Costco Christianity?

The Princess and I were sitting at breakfast the other morning discussing some of the new church startups in the area. What’s interesting is how some churches choose to market themselves. The ones that stood out were those taking something akin to the “Costco” approach of offering a sampling of their products and services.

For example: some tout the number of youth oriented activities that are available for your children and young adults. A few others hit on the idea that seniors like to take bus trips to see the sights, so they offer a number of those. Others offer more internal “products” such as coffee bars, internet cafe’s, and exercise classes. Asking for a friend, but are these are the newest evangelism tools?

Something for everyone seems to be the goal, and the better your church is at marketing, the greater success you’ll have. Hello! Calling Madison Avenue! What is wrong with this picture? Is this “Church”? Does this consumer driven mentality really belong in the Church?

Look, I understand that this is nothing new. It’s been going on for decades here in America because we are a people who demand choices when we shop. And yes, choosing a church has morphed into a shopping experience, and the Church knows there are many “church shoppers” out there looking. Therefore, to be successful in filling the seats, a variety of church products must be made available or else those in the market for a church will simply pass you by on the way to one that offers what they are looking for.

I must also acknowledge that a family with children should pray for and find the church best suited to be able to effectively minister to the entire family. Not entertain them, but actually minister to them. I strongly caution anyone that fits this description not to neglect their children’s spiritual growth in your search for the right church. Forcing your little children to endure “big church” when they can barely comprehend a simple sentence is not wise in my opinion, especially in today’s society where so many excellent children’s resources are available.

Getting back to the discussion between The Princess and I, one has to ask the question: where does the worship of God fit into the church shopping experience? By working from a checklist of personal priorities and wants, are we actually telling the Almighty that going to church is all about US, MY needs, MY wants? It sure seems that way to me! And when did going to God’s house to worship Him become a secondary (if that) reason for going?

Whatever happened to this from the Westminster Shorter Catechism?

Q: What is the chief end of man?
A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

The goal of our life as a Christian is to be conformed into the image of Christ. We are to follow the pattern set before us in the scriptures for how to accomplish this. Self denial, preferring others before ourselves, and loving our neighbors as ourselves are all vitally important characteristics of the Christian walk, yet these are not attributes the modern church shopper is looking for.

Or this?

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24

When the woman at the well told Jesus that their fathers (Samaritans) worshipped at the mountain where Jacobs well was located, He was quick to point out to her what true worship was. He told her that God the Father was seeking true worshipers, and even told her what kind of worship God was looking for from His people! Notice, at no point in the discussion did the Lord ask the Samaritan woman what was on her church shopping list. No “Costco Christianity” there!

Or this?

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4

Simple and to the point. When we enter the Lord’s house we are to do so with a thankful and grateful heart. Our hearts should be focused on one thing, the MAIN thing, which is to praise our God. We are told to bless HIS name. We are never told that our own interests are a priority. Neither are we told that by going to God’s house those who serve there exist solely to fulfill our personal church shopping list of preferences.

The scriptures are clear on this matter: there is to be one-and only one priority in our worship, and it’s not US. We are to praise God and bless His name because He alone is God. Not because of His benefits, which are many. Not because the church serves great coffee. Not because the music fits my personal tastes perfectly. Not because of anything on our personal “Costco Christianity” checklist.

We exist to worship God because He alone is worthy of our praise. May all of us be reminded of this great truth on this Lord’s day.

Ron

Last Day Scoffers

As we move further and further towards the 2nd coming of Christ, it is imperative that we have our spiritual eyes and ears open to the signs of the times, of which there are many.

The Apostle Peter, in his second epistle, writes of “scoffers” being among us. What are these “scoffers”? Dictionary.com identifies them as “a person who mocks or makes fun of someone or something, often of religion or moral values:”.

Peter goes on to further describe them in this manner: “knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” [1]

These scoffers do not come under the authority of God or His word, but rather they operate in their own lusts, or selfish desires. They are not interested in truth but attempt to create their own version of truth by questioning the authority of God’s word by asking, “where is the promise of His coming?”.

This argument against the Lord’s return was common in Peter’s day, and it is even more prevalent in our day. Simply stated, these scoffers were saying that the sun continues to rise in the East and set in the West just as it always has. Seasons come and seasons go. The tides rush in, and the tides rush out. None of these things have changed since time began.

The same can be said of Satan as well. By raising up scoffers he is doing what he always does. He interjects a question to create doubt about the validity of God’s word. This was his method to cause the downfall of Adam and Eve. After the Lord had given them a clear command to stay away from the tree of knowledge, what did Satan do?

He asked Eve a seemingly innocent question. “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” To which she responded, “God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” [2]

The presence of scoffers today asking “where is the promise of His coming?” proves that his tactics have not changed from the beginning. His ploys are time-tested and they are effective against those who do not believe our Lord will come again.

For those of us looking for His appearing, however, we see Satan’s tactics for what they are: an attempt to divert our eyes and ears from the reality of the second coming of Jesus Christ. Our challenge today is to keep our eyes on the prize, remembering Paul’s admonition to the Galatians: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not“. [3]

Have a blessed Wednesday,

Ron

[1] 2nd Peter 3:3-4

[2] Genesis 3:1-7

[3] Galatians 6:9

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle….

In honor of today being Mother’s Day, I thought I would share a poem written in 1865 by William Ross Wallace that speaks to the incredible strength and power of motherhood. The title of the poem is The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Rules The World, and I believe that sentiment is as true now as it was when written nearly one hundred and sixty years ago.

BLESSINGS on the hand of women!
Angels guard its strength and grace.
In the palace, cottage, hovel,
Oh, no matter where the place;
Would that never storms assailed it,
Rainbows ever gently curled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

Infancy’s the tender fountain,
Power may with beauty flow,
Mothers first to guide the streamlets,
From them souls unresting grow—
Grow on for the good or evil,
Sunshine streamed or evil hurled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

Woman, how divine your mission,
Here upon our natal sod;
Keep—oh, keep the young heart open
Always to the breath of God!
All true trophies of the ages
Are from mother-love impearled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

Blessings on the hand of women!
Fathers, sons, and daughters cry,
And the sacred song is mingled
With the worship in the sky—
Mingles where no tempest darkens,
Rainbows evermore are hurled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

William Ross Wallace

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10

Happy Mother’s Day!,

Ron

When Life Hands You Lemons

You’ve no doubt heard it a hundred (or more) times: “When life hands you lemons, make some lemonade”. Tackle adversity with a positive attitude. Make the most of those challenges and setbacks you might be facing by being resourceful and finding ways to overcome them. You get the picture I’m sure.

Photo by Ernest Porzi on Unsplash

When you apply this concept to our relationship with God, there are a lot of parallels. For example, scripture reminds us that “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all”. We are going to be afflicted in this life. We are going to face the same storms that everyone else faces. Christians do not get a free pass. We do not get to bypass troubles. How can I be so certain? Because scripture said it was so! [1]

On another occasion, Jesus told us that the Father makes His sun rise on the good as well as the evil, and that he sends the rains upon the just and the unjust. Again, there is no distinction made between the godly and the ungodly. Everyone gets their turn at making lemonade! [2]

Finally, shortly before He was crucified, our Lord told His disciples “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Did you see that? In the world-this world-you will have tribulation. [3]

Hopefully you’re starting to see that lemons are an inescapable part of life. Now, you may be asking yourself why on earth you need to be reminded of these things. If you are, it’s only because there is a very real adversary who will do his best to convince you that if you are experiencing challenges in your life, it is because either God has forsaken you, or you don’t have enough faith.

I hear about it or read about it nearly every day, and it is so tragic. When life hands you lemons the last thing you need is someone criticizing you for a perceived lack of faith. Want to know a secret? Christians are the worst offenders of all when it comes to criticizing one another! Hello? We are supposed to lift one another up instead of stepping on each other when we’re down!

If you know someone who has been handed a bowl of lemons, today would be a great day to help them turn those sour fruits into sweet, refreshing, lemonade. After all, we’re stronger when we’re pulling in the same direction.

Photo by Pesce Huang on Unsplash

Have a blessed rest of the week!

Ron

[1] Psalm 34:19

[2] Matthew 5:45

[3] John 16:33

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

At the risk of dating myself, the title of this blog is taken from a well known song from 1970 by a group called ‘5 Man Electrical Band’ called Sign, Sign Everywhere a Sign. It had a catchy little chorus that went like this: Sign, sign Everywhere a sign, Blockin’ out the scenery Breakin’ my mind. Do this, don’t do that, Can’t you read the sign?

To be sure, there are indeed signs everywhere. This post, however, is about a different type of signage: the signs of the times in which we live as indicated by God’s word. According to what our Lord has told us, two of the major signs that we are approaching the end of this age will be an increase in false Christianity and the prevalence of wars and conflicts.

From Matthew 24:5-6 we read:

5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

While not particularly well known, the 19th and 20th centuries saw an increasing number of people claiming to be the actual Christ. True to the words of Jesus, that trend continues today. We can take this a step further and say with confidence that we are also seeing a rise in the numbers of false Christians. These are people who claim His name, but live nothing like the word teaches us.

False Christianity is marked by an emphasis on being religious, or adhering to the tenets of a belief system apart from the teachings of the bible. They claim to be a converted or saved Christian but bear no fruits of repentance or fruit of the Holy Spirit. These have a form of godliness, but forbid it’s changing power to affect their lives in a manner that would reflect Christ in them.

Another primary sign of the times is the number of wars and rumors of wars across the globe today. Israel verses Hamas is probably the most well known war at this time. Its impact is being felt far beyond the Middle East, as evidenced by the recent takeover of many college campuses in America by pro-Palestinian supporters.

The Feb. 24, 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine is one of the largest, current conflicts in terms of international involvement and geopolitical implications. Many see this war as a precursor to Russia annexing much of Europe as a prelude to the battle of Armageddon.

There are also many smaller, regional wars/conflicts taking place right now. War in Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and the on-going tensions between the U.S. and China all point to an increase in hostilities in our world.

It is apparent that many Christians are asleep at the prophetic wheel because a great many of them simply pass these wars and conflicts off as just ‘business as usual’ between nations that don’t get along. This is where the warnings from Peter come into play when he warned of last days scoffers and of those who would say nothing has changed since the beginning.

What we’re seeing however is much more than that. What we are witnessing in the ever-darkening skies above us are spiritual battle lines being drawn. The signs are everywhere and they are unmistakable: we are rushing headlong towards a time of affliction and tribulation so severe that Jesus said they would never be again.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign. Be diligent and about the Fathers business so that you don’t miss them.

Have a blessed Lord’s Day,

Ron

The Good Fight

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this faith journey we are on and how it’s changed me through the years. Looking back, I can hardly believe I’m the same person I was 46 years ago. Gone is the quick-tempered hot head who was ready to fight or argue over the smallest thing. Also gone is the man who lived only for the present, never giving thought to tomorrow and beyond.

It’s amazing, this transformation that has taken place in my life. Amazing in that such a thing was possible, and that through it all God has been faithful to sustain me and help me even when I had no strength of my own. Like many of you, I have enjoyed many mountain top experiences and victories where I felt as though I was on top of the world. I’ve also endured heartbreak, betrayal, and loss so great that I was brought to the point of longing for death to put an end to the agony that consumed me.

Almost miraculously, the words of Psalm 46:1 became my lifeline, and I cling to them even now: “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”

While I have now reached that point in life where my memory isn’t as sharp as it once was, I still remember with great clarity the night I knelt in my kitchen and asked the Lord to forgive me of my sins. The realization that I had been cleansed and set free from the guilt I had been carrying was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and to this day it remains the single greatest event of my lifetime.

Not having been raised in the church or with any knowledge of God, I have always considered it somewhat of a miracle that God would one day draw me to Himself and that I would surrender my life to Him. In the beginning, I used to think that I was at a tremendous disadvantage with other believers because compared to them, I knew nothing. I couldn’t even recite the names of the four Gospels! Even being around “church folks” was intimidating!

In time, however, I came to realize that God draws us all “for such a time as this”, meaning that in His time and according to His plan we begin this journey. I also understood that not being raised in the church gave me a unique perspective on my new found faith that established Christians did not seem to have. Specifically, I assumed nothing and questioned everything, which seemed to be the opposite of those that said “Amen” to just about everything. For the record, I still question everything, a practice that has served me well in this age of deception.

If you’re still with me, the point of all this is simply to say that no matter what point in life we begin following the Lord, we will have to fight the good fight each and every day. Rarely will things come easily, they must be earned in the crucible of firey trials and temptations. To do battle with the adversary is as common as taking our next breath because he is relentless in his attempts to derail our faith. Our God, however, is equal to the task of upholding us in the face of every trial!

Are you tired of the struggle? Do you feel exhausted on the journey? Take heart friends, for there is coming a day of rest for the children of God. At a predetermined time Jesus himself is coming back to this earth, where He will establish His throne for a thousand years.

With Satan bound and no longer able to tempt, lie, deceive, or hurt us in any way, peace will reign on this earth. Not since the earth was formed has there been such a peace as that which Christ brings with him at the trump of God. Such a beautiful thing is worth the fight. It’s worth the struggle.

Listen to the words of the great apostle Paul as he prepares to leave this life for the next one.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2nd Timothy 4:7-8

Fight the good fight. Keep the faith. His appearing will make it all worthwhile!

Have a blessed Wednesday,

Ron