Uncomfortable Peter

Notice Peter's situation in Acts chapter 10. Look at the circumstances that would have made him uncomfortable. The close of chapter 9 has Peter staying at the home of a tanner. We think, so what? What does it matter where he stayed? Well, here's something you may not know about a tanner in the first century. A tanner was a leather worker - they made stuff with leather. And back then, they didn't buy the leather then turn it into purses, sandals and jackets. They had it from start to finish. Think bloody, nasty, smelly, etc. The Jews didn't think much of them because of this. That's understandable because the Jews were so interested in cleanliness.

Then after God had Peter staying with a tanner, he sent him to a gentile's home! That never happened. A good Jew might let a gentile stay in his house if he needed to, but never the opposite. This was a social perception issue and a religious issue - the cleanliness thing again. In a matter of two days, Peter went from uncomfortable to really uncomfortable. Why? For what? You know why. Because he was called to a higher purpose. What would have happened if Peter had refused to leave his comfort zone. What if he said no thanks and never went? How many souls did Peter impact because he chose the Lord over himself?

How comfortable are you?

A Work In Progress

I've been preaching a mini-series in Jonah and have really grown through this study. There are some great and deep theological lessons in this text. I'm intrigued by Jonah's response in the belly of the fish and God's response to him. Even when he "looked towards God," he wasn't buying God's theology. Yet, in spite of the tension and conflict that still existed - God chose to use Jonah. Unlike Jonah, I don't have the courage to blatantly disagree with God (though I do disobey Him on a fairly regular basis). And even in my sinful state, He still chooses to use me. I've only recently realized that He does this for my benefit. Like Jonah, I am a work in progress.

Somtimes All We've Got is . . .

Prayer.

I've walked through valleys when it seemed that the mountains were closing in, and every decision was the wrong one. Ever felt like that?

I've tried to logically think through the situation, making a list of pros and cons and even asking for advice. But in the end, all the answers led me to consequences that I was trying to avoid. Ever experienced that?

It's often a slow and sometimes painful experience. That is, getting to where God is standing and patiently waiting for me to meet Him at. But in the end, no matter how long it takes, I always end up on my knees in prayer. Ever tried that?

Purpose of Gospel Temptation accounts?

Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin."

This verse is clear. During his lifetime, Jesus went through every type or form of sin that we go through. Since that's the case, what was the purpose of the three temptations documented in the gospels? It certainly couldn't have been to fulfill this verse. In the gospel accounts of the three temptations, Jesus is essentially tempted with the primary typologies of sin - the pride of life, lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes (1 John 2:16). But not everything that we are tempted with - that happened throughout the course of his life.

So what was the purpose? If he did not endure that experience for us, then perhaps God put that trial in his life for his personal preparation? Luke 4:1 says that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Clearly, God put Jesus in that position. The context gives us the answer to the question. This was the beginning of his public ministry. And it was God's final test of preparation for Jesus.

God Has No Grandchildren

God had no grandchildren only children. You can't ride the coatails of your parents faith!

My friend Dan Wheeler posted this on Facebook today. I love it! We have all got to find, establish and own our faith. 2nd hand clothes may work fine. But 2nd hand faith will fall apart. Whose faith do you own?

Have a great day!

Thank God for Family

Not sure if you can relate to this or not, but having four young children really puts a damper on individual time with your spouse. In fact, damper probably doesn't really describe it. We get a few dates each year. And they all revolve around the times when my sister is visiting from Harding. The first thing she does, after starting her laundry;-), is watch our children so that we can go out on a date. I hope we tell her 'thank you' and "we appreciate you' enough. We often joke that she watches the kids to pay for my water bill. But I know that she loves us, loves our kids, and loves to help us out.

You know, I hope that I think of others like she does. I hope that people consider me a blessing in their life. Have you been a blessing to someone this week?

God said it, I believe it, that settles it.

You've heard that saying before; and I've even seen it on some t-shirts. It sounds nice, and I suppose there's some truth to it. But this slogan is representative of a mindset that has caused a lot of trouble in and for the Church. Specifically, in terms of the overall decline of the Church, it's contributed by negatively impacting the faith of 'churched' kids. This thought process essentially promotes an ignorant faith mentality.

For two consecutive generations we've failed to teach our kids to ask 'why' when it comes to their faith. Instead, we've insisted that they continue with, and not question, traditions and teachings that have been established over time. And as a result, we lament the fact that our kids don't know the Bible (like previous generations) - and they don't. We grumble at the fact that they have a greater interest in fun than their faith - and for the most part they do. Whose fault is that? More importantly, how can that be fixed? And whose responsibility is it to work towards fixing it?

The past two generations place a higher importance on transparency and authenticity than previous generations did. Said another way, where older generations were more obedient, recent generations are more inquisitive. To ignore this reality displays a great deal of ignorance and foolishness, and as we are experiencing the consequences are severe. We've insisted that our kids accept our faith and religious practices without question. At best that's illogical; and at worst, its unscriptural.

If Christ's body is going to continue to flourish, grow and prosper, we must teach our kids that it's not only okay to ask why, but it's their responsibility. And we have to be consistent in the demonstration of our faith. That means that we don't do things just because that's they way we've always done them. We do things because that's pattern and command we have from the NT. And when our sacred cows are challenged we have to be able to defend them with concrete scripture (not quotes from men) and be willing to give them up for our kids sake if we can't defend with them with scripture.

When our faith and religion is truly transparent and authentic to our kids (and our practice matches our words) we'll start to see a change - and the Church will start to grow again. Until then . . .

Theology 101

If you knew that you were going to have just one chance at telling someone about Jesus, what scripture would you use? Ever think about Romans 3:23-25? Many years ago Jimmy Allen (Professor at Harding) brought this scripture to life for me. Check it out.

23For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed.

We could probably spread it out and include vs. 21-26. But for me, these three verses are Theology 101 and speak right to my heart. Paul lays it all out (step-by-step for slow folks like me) in a plain and succinct manner. Here's the root of the theological problem: I am a sinner and because of my sin I'm not able to reach God on my own. BUT, because of His grace and mercy, he sent Jesus so that I could have a relationship with Him. When Jesus died on the cross, He became the place where I could meet God and have a direct line of connection - that's available all the time. That's powerful. That's life-changing, never-be-the-same-again stuff. Next time you have a chance to talk with someone about your faith, try sharing this scripture.

Is the Record Player Broken?

I've recently given some thought to how preachers go about selecting the topics and passages that they will preach on - mostly because this is a challenge and struggle for me. Because I'm only preaching a few times a month, I want to make sure that I make every one of them count. That's sounds a little strange, if I preach the Bible wouldn't it automatically count? Yes, but . . . somtimes there is a specific need in the congregation. Sometimes that need exists at a macro level; and other times there is a specific issue or challenge that needs to be dealt with. A good preacher will understand, appreciate and respond to those needs in a manner that brings glory to God and feeds the flock.

So back to the question: how do some preachers go about selecting the text or topic that they will preach on? Sometimes I wonder if there isn't selfish motivations. For example, preaching on a topic or sacred cow that the preacher knows will win favor with the congregation. How about consistently or constantly preaching on their own personal soapbox issues (that's what blogs are for ;-). Neither really bring glory to God or serve the church effectively. Yet, how often do we hear the same sermons over and over again and not raise an eyebrow because its "scriptural"? Perhaps our standards are bit low?

Jesus or Snoop Dog?

Okay, I'm pushing it with the title. I wanted to get your attention. But check this out. Earlier today while I was lost in the great metropolis of Jasper, Alabama, I ended up in a residential area. As I was turning around I noticed a couple of white statues sitting in a yard. That's not uncommon - people often display icons like depictions of angels, Jesus, etc. But these two were different. Both of the faces had been painted black (actually dark brown).

When I looked back a second time, I didn't realize it was supposed to be Jesus (even though it was clothed in a white robe which I guess is what Jesus always wore?) because it looked just like the entertainer Snoop Dog. I'm not kidding - it looked just like him. Long curly hair with a touch of jerry curyl, skinny face and a goatee. It was hilarious. Once I realized that it was supposed to be Jesus I couldn't stop laughing. It looked so funny.

Now, I don't know what Jesus actually looked like. I could make an educated guess that, based on his heritage and where he lived, he probably had dark, olive skin color and "darker" hair. But you know what, it really doesn't matter to me. He could have been a black man. It doesn't affect my faith in Him or my salvation through Him at all. But because I'm a preacher (and could find an illustration in a pitch black empty room) I immediately starting thinking about why people try to make Jesus out to be a person that they can be comfortable with - even if it doesn't match up to what the Bible says He is? Does that make sense?

The person who owned those statues is obviously a black man or woman and is more comfortable thinking of Jesus as a black man. I think about the pictures of Jesus I have seen, like the one on the cover of our big family bible that has been handed down through a couple of generations. It's a nice looking pale white guy with a neatly trimmed beard. The artist who painted it had a definitive picture of what he thought Jesus should look like.


We do this all the time. We try to alter who He is, what He did and what He said so that it can fit into the life that we want to live. I wonder how that makes him feel now? When we read some of the things he said and did we're left feeling loved and comforted. And at other times we read things that leave us feeling guilty, ashamed or convicted. I hope all of those feelings will lead us to make good decisions to change our lives - and not to change Him, His life or His teachings.

By the way, the angel looked just like Scooby Doo - i'm not kidding. And once I'm done preparing my sermon tomorrow my only goal for the day is to find that house again and get a picture!