The Power of Sin- The Unassuming Monster

 Sin is one of those words that has great meaning to some, and little to no meaning to others. To the believer, sin is that struggle of our flesh, the waiting death and corruption. It destroys our lives, relationships, peace, and joy. Sin is the enemy we struggle with every day. Sin is talked about throughout the New Testament, and we know verses about the cost of sin, the slavery to sin, and the destructive power of sin.

To a non-believer, sin is just a word. It may represent things you shouldn't do, but there is no real desire to avoid sin. For those who do not know Jesus as Savior, sin isn't a big deal and not worth even discussion. Everyone knows they do it, but not everyone really cares. The unregenerate person does not struggle to avoid or flee from sin. It is a distinct difference.

Sin is seen as a danger or not a big deal, but much of our culture really understands the power of sin. Sin holds those who are unbelievers in bondage. They are slaves to sin; they have no way to even combat the sin that holds them captive. Sin is more than just doing bad things, it becomes a lifestyle and a mindset. It becomes so ingrained that sin becomes a way of life. People are selfish, self-focused, and self-centered in the core of their being. Sin isn't something that they just do, but it really takes root as the core of the person. They are slaves, driven by the power, the longing, and the desire to sin. It sits like blinders on their eyes, unaware of their sin, unaware of the distance between them and God. They are blinded to His Holiness and Goodness, and they do not recognize their need for salvation. Sin has the power of control, the Holy Spirit is the only way to break free from sin.

In the lives of the believer, sin can become an addiction. It is not as controlling as it is in the life of the unsaved person, but it can become a trap or snare. A Christian can find themselves in sin and unable to find a way get free. They lose part of themselves as the sin separates them from God. It destroys life and peace and hope. A Christian who is mired in sin will slowly sink into its darkness.

There is hope for everyone. For the lost, the hope of faith in Jesus Christ. His death covers the sins of those who are in Christ. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, the penalty of sin is paid. A saved person can become right with God through the grace and forgiveness of Christ. For the Christian, the Holy Spirit, the power of God, the Bible, and the Church are the tools a Christian can use to pull themselves out of the depths of sin. The only hope any of us have is to repent, to turn from the sin in our lives and fully trust ourselves to Christ. That is where we find the abundant life that He promised to us all.

A New Way to Respond on Social Media

 I was convicted today as I was looking at social media. There was a post and it said something about sharing the gospel instead of attacking people we don't agree with online. I don't post hateful stuff, but I will argue with people online from time to time. I shouldn't. If someone posts something I don't agree with, I often attempt to correct them. It never works. This makes sense because it doesn't work for them when they attempt to correct me, either. I am not about to abandon my values, ideals, and principles because of the opinion of someone on social media.

This got me thinking about my reason for engaging. Why do I post things to engage with these individuals? Is my goal to change their mind? It won't happen. The people who agree with me will continue to agree with me, and the people who don't agree will continue to disagree. It just perpetuates tribalism and division. Nothing is solved. I can point out all the great things that my side does or says or believes, and all the evil things the other side says, does, or believes. No one will be convicted and convinced.

I believe that my arguments don't hold any power, but I believe the gospel does have power. I believe the Holy Spirit works through words and sharing. I believe in the power of the gospel. There is an obvious disconnect between what I do and what I believe. I don't believe my words have the power to convince someone to change their ways, but I believe in the power of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. If I am going to live what I believe, I should be sharing Christ more and arguing less.

I am challenged and convicted. I hope you will join me in fighting less and sharing Christ more.

Today We Remember What People Really Are

 I think most of us what to look for the good in people. We know that people are created in the image of God and therefore have a capacity for good. The capacity for good. That is different from people being good, because no one is good. Jesus said, "No one is good except God," in Mark 10:18. Humans are not good by nature. Take a toddler, they are naturally selfish. You don't teach that, you have to teach them to share. You teach them to be kind, you don't have to teach them to hit or bite or throw things.

As you get older, you learn patience, you learn to control your tongue, you learn to help others. It isn't natural. The natural person is not kind. The best place to learn to be good is from God, because God is good and only God is good. What happens in a society where God is removed? What happens when we as a group of people decide we don't believe, we don't have to listen to or believe or follow or trust? What happens when the Bible is discarded and faith is abandoned? People will not be better. People will not be happier or kinder or more supportive. People will love those who love them and hate everyone else. People will become slanderers, killers, thieves. People will abandon truth and embrace fantasy.

Does it sound familiar? It should. That is where this country is. Without revival, I am afraid we are doomed.

How Program Like SNAP Have Impacted the Church

 During the 1st century, Christians were persecuted by Rome, yet Christians still performed ministry, helping people at personal risk. This self sacrifice causes the church to grow rapidly, as people saw the love of God pouring out from His people. This continued to be the norm for the people of God, serving the poor, the orphan, the widow, the down and out. In modern times, we still get some of that, where I live there is a Gospel Mission doing this kind of work. Many churches have food pantries and clothing donations, and there are ministries going overseas. In the United States, the church is still standing in the gap; however, that role is very marginalized because of social programs. The government has stepped in and taken the role of the church, and many Christians defend this. This is a problem.

The problem is that the government is secular, and when people receive assistance from a secular government, they tend to be more secular themselves. The church has given away it's role, and stopped being the hands and feet of Jesus. As a result, the church has turned very inward and become very selfish. Now when churches talk about sacrificial giving, it is so they can buy land, build a building, buy a van, do others things to support and grow the church, very seldom is it to help the poor. The government does that.

Here is simple reality. The church has given the role of ministry to the federal government in the form of welfare, and the church has become largely irrelevant to the society at large. The government needs to step back and limit what it does, as the church needs to step up and take seriously the responsibility left by Jesus. If things continue, more people will worship at the feet of government and not at the feet of Jesus.

The Angry Atheist

 Have you ever met an angry atheist? You probably have, I have met more than my fair share. They don't like the Christian faith, they don't like Christian teachings, they don't like the church, the Bible, or people telling them that God loves them. They attempt to disrupt or belittle, they tells Christians they are waisting their lives, they refer to God in terms like "Sky Daddy" and they are generally unpleasant if you are a Christian.

Here are a few things that most militant atheists will not tell you and will never admit to. First, they are not really atheists. No one gets that angry over something they believe is false. I have never gone out of my way to attempt to humiliate a flat-earth believer. I don't believe in ghosts, but I don't attack people who do. I am not a big believer in most alien theories, but I never go out of my way to call individuals who believe these things rude names.

Militant Atheists are mad, and usually they are mad at God. Something in their lives went wrong, and they blame God. You can't really hurt God, so the next best thing is to attack individuals who believe in God, and try to get them to lose their faith. Now, many of them are convinced they don't believe in God, but you can't be angry at someone who doesn't exist. They can use the "it's not God that hurt me, it's Christians," but why focus on just the Christians who hurt you, when people from every faith, creed, culture, and ethnicity hurt people all the time? It doesn't make logical sense.

Now you can't tell them any of this, they are already angry. They are not going to listen to you, they have hard hearts. Remember, the religious leaders saw Jesus do miracles, and they still crucified Him. These people have the same spirit. You can pray for them, you can love them, you can serve them, but you cannot change their hearts. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. Simply care about them, don't argue with them, do not belittle them, and pray that God softens their heart. That is really all you can do.

Why Is the Church in America Shrinking?

 Let me start out by saying this is a complex issue, you can't just point out one or two things and it is the silver bullet. There are also individuals much smarter than I am who have written and studied this problem extensively. I want to give you what I see as some of the biggest issues of the church, and suggest these are some of the issues we see.

We are living in a post-church age, where it is normal for people to not attend church. Most of the history of the United States, people just went to church. In the 60s, there was a shift that began and over the next 60 years, church enrollment has declined. The Jesus Movement of the 70s helped some, and some organizations like Promise Keepers have worked to support outreach, but the trend continues downward. I think there are some things that have supported this.

First, churches are pretending like it isn't happening. Most churches have continued on as if things are great, and there have been very few adjustments. The adjustments that we have made, I don't think, have been the best. As church membership has fallen away, many of the smaller and medium-sized churches have died and closed their doors, and we have seen the rise of the mega-church. I am not here to bash on the mega-church, it has done a lot of good, but just as much harm. It has created a culture of "consumer-based" Christianity, where the church is a combination of a concert, a nice message, some quality coffee, free child care, and a social gathering. Faith is not really required, and commitment is optional. Most mega-churches have a back door that is as big as the front door, and many of the people who attend never really commit and leave just as easily as they came.

The next problem is leadership. Not the leadership of the church, but the principle of leadership. Sure, leadership is important, but it has become the golden calf of churches. Leadership has become an idol, people love to be in charge. When someone wants to be in charge but can't, they go to one of a couple of places. They run for the city council or the school board. When that doesn't work, they find a way to become in charge of an HOA, and they find a leadership position in the church. So many places we find in the New Testament that leadership is supposed to be gracious, servant, giving, and gentile. That's not what we get, we have the CEO, Captain, General, Commander type leadership. I would dare say many church leaders do not know Jesus, they know leadership, and they just want to be in charge. Combine this with the mega church model, and you have leaders who want a big church, but not really Jesus. Joel Osteen, anyone? Without leadership who is sold out to Jesus, who is preaching Jesus, lives are not being changed, and the church is optional.

Next, gossip. In America, we love gossip. We have TV shows and magazines dedicated to gossip. In the church, we are more interested in talking about someone's struggles than we are about helping them through them. The culture at large loves it when a Christian falls. People right now know who Michael Tait is who have never heard of DC Talk or Newsboys. If you Google his name, the first thing you will see is the dirt and the gossip. Sure, we need to hold people accountable, but quietly and out of love and for the purpose of restoration. That's not what we do, we destroy people. We see people destroyed because of sin, and then we realize we have sin. I have messed up, and I don't want that plastered all over my church, do you? People stop going to church because they don't want their mistakes making the front page of the bulletin. People are afraid to be condemned.

My last point, we have left evangelism to the church. It used to be that people came to church to hear about Jesus, but not people aren't coming to church, so they aren't hearing about Jesus. We don't have outreach like we need, and church members are not sharing their faith. I know it's hard, that is why I wrote a book about it, to help make a plan and make it easier. It's still hard, but it has to happen. Christians have to find ways to share their faith outside the church, because people are no longer coming into the church. America has become more of a mission field than ever before, and we have to take missionary mindsets. People need to see their need for the church, because right now they don't.

Now, this isn't an exhaustive list, there are more reasons, and some that are church or area-specific. This is just a few places that I see big, glaring holes in the way the modern American church is operating. You can add lots of things, such as the way churches have abandoned the Bible, kids leaving after graduating, the moral decline due to social media, and all sorts of other reasons. My point is, these things we can work on in our churches today, and my prayer is to begin moving towards a society that values the gathering on Sunday morning for prayer, worship, and growth.

Be Careful Who Your Teacher Is

 During the 1st centry, there we no shortages of "messiahs". The Jewish people knew the Messiah was coming, but they got it mixed up a little. They assumed the Messiah would be a political leader, conquering Rome and setting Israel up as the strongest nation. In reality, Jesus came to conquer the empire of sin, not Rome, but that's another blog. Jesus was The Messiah, but many claimed the title. This continues even to today, where many claim to be divine, have special divine knowledge. Jesus told us this would happen. Paul and John both wrote this would happen. Leaders and false teachers have existed since the beginning. Today is no different.

I have an author's page on Tiktok, and the first comment I got was one of these false teachers. They decided to "correct my theology" and then spouted some crazy stuff about Christianity not having any connection to God. I am not sure if he was a Jewish mystic or just a strange Christian-Jewish hybrid or a gnostic, or just someone who watched too many youtube videos. The fact remains that heretics and false teachers are everywhere. They will attempt to tell you things that lead you away from the faith. They will attempt to connect parts of scripture in an intracit web to twist the truth to justify their belief system.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 Peter 2:1

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15