Why Counterfeit Christianity Will Fail

When I say "counterfeit Christianity" I mean a propagated type of Christianity divorced from the authority of Scripture and church history. I speak of people more enamored by cultural morality than holy living. A people who do not seek the Truth, but rather the approval of the world. Here is why they will fail...

1. They tried to blitz the true church. It was a rush job on the fundamental truth of the Gospel (i.e. atonement, human sexuality, etc) They attempted to change too many of the fundamentals too quickly. You cannot reject sexual morality, advocate for a new type of racism, and reject the basic principles of the Gospel and expect to get no push back from faithful followers of Jesus. Ultimately they just came off pushy.

2. It is basically a fad among disenfranchised people who have grown up in the church. Sometimes lacking their own personal experience of being born-again, they remain in the church for its social connections, but not for its spiritual discipleship. They do not really care about being holy or the sacred doctrines of the church, but they do want to find a way for their church life to be compatible with a life in the world. These chase new fads (remember the "emergent church"?) when they should be chasing Jesus. What started as worldly affections has turned into a full love affair with the world.

3. No one cares! No one was changed for the better. No one experienced transformation. It was rebottled philosophy from the prince of darkness. They didn't seek transformation, they sought to coddle people in their sin. Churches with leaders who embraced counterfeit Christianity were fruitless and unfaithful to the Great Commission and Christ's church. Schools who catered to counterfeit Christianity struggled and some were even shuttered. Death and decline followed their ideology.

4. They didn't start their own church, they tried to change the church. Because they are by and large unfruitful in every conceivable way they become parasites in denominational infrastructure. Their ideologies are not only antithetical to Scripture, but pragmatic failures as well. In love with the Spirit of the Age, they cannot contemplate why they are unsuccessful in the local church context. But they consistently demand denominational position to propagate their dead methods and philosophies.

5. Too much conversation. "Conversation" is one of their buzz words. The problem is that a bunch of talk doesn't change reality. Playing sophisticated games of semantics only gives the rest of us a headache and often heartburn. So, while they are 'conversing,' the rest of the world moves on without them. And the church has always been more interested in being the church than simply talking about it. Like the tower of Babel there were many words and opinions thrown about, but no progress made in glorifying God. They seem to be experts on theology, but unable to translate to a spiritual harvest.

6. They were just re-wrapped liberals. Same song, second verse. The early Church of the Nazarene spoke clearly about the problem of the "modernists". Early leaders called the Church to stand against the compromise of biblical truth and a watered down faith. A cheap grace has always been offered by those who do not believe in God's power to transform and cleanse the heart. Modernists. Liberals. Progressives. Emergent church. Leftists. It has changed labels, but the emphasis is always the same (see the main line denominations' history). They question the same things liberals did: authenticity/authority of Scripture, atonement, hell, the literal resurrection of Jesus, & even, in some cases, the character and nature of God. They also push the same things liberals did: lower standards (they call having standards legalism), universalism, and 'conversation' with other religions.

7. They didn't stand for anything. I guess if you believe there are no absolute truths then you will not stand for anything definitively. In the name of "conversation," "tolerance," and "ecumenical" they refused to boldly proclaim the powerful truths & standards of God's Word and His Gospel. Unity was to be bought at the lowest common denominator... and they were willing to go very low. The only moral issues they would stand for were ones that the world has adopted and promotes. "Any dead fish can swim downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream."

8. They were blown about by the winds of secular culture (worldliness). They believed that friendship with the world is friendship with Christ. They believed that Christianity is an adoption of a higher way of philosophizing rather than a holy way of living. Their theology is rooted in man and not God. They live in ambiguous and clouded religious terminology rather than Biblical clarity. They chose to be set apart to culture rather than Christ (but would claim they are one and the same). They cannot understand why the things of this world are inherently fallen and sinful and thus they are tossed to and fro by the philosophies and distractions of this sinful world. They talk about the imago dei, but deny the fallen nature of man.

9. They have, in essence, ignored God's Word. Its use is good only for a few of the 'stories' in it and various verses that, taken out of context of the whole Gospel, seem to support their heresies and justify their worldliness. Repentance, sin, hell, & Christ as the only way, to name a few, are verses and passages of God's Word they ignore because they don't like. If truth made them uncomfortable, they would simply ignore it. Truths that have been taken for granted by the church for 2000 years are now disregarded and stripped of all influence in counterfeit Christianity. 

10. God is not in it. Case and point: Acts 5:33-40. Gamaliel stands up before the Sanhedrin and says: "...if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God you will not be able to overthrow them." If God is for them, who can be against them? Instead the Spirit is stirring in the hearts of the faithful followers of Jesus to resist the false teachings and false prophets of our hour.

While the death of counterfeit Christianity has already begun, it has not yet occurred. It takes a whole generation for this insidious fad to fade away. But in the meantime, you won't catch me mourning for that movement!

But be aware: while counterfeit Christianity may die under its current label, it will return under a new label. No doubt the label will sound positive and encouraging, but it will be the same counterfeit bringing death to any who have itching ears to hear.

Check out these other articles:

Yes, God Can

5 Theological Warning Signs

Be Happy For Church Discipline

Some Cautions for the Church of the Nazarene (Part 1)

A Way Forward for the Church of the Nazarene (Part 1)

Some Things I'm Watching this Election Year

It is another "political season" with all that it entails. To even talk politics in casual settings is to risk friendships sometimes. Are we past the point of no return when it comes to the ability to discuss hard issues without permanent relational damage? I do not know, but I do know that we must risk it for the sake of issues at hand.

Here are a few observations/opinions about what is going on in the political realm that I am keeping an eye on:

1. Abortion. I believe this is the most significant moral issue of our time. According to a NPR article, over one million abortions were performed in 2023. For perspective, around 6 million Jewish people were killed during the Holocaust spanning 1939-1945. Abortion is the holocaust of our time.

Do not buy the rhetoric. This is not a mass of tissue. This is not about a woman's right to choose (no one gets to choose to murder another person). This is not about reproductive rights. This is about the indiscriminate murder of a baby in the womb. The vast, overwhelming majority of abortions have nothing to do with rape, incest, or the life of the mother. However, let me address these three issues.

Rape. There are obviously laws against rape, sexual assault, etc. It is recognized as a moral wrong by nearly every person in our culture. It is a tragedy and an evil. If a child is conceived due to a rape, that child should not be killed. If the mother does not want the child, she should be provided for and an adoption should take place. Murder does not erase rape it compounds it. Emotional manipulation on this issue ceases when we recognize that the baby is a human being created by God even though the circumstances are horrific. Abortions due to rape rank in single percentages among the total abortion numbers.

Incest. Again, there are laws against incest. This too is illegal and immoral. What is consistent is that, if a child comes from an incestuous sexual relationship, it is still a human being created in the image of God. It is life and should be protected rather than killed. Abortions due to incest are less than 1% of the total number of abortions.

Rape and incest account for few abortions, so why all the attention? (usatoday.com)

The life of the mother. In the extremely rare circumstances that the life of the mother and/or child is in danger there can be a difficult ethical dilemma to be made. In these unusual cases families, doctors, and others involved directly have to make hard decisions quickly about who has the greatest chance for survival. These kinds of decisions are not made with the desire to end a pregnancy, but to save a life. No state in the US has laws that prohibit saving the life of the mother (or child) in these kinds of situations. 

My concern over this issue is the single most significant issue for me. Not because I am worried about my life being aborted, but because I am a Christian and must stand up for the innocent who cannot defend themselves. Abortion = murder.

The Democrat party platform in recent years has moved from wanting "safe, legal, and rare" abortions to parking a mobile abortion clinic outside of the party's convention in 2024. Prolife Democrats are extremely rare in federal politics and most state level politics. Some refuse to answer the questions of whether medical care should be given in the case of a failed abortion attempt that results in a live birth. 

Republicans are getting soft on their pro-life stance. With the fall of Roe v Wade, Trump has assessed the political climate and backed up from abolition of abortion in order to appease pro-choice (death) voters. The most significant moral issue of our time cannot pander to death dealers.

Many abortion related amendments and issues will be at the state level. Every Christian should always be prolife in their voting on these issues.

2. Parental Authority & Transgender Issues. The most significant form of child abuse in our culture right now (besides abortion) is the physical alteration and sterilization of children. Pushing an agenda to physically alter children dealing with gender dysphoria is an evil that has far reaching consequences which ultimately impact the tension between parental authority, growing confusion on gender identity, and broken lives decades into the future. 

God created the biological family as the primary agent for nurturing children into adulthood. Government interference is sometimes necessary, but should be avoided if at all possible. The government cannot raise children better than a mother and father in the home. Nor should the government be given authority to interfere in the God-given and biological authority that parents have over their children. There are now states (like California) that have made it illegal for school employees to discuss with parents their child's gender dysphoria or desire to be recognized as a different sex than their biological one.

If a young teenage girl came to me who was dealing with anorexia and insisted that she was fat while her body weight was actually at an unhealthy and dangerous level, it would be abusive to encourage her in her erroneous self perception instead of directing her toward the truth about her body and self. Society's continued affirmation of false gender identities (that do not match biological sex) is not loving, it is abusive.

As a Christian, I believe parental authority should never be usurped by government, schools, or even the church. These different spheres of culture and society are important, but must remain within their respective biblical boundaries.

3. Religious liberty issues. The United States has long been a safe haven and even a promoter of Christian values in the world. This issue was a major player in the American revolution and the reason why so many people fled Europe to come to the Americas in the beginning. Honoring the sincere religious convictions of individuals is paramount to religious liberty (as it has for over two centuries in the US). 

4. Immigration. There is simply no reason that someone cannot be compassionate toward immigrants and expect immigration law to be upheld. In some research I found that no other country in the world receives more legal immigrants than the United States of America. I hope we keep it up! To expect people to go through the process legally is not lacking compassion, but operating from a just and fair place. To be dismissive of illegal immigration is allowing some to circumvent the legal process and "cut in line" those who are taking appropriate steps.

Rhetoric is high and common sense is an ever-increasing commodity. Democrats argue for open boarders and Republicans advocate for walls and throwing everyone out. None of these are feasible. There have been laws in place for decades that are being ignored by some politicians to create a crisis. Politicians need to stop using people in need as political fodder.

5. Marijuana. Libertarians do not understand (or maybe some of them just do not care) about the extent of the danger and harm marijuana brings to our culture. It is a gateway drug. It is harmful; physically, mentally, and spiritually. 

Yes. You can make money off of tax revenue when you legalize it. You can also make money off taxes from prostitution if you legalize that. Revenue off the backs of addicts and broken families is equivalent to blood money. We do not need more vices in our culture that lead to the breakdown of the family, addiction related deaths, or destroyed lives.

6. Profanity. I have previously written on cursing, profanity, and the tongue. In recent years it has become fashionable and acceptable for politicians (of every stripe) to use profane language. This should not be accepted. Please have more dignity for those who are listening and the office you might be elected to when you speak.

I'm not suggesting we must have someone who is so nice they are impotent. We need strong leadership who will be willing to address hard and difficult issues head on. I am tired of wondering what a politician is really saying or where they really stand on an issue. "Niceness" has come to be defined as "never saying anything that offends anyone." That is silly.

But you can be strong, direct, assertive, and never curse. May it be so.

7. 24-Hour News Networks. In order to keep the attention of viewers 24 hours a day they have resorted to click bait, sensationalism, manipulation, and extremely biased journalism (if you can even call it journalism anymore). The last two debates have been fraught with moderators who's biased was so blatant and arrogant that not even Democrats insisted that it was fair. This is unacceptable from professionals who are supposed to moderate and report, not manipulate and distort.

What are some of the things you are watching for this election cycle?

Check out these other articles:

Some Things to Remember After a Political Election

The Demise of the Church Has Been Overstated

I Went to an Abortion Clinic

Signs of a Good Church

Is Your Body a Temple of the Holy Spirit?

At one point in history, the Israelite history made a pilgrimage to a temple in Jerusalem to be where God was present, but Paul lets the Christians in Corinth know that they are now the temple of God.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

What does it mean that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit? How do we glorify God in our bodies? What kind of lifestyle or physical choices do we make in light of our body being the habitation of the Holy Spirit?

Our body is sacred space! We are even called to love God with all our strength/might.

I have been mulling this over in my mind and contemplating some personal changes for the future. Here are some things that come to mind that may impact my body glorifying God as His temple.

1. Lack of rest. We live in a fast paced, caffeine charged culture. Lack of sleep is a given at times. But lack of sleep impacts our mental acuity, emotional stability, and overall health. What if God gets glory when we are well rested?

2. Tanning Beds. In seeking to be stylish and "attractive" we expose ourselves to a leading cause of cancer. How does the vanity of ultraviolet exposure that puts us at significantly higher levels of risk for cancer glorify God?

3. Gluttony. Obesity is at epidemic levels in our society. We are more docile than we ever have been before. Obesity is a leading cause of a host of medical issues. Taking care of our temple is important!

4. Tattoos. Popular? Yes. But I wouldn't want you spray painting a pretty picture on my house. Might this distract from sanctity of the body?

5. Tobacco. Smoking, chewing, or dipping are all high factors for cancer and other health issues. There is simply no good thing that benefits the body from the use of tobacco. (Include vaping and marijuana under this one.) 

6. Alcohol. Many like to refer to supposed benefits of social drinking, but alcohol related deaths and health issues are significant issues in our society today. Inebriated individuals fail to bring glory to God in a hung over state. (Why I Don't Drink Alcohol) (Include other drugs that distort our ability to think soberly.)

7. Medicinal Dependance. I do not argue against medicine here. But it is worth nothing that there are some people who refuse to change their lifestyle and opt to use chemicals to offset their poor health choices. This does not bring glory to God.

8. Unnecessary bodily abuse. Workaholics who refuse to take a Sabbath rest may fall in this category. People who overwork their body would be here too. While sloth is definitely not pleasing to God, harming your body through excessive work is not glorifying either.

9. Living with stress. This world is full of stress, but what if we learned to process and deal with this stress instead of carry it and its ensuing health detriments? Stress harms God's temple long term.

10. Lack of exercise. It would be safe to say that couch potatoes are not bringing glory to God. I am not suggesting you need to be someone who is working out every day, has three gym memberships, and owns a treadmill. I am suggesting that we need to be intentional about being active with our body.

I will attempt to follow up in the future with full articles about each of the 10 ideas mentioned above. Which ones do you agree with or disagree with?

What might you add or subtract from the list above?

Check out these other articles:

I Went to an Abortion Clinic

I Want to be a Growing Christian

Position, Power, and Real Leadership

Invest in People

The greatest wealth a person can have is deep friendships. We live in a moment of time in which authentic relationships are difficult to attain. He is not poor who has friends. 

1. Be encouraging. Plenty of people can find the negative, can you see the positive? Can you identify the divine potential in a person? Work at it. This is not flattery (nice things that are not necessarily true). Allow the Holy Spirit to identify in others what could be and then begin to encourage those around you with that information. 

2. Be generous. Give of your time. Share your resources. Make your talents available to others. Be willing to help someone be successful in their endeavor to accomplish something for Jesus. In a self-centered, coveting, stingy world, be unsparing in your investment in other people and the work to which God has called them.

3. Be kind. Animosity reigns in culture. Learn the power of kindness to those who cannot benefit you in anyway. A kind word can initiate healing. A kind word can break down barriers. A kind word can help make a friend. Kindness is often the beginning of lasting friendships.

4. Be patient. When we are investing in others, it is easy to be impatient with their progress. Setbacks, mistakes, or distractions can be a test of your patience. And also, your resolve to pour into people. Humans are not robots, they require patience. 

5. Be caring. Your ability to genuinely have concern about the well-being of another person is the most important motivation for your investment. If your investment is for selfish reasons of what that person could produce or accomplish for you, it is ill gotten gain. People matter to God. People should matter to you. 

6. Be joyful. Too many who have started the rewarding work of investment have had so much discouragement and frustration in the process that they have lost their joy. They carry on in duty and obligation. Joy is no longer to be found and they often forget that you can actually experience joy along the journey. The joy of the Lord can indeed be your strength as you invest in people.

7. Be truthful. Saying nice things that are not true is flattery. Flattery is a form of deceit and often used to manipulate others. The goal is not manipulation, but authentic investment in the well being and development of the person. Do not say things that are not true for the sake of a temporary emotional investment. Real love rejoices in the truth.

The greatest wealth you can experience apart from your relationship with God is friendships with others. The more friends, the greater the wealth! But to have friends, you must first be a friend.

Check out these other articles:

Have You Planted Any Seed?

The Study of God

Why I am Part of a Denomination

Be Happy for Church Discipline

This is Holiness

Have you ever noticed that a sound technician goes unnoticed until they make a mistake? When a microphone fails to be unmuted or the feedback squeals, everyone turns around to look at the person at the sound board. It is easy to notice what is wrong, but it sure is difficult to know how to do the job of the sound technician well.

In fact, a lot of people can tell you what Holiness is not. They have long lists of things they claim aren't real holiness. It ain't holiness if it does not meet their standards. They can hear the spiritual "feedback," but they cannot seem to present a clear picture of what holiness actually looks like... only a critique of what it is not.

The truth is that there are no different brands of holiness, only counterfeits to scriptural holiness.

The word holy simply means set apart for God's purposes. The verb sanctify means to make holy. Our responsibility in terms of holiness is to consecrate ourselves to Him so that He can set us apart for His purposes.

The difficult thing about holiness is that we tend to adopt caricatures of holiness that are incomplete or even faulty pictures of true holiness.

For example, some people have distorted the definition of love so that it is approval of anything a person does or is. Holy love, however, desires God's best for the person who is the object of that love. 

Kindness has come to mean that uncomfortable truths are ignored. To state inconvenient truth has been considered unkind. But authentic kindness will not shy from the truth that will transform, redeem, and restore. To refuse to share this kind of truth, is anything but kind. Simply put, do not allow the fruits of the Spirit to be a watered-down version of political correctness.

There are some who would characterize the only real action for social concerns for the poor are there opinions. They would claim that the only legitimate holiness was one that proposes the same action as a political party and instituted by government entities. They have been influenced by political pundits rather than biblical exhortations. 

So what is holiness?

It is heart cleansing that changes the outward persona and purifies the heart!

Holiness is meekness, but not weakness. It is strength in submission to the Spirit. 

Holiness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees. It cleansed the outward and the inward person!

Holiness is empowerment for fulfillment of the Great Commission. (Oh how our churches need Spirit filled believers for service!)

Holiness is full surrender to the will of Jesus. Holiness is dying to self with its desires, longings, and will so that we might live completely into His will and way.

Holiness nurtures fear of God and courage in the face of man. May we see people fill our churches and be sent forth who fear nothing but God and boldly stand upon the promises of God's word.

Holy men and women will boldly speak to those in power and authority according to the ordinances of God.

Holiness includes both introverts and extroverts. God can sanctify every combination of the Myers-Briggs personality spectrum.

Holiness is separation from sin. Holiness is rejection of worldliness. Holiness is redemption empowered.

Holiness is removing the plank in your eye and not ignoring personal sin.

Holiness is finding the courage to stand and proclaim the excellencies of the ways of Christ. 

Holiness is believing that God's ways are better than the ways of the world.

Holiness refuses to tolerate sin. It gives no quarter to that which is enmity to God.

Holiness is generous. It gives all for the sake of the Kingdom. Position, power, resources, and time are all laid at the feet of the King. Reputation, intellect, education are submitted to the mind of Christ. 

Holiness is clarity about the Gospel. Clarity about biblical morality. (Ambiguity is the trait of a politician and not a prophet.)

Holiness does not look to the law for salvation, but loves Jesus with all the heart so that obedience is supreme. The law is not written on tablets, but on their hearts!

Holiness is willing to turn tables over in the face of immorality among God's people.

Holiness is walking in the Spirit. A life focused on the spiritual rather than the physical. 

Holiness hates sin voraciously. Holiness loves sinners redemptively. 

Holiness brings division in families, churches, and culture. (I can give scriptural references by the way.)

Holiness is missional. There is an underlying desire for God's will (not than any should perish, but that all should reach repentance). 

Holiness shepherds others into maturity and not complacency. Holiness does not seek to control others, but to point them to the Savior.

Holiness has been God's plan from the beginning. It is not a doctrine copyrighted by a denomination, but a biblical truth that flows from the character of God.

Holiness brings the bride into unity to the groom. Holiness does not compromise God's truth. 

Holiness is enacting church discipline. Holiness is confronting false teachers and preachers.

Holiness is the life of power borne of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Holiness trusts God. Holiness does not fear sin, the sinner, or the things of this world. Holiness is a cleansing work!

Holiness is being crucified with Christ. Dying out to self will and living for Christ above all.

Holiness is the circumcision of the heart; a cleansing of the sinful/fallen nature.

Holiness operates with a pure heart and a motive to glorify God above all.

Holiness rejects cheap grace. Holiness embraces transformational grace.

Holiness is willing to give all to God. Holiness is willing to go anywhere for God. Holiness is willing to speak up for God. Holiness is willing to be silent before God.

Holiness deals in hope for the sinners and those who suffer from evil. Holiness never stops short of others experiencing holiness.

Holiness is refusing to give into worldly ideologies. It is experiencing transformation through the renewal of the mind.

Holiness is a scriptural experience with a scriptural description.

Holiness is innately evangelistic. It is compelled by love to reach the lost and share the Gospel with them.

Holiness is renewing to its environment. It brings spiritual awakening and revival in its wake.

Holiness is not passive aggressive. It deals directly and clearly in conflict. 

Holiness contends for the truth. It will not settle for a watered down truth or a counterfeit holiness.

Holiness loves God with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength. Holiness loves its neighbor as itself.

Yes, this is holiness... and so much more.

Check out these other articles:

I Fired Jesus

I Judge People

A Better Way Than the Middle Way

When Did Holiness Theology Shift to Calvinism?

Have You Planted Any Seed?

It was March 7, 2019 in the early afternoon. I was in the Orlando International Airport preparing to fly home after having been at the Exponential Conference (a Church growth, planting, and health conference held annually) that I had attended. Inundated with ideas and possibilities, I was looking forward to returning home to family and my local church so that I could pray and seek the leading of the Lord for direction about the future.

My District Superintendent, Dr Tim Crump, had dropped me off at the airport early so that he could arrange the ride for others from our District who had attended. Security was a pat down and an x-ray before I found myself at the correct gate a few hours before departure time. Lunch had been skipped between the end of the conference and travel to the airport so I decided to find something to eat and moseyed over to the Burger King inside the airport terminal.

As I stood in line I struck up conversation with the man in front of me in line. It was an extra long line and we had plenty of time to tackle the standard airport conversational topics: Where are you from? Where are you going? Why are you traveling? What do you do for a living?

I do not usually start conversations with strangers touting my occupation and calling. "Pastor" tends to shape the conversation early on in ways that create barriers to authenticity if not outright alienation at times. But I was asked the question and my response brought input from the man in line behind me.

His name was Jason and as I began to shift conversation to him, it became apparent that he was not completely sober. The smell of alcohol permeated his breath. The conversation took a turn into inquiry of his spiritual condition to which he informed me that He didn't really have faith in God. 

"Jesus changed everything for me. I would not go through life without serving Him."

We ordered our food, waited with a few others as our orders were fulfilled, and as I prepared to pick up my tray with food, Jason asked: "Can I sit and talk to you a little more?"

To be honest, I was not really interested in talking as I wanted to look over some notes I had taken and think prayerfully about my local church assignment in Mackey, IN. The conversation had not been real fruitful and conversations with drunks do not tend to be very intellectually stimulating. 

"Sure. Come and find me when you get your food."

I sat at a small table in the terminal after finding some napkins to accompany me. Jason arrived soon after I had sat and I asked him if I could pray in thankfulness for the food. He obliged.

Our discussion involved faith in God, being a Christian, and other spiritual queries. Sometimes as I responded to his question or opinion, it seemed that he was almost zoning out of the conversation. 

As we finished up our meal and began to close out our conversation I took out one of my business cards and turned it over to the back which is blank. "I want to recommend two books to you. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer." I wrote the book titles and authors on the back of my card and handed it to him assuming that he would never remember most of the conversation we had or any book recommendations due to his inebriated state.

We parted ways and headed to the gate to catch our flights. I never thought that I would see or talk to Jason again. It is just the nature of airport acquaintances and conversations.

I got home from the Florida trip and on the following Sunday stood and preached a message from John 20:19-22 that included the story of my interaction with a man in the airport in Orlando. "Jesus is sending us to share with the world the Good News? Have you planted any seeds?"

Fast forward time to December 31, 2023. My family and I were visiting my in-laws in Florida for Christmas break. We had attended church with them at Lehigh Acres Church of the Nazarene, came home, ate lunch, and had just cruised the neighborhood on bicycles. My cell phone rang indicating an unsaved Florida number was calling me. 

I normally would not answer a call as I was on vacation and the number was unknown to me. Since it was not saved in my contacts, I assumed that it was probably a spam call of some kind.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Jared K Henry?"

"Yes sir. Who is this?"

"My name is Jason. We met a few years ago. Do you remember me?"

"I'm sorry Jason, can you be more specific?"

"We were in the airport in line at Burger King and we started talking about God. I was only half sober."

My mind clicked and I immediately remembered Jason. His description including "half sober" was the trigger. "I do remember you."

Jason poured out his testimony to me as I listen in astonishment at the work of God that had unfolded in his life! He had hit his lowest point about a year after I met him in the airport. In those low moments he rediscovered the business card I had given him with the two books written on the back. He purchased the books and read them both. The Holy Spirit spoke through Bonhoeffer's book and Jason made a decision to be a disciple like "The Cost of Discipleship" had spoken of: not via cheap grace, but costly, authentic grace!

He sobered up, worked hard, found a church to attend, joined a men's Bible study, was baptized, and shared his testimony with his church family. God worked in His life powerfully and transformationally!

One day as Jason was relaying his testimony to his pastor, his pastor encouraged him to reach out to the person who had talked with him at the airport if he still had the contact info from the card. It would be encouraging to him. Jason later worked up the nerve to make the call and dialed my number.

I was encouraged. I was blessed. And I was challenged to continue to plant seeds everywhere I go!

Have you planted any seed? Of course not every person I talk to in the airport has called me with a life changing testimony. Not every seed spouts. And not every seed's development is relayed back to me. But I want to plant seeds. I plan on talking to more people like Jason in Heaven, because I plan on continuing to sow seed.

I do not have to get the call back that the seed has borne fruit to continue to plant seed everywhere I go. I am only responsible to cast the seed wherever I go.

Have you planted any seed?

Check out these other articles:

Transformation is Available

All Out For Souls

So You Want to Make A Difference?

God Showed Up on November 23, 2008

A Missionary to the Nursing Home

The Study of God

"Doing theology" is an endeavor to understand the Divine. Theology literally means the study of God. It certainly seems a little audacious that someone would attempt such a lofty venture. Thankfully, we do not attempt to study God in a vacuum. 

How do you study God? Where do you start? These are good questions.

The work we do to understand God is aided, if not enabled, by two realities:

1. God has made Himself known to us. This is revelation. God reveals Himself to humanity. God wants to be known, because He desires for humanity to be in a loving relationship with Him. It is His intent to be known and not be hidden from those He loves. 

2. God has given us the Bible which is completely inspired and is accurate, reliable, and true. It clearly articulates the character of God, His intent in creation, the problem of sin, and how to be in relationship with Him. The Bible inerrantly reveals everything we need for salvation (redemption from sin, entire sanctification, glorification, growth in grace, and on going fellowship with Him).

Theology is a pursuit of the truth that God has revealed to us. It is not a philosophical idea we can manipulate or change on a whim. God's nature and expectations do not change based on geographical area, cultural settings, or trending fads. This is not to say that methods are stagnated, architecture is forever set, or written/verbal communication has no fluidity. But God, and who He is, never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. 

Here are a few problems that give rise to bad theology.

1. Some who "do theology" do not like who God has revealed Himself to be. They do not like certain characteristics. They often view God's revealed nature or the plan of salvation as something that is a turn off to them or people they know. Bad theology arises from the intent to serve as a public relations manager for God rather than a mouthpiece of truth.

2. Some people seeking to understand God are actually trying to fit God into their own narrative. Cultural ideologies permeate their pursuit to the degree that they are unwilling to release their biases to embrace unchanging truth. When human narratives replace divine truth as the object that we are seeking, falsehoods take center stage.

3. Many are pressured by the world to capitulate unchanging truth for temporary priorities. As finite beings we can easily be tempted to ignore the infinite God's priorities and commissions. There is much pressure to kneel at an idol of human ideology or trending fads. Much of our theological focus has prioritized issues that never make a page of the New Testament.

The general rule is that theology beginning with the human experience leads to error, but the theology grounded in Biblical Truth is guided by the Holy Spirit. Are we seeking God first or humanity first? Are we prioritizing love through obedience or compromising for comfort's sake? Is our understanding of the divine Christocentric or humanistic?

Are we recognizing that we were made in the image of God or are we trying to make a god in our image?



Check out these other articles:

Yes, God Can

Signs of Maturity

A Better Way than the Middle Way

I Fired Jesus