If You Were Doing Right, You Wouldn't Mind the Light

Recently, a comment was made about me and my writings. This person (whom I don't believe reads the blogs, but rather my social media) called my opinions offensive and claimed that they are turning non-Christians away from the Gospel. They used the same argument I have heard a million times regarding my straight-forward style. They said that Jesus just loved people and didn't judge people by their choices. The problem with this oft-used argument is that it proves that the accuser doesn't know much about the life and ministry of Jesus.

Yes, Jesus loved. He loved infinitely, but He loved truthfully. He was especially truthful to the Pharisees. The New Testament is riddled with Christ correcting the religious people of His day. I know that the majority of my audience is comprised of fellow Christians. When I write about the things I see that aren't right in the church, I am doing what Christ did. He pushed the religious people!  He corrected them when they were wrong. He was spurring them towards holiness. And that is what my writing is meant to do. You see, part of the purpose of Jesus's death on the cross was to make us holy. That is why I will never apologize for holiness; not in my own life and not when I encourage others to push towards it. We are called to be holy as Christ is holy. It is a daily battle, and I have found, as Jesus found, that being mealy-mouthed about this fact doesn't work. We have to be direct, we have to be honest, we have to be blunt.

The tirade against me included references to the fact that I will write rebukes against things I see in the body of Christ and then later write about the love of Christ. This person felt those two things were counter to one another. But throughout the Gospels, we find Jesus extended love and mercy and then immediately following up with "harsh rebukes". Let's look at a few examples.

In John chapter 3 we find Jesus having a conversation with a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus. In the course of their discussion we find Jesus extending grace to all when He says, "'For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.'" (v.16-17 NLT) "See?! Jesus is all about love!" some would say "He doesn't condemn people!" But keep reading on and you will see the rest of the story that most people leave out. “'There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.'” (v.18-21 NLT) With the second part of the story Jesus is saying that people condemn themselves because they run from the light. When people tell me they don't like being confronted with truth about their sins, I have to wonder what they are doing that has them so scared to be exposed? Jesus made it clear, if you were doing right, you wouldn't mind the light. Jesus's honesty about why they are scared of the truth kinda puts a dent in the whole "Jesus just loves everybody and shoots rainbows out of His eyes" theory.

A little bit further into the book of John we encounter the story most popular with the "you can't judge me" crowd: the story of the woman caught in adultery. In this story the Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. Thanks to His quick thinking she is saved when He tells her stoning-eager accusers that they can kill her, but that the first stone must come from the one who had never sinned. And again, this is where most people stop reading. But that isn't the end of the story. He says to the woman "go and sin no more" in verse 11. Wait. What? Jesus actually expected a pardoned sinner to live differently? But that's not loving! Loving would have been to say, "I got you out of trouble, and if you sin again tomorrow I'll be here to do it again." Can't you see? Jesus requires there to be a difference in the life of the redeemed. The Christian can't live like they used to. Jesus made that clear, He didn't pacify the woman with soothing words. He demanded change.

Keep reading and you find the story of Jesus healing the blind man. After He healed this man, blind since birth, the Pharisees became angry and after some argument, they kick the man out of the synagogue. When Jesus finds out, Jesus returns to the man and they have a discussion regarding the man's belief in Jesus. Jesus tells the man " 'I have come to judge the world. I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they can see that they are blind.'" (John 9:39 NLT) My bible must have a typo, because that makes it sound like Jesus DID come as judge. Yikes! After the Pharisees heard this, they asked in verse 40 "'Are you saying we are blind?" And Jesus replied, "'If you were blind, you wouldn't be guilty, but you remain guilty because you claim you can see.'" (v.41 NLT) Does that not describe many Christians today? They think they are perfect and above reproach, but truly, they are terrified of the light! The same people who call others "judgmental" or "holier than thou" are the ones who refuse to accept guidance and advice as to how to be more effective because they think they have it all together.

I guess my point is this, Jesus is love, but He is also justice. Many times we see Him exhibiting both of these traits at the same time. So no, I won't apologize for being both at once. As far as my brashness, here is the reason: I HATE sin. I hate sin in all forms when being committed by any type of person. I am at a point at which I can look back at my life in sin and realize just how detrimental sin is. When I see others being deceived as I was, I want to grab them and shake them and say "don't you see where this is leading?" But doesn't that turn people away? In my experience, the people becoming infuriated with me aren't the "sinners", they are the ones who should know better in the first place (which consequently was Jesus's problem too, the sinners weren't His demise, the religious people were."

So when you hear a commentary that infuriates you, I suggest you ask the following questions:

1. Is this bible based? Do the scriptures line up with the opinion? If they don't, ask the writer about them. Whenever I write something, I make sure I can defend it. Any good writer will do this. And if they have done this, they won't have a problem with being questioned as long as it is respectfully done. If their words are scriptural, and you still don't like it, then ask yourself question #2

2. Is there something in me that is scared of this word? Why am I so defensive when confronted with scripture? Maybe Jesus is using that person to help shine the light that will help you become better. Just as it hurts when you turn on the lights in a room you've been in that has been dark, it may hurt at first, but it is necessary.

In the Wilderness: When Prayers Aren't Answered Like You'd Like

Today I will be beginning a series on the Children of Israel and their time of wandering in the wilderness and asking what we can learn from their situation. The first comparison I see between the Hebrews and us is that God doesn't always answer us in the way we thought He would. These are the ways in which the answers didn't come in the way the Israelites thought:

1. Slavery didn't end with the death of the king. In the beginning of Exodus we find the Israelites under strong oppression in Egypt. The king was scared of them, so he drove them into slavery. When they continued to grow in number, he decreed that each newborn boy was to be killed. But the bible says "because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king and allowed the boys to live." We are later told that God blessed the midwives for this act.

Because all this treachery stemmed from one king's desire for power, I'm sure that they thought with his death they may be free. Verses 23-25 however tells us that after the king died, "The Israelites still groaned beneath the burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their pleas for deliverance rose up to Go. God heard their cries and remembered His covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the Israelites and felt deep concern for their welfare."

So why didn't God let the slavery end with the death of the king? Because He was allowing them to get to the place of crying out to Him. Although the midwives "feared God", it is not until the death of the king that we see the collective body calling on the name of the Lord. My assumption is that they hadn't done so before because they were holding out hope that with a new reign they would be free. Now they were hopeless, and when you are in that place, your only chance is to call on the hope of the world.

2. They wouldn't have chosen a vigilante stutterer as their leader. For all the credit we give Moses as a great leader, the fact remains that he was a fugitive of the law after having killed an Egyptian and hiding the body. I'm pretty sure that if the Israelites would have elected someone to advocate on their behalf before the king they would have picked someone who wasn't running the risk of arrest when he entered the town. Furthermore, there is a reason great orators become great leaders. Time was of the essence, they wouldn't have picked a man to speak for them who took twice as long to plead their case. The fact that he had to have a translator would have knocked him out of the running.

Why did God pick Elmer Fudd with an anger management issue to lead them? Because as my mother says it, "when you aren't number one on man's list, you can know that God choose you, not man." God's will was completed through this thoroughly imperfect man. If he had all the right credentials, there would have been a tendency to give him credit for God's work. But when this is who you got, there is no doubt it was the hand of God leading them.

3. God could have teleported them to the Promised Land. Once they were actually delivered from the hand of pharaoh, they still had to wander for 40 years. How ridiculous is that? I mean, honestly, if this is a God who can make water stand up like walls and allow them to walk across dry land, then why couldn't he just pick them up and set them down in the Promised Land? He could have dropped down all the parts for them to invent the car or airplane. 40 years seems kind of drastic right?

Throughout their time in the wilderness they blamed Moses. But after they were released from Egypt, Exodus 12:51 made it clear who took them through the wilderness when it says "the Lord began to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt..." It was by God's design that they wandered. It is by God's design that we sometimes must wander.

In the wandering we learn about things like sufficiency on God, contentment in the blessings He gives us, and his sovereignty. We get impatient and expect to arrive at our Promised Land without the trying times in the wilderness, but time and time again, we see that God doesn't work like that. If it weren't for the wilderness experience, they wouldn't have known the true blessing in the Promised Land. If they didn't have to eat manna everyday for 40 years, they wouldn't have appreciated the land flowing with milk and honey. In your wandering don't lose heart! He is setting you up to appreciate the promise that is coming!

Post Wedding Depression

Before I got married I read about one of the most ridiculous issues I had ever heard of. I pretty much just wanted to laugh when I read about "Post Wedding Depression". It's a relatively new phenomena that is said to affect 1 in 10 brides in their first year of marriage. Now that I have been married almost three months, and am very much in a post-wedding stage, I feel that I can comment.

Let me say that I had thought I would be sad when my wedding was over, but I was actually incredibly happy when it was done. The stress of planning the spectacle which came to be known as the "Tennessee Church of God of Prophecy Royal Wedding" (it was a joke, I assure you) had me looking forward to our days ahead of it being just Andy and I.

Since I have many young readers, including some new brides and engaged girls, I would like to offer the following advice to make sure that none of these have to suffer what is possibly the silliest disorder ever. As you are planning, remember the following...

1. A wedding is not about the bride...or the groom. As I was preparing for my wedding I was amazed at the number of people who told me to be selfish. Literally, those were their words. The first step in not having PWD is not letting your wedding become something it wasn't meant to be. A wedding is a sacred ceremony showcasing a commitment to one another AND to God. Your wedding should be centered around this very serious promise to God, not about you! As supportive as everyone tries to be during the planning, I assure you, no one will forget your diva demands when the day is over. You love these people enough to put them in your wedding, you really don't want to lose them from your life when it's done because your selfish demands pushed them away.

2. People who love you enough to show up won't love you less if you don't have a wedding that breaks the bank. One of the greatest documented causes of PWD is the financial burden that one day causes. I had a very nice wedding and was blessed by parents who were able to cover all costs, but I didn't show up with a list of demands to rival Kate Middleton. Make a budget, live in it. A few hours isn't worth debt you argue about for the next decade. If you are paying for it yourself, excessive wedding debt will cause contention with your spouse at some point. If your parents are paying, remember the sacrifices they are making and be respectful of their resources.

3. When it's over, whether you spent $50 or $50,000 you have to live with your spouse. Treat them well. I know it's stressful, and they seem like the perfect person to "vent" to, but be kind and remember why you are marrying this person. When everyone else ceases to see you as the princess-de-jour, you will be his queen until you are parted by death. Appreciate that.

4. This is a big one...once you are married, don't let anyone pressure you about the next steps in your life. The week I returned from honeymoon I had already been asked when I was having a baby. I haven't been married 3 months yet and I couldn't count the number of times I have been asked what I'm waiting for. Even before I was married I had been told that I needed to hurry up because at age 27, my time was running out. I know people are well-intentioned, but it puts a ton of pressure on the young sapling that is newlywedhood. Suddenly, you feel like you need to start rushing each other into being ready for parenthood, when you both just want to enjoy each other. I don't think people will ever stop asking, so you just have to learn to let it roll off your back...or create a very clever smart-mouth answer that shuts people up. If you do that, fill me in so I can use it!

Hopefully, if you accepted a proposal you did it because you wanted a marriage, not a wedding. Just know that real life is about to start, so prepare yourself now!

Here's Your Sign

Over the past few years I have grown weary of a comment I hear repeatedly, especially from young people. They tell me how they "prayed to God for a sign" of what to do in their lives and then expect me to be excited/proud when they mold everyday occurrences into "signs" from God. They sometimes even ask me to help them pray for signs and for someone to give them "words of knowledge" to help guide them. I'm not saying God doesn't do this from time to time, but here's the problem...

I know God can send signs because He already did...in fact, He sent us a whole book of them! And even more shocking, that book contains thousands of words that are full of knowledge! Say what?! I know it's a crazy concept, but the truth is the answer to nearly every question can be found in its pages, the problem is that many of us are just too lazy to search out the answers for ourselves and would rather have the Lord write it on the wall than take the time tearing through the Word for His inspired truth. 

So why do I have a problem with wanting someone to bring words of knowledge? Well, nothing really,  except that...

1. if you are relying on someone else to hear the voice of the Lord on your behalf then I have to wonder what's wrong with your communication with the Lord. Last I read, ever since the veil was torn, I don't have to rely on anyone else to talk to God for me. I have received several words which I believe were given to others as a "confirmation", but they were given to me in conjunction with the voice of the Lord which also spoke directly to me. 

2. in my experience people who seek out signs are often the ones who haven't sought out the Word first. As stated above, if they had consulted the Word first, their answer probably would have already come. The people who fall in this category are in serious danger because they don't know how to try the spirits as we are instructed in 1 John 4:1. When someone speaks their "word" to a person who hasn't taken time in the scripture, the hearer won't know what lines up and what doesn't. In this way, these seekers turn the speakers of these words into glorified fortune tellers. A true word from God will line up with God's Word, ALWAYS.

3. we are in a time of "itching ears". 2 Timothy 4:3-4 tells us, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." I can't help but notice that people chose to accept the "word" and "signs" that benefit them and toss aside those that don't mold to what they have already set in their heart to do anyway. 

If you want to hear from God, then you have to know his voice for yourself. How can you know His voice? By spending time with Him and His Word. I've often explained that it's much like the way many of us would know a friend's voice on the phone before they told us who was on the other end. You know their voice because you have listened to it so much. Likewise, you will know what God sounds like only when you have spent time not only giving Him your list of desires, but when you sit quietly until He speaks back. Reading His word gives you insight into His nature because you will know what words are characteristic of Him. If you have read many of my blogs, you know the type of things I write and the way I communicate. If tomorrow you found a blog advocating abortion or gay-marriage or any other thing you know I am opposed to, you would know I had been hacked, that an impostor was at my keyboard. So it is with God's Word. When you study it, you learn His positions and will be able to spot an impostor. 

Let me end by saying once again, that I am not writing off "signs and wonders" OR words of knowledge, but I am saying that we should proceed with caution and that these should not be our go-tos when hearing from the Lord. 

Job 33:14-18 reminds us, "For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings. He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride. He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death."

 Remember God is always speaking, it's just a matter of whether or not we know His voice well enough to hear Him over the noise around us!

Why Should the Church Care About Gay Marriage?

I have at various points in the blog and on facebook shared my feelings regarding homosexuality. I have made no secret of the fact that I believe we are told in the Old AND New Testaments that living a homosexual lifestyle is a sin and like all sins, if unrepented of it will lead its participants to hell. I have also made it clear, most notably in the blog "A Resounding Gong", that I believe it is the church's responsibility to love these men and women and to love them enough to be honest with them about the path they are on. But please know that this blog is not a rehashing of ideas I have shared before. This is of a practical matter now.

I have listened as many of my Christian friends have turned a blind eye on the "marriage equality" debate, even to the point of not "wasting" their time going to the polls. I'll admit, there was a time in which I felt much the same way. It's not that I didn't care because I am okay with legitimizing gay marriage, far from it. My reason for not caring about this issue was two fold:

1. God legitimizes marriage, not man. Marriage was created and ordained by God. Signing a piece of man-made paper doesn't make you married, your commitment to God does, in my opinion. So as far as I was concerned, whether or not homosexuals were allowed to have a notarized form claiming them as spouses didn't matter, because it wasn't a real marriage in the eyes of God and since He created marriage I figured His opinion was the only one that mattered.

2. The church (read:body of Christ) lost its voice on "the sanctity of marriage" a long time ago. We ceased to be the moral authority when we stopped preaching the sanctity of ALL marriages. We can't talk about God's judgement against homosexuals when we no longer teach against premarital sex, co-habitation, quick divorces, and multiple marriages. No one listens to us when we say that marriage is sacred because, well, it doesn't appear that it is sacred in our churches anymore. Am I saying we should mistreat or shun people participating in these sins? No, but I am saying we need to call sin a sin no matter the form. Until we do, our voice is irrelevant.

So now that I've laid out the case for why the church shouldn't care about gay marriage, let me explain why we HAVE to care about gay marriage, and why I was wrong in my quick assessment of the matter.

Right now, the Hawaiian legislature is voting on their marriage equality act. If this bill passes, it will not only devalue marriage, it could close churches. How? State law mandates that any church profiting from ceremonies in their facility can't discriminate against groups or couples. Which means that if gay marriage becomes legal and a church refuses to allow homosexual weddings in their facility, they can't profit from ANY ceremony that takes place there. Now you may be wondering "that doesn't mean they have to close, they just can't accept money." But remember, this is Hawaii, a destination wedding capital and many churches finance their facilities through rentals.

You may still be wondering why we should care about Hawaii. The reason we should care is that this is JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG. If the government can say a church has to allow gay marriages in order to retain ministry-sustaining profit, what's to stop it from saying we have to allow these marriages even without profit? Further, as a minister, it concerns me that the day is rapidly approaching when the government says "You make money as a minister of the community. If you want to continue receiving offerings and honorariums, you have to carry out your services for all the members of the community, regardless of your convictions." See how slippery the slope gets?

So I'm asking you as a Christian and as a minister, take this seriously. This could very well be the issue that drives the U.S. church underground and her ministers to jail. I know it seems like I'm over reacting, but can we really afford to risk it?

Vapor

Last week was rough for many of my friends. I heard of at least 5 young people, who were either family or friends of my friends, who died within a few days time. While each person's life ended differently, two facts connect them all: 1. they were "too young to die" 2. they thought they had the rest of their lives before them.

I heard news of the first death while I was attending the wedding reception of a childhood friend. I received a text telling me that a 24 year old had died in a motorcycle wreck after attempting to miss a deer. Though I did not know this young man, his wife was an ex-coworker of mine and I have grown close to his mother over the last couple of years as we have worked in ministry together. Out of respect for her, I attended the funeral.

When I went to hug his mother, the first words she said to me were, "Lindsey, we have to reach these kids. We can't have mediocre conversations and assume we know where they are going when they die." Her words have haunted me ever since. I've prayed about those words, discussed them with other youth workers, and asked WHEN DID WE LOSE OUR URGENCY TO REACH LOST SOULS?

I can't help but feel that it has to do with the fact that we have been lulled into a false sense of security, and have in turn lulled our young people into the same trap. We speak of their futures as a guarantee and not a possibility. No one wants to talk about or think about young people dying, but they do, everyday, and many of them will spend eternity away from their Father because we didn't want to do the uncomfortable task of tell them tomorrow is not promised. As I sat at the funeral, one of the most memorable moments came as the preacher told of what the young man's future plans were for he and his wife of less than a year. He thought he had another 60 years on this planet. He had spent the day playing baseball with his friends, not knowing that just hours later, his soul would be required.

We are told in James 4:13-14,  "Come now, you that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:Whereas you know not what shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away." We have NO PROMISE of tomorrow, so why are we living as if we have all the time in the world? Too many of us have remained quiet as our young people "make their own mistakes", and live the way they want, believing that eventually they will turn back to the Lord. But what if they don't have time?

We want to think that we will all die long after we have settled down, but that won't be the case for many of us.  In the case of this young man, as his mother said,"he came over a hill, saw a deer, and in moments he met his maker." In speaking with his mother, she feels with confidence that he made it to heaven, but as I looked around the church that day to see the faces of people younger than me marred with confusion and pain and fear, I wondered how many of them are undone without Jesus. I wondered how many had sat in churches where "feel good" messages were preached. How many were told, "you're a pretty good guy, you'll surely make it to heaven." How many have been deceived and followed their itching ears to find someone to make them feel better?

This week made me think about my grandmother. She lost my uncle when he was in his mid-twenties. Although he was brought up with the bible and in church, he had rebelled and run as fast as possible from God. One night, he had a seizure, choked, and died alone. She spent the remainder of her days wondering what happened to him. She was left to contemplate. He knew about the Lord since he was a child, he had heard countless sermons, and her only solace was the notion that just maybe, in those final moments as he struggled for life that he cried out on the name of the Lord and was saved. But she didn't know. We still don't know. What we do know is that wherever he went that night is where he remains today, over 35 years later.

In honor of my grandmother and of this mother who lost her son just a week ago, I'm done dancing around the subjects of death and hell and heaven. For those reading who don't know for sure where they would go if they died tonight, I'm asking begging that you give your heart to the Lord. If you don't know how, I invite you to message me and I'd love to talk to you about how you can be sure of your destiny. If you are minister or youth minister I'm asking you to take this challenge to heart. As difficult as it is, take a moment and envision the young people you have influence with. Now imagine you get a call that they have died. Could you go to the funeral, look their parents in the eye and say that you did everything you could to ensure that they didn't have to question where their child ended up?

If you can't say that you have done your all to be truthful with them about the consequences of sin, it's time to re-evaluate your methods.