Welcome To The Show....We Call Church

These days churches are looking more and more like a circus act that you might find in Vegas. In order to be relevant in this culture, many people believe we must take a cue from the world. Pastors are going for the dramatic--you gotta look like the world to draw 'em mentality. When I hear the words, epic, life changing, radical in association to any church a shiver goes down my spine--(I avoid such churches). These are the same people who've coined the phrase "Jesus was a rebel", which gives them the green light & justification for shallow, man centered, theatrical, circus like shenanigans. My question is--was Jesus truly a rebel (our definition of rebel)? In order to answer that question, let's look at a few truths about who Jesus was & still is:

• Jesus called out the Pharisees--those who had a form of godliness, but denied Him--they honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him..they were the religious.
• He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. Isiah 53:2
• He reached out to the "least of these"--the outcasts--rejected. He loved them, broke bread with them--but was never influenced by them---He influenced them.
• He demanded repentance--he demanded that we deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him. Sadly, many couldn't do that--because they loved the world too much.
• Jesus never once compromised Himself to be relevant to the world-- He never took on the identity of the world, he demanded that we take on His identity.
• He called sinners to repentance--for the Kingdom of God is at hand.

Acts 2:42-47 "42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."

In summary: The profession of their faith was in their actions, their devotion, their love for Christ, so much so that people were drawn to them--not by theatrics and pony shows--but by them actually walking the walk.

John 13:35 Jesus says:

³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ³⁵ By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

None of the Apostles drew anything from the world--They looked nothing like the world. People are craving the truth--their tiered of the dog and pony shows--religious self seeking hypocrites who serve no other purpose than to tear the body of Christ apart, the people of God are tiered of the religious looking the part and not acting the part, the people of God are tiered of seeker sensitive churches and pastors, who are still on milk and not solid food. Tricks are for kids!

Can You Spot The Differences?

Who doesn't like a good puzzle every now and then. I don't fancy myself a great mind in such things. However, I do enjoy the occasional logic puzzle, which requires more concentration than your typical "spot the difference pictures". As a child I loved those games you'd find in the back of a kid's magazine, or on the back of your cereal box. Even now that I'm an adult, I do enjoy the comparative picture puzzles. One thing is for sure--not all comparative pictures are alike. Some are easier, while others require you to take each object in the picture and break it down in sections. The differences can be slight to very obvious----just like the church. These days its getting harder and harder to actually find an institutional church that is centered on God and not man.

Galatians 1:6-10 "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel--not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

As you see, there is nothing knew about man...me..centered doctrines. The world will do what its always done --the problem comes ---when the world infiltrates the church,and the church starts taking on the identity of the world & looking more and more like the world and less like Christ, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power. Friendship with the world is enmity against God. My grandmother has a saying: "Honey, not everyone is a child of God." Words of wisdom that I've learned---some the hard way---but learned them. The only way to spot a fake is to compare it to the real thing. Never take what someone says as fact, search it and find out. There's a high price to pay in the end for compromising--I'm not sure many realize how high the price is----it's your soul!

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Who Do You Say That I Am?

Children have a way of asking the most thought provoking questions. You know---those that actually require a parent to stop, think, and answer with clarity. The other night, my youngest son, Riley, asked me a question that caused me to stop--ponder. "Mom" he says, eyes wide, staring back at me, "Is Jesus our brother?" "He's closer than a brother". "We'll what does that mean", he asks--squinting his eyes in confusion. "He's our Savior, sent to pay a debt that we ourselves could never pay." After that answer I realized that he was more confused than ever. After much more explaining, he got it. The entire exchange with my son about who Jesus was--and is brought questions to my own mind of how we--people--individuals-- view who He really is versus who we've made Him out to be in our own minds...how we've fashioned Jesus as a mere "relative", one of the guys in the group just like us--made in our own image. We see Jesus in the scriptures reaching out to the untouchables--sitting with sinners--challenging the Pharisees and Sadducee's, He's the one that the religious hated and the "least" of these loved!

What we've done in our churches/seeker sensitive churches to make Jesus cool--more appealing--to those rejected by the religious, church folk (those professing Christ but looking nothing like Him) is paint a picture of a loving, rebellious, going against the grain, tolerate of all sins, man that requires nothing but to love others and treat others with respect--the way everyone wants to be treated.

What people have done in the world to make Jesus cool--more appealing--to those rejected by the religious, church folk--is paint him as tolerate, loving, one of the guys, non-judgmental, caring to all, requiring nothing in return, but accepting of all that we do, because He is the man who made the "least of these" first, and the religious the last!

A friend of mine said it best "Jesus doesn't offer options for people to consider, He issues commands for people to obey." Luke 5:31-32 Jesus makes it clear why he came, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

Jesus calls us the way we are, in our sin..where we are, but he calls us to repentance--to turn from our sin. If we profess Christ we must admit that we are sinners, dead in our trespasses in need of a Saviour to rescue us. How have so many missed the mark? How have so many gotten it wrong? It's easy---we love who we think He is--and dismiss who He really is because dying to self is the hardest thing any of us will ever do!

To truly accept Christ means looking yourself in mirror and truly seeing the "you" for who you really are--in need of a huge make-over from the inside. He is the son of God sent to do the Father's will, not ours. Following Christ will cost you. Christ requires change!

In The Name of Love

My name isn't important, but you know who I am. I'm the thief that walked the road to Calvary with Jesus. The thief who was condemned to die upon a cross next to the King of Kings. I'd done my fair share of sinning. I'd chosen a life of crime. Do you know how it feels to walk the road of a condemned man--forced to carry his shame and listen to the jury cry for your death. I know all too well, but I accepted the road that I walked.

Three of us walked to our death that day upon dusty roads made of stone---our crosses heavy, a crushing weight that begs for relief. I didn't know at the time, that this day was no ordinary day. There was a man, Jesus, who seemed to be hated and loved for who he was. Not a thief, murderer, or sinner by any means---He was the son of God.

His only crime was claiming that he was such. He'd been known through out the land. Known for calling all sinners to repent for the kingdom of God was at hand, healing the sick, raising the dead, & that seemed to rile the religious order. So much so they brought him before Pilate and demanded his crucifixion.

He was a man scourged, beaten, whipped, spit upon and mocked. As we moved through the crowd those who loved him followed and wept.

Finally arriving at Calvary's Hill they hung us up on our crosses for the world to see--to look upon the condemned. There at the feet of Jesus they divided his garments and cast lots. They sneered, yelling "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."

A sign hung over His head that read THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. But Jesus, prayed for them saying, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Imagine that--He the condemned praying for those who hated and despised Him. I'd never known or seen such a man as this.

I knew that I deserved my punishment, but this man did not--He did no wrong that required such a punishment. I recognized what those who did not or refused to---Jesus was who He claimed to be and He would live and rule in God's Kingdom. Though I died that day I inherited everlasting life. "Lord, I said, "remember me when You come into your kingdom.

Jesus raised His head, looked upon a sinner--a thief--an outcast, and said "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

There on that Hill, He bore the sins of the world----all in the name of love!

Footprints in the Sand

I knew something was wrong. Pam abruptly stopped in the middle of performing my regularly scheduled ultrasound and excused herself from the room. "I'll be right back she said, and disappeared through the door. Lying there on the table, gel still warm on my growing belly, I began to pray frantically. My heart beat hard against my chest, anxiety set in and my mind began to race with worry. Richard sat beside me trying to be strong for me, but we both knew something was wrong. There in the dimly lit ultrasound room I waited for what seemed like an eternity, preparing myself for the worst. The door opened, revealing a little light. There was my doctor with a look of sympathy upon his face and we knew then that our baby had died after only 14weeks.

Emptiness, pain, sorrow, darkness, and fear swirled within me raging like a storm set out on a turbulent sea. In the midst I questioned God: Why? Why did this happen? Was there something I did or didn't do? Why had he allowed such an awful thing to happen? And God always answers, even if its not what we want to hear. And God, being who He is, answered me. There in the midst of it all he met me, just He and I--Father to daughter. And it was there that I finally learned what "peace that surpasses all understanding" is. And that even in one of the darkest and bleakest times in my life, He was there---He carried me through--us through. It's knowing that Jesus wept with us and my pain was and is his pain.

There is a purpose for all things. As horrible as it was, God's will and purpose was done. Some may question what in the world good was accomplished through such a tragedy. We'll I'll tell you. No longer do I take my other children for granted. Those little things that used to drive me crazy no longer bother me. Our family is stronger, my marriage is stronger, my relationship with my mother is stronger, and my faith is stronger. No matter what comes my way, I can depend on Jesus. God never left me and He will never forsake me. If not for the love of God and Christ's sacrifice, where would I be.

It's been 2 weeks since we buried our son Ronan Pete Wagner. I'd be lying if I said that it hasn't been hard. I have my moments where I think about him not being able to take his first steps, first day of kindergarten, sibling rivalry, or saying his first words. But I know that he sleeps, and I'll see him again. We grieve, but not as others who grieve, for we know where our hope lies. It is in Christ. I found my way back to Him in it all never really knowing how far I had actually strayed from home until April 8, 2011. It was that day that I bared my soul, laid my head upon upon his lap and told Him just how much I needed Him. He simply replied: "Welcome home Daughter" and placed upon my head a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

And Baby Makes 5

I've not blogged in quite sometime. Truth is, haven't really felt like it. Not since I've found out that I'm pregnant again. Yes, I'm pregnant. Believe me when I say that it was a huge surprise. Me and my husband were not thinking about having any more children. My oldest (daughter) just turned 17 and my youngest is 7. Not to mention how I can hear 40 breathing down the back of my neck. Sure it won't be here for 2 1/2 years, but its knocking loudly nonetheless. However, in spite of the huge surprise and the fact that we were not trying in the first place, we are happy and joyful that we will welcome our 5th child. My life so far has been like an out of body experience. My other pregnancies were never like this, but then again I was in my 20's and now I'm in my late 30's--huge difference.

My get up and go has got up and went. Strange food cravings and constant nausea dictate much of my life right now. Not to mention the dumb comments like "You know what causes that, don't you?" or Thank God that ain't me, I'd kill myself", to which I always reply, with a smile---"God only choses those who are strong." And no one knows how to truly respond to that answer. As HIs Word says Every good and perfect gift comes from the father of lights. I'm looking forward to welcoming our new child in to our family. My due date is Oct 1. But something tells me that I won't make it to Oct, I believe this will be another Sept baby. I'll be getting back on the blogging horse once my nausea wanes, and my get up and go has returned to me. Until then, keep me and child in your prayers for a healthy baby and a safe and drama free birth.

Living Out The Gospel

We expect the world to do what the world does. However, when the lines are blurred and you can no longer differentiate the church from the world we have a huge problem. Meaning---many churches have taken on the identity of the world and are looking less like the body of Christ and more like the world. In many cases, sad as it is, the church is little more than a seeker sensitive politically correct institute made after the hearts of men. Whatever it takes to draw them in mindset has made itself prevalent within the body. Thousands are drawn away by the desires of their own hearts and convince their members that in order to be truly successful we must build it bigger, better, and have more stuff to draw the outsiders. Of course you need to draw people in order to pay for the huge buildings and other things. This type of thinking has lead many churches to close it's doors in the wake of the recession. Money is tight these days and many churches are finding themselves short on money and unable to keep up the opulent buildings they've built. Case in point, the Crystal Cathedral, which has been forced to close its doors due to a dwindling congregation and a recession that has hit so many so hard. With no other option than to file bankruptcy, the Crystal Cathedral finds itself in a pit of debt of about 5.5 million dollars with no way to pay the mortgages or those they've hired to put on lavish programs.

Now the mega-churches have something else to worry about. The Tennessee State Board of Equalization has decided that one mega-church in Nashville Tn, will have to pay the amount of $425,000 in property taxes. Why, you ask? It seems that the board deems churches who have bookstores, gym's and the like in their building is considered commercial enterprises and are deemed taxable. The minister who received this huge bill is from South Nashville and pastors a congregation of 2,300. The pastor had this to say:

"They think a church worships on Sunday and then everybody goes away," pastor Dan Scott said. "Anything else you do is not church. But Christianity is not something you dive into once a week."

Of course Pastor Dan Scott plans on fighting this. I'm more on the side of the Board in this case. These things may be nice, but really there is no essential need to have them.

Once church in particular is really living out the Gospel they preach. Here is the article and the link. Read more: http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/news/29535#ixzz164LaaoDU

David Platt (pictured right) became one of the youngest megachurch pastors in history when in 2006, at the age of 28, he was appointed to lead The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala.

Yet just as remarkable is how his church of more than 4,000 responded to his challenge over a series of weekend services to take Jesus’ words at face value and abandon all for Him.

The result? Families (including Platt’s) downsized their living spaces, simplified their lifestyle and gave away profits to the poor. Business owners sold their companies to aid global and local mission work. Dormant believers became activated to launch ministries. And the church radically made over its budget to do more with less so it could invest more in local and global ministries.

This year, Brook Hills embarked on a one-year commitment called “The Radical Experiment” which includes dozens of short-term mission trips around the world to allow people a different context of service. “If we’re not careful, if I’m not careful, we can start to think the world looks like Birmingham,” Platt says.

I believe this young man is going in the right direction. I'm not inclined to call it a Radical Experiment, but simply what it is-----Living out the Gospel! We don't need all the bells and whistles----Jesus just needs us to follow Him!