The Myth of More than You Can Handle

I'm not a fan of bumper sticker theology. That's a term that easily describes quick, feel-good comments that are passed off as biblical theology.

Some carry absolute truth, such as "God loves you," or "Jesus is Lord of all." True, yes. But, they don't tell the whole story. For that matter, they don't even come close.

But, bumper sticker theology is best known for taking a biblical truth (or a part of it) and twisting it into something designed to give us warm fuzzies. One of the worst offenders is the notion that God will not give you more than you can handle.

Discipling the Next Generation of Believers

Yesterday, I wrote about mentoring from a leadership angle. But, in Christianity, there's another term for mentoring -- discipleship.

In Matthew 28, Jesus tells his followers to go into the world and make disciples. That passage even defines what it means to become a disciple. It says that the disciple would do all the things that Jesus commanded.

Your Past Doesn't Have to Be Your Future

Last week, I wrote about Jabez, and how he got his name from the pain his mother experienced at his birth. Later in life, Jabez prayed that God would spare him from pain, and God honored that prayer.

I want to expand on that thought by using one of my favorite stories in the Bible. You find it in the John 4 telling of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. I like this story, because there are a lot of life lessons we can pull from it. It essentially illustrates that Jesus loves everybody.

In this story, we have a woman with a past. Jesus calls her out that her past includes five blown marriages, and she was shacking up with her boyfriend when Jesus came to town. She could have easily been the test case of Dr. Laura's "Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives."

What Jabez Says About Your Future

Have you ever considered the meaning of your name? Chances are that you haven't. But, most names carry a certain meaning.

For instance, I looked up my name, and found that in the Irish it means "handsome." It also means "narrow land," which I'm not sure what that really means other than maybe some Kyle from the past got ripped off in a land deal.

If you've ever read the geneologies in the Bible, you are going to encounter some very strange names. Most of these names carry a special meaning. Sometimes we are told that a child is given a name to represent something going on in the parents' lives at the time of birth. Other times, the name represents what the parent hopes for their child. We find similar in the story of Jabez.

Lessons from Hezekiah

I've been reading 2 Kings this week in my personal Bible study time. Yesterday, I came to the story of Hezekiah.

Rarely will you find more than a chapter or two devoted to a particular king. But, the Bible records three lengthy chapters for Hezekiah, and for good reason.

The Bible narrative tells us that King Hezekiah lived according to God's plan throughout his lifetime. Some of the kings before him had followed God while others didn't. Those who did still managed to make some spiritual errors that hurt the people.

Casualties of Sin

"I want to do right, but I do not do it. Instead, I do what I hate."

These words penned by the Apostile Paul in Romans 7 illustrate the heart of the human condition, especially for followers of Jesus. In our hearts, we desire to do the right thing, but from time to time we find ourselves veering off course into areas that are sinful.

It can be relatively easy for us to ask God's forgiveness of these failings, and that is good. But, to think that sin's effects end there is to miss a very important fact. Sin is rarely limited to just the individual who committed it. Instead, many times the sin affects others who are caught in its path.

Generosity: Part 3 of 4

This week, I am reviewing the message I preached last weekend on the topic of biblical generosity. Generosity and charity are themes that run throughout scripture. Jesus instructed his followers to practice it, and generosity really became a defining characteristic of the early churches.

The early churches were quite a site. Nowhere else would you see the rich and poor standing side by side in worship. Only in the church would you find a Roman soldier celebrating the same God as a Jewish convert.

At the end of Acts 11, we see an example of one church helping another. The church at Antioch had heard about coming hard times, and took an offering to send to the church at Jerusalem. This kindness really set the church apart from other religions. It also is what really helped propel the Gospel message throughout the world.

The generosity of the church proved to be an unstoppable force, and within a couple hundred years of Jesus’ founding the church, the entire Roman world had accepted Christianity as its national religion.

Here’s an example of how Christian generosity really played a part in the spread of the Gospel. In the 4th century A.D., the Roman emperor, Julian, assumed the throne. He had spent his early years being taught Christianity, but never embraced it, and never accepted Christ as his savior. In his early adult years, he latched onto pagan teachings. As emperor, he sought to bring the old Roman pagan worship back into prominence, while strangling Christianity out of existence.

Because Christianity had become so widespread, he couldn’t just issue an edict to stamp it out. Instead, he tried tactics such as requiring the Gospel texts be taught in public school. He hoped that the loss of students would force the Christian educators to go out of business. He also intended to manipulate the texts to control exactly what was being taught, and combine it with the religion he was pushing.

When that didn’t work, he recognized that the Christians love for one another, and their generosity were one of the keys to winning over converts. So, he instructed his pagan priests to start emulating the Christian practices. But, without the one true God behind him, Julian failed miserably, and was quoted as saying that the Christian faith

“has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers,
and through their care for the burial of the dead. It is a scandal that there is
not a single Jew who is a beggar, and that the godless Galileans (his term for
Christians) care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those
who belong to us look in vain for the help that we should render them."

That’s one of my favorite quotes that really demonstrates the power of the church and Christianity when it is doing what the Bible teaches.

Tomorrow, I have some take-aways from this series.

Generosity: Part 2 of 4

Yesterday, I pointed out that the Old Testament passages of Deuteronomy 15:7-11 and Psalm 41:1-2 address the topic of generosity. God's instructions are to be open handed when taking care of the needy. But, God also promises blessings for those who do this.

Today, I want to return to ancient Israel, because even though Moses gave this very important law, the Jewish people eventually turned away from much of the law Moses had given them.

1500 years later, when Jesus arrives on the scene, the religious leaders had so manipulated the law, that it was impossible for the average person to keep. Plus, they had turned charity into something akin to a competition. In other words, those who had wealth would practice generosity, but not to help the poor. Instead, their goal was to bring fame to themselves.
In his sermon on the mount, Jesus tackles this problem head-on by pointing out that God wasn’t impressed with those who gave in order to get public recognition.

That teaching ran contrary to the popular practice in Jesus’ day, and it runs contrary to the philanthropy practices in our world today. It was counter-cultural 2,000 years ago, and it is still counter-cultural today. But, it was this practice that really defined the church, because when you combine it with Jesus’ other teachings on compassion and caring for people, you can begin to understand why the early church conducted itself as it did.

One of the characteristics of the first church was that they took care of each other. The poor were taken care of to the extent that other believers would sell their belongings to help people out.

That is so far out there that we struggle to understand exactly how this all worked. It’s hard for us to imagine selling what we worked all our life to acquire, so we could help others. But, it was this very thing that really set the Christian church apart from the rest of the world.

The world would tell the needy to fend for themselves, and not bother them with their problems. But, the church had applied something Jesus had said in John 13:34-35: when he commanded them to love each other, and noted that this would be how the world identified them as Christ-followers.

Jesus combined compassion and love as the way that the world would know who his disciples were. So, when the church first became organized, you saw an enormous outpouring of love and compassion for the other believers. And, this philosophy wasn’t confined to the church in Jerusalem. It spread to the other churches as the Gospel message was taken through the region.

Generosity: Part 1 of 4

This past Sunday, I had the privilege to preach at a church in Aurora, Missouri. The topic: Generosity.

I think generosity is something that the church does well with at times, and not so good at in other times. And, honestly, as individuals we stink at it.

But, caring for the poor and needy is a theme that runs throughout the Bible. Deuteronomy 15:7-11 is one of the earliest instructions to care for the poor.

The Israelites weren’t supposed to take advantage of those less fortunate among them. Generosity was supposed to be a hallmark of their society.

One example of this can be found in the book of Ruth where the poor and the widows were allowed to go through a harvested field and retrieve the leftovers for their own use. You see in Ruth the practice Moses instituted as a way for the poor and widows to gather grain for their own use or to sell for profit.

What’s neat is that God makes two promises in this passage. One of them, Jesus acknowledged in Mark 14:7. The passages in Deuteronomy and Mark note that the poor will always be around us. Deuteronomy charges us to open our hands wide with our generosity.

The other promise God makes involves a blessing associated with our giving. I think sometimes we mistakenly associate God’s blessings for our giving as being financial in nature. But, this passage leaves the door wide open. God’s blessings for our charity may come in the form of financial increase. Or, it might be good health; better relationships; increased joy in our lives, or maybe some blessings we can’t even imagine.

Psalm 41:1-2 states this in another way. Clearly, there are physical, mental and spiritual benefits to being generous to those in need.

I know from my personal experience that for me, the biggest blessing is the joy in knowing I’ve helped someone. In fact, I can only really think of one time where I was financially blessed beyond measure for being generous. Most of the time, for me, the blessings are more spiritual. I get a real sense of joy knowing what I have done to help has made a difference. I think most Christians are that way, and it’s something that we’ll come back to in a little bit, because the generosity of Christians actually played a major role in you and I being here today.

Eliminating Idols

This week I've been looking at idolatry. Many of us are familiar with the false god's of old, such as the Greek, Roman and Egyptian gods that were created by mankind to explain different aspects of nature, business and life.

We often overlook the less obvious idols that we establish by placing things above God in our lives. These could be material items, such as money, our homes, cars, clothing, food, etc. They could be people, such as family, political and religious leaders. They might even be good causes such as charities or even the church. Anything we place above God on our scale of importance -- anything we love more than God -- is an idol.

So, how do we eliminate idols from our lives. I won't profess it to be easy, because it isn't. But, it starts with a personal relationship with Jesus. If you ask Jesus to come into your life and proclaim him as your savior, then God will send His Spirit to reside in you. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can truly sense when we are establishing idols.

Through consistent prayer and Bible reading, Christians can start to identify the things that are out of whack in their lives, and then put them in their proper place. What's cool about this process is that while God is a jealous god, and will not share His role with idols, He is also a very patient and gracious God. He gave the Israelites plenty of time to try to correct their behavior before pouring out judgement. I believe He will work similarly for those Christians that recognize their shortcomings and work to repent of them.

What is an Idol?

I started this series with a quote from Pastor Mark Driscoll that defined an idol as "good things that are turned into god things and they become bad things." That definition differs a little from the idols of old that we think of when we talk about idolatry.

Traditionally, we view idols as little wooden or metal figurines, or large statues inside temples. These are intentional religious idols that men have created as a way for followers of those religions to connect with their gods. The Greek temples are the best known example of idol worship.

Paul points out this fact in Acts 17 when he addresses the Athenians. Scripture notes that Paul was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw in Athens. He saw shrines to Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Apollo and many others. Paul even found an altar to an unknown god that the Greeks had set up just in case they had missed one. They, of course, didn't want to offend this "unknown god."

Entire cities were established around the worship, commerce and tourism of some of these idols. Paul was chased out of one town when Christianity had destroyed the business of those who made idols. Idolatry had become ingrained into the fabric of the Greek society. That is the kind of idolatry we think of when discussing this topic.

But, there is a second kind of idol that isn't meant to be religious, but the importance we place on these items suggests they have taken a god-like role in our lives. Pastor Driscoll defined them well. They can be anything that we place above God in our lives. They can be our jobs, our spouse, our children, our car, television and bank account. There is an infinite list of things that can start out as good, but when we place them above our reverence and love for God they become godlike to us, thereby making them a bad thing.

Parents live their lives vicariously through their children, sacrificing time with God in order to make the weekend tournament or recital. A man sacrifices his family and his God on the altar of a better paying, but time consuming job. A woman wraps her identity around her husband instead of basing it on God. Couples become convinced that they must have a high-end lifestyle, because what their friends think of them is more important than what God thinks.

I could go on and on, but I don't think I need to do so. The point is that when we replace God as the most important thing in our lives, regardless of whether it is overtly religious or not, we are establishing an idol that the Bible says will lead to destruction.

It's Hard to Grow When You Don't Eat

I have three children at home, and as any parent can attest, there are no two kids alike. They all behave differently, eat differently, sleep differently, grow differently. They're just different.

As different as they are, some things are the same. For instance, if they want to grow up to be healthy and strong men, they need to eat good, nutritious meals. And, they can't just pick at them either. They have to eat it all in order to get all the vitamins and minerals they need. Without them, their growth is stunted.

Our spiritual lives are much the same.

A lesson I have learned is that when I don't read my Bible or pray daily, my spiritual growth sputters, and I actually shrink in my relationship with God. What's interesting is that just like my children's growth is dependent on them actually feeding themselves, my growth with Jesus depends solely on me. It has to be my choice to "self-feed." I have to be the one to open my Bible. I have to be the one to pray. I have to make the conscious decision to grow closer to God.

The best illustration I can come up with is that of the prodigal son. At the end of the story, the father (representing God) was always waiting for his son to come to him. The son (representing all of us) had to make the personal decision to return to the father.

So, what's keeping you from growing back to God?

If God Lays a Person on Your Heart, It's Your Responsibility

Last week, I posted about it being your responsibility to share Christ with the people God has burdened you for. Here is a video of Perry Noble, from NewSpring Church, talking about sharing Christ with people.

Hope by Fire

It is a given that each one of us will experience some type of hardship in our lives. It might be a period of time spent in poverty or deep debt. Perhaps it's an illness such as cancer. Maybe it's a divorce or death of a loved one. Whatever the case, we know that each one of us will be hit with trials from time to time.

Some people blame God for the hard times in their lives, not understanding how a loving God would permit bad stuff to happen in this world. That's entirely understandable.

It's natural for humans to look for reasons why things happen. When an answer cannot be found, the next alternative seems to be blaming God. After all, God is supposed to be in control.

The assumption is that if God is in charge, then our lives should be smooth flowing and easy. There's only one problem with that line of thinking - Jesus was murdered. If good people should be allowed a pass in the suffering depart, how do you explain the crucifixion of Christ?

The reality is that our world is filled with sin. Death and decay are the result of sin. God is not responsible for bad things. That's sin's fault - sin that entered our world through the fall of Adam and Eve.

The Bible has God's answer for sin and for suffering. Jesus had to suffer death on the cross to pay the penalty for sin. Anyone who believes this in their heart and confesses it will their mouth becomes children of God. It is our faith in Jesus that saves us.

But, what about suffering? Romans 5:3-5 has the answer for this, too. Essentially God says that the trials we go through don't have to end badly. They are part of a process of growth that will make us better people, and more in line with God's heart if we allow it.

This passage essentially says that suffering produces endurance to survive the hard times. Surviving the hard times develops character within us. And, this creates hope.

New Version of the New American Bible

Today, the New American Bible releases its newest revision of the scriptures. This Bible contains heavy Catholic influences, but was also influenced by a wide range of Christian theologians.

This version of the Bible is primarily for Catholic audiences, and the notes contained throughout will reflect this.

What do you think? Do we need to constantly revise our Bible versions? And, what do you think of some of the changes the NAB has made? Review this link and let me know.

Life is a Vapor

Yesterday was a bad one for motorists in Springfield. With the snow falling, roads became slippery and dangerous.

One mother with two kids in her SUV lost her life when she lost control of her vehicle and slid off the road and rolled into a large road sign. In an instant, she was here, and the next she was facing eternity.

The tragedy brought back haunting memories of an incident a couple of summers ago that easily could've had the same impact on my family. My wife was involved in a roll over crash not too far from yesterday's wreck. She survived.

Yesterday reminded me of James 4:14. Life is very short, and can end in an instant. All the more reason to live with purpose. Even more reason to live with Jesus as the driving force in your life.

The Importance of Integrity and the Realization We Don't Have It

If you have ever had dealings with anyone of questionable character, you fully understand the importance that integrity plays in a person's life.

Recently, I learned that a person I have known for a long time has struggled with a very serious character failure for much of his adult life. He has led people to believe that he is something he is not. Now, if you knew the ways in which he has destroyed his integrity, you would no doubt be shocked.

But, here's reality -- there isn't a single person who has his or her integrity fully in check. Romans 3:23 points out this fact. It says that even if we have never committed adultery, been addicted to drugs, or murdered someone, there is still a flaw in our character that has allowed sin into our lives. We have all fallen short of God's standard.

I say all of this simply to point out that the next time someone you know has a major integrity failure, remember Romans 3:23, and do a self-examination of your own character. Then, whatever behavior you find that has you falling short of God's standard, seek His forgiveness and repent of that sin.

Do you have some ways to safe guard your integrity? I'd like to hear them.

What's Your Passion?

I ask this question, because it is one I am asking myself.

What is your passion? What gets your life stirred up? Your heart pounding? Excitement bubbling in your veins?

Hopefully, your passion is one that is in sync with the gifts God has given you. To have a passion that is out of sync with God will end up leaving you empty in the end. A "fulfilled" life comes from a passion that is lived out in accordance to God's plan.

Here's a question I'm trying to answer. I ask it of you. God has a plan for you -- what is it?

Playing With Fire

One of the childhood rules every kid hears about is, "Don't play with fire, or you will get burned." I was one of those kids who were fascinated with the science of fire. Or, maybe I just liked to play with it to see how it worked.

That all ended one day when I was burning trash and while messing around, I ended up burning the inside of my left arm at the elbow bend. I still have the scar, although it is barely visible today.

My folks never knew about that, because I was embarrassed for getting burned while doing something stupid. But, that principle of "play with fire, get burned" is something that is so applicable in every area of our lives.

We get ourselves into great trouble when we ignore the warnings and start messing around with danger. This is an easy concept to grasp if we are talking about stuff like heavy machinery, hazardous chemicals, or even fire. But, many times we play with hidden dangers -- hazardous materials that don't come with warning labels, or your mother's counsel.

The hidden dangers I am writing about are the kind that mess up our lives, our relationships, and our connection to God. In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul urges the Christian believers to live by the "fruits of the spirit." The last one in that list may very well be the one that our culture today struggles with the most -- self control.

Throughout this year, I will be blogging from time to time about ways we can re-establish self control in our lives. Without it, we will continue, as a society, to careen toward destruction.

As we start a new year, what are some ways that we can build up self control in our lives?

Jonah - Simplified

The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.