Monday, March 30, 2009

What's In a Name?

Several people have asked me why I started this blog. The easy answer is that I've always had a lot to say, and this blog just gives me another way to say it. That is part of the reason, but another reason was born out of a Sunday School class that I was teaching. At the time I started the blog, I was teaching a class on discernment. As part of preparing for the class I was doing a lot of research on different movements and theologies. My idea was that I would come across information that I wanted to share with people through the blog - so I titled the blog "Truth Seekers".

What I didn't realize was that while teaching that class, God would begin to deal with me about "living the eternal life" (I blogged on that subject back on 12/11/08, so you can go back and read that if you want). For the first time in my life, I began to try and truly live the following scripture:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

I realized that even though I was a Christian and had been born again, I was not letting Christ completely run my life - in other words, I was still living my life and not letting Christ live in me. I wanted Him to change me - to make me into a better person - but in my inner being my personal happiness was still the driving force in my life. So I decided to yield to Him like never before - to truly let the 'eternal' life be the driving force behind my actions and decisions. As part of that, this blog took on a decidedly different flavor and began to be a way for me to exhort and encourage others to also take on the challenge of living the eternal life.

With that in mind, you may have noticed that I've changed the name of the blog. Don't get me wrong, I'm still seeking truth. But what I discovered is there is not much good in finding truth if you don't live it. And there are far too many of us out there who sit and learn truth but never get around to applying it the way we should to our lives. I don't want to do that anymore. I don't know how much time I have left here, but I want to spend it doing my best to yield my members to Him - to allow the Holy Spirit to make me into a Christian - a little Christ.

So let me encourage you - live the 'eternal life'. Take to heart our Savior's call to deny yourself and crucify the flesh. Only is this can we truly find our life.

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." - Jesus Christ



Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Where are the Christians?

Many of you may have heard about the Barna Research Group's survey. The survey was conducted just recently and then compared with the results of the same survey conducted in 1995, 2000 and then again in 2005. The purpose of the survey was to explore how many Americans have what might be considered a “biblical worldview.”

For the purposes of the survey, a "biblical worldview" was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.

Now if you are like me, those items listed above aren't even controversial. Those statements are basic to Christian doctrine. In fact, let me just get this off my chest and go ahead and state here for the record that I believe the following:

1. Absolute moral truth DOES exist
2. The Bible IS totally accurate in everything it teaches
3. Satan IS a real being
4. A person CANNOT earn their way into Heaven
5. Jesus Christ DID live a sinless life
6. God IS the all-knowing and all-powerful creator and still rules today

Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview. Now that is bad enough, but it just gets worse from there. Out of the total group surveyed, a sub-group was defined by those who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are certain that they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior. This sub-group was labeled “born again Christians". The study discovered that among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.

So 19% of people who said they were born-again Christians believe those six statements? How can that be? Although the numbers for the overall group are disheartening, the numbers for those who say they are born-gain are downright staggering to me. Here are some more findings for those who said they are born-again:

46% of born again adults believe in absolute moral truth.

79% of born again adults believe the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches.

40% of born again adults are convinced that Satan is a real force.

47% of born again Christians strongly reject the notion of earning salvation through their deeds (this means that 53% believe you CAN earn salvation through your works!).

62% of born again adults believe that Jesus lived a sinless life.

93% of born again adults say that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe who still rules it today.

One other thing that is really frightening is what they found in young people. As I was writing this blog I texted my older son Joshua who is 21. I asked him if he believed in those six things. He said 'Yes'. I texted back that he could consider himself in the minority. The research data showed that one pattern emerged loud and clear: young adults rarely possess a biblical worldview. The current study found that less than one-half of one percent (1/2%!) of young adults (those aged 18 to 23) have a biblical worldview.

Why is this important? A person's worldview has a powerful impact on their life. A worldview serves as a filter through which a person makes decisions and choices with lasting impacts. By helping to clarify what a person believes to be important, a worldview has a dramatic influence on a person’s choices in any given situation. A person's worldview has a dramatic effect in behavior related to matters such as media use, profanity, gambling, alcohol use, honesty, civility, and sexual choices. When your worldview is corrupt, the conscience is defiled.

Where are the Christians - the true Christians? How have we come to a point in this society where a person can call themselves 'born-again' and not believe that their Savior lived a sinless life? Can call themselves Christians and still believe that salvation can be earned through works?

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." - Jesus Christ

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Informing the Conscience

Most airplanes have a radar system built into them. This radar system warns the pilot of danger. He could be flying too low or there could be another plane within range, but whatever the danger he relies upon the radar system to warn him. As humans, we have two types of radar systems, so to speak, built into us. One is for our body and the other for our spirit.

The radar system for our body is called pain. Pain warns us that something is not right. For a young child, it serves as a great teacher. As parents we can warn them again and again, but they only have to touch a hot stove or a burning match one time and pain will teach them a lesson they won't soon forget. Now most people consider pain a bad thing, but it's really not. In fact, it's a wonderful gift from God. Just think for a moment what a life without pain would be like - not knowing when something is too hot, not knowing when something hurts. The results would be disastrous.

Just as pain functions as a warning system for our body, the conscience performs the same function for our our inner man. How does it work? First of all, it has an innate ability to sense between what is right and what is wrong. The conscience urges you to do what you believe is right and restrains you from doing what you believe is wrong. When you violate your conscience, it condemns you and triggers feelings of shame, regret and anxiety. Conversely, when you follow your conscience, it commends you and brings self-respect, well-being and gladness. Conscience is at the heart of what distinguishes a human being from other creatures. People, unlike animals, can contemplate their own actions and make moral self-evaluations. That is the very function of conscience.

But don't equate the conscience with the voice of God or the law of God. Everyone has a conscience, both Christians and non-believers. It is a human faculty that judges your actions and thoughts by the light of the highest standard you perceive. And herein lies the problem. Because it is only a human faculty it is not perfect. Teaching, tradition and truth all inform the conscience, so the standards it holds you to are not necessarily biblical ones. For example, since teaching informs the conscience, false or wrong teaching can "program" the conscience incorrectly and give the person invalid information regarding right and wrong. Other things that can cripple the conscience are human wisdom and wrong moral influences.

The Scriptures tell us clearly that the conscience can become defiled so that it can no longer distinguish between pure and impure.

To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. - Titus 1:15

The Apostle Paul tells us that the conscience can be cauterized - seared with a hot iron.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. - 1 Timothy 4:2

Once a conscience is no longer working correctly so that it cannot tell right from wrong - or has been seared so that it is not working at all - at that point we are like an airplane flying in the dark with no radar and no instruments. We are flying blind.

As Christians, it is important to keep our conscience in good working order. Since it reacts to the convictions and beliefs of our mind, it can be sharpened so that it works in accordance with truth. We need to fill up our mind and our hearts with God's Word so that our conscience can be correctly informed and able to judge rightly.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

A New Heart

I've been thinking about my skin. Now I'll admit I don't normally think about my skin that often - OK, never - but I've been thinking about how much our skin changes over our lifetime. A baby's skin is so soft and smooth and perfect. No scars or bumps or wrinkles or blemishes. It hasn't been affected by the wind and sun or the rough and tumble of life. And then I look at mine. Like most people over 40, our skin just isn't what it used to be. It's full of lines and scars and blemishes. And the thing is, there is nothing I can do to go back and restore it to the way it was. I can try different creams and lotions and even surgery if I get desperate, but it is what it is. Maybe I can make some minor improvements, but I can't change it. The skin I was born with started to decay and die the minute I came into the world.

Our life is a like that, too. The prophet Jeremiah put it this way:

"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil." - Jeremiah 13:23

We've all sinned, and that sin has created scars and blemishes on the inside. And no matter what we do we can't change it. We can even want desperately to change. We can read all the self-help books we can find to try and improve ourselves. We can make lifestyle changes like going to church or quitting smoking. Maybe I can make some minor improvements, but I can't change who I am on the inside. The person I am was born dead in sin - accustomed to doing evil. As Jeremiah said, the same way a man can't change his skin, neither can he change his nature from evil to good.

But the good news is that God isn't interested in just changing or improving me. He wants something far different. He wants to create me again. He wants a new man.

Jesus tried to explain this to Nicodemus.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. - John 3:3-6

With my new birth I get everything new, not just re-furbished. But greater than that is the fact that this new life isn't like my old one. Paul said it this way:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2Corinthians 5:17

I have a new mind. (1 Corinthians 2:16).

I have a new spirit. (Ezekiel 36:27)

I have a new life. (John 14:6)

I have a new heart. (Ezekiel 11:19)

The reality of this new heart really came home to me over the last few days. My father-in-law had open heart surgery. They did two bypasses and a valve replacement and he is doing great. But no matter how good a job they did - it is not a new heart. And eventually over time it will decay and run down just like all other human hearts always have. But with my new birth I've been given a different type of heart.

"Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart." - Jeremiah 24:7

I have been given a new heart - but this new heart is not like my old one. It is not a heart that is born to sin. It is a heart that is set apart to God - a heart born to holiness.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Humility

In our class we are going through the book 'Mere Christianity' by C.S. Lewis. We were covering the chapter on Pride, and since Humility is the opposite of Pride I asked my class what they first thought of when they think of a 'humble' man. Some of the responses included 'meek', 'weak' and 'low self-esteem'. I must admit I think the same way. When I think of a humble man I think of a man with his head down, unwilling to accept praise or congratulations. It just goes to show what a distorted view of 'humility' we really have.

For us to understand what true Humility really is, we first have to understand Pride. Pride is all about self. I can do it, I'm better than you, I deserve it, I'm a good person. As C.S. Lewis says, it's the complete 'anti-God' state of mind. God absolutely hates and opposes Pride.

I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. - Proverbs 8:13

God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. - James 4:6

Why does He hate it so? Because as long as 'self' is on the throne of our lives we cannot know Him. It is the greatest barrier to a relationship with Him. So how do we overcome Pride and find Humility within ourselves? Well, first we have to realize our own bankruptcy. We have to truly understand that I can't do it, I'm not better than you, I don't deserve it and I'm not a good person. The scriptures call this a "broken and contrite heart". We have to see ourselves for who we really are, which then allows us to see God for who He truly is. We have to depose 'self' as the ruler of our hearts and replace it with God. Then and only then can we practice true Humility.

What will that humility look like?

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.” - C.S. Lewis

Do we know what true humility really is - or do we only know how to "act" humble? A truly humble person will not be thinking about acting humble - he will not be thinking about himself or humility at all. He will only be thinking about his Savior, and his glory will be in Him.

But “he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends. - 2Corinthians 10:17-18