We have a serious epidemic on our hands. STDs are spreading like wildfire. Fewer and fewer people are making the choice to keep themselves pure and untainted. That means more and more people will be suffering life-long consequences, issues that will haunt them and plague them until they die.

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Jim Rohn, famed entrepreneur and motivational speaker, said it this way, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” I (mostly) agree with that sentiment. I’ve known people who were one way when I first met them, but after a few years of hanging out with certain “other” people, that person was completely different.

When “good kids” get to hanging out with the “wrong crowd,” you can see the heartache it causes their parents, especially the mother. And then when something really bad happens, (for instance, they wind up in handcuffs), their parents will make the excuse: “They just started hanging around the wrong crowd.” What the parents might not realize is that by hanging out with the wrong people, their child became the wrong kind of person.

I’ve seen some really good kids have their lives completely ruined because of the friends they chose.

But that’s an extreme case that won’t happen to most of us good church folk, right?

A CHURCH FULL OF STDS
Wrong.

I’m not saying that going to church will cause you to hold up a liquor store at gun point. But just think about the attitudes and mindsets that religious people are prone to “catch” from other religious people.

• Apathy
• Legalism
• Judgmentalism
• Hypocrisy
• Holier-than-thou
• Pessimism
• Fear-mongering
• Cynicism
• Fatalism
• Escapism
• Superficiality

It’s a sad reality that we even have to ask about this question.

The teenager who submitted this question isn’t wondering about someone who has never heard about God. The question is about turning BACK to God once someone has turned AWAY from God. The not-so-hypothetical person was once a believer, was once a follower of Christ, may have been baptized and called himself a Christian. Now he has turned his back on all of this as if God is some ex-girlfriend he’s trying to “get over.”

I don’t know if this teenager had someone specific in mind, but I know I’ve seen the story unfold time and time again. And I wonder if these people will ever find their way back into the fold. Some will; many, sadly, will not.

But is it ever too late for them? Can someone wander TOO far away to ever return to salvation?

WHO’S YOUR MASTER?
If we start in the beginning, we see the first humans being cut off from the intimate relationship they once shared with their Creator. They turned their backs on God so they had to face the consequence of separation. The ancient idea of death is separation. Sin causes separation from God and, therefore, death.

In Genesis 4 we see an interesting view from God himself about the way sin works in our lives. Cain and Able offered sacrifices to God. Able’s was accepted, Cain’s was not. This infuriated Cain. God, sensing Cain’s disturbance, comes down to have a one-on-one with Cain. This is what God has to tell Cain in the midst of his inner turmoil:

“Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7)

Sin desires to enslave us. Sin’s desire is to have power over us, to become our master. But we must rule over it. If we allow sin to become our master, as did Cain, we will quickly find our lives in a downward spiral toward chaos and heartache until it feels as if we are being devoured by it.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith… (1 Peter 5:8-9)

The first step in the journey away from God nearly always begins with dethroning God and crowning sin/Satan as our new Lord and Master. Humanity as a whole has been doing this from the beginning, and individuals are constantly attempting to overthrow God’s supposed “tyranny” in favor of a more lenient master. Little do we know that we have the whole system backwards!

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:11-14)

POINT OF NO RETURN
If people do allow sin to become their master, can they ever reach the point of no return?

Scripture has some scary things to say about this very issue. Some branches of Christianity preach what is typically referred to as a “once saved, always saved” message. They believe that once you come to belief in Christ then there is nothing you can do to lose your salvation. The unfortunate thing is that Scripture does not seem to support that idea.

“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:30-32)

So we already see, from the mouth of Jesus, that there are some people who reach the point of no return. I’ve known some people who began their journey of faith as Christians but now they openly speak evil of Jesus, God, the Spirit, and his church. There’s really no coming back from that.

The book of Hebrews speaks very candidly about the possibility (and reality) of turning away from the gospel, and it’s not a pretty picture.

Scary:

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:12-13)

Scarier:

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Hebrews 6:4-8)

Scariest:

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)

The speaker in Hebrews is trying to warn his audience of the seriousness with which God views rebellion. It’s one thing to have never known God. It’s a whole different matter to have known God, to be a part of his family, to share in the gospel, and then turn and spit in the face of the crucified Savior.

God does not take that lightly.

IS THERE HOPE?
Yes.

While these warnings may be stern and the judgments harsh, one thing we learn from Scripture is that God is nothing if not merciful. In the story of “The Prodigal Son” (Luke 15) the younger brother essentially tells his father, “I wish you were dead.” He packs up his belongings and turns his back on his family. After blowing everything he had, the son came crawling back to his father. The father does the unexpected and receives him back into full sonship and throws a party for him.

Solomon puts it this way: “Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!” (Ecclesiastes 9:4)

And check out Paul’s reminder to the Christians in Corinth:

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

If you are still sucking oxygen, there is still hope. As the song “To God Be the Glory” says, “The vilest offender who truly believes / will surely from Jesus a pardon receive.”

WE’RE IN IT TOGETHER
I think most Christians, however, (myself included) see someone walk away from the faith and just stand at the window waving good-bye. We hope to see them again. We even pray that they will come back to faith. But we don’t make an effort to do anything about it.

Remember, Hebrews 3 tells us to encourage each other so that we don’t drift away. And James gives us this instruction:

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)

It takes a group effort to keep the group together. We can’t sit idly by and watch the body of Christ disintegrate into chaos. We’re in this together!

One thing we’ve learned over the years is “Just Say No” doesn’t really work. Everyone knows the harmful effects of illegal drugs. We know the dangers of over-consumption of alcohol. We know how damaging cigarette smoke can be on our bodies. And yet we just can’t say “No.”

Paul knew that “Just Say No” was a lousy way to prevent sinful activities.

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. (Colossians 2:20-23, emphasis added)

Zero-tolerance policies and “Just Say No,” in Paul’s words, “lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”  We cannot will temptation away. That’s why diets don’t often work. If we could, through sheer will power, say “No” to that pizza or chocolate ice cream, then we wouldn’t have an obesity epidemic on our hands. And if people could just say “No” to drugs and alcohol abuse, then we wouldn’t need the DEA or random police check points on New Year’s Eve. It simply doesn’t work that way.

WHY? WHY NOT?
What we need is a reason to say “No.” And we lack that in America. Our nation, and indeed our world, is in moral chaos. It has been since the beginning. There is no universal right or wrong. There is no one set of principles guiding the human race, save for the principle of self-gratification. We are impulsive, impatient, and we celebrate letting go of our inhibitions. When immediate self-pleasure becomes the driving principle in our lives (from fast food to video games to sex), then there is no reason to say “No” to illegal drugs. The damage comes later but the pleasure comes NOW.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:13-18, emphasis added)

We are set free from the law because of Christ, yet that does not give us license to do whatever we want. And Paul gives a WHY: because you live by the Spirit. The flesh and Spirit are in constant struggle against one another. Even Jesus knew this struggle full well. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

Paul goes on in Galatians to describe the “works of the flesh.” Notice how many of these can be (and often are) associated with our drug culture and alcohol abuse.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21, NLT)

How many families have been ripped apart because of an alcoholic’s outbursts of anger? How many relationships have been ruined because of a drug addict’s hostility, quarreling, and selfishness? How many women have been forever damaged because they were taken advantage of at a “wild party”?

IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP
This does not sound like the kind of life I want. Secrecy, jealousy, dissension, fighting. I don’t want any part in that. In fact, I don’t want any part with any person or company that promotes this kind of lifestyle. You will never see a Budweiser commercial featuring an abusive husband. You will never see a lung cancer patient in a Camel add. You will never see the real story from the people pushing these products.

And maybe we don’t want to.

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity,because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:11-16)

IT’S MY BODY. OR IS IT?
One argument for the use of drugs/alcohol/whatever is the “It’s my body, my business” argument. I mean, I’m not hurting anyone else in the process, right? It’s just a little harmless fun, isn’t it?

Maybe we can shed a little light on that one, too.

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
Those who linger over wine,
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.
Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!
In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.
Your eyes will see strange sights,
and your mind will imagine confusing things.
You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.
“They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!
They beat me, but I don’t feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?” (Proverbs 23:29-35)

He’s talking specifically about alcohol in this section, but many of the symptoms and behaviors are fitting with drug use, too. He’s essentially warning that this lifestyle will destroy your body and your mind. Not only that, but these kind of things aren’t happening in the privacy of the subject’s own home. He’s in a place where people will take advantage of him and use him as a punching bag because he is under the influence.

But hey, it’s your body. Do whatever you want, right?

Wrong:

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:13-16)

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Even if you can manage to use and abuse drugs and alcohol without physically or emotionally harming another human being, you cannot do so without damaging the image of God in which you were made. Destroying our bodies for the thrill of it does nothing to glorify God. Getting high distorts God’s image inside you. What’s more, there is nothing loving, selfless, humble, or worshipful in doing these things.

THE GOOD NEWS
But there is hope. There is always hope as long as you still draw breath. God can cleanse you. God can restore his image in you. He can help you overcome your addictions and your temptations. He can restore your relationships. He can make all things new.

But you’ve got to learn the reason to say no, and the reason is Christ.

On Wednesday nights I am leading our teens through the Gospel of John. We just started it a few weeks ago and are still in chapter 1. It seems like every time I read through the gospels something new jumps out at me. It’s all been there for 2000 years, but I notice something new every time.

This time through John’s gospel I have noticed how often the words “witness” and “testimony” are used. John the Apostle writes to tell us about the things he has seen (1:14). John the Baptist was sent by God as a witness to testify concerning God’s Chosen One (1:34).

The normal context in which a witness testifies is in court. A witness cannot tell more than they know, but that’s okay. All that is required is that they simply share what they do know. It doesn’t really matter if they know all the thoughts and motives behind the event about which they are testifying. All that matters is what they saw and experienced. Eye witness testimony paired with physical evidence is usually enough to convince a jury that an event occurred as described.

Later in John’s gospel, a blind man healed by Jesus is being questioned as a witness. He tells them, “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see” (John 9:25).

Paul reminds the Christians in Corinth, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Philip the evangelist had a Spirit-led encounter with the Queen’s Treasurer who was traveling back to Ethiopia. The treasurer was reading from Isaiah. “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35).

What do you know? It’s enough to be a witness.

So far this year 29 people have been executed by the State. Those 29 “victims” of capital punishment were responsible for the murders of (at least) 49 people. Last year there were 42 men executed who were responsible for (at least) 70 murders. [http://deathpenaltyusa.org/]

Is it right or wrong for the State to sentence someone to death? That question is so loaded that I’m not really going to go there. Are there some crimes and some criminals that deserve the ultimate sentence? I think so. There must be consequences for our actions. The more violent the crime, the harsher the consequence should be so that, in theory, people are deterred from committing such crimes. In practice, however, human history has shown that no matter how severe the punishment, crimes will still be committed. People will break human (and divine) laws regardless of the consequences.

Back in the very beginning, God created Adam in the Garden. God had ONE RULE. That’s it. Don’t eat from this one tree. The consequence for breaking that rule? Death (Genesis 2:16-17).

After Adam and Eve broke that ONE RULE, God had no choice but to carry out his punishment. From that day on they were banned from eating from the Tree of Life, thus they began the process of dying (Genesis 3:22-24).

Things escalate quickly and violently. In the course of two chapters we are taken from the very first time sin entered the world all the way to a brother killing his own brother in cold blood. We would call it first degree, or premeditated, murder. The penalty for which, in many states, is death. God, however, does not strike down Cain for killing Able. Instead he sends Cain into exile to live out his life as a nomad, a wanderer. God even protected Cain from anyone seeking revenge (Genesis 4:8-15).

But, as humans are wont to do, we took advantage of God’s grace toward Cain and twisted it to mean there are to consequences.

Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times.” (Genesis 4:23-24)

This began the downward spiral into rampant evil and widespread violence without fear of consequences. When society has no rules, especially no punishments for crimes against our fellow man, then everything begins to fall apart. It got to the point that “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5).

God had had enough. He dished out the ultimate punishment upon the entire evil human race, save for Noah and his family. The evil was purged beneath the cleansing flood waters. On the dry side of the flood, God made a covenant with Noah and mankind never to destroy the earth with a flood. But some things had to change. There had to be rules, boundaries, and consequences for breaking them.

And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.
“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.” (Genesis 9:5-6)

The point: God takes human life SERIOUSLY. We are not just some happy accidents of evolution. We are created and fashioned in the very image of God himself. Every human being on the planet, all 7 billion of us, carry within us the express image of our Creator. To snuff out another person’s life is to snuff out the image of God.

God continues to drive home this point in Exodus after he has freed the nation of Israel from Egyptian captivity. The crossed the Red Sea and made camp at the base of Mt Sinai where God gave them the 10 Commandments and the rest of the Law. Look at what some of the very first laws have to say about human life.

“Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate. But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.
“Anyone who attacks their father or mother is to be put to death.
“Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.
“Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.
“If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed.
“Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result,  but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.
“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.” (Exodus 21:12-25, emphasis added)

 Get the point?

There are some problems with this, however. First of all, it is possible to devalue human life and damage the image of God without actually hurting or killing someone. Check out what Jesus says:

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matthew 5:21-22)

Secondly, just as humans have a tendency to take advantage of God’s mercy, we are also prone to twist God’s laws in ways he never intended. The idea of life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, etc., was supposed to be a deterrent. God intended the consequence to prevent violent crimes. Mankind, however, took these punishments as hard and fast rules. You hit me, I hit you back – it’s the law! It was used as justification for continuing the cycle of violence and revenge.

Again, Jesus has something to say about this:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38-42)

In other words, we don’t HAVE to take an eye for an eye or return blow for blow. We have the power to put a stop to the cycle of revenge and payback.

Lastly, we are not under the Law of Moses anymore, we are under the Law of Grace. God gave Israel laws concerning reaction when someone acts violently towards another person. Under the new Law and the new Covenant, we have instructions on how to be proactive in dealing with difficult people.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21)

ONE FINAL THOUGHT
I would be remiss if I failed to mention this fact: We ALL deserve the death penalty. We are all guilty of sin, and all sin leads to death. This is pretty much step one in preaching/receiving the gospel message. Every single one of us deserves to die the death that Jesus Christ died for us.

There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… (Romans 3:22-23)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

We are all guilty. We all deserve the penalty of death. But through Christ not only have we received a stay of execution, we have been set free from prison and given a place in the Family as adopted sons and daughters and co-heirs with Jesus!

Can I get an amen?

I can’t tell you to believe one way or the other about the ethics and morals surrounding capital punishment. What I CAN tell you is that God values life so much that he will demand an accounting of every time we have devalued life. But more than that, God sent his only Son to die in our stead so that we might be set free from the bonds of sin and death and might have life eternal with him.

[A 10 Part Series based on Paul’s Ministry as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12]

You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. 1 Thessalonians 2:1-2

Does the language we use matter?

I’m not talking about improper grammar and syntax. I’m talking about the actual words, phrases, and sentences that come out of our mouths. Curse words, lies, gossip, rumors, dirty jokes, insults – these are all heard within the first fifteen minutes of powering on our televisions. And if you pay attention, these are all heard throughout the day coming out of the mouths of those who claim to be Christians.

There are some out there who simply refuse to believe that words have any power or hold any sway on the state of our souls. But while “THE WORDS” might change over time, it’s more of a heart issue than anything else. So I will not sit here and tell you which words not to say (and neither does Scripture), but I think we are all smart enough to figure that one out.

What I do want to do with this post is to simply string together quotations from Scripture and from modern times without my added commentary. I don’t think I need to add my own voice in this discussion much at all. I’ll let wiser men and biblical authors (and JESUS!) do the talking for me.
____________________________________

“The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.” – George Washington


“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” – Jesus, Matthew 5:21-22


“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” – Paul, Ephesians 4:25


“Profanity is the effort of a feeble brain to express itself forcefully.” – Spencer Kimball


“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” – Jesus, Matthew 12:36-37

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” – James 3:9-10
____________________________________

So how should we talk? I’ll leave you with these Scriptures and let them speak for themselves again.

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” – Paul, 1 Timothy 4:12

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” – Paul, Colossians 4:6

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. – David, Psalm 19:14

Some questions are simple. Some questions are complex. Some questions seem simple until you begin to pursue the answer. The question about dinosaurs is that third kind of question in my opinion.

I do NOT claim to be any sort of expert or definitive voice on this issue, and there are a lot of matters that need to be addressed in answering this question. The dinosaur dilemma involves everything from age of the earth to evolution to ancient history and pre-history of mankind.

I think the following videos from Apologetics Press are very helpful in answering the dinosaur dilemma in both a biblical and a scientific/historic way.

While I may not be an expert, here are some things I know (and many of them were covered in these videos).

1. God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. God created gigantic lizard creatures just like he created the blue whale. His power and might are on display through what he has created.

2. Evolution, especially as Darwin suggested it, cannot be proven. Evolution is more of a worldview and belief system than it is a scientific observation. And the one thing we know from the history of science is that theories are made to be disproved. The more we discover about the way the universe works, the more we realize how little we actually know. Why hang your hat on scientific theories that can change in an instant while disregarding God and his word which never change and are consistently proven true?

3. As far as dinosaurs go, you won’t find them mentioned in Scripture because the term “dinosaur” is only 150 years old! But you do see descriptions in Job 40 and 41 of the behemoth and the leviathan which do not match any known creature alive today. But they DO match descriptions of known dinosaurs…

4. We simply cannot explain away universally held beliefs. For instance, why would the Aztecs, the Chinese, and the Celts from prehistoric times ALL have dragon stories and depictions? That doesn’t just happen. All of these cultures from millennia  past MUST have had some encounter with these type of creatures – and they all depict creatures very similar to what we call dinosaurs.

I’m not saying that in order to be a Christian you must believe in that dinosaurs and mankind shared this planet at some point in the past. In the grand scheme of things, this issue is not that important. What is important, however, is that we never doubt the creative power of our God. I believe that as our scientific study progresses our own human errors in observation and data collection (aka, manipulation) will come to light.

In our teen class we have a discussion question box. This fall we are taking the topics and questions submitted by the students and using them as our class discussion on Sunday mornings.

One of the cards (and the one we began the series with) simply said, “Keeping faith in God.”

As a parent and a youth minister, it scares me a little that teenagers don’t know how to stay faithful. I read article after article and look at research upon research concerning teenagers and faith. Most of it is negative. Depending on what statistics you listen to, between 40% and 70% of teenagers will leave their faith after graduating.

Dropping out of church while in college it the new normal. The fact that one of my students submitted this discussion topic tells me two things: 1) We have not done a good job of equipping our students to be lifelong disciples of Jesus, and 2) our teenagers want to know how!

So what does it take to keep faith in God?

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE…
I think the first place to start is by wrestling with the question, What would it take for me to lose my faith? I don’t think we consider that one enough. Would it take definitive proof that God does not exist? Would you lose your faith over the death of a close family member? Peer pressure? Addiction? Tragedy? Bad experiences with other Christians? Discovery of alien life?

Know your weak areas, those stumbling blocks with which you find yourself wrestling in the wee hours of the morning. Know your weaknesses and then shore them up. Because even though you may not know your weak spots, Satan certainly does.

What would it take for me to lose my faith? Until the answer to that question is Nothing, we’ve got work to do.

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)

IN, NOT OF
From Jesus’ prayer recorded in John 17 we have coined the phrase, “In the world but not of the world.” The idea is that this world is a corrupt, evil, dangerous place, but we’ve still got to live here. Jesus’ prayer is that his disciples (including us) may be in the world but not become conformed to the world’s mold. That means we don’t put our stock into the world’s systems and securities. We don’t buy into the world’s goals and morals and values. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we are strangers and foreigners in this place.

Easy peasy, right?

Unfortunately when I look around the church, especially our younger members (myself included), we look a whole lot more like the world than we should. We look, talk, act, and think like people of the world. And why is it so hard to be in the world but not of the world? Maybe it’s because we are in the church but not of the church. (Not my own idea. I heard it from a preacher not to long ago, but I can’t remember his name.)

KEEP ON RUNNING
An article came out not too long ago on churchleaders.com entitled “3 Common Traits of Youth Who Don’t Leave the Church.” It’s a fantastic little article that has gotten me rethinking some things. Here’s the gist of the article:

1. They are converted.
2. They have been equipped, not just entertained.
3. Their parents preached the gospel to them.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

Who is the wisest person you know?

We’re not used to that question, are we. We could probably have an easier time answering questions like, Who’s the smartest person you know? Or Who’s the most spiritual person you know? I think true wisdom, especially as defined by God, is lacking in today’s world (to say the least).

Think about it. Where do you go to learn wisdom? There aren’t many wise people on reality shows. Textbooks can’t teach wisdom. Schools focus so much on standardized testing that character development (a springboard for wisdom) gets shoved out of the way. Besides, there is no standardized test (and thus no extra funding) for the gaining of wisdom in schools.

Since true wisdom is so difficult to find these days (and all throughout human history if we’re honest), a wise person can slip right past us without our ever knowing. We don’t know what to look for when seeking wisdom. And if we can’t see it in others, then how would we ever recognize it within ourselves?

Proverbs 3 gives us a good starting point when it comes to developing wisdom within ourselves and spotting it within others. These six markers can help us out when we seem to be playing Where’s Waldo with Lady Wisdom.

A wise person is someone who is…
1. Wise by God’s Standards

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:7-8)

Who gets to define wisdom – God or society? Our world offers us cheap, easy, fortune cookie wisdom. The world tells us things like “If it feels good, do it,” and “You’ve got your truth, I’ve got mine.” Truth is truth and wisdom is wisdom no matter where you find them. All Truth is God’s truth and all Wisdom is God’s wisdom. But it’s so easy to counterfeit truth and wisdom. And our world is full of counterfeiters.

So how do we know if “wisdom” is God’s or the world’s? James 3:17 tells us that wisdom from above “is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere.” When someone offers you what sounds like wisdom, always hold it up against this framework.

To a wise person…
2. Intimate Relationships Are Important

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3-4)

Is “love and faithfulness” talking about our relationship with God or with each other? Yes.

It’s a tragedy that relationships today are so disposable. We can “hide,” “unfriend,” and “block” people with the click of a button. It seems like most of our relationships last only as long as we get something our of them. If there is no longer any benefit to us then we end the relationship and move on. And that goes with God and the church, too.

It’s not that we necessarily hate these people. In fact I believe that the opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is apathy. We just stop caring. When you stop caring you stop loving. But Christians are called to a higher standard when it comes to relationships both with God and each other. We are called to love – unconditionally and without expecting anything in return. We love God because He first loved us. We love each other because God is love (1 John 4). People are not commodities. They are not disposable. A wise person understands that.

A wise person is someone who…
3. Shares Wealth

Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9-10)

To honor the Lord with your wealth is, again, something directed both toward God and others. We honor God when we give to the Lord’s work in the church. And we honor God when we use our blessings to bless others directly. A wise person does not get sucked into the trap of materialism, i.e. “Buying things you don’t need with money you don’t have to impress people you don’t like.”

A wise person does not care about keeping up with the Jones; he cares about blessing the Jones. He’s not concerned with impressing people with his possessions; He’s concerned with impressing upon people the love of God. Everything we have is from God. It’s not ours in the first place. Who are we to hoard our wealth and possessions to the neglect of God and others?

A wise person is someone who is…
4. Disciplined

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in. (Proverbs 3:11-12)

 Oh boy. How much does the “wisdom” of the world attempt to speak to parenting, especially in the area of discipline. It seems that people don’t realize the difference between discipline and punishment. Punishment may be a part of discipline, but it’s not the whole story. But now we’ve got a whole generation of parents who are too afraid to discipline their children because they think it will cause some sort of emotional trauma down the road.

A wise person understands that discipline is a part of love. To discipline simply means to teach or train. And when a child is learning something new they often need a good strong rebuke. [For example, “DO NOT through your hat on the stove while daddy is cooking!] Discipline, when done right and consistently, is exactly what children and teenagers need in order to reach their full potential. No one is ever going to be a world-changer without self-discipline.

A wise person is someone who is…
5. Obedient

My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity. (Proverbs 3:1-2)

Obedience is far more complex than just following a set of rules. Dogs and monkeys can do that. The kind of obedience modeled by a wise person involves obedience to God even when the situation is unclear. They are obedient even when it doesn’t make sense to them. They don’t get caught up in the particular details of God’s commands, as the legalistic Pharisees would do. They don’t turn life into one big checklist of do’s and don’ts.

A wise person is able to keep God’s teachings and commands in his heart so that no matter what kind of situation arises he has a foundation established upon which to make his decisions. A wise person is also able to take the advice and instruction of others and weigh it against what he knows of God’s will.

A wise person is…
6. Motivated by Faith

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The wisdom of this world tells us to follow our hearts, chase our dreams, and trust our instincts. We try to navigate life relying on our own senses and feelings. The only problem with that is our senses can be easily tricked and our emotions can be manipulated. Before we know it the world begins to look like a fun house maze lined with mirrors doing nothing but distorting our view and keeping us from our true goal.

That’s why we’re told to walk by faith and not by sight. That’s why we are to trust in God and not our own understanding. That’s why with every fork in the road we submit to God and his will. Faith is the only motivation for the wise person. He is not swayed by emotional appeals or his own self-promotion. He has his eyes fixed on Jesus, not the winds and the waves. He knows that God knows more than he does, so he defers to the one holding the map.
_____________

When searching for wisdom, it’s easy to get bogged down in everything the world shoves in front of us offering up as “wisdom.” So it’s extremely important to remember the Marks of True Wisdom.

W-ise by God’s standards
I-ntimate relationships are important
S-hares wealth
D-isciplined
O-bedient
M-otivated by faith