8.30.2005

so much is just show


I had an interesting conversation with a friend last night and it really got me thinking about various things. The conversation was about the war in iraq, my friend is very much against the war and against president bush, i don't plan on giving an oppinion here either way. The conversation turned to those little magnets that everyone sticks on there cars, you know the yellow ribbons that say "I support our troops." My question is how? I would say this, i don't support the troops. I support them in prayer, but as far as taking action by donations, or greeting them when they get home, or sending letters, or anything of that nature I have done nothing. For me to say I support the troops is simply a lie. it is my guess that about 90 or more percent of the people who have magnetic ribbons don't support the troops either. I would go even further and say that the people who are against the war (the normal people not the protestors) have a tendency to be doing more to support the troops than the rest of us.

Now we as christians know that the real battle is a spirtual one, and so many people wear their badges, be it their fish on the car or their cross, or their profession of faith, or their weekly worship attendence, we all stand up and say we support the cause of christ. We support the spread of the gospel, we support righteousness, we support morality, but too often we are just posers. it is easier to just say i support the troops, or i am a faithful christian, but we are totally lost and unregenerate if we are still willing to reside on the sidelines and take no action. If christ has wrought in us salvation, how then can we go on watching? when are we as a "christian nation" going to get at it, to get real? The truth is we are not a christian nation, and christianity as a whole in this nation is lukewarm, and lacks the passion and zeal that once characterized america a couple centuries ago. if i were to say i am not a part of the problem i would be a liar. i think i certainly do not follow christ with the energy which should characterize all who are called according to him. i will say this i am not going to post a ribbon to my chest and act as if i am this bold soldier of the gospel, oh i am a soldier of the lord, but too often i just lean on my gun.

that is all for tonight sorry if it was rantish or whiney.

8.25.2005

so great a salvation

Recently I listened to a message by Paris Reidhead entitled "So Great a Salvation." It was possibly the best of all the sermons I have listened to on the sermonaudio site.

Too often we as Christians, and a fundamentalists, will look at salvation only as it pertains to deliverance from hell. We talk about when we got saved, and about getting people saved. It is a noble cause, and it is clear that the Lord certainly does want us to preach the gospel that souls may be saved, but salvation from hell is only a part of salvation as a whole. Jesus came to deliever us from our sinful nature that we may exhibit His righteousness here on earth. He died on the cross to conquer sin, not only to attone for it. Clearly we have a sinful nature, and we find ourselves all too often in sin, but on the cross Christ overcame that so that we would not live in bondage to sin right now. If we were purchased by His blood then we are His slaves today. We are to be slaves of righteousness now! There is so much more to Christ's work on the cross then we often attribute to it. Often times I think that we as fundamentalist will focus on God's hell, and preaching about God's hell, and warning people of hell, that we forget about the victory that Christ won for us here on earth. We need to warn of hell, no doubt, but I would go as far to say that we find comfort in preaching only salvation from hell, because we know we have received that. We are much slower to preach salvation from sin here on earth and deliverance from evil hear on earth, power over temptation here on earth, and displaying the righteousness of Christ here on earth. We are slow to preach these things because we know that we don't exhibit these aspects of salvation as we should. Oh it is an easy thing to preach brimstone, and it is an easy thing to know that Christ died to save you from hell, but too many Christians will be entering heaven by the skin of their teeth because they disregarded the salvation from sin here on earth.

I hope that all made sense I will be back again soon.

8.02.2005

Righteousness is the glorfication of God

Deuteronomy 32:50-52
50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people. 51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."

Moses was denied access to Isreal's promised land, because he followed the command of God, but did not glorify God. When Israel was thirsty and whining that they had nothing to drink, Moses pleaded with the Lord. The Lord told Moses to strike a rock and water would come out. Moses struck the rock, water came out, and that was it. It was this series of events that denied Moses the access to the promised land. After striking the rock Moses in no way glorified the Lord, and I no way did he bless God for providing the flowing water. Though Moses was obedient, God was not ready to honor this work.

Let's contrast this series of events with that of Rahab the harlot, which happened just four chapters later in the bible. Rahab lied when questioned about the two spies who came to spy out the city. She gave them refuge. She was rewarded by the Lord for deception.

Does it seem right that Moses would be punished for and event in which he was obedient to the command, and that Rahab would be rewarded for her deception? Moreover, can these two events both be true and God still be just? These two events are real, and God certianly is just, but how? God desires to be glorified by men. His righteous law and the results of obedience to those laws should bring him glory. However we can obey His laws and glorify ourselves, or glorify no one. In this case we would be more pleasing to God to glorify Him in our disobedience. This is by no means a liscense to transgress God's law, as Paul would say, God forbid. However this is to say that in all things we must glorify God, or else in is meaningless and even punishable.

So what is the application of this. First and foremost we cannot be legalistic. Remember Moses was punished in obedience, and Rahab was rewarded in deception. We must recognize when someone or something is glorifying God, and view it in that light. If a certain action does glorify God though it doesn't fit within the scope of what we see as obedience we must then set aside our views and rejoice that God is glorified. However we must also see when obedience is not glorifying God, take for instance the rich young ruler, his obedience would not be rewarded though he had kept all the commandments from his childhood. The obedience that does not give glory to God is worthless. The roman catholic that does acts of obedience such as feeding the poor, helping the sick and so on will receive only punishment if the attribute any of that obedience to a saint, or Mary or anyone other than the Lord himself. This is not just a dig on Catholicism by any means, to often we glorify our programs, and our pastors, and our authors and everyone else but the Lord. It is only when the Lord is glorified that an action is truely righteous.

Well I hope I was on track with this post. If you have any insights, questions, comments or corrections please leave a comment or send and e-mail. I am sure there are typos, there always are, just fight through them.