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What have we done Christians?  What will we do?  Watch this and share your thoughts.

Judgmental is now the favorite word of every non-Christian these days.  If any Christian dares to talk about anyone’s behavior, they are immediately dismissed as being judgmental.  Sometimes I think there is a small army of atheists out there online looking for anything that promotes the Bible or Jesus Christ, so they can immediately go on the attack, in attempts to enlist as many as possible among their ranks. 

This is why so many in our culture carry pure, unadulterated HATE for the Gospel.  They despise it with every fiber of their being.  If they could erase it from our memory they most certainly would without a moment’s notice.

Some Christians out there may be wondering, “Why would people hate the Gospel?  After all, it’s just the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, what’s so judgmental about that?”   

The answer is very simple; to accept that Jesus Christ died on the cross, one must also recognize the reason why He did it, which is the underlying issue.  If Jesus Christ had been just a good man who gave his life for someone else, He would be loved and revered.  But Christians know He was much more than just a good man.  Christians know He did much more than just die for someone else, He died for all.  And why did He die?  Because we ALL are sinners. 

If any atheists are reading this, they are no doubt restraining themselves from throwing their laptop or monitor against the wall.  They’re probably thinking something along the lines of, “SINNERS, who is this man to call me a sinner!?  What a judgmental little….” 

And don’t get me wrong, Gospel haters aren’t limited to atheists, there are far too many people out there who think, “I’m not perfect, but I never killed nobody.”  If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that. It’s funny to me because many people actually believe the absence of murder in their personal history actually makes them good enough to meet God’s standard. 

The fact is ALL people are sinners.  Whether you’re an atheist, or whether you’re a Baptist preacher like me.  There has never lived a person who wasn’t a sinner, other than Jesus Christ.  And saying so doesn’t make me judgmental, it just makes me honest.  And while I’m at it, I’ll share something else with you that’s true; if you believe the Gospel, and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin, it won’t matter how much the world may judge you, because you’re going to Heaven, where the Perfect Judge will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

Tom Estes is a baptist pastor and blogger who is thankful to God for his wonderful gift of salvation.  Tom blogs because he believes that if all people will open their eyes, they too will see all the wonder that is God.  Be sure to check out Tom’s blog “Hard Truth” and follow him on Twitter @HardTruth.

Check back next week for another edition of
“Tuesdays with Tom!”

In his book The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning shares the following:

“If a random sample of one thousand American Christians were taken today, the majority would define faith as belief in the existence of God. In earlier times it did not take faith to believe that God existed - almost everybody took that for granted. Rather, faith had to do with one’s relationship to God - whether one trusted in God. The difference between faith as ‘belief in something that may not exist’ and faith as ‘trusting in God’ is enormous. The first is a matter of the head, the second a matter of the heart. The first can leave us unchanged, the second intrinsically brings change.”

Do you remember what took place in the 9th chapter of Matthew when Jesus was on the way to the ruler’s house?

“And behold, a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: for she said within herself, If I do but touch his garment, I shall be made whole. But Jesus turning and seeing her said, Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” Matthew 9:20-22, ASV

The woman defines faith for us in her action. She did not sit back and debate with herself, “Well maybe I’ll be made whole. Oh no, what if I’m wrong, everyone will think I’m foolish.” No, she launched out in faith, not counting the cost. And her reward? She was made whole!

I wonder how many of us would be willing to redefine Faith in our own lives. Sometimes I think it is comfortable to just sit back and define faith as the belief in the existence of God. What does that cost? (Nothing!) What is the challenge in that? (There is none!)

The real “risk” lies in saying: “Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, While I am waiting, yielded and still.” It is here, in the selling out to Christ, that we understand the true meaning of faith. It becomes real, not just church jargon. Let it be so with us who say we are His.

It is estimated that on average 1,202,000 abortions are performed monthly worldwide. Some studies show there are approximately 2 million gay men living in the United States and almost 1 million lesbians (I think that estimate is probably low). One study showed that on June 30, 2006 there were 2,245,189 prisoners held in Federal or State prisons or in local jails in the US.

So what?

Here’s my question: As Christians, are we really willing to love these people? Are we willing to hold the mother who just aborted her child against our chest while she sobs? Will we put our arm over the shoulder of a man who has lived so many years in the confusion of homosexuality and show him Christ love? Can we look with compassion into the eyes of a murderer and say “God loves you and still wants you to be His.”?

There is a popular saying, “Hate the sin but love the sinner.” Exactly! This is what I’m saying. The problem as I see it is too often we hate both. It is almost as if we say “God loves you, but that does not mean I have to.”

Come on Christians!

It haunts me to think where I would be heading if Christ would have said that about me: “Mike, my Father loves you, but I can’t. I can’t love someone who has been addicted to pornography and cigarettes. So I won’t endure Calvary for you.”

So you do not think I am on a soapbox here, let me share something with you. I’m writing this for me as much as anyone. There are many homeless who have been passed with a judgmental look from me. For years I have thought of mothers who would have an abortion as unforgivable murderers. If all of the stones I have thrown were tossed back at me, I would be crushed beneath their weight.

John 3:16 begins, “For God so LOVED the world…” At that moment in history, with His creation having built a wrap sheet filled with evil and vile; knowing that His Son would be spat upon and crucified, God still LOVED the world. Let’s do the same Christians. Let’s Love. We know Our Father will judge each and every man, woman and child He has ever created. Let us be about the business of bringing more in to that Saving Relationship with Him through the reflection of His Love in us.

I want to get right to the point:  What are you doing today that is emptying the Cross of Christ of its power? (See 1 Corinthians 1:17) This is a question each of us who profess to be Christian; who call on the name of Christ when in need; who sing songs of praise from our padded pew every Sunday; we need to meditate on this question continually.

This message is being written for me just as much as anyone.  Daily I find myself committing acts and saying things which I know detract from the power of my witness.  In participating in off-color humor, in talking behind someone’s back, all of these things and more steal from the power of the Cross.

How?

Maybe I can share my point with you with this illustration:

Peter professes to be a Christian. He carries his bible with him everywhere; he tells everyone how excited he is about what happened at church on Sunday; often he even shares scriptures with others.

Now let’s meet Paul. Paul is Peter’s coworker. He sees the bible on Peter’s desk everyday and has overheard Peter talk to other Christians about the wonderful things God is doing in his life.

Now Paul does not know the Lord, “Being Saved” is foreign to him. One day on his way to work, Paul decides he is going to ask Peter to tell him about this “Jesus Stuff.”

But wait…

As Paul is walking around the building that morning he hears Peter telling a coworker a racy joke (Picture Paul’s eyebrow raising). Then as Paul rounds the corner and there is Peter roaring with laughter – obviously happy with his delivery of the punch line.

Now Paul just passes by with a “Hello…Good Morning!” He goes about his workday and leaves for home without asking Peter the questions about Jesus he had excitedly planned. In fact, Paul resolves as he pulls out of his parking space, “I’ll never want to be a Christian…they are all hypocrites and no better than me anyway.”

Friends, do you see what happened. Do you see how the Cross was emptied of its Power? I am not going to color in the picture for you. I will trust the Holy Spirit to do that. For I know that if we are honest with ourselves, we can identify those things in our lives which turn others who are hungry for Christ away.

America has it backwards today.  We honor those that are most undeserving, all the while ignoring those who are most praiseworthy.  Brittany Spears, who has been shown to be a horrible mother, and basically nothing more than a hapless degenerate, has almost two million people following her on Twitter. Would you believe that our society is so out of touch, that two million people would be interested in what Brittany Spears has to say?! 

If that wasn’t bad enough, Adam Lambert, the runner up in the 2009 version of American Idol, gets an exclusive on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, so he can announce that he’s gay!  Do we think for one second, if Lambert wasn’t gay, that anyone would care about him?  Can anyone even remember the name of the kid who won American Idol, because I honestly couldn’t tell you.  But everybody knows who Adam Lambert is, and why?  Because he is open and proud of his homosexuality, that’s why. 

What makes this an even more sad state of affairs for the U.S. is that while we are obsessed with every move these degenerates make, we couldn’t care less about the One we should care most about, Jesus. 

Let me ask you a question; what has Brittany Spears, or Ellen Degenerate (oops, DeGeneres) ever done for you?  How about Adam Lambert or Ashton Kutcher, what have these guys done to make your life better?  The answer is nothing.  They do nothing for you, and they never will.  The only thing that Hollywood is interested in is what you can do for them. 

Jesus, however, is the complete opposite.  We read in I Corinthians 15:1-4, that He gave His life for you.  And not only did He give his life, but he was also buried in a borrowed tomb, and after three days and nights, He came out of that tomb.  And He did all this, even though it did not in the least bit benefit Him.  Jesus did all of this for you, and for me. 

But the gospel has become irrelevant in American culture.  Most non-Christians don’t even know what it is, and most Christians are too embarrassed to talk about it.  But it seems like everyone knows who Tom Cruise is, and people love to talk about him, scientology and all. 

But that’s the society we live in.  If it’s morally repugnant, we can’t take our eyes off of it, and we love to talk about it.  On the other hand, if it’s incorruptible and righteous, we just don’t have the time.  We need to pray that America will wake up, before it’s eternally too late.

Tom Estes is a baptist pastor and blogger who is thankful to God for his wonderful gift of salvation.  Tom blogs because he believes that if all people will open their eyes, they too will see all the wonder that is God.  Be sure to check out Tom’s blog “Hard Truth” and follow him on Twitter @HardTruth.

Check back next week for another edition of
“Tuesdays with Tom!”

“God is Good All the Time!”

Think about the power of this statement for a moment.  If God is Good All the Time, then: He is Loving – All the Time!  He is willing to Forgive – All the Time!  He is Just – All the Time!  He is Available – All the Time!

The people of Africa, where this statement of faith and praise originated, understand this power - Specifically in the African Nation of Liberia.

To the Liberian Christian Community this greeting comes out of times of real distress and turmoil.  Through years of civil war, entailing violence, hatred, and separation from loved ones, this community of believers has not wavered from the from the promise that “All things work together for those who love the Lord and are called according to His Purpose!”  They do not waver because they know that “God is Good – All the Time!”

To the Liberian Christian, this statement “Explodes from the Heart,” it is their way of telling the story of what God has done and continues to do for them both as individuals and as a people.

If we as believers, as partakers in the Goodness of God, if we really hold this statement as true, then we should be motivated in an uncontrollable way to share this Good News with a lost and dying world!

Read the words we so often sing, “We were sinners, so unworthy, still for us He chose to die.  Filled us with His Holy Spirit, now we can stand and testify that His Love is everlasting and His mercies, they will never end.”

This verse of song causes the words of Romans 5:8 to jump off the page, “But God demonstrates His Love for us in this:  That while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Do you have goose bumps yet?  Is the Holy Spirit tugging and prompting a desire deep within you to rush out and share the message of God’s Goodness with everyone you meet?  If so, then do it!  The Great Commission challenges us all to “Go into the entire world and share the Good News.”  The Good News we are to share is that God is so good and He loves each and every person; He sent His Son as the ultimate and final sacrifice for our sin; That a secured eternal future awaits those who accept Christ; And that no matter where someone finds themselves, no matter what they have done, God loves them and is waiting for them with open arms!

Share this with someone today.  So that they too may someday exclaim the hope found in the words of the American Quaker Poet, John Greenleaf Whittier:

“I see the wrong that round me lies,
I feel the Guilt within;
I hear, with groan and travail – cries,
the world confess its sin.
Yet, in the maddening maze of things,
and tossed by storm and flood,
To one fixed trust my spirit clings;
I know that God is Good!”

In closing, let me share a story with you that you may have heard:

Charles Spurgeon tells of a time he vacationed in a remote area of England because he had been told that many nightingales lived there.  To his disappointment, just as he arrived it began to rain.  The weather turned cold and Charles Spurgeon fear that the purpose of his trip had been spoiled.  However, sitting by his open window, he suddenly heard a delightful melody – A nightingale began to sing its beautiful song while perched on a branch just outside.  The only light was a dim lamp, burning at the entrance to the hotel.  The nightingale, oblivious to the rain and cold was singing its song in that glimmer of light.  This is what Spurgeon wrote of that night, “I do not expect to listen to anything so sweet again until I hear the angels sing in glory.  The God of that nightingale is the same loving savior I serve.  In spite of darkness, storm or thorns, he always provides some ray of light and gives a song in the night.”

Friends, in spite of your own dark night, storms and thorns, you can always hear the sweet song of a nightingale in your own life because…God is Good – All the Time!

Dr. Thomas Blackaby is the Director of International Ministries for Blackaby Ministries International, an organization founded to “respond to increasing opportunities for ministry globally.”  Recently Dr. Blackaby was gracious enough to agree to answer a few questions from jmwaters.com.  You will find his responses to be insightful, candid and challenging.

JMW:  Tell, us a little about Blackaby Ministries International.  What is the focus of the ministry?

Dr. Blackaby:  Our primary objective is to encourage God’s people, equip them for service, and help them to experience God in their own lives, ministries and churches. We do that through our writing, online classes, blogs, websites, posted devotionals, and leading conferences, retreats, seminars, etc. wherever we are invited to go. This takes us around the world and allows us to work with almost every denomination and Christian organization. So, we work with the military, prisoners, Fortune 500 CEOs, Christian ministries, local churches, student ministries, theological education organizations, associations, and everything in between in order to help God’s people know Him and serve Him and love Him with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind.

JMW:  You are the Director of International Ministries for Blackaby Ministries International, what does that role entail?

Dr. Blackaby:  My primary responsibility is to develop relationships with organizations, ministries and churches around the world to see how we can partner with them to equip, encourage, and challenge God’s people to seek after Him and serve Him.

JMW:  What is your view of the current state of the Church?

Dr. Blackaby:  This is a difficult question. In some ways the church is failing miserably. they are not demonstrating the basic truths of the gospel such as love, sharing the gospel, fidelity to truth, and keeping themselves pure and holy as we are commanded. In other ways the church is incredibly creative in its methods of outreach and in personifying the gospel message. You can be either encouraged or discouraged depending on where you look. What I see, however, is a lack of genuine shepherds who love and care for the sheep. Too many shepherds are looking to capture the imaginations of those who are not their sheep rather than equipping and encouraging their own sheep to reach out to others. Many shepherds also are basically not willing to do what it takes to know God. They settle for shortcuts in ministry and in their work. They download their sermons off the internet rather than getting a fresh word from the Lord for their own people. They are satisfied with getting their McVision off the internet rather than spending the required time before the Lord so He can reveal to them what He wants to do with His people and His church.

JMW:  Where do you see the Church in 10 years?

Dr. Blackaby:  I see parts of the church struggling with relevance, other parts taking risks to share the gospel in difficult places, and the majority trying to do their best to live lives worthy of their Lord, but struggling because of the lack of true, genuine, Spirit-led, truth seeking shepherds. The Church will survive because Christ is the head. But many churches will be compromised by distractions and their lack of fidelity to Christ. 

JMW:  In your travels, what sense do you get of the impact Christianity is having?

Dr. Blackaby:  Christianity continues to present truth in the face of deception and light where there is darkness. The lives of true Believers are having genuine and deep impact all around the world. God’s people are placed strategically all over the world, in governments, educational institutions, research facilities, military, everywhere, and God is using them to change lives for eternity. God has never stopped working through His people to change hearts.

JMW:  It has been said that, “We must stop going to church and start being the Church?”  What are your thoughts on this statement?

Dr. Blackaby:  I understand what the statement is getting at, but we must never stop going to church, gathering together in the Name of Christ to worship God. Going to church is part of being the church, so don’t abandon ‘going’ in an attempt at ‘being’, but transform the ‘going’ into the true celebration of Christ that it was always meant to be and the ‘being’ will come more naturally.

JMW:  Where do you believe the biggest attack on the Church is coming from?  What can be done about it?

Dr. Blackaby:  Truly the biggest attack is from within. Carnal Christians, secular models of leadership, corporation mentality, focus on having a good life instead of serving the Lord in the hard places, and believing that America is God’s home country have caused a serious deterioration in the church’s effectiveness. Predictable worship, half-hearted sermons, lack of genuine relationships with God are wreaking havoc on God’s people.

JMW:  Where should the Church be focusing its efforts?

Dr. Blackaby:  First, knowing God. You cannot truly serve a God you do not know. You cannot truly worship a God you do not know. You cannot truly represent to the world a God you do not know.

Second, knowing God’s Word. I see fewer and fewer people bringing Bibles to church, and many have no clue where to find a book in the Bible. Knowing God and knowing His Word go hand in hand. Spending time in His Word means spending time with God. They are inseparable.

Third, finding ways to work with other churches, denominations to impact communities. Stop the isolationist, arrogant attitudes where churches believe they are the only  ‘true’ church. Christ prayed that we would all be ONE so that the world would know God loves them and sent His Son (Jn 17). If we are not united, the world will never know…

JMW:  What advice would you give local pastors?

Dr. Blackaby:  Give up a few committee meetings and spend that time with the Lord. The people don’t want to know what You think, they want to know what God thinks. They don’t need entertainment or powerpoint presentations, they need a word from God. Do what it takes to go up on the mountain to find God so you will know how to lead your people there. Also, don’t take yourself too seriously. Enjoy your life and ministry and family. Take time to have fun with your church people, love them and they will follow you anywhere you lead them. It is a privilege, an honor, and a calling to be a pastor. Don’t be afraid to be a shepherd, because the sheep don’t know how to lead themselves.

JMW:  What lay on the horizon for BMI?  For Tom Blackaby?

Dr. Blackaby:  We continue to respond to requests from around the world to serve God’s people in whatever capacity we are able. We will continue to write books, offer online classes, speak at conferences, preach in churches, and sit with God’s people over coffee or converse over email if necessary to encourage, equip, and train them. With tough economic times, we are feeling the financial pinch which restricts what we would like to do in many ways. But we pray God’s people will partner with us financially so that we are able to go to places who are struggling and under the pressures of organized opposition around the world. We are a non-profit organization who simply tries to cover our expenses as we serve the Lord where He leads us, and so far God has been faithful in providing what we need. We have many who support us, and some who give above and beyond expectations so that we can go at our own expense to teach and train pastors in desperate places in Africa, India, Pakistan, other places. Working with Blackaby Ministries (www.blackaby.org) really has been a great challenge and an honor for me.

For me personally, I knew that the opportunity to work with my father would not come around again, so I left pastoring a local church for a time, in order to work alongside my family in ministry.  I don’t know all that God has in mind for me and my own family in the days ahead, but God knows. My life verse is Psalm 25:4-5 and I have always asked God to show me His ways, and to lead me in His paths.

You can follow Dr. Blackaby on Twitter @ExperiencingGod and be sure to visit www.blackaby.org/resources for information on ordering books written by Dr. Blackaby such as “The Man God Uses” and “The Student God Uses.”

President Obama is obviously no friend of flies.  Where is the PETA outrage?  Just checked the “Action Center” on their website and they are not asking supporters to flood the White House with calls expressing outrage over this act of aggression against a helpless fly.  I urge PETA to take a stand.  With Obama’s enormous popularity, this murder of a defenseless fly by the President could start a trend leading to a serious decline in the global fly population.  PETA!  You cannot let this happen!  Please use your resources to make sure the fly in the video below did not die in vain.

To the rest of you, please contact PETA today and encourage them to be the voice of flies worldwide.  They are waiting to take your call at 757-622-PETA (7382).  It is too late for the victim of President Obama’s swift right hand, but if you see someone swatting feverishly at a fly, bee, love bug, etc. you can report the incident to PETA here and they will respond quickly.

UPDATE:  06.18.09 - PETA miffed at President Obama’s fly “execution”

Iran: The Volcano Erupts