We Switched Churches

Yes, after about 40 years in an evangelical church we left and went to another church. Now I don't recommend switching churches just because we aren't happy but there comes a time when it is important to switch. I am glad we switched. I will explain by commenting on three young men, Rob, Brian and Chris.
Rob was the youth pastor at the church we left. Rob was a great example to our oldest son and helped shape him into the man he is today. But Rob's days at that church were coming to a close and he would not have the influence over our other sons.
Brian was the first youth pastor in the church we to which we switched. Brian wasn't concerned whether he grew a great youth group by numbers but he wanted everyone under his ministry to know that they were truly born again.
Chris followed Brian and his desire was that those in his youth group knew the Word of God. To do this he started the Great Commission School through our church.
These three young men were not only teachers of our sons but they were great models for them to follow.
Thank you Lord for sending these young men into our lives. We would not have known Brian and Chris if we had not switched churches.

Uncle Bill

Someone once said that what we want to be when we are old we must start now. I have always admired my mother's brother Bill. He was a quiet and godly man. He loved the land (he was a farmer) and the Word (he was a lay preacher). He was a loving husband (he always said he got his education by marrying a school teacher) and a loving father (he had two daughters who are missionaries). Who should be emulate? How about my uncle Bill?

Who should we emulate?

Whether we like it or not we do emulate other people. The question is, who should we emulate? Paul says, "Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you." Philippians 3:17.
The first type of person we should emulate is those who are interested in the well-being of others and not their own. In Philippians 2 Paul gives us two examples of these kind of people, Timothy and Epaphroditus. Timothy had a servant's heart. Epaphroditus was concerned for the people in Philippi. It is interesting that his concern for them was that he had heard that they were concerned about him.

24

The Christian Mind - Life is sacred.
As I thought about the Christian mind and that it views life as sacred I thought of the TV show 24. Life is not sacred on that show, people are killed as if they were flies. It seems to me that they value ideals more than life. To think of with the mind of a Christian we have to value human life.

The Christian Mind - A Concern for the Person

We live in an age where we have things upside down. We value things and use people. The Christian mind tells us that all people are made in the image of God. All are God's children by creation but only some are God's children by redemption. We need to show the love of God to all people by valuing them whatever the cost.

The Christian Mind - An Acceptance of Authority

Authority is a bad word today but if you want to think Christianly then you must have a Biblical understanding of authority. Authority is not wrong as it is a gift of God to mankind. Yes I know that authority has been misused but that does not make it wrong. Without authority we would have no order. One of the popular books of today is The Shack but in this book it teaches that authority is not a gift of God but a creation of man. Watch the following video.

The Christian Mind - A Concept of Truth

To think Christian you must know that there is absolute truth. Today many do not want to believe that truth is absolute so they have their own personal truth. Truth can only be truth if it is true for everyone. Truth that comes from me is not truth, the only truth must come from outside us.
Pilate asked the question, What is truth? Jesus made it plain that He is truth. Truth is not ideas but a person and that person is Jesus Christ.

The Christian Mind - An Awareness of Evil

One of the problems that atheists have is where did evil come from and why are some actions evil while others are good. What determines good and evil? Is it society and if it is where did society get the idea of good and evil?
Christians believe in good and evil. However, the secular mind has influenced the way Christians think. For instance, we do not think in terms of sin but rather sickness or alternate life style.
Abortion is not sin but choice.
Homosexuality is not sin but alternate life style.
Gay marriage isn't sin but human rights.
Pornography is not sin but freedom of choice.
Drunkenness is not sin but sickness.
Even though Christians may believe that these are wrong they think in terms of a councillor instead of a Saviour.
Whatever happened to sin? Christians think that a person needs a Saviour but the secularist thinks that people are basically good. How much have the secularist thinking affected the way we think?

The Christian Mind - A Supernatural Orientation

The first aspect of the Christian mind is that it has an eternal perspective. It amazes me how much of our thinking is influence by the secular. We see Christian books stores filled with self-help books, books on family, finances, retirement. Let us just take retirement for an example. Our secular mind says that we have earned the right to retire. Watch the following clip by John Piper.

Your Conduct

Sometimes it would be nice to have a list of 52 rules of how we should conduct ourselves as Christians but then what would that accomplish? Guilt if we did not measure up or pride if we did but would we be more Christ like?
Paul gives two instructions to the Philippian Christians.
First, be like minded. Second, let your conduct be such that it promotes the Gospel. Now that is far more difficult than the 52 rules but remember that it is Christ who lives and works in you for His good pleasure.

Cheap Crosses

My wife and I volunteer in a thrift store that raises money to place Bibles and other literature around the world. My wife takes care of the jewelry for the store. One day someone wanted to know if we had any cheap crosses for sale. That got me to thinking about how we have cheapened the cross.
Jesus said to take up our cross and follow Him. I have heard people refer to physical ailments or physical problems as their cross while others refer to a family member or a friend as their cross. Once again we cheapen the cross of Christ. Crosses are not some cheap piece of jewelry that we wear around our neck, or in our ears or lapels. In the first century the cross was known for what it really was, a means of torture and death. To carry a cross meant to go to a place of death. That was no cheap cross.
Paul tells the Philippian Christians "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for him." This is no cross worn around one's neck. Are we prepared to suffer for Him?

The Christian Mind

The evangelical mind has been so influenced by the secular mind-set that I am not sure that they would know what it means to have a Christian mind.
According to Harry Blamires the Christian mind has the following characteristics:
1. It has a supernatural orientation.
2. It has an awareness of evil.
3. It has a concept of truth.
4. It has an acceptance of authority.
5. It has a concern for the person.
6. It has a sacramental cast.
Today we would rather look at what Christianity has for me today rather than have an eternal perspective. We think of truth as relative rather than absolute. We don't know how to define evil as we believe that people are basically good. We could continue down the line and show that the evangelical mindset is not a Christian mind.
Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

Three Generations of Evangelicals

Someone said that the first generation believed the Gospel and thought that there were certain social entailments. The second generation assumed the Gospel and focused on the entailments. The third generation denied the Gospel and all they had left were the entitlements when there was nothing for the entailments to be entailed to.
Where are we as an evangelical church? I am afraid that we are second generations. We need to go back and gaze upon the face of God.

The Church I use to go to.

The story is told of a man who was shipwrecked on a desert island. After a few years he was finally rescued. As the rescue boat was ready to leave the island the rescuer asked him about the three buildings on the island. "Oh", said the man, "that one is my house and that one is my church." He was asked, "What about that one over there?" The man replied, "Oh that is the church I used to go to."
Sometimes unity is so illusive that it is hard to attain even when we are by ourselves. Churches have divided over many things including the colour of carpet and what type of music they should sing. Paul says, "then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." Philippians 2:2. There are many things that could destroy the unity but there is one thing that unites us and that is Christ. The old chorus may seem sappy to us now but it is still true that the world only knows we are Christians by our love.

Safely Home

He embarrassed me. Have you ever said that about a fellow Christian because in their enthusiasm for the Gospel they have offended someone? Maybe like Paul they even got thrown in jail. Wouldn't it be better if they had kept their mouth shut?
Randy Alcorn wrote a novel called Safely Home. Now I am not a fan of religious fiction but this is one book I would recommend that all Christians read. If you have ever felt offended by another believer then take time to read this book.