Last Saturday I was on my way to a prayer meeting in Shorewood with a group of my fellow pastors. I had been there before and knew how to get there. As I left my house I noticed that I needed some gas in my car so I made a little trip down to the gas station in Yorkville. I was doing some serious worshipping of the Lord with a CD that I had inserted in my car. I was worshipping the Lord. I was preparing myself to pray with my brothers and fellow pastors. My heart was right. My attitude was in the right frame of mind, but something was wrong. As I was making my way down the road I noticed that I was a few miles from Morris and that I was on the wrong road. I made a U-turn but realized that I would be too late to join in the prayer meeting and made my way back home. Even though my heart was right, I was on the wrong road.
In the same way, there are many people today on the wrong road. Many of them are sincere in what they believe. Many of them believe they are walking the right path. Unfortunately they do not know they are on a road that leads nowhere. Proverbs 14:12 states “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Elsewhere Jesus said “wide is the gate and broad the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”
The good news is that those on the wrong road can make a U-turn. They can get on the right track if they will follow the road map that has been laid out for them in God’s Word. Specifically Paul gave us a great road map to help others find the right path in the book of Romans.
In Romans 3:10 Paul wrote "As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one." Perhaps we do not understand this concept of righteous. Righteous means measuring up to God's standard. In essence Paul is saying that none of us are perfect. We might be a good person, but none of us would dare say that we are perfect. I know this may come as bad news to some of you, but you are just not as great as you thought.
In Romans 3:23 Paul takes it one more step when he writes "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Not only does Paul say that we are not perfect, but we also choose to do things that are not pleasing to God. We choose to go against what he teaches is right to do. For instance when we lie, cheat, steal, cheat on our spouses, fudge on our taxes, have bad thoughts, we are not living up to the standards that God requires. The Bible calls this sin and us sinners. Maybe we don't like that term so lets just say that we are crooked and have a tendency to do crooked things. If you think you are are exempt from this rule, read it again "all have sinned." This is the one rule for which there is no exception.
Paul reveals the consequences of our choices in Romans 6:23 when he writes "the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." All of us like to receive wages for what we do. I do not know of anyone who does not like to get paid. In other words it is all about the economy. In God's economy, if we choose to sin we must pay the price. The price is not physical death as we are all going to die. The price is eternal separation from God after our physical death. Perhaps you don't believe that there is life after death. Okay, are you willing to stake eternity on it? What if I am right? Are you willing to live with the consequences of your choice? The good news is that God loves us so much that he made a way for us to be with Him in eternity. We cannot earn it. We do not deserve it. And we cannot buy it. It is simply a gift that God wants to give us through Jesus Christ our Lord. All we can do is accept it or reject it.
Paul explains how we can accept this gift in Romans 10:9-10 "If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." The Bible states that we are to believe and confess that Jesus is Lord. Also we are to believe that He was raised from the dead. This belief is pivotal to our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Without the resurrection Christianity is nothing more than a good set of ethical standards, but there is no hope. The fact that Jesus died on the cross, and was raised from the dead, makes Christianity different from all other religions. We have a living God who did what was necessary to establish a relationship with us. What we must do is believe and confess this truth.
However, notice that Paul said we are to confess Jesus is Lord. Paul means that it is more than just saying save me from eternal death, but come and be my Lord now in this life. We want to live our lives in a such a way that we surrender our will to God's will. Paul concludes this idea in Romans 10:13 with these words "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." The key phrase is "everyone who calls." Previously Paul said there is no one righteous, not even one. He also said "all have sinned." Since Paul's clear teaching is that all people without exception have sinned and are not righteous, it is only consistent that God's salvation be available to everyone.
But not everyone will be saved. There is a qualifier in this verse, which is everyone who calls on the name of the Lord." If you call on the name of Jesus to save you, you will be saved. Calling out means placing all your hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ alone. It means that if you are going to make it to heaven and miss eternal separation from God then it is going to be through Jesus Christ alone.
Whatever road or path you find yourself on, the good news is that you can turn around and choose a different road. Why not do so today? Pray this simple prayer "Lord I admit that I am a sinner and fall short of your plans for my life. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and that He rose from the dead and is alive today. I confess my sins and commit my life to Jesus as Lord and savior of my life. Amen,"
If you honestly prayed that prayer then you are a child of God. Now you need to involve yourself in a Bible teaching church and become all that God intends for you to be. I know a really good church in my area if you would like to know. I look forward to hearing from you.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sam Adams Churches
I saw an interesting advertisement today. It was a delivery truck advertising Sam Adams Beer. I don't drink beer, but I still thought it was a pretty good ad. The statement on the side of the truck was "beer drinkers to do list" then underneath the title were pictures of all the different Sam Adams beers. There was pale beer, and light beer, and dark beer and cherry wheat beer and all kinds of other beers that the brewers at Sam Adams places on the market. I remember years ago when there were only a handful of beers that a person could buy. Now the market is saturated with all kinds of beers for everyone's taste.
Anyway, underneath the pictures of the various beers was a box that a person could check once he has tasted that particular beer. Sam Adams was doing a good job of marketing their product. However, sometimes outward appearances can be deceiving. As I watched the beer truck come to a stop at the local store I expected to see the driver unload several different cases of Sam Adams beer. After all the truck was advertising Sam Adams beer.
Much to my surprise the driver began loading on to his cart various other beers that were not the Sam Adams label. I am not an expert on beers, but I can read labels. I saw Miller light beer, I saw Busch beer, and I saw Budweiser beer being loaded from the Sam Adams truck. Did the owner of this truck know about this sabatoge of their product? Why would a company want to advertise one beer and then sell a completely different beer? I was confused until I realized that the truck was not really a Sam Adams delivery truck but the delivery truck of a local bottling company. In other words they delivered whatever was needed and Sam Adams paid to put their information on the truck.
However, as I thought of the truck I began to wonder how many Sam Adams Churches there are in the world. I know my mind often works in warped ways, but it made me think of how the church advertises or markets. I wonder if on the outside we advertise ourselves as one thing, but when we open ourselves up we reveal something other than what we say we are.
We advertise ourselves as a loving church, but when people attend they do not feel loved. We advertise ourselves as a caring church but we do not show much care or concern for others. We advertise ourselves as an exciting fellowship, but there is no excitement in the fellowship. We advertise ourselves as a mission minded church, but we have little to do with missions. I think you get the point. We advertise one thing, but we actually reveal something else.
The truth is what is said about the local church could also be said about individual Christians as well. Think about the church where you attend. Think about your own life. Are you a Sam Adams Church or a Sam Adams Christian?
Anyway, underneath the pictures of the various beers was a box that a person could check once he has tasted that particular beer. Sam Adams was doing a good job of marketing their product. However, sometimes outward appearances can be deceiving. As I watched the beer truck come to a stop at the local store I expected to see the driver unload several different cases of Sam Adams beer. After all the truck was advertising Sam Adams beer.
Much to my surprise the driver began loading on to his cart various other beers that were not the Sam Adams label. I am not an expert on beers, but I can read labels. I saw Miller light beer, I saw Busch beer, and I saw Budweiser beer being loaded from the Sam Adams truck. Did the owner of this truck know about this sabatoge of their product? Why would a company want to advertise one beer and then sell a completely different beer? I was confused until I realized that the truck was not really a Sam Adams delivery truck but the delivery truck of a local bottling company. In other words they delivered whatever was needed and Sam Adams paid to put their information on the truck.
However, as I thought of the truck I began to wonder how many Sam Adams Churches there are in the world. I know my mind often works in warped ways, but it made me think of how the church advertises or markets. I wonder if on the outside we advertise ourselves as one thing, but when we open ourselves up we reveal something other than what we say we are.
We advertise ourselves as a loving church, but when people attend they do not feel loved. We advertise ourselves as a caring church but we do not show much care or concern for others. We advertise ourselves as an exciting fellowship, but there is no excitement in the fellowship. We advertise ourselves as a mission minded church, but we have little to do with missions. I think you get the point. We advertise one thing, but we actually reveal something else.
The truth is what is said about the local church could also be said about individual Christians as well. Think about the church where you attend. Think about your own life. Are you a Sam Adams Church or a Sam Adams Christian?
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Church a refuge for the world
The title of this post might catch you by surprise, because many consider the church a refuge from the world. It is a place where Christians can come and escape the realities of the world around us. It is a place where we can be safe from everything that the world hurls at us. It is a safe haven for our children. It is a safe haven for our marriages. It protects us from the evil that is all around us. It is the one place where we can come and find protection from the world around us.
It is not difficult to understand why people consider the church as a refuge from the world. The world can be scary place. If we can be protected from the world then the temptation will not be as great. If we can find refuge from the world, we may not become tarnished by the corruption of the world. The church is the one place where the unbelieving world cannot get to us. Too often the church becomes our secure place, our haven from the outside world. As a result we have turned our churches into monasteries, places that become a spiritual refuge for us, focusing on our spiritual life, caring for our spiritual needs and nurturing our spiritual health. In other words the church is all about us.
But the problem is that the church was never intended to be a monastery. In fact, God intends that there be no place that we can hide, except in His presence. When we use the church as our shelter from the world we fail to turn to God and make Him our refuge.
In the words of one writer, instead of the church being a monastery, we are to be a place of refuge for an unbelieving world. The church is to be a place where seekers finally find the God they have been searching for. The church becomes a place where the broken find restoration, the weary find rest, and the hurting find rejuvenation. It is a place where the lonely and the outcast are finally embraced and loved by the community of Christ. I heard of one lady who said the church was the first place that she ever felt the love of God.
When the church becomes a refuge for the world and not from the world, guess what, it might not look like the church you remember. There will be worldly people in the church. They will have worldly values and their attitudes and actions will not be the same as yours. In other words the problems of the world will be brought into the church. But the good news is that the church will be there to provide Christlike love and godly wisdom to the problems that people face. Perhaps we need to be reminded that Jesus told us that it is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. Jesus has called us out of the world, but we often forget that He sent us back into the world to transform the very culture in which we exist.
It is not difficult to understand why people consider the church as a refuge from the world. The world can be scary place. If we can be protected from the world then the temptation will not be as great. If we can find refuge from the world, we may not become tarnished by the corruption of the world. The church is the one place where the unbelieving world cannot get to us. Too often the church becomes our secure place, our haven from the outside world. As a result we have turned our churches into monasteries, places that become a spiritual refuge for us, focusing on our spiritual life, caring for our spiritual needs and nurturing our spiritual health. In other words the church is all about us.
But the problem is that the church was never intended to be a monastery. In fact, God intends that there be no place that we can hide, except in His presence. When we use the church as our shelter from the world we fail to turn to God and make Him our refuge.
In the words of one writer, instead of the church being a monastery, we are to be a place of refuge for an unbelieving world. The church is to be a place where seekers finally find the God they have been searching for. The church becomes a place where the broken find restoration, the weary find rest, and the hurting find rejuvenation. It is a place where the lonely and the outcast are finally embraced and loved by the community of Christ. I heard of one lady who said the church was the first place that she ever felt the love of God.
When the church becomes a refuge for the world and not from the world, guess what, it might not look like the church you remember. There will be worldly people in the church. They will have worldly values and their attitudes and actions will not be the same as yours. In other words the problems of the world will be brought into the church. But the good news is that the church will be there to provide Christlike love and godly wisdom to the problems that people face. Perhaps we need to be reminded that Jesus told us that it is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. Jesus has called us out of the world, but we often forget that He sent us back into the world to transform the very culture in which we exist.
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