Almost a Christian

I was invited to preach at Chriesman United Methodist Church yesterday.  I had been reading Wesley's 2nd sermon about being almost a Christian and knew what I wanted to say.  I met with Dr. Jordan, my minister, and he gave me a lesson on how to preach with illustrations.  I made a point of adding them herein.  I got off script, and spoke about each.  Holy Spirit helped me with this one and I think it went well.  Good lesson and it definitely speaks to me!

Almost a Christian

Acts 26: 28-29 “Agrippa says to Paul, “Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?” Paul replies “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that not only you but also all who are listening to me today might become such as I am.”

So what does it mean to become a Christian?  We are all familiar with John 3:16 that says God gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  So of course, a Christian is someone who has given his life to Christ, believes that Jesus was the son of God, who died for our sins, so that we may have eternal life with Him.

My question for you today is this:  Is that all there is to it?

We believe that when someone truly accepts Christ as his/her personal savior, than we become spiritually reborn, forgiven of our sins, and able to have a personal relationship with God.  But what does that mean?  How is this expressed in our everyday lives?  What does it mean to become such as Paul became?

Illustration:  I remember time when my wife Tracey and I were at our lowest point.  It was in the spring of 2002.  Baby, Autism, depression, I wondered, “Is this all there is?”  She said, we are going to church.  We did, and I learned that I was not what I thought I was.  Christian in beliefs, but not in service.  Christian by word, not by deed.  Saved, but stuck in my ways, no personal relationship with God, I guess you could say I was a baby Christian.  I had been born again, but I hadn’t progressed beyond that point. 

How many people are stuck where I was?  Christians, but not fully experiencing the great love of Christ, of having a real and personal relationship with God? 

Of course there is another type of person.  A good person, who has never accepted Christ as their savior.

Most people in the world today are not evil.  They go about their busy lives, helping others when they can, seeking justice when it’s not too difficult, most don’t steal, commit crimes, or are out to hurt others.  Good people, but being good doesn’t make them a Christian.  There are even some really good people who work daily to feed the hungry and help those in need as part of their everyday lives, but they don’t know Christ.  Indeed this is what Christians are called to do, so they are not far off the mark, but they are still only almost Christians.

Who could not study the life of the Buddha or Ghandi and not be impressed with their righteous ideas of treating others with respect and dignity?  Great human beings, but not Christians. 

You know these two types of people, the baby or almost Christians and the good, non-believers, both may work hard to do good works for others.  They may seem to be Godly people in their actions and their lives.  The Christian may even attend church, partake of Communion, and even try to lead others to Christ.  They may have a prayer life and practice the forms of religion.  But they are missing out on the greatest aspect of being a Christian.  A personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  John Wesley, the founder of Methodism said, “They need sincerity and the faith to truly accept Christ in their lives.  Sincerity is the inward principle of belief in Christ.  It is from this faith, this true belief, that our Christian actions flow.  For indeed, if we don’t have this crucial faith in Christ, we are just good people, maybe we are only almost Christians. 

Illustration:  John Wesley’s life:  Raised in the Anglican Church, became a minister, came to America, failed, ran out of town, escaped back to England.  He doubted his Faith, his calling, He did not have a personal relationship with God, and he referred to himself as an almost Christian.  Then he went to Aldersgate, heard the word, felt God’s touch, and came to understand that God wants more for us.  He wants a personal relationship with each one of us.  That when Jesus suffered and died on that cross, he died for each one of us, individually.  In other words, if you had been the only one who would have accepted him as your savior, he loved you enough to die for you.  This realization of God’s overwhelming, divine, and personal love for us is the key to growing in the faith. 

We all need to first accept Christ as our personal savior, then we need to accept the personal relationship God offers us in our lives. To become an authentic, fully developed Christian.  We are all in the process of being sanctified by the Lord.  That is growing in the faith to gain in understanding of God in our lives both inwardly in our souls, and outwardly in our lives. 

We, as Christians should truly know the love of God.  We are taught the greatest commandment by Jesus when he said, “Love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”  Such a love fills our hearts with affection for all mankind, and fills our souls to capacity in our love for Jesus.  Such a Christian has a spirit that continually rejoices in God the Savior.  He delights in the Lord, in the Lord’s creation, and his/her desire is to serve god in all aspects of their lives.  This person is a servant to all, not seeking personal glory, but seeking to extend the kingdom of God.  Wesley said this kind of Christian dwells “in love, dwells in God, and God in him.”

The second greatest commandment according to Christ is to love thy neighbor as yourself. So who are our neighbors?  Every person in the world for every child is God’s child.  This includes our enemies, the enemies of God, and any who stand against us.  We are called to love even those who are hard to love.  We are to love them as Christ loved us. Paul explained this type of love for us.  He described it as a love that is “long suffering and kind.”  It does not envy others, it is not rash or hasty, and does not judge others.  It is not puffed up with pride, but makes us the least of mankind, a servant to all.  This person seeks to do good to all others that they might be saved.  We are called to reflect Christ to all we meet wherever we may go.  Love is not wrathful, thinks of no evil, and rejoices in the truth.  This kind of love covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things in the name of the Lord.

That my friends is the new law of Christ.  Love God, love each other.  Finally the authentic Christian is to have faith that Jesus is the savior of mankind, to trust in a personal relationship with God, and to witness through our actions, not just our words.

Authentic Christians, according to Wesley, not only believe that the Holy Scripture and the Articles of our Faith are true, but also have a sure trust and confidence to be saved by Christ.  That we are reconciled through the blood of the lamb at Calvary. 

So the big question today is, are you a non believing good person who needs to accept Christ today, or are you a baby Christian who needs to grow in the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit, or are you an authentic Christian who reflects Christ throughout his/her life? Ask yourself:  Do I practice justice, mercy, and truth as God would have me do it?  Do I act like a Chrsitian but do not have true faith?  Do I look for ways to do good and help others?  Do I keep the word of God and do as Jesus instructed not to judge, but to love others and to represent Christ on earth to them, so that they might come to know the power and saving grace of God?  Do I do all these things with the sincere desire to please God in every aspect of my life?

Have you gone that far in your walk with Christ? Have you been good at being almost a Christian?  Has God seen true sincerity and faith in you?  Where do you devote your time and your money?  Do you reflect Christ to a hurting world where ever you go and whatever you do?

If you need to accept Christ as your savior, want to rededicate your life to Him, or simply want to speak to me about a personal relationship with him, I invite you to come down during the last hymn, or you can simply pray and worship where you are.  I pray that we may all experience what it means to be a true and authentic Christian, justified by his Free grace, forgiven our sins, and knowing eternal peace and joy rejoicing in the Glory of our God, so that he may fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit and lead us where he would have us go.  Amen.

Grace Revival

I was invited to preach at an old time Saturday all day revival.  It was on my heart to talk about grace, love, and acceptance of all people.  Here it is:

Hello all my brothers and sisters.  It’s wonderful to be here with ya’ll today to worship our Lord, to break bread together, and to love each other.  It’s amazing to think how awesome all this is, considering we are all base sinners.

 Does that shock you?  All these wonderful preachers and muscians that have come before you today.  They are sinners too.  I am.  We all are.  See we have all sinned and fallen short of the Lord.  I don’t care that we all try to be good, do good works, and go to church or come out here in fellowship.  We can never measure up to earn our way to heaven.  I always think of those signs  at rides at theme parks that say, “you must be this tall to ride this ride.”  I remember when I was a kid at Six Flags in Dallas being mad that I was just an inch shy and couldn’t ride the ride.  Anyone else ever have that experience?  Have you ever wanted to be included in a group, a club, or an organization, but never quite fit in, measured up, or was good enough, popular enough to be included?  Then I’m talking to you today.  If you are one of the popular, successful people who never experienced any of what I’m talking about, then I’m really talking to you today!

My friends, we live in a fallen world, we live in a sinful state.  None of us deserve eternal life with our Holy God.  The ancient Hebrews understanding of the word Holy is “set apart” .  God is Holy, He is set apart, he is perfect Goodness and perfect Love and perfect Justice.  No human being can measure up.  We are always divided and set apart from God’s Holiness as we cannot be purely good, show perfect love, or live according to the law.  We cannot live without sin.  We can try.  We can devote our lives to living as good as we can, but we always fall short of perfection.  Some of us may live better than others, and some of us don’t even try.  My prayer is for those of us that know we need to change and need help, and for those of us who think they don’t.  We all sin.

So what is sin? Dictionaries often define it as a transgression against a religious or moral law; deliberate disobedience to the will of God; or a condition of estrangement from God resulting in disobedience that is often shameful, deplorable, or utterly wrong.

My understanding is that sin is when mankind makes a choice to be disobedient to God’s will, to separate from Him, to live without Him, to break the relationship with God.  We do this by choosing to do things that hurt our relationship with God.  When we put other things before doing His will, we hurt that relationship.  For instance, we may choose sex, work, drinking, drugs, or anything that is purely ego-centric that does nothing to further the kingdom of God.  These things may be crimes, but they do not have to be.  Sins may be small sins like lying, lusting, addictions but it could also be murder and rape. Big or small, they are all sins.  They all violate the holiness of God and hurt our relationship with Him.

Adam and Eve willingly sinned against God.  They made a choice to taste the Tree of Knowledge, and in so doing broke the relationship man had with God.  If a wife or husband lies to their spouse, does this hurt the marriage relationship?  Of course it does.  The same is true here.  To make sin even worse, it is in direct opposite of God’s Love.  In effect God cannot look upon sin, as it is an anathema to His divine character. 

So man chooses to break the relationship with God, to deny God’s will for our lives, to live in a selfish, egotistical lifestyle that is man centered, not God centered.  So now God cannot look upon us, as man has basically divorced himself from God.  Sin has caused the death of man, the end our spiritual relationship with God, and the death of our bodies.  And don’t think that Christians are immune to sin!  Paul writes in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of God.”  Sin is universal.  Romans 5:12 states “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all have sinned.”  Those who live self-righteous, outwardly pious lives are not better than anyone else in God’s eyes, as “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10).  So we chose to live apart, to not follow God’s will, and selfishly seek our own earthly things such as power, money, sex, and influence.  This all leads to death, destruction, and nothing we make or do on this earth will last forever.  So what can we do about it?  What can Man do?  Nothing!  It is not in our power to fix this problem.  This is what we mean by man living in a fallen state. You can’t be good enough, do enough, love enough, sacrifice enough, tithe enough, to earn your way to heaven, or to heal the broken relationship with God.

But like a good parent, God allowed us to try.  He created the Law and allowed man to try to live righteous lives under it, to sacrifice, to tithe, to keep His commandments.  But it was impossible.  Man couldn’t do it, and the Old Testament proves mans failure at this time and time again.  The problem is that now that we have knowledge of Good and Evil, sin is beguiling, enticing, sexy, and deceitful.  It makes us believe that we don’t need a relationship with God.

So, the relationship is broken, we can’t fix it, all mankind is doomed for our own love of the earthly things.  Do are we eternally doomed to death?  Is the God of Love done with us?  Is there no hope?

My friends I bring you Good News!  The Greatest News ever shared.  All your sins are forgiven.  All your brokenness may be healed.  God became human, lived amongst us, experienced our emotions and feelings, taught us wisdom, and then died brutally on a cross meant for you and me as punishment for our sins.  He was an innocent lamb, sinless, but sacrificed so that you and I may be reestablished in a personal relationship with God.  We are redeemed in the blood of the lamb.  Forgiven, the sins which once stained us, are clean, our chains are broken, we are set free.

  See, the greatest love ever shown was given to humanity by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Because through it all, everything truly goes back to God seeking us.   It’s not what man has done to reach God.  It’s what God has done to reach us.

  God wanted a relationship with us. He wanted us and loved us so much, that he sent a part of Himself to become human to repair our relationship with him. Think about this. It’s all about God seeking Man. It is not about what man can do to achieve or be worthy of God. In Christianity there is nothing we human beings can do to be worthy of Heaven, of a relationship with the Creator of everything. He sought us and is still seeking us. That’s amazing and one of a kind in the religions of the world. That’s Grace. God seeking us. God seeking you.

 Hear me once more, as I want to make this perfectly clear: Jesus, though fully human, was sinless. He was obedient to God’s will and as such became the sacrifice necessary to pay the costs of our sins (death), so that we might have eternal, glorious life with God. He died on a cross for the redemption of our sins. He paid the cost of our sins. My sins. Your sins.

He suffered and died on that cross for me, for you, for all humanity for all times and places. But you want to hear something that will blow your mind? He would have done it just for you. If you were the only one willing to follow him, accept him, he would have suffered all that, for you.

As he was dying, he asked God to “forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

And he died. 

Three days later he was resurrected and defeated sin and death, thereby establishing a permanent relationship between people who accept Him into their heart and the God of everything.  Remember that God couldn’t look upon sin?  Once you accept Christ as your savior, accept Him to live within you, you become a changed person.  Christians say you have been reborn.  Now when God looks upon you, he sees Christ.  Your sins have been forgiven, you have been redeemed, the eternal relationship between God and man has been restored.

With Christ you do measure up.  You can be part of the Body of Christ.  God is calling each of us.  No sin is too great for God to heal, to restore us into that relationship our hearts yearn for. 

God Seeking Us. God Seeking you. That’s grace. Do you have grace? Do you know him? Do you want to? Simply ask Him into your life.  Tell Him you want a relationship with Him.  Perhaps you have never truly known the love of Christ.  Perhaps you have gone through the motions of Christianity, but have never truly understood or accepted his gift of grace.  That tug you feel upon your heart is God talking to you.  Remember none of us are good enough.  No not one.  But through Jesus all are made perfect, all are redeemed.    Everyone one of us is offered the gift of grace.  It is not a society of saints that Jesus seeks. Matthew 11:19  speaks of Christ being The Son of Man, feasting and drinking, and you say, 'He's a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!' But wisdom is shown to be right by its results."  Mathew 9:13 says, “Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Jesus came to seek and save what was lost, Let me finish with this from 1^st timothy: “This is a faithful statement and worthy of our full acceptance, To this world the Messiah came, sinful people to reclaim.”

No one is worthy of God’s love, but he loves us anyway.  All of us. You don’t have to look right, dress right, vote right, have the right job, live the best life.  You can be the absolute worst amongst us, and God will forgive you.  He will show you grace.  He will accept you and love you.

You will be amazed at the transformation, the peace, and the hope and the joy that He offers you.

Please consider this Good News and wherever you go, share the love of Christ with everyone you meet.

Amen

When Men Fear a Child: Truth Always Wins!

This is partly taken from today's sermon by Dr. Todd Jordan of the First United Methodist Church of Caldwell:

"I have the right to education."
"I have the right to play."
"I have the right to sing."
"I have the right to talk."
"I have the right to go to market."
"I have the right to speak up."

These are the words 14-year-old Pakistani Malala Yousufzai wrote that put her on the hit list for the Taliban.

 To which the Oh-So-Brave sounding spokesperson for the Taliban responded, "We do not tolerate people like Malala speaking against us."

About a week and a half ago in the Taliban-heavy region of Swat Valley in Pakistan, armed gumen pulled over a van on its way to a girl's school.  When Malala was identified, they shot her.

Amazingly, she lived.  She fights for her life in a hospital in Birmingham, England.

The Taliban have stated that if she survives, they will attempt to finish her off.

Their (the Taliban's) plan to suppress girls is backfiring. Whatever they thought they were doing is not, and will not work.  People all over the world are rising up and becoming all the more determined to fight for freedom and rights for girls and boys all over the world.

Even other children are more determined than ever to make sure they go to school and get an educations.

The best response I read yet comes from a Pakistani professor who teaches at the University in Maryland said, "Just as the Taliban scare us with terror, we must scare them by making them unable to operate...We must terrorize them by investing more than ever before in educating girls."

We as Christians must affirm and support such cries for justice and freedom wherever and however it shows up.  This is what Christ calls us to do.  We must not back down in fear, nor allow others to be bullied.  We must use weapons greater than guns, we must, like Malala, speak the truth, even in the face of death.

In one of her interviews, Malala said, "God will ask you on the day of judgement where were you when people were asking you when your school fellows were asking you, when your school was asking you, 'Why am I being blown up?"

Someone asked are they really that afraid of a little girl?  Are all those grown men, trained fighters armed with more weapons than you can count, really that afraid of the words of a little 14 year old girl?

Yes.  Yes, they are.  And do you know what?  They should be!

They should be shaking in their combat boots.  Because when anyone speaks with  the kind of truth and conviction Malala does in the face of almost certain death, she becomes more powerful than the mightiest army, and can accomplish more than any leader, any president, any general, any dictator.

Malala can change the world...because she is right.

She speaks the truth.

Now my (Ed's) commentary extending on these thoughts.  One person can make a difference.  One person, speaking the truth, living his/her convictions can change the world.  Proof?  Ghandi.  Led peaceful protests, was jailed, beaten, threatened, and eventually brought India to freedom from British rule.  Proof?  Rosa Parks.  She refused to give up her seat on a bus, was arrested for being an African-American in a white's only section of a bus, and was threatened with eviction from her home, and death threats.  She started the Modern Civil Rights Movement that would lead to the Equal Rights Act of 1965 forever ending segregation in our nation and guaranteeing equal rights for all people regardless of skin color. Proof? Little Malala.  A 14 year old girl who simply wants basic rights.  What John Locke called the Natural Rights of Man.  What Thomas Jefferson called the Unalienable Rights all people are born with.

All people who want to make the world a better place, all Christians who believe we are called to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God, must seek justice for all people.  This is a call to action.  It is not action to attack, to judge, or to threaten, it is a call to love!  A call to live the word, in the Word.  To represent Christ to a hurting world.  The true disciple may face threats, violence, and even death, but if you are willing to go where God wills, to do His bidding, to show love to all, to pray for your enemies, and to have faith that God will provide all you need in the journey, than you can change the world.  That's conviction.

Now, back to Dr. Jordan's sermon.  The biggest obstacle to such discipleship is our own nature.  The status quo is safe, it is hard to move forward and seek change.  Ecclesiastes 11:4 states, "Whoever observes the wind will not sow; and whoever regards the clouds will not reap."  In other words, when you wait around for everything to be perfect in order to start, you will never start.  If you are waiting for clear instructions and a plan of action to begin following or serving Jesus, it's never going to happen.

When Jesus asks, "Are you able?" he doesn't mean, do you have the power and strength to live out the Gospel even unto death.  He already knows the answer to that:  No.  We don't.  What does Jesus mean when he asks James and John in Mark, "Are you able?"  He is asking are you willing to go where I say go?  Are you willing to speak what and when I need you to speak?  Are you willing to serve how I need you to serve?  Are you willing to give what I need you to give?  Are you willing to sacrifice what I need you to sacrifice?

Even if it is costly, uncomfortable, or threatening to do so.

Jesus does not need our good intentions.
Jesus does not need our good will.
Jesus does not need our warm fuzzy Christian experiences we get when the band or choir sings our favorite songs.

All of these things are well and good, but not sufficient.

Jesus needs the commitment of those who are willing, those who are faithful, those who are able to follow, then to follow through; for you to stand up and be counted.

A Korean theologian in a Disciples Bible's study video told his story.  He grew up in an orphanage in South Korea during the Korean War.  He remembers a story of how the Communist North Koreans made a sweep of the South and rounded up some Christians.  After given them a hard time with interrogations and intimidation the N. Korean General finally asked, "Are you Christians?" He knew they were, but they all remained silent and simply stared.  Finally one hand was raised.  "Only one? "  He turned to his soldiers, "Take the others and get rid of them.  This is the only one with conviction, the only one worth saving."

We don't know what will be demanded of us--whether it will help us or hurt us.  What's more, we don't know what we will need, and most likely, if it is truly God's call, outside of his grace we won't have what is needed.

All we can do, finally, is go forth in faith.

And so Jesus asks us, "Are you able?"

Pray for those hurting, in the hospital, facing death, mourning, in broken relationships.  Pray for those that believe, and those that do not.  Pray for those, like Malala that are seeking justice.  Pray for the Taliban, that their hearts may change.  Pray for our soldiers in harms way.  Pray for the innocent boys and girls who simply want to be able to speak, get an education, or go to a market.

Remember: You cannot defeat the truth.  The Truth shall set you free.  Seek Justice, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with the Lord.

Amen.

Grace: Sermon for 9-30 2012

This is my sermon for Sunday to be delivered at the First United Methodist Church of Caldwell at 8:30 and 10:30.

Ephesians 2:1-10

This letter to the church in Ephesians is very important in our understanding of Christianity, Sin and Grace.  Sin.  Such a small word, such a big thing.  If you asked a thousand random people, Christians, non-Christians, Muslims, Jews, whomever, you would get a thousand different definitions, a thousand different examples.  It's as if we all have an innate knowledge of it, but until we have really studied it, it is difficult to grasp and even harder to define.

So before we can begin our discourse here, I would like to submit my own understanding of Sin.  Sin is anything that keeps us out of the Holy and personal relationship that Christ offers each of us.  It really is not putting God first, but relegating him to some back seat in your life, telling Him that I'll get back to ya just as soon as I'm done with the game, or with one more drink, or with whatever it is that is keeping us away from Him.

The great and eternal truth is that we are all sinners.  See as humans we have free will and we don't always make the best decisions.  When that guy cut me off on 21 the other day, I wasn't thinking about God in my response to him.  When I read about our government and the morass they have made of our Education system, I have a difficult time staying focused on God.  When the Texans are not playing as good as they should and I am yelling at the television set, God is not the center of my universe.  Do these things sound familiar?  Please hear me when I say this next part, I'm no saint.  I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner who deserves hell and eternal torment, but thanks to our great redeemer, our savior, Jesus Christ, who's sacrifice on a cross, whose precious blood was shed, died so I can be forgiven.  I have been redeemed! Glory to God.  And my prayer for all of you today is that you also know the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ. 

As humans we have a way of categorizing sins.  We say this one is just a little one, while those big ones, we'd never do!  It makes sense to us that on some logical level that some sins are worse than others.  But the truth is all Sin is an anathema to God.  That means he can't look upon it, he can't let it in to heaven to become a part of himself as he is the ultimate goodness, the ultimate truth.  God is the exact opposite of Sin.  Remember he tells us in the Old Testament that he is  a jealous God.   In Exodus 20:3 he tells us “You shall have no other gods before me.”  He calls us into an eternal relationship with him, in perfection, in truth, in love.  But we can't get there, or at least we can't stay there very long.  See our sins gets in the way.  They interrupt our relationship with the God of all creation and drive a wedge between us and Him. And when we have chosen sin instead of Him, he cannot even look upon us. 

You know, we men especially, like to think that we are in charge of our lives, that we make all the big decisions, and we like it when our families think of us that way.  I remember how proud I was when I heard my son David when he was about six say, “I'll take it to Daddy, he can fix it.”  It was just a broken little toy, but there was no way I was going to let him know I couldn't fix it.  What great faith my son showed me that day.  Undeserved, I assure you, as my wife Tracey will let you know, I'm not much of the fixer-upper kinda male, I'm more the if it ain't broke to badly, leave it alone kinda guy.  But men, me included, like to be thought of that way, even if it's not true.  I did my best to fix that toy.  But it was beyond repair.  At least beyond my capacity to fix.  So I did the next best thing....I bought him a new one.  He was satisfied, and I kept that “Daddy can fix it” label just a little bit longer. 

You know that belief that we are the ones in charge of our own lives and everything that happens, that egotism, is a sin as well.  To live in a relationship means to live with another, sharing equally, showing devotion, caring, communication, and love for one another.  God wants to be a part our our lives.  Genesis tells us that  He created man to be caretakers of the creation that He loved.  That's right, the earth, the universe, God looked at it and said it was good!  So good, he made it a gift to us.  Man, we sure no how to mess up a good thing don't we.  He wanted us to choose to be in relationship with him.  He didn't want preprogrammed robots, that's not a relationship.  See he wants me.  He wants you.  He wants all of us to have a personal relationship with Him.

So how can a sinner, someone who is easily caught up in the world and the distractions of this world, to be redeemed?  How can we overcome sin?  Can we ever be good enough, give enough money to charity, give enough time to others, do enough works to pay down our sin?  I hate to break this to you, but the answer is no.  I can never be good enough.  You can never be good enough.  We can never be good enough.

But, some of you may say, “Ed, I'm not a bad person.  I sin, sure, but not like Johnny over there.  He's the real sinner, not me.”  Really?  You think so?  Remember that all sin is evil in the eyes of our Holy God.  All sin.  Not just the little ones, and not just the big ones.  All sin.

So we are back to the big question.  What can a poor sinner do?  The answer is so easy that  many people today can't honestly wrap their minds around it. Or they feel compelled to argue it, or add human things, rituals, or traditions to it.  That's really unfortunate, because God made it really simple for us.  John 3:16...I know ya'll that one, especially if you go to or watch many sporting events, says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life.”  Grace is that forgiveness we gain from Christ's sacrifice on our cross.  Our sins require us to die, not only physically, but spiritually for eternity.  But Christ's grace is a free gift offered to all of us, everyone, all of us sinners, all of us who think we are saints, everyone of us.  See the price for our sins is death, but that price has been paid in full.  When Christ allowed himself to be nailed to that cross, when he basically said to you and me, “step aside.  I'll do this for you,” he paid the eternal cost for our sins.  So each of us is forgiven.  We are made whole.  We can have that eternal relationship with God.  What a gift.

In John 15:13, Jesus told his disciples, “No one shows greater love than when he lays down his life for his friends.”  Romans 5:8 states that  “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans goes on in 4:25 to state that “he was delivered to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” Later it states, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”

What did his death on a cross and subsequent resurrection do?  It served to pay the cost for all our sins, and allowed us to accept Jesus as our savior so that “neither hight nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians that “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  John 4:10 brings this home, “This is love.  Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  What a gift?  What love?  Now think on this a moment.  He didn't just die for Paul.  He didn't just die for Todd Jordan.  He didn't just die for the band.  He didn't just die for me.  He died for each one of us.  If you had been the only one, who would believe in him, he would still have suffered and died on that cross, for the personal love he holds for you. 

Do we deserve such love?  Such forgiveness?  Such sacrifice?  No we don't.  That is why it is Grace.  It is not what man can do to reach God, but what God has done to reach man.  In my humble opinion, I offer this thought.  That of all the religions of the earth, only one is about God seeking man, not man seeking God.  There is truth in that.  Praise God!

Why did he do this?  He came to show love.  He came to serve others.  He didn't come for the rich and powerful, though he loves them too, he came for those that were hurting, sick, poor in wealth, and the poor in spirit. Jesus came to show us how to love, how to give of ourselves to others, freeing us from our sin to express the love of God to others.  As your sins are forgiven, we must share the good news so that all humanity can come to know the saving Grace of God.

Every converted sinner is a saved sinner; delivered from sin and judgment.  The grace that saves is the free, undeserved goodness and favor of God; and he saves, not by the works of the law, but through faith in Christ Jesus.  I've heard it said, and I believe it, that church is not a sanctuary for saints, but a hospital for sinners. 

So what is my message to you today?  It is the eternal message of hope.  It is that we are all forgiven of our sins (even the big ones) through Christ's death on a cross and sanctified by his resurrection so that we may have an eternal relationship with Him.  That he did this because of his divine love for us, not for anything that we did, but simply because he loves us, just as a parent should love their child.  So lay your burdens at the foot of the cross.  Develop that relationship with God through worship, through prayer, through witnessing to others, by being the one that is willing to step out on faith, to help the needy, feed the hungry, visit those in hospitals and in jail, and to show Christian love to everyone, even those who consider themselves our enemies.  Reflect Christ's love for others.  That was his great commandment.  He said Love God above all, but the second greatest commandment is to love thy neighbor as thyself. 

If you don't know God, or would like to know what it means to have a relationship with him, please consider coming to visit with me at the altar as the band sings our next song.  Remember that once you have accepted His grace, Jesus dwells within you, and we must let that light shine.  Let your light shine.

Amen.

Status Quo is Not Good

Jesus was a revolutionary.  Not in the go fight a war sense, but with his teachings on peace, love, acceptance, forgiveness, the evils of judgmentalism, and he often spoke against the established "Religion" of the day in the Pharisees and their live holier than everyone else.  Jesus stood against the status quo and said, there is a better way; "I am the way, the truth, and the light.  No one goes to the Father except through me."  He ate with sinners, accepted the tax collectors, gave to the poor, worried for those in prison, sick, ill, or grieving.  He asked his followers to look after the widows and the orphans.

I bring this up to introduce my topic today.  One that will probably make many of my fellow Christians angry, and many of my more liberal friends angry.  But I have to speak the truth in love as I see it and understand it.

Is Gay marriage truly the "end of the world as we know it?"  So many good, Christian people seem to lose all sense of proportion on this issue.  You can see this in the millions flocking to Chik a Fila to protest or support an anti-gay marriage stand has been reported everywhere...facebook, emails, national tv news shows, etc.  It really makes me sad, for the effect it has on those gay people amongst us.  They see Christians as bigots who would take away any secular human rights they have. This "movement" has harmed the growth of Christianity.

I submit that you cannot change anyone through such protests, flamewars, personal attacks, or threats of Hell.  Actually, YOU can't change anyone.  Period.  Only the Holy Spirit can do that, but I digress.

I propose a different way.  Allow secular gay-marriage in our society.  I promise it will happen in the next twenty years anyway, and all the status quo is doing is further dividing Americans, urban vs rural, liberals vs conservative, Christians vs homosexuals.  Instead of protests, offer friendship.  Instead of hatred or bigotry, offer Christian love.  Break fast with them, pray with them, and offer them the grace that God gave us.  Grace is God's gift to ALL humanity, not just the frozen chosen, and not just the WASPs of our society.

But, you say, "Ed, homosexuality is a sin, and Paul said not to allow them into the Church."  Maybe Paul did, but you need to understand that in the original 2000 year old texts, he was referring to men who sleep with boys....Pedophilia.  But when the King James edition came along that word had not yet been invented and the word they chose instead was Homosexuals.  So is it a sin?  I'll be honest.  I don't know.  I do know that I have enough of my own sins to worry about with "fear and trembling" that I am not willing to judge another's.

My next point is the most important one.  Everyone sins.  All of us.  All the time.  Anything you do that takes you out of the relationship with God is a sin.  If homosexuality is a sin, it is no worse than looking at porn and lusting, skipping church to watch the football game, harming your family with your words or your deeds, alcoholism, gossiping, drug addiction, gambling, partying, watching television or movies rather than studying the Word, (hope I'm stepping on someone's toes here) etc.  We are all sinners.  We have all sinned.  God's Grace is Adequate to cover All of Our sins, to cover  for All of US.

So even if you disagree with my premise here, I hope you consider that your words hurt, your actions can cause others to forever deny Christ, and as a Christian I think you are held accountable on that day when we stand for judgement.  Are you willing to look into the face of Christ and answer this question, "Why did you not lead others to me, instead you led them to anger and rejection of the Truth. Rejection of me.  Why?  Why did you not show them love as I taught you to."

For me, I'm going to follow my Revolutionary leader and savior.  When I don't know the answer, I'm simply going to answer with Love...

for all,

Ed

Confessions of a Christian

I’m writing this hoping to see reconciliation and hope come out of it, instead of fundamentalism and anger;  Love and Peace instead of Hatred and War.  My Savior, Jesus Christ, came to reconcile the world to God, to show that we must love God and love one another.  These are the greatest commandments, but I confess I (and the Christian community I’m a part of) haven’t always done this.  So please read this confession and know that bigotry, hatred, anger, and racism have no place in Christianity.

I confess that I (and fellow Christians) have approached others in a state of judgment rather than a state of love and acceptance.

I confess that my church (not my God) has often chosen to exclude rather than include.

I confess that my church (not my God) has perverted the greatest message of hope, social justice, and love into something that hurts humanity rather than lifts it up.

I confess that I and many like me have challenged, insulted, and condemned rather than shared the message of hope, love, and reconciliation found in Christ.

I confess that many of us, in our quest to be right with God, have missed that we should have been sharing the love of God, and instead have made others feel like outsiders, or rejected them outright.  (Jesus ate with sinners, and came to redeem, not condemn)

I confess that many of us (Christians) have become known for what or who we are against, and not for what (who) we are for.  It’s about Grace, not judgment. 

I confess that I have been a hypocrite, not living out my faith.  We should be living the faith, not just saying it.

I confess that I have talked when I should have been listening, attacked when I should have been loving, and drove people away when I should have been welcoming them into the Church.

I confess that many Christians (me included) have hidden behind the walls of the Church instead of living an authentic witness in the world.

I confess that my religion has led to wars, violence and hatred.  But know that it didn’t start that way, nor will it end that way. 

I confess that church should be a hospital for sinners (everybody, me included), not a sanctuary for saints.

There is more of course, but I think you get the idea.  I believe if you are not sharing grace, you are missing the point of Jesus’ ministry.  So, now that the air has been cleared, when you get angry at Christians, remember not all of us are what you see on tv or hear on the radio.  The Westboro idiots are not Christians, as anyone who espouses that God hates anyone is ignorant of Jesus’ teachings.

Remember it’s about reconciliation, loving others, living an authentic witness, and spreading the good news.  Now go forth and feed the sheep.

Essay #3: Back to the BIG Questions

In the last essay I posted the following questions:

If you are a Christian, are all your sins forgiven?  If you die with unredeemed sins, do you go to heaven or hell?  Do you have to be “prayed up” before you die?

Here is my understanding of the answers to these questions.

First we need to understand that the original covenant (agreement) between man and God involved the blood sacrifice of animals as an atonement (payment) for man’s sins against God.  As the basic economy of the times involved the ownership of animals, sacrificing one that could have been sold at market would be a sacrifice for the ancient peoples.  We see this in the Old Testament book of Leviticus chapter 4, verse 35 “The priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he had committed, and it shall be forgiven him.”

  A covenant is an official agreement between two parties and in ancient days was sealed by blood sacrifices.  So what Jesus did was to become the atonement for the remission of man’s sins against God, and this sacrifice is an eternal agreement between man and God sealed in Jesus’ blood.

  So what does “remission” mean?  It does mean forgiveness, but it also means to send away.  So when Jesus died, he did it as atonement (payment) for humanity’s sins, and the sins that separate us from God are forever sent away in a holy covenant (agreement) between God and man. 

  Jesus explained this in Matthew 26:28, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”  In this way, Jesus became the fulfillment of the Law of Moses, the ultimate atonement for man’s sins.

So, was this divine atonement of God sacrificing himself as act of redemption (forgiveness) and remission, creating a new covenant only for our past sins? Future sins?  All sins? 

Ephesians 1:7 says “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”  Colossians 1:14 states that “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”  I like the God’s Word Translation of 1995 of this verse, it reads: “His Son paid the price to free us, which means that our sins are forgiven.”  Romans 3:24 states that we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:8 states that “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”  This means that grace (forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice) is not something that we can earn, or be good enough to get, because God did it for man, as a gift to man.  The sacrifice proves God’s love for us.  All we have to do is to accept that gift and acknowledge Christ as our personal savior.  In this way we are “freely justified.” 

Even better is that we are eternally justified!  Hebrews 9:15 states that “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

So all sins are forgiven.  Everyone’s sins are forgiven.  We can now live in true communion with God.  Our sins no longer separates us from God’s eternal love.  We are redeemed (forgiven) and our sins are cast away (remission) so that we may receive our eternal inheritance.

So the answer is Yes, if you are a Christian all your sins are forgiven.  What do we have to do to receive this grace?  Accept Christ as our savior, understand that he died for our sins, and to adopt a spirit of repentance towards sin. 

So what does it mean to repent.  The original word meant to “turn around, or turn away from.”  So if you have not repented, are you forgiven of your sins?  See the answer to the first question, “All sins are forgiven.” 

We are called to “Repent and hear the Good News.” (Mark 1:15).  So in our actions of accepting Christ, we must first repent of our sins.  This is what it means to be “reborn” as a new person in Christ.  This is not a free pass to sin, but as a true Christian, you would not want to do these things, you would want to seek Christ and have that personal relationship with God.  Think of it as that little voice of conscience telling you that something you are doing is wrong.  If you are seeking God, preserving that personal relationship with him, than you will know.

So what about our unrepented sins?  They are forgiven too!  That’s GRACE.  We will all die with certain sins that are unrepented.  You may not even know that something you did was a sin, or perhaps you didn’t have time to repent in prayer about something before that bus hit you.  The Good News is that Christ died  for ALL our sins, that whomsoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Hope this answered those tough questions.  Remember, speak to your pastor, priest, church leader, or lay Christian, read the Bible, and pray and you will know the truth.

God bless you all,

Ed