consequences include: affliction, oppression, confusion, failure, scorn, ridicult, slavery, suffering, plague, ruin, destruction, anxiety, weariness, despair, suspense, dread and terror.

About this time you are thinking, like me. . . “Well, I guess other than that it’s not so bad!”  Wow, that is more than enough to catch my attention.

The blessings on the other hand get revealed in: my family, crops, livestock, industry, victory, abundance, respect, prosperity, recognition, success, freedom, joy, peace, health, unity, sleep and the abundant provision of God.

Just reading the list keeps me from thinking that my response to God doesn’t matter. It does matter. Not only does every action produce an equal and opposite reaction, but predictable kinds of consequence. So for today, I will commit to follow what the Lord says. If I do, I can expect His blessing. If I don’t, then it is fair to assume that He will withdraw His blessing. It is not a debtor kind of a thing either. He doesn’t owe me anything. This is a simple consequence.

I wonder how many times today, I will think or say “if”? Lord help me, at least for today, to remember there are always consequences.

That’s Your Responsibility

Passing the buck! The blame game! It’s not my fault! “No fault insurance”. “Don’t ask, me! I didn’t do it.”

It really doesn’t matter whether it is the political parties in an accusing mode or rearing children to be responsible. It seems that most folks want to blame someone else for any mistake that is made. So, when the homework is not finished, I try the old addage: “The dog ate it”. When I am behind in my commitment to someone or something, I excuse myself by blaming the economy, the stock market, the congress, the president or my emergency need that interrupted the commitment. Very rarely do I simply admit that it was my fault or my bad decision that got me into the difficulty I’m in right now.

Have you been there? It has happened to lots of people down through history from the Garden of Eden until now. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. But did you know it happened to Judas Iscariot?

Convicted in his own heart about the innocence that he had betrayed, Judas took the money back to those who had paid him to deliver Jesus. He said simply: I have betrayed innocent blood. The blame-shifting reponse from the religious leaders of that day was a cold set of words: “What is that to us? That is your responsibility!”  The very people who had been plotting to trap, punish and kill Jesus were acting as if they had no part in the plotting at all. Actually they were exposed by the betrayer that they had paid. They didn’t like it and just shifted blame to Judas, as if they were completely innocent.

I guess that the more guilty we are, the more we are prone to shift the blame to someone else. The devil hasn’t changed his methods in thousands of years. Knowing that, I really need to resolve to not blame someone else for the foolish choices I’ve made. Maybe that’s what it means to be responsible.

Inspiration Or Irritation

The sparkle of lights, decorations in the yard, a fresh smell of pine and the excited voices of children are ingredients found in the Christmas celebration. Lights glow from front porches, Christmas trees, garage lights, spotlights on nativity scenes and store front windows. It’s Christmas.

Around the house, the fragrances of special foods, baked goods and cookies seem to flavor the atmosphere of festivity and gift giving. Anxious eyes await the reception of gifts that may be homemade or special surprises that have been hidden away for weeks. It usually doesn’t happen quite like this at any other time of the year. It’s Christmas.

The truth is that we probably spend too much money on gifts, groceries and family gatherings. Yet, we reason that once a year is probably not too often to be extravagant. Special note is made of loved ones who are absent and those who have died since the last time we were together. Extra effort is made to contact friends that we have not heard from since the last Christmas card. We are challenged to consider how we may encourage people in “harm’s way” on a foreign soil somewhere, to know that we remember them. It just seems appropriate that we share our lives and our blessings with others. It’s Christmas.

What an inspiration the season is when we remember that it commemorates the coming of the Savior to earth. The conditions had all kinds of political pressure associated with it. Luke’s Gospel records that Caesar Augustus had issued a decree about a census to be taken so appropriate tax could be levied. (Who would have guessed that a governmental taxing requirement, would serve as a backdrop for Mary and Joseph to come to Bethlehem?) So, in the midst of a registration for taxing, a baby is born. The historical event of a baby’s birth has everyone in the family noticing the birth of new relative. In the case of Jesus’ birth, there is the specific fulfillment of a prophecy that God Almighty would come to earth in human flesh and we would refer to it as the incarnation. Never mind about the season of the year that this happened. We could get so busy debating the actual time of the year, we could forget the purpose of the baby that is born. He is in an unusually strange place and has for his first crib a feeding trough for animals. We are inspired to recall the story that speaks of the right time and the right place that this Savior would be born for the specific purpose to redeem the entire world.

But wait! Not everyone is inspired. There are some people that are irritated that this birth is taking place and that anyone is noticing it. King Herod is the paranoid king that is jealous of anyone who might be a rival for his throne. When Herod was irritated, the whole city of Jerusalem got irritated by his irritation. Then foreigners showed up at the king’s palace to check in with proper authorities before they began a search in a foreign land for a new king. (It probably corresponded to our request for a visa today when we travel to another country.) In anticipation that these “Magi” or “wise men” could be a useful tool, Herod pretended to need their help identifying where this “king” was, with a promise that he would like to pay homage to the new king too. Matthew’s Gospel records that Herod’s motive was neither homage nor honor, but rather a plan to “terminate” the newborn.  It would be only a few days later when the “Magi” did not return that his jealousy became fury. The result was that Herod would issue a new decree that all babies two years old and younger should be killed. His rival must be eliminated. He simply would not tolerate a possible King that might require his allegiance.

All of this sounds like today. We are faced with the two possible responses to the Christmas story. We also have inspiration for songs, special gatherings, church services, displays, and lights in the yard that look like a festival. Then somebody informs us that all of this is threatening in a personal way and that we really shouldn’t celebrate at all because it may be offensive to someone. Irritation! Why? It’s Christmas!

I’m really not surprised at the opposition that comes from folks who are irritated by the birth of Jesus. It happened at the time of his historical birth and yearly the opposition shows up again, usually just a few days after the Thanksgiving holiday. While millions of people are inspired, there are others who are irritated. This hostility has been expressed by kings, unbelievers, pseudo-religious leaders, and even demons. The Bible is pretty clear about those incidents. Jesus irritated people by his birth, his life and his ministry. I need to remember that not all people choose to be inspired to follow the Christ-child, the Almighty Son of God, born in the flesh. I just wish that those who are irritated for whatever reason weren’t offended.

So, before you give up on Christmas because there is general hostility toward Jesus Christ and Christian people, remember that not much has changed through history. Some people choose to be irritated. I do not want to be upset by their opposition so much that my attitude is also offensive to the people and time in which I live. I choose to be inspired. I have been inspired in the past, I am now and I plan to be inspired by this birth of a Savior in the future. Why? It’s Christmas!

New Faces

What a blessing it is to deal with new technology! (I mean, it is a blessing after you have figured out how to work with it. Every new piece of software has its challenges and blessings.) It is faster than a blog. Gets a quicker response than email and in some cases it is the email that is used to communicate routinely. Are you there? Have you even thought about using “Facebook”?

This theme has proven to be a very contemporary subject for my current sermon series and participation and response continue to be amazing. I have a new set of resource people who are contributing to the development of each week’s sermon. Think about this: I even use some of the posts in the Powerpoint presentation during the sermon. Notice the word “some”. What a reminder it is for me to know that whoever reads my facebook posting, writes on my wall, renews friendship or sends an idea is watching and reading my life. Did you know that is happening to you too?

When people see what you post, they will reach some conclusions about you. Opinions will be set. Interests might be provoked. Other friends might find you. All of that is done in the new quest for community that brings people closer together. Does it take time? Sure it does. Is it all useful information? No, not really. Is this a growing phenomenon? It sure is. 400 million active users as of March of this year. 70% of those active users are outside of the USA. Half of the 400 million check their facebook everyday. Wow! Since 2004 this connection tool has grown in amazing ways. No, I’m not doing a commercial for this site, just making an observation. What an opportunity to express my own personal witness for Christianity.

I do need to remind you as you use “Facebook” about this prayer: “Lord help my words to be tender and gracious today for tomorrow I may have to eat them.”