Love Is . . .

I've seen my share of church fights - even a couple that ended up in members of the congregation deciding to pack up their bags. Some of them were just awful situations, but most were just dumb. You're probably thinking of a couple yourself now. Of course, your perspective will always determine who was right and who was wrong. But we can always be sure of this - satan was the only winner. When God's family fights with each other no ever wins. I just wonder if God isn't left standing alone in the middle, as His children walk away from one another to stake their flags in their territory, left with nothing but tears of sorrow? Such a disappointing thought.

You know, even the best or most healthy congregations have problems. I know, kind of a simplistic statement. No church is immune from people going on power trips, being too sensitive or unforgiving or just having one or two folks who seem to be possessed by satan. That's a joke - well, sort of ;-). So since it is the case that even the most healthy congregations have to work through issues, how do they do it? How are they able to fight through satans' attacks more united, more in love with God and still growing strong? There's really no simple answer. But here's a thought for you to consider.

Jesus is pretty clear what He thinks are the two most important rules. Read this scripture with me.

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important? "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-31

This kind of gives me the idea that if I would just focus on these two that I would have a good start on living a Godly life that will make my Savior proud of me and able to use me. That's the same case for groups of people - especially the most important group of people - Jesus' body.

You've heard of the love chapter - 1 Corinthians 13. Kind of ironic that the chapter isn't about love at all. It's actually more about a church fighting with each other over who had the greater spiritual gifts. Look at what Paul wrote to them. Only, you're going to notice the scripture is written a little differently from what is inyour Bible. For every occassion where Paul wrote 'love', you'll read 'family.' After all, isn't that what a family is . . . love? Read it with me.

Families are patient, families are kind. Families do not envy, they do not boast, they are not proud. They are not rude, they are not self-seeking, they are not easily angered, they keep no record of wrongs. Families do not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. Families always protect, always trust, always hope, always perseveres. Families never fail.

Kind of changes the perspective a little? May God bless you and your Church family.

Integrity and Reputation

Ever thought about the difference between reputation and integrity. Until recently, I hadn't either. We've heard the saying before, "integrity is who you are in the dark," or "when no one is looking." This is something I've heard a whole lot. The other day, I heard a definition of reputation that was completely new to me - it's what other people think of your integrity.

Until I heard that definition I had a much more positive or lofty perception of reputation. I have always given a great deal of emphasis to guarding my reputation. But after giving this some thought, I wonder if I haven't had these two things prioritized the wrong way. I'm not going as far as to say that I placed more importance on my reputation. But the two were pretty much equal footing. I think I was wrong.

Instead, I think I should be placing much more importance on guarding, protecting, elevating and lifting up my integrity. You see, our integrity is much more of a direct reflection on our relationship with God and how much we live according to that relationship. As it turns out, our reputation is really just someone else's opinion of how we live out our relationship with God. Other people's opinion won't get me into heaven. Give me my integrity any day.

That's a tough question . . .

What about the people who never hear the gospel? That's a question that you've probably asked before. What will happen to the poeple who have literally never heard about Jesus and have never been given an opportunity to become a Christian? Do they get a pass because of their circumstances? Or are they held accountable just like everyone else who has the opportunity the written revelation of God? It seems like I have been asked the question quite a bit recently.Here's a long-winded half-answer.

To hold them accountable would seem incongruent with the nature of who God is. A God full of love, mercy and grace. How then could any God full of love, mercy and grace condemn someone who never had an opportunity to be obedient. This would be like a parent punishing a child for breaking a rule that they never gave. It just doesn't seem fair.

On the other hand, it is inconsistent with what is written in the Bible to assume that God would not hold everyone accountable. For example, 2 Corinthians 5:10 says that we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Also, Luke wrote in Acts 17:30 that God is not overlooking ignorance any longer and that all men should repent.

So what's the answer? Well first, let's guard ourselves against being quick to judge and condemn. It's quite comfortable sitting on this side of the river, behind the damn blocking the rising water. We're safe and unfortunately content. Second, I wonder if Roman 1:18-20 doesn't provide some insight on this question? Paul was essentially acknowledging the division that existed between the gentiles (who had never been given an opportunity to become God's chosen) and the Jews (who had the benefit of being God's chosen). And along with acknowledging the difference, Paul said that God still holds the gentiles accountable because they could have known and worshipped God based solely on what was in His creation. Instead, they had chosen to worship the created instead of the creator.

So does that apply for example to people who live in the deepest regions of the African jungles and have never heard about Jesus? I really don't know for certain. I know what I've read in the NT. And I know that I have been called to teach people about Jesus. So that's what I'm going to do. Am I going to be upset and complain when I get to heaven if there are people getting in who never had a chance to obey the gospel?

Lifting Up the Right People

I'm as big a sports fan as anyone. But can we please stop glorifying people who have done nothing to deserve our respect and admiration - other than hitting a ball, running faster, jumping higher or shooting a jump shot with greater ease and excellence than we could? The ability to perform our favorite hobby with amazing ability is neat. It's probably worthy of a few of our dollars and some of our free time. But it's certainly not worth our dignity and self-respect. And it's definitely not worth risking the future of our children.

Our kids listen to who and what we talk about. They pay attention to what we spend our time doing. And they realize and understand what we actually value most. Let's stop kidding ourselves by thinking that our kids don't see right through us to our core, to our heart. So instead of lifting up and praising men who have not earned that priviledge, let's lift up men and women who are worthy to watched, heard and copied.

Let's give our kids the chance to hear us praise and lift up the parents who have raised their children to walk after Jesus, the folks who volunteer to teach Bible classes, the elderly couple who faithfully attend worship because they love God and His saints, even though it's physically difficult and the young mother who insists that her kids will be given the opportunity to know God - even if her husband choses not to help her. Let's encourage our kids to watch people who are striving each day to imitate Jesus.

They will be grateful you did.

Perspective Is a Beautiful Thing

Perspective is a beautiful thing. There's certainly been times when I have lost my perspective and God was there to realign my sight. There's been other times when I was reminded of what Godly perspective looks like without necessarily needing a readjustment. Seeing people, sin, blessings and opportunities as Jesus sees them is probably not possible, at least for me. But every once in a while He gives me a small and brief glimpse through his eys. And I am so grateful for those times, because its then that I am able to regain my perspective.

Today when I looked at my new son for the first time, God gave me a chance to see the world, if only for a moment, through His eyes. I saw a person the same way Jesus sees each of His children who have answered His call - sinless and pure. I saw a blessing that I had received in that little baby. And I saw opportunity to correct my own wrongs by raising one of His children to be better than myself. To give more, to worry less, to serve harder and love stronger than I could have ever hoped to.

I hope you would be able to see the world like I did tonight. May God bless you and keep you in the palm of His hands.

Brody Ryan Schopper

Born to serve and walk with Jesus on 2/19/2010.

A Lesson from the Corinthians

The church in Corinth had some interesting problems. There were Christians who were struggling with sexual sins like adultery, promiscuity and prostitution. Others faced the demons of alcoholism, fraud, idolatry and even arrogance because of their spiritual giftedness. It's certainly fair to say that culture had infiltrated the church.

It's so easy to draw comparisons to the Corinthian church. That's one place in our Bible that we can always go to feel better about ourselves. Their sinfulness wrote a textbook for how not to do life as a Christian. But are we really that different? How long can we pretend that these issues don't exist today? We may find our idols in different temples. But that doesn't mean that we haven't built plenty of temples to suit our desires. And maybe, after two centuries our sin looks a little different. But it's there.

You know, I wonder if there isn't really just one thing that differentiates us from the Christians that Paul was writing to. And it's not our culture or our sin. I think it's our response to sin. You see, on some of these issues, the Corinthians really didn't know any better. These were a bunch of first generation Christians who were learning on the go. And they hadn't yet learned to live with embarrasment and shame.

We've since mastered these two concepts. Being embarrased or ashamed of sin is not a bad thing. In fact, it's a positive sign that the Holy Spirit is working on you. But living with embarrasment and shame is a very bad thing. Satan uses these to steal away our freedom and strip us of our joy. Embarrasment and shame keeps us from confronting the sin and moving forward. Embarrasment and shame keeps us from asking for help. Embarrasment and shame keeps us chained to that same sin that birthed these horrible feelings.

Paul wrote to the Romans that Jesus only needed to die one death, and that took care of all the sin - forever. And because we are united with Christ we get to live without the awful aftertaste of sin. It's Jesus' blood that washes away that aftertaste. And its God's grace and love that makes it all possible.

Missing in Action

Calling all Dads and Husbands!!! Where are you?

Think about the demographics of your Christian family who you worship with. How many families can you think of where the father brings his children to worship and bible class while the mother stays at home? Can you think of any? Are there any? Different question. How many families can you think of where the mother brings her children to worship and bible class while the father stays at home? Okay, you can stop counting. Get the point?

What is going on with this? Why are men being taught that its the woman's responsibility to teach and instill faith to the children while they sit watching the game or in their favorite fishing hole? This is not what God planned. This is not what God wants. And I can only imagine the impact that it is having on the lack of spiritual depth that we are witnessing in our kids.

Check out these few verses: Genesis 2:16-17, 3:6, 3:9 and Romans 5:14.

Genesis 2:16-17 - Ever notice that God never spoke to Eve. She wasn't there. I wonder if she had even been created yet?

Genesis 3:6 - Where is Adam when Eve was talking with the serpent? If you're reading from the NIV, you'll notice very clearly that, he was standing right next to her!

Genesis 3:9 - When it says that God called out, "where are you," this was a 2nd person singular masculine pronoun. In other words, he was talking directly to Adam and only to Adam. He didn't say, "where are ya'll", "where are you guys", or anything else that could indicate he was calling for both Adam and Eve. Because he wasn't. He was calling for Adam because he had business with Adam - not Eve. He held Adam responsible for what had just happened and he was going to the source.

Romans 5:14 - Did you see that Eve was never mentioned in this text? In v.12, Paul uses the greek word anthropos. This refers to man, as in human. But when he was ready to get specific - he called out Adam and never mentioned Eve. He said that death (because of sin) started with Adam.

When we consider all this evidence, it gets real clear, real quick that Adam was the first person who sinned, not Eve. And since Genesis doesn't record Adam "doing" anything at all, that sin must have been a sin of ommission. And that was the specific problem. He didn't protect his wife and provide the spiritual leadership that she needed and deserved.

After all these years, it seems that we haven't learned much from Adam. Guys, we're dropping the ball! It's not just your wife's responsibility to make sure that kids are introduced to and taught to live for Jesus Christ - it's your too. Let's start honoring God by giving our wives the spiritual leadership that God desires, by showing our kids how to live a life that imitates Christ (1 Cor. 11:1) and by standing up for your family and protecting them from Satan's attacks!

Do you pray for your children?

Do you pray for your children? Most people would answer yes. We are usually consistent at joining together the two greatest parts of our life - our faith and our children. Let me offer you a suggestion to take that a step further. Talk to your children about your prayers. Try, this week, to have an intentional conversation with your children about your prayers on their behalf. Ask them what they would like for you to pray about. And do the same with them. Ask them to pray for you and share what it is you need their prayers about. Also, tell them what you have been praying for.

You will be surprised at the blessings you will both receive from this experience. It will deepen your relationship - horizontally and vertically.

Five things a Dad should do every day . . .

1. HUG your child. Show them with hugs just how much you love them.
2. Tell your child that you LOVE them unconditionally. Explain to them what unconditional love means to you.
3. PRAY with your child. Take time to show them that your relationship with God is the only thing that is more important to you than them or their Mom.
4. PLAY with your child. Spend time with them doing something that they enjoy doing.
5. Let your child see you LOVE on your wife. Show them what a healthy marriage looks like.

Moms, encourage and support your husband to do these things and be the spiritual example and leader that God calls him to be.

Who’s Really Prodigal? pt.1

One of the most famous scriptures in the Bible is the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. This text has been preached on, studied over and shared – probably as much as any other in the Bible. Most often, we approach this story from the perspective of the wayward son who sinned against the father and returned home to open and loving arms. That’s accurate. But I don’t think it’s the complete message that Jesus was sending to his original audience.
So who was the original audience? It was the Pharisees and the Scribes. The same guys who thought they had the market on religion and relationships with God. So Jesus told them a story to set them straight. Look first at why Jesus told them this parable. They had a problem with Jesus eating and fellowshipping with sinners and tax collectors - the unmentionables of that society. They were defining what and who a sinner was (on their own terms). Jesus had a problem with this. So he told them a story about TWO brothers and their father. Look at how Jesus began the story in v.11. He said, “A man had two sons.” From the beginning this was about both of the man’s sons. Not just the one who we most often focus on. Jesus goes on to highlight the differences in the SIN of the brothers.

The first brother was as disrespectful to his father as anyone could be in that culture. For a son to ask for his inheritance was to tell the father that he no longer existed and no longer wanted to be considered a member of his family – the ultimate disrespect. Had a son actually done that, he would have been kicked out with no questions asked, and no chance of a return. The Pharisees and Scribes would have certainly understood who the bad guy of the story was. In their eyes, a good Jewish father would NEVER have let that boy back into the family. So to say that he was welcomed back with a party – no way!

Webster’s dictionary defines prodigal as abundant, luxurious and extravagant spending. You tell me who was more prodigal – the son who took his inheritance and wasted in on sinful living? Or the father who welcomed that sinful son back into the family by running to meet him (not making him walk all the way in shame), bringing him sandals for his feet, putting the families’ signet ring on his hand, giving him his best robe, killing a calf (which was meant to feed the entire family) and then throwing an extravagant celebration for everyone to attend?

I’m so glad that my Father is a prodigal Father. He lavishly covers with me His Compassionate Love, His Mercy, His Riches, His Blessings and most importantly – His Reward and Promise.