Posted at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Posted at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Although my time here has been very enjoyable and fruitful, the Army is moving me away to work with Basic Trainees and Drill Sergeants. I will miss all of you very much. Please read the PDF file above.
Posted at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Do Not Say I am Only a Youth – Jeremiah 1:1-10
My dear youthful friends, welcome to the post-Christian world. Committed followers of Christ are now out of style. Oh sure, if you hedge on the truth and preach a light-positive "Jesus loves you" message you will be seen as a "nice kid" (irrelevant, but nice). However, if you stand up for God's laws, you are going to be fought at every turn. You see, we live in a time when people call up "down" and call down "up". We live in a time when homosexual marriage is seen as an acceptable alternative to God's plan (Gen. 1:27, 2:24, Romans 1:26, 27) and shedding innocent blood is seen as a personal choice instead of a sin (Prov. 6:17).
You also live in a time when people are calling us to send a positive message, but how are we to give this generation a positive message when they reject God, scoff at his Son, persecute his people, and refuse to live by his decrees. This generation needs a negative message of warning, before we can deliver a positive message of redemption. We, the church, (young and old) are required to deliver that message.
It is very likely that if you stand up for God and for his Word, you will be laughed at and resisted by your peers and by worldly authorities. How is a youth supposed to deal with that? I have heard that some local Christian students were opposed by some authorities last year when they tried to hand out Silver Ring Thing flyers at school. This is a violation of your civil rights, but some of those in power will get away with silencing you if they can because you represent God and God is a threat to their claim to ultimate moral authority over their lives.
Now, standing up for God is no easy task. It intimidates me and I am 43 years-old. No doubt it scares many of you, but I am writing this to let you know that you are not alone.
Jeremiah, the prophet was in a situation similar to yours and he was a youth. He was a follower of God in a time when the people were doing their own thing and had chosen to reject God. Jeremiah was called to preach a negative message before he could deliver a positive message. He had to let the people know that they had broken God's law before he could tell them that they could return to God by turning (repenting) from their sin.
However, Jeremiah replied"Alas Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak because I am a youth." (v.6) He was probably about 20 years-old, which is a little older than you, but still young.
Then the Lord told him, "Do not say I am a youth" (v. 7). Please notice that is a command, not a suggestion. God proceeded to give him several reasons why Jeremiah should not say this.
Number one: "Because everywhere I send you, you shall go," In other words, Jeremiah had an order (a mandate) from God to go. He could know confidently that God had sent him. We have a similar mandate (Matt. y28:18-20, Acts 1:8). So, tell them, "God sent me". They might think you are crazy, and you might get checked out by the counselor, but you can give her the message too.
Number two: "And all that I command you, you shall speak." Jeremiah had God's words to speak to the people. We have more than Jeremiah had. We have the complete propositional revelation of God (the Bible). That gives you AUTHORITY to speak truth, not opinion.
When asked for advice, most people give their opinion of the truth. Nathan, the prophet even made that mistake when he affirmed David's desire to build the temple (2 Sam. 7), but he was speaking his own opinion. Then God gave Nathan a message for David that contradicted the prophet's personal advice. We should never make that mistake, even when we think we know it all. We cannot give our own opinion. We need to be people who know and proclaim the Word of God (scripture) with authority.
Number three, "Do not be afraid of them , For I am with you to deliver you declares the Lord." What can they do to us if God is on our side? Can they take away our relationship with God? No. In fact, persecution throughout the Bible and history has strengthened the faith of many believers (see James 1:2). Just because you are a youth doesn't mean you can't deliver truth to those in power. Fear not, he is with you.
In addition to those reasons, God mentioned something else in the preceding passage: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." Now, we are not prophets like Isaiah was, but we a mandate to take the commands and the good news of Christ to the nations (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8). So, God knew that you would choose him and he prepared a special mission just for you that fits perfectly into his plan. You just have to figure out what that mission is.
Now, youth, before you go out there and blow people away with your new found mandate, please remember that those you speak to are people. Jesus had great compassion on people (Matt. 9:36). Everything we say needs to be motivated by a love for them. We have to see who they really are. The bully is just a little guy in a big guy's body. The class clown could be covering up hurt, and the emo-girl might be keeping people at a distance to avoid the pain of rejection.
So get out there and help them to see how we have all fallen short of God's standard (Rom. 3:23, James 3:2). We can show them that they are puppets of the world system (Rom. 6:6, 2 Pet. 2:18). We then can call them to repent and to be forgiven through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and to live a new Holy Spirit empowered life through the resurrection of Christ. (Rom. 6:1-14)
Posted at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
In 1997 in San Diego's Rancho Santa Fe Community, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult (including their leader, Marshall Applewhite) were found dead, lying neatly in their own bunk beds, with their faces and torsos covered by a square, purple cloth. Each member carried a five dollar bill and three quarters in their pockets. All 39 were dressed in identical black shirts and sweat pants, brand new black-and-white Nike athletic shoes, and armband patches reading "Heaven's Gate Away Team."
Heaven's Gate members believed that the planet Earth was about to be recycled (wiped clean, renewed, refurbished and rejuvenated), and that the only chance to survive was to leave it immediately. While the group was formally against suicide, they defined "suicide" in their own context to mean "to turn against the Next Level when it is being offered" and believed that their "human" bodies were only vessels meant to help them on their journey.
Unfortunately, this case does not stand alone as an example of people following wacky religious leaders who teach foolishness to their followers and lead them into oppression, sin, and despair. So how are we supposed to discern between what is true and what is not. How can we spot a phony? Wednesday night we will look at an early impostor who was so notorious that his name came to define a guy who sells religious office, titles, or benefits. Better yet, we will use his example to point out 7 Marks of a Bogus Brother, so you don't get taken by a malicious minister, a fake friar, a sinister saint, or a crooked clergyman.
Posted at 02:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
If you have ever played Capture the Flag, then you know there are two sides and the objective is to capture the enemy flag without getting tagged by the opposing team. While you are in their territory, they can tag you and while they are in your territory you can tag them. If sombody is tagged, he has to go to prison. Other team members can risk their freedom to go to the prison and set everybody free, but they risk getting put in prison themselves. The kid who frustrated me is the one who got set free, but would never take the risk in order to set others free. In Isaiah 61:1 the Annointed One (Jesus) has the ministry of "proclaiming liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners" (these are non believers who are held captive by sin). Now, all of us who are followers of Christ were set free from this sin prison. Somebody cared enough about you to tell you about the freedom that comes by believing on Christ and recieving him. However, many of us are perfectly happy to remain on our side of the line for fear of being tagged. Proclaiming liberty to sin-captives involves risk. They might not realize they are captives, they might reject you, or even ridicule you. It is really much safer to remain on your side of the line. However, we are the body of Christ, and as such, we are commanded to fulfill the ministry of the Annointed One. How fair is it that we should be set free and care little for those who are still inprisoned? Don't be that kid! Be the hero that risks his reputation and security to boldy charge the prison and tell all of that captives that they are free! Who do you know that is in the prison? Your friends, a family member, or somebody at your school? Tell them today and quit living in disobedience to your Lord, the Annointed One.
Posted at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It seems like we just can't trust anybody anymore. Politicians make unethical and immoral decisions. Preachers do the very thing they preach against. Our parents fight and sometimes split-up. Look, even some of the guys who were in charge in the Bible made a mess of things. So, the first problem with authority is a problem with them. The man, the big cheese, the head honcho, the system, the world.
The second problem with authority is in our heads. That's right your head and my head. It's the problem of submission to authority. We like to think we know best. We think our teachers and our parents are out of touch with the way things are today. We decide when we will obey and when we will not. P-R-I-D-E(Prov. 13:10, Obad. 1:3, Rom. 1:30), which is a sin, by the way (Pr. 21:4).
The third problem with authority is on the sides of our heads. We like to have our itching ears tickled (2 Tim. 4:3). In other words, we tend to believe those who agree with us. We surround ourselves with people who validate our opinion and thereby remove any possibility that we will be challenged (and any possibility that we will grow).
These are the problems with authority.
We also have a problem with truth. I mean, truth seems so harsh. We don't want to tell people how they should live their lives, or that what they are doing is wrong. We want to be reasonable and understanding, rather than appear intolerant and bull-headed. It's really hard to tell people that without Jesus, they will spend eternity in hell. OUCH!
Another problem with truth is that there is so much variety of opinion. I mean, how can all of these other people who don't believe in God be wrong? Buddhists, Mormons, and Muslims all believe that they are seeking after God , right? How can we be sure that our way is the right way?
Then there is the problem with you, and me, and every other Christian. We say that the Bible has the answer, but then we live our lives the way we want to. I have no problem hearing that Jesus saved me from sin, but I would rather not live out the part where he saves me from sinning. I actually kind of like some of my pet sins – don't you? I mean, how many times have you said, "I know the Bible says, _______, but…". But, can we really have it both ways?
Jesus said in his "High-priestly prayer", "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." (John 17:17) Sanctify is the process of growing in holiness. It is the process becoming more like Jesus. Jesus is asking God to grow us spiritually in his word. Then he says that God's word is truth. He doesn't say God's word contains truth, or that God's word is like truth, or even God's word is sometimes truth. He says God's word is truth.
So, here are the answers to the problems: 1) Authority – God's word must have authority over the life of every believer. It is totally reliable, infallible, consistent, and trustworthy. Men may let you down, but the word of God never will. 2) Truth – God's word is truth. It is true for all people in all cultures during every age. It can be believed because it is internally consistent and has survived intact for thousands of years. There is no other holy book like God's word. 3) Us – This one is a little trickier since it involves people who have choice. You have to decide that God's word is going to be your ultimate authority in all matters. Science doesn't have authority over it, nor do your friends have authority over it. Not even your parents, your pastor, or your teachers have authority over it. It will never let you down and it has the answer to every problem you face.
Now, who do you trust to give you the answers to life? You have to make a choice. Either you will begin to look to God's word for direction and live by it, or you must reject it all-together. Stop sitting on the fences and decide what you are going to do (Joshua 24:15).
Posted at 07:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)


