Kingdom Ready

Recently a pastor posted an article about how he would treat his kids if they turned out to be gay. His four promises to them were: he won’t keep his kids’ sexuality a secret, he’ll pray for them (but not for God to change them), he’ll love them, and he accepts that if they turn out to be gay, they are gay already. He never once mentioned either how God feels about homosexuality or that he would try to help his kids to restrain their behavior. One friend of mine commented that the man demonstrated unconditional love like Jesus had for everyone he met. When I read through this short piece, by a fellow pastor, I kept waiting for the twist at the end, but it never came. Of course, in this short sample of his thought, it is hard for me to discern what he thinks about the subject at large. It seems like he knows that the bible condemns homosexual sex yet he, himself, believes it is not wrong. If this is the case, then he is simply a non-biblical Christian or a liberal Christian—someone who takes some of what the bible says while ignoring other parts with which he or she disagrees. Another possibility is that he really does believe the bible is right but thinks the best course of action is to love the sinner unconditionally, regardless of the sin. I want to assume that this is the case for my purposes here, and put some thought into the question of what unconditional love is and whether or not it should have any limits.

Although the latest statistics indicate that 2.2 of earth’s 6.9 billion inhabitants self-identify as Christian, it is hard to say how many actually follow Jesus. I remember a while back asking a friend’s mother if she was a Christian. She replied, “Of course, I am; I’m American, aren’t I?” I guess in her mind being a Christian was no more or less than being an American, but is this what the Bible teaches?

Jesus said, “And why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord, and you do not do what I say?’” (Luke 6:46). From this concise statement, we find a very helpful definition: if Jesus is my Lord, I will do what he said. Each one of us must decide whether or not we will actually follow Christ. In the end, self-identifying as a Christian is not enough. Our faith must run deeper.

In my previous two posts, I wrote about the importance of going into all the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ.  But in our zeal to carry out the Great Commission through preaching, we sometimes forget that the Great Commission also contains another command from the Lord Jesus Christ: the command to baptize.

Matthew 28:18-20: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  

Sometimes, we are so focused on what God is going to do in the future that we miss what God is already doing right here and now.  We often think, “Someday, God will call me to be a missionary,” or “after I retire, then God will use me for the Great Commission.”  But the truth is, God has already called us.  Jesus has already commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations. So what are we waiting for?

Psalm 119:105: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Recently I have been driving down some country roads at night. It always amazes me when I come across people riding a bike along a busy road in the middle of the night, without any lights or reflectors to make themselves visible. One guy was skateboarding at night in a t-shirt and shorts despite below-freezing temperatures, and wearing all black. Fortunately my car headlights always enabled me to see (and avoid) these travelling daredevils.

Call me a loser, but I didn’t catch much of the “most viewed Olympics ever”, this summer.  Partly because I’m jealous of the fact that I can’t do a cartwheel and my only effective swim-style is the doggy-paddle. Mostly because I was seriously struggling with whether or not Christians should even be supporting people striving for “fool’s gold”.  I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s been great to hear Olympians give God the glory for their “medaled” accomplishments.  But there’s got to be a side of Christians that are dying to see athletes like Gabby Douglas quote, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord will be with you wherever you go!” as she marches into her school with the mission of saving souls, rather than before doing some flips across a springy floor.  Maybe I’m being overly critical, or maybe I want to see her succeed for the Lord’s glory in areas where I failed at her age.

I have a lot of friends on Facebook and a number of people I follow on Twitter.  I enjoy seeing pictures of babies or beautiful scenes from your vacation.  I appreciate getting a 140 character or less word of encouragement or even conviction.  I follow a wide spectrum of people – from close friends to favorite athletes.

In recent years, social media has become an amazing source and resource.  News from revolutions or protests spreads through twitter long before the news camera’s show up.  Pictures of weather confirm the weather man wrong.  On site information is available instantly. Personally, friends and family even have been able to follow the news of my wife giving birth with pictures of our growing family beautifully filtered on Instagram (not that my kids need any help being cute!).

Good points to consider. Feel free to share your thoughts below.

The fabric of our lives is what makes us who we are, that fabric should be interwoven with God! It is God who has made us. He desires to be the Fabric of our lives. I was recently at the beach there was an announcement over the loud speakers that there were lost children looking for their parents. One of the children was a 5 years old, the other was 3 years old, and there was a 1 year old. After the last child’s parents were located the life guard station politely announced “could parents please stop drinking and keep an eye on your children”. We know that alcohol was a factor, because the police had been there checking and confiscating alcoholic beverages right before we arrived. A women sitting across from us was commenting on how could any parent lose track of their children. If you look at the marriage status in this country today you will see that statistically 1 out of ever 3 marriages fails. I feel as though from talking with people that the number is more like 9 out of every 10 fails. It seems everywhere I turn people are either getting a divorce or there marriage is on shaky ground. I think that there is something seriously wrong with the fabric many people are choosing to weave their lives out of today,  NO GOD only themselves!!!

I have been on a 36 year quest to find the right the path which would give me a greater spiritual awareness and closeness to my Creator. I have found it to be a rocky road at times. On this journey I have finally come to know God in a greater way than I ever thought possible. I have also found that the hard things in life can be good for us, because they help us, by Faith, turn to our Creator and seek his help and guidance. GOD LIKES THAT, yes he likes when we depend on him. It was always that way we just didn’t know it. After all he did create us, wouldn’t you think he has all the answers. WHY NOT ASK? Please read the following Article, in it you may find something that can help you, as it did for me.