REAL Love

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody.

Earlier this evening I confessed to a friend that I had forgotten that today was the day where too many guys will get tons of grief from their "significant other" because they, too, forgot the day. My friend, a young lady who recently got engaged, asked if if my wife and I even celebrate the day. I told her we did, after a fashion. I told her that I recently heard someone on the radio mention that today was when many girls and women receive stuff out of obligation. I asked, "what's the romance in that?"

Love should never be restricted to a single day of the year (or two, if you also include the mysterious "Sweetest Day" in the fall). True love is even more than a lifestyle. True love is something that's so much a part of you that it just won't let go.

What is this true love? 1 Corinthians 13 in the Bible describes it. The NIV renders it thusly:

¹If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I know of nobody on this planet who lives up to that definition. I certainly don't. this past week showed me that I'm a far way off from that kind of love. That kind of unconditional perfect love comes from only one source: God!

This Valentine's Day, and every day, Consider This: God sets the example and empowers us to love. Instead of obligating or being obligated just because it's a particular calendar day, simply show and live love!

I have a question about "tongues"

This time I've got a question for folks reading this. So far I haven't found any good source of information, although I haven't exhausted all possibilities.

The question is: What Biblical support is there for the "prayer language" form of "tongues?"

First, let me tell you what I've heard and don't find adequate.

The biggest support I've heard is found in 1 Corinthians 13:1: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gone or a clanging cymbal." (emphasis mine) The phrase bridges a discourse Paul gives about spiritual gifts, specifically speaking in tongues or unknown languages, and the famous definition of love. The Corinthian church had focused all too heavily on the spiritual gifts (not to mention following the teachings of men), and not enough on Christ.

The problem I have with using this as "proof" of the gift of tongues including a private "prayer language" that does not correspond to any existing language (and, therefore, does not require an interpreter, as seen in 1 Corinthians 12) is that the notion of "tongues of angels" just pops up out of the clear blue, and really isn't supported elsewhere in context. I see this as more of a form of exaggeration, as though Paul is saying, "hey, look. I don't care what you think about speaking in languages you haven't learned. That's not important. Even if somebody were to claim to speak some language direct from Heaven, if that person doesn't have love, it's no good!"

I've also heard all the supposition about the "unknown prayer language" being a sort of "code" between your spirit and the Holy Spirit that allows communication that Satan cannot intercept or interpret. Sorry, but if Satan was one of the highest angels who still has free contact with God (as seen in the book of Job), I cannot see how this is supported by Scripture. Even if Satan does hear our prayers, God is greater and still in charge ... who cares if he hears or not?

Sometimes peole will refer to this "prayer language" as being the "groanings that cannot be uttered" mentioned in Romans 8:26. Sorry, but what I hear referred to as "prayer language" has more sounds than mere groans. Besides, prayer language is uttered, or spoken.

For the record, I do accept the notion of speaking in tongues, and the interpretation thereof. I witnessed one lady doing this, and while I could not interpret, I did recognize a grammatical structure. I also accept the story, published in Guideposts several years ago, about the woman who ministered to a German widow, all the time speaking and hearing German, even though she did not know German, nor realized she was doing it at the time. Although I've studied French, it came to me fairly quickly, and I can still hold my own, even when out of practice (although my vocabulary fails at times ... as I tell people, "je me souviens un peu des mots Français"). I do not accept the notion that one is not saved or has the Holy Spirit dwelling within them unless they "speak in tongues" of either type.

I would appreciate any references folks can supply.

Why did God make homosexuals?

One question I've seen in numerous places is "why did God make homosexuals?" The question often presumes that (a) homosexuals are "made" that way, so (b) God must have made them that way, so (c) why does He hold that against them?

It's a legitimate question from that point of view. Let's start with the last one first, or at least some form of it. Does God consider homosexuality a sin? Yes. Nave's Topical Bible lists numerous verses for "Sodomy," which is what "Homosexuality" links to. Obviously one of those verses is Genesis 19:5-8, which deals with Lot in Sodom. The men of the town wanted to come in and "know" (in the proverbial "Biblical sense") Lot's visitors, who were angels sent to get Lot and his family to safety before God destroyed the whole place. Other verses include Leviticus 18:22-23; 20:13, 15-16; Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9, and many, many more.

So, if God made them that way, then He's not fair, right? Isn't that the whole point of the question?

Consider this: God made each and every one of us the way we are. We are all sinners in one way or another (Romans 3:23). God didn't so much "make us that way" as He made us with the right and responsibility to choose. Like it or not, we are given the ability to choose whether to follow His commands or not; we are also given the responsibility to choose correctly.

Is God being cruel? Give me a break! If God sent His only Son to die for you (John 3:16-18), why do you think he'd be cruel? Because He doesn't let you do what you want? Actually, He does let you do what you want, even if it's the worst, most stupid thing you could do to yourself. He tells us what to do and what not to do to warn us not to do the stuff that would harm us.

That includes homosexual behavior. In one sense it's not that much different from being "straight." It's not best for me or my wife for me to get the hots for another woman, or to follow through with that desire. Why would it be any different if I had the hots for another man, or she for another woman?

We still keep thinking that there are "heavy" sins and "light" sins, sins that aren't quite as bad as another. Consider this: the whole world was cursed with death simply because Adam ate a fruit from a tree he wasn't allowed to. That's it! How much "lighter" is that than murder? Then again, he murdered himself, his family, and every single person ever to live on this accursed planet! His decision was indirectly responsible for the death of Jesus, the Christ! (Don't give old Adam much grief, though; you and I are just as responsible.)

God "made" homosexuals, perverts, murderers, smugglers, lyers, cheats, theives, politicians ... and you and me. All of us have a choice.

So what choice are you going to make? Are you going to choose the wrong way, and keep damaging yourself and people you may never meet? Or are you going to choose God's way, and surrender your life to Christ? Yeah, you may have to give up some stuff, but it's like giving up poison ... it really is a good idea.

Middle-East Success!

I've gotten so sick and tired of the media trying to tell those of us here in the USA that the war in Iraq is a "quagmire," a loss, so let's abandon these people just like we did in Vietnam.

What bugs me is that nobody talks about the successes in Iraq!

Yes, that's right, successes!!!!!

WorldNetDaily's article, "The Middle East's forgotten democracy" provides an enlightening look at a real-live democracy buried within Iraq, a democracy that actually appreciates the presence of US soldiers.

Read it! Believe it!

Then consider this: why don't we hear this kind of good news on a regular basis???

Answers for Atheists

One site I frequent is WikiAnswers, formerly known as FAQ Farm. This is a question & answer site, but managed via a wiki, much like Wikipedia. Using the original farm analogy, questions & answers are "grown" into hopefully professional, or at least reliable, answers. Some questions, of course, can only be "answered" by giving a list of opinions. That happens often with the section I supervise, Religion & Spirituality.

Recently one user arrived and has been contributing rabidly. The person professes atheism, claiming that he was "brainwashed" in Catholic school. He, like many, feel that the only "smart" response to religion is to examine it from a logical point of view.

The problem is, God doesn't work like that. His ways are not our ways; our wisdom, compared to His, is utter foolishness. God doesn't promise to work within our own prejudices and preconceptions; rather, He wants us to learn His ways. Why? Because they're better. Because He's right.

Too many people, though, won't accept it. They choose to reject any formula other than their own. Then they expect God to meet their standards. How foolish!

This evening at our church, a fellow who leads the 18-35(ish) crowd taught about God's calling. One of the things God made me realize is that my calling isn't to convince the atheist that he's wrong. Only the Spirit of God can do that. All I'm told to do is to write the truth in love, and present the Good News to them.

I hope to be writing much more here as part of that calling.

What You Wear To Church

There are some great truths that many children of God miss. There are many sites on the Internet that provide splendid insights into these truths. There are also many others that provide lies and deceptions. Sadly, the latter is more often the case than the former. When I see an author go down the wrong path, I'll try to talk it out with them, if they're open. Sometimes they admit they didn't address the issue correctly. Sometimes they're open to the opinions of others. Too often, though, I find the attitude of "I'm right, therefore you must be wrong."

I will admit to you right here and now, that's an attitude I cannot stomach. Yes, I come off like that too often myself, but I do try to make amends when I mess up as soon as I see it. (That's why I got bummed about the lack of response to the previous iteration of this blog, I think.)

There's one fellow, Bill Keller, who lives in Florida and has been part of a live call-in show in the Tampa area, and now on the "i" network. For the past few months, he's been right on the mark with his teachings, even though he tends to over-generalize sometimes and say that "all churches" or "all Christians" are doing something that, sorry, not all of them are actually doing.

A recent "devotional" of his, which can be found here, really helped show me his true colors. Read it if you want, but know that I believe he's got some serious errors in his thinking.

I've seen too many people be put off by churches that demand you wear your "Sunday best" to church, or you're out of God's will or worse. Keller's opinion is that it shows "respect" to Jesus.

My question to him was this: how can wearing "your best" (or, rather, what our society has determined is "your best") show respect to God, when God doesn't look at outward appearances (1 Samuel 16:7)? Showing respect to someone has to involve the person to whom you're showing respect. You're not showing me any respect if you hurt someone else just because you think I think they should be hurt. For example, you're not showing me respect by crashing Keller's website. Vandalism of any type, including "virtual vandalism," is not something I condone, let alone respect.

God wants our hearts, our souls, and our lives. If the Spirit of the Lord tells you that means, for you, to wear a suit and tie, then go for it! For me, He hasn't said that. In fact, when I was part of a church that tended to respect clothes more than the person, I intentionally wore black denim pants (a.k.a. "jeans"), sneakers, and a collared "golf shirt," all of which Keller condemns in his missive. Why did I do that? I knew there were people who could've come in who may not have a suit and tie, or who may have come in off the street out of curiosity. God called me to dress down to encourage them more, to let them know that they weren't going to be condemned because of their clothing. (A secondary reason is that, being chronically overweight, button-down shirts do not work on me, nor do dress pants and shoes.)

God does want our best. He wants excellence in worship and service. As I said, He wants your heart, your soul, and your life, 24/7/365 (366 on leap years :-) ), 100%. He isn't interested in what our society considers "dress up" clothes. I feel it's safe to say that He abhors those who look down on others if their clothing isn't up to their personal standard. Sorry, there's no excuse for that.

By the way, what was Keller's response? Essentially he claimed that the Holy Spirit must've been "convicting" me (not him, of course — he's above all that), and reiterated some of what he had written earlier. Oh, well. Closed mind, hard heart, I suppose.

What's In A Name?

Churches have some interesting names. Non-denominational churches, especially, tend to get a little "creative" in their names, while some traditional churches go with "First So-and-So Church of This Area" or whatever. Some churches even include slogans with their signage and "advertising," speaking of "Full-gospel" and "Spirit-filled."

I don't know about you, but I find that these churches usually need some form of advertising, because nothing else draws people to them. No, I'm not saying that every church with a funky name or certain catch-phrases do this, but it seems that, more often than not, the more convincing a church's name or slogans tries to be, the less that church is what it claims to be.

There's nothing inherently wrong with denominational or non-denominational churches, nothing at all. What's wrong in too many churches, though, is that they rely on the name or the reputation of their leadership, denomination, or whatever rather than focusing on what's truly important.

Christ is the head of His Body, which is referred to as "the Church." I'm not talking about "the universal Church of Such-and-Such" or "the Holy Something Church." I'm talking about the family of believers who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ. Many of these do belong to a smaller fellowship of like-minded believers, and that's OK. But when that fellowship, or church or whatever other term you want to use, loses sight of God's Word -- both Jesus the Word made flesh and the Bible -- and looks instead on its denomination, leadership, building, etc., that fellowship gets into trouble.

Churches in England are poorly attended. Over 20 Catholic churches alone have closed down within a year's time, if I recall the figure correctly. Many churches have an attendance in the teens -- no, not in age, but in quantity. A "megachurch" in the UK may have as many as 250 in attendance regularly. The USA isn't far behind, folks. As Christians abandon the uppermost authority of their lives, their so-called "Christianity" becomes worthless. That's when other cults and godless religions step in. Many of the shut-down cathedrals and churches in England have been turned into Islamic mosques. How long before we see the same thing happening in the US?

If you, reading this, are in any form of church leadership, the first step is for you to make a personal stand in your own life. Be willing to let go of denominational rules and statements of "faith" and anything else that may get in the way of hearing what God has to say to you. You may discover that the denominational rules and statements of faith are OK. You may discover some differences between those and what the Bible, taken as a whole, really says. By being willing to let go of anything other than the Word of God, though, you're taking your first step towards a whole new growth area. Then, as a leader, you can help lead your family and your church in a life-changing direction.

Let's face it, people don't need more fraternal organizations. People need a life-changing relationship with God. Set the example.