Either God is or he isn't.

     We don't think if it that way as is evidenced by out thoughts, words and actions.  What we are "comfortable" with is God being far away who can come to our rescue when we get ourselves in a pickle.  I've been there and done that with to often frequency.  What happened?  Why don't we take seriously our relationship with God?  Are we so deceived that we can only see "our" god and not THE God?  Perhaps we are.  Maybe those things that matter most are kicked aside for those things that matter least.  There will be no Thursday night football in heaven.  I know that this takes most of you by surprise.  There will also be no baseball, soccer, Olympics, television, and such in heaven.  What matters most to you?  You have the choice of prayer, reading the Scripture and sharing your faith.  What do you do?  Going out to the bar for a drink?  Smoking some marijuana calling it medicinal?  Sleeping with some other woman/man?  Maybe you just do nothing and call it good.  It isn't making any difference.  Wherever your heart is there is your allegiance.  Think about this every time you have the choice (which is all the time).  Either God is or he isn't. 
     I look back over my Christian lifetime.  My relationship with God began October 1st, 1972 when I was 19.  I was totally dedicated to the Lord and my life reflected that.  I was converted on the mission field that I later served with for 2 1/2 years before returning from Germany to the United States.  My wife was pregnant with our first and we soon settled into the worlds understanding of Christianity.  Yet, I was always discontented that so many Christians settled for less.  Perhaps the problem was that we expected Sunday School to train and raise our children.  Maybe it was he comfort of having to go to church on Sunday and then have the rest of the week free that undermined the tenants of the Christian faith in me.  With my dreams of returning to the mission field going away quicker than I believed, my life turned to supporting my family, work, volunteering, school and going to church...on Sunday.  Over the years things that mattered most drifted into the background (it was my choice) while those that mattered least came to the forefront.  You know the drill.  During my days "away" from God I had sporadic revival in my own faith.  Yet, I continue to drift away and then come back.  I'm not perfect...just forgiven.  Thank God and not god.
     I'm 63 now and the more I have learned the less I know.  With the world a confusing caldron of blackness it's hard to keep both feet in God while being pulled by the god of this world and his demons.  You know how it is, we are both "there" and wish we weren't.  I have 7 children who all have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, 5 grandchildren 4 that have chosen likewise.  One is just too young!  There are precious Christians in my life that help me keep ;my track close to where it ought to be.  They struggle too.  So many times I wish my life was as simple and blessed as it was that October night in 1972.  That was a long time ago and yet the same God that met me then continues to meet me now.  It's always been my choice whether or not God was my life or whether I took my life in my own hands...you know the other gods.  It's always your choice as well.

What do you want?

     That is a serious question.  I want to know what you would like me to address in the blog.  I have an endless supply of what I can write but I'd like to write on what you would like.  Don't feel that any topic is too simple or complex.  Please feel free to be controversial.  You know that I am!  I have a Masters of Counseling Psychology, a Masters of Theology, and almost a Masters in the treatment of Sex Offenders.  I've had 16 different vocations and enjoyed almost all of them.  I will always be true to the Word for my writings.  So, even if it's just a topic that isn't directly Christian, I'll do my best to put that spin on it. 
     That's it.  You can leave a topic list for me under comments.  I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks,
Steve

When I say..."I am a Christian"

 

When I say…”I am a Christian”
I’m not shouting “I am saved”
I’m whispering “I get lost!”
“That is why I chose this way.”

When I say…”I am a Christian”
I don’t speak of this with pride.
I’m confessing that I stumble
and need someone to be my guide.

When I say…”I am a Christian”
I’m not trying to be strong.
I’m professing that I’m weak
and pray for strength to carry on.

When I say…”I am a Christian”
I’m not bragging of success.
I’m admitting I have failed
and cannot ever pay the debt.

When I say…”I am a Christian”
I’m not claiming to be perfect,
my flaws are too visible
but God believes I’m worth it.

When I say…”I am a Christian”
I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartaches
which is why I seek His name.

When I say…”I am a Christian”
I do not wish to judge.
I have no authority.
I only know I’m loved.

Used by permission
copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]

 

Read more: http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/3024/when-i-say-i-am-a-christian/#ixzz4IkAfNrmv

My fortune cookie says...

     "You nee not worry abut your future."  That's a solid truth that I can hang onto and I didn't need a fortune cookie to tell me what I already know.  Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the mount that we don't need to and shouldn't worry about anything.  He continues to tell us that the Father is clearly in control and we should put all of our trust in him.  Then he finishes off telling believers that he will always be with us even to "the end of time."  When I first read this truth I was a very young Christian and my response was to do just that.  It wasn't until I let the cares of the world begin to wear me down that I doubted the Word.  Perhaps you too have once had that place in your Christian life where you were content because you KNEW that the Father was in control, that Jesus had cancelled out your sin, and that the Holy Spirit was with you always.  Perhaps you too let the cares of the world wear down your faith and belief to the point you were unsure of everything.  You aren't alone.  That "wearing down" of the spiritual life has been present since Adam and Eve were disobedient to God in the garden.  Even the great saints in the Bible found themselves there at one time or another.
     The fortune cookie has always been a fascination of people.  One almost looks forward to the end of dinner and the check knowing there will be a fortune cookie there waiting to input it's wisdom into your life.  The anticipation of opening the plastic covered prediction and then the sharing with those around your table is almost as cathartic as the meal itself.  People laugh at one fortune while questioning another.  The obsession brings you back to that place for a "refresher" from time to time.  Why can't we, as Christians, do the same with our Bible reading?  Where is the excitement in our devotions and learning new stuff on an ongoing basis?  People for the most part don't have that excitement at finding truths and encouragement from the Bible.  We tend to put to much seriousness into the reading of the Bible.  I once was advised to read through the Bible in the following ways:  read it as history, read it as life giving, and read it as encouragement.  The Bible is a living book with real implications for our daily lives. 
     So why do people who claim to be Christians live with such thin strands of hope holding them and their world together?  Why is it we find ourselves taking additional input from the likes of fortune cookies in order to keep our hope up?  The Bible says that God knows all of the days of our life from before we were born through the transition to living in heaven with him.  The Bible says that we are forgiven of ALL sin and that sin is forgotten by the Father when we take Jesus to be our Savior.  The Bible says that ALL of our needs will be met by God.  The Bible says that we should take hope in his return to take us home.  You don't need a fortune cookie for that.  All you need is to make a choice and trust in Christ.  It's always your choice.

Just like dieting..

     Christianity is just like dieting for most people.  When people diet they set the parameters of what they eat and don't eat, where and how they exercise or don't exercise, what supplements they take or don't take and on and on.  There are manmade circumstances where we come to face the reality that we don't like our bodies or someone who is important to us doesn't like out bodies.  When we do so we may have our conscious struck and decide to do something about it.  As a result we make New Year's Resolutions that won't last through the end of the month at best.  Oh, you do that too!?  I'm glad I'm not alone.  What happens next is predictable.  We set a goal and when met we reward ourselves with eating that which we shouldn't or give in to some other undermining action that puts at least half of the weight back on within half the time it took to lose it.  Then we despair and either give up or we decide to try it again.  Within the Christians life there is this same action taken by the masses so often and then repeated over their lives until we die and leave unfinished that which we had a chance to accomplish. 
     There is nowhere to be found in the Bible a mandate to diet, be selective of what you eat, or that you aren't supposed to do this or that in order to be acceptable to an image other than the image of God.  The Bible doesn't endorse dieting anymore than telling us that our bodies are the residence of the Holy Spirit (when we let him be resident).  Matthew 6:33 tells us to "be perfect even as God is perfect."  What the Greek says is we are to "be being made perfect even as God is perfect."  We don't know if God is fat or skinny.  We do know that God is holy.  We are to be holy as God is holy.  It would do all of well to concentrate on being like God and not so much a size 10 on whomever put that standard in place.  The poor don't care who you are if you are being them food.  You can be fat, skinny and they don't care.  The homeless don't care what you drive or what you represent as much as they care if you have clothes and shelter for them.  The widow doesn't care what your status is in society when you go over to mow their lawns and trim their bushes.  The orphan doesn't care what kind of home you have if they can only have a home and family.  God cares about all of these and yet, we don't.  Why is that?  Perhaps we "do" the world in the image of ourselves and not the image of God?
     Jesus told his disciples that they needed to be on Weight Watchers.  Nope.  Jesus told his disciples they needed 20 pairs of shoes in the closets of their homes.  Nope. Jesus told his disciples that they were to go forth and make disciples of all who would believe.  Yes!  Jesus told his disciples to care for the poor, the orphan and the widow.  Yes!  See the difference?  The first two were in the image of man while the second two are in the image of God.  Perhaps the diet we need to be on is self-denial.  Giving up our so called "rights" and living the obligation of love that God asks us to live.  What would happen if you were to go out and preach the Gospel to all men, women and children?  What would happen if you were to go take care of the poor, the orphan, and the widow?  What would it be like to be in the image of man and stand before God versus being in the image of God and stand before him?  God can only use the surrendered life, the surrendered heart and the surrendered hands of his followers.  What has he asked you to do that you aren't doing?  What has he asked you to do that you don't do because it doesn't fit your image?  It's your choice.  It's always your choice.

The Fence

     There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

I don't want MY life back

     Neither do you!  We seem to receive great pleasure in trying to hold onto our own lives while missing the point that being in Christ means we no longer live but Christ lives in us.  Let's see, I grew up an unbeliever, did things I cannot repeat on paper, lived the life of seeking personal pleasure, hated some while detesting most of the others, broke all but one of the 10 commandments (some several times), and denied Christ many times when it was convenient for me.  Why would I want to leave all of that?  Wasn't I having fun?  Didn't I have the time of my life?  There were so many in the same boat that I didn't need to row!  Why would I want to give all of that up?  Drank, smoke (drugs too!) and swore with the worst of them.  Cheated on my wives many times, didn't spend the time being a role model to my children.  Wasn't I having fun though?  No matter which way you slice it, the cake is the same.  I THOUGHT I was living life good.  I wasn't.  I THOUGHT I had that which would make and keep me happy.  It didn't.  Like King Solomon, there was no end in my seeking pleasure in the world.  That didn't work for him and it didn't work for me.  I didn't have 300 wives and 600 concubines and all the riches either.  Truthfully, I wasn't happy, content, and peaceful.
     When we are in the world, we don't have anything that God has for us.  We may think we have and we may even thank God for giving us that money to drink after work in the bar every night.  We may think it's our "man's" place to come home, sit in front of the TV watching sports while the "woman" does everything else.  We might even think tolerating going to church once in a while is a sign that we are Christian.  None of that is true.  Having spent many years counseling people who had many different kinds of problems I know that Christians (for the most part) have tried to run their own lives and are now messed up to the point they need help.  Two types of people entered my counseling practice.  The first looked for the signs that I had what it took...a degree from somewhere prestigious.  The second were the ones who looked for help.  The former didn't want help as much as evidence that they had fulfilled a promise to a spouse, children, boss or the courts.  The latter were the ones who were ready to give up.  Many were suicidal from time to time.  Three of my clients committed suicide in spite of giving my best.  We may think we have given our lives to God but the evidence shows that isn't true.  We are still trying to run our own lives.
     There was a young man who had reached the "end" as he saw it.  He had indulged in anything and everything to keep the pain and sense of worthlessness subdued.  The death of a close friend drove him to despair.  As the depression worsened he sank down into that terrible hole that many fall into.  He decided to commit suicide one night and with his .45 caliber pistol on the table decided to find out if there was something else.  He prayed for the first time saying, "God, if you are out there..."  He didn't get out anymore words as he felt a warm hand on his left shoulder and God's presence filled that room.  He knew then that God was real, the Bible was true, and that Jesus, his son, had come, lived and died for the sole purpose of saving him.  He gave his life to Jesus that night and his old life was gone and his new life infused into him.  I don't want my life back.  I was that man.  I was faced with the choice of my life.  Not one of many; but THEE choice of my life.  It had always been my choice and today, it's your choice.  It has always been your choice.

"It was me, I did it, I told the lie!"

     The quote is from Veggie Tales and bears memorizing and repeating as often as necessary.  The scenario was "The Big Fat Lie" and the consequences of telling a lie to ourselves and then to others.  Like a cancer lies bloom into full blown disasters.  While we don't think our lies do much if any damage, there are repercussions for the rest of your and my life.  First and foremost, there is the damage to our relationship with God.  Secondly, there is damage to our personal integrity first with ourselves and then others however far the lie goes.  I'm not talking about telling your kids there is a Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy.  For that matter the Easter Bunny and all the other warm fuzzy things we want our kids to embrace become fodder for the fire later in life.  The third level of damage is to our relationships with spouse, friends, work, and then the community.  Who hasn't seen a leader in the community fall in disgrace when the lie is exposed?  Perhaps you, like me, have been one of those who have fallen.  That's for you to answer.  I've wrecked my life many times over by living the lie (whatever it was) and having later to face the music. 
     Whenever we find ourselves in a problem circumstances we should cling to higher ground and think, say and do the right thing.  James 4:17 says, "If you do what you know is wrong, it is sin."  No wiggle room there.  There doesn't have to be a person you sinned against.  In fact that is secondary to sinning against God.  Taking the higher ground is always the best choice for the Christian.  For the non-believer, there is neither high or low ground.  In spite of people telling me that there are good people who don't believe; there are not.  The reality is you are either alive in Christ or dead in your sins.  Believing on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.  It sounds easy enough.  However, we must believe first.  That means abandoning what we previously believed.  Oh yeah, that means what we previously believed was a lie!  Does the Christian every think about the many people they have witnessed to in such a way that they would not consider Christ as their Savior?  I know that I have many instances when I chose the way of the world over The Way!  It makes no matter whether you try to convince others of your righteousness or not.  The one that needs convincing is God.  What would he say about your and my testimony?  Do you hear "well done thou good and faithful servant"?
     Despite the consequences of lying, telling the truth is always the best choice.  The truth, the Bible says, will set you free.  Free from what?  Free to worship God.  Free to enjoy eternal life.  Free to be who God wants you to be.  Free from the quandaries of life here on earth.  Beware though of those who don't want you free.  First and foremost the devil doesn't want you free.  Secondly, the unbeliever doesn't want you free.  Third your friends and family may not want you free.  Fourth, those in the church may not want you free.  The Bible states that Jesus came, lived and died so that you would be free.  He fulfilled the law of the Old Testament so that we can be free from the legalism that blossomed from there.  He set us free to have only two things to do in our life:  love God and love your neighbor as yourself.  Not a huge task if you are free.  A huge task if you are not free but think you are.  A relationship with Jesus is not a "pass" or a "right".  A relationship with Jesus is first and foremost an act of love to you and I and secondarily an act of love from us to Jesus.  If we only concentrate these two, we will succeed.  It's always a choice though and today it's your choice.

Another foggy morning in August

     Wait!  It's supposed to be hot and sunshine in August here in Washington!  It's supposed to be warm and not cold.  My air conditioner sits silent when it should be cooling the house.  What is going on?  The leaves are beginning to turn colors and drop.  Again something that is reserved for September or later.  What is happening to our world?  If this is symbolic in nature then we can transfer the images to Christian living.  What is supposed to be going on in the Christians life versus what is actually going on.  We get alarmed about the weather but not alarmed about the signs that our Christian life is having problems, is stale, or is just not being what Christ said it should be.  He hasn't changed so it must be we who have changed.  The Word says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and will be the same tomorrow.  There is no shadow of change in Him.  God is eternally vigilant in watching over his wayward children while it seems that the Christian is content being wayward.  Like the changing of the weather patterns so is the life of the Christian.  God will not tarry forever and will continue to fulfill the prophecies of the Bible.  Whether or not we like it, God will bring to a close our life here on earth.  Where will we be found in the changing of the tide and the destruction to follow?  Where will Christian faith be found on the earth?
     Karl Menninger wrote a book back in the 70's entitled "Whatever Became of Sin?" that exposed the trends of the Christian and the Christian church in their attempt to avoid personal responsibility for their sin both as individuals as well as a Christian church.  We've done everything but take the front line and address that which comes against God.  For instance, instead of instruction and discipline we have changed the Word (not a good move) and included a pat on the back to the poor sinner who believes he/she is not sinning in spite of the Bible saying they are.  We can blame anyone we want, anything we want and even deny our participation but the truth is we are the sinners who are not standing for God but against Him.  Think not?  Perhaps your church's stand is that this or that sin should be okay might be evidence that you are against God and not for him.  It's pretty foggy in the Christian world when the Son wishes to shine.  Perhaps you have a double life (or triple) where you are a Christian when you are around Christians but pagan when you are with pagans?  Maybe you close your eyes to that which is Christian while keeping them wide open to the ways of the world.  Get it straight.  To be friends with the world is to be an enemy of God.  That's Scripture.  Do you believe it?  If not, you have chosen to serve the Devil and not God. 
     Don't get me wrong, I haven't had a day of perfection much less an hour of perfection in my life.  I've had a moment of perfection when Jesus cleansed me of all sin.  I've spent so much time with a foot in both worlds that I'm spiritually bow legged.  How about you?  The good that comes is when we realize that the Son is only a step away patiently waiting for you and I to come to our senses and like the prodigal son, return to the Father who has been patiently waiting for me, for you.  The fog will come and go.  The days will come and go.  The life we live is but a breath, a passing of a season and we are no more  What we have done will remain an impact for a lifetime.  What's your choice?  It's always your choice.

What is wrong with us?

     It's easy to say, "everything is wrong with us." and there is a lot of truth in that statement.  I know some of what is wrong with me.  You know some of what is wrong with you as well.  We lead ourselves to justify the small things because we are "working on the big picture."  Really?  I know that I've been guilty of that.  Yet, it's the small things that trip us up.  We may not know it at first but as we become more aware we are convinced that this one small thing caused a whole lot of problem and perhaps even turned into the big thing.  For example, we take off from home and didn't let the kids get a potty stop before we got on the road for that family trip.  You guessed it, about 3 miles down the road there is that incessant cry of "I have to go to the bathroom!  Real bad!"  So you turn around, go back home and make that potty stop.  Once again on the road to destinations still in the future you find that they are now hungry beyond belief!  They want this or that and so you swing through a fast food with images of catsup and mustard on your new cars back seat.  When you finally get to your destination, the kids put asleep and you have a moment to yourself you reflect on what happened.  The first cause is soon found in your failing to put together a plan.  Putting the plan together would have enacted action to check off the items on the list which would have prevented the stops and the delay in getting to where you are exhausted.  You get the drift.  The big picture begins with you and I choosing to do something or not do something.
     What's wrong with me is I do the "partially think things through" plan.  I have a general idea of what may or may not be needed and go for it.  I don't cross the "T's" or dot the "I's" and pay the piper for the mistake.  Now you may be thinking I'm talking about everyday life in the worlds sense.  I'm not.  I'm talking about my spiritual life.  I'm talking about going by the playbook of life outlined in the Bible.  When I take time to put my life on the altar and let Him direct my path (straight and narrow) as well as pay attention to the light (only for a few feet ahead of me at the time). then my life has a good first choice.  When I don't do that, well, disaster is bound to come upon me and those who are around me.  We have a tendency to share out wrong emotions and not share those emotions which God wants us to share.  It's much easier to share my impatience and anger than patience and peace.  You see, there is a lot wrong with us.  Some of us have a bigger share than others and that's just the way it is.  For those of us who do, God has lots in store for us in a positive way.  Don't worry, God sees what is wrong with us and his love for us never changes.  He also sees what is right with us and tries to encourage us in those ways.  After all, we are to love others as we are loved by Him. 
     Not to let this go quite yet, there is another aspect we must look at.  Maybe what's wrong with us is found in those we associate with and the places we go along with the absence of Godly men and women in our lives.  There are those people who need you and I to be terrible so that they look better.  Shame on them.  There are those places where you need to be less than God wants you to be in order to be accepted in this world.  Shame on you.  There are those who's mouths make us sick.  Yet, we don't walk away, we don't confront, and we don't pray for them or the situation.  Why? Because we don't want anyone in the world to think there is anything wrong with us.  We have a Boston Terrier that thinks she is the queen of everything.  She isn't afraid of any dog or other animal for that matter.  The problem is that she puts herself out there as invincible and we need to come to her rescue.  When finished she still thinks she is queen of everything.  Perhaps you and I do that to.  We don't have to fight in any manner where Jesus can easily take care of the enemy.  But then, it's your choice.  It always has been.

Where do weeds come from?

     Just back from a week of vacation and upon inspection of my flower beds and gardens I was appalled with the growth of weeds.  Not that the other wanted items didn't grow, but the weeds!  They were tall and strangling my other plants.  Weeds!  They are the gardener's enemy just like the weeds that the devil plants in our lives as well.  Some weeds are actually thought to be something other than weeds.  People make wine out of dandelion, use the root for a diuretic and use the greens for food.  Yet, they remain a weed to me.  There is an organization here in Washington that calls for the preservation and propagation of the dandelion as if it was an endangered species!  Sanctifying that which should be eradicated.  That's the way it is protecting other things as well.  We see that the world is working overtime trying to protect their rights to sin against God as well as their fellow man.  The weeds of the world are so much more damaging than dandelions.  I can remember one of those moments when I became aware of what my world had become as a teen.  We lived on a farm where we had a lot of cattle and milk cows along with pigs and chickens.  The smell of their poop was present all the time.  We grew up with the smell around us like so many of the farm kids in the area and thought nothing of it.  The first time I went back home after being away for a spell I was hit in the face with this smell and realized that it was offensive.  When we consider the weeds in our lives have we become so attuned to them that we don't even recognize them?
     When my two oldest children were young I used to take them on walks.  Whenever I saw a coin on the ground I would pick it up and put it in my pocket.  My son asked me how I saw the coins so easily.  I explained that I knew what the sidewalk looked like so anything that didn't look like sidewalk caught my attention.  With that he too began to pick up coins that he saw on the sidewalk.  We can do that as Christians with the weeds only if we acknowledge that the weeds are not part of the Christian life.  If we think we can do this sin or that sin then we will no longer see them as weeds that are robbing us of life.  Whenever we step into a situation where we are okay with the sin presented or the group presenting that sin, we have the opportunity to say that this weed doesn't belong in our garden and opt out.  What we do more than often is take the other road.  We shrug our shoulders and leave the weed in place thinking that it has nothing to do with us and won't affect us.  It's only a matter of time before we are walking in the same mess of weeds thinking they are pretty flowers like dandelions. 
     Today I will go out and pull weeds from my gardens and flower beds.  Others have asked me how I know what the weeds look like in relationship to the many other plants that are planted there.  I tell them that I've been around weeds a long time, know the difference between a weed and a flower and that I've been pulling weeds what seems like my whole life...literally.  It's the same in the Christian life.  How do we know what a weed is?  The sin within the Christian church is outrageous and inexcusable.  Yet, those who lead the flock know what they need to do to keep the money coming into their pockets.  They act like, speak like and think like a weed because they are weeds.  The devil is their closest friend.  If I plant a weed in someone else's garden (life) then I am guilty as well.  We have the choice to choose to plant Jesus in the world around us or the devil.  Weeds come from the devil and the world he controls.  It's your choice whether you like or hate the weeds.  It's always been your choice.

Don't drive on the sidewalks!

     Sidewalks are for pedestrians and sometimes skate boarders and bicycles.  Most of the time it's for only those devices and people meant to be out of the roadway.  The roadway is designed for travel and there are specifics that determine what the roadway are.  The lanes are marked with fog lines (white) on the outside which can double as bicycle lanes.  Then there are the center lines.  These lines are either white or yellow and designate the two different (or more) lanes going in each direction.  Sometimes there are commute lanes permitting those who don't want to get caught in commute traffic to bypass all those who are driving alone.  Why is all this important to the Christian?  The God of the universe addressed this long before their were more than paths crossing the land.  He said that wide is the road that leads to destruction and narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.  We are given the choice of which road we take and whether we stay within the lane or not.  The Christian is to be on the "straight and narrow" and to not wander from that lane.  Until we give our lives to Christ we are all on the road to destruction.  When we choose Christ, we choose the straight and narrow road that leads to eternal life. 
     Staying within the lanes is a little like driving into LA.  The roadside is littered (literally) with signs galore and strip malls selling anything and everything.  This is a scenario all around the world.  The temptations leap out at us whenever we have our eyes open.  There seems to be a whole lot of people like me who have not only been tempted to go off the road and into the multi lane freeway of temptation.  Yes, there is always an entry ramp back onto the straight and narrow.  You, like me, maybe have had to use that ramp to get back to that which is most important: God.  When we are on the road that leads to life we need to be mindful that there are others who are watching us.  And we are watching them.  It's called the family of God for a reason.  We are tasked first with staying on the road ourselves and secondly helping others stay on the road as well.  Being an example, encouraging others, holding the hands of someone who is about to go off the road, confronting those who are determined to go off road and loving others as God has loved us are just some of the ways the Christian is to live while on the road.  The spiritual food is there for all of us.  On the road we don't go off into the grassy stop called a rest area.  There is no rest for the righteous and the wicked don't need it.  We discover that there is no "real" food when off the road.
     All of our lives are spent going forward on the road.  There is only one way traffic that leads to Jesus.  There are times when you and I have gone off the road and Jesus isn't there.  There are times we have looked at the temptations and wondered if we could enjoy temporary treasures with no consequences.  There are times when we have had to admit that we have strayed and found that Jesus is just a step away waiting for us to enter that eternal journey and destination.  It's all about choice.  What choice you make doesn't just affect you.  Like you, I have led others off the road into temptations.  It was a bad choice and remains a bad choice.  Do you live your life in such a way that people desperately want what you have?  Others have a choice as well.  Today, it's your choice.  Take the high road or not.  It's always been your choice.

Once upon a time Christianity

    Once upon a time Christianity is where we spend so much time.  Living and remembering the past with only our vision of world peace and happiness as our future.  We think that our past was so wonderful that we long to go back to Egypt where things were so much better.  They weren't as we know but we seem to go want to go back to the familiar instead of moving forward with trust that God is leading us with wisdom and discernment for our good and his greatness.  Sunday school as a 5 year old might have been fun.  It wasn't necessarily truthful.  Sunday school rarely gives us the tools needed to maintain our faith much less remain committed to Jesus.  Once through the teen years many drift away and may or may not return to that first love of Jesus.  Once upon a time I saw all kinds of wonderful things happening in the Christian world around me.  Why don't I see it now?  Perhaps it's because I haven't been willing to be led and instructed by Jesus?  Perhaps you haven't either.  It's always easier to live within the confines of our minds than to empty ourselves so that Jesus can live through us.  Remember when...seems to be the guiding principle of the Christian church.  It's all about remembering the Old Testament stories, the New Testament stories and of course our holidays are reflections of just that.  If we really believed the day of the crucifixion we would live like it.  If we really believed the call of Jesus we would live like it.  If we really believed the day of Pentecost we would live like it.  Once upon a time...
     Once upon a time people went to hell because no one took the time to tell them about Jesus.  Once upon a time people went unhealed because no one took the time to lay hands on them and pray in faith to the God of miracles.  Once upon a time we went un-evangelized because we believed that it wasn't our job.  Once upon a time we didn't understand the Bible because we didn't read it for ourselves.  Once upon a time we relied on televangelists to bring us the prosperity gospel that fueled our desire to be rich on earth instead of heaven.  Once upon a time we looked at others and their sin instead of letting the Holy Spirit examine and open our eyes to our sin allowing us the chance to repent.  Once upon a time we believed the ten commandments instead of believing man's twisting Scripture to meet their own needs and bring them the feeling like they weren't guilty.  Once upon a time we didn't stand up for our faith and as a result live in a country where we have given away the power of God to the god of this world Satan.  Once upon a time we cared about our fellowman but now look the other way because we don't want to get involved.  once upon a time...
     Once upon a time we all made choices that we thought we wouldn't go back on.  We began to look forward to the return of Christ and lost sight of what we are/were all about.  We made choices to daydream instead of living Christ to the world around us.  We became complacent in his delay in coming.  We forgot that he can tarry as long as he wishes and he wishes to give all a chance to come to him.  Does our "once upon a time Christianity" even come close to where we are to be, what we are to be, and how we are to be?  It's always been your and my choice.  Once upon a time...

Things we are uncomfortable with.

     We can talk about our comfortable places, things and ideas all day long.  We can exhort all of them to our friends, family and sometimes even complete strangers.  What we don't do is talk about the uncomfortable.  Like, for instance, when you are in a group of people at work or elsewhere and someone uses the Lord's name in vain.  Or when someone in that same group tells a racial or otherwise untasteful joke.  Perhaps you are with a group of women from church and because you are such spiritual people you gossip about that or this woman, man, pastor or whomever may come to mind.  In all of these situations you choose to say nothing, giggle along, ignore, tolerate or even join in on the behavior, speech or dissing.  We are uncomfortable in all of the areas where Jesus isn't.  Jesus isn't uncomfortable in any situation.   Confront the woman at the well?  Done that.  Heal the woman who touched his cloak.  Done that.  Chased the money changers out of the temple.  Yep, he did that as well.  Jesus wasn't uncomfortable about upholding that which is right.  Why are we so uncomfortable?  Paul wasn't uncomfortable anywhere either before his conversion or afterwards.  His confidence drove his comfort zone.  Even when he switched sides there evidenced no fear.  The disciples were uncomfortable from time to time (most of the time) until they were filled with the Holy Ghost.  Remember until that moment they were hiding from the Jews. 
     When we consider our salvation we should understand one primary concept: the more comfortable we are in Christ, the more uncomfortable the world around us will be.  Our desire to be comfortable with Jesus is only overshadowed in our discomfort to be what he wants and needs us to be.  Do you believe that you are comfortable in your life with Christ?  Then tell him why you don't do what he is asking you to do.  Do you feed the poor?  Do you confront the sinner?  Do you proclaim the Gospel?  Do you take care of the widow and orphan?  Do you speak truth into other's lives?  Do you do anything to further the kingdom of God?  If you can't answer yes to these questions then you are uncomfortable being a Christian.  Perhaps it's a good time to re-examine your salvation and see if you have really given your life to Christ?  We like to think because we go to church, pray over meals or even say "Praise the Lord!" in private that we are comfortable when the truth be told we are not even close.  Stepping up to the plate means we need to choose Christ's comfort zone and let the world be uncomfortable with Him as the head of our life. 
     I was once chastised for a bumper sticker on my car that proclaimed "abortion stops a beating heart."  They (family member) also criticized my Christian bumper stickers stating that they might be offensive to others.  That's the point!  Get out of your comfort zone and stand for something!  Stand for Godly principles, God's best, God's Son, and the salvation you have through Jesus!  Stand up and do what is right, say what is right, think what is right.  Be comfortable in your life with Jesus AND make no apology for that life!  Let others be uncomfortable.  It's their choice.  You, on the other hand, don't need to be sensitive to their choice.  Why?  Because you have made the choice to serve the God of the universe and know with whom your life has life.  Remaining in the uncomfortable zone is for the world and not for the Christian.  It's your choice.  It has always been your choice.

Things we are uncomfortable with.

     We can talk about our comfortable places, things and ideas all day long.  We can exhort all of them to our friends, family and sometimes even complete strangers.  What we don't do is talk about the uncomfortable.  Like, for instance, when you are in a group of people at work or elsewhere and someone uses the Lord's name in vain.  Or when someone in that same group tells a racial or otherwise untasteful joke.  Perhaps you are with a group of women from church and because you are such spiritual people you gossip about that or this woman, man, pastor or whomever may come to mind.  In all of these situations you choose to say nothing, giggle along, ignore, tolerate or even join in on the behavior, speech or dissing.  We are uncomfortable in all of the areas where Jesus isn't.  Jesus isn't uncomfortable in any situation.   Confront the woman at the well?  Done that.  Heal the woman who touched his cloak.  Done that.  Chased the money changers out of the temple.  Yep, he did that as well.  Jesus wasn't uncomfortable about upholding that which is right.  Why are we so uncomfortable?  Paul wasn't uncomfortable anywhere either before his conversion or afterwards.  His confidence drove his comfort zone.  Even when he switched sides there evidenced no fear.  The disciples were uncomfortable from time to time (most of the time) until they were filled with the Holy Ghost.  Remember until that moment they were hiding from the Jews. 
     When we consider our salvation we should understand one primary concept: the more comfortable we are in Christ, the more uncomfortable the world around us will be.  Our desire to be comfortable with Jesus is only overshadowed in our discomfort to be what he wants and needs us to be.  Do you believe that you are comfortable in your life with Christ?  Then tell him why you don't do what he is asking you to do.  Do you feed the poor?  Do you confront the sinner?  Do you proclaim the Gospel?  Do you take care of the widow and orphan?  Do you speak truth into other's lives?  Do you do anything to further the kingdom of God?  If you can't answer yes to these questions then you are uncomfortable being a Christian.  Perhaps it's a good time to re-examine your salvation and see if you have really given your life to Christ?  We like to think because we go to church, pray over meals or even say "Praise the Lord!" in private that we are comfortable when the truth be told we are not even close.  Stepping up to the plate means we need to choose Christ's comfort zone and let the world be uncomfortable with Him as the head of our life. 
     I was once chastised for a bumper sticker on my car that proclaimed "abortion stops a beating heart."  They (family member) also criticized my Christian bumper stickers stating that they might be offensive to others.  That's the point!  Get out of your comfort zone and stand for something!  Stand for Godly principles, God's best, God's Son, and the salvation you have through Jesus!  Stand up and do what is right, say what is right, think what is right.  Be comfortable in your life with Jesus AND make no apology for that life!  Let others be uncomfortable.  It's their choice.  You, on the other hand, don't need to be sensitive to their choice.  Why?  Because you have made the choice to serve the God of the universe and know with whom your life has life.  Remaining in the uncomfortable zone is for the world and not for the Christian.  It's your choice.  It has always been your choice.

What is it that you fear what others think of you?

     What is it about fear that makes us immobilized to do or say or feel the way we do?  Does the grip have such a hold on us that we cannot break free and bee who God wants us to be?  The Bible says that "perfect love (God's) casts out all fear."  I struggle to understand that at times.  Usually tragedy takes me there the quickest.  Fear is the next area.  Fear of being good enough, fear of not being fit enough, fear of no looking good enough...the list is inexhaustible.  Why is it that our lives are so fear based?  What do we think, feel or say that shows our fear?  The equation is simple to write but hard to understand.  The opposite of fear is love in the Christian world.  Except when we try to understand that "the fear of the Lord is..."  The love/fear relationship isn't easily understood or conveyed because it's so simple we don't understand.  Here is an example:  I am outside my home and there is moderate traffic.  I tell my kids (because I love them) that they are to ride their bikes ONLY in the driveway.  Because I love them I watch over them by being RIGHT THERE with them.  Because I love them I deny myself and have my eyes on them overlooking their health, safety and welfare.  Because I love them when they wander beyond the boundary I YELL at them out of love for them...and for fear of losing that love on my part.  I want them protected, encouraged, and to live a long and productive life glorifying God.  What Christian parent doesn't.
     But what about your spouse, children, boss, neighbor, fellow church attendee, and the lady at the supermarket?  Why do we put so much importance on being pleasing to and with them?  Fear that we won't be acceptable, fear that what we represent them will be offensive, or perhaps fear that we will be viewed in a negative light?  You pick one or all; they are all part of our makeup.  Society (the world) wants us to give in, buckle under and be what they want us to be.  What makes them feel comfortable, accepted and okay.  So what about the Christians who spend money they don't have for that special Easter outfit or Christmas gift when their poor fellow worshipper has little or nothing?  Well, the Christian (that is worldly) certainly doesn't want to be seen like them nor do they want to be seen less than those who they perceive as above them.  I spent many years as a police office in a busy city.  I spent countless hours in emergency rooms with victims and suspects and took a few dying declarations.  What I found in ALL people was the fear of what was going to happen.  That fear caused them to do and say things in order to be "ready" should they be called home to heaven or hell.  Deathbed confessions are a result of fear and not love.  They are not of God.  In the end, when we are in the coroners office we are all the same...a body who's soul has left it.  Nothing more and nothing less. 
     Perspective is in the eye of the beholder.  If you are wanting to be seen a certain way, you will project that.  If you don't want to be seen in a certain way, you will live that in secret.  both are fear based and not of love.  Have you ever met someone who is truly in love with Jesus?  They don't care what the world thinks of what they think, say or do because thy are in love with Jesus and would rather be who he wants them to be than to be what the world wants them to be.  Is that what you seek or do you dress up for Easter and Christmas?  Do you seek the love of the world who will abandon you in an instant or do you seek the love of God so incredible that Jesus died for you.  Would you die for him?  Would you give your life in service to God as Jesus did in service to you?  It's not a complex question.  It's not a trick question.  Nor is it a question that you need to ignore, avoid or deny.  That is, unless you fear what people might think of you.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of understanding.  Jesus is love.  Perfect love casts out all fear.  It's really a matter of personal choice in light of Scripture and not man's understanding.  It's always been your choice.

What then will we say?

     We often don't think about what we have said, what we are saying and what we are going to say because it doesn't matter to us.  It DOES matter to God.  He says that we will be accountable for every idle word we speak.  Do we believe this?  Or do we say, "Really?" and shake our head in pity for the ones who take the Scripture seriously?  It's not rocket science to acknowledge that what we have said has already gone out and can never be taken back.  I'm reminded of the TV shows and movies where the judge says, "The jury will disregard the last statement."  Right!  Once spoken that moment is indelibly written in time.  Good, bad, or indifferent what was said has been said and cannot be taken back.  We may wish that it wouldn't have been said, regret what was said and even feel guilty about what we have said.  None of those will unpull the trigger.  The shot has been taken and that's the way it goes.  Jesus cautions us to watch our hearts so that our thoughts will remain correct and speak only that which reflects the love of God.  Does your past feel like it's accomplished that?
     Here is a caveat that many of don't think about, don't consider and don't care much about.  What we speak may be in the past but it has forever changed the future either positively or negatively.  Like trust, once injured there is no innocence to be regained.  You may have not meant it but the world doesn't remember what you really meant even if they know what you meant in the first place.  William James said, "We may have a God in heaven who forgives us our sin but mankind does not."  That idle word, that angry word, that hurtful word, that unforgiving word all serve no positive place in your or my future.  Yet, Christians speak as if this isn't true.  They act like all you do is apologize and the effects of those word goes away.  God works that way but mankind does not.  The ramifications of those words is far reaching horizontally and vertically.  It's just the one whom received your word; it's everyone you know and everyone they know and the pyramid keeps growing.  What is remembered is your unchristian words and actions.  Your witness is damaged and people will be quick to remind you.
     So, what about today?  Do you want God to remember what you said?  He already knows what is in your heart and what is in your mind.  Do you want him to remember that which passes through your lips?  I'd to say that I have a clean slate but that isn't true.  It was never true and will never be true.  I'm a fallen creation that makes choices that God never intended a Christian to say.  Being thought a fool for being silent is better than being proved a fool for opening your mouth and saying what you want.  Some people won't like it when you say what God is wanting you to say but say it anyway.  It's better to stand in the presence of God and hear, "Well done thou good and faithful servant." than "What were you thinking?!"  Remember that every moment of every day is a choice what you will do, who you will represent and who you will bring the love of God to.  It's always your choice.

Maybe it's time to consider Jesus

     Yes, this blog is for the Christian as well as the non Christian.  We are in the world and yet are to be not of the world.  How does one do that without losing track of whom they are aligned with?  It's difficult to keep Jesus as our main consideration when there are so many other agenda's pulling at our heart, soul and mind.  You may think you are following Jesus but parts of your life may say otherwise.  For instance, what are your priorities regardless of the situation brewing around you?  Is our priority always Jesus?  Do we make other things and other people priorities over Jesus?  I think we all know that we do.  I know that I do.  Not that I should but confession is good for the soul.  I'm a real person with real struggles and real victories.  The victories mean I have the priority right and the struggles mean that I don't.  Perhaps the same is true in your life. Sometimes I get the picture of God on his throne drumming his fingers on the armrest while watching me once again wander off the straight and narrow.  He gave me free will and it's my choice whether to have my priority Jesus or me.  The same goes for you.
     There are two things that keep me from choosing the right priority.  The first is the past.  Staying in the past keeps my focus on what would have, should have, and could have been.  This takes away the focus on Jesus and what he wants me to do here and now in the present.  It's a means to remind me that I have wants or needs that are unfulfilled as of yet and not consider what is important to my living for Jesus.  Focusing on the past steals a life for Christ.  Satan loves to keep us in that place where we are ineffective because all we can think about is the past.  The second thing is the future.  Dreaming of this or that is keeping me from focusing on what is right now.  Hoping on this, relying on that, envisioning what might be and looking forward to winning the lottery all steal the day from where Jesus wants me to be.  These are distractions that come and steal the current, present and right now joy of being in love with Jesus.  Looking to the past or the future only serves the wants of the Devil here in this world.  Jesus wants us to live in the moment and the Holy Spirit wants us to live in the moment and the Father wants us to live in the moment.  It's the only way we can seriously consider Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
     When I get to the place where my desire to be in love with Jesus surpasses the past and the future, I can consider him most fully.  I'm not saying that we don't need the past to remind us of what good and bad there WAS.  I'm not saying that we don't need the future to give us hope of what is to COME.  What I am saying is that Jesus said to keep it simple.  Simple means living each day as our first and last.  Putting aside that which entangles us in this world and being free to do what He wants us to think, say and do.  Why waste time dwelling on that which has taken place and that which hasn't taken place when we can dwell in the loving arms of God today, this moment?  It's a choice we have before us each and every day. It's always your choice.

The call to discipleship!

     When we think of a call to discipleship, we don't necessarily get it right as the definition given by Jesus.  As a father I can "call" to my kids to get out of the road when a car is coming.  I can call my family to dinner.  I can call my sister or others.  I can call for a taxi and the list goes on.  It's not the call to discipleship.  You can think of the call to discipleship as a "calling" given by God but you wouldn't be correct there either.  Mostly because the Christian uses the "calling" to determine what a Christian has been specifically called to do like pastor, evangelist, and etc.  The call that comes to your memory is "recall" and most people like to only recall those memories of positive and good nature.  Then there are those who are called to rise to the occasion and to do what is right.  Stopping to help a stranded motorist, helping someone up who has fallen, and those sorts of things.  Some of us freak when we are called out on the carpet (so to speak) and need to be corrected.  The call to discipleship is none of these.
     I clearly remember the moment when Jesus came into my life.  It was an event that would establish a "first love" relationship with God.  My life was changed and I was called out of the world and separated from the world forever.  Not necessarily the temptations of the world, but I no longer belonged here.  I was in the world but not of the world to quote Paul.  There was a focus that was intense, prolonged and wonderful.  Not much else mattered to me.  Jesus took so many of the issues that were my life and removed them miraculously freeing up my being to be his being.  The tenure of those feeling would run the gamut over the years but the sense of belonging to only God remained the source of my life.  The focus turned from my selfish desires to His will.  Instead of being dictated to by the world I found myself wanting to submit myself to his love and follow his teachings.  My life was totally turned around and my old group of friends didn't like it.  Neither did my family.  Part of being on the "called to discipleship" is knowing that those in the world (some are Christians) don't like who you have become.  The call to discipleship then becomes a total being focus and that means that God is the total focus.
     The core word in discipleship is discipline and not disciple.  It's part of the question of what came first, the chicken or the egg.  Without discipline we cannot be disciples.  Self discipline doesn't work.  The kind of discipline I am referring to is  abandonment of self and immersion in Christ.  Paul says of his discipline that "it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives within me."  Can we say that?  Has our discipline come to that point?  Do we, as Christians, really believe that we can have one foot in heaven and the other foot in the world?  If we do, then we don't have Christ as our call to discipleship.  The discipline offered by the Holy Spirit leads to our discipleship.  When we are in that space, we are being subjugated willingly to the God of everything.  There is nothing more important than doing the will of God.  It's all a choice.  It's your choice, do what God wants.  Be a disciple of Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to manifest himself in every aspect of your life.  Let the Father breathe through you and watch the world you live in be transformed.  It's always your choice.

Christian accountability and your choice

     The apostle Paul warns the Christian community against the evil of judging one another concerning certain doubtful or debatable practices¹⁵¹ where one Christian holds one opinion and another a different opinion. He then concludes this portion of his argument with a reminder of every Christian’s accountability at the Judgment Seat of God. He writes:

     But why do you judge your brother or sister? Or again, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” 12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God (Rom 14:10-12)..

     The stark reality of Scripture is that every person, Christian and non-Christian, is accountable before a sovereign God (see Rom. 3:9-19) and will one day have to bow before Christ (Phil. 2:9-11). Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked” (Luke 12:48b). Many reject this declaration of Scripture by all manner of human rationalizations and bias, but their rejection cannot alter the reality of accountability.

Jesus emphatically taught that a day of judgment is coming when every person will have to give an account. For instance, in a context where the Pharisees had spoken evil of Jesus by attributing His miracle to Satan, Jesus condemned them as a brood of vipers who could never say anything good since their hearts were evil. He then went on to make the point that people are responsible for all their actions and words, which will acquit or condemn them on the day of judgment. In Matthew 12:36 He said, “I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak.”

     Unfortunately, however, man is a rebel who wants to do his own thing without any or very little accountability for his actions. Since the fall of man (Gen. 3), this has been the case, but a worldwide phenomenon of our day is a defiance of any form of established authority whether religious or secular, social or political. This sad reality has colored the beliefs and actions of our present society worldwide. Without a sense of accountability to a sovereign God, the world can quickly gravitate in the direction of the ruthless acts and tyranny of people like Hitler. When God either does not exist in the beliefs of men or when the truth about God is distorted into man’s own image of who and what God is like, everything is permitted, morally speaking.

Today, we live in a time when, having fundamentally rejected the absolutes and clear teachings of Scripture, man seeks to make God accountable to him for his comfort and pleasure. Thus, people are not only doing what is right in their own eyes, but the prevailing attitude is ‘Do your own thing. You are only accountable to yourself and your own self-fulfillment.’ This is a shift from a God-centered perspective of life to a man-centered perspective. This is all part of man’s attempt to dismiss any accountability to God. The reality is that when men seek to ignore accountability to God and others, they leave themselves vulnerable to the cold misery of slavery and eventually to the menace of a dictator.

     Accountability to God and to one another according to the directives of Scripture is the foundation for freedom and liberty. But what is true freedom and wherein lies its source? Freedom is not the right to do as one pleases as a capricious child. Certainly it means the capacity to exercise choice, but never so that it is devoid of responsibility or accountability. Freedom is both the responsibility and the ability, by the grace of God, to do what is right according to the absolute and righteous standards of truth as given to us in God’s Holy Word. Many see freedom as the right to abandon accountability to God and men in order to do what they please in the promotion of self gratification. But that is not freedom. It is slavery, or at least leads to slavery. Speaking of false teachers who either twist Scripture to their own self-centered objectives or deny its authority altogether, Peter writes, “…promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved” (2 Pet. 2:19). Beliefs or one’s world view always has consequences. It is like a train which is free to do what it was created to do as long as it is on its track.

     Accountability is one of the means God uses to bring about solid growth and maturity with the freedom to be what God has created us for. But as we’ve just stressed, the problem is that we live in a society that has become very individualistic. The prevailing attitude is be your own man or woman, do your own thing, be your own boss, and often this attitude is promoted or stated in a way that undermines accountability to God and others. The Bible in no way denies our individualism. Indeed, it promotes it, but in a way that holds us each accountable to others. Proper individualism leads to a certain amount of inventiveness, ingenuity, and freedom, but it can also breed license and irresponsibility without accountability. The fact is you can’t make disciples or produce growing and mature Christians without accountability.

So again, true freedom is not the ability to do as one pleases, which is license, but the power by God’s grace to do as one ought. 

The Justification for Accountability, It is biblical

    

The Justification for Accountability, It is biblical

     There are numerous New Testament passages which teach the concept of accountability of the flock to the leaders (1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 3:1-5; Heb. 13:7, 17; 1 Pet. 5:2-3). But the elders are limited in their capacity to effectively promote accountability throughout the body of Christ. As the Lord was focused on only a few, the twelve and then the three, so the leaders should follow his example. The need for accountability goes beyond the leadership and falls into the realm of the “one another” concept of the New Testament.

Ephesians 5:21

and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

First, it should be noted that “submitting” is the fourth in a series of adverbial participles. These can be detected in most translations by words that end in “ing” beginning with verse 19. These participles are best understood as expressing the results of the filling by means of the Spirit (vs. 18). Submission, which certainly includes accountability, is applied to the whole body of Christ as a Spirit-produced and mutual responsibility to promote obedience to Christ.

     “Submitting” is hupotasso, a military word used of soldiers submitting to their superior or slaves submitting to their masters. In the middle voice as here, it carries the idea of voluntarily submitting or subordinating oneself. As a specific application of the various areas of accountability, hupotasso is applied in relation to God in 1 Corinthians 15:28, Hebrews 12:9, and James 4:7, to Christ in Ephesians 5:24, to wives in Ephesians 5:22, Colossians 3:18, Titus 2:5, and 1 Peter 3:1, to parents in Luke 2:51, to masters in Titus 2:9 and 1 Peter 2:18, to secular authorities in Romans 13:1, and in a general sense of a voluntary submission to others in the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 16:16, 1 Peter 5:5, and here in Ephesians 5:21. Included in the word ‘submission’ are the ideas of authority and accountability to another. “In Scripture it appears in contexts describing servanthood, humility, respect, reverence, honor, teachableness, and openness”¹⁵⁵ and I might add, accountability. But we should quickly add that such submission or accountability is to bring about greater and greater obedience to the Savior as those first and foremost accountable to Him.

1 Peter 5:5

     In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

In 1 Peter 5:5 we again meet with the word hupotasso. Here it is applied to younger men with older men of wisdom. But if accountability is going to work, there must be genuine humility toward one another (vs. 5b). Further, accountability with humility is related to humbling ourselves under God’s authority—its goal is becoming accountable to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

     Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact doing.

     Verse 11 uses two more terms which show the emphasis in the matter of accountability as believers minister to one another. “Encourage” is the Greek parakaleo. It means “to call along side to help, to enable, to comfort, exhort, encourage.” It is the verb form of the word used of the Holy Spirit as the comforter, encourager, helper, enabler, but the verb may also contain the idea of “exhort, appeal to, or challenge” to a certain behavior as in Romans 12:1; 15:30; 16:17. “Build up” is oikodomeo, “to build up, edify,” or “to restore, repair.” Accountability to one another always has as its goal the restoration and edification of others in their relationship with the Savior because we are all accountable to Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-14 (see also Heb. 13:7, 17)

     Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who labor among you and preside over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them most highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the undisciplined, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient toward all.

Verses 12-13 naturally point to a dual accountability. First, there is that of the leadership whom God holds responsible to care for His flock (Heb. 13:17). Then there is responsibility of the flock to submit to the leadership. These leaders, like shepherds, are responsible for the spiritual well being of the local church.

     Verses 14-15 move us to the whole body and point to three methods by which we may help one another remain accountable to the Lord: by warning, encouraging, helping, and to three distinct need groups: the undisciplined, the discouraged, and the weak. From these verses we see how accountability has many faces or aspects as we learn to reach out to one another, but the goal is being accountable to the Lord by helping one another relate our lives to Jesus Christ by faith. Finally, this entire passage which deals with accountability concludes with a general application to all, “be patient with all men” followed by a warning in verse 15 that includes the goal or objective, seeking the good of others.

     As seen in the previous study on Teamwork, 1Corinthians 12:20f teaches Christians are members of one body, not independent agents. In that regard, we are responsible to each other within certain limits. The Lord is the head of the body and that includes each member, but He works through the various members of the body and accountability to one another is one of the ways He holds us accountable to Him.

Things change and then stay the same.

     The opposite can be true as well.  Things stay the same and then they change anyway.  The process by which we move between the two make or break our Christian conscious.  I like change and yet there are parts of my life that I wish to remain the same.  For instance, I once penned this line: "I live my life in a state of positive discontent."  You can almost hear that part of me that loves change and yet is content with where I've been.  There is so much more if we will only let the change go on within us and those around us and then look forward to the next change.  My life is good, has been good, and will be good because of what Christ has done for me.  That's not going to change.  The world has tried to make my life miserable, stagnant and without vision and hope.  When we get "stuck" in life, that's what is happening.  Though it is true that God tells us sometimes to be still and listen, he would rather have us fluid in our representation of his Son to the world around us.  In order for that to take place we must admit that things change and then they stay the same.
     There are over 600 prophecies that need to be fulfilled in order to bring us to the time where we are taken home in the Rapture.  That's change we can count on!  There are over 1,000,000,000 promises of political candidates in any given election year that we cannot count on.  See the difference?  With Christ there is constant change and yet the outcome stays the same...we go home to live with him.  With the politician we have the promise that we will be lied to, misrepresented and ignored right after the last vote has been turned in.  There is the promise of change but everything stays the same.  I know that a lot of the prophecies have been fulfilled and that more are bring fulfilled even as I am typing.  I know that the prophecies are all part of our journey forward into the presence of Christ.  I know that when we get to heaven our only focus will be to worship Christ the King.  What do we do to move forward with the prophecies?  First we have to read the Word and know what is prophesied.  Keeping in mind that our first commandment is to love God and the second is to love our fellow man.  Balance between the change coming and things staying constant (as in ministry focus) we have only one job.  We are to bring the love of Jesus to all.  If we are busy with the demands of the world, not making time for God and succumbing to the habits of the world, we aren't doing what we need to do.
     Being a prophet in the Old Testament was not always a very positive occasion.  Prophets were killed for speaking the word of God.  Prophets were put in jail for speaking the word of God.  People were driven underground in their churches in order to be able to worship together.  Yet, they went forward from the change Jesus brought and continued to bring that change to the world around them.  We have that change as well but also have the challenge of the change in others lives bring them to Christ.  The mandate of the Christian has not changed since Christ's death and resurrection.  The obedience to the change determines the change being passed onto others.  With that in mind, for the Christian, there is a static life.  We are challenged to live the life of Christ everyday, all day, and with everyone.  It's all about choice of whether we love God or not.  It's always a choice that determines if you will choose to die for Christ should the event come...and it will come.  It's always been your choice.

The law of Christian relativity

     With every action (or lack of action) there is an equal or opposite action placed in motion.  For instance, there you are out of gas and the actions generated from your choosing not to fill at that station you passed because of it's high price come full circle to you.  You sit on the side of the road with traffic whizzing by and you are no closer to work than if you had stayed home.  So, you call in and cancel that important meeting putting other people's schedules open to schedule or reschedule which has wasted their time which they still get paid for.  Your wife, who is bringing you gas, has to expend gas, pack up the children, coral the dogs and then pick up the gas can, go to that station you passed and pay more money than you think necessary only to be at your location an hour after you have run out of gas.  It's not over.  Your wife now has to go back home, rush to get the kids ready for school (for which they are late), and get herself ready for her job (for which she is late now) and then off to work.  Her car is full of gas because she chose to fill the tank after she got to work the night before.  You arrive to work to a bunch of managers who have had to cancel the meeting and then try to find a new time in their schedules to fit in the rescheduled meeting your miffed secretary has had to take care of.  You decide that you need to fill the car with gas at lunch time and cancel that client lunch in order to not repeat the event tomorrow.  Did I mention you are now on "the list" with the dogs, wife and kids? 
     We don't live in a world run by woulda, coulda, or shoulda.  We life in a world dictated by "if".  Not in the "past" way but in the present and future way.  If I do this then that will happen.  If I prepare for this than I can avoid that happening.  Most likely your life (as mine at times) is run by the past and not the present or the future.  Do we live in fear of what past choices have brought upon us?  Do we cower in our cubicles when we know we should say something?  Do we take time for personal pleasures but not for God?  All of these are indicators that we are living in the past with past consequences.  There are equal and opposite reactions dependent on our choices.  When I consider speaking to someone about Jesus I don't worry if I offend them or if I am overstepping a company policy.  I am doing what God has told me to do in the situation through the Holy Spirit.  The Bible says that the Word of God will never return void.  That's a future tense situation.  We are called to share and then leave God to do the work.  If we choose to not share then the Gospel ends there.  Perhaps you will hear someone else ask the question, "Do you know Jesus?" and the person respond, "No, but I would like to." You are left with that feeling that you could have asked that question before they had suffered that tragedy, became an addict, lost their marriage and family.  But you choose the opposite reaction. 
     So, with all the days choices in front of us as we start every day new.  We don't need to drag yesterday with us.  We don't need to contend for tomorrow.  All we need to do is live in this moment listening to the Holy Spirit, doing what we are supposed to be doing for God and the rest will fall into the place God has already formed for us.  We don't need to consider what anyone else thinks or does.  This is only about you and your relationship with God.  If we have the proper God focus (love him with everything) then we will have the proper world focus (love them as you love yourself).  What could go wrong?  Plenty in the eyes of the world.  Nothing in the eyes of God.  He has been planning this moment in our lives for eternity.  His moving around of people, places and things is invisible to us until that moment it happens.  He may have been waiting just for that moment when you give up and let him get you up.  The prayers of the saints are uttered with belief in the future not the past.  The actions of the Godly man and women in your lives are conducted with the future in mind and not the past.  The actions, thoughts and beliefs you hold are for this moment.  What are you going to do?  It's always your choice.

What is Christian accountability and do we really embrace it?

    

The Meaning of Accountability, What it is

By accountability, we are not talking about coercive tactics, the invasion of privacy, or bringing others under the weight of someone’s taboos or legalism or manipulative or dominating tactics. Rather, by accountability we mean developing relationships with other Christians that help to promote spiritual reality, honesty, obedience to God, and genuine evaluations of one’s walk and relationship with God and with others. We are talking about relationships that help believers change by the Spirit of God and the truth of the Word of God through inward spiritual conviction and faith.

Being what we are, sheep that are prone to wander, accountability to others is simply one of the ways God holds us accountable to Him. Left to ourselves, there is the great temptation to do mainly what we want rather than what God wants and what is best for others. So what is meant by accountability? We are talking about teaching, exhorting, supporting, and encouraging one another in such a way that it promotes accountability to Christ and to others in the body of Christ, but never by manipulation or domination.

The Necessity of Accountability, Why we need it

In his book, The Disciple Making Pastor, Bill Hull writes about the need of accountability in the disciple-making process. He says,

To believe you can make disciples or develop true maturity in others without some form of accountability is like believing that you can raise children without discipline, run a company without rules, or lead and army without authority. Accountability is to the Great Commission what tracks are to a train.¹⁵²

So, what are some of the reasons for establishing some form of accountability?

(1) Accountability is an essential part of a functional society. But even more importantly, the prototype for it is the Triune Godhead itself. Though the members of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are co-eternal and co-equal, each being God of very God, Scripture gives evidence of an accountability that exists within the Godhead. From the standpoint of the Holy Spirit, this is seen in the truth of the procession of the Spirit who proceeds from the Father through the Son to believers (see John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7). The Spirit accepts His role as the Enabler or Comforter to come and indwell believers of the church age. As to the Son, He accepts His role as the suffering Savior of the world first by becoming true humanity that He might die for our sin and then as our Advocate sit at God’s right hand, etc. (see Phil. 2:5f; Heb. 10:5-10; Rom. 8:34f). But this accountability of the Son is also seen in Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 3:23; 11:3, and 15:24-28.

And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28).

This in no way implies that the Son is inferior to the Father. Rather, it shows that when death is conquered at the close of the Millennium, then all things will come under the administration of the triune Godhead. This concept is illustrated in a corporation in which there are three equal owners, but for the sake of the orderly function and effectiveness of the company and by the agreement of each partner, one is elected president of the company with other two serving as vice presidents. Each has different roles and responsibilities and the things they are accountable for.

(2) Accountability helps to promote biblical controls or checks and balances. It provides the necessary discipline and support needed to see people reach godly goals. While we are all ultimately accountable to God, as stressed in Romans 14:7-12, God has established other levels of accountability to aid us in the matter of control, support, and growth.

God has given the Word and the Holy Spirit as His agents of control to help provide direction and controls on our lives, but accountability to other believers becomes another key instrument to aid in bringing about self-discipline and inner controls.

(3) Accountability is necessary because like sheep we tend to go our own way. We are all self-willed. We want to protect our comfort zones and avoid having to deal with certain issues that are important to becoming obedient Christians, which is one of the goals of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). Making disciples means teaching others to obey the Lord and this is very difficult without some measure of accountability. Accountability is part of the means God uses, as will be demonstrated below.

(4) Accountability promotes servant-like leadership in keeping with the pastoral mandate to watch over the flock (Eph. 4:11f; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). One of the key requirements of a servant leader is faithfulness to the things entrusted to him (1 Cor. 4:1-2). So, in 1 Timothy 2:2, Paul told Timothy to entrust what he had learned to what kind of men? To faithful men. The fact he was to selectively train only faithful men suggests accountability. Is it not a strange paradox that we generally accept accountability in most aspects of life as something which is necessary, but when it comes to the body of Christ, many fight accountability, especially, if it begins to affect their comfort zones or their self-willed agendas.

(5) Accountability is protective to both leaders and to the flock. The biblical model for church leadership is a collective leadership of elders which provides a structure for genuine accountability.

Shared, brotherly leadership provides needed restraint on pride, greed, and “playing,” to quote Earl D. Radmacher,… Human leaders, even Christian ones, are sinners and they only accomplish God’s will imperfectly. Multiple leaders, therefore, will serve as a ‘check and balance’ on each other and serve as a safeguard against the very human tendency to play God over other people.”¹⁵³

Shared leadership provides close accountability, genuine partnership, and peer relationships—the very things imperial pastors shrink from at all costs.¹⁵⁴

As to the flock, Hebrews 13:17 tells the flock to submit to their leaders because they keep watch over the souls of God’s people. People too often understand this primarily in a negative way, but keeping watch not only means correcting people when they fail to walk with the Lord, but helping them to do so. As will shown below, the goal of accountability is not riding herd over people like a task master—something completely contrary to Scripture. Rather, the goal is to help people grow in Christ and learn to find Him as the source and force and course of life.

24 Things to Always Remember. . .

  
24 Things to Always Remember. . .
and One Thing to Never Forget
your presence is a present to the world.
You’re unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be what you want it to be.
Take the days just one at a time.
Count your blessings, not your troubles.
You’ll make it through whatever comes along.
Within you are so many answers.
Understand, have courage, be strong.
Don’t put limits on yourself.
So many dreams are waiting to be realized.
Decisions are too important to leave to chance.
Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.
Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.
The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets.
Don’t take things too seriously.
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.
Remember that a little love goes a long way.
Remember that a lot . . . goes forever.
Remember that friendship is a wise investment.
Life’s treasures are people . . . together.
Realize that it’s never too late.
Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.
Have heath and hope and happiness.
Take the time to wish upon a star.
And don’t ever forget . . .
For even a day . . .
How very special you are.

Have you been there?

     Journey's are meant to be experienced and shared for the most part.  Some places in our journey aren't though.  When the first church was assembled they met underground (sometimes literally) and voluntarily were accountable to each other.  Trust was a big issue amongst the believers as they were being hunted and killed by radical terrorist.  Not much fun in that.  They confessed to each other, knew each other, and honored each other as the Lord had instructed them to do.  They shared what they had and all had enough.  It would seem heaven on earth to some levels.  What there was in reality a very stressful time if they chose to serve Jesus.  So, what if someone in the church chose to sin?  The Bible says that we are to approach the one in sin separately (to avoid embarrassment) and confront the person so that they can repent.  If they don't listen then bring them before a witness.  If they don't listen then bring them before the church.  If they remain unrepentant they were to separate themselves from the person.  They were no longer a Christian in good standing.  This was dangerous in several ways.  The "unrepentant" was now unable to join in any of the churches because they communicated with one another and had all things in common.  The "unrepentant" was cast back into the hands of the radical terrorist where they were subject to death.  However, if he/she repented then all was good and a fellow believer was saved from all of that.  Have you ever been in a similar situation? 
     There is none of that now.  If someone is confronted in any form they just go to another church who is willing to be okay with their sin as long as they are paying the tithe.  Our churches have allowed so much sin that they no longer resemble the first church.  They have nothing in common with each other and write their own rules in order to be what they want to be instead of being what Christ wants them to be.  This deterioration of the church has taken us to the place where you can worship anyway you want, believe anyway you want to the extent that you can worship in the First Church of Satan in San Francisco and all over the world now.  People can choose where they are comfortable, where their sin is accepted and their morals aren't brought into question.  Many pastors no longer mention "sin" for fear their congregation will go elsewhere.  The moral and ethical decline of those who profess faith rules the church that was intended to worship and be ruled by Jesus Christ, the Father and the Holy Spirit.  When the rapture comes there will be many "fake" believers left behind and their pastors with them.  You don't want to be "there."
     We now live in a world where more than 60% don't believe in hell.  Another 50% believe that no one will be going to hell.  Then there are those who don't believe that sin is wrong especially if you aren't hurting anyone.  I know it's not a pleasant subject.  But, have you been there?  Are you one of God's true followers or are you one of those who are not?  It's a serious question that only you can answer.  Don't expect those whom you associate with to stand before the throne and defend you as a good person.  They won't be there.  It will be you standing before the God who died for you.  If we don't want to be in that situation we need to take our faith seriously and understand that God is God of all or God is not God at all.  It's your choice.  It has always been.