Hypocrisy July 6, 2007

          Many time throughout the bible Jesus condemned the Pharisees as hypocrites. Unfortunately not much has changed since those days. From talking with unbelievers I have found that those who are vehemently against Christianity consider Christians to be hypocrites and to a big extent we are. Here are two hypocrisies that non believers point out.    

Hypocrisy #1
Teaching love but having none. Many Christians do not love unbelievers especially those who are living in sin. Now, I don’t mean they should accept unbelievers as they are, but they should love them and try to bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.   

Hypocrisy #2 not witnessing.
Believe it or not I know unbelievers who are upset that more Christians don’t share their faith or that when they confront Christians with a question, the believer is unable to answer. C’mon people. If we have been saved we need to tell the whole world. If the unbeliever doesn’t see that we are exited about our faith, why should he be interested in it?    

          There are many moor hypocrisies I could mention, but these are the ones non-believers notice and I have also already posted about some other ones.    

          Now if you’ve read my blog long you know that I do a lot of ranting about what I think is wrong with the world or with people groups and I realize that is probably what this sounds like. However that is not what I want people to think about this post. I want the believer [including myself] to look at himself and see if his life is showing hypocrisy that might deter someone from coming to the Lord.

True Religion June 17, 2007

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27a   

        Many people today have a wrong view of religion. A lot of these false views fall into one of two camps. Either they believe that religion is doing good deeds, or they believe that they can just call themselves religious and have no deeds. Both of these views are false. James 2:21-22 says …was not Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  

        After going to jail recently, Paris Hilton claims that she’s found “religion.” She says that when she gets out of jail she will be different; she will try to be a good person. Now I don’t know all the details behind this, but I’m willing to guess that all Paris found was a wake up call to change her ways. She claims to have changed on the outside, but to have true religion, a person must first be changed on the inside. Many people look at James 1:27 and see only the first part that talks about looking after orphans and widows. However the verse continues. It says that true religion keeps oneself from being polluted by the world. Since any good deed we would do outside of our life in Christ would come from selfish motives [pollution of this world], we need Christ to keep our motives pure and unpolluted.  

        There are many people today who don’t believe that there lives have to change when they become a Christian. I can think of many people who go to church on Sunday but if someone who they thought would mock Christianity asked them about their faith, they wouldn’t talk about Jesus. This is a dead faith. As it says in James, faith without works is useless. As Christians we are a new creation. We are no longer self seeking idiots aimlessly wondering through life not sure what in the world we were doing, but we are new creatures who are overjoyed by the grace we have been shown and are prepared by God to perform good works. Ephesians 2:10 says, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand.   

        Religion does not come by being good; neither does it come without cost. We must first realize our deadness because of sin, then we must accept Christ as our Savior, lastly Christ will give us the heart to serve. Not because he forces us, but because we are so overjoyed by the mercy he has shown. There are steps to obtaining true religion, and they don’t start with us.

The Personality Trap June 10, 2007

          Most of us probably have someone in our lives who we think of as the “model Christian”. Maybe it’s one or several traits that make this person stand out. It’s easy to look at someone like this and say, “Wow, what a great person, but I could never be like that that.” We so often get sucked into thinking that someone’s personality is just the way God made them and if my personality isn’t one to do that trait then that’s not how God made me. It is at this time that we get sucked into the personality trap. The devil tries so often to make us think that our lives fit into a mold called our personality. This is not so. Corinthians 5:17 says if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. We must not walk in our old earthly ways but as 1 Thessalonians 4:1 says, “Excel still more.” In interpreting this verse, there is no room to say “my personality isn’t one to forgive when someone cuts me off in traffic.” The bible makes it very clear that we are to always excel still more. Satan often tries to lie to us and make us believe that, “I’m not the compassionate type. I’m not one to keep his cool. I’m just don’t easily forgive. This is a lie. That is our sin nature not our personality. We must not get sucked into the personality trap, but excel still more. Looking at examples from the bible and from people around us is a practical way to see how to live our lives in a Godly fashion   

          I used to think that finding a hero was dumb. Heroes always have flaws, but that’s what makes them human. I think it’s important to find someone who you admire and come into contact with a lot and try to study his or her good character habits. There is much can be garnered from watching other people’s lives. Now remember that Christ is the perfect example; we should always study his example. However, sometimes it is helpful to see practical application of scriptural truths being worked out in people’s lives. The next time you see a person helping someone in need, remaining steadfast in the midst of struggles, or showing other scriptural qualities, don’t say, “That’s them, this is me”, take their example to heart and break free from the bonds of the personality trap.

Plus One – I Don’t Care Lyrics June 6, 2007

Could it be yesterday
I coulda swore the same thing happened just the other day
Put on the spot
Now what am I gonna say
If I tell them who You are will they think that I’m insane?
Do I really care?

Well yes and no, maybe so
Cause if they don’t think You’re real how will they ever know
So I won’t stop
Cause even if they laugh at me
It doesn’t change a thing about what I believe
(What I believe yeah)

*Chorus*
I don’t care what it takes
I don’t care who it shakes
I don’t care what they say
I’m gonna do it Your way
Even if I’m afraid
Don’t wanna make You look fake
I don’t care about anything
It’s not about me

You make me feel secure
You’ve given my your word and now I know I’m sure
I was so messed up
Like a wheel you turned around my fate
When I thought you were just something up in outer space
But that’s not the case

You’re more real to me
Than what they make you out to be on the TV
Can ya turn me up
‘Cause you know we’re getting serious
When we talk about the invisible it’s clear to us (so clear to us)
*Chorus*

I don’t care about the things that used to keep me far away from you
Left me so confused
I don’t care about the things that used to fill me up with so much doubt
I’ll turn it inside out

So if they start to wonder
and they start to stare
You know it don’t matter cause
I don’t care

Rudy is a scary man May 25, 2007

Today I came across a news article in the Washington Post talking about Rudy Giuliani’s [a 2008 republican presidential candidate] liberal stance on a “woman’s right to choose.” The author of this article seams to be very liberal and yet he makes an amazingly good point. Here is an exert from that article [read the whole article here]. The article is talking about Rudy at this point. 

 

 

 

His argument comes down to this: “I hate abortion,” which is “morally wrong.” But “people ultimately have to make that choice. If a woman chooses that, that’s her choice, not mine. That’s her morality, not mine.” 

 

 

But the question naturally arises: Why does Giuliani “hate” abortion? No one feels moral outrage about an appendectomy. Clearly he is implying his support for the Catholic belief that an innocent life is being taken. And here the problems begin. 

 

How can the violation of a fundamental human right be viewed as a private matter? Not everything that is viewed as immoral should be illegal; there are no compelling public reasons to restrict adultery, for example, or to outlaw sodomy. But when morality demands respect for the rights of a human being, those protections become a matter of social justice, not just personal or religious preference 

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All I can say is RIGHT ON. I don’t believe this author is pro-life, but at least he sees the idiocy of believing that it’s ok to kill a human. If you think about it, believing that killing a human is a personal choice is way scarier than believing that an abortion kills a bunch of cells.

Jesus as light May 17, 2007

      Without the sun’s light, life could not exist; without the light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, we could not have eternal life nor could we be reflectors of God’s light. Having been veiled from us by the god of this age, God’s truth was disclosed when Jesus Christ shone his light through this world’s darkness and illuminated himself to us. Now that we are followers of the truth, others should see Christ being mirrored through us by our alertness and self control. As believers, our aim should no longer be to glorify ourselves by living lives of craftiness and disobedience to the Word of God, but our ambition should be to praise our Father in heaven by being reflectors of His light of truth. This truth is the knowledge of eternal life through Jesus Christ. We must always remember that we are only mirrors of God’s light; the light does not come from us but from God. Before we were saved, we were in utter darkness. Without Jesus now, we would still be trapped in darkness. God is the genuine, perfect, and necessary light of truth for whom we are reflectors.

CEF letter May 14, 2007

Dear Friends and Family, 

     This summer God has provided the opportunity for me to work with children through week-long day-camps which are a ministry of C.E.F. [Child Evangelism Fellowship]. I first heard about C.E.F. approximately two and a half years ago when some of the youth from our church talked about the work they had done through five-day clubs that summer. Then last summer I went to a training camp to train to work in several five-day clubs. This summer I will be working in six day-camps. Unlike five-day clubs, the day camps last all day and are in churches. Most of the day-camps will be in Whatcom County, but one will be in Rockport [Skagit County].  

     From April 9-13 I worked with about nine other youth at a training day-camp which was like a rehearsal only we had actual children present. At the training camp, we got to see what we would be doing this summer but in a simpler format. During the day-camps children will hear Bible stories, eat snacks, complete crafts, learn to witness to other children [while hearing the basics of the gospel themselves], listen to Adventures in Odyssey [our theme this year], and play lots of games. At the camps, I will be in charge of helping a group of children complete these activities and I will also have the opportunity to occasionally teach the Bible story and memory verse.       

      Even though it’s not always easy, I really enjoy working with children. Christ told us that a child’s trusting spirit is an example of what our faith should look like. Because children are more open to the gospel, children’s ministry is one of the most effective ministry fields. I believe that the teen-age years of my life are a great opportunity to serve the Lord because I have fewer responsibilities to tie me down. 

    I would greatly appreciate your prayers this summer. Some things that I would cherish your prayers in are 

1 Stamina to work the whole summer
 2 Patience towards the kids and other workers

3 Guidance for situations that arise

4 Submissiveness to the Lord and to my leaders  

Please also pray that God would teach me to completely rely on him. 

Sincerely

Trevor Gustafson 

Romans 12:11-12 (NIV) Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

The example of Mary Slessor May 12, 2007

“What would I do with starry crowns except to cast them at His Feet?”

This quote showcases the humility and obedience of the life of Mary Slessor. Mary not only wrote this quote, she lived by it. On countless occasions she sacrificed personal gain and comfort for the sake of the Gospel. While she was not martyred for her faith, Mary Constantly put her life on line to reach the remote tribes of Calabar Africa with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mary Slessor was a woman who set aside gain and laid her destiny at the feet of her God.

 

 

     Because Mary was willing to trust him, God used Mary’s rough childhood to prepare her for the plans he had lying ahead. Mary was born 1848 to a poor, Scottish family who lived in a rough part of town. Marry’s father was a drunk and a gambler so at a young age Mary would have to work to support her family. As a child, Mary began to get into lots of trouble, but a concerned lady from Mary’s town told Mary about the punishment for sin and that there was a way she could be saved from that punishment. Mary chose to be saved and to accept Christ as her Lord. After that her life was never the same. Mary began to teach a Sunday school class in one of the most dangerous parts of town. One day after teaching, Mary was walking home when she was confronted by a gang of boys. The boys told Mary to get out of the area and stop teaching Sunday school. Then one of the boys took a piece of string that he had tied to a piece of led and began to swing it around his head. He came closer and closer to Mary, but Mary didn’t back down; She knew she could trust God. The boy came closer and closer until suddenly, “Whack,” the led hit Mary in the forehead causing her to bleed. However, Mary still didn’t turn and run; she just stood there. The boys were so amazed by Mary’s bravery that the next week they came to Mary’s Sunday school class and the boy who had hit Mary with the led accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. Sunday school was only a training ground for Mary for what God had in store. One Sunday as she was sitting in church, Mary heard a missionary speech about the work going on in Calabar, Africa. The missionary told about how these people desperately needed Jesus. He told about how the people there participated in witchcraft, cannibalism, and tribal warfare. At that moment, Mary felt God calling her to go to Calabar. After much prayer and preparation, Mary set sail for Calabar, but Calabar wasn’t going to be anything like Scotland. When describing Calabar, the captain of the ship that Mary was on told Mary, “sure tis no place for a proper young lady to be going”. “There’s no law or order there.” Mary wasn’t scared though. She knew that she could trust God in Calabar just like she could trust him when confronted by a gang of boys.

 

   Mary was not afraid of stepping out of her comfort zone to reach people for Christ. Unlike other missionaries in Calabar, Mary changed her customs to fit the ways of the Calabarian people. She eat their food, wore their clothes, and lived in their houses. In-between going from village to village, Mary would see baby twins alongside the road. The babies had been abandoned because the villagers thought that having twins was bad luck. Mary would take these children and either find good homes for them or raise them herself. Even though she never married, Mary raised these children as her own.  Mary was also a great peace maker. Whenever she heard that two tribes were going to war, she would run as fast as she could to go and try to convince the two chiefs to make peace. One time, a chief named Chief Njiri [Ninjuri] came into the village where Mary was. He and his men became drunk and then they started stabbing other people. Mary ran right up to chief Njiri, grabbed his arm, and told him, “Chief Njiri, you need to leave right now.” Amazingly that’s just what Chief Njiri did. He and his men filed right out of town. Mary did all her work for the Lord, but the government couldn’t help but notice what a great peacemaker Mary was. The governor, whose name was Claude MacDonald, told Mary, “I don’t know of anyone who does such a good job at making peace as you.” He then gave Mary a paid, official position as peacemaker for the region. The only reason Mary received this position though was because she did not let her fear of change or her fear for her life stop her from reaching people for Christ.

 

 

     Mary never let her health get in the way of her ministry. Africa is a place with many diseases and viruses. Several times Mary became so sick that she had to return to England, but every time she went to England, she always returned to Calabar. One time while taking a long boat ride in the rain, Mary became so sick that she started talking nonsense, laughing hysterically, and was unable to recognize her friends. By the time the boat ride was over, Mary was unconscious. The other missionaries were very concerned for her. They sent her back to England where she became better. After getting well, Mary returned to Africa even though she knew she might face some deadly disease there. As Mary became older, it became more and more difficult for her to walk from village to village so she came up with come creative means of transportation. At first Mary tried biking, but pretty soon she wasn’t able to even do that. So she had her oldest daughter wheel her in a wheel chair. Mary also got around in a motorized boat that children in a Sunday school class in England had bough for her. These modes of transportation were far from comfortable. Every joint in Mary’s body would ache every time she would travel. Marry’s friends bought her a nice house and told her it was time for her to retire. However Mary refused. She staid and worked in Africa until her death in 1915. Even when every joint in her body ached, Mary still pressed on to tell people about Jesus. Mary was more concerned with people’s spiritual condition than with her own physical one.

 

      Mary Slessor was a woman who set aside gain and laid her destiny at God’s feet. Mary allowed God to use her circumstances as a child to prepare her for missions work. Once a missionary, Mary went out of comfort zone to reach people for Christ even if it meant death. Mary put the condition of other’s hearts in front of the condition of her body. Like Mary we too should obey God instead of trying to gain passing earthly possessions.

Wise Use of Leisure Time May 2, 2007

     While a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day to God, we as humans are constrained to twenty-four hours of day that God expects us to use wisely. As teenagers, much of our day is taken up with school, chores, and work that our parents require us to do. However, there is still time, as occasional as it may seem, to kickback and do our own thing. At this time of leisure, the teenager has a choice to make: what is he going to do with his time. There are three categories of ways to spend time: edificial, neutral, and sinful. Knowing that sin is wrong, Christian teenagers attempt to stay away from sin, but their alternative is usually playing computer, watching television, or playing with friends. While these things are not bad, they can distract from doing something superior when the opportunity arises. Teenagers should not get so caught up in having fun that they don’t study their bible, help around the house, and participate in ministries. Accomplishing so much in the three short years of ministry on earth, Jesus set an example of spending time on others instead of himself that should be our goal. Every Christian teenager knows not to sin, but sometimes he sins by his inaction to do something right.

Evil is real April 27, 2007

     The media’s coverage of the Virginia Tech. shooting has made me realize how our society really tries to ignore evil. I would like to begin by saying my prayers go out to all the families of the Virginia Tech. shooting victims. My prayers also go out to the family of Seung-Hui Cho. I know they must be going through a tough time. I do not judge them nor do I judge South Korea. With that said, I want to say that what happened of on April 16, 2007 was simply evil, but the media has tried to call it something – anything else. News articles have claimed that Cho was insane when he shot sixty one people. However how could someone who was insane be able to buy weapons and ammunition, hide them, and be able to film himself and then mail the video? He couldn’t. Whenever someone commits something atrocious like the Virginia Tech. Shoots, our society’s first response is to suggest that the culprit might have been insane. That’s wrong. 

     Another thing the media has tried to do is label Cho as is a poor-guy who was just depressed because he didn’t have any friends. As if that’s an excuse for killing thirty two people. I understand that Cho had speech problems and might have had a hard time finding friends because of that. However I watched parts of the videos he sent to NBC and he was certainly understandable. Being an immigrant, Cho probably had a much tougher time than any of us, but NOTHING to excuse the evil he committed.       

       As America’s sense of moral decency declines, Americans continually develop knew words for explaining away sin. What is the church’s response? They go right along with it. I have a friend who will never say the word “hell” [I’m not talking about the swear word]. He’s “afraid of offending someone.” This person is a professing Christian and I’m sure he probably has had this teaching reinforced at his church. It’s sad to see such liberal views in such a close friend.   

      Christians today need to stand up and call sin-sin. When dealing with someone one on one we need to be very sensitive, but very firm with the truth. There are many Christians who I know would correct not out of love, but those who wouldn’t correct at all are far more common. So then, call sin what it is. Never name called a mistake, a bad thing, or some other excuse. Call it what it is. God hates sin and so should we. 

     Ps. Again my prayers go out to the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting.