Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, the day our Lord willingly gave up His life as a ransom for many. There are many who think nothing of this day. They go through the day as if it is any other day, but if they only knew...

Knew that there was documented a man called Jesus who lived and died in the far away Roman province of Palestine.

Knew that this man, Jesus, was God in the flesh sent to save man from himself.

Knew that this man, Jesus, was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of man.

Knew that this man, Jesus, was nailed to a cross.

Knew that Jesus died on that cross, and three days later rose from the dead just as He said.

Knew that after being seen by many, Jesus ascended to heaven and promised to come again at a time of His choosing to claim those who believe in Him and give each eternal life.

If only they knew that the truth of this message is lived out every day by Believers and non-believers alike in examples like...

The attempts to save the planet and go green; all are rooted in the internal desire to have dominion over creation, and this desire... it was given to man back in Genesis by a Holy God.

The desire to be in control over things springs from that same desire Adam and Eve had when confronted by the snake in the garden. They wanted to be like God.

As Good Friday comes to a close and Easter weekend begins, please ask yourself this question: what would you do if you knew, I mean really knew that Jesus rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and promised to come again?

Would death scare you anymore? Would your life be spent spreading this wonderful proven truth? Would you worry about retirement or financial security? Compare your answers with the actions of the disciples after Jesus left them and... believe! The tomb is empty... rejoice for He is alive and coming again! Have a wonderful Easter!

The Coming Evangelical Collapse

Is there a evangelical collapse on the horizon? According to Michael Spencer, there is, and it just might be a good thing. I must admit, my initial reaction to the title was anything but complimentary, but after reading the article, I will say this: Mr. Spencer has some valid points that all of us should ponder.

Mr. Spencer writes,

"We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West."

He goes on to write,

"Millions of Evangelicals will quit. Thousands of ministries will end. Christian media will be reduced, if not eliminated. Many Christian schools will go into rapid decline. I'm convinced the grace and mission of God will reach to the ends of the earth. But the end of evangelicalism as we know it is close."

Why does Mr. Spencer believe this will happen? He gives many reasons, but, in a nutshell, it is this: we have not passed on a solid foundational faith to our children. Instead, we have passed on the warm fuzzes. Mr. Spencer writes,

"We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Ironically, the billions of dollars we've spent on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it. Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war, but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community. Coming generations of Christians are going to be monumentally ignorant and unprepared for culture-wide pressures."

He also has some hard things to say to parents and educators alike.

"Despite some very successful developments in the past 25 years, Christian education has not produced a product that can withstand the rising tide of secularism. Evangelicalism has used its educational system primarily to staff its own needs and talk to itself."

I agree, in principal, that many Christian schools have done a poor job of educating children in preparation of standing for Christ in a world hostile to Christ. Instead, Christians have built schools or ministries to serve their own needs... all the while staying out of the way of the world. But, there are many fine examples of schools and ministries that have done the opposite or are doing the opposite. Our school is one of those examples as we seek to be part of Huntsville and engage our community in order to be that city on the hill.

Mr. Spencer closes with several points:

"Will the coming collapse get Evangelicals past the pragmatism and shallowness that has brought about the loss of substance and power? Probably not. The purveyors of the evangelical circus will be in fine form, selling their wares as the promised solution to every church's problems."

"The loss of their political clout may impel many Evangelicals to reconsider the wisdom of trying to create a "godly society." That doesn't mean they'll focus solely on saving souls, but the increasing concern will be how to keep secularism out of church, not stop it altogether. The integrity of the church as a countercultural movement with a message of "empire subversion" will increasingly replace a message of cultural and political entitlement."

"We can rejoice that in the ruins, new forms of Christian vitality and ministry will be born. I expect to see a vital and growing house church movement. This cannot help but be good for an evangelicalism that has made buildings, numbers, and paid staff its drugs for half a century."

"We need new evangelicalism that learns from the past and listens more carefully to what God says about being His people in the midst of a powerful, idolatrous culture."

"I'm not a prophet. My view of evangelicalism is not authoritative or infallible. I am certainly wrong in some of these predictions. But is there anyone who is observing evangelicalism in these times who does not sense that the future of our movement holds many dangers and much potential?"

I would encourage everyone to read this article twice. You may not agree with everything written, but the words that are written will make you think deeply about some issues that may have been buried for a while. Blessings to all!

Kids...

A recent study found that kids from families that worship regularly exhibit far few problems than those that do not. The article highlighted the findings of the study. For example:

"The study by psychologist Nicholas Zill, the founder of Child Trends, and statistician Philip Fletcher found that children in such a situation -- when compared to children not living with both parents and not attending religious services regularly -- are 5.5 times less likely to have repeated a grade and 2.5 less likely to have had their parents contacted by the school because of a conduct or achievement problem."

The article goes on to state,

"Additionally, intact families who have regular religious participation (defined as at least weekly or monthly) are less likely to report parental stress and more likely to report a "better parent-child relationship," the analysis, which focused on families with children ages 6-17, says. "

"The authors said that children in an intact religious family "are more likely to exhibit positive social behavior, including showing respect for teachers and neighbors, getting along with other children, understanding other people's feelings, and trying to resolve conflicts with classmates, family, or friends."

I wonder why this study was not on the front page of any prominent newspapers or worthy of any discussion on the evening news? Hmm. Read the entire article and be encouraged. Blessings!

The Truth...

I was given the great blessing one summer of spending almost three months in Israel as I worked for a Christian hostel in Haifa. I learned many things as I lived with Messianic Jews who worshipped and loved the Lord Jesus. This past weekend I was reminded of a lesson I learned from them as they lived daily with issues we, in the west, never encounter (Thanks Pastor Zellner! Come visit us at Westminster Presbyterian Church...you will not be sorry!).

The Bible is the truth...yet we spend a lot of energy defending it like it needs protection. I love Apologetics, but I want to make sure I do not spend all my energy defending and have nothing left for loving. I believe we ought to ask those who claim that there is no god...to prove it. There is plenty of evidence for the gospel; where is the evidence to support the claim that there is no god? My lesson is simple: those who claim that there is no god...please prove it! Why! Well, wouldn't you want to share the truth with everyone you encountered? Exactly! Blessings!

What ever happened to honor and integrity?

As I watch our future "leaders" debate and jostle for position in the next election, there are two words that never come into any conversation: honor and integrity. What has happened to these two elements in today's society?

First, honor is defined as "the esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; reverence; veneration." The Bible addresses honor in all venues whether it be family, church, in submission to rulers, the social realm or the body of Christ. The definition suggests that if something or someone is due honor then it or they are due honor regardless of opinion or external influence. In today's self-centered world, honor, or the giving of it, is not intrinsically rewarding to the person giving honor so, naturally, it decreases in value, eventually disappearing to the point of extinction. And, that is our world today.

Integrity, on the other hand, is defined as "the quality or state of being of sound moral principle uprightness ,honesty, and sincerity." Interestingly, there is no direct Greek word translation for integrity in the Bible. The closest Greek word is the one which translates to perfect or complete. Some suggest that to have integrity one must be complete and whole, and in order to do this, one must be in Christ.

The absence of the two words in the world makes sense from a Christian perspective because, according to our study of the scriptures, to receive honor one must be be of sound moral principle...perfect and complete. Again, it makes sense to me why the two words have disappeared from our political realm, but in another, it is alarming when one comes to the realization that our leaders do not even try to reach these standards anymore, and we, who elect them, do not even work to hold them to these standards.

Honor and integrity are missing from today's society and that fits right in line with scripture, but what does not fit is why these two words are missing from today's Christian church? An article I read recently stated that "as the church we have abandoned the idea of perfection, preferring instead to dwell on God’s acceptance of our failures, rather than on His ability to deliver us from them. This attitude works contrary to the notion of deliverance which is obtained through faith in the name of Christ Jesus."

Now, I do not believe you can achieve perfection this side of heaven, but that should not stop us from pursuing it with all that we have. The pursuit of perfection is a spiritual act of honor and integrity because we are called to be imitators of Christ, and we are called to the obedience of His Word. There are too many of us who put our needs and opinions before those of our Savior, and by doing this we become disqualified for the traits of honor and integrity. Instead, we are content to continue to dwell in our sin day in and day out. We prefer to dwell "on God's acceptance of our failures" instead of His holy power to help us overcome them. Honor and integrity are two traits that belong to the Christian! May we claim them as ours in Christ for His great glory!

The Goal of Christian Community

One of the best things about being a Christian should be the sense of community we have with each other, but sadly, it is often one of the missing elements of the Christian walk. At WCA, our goal is community! We must have it because it is that important.

Community is important to the Christian school for many reasons. As we teach our students, we teach them about life, and life is about many differing relationships existing in love and unity. J.I. Packer, in his book, Knowing Man, makes a good case for community being an "aspect of the divine calling." He reminds us of the plural pronouns in Genesis 1:26 when God decides to make "man in our image." Packer states that it is "not the 'us' of royalty or authorship, but instead, it is the 'us' of plurality." Packer writes that it seems right to say that "the [community], which is essential to our well-being as persons is actually a further item in the image of God which we are called to reflect and embody in our life activities."

Sadly, we often allow "things" to get in the way of our Christian community. Why? If you are like me, control is one of the major detriments to community. Every one wants to be in control, even those who will not admit it, and they want to be in control because they think they are right. We would rather be right then be united; we would rather be right than submit to authority. We would even rather be right than have peace because deep down...we still have that fundamental flaw...we want to be like God.

Another "thing" that gets in our way is pride. It is the reason we want to be in control, and, often, it is the reason we are not in control. Pride rules us and can often overwhelm us if we are not careful. Pride is the reason we yell at our spouse, we lose our temper in traffic, and we mumble under our breath at our incompetent co-worker or even worse, our incompetent supervisor. Why? Well, of course we can do a better job in a better way with better results.

When these "things" rule our lives Christ does not, and community will never result. In the coming year, Westminster Christian Academy and Westminster Presbyterian Church will both be tested in the area of community as we become the guests of some amazing churches. What a blessing it has been to experience Christian community from these churches. What a testimony they have been to us! May are goal this year and always be community that is rooted in Christ!

You've Got to Be Joking...

Welcome to the “I” Church the sign states. I have no idea where this church is, but it does point to one of the major problems that Christians face today: self. Today we are worried about our feelings, our rights, and our well being so much so that we forget to do many of the very things that Jesus commands. When asked what is the greatest commandment Jesus said, “to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind, and all your strength; and the second is this; love your neighbor as yourself.”

In a day when churches like this show up more than we care to admit, leaders of them claim to be one thing and yet are another. I find great irony in the fact that those who speak about postmodernism much are in fact very postmodern in their thinking and actions. Here are a few indicators of that someone who speaks of postmodernism often but is, in fact, very postmodern.

1. Jumps to the latest greatest fad instead of jumping to scripture.
2. Micromanages and avoids delegating.
3. Fears excellence and views anyone who brings it as a threat.
4. Uses change as a tool of manipulation.
5. Elevates the latest fad as the panacea of all.
6. Is an inch thick and ten miles wide regarding anything of substance.
7. Enjoys operating in crisis and urgency.
8. Short term goals and objectives always consume and replace long term goals and objectives
9. Prefers to make decisions alone and avoids consultation with others.
10. Everything tends to be all about them.

The irony of today’s world is that the more you dwell in it and talk about it the more it turns you into the very item you swore you would never be. Take it from me, unless you dwell in the scriptures and spend time with your Lord in prayer and worship, you will become the very things you swore never to be. Our charge is to pray without ceasing!