Designer Labels

Designer Labels

Coworkers and friends may be good at it, but no one surpasses the skills of our own children. No one can see right through us better than those who live under the same roof. Those with whom we share our homes can instantly discern the truth, even if the truth does not match the words coming out of our mouths. Our children can see what is really important in our lives, and they know our real priorities—good or bad. Today’s young generation is intensely aware of the fact that we are suffering a nationwide epidemic of Christian apathy.

One wonders what the children of “the priest” who passed by the wounded and robbed man really thought about their father. Was he apathetic as well? Would he tell them about passing by the man, or did the day’s event even pierce his heart? Likewise, one wonders if the title “Levite” really impressed the children of that particular man. How long did it take the Levite’s children to realize that being born to a particular family line did not necessarily mean one was good at heart? Both men wore the “label” of religious men, but it was obvious they were not living the life. Jesus related the story about these two men as He was trying to teach a certain lawyer who the lawyer’s neighbor was (Luke 10:25-37). Sadly, however, both the priest and Levite viewed their religious titles as nouns instead of verbs. They were titles the men wore, rather than lives they lived. Both of these individuals saw the wounded man on the side of the road, but both passed him by. And if either of these men had children, one can safely assume their offspring would have been acutely aware that their fathers’ lives did not reflect true religious virtues. The priest and the Levite were only religious in the labels that they wore.

The third person was from Samaria. He was a stranger in this land between Jerusalem and Jericho. It was no secret during this time that there was mutual antipathy between Jews and Samaritans. But this man reached out to the stranger on the road who had been wounded by thieves. Not only did he stop to care for the injured man, but he also took it upon himself to make sure this Jew was cared for at a local inn. The Samaritan may have been an unlikely person to give of his time, energy, and financial means, but I suspect the Samaritan’s children would not have been that surprised. Their father walked the walk, he didn’t just talk the talk. His life reflected his righteousness.

When our children and grandchildren look into our heart of hearts, what do they see? Do they see people desiring to remain faithful until death, or do they see individuals just wanting to “do the minimum”? How many Christians living today wear the name “Christian” simply as a label, meaning it describes “who” they are, rather than “Whose” they are? The sad truth is for many, the word “Christian” is a noun, not a verb. The church building becomes viewed as a social club rather than a building to worship and praise God. For these, the word Christian has become just another bullet point on their resume, rather than a life-changing lifestyle. But our children see it.

  • Our children watch as we binge on a diet of worldliness during the week, only to dress in nice clothes and proclaim the name of Christian on Sunday.
  • Our children watch as we spend enormous amounts of money on designer labels, new cars, and high-end electronics, only to see us grudgingly toss in a few bucks in the collection plate Sunday morning.
  • Our children watch as we go from the soccer game, to the swim meet, to the mall, to the golf course, only to hear us say we don’t have time to help with church activities.
  • Our children watch as we wrinkle our noses at the thought of helping benevolent cases, only to see us invite church leaders into our home and discuss the good works of the church.

If we are really going to cure the nationwide disease of apathy in the church, one of the first things we must do is recognize the word Christian is a “verb”—a life we live. We must cultivate the love for Christ in our heart to the point that we would never even consider not living for Him. We must nurture and strengthen our love for Him so that our own zeal and actions daily demonstrate our Christianity. After all, it’s not simply a label we wear.

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Attention: If You Are A Leper

Attention: If You Are A Leper

“…a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean’” (Matt. 8:2).

This man who came to Jesus had a physical infirmity that would eventually cost him his life.  His only hope to live was for Jesus to take away His leprosy. “Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed’… immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed” (Mk. 1:41-42).

Spiritually speaking, sin is the equivalent to leprosy. Every sinner, therefore, is a leper who needs the healing touch of Jesus in order to live.  Would you like to know how? “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (Acts 2:38). “…Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins…” (22:16).

Therefore, “lepers,” bring your sins to Jesus; for through baptism He is in effect saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

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Christian Hope

Christ’s Second Coming and Christian Hope

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thess.4:13).

Hope is a powerful ally in the Christian walk.  There is nothing as seemingly uncertain as the future, yet there are few things that motivate us more.  Christianity is a religion of hope.   Christians hope for the betterment of humanity within the world.  This motivates us to preach the gospel to the lost in the hopes that they will repent by changing their lives for the better.  There is no shortage of lost souls needing change.  This, however, is not the extent of the Christian message.  For our Lord says, “But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life” (Mark 10:30).  The future is important to Christians.

Many eastern worldviews (Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.), as well as the contemporary self-help philosophies of the “new age” would have individuals abandon the future and focus on the present.  Living in the moment, we are told, will remove all desires regarding the future, lower individual expectations, align the planets, and usher in an era of peace and harmony – the Age of Aquarius.  The folly of such thinking is revealed in the fact that the Age of Aquarius has not arrived despite great efforts to the contrary.  The so called advice of “living in the moment” and the hope of a “new age” yet to be ushered in, are two objectives wholly at odds.  Ought humanity’s efforts to be invested in the future new age?  If so, then living in the moment is not the end-all solution it is touted as being.  This is fantasy, not hope.

Atheism also offers no real hope for humanity.  Those who have adopted the naturalist worldview believe that one day the sun will expand and burn up the earth so as to make it uninhabitable.  Should mankind venture into space and survive the earth’s demise, nevertheless, all stars will eventually go out.  Then, the only source of heat remaining will be black holes.  However, after a very long time, these too will expire.  Ultimately, all things will break down into microscopic particles, and the heat death of the universe will occur.  Humanity will be no more, extinct along with everything else.  Humanity will not even be a memory as there will be no one left to remember.  There is no hope here.

Within those who profess Christianity, there are those who pervert the biblical message of hope.  Scores of individuals have claimed that they know the exact date of Christ’s return.  The most recent of these claims was that Christ would return on May 21st, 2011.  What is sad is that faith in the biblical message is undermined when such false claims are made.  Long has the scripture declared that the hour of Christ’s return would be known to no man (Matthew 24:36, 24:50, Mark 13:32, Luke 12:46).  Many other scriptures make it plain that Jesus will return “as a thief,” that is, unexpectedly (1 Thess.5:2, 4, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 3:3, 16:15).  Those who set forth a specific date for Christ’s return are setting forth a false hope, which is no hope at all.

Another false hope is that the physical world will be transformed, renewed, and populated with the saved.  Peter declares clearly that the earth and everything within it will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10-12).  The promise of a new heaven and new earth is consistent with that for which the patriarchs sought.  “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:16).  This is the house not made with hands, eternal, and in the heavens (2 Corinthians 5:1-2).  It is that place Jesus has gone to prepare for the faithful, which place is in the Father’s house (John 14:1-3).  We should not set our hope upon the physical earth as the future abode of the righteous, but upon the eternal kingdom of God, which cannot be inherited by flesh and blood; corruption cannot inherit incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:50).  The physical earth as the eternal dwelling place of the saints is a false hope.

Just as there is only one Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is only one hope (Ephesians 4:4).  This is the hope of Christ’s return when he will bring with him the saints and resurrect all from the dead (1 Thess.4:14-16, John 5:28-29).  He will judged and separate the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-33).  The saved will enter heaven to be with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for eternity (Matthew 25:34).  The wicked will enter hell to dwell with Satan and his angels forever (Matthew 25:41).  This is the true and only message of hope: eternal life for the righteous and eternal punishment for the wicked.  Only this message of the future motivates to pure and godly living in the present (1 John 3:3, 2 Peter 3:11, 14).  May we united upon this message and not be deceived by the false proclamations of others; herein is mankind’s only true hope.

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It Appears Right to Me

“There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death…”

(Proverbs 14:12 NKJV)

There are millions of people in this world today who have adopted the philosophy of “It seems right to me…” This humanistic model of living is based on the false premise that man can make do virtually anything he wants to do – so long as it makes him happy and does not hurt others. Many others attempt to make the same application when it comes to their religious devotion. If it seems right to them (makes them happy) and it is offered as worship, then they think they are pleasing God.

This attitude is similar to that of  King Saul in 1 Samuel 15. He had been commanded to take his army and go up against the  Amelekites and utterly destroy them and all of their livestock – to leave none alive. But Saul, thinking it would please God more if he spared the best of the livestock to sacrifice as a burnt offering. The prophet Samuel rebuked him and stated, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams…” (1 Samuel 15:22 NKJV) Because he sought to do what seemed right to him rather than what God had informed him- God rejected him from being king over Israel.

There is a way that appears right to a man, and there is also a way that is right to God. In the First Century, the Pharisees had a way that seemed right to them. They had developed their own standard of right and wrong based upon their oral traditions. To the Pharisees Jesus said, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God… All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition…”(Mark 7:6-9 NKJV) This group of ancient Jews had added many things to the word of God because they thought that if they followed these traditions they would be more pleasing to God. Their problem  was that they allowed the traditions to replace the word of God in their hearts.

Paul had been a Pharisee (Acts 23:6) and he had felt justified in persecuting Christians based upon some  of these oral traditions. In Philippians 3:1-12, Paul recounted how his persecuting of Christians had been according to his own self-righteous beliefs. Even though he was zealous and felt right in his actions, he was violating the will of God.

Paul also states in that passage that he put away his man-made standard of righteousness and adopted the righteousness of God through his faith in Christ Jesus. Christians know that there is no salvation outside of obedience to Christ (Hebrew 5:8-7; Matthew 7:21-23). So, without our obedient faith all the ways of man lead to spiritual death.

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The Brother of the Prodigal

Ah, the prodigal son of the Bible passage Luke 15. He was tired of being around the house. He wanted his inheritance right now. He got it, he spent it, and he regretted it. Embracing humility, he went home hoping he could at least be a hired hand. Instead, he was welcomed by his father, embraced, returned to a place of honor, and a party was thrown for him. Big brother wasn’t too pleased about the situation. He had been doing all the right things. He had served without disobedience for years. Yet, he never got a party.

A few years back, a 53 year old gentleman by the name of Ted Williams had a big change in his life. He was homeless, but when someone did a news story on him and heard his voice, he was launched to stardom. Quite quickly he was offered a plethora of jobs including voice work for NFL films and a working for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. There are many folks homeless for many reasons. In Mr. Williams case, his lifestyle was prompted by drug and alcohol use. He had done prison time for varying issues including theft. He had fathered 9 children. The glow began to be removed from the story.

As facts begin to emerge regarding Mr. Williams, a number of people have become quite frustrated. Their whole life, they have always tried to keep themselves respectable. They dress nice, they are clean cut, and have a great work history. They went to college and then to graduate school. Their resume does not include prison time. They have never stolen a thing; in fact, they once found a missing wallet and returned it. Personal relationships have always been kept in order. They have been married for decades and have always been faithful. Life for them has been difficult at times. They have struggled to make ends meet and keep a roof over the head of their family. With the economy in shambles, they are now facing layoffs.

So the question arises: Why should a foolish thief / drug addict get offered dream jobs which people everywhere are drooling over, while the hardworking respectable person doesn’t even get a glance thrown his way? To many it just doesn’t seem right. It angers them. It gnaws at them. They want a party too!

Mr. Williams story seems to parallel the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). But it is the story of the brother that is of interest here. Those frustrated need to ask themselves, “Am I the prodigal’s brother?” Everyone hopes for a big break in their life. Everyone hopes their life will turn Golden. However, should only the very best people get the breaks? America itself was founded upon principles which allow anyone at anytime to turn their life around. The frustration expressed is called envy. Envy has roots which are very old. Envy when it takes root is sinful and can be very dangerous.

Two of the children of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman upon the earth, are the first examples given regarding envy. The children were named Able and Cain. A time came when they were to make an offering to God. Able offered a sacrifice that was by faith. That is, it was something which God had commanded and he had heard and followed (Romans 10:17). Cain, on the other hand, decided he could do something else and be pleasing to God. Cain’s heart wanted to serve. Cain’s heart wanted to worship. Cain believed in God. However, Cain’s gift was not what God commanded. It was not by faith. Consequently, God did not regard his offering. Cain brought his misfortune upon himself, but his anger was upon Able (Genesis 4:3-8). Cain was envious of Able’s success. Cain was no doubt a good person overall, certainly he would have opportunity to be pleasing to God at other times and be regarded by Him. However, those times would never come. In Cain’s envy, he killed Able. This was even after God had warned him about his anger saying, “Sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

Later on in scripture (Genesis 37), the children of Jacob (who would be the fathers of tribes of Israel) encountered envy. Jacob favored one son, Joseph, and the other sons were envious. Their envy was so great they contemplated killing Joseph, just as Cain had Able. However, they were discouraged enough by the older brother Reuben such that they only sold Joseph into slavery (Acts 7:9). However, such an action was certain lacking in love and sinful. Little did they know, the success of their brother would come back to bless them.

By the time of the Israelite captivity by Babylon, there lived a captive by the name of Daniel. Daniel was taken from Jerusalem, made a eunuch, and placed in the service of King Nebuchadnezzar. As time played out, Daniel through the hand of God would display great wisdom and be given a high place of power and honor. This blessing not only extended through the Babylonian captivity, but into the rule of the Medes and Persians. What an amazing story of someone rising up from nothing to that which would be a dream of many. It was a situation which made many others envious (Daniel 6). Envious Median officials created a legal situation in which Daniel would be thrown into a pit of lions because of his persistent worship of God. Indeed, Daniel was thrown into such a pit, due to the envy of men. However, God protected his life, despite the sin of man.

When Jesus later walked the earth, some of the Jews (people of Israel) were envious of him. There were men who accepted him, there were men who believed in him secretly, but those in power were envious. They were afraid he would take their place and nation (John 11:48). They did not want to lose their power. They even understood that Jesus was performing miracles, wonders, and signs (John 5:16). Rather than give praise for the savior which had come as prophesied, they were more concerned about themselves. Consequently, when the proper time came, they delivered Jesus up to the Roman authorities to be crucified. The Roman Governor Pilate clearly understood why Jesus was brought to him. He declared Jesus innocent of any crimes for he knew Jesus was brought to him because of envy (Matthew 27:18).

Following the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, Jesus spent over a month appearing to many different individuals and groups. Then, he ascended into heaven, leaving his apostles to receive miraculous inspiration on the day of Pentecost, enabling them to preach all the truths of God. Their teachings denounced envy. From the beginning of time and to the end of this earth, envy is sin.

Galatians 5:19-21 – Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Peter 2:1 – So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

It is so easy, to be the Prodigal’s brother. It is easy to walk in the same footsteps as Cain, Joseph’s brothers, the Median officials, and Jews of Jesus time letting envy consume the thoughts. However, rather than act or feel in such a manner, happiness should be expressed for the individual. A love for mankind should cause us to share in their joy and hope it lasts. Envying another individual’s successes will not improve your situation, but it will rather distress and endanger your soul. Do not be the Prodigal’s brother.

Proverbs 14:30 – A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.
1 Corinthians 13:4 – Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast;

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