Category Archives: Personal views & lessons

Is God green?

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Is God green? Is there any way to find the mind of God on the environment, climate change and our relationship to this earth we live on? These subjects are some of the most controversial and perhaps the most pivotal in our times. Not surprisingly, powerful forces fight for control of the dialogue and even the facts on this issue. This is seen in the media worldwide every day.

For me, long ago I escaped the “left-right” dichotomy. This has helped me to more easily recognize the agenda-driven narrative that dominates the present debate on the environment. But what saith God? The vast majority would gladly say that we should just leave God out of it, if they even gave a thought of Him in the first place. Big mistake.

But… there is a God, there is a spiritual world, God’s got a whole lot going on this issue, as well as knowledge of how it all should and will turn out. We can see this plainly if we turn briefly to His Word, the truth He’s given His prophets and messengers for thousands of years. One of the most poignant and (to me) relevant things God has spoken concerning the present boiling debate on the environment is found in the last book in the Bible, called in many languages “The Apocalypse”.

In the book of Revelation we find the angels speaking to God in the very last days of this age, saying that He should “destroy them that destroy the earth.”  (Revelation 11:18) Someone is going to be destroying the earth in the final days of this age? And God doesn’t like that?

“Mark, surely you won’t use that verse to support an idea that God is green!”

Well, there are more like that. God spoke to His disobedient people through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah, “I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination.” (Jeremiah 2:7) And in the laws of Moses they were commanded to not cut down all the trees in a land “for the tree of the field is a man’s life.” (Deuteronomy 20:19)

Again in the Apocalypse, we find strong references to our physical earth in the final days of this age, for example where it says of those times, “a third part of trees was burned up, and all green grass.” (Revelation 8:7) So I believe it does matter to God what we do with this earth. His original commandment from the beginning in the garden was that we were to “dress and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)

But don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that I think God is green the way the present Green movement often turns out to be. Those on the political “right” worldwide, often called Conservatives (and where many Christians feel they should align themselves) will say that God gave us the earth and it is ours to profit from, to use for our necessities and to further the progress and wealth of mankind. There’s some truth to that and plenty in God’s Word to indicate that this is His Will, within reason.

In the Green movement, there are “techno-optimists” who believe that mankind can find solutions through technology and ingenuity to make it through the changes that are upon us, if enough effort is made. But many other Greens are not optimistic. They’re already in a thoroughly apocalyptic view that it is too late, that the Rubicon has been crossed and the die is cast. They often end up having a similar view to the millions of “Preppers” here in the States who feel it’s only a matter of time before social collapse and the end of this world as we know it happens. But the Green apocalypse people see this coming through ecological devastation.

And it’s a little ominous to note what those on the edge of the spectrum in the Green movement see as our only hope. They say that some of their fellow Greens mistakenly are “trying to save Capitalism.” Chew on that a little. You mean the only way to save the earth from ecological extinction is to overthrow Capitalism? And replace it with…? Some form of neo-Marxism or State-controlled totalitarianism?

Wonderfully, I’ve found that there is a God who is above all this, more powerful than we are, infinitely smarter and more able as well. As bad as some things are getting, as uber-polarized as things get day by day, our Father in heaven is neither asleep or even sick. I don’t doubt at all that part of the curse on this earth and its inhabitants for their sins in these last days is because of the exploitation and destruction of this earth that’s come to pass through the greed in man’s heart for centuries, which is now coming back to bite us throughout the earth in the ecological changes going on.

Most Christians will tell you that we are not to “defile the temple of God” which we now consider our own bodies. “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (I Corinthians 3:17) Equally, God is not going to let us get away with defiling this earth we live on through greed, lust and lack of concern for His creation.

So I expect that in the coming final days of man’s rule on the earth, before the return of Jesus to set up God’s Millennial reign through Him, we will see the increasing collapse of our beloved earth itself as it groans under our sins of greed and thoughtless exploitation of the environment.

I think God is green, at least as far as it comes to caring for this earth He created for our benefit. Sin is at the root of the environmental crisis, and yes there is one. Is there time enough left to pull the cookies out of the fire? Like so many things, I believe it will ultimately take the coming of the Lord to save us from ourselves.

Bringing children to Jesus

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Should we teach children about God and Jesus? Many vehemently say no. But what did Jesus say? “And they brought unto Him also infants, that he would touch them. But when His disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, ‘Allow the little children to come unto me and forbid them not. For of such is the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 18:15 & 16)

Jesus’ words directly contradict what’s regarded in our times as ethical regarding the spiritual training of children. “But, Mark,” some say, “you take away their choice! You’re forcing them! Innocent little children, Mark!” No, this is where Christians need to stand with Christ. It’s clear throughout the Old and New Testament that the people of God should be teaching their children about Him.

It reminds me of the verse in Revelation, “The dragon stood before the woman to devour the child as soon as it was brought forth.” (Revelation 12:4b) If ever there was a war waged for the souls of men, it’s when they are young. Satan tries to talk us out of our faith and constantly contradicts with direct Satanic boldness the instructions of God.

And certainly this is as true as ever in these present times with the raising of children. Is God against “free choice”? Of course not. He created us and this world with the element of choice in it. “Choose this day whom you will serve”, as He said through Joshua. (Joshua 24:15)

But Satan in our day has worked overtime to convince the world that “children must choose” when actually the meaning that’s behind this is that children are to be like plants in a garden that is totally unkept. We are not to hoe the weeds, we are not to fight the bugs, we are to do nothing but “let the children choose”. How can children choose if they’ve never been taught right from wrong? If they’ve never heard the truths of God and the Words of Jesus?

If you know anything about the ways of the Jews of ancient Israel, you’ll know how strictly they were instructed when it came to how they were to raise their children. Every male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day. Here’s what God said to Israel through Moses about His words and their children. “And these words which I command you this day shall be in your heart. And you shall teach them diligently unto your children. (Deuteronomy 6:6 & 7)

“Brainwashing, Mark! That’s brainwashing!” If a friend of yours, or Satan himself tries to condemn you with that line of modern thought, just plainly call them out for gross hypocrisy of the first order. If we train up our children in the way in which they should go, we are “taking away their choice” and “brainwashing them”.

But those that accuse us of that are almost uniformly enthusiastic when little children are saturated with stories about the occult, casting spells and witchcraft. Or if they are indoctrinated in elementary school by guest visitors espousing “transgender” ethics and morals.

Adolf Hitler was quoted as saying something like, “If you are going to tell a lie, tell a big one.” And that seems to fit today with the depths of insane hypocrisy that is foisted on parents and society when it comes to the raising of children.

Satan and his knowing or unknowing followers have concocted this huge reversal of guilt. Instead of feeling guilt or remorse at how so many children are brought up in our times without the knowledge of God and His ways, Satan and his horde have reversed the polarity and now lay this immense guilt trip on Christians and the people of faith, trying to make us feel guilty for allowing little children to come unto Him, exactly what Jesus said we should be doing.

But the Godless, Christless forces of modern atheism howl out that this is immoral of us and in some cases they’re even able to have laws passed in some countries making it illegal to teach our children the fundamental truths of God. That’s just how bad it has gotten, remarkably.

Sometimes the most effective attacks of Satan are the ones that are like poisonous gas, seeping in under the door. If the forces of ISIS or some foreign power were amassed against us, most are prepared for that kind of attack and would do all to repel it.

But meantime Christians and the people of faith are being successfully disarmed worldwide by nothing more than words aimed at dissuaded us from obeying the commandments of God regarding the raising of our children in the faith of their fathers. Millions of children are being cut off from the nourishment God would provide for them through their parents who should be daily “feeding His sheep”, in this case their own little children, in the ways of the Lord. It’s just pitiful. I can’t do the subject justice.

Well, I started out talking about bringing children to Jesus and I’ve ended up talking about the seemingly successful attacks against people of faith in our times who try to bring up their children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4) I guess the only Christianity I have known has been the discipleship, “soldier of Jesus Christ” kind of Christianity. (II Timothy 2:3) I believe that’s what I need to be and we need to be, especially in these rapidly darkening times.

Jude, the Lord’s brother, said that “you should earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 3) But that doesn’t mean getting into heated political arguments with people or just going around acting like you have the call of Jeremiah. I’ll end this with a few verses about how we are supposed to “contend for the faith” in these times.

The fundamental method of standing up for our faith and protecting our sheep and children is that this should be done with wisdom, love and by the Spirit of God. Paul said, “The servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God will give them repentance unto the acknowledging of the truth.” (II Timothy 2:24 & 25) We are “not to strive” but we are to “contend for the faith”. It can seem to be a thin line between those two at times.

May the Lord help us all to stand up for our convictions and to continue bring those we witness to and our children to Jesus, as He so clearly commanded us.

“And all your children shall be taught of the Lord. And great shall be the peace of your children.” (Isaiah 54:13)

Roots, seeds and weeds

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I cut that down, how is it springing back up?! Well, the roots are still there, alive below the surface although I cut it to the ground. Hmm. The Lord spoke to me this morning through this. Some things in our lives keep springing back up, even though we cut them down. The roots are still there.

Personally, I have sins and weaknesses in my life that I still have to fight daily that have been there for decades. “Why don’t you just root them out?” you may ask.

My experience is that there are different kinds of things like this, just like there are different kinds of plants and weeds in the yard behind the house here. Some things can be gotten rid of easily. Maybe they’re just weeds that don’t have deep roots. Others are like big trees that were cut down years ago. But the roots are deep and they still try to send forth branches every so often.

I suppose if I really took the time and the gardening equipment, I’d be able to root out some of these things that keep popping up from time to time. But there is another way which I’ve found that works against “the sins that so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1), although it may take more time. It goes like this. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

If you keep up your resistance, the enemy just has to flee, whatever form or shape he comes in. If I keep chopping the sprigs off these stumps that keep returning in the back yard, sooner or later the roots die out from lack of the nourishment they need from leaves. Same with sins. For the most part, I’m not fighting the same sins I did in my 20’s. I either rooted them out by the grace of God or I kept saying no to the devil, every time I was tempted by him. And in time it just stopped happening, the same as the roots in the ground which finally die when you keep chopping off the sprigs.

Keep-your-heartThen other things are just like weeds. The seeds fly through the air and end up sprouting in the back yard. If you don’t make an effort to chop them down, soon your whole yard will be utterly filled with thorny weeds and choking thistles. Just like our hearts and lives. That’s why one of my favorite Bible verses is “Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) I wrote a seperate blog article on that verse. You have to keep working on that garden, whether it’s the one in the back yard or the garden of your heart.

But not all roots are bad. Jesus is even called “the root and offspring of David” (Rev. 22:16). In that most significant prophetic chapter, Isaiah 53, speaking of Jesus to come, it says, “For he [Jesus] shall grow up before him [God] as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground.” (Isaiah 53:2) What a picture of the Lord, springing up out of the dry ground of His generation in Israel to ultimately be a tree of Life for all nations.

And what about us? We are to be “rooted and built up in Him and stablished in the faith” (Colossians 2:7). I’m so thankful that when I received the Lord, those who led me to Christ didn’t just cast seed into the ground and walk off. They nourished and cherished it, giving me daily Bible classes to really get me rooted in the Word, on the right track to a life of Christian service.

But, oh, how that “old man” (Ephesians 4:22) still likes to spring up in the garden of my heart if I let it. temptations-and-doubtsIt’s like the analogy about birds which says, “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.” Same with the weeds and sprouting from stumps you’ve cut down. You just have to keep going after them.

Some people think that once they are saved, it’ll just be clear sailing the rest of their lives. Well, you are saved and you do have that eternal power of Christ in you that you didn’t have before. But, believe me, you’ll still have self and sin and the devil to fight every day, especially if you’ve decided to take up your cross and follow the Lord. You are going to have to keep the garden of your heart, never let the evil start. It will; but you have to keep a watch and just cut it off as soon as it shows up, like the weeds and sprouting stumps.

The most controversial chapter in the Bible

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The most controversial chapter in the Bible is I Corinthians 7. Or at least it’s around the top of the list. For those who’ve really studied the Word, they’ll know what I mean. Basically Paul is tackling the subject of marriage, sex, abstinence and the whole gambit of human male/female relationships. And on top of that he was addressing the Corinthian body of believers, the group that’s become known as the most immature, broadly unspiritual group that Paul encountered.

I won’t even quote here what Paul confronted just two chapters before. You can read I Corinthians 5:1-5 to get an idea of how bad things were for the Christians in Corinth. As they post on some videos, pretty much the same can be said for those verses there: “Viewer discretion is advised”. Some would definitely give it an “R”.

But Peter Brown, considered the foremost writer on the Late Antiquities said that I Corinthians 7 did more to shape and form Christian viewpoints on marriage, sex and male/female relationships than any other passage in the Bible. Repeatedly this was the chapter quoted, claimed and exalted by ones like Augustine of Hippo and Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin, the Vulgate Bible.

Quoting from I Corinthians 7, the early church fathers, especially by 250 AD and onwards, felt that it was clear from I Corinthians 7 that marriage was not really God’s highest and best. After all, hadn’t Paul said that it was better to remain as he was? (I Corinthians 7:7) And everyone assumes he was single, as far as we know.

But then I’ve read some Christians writers, such as F. B. Meyer, who were convinced that at one time Paul must have been married, otherwise he never could have been part of the Sanhedrin. In I Corinthians 7, Paul wrote, “Are you loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife.” (I Corinthians 7:27) Are Paul’s writings here to be taking in the same league as the Ten Commandments of Sinai? Certainly and without question that’s how it became as the Early Church morphed over into the early Catholic Church.

By the 400’s AD it was taken for granted that Christians knew that celibacy was God’s highest will. If you just had to get married, well you still might be able to go to heaven. But you just better not have a nice time with your wife or husband! All that stuff is just only in order to have children! That’s all! Shame! Shame on you if you even think about anything pleasurable! That’s sin!

Well, I jest. But of course it wasn’t really funny. The Jewish idea of a husband and wife (“rejoice with the wife of thy youth” -Proverbs 5:18) was utterly replaced by what became the supposed Christian viewpoint of marriage: that is was this horrible, filthy thing that God will just barely tolerate and won’t necessarily send you to hell for. But you sure better be in complete fear and trembling and be as holy as you possibly can be since all that stuff is absolutely of Satan!

Or so it was taught by around 400 AD. And it was still taught that way when I was a child and teen growing up in the 1960’s. And, very sadly, most of that those people way back then and up to now got it from how they read I Corinthians 7.

Of course Paul repeatedly in that chapter gave rejoinders and caveats to make it clear he was not pronouncing “laws from Sinai” on the subject. He said in I Corinthians 7:12, “This say I, not the Lord.” What does that mean? Did he say that kind of thing in other place in his epistles? Really not much.

He says, “I have received no commandment from the Lord but I speak as one who has obtained mercy…”. (I Corinthians 7:25) That’s how you say that he was giving his personal opinion and experience on the subject, a second place in I Corinthians 7 where he puts a sense of personalization and hesitancy into the passage. And there are other place where he seems to really make it clear that this is his personal opinion as a brother in Christ, one who has obtained grace and is sharing his thoughts and experiences.

Sadly, I Corinthians 7 has passed into history as the most fundamental, dogmatically taught passage on human relationships in the New Testament. Some question if Paul wrote the book of Hebrews but it says there, “Marriage is honorable in all things and the bed undefiled…” (Hebrews 13:4) But it was too late for those who believed that an abstinent, ascetic lifestyle was a fundamental tenet of Christianity.

You may not believe this but much modern scholarship tries to say that Paul didn’t write all the epistles that are attributed to him. If you don’t believe me, Google it. One of the things put forward is that Ephesians 5 and his views on human relationships, marriage and sex in that chapter seem to some to be so opposed to I Corinthians 7. So modern Christian erudition says Paul wrote I Corinthians 7 but not Ephesians. Pitiful. Sad. Infuriating.

Folks, what can I say? If you’ve been taught that I Corinthians 7 is one of the highpoints of the New Testament and that verses cherry picked out of there by ones like Jerome, Augustine and many others prove that the wonderful creation of man and woman and the joy of married love is just something that God will barely tolerate and actually goes against His chosen plan and will, then you’re being fed something that is not the fundamental truth of the New Testament.

Go back and read that chapter again. Notice Paul’s repeated hesitancy to get overly dogmatic. Read Ephesians 5, as well as many passages in the Old Testament which are still completely relevant and show that God has “given us richly all things to enjoy” (I Timothy 6:17). That includes the joy of married love in all its forms, a reflection of our relationship with God.

OK, I’m glad I got that off my chest. I virtually swore (although I didn’t actually) that I’d never write about this subject or about a certain modern country in the Middle East which also is so very controversial. But I suppose these things do need to be addressed and the light of Scripture brought upon them. God bless you, I hope this was some help and that no one was offended or shocked by my expressing my thoughts on this (what is for some) sinister subject.

Back in Brazil

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When people ask me, “What’s your favorite country that you’ve been in?” I’ve often said “Brazil”. I was here 20 years ago and now I’m back to do recordings for the video series I do. It’s a funny feeling, almost like meeting a girlfriend from your past that you actually really liked and hit it off with but somehow it just didn’t work out. Still, you parted as good friends.

Twenty years ago Brazil virtually amazed me as one of the happiest, friendliest, most sincerely Christian places I’d ever been in. It was almost like, “What can I do here? I think almost everyone is saved, filled with the Holy Ghost and rejoicing in the Lord.” Of course I knew it wasn’t really, totally like that. But it was striking how many people in Brazil had a real peace and joy in the Lord.

So, like meeting that girlfriend after 20 years, you wonder how it will be and how she will be. And of course, Brazil, like the hypothetical girlfriend, has changed. The country had years of what can be called Leftist leadership which ended up not turning out very well. Recently they’ve followed the pattern in countries around the world in electing a Conservative, pro-business president.

Still, I definitely can feel that tingle and aura I felt here before. Meeting old friends from earlier times, seeing how they’re doing, how they’re keeping the faith and dealing with the vicissitudes of life, it impresses me how their spiritual roots remain deep in the Lord. There’s like a depth and stability about the people here that I don’t often find other places.

But there are still big problems. One of the main ones is simply armed crime. “Stick-ups”. There’s a large class of very poor people and often crime seems to them to be the only solution. So you pull up to the stop light with your window down and the guy comes up to you with a gun. He’s say something like, “Sir, I’m sorry. Give me your money or I will shoot you.” Some folks even have $50 or so they keep in their car for these emergencies. You give it to the guy, he thanks you, apologies again and you drive off. And then sometimes it doesn’t work out as nicely and simply as that.

This is not a panegyric for Brazil. The heart of man is the same the world over and people have sin in their lives and heart, everywhere. And yet, as the Bible says, some peoples and nations stay closer to the Lord. There is “an evil and adulterous generation” (Matthew 12:39) as Jesus said of those who were in His times. But then David said “God is in the generation of the righteous” (Psalm 14:5).

My impression is that Brazilians in many ways are still holding on to the faith and truth that they have in the Lord perhaps better and more faithfully than some of the other modern nations of the world. And so the Lord can and does bless them for this.

There’s just something about genuine faith in God, or the lack of it. It even says in the Bible, amazingly, about Jesus, “He could do no might works there because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:58) The Son of God Himself was hindered by the unbelief He encountered. But equally and conversely, He often eliminated all but only His most believing disciples from some place before He raised the dead or did other miracles. And this works on a larger scale. “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)

Here in Brazil there’s just a lot of faith in God and love for the Lord. Yes, there is stark poverty, crime, and violence as well as endemic illiteracy. And yet…, and yet there are these other more ethereal intangibles in the way of faith, joy and warmth that are so often noticed and appreciated by people like me who come from afar and who sense that these rather heavenly essences are strong here.

Well, the recording I came to do has been going well and I’ll soon be on my way again. I don’t really have any great lesson or teaching to share in this post. I just try to keep friends aware of what’s going on with me from time to time and that’s what this post is.

I guess we all know things about ourselves to some degree, our strengths as well as weaknesses. And I think the thing is, the people of Brazil are perhaps strong in areas that I don’t feel are my strong points. So often things come down to the heart and soul, not the mind. I find people here to have a pretty good mix of those three, heart, soul and mind. They seem to be relaxed but at the same time not really lazy.

Therefore it’s almost a little like going to a kind of school of life here for me , while also being idyllic in climate and geography. Forgive me if I’m just being too positive. There definitely are problems here but also it’s got a touch and taste of heaven that I don’t often find in other places.

Daily habits

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Daily habits at times can seem to be a pointless routine, a of rut of drudgery that we fall into. But this morning I was struck by how thankful I am that I have some daily spiritual habits that have become a part of my life and that they have been for my good.

Some of us just like spontaneity. We’re skeptical of almost any established thing and we just want to kick over the traditions and have a really good cleansing revolution! But then many find that it’s a whole lot easier to be opposed to something and to find fault than it is to really find something truly better. And then, next, to steadfastly go that better way, building up a better life, a better structure and better system than the one we so vehemently originally opposed.

And often it can start with person daily habits. When we were kids, if we had good parents, they taught us such simple things as brushing our teeth, taking a bath, looking both ways before crossing the street, tiny little seemingly insignificant things. But often it’s those habits that make up our lives for the most part and the importance of little things done daily is so often a theme in the Bible.

For me, having daily devotions is a fundamental part of my life. Spending decades on the mission field, working closely with other Christian disciples, you just find that it’s essential to start the day off with prayer, devotion and some time in God’s Word. And now, although I’m not working as closely as I did with others years ago, I still just don’t have a day go by without a time of morning devotions.

I have music that I listen to, songs of faith, that help me start the day. Then, after breakfast, I have several devotional books that have readings for each day of the year that I go through. I have two of the books from “Streams in the Desert” by Mrs. Cowman which have been such a blessing. I read daily from A. B. Simpson’s “Days of Heaven on Earth”. I listen to Spurgen’s “Morning and Evening” thoughts. And a highpoint for me has been to listen to readings of J. C. Ryle’s thoughts on the gospel of Luke.

After this devotion time is finished, I go out to the extended back yard we have on this property on the countryside and take some time in prayer and getting quiet and pouring out my heart before the Lord. Several of the blog articles I’ve written came from thoughts that came to me during this time out in the back. “Green Leaves Hanging On” and “Cardinals in the Winter” are two like that.

And actually, when you read the Bible, you find that this experience of daily habits that the Lord wants us to have has been a constant for thousands of years. Daniel was accustomed to praying 3 times a day and this is what his adversaries used to accuse him to the king of Persia that he was worshiping contrary to the King’s decrees. Of course the whole Law of Moses was full of edicts and guidelines on how the Jews should worship God, in the temple as well as in almost every aspect of their lives.

Can it all turn into tradition and meaningless formalism? It certainly can and sadly often does. The Bible and history is full of that happening. But what’s probably even worse is that, repulsed by empty traditions, many people commit an even greater sin. They “throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

They root out the wheat with the tares, to use the analogy that Jesus shared. Yes, of course: empty, meaningless tradition and formalism is nothing but husks in our teeth. But often there originally were sustaining, invigorating eternal truths that were the basis of the traditions and habits that once had such significance.

So we’ve to come full circle to the beginning again. For me, I have a daily routine that has been good for me. I have daily devotions. I have time in God’s Word. I even review around 40 Bible verses every day of the large number of ones I memorized in my first few years as a Christian. I sing songs of dedication and love for the Lord. I go out in nature and take time with the Lord, probably not very differently from what Isaac did nearly 4000 years ago when he “went out into the field to meditate at eventide.” (Genesis 24:63)

And I hope you have some healthy, sustaining daily habits. We have to not just take care of ourselves physically but we have to cultivate healthy, Godly daily habits as the Lord has been leading His people to do since the beginning. God help us all to not through the baby out with the bathwater. May He help us to maintain Godly “traditions” and routines which keep us on the straight and narrow path of life and His will.

Is it a sin?

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Lord forgive me, sometimes it gets to me a bit when I hear some folks constantly asking, “Is it a sin to…?” Is it a sin to wear make-up? Is it a sin to watch TV? Is it a sin to eat pig? It honestly seems like this is almost the overriding thought on the minds of some people.

Well, thank God. I guess I could also look at it like at least they’re trying to please God by not sinning or doing something wrong. There are far, far more people in the world who are like what it says in Proverbs, “Fools make a mock at sin.” (Proverbs 14:9) For the unbelieving, the whole concept of sin is utterly foreign and abhorrent to them and they reject the whole idea. That’s what I wrote about in the article “What is sin?”.

But there are some Christians who evidently have come to a place where their overriding thought process is to be so fearful of sin and its power in their lives that questions of what is a sin in every affair of everyday life makes this their continual conversation. I find that sad and a misplaced understanding of things.

Is it good to have a tender conscience? Of course, absolutely. Is it good to want to “not be ignorant of the enemy’s devices”? (II Cor. 2:11) Certainly so. We definitely should be on guard in our conscience against sin and not have a light attitude towards the evils in the world or even the sins that rather easily spring up in our own hearts and minds.

But it seems to me that some Christians have not gotten very far in a Scriptural understanding of what sin is. A few verses come to mind among the many on the subject and I’ll share them here. For one, Jesus said, “Not that which enters into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth defiles a man.” (Mat. 15:11) Or it’s like the verse, “The kingdom of God is not in meat and drink but righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Rom. 14:17) Fundamentally it has rather little to do with what you eat or don’t eat and what you wear or don’t wear.

One of the greatest chapters on the whole subject, which I often think about when I see again the outflow of questions about “Is it a sin…?” is Romans 14. Paul says, “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Rom. 14:23) Think about that!

Is it a sin for a woman to wear make-up? Is it a sin to drink beer? The principles in Romans 14 can and should be applied to so many things. Some things can be done in one situation and among some people which would not be appropriate or fitting in another and could be a sin. Paul said, “It is good neither to eat meat or anything whereby your brother is stumbled or is offended.” (Romans 14:21)

Of course, sadly, some people are offended pretty easily and they should be taught to grow up some and to have a more full understanding of the ways of the Lord. Paul said some eat meat and others being weak, only eat herbs. I can’t quote the whole chapter here but I suggest, if you feel you may have questions along this line, to do a real study on Romans 14.

The clinching verses at the end of the chapter say, “Have you faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is the man who condemns not himself in that thing which he allows. And he that eats [or wears make-up or anything else like this] is dammed if he eats if he eats not of faith. For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Rom. 14:22 & 23)

But this whole thing can get to be a downward spiral of fear, confusion and particularly condemnation and it ends up being disastrous to your spiritual life. I went through some things like this in my early Christian life and they were really some battles. I wrote about these things in “Conviction or Condemnation”, you might find some things in that article that are pertinent to this subject.

The Bible says we should “Walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4), not walk in a foreboding gloom and cloud of fear that at any second we’re going to be defeated by sin.

That’s not the perspective taught in the New Testament. Again, let me just say, it definitely is good to be aware of “the enemy who goes about as a roaring lion, seeking who he may devour.” (I Pet. 5:8) And it’s certainly true that we need to remain aware of “the sins which do so easily beset us.” (Heb. 12:1)

But even more we need to be mindful of “the blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:7) Instead of constantly voicing our fears and worries about our sins, it would be more fruitful and Godly to praise God for the victories He’s given us over all sin and then to get busy following the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He leads us into all truth and shows us those around us who need our love and friendship.

Maybe some folks need to memorize the verse about “He that is begotten of God keeps himself and that wicked one touches him not.” (I John 5:18) God said in one place, “I also kept you from sinning against me.” (Genesis 20:6) Overemphasizing and accentuating sin is just not what the Lord really wants from us. It’s not “looking unto Jesus”; it’s looking unto our own “old man”, our sinful self instead of the Lord.

So I have gotten that off my heart. I hope it is a help to someone and will help you to have more peace, joy, freedom and power to get going with God instead of dwelling in the valley of your own sinful self. We’re all sinful; we all have battles, that’s why we have so many victories, because we have to keep bringing it all to the Lord. “Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you, He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22) “Looking unto Jesus…!” (Hebrews 12:2) Not your sinful self.

Steadfast

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It was said of Jesus, “He set His face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) I got that verse for myself this morning in prayer. “Steadfast.” That’s not a word you read in the New York Times or hear on Fox News very much. But that’s how the gospel of Luke described Jesus of Nazareth as He moved towards Jerusalem, after 3 years of ministry, where He knew He would experience the death of the cross.

I’ve been feeling a little tired today. I’m very thankful for my life but I’ve come to a place where I feel compelled every day to really make the very most of the time and energy I have in order to plow it into the work of the Lord that He’s made possible for me. The Lord said “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mat. 11:30) But He also said to His disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luk. 9:23) And I’m exceedingly thankful that the Lord has led me into the present ministry I have of producing videos in foreign languages about the prophecies of Daniel. And in this ministry, it often becomes like what Paul said of himself, “I die daily.” (I Cor. 15:31)

There’s joy in our labors but they can be real labors. So many of us have spent years working in some slavish, mundane 9-to-5 job, under sometimes rather cruel taskmasters, mostly serving Mammon in order that we can feed our families and pay bills. So, how much more should we put our whole heart into our service for God in the ministry He opens for us?

And it can come down to what can be called steadfastness. It may not be part of our character but it can be a grace given us by the Lord Himself to just not cave in to fatigue, weariness, distraction and all the things that can deter us from the heavenly vision set before us.

I guess if you don’t have the heavenly vision, it’s so much more difficult to have steadfastness. Solomon said, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18) and of course for so many Christians, their personal vision of God’s will in their lives is not really full or complete.

Jesus doubtless had the heavenly vision, even if in His case that vision was His crucifixion at Jerusalem for the sins of mankind. Paul said of himself, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19) and certainly Christ was the greatest example of that. He was steadfast. He “poured out His soul unto death.” (Isaiah 53:12)

But for most of us, it’s not the death of the cross or that of a martyr that’s before us. It’s the many little deaths each day , of taking up our cross each day and living out our lives in obedience to the will of God. Most churches will teach you the part about being comforted by God but fewer emphasize the Scriptures teaching us to comfort others.

Many know the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16. But fewer have embraced I John 3:16 which says, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” Jesus set His face steadfastly to lay down His life for us. We should take it as our calling and commission, each and every one of us, to lay down our lives for our brethren and for the lost and bedarkened souls of this world.

As has often happened, I came back from my prayer walk this morning to write up this lesson the Lord spoke to me about and laid on my heart. It’s a little like another verse that says, “As the outward man perishes, the inward man is renewed day by day.” (II Cor. 4:6) And “As your day, so shall your strength be.” (Deut. 33:25) Or as some say in a more secular sense nowadays, “it’s better to wear out that to rust out.”

But I do think, if more Christians went further in the heavenly vision of truly laying down their lives for the brethren, for feeding the sheep, for witnessing and wining souls or whatever step the Lord is leading in their lives that they have not followed, then the Lord would greatly strengthen them for the task.

God can and will give us all the steadfastness that can come when we’ve embraced the vision and have committed ourselves to a life of greater sacrifice in order to bring His life and love to this present world. May the Lord truly help every one of us who believe in Him to not only believe but also to obey Him in steadfastly going the extra mile for the sake of others and in service to our Lord and God.

Judge not?

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Many people have heard what Jesus said in one place, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1) And then they’ll say, “Who are we to judge?” Personally I believe that these thoughts have been overused and misapplied to where believers have become emasculated and led to think that passive acquiescence to evil is what they’re called to do.

So let me share some less well known verses which may bring some balance on this subject. In I Corinthians chapter 5, Paul had just effectively excommunicated someone from the Corinthian body of believers for what was a vile wrongdoing. But then, in the next chapter, he went on to reprove and admonish the Corinthian Christians, saying this, “Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?” (I Corinthians 6:2 & 3)

It seems clear from this passage that the well known admonition of “Judge not” that Jesus taught was not to be taken so broadly and universally that it was to hinder believers from “judging righteous judgment”, another of the Lord’s teachings.

In fact, in that verse in John 7:24, He tells us that we actually should judge. The verse in full says, “Judge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgment.” As is so often the case, one passage in Scripture has been seized upon and used out of context to sadly make an imbalanced view of some admonition from God so that it ends up conveying the almost totally wrong idea.

“But Mark, Jesus did say “Judge not”. Are you contradicting Christ, Mark?”

No, of course I am not. Jesus went on to say in that passage, “with what judgment you judge you shall be judged”. And James the Lord’s brother also spoke on this saying, “He shall have judgment without mercy that has showed no mercy. And mercy rejoices against judgment.” (James 2:13) Harsh, hypocritical, myopic judgment was what Jesus was speaking against in Matthew 7.

Jesus was not teaching that we should just all utterly wimp out to where we end up being spineless neutrals, “who-am-I-to-judge”, string-for-a-backbone milquetoasts. But millions of Christians are convinced that this is the proper understanding of Jesus’ words and that “pardon-me-for-living” convictions are some kind of testimony of the love of God.

What a device of the devil! How Satan has disarmed and imprisoned so many children of the Most High to where they are rendered almost utterly useless in the battle that rages about us for the souls of men, for the morals of our nations, for the very lives and hearts of our children. I believe with all within me that the body of Christ around the world should be awake, galvanized and properly trained to be, not spectators but active participants at the forefront of the battle for right or wrong, light or darkness and God or Satan that is raging and intensifying every day.

But if your mantra is, “Who am I to judge?”, you’re already almost eliminated from being the player for God that He so desperately needs you to be.

“But Mark, who am I? I don’t have a seminary degree, Mark! I don’t know what to say, Mark! I tried it one time and someone said something that I didn’t know the answer to!  Mark, that’s what our pastor is for! He’s the one that is supposed to lead souls to Christ, not me! Mark, if people want to know about God, let them go to church!”

That’s why I sadly believe that the Lord will ultimately allow great suffering and tribulation to come upon the nominally Christian nations of the world. They may be saved but the vast majority of Christians are already defeated and disarmed. I believe many millions have saving faith; but for the most part, they’ve gone only a little further.

They may be believers, but very few can be called disciples. Of course there are exceptions to this and there are many who are more broken now, more desperate now that the powers of darkness have taken the high ground so clearly throughout much of the once Christian nations. Some are waking up. Some are fighting back and standing up for the Lord. But it’s a very small minority.

Elijah thought that he was the only one left of the Lord’s true people and he told the Lord that. But the Lord said at that time to him that “there are 7000 in Israel who’ve not bowed the knee to Baal” (I Kings 19:18). And then the Lord in effect told Elijah to get busy. God had someone of the next generation that He wanted Elijah to train, the upcoming prophet Elisha, who actually went on to do twice as many miracles as Elijah.

We just have to stand on the Rock, hold on to our crowns and continue to do all that we can, every single day for the Lord to not just be weak, passive “believers” but active, alive discipleship Christians, truly serving the Lord daily. That’s one thing we can do, we can do what we can to be faithful in our generation. God has to do the miracle; He has to bring the awakening. Or the judgment.

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and in fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. And daily in the temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” (Acts 2:42 & 5:42)

Our giants

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One of the more interesting, and to me puzzling guys in the entire Bible is the patriarch Jacob. Some may chide me for saying so but he’s always seemed like almost an anti-hero among the pantheon of Biblical greats.

Jacob even means “deceiver”. He lied to his dad. He tricked his brother out of his inheritance. And he conspired with his mother to do these things. He ended up having to flee for his life and he never saw his beloved mother again.

Did that really teach Jacob a lesson and he was a changed man from then on? No, certainly not immediately it seems. But then God had Jacob work under a more conniving and hard man than he himself was, his uncle Laban. It’s a long story but after some 21 years of work, growth and certainly some bitter lessons learned along the way, God spoke to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” (Genesis 31:4?)

“Oh, great”, you could say, “He’s finally going to be able to go home.”

In Jacob’s case, it was a good deal more problematic than that. By this time Jacob was pretty much a rich man, with vast flocks and herds, wives and children, servants and helpers. And his twin brother, Esau, who he’d so blatantly and subtlety tricked out of his inheritance, was a fairly major local warlord. One way we know this is because, when Esau heard that Jacob was on his way back, he gathered 400 of his personal troops to go out with him to meet his brother.

For what purpose? To get revenge? To give him a big hug? It seems Jacob didn’t really know. But most likely his conscience was still eating away at him because of the scoundrel/crook/rogue-like nature that seemed to be a part of his personality. And this is where it gets really interesting.

Did Jacob boldly walk at the head of his tribe and go forward to meet his brother? No, he sent almost everyone else ahead of him: wives, children, flocks, etc. And then, the night before he was to meet Esau himself, it turns out that the Bible says Jacob “wrestled” with an angel. (Genesis 32:24 & 25)

What a scene, what drama, what pathos. God had evidently softened Jacob’s heart through the years at least somewhat. It wasn’t just him alone anymore. He had a large family who he evidently loved very dearly. And now the possibility was strong that he would get what in most ways he deserved: judgment and destruction of himself and his whole family for the perfidy he’d worked on his parents and brother many years before. He probably knew that if that happened, he would only be getting what justice would decree.

Jacob’s giants were not like David’s hundreds of years later. Jacob’s giants were his own sins and his own evil inclinations. Had he outgrown the sins of his youth? Or was now the time when they would finally catch up with him and it would mean the death of himself and all he loved?

For most of us, our biggest enemy is not someone else, or even the Devil. Our biggest enemy is ourselves. “The devils are subject to us“. (Luke 10:17) But it’s our own evil spirit, our own ornery will that seems to constantly rise up like an ogre to defy God and to lead us astray, even without the devil’s help.

jacob and angelBut Jacob knew the jig was up. We don’t have the entire dialog of that night and all the details. But it must have been one of the most intense battles any man ever fought, pleading with God through the angel as Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (Genesis 32:26)

What kind of blessing did Jacob need? Well the next morning he would face his brother and 400 armed men. He needed God to have his brother’s heart touched so that he would receive him as his long lost brother rather than as the trickster and villain he’d actually been. If ever someone had to get their heart right with the Lord and probably really plead with God for the cleansing and remaking he so desperately needed, it must have been Jacob right then.

It sounds like it went on for hours, hours of desperate prayer, wrestling not only with the angel but also his own sins that so easily beset him. But at last, Jacob found grace in God’s sight. The angel even gave Jacob a new name at that time, “Israel”, meaning prince of God and man, perhaps signifying that he was “a new creature” (II Corinthians 5:17) in God’s eyes.

Jacob and esau meetAnd although we don’t know all the story of that momentous night, we do know that, almost surprisingly, the next day Esau didn’t go forward to kill Jacob. It says, “And Esau ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.” (Genesis 33:4) A heartfelt embrace of brothers, much matured and changed through the years who were just glad to see each other again.

Would things have been different if Jacob had not been so desperate in prayer the night before? I’ve always really thought that. Because Jacob really got down to desperate prayer with God, perhaps one of the most desperate in the Bible, most likely God was able to change Esau’s heart also to have mercy rather than justifiable judgment against his brother. God saw that Jacob was desperate for God’s mercy and the Lord did a major miracle.

What a story. Our biggest enemy is ourselves. Getting the victory over “the sins that so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1) is our greatest challenge. And, let’s face it: a lot of us don’t always win that battle. May God help us all to fight our “giants” that defy us and will defeat us except for our desperate prayers for the Lord to “deliver us from every evil work and preserve us unto His heavenly kingdom.” (II Timothy 4:18)