A Phone Call Story

In my previous post we talked about the Christian and the idea of being cool.  There are many more things to say about that, but we are going to look at another topic today.  I would contend that if a Christian could deal successfully navigate this particular area, it will allow them access a level of connection with God through the Holy Spirit that would allow for tremendous spiritual growth.  

Last year I was sitting in my office when I received a telephone call.  It was a lady who lived near the school where I work and she was upset about the marquee-saying that we were attracting the wrong students by putting our messages in English and Spanish.  She proceeded to tell me that the sign represented the reason your school had the wrong kinds of students.  Rage and defensiveness welled up in me and I unleashed on her a terrible lashing with my unbridled tongue.  I don't recall what I uttered, but it was by no means loving or God Honoring.  Thank God for the Holy Spirit who convicted me, after the anger subsided, to apologize to the woman.  Not as a function of my job, but as a function of my faith.  

The following day I searched through the numbers in my phone to no avail.  I could not tell which number was hers, so I was not able to give the apology I deeply wanted to give.  But God opened a door and she called back.  She apologized first, and she said she was a Christian and then I commented that I shared a like faith, and an equally like apology.  The proverbial weight was lifted from my shoulders.  I thank God that He is always so graceful.  

That anecdote, has a lot in it.  There was first a misunderstanding, followed by anger, then apology, forgiveness and reconciliation.  Each one of those things is important in the life of a Christian.  We should look at them all, but today we'll only address the root cause of the original misunderstanding---- PRIDE. 

Yes folks, pride.  My simple definition of pride is putting yourself above others.  Pride is the original sin, the sin that allowed Satan to rebel against God.  If our sin nature is a solar system, then Pride is the sun which all other sins revolve around.  

In my case, my pride made it impossible to listen with empathy to the lady on the phone.  It caused me to leap into a defense instead of calmly giving logical reasons for the marquee.  The truth is, I never understood her argument, and that led to a misunderstanding.  Proverbs 4:7 states that we need to get understanding.  

You all are thinking, where is he going with all of this.  Here it is.  Our pride gets in the way of us understanding others.  If we do not understand others we can never truly present the gospel of Christ in a way that they will understand.  We will never understand where to start.  Instead, we act from a defensive stance, attempting to defend our faith which never needs to be defended.  It only needs to be lovingly explained.  Our pride makes us loose site of the mission---to win souls.  

The remedy to our foolish pride is love and humility.  Neither of these things live in the flesh.  The antidote is to live in the spirit.  To crucify our flesh daily and be guided daily by the Holy Spirit.  This is only done through prayer, study, prayer and spending time in the word of God.  

Brothers and Sisters, this is my challenge to us: to root out pride wherever it may hide in our hearts and minds.  To go after it like a doctor goes after cancer cells.  To pray and read and study until we have allowed God to cleanse us that we may be used by Him.

Can a Christian Be Cool

Brothers and Sisters,

Far too many days have passed since I have last posted.  For that I do apologize.  It has been a long and difficult road back to the blog.  As my son said today, 'we only have one man to thank'.   That's right son.

As I was driving home today from my son's football game (they won 12-13, by the way) I heard a song on the radio about being one of the 'cool kids.'  And it struck me, hard, that my son, who is very cool to me; will never be one of the cool kids if he follows Christ.  And it struck me again, that I, myself, will never be one of the cool kids.

Cool kid is defined here as one who is popular, trendy, and well-liked by his or her peers.

My question, then, is can a Christian be cool?  Let's reason together.

If cool means that one is popular, then someone who is cool must subscribe to popular culture---right?   There may be someone, somewhere who doesn't dress like everyone else, listen to the popular radio station, use the popular slang, or watch the popular movies, who would be considered popular.  Maybe.  But, realistically, no.   To be popular, would mean for most Christians, to compromise our beliefs to be more like the world.  For instance; several 'so-called' Christian musicians borrow style and other elements from popular music and then use those elements in Christian gospel music to make their music more 'popular' or acceptable to the masses.

The Bible says:


Romans 12:2 ESV / 383 helpful votes

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Are not compromise and conformity similar ideas.  Wouldn't your 'cool kid' have to bend this very clear principle to 'fit in' with his or her peers?  

If cool means one who is trendy, then someone must follow the fashion, music, thinking of this world, correct?  Then it would certainly be true that if this world is sinful; then so is the music, fashion and thinking of the world, or at least parts of it.   Thus,  a 'cool kid' must consume some of what the enemy has laid before him or her to consume in order to be considered cool.  They must 'drink the Kool-Aid' in order to be part of the group.   Furthermore; in order to be a 'cool kid', would not a person have to consume said 'Kool-Aid in larger quantities than their peers in order to maintain their 'cool kid' status?  Not only that, wouldn't they have to enjoy and even introduce said Kool-Aid to other aspiring 'Cool Kids?'    

The Bible Says:

1 John 2:15-17 ESV / 107 helpful votes

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

What if cool means to be well-liked.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with being well-liked is it?  Plenty of Christian's are well-liked, right?  So, if this is what we mean by cool, it's ok.  Right?

Generally; people who are well-liked are also somewhat superficial, or shallow.  They are those who can discuss sports, or weather, or trivial matters, but they do not share their opinions, or even possess opinions on matters of importance.  They don't make judgments, or offend people with their speech or behavior.  Christians do not have the luxury of remaining neutral.  God has chosen for us where we stand on matters; we stand with Him.   So when the time comes; a Christian has to render the unpopular opinion, or abstain from the popular activity because their God compels them to do so.  Thus, even through the Christian may have a pleasant disposition, and be fun to be around, eventually the very act of being a Christian will put him or her at odds with their worldly peers.    

  

So, here is my answer, finally.  A Christian can be cool among other Christians.  A Christian cannot be cool in the world.   For being cool in the world means taking on many characteristics of the world.  This would not mean a person is not cool, this would mean a person is not a Christian.  I'm truly sorry, but I assure you brothers and sisters, that is the truth.

This topic may be of special interest in my Black Christian community.  As a card carrying member of this community I must acknowledge my own personal disgust of  a trait that is overwhelmingly present in our community.   It is the foolishness of Black parents that cover their children from head to toe in expensive name brand clothes and shoes (especially) in an effort to make the children both resemble and be more acceptable to the world.  

We are setting up value systems that:
1. are contrary to the word of God
2. are almost impossible to purge out
3. will take their focus away from God and put it on themselves creating self-centered thinking which is an enemy of the Christian walk

The Writing on the Wall 2

In the last post, I established the steps that are taken when something is eliminated from a society.  I believe we are on a path that will eventually eliminate all Christian thought, symbolism, and even practice from the USA.  I do not wish to scare you, but I do want to prepare you.  The intent is reveal and interpret the handwriting that is already on the wall.

The first thing that must occur is the thing to be eliminated must be marginalized.  It's potency must be reduced to nothing, and its name must become synonymous with something very evil, or something that is very stupid.







Look at the pictures above.  Before we could blow up Hiroshima, we had to first dehumanize the Japanese.  We would have never been able to kill all of those innocent civilians if we had not marginalized their humanity first.

I believe Christianity is headed down the same path.  Our faith is being marginalized at an alarming rate.  How many times do you see comedians make fun of Allah, or Buddha?  Now, how many times do you see Christianity ridiculed?  Would you say it occurs daily?



Several movies come to mind that either make the Christian character really naive and stupid, hypocritical, crazy, or creepy.  Watch this video from Truth in Action Ministries.



But, let us not be alarmed by all of this.  Only, we should be aware.  The lesson here is simply that we should know that our enemies are busy.  They are advancing an agenda without one ounce of resistance.  They are leading us to the slaughter and we are paving the road for them.  Let us gird up our loins!!!!!  Let us unite and call evil by its name.  Let us no longer support media companies that defile the name of our precious lord.  Let us be the peculiar people we are called to be and be of the world, but not it it.

Isaiah 5:20

English Standard Version (ESV)

20 Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter!

2 Timothy 3:1-5

English Standard Version (ESV)

Godlessness in the Last Days

3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will belovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

John 8:44

English Standard Version (ESV)

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The Writing is on the wall

Brothers and Sisters,
I greet you all with my warmest affection.  It has been far too long and I am glad to be back in the fight.

I believe that.

I believe that we, Christians, are in a fight.  I also believe that we are getting the chocolate knocked out of us daily because we are too ignorant to read the signs.  We are too busy to see the handwriting on the wall.  It says, "Hey dummies, they are coming for you, because you're a Christian!"

A War on Ideas

In one of my favorite movies, Gladiator, the African guy, tells Maximus, that they must kill his name before they can kill him.  It is one of the best lines in the whole movie because it is true.  I couldn't just come out and bash Beyonce and call her a trashy dressing, trashy dancing, temptress that should be ashamed of herself.  Not because it is not true, but because she has a great name, and millions of her fans would line up to stone me (some of them would be Christians).   Christians in this country still have a great name, Jesus.  The name of Jesus is our battleground today.  If we lose this battle, then we have lost the war.  The name Jesus, and the label Christian is slowly becoming a wordy dird, a dirty word.  And it is in this area that the enemy is gut punching us again and again.  Our image, our name.  His image, His name.

It's not what he said, but what they did.

Donald Sterling, the former owner of the LA Clippers, was fined, and his team taken away from him.  Why?  Because he revealed in a private conversation that he was prejudiced against Black people.  That's it.  It's not against the law to be prejudiced.  He didn't kill anyone.  But because of the taboo---you cannot dislike a whole group of people in the United States of America-----he was given the equivalent of a death sentence.
If I sound like I support him, it is because I must.

I must defend his right to say the things he said because I know what the Bible says about hearing the word of God.  If he gets penalized for voicing his beliefs privately, what is going to happen to Christians who proclaim the truth of scripture publicly?  You don't see the connection do you?  Maybe this will help,

"Gay is the new Black."

Have you heard that quote?  If gay is the new black, and Christians cannot condone the gay lifestyle, then when we speak out against homosexuality as a sin what will happen to us?   What about fornication?  Pornography?  Indecency (Beyonce again)?  Will a Christian be able to speak out against anything at all without being crucified for their beliefs?

As the name of Jesus is pushed further and further into marginalization, it becomes easier to ignore, ridicule, and eventually eliminate His followers.  You see, when Jesus entered Jerusalem they sang Hosana and praised Him.  5 days later those same people cheered and jeered as He was beaten and then crucified.  What made the difference?  The enemy was successful in killing His name.  They made the people believe that Jesus was not who He said He was.  Thus, it was easy to crucify Him.

They are doing the same to us.  They call us intolerant because we hold to the scriptures.  They call us ignorant because we have faith in a God we cannot see.  They say we impose our values on others, when the values of the world are constantly being placed upon us.  Christians have been sued for refusing to honor gay marriages.  The CEO of Amazon was fired because he donated money to fight against gay marriage.  They make movies that distort our truth, like Noah, and expect us be satisfied with the lie.  We are living in an increasingly hostile world toward Christians.  Every other religion is honored except Christianity.  They are trying to kill our name.  His name.

Brothers and sisters, there is a coming war.  I believe it may already be here.  We must gird up our loins because the writing is on the wall.  They are coming for us and we need to be prayed up and ready for the battles to come.

In subsequent posts, I will begin to explore this topic more deeply.