Public Blog

It is hard to comprehend the cultural slide that has taken place in our country over the past decade.  (Even though I will be focusing on what we are facing in the USA, I find similar battles taking place around the globe.)  What may have started as a small snowball now seems like an avalanche racing toward us out of control.  Most of the issues that are being played out each and every day are dividing people like never before.  We even find many Christians on “opposing” sides of certain hot button matters.

Everyone can easily see the animosity that has grown over the past decade in the political arena.  There is also the issue of human sexuality and the gay rights movement.  Of course, there are the constant arguments and attacks that are over racial issues.  Just this past week I read an article about how the issue of “white privilege” is tearing apart a Christian higher education institution.  Then there is the constant bombardment from all sides on the issue immigration and dreamers that is always being talked about through all the various news outlets.

Everyone appears to be forced into to taking one side or the other on these and other social issues.  In fact, Christian artist, Mandisa, has a hit song, We All Bleed The Same.  Some of the lyrics to this song are:

Are you left? Are you right? Pointing fingers taking sides…

The artist asks the question that if we all do bleed the same, so tell me why, tell me why we’re divided.  It is not my intent in this article to try and convince the readers what is the “right” side each of these divisive issues.  Rather I want to suggest a strategy that Christians need to follow when trying to discern what God’s will is for them when trying to be salt and light in today’s dark world.

Christians need to understand a couple of things when it comes to living the Christian life in what some people have said is a “Babylonian culture”.  The first thing we must always understand is that we are at war.  I know that whenever I make that statement, some people will say that I am part of the problem.  However, when I say we are at war, I am not saying we are war with other people and, therefore, need to attack and defeat the “other side”.

What I mean is that we are in a culture war.  In Focus on the Families’ Truth Project, teacher Del Tackett, explains that we are engaged in a “cosmic battle of worldviews”.  He goes on to explain that this war requires Christians to chose between believing God’s truth claims or Satan’s truth claims on any and every issue we face in life.  Of course, Satan’s truth claims are actually lies.

This is exactly the battle that our first parents faced that dreadful day in the Garden.  Satan set forth his truth claim (lie) that they wouldn’t die if they ate the forbidden fruit but would actually become like God.  Satan’s lie was in direct opposition to God’s truth claim that eating the forbidden fruit would bring death to the couple.  We all know that Adam and Eve chose poorly.

But just knowing we are in a cosmic battle over God’s truth claims and Satan’s lies isn’t enough to help us navigate today’s troubled seas.  The most important thing we must do is to accurately identify the opposing truth claims.  No matter what the issue is that we are addressing, we must be able to articulate God’s truth claim and Satan’s lie regarding it.

This isn’t something that most of us can do in a couple of minutes while we rush through life.  It will take a concentrated and determined effort to know the truth.  I am one who needs to see something that shows the big picture in order to understand it.  Some have said that I am a “model” person.  I need a model to look at that helps me address various challenges and opportunities I face in everyday life.

I would like to suggest that Christians need to make a list of various issues that are dividing us today.  Then on the left side of the each item write out God’s truth claim related to the issue.  Of course, to do this we must know what God’s Word actually says about the issue.  After doing this, we need to write down on the right side of the issue Satan’s lie that he wants us to believe about the matter.

As one goes through this exercise, he/she must understand that Scripture makes it clear that truth sets people free.  This, in turn, means that lies enslave us.  Once we have identified the two opposing truth claims, we must decide which one we are going to accept — knowing that our choice will either free or enslave us.  Here is an example of a worksheet showing some of the issues that are dividing people today.

It is important that we clearly identify God’s truth and Satan’s lie about every issue of life.  This must also be a major aspect of the education we give our children and youth.  If we don’t teach them what God says about every aspect of life, they will only choose a side that makes them feel good and accepted by the culture.  Knowing what God’s Word says and what the enemy wants us to believe is the key to whether we walk in freedom or become enslaved to ways of this world.  I don’t know about you but I choose freedom!

Having a kingdom mindset is absolutely necessary if we want to live a life that is pleasing to God.  The topic of the kingdom is a key theme in the New Testament.  Most of the references to the kingdom use the phrase the “kingdom of God”.  However, the phrase the “kingdom of heaven” is also used when referring to the kingdom.

In order to understand how important it is for Christians to develop a kingdom mindset we need to consider the following.

• The kingdom of God is found 66 times in the New Testament.
• The kingdom of heaven is found another 32 times, all of them in the gospel of Matthew.
• The term kingdom  is found 154 times in the New Testament; 119 times in the four gospels.
• Jesus used the term kingdom 93 times alone.

I think it is safe to say that the kingdom of God is a very important concept in Scripture.  The importance of the kingdom of God is what led me to title my book on education Kingdom Education.  I did this because I saw in Scripture that God’s highest priority for every believer is for him/her to know, understand and experience His kingdom every day of life.  My reasoning for such a bold statement is found in Jesus’ own words:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… Matthew 6:33

This verse makes it clear that Christians are to seek His kingdom more than anything else in life.  Pastor James McMenis recently made this point in relation to this verse.

Whatever or whoever you put first in your life, controls every other aspect of your life.

When you add this to what Jesus said when He taught His disciples to pray, you see how important the kingdom is to God.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

From this second verse, we could say that God’s kingdom exists wherever His will is done.  This means that I can experience the kingdom of God to the degree that I obey His will (His Word).  So, how does a Christian develop a kingdom mindset?  If we want to develop a kingdom mindset, we must fully understand the concept of the kingdom of God.

Recently I was doing some study on this subject and watching some teaching on the kingdom of God presented by Disciple Nations Alliance (DNA).  This organization’s emphasis is that Jesus is King, and His primary agenda is to advance the Kingdom of God by discipling all nations.  In the video I was watching, one of its founders shared what he referred to as the essentials of a kingdom.  There are four key essentials that must be a reality if a kingdom is to exist.  These essentials are:

1. There must be a king.
2. There must be subjects over whom the king rules.
3. There must be laws and ordinances by which the king rules over his subjects.
4. There must be a realm or territory over which the king rules.

As I thought about these four essentials of any kingdom , it clarified my thinking related to the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of God must be characterized by the following essentials.

1. God must be the king.
2. Christians must be God’s subjects over whom He rules.
3. God rules His kingdom through laws and ordinances.
4. My life (my heart, mind and will) must be the realm or territory over which God rules.

If I want to develop a kingdom mindset, I must:

• Accept God as king over everything – including my life.
• Realize that I am to be subject to the rule of the king, who is God.
• I must know His laws and ordinances and then obey them completely.
• Submit my heart, mind and will as the territory over which God has complete authority.

The third essential of God’s kingdom stated above makes it clear that God rules His kingdom through His laws and ordinances.  That means I must know His laws and ordinances.  I believe that there are two sources where I can find God’s laws and ordinances.  These two sources are the two books that God has written.

The first book that God has written is one that every person actually reads every day.  This is God’s book of creation.  In this book we find God’s physical laws or, what we could call, His creation ordinances.

It is interesting to realize that everybody obeys these ordinances of God. Even lost people know that if they ignore or disobey God’s creation ordinances, it can bring disastrous results in their lives.  The most obvious one of God’s creation ordinances that every person obeys is His law of gravity.  If man decides he doesn’t have to obey this ordinance and decides to walk off a 10 story building, the consequence is most likely death.  As a former chemistry teacher, I taught various laws that are found in creation that we better pay attention to.  My students accepted these laws and were willing to obey them without question.

The second book God wrote is the Bible.  In this book we find God’s moral laws and ordinances.  Since the same God wrote both books, we must understand that both His creation ordinances and His moral law are there for our benefit.  We should also accept the truth that if we ignore or break His moral laws and ordinances, we will experience disastrous consequences.

It is amazing how even lost people know that God’s creation ordinances, when obeyed, allow them to accomplish some amazing things.  Yet, they criticize and mock God’s moral law found in His Word.  What boggles my mind even more is that we, as Christians, don’t give the same amount of value to God’s moral law as we do to His creation ordinances.  In fact, many Christians today are willing to face the devastating consequences that comes by ignoring God’s moral law.  Or maybe they think they can avoid the consequences by merely asking forgiveness.

If Christians were to develop a kingdom mindset and accept the four essentials presented in this article, it would change every aspect of their lives.  It would impact our personal lives, our marriages, our families and our churches.  If God reigns in all of life, it would even change how we educate our children.  It all depends on our mindset.  Do you have a kingdom mindset?  If so, how has it changed how you live?

Last week I shared my desire to make sure that my salvation will be evident in all I am and all I do in 2018.  This will become a reality when I follow Paul’s admonition in Philippians 2 where he writes that we must work out your salvation with fear and trembling.  But how can I do this?  What are the steps?  I believe that God’s Word provides us with a process for making our salvation something that not only changes our lives but also allows us to impact the culture.

The first step in working out ones salvation is to work out what God has done in our hearts to impact our minds.  Romans 12:2 says that we must avoid being conformed to the ways of this world by renewing our minds.  This isn’t something that comes naturally.  In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul explains how the effort to renew one’s mind can be best described as entering into spiritual warfare.

The human mind is the center that drives our decisions and actions in life.  Because we are born with a sin nature, our minds have to be renewed if we are going to live lives that reflect the work of salvation that takes place in our hearts.  The key to success is bringing all of our thoughts in line with God’s Word.  This is what Paul meant when he wrote that we must bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  In essence, Paul says we must think biblically about every area of life.  Christians must develop a strong biblical worldview.  Kyle Idleman explained this in his book, Gods at War.  He wrote,

It is time to choose a worldview and let it remake you.

This leads us to the next step.  A renewed mind will remake us and will result in us developing Christ-like character.  Christ-like character is the mark of a transformed life.  As Christians develop Christ-like character, we will also see entire families being transformed.  Our families will become kingdom-focused and parents will follow biblical principles in all areas of their parenting responsibilities, including how they educate their children.

Finally, when Christians work out their salvation in these areas, we will see culture influenced.  BJ Press recently released  a new textbook, Biblical Worldview.  In this book the authors explain how a worldview is a set of basic beliefs, assumptions and values about life and the world.  The book goes on to explain that a worldview produces individual and group action which results in human culture.

Today’s culture is a result of individual and group actions that are based on our society’s dominant worldview.  This worldview is man-centered and completely secular in nature.  If Christians are ever going to influence the culture, they will have to change their beliefs and their actions to be in line with the truth of Scripture.   This is why we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling in 2018.  Our children’s future depends on it.

In my last post I shared with readers how God had spoken to me during the Aleph Tav Conference that I attended a few weeks ago.  It was at the conference that I saw a picture of Jesus like I had not seen before.  Based on the words of Paul in Philippians 2:5-11, Pastor James McMenis talked about the incarnation, humiliation, exaltation and adoration of Christ.  My salvation became more real and precious to me each night of Aleph Tav 2017.

Since the conference I have been praying about what my focus needs to be in 2018.  I have been asking myself the question I ask my students every time I teach my philosophy of education class at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  At the end the week-long class I have the students write a paper that is simply titled, So What?   I want to learn from the students how, if any, the class has impacted their lives.  So I have been asking myself this question.  So What?

I found my answer to this question and what I want to focus on in 2018 by reading what Paul wrote in the rest of the second chapter of Philippians.  Philippians 2:12-13 reads:

Wherefore, my brethren…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

My focus for 2018 is to diligently work out my salvation with fear and trembling.  I know that some have taken this passage to try and prove that salvation is based on one’s good works but that is not what this verse is talking about.

As a biology major in college, I marveled at the magnificent design of the human body’s circulatory system.  We all know that man’s physical heart is the center of this system.  The heart is located in the center of the body and is responsible to pump life-giving blood throughout one’s body.

It is critical that blood gets to every extremity of the body.  Improper or blocked circulation can lead to a member of the body losing its function and could even cause death.  The same is true for us spiritually.   My salvation took place in my heart.  It brought me new life in Christ.  I am told that everything was made new when I became a Christian.

However, that new life needs to be circulated throughout my life.  It must be worked out from my spiritual heart to every part of my being just like physical blood must be worked out from my physical heart to every part of my body.

Because I have seen afresh the incarnation, humiliation, exaltation and adoration of Jesus, this understanding of my salvation must be evident in every aspect of my life.  As I reflect on what Christ did for me when He left the glory of Heaven and became a man who suffered throughout His life and finally gave His life for me, it is supposed to change everything about me.  So I am asking myself some key questions at the start of 2018.  As I work out my salvation, how will it affect:

• the things I set my eyes on?
• the things I listen to?
• my thoughts?
• the words I say?
• the attitudes I display?
• my view of others?
• what I do with my life?
• my parenting?
• my marriage?
• the use of my time, talent and treasure?

I can go on and on listing how my life needs to reflect not only the work God did in my heart when I became a Christian as a 9 year-old boy but also the fresh work He did in my life during the Aleph Tav Conference.  This must be my focus throughout this year and any other years He sees fit to give me here on earth.

Most of us are aware of the importance of having a good diet and proper exercise in order to remain healthy.  If we eat the wrong foods and sit around and not get some exercise, our arteries can be affected.  A poor diet and no physical exercise can cause arteries to become restricted or even blocked.  This does not allow blood to get to the parts of the body that need it to survive.  If this goes undetected, it may even lead to death.

The same is true for our spiritual lives.  Nothing much will happen in 2018 if I just “say” I need to work out the work that God has done in my life.  This is going to require a proper diet and a good exercise plan in order for good circulation to take place.  I have made a commitment to read through the Bible again in 2018.  If I don’t feed regularly on God’s Word, I won’t have the needed knowledge and wisdom to keep the work that God has done and wants to do in my heart flowing through all aspects of my life and ministry.  The same is true for the other spiritual disciplines that need to be a daily part of my life throughout this year.

I am thankful for what God did in my life at Aleph Tav 2017.  However, I don’t want what happened at this event to be just something I attended and have a few nice memories about.  I want it to continue shaping my life and my ministry.  I am excited about what God is going to do in the days ahead.  Are you?

This past week my wife and I attended the Aleph Tav 2017 (AT17) Conference in Shreveport, LA. Aleph and Tav are the first and last letters of the Hebrew language and it is the theme of the preaching ministry of James McMenis, pastor at Word of God Ministries.

The theme for every Aleph Tav conference is, and always will be, It is all about Jesus. Each night of AT17 was based on Paul’s writings found in Philippians 2:5-11. McMenis opened up God’s Word and gave those in attendance an image of Jesus that is far different from the one that many Christians have formed in their minds of who Christ is. The image of Jesus I saw at AT17 was not based on a church’s or a denomination’s or even a pastor’s image of Jesus. I saw the Jesus of the Bible in a fresh and revelatory way that changed my life forever.

Night #1: The Incarnation of Jesus.

At AT17 I saw afresh how the One who thought it not robbery to be equal with God took on human flesh and came to earth as a man. I realized that the God of creation decided that because man would not walk with God after the Fall, God would come to earth and walk with man. The incarnation of Christ did not happen by Jesus coming in the glory of the King of kings and being born in a palace. Instead he was born in the smallest of towns and took His first breath in a trough where animals ate and drank from.

When God announced the birth of His Son, He did not send the announcement to the rulers of the land or to the religious leaders of the time. Instead, God announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds. These were men who were looked down upon and despised by the average citizen. Smelly, dirty shepherds were the only ones who came to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

The incarnation of Jesus caused me to see that Jesus is one who can relate to anyone – rich or poor, black or white, educated or uneducated, free or imprisoned. His incarnation was in the manner that would mark His entire life here on earth.

Night #2: The Humiliation of Jesus

I don’t remember ever hearing a message that broke my heart more than the one on the second night of AT17. I always knew how Jesus suffered on the cross to pay my sin debt. But I never saw how the Bible portrayed the entire life of Jesus here on earth as one of humiliation. From the day of His birth until He took His last breath and said, It is finished, the Son of God suffered rejection, persecution and betrayal.

The Bible does not present Jesus as a man who goes through life doing good and having everyone like Him. I saw through the Scriptures Jesus as one that:

• The religious leaders despised and criticized
• His own family discredited and rejected
• His own home town tried to throw Him off of a cliff
• John the Baptist, the very person who baptized Jesus and heard God declare that Jesus was His Son, questioned Him about being the Messiah and asked Him should he look for someone else
• When a woman tried to honor Him by anointing His feet with expensive perfume, His own disciples said that this was a waste of something that could’ve been sold and the money given to the poor
• Didn’t have a home that He could go to and find safety, acceptance and rest
• Was betrayed by a kiss
• Denied by a friend
• Abandoned by His closest companions
• Beaten and mocked by political, legal and religious leaders
• Was stripped of the only thing He owned, His robe, and stretched out on a cross, naked before the whole world
• When He became my sin, His own Father turned His back and darkness engulfed Him and caused Him to cry out, My Father, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

The next morning I saw a tweet by Paul David Tripp. It summed up what I had heard the night before.

We complain about so many little things, but no complaint came out of the Jesus’ mouth, even though He suffered every day from birth to death. (emphasis mine)

A couple of days later Tim Keller tweeted the following.

There’s no other religion that says God has suffered, that God had to be courageous that he knows what it is like to be abandoned by friends, to be crushed by injustice, to be tortured and die. Christmas shows he knows what you’re going through. When you talk to him, he understands. (emphasis mine)

Even though it was painful to see the humiliation of Christ, it is absolutely necessary that we understand His suffering. His humiliation means that Christ can relate to every person who has ever lived. No one has ever or will ever suffer more than Christ. Therefore, Jesus is the only One who can relate to one’s hurts and is the only One who can bring healing to a wounded heart.

Night #3: The exaltation of Christ 

When I saw the schedule for AT17 and after being broken by seeing the humiliation of Jesus, I thought that night three would be a night of simply praising the name of Jesus. However, I saw that the exaltation of Christ was much more than Him having a name that is higher than any other name.

The message focused on the reality that God has exalted His Son above everyone and everything. Jesus has been given a name that will cause every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that Jesus is Lord. Of course, I already knew this. I had been taught that there is coming a day when every being in heaven, on earth and beneath the earth will bow the knee and confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord.

However, the exaltation of Jesus is not just for some day in the distant future. It is for today! It is because of the humiliation of Jesus that the name of Jesus has power like no other name TODAY! God has exalted Jesus so that at the name of Jesus – in any country around the world, in any community, palace, government office, business, or home – has the power to save.

I saw the Jesus of the Bible as the One who was beaten with my sin, was mocked with my sin, was nailed to a cross with my sin, was suspended between heaven and earth as judgment for my sin. McMenis pointed out that just like Moses had to beat some brass (symbol of judgment) into the form of a serpent and lifted up for the people to look at so the Son of Man had to be beaten into the form of man’s sin and be lifted up for all men to look at.

The Israelites were dying from the bites of serpents so the serpent had to be judged to bring life and healing to the people. We are dying in our sin so Jesus had to be beaten into the form of our sin and lifted up in judgment for our sin. That is why there is salvation in only one name – the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is the only name with power to heal, it is the only name that has power to save, it is the only name that can change our lives and our destiny.

I have to get to the point that I am sick of my sin, my bondage, my addictions, my hurts and pain, that my only hope is to look at Jesus lifted up and call on the name of Jesus. Whenever I hear the name of Jesus, I will never see Him the same!

Night #4: The Adoration of Jesus

The final night moved from the CenturyLink Arena to Independence Stadium. Thousands of people streamed into the stadium, gathering together under an open heaven with temperatures hovering in the low 40s. The entire night focused on the adoration of Jesus. After being led in worship by Bethel Music, McMenis preached a simple message. Because of the incarnation, the humiliation, and the exaltation there is only logical response from us. All of our lives are to worship the Savior at all times.

My first Aleph Tav Conference won’t be my last. I gained a fresh, biblical image of Jesus Christ through the teaching I received these four nights. As I said at the beginning of this article, I will never look at Jesus the same!

Over the past several weeks we have been focusing our attention on the essentials that must be at the foundation of the education we provide our children and youth.  So far, we have discussed three essentials.  These three essentials are based on two biblical principles.  The principles are:

The education of children and youth must have as its primary focus the increase in the knowledge of God.  John 17:3; Romans 1:20; Romans 11:33-36; Psalm 19:1-6; Ephesians 1:16-19; 3:15-19; 4:13; Philippians 1:9; 3:8-10, 13-14; Colossians 1:9-10; 2:2-3; 2 Peter 3:18; Proverbs 2:5; Hosea 4:1; 6:6; and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

 The education of children and youth results in performing work in fulfillment of God’s will for their lives.  Genesis 1: 26; Matthew 6:10, 33; Ephesians 5:17; Hebrews 10:36; 13:20-21; Colossians 1:9-10; 12:1-2; Proverbs 3:5-6; 20:24

From these two biblical principles on how God wants us to educate our children, we can discover three essential aspects that must drive our educational efforts at home, church and school.  These essentials are:

1. Know God
2. Discover God’s Call
3. Equip to Do God’s Will

Today I want to share with you what I believe is a fourth essential that must be a major part of the education a child receives at home, church and/or school.  This essential can be stated as:

Pursue Excellence for God’s Glory

The concept of excellence has been dealt with in several earlier blog posts. However, it is important to emphasize that one’s pursuit of excellence must be based on a biblical model for excellence rather than on a secular one.  The world’s concept of excellence is all about performance and achievement.  Excellence is measured by the compare and compete mindset.  Other individuals or institutions or teams become the standard for defining excellence.  One can claim excellence as long as he or the organization is better or defeats the other person or group.

This horizontal view of excellence was condemned in Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth.  Paul warned these Christians not to put themselves in the category of people who measure themselves by themselves or compare themselves with themselves.  Whenever we pursue this type of excellence, Paul says we are not wise.

As we provide our children with an education that constantly challenges them to pursue excellence, we must be sure that we teach them what biblical excellence is.  Biblical excellence does not begin with a horizontal perspective but with a vertical one.  Our standard for excellence isn’t other people or organizations.  Our standard for excellence is God, Himself.

When God is our standard for excellence then we realize that the focus of true excellence is not on performance but on character.  God challenges every Christian to be holy for I am holy.  God always desires His children to be like Christ which means that they must develop Christlike character.

Out of this pursuit of godly character, one’s performance becomes an extension of his character.  Because our desire is to be like Christ, we, therefore, strive to do our best according to the gifts and abilities God has created in us.  As we strive to perform to our potential, we do so for only one goal — to bring glory to God.

The educational essential of pursuing excellence for God’s glory can be fully captured in another biblical principle of education.

The education of children and youth must be characterized by the pursuit of biblical excellence based on godly character resulting in competent performance for God’s glory.  2 Corinthians 8:7, 10:12; Philippians 1:9-10, 4:8; 1 Timothy 6:11; Psalm 8:1; Ecclesiastes 9:10

Since there is so much attention put on education in today’s world, we must make sure that we are addressing these four essentials of a biblical education.  We must assess the education we are providing our children at home, church, and at the schools that they attend in light of these key essentials of education.  We must constantly be asking ourselves a few questions.

1. Does the education our children receive at home, church and school have a major focus on them increasing in the knowledge of God?
2. Are our children being guided in understanding how God created them in His image and, from that understanding, developing the discernment to discover God’s call on their lives?
3. Is our children’s education equipping them to be able to accomplish God’s will for their lives as they pursue their vocations?
4. Is the home, church and school challenging our children to pursue biblical excellence that focuses on character that leads them to perform to their best ability for God’s glory alone?

These are challenging questions to answer in light of today’s emphasis on performance in order to get the better job and chase after the American Dream.  However, an even more daunting question must be answered.  This question is:

If the education we are providing our children at home, church and school is not addressing these four essentials, what are we going to do about it?

Life Just Isn’t Fair!

Have you ever found yourself wondering if all that you are doing is accomplishing anything and if it is worth the effort?  I know I have found myself in that state of mind on more than one occasion.  In retrospect, I know that this usually happened when I was extremely busy and found myself on my third page of a “to do” list.

Fatigue sets in and I become overwhelmed and cynical about life in general and ministry specifically.  When I get to this condition, I begin to think that others have it much better than I do.  In fact, if I am not careful, I can find myself thinking life just isn’t fair.  I am convinced that the enemy loves to see Christians overworked and fatigued.  He knows when this happens we can easily feel like simply giving up and going with the flow of the culture.

The Psalmist, Asaph, found himself in this exact situation when he penned the 73rd Psalm.  He was at a point in ministry where he:

• came very close to giving up (verse 2)
• actually envied wicked people (verses 3-12)
• began to pity himself for trying to live a righteous life (verses 13-14)
• came close to teaching the next generation that living for God wasn’t worth it (verse 15)
• couldn’t even think about this because of the pain he was experiencing (verse 16)

You might be thinking to yourself, I know just how Asaph felt.  In fact I am right there right now.  It seems like those who do as they please are prospering to the point that they almost brag about being above the law.  All we have to do is look at what is going on with politicians in our country right now to see this apparant double standard.

Asaph’s problem was the same problem that plagues me whenever I find myself nearing exhaustion.  Asaph had stopped having a grateful heart.  Instead of being thankful for everything that God had done in and through his life, he became critical and cynical.  All I can say is — been there, done that, and have the t-shirt!

But Asaph’s envious, unthankful attitude was just a symptom of the real problem he was facing.  It was the root of the problem that was bringing him so much pain as it is with us when find ourselves in this same condition.  Asaph had become so busy in his ministry that he was not faithful in spending time with the Lord.  This is why Satan wants to keep us running through life at a frenetic pace so we don’t have time to be still and be with the Lord.

In The Presence of God

When Asaph recognized what the root of the problem was, he came to his senses and came into the sanctuary of the Lord (verse 17).  Everything changed when he put the brakes on and entered a time of quietness before God.  When we realize that it is time to stop, pull off to the side and be with God by being in the Word and prayer, we gain a proper perspective about everything — just like what happened with Asaph.

When Asaph spent time with God, he:

• began to know afresh the power and glory of God
• realized that worldly prosperity is but for a fleeting moment and destruction was the final destination for the wicked
• recognized that God’s wisdom and strength was more precious than silver or gold

What was the result in Asaph’s life when he took time to be with the Lord?  He once again went from being cynical to being thankful.  When this takes place in our lives, God moves in and blesses us in unbelievable ways.

Be Thankful!

All across the USA Christians will be observing the Thanksgiving holiday this week.  The question is will this be a time when we are overwhelmed with a grateful spirit or will we continue to be critical and cynical in a world spinning out of control.  We won’t be thankful if we continue our hectic lifestyles so that we can get more stuff done.

The enemy knows how to keep us from being thankful by simply keeping us busy spending more time on social media, rushing to that one more “bargain” on Black Friday or simply not taking time to enter into the sanctuary of God.  However, if we stop and spend time with the Lord, I am convinced we can say with Asaph:

Surely God is good to those who are pure in heart…the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.

May each of you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

It has been said repeatedly that life in America changed forever on Sept. 11, 2001. No one in the United States will ever forget that fateful day when 19 terrorists attacked our country using commercial airplanes. Since that day our lives have been consumed with the reality of war. We read or hear about the war on terror, the Afghanistan conflict, or the War in Iraq in every newspaper, magazine, and radio and television station on a daily basis.

Even though the war on terror is very real and extremely important, there is another war that has been raging across our land that gets very little of our every day attention. This war is far more devastating to each of us than those we hear about in the news. This war is a culture war and the results from this war will have a major impact on not only our lives but the lives of all future generations that will follow us.

The reason why there is this ongoing culture war is due to a far greater terrorist attack than the one that occurred on 9/11. It can be accurately stated that because of this earlier terrorist attack, life in God’s creation changed for all time. Of course, I am referring to that day in the Garden when Satan attacked the crown jewel of God’s creation — MAN. When the attack was over, sin had entered the world and God’s creation has never been the same.

Since that day every society and every generation has been engaged in an extremely intense culture war. All culture wars have been and always will be wars over the concepts of reality and truth. Today we are fighting our culture war and the current state of war is very much like the one fought during the time of the prophet Hosea. This prophet wrote about the culture war of his day and described its state by declaring that:

· There was no acknowledgement of God in the land
· God’s people were being destroyed from a lack of knowledge (truth)
· His law was being ignored

Because the culture war had gotten to this point and God’s law was being ignored, God said that He would ignore their children.

My mind goes to the prophetic words of James Dobson more than a dozen years ago when he described the culture war of our time in his book Children At Risk. Dobson accurately saw this war as:

· A war of ideas
· A war aimed at our children and youth
· A war that would be fought in a major way on educational turf

Over the past several decades, the intensity of our culture war has grown greatly — especially on educational turf. I recently heard Josh McDowell state that we now live in an anti-Judeo Christian culture where society opposes and attacks the reality of God and the truth of His Word at every point of battle.

Not long ago I was given this cartoon from the Sept. 1, 2003 issue of The New Yorker. This cartoon is titled “Moral Compass 2003”. The options on this compass for making moral choices are dangerous to say the least. However, this cartoon accurately depicts the postmodern culture in which we live that boldly proclaims there are no moral absolutes.

I once received an e-mail update from Barna Research, which reported that only 4% of adults in the United States have a biblical worldview. The research discovered that only 9% of born again Christians have such a perspective on life. From every indication, we are losing the culture war.

In a recent address to a large group of Christian educators, I suggested several strategies to which we must devote ourselves if we are going to turn the battle around. These strategies have specific implications on how Christians are to educate their children.

1. We must honor and preserve truth
2. We must know, understand and commit ourselves to a biblical philosophy of education
3. We must teach to biblically impact the next generations’ beliefs, values and actions
4. We must understand that formal education is one of the greatest influences on the development of beliefs/worldviews of individuals and societies
5. We must unite home, church and school into a unified whole that will equip our children to think and act from a biblical worldview.

Here at Kingdom Education Ministries, we are dedicating ourselves to engage in today’s culture war and are committed to fulfilling these strategies. I believe that by following these strategies we can successfully engage in today’s culture war and raise a generation of young people who will think and act from a biblical worldview.

Have you ever wondered what will it take to unleash God’s power in your life or ministry? We have all read the accounts in the Bible where God unleashed His power and allowed men to accomplish great things through their lives and ministries. You may have also read or heard about God doing similar things in the ministries of men and women in more recent times.

It is easy to dismiss these accounts and feel that the men and women that God did mighty things through were special and unique. It could never happen with you. We might say to ourselves, yes Elijah did great miracles but I’m just an ordinary person and it could never happen with me. I have been there on many occasions myself.

However, in James we find that Elijah wasn’t special and the writer of James says that he was a man with like passions. This actually means that he was a human being just like us. Yet, his life was full of one exciting event after another. Why did God do such great things through him?

As I have studied God’s Word, I found that every time God performed a mighty work through various people, there was a common motivation that each person had that seems to have unleashed God’s power. This motivation is the key to having God’s power unleashed in your life and ministry.

This motivation is all about God and not about you and me. For God’s power to be present in our lives, we must have the motivation to glorify God in everything we do. To glorify God means to increase His reputation throughout the whole world. God will do mighty acts only for His name’s sake.

One of the most well known accounts in the Bible is the story of David and Goliath. We have heard the story of how David stood up to this mighty giant and declared “the Lord will deliver you up into my hands”. Why did he have such confidence that this would happen? It was because he had the right motivation.

In 1 Samuel 17:45 it is recorded that David believed God would deliver Goliath into his hands so “that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel”. This was also the motivation of Elijah on Mount Carmel when he prayed, “today let it be known that You are God in Israel…that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God.”

Could it be that we are not seeing God unleashing His power today because we, as Christians, do not have the right motivation? Here are some Scriptures that may help.

Exodus 7:3,5, 17; 8:8; 9:14, 16; 10:2; 14:17; Judges 7:2; I Samuel 17:45; I Kings 18:30; Ezekiel 36:22-24

I entered school in the 50s. Since that time, a lot of changes have taken place in education and these changes have made a significant difference in the lives of children. Several years ago, I came across a short description of some losses kids had experienced since the 1950s. Having lived through theses decades, I knew these losses were a reality and included this list in my book Kingdom Education. Consider the following:

In the 1950s, kids lost their INNOCENCE
They were liberated from their parents by well-paying jobs, cars and lyrics in music that gave rise to a new term – the generation gap.

In the 1960s, kids lost their AUTHORITY
It was the decade of protest – church, state, parents were all called into question and found wanting. Their authority was rejected, yet nothing ever replaced it.

In the 1970s, kids lost their LOVE
It was the decade of me-ism, dominated by hyphenated words beginning with self: self-image, self-esteem, self-assertion. It made for a lonely world. Kids learned everything there was to know about sex but forgot everything there was to know about love, and no one had the nerve to tell them there was a difference.

In the 1980s, kids lost their HOPE
Stripped of innocence, authority, and love, and plagued by the horror of a nuclear nightmare, large and growing numbers of this generation stopped believing in the future.

When I revised Kingdom Education, I realized that our kids had lost something more during the decade that we had just come through. So I wrote the following.

In the 1990s, kids lost the MEANING OF TRUTH
It was the decade when our national leaders redefined truth to be merely that which was legally accurate. Public opinion polls defined moral truth while the church sat by quietly and watched.

A couple of years ago, I received an email from someone who had just finished reading Kingdom Education. This person asked me if I thought kids had lost anything more since I wrote the book. At first I didn’t think so but I wanted to think more about it. After thinking carefully about what had taken place during from the turn of the millennium till now, I sadly had to write the following.

In the 2000s, kids lost their FAITH
Having lost the meaning of truth and the growing threat of terror attacks, this generation lost their faith in the truth of God’s Word and found their lives being driven by fear.

In the 2010s, kids are in danger of losing their FUTURE
Being driven by fear and not by faith, a growing number of this generation is frantically chasing the false claims of the American Dream. They are living only for the temporal and, therefore, are chasing after treasures on earth only to find them decaying before their very eyes. They are finding life to be full of despair and are quickly losing any sense of eternity.

Some people may see this as very discouraging. This would be true if it were not for God. The only hope for recovery from all these losses is found in Jesus Christ. Here is what I have learned from Scripture that gives me purpose for my life and, therefore, provides me hope for the future. Faith in Jesus Christ provides hope and answers to these decades of losses by:

• Breaking down any generation gap and forgiving one of his sin and restoring relationships through the shedding of His blood
• Bringing understanding of the necessity of authority and being the only One who exercises it correctly
• Defining true love – for He is love
• Restoring hope because He holds the future in His hands
• Giving one the ability to know truth because He is truth. Truth is who God is not something God decides
• Destroying fear because He is eternal and unchanging so He is totally trustworthy
• Giving meaning to the temporal as it is mere preparation for eternity