On Bad News and Boycotts (A wee bit of rant)

What a week! Can you imagine someone coming back from a week retreat or a technology fast saying to you on Friday evening, "Hey whats going on these days?" Gee! Where do I start? Bombing in Boston, explosion in West, Texas, floods in Chicago, tornadoes, shootout with police in Boston, lockdown in Boston, Hospitals filling up in Waco and Austin, Capture of suspected terrorist in Boston...  not much else, Whats up with you?
Then last night Boston partied like they beat the Yankees for the pennant. But its not closure for a lot of people. There are still hurting people in hospitals and recovery, there are still grieving people, there are still lives cut short, and divisive
debates in our country, and these folks need our prayers and help. Our leaders need our prayers and input. All in all it's been a tough week in many ways.
So today, I get up at a leisurely pace, take the pills for the things I've been going through lately, have a cup of yoghurt, and head out to finish up my sermon for Sunday. So I go to Starbucks, get a parking spot in front of the door, get my laptop and some commentaries out of my trunk, come into the store, set all my stuff down on the table I was hoping was free and I hear my name. I turn around and the barista is walking toward me  saying, "Here you go Clark, didn't want you to have to wait, your Americano."
And people tell me I should boycott this place!
I know, I know, its not all about me. (Thank you Rick Warren for putting that on so many people's lips.) But this Barista, whose name I can't recall, is not the CEO of Starbucks. He's just a guy that needs a job and he does it well and tries hard. He didn't decide to support gay marriage, he just shows up and does what he's supposed to do. He's not setting policy, nor any of his co-workers, he's just selling coffee. And I'm building a relationship with them. And I don't come in here as often as I used to and for that I feel a twinge of guilt. But the fact that I come here at all makes me feel a twinge of guilt. Maybe since I'm white and a tiny bit Jewish I'm SUPPOSED to feel guilt all the time, but to my mind, this is silly.
Years ago I participated in the boycott of 7-11 to get them to stop selling porn as other major chains had done. I didn't buy their gas or their coffee or their Big Gulps (and that was hard). One day the magazines were gone. I was glad. I was really proud of the widespread effort that helped achieve that.
But have you seen the list of things we are "Supposed" to be boycotting now? It goes on and on and on. Especially when you considere how many products are in someway connected to Monsanto and everybody knows how bad they are. And Wal-Mart! I know people that can't live without Wal-Mart. I might avoid it but I get good pharmacy prices there.And Disney! Oh wait, is that one lifted?
Here's the thing. I'm not against boycotting but I don't know how effective this widespread "boycott everybody supporting bad stuff" effort is. Maybe if a few of our various denominational or "Christian right" leaders got together and agreed on a targeted boycott or two we might achieve something. Folks from Dr. Moore the new head of the Southern Baptist ERLC to James Dobson to Rick Warren to R C Sproul - Hey I don't who! - maybe if they picked some key organisations doing the most harm, talked to them, and if they didn't cease and desist we mount a boycott of epic proportions.
Because, after all, it is a free country, we can shop where we please or not shop. But I'm not sure targeting Starbucks, Home Depot, etc. etc. is really going to have an effect on legislation nor the morals of their customers.
So until then, my recommendation is to shop where you please. Build relationships with people. Be Christian and Christ-like. And don't blame the barista or the Wal-Mart greeter, or the nuts and bolts guy at Home Depot for participating in the Great Tribulation.
 And then we can pray for our country, too.

Infant Beheading, Severed Baby Feet, Screaming Newborns

Horrible Headlines right? But why aren't NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, CNN or HLN talking about it? Let a conservative say something stupid and they talk about it for days. Let an Abortionist kill born babies and all we hear is silence!
As columnist Kirsten Powers wrote on USAToday.com:
"You don't have to oppose abortion rights to find late-term abortion abhorrent or to find the [Kermit] Gosnell trial eminently newsworthy. This is not about being "pro-choice" or "pro-life." It's about basic human rights."*
We've been fighting this abortion battle for years.
I've marched on the capital, signed petitions, sent money to pro-life groups and wondered if it did any good at all. Thankfully abortions are not as frequent as they were a years ago, but there are still a ridiculous amount. 
Are all aborting mothers horrible witch-like murderers? No, of course not. Many are scared confused kids. Many are overwhelmed single moms. and most (probably) have been sold a lie that its just a mass of tissue. But they are still doing it and it's still wrong and people like Dr. Kermit Gosnell are facilitating, encouraging and enabling this rampant death culture that says, "as long as I can't see it its not a baby."
Ad to that Planned Abortive Parenthood's recent claim that its OK to kill a baby that has been born alive following an attempted abortion and you are closer to euthanasia's acceptance in our culture.
Just like the battle for same-gender marriage opens the door to people who say marriage ought to be for any two (or more) people (or things) that want to be married; gender, age, genus and species notwithstanding. So, the pro-death abortion crowd is expanding the borders of acceptable death.
But can we stop this argument long enough to agree that too far is too far?
Consider this part of the USAToday report:

NBC-10 Philadelphia reported that, Stephen Massof, a former Gosnell worker, "described how he snipped the spinal cords of babies, calling it, 'literally a beheading. It is separating the brain from the body." One former worker, Adrienne Moton, testified that Gosnell taught her his "snipping" technique to use on infants born alive. Massof, who, like other witnesses, has himself pleaded guilty to serious crimes, testified "It would rain fetuses. Fetuses and blood all over the place." (My bolding)

We need to get a handle on this and stop the erosion of our long term view of the value of life. We need to pray and talk and cajole and win some people over. Not because I think this will have some affect on the Kingdom of God or some sense of Corporate morality; but because babies are being slaughtered.



* http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/04/10/philadelphia-abortion-clinic-horror-column/2072577/
** Note: from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/454360/20130407/philadelphia-abortion-clinic-trial-details-babies-beheaded.htm  Gosnell, 72, is standing trial for the murder of seven at the Philadelphia Women's Medical Society Clinic, as well as a woman, Karnamaya Mongar, 41, who walked in to the hospital as a patient, the Mail reports. If he is found guilty, Gosnell will be sentenced to death. Massof, who await his own sentencing hearing after he pled guilty to the murder of two babies, claimed the clinic also cut out the spinal cord of nearly 100 living infants. And, for what it was worth, he said the clinic's instruments were rusty and unsafe.

If Jesus said "It Is Finished", Why the Resurrection?

This last Wednesday evening at our Prayer meeting we had a really good discussion. The question came up, that we know how to tell people why Jesus died on the cross, but how can we explain why Jesus had to rise again? And we kicked around several really good answers for that.

As a boy, it seemed that the main reason was just to show that Jesus beat the devil! Jesus wins, satan loses, end of story. And it felt good to know that. Boys are little competitive guys and that whole “we win you lose” story appeals to us.

Well, guess what. That’s really not totally off course. There is a sense of defeating the enemy in the work of Christ. In Colossians Paul ties together the death and resurrection of Christ and the giving of eternal life to this: 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

So I’d say yes, there IS victory in Jesus. But I’d like to show you a few more reasons if you have a few minutes on the Great Easter Sunday!

1.   First, To Show He was truly the Messiah. Why does the resurrection of Jesus from the dead show us that he is the Promised Messiah? Because, He did not die for his own sins. He died for our sins, but once he paid for them, he rose again. This also shows he can give life to all who trust in Him Act_2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be held of it. Death could not keep him. He was the sinless perfect man. He was the only one who lived a Righteous life. Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

And this was important enough for Peter to say, Act 10:40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly. This was for His disciples to see His victory and for the evil powers who thought they had victory.

2.   He rose to give us eternal life.

Paul writes: Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.  We have many verses that state clearly that without the resurrection our salvation is not complete.Listen:

Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. And,  1 Co 15: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. AND,

Eph_2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 

Jesus needs to be the Living Risen Savior if we are going to be “In Christ” and in the heavenlies. Jesus must be raised in a New Life if he is to give us a new life. Jesus needs to have conquered Death if we are to conquer death. BUT, I want to show you one more thing: 1Pe  1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you, and peace, be multiplied. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

It is the duty of the High Priest to take the blood of the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies! Now I don’t know exactly what Jesus did when he entered the presence of His Father. Remember, Jesus is still the God/man. This was the reunion of Father God and God the Son, but also human and divine. But I know this, Jesus was obedient to death, He shed His perfect sinless blood, and entered Bodily into the very Throne room of His almighty Father- to declare for us that Redemption has been accomplished and Applied! And by This living Christ we have Eternal life, eternal standing in the heavenlies

3.  3^rd He rose to defeat death so we could be raised, too.

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you. 1Co 6:14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

     Way way back, at the beginning of the story. There was Adam and Eve. They weren't created to die in 70 or 80 years. I think they were made perfectly and given access to the Tree of life so they could eat it and live forever. At least potentially. But they ate fruit from the Other tree, right? And the dream of eternal life with the Father was lost forever. Paradise Lost. But God didn't forget about it. God is preparing a place for us. Not so we can float around like disembodied spirits strumming imaginary harps!

No, but to have glorified bodies. Bodies that interact with things. Bodies that have senses. Bodies that glorify God.

They will be different for sure. Jesus has a glorified body and he appeared in a room whose door was shut. We also know that Jesus ate food, but we suspect He doesn't need to. I don’t think we’ll need blood in our veins. The life of human flesh is in the blood but Jesus said after the resurrection; Luke 24:39 See my hands and my feet? It is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see I have.

But however our bodies 1 Cor 15 is very clear, we will have a very real body.  1 Co 15:42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, "The first Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

4.   And Fourthly: He Rose to Come again as King of Kings.

I’m going to take us from Paul and Peter who had a lot to say about the resurrection of Jesus, and go to His brother, James.

Jas 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draws nigh.

The First Time: Jesus came as suffering servant. He came to turn the other cheek, heal the brokenhearted, raise a few dead, and preach the Coming of the Kingdom of God!

But Jesus is coming again! Amen?

Jesus is coming again.

Jesus ascended to heaven from a lonely hilltop with a few hundred followers. Jesus is coming again to multitudes of faithful saints!

Jesus, left behind 11 apostles. Jesus coming back to saints from every tribe and every tongue; every color and every race.

He had no form or comeliness that we should desire Him, but when He comes again Every Eye shall behold Him!

We esteemed him stricken of God and Afflicted!

But now God has given Him a name that is above every other name, That at the Name of Jesus…

That AT the Name of Jesus…

That at the NAME of Jesus…

That at the name of JESUS…

That at the name of Jesus… Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

To the Glory of God the Father.

Proclaim Jesus as Lord today. Don’t wait.

Proclaim Him as Lord over your life.

Surrender your sinful life to Jesus.

Beg His mercy and Grace. He is our only hope.

Take Him as your redeemer. He bought your soul with His blood.

Embrace Jesus with your whole heart.

Christians and Irreverent Silliness on Facebook

In studying through Romans I came across:
Rom 12:16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Well, I had to stop and admit, I have failed at this from time to time.
And I take it to heart that God is serious about this.
But at the risk of people thinking I am violating this verse I'm going to say something anyway.

I am so sick and tired of the silly little pictures - supposedly of Jesus - that ask questions on facebook like "Excuse me but will you take a moment and 'accept' me?"
First, HEY PEOPLE! That's not Jesus in the picture!

Exo 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 
Deu 4:16  Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female....  This refers to images of God or a god whom you might worship. Now I don't believe that people are going to bow down in front of their computer when a 'likeness or similitude of what Jesus looks like pops up, but why do it? Why publish false images of God?

Thank you, I feel better.


Second, STOP PUTTING WORDS IN HIS MOUTH! (Sorry, I'll try not to shout, but I am a Baptist preacher.)
Deu 4:2  Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it...
This is one verse that demonstrates a principal in scripture that we are not to add to God's Words.
Third, please stop making Jesus sound apologetic and nervous and well, effeminate. When he was in the temple courts, he didn't say "Excuse me, please stop selling those doves for such an outrageous price and please stop ripping people off while exchanging their currency."
He didn't say to the rich young ruler, "Sir, if it's not too much trouble, you might want to think about giving some of your money to the poor and then come follow me. I mean if it's not too much trouble. If it is that's OK you can still be my follower. Unless of course you'd like to lead a while. What do you think guys?"

One thing that grieves me about all this is that there are many who are not true disciples of Jesus who click "Like" or say "Yes I accept Jesus" who are lost and going to hell and by their flippant response to Christ A) believe they are accepted by Him, and B) insult the Lord of glory by treating him like something to pin on pintrest.
Another thing that bothers me about this trend is that True Believers go along with this irreverent silliness with out stopping to think about the message they send, that following Jesus is some easy little thing you tack on to the rest of your life; Ignoring that Jesus Is Lord of All! King of Kings and the Sovereign master of the Universe. He is a jealous God, a demanding God, and a God who will not share his glory with another, not even His true children!

Look I know my sins are great. I know every time I choose my way over His it's a rebellion. When ever I prize my way over His its idolatry. And I am so thankful for His Grace and Mercy. And I am thankful that His goodness continually draws me to repentance.

We have such a gracious God. But He is also Worthy of all honor and glory and praise. Let's not belittle Him in the public square with irreverent casualness.

You know what I am for?  I am for snippets of scripture! I love pretty pictures! You can even combine these. I love examples of some one doing something Christ-like. I think its great to call people to True repentance and faith in the Christ of scripture (read evangelism). I like it when someone posts a scripture or an idea that challenges, comforts, edifies. So, keep up the good work in those areas and be not weary in well-doing.

Should We Challenge the Values, Ethics, or Portrayals of God in Scripture

A professor at Messiah College recently said:

"When the Church grandly proclaims the Bible to be the Word of God, it gives the impression that the words of Scripture are above critique and beyond reproach. We are taught to read, revere, and embrace the Bible. We are not taught to challenge its values, ethics, or portrayals of God."

I discovered this quote here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/thoughtlife/2013/02/can-a-messiah-college-ot-professor-really-teach-the-bibles-immoral/ An excellent initial rebuttal by Dr. Owen Strachan, Professor SBTS and Christian rapper.

And the original blog is here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/peterenns/2013/02/when-the-good-book-is-bad-challenging-the-bibles-violent-portrayals-of-god/

Here’s something about the author of the quote above: Dr. Eric Seibert, Professor of Old Testament, Messiah College. Much of Seibert’s work is centered on addressing the problematic portrayals of God in the Old Testament, especially his violence. He is the author of Disturbing Divine Behavior: Troubling Old Testament Images of God (Fortress 2009) and The Violence of Scripture: Overcoming the Old Testament’s Troubling Legacy (Fortress 2012). Seibert is also a licensed minister in the Brethren in Christ Church and the Director of the Peace and Conflict Studies Initiative at Messiah College. He is currently working on his third book, Disarming the Church: Why Christians Must Forsake Violence to Follow Jesus (Cascade).

And one more link by another reviewer: http://questiontradition.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/the-good-book-is-good/

OK, here’s the deal. As the reviewer in the link at wordpress (just above) points out, there’s a difference between a friendly discussion at Starbucks and keeping a wolf out of your sheep. Dr. Seibert obviously has a problem with God Almighty and has taken it upon himself to de-violence God, and perhaps even to emasculate Him; and, to do so in addressing the church. In other words he is a wolf among the sheep.

But let me talk to you as if across the coffee table. (Laying down the gun I would use on the wolf, and I’m sure Dr. Seibert would not approve of that imagery.) Does the Bible have Sin in it? Certainly! Is God ever the author of sin, as in its originator? No. Does God act Sovereignly to affect people in such a way that their sin becomes greater? Yes. Take Pharaoh for example, God hardened His heart. But that is a far cry from what Dr. Seibert is saying. And I point this out because he is not alone!

Dr, Seibert said, “the Church … gives the impression that the words of Scripture are above critique and beyond reproach.” Well, yes, and it should. The words are above reproach. That doesn't mean we are to emulate everyone in scripture. We should not brag like Joseph, lust like David, or deny Christ like Peter. We are not to use violence to advance our own ends. But then we are not the nation of Israel, executing God's judgment on groups of people who had taken the land that God promised Abraham. The USA is not Israel. I’m not even positive that modern day Israel is the same Israel of the Bible. (But I would err on the side of caution and not stand against modern day Israel either.)

But that’s not what Dr. Seibert said; he said we are too use human judgment to critique the Word of God, and that we should bring reproach upon it. That’s something else altogether!

He also says, “We are not taught to challenge its values, ethics, or portrayals of God." Implying, I believe, that we should do so!

I believe we are called to study and understand it’s portrayals of God. Sometimes those portrayals are conditioned toward human understanding and attribute to God certain emotions that in humans would be borderline, if not fully, sinful or at least human-centered. Emotions like jealousy, anger, shock, and revenge come to mind. But to understand God is to see these played out in a divine and holy way. No one else has the right to be jealous except God the creator and deliverer. God is wrathful God and He has the right to be because He is also the God of perfect love. Not knowing Love like He does keeps me from fully understanding His wrath and anger.

I also want to say there is room in the Christian life for a discussion on the role of violence and whether Christian passivity in the face of violence is always right. While I believe in the concept of a “just war” I’m not sure I’ve seen one in my life time. Maybe so, maybe not. But I do not believe the OT passages that Seibert has trouble with teach me to go to war, or use violence, especially at the drop of a hat. What we need is responsible teaching and understanding of scripture not his way of dealing with it.

There are difficult to understand passages in the Bible. I do not find the bloody wars of Israel to be joyful portrayals except to note when the shackles of oppression are thrown off. I do not rejoice in the doctrine of Hell. Which is more fully developed by Christ Himself that any OT prophet. But I know this. His ways are higher than mine. His thoughts are higher than mine. His love and holiness and vengeance and wrath are greater than mine and I trust Him.