Sometimes the silence is deafening and here in the pew it has become to quite. I do believe that as christians we need to express our real sentiments on the subject of religion more often than we do. My dictionary defines religion as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices or a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.” Saw a church sign some time ago “you have tried religion, now try Christ.”  Truth is I have always considered religion and faith to be two entirely different things. Continuing the written definition as given are these added points. “ Archaic, scrupulous conformity, conscientiousness to the point of being very careful about doing what you are supposed to do and wishing to do what is right, to do one’s work or duty well and throughly.”   

Religion is ever-changing, evolving and is to some degree shaped by the need to remain relevant to the ever-changing social conscience of society. The church and its desire to stay relevant has given over to a careless practice of inclusiveness. This has promoted a reckless and dangerous acceptance of once questionable behaviors that have challenged our discipline to scripture and God’s will in our lives. To some folks questioning being inclusive is not correct and in some ways stifles the growth of the church. To others the gospel of inclusion is simply the old heresy of universalism. I won’t take up space with the definition of such but you will find it in the dictionary. I try in my writings not to overburden you with scripture, however I do encourage you to know what is contained in God’s word. You must know and believe in your heart having studied, prayed and sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit that which is expected of you for salvation. What? We don’t like being held responsible for our actions but the truth is that in conjunction with salvation is repentance and that friends is scriptural correct. Call it hard-line, unreasonable or old fashion but salvation is offered to all and repentance is expected of all. To repent is to turn from those things that separate us from God. To be a person of the Way we must follow the teachings of Christ. I worry about this silence in the pew. Silence, the complete absence of sound. I would ask, has the need for inclusiveness driven by the need to be relevant brought  acceptance of such behaviors of these days to be the new norm?  Has God rethought this or have we simply rethought the scripture to meet todays changing norms as if it will not affect us or our church. Is the continuing tolerance of abortion simply because we have given it a new definition and it is now not an act that God would find abominable but a right that through its inclusion in the laws of the land is now acceptable? Then there is the same-gender issue that all denominations are struggling with under the banner of inclusiveness. The church becoming involved in social issues that drain its resources and lessen its ability to do the ministry it is called to do. God said we are to be Holy, as He is Holy. How is it that those things which are in conflict with God’s word have now become acceptable under this gospel of inclusion and the re-writing of scripture to fit the ever-growing number of societal changes becoming a daily practice? I just listed two of the many issues that confront Christians today and I did that for a reason.

That old saying between a rock and a hard place could become a Christian mantra if we let it. God, through His Son our Lord and savior has removed the rock but the way is still hard. The message and the forgiveness of sin through the blood of Christ is for all people. There are no prerequisites as to with whom, where or how the message is shared and the old hate the sin and love the sinner does not convey the urgency of salvation and repentance. I believe that God will judge the sin. We are to love the sinner and bring them to the foot of the cross so that they receive salvation and repent of their sin. Sin is anything that separates us from God, not just the two that have become the golden idols on societies altar of causes, we are all sinners.  At the top of todays’ agenda of social change are, abortion which involves the interruption of the process of creation as God intended it to be and the other, same-gender life style is clearly and abomination in God’s eyes.One of the largest denominations in the world lists seven deadly sins that if left unchecked will result in a host of other sins. Proverbs 6: 16-19 lists seven things that are detestable to God. When was the last time you ever heard these addressed from the Pulpit?  The omission of what is sin from the conversation allows for the unacceptable to become acceptable. When I was growing up my parents never said anything about race or the injustice of segregation. The result of which was that the unacceptable became acceptable. The absence of civility in our conversations about the issues of the day seems to me has left only the screamers and agenda driven people at the table. As trite as it may sound 

Matthew 22: 37-40

 ………..’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

The silence in the pew is a reflection of the silence in the Pulpit. Love God first, with all your heart, then you neighbor and do not allow the gospel of inclusion to rewrite the Scripture.

Life is Good

Jk

Pax Romana simply means “Peace of Rome” and refers to the tranquility and security that the Roman Empire brought to the Mediterranean world. The Pax Romana lasted from the reign of Caesar Augustus (27 BC–AD 14) to that of Caesar Marcus Aurelius (AD 161–180). At the time of Christ and during the first generation of the church, much of the world was unified under Roman authority and enjoyed a relative peace. (gotquestions.org)

The above is from one of my favorite study sites. Pax Romana, came across it while doing research for another project and wrote it down to come back to later.After reading it again I had an idea that it could plausibly be linked to an often repeated phrase. We often in times of stress and difficult situations will find comfort in saying, God is in control. While we may apply this to these days and times, I believe we often forget that and allow the culture of the day to overpower our faith. This Pax Romana is important to the history of the early church because all of the land surrounding the Mediterranean was at peace because everyone was under Roman Law. So at the time of Christ and during the first generation of the church, the world as understood to be then, was under Roman authority and was pretty much at peace.

While it is perceived that Christians were persecuted for their refusal to worship the emperor that  was not the case. A general dislike or distrust of Christians was most likely due to their refusal to worship the gods or take part in sacrifice, which would be expected from anyone living in the Roman Empire. God could have chosen to spread the gospel in many different ways or forms but He chose ordinary people, empowered by the Spirit to spread the message. So out went the gospel on the feet of spirit led people who had become God’s messengers. Consider if you will these facts.

–Pax Romana provided an environment that allowed safe travel throughout the Roman Empire. 

-Roman discipline cut down on crime on the roads and piracy on the Mediterranean Sea, making travel safer.

These are just a couple of the results of this Pax Romana. A better system of roads over time improved the ease of travel for missionaries, improved business between towns and many Christian business men took the gospel with them on their commercial trips. The largest impact may have been in language. Greek became the common language used throughout the Roman Empire. All throughout the empire people could still communicate with each other, and Paul’s epistles could make their rounds to the churches and be understood by all. It gets even more amazing when you consider that Roman Justice protected Paul many times in his ministry. Pax Romana was really simple. Citizens and residents of the empire, as long as they were not considered a threat to Pax Romana, were quite safe in sharing an unpopular message. We know that over time Paul was accused of disturbing the peace, endangering this Pax Romana but was protected  by the Roman Authorities. All of these things allowed the gospel to spread quickly among those people in the civilized world of Pax Romana. 

Now none of this is to say that God’s people had it easy, we know different. God was in control, God had a plan! Today more than ever we must believe that God has a plan, He is in Control.

Stay the Course

Life is Good 

Jk

I have written this opening sentence several times and have come to the realization that I might be over thinking this subject a little too much. So to keep it simple here is a fact of life. If your faith is such that it has a heavy influence on your actions, you might be a Christian, a follower of the way or a disciple of Jesus Christ. If this be the case it is inevitable you will be called on to defend the faith. To take this to the next step it is your faith that has placed you in this position and in reality you are defending or better said, presenting “an Argument for Christ.” Peter has set down acceptable ways to enter into this mode of Christian defense. 

1Peter 3:15b-16A

…always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence.[c] Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 

We must start off being reasonable, which in this present world of discourse is not easily done. It must be inspired by the word of God. It must be an intelligent, clear and applicable statement of position and of divine reasoning. It should contain an element of intelligence that conveys the message that you have prepared yourself through study and prayer to defend your faith; always remembering that you are defending Christ Jesus. This approach requires that you have come by your faith through first hand experience and not another’s story. William Barclay writes,

“It is one of the tragedies of the modern situation that there are so many church members who, if they were asked what they believe, could not tell, and who, if they were asked why they believe it, would be equally helpless. Christians must go through the mental and spiritual effort of thinking out their faith, (Barclay, DBS…1 Peter Pg 266)

Our defense must be given with gentleness. Our attitude must not be one of arrogance. We must not be of  the temperament that those who do not agree with us are stupid or they are unreliable. We must not do as some others with differing opinions and try to shove our beliefs down the throats of those who disagree with us. We must present our Christianity with love and tolerance while maintaining the scripture as written with divine discernment. We must understand that we cannot bully anyone into The Way. We can only lead them to the foot of the cross and allow the Holy Spirit to bring them to Christ. Most any debate today can easily become an argument. There are many debates within and outside of the Christian community that are just a word or two away from becoming an argument. Christians can become engaged in discussions that move to debates and then to full-blown arguments especially concerning theological differences. I wrote earlier that an argument for faith is an argument for  Christ. Any presentation of a case for Christian faith or beliefs must be presented with reverence, the tone and language must be pleasing to God’s ear. There is no room for rancor of any kind. Love for Christ and his love for all people must guide our behavior. As Christians our lives need to be a compelling and a living example that makes it easier for others to believe the message……makes it easier for others to believe in God, Jesus Christ and salvation.

Thanks for coming by, hope to see you in the pew next week.

Life is Good

jk

You will find that people in the pew have many different opinions but on one thing almost all agree. Folks are tired of the lack of civility, the inability of people to express their differences without disrespect and in many cases these days, out-right displays of hate in words spoken and actions taken. Seriously, we all need to take a step back and see what we are doing to each other and our nation. Of note there is the fact that this type of behavior is not confined to those not in the Christian community.

 John 13:34-35  

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 As shown by these verses There are certain characteristics that make Christians different from others, traits that point to the fact we are his disciples. Here in these verses from 1 Peter are more of those behavior traits that mark a Christian life. Today’s blog looks at  1 Peter 3:8-15a. It would be helpful to read these verses and then return to the blog. 

The Christian community is not immune to the current lack of Civility when addressing different opinions, beliefs or new directions. It seems this type of behavior has found a foothold within our community. Peter gives some great qualities for living a Christian life. He starts with the need for Unity. There are many great passages in the New Testament that encourage unity. We are divided as a community of faith by denominational beliefs, inner-denominational conflicts and in some cases a move to reinterpret scripture to meet the changing societal needs and trends. Even the Apostle Paul pleads for a unity of mind in the church. Throughout the NT there is this plea for unity. To some commentators and bible scholars it is more of a realization that people cannot live a Christian life unless in their personal relationships there is unity and the Church cannot meet its’ Christian call when there are divisions within it. The next being Sympathy. Again we are urged in NT writings to see this as a duty. 

Romans 12:15

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  

Just as evil cannot exist in the presence of our God, neither can selfishness exist where sympathy prevails. With Christ in our hearts sympathy will reign there. From here we move to Love. Peter sets out with what can be literally translated as brotherly love. The love we have for one another and Christian charity for others, all of God’s creation. Here again we see the indisputable fact that love of God requires love of others and also applies to the Church. Neither an individual or the Church can meet the reality of Christianity if they cannot love one another and their neighbors. Peter continues with  a much-needed attribute in this world. Compassion……something we  see less of in this day. In our books, movies, theater, social media and all this world of digital expression allows, we see a disturbing trend of insensitivity to adverse events in our daily lives. There can be no Christianity without compassion. The next attribute. Humility ……… We might measure up well against others but the real test for Christians is…..how well do we measure up to Christ? We know we can never obtain his sinless perfection. We must constantly remind ourselves of our utter dependence on our God. We must strive to be humble in his presence and in the presence of others. The last to share with you would be Forgiveness. We seek God’s forgiveness and it is our calling to extend forgiveness to others.

Ephesians 4:32 

32 and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

 We now go to verse 13 and the remaining verses in today’s scripture. To have written this passage (13-15a) we can tell by his words that although he does not quote directly the OT, it is obvious that his knowledge of it is firmly on his mind. From the very first of these verses Peter insists that you must have a passionate love for Goodness. It is when we seek the goodness of things in this life that the wrong things lose their pull on us. There are some things here that are a part of all people’s lives. Seeking to walk the walk, taking the good way does not exempt us from the human suffering that from time to time comes our way due to circumstances in our lives. Our humanity leaves us open to the trails of life. We can become absorbed with the importance of stuff, money and position. We depend on these things for our comfort and pleasure in this life. This places us in a very vulnerable position, scripture tells us that the things of this life are only temporary. There is then the fact that there can be hardships brought into our lives simply because Jesus Christ holds a unique place in our lives. None of us can escape the sufferings of this life but we as Christians know that suffering for Christ and the faith, it will never touch the things which matter most. 

Thank you for coming by the Pew this week. Next week join me as we lay out an argument for the faith. 

Life is Good

Jk