What Would Jesus Support? Jimmy Carter Speaks for Jesus

"I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else, and I don't see that gay marriage damages anyone else," Jimmy Carter

And Jesus would have supported Adultery between consenting adults

And Jesus would have supported sex outside of marriage (premarital sex)

And Jesus would have supported couples living together without being married

And Jesus would have supported abortion on demand for any reason

And Jesus would have supported the use of recreational drugs

And Jesus would have supported: cheating on exams; lying on tax returns; stealing from big corporations; lying by politicians; false witness by thugs in high profile cases; pornography on our TV's; computers, and phones; prostitution; sexploitation of young children; and idolization of our stars, cars, and other shiny objects.

Who are we kidding?

In a country where over two thirds of the population claims to believe in Jesus, the other third seem to be very, very busy promoting things Jesus would never have supported.

Jimmy Carter has done a lot of good, and failed on many fronts, too. Like most Christians. This may be his worst moment.

Struck by Lightning, Part Two

Welcome to Middle-Earth for the Summer!

Are we available to go where the Holy Spirit
wind takes us?

As a summer break for me and, I hope, a fun treat for you, I'm spending some time here excerpting from my last book, Hobbits, You, and the Spiritual World of Middle-earth. Here we continue Chapter One. See last week for Part One.

Struck by Lightning!

(Bilbo Baggins) part 2

But Gandalf is not the first to notice someone everyone else overlooks. Look at something Paul wrote to one of his young friends, centuries before Tolkien wrote a single word.

❖ 

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord . . .He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Timothy 1:5-9).

In this letter, Paul knows he’s close to the end of his life, and he has a lot he needs to pass on. He’s the leader for dozens of churches—pretty much all that existed at the time. He knows it’s time to leave others in charge. If he doesn’t find people to take on the job of leading the church and telling people the story of Jesus, this thing is going to die. So, he looks around for the person he can confidently pass the torch to, and he picks a kid in Greece. Would you be scared to be handed an adventure that big? Timothy was, and he had good reason. Look at the verses again, putting yourself in his place.

Questions to Ponder:

Why might Timothy be afraid? Of what? 

Paul reminds Timothy that he does have a couple qualifications. What are they? 

Have you ever tried to start a fire? What does it mean to “fan (a fire) into flames?” What happens to the little spark your fire starts with if you don’t fan? What happens if you do? 

Like starting a fire, what kinds of things can a person do to take their spark--whatever gift or ability they have--and make it into something big? What would be scary about that? 

What does Paul tell Timothy God gave him to help?

Timothy wasn’t born ready for the job. He doesn’t feel equipped. He doesn’t have the Jewish background the other church leaders have. He has no formal training. He learned all he knows from his mom and grandma. Can you see that one played out in a job interview?

“What qualifies you for this job?”
“Well, um, my grandma...”
Yeah, you can pretty much stop right there.

But, he has two things no degree can ever give him. One, the willingness to do what he’s been chosen to do, no matter how hard it may be. And two, a humble spirit that won’t let pride (or fear) stand in the way.

Paul encourages Timothy: you’ve been chosen to do this by the God who raises the dead! That’s all you need. It doesn’t matter that you’re young. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know all I know. God chose you—are you willing?

That’s the secret of Bilbo’s victory, too: he’s been chosen. He doesn’t know why. He probably thinks all of Gandalf’s fireworks have shaken the wizard’s brain too much. But, just knowing that someone so great picked him makes him gather his small courage and believe he has a shot.

Then, he takes the next step. He decides he’s willing to do whatever he has to do for the job. Steal from a dragon? Carry out a wild river raft escape? Negotiate peace between forces at war? Take on giant spiders? (That’s where you’d lose me!) He just does it, because someone has to, and he’s been chosen.

What About You?

What responsibilities has God given you? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to do them well?

Is there some particular task you feel God wants you to begin? What’s stopping you? Make a plan for you and God to get moving—without fear.

Words to remember:

“The word of the LORD came to me, saying,‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ ‘Alas, Sovereign LORD,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am too young.’ But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 1:4-8

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Hobbits, You, and the Spiritual World is a devotional using twenty J.R.R. Tolkien characters. It looks at what makes those characters who they are, where Scripture talks about the same kinds of people, and what it all means to a young person today. Interactive application and fun side additions included!  

 If you would like to find the book for yourself or a teen/young adult you love, you can purchase it here:

Paper Copy

Kindle

A Marvelous Light

Astronomy or prophecy?

The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the skies proclaim the work of His hands.  Psalm19:1

I stood on my front porch one night last week and gazed at the star of Bethlehem. Well, the star that led the wise men might have been the same alignment of Jupiter and Venus I saw in the cloudy Florida sky. Even with the cloud cover, the light shone brightly. Some reports say it hasn’t happened since AD 2. Others claim it has bejeweled the sky by varying degrees a number of times, and that the alignment will be even brighter in October.

For those who believe it to be an occurrence unseen for two thousand years, many take it as a sign. An announcement. Like the last time, the brilliant light heralds the arrival of the Messiah. That is, the impending arrival. To the astronomers who track such events with careful calculations, it’s something to see. The brightest light in the sky, next to the sun and the moon, of course. But nothing more.

Regardless of whether or not it was a sign from God, it is His. It—they—belong to Him. Venus and Jupiter, and the tiny star system Regulas that seemed to hover above last week’s grand display, belong to God. Well, Regulas isn’t tiny, but being seventy light-years (474 trillion miles) away can make anything look small. All that space between the aligned planets and Regulas belongs to God. The space between the alignment and my porch belongs to God. Even the light is His creation. The light—that just is—was His idea! The star over Bethlehem was His idea. And the one over me was as well. Do I need to know what it means? Or can I just enjoy it?

Do I hope it was a sign? Well, I am watching and waiting. Can I wonder at the display in the heavens if my Creator just put it there for the people of Earth to appreciate? Yes, I can. The works of His hands are magnificent.

Other events much closer to home than the distant planets and stars have beckoned the end-times predictors. A book is waiting for me to read it—one explaining Jewish cycles that might be about to come back around. I’m sure I’ll learn much. And I might prepare myself for…something. Then there’s the condition of the great U.S.A. which, by the way, is still in pretty good shape if you want to compare lifestyle, economy, and freedom with most other countries. And there’s the failing health of the planet which, by the way, belongs to God. If He can line up Jupiter and Venus, He can and will do what He wants with this little planet.

So much more, so many other signs draw me in. Make me look up. But wait…

I’m here on planet Earth, a citizen of a particular nation, a reader and a writer for a time like this. I don’t want to waste that gift of time speculating what the soon returning King has up His celestial sleeve. I know this much—He’s coming to rescue me! For now I’ll be content to stand on my porch and marvel at the evening sky. And I won’t wonder if it means anything. We’ll all know soon enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Christian Twitterstorm

I found myself in a mild Twitterstorm the other day, if Christians politely disagreeing with one another can be called a Twitterstorm.

It started with a tweet of mine: “Christianity under threat from ISIS. We must understand the issues. A new book is invaluable.” I then linked to a review I had written on my website of the book “Defying ISIS” by Johnnie Moore.

It is an excellent book, and I had concluded my review with these words: “This is a short book and a quick read (though not an easy read, given the grim content matter). With Christianity under threat of eradication in the land of its birth, it is vital that all Christians understand the issues. ‘Defying ISIS’ is an excellent starting point.”

Anyway, I soon received a response to my tweet: “@AuthorMRoth Christianity is not under threat. Jesus said he will build his church & the gates of hell will never prevail against it. #ISIS”.

Well yes, Christianity as a whole will prevail. We know that. But Christianity in Iraq and Syria is being eradicated by the depravities of ISIS. That was the point of my initial comment. So I tweeted back: “Christianity has already been wiped out in North Africa. Now it is being wiped out in Iraq.”

To which my correspondent replied: “@AuthorMRoth Bible prophesied about persecution. Christians are being displaced not wiped out.”

So I tweeted: “Christianity might be growing in China and elsewhere, but it's being wiped out in Iraq. That's my point. It's a tragedy.”

I then received the reply: “I understand”, and that was the end of the exchange.

But it set me thinking about how we regard the genocide now being carried out by the barbarians of ISIS.

Is it something to be expected – prophesied in the Bible, even - part of the ebb and flow of Christianity? While our faith declines in one part of the globe it rises in another?

Right now Christianity is under attack in the Mideast from Muslim extremists. It is also under attack in the West, and in decline, from the forces of secularism.

Meanwhile it is booming in China and South Korea and parts of Africa, and there is some significant revival occurring in areas of South America.

Of course we express joy, and give thanks, for so many new Christians. But to describe what is happening in the Mideast as, “Christians are being displaced not wiped out,” is, to my mind almost an insult. What we are witnessing in Iraq and Syria is a tragedy of almost unmentionable proportions. Every Christian should be grieving.

GOD'S APPEAL

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men

Our God is loving, just, and faithful, and God does not play favorites. As much as He longs for every soul to be saved, there are consequences for the unsaved. God will not change the rules for people who have not believed in the name of His dear Son Jesus. The Romans 6:23 pronouncement applies equally to all who do not believe—“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 NIV84), no matter who commits the sin. The end of the rich unbeliever is the same as the poor unbeliever. Likewise, the end of the unbelieving man is the same as the end of the unbelieving woman. Of course, God could make everyone believe in His Son, but He has given man the ability and freedom to choose. He wants man to love and obey Him by choice, and not by force. 

Since God longs so much to save the sinner, He has made us, His children, ambassadors to a sinful, dying world. Through us, He is appealing to the world to repent and come to salvation in Jesus Christ (See 2 Corinthians 5:20). Synonyms for appeal include plead, petition, request, call, and demand. It is almost as if God were begging people to come to salvation. Why would He go to the extent of begging? Well, because He knows what the end will be for unbelievers—judgment—and He yearns to see them escape that judgment. The apostle Paul says, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11 KJV2013). 

So, what is our charge as Christian ambassadors? Our charge is to let the world know that Jesus saves, and that He is making all things new in Christ Jesus who has already paid the penalty for our sins. We need to take His word to every corner of the globe. 

Man sinned, but God did not wait for man’s apology. (In fact, I don’t think man ever apologized.) Rather, God took the initiative to bridge the gap (the result of man’s sin) between Him and man. What else can man possibly expect God to do? There is nothing left for God to do. The only acceptable restitution for sin has been made by Christ’s sacrifice. So let us passionately win souls for God. Our responsibility is to sow the seed, water it conscientiously with prayer, godly living, and follow up contacts when possible, and allow God to make it grow. Our responsibility is not to force, shame, or scare men to believe, but to reason with them and persuade them.

Time is running out. The Lord is coming back soon. It could be too late for many. Let us take our charge seriously, starting today! 

Storms of Life

Luke 8 tells us the account of Jesus falling asleep in a boat as his disciples sailed across the Sea of Galilee. A storm came up and the boat was in danger of being swamped by water. As the disciples looked at the waves, fear and anxiety climbed and their ability to see truth decreased. Panicked, the disciples woke Jesus up declaring they were on the verge of drowning. Jesus did an assessment and calmly rebuked the storm. He then asked the disciples, “Where is your faith?”

I don’t think he was chastising them for having worry and fear, because those are human traits we all share. I believe he was calling attention to the same fearful response we all utilize--relying on our own resources. These guys had been fishermen all their lives. They’d been through countless storms on this body of water. The wind, rain, and waves must have been extremely outrageous for these strong, capable men to fear for their lives and ask for help.

Faith is about a person. The disciples tried to handle the difficult circumstances in their own strength, only calling on Jesus once they came to the end of their human abilities to deal with the circumstances. God doesn’t always promise to immediately rebuke the anxiety storms in our life, but he does promise to give us strength and truth when we bring him into the situation.

I believe we’re created to reach out to God and other safe people to give us truth to use as an anchor in the midst of our anxiety storms. We see Peter’s growth in understanding Jesus’ message when he later walked on water towards Jesus. This time his initial response to an anxiety-producing event was to move forward toward Jesus, only sinking when he focused on his fear.

Holding onto truth when emotions are on high alert is hugely daunting. When panic sets in, we automatically equate feeling with truth, believing “If I feel this much fear about something, then my worry must be true. If my worry is true, then I absolutely, must, always do whatever relieves the anxiety.” Truth cannot enter into this equation. When we separate truth from God’s heart, we do not have the courage and emotional energy to withstand the anxiety storm.

Practice moving toward God in the middle of your anxiety storms. By an act of your will, declare your faith in his heart for you and trust in his ability to bring you through the storm.

Struck by Lightning, Part One

Welcome to Middle-Earth for the Summer!

As a summer break for me and, I hope, a fun treat for you, I'm going to spend some time here excerpting from my last book, Hobbits, You, and the Spiritual World of Middle-earth. Chapter One starts with -- well --who would you expect it to start with? The title Hobbit himself, Bilbo Baggins.

One

Struck by Lightning!

(Bilbo Baggins) part 1

Vital Stats

Favorite Activity: Food. Anything remotely related to it. 

Least Favorite Activity: White water rafting.

Most Prized Possession: His vest buttons. 

Always on the Lookout For: Those Sackville-Bagginses. And a good piece of cake.

Where to start with Bilbo? If a person even tried to make up a less likely hero, I’m not sure he could. 

Bilbo is short, scared, out of shape, and thinking a little more about his dinner than helping out a brother. Who’s betting on him to slay the dragon and save the world? Definitely not the thirteen slightly taller people stuck with him for what they guess will be a long trip with the little whiner. Who even believes in him? He certainly doesn’t.

                                                               ❖

“Poor Bilbo couldn’t bear it any longer. At may never return he began to feel a shriek coming up inside, and very soon it burst out like the whistle of an engine coming out of a tunnel. The poor little hobbit could be seen kneeling on the hearthrug, shaking like a jelly that was melting. Then he fell flat on the floor and kept calling out, ‘Struck by lightning, struck by lightning!’ over and over again; and that was all they could get out of him for a long time.” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit)

❖

Yep, that’s the first impression we get of the daring adventurer. He’s afraid of the dark corners of his own house; forget facing trolls, goblins, and dragons. And not one of the thirteen dwarves thinks he’s going to survive, much less be of any use.

But in the end, he does a lot more than survive. He saves all their butts--more than once. Through the whole book, he’s knifing giant spiders, going for a wild ride on a wet barrel, and coming up with a plan to save everyone, even if he has to put his own life out there. He proves he’s not that shaking bowl of jelly anymore. He proves he’s what Gandalf said he’d be all along—a hero.

What does this highly unlikely hero have to show by the end of the story? He has amazing courage, uncommon common sense, unbelievable compassion, and brilliant negotiating skills. Not bad for a guy who started out complaining that adventures would make him late for dinner and that missing a meal was the worst fate he could imagine.

This is not the Bilbo who began his journey whimpering about pocket handkerchiefs. Or is it? Gandalf insists from the first night: “I chose Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea. You may, possibly, all live to thank me yet.”

Gandalf seemed to think Bilbo could do it from the start. What did he see inside the hobbit that no one else, not even Bilbo himself, saw there? Did Gandalf know he would learn to leave those handkerchiefs behind and embrace his “herohood” in ways no one ever expected?

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Hobbits, You, and the Spiritual World is a devotional using twenty J.R.R. Tolkien characters. It looks at what makes those characters who they are, where Scripture talks about the same kinds of people, and what it all means to a young person today. Interactive application and fun side additions included!  

 If you would like to find the book for yourself or a teen/young adult you love, you can purchase it here:

Paper Copy

Kindle