UFC: Faith vs. Religion

Salvation by faith alone is one of the five necessary ingredients that make up the foundation of the Christian faith.  Remove this ingredient and your foundation will crumble.  Almost six years ago my beliefs were challenged and this ingredient was missing.  I had replaced it with hope, religion, blissful ignorance, and anything else that seemed good that I could throw into the mix.  When Erika brought me Scripture and shared with me that salvation is a free gift of God given by grace through faith alone(Eph 2:8-9); it was as if a great earthquake shook my beliefs to the core.  The foundation of my religion cracked in half and the life that I built for 23 years based on truth mixed with religion collapsed in ruins.  So having spent the better part of two decades worshiping God through the door of religion, and roughly six years now worshiping God through the door of faith, I have noticed great differences.

Faith and Religion are the keepers who open the door to worship. 

For those who love her, Faith breathes life into our dead bodies (Ezekiel 37:1-14, Eph 2:1).  Faith opens the door to the King and guards our unending inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-4).  Faith unlocks mysteries in the Bible and makes seemingly contradictory statements become absolute truths (Heb 11:3).   Many think Faith first appeared in the New Testament, but she has been active and alive since the beginning.  Faith was in the garden and made a promise about the One who will destroy Religion (Gen 3:15).  Faith empowered Noah in reverent fear to construct the ark (Gen 6:22, Heb 11:7).  She made Abraham look forward to the city whose designer and builder is God (Heb 11:10).  Faith made the thief on the cross hopeful as he hung condemned, unable to do anything (Luke 23:43).  Faith strengthened Martin Luther as he, an unassuming priest, challenged the Pope and exulted Faith over Religion.

Religion is the queen of perversion.  She beckons all who walk by to worship God in whatever way suits them.  She flatters all and says “bring your reasoning, rules, and good deeds.”  She teaches that God delights in a cheerful law abider.  Religion hides a seed of error in her batter and glazes it over with truth.  She confused Eve in the garden and thus Eve made her own rule saying, “you shall not touch” (Gen 3:3).  Religion was with Pharaoh, hardening his heart against the true King (Exodus 9:17).  She convinced the rich young ruler that Faith by herself is not worth it (Luke 18:18-30).  Religion cunningly deceived God’s people into handing over God to be killed (Mark 15:18-20).  Religion blended into the early church and taught that God loves Faith but only when she is with her more attractive sister Works (Galatians 5:1-6). 

Today, Religion continues to teach ways that we can please God.  Meanwhile God said 2,000 years ago that it is impossible to please him without Faith (Hebrews 11:6). 

Listen closely because Faith and Religion speak to each of us daily.  Faith and Religion speak on the radio, TV, the street corner; they come to your door- Faith with empty hands and a mouth that dispenses Scripture; Religion with a Bible and a rule.

So when you sit down at your house of worship (church, temple, synagogue, sofa) pay attention.  If Faith is honored you are blessed.  If she is condemned then run because chances are so are you.

Evangelism: Declaration and Demonstration

Recently a few people have asked me questions about how to witness to people of different faiths.  God has graciously given me many opportunities to share the gospel with people from various backgrounds. During the five and a half years I have known Jesus, I’ve had the honor of sharing the gospel with Muslims, Buddhists, Catholics, Mormons, Atheists, Jews, Christians, mentally handicapped groups, and others.  By God’s grace I’ve been able to evangelize at malls, college campuses, and around churches with a number of pastors and members of other churches in our area.  I’ve even done open air preaching at Sac State and in front of a bar in Old Sac.  I don’t say this to boast (I certainly have done stupid and silly things in evangelizing).  But, I share this with you so you will know I love evangelism and have tried many different ways to share the gospel.

No matter who you want to share the gospel with there are a few things you should know:

1)      Preach the gospel to yourself first.  Learn the gospel, practice the gospel, preach the gospel to yourself in as many ways as you can every day.  The gospel will humble you, break you, and lead you to our rescuer, Jesus.  The gospel will also cultivate patience and longsuffering within your own sinful heart (huge need if you are going to talk to others about their sin).  There are so many sides to the gospel so learn as much as you can so that when you share the gospel it will come from someone who has experience, not from someone who memorized Romans Road.  The more you learn to apply the gospel to yourself the more you will be able to be like Paul and become “all things to all people.”  By God’s providence, I’ve shared the gospel with people who have been drunk, on drugs, experiencing panic attacks while I’m talking to them, schizophrenics, gang members on their way to a funeral, cross dressers, homeless people,  and tons of people who are just plain mad.  If you have experience applying the gospel to your own heart at times when you’ve been mad, anxious, drenched in sin, times of rebellion, etc. then you won’t be so shocked when you meet people stuck in their sin.  Many of them know they are broken and the last thing they need is another religious person telling them what to do.  Instead, they need to be shown the love of Jesus and they need someone who can stoop down and rescue them.  You can’t do this if you too haven’t been broken, humbled, and laid low before Jesus.

2)      Preach the gospel to the people closest to you.  Are you married?  Learn how to preach the gospel to your spouse.  Every marriage is made up of 2 selfish sinners so this is the best platform to learn how to share the gospel.  Learn how your spouse is tempted to sin then learn how to apply the gospel in every situation.  Is your spouse tempted to be worried and anxious?  Is your spouse tempted to be judgmental or proud?  Is your spouse tempted to be angry?  No matter how your spouse is tempted to sin you have plenty of opportunities to declare and demonstrate the gospel in your own home which leads me to the next point.

3)      Declare and demonstrate the gospel to all people.  Not only should you know how to verbalize the gospel (you are a great sinner, Jesus is the Great Savior).  You should also know how to demonstrate the gospel.  Do you have a family member that constantly sins against you?  Does someone in the church frustrate you?  Does your boss provoke you to anger?  I’m sure your answer is yes depending only on the hour of the day.  Colossians 3 gives a great example of how we are to demonstrate the gospel to each other. 

4)      Pray and obey.  The great commission was given for all Christians for all time.  God gives Christians the honor of sharing the gospel with believers and non-believers.  So start with yourself and move outward starting with those closest to you (family and church family). 

Most evangelism programs will attempt to toss you into the lion’s den by guilting you into passing out a gospel tract to scary strangers in Downtown, USA.  Since I have done this hundreds of times in multiple cities I can now look back and see that it’s kind of silly.  I would much rather direct you to share the gospel with yourself, your spouse, your family, your church family, your friends, your neighbors, and if you still have enough time to share the gospel with random vacationers in Old Sac then feel free.  Just make sure that you are not abandoning your spouse, family, church, friends, and neighbors in order to reach “people for Christ.”  Beware that you don’t withhold the gospel from those closest to you only to share it with people whom you will never have the opportunity to demonstrate it with.

Since God is sovereign over salvation (Psalm 3:8) you don’t need a script or bullet points on how to lead sinners to Christ.  Instead, you need to believe the gospel until you are humbled, broken, and dependant on Jesus.  Once you have experience with your own atheistic heart, sharing the gospel with atheists will become all too familiar.  Once you have experience sharing the gospel with your proud, idol-making, self-loving, works righteous heart then it won’t be so scary talking to Buddists, Catholics, Christians, Mormons, etc. because we have all been created with the same anti-gospel heart (Romans 3:23, 7:15). 

For mature Christians that are preaching the gospel to themselves, their family, and their church family, but they don’t know what to say to non-believers let me give you some helpful hints.

1)      Sharing the gospel is counseling not sword fighting.  Don’t rush into battle beating your unbelieving friend with random Scripture verses.  Instead, ask questions about his/her beliefs and apply Scripture verses as needed.  A lot of times unbelievers get won over from your love, care, and concern, and not just your words (1 Peter 3:12).  If you are sharing the gospel with someone close to you then more than likely you will have years to draw alongside your friend or family member so don’t think you have to slay them in a sword fight right now!  Believe me if your friend happens to continuing living and you’ve been preaching like they’re going to die tonight then it will make for an awkward friendship in the morning.

2)      Repentance and Faith: Don’t witness without them.  Every time you share the gospel you need to fall on repentance (from sin) and faith (in Jesus).  I like to explain that we can’t do either of these on our own.  Instead, I like to share with people that they need Jesus to give them faith and repentance.  So they should feel both hopeless (can’t do it on their own) and hopeful (Jesus can save).

Evangelism doesn’t have to be as terrifying as it’s made out to be.  Focus on preaching the gospel to yourself first and then move from there.  When you’re talking with people from different faiths don’t freak yourself out.  Ask questions, be truly interested, learn about your friends beliefs, and then ask them if you can tell them about Jesus according to the Bible.  Weave evangelism into your normal everyday conversations with the people that are closest to you.  Adorn the gospel of Jesus Christ with good works (Titus 2, James 2) so that the people who are closest to you will “see your good deeds and praise your father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Final thought- you can walk the streets and hand out gospel tracts to 20 people this week, or you can pray for the people who are closest to you (believers or not) and commit to declaring and demonstrating the gospel to them for the rest of your life.

Proverb A Day

Ever notice how many verbs are in Proverbs?  This book keeps me busy with verbs like: listen, obey, do, do not, search, get, consider, give and so on.  For only 31 chapters there is a lifetime of wisdom packed into this little book.  I believe that even if the Lord allowed me to live to be 100 on my last day I will still be amazed at God’s wisdom, holiness and faithfulness found on these pages.

I find myself relying on Proverbs 2 & 3 very heavily.  Many times throughout the week I am prompted to turn to verses like “if you call out for insight…search for it as for hidden treasure…wisdom will enter your heart” (2:3-10).  I am humbled that God is faithful enough to discipline me to search for wisdom and loving enough to apply wisdom to my wicked heart. 

Proverbs is full of contingent promises- if you do this, then (in general) you can expect this.   For all believers we can agree with a contingent promise found in the first chapter of Proverbs, which says “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.”  When believers read this we say “amen.”  We know there was a time in our lives when the gospel didn’t make sense until God changed our hearts and made His words known to us.

If you are looking for practical wisdom- how God desires you live your life, then I suggest you read a Proverb a day.  The saying goes like this “A Proverb a day keeps the devil away.”  Not too theologically sounds since the devil always “prowls around like a roaming lion seeking someone to devour,” but at least it rhymes. 

Here are some of my favorite Proverbs along with explanations as to how they constantly change my thinking which God uses to change how I live. 

Proverbs 1:20 “Wisdom calls aloud in the street” – God’s truth is not only stored in the Bible.  Recently, Erika and I watched a video where a small child said “I may not understand every word that my parents say, but I see everything, I am watching.”  Yikes!  Wisdom would say that’s true and we should be mindful of what we say and do in the presence of our boys.

Proverbs 2:8 “For he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.” – God is my guard and protector.  That’s huge when I truly believe it.

Proverbs 3:3 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you.” – This Proverb often comes in handy when I get frustrated (sin) with people who are close to me. When I walk into this kind of sin this verse springs up and beats my head until I believe it.  

Proverbs 6:22 “…they will speak to you.”  In reference to the importance of keeping God’s commands, binding them on your heart, and fastening them around your neck.  CJ Mahaney, in his book Humility wrote, “Most of us spend more time listening to lies than we do speaking truth to ourselves.” Every day my thoughts lead me down dreadful trails that inevitably are void of any truth, hope, and absent of any promises that God has for me in His Word.  After I realize how far my thoughts have taken me the only way to recover is to begin to speak the truth of God’s Word to myself.  That’s where memorizing Scripture comes in handy because, like a sword, God’s truth will cut through lies and set me free.

Proverbs 9- I love the comparison between Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly.  They both have prepared their tables and they both invite me to dine with them every day.  When Deacon is tempted to complain I’ll ask him “What would Wisdom say, and what would Folly say?”  I was stunned recently when he said “Wisdom would say that I should take a bath.  Folly would complain about bath.” He got a big hug before I dunked him in the bathtub!

Proverbs 12:4 “The wife of a noble character is her husband’s crown.” – I’ve written about this verse before. My wife is my crown and needs to be loved and cared for accordingly.  In essence she sits atop my head for all to see.  If I am harsh with her then it’s like having a faded crown.   If I am loving to her it’s like adding more bling to my crown.

Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Self explanatory, and very helpful when I’m tempted to throw a jab with my words.

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction…” – I need to get that one my hand!

Proverbs 19:27 “Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” – That is a very scary thought.  When I am tempted to not read the Bible, skip out on fellowship, etc. this verse judges my heart and gets me in line.

Proverbs 23:4-5 “Do not wear yourself out to get rich: have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone.” – Amen!  What a great reminder that Jesus is my treasure and that there are more important things in my life than striving for riches- much more important things!

Proverbs 25:6-7 “Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among great men; it is better for him to say to you, ‘Come up here,’ than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman.” – Often times my pride will tell me that I deserve recognition (especially with my job). This verse shuts my mouth when I am about to boast, and it causes me to offer up my seat when I’m about to checkmate a co-worker by sitting in the prominent place (next to my boss).  It’s better for me to wash the dishes in the kitchen than to sit with my pride next to my boss.

Proverbs 27:5 “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” – This keeps me grateful for my bride and pastor who are loving enough to be longsuffering with me, especially when I am in sin.

Proverbs 31:11 “Her husband has full confidence in her.” – Reminder that it’s a beautiful, God-honoring thing to have full confidence in my wife of “noble character.”  This verse frees me up to be thankful that God has given me a wife who I can have full confidence in. 

Those are only a few of the Proverbs that direct my life as a 28 year old husband, father and employee.  What about you?  If you have time to post a comment I’d love to hear what Proverbs direct your life and how they affect you.

Modern Family: A Generation of Al Bundys & Caillous

Like most parents, Erika and I spent hours and hours researching names for our boys before they were born.  We bought the books, bookmarked the websites, and combed through church history to try and find fitting names for our boys.  For our first son we chose the name Deacon which means “a servant leader.”  In our home, we place high value on leading by serving others because our leader, Jesus, set the perfect example (Matthew 20:16, 28).

For our second son we chose the name Emmett which means “hardworking.”  This is a quality that we believe our generation has lost.  Hard work is left for past generations and, like water, men today are seeking the path of least resistance in every area of life.  The motto of college graduates is “the day I find a job I love is the last day I will have to work.”  That sounds cute but it’s a shame when young men seek jobs they love over more challenging jobs that would allow them to provide well for their future families.  Since Emmett is only 10 months old he is exempt from hard work, but his 2 year old brother is already learning the disciplines of table manners, cleaning up after playtime, battling his sin with prayer and help from mommy and daddy, along with various other “duties” that are appropriate for a toddler.

Our present day culture as seen through the eyes of Hollywood is altogether void of Deacons (servant leaders) and Emmetts (hardworking men).  Instead, early morning TV shows promote boys like Caillou- a whining, complaining boy whose father and mother wear interchangeable baggy sweaters.  While evening TV shows promote either chauvinist men like Al Bundy’s character in Modern Family or passive men like all of his sons.  Where can you find a man who leads by serving and works hard to provide well for his family? 

Even in the church you won’t find many Deacons and Emmetts.  Instead, you will find a sea of Caillous and Al Bundys.  The problem is that most men don’t have examples of servant leaders or hardworking men in their lives so they don’t really know what this looks like.  Furthermore, when situations arise where servant leadership and hard work are both necessary, most of the time men sit back and watch the women in their lives (wives and mothers) step in to take the lead.

We live in a generation where men scoff at the notion of getting a second job even if the purpose is as important as making sure that mommy can stay at home to raise the kids.  Since when did men become exempt from working 2 jobs? 

Unfortunately, our culture and the church cater to Caillous and Al Bundys and, as a result, girls are raised to believe they need to be completely self-reliant because they are bound to marry someone who won’t be able to pull the weight of his own family.  Men are no longer expected to provide well for their families as 1 Timothy 5:8 admonishes, while women are expected to come to the marriage with a dowry (a nice car, current wardrobe, and no debt) and a college degree so that she can continue to provide financially as long as they both shall live. 

Deacons and Emmetts work diligently trusting that God will provide all of their needs through their hard work (Proverbs 10:4).  Deacons and Emmetts trust that God will use them to provide shelter, food, and luxuries for their families and that He will use their hard work to fund the church through tithes and offerings too. 

Staying true to my blog title, I think it’s about time to peer a bit deeper into the total depravity of men.  I believe the real problem is that all men are naturally born with either the DNA of Caillou or Al Bundy.  Like lemmings, all men follow each other towards the cliffs of passivity or chauvinism.  We either cling to mommy’s apron strings or we curse her out and become her greatest grief (Proverbs 17:25).  I challenge you to search all 300 channels tonight to find 1 actor who portrays the qualities of being both a hard worker and a servant leader. 

Erika and I chose names for our boys that, by God’s grace, they will learn to grow into.  Our hope is that they will learn at a young age to kill the little Caillou or Al Bundy that is growing in them, tempting them to be passive or chauvinistic.  As a grown man I know the effects of these sins when they are left unchecked.  If left unchecked these sins will grow with them and, like all sin, they will lead to death in their homes- death of fellowship with their bride, kids, and relationship with God.      

1 Timothy 4:16 challenges us to guard our life and doctrine closely.  In 1 Timothy 4:6-8 we are told to be trained in godliness, “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”  Learning to lead by serving and working hard is what we need men to do in their homes, jobs, and churches.  My hope is that men who follow after Jesus will follow his example so that our modern families will begin to reflect more attributes of Jesus and less attributes of Al Bundy, Caillou, Adam Sandler, Will Farrell, Mel Gibson….and the list goes on. 

A couple resources that will help to kill the Caillou or Al Bundy in you are Mortification of Sin by John Owen and Manly Dominion by Mark Chanski.