A Response To The Post "Sanctification & Holiness" By 7-10 Brownfish

I found an article on this subject by a man named Jerry Walls. Well....it's not only about Holiness and Santification but on what C.S. Lewis thought about the subject and how it relates to us. By the way, Lewis is one of my favorite authors. He tackles stuff like this early and often. I thought about writing a few things down as a response to your post but after reading this piece I really had nothing fresh to say. I tried to post it as a response to the post but unfortunately I was limited to 4,000 characters. Needless to say I picked out the good parts and have posted them below. I will also post a link to the site where I found the article. Drink this in.....it's good stuff man!

While Lewis is best known as an apologist for the faith in an age of unbelief, many of his writings are extremely valuable for persons who are already believers and who want to grow and mature in their faith. Indeed, Lewis could be a very rich resource for Christians of any tradition who want to recover this vital component of biblical faith.

In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, Lewis communicates the significance and value he places on holiness as he recounts the impact he felt reading Phantastes, a fantasy novel written by George Macdonald, a 19th century Christian writer. Lewis was a teenager at the time—atheistic in his beliefs, but searching for a meaningful philosophy of life. He was deeply interested in classical fantasy and mythical literature because of its ability to arouse in him a longing or desire for a dimension of reality beyond the material. Macdonald's novel had this effect on him, but it did more. For the first time in his life, he was attracted by the quality of holiness, although he says he did not realize what it was that was attracting him at the time. Lewis also described the importance of the experience in The Great Divorce, as he imagines meeting Macdonald in heaven: "I tried to tell how a certain frosty afternoon at Leatherhead Station when I first bought a copy of Phantastes (being then about sixteen years old) had been to me what the first sight of Beatrice had been to Dante: Here begins the New Life. I started to confess how long that Life had delayed in the region of imagination merely: how slowly and reluctantly I had come to admit that his Christendom had more than an accidental connection with it, how hard I tried not to see that the true name of the quality which first met me in his books is Holiness."

It is surely significant that Lewis, in retrospect, identified holiness as the quality which first captivated him in Macdonald's writings, and it is equally significant that he also confesses that he was reluctant to admit its connection with Christianity. This is a common theme in Lewis's writings. Christianity is powerfully attractive at a profound level, yet it repels us at another level. The quality of holiness is both beautiful and fascinating in its supernatural dimension, and it stirs the hope in our hearts that there is more to life than the material and physical. But at the same time, it is disconcerting in its moral dimension, because it exposes our sinfulness and calls us to a thorough transformation which is at times threatening—even painful.
Lewis develops this point many times in his writings, perhaps nowhere more clearly and eloquently than in Book IV of Mere Christianity, chapters 4-11. It is very important to notice that Book IV as a whole is about the doctrine of the Trinity. This is precisely where the idea of salvation and sanctification should be located. The doctrine of the Trinity is not a matter of abstract speculation which has little to do with the daily business of Christian living. Rather, it is the essential content as well as context in which the Christian life make sense. It illumines the reason the Son of God became a man and gives insight into how this affects our salvation. Lewis puts it as follows: "Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the life of Christ ... Christ is the Son of God. If we share in this kind of life we also shall be sons of God. We shall love the Father as He does and the Holy Ghost will arise in us…Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else."

Lewis had little patience with the modern tendency to trivialize Christianity by reducing its extraordinary claims to mundane, ordinary ones. Christianity is about a real relationship with a real, supernatural God. It is about nothing less than being brought into the eternal life of the Trinity through the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ. And this is what sanctifies us and makes us holy. Notice what Lewis says happens when we share in the life of Christ. "We shall love the Father as He does and the Holy Ghost will arise in us."

Lewis is quite emphatic that salvation is not merely about the forgiveness of our sins, as crucial as that is. As we grow in our Christian life, he observes that: "We begin to notice, besides our particular sinful acts, our sinfulness; begin to be alarmed not only about what we do, but about what we are" (my emphasis). Particular sinful acts can be forgiven, but our sinfulness itself, which is the root of particular actions, needs different treatment. For our sinfulness to be cured, we need radical moral and spiritual transformation.

Lewis recognizes that our natural tendency is to rest content with forgiveness, or with merely a measure of progress in the moral arena. We would like God to help us with some of our more embarrassing or annoying sins, and then we would be satisfied. But God has other plans in mind. Lewis drove this point home in several passages in which he employed a number of vivid and memorable images, such as the following: "He [Jesus] never talked vague, idealistic gas. When He said, Be perfect, He meant it. He meant that we must go in for the full treatment. It is hard; but the sort of compromise we are all hankering after is harder—in fact, it is impossible. It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to team to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad."

What this means is that ultimately we have only two options: either the literal perfection which results when our sanctification is complete, or damnation. Damnation is the mirror image of sanctification. It is the consequence of thoroughly refusing to love God closing ourselves off entirely from the Holy Spirit. These are our only two choices. "We must be hatched or go bad." This is not to endorse the extreme views of some who have preached "holiness or hell" in such a way as to assert that if one is not entirely sanctified in this life, then he will be lost. God is a gracious and merciful Father who patiently and lovingly pursues his project of perfecting us. If we have opened our life to God, we can trust him to finish the job.

The only thing which can prevent God from completing his work of perfection in us is our unwillingness to allow him. Lewis is quite emphatic about the fact that we remain free in the process of sanctification and that our perfection goes forward only as we cooperate with God's grace. This often requires definite acts of faith and surrender on our part. Lewis illustrates this graphically in The Great Divorce. In a famous scene, Lewis describes a ghost who shrinks back from the life of heaven because of the interference of a little red lizard on his shoulder. The lizard (which represents lust) whispers in his ear to discourage him by telling him that he cannot possibly be happy without him, even go on living. An angel offers to silence the lizard. Initially the ghost agrees, until he learns that the angel means to kill it. Then the ghost retreats: "Honestly, I don't think there's the slightest necessity for that. I'm sure I shall I be able to keep it in order now. I think the gradual process would be far better than killing it."
The angel assures him, however, that the gradual process will be of no use in this case and says: "I cannot kill it against your will. It is impossible. Have I your permission?" Eventually, after a dramatic struggle, the ghost agrees to allow the angel to kill it. When he does so, a remarkable thing happens. The lizard is transformed into a shining stallion, on which the ghost, likewise transformed into a substantial person of radiant beauty, rides off into the glory of heaven. Lewis draws the following lesson: "Nothing, not even the best and noblest, can go on as it now is. Nothing, not even what is lowest and most bestial, will not be raised again if it submits to death ... Lust is a poor, weak, whimpering, whispering thing compared with that richness and energy of desire which will arise when lust has been killed."

This underlines the crucial point that holiness represents our true satisfaction and fulfillment, just as sin represents our destruction and misery—despite its seductive promises. In "The New Birth" Wesley wrote that "it is not possible in the nature of things that a man should be happy who is not holy" (Works, 1985, 2:195).

What lessons can be learned from Lewis by those who wish to recover the biblical doctrine of holiness? First, we cannot begin to appreciate the depth and power of this concept unless we see it in its larger theological context. Too often the idea of holiness has been construed as a relatively peripheral matter or a doctrinal distinctive of certain sectarian denominations. It is worth emphasizing that in a book about "mere Christianity"—the classical faith of the Church—Lewis insists that Christianity is about nothing other than God's offer to make us like Christ. Moreover, he explains the great doctrines of Trinity and Incarnation in just these terms. Holiness is not a sideline issue or the concern of only those with esoteric interests, but rather, it is the heart of the faith.

Second, Lewis very effectively reminds us that the process of sanctification will not go forward without our cooperation, and that moral change requires some painful choices on our part. If heaven is our goal, there can be no compromise with the various lizards on our shoulders.

Third, Lewis shows that the holiness which God requires of us is far better than anything we might, in our shortsightedness, vainly prefer to it. If we are to recover the power of the message of holiness in our generation, this is an essential key. Like Lewis we need to understand and exemplify the attractiveness of holiness in all of its splendor. It is worth remembering that Lewis first encountered holiness in reading imaginative literature. Might we employ more creativity and imagination in our efforts to display holiness in all its splendor? Certainly this includes the moral renewal which we desire, but it is more than that. It is also a vision of the beauty and meaning of life which answers to our deepest longings for happiness and satisfaction.
In our age, as in every age, people are longing for happiness, not realizing that what they are looking for is holiness. Like C.S. Lewis when he first read Macdonald, they typically do not know the name of what they are looking for. It is our evangelistic and theological task to help our generation name its deepest longings. A fresh reading of Lewis would be a good step in that direction.

http://www.goodnewsmag.org/library/articles/walls-mj95.htm

Sanctification & Holiness

I have an assignment for you today. Perhaps you could use this research as your Bible time. Would you do a "word study" on the above subjects, then respond to this blog with your thoughts and findings about:
Holiness- Maybe you will discuss how this applies to God, and how it applies to you.
Sanctification- What is this exactly? Maybe you would share something from your life that shows this term in progress.
Why are you a Christian?- Can you explain?...what does it really mean?
You don't have to write a 30 minute dissertation, just take a moment during the day and express your view.

What causes a false convert?

Boy is that a can of worms! It's one of those subjects that can get you in a lot of trouble. I really hate that it does...one would think that assuring each other of our salvation would be welcomed dialoge. But more often than not it's an unwelcome monologue! Furthermore, bring this subject up and you'll create a roundtable discussion with answers from every angle (the interesting part though is that God's clear instruction is the ONLY angle that counts). When it comes right down to it though, "what causes a false convert" is really a very narrowly, precisely, and easily answered question. But in order to answer it, we must first declare what is necessary to be "born again" (also known as a true convert). Or in other words, in order to know what causes a false convert, it's imperative to know what causes a true convert.
Listen up:
1. Realization of one's sinfulness (God is HOLY, and your sin is despicable. It makes you physically sick with conviction)
2. Repentance of sin (a sincere confession to God that you see your sin just as He sees your sin.)
3. Declaring to God that you believe and trust that Jesus' death on the cross was the sacrifice to make you acceptable to God. It is the payment for all that nasty sin that you're ready to leave behind.

That's it. You are now saved, you are a "new creature". So if it's that easy, why would there be any false conversions? Because many (if not most) neglect (if not completely omit) steps 1 and 2. A lot of invitations to the Gospel today sound a lot like "Jesus died for you, don't you think He deserves your devotion? Come on, give your life to Jesus." Sure, some of us can get emotional enough to respond to that invitation, but it left out a required step, thus resulting in a false conversion. And sadly, to the typical person, ME is the most important person in my life, so that devotion to God will quickly wane. Stay with me right here, because we're about to get into the meat of the matter... In Psalm 19:7 God's word says "the law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul". Another translation reads "the law of the Lord is perfect reviving the soul". Not much difference. Before salvation you are spiritually dead...a dead soul. What we want is a soul revival! A true conversion is equivalent to a soul revival. So what is PERFECT at doing it?-God's law (the 10 commandments). Let me give you an analogy to illustrate this point. I sell for a living. Specifically, I sell life insurance for a living. But regardless of what the product or service being offered is, three things MUST be addressed before any sell is made:

(1) Here's a problem
(2) Here's a solution
(3) Do you want to do something about it or not?

If you skip any step, or get them out of order, you will NOT make a sell. Step #1 is absolutely the most important. Unless I can illustrate to you that you have a problem, you won't see the need to buy my product. A good salesperson will spend 90% of his time showing the client he has a problem, not 90% of his time explaining the solution. (Read that last sentence again...it is the pivotal issue of this discussion.) You can have the best product, at the best price, but until your client understands he/she needs it, they won't buy. That is what is missing from so many conversion experiences that make them false. The person didn't really get saved, because he/she responded to Christ in a wrong manner. They never recognized their sin, much less repented of it in brokenness. The typical person who walks the aisle today does so out of a desire for "life enhancement". They are experiencing problems in their life, so they hear a message about how much God loves them and/or how being saved will fix their life. So they respond, everyone parades by and hugs their neck and congratulates them, and then a year later they aren't even coming to church anymore. Then everybody just says "oh, they are backslidden" Phfooey! They were never saved. (Listen, give a man a parachute and tell him it will make the flight more comfortable...it won't take long before he realizes the opposite is true. But tell him that the parachute is to save him from the jump to come, and you'll never get it off his back!) Backsliding is a man-made concept to justify why we can't understand how that "Christian" isn't acting saved. After all, we all saw them walk that aisle. If you can tell me how a mortal man can overpower the Holy Spirit living within him, I might begin to believe in "backsliding". But back to my point. How do I prove to a prospect that they need life insurance? I use what's called an "FNA"...a Financial Needs Analysis. It's pretty simple: You ask the prospect how much money they need to bury themself, pay off their debts, put the kids through school, and provide some "living" money to their survivors should they die prematurely. During this process, the client begins to see "I have a need". Then I show him life insurance, and how it fills his need, and a sell is made. If I just go to that client and ask "do you want to buy some life insurance", they'll say NOPE. So to begin wrapping this article up, how do I connect this? What if we used an "SNA"?...a Spiritual Needs Analysis. We could list the 10 commandments, ask the client how they fare with each one, and they'll quickly begin to see "I have a problem". Then just share the Gospel, and you'll make a sale. Likewise, if you just go to them and say "Jesus loves you, do you wanna get saved", they will say NOPE. Why would they, they don't have a problem, right? Think about it!

Ignorance, or sinister motive?

While in Turkey, President Barack Obama said: "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values." So, is we is, or is we ain't?

I found this very interesting. Do you know the Preamble for your state? . ..

Alabama 1901, Preamble We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution..
Alaska 1956, Preamble We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land. Arizona 1911, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arizona , grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...
Arkansas 1874, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arkansas , grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...
California 1879, Preamble We, the People of the State of California , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom...
Colorado 1876, Preamble We, the people of Colorado , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe...
Connecticut 1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.
Delaware 1897, Preamble Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences....
Florida 1885, Preamble We, the people of the State of Florida , grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...
Georgia 1777, Preamble We, the people of Georgia , relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution....
Hawaii 1959, Preamble We , the people of Hawaii , Grateful for Divine Guidance ... Establish this Constitution.
Idaho 1889, Preamble We, the people of the State of Idaho , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.
Illinois 1870, Preamble We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil , political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
Indiana 1851, Preamble We, the People of the State of Indiana , grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.
Iowa 1857, Preamble We, the People of the St ate of Iowa , grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution.
Kansas 1859, Preamble We, the people of Kansas , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.
Kentucky 1891, Preamble.. We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties...
Louisiana 1921, Preamble We, the people of the State of Louisiana , grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.
Maine 1820, Preamble We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity .. And imploring His aid and direction.
Maryland 1776, Preamble We, the people of the state of Maryland , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...
Massachusetts 1780, Preamble We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction
Michigan 1908, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, establish this Constitution.
Minnesota, 1857, Preamble We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:
Mississippi 1890, Preamble We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.
Missouri 1845, Preamble We, the people of Missouri , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness . Establish this Constitution...
Montana 1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution ..
Nebraska 1875, Preamble We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom . Establish this Constitution.
Nevada 1864, Preamble We the people of the State of Nevada , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, establish this Constitution...
New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.
New Jersey 1844, Preamble We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
New Mexico 1911, Preamble We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty..
New York 1846, Preamble We, the people of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.
North Carolina 1868, Preamble We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those...
North Dakota 1889, Preamble We , the people of North Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...
Ohio 1852, Preamble We the people of the state of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common.
Oklahoma 1907, Preamble Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty, establish this
Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences
Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance....
Rhode Island 1842, Preamble. We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing...
South Carolina, 1778, Preamble We, the people of he State of South Carolina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
South Dakota 1889, Preamble We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties ...
Tennessee 1796, Art. XI..III.. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience...
Texas 1845, Preamble We the People of the Republic of Texas, acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.
Utah 1896, Preamble Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.
Vermont 1777, Preamble Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man ...
Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other
Washington 1889, Preamble We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution
West Virginia 1872, Preamble Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God ...
Wisconsin 1848, Preamble We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility...
Wyoming 1890, Preamble We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties, establish this Constitution...

Friends, that doesn't leave much room for wondering or debate. After reviewing acknowledgments of God from all 50 state constitutions, one is faced with the prospect that maybe the ACLU and the out-of-control federal courts are wrong! The question then isn't really whether or not we're a nation founded on God's principles. The question is are you with Him, or against Him?

Interesting Read

Many preachers (including Bro. Rodney) correlate our culture with the one of the early church. We are watching more and more each day as our culture not only accepts but actually embraces an immoral lifestyle and mistankenly calls it "freedom". That's a scary statement when you start thinking about the Holiness of God - sin is, well its just sin. It crawls all over me just as it does everyone else. It bothers me because I really do like to do what I want to do but that is not what God wants, commands, me to do and just conveinently changing what God wants will eventually spell disaster. I have heard the "art of politics" called the "art of lying" and I think that statement rears it's head more everyday. In my opinion this country has sold its soul to keep from being accountable for the sin that we have committed. We found the first smooth talking guy that would tell us, in a profound "sounding" way, "why don't we all just get along" and we gave him one of the most powerful offices in our culture today. His clan is about to pass a law that will legally punish you for calling sin a sin and according to the article below it really isn't even being passed to protect any of the "innocents" from the "hypocrits" as they say but it is an invention born of greed. The song "Dearly Loved" by Jimmy Needham says:

To the slaughters you are being led
Being told that it's a party
That this God is in your head
And every single lie
Sounds just like the greatest truth
But the one truth you're not hearing
Is that he died for you.

Isn't that so true? Isn't that what we've done? I don't think, never mind what I think, the bible says that for those that embrace this lie that's being sold, the party isn't going to be any fun.

I found this article and just thought I'd share. It surprises me that even the lefties are starting to notice the hidden agendas that have been all packaged and prettied up and are handed out on a neat little platters. Enough rambling, here is the article:

A surprising revelation from a homosexual activist over the purpose of the "hate crimes" bill is drawing kudos from at least one pro-family spokesman.

The activist is Andrew Sullivan, one of the movers and shakers in the international homosexual movement. "The real reason for hate crime laws is not the defense of human beings from crime. There are already laws against that," Sullivan writes on his blog, "and Matthew Shepard's murderers were successfully prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in a state with no hate crimes law at the time." Sullivan continues: "The real reason for the invention of hate crimes was a hard-left critique of conventional liberal justice and the emergence of special interest groups which need boutique legislation to raise funds for their large staffs and luxurious buildings. Just imagine how many direct mail pieces have gone out explaining that without more money for [Human Rights Campaign], more gay human beings will be crucified on fences. It's very, very powerful as a money-making tool -- which may explain why the largely symbolic federal bill still hasn't passed." Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel read the blog entry and offers this take on Sullivan's comments on Senate Bill 909. "He is to be commended for his candor," says Barber. "He has admitted publicly now that the hate crimes bill...is, among other things, simply a money-making scheme drummed up by the organized homosexualist lobby." S. 909 is called the Matthew Shepard Act to honor a young homosexual man who was tortured and killed in 1998 not because of his sexual orientation, but during the course of a robbery. As Barber notes, the murder has been used as a money-raiser, too. "Andrew Sullivan points this irony out and points out how ridiculous it is that they are using [Shepard's] name, exploiting this poor young man's horrible death to try to push a money-making scheme...a social ponzi scheme," says Barber. "The cat's out of the bag," he continues. "Sullivan's admission...is both refreshing and stunning at the same time." The hate crimes bill, which has already passed the House, would add sexual orientation to other protected classes.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=531184

A Hidden Blessing.....

Yesterday I attended a funeral......in Millerville, AL. I had never met the man that the funeral was for. I'll get to that later in the story.

Have you ever heard someone say "I don't go to funerals" or "I don't visit funeral homes, I just don't like them." Do you ever wonder why someone might make that statement? I think it is because a funeral is actually, to some extent, a hellfire and brimstone sermon in action. Funerals force people to consider their own mortality, at least in this life. It makes them think about things that they would otherwise just rather put on the backburner for another time.

I am 31 years old and I have been to my share of funerals. I have been to funerals that, in my opinion, more closely resembled a circus than the "celebration of some one's life". I wonder what causes that? I assume, though I am no judge and nor do I want to be, that it is a lack of the knowledge of the things of God (see Matthew 7:24-27) that causes the circus effect at funerals. For the record, the one I attended yesterday was conducted in right reverence and respect for a man that was loved by many, many people and in respect for God and His ways.

Now, I went to this funeral in support of my friend and sister in Christ, Traci Morrow, who had lost her dad. This is what we are supposed to do. In 1st Corinthians 12:25-26 Paul says "....there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." So I went to comfort my friend. Little did I know that God had a Tremendous Blessing waiting on me in that little church in Clay County, AL. The things that I saw during this funeral were amazing to me and I don't know if I'll ever forget them.

Matthew 22:34-40

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Apparently Roy Carr (Traci's father) understood this passage in the Bible or maybe he didn't, I'm not sure. He did seem to live out his life with respect to those commandments though. A couple of things stood out to me about this man yesterday that led me to believe that Mr. Carr understood the very intentions of Jesus when he spoke those words.

Allow me to backtrack just a little to get to the heart of the matter. When I arrived at the little church for the funeral I was told by a mutual friend who had been at the visitation on Wednesday night that "there was standing room only there. You had to wait in line outside the funeral home to see the family. There must have been 250 - 300 people there. " Shrugging my shoulders I thought "wow, you see that a lot when a child passes away but not a 56 year old man." I casted it off to the fact that Millerville must just be a small, close knit community. I am sure that it is but that wasn't the only reason, nor the major factor, that caused all of these people to come out that night to the funeral home. When the funeral started I quickly found out that Mr. Carr had upwards of 30 pallbearers (I didn't count, that's just a guess - there were alot). These people were hurt at the loss of their friend and you could see it on their faces. You see, Mr. Carr was deeply rooted in his community, he invested most of his life into those around him. He was the chief at Millerville Volunteer Fire Dept. for 15 years. Gathering from what I heard at the funeral though Mr. Carr didn't just love the building that housed the VFD he loved and invested in the people that served with him and those that they served. I saw this in the faces of the people that Mr. Carr loved yesterday. Traci even told those that were there from the community yesterday that "my dad loved you" and "he tried to teach you and take care of you." The preacher spent time talking about how Mr. Carr loved the church and told stories about how he lived that love on a daily basis. What type of man is a man that doesn't try to improve what he has and the lives of those around him? I have only been to Millerville once and through it a hand full of times in my life but I can say with the utmost assurance that Millerville, AL is a better place today because Roy Carr chose to make it his home. I can only hope that someone says that about me some day.

The second reason that led me to believe that Mr. Carr understood Jesus' answer to the Pharisees' question is what I heard the preacher and good friend of Mr. Carr's say about him as he preached his funeral. He made the statement several times that "we are not here to mourn for Roy but we are here to mourn for ourselves. I know he's in a much better place now, kicking gold dust up as he walks along the streets of Heaven." This served as a singular statement that intertwined throughout his sermon as he switched back and forth between the Gospel of Christ and various stories about Mr. Carr's faith that seemed both to confort to those that were suffering in the room and offer hope to those that might otherwise be hopeless in their own confrontation with the mortality of this life. He spoke about his love for certain passages of scripture, in particular Psalm 23. The preacher moved through arguably one of the most famous passages in the bible as you would expect to hear at a funeral but one thing was different about this time. I've heard preachers correlate verse 4, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil", with the family and suffering friends at a funeral service as a comforting passage obviously because of the end of the verse "for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me", as a reminder that God loves us and is with us when we suffer the loss of a loved one. This preacher did not do that however. When he arrived at this part of the passage he stopped and told a story about spending time with Mr. Carr as he suffered at the hospital. He talked about how they had conversations about Psalm 23 and how Mr. Carr showed no fear about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. What faith does a man have to have in something that makes him look death in the eye and hold his chin up? That's not playing church! I think that what the preacher was trying to say was that Mr. Carr KNEW that God loved him and would take care of him and he loved God for it - his reaction to the reality of what was coming soon was a testament to this. What a powerful statement to those of us that now talk about his life!

I never had the privledge of meeting Mr. Carr but I now wish that I had. I cannot tell you that I have ever walked away from a funeral saying that about someone but there is something real about Mr. Carr's life that I cannot ignore, something tangible. Mr. Carr invested his life in the things that mattered. He made his time count for something and those that knew him and "did life" with him understand that the most. When I think about the things that I saw and heard yesterday I am inspired to be a better father to my two boys, a better employee at work, to put the needs of others in front of my own and to share the Gospel of Christ to those that might not know.

What kind of man can inspire those things in someone that never met him just by attending his funeral? I would say a man that lived life touched by the purpose of God. We should continue to pray for those that loved Mr. Carr and have been deeply touched by his death but we should also celebrate his life daily by removing our selfish ambitions and loving those around us more - a trait that Roy Carr seemed to know all too well.

I created this post in response to a request that I have asked God for recently. I asked God that He would be real to me today. I think that, at least in part, God answered my question with this situation. Watching how Traci Morrow and her family responded during her father's funeral, seeing how grounded they were, listening to the preacher speak of Mr. Carr's unwavering faith even in the face of death was amazing to me. This must be the faith that the Bible speaks about. This must be the real deal.

What power and strength must lie in actually knowing the I AM? Seeing and hearing what I saw and heard yesterday only makes me more thirsty for the real God of the Heavens and I hope it does for you also.

God Bless,
Matt

Accept And Rejoice

I guess I'm just going on a Jimmy Needham kick.
Don't get bored......I have alot more to share. HAHA

I really like his music. I like the lyrics.

Let this soak in - don't take too much time though or think too hard - It might actually start sinking in.

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Isaiah 64:6

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Dearly Loved

Hey folks,
Just a quick post today. Lately alot of my friends have been suffering trying to deal with sickness, work issues, family issues and even dealing with death. My heart breaks for Traci Morrow and her family over the loss of her dad. I feel so bad for Randy and Brandi Linn as they battle sickness with so many people in their family in so many different directions. I cannot imagine the depth of loss that Tim Harwell feels when he thinks about his son and I don't want to. If you show up on Wednsday night at 6:30 PM and pick up a prayer list you'll see that it's riddled with folks like Sandy Lundy who is fighting cancer and having a rough go at it.

I don't want to bring these things up today to send you into a depression but rather to state that we serve AN AWSOME GOD who is BIGGER than all of these things. He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Paul states in Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God's love and HOLINESS is BIGGER than all of these things good and bad. Isn't that conforting to know that HE loves us? He doesn't have to you know but He does, and He will always. Don't forget it.

This is a video set to the song "Dearly Loved" by Jimmy Needham. Please take the time to watch it. Listen to it. Take time to let it soak in. I am also posting the lyrics below the video for you to read after you watch it.

Have a good day,
Matt

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28

Dearly Loved
Jimmy Needham

Please lay down your arrows
For they're sure to pierce the skin
And water from a broken well
Will make you thirst again
When all things you've acquired
Are tested by the flames
And you can see them melting
Then will you call his name
It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin

Did you know that you are dearly loved
To the slaughters you are being led
Being told that it's a party
That this God is in your head
And every single lie
Sounds just like the greatest truth
But the one truth you're not hearing
Is that he died for you

No greater joy
No greater peace
No greater love than this
It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved

Got Milk?.....No Thanks, I'll Pass.

California school day would honor homosexual pioneer.....

The walls are caving in on Biblical Morality in this country folks......But we serve an AWSOME GOD - Don't forget it!

The California State Senate is poised to vote on a bill making an official "homosexual day" in every public school.

It would be called "Harvey Milk Day" in honor of the openly homosexual San Francisco Board of Supervisors member who was shot and killed in 1978 along with the city's mayor, George Moscone. S.B. 572, which was approved 7-to-2 out of committee last week, says observances conducted on May 22 should recognize Milk's "accomplishments as well as the contributions he made to this state" -- and that "all public schools and educational institutions are encouraged to observe...and...conduct suitable commemorative exercises." Randy Thomasson of SaveCalifornia.com says the legislation designates just another day to indoctrinate children in the tenets of homosexuality. "That's why we've called California parents to get their kids out of the government schools and into the sanctuary of homeschooling or a good church-schooling instead," he shares. According to Thomasson, parental permission for children to participate in any related activities would not be required under S.B. 572, effectively trampling on parents' rights. He also contends the measure would "encourage public schools to positively portray to children any and all facets of homosexuality, bisexuality, and trans-sexuality -- and anything else that's 'in the closet.'" Harvey Milk was assassinated after only 11 months as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. OneNewsNow asked Thomasson if the New York native did anything of significance while in public office. "No. He was in office a short time and he used it to basically hold meetings and do homosexual pride parades and do activist work on behalf of the homosexual agenda," Thomasson explains. "Harvey Milk thought organized religion was dangerous. He thought doors of sexual experimentation must be opened." In addition, he supported homosexual "marriage," adds the California family advocate. That legacy, Thomasson says, is what public school children would be honoring, should the bill become law.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=522496

It's 2:00 AM - Do You Know Where Your Heart Is?

E-Mail From Jeff Daniel:

God compares himself to LIGHT, and evil to DARKNESS. We talk a lot about possessing a biblical worldview, so have you ever looked at our world in relation to that statement about light vs. darkness? How many crimes happen in the daytime vs darkness? How much more sinister activity goes on in the dark? We frequently use the “dark alley” as a metaphor for things we’re afraid of. We put up “night lights” in the hall because our children are afraid of the dark. We install those big “dusk to dawn” lights in our yards to fend off burglars and such. When the killer is stalking it’s prey, it used the cover of shadows. Have you ever noticed that those neighborhood cats never fight and scream on your deck during the day???? J How come we don’t talk about “things that go bump in the day”?

I got to thinking about this because earlier this week a football player from one of our state teams was assaulted while out in town at 2:00 AM. Of course my immediate response wasn’t “is he okay”, but rather “if he hadn’t been out at 2 AM it wouldn’t have happened”. Apparently several other people felt that way too, and expressed it on several media outlets. I was frustrated to read all the comments on the boards criticizing those who questioned why that player was out in town at 2:00 AM. Here are some of the comments:
1. It’s none of your business. (I always love that one the best!!! Translated: You’re right, but I’m not changing.)
2. He might have been out getting something to eat. (Yeah right!)
3. What’s wrong with being out at 2 AM?
4. He’s 21 years old—that’s what 21 year olds do—have fun! (Really? Who’s standard is that? Oh, that’s right, the world’s. Besides, we all know how fun it is to get ‘ganked’ and sent to the hospital at 2AM)

I’ll bet he wasn’t out attending a Bible study!!!!! I get so sick and tired of this culture of ours that says it’s off limits to pass judgment. Listen people, if it looks like a horse, smells like a horse, walks like a horse, and acts like a horse, for all intents and purposes it’s a horse! That’s not called “judging”, it’s called stating the obvious. Kind of like the old joke about airport screeners—when 100% of the terrorism is done by 18-40 year Iranian men, then checking 18-40yr old Iranian men is not profiling—it’s the odds! I can tell you this—usually where there’s smoke there’s fire. You won’t see me in the headlines getting assaulted at 2AM—I’ll be in the bed. People want to live like hell, but not be associated with the devil. This is why it’s so critical to guard your witness. I don’t think it’s too far fetched to say that we have NO business being out and about during late night hours. Have you ever watched “late night TV”? Was there anything Godly on? I can tell you this—when I’m up at 3:00 in the morning getting ready to go hunting, all the movie channels have on “adult movies”, there are 5 stations airing a “Girls Gone Wild” infomercial, reruns of COPS (which by the way shows everybody being arrested at night), Jerry Springer, Howard Stern, a “male enhancement” infomercial hosted by “adult movie” stars, and on and on… And although it’s not the crux of this email, there are indirect consequences associated with those who love the late night. I do not think this is scripture (although each point can be scripturally backed), but an old saying goes “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”. Show me a person who stays up all night, sleeps till mid-day, and I’ll show you a person with problems. I’m not saying they are sick, poor, or dumb—but I could grocery list lots of other issues: (I’ve always been told that one of the surest indications of depression is if they sleep very late. I don’t know, but I have known two people in my life that I believe sincerely suffered from depression-like problems—both of them would sleep till early afternoon hours on weekends. One of them is dead today.) Those people are undependable, often have job problems, relationship problems, etc. (Proverbs 4:16; 6:6-11)

But back to my point…
God says the darkness hates the light. Get a mental picture of this: Someone is in a dark room, and you turn on a flashlight and shine it at them. What is their response?—usually an angry “get that light out of my face”. God says the light reveals the dirty deeds done in darkness. You see, from my biblical worldview, that’s how I see all those people who responded critically to those who questioned the late-night activity. I see them like hissing demons that were just shown a picture of the cross (darkness confronted by light). Someone shown a light in their face and they hated it! This world is at enmity with God.

Jeff

Church - From Jeff Daniel

I want to talk about the goofy way today’s church looks at church growth. To grow a church, you need to think about five concentric circles. We will list them, but quickly dump all but one or two in the garbage (where they belong). You’ve heard me say, today’s Christian doesn’t need to learn more stuff, they need to get rid of some wrong stuff they already know! I’m gonna use the “churchy” words we always hear:
COMMUNITY: Those living around your church who never or occasionally attend. I’ll go ahead and tip my hand, this is NOT the key. Yet, this is where the church spends all it’s resources. This would include the CEO’s—Christmas and Easter Only’s!
CROWD: Those who attend your church regularly or sporadically, but are not members.
CONGREGATION: Those who are half-heartedly committed to both Christ and membership in your church family.
COMMITTED: Those members who are serious about growing to spiritual maturity.
CORE: Those members who actively serve in ministry and mission in your church.
For any of you guys who remember Promise Keepers in Mobile a couple of years ago, you might recall Adrian Depres making the comment: “Community is fine, because they know they are lost. Core is fine, because they know they are saved and have the fruit to prove it. It’s those other ones that are so dangerous because they are most likely lost, yet don’t realize it.” Just because you grew up in church and walked an aisle one time doesn’t mean squat. What are you doing with Jesus today????—I mean right at this moment?
Let me go ahead and make my point upfront: The church will continue trying to grow by focusing on the community at it’s own peril. It better start focusing on DISCIPLING the sheep that are in it’s doors! The idea of disciplemaking is to move people ever closer to the core. We don’t have to focus on “growing the church” because if we focus on disciplemaking, the church will just grow automatically. My word I feel like a broken record on that subject! But I don’t think most folks really believe that! Here’s the dump: FYI—biblically speaking, there is no such thing as CROWD or CONGREGATION. Those are each what I call “justification words”. Just fancy man-made labels to explain why lost people, who say they are saved, act like lost people. (You know who you are) Because we all know, if they say they are saved, then we dare not question it. Sorta like when Little Red Riding Hood didn’t dare question why Granny had such big teeth! You know when we talk about “80% of the names on a church roll are lost”…well, those are the “CROWD” and “CONGREGATION” folks. Again, I’m not equipped to declare whether or not those folks are truly saved, but when I read what the bible says about true converts, they look narrowly like “CORE” folks (or at worst, “COMMITTED” folks). Doesn’t it prick something in your heart that the church is made up of 80-90% crowd and congregation? What’s crazier to me is that we are a generation of people who don’t know that’s not right!!!!!!!!!!!—that’s the kind of stuff I said above that the Christian needs to get rid of. Furthermore, our culture has made it inappropriate to call this out. People will say things like “you can’t make them grow”. No WE can’t, but the Holy Spirit can! And according to the Bible, the Holy Spirit DOES—so how do you square the person who SAYS they are, but remain “crowd” or “congregation”? Hunh?
But the point is this: it is a whole lot easier to grow a church by concentrating on the inner rings—moving the crowd and congregation to committed and core. It is not easy to concentrate on the outer ring—moving the community into the crowd. This is clearly the mission statement of every church, but it’s a faulty mission. This is the commission of each believer—to take the Gospel to the lost, but the fact remains that we’re asking a crowd and congregation of false believers to accomplish this job—and it ain’t happening! I contend that the great commission is the job of individual believers—not so much the “church” on Sunday mornings. The church must focus on discipleship, because disciples simply do what is honoring to God. And if it did so more, we wouldn’t have so much crowd and congregation! Too much church growth thinking concentrates on how to attract a crowd. The surest and fastest path to growth is to concentrate on the inner rings. Fix the ones you got!!!
[As a sidenote on “fixing the ones you got”, let me repeat one of the most poignant statements I’ve ever heard: “The greatest single cause of atheism today is Christians. Who profess Jesus with their mouth, then deny Him with their lifestyle. THAT is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” I’m sorry if I sound harsh, but the crowd and congregation do more damage to Jesus than the committed and core can repair.]
This seems to be the way Jesus operated. He concentrated on the few more than the masses. While not ignoring the masses, Jesus seemed to concentrate his energy on the few. As time went along and the cross grew closer, he seemed to concentrate more and more of his energy on the few. DO NOT think I’m saying Jesus was “clique-ish”. I’m just saying, he discipled the few—trained them perfectly to do the job correctly—and look what they accomplished!!
My observations corroborate this approach. Ask yourself four questions and then watch each week:
How many attend?
How many attended a year ago?
How many visitors do you have?
How many join? Can you remember the last time someone joined? Not working very well is it?
I suspect there is very little difference between growing churches and non-growing churches in terms of how many visitors they have (calculated as a percentage of worship attendance). The big difference is in what I call the "Velcro factor," not the "magnet factor." Here is my answer: Invite every visitor and “crowd/congregation” person to class repeatedly. Not because Jeff said so, but because the Holy Spirit within you should be screaming—“they are going to fall through the cracks if you don’t”. Invite every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month. Have a party once a month and make sure every member gets invited. Go beyond that, do whatever you can to see that they actually come. We have to be results oriented. If we can get them to the party you would not be able to keep them from class. Small groups change everything. People grow in small groups—they DO NOT grow in corporate worship. Repeat—they DO NOT grow in corporate worship. Small groups make a church sticky. The key thing is YOU have to be a fan of small groups. After three+ years of leading one, I have discovered this—a majority of people are not a fan of small groups. Why? I can only offer my opinion—which is based on my knowledge of human behavior and stuff I have heard after folks left—“I felt like they were forcing me to be more than crowd and congregation”. Yes, amen, and hallelujah!!!!—we are doing our job right! It is the exact same principle as when I told you about my uncle and aunt who once said, “we go to Hillcrest because it’s such a large crowd that they don’t know when we aren’t there”. And they meant it like they had full intention to be uncommitted, and thus didn’t want the accountability. Like we always say, it’s a spiritual issue. I don’t know if I’m saying you have to be a fan of small groups to be a radically fired up saint (IE: normal Christian), but if you can show me a radically fired up saint (IE: normal Christian) who isn’t part of a small group, I’ll back off this stance. Good luck!