User or Abuser?

Dictionary.com references "Freedom of Speech" as "any filtration. Now, everyone thinks that they should add their two cents' worth just for the sake of the "right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion, etc."

This right is a blessing and also a right that has been perverted so that it has become a en excuse to say anything that passes through one's mind without further thought. I mean, since you can, why not, right?

Wrong. Not every thought that passes through our heads is necessarily good "fodder" and we should definitely still consider the consequences of our words. Unfortunately, the right doesn't come with a disclaimer that warns us that what we say will have a lasting and potentially harmful effect. We have become cavalier with our words in general.

Have a look at what King David says in Psalm 12:2-4
² Everyone lies to his neighbor;
their flattering lips speak with deception.

³ May the LORD cut off all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue

⁴ that says, "We will triumph with our tongues;
we own our lips —who is our master?"

What could possibly cause us to do such things as lie to our neighbors? Let's take a look at what Jesus said in Luke 6:45: "For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

Clearly we are dealing with a heart issue here. We live in a time where so many say, "follow your heart" but this is what God says about our hearts: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).

Perhaps following our hearts is not always the best option. Paul encourages us in Philippians 4:8 to think about "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable" and also to think about anything excellent or praiseworthy.

Don't just blindly follow and speak whatever comes through your mind. Think about some excellent things and let your words count!

Here & Now vs. Then & There

Don't you just love how King David says in Psalm 10:5 about the wicked, "His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies."?

Nobody should say, "crime doesn't pay", because clearly it does. It's not that evil ruins your life but it does cripple your afterlife. We need to get our facts straight if we are going to minister effectively to this generation. It does pay to be bad. People can have great lives materialistically speaking and never have the "void".

It is a moral issue at stake. This is not about now but about the afterlife when you can't take your wealth and connections with you. We must stop trying to win people over with clever tricks about trying to make their lives better and find a way to make the afterlife relevant to them. It must become real and inevitable. Not a matter of belief but a truth. I think we are harvesting with blunt hoes at the moment. Let's sharpen them with the Word of God and the Spirit of Truth.

Will the real ekklesia please stand up?

Psalm 9 is pretty awesome. It deals mainly with divine retribution - the pros of serving God versus the cons of not serving Him.

Yet, this kind of Psalm makes me a little nervous. We so easily call for God's judgment to fall and for Him to right the wrongs without considering the fact that He never does a half job. Surely, we should question ourselves on this holiness measure. Am I truly who I profess to be? Otherwise, I will find myself on the other side of that prayer as one of the instigators - soon to be smote.

I think we should be careful with these kinds of prayers because when God does something He does it right and all the way. There is no going back after He has done something - just look at Sodom and Gomorrah!

See, I believe Jesus left us here as His ekklesia. This term doesn't mean church as we have erroneously believed for so long, but refers to a "City Council" first used in Athens in Ancient Greece. It referred to a council made up by the male citizens over the age of eighteen that had almost unlimited power and was the forerunner of a democracy. It wielded its power by the nomination, voting and electing magistrates; directing legislation, formulating strategies and electing officials for war thus directing the war and peace of the city. Once the Roman Empire rose and succeeded the Greeks they adopted this term into Latin.

Once the Romans lay siege to a town or a city they would set up these kinds of councils to rule in their absence with the laws they as the Romans imposed. There was to be feedback to the Romans as well.

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says to Peter and the rest of the disciples, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The original word for church there is actually from the Greek meaning ekklesia. When Jesus used this term with the disciples I believe He shocked the them by likening them to this oppressive structure that was in place by there captors.

It is beautiful, actually, because when you think about it we as the Body of Christ, have been given the authority to act on Jesus' behalf - to rule in His absence using His laws (the Word of God). He gave us His name to use which can be likened to having the king's signet ring (read the book of Esther). By having the king's signet ring you could make or break any law or decree because it is as though the king himself signed it. For all intents and purposes, the king really did sign it himself. Once it is "signed" who would know whether the ring was on the king's finger at the time or on some other?

So, by having the ring or name of Jesus we have the authority to do what He did and to act as Him in this earth. I don't think we grasp the magnitude of this principle.

Before we go and beg God to set things right we must first accomplish the task we were left here to do: seek and save all that is lost. We must go to the wicked and do what it takes to spare them from eternal damnation. I'm emphasizing "eternal" because I truly want us to understand that these people still have a chance to change before God's appointed time.

We are their second chance. We have the "get out of jail free" cards to hand out. We are the ekklesia for crying out loud! If we don't help these people to turn around (repent) they will be lost forever (eternal). There is no going back from that.

We can't just be selfish and start hitting the "S.O.S." button because the world is so bad and we can't stand to be tainted by it any longer. It's like sleeping in a cardboard box on the side of the road when you have a house to live in.

The keys are already in our hands. Jesus said that what we declare loosed on earth will be loosed in Heaven and what we bind on earth will be bound in Heaven. That's power you can't buy. Many have tried, but it is not for monetary exchange. The price is faith - faith in Jesus as the Son of God and God Himself.

The fate of Creation itself is in our hands. We must restore things to righteousness using our power and authority before God comes in and wipes out all unrighteousness. If we squander what Jesus gave to us and didn't obey His order to seek and save all that is lost, and to preach the gospel to everyone and everything, will we still be considered righteous? Just some food for thought.

Care to spare some change?

So many times I wonder how much of what was written in the Holy Scriptures has been lost in translation. How many inferences do we miss simply because we are not familiar with the traditions and culture of God's chosen nation? Our society and lifestyle is so different today that I fear we fail to grasp even the most basic of inferences and parallels. The real question is: how much does this handicap our faith and our walk with God?

Then again, I'm from South Africa where I speak two languages. Each language is unique to our country as we have added and changed many words according to cultural influences. Even the way we speak English sounds different to the rest of the world.

I currently live in a country where they speak only one of the languages I speak (English) and have a different culture altogether. So, I have had to cut out a lot of what was part of my make-up in South Africa in order to include those around me in my conversation.

Now, if I can make this basic adaptation, wouldn't god be able to communicate awesome things to us in out own language? Not that we should attempt to learn the Jewish customs and traditions because it will only serve to bring us even closer to God.

But the bottom line is that we mustn't assume that God will cut us off because we don't have the advantage. Instead, we should embrace the fact that He is mindful of us (Psalm 8:4). He loves us with a sacrificial love which I believe trumps all others.

If you aren't willing to die for someone you don't truly love them with Christ's love. I think about this fact quite often. I'd like to believe that I would and could be that selfless, but in all honesty, I'm not sure that I would be able to make that sacrifice.

This is not where it ends, though, because realizing that you have a love cap, or perversion of what God intended it for, should only be the beginning of change.

A good way to test your selflessness would be to see how freely you could give of your money to others. If you can't even spare some change for someone else chances are you won't be willing to lay your life down either. Sad, but true.

A New Creation

2 Corinthians 5:17 in the original text, and reflected in the King James Version, states that "the new is come" (emphasis mine). This means that it is an ongoing process and not an instantaneous action.

This makes sense because none of us are perfect Christians right after the prayer of salvation and the decision to change. It takes days, months, and even years to achieve the image and likeness of Christ.

Therefore, we should not be discouraged but rater ENCOURAGED by knowing that it is not over but just beginning. Every day is a new day and a chance to begin it right.

Lazy Christianity

I'm a little peeved with myself today. I willingly, knowingly and remorselessly opened a very shut door last night. I reasoned my way into doing it. It worked for what I wanted to accomplish, but it was wrong. And, even now I'm not feeling too guilty. And, yet, I still know it was wrong. Why do I not feel real remorse? Why do I mess with the cross - why do I willingly push God to see how far I can go? I should be so far past all this - is my mind too much in control? There was a problem; I picked the wrong solution. It felt good. See, a prayer and faith would have been a lot more work and effort. And, of course, waiting. My solution was wrong but quick. I guess that qualifies for lazy Christianity.

However, I feel I'm touching on a very important issue here. Sin is usually more attractive because it is easier and the results come quicker. God's way usually requires waiting, faith, hoping, praying, believing and much more effort. Sadly, frequently the results of sin lead to devastating consequences. Many times people get by scot free. With God's way there is a highly likely consequence of success and long-lasting peace and joy. Not always, though. Sometimes even those that "do good" suffer from the fallen world we live in.

How do we convince people to do what is right when what is wrong is so much more attractive? The answer should be that we must warn them about eternity and where they will end up if they don't "put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).

And, yet, let's try explaining eternity so that it becomes relevant to these people. Eternity is scarcely relevant to Christians! If we struggle to think beyond these moments with the Holy Spirit in us, how much less can we expect people of the world that we are trying to convert to live with not just the future but eternity in mind?

We need to get our acts together. We must become kingdom- and eternity-minded right now and start making the right choices if we are going to be the examples that others are the follow. Remember, it's not what you say but what you do that defines you.

Slow to Anger

Psalm 145:8 "The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love."

The problem with "slow to anger" is that you cannot read the "mood barometer" of the person who is "slow to anger". People that are slow to anger take irritation, and take it, and take it. Then, *WHAM*, they burst and leave you in shock and awe because there really wasn't much warning of their growing anger.

In Psalm 2:12 it says,
"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him."

So, "... for his wrath can flare up in a moment" tells us that Jesus is slow to anger and thus we should actually be careful and not rash. We assume "slow to anger" means we can be extra careless sand it will be okay. Actually, this should warn us to be on our guard for our behavior because we don't really know in what moment His wrath can flare up. Take care!

Heed the warnings!

Psalm 1 is very much like a hurricane warning on the Gulf of Mexico. When a storm is approaching, you have to make preparations. At first they only speculate as to the trajectory because the storm decides where it will hit, but the closer it gets the more certain they become as to the targeted area. At that point it is wise not to be where the storms are.

For instance, it is practically suicidal to stay on a barrier island during a hurricane. It is like sleeping on a castle wall during an attack or siege.

So, when the hurricane is fast approaching they usually give evacuation routes, etc. Psalm 1 is like that hurricane warning in that it lets you know that if you stay a certain course you will be in the line of fire. Kind of like being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Wrong Course:
* Walk in the counsel of the wicked
* Stand in the way of sinners
* Sit in the seat of mockers

Right Course:
* Walk in the counsel of the righteous
* Delight is in the law of the Lord
* Meditate on his law day and night

The results of each course is as follows:

Wrong Course:
* Will be like chaff blown by the wind
* Will not stand in the judgment or in the assembly of the righeous
* Ultimate result: eternal death

Right Course:
* Is like a tree planted by a stream of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither
* All ventures prosper
* The Lord will watch over

It's quite clear that to stay the wicked course will only lead to eternal damnation. A cliche, but true nonetheless. We must heed the warning and begin to delight in the law of the Lord so that it may go well with us.