If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . .
Make Money Matter

We have to impress our children with the conviction that it is folly to trust in riches, but that it is not a sin to have and use wealth if we do it God’s way. It is the love of money and not the money itself that is the problem. Money will not keep you from having a headache, but you will be able to buy aspirin if you have some of it. Obviously, there are much more expensive events that we may need money to overcome. 

We need to be honest about the money we spend. First we need to actually look and see where our money is going, then we need to make a plan. Are the things we are buying helping us in our relationship with God or are they hindering our progress toward Heaven. There was a scene in a movie years ago that showed a man who had lost his wealth. As he was leaving what had been his extravagant house he began to pick up items saying that he would be okay as long as he could keep this item and that item and before long he had more than he could carry and he couldn’t even walk anymore. Sometimes we are the same way with all of our stuff. Our possessions are weighing our souls down so that we struggle to walk toward Heaven.

We also need to ask if we are using our money to help others get to Heaven. Even if we were able to say that none of our spending was hindering our trip toward eternal life, we are falling short if we are not using it to bring others to Christ. There are many charities out there that do wonderful things in this physical world, like finding cures for diseases, protecting the environment or helping feed the hungry, but if that is all they do it is not enough. Even if we could eliminate poverty and disease completely the more serious problem of sin would still destroy souls. There is nothing inherently wrong with trying to make this world better, but what value is this life compared to eternity. Jesus fed hungry people and healed sick people, but He did not come for that reason. He came to seek and save the lost, and as Christians that is the first obligation we have toward others after taking care of our own.

Why do so many of us wind up mediocre with money? One of the biggest problems is not that we are doing bad things with money, but that we are not doing the best things with it. If a family goes out to eat once a week and spends $50 more than a home cooked meal would have been and imagine if this couple did that from the time they were married through their 50th anniversary, then over that 50 years this couple would have spent $130,000 eating out. Think about how much more it would be if they used credit cards and paid interest on it over the years! In fact, if they charged their first dinner and left it to accrue interest and paid for the rest of those dinners, that one $50 dinner rolled over month after month at 10% interest would wind up costing over $5,800! Now that is an expensive dinner. Is it wrong for a family to go out to eat? Certainly not, but even too much of an okay thing can destroy what is best. 

The enemy of the best is not the worst, it is the ‘good enough’. How often do we look around and think we are doing ‘good enough’ or ‘better than a lot of people’. I imagine the servant who buried his master’s money in Jesus’ parable of the talents probably thought those thoughts. At least I won’t lose it may have been his motto, but Jesus called him a wicked and lazy servant (Matthew 25:26). God expects us to be wise with the things of this world. Jesus said that if we can’t do well with these worldly things we will never be trusted with true riches (Luke 16:11-13). So, probably the most difficult question we have to ask is: “Am I doing what is best with the money entrusted to me?” Of course if we are honest we must admit that we are not doing the best with all of our money. We need to make an effort to improve this area of our money and train our children to have wiser money habits than we have had. 

The fact is we have to make money matter because money matters. Money is a proving ground for us and how we handle it says a great deal about our character. When we remember that it all belongs to God, that we are only managing it for Him, and that we will answer to Him for our management,  we will need to change the way we use it. I know I can think of many things I have done with money that are not what God would have wanted done with His money. Over a lifetime a person may easily have over $2 million go through his hands. What is there to show for it at the end of that lifetime? - jp

Maybe I am just getting cynical in my old age, but I have come to expect the worst from the internet. Today I was somewhat surprised when I decided on a whim to see what there was out there about the baptism of fire mentioned by John the immerser in Matthew 3:11. I fully expected either the Pentecostal idea that it was synonymous with the baptism of the Holy Spirit or some secular idea of it being a reference to suffering or even the idea of persecution or trials. What I was shocked to find was that in spite of the fact that 3 of the top five returns did reference the secular idea and even a military usage for a soldier being under fire, in battle, for the first time, one of them was actually a Christian Courier article by Wayne Jackson and even more shocking was the fact that when I went to the Wikipedia link which was the first on the list I found that they not only had a proper description of it as being a reference to punishment and even Hell, but they actually referenced one of our late brethren, J.W. McGarvey and quoted his explanation. I was stunned.

I decided to delve a bit more into this phenomenon and followed the link to McGarvey's entry and then to more about the restoration movement and the churches of Christ. For all of the complaints about Wikipedia's flaws, I found these entries to be pretty good. Obviously written by an outsider, they nonetheless kept primarily to the facts and did an admirable job of using proper terminology and descriptions. In fact, the entries about the church and the differences among congregations as well as the divisions of the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, and even the International (Crossroads / Boston) were all reasonably well written and objective. I would not contend that they were perfectly done, but there was a matter of fact fairness in them without any hints of anything unprofessional or biased in them and quite well referenced. They may have referenced certain things that we may not agree with or be proud of, but is historically factual and must be mentioned in that type of documentation. 

I would even go so far as to say that it would probably do more good than harm for Christians to read those entries. Some might learn some things about the restoration movement and the history of the churches of Christ of which they are members.

There was a quote by someone unknown to me who wrote a book about choosing a church. I don't know all that was behind it, or even if it may have been intended as a disparaging remark, but I loved it.  "If it's not in the Bible, then these folks aren't going to do it." - Carmen Renee Berry, The Unauthorized Guide to Choosing a Church. It is great to see that even if others may not like what we stand for at least they do know what it is that we stand for. - jp

If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . .

Making Christian Connections

In the first century, since there was no Social Security, unemployment payments, Medicare, Medicaid or welfare people who were destitute or out of work or aged or ill, they had to depend on the charity of others. Sometimes their family could help them, but sometimes the whole family was in trouble and had to depend on friends or even strangers. The Christians in the first century took care of each other during these difficult times. There was a famine in Judea and Christians from all over sent aid to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. People like Barnabas sold land to help provide for the needs of other Christians. Take a closer look at Acts 2:41-47; 4:31-37 and 6:1-3. After reading those sections a few times honestly ask yourself if that sounds like the congregation where you attend. All things common, none considered possessions theirs, daily food distribution to widows, selling things to give more, being in daily fellowship and study, etc. Some people think it sounds like Communism and it scares them, but the fact is that it is New Testament Christianity and an aspect of it that we have lost touch with because government programs have taken the place of Christians caring for one another. However, we need to return to this way of thinking and acting as one large extended family, and may soon be forced to either do so or allow the church to be destroyed. 

How far would you be willing to go to help your brethren. Would we be like the man described by James that says, ‘be warmed and filled’, or perhaps one who says, ‘I’m praying for you’, but does nothing? Would you allow a widow, an orphan, or a homeless family to live with you for a time? Would you make sure everyone in the church had food each day? Would you give one of your cars to someone who had none? Would you sell something to help a fellow Christian have something they need? These things seem extreme in the land of plenty where Americans live. Here aside from some who truly have had some serious physical or mental handicaps people who are poor to the point of not having the necessities of life are in that position because of choices they have made. Drugs, alcohol, other addictions, dropping out of school, criminal activity, laziness, attitude of entitlement, etc. The Bible certainly does not encourage the support of sinful choices, but things can change quickly and good Christian people could be in a position of losing their means of support. The financial condition of the United States could bring reductions or even elimination of some of the social programs that many depend upon. How many older Christians, orphaned children, widows or those with handicaps are receiving Social Security or SSI benefits? How would they get by without it? Will the church step up and sacrifice houses, land, cars, possessions for necessities of their brethren.

We must instill in our children and ourselves a desire to have the kind of relationship with other Christians that would drive us to sacrifice for them. I am not talking about supporting deadbeats, that is condemned in scripture, but those who are truly in need. Are you closer to physical family members who are not Christians or Christians who are not physical family members? Jesus said those who do God’s will are His family members and we need to think the same way.

So far we have only considered economic reasons for need, but let’s be honest, persecution would certainly cause Christians to have needs. What if Christians were actively persecuted? Not necessarily with beatings or killings even, but what if someone was fired for refusing to do something sinful? What if Christians were excluded from benefits like Social Security. In India a Christian cannot be buried unless the church has some land and a cemetery. In the Roman empire at one point in time you could not do business in the marketplace unless you had offered sacrifice to their gods and had proof of it. In Nazi Germany, Jews were marked, were fired from jobs, had their possessions stolen (confiscated) and ultimately were executed. Here in America the Indians were forced off the land and black people were sold as property, separated from their children and families, etc. For any who would say, ‘that can’t happen here’; I say, ‘Wake up!’ It can and I expect will happen in my lifetime. In fact, I would suggest that it is already starting to happen in some places. Have you seen the video by Ben Stein called Expelled? It describes cases of scientists who lost their jobs right here in America because the believed in design rather than evolution. That movie is several years old now. There was a substitute teacher banned because a student asked about his Bible and he gave it to the student. Some would say these are isolated events and perhaps that is true . . . for now. Paul told Timothy that evil men would get worse and that is the trajectory of our society today. Back to the question. How much would you do to help your fellow Christians? Locally? Nationally? Internationally? - jp

If you are interested in the news events in this country that affect Christianity in general, though not the church of Christ specifically and you can handle it without becoming to depressed by the things that are being allowed and promoted around the U. S. you might be interested in this news site. I don't know if it is associated with any specific religious group, but they do keep up with things going on religiously in America. 

      Are you looking for some good, clean, family fun? I wanted to let you know that we are going to start a new blog on the Build Your Wall site. The new blog will be to present family friendly alternatives to the popular entertainment of the day. We will have movie reviews, book and game reviews, maybe even ideas for a fun, educational, family night. We will start by putting up video reviews of some movies that are positive over the next few weeks. There are a multitude of possibilities and no telling what will be added. Look for the new page to be added this week. It will be called Shameless Fun.

One more short note, encourage your wives to check out my article for wives at Come Fill Your Cup. http://comefillyourcup.com/2013/03/27/be-the-wife-your-husband-needs/

What do you think about a preacher who uses other preachers' sermon ideas and outlines? Are sermons proprietary like a Microsoft program, or are they open source and more like share ware?
Here are my thoughts, tell me what you think.

Like a musical artist who sings songs that are written by others and have even been performed by others, I preach some sermons (if I believe they are good ones) that have been written by others and originally preached by someone else. Other of these sermons may come from good articles that I thought should be preached. Regardless of the sources they are preached with my unique style and personality.  Some may think this similar to plagiarism, but it is no different from someone who watches a TV cooking show and then follows the recipes to make the same meals. I don't pretend that all of the thoughts, ideas, phrases, titles, outlines, etc. that I preach are original to me. 

The point of preaching is not to be original, but to teach truth. If someone has taught the truth in a good way, it needs to be reproduced. A man who cooked in the White House for the first President Bush and President Clinton later cooked at a camp where my wife and I were. He made some amazing brownies and my wife asked him for the recipe. Would it be wrong for her to use the recipe he gave her to make delicious brownies? Well, in fact the recipe was not his anyway. He showed her his secret recipe: a Ghirardelli box mix! He explained that they had spent years with experts coming up with the best combination, so why not make use of that effort. 

I have some good ideas (and some duds) and am sure the same is true for other preachers. I share my good ideas and they share theirs and together we help make each other better.

What about parenting and teaching our children? Shouldn't we share the things that work and warn others of the things that don't work? I know in some areas of our society someone makes their living by something that they have produced and depend on it for continued income, but in our Christian lives is that how we live as well? Do we try to keep it a secret like the Colonel's chicken recipe? Are we trying to get to heaven by ourselves, or do we want to help as many others as possible make it?  -jp

If our children are going to remain faithful to God in a time of trials and persecution there are some things we have to do to prepare them for something we have never faced before. One of those things is . . .
Not only that Government Is NOT God, but also that Submitting to Society Is Satan’s Scheme.

Sorry to go back, but this is a work in progress and I realized that I did not adequately touch on the subject that ended section 3a. That part ended with the idea that wanting to fit in makes it hard to stand against your peers to do what is right. The Bible is really pretty clear about this point. “Do not be conformed to this world”(Romans 12:2), “in the world, but not of the world”(John 17:11-18), “come out from among them and be separate”(2 Corinthians 6:17), “do not be like them”(Matthew 6:7-8), and other passages teach us that if we are going to be right with God then we will not be in agreement with the world.

This is one of the most difficult things that we are called on to do. God created us to be social creatures and with a desire for companionship. He even said it is not good for the man to be alone. He was talking specifically about the man needing a companion and then made him a wife, but we see the negative results of people being isolated from human contact even today. People literally lose their sanity when there is no one to talk to and associate with on a regular basis. 

Even though it is necessary, the pressure from social settings can be overwhelming. The stress that many struggle with is over their relationships with others. The pressure to fit in, conform, to be like others is powerful like a rushing river. Have you ever gone rafting or canoeing, not in a lake or still creek, but in a fast moving river? It is easy to go downstream. It is not terribly difficult to move toward one side or the other as you go downstream. But what about going upstream? Even with two strong young men in the canoe, I remember the near impossibility of even stopping the downstream motion much less moving against that strong current to go back upstream to help someone who had turned over. Now think about the way society rushes down the stream of life.

I see these same kinds of things in social interaction. It is easy to go downstream swiftly, some are paddling to move even faster than the current naturally takes them and seem to be leading the charge. It is not that difficult to move from side to side. We don’t have to do everything just like everyone else to be accepted. A few differences just make us quirky or a little unique. There is usually a wide range of socially acceptable choices. The river is wide and sometimes even splits around an island or rock to come back together farther downstream. As long as you are moving in the same general direction nobody cares. Some try to slow down and fight against how fast things are moving, and they are ridiculed. They are living in the past and need to get with the times. Even though they are the butt of many jokes, they are still accepted as long as they are moving along even if they are going slower. This is where the church in America has been for about 100 years. We as a group have drifted slowly the direction the world has been going, but we have held back and not moved as fast. 

Unfortunately, that is not what God calls us to do. God calls us to move upstream toward Him. Just last night in Bible Class one member admitted that she had been living with her head in the sand about the homosexual marriage issue. If all who claim to be Christians had stood up strongly at the beginning of this surge, it might have been stopped, but now it is like trying to stop a tsunami. That doesn’t mean that we throw up our hands and say ‘if you can’t beat them join them’, but it does sometimes feel like ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’. Being faithful to God and winning the war against Satan is important even if we lose some of the battles, even if we lose our privileges, rights, freedom, or lives, we fight because we want to be on God’s side. He has already won and those on His side will be victorious with Him, 1 John 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4-5.

God wants a peculiar people, not a people that is not quite like everybody else, but a people that is just weird. We encourage our children to aim for weirdness. In so many areas of life normal is worthless. Why is it most parents don’t encourage their kids to aim for average grades or a career that will bring them an average income. They don’t want their kids on the average team. They don’t want them to be average in their looks. They don’t want them to marry someone who is average. They don’t want average or normal in many areas, so why not encourage them to excel spiritually and not be average. God has a term for the average Christian, He calls them lukewarm and they make Him sick at His stomach , Revelation3:15-16. Someone who has been cooled off and watered down by the world and has become worse than worthless to Him. Did you notice that God even says He would prefer for that person to be all the way cold? 

God calls on us to overcome the world, and makes some precious promises to those who do. Maybe we should spend some time looking at the reward for not being mediocre or being tainted by the world. Several of these are mentioned in Revelation:

* 2:7 - eat of the tree of life in paradise
* 2:11 - not be hurt by the second death (hell)
* 2:17 - eat the hidden manna, get a white stone with a secret name on it
* 2:26 - given power over the nations to rule, receive the morning star
* 3:5 - clothed in white clothing, have name in the book of life and have Jesus confess name before His Father and the angels
* 3:12 - be a (pillar) permanent part in God’s temple and never leave it, have God’s name and the name of His city and Jesus’ new name written on us
* 3:21 - be allowed to sit with Jesus on His throne 
* 21:7 - inherit ALL things, be heirs (sons) of God

In addition to these things, being faithful to Him will bring the blessings of: receiving a crown of life - 2:10, being worthy to walk with Jesus - 3:4, having a door opened for us that can’t be closed - 3:8, having others know that Jesus loves us - 3:9, being shielded from certain temptations or trials - 3:10, sharing a meal with Jesus - 3:20, drinking freely from the fountain of the water of life. On the other hand, those who are fearful and succumb to the world will forfeit all of the things above and have their place in the burning lake of fire and brimstone - 21:8. 

Revelation was written to Christians who faced persecution and were fighting behind enemy lines. These saints were struggling with the temptation to just give in and become part of the world and that makes it a great book of encouragement as we face those same struggles and temptations. Some of them overcame and so can we and so can our children, but we have to see that the things God offers are worth sacrificing the things that Satan and the world promise. Being weird is worth it if there is a payoff, sacrifice is worth it if there is a benefit at the end. We may even have to be looked at as weird by other Christians, remember 600K left Egypt and only 2 made it to the promised land. Somehow I don’t think that Joshua and Caleb just suddenly became weird at the end. I bet they were different all along the way. I hope that more than 2 out of every 600K Christians make it to heaven, but what are you doing to make sure your family would be one of the 2. How many of the Israelites, do you suppose, thought they were just as good as the other Israelites that left Egypt? How many of those average Israelites made it to the promised land? The more I learn about the Bible the more I believe God wants us to be so weird that the whole world is talking about it - Romans 1:8.

I am reminded of a story I heard years ago about a young lady who was going off to college. Her mother was concerned that as a Christian going to a state school she would face some teasing or worse. The mother tried to warn her daughter of the possible dangers that awaited her in a place where most of the people would not be Christians. After listening for a few minutes the teenager tried to comfort her mothers concerns by saying that her mom shouldn’t worry because they will probably never know that I am a Christian. Not much comfort in that, but more truth than we like to admit in many cases. If they can’t tell that you are a Christian, it is likely because you are not. Instead of being like this foolish girl, let’s actually become God’s peculiar people - Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 2:9. 
jp

   Most people with any sense would peg Adolf Hitler and others like him as deluded and narcissistic. These two traits are a great danger to the rest of society, and often lead to acts against others by that person. Past studies have shown that the group of young people (18-22 years old) with the highest self-esteem were not those who graduated high school with good grades and went on to college, but those criminals who were imprisoned for their crimes. We as a society have pushed the concept of high self-esteem in direct opposition to what the Bible teaches. We teach each child that he or she is the most special person in the whole wide world and that the world revolves around him or her. As a result of this behavior we have produced an entire generation of adults who instead of having humility and meekness as the Bible teaches are filled with pride and arrogance. 
   The World says that you have to look out for number 1, and of course you are number one. The Bible says that we should not think of our own things, but on the things of others in Philippians 2:4. The World says you are special, you are the only one, etc. The Bible warns us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought in Romans 12:3. The World says that learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all (remember that song). Jesus said that no one can have a greater love than to lay down his life for his friends in John 15:13. The World says put yourself first. The Bible says that we are to esteem others higher than ourselves in Philippians 2:3. The World says that you are gods. The Bible says that Jesus was equal to God, but gave it up to serve and even die for us, and that we should be like him in Philippians 2:5-8. The World says the more people you have serving you the greater you are. Jesus said that the greatest would be the one who served others the most in Matthew 23:11 and Mark 10:44. The World says you have to toot your own horn because no one else will. You have to be proud of yourself. The Bible says that pride goes before destruction - Proverbs 16:18, that God resists the proud - James 4:6, and that if you exalt yourself it will fail - Matthew 23:12.
   As with so many other things the World has it wrong and has been teaching all the wrong things. Even in this so-called Christian nation these ungodly attitudes and traits have been being encouraged and taught for more than a generation. Consider this article written by Dr. Keith Ablow and see if you have noticed the results of these things.jp

2 Timothy 3:10-13 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, (11) Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. (12) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (13) But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Verse 12 is one of the toughest verses to think about that I know of in the New Testament. I think of myself as having tried to live godly in Christ Jesus, yet I cannot think of a time in my life when I suffered persecution because of it. I know the scripture is true, so, that makes me wonder whether I am truly living a godly life. In fact, most of the Christians I know have never suffered for their faith. I know that there are certainly different levels of persecution, and I know that it does not say that Christians will suffer every day. Even Paul had some days that he didn't suffer, but the promise is there that "all", "godly", "shall suffer persecution". Maybe my time is coming. Maybe yours is coming, too. I know verse 13 certainly describes the climate of our society. We are never taught to go out and seek to be persecuted, rather we are to live at peace with all men as much as it is possible without compromising the truth. 
    If persecution is coming your way in the near future, are you ready? Take a look back at yesterday's post and follow as we try to prepare for what the inspired apostle, Paul, promised would happen. Ready or not here it comes.

jp

    What if...? Consider the school where a child you care about attends. Now, imagine there is a substitute teacher who gives that child some advice. The teacher tells the student "Do not dwell in the past." Imagine what that teacher might say when the same child asks "Who said that?" The teacher tells this youngster that it was Buddha. What if the child continued to inquire about who Buddha was and what he said and so forth? What if the teacher helped the child find a book about Buddha at the library? What if the teacher gave his own copy of a book to the child? Would you be upset? Would you be pleased? Would it matter to you? Would you think that was an appropriate thing for the teacher to do? Would you want the teacher suspended or fired?
    After you think about that for a while, ask yourself what if I were a substitute and said something like "Do unto others as you would have them do to you". What would you say if a child asked you who said it and what book was it in and who was this Jesus guy? What if he told you he didn't have a Bible, would you offer to give him one? If you did do you think it would be worthy of being fired? Do you think that is something some other people should be angry about?
    Now, if you said you would give the kid the Bible in that situation, does thinking about that and how others would feel about it make you think any differently about the first situation? Where does answering a question become indoctrination? What is appropriate or inappropriate discussion for people of different religious beliefs to have not only with each other as adults, but also with children. Do we think that we should be able to freely talk about Jesus, but expect that people of other religions will not think that they should have the same right. 
    The truth is never scared to be out in the mix. It can stand on its own feet and go toe to toe with any other belief system. The problem is others are scared of the truth because they can't stand up to it, so, they try to shut it out and shut it up. Notice the following story about a scenario like the ones above that actually happened. http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/teacher-faces-suspension-for-sharing-bible-verse.html
    jp