There are two kinds of people in the world. Okay, there are WAY more than two kinds of people, but I’m only going to focus on two kinds right now. In order to explain the two kinds of people, I am going to turn to the 1980s cult classic Better Off Dead and the popular SciFi/Fantasy book series A Game of Thrones.

THE FIRST TYPE
In Better Off Dead, starring a young John Cusack, there is a scene where Cusack’s character, Lane, is practicing to make the ski team. He and his buddy, Charles, head to the top of a very difficult ski course full of trees, jumps, twists, and turns. Charles is pessimistic and warns Lane, “Dying when you’re not really sick is really sick, you know. Really!”

THE SECOND TYPE
In the George R.R. Martin series, A Song of Ice and Fire (AKA Game of Thrones) there is a religious order in the sea region of the Iron Islands. This religion is centered on whom they call “The Drowned God.” The priest and his closest followers are known as “drowned men.” They practice a form of extreme baptism where the priest will hold the other guy under the water until he literally drowns. Once the guy stops struggling and floats lifeless on the waves, the priest then drags him to land and revives him. After this ritual the priest declares, “What is dead can never die, but rises harder and stronger.”


TO DIE OR NOT TO DIE
So which type of person are you? The kind that lives their life trying to avoid all risk, all danger, all possibility of death until one day you simply get too old to keep on living? Or are you the kind of person who stares death in the face, laughs at danger, and gets off on taking risks?

I would guess that most of us are somewhere in the middle. That’s why we have roller coasters. They give us the thrill of risk and danger but with the safety of harnesses, seat belts, and those constricting metal bars.

But what kind of life does Jesus call us to?

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Paul in his letter to Colossae is right in line with the words and warnings of Jesus:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)

When you make the decision to follow Christ, you are forfeiting your life. You die. You lose your life. And by doing so, you are raised again to a new life, a better, fuller, eternal life.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

WORTH DYING FOR
What in your life is worth dying for? My wife, my kids…that’s about it. My iPad isn’t worth my life. My car, my house, my job – not worth it. But I would gladly give up my life to save my family.

What about your faith? Here’s where some toes are going to be stepped on. If you faith consists of nothing more than showing up to church on Sundays, then that is not a faith worth dying for! If someone told me that I had to either stop going to a certain building on Sundays or else I would be violently executed, guess what – I’m sleeping in.

That’s why the stories of Christian martyrs shake us up so much. They DIED for the things we take for granted. They were MURDERED, not because they went to church but because they confessed Jesus as Lord. If you asked them what it means to follow Jesus, their answer would have very little to do with “going to church.” Following Jesus means dying to yourself, marking yourself for death, and taking seriously the call to “take up your cross” EVERY – SINGLE – DAY.

DISCIPLESHIP vs. THE AMERICAN DREAM
I think the church is guilty of “baptizing” and spiritualizing the American Dream. We teach our kids to do well in school, participate in sports, land a part time job, and score well on their ACT/SAT so that they can get a scholarship to the college of their dreams. While in college parents push their kids to major in something “practical” so they can get a high paying job straight after graduation. Work a while, save up money, get married, buy a house, two cars, a boat, and a dog. Have kids and teach them to repeat the cycle.

I have NEVER heard a Christian parent ENCOURAGE their child(ren) to become ministers or missionaries. If they come up with that idea on their own, the parents might relent but will still demand that they minor or double major in some other field to fall back on. Because God forbid that our children should face hardships and struggles for the sake of spreading the gospel, right? Oh the bitter irony.

We take our kids to Sunday school and teach them the names of the disciples (to the tune of “Jesus Loves Me”). But we just kind of stop there. These 12 (really 14) men were chosen by Jesus to a specific task – make more disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). In other words, the Twelve were sent out to teach people how to live like they lived AND how to die like they died.

Only one out of 14 died of old age.

Jesus called them one by one:
Peter – crucified upside down
Andrew – crucified on an X-shaped cross
James – beheaded with a sword by Herod Agrippa; the first disciple to be martyred (Acts 12:1-3)
and John – died of old age in Ephesus BUT had multiple attempts on his life including one instance where, tradition says, he was thrown into a large vat of boiling oil but was saved by an angel from God (sounds like the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego)
Next came Philip – scourged, thrown in prison, and crucified
Thomas, too – run through with spears
Matthew – Killed with a halberd (a long, pointed battle ax)
and Bartholomew – flayed alive and then crucified
James, the one they called “the less” – beaten, stoned, and bludgeoned with clubs
Simon – crucified along with Thaddeus
also Thaddeus – crucified along with Simon
the twelfth apostle Judas made, Jesus was by him betrayed – hanged himself after turning Jesus in to the authorities
Yes, Jesus called them
Yes, Jesus called them
Yes, Jesus called them
And they all followed him


There were also Matthias and Paul who were added to the number of disciples.
Matthias – stoned and then beheaded
Paul – beheaded with a sword in Rome

Let’s take Paul’s example. We like Paul. We teach our kids about his missionary journeys, his miracles, his teachings, and so on. And when he says things like, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ,” we teach our kids to be good people, because Paul and Jesus were good people. But we don’t EVER encourage our kids to follow Paul’s example when it actually comes to spreading the kingdom. Paul didn’t play it safe. He had no Plan B. He dove head first into the very situations from which we try to protect our kids.

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin,and I do not inwardly burn? (2 Corinthians 11:23-29)

Yep, that sounds like the Western Christians American Dream in a nutshell, right?

THE WORLD IS NOT WORTHY
One of my fears is that the church is churning out children and teenagers worthy of this world. We are producing “good citizens,” star athletes, and math wizzes all under a “Christian” label. And the world is just waiting, drooling, stomach growling in anticipation for our students to leave our youth “programs” so it can sink its teeth into their juicy, fattened, sheltered souls.

Parents, you ARE NOT doing your child any favors by raising them this way!

I have two young boys – a three year old and a nearly two month old. It is my prayer that when all is said and done, they will grow up to be people of whom it can be said, “The world is not worthy of them.”

But that involves risk and danger.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging,and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. (Hebrews 11:32-38)

Lord God, please shape me and my family into the kind of people of whom the world is not worthy. Let us not be content to live comfortably under the guise of American Christianity, but teach us what it means to truly be your disciples. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death reunites us.

Amen

Have you ever really paid attention to the people and places that Jesus considered important during his ministry? Have you really noticed the kind of folks Jesus felt most comfortable with, the ones he called his family, the men and women he spent most of his time with? Has it occurred to you the places Jesus felt most welcomed, most received? The places Jesus could be himself? The places he called home?

We get a glaring contrast in John 2 between two places, two groups of people, and Jesus’ reaction to both. One is the Temple, the seat of all Jewish religion, the hub of worship, the house of prayer, the epicenter of God’s presence on earth. The other is a wedding party in a Podunk town where there is *gasp* wine, merriment, and celebration.

We would think Jesus, you know – the Son of God, would feel more at home in…the Temple. But we would be wrong. Check out the brilliant comparison and contrast between these two locales in John 2.

Jesus is God on earth. John 1 says that the Word became flesh and “tabernacled” among us, or pitched his tent alongside us. Jesus is the embodiment of everything the Temple was supposed to be. When Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem, it should have been like returning home. It was anything but.

How would you like it if you went away for a while, say on vacation, and when you got back your neighbors had decided to use your garage and driveway to host their yard sale? Jesus got to the Temple and saw all the buying, selling, and trading that was happening right at the main entrance to his house!

That’s why I think Jesus always felt most at home in small towns with the few genuinely faithful people he could find. He never stayed the night in Jerusalem – always Bethany. He spent the majority of his ministry in and around Galilee, not Judea/Jerusalem. His home was with the people, not with the political and religious powers. He would rather be at a wedding feast any day than put up with the man-made religious institutions of his day.

Today there is no physical Temple. There hasn’t been for close to 2000 years. But Jesus feels right at home with the people, his people, the church. The church is his bride, he is the bridegroom. The church is the Temple in which his Spirit resides. The wedding feast is being prepared as we speak – and I doubt they will run out of wine this time. So while temples and cathedrals may stand magnificent yet empty, Jesus has always been and is still right at home with each of us.

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.
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“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
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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.