Forgiven Christians (Ephesians 2:8-9)

01/17/2010

Have you ever had someone tell you Heaven is going to be boring and they'd rather go to hell and have a great time with their friends? Do you ever feel that way yourself? What if there is no God and you've spent your whole life living a "Christian life" and then you die and find out you missed out on all the "fun"?

I'd like to suggest that people with those opinions may not actually be Christians.

First, Psalm 27:4 expresses King David's great desire -

"One thing I have asked of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple."

As we grow in the knowledge of the Lord and develop a more intimate relationship with Him, we will know there is no greater joy than walking with Him.

All the beer, sex, drugs, (rock and roll's okay) and carnal living we can fit into our lives will never come close to one moment of living in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

As far as Hell goes, I'm guessing the people who consider it a tavern with a dart board, pool table, big screen t.v. and all the drugs and sex you can handle may not have ever read what the Bible tells us about Hell.

I've never read anywhere in the Scriptures that Hell is anything better than eternal torment, wailing and gnashing of teeth. What God tells me of Hell probably is a whole lot more accurate than anything my friends think it is.

When we are truly Christian, what we do and how we live is the direct result of how deeply we believe the truth of the Bible and reflects our faith and trust in Christ. It is a display of our love relationship with the Holy Trinity.

When I get uncomfortable sharing the Gospel with my friends,  I imagine them suffering eternally in hell because I didn't want to offend them. There's lots of books and online ministries that help us become equipped to share the Gospel. Your Christian bookseller will be glad to help you find resources.

One more thing... Many Christian bookstores are suffering due to the competition of the internet and major booksellers. If you can support the "little guy" with your shopping, we'll all be better off.

God bless,

 Joe

01/23/10

I was listening to R.C Sproul online this morning; his lesson focused on how the Protestant Reformers put the Bible into the hands of the people for their own discernment. The Catholic Church had a serious concern that the "common man" would misinterpret the Bible and be led astray.

 As I look at the many denominations and independent ministries today all claiming to hold the truth of the Bible, as I "channel surf" the various media ministries, I can honestly see the reality of the Catholic Church's reluctance to make Scripture available to everyone.

Those Christians who do not adhere to the Catholic Church as being the "one true church"  need to be extraordinarily diligent in the interpretation of the Scriptures and test them in light of Scripture. Additionally, Catholics ought to study and understand the reasoning behind the Catholic Church's doctrines in addition to what is clear in the Scriptures.I have found it difficult to reconcile Catholic doctrine with Biblical principles, so Catholics may need to decide for themselves if they are following ture Biblical Christianity. All of us, Catholic and Protestant and seeker must be discerning as to who we are listening to, and whether we are being fed the Truth, or a variation that tickles our ears.

What works for me in studying the Bible is to have more than one Study Bible. One of my favorites is the MacArthur Study Bible (I know of few men more intensely devoted to finding the accuracy of Scripture) and I have a Catholic Study Bible (our roots are in the historic Catholic Church and it helps to compare their doctrine with the Reformation Bibles). I recently purchased the Adrian Rogers Legacy Bible and find his insight helpful, and have an Apologetics Study Bible that I refer to on occasion.

The point of all this is that we need to search the Scriptures as a miner who found a treasure of gold. The enthusiasm for the Word of God ought to make us dig deeper and verify that we are using our mental muscles to follow the veins with the most pure gold.

One other thing... I've listened to Preachers who have such a disdain for the Catholic Church that one gets the impression nothing of value can be learned from it. Personally, I've found the lives of certain "Saints" to be most inspiring, and the writings of others to be well worth reading. An example of this is the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. What made him so popular was his great desire to live according to the Gospels - in simplicity with total reliance on Divine Providence. He was a great Reformer within the Catholic Church and well worth learning more about.

So, all Christians have a sobering responsibility to study the Word of God and discern what is heard from the pulpit (or TV or radio or the internet). The testing of what we hear in light of Scripture and the teaching of Godly ministers will only bring us closer in our walk with Jesus.

God bless.

Joe

02/09/2010

A lot of times I get caught up in Apologetics, trying to decipher which denomination has the clearest teaching on the Scriptures, whether there is validity in the "Scripture and Tradition" teaching of the Catholic Church, how to witness effectively to Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses and stuff like that.

Then I look at heroes of the faith coming out of the various denominations (we all have our favorites) and what strikes me is their lives were and are centered around love of God and love of others.

So my point is - my focus on this website is sharing the love and forgiveness of God to as many as will receive Him, and to love my neighbor (whether they are Christian or Muslim or Martian) with such sincerity that when they think of me, they will get a glimpse of Jesus.

Anyone care to join me?

 02/28/2010

I have a handful of very dear friends that in spite of my best efforts have yet to give their lives to Christ. Considering the eternal consequences, my heart searches for yet another way to reach them. After putting myself through exhaustive efforts, the Good Lord gently reminds me that my job is to plant the seeds and be a faithful witness. He gets to grow the seed in their hearts.

As believers, this is a terrific illustration depicting all of us as the "Body of Christ." Working together we have a much stronger testimony to unbelievers of the joy of the Lord in our lives than we would as a "lone ranger" Christian. And God gets to use one of us to plant the seed, another to fertilize it, another to water it, and another to pull the weeds around it. In this way, no one of us can be pideful in bringing a friend or loved one to a Saving Faith, yet we can all rejoice in being used by God for His purposes.

So, my brothers and sisters, I'm asking you to nurture the seeds I plant in my friend's and family's lives, and I promise to do the same for those you introduce to Jesus.

We (and by this I mean "I") need to remember the unlimited power of prayer - not isolated to saving souls, but in every aspect of our lives. Yesterday an earthquake hit Chile hard, yet its impact carried throughout the Pacific Ocean to Japan and Russia in the form of a tsunami. Prayer is like that. From the quiet of our bedrooms we can pray to the Creator of heaven and earth and He can impact the lives of folks we don't even have a clue exist.

Please take seriously the gift of prayer our Father has provided for us. Pointing to Scripture, prayers were responsible for everything from healing to raising the dead. A word of caution - all our prayers should be offered with the intention that God's will is our primary desire, and that in all things He will be Glorified.

Despite what some T.V. preachers may tell you, God is more interested in transforming our hearts than our bank accounts.

God bless you today and always,

 Joe.

04/02/10 (Good Friday)

It's just past three in the morning, and I've been waking up often thinking where Jesus might have been at this time, Was He facing Pilate? Had He been taken to Herod? Were the Roman soldiers "making sport" of Him?

At what point during that very long night did Peter's eyes meet with the Savior's? Only hours before, Jesus had washed the Apostles' feet in a gesture of love and as an example of humility. Now Peter had denied the Master three times. I can only imagine the grief in Peter's heart as he realized how fragile his faith really was as he gazed at the bruised and battered, beaten and despised Jesus.

Did Jesus share one last supper alone with His mother the week before His Passion? Did He prepare her for the events about to happen? He warned his disciples of the future events, but they turned a deaf ear to Him. Perhaps Jesus explained to His mother the prophecy Simeon gave to her at His dedication in the temple that " a sword will pierce even your own heart" (cf. Luke 2:34.35) was about to be fulfilled. I imagine Jesus did indeed spend time alone consoling His mother prior to this long and torturous night and the following day when He would die for us.

As I let myself consider the events unfolding over two thousand years ago, I wonder at what point Jesus thought of me and washed my feet - cleansed me of my sins - during His Passion? I wonder how much pain was the restitution for my sins.

Whenever I feel unloved, alone, or rejected, I have only to look at the Cross to know, to absolutely be assured that I am loved beyond measure.

As wild as my imagination can get, there is no human way I can perceive the mind of Christ or the pain and suffering he endured for me during His arrest and crucifixion. I can't wrap my mind around the depth of His Passion, yet I believe it is an exercise to grasp as fully as possible in an effort to understand His infinite and intimate love for me.

God Bless,

Joe

06/15/10 Re: Father's Day 

I have a gripe. Father's Day is coming up this Sunday, and I fully expect my Pastor to remind the men in the congregation that we need to "step it up" and be better examples to our children, better husbands to our wives, and more involved in Christ's work.

Have you noticed on Mother's Day, we hear the Pastor thanking the moms in the audience for their love and support. Basically they are honored and given flowers. On Father's Day, we as dads are admonished to do more. It doesn't seem fair, especially when you consider that the men listening to the sermon are in the church with their families doing their best to be men of God. The folks who need to hear the "get it together" message aren't there to listen to it.

So, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you fathers who take parenting seriously. Thanks for the sacrifices, commitment, and effort you put in to raise children of character. As men, we often have a different emphasis depending on our background. My father grew up in the Great Depression, and his driving ambition was to make sure his family had financial stability. I missed out on a close personal relationship with my Dad, and therefore focused on "making memories" with my family and at the same time worked to provide financially for their needs. Certainly I haven't been the best with money,but I have a chestful of memories and my kids haven't gone to bed hungry.

The point is, wives and children (and Pastors) will all have their own expectations of what we as fathers are supposed to do and be. I'm sure you are doing your best to be the parent you think your children need. Thanks for being there and loving your children and bringing them closer to the love of God.

Joe

06/28/10 RE: Denominational Differences

Lately I've been studying Church history and the origins of the various denominations.What strikes me is the amount of blood shed in the name of Doctrine!

Both Catholics and Protestants have their martyrs, and I don't believe either can declare innocence in persecution. What strikes me is the animosity generated between the denominations over the Word of God. Jesus tells us "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27).

Throughout history, folks have been burned at the stake, beheaded, tortured, and murdered because they have worshiped Jesus in a manner offensive to others. Yes, Catholics have doctrinal differences with Protestants and Christians of all denominations have their unique emphasis on Scriptural truth. It seems to me that if we are truly followers of Christ, we will do what he says and "love your neighbor as yourself."

Jesus was pretty inclusive on who our neighbors are. He never shied away from the Samaritans, the Romans, even the Pharisees. He never picked up a rock against anyone. I'm currently hesitant to continue my page, "Regarding Catholicism" as I want this site to be an oasis of the Truth that God is madly in love with us regardless of our denominational differences.

So let's just love and support each other. Let's praise God that so many of us have found a way to get to know the Jesus of the Bible and worship Him. Let's reach out to non-believers with Christ's message of love and not spend so much time in academic jousting. Most of what we debate over will not be fully resolved this side of heaven, so let's concentrate on our joy in knowing Jesus has reserved a place for us there.

In Christ, in Love,

Joe

09/06/10 PRAISE FOR THE PRAYER FOUNDATION

It's been a while since I've posted anything on this website, primarily because I've been studying Catholic and Evangelical apologetics. I hope to provide a big ol' post on what I've come up with in the near future. The impotant thing to remember is this message will be my opinions only, based on research, the input I've received, and a lot of prayer.

In the meantime, whenever I visit the Prayer Foundation's website, I am constantly calmed by the depth of interdenominational Christian resources available and their commitment to stay focused on the essentials of the Christian faith. It's nearly impossible for me to "turn off" the analytical part of my mind and simply rest in God's love.

You can find the Prayer Foundation's link on my "other resources" page, and I invite you to take a leisurely stroll through their vast website. I think you will walk away a little more intimate with our God and Father.

God Bless,

Joe

11/12/10 - DOWNTIME...

A few weeks ago I had major back surgery. It hurt. A lot. Yet, the next day the physical therapist was in my room forcing me to stand up, which I did reluctantly. Within a few days I was able to walk into the hall of the hospital and was subsequently released to approximately three months of bed rest and minimal exercise.

Most of my time has been spent in the Word of God and listening to my favorite Preachers on the internet and television. My wife and two teenage sons are my caretakers, but they have very busy lives, so I find myself with plenty of time on my hands.

In Matthew, chapter 25 (specifically verse 36) Jesus tells the crowd, "I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." Well, I don't think I ever learned the value of ministering to the sick, imprisoned, hungry, etc. until this recovery. It is a tremendous blessing when folks call or come by and see how I'm doing.

One thing I have determined is when I am able, my ministry to those in the hospital or care facillities, those confined to their homes, and those who are simply lonely will take on a new sense of urgency.

I thank God for my faith. Often I have prayed and reminded myself that God has promised never to leave me or forsake me (c.f. Hebrews 13:5) and have fallen asleep knowing that the Holy Spirit is dwelling inside me. I'm never alone, I have my Lord and Savior to comfort me.

Being a big believer in being "Jesus with the skin on" means I will be visiting the infirmed, bringing them the comfort of the Trinity in their time of despair.

01/05/2011 - A NEW YEAR WITH A NEW PERSPECTIVE

It's seems studying is a passion for me. Lately, Celtic Christianity intrigues me with its roots unadulterated by power struggles and political influence. What we have is an ancient view of Christianity in modern times - not unlike discovering a tribal people in the heart of the Amazon.

Keeping in mind ethnic and social factors of the day, there emerges a form of Christianity which I find delightful. A big emphasis on the goodness of God and embracing His creation as minor manifestations of who He is brings one closer to a reverant, joy-filled relationship with the Trinity.

Those who have viewed my site know that in the past I have had a strong leaning towards the Doctrine of Grace. My hearts desire is to understand the Scriptures as conservatively as possible in order to limit "wiggle room" which can lead to all sorts of corrupt teaching. In my quest to defend Scripture, the meat of the Gospel message calling me to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul and mind and my neighbor as myself (Matt.22:37-39) was not lost, but it took a back seat to the "intellectual correctness" I was seeking in Reformed Theology.

With authentic Celtic Christianity, we Christians have an alternative to the "either/or" mentality of Catholic or Protestant. Celtic Christianity has its roots in the lovingkindness of God emphasized in the writings of John above the wretchedness of the human condition Paul reminds us of prior to our accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

So my New Years resolution is to focus more on loving God, my neighbor, and all of His creation with joy in my heart and gratitude that I have such a loving Holy Trinity that cares for me more than I will ever be able to comprehend.

02/05/2011 - In Christ

Sometimes I find it hard to leave well enough alone. My desire is to encourage the reader to follow and fall in love with the "Jesus" of the Gospels as opposed to false or "repackaged" versions of Him. To that end, I tend to trust the most conservative theologians.

Often I search various websites, ministers and authors looking to seek truth from different perspectives. The problem with that is some will tickle my ears; at other times I need to be certain my leanings are kept in check.

I am currently enamored with Biblical Celtic Christianity, and my research has shown in part the early Celtic Church was not influenced by political struggles, particularly with Roman domination. They were far enough removed from the Roman empire that they were free to believe the Gospels without persecution or compromise.

On the other hand, certain historians seem to think the Celtic Christians held on to their previous pagan practices and incorporated them into the Christian religion. In studying history, one must consider that no one will be completely unbiased.

After quite a while of research, I went back to the Bible and have been reading various Epistles and Gospels. Through the Gospels, we get to see Jesus clearly, knowing that the Bible is not so much a history book as the infallible, inerrant Word of God. Jesus of the Scriptures is the same throughout eternity.

What I see in the Gospel is Jesus loving everyone who comes to Him. He knows the hearts of the Pharisees, He knows the desperation of the sick, He knows the thoughts of those looking for a miracle worker, a warrior-king, an earthly messiah. He loves them anyway - though He is harsh with the folks who need serious correction (even Peter!).

The key to it all is that our allegiance is "in Christ" over and beyond any particular denomination, Preacher, or philosophy. Get into the Bible. Stay in the Bible. Live your life as one who is no longer his own, but is "in Christ."

10/15/11 - KNOWING JESUS

I recently had an online discussion with someone regarding "knowing Jesus." The bottom line is whether we know Jesus personally or whether we know about Jesus. If we knocked on His door would He welcome us in as a friend or stick His head out the crack of a chained door and tell us to leave Him alone - that He doesn't want what we are offering.

I urge you (and myself) to be certain that you KNOW Jesus. Don't simply be  satisfied with an academic knowledge about Him. Jesus seeks to have an intimate relationship with us. He wants to be closer to us than any human being we know. As Christians, we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. We must always remember the dynamics of our relationship with Jesus is that He is our Master, judge, ruler, king. Yet, because of His great love for us, He chooses us to come to Him and enjoy a relationship akin to that of a little child running into the arms of their daddy. What an incredible joy this should bring us!

Please, get into a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Don't just settle for an intellectual assent to His existence - it won't get you invited to His home.

In Christ,

Joe