Saturday, April 24, 2010

Why Preachers Cry

Tomorrow I will be preaching on "Why Preachers/Prophets Cry" from Lamentations 3. Its been on my heart for some time. I know many preachers who preach on Sundays--and they can spend lots of time researching and polishing and putting together just the perfect sermon. And while they make hospital visits and such--often they mostly focus on preaching--which is good. These preachers often have elders in place to handle more of the shepherding matters. At least in most Churches of Christ that is the norm.

I live a different kind of a life as a preacher. Really, my role is more of a pastoral role. I spend a lot of my time shepherding the flock, counseling and mentoring, dealing with crises, trying to develop leaders, making sure we have teachers to teach on Wednesday nights, and often giving rides to work or providing other on the ground help to families. I have two wonderful men on the leadership team with me who also function in shepherd roles.

I guess because in our congregation, it is such a heavily outreach focus work and we have many new Christians among our flock--the work can be very difficult when it comes to looking after those new "sheep" if you will. I often learn things about people I'd rather not know. I often know details about people's lives that are very heartbreaking. And I often find myself in the role of holding brothers or sisters accountable for sin. This is not one of the more glamorous parts of ministry. They don't really teach such things in seminary.

So often I see people who are excited when they first become a Christian, but after the newness wares off and they find themselves wanting to remain involved in church but also wanting to maintain a life in sin--a decision often has to be made--"Should I stay or should I go now." Too often I have seen new Christians wonder away because it was too hard to give up their fleshly desires. Satan loves to pull new Christians back into his misery. And as a church leader, its one of the most painful and difficult things to experience.

They say that in today's standards, Jeremiah would be considered a failure when it comes to ministry! NO ONE EVER LISTENED TO HIM! He often begged and pleaded with his fellow Israelites to repent and follow God and they not only laughed at him and refused to listen--but often they physically punished him. Then I think of Moses getting so frustrated with the people who had been so blessed by God by HIS delivering them from bondage in Egypt--and yet how quickly they could turn on God and complain against Him.

Sometimes you just feel like a total failure--that you want sooooo bad for your brothers and sisters in Christ to understand how important it is to stay faithful to God--and often they get upset and irritated with you. Sometimes they get very angry and say harsh things. God has gifted me to be able to see beyond the now--and see how awful lives will be when people reject God over and over. When you love people so desperately and want them to not have to suffer the consequences of sin and not suffer from being apart from God. Its really hard.

I can empathize with Jeremiah and Moses. But what I do know--is it is not my job to save anyone. Nor is it my job to force someone to do what is right. God gave us all free will. But it is my job to teach the truth and stand up for what is right--including in my own home.

Ultimately we are all individually accountable to God. But I just so want to see God's people not only get to go to heaven--but to also get to enjoy the abundant life Jesus promised while we are still in this life!

Sometimes when I see people just ignoring God and rebelling against HIM and suffering the consequences over and over--just makes me sometimes cry! But I endure, I persevere and I put all my trust and hope in the Lord. He is worthy to be praised!

Bruce

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

PAIN, SUFFERING, AND BLOODY CARNAGE!!!

I titled this entry "Pain, Suffering, and Bloody Carnage" to point out what is being left behind in family after family--where Satan goes in and deceives husbands and wives that they'd be better off to go pursue what they want--and just divorce and let the family be torn apart!

Jesus weeps at such family tragedies! Scripture is very clear, that adultery is the only justifiable reason for divorce! Now--certainly like many Christians--in my heart I believe that God is understanding of physical abuse, child molestation and other difficult things that can come up sometimes where a spouse has no choice but to be apart from the abusive spouse. But I rarely here such reasons when I hear about marraige breakups these days.

Unfortunately, I hear things like: "We've just grown apart," or "He or she just gets on my nerves" or "I am just not attracted to (her) (him) anymore," or "I just want to be happy."

And what I notice in almost everyone of these situations--is that while most of these couples splitting up say they are believers--most are not really serious in their relationships with God both as individuals and as couples. Very few live an active lifestyle in the Lord day to day--but are too often concerned about their own selfish wants and desires. Many do not pray together, nor do they have much communication period unless it is negative. My dear friends--OUR MARRAIGES AND OUR FAMILIES DESPERATELY NEED THE LORD!!!

When we marry, we enter into a covenant relationship with each other and with God. God does not like His covenants being broken and HE does not like families being torn apart. God hates the life time scars that are left on children after divorce. Genesis 2 tells us that at some point, a man shall leave his father and mother and become one with a woman. That does not mean that each spouse has to lose their identities--but it does mean that married couples are to be united together--forsaking all others!

Ephesians 5 and 6 teach us how God wants husbands and wives to live. It takes both husband and wife working everyday. But through God's word, through couples praying together, choosing to love each other more and more and get "self" out of the way--great miracles can take place. And there are also Christian Counselors that can also help couples sort through problems and be able to better communicate better. If your marraige is hurting, there is hope! God can do great things we cannot do!

However, much is at stake!

When a husband or wife makes the final decision to leave the marraige covenant--there is so much pain and suffering. I can tell you that so many emotional scars are also left on the adults too. But the real victims are the children whose lives change forever. So much "bloody carnage" is often left behind because one or both spouses decide without good Biblical cause to end a marraige and EVERYONE LOSES!!!

If your marraige is struggling--there is help! Start praying together. Start reading books like "The Power of Praying Couples" and "His Needs Her Needs" to name a few--and those books can really help! Invite your pastor or church leadership team to help pray with you and perhaps counsel you and your spouse. Get Christian Marraige Counseling. Don't give up on your marraige! Instead honor God, learn to love Jesus better everyday--and HE will teach you to love your spouse better than you ever have before!

Peace and Love to all.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Calling It Like It Is

I was up tonight watching "Dateline NBC" with Chris Hansen and it is so disturbing seeing so many men who are caught trying to solicit sex with teen aged girls. What is even scarier are the number of men who are not caught!

My friends--our children are under attack! Our families are under attack! But lets call it like it really is. Its not due to psychological problems or bad childhoods and all the other excuses we make for people. The ultimate problem with such tragedies--is plain and simple--ITS CALLED EVIL! Its not people that are bad--such sin and tragedies happen when poeple become so separated from God--and are completely overcome by Satan's lies and deception. Paul addresses such issues in Romans 1:18-31:

18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.


Verse 28 says it all--when it says God eventually gives people over to their sin and they have a "Depraved Mind" which means we no longer have any conscience.

We all sin and fall short. But if we keep our spirit being continually fed and stay walking in the light--we are much stronger to resist temptation and our fleshly desires.

But make no mistake--our problem today with all the various kinds of social ills such as child sexual predators or murderers and the list goes on--is simply due to a lack of Jesus in people's lives! Lets keep telling a hurting and lost world about our Savior!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Our Children And Sex

This will be my last posting regarding "Sex God's Way." I want to talk about our children and the danger they face with how Satan is working double time to lure them into a lifestyle that God meant for married adults.

If you look at what kids are watching on tv, what they are talking about, or what they listen to on the radio--so much of it is packed with the concept of how "having sex" is the norm for everyone and every age. Were not just talking about 16 and 17 year old kids being consumed with this--but 9, 10, 11, and on up. Too many girls long to look very sexually appealing. So many songs are just riveted with verses like "Boys wanna touch my junk," "Rub it up and down," and the list goes on!

While Christian parents and our churches are trying to plant seeds of Jesus in our kids, as soon as they walk out of that influence the world (Satan) is working to quickly undo that teaching by luring them into thinking pre-marital sex is ok.

Just look at the so called "Reality" shows! They all glorify these college kids having casual sex as if its just normal. I remember seeing one show recently (yes, I do occasionally take a look at such shows so I know whats going on) where one girl is defending her Christian faith to one of the other roommate guys who was an athiest--and then later on sleeping with him!!?? Boy, what a twist and so confusing for our kids!

We have become so desensitized to sexual sin--and now more and more of our kids are becoming the same. In my ministry, I often come in contact with 10 and 11 year old girls who are already sexually active and its not considered a big deal. It breaks my heart--that so much innocence is being destroyed! It also breaks Jesus' heart!

These young people are having something that could be so special between their future spouses spoiled and possibly ruined forever by partaking of sexual sin so early. I am not talking about forgiveness--God's always got plenty of forgiveness and mercy and grace! I am talking about being physically, emotionally, and mentally scarred for life. So many young girls have come to believe that the way to experience love--is to give their bodies to boys or men who have no concept or understanding of what real love is!

But this scourge on our young people DOES NOT HAVE TO CONTINUE! We can go to war and begin to with God's help--lay out a battle plan of protection for our children! Here is an example of a solid battle plan:

1. Begin teaching our children about the Lord while they are still in the cradle.

2. While not exposing our children to things they are not ready for, also recognize that they often get exposed to sad realities whether we like it or not--and we need to be prepared to teach them what God intended sex to be--and not what the world has done to preverse and abuse that institution.

3. Let our children see what love between a man and a wife is supposed to be--so they have something to go by--besides physical intimacy. How many women complain about husbands who only want sex but offer no tenderness and affection? Moms and dads need to model for their children what sweet and tender agape love is--that goes way beyond sex.

4. Explain the dangers of sexual sin to our children--not just things like STDs and early pregnancy--but the awful emotional and mental scars that come along with pre-marital sex too.

5. While everyone cannot home school their kids, we can control what they listen to, what they watch on tv, what they read and who they spend their time with. WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT OUR KIDS ARE DOING!!!!

I pray that the Lord will put a strong layer of protection around all of our children and that our communities of faith--will stand up to the world's lie--that kids can go ahead and experience all the things adults get to experience--WE NEED TO TELL THE WORLD WHO WILL LISTEN THAT ITS ALL A LIE INTENDED TO DESTROY OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURES! Satan knows he cannot defeat God--so he tries to hurt God by hurting God's children. Lets all do our part to help turn the corner and protect our children's innocence! Peace be with you!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

SEX AND BEING SINGLE

When I was single and had tasted the forbideen fruit of fornication--everyday I was not married was such a struggle for me. And I look back on the failed relationships that included sexual sin in them that caused much pain for me and them. Perhaps many single Christians are dealing with the same struggle?

What can we do?

First there is no easy fix. Paul tells us in Romans 7 that "I do what I hate and what I want to do I do not do" (paraphrasing). Our spirit wants to stay pure, but our flesh cries out to be satisfied. So the best we can do is to cling tight to the Lord's promise that HE has something so much better to offer. We need to begin to pray for God to sustain us and to fill the void of not being married with a revelation of just how HE wants us to be serving HIM while we are single. We need to let God fill what man cannot. Just like married Christians who also struggle with lust and sinful desires--we have to keep our hearts protected from Satan's lies and deception. We have to keep ourselves filled with heavenly things--what we read, what music we listen to, and keeping our thoughts and eyes on Jesus!

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 7 that its better not to marry due to the greater and more undisturbed service we can render to God. But he also says if passion burns too much in us (like it did me) that we need to marry. I realize this is much easier said than done for many single Christians.

THERE IS NO EASY SOLUTION HERE--other than God can do what we cannot. When we are weak--HE is strong. Let us keep calling on HIM when we feel weak and tempted. Let us strive to keep ourselves pure. If you are single, get involved in a strong Christian singles group with other Christians who can give you and you give them much encouragement. Stay surrounded by those who would hold you accountable.

When I worked at CiCi's, one of my brothers, Tom Grace, would always pull me aside and ask me if I was sleeping with whoever I was dating. I did not always like such questions--and I am sure most would be offended at such inquiries--but thats how much Tom loved me and he knew how things worked--since he had been single before and liked women as much as I did. But I thank God everyday for a brother like Tom who held my feet to the fire. Its better to be uncomfortable and be called out than to suffer the awful consequences for sin.

God is faithful. Cling close to HIM and HE can handle your struggles. HE can fulfill so much more than the things of the flesh that we are so convinced we have to have.