What is the real measure of church growth?

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1 Corinthians 3:3
You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?
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Juan Carlos Ortiz pastored the fastest growing church in Argentina during a time of great church growth in that nation. His church was bursting at the seams but he tells how in a time of prayer he sensed the Lord telling him his church was not growing. Puzzled by this he tried to tell the Lord how many new people they were baptizing each week and how many more were coming today than a month ago.

He then sensed the Lord say, “Your church is not growing. It is just getting fat.”  As he thought about this he realized he was just building a huge spiritual nursery full of infants, not growing Christians.  The attendance was getting larger but the church, God’s people, were not growing. Continue reading →

Pain: Evidence God has plans for you

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Trials against blue skies

Individuals that God uses in a special way are often put through deeper and more difficult trials than others.  We see this throughout Scripture.  You cannot name a single individual used greatly by God that did not face fire, opposition, sickness, hardship, persecution and testing.  In fact, you often see a correlation between the depth of their despair and the height to which God uses them after they have been proven by the testing. The deeper the pit the higher the mountaintop to follow. This is counterintuitive to our way of thinking (and, sadly, also counter to much of what today is proclaimed as “gospel”).  Why would a loving God not treat His children better?

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Isn’t God responsible for evil?

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QUESTION:
“If God created the devil and put the tree in the garden to tempt man, isn’t God responsible for the evil in the world?  Furthermore, if God can stop all the evil and doesn’t, isn’t He then doubly guilty?”

ANSWER:
Sounds like a pretty open and shut case against God. This is a tough issue for a short answer but let’s see what we can discover God is guilty of.

When God made man he was faced with a choice.  If He made man incapable of rejecting God, incapable of choosing evil, then man would also be incapable of truly loving God or others. Love can never be forced.  Love demands options.   For man to be capable of truly loving it was essential that man also be able to truly not love and even hate.  Of course, God knew man would choose this selfish route and it would bring great evil into the world.  Then why did God go ahead and make man knowing the problems He would cause? Continue reading →

Can I be pro-choice but anti-abortion?

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Someone wrote they were upset because a Christian friend accused her of being pro-abortion because she said was pro-choice. “That angers me”, she complained, “because I hate abortions but I think a person should have a choice in this matter.  How come Christians think pro-choice is the same as pro-abortion?”

My response: I can understand her frustration at being labeled as being in favor of something that she despises.  Most people would consider her stance rather neutral.  She is not in favor of abortion but neither does she think people should be restricted from having them if that is their choice. She is tolerant.  She is correct – at least politically.

But here could be why her friend accused her of being pro-abortion simply because she was pro-choice.  Think this through with me. Continue reading →

We lost Jesus!

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Luke 2:43
When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it;
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It is interesting that they did not lose Jesus in the market place or at Joseph’s workplace. They lost him in the temple while fulfilling religious duties. It is so easy to lose the Lord because we are busily engaged in church and religious activity. We think He is still among us, like they thought he was in the caravan, but in our activity, even good activities, we have left Him behind. Continue reading →

Is it a reward or an inheritance?

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Colossians 3:23, 24
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
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So whatever I do, in my marriage, in my work, in my relationships, gassing up the car, taking out the garbage, changing a diaper, mowing the lawn – whatsoever I do I am to do it for the Lord. I am to do it enthusiastically, with a joyful heart because I am working for Jesus. If I do this I can be assured I will receive the “reward of the inheritance.”

Do you ever wonder why Biblical writers use so many words? “The reward of the inheritance”? Which is it, a reward or an inheritance? I work for a reward but an inheritance comes my way because of a relationship. Continue reading →

God seems strange to me.

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Revelation 13:7
(The beast) was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. …
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The fact that you are reading this indicates we survived the Mayan “end of the world” December 21.  That’s nice but it doesn’t mean an apocalyptic end is not coming.  This passage warns us one is coming.  But doesn’t this passage seem strange to you?

Biblically we know any power originates in God so whatever power the beast has ultimately comes from God. The beast is given power, from God, to conquer God’s people. Lord, I see a few reasons You would do this but it still confuses me that these folks, who have your Word and all its wonderful promises of overcoming Satan, are going to be conquered. That seems strange to me.

Then I think of Mary. Gabriel appears telling her she will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit – a story folks are not likely to believe. (Luke 1) You could have had Gabriel tell the whole town or tell her parents so at least they would believe her story. Instead, you do it privately and let her bare the ridicule that certainly accompanied such a fantastic story. I can see some reasons You would do that but it still seems strange to me. Continue reading →

The Grief and Glory of Christmas

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Matthew 2:16
Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.
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I can’t even begin to fathom the grief caused by this act carried out by Herod in an attempt to kill the child, Jesus.  As a nation we are mourning the death of the “babies” senselessly slaughtered at Newtown, CT.  Imagine every boy under the age of two in an entire city and the surrounding area brutally butchered with no police to intervene.  In fact, this act of brutality was carried out by the law enforcement officials.

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Looking for the perfect gift?

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Sadly, so much of gift giving is done out of obligation. We give gifts that people don’t need simply because “we have to get them something”.  This is especially sad when there are so many who are in dire need in our country and around the world.

Perhaps the best gift you could give would be a donation to a charitable organization in the name of your friend.  Before you do that, however, you need to check out the organization you are giving to.  But how do you do that? Continue reading →