Are Christian Values Dead?

As I work on editing a new Kindle, "Where is Christ In America?" I've been praying, reading, researching and studying other Christian teachers and leader's writings and comments on values.  I guess it would be obvious I feel inadequate to the task and wonder how or why the Lord has laid this heavy load on my shoulders.  

Nevertheless, as I put some final touches on the work, I came across some YouTube presentations as I searched for information on "How Should We Then Live".  This is the title of a book written by Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer, who I had the privilege of studying under.  

"His thought  leadership inspired several generations.  He is described as a theologian and philosopher, foremost evangelical thinker of our day, who's brilliant analysis of Western man's development and future direction is the result of a lifetime of intensive study of humanism and Christian Truths." (from the back cover of his book)  

Dr. Schaeffer is quoted as saying:  "I believe people are as they think.  The choices we make in the next decade will mold irrevocably the direction of our culture...and the lives of our children." (1976)  

I highly commend this "Christian Manifesto" lecture to you.  It was delivered at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church pastored by Dr. James Kennedy, who created the course on sharing your faith called, Evangelism Explosion (published originally in 1970).  

He and Dr. Schaeffer have both gone to be with the Lord now, but the work they've left behind can still move hearts and change lives as our world tumbles around in the mire of humanism, doubt and fear.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, 

but the end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12

Perhaps the weaknesses that have taken foothold in America result from not enough praying for these two things:

"Two things I ask of Thee, do not refuse me before I die:  

Keep deception and lies far from me, 

give me neither poverty nor riches; 

Feed me with the food that is my portion, 

lest I be full and deny Thee and say, 'Who is the Lord?'  

Or lest I be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God." 

Proverbs 30:7-9

THE King is Coming...the kings are going.

"And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city!  For in one hour, your judgment has come.'" Revelation 18:9-10 

"And Elijah came near to all the people and said, 'How long will you hesitate between two opinions?  If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.'  But the people did not answer him a word." I Kings 18:21

There are 44,686 books about leadership listed on Amazon today. 

A Google search for leadership gives you 765,000,000 results in the first 0.53 seconds. 

Do you know why there are so many?  Because being a leader is not easy. 

To be a leader you must be humbled to realise that others may trust and follow you -- that they will rely on you and respect your guidance because they hope you are trustworthy and honest in a world so filled with anything but trustworthiness and honesty. 

Leaders have foundational morality and ethics.  They have unwavering and apparent values which are admirable, not based on selfish ambition or the political correctness of the day. 

Leaders have demonstrable wisdom and resolute clarity of vision for those around them.  They have the courage of integrity to help others see a vision and walk with them toward it. 

Leaders are not managers and they are not dictators! 

In the passage of Revelation above, the kings of the earth who have grown undeniably strong and rich under the leadership of the evil one, gather.  They got what they wanted and did it their own way no matter who tried to oppose them.  

Only their opinion counted and they dictated the future, doing what was right in their own eyes and for adulation and unquestioning loyalty. 

They never cared about those who were relying upon them.  They only cared about winning and consuming and being obeyed.  They have been redeveloping the decadent city of Babylon to spite God.  They believed it would be their impenetrable bastion of safety against all comers. 

Satan has taken his dragon and is heading for Har-Maggedon for the final battle and the kings reluctantly must also join them.  You see...

THE King is coming and they are but dust.  The battle for ultimate leadership is already written.

When you are called upon to choose if God be God...choose well and lead others to Him!

Why God Is NOT Enough!

[Jesus teaching] "'Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 

"'And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And you know the way where I am going.

"Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?' 

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.'" John 14:1-7

Believing in God or a god has always seemed wise - like a spiritual insurance policy.  Even the most immoral, crass and greedy believe in some kind of "higher power". 

From the beginning, Adam and Eve BELIEVED in God.  They SAW Him every day!  Yet, they did not love Him enough to obey His simple prohibition. 

The entire Old Testament is witness of the most gross and selfish of sinful behaviours.  And most of those we read about in the Old Testament BELIEVED in God, too. 

The Problem?

What WAS the problem?  God loved His creation so much.  He longed to walk daily together with each individual.  To share thoughts and feelings and observations...to fellowship. (He still does!)

He gave the Ten Commandments, and elaborated them for the nit-pickers, to try and save arguments, heartache, suffering and sorrow.

Consistently, men and women wanted to do what was best in their own eyes.  God did not want us to be robots, He wanted us to WANT Him, so He gave us the right to choose our own way.  And so a great canyon grew between God and men -- dug out by sinful choices.

Solutions of Men

But men longed to be close to God...to have God on their side...to be "safe".  So they started building bridges to get across this canyon to God.  They built churches and "religiously" went there often to impress God with how dedicated they were. 

They gave money to God to demonstrate to Him their generosity.  They wrote stories and songs and made the commandments and laws into more of a game or a test to complete so they could win Sunday school medal to prove to others their holiness and to win favour with God. 

They identified sin in others and tortured or killed them, imagining evil behind every shadow to make obvious to God they meant business in His name. 

They even made a business out of God, selling His favours or selling books, coffee mugs and other trinkets designed around His neat-o sayings, like the pretty ones in Psalms and Ecclesiastes!

They gave God new names and new identities, creating liturgy and rituals and rules, smells, bells, sacrifices, etc.  They killed one another over the gods they chose and blamed God for their motivation to kill. 

Some even established anti-God groups that worshipped the enemy and declared God dead, absent always and gone forever.  They ate frogs and boiled eye of newt and drank blood and killed cats and babies in the names of their anti-gods.

God wept.

Then He dried His eyes and made a plan for a new and living way for us to come to Him.  It was His "Plan-J" conceived in Genesis 3, hidden in God's curses.

You see God HATES sin.  He HATES looking on sin.  And there is a price that He demands is paid for our sin -- if we are to have fellowship with Him.  This is to be justified (clean) from all sin.  And this takes  a living sacrifice to pay for sin. 

To bridge the canyon between Him and us, God knew it would take an extraordinary act of purity.  And this would hurt Him so much it is impossible for us to imagine -- and that was Jesus. 

Jesus, you see, is God's only Son, and it is Jesus that makes our relationship with God so VERY different from people who pride themselves on believing in God.

Believing in God is NOT Enough!

I read a news article recently about a woman who was teaching in a Bible-based Christian university who decided to wear a special head scarf of another religion and push the boundaries.  She insisted we all worship the same God, which for all the controversy, IS true (Genesis 15-16).  There IS no other God, but the Almighty! 

Anyone can believe in God - the REAL God.  But it is only by our own choice that we accept the one and only way God has created for us to have a RELATIONSHIP with Him and that frees us from the sin debt we each owe to Him. 

That is why we HAVE Easter. 

We take a day (some take the 40 days of Lent) to remind ourselves and celebrate once a year.  Those of us who have accepted this full, perfect and complete payment for our sin; know Jesus died on the cross as that payment. 

And THIS and this ALONE is what IS different for those who are Christians...for those who are saved to eternal life. 

Be Encouraged TODAY!

(There are some really bouncy versions of this wonderful song, but I thought this one was good for us today.  Also, one version encouraged us to rejoice in Him, rather than focusing on the sorrows and suffering we feel.  It is a new perspective to consider.  Take care with love, especially His!)

The Lord does own all the cattle on all the hills.

He prospers for His plans, not ours.

What mountain is too heavy for Him to move!?

===============

THIS is the day the Lord has made!

Rejoice and be glad in each moment.

No one gets a do over,

but we do get right now.

Thank Him for understanding.

We all have past regrets.

We all know in our hearts

of things we could do better

if we could just have a second try.

Just try right now..

Looking back should be

To search for learnings

To apply to right now. 

If you're getting bogged down

It is not the Lord you're listening to about the past

Our Lord is weaving your past together for His good and your grace. 

Leadership Qualities We Learn From Jesus

Jesus said:  “’I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”  John 10:9-11

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.’”  John 14:6

Jesus said:  “’I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.’”  John 14:1-2

I’m completing a book for my industry and one of the chapters has to do with “Leadership” and that seems to be the flavour of the month in all the literature 

There was a study done by one of New York’s’ top executive search firms about the qualities and values of the best leaders.  They were:

1.      Never compromise on matters of principle nor standards of excellence, even on minor issues.

2.      Be persistent and never give up.

3.      Have a vision of where you’re going and communicate it often to your team.

4.      Know what you stand for.

5.   Set high standards and don’t be afraid to take on tough problems despite the risk.

6.      Spend less time managing and more time leading.

7.      Lead by example.

8.      Bring out the best in others. Hire the best people you can find, then delegate authority and responsibility, but stay in touch.

9.      Have confidence in yourself and in those around you, and trust others.

10.      Accept blame for failures and credit others with success.  Possess integrity and personal courage.

When I look into the Bible, these are all qualities found in Jesus' example of leadership.  

Mysteries of Grace Unravelled

I must have listened to two dozen different versions of Amazing Grace.  There were dozens more to listen to.  Everyone seems to want to sing this song that for some means life after life for eternity.  And when I found this version by the Gaithers...well I knew it was the one that would mean the most to those who know and have entrusted their lives into the safe keeping of the Lord Jesus Christ!  Enjoy.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

9 Truths about Grace

1.      Grace is not withheld from anyone because they are not good enough.

2.      Grace is not granted in proportion to how good or how bad someone is.

3.      Grace cannot incur a debt – it does not create obligation from the giver.

4.      Grace is not exercised in the just payment of a debt.

5.      Grace is NEVER the over-payment of a debt.

6.      Grace is not a reward  or reason for our faith (If we trust God, He’ll give us grace...It is not a reward or reason for His grace.)

7.      Grace cannot be elicited from God...You can’t “pull” it out or off of God. 

8.      There are no “means for more or less grace.

9.      God gives grace in response to His heart-choice as we love His Son and chose to trust Him with our life

Probably the one area where Christians have the greatest struggle (after being saved) is God’s grace. 

It’s one of God’s mysteries....and it’s enough to know He does grant us grace when we accept His gift of salvation. 

Bottom line:  

There is nothing you can do that will make God love you more.  There is nothing you can do that will make God love you less.  That is the essence of Grace!

Take a moment to review the 9 Truths above.  Don’t be deceived by anything less or more ever again!  

Whispers

Perhaps you have never strayed back to former mistake patterns in your life.  Perhaps you've never found the strength to walk away from ties that bind you to thoughts and activities that would not bring our Heavenly Father glory or joy.

For me, one Easter, as I felt unworthy to even go to church, I still woke before what would have been time for the Sunrise Service that I so loved.  I walked to a little bench beside a beautiful lake with my Bible in hand. 

I wondered what people do who feel so unworthy they do not have the courage or energy to go to church on Easter.  This day so many celebrate the amazing resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I decided I would read each of the Gospels through.  By the time I reached Luke, I was feeling a bit tired, yet I was determined to continue.  That is until I reached Luke 22. 

It started in the same familiar way with the Passover celebration where Jesus presided for His disciples.  He broke the bread, He shared the wine.  He spoke the words that would have puzzled the disciples.  They must have imagined He was speaking in some kind of mystical fashion.

At verse 21 my heart began to ache for Jesus, because He knew:

"'But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Me on the table.'"

Yes, the Son of Man was born to be betrayed and die in a most lonely way and because of the impatience and greed of one of His very disciples.  A man handpicked by Jesus to learn from Him the wonders of a new Kingdom.

He speaks wisdom about leadership and thanks them for their follower-ship.  And then he speaks directly to the impetuous Peter with unexpected and even hurtful words.  Peter who jumped up to follow Jesus to the ends of the earth in the end.  Peter, who spoke enthusiastically and sometimes out of turn and was one of Jesus' closest friends:

"Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

And as you would expect, Peter was quick to assure Jesus of his loyalty under any and all circumstances. 

I always identified with Peter when I was a young Christian, loving his enthusiasm.  It sounded like me once upon a time...so sure of my resolve in Christ, so sure that I would not choose a pathway that would shove Jesus off the throne of my life. 

But I did.

As I sat on that park bench overlooking the peaceful lake and watching the sun rise, I quit reading about then as my eyes were so overflowing with tears. 

The truth hurt.  I was not ready to give up the pathway I had chosen to trod and wondered what this would mean for me as I walked on into more days of my life, choosing to do things my own way for now.

Then I read the verse 31 and 32 again and saw the part the Holy Spirit was etching deeply and painfully into my heart,

"...and you, WHEN once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." 

He wrote that just for me you realise...that it was even included is amazing for me as it is not in the other Gospels, just this one -- that I so love.

We all know the truth of this story of Peter and his undying energy for Jesus message.  We all imagined the moment after Peter denied Christ for the third time and looked up to see Jesus watching him in the distance (Luke 22:61) . 

I cannot imagine what Peter was thinking.  I cannot imagine how painful this moment was for Jesus, who was already suffering. 

After Jesus rose again and was giving last instructions to His disciples, again He turned to Peter, singling him out and asking him three times about the strength of his love for Jesus (John 21:15-17). 

It was symbolic of a future hope of healing for my heart. 

You see even when you do stray, even when you purpose to stay out there lost in your own opinion of what is right, He still knows your heart.  He still waits...for His grace is beyond our comprehension. 

This is grace.  Grace that says you cannot do anything to lose His love...Grace that says you cannot do anything to get more of His love, because you have it ALL from the very moment you surrender your life into His hands once you admit you cannot save yourself.  From that moment Ephesians 2:8-9 are two verses that give you hope in a new life.

Jesus knew what Peter would do and loved him still.  Jesus knew what Peter would do and died for him still.  This act of obedience to the Father took Peter's sin with Him on the Cross.  This act brought Peter the personal forgiveness and personal gracious love that only Jesus can.  It is how much He loves you and me!

On one of the flyleaves of my favourite Bibles are these words that I share with you in love:

"I'm saved because Jesus wants me to be a witness for Him.

He promised that if I tell the world about Him,

He will tell the Father about me!"