Category: Being the Church

Becoming a Difference Maker-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds- James 2:17b-18

The very first thing the Bible says about human beings is that we are made in the image of God (1:26-27). This rudimentary theological fact manifests itself in a profound longing to create beauty, build, discover, reproduce and conquer the unknown and unconquered. This universal desire is real-world evidence of the image of God being played out in the lives of ALL people. It does not matter if a person chooses to acknowledge God or not. God’s image is still in them and so are all the aspirations and longings that go along with it. 

All people want to make a mark on this world. 

For those who do not know God this desire is most often revealed in a desire to make money, control events or rule over others and make oneself known (famous). For those who are born again (John 3:1-15) the longing to make a mark on this world should shift into a desire to make God known. If a Christian is correctly discipled, they will, over time, become more God-centered than self-centered (Matthew 28:19-20, 1st Peter 2:9). Therefore, a mature and growing Christian does not want to make a mark on the world simply for their own gain or recognition. A growing Christian wants to make a mark on this world for the good of other people and the glory of God (Matthew 28:16-20). For believers in Jesus good works or making a difference in this world is not optional, nor is it legalism. It is literally what were saved for (Matthew 5:13-16, Ephesians 2:8-10, James 2:17-18). Too often, Christians become discouraged from making their own mark on the world for Jesus because they see the notoriety of “famous Christians” like a Charlie Kirk or Billy Graham and think their contribution to the body of Christ will never have a huge impact, so it’s pointless to try. This is a lie straight from the pit of hell, intended to keep Christians focused on the earthly rather than the eternal.  Every believer was designed by God to reveal God to the world through good works they do in their day-to-day lives. 

The story of Tabithia (Dorcas) is found in Acts 9:36-41. She is the ultimate example of an “average” Christian who became a difference maker by taking her gifts, talents and abilities and using them for the good of others and the glory of God. Tabithia was a woman known throughout her church and community for caring for the needs of others. She was a seamstress who made clothing for the poor in her community (a very big deal back in the day). Presumably, she didn’t just make clothing she also told others about Jesus as she provided for their needs.  Tabithia made such a huge difference in the lives of the people in her community that her death created a huge void in the church and a bit of a crisis in the greater community. So much so, that some of the men in the church went to great lengths to find the apostle Peter in hopes that he could raise her from the dead so that she could continue her ministry. We become that kind of a difference maker by doing the following: 

Make a regular habit of seeking the Lord- 

When we seek God with all of hearts through prayer, Bible study and deep reflection on our Bible study, God reveals Himself to us in very real ways (Jeremiah 29:13, Psalm 105:4, Isaiah 58:2).  The more we know God and the deeper our personal experiences go with God the more spiritual power we will have to make Him known. When we know God intimately, we naturally become good representatives and ambassadors of God in a world that desperately needs a clear vision of God (2nd Corinthians 5:20). 

Find your gift and use it- 

Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift as well as some natural talents (1st Corinthians 12:4-11, Ephesians 4:7-8). Find your gift then ask God to show you how to use it to reach the maximum number of people.  

Figure out what needs to be done and do it-

There is no end to the things that need to be done inside the four walls of the local church. Many of the things that need to be done are not glamorous. However, when they get done God is honored and people are changed. There are people who need to be greeted, coffee that needs to be brewed, meals that need to be made, worship that needs to be led and children that need to be taught the word of God.  By choosing to serve in whatever way is needed in your local church you will glorify God and be used to bring about spiritual transformation in others (Romans 12). 

Don’t pursue followers-

Sadly, in our world many Christians decline to do what they can for the kingdom because they want to do something people will notice and get excited about. Truth-be-told other Christians may or may not notice or care about your contribution, but God will. God sees everything and rewards those who diligently serve Him (Matthew 6:13, Matthew 25:21, Revelation 22:12).

And finally,

It’s critical we remember that the things we do in our own power and strength will amount to very little in this world (1st Corinthians 3:10-15). It’s only things we do out of the overflow of our relationship with God that result in transformation. If you make a practice of seeking God and His righteousness first, the difference making is sure to follow (Matthew 6:33). 

What is the Evilest Form of Evil and how do we Fight it?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good- Romans 12:21 NKJV

Like it or not, evil is rooted in the hearts of all humans (Jeremiah 17:9, Genesis 6:5, Mark 7:20).

Contrary to popular belief, people are not fundamentally good, nor are they born perfect and later corrupted by questionable parenting, trauma and lack of education or poverty.  None of those things are good or desirable, but none of them cause people to become evil. The Bible teaches that human beings are sinners from the moment of their conception (Psalm 51:5).  It all started with Adam and Eve.  Adam and Eve (and every human since) chose to rebel against God and do life apart from God rather than with God. The first humans consciously chose to acquire knowledge of evil (Genesis 3). Since that ill-fated moment evil has lurked in the hearts of all people (Mark 7:20-22, Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9). 

It’s critical to note that not every human acts out in horribly evil ways, nor are we doomed to live lives of unrestrained wickedness (Luke 11:13). The is good news is that the God of the universe loved us so much that He chose to become a sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16, Romans 5:8 Isaiah 53, 1st Peter 2:24, 1st John 4:9-10). Anytime a sinful human puts their faith and trust in Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection (Matthew 27-28) their sins are forgiven (Acts 10:34, Colossians 1:4). Furthermore, once we are “in Christ” (Romans 3:23-26, Romans 6:23, 1stCorinthians 15:21-22, 2nd Corinthians 5:17) the Holy Spirit dwells in us (John 14:16-17, John 14:26, Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit gives Christians the power necessary to fight the evil in us and in the world (more on that later).

All that good news aside.

We are still a corrupted race even after we come into relationship with Jesus.  Evil still lurks the hearts of all humans. It is and will be a part of our operating system until we are fully redeemed and dwell in heaven (Revelation 21:1-4, Revelation 21:22-27).   

Evil comes in all sorts of different forms. There’s overt evil. Overt evil is out in the open. Overt evil is loud and proud; it openly seeks to harm others. Think serial killer or fascist kinds of evil. Covert evil is a little more subtle. It refuses to do good or withholds help from those that need it (Proverbs 3:27). The most dangerous kind of evil is evil that is unaware of its own evilness. It actually thinks it is doing good while it’s promoting evil and committing acts of evil (Isaiah 5:20). Those who think they are doing good when they are really doing evil are the most dangerous kinds of people

Evil that believes it’s doing good will gleefully corrupt and sexualize very young children in the name of “suicide prevention” “gender diversity” and “love”. Evil that thinks it’s good will deliberately incite hate and will even excuse murder in the name of “saving democracy” and “ending fascism”. Evil that thinks it’s good insists we must end the lives of unborn children in the name of “gender fairness” “bodily rights” and the need to ensure “all children are wanted and loved”. Evil that thinks it’s good will willingly euthanize an old or sick person in the name “quality of life”. Evil that thinks it’s good squashes free speech to further “tolerance” and protect the “well being” of others. Evil that thinks it’s good supports governments and religious belief systems that oppress women and minorities in the interests of “ending oppression”.

Evil that thinks it’s good is evilest kind of evil this fallen world has ever seen. Evil that believes it is good can and will justify every kind of unjustifiable behavior for the “greater good” and in the name of defending “human rights”. 

 As believers in Jesus, we must do everything in our power to fight this growing evil. We must stand against it and fight it with everything we have in us. We must fight for authentic good. We must actively look for opportunities to expose the corrupt and deceitful evil the world is touting as truth and virtuousness. Authentic good protects, defends and lays down its life for the weak and vulnerable. Authentic good values innocence and knows that humans are at their best when they choose to do life God’s way. Authentic good fights for the weak and chooses to love the unlovable. Authentic good prays for all people. Authentic good looks for occasions to usher in Kingdom values and Kingdom righteousness (Matthew 5:1-16, Matthew 6:10, Mark 1:14-15).

Evil that thinks it’s good cannot be defeated with the weapons of this world (2nd Corinthians 10:3-5). The weapons of this world are hatred, division, lies and violence. Christians cannot allow themselves to stoop to worldly methods or behaviors to fight evil.  When we behave like the world, we are allowing our own evil to run wild. God does not condone, bless or look away from evil especially in His own people (Romans 6:1-2).

Christians must fight the evil that believes it is good by making every effort to be firmly anchored to the immutable truth of God and His word. It is critical we take the time to know the unchanging principals of the Bible and learn to discern good from evil (Hebrews 5:14). Knowing the difference between good and evil keeps us from falling prey to the philosophies of this world that embrace death and call good evil. We fight evil with the love of Jesus and good works that glorify His name. 

How does Jesus Expect us to Work out Ephesians 4:32 in our Daily Lives?

Lisa M. Price5 Comments

Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also- Colossians 3:12b-13 NASB

Earlier this week as I was scrolling my social media feed I came across a post on boundaries. I know about boundaries. I read the book on boundaries.  I have even taught a couple of classes on boundaries.  I routinely advise folks I work with in ministry settings to set boundaries. I’m not unaware of what boundaries are, nor am I against setting them. Please don’t send me an email explaining boundaries to me. It will just make me feel misunderstood. 

That out of the way, I do feel compelled to share the experience I had with the Holy Spirit this week. I will warn readers ahead of time, this post might be challenging (offensive) to some. 

Okay, so.

I was reading through the post on boundaries and not really thinking too deeply about what I was reading. I certainly wasn’t bothered or offended by what I read. The author did not say anything I hadn’t heard before. Then (out of nowhere) a verse popped into my head. It was word-for-word perfect in the ESV translation:

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you- Ephesians 4:32

 I have been a Christian for a long time.  I know enough about how the Holy Spirit works to know that when a random verse pops into my head as I’m mindlessly reading an article it means something. At the very least, it means I’m supposed to go a little (lot) deeper and figure what God is trying to say (Hebrews 12:25). 

So, I dug deeper.

The word the Holy Spirit impressed on my heart was tenderhearted. So, I whipped out my handy-dandy Greek dictionary and looked it up. The Greek word for “tenderhearted” means to take pity on someone or to show mercy. Then I looked up “kind” in Greek. It means to be gentle, gracious and good natured toward others. At that point, I decided I might as well look up “forgiving” as well. It means not to exact punishment.  I concluded that Ephesians 4:32 could be translated:

Be good natured and gracious toward others. Take pity on people who don’t know better or don’t do better even when they know better.  Do not exact punishment on people because they annoy or hurt you.

I will not lie. I experienced some conviction. 

It occurred to me that people, even church people (me included) talk a lot about empathy, kindness, mercy and compassion. Nonetheless, it’s fair to say we have lost our way when it comes to living out the biblical commands to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving in our day-to-day lives (Luke 6:35, Romans 13:8, Colossians 3:12). Truth-be-told, many believers (me included sometimes) are taking their cues about how to treat people from the world rather than Jesus. The social media post I mentioned earlier serves as a relevant example. The writer (who I do not know) is a professing Christian who basically made a case for boundaries being the ultimate conflict resolution tool. They suggest that if anyone hurts you or even just annoys you, the best solution is to go “no” or “low contact”.  Conflict solved. The poster openly defined boundaries as cutting difficult people out of one’s life (1stJohn 4:1). 

What? 

Here’s the thing: cutting a person out of one’s life is not setting a boundary (John 13:35, John 15:12, 1stCorinthians 13).  God does not call His people to build thick walls to keep annoying people out of their lives (Romans 12:10). Anyone who believes ending a relationship without a really compelling reason (like genuine abuse) is God’s will or a good example of a biblical boundary is just plain wrong. Boundaries are meant to be like fences with gates that swing open on both sides, not walls that block contact with the outside world. God wants us to figure out ways to maintain and heal relationships not obliterate them (Romans 12:16, 2nd Timothy 2:23-25). Boundaries ARE about setting limits concerning what you will or will not do. Boundaries are not meant to punish people for past sins (Romans 2:1).  Unless a person is currently doing something truly egregious and stubbornly unrepentant (being annoying, rude or stupid is not egregious) Christians don’t cut people out of their lives.   Furthermore, cutting contact or even limiting contact with someone is not conflict resolution. Ending the relationship will halt the conflict, but it will never resolve anything. 

Moreover, what if Jesus started treating us the way we treat annoying people? We would be in all kinds of trouble. Every single one of us is annoying in some truly profound way. We are slow to learn, slow to obey and super stupid sometimes, especially if perfection is our standard.  We need Jesus to take pity on us daily and not punish us for our sin and stupidity. 

God commands His people to be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14-16). One way to do that is to take pity on others for their lack of consideration, wisdom and social grace. No where in Scripture are we told to view frustrating, rude or even mean people as impediments to our peace or as problems to be eliminated. Oftentimes God uses those very people (warts and all) to grow us and mature us into the image of Jesus.  We must never forget that God the commands to love others in spite of their deficiencies and irritating behaviors (John 15:12, Romans 12:10, Romans 13:8, 2nd Corinthians 13:11, Ephesians 4:2). 

Just like He does with us. 

How we Maximize our Spiritual Potential-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. All that you do must be done in love- 1st Corinthians 16:13-14 NASB

Every believer in Jesus is literally bursting with all sorts of spiritual potential.  

It’s true.

Even those who don’t think they have it, have it. Spiritual potential is a fundamental component of the salvation starter package all Christian receive (Romans 10:9-11, Ephesians 1:13-14).  Therefore, anyone who yields their life to the Lordship of Jesus is blessed with gifts, talents and opportunities to use their gifts and talents to glorify God. We glorify God and maximize our spiritual potential by building the Kingdom of God and becoming more like Jesus in word and deed (Romans 12:2-8, 1st Corinthians 12:4-31, Hebrews 2:4). 

However. 

Spiritual potential can be maximized as well as squandered (Matthew 25:14-30). There are those who make the most of their potential for a season and get tripped up by sin or selfishness or just garden-variety idiocy (Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 7:21-23, Galatians 5:7, Ephesians 4:26-28). Others use their giftedness for their own gain. Some lack the moral discipline necessary to become spiritually stable and never really grow enough to maximize their potential (Judges 13-16).

Mercifully, all those outcomes are completely preventable. 

The Holy Spirit is our helper and guide (John 14:26). Therefore, we have everything we need to make a positive difference in this world. Maximizing our spiritual potential means always keeping a healthy fear of the Lord in mind all the time (Psalm 25:14, Proverbs 1:7, Philippians 2:12). We work out our salvation by being intentional about what we do and don’t do (Ephesians 5:14-16). If we live prudently, we will successfully squeeze out every drop of spiritual potential and be greeted with “well done good and faithful servant” when we see Jesus for the first time (Matthew 25:21). Spiritual success begins with:

Making Jesus our center-

Jesus cannot simply be an accessory or an add on if we want to maximize our potential. Jesus must be central to everything we do (Psalm 22:23, Matthew 5:16, Romans 15:5-7). He must be the truth that we declare everywhere we go and the one that we ultimately aim to please. God has given us all a mission field. Therefore, if you’re a stay-at-home mom, make God known to the other stay at home moms. If you’re a doctor or a dentist or a whatever God called you to be, make sure the people in your sphere of influence know who you serve and why.  

Refusing to circle the temptation- 

Nothing wastes spiritual potential faster than foolishly allowing a temptation to morph into a sin. Everyone has a sin that is uniquely appealing to them. These inclinations used to be called “besetting sins” or “ruling passions”. Besetting sins are the behaviors and attitudes we tend to go back to and struggle to let go of. For some it’s a longing to numb out with alcohol, food or drugs (Ephesians 5:18). For others it’s an unhealthy desire to be admired that results in conforming to the world system to make friends and keep the peace (Romans 12:2, Proverbs 29:25, John 12:43). For still others, it’s greed, self-centeredness (Ephesians 5:5) or lying (Colossians 3:9, James 3:13-15). For many the temptation is sexual in nature (1st Corinthians 6:9-11). One key to dealing with a besetting sin is to stay as far away from the sin or temptation as possible. Unfortunately, if we are not walking in the fear of the Lord, we will do the exact opposite (Galatians 5:16). We will try to get as close to the sin as we can without actually committing the sin. We will circle the temptation. We will look at it, touch it and think about how good it would feel to indulge ourselves. Circling the temptation inevitably leads to sin. The answer is to NEVER circle the sin. 

And finally,

Integrity is key-

Integrity is about more than simply doing the right thing when no one is looking, although that aspect of integrity cannot be understated. Every Christian should make a practice of examining their lives daily for obvious and not so obvious behavioral inconsistencies (2nd Corinthians 13:5). That said, ultimately integrity is about more than being good. It’s about owning our junk and admitting wrong when we get it wrong.  I am convinced most of the people in the Bible who encountered ugly longterm consequences for their sin (Saul, Nebuchadnezzar, Judas) were not punished for so much for the sin itself but more for their unwillingness to admit wrong and repent when God confronted them with the reality of their sin. One aspect of integrity is letting go of our pride.   Pride is a super bad, super ugly sin because it makes us too conceited to admit wrong, apologize for our errors and repent (Acts 3:19). Pride has a blinding effect; it makes us both unable to see our sin and unwilling to humble ourselves enough to own it.  Everybody fails. It just happens, having the humility to own our failure (Proverbs 29:23) ensures our missteps become steppingstones to growth and maturity. If we combine the humility that comes with true integrity, holiness and a commitment to making Jesus our center we will become spiritually unstoppable and make the most of every once of potential God has given us.

What Should Christians Expect from an Isaiah 5:20 Kind of a World?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked- Psalm 97:10 NKJV

Isaiah 5:20 says this:

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- NASB

So. 

Calling good evil and evil good is nothing new. It’s just something fallen, sinful people do. However, it could be argued that for the last 2000 years (give or take) this type of tomfoolery has been more the exception than the rule. At least in places where Christianity has been the dominant religion. Even those who weren’t Christians had some insight into right and wrong thanks to cultural Christianity and the intuitive understanding all humans have regarding right, wrong and the existence of God (Romans 1:18-20)

This is rapidly changing. 

Don’t get me wrong. There are still good people in this world. There are people who know God, love God and do their level best do what to obey God. There are also people who don’t know God whose consciences still function properly who are doing their best with what they do understand. Thankfully, there’s still enough cultural Christianity left in most Western countries for non-Christians to get worked up over the really big evils like murder and exploitation. That being said, a line has been crossed.  We are on the other side where a majority of average Joe’s and Jane’s believe evil is good and good is evil. 

This cultural sea change both brings both problems and opportunities for God’s people.  First the problems (I will get to the opportunities. I promise): 

You can live an exemplary Christian life and not be respected for it- 

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when living a good Christian life earned a person a certain level of admiration and credibility.  The average non-believer may not have necessarily wanted to serve and honor God with their own lives, but they respected and admired those who did. That ship has officially sailed. We are now in a place where choosing to live out Christian principles brings scorn and mockery rather than veneration and respect. This is discouraging (to say the least). It also makes Christian community more critical than ever. We need each other for encouragement and inspiration to keep on keeping on no matter what the culture does or says (Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:23-25)

Following one’s heart is an even worse idea than it once was- 

Humans have always had a predisposition towards following their own heart as opposed to God’s word. It’s just another part of the whole fallen nature thing (Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:10-18, Romans 7:18, 1stCorinthians 2:14). However, there was a time in the not-so-distant past when pretty much everyone agreed that following one’s heart was not okay if it led to things like: broken relationships, disrespecting or dishonoring parents, self-harm, abortion or denying the reality of one’s God-given gender. Again, that ship has sailed, following one’s heart wherever it leads (even if its straight to hell) is thought to be a good thing.  The outcome of this folly has been (and will continue to be) tragic beyond words.  

Good doctrine will get scarcer- 

Calling good evil and evil good does not always stop at the doors of the church. As the world becomes darker the tendency is for those in the pulpit is to soften the words of God to make them more palatable to those who prefer darkness to light (2nd Timothy 4:2-4). Still others will literally twist the Bible to say what they want it to say.  This sad state of affairs means Christians must commit to walking in step with the Holy Spirit and learn the Bible for themselves so that they are able to discern good doctrine from bad and lead others to right doctrinal thinking (Galatians 1:7-9, Hebrews 13:9).

Weird will become even more normal- 

There was a time when even non-Christian members of society agreed (for the most part) that certain things were simply weird and unacceptable. Folks kept unkind sentiments to themselves. Everyone agreed males should not have access to female spaces, women should not celebrate aborting their children, kids should be protected from sexual content, and no one should cut others out of their lives without a really good reason. All that is in the rear view now and it makes life harder for everyone (whether they realize it or not) but especially those who are standing on the sidelines trying desperately to be a voice of reason in an unreasonable time.

Admittedly, that’s a lot of bad news (sorry) but there is also some really good news too. 

God is still God and God is still good. He hasn’t abandoned His plan for mankind (John 3:16) just because times are tough and some folks appear to be going feral, just as He promised they would (2nd Peter 3:2-4, 2nd Timothy 3:1-5). The really good news in all of this is that God also promised to pour out His spirit on His people in the last days (Acts 2:16-18).  He will enable anyone who seeks Him the ability to shine brightly even in the darkest of places (Philippians 2:13-15) and He will bless them for doing so (Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 13:16). The greater contrast between those who call themselves believers and those who don’t means anyone who is looking to get free of the darkness will know exactly who to talk to. 

This is a very good thing that may even change things. 

How does one Christian Protect the Faith of Another?

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I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another- John 13:34-35 NASB

This week as I was reading through Matthew eighteen, I came across a statement Jesus made that no one really likes to talk about. Mostly, because no one really likes to think about what it really means:

Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes! Matthew 18:7

Contextually this verse is a part of a greater statement Jesus made about the faith of children. Because this verse (on the surface at least) appears to be ONLY about children it is rarely given the consideration it probably deserves. 

I suspect Jesus wants us to apply a broader brush.

Matthew eighteen is not just about the faith of “children” because Jesus says that all people must become “as children” in order to enter the Kingdom of God. So, when Jesus talks about people causing other people to stumble, I believe we should assume He is giving a general warning about how we conduct ourselves as Christians (Luke 17:1, Romans 14:13, 1st Corinthians 8:9). 

HOWEVER.

We should all assume that causing a child to sin, whether they love Jesus—or not— is a particularly outrageous form of wickedness that genuine Christians will avoid like the literal plaque. Seriously. 

But I digress. 

Jesus’ warning begs a couple of questions: 

What is a stumbling block? 

How does one person cause another to stumble? 

Inquiring minds want to know, because inquiring minds recognize this issue is obviously a VERY big deal to Jesus.  A stumbling block is something one person does that causes another person to doubt the goodness of God or causes them to think it’s okay to do something that is unwise or even wrong. When we avoid certain attitudes and behaviors we protect the faith of those around us and we avoid becoming a stumbling block. Ultimately, it’s all about loving people well and avoiding the following:

Grumbling- 

I’m will not belabor this point, mostly because I wrote in-depth about grumbling just last week. Nevertheless, there are things that bear repeating. This is one of them. Grumbling, and its ugly counterparts (complaining, fault-finding, lack of gratitude) are contagious and can easily cause those weaker in the faith to stumble especially when the grumbling is focused on other Christians and/or Christian leaders.

Refusing to Grow-

Paul describes the church as a body where all the members are connected to one another. Not only that— we need one another (1st Corinthians 12:12-26). One way this works is through older Christians modeling the path of spiritual maturity to younger (or newer) believers (Titus 2:1-5). Anytime a believer refuses to grow and mature in Christ (Colossians 3, 2nd Peter 1:3-11) they hurt themselves and all the younger and/or less mature Christians who need to their positive example to aid in their own growth. 

Demanding perfection from others-

Nothing is more discouraging or sure to create a stumbling block with a new believer than an older believer who lacks patience and grace (1st Corinthians 13:4, 1st Thessalonians 5:14). New believers are a little bit like children (3rd John 1:4). Children are by their very nature messy, they make a lot of mistakes and sometimes they create chaos (1st Corinthians 13:11, 1st John 2:1-2).  Actual children and spiritual children need the big people around them to love them well and patiently lead them towards adulthood. They do not need people to make them feel like failures when they miss the mark. 

Being flippant about our Christian freedom-

Contrary to popular belief, Christian freedom is not about getting away with as much stuff as we can without getting sideways with God. True Christian freedom is about having a clear conscience and the spiritual power/moral fortitude to do what’s right (Galatians 5:1). When we use grace and/or Christian freedom as an excuse to walk as close to sin as possible we quickly become a stumbling block to others, especially those who are newer to the faith or who have a delicate conscience (1st Corinthians 8:9, Galatians 5:13, 1st Peter 2:1).

 Never getting around to the repentance part- 

Repentance is central to the Christian faith (Matthew 3:2-8, Luke 13:3, Acts 3:19, 2nd Corinthians 7:10, Revelation 2:5). However, many Christians lack a solid theology of repentance. We must understand that true repentance is not simply about changing our behavior. Repentance is about aligning our thinking about every issue under the sun to God’s way of thinking. When we think the way God thinks our behavior inevitably comes into line with God’s will (Romans 12:1-2) 

And finally, we become a stumbling block when we let people’s problems or issues in life keep us from investing in them or loving them well. Christians are called to be as much like Jesus as possible. Jesus was the ultimate investor in people. He was willing to die (the biggest investment one can make) so that we could have forgiveness for sin, a clear conscience, eternal life and relationship with God. We are most like Jesus when we are willing to look past a person’s problems and love them anyway. Love like that means we never become a stumbling block to anyone (1st Peter 4:8).

What do we do with 1st Timothy 4:1 People?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God- Hebrews 3:12

As a general rule my regular Bible reading includes a chapter out of a book I’m reading as well as a Psalm or two. Additionally, I have this thing I call an “openness” policy when it comes to Bible reading. This “policy” isn’t anything super special, weird or spiritual.  It just means that if my Bible falls open to a particular verse as I’m flipping between my regular Bible reading and the Psalms, I give it a read. This ensures I have a regular Bible reading routine AND I give God space to speak to me through something I didn’t intend to read that day.  

Sometimes He does. Sometimes He doesn’t. This morning He did.  As I was flipping between 1st Peter chapter two and Psalms three my Bible fell open to this:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons- 1st Timothy 4:1 NASB

This verse led me down a thought-provoking little rabbit hole. I began looking up words in the Greek and quickly discovered the word translated “depart” sometimes translated “fall away” in English is a far more robust word in the Greek. It doesn’t just mean “to leave” or to “quit something”. It means to “defect from loudly” and/or to “revolt against” the thing you’re leaving. 

This is kind of where we’re living right now. 

Most of those who have left the church in recent years haven’t just departed quietly from church world and gone on with their lives. Most have left with guns blazing (metaphorically speaking) and have staged a revolt against all things Christian. Many are filled with fury and vitriolic criticism aimed at churches and church leaders. They hate all things traditionally Christian and are determined to see the Church “reformed” and transformed it into something entirely different than what is found on the pages of the New Testament. 

This begs a question: 

What do we do with “former Christians” who are critical of the church or who want to see the church radically transformed to better suit the values they currently hold dear? There are at least three things we should be careful to do when dealing with former Christians. The first is:

Listen- 

Please understand I am not saying we should automatically do everything the angry unbeliever thinks ought to be done. That’s crazy talk. That said, there is always value in listening with a discerning ear (Proverbs 18:5). Thoughtful, discerning listening often uncovers a world of hurt and pain lying just beneath the vitriol and hate of those who have left the church. When this happens, we have an opportunity to discuss what led to the departure and perhaps even do a little repair work in the process. Loving people enough to listen is pretty much always a good idea.  (1st Peter 4:8). However, it is critical we exercise wisdom and discernment as we listen. We must carefully separate any anger they have towards God’s decrees concerning right and wrong and people who may have done them wrong. If a person hates God because He limits their personal freedom in some way that is not our problem (Psalm 68:1).  We should pray for those people and leave them to God. However, if someone hates the way they were treated by God’s people we ought to at least try and repair the damage. 

Be humble when humility is appropriate-

Christians screw up. All the time. In the last couple of decades there has been a lot of mess in Church world. There has been a plethora of corrupt and/or inept leadership. The church has also been inundated with some well-intended but poorly thought-out programs/bandwagons such as the purity movement. On top of all that there’s been hordes of legalism and very little grace for those who would have benefitted from some. If you’re dealing with a defector who was a victim of bad leadership, mean Christians or crummy doctrine it is totally appropriate to admit wrong where wrong was clearly done and apologize on behalf of the church for the pain they experienced. 

And finally:

Do not negotiate with terrorists when it comes to issues that really matter- 

Christians should do their best to show love and respect to those who oppose God. No one in the history of Christianity has ever been won to Jesus (or won back) with ugliness, contempt or meanness (Romans 13:7, 1stPeter 2:17). 

That being said. 

Those who have departed the faith are (unbeknownst to them) under the influence of deceiving spirits. They are (again, unknowingly) devotees of “doctrines of demons”. Therefore, they tend to loathe God, God’s standards of right and wrong and anyone who upholds those standards. Most defectors wish to transform Christianity into something trendy, woke and very twenty-first century. Practically speaking, this means opposing traditional marriage, toppling gender norms and celebrating abortion as a “gift”. It always means encouraging and celebrating all forms of sexual expression, no matter how weird and deviant they may be. Period. 

We simply cannot negotiate with spiritual terrorists. It’s that simple and nothing personal. We must obey God above all else (Acts 5:29). This means God’s word cannot be modified or tossed out by those who lack spiritual understanding. It is our responsibility as Christians to “contend earnestly for the faith” and to “make a defense” for what we believe (Jude 1:3, 1st Peter 3:15). This must be done kindly and firmly, and always without apology. 

Jesus’ Kind of Intense Warning to Christian Leaders that Really Applies to all Christians-

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 With minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance – 1st Peter 1:13-14 NIV

Last year I did a deep dive into the book of Matthew. I had read Matthew before, many times, but I had never really studied the book. Luke and Mark were more my jam. 

I learned a lot. 

 I also developed a deep respect for the author. As I dug deeper, I was repeatedly struck by the fact that Matthew’s brain worked very differently from mine. Matthew’s brain was a well-ordered machine. My brain is more like a series of random, jumbled-up tunnels. His ability to organize information was genius, mine is middling at best. 

Sigh.

 Perhaps, the most surprising aspect of the book of Matthew was the clear warnings the book gives concerning Christian leadership in the years prior to Jesus’ return. 

It won’t be pretty. 

According to Jesus (Matthew 24:45-51) there will be good servants (leaders) who care and feed Jesus’ other servants (church people). The good overseers (Christian leaders) will be richly rewarded for their faithfulness (45-47). 

However.

There will also be a lot of really bad leaders who develop serious doubts (either consciously or subconsciously) concerning when or if Jesus will return in bodily form (verse 48). This crisis of belief will affect their leadership in detrimental ways. Specifically, these leaders will become egocentric. Their leadership platform will become a means of gaining money and attention. These leaders will mistreat those they are tasked with feeding and caring for spiritually. 

Truth-be-told, the world is already seeing some of Jesus predictions being played out. Narcissism in church leadership is running wild. A large number of regular, everyday Christians have left their churches because they have experienced church hurt at the hands of self-absorbed leadership. Many have yet to return to any church. Abusive, sinful and hypocritical Christian leaders are so common very few people even bother getting worked up over their antics anymore. 

Sigh. 

I believe this passage is specifically talking about pastoral leadership in the endish times. 

Subsequently.

It is imperative Christians stop enabling self-absorption and personal kingdom building in church leadership. Everything everyone does in church should be about building God’s Kingdom here on earth not monuments to human awesomeness (Matthew 6:9-10). 

Christians do the kingdom of God serious injury when they stay in churches where the leadership is obviously abusive, hopelessly self-focused or indifferent to people. The quality of the preaching should not be the number one consideration when choosing a church, the character of the people in the pulpit should be.  Public speaking (which is what preaching is) is simply a skill anyone with operational vocal cords can develop.  A person can be an excellent speaker and a terrible person/leader. This true even if they hold the title of “pastor”. 

Additionally, most Christians lead someone, so this passage applies to most Christians at least to some degree. How Christians lead matters. A lot. Human beings who don’t know God or who don’t know Him very well judge God by the behavior and overall character of His people. This means a church, a home, or Christian organization will turn people off to God if the character of the leadership (parents, pastor’s, leaders) is bad.  

Leaders can help halt the losses Christianity has experienced the last couple of decades by electing to view leadership the way Jesus viewed leadership.  Jesus literally had all the authority in the universe (Matthew 26:53, Matthew 28:18, Luke 4:36) and yet He didn’t get hung up on it. When He did play the “authority card” it was always about someone else’s needs, not His own privileges, popularity or authority.  We see this see this demonstrated beautifully in His dealings with the money changers (Matthew 21:12-13). Jesus was outraged. However, He wasn’t about mad because He was being slighted or disrespected, even though He was, it was literally HIS temple they were defiling. Jesus’ concern was for the people who were being marginalized by the moneychangers (mostly gentiles and women). Concern for who we’re leading, rather than our own popularity or authority should always be our north star. 

This means self-promotion, getting hung up on honor or becoming overly attached to the perks of leadership is a serious no-no for any Christian leader. Please understand, it is GOOD for Christians to give respect and honor to those who lead them and to one another. We should go out of our way to out-honor each other in Christian communities (Romans 12:10, Romans 13:7, 1st Timothy 5:17, 1st Peter 2:17). Just as teachers and leaders will be judged for how they lead, followers will also be judged by God for the level of cooperation and respect they give to those tasked with leading them (Hebrews 13:7, Hebrews 13:17). Nonetheless, it is highly inappropriate for Christians (leaders or not) to demand honor. Practically speaking this means we see those we lead as equals and treat them with even greater dignity than we expect for ourselves.  

Attitude is everything. 

The best Christian leaders have the mindset of managers. They believe deep in their hearts they answer to Jesus (the owner) for everything they do and say (James 3:1). Embracing this reality is the only to keep a human being’s worst inclinations at bay. 

One last thing. 

Matthew 25:45-51 isn’t JUST about leadership. It also tells us (in a roundabout way) that there are serious real-time consequences of not believing in and/or anticipating the return of Jesus. Christians who expect the return of Jesus are protected from falling into patterns of greed, selfishness and self-glorification. 

Belief in the return of Jesus is the best protective medicine.

The New S-Word-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account- Romans 4:7-8 NASB

There are some words we just don’t hear anymore in churchy circles. 

Oddly enough the MIA words are not just the standard four-letter variety no one has ever said out loud in church. Nor are the absentee words the grey-area badish words that aren’t really BAD words but aren’t nice either, words like butt or crap or dang.

It is also conceivable this issue isn’t really an issue at all. It could be a figment of my fevered imagination and there is no “list”. Maybe the words ARE being used and I’m just missing them. This could be a geographical issue. I live in a unbelievably woke place. Politics and social standards affect all sorts of strange things, even how Christians do church.

That said. 

I’m not wrong. There really are words we don’t say in church anymore, or at least we don’t say them very often. These words were once a standard part of our Christian vocabulary. Old-fashioned Bible words like guilt, depravity and judgment. Then there’s the new S-word: Sin. No one says sin anymore. 

Sin, guilt, depravity and judgment are words many Christian leaders resist using in Church. There are reasons for the resistance to these words. Many of those reasons come from a decent place. All Bible believing Pastors and Bible teachers REALLY want to see people come to know Jesus. Sadly, we live in a culture where people hate to be offended by anything. Pastors and Bible teachers understand people are easily triggered by anything that smacks of the teeniest-tiniest iota of disapproval. The bottom-line result of all these factors is that many Pastors and Bible teachers have adopted a kinder, gentler gospel that does its level best to avoid triggering people and turning them off to Jesus with “insensitive” words like sin, guilt, depravity and judgment.  As well-meaning as this change of language is, it is also a truly terrible idea. When we stop using certain words, churches and Christians also lose a whole bunch of other spiritually critical things. 

These things include:

The ability to generate conviction- 

Conviction is the sense a person has violated God’s commands. Conviction, if handled correctly nearly always leads to repentance. Repentance is awesome. Repentance is best defined as “a change of mind” regarding our attitudes and behaviors (Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30, 2nd Peter 3:9). Repentance is the awakening of conscience that leads to a change of behavior.  Repentance is also the starting place of a right relationship with God. No one can have saving faith until they acknowledge their own sin and change their mind about it. When we stop using words like “sin”, “depravity” and “judgment” there is no good soil for conviction to take root. No conviction equals no repentance equals no salvation. All that equals no relationship with Jesus. 

Sorrow over sin- 

In his letter to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul talks about a spiritual experience he calls, godly sorrow. (2ndCorinthians 7:9-10) Godly sorrow is best defined as the sadness and regret a person feels when they realize they have violated God’s commandments and offended Him with their actions or attitudes (Galatians 5:19-21, 1stTimothy 1:8-11, Revelation 21:8, Colossians 3:4-10, Romans 1:29-31, 1st Corinthians 6:9-11). Godly sorrow is a very good thing because the Bible teaches all people have sinned (Romans 3:23, 1st John 1:8-10). Godly sorrow over sin leads to repentance and a clear conscience before God (1st Timothy 1:5). No one can experience godly sorrow without a clear understanding that sin is a violation of God’s laws and what exactly qualifies as a sin. If the word sin disappears from our Christian vocabularies no one will experience godly sorrow over their sin. 

Authentic salvation- 

Contrary to popular opinion, salvation is more than just “asking Jesus into my heart”. In order for salvation to take place a person must believe the following:

There is a God.

God has standards of behavior that are perfectly reasonable because He’s God and God gets to make the rules. 

Violating those standards is sin.

EVERYONE violates the standards. Therefore everyone is a sinner. 

All sinners will be judged by God for their sin.

God made a way for humans to avoid the penalty of sin (death). 

Faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ is the only way to avoid paying the penalty for our own sin. 

No one can experience salvation without understanding and believing those basic facts (Luke 19:10, John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Acts 2:21, Romans 1:16, Titus 2:10-11, Hebrews 11:6). It is impossible to explain salvation without using words like, sin and judgment. 

Because language is necessary for human communication, Christians have replaced the verboten words with new words The primary word used in place of sin or depravity is brokenness. Brokenness is a terrible substitution for both. The word “brokenness” sends the weird passive message that we (the human race) is messed up because we had a bunch of things happen to us that led to our “getting broken”. Sin, on the other hand conveys the message that we are messed up because of the things we did on purpose because we wanted to do them (lying, treachery, fornication, thieving, etc.). The Church must revive the doctrine of sin quickly, without it, salvations will become increasingly more rare and revival will be entirely out of reach. 

How do Christians Keep the Dumpster-Fire From Raging out of Control?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is- Ephesians 5:15-16 NASB

The world we live in is a flaming-hot-dumpster-fire. 

I say that a lot. 

Probably too much. In my defense, lots of people say it a lot. It’s an axiom that’s becoming more and more of a thing all the time. It’s also true. Sane people (our numbers are dwindling) clearly see the lines between what is okay and not-okay are blurring (Jeremiah 4:22). This has happened because there is an ever-growing number of outwardly normal people who cannot tell the difference between good and evil anymore (Isaiah 5:20).  

Take a current news event as one small example:

There’s this guy (Luigi Mangione) who killed a guy (Brian Thompson) because he hates the health insurance industry. Luigi Mangione didn’t have a beef with Brian Thompson. He didn’t even know Brian Thompson. For the record, I don’t believe there are “good” reasons to break the sixth commandment (Exodus 20:13, Mark 10:18-20). Nonetheless, there are exceptional situations, like when someone kills your child or your mom or your wife or your brother, when murder FEELS slightly less dastardly. 

This was not an exceptional situation. 

Further muddying the waters are the folks (scads of them) who sincerely believe murder was justified in this case because the man who was assassinated was a well-paid health insurance executive.  Then there are the weirdos who immediately started crafting amoral little social media posts where they daydream out loud about having sex with the guy who killed a guy for no reason. 

Like I said, it’s a dumpster-fire.

 Jesus’ people are to be the “salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-16). Salt has all sorts of uses, but a primary purpose of salt is to stop decay. Light illuminates what is true. This sums up our job description neatly. We are to keep society from going off the rails and tell the spiritual truth. That’s it. However, it is getting more and more difficult all the time to do what we’ve been told to do, mostly because the flaming-hot-dumpster-fire is getting hotter all the time.

Sigh. 

 This week I spent a lot of time thinking about/praying about all this. Amid my musings the Lord impressed on me a couple things we can all do. All these things are simple but none of them are necessarily easy. None will change the world overnight, but they will over time. Doing them ensures we meet the requirements of our job description. 

It all begins with:

Living like we actually believe in God- 

Seriously. This all we have to do to be salt and light in a sin-sick world. When a person lives like they believe God is real they DO what He tells them to do. They know what sin is and avoid it like the plague. They are quick repent when they do sin (1st John 1:8-10). They love people and because they love people, they are very careful to ride the line between treating others with respect and kindness and telling them truth about where their actions will take them (1st Corinthians 13, Romans 6:23). All of this, if done consistently will make a difference in how the average Joe and Jane view Christianity. This will inevitably lead to more conversions. More conversions mean a smaller dumpster fire. Always a big win. 

Just saying “no” to conditional obedience-

Conditional obedience is attaching qualifiers to our compliance to God’s commands. Our obedience is conditional when we say (out loud or in our hearts): “okay God, I will do life your way if you provide me with a good job, great friends, a good spouse, devoted adult children and a nice place to live”. Conditional obedience is choosing either consciencely or subconsciously to quit obeying God the second God ceases to act as our blessing machine (John 3:36, 1st Peter 4:17) and at some point, He will because we are His servants He is not ours. Conditional obedience completely lacks faith (Hebrews 11:6). It is proof positive that we either don’t really believe in God at all or we don’t really trust Him to run the show. If we don’t trust and believe in God, we can’t expect the world to either.  

Keep the main thing the main thing-

Jesus is the main thing. He is ultimately what the Christian life is all about. Christianity is not about building a following. Nor is about having the world think well of us. Our business as Christians is to know Jesus, obey Jesus’ commands, glorify Jesus every chance we get and lead other people into relationship with Jesus. Period. When we choose to do these things all the time, we become a blessing to God and a protective force that illuminates spiritual truth for the world (Matthew 25:21). 

And finally:

We must be willing to bring up the main thing even when the dumpster fire world flies into a rage because we dared to bring up Jesus. It is not enough for Christians to live good lives, nor is it enough to be compassionate, big-hearted and peaceful. All of these things are good, all of them are critical to our practice of Christianity. However, the main thing is still the main thing and bringing up the main thing is the only way to slow down the raging dumpster-fire.