What I am Most Thankful For

Galatians 3:19-20 "Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one."

Galatians is one of those books of the bible where reading it is comparable to peeling an onion.  It is just layers and layers of doctrine and knowledge.  As  was preparing to preach this Sunday at 8AM, I had been studying Galatians and Hebrews (especially Hebrews 7-10, another onion).  The text that  actually preached from was Job 33:23-24 and the premise was that we all owe a debt to God because of sin- but none of us are able to repay it.  The scriptures read as follows:

"“If there is an angel as mediator for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a man what is right for him, 
Then let him (the angel, emphasis mine) be gracious to him, and say,
‘Deliver him from going down to the pit,
I have found a ransom’;"

The whole idea of an angelic mediator "finding" a ransom for a man who is on the verge of tasting death quite in intriguing.  First of all, I had to begin to search the scriptures to find evidence of "angelic mediation" on behalf of men which led me to several places, but Galatians 3:19 and Hebrews 2:2 in particular.  Both scriptures talk about the giving of the Law and how the Law was "mediated" by angels.  The scripture in Galatians says specifically that the Law was ordained by angels through a mediator, who scholars believe to be Moses.  With evidence of angelic mediation in hand, I began to ask myself several questions, namely, "why angels?", which brought something else to my attention.  The fact that angels acted as intermediaries between man and God points to something profound, that there was great distance between God and man.  The distance was created by sin and idolatry.  The whole notion of intimacy was lost because of sin.  That's not to say that God did not have intimate relationships with men and women of the Old Testament, but they were very few and far between.

This brings me to my point.  What I am most thankful for is that although the Law was given through angels, the promise to Abraham was given directly to him!  The promise that the world would be blessed through his "Seed" and redeemed from the curse of the Law is something that we should all be thankful for.  The "Seed", Immanuel, God with Us is a far cry from having to hear from angels through a mediator!  That makes the name Immanuel even more special because God kept his promise from Leviticus 26:12 and walked among his people.  What I am most thankful for is my relationship with God through Christ Jesus!  Now the same intimacy that Adam and Eve once had, I can have too.  I can talk to God without using a middle man because Jesus restored the fellowship that was lost because of sin.  Having a personal, intimate relationship with God is more precious that silver and gold.  Knowing God for ourselves is a greater privilege that any of us could ever imagine.  Christ went behind the veil and now we have unprecedented access to God!  That's what I am thankful for- not my "religion" which is based on formalities, but by "relationship" which is based on the blood of Christ!  To add to this, my "ransom" was paid in full by Jesus!  1 Timothy 2:5-6 says that there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus who gave his live as a ransom for many!  So, I guess I am thankful for two things because I also thank God for seeing the need for a ransom, going through the mediators and the priests (which is what the angelic mediators foreshadowed) and coming down to the One that could pay the ransom in full, once and for all!  Christ has "perfected (or is perfecting) for all time those that have been sanctifed" through one sacrifice, one act of ransoming us back from the clucthes of death!  That's good news, or as we preachers like to call it, the gospel!

Give thanks to God in all things.  Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful unto Him and bless His name!  For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting and his truth endures to all generations.  Be blessed!

A Gift from Above

God works in mysterious ways.  That's an old adage that will never go stale.  This weekend, I had a chance to see that firsthand.  A patient of my wife's sent me an obscure message about a month ago regarding some books from his mother's library.  He's an older gentleman, quite distinguished in his military service and one that likes to conversate on things that are intellectually stimulating.  I was not taken aback by this offer from him to look through these books, but I almost forgot to respond. 

I finally got a chance to respond and actually gave him a call this weekend.  I didn't really know what was in store but when I got to his home, which was nestled back into a wooded area, I found something quite amazing.  When I walked into his own home library, I found a mix of books ranging from the civil war to reptiles and amphibians.  The collection that he brought back from his mother's library was astounding.  There were all of these Christian books, some with notes written in them from his mother, others with little cards tucked into the pages.  His offer was even more amazing...if I chose to, I could take ALL of the books home with me!  His rationale was that because I was in ministry, the books would assist me more than they would assist him.  We split a duplicate set of books on Hebrews and he allowed me to pick through volumes and volumes of Christian literature.  It was not the books, but the content that was so amazing.  His mother had to be very deep and very theological because these were heavyweight books. 

As I looked through these books, and started filling paper bags with them- my friend revealed the true reason that he called me, of all people.  He said that because I have spent my academic career doing something other than seminary, these books would be ideal for me to increase my theological wherewithal.  My jaw dropped because I know that this was a moment directed by the Spirit of God.  He didn't know of my desire to attend seminary, a desire that I have held for quite some time.  He didn't know that I have always desired to increase my theological information base.  All he knew was that he had to be obedient to the Spirit of God.  I felt guilty taking so many books, but he reassured me that God had indeed asked him the question, "What are you going to do with the gifts that I gave you?". 

All of that being said, I came home with at least $500.00 worth of books for the price of spending a few moments on a Saturday afternoon with a man that was being obedient to God.  I gained so much from this experience.  To listen to this man talk about God, I knew that he also was quite learned and that he spent a lot of time with God.  This gave me a new found passion to know as much as possible about God- which he also intimated- at one point in the conversation, he said this: "There are going to be times when you have to answer very difficult questions and people are going to need detailed and precise information- it is possible that these things will help you with that."  Another indication that this man had heard from God and was not simply doing this to get closer to his doctor, who happens to be my wife.

At the end of the day, I left enriched both spiritually and intellectually.  This man added to my library and also added to my spirit.  The scripture in Isaiah 55 has never been more true, when God says that His ways are not our ways.  I always knew that, but Saturday confirmed it. 

Pacquiao Wants NONE of Floyd Maweather

Say what you will about Floyd Mayweather, but one thing is for certain, he is the BEST boxer in the sport, bar none.  After watching Manny "Jesus in boxing boots" Pacquiao fight Juan Manuel Marquez on tonight, I can say with certainty that Manny wouldn't stand a chance against Floyd Mayweather.  Marquez was robbed of that fight, however he could have changed the outcome had be been more aggressive in the later rounds.  Marquez is 6 years older than Pacquiao but he did not show it at all.  He was catching Pac-Man and timing his right hands perfectly- so much so that Pacquiao's corner felt that he was losing the fight.

As I watched, I know that Mayweather watched as well.  He should be salivating after such a lackluster performance by Manny Pacquiao.  Manny did not even sound confident at the post-fight interview about winning against Marquez or about fighting Floyd.  Marquez gave Manny fits all night with his counter punching and head movement.  He ducked at least 10 right hooks from Pacquiao which showed that he studied a ton of film and that he was well adjusted to Manny's speed.

Floyd Mayweather would not only beat Manny, I believe that he could even knock him out.  Floyd is faster, bigger and stronger than both Pacquiao and Marquez.  Couple all of those factors with this: he is an even better counter puncher than Marquez and you have a recipe for certain victory.  If Marquez was able to catch Manny with hard overhand rights all night, how many will Pacquiao eat from Mayweather, who is blindingly fast, even at 34 years old?  You don't have to worry about Floyd laying an egg either, this brother trains incessantly and he doesn't take any opponent lightly.  Aside from the brashness and the bravado, Floyd Mayweather is a model that any athlete could learn from.  His dedication in the gym is unmatched by any athlete in any sport.  He often asks rhetorically, "who works harder than me?"  He is the Michael Jordan of boxing just like Tom Brady is the Michael Jordan of football or like Tiger Woods WAS the Michael Jordan of golf. 

Steroids or no steroids, Manny Pacquiao is just Felix Trinidad with better footwork.  Technically skilled fighters with good defense that do not get overwhelmed by his punch output can hang with him.  He also has 3 losses on his record, something that Mayweather hasn't even conceived of yet.  Pacquiao is a product of the American Hype Machine.  Jim Lampley went on and on about his footwork yet was completely oblivious to the fact that Pac-Man was eating right hands as he darted in and out against Marquez.   If Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao do fight, I don't see how anyone could pick Pacquiao to win.  I don't even see how Marquez was a 9-1 underdog, which probably explained the scorecards- you know, Vegas will always be Vegas.  I wonder if Floyd put money on the fight.  If he and Pac-Man square off in May, he should probably lay a fat stack of cash on himself to win by knockout.

Is the Dope Game the new Jim Crow?

I was listening to the Joe Madison show this morning and Dr. Michelle Alexander was his guest.  It was a previously recorded show, but the topic was her book, "The New Jim Crow".  I listened to her and while I agreed with a lot of what she was saying, I disagreed with a few things.  To be honest and fair, I have not read the book but I plan to order it this weekend- but what I gleaned from her interview is that she made excuses for bad choices rather than calling it what it is.  At some point, it becomes less about the "man" and more about the "man in the mirror".

Dr. Alexander kept saying that there are scores of "non-violent" offenders that are locked up for drug crimes.  If she means addicts- the fact that they are non-violent is partially true.  Anyone that has ever seen a crack fiend with no money and no crack knows that they will do whatever it takes to get high- including robbing, stealing or even killing.  I don't consider that non-violent, but they need treatment and not incarceration so we agree there.  Where I do not agree is that drug dealers that get caught with crack or powder or weed should be considered non-violent offenders.  The drug game is the most violent enterprise on the planet.  If you are a drug dealer, street level, you have to carry a gun or at least have muscle that carries guns.  You have to be willing to use that gun if someone messes with the money or the product.  So the question is, is there really any such thing as a non-violent drug offender?  I think not.  If you want to find out how non-violent a drug dealer is, mess with the money or the product.  Start selling dope on a corner in his territory and then you will find out first hand how non-violent these folks are.  Houses get sprayed up with machine guns, brothers get murdered over drug debts and innocents fall in the crossfire- and this is all stuff that I have witnessed first hand.  I have a hard time seeing anyone involved in the drug game as "non-violent".  It is an ugly, nasty and cut throat enterprise.  As a scenario, let's say that you are delivering 10 kilos.  The person with the money is trying to figure out how to get the product as well as keep the money.  The person delivering the dope may or may not have the same intentions.  How does it all end?  Either the transaction goes smoothly and no one pulls out guns, or a robbery/rip-off happens and someone winds up dead.  Either way, the potential for violence is very high in these situations.

She went on to say that there are scores of young men being rounded up and it is racial and political rather than criminal.  I have an issue with that as well.  Is the justice system skewed to disproportionately lock up African-Americans?  I would say, yes.  The drug laws of the 90's were horrifically designed and politically motivated to create a panic in white America.  The stereotypical thug with an assault weapon was promulgulated and believed to exist on every urban block in America.  However, there were some folks that just lived in these areas and had nothing to do with anything criminal- but they were caught in the crossfire.  Iran-Contra and the flooding of inner-city streets with high-grade cocaine was a detriment to black America and America as a whole!  But having said that, drugs are a choice- not a mandate.  Is the system designed to keep African-Americans down in some aspects of society?  I would again answer, yes.  So, is the high number of drug arrests in poor and depressed neighborhoods directly connected to race- I would say, no.  Neighborhoods that are econmically depressed are that way because they are normally high in crime already or crime gradually increased driving businesses out.  If the streets are lined with droves of criminals and drug dealers, businesses are not going to come there.  The amount of criminal activity that occurs, in my opinion, is directly proportional to the dearth of jobs in a particular area.

So, are these young black men being forced to sell drugs?  Again, I would say NO.  People that sell drugs do it for the money.  The love of money is a root of all types of evil.  I know people that have sold drugs to make ends meet, and not one of them has gone to prison.  The ones that DID go to prison are the ones that were trying to be "ghetto superstars".  They love the money, the cars, the women, the jewelry, the parties, the power and the "respect" which is really fear from others.  By the same token, people that get high do so, not because they are forced to, but rather because they enjoy getting high.  A life lived for pleasure will end abruptly, that is for real.

I wouldn't really call this Jim Crow because Jim Crow of the 50's and 60's was inescapable.  The social and political barriers that African-Americans faced during the Civil Rights movement were phenomenal.  Education was limited, access to equal and adequate resources was limited and people were genuinely oppressed by the government.  With the advances that have been made, [particularly in the area of education] we have no excuse now.  Racism is alive and well, but there are choices to be made as it relates to what occupation we undertake.  Selling drugs is an easy way out but it is a trap.  The ones at the top never go to prison, only the ones at the bottom.  The drug game is set up just like the economy- the top 1% takes in all the profit and the 99% at the bottom give it to them.  In the drug game, it is designed for the mid level and bottom feeding players to lose while the ones at the top (including corrupt politicians and government officials that work conjunction with cartel leaders, etc.) never spend a day in prison and never have to show their face. 

The way to level the playing field is through education- at least in my opinion.  Sure, the school may be crumbling- my high school was, at least- but what's on the pages of the book is the same at every school.  The way to escape the trap is to never enter it in the first place.  Interview 100 drug dealers or offenders and 95 of them will tell you that they did not complete high school.  What we have to do a better job of is prevention.  We need to teach our babies at an early age that education is power in America.  You want respect, earn a Ph.D. and watch the respect flow down like a mighty rushing river.  If you want to live comfortably, manage your income well and avoid going into debt via credit cards etc.  We need to start training our youth how to be self sufficient, how to milk this rotten education system for all it's worth and how to find different avenues to channel their energies into.  We need more prevention, more teaching at home and more encouragement of our young people.  We also need to help them see that an education, while it may not ensure a job, it will make you more competitive.  It is something that no one can take away from you and it something that everyone has to respect.  We need to develop a spirit of economic empowerment such that we don't need to grovel and beg for employment because we are the employer.

So, is the drug game or the "war on drugs" the new Jim Crow?  Only if you choose to play that game.

From Big Bang to Evolution...

I am not a proponent of evolution.  I  am a strong advocate of creation.  Creation itself is a difficult undertaking considering that there are "old-earth" creationists that call for a kairological reading of Genesis and "young earth" creationists that say that the earth was created with the appearance of age.  The young earth stance doesn't resolve the issue of dinosaurs and other pre-historic data that say that the earth has been here for millions of years.  I think I fall somewhere in the middle of these two views. 

Science has waged war against those that they label as "creationists" with the singular shout that there is NO God and therefore there is no Creator!  Many scientists believe that all that we see rose from a primordial ooze that contained all of the genetic material necessary to create every life form on earth.  This is where I have a problem.  While I can agree on the big bang, which is a very important occurrence to scientists, I cannot agree that life sprang from  a single cell amoeba.

The reason that I cannot submit to the evolutionary mindset is quite simple.  If the solar system, the planets and the earth all came out of the big bang- and the amoeba, that lived on this planet, and from which all life, according to evolutionists, sprang from-- it stands to reason that the amoeba also came out of the big bang and began the evolutionary process to become monkeys, dogs, fruit flies and eventually man.  I am not saying that these evolved from one another, simply that the single celled organism became ALL of these, according to evolutionists. 

Here is my position on what was discussed in the previous paragraph.  The big bang began from an infinitesimal amount of energy and that energy was converted into matter.  That energy contained no information, though.  Energy and information are two distinctly different things.  Information is "the communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence" whereas energy is "is the capacity of a physical system to perform work".  The energy that existed at the beginning of time was more than likely, light.  Of course, other forms of energy such as heat and kinetic energy existed as well.

Why am I making such a big deal about energy and information?  Because if the amoeba came from the same informationless energy that everything else came from, where did the genetic information within the amoeba come from?  How is it that evolutionists can claim that all life evolved from this amoeba and yet the amoeba couldn't have contained any information because the matter from which it was constructed was informationless?  Energy is material.  Einstein's theory of relativity equates energy with the mass of an object multiplied but the square of the speed of light (E = mc^2).  The energy of a photon of light is Planck's constant multiplied by the frequency of the radiation in question (E = hv).  

Now, let's consider information which is immaterial.  Information may be known about matter, but there is no information in matter- unless of course, the information is implanted by an outside source.  We can describe matter but matter cannot describe itself.  We can know the size, speed, velocity, acceleration etc. but they are all calculated from the outside.  So again, the question can be raised, where did the genetic information that the amoeba possessed come from?

In order for the amoeba, which would by default come from the same matter that everything else came from at the seminal moment of the "bang", to contain any information, it would have to be implanted from an outside source.   This is my beef with evolution being placed over creation.  There is a thought experiment that tries to link energy and information which is commonly called Maxwell's Demon.  Images depicting this thought experiment are shown below.

According to this thought experiment developed by James Clerk Maxwell [a Christian who believed in creation], there is a way to violate the second law of thermodynamics.  The image shown consists of two containers, one housing hot particles and the other housing cold particles.  The hot particles, moving at a higher velocity as evidenced by their temperature pass through the "trap door" which is operated by the "demon".  As he allows hot particles to the cool side, the hot side begins to cool down and the cool side begins to heat up- thereby transferring information about temperature from one side to the other.  The way that this violates the second law of thermodynamics is that the sides, according to the second law, should reach an equilibrium and reach the same temperature and not exchange conditions i.e. hot side becoming cold and cold side becoming hot.  Also, by some of the hot particles escaping, the entropy of the hot side is decreasing.  To his credit, Maxwell admitted that this could only happen if a "being that could do what we (humans) could not do" and if this being is able to follow "every molecule in its course".  This is only a thought experiment and there are several real, physical factors that preclude a system like this from every being set up (for a good analysis of this idea, see (http://www.imsc.res.in/~sitabhra/research/persistence/maxwell.html).  The conclusion: there is no information in energy therefore no information can be transferred between energy.  There has also been an "experiment" conducted that concludes that there IS indeed a way for information  be transformed into energy (http://www.livescience.com/8944-maxwell-demon-converts-information-energy.html).  After reading the article however, it is quite clear that the outside information input drove the experiment and the authors didn't actually convert information into energy.

Interestingly enough, many of the proponents of such a system like Maxwell's demon do not find it difficult to believe in a demon sitting by a trap door letting hot molecules pass through. It is commendable that Maxwell himself was actually a Christian. What they do find difficult is believing in a God that not only provides and produces energy and matter via creation, He also endows that matter with information that tells it what it is. When God created man in His image, God gave man specific traits and characteristics. When God created animals etc., each of them was endowed with specific genetic information that made them different. There was no amoeba, there was a Creator with the intelligence and the wisdom to create everything that we see around us acording to its own kind.  The genetic code of every living thing did not originate within a single celled organism but within the mind of the Great Architect of the Universe. Scientists that dispute this fact are simply living in denial of the truth. There is no information within energy unless it is implanted by an intelligent being. God is that being.

Let Bygones be Bygones

Romans 8:38-39 "38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reading this passage, we see that it is nearly impossible for us to be separated from the love of God.  God's love is pervasive, however not everyone desires it and therefore some choose not to accept it.  I want you to read this passage carefully, especially the highlighted section.  The Apostle Paul speaks of MANY things that are unable to separate us and two of these references are related to time.  Notice, Paul says things PRESENT nor FUTURE (i.e. things to come).  With respect to time, it seems like something is missing.  I'm sure that you've figured it out by now.  Paul says absolutely nothing about the past!

Is that not good news that of all the things that could TRY to separate us from God's love, our past is not one of them?  I almost shouted this morning as I read this.  Paul wrote this letter to believers and the one thing for ALL believers to come to the knowledge of is this: Once God has forgiven your sins, they are buried! 

Isaiah 43:25 "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins."  This passage of scripture says very clearly that God wipes out transgressions- not because of us but because of Himself!  Psalm 103:12 says "As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us."  Theoretically, if you continue east and were able to walk off the earth, you could literally walk east for infinity and never come into contact with the west!

How is it that the past is the past and bygones are bygones?  Because God's love for us is not performance based.  God's love for us comes out of His grace and His benevolence.  We cannot work for God's love nor can we make Him love us anymore than He already does.  God is love and His love was demonstrated in Christ Jesus.  Christ is the reason that your past is buried.  Christ's death on the cross was the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  When you made the decision to follow Him, your past immediately became obsolete and your sins were immediately forgiven because of His shed blood.  Christ's righteousness has become your own righteousness and your past no longer factors into your present or future.  That's why Paul could exclude the past from this passage- because to God, it doesn't matter.

What is our responsibility?  Repentance.  Repentance is us telling God that we have divorced the past and we are committed to living out the present and the future for Him! Repentance or "metanoia" (Greek) literally means "change of mind". Repentance represents a shift in thinking which subsequently leads to a shift in lifestyle.  The renewing of the mind is an awesome transformation.  When the mind is renewed, the walk will be renewed, the talk will be renewed and the light of Christ will shine through us.  Paul says in Ephesians 4:23 that we are to be renewed in the "spirit of our minds".  What this means is this, the very thing that gives our mind its energy must be changed.  This is not something that we do consciously.  Rather, it is carried out by the Holy Spirit as we undergo the transformation that results from being born again.  The tense of the verb "renewed" is in the infinitive which indicates that this is not a one time renewal but a constant renewal.  Repentance is a way of life for the believer and results from being able to recognize sin as sin thereby turning away from it.  A renewed mind allows us to see sin for what it is. 

The only person concerned about our pasts is Satan.  The devil uses the past to guilt trip us into believing that we are not good enough for God.  A true believer understands that even with a sterling past, we will never be "good enough" for God without Christ.  Whenever Satan tries to throw your past in your face, remember this scripture and the fact that our past is not even factored into God's love for the believer.

God bless!

What Influence are You Under?

While driving home from work, I received some very sobering news about a person close to me.  When I received this news, I didn't look for an escape route from life nor did I seek shelter from some illicit activity.  I did what I always do when I get bad news, I turn to God and smile and say "God, I know that you are in control and that all things are under your supervision.  Work with this situation as only you can."

Many times, some other outlet is sought to deal with anxiety or pressure.  Some turn to alcohol.  Other turn to narcotics.  Some use sex as a means of escape.  Whenever any of these routes is chosen, we have to ask what the motivation is.  None of these things can actually fix the problem- they really worsen it because once you come back to reality you realize that you've participated in an activity that had zero benefit.  Not only that, being under the influence of some foreign substance takes you out of your mind.  I can recall the days when I drank heavily- not as an escape, but because I actually enjoyed drinking.  I remember some of the decisions that I made and some of the words that I muttered.  Many of the things that I did and said were bad decisions that ended up hurting people.  Is this any way to endure a situation?  Does being under the influence of a foreign substance make things any better?  All you do is end up saying hurtful things, doing stupid things and tuning out mentally.  Your emotions are deadened and you actually miss what God is doing through that situations.  Trials develop perseverance, perseverance develops proven character and proven character develops hope (Romans 5:4)!  If you are high or tuned out, how will God get glory?  How will you see the spiritual growth that follows every trial?

There is an alternative.  The Spirit of God has an influence on us and can put us in a position of being able to rest on God's divine strength.  God's spirit can put words in our mouth that we did not know were inside of us.  He can give us peace and calm in the middle of the worst storm.  God's Spirit is not called the "comforter" or the "paraclete" by chance.  Those words describe one of His roles in the lives of believers- he is the encourager of the weak!  In our weakest moments, God is strong.  The bible says in Ephesians 5:18-20 says simply "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father..."  It is important to note that dissipation (asotia) here refers to literally "without saving" or something that is worthless or unsalvageable.  Therefore the alternative to this is to be filled with the Spirit.  When we are, we are able to speak to one another in hymns and songs and we are able to bless God and thank Him in ALL things!

I don't know about you, but I'd rather be under the influence of the Spirit of God so that at the opportune moment I may speak grace to those that need to hear it.  Pray that you follow the influence of the Spirit and that the other seductive spirits do not drive you away from God in times of crisis.  May God bless you and keep you, may He make His face shine upon you--may He be gracious to you and give you peace.

The Biology of Christ

I was listening to a song by Casting Crowns this morning and something struck me.  The song is called "If we are the body" and the lyrics of the song simply say this:

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

It's a powerful message in the song and it made me think of a body in a biological sense.  The body of Christ, according to the apostle Paul is made up of many members but each member has a different function (1 Cor 12:20; 1 Cor 12:12; Romans 12:4).  So the hands of the body are there to touch the world and heal the sick.  The arms of the body are there to be the compassion of Christ, to hug those that are in need of love and compassion and the embrace all who come to Christ out of a dying world.  The feet are there to take the gospel to remote nations and to the lost in the world.  The feet are shod with the gospel of peace and the bible says in Isaiah 52:7 "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!""  Then the biological impulse kicks in- there are some that are the enzymes in the stomach.  Let us follow this analogy to its logical conclusion- when food enters the stomach, enzymes and acids begin to break the food down into something that the body can actually use.  Those enzymes and acids convert the food and transform it into energy, etc.  In the same way, there are those within the body of Christ that are used by the Holy Spirit to assist with the transformation of new believers and to bring them to a point of spiritual maturity.  Many of us have been placed as stewards over other believers to watch over their transformation from babes in Christ into spiritually mature Christians that are not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine.  Many of us have also benefitted from spiritual mentors that have sown seeds of righteousness into our lives as we follow Christ. 

All of these processes are overseen by the head which is Christ.  He gives the hands the ability to touch and heal.  He gives the arms the compassion for world.  He is the gospel for the feet to carry to wherever His Spirit might lead.  His Spirit catalyzes, facilitates and brings about the transformation which is wrought in the believer.  Christians that have been entrusted with the task of discipling others are there throughout this transformation and they assist by being planters and waterers while God gives the increase.  His eyes see and direct us to bring the gospel to those that need the gospel- including preaching the gospel to oursleves.  His mouth speaks words that give eternal life (John 12:49-50) and as we repeat those words to others, we also speak eternal life to them, if they are willing to accept the gospel. 

While there are many members and many functions, all of us have been called to love one another.  We've been called to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  We've been called to be light in darkness and salt in a world that has been deadened by sin.  I thank God for the diversity of the members of the body of Christ and although a biological/anatomical analogy makes things easy to understand- the Holy Ghost is responsible for all revelation.  God bless!

A Piece of My Love

I was listening to an old favorite of mine on the way to the Kalamazoo airport Saturday morning.  It made me think something serious.  Wisdom and age are something else.  The song by Guy called “A piece of my love” had never come across like this before.  I listened to Aaron Hall croon away telling this woman, whoever she was, lies and more lies.   He was seducing her and his whole MO was to convince her that a piece of him was better than none of him.  Here was a man that was obviously in a relationship, he had someone else that he refused to talk about, and he did not want this woman that he was seducing to ask him any questions.  So he offered her a “piece” of his love instead of all of him.  As a side note, love cannot be broken up into “pieces”- that is to say, you cannot “love” two people romantically at the same time.  Sorry, but that’s not biblical love.  One may be love and the other lust or infatuation but the ability to love is from God because we are made in His image.  If God is love then love must, in fact, be perfect.  Therefore, the love that we have for the one that God gave us belongs only to that person.  Anything else is an imperfection- a distortion of love.   Don’t take my word for it; check the lyrics out for yourself:

baby you can't have all of me 'cuz i'm not totally free
i can't tell you everything that's goin on, baby
there's a few things in my past; that should not be explained
i'm askin you baby
be with me----for a lil while
please hush- no questions asked
lay back and relax girl-

now kick off your shoes
Now put your head down
since we're here now baby
I'm giving you a piece of me you can have

When God created Adam and Eve, God created them for one another- totally.  There was no piece of Adam that Eve was offered.  When God brought Eve to Adam, Adam said, “this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh…”  He readily accepted her as his wife.  Adam’s descendants (us) have seemed to miss this.  There is no such thing as a “piece” of love.  Brothers are quick to offer up a piece of themselves instead of committing wholly to the one that God brought them.  Women are quick to settle for a piece of a brother instead of leaving themselves available to be brought, by God, to their mate.  Love between a man and a woman is mutually exclusive and it is all or nothing.  Lust, on the other hand, can never be satisfied.  We confuse lust and love all the time.  Love remains in good times and in bad times.  Love never fails.    Lust fades after the first argument.  Lust stays as long as the “feeling” is good but as soon as the feeling is gone, lust changes targets and looks for another to satisfy the feel-good.

What Aaron Hall did in this song was exactly what many black women deal with and settle for every day.  They would rather have a piece of man than no man at all.  It doesn’t matter if he’s married, if he has a family, if he’s in a committed relationship or if he’s not worthy of their time- he’s a man and “I need a man”.  I couldn’t help but wonder what type of woman this was to accept this half-hearted attempt to get in her panties- and according to the song, it worked.  He made the terms clear: you can’t have all of me, I’m not totally free- but just lay back and don’t ask any questions.  How arrogant is that?  Here is a man telling a woman- don’t ask me any questions, just give me the goods and in return, I will show you a good time.  What happens after the good time is over?  He goes back to his main squeeze leaving the woman to go on about your business. 

Songs like these subliminally convey to us that it’s ok to be in these dysfunctional relationships.  They tell us that illicit, unfruitful and unproductive relationships are ok as long as “the loving (lust/sex) is good”.  The bible tells us that a man and a woman are to be brought together by God.  It also says for a man to drink from their own cistern [Proverbs 5:15].  This could also apply to a woman.  A cistern, which is an underwater man-made reservoir, could be of considerable size which means that there should be MORE THAN ENOUGH water in the cistern to satisfy the drinker.  God gave us to one another, each to his/her own.  Each one is a cistern to his/her mate.  1 Corinthians 7:2 says that each man should have his own wife and each woman should have her own husband.  A woman that settles for a piece of man, especially a man that is married, does not see her own value.  If she knew her value, she would not take a piece of a man’s “love”.  A piece of love or a piece of man is unacceptable.  As a matter of fact, it he could not give her all of himself, she would promptly leave regardless of how good the lust is.  There are some things that a woman has to realize about a piece of a man: he’s not going to leave home for you, you will never be number one and  he’s only going to continue to string you along and repeat these same lyrics to you- “please hush, no questions asked…lay back and relax…”  That can’t possibly be something that a real woman desires. 

The devil is one that is always encouraging us to settle for less.  He also distorts those things that God made perfect.  God made love perfect, to be enjoyed between a man and a woman.  Don't settle for a lie from Satan.  Jesus said that Satan has been a liar and a murderer from the beginning.  God made a mate for all of us- it takes prayer and patience to allow that mate to come to us.  While Aaron Hall sounded good, his view of love is quite faulty- if you come to Christ, He will love you completely.  You don't have to settle for a piece of Him, you can have all of Him.

Facebook is Dead

So, after toying with the idea for quite sometime, I have finally made the decision to bury Facebook.  For many, Facebook is an idol god that is worshipped via i-Phone, Blackberry, Android or the plain ol' desktop.  What solidified my decision to leave Facebook was a combination of 1. getting tired of having to decipher ebonics 2. having the liberty to "not have to read it" which some smart aleck would undoubtedly and eventually comment 3. I spend way too much time there and it's just time for something different and 4. If I am only interested in things that are spitirually edifying, why should I continue to mix light and darkness?

So, blogging is free, I usually write stuff that is too long for a status (lol) and this gives ME the autonomy and control to post whatever I want to post, whenever I want to post it.  I don't have to scroll past naked pictures, babymama drama tirades, babydaddy bashing, profanity laced jokes or look at food on styrofoam plates ever again.  I feel quite liberated.  I thank God for leading me in this direction and for His Spirit pushing me to be transformed by the renewing of my mind.

With that being said, I pray that anyone that visits will find this blog uplifting, informative and challenging.  So long to being a "pew" Christian- we all need to challenge ourselves to live out God's Word and to be a light to others.  There is so much "blending in" in society.  We spend our entire Christian lives with one foot in the Kingdom of God and one foot in the kingdom of the "prince of the air".  There are also a lot of so-called politicians that try to politicize Christianity but end up generalizing it to the point of it simply becoming religion.  Some of their views are valid but the ultimate measure of a Christian is not whether or not you read Harry Potter but whether or not you would feed  Harry Jackson if you passed him hungry on the street.  It's not whether or not you are pro-life, but that are you pro-Christ!  You don't bomb abortion clinics, you witness to those inside and show their sin to them through God's word.  You don't walk up to abortion doctors and kill them in church, you show that doctor the error in his ways through the Word of God.

Please pray for me as I embark on this new endeavor.  May God bless  you and keep you, may He make His face shine upon you.  May He be gracious to you and give you peace.  One love.

Stillborn

In John 3 Christ told Nicodemus that he must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God.  Part of the salvation process is also the rebirth process. Rebirth gives us a new nature- God is not going to clean up the “old us” he is going to recreate us spiritually (see also 2 Cor 5:17). BECAUSE OF THE FALL OF MAN, EVERY DESCENDANT OF ADAM IS MORALLY AND SPIRITUALLY CORRUPTED!

Becoming reborn has serious implications. Without changing the NATURE of man, it is like putting a new dress on a pig…that pig, because of it’s nature, will always return to the slop. Regeneration now gives us an escape from the power of sin! It gives us a new nature to contend with the flesh.
If our old bodies are corrupted by sin, there must be a way for God to eradicate sin and FREE us from its power and its effects. We are freed from its penalty by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross! But what of the lingering effects? Why do many remain in the same beat up, messed up state after we are reborn?

From a practical perspective, growth is supposed to occur after birth however, there are a ton of folks that are “reborn” but they do not go past the floor of the delivery room- in essence they are “still born”. There are many that say that they are been born again but show NO signs of regeneration/renewal nor are they making any efforts to do so! They stay in the fetal position forever, and have no problem with it. This includes preachers, politicians, leaders and ALL who are Christians in name only. These are the ones that Christ commands to “depart from me, you workers of iniquity…I never knew you!”
Why are there so many Christians that are “stillborn”? There are some key concepts that many do not understand but if these concepts are understood then the Christian walk becomes much more doable. Many walk down the aisle to “join church” with no understanding of what walking that aisle really means- it means we are uniting with Christ and renouncing old ways in favor of new ways. It does not mean we are uniting with Bishop so and so or Pastuh so and so but with Christ!

There are several concepts (Holiness, Grace, Repentance and Sanctification) in Christianity that are misunderstood, poorly taught or not taught at all. As it stands, these misconceptions keep churches full of immature Christians with the desire to hear a man-centered gospel rather than the true gospel which is Christ centered!

A. HOLINESS

God is HOLY! 1 Tim 6:16 says that God lives in unapproachable light! Isaiah, when in the presence of God said that he was undone! When he beheld the Holiness he immediately understood his uncleanness! Only those with clean hands and a pure heart shall ascend up the hill of God!

Not only is God’s holiness not preached about, our pursuit of holiness has been shelved for a gospel of prosperity and dominion without any regard for sanctification. Holiness is an action word. The pursuit of holiness is not the pursuit of perfection, but the pursuit of becoming more like Christ and less like ourselves. True holiness removes the concept of competition with others and focuses on self in relation to God and should be the aspiration/desire of everyone that follows Christ. Christ commanded it in Matthew 5:48 and its pursuit shows reverence for God! We don’t reach true “perfection” until death BUT we can/should strive for holiness in life.

B. GRACE

Grace is God’s unmerited favor and love towards man. It enables us, strengthens us, saved us but is not license for sin! Sin and iniquity cannot come from grace because only good things result from God’s grace. Forgiveness and Salvation (justification) result from God’s grace (Romans 5:20-21). Sin and iniquity cause the OPPOSITE of grace (death)—therefore we cannot use grace to EXCUSE sin/iniquity! ONLY GOD CAN USE GRACE AS A MEANS OF FORGIVING US, WE CANNOT USE GRACE AS A MEANS OF FORGIVING OURSELVES! Grace is a blanket that covers our mistakes on the way to holiness, not on the way to iniquity! When we willfully sin, we are in essence calling God a lie and perverting his grace because we are bringing forth sin and iniquity [through our lives] out of his perfect gift of grace! God’s grace was demonstrated in Christ through whom he lavished his grace upon us (Ephesians 1:6-8). Not because we are so great but because of the super abundance of sin!

C. REPENTANCE

Grace makes it possible for repentance; Ifgrace is the blanket, repentance keeps it tucked in! Repentance is a sign of regeneration and in Luke 3 we are admonished to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Repentance says to God that we understand that we have wronged Him! Thank God that because of the blood of Jesus, for believers, He no longer holds it against us. Repentance involves A. recognizing sin B. being convicted of sin (2 Cor 7:10) and C. Turning away from sin (1 John 3:8,9; Hebrews 10:26). Many do not want to touch this area – - it may run folks away and decrease numbers.

D. SANCTIFICATION

A lot of the New Testament, outside of the gospels (which mainly chronicle the life of Christ), is devoted to giving instructions on the process of sanctification or becoming Holy before the Lord! We are taught how to live a godly life through God’s word! After salvation occurs, then the process of sanctification begins. Too many churches do not take their members past the baptism pool. You are saved instantaneously but you are not transformed because in order to become a new creature, old things must pass away- but they die hard! We aren’t always taught this! We are sold a lollipop gospel to make us feel “good” on Sunday morning! We must die to self daily (Mark 8:34, Romans 6:17-19, Galatians 2 and 5)! WE MUST submit to the Sanctification process carried out by the Holy Ghost- [Ephesians 4:30].

This is not meant to be mean spirited, but I am tired of seeing our Holy God being made a mockery of by preachers that refuse to tell the truth from the pulpit thereby setting their parishioners up for failure. If the preacher is the one to give the proverbial “slap on the butt” to awaken the new Christian once they are “reborn”, then based on the rampant MESS going on in the church, many are sorely underperforming at their jobs. As for the parishioners, we too have a responsibility to find out what happens next on the Christian walk. We cannot afford to be complacent, stillborn Christians! We need to be actively engaged in the process of sanctification while depending on God to continually help us, through His Spirit, to stay in the race!! It is called dependent responsibility whereby we are responsible to God to obey His word and dependent on Him to HELP us obey it. It is my prayer that a sincere desire to be more like Christ is awakened in churches all across the world! God be with you all.