Only Cincinnati Fans

Let me say first that I am pumped up about the Cincinnati Bengals game versus the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.  It’s a win and in (the playoffs) scenario for the Bengals – a remarkable achievement, even if they fall short, considering that this team was predicted to win only 2-3 games this season.

But, as usual the Bengals fans – at least the ones that call the talk shows – can’t enjoy it.  They offer various reasons for why – easy schedule (note Pittsburgh and Baltimore have played almost an identical schedule) – they have a history of being bad – and of course, the owner Mike Brown.  Fans can’t enjoy it because of Mike Brown – why even be a fan of the team then?

Look, I’m not telling people how to spend their money.  I live too far away from Cincinnati to go to games consistently – I also have made a conscious decision that if it caused me to miss church services I would not go – but I still do not get all the negativity surrounding the team in what has been a surprisingly good year.

It’s typical of the Cincinnati sports fan.  Walt Jocketty makes two key trades to try to get the Reds over the top in 2012 and most fret about the future.  I can guarantee you, if Jocketty had not made those trades and still had the players that he traded away in the fold, those same fans would be clamoring for him to be fired – asking “why is he sitting on his hands?” or “the game has passed him by.”  It’s really an interesting case study.

At least they sold the Bengals game out on Sunday – and I think they have a great shot of winning the game and making the playoffs for the second time in three years.  Baltimore is a different team on the road, the Bengals have a winning record against the Ravens under Marvin Lewis and AJ Green, who missed the first game (a 31-24 loss at Baltimore), will be back.  Some will argue that Ray Lewis will be back for the Ravens, but the Bengals have beaten the Ravens before with Lewis playing – I know, I witnessed it in person two years ago.

Go Bengals and for the Cincinnati fans, seize the moment and enjoy yourselves for once.

To Reach Heaven

I found this in a Christian periodical and wanted to share it with you – it is entitled To Reach Heaven.

Hear  the Gospel – Romans 10:17; Ephesians 3:4

Believe the Gospel –John 8:24; Hebrews 11:1, 6; Mark 16:16; Acts 16:31

Repent of your sins – Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 2:38; Acts 17:30; Acts 3:19

Confess Jesus Christ – Romans 10:9-10; Acts 8:37; Matthew 10:32-33; Luke 12:8

Be Baptized (Immersed) – Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 6:3-4

Remain Faithful Unto Death – Revelation 2:10; Matthew 10:22; I Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 6:9

 

Not My Will But Thine

Jesus said those words in Matthew 26:39 “Going a little farther, he fell on his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’” (NIV)

If we truly want to be someone who follows Christ, this must be our rallying cry as well. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, Paul tells us to imitate him because he imitates Christ (I Corinthians 4:15-17).

This phrase that appears in Matthew 26:39 shows that even Jesus did the will of God. How in the world do we think we can get by with doing what we want when Jesus couldn’t even do it?

Some things about the context of this passage. This was a fervent prayer. Jesus was physically struggling with knowing that His time to go to the cross was near. He cared so much for us – that even though physically he was having trouble with it – he knew that He had to do what He came for and that was go to sacrifice himself for us.

That was the will of the Father and that’s why he uttered the words “not my but thine.” Jesus obeyed the will of God, despite his sad tone, despite being alone and in absolute agony. He said, “not my will but thine.” He was to be the lamb that was led to slaughter (Isaiah 53:7).

Jesus is the head of the church – He is in charge, what He says goes. With that being the case, we must say “not my will but thine.” One thing that I have learned since becoming a Christian 30 years ago – is that Christianity is not about my wants, my likes and what I can get out of it. It’s about what God and Christ want, i.e “not my will but thine.”

As a Christian, I am a part of the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33). Therefore if Christ is the groom than I must be submissive to His will. Many today are serving God on their terms, when they should be serving Him on His terms. Again, in other words, “not my will but thine.”

I may like something – it may not be something the Head (Jesus) has said he wants done. How then can I go ahead with it and think that it is pleasing to Him.? That is the height of arrogance. Our attitude should be “not my will but thine.”

We are obligated to follow Christ and His commands. We need to respect His position as the Head and also respect ours, as the body. The body does what the Head instructs it to, not the other way around.

Let us have the attitude of Christ in following Him, “not my will but thine.”

Happy Birthday to a Special Little Girl

Today is a big day for us.  It’s my daughter’s 6th birthday.  She brings about all the emotions (both positive and negative) that all six-year olds do, but even in the worse times – I don’t know what I would do if I she wasn’t in my life.

My  former high school basketball told me years ago at a reunion that when you have a child,  a new ventricle of your heart is opened and you experience a love that you can’t explain.  I believe that.

She is special to us and we are eternally grateful to the birth mother, who six years ago placed us with the responsibility of raising this sweet, wonderful person.  You see, my daughter is adopted – she’s not mine biologically,  but there is no question – she is mine.

Happy Birthday, Maddie!  Daddy loves you very much.

Present Day Persecution

The following is from American Family Association (AFA) and is an example of present day persecution.  We still do not suffer to the degree of Christians in the 1st Century, but we may not be as far away as we once were.

Macy’s fires Christian for protecting women’s dressing rooms from cross-dresser She endured expletives from transgender, then got fired for standing firm in her faith.

December 7, 2011

Dear Mark,

Macy’s has fired a Christian woman for refusing to violate her religious beliefs. Her offense? She prevented a man dressed as a woman from entering the women’s dressing room.

According to Liberty Counsel, Natalie Johnson says she saw the young man walk out of the women’s fitting room and politely told him that he could not go back in because it was for women only. The cross-dressing young man claimed that he is a “female.” Johnson said that he was wearing make-up and girl’s clothing, but clearly he was a male. The cross-dresser was accompanied by five other individuals.

The group argued with expletives that Macy’s is LGBT-friendly, to which Johnson replied that Macy’s is also non-discriminatory toward religion, and that it would go against her religious beliefs to lie that he was a woman or compromise with homosexuality. The group then demanded to speak with a manager.

Johnson’s boss referred her to Macy’s LGBT policy which allows “transgender” people to change in any dressing room they want. The manager demanded that she comply with the LGBT policies or lose her job. Johnson refused to go against her sincerely held religious beliefs and was terminated from her job.

Macy’s has essentially opened women’s dressing rooms to every man. The LGBT agenda has become the theater of the absurd.

If you want to do something about this I will post the contact for Macy’s that appeared in the rest of the letter.

This is also another case of those who preach and demand tolerance but turn out to be the most intolerant.

I appreciate Ms. Johnson’s stance – she definitely is obeying God rather than men. 

If you want to take action here is the contact information –  Email Macy’s President Terry Lundgren and urge him to immediately apologize to Natalie, reinstate her position with Macy’s and put safeguards in place to protect women customers from men who would enter their dressing areas.

Personally call Macy’s headquarters at 513-579-7000 and express your outrage at this injustice to female employees and customers. Other numbers to call: Jim Sluzewski, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications – 513-579-7764 Macy’s Media Relations – Julie Strider, 646-429-5213

The Tar Jar

In my new job I work for Nationwide Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Our primary work is with teens in a smoking cessation program. In our office we have something in the lobby called the Tar Jar.

The Tar Jar is actually a jar of molasses, but the molasses (which is about 1/3 filled) represents the amount of tar that builds up in the lungs of a pack-a-day smoker in a year.

It’s looks pretty nasty when you think (especially when kids really think it’s tar) how much of that chemical (that you drive your car on) you are putting in your body.

I have never smoked and never will – but I know that people do not become smokers until the smoke the first one. They have the thought process that one won’t kill me or one won’t hurt. This also applies to drugs and alcohol.

Sin is much the same way, we dabble in this and dabble in that with the thinking that one little sin is not that bad – but before you know it – you look like the Tar Jar – your spiritual life is filled with a nasty mess of gunk (sin) that quietly took hold in you life and you didn’t even realize it.

We have a program in place that can help a young person stop, or at the very least, cut down, on smoking cigarettes and be healthier in the process. We have been successful with some and not so successful with others.

There is a plan to take care of our sin problem as well and it also has varying degrees of success. Jesus has made it possible for us to have our sins forgiven. He can make our Tar Jar empty.

It’s hard to quit smoking – it’s hard to quit a life of sin, but both are possible and both have great rewards.

To reach heaven, a person needs to hear the gospel of Christ – Romans 10:17, Ephesians 3:4. After hearing, a person needs to believe the gospel – John 8:24, Hebrews 11:1,6, Mark 16:16, Acts 16:31. After hearing and believing, a person must repent from their sins – Luke 13:3,5, Acts 2:38, Acts 17:30, Acts 3:19. Next in the process is confessing Jesus Christ – Romans 10:9-10, Acts 8:37, Matthew 10:32-33, Luke 12:8. Following the good confession is being immersed (baptized) into Christ – Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38; 22:16, Galatians 3:26-27, Romans 6:3-4. One final thing must take place to complete the journey to heaven and that is to remain faithful unto death – Revelation 2:10, Matthew 10:22, I Corinthians 15:58 and Galatians 6:9.

Proper Obedience

I want to take a few minutes and talk about an important subject in regards to following God. We talk about obedience to God’s will – but sometimes we neglect to talk about there being a proper way to obey God.

We all have a freedom of choice – we all have the privilege of making the decision to obey or not obey the will of God. No person can be forced to obey the gospel of Christ – it has to be voluntary.

But one thing must be perfectly clear – the Lord will only accept willing service. See Cain (he obeyed by offering a sacrifice – but it was not proper obedience and thus God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s). If God did it that way then, what makes us think He will not do it now?

Just like with Cain, it will be with us – if we do not properly obey God, there will be consequences! Eternal punishment awaits those who do not obey God (II Thess. 1:8-9). Those who fail to obey God in a proper manner fall into that category as well. Those who make the decision to obey the gospel need to be instructed on what obedience includes.

First of all, obedience includes a proper motive. We can’t go through the motions of obeying the Lord and expect that He will accept that. If I worship Him with some action because I like it (i.e. instrumental music), I’m obeying my will, not His. Huge difference.

In order for our obedience to be accepted, we must have the mindset to please God (not ourselves) and to secure a blessing from Him by doing His will.

Proper obedience also includes a proper understanding. John 8:32 says “You shall know the truth , and the truth shall make you free.” In order for us to be free from sin we must understand what it is that is necessary to obtain salvation.

There are times when people (young people primarily) come forward without any real idea of the relationship they are entering into or the responsibilities that come along with it. Perhaps it is the case that they are under pressure from parents or a boyfriend or girlfriend or husband and wife. It could also be the case where a person has heard a preacher say over and over that they must be baptized. It is the responsibility of a preacher to do more than just recite the “steps” to salvation. He has the obligation of teaching the importance and meaning of what the Lord requires in regards to salvation from sin.

It is only at that point that a person can properly obey the gospel. With proper motives and proper understanding, next comes proper action. It is surprising to observe people who think they have obeyed God by doing what they want to do. If there is one thing that I have learned about Christianity – it is that Christianity is not about me – as far as what I want or what I feel or what I think. It’s about God and Christ and what they want.

Today we have the option to “join” the church of our choice, the option of what we shall confess and the option of the type of baptism we shall have (if at all) and at what point we will baptized. Here is an important thought regarding all of this. Does God have a choice? What does He say about those things? Men say today say it doesn’t matter even God has set forth a distinctive pattern within the New Testament.

It is amazing that this philosophy is only applied to religion. This thought process would not and does not work in any other walk of life. If your boss tells you to complete some task and you instead decide to do your own thing because it doesn’t matter, I’m fairly certain, there would some issue(s) with that.

The Lord says to believe on Him (Acts 16:31, John 8:24), to repent (Acts 17:30, Luke 13:3), to confess Jesus (Romans 10:9-10, Acts 8:37), and to be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), how can we properly obey Him without doing these things that He has commanded us to do. If these commands do not matter, then what exactly is the Bible for? If we can discard those verses, then are any others worthy of being followed?

Finally, proper obedience includes the proper order. According to the Bible, the written Word of God, the standard of authority of which we will be judged, teaches faith, repentance, baptism and remission of sin. Some have changed have changed the order to repentance, faith, remission of sin, and then baptism at some point later. The first is the plan of salvation devised by God before the world was; the latter is man’s thought.

To properly obey God is simply do what He says, in the order in which He says, for the right purpose and with the right understanding.

(A bulletin article contributed to this blog post)

Don’t Be Such a Worry Wart

I remember years ago we would have some skits or have a puppet show during Vacation Bible School and one of the characters was named Worry Wart. The guy just worried all the time about everything.  Many of us are like that. And many of us have come to the conclusion that all the worry about a particular something did absolutely nothing for us – at least in a positive sense.

Worry – it’s undue anxiety, a constant churning of thoughts of despair, being fretful. Those are some of the definitions for the word. None of that is positive – so do yourself a favor and stop it – I know, easier said than done. I

n most instances worry is way out of proportion to the actual reality of the situation – and that causes a problem or problems – mostly because it becomes a difficult to reign in. A wise proverb says, “Worry gives a small thing a big shadow.”

Another problem that develops from being a Worry Wart is – a person becomes distracted. It is simply hard to concentrate when you are worried and it is hard to deal with folks in kind and friendly manner while in this state. Worry robs us of the energy we need to apply to our everyday or every week responsibilities.

Worry also keeps us from being productive – whether it is our job, schoolwork or the Lord’s work. When we are worrying we are neglecting our duties. Warren Berkley, who penned a bulletin article that I recently ran across and was the inspiration for this blog post, wrote this in regard to worry. Worry has never paid a bill, or put a meal on the table. It has never cured a serious illness, but has caused many. Worry has never solved a marriage problem, or successfully raised a child. It has never prevented a church problem, or solved a personal conflict. Worry has never united a church, converted a sinner, or brought back an apostate. It has never repaired a car, fixed the plumbing or reversed the aging process. It has never added one cubit unto the measure of man’s life (Matthew 6:27).

Worry also indicates a lack of trust in God – this by far is the worst problem with being a Worry Wart. Jesus taught in Matthew 6 that worry was futile. He tells not to do it (Matthew 6:25, 31, 34).

He explains to us that God, our Heavenly Father, knows what we need and that we need to put Him first and everything will be taken care – Matthew 6:32-34). In making God first – we are showing trust in Him, which is exactly what He wants us to do – be totally dependent upon Him. By worrying, we are placing ourselves in direct contradiction to our claim of trust in Him.

Matthew 6 also reveals one of the triggers to worry – money! Going to back to Brother Berkley, he writes in regards to money and worry, “Surely, we need to realize that money can be an excellent servant but is a horrible master.” Very profound statement right there. See Psalms 127:2 and 39:6.

The answer of course is placing our trust in God. Psalms 37:5 says that if we commit to the Lord and trust in Him, He shall bring it to pass.

So, with all of this being written – let’s stop being Worry Warts shall we.