There are not Enough Eggs in the World!

You have heard that oil and water don't mix right? That is true. Water is a polar molecule, oil is nonpolar, and there is nothing to cause them to stick together. Put them both in the same vessel and shake them up, and in no time they separate out again. But, if you add an emulsifier in with them, it will bond the two so they will not separate out. Eggs are common emulsifiers and responsible for such concoctions as mayonnaise and creamy salad dressings that you don't have to shake up.
Have you seen this bumpersticker? I have seen it several times, and I know that Preacher Dave has referred to it a couple of times in messages. It is made most popular by Bono and his band U2. It sounds nice. Much like the refrain of Rodney King after the riots denouncing his abuse at the hands of the LAPD, "Can't we all just get along?!"

This is the modern tolerance movement. A hundred years ago, tolerance meant that we lived together and respected the right of others to religiously believe whatever they wanted. Fifty years ago, tolerance was redefined by the popular culture as repecting other's religion as equally valid and good. If you don't do that, you are intolerant, a bigot, and just an all around bad person. Now in the beginning of the third millennium after Christ, we have the COEXIST movement. If you are unaware of its meaning, check out their own definitions:

Their tag line is, "Coexist rather than trying to convert." This is syncretism run amok. Friends, let me say it simply, "There ain't enough eggs in the world!" Try as they might, the world's vain philosophies and so-called religions will not stick to the Kingdom of God. Jesus did not stagger up the bloody hills of calvary merely to establish another cheap, equally valid, emotion and tradition-based religion in the world.

Now, I am not saying that we are to lambaste those with other beliefs, but we must not think, say or act as if world religions are just as good or valid or hopeful as the Body of Christ. I am echoing the words of the Apostle Paul.

"And I say this that not anyone should beguile you with enticing words... Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone rob you through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ. " Colossians 2:4-8

COEXIST claims they are driven by love to unite all people groups. I contend this is neither love nor unity. Love requires the truth. The Bible uses love in the sense of seeking the best for others. Can a lie or half-truth really be in the benefit of anyone, especially when considering matters of eternal life and death? And uniting with the world can only destroy the unity of the Body of Christ. That is the point Paul was making.

"Coexisting" may be the way of the world, but it is not God's way. Where are the Daniel's of our generation, willing to stand up for God despite any threatened consequences or name calling? Where are the Moses' who dared to say to Pharaoh that bondage was not acceptable for God's people? Where are the Ester's who would risk their own lives to stand in the gap for the people of God? Sadly, they are few and far between. Who will stand up and proclaim the words of Jesus?

I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but through me. John 14:6

You better believe that God is watching and waiting and wanting to open His floodgates upon such a people.

Is it November 4th Yet?

I don't ask the question because I am eager to vote, rather I am eager to get it over with. Like when your mother wisely told you that if you pull the band-aid off quickly, you could get the pain behind you. Instead, I am suffering every political hair being ripped from my flesh one after another; And its only February!

"Tax cuts," “family values," "politics of life," "change," and "universal" socialism, oh, I mean "healthcare," are just some of the phrases being drummed into your brain every day on the news. The political process is seemingly more muddy than usual. Like a partier making his way home on New Year's Eve, our country is wildly veering off course and banging into the walls. Fortunately, we still have some walls left.

This is easily attributed to the all of the broken and “dysfunctional” homes that are ever increasingly plaguing our country and world. As a result, there is a directly proportional rise in sin. Neglected and abused children brought up in an amoral environment go on to cheat, steal, kill, and abuse their bodies without a second thought. While an unbelievable amount of this activity has become to be accepted behavior, some attempts have been made to correct it. Attempts to thwart the degradation of our society have come in the form of a “crack down” in sentencing laws such as the “three strikes your out.” We have waged the un-winnable War on Drugs and sought to head off AIDS and teenage pregnancy with medical paraphernalia, but even though the statics vary and fluctuate, the condition of our society undeniably continues to worsen. Most of these attempts have been as effective and fear provoking as a sword swung in darkness. The plans for the next President, whomever he or she might be, will likely have the same dismal impact upon our collective mores. So what is the Christian to do?

When I was a fireman, one of the first things you are shown about firefighting involves a fire extinguisher. They lit a pan of diesel fuel and instructed on how to properly squelched the flames. And by that demonstration it was clear that you could empty a dozen fire extinguishers trying to put that fire out as long as you were aiming at the hot raging flames. Yet in contrast, with but a brief blast aimed at the source or base of the fire it quickly went out.

Friends, there is hardly a clearer illustration available than this one as it relates to combating worldly sin. We can fight the War on Drugs forever, pass out condoms until the end of time, and continue slapping people on their wrists of their crimes harder and harder, but the fires of Hell will only burn all the brighter.

“What shall we do,” you ask? Well the foundational problem is godlessness. This has resulted in what I see as the greatest reason our moral fabric is rotting: A lack of family values. In fact, there is a lack of families period. One of the greatest wonders and holy gifts God ever gave mankind is the family. In an nation that tries to solve its problems with unending legislation and a motto that “it takes a village to raise a child,” we are headed for real trouble. Because it does not take a village or a nation, but a mommy and a daddy with a submission to God to raise a child.

“Why,” I ask myself. Why do so many ignore the divine design of God and create single parent homes, latchkey children, “same-sex marriages,” and leave children emotionally and physically abused. This is the same dumbfounding interrogative tactic used by proponents of homosexuality. “If this is a choice of life-style, why would anyone choose it in the face of so much persecution?” A seemingly hard question, but the fact is, people choose socially unacceptable behavior all the time. Is it popularly acceptable to murder, steal, or cheat? If we assume that behavior that is unfathomable to us is equally so for everyone, we are sadly mistaken. I actually heard a radio talk show host the other day that said we must have sympathy for pedophiles because they must have been born that way. With such tolerance, we are in real trouble.

The problem is our pleasure oriented society. Boredom is a chronic symptom of a pleasure-obsessed age. When pleasure becomes our number one priority, the result, ironically, is boredom. That is why a child sits in a room filled with every conceivable toy and electronic game, yet still claims to be bored. From the countess people I have talked to, it is also why most marriages break up. She says, “I need my freedom;” He says, “I want someone new.”

Being obsessed with pleasure only leaves you wanting for more, like an insatiable drug craving. Solomon said, “Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit.”(Prov. 25:16) I do not suggest that we must live as Gnostic hermits, but as joyful Christians. The people in this world know they are missing something, but they don’t know what it is. It is the joy that can only be attained in Christ. This void cannot be filled with any worldly pleasure, no matter how much of it you take. They are taking a pleasure trip to Hell. It is not until they heed this fact and begin restoring our families that this country will ever improve. A turn toward God will be the only turn for the better.

So, if the problem really is godlessness, the solution must be God. More money isn't going to help. Mere change in policy won't help. It is time, past due in fact, that New Testament Christians take a stand. By that, I don't mean stand up and shout louder than everyone else, I mean stand up for Jesus. Lead your family on the path of righteousness. Live your Christianity at your job and neighborhood and where ever you go. Not wielding your Bible as a club, but with joy as your attitude, your speech seasoned with grace, and your actions guided by love. Then when you draw people with your Christ-likeness, they will find the Words of Life palatable.

Lest anyone try and convince you that our founding fathers hand any other plan of success, listen to one of their greatest orators, Patrick Henry:

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of faiths have been afforded asylum, and freedom of worship here."

The country is not saved from the wildfires of self destruction that claimed all of its predecessors by aiming at the hot flaming issues of the day; we save her by shooting right at the base of the problem and restoring God to her foundation.

Our country is restored one person at a time. Jesus didn't talk much about politics because he knew that Christians could have little affect upon a nation by insisting others adopt their views. However, He did realize that Christian leaders can make a great difference, and that in a republic such as ours, a majority of faithful Christians can make a difference. We cannot expect the world to agree with our heart and mind unless they have the same heart and mind. Patrick Henry was right! The Gospel of Jesus Christ must be lifted up if we are ever to have hope.

The only way God's children can hope to reopen God's floodgates upon our nation is to follow His advice.

"If I shut up the heavens, and there is no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send a plague among My people; if My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes shall be open, and My ears shall be open to the prayer of this place." 2 Chronicles 7:13-15

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made... Different

Flowers and chocolates and Valentines: Oh My! For millions, today was a celebration of their sweethearts; for countless others is was just another shameless marketing holiday. Whatever your perspective, amorous love is a subject that God thinks is important.

Newsflash: Men and women are different! Though this fact does not escape every kindergartener in America, it would prove heretical to many in the world today. But it is in this age of egalitarianism, which claims that there are no differences between the sexes, where the most family crises occur. Claims that men and women should have the same roles, responsibilities, accountability, and demands put on them are, in a word, ridiculous. Why? Because they were never intended nor created to be that way.

The Bible is very clear on this point and ignorance of this is very detrimental to the union of marriage. In accordance with the claims of the day, men and women are not educated to understand and deal with their differences as they become husbands and wives. Respectively, the majority of marriages end in divorce.

To help us understand how fundamentally different men and women think, let me illustrate. Let’s say this guy named Jeff is attracted to a woman named Traci (the only non- hypothetical element to this story). Jeff asks Traci out to a movie, and she accepts. They have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anyone else.

Then, one evening when they’re driving home, a thought occurs to Traci. Without really thinking, she says aloud, “Do you realize that, as of tonight, we’ve been seeing each other for exactly six months?”

There is silence in the car. To Traci, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself, “ Geez, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he’s been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I’m trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn’t want, or isn’t sure of.”

And Jeff is thinking, “ Gosh. Six months.”

And Traci is thinking, “But hey, I’m not so sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I could have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward... I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?”

And Jeff is thinking, “So that means it was...let’s see...September when we started going out, which was right after I put the car in the shop, which means...lemme check the odometer...Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here.

And Traci is thinking, “He’s upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I’m reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed--even before I sensed it--that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that’s it. That’s why he’s so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He’s afraid of being rejected.”

And Jeff is thinking, “And I’m gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don’t care what those morons say, it’s still not shifting right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It’s 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a garbage truck, and I paid those thieves $600.00.”

And Traci is thinking, “He’s angry. And I don’t blame him. I’d be angry too. Oh, I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can’t help the way I feel. I’m just not sure.”

And Jeff is thinking, “They’ll probably say it’s only a 90 day warranty. That’s exactly what they’re gonna say, those shysters.

And Traci is thinking, “Maybe I’m just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I’m sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.”

And Jeff is thinking, “Warranty? They want a warranty? I’ll give them a warranty, and a five knuckle sandwich too...

“Jeff,” Traci says aloud.

“What?” Asks Jeff, startled.

“Please don’t torture yourself like this,” she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. “Maybe I should never have...Oh, I feel so...” (She breaks down sobbing.)

“What?” Asks Jeff.

“I’m such a fool,” Traci sobs. “I mean, I know there’s no knight. I really know that. It’s silly. There’s no knight, and there’s no horse.”

“There is no horse?” asks Jeff.
“You think I’m a fool, don’t you?” Traci asks.

“No!” Jeff replies, glad he could finally find at least one correct answer.

“It’s just that...It’s that I...I need some time,” Traci says.

(There is a 15 second pause while Jeff, thinking as fast as he can, tries to find a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work.)
“Yes,” he says.

(Traci’s deeply moved and touches his hand)
“Oh, Jeff, do you really feel that way?” She says.
“What way?” Asks Jeff.

“That way about time,” Traci replies.

“Oh,” says Jeff. “Yes.”

(Traci turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes. This causes him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks.)
“Thank you, Jeff,” she says.

“Your welcome?” He replies.

Then he takes Traci home. She goes into her room and lies on her bed and weeps until dawn.

Jeff, on the other hand, gets back to his place, opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a tennis match between two Czechoslovakians he has never heard of before. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what. So he figures it’s better if he doesn’t think about it. (This, incidentally, is also Jeff’s policy on the Clinton presidency.)

The next day Traci calls her closest friend, or perhaps two of them. They talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstakingly minute detail, they analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification. They continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never tiering of the subject either.

Meanwhile, Jeff, while playing racquetball one day with Traci’s brother, pauses just before serving, frown, and says: “Chris, did Traci ever own a horse?”

Now you must realize that without God’s help marriages are in real trouble today. If you are having trouble in your marriage today, you owe it to yourself, and to God, to seek out an understanding of the differences in behavior and thought patterns between you and your spouse.

How do you make your marriage work? Well you get so wrapped up in the man or woman of your youth, that you cannot even see anyone else (Proverbs 5:18-23). I don’t know who first said “opposites attract,” but I do know that God knew it before anyone said it; because He created us that way.

When you follow God's plan for your marriage you will see Him unlock His floodgates until you have the marriage of perpetual joy you always dreamed of. Life is to short to be miserable!

Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry.

Everything in Moderation?

"Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die," is a quote from the book of Isaiah. He is describing the flippant attitude of some Jews despite God's call for national repentance. Most Christians don't have such a glib attitude when it comes to indulging in the world's offerings, but they may have an equally dangerous one: "All things in moderation."

Over the years, I have had dozens of questions about whether something is permissible for the Christian. These topics have included: Various kinds of piercings, tattoos, gambling, masturbation, pornography and other sex related issues, smoking, alcohol consumption and other drugs, and even rated-R movies.

While Scripture speaks to some of these issues directly, God still intends for us to be able to discern what is righteous from what is not. This is the sentiment of the following verse:

Philippians 2:12-13 "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."

Paul is telling us that we don't have to have an apostle around to determine right from wrong. We work out own salvation by God working in us to do His will.

I am appalled at how many church leaders and other Christians refuse to make any discernments on issues that are not explicit in the Scriptures, yet are content to condemn those who do as legalists. The irony is they are, in fact, the "legalists.” By that I mean they claim to dwell in a large gray area and called “freedom.” If there is not a specific command condemning their actions, they feel they are at liberty to proceed with almost anything. Therefore, because the Bible does not explicitly condemn gambling or cheating on a test, these actions must not be viewed as violations of God's will.

The fact is that God never intended His Word to be an exhaustive, timeless reference book of prohibited and permissible behavior. For instance, it does not say “Thou shalt not smoke marijuana,” or “Christians must not sell pornography,” yet, by the Spirit with us. we all know these things are sinful. So how does the Christian make such sure judgments when he cannot point to a Scripture that specifically names it as sin? The answer is that God has given Christians a measure of decorum that need not be exhaustively specific.
Whether any word or deed is appropriate for God’s children can be determined by answering three Bible questions:

1. Is what I want to do going to bring honor and glory to God?

“God will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.” Romans 2:5-8.

In fact Paul told the church specifically, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31. That could be enough, but perhaps we should go further.

2. Will what we want to do harm us?

“But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” 1 Corinthians 6:17-20.

We are to protect and take care of our mind and body in which God lives in by His Spirit. Perhaps you believe you have it all under control.

3. Could what we want to do be negative influences to others, leading them down the wrong path?

“But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.” 1 Corinthians 8:8-13.

Interestingly enough, eating food sacrificed to idols, could pass the other two questions we have already asked. In itself, it is not a sin, but Paul says that it still can be. If what we do can cause our brother or sister in Christ to stumble, we have sinned against them and against Christ. Jesus said if we caused even the weakest among us to stumble it would be better to have a millstone put around our neck and tossed into the deepest sea.

We must have the heart to say "if this freedom causes my brother to stumble, I will never do it again.” Do you have the faith in God to trust Him to lead you along the path of righteousness? Do you believe that your loving Father has only your best interest in mind? Don't you think that is a heart to which God will open His floodgates wide?

"For such is the will of God, doing good to silence the ignorance of foolish men; as free, and not having freedom as a cover of evil, but as servants of God." 1Peter 2:15-16