Category: Being the Church

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. 

Hey Church- the Election Results Probably Don’t Mean What we Hope they Mean.

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

 If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land- 2nd Chronicles 7:14 NASB

I have a hunch many regular readers of this blog did a literal happy dance when they learned the outcome of the 2024 election. 

You know who you are. 🙂

The results were what most (not all) American Christians were hoping for. There are many Christians (like myself) who have some reservations concerning Trump as a person. However, it’s simply a fact that there has been more poverty, more abortion, more crime, more war, more violence and less overall goodness in the past four years compared to the previous four years (Proverbs 29:2).  Past results are generally the best predictor of future results.  Therefore, it is not difficult to conclude that Trump (in spite of his shortcomings) is the leader who will do the most good and the least harm for the greatest number of people in the coming years (Jeremiah 29:7). And that is all we can really dare to hope for in these crazy-town times. 

I also suspect more than a few Christians reading this post also think (at least subconsciously) that this election outcome means God is happy with how everything is going in America and He’s just looking for an opportunity to bless our socks off.  

I don’t think this means that. 

Seriously. I don’t. 

Rather, I believe the God of the universe is giving us a reprieve, a break in the madness. He’s not giving us a break so we can rest on our laurels and reacquaint ourselves the delights of lower interest rates, cheap eggs and overall better economic conditions. God is giving us a loll in the craziness for one reason and one reason only: God loves people and wants them come to know Him as their Lord and Savior because revival is the ONLY route to a more moral, healthy and life-giving culture (John 3:16, 2nd Peter 3:9). 

It just is. This win is not about blessing. It’s about God giving the church a clear opening to be the church. Therefore, I want to encourage everyone reading this to take a deep breath, celebrate the win for just a little longer and then do the following:

Pray twice as hard over the course of the next four years as you did over the course of the past four-

I suspect that most Christians have prayed more in the last four years than they have in the previous twelve. Prayer is always a good thing. I would never argue against prayer. However, the motive for our prayers has been less than noble. Most of us have prayed out of fear. We were scared senseless over what we were seeing in the culture. The crime, the crushing of dissident voices, the economic chaos and the spiritual state of the younger generation left Christians in shock. It was scary as hell. Literally. Smart people became fearful and did what smart people do when they become fearful: they prayed their faces off. Churches that have never once hosted a prayer meeting were hosting regular prayer meetings. People who have never attended a prayer meeting attended numerous prayer meetings. It was a beautiful thing. More people have gotten saved in the last four years than I have seen in my lifetime. This happened because people prayed. The spiritual war is far from over, it’s probably just heating up (Romans 6:12-13). Many of us started praying in fear now God is calling us to pray in faith and see what He does (1st Thessalonians 5:17, Mark 14:38, Ephesians 6:19). 

Tell your friends and neighbors about Jesus- 

Truth-be-told, most people who voted red this time around did not do so because they care about freedom of religion or the unborn or the supreme court or the spiritual condition of the next generation. Most who voted red this time around did so because they were thinking about their own financial situation. Period. It is not immoral or wrong to think about one’s own financial situation. We live in a world where finances are a reality and its perfectly okay to care about them. However, why we choose something or someone says a lot about where our hearts are at and most of our friends and neighbors have hearts that are far from God. They need us to use this opportunity we have been given to tell them about Jesus. He is the only one who can bring real security and authentic peace in even the toughest of times (Romans 5:1, 2nd Thessalonians 3:1, John 16:33). 

And finally:

Work for the good of all people –

In Jeremiah 29:4-7 the prophet gives the Jewish people (who had been captured by the Babylonians) some advice that applies any Christians living in a culture hostile to their faith. Jeremiah commanded the captives to be good people, raise good families, to be kind and honest and to work for the good of everyone, even the Babylonians. It was solid advice we can easily apply to our current situation.  This is the time to double-down our efforts to get to know our neighbors and love them well. It’s the time to work our tails off to be a God-fearing, wise and helpful presence in our communities. In doing we will be the salt and the light our world so desperately needs (Matthew 5:12-13) and position ourselves and our world for spiritual revival that will bring future blessing.

The Number one “Rule” of Modern Christianity-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace- Jeremiah 6:13b-14 NIV

Life is full of unwritten rules. 

An unwritten rule is an expectation no one really needs to be told about. For example, we all understand it’s not okay to roam through a public space like a subway or a movie theater with music blaring out of a speaker. There are (to my knowledge) no signs telling people they can’t play their music in these spaces. We all just know better. Because we all know better than to break unspoken rules, when someone does, people judge. 

It’s just how it is. 

Christianity has its own fair share of unwritten rules. There are things we simply do not do in Church world. No one treats communion like a buffet, grabbing enough juice to quench their thirst or enough bread to tide them over until lunch.  Some of the unwritten rules in church world are biblical, others, not so much. One really prominent unwritten rule in church world is: 

No negativity allowed! 

The love of the positive (and aversion to the negative) is reflected in the following “rules” Christians are told to follow:

Christians should only preach and speak about what they’re FOR not what they’re against-

Churches should stick to preaching the gospel only because social issues are not relevant to the gospel-

A good Christian is always kind and never hurts anyone’s feelings-

It’s a terrible sin to speak against “the Lords anointed”-

All of the above rules are well-intended, a few even have Bible verses to back them up. Each one is meant to encourage kindness, cooperation, unity and inoffensiveness. 

All good things. 

But are these “rules” biblical? 

Nope, nope and more nope.

No one should seek to be unnecessarily offensive, nor should Christians preach about social issues to the exclusion of the gospel. It is not okay for believers to hurt people on purpose, slander Christian leaders or criticize good programs designed to help people (2nd Timothy 4:2, Ephesians 4:32, Hebrews 13:17, Isaiah 5:20). Those things are all wrong. Period.

However. 

 It is also true that Jesus routinely addressed the hot-button issues of His day. In the process, He made a lot of folks really angry (Matthew 19:1-10, Luke 20:20-25, Mark 7:10-13, Matthew 20:16). Jesus also openly criticized people, including religious leaders (Matthew 23:1-33, Luke 11:37-53). I suspect Jesus hurt a lot of feelings and yet, God the Father had nothing but good things to say about Jesus (Matthew 3:17, Mark 9:7)

Furthermore. 

There are many instances in the Old Testament where God had nothing good to say about some dearly loved prophets. These “prophets” angered God because they insisted on preaching messages of blessings and positivity when God had declared there would be nothing but a giant load of judgment and trouble for His people (Jeremiah 6:13-14, Jeremiah 14:14, Ezekiel 13:9, Lamentations 2:14, Isaiah 44:24-25). 

The problems with choosing to dwell entirely on the positive are countless. For one thing, it puts a lot of limits on what Christians can and can’t talk about. Any subject that makes people uncomfortable or angry is out. This eliminates much of the Bible and all discussion of sin. It also means Christians can never speak up about social issues, even really evil social issues. If seventeenth century Christians had chosen to only speak a positive, happy message, slavery might still be legal. Our aversion to speaking the negative is one of the key reasons there are so many bad leaders in positions of power in our churches. If one believes its poor form or sinful to discuss problems with a leader’s bad behavior, the silence that ensues gives that pastor plenty of space to keep doing what they’ve been doing. In every church or Christian organization where there has been moral failure there has also been an unspoken (sometimes spoken) rule against saying anything unflattering about the leader.  Never discussing the negative also limits the spiritual and personal growth of individuals. In some churches, spouses (especially women) are discouraged from any negative talk about their spouse’s behavior— even if the behavior is clearly wrong or even abusive. Instead spouses are encouraged to pray that God would speak to their husband or wife. This presupposes the person in question, who is walking in sin is going to listen the Lord when He speaks.  Those folks are denied growth opportunities because their closest neighbor (their spouse) is prohibited from confronting their sin. 

Sigh.

 Instead of insisting on positive vibes only, Christians ought to make a commitment to actively seek God’s best for all people in every situation. Seeking the best means we cover every difficult or potentially thorny conversation in prayer. Seeking the best demands we become biblically literate so we know an answer to prayer when it comes. It means there will times when we keep our pie holes shut because the issue at hand is not really critical or worth offending someone over. Other times seeking the best means saying what needs to be said as kindly as possible, even if offense is taken (Ephesians 4:15, Philippians 1:9-11). Seeking the best for others means we do the hard work of learning to discern right from wrong. It means we remember unsaved people naturally find the gospel and biblical truth offensive (1st Corinthians 1:18, 1st Corinthians 2:14). Loving people and seeking their good means we break the rules by preaching the gospel and speaking against social evil. It means we tell the truth because if we really love people we don’t want them to spend eternity in hell because they lacked pertinent information concerning right and wrong. 

That would be the most unloving thing ever.

What is the Key to Receiving God’s Blessing?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble- Proverbs 28:14 NLT

God’s blessing.

Good people and not-so-great people alike all want God to bless their lives, families and the country they live in. Ne’er-do-well’s who’ve never darkened the door of church and folks who wouldn’t know a Bible verse if it bit them on the backside have been known to ask God to bless them, their country, their family and their livelihood.  Heck. In my country we want God’s blessing so badly we demand it on our currency. 

So.  

Exactly, what does it take for God to bless a person and/or their country?

There are many people who genuinely believe getting the right person elected will get the job done. Others believe the key to God’s blessing lies in the Church loving people and working to bring about justice in this world.  

Both feel like really good answers. 

Getting the right person elected sounds awesome. Electing a man or woman who loves God and knows right from wrong sounds like a good plan.  Finding someone who is willing to do the right thing even when its hard sounds like a solution that could lead this messy muddle back to a place of blessing and good things.

 It worked in the Old Testament so why not today? 

Getting the Church to healthy place where the people are loving their neighbors and doing justice also sounds like it could be the win we need to get the blessing machine working again. After all, it’s all stuff God has made clear He is definitely into blessing (Psalm 11:7, Psalm 140:12, Matthew 22:36-40, 1st Corinthians 13:4-7, James 1:27). 

However. 

God tends to give nations the leaders they deserve (Judges 3:12). This country and the people in it haven’t exactly set themselves up for an amazing, wise, godly leader who is able to rally the people into voluntarily doing good and honoring God. Seriously. We live in a nation where half the people have proven they want the right to end a pregnancy anytime, for any reason more than they want economic security. This reality has been confirmed repeatedly based on who and what the people routinely vote for. God cannot bless a people with that little regard for righteousness and stay true to who He says He is in Scripture. Period. Furthermore, the Old Testament leadership pattern was not great. Israel had a habit of devolving morally and spiritually. Then, because He’s good God would bless Israel with a godly leader. The people would straighten-up and fly right (metaphorically speaking) right up until the minute the leader died.  Then the people would all go back to doing all the outrageous, wicked stuff they were doing before the godly leader came along. As a result, the inevitable was delayed but it always became a reality.  

Loving people and laboring to usher in biblical justice IS a really good thing. Nonetheless, many have forgotten there can be no authentic biblical justice without authentic biblical righteousness (Psalm 33:5, Isaiah 1:21, Isaiah 59:14, Micah 6:8).  They work in conjunction with each other. The biblical justice crowd is often unwilling to call people out on the sin that prevents biblical justice from becoming a reality. 

Sigh. 

If an individual or nation wants the blessing of God it is critical they position themselves for blessing.  Literally, no one in the history of forever has positioned themselves for a blessing simply by asking for it, voting for the “right person” or doing one small portion of God’s will. Nor is there anyone righteous enough to get blessed by doing whatever seems right to them in the moment. 

Intentionality is the key.  

Blessing always begins and ends with the actions and attitude of God’s people.  When God’s people live life according to God’s rules they position themselves and the culture they live in for blessing. It’s important to note that Christians cannot force anyone to live righteously (1st Corinthians 5:12-13). Attempting to do so always fails, in a big way. Nor, does God cease to love His people when they fail to according to His rules. God’s love for His own never ceases (John 10:27-29). That being said, when Christians choose to lead the way and honor God with their lives and bodies God blesses. Genuine revival and tangible blessings are always the result of obedience (Acts 2:38-47). 

We could use some of that right about now.

Seriously. 

For a generation, well-intended but tragically misguided church leaders have attempted to eliminate legalism by teaching God’s “grace” is a gift that allows for Christians to live any way they wish with zero negative consequences (Titus 2:11-12). As a result, many believers have all but forgotten there really is a “right” way to live the Christian life (Romans 8:4-5). The ugly consequences of our willful amnesia are unfolding in our culture. The church is literally the body of Christ, do when the church fails at biblical living the culture has no reliable guide for how to do life God’s way. 

This means the whole world is literally feeling the pain of our folly.

 The world will be blessed when Christians from every tribe and nation return to a form of living that leads to blessing, justice and human flourishing. God has graciously shown us the way in easily understood passages such as Colossians chapter three, Romans chapter twelve and 2nd Peter 1:5-11. 

It’s up to us go to those passages and do what we are told.

How Should Christians React to Blasphemy?

Lisa M. Price3 Comments

You must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives- Jude 22-23 NLT

The Christian response to the opening ceremonies for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games exposed a deep and growing rift in Christianity.  When you get down to heart of the matter, the rift centers around how Christians ought to interact with a post-Christian culture.

 Some were angry, and not just at the weird display of crudeness and blasphemy. This group has had enough of Christianity being the one religion it’s okay to use as a punching bag. They point out (correctly) that there are no activists mocking or vilifying anyone else’s deeply held beliefs. Public scorn is reserved only for Christians. These folks believe it’s high-time Christians start standing up for themselves and fight back.

On the other side of the divide, are those who think Christians should ignore any blasphemy directed (deliberately or inadvertently) at the Christian faith.  These folks feel pretty strongly that any criticism, of any kind, directed at unbelievers sends the message that God (and His people) do not love them or want them anywhere near the Church. 

This group points out (correctly) that Jesus often associated with sinners and nearly all of His disapproval was aimed at self-righteous religious people who judged sinners mercilessly (Matthew 9:9-13).  They also note (correctly) that Christians are commanded to love everyone, including blasphemers (1st Corinthians 13:1-13, Matthew 5:43-44, Luke 6:32-35, Luke 7:36-47). Therefore, any and all disapproval of a non-Christians behavior should be hidden from view in the name of “kindness” and “love”. This group sincerely believes showing disapproval of sin will cause sinners to reject Jesus.

Yikes. No one wants that. 

So, is Christian disapproval of bad/blasphemous behavior really the fast-track to total rejection of all things Christian?

Well. 

I have some personal experience I feel is relevant to this discussion. 

I grew up in a messy non-Christian home, by the time I hit my teen years I was a jumble of chaos and sin. I knew nothing about God or the Bible. I never even thought about God or the Bible, I was a post-Christian girl long before post-Christian was even a thing. 

I was also a bit of a wiseacre.

I worked at a fast-food restaurant, mainly on the front register.  I almost never wore a nametag, mostly, because I didn’t want customers to know my name if I made a mistake or offended them in some way. One day, one of the managers happened to notice I wasn’t wearing a nametag. I was told to put one on, pronto. 

So, I did.  

However, I did not put my name on the nametag. To my (now) eternal shame I put “GOD” on my nametag in all caps (and YES, I am now VERY aware of how blasphemous that was). Some of the customers and all my co-workers thought it was hilarious, so I left it on. My idiocy started a bit of trend. Almost all my co-workers began putting crazy, absurd names on their nametags, stuff like “Big Bird” and “Abraham Lincoln”. The managers were oblivious, all they saw is that we were wearing nametags. No one bothered to look at what they said. 

It was all great fun.

Until one day, a lady came through my line, saw my nametag and went deathly pale. She looked me in the eye and said in the kindest, gentlest, most alarmed voice you can imagine: “sweetie, you need to take that nametag off. There is a real God who is very powerful and He is very offended that you put His name on your nametag”. I don’t remember what I said to her, I do remember feeling shocked she would care about something I saw as just silly fun. 

I did not become a Christian that day.

 However, her gentle demeaner and concern for my soul had a huge impact on me. For the first time in my life I thought about God, and what He was all about, and what else I might have done to offend Him.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere I felt super ashamed about the nametag (although at the time I had no idea why). I took the nametag off after my shift and never put it back on (1st Timothy 1:13). 

All that to say.

I do not think it’s a good idea to let people blaspheme God without some kind of a reaction. Silence indicates an absence of disapproval. Most people (not all) who blaspheme God have no idea what they’re doing (Luke 23:34). Some really do hate God and are doing their level best to be offensive (Acts 7:51, Hebrews 10:29), most aren’t. The vast majority are just attempting to be witty, or trendy, or outrageous. Very few actually understand how dangerous their behavior is from a spiritual perspective (Leviticus 24:16).  They are fools (Psalm 14:1). It is our job to gently guide them to the truth about God (Jude 22-23). 

However. 

When we talk to people we can’t be rude or hateful. We must communicate with our words and tone that we care about the souls of the people we are talking to. 

Nor can we make it about us. 

Our disapproval cannot be about our feelings, our firmly held beliefs or our rights. It has to be entirely focused on our God (1st Samuel 2:2). We have to tell people there is a holy, kind, patient God who loves them beyond all reason (John 3:16-18, Psalm 68:4-6, John 5:24). We also have to tell people that His patience is not without limits. People need to know there will come a day when all people will be called into account for their words and deeds (Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12, Romans 2:15-16).  However, all this must be done in a spirit of gentleness and humility (Philippians 4:5, 1st Peter 3:15).

Attitudes that Indicate Serious Spiritual Problems-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister– 1st John 3:10 NASB

According to Merriam-Webster one definition of culture is:

The set of values, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic.

Christianity has a culture. 

The particulars of the cultural practices of Christianity vary somewhat from church to church. In some churches people dress more conservatively than in others. In many denominations raising hands in worship is considered a sign of piety. In others it’s thought to be peculiar. In some churches only certain Bible translations will do, in others all translations (even the kind of sketchy ones) have merit. 

Differences notwithstanding, 

The way Christians dress, relate to one another, conduct themselves in worship services and the even the words Christians use to describe shared spiritual experiences are all fairly universal. What we do and don’t do is deeply rooted in church culture. As a result, one does not have to be around the Church for very long to know what’s okay and not okay. 

This is not necessarily a bad thing. 

God has ordained standards and norms of behavior for His holy people (John 13:34, Romans 12:10-16, Romans 15:7, 1st Corinthians 1:10, 2nd Corinthians 13:11, Ephesians 5:21, Ephesians 5:3, 1st Corinthians 5:11, Hebrews 13:1-8). There is nothing wrong with a community of believers having standards and norms, as long as those standards and norms are biblical, God honoring and life-giving to the people involved. A wholesome, healthy Christian culture creates an environment where God is glorified and people feel welcomed and esteemed. When it’s done right culture is a beautiful thing. 

Unfortunately, the culture of Christianity is also easily mimicked. Spiritual fakery can happen without so much as a smidgen of heart change (2nd Corinthians 5:17) and without any self-awareness whatsoever. Sadly, a person can spend their whole lives copycatting the culture of Christianity without realizing that they don’t actually know Jesus (Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 25:31-46). Yikes. 

So, how do we know if our Christianity is the real deal or just a cultural copycat? 

Truth-be-told, it’s not always easy to tell who’s who and what’s what in Church world.  Many times, the mimickers have even fooled themselves. However, there are some clues we can look for in ourselves and others. Any of the following five things indicate there are some problems that need spiritual attention (more on that later). 

To the average mimicker…  

Sin is not problematic- 

A genuine Christian detests sin—especially when they see it in themselves. Anyone who is not horrified by their own sin is probably not the real deal (Romans 12:9, 1st John 1:4-6, 1st John 3:6). 

Double-mindedness is routine-

A double minded person lives with one foot in the world and one foot in the church (1st John 2:15-17). They behave like Christians when they are around mature Christians they want to impress or fool, but when they are with immature Christians or non-Christians, the performance ends, then they behave pretty much like any other heathen. Ultimately, double-minded people are inherently unstable spiritually and oftentimes emotionally as well (James 1:6-8). Unfortunately, double-minded people do immeasurable damage to the kingdom of God, immature Christians and the reputation of every serious believer in Jesus (Matthew 13:36-33). 

Repentance is for heathens-

Repentance is not a one and done.  Regrettably, some genuine Christians and all mimickers have bought into the lie that repentance is a one-time admission that one is a sinner with no further repentance required. Nothing could be further from the truth. The entire Christian life is meant to be a life of ongoing repentance. Repentance begins with a change of mind about what’s okay and not okay. Right thinking about sin leads to a renewed mind that leads to behavioral and attitudinal change (Isaiah 30:15, Acts 3:19, Matthew 3:8, Romans 12:1-2, 2nd Corinthians 7:9, 1st John 1:8-10). This does not mean Christians have to go back, remember and repent of every single sin they ever committed. It does mean a real Christian lives a life of self-examination and is quick to repent of any sin they see in their lives (2nd Corinthians 13:5). 

Zero inclination towards the spiritual- 

 Christians love God, the Bible, learning about God and the Bible and spending time with people who love learning about God and the Bible. Christians also want the advice, counsel and guidance of other believers, so much so, that they will go out of their way to avoid worldly advice or counsel (2nd Corinthians 6:14). A mimicker tends to avoid personal Bible study, does not enjoy spending time with mature, godly believers outside of church and has zero discernment when it comes to taking worldly advice. Anytime, a “Christian” lacks an appetite for the things of God it indicates a big problem.  

Here’s the thing:

Christians are not called to be busybody fruit inspectors. It’s not our business to decide who’s saved and who’s not. That’s God’s arena. 

That being said. 

Christians are advised to be careful about the company they keep. Paul cautioned the believers in Corinth to avoid those who claim to be Christians but do not live like it (1st Corinthians 5:1-13, 1st Corinthians 15:33). Jesus frequently warned His followers to avoid the Pharisees (the original mimickers) because their influence was spiritually deadly (Matthew 23:1-3, Matthew 16:5-6, Matthew 23:15). That said. It is absolutely critical we routinely assess our own lives and ask God to reveal signs of spiritual problems. Literally, anyone can take on the cultural behaviors of Christianity without experiencing real heart change. Our lives reveal heart change when we hate sin enough to turn away from it. When we live lives free of hypocrisy and love God, His word and His people. If those characteristics are present in our lives we know we will be spiritually productive on earth and warmly welcomed into God’s kingdom (Matthew 25:23, Luke 19:17)

Responding to Gay Pride Month with Grace and Truth-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

 Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will set our heart at ease before Him- 1st John 3:18-19 NASB

The month of June used to be known mostly for weddings, graduations and the start of summer vacation. However, somewhere in the not-so-distant past, June became known mostly for gay pride. There are three common Christian reactions to gay pride month:

Fight, flight or fawn. 

The fighters are easy to spot, mostly because they’re kind of loud and they don’t mind being spotted. The fighters wear straight pride t-shirts, have a “Boycott Disney” bumper sticker on their car and play Buddy Brown’s Everything is Gay in June on repeat until the 1st of July. The fighters love a good fight and will loudly debate the subject with anyone, anytime, anywhere.  

The flighters are a little tougher to spot, mostly because they will do anything short of sin to stay out of the fray. The flighters are a mixed bag. Some are natural born peacemakers; who simply despise fighting over anything.  There are also some former fighters amongst the flighters who learned the hard way fighting this particular battle in this particular cultural moment is almost as futile as pushing water uphill with a spoon. The average flighter’s goal is to keep their head down. They spend a lot of time praying that July comes quickly.

The fawners, for the most part have good intentions. Fawners are good-hearted people who love people and want every human being on earth to know they are deeply loved by Jesus (John 3:16). In an effort to make every sinner feel comfortable and loved, they tell all sinners (regardless of their spiritual state): “it’s all good”: God loves them just the way they are. Therefore, there is no need for repentance or change. The fawners are deeply caring and loving. They simply do not want anyone, gay or straight to feel bad about anything. 

I do get where everyone is coming from.  

There’s a fighter girl who lives inside me. She desperately wants to see the word of God defended. She doesn’t mind making people mad, sometimes she even kind of likes it (sigh). However, because I also understand the nature of this issue (Ephesians 6:12), I know change will never be achieved through clever arguments, a good fight or legal wrangling. This is one of those battles that can only be won through spiritual means (Mark 9:29, Ephesians 6:10-19).  I also get that keeping quiet feels like a noble approach. The less said the less opportunity for offense and no sane person wants to offend on purpose. However, no sinful problem or issue in the history of forever has ever just gone away on its own. God calls His people to engage the world not hide from it (Matthew 6:13-16, 2nd Corinthians 2:14).  I also understand and even empathize with the fawners. I, too want sinners to feel love and accepted.   However, cutting corners where truth is concerned is a form of spiritual malpractice that generates much bigger problems in the long-run (John 3:21, John 8:32, 1st Corinthians 13:6, Ephesians 4:15).

There is another way that glorifies God without spoiling for a fight, hiding from the issue or minimizing the consequences of willful sin at the expense of truth. It takes a commitment to the following three things;

Prayer-

I do not have a problem with Christians getting involved in politics.  Christians ought to be involved in all aspects of civil life. Redeeming every sphere of life and culture (including the political sphere) is our calling as Christians. That being said, nowhere in Scripture are Christians told to fight for legislation that reflects Christian values. Nor are Christians instructed to use the legal system to change hearts and minds. None of these things are wrong but they are not what we are instructed to do. We are commanded to pray (1st Kings 8:44-50, Colossians 4:2, Philippians 4:6, 1st Timothy 2:1-3). Over and over again in Scripture impossible situations and evil people are transformed because God’s people devoted themselves to beseeching God for a miracle (Daniel 2:14-17, Daniel 6:1-28, Esther 4:15-17, Acts 12:1-10, Acts 16:25-30). If I had the power to do so, I would declare June the national month of prayer and fasting. Alas, I do not possess that power. However, I do strongly encourage Christians to pray and fast throughout the month of June. Pray for those you know who are in the homosexual/trans lifestyle. Pray pastors everywhere will love and shepherd people well. Pray pastors and Bible teachers will preach the word of God with a compassionate and gracious boldness that draws all people to Jesus. Pray for a movement of revival to sweep our world. Revival will solve many of our most vexing problems. 

Engagement – 

Get to know someone in the homosexual or trans lifestyle as a person.  Find a Christian family affected by this issue. Knowing people who struggle with a particular issue breeds compassion, inspires prayer and gives us all opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus. 

And finally:

Christians must commit to standing firm on Biblical truth. We stay true to what the Bible says about homosexuality and every other issue God’s word addresses. However, is equally critical we stand on the biblical truth that anyone, regardless of their sin problem can be transformed by the grace of God (Romans 3:23-24, Romans 5;8). Christians must use every opportunity to proclaim the truth that no one is stuck in their sin, no matter the sin. Thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit anyone can live life free from the power of sin and death. 

The Power of Encouragement-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing-1st Thessalonians 5:11 NASB 

God loves encouraging words.  

 God considers encouragement to be so vitally important He straight-up commands Christians to encourage one another whenever and however they are able (Hebrews 3:13, 1st Thessalonians 4:18, 1st Thessalonians 5:10, 2nd Corinthians 13:11).  The simple and often undervalued act of encouragement has the power to: 

Remind us to live for Jesus and prepare spiritually for His return – 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11)

Embolden God’s people to fight battles against the worst kind of evil- Judges 2

Strengthen hearts in seasons of spiritual confusion- Acts 15

Deliver peace in the worst of storms- Acts 27

Boost spiritual endurance- Romans 15:5

Give hope in times of trouble and heartache- Romans 15:4

Promote unity in churches- 2nd Corinthians 13:11

Bring about a more complete understanding of our faith- Colossians 2:2 

Bring joy and refreshment to the weary- Philemon 1:7

Keep Christians from being trapped and hardened by sin- Hebrews 3:13 

No wonder God is a fan. 

Encouragement does far more than just cheer up those who are having a bad day.  Encouragement is actually an indispensable component of the Christian discipleship process (1st Thessalonians 5:14, Hebrews 3:13). Encouragement from the right person at the right time brings hope and clarity to the sometimes challenging and confusing life of faith.  Encouragement reminds the gloomy struggler God sees their situation. The right words of encouragement spoken at just the right moment can even lead a spiritual wanderer back to the narrow-path of faith. It is simply a fact that just right words of encouragement spoken at just the right moment have the power to literally change the trajectory of a person’s life. 

So. 

How do we encourage others in a manner that brings about all the above-mentioned benefits for the maximum number of people?

Genuine biblical encouragement is about more than simply saying nice things or even helping people. Biblical encouragers:

Do what Jesus did-

Jesus took the time to really see the people around Him (Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34, Luke 13:11-13, John 1:47-50, John 6:26, John 9:1). He made a practice of being fully present in every situation. This one little habit allowed Him to see people’s pain, struggles, the longings of their heart and their deepest unspoken needs.  Because Jesus paid attention to people human needs did not go unnoticed or unmet when He was present. When we make a regular practice of noticing people our observations give us insight into the needs of the people around us. Encouragement comes much more naturally and is much more likely to hit the mark when we are fully present and tuned into the people God placed around us. 

Are willing to couple words of encouragement with action-

Words of encouragement are the biggest of deals. A positive uplifting word of encouragement spoken at just the moment is sometimes better than finding a sack of cash (Proverbs 25:11). Even more powerful is a word of encouragement combined with a generous or kind act. Taking a tired Mom, a meal, picking up groceries for a shut-in or handing out a baggie of treats and/or a gift card to homeless person reminds those on the receiving end of our kindness that they are seen and cared for in spite of their circumstances (Matthew 5:14-16). 

Listen carefully and prayerfully before speaking into an obviously tough situation-

It’s easy to encourage someone experiencing a tough day in the midst of an otherwise easy season of life. That said, tough situations necessitate more than glib, superficial sentimentality or simple pat answers. So, unless, you are a prophet with flawless track record, it is not encouraging or helpful to promise someone God will do a particular thing in that person’s situation. Humans have freewill and no one but God knows what God is going to do (Joshua 24:15, Isaiah 55:8-9). Therefore, it’s just good policy to avoid making promises you cannot keep. Nor is it encouraging to remind someone whose life has just blown up with unspeakable tragedy that “all things work together for the good” (Romans 8:28). It’s true, over the course of time, God does work all things out for good. However, it is better to let the hurting person reach that state of spiritual awareness on their own rather than forcing it on them before they have an opportunity to grieve their loss (Romans 12:15). The most powerful way to encourage the deeply hurting is to sit with them and just listen without judgment or even a whole lot of commentary (Job 38:2).  Encouraging those who are truly broken and disheartened demands we take the time to know exactly what kind of a situation we are speaking into before we speak. 

Back in the day.

When I was a young Christian Mom just kind of bumbling my way through life. I met a smart, gifted older woman who routinely sent me little notes encouraging me to seek the Lord and use the spiritual gifts she saw in me. To this day, anytime I need a reminder of God’s goodness I look up the Bible verse she wrote at the bottom of every single note she ever sent me: 

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing- Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

I don’t know if she remembers those notes, but I do. Thirty-plus years later, the echoes of her encouraging words still remind of God’s goodness and grace in every circumstance. 

That’s why God loves it when His kids encourage one another. 

Making Life Count-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God- Hebrews 6:1 NASB 

Humans are made in the image of God and God wrote eternity on the human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11-13, Genesis 1:28). Consequently, all humans want make their life count by leaving some sort of legacy. This might mean leaving behind an organization so big and complex it alters the course of history. Or it might be as basic as being remembered as a decent human who treated others well.  

This universal ache is even more intense for those who follow of Jesus. 

Christians want to leave behind a legacy just like everyone else. However, those who truly know Jesus as Lord also want to leave behind a spiritual legacy that has lasting eternal value (1st Timothy 1:9). This might be as big and complex as a huge Christian ministry, or it might mean a simple legacy of good Christian works and/or raising kids who love, obey and worship Jesus. 

Christians are saved by faith in Jesus and what He did on the cross (Ephesians 2:8, Hebrews 10:38-39, Romans 1:17, Romans 3:22-26, Philippians 3:8-10).

However.

Christians were saved for the express purpose of doing good in this world (Romans 2:6-11, Ephesians 2:10, James 2:14-26, Matthew 5:15-16). Works are a key way we glorify God (Matthew5:13-16). The works we do also become a part of the legacy we leave behind in this world. We will be judged for the quality of the works we do. This view isn’t “works theology”, “anti-grace” or “legalism”. It’s scripture (Revelation 20:12-13, Matthew 3:10, 1st Corinthians 4:3-4, James 3:1, Hebrews 10:31-32). Good works would include (but are not limited to) preaching the word, leading the lost to Jesus, providing and caring for the less fortunate and loving the unlovable (Matthew 10:8, 2nd Timothy 4:2, Matthew 25:31-46, 1st Peter 4:8). 

 The Bible makes it clear the only legacies that have any real value are those that have eternal value. Therefore, it’s critical we avoid what the writer of Hebrews calls “dead works” (Hebrews 6:1, Hebrews 9:14). Paul describes in detail the end result of dead works:

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work.  If anyone’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire– 1st Corinthians 3:10-14 NASB

Yikes. 

Dead works are works people do in the name of Jesus’ that ultimately help no one and have no eternal value. Even a good work can be a dead work. Dead works are good things done for the wrong reasons or with the wrong motivations.  A dead work is:

A work we do to impress people rather than God-

A work we do with the wrong heart attitude- 

A work we do with ourselves at the center-

There’s a lot of easily discernable bad news in this situation. 

Pretty much everyone has been guilty of the sin of people pleasing (Matthew 6:1, Colossians 3:23). We want people to think well of us. As a result, sometimes we do good things hoping to gain the esteem and favor of our peers. Or maybe we do good works because we hope (secretly) our good work will bring us something beneficial in return rather than just doing it to honor, obey and glorify God.  I, for one have been guilty (on more than one occasion) of doing the right things with a smile on my face and a crummy attitude in my heart (1st Samuel 16:7). Furthermore, most (all) of us have been guilty of doing good works secretly hoping people will think we are awesome (Isaiah 2:22, Proverbs 29:25). 

We all fall short of the glory of God. 

Sigh.

Thankfully, what is impossible with man is possible with God. Mainly because He’s awesome and totally willing to work with us even in our fallen, messy, self- aggrandizing state. Because God is good, and good to us we can do good works that have eternal value. We can please God.  God is not a cruel taskmaster judging us for every wrong thing we do. God doesn’t want us to be stuck with a bunch of dead works without any eternal value. God really wants every single one of us to hear “well done my good and faithful servant. Come and share in your master’s happiness” when we see Jesus for the first time (Matthew 25:21)

But.

We must be willing to do our part. 

This means asking God to give us the right heart. It means examining our motives on a regular basis and confessing any self-aggrandizement or selfish-ambition we may be harboring (Philippians 2:3, Galatians 5:19-21).  Our part in the area of good works is to humbly ask God to help us do the right things with the right attitude, for the right reasons.  Then we just have to keep on keeping on until Jesus calls us home.

When we do those things God takes care of the rest and we can not help but bring Him glory (Philippians 2:13).

The Two Kinds of Church Trouble-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light-1st Corinthians 11:13-14 NIV

Every once in a while, I will bump up against a key difference between the first century and the twenty-first century and it will take me by surprise. Such was the case this past week as I was reading through Philippians. In Philippians 3:2 (NASB) the Apostle Paul gives this warning:

Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision- Philippians 3:2 NASB

Yikes.

Imagine, for just one moment the fallout that would occur if your pastor got up on a Sunday morning and referred to members of your congregation as “evil workers”, “dogs” and the “false circumcision”?  

He’d be out on his ear. For sure. 

 Paul doesn’t stop there. All of chapter three is a detailed explanation of how to go about identifying a “dog”, “evil worker” and the “false circumcision. 

I will not lie.

All this was more than a little unsettling to my twenty-first century sensibilities. We simply don’t talk about people in those terms (it’s not “nice”).  However, because all scripture is “God breathed” (1st Timothy 3:16-17). I was forced to move the past the temptation I felt to ignore a passage of Scripture that made me uncomfortable. So, I went back and reread the entire chapter and decided Paul’s declaration begs a couple of critical questions for every Christian no matter the century they live in.

Those questions include: 

Do these warnings still apply to the church today? 

What does a “dog” or “evil worker” look like?

And finally:

What exactly are we supposed to do with this passage of Scripture? 

Seriously.

 It’s probably safe to say Paul’s words were likely just as shocking to the original readers as they are to us. I suspect they were intended to shock because Paul understood a churches overall health is one-hundred-percent dependent on the spiritual state of the people in it (Matthew 7:16-18). A church filled primarily with spirit-filled, obedient followers of Jesus will be a church with an abundance of spiritual power. It will be a church that reaches the lost, leads baby Christians to maturity and impacts the culture around it in a positive, life-giving way. It is a church that will make a difference in the darkest of days. Conversely, a church filled with the kinds of people Paul is warning about will be a troubled, powerless church that will struggle to inspire transformation even in Christians. Such a church cannot help but have a net-negative impact on the community around it. 

Sigh. 

The world is every bit as dark today as was in the first century. People living in darkness still need the salvation and personal transformation only Jesus can bring. People need transformation every bit as much today as they did in Paul’s day (Ephesians 2:1-9, Acts 4:11-12, Romans 1:16-17). Therefore, Paul’s concern over how Christians live and treat others is every bit as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago. 

 According to Paul “dogs” “evil workers” and the “false circumcision” fall into two distinct categories. 

The first type is very proud of their own goodness. This group fails to understand Christians are only good because Jesus makes us good. Any “goodness” we possess is Jesus’s goodness working through us (Romans 3:22, Romans 4:23-25, Philippians 1:11, Philippians 3:9).  This type of “dog” or “evil worker” believes salvation is something to be earned—not received. This type of “Christian” encourages (sometimes even demands) other Christians follow rules not found in the Bible to be saved and accepted by God.  

Paul describes the other type of “dog” or “evil worker” in this way:

 They are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who have their minds on earthly things- Philippians 3:18b-19 NASB

These folks were unwilling to tell themselves “no” to any earthly pleasure. They did what they wanted with no thought to how their behavior affected other people or their own spiritual walk (1st Corinthians 8:9, Colossians 3). These Christians failed to understand we can only achieve maturity in Christ if we are willing to die to self (Matthew 10:38, Luke 9:23) and let go of the old way of doing things.  Death to self simply means we put Jesus first.  We do what He wants. His desires become our priority and we willingly let go of any behavior, attitude or desire that isn’t His will for our lives. Dying to self, sucks, because the death of anything is always difficult and painful, but in this case has beautiful results. Death to self is the first step in being transformed into the glorious image Jesus (2nd Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:1-2, 2nd Corinthians 3:18). 

Christians must be cautious about judging others (Matthew 7:1-3).  We must look at our own actions and attitudes first. It is imperative we make sure we are not the “dogs” “evil doers” or “false circumcision” before we go around judging anyone else’s actions. When we do see a need to judge or confront another’s behavior it must be done in a spirit of helping that person to become a better, healthier version of themselves so that the church, and all the people in it, can become what our world needs to see right now.