I am so thankful to live in America. We have freedoms here that people do not have in other parts of the world. Believers here in America need to be aware that there is tremendous persecution of Christians in other parts of the world. In fact, some of the most populous places in the world are also active grounds for arresting, confining and even killing Christians.
Here is an article that I read on the Baptist Press website. For the full article click here.
Saudi textbooks, religious freedom and why it matters James A. Smith Sr.
Posted on Sep 23, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--A Saudi man cut out his daughter's tongue and then burned her to death as punishment for her conversion from Islam to Christianity.That religious freedom does not exist in the Muslim Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is regrettably not a surprise.
Tragically, murdering converts to Christianity is not uncommon in Saudi Arabia. What makes this case so revealing is that the girl's father is an employee of Saudi Arabia's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice -- the very organ of the government that enforces the nation's absolute prohibition of Christianity and conversion to Christianity.
Beyond the fact that Christians are obligated to support each other in adversity and that Christians in America must be concerned for the well-being of others, and beyond the fact that Baptists are among the first champions of religious freedom for all, understanding that true religion is uncoerced, this case should matter to Christians around the world because Saudi Arabia is exporting the form of radical Islam that teaches this sort of behavior in textbooks for Muslim schools across the globe, including America.
International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org), an organization that advocates for the persecuted church, reported the case of the Saudi father murdering his daughter for conversion to Christianity on Aug. 13. ICC relied upon an account by Gulf News, which did not identify the man or when the crime occurred, other than that it happened recently. The girl came to faith in Christ as a result of the Internet and her father is supposedly in custody, according to Gulf News.
Often times Christians make excuses for not actively sharing their faith. One reason many don't share is they are afraid it might offend someone or they are afraid of what that person might think about them. Imagine if we had to be afraid that we would be killed for sharing our faith. Our excuses don't seem to valid in light of what believers are facing in other parts of the world.
Matthew 5:10-12
John 15:20
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Lion in the Pulpit
No, really. There is a lion in the pulpit.
Apparently, the choir is acting up.
What is your caption?
Apparently, the choir is acting up.
What is your caption?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
New Feature
I have added a new feature to the blog, thanks to Logos Bible Study Software and Dan Pritchett. Now, whenever I reference a bible passage if you will place your cursor over that reference then the full passage will pop up for you to view.
Give it a try.
Philippians 3:7-9
John 8:12
Give it a try.
Philippians 3:7-9
John 8:12
Thursday, September 11, 2008
EXTREME MEASURES
I heard a sermon on a sermon that really struck a cord with me. It is from Matthew 5:27-30.
" “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell." (Matthew 5:27-30, ESV)
What I want to blog about is not the lust part, although that is a very important issue. What struck me was the length Jesus says we are to go to battle against lust and to pursue godliness.
Jesus says “pluck out your eye” and “cut off your hand”. Clearly Jesus is speaking in hyperbolic terms. He does NOT intend for us to pluck out our eyes. The sermon I listened to referenced a news story about a college student. He read this passage and responded by taking a screw driver and sticking it in his eye.
If it is not clear enough that this is hyperbolic look at the issue Jesus is talking about. Lust is a heart issue. It is something that occurs in the mind and heart. Cutting out your eye does not solve the heart issue of lust. It is a spiritual issue not a physical issue. Jesus uses the cutting out of something physical to demonstrate how serious this issue is spiritually.
Jesus is not being literal but He is being intentionally serious. Our sin, lust or otherwise, is nothing to sneeze at. Jesus is clearly teaching us that we need to take EXTREME MEASURES to pursue godliness, holiness and righteousness.
EXTREME MEASURES. How come it seems to me that most “christians” approach is casual instead of extreme? How about me? There are way too many times in my own life that my approach is casual instead of extreme.
What does an EXTREME MEASURE look like? I don’t want to create some arbitrary box for this definition, but I can describe what it is not. An EXTREME MEASURE is not casual. It is not haphazard. It is not inconsistent. It is not compromising. It is not run-of-the-mill. It is not average. It is not ordinary. IT IS EXTREME.
Here’s my prayer: Lord, create within me the same sense of hatred for my sin that You have. Give me an intense passion for godliness, holiness and righteousness that only comes from You. Lord, give me the strength to pursue you with EXTREME MEASURES.
I want to point you to a resource that in my opinion is one of the best around. I listen to the sermons of a pastor from Abilene Texas named Kevin Ueckert. He is also a friend of mine, but more importantly He knows the Lord and His Word. He is currently preaching through the sermon on the mount. It is one of the best treatments of the sermon on the mount I have ever heard. And, I say this not to puff up my friend. The Sermon on the Mount will take you to the proverbial “wood shed”. You can access these sermons on itunes or through the church website. www.ssbaptist.org I highly encourage them to you for your own personal edification.
" “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell." (Matthew 5:27-30, ESV)
What I want to blog about is not the lust part, although that is a very important issue. What struck me was the length Jesus says we are to go to battle against lust and to pursue godliness.
Jesus says “pluck out your eye” and “cut off your hand”. Clearly Jesus is speaking in hyperbolic terms. He does NOT intend for us to pluck out our eyes. The sermon I listened to referenced a news story about a college student. He read this passage and responded by taking a screw driver and sticking it in his eye.
If it is not clear enough that this is hyperbolic look at the issue Jesus is talking about. Lust is a heart issue. It is something that occurs in the mind and heart. Cutting out your eye does not solve the heart issue of lust. It is a spiritual issue not a physical issue. Jesus uses the cutting out of something physical to demonstrate how serious this issue is spiritually.
Jesus is not being literal but He is being intentionally serious. Our sin, lust or otherwise, is nothing to sneeze at. Jesus is clearly teaching us that we need to take EXTREME MEASURES to pursue godliness, holiness and righteousness.
EXTREME MEASURES. How come it seems to me that most “christians” approach is casual instead of extreme? How about me? There are way too many times in my own life that my approach is casual instead of extreme.
What does an EXTREME MEASURE look like? I don’t want to create some arbitrary box for this definition, but I can describe what it is not. An EXTREME MEASURE is not casual. It is not haphazard. It is not inconsistent. It is not compromising. It is not run-of-the-mill. It is not average. It is not ordinary. IT IS EXTREME.
Here’s my prayer: Lord, create within me the same sense of hatred for my sin that You have. Give me an intense passion for godliness, holiness and righteousness that only comes from You. Lord, give me the strength to pursue you with EXTREME MEASURES.
I want to point you to a resource that in my opinion is one of the best around. I listen to the sermons of a pastor from Abilene Texas named Kevin Ueckert. He is also a friend of mine, but more importantly He knows the Lord and His Word. He is currently preaching through the sermon on the mount. It is one of the best treatments of the sermon on the mount I have ever heard. And, I say this not to puff up my friend. The Sermon on the Mount will take you to the proverbial “wood shed”. You can access these sermons on itunes or through the church website. www.ssbaptist.org I highly encourage them to you for your own personal edification.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Zeal For Jesus
Check this quote out:
Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which no man feels by nature—which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when he is converted—but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called ‘zealous’ men…
A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing., he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he dies—whether he has health, or whether he has sickness—whether he is rich, or whether he is poor—whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offence—whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish—whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise—whether he gets honor, or whether he gets shame—for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance His glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it—he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him. Such a one will always find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, work, and give money, he will cry, and sigh, and pray…If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua, he will do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill. If he is cut off from working himself, he will give the Lord no rest till help is raise up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I speak of ‘zeal’ in religion.”
This quote is from Bishop J.C. Ryle quoted in J.I. Packer’s quintessential work Knowing God. If you have never read this book, it is a must!
God, make me a zealous man!
Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which no man feels by nature—which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when he is converted—but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called ‘zealous’ men…
A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing., he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he dies—whether he has health, or whether he has sickness—whether he is rich, or whether he is poor—whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offence—whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish—whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise—whether he gets honor, or whether he gets shame—for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance His glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it—he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him. Such a one will always find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, work, and give money, he will cry, and sigh, and pray…If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua, he will do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill. If he is cut off from working himself, he will give the Lord no rest till help is raise up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I speak of ‘zeal’ in religion.”
This quote is from Bishop J.C. Ryle quoted in J.I. Packer’s quintessential work Knowing God. If you have never read this book, it is a must!
God, make me a zealous man!
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