Sam Harris: Abortion and Genocide

Sam Harris’ asserted, “One of the most pernicious effects of religion is that it tends to divorce morality from the reality of human and animal suffering.” In my first post, I spent approximately 1500 words in response to this one statement. Building from my previous post, I will attempt to respond to the three examples given by Sam Harris to support his thesis. Sam Harris states, “This is explains why Christians like you spend more “moral” energy opposing abortion than fighting genocide.” I will first discuss the realities of abortion and genocide and conclude with the issues of morality.

The Reality of Abortion:

This is reality: Every 21.6 seconds another baby is aborted in the United States. This averages 4,000 babies a day. In an article written by Wm. Robert Johnston, the statistics regarding reasons given for obtaining abortions in the United States were tabulated and assessed. Johnston and his team share their findings: “In cases of rape or incest, 0.3%; in cases of risk to maternal health or life, 1%; and in cases to fetal abnormality, 0.5%. About 98% of abortions in the United States are elective, including socio-economic reasons or for birth control. This includes perhaps 30% for primarily economic reasons” (emphasis mine).

Harris writes, “Your principle concern appears to be that the creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked” (pg. 26). There are many Christians who attempt to pressure non-believers into following the commandments of God. How can any Christian expect a non-believer to follow Christian values or beliefs? It is impossible. So where does my principle concern rest? It rests in the above statistics given by Wm. Robert Johnston. My principle concern rests in knowing that approximately “98% of all abortions in the United States are elective, including socio-economic reasons or for birth control.” My principle concern is for that 98%. Harris wants to state that Christians divorce morality and the reality of animal and human suffering yet 98% of abortions have nothing to do with rape, incest, risk to maternal health, or fetal abnormality – human suffering. Does anyone else not see the fallacy in this?

The Reality of Genocide:

This is the reality: 6 million (the amount of people estimated to have been killed in Nazi Germany during WWII); 200,000-340,000 (The amount of Serbians estimated to have been killed during WWII by the Yugoslavian government); 1.7 million (number of Cambodians estimated to have been murdered under the reign of Khmer Rouge from 1975 – 1979); and 2 million (the number of people who been forced to flee their homes in Darfur, and Sudan). I cannot believe an intelligent country made up of intelligent people would be able to look at these numbers – these very real numbers – and not care about the individuals they represent. Even though there is a great disconnect from the United States and Darfur, it is within our human nature to respond to such heinous crimes. The Bible has much to say about such things as well. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image” (Genesis 9: 6).

I believe Christians should be more active in responding to such tragedies. Though, I would also say it isn’t only our (Christians) responsibility to respond. We must all take responsibility for such issues/concerns. Being a Christian does not mean we have to carry the world’s burdens on our shoulders. We can’t. We must do our part, as should everyone. It isn’t a religion response – it is an individual response that must be shared upon all of us. Failure to see it that way will result in a lot of people pointing fingers without any hope, or any change. I’d like to ask Harris what work or efforts he contributes do regarding this issue. Has he been to a Darfur march? Has he promoted an Invisible Children campaign in his community? I don’t know. I don’t know how he spends his time or invests his efforts. Be assured though – if he is only going to write about it, yet do nothing or show forth his personal efforts regarding the atrocity of genocide, I find it fair to say that Sam Harris is a hypocrite, which probably wouldn’t matter much to him because he’s an atheist. Seems as though Dr. Harris is actually divorcing reality and morality more than most Christians I have come to know. That’s just a personal opinion though.

In closing, I find the issues of abortion and genocide to have no real connective tissue. They are two different issues. Actually, I take that back. They are connected in one way: Both issues deal with people being killed by other people who are selfish; who do not care about human life; who care more about their own intentions and motivations; who care only about their personal gain and having power over other human life. When it comes to the issue of life and death, we should fight for life at all costs. We should fight against the powers or individuals that seek to kill and destroy life for their own agendas or personal gain. I can’t see how anyone would disagree with that.

Sam Harris: Morality vs Reality

Before I embark in some thoughtful dispositions I have concerning the book, “Letter to a Christian Nation,” I’d first like to thank the author, Sam Harris. I want to thank him for his thoughtful expression regarding the Christian faith and the holes he feels he has found within Christian Theology. It has caused me to dig deeper – not only within the Bible, but within secular text, studies, and findings – thus deepening my faith and trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We are in desperate need of guys like this; those who question, prod, and provoke meaningful studies and conversations regarding our faith. It is also my prayer that one day, as with C.S. Lewis, Dr. Harris will assert, “I gave in, and admitted that God was God.”

As I sat and read Sam Harris’ book in a matter of 3 hours, I found his main concern/troubling thought centered around page 25, where Dr. Harris writes, “One of the most pernicious effects of religion is that it tends to divorce morality from the reality of human and animal suffering.” He goes on to say, “This explains why Christians like you expend more “moral” energy opposing abortion than fighting genocide. It explains why you are more concerned about human embryos than about the lifesaving promise of stem-cell research. And it explains why you can preach against condom use in sub-Saharan Africa while millions die from AIDS each year.”

Let us first build some foundations. How do we define Morality? It seems, from a personal observance, this term has undergone several new meanings within my lifetime. So, in order to think and respond intelligently, we must go to a solid meaning and definition in order to build a foundation. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines morality as: “Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior (ethical-moral judgments); expressing or teaching a conception of right behavior; conforming to a standard of right behavior; sanctioned by or operative on one’s conscience or ethical judgment (moral obligation); capable of right and wrong action (a moral agent).” This definition(s) goes back to the 14^th century.

Let us also look to the term reality. What does it mean? How do we define reality? Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines reality as: “A real event, entity, or state of affairs; the totality of real things and events; something that is neither derivative nor dependent, but exists necessarily.”

What then, is Dr. Harris saying within his assertion? Let’s insert the true definitions of the terms morality and reality and see if we can gain any insight to his statement. “One of the most pernicious effects of religion is that it tends to divorce the principles of right and wrong in behavior from real events, entities, or states of affairs of human and animal suffering.” I don’t think my interpretative definition of Dr. Harris’ statement is far fetched from his original. In fact, given the three examples he has provided within this section of writing (abortion – genocide, human embryos – stem-cell research, and condom use – AIDS), I would say my interpretative statement of Harris’ statement is on point.

How does one respond to Harris’ statement? I’ve had to think long and hard in how I was going to respond. I will say this: I think Harris is right. As a Christian, I care a lot about morality. I don’t view morality though as a “right and wrong” standard, but a response I have to my relationship with Jesus. It is my relationship with Jesus that challenges me to live a sold out life to the best of my ability. When morality becomes an issue of right and wrong, it no longer is a standard of relationship, but of religion. When I structure my life based off a checklist of what is right and wrong, there is no room for personal convictions and desires.

I am not comfortable saying that Christians have divorced morality and reality of animal and human suffering. The reality is, the world has removed morality from almost every venue of our educational, political, and socio-economic arenas. When morality is removed, there is a change; a shift occurs and the reality of yester-year is no longer the reality of today. Take my grandparent’s generation. How many of our grandparents cheated on their wives/husbands with a younger, more attractive/handsome girl/guy hey met at work? How many school shootings were there? I am almost certain that, compared to our current reality, the numbers are so small, they are far and few. Christians have not divorced morality and reality – the world as a whole has divorced the two. This is the reality of our current situation.

If Harris is so concerned about the reality of our day, then he should do his homework and trace where the separation morality and reality began. Was there ever a time when morality and reality truly co-existed? Yes. It wasn’t a very long time though. When God made Adam in His image, He also made Eve. For a period of time, the reality was: God and man walked together, and there was no sin. Within a period of time – we are not told how long – Adam and Eve sinned. This caused the morality and reality of humanity to become severely strained and separate. It was sin that separated morality and reality of animal and human suffering. Throughout the pages of the Bible, we are shown a picture of God desiring to restore morality and reality among the people He had created. This resulted in God sending His on Son to die for us. Jesus suffered in ways you and I could never dream. For three long hours, Jesus hung on a cross for us. As the hours past, our sins – past, present and future – continued to rest upon the Son of God as He suffered. This is the reality of the cross. What other religion claims their god sent their only son to die on behalf of a people who continually rebelled? How many religions claim that their god’s blood was the right payment for our sins? How many religions claim that their god suffered for them because their god desperately desires to be in a deep, impacting relationship with them? I can think of no religious group that makes this assertion.

When we allow morality to go by the wayside, a new reality sets in. It is a reality with no morality. It is a reality that teaches 15-year-old boys how to put on a condom and have safe sex with their high school sweetheart. It is a reality that suffers heartache and pain when Columbine shootings take place. It is a reality that supports the cause of abortion, homosexuality, and adultery because it makes us happy. It is a reality that promotes sex to the extent that young girls feel the need to fit into a size “00” in order to be pretty and young guys get hooked on pornography. This results in bulimia and anorexia for many women and men who receive a warped view of the reality of relationships and marriage. Teenage girls cut themselves while teenage boys brag with their buddies about “how many girls they screwed.” Girls are dressing more provocative, leaving little to the imagination while guys take performance drugs and enhancements to bulk up. This is the reality that I live. This is what I see when I walk out the doors of my house and enter the community at large. As the kids get older, the pressures only get more difficult. The pressures of relationships, marriage, sex, drugs, cheating, and greed continue to increase. By the time a kid graduates, they are a lot more confused and uncertain than they were when they were little. This is a continual growing trend in our society and it doesn’t show any hopes of getting any better any time soon. Welcome to our reality.

How to Fish for People

If someone where to ask me why I was here  – like here on this earth as a human – I’d find my Bible and show them Matthew 28: 19-20. I’m not here to find a spouse, though that would be nice. I’m here to make disciples of Jesus. When I consider Jesus’ method of making disciples, I am left with an extremely effective example. This post is just that – an explanation of how Jesus called His disciples.

Luke 5: 1 says, “On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.” Principle number 1: We must be a people others want to be around. That sounds a little ridiculous, but Jesus always seems to find Himself with a crowd of people gathering to hear what He has to say. It challenges me a lot. Do people desire to crowd around me because they want to hear the Gospel I proclaim? To ask it another way is to ask, “Do people even want to hear what I want to say?” If I were merely attention driven, the message would be ineffective. Therefore, it might be better to ask it this way: “Does the message I speak draw people to God’s Word?” As an individual called to present the Gospel and make disciples, the message of God must ever present. It isn’t about me at all.

Luke 5: 2, “And he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.” Principle number 2: Fishermen must wash their nets after a long day’s work. We’ll dig into this towards the end of the study. For now, we must remember that washing one’s nets is extremely important. The term ‘washing’ here is the same word that is used for equipping or ministering. So we see that the fishermen are done for the day and are ministering to their nets. If they did not minister to their nets, over time, the net would fray and fall apart. Any serious fisherman would know that.

Luke 5: 3, “Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.” One almost wonders if Simon was listening to anything Jesus was speaking to the crowd. By this time, Simon probably could minister the net with his eyes closed; he had probably done it so many times before, it was second nature to him.

Luke 5: 4, “And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’” These nets were not the lightest nets to pull. It was a team effort to catch fish. Principle number 3: We cannot minister or share the Gospel alone. We are meant to work together as a team to make disciples. There is no room for solo ministries. Just as it would have been impossible for Simon to put the net out by himself, so too is it impossible to make disciples by oneself. During this time, a team of men – perhaps two or three would put a large net between their two boats and drag the net across the water while the other guy closes up the net. The other two guys would then bring their ends to the guy in the middle and drag the big net filled with fish to the shore. This would go on throughout the day until the work was done. Then they would minister the net, pack it up and go home until the following day to do it all over again. It was a simple, but effective system for the fisherman that proved great results in most cases.

Luke 5: 5, “And Simon answered, ‘Mater, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’” Principle number 4: When you have a vision for catching fish – making disciples, it might require calling people to try something or do something that doesn’t make any sense. Simon worked all day dragging the nets and caught nothing. So many people in the church act the same way. They have tried the same thing over and over again with no success in their ministry. Despite countless attempts, there is no fruit. These people will be your toughest critics. They will tell you that it won’t work. Here’s principle number 5: Even if its “been done 1,000 times,” if you are given a vision and a rhema word from God, call people to carry it out. Maybe it was tried 1,000 times before – if God is in your word, it will work. God’s word never returns void – ever.

Luke 5: 6, “And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.” Principle number 6: When you are given a rhema word from God – and others grab a hold of your vision – God abundantly blesses. All Simon and the boys had to do is let down their nets. God did the rest. It is when we listen to the word of God – God shows up and does a real miracle. Many end up coming to know Christ. They are ‘caught within the net’ and ready to be brought ashore.

This passage also says that the nets were breaking. If Simon and the boys didn’t minister or equip the net, they would have never been able to collect the fish. I say that because, as disciples making disciples, we must always be ministering the net. The net is a symbol of the body of Christ. The body of Christ is the net that goes into the deep and gathers the fish. How then do we minister to the net? It might simply mean giving accolades or encouragement to the members of the body. If a brother or sister is discouraged, it is our job to ‘mend the net’ and share a word from Scripture with them. If the net is not strong, we can and will never catch fish. We know that a net is only as strong as its weakest link. Therefore, it is imperative to invest in ministering to the net.

Luke 5:7, “They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” Principle number 7: We need lost of people to gather the fish. I am not a fan of church hoppers or stealing sheep from other pastures. I will say this though: If there are people in these dying churches that desire to minister to the nets and catch fish for Jesus, and their sitting in other boats doing nothing, I’m going to signal them to come over and work with me in gathering the fish our nets caught. I’m going to invite them to join our team and share in the day’s work. Those guys weren’t gathering any fish in their boats. They are able to do the work though. Those are the kind of people I need on my team when I’m bring in a big haul of fish. Ministry of disciple making works the same way. There are so many people in dying churches who have so many important gifts for the Kingdom of God. If they aren’t doing anything in that dying church – and the church doesn’t seem to want to fish anymore – the by all means I want them with me. Period. The weight of ministering to people can be intense. The more people joining in on the efforts mean an even load for everyone.

If we were to continue our study to verse 11, we would see that Jesus invites Simon and his two partners to join Him as disciples. Jesus will then take these three men – and 9 others – and invest three years of His life showing them how to make disciples (how to catch men). This begins our investigation into how Jesus made disciples and the principles we can learn from His examples.

Attitude, Attitude, Attitude!

I’m being stretched in a lot of ways. I was asked tonight to rate my attitude on a scale of 1-10. “6.5,” I said, “I’m hoping it will get better though.” That’s as honest as I can be. I know it has to get better. No one wants to be around someone with a bad attitude. When I think about someone that I resonate most with in the Bible, it would be Peter. In Luke 5, he had a pretty piss-poor attitude. He worked all day dragging fishing nets with his business associates. After hours of hard work, they had nothing to show for their efforts. Then Jesus comes along and tells them to cast their nets again. Peter’s response: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Today’s translation: “Dude, are you nuts? I have worked myself to the point of exhaustion and am ready to pack it in. We didn’t catch anything all day. In fact, to humor you, I’ll drop the nets and show you there aren’t any fish jumping in our nets tonight.” Peter’s attitude is one I can resonate with all too well.

In our pursuits of having a godly, more positive attitude, we must be willing to examine ourselves and find out what are the root causes. For some, it might be the people you hang out with. If you hang out with negative people, you will be affected in some way. For some, it might be an issue of sleep. I cannot believe we are, by nature, negative people.

This reminds me of my Aunt Linda. Ever since I was a young kid, I always remembered my Aunt and her amazing smile. When we would visit her in Annapolis, she always possessed the joy of the Lord. When we would go to church, she would stand up with her hands gripping the pew in front of her, and with her eyes closed, singing at the top of her lungs hymns of praise to Jesus. She never needed a hymnal. Looking back now, I see how much I took that joy she has for granted. God gave me a great example of what joy tangibly looks like. I say all this because I found out tonight that she would most likely have her right arm amputated because there are cancerous cells that are continually growing in her right arm. If they remove her arm, the doctors believe the cancer will permanently be removed. When I asked my dad what her response was, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, “She’s the same Linda.” That’s enough for me to realize that I need to work on my attitude in a major way. I am not going through half of what she has gone through – and I hope I never have to. It makes me think though: If I had to go through that, how would I respond? Would I be joyful or would I be continually negative?

I find that attitude has a lot to do with how one’s day goes. When I have a great day, it is usually because I have a great attitude to go along with it. The same occurs when I have a negative attitude. It just goes to show that one reaps what they sow. I ask then, for your prayers. I want to look back several months from now and say, “My attitude was a 6.5, but now it’s a 8.5 or a 9.” I believe that’s possible. It will take a lot of work on my part, but I know the outlook is positive.

A Right to Life

How does a guy – one who does not possess a vagina – discuss a subject like abortion? Some would say that a man’s opinion doesn’t matter because we (men) don’t have to consider the ramifications of carrying a child to full-term and then giving birth. Some would say that a man’s opinion doesn’t matter because we (men) didn’t go through a certain circumstance or event – like being raped or in a heterosexual relationship or incest. Some would suggest a man’s place within the conversation of abortion is nonexistent. I believe however, that I have plenty to share regarding the subject of abortion. I believe I have a voice within the conversation because of my personal circumstance. I believe more men should have something to say within the conversation. Before I go into what I would like to share, I must lay down some ground rules and make a very important statement.

First off, I speak as a man who knows several women – my birth mother for one – who have been raped. I speak as a man who has sat and cried with women who have been sexually abused by a family member or a close friend. I believe a man that rapes a woman is not a man at all and should be emasculated for his heinous act. Finally, I speak as a man that knows this subject is heated on both ends and has the potential to make several women that might read this very angry. To that, I make an important statement: As an individual conceived through an act of rape, I will present what I consider to be fact. I will not try to persuade anyone or attempt to proselytize anyone. All I can do is present a sober case. Afterwards, I can only pray a light would be turned on and an agreement would be reckoned on life’s behalf.

Where do I begin? I can only start with the most used statement I hear time and time again. “It’s my right.” If I received a dollar every time conversations concerning abortion began this way, I would be debt free. What exactly does this mean? How do we define the term ‘right?’ This is what I found among the many definitions for the word right:

Definition: To bring into conformity with fact, correct: to right one’s point of view (v). In accordance with what is good, proper, or just (v); in conformity with fact, reason, truth or some standard, or principle; correct: the right solution; the right answer.

With these definitions as our base of reason, we must ask an all-important question: Is abortion a right? Is abortion an action in accordance with what is good, proper or just? Does it align in conformity with fact, reason, truth or some standard or principle? Is it the right solution or the right answer? How do I explain to my friend and her husband who is unable to have a child that abortion is good, proper or just? Based on our definitions of the term ‘right’ women have no ‘right’ to have an abortion.

For three years, my friend and her husband have tried to have a child, but for whatever reason, they have been unsuccessful. One night, she came up to me and, with all seriousness in her eyes, asked if there were any verses in the Bible that she could claim. As we sat and talked for a good thirty minutes, I challenged her and her husband to seek God in prayer together and serve God in the nursery of our church – love kids and serve God. That wasn’t the answer I know she was looking for. I know she was looking for a verse I could give her that she could go to God and say, “It says in Your Word God…” If given the option and opportunity to love a child as her own, I know she would consider adopting a child.

I also believe – and this might not make me a popular person – that abortion is second-hand suicide. What do I mean by that? When someone smokes and another person breathes in the smoke of a smoker, that’s called second-hand smoking. The non-smoking individual has the same possibilities of getting sick or even dying because they inhaled the smoke of another individual’s cigarette. The non-smoking individual did nothing wrong. The only crime the non-smoking individual committed in this situation is being in a position where another individual was smoking. The results can be damaging or fatal. In a very real way, getting an abortion is second-hand suicide. The baby growing inside the woman did absolutely nothing wrong. No matter what the situation, that baby did not choose to be conceived. It happened. And, when the abortion is performed, the baby dies and the only thing that baby did wrong was… nothing. Abortion is the second most selfish act any human being can commit – the first being suicide.

Let me bring the focus back to my personal statement, which I mentioned in my second paragraph of this post. I am the result of a rape. My birth mom, who I know, was raped when she was 16 and had me when she was 17. If you were to sit down and talk to her, she would tell you that the notion of have an abortion was never a right or a choice in her mind. Perhaps that’s because she had a family that supported her, encouraged her, and helped her make the right decision. Perhaps that’s because there was a body of people – a community of faith – that encircled her and cried with her when she needed people the most. Perhaps that’s why I am so passionate about this subject in the first place. Because, no matter how many hate emails and comments I am sure to get for this post, I am alive because a woman who was raped made the only decision that is right – she choose life for me. She gave me a chance – a baby conceived in an act of a rape – a chance at life and to do something with my life.

If you have made it to this final paragraph, I applaud you. I am sure many people won’t make it this far down the page, which is a shame. I am probably perceived by many to be apathetic or an extremist; I probably am. And look. If you – a woman reading this post – were raped and are considering having an abortion, please contact me first. Let me pray with you, cry with you, and help you to the best of my ability. Let me help you find someone to talk to – a solid woman of God who will encourage you and love you through this. Let’s find our how we can help you, counsel you, and restore you. Let’s look at all the options – closed adoptions, open adoptions, etc… and see what is best for you and most importantly, for the baby that is growing inside of you.

I also want to make one last statement: If you have had an abortion before, that does not mean you are a horrible person. God truly loves you. He wants you to know that healing and forgiveness is possible through Christ. This post is for the 48 million babies who have no voice. Please – for the sake of life – make life the only right option. Jesus loves the little children – all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white – they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Have you ever listened to that verizon commercial where the guy walks around – the guy with the glasses in the track jacket – asking, “Can you hear me now? Good!” I used to get so annoyed with those commercials. Partly because at that time, I didn’t have verizon and I was told it was the best service around and partly because I thought it was a waste of a thirty-second commercial. I wish I had learned my lesson from the verizon man though. I wish God had explained it to me. I now look at that commercial differently because of what I learned this past Sunday through Pastor John’s message.

This past Sunday’s message was heavy; it was really deep. I have been pondering how I am supposed to respond; I am trying to understand my personal response. When we talk about the Word of God, we are talking about a written revelation given to a few men who were led by God, instructed to write. Because they decided to listen and obey the Spirit of God and because they remained humble, God used them to spread His spoken revelation to the world through ink and parchment. The words of God – the written words – are powerful and provoking. I don’t think any of us who trust in its authority would disagree. What happens though when the written revelation of God becomes separated from His spoken revelation? What if our trust relied more in a book rather than the person who spoke the words written on the pages? Should we even care at all?

Most of the American Church has fallen into an overwhelming reliance in the Bible rather than Jesus Himself. We have allowed His written words to dictate our ‘relationship’ with God. The result is traumatizing: We ultimately miss out in knowing Christ personally. Thus, when we see Jesus one day and say, “Lord, Lord.” His response will be, “I never knew you.” You response might be something like this: “Why? What do you mean? I knew your word, Lord. I knew the Bible inside and out.” His response would be the same: “I never knew you.” Knowing Christ and know His Word are two different things.

One example that was given this past Sunday was that of Noah. Noah didn’t have the written word of God. He had the voice of God speak to him and command him to build something he had never heard of before – an ark. God said it would rain on the earth, yet Noah had never seen rain. The construction would take more than 100 years, yet Noah listened to the spoken word of God and did as God had commanded him to do. Many people mocked him. Yet, as we now read in the written word, the flood came and destroyed the world with a flood. Noah and his family remained safe. Why? Because Noah received a spoken word from God – a rhema word from God – and followed through. If Noah did not listen to the rhema word of God, he and his family would have been destroyed in the flood with the rest of the world.

I say all this because we, the church made up of individuals called to serve God and serve others – are in desperate need of a rhema Word. We can learn so much from God’s written word and we should be reading it regularly. If we do not have a deepening relationship with the God that spoke the world into existence, the written word ultimately means nothing. It would be better off collecting dust on a shelf next to the Koran or the other “holy books.” We, the church, need to fall on our faces and get on our knees asking God for Him to speak to us in a still, small voice. I believe if we truly seek His voice, He will speak and lives will be changed. The Holy Spirit will have the freedom once again – like it did in the book of Acts – to use people like you and I to share the great commission. Souls will be saved, people who are lost will be found, the blind in spirit will see the face of God, and the tired and the weak will regain their strength. I believe we would see radical miracles once again if we only heard from God – His spoken voice.

I don’t know where that might leave you or challenge you. I know I am convicted by it though. I want to be led by the Spirit of God – by the voice of God – and not by my own intuition. His ways are greater than mine and His thoughts are greater as well. Why on earth would I want to follow my own way when God wants to lead me and direct me in His ways? If I truly believe they are better than my own, than shouldn’t I eagerly desire to hear the voice of God speak? Shouldn’t I want to receive a rhema word from the Lord? I say yes; to me it is a no-brainer. Now I am challenged to go beyond theory and talk. I must put it into practice and walk in it. To merely speak about it and do nothing makes me a hypocrite. For me, it will be my constant prayer to hear the voice of God – a rhema word from the Lord. My only response will be, “Yes Lord.” It is the only response I can give. He’s waiting to speak to you. Can you hear Him now?

The Illusion of Entitlement: A Lesson from Panera’s

Have you ever listened to individual rudely attack someone verbally at a restaurant? I’m sitting here in a Panera Bread, eating a half sandwich and soup, watching individuals migrate from the ordering window, to a table and out the door in which they entered. It is almost like watching a bunch of ants busy gathering food for the winter. I never thought I would see the day when an individual would verbally attack a worker because, for whatever reason, they did not have a certain kind of bottled soda the individual was looking for. It isn’t like they didn’t have nine other options, cause they do. I’m sitting here looking at their options now in fact, deciding if I want to get one or not. They didn’t have the one soda this individual wanted. Apparently entitled to “quality service,” this grown man belittles the server behind the counter! “What do you mean you don’t have it? You have all these other options. Why don’t you have the one I am looking for? It figures. I come here all the time and get it.” I wanted to get up and tell the man, “The reason they probably don’t have it is because you drank it all and they are waiting for more to come in.” I didn’t though. What is even more alarming is the man had a Bible in his hand. To that, I just sigh and shake my head. No wonder we have such a hard time trying to reach people for Jesus.

There are many Christians that live and act this way. They are like babies that throw a fit in a toy store when a parent says no to buying them another toy they see on a shelf. They stomp their feet and scream at the top of their lungs announcing the parent is unfair even though they have hundreds of high tech toys sitting at home. It amazes me how those people – the ones who complain about not having the right soda in Panera Bread – are the same individuals who get in their cars and mentally suggest the child in the toy store should be spanked for their selfish display. In a word, they – the soda complainers – are hypocrites. Their complaints are not directed towards a plastic toy made in China. They rather complain about dumb things – like a restaurant not having a certain kind of soda. Somehow, soda complainers have reasoned a need to draw a line between the two circumstances. If they didn’t, they would have to come to the conclusion that they are no different than the bratty, screaming kids in a toy store. Did I mention the man had a Bible in his hand?

No matter how you slice or dice it, the illusion of entitlement has gotten way out of hand. Many feel because they work hard at whatever they do, they are entitled to whatever they are able to consume. Circumstances or cost have no bearing. If one does not possess the amount of money to actually purchase an item, they pull out a plastic card and “charge it.” Entitlement has a way of making the ridiculous plausible. It needs to be bigger, better, newer, and flashier. This not only falls into consumerism, but every aspect of life.

Here are a few examples. A guy who is married for several years to a great woman or a woman who is married several years to a great guy sees a younger, prettier individual and decides to cheat or divorce their former spouse for the new guy or girl. They announce that they have “fallen out of love” with their spouse and need something new to “spark the fire” once again. They were bored, but now this new individual brings new life and meaning to the relationship. I’m talking about Christians here. These are individuals who apparently confess Jesus as Lord.

The more we view our wants as entitlement, the more blurred our decisions become and compromise sets in. The 57 inch TV is “too small” and we need the “65 inch TV” our neighbor just bought. Our 2008 Ford Focus is “too old” and we need the “2010 Ford Focus” because it has more bells and whistles. We complain about a restaurant not having a choice of soda product we normally drink so we complain and yell at a worker. It goes on and on.

As Christians, we must come to a place where grace prevails and entitlement diminishes. We must see our salvation as a gift from God and not a right we are entitled to receive. Entitlement has no place within the body of Christ. The only one entitled is Christ. He alone is entitled in every way. He alone is entitled to be worshipped, followed, and served. If we want to make a difference in this world, we would do well to shatter the illusions of entitlement and live in grace.

Repent!

When we talk about the issue of sin, we usually discuss lust, pornography, pride, and others that normally fall under similar categories. It is easy to identify these sins and preach a message of repentance regarding these things. Every pastor/teacher/evangelist/Christian should actively engage in restoring the repentant back to Christ.

What about the other sins though that are committed every day and yet never considered sinful? What about the sins we commit every day and never actively repent? I’m not talking about malice, greed, or rage. I’m talking about the things we don’t do God commands us to do. Here is a short list of things I am talking about:

-       Share the Gospel

-       Feed the poor

-       Make disciples

-       Love one another as Christ loves the Church

-       Dying to ourselves

-       Wash one another’s feet

-       Turn the other cheek

-       Walk two miles

-       Give our shirt when someone asks for our coat

-       Staying married

-       Stand up for the widow

-       Sacrificing our time and money to bless others

-       Not fasting

-       Not praying

-       Not studying the Word of God

-       Not allowing God to transform our minds

-       Not being grateful for all God has given us

I could go on. The list continues and I am sure if we sat down and considered all the things we don’t do in light of our salvation, we would see the need to repent and ask God to change our hearts and minds to act and think differently. We need to repent. We need to ask forgiveness for acting more like the world rather than imitating Jesus. If we are not willing to do so, we might as well renounce our faith in Christ and live once again as the world lives. So many people I talk to say that Christians are hypocrites, and I would agree with them. We talk a great talk, but we rarely live differently than the world. We offer no hope of change and a difference for the world when we continually mask the Holy Spirit’s work in our life. If we believe God has done something new in our life, we must live that way – period. This is not an option. This is not a pep talk. This is/should be a reality we are called to live as the Body of Christ.

This Changes Everything!

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for the fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight (John 19: 38,39).

Tonight was the first night of Joshua’s Men – a leadership gathering of a few men who were asked by our pastor to test our callings of vocational ministry over the next year. We will have the ability to ask questions regarding the ministry, study together, pray together, and challenge one another. Being our first gathering, our meeting was more of an orientation of sorts. We did watch a video however by Bill Hybels. He talked about Joseph of Arimathea, which challenged me to write this post. As I continued to read the passage, I realized that Hybels missed an awesome opportunity to additionally add Nicodemus to his message. Therefore, I will take Hybels’ thoughts regarding Joseph and deduce the same response regarding Nicodemus based on what we know about him. These two men were changed in a radical way. I believe we too can be changed.

The first individual we will discuss is Joseph of Arimathea. We know very little about this individual outside of this passage. Every time I have read this passage, I have missed two very important words: “but secretly.” They are two words one could miss 1,000 times. Hybels took note of it though. As a disciple of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea hid his faith because he feared how people would respond.

The second individual we will discuss is Nicodemus – the same Nicodemus that came to Jesus during the night to discuss eternal life (John 3). Why did Nicodemus come at night? I can only surmise his reason was based on fear. How would it look for a learned Pharisee to enter Jesus’ house to discuss these matters to the other Pharisees? If he had come during the day, everyone would have seen him enter Jesus’ house. If he went during the night though, he could hide his travels in the shadows of the night sky. Nobody would recognize him.

Yet, we now read in the passage above that both Joseph and Nicodemus changed in a big way. Instead of hiding their faith in the shadows, both Joseph and Nicodemus publicly – during the day – take the body of Jesus and bury Him in a tomb in which no one had ever been laid in. Everyone would have seen Joseph and Nicodemus carrying the body of Christ to the tomb. Everyone would see the faith they both possessed. There could be no more hiding of their love and devotion to Jesus. Why though? Why did they change? What event caused them to take their faith from the shadows and bring it into the light?

Hybels said, and I agree, that they saw Jesus die. That’s all it took.  After experiencing the events of Jesus’ crucifixion and hearing Jesus pardon those they nailed Him to the cross, how could anyone not get off the fence and boldly confess Jesus?

I find the need to say that the Church needs to see Jesus crucified. The Church needs to read Scripture afresh with new eyes. We must never hide our faith in the shadows. There is no shame in saying that we are believers in Christ to anyone at anytime. We should boldly confess Jesus as Lord. Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and for me and for the whole world. The response was significant: Joseph and Nicodemus responded publicly. We too need to respond publicly. There is a whole world of people who need to see our faith lived out. There is a whole world of people who are looking for hope in all the wrong places. Moreover, there is a whole world of people who will die without knowing Jesus as Lord. This is a big deal. It should be a big deal. We are to be salt and light to the world, yet we hide our faith in the darkness because we fear what people think. We must be willing to step out in the light and boldly confess Jesus as Lord. We must let our light shine before all men. We must not hide it from others – like a candle covered by a basket. Remember: A city on a hill cannot be hidden. The Savior of the world died for you and for me. The result should be this: We confess Him as Lord to the world. As the Church this is our great commission. Let us do it well.

Love One Another

I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone the other night. As we caught up on life, I finally asked him what he had been learning during his prayer time and devotions. For a moment there was silence on the other end of the phone. He then spoke, quite possibly, one of the most astonishing statements he had ever said to me. “Tim. I have learned that Jesus calls me to love others as He loves the Church and I fail at it all the time.” I sat there on the other end of the phone and listened. There on the other end, I could almost hear tears in his voice. I said nothing, hoping that he would build upon what he had just said. After another few moments of silence, he began again. “I don’t know why it is so hard. We are only given one new commandment from Jesus’ mouth. ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another’ (John 13:34).’” I sat there across town on my cell phone and responded, “Me either.”

Loving one another is not a new command. Throughout the Bible, love appears all over the place. Jesus’ commandment is different. Up until this point, people only had a commandment to follow; Jesus demonstrated how we are to love. To Jesus, love goes far beyond buying a gift, or saying you care. It goes far beyond superficial acts of friendship or driving someone around town for the day because they don’t have a car. Jesus’ definition of love is so much greater than that. In this post, we are going to look at a few ways Jesus demonstrated love for others. We are going to examine the cost of loving someone as Jesus loves. We won’t look at them all, but we will examine four examples that will hopefully wet your appetite to find others. For all of us – and I say us; me first – this will be a challenge to change. We can no longer conform to the patterns of this world. We must be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:1). Loving others as Christ loves will ultimately be catalyst for these changes to become reality in our life.

Luke 5: 12,13

Have you ever considered what Jesus really did when he touched a man with leprosy and healed him? We don’t know exactly what kind of skin disease this man had, but the law was clear: This man was ‘untouchable.’ Yet, Jesus touched this man; He had compassion on him and touched him. How many ‘untouchables’ we could heal if we would be willing to love them through an act of a simple touch.

John 8: 3-11

What about the woman caught in an adulterous act? Even though some manuscripts do not have these events, it is in the Bible nonetheless. We therefore must consider it as important; God has placed it in our translations for a reason. Here, Jesus could have condemned this woman and put her to death by stoning her. Out of everyone in this group, He was the only one who would have had the Supreme authority to stone her because He was the only one who had not sinned. Yet, Jesus does not condemn her. He also does not stone her. He challenges her adversaries and sends them away. He then tells the girl that He does not condemn her.

If we had that place of authority, I wonder if we would take the same approach as Jesus took. Part of us would say we should give her grace for her loose living, yet another part of us wants to nail her for her sins. We would take our authority and nail her to our sins and make her pay for what she did. Jesus demonstrates grace. I wonder what our communities, our Churches, our families, and our relationships would look like if we loved one another like this. Sin is sin and needs to be dealt with just as Jesus dealt with this woman, yet He also loves her and reconciles her to her family and her community. We really fail in that area as believers.

John 13: 1-20

Jesus washes the feet of the disciples. Let me explain what this is all about: Take a toilet that has not been cleaned for months and months and place all that crud on your feet. Washing the feet of the disciples can be compared to cleaning a port-a-potty, filled to the brim, on a hot day. Jesus got down though and washed the feet of the disciples – all 12. Washing one’s feet is a symbol of serving someone else. It is an act of humility Jesus demonstrated throughout His life. He also called you and I to go out and do it too. No one said serving God was glamorous. Sometimes it means getting down and scrubbing the crud of someone else’s feet. This was a big deal to Jesus and it should be to us. I wonder what people would say if the Church got down and scrubbed the feet of the world instead of telling the world to scrub their feet. It is a complete role reversal.

John 19: 1-30

Our final example comes from Jesus dying on the cross. There is no greater love than this. The fact that Jesus died to reconcile everything still blows my mind today. Shouldn’t we be willing to love one another as Christ loves us? Shouldn’t we be willing to die for one another? Shouldn’t we let go of our pride to humbly serve one another? The world would definitely see we were different if we were willing to do that.

And so the challenge remains. Study these events for yourself. See how they can and will affect your life if you allow them. Ask the Holy Spirit to illumine your heart and give you the love of Jesus to share with the world. We will never get it perfect – only Jesus is perfect. We can get close though. With God’s help, we can see scattered glimpses of love throughout the world. It only takes a willingness to be transformed by Him. Perhaps they will know we are different by our love. Or, better yet, they will know by His love that runs through us. If we are looking to see change in our life, let’s start here.