Happy Halloween!

Well, today is Halloween. It’s a day that has pagan origins, with the Druids, if my memory serves me correctly. Then Christians took the pagan holiday, adapted certain parts of it and used it as a time to celebrate the saints of the faith that have gone before us. Now it seems we (Christians) have given it back to the pagans…more specifically, to the candy manufacturers! There are two views among believers that are predominate: the either act repulsed by the notion of Halloween, or totally buy into every aspect of the present holiday. Neither of these are a witness worth sharing! I think “Trunk or Treat” should be an event at every church in America. I think we need to reclaim the witness the ancient church worked so hard to establish. Is Halloween the perfect holiday to use for our witness to Jesus Christ? No. Is that a good reason to hide inside the wall of our churches and ignore the practices of our culture? No. Still, it is a perfect time to reach out to everyone, especially children, with the love of Christ (but then, isn’t every day a perfect time for that?). I pray you will use trick or treat to share your witness with others…children and adults. If possible, attend the trunk or treat at your church…or start one. It seems our witness is exponentially magnified when many believers come together in one accord, and you never know, you may just find the presence of the Lord there with you, right in the middle of a pagan holiday!

A Privilege & Responsibility!

I have come to believe little of what I read in news reports, regardless of where they originate. It seems nearly impossible to get the news without a commentary attached to it; everyone attempts to slant every story to their point of view. However, I did recently read that in the last presidential election, 40% of believers in the United States did not vote. Could that be true? 40%! Am I so naïve that I understand voting, in every election, as both a privilege and responsibility? I will tell you I do not believe the right party or person will ever solve our problems…if conscientious leaders are to ever revive morality; we need to introduce people to Jesus Christ. Having said that, I also believe we must participate in society to the fullest in order to point people to the Savior. Remember Jesus said of us that we are not of this world, yet we remain in this world for a purpose (John 17). Knowing all this, I invite you to join me on Monday, November 3, as a day of prayer and fasting, not only for the pending election…that is certainly reason enough to be in prayer...but also for the believers in our country; that they will seriously engage the political process, as imperfect as it is, if for no other reason to proclaim our witness to a lost and hurting country.

What We Need

"Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity…
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith…Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong…Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph…
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with sister nations into a world unity that will spell sure peace—a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil."

The above prayer was spoken by Franklin D Roosevelt on D-Day. It was certainly extraordinary times in 1944, but today seems like extraordinary times too. These sound like words we ought to be praying today, but have you heard anything like them? From anyone? It might be because in our current battles, our cause was not righteous. It might be because we have become the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. It might be that we have become a nation of people who are consumed with self. It might even be that we have lost the knowledge that we need God’s intervention…without God we will spiral into sin. Regardless on your position of our nation’s policies or officials, as a nation we need to pause for a time of reflection and repentance. We need to seek God’s face as we elect officials next week. I invite you to join me in a day of prayer and fasting next Monday, November 3, as our country prepares to go to the polls on Tuesday. May God have mercy on us.

Growing Weary!

I don’t know about anyone else, but I have (again) grown weary of the campaigning and rhetoric, most of which is deceptive rather than informative. Could it be, that in our current state of enlightenment, it is truly beyond our capabilities as human beings to run a positive campaign? Some say the road to the elections is too long, but what if a candidate stated only his/her position on the issues and left the record or position of the opposition alone? Couldn't we tolerate that? Unfortunately, it seems that divisiveness is the norm on the campaign trail, whether it’s a national or local campaign. Why is that? Grandma was right, “If you can’t say anything good…don’t say anything at all.”

The following is a portion from Dwight D. Eisenhower’s inaugural address from January, 1953. "Give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong, and allow all our words and actions to be governed thereby, and by the laws of this land. Especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people regardless of station, race, or calling."
What might our nation look like today if politicians would espouse those goals and then proclaim them publicly? It seems today we have few leaders who are concerned with right or wrong, or with all the people and most elected officials are concerned with special interests that will keep them in power. What has happened to this great nation?

Evaporation vs. Salvation!

I just realized I forgot to post this blog on Friday…so here it is, better late than never.
I heard on the news today that since the first of the year, trillions of dollars have evaporated in the world market (I missed the exact number of trillions, but it was trillions). This causes me to wonder why it is we put so much stock in what others say and think. I mean, if a house is worth $50,000 to me, why would I pay $100,000 for it just because someone else tells me that it’s worth that? The trillions of dollars evaporated because it was never really there to start with. What a great word to use to describe the phenomenon: evaporated. It is not that trillions of dollars were hidden or burnt, it just evaporated because it was never there! If someone told me that house was worth $100,000 and I wanted it bad enough to pay that price for it…even though I did, that still doesn’t mean it’s worth it (I'm not an economist, but you get the idea). Well, here’s something that is worth eternally more than the cost: salvation. Christ offers it free to all who will believe in him, even thought the price He paid was tremendous. It’s unfortunate, but there are people in our world who will invest much too much in material possessions that rust and moths destroy and turn up their noses at a gift that is priceless.

Methacostalbyteranist!

Most of us will agree the Body of Christ will encompass believers of many denominations when we get to our reward. And while I do not have a seating chart for Heaven, I believe we will be interspersed about our celestial home. Contrary to many a cute joke, there will not be a Methodist section nor a Baptist section nor a Pentecostal section. We will all worship the Lamb together…don’t you believe that? Let me ask you this then, why don’t we worship together here on earth? Why is it we allow the doctrines of man to keep us from transforming our churches and our world? I am not suggesting that doctrine doesn’t matter and I am not saying we should have church together every Sunday, but if we agree that it is Jesus’ atoning blood which purchased our salvation, why is it we rarely even try to worship with our sisters and brothers in the faith? Do you really think that our differing interpretation of baptism or tongues will keep one of us from receiving salvation when we've professed Jesus is Lord? I know it is like trying to traverse a minefield blindfolded, but we will never experience true revival until we respectfully embrace our sisters and brothers in the faith for the glory of God.

Accountability

One of the greatest joys I have as a believer and as a pastor is to be a part of a covenant group. It is there I share my joys and struggles, as do others. It is there I realize that I am not the only one, who at times face what seem to be undoable tasks. It is there I sharpen my ability to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit. It is there I am held accountable. Being held accountable is tremendously beneficial a person’s walk…to our growth. Now, there are many levels of accountability in our world…some so distant that one really doesn’t have to be accountable to satisfy them. But to sit face to face with sisters and brothers in the faith, who are genuinely concerned for my spirit, with my growth, and with my well-being...that is Scriptural, valuable, and necessary for true growth. Having said that, are you a part of a covenant group; a group to which you are held accountable? If you are not, you need to seriously consider finding, or starting, a group. Not somewhere you can merely study something, or gossip about others, or even vent your frustration, but someplace you will be held accountable, someplace where your presence will help hold others accountable. If you want to experience love, grace, and the Holy Spirit, find that group soon.