Category: Facts

Four Things Done and Taught in Churches that Harm Christians-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ- Colossians 1:28 NASB 

Fourteen-ish years ago when I began writing this blog, I wrote ad nauseum about problems I saw in Church world. Nearly every week I wrote about some church peeve or irritant I had with how church was being done. 

Then I did this thing I do sometimes. 

I got tired. It felt like I was expending a lot of energy yammering on endlessly about church problems. In more introspective moments, I wondered if I was perhaps overdoing some criticisms. I didn’t want to be one of those people who only complained and never really DID anything to solve problems or make the world a better place.  So, I intentionally pivoted. I began writing more posts focused on doctrine, Bible study and spiritual growth. My hope was that by focusing more on Christian living I would ultimately impact the church community and facilitate much-needed change.

Well. 

This last week it occurred to me as I was listening to some really one-sided teaching on a critical issue that the problems in church world have not gone anywhere. I felt a distinct nudge from the Holy Spirit to revisit some issues that are still impacting the church negatively. Following are four the Lord laid on my heart this week: 

Heretical teachings on grace- 

Grace is the most essential doctrine in all of Christianity. Grace is the foundation of everything we believe about Jesus, salvation, forgiveness and how we respond to those who have sinned against us (Ephesians 1:5-7, John 10:10, Matthew 18:21-35). Without grace there is no prospect of salvation, no forgiveness, no abundant life and no hope for anyone no matter how “good” they appear to be (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23-25, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2nd Peter 2:18). Period. However, anytime the doctrine of grace is taught without discussing the doctrine of sin it creates very real practical and theological problems. One of those problems includes an attitude Paul warned about in Romans (Romans 6:1-23). It’s the idea that it is okay (perhaps even good) for Christians to sin on purpose because it gives God an opportunity to forgive their sins (demonstrate grace). Therefore, (the logic goes) sin your face off because grace is just a big bucket of forgiveness one can dip into anytime they sin intentionally or unintentionally. This attitude is foolish and spiritually dangerous because it ignores the clear biblical call to repent and become increasingly more holy with every passing day (John 8:11, 1st Peter 1:15-16, 1st Peter 2:5, 1st John 5:1-4). This does not mean there is no room for failure, mistakes and human frailty in Christianity (Romans 3:23, 1st John 1:8-10). It just means Christians are deeply grieved by their own sin and never treat it lightly. 

Salvation without Repentance- 

When I first started writing this blog, I was deeply troubled by the fact that most American churches no longer gave a salvation message. This is an area of growth for the American church; more and more are giving a salvation message. This is very good. However, the whole notion of sin and repentance is sometimes being left out of the call to salvation (Isaiah 1:28, Isaiah 13:9, Matthew 9:13, Luke 13:1-3). People are not always being told that they need salvation because they are sinners who need to be forgiven. Instead, the message being preached in many churches is often a bit fuzzy, i.e. “you need Jesus because He will give you comfort and make you a better version of yourself”. Jesus will do those things but that is not the primary reason we need Jesus. We need Jesus to make us right and holy before a holy God (2nd Corinthians 5:17). 

Bible-lite  

 The Bible is the most beautifully balanced book in all of creation. It is abounding with stories, psalms and theology that reveal and remind us of God’s kindness, mercy, grace and goodness. If one needs a positive reminder of God’s love and goodness they will find it (Isaiah 43:25, Ezekial 36:26, Psalm 23, John 3:16, 1st Corinthians 6:11). However, the Bible also has a lot of passages that serve (metaphorically speaking) as a kick in the backside (Romans 1:18-31, 1st Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21). God designed His word this way on purpose knowing that we need both in equal measure. Without both we quickly lose sight of our on-going need for sanctification and growth (2nd Corinthians 7:1, 2nd Peter 1:3-11).  

Silence concerning the culture-  

The word toxic is overused to the point of absurdity in our world. Nonetheless, our culture is truly toxic. It is a lethal force that damages our souls without our knowledge or consent.   Unfortunately, many pastors and Bible teachers are reluctant to address cultural issues because they want to avoid “being political”. I get it. However, many “political” issues are first and foremost spiritual issues, and many Christians (especially young Christians) are ignorant of what the Bible has to say about a myriad of critical issues including (but not limited to) abortion, how a Christian should treat their parents, cancel culture, poverty and homosexuality. By avoiding “political” issues the church has short-circuited the discipleship of millions to the detriment of the church and the culture. 

Contrary to popular opinion, what a Christian believes matters. 

What we believe matters because our beliefs about doctrine, cultural issues, God’s character and truth all inform and affect our behavior and we will give an account for our behavior in this life (Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12, Hebrews 4:13).

Truths Christians must Embrace to Prevent More Moral Failure in the Church-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 Produce fruit consistent with repentance- Matthew 3:8 NASB

Last week another well-known evangelical pastor/author admitted to a major moral failure (long-term adultery). His confession was followed by the announcement he will retire from ministry. Regrettably, these sorts of disclosures have become routine among Christian leaders. The stories are basically all the same. The leader has an affair (or dozens). Eventually, his sinful antics come to light, and he quickly decides it’s a good time to come clean. A public confession and tearful apology are made. Sometimes the leader retires from ministry sometimes they double-down on what they see as their “calling”. 

Occasionally, there is a slight twist in these stories. In these cases, the well-known leader dies. Various women (sometimes men) come out of the woodwork. All tell similar stories that inevitably involve sexual immorality, creepy power dynamics and sometimes even forced sex. In these cases, the leaders’ friends/minions/elders do exactly what they did when their leader was alive. They cover up the sin and/or intimate that the accuser has a mental illness and/or an unhealthy need for attention.  Eventually, the overwhelming magnitude of evidence becomes so damning that the dead guy’s minions can no longer maintain the lie that the leader was a morally respectable individual. The truth is quietly acknowledged, and a very low-key admission of wrongdoing is released to a small number of news outlets.  

Sigh.

I have observed this phenomenon enough times to know that the average Joe and Jane Christian tend to excuse the behavior of bad Christian leaders. We say stupid stuff like: it could happen to any one of us (Genesis 4:7) and this is why we should be thankful for grace (Titus 2:10-12). Sometimes it’s: he who is without sin should just go-ahead and throw the first stone (John 8:10), and of course: everyone sins (Romans 6:6-14). Then there’s: all sin is exactly the same so no one can judge anyone else (1st Corinthians 6:9-11) and my personal favorite: but his teaching has done so much good for the church. 

(Insert face-palm here). 

Lack of biblical wisdom and super questionable applications of theology aside. The churches collective loss of horror over sin has caused the church to lose its moral authority in the culture. No one takes Christianity seriously anymore and this is the number one reason why. 

Sigh. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. The church can (and must) do better.  However, in order for that to happen the church must return to a more biblical position on sin and grace.  Sin is deathly serious (Galatians 6:7, 1stCorinthians 6:17-18, Romans 1:18-32, Romans 6:23) and grace is not a massive bucket of forgiveness we can dip into anytime we decide we want to sin (Titus 2:10-12, Psalm 84:11, Romans 6:1-7). If we want church to become healthy again, we must return to believing and teaching these four basic biblical truths:

Real accountability is a non-negotiable for serious Christians- 

It just is. However, we must also acknowledge that real accountability is a lot harder to achieve that it looks on the surface. This is because accountability requires a spirit of humility that allows other people to call us out when we sin. No one becomes accountable to another person without some sort of consent. Accountability without consent is just catching someone in the act. This means we all ought to pray for the wisdom to be humble, teachable and repentant (Proverbs 11:2, Matthew 18:4, James 4:10). It also means that humility, candor and uprightness ought to be the criteria we look for in our leaders rather than high levels of self-confidence or copious educational degrees.

No one gets a pass on willful sin-

Everyone (yes everyone) feels they ought to get a pass at some point. This is either because they have done a lot of good for the kingdom and they feel sin should be their “reward” for faithful service. Or sometimes people feel that because they have been through a lot God should give them a break and let them have a little “fun”. Sadly, it doesn’t work that way. No one gets to ignore the command to be holy (1st Peter 1:14-16) just because they have done a lot or been through a lot. Sin is the most dangerous thing on earth and God wants to protect us from it, not give us free pass to indulge in its toxicity. 

Incomplete theology has consequences-

The author/pastor who recently confessed to an eight-year-long adulterous affair wrote numerous books about grace. I read one of his books and frankly I found it quite troubling. Not because of what it said but because of what it didn’t say. The book wasn’t bad, just incomplete. He wrote page after page extolling the wonders of grace and forgiveness (which really are amazing). However, he said nothing said about the consequences of choosing to sin in a covenant relationship with God. Nor did he mention the many passages that state quite clearly that Christians who habitually practice certain sins will not inherit the kingdom of God (Matthew 7:21,1st Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:16-21, Ephesians 5:5). Any teaching that only tells half the story on either sin or grace is false teaching. Period. 

And finally, 

You are what you do- 

 The book of 1st John explores our relationship to sin. One of the primary points John makes is that we are what we do (1st John 3:7-8). If we sin habitually and willfully, we are sinners. However, if we make a habit of practicing righteousness, we are righteous. It is true, sin can happen to anyone, but it doesn’t have to. Every day we make moral and spiritual choices that determine whether or not we dive into sin. Christians must stop thinking that sin is something that overtakes us. If we are in Christ we have a choice.  

Making Spiritual Sense of Those who Once Professed Christ but no Longer Live for Him-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the [word, immediately he falls away- Matthew 13:20-21 NASB

From time-to-time, I have a conversation with the Lord that goes something like this:

Me: Good morning God!  What do you want me to write about this week?

God: I want you to write about ____________________.

Me: Uh… I’m sorry God, I hate to tell you this but no one wants to read that. It will make people mad. 

God: I know. Write it anyway. 

Me: Sigh. Okay. 

Such was the case this last week. I asked God for a topic. He gave me one. I argued with Him. He won. It’s His thing. 

So.

I work in an arena of ministry with many people who have relatives (usually adult kids, but not always) who are walking a very sinful path. Sometimes these adult kids are so steeped in sin they are walking several different sinful paths all at the same time (trust me it can be done). All these adult children know their behavior is wrong because they were raised to know right from wrong. The folks I work with are looking for some kind of spiritual hope for their loved one. More often than not, they find that hope in a commitment the adult child made to the Lord a long time ago, often in childhood or their early teens. Sometimes the child who is now walking in sin appeared to walk with God for a season. However, that ship has officially sailed. They are now living lives that completely oppose God and everything He’s all about.  Nonetheless, these parents cling to the belief that their child’s childhood commitment was the real deal and “proof” their child is a believer. 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news (truly I do). 

However, this line of thinking is not wise or biblical. It is personally comforting to believe a loved one is saved when they are living far from God. However, it is not in our best interest or theirs to hang all our hopes on a prayer a child (or an adult, for that matter) prayed at some point in the distant past, when there is zero fruit to indicate they have made the journey from spiritual death to spiritual life (Matthew 3:9-11, Matthew 7:16-20, Luke 6:43-44, John 15:4, Galatians 5:19-24). 

 Here’s why:

False hope keeps us from praying rational and compassionate prayers-

The most loving thing one human can do for another is pray for their salvation (Acts 2:21, Acts 4:12, 1stCorinthians 6:9-10, Titus 2:11-12).  Therefore, if a loved one does not live like a Christian the loving and logical thing is to assume they aren’t one and pray accordingly. If we get it wrong, the Lord will sort it out. 

There is very little space in the New Testament for Christians who don’t at least try and act like Christians-

There’s just not (Romans 6:1-23, Romans 7:4-6, Ephesians 2:1-10, 2nd Corinthians 5:17, 2nd Peter 1:3-11). It is normal for new Christians and even seasoned saints to stumble and even fall sometimes. No one this side of heaven is free of their sin nature. We should not assume that just because a Christian screws up (even in a really big way) they are unsaved. That being said, the Bible makes it clear: authentic believers in Jesus do not wallow around in sin for years and years with no apparent remorse or desire to change. Nor do they mock Jesus, Christianity or other Christians. True Christians do not write or speak about how freeing it is to depart the faith and live a life of unfettered sin. Jesus is clear: no fruit (or ONLY bad fruit) no salvation. That doesn’t mean anyone is doomed. As long as a person is breathing there is hope for redemption (John 3:16, Romans 5:7-9).  That said, we must be realistic about their spiritual state in order to help them. 

Children don’t always understand the commitment they made-

It is spiritually risky to assume a child or teenager understands or understood all the ins-and-outs of making a heartfelt commitment to Jesus when many saved adults struggle with the concepts of salvation and sanctification. We must understand that from a developmental standpoint the teen years are a period of life when people “try on” identities and decide who they want to be and how they want to live. If a teen or child “tries on” the identity of “Christian” or goes through the motions of living like a Christian for a season but never REALLY repents of their sin and follows through on a commitment to obey Jesus as the Lord of their life, the whole thing was (sadly) just another phase of childhood and nothing more. Consequently, it’s critical parents ensure children and teens who profess Christ are given a LOT of follow-up care and discipleship. It’s the best way to stack the odds in favor of a genuine commitment to Jesus (John 10:9). 

I am not arguing people “lose” their salvation. However, Jesus made it clear there will be people who make commitments to God who don’t really mean it or understand what that commitment entails. Those people inevitably “fall away” (Matthew 7:13-23, Matthew 25:31-46, Mark 16:16). If those folks die without truly knowing Christ as Lord, they will not make it heaven. We prove our love for these people by praying fervently they will understand their spiritual reality and seek God while He can be found (Isaiah 55:6, Hebrews 4:6-7, 2nd Peter 3:9, Matthew 24:13).  

Three Crazy-Town Beliefs that are Taking Root in the Church-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long- Psalm 25:5

Our world is awash with crazy-town beliefs and deceptive philosophies. I could give a million examples (okay, well maybe not a million, but a lot). 

Here’s one example: 

A majority of folks today (especially those under forty) literally think there is no such thing as absolute, fixed, immutable truth. These folks (most of them very nice people) are persuaded that every individual on earth has their own unique little “truth”. No one can dispute their truth even if their “truth” flies in the face of all sorts of hard evidence to the contrary or contradicts someone else’s “truth”. Thanks to this crazy-town worldview we are now at a place where a significant minority now “identifies” as something they clearly are not (an animal, a different gender, a different race, etc.). These folks are convinced their “truth” is the TRUTH. So much so, they demand the rest of the world enter into their delusion and celebrate their “truth”.  Normal folks can even get “cancelled” if they refuse to enter into these delusions. 

Sigh.

It’s easy to get really judgy regarding this stuff.   

However, it is critical we remember, that at this writing planet earth is very much under the control of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2, Job 1:7, 2nd Corinthians 4:4, Revelation 2:13). This generation is also (in my opinion) living in an age of powerful deception (Matthew 24:3-4, 2nd Thessalonians 2:11, Psalm 4:2).  Therefore, Christians are not exempt from getting caught up in deceptive philosophies or wrong thinking (Colossians 2:8). Some of those philosophies and deceptions are the same the ones our non-Christian friends and neighbors have fallen prey to, others are unique to Christianity.  There are at least three worldly and wildly dangerous beliefs that have infiltrated Christian thinking. These beliefs are taking the church captive and hamstringing the churches effectiveness. They are:

Your authentic self is your best self-

We live in a time and place where individualism is valued above all else. Everyone is encouraged to discover and celebrate their “authentic self”. This sounds great on the surface. It even sounds kind of Christian, after all, God made us all unique individuals, right? Well… sort of. It is true we are all unique creations made in God’s image (Psalm 139:14). It’s also true that it is a beautiful act of worship to discover our giftedness and use it for God’s glory and the good of the church (1st Corinthians 7:7, Hebrews 2:4, Ephesians 4:8-16). However, all humans are—at the core of who we are— fallen, sinful and super messy. This means that when we celebrate someone’s “authentic self” what we are really celebrating is their sin nature run amok.  Oftentimes, we are applauding the very things (chaos and sin) that keep people from finding genuine peace, spiritual transformation and moral virtue (2nd Corinthians 5:17, 2nd Corinthians 3:18). Our aim as believers should not be to become our “authentic” or “true” self or to applaud anyone else’s “authentic self”. Instead, our aim ought to be to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the process of sanctification (becoming like Jesus) and to help others to do the same (Matthew 28:18-20).  Romans 12, Colossians 3, 2nd Peter 1:3-11 give us the blueprint for the sanctification process. If we follow the instruction in those passages we will be successful Christians and our best self. 

Results matter more than character-

Unfortunately, it has become disturbingly common for churches and Christians to disregard the bad behavior of Christian leaders because “good things are happening in the organization/church” or “people are getting saved” (1st Timothy 5:24-25). This whole notion disregards Scripture that tells us that God is deeply concerned with more than results (Proverbs 16:2, James 4:2-4). Anything (even a good thing) done with a wrong heart or bad motives will have little to no eternal value (1st Corinthians 3:10-15, Hebrews 4:12-14). Furthermore, it’s simply a fact that when people “get saved” under a bad leader quite often they end up falling away from the faith when the leader’s behavior is revealed. All this to say, character matters. When character is sacrificed on an altar of “results” the results we get will ultimately be less than what could have been and displeasing to the Lord. Yikes. 

Prayer is irrelevant- 

God commands Christians to pray (Matthew 5:44 James 5:16, Philippians 4:6, 1st Thessalonians 5:17). However, there are a lot of Christians who believe God has already decided and/or already knows how everything is going to work out so there is no reason to pray. These folks literally believe God has commanded them to do something totally pointless that makes no sense. I believe prayer is critical because God speaks to people through situations and in a still small voice every time we ask Him to. Seriously. He does. Every. Single. Time. The more we ask the more He prompts people. Humans have freewill so sometimes they ignore God’s promptings. That’s on them. It’s on us to keep asking for the Fathers will (Matthew 18:1-6). 

What we believe matters. 

A lot. 

Wrong thinking always leads to wrong actions. Wrong actions inevitably yield terrible outcomes. Conversely, right thinking provides spiritual protection and ensures a better outcome. In our age of deception, it is imperative we hold every idea and belief up to the light of Scripture, even the ideas we hear in church or from Christian influencers. If the idea or belief lines up with Scripture we ought to live by it, if it doesn’t it needs to go. 

Seriously. 

Love or Knowledge-What Matters More?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge- Colossians 2:2-3 NLT

There has been a debate raging in the Church for two thousand years. It centers around the question: which is more important to the practice of Christianity: love or knowledge? 

Love is hands-down the popular favorite.  

Team love argues (quite persuasively, I might add) it is love, rather than knowledge at the heart of what Jesus taught were the two greatest commands (Matthew 22:37-40). Furthermore, team love contends, there are like, zero Bible verses instructing Christians to attain knowledge for the sake of knowledge. However, there are a surplus of verses commanding Christians to love others for the sake of love and to love even when it’s unsound and makes no sense whatsoever. (John 13:34-35, Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-35, Romans 13:8-10, 1st Peter 1:22, 1st Peter 4:8, 1st Corinthians 13). 

Team knowledge has a much tougher time of things, but, bless their sweet hearts, they do try. Team knowledge believes knowledge has a protective element to it. Therefore, knowledge protects Christians from embracing ideas and beliefs that lead even devoted believers away from right thinking and living (Galatians 5:7-10, 1st Corinthians 9:24, Proverbs 18:15, Hosea 4:6, 1st Timothy 2:4, Titus 1:1, Colossians 3:9-10, Psalm 119:66). 

The Apostle Paul would have sent everyone on both sides of this argument a firmly worded letter. In a message to the Philippian congregation Paul says this: 


This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight’ Philippians 1:9 NIV

The Apostle Paul understood some realities both teams tend to forget, namely that love and knowledge work in conjunction with one another. Love on its own often devolves into sloppy sentimentalism. Sloppy sentimentalism looks a lot like biblical love but the end of the day sloppy sentimentalism is really all about making people feel good about themselves no matter how messy, dysfunctional or in need of transformation they may be.  Love without knowledge feels good, but it lacks wisdom, it has no discernment, so it risks people missing heaven due to a lack of understanding about how to get there (Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 7:21-24). Conversely, knowledge without love is accurate, precise and truthful but it inevitably lacks empathy and kindness. Jesus’ issues with the Pharisees revolved almost entirely around their insistence on a hard adherence to biblical truth with zero grace, compassion or love (John 8:1-11, Matthew 12:1-14). Knowledge gives people the information necessary to get them to heaven but it lacks the compassion and kindness that leads people to fall in love with Jesus and repent of their sins (Romans 2:4).  The Apostle Paul wanted Jesus’ people to have knowledge of the following four areas:

Knowledge of Jesus-

Jesus is the author, perfecter and foundation of everything Christians believe about everything (Hebrews 12:2, John 1:1-5). Nonetheless, there is all sorts of weird teachings and beliefs floating around about Jesus. As a result, a lot of folks think they know a lot about Jesus and what He had to say about all kinds of issues and good many of those people are dead wrong. The only way to know what Jesus had to say about anything is to dig deep into the Scriptures and discover the biblical Jesus for ourselves. Knowledge of the biblical Jesus keep us from being swept away by false teachers that present Jesus as something He’s not (Matthew 24:4-5, Jude 1:4, 2nd Peter 2:1-3, 2ndTimothy 3:1-8). 

Knowledge of what to avoid-

The Bible tells us what to do.  The Bible also it gives us all kinds of valuable knowledge about what not to do. When a person knows the Bible, they know it’s spiritually dangerous to get overly involved with those who have proven themselves to have bad character (1st Corinthians 15:33, 1st Corinthians 5:11). They also understand the dangers of adopting worldly philosophies (Colossians 2:4), legalism (Colossians 2:16-19, Galatians 3), willful sin (Hebrews 6:4-6) sexual immorality (1st Thessalonians 4:1-3, 1st Corinthians 6:18), racism and sexism (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11), just to name a few. This kind of knowledge naturally leads to discernment and wisdom. Wisdom and discernment are the two most protective characteristics a person can have (Proverbs 4:5-6, Proverbs 19:8, Proverbs 15:14, Proverbs 17:24). 

Knowledge of what to do-

Christianity is not just about knowing doctrinal truth and being right (1st Corinthians 13:2), nor is it simply about what we shouldn’t do. Christianity is mostly about doing (Matthew 25:31-45, Romans 12:4-21).  Christians are called to preach the gospel, care for the less fortunate, mourn with those who mourn and just generally act as the hands and feet of Jesus in every situation they find themselves (Romans 7:4, 1st Corinthians 12:27). Knowing what we are to do and doing it keeps us from the pitfalls of legalism and the self-righteousness that can result from spiritual learning without an equal amount of spiritual action.  

Knowledge of the grace of God-  

The grace of God is the lynchpin of Christianity. Everything about the faith rests on this one issue. Unfortunately, teaching about grace has become one dimensional, focused entirely on forgiveness and the role it plays in salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is so much more to grace than forgiveness. God’s grace allows us to do things and endure hardship and difficulty normal humans simply cannot (2nd Corinthians 2:9, James 4:6-7). Grace teaches us how live lives of self-control and godliness (Titus 2:11-13). Grace also empowers us to do the works of righteousness we were saved to do (Ephesians 2:10). Truly understanding the grace of God is gamechanger for Christians. 

When our love for Jesus and each other overflows with knowledge of God and His word we are truly unstoppable from a spiritual perspective. 

What does it Mean to Walk in Truth?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it- 3rd John 1:3 NIV

There has been a debate raging in Christianity for over five-hundred-years. 

The debate is all about what Christianity is all about. 

There are those who argue passionately that Christianity is all about BEING rather than DOING Galatians 2:17-21, Ephesians 2:8-9, Acts 16:31, John 10:28). The be-ers believe Christianity is more about identity than action or activity. They argue that once a person is in Christ (saved by grace through faith) that’s it, they’re done. There’s nothing left to do. This group believes attempts at “doing” are a waste of time and may even create an unhealthy pride in our “Christian achievements”.

Conversely: 

Modern-day doers also all agree Christians are saved by faith. To my knowledge there are no mainstream Christians openly promoting an “earn your own salvation” theology. 

That said.

 The doers feel sanctification (becoming holy) is more of a process than an event. Therefore, they believe Christians should do things that mold us into the image of Jesus. The doers believe if a person doesn’t want to “do Christian things” then their salvation probably isn’t the real deal (Philippians 2:12, Hebrews 6:1-11, 2nd Peter 1:5-9, Colossians 3).  The doers believe faith without works is a form of fire insurance which may or may not be operative when it’s time to cash in the policy (Matthew 7:22-23, James 2:14-19)

This is one of those rare situations where everyone is SORT OF right. We are saved by faith. No one earns their way to heaven. Jesus did the work for us. Any attempts on our part to earn our salvation are an offense to God because when we insist on earning our own way we are, in effect, rejecting God, His verdict that we can’t do it without Him and His generous offer of a free gift of salvation all at the same time (Isaiah 64:6, Ephesians 2:1-9)

Yikes. Not good.

  In that sense salvation is a one and done. However, Christianity is, at its core, a long process of transformation and growth that prepares us for whatever it is God has planned for us in eternity (Ephesians 2:10, John 8:12, Romans 12:2, 2nd Corinthians 3:18). Spiritual growth and transformation will not happen without some effort on our part (Ephesians 4:20-32, Colossians 3, 2nd Peter 1:5-10, 2nd Peter 3:14).  

This means there really are things God wants us to do. 

These things are “the what’s of the faith”. The “what’s” aren’t about getting saved— they’re about becoming like Jesus, so that we can glorify Jesus, represent God well, be a preserving influence in the culture and bring others to faith in Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) 

One of those “what’s” that is often dismissed as irrelevant in our Christian culture is the what of walking in truth (Psalm 15:2, 1st John 1:5-7, 2nd John 1:1-4, 3rd John 1:2-4). 

Walking in truth is critical because God is not only the ultimate decider of truth, He IS truth (Psalm 25:5, Jeremiah 7:28, John 4:24, Romans 2:2). When God’s people don’t walk in truth there is no clear witness of truth in our fallen world. The lack of witness causes Gods presence to be hidden from the world. This makes it difficult for people to find God (Luke 18:27).  It also causes believers and unbelievers to be taken captive by all sorts of strange notions regarding gender, what makes people happy, sexuality, parenting and even the nature of reality (Colossians 2:8). 

It’s kind of where we’re living right now. 

The most basic facet of walking in truth is integrity and honesty (Exodus 20:16). That said, integrity encompasses more than “not lying”. There are at least a million ways to be deceitful, dishonest and/or hypocritical and God hates them all. We can tell out-in-out lies, withhold critical information, make-up stories to feel important and spruce-up a true story to the point it no longer accurately represents reality.

Sigh.

 Being honest and truthful is good (Leviticus 19:11, Colossians 3:9). That being said, not lying really just the entry-level version of walking in truth that even the average heathen aspires to.

Fully walking in truth is impossible if we don’t know what’s actually true. 

Walking in truth means being firmly rooted in biblical truth. Because God IS truth His word is where we go to get the lowdown on how to live, love and operate successfully in this world (Psalm 119:1-176).  Unfortunately, few Christians actually hold a biblical world view. According to some super depressing research done by Barna Research and Summit Ministries only seventeen percent of American Christians and thirty-seven percent of American Pastors hold to a biblical world view (Hosea 4:6). 

Sigh.

This sad reality means we can’t get all our information about what the Bible says from anyone, even pastors. Christians must read the Bible for themselves (Acts 17:11). We must research the Bible and think about the Bible and pray the Holy Spirit will enlighten our minds and help us to further understand the Bible. We need to get into groups with other believers and open our Bible’s and find out what other Christians think about the Bible.  Then we must apply the truths of the Bible to our lives. 

When we do these things we walk in truth and the truth sets us free from our sinful selves to live righteously and we are protected from Satan’s schemes (Ephesians 4:27, Ephesians 6:11, 1st Peter 5:8). When we walk in truth we are empowered to live out what’s real and true in world where truth has lost its voice (Isaiah 59:4, Isaiah 59:14)

What is the Helmut of Salvation and why is it Critical to our Success as Christians?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things- Philippians 4:8 ESV

I am convinced all Christians should make a regular practice of “praying on” the armor of God found in Ephesians 6:10-18.  

However.   

 We have to understand: the armor of God is not some magical incantation or spell we say that shields us from Satan or his schemes. Nor, is it meant to be a rote prayer we pray in hopes of keeping the devil at bay. 

Words in and of themselves do nothing to defeat the dark forces at work in this world (Ephesians 6:10-12).  The “spiritual warfare” passage only contains power if we understand what it’s instructing us to do and then do those things as a part of our regular spiritual routine. We need to pray on the armor of God daily because it is a powerful reminder of how God wants us to live. Praying the armor on tells God we are serious about doing what He wants us to.

Here’s an example: 

Let’s say, I made a regular practice of asking God to put the shield of faith in my hand (Ephesians 6:16)). However, rather than doing the things I know will grow and cultivate my faith, I passively do nothing, or worse—I actively avoid doing things that will help me to grow in my faith.  In that case, asking God to put the shield of faith in my hand is a pointless exercise, a waste of my time and God’s.  Words without obedient action have zero power (Luke 6:46-48, 1st Thessalonians 1:5, 1st John 3:18). 

Seriously.

In order for the armor of God to work we have to understand what each piece is, what it does and what we have to do to possess it. Then we have to actually do the things that make us spiritually strong and give us protection from the schemes of the enemy (Ephesian 6:10-12, 1st Peter 5:8). 

This reality is perhaps truest of the helmet of salvation.  Ephesians 6:17 tells Christians to take hold of or to put on “the helmet of salvation”. Christians NEED the helmet of salvation because our world is literally plagued with disinformation and deception that can render us unable to think biblically (Colossians 2:4, Galatians 1:7-9).

When our minds our protected from the lies of the enemy we are empowered to think like God thinks. We know what’s real and true in a world of disinformation, propaganda and deception (Isaiah 5:20). The helmet of salvation gives us discernment (Malachi 3:18, Proverbs 10:13). Discernment keeps us from being sucked into all the insane worldly philosophies that have literally taken our world captive in the last decade (Colossians 2:8). Philosophies like sexual hedonism, run-of-the-mill hedonism, radical gender ideology, the death movement, Marxism and progressive Christianity. 

When we have the helmet of salvation we see through all the corrupt and faulty ideas our world’s system is built on (Psalm 119:125, 1st Corinthians 3:19-20, 2nd Corinthians 1:12).  Many of the philosophies popular today SOUND good, sensible and compassionate, some appear on the surface to be life-giving and beneficial.  Nonetheless, because these beliefs and values are a byproduct of a fallen world they will inevitably lead a person to hell, literally and figuratively (Romans 1:18-32). 

Sigh. 

When we have the helmet of salvation in place we think biblically, we reason through the issues and problems of life from God’s perspective rather than with worldly wisdom (1st Corinthians 3:18). We have the mind of Christ (1st Corinthians 2:16). The helmet of salvation provides us with the spiritual eyes to see through lies of the culture. When we see the world clearly, we automatically have the power to walk in holiness. The helmet of salvation empowers us to think clearly about God, life and eternity. Then we are able to effectively share those beliefs with the unsaved people God places in our path (1st Peter 1:16-17). 

Here’s the thing though: 

Sadly, few Christians today posses the helmet of salvation and therefore most do not think biblically or see life, people and situations the way God sees life, people and situations.  Christian cannot put on the helmet of salvation unless they make some intentional choices about how they live their lives and what they allow into their minds. This is because the helmet of salvation is a result of wise and righteous living. We get it when we ask God to give us discernment about the things we hear, see and are exposed to. We reap the power of the helmet of salvation when we sow the spiritual in our lives (Bible reading, prayer, obedience) and shun worldly, carnal activities and entertainment. 

We take hold of the helmet of salvation when we choose to believe what the word of God says rather than what our hearts tell us or the world says (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Alas:

We live in a time and a place where we are constantly bombarded with choices and ideas that make it very difficult to think biblically. Possessing the helmet of salvation is as much about what we choose not to do as it is about what we do. The shows we watch, the music we listen to, the books we read, the popular media we consume all impact how we think and what we believe to be true. 

If we wish to possess this particular piece of armor we must make hard choices about what we allow into our hearts and minds. 

When we choose wisely God puts helmet of salvation in place. Our ethics and values are shaped by the word of God and the Kingdom of God.  God’s will is done in us and we are empowered to live out the gospel in such a way God is glorified in us and the Kingdom is furthered through us (Matthew 5:14, Matthew 6:10-11) 

There is no greater reward than that.

What can the Average Christian do to make a Difference right now?

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest– Matthew 25:25-27 NIV

I used to love all things political. 

Seriously. I did. I was a junkie. I looked forward to the presidential elections the way my husband looks forward to hunting season and the way my brothers look forward to the super bowl. Even midterm and local elections were thrilling to me. The love of all things political was a big part of who I was. 

That ship has officially sailed. 

I no longer love politics.  Honestly, the whole ugly muddle kind of horrifies me at this point.  My love for the political began to wane sometime around the 2014 midterm election. The choices in candidates got sadder, the issues became more polarized and the people on both sides became much more hateful and much less tolerant towards “the other side” of the political divide. 

Sigh. 

The choices in candidates have not gotten any less sad. The issues have not become any less polarizing and unfortunately, a lot of the people on both sides of the political divide are still pretty hateful, especially when it comes to any issue they happen to hold dear.  The whole thing is kind of gross to me now and I don’t always know what to do with that feeling.

However.

There are a couple of things I do know. 

I know the world isn’t getting any less ugly or dark. It’s just not. The picture the Apostle Paul paints for us of the end times in 2nd Timothy 3:1-5 is becoming more and more of an actuality with every passing day. Good is now officially evil and evil is officially good in every corner of Western culture (Isaiah 5:20). The writer of Ecclesiastes declared three thousand years ago that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). But with all due respect, from where I sit, folks are literally inventing new ways to sin (Romans 1:30). 

If for whatever reason you disagree with my assessment of the cultural moment we find ourselves in. I suggest you spend some time on Tik Tok looking at “gender affirming videos”. It’s an eye-opener.  For sure.

Sigh. 

We are all weary. We are weary of the world we live in. We are weary of the sin we see gaining ground in the culture. We are weary of evil winning and good losing. We are weary of caring about what goes on in this world because there is just so much to care about and most of the problems appear to be insurmountable and unsolvable. We are weary of politics. We are weary of the infighting. We are weary of the posturing. We are weary of the lies. 

For some of us that weariness has translated into believing our vote doesn’t matter anymore. Some of us have bought into the lie that God doesn’t care about how we vote or even if we vote at all. We have decided the prudent thing to do is to settle into our churches, hunker down and wait for the return of Jesus and I get it. 

However.

I also know all of life is a stewardship. Nothing we “own” is really ours to do with as we please. We belong to the Lord and so do our blessings and opportunities.  God expects His people to use what they have been given for His glory and the good of others (Matthew 25:14-30). Our homes, our children, our civil rights, our time, our churches, our bank accounts and our votes all belong to God. None of that stuff, or any other stuff we might think we own is really ours. It all belongs to God. Everything we have in this world is on loan for a season we call “this life”. 

I know we will all be held accountable for what we do with what we have been given. How we handle; our possessions, witnessing opportunities, our authority, our blessings, our money, our citizenship, our families and our votes are all things we will either be rewarded for or have to give account for when we stand before the Lord on judgment day (Romans 12:14, 1st Peter 4:5, Revelation 20:11-15).

November 8th is the 2022 midterm elections. The battle over good and evil is raging in ways it has never raged before.  That makes this election a big deal. The issues are monumental. There are really are some things we can do to swing things in a better direction. 

We can pray. We can storm heaven with pleas for a return of justice, righteousness and virtue. We can beg for revival. We can ask God to show us what we need to do in our own lives to bring revival. We can do what God tells us to do. 

We can vote.

It’s not too late to register in most states. If you are not registered to vote, get registered. Today. Educate yourself on the issues and candidates. Don’t expect perfection from a candidate. Choose the best of a bad lot if you have to, but choose. Not choosing to vote is a vote for the encroaching darkness. 

Are People Dumber than they used to be?

Lisa M. Price3 Comments


“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”- Luke 11:52 

I have had a number of curious interactions recently. The finer points of each interaction vary but it all began when I made a common-sense statement that would have been considered irrefutably logical just a few years ago. These statements have included but are not limited to such things as:

Minors are simply too young to make the life-changing decision to transition to another gender-

Men who dress like women are still men-

It’s questionable whether or not that proposed law would even pass constitutional muster. 

In each case the second the words came out of my mouth the smug little wisenheimer I was speaking with demanded in a very chippy manner I produce my early childhood education degree, medical degree, or law degree or whatever stupid degree they deemed necessary to continue the conversation.  In each case I pointed out, as politely as I was able—that no one really needs a degree in a particular field—or any field for that matter to know whether or not what I said is true. My statement clearly fell under the heading of common sense, common knowledge and empirical wisdom. Nine times out of ten at this point in the conversation the smug little wisenheimer rolled their beady little eyes and told me to come back when I’m qualified to give an opinion.

I’m convinced we are witnessing the death of both wisdom and intelligent thought.

These types of exchanges literally make me insane. Literally. I’m not kidding. I may need to be medicated, because, if one were to take this lunacy to its logical end-game in order to make a statement such as: “I had a dog with the exact same symptoms and it turned out to be mange” one would need to be a veterinarian. Or if you were to say: “children ought to eat something besides candy three meals a day” one would have to be a nutritionist or have a degree in early childhood development.

I have nothing against knowledge, education or experts.

I am all for knowledge.

Experts are awesome and at times necessary. Furthermore, I am convinced wise people freely admit when they are dealing with a situation above their pay-grade or outside of their area of expertise. Intelligent people consult multiple counselors before forming an opinion or making a decision (Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 15:22, Proverbs 24:6). 

However, 

There are a lot of potential problems with choosing to only take advice from an expert. For one thing, who exactly gets to decide who the expert is?  Do we all get to pick our own expert?  Or are the people in power the people who decide who the experts are? Is it you? Or is it the people in the media? Or your Mother? Or my Nana?

It would be easy to settle on education as the qualifier for title of expert.

However, education alone cannot be the only deciding factor in what constitutes an expert, there are lots of folks who have similar or even identical educational experiences who have differing opinions on nearly every subject.  Who is or is not an expert in a particular field can and often is politicized in our increasingly political culture. It’s just a fact that one political administration may have an entirely different take on what makes a person an expert than the one before or after it. 

Furthermore.

Experts are most useful when they are totally unbiased or operating completely without an agenda of any kind.  This is rare because experts aren’t robots or computer programs.  Experts are just people who spent a lot of time in school being taught by other people. Unfortunately, people—even people with a great deal of education can be corrupted by money, media attention and/or the promise of power and/or influence.  Experts can be bought (Jeremiah 9:5, Romans 16:18). It happens all the time.  Because “experts” are human they are also prone to having biases that may or may not be grounded in facts. Experts can have experiences in life that can turn them in a particular direction. Experts can be also swayed by peer pressure.  

Moreover.

Experts are sometimes just plain wrong. It was experts in the early 20th century that claimed certain races were genetically inferior to other races.  This belief led to all sorts of human suffering that culminated in the holocaust. It was experts that assured us margarine was healthier than butter. It was theology experts in the middle ages who claimed common people were too stupid to understand the Bible for themselves. It was medical experts in the 1940’s who said baby formula was superior to human breast milk.

All “expert opinions” proven WRONG.

By far, the biggest problem with placing all our trust in “experts” is doing so demands we stop thinking for ourselves. Sadly, not thinking has become endemic in our society. Many have simply shut off their brains and let the experts decide what’s best. It’s not working out real well for anyone. Our society is falling apart at the seams despite all the “experts” we have advising us. 

 We have forgotten the hard truth that each one of us is ultimately responsible before God for the choices we make (Ephesians 5:6, Colossians 2:4). No one gets to blame an “expert” for the consequences of a poor choice on judgment day. God blessed us with brains and He expects them to be used. We have to wake up and recognize the fact that anytime we stop thinking for ourselves we become a sitting duck for those looking to deceive.  Instead of placing our trust in the experts we ought to go back to the age-old practice of seeking out a multitude of opinions, analyzing the data, praying like crazy for wisdom before deciding for ourselves what God wants us to do.  

Fears Over Covid-19 will Destroy us if we don’t Change Course now-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment


For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind- 2nd Timothy 1:7 NKJV

On March 11th 2020 I had one of the strangest experiences of my life.

 It was a grey, dreary day in Eastern Washington and the whole world was shutting down over the COVID-19 virus. I had just spoke with my husband whose boss had informed him he would be working from home indefinitely. Our daughters’ school had called to tell me the school would be closing at the end of the week for the foreseeable future. 

I was scared. 

I was scared my family and friends might die from COVID-19. I was scared of getting COVID-19.  One of my daughters worked in a hospital at the time and I was terrified for her. The world knew almost nothing about COVID-19 at that point, so, my worries were not entirely out of bounds. However, I was worried about more than just the virus itself.  I was alarmed at the pace leaders on all levels were making decisions. Even in places with zero confirmed cases everything was shutting down with no metrics in place to open back up. I had no idea what we should do but I had enough life experience to know good decisions are seldom made on the fly. Leaders everywhere were making decisions very much on the fly. So, I did what I do when I’m scared. 

I prayed. Like crazy. 

That’s when things got decidedly weird.

I am not a nut-job. I am not prone to flights of fancy and I do not routinely get messages from God, but that day I did.  It was the weirdest thing ever, in a matter of seconds, I knew a couple of things for absolute certain. I knew the world was under judgment. I also knew it would be a judgment of fear. God downloaded into my brain all at once that COVID-19 was no trivial thing. But I also knew the worlds reaction to and fear of COVID-19 would cause more problems and more pain than the disease itself. I immediately knew that the worlds reaction would be a lot like the Midianites in Judges seven. They turned on each other in fear and were ultimately defeated by their own reaction to what was in reality a much smaller threat than they thought. 

They were destroyed by their own panic.

I immediately told my husband all this. I also told a close friend. I didn’t tell anyone else at the time because, well, I don’t like people thinking I’m a nutjob. I was also hesitant to say God told me something that might turn out to be nothing more than my own fevered imagination searching frantically for a spiritual explanation for what I was seeing taking place in the natural world. Furthermore, I know enough of the Bible to know that God has very little patience for false-prophets who claim to speak for God without certainty (Deuteronomy 18:20, Jeremiah 14:14, Matthew 7:19-23). 

It turned out to be totally true.  

 COVID policies have been defined by fear since day one and the terror has reached a dangerous fever pitch. Don’t get me wrong. COVID-19 is a real. Just over four million people have died from COVID-19 worldwide.  I had COVID. It was awful.  My perfectly healthy son was hospitalized with it. I know from personal experience that COVID is real and really serious. Anyone who argues to the contrary, is an ignorant moron. 

That being said.  

The overall recovery rate from COVID worldwide is between 97-99.5% depending on the age of the infected.  Nonetheless, Australia has basically suspended all civil rights and has for all intents and purposes reverted back to being a penal colony. People are literally going to jail for leaving their homes. Church attendance is still prohibited in many nations. Lockdowns have become an accepted part of life. In the United States fear of the unvaccinated has reached a level of hysteria that is teetering on dangerous. 

Why?

 Are so many of the vaccinated willing and even apparently enthusiastic to strip the unvaccinated of their jobs, healthcare benefits, and social acceptability? In some places the unvaccinated are restricted from eating in restaurants or going to a mall, even with a negative COVID test or proof they’ve had the virus. There are a growing number of doctors who refuse to treat the unvaccinated for any illness even illnesses unrelated to COVID.

 How will taking away someone’s health insurance or refusing them medical care make the world any healthier? Seriously. Someone help me understand. Because I don’t. This is virtue signaling without any actual virtue involved. If this were any other subject everyone would agree this is unhinged. The only reasonable explanation I can find for the unfettered nuttiness is fear. 

Everything God downloaded into my brain on March 11th 2020 has come to pass.

 We have been told repeatedly vaccines work. Vaccines prevent outbreaks. Vaccines prevent serious illness. And yet, many who are fully vaccinated are treating the unvaccinated as a dangerous threat to their vaccinated selves.  There is even talk of putting the unvaccinated in camps. 

We are destroying ourselves over fear. 

It has to stop and Christians must lead the way. 

Freedom from fear always begins with a commitment to fervent and frequent prayer. Every Christian must pray daily against the satanic spirit of fear that has taken root in the hearts of so many. We have to refuse to become slaves to fear or worldly thinking regarding this illness. We have to be brave enough to tell people it makes no sense to call the unvaccinated a threat.  We must insist our leaders find common sense solutions to the COVID problem. Finally, we have to love our neighbor regardless of vaccination status.