The Danger Of The Prosperity Gospel

We have a responsibility to the Gospel to make sure that we not only uphold it, share it, and live it but to also defend it. Any misrepresentation of God’s Word should be met, and countered, with sound Biblical doctrine.

The prosperity Gospel that teaches if you are in God’s will then you will be blessed with health, wealth and success isn’t the good news message that Jesus spoke. The danger of such a tainted message is that it could (and does) easily lead to disbelief when we arrive on difficult times. Those types of hard days aren’t reserved for those who are distant from God, those types of hard days are just a part of life.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." – John 16:33

Does our sinful nature lead us into trouble? Absolutely it does! However, sometimes (often times) we face difficult challenges so that God can reveal His power in us, strengthen us, and/or grow our faith. God’s message to the exiles in Ezekiel 13, condemning false prophets, still applies today to those who water down and distort the truth of God’s word in order to profit from it.

Here’s a message that I preached on 12-3-14 on Ezekiel 13 and the dangers of the prosperity Gospel. 

Confused? Ask For Help!

James 1:5-8

5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.

​There are two things we can take from this passage. First, we need to understand that times will come when we do not understand a situation or circumstance. We need to know that its okay when we reach that moment but we also need to know that we can (and should) seek the Lord's wisdom on it. God desires to reveal things to us. So many people live shallow Christian lives simply because they are trying to figure everything out on their own and not seek wisdom from the Lord. 

Lack of understanding is dangerous because it can cause us to doubt and when we doubt our God and our faith we are stuck with an inward struggle that results in no outward reflection of Jesus in our lives. That's why James says that the doubter is tossed about like the waves of the sea. 

Instead, God wants us to have a clear sense of direction and understanding. The only way we're able to do that is to seek Him on a daily basis and ask for understanding.

The second thing we can take from this passage is that God gives generously and without criticizing when we ask for understanding. In other words, He treats us with grace and mercy. We all have been, or will be, in a situation where someone around us doesn't understand our position, instruction or direction. The natural reaction is to respond with frustration but let's always remember how God responds to us. 

Pray for the trust to seek understanding from the Lord and the ability to respond to others with the grace and mercy of Christ. 

Use Difficult Times As Teaching Moments

James Chapter 1 

Greeting 

1 James, a •slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ:To the 12 tribes in the Dispersion.

Greetings. Trials and Maturity 

2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. 

​Difficult times are going to come about. Sometimes it may be with you and mom or I or with your brother and sisters. Sometimes it may be at school, work or with athletics or something else. The point is this, you will not guide your way through life smoothly. 

The question is, what do you do in difficult times. James (the brother of Jesus) tells us that we should consider it joy when those times occur. The reason is because God is trying to teach us something and better us. Our immediate response seems to be to answer difficulties with frustration, blame and anger. I want to encourage you to instead, respond by thanking God for an opportunity to learn something about yourself, someone else or Him. Then seek the purpose behind your difficult circumstance by seeking the Lord. 

There are two ways to respond to difficult times/situations. One way destroys our relationships and reputation and the other builds our Godly character. I pray that you seek the later of the two. 

Occupy Movement Linked To Bomb Plot In Cleveland

I'm not sure why we didn't see this on the national news over the weekend (sarcasm) but there is a strong connection between the Occupy movement and domestic terrorism in Cleveland, OH. According to CantonRep.com, five men were arrested on an accusation of trying to bomb a highway bridge south of Cleveland using fake bombs that were provided through an undercover FBI agent.

One of the men arrested, Anthony Hayne, also happens to have signed the lease to a warehouse that houses around a dozen Occupy protesters in the Cleveland area. Now the Occupy movement is trying to distance themselves from Hayne and the perception of violence. Don't be fooled though!


The Occupy movement is grounded in socialism and in violence. Occupy Cleveland spokesman, Joseph Zitt, says that the group of men arrested don't reflect the non-violent philosophy movement and have been removed from the group. “These people participated in aspects of the movement, but once we discovered what was going on we decided they could not be part of it,” Zitt said. “I wish we had learned earlier.”


As with just about any other aspect of life we need to look at what people are doing as opposed to what they are saying. Actions always, always speak louder than words. The video above is from an Occupy the Occupy Los Angeles camp. You tell me, do the words, " the bourgeoisie won’t go without violent means. Revolution! Yes, revolution that is led by the working class. Long live revolution! Long live socialism!” followed by cheering sound like a non-violent group to you?

Don't Think We Take The Bible For Granted? Watch This Video!

In a culture where we leave Bibles laying around in our cars from Sunday to Sunday, on coffee tables or stuck on bookshelves its very easy to take the Word of God for granted. However, what if we didn't have the Bible in our own language? How would our attention to the detail of God's Word be then?

A friend of mine sent me this video. Its of the day that the Kimyal Tribe of Papua, Indonesia received the Bible, written in their language, for the very first time. I'm amazed at how much they celebrated the arrival of the Bible and the amount of emotion that was shown once it was received. Its certainly something that we can learn from because to these people the Word of God has legitimate value. I'm willing to bet that you won't find one just laying around on a shelf among this tribe.

How about we learn something from our brothers and sisters here and start celebrating the Word of God!

Did Abraham Believe In The Resurrection Power Of God When He Offered Isaac?

We just celebrated Easter weekend and the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. It’s the ability of God to raise Jesus from the dead that should give every Christian believer the confidence of knowing that there is no circumstance in life that we cannot overcome through the power of Christ who lives in us. However, in a follow-up to my sermon from Easter Sunday we discover that believing in the resurrection power of God is not limited to the New Testament.

In Genesis chapter 22 God asks Abraham to take his son Isaac and sacrifice him in the region of Moriah. Keep in mind that Isaac was the promised child of the covenant who the Lord had said would use to make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. There’s no doubt that Isaac meant the world to Abraham because in addition to being the fulfillment of God’s promise he was Abraham and Sarah’s only child.

So why would God ask for Isaac to be sacrificed? The brief moral of the story is that God was testing Abraham to see if Isaac had replaced the Lord’s spot in Abraham’s life and whether Abraham still looked at Isaac as God’s blessed child or as his own child. If you’re familiar with the story then you know that the Lord ultimately sent a substitute sacrifice for Isaac once he saw Abraham’s willingness to be obedient. God then reiterated his promise to Abraham in regards to the covenant. However, what did Abraham believe was going to happen if he had truly sacrificed Isaac?

Part of the answer is found in verse five. There he tells his servants to stay with the animals while he and Isaac go up to worship. The he says specifically that “we will come back to you.” There was no doubt in Abraham’s mind that he was returning with Isaac. He was fully committed to living out God’s covenant in his life and was devoted in following the Lord’s direction even when it wasn’t crystal clear and extremely difficult. God’s promise meant so much that he actually would have sacrificed his own son for the sake of obedience to the Lord.

Today we look at that story and are tempted to comment on how sick and twisted it is that Abraham would have actually slain his child in the presence of Jehovah. In doing so we fail to see that the focus of the story isn’t on Isaac at all but rather Abraham’s heart. The fulfillment of God’s promise wasn’t based on Isaac’s health or life. It was based solely on God’s power and Abraham was confident in that power, so much so that the author of Hebrews tells us in 11:19 that Abraham believed that God would have risen Isaac from the dead had he been sacrificed. Now that’s faith!

You and I also have a promise that we can stake our lives on. Jeremiah 29:11 (what I’m preaching on this Sunday) tells us that God has a plan for our lives that is to prosper us and not to harm us. God’s plan is to give us hope and a future. Seek to live out God’s plan for you and be willing to sacrifice all at the altar of God knowing that His resurrection power can restore and rebuild broken, hearts, dreams and lives as well as supply all that we need for prosperity within his plan. Ho

Melchizedek - Could He Be Jesus In The Old Testament?

One of the great things that I love about my church is the inquisitiveness of our congregation. In my sermon on April 1st I mentioned that Abram's encounter with Melchizedek in Genesis 14 could have been an encounter with Jesus Christ. In fact, that's actually what I believe and here's why.

In Genesis 14 Melchizedek is described as a "priest of God Most High" but he's also introduced as the king of Salem which is important to note because of the meaning of both his name and the meaning of Salem. Before we go there let's look back at Genesis 14 real quick. It says that he is a priest and that Abraham gave him a tithe of ten percent. This is long before the tribe of Levi and eventually the priestly order that came through it. At this point in history there is no Levitical Law to tell people to tithe. Melchizedek surpasses all of that!

While that's not enough evidence on its own to indicate that Melchizedek is an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament so consider this. In Psalm 110 David is clearly speaking of the Messiah when he says, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." Did you catch that? Genesis describes Melchizedek as a priest of God Most High and then David says that Jesus is a priest forever!

Now, consider this. To my knowledge the only other place in the Bible to talk about Melchizedek is the book of Hebrews. In chapter seven we are told that the name Melchizedek actually means King of Righteousness and that king of Salem means King of Peace. There is no other King of Righteousness or King of Peace above Jesus Christ. He is the King of Kings!

Then the author of Hebrews goes on to say that Melchizedek is without origin. No beginning or end, no mother or father and without beginning of life or end of days. He then goes on to say that he is a priest forever (the exact same phrase David attributes to Jesus) resembling the Son of God.

How could Melchizedek be anyone other than Jesus?

Memos From The Mission Field - According To Plan?

The first rule of mission trips that we try to teach people is that nothing...absolutely nothing...goes according to plan. You can have the best laid out plans in the history of mission trips but I promise they will change once you actually get on the ground. That's what happened to us on Friday.

We met up with a friend of mine named Tim for breakfast around 7:15 in the morning. Tim is a resident of Panama where he and his family serve as missionaries. He will soon have a new job title of connecting local churches in the states to local churches in Panama. For that reason I invited him to travel to David with us in order to meet some

of the contacts that I knew there.

Our short, one-hour, flight to David left at 9:30 and we were ready to hit the ground running. The plan was to meet Pastor Ricardo, who is a local pastor and is heavily involved in mission projects, upon arrival and start exploring ministry options. That was the plan...

When we were met at the church by Jim (a North American who lives in Panama) we were informed that Ricardo was ill and wouldn't be able to be with us for the afternoon. So much for the plan, right? Well actually that's wrong. On the mission field plans don't completely fall apart...they just change. We were ready to adapt and move on.

One of the things that we needed to do while in David was to find a tour option for our mission team to enjoy on their day off. After grabbing a homemade lunch we were off to the Pacific to check out some beach options. There's a great beach resort close to David named Las Olas but unfortunately they didn't have enough rooms available for our day off for our group...but that didn't stop us from enjoying the beauty of the beach.

After striking out at the beach we decided to head to the Panama/Costa Rica boarder to see if there were any options there for a group to enjoy on a day off. Unfortunately we struck out again. While it was pretty cool crossing the boarder into Costa Rica there was absolutely nothing a mission team could do in that area on their day off.

We may have failed in our quest to find a tour activity but we got to enjoy some of the most beautiful scenery on the face of the planet in doing so. We talk a lot about how big God is with the understanding that there's nothing we can encounter that's bigger than Him. Exploring His creation and seeing the vastness of it goes a long way towards advancing that understanding.

The day ended with us attending a Friday night Bible study at the local church we're working in partnership with. It was an amazing day but there's still a ton of work to get done. Including finding a tour option.

Memos From The Mission Field - Mission Trips Really Aren't Like This

Typically when it comes to traveling I enjoy being in different places but I really don't enjoy the process of getting there. That has changed a little bit for me on my last two trips to Panama.

Flying on a plane can be a bit exciting if its your first or second time but after a while the adrenalin rush of speed and high altitudes gets replaced with the burdens of cramped seating, crying babies and anxiety to arrive at our destination.

Last November when I was leading a team from the Capital Baptist Association the airlines had a mix up on our plane tickets by overbooking the flight. The end result was a majority of our group being bumped to first class on our flight from Orlando to Panama City.

Now, fast forward to this trip. We are on a scouting trip in which we are exploring ministry opportunities for a group we are bringing in March. There are just two of us traveling this time and a great friend of ours from church got ahold of our flight information and upgraded our tickets to first class. So here I am again arriving to Panama in front of the plane and once again the process of getting there has become fun.

We arrived in Panama City around 2:00 local time and met up with one of our missionaries named Dave. Dave took us to his house for a little while where we enjoyed some iced tea and caught up on how our families have been since we last visited a few months ago.

After visiting for a little while we were off to our hotel to check in and then to dinner. We actually chose a Lebanese restaurant which I found amusing because we were in Panama. Over dinner Dave and his wife Nancy shared with us some of the amazing things God has been doing through their ministry.

As I settled in for bed that night I couldn't help but think over the day and how much I had enjoyed it. I got to fly first class with a good friend I've had since college. Got to visit with another longtime friend at his home and over dinner and I was settled into a comfortable bed in Panama City. The final thought I had was that if all mission trips were like this then I bet a whole lot more people would come. Fortunately they are not like this.

I say fortunately because comfort is the thing that keeps us off the mission field the most. We're not too keen on giving up our lavish lifestyles to be uncomfortable serving Christ to people who live in a completely different culture.

You could very well be screaming, "Wait a minute! Who are you calling lavish?" Well...its you. I'm saying that you live a lavish lifestyle. Even if you're on the complete opposite end of the tax bracket from the multimillionaires that you consider to be lavish you are still so far ahead of the people we're about to encounter and compared to them you've got it made.

We put so many things in the way of fulfilling the Great Commission and reaching out to make disciples in "all the world." The excuses of family, finances and culture among other things all become excuses we offer to God when we are asked to instead pick up our crosses and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23).

The question we must all ask is, are we willing to sacrifice family time, finances and embrace another culture to advance the cause of Christ? Mission trips aren't about first class, nice meals with friends and comfy hotel beds. Its about being willing to abandon comfort zones to answer the call of Jesus to go and make disciples. That's what we'd be doing and over the next 60 hours our hearts would become broken and our world views completely shaken to the core.

Unbelievable! Obama Claims To Be Nation's Fourth Best President

That's certainly not what the polls say, nor the jobless, no those who have had to foreclose ontheir homes, nor those on medicare struggling because of Obama's changes, etc...

Photos From The Mission Trip

Here are a couple of photos from my latest mission trip to Panama. Our mission team was divided into two groups and most of the photos are from my group that worked primarily in a community named Don Bosco. Some of the locations shown here are Ancon Hill, Balboa and Don Bosco.

Memos From The Mission Field - Part I "Arriving In First Class"

To me, the longest and most tedious part of a mission trip is the actual travel time to and from the destination. This certainly wasn't aided by the fact that our mission team had to fly from OKC to Atlanta, Georgia to Orlando, Florida and then to our final destination of Panama City, Panama. However, we did receive a small blessing when we arrived in Orlando.

After getting our luggage from Delta and then waiting in a forever slow line at Copa to recheck our bags we were informed that they had overbooked the flight and six of the members of our mission team did not have seats. So what did they do? They bumped them all to first class!

While we certainly aren't here on a pleasure seeking expedition arriving to Panama first class went a long way towards adding special memories to Caleb's mission trip experience.

More to come later

2011 MLB World Series - Tobacco Bans And Underdogs

Major League Baseball's fall classic starts tonight when the Texas Rangers travel to take on the St. Louis Cardinals in game one of the 2011 World Series. Of course with our current big government we can't just sit back and enjoy the grand stage of America's favorite pass time. We've got to decide if players using smokeless tobacco during the game is appropriate or not.

“When players use smokeless tobacco, they endanger not only their own health, but also the health of millions of children who follow their example,” the senators wrote to union head Michael Weiner. The letter was signed by Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, and fellow Democrats Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Senate Health Committee Chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa.

Of course they endanger their own health by chewing their cud and spitting on home plate. Its proven that smokeless tobacco causes oral, esophageal and pancreatic cancer. However, to be quite honest I feel that the teenager texting on the cell phone while driving next to me on the interstate endangers my children more than some multimillionaire slugging the ball out of the park with a wad of chum in his mouth.

“Unfortunately, as these young fans root for their favorite team and players, they also will watch their on-field heroes use smokeless tobacco products,” the democratic senators wrote.

What really saddens me about this is not the fact that our government seems bent on controlling every single little aspect of our lives but that they also put no stock in the role of parents. How about instead of shaking down Major League Baseball they start a campaign on equipping parents on how to properly educate their children on the dangers of tobacco products? It really shouldn't be this difficult should it?

My son: Dad, what is that they're spitting out of their mouths?

Me: Its chewing tobacco.

Son: It looks gross, what does it do?

Me: Its kinda like smoking but not really. People chew on it instead of smoking it. It really isn't good for you and causes cancer.

Son: Why do they do it then?

Me: Because some people make really bad decisions and don't really think of the consequences.

Son: I wouldn't want to do anything that could cause me to get cancer!

Me: Because you are a smart kid!

Son: Thanks dad!

See! That was quick and painless. It was also a conversation that never would have occurred had he not seen tobacco use during a Major League Baseball game. Thanks but no thanks, government. I prefer you do a little more work on the economy then focus on the World Series.

So who's going to win baseball's biggest prize? As a long-suffering Seattle Mariners fan I've grown accustomed to cheering for the underdog. That my friends is the St. Louis Cardinals. This is a team that just a little over a month ago was dead in the water and has now found themselves in the World Series. Just about everyone is picking the Rangers which makes the Cards the underdog and my team of choice in the World Series.

However, a little known fact is that since 1985 the home team in the World Series has a 20-5 record. That kinda rains on the St. Louis underdog parade a little bit seeing as how they have the home field advantage.

Should Religion Play A Part In Presidential Elections?

As 2012 approaches GOP presidential candidates are looking to gain strong footing among voters who are eager to see changes in our government. With several economic and healthcare reform plans to delve through there's really no room for distracting side stories among the candidates. Of course that doesn't mean we won't have any though.

Earlier this month Mitt Romney's religion came back to the forefront of the election when his Mormon beliefs were compared to that of a cult at the Values Voter Summit. The question is, with today's unemployment rate hovering around 9% and the economic rebound still somewhere over the horizon is that something we want to waste time debating?

Let's not forget that although our country was established on Christian principles it was also established under the guise of religious freedom and not just Christian freedoms. As a Christian evangelical I must admit that I have significant issues with the Mormon doctrine because it completely contradicts the Bible and is intentionally misleading. However, I also support Romney's religious freedom to practice Mormonism even though I strongly disagree with the doctrine.

I won't vote for Romney not because he's a Mormon but because I think he flip-flops a bit too much. I'm also not a fan of his economic plan nor his stance on healthcare. Those are the things that matter in a presidential election along with a person's moral agenda and stance on human life. I'm all for morality and protecting unborn children and will honor a candidate who supports those regardless of their religious affiliation.

As for the differences between Mormonism and Christianity...those are matters best suited to be discussed in a private manner instead of a public forum. Its time for Christians to stop being judgmental towards people of other religious practices. How about instead we take the approach that Jesus would by befriending them, loving them, praying for them and showing them the truth of the Word of God.

The Christ

This post will be updated on Sunday evening 9-18-11

Make Your Proclamation

In the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus asks a simple question which carries an extremely difficult answer. The reason why is because the answer isn't necessarily revealed in what we say but more so in how we live. In verses 13-18 Jesus poses a question about who the people in the culture around say that he is and then getting directly to the point he asked, "Who do you say that I am?" to his disciples.

We'll focus on Peter's answer later on but for now I just want to stay with the question. Jesus was very familiar what the people around him were saying about him. He had heard their talk, their theories and their failure to acknowledge him as the Son of God. He also knew their hearts and their need to something greater than tradition and ritual. That's why multitudes of people flocked to him to listen to him speak. That's why people stood in amazement when he taught. That's why they came to him for miracles. They didn't necessarily want to credit him as being the Messiah but they sure appreciated what he brought to the table.

Jesus wasn't really concerned with who the "other" people said that he was. He wanted to know what the men with whom he had trusted to change the world were saying that he was. Their answer would be much more than today's traditional lip service. It would be their "proclamation" as to how they would live their lives. Their belief that Jesus was, in fact, "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" would change them forever. It would ultimately turn them from cowards to men of boldness that would be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in professing Jesus as Lord. They staked their lives, relationships and reputations on this proclamation.

What about you? Who do you say that Jesus is? Before you answer keep in mind that the real answer is found not in what you say but how you live. Understanding that, how about we make our Proclamation today to truly live for Jesus no matter what the cost.

The Cost Of Discipleship

We're notorious for making quick decisions without counting the costs. There's a reason the checkout lanes at any supermarket are loaded with all kinds of stuff that we really don't need. Anything from candy to drinks to magazines and newspapers are there. You'll even find little gadgets that belong on a late night infomercials hanging up close to the checkouts. Its not anything you would go into the store specifically to get but they're banking on you falling victim to the impulse buy and not really counting the cost towards your budget.

Much in the same way the devil likes to dangle things in our way that distract us spirituality and causes us to make that "impulse buy" on something that's not healthy for our walk with Christ. We'll buy into pornography, pride, jealousy, greed, anger or anything else the devil can sell us without ever thinking about what its costing us in terms of our relationship to God, other people or even our self-esteem. Obviously nothing is free in today's world and even our salvation came at the expense of Jesus. That's why in Luke 9:23 He reminds us about the cost of following him.

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

The Greek word for deny here is "Arneomai" which means to refuse or to disown someone or something. Too often we fail to count the cost of disowning ourselves when it comes to following Jesus. Its no longer about me and what I want but rather about Jesus and what He wants. My natural desire will always be to cry out against the things of God and try and forge my own path. That's why on a daily basis Jesus is asking me to "disown" who I am and to conform to who He wants me to be. I accomplish this by:

* Taking up my cross - The verb here is Greek "airo" meaning to "lift up, take up, pick up" and carry. If you were a person carrying a cross it meant that you were marked for death. You sentence had been handed down and you were doomed. At the moment I gave my life to Christ I surrendered control of who I was to Him. You could say that I marked myself for death so that I could daily live for Jesus. Every day we are needed reminders that we belong to a higher calling and our old patterns of living are gone as if they're deceased.

* Following Christ - The weight of carrying a cross would cause someone to stoop over and not allow them to walk completely upright. The only way to get to where you were going was to watch the feet of the person in front of you and walk everywhere they walked as you were being led. You get the point here? If we truly want to go where Jesus is taking us then we must be focused on walking in his footsteps. That would require drowning out the distractions of everyday life and seeking the blessings of Christ.

So how about it? Are you ready to walk in the footsteps of Jesus? Are you ready to count the cost and sell out for discipleship?

Teach Me To Pray

In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew we find an amazing example from Jesus as to how we should pray. Its not just a verbal example of how we should approach the throne of God but also a look at what the condition of our heart and our attitude should be towards our Heavenly Father.

Speaking to a group of people who were accustomed to praying, and desiring to know more, Jesus begins in verse five telling his followers that when they pray they shouldn't act as the hypocrites which is a word that means “play-actors.” In essence he’s saying don’t pretend to be someone that you’re not when talking to God. He sees our hearts and knows our motives and while we can generally fool a few people into thinking that we’re someone we’re really not we can’t pull anything over the eyes of God. Praying for “effect” so that others will think that you’re righteous only serves to damage your relationship to God by bouncing ineffective prayers everywhere but to His throne.

We should never utter one syllable of prayer, either in public or in private, until we are definitely conscious that we have come into the presence of God and are actually praying to Him.... I can remember when that thought transformed my prayer life. I was brought up to pray. I was taught to pray so early in life that I have not the slightest recollection of who taught me to pray.... Nevertheless, prayer was largely a mere matter of form. There was little real thought of God, and no real approach to God. And even after I was converted, yes, even after I had entered the ministry, prayer was largely a matter of form. But the day came when I realized what real prayer meant, realized that prayer was having an audience with God, actually coming into the presence of God and asking and getting things from Him. And the realization of that fact transformed my prayer life. Before that, prayer had been a mere duty, and sometimes a very irksomeduty, but from that time on prayer has been not merely a duty but a privilege, one of the most highly esteemed privileges of life. Before that, the thought that I had was, "How much time must I spend in prayer?" The thought that now possesses me is, "How much time may I spend in prayer without neglecting the other privileges and duties of life? - R.A. Torrey, The Power of Prayer

Jesus says that those who pray as hypocrites will have already received their reward which comes from the Greek misthos, a word that literally means dues paid for work rendered. Remember that by using the word “hypocrites” Jesus is talking about “actors” pretending to be someone. Their “reward”, according to Jesus, is only that people get to see them praying to God. Nothing else! That’s a pretty shallow prayer life. So it begs the question as to what the motive is behind our prayers.

This word for prayer encompasses all the aspects of prayer: submission, confession, petition, intercession, praise, and thanksgiving. To be effective a person’s prayer life must include all of these and not just a wish list that we take to God.

God desires to know you on a personal and intimate basis. Just throwing out the occasional, “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer to fulfill our “spiritual obligation” or impress someone who might be looking on fails to even scratch the surface of what can be accomplished we a person approaches the throne of God, in confidence, will all of the aspects of a full prayer life. Are you paying God lip service or cultivating a relationship through your prayer life?

Is The Bible Really The Word Of God?

For centuries it was thought that the debate over the Bible being the Divinely Inspired Inerrant Word of God or not was solely between Christians and their atheistic and agnostic counterparts. However, as the debate rages on it clearly involves another party. Shockingly there are many within the church who do not believe the Bible to be completely accurate. The problem here is that we cannot have it both ways. The Bible cannot be both Divinely Inspired and inaccurate. However, according to recent survey results I came across there are many within our churches who do not believe in the accuracy of the Bible.

When asked if they believed that the Word of God was completely accurate the following percentages answered yes.

Assemblies of God 77%

Baptists (any type) 66%

Catholics 26%

Church of Christ 57%

Episcopal 22%

Lutheran (any type) 34%

Methodist (any type) 38%

Mormons 29%

Non-denominational Christian 70%

Presbyterian (any type) 40%

An atheist not believing in the accuracy of the Word of God really isn't that big of a surprise but 34% of Baptist not believing...that's a huge problem. Here's why.

In Paul's second letter to Timothy he states clearly that "all Scripture" comes directly from God.

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - II Timothy 3:16-17

The most important word here in the entire passage is the first word, "all". Its a key adjective that means the totality of the scriptures or the whole scripture. Basically in layman's terms, every passage, every verse, every word, no exceptions.

With that understanding, take a look at what Francis Schaeffer says.

"Does inerrancy make a difference? Overwhelmingly; that difference is that with the Bible being what it is, God's Word and so absolute, God's objective truth, we do not need to be, and we should not be, caught in the ever-changing fallen cultures which surround us."

The Hebrew rabbis taught that the Spirit of God rested on and in the prophets and would speak through them to that their words didn't actually come from themselves but from the very mouth of God. That's why Peter makes the following declaration.

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. II Peter 1:21

The early church was in agreement with this understanding and so we should be as well. Should the Bible contain any error or words from the hearts of men rather then the heart of God then the entire document is rendered useless.

Is the Bible really the Word of God? Absolutely! The writers of the Old Testament refer to their writings as the Words of God over 3,800 times.

Gallup Poll Shows Where Americans Stand In Debt Crisis

Presidential Debt

As if we needed another reminder that our president and the Democratic Senate refuse to listen to the majority of the American people (no one has forgotten the healthcare bill being ramrodded in) the newest Gallup poll shows that President Obama's approval rating has dropped to just 40% which is a new low.

Obviously by never submitting his own proposal to solve the nation's debt crisis, he's not doing well among Republicans where his approval rating is only 12-13% but he's lost the confidence of enough independents so see his approval rating drop from 41% to 34%. Even among his own party, Democrats have dropped from a 79% approval rating to 72%.

So please, Mr. Obama, feel free to continue trying to drive our nation towards bankruptcy with reckless spending. Keep pushing the unemployment rate up with threats of higher taxes on small business owners. You've proven that you won't be swayed from this mission. Just don't expect the American people to go along with you.