It’s hard to give God our future …
When we keep holding on to our past.
God’s grace:
Love with conviction,
Mercy with repentance,
Freedom with holiness.
I’ll take relational simple church over staged scripted church any day of the week.
If you’re confused about why it takes victims of sex abuse in the church so long – if ever – to build up the courage to speak up …
Look no further than your own reaction when it involves abuse by someone you support, like or know.
Is church supposed to be a staged event …
Or a functional community that ministers to one another?
Planned Parenthood received birthday congratulations from President Obama and Hillary Clinton today, which is ironic …
Given the millions of babies who will never have a birthday because they were killed by Planned Parenthood.
Those who claim the Bible is God’s authoritative written Word only in spots,
And by implication that they have the authority to spot the spots,
Are not teaching some new revelation but the same old deception …
Which starts by asking,
“Did God really say?”
I get so tired of the lie, repeated whenever someone wants to avoid the hard work of living by their convictions – or even having convictions – that we must not judge.
Where does Scripture make a blanket prohibition on judging?
Continue readingLove God, do what’s right …
And trust Him with the results.
Moral compromise rarely seeks to deliberately advance evil …
But to preserve our own comfort zones instead.
Which, from evil’s standpoint, is perfectly fine also.
Without hospitality …
There is no ekklesia.
Grace is the means …
Not the end.
Disgusted with the choice of Trump verses Clinton?
The answer is not to wash our hands of “politics” by retreating into a theology of Gnostic dualism – which isolates our spiritual life from the “real” world and all its shortcomings. Jesus never taught that, but proclaimed full authority over both heaven and earth – while sending us out into all the world.
God’s people need to be careful about wide swings between hope and disillusionment. Wisdom seeks to find, instead, the Biblical precepts which stand firm and will remain true even after the present unpleasantries fade into the past.
Let’s be engaged in a world Christ yet loves, but with a renewed discernment that’s been lacking in God’s people.
The problem is not so much Clinton or Trump as much as our lack of engagement and discernment – in disregard of God’s call to be His salt and light in all spheres of life.
This election, more than most, we are paying the price for our own failures.
Let’s learn the right lessons, vote for whom our conscience allows (while understanding there are more issues and offices up for grabs this election than just the White House), and resolve to never let this happen due to inaction and poor judgement again.
The solution to problems caused by our past disengagement from the civic life of our nation, and from lack of discernment, is not more moral relativism and retreat.
That’s entirely the wrong lesson to learn from the current mess we’re in.
Let’s take our lumps, vote as best we can, learn from our mistakes and resolve to never again be reduced to such poor choices.
Two things Jesus never said:
“Learn to love yourself” and
“Forgive yourself” …
Because true worth and freedom come from Him on His terms, and not from us on our terms.
I’d rather gather together as a functional community of believers who express Christ’s presence already in each of us – one to another …
Than go elsewhere for a scripted performance which tries to “usher” us into His presence – stage to pew.
The more I learn to “be the church,” the less I want “the show.”
It’s popular these days to say that Jesus is all about a relationship.
Ok. I get it. People are sick of dead religion. So am I.
But that begs the question:
A relationship on whose terms?
Continue readingHow do cultish groups, “churches” and movements attract people?
It’s simple:
Feed the need for validation …
Through a false Jesus who reinforces our own hopes and fears.
God’s grace leads to faith …
Through repentance.
Many burnout by repeatedly ministering to folks who want our time, energy and resources …
Without fundamentally dealing with their own underlying issues through honest repentance.
Continue reading
“Christian” existentialists live lives of angst and doubt, seeking a Jesus of their own perception and definition.
They would do much better submitting to Christ as He perceives and defines them instead …
Because it’s only there that life and liberty are found.
Do circumstances define your reality …
Or does God’s reality define your circumstances?
It’s always your choice.
Plumbline Faith 