Posts Tagged ‘ Discipline ’

Will You Go To Hell With Me?

Time for a mini-series (that always has the potential of growing, I suppose, but it currently seems definite in my mind!).

When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
Galatians 2:11-13

Do you like your church? Do you like the place you gather with others to worship? Do you feel you fit in with everyone (or at least most of them)?

Have you drawn away from other churches or denominations? Have you drawn away from society as a whole?

Peter had a calling to reach out to the Israelites, and Paul to the Gentiles (non-Jews). Peter could be seen eating with non-Jews, because all believers are seen as Israelites. It was only when those who have believed in God their whole lives showed up that he felt a need to draw away from the Gentile believers. Paul called him on that.

Pulling yourself out of society or away from those who “do not believe as you do” is selfish. (The exception would be for a brand new believer who needs to make the move to be able to grow in his/her faith without being pulled back to his/her old habits and sins)

The other way this can be seen is by inviting people to your church.

This is not usually a bad thing. In fact, we are supposed to bring others into fellowship with believers and God.

The bad thing is when a) you have cut yourself/selves off from society completely and/or b) your walk is less than righteous … to be overly polite and politically correct.

a) Look at Westboro Baptist as an example: It is almost exclusively made up of family members. They have essentially been cut off from the world, and they routinely condemn the world as being hated by God (which is arguably true to a point). They have become so focused on what they believe to be true that nothing else is allowed in, and their beliefs cannot be questioned ever. God hates people!

b) We will stick with Westboro Baptist here, too: They lack the one thing God has commanded us to have. That is love. They do way more harm than good. They spread hate and dissension instead of love and peace.

In other words, it is like we are saying to people, instead of “Will you go to church with me?”, “Will you go to Hell with me?”

Living and “worshiping” this way leads more people to Hell than to Christ.

Kind of a downer, eh?

This is not necessarily a rebuke (though it could certainly be seen as an indictment against many churches in the West), but it is a call to examine yourself. What are your motives? What are you doing? How much are you loving on people whom you do not know (that well) or whom you do not like?

2012
03/06
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Autistic Faith

“Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness . . . . Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

God told Hosea to marry, to put it bluntly, a prostitute. The point of this: God’s people had prostituted themselves spiritually. I have a new take on this … a gentler approach, and one that may help us understand better the Apostle Peter!

Friday night here in Phoenix we had the Rock & Worship Roadshow, and what an amazing show it was! Tenth Avenue North sang their song “By Your Side” during this show. Something struck me when they sang this verse:

And please don’t fight
These hands that are holding you.
My hands are holding you.

I work with low-functioning autistic children who are in the first through fifth grades. It is not an easy job, to say the least. These children struggle with understanding basic necessities of life and learning. It can be such a joy watching them suddenly grasp how to say a word, count out loud, use the toilet by themselves, or even just point at a picture. When they achieve these, I and the other teachers cannot help but hold them close in a big hug and say “Good job! I am so proud of you!” To get to this point, however, there are many struggles for both of us.

Just to get these students to learn something takes great patience and repetition. Occasionally, these little ones can pick up a new task in an instant. It also can take several minutes or several months to get them to learn something as simple as pointing to a picture to saying “I want …” to walking without holding our hand. Even after they learn something, they can easily forget until we remind them. They can get distracted by toys and food quicker than we can blink!

Much of the time they do not want to learn something new, even if it is for their benefit. These young ones can scream and cry, kick and hit, scratch and pinch, flail around, and bite … us, other students, and even themselves. When this happens, we have to step in and try to calm them down through speaking softly, occasionally speaking very firmly, holding on to them (through holding hands or holding their arms), and, when it is really bad, putting them in a hold. A hold means restraining their arms, and sometimes their legs, until they can relax and listen once again. Many times they fight this hold with every bit of strength they have.

This past Friday was one of those days that I had to help with every one of these with various students. I just wanted to say to these kiddos, “Just relax! I love you and want to help you! Please, listen and sit still! It will be okay!”

The thing that struck me at the concert when listening to Tenth Avenue North was this:

We Christians sure can act like autistic children.

God comes to us when we have no understanding of His ways and His love. He gently moves us toward being like His Son, and sometimes we get it right away. The vast majority of the time, we kick and scream; we flail around like we are being forced to eat dung; and we lash out at our Teacher and each other. We easily get distracted by toys and food … and each other. It takes us a lifetime to grasp the simple teachings of loving God and loving others.

Yet, God patiently works with us, every moment of every day. Sometimes He coaxes us, other times He holds us until we listen, again.

Am I saying God sent autism into the world to teach us to love Him more? Not at all. Like all things, He has redeemed this aspect of our fallen world to display His glory and love.

Just as with Hosea and Gomer, God takes a situation that looks miserable and makes it something glorious. I never imagined I would work with autistic children. Now that I am, I would never want to give up the chance. It does not mean I will not change careers in the future, but as hard as it is working with these very special children I have rarely been so fulfilled and blessed.

The message for the rest of us: Let the Healer and Teacher mold us. It is not comfortable being put in a hold (being disciplined), but it is so glorious when we finally “get it” and He simply holds us as He says “Good job! I am so proud of you!“

2012
02/28
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Sold out?

How about we look at some stories (this is a rhetorical suggestion, for I am about to take you through some stories):

I shunned friends and co-workers to go to church on Sunday mornings. I sacrifice each week by giving about twenty to thirty per cent of my income to help the church function and grow. I help out with the children and youth, and I sometimes greet people at the door. Every so often I even help during offering and communion by passing items from row to row.

 

I was invited to a church building by some friends. The message amazed me, so I began believing in this person called Jesus Christ. There was a message about giving to those in need, and I knew the church needed some things I had. I gave them my new stereo, a bunch of my clothes, and whatever may have been needed and I had. My parents thought I had gone crazy!

 

I was living my life, doing what I wanted when I wanted how I wanted. When I was almost in an accident I realized I had forgotten God. I began letting some of my friends go, I ended a relationship, I lost my job, sold or gave away the majority of my possessions, and ended up following God’s call to a new place where I knew no one. I was homeless and without money most of the time, wondering where or if I might get something to eat each day. My family thought I had gone crazy. In truth, in some ways I had, for I believed some crazy things during that time. However, I truly discovered God.

 

I was living my life trying to get by. One day, someone came and told us about this man named Jesus. The story of this man was so amazing! I had to do something! I believed this message, and when I learned there was a family twelve miles away with a couple of pages from this book that talked about Jesus I decided every week to walk the twelve miles to get a chance to read these pages and talk with this family about Jesus.

 

I lived fearing for my life. The government has made it hard to provide for my family, and I followed all of the laws for fear of disappearing one day. Then someone told me about Jesus Christ. I allowed the Lord to change me. Today, I sit in a prison waiting to find out if I will be beaten or killed today or soon, and all because I told the leaders of my town about Jesus. Every opportunity I have I share this good news with the jailers and other inmates, and sometimes I am beaten for it.

Some of these stories are actually from my own past. The others are taken from others’ personal testimony. (I am not telling which are which, but if you know me you might be able to figure it out)

Who would you say is more sold out for Jesus?

Is this a trick question? Yes and no.

You see, I put these in an order that shows more levels of sacrifice. For some, each story may be their calling in life while the other stories are for other people. This is why it can be a trick question. But what if you are the person from the first story? Would you be willing to give up your car to someone in need? What if you are the person in the second story? Would you be willing to give up everything? Would you be willing to go out of your way and spend a lot of time out of your day to travel to hear the Word of God and learn more about Jesus? Are you willing to drop everything, share the Gospel with a stranger, and possibly be beaten, imprisoned, or killed?

As I grew, I found myself giving more to God and in different ways. Today, I feel like I am not doing enough, even though I am going to school to be better equipped to serve Him, and I work in an environment in which I am able to encourage other believers and share the Gospel with others (though, technically, I could lose my job for that second part).

That makes me wonder sometimes if I am truly sold out.

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.             Mark 10:17-22

And:

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”        Luke 19:1-8

Who was more sold out? The man who did everything required, or the man who acted out of pure love and desire for God?

Where are you?

2012
02/21
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Praying In Fellowship

How often do you pray with others?

I do not just mean when the pastor or someone in the band or choir prays. How often do you pray with people who are in need, or who are hurting, or who say “pray for me”?

You might say, “Prayer is a private thing! Jesus told us to pray in secret! Besides, I do not want to make someone else feel uncomfortable.” (I have actually heard, almost and if not exactly verbatim, someone say this to me)

A) Prayer is both private and public. We already discussed doing it corporately. Which leads to 2) Jesus and the Apostles prayed with people. See Acts 1:14 and 2:42. Besides, also) it sounds more like you feel uncomfortable praying with people in public.

If you are anything like me, you are probably guilty of saying “I’ll pray for you!” Then you never do, or at best throw up a quick “God, be with that person.” This either makes you a liar or not as loving as you could be.

I must confess that I have gotten out of the habit of praying with people. For a while, I was one of those people who, if you said “Will you pray for me?” I would say, “Of course! Can we pray right now?” I have not done so well, as of late. I do reply to most text message or e-mail requests with a typed prayer, but it is not quite the same as saying it with the person (though, of course there are times it is not feasible).

My conviction level has been high the past few weeks, too. I have realized the number of opportunities I have passed, followed by some messages on the radio discussing it, and having some dear friends pray with me in just the past couple weeks.

I want to be that person again!

Do you?

Besides, perhaps our lack of active and immediate prayers is a major cause of dissension between believers. Perhaps we fail to get along because we fail to love each other enough to pray with each other.

Lord, grant us the capacity to love You and others enough to want to pray openly with others when they ask. Remind us to pray when we have the opportunities. Move in our prayers as we pray in faith, and help us believe that You are answering even though we sometimes fail to believe. Lord, empower us with Your Holy Spirit, and grow Your love in us. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.

2012
01/31
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 01/08/2012

Back in 2002, I was working at McDonald’s. There was a customer who came in complaining about the service she was receiving and ridiculing the employees for incompetence, laziness, and rudeness. When she left, one of my co-workers said “I hate chicken-lips.”

“What are chicken-lips?” I asked.

“Chicken-lips are people who act like chickens who think they have lips. They cluck about everything, and get in the way. In other words, they only make a lot of noise and accomplish nothing other than making others angry or sad.”

Now you know the back story to this poem.

Also remember:

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

James 3:1-12

chicken lips

i should not say
the things i say
i should not think
the things i think
if someone mocks
i will not mock
if someone jokes
i will not joke
i will keep my mind open
i will keep my mouth shut
i will change my words
i will change my thoughts

Taken from deeper words for God from a simple man of God by daniel m  klem, page 16.

2012
01/08
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Seeing Courageous

As I mentioned on Sunday …

YOU NEED TO SEE THIS MOVIE!

Courageous is the fourth movie to come out of Sherwood Pictures of Sherwood Baptist Church. It has the theme of men taking a stand as fathers and husbands to raise up strong families and prepare the next generation for life and faithfulness to God.

Four police officers are also close friends. Javier Martinez, a latino struggling to provide for his wife and two children, becomes one of their friends as well. After tragedy strikes one of them, it results in the Resolution: a promise before God and family to everything they can to live godly lives to impact the next generation (to sum it up very poorly).

This movie is full of action, romance, violence, and camaraderie. It will make you laugh, pull at your heart-strings (those jerks!), knock you down emotionally, lift you back up, and encourage and embolden you. It is rated PG-13 for violence (chasing bad guys, a shoot-out, a gang initiation) and drug content (seeing baggies with powder and pills). I would suggest many more mature children can see this movie, but I would also suggest parents use wisdom and see it first to decide for yourself.

Courageous is by far the greatest movie to come out of Sherwood Pictures to date, and it is now one of my favorite movies. (The other three, if you are unaware, are Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof) The Kendrick brothers are great at working the Gospel message into these films, the acting gets better all the time, and they definitely had a larger budget with which to work this time! This movie is sure to punch you in the gut and then dust you off and lift you up. I laughed, laughed until I cried, cried for sorrow, cried for joy, and wanted to cheer and praise by the end of the movie.

I will say it again …

GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

And like I asked last week, see where your heart is and how important God is in your life. This movie will help!

2011
10/04
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I love you with all of my bowels

If you had not heard the teaching, yet, instead of saying “I love you with all of my heart,” for centuries people essentially said “I love you with all of my bowels” or intestines or guts or whatever. It makes sense, too, when you consider “falling in love” frequently includes feeling sick to your stomach!

I propose something a little different today.

What if it is not necessarily love, but merely lust or physical attraction?

I am not saying love for another person will not cause physical manifestations within our bodies. I have experienced it. My wife and I occasionally joke around, saying “You make my bowels move” to say “I love you.”

However, I also remember something else as I think back on my life. The times in which my bowels seemed to move for someone the most I was thinking not so much about the long-term benefits of a relationship as the instant gratification of the flesh.

“I want to touch her just once.” “I want to know how [various parts of her body] feel.” “I bet the sex would be great!”

In truth, the times I feel “my bowels moving” for my wife very frequently are when I am ready to take her to the bedroom (wink wink, nudge nudge). Many people with whom I have talked (teens, young adults, older adults; men and women) have also said that those physical emotional responses have largely led to thoughts of physical (read: sexual) interaction with another person.

I guess this is more a warning than anything else, especially to young readers (high school/college): Be careful of those feelings.

How many people have rushed to marriage because “He makes my stomach hurt … in that good way!”
How many people have had sex outside of marriage because “It felt like what was right!”
How many people have not listened to others because “My whole body seemed to tell me it was the right thing to do!”

How many divorces could have been avoided?
How many diseases and unwanted pregnancies could have been avoided?
How much heartache could have been avoided?

The heart [bowels/body/emotions] is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

Jeremiah 17:9

I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 2:1

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Matthew 15:19

I added some meaning and italics.

The point is as I said above: we cannot always trust our emotions and when our bodies react.

This is what the LORD says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

Jeremiah 17:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

Why are rules set in place for our relationships? It is not to deny our freedom or punish us. In fact, rules for relationships are their to protect us and remind us that we have a tendency to really mess things up in our lives!

We must remember to keep our emotions and bowels and hearts in check by trusting that God just might know us well enough to know what is best for us. We must remember that we can so easily be deceived by our own emotions if we base our understanding on us and not what God has told us. We must remember the need of hearing the Holy Spirit, and that means we need to learn to be able to listen to Him in all things.

2011
09/06
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Do you know where there are any personages of historical significance around here?

Earlier I talked about Bill and Ted demonstrating the most excellent story ever told, and really how we just need to always be ready to explain our faith to anyone we can.

If God can use this guy ...

Today is a short but sweet message.

Bill and Ted were two young men who lacked many intellectual capabilities, yet they changed their world (and ultimately the galaxy) into a peaceful and prosperous one.

You may already know where I am going with this …

If two know-nothings can change their world with a tiny bit of help from God, how much more do you think you can do? Believers in Jesus Christ are given His power through the Holy Spirit. You can deny He still works in us today. You can even deny that miracles still happen. I love to break it to you, but the Holy Spirit does indeed still work and perform miracles through His people.

Do not think for a moment that you are not good enough to ever do anything. With the power of the Holy Spirit working through you, you can make drastic changes to your own little part of the world and maybe even the rest of the world!

Remember that Billy Graham was a boy who heard a message in a tent and went on to become the most famous evangelist in the world. Bill Gates is a college dropout who is now one of the richest people in the world. Barack Obama is the son of a Kenyan foreign student and a middle-class woman, yet today he is the leader of the free-world.

Do not think you are any less. Jesus did say “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31, NIV … and I suggest reading the entire chapter).

You can do anything through the power of Christ. You were meant to do great things, even if it is “merely” being somebody’s friend.

2011
07/02
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The Great Banquet

I cannot let go of this rapture thing quite yet.

Yep, my wedding reception!

What about the Great Banquet?

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

“‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

Luke 14:12-24, NIV

Is the Church doing its job? Are Christians  acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God as He requires? Are we clothing the naked, giving shelter the homeless, or visiting the infirm or imprisoned as we ought?

It seems the world is doing more of this than most Christians. In fact, I know and know of more people outside of churches who act justly, love mercy, cloth the naked, give shelter, visit, heal, encourage, and support others. Problem? Definitely. It looks like our world is doing a better job at being salt and light than those who have been called to be the salt and the light.

So what do you think? If the rapture were to occur tonight, would we be surprised to see a third of the world gone and almost all of the Christians still here? Should we be surprised? Am I being too heretical? Or are you as convicted as I after reading this?

Seriously. Check yourself. I am.

2011
06/08
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Weekend Words and Sunday Stanzas – 05/29/2011

I am in the Grand Canyon today! Therefore the second poem should be okay, says I. This first poem is “in honor” of those who give false prophecies (I am done picking on them for a while after this, I swear!):

translation
daniel m  klem

i am an oracle of the Lord
 i am a liar

the Lord says to do this
i do not mean this

He also says to do that
all of this is a bunch of lies

the Lord God sent me a vision
this was my dream last night

nothing will ever harm you
you will suffer

if you listen to my prophecies
if you do not listen to the Lord

therefore  do as i say
stop listening to me

and God will bless you
or God will not bless you

because i am an oracle of the Lord
because i am the biggest liar you will ever meet

Taken from simple words for God from a simple man of God by daniel m  klem, page 90.

And I know we are not on bikes this weekend, but I wrote this on a bicycle outing in which we did about 35 miles in a few hours before having food. It was so tough (poor, little me) …

perseverance
daniel m  klem

my friend and i
biking the trail
my legs weaker
wanting to bail
i want to ask
if we can break
all i want is
to stop and take
a breath of cool
refreshing air
who needs the wind
blowing my hair
but then I think
of what Jesus did
when He crossed
and took my sin
so  i will not quit
but keep going
as Jesus did so
we could keep growing
that we would love
God in Heaven
and join Him in
the greatest Haven
so i will pedal
throughout the day
because the Son
has shown the way

Taken from simple words for God from a simple man of God by daniel m  klem, pages 46-47.

2011
05/29
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