Bleed Between The Lines

I’ve heard many-a sermon on Job and his suffering and most of the time it’s a message on suffering which is sad if you think about it. Jobs suffering was used by God to silence the devil and bring God closer to himself. We use the book of Job to plan for and or get through suffering. It’s almost silly because if that’s not how God used the events then why do we use them that way?

God gave me a very special message out of Job that I want to share with you. Job was at a very focused state in his suffering because he had lost everything and his misery was all he had left. He was begging for comfort and yet his acquaintances gave him only grief and accusations. As Job was replying to Bildad, his second accuser; he spoke a few very wise words that should humble us all.
32 “He is not a man like me that I might answer him, (referring to God)
that we might confront each other in court.

33 If only there were someone to arbitrate between us,
to lay his hand upon us both,

34 someone to remove God’s rod from me,
so that his terror would frighten me no more.

35 Then I would speak up without fear of him,
but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

Job in his weak state cried out for a savior, a Christ figure that would stand for him before God. We we’re given this in Jesus and still many times we look to God with a desire to be validated of our own accord. How many times to we work for a wage not given or grind through an investment that doesn’t yield a revenue. People can be found looking to God crying, “It’s not fair!” but who are we to even bring our case to God, who knows our deepest and foulest sins. The lies that we keep secret, God brings to the light. You can’t hide anything from God any better than you could outrun him. Little man is so determined to prove his worth and yet none of us are grand enough to see past our own blink. We need to really spend every day meditating one how blessed we are to have someone who is willing and able to take our case before a sovereign God.

Have you seen the surveys that say what percent Angel are you and what percent Devil are you? They are really popular with almost everyone. So what’s the apeal? Why is everyone so proud to be bad. I’m not talking about people who feel that their life style is OK. I’m talking about people who feel like partying is wrong and immoral but like to do it to be wild. I think that there’s a simple answer to why people act out and church is to blame. Sorry church, you know I support group worship but we’re failing in one major issue. Judgment is not the problem, no drinker, drug addict, or sinner of any sort left church because they felt judged or at least not most. Most people go to church to find moral guidance and so they expect a certain level of judging, they leave because church people pretend to be perfect.

If you ask someone outside of the church, where do people in church fall short, they might say “they’re fake, they gossip, they tip poorly, they get angry really easy” but if you ask the same question to a christian, Where do they fall short? you get a cop out answer like “I don’t read my bible enough, or I don’t give enough to the poor” We make mistakes too and if we don’t start admitting openly how wretched we are then we’re going to loose the world and some of our own to Hell.

So the next questions are important to solve the problem. What makes something Holy? Who is a Saint? Who’s a sinner? To understand all of this I need to go a lot deeper. When God created everything in the beginning he called all of it good. It all was designed to co-exist with God and exist forever. When man sinned in the garden of Eden (the story about the snake and the apple in the beginning of the bible), man did something that had a lot of repercussions. See God is perfect, before there were physics or time or matter or anything that makes up our world God was everything and so God is love. What we know as love is what looks like God. God is good so everything that exists with God is good, everything apart from God is bad. When Adam and Eve “sinned” they separated them selves from God and we know that anything not with God is bad. Now this world is apart from God and so it’s bad. This is how a person who gives everything they have to the poor and is nice to everyone can go to Hell. That person looks good because of the things they do but their heart isn’t good because it isn’t connected to God. God knows our hearts and so even if the persons actions seem to justify them that’s not the issue. The issue involves people sinning and separating themselves from God. Now we have to go to 1 Samuel chapter eight; in this chapter Gods people ask Samuel for an earthly king, now God tells Samuel that they’ve rejected him, not Samuel so God gets mad. (note to self don’t reject God, he doesn’t like it!) God knew the heart of man from the beginning of time and so the answer from the beginning was Jesus. So people separate themselves from God, then they demand an earthly king. God then sends them one, (many years later) Himself in human form! God was the answer all along. If you’re not connected to God then you die, people took there faith away from God and put it in worldly things and so God the father sent Jesus (God the son) to pay the penalty for our sins so we could be united with God and be good again. So if our sin separated us from God and Jesus died to reconnect us then how do I know if I’m a saint or a sinner? Have you been reconnected to God through the blood of Jesus? If you have then you’re connected to God and made Holy in God’s sight.

Now as followers of Christ we’re still human and still sin but most of us won’t admit it. Now please don’t use salvation as an excuse to sin, but if you’re connected to God you’re 100% saint because you’re connected to God and remember, God is the standard for good. I firmly believe that if we as a body of believers stand up and admit when we lie, cheat and steal then more people would be willing to walk in the doors and ask for forgiveness knowing that they’re with people who need help just like them. They could also give their shortcomings to God and they wouldn’t feel the need to justify them.

In our lives we see people getting cancer, dying in car accidents, moving to new cities, having chance encounters in stores and we say that it’s all part of Gods plan, This plan involves pain ad yet God has plans “not to harm”, this plan involves complex human decisions and yet we supposedly have freedom of choice. These apparent contradictions come not from an inconsistency with God but in our lack of understanding in how God plans. When we plan, it’s based on an assumed list of events and our assumed ability to affect the outcome. When God plans it’s on the basis that he exists outside of the boundaries of time or reason. When we make decisions they are based on physics and pattern. God is the author of physics and pattern. God weaves his plan around us and one of my favorite examples of this is Jesus and his mother at the wedding. Mary tells Jesus that their out of wine and Jesus says, “dear woman, it is not my time” and then guess what she does, she tell some servant girls to do whatever he says. She didn’t care that he said no! She knew what Jesus would do if she just asked him. While this principal can be taken the wrong way many times we need to understand that this biblical example exists.
I want to take this idea to the end times. In regards to the day of the Lord, Paul writes “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”
It is God’s plan that the end times will come and the Earth will become evil and rebellious. This plan isn’t because God will cause us to be rebellious, it’s because we will choose to be rebellious. Therefore we can also choose to be righteous. I don’t see the end times coming in the near future because I plan to get on my knees and I’m going to pray for revival. As God’s people we need to see that it is the desire of God that all would come to Christ. We should pray that his grace will spread and that all will come to know Jesus Christ. Their are so many doomsayers in the Church that it is hard to see revival as an option sometimes but we the hopeful have God on our side. We are soldiers and Christ’s cause is our cause. Take a moment today to pray for revival and maybe the world will repent and we can see God’s visible reign again.

If you’re a follower of Jesus and you listen, God will tell you what he wants. After you hear him, it’s up to you to decide if you’re going to listen. As a Christian you need to know the difference between God’s voice and how you feel. When the holy spirit places something on your heart, it’s more then a feeling. God’s voice is a call that penetrates the deepest pores of our soul. Know your God sounds like such an impossible request but the truth is if you can’t recognize God’s voice then you need to take a serious look in the mirror and ask if you’re his sheep or not. I would never say that if you don’t hear God then you’re not a Christian but it’s a serious red flag. In John 10 1-6 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Many people who read things like this blow it off like it’s just opinion. The bible isn’t just opinion, it’s divine law. As Christians we should respect the bible and what it says about Christian living. Some things are harder to swallow then others but the truth is that pride should never get in the way of seeking God’s will for your life. Next time you read the bible see if you’re living up to what God asks of you and if not strive to be a better you. Many people claim a call to dance or sing or work in the nursery, usually these relate to a desire we already have in our hearts. But how willing would we be to hear Gods call to sing if we were terrified of it. What if God called you to look after your neighbors three kids every day without pay so they could go to work. What if God called you to die in the name of Jesus. We hear stories of people who loose their lives because they have a gun to their head and refuse to deny the name of Jesus. It’s called heroic when you are forced into a situation and make the right choice. I wonder what we would call it if someone outside of a situation, not in danger, chose to enter that situation and die because they were called.
What about giving, when I was in college I gave to every beggar that I came in contact with because I felt called to do it. I wonder what I would have done if God would have called me to go out one day and find a beggar and give him all my money for the week. I wonder would I have been like Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:8
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”
You can read a thousand books on hearing the call of God but the truth is if you want to hear from God simply close your mouth open your heart and listen.

It was the Easter of 96′ and I woke up to a new type of Easter basket. I was too old for a traditional one so my mother had the Idea of getting me a base ball glove with more age appropriate presents inside. As I peered into the glove I saw one word and one word alone No Doubt. My heart began to race as I remembered the exciting new band I had seen only a month earlier for the first time. I watched and fell in love with punk singer Gwen Stefani. As I looked over the face of the CD I began to feel a strong twist of despair. This wasn’t a CD from No Doubt at all. I was holding a D from a band called Petra that was titled No Doubt. There were 4 very faux-cool men on the cover who looked like they were in their early 30’s. I was horrified. My mother had already seen my excited expression so I couldn’t show any sign of disappointment now. I put on my best poker face and asked my mother what this was and she said, “I told the woman at the christian book store that you wanted to find some christian rock and this is what she suggested.”

At this point I have no desire to bash any band trying their best to glorify God with their music. I would like instead to direct my comments to the Christian music industry in general. The Christian progressive movement always approaches media by looking at the secular world and then copying. This is a horridly backwards trend from the great Christian minds of the past; C.S. Lewis, Tolken, George Washington Carver, John Newton. These people were living fairly recently and they we’re incredibly innovative. It’s sad to see how little creativity is found in main stream Christianity.

As for the contemporary music movement, it’ a joke. CCM has always trailed mainstream music by about 5-7 years and it has a distinctively sans-genuine feel. But as opposed to attacking the superficial things I’ll get to the main reason for my contempt. Christian music is one place where the people in need are completely rejected as stupid and or illegitimate by the people God has called to fill those needs. Music trends are now and have always been about youth. Think about it, the same bands ou listened to as a child are the ones you listen to as an adult (for most people). It is the youth that cry out for a unique voice that gives birth to new and exciting genres of music. Youth drive and define what is cool and yet if you are a christian teen, you are stifled and told to listen to what middle aged board members think is cool. Now I want you to understand that I don’t hate the music itself, I hate the attitude of the industry and it’s treatment of the people it is supposed to be providing for.

My goal is to give to those in need, the way I wanted to be provided for. I can tell you as a teen in the mid 90’s I felt neglected and ignored by those who said their desire was to bring me closer to Jesus. My final words come from a christian song that makes me happy, (as God) If you really love me then feed my sheep.

Don’t adjust your screens, this is a different kind of focus. I want to talk to you about religious focus. 2000 years ago there were two main religious groups, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees were very holier then thou and felt that they gained favor with God because of their strict living. The Sadducees were the politically minded Jews who found their worth in social acceptance and or dominance. Both groups were focused on outward signs of worth that took their focus of what was really important, the living God. Many times we loose track of what and who is really important and even church can get in the way. Many times we can get so busy in doing things for God that we forget to do things with God. In In Luke 10:38 you find the story of Mary and Martha; two sisters who spend a day with Jesus.

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Martha fell into the same trap that many of us do in that she wanted so badly to do things for God that she forgot to find out what God wanted from her. As you go through your day, include Jesus and listen for his instruction. In Psalm 37 David touches on the benefits of following the Lord.

“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun,”

The bible makes it clear that we should seek God’s will; and not worry about what we think is best for God. How many of us forget that God could do our job without us. We are placed in the service of the Lord not so that we can help God but so that he can bless us.

Gregory Eugene here with some good news and bad news for every Christian who wants to see people get saved. First the bad news, You can’t save anyone!!! You never can and you never will. So many pastors are trying to get people saved and it’s useless, hopeless, and a waist of time. I can’t believe so many peoples ministries revolve around what is the best way to get people to accept Jesus. It’s a big fat Joke! (Yes I’m a Christian, Yes I preach the gospel,… listen closely because there’s something for you to learn) I’ve heard a lot about how to get to peoples hearts and how to get them emotionally and blah, blah, blah. With exception of a few people actually called to preach that way who do it in a biblical way, it’s all a load of fleshly nonsense. So the bad news is that no matter how hard you try you can’t save anyone. The good news is that there is one person and one person alone in the saving business and that’s Jesus Christ. See God’s part of the plan is to save people he’s been the redeemer from the beginning of time. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and Jesus calls us to him. Every Christians job is simple, OBEY! Obey, not save, I firmly believe that the reason only a few of us in the body of Christ do so much work is because we regard anything less then “saving” people as work that isn’t that important. See as Christians we get caught up with the great commission and Saved by Grace. Yes it’s true like Abraham we’re saved by grace and our faith is credited to us as righteousness. But remember it was because of Abraham’s obedience that God chose to bless the world through him.
Genesis 22:15-18 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
God will bless us when we walk in his way by letting us be a part of his plan. So if you want to teach, be willing to give when God asks, be willing to move when God says move. But remember you can’t obey God because you want to be blessed, that’s will worship. Instead you need to pray for a pure heart and right motives, serve God because you love him and because he’s God. If you serve God and do what he tells you, then he’ll use you more in the future. Remember Love God, Love each other, Divorce The World!