Compelling Love

Recently in my study of the books of Corinthians I was reminded of Paul’s love for the church and the people he met.   Read this verse again:  2 Corinthians 5:14a, “For the love of Christ compels us…”

The flesh cannot generate an evangelizing love, or any other manifestation of Christian love. It is the work of the Spirit to produce and direct our love, and, through it, to bear fruit for God.  One of the most powerful and most personal messages that the Apostle Paul ever shared about evangelistic love was Romans 9:1-3.


I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.  For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race...


That is a really huge statement!   To say I care so much about your soul and eternity that I wish myself accursed from Christ!  Even though God redirected Paul's ministry from the Jew to the Gentile he never lost that evangelistic love for his own countrymen.  He wanted to see his own family and friends come to faith in Jesus Christ.  We often give up too easily when those to whom we witness to and see them resist the gospel, and in so doing we show the thinness of our love.

It  is my prayer this holiday season that our love would not run thin, but that we would be compelled by the Love of our master, Jesus Christ to continue to do as He did.

Is Jesus welcome in MY Church?

There is this very convicting song by Todd Agnew called My Jesus.  In one verse here is what Todd writes:

My Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd

WOW!  Have you ever wondered what Jesus would think if he came to your church on Sunday morning? What would he do? Would he be comfortable?  I mean really think about it for just a second, would you?

For seven churches in the first century, Jesus did show up for a visit — sort of. In Revelation, there are seven short, but powerful letters written to specific local churches. In these letters, we gain insight into what Christ thinks about them, and we see how our church might stack up.

The letter to the church in Laodicea is particularly striking (Revelation 3:14-22). In it, we see some remarkable parallels to the church today.

Passion! Do we really possess it?

God writes to this church: “You are neither cold nor hot.” Christians hunger for something we call passion. But what is this passion? Is it the tingly feeling we get when the lights go down, the volume goes up, and we are enveloped in a sensation of sound and lights? Is this true, deep, genuine passion, or is it a surface emotion?  True abiding passion comes from a right relationship with God, He alone can provide it in us it is not from us!   But often, we mistake fiery passion for a fleeting emotion often that we create.   I happened to think that Christ takes this issue seriously. Revelation records that “because you are lukewarm…I will spit you out of my mouth.” True passionate love for God does not come from a good show, but from a deep and abiding relationship with him. Perhaps our entertainment-fueled passion is nothing but a lukewarm nod to God. Perhaps we risk God’s displeasure over our mock passion.

Purity? Is it really present?

Christ also targets the bogus purity of the church. He counsels them to “buy from me gold refined by fire…and white garments so that you may clothe yourself.” This church had an issue with purity — or more specifically, the lack thereof. When a church is given to moral and mental sin, it is difficult to develop the passion we praise, and it is impossible to have purity present in our lives. What tolerance do we have for moral laxity in the church today? Our entertainment choices do not reflect a pursuit for purity, but for a spicy interest in moral impurity. True purity comes through Christ, and righteous passion then will follow.

Prosperity? Is it for real?

There is no doubt about it; the American church is materially prosperous. But does material prosperity mean that we are spiritually prosperous as well? The Laodicean church thought they were prosperous, too. “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” But Christ knew better. “[You don’t realize] that you are wretched, poor, pitiable, blind, and naked.” Could it be that our material affluence has contributed to our spiritual bankruptcy? It is easy to depend on the comfort of riches to insulate us from the coldness of a spiritually depleted life. What would our churches look like if we stripped away everything American, everything technological, everything cultural, everything material, and everything manmade? Would we even have a church left — at least one that we could recognize? Let us see our prosperity for what it is — a tool to use for kingdom advancement, not for personal comfort.

Christ’s loving discipline will be dispensed.

Jesus provides a warning for churches in this state:  “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Perhaps if Jesus entered our churches, he would see our need for discipline. We need to repent of where we have wronged him. If only we could see Him for who HE is and ourselves for who we are!

The church has become so consumed with showiness and presentation, that we have neglected the heart of real worship. We think that big crowds equal a big impact for God. We attempt to coerce the Holy Spirit to do our bidding, by means of manipulative tricks with lights and sound. Yet true worship has nothing to do with fog machines or sound systems or cool computer presentations.  Yes, this blog comes from tech freak!  I am the biggest techno guy around.  I love the tech toys…  and they may have a place in worship but if we are not careful our love for these things can supersede our devotion for our God!

In Jesus Made in America, Stephen Nichols writes, “Christians in all cultures and ages have the tendency to impose their understandings and cultural expressions on Scripture or beliefs.” There is nothing wrong with media, with prosperity, or even with fog machines. But there is a need for a purer understanding of Scripture, shed of its cultural growths.

From Scripture, we see that we are to:

·       Cultivate true passion (Revelation 3:15-16)

·       Pursue Christ’s purity (Revelation 3:17-18)

·       Repent of our sin, and welcome Christ into our lives and churches (Revelation 3:19-20)

God’s Providence is All Powerful!

Read through Genesis chapter 37.

Soon on Sunday nights I will start a series on the life of Joseph.  Joseph was the rejected brother who saved his family, his nation and the world!   He lived in a world where faith was fading and integrity was rare.  The life of Joseph in the Old Testament shines like a brilliant star in the nighttime sky.  His life teaches us that following God brings hope even the worst of circumstances.  Joseph will teach us to walk a life of faith.

It is my prayer that we as believers will learn to trust the providential role of God in our lives.

Few families today are as dysfunctional as the family of Joseph.  No man today faces greater temptation than Potiphar’s wife offered Joseph.  No person today has a life in which his or her faith is more challenged than Joseph was when he was on death row in an Egyptian prison.  Yet, Joseph stood firm, modeling for us that it is possible when ordinary people maintain their connections to God.  He shows us the rewards of truly seeking to develop an intimate relationship with God.  Faithfully, God is ruling in our life and His rule is providential.  From slavery to power, from temptation to imprisonment, and all the way to the king’s side, Joseph inspires us to trust God's good graces, even when we don't understand. 

When faced with opportunities to get revenge we learn that forgiveness is possible.  There are few stories in history or in the Bible more compelling than that of Joseph.  This story tucked away in Genesis reads like an epic novel, filled with tension, temptation, and so many emotions.  It touches us deeply because many of us face these kinds of situations, and we learn that we can win.  Trusting God to take us to a destination is not always easy, the process is not always fun, but the outcome is always rewarding.

I never stepped foot onto an airplane until I was 26 years old.  Since that time I logged a few miles, at one point not that long ago had over 80,000 flyer miles with one airline.  One of the fascinating things to me is how off course a plane can get in the midst of travel.  Most of the time because of up drafts, downdrafts, crosswinds, headwinds and tailwinds, even the magnetic pull the earth a plane rarely and almost never has a straight uninterrupted path.  Such things as storms and other air traffic all play into the journey of a plane.  Once the plane plots a course, that plane will likely veer at some point.  Course corrections will be necessary.  The plane is  always close to the projected path but seldom right on the line.  The pilot is constantly making adjustments to maintain the destination.  

Tomorrow if you go to the airport and board a plane let’s say you leave on a mission team to go to New York, to help the victims of hurricane Sandy.   They will tell you upon embarking on that aircraft, that the anticipated air travel time 2 hours and 36 minutes.  And they will tell you exactly what to expect.   Then in 2hours and 36 minutes they will put the wheels down and land.  Providing there is not a problem in the airport or bad weather they have become very good at predicting their lending times.

It is interesting to me is this:  during the course of that travel that airplane will get off course.  But because of course corrections the plane will make an on-time arrival.  The truth of our Christian life is pretty simple:  There are factors in our lives that will blow us off course.  Many times things below us this way or that way.  If we are not careful, things will move us back and forth and all around.  If we are not  paying attention, we will fail to make course corrections and we will end up out in the middle of no where.

But here's the truth I want to understand, because of our faith in Jesus Christ God is going to get you home!   God is going to take you exactly where He wants you to go.  Whenever you look at the life of Joseph.  You begin to wonder, because it is apparent, that something is terribly gone wrong.    As you begin reading his life it just seems as if these things that happen to him are good?   This thing that happens to Joseph blows him off course over here in he's blown off course over there, and if you are not careful you will wonder before the end of the story what in the world is going on? 

But the interesting thing is this:  in Joseph's life God gets him at the precise place, at the precise moment, at the exact time that he wants him there.  Literally he saves the Hebrew people, and the world.  His father and his brothers are saved.  But greater still the race of people from whom the Messiah will come are saved through Joseph. 

What course corrections do you need to make today in your life?  What destination is God's providential hand taking you to?  We you comply?  Will you be a person of integrity, forgiveness, and trust like Joseph?

How the Electoral College works

The people of the United States elect a president every four years, but not directly.  Last night my family shared a meal with some friends and we watched what was taking place in our nation.    During the day and evening questions were asked about the Electoral College.  How does it work?  What is the importance of it?  Even, why do we have it?  Well, here are some thoughts on how it works and why we have it.

1.     Every four years, in November it is called a presidential election year.  Each state holds an election for president in which all eligible citizens may vote. Today citizens vote for a "ticket" of candidates that includes a candidate for president and a candidate for vice president.

2.     The outcome of the vote in each state determines a slate of electors who then, in turn, make the actual choice of president and vice president. Each state has as many electors as it has senators and members of the House of Representatives, for a total of 538. (The District of Columbia gets three electors even though it has no representation in Congress.)

3.     In December, the electors meet in their respective state capitols to cast their ballots for president and vice president. States may or may not require their electors to vote with the popular majority, and they may or may not give all of their electors to the winner of the statewide popular vote.

4.     These ballots are opened, counted, and certified by a joint session of Congress in January.

5.     If no candidate wins a majority of the electoral votes or if the top two candidates are tied, the House of Representatives selects a president from among the five candidates with the most votes. Each state's delegation has a single vote. The Senate selects a vice president by the same process. (This hasn't happened since 1876, but it almost happened in 2000.)

What does this mean in practice? It means, that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide does not necessarily become president.  The reason for this is there is no national election for president, only separate state elections! For a candidate to become president, he or she must win enough state elections to garner a majority of electoral votes. Presidential campaigns, therefore, focus on winning states, not on winning a national majority.
It also means that — at least in theory — electors can spoil the popular will and vote for a candidate not supported by the voters of their state. In practice, however, electors are pledged to cast their votes in accordance with the popular vote, and "faithless electors" who go against the popular vote are extremely rare. 

The question is often raised: Why not a popular vote?   Here is an attempt to give some modern and historical perspectives:

In 1787, no nation like the United States existed anywhere in the world.  The "founding fathers" were debating many aspects of government.  Practices and policies alike were often intensely debated.  They often looked to history, philosophy, and the Bible for guidance and understanding.  Through this process it became clear what they did and did not like about existing governments in Europe and around the world.  Not all of them agreed — in fact, many of them disagreed completely with one another.  At times they even had heated debates both in person and on paper via letters sent to one another.  Debates on important issues such as how much power the people should have, how much power the states should have and the roles and power limitations of all the branches of our government were hot topics.   When it came to the Electoral College this system was a compromise on two important issues:

1.     The first was how much power the people should have.

2.     The second was how much power small and large states should have.

When considering the Electoral College these are two central issues.  In 1787, it was not at all clear whether “democracy” would work. In fact "democracy" was a bit of an uncertainty in the minds of many.  The idea of a true democracy raised fears of mob rule.  This had happened in a few places during and after the Revolution and many wanted to ensure it did not happen again.  It is important to keep in mind that The United States was intended as a Republic not a Democracy, in which the people would govern themselves only through elected representatives.
Because the role of the president was so important, most of the framers thought that the people couldn't be trusted to elect the president directly. Instead, they should elect electors, who would convene as a "college of electors" to consider the available candidates and pick the best man for the job.
Before the Revolution, the British colonists did not have much awareness of being an American. They may have identified themselves instead with the British Empire and with their own colonies. Even after the Revolution, loyalty to one's state often still came first. The Constitution was intended to unite the states under a single national government — but not entirely. Small states like New Jersey feared that if they formed a union with the other twelve states, they would be swallowed up under the influence of more populous states like Virginia and New York. Virginia and New York, of course, thought that they should have the most influence. That is why the states have equal representation in the Senate but representation by population in the House of Representatives: it was a compromise that allowed large states to “let their voice” be heard but still allowed small states to keep their identities and fight for their interests.
When it came to voting for president, the framers of the Constitution decided that the states should do the voting, not the people. It is important to keep in mind that there was no consciousness of the United States as a single nation; it was, literally, a union of separate states. So voting for president was to take place by state, so that each state could have its say. The compromise between big and small states was extended to the Electoral College, so that each state has as many electors as it has senators and members of the House of Representatives combined. Big states still have the most influence, but small states aren't completely lost in the national vote.

It was up to the states to decide how they ought to vote for their electors — and to a great extent still is, in fact. There is no national election for president, but rather fifty-one separate elections, one in each state and one in the District of Columbia. In the beginning, state legislatures voted for electors, who in turn voted for the president and vice president. Electors were free to vote for the candidate of their choice, but over time they were increasingly elected because they supported a particular candidate. By 1832, every state but South Carolina held direct elections for president, and electors were effectively bound to vote for a particular candidate. (South Carolina held out until 1864.)

Today, of course, every state allows citizens to vote.  Then it is the duty of the Electoral College to officially elect the President and Vice President of the United States.  Today, the number of electors is 538, based on the total voting membership of the United States Congress (435 Representatives and 100 Senators) plus three electors from the District of Columbia.

The electors are still not legally bound to vote for any particular candidate. An elector could, in theory, throw his or her vote to any candidate! Since each candidate has his or her own slate of electors, however, and since the electors are chosen not only for their loyalty but because they take their responsibility seriously, this almost never happens. (It last happened in 1988, when it had no impact on the outcome of the election.) Some states have laws requiring electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote.

In addition, a state doesn't have to throw all of its electors behind the candidate that receives the most popular votes in that state. Two states, Maine and Nebraska, assign one elector to the winner of each Congressional district and the remaining two electors to the candidate with the most votes statewide.

The original Constitution also did not take into account the development of political parties. Electors were to vote for two candidates for president. The man with the highest number of votes that was a majority became president, and the man with the second highest number of votes became vice president. In 1800, however, the Democratic-Republican Party nominated Thomas Jefferson for president and Aaron Burr for vice president, and because there was no separate voting for the two offices, the two men tied in the electoral college. The House of Representatives had to decide the issue. Afterwards, the 12th Amendment to the Constitution was passed, changing the system to what we see practiced today.

Let not your voice be Troubled!

Unless your head has been stuck in the sand you know that tomorrow will be a very important day in the life of our nation.  In less than 24 hours people across our nation will head to the polls and cast a vote. 

Much has been made about this election and as I listen to some Christians I am concerned.  It is as if the evidence of their Christianity is found and whether or not they voted.  I believe the Christian life is more than casting a vote, and it's more than wearing a sticker.  And yes I believe it's more than listening to a  certain musical style, and it's so much more than just putting on a T-shirt.

One thing is clear we have a civil and spiritual responsibility to be good citizens. We must not only be good citizens in this land we call America but we must be good citizens of the most high King and his kingdom.  Yes we have a civil responsibility to vote but we also have a voice of voice that sometimes we fail to use.  I'm glad that I live in America even with all that's wrong with America we are still a great nation!

Yesterday I shared a message from Jeremiah.  If you missed it check it out simply look for the title "A Nation in Peril" http://expectinganencounter.com/special.php.

Jeremiah warns of a catastrophe to avoid, he warns the nation of Israel that time has run out, and as a weeping prophet he stands lamenting same this summer has passed and the harvest has ended.  The point was clear:  there is a point of return of return for a nation, a people, and he's society. 

I fear that we have become a people who are absence from God's house on God’s day, because like the nation of Israel we have our idols we hold onto.  We have abandoned our faithfulness, and we have surrendered our commitments.   Here is our attitude today:   “Sure preacher we will come to church and be faithful so long as nothing else interferes.”  I really think we need to be concerned that were so unconcerned.  It really is time for all this silly church membership stuff to stop.  We can no longer look at the church as if it's a club.  We can no longer consider our offerings simply dues to the organization.  It is time to pay wake up and listen to God and ignore him no longer.  This is the time to be serious. 

This is the time for red-hot believers to be on fire for the King!  Sure the truth is unpopular.  That has ever been?  Must stand for the unvarnished truths of God's word.  Besides, what's the worst they can do? Take our life? The Bible says to be absent from the body to be present with the Lord.  So if someone in this world takes my life because I'm a follower of Jesus Christ I'll be kicking of gold dust in heaven… Is that really a loss?

Below the only way we lose is if we sat in silence and if we are absent because of our apathy.    Many Christians today think the politicians have the answer, others think the counselor has the answer, or the psychiatrist has the answer.  But I'm telling you the answer does not come from our humanity, the answer for our problems come only from God himself!

And we need parents today who will teach their children right and wrong, we need parents who will stand even when it's unpopular to do so.  We need husbands to love their wives as has asked us to do has asked us to do.  We need wives to love their husbands and Scripture has asked us to do. We need to stand up and call sin, what it is: sin.  We need to point people to their only hope in that is Christ the Lord!

Whatever the outcome of this election, keep in mind that the hope of the kingdom of God does not rest in the backs of donkeys and elephants, but the hope of the world rest in Jesus Christ!