Loving Past the Labels

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV I fear the Christian church in America as a whole is missing the mission God called them to because we have become prideful, condescending and self-righteous. We're much like the Pharisees of old in that we call attention to ourselves, our good deeds, & our position in whatever ministry we are part of. We do things more for the fact of being seen of men than we do of pointing others to God. We point a bony finger of righteous indignation at others rather than simply loving them as we are told to. We forget who & what we were when God pulled us out of the muck & mire of the world. I'm not saying that we're not a new creation when we come to Christ & that the old is done away with (2 Corinthians 5:17), because it is and it no longer defines who we are. However, I think it's important for us to remember where we came from in order to be able to minister to others facing the same struggles (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). While it is true that the modern church has been highly influenced by the world around it, rather than the other way around like is should be, we're still supposed to love others in spite of their sin. That doesn't mean we condone sin, just that we choose to love the sinner. How can we expect to minister to them & cause them to turn to Christ if we think we're too good to associate with them? If I recall, Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount that we're supposed to love our enemies, to do good to them that persecute us because even those of the world love the ones who love them (Matthew 5:44-48). We're supposed to be different in that respect. We're supposed to love like Jesus loved & He loved and prayed for even the very ones driving the nails into Him as they placed His body on the Cross of Calvary. Now, that's love! Like Jesus, we need to look past the sin & realize that people are affected by this world, the circumstances of life, addictions, demonic oppression, etc. Regardless of all that, God still loves them & sent His Son to die for their sins. He wants a relationship with every one of them--the thief, the liar, the drunk, the junkie, the prostitute. He sees them all as lovable. Therefore, we need to look past the labels the world has placed on them & see their value through God's eyes. I recall years ago teaching teens at Eastern Valley Baptist Church, sometime in the early to mid 90s. I walked in one morning with a box of children's building blocks, the type with the ABC's on them that toddlers usually play with. I got a lot of strange looks & snarky comments from some 13-18 year old kids. I recall one saying. "Mr. Tony, we're not 3 year olds." But, I had a point to make that day & those blocks played a part in it. I asked those young folks to think about other young people who might feel they didn't fit in or wouldn't be welcome at church. I got responses like the druggie, the unwed mom, the bully, the nerd, etc. As they called them out, I used the blocks to build a pyramid on the desk. Believe me, I was still getting puzzled looks & I'm sure they wondered exactly where I was going with this demonstration. When they couldn't think of any more labels to call out, I handed a block to a young man sitting in the front row & instructed him to throw it at the stack of blocks. He did & the stack of blocks tumbled down scattering all over the desk & floor. Then I hit them with the truth bomb that we either went out of our way to reach the "bad eggs" of society and bring them in to help build the church or we judged & exiled them, destroying the church instead. It was a God moment. I can't claim credit for it, but it was impactful. They mentioned it to me for years afterwards until they moved on to College & Career or Young Marrieds classes as they aged out of the youth group. Life has taken us all on different journeys since then & I'm sure will continue to until Jesus returns or God calls us home to Heaven. The fact still remains that we either build the church by calling in the lost or we allow it to die a slow death and leave the lost to a fate of eternal hell and damnation. I have enough to answer to God for. I don't want to blood of others on my hands. I have to get outside my comfort zone & minister to people who may be much unlike myself because of life choices, ethnic backgrounds, political leanings, etc. It's my job to see them through the eyes of Jesus, rather than my own. What about you? Blessings! Tony

God's Eraser

"...you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." Colossians 2:12b-14 Long ago and far away in a different chapter of my life, when I was a school kid, teachers wrote their lessons & instructions for the class on a blackboard. Once those assignments were completed, she/he would simply erase the old & replace it with the new assignments & instructions for the next day. People of my age & growing up era will recall wiping down the blackboards & cleaning erasers, sometimes as a teacher's assistant or, for some of us as a form of discipline for misbehavior. God works somewhat like that too. He is able (with our cooperation & submission) to wipe away, completely erase, the old sinful person we once were. He can take a life completely riddled with sin and seemingly going nowhere, except straight to the pits of hell itself and clean it up and make it purposeful for His Work and Kingdom. You doubt my words? Paul was Saul. One day he was killing Christians & then he had an encounter with God. After a three day period of blindness, he began being used for God instead of in opposition to Him. Maybe God used that period of blindness to take away Paul's self-dependence & focus him on his dependence on God instead. David, the King, was an adulterer and murderer--but God used him. David suffered great consequences for his sin, but he was called a man after God's own heart. Jonah ran from God & spent three days in the belly of a whale before surrendering to God's call on his life and seeing a great revival in Nineveh. Moses killed an Egyptian and argued with God, but became God's vessel to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt and to the Promised Land. The fact is, God loves you & desires a relationship with you & there's nothing you can do to change that. He wants to use you in His Kingdom Work. He doesn't care what you've done or where you've been or how many times you've failed. He want to erase the old & give you something new--a new assignment for Him, instead for working for the devil. He's already done the work. He sent His Son to be the sacrifice for your sin. He nailed all your sins (along with the sins of the entire world) to the cross."For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:16-17 NKJV If you follow the life of Christ in the Gospels, He offered forgiveness to all who would believe & receive it. He didn't condemn people for their sin, but simply told them they were forgiven & to go and sin no more. I think that's where we miss it. We think we can repent & ask forgiveness and then simply go back to our sin because we know God will forgive it again. He will. However, if we are willfully sinning, we're abusing God's grace. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" Romans 6:1-2, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." Galatians 5:1, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." John 8:36 So, if you're ready to experience true freedom, saved & unsaved alike, call on Him to forgive you of ALL your sins--even those little hidden, secret sins, and let Him wash the slate of your life clean and give you a fresh start. God's eraser is an awesome thing! If He can use someone like me with nothing at all to offer, He can use you. You just have to let Him erase the old & make all things new. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 (all Scripture references from the NKJV) It's up to you, God's eraser is ready & waiting... Blessings! Tony

Seasons...

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4 We go through seasons in life, similar to the seasons of nature. We grow and mature, physically, mentally and spiritually. It is all part of the process called life. We start out young, active, vibrant and always learning new things as we grow. We move into another season when we begin to mature into young adults. The season changes again when we take on the responsibilities of a home, a job and a family of our own. Then comes the Winter of life as we age, see our children grow & start families of their own and our physical bodies move into a mode of slow decay until death claims us & we return to dust once again. Mixed in along the way of the various seasons of life are seasons of happiness and pain, seasons of prosperity & loss, seasons of hope and hopelessness. I think of Job & how he responded to the great losses he suffered. I wish I had his faith! I mean, I have been through a lot in this life and for the most part, I think I've managed it all pretty well although some of it has been especially difficult. But I've also had times where I whined, moaned and complained to God and I've experienced a few complete meltdowns along the way as well. Let's face it, life can be hard at times. Don't get me wrong, it can be purely joyous at times as well but we (or at least I do anyway) tend to recall the negative experiences far more vividly than the positive ones. We grow weary of the pain, the sickness, the evil of this world. Our plans sometimes get completely wrecked & nothing seems to go right. Even when we know we're doing what God has called us to, we sometimes doubt the path He guides us on. Even though we walk with Him & talk with Him daily, we sometimes question if we're really in His Will. Sometimes, we just want to throw our hands up and quit, but we can't--our job isn't finished yet! I know that I long for the day I hear my Savior say, "Well done!" and I enter Heaven's rest. I'm ready for that place of peace and calm, where the troubles of this world vanish away into the beauty and worship of Heaven and Our Creator. Problem is, apparently God still has work for me to do here--which means I have to endure, I have to keep going, I have to keep sharing Him, until He returns or calls me home. I don't get to choose the time of His return or my homegoing. I have to work on & walk the path He has for me until my time here is done & He is ready for me to join Him in that heavenly home. I must faithfully follow Him and daily choose to trust Him as long as there is breath in my lungs. There's the reality of it all--it's my choice. I choose to listen to either the promises of God or the lies of the devil. I've followed Jesus for many years & while I haven't always understood why things happened as they did, He's always seen me through them. I've reached the season of life where I have more years behind me than I do ahead, but I'm not retiring from God's work and service. I can't say that I don't want to sometimes, but I know I can't. I must walk though each of life's seasons, no matter how badly I want to give up, and work til Jesus comes. After all, He's never left or forsaken me. He's blessed me more than I deserve. He allowed me to love & be loved and to have some wonderful life experiences along the way. He's never given up on me, so I can't give up on Him either... Blessings! Tony

It's Beginning to look a lot like CHRISTmas...

"Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." Luke 2:8-12 NKJV While it's unlikely that Jesus was actually born on December 25th, that day has been chosen to celebrate His birth. Many would say that the day is a pagan ritual centered around the Winter solstice and that it has been defiled with Santa, reindeer, snowmen & the like. But they all play into the spirit of the holiday (that word is rooted in holy day as Christmas is rooted in Christ's Mass of Catholic tradition). The Winter solstice occurs, just like others & is part of the nature of this world we live in. Santa, St. Nicholas, or Father Christmas is based on a real person who lived somewhere around the 4th century & was known for his acts of kindness. While there's nothing wrong with indulging childhood fantasies, it's important that we teach the real reason that we celebrate. Can you imagine being there in those fields that night? A heavenly & royal light show began and angels appeared to announce the birth of the long-awaited Messiah! What went through the minds of those lowly shepherds? We read the story of how it happened but they we re there in the flesh, living it as it unfolded. What were they thinking as they made their way to that manger stall to see with their own eyes the fulfillment of God's Promise? What a gift! What did they expect? When one thinks of a King, you anticipate a royal home & furnishings, not a feed trough in a stable. You expect people of high stature, not peasant teenagers as parents. You expect a purple robe, not swaddling clothes & hay. You expect groomed royal stallions, not sheep & donkeys. But, were they fixated on the surroundings or were they simply in awe of the Gift they witnessed? As for me, I think they knew they were part of God's great plan to bring salvation to man, although they had no idea how it would eventually unfold. They probably thought that baby would grow to be a mighty warrior King who would overthrow the Romans & give them back their nation and identity. How could they know that tiny baby would one day sacrifice Himself for the sins of mankind? How could they know that each step He took & each breath He drew brought Him closer to the Cross? While His birth was the beginning of the plan, His death & resurrection were the culmination and completion of the plan to ransom lost mankind. The reality is that we, as recipients of God's Great Gift are now part of that plan to share Him and the gift of salvation with others who have yet to receive it. So, while we celebrate Christmas with all the worldly festivities, our goal should be to recognize the real reason we celebrate (Jesus) and share our celebration of Him with those around us. The world & it culture are constantly changing & evolving. However, God & His Word remain constant and unchanged. We are in, but not of this world (John 17:16). Our efforts should be focused on pointing others to Christ. I'm reminded of Linus in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" as he he says "Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about," and recites verses 8-14 of the second chapter of Luke before taking his blanket & walking off stage. It's child-like faith and sincerity of heart that make Christmas really CHRISTmas (emphasis mine). We celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Christ child, The One who came to rescue us in our time of need. That's what CHRISTmas is really all about. Keep Christ in your celebrations & you'll find that it's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTmas... Blessings! Tony

Thanksgiving and Praise...

"Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation." Psalm 100 NLT It's the season of Thanksgiving...ironically, we should be thankful at all times, but somehow we choose to set aside one day to be thankful. It makes for good holiday family gatherings & hopefully acknowledging God as the Source of our blessings in this life. But, are we really grateful? I fear that in these United States of America, we take much for granted. Because we were blessed to be born here, we assume we are entitled to live the American Dream regardless of the cost. I've been to a poor country & seen poor people with my own eyes. I've worked with groups ministering to the homeless. I've helped get basic needs & holiday gifts for kids in foster care. I've visited veteran's homes, nursing homes & sick children wards at the hospital. I've witnessed hatred, prejudice & even death. I've made a lot of poor decisions through my life that not only negatively impacted me, but also those connected to me via family, friend, coworker & church member associations. Thankfully, God has seen fit to preserve my life through my stupidity & somehow found a way to use all that to minister to others. He truly uses all things & the least among us to be useful in the Kingdom! Truth is, for the most part, that Americans are spoiled, ungrateful, gluttonous people. The more they achieve & the more they possess, the more they desire. Their appetites never seem to be satisfied... How do we go about changing this? Well, the same way you eat an elephant, one bite at a time! If we stand aside & wait for someone else to do it, it may never happen. One person can make a huge difference. Any movement has to have a beginning. I grew up in the Birmingham area during the Civil Rights struggle. I remember school riots, church bombings, and the ugliness of the era. I remember watching a friendship develop between Reverend Billy Graham & Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. via television & newspapers. It was not well accepted by the white churchgoers of that time. But, over time, acceptance came & segregation became a thing of the past. We Christians need to do the same--peaceably assemble and make our voices heard, Support what is right & godly and boycott that which is not. We're a large group, but most are sitting silently waiting for someone else to be the one to make the first move. Let's turn our nation back to God! "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance." Psalm 33:12 Let's be a joyful & thankful people! "Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe." Hebrews 12:28 Let's let our praises be heard! "I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done." Psalm 9:1 We are a blessed nation & we have much to be thankful for. We, the church, have missed the mark in doing our part to point people to God, to share the gift of salvation, to help meet the basic needs of those around us who are hungry, hurting or homeless. It starts with us. We must repent of our ungrateful & gluttonous ways and begin again. "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 Then, how about we really enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise, sing praises to him and bless his name? thanksgiving & praise should be an everyday thing, part of our Christian lifestyle, and should make people want to have the joy we have in our lives. Happy Thanksgiving & blessings to you! Tony

Putting Limits on God?

"And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, And My God shall be My strength), Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.' " Isaiah 49:5-6 NKJV Isaiah is my favorite Old Testament book. I find great wisdom and direction as well as great comfort in it. Here we see Isaiah with a limited vision, a vision to reach Israel. In itself, that's not a bad thing as God calls us all to reach out & minister to those in our peer group, those we have influence with. And, that's a good beginning...but we shouldn't stop there. God has a way of putting us into places & situations where we can minister to people who are quite different from us, people we wouldn't normally encounter in our day to day life. God's intention for Isaiah was for him to reach a much wider circle, to the ends of the earth. That sounds a little like the Great Commission recorded in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." We limit God by limiting ourselves. If we are truly saved, blood bought children of God, then we should have a desire to share Jesus with others. Our cup should be filled to overflowing & spill and splash out all over those we come into contact with. But, we need to think outside the box, get outside our comfort zone, dare to be bold & different (some of you are already thinking that I myself am quite different without accentuating that fact in any way...), so we can share the love of God with a larger group, so we can make Him known to our friends' relatives and friends, so we can go to different areas of our town, our state, our country, and the world...so we can have seemingly chance (but really God-ordained) encounters with people in real world, life and death situations and tell them about Jesus. We have to meet them at their time & place of need. There is no limit to what God can do in & through a life that is totally surrendered to Him. What has He called you to? He's been whispering something to your spirit for some time. Are you ready to trust Him & step out in faith and act on it? I'm reminded of an old song some friends & I used to sing may years ago. Ponder its words... "Step into the water, wade out a little bit deeper. Wet your feet in the water of his love. Oh, Step into the water (children) Wade out a little bit deeper, come join the angels singin', praises to the Lamb of God. It's time we the people, stand up for what is right. It's time we squared our shoulders back, and raised our swords to fight. For the Bible is our weapon, and the spirit is my shield. The church needs more of its members to be workers in the field." Are we putting limits on God by putting limits on ourselves? Shouldn't we listen to that gentle nudge of the Spirit as He woos us and say, "Here am I, Lord, send me!"? Isn't it time to trust Him and step into the water? Isn't it time we stood our ground, prepared to fight for His Cause & His People? Step out today, God will walk with you through the fires and the floods (Isaiah 43:1-3), He loves you & has called you for such a time as this, to be His mouthpiece and proclaim Him to those lost in sin. Are you ready? Do you have your armor on? Then, raise your sword, soldier, and march into battle in the Lord's Army! Our Great Commander will lead the way. We just have to walk in it... Blessings! Tony

Living Under a Death Sentence...

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die..." Hebrews 9:27 We are all living under a death sentence. Unless the Lord returns, we will all face death. There are many scriptural references to death & dying, "A time to be born, and a time to die..".Ecclesiastes 3:2 is a well-known one. Research it, there are many more... How is it that a person can know that every minute of life is a minute closer to death and be unconcerned about their eternal destination? How is it that one can grow up in these United States, being exposed to the church & Christianity on a regular basis and deny the existence of God? How is it that despite the fact there are churches on every corner throughout each city, in each state, all across this nation, a person can claim to have no knowledge of Jesus Christ? We don't have any way to know when this life will be over. That's why we have to be prepared when death comes to claim us. The truth is that if we know Jesus, we die an earthly death only to raise to a Heavenly, eternal life. "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die..." John 11:26 If we accept His Free Gift of Salvation, we just change our address to Heaven when we take our last breath on earth. It's a pretty good deal! But, you have to be ready... How is it that even those who claim the Name of Christ can see the lost daily, knowing they are hell-bound, & do nothing to point them to a loving Savior? How is it that Christians can be so caught up in their own lives, that they see no need to assemble with other believers at church? How is it that a Christian can work alongside others for years in a factory or office & their coworkers have no idea they are a person of faith? We have a mandate from God to share our faith with others and to rescue the lost, "Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter." Proverbs 24:11 Or, how about "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20? The whole world is living under a death sentence & it's our job to tell them there is a better way, a way that leads to Heaven! I fear we are missing the mark terribly in this area. Don't assume it is the preacher's responsibility to get everyone saved. It is the duty of every believer to minister to those they have contact with & influence over. If not you, then who? We will all be held accountable at judgement. I want to know where I'm going to spend eternity & I don't want anyone else's blood on my hands because I failed to tell them about God's love & salvation. What about you? Are you willing to save someone living under a death sentence? Something to ponder... Blessings! Tony