Where Are You Looking?

The other day, I re-Tweeted a post from the pastor of a large area church, who was sharing his excitement and burden to share the message that the Holy Spirit had given him for Sunday morning. I have heard him preach several times, know several members of his church and see him to be a very godly and energetic preacher of the Word.

About an hour later, I saw a notification in my Interactions feed that he was now following me!

Let's be honest for a moment. On Twitter, everyone WANTS followers. Some pay for them, some follow others just to be followed back, and some just take whomever decides to follow. But seeing "@ChrchCurmudgeon and 6 others followed you" will put a smile on your face! Especially when it's someone like the pastor I mentioned.

However, that still, small voice whispered into my heart "Are you more excited about him following you, or are you more excited about you following ME?" #OUCH

Jesus didn't tell Peter and Andrew "Come, follow each other, and you will become fishers of men." He said "follow ME, and I will make you fishers of men."

Now, I'm not cancelling my Twitter account, or suggesting that anyone else should. My point is simply this: Our greatest passion and excitement should and must come from the fact that the Creator of the universe has invited us to personally follow HIM.

Do You Treat The Bible Like Twitter?

I have a decent presence on Twitter, and receive interaction notifications almost every day. They typically say something like "@FairICBaptist followed you" or "@BackRowBaptist favorited one of your Tweets".

In case you are not on Twitter, when you see a Tweet that you like, you can "favorite" it so that you can find it again easily. It could be compared to bookmarking a verse in your Bible, so that you can read it again in the future. Psalm 119:11 tells us "Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You."

However, there is another option when you find a great Tweet. You can Re-Tweet it to YOUR followers. That is, you have a different circle of influence than the person who originally made the statement. The only way someone may hear that wisdom (or joke) is if you share it with them. Reading the Bible is the exact same. You may be the only way that your co-workers, neighbors or friends ever get biblical wisdom poured into their lives.

There are multiple verses that state this, but one of my favorites is my life-verse, Ezra 7:10 "For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." In Psalm 51:13, David tells us "Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You."

So, are you being selfish with God's word, or are you sharing it? Remember, you may be the messenger God desires to use to speak Truth into someone's life.

Do you recognize His voice?

I have played bass guitar on and off since I was about 16. My step-father plays and got me hooked on the instrument. When I was single and in college, music was a major part of my life. I ran around with a local band, went to many, many concerts, and bought a new cassette or CD weekly.

My personal practice time was a large part of my daily routine. I had one of the old-style weighted metronomes like you see piano teachers use on TV or the movies. I would set the timing at 60 beats per minute and play scales. I would start at the top of the neck, play the scale forward, then play it in reverse until I came back to the root note. If I muted or missed a note, I would replay that scale until I got it right. Then, I'd move my hand down one fret and play the scale again. I repeated this process until I reached the bottom of the neck. At that point, I began moving back up the neck until I reached the top.

I then moved the metronome speed up one click to 64 BPM and repeated the entire process.

I then moved the metronome speed up one click to 72 BPM and repeated the entire process.

I then moved the metronome speed up one click to 76 BPM and repeated the entire process.

I continued this process until I reached the point at which I could not consistently play the notes properly and accurately.

This training exercise benefited me in three major ways. First, it forced me to work on my technique, so that I played the easy, slow notes with the same precision and skill as the harder, faster notes in a song. Second, the hours and hours of practice put callouses on my fingers that actually helped me play better.

The greatest benefit, however, was that I learned to identify individual notes by simply hearing them. Pick any note on the musical scale, and there are eight different ways to play them on a four string bass, if the neck is fretted to two octaves. An open E string, an E played on the 7th fret of the A string, an E played on the 2nd fret of the D string and an E played on the 9th fret of the G string all have a different feel. They are all the same note, but like shades of a primary color, they are clearly different to someone who spends time interacting with them.

While I don't read music, I could listen to a song on the radio and instantly pick up my bass and play along. I knew the sound of the bass guitar, and could also discern when a certain Canadian bassist was using foot pedals instead of playing his bass so that he could play keyboards with his hands. They sound close, but they are not the same.

Jesus talked about this too. In John 10:27, He says "MY sheep hear MY voice, and I know them, and they follow ME."

A Christian must spend time in prayer and in the Bible developing callouses. Learning to perfect our technique of relying on Christ and His Word as we interact with the world. And above all, learning to know HIS voice. False teachers, ear-ticklers and feel-good profits are everywhere, claiming to speak the Gospel.

We must know the difference, not only for our own benefit, but you cannot accurately point someone else to Jesus, if you are listening to an imitation.

Appropriate dress for a Christian woman

First of all, if you are not a Christian, you probably don't want to read this post. You won't understand the foundation from whence it proceeds. Additionally, hateful rants from non-Christians will be deleted. Respectful discussion from all is welcomed. Before you read this post, you might want to read my post to men The Christian Man's Guide To Viewing Pornography.

Imagine going with your alcoholic brother to an AA meeting...and you take a six pack of beer. Your logic? Well, HE has the drinking problem, not me. Likewise, imagine going to a Gamblers Anonymous with your sister...and betting on and following the track results on your smart phone. Both ideas are ludicrous, right? Why then, do Christian women dress in a revealing manner, firstly in public, but more importantly, at worship services?

Could it be that women do not understand the nature, depth and power of men's struggle with sexual sin? Or might it simply be a casual indifference to the struggle of others based upon their own sense of importance and personal rights?

Ladies, let me be plainspoken about men and sexual sin. Every man is tempted by sexual sin. Not a few, not some, not most. EVERY man is tempted. But not every man wrestles with sexual sin. A lot of men not only give in, they relish in sexual sin. Additionally, men who aren't Christians don't even VIEW sexual sin as sexual sin. But what does the Bible say about sexual sin? "But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints" Ephesians 5:3 Okay, that's what Paul told the Ephesians, but what did Jesus say? In Matthew 5:28, He said "But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Possibly, you have heard it said that men are visually stimulated? It's the absolute truth. We are not only visually stimulated, we are virtual recorders. Lean forward in front of a man so that your blouse fall open. CLICK! He just took a mental photograph of you. Wear a skirt with a high hem line or one with a slit all the way up the leg. Walk by a man. CLICK! He just took a mental photograph of you. Wear a pair of pants so tight that someone can tell if the quarter in your back pocket is heads or tails. CLICK! Ladies, I'm sure you'd be shocked at how many times you are "captured" throughout your day.

I am sure there are some reading this who are thinking "Well, that's HIS problem. That's HIS sin. I have the right to dress however I feel like dressing. I have the right to feel good about myself, and dressing like this makes me feel good!" Parallel to earlier, what did Paul say? He told the Corinthians "Or do you know know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body" What did Jesus say about causing others to stumble? "Whoever causes on of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea" Mark 9:42

Scripture is clear: it is a man's fault and responsibility if he commits lusts after a woman.

Scripture is clear: if a woman dresses in a way that leads her brother in Christ to sin, it is her fault and responsibility. Her sin has been ADDED to his, it does not negate or excuse his sin.

My sisters, PLEASE become aware of how your choice of dress affects your brothers. I'm not advocating burkas! But, your wardrobe choices should begin with the question "Does this honor and glorify God" and end with the question "Will this cause my brother to stumble?"

One of the Christian women that has dealt with this issue is Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Her interview with Leslie Basham in June of 2005 is a great read.

A Discretionary Response

A man's discretion makes him slow to anger,

And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

Proverbs 19:11

Have you ever heard someone tell you that "I have a right to be mad!"  I have to admit, as an American, I see my own rights as being very important. All to often, I think of myself first and foremost in any situation.

However, that is not the attitude of Jesus Christ. Peter tells us about His response to offenses against Him. Choosing to overlook a transgression IS a response. And based on Scripture, it is the one that honors Christ and shows His light through you.

and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, 

He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

1 Peter 2:23

Before you think about your rights, remember the rights, position and worship that Jesus set aside to deliver you. Treat others with that love, so that you can honor His sacrifice.

Clean Your Cup!

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 

For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, 

but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 

You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, 

so that the outside of it may become clean also.

Matthew 23:25-26

I have a coffee cup within reach most of the day when I am at work. Many times during my shift, I go tot the coffee machine and get a fresh cup of brew. And it tastes the same, time after time.

BUT, about once a week, I take my cup to the sink, and wash it out with soap and hot water. And that first cup tastes MUCH better!

Jesus tells us that our hearts are the same way. If we do not keep our sins scrubbed off, we build up layers of selfishness and pride. We become jaded to our sins, and bitter to those around us.

Keep your hands clean and your heart pure. Confess as soon as the Holy Spirit reveals sin in your life, so that you may be a source of fresh, clean Living Water to a thirsty, parched world around you.

Noble Minded Men

Listen, for I (Wisdom) will speak noble things;

And the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

Proverbs 8:6

Now these (the men of Berea) were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

Acts 17:11

We typically associate the term noble with nobility, that is, we associate it with royalty. However, it doesn't simply refer to something being elevated or above normal standards. Consider the title of a certain group of elements, specifically known as the "noble gases". These elements (Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon and Radon) have an extremely low rate of reactivity. This is a result of the fact that their outer electron shells are full. That is to say, they are satisfied. For another element to bond with a noble gas, one or more electrons have to first be stripped off. Some of what they are has to be relinquished before they can be changed.

Are we like the noble men of Berea or clinging to noble wisdom? Or are we discontent and seeking to be something else? Do we readily accept any new teaching, because we either don't know Scripture or because we don't bother to check what we've been told?

Paul told the Ephesians what happens when we mature in our faith and knowledge of Scripture in Ephesians 4:14. "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming"