GodsView : Is It Slowing You Down?

GodsView : Is It Slowing You Down?: When you become a Christian, one of the more notable changes is that you will give up many of the things you once did. Of course, this de...

Is It Slowing You Down?

When you become a Christian, one of the more notable changes is that you will give up many of the things you once did. Of course, this depends on your lifestyle prior to your conversion. But for many of us, a dramatic change will take place.

I have heard people share their stories of how they came to Christ and the great sacrifices they made to follow Him, saying things like, “I had a great life . . . I went to parties . . . I had so much fun . . . But I gave it all up for Jesus Christ, hallelujah! I left it all for the glory of God!”

When I hear statements like that, I feel like asking, “What in the world are you talking about? You gave it all up? What did you give up?”

If they were to look at those things honestly and realistically, they would come to the same conclusion that Paul did. He said, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord . . .” (Philippians 3:7–8 NKJV).

Paul was saying that the stuff that used to be so important, the stuff he once valued so highly, meant nothing to him now in comparison with the awesome privilege and value of belonging to Jesus.

We might do well to bring certain activities or habits in our lives under the same scrutiny. It’s a good idea to periodically ask ourselves, “Is this thing that I am doing slowing me down or speeding me along in my walk with God? Is it building me up spiritually or is it tearing me down?”

The conclusion has to be the same: If anything is keeping you from an intimate, open-hearted relationship with God through Jesus Christ, whatever that thing may be, you must count it as a loss.

GodsView : The Conscience, Revisited!

GodsView : The Conscience, Revisited!: In 1984 an Avianca Airlines jet crashed in Spain. Investigators studying the accident made an eerie discovery. The "black box&quot...

The Conscience, Revisited!

In 1984 an Avianca Airlines jet crashed in Spain. Investigators studying the accident made an eerie discovery. The "black box" cockpit recorders revealed that several minutes before impact a shrill, computer-synthesized voice from the plane's automatic warning system told the crew repeatedly in English, "Pull up! Pull up!"
The pilot, evidently thinking the system was malfunctioning, snapped, "Shut up, Gringo!" and switched the system off. Minutes later the plane plowed into the side of a mountain. Everyone on board died.
When I saw that tragic story on the news shortly after it happened, it struck me as a perfect parable of the way modern people treat guilt — the warning messages of their consciences.
The wisdom of our age says guilt feelings are nearly always erroneous or hurtful; therefore we should switch them off. But is that good advice? What, after all, is the conscience — this sense of guilt we all seem to feel?
The conscience is generally seen by the modern world as a defect that robs people of their self-esteem. Far from being a defect or a disorder, however, your ability to sense your own guilt is a tremendous gift from God. He designed the conscience into the very framework of the human soul. It is the automatic warning system that cries, "Pull up! Pull up!" before you crash and burn.
The conscience, Puritan Richard Sibbes wrote in the seventeenth century, is the soul reflecting upon itself. Conscience is at the heart of what distinguishes the human creature. People, unlike animals, can contemplate their own actions and make moral self-evaluations. That is the very function of conscience.
The conscience has an innate ability to sense right and wrong. Everyone, even the most unspiritual heathen, has a conscience:
When Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their consciences bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them." (Romans 2:14-15, emphasis added)
The conscience entreats you to do what you believe is right and restrains you from doing what you believe is wrong. But don't equate the conscience with the voice of God or the law of God. It is a human faculty that judges your actions and thoughts by the light of the highest standard you perceive. When you violate your conscience, it condemns you, triggering feelings of shame, anguish, regret, consternation, anxiety, disgrace, and even fear. Conversely, when you follow your conscience, it commends you, bringing joy, serenity, self-respect, well-being, and gladness.
The word conscience is a combination of the Latin words scire ("to know") and con ("together"). The Greek word for "conscience" is found more than thirty times in the New Testament — suneidesis, which also literally means "co-knowledge."
Conscience is knowledge together with oneself. That is to say, your conscience knows your inner motives and true thoughts. It is above reason and beyond intellect. You can rationalize, trying to justify yourself in your own mind, but a violated conscience will not be easily convinced.
The Hebrew word for conscience is leb, usually translated "heart" in the Old Testament. The conscience is so much at the core of the human soul that the Hebrew mind did not draw a distinction between conscience and the rest of the inner person. Thus when Moses recorded that Pharaoh "hardened his heart" (Exodus 8:15), he was saying that Pharaoh had steeled his conscience against God's will.
When Scripture speaks of a tender heart (cf. 2 Chronicles 34:27), it refers to a sensitive conscience. The "upright in heart" (Psalm 7:10) are those with pure consciences. And when David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Psalm 51:10), he was seeking to have his life and his conscience cleansed.
Multitudes today respond to their conscience by attempting to suppress it, overrule it, or silence it. They conclude that the real blame for their wrong behavior lies in some childhood trauma, the way their parents raised them, societal pressures, or other causes beyond their control.
Sometimes people convince themselves that their sin is a clinical problem, not a moral one— and therefore define their drunkenness, sexual perversion, immorality, or other vices as "diseases" or "conditions." To respond to the conscience with such self-excusing arguments is tantamount to telling the conscience, "Shut up, Gringo!"
It is possible virtually to nullify the conscience through repeated abuse. Paul spoke of people whose consciences were so convoluted that their "glory is in their shame" (Philippians 3:19; cf. Romans 1:32). Both the mind and the conscience can become so defiled that they cease making distinctions between what is pure and what is impure (cf. Titus 1:15).
After so much violation, the conscience finally falls silent. Morally, those with defiled consciences are left flying blind. The annoying warning signals may be gone, but the danger certainly is not; in fact, the danger is greater than ever.
Furthermore, even the most defiled conscience will not remain silent forever. When standing at the Judgment, every person's conscience will side with God, the righteous judge. The worst sin-hardened evildoer will discover before the throne of God that he has a conscience that testifies against him.
The conscience, however, is not infallible. Nor is it a source of revelation about right and wrong. Its role is not to teach you moral and ethical ideals, but to hold you accountable to the highest standards of right and wrong you know.
Both tradition and truth inform the conscience, so the standards it holds you to are not necessarily biblical ones (1 Corinthians 8:6-9). The conscience can be needlessly condemning in areas where there is no biblical issue. In fact, it can try to hold you to the very thing the Lord is trying to release you from (Romans 14:14, 20-23)!
The conscience, to operate fully and in accord with true holiness, must be informed by the Word of God. So even when guilt feelings don't have a biblical basis, they are an important spiritual distress sign. If your conscience is misfiring — sending out signals from a weak conscience — that should spur you to seek the spiritual growth that would bring your conscience more in harmony with God's Word.
Your conscience reacts to the convictions of your mind and therefore can be encouraged and sharpened in accordance with God's Word. The wise Christian wants to master biblical truth so that the conscience is completely informed and judges right because it is responding to God's Word. A regular diet of Scripture will strengthen a weak conscience or restrain an overactive one. Conversely, error, human wisdom, and wrong moral influences filling the mind will corrupt or cripple the conscience.
In other words, the conscience functions like a skylight, not a light bulb. It lets light into the soul; it does not produce its own. Its effectiveness is determined by the amount of pure light you expose it to, and by how clean you keep it. Cover it or put it in total darkness and it ceases to function. That's why the apostle Paul spoke of the importance of a clear conscience (1 Timothy 3:9) and warned against anything that would defile or muddy the conscience (1 Corinthians 8:7; Titus 1:15).
Or, to switch metaphors, your conscience is like the nerve endings in your fingertips. Its sensitivity to external stimuli can be damaged by the buildup of calluses or even wounded so badly as to be virtually impervious to any feeling. Paul also wrote of the dangers of a calloused conscience (1 Corinthians 8:10), a wounded conscience (v. 12), and a seared conscience (1 Timothy 4:2).
Psychopaths, serial killers, pathological liars, and other people who seem to lack any moral sense are extreme examples of people who have ruined or desensitized their consciences. Can such people really sin without remorse or scruples? If so, it is only because they have ravaged their own consciences through relentless immorality and lawlessness.
The conscience is an inextricable part of the human soul. Though it may be hardened, cauterized, or numbed into apparent dormancy, the conscience continues to store up evidence that will one day be used as a testimony to condemn the guilty soul. But for the Christian, the conscience is a tremendous asset of spiritual growth.
Take time each day to inform your conscience by reading God's Word. Never train yourself to ignore your conscience, but respond quickly to its warnings. And then cleanse your conscience through consistent confession as you seek forgiveness from those you've sinned against — whether God or others. Those things will strengthen your conscience so that you can enjoy the freedom and blessings of a clear conscience before God.

GodsView : Jesus: The Only Way to Heaven!!!

GodsView : Jesus: The Only Way to Heaven!!!: In the Jesus Movement of the 1960s and '70s, the "One Way" sign — the index finger held high — became a popular icon. &quot...

Jesus: The Only Way to Heaven!!!

In the Jesus Movement of the 1960s and '70s, the "One Way" sign — the index finger held high — became a popular icon. "One Way" bumper stickers and lapel pins were everywhere, and the "One Way" slogan for a time became the identifying catchphrase of all evangelicalism.
Evangelicalism in those days was an extremely diverse movement. (In some ways it was even more eclectic than it is today.) It encompassed everything from Jesus People, who were an integral part of that era's youth culture, to straight-line fundamentalists, who scorned everything contemporary. But all of them had at least one important thing in common: They knew that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. "One Way" seemed an unshakable belief that all evangelicals held in common.
That is no longer the case. The evangelical movement of today is no longer unified on this issue. Some who call themselves evangelicals are openly insisting that faith alone in Jesus is not the only way to heaven. They are now convinced that people of all faiths will be in heaven. Others are simply cowardly, embarrassed, or hesitant to affirm the exclusivity of the gospel in an era when inclusivity, pluralism, and tolerance are deemed supreme virtues by the secular world. They imagine it would be a tremendous cultural faux pas to declare that Christianity is the truth and all other faiths are wrong. Apparently, the evangelical movement's biggest fear today is that Christians will be seen as out of harmony with the world.


Postmodernism
Why has this dramatic shift taken place? Why has evangelicalism abandoned what believers once all agreed is absolutely true? I believe it is because church leaders, in their desperate quest to be relevant and fashionable, have actually failed to see where the contemporary world is going and why.
The dominant worldview in secular and academic circles today is called postmodernism. To the postmodernist, reality is whatever the individual imagines it to be. That means what is "true" is determined subjectively by each person, and there is no such thing as objective, authoritative truth that governs or applies to humanity universally. The postmodernist naturally believes it is pointless to argue whether opinion A is superior to opinion B. After all, if reality is merely a construct of the human mind, one person's perspective of truth is ultimately just as good as another's. "Truth" becomes nothing more than a personal opinion, usually best kept to oneself.
That is the one essential, non-negotiable demand postmodernism makes of everyone: We are not supposed to think we know any objective truth. Postmodernists often suggest that every opinion should be shown equal respect. And therefore, on the surface, postmodernism seems driven by a broad-minded concern for harmony and tolerance. It all sounds very charitable and altruistic. But what really underlies the postmodernist belief system is an utter intolerance for every worldview that makes any universal truth-claims-particularly biblical Christianity.


Postmodernism and the Church
The church today is filled with people who are advocating postmodern ideas. Some of them do it self-consciously and deliberately, but most do it unwittingly. (Having imbibed too much of the spirit of the age, they are simply regurgitating worldly opinion.) The evangelical movement as a whole, still recovering from its long battle with modernism, is not prepared for a new and different adversary. Many Christians have therefore not yet recognized the extreme danger posed by postmodernist thought.
Postmodernism's influence has clearly infected the church already. Evangelicals are toning down their message so that the gospel's stark truth-claims don't sound so jarring to the postmodern ear. Many shy away from stating unequivocally that the Bible is truth and all other religious systems and worldviews are false. Some who call themselves Christians have gone even further, purposefully denying the exclusivity of Christ and openly questioning His claim that He is the only way to God.
The biblical message is clear. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). The apostle Peter proclaimed to a hostile audience, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). The apostle John wrote, "He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36).
Again and again, Scripture stresses that Jesus Christ is the only hope of salvation for the world. "For there is on God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Only Christ can atone for sin, and therefore only Christ can provide salvation. "And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:11-12).
Those truths are antithetical to the central tenet of postmodernism. They make exclusive, universal truth claims, declaring Christ the only true way to heaven and all other belief-systems erroneous. That is what Scripture teaches. It is what the true church has proclaimed throughout her history. It is the message of Christianity. And it simply cannot be adjusted to accommodate postmodern sensitivities.
Instead, many Christians just pass over the exclusive claims of Christ in embarrassed silence. Even worse, some in the church, including a few of evangelicalism's best-known leaders, have begun to suggest that perhaps people can be saved apart from knowing Christ.
Christians cannot capitulate to postmodernism without sacrificing the very essence of our faith. The Bible's claim that Christ is the only way of salvation is certainly out of harmony with the postmodern notion of "tolerance." But it is, after all, just what the Bible plainly teaches. And the Bible, not postmodern opinion, is the supreme authority for the Christian. The Bible alone should determine what we believe and proclaim to the world. We cannot waver on this, no matter how much this postmodern world complains that our beliefs make us "intolerant."


Tolerant Intolerance
Postmodernism's veneration of tolerance is its most obvious feature. But the version of "tolerance" peddled by postmodernists is actually a twisted and dangerous corruption of true virtue.
Incidentally, tolerance is never mentioned in the Bible as a virtue, except in the sense of patience, forbearance, and longsuffering (cf. Ephesians 4:2). In fact, the contemporary notion of tolerance is a pathetically feeble concept compared to the love Scripture commands Christians to show even to their enemies. Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you" (Luke 6:27-28; cf. vv. 29-36).
When our grandparents spoke of tolerance as a virtue, they had something like that in mind. The word once meant respecting people and treating them kindly even when we believe they are wrong. But the postmodern notion of tolerance means we must never regard anyone else's opinions as wrong. Biblical tolerance is for people; postmodern tolerance is for ideas.
Accepting every belief as equally valid is hardly a real virtue, but it is practically the only kind of virtue postmodernism knows anything about. Traditional virtues (including humility, self-control, and chastity) are openly scorned, and even regarded as transgressions in the world of postmodernism.
Predictably, the beatification of postmodern tolerance has had a disastrous effect on real virtue in our society. In this age of tolerance, what was once forbidden is now encouraged. What was once universally deemed immoral is now celebrated. Marital infidelity and divorce have been normalized. Profanity is commonplace. Abortion, homosexuality, and moral perversions of all kinds are championed by large advocacy groups and enthusiastically promoted by the popular media. The postmodern notion of tolerance is systematically turning genuine virtue on its head.
Just about the only remaining taboo is the naïve and politically incorrect notion that another person's alternative lifestyle, religion, or different perspective is wrong. One major exception to that rule stands out starkly: It is OK for postmodernists to be intolerant of those who claim they know the truth, particularly biblical Christians. In fact, those who fancy themselves the leading advocates of tolerance today are often the most outspoken opponents of evangelical Christianity.
Why is that? Why does authentic biblical Christianity find such ferocious opposition from people who think they are paragons of tolerance? It is because the truth — claims of Scripture — and particularly Jesus' claim to be the only way to God — are diametrically opposed to the fundamental presuppositions of the postmodern mind. The Christian message represents a death blow to the postmodernist worldview.
But as long as Christians are being duped or intimidated into softening the bold claims of Christ and widening the narrow road, the church will make no headway against postmodernism. We need to recover the distinctiveness of the gospel. We need to regain our confidence in the power of God's truth. And we need to proclaim boldly that Christ is the onlytrue hope for the people of this world.
That may not be what people want to hear in this pseudo-tolerant age of postmodernism. But it is true nonetheless. And precisely because it is true and the gospel of Christ is the only hope for a lost world, it is all the more urgent that we rise above all the voices of confusion in the world and say so.

GodsView : Step-family Dynamics!

GodsView : Step-family Dynamics!: If you’re from my generation you’ll remember the song that started… “Here’s a story / of a lovely lady / who was bringing up three very...

Step-family Dynamics!

If you’re from my generation you’ll remember the song that started… “Here’s a story / of a lovely lady / who was bringing up three very lovely girls…” Most of us could probably sing the rest of the song by memory. The story behind that sitcom theme song involved a recently widowed mother with three girls who married a widowed father with three boys. Except for a few minor bumps along the way, the new family with six kids gets along without a hitch. The kids respect both parents and like each other, for the most part. Sure there’s some jealously with Marsha over boys, or slight problems with Greg over at his job at the ice cream parlor, but the Brady Bunch seemed to blend almost instantly, proving that bringing two families together is easy and everything will turn out hunky-dory.

Yeah right.

In talking with divorced and widowed parents who have gone through the great experiment of blending families, it is never as easy as the old television shows portrayed. Mixing stepparents with kids can be like mixing oil and water. There are challenges with loyalty (This is my dad and I only listen to him!) There are issues with discipline (Which parent punishes which kids?) Plus, there are trials with alignment (How can a single mom, whose main priority is her children, move to being a new wife, and placing her husband first?)

Blending families is difficult, but that that’s not to say it can’t be done. In talking with parents and kids of combined families, I have gleaned some helpful tips on making the whole thing work.

Seek Out Advice
Before you even say “I do” to a new spouse and kids, search out parents who have traveled the same road that’s now before you. Just like new couples benefit from pre-martial counseling, so new families should take advantage of pre-blending counseling.

Sit down with parents in your church, work, school, or from extended family and pick their brain.  Talk about the pitfalls and the blessings of raising step-kids, navigating a new marriage, dealing with “exes” and all the other important topics before you step into the new family. Ask questions like, “If you could do it all over, what would you do differently?” Or “What obstacles were the hardest to overcome?” Then get practical, and down to the nitty-gritty. “Who disciplines the kids? How do you avoid favoritism?”

You might think that you have thought about all these important issues and you have all your bases covered. But there could be topics that come out of your conversation that you had never thought about before. So learn from other people’s mistakes or successes. Don’t go blindly into blending a family without talking with couples who have experienced the same family dynamics and can offer you valuable insights.

Solidify the Rules
Parents have different styles of raising kids. Maybe your new husband is more passive and permissive. Maybe your new wife has unique ideas on chores and allowances. This can cause tension, confusion, and animosity in the home. It’s important that whatever the rules are, make sure you set them in stone before bringing both families together. Also, take time to discuss who will dish out the discipline for the family and how it will be handled across the board.

A sweet girl who was staying with us in our Heartlight campus told me that she has been struggling with bitterness towards her stepmother and stepsisters, because her father treats her and her biological siblings differently. Since he doesn’t feel right disciplining his new wife’s kids, her father is especially hard on his girls, while the step kids (she feels) tend to get away with more.

Be careful to avoid favoritism in your home! Solidify the rules of the new blended family, and treat each person with the same grace and structure. Our natural inclination is to go easier on the kids that are not our own, or to be timid about showing love to step kids openly to avoid jealously. But to make a mixed family work, you have to handle each kid like your own. Lavish them equally with love. Expect them to follow the same rules. And discipline them like you would your own kids. It won’t be easy, and there will be growing pains, but in time the relationships will be become stronger if everyone gets a fair shake.

Suppose Difficulty
I wish that I could give each member of a blended family a quick solution that would make the process go easier and smoother. Sadly, there is no quick fix. Blending families is tough. There will be difficulties and hardships, especially for the children involved. There is deep emotional turmoil associated with losing parents that makes mixing families challenging.

I found out a few years ago that I have a kidney disease, which is treatable, but my doctor put me on a strict diet. Among others things, peanut M&M’s are on the do-not-eat list. Now, I happen to love peanut M&M’s. When I go to speaking engagements, all I ask for is peanut M&M’s and bottled water. But I had to stop cold turkey. One Halloween my grand daughter told me “Grandpa, you can’t have my M&M’s, cause you’ll die. But here, you can have my skittles.” It was a sweet offer. But ever since then, whenever I see skittles, I’m reminded that I can’t have what I really want — peanut M&M’s.

In the same way, when kids look at stepparents or step-brothers or sisters, they’re reminded of what they can’t have. They can’t have their mom and dad together. Now they have to share their parents. And that can be an overwhelming emotion to experience every day. So understand that it will take time to make a new family work. Experts say that they average time to bring two families together, cohesively, is seven years! Don’t expect that after everyone moves in together all you’ll need is a couple of months to work out the kinks. With those types of expectations, you’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment. Rather, go in with eyes wide open to the fact that it will require adjustments, work, and grace for many years to make a blended family successful.

Set Aside Time
Blending families is not a passive activity. It requires a constant movement forward to accomplish the goal. This means that more time will have to be invested into the family than ever before. That could involve less time at work and more time with your new family. Or it could demand giving up your seat on an important committee because your stepchildren need you. When bringing two families together, spending time with each member, letting them know that they have value and meaning, is crucial.

So take the time to go to coffee with your new stepdaughter alone. Take your new son to the movies, just the two of you. Words are important, but show that love in gifts of time with each kid. It will make a huge difference in each child’s life.

While blending two separate families can be a difficult job, it can also be deeply satisfying. Mixing families will never be as easy as the Brady Bunch made to out be. But with consistent work, effort and love, it can be just as successful.