Christ’s Condemnation!

Why do people in the church and Christians in general spend so much time deciding who’s saved and who’s going to hell? (Personally, I thought that was God’s job.) I’ve seen footage of die-hard believers standing in front of “places of immorality” holding signs saying “Turn or burn!” and “Hell is Waiting!” I’ve read articles and listened to sermons condemning individuals, specific groups of people, and entire churches to hell. Is this the model Christ laid out for us to follow? Did Christ go around telling people they were going to hell?

In your efforts to be Christlike and attain what the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21 (To live is CHRIST), ask yourself this question, “Would Jesus tell someone they were going to hell?” Not meaning generically, as in the sense of an “unrepentant sinner” or “one who doesn’t do my Father’s will,” but, like we do today, would Jesus condemn a specific person or specific group of people to hell? According to scripture the answer is YES, but before you start feeling justified and pat yourself on the back, you might want to know who received Christ’s condemnation because only one group of people did. Search your New Testament; who was it and why did they deserve Christ’s condemnation?

Was it the prostitutes and tax collectors with which Jesus ate? No…he actually chose a tax collector, Matthew, as an apostle. (Matthew 9:9)

It should have been Peter after his triple denial! But it wasn’t. Christ used him to build the church. (Matt 16:18 )

Surely it was the men who nailed Jesus to the cross! Right? No…he forgave them. (Luke 23:34)

Well, then who was it?

It was the religious leaders of the day. That’s right. Those who were in charge of communicating and teaching the word of God were the ones to receive Christ’s condemnation. See for yourself:

Matthew 23:15, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”

…and a few verses later…

Matthew 23:33-34, “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.”

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know a lot about the Pharisees and teachers of the law. What matters is that they were the ones in charge of teaching God’s law to the people, much like today’s elders, ministers, and preachers, and they received Christ’s condemnation. I hope and pray that if Christ walked the earth today the outcome would be different. But are today’s church leaders doing the same things the Pharisees and teachers of the law did to provoke these words from Christ?

What led the Pharisees to receive Christ’s condemnation? What led Christ to call the Pharisees “sons of hell?” What were the Pharisees doing that would make a convert “twice as much a son of hell?”

Read Christ’s words to the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Matthew 23:

“They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”

“Everything they do is done for men to see…”

“You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.”

“You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”

“You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools!”

“You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.”

“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”

“You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”

“You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.”

“In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”

It seems as if Christ is not only focusing on the sheer hypocrisy of the Pharisees, but also on their inability to understand and discern what is most important in the law, its meaning and purpose, and how to apply it to their lives. The Pharisees were focusing on all the wrong things. They were “straining out a gnat” by making sure they give exactly 10% of their spices but neglecting the “more important” aspects of “Justice, mercy and faithfulness.” Does this sound familiar? Are there rules you follow to the “n”th degree while failing to see the poor man standing right next to you?

The details were consuming their ministry to the point that they were forgetting the big picture. What would that look like today? … Preachers, elders, and ministers taking scriptures out of context, making them into commandments and laws, only to forget the abundantly clear verses that talk about love, grace, and forgiveness. … Making up rules for the worship service that are found nowhere in the scriptures and then allowing them to be raised into the focal point of the service instead of Christ. … Telling a congregation that their salvation depends on these “self-imposed” rules with no justification. … The mentality that Christ cares more about what a person wears to worship than what they were doing 12 hours earlier. … Thinking that it actually matters what translation of the Bible we use. … Does that look anything like you, your church, or the Christians you know?

Being a minister, this realization makes me take my position more seriously than ever before. But for those of you who aren’t ministers or church leaders, do you think you’re exempt from the plague that brought down the Pharisees? You’re not. While it may be easier for people in the leadership positions of the church to fall into these hypocritical lifestyles, that doesn’t mean everyone else is safe and sound. Regardless of who you are, what role you play in the church body, or how long you’ve been a Christian, you are just as susceptible to the downfall of the Pharisees and I am.

Our only hope of preventing Christ’s Condemnation is not allowing ourselves to acquire the detrimental legalistic self-righteous religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. If we succeed in keeping this plague out of our minds and hearts, we will succeed in keeping the other more important aspects of the law of Christ in our minds and hearts: love, grace, and forgiveness.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.

The PASSION for CHRIST

A MAGIC SHOW. When you go see a magic show, you’re always sitting there asking yourself, “How did they do that?” If it’s a great magic show, you leave with your head hurting just a little from the astonishment. The people who perform those tricks have become so good at hiding their movements that you don’t even see half of what they do-by design, obviously. Sometimes, they’ll use mirrors or curtains, sometimes smoke or fog. The problem is that these techniques are being used in the lives of so many Christians. It’s hard to tell who’s a Christian and who isn’t because of the “hidden movements” and “smoke filled rooms” that so many people use and live in. Where is the Passion for Christ that stands out like a spotlight advertising the fair on a dark night? Do you have a Passion for Christ? Is your life such that you’re willing to give up anything for your Savior? He gave up everything for you.

THE ILLUSION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Some people have developed their own magic show called, “I am a Christian.” It consists of them going to church, reading the Bible, and even praying on occasion. However, it also consists of them lacking the conviction to stand up for what they believe in, lacking a faith the size of a mustard seed, lacking the deeds that set them apart, and lacking the cross that should be on their backs daily. This is called “The Illusion of Righteousness.” Simply speaking, they do the bare minimum to give the appearance of holiness (to themselves) but all the while have never developed a Passion for Christ. This is just the beginning. Not only does this illusion give someone the sense they are righteous, it also convinces them that the sin in their life isn’t really sin. Lies aren’t really lies; they’ve become “I care about other people’s feelings.” Pride isn’t pride anymore; it has become “I’m just being the best I can be.” Greed isn’t greed; it’s “setting high standards.” Jealousy becomes “honest competition.” The illusion comes in and rearranges all of the thoughts in a person’s head to make them think they are righteous and holy, but in reality they are simply living on the stage of a magic show.

THE PASSION FOR CHRIST. The Passion of the Christ was a movie depicting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for humanity’s sins. Specifically, the word “passion” in that sense meant “sacrifice.” When all the smoke has cleared and you’re looking at the basics of Christianity, what it is, what it stands for, and the primary goal, you’re going to find it all comes down to the amount of Passion you have for Jesus. Throughout the scriptures, Jesus calls you to deny yourself and follow him, to deny your desires and follow him, to deny everything, take up your cross, and follow him. The passion you have for Christ is (directly proportional to) the amount you’re willing to sacrifice for his name. The more passionate you are for Jesus, the more you’re willing to give up. The less passionate you are for Jesus, the less you’re willing to give up.

THE FIRE INSIDE YOU. Deep down inside you there should be a place that burns with Passion for Christ. It should be like a fire within you, a “consuming fire,” as God is called in Deut 4:24. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” The imagery of a Passionate fire burning inside you shouldn’t look like a small fireplace found in a cheap hotel room. When you pictured the fire, you may have seen a fireplace or a candle (even worse). Forget that. The fire inside you should be more like the Human Torch from Fantastic Four. Seriously, the fire should come out of every limb, every joint, every finger and every toe in your entire body. The only way you’ll be able to “take up your cross daily” and “put on the full armor of God” is to be so consumed with Passion for Christ that every part of your body is radiating the glory of God! It’s the only way you’ll be able to “Resist the Devil.”

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER. When that Passion for Christ begins to burn so bright that you can’t contain it, you’ll begin to experience changes in your spiritual life you never thought possible. The sin in your life that you always thought you’d deal with all of the sudden will seem trivial and you’ll “stand up under it.” The anger management problems you used to fight will disappear, “for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” Your life will begin to become one with your Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit will move powerfully through you and “guide you into all truth.” All it takes is surrendering everything for his name’s sake. You have to give it all up. Every sin, every person you love, every earthly possession, every dollar, every car, every mutual fund, every impure thought, every paycheck, every day of every week you’ll ever live for the rest of your life…surrendered to HIM. Sound tough? Imagine what it took for Jesus to walk the road to the cross. If you think it’s tough to give up a pornography addiction, eating disorder, or stop gossiping to your friends, imagine how difficult it would be if you were called to account for those sins and had to die for them. Thankfully Jesus did that for us already. He gave it all. Why can’t you?

PASSIONATE EMOTIONS. The passion doesn’t end with surrendering. Passion also involves your emotions. Usually when someone uses the word “passion,” they are describing an emotion. You’ll find that once you go through the process of developing The Passion for Christ through surrender and sacrifice, you won’t have any problem finding an emotional passion for Christ as well. This emotional passion will drive you even further in your sacrificial Passion for Christ. They work together and feed off each other so you are continually renewed and edified as you live for Christ. Your emotional passion drives you to a deeper sacrificial passion and then that act of surrendering leads you into a deeper emotional passion. Having the Passionate love for Christ that overwhelms you beyond anything else is what you should strive for everyday. Waking up in the morning overwhelmed by the feeling of God’s presence comes as a result of The Passion for Christ.

May God bless you as you become Passionate for Jesus. Light The Passion for Christ inside you.

Who invented the One-Year Bible?

I definitely am not a fan of the One Year Bible. I’m actually in the middle of it right now…well, I was a few minutes ago. I taught a class on “Getting more out of your Bible study” last week and focused on some of the disadvantages of the 1Y Bible (1Y=One-Year for all of you slow folks).

I had someone come into my office a couple weeks ago and offer me a 1Y Bible. I wouldn’t have taken it but I had to. I can’t explain why. While he was still in my office, he was asking me if my youth group kids would like copies as well. I was hesitant and told him I’d get back to him on it. It just so happened that at that exact moment I had been writing my lesson on Bible study and was coincidentally listing negative aspects of the 1Y Bible. The man in my office picked up on my hesitation and began trying to convince me of the benefits of the 1Y Bible. He said, “It’s been proven that if the sections are already split up for you, you’re more likely to complete it…pause…It’s a good thing to read through the Bible in a year…and it gives your EGO a boost.”

I had everything I needed for my lesson. Just when I was doubting my opinions on the 1Y Bible, God sends affirmation right into my office. I knew at that point I was totally on track with my thoughts on the 1Y Bible.

It’s a bad approach to study using the 1Y Bible. Imagine if classroom teachers at school used the same approach. What if they broke their textbook down into 365 parts and told you to read one part a day for homework until you finished it. When the year is up and you have to take the final, do you think you’ll have any idea what you read 364 days ago? Those sections of scripture that do the most good, i.e. Sermon on the Mount, how can you only read those once a year and expect them to have any lasting impact on your life?

It’s not about QUANTITY. The 1Y Bible is all about reading the entire Bible. That doesn’t sound bad, right? No, it’s not bad, but it’s not good either. Reading the Bible is NOT about reading the Bible. It’s about getting to know Jesus. Who cares if you’ve read the entire Bible every year for 10 years? How well do you know Jesus? It’s not about the quantity of Bible verses that you read every day. It’s about the level of understanding you walk away with and how that understanding helps you grow closer to Jesus. The 1Y Bible puts all of the focus on completing your quota and ignores the entire relationship aspect. You can’t sit down at a table with your spouse, start a 10 minute timer, talk until it rings, and then say “I’ll see you tomorrow!” That won’t work! Don’t treat your relationship with God like you’re punching a card or checking off a To-Do List. You’re in a relationship with the Living God. Thrive on the time you spend with him. Don’t wish it away or fly through it without putting any thought into what you’re doing.

Pride creeps in and kills our effort. If you are a normal human being, which I hope you are, you thrive on affirmation from other people. If you’re a Christian, you are hopefully seeking God’s affirmation. What better way to get God’s affirmation than to read the Bible every day and complete the whole Bible every year? (sarcasm) Isn’t that the motivation behind so many people’s 1Y Bible studies? People think that by reading every day, they’re becoming more holy. People think that by reading the Bible every year, they’re learning the Bible. When in reality, they’re reading the Bible everyday because being able to say at the end of the year “I read the entire Bible this year” just feels good. In reality, they think God is preparing for them a bigger place in heaven because they pushed through Numbers yet again this year. If pride is the motivating factor behind why you or anyone reads the Bible, I’ve got some bad news: IT DOESN’T COUNT. Just look up Jesus’ teaching on the Pharisees who prayed on the street corners or the ones who fasted in public or the ones who dumped large sums of coins in the collection tray: “I tell you the truth, they’ve received their reward in full.”

Just reading your Bible is not enough. So many times I’ve sat down, read my Bible, gone to sleep, and then woke up the next morning without any recollection of what I read the night before. Happened to you, too? That means you read without thinking. You look but don’t listen. You hear but don’t understand. It means you’re not walking away from it with a better understanding of what you’ve read. The only way to fix that is to cut back on how much you’re reading-or read some time other than right before bed. Here’s the plan:

Let’s start with one of the most profound scriptures in the New Testament, John 5:39-40: You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

IT’S NOT THE BIBLE THAT SAVES YOU, IT’S JESUS. In this passage from John, Jesus says, “…you think…” which means you have an assumption that is incorrect.  That assumption is this: The Bible gives you eternal life. The crowd that Jesus was talking to was so consumed with knowing the scriptures that they failed to see the purpose. The purpose is that you are led to Jesus. You have to understand that the Bible is just a means of getting to Jesus. It’s the way you begin your relationship with Jesus, who saves you. It’s not knowing the most scripture or being able to quote the most passages that saves you. It’s a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that saves you, when he is Lord of your life. So as you begin this new approach to Bible study, you have to realize the purpose of your labors: Developing a relationship with Jesus.

READ FOR UNDERSTANDING NOT FOR ACCOMPLISHMENT. If your main goal is just to accomplish reading a certain amount of scripture, then why even read? Based on what was just said, your Bible reading is supposed to help you grow closer to Jesus; it’s not supposed to be a card that gets punched every day. The whole perspective on Bible study has been distorted. It’s based on pride rather than understanding. The design of the 1Y Bible is to read the Bible in a year, not to understand the Bible. It is technically impossible to read through the Bible in a year and understand everything you read. (When I say “understand,” I mean actually retain some amount of information from the content.) It’s understanding the scriptures that builds your relationship with Jesus, nothing less is beneficial. So as you form your Bible study program, be sure to be flexible enough to adapt and change how much you read each day so you only get as much as you can understand.

REPETITION IS THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING. If the 1Y Bible is just one aspect of your Bible study program, that is one thing. If it is the only aspect of your Bible study program, you’re not doing yourself any favors. How are you going to truly understand difficult passages of the New Testament only reading them once a year? Certain sections of the New Testament and Old Testament need to be read and re-read as often as possible. Sections like the Sermon on the Mount, the book of James, Proverbs, many of the Psalms, Malachi, and many others should be regular recurring portions of a steady Bible study program. You’re putting your spiritual life at a disadvantage only visiting these meaty sections of scripture once a year. If you’re truly going to get the most benefit from these sections, you need to keep them at the top of your reading list. Furthermore, there are entire books that don’t need to be read once a year. You can read Ezekiel once a year or once every other year and not miss anything. While Ezekiel has some good points, the entire book can be summarized with a few sentences. Leviticus is another book with great historical value, but it shouldn’t be part of your regular Bible study program. The point is that the sections of scripture that have the greatest spiritual value and application (which not all scriptures have the same spiritual value) should be read the most often. Those with the least amount of spiritual application should be read the least often. The 1Y Bible gives the same amount of time and repetition (once) to every section of scripture. A well-balanced Bible study program is heavy in Jesus’ teachings and light on Old Testament law. You get the idea. As you develop your Bible study program, be sure to repeat the sections of scripture that you benefit from the most.

Hopefully you’ve been inspired to take a deeper look into your Bible study and make the changes necessary to get the most out of it. Remember, every time you pick up your Bible you’re spending time with Jesus. It doesn’t matter how much you read. All that matters is how much you see Jesus through what you’re reading.

If you don’t like it, change…

Relativism is a real problem today. People going around saying that “whatever you think” is right as long as you don’t offend somebody. Man, what a load of trash. The fact that there is absolute truth requires us Christians to stand up for the Word, for Truth, and for Jesus most importantly. Christians everywhere are adopting the whole idea that absolute truth is not absolutely true. They’re saying that there could be other ways to heaven besides through Jesus. They’re saying that it doesn’t really matter how you live your life as long as you’re a good person because God won’t send good people to hell, right? They’re saying that nobody except the really bad people will end up in hell because we have such a loving God that knows everyone’s heart and if the lady didn’t mean to kill her husband then she’s ok. Come on people! I can’t sit back and listen to one more person say “It doesn’t matter which religion you choose or how you live as long as you love God.” It does matter. Should I enter into the Word of God to prove my point?

Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 4:1-2, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”

2 Timothy 3:14-17, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

1 John 1:5-7, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

1 John 2:21-22, “I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”

So, what I am saying is this, “IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, CHANGE.” What that means is that if you don’t like the fact that you’re living in error, change. If you don’t like the fact that Jesus is the only way to heaven, change your mind and decide to like it. While the world sits back and says, “If you don’t like it, that’s okay with me.” Jesus says, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life and NO ONE comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) So if you don’t like the way that Jesus set up the rules and the TRUTH idea, change. Change your mind so you accept the truth because as sure as God is alive and Jesus is Lord, the TRUTH is not going to CHANGE for YOU.

If you don’t like it, go home.

It bothers me how people will stay involved in something or do something or go somewhere just because they feel they have to while their heart is not in it. Either you want to be there or you don’t; either you like it or you don’t. If you don’t like it, go home. What am I talking about? Spirituality…yeah, you guessed it. Home is where you belong. It could be your home congregation, your family (spiritual or physical), your mind (maybe the only safe place…maybe not), or anything or anyplace where you know what’s going on and agree with it. I can’t stand it when people feel obligated to go somewhere they know they won’t like and endure whatever worship or event it is or read a book they’ll hate and then complain and gripe about how bad it is.

Sometimes this appears in these mail-outs I get at my church. They come through every once and a while. Some bored radical Christian decides to read a book by someone he knows he doesn’t like (and really thinks is going to hell more than likely) and then writes about it to warn everyone else about the awful injustice and damage this book is doing to the church. Come on! First of all, no one who will ever read that article would ever think of going out and buying this book in the first place. The audience thinks like the writer and already agrees with his thoughts, but instead of talking about things that could help them grow spiritually or increase their faith, they sit around and talk about who is going to hell and what those people are doing and writing and preaching–these who are “sheep in wolves clothing.”

My advice to these people: If you don’t like it, go home. Stop writing about and talking about other people who don’t even know or care what you write about them or say about them (because they’re more interested in what Christ thinks)! Go home to where you belong and get out of other people’s business. The people who read that stuff aren’t in danger of being “contaminated” by it anyway so you’re wasting your time. Go home to where you belong and find something better to do with your time.

Paul writes, “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:7-8) And he also writes, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.” (1 Timothy 2:22-24)

The phrase “must not quarrel” is a good one. I also like “stupid arguments.” What I am writing is not an argument, it is a statement of emotion. I am not condemning these people who write such things or think such things. All I am doing is hoping they find something better to do instead of being involved in actions that are NOT “kind to everyone.” Take it for what it is.

I’m just sick of radical Christians using their doctrine as a weapon against other Christians. We are supposed to be out saving the lost…not trying to save our brothers from our brothers. Granted, there are some who have left the faith and followed deceiving spirits (1 Timothy 4:1), but these are ones who fail to acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the only way to God. As long a person sees Jesus Christ as the ONLY way, ONLY truth, and ONLY life, and that no one comes to the father except through him (John 14:6), that man is our brother. Finally, see what Jesus said to the apostles after they tried to stop someone who wasn’t one of them: “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.” (Matthew 9:38-40)

Yeah, whoever is not against us if for us. Don’t think the Kingdom is limited to just people in your church, or just Christians in your city, or just Christians who agree with everything you think, or just Christians who look like you or talk like you or think like you. The Kingdom is open to everyone who calls on the name of our Lord Jesus to be saved (Romans 10:9-13), is baptized in his name (Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 3:21), and loves him by obeying his commands (John 14:15-17).

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2)