“God’s Word—Filtering the Messages of the World”

One of the challenges of the Christian walk is keep the message of the Bible before the message of the world. If this is properly achieved then we use the Bible as a filter for the world’s message, but if the order is reversed then the world becomes a filter for the Bible’s message. One of the clearest examples of the importance of this order today is in respect to Gay & Lesbian issues.

The world tells us that homosexuality is a legitimate option to heterosexuality. Arguments have been based on history (homosexuality was a legitimate option to heterosexuality in many ancient societies), genetics (genes have been identified that are believed to predispose a person to homosexuality), political (homosexuals as full American citizens deserve all the human rights and freedom as any other American citizen), and sociology (homosexual couples have been shown to be just as capable as heterosexual couples to raise a child in a healthy home environment). Yet the greatest message that we are hearing is “This is who they are and they cannot change.” The volume of the world’s position is increasing and with it are the cries for the narrow minded position of Christians to be overlooked.

But the Bible has a different message. Scripture clearly tells us that the romantic-sexual desires & acts of homosexuals are not acceptable to God (Romans 1:24-28).  Yet at the same time God states that there is forgiveness, acceptance, and the power to change that can be found in the gospel of Jesus Christ if they will surrender to it:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘but the righteous shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:16-17).

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

So, in what order are you keeping the messages? The best indicator is if you are actively seeking to let the Word of God transform the lives of all those you have relationships with, regardless of their sexual orientation. Remember, ‘such were some of you.” Give the gospel, the power of God, opportunities to transform lives.

God’s Standards to Find & Experience Love

Like Samson there are a lot of people finding “love” in various faces and places, but many of these are where God never intended for love to be found. As creator & sustainer, God has a supreme right to dictate standards to His creation and we know that He has clearly set standards for acceptable and unacceptable places for us to find/experience love. Here are just a few of those standards that God has communicated to us:

Do not let your mind focus on lustful thoughts/fantasies, or images—Matthew 5:28ff; Galatians 5:19.
A Christian (a Christ follower) must not marry a non-Christian—1 Corinthians 6:14.
Do not have sex with someone you are not married to—Exodus 20:14; Hebrews 13:4.
Do not view romantically someone of the same gender— Romans 1:24—27.
Do not have sex with someone of the same gender—1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10.

Did you already know these standards & boundaries? Are you living them out in your own life? If you are struggling with any of these please remember that God loves you and wants you to get in line with His will so that you might experience the fullness of life as He intended it to be experienced. Remember that His forgiveness and mercy are available to you if you come to Him with a repentant heart (Lamentations 3:22-23), and that He can restore us (1 John 1:9; Joel 2:25).

God’s Design for Love Relationships and Marriages—Part 2

Today let’s speak with MEN. Ladies, you are welcome to listen in if you so choose as we look at Ephesians 5:22—28 ..

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage. 

The best way to sum up Paul’s instruction to men is that they give of themselves, or more succinctly that they ’die.’ This is a big task, such a big task that it is reflected in the number of words Paul uses in the passage. In the Greek, the language Paul originally wrote in, the command for the woman is 47 words long, whereas the command for the man is 143 words long. Men, are you dying for her? Do you give up your time to truly listen to her with your undivided attention? Are you making it clear that meeting her needs in the marriage is your priority? For most men who are not seeking to reflect Christ’s example this can be a horrifying thought:

“Perhaps this is why the text talks about the man dying for the woman. This can be terrifying for a man. Committing to a woman for life is going to demand courage, fidelity, and strength he may not know he has. This is why some men take such pride in their sexual conquests. They’re desperately running from their fear that they don’t have what it takes to lay down their lives for a woman. Sleeping with lots of women gives them the feeling of being a man without actually having to be one” (Taken from Sex God by Rob Bell).

So men, have you been the main attraction at a funeral in your wife’s honor lately? If not, pray today that the Lord will give you the strength to die to self so that your wife will experience a Christ-like love through you.

God’s Design for Love Relationships and Marriages—Part 1

For the next 2 days I’d like to focus on a message for each gender when it comes to love as given in Ephesians 5:22—28 . Today let’s begin with WOMEN. Gents, you are welcome to listen in if you so choose.

Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.Ephesians 5: 22ff (The Message).

If you are not married, please note women that you are to make sure that you are giving yourself to a man who is committed to giving himself to you. The man is to be examined and inspected in his treatment of you so that you are sure that he gets the fact that you are worth dying for. I say this because the text is clear that although the woman is to submit, the man is to foster, and encourage this action. Like the rain nourishes a bulb to finally bloom to the fullness of that plant’s potential, so a man’s unselfish, agape (Godlike) love is to cause a woman to blossom to the fullness of her potential.

But if you are already married and you’ve found that your husband is a work in process when it comes to his understanding of his role in your life, please note that your actions play a key role in moving your husband to where God wants him to be. Remember that God loved us when we were still sinners (Romans 5:8), that Jesus taught His disciples that they did not choose Him but He chose them (John 15:16). Clearly, God loved us into becoming what He desires for us to be. Your key approach, then, is to love your husband into what God desires for him to be, or to love him into his Ephesians 5 role. That means treating him as if he already is what you desire him to be, even though he still may constantly disappoint you and still has all of his flaws. God will use your reflection of His agape love in the life of your husband to push him to be the person/husband/lover God desires for him to be, and that you long for him to be.

So ladies, if your desire is to enjoy God’s design for love relationships and marriages, take a moment to pray that He will empower and guide you to be the woman He desires you to be.

The Biblical Instruction for Marriage

Making love work is a hard job. But it is even harder when the Lord is not part of the process or when His instructions are not heeded during the process.

This was highlighted in the story of Bradley Gellert. Bradley was arrested last night wearing an “I ♥ My Marriage” T-shirt for allegedly choking his wife during an argument in their Tampa-area-home. If that was not bad enough, the T-shirt was a promotional item tied to the 2008 Christian movie “Fireproof” which centers on a fireman’s religious awakening and his subsequent attempt to save is failing marriage.

The biblical instruction for marriage is not that one person needs to submit to the will of the other person for the relationship to work, but that they both have to submit to God’s will. Note Paul’s instructions in Ephesians 5:22—28 (The Message):

Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.

Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage. 

Making love work is a hard job. To enjoy love to the fullest, listen to its manufacturer.

The Central Role of Love

Have you ever considered the central role love should have in our lives? One of the key pillars of the early Church (therefore known as a ‘Church Father’) Clement of Alexandria stated that the real Christian “practices being God” when he or she reflects love in his or her life.

Wow! There are a lot of people who practice being God by telling you what to do, seeking to control your life, and even trying to have you honor them more than anyone else. But to think that love is the best way to reflect God.
This is why John states in 1 John 4:12 (in The Message) the fact that an invisible God’s image is reflected in His children when they love each other—“ No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!”

So, listen to Clement and have a great day practicing being like God.

Have you invited a person who does not have a church home to Friends Sunday this Sunday?
You still have time.

Preach the Gospel at All Times

Now I am all about preaching the gospel, telling others about Jesus, verbally witnessing about the saving power of the gospel, and in every way making sure that others hear the gospel (the “good news”). But so often we have forgotten that there is more to giving the gospel than just speaking words. Let me tell you what I mean in this great quote from Saint Francis of Assissi:

“Preach the Gospel at all times.  Use words when necessary”

As we spoke about love yesterday in 1 John 4:7—14 please note that others can see God in us and that the testimony of God’s love on earth is perfected, fully seen, through our love for one another as Christians.

Please take some time today to show some love to a brother or sister in Christ. Then, invite someone who does not know Jesus to come and see God in our gathering Sunday.
Have you invited someone who does not have a church home to Friends Sunday this Sunday?
You still have time.