Wednesday Morning Devotional

Carpenters for Christ

But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.  – 1 Corinthians 12:18

By the time I post this WMD, approximately 50 men will be “circling up” at Lifeline Community Church.  They count off first thing in the morning, right before breakfast, again at lunch, and one last time at supper.  After count off, they hold hands, pray out loud, disperse teams, and go to work for their Lord and Savior.  By the end of the day, probably 100 different people will have been on site working anywhere from 1 to 10 hours.

My dad worked with me yesterday.  He is a carpenter and was amazed at just what can be accomplished by these guys in a day.  He also said it was the first time he had ever been on a construction job where he hadn’t heard every cuss word that could possibly be said by 10 a.m.  In fact, he heard none.

Every year these guys go on a mission trip.  Their field is the Southeastern part of the United States.  They have members who live in Alabama, West Virginia, and nearly every state in between.  Throughout the year, the Lord will lead, guide and direct them to a major project that will be completed during the first full week of June.  The project will be secondary to their real objective:  Draw near to God through devotion and prayer while fellowshipping with lifelong friends and other believers.   It is a secondary consequence that by the end of the week, they have helped build one more sanctuary where God can truly be made known.

What a wonderful picture of the body of believers who make up the body of Christ!  There are teenagers there that put me to shame when it comes to carpentry work.  There are men who don’t do any carpentry, they simply cook and clean so the carpenters can be fed (very well I might add) three times a day.  There are carpenters who do carpentry for a living, and there are people like me who can “gopher” materials and tools so they may be placed in the hands of those who can use them skillfully.  Nobody gets more credit than anyone else, the guy who worked the last hour is honored just as much as the guy who bore the heat of the entire day.

Every person who has been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ has a purpose.  People think because they can’t communicate well, or can’t sing, or don’t have a particular skill set that they can’t be effectively used by God.  They are wrong.  God made no mistake when He made you.  Everybody can do something for the kingdom.  If everybody would do his or her particular something, you would see what I have seen for the past five days . . . the Body of Christ produce something wonderful.

Whatever you can do for Jesus, do it.  Believe me, my contribution to this project was small, but no less important.  I realize that I can’t say, “Because I’m not a carpenter, I can’t work with these guys.”  I have a place with them.  I feel so loved and included by them.  They are amazing!  Every local church should operate just like them.

Everyone has a place, everyone has a task, no task is greater than anyone else’s, and at the end of the day something beautiful is created.  If the world ever sees a united, undivided body of Christ, they will desire the fellowship and Presence of God that we have.

It is just that irresistible.

If you would like to see with your own eyes what has been completed in 5 days of working, come to our special mid-week service tonight at 7:00.  The address is 6979 West-Oak Highway, Westminster, SC  29693

Later

Adam

Temporary

For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. – Hebrews 13:14

I remember when I was younger that my dad would often play .38 Special albums on his turntable. One of my favorite songs was “Hold on Loosely.” Like every other song I used to listen to, I had no idea what the lyrics were actually talking about. Now, if I ever hear this song, it has kind of a spiritual application for me.

I don’t do change well, yet a lot has changed for me in the past few years. I have only held 3 jobs my entire life. I hated giving up being a golf cart attendant for seven years. But, when I graduated college, the next logical step was to become the math teacher that I had studied to become. I went on to teach at the same school I attended as a kid. I spent 30 years of my life there either as a student, or as a teacher.

Fast forward to the present. I’m teaching for my second year at an alternative school, as well as pastoring Lifeline Community Church. I love both jobs, though I do find it quite difficult to do them both well. If I ever start thinking past the current day or week, I get overwhelmed really quickly. God has really taught me to live one day at a time.

I say all that to say this: Things change . . . a lot. I can see why God put verses like Hebrews 13:14 in the Bible. I have to make a conscious effort to let go of Earthly things. I want to hold on to them and never let go. I wanted so badly to hold on to my golf cart job and never have to grow up and actually be responsible. I wanted to stay at the same school where I walked through the doors for 30 years. I want my kids to stay little. I want my wife and I to not enter the second half of our lives, where we have less days ahead of us than we’ve had behind us. There are constant reminders that this world is not my permanent home.

One day, you and I will leave this entire world behind. It is not our home. No matter what a person believes, things will be different one day. There are really only three possibilities: We will cease to exist, we will recycle and exist as something else, or we will go on to live in an eternal home, which could be very, very good, or very, very bad. I pray that every person reading this believes the latter and has or will put their hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who traded His life for any and all who receive His mercy and grace.

With much effort, I choose to hold on very loosely to the things of this world. I love being a teacher, but I’m less than 10 years from retiring. I love being a preacher, but I won’t always have the strength to stand in a pulpit. I love having my kids at home, but they won’t always be here. I love my wife like crazy, but one day death will do us part. I could try with everything that I am to grab hold of and protect what I think is my way of life, but what an exhausting, futile effort.

Instead, I will simply enjoy it all, one day at a time, looking forward to the next day, the next adventure, or the next phase of life knowing, and I mean really knowing, that God has promised to never leave me, and never forsake me.

The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord: and he delights in his way – Psalm 37:23.

Later

Adam

Taking up Space

“For three year now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any.  Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” – Luke 13:7

In this parable, there was a fig tree planted in a vineyard.  Because of this highly favorable location, the fig tree should have absolutely flourished.  Instead, it just sucked and drained valuable nutrients out of the ground while producing nothing for the past three years.

Nobody has done less with more than our generation.  As Christians living in America, we have access to powerful preaching, powerful praise and worship; unbelievable Bible applications that could help you study and learn for hours on end, and other resources galore.  Yet, despite being planted in possibly the most blessed country in the world, we, as a whole, produce very little of the fruits of the Spirit:  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, or self-control.

Over the years, I have heard students tell me where they go to church, and even tell me the story of how Jesus came into their heart.  Yet, when I look for fruit, I find none.  As soon as they have to work hard, there is no patience.  As soon as someone makes him or her angry, there is no love, joy, or kindness, but plenty of foul language and name-calling.  As soon as sex is available to them, self-control is out the door.  They are planted in a vineyard, but produce no fruit.

I see adults letting stress get the best of them.  I’m pretty worn out and stressed right now.  Who isn’t?  However, I am very aware that people just might be inspecting my fruit.  If I fly off the handle, seem constantly sullen, or have absolutely no joy in my heart despite being stressed, what good am I?  Why should I use up the soil?

What will you and I produce today?  When people inspect our fruit, will they see love such as isn’t common to see?  Will they see joy despite the pressure?  Will they witness patience, kindness, and gentleness?  Would they call our behavior faithful to the God we claim to know?  Would they marvel at our self-control?  Here is the thing:  We can’t manufacture these fruits of the Spirit on our own?  Fruits only occur as a result of being connected to the Holy Spirit of God.  Fruit is a by-product of being rooted in good ground.

I know what it is like to be a fruitless Christian.  I remember trying to tell others about Jesus and have them laugh at me because I was absolutely no different than they were.  When they inspected my fig tree, they found no figs.  They only saw a leafy wannabe that only talked about producing.

Fortunately, God is patient.  “’Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.  If it bears fruit next year, fine!  If not, then cut it down.’”  (Luke 13:8-9)

If you know you are an unproductive, useless Christian who displays no love for anyone outside your immediate circle of friends and family, take the next year to really “dig” in the Word of God.  Pray like you have never prayed before.  Fertilize the soil of your heart and ask God to remove any and all weeds.  Ask Him to create in you a clean heart that wants to do right and wants to love others.  Then, and only then, will you produce fruit that others can actually see and eat.

If really serving the Lord and obeying His commands seems evil, unpleasant, and miserable to you, then lay the axe to your own tree and chop it down.  Stop claiming to be a Christian when you know in your heart you would never really say no to sin.

Why should you continue using up good soil?  You are in a favorable location.  There is simply no excuse to not produce!

Choose you this day who you will serve.

As for me, and my house . . .

We will serve the Lord! (Joshua 24:15)

Later

Adam

Do Your Own Fighting

“David sent Joab” – 2 Samuel 11:1

The Bible says in the 11^th chapter of 2 Samuel that it was time for kings to go to war. David was a king. David had been a king leading his own battles for a while now. For some reason, at this particular time, he sent another person off to take his place in leading the battle.

One of the worst things that Christians do today is let others fight for them. Very few Christians read and study the Bible. They are very content to allow the preachers to do all of the Bible studying. They figure they will just get the 30-minute version of the hours and hours of studying the preacher has done that week.

When it comes to prayer, people are quick to throw out a “pray for me,” over Facebook. I’m certainly not against this . . . unless the person asking for prayer refuses to get alone with God and petition Him for himself or herself. Prayer is not only for preachers and the “super spiritual,” it is for each individual who claims to be followers of Christ.

I have read the prayers in the Bible. I think (and I could be wrong) the longest one is in the book of Nehemiah (Chapter 9). It took me 7 minutes to read. Surely, each of us as individuals can get alone with God for 7 minutes to really focus on Him. He invites us to cast our cares, worries and needs upon Him.   We serve a God who actually desires to be the dumping ground for all of our sin, and all of our problems.

Never, ever depend on someone else to fight your spiritual battles. You must study the Word for yourself. You must practice the Presence of God. You are responsible for your own spiritual life. Not the preachers, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles . . . you!

If you don’t have a plan for reading the Word, here is a good starter plan: Read a chapter a day, nice and slowly, asking God to give you wisdom and understanding and asking for Him to help you begin to grow spiritually. If you stick to it, you will have read the entire Bible in 3 years and 3 months. That sounds like a long time, but it isn’t. Best of all, you will be so different. God will have changed you over that 3-year period like you would not believe. I read the entire thing in 15 months. By the end of Revelation, all the preaching I had heard up until that time did very little compared to what reading it for myself did.

This is very important! You may think your preacher is the greatest Bible teacher in the world, and he may be. However, if you get ALL of your Bible knowledge from another human and never receive revelation and understanding from your alone time with God, you are doing exactly as David did in our verse this morning.

You absolutely must win in the private place of devotion. You must learn to lead the charge in fighting your own battles and developing your own power and presence of the Living God. Church on Sunday can be absolutely wonderful, but alone time with God is essential if you are going to grow in the Lord.

The bottom line is this: As soon as David used a substitute to fight for him, he almost immediately fell to temptation. Had he been focused on the battle, he would never have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Are you right now engaged in the spiritual battle of knowing, loving, and honoring God?

Later

Adam

Are You Serious?

He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. – 1 John 2:4

I sometimes wonder how serious I am about being a Christ follower. As John approached the end of his life, it is obvious in this epistle that he does not mind just laying it all out there. He flat out says, “if the way that you live doesn’t match what you say you believe, your are a liar and there is no way that Christ lives in you.”

That’s convicting. It is convicting for me because sometimes I let my emotions get the better of me. I say things I wish I could take back. I do things that I immediately regret. Sometimes I immediately catch it and repent. Other times, it takes a while. I read verses like 1 John 2:4 and begin to wonder what is wrong with me.

I think about other people who say they are Christians and don’t take the commands of God seriously. The first couple of verses in Luke 17 talks about how a person is better off being tied to a huge rock and thrown into the sea rather than live a deceitful life that causes others to stumble in their walk with God. Those are the words of Jesus. I know too many people who say they are Christians, but live like Hell. They plan the next affair, know they will sneak to look at the pornography late at night, know they will lie, know they will cheat, know they will get drunk, and know they will cuss it up when they get around their buddies.

“Don’t judge me, Adam! Only God can judge me!”

It sounds like He is. We act like God will only judge us at the end of our lives, but I think He is giving us a chance by pre-judging us now. There will be no trick questions on our end-of-life exam. He says right there in His word, “If you claim to know me, but don’t keep my commandments, you are a liar . . . you don’t really know me.”

I was watching this old episode of Degrassi Junior High, a “cutting edge” public television show from the 80’s. In it, there was a funeral. A kid named Derek “Wheels” Wheeler had just lost both of his parents to a car accident. Up until this point in the show, which is the second episode of the third season, there had been not one instance of God, Jesus, the Bible, or anything like that. All of a sudden, at the funeral, the Bible was quoted, Jesus Christ is petitioned, and prayers are offered in hopes of eternal security for the lost loved ones as well as a chance to see them again.

All of a sudden, everyone was serious. All of a sudden, the stupidity of sneaking around, sleeping around, lying, bullying, cheating, being deceitful . . . it all took a back seat and everyone got a good look at their own fate . . . death. It waits for all of us, drawing nearer and nearer with each passing hour and each breath we take. We know not the day or hour, but death just sits there and waits. Our time eventually runs out. At that moment, only one question will matter . . .

Did you know the Lord Jesus Christ?

It doesn’t matter if you say you know Him. John saw people who said they knew Him, but through their actions proved otherwise. I see them today. You do too. However, the most important question of all is this: Do you know Him? If the answer is yes, is there anything that you consistently say or do that might lead another person to believe that you are not the Christian you say you are? If that answer is yes, repent and ask God to help you live a life that truly honors Him.

Lord, I have to confess that there are moments when I know people would look at me and say, “That guy is a Christian? A preacher?” Please help me God! I want nothing more than to know you. I want nothing more than to live a life that really honors you. Please help what I say and what I do to be consistent with each other. At the end of my life, I pray that nobody is wondering if I was saved or where I am. I want them to say, “That guy didn’t just say He knew God . . . He knew God!”

Later

Adam

Giving God my Awl

It shall come about if he says to you, “I will not go out from you,“ because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you; then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant forever. – Deuteronomy 15:16-17

So I just watched the movie “12 Years a Slave.” It is a story about a free black man living in New York who is abducted and sold into slavery. It is very tough to watch. It just left me with the most horrific feelings as I saw with my own eyes exactly how dark the hearts of men can be. There were slave owners who treated their slaves fairly well, but there were others who were just flat out awful. There are scenes in that movie that I’m not sure will ever exit my mind.

I am amazed at how so many people still view God as an angry taskmaster. People who have not experienced salvation will often ask, “Why does God force His will upon us? Why will He send me to Hell for not obeying His rules?” These are legitimate questions.

God has and never will force Himself upon anyone. Love cannot exist outside of free will. As soon as I force someone to obey me against his or her will, I have removed that person’s free will. They can no longer choose to serve me, or love me for that manner. I know it sounds blasphemous to say there are things God can’t do, but I can think of two things that He can’t do. He can’t lie (Titus 1:2), nor can He receive love outside of a person’s free will to give it.

As far as the rules are concerned, I always ask this question: Which rules do you not like? Thou shalt not commit adultery? Do you despise God because He asks you to find one partner and stay together for as long as you both live? Thou shalt not steal? What is it you want to take that doesn’t belong to you? Do you want people stealing from you? At first glance, His rules do seem oppressive and restricting, especially to the minds of sinners.

I have to admit, I first submitted myself to God’s rules out of fear. In my mind, He was an angry taskmaster who couldn’t wait to send me to Hell for not following His rules. On top of that, I was about as bad of a rule follower as anyone could be. It was constant sin and constant repentance on constant repeat. That is until one day when I got alone with God. I read the Bible and read something about lying. I thought of just how much I lied and God asked me to simply tell the truth for that entire day. Circumstances arose where I felt like my entire world hinged on me telling a lie to get out of some serious trouble. I remembered what God asked me to do. I trusted Him possibly for the first time in my life and told the truth. I ended that day in awe of Him because He more than took care of me and far exceeded my expectations on that particular day.

Slowly, but surely, I came to the place where I wanted to serve the God of the Holy Bible. I no longer had to serve Him simply out of obligation.

I love these verses in Deuteronomy because I feel like they describe me.  When I first got started in my walk with Him, in my mind, I was convinced that I had to be His slave. I was commanded to read the Bible, never cuss, never lie, never cheat, never have sex outside of marriage, go to church three times a week, and follow many, many other similar rules. No matter how hard I tried, I always failed at keeping the rules. Therefore, I was always afraid of hearing His words, “Depart from me, Adam . . . I never knew you.” That is until that day where I obeyed Him by telling the truth. From then on, I have wanted to do right . . . not because I was in danger of being thrown into Hell, but because I knew He had my best interest in mind. He ceased to be an angry taskmaster, and became a good, good Father.

Today, Lord, I gladly say, “I will not go out from you.” I hand you my awl to signify giving you my all. I place my ear on the edge of the door and willingly allow you to drive it straight through. Yes it may hurt, but you may mark me.   I may have served you for a while because I felt like I had to, but today make me a marked man. I serve you now because I want to. I choose you. There is and never will be another like you!

My Lord, and my God.

Adam

The Difference in What I Say and Do

And he went outside and wept bitterly.  – Luke 22:62

So why did Peter go outside and weep bitterly?  Well, the easy answer is because he denied Jesus three times, just as He told him he would.  The deeper answer involves what he told Jesus just hours before it actually happened.

Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” – Mark 14:29

Let me tell you about two types of love.  There is agape love.  This love is unconditional.  Jesus unquestionably proved His unconditional love for us on the cross at Calvary.  He gave His life, so that you and I may live forever . . . if you so choose to receive His mercy, grace, and forgiveness.  The other type is called phileo love.  This is more of a friendship type love.  Peter was declaring agape for Jesus.  He quickly found out that there was a big difference in saying what you will do, than what you actually do.

Do you claim to be a Christian?  If yes, do you love Jesus?  If yes, is it a “lay down your life” type love? Or, is it simply a, “I like being around Him at church and stuff like that” type love?

I heard some kids talk about the number of the beast last week.  One boldly declared, “I will never take that mark of the beast!”  I asked him, “What makes you think that you will die for Him then, if you won’t live for Him now?”

I sit here thinking about this.  I would love to boldly declare that I would die for my Lord.  Peter teaches me that I better be careful in my bold declarations.  No doubt that he believed what he was saying to Jesus.  The truth is, I have denied Him.  He has asked me to do many things for Him.  I would say that most I have done.  But sometimes I just flat out chickened out.  I cared more about what others would think of me instead of caring more about what Jesus would think of my disobedience.

It doesn’t matter what you and I say we will do.  It matters what we actually do.  I don’t know what I’d do or say if faced with the physical persecution that many of our brothers and sisters in Christ will face this very day.  Of course, with all my heart I want to tell God, “I will never, ever deny you!”  Peter teaches me that I better not do that.

What I can do is make a choice to live for Him today.  I can live moment by moment, doing as many little things for Him as I can.  If I can’t do small things for Him, how could I ever expect to do big things?

In all of my time teaching, I will always remember one student.  He just flat out didn’t care.  He refused to work, wouldn’t listen to teachers, and loved to get into fights.  He told me one Monday, “Mr. Hopkins, I got saved last night.”  I said, “Wow!  That’s great!  What are you going to do now?”  He said, “What do you mean?”  We talked about “working as unto the Lord” in Colossians 3:23.   He got it.  He said “I can do my workouts for Him, I can do my school work for Him, I can even cut the grass in my yard for Him.”  He proceeded to move from the back of the room to the front.  He became one of the top students in his class.  He is now one of the finest Christian men that I know.

What does it look like to live for Him where you work?  What does it look like to live for Him where you go to school?  Maybe you are a stay at home parent today.  What does it look like to raise and influence those babies for Him?  Figure it out, and then do it!

“Let your light shine before others, that they might see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.”  — Matthew 5:16

Later

Adam

Withholding Nothing

Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?” — Acts 5:3

In this verse, this man named Ananias has done something wrong and is being called out for it. He has lied to God and at some point had allowed Satan to “fill his heart.” What do you think he lied about? What vile thing does a Satan filled heart do?

If I didn’t know the context of this verse, I would probably say, “Ananias must have killed someone and is lying about it!” Or maybe, “Ananias must be cheating on his wife and is trying to cover it all up!” I would say it must have been something awful. God absolutely laid the smack down on Abel for answering God’s question of “Where is thy brother Abel?” with “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Surely Ananias must have done something similar.

Nope.

Ananias sold a piece of property so he could give to the church. In Acts 2:45 it says that the true believers in Christ “sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” The problem is that Ananias told the Apostles that he was giving it all, but the truth was that he was only giving part. He said, “I’m giving all,” but he was really only giving some.

I evaluate my life at 3:48 a.m. this morning. I have claimed to be a follower of Jesus Christ for the past 24 years. I deserve nothing less than the instant death that Ananias received. I have done the same thing. I have sung the song “I surrender all,” knowing I have only surrendered some. During every decade of my life, I can think of things that I held on to that I would not give to God.

Even now, I am convicted about my speech. “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)   The truth is, I have been allowing some things to flow out of my mouth that ought not be spoken over these past few months. I have been talking in ways that don’t bring grace or build up others. Sometimes it might be in a joking matter, other times it might just be me taking an underhanded shot at other people in ministry. Honestly, up until now I guess I haven’t thought it was that big of a deal. But, the more I think about it, I’m sure Ananias honestly thought what he did was no big deal. I wonder if I could be allowing Satan to fill my own heart.

I guess the Lord lets me live to fight another day because I am at least honest in my assessment of following Him. I really believe if God had asked me “Where is thy brother, Abel?” I would have said, “I killed him! I’m sorry.” I think if I had been Ananias, I would have said, “Hey, I sold some property, here is 30% of the money to give to those in need. Pray for me that I might become like those other guys who can give it all.” I do recognize how poor in spirit I truly am. I also recognize just how much I have fallen in love with God. I want to have as much of Him as I can stand. Even right now as I type this, He is all over me. My heart is so full.

Thank you, Lord for saving me. Thank you, Lord that it isn’t my goodness you are attracted to. Grant me a heart that truly desires to live for you, and you alone. Grant me a heart that will always be honest when evaluating where I am with you. Help me to speak as only you would speak. Help me to be Holy, as you are Holy.

Amen

Adam

Living and Dying

Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” — John 21:22

The context of this verse is a conversation Peter is having with Jesus. Jesus just told Peter that he would “stretch out his hands . . . and another would carry him where he did not wish.” This signified that Peter would die on the Roman cross of crucifixion. Peter immediately pointed Jesus to John and said, “what about him?” Then, Jesus said the statement that I chose as our verse for this week.

It is amazing to me how different following Jesus looks in different countries. In most of the Middle Eastern countries, following Jesus can actually mean physically dying for Him. The decision to follow Christ is quite different in countries such as Syria and North Korea as opposed to the United States of America. We struggle to explain Luke 14:26 here in the U.S: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” I desire to raise my children and enjoy retirement with my wife. I’m sure that husbands and fathers in the Middle Eastern countries do as well. But, as of right now, following Christ for them means going against what the majority of their families believe, and could cost them immediate death.

How many Americans who say they are Christians would continue to call themselves Christians if the roles were immediately reversed? A quick Google search tells me that 83% of America is “Christian,” whereas 5% of the Middle East is Christian. Why the vast difference? Well, cultural differences make it easy here, but hard there. There, a public declaration could well likely lead to your brutal execution, or at the very least your excommunication. Here, a public declaration will get you “likes” on Facebook.

Really think about this. Read the Gospels and the book of Acts and ask yourself, “What does it look like to really be a Christ follower?” If it came down to Jesus or your own livelihood, could you stand true? “Well, I have a family to provide for.” So do the vast majority of the people who will die today for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus calls us to a life of self-denial, dying daily to our own desires, and a true commitment to following Him and His ways. We must evaluate what is clearly stated in the Word of God and decide what we have taken “off the table.” If I’m honest, at one time my relationships were “off the table.” I was going to be friends with who I wanted to be friends with, date who I wanted to date, and do what I wanted to do. My money at one time was “off the table.” I was not going to give any money, much less 10%, to that church with that preacher who “just wanted my money.” In fact, I thought I could talk like I want, listen to what I want, watch what I want, and basically do what I want.

And I could have, and did . . . for a while. Then, I began to wonder why I didn’t have the peace that a few quiet, Godly men had on their lives. I figured out that they loved God. They didn’t give stuff up because they felt like they had to; they gave it up because they wanted to. They saw Jesus as their most prized possession, whereas I saw Him as some genie in a bottle. If I could do just enough to make Him “happy,” he might somehow superstitiously “bless” me.

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records a legend about Peter. It said that Peter was leaving Rome to escape persecution. On his way, He sees Jesus appear to Him. “Lord, where are you going?” Peter asked. “To Rome to be crucified once more,” Jesus replied. Upon hearing this, Peter knew it was time, and walked back into the city to surrender his own self to be crucified. “Crucify me upside down,” he said, “I’m not worthy to die in the same manner as my Lord.”

Would to God that you and I would have the same resolve to be obedient to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. After all, what makes a man think he would die for Him, when he won’t live for Him?

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save It.” – Luke 9:24

Later

Adam

Judging

“I have already passed judgment on this man” – 1 Corinthians 5:3 (NLT)

Nobody ever quotes 1 Corinthians 5:3. In fact, if a person were to quote this verse, everyone else, even people who could not care less about the Bible, would quote Matthew 7:1; “judge not” they would say.   So, here is the question: Do you believe when the Apostle Paul, writer of the majority of the New Testament, admits that he “passed judgment” on a man, that he actually sinned by going against the words of Jesus?

Of course he did not sin. People love to take verses out of context to fit their sinful desires and lifestyles. I mean, if I cheated on my wife of 14 years who has never even one time done me wrong, and you all found out about it, would you all sit silent? No, and you shouldn’t. I would be a guilty adulterer who would be an idiot to sit back and say, “don’t judge me!”

Here is the thing; if I claim to be a Christian, I am open season for judgment. If I do not claim to be a Christian, then you don’t get to judge me. Here is how Paul himself puts it a few verses later in verses 12 and 13: “What business is it of mine to judge outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.”

You guys have no idea how big of an 80’s rock-n-roll band junkie I used to be. I had t-shirts galore: KISS, AC/DC, Warrant, Motley Crue, Slaughter, Iron Maiden, Poison, Metallica . . . the truth was, I absolutely loved that stuff. The truth also was, all of those bands sang songs that went directly against the Word of God. Most of the songs were full of hate, rage, and completely laced with sexual innuendo and foul language. The Bible plainly says, “rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” (Colossians 3:8) I was a walking contradiction by calling myself a Christian, and trying to maintain what I thought was my 80’s rock-n-roll lifestyle.

Now, I remember two people actually pointing this out to me. One was an elementary grade teacher. I had just been to my first KISS concert and was proudly wearing my first t-shirt from an actual concert. You could buy the shirts in music stores, but they didn’t have the tour dates and cities on the back. If the tour dates and cities were on them, that means you were there! Everybody who was anybody actually knew that. Anyway, my elementary grade teacher looked at me and told me KISS stood for “Knights In Satan’s Service” and I was headed straight to Hell for listening to that garbage. I was judged for the first time in my life. I was 9, and already condemned to Hell by someone other that God for something that I liked. I was judged even though at the time, I made no claims to be a Christ follower.

The other person took a much better approach. Approximately 7 years later, this guy discovered that I had “gone forward” in church to become a Christian. He let me know that if I was going to really follow Christ that eventually my rock bands had to go. He explained it to me the best he could in a way that I could understand. Basically, he quoted 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things are passed away, all things are become new.” He asked me to study the bands and the lyrics and to really find out what they were all about. I left the conversation thinking about what I put in my mind in a whole new way, but still concluded that he was a “judgmental Christian.” Why did I call him that? Because I wanted to have the eternal rewards that God offers, and also love music that clearly opposed Him and His ways.

I say all that to say this: The majority of Christians are horrible at discernment. We will take a person walking in the church doors wearing what we deem inappropriate and give them the stink eye. We will gossip about people who are just starting out in the Christian faith because they haven’t produced any righteousness or holiness. Well, duh, of course they haven’t. You don’t plant a fruit seed and expect an immediate harvest. It can take anywhere from 4 to 10 years for those seeds to actually bear any amount of fruit. Why do we expect new Christians to produce immediately? Honestly, it was 5 years after I professed Christ as my Lord and Savior before I produced at all. Christianity is a growing process that takes a while. I eventually put the rock music away because God had changed my heart and I WANTED to, not because another Christian dangled me over Hell and told me I HAD to.

The dude Paul said he judged was sleeping with his own stepmother. He needed to be judged. He needed to be told. I doubt the guy said, “you know, you are right . . . I am wrong.” He probably said the same thing I said when confronted about my t-shirts, “Don’t judge me you hypocritical Christian!” or “Only God can judge me!”

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you do not get to call yourself a Christian and keep your sexual sin. Nor do you get to constantly pump your head full of songs that glorify sexual sin. “Adam, you don’t get to judge me!” Am I judging? Or, am I simply telling you that you are breaking the third commandment by taking the name of Christ in vain? God’s plan is simple, one man, married to one woman, for as long as the two of you are both alive. If you don’t like it . . . don’t claim to be a Christian. Otherwise, repent of everything you have done wrong in the past, and do your best to start doing it right, like now. If you find it impossible, pray. Ask for God to change your heart and mind. Sometimes He does it immediately, sometimes He does it over the course of years, but you never ever accept that known, habitual sin will remain a part of your life. Old things really do pass away in God . . . all things become new.

1 Corinthians 11:28 says; “let a man examine himself.” In other words, “judge yourself.” If you claim to be a Christ follower, take a good look at your Facebook page. Do you make posts that contradict what you say you believe? Do you live and behave in such a way that contradicts God’s Word? Read the book, the whole book. Examine your own life and allow it to be put under this microscope. Count the cost of being a Christ follower. If you are willing to pay the price, go for it and never ever look back . . . New and abundant life awaits you! If you aren’t willing to pay the price, stop calling yourself a Christian and stop being angry with Christians who are simply telling you the truth about yourself.

I realize that I could have found some liberal church that would take me “just as I was.” I could have easily found a church that would tell me I’m okay and don’t have to change one bit. Turns out, I’m glad I went to churches that would tell me the truth, in love. I didn’t like hearing it at first, but there is absolutely nothing I have given up for God that I miss. The things He has replaced them with are 10,000 times better than what I was holding on to.

Be honest with yourself.

Do you really love God and His ways?

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” — 1 John 14:15

Later

Adam