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Thursday, April 18, 2013

The same yesterday, today and forever

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” – Hebrews 13:8
In ancient Greece, it was standard practice for unwanted babies to be left outside to die. Either the weather or wild animals killed them. Or, someone would take them and they would be raised as slaves. Those were the lucky ones!

It wasn’t just sickly babies. Unwanted babies of all types, including females, were simply discarded (men got to make the decision on this and girls weren’t desirable in those days). We look back on this horrific practice with disapproval. Really? Today, instead of waiting for them to be born, unwanted babies are simply ripped from their mother’s womb and discarded. It was the law in ancient Greece and we call it barbaric. It is the law in the US and the rest of the world and we call it a woman’s right to choose.
One reason Christianity grew so quickly was because women, not empowered in the ancient world, flocked to it. This was in large part because Christians said, “Don’t kill babies.” God says a life is important (‘thou shalt not kill’). Jesus says children are important (‘If anyone causes one of these little ones…to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.’)

Society says it’s okay to murder your unborn children, just as it did several thousand years ago. But the message of the Bible is the same yesterday, today and forever. I am still convinced that many people deny Christianity because at its root, it requires a person to acknowledge there is something greater: it’s not all about them. And today, more than ever, that is the exact opposite of our “Look at me!” culture.

The fact that society insists on framing the issue of abortion as being about a woman’s choice, rather than about the life of an unborn child…. Jesus’ words and the words of the Bible offer a foundation that is unchanging. Society and modern culture blow with the wind. And in today’s reality television world, society says, “It’s all about ME.” That’s not quite in line with Jesus’ proclamation that He came to serve, not be served.
Because millions of babies are being killed each year (in America, almost 3,500 abortions are performed EVERY DAY), abortion is the most visible (and shameful) example of this secular disregard of the message of the Bible: But there are many more. Jesus said to welcome strangers. Modern culture says to take away immigrants’ health benefits and deport them. Jesus said to help the poor and homeless. Modern culture says to ban them from downtown streets. Jesus says that blessed are the peacemakers. Modern culture says to avenge every affront made to you and more guns are the answer. Jesus said that the meek will inherit the earth. Modern culture measures success by wealth and how much you own.

Clearly, many Christians don’t read their Bible, don’t know their Bible and don’t live their Bible. The neo-Christians protesting outside of Vineyard Columbus Church (I won’t give them publicity by naming them here) are an example of the extreme fringe who miss entirely the meaning of the New Testament. More common are those who declare themselves Christians and simply leave it at that.
I believe that today, Jesus would speak out against abortion. I do NOT believe that he would stand outside an abortion clinic and insult women going in, or murder abortion doctors. Nor would he hold up giants sign with aborted fetuses where children could see them. 

But the message of Jesus and the Bible remains the same. And the Christians who do read, know and live the Bible, choose to believe in what the Bible tells them, instead of what society tells them. And their compass will always point true north. Society’s compass will constantly change direction and those who follow it will wander along the path.


  1. I want to know the name of the group that's chasing away 30% of our congregation! ..

    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    2. which group would you like the name of? there are 3-4 groups represented on any given weekend... we all agree on the same issues but have two different main goals... lead by two different groups/organizations... a couple of the people with us are former 15+ year members that come to help because they back our ministry.... such how much info would you like? and what questions would you like answered, mind you some of the questions you may ask might require me to ask you to do some research to verify things before i make statements

  2. Just walk up to them and ask

  3. The reason the groups are there is because as Christians, we are called to agitate against evil in our society. Luther nailed a list of 95 statements against the practices going on in his church. Was he a Christian or not?

    John the Baptist was calling out against evil in his society and had his head removed.

    Isaiah was stuck inside a log and sawn in half while alive.

    The problem as seen by these groups is not that the churches aren't doing anything to help those in need, it's that a modern Auschwitz is just down the streets from these mega churches and they knowingly remain silent. We know the churches aren't practicing abortion, but we also know they are silent as the grey smoke wafts past them.

    What do we say about the townsfolk who lived by the Nazi death camps? We say they were guilty too, and we made them walk thru their local death camp so they could see what they remained silent on.

    Silence prevents people from doing anything because people prefer to follow than to lead; if their spiritual leaders don't think it's important, they won't either.

    Silence screams.

    That silence means they are do-nothings in the fight against the murder of thousands of babies who are butchered just down the road.

    Here's an example of why that's a horrific thing, and we think it comes down to liking money more than sacrificing the pleasant opinion of the world: George Tiller "The Killer" was an abortionist in Kansas. He slaughtered 40,000 babies. Did his church say anything about it? No.

    So a major baby killer was in their midst, part of their group. They too remained silent on that evil, and Dr. Mengele was in their midst.

    Those who prefer to preach a comfortable Gospel, are not preaching the Gospel at all. They are giving a counterfeit. The Gospel of Jesus Christ demands we repent of our sin and our sins. The Gospel *demands* we preach truth and righteousness, yet these mega churches do not want to preach the truth. They simply stick to the niceties while ignoring the greater truth.

    Result: more dead babies.

  4. I forgot to be more specific on why we're at the churches instead of the slaughter mills.

    First, we are at the mills sometimes daily.

    Second, our leaders have gone to the pastors and were rejected. The pastors said they just don't think it's important enough to be bothered. Are they kidding?

    It is this silence that caused me to quit going to church 30 years ago. Why would I want to go to a place that blathers nice things while leaving really important issues untouched? Those churches are failures.

    It is because of great preachers in the churches I started going to, that I returned to Christ. They preached on the evils of society. They wrestled with the hard issues and were willing to be attacked because they knew that to truly preach Christ is to become an offense to the world. But churches such as the Vineyard Columbus on Cooper Road prefer not to be bothered by what Christ said is required.

    The agitation groups are simply modern "95 Theses", pounding on the doors of the sleeping church.