Driving north to see our grandkids we passed through some of the most beautiful country. We have passed that way many times before and hardly noticed the scenery. But this time was different. This time the trees had changed their colors from green to an endless variety of bright fall colors. God must certainly delight in color and in variety.
November is the month for Thanksgiving. I am thankful for God’s endless variety of blessings. He wants us all to be one with Him but after that He wants to change us into many different shades. He sees us all as unique individuals and He has a unique purpose for us all.
We may not see all His blessing the same. In fact, some of them we may not see as blessings at all, in the beginning. God is our redeemer. He takes us as we are and makes us what He wants us to become. We are always somewhere in the middle of the process, not what we were, but not what we will be. He can take any circumstance in our lives an turn them into blessings. So, we should be thankful for it all. Be thankful for the blessing we know are blessings. And, be thankful for the situations God is molding into blessings.
Paul said, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJV Php 4:11-13).
Bro. Robin
Friday, October 27, 2006
Wal-Mart and the AFA
Recently I have received several copies of a report from the American Family Association (AFA) concerning Wal-Mart’s supposed connection to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. I went to the web-site for the AFA and read all the dirty details. However, I did not find any mention of the fact that the woman who served as Wal-mart’s liaison with the NGLCC was fired last week for another reason, but with mention of the mounting pressure by conservatives on this issue in the press release. I also found no mention of their many donations to Christian causes or their relief work in the wake of recent hurricanes, and other disasters.
I am against homosexuality. I believe the AFA does Christians a great service balancing extreme secular humanism of today’s society with extreme Christian values. But we need to be honest by being complete in our reporting. A gap in our honesty will only lead to a gap in our credibility. I believe it already has.
Wal-Mart is a business like, shall I say it, Disney. They are not Christian, although they hire many Christians and many of their values are family focused as are Christian values. They also hire homosexuals, Moslems, Hindus, etc, etc, etc. So?
The issue at hand is no different than Paul had to deal with in Romans 14. Do we eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols? In Paul’s day it was an important issue. Poor Christians had to buy their meat from vendors below the pagan temples. The meat sold there had just come from a pagan altar. Some new Christians still had the fresh memory of offering an animal on one of those altars and then buying the meat of their sacrifice in honor of the (false) god. It was a cause of stumbling for some but for others meat was meat.
There were also some who had trouble giving up Saturday Sabbath in favor of Sunday Worship, which is still an issue for many of our neighbors. But to Paul, and more mature Christians, every day belongs to God and we should be thankful to God for every meal that is given by Him. He said, “For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17, nkjv)
I preach against homosexuality, among other sins. I also hope some will come to our church, hear the message, turn from that lifestyle and embrace the hope only Jesus can give. We are all sinners saved by grace, no more, no less.
We could boycott and separate ourselves from everything we disagree with. If we did, we might as well join the Amish and shun all of modern society. After witnessing the true Christian heart of the Amish in the wake of recent events, maybe that is not such a bad idea.
Bro. Robin
Aa a postscript, I noticed at the bottom of the email an invitation to accompany AFA on an 11 day tour of Switzerland and Italy. I checked it out on the website and found that the tour was only $3232.00. That is just a few dollars more than our last 14 day mission to Malawi, where we led hundreds of people to Jesus. Just a thought.
I am against homosexuality. I believe the AFA does Christians a great service balancing extreme secular humanism of today’s society with extreme Christian values. But we need to be honest by being complete in our reporting. A gap in our honesty will only lead to a gap in our credibility. I believe it already has.
Wal-Mart is a business like, shall I say it, Disney. They are not Christian, although they hire many Christians and many of their values are family focused as are Christian values. They also hire homosexuals, Moslems, Hindus, etc, etc, etc. So?
The issue at hand is no different than Paul had to deal with in Romans 14. Do we eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols? In Paul’s day it was an important issue. Poor Christians had to buy their meat from vendors below the pagan temples. The meat sold there had just come from a pagan altar. Some new Christians still had the fresh memory of offering an animal on one of those altars and then buying the meat of their sacrifice in honor of the (false) god. It was a cause of stumbling for some but for others meat was meat.
There were also some who had trouble giving up Saturday Sabbath in favor of Sunday Worship, which is still an issue for many of our neighbors. But to Paul, and more mature Christians, every day belongs to God and we should be thankful to God for every meal that is given by Him. He said, “For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17, nkjv)
I preach against homosexuality, among other sins. I also hope some will come to our church, hear the message, turn from that lifestyle and embrace the hope only Jesus can give. We are all sinners saved by grace, no more, no less.
We could boycott and separate ourselves from everything we disagree with. If we did, we might as well join the Amish and shun all of modern society. After witnessing the true Christian heart of the Amish in the wake of recent events, maybe that is not such a bad idea.
Bro. Robin
Aa a postscript, I noticed at the bottom of the email an invitation to accompany AFA on an 11 day tour of Switzerland and Italy. I checked it out on the website and found that the tour was only $3232.00. That is just a few dollars more than our last 14 day mission to Malawi, where we led hundreds of people to Jesus. Just a thought.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Children of the Con-vention
I am not in the habit of disciplining other people’s children. I am tempted, often. When I do my children’s message during the early part of the service kids often act up. Usually they can be dealt with in a kind manner. If fact, I have been known to use humor and work interruptions into the message. But occasionally I am confronted by the repeat offender, on a bad day, and the temptation to reach out and touch someone rises close to the surface, but not quite.
Christians are not immune from the human desire to sit in judgment of each other. Politics are politics, whether they are secular are religious. Our differences make us interesting. During times of controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention I never missed a convention. Then I got involved in short term missions and decided my money was better spent going overseas to win people to Jesus and help local pastors develop new churches.
This year a controversy has risen over some new rules at the International Mission Board. Both of the new rules involve issues I thought were decided and dismissed a long time ago. The SBC is interesting again but I am still not convinced that it is worth spending the money to attend. Last year I really wanted to go to the SBC. The controversy included someone at the board whom I knew personally to be a man of integrity, and whose integrity was being questioned simply because he thought we already had enough rules for new missionaries. I agreed with him and wanted to go and support him.
I already had a commitment to lead a group to Malawi, Africa. So, instead of attending the debates, where nothing more was actually decided, our group of fifteen led over 600 to faith in Christ, baptized 20, started a new preaching point, and trained around 200 to be soul winners and leaders in local churches. I think I made the right decision.
I think God is big enough to discipline His own children. We just need to reach more of them. John 1:12
Dr. Robin
Christians are not immune from the human desire to sit in judgment of each other. Politics are politics, whether they are secular are religious. Our differences make us interesting. During times of controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention I never missed a convention. Then I got involved in short term missions and decided my money was better spent going overseas to win people to Jesus and help local pastors develop new churches.
This year a controversy has risen over some new rules at the International Mission Board. Both of the new rules involve issues I thought were decided and dismissed a long time ago. The SBC is interesting again but I am still not convinced that it is worth spending the money to attend. Last year I really wanted to go to the SBC. The controversy included someone at the board whom I knew personally to be a man of integrity, and whose integrity was being questioned simply because he thought we already had enough rules for new missionaries. I agreed with him and wanted to go and support him.
I already had a commitment to lead a group to Malawi, Africa. So, instead of attending the debates, where nothing more was actually decided, our group of fifteen led over 600 to faith in Christ, baptized 20, started a new preaching point, and trained around 200 to be soul winners and leaders in local churches. I think I made the right decision.
I think God is big enough to discipline His own children. We just need to reach more of them. John 1:12
Dr. Robin
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