Christian Persecution

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Persecution

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

2 Timothy 3:12

 

In the past couple of years, ISIS has brought the issue of Christian persecution to the forefront of the world with their release of videos showing the be-headings of Egyptian Christians on a beach in Libya and the vicious attacks on Christians in Syria and Iraq. But there have been other attacks on Christians that have gained the world’s attention, including the kidnapping of 200+ Christians girls in Nigeria by Boko Haram and the murder of 70+ Christian college students in Garissa, Kenya. There have also been many lesser known attacks on Christians worldwide as documented by Open doors International that include church destruction and the incarceration of Christians. I am also personally aware of church bombings in Pakistan and the intimidation of Christians in India through our network of contacts. These are horrible atrocities that we Christians here in America are shielded from and have rarely, if ever, faced ourselves.

But does that mean that Christians in America are not persecuted? Hardly.  While we rarely face imprisonment for our faith, it happened just recently when Kim Davis, the Rowan County Clerk in Kentucky, was jailed for not issuing marriage licenses to gay couples because of her faith. Then there is Aaron & Melissa Klein, who own an Oregon bakery, who refused to put a celebratory message on a wedding cake for a gay couple and was sued and ordered to pay $135,000 in damages. There are blistering attacks on Christians who share their beliefs on the internet and in the media as well as the continual erosion of respect for the rights of Christians to express their faith in this nation. While these may pale in comparison to what is happening in the rest of the world, it is deeply troubling that it is now happening in America!

We Christians in America have been living a blessed life for many years, owing to the faith of our founders and forefathers in this land. But the culture in America has changed radically in the past 50 years and has become more secularized.  America has turned its back on God and began doing so long ago. And yet we should not be surprised. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:12 that “In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Additionally, Jesus said in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” And again in John 15:20 he said that “if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”  So it is clear that persecution goes along with being a Christian!

And that should be obvious, because the world is against God and has been corrupted by satan since the fall of man (Genesis 3). Paul writes in Galatians 5:17 that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other.” So as a Christian develops a deeper faith in Christ they should expect more persecution. The more we become like Christ the more the world will hate us and persecute us. That’s why Jesus was crucified, because he was a threat to the ways of the world (and people doing what they want instead of submitting to God).

Ah, but wait!  There is good news!! Jesus said in John 16:33 that “in this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus went to the cross for you and me, and even those who killed him. But God raised Him from the dead for all to see.  He did this to save us! Why? Because our God is a loving God and does not want anyone to perish but to come to repentance (1Peter 3:9) and to experience eternal life with Him!! He did this so we might have everlasting joy and the assurance of eternity with our loving God and Savior Jesus Christ.

So no matter what happens in this world, Christians know that there is a better world waiting for us. We should not fear death nor should we fear persecution. But as it is written in 1 Peter 4:13, “Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.” And again in  1 Peter 4:16, “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”

So c’mon world, bring it on! My God is bigger than your hate!!

Global Trainer Network Exceeds Goals!

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Goals

Last year FaithLife Ministries established our Management for Church Leaders™ Global Trainer Network. Our strategy was simple – to multiply and spread our training through indigenous ministry trainers around the globe rather than sending more Americans abroad to train our material. Not only is this a less costly means of training, it has also proven to be more effective as well since national trainers know their cultures and needs better than we do.   When we started this network there were 28 pastors and leaders we had previously trained who agreed to join our network and commit to training others on our behalf. However, we did not anticipate how successful this strategy would become.

In its first year, 2014, our network of 28 global MCL Trainers trained 3,401 leaders in 21 nations through 70 training conferences.  The training was also taken to two new nations – Pakistan and Togo. That compares with our training of only 400 leaders in 8 nations through 7 international trips.  The effectiveness of this strategy in the first year alone would appear to be obvious, and the results were great!

So as we entered 2015 we set some goals for our network of global trainers to reach. We wanted to see them train 2,000 leaders in 20 nations, and we wanted to add 10 new trainers to the network. Although these goals may seem a bit low, we were unsure after only one year if the results from 2014 would continue.  We soon found out that it would! As of today, our network has exceeded all of these goals, having trained 2,496 leaders in 21 nations through 70 conferences, including the 3 new nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Chile.  And our network has plans to train in 20 more conferences still to come, including 4 new nations (Niger, Zambia, Botswana and Bhutan). We have also added 16 new MCL Trainers this year, bringing our network total up to 47 trainers! God is indeed awesome and we are thankful to Him for everything that has been achieved so far! As Paul reminded the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

Realizing the success of this strategy, and what God was doing, we began to direct more of our mission funds towards supporting our network of trainers financially and developing more support tools for them, such as a Trainer’s Manual and more recently some instructional videos on how to teach our material to others. We are now focusing our efforts on establishing our training in new nations, raising up more MCL Trainers in new nations for our network, and training and equipping our network of trainers to train others. Our overall vision is to see our training reach 100 nations.  We are currently at 41 but expect to be close to 50 by the end of this year, due in large part to our network which will take our training to 7 new nations this year, compared to our 3. We believe that this strategy will also enable us to achieve this vision in the next 10 years.

All the glory, honor and praise goes to God our Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, whom we seek to serve, obey and trust for the success of this ministry!

 

Discipleship Planning

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Planning 2

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…”

Matthew 28:19

Before Jesus left this earth to join His Father in Heaven, He left us with instructions on what to do as His followers.  He said in Matthew 28:19 that we are to “go and make disciples of all nations.”  We call this the Great Commission and it is the sole purpose and calling of the Christian church in the world. There is no other reason for the existence of the Church. And yet so few churches actually make this the priority and focus of their ministry.  Instead they create activities, such as worship services, fellowship events, Bible classes and even mission trips that they hope will eventually produce disciples.  But activity is not necessarily accomplishment.   In my global travels and experience I have found that there are very few churches that have a plan on how they intend to make disciples. Having a goal of making disciples and not having a plan on how to do it is just wishful thinking!

Several years ago I read a book by George Barna entitled “Growing True Disciples” (2001, Waterbrook Press).  In his book Mr. Barna researched many churches in the USA and discovered that “Few churches or Christians have a clear, measurable definition of spiritual success.”  In other words, they have no goals and no plans on how to effectively make disciples. They simply create church activities that they hope will inspire their members to seek God and to follow Jesus. This is rarely effective and typically results in churches with more people who are church goers rather than Jesus followers!

Pastor Robert Schuller, author, speaker and former pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in California once said, “Fail to plan and you plan to fail.” He was saying that success rarely happens without a plan.  We often have goals we want to achieve, such as losing weight, owning our own business, or competing in the Olympics.  But without a plan to achieve them one is likely to fall short, lose interest, or miss the mark entirely.  Planning helps us organize and focus our time, money and resources to reach our goal.

So if making disciples is the goal and priority of the church, why do so many churches lack a plan to achieve that goal?  Perhaps it is because they simply believe its the work of the Holy Spirit and that it is just too difficult to measure.  I agree completely that it is the work of the Holy Spirit but I would disagree on the measurement aspect. Yes, the measurements are not always easy to quantify and often hard to measure, but it is possible, especially on a church-wide basis.  For example, one could measure worship attendance, small group participation, or Bible class enrollments, and then compare statistics from year to year to see if there is any growth.  Another method would be to look at the participation rates in the service, prayer, mission and evangelism activities of the church. As church members become more committed to Christ we should see the evidence in terms of greater giving and involvement in ministry to others. Matthew 7:20 reminds us that “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

A discipleship plan for the church would then simply involve setting goals for these measurements every year and then organizing all church activities and resources towards achieving these goals. These measurements could also be tracked on an individual as well as a church-wide basis to see how individuals are growing in their faith. Then churches could evaluate all of their activities every year as to how they are impacting discipleship and the growth in faith of its members. They can see where they are having successes and they can also see where they are not effective.  It is not rocket science, but it does take discipline to adhere to the goals and to track measurements.

Planning is nothing more than organizing one’s resources to achieve a goal or a vision. For the church to be effective in making disciples they must do two things.  First, the church must set measurable goals for discipleship. This means they must determine appropriate measurements and stay focused on their goals.  Second, they must develop a plan that will enable them to achieve those goals.  This means they must have the procedures in place to track statistics and have ongoing evaluation of the plan.  Failure to do both of these will ultimately cause the church to fall short of achieving the Great Commission and the vision that Jesus has called all of His followers to pursue.

Finally, it is important for the church to be intentional about making disciples and not to just assume that it is happening. We should also remember Proverbs 16:3 which says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.”  To God alone be the glory!

 

 

Holiness Anyone?

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Holiness

“Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”

Leviticus 19:2

In today’s American culture, as well as many other nations around the world, people who do not fit the cultural norms are often mistreated, ridiculed, and persecuted. The cultural norm today in America seems to be tolerance of any individuality, whether it is sexual preference, clothing (or lack thereof), artistic creativity, drug use, foul language, or a whole slew of other behaviors that used to be considered in bad taste or out of bounds. There is even a cable television channel dedicated to to it – USA – that declares all characters (being unique or different) as good. However, somewhere along the way America has lost its boundary lines of what it considers to be good behavior and what is not. And in many cases the more outrageous the behavior the more it is publicized and glorified by the media, held up as acceptable, and in some cases, promoted as desirable.  I guess we should not be surprised, because we live in a fallen world that is corrupt. But America did not used to be like this when I was growing up.

Regardless of what the culture believes or does, as Christians, however, we are called to live holy and God pleasing lives.  God says in Leviticus 19:2, “Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Jesus says in Matthew 5:48 that we should “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 & 7 that “It is God’s will that you should be holy” and “God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” Peter adds in 2 Peter 3:11 that “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what type of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and Godly lives.” So it is clear from Scripture that we are to live lives of holiness, dedicated to following Christ and obeying God’s Word. This is the standard for all Christians!

What is holiness? It is the avoidance of sin and the sinful nature. The sinful nature is described in Galatians 5:19-21, It says “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like.”  That’s quite a list! Notice how it says that these are obvious.  I wonder how many Americans would agree? In so many ways our American culture celebrates many of these acts of the sinful nature. It is even sadder to me that so many people who claim to be Christian in America also revel in these sins, participate in them, and sometimes even advocate them.

That is not what God had in mind for His people and the followers of His Son Jesus! He sent His Son to pay the penalty for those sins of the human nature, to put to death once and for all the things that will destroy us, and to show us through His Son what a perfect, holy life looks like. Yes, we fail miserably to be holy.  But that does not mean that we stop trying or try to redefine sin so we lower God’s standard. God has set His standard for all time in Jesus!! That will never change. If we truly want to follow Jesus then we must always endeavor to be holy and to seek His holiness in our lives. But we are also assured of His forgiveness and mercy when we do fail and repent of our sin.

As Christians in America, we must distinguish ourselves from our culture by living God-pleasing, holy lives.  We must be careful not to get “entangled” in the sin that draws us away from God, but to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2). We must stand firm in our faith, trust in the Lord, and resist the temptation to be like the culture if it does not align with God’s Word. We should expect to face rejection, persecution and ridicule from our culture, just like Jesus did from His. The culture will not tolerate us any more than the Jesus’ culture tolerated Him. That’s what it means to be holy and a follower of Christ!

Finally, one more encouragement and word of truth from Scripture:  “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14)

Holiness, anyone?

 

Servant Leadership

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Jesus Washing Feet

“Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:26-27

In the Bible, Jesus clearly taught the principle of servant leadership, and that the person who wants to lead must first be a servant of others.  This is precisely how God designed humans to lead one another for the benefit of all.  Of course, the world views this much differently and often those who pursue leadership want to have the power to do what they want or believe is best.  Just look at the 2016 American Presidential race that is now underway.  How many candidates would we say are servant leaders? Not many, I suspect. And unfortunately, we will get what we vote for!

I would like to share a true story from a few hundred years ago.  There were a group of soldiers responsible for a cannon on wheels. On one particular day, it had been raining and the ground was very muddy.  Eventually the cannon got stuck in the mud. The Sergeant of the group rode on a horse and barked out instructions to the soldiers on how to get the cannon out of the mud, but to no avail. No matter how hard they pushed or pulled they could not get the cannon unstuck. Then a General came along and asked what the problem was.  The Sergeant said the cannon was stuck and his men could not get it out of the mud.  The General asked the Sergeant, “why don’t you get down and help them and maybe together you can get it out of the mud.” The Sergeant replied, “I am the Sergeant and they are the soldiers. It’s not my job to do that.  Besides, I might get my uniform dirty.” At this, the General got off of his horse and helped the men move the cannon out of the mud. That General was George Washington, the first President of the United States!

You see, George Washington understood what servant leadership was.  That’s what made him such a great leader!  It was not sitting high on his horse and telling others what to do. Rather, it was getting down in the mud and working together with his followers so that problems can be solved and goals can be reached. Effective leadership is when the leader humbles himself and seeks to support his followers, and not make demands of them.

A more current example came from a friend of mine from Indonesia, who recently sent me this story about President Jokowi of Indonesia. “On the 18th of June 2015, he invited 400 orphans to the presidential palace for a breaking of fast occasion. What was really touching and endearing is the fact that during the occasion, President Jokowi lined up for his food just like the orphans!! There was no special table for him or his Ministers, nor did they have any special food!! I could not help but be full of admiration for this great man and leader. How many people of his stature would do such a thing? How many would even contemplate inviting orphans to their breaking fast occasion!! Even if he had food served to him on a special table with lavish decorations, culturally we would have accepted it. But he personifies this concept of servant leadership i.e. he insisted on doing what his followers were doing and demonstrated that although he was their leader, he was full of humility.”  President Jokowi also understands servant leadership, and his nation will undoubtedly be blessed because of it.

The world needs more servant leaders. We need them in government.  We need them in business.  And we need them in our churches. When leaders lead according to Biblical principles, as humble servants, the people will be blessed. But when leaders lead for their own glory and purposes, the people are harmed in the process.

So let us pray for all leaders and for them to lead as servants. And let us nominate, appoint, and elect only those leaders who will demonstrate servant leadership!

 

 

So You Want to be a Leader?

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Leader Price

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Luke 12:48

It seems like everyone wants to be the boss these days.  Whether you are running for President of the United States, want your boss’s job, want to start your own company, or want to lead a church, leadership comes with a price. Many people often do not count the cost of leadership and what being the boss really means. They simply see leadership as an opportunity to “call the shots” and tell other people what to do. But nothing could be further from the truth!

I once worked in a company and felt that I could do my boss’s job better than he could. Then one day he gave me the opportunity to act in his place for a week while he was on vacation. I relished the opportunity to make my own decisions for a change.  But when I sat in his office and saw the responsibilities that he had and the tough decisions he had to make, I suddenly realized I was in over my head! I had only seen the virtual “tip of the iceberg” of his job and I was unprepared to make all of the decisions that he made every day.  It also taught me a valuable lesson about leadership. Leadership is not about being boss.  Leadership is about taking responsibility for the welfare and actions of others.

Jesus told his disciples via a parable that “to whom much is given, much will be demanded.” (Luke 12:48) Jesus had poured his life and wisdom into them and was expecting them to do as He had done. Jesus further says in this passage that “much more will be asked” of them as well.  In other words, those who desire to be leaders will be expected and asked to give even more than others.  Additionally, leaders will also be held accountable for their actions, including those on behalf of others (Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12 & Hebrews 4:13). Jesus also issues a warning to all of us, but especially to leaders, that “things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin” (Luke 17:1-2) So leaders must accept the responsibility of caring for their followers and be careful not to lead them astray or abandon them.  Leaders must therefore take their responsibility very seriously.  Failure to do so has grave consequences.

Leaders must also understand that becoming a leader also makes them a target.  Every leader will face challenges, including rejection, criticism, and betrayal. Jesus did and leaders will as well. Christian leaders will also face attacks from satan, who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), because satan knows that if he can bring the leader down, he can bring his followers down with him.

So you want to be a leader? Unless you are willing to take responsibility for others and accept the reality of greater expectations and challenges, I suggest you reconsider wanting to be the boss.

However, when you are ready for leadership and willing to accept the responsibility that comes with it, know that God will guide you and support you with His Holy Spirit! (“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13.)

God or Me?

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Choice

In the Bible, God clearly states that we, as His creation, “are to have no other gods before Him” (Exodus 20:3).  This is the first of the Ten Commandments and sets forth the foundation of our relationship with Almighty God. God desires that we worship Him alone and submit our lives to Him.  But throughout history man continues to place other things above God in their lives.  Perhaps the most common idol man worships is himself and his own will instead of God’s will. And this is where we get off track and begin to derail ourselves from God’s plan for our lives.

God gave us free will to choose Him and He does not force anyone to believe in Him or submit to Him.  Like a loving Father He wants His children to come to Him willfully and gladly.  He sets before us blessings and curses (Deuteronomy 30:19) and wants us to choose Him so that we may live and be blessed (Deuteronomy 30:16). But when we choose our own way instead of God’s way we not only ignore God but we also put our lives in peril.

In America today, many of our social problems and conflicts can be traced back to the same thing – people wanting to do what they want, what pleases them or what makes them happy. They have placed their own personal choices above God.  Our culture calls this tolerance. God calls this sin. Why do you think the church and Christianity have come under attack in America? Is it because Christians are intolerant? No. It is because God stands in the way of man’s desire to justify their personal choices. If God does not exist then man can do what it wants. We can’t have it both ways.  Either we submit to our own will or God’s will. So, for example, in order for man to endorse abortion God must be eliminated from the discussion or at least made irrelevant. The same goes for homosexuality and gay marriage. So endorsing tolerance of these sins is a direct frontal attack on God. It is because God’s Word is the only thing that stands against man doing what he wants.

And who do you think is behind this? It is satan, of course! From the beginning he has been a liar and deceiver and continues to tell people that they don’t need God and that they can be their own god. He convinced Eve to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree so that by eating it “she will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5) He continually encourages man to deny God, do what pleases man, so that they can become like God. As Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” This has been satan’s game plan from the beginning, and apparently it still works today!

Today, we have the same choice – to serve God and do what He says, or serve ourselves and do what we want. It comes down to God or Me? God is good and wants to bless all people (“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him” – Psalms 34:8). Man is sinful (“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23) and our ways lead to our destruction (“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” – Proverbs 14:12).

Who do you choose, God or Me?

I want to be blessed, so I choose God! I pray that you do too!

Ministry Leadership

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LeadershipAccording to John Maxwell, an authority on leadership, the success of any endeavor or organization rises and falls on leadership (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Thomas Nelson, 2007).  It is because leaders have tremendous influence over their organizations and their decisions, whether large or small, will often have a significant impact. That impact can either be positive or negative, depending upon the nature of each decision.  So in order for leaders to be effective it is important for them to lead wisely.  This is also true for pastors and leaders in churches and ministries.

I believe that there are 5 keys to effective ministry leadership, and each one is important to grow and sustain a ministry. Let’s look at each key individually:

#1. Leaders Use Influence, Not Authority

Leadership is about influence and the ability to motivate others to achieve a goal.  Influence is earned by building up trust and respect and results in others willingly following the leader. Authority, on the other hand, is about power and control, and generally comes from the person’s title or position in an organization. It is the ability of the person in charge to enforce their will on others. According to Romans 13:1, “There is no authority except that which God has established.” In other words, it is God who really gives leaders their authority.  Furthermore, He says there are two ways in which they are to use it.  First, they must use it to teach others (Titus 2:1 & 15).  Second, they must use it to serve others (1 Peter 5:2). So the true use of authority should be to teach and to serve others.  It is also always better to lead with influence than authority, because it means that the followers willingly follow their leader.  Sometimes leaders will have to use their authority, but just know that when they do they run the risk of creating opposition as not everyone will always agree with them.

#2. Leaders Have a Vision

Proverbs 29:18 says “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.” This means that without a vision people will often do what seems best to them.  The Book of Judges pretty well describes what happens when there is no leadership!  An effective leader has a vision of where he is going and where he is taking his followers. Without a vision a ministry has no direction and simply wanders about with no real purpose.  This often leads to stagnation or decline.  A strong vision enables everyone in a ministry to work towards a common goal. It must also be quantifiable so that it can be measured in order for the ministry to know when the goal has been achieved. Please note that a vision is not the same as a mission.  The mission defines what you do.  The vision defines the goal you are trying to achieve. A vision for any ministry must come from God.  So it is important for a leader to pray for a vision and to think BIG so he or she can allow God to display His power through them.

#3.  Leaders Have a Plan

If a leader has a vision then a leader must also have a plan.  A goal without a corresponding plan is just wishful thinking.  Without a plan a leader is unlikely to achieve the vision.  The plan is the vehicle by which the leader organizes the resources God has provided (people, money, time, information, etc.) to achieve the vision God has give them. In other words, the leader manages God’s resources for God’s vision.  God expects the leader to invest wisely and to produce a return on His investment in them (Parable of the Ten Talents – Matthew 25:14-30).  A leader’s job, therefore, it to plan the work and then work the plan.  But also note that a good plan is flexible and allows for changes. It is not set in concrete but changes as circumstances change.

#4.  Leaders Develop People

John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Similarly, leadership is not about telling others what they can do for you, but how leaders can develop their followers to achieve more for the ministry.  When you become a ministry leader you accept responsibility for your followers.  That means that leaders must serve them and develop them to their fullest potential.  First and foremost, leaders must make disciples of their followers.  This is true whether the leader is a pastor, worship leader, youth minister, or any other ministry leadership position. This is the sole reason the ministry exists. Second, leaders must train and equip others for ministry. Every believer is a minister of the  gospel (1 Peter 2:9) and leaders must help them find their role in the ministry of the church. Finally, leaders must develop other leaders in order to grow, expand and perpetuate their ministry.

#5.  Leaders Focus on Accomplishment

Effective leaders focus on achieving goals and producing results for the ministry.  Romans 14:12 says “So then, each one of us will give an account of himself to God.”  Leaders will be held accountable for what they did with what God gave them.  Consequently, effective leaders strive towards the vision and measure success by the results that are achieved. Effective leaders also focus on areas of greatest return for the ministry and abandon ministries that are not producing any fruit. They also understand that activity is not accomplishment.  Just because a church is busy and active does not necessarily mean it is effective or accomplishing anything.

 

I believe that if ministry leaders concentrate on these 5 keys they will be more effective in their ministries and produce more disciples for the Kingdom!

Turning America Back To God

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About Face CoverBarry Voss, President of FaithLife Ministries, has written a new book about Christianity and the American culture today.  The book is entitled “About Face: A Call to Turn America Back to God.”

In this book Barry discusses how the American culture has changed during his lifetime.  Growing up in the 1960s he saw America start to change its values.  He witnessed America turn away from God over the past fifty years and become more secular. He breaks down the ways this has become evident by looking at how eight different values in our culture have changed. They include the erosion of Biblical influence, sexual idolatry, devaluation of life, coveting wealth, rampant dishonesty, an entitlement mentality, a lack of personal responsibility, and a rise in socialism. He shows how America has lost its respect for the Church, moved away from Christian and Biblical values, and how it now values personal choice above God’s Word.

But he also offers a solution and shows how followers of Christ and the Church can lead America back to God.  Although Christians are strangers and aliens in our nation (1 Peter 2:11), we are still called by God to influence our nation and be “salt & light” (Matthew 5) in it.  He provides eight ways Christians can influence our culture by being who we were called to be.  He demonstrates that it is only when Christians focus on being the Church, sharing the gospel, and making disciples of Jesus, that the Holy Spirit can use us to turn our nation back to God.

> Watch video trailer

The book was published by Xulon Press, the largest Christian self publisher and was released on April 9th, 2015.  It is available in a variety of formats.  Please click on any of the links below to purchase a copy.  All proceeds go to FaithLife Ministries to support the mission work that we do.

Paperback:  Xulon Press or Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble

Kindle:  Amazon.com

Nook:  Barnes & Noble

Apple:  iStore

 

We would certainly welcome your feedback on the book after you have read it.  Please feel free to return to this blog page to post your comments and feedback.

How Christians Offend God

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Prayer posture

The Bible clearly tells us that all sin is an offense to God (Romans 8:8). But so often, Christians act as if some of the sins they commit are somehow either more acceptable to God today or that He understands our human weakness and lets them slide, so to speak.  But that is far from the truth of God’s Word. God detests all sin.  God is Holy and Just, and every sin we commit separates us from Him.  Nothing is hidden from Him. Every sin must be punished!  But God loves us so much, He sent His only Son, Jesus, to go to the cross so that He would be punished instead of us for our sins. So when Christians fail to recognize their own sinfulness, God is deeply offended, and Jesus’ death on the cross is trivialized.

In our American culture today, I believe that some Christians think some things they do are not sinful anymore and so they are not offensive to God.  In some cases they may not even realize they are offending God. It may either be a result of their lack of Biblical knowledge or the influence of our secular culture. Whatever the reason, they are not repentant nor do they consider that God is offended by what they do.  This could be a tragic mistake, because Jesus warns us in Matthew 7:21 that “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven.” 

So knowing and understanding what behavior is sinful is extremely important for Christians. The Bible tells us what is sinful, not the culture and not other people, even pastors. Christians must read their Bible to know what sin is and what offends God.  Then we must repent and seek His forgiveness for our sinful behavior in order to be forgiven and reconciled to Him.

Here are 10 things that some Christians do today that culturally may be acceptable but I believe deeply offend God:

1.  Fornication.  Fornication is defined as sex between non-married individuals. Today, many young Christians live together, have sexual intercourse, and consider it to be normal behavior.  They often have no shame nor believe they are offending God. The Bible clearly calls this sin. (Hebrews 13:4 – “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”)

2. Homosexuality.  Homosexuality is defined as sex between members of the same gender. Today, our culture is tolerant of homosexual behavior and some churches and denominations even endorse it. The Bible clearly calls this sin as well. (Leviticus 18:22 – “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”)

3. Abortion. Abortion is the termination of a life that has begun. It is murder. Today, many Christians are pro-choice and believe it is a woman’s right to chose an abortion. But God’s Word is very clear that we do not have the right to terminate a life. (Exodus 20:13 – “You shall not murder.”)

4. Pride. This is about being proud of ourselves and placing ourselves above God.  God is our Creator and is offended whenever we take credit for what He has done. Some Christians today are eager to pat themselves on the back while rarely giving credit to God for the blessings in their lives. (Proverbs 8:13 – “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”)

5. Selfishness. This is about placing ourselves above others. Today, some Christians are more concerned about themselves than others. They focus more on their needs and what they desire but fail to consider the needs of those less fortunate. (Philippians 2:3 – “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”)

6. Retaliation. Some Christians believe it is okay to take an eye for an eye, and to retaliate against those who have hurt them. We sometimes see people taking justice into their own hands and justifying it, some of whom claim to be Christians. But Jesus clearly says that we are not to retaliate when others hurt us. (Matthew 5:39 – “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.  If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”)

7. Unforgiveness. Some Christians want others to forgive them but sometimes they refuse to forgive others. God’s Word often refers to this as having a “hardened heart.” Scripture clearly tells us that if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. (Matthew 6:15 – “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”)

8. Divorce. Many Christians today believe that divorce is acceptable for any reason and a legitimate way to end a marriage.  But God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and Jesus spoke against it, except in the case of infidelity. (Matthew 19:6 – “What God has joined together, let not man separate.”)

9. Idolatry. Idolatry takes many forms today, including career, family, fame or money.  But these are all false gods and God is offended when Christians seek something else instead of Him. (Exodus 20:3 – “You shall have no other gods before me.”)

10. Bad Language. In America today profanity is commonly acceptable, even among Christians, whether in conversation, movies, on television, or in Facebook postings. But God is still offended when people take His name in vain, swear or use filthy language. (Colossians 3:8 – “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”)

 

These are just some of the ways Christians offend God knowingly or unknowingly, and this list is by no means comprehensive. We know according to Scripture that we are sinful by nature.  But that is not the issue here. The issue is whether or not we recognize our sin and repent of it.  1 John 1:10 says, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives.”  So , if we do not recognize our behavior as sin we tell God He is wrong and that deeply offends Him.

So let us look to God’s Word for what behavior offends Him, repent of it, and seek His forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)