Radically Christian

26/07/2024

There’s a beautiful woman, who’s married to a strong and good husband. She genuinely loves her husband. However, she is beginning to feel increasingly nervous and afraid in her own home and neighborhood. Things are changing; the neighbors seem increasingly hostile and immoral.

The wife has expressed her fears to her husband. He promises everything will be alright. He assures her that he is there for her and will protect her. Even if something bad happens, he says, he will make everything alright. But the wife is tired of mere words. She wants someone who will actually do something to protect her from these unruly neighbors.

To her excitement, a man down the street recognizes and acknowledges her fears. He courts her affections. He shows her that he is not just strong, but tough. If anyone gets out of line around him, he will punch someone in the nose. He tells her that he will not only protect her, but will insist that people respect her and treat her well. No one will dare be hostile toward her while he is around. He promises to be her knight in shining armor.

The wife says to her husband, “I love you and I want to stay married to you. I trust you…but I need something more. I need more than just words and promises. I need a tough guy to protect me. So, I’m going to ask the guy from down the street to move in with us. After all, isn’t it obvious that if we don’t have his protection, our home and family will be completely destroyed?”

How do you suppose the husband would feel about his wife’s allegiance and affection? I suppose he would feel similar to what James expresses to the church…

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

The world must not be your friend, protector, lover, provider, vindicator, or restorer of your dignity and honor. Be faithful and pure of heart, church, with your affections and your allegiance.

25/07/2024

Making the world a better place is a natural byproduct of faithful Christian living, but it is NOT the primary goal of the church.

Here’s why: When “making the world a better place” becomes the goal, Christians become pragmatists about how to accomplish that goal. We start to believe that the end justifies the means. We determine how we will live and what we will do based on what we think is “effective.” We get scared and desperate when the world seems out of control, because we believe it’s our job to fix it. We abandon the way of Jesus, the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, because we doubt his teachings will “work” in this situation.

It might come as a beautiful surprise that the church is never told to fix the world or even to make it a better place. We are simply told to be faithful. We are told to love God, confess Jesus, walk by the Spirit, love our neighbor as ourselves, and teach those who want to learn. The effect will be that we are salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16).

Salt and light make a difference by simply being what they are. When they are faithful to what they were created to be, they change things around them. The church will positively influence the world simply by being faithful to Jesus.

The end does not justify the means; the means is the whole point.

23/07/2024

[NEW] From time to time I will hear Christians suggest that Jesus was killed for being unkind. I suspect this argument is made in an effort to justify our own harsh rhetoric. So, let’s examine the Scriptures and ask, why did they really kill Jesus?

Why did the scribes, pharisees, chief priests, and other religious leaders have Jesus killed? Did they kill Jesus because he was blunt, rude, and unkind? Did they put Jesus to death because he was "trolling" them and they were offended by his harsh teaching? From time to time I will hear Christians....

20/07/2024

Tomorrow is Sunday. It is a weekly reminder that the day of resurrection is coming. In the same way that Jesus was raised from the dead, we will also be raised from the dead. A day is coming when our graves will be empty (Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

So, this moment is a good time to anticipate that day. We recognize that millions of God’s people are asleep in the Lord, waiting for that new first day to arrive. They are waiting to be raised up and receive their inheritance. And we wait with them. We wait with patience, contentment, and hope for Jesus to come and make all things right; for Jesus to cast sin and death into the lake of fire and reveal to us the eternal city of God.

Every Sunday is a glimpse of that glorious day. God’s people from every nation, tribe, language, and people group gather together to worship God and the Lamb who was slain. We declare that our allegiance belongs to the Lamb and not to the beasts of this world, because we know that he alone is worthy.

In a sense, every Sunday is a rehearsal for the day of resurrection. And every Saturday is a good time to remind ourselves, in the midst of whatever is grieving us, Sunday is coming!

19/07/2024

The Christian attitude is easily misunderstood. Those who are filled with the Spirit are full of contentment, joy, and gratitude, regardless of what is going on in the world. Followers of Jesus treat their neighbors—and even their oppressors and adversaries—with kindness, gentleness, and respect.

So, it is easy for those who do not have the Spirit to see this attitude as being apathetic, ignorant, or naive concerning the evil threats in the world. They will slander you and be suspicious of you, because you do not share their anger and fear. They do not know how much the evil in the world grieves you, because your joy in Christ gives you such incredible hope in spite of your grief.

These are the sorts of people who might ask “you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Peter tells Christians to be prepared, in such situations, to give a defense for this hope you have. But when you give an answer, “do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Don’t be surprised when people see the fruit of the Spirit in you and accuse you of being too hopeful and too kind. They will say you need to be as cynical and angry as they are. Tell them about Jesus. Tell them how Jesus rules the world. Tell them of the resurrection and the age to come. Make a defense for our hope, but do it with gentleness and respect.

18/07/2024

It’s very possible that political involvement, including voting, might sometimes do some amount of good. Let’s assume that’s true.

However, loving and self-giving involvement in the local church is where you can do good on a cosmic scale. It is where you can do good that will last into eternity. When the church acts like the church is supposed to act, “The manifold wisdom of God” is “made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly place” (Ephesians 3:10).

Therefore, we should NEVER get so wrapped up in worldly politics—thinking we’re doing some infinitely great and important thing—that it negatively affects our relationship with other Christians. Unity with other Christians, and the ways we volunteer to serve side by side with them, does more good than if we had a 1,000 votes to cast. It does more good than we can possibly imagine.

So, be informed and vote if you’d like, but be wise and discerning with your life and your influence. Don’t trade the greatest good for a lesser good. Be far more wrapped up in church work—visiting the sick, teaching children the Bible, practicing hospitality, sharing the Good News, encouraging one another through songs of praise—than you are wrapped up in worldly politics.

The church is the avenue through which you will do the greatest amount of good.

16/07/2024

As Christians, we have a s*xual ethic that is specifically informed and shaped by the Gospel. Namely, marriage between a man and a woman should be a picture of the selfless love, service, and submission between Jesus and the church. Sexual intimacy is only appropriate in this context. In any other context, it is “s*xual immorality.” (See Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Corinthians 5 & 6; Hebrews 13:4).

This means that we are not merely *against* same s*x relationships, divorce, adultery, polygamy, etc. We are *for* relationships that reflect the Gospel. Simply knowing what we are against, but not what we are for, is not having a Christian perspective on marriage or s*xuality.

That said, those who reject Jesus as King will also reject our perspective on s*xual ethics. So, if we want to persuade people to repent of s*xual immorality, then we must invite them to believe and embrace the Gospel.

Virtue signaling that we are against certain s*xual practices might make us feel righteous, but it likely does not draw people closer to Jesus. If we speak publicly about s*xual ethics, we should ask ourselves, are we really trying to present the Good News and make disciples, or we are simply trying to signal to our own group what we are against?

Following Jesus is a tremendous blessing, but it also comes at a tremendous cost (see Luke 14). If someone is counting the cost of discipleship, including the cost of giving up certain behaviors and relationships, we should be patient and sympathetic with them. Discipline and rebuke for s*xual sin is specifically for those who have already made the commitment to follow Jesus, but are not living in obedience to him. Unbelievers are not to be disciplined for s*xual sin, they are to be invited to experience something better (see 1 Corinthians 5:9-13).

15/07/2024

“Blame” is a powerful word that’s been on my mind for the last couple of days. When a former president is nearly assassinated, and spectators are caught in the crossfire, we naturally want to assign blame. Blame has been assigned not only to the man who did the shooting, but others as well. Blame has been laid at the feet of the media, the culture, the political parties, and both candidates.

But in all of our assigning of blame, we often miss the real culprit. The real culprit of evil in the world is not flesh and blood. There are rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers ruling over this present darkness. There are spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). These rulers, authorities, and powers are not only deserving of blame when there are acts of violence, but are also to blame for the spirit of anger, bitterness, and animosity in the air.

There is an evil spirit that has always been animating the world. Anytime there is bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, anger, and divisions, there is demonic wisdom being manifest (James 3:14-15; Galatians 5:19-21).

I confess, this same spirit of anger and bitterness that has infected the world has at times infected me. So, the blame I assign has to begin with *me*. Before we do anything else, we have to take the log out of our own eye and confess our own culpability. At least, I know that I have to begin there.

And the church must remember that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Our struggle is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. We are going to need to be fully equipped with spiritual armor. This is the only way to walk through this world and still manifest the Spirit’s fruit.

So, pray, church. Pray for those who were injured on Saturday; pray for the families of the injured and killed; but we must not forget to pray for ourselves. Pray that we might walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Pray that we might have wisdom from above, that is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Pray that we might walk in the light and not be taken in by “this present darkness.”

12/07/2024

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10/07/2024

Are you saved? Are you confident you are saved? If so, why? Why are you so sure you are in a right relationship with God? Consider this question for a moment, because the answer is so important.

Is it primarily because of what you’ve done or because of what God has done? Is it because of who you are or because of who he is? If it is because of you, then you will vacillate between pride and panic. If it is because of God, you will know peace.

There are so many passages that address this but consider Paul’s words to Timothy, “[The Lord] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…” (2 Timothy 1:9-10).

Certainly there are things we must do to receive this gift, but our actions are not the “because,” the basis of our confidence. When someone gives you a gift and you receive it, you don’t boast that you possess that gift because you received it in the right way. You praise them for their generosity and kindness.

05/07/2024

One of the biggest differences between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of the world is that the kingdom of God is voluntary. That is, the kingdom of God does not force anyone to be apart of it or continue in it; nor does the kingdom of God force outsiders to abide by our standards.

Another way to say this is that citizenship in our kingdom is by faith, rather than by force. Everyone gets to decide for themselves whether or not they want to pledge their loyalty to King Jesus.

Our means of recruitment is simply persuasion. We try to persuade people through our words and our actions that Jesus is worth following. We must never get so frustrated, when people are not persuaded, that we adopt the tactics of earthly kingdoms. Whether they listen or not, we must continue to love our neighbors and show them that the way of Jesus is the way of life.

02/07/2024

We must beware of the people who give us permission—and even biblical-sounding justification—for despising the people we want to despise. They are not preaching the word or giving us healthy teaching, but are merely telling us what our itching ears want to hear (see 2 Timothy 4:1-5).

27/06/2024

Here are some traits that have kept me from spiritual growth over the years:

1. Pride - Thinking I am already right and have nothing left to learn on a particular subject.

2. Laziness - Being content with where I am and what I know, unwilling to do the hard work of reexamination.

3. Shame - Embarrassed to admit I was, or might have been, wrong.

4. Cynicism - Assuming that people who disagree with me are probably ignorant, dishonest, improperly motivated, etc.

5. Defensiveness - Arguing against new ideas before I really understand them, rather than honestly considering them in light of Scripture.

These traits are hard to recognize and move beyond, but we MUST if we want to grow in Christ. What traits would you add to the list that have kept you from growing?

21/06/2024

I have a preacher friend who makes a conscious and intentional effort to be kind to people who are rude, aggressive, insulting, and argumentative with him. On multiple occasions, I have seen and heard the things people have said to him and about him. I’m sure it hurts him, but he almost always responds with a kind and gentle word.

I have also had the pleasure of reading SEVERAL messages from former critics and enemies, apologizing and thanking him for his kindness. Most of the time these notes arrive years and years after the altercation; long after he has forgotten the conversation. He has received thank you and apology notes from former atheists, disgruntled church members, and more. These people, at one time, seemed to simply be rude and unloving people, but God was working on their hearts. My friend’s kindness was part of the healing process.

It doesn’t always end up this way, and my friend doesn’t respond to hate with love because he thinks it is guaranteed to someday be a happy ending. He responds with kindness and gentleness because that is what Jesus tells us to do. He trusts that God is working even when we can’t see what he is doing. We can’t control other people, but we can control how we treat other people.

“Remind them to…speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people” (Titus 3:1-2).

18/06/2024

The power God gives to the church is never the power to coerce or control, but the power to endure to the end.

When the world thinks of power, they think of the ability to make someone else do something they might not otherwise do. They force people to do what they believe is right and good, even when people resist them. However, Jesus said it would not be this way among his followers (Matthew 20:25-26). Followers of Jesus are to renounce this sort of so-called greatness in exchange for the sort of greatness Jesus taught and exemplified.

The power we receive from God, the power we see in Jesus, is the power to endure and stand firm until we become what God wants us to be. It is not the power to control others; but the power to control and crucify our own passions and desires (Galatians 5:24). It is the power to be persecuted and yet persevere (Matthew 5:11-12).

Paul wrote, “…God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God…” (2 Timothy 1:7-8).

The church must stop trying to gain the power to control and must embrace the Spirit’s power to persevere.

14/06/2024

“Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen” (Romans 16:25-27) .

13/06/2024

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me’” (Romans 15:1-3).

12/06/2024

“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother” (Romans 14:13).

11/06/2024

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).

10/06/2024

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21).

09/06/2024

“Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree” (Romans 11:22-24 ).

08/06/2024

“Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:1-4).

07/06/2024

“What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’” (Romans 9:30-33).

06/06/2024

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).

05/06/2024

“Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:4-6).

04/06/2024

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans6:1-4).

03/06/2024

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:1-5).

02/06/2024

“For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith” (Romans 4:13).

01/06/2024

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins” (Romans 3:21-25).

31/05/2024

“He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury” (Romans 2:6-8).