Jumping to Conclusions

Trayvon and Zimmerman.

You know who I am talking about...everyone does.  Thanks to the media outlets, we all have a narrative about the FL shooting incident in our mind as soon as those names come across our eyes or ears.

Unfortunately, I believe that the vast majority of us have a skewed image of reality in this case...an understanding that has been tainted by bias and fueled by rage.

Horrible things were done to black people throughout our nation's history... inexcusable treatment.  And too often the people doing the harm were "Chrsitian" whites, some of whom even used the Bible to try and defend the notion of slavery or injustice.

I apologize for those who did not treat fellow humans with dignity.  I don't apologize as a white man, I apologize as a Christian who grasps both the depravity of humanity's inherent nature and who hates when Scripture is used in an unbiblical way.

But as a recent article noted...

Let us talk sense, like adults. Nothing that is done to George Zimmerman — justly or unjustly — will unlynch a single black man who was tortured and killed in the Jim Crow South for a crime he didn’t commit.


The anger over past transgression that rose up when people heard of Trayvon's death was understandable.  That does not mean that it was acceptable.  When movie director Spike Lee tweets the address of a home that he "believes" to be Zimmermans...we have to be fearful for the real occupant and we should be questioning what motive would prompt such a thing.

The New Black Panthers taking out a bounty on George Zimmerman does little to make right any former wrongs.  It only increases the divide and increases the tension.  Everyone should have stayed calm, not jumped to conclusions, and waited for the facts.

As it turns out, I have a strong belief that Zimmerman is telling the truth.  Take a look at the facts...I am not going to recount them here, you should go and look for yourself (that's the point of my post).  I think that the true account is of an overzealous neighborhood watch guy whose actions lured a teenager into an assault.  I don't think Zimmerman was completely innocent of contributing to the circumstances that led to the fight and the shooting, but I am sure that he didn't "hunt the boy down in cold racist blood."

We live in a nation of 30 second sound bytes and spoon-fed truth.  We need to return to the basics of investigating a matter for ourselves before we decide on our position.  Unfortunately, in this case it is too late and Zimmerman has been indicted due to political pressure.

Yet, it may not be too late for the next time that a major sensationalist story comes across your screen or airwaves.  When it does remember these steps...

Stop
Think objectively
Consult multiple places for information
Be patient
Pray for wisdom and clarity as you formulate your own opinions
Voice your opinion respectfully if called to do so

If we could just grasp the importance of thinking through such volatile and complex circumstances, the world would be a better place.

Visual - Reformed Theology

Boldness

Oh that we, who live in the safest nation that has ever been across all of history, might have the kind of boldness that the early apostles demonstrated as they remained faithful even in the face of imprisonment and floggings...

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Acts 4 and 5 (ESV/ truncated)

Peter and John Before the Council

And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.  And they arrested them...But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem...and they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,  if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,  let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.   This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.   And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”


Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus..."But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 

The Believers Pray for Boldness

When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
    and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
    and the rulers were gathered together,
    against the Lord and against his Anointed’

 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,  to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.  And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,  while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”  And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

The Apostles Arrested and Freed

 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.  But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,  “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.


Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.  But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison...And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”  Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.


And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them,  saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.”  But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.   The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.  God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”


When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.  But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.  For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.  After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.  So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;  but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,  and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 


Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

Gospel > Gluttony

For the glutton, food is more pleasing, more alluring, more enthralling, more satisfying, and more beautiful than God. The glutton has covenanted with overeating to be their comfort, security, approval. In doing so, the glutton has become his own savior, eating his means of grace as a sacrifice on the altar of pleasure. If this is true, then we need to assess overeating with new eyes. We must say plainly, “I treasure food more than I treasure God.” Gluttony exposes how we really feel about God.


How do we develop a disaffection for gluttony? By faith, look to the cross and see the horror of gluttony in the stripes of Jesus. Charles Spurgeon said it this way, “Look to the cross and hate your sin, for it nailed your well-beloved to the tree.” The glutton needs to see Jesus, who lived a life of self-control and perfect moderation, dying for the glutton. That is what gluttony deserves before God’s tribunal—death. As an idol, gluttony deserves to be cursed and exiled from his holy presence. Though guiltless, Jesus became the glutton on the cross. The pleasure of gluttony loses its luster under the shadow of the cross, where gluttony is revealed as just another broken cistern (Jer. 2:13).


However seeing gluttony as desperately wicked is only half the battle, we also need to  "de-leverage" the cravings gluttony once appealed to by loving something bigger. Here again we look to Jesus. When the glutton deserved separation, they received reconciliation. Why? God has done something utterly astounding and amazing for the glutton at the cross. Because Jesus was rejected by God, the glutton is now accepted in Christ. The wondrous accomplishment of the cross is that glutton is no longer a glutton, but an accepted child of God. In Christ, God gives himself to the soul in deep intimacy and affection, restoring the union and communion once enjoyed in the garden (1 John 1:3; 2 Cor. 13:14). But our new standing isn’t based on our approval, but on the approval of Christ. The wandering soul has been brought home by the relentless love of God, at the cost of Jesus.


From the Resurgence

The Trinity

From Tim...

About a month ago I announced the start of a new series of posts in which I will attempt to define theological terms succinctly and simply (as much as this is possible). I began with a definition of the category itself—theology—and am now finally getting around to the second term.

Trinity is a word that, like theology, we do not find in the Bible itself. Nevertheless, like theology, it is no less biblical, because the concept that it summarizes is clearly evident in Scripture, from the first page to the last.

Trinity refers to the nature of God’s existence and is a theological description that distinguishes genuine, biblical Christianity from so many cults and frauds. The name itself could be understood as the combination of the words “triple” and “unity,” and that would just about capture the main idea. 

In very basic terms, Trinity refers to God’s three-fold being—the fact that he has always been and forever will be one God who consists, simultaneously and distinctly, in three Persons (Father, Son and Spirit), who are each fully God.

Any definition of Trinity warrants additional explanation of all that it does (and doesn’t) mean. For a next step in understanding the doctrine, I recommend checking out the infographic I put together recently. Here is how I defined the term in that graphic:

God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.

If you haven’t ever read a book on the Trinity, you would do well to read one as soon as possible! I recommend James White’s The Forgotten Trinity or Bruce Ware’s Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; both are excellent places to go for an introduction or refresher.

A Sermon's Focus

"The sermon which does not lead to Christ, or of which Jesus Christ is not the top and the bottom, is a sort of sermon that will make the devils in hell laugh, but make the angels of God weep."


- Charles H. Spurgeon

The Olivet Discourse

I was recently asked by a friend to provide some thoughts on the Olivet Discourse found in each of the Synoptic Gospels.  You can check out Mark 13, Matthew 24, and Luke 21 for the verses I will be addressing.  They are far too vast for me to copy and paste here.

I do have a few thoughts after I read over these passages again, but I should warn the reader that I won't have anything extraordinary to say.  I don't know Greek, I am not gonna do an exegesis of each verse, and I truthfully don't understand all the text myself...who does?

I will say that the passages strike me as a mix-match of prophecies concerning multiple events...the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, the persecution of the early believers by Rome, and the Second Coming of Christ.It is terribly difficult to be exact about any of the verses in my opinion, particularly the ones that seem to refer to the end times.  I don't think we were meant to when I read Mark 13:32

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."


I also think that we should go ahead and deal with the primary exhortation of these verses regardless of what they refer to.  Jesus tells us the main point of all his prophecies at the end of the passage when he says the following in Mark 13:35-37

"Therefore stay awake...lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake."


I do fear that far too many pastors and believers get overly concerned with end times talk.  If such people put as much effort into serving others, delving into God's Word on the core doctrines, and relational sharing of the gospel as they do with hypotheticals on what the Mark of the Beast will be; the cause of Christ (which is the Glory of the Lord) would be much more magnified in their lives.

My most fundamental eschatology is this:

"Jesus IS coming back visibly.  He will judge the world at that time and all who have lived in it across history.  He will bring his saints into eternal glory and fellowship with the Father in their ressurected bodies.  He will cast those who rejected him into a Lake of Fire to endure eternal torment.  Each day of our timeline is a day closer to that event."

If I was really pushed on it I would call myself a partial preterist.  I think that the vast majority of the stuff in the Olivet Discourse came to pass in the first century.  I would also be an amillenial guy, that is, I think that the talk about a 1000 year reign in Revelation 20 is largely symbolic.  I believe that that period (the *1000 years*) is the church age that we live in now where Christ reign at the right hand of the Father and rules in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

We should remember that the Bible is a collection of books at its core.  It is certainly inspired by God and absolutely infallible, but it is also written via the means of poetry and symbolism at times.  I think that the 1000 years is part of that poetic narrative describing the age we live in.  I am nervous because all the pre-trib and pre-mil stuff out there, like "Left Behind" and "Late Great Planet Earth," appear to me as being full of junk that feeds the fleshly desire to know things that God says we can't know.  Ultimately, attention on the end times distracts from the true gospel message more than it pushes people into frenzied evangelism.

I think that Luke 21:34 says it best...

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap"


This statement is both applied  in a very physical sense to those believers present at the destruction of the temple and those persecuted before Constantine legalized the faith.  It is also a statement that certainly applies to all believers spiritually.  We need to make constant war against our flesh to keep from being drawn down into worldly matters because a day is coming (at an unknown hour) when our bridegroom will appear to take us home.  We want to be as ready for him as we can be.  That's the fundamental message I take from the Olivet Discourse.

Tweeting/ Facebooking the Sermon

I took a paraphrased comment from our Pastor during church yesterday and, as he continued preaching, made it my facebook status. 


Miracles are not given for the benefit of the recipient, but for the glory of God.
@ bart stone


 It was my first time doing that I felt kinda weird.  Perhaps, in light of the article below from Challies, my odd feeling was more than just a "first-timers nervousness."  Maybe it was a nudge by the Lord that I should put my phone down and pay more attention to the rest of the sermon.  


Funny thing is...the status wouldn't post.  My phone acted as if it had bad reception and that was highly unusual.  I ended up posting it after church was over. 


The thoughts Tim offer make for good conversation even if there isn't a right answer.


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When a new technology explodes on the scene, there is always a period of time in which society negotiates the rules that will surround it. When the telephone first gained popularity it took time to learn what would be considered the polite way of answering it. Alexander Graham Bell suggested “Ahoy!” Others tried, “Who’s there?” Those would be considered rude or ridiculous today, but that is only because society successfully negotiated “Hello?” as the preferred greeting. In years to come we will negotiate the polite way of using a mobile phone (Is it rude or acceptable to use it on a crowded train?). What is considered rude today may become normal; what is considered normal may become rude. We won’t know until it happens.

Electronic devices are quickly becoming the new norm in church. Almost three years ago I said Don’t Bring Your iPod to Church, but today that rebuke seems almost quaint. Just a few years later it is not at all unusual to see all kinds of iPods and iPhones and iPads and iEverythingElse being used in place of a printed Bible. That’s not necessarily a good or a bad thing; it’s just reality. As times goes on, printed Bibles will likely fade into history.

But what about using that same device to do more than read the Bible? What about using it to take notes? And what about sending out Twitter or Facebook updates during the sermon? This is something we often experience at conferences or political events. While people sit and listen to the speaker, they grab ahold of memorable phrases, type them down, and send them out to the world via social media. Is it a good idea to tweet during a sermon?

Let’s get this out of the way: Tweeting during a sermon is not sinful, at least not in the abstract (though certainly your motives could make it sinful). The Bible does not forbid it. However, even though it falls within the realm of Christian freedom, this does not necessarily make it wise or helpful. In fact, I’ll just go ahead and lay my cards on the table and say that I am convinced that it is neither wise nor helpful, either to you or to the people around you. At least for now, I would suggest that you refrain. Here are five good reasons:

Tweeting suggests that the sermon is as much for the global church as the local church. By sharing the highlights of the sermon with others, you are changing the sermon’s focus from the local church community to the wider church community. You are taking what is primarily an inside matter and making it a global matter. If we believe that there is something especially and mysteriously powerful about preaching, we must also acknowledge that this power and mystery is primarily local, primarily meant to influence and impact the local church community. Tweeting snippets of the sermon confuses this.

Tweeting changes your focus from yourself to others. As you send out updates via social media, you are now thinking about how other people need this message more than how you need it. You are trying to apply it to them rather than yourself. This is one way in which tweeting is inherently different from writing notes in a notebook. You take notes primarily for your own benefit and as a way of helping your memory. You tweet for the sake of others. 

Tweeting reduces a sermon to it’s tweetability. Inherent in Twitter is the 140-character limit, which means that all you can tweet to others is snippets of 140 characters or less. The social media value of a sermon is thus reduced to the few phrases that fit within that limitation. Our minds begin to look for these phrases, as if they are the point of the sermon. If we dedicate ourselves to tweeting sermons, ministers may begin to craft sermons with Twitter in mind, allowing that medium to transform their message.

Tweeting is two-way. A notebook hasn’t ever responded to you, it hasn’t ever replied, it hasn’t ever interrupted you or distracted you. Twitter is two-way, so that when you open the program, you are barraged with other messages from other people. That is the whole point of it! We may attempt to keep ourselves from being distracted, but this is a fool’s errand; the medium is inherently distracting and inherently responsive. We may resist for a while, but in time we will end up reading as well as writing.

Tweeting distracts people around you. It is one thing to glance over and see that the person beside you has his phone in his hand and is using the ESV app. It’s another thing entirely to glance over and see that he is accessing Twitter or Facebook. A day may come when we believe the best about people who are using their iDevices in the church service, when we look over and think, “That guy is sending out a Twitter update and definitely not reading any replies!” For now, though, we assume, often for good cause, that our devices own us more than we own them.

There are five reasons not to tweet that sermon. I’d love to get your take on it, so go ahead and leave a comment if you’ve got something to add!

e-Boasting

Galatians 6:14:

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

(Design submitted by Karalee Reinke.)

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/e-boasting?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DGBlog+%28DG+Blog%29

the Explicit Gospel

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend a night of worship at Cumberland Community Church in Smyrna. They were hosting the "Explicit Gospel Tour."  The tour is named after the new book by Matt Chandler and it features Chandler speaking and music by Shane & Shane.  It was a great night!

I had a couple of guys from church go with me and we spent the hour car ride home talking about the things that had stirred our souls from the message.  I wanted to offer some of the quotes and highlights that stood out to me for your edification.  If you had rather not read my comments and just see the message for yourself, ignore the paragraphs below and go to the following website at 7:30pm on 4-21 for a live webcast:

http://lifeway.live.s3.amazonaws.com/TheExplicitGospelTour.html

My notes:

-  Matt started off by saying that he hoped we would use the night to get serious about the Word of God, not as students per say, but as people looking to encounter the Living God through the Living Word.

-  There was a sad statement in the intro video, a statement that probably applies to many.  A member of Matt's home church was saying that she spent many years finding her identity "as a Christian" not "in Christ."

-  Matt exhorted us to come to the Word tonight with a certain healthy dose of nervousness and fear...scared that God might just show up and do what he says he will do...take some of us to be broken and set upon a difficult path, but a path that would ultimately lead to greater freedom because of Jesus.

-  The point of the message was to wonder how so many Christians could have been raised in church but never heard the gospel message.  He said that too many believers grow up under a grid of behavior modification that is falsely placed under the banner of Jesus.  Matt wanted to provide a very clear understanding of what the gospel is...hence the "explicit" gospel.

-  His text tonight began in Colossians 1:13

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of jthe invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.   For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,  he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

-  He stressed that we are in the "domain of darkness" when we either:

• seek to negate God through our self-reliance based upon elicit vice like sex, drugs, greed
• seek to negate God through false piety via Sunday School and Qiuet Time

-  In each of those different methods (the religious and the irreligious) is the same cry..."I don't need you God."

-  Matt said that he felt as if church without an authentic love for Jesus was the lamest hobby ever.  "Hanging out with moral folk" in a constant atmosphere of self-help is really a depressing thought.

-  He reminded us that God does not force anyone to love him.  God simply reveals himself and we are compelled to love him based upon his intrinsic worth and loveliness.

-  There was a wonderful prayer that I want to pray over my boys..."That my children would only ever know a progressive love for the deep joys of Christ."

-  Matt told us that heaven is not a place for people who don't want to go to Hell, it's a place for people who love Jesus.  The two are not the same.

-  Wanna know God?  Look at Jesus.

-  There was a great part of the sermon regarding the difference between temporal and fickle "happiness" and the enduring nature of "joy."  Joy is rooted in our view of God and cannot be taken by circumstance while being happy is shallow and easily disrupted.

-  He expressed concern over the issue of "ecclesiological buffet syndrome."  Essentially, people who jump from church to church to get what they want without ever being plugged in.

-  Matt said that people don't want to get plugged in because it is a messy thing down in the trenches of life.

-  It was a new and excellent perspective to hear Matt say that "iron sharpening iron" is actually a nasty process...something lost on us as we use that Bible verse with each other.  He said that sometimes the hammering iron strikes too hard and sometimes the malleable iron fails to bend.

-  One of the best things all night was the comment "Don't love the truth of the Word.  Love the object of that truth."

-  Matt reminded us that God is "pleased" when he looks upon us.  He is pleased because he sees the righteousness of Christ covering us.

-  The Law (10 Commandments and such) is a diagnostic tool to show all of us that we are far more guilty than we would ever imagine.  No one comes out clean.

-  We need a righteousness better than we could ever provide, even on our best day our efforts are like the stench of menstrual rags in the holy nostrils of God.

-  Salvation is possible only through the "Great Exchange" of:

• Jesus taking our sin upon himself and absorbing the wrath of God

and

• Jesus giving us the righteousness he earned by living in complete accord with the Law

-  The resurrection is proof that the payment was paid in full and that sin, death, and Hell are defeated.

-  By trusting in Christ's payment and giving our lives to serve him, we gain the benefit of this exchange...eternal life.

-  Doing right does not equal Loving right

-  The Gospel isn't a one time deal of getting saved...it sustains all of us for our whole life if we abide in it.

77 Years?

The world is watching closely as the trial of Anders Behring Breivik takes place in Oslo. The trial is now an international spectacle. But, much more than Norway’s justice system is on display. That Oslo courtroom is also revealing what remains of an understanding of criminal justice and criminal responsibility when the Christian worldview fades away. The post-Christian condition is fully on display in that courtroom. The man who committed the worst mass murder in Europe since World War II is on trial — and the maximum term to which he can be sentenced amounts to less than 3.3 months for each of the 77 people he murdered.


From Al Mohler's blog

Combating Darkness

Some ladies from our church have recently flown down to Haiti.  They are there to work with a plant from the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission.  The ladies took some solar powered lights with them to do two things...

1)  Provide some light at nightime for the villagers.  The people in Haiti get scared of the dark very easily due to the rampant nature of voodoo in the country.  These lights, placed outside their huts, will give them a practical sense of comfort.

2)  Provide an opportunity to share the gospel message through the analogy of Jesus being our light in a dark world.

http://molehaiti.org/2012/04/18/crave-light-day-2/#n

I am happy to be part of a church doing this kind of work.  I hope to go to Haiti next year with my wife.

Go Hard

If you didn't know Christ, would your life look the same?


LECRAE:: GO HARD from Kevin Adamson on Vimeo.

Renovation Church

A local church that inspires me by its dedication to the Gospel in its local community and its rich diversity.

Fornicating on the Battlefield

(This is one of the most powerful things I have ever read. - Jason)

When I ask men about their sexual behavior, most guys are surprisingly honest when anonymity is a factor. We’ve spoken about porn, oral sex, prostitution, lust, marriage, thoughts, immorality, intimacy, desires, homosexuality, masturbation, sexual abuse, incest, greed, and idolatry. I’ve eaten meals with pastors, executives, bankers, doctors, religious people, church planters, frat guys, students, entrepreneurs, traffickers, and average guys that work 40 hours a week and stay relatively pure.

THE MAJORITY OF US ARE SEXUALLY BROKEN

Most of us had absent fathers. 1 in 5 of us were sexually abused. Every one of us has learned the art of concealing sin. Around 80% of men in the church are currently using pornography. Some of us don’t need a girlfriend because we’re in full-fledged relationship with our hand or laptop. And some of us know the feeling of cold emptiness after leaving a strip club or a brothel. Some of you men know what it's like to go to sleep next to an empty shell of a woman that used to be your wife because your infatuation with photoshopped women has extinguished the intimacy. You’re no longer lovers, you’re roommates with children. Some of you are fathers that see your sexual sin manifested in your children, but you’re too fearful to expose it in your own life regardless of the damage its doing to your marriage and family. “What if coming out with this stuff makes things worse?” is the only question you’ve thought of.

I know where you’re at. I know what you’re thinking. And I know the lies you’re deceived by. I’ve been where some of you are.

YOU LOVE PORN...AND JESUS? 

A good friend of mine has battled sexual addiction all of his life. He’s a graduate of Bible college and is part of a healthy church. He’s got a lovingly invasive community and has had numerous Godly mentors pushing him towards Jesus for the last 7 years, but he still uses pornography every chance he gets—disabling the X3 watch on his phone and computer. If he’s alone for longer than 30 minutes with an internet connection, he begins searching for filth. He still habitually masturbates. He lies about his sin. He conceals his secrets. He manipulates Christian women into sinning with him, then he lies about that. He exemplifies the epitome of selfishness and a lack of self control.

But he also calls Jesus his Lord…Are you that guy? It’s sometimes confusing to me when men can be sexually enslaved while following Jesus, yet that’s what the overwhelming majority of them tend to be living. Can the two coexist? Are they diametrically opposed? Isn’t one the antithesis of the other?

STILL ENSLAVED 

I’m not going to quote your favorite authors or offer free accountability software. I don’t have a PDF to read or an invitation to a men’s conference. You’ve probably already tried those things. You’ve read books and made countless commitments, which you’ve broken. You’ve tried accountability. You’ve gone through a “freedom season.” You’ve confessed your sin. You’ve been rebuked. You’ve disconnected the internet. You’ve been kicked out of the house. You’ve destroyed the computer. You’ve memorized the Word of God. You’ve pleaded with Jesus to remove the thorn in your flesh. You’ve shouted, screamed, and wept. You’ve tried everything and you’re still shackled.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF IMAGE 

Just imagine for a moment that this is reality: You’re on a battlefield. It’s dark. Chaotic. Cold wind is whipping your face. The stench of death fills the air. Corpses of demons lie all around you and the field is soaked in blood. You can hear the sounds of armor and weapons colliding while sparks are flying. Screams pierce your ears.

You see chiseled, powerful beings radiating in white and they’re destroying shadows, gripping the throats of principalities and slitting them with iridescent blades. But you’re without armor. You wonder how you got to this place and why you came unprepared.

“

Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

”

Men that you recognize are rushing the opposite direction—spears aligned, ready to throw. Swords sharpened, shields fixed, helmets lowered they’re ready for battle. They’re calling for you to join them. They’re rushing for the the front lines—they’re unafraid. They know they’ve been given victory.

But not you. You’ve got your pants down around your ankles. You’re roaming in circles looking for the seductress that’s calling you by name. You can’t wait to fornicate on the battlefield.

And all the while, the kingdom is coming. The lost are being found. The sick are being healed. Demonic assignments are being cancelled. The veil is being lifted off of false religion and the persecuted church is exponentially growing in the face of opposition. Jesus is authoritatively mediating a covenant—the Spirit is interceding for the children of God, breathing life into dry bones.

You? You want an orgasm.

A REMINDER OF WHO YOU ARE

• You are God’s child
  John 1:12
• You are a friend of Jesus
  John 15:15
• You have been justified
  Romans 5:1
• You’ve been united with the Lord and are one with him in Spirit
  1 Corinthians 6:17
• You’ve been bought with a price…you belong to God
  1 Corinthians 6:19-20
• You’re a member of Christ’s body
  1 Corinthians 12:27
• You’ve been chosen by God and adopted as his child
  Ephesians 1:3-8
• You’ve been redeemed and forgiven of all your sins
  Colossians 1:13-14
• You are complete in Christ
  Colossians 2:9-10
• You have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus
  Hebrews 4:14-16
• You are free from condemnation
  Romans 8:1-2
• You cannot be separated from the love of God
  Romans 8:28
• You are free from any condemning charges against you
  Romans 8:31-34
• You’ve been established, anointed, and sealed
  2 Corinthians 1:21-22
• You were washed…you were sanctified. You were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God
  1 Cor 6:11
• You are hidden with Christ in God
  Colossians 3:1-4
• God started this work in you, and he will bring it to completion
  Phil 1:6
• You are a citizen of heaven
  Philippians 3:20
• You haven’t been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind
  2 Timothy 1:7
• You are born of God, and the evil one cannot touch you
  1 John 5:18
• You are a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of his life
  John 15:5
• You have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit
  John 15:16
• You are God’s temple
  1 Corinthians 3:16
• You are a minister of reconciliation
  2 Corinthians 5:17-21
• You are seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm
  Ephesians 2:6
• You are God’s workmanship
  Ephesians 2:10
• You can approach God with freedom and confidence – not because of your obedience, but because of Jesus’ obedience
  Ephesians 3:12
• When you are faithless, he will remain faithful, because he cannot deny himself
  2 Timothy 2:13

FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS 

Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? (Hebrews 12:1-5).

You've been eating with the pigs long enough. Come home, son.

-  Tony Anderson

http://theresurgence.com/2011/11/30/fornicating-on-the-battlefield