Category Archives: Blog

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

It is Christmas season around the world. Although Christmas is just one day, December 25^th, people in many nations around the world love to celebrate the season beginning a month in advance. They love the colored lights, Christmas trees, celebrations, the exchange of gifts, and the general mood of kindness that seems to lift everyone’s spirits. This is true even as many of those nations no longer celebrate the birth of Christ, the reason for the season.

We live in a world where almost one third of its population is Christian. It has the most followers of any religion in the world. And yet Christians are the most persecuted religion on the earth as well according to a Pew Research Center survey in 2019. And according to a report released by Open Doors USA in 2019, 215 million Christians are persecuted for their faith, about 1 in 12 Christians in the world! And the levels of persecution continue to grow, even in the United States of America!

If the world loves Christmas, why is there such hatred for Christians in the world? Is it because we are the largest religion and need to be curtailed? Is it because we speak the truth of God’s Word that so often goes against the prevailing culture? Is it because Christians are a threat to governments and those in power? Or is it something more personal…?

The world’s calendar is divided between the time before Christ (BC) and the time after Christ (AD). Jesus’ birth was the most important day in history because it ushered in God’s physical presence in the world. And that single event has changed everything! Jesus’ life, death and resurrection revealed God’s love, grace and mercy for all mankind. It gave the world a hope it did not have before Jesus. It is no longer a question of wondering what God thinks or wants, it has become known to us through Jesus words, actions and obedience to God the Father. Jesus said, “If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:7).

And how did the world respond when Jesus was born? Those who recognized Him told others about Him and worshipped him (Luke 2:17-20). But those who feared Him tried to kill him (Matthew 2:16). And later, after Jesus began his ministry, the people who recognized Him praised him and followed Him (Matthew 21:9). But those who feared Him arrested him, beat him, and crucified Him like a criminal, though He had done no wrong (John 19:1 & 16).

It’s interesting to note that the same is true today. Nothing has changed. Those who recognize Him worship him, tell others about Him, and seek to follow His commands. But those who fear Him ridicule His followers, imprison them, beat them, and persecute them.

While governments persecute Christians because they are a threat to government control and power, people persecute them for a more personal reason. While Christians submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, others have no desire to submit to anyone other than themselves. They want to be rulers of their own lives. Jesus tells us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-44). But the world tells us to hate them and destroy them. Jesus says to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39). The world says to retaliate and hit back harder. Jesus says to give and it will be given to us (Luke 6:38). The world says only a fool gives away what he has earned for himself. Those who do not want Christ in their lives also do not want Christ in other’s lives either!

So, let us take a moment and imagine a world without Christ. What would it be like?

Well, we could look back before Christ was born and see what the world was like back then. It was a violent world where the strong dominated the weak. It was a world where there were no human rights. It was a world where most people died young. It was a world where one had to submit to the rulers and conquerors of the day. It was brutal, it was dangerous, it was dark, and it was hopeless.

We could look back 100 years and see the rise of communism and fascism that outlawed Christianity and forced belief in atheism and worship of the state and its leader (Stalin, Hitler, Mao). It resulted in the killing of millions of people who dissented (Jews, Christians & others) and enslaved millions more under state-run, oppressive governments (Soviet Union, China). It caused a massive global war that also resulted in the horrific and torturous deaths of many soldiers. For those who lived and suffered during those times, they were dark days indeed with little hope!

But we can also look around us and see what is happening today. Christian persecution is growing globally, dissenting voices are being silenced, the murder of unborn children through abortion is being lauded, communism is being revived, and government power is being used to restrict freedoms and control our lives.

Christ is needed today just as He was needed 2,000 years ago. Without Christ, the world becomes a dark and dangerous place. More importantly, without Christ, the human heart remains a dark and dangerous place as well! (Romans 1:21)

I, for one, do not want to see a world without Christ. Fortunately, that cannot happen. Jesus said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18). What Jesus has built cannot be destroyed. Wherever Christian persecution exists, the Church grows stronger. That’s what happened in the Soviet Union and China after World War II, and is now happening in Iran. So we should not lose heart. The Light of Christ cannot be extinguished!

So this Christmas, let us pray once again for the Light of Christ to lighten a darkening world. Let us pray for the Love of Christ to reign in people’s hearts. And let us pray for God’s Holy Spirit to lead the world to Christ and Him alone. For without Christ, our world would also be without hope! Let us bow down and worship Him this Christmas as the Magi from the East did 2,000 years ago  (Matthew 2:11), and let us praise Him for the grace and mercy that He alone gave to us at the cross (Ephesians 2:8)!

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15

The United States of America has been on an increasingly secular path for over 50 years. I wrote about the decline in morals and biblical values in my book, About Face: A Call to Turn America Back to God, which was published in 2015. During this past year we have seen tremendous division in our nation covering many different issues including the economy, the pandemic, healthcare, immigration, race, justice, climate change and abortion, just to name the most obvious. Having grown up in America, I have witnessed this growing division and the abandonment of biblical principles and values in our nation. I have also experienced its impact on our society. And it is not good.

The United States of America has been a “shining city on a hill” that people from other nations long to visit and live in because of our freedoms, especially speech, religion and economic opportunity. I know this from my own experience visiting many other nations. The United States is a nation like no other in the world. It was founded on Judeo-Christian values and principles and our Constitution guarantees these freedoms for all of its citizens. It was also established as a nation that would govern itself. But as John Quincy Adams clearly pointed out in 1789, “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” In other words, without a biblical foundation, self-government will ultimately fail.

As I survey the landscape of America today, I can’t help but notice this departure from biblical and moral values that President Adams spoke of at the founding of our nation. The division we are experiencing in our nation today is caused by the different attitudes and worldviews of our own people. It is the age old conflict of God’s way versus Man’s way. Today, fewer Americans believe in God’s Word and the principles and values for life that it contains. Instead, many Americans are putting their trust in science and man’s intelligence.

Those Americans who favor Man’s way have a secular worldview that focuses on man’s intellect and ability to reason out all things. To them God is irrelevant. They view people as basically good and that everyone can have their own morals. There is no standard of behavior and little belief in personal responsibility. They say people aren’t the problem, society is! The Bible clearly contradicts this view and says in 1 John 1:9 that “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Believing that we are basically good is a false premise. Proverbs 3:5 also tells us that we should “Trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding.” According to God’s Word, trusting in our own knowledge and wisdom will only lead us to disaster.

On the other hand, those Americans who favor God’s Word and have a biblical worldview know that God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9) and that we are sinful by nature (Romans 3:23). They recognize that the problem is not society, it is us! If society is failing, it is because we as individual citizens are failing. Believers in God know that He is good and His moral standards are best for society because man will sin and eventually mess things up if they do things their own way. If nothing else, history proves this to be true. Man without God is inherently evil and will do very evil things to their own people under the guise of making a better society. Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot are just a few examples.

So, America is at a fork in the road. There are two paths it can follow. It can continue to choose to follow its own intellect and Man’s way with its historically tragic consequences, such as communism, genocide and slavery. Or it can turn back to God and follow biblical standards and His way, which produces prosperity, generosity and compassion.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrews were given a similar choice when they came to a fork in their road. Deuteronomy 11:26-28 records the choice that God gave them. He said, “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.” Sadly, the Hebrews only followed God for a short time before reverting back to their worship of other gods and their own desires, which eventually brought destruction upon themselves (the curse).

America has the same choice today. Before it lies a blessing or a curse. However, the path America chooses will also have an impact on the rest of the world. If America chooses a path of relying on man’s intellect it will surely decline morally, economically and militarily. It will no longer be able to provide for the needs of its own people or other nations, defend itself or its allies, or remain a stabilizing force for good in the world (the curse). If America chooses to follow God’s way, it will prosper economically, socially, and spiritually. And that will enable it to continue to fight evil in the world, produce food for the world, and provide security for the world (the blessing). As the leading nation in the world, what it chooses will impact other nations either positively or negatively.

Although the impact from this choice may takes many years to materialize, it is critical for the United States to make the right choice today so it can stop its slide down the path towards its own destruction. This will ensure a prosperous future for the United States and the world!

It is also a choice that we as individuals must also make every day to avoid our own spiritual death. Proverbs 14:12 says that “There is a way that seems right to man, but it only leads to death.” If we follow our own ways it will surely lead to our destruction. So, we must put our trust in God to receive the blessing in our own lives. Proverbs 28:25 says that “He who trusts in the Lord will prosper.”

There is no other way to create a better future for ourselves, or our own nation, than to follow God’s way!

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

Romans 6:22

For most of us, we are living in unprecedented times. There are only a few people old enough who still remember the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Today, we face the global COVID-19 virus pandemic with its restrictions, closures, lockdowns, and requirements. Millions of people have lost their jobs, some businesses have permanently closed, freedom of travel has been severely restricted, and churches have been unable to meet together. At this point in time, there appears to be no relief in the immediate future from the impact of the corona virus.

Consequently, there are many who feel as though their lives are being held captive by the virus. Some go so far as to claim we are losing our constitutional right to freedom. But are we really in captivity during this pandemic?

To answer that question, let’s first look as what it means to be a captive. The dictionary says that the word captive means “one who has been captured: one taken and held usually in confinement.” We can generally be considered captive, therefore, if we are confined against our will somewhere, such as in a prison cell, as a prisoner of war, or if we have been kidnapped and held for ransom. 

That hardly describes our situation today with the virus. There are certainly restrictions being placed upon all of us, but we still have some level of independence and movement. In some US States and in other countries, the restrictions can either be more or less severe depending upon local circumstances. But in reality, no one is completely confined or held captive to the virus (with the exception of those who have been hospitalized with severe life threatening symptoms).

The Bible describes many times that people were held captive. In the Old Testament, Joseph was put in prison by the Pharaoh in Egypt (Genesis), the Jews were in held captive as slaves in Egypt (Exodus), and the Israelites were taken into captivity to Babylon (2 Kings). In the New Testament, the early Christians were put in prison by Paul and even Paul himself was in prison for Christ (Acts). These are clear examples of confinement against one’s will.

Today, we are not confined against our will because of the virus, but simply restricted for a time in what we are allowed to do until the virus passes.

However, we are still being held captive to another, far more dangerous virus. It’s called sin. Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), every human being is born with this virus. And no matter what we do, we cannot rid this virus from our lives. There is no medicine for it. There is no treatment for it. And no doctor can remove it. The Apostle Paul wrote that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). In our church’s corporate confession we say that “we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.” Another way to state that is that we are “captive” to our sin. Our sin holds us, confines us, and keeps us bound in it chains!

Yet, there is an antidote to counter this virus. An antidote is defined as something that relieves, prevents or counters. That antidote is faith in Jesus Christ, who went to the cross and sacrificed His life in our place to release us from the captivity of sin! His mercy and grace gives us freedom from the virus of sin. We no longer need to be slaves to it or in bondage to it. Jesus did not have this virus of sin, and His perfect life is the only antidote to the virus of sin that exists. There is no way to counter this virus in our lives other than through faith in Jesus Christ!

How do we get this antidote for the virus of sin in our lives? We receive the antidote in the form of the Holy Spirit when we are born again through faith in Christ. Paul said that “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24) The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to relieve, prevent and counter the harmful aspects of this virus of sin.

Now, it is important to note that this antidote does not remove the virus from our lives. We are still sinful by nature. But this antidote gives us the power to counter the evil effects of sin and to live lives free of its deathly grip. The virus of sin no longer has the power to take our life! When we place our faith and trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit works in our lives to counter our sinful nature and relieve us from its consequences. And that enables us to live lives that are holy, righteous and pleasing to God.

Our failure to take this antidote, which is provided free to us through Christ’s sacrifice, leaves us vulnerable to the ravages of sin that only leads to death (Romans 6:23). How sad it is that so many people in our world do not even know that there is an antidote for our sin. And worse yet, there are some people who don’t want the antidote and instead prefer to live with sin and its deathly consequences.

As Christians, we have the obligation to let others know that they don’t have to be held captive by the virus of sin and its damage to their lives. They can receive the antidote to sin by simply putting their faith and trust in Christ. It’s free and carries with it a lifetime guarantee!      

While we all wait for an antidote to the corona virus, let us not hesitate to remove our captivity to sin by putting our faith in Jesus. Let us also share the antidote to sin that Christ gives freely to everyone who calls upon His name!

“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him saying, ‘Lord save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”

Matthew 8:23-27

The above Scripture is about faith and fear. The disciples (and Jesus) faced a dangerous situation in the form of a furious storm and they became afraid. What were the disciples afraid of? According to this passage they were afraid of death, specifically drowning! They had woken Jesus and said, “Lord save us! We are going to drown!” I suppose that we would have said the same thing if we were in that situation. However, notice what Jesus said to them. He said, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” For you and I the answer is obvious. They were afraid because they feared death. I’m certain that would have been our reaction as well.

But what was the faith Jesus was talking about? He was talking about faith in Him and His promise of eternal life that He had spoken to them about many times. I suppose the disciples didn’t make the connection at that time. They were still learning from Jesus and perhaps not as fully aware of what Jesus himself would provide to them through His sacrifice on the cross. In this circumstance, the disciples chose fear over faith.

But today, we have no such excuse. We know what Jesus did for us on Calvary. So, if our faith is based on Jesus and what He did on the cross to give us eternal life, why should we fear our earthly death? To fear our death would be to deny our faith in Christ.

We are currently faced with a worldwide pandemic from the spread of COVID-19, a new strain of the corona virus. So, how should we approach this new danger in our lives today? Should we, as Christians, be fearful of its consequences? Should we heed all of the governmental warnings to protect ourselves and stay away from others? Should we put our trust in medicine, doctors, medical equipment or hospitals to save our lives?

I’d like to share three points that can help us clarify what our response should be as followers of Christ.

First, Life is Dangerous!  The disciples faced a dangerous storm, but we also face dangers in our lives every day. We first faced danger when we were conceived. From the moment of conception we faced dangers in the womb from genetics, disease, or miscarriage. We also faced dangers in our delivery, such as being still born or having birth defects or abnormalities. Then as we began our lives outside the womb we faced additional dangers like cancer, poverty, unemployment, natural disasters, accidents and crime.

The fact is we face danger every minute of every day. There are dangers we see and dangers we do not see. According to the National Safety Council, here are a few of the odds of dying in America from various causes:

• Heart disease & cancer    1 in 7
• Motor vehicle accident    1 in 114
• Assault by firearm            1 in 370
• Drowning                          1 in 1,188
• Airline accident                1 in 9,821
• Cataclysmic storm            1 in 66,335

These statistics do vary by nation, but notice that from these numbers a storm is one of the least likely things to cause our death (although drowning is a greater possibility)! 

We know that danger is all around us, whether we see it or not. It is part of life and cannot always be avoided. And often the dangers can be random or sudden, not giving us time to react thoughtfully or carefully. We just don’t always think about these dangers unless we are staring one right in the face. The point is, no human being is free from danger or risk. We typically only react however when we can see it or are directly confronted by it. And this leads to my second point.

Secondly, Our Physical Response to Danger or Death is Fear. Fear for our physical lives is part of our human nature and has both positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, our fear can warn us of potentially dangerous situations and give us time to react. These are things like smoke from a fire, snow on the roadway, threatening clouds, or the sound of sirens. These get our attention and enable us to take precautions to protect ourselves. This is why we should heed the warnings and instructions from our government about the corona virus. It is for our protection and instituted under God’s authority (Romans 13:1-5).

On the negative side, however, fear can also cause us to run away, hide, act irrationally or not be able to function at all. These are fears such as confrontations, terror threats, political unrest, or epidemics. These are situations that we believe we need to avoid at all costs. We can see some Biblical examples of this, like Jonah running away from Nineveh (Jonah 1:3), the disciples hiding from the Jews after Jesus’ death (John 20:19), and Peter denying knowing Christ (Matthew 26:69-75).  It is natural to fear danger. It can protect us from harm. But it can also paralyze us or cause us to panic unnecessarily.

So, what should our response be to danger if not fear?  Point number three is that Our Spiritual Response to Danger Should Be Faith. Faith is trusting in God in all things. That means we should trust Him to see us through the dangers that we face. There are three reasons why we should trust Him. First, God is Love. He loves us unconditionally and He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Second, God is Truth and in Him there is no falsehood. He is trustworthy and He keeps His promises to us (Hebrew 10:23). Third, He sent His son Jesus to die in our place as a sacrifice for our sin. Jesus bore our sin on the cross and through His death and resurrection we have been given the gift of eternal life (John 3:16). He faced death and overcame it for our sake. Knowing what God did (and still does) for us, how can we not trust Him when we face danger or death?

I suppose there are those who might argue that we do not possess Christ’s courage. But that is not true! We have the same power that gave Jesus His courage – the Holy Spirit! His Holy Spirit will give us the power to trust in God and the courage to face the dangers of this world, even those that may lead to our death. And because of Jesus’ resurrection we also have hope, the hope that there is life after death and that death is not the end. When we put our faith in Jesus, we have hope, power and courage to face every danger, even death!

Should we trust the medical community to protect or help us when we face danger? Of course we should. They are God’s instruments to bring healing and recovery to our body (1 Corinthians 12:6). But they are not perfect and we should never trust them more than our Heavenly Father. They may be able to care for us between conception and death, but they do not determine either of them. God alone has power over life and death (Genesis 1:27, 3:19)!

We are all facing danger and death in our lives whether we realize it or not. Today it is the corona virus that is on the top of our minds. But tomorrow it might be something else. And there are also other daily dangers that we continue to face apart from the virus. So if we must inevitably face danger and death in this world, let us respond with faith and not fear. As Christians, we must trust God to protect us and see us through our trials through faith in Jesus. Let us not succumb to our fear of death but instead live in the hope of eternal life given to us by Jesus!! Let us choose faith over fear!

“Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”

1 Peter 2:16

For Americans, freedom is regarded as our most cherished and important right. Our nation was founded on the principle of freedom for the individual and is essential to our system of self-government. Our Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In other words, America claims that its citizens have the right and the freedom (liberty) to live our lives as we determine, to pursue what makes us individually happy, and to govern ourselves accordingly. That level of freedom is what makes our nation unique in the world. It is also the reason people from around the world are drawn to our country – to have the freedom and opportunity to speak their minds, practice their faith, and to pursue whatever dreams and aspirations they may have.  As the plaque inside the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor proclaims, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” These freedoms are foundational to our culture and enable us to protect ourselves from the tyranny of our own government.

Freedom brings with it many great benefits. Having freedom means that as Americans we get to make our own choices and determine our own future free from societal norms or interference from others. We get to decide what career or work we want to do, what education to pursue, and where to live. We also get to decide who and what to vote for and what we choose to believe. We have the freedom to buy, drive, wear or do what we like. Our freedom as Americans is also the driving force behind our economy that has resulted in the development of many of the world’s new innovations, new businesses and even new industries. In America we have more choices of products and services than anywhere else in the world. If something is needed in our culture, somebody will recognize it and invent it!

But, are we truly free to do whatever we want to do? The answer of course is no. That’s because with freedom comes responsibility.  Like all nations we had to establish a set of laws that govern our behavior in order to restrain our citizens from infringing on the rights of other citizens. It starts with our Constitution and then continues with our state laws and local laws that further constrain what we are legally allowed to do with our freedom. We must use our freedom responsibly. If we don’t and break those laws we risk going to prison and ultimately losing that freedom. Only those who have been in prison truly understand what the loss of freedom means. I, for one, certainly don’t ever want to experience what that is like!

Unbridled freedom in any society leads to chaos and instability. That’s why laws exist. In order to protect and keep our freedom as a nation we must be responsible citizens and use it wisely. We must be careful not to take our freedoms for granted or abuse that privilege. Otherwise we risk having to pass more and more restrictive laws to govern our behavior that gradually takes away our freedom until it is completely gone!

This same principle of using our freedom responsibly is true for every human being regardless of their nationality. God has given every human the freedom to make their own choices in how they live. That is called free will. The consequences of those choices, however, will vary by nation depending upon its laws and culture. God also gave us free will to choose whether or not to believe in Him or follow His commands. Unfortunately, we were also born with a sinful nature that causes us to hurt ourselves and others. But our loving God has also freed us from our bondage to sin through the life, death and resurrection of his Son Jesus so that we could live in true freedom. It is a free gift to us if we simply put our faith in Jesus! Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” But without faith in Christ, we are stuck in our sinful nature and unable to free ourselves from it by our own power.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:13, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love.” God is warning us that how we use our freedom matters and that we must use it responsibly. If we use our freedom to make bad choices or hurt others due to our sinful nature, then we will reap the consequences. But if we use our freedom to serve others as He calls us to do, then we will be blessed and avoid falling back into bondage to sin.

So how do we protect the freedom that Christ has won for us? Again, God uses Paul to show us the way. He wrote in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” In other words, the only way we can overcome our sinful nature is by taking on more of God’s spiritual nature!  We can’t fight our sinfulness by trying harder or using the latest self-help technique. We can only deny our sinful nature through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Once we recognize this simple principle we can stop trying to fix ourselves and instead submit to God (ref. James 4:7) and thereby allow His Holy Spirit to lead us to make decisions that honor Him and bless others!

So, we Americans must be careful to be responsible with our freedom so that we don’t lose it. It’s not just about passing more laws to prevent the abuse of our freedom, but to act responsibly on our own as citizens so that we don’t have to restrict our freedoms. But more importantly, as Christians, we must be careful not to use our freedom to sin or hurt others in our individual pursuits. We are called to submit to God, to obey His commands, and to use our freedom to serve others.

Let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:8-10: “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of Believers.”

“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.”

Isaiah 55:6

January 6^th was Epiphany, the day that Christians traditionally celebrate the visit of the Wise Men (Magi) to Jesus the Christ child (Matthew 2:1-12). These “wise men from the East” knew the prophecies about Jesus, studied the stars, and were led to go and find him (the King of the Jews) so that they could worship him.

Today, there are many people who criticize Christianity as a “crutch” for those who lack intelligence. Their assumption is that the Christian faith is a myth and that any intelligent person would not believe in such nonsense. I find it very interesting, then, that perhaps the most intelligent people of Jesus’ day were these wise men from the East. Though they were wise and highly intelligent people, they understood not only who Jesus was (the Son of God) but also that He was worth seeking and worshiping. They also traveled a great distance and at some peril to go and find him.

For most of the world today, we do not have to travel far or risk danger to seek Jesus. As the prophet Isaiah foretold, we are to “call on him while he is near” (Isiah 55:6). Isaiah further commends us to “seek the Lord while He may be found.” In other words, we should do it now and not wait or put it off until another day.

The dictionary defines the word Seek as to “go in search of” or “to look for.” So exactly where are we supposed to look for Jesus or seek Him? According to Scripture, there are 3 places where we can find Jesus.

First, we should look for Him in the Word itself. John 1:1 says that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In John 1:14 it says that “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” In other words, Jesus is the Word! When we read the Bible, God speaks to us and points us to His Son Jesus. Jesus is present in both the Old Testament (as in Isaiah above) and the New Testament (as in the gospels). When Jesus walked the earth as a man He often quoted the Old Testament and thus confirmed its truth as God’s Holy Word (e.g. Luke 11:29-31). He also confirmed who He was when He read Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-22). So when we read the Scriptures we can’t help but find Jesus in its pages and in its purpose.

Second, we should look for Him in His creation. We know from Genesis 1:1 that “God created the heavens and the earth” and all that dwells therein, including people. There is absolutely nothing in our world that we can see with our own eyes that was not created by God! Since Jesus declared that “I and the Father are one” in John 10:30 and John 1:3 proclaims about Jesus that “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made,” Jesus was therefore involved in the creation. All we have to do is look around and marvel at  what He created to see Him! Though some may deny this truth, Romans 1:20 says that “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” It does not require a PhD or a high IQ to see, understand and know God & Jesus!

Third, we should seek Him within our own spirit. God created all human beings “in His image” (Genesis 1:27) and has therefore put His spirit into every human being as well. And it is through this spirit that we can communicate with God, just as Jesus did. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:28) And if we allow God into our lives and seek Him in spirit through prayer, He will speak to us through His Spirit and reveal His son Jesus to us! The prophet Jeremiah, speaking the words of God, said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) In other words, if we are not seeking God with our whole heart we cannot find Him and we cannot see Jesus. But if we do seek Him with our whole heart, He will make both Himself, and His Son Jesus, known to us.

It is sad and disappointing that so many people whom God created refuse to acknowledge Him. And if they can’t acknowledge God Himself, they will not seek Jesus nor ever find Him. Many of these people have great intelligence, many academic degrees, and are considered wise by the world’s standards. Yet they still cannot see the obvious even when it is in everything around them. The dictionary defines this condition as a scotoma. A scotoma is “a spot in the visual field in which vision is absent or deficient.” In other words, God is right there but they just can’t see Him. The Old Testament also frequently refers to this condition as a “hardened heart.”

But we should not despair. Instead, Jesus has given us as His followers the awesome privilege of sharing the gospel and leading others to Him, especially those who because of their scotoma cannot see Him! We must share God’s Word with them, show them our God in His creation, and pray with and for them to help remove the scotomas from their eyes that have prevented them from seeing Jesus!

Let us all be like the wise men and “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), so that we can then lead and encourage others to seek Him as well!

“But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

Matthew 10:33

Recently, several high profile Christian leaders have renounced their faith and have said that they no longer consider themselves to be a Christian. Because of their status or visibility they have also done so very publicly. It makes me wonder why they chose to make a public announcement about it.  Why not just step down from leadership, take a sabbatical, or just take some time to pray and rebuild their relationship with the Lord?   Have they really given up on God? Has all of their time and effort put into ministry really caused them to doubt God and His promises?

I’m sure many Christians sometimes stop going to church, question their faith, or lack the zeal for the Lord they once had. That has happened to me on occasion as well. Faith is a journey that has many ups and downs. It is not always smooth and going forward. In life there are struggles that we all face (John 16:33). In those times we sometimes falter or go backwards in our faith. But it is often temporary until the Lord brings us back to Him again.

Most Christians don’t go public or have a platform they use to tell others about their fall away from faith and the Lord they once served with great devotion. Instead, they generally keep it to themselves or reach out to others in confidence for counsel and assurance. And if they do somehow lose their faith they do it quietly. They just stop going to church and disconnect from church relationships and activities. Sadly, sometimes the church doesn’t even notice.

Our faith and relationship with God is like a marriage. As a matter of fact, Jesus referred to himself as the bridegroom and the Church as His bride in the parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1). When we meet someone we think might be a good marriage partner, we spend time with them, try to please them, and eventually discuss joining our lives together in marriage. Once married, we begin to build our lives together and have children. But sometimes marriages fall apart and end in divorce as the two that earlier had become one drift apart and go back to living separate lives.

So when someone falls away from faith it is like divorcing God. The person no longer has the love for God they once had, they don’t feel the love God has for them, or they simply drift apart because they don’t spend time together. Thus, they want out of the relationship. Divorce in our secular world is often very messy, complicated and ends up hurting many people. Divorcing God has the same effect. And the more public the divorce the more people it usually hurts.

Faith, like a marriage, is built on trust and a focus on the other person in the relationship. If we don’t trust God or we stop doing things that please Him we can easily find ourselves questioning our faith and our relationship with Him. Faith, like a marriage, needs constant work for it to be successful. Taking that relationship for granted or not putting the time into it that’s needed often results in a broken relationship. In our world, either person in the marriage relationship can ask for a divorce. But with faith, God will NEVER divorce us or break that relationship. Only we can divorce God!

So how do we keep our relationship with God strong and avoid divorcing Him from our lives?

In order to have a healthy relationship with God we must focus on 3 things. Jesus told us what they were when asked what the greatest commandment was. He replied, “Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

So first, we are to love God with all of our heart. We must have an emotional, heart-felt connection to God because of what God has first done for us (1 John 4:19). That means we must love Him by worshiping Him and doing what pleases Him. If we don’t feel His love for us in our own heart then we are less likely to give our heart to Him in return. When we truly love someone we feel an emotional connection to their heart. We hurt with them, we cry with them, we rejoice with them and we laugh with them. Without that heart-to-heart emotional connection we are far more likely to drift away in that relationship.

Second, we must love Him with all of our soul. We must have a spiritual connection to God as well, and that comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us. It is His Holy Spirit that gives us faith (1 John 4:13). But we must also develop that spiritual connection by talking to God (prayer) and letting His Spirit guide and direct us in our actions. We cannot do this on our own but only through His Holy Spirit. As the Lord said to the prophet Zechariah, “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6).

Thirdly, we must also love him with our mind. That means we must read His Word and meditate on it so that we gain His wisdom (Proverbs 4:7). We don’t just accept God in our heart and soul but we also accept Him in our mind. It is logical to have faith in God, even though we cannot see Him. His Word makes sense to us because He created us and it is the Truth. He created us in His image and so we have the capacity to believe His Word and place our faith in Him, even though we can’t understand all of it. But when we earnestly seek Him, He will help us to understand (Amos 4:13).

In many marriages there are always outsiders who tell us to get out, that we’re better off on our own, and that the other person isn’t holding up their end of the marriage. With faith, that person is Satan, who continues to lie to us and tell us that God doesn’t love us or that He isn’t doing what He promised. Satan tries to convince us that we’re not getting what we want or desire from God. Satan always puts the focus on us and never God. So we must be on our guard against his schemes and attempts to separate us from God (Genesis 3:1, 1 Peter 5:8).

It saddens me greatly when fellow believers fall away from God or divorce Him from their lives. We must walk beside them to encourage them to “stand firm in the faith” (1 Corinthians 13:16) and “to trust in Him and lean not on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5-6). We must tell them that if they draw near to God, He will draw near to them (James 4:8). We must remind them to persevere and to finish the race so that they will receive the crown of eternal life that God has promised them (James 1:12). That’s His promise and God always keeps His promises!

“Then he (Jesus) said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s’.”
Matthew 22:21

As we celebrate our Independence Day in America, there is division on what it means to be a patriot. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word patriot signifies a person who loves his or her country and is ready to boldly support and defend it (that meaning has endured since the word’s arrival in English in the 16th century). Many Americans support our nation despite its faults, desire to adhere to our Constitution and the intent of our founding fathers, and want to protect our values of liberty for all, individual work ethic, and respect for our laws. Patriotism appears to coincide with this group. 

But there are other Americans who claim that our Constitution needs to be changed to reflect a changing world, that our nation has historical faults it must now atone for, and that we need to have more progressive values such as diversity, open borders, and socialism in order to provide more fairness and equality for all citizens in work and income.  This group does not support our nation as it currently is but rather wants to change it to something else. This would suggest that they are not patriots, but revolutionaries.

As a Christian, my allegiance is to Christ first and foremost. I have freedom from sin and the assurance of eternal life through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, which is of utmost importance to me personally. And I can take that to any nation on the earth and live my life accordingly. But as an American, I love my country, the freedoms and opportunities we have, and the principles and values upon which it was founded. I have traveled the world and visited many nations. I have lived in another country. But I do not desire to live anywhere else other than America! We have freedom from tyranny and oppression on this earth through our Constitution and our military. We have the world’s best system of justice, although it is far from perfect. We also have the opportunity to pursue education in any field, choose our work and become what God made us to be.

And while Christian principles are in our Constitution, our government cannot force Christianity on anyone nor prevent anyone from practicing their religion. Alexis de Tocqueville, in his book Democracy in America, said, “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.” In other words, we need faith and Christian values in America if our nation and self-government are to survive. So there is very little conflict between the Christian faith and our Constitution and form of government.

So where is the conflict? The conflict comes from the revolutionaries who do not reflect what it means to be a patriot. They are the ones who want to change our constitution and do not support our nation’s history, foundations and values. They want to change America as we have known it.

So, why is Christianity now being attacked in America? Why are Christians suddenly facing persecution for their religious beliefs? And does one have to be a Christian to be an American patriot?

The reason Christianity is now being attacked stems from a misunderstanding of what our Constitution actually says about religion. Many secularists claim that there should be a separation between church and state, and that on that basis our government cannot have any Christian values or principles. However, this is not what our Constitution says. It simply says that the state cannot establish a religion for all citizens nor prevent the practice of any religion. All Americans are free to practice their religion, whether in government or in any other part of our society. Christians do have and must have a voice in our government and culture. We are free to share our values and thoughts and to pursue policies that encompass them. The secularists want to deny Christians that voice so that their values and policies prevail.

The reason Christians are suddenly facing persecution is because the progressive values of the secularists are based on individual preferences and not on any moral standards of behavior. Having no standards, such as the Bible, allows people to do what pleases them regardless of the impact on others. The Book of Judges from the Bible shows us exactly what happens when people think that way. According to Judges 21:25, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” Without a standard for moral behavior a society will descend into chaos and destroy itself. Consequently, I believe that secularists do not want to have a standard of behavior, because that may not allow them to do what they choose to do. They do not want to be held accountable to God or anyone else. So they seek to have the Bible and Christian influence removed from our culture entirely.

Finally, being a patriot does not mean that someone has to be a Christian in America. A person can love our nation, support its military, have a strong work ethic, and enjoy its freedoms without being a Christian. I believe most Americans would agree. But there are some religions, such as Islam, that are not consistent with our laws and culture, and Americans would be wise to be wary of them.

The Bible does not speak a great deal about nations and patriotism. Rather it speaks of God’s love for us, our rebellion from Him, His mercy upon us, and His grace through Jesus Christ. It is all about us as individuals and how He wants us to have faith in Jesus and live our lives according to His Word. He wants us to live lives that are holy and obedient to Him, and to serve others in His name. But God did speak to the nation of Israel in 2 Chronicles 7:14 when He said that “if my people, who are called by my name, will humbles themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Let us humble ourselves so that God can bless America and heal our land! Amen!

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10

I travel on airplanes a lot, mostly internationally, and I usually request a seat with more legroom because I am quite tall and a regular economy seat is just too small for me, especially on longer flights. So I am willing to pay a higher price for a more comfortable seat. Recently I was upgraded to business class (first class on most aircraft nowadays) on a 10 hour flight back to Atlanta from Rome and I felt truly blessed to get a better class of service with even more comfort for such a long flight. My status as a regular frequent flyer with Delta was the reason, as well as an overbooked economy section, I suspect. 

In the airline industry today there are generally 4 classes of service: Basic Economy (no frills), Regular Economy, Economy Comfort, and First Class. Each passenger has the option to choose which class of service they want to purchase. Of course, the price goes up for each class of service. Additionally, passengers in economy class on some airlines now pay for other services they may desire, such as snacks, drinks, baggage, specific seating, boarding priority, etc., especially on domestic flights. But I am also noticing this more and more on domestic and international flights in other countries as well. The point is that we all make choices on how we want to travel when we fly somewhere.

It got me to thinking about our spiritual life and how similar it is to choosing how we like to fly.  As Christians, when we are on our faith journey and traveling with God, which spiritual “class of service” do we choose? 

Do we like the basic economy, no frills sort of faith journey where we acknowledge God and Jesus as our savior but don’t really care about any of the extras he offers, like worship, prayer, serving others or sharing our faith?  We can still rest in the knowledge that Jesus dies for our sins and we are saved by faith, but as James 2:17 says, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” In other words, traveling with God in a “no frills” way results in a life that is missing out on the blessings and abundance of God. You still arrive at your destination but it’s far less enjoyable than it could be.

What if our faith journey is like regular economy? That seems to be the place that most people start when they fly somewhere. They want to get to their destination and still enjoy a few benefits. And that’s likely true for a Christian’s faith journey as well. Our faith provides for our salvation and we likely attend church and go to worship, but that’s it. Like the airplane traveler we are content to have our seat and entertainment while on the journey but not much else. When traveling with God in a “regular economy” way we don’t get to experience the joy and blessings that come from prayer, serving others and sharing our faith. As a result, our faith journey becomes mundane and less exciting than what it could be.

I regularly fly economy comfort class (for the extra legroom) and I’ve wondered if some travelers even consider it because there are often empty seats in this section of the plane. If someone is tall or would just like more room and better service I would think they too would want to be in this section.  Those that do choose to fly economy comfort are aware of the extra benefits (more legroom, free drinks, early boarding, etc.) and they are happy to pay the extra fee for them. Similarly, those who choose to travel with God in an “economy comfort” way recognize the benefits of prayer, serving others and witnessing their faith.  And they receive the blessings and joy that come from them. But they also know there is something more. The economy comfort traveler can see ahead into first class and knows that there is another way to travel that has even more room, higher quality meals, better service, and is the most comfortable and best way to travel. If everyone could fly first class they certainly would!

On many of the international flights I fly the first class section is not always full, mostly because of the high price. Its cost is often 5 times higher than regular economy. Many travelers just cannot afford the cost. Traveling with God in a “first class” way also carries with it a high price. But the cost is not money – it’s our time and our priorities. Jesus said in Luke 14:33, “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”  Like many airline travelers, most Christians do not choose to travel “first class” with God because of the high cost, often settling for something less. Traveling “first class” with God means giving up our desires and instead living our life for Him and serving others. It also means being a minister and missionary for Him wherever we go. According to Jesus it’s the only way to truly experience the abundant life God has for each of us. It’s also the best way for us as Christians to live out our faith!

So, which class of service are you in on your faith journey? If you truly want to experience the abundant life that Jesus promises to every Believer then you must choose to travel first class with God! As the current television ad for Hulu says, “Never fly first class, it will ruin flying economy class forever!” It’s the same with God. Once you’ve experienced traveling first class with Him you will never want to travel with Him any other way again!

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“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.’”

Luke 2: 10-11

It has been disappointing to me to see how our nation and culture have gradually turned away from Christianity the past 50 years. I wrote about that a few years ago in my book, About Face: A Call to Turn America Back to God (2015, Xulon Press). Not only has the American culture become more secular, but recently Christianity has also been attacked in the media, the courts and public discourse on several occasions. And many Christians have been distressed or angry about this development, especially those from earlier generations like me who remember how our culture used to embrace and respect Christianity whether or not they attended church.

One of the focal points of this reaction has been Christmas. Many Christians today want Americans to say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays and for stores to sell Christmas trees and not Holiday trees. We also want our nation to respect Christmas as a Christian holiday, not a secular one. But is that reasonable for us to expect? If the culture does not celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday does that hinder our ability to do so? Absolutely not!

My memories of Christmas as a child have mostly centered on the birth of Christ. Our family celebrated Advent and we had a nativity scene in our home. I remember participating in our children’s Christmas program every year at church. Some years I was a shepherd while others I was a wise man. I never got to play Joseph but one year I did play Christmas music on my guitar during the program (I guess that meant I was an angel…). After I got married and we had our own children we celebrated Christmas in the same way. But we taught our children early on that Jesus was real and that Santa Claus was pretend. And it did not hurt their Christmas experience one bit! Yes, we still celebrate Christmas today with a tree, cookies, gifts, and other secular practices. But for our family the main point of Christmas was, and still is, the birth of Jesus!

But, to be honest, this secular confiscation of Christmas has bothered me too. Why? It is because it reflects that our nation that has rejected the true meaning of Christmas and replaced it with a different man-made meaning altogether. This is also nothing new and has been going on for many years. How many times have you heard others say that the meaning of Christmas is about giving gifts to others, or having the spirit of the season, or being a time for families to come together? (Watch any Hallmark Christmas movie and you will see what I mean!) And when Americans talk about Christmas they usually mention tree decorating, Santa Claus, Elf on the Shelf, Black Friday, cookies, egg nog, and Christmas cards. These are all good things we can enjoy at Christmastime, but they are NOT the reason for celebrating Christmas nor the real meaning of it. And while Christians often complain about this secularization of our holiday, it does not mean that we have to abandon our celebration of Christ’s birth in order to enjoy it!

Christmas was established by the Christian Church in the 4^th century as a day to celebrate the birth of Christ. It is not likely to be the actual day Jesus was born and it did replace an early pagan celebration called Saturnalia when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity. But that does not change the fact that Christmas Day was created and set aside by the Church as a day to remember the birth of Christ and the day that God entered our world miraculously in the form of a baby boy named Jesus. And that boy would grow up to be the Savior of our world by taking the sins of all mankind upon himself at the cross.  That’s the good news the angels came to proclaim to the shepherds when Jesus was born (Luke 2:10-11) and the good news we are called to still proclaim today!

This issue reminds me of Ebenezer Scrooge’s comment in A Christmas Carol when he said to his nephew, “You keep Christmas in your way and I’ll keep it in mine!” Just because many Americans celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday today does not mean that we as Christians have to abandon it as a celebration of Christ’s birth! On the contrary, if we don’t celebrate Christmas as a day to remember Christ’s coming into the world for our salvation, or simply celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday, then we dishonor God and in effect deny our faith. As followers of Christ we have the responsibility of “declaring the praises of him who brought us out of darkness into his wonderful light!” (1 Peter 2:9). We have the same opportunity and privilege that the first shepherds in Bethlehem had to go and share the good news of Jesus birth with the world! And we still have the freedom to do that today regardless of how the rest of America celebrates Christmas Day. We can still keep Christmas in our way!

The apostle Paul wrote these instructions to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:23-26: “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”  All Christians are similarly called to proclaim our faith and the gospel and to do it kindly and gently.

So this Christmas, let’s not complain about how others celebrate Christmas or get into futile arguments about what Christmas is or isn’t. This does not glorify our Lord. Instead, let all who follow Christ celebrate Christmas as it was intended, as a day to remember what God has done for us in the birth of Jesus! Let us honor God by worshiping Him and keeping Christ in our Christmas. And let us obey Jesus’ command to be His Light to the world (Matthew 5:16) and to share this good news of Christmas with others that still so desperately need to hear it!

Merry Christmas everyone!

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