CULTURAL OBLIGATION

-->

I Was Just Thinking About – CULTURAL OBLIGATION.

A question that confronts all of us: Can any one individual influence or impact the culture? Does one’s life have any value as illumination in the midst of darkness? Can you and/or I make a difference?

In Romans 1:14-16 NKJV), Paul stated, “I am under obligation…I am ready…I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.” It is this sense of personal commitment and obligation to which each of us should subscribe. Near the end of his life, Paul wrote – II Timothy 2:1-3, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure^[a]hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

A dear friend posted a Glenn Sunshine post on the subject of Culture. He wrote: "One of the signs of a great society is the diligence with which it passes culture from one generation to the next. This culture is the embodiment of everything the people of that society hold dear: its religious faith, it's heroes…when one generation no longer esteems its own heritage and fails to pass the torch to its children, it is saying in essence that the very foundational principles and experiences that make the society what it is are no longer valid. This leaves that generation without any sense of definition or direction, making them the fulfillment of Karl Marx's dictum, A people without a heritage are easily persuaded. What is required when this happens and the society has lost its way, is for leaders to arise who have not forgotten the discarded legacy and who loves it with all their hearts. They can then become the voice of that lost generation, wooing an errant generation back to the faith of their fathers, back to the ancient foundations and bedrock values." - Winston Churchill from "Never Give In", Page 190.

The sentence that captured my attention was: “One of the signs of a great society is the diligence with which it passes culture from one generation to the next. This culture is the embodiment of everything the people of that society hold dear: its religious faith, it's heroes…when one generation no longer esteems its own heritage and fails to pass the torch to its children, it is saying in essence that the very foundational principles and experiences that make the society what it is are no longer valid.”

What heritage, legacy and cultural values are we passing on to our generation? Our children’s generation? Our Grandchildren’s generation? There is a Worship Chorus, written by Eleanor Murray – based upon Acts 1:8, that expresses the concern that each follower of Jesus Christ should embrace.

Ye are My witnesses, 'Tis the Lord's command. 

Ye are My witnesses; I have no other plan. 

How shall they hear? How shall they believe? 

Until the gospel they receive? 

For Christ said Ye are My witnesses, 

I have no other plan.

While Proof Reading a book epilogue, the following was stated: “Harry Reeder published a book on Church Revitalization, titled From Embers To A Flame. He wrote against this statistical background: “About 90 percent of all churches in North America average 100 people or less at worship. Over 80 percent of established American Churches are either on a plateau or decline. Every year 3,000 – 4,000 churches die in this country. An average of fifty to 60 congregation of American Congregations choose to dissolve every week. If these statistics are accurate (and they are verifiable from several sources), do we believe we have any responsibility and obligation in this area? Do we believe Jesus Christ has a solution for this religious epidemic that prevails in 2018?

Read Revelation 2:4-7, (J. B. Phillips New Testament): Jesus Christ is speaking: “I hold this against you, that you do not love Me as you did at first. Remember then how far you have fallen. Repent and live as you lived at first. Otherwise, if your heart remains unchanged, I shall come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Let every listener hear what the Spirit says to the Churches: To the victorious I will give the right to eat from the tree of life which grows in the paradise of God.”

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.

CAN WE TALK?

I Was Just Thinking About – CAN WE TALK?

A few years ago, the comedienne, Joan Rivers, would make use of the question in her act: Can We Talk? This would be followed by a series of quips of one sort or another. If the audience reacted negatively if the quips were raunchy, she would respond: Grow up! 

Last night, I was listening to one of the self-acclaimed leading talk show hosts and he was lamenting that with the repetitious nature of the current news (either real or fake) he had grown weary of it all. He indicated that he really had nothing left to say. His statement was interesting because of his frequent references to God in the several books he has written and published. His approach to God is based upon his Jewish background.

His comments caused me to immediately think of several possibilities that could be introduced to him and his program. The Gospel of John closes with these words (John 21:24-25 – NLT), “This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate. Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.”

This also brought to mind the words sung so eloquently by George Beverly Shea, written by Frederick Lehman, The Love of God. The third stanza contains these words: “Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made; Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.”

When I was much younger, Camp Choruses that were popular were aligned in a medley that included: “LET'S TALK ABOUT JESUS, the King of kings is He, The Lord of lords supreme, through all eternity. The great I AM, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Door, Let's talk about Jesus more and more. ISN'T HE WONDERFUL, wonderful, wonderful, Isn't Jesus my Lord wonderful! Eyes have seen, ears have heard, it's recorded in God's Word, Isn't Jesus my Lord wonderful! WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, JESUS IS TO ME! Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God is He! Saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame. Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His name. HE IS LORD. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead, and He is Lord. Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess That Jesus Christ is Lord. HIS NAME IS WONDERFUL. His name is Wonderful. His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord. He is the mighty King; Master of everything, His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord. He's the great Shepherd, the Rock of all ages, Almighty God is He. Bow down before Him, praise and adore Him, His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord.”

The words of Paul to Timothy,  Second Timothy 3:8-13, remind us: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead…The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself.” We should always remember the words of Jesus Christ, Matthew 10:32-33, “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

What do all of these things mean for the Biblical Christian today? There is a simple and basic answer: In life, deed and word – let’s live and talk about Jesus more and more.

Prayerfully – consider these things with me!

DEFINITIONS

I Was Just Thinking About – DEFINITIONS.

With the emerging gay and transgender culture in this nation, there has now come an effort to change the English Language, especially pronouns, that will reflect neutrality rather than a him or her identity. Just a handful of Universities are allowing for the introduction of neutral pronouns such as: “yo, ze, ve”. Using “ze” as an example, would result in: “Ze laughed.” “Ask Zir.” That’s Zir pen.” That pen’s Zirs.” “Did ‘Ze’ enjoy ‘zirself’?” In sentence form, the example used is: “Ze reminded Zirself to pick up Zir umbrella before going outside.”

The language used should convey some meaningful and more easily understood concept for life. A promotional on the Trinity Broadcasting Network features two of their younger preachers (Joseph Prince and Joel Osteen). The question is: What is the best way for one to begin each new day? Osteen said it is the word, Hope; Prince indicated it is the word Grace. Both ministries are affected and impacted by that which is the point of emphasis. Osteen does go on with the idea of happy and joy, whereas Prince remains more committed to his use of grace. In a totally different context, when a person was engaged in a discussion asked: “Do I look as though I am ubiquitous?” what did he mean when he used that word? Was it used to stifle further discussion of an uncomfortable subject? Did he use it to demonstrate his intellect?

This concept was inherent in the conversation about worship Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus said to her (John 4:22-24): “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Jesus defined God as being a spirit, and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and truth. Is that all that God is? Is this the only way one is to understand God? Would the word ubiquitous apply to the Triune God?

When the Westminster Divines were writing the Confession of Faith and Catechisms, they were stalled by the question: What is God? Someone allowed that maybe they asked the wrong question. They might’ve better asked: Who is God? Either question would’ve received the same response: (Q. & A 4): “God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, goodness and truth.” Where does “ubiquitous” become part of this definition? The focus needs to be on the Being of God – Infinite, Eternal, Unchangeable. This bridges us over to His non-communicable attributes: Omniscience; Omnipotence; Immutability and Omnipresence (being everywhere present at the same time - Ubiquitous).

The fact of Who/What God is should bring encouragement and comfort to God’s people. The reminder that should be part of who we are and what we believe is Hebrews 13:5-6, “God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you. So we can say with confidence, The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” The song of our hearts should be: “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I've proved Him o'er and o'er; Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Oh, for grace to trust Him more!”

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.