Category: Blog

Though the numbers are dwindling there are still millions of people world-wide who claim to be Christians. We saw that at the recent installation of another pope. They come in many shades from Catholics to Baptists to those who despise “organized religion” and have their own brand of Christianity.

Claims and reality are not always one and the same. Calling a bitter-weed a rose does not make it so any more than calling a sin a sickness makes it so. No one is a Christian merely because he claims he is (or because he joins a church, says a prayer or is baptized). In His Word God explained that a true Christian is someone who has been “born again” which is translated into English from the Greek verb gennao. The word literally means to procreate. It is noteworthy that when this word is used the emphasis is on the father. It is closely akin to the Bible word “regenerate” which also speaks of rebirth, recreating or making again. The idea is obvious. People who are saved have been made anew. They have been “born again,” regenerated, born from above. This process is not merely an intellectual belief that God is real and His Word is true. It is that, but it is far more. It is a conscious and deliberate embrace of God as one’s only eternal hope based upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is a full surrender of self to Him in the heart. One gives up on who he is and embraces God through Christ. He surrenders his thinking to the thinking of God as set forth in His Word.

The Bible calls it “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Repentance is not what many think it is. It is not deep sorrow, although deep sorrow may accompany repentance. It is not naming all of your sins and turning from and quitting them. Repentance is a genuine change of mind. To be saved (born again) a person in his heart must turn from his thinking and ideas (and all other thinking and ideas) to the thinking of God. To be saved one must come God’s way. Until that happens one is still lost and with no hope beyond this mortal scene. He may say a prayer in which he names all of the sins he knows, be baptized, join a church and quit as many sins as he possibly can; but he is still not saved. The wrath of God still rests on him and at death he will face eternal damnation. He may say he’s saved and a Christian, but that doesn’t make it true. The reality of a regenerated heart made new by the saving power of God must be there.

When true “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” occur in the heart, a new birth takes place. The person is regenerated, made new, recreated. Things change. Inside! No longer is life about me; it’s about the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s not about what I want; it’s about what He wants. I’ve given up on my thinking and ideas in favor of His thinking and ideas. When a man is truly regenerated his priorities change. Life is no longer about this world and its goods. His values become God, the Word of God, His church and others. His thinking changes about property and time. He realizes that he is not an owner, a proprietor; he’s a steward. It’s not my life, my time, my talent, my money, my property; all of these belong to God. It’s not up to me to decide what is moral or immoral, good or bad, right or wrong; God decides and I’m with Him. When one is truly born again, he knows he’s a servant, not the Master.

To the highly religious church-going people in Sardis, God said, “Thou hast a name, that thou livest, and art dead” (Revelation 3:1). Could God say that about you? It’s possible to be a member fully engaged in a church and still be lost. Yes, you can be baptized, join up, get deeply involved, become quite knowledgeable of church life and the Bible and still die and ultimately end up in the Lake of Fire. The Bible says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). A white-wash won’t do. An intellectual decision to be baptized, join a church, embrace the claims of the Bible and clean up your life won’t do. There must be a change of heart. Only God can make you a new person. Only He can regenerate your heart and He does that by His Spirit only when there is a true surrender in your heart. There must come a time when you give up on who you are, all you are and all your ideas and in your heart embrace God by faith in Christ. You accept His Son, His plan of salvation, His ways and His ideas. You accept Him as your Savior and Lord (Boss, Master). It’s a moment of catharsis, a rebirth, New Birth. It’s not something you do or put on outwardly; it’s something that happens by the power of God on the inside of you.

Has that happened to you? Have you ever been truly born again? Does your life show any evidence of a New Birth? Can the people around you see it? Are your priorities different? Who is in charge inside you; is God really in control or is it you? In your heart do you support His moral code, His ownership of property, His role as Master over you? Is there a true core difference in you? Do you know it? Deep down, when nobody’s looking and inside where nobody can see, do you really want what God wants and do things His way? Are you basically the same ole person you were before you supposedly got saved, regenerated, born again?

People who go to heaven do not merely get better at acting like a Christian; instead they get fundamentally changed by God. Has that change happened to you? It could and will when you truly come to God in your heart. It’s a matter of giving up on all you are and trusting Him in view of who He is.

Webster defines honest as (1)”that does not steal, cheat or lie; upright or trustworthy. (2) got by fair means, not by stealing, cheating, or lying. (3) sincere or genuine. (4) frank and open.” Honesty runs deep. It is far more than not telling an outright lie.

I suspect there is at least a little dishonesty and deception in all of us; maybe not intentional, but there none-the-less. In as simple a test of honesty as reporting an incident, it is hard to convey it accurately and honestly, in such a way that the hearer gets a true picture. As people pass along their take on matters, almost without exception they scrub what they say to make themselves and their position look good and the opposition look bad. They conveniently leave out details of what they did or said and the manner in with they did or said it. Nearly always the finger is pointing in the other direction. It is so ingrained that few realize their guilt.

Particularly in matters involving conflict, biases are the norm. Preconceived notions and ignorance tend to dominate the landscape. Facts and evidence are rarely the basis of judgments and alliances. People almost always square off on the basis of self-interests, friendships, rumors and who they like or dislike.

Fundamental honesty is seeing things as they really are. It is not inflation or deflation. It is not direction based on hearsay or false reports. Even from friends! Honesty is facing up to truth even when the truth is painful and the culprit is you or your loved one, maybe even a family member. The man holding the balances of justice is blindfolded; justice is based on honesty and truth. It is blind to the actors in the drama. Discrimination, self-interests, preconceived notions, rumors, hearsay, friendships and all other subjective considerations have no place.

Truth is so illusive yet good people are quick to jump to premature conclusions and act upon them. Yes, good people, Christian people! And, the world is watching: the children and the mate, the neighbors and people at work and even other Christians. Our great, honest and just God says to us,“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19).

Of all people, God’s people should be living examples of fundamental honesty. All bystanders (family, friends, fellow-employees, etc.) should know honesty was a part of every decision. Objective investigation was done; the facts were found and considered. Decisions were not made on the basis of family, friendships or personal interests or preferences. Their actions and lifestyles should be reflections of their claims. God said, “So speak ye, and so do” (James 2:12).  It is dishonest to claim to believe something and contradict it with your life. The bystanders all know that. Fundamental honest is a lifestyle; not merely a few true words here and then. It is making scriptural applications that are honest; using them to make the points God makes, not to make your points. Somehow honesty has to do with consistency: words with deeds, yesterday with today, with the Bible, with friend or foe, regardless of the consequences, apples for apples, in spirit and approach, in good times and bad, public and private. Somehow honesty is transparent, with nothing to hide. It is not afraid to be exposed or tested. I recall the young lad who was on the witness stand. The prosecutor was trying hard to break him. He said, “Young man, did your father tell you what to say on this witness stand?” “Yes sir, he did.” “What did he say?” “Sir, he told me to tell the truth.”

Oh how I pray for a revival of fundamental honesty among all people, especially God’s people! This world is so full of deception and lies. Dishonesty permeates commercials. Politics and politicians are infamous for smoke and mirrors. Hollywood excels in make-believe.  The mindset of modern church is what the people want, not what God wants. Every day we stand in awe as we learn of the corruption, immorality, dishonesty and deception that went on behind the closed doors of governments, corporations, churches and homes. Isaiah said, “For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth.” We are there.

There is no question that God wants us to be like Him and He is fundamentally honest. Justice is His hallmark. We are His ambassadors, people who should shine as beacons of light and “Provide things honest in the sight of all men”(Romans 12:17). Honest work, doing your homework before opening your mouth and making a decision, standing up for what is right even when it costs you, a private life consistent with your public claims and an humble and kind spirit will make you stand out like a sore thumb almost anywhere. As rare as fundamental honesty is, it is the will of God for all of us. “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12).

God is pretty smart! The Ten Commandments are His. Number 5 on the list says,“Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Exodus 20:12). This is “the first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:2). Among other things, with this commandment God says those who want to stay around for a while had better listen to the wisdom of the ages. While the command is personal, it has a loud message for societies. That people (or nation) which disregards the beliefs, principles and practices that brought it the blessings of God cannot expect continued blessings and longevity once it deserts its heritage. That is true of nations, churches, companies and families. Beware America!

History may call ours the age of dishonor. Like an infectious disease, it’s in vogue to turn from and desert most anything or anyone that is old. Take down the Ten Commandments from courtrooms and schools! We don’t believe them anymore. God is dead; he never was anything more that the invention of man.In an America that was once vintage Christian, where is morality, character, integrity, financial sanity and a strong work ethic? What would old men like Washington, Franklin and Jefferson know about how to govern a nation? We can’t be bound by a fixed Constitution or Bible; they must evolve and become what we want them to be. We will decide what is right. What was right for Moses, Granny and Pa is not right for us.

You’d think the current generation is the only one that has ever known anything. Darwinian Evolutions mock the great scientists of the past who believed God created the heavens and the earth. Parents and people in power are far past Solomon and the Bible: you can go to prison for practicing Bible parenting. Even old but reliable translations of the Bible are shelved in favor of those that reflect a more politically correct and palatable language.

Shortly after contemporary church music burst onto the scene (yes, in my lifetime) a rather progressive brother wrote me a 3 ½ page typed letter. He assured me that we had finally learned how to worship God. Somehow all of God’s people from Adam and Eve had missed it. Yes! David, the churches of the New Testament, Jesus, Paul and all of those saints of God for almost 20 centuries! Nothing but the Blood, Grace that is Greater than all my Sins, He Looked beyond my Fault and Saw my Need, Saved by His Power Divine, I Shall Know Him by the Prints of the Nails in His Hands, The Holy City, Blessed Assurance, Amazing Grace and Holy, Holy, Holy don’t cut it – unless maybe yousoup them up and get your hands together or in the air. This brother went so far as to predict to me that all of the old set who failed to get on board would soon be extinct.

Yes. There is a new breed today! It is a breed that smugly holds the past with most of its ways, people, music, values, methods and practices in contempt.Nobody knew how to do it till we got here. Change put our president in the White House (by a landslide) and America has change. Does it ever! Many a couple has thrown out the ideas of mom and dad and the Bible: you don’t need to wait till marriage (or even marry), don’t deprive yourself by being financially responsible, don’t give your children rules and responsibilities, forget sanctification. Most anything from the past must go: music, methods, excellence, standards!

I know God is still right. It is still right to “Honor thy father and thy mother:”to ascribe value and weight to the wisdom of the ages, to be very careful before you write off the generation or generations before you, along with most (if not all) of what they embraced. There never has been a perfect generation which got it all right however nobody, old or young, is smart enough to ignore the wisdom of the ages or shut his ears to God. I suspect that somewhere ahead there is an unpleasant day of reckoning for all who dishonor their father and their mother.

The lady interviewing for a job makes us chuckle. “Are you a responsible person?” “Oh, yes! I am very responsible. At my last job they said I was responsible for almost everything: a messy office, gossiping, missing items, a hot temper and a lot more.” Oh boy! At least she admitted it.

Taking responsibility sounds good and everybody knows it’s the right thing to do; doing it is akin to chasing a shadow. Some wise-crack said that prisons are full of the most innocent people in the world. Even the ones who admit that they did it almost always say it really wasn’t their fault. Somebody tempted them, framed them or started it. It’s really not my fault. We have no fault insurance. On FM 1960, a major Houston highway, I saw a billboard. It said, “It’s not your fault but it is your problem.”

Our nation is in a financial crisis; head over heels in debt and spending like there are forests of money trees everywhere. Who is to blame? Nobody! It’s Reaganomics. Blame Bush. The Tea Party put us here. And John Q. Citizen who just filed for bankruptcy has the audacity to throw the first stone! Upside down in a car note, borrowing on one credit card to pay on another and still eating out, but it’s not my fault. I’m not responsible for where I am.

Sigmund Freud must be proud. If you are on drugs, your marriage is in shambles or you can’t hold a job, you must have had a lousy childhood. Somebody sexually molested you 30 years ago and he is responsible for all of the problems you have today. Blame, blame, blame! Your parents! Your mate! The boss! The government! God! Even preachers do it. The deacons! Troublemakers in the church! Bad location! The times in which we live!

Why does it never occur to people that the problem might be me? Any moron knows somebody is at fault. Why imagine that the fault is always elsewhere?

After the affair with Bath-sheba David’s house began to fall. God’s man confronted him with his sin. As famous and powerful as David was, he was big enough to admit, “I have sinned.” I’m responsible! I can’t blame my mom for spanking me when I was a kid, the pressure I’ve been under as a head of state or Beth-sheba for seducing me. It’s my fault. Pure and simple! I’m to blame.

Irresponsibility is a downhill trip. Things get worse instead of better. Consequences multiply. Apart from diagnosis improvement rarely comes. Bad habits and practices grow stronger. Relationships continue to degenerate. Financial consequences get worse. Bitterness deepens. Churches continue the trip to the graveyard. Health problems don’t go away; they worsen. We pay doctors big money to pinpoint our problems yet we deny any responsibility for the woes that are upon us. Strange indeed!

The story of the man sitting on a long, sharp tack is strikingly true to life. A Freudian counselor passed by and said, “Too bad man. Somebody did you bad. You have every right to be mad. You ought to sue.” A positive thinker came by and said, “It’s not as bad as you think. If you will think positive and quit dwelling on the pain you’re in, you will feel better.” Finally a Christian with a little common sense walked up. “Man, you are sitting on a tack. Get up and you will feel better.”

Yes! Face the truth. It’s amazingly liberating. Irresponsibility is a prison. It locks you in, but when you stand up and take responsibility for your own decisions and actions, you can start getting better. Responsibility takes away blame and such spiritual cancers as resentment, bitterness, revenge and hatred. You can get forgiveness, change your ways and crawl out of your pit. But, irresponsibility will keep you where you are and dump you into a deeper pit, possibly a premature grave. It will take you down in shame, disgrace and with a shaking fist in the face of God!

Responsibility is medicine for life. Honesty with self is a great victory, particularly when it is consistent. Try it. Get out of the window and into the mirror. It’s a painful move but the dividends are extremely high.