Who Will You Vote For Today?

Elections have a way of bringing into sharp focus the need to make clear, firm choices on some occasions.  We know that we cannot fill out a ballot voting for both candidates at the same time.  One must be chosen.  This made me think about another clear choice that must be made, and some lessons that we can learn about making that choice.

Elections Involve Campaigning

-              In the recent political election, billions of dollars were spent in an effort to get you to choose one candidate or the other.  Each candidate spent countless hours strategizing and working to win votes.  Every resource was exhausted in an all-out campaign to get you to choose them.
                 In a more important election, both God and Satan want you to choose them to be in control of your life.  Those are the only two candidates available, and you don't get to write in another option.  Both have gone all-out.  Satan will try any trick that he can to destroy you.  Jesus paid the ultimate price to gain you.  

Elections Involve Choice
     You must choose.  That's how this works. Matthew 6:24 says, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Likewise, James 4:4 tells us, "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."  We simply cannot have it both ways.
     Responsible voters choose carefully after giving serious thought to the main issues.  Other voters might be more flippant with their decision, but the vote is cast one way or another.  In a political election, we might be frustrated that other voters don’t see things our way, and that choices are made contrary to our judgment. We might point fingers or feel helpless.  
     In this way, our spiritual choice is totally different.  In the spiritual election, no one else gets a vote.  It’s all your call.  The choice will be made in a landslide vote of 1-0.  The winner gets 100% of the vote.  There is nobody else to blame for a poor decision, and nobody else to save you from your own poor choice.  

Elections Involve Consequences

-               In political elections, leaders are chosen and policies are made that have real effects on the future.  We may love or loath the results, but they are real nonetheless.  

-               In the spiritual election, the consequences are unavoidable.  Our eternal destiny hangs in the balance.  I am reminded strongly of the words of  Joshua 24:15 (NKJV) And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
         The political election is over for now, but there is still a greater vote that you must cast.  Who gets your vote for Lord of your life?  It is the most important choice you'll ever make.

I'm Back!!!

     Gilberto’s family was called by the local police to identify the body of a man that had been murdered.  They went down to the morgue, and sure enough their fears were confirmed.  The body laying there looked like their Gilberto.

     Gilberto’s family and friends gathered for a wake to honor and remember their loved one.  Then an unexpected guest arrived – it was Gilberto!  Mourners were so shocked to see him alive that some fled for safety, while others fainted from fright.  He tried to reassure them saying, “Guys, I'm alive, pinch me!”

     Was it a ghost?  Was it a miraculous resurrection?  No.  There was nothing other-worldly about what happened here.  It was simply a case of mistaken identity.  The body had been misidentified.  Perhaps it had some disfiguration or the family couldn’t bear to look too closely at the body that bore a resemblance to Gilberto.  However, the emotional impact for the family would be similar to if he had actually come back from the grave.  They were given a new chance to have a man in their lives who they thought they had lost forever. 

     There was another time when mourners were frightened by a real resurrection.  We read about it in Luke 24:36-41 (NKJV) ³⁶ Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." ³⁷ But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. ³⁸ And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." ⁴⁰ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. ⁴¹ But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"

     Like Gilberto’s family, they were frightened.  Like Gilberto, Jesus offered his body as evidence that he was alive in the flesh.  Unlike Gilberto, there was no mistake here.  Jesus had actually been dead and resurrected.  He had conquered death and returned to lead his followers to a similar victory.  Death would never again hold the same ominous finality.  Conversely, for the believer, death is just the beginning of greater things to come.  All of which is possible only because of Jesus.  You have the chance to have Jesus in your life now because of his resurrection.  Are you taking advantage of that chance?

Leave Them Alone?

Explorers Told: Leave Remote Peru Tribe Alone:

Peru has called on explorers to stay away from an isolated Amazon basin rainforest tribe after pictures of "uncontacted" tribal members were published online.The pictures show a family of Mascho-Piro people in the Manu National Park, in remote southeastern Peru on the border with Brazil.
They were taken at the end of last year by an archaeologist and tribe supporter and published on the website of pro-native group Survival International.
 But the office for Natural Protected Areas warned even indirect contact with the indigenous people could bring in deadly viruses that do not already exist in the region - and the natives could be hostile.They called on outsiders "to never attempt to enter in contact with these (isolated) communities", whose people "are trying to remain apart from the outside world".She also urged people to not leave food, clothing or other gifts like locals or tourists sometimes do "with the goal of starting a contact with the isolated natives". There are some 15 uncontacted native groups in Peru's Amazon rainforest, according to government officials, with Survival International saying there are 100 uncontacted native groups around the world.
 Sightings of the Mashco-Piro have increased in recent months."Many blame illegal logging in and around the park and low-flying helicopters from nearby oil and gas projects, for forcibly displacing the indigenous people from their forest homes," the activist group said.

                        http://news.sky.com/home/strange-news/article/16160760

“Leave them alone” sounds like a great strategy for preserving an ancient way of life.  But it’s a horrible strategy for saving souls.  Yet that is the very strategy that too many Christians are applying, not just to isolated groups of tribesmen, but to their own neighbors and coworkers.  “Let’s not force our views on anyone else.”  “Let everyone live their life anyway they want to live it.” 

What if Jesus had that attitude?  What if he had looked down from heaven and seen the mess we were making of life and said, “Leave them alone.”  “Sure they’ll be lost eternally.  Of course they desperately need to be saved even if they don’t realize it, but it’s better not to disturb their way of life.”

Friends, we cannot leave each other alone.  We cannot leave those in the world alone.  Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20. “ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”

Why do we do it?  Because Jesus has all authority and he tells us to.  What are we to do?  Make disciples of all nations.  What does that involve?  Baptism and teaching to obey.  As we go about this mission, Jesus promises to be with us.

Quit leaving people alone and start leading them to Christ.

Who Get’s Possession?

This week’s Monday Night Football game ended in a touchdown pass… or an interception.   It depends on who you ask.  Two players from opposing teams ended the game playing tug-of-war over the football.  The decision regarding who had possession of the football determined who won the game.  They could not both posses the ball.  It had to be awarded to one or the other.

                There is a battle of possession that has much greater consequences than who wins a big football game.  That battle is raging over who will have possession of your loyalties, affections, and priorities.  Will you belong to God or to Satan/the world?  Jesus describes this in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” 

                Both God and the world are vying for you, and you cannot award yourself to both.  James 4:4 cautions us saying, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”  So make the big call.  Do you belong to God or the world?  Everything depends on you making the right call.  

Four Ridiculous Myths Perpetuated By Popular Culture

1. Disapproval equals hate.

Publicly express your disapproval of nearly anything and you will quickly be chastised for your “hatemongering”. However, disapproval and hate are really entirely different things. Growing up I found many activities that met with my parents’ disapproval – lying, stealing, cheating, etc. Were I to engage in one of these activities, then my parents would have very quickly expressed that disapproval in whatever ways they felt would have the most lasting impact. However, their disapproval of an activity in no way indicated that they hated me. Quite the opposite really! If they did not LOVE me, then they would not care enough to correct me.

2. The only thing that’s wrong is to say something is wrong. An intolerant voice cannot be tolerated.

Nothing seems to bring about a more rapid barrage of venomous words, condescension, and generally hate-filled speech than expressing an “intolerant” view of the lifestyle or beliefs of others. Just ask Kirk Cameron or Dan Cathy. It is unbelievably hypocritical for preachers of absolute tolerance to be so unwilling to tolerate the voicing of an opposing point of view.

3. Sexual orientation, like race and gender, is not a choice. It is simply how you are born and cannot be changed.

That is certainly not what the Bible teaches. You’ve often heard 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 invoked in discussions about the sinfulness of homosexuality. That passage does list homosexuality as being among the sins that would keep you from the kingdom of God. However the best part of the passage comes in the next verse, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” Some of the Corinthians had formerly been homosexuals, but CHANGED when they were washed, sanctified, and justified.

There are countless people who have changed their sexual orientation over the years – both ways. It can be done. The truth becomes obscured when the definition of terms in the discussion puts sexual orientation in the same class as race and gender.

4. It is inconsiderate, arrogant, and hateful to seek to change someone else’s sincerely held beliefs.

Recently I read a blog comment by an individual identified as “Phrenia” that said,

“…sometimes I just don't see how it is any of our business and if we don't like it, we should stick to not doing it ourselves. I don't understand this need to control other people and their personal preferences/beliefs/opinions. The worst part is that when we are being intolerant of others for something, it's completely selfish. We don't stop to think, "Oh, this is their belief and this belief is true for them" but instead we think "Their belief is not right. Ours is. Their belief should mirror ours". It's like we don't stop to think that as strongly we believe in our belief, they believe in theirs.”

Phrenia’s comments reflect the views of a great many people. What this poster, and many like-minded people, fail to consider is that if I sincerely believe that another person’s lifestyle will result in their soul being lost, then abstaining from trying to change them is the most inconsiderate, arrogant, and hateful thing that I could possibly do! It would imply that I don’t think they are worth saving, or even worse, that I don’t want them to be saved. The effort to change the thinking of others is not an attempt to “control” them, but rather it is an effort to save them.

Of course, this should be done in a loving and civil way. It should be done without malice or haughtiness. But it should be done. G.K. Chesterton famously said, “Tolerance is the virtue of people who do not believe in anything.” Or to put it another way, to believe that all beliefs are equal is to hold no beliefs at all.

These discussions frequently remind me of Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” It seems to me that our popular culture has done a great deal of mislabeling evil and good.