POVERTY & POWERLESSNESS

I can remember a number of people who grew up during the Depression who characterized their experiences by saying something like “We didn't have much, but we didn’t even realize that we were poor.”

This observation goes along with what I’ve been reading in a book about poverty. The book is God of the Empty-Handed, & it is written by an Asian Indian from an Evangelical Christian perspective. He sees poverty not so much as a lack of things, but as a condition of powerlessness. 

Unfortunately, almost all secular programs & many Christian ones that address poverty seem to be limited to this view.

Poverty results in part because political, economic, & legal power are concentrated in a small group of people, the elites. They see themselves as smarter, abler, better educated, etc. than the general population, the masses. The masses are inept & unable to direct their own lives; they need the elitist class to do that for them. Legislation, the judicial system, & even religious beliefs & cultural mores enforce this view of the 2 separate classes. The ultimate result of this complex of factors perpetuates poverty & guarantees permanent dependence of the masses on the goodwill of the elites.

This condition is not what the Founders of the United States envisioned. It is actually what they strove to avoid. They desired to insure that political, economic, & legal power are distributed as broadly among as many people as possible.

In this coming year, may many people be newly empowered by a renewing of our beloved nation. May that empowering not be limited to their political, economic, & legal condition. May it especially be true of their spiritual life as they come to know Christ & grow in their relationship with Him.

SOME THOUGHTS ON “FINISHING WELL”

We hear this term a lot, especially as we get older.

One temptation of those involved in ministry, working for Christian employer, or living in a Christian family, is to think that somehow that setting is more ideal & that they are less likely to experience the negative side of human behavior.

When we find out that Christian people are still imperfect, & when they fail to measure up to how we believe they should live, there is a big tendency to get cynical.

This temptation of skepticism usually grows over time. To finish well, we must learn to balance the ideal we desire with the reality we face every day. If we don’t, we will finish badly. We will expect the worst from people & will allow that cynicism to poison our relationships with people whom God has called us to influence toward His good purpose for their lives.

Actually, this on-going battle with cynicism can have a number of important benefits. 

First, it helps us to see ourselves & our own sins (grouchiness & impatience, for example) more clearly, showing us how dependent we are on God’s grace.

Second, it encourages us to pray for & encourage those who may be younger in the faith than we are.

Third, it can motivate us to believe that God is still at work in those He has in His wisdom & sovereignty brought into our lives.

Let's make it our goal to finish the year well, & to finish our lives well!

THOUGHTS ON THE SYRIANS

I have to be honest – As a disciple of Christ, one of the most distressing things to me personally about the Syrian refugee situation is how some have interpreted & applied Scripture to it. They have managed, either intentionally or in ignorance, to misapply the biblical teaching about individual & corporate Christian treatment of “strangers.”

They have then used that teaching to say that civil government must prioritize this over its responsibility to insure as much as possible the physical safety of its citizens.

At the same time, God can use what we believe to be foolish, irresponsible, even evil actions of people & governments to bring about His redemptive plan. THIS this is where the biblical mandate for caring for strangers applies.

I know of a number of congregations who are doing just that. They are befriending & building relationships with the refugees. Does this mean that they agree with the policy? Not necessarily. Does it mean that they are fulfilling the biblical mandate about “strangers” as the Lord intended? I believe it does.

Another question comes to mind.  After misusing Scripture to push and open border policy, will they then encourage or discourage active outreach to these “strangers” in order to make Christ known to them? I hope that, to be at least a little consistent, they would encourage it.

You see, the best defensive weapon (& maybe the best offensive weapon also) against Islamic terrorism & its terrible fruit is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

HOW CAN I HELP?

I’m re-reading another helpful book that has given me important insights for our ministry here. 

Here’s a quote from it: “When carefully looking at the definitions and attributes of compassion, it is seen as something that is not done from one to another as much as something done together. It implies an entering in to another person’s situation, gaining perspective of what that situation really is from that person’s or group’s point of view, and then proceeding together to figure out what the solution might be. This is often not how compassionate acts of kindness are carried out because it is a very time-consuming, long-term way of being kind and most of us would rather be in a hurry. Our nature, our culture, and our system is geared toward quick fix, high visibility solutions that get people out of their misery as fast and as efficiently as possible, often leaving the very recipients of the solution out of the process” (Joann Butrin).

While that was written in the context of social ministry outside the US, it can teach us something about why our country is in the shape it’s in now. You see, a lot of unrest is because people who are supposedly being helped by our secular, government-based social welfare system aren’t involved in the process; they’re just faceless, nameless, numbered recipients.

That’s one of the tragic results when we start with the assumption that government is compassionate, efficient, & flexible enough to do what the church & the local community have done in the past, & should by all rights be allowed to continue to do.

It’s also the result of another seriously mistaken assumption – that poverty is the lack of things. If that is so, all that is needed to alleviate poverty is to provide things. We can see how well that’s working.

Poverty is not a simple thing. But part of the answer to individuals, families, & communities in poverty includes listening to their perceived needs; seeing them as whole, integrated persons (with spiritual & emotional parts, & not just economic consumers); & giving them the dignity of helping create solutions for their situation.

That’s a big reason why we have a lot of really angry people on our streets. They will continue to be angry until things change, & control comes back to our local communities.

WHAT’S LIBERATION THEOLOGY GOT TO DO WITH ME?

I’ve been re-reading an excellent little book (just under 200 pages). It argues that true liberation theology is the Gospel of Christ, not the artificial blending of Marxism & nominal Christianity that sought to “revolutionize” Latin America throughout the 1960s-90s.

Here’s a quote from it: “Capitalism is quite simply the most moral system, the most effective system, & the most equitable system of economic exchange. When capitalism, the system of free economic exchange, is described fairly, there can be no question that it comes closer than socialism or interventionism to matching the demands of the biblical ethic” (page 110).

Another outstanding aspect of the book is Nash & Belli’s explanation of the 3 dominant, competing views of economics today (page 95ff). They are capitalism, socialism, & interventionism, which is a combination of the first 2. This section clarifies the idea that what many understand today as “capitalism” is not capitalism; it is actually interventionism.

There’s not space here to describe why I believe that that these writers are absolutely right in their assessment of economics & what system most effectively fulfills the biblical ideal. But I encourage you to get a copy & read it for yourself.

A “WORKING PRAYER TIME”

A “working lunch” – have you ever participated in one? It’s a natural & efficient way to use time. A lot of good has been accomplished through such strategies. As someone who tends to be time-conscious & task-oriented, I have to confess that I really like it.

It’s easy for time-conscious & task-oriented people like me to fall into the trap of thinking that prayer is non-productive time. After all, what is being DONE when we pray? Aren’t we usually in a stationary position, doing nothing or nearly nothing with our hands? And just as bad, we may even have our eyes closed! How can you get anything done that way?

But, just to make sure we are making efficient use of the time, we have lists of prayer lists that we dutifully read off. (These are sometimes no more than a “honey-do” list for God.) We also tend to spend more time moving our lips than opening our hearts & ears to hear what God might have to say to us. This is at least in part so that we can feel like we accomplished something while just sitting still with our eyes closed.

Prayer isn’t work, you say? If you don’t think it is, try doing it for 8 hours. Or even 8 minutes.

They say that Martin Luther spent several hours a day praying, & that if he had an especially busy or stressful day ahead, he spent an additional hour or 2.

One thing’s for sure – you won’t regret it. And quality time spent with your Heavenly Father will change your life.

PRAYING THE SINNER’S PRAYER

I’ve been thinking a lot about the process of the Christian life. Jesus saved me ‘way back in 1972. In the intervening decades (wow, it’s been 43 years since that very special September afternoon), He has made a lot of changes in me. At that time, I had no clue about the journey I was beginning.

You see, many people think of the Christian life as an event, rather than a process. It’s more than just “praying the sinner’s prayer” that we often see or hear. In fact, there are a lot of people who suppose that they are Christians, and who appear to believe that praying that prayer is the extent of Christian experience.

I believe that God purposely describes the Christian life sometimes as a marathon race and at other times as a wrestling match. He also uses agricultural terms to describe it. What is common to all these analogies? One commonality is that they each begin with a specific event (the starting gun, the bell in the first round, the planting of seed).

Another commonality is a process. The runner must reach the various milestones of the course and the wrestler must consistently apply the right strategy through the whole match. And the farmer must care for & watch over the seed he has planted until he harvests the produce.

It’s not enough to just start.

God is all about beginnings (& new beginnings). But He is also all about the processes through which He brings His ultimate purpose to completion.

What is His ultimate purpose? It’s not just for us to be with Him forever, as wonderful as that is. His ultimate purpose is actually to transform us into the image of His Son. If that doesn’t happen, we will be terribly out of place. Talk about the ultimate awkward moment!

Embrace the process that God is bringing you through & be thankful for it. You can do this as you remember His purpose in it all.

YOU'RE HUNGRY – WHY?

Throughout their history, Pentecostals & charismatics have been known for their desire to experience the dynamic working of the Holy Spirit. We probably have dozens of songs expressing the idea that we are hungry or thirsty for God’s presence & working in us.

My question is – Why? Why do we have this deep desire to experience more of God?

Of course, there are many good, biblical reasons for such a hunger, which relate to our personal walk with the Lord. Sometimes we need encouragement or to be set free from something that has hindered us. At other times we may need physical healing or the consolation that only the Spirit can give in times of difficulty or loss.

Of course, many of us can also describe times when in simplicity, ignorance, or even selfishness, we thought that the whole purpose of the Spirit’s dynamic working was to just give us an experience. That special experience would show us (& probably others too) that we really were spiritual, & had been initiated into the “elite” of the Kingdom.

  

It is right that we desire to experience God’s presence in tangible & dynamic ways. But why? It is because of His redemptive purpose, which can be defined as the ultimate reason why God works in the world today.

He works toward the salvation of human beings & toward the conformity of believers/disciples to the image of Christ.

God’s redemptive purpose is more about fruitfulness that experiences. When He in His sovereignty blesses us in a dynamic way, it is to further that purpose in & through us. 

Remember this - Even in times when you don’t feel it, you can still unconsciously carry His presence in your life so that others may be brought into contact with Him.

IN PRAISE OF ROUTINE

It seems that in our times people value & look for the new, the novel, or the different. Things or activities that are routine aren’t appreciated, just because they are so common. After all, some routines are just boring & easily taken for granted.

We often fail to appreciate the value of routine. What would life be like if one day the sun didn’t come up or the seasons no longer changed?

Have you lost a loved one whose mannerisms, words, or routines you sorely miss? 

Routine provides a natural, unhurried rhythm – like the Sabbath, which provides man the opportunity to worship the Lord. In doing this, man is renewed spiritually, physically, emotionally, & mentally.

The routine of doing the right things, the right way, for a long time also brings good results. How else, other than thru this, can excellent medical professionals, musicians, athletes, scientists, etc. be produced? 

That’s why spiritual disciplines are so vital.

They are the routine or discipline of doing the right things repeatedly. The result is a consistency in prayer, Bible reading/study, obedience to & sharing of known truth, & a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God. 

Effective ministry is also a result of doing the right things, for the right reasons, over a long period of time. This results in healthy churches that exalt Christ & effectively share God’s Word in their communities.

CULTURAL BLIND SPOTS

One of the big advantages (& sometimes frustrations) in living & ministering in a second culture is the chance to see or experience things that are totally different from anything you knew back home.

A humorous example of this is skin whitening soap. Most Americans, if they heard that a whole section of the average drug store here is dedicated to products that promise to whiten dark skin, would probably laugh.

On the other hand, if Filipinos learned how much money an American can spend at a tanning salon, they would have a hard time believing it. The immediate desired results of these 2 actions are opposite, but they both arise from deep cultural values & ideas that define what is attractive.

A more serious example is how individuals see themselves in relationship with family, peers, & the larger culture. In the West, we tend to define everyone & everything else by ourselves as an individual.

Here in the Philippines, the opposite is the general rule. The individual is defined & finds significance based on his family & peers, & how faithfully he fulfills their expectations.

Which view is the right one?

Just now you may have, without thinking, started mentally listing reasons why your view of how individuals should see themselves is the right one.

Philippians 1:6 says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Think for a minute about what would happen if North American Christians would interpret a verse like as a promise to their church rather than to just them as individuals. (It’s important to remember that Paul wrote this letter to a congregation, not just one person.)

While Western Christians are correct in seeing the individual’s accountability to God, they are often blind to the importance Scripture places on the individual’s place in the community of believers. “It’s just me & Jesus” reflects an over-emphasis on the individual. This is a cultural blind spot for many of us.

Sometimes in the Philippines, a believer takes his cues from a family or group that doesn’t prioritize living for Christ. Family loyalty is a biblical value, but this loyalty becomes a kind of bondage if it becomes an excuse to disobey God’s will. One of our most effective church planters in Mindoro had to put aside her family’s objection to her going into ministry. I believe that God will honor her obedience. She has recognized her cultural blind spot & overcome it.

There is something to be said for individualism & for valuing the family or other social grouping. Scripture places a high value on both, while also placing limits on each one. It challenges our cultural conditioning & calls us to open our eyes to our blind spots. 

ARE YOU A LEADER?

I’ve been reading an excellent book by Henry & Richard Blackaby called Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda. They make the point that Christian leadership is more than influence or persuasion to reach a particular goal. It is more than getting people involved in worthy tasks. It is more than providing direction for a group while having the heart of a servant, or demonstrating skill or giftedness that others are to emulate.

What is it???

The Blackabys define spiritual leadership as “Moving people on in God’s agenda.”

To do this, a spiritual leader works with people (including those who don’t yet know Christ) where they are presently, depends on the Holy Spirit, works from God’s agenda rather than their own, and is accountable to God.

Although the Blackabys write primarily for spiritual leaders in the church or business world, this view of leadership is a challenge & encouragement to every true disciple of Christ. As we individually follow God’s will for our lives, we are potentially leading others toward His plan for them.

Is this happening in & thru your life? It will if:

• You are growing in the character of Christ;
• You witness for Christ by word & deed in the power of the Spirit;
• You make His will the deciding factor for everything you do.

If this is true of you, the answer is “Yes, I am a leader!”

WHY I LIKE DANIEL

The book of Daniel is getting to be one my favorites. Not because I understand everything it says, but because it tells us something simple & wonderful about God. When you read this book, you will notice that many different people testify about God’s power & authority.

Daniel is full of statements that begin with “God did this…”

Listen to a few from just the first 2 chapters:

The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his (Nebuchadnezzar’s) hand (1:2).

God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials (1:9).

God gave them (Daniel & his friends) knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom (1:17).

Daniel’s testimony: “It is He who changes the times and epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding” (2:21).

Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony: “Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery” (2:47).

Daniel was written in the context of rulers who thought they had the final word, and committed believers who faced the certainty of being ground up in the gears of ungodly savagery.

In the end, the Living God brings His sovereign will to pass. He uses those very rulers & their despotism to fulfill His plan & to vindicate His people. He does not allow man to have the last word.

Instead, during those & other rulers’ times, He is building a kingdom that will never end.

MY TRUTH

What happens when people believe that there is no objective source of truth other than their own opinions?

Maybe you’ve heard stories about children left alone for a few minutes, & who do something foolish without thinking of the consequences, & start a fire.

They had no intention of harming anyone. They just didn’t know better.

How can they be saved? Not by their cleverness and ability to rationalize. Not by ignoring or joking about the life-threatening situation.

They are only are saved by someone who knows how to put it out or get them out of the burning building.

What motivates the idea that we are the source of truth?

Are we afraid of some authority outside of ourselves?

Are we unwilling to admit that we might be wrong?

Do we have a narcissistic pride in our imaginary self-sufficiency?

An unfortunate characteristic of secularized Westerners is the tendency, like the children in the burning house, to think we can come up with our own truth. To persist is to invite destruction; to seek the Living God who created us for Himself is to escape & find abundant life.

Afraid to be Dependent

Living outside the US, we don’t get to see a lot of American advertising. But it often appeals to individualism. Supposedly, if you get this hair product, jeans, gadget, vehicle, etc, you’ll be different from everyone else (regardless of the fact that they want as many people as possible to buy it).

One thing that most people want is the power to “be my own person.” We have a lot of sayings that reflect our obsession with our individuality:

• Be true to yourself
• Follow your heart
• All I want is for you to be happy
• Make your own road
• It’s nobody’s business how I live my life
• It’s my life/body & I’ll do with it what I want

Even in cultures where people get their identity from the group, there is a strong impulse to “look out for #1.” It comes out in a lot of ways, such as anger or resentment at having to fulfill the requirements that the family has put on you.

In spite of what you have read so far, I have what may be an epiphany for you – God doesn’t want to destroy your individuality. Just the opposite is true. He actually wants you to know that He has a special plan, one that is tailor-made just for you. The key to knowing & experiencing your true distinctiveness is to allow Him to guide you in the fulfillment of that plan, which He has had since before the world began.

 

Here’s my challenge to you:

Get over the fear of letting God call the shots in your life.

Stop hiding & trying to protect yourself with a perverted individualism that kicks God out of the picture.

When we become the final authority we inevitably destroy ourselves because we’re not qualified to know what is best.

But, like the old TV show says, “Father Knows Best.”

THINKING ABOUT HEAVEN

There are a few things that can motivate you to think seriously about heaven: realizing that Christ has saved you from eternal punishment in hell; reaching a point in life where the natural abilities & potentials that have always been on the increase in your life are now beginning to level off or even decrease.

There are also many things that make heaven seem irrelevant:

• The naïve, even self-righteous youthful idealism & energy that believes it can change the world just by trying hard enough; 
• Utopian ideas of secular socialism (even “Christian” socialism) that promise heaven on earth; 
• Some kinds of hyper-faith that see the hope of heaven as an escapist mentality; 
• Religions whose cyclical view of existence makes it impossible for the average person to ever attain anything beyond the drudgery of meaningless repetition.

Even just the busy-ness of life can do that.

I think of heaven as completion, fulfillment. Whatever we see, hear, experience, feel, etc. here that brings genuine life will be ours in heaven. The difference is that it will not be in part as we now know it. People sometimes wonder, “Will heaven be like…?” My answer is, “I don’t know, but it will be infinitely better. There is no way to comprehend it now.”

How can a flea imagine nuclear physics? I’m trying to describe the indescribable. There are no earthly words or concepts to explain it. 

If there were, it would not be heaven. There are only analogies.

I will see our first baby, Elizabeth Irene, who went to be with Jesus before she was even born.

I will see my grandmother Rachel Higgins, who prayed me into the Kingdom. She lived nearly long enough to see me graduate from Bible school in 1980.

I will see my pastor Mark Woodbury who was a wonderful encourager; he taught me about leadership & in many ways shaped my ministry here in the Philippines.

I love the old hymn by Fanny Crosby, Draw me Nearer. There’s a verse that says:

There are depths of love that I cannot know till I cross the narrow sea;

There are heights of joy that I may not reach till I rest in peace with Thee.

But the real completion will be when I see Jesus.

MAKING FUN OF GOD

It’s almost a cliché  - when confronted by something or someone we don’t know or like, or by an idea that is new or threatening to us, we look for ways to dismiss it or make it irrelevant. We even ridicule it. It’s unfortunate (at least, most of the time) when this happens on a relational or intellectual level.

I say “most of the time” because sometimes there are good reasons for dismissing a person or idea. For example, parents have the right to step in when their child is developing an unhealthy relationship. On the intellectual or cultural level, some ideas are not as clever, original, or beneficial as their advocates claim.

However, there is one case in which we should never reject out-of-hand. Too often we dismiss God & make Him irrelevant. We make fun of Him.

Maybe it’s in our words, & maybe it’s in our actions (or lack of them). Sometimes it’s in heart attitudes that He alone can see.

Sometimes it’s when we think we as a culture know more or better better than what He has revealed in the Bible. This is now happening with moral standards.

Sometimes it’s when we think we have to “do something” in order to earn God’s favor. We’re actually saying that somehow Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is insufficient for us.

We make fun of God; we trivialize Him. He threatens our personal autonomy. We can’t have that now, can we? 

After all, who’s really in charge of the “real world?”

ANOTHER LOOK AT LIBERTARIANISM

Governments operate based on assumptions about human nature, the purpose of government, & what the relationship between citizens & government should be. Here are 2 examples of assumptions that are sometimes made: 

• Government is more able, wise, resourceful, & competent than the average person. This idea is reflected in the nearly innumerable bureaucracies, often with contradictory & competitive regulations which control more & more of life in America. This is all supposedly to make life better.
• The group or class is more important than the individual or community. This is seen in attempts to define & appeal to various voting groups like women, Hispanics, Asians, homosexuals, etc.

These kinds of assumptions can’t be found in the founding documents of the US.

The Founders were most concerned about balancing the one main issue – the relationship between the individual & his government – that has challenged those who have tried to define the proper role of government. This issue is authority – who ultimately determines how a person is to live.

One on end of the spectrum are those who feel that government should have minimal authority in the individual’s life. Those who believe this are called libertarians. (I write this post because of a very dishonest picture which I have put below, which deliberately muddies the waters on what libertarians believe.)

Others feel that government has the best resources, the most intelligent people, the best motivation, etc. This group also has many shades of belief. But over the last several generations the view at the extreme end of this side of the spectrum have prevailed, & we see today the results of such beliefs.

Our Founders sought a realistic middle ground between authoritarianism & radical individualism. The government must have power to deal effectively with those who do harm to others, but it must also (because of man’s fallen nature) be restrained from doing harm to those who haven’t wronged others.

One charge made by the President & other radicals is that the Constitution doesn’t authorize the Federal Government to do certain things on behalf of various classes of people. This claim is factually true, but these radicals’ view of government directly contradicts the intentions of the Founders. The Founders did NOT want to include that kind of authority; they had personally experienced & seen the results of raw, centralized, unaccountable government power. They were actually doing their best to prevent the very things that are being done to our people today.

I believe that the Founders envisioned a nation of citizens, the majority of whom could be called Theistic Libertarians. While not necessarily Evangelical in experience or understanding, they would have a general biblical world view & value system that would inform & motivate them to do right. They would recognize & embrace the need to pass on this heritage to future generations & immigrants, so that the theistic libertarian values that distinguished the new nation would be perpetuated.

From these observations, I draw 4 conclusions:

1. Libertarianism doesn’t deny the need for government; it acknowledges man’s tendency to do wrong to others & at the same time places clear limits on the power of government.
2. Absolute libertarianism was not the Founders’ intent; it leads to anarchy & national/cultural destruction.
3. Libertarianism based on secular values will never work because it based on changing views & often mutually contradictory individual self-interests.
4. Libertarianism must have a moral foundation that considers the good of others (like the Golden Rule). This is the key to self-government & the avoidance of both despotism & anarchy.

FORM VERSUS SUBSTANCE

I’m not trying to impress or confuse you with some complicated philosophical subject. But if we fail to understand the difference between what someone appears to be (or wants us to think that he is) & what he actually is, that mistake can do a lot of damage.

How many families suffer today because of someone who “seemed like a nice guy” when he was dating a girl? How many churches suffer because their “successful” ministers had unresolved moral or ethical issues that came home to roost? How many nations suffer needlessly because political candidates were presented as being more “professorial” or “wise” than others who would have served the people more conscientiously?

Sometimes people have even considered actors or actresses to be credible experts on something, simply because they were in a movie about that topic. If that weren’t so sad, it would be funny.

But the most serious implication of form versus substance is that one day many people will be confronted by a Judge who is never fooled by appearances. 

Matthew 7:21-23 tells us,

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

Substance is important – eternity depends on it.

CORE VALUES

I believe President Bill Clinton helped to popularize this term back in the 1990s. It refers to the ideas & principles to which a person or organization is committed & will not compromise.

One necessity in the Christian life is a consistent view of things. This view informs us & motivates us to be faithful to what God has revealed to us in Scripture. In other words, the Christian’s core values must be biblical.

If your core values are biblical, it is inevitable that you will be confronted by situations where you are expected to believe, affirm, do, or say things that violate Scripture. Unless you are willing to suffer for those values, you will eventually follow the crowd & go against those values.

Part of the responsibility of pastors & other spiritual leaders is to establish disciples in the truth of Scripture so that they will not be carried away by false teachings. After describing these leaders' work in Ephesians 4, we are told,

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ (verses 14-15).

Your pastor has a challenging job. Pray for him (or her). Receive your pastor's godly counsel, whether it is given one-on-one or from the pulpit. Then be committed to living by biblical core values every day.

Technicism

Most people today probably think idolatry just happened in past times, when ancient people bowed down to some kind of statue. Others who think further about the implications of this idea realize that idolatry can still happen. In cultures like where my wife & I live, much religious activity revolves around the veneration of sacred images.

But that’s not where it ends.

Idolatry is worshiping something that we have made ourselves, so it is possible for idols to exist in any place or time. Anything that we invent, discover, or manufacture can become our idol if we attribute an inordinate amount of worth to it.

But there is another layer in idolatry. It’s not only ascribing undue worth to something; the thing that we have created is also the object of our faith & trust. We have idols because we look to them as a source of provision, protection, fulfillment, satisfaction, etc.

There is a new, unofficial religion today which some have called Technicism. This new, secular religion sees technology, not God, as the ultimate answer to man’s problems. Technicism teaches that through technological advances, man can end poverty, create a just world, and ultimately create his long-sought utopia.

I’m not against technology - it is an expression of our God-given ability to create. It can & should be used to improve our lives. But, nothing that man can create can ever meet our ultimate need, which is spiritual. Only Jesus Christ can do that.

Why do you Christians Act so Different?

When I travel by myself, or when Deborah is alone at our house, Filipinos are often surprised by our ability to be alone for hours or even a few days at a time. We explain to them that it’s not unusual for Americans to travel without a companion or be alone in their home. In fact, most Americans enjoy it, and even call the experience “me time.”

Although this seems perfectly normal for Americans, it can appear eccentric or even abnormal by Filipino standards. Why the big difference? Because although we live in the Philippines, we are not Filipinos. Our earthly citizenship and cultural training are American. So there are things about our attitude and behavior that don’t quite fit in our adopted land.

Those who desire to follow Christ with consistency are citizens of heaven, and are being trained in the culture of heaven. They live in this world, but many of their values, beliefs, and behaviors are not like those who are not citizens of heaven. It should not seem strange when people say, “Why do you Christians act so different?”

Philippians 3:20-21

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

I Need You More

There’s a beautiful song we used to sing in the late 1990s by Wendell Cooley. It’s called “I Need You More.”  Some of the lyrics are:

I need You more, more than yesterday. 

I  need You more, more than words can say.

I need You more, more than ever before.

I need You Lord, I need You Lord.

More than the air I breathe, more than the song I sing, 

More than the nest heartbeat, more than anything.
And Lord as time goes by, I'll be by Your side,

'Cause I never want to go back to my old life.

It would be easy to assume that the longer we follow Christ and the more we grow in that relationship, the less aware we become of our need for Him. Actually, the opposite is true. Think of this way: The closer I am to Christ, the farther away I will sometimes feel.

As our minds are transformed by God’s Word, and our hearts are sensitized by the Holy Spirit, we become more aware of our tendency to drift. The “little sins” that didn’t bother us before begin to disturb our conscience. We start to realize how easily we are distracted by our impulses and self-centeredness. We sense that it is only God’s grace and faithfulness that keep us safe.

The evidence that I am walking with God is not being immune to temptation or forgetting my fallen-ness. The real evidence is an increasing awareness of how dependent I am on Him.