Sin: Shooting at the Wrong Target

Have you noticed that almost everyone has something that they focus on in their life?  If we do not pursue something… depression sets in.   Have you also noticed that some will spend their lives pursuing a goal that ultimately isn’t worth having once they achieve it?

God offers you a better way of life.  The Bible helps us to direct our lives in such as way as to gain what is worth pursuing and avoid what should be left alone.

In the New Testament the normal word for sin is harmatia (it’s verb form is harmartano).  It means literally “to miss the mark.” It is a archer’s term. Here is the problem… if you shoot at the wrong bulls eye, you just may hit it.

On the other hand, you can aim at things that are worthwhile… i.e. You can aim high but still fall short of what you are aiming for. Hitting the wrong mark or missing the right mark pretty much have the same effect.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” ( Romans 3: 23)

Here is the nature of what the Bible calls sin… We shoot at what we should not have or do not pursue what we should have.  James explains this situation to us graphically…

The Certified Gospel

Today’s article was written by Connie Adams as an editorial to a paper he helped to publish more than 20 years ago (1982).  It is long but I think you’ll find it to be an informative defense of scripture as God’s word…

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The Certified Gospel

by Connie Adams

"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man" (Gal. 1:11). In this statement, Paul placed the gospel he preached in contrast to the perverted gospel which some had brought to the churches of Galatia (Verse 7). He further showed that perverted gospels were appeals to men rather than to God and that those who preached such perversions negated their claim to bathe servants of Christ (verse 10). In these declarations, Paul gave his assurance that his gospel was genuine. He had received it by divine revelations. The further context of Galatians 1 shows that he did not confer with those chosen to be apostles before him in order to determine what he ought to believe and preach. After his conversion he went away into Arabia. Even when he did meet with the apostles later in his service to Christ, they "added nothing" to him. He received his gospel by divine revelation even as the others.

Do You Wish to be Blessed by God?

Have you noticed the dilemma of figuring out how to have a relationship with God?  The Bible has many things to say along these lines.  Often times people just get lost in the shuffle.  Occasionally in scripture a prophet just stops and gives you a principled summary.  Would you like a principled summary about “How to live with God” absent all the technical discussions? Would you like to find a passage of scripture that just unlocks the point in clear terms that anyone can understand?

The first Psalm is one such passage.  It is obviously an Old Testament passage rather than a New Testament one but here the two testaments agree.  The author is not trying to tell you how to establish a relationship with God, that subject is dealt with elsewhere.  (See Jesus' comments in Mark 15:15-16 for example) The Psalmist is simply describing how to have an ongoing relationship with our Creator. Today we would say that once you become a Christian (a Jew in OT times) then this is how to live.

Let’s allow him to lead us through the principles of a blessed life before our God.
 

Psalm 1: 1.  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Have you noticed that oftentimes the first step in accomplishing good is to avoid evil?  Paul describes how that all of us (Paul included) were born good.  We do not always stay that way.

A Church Satisfied With Being a Church

Have you noticed that nowadays churches seem to be about everything but being churches? Let’s see …

We have so called churches with gymnasiums, swimming pools, restaurants, bowling alleys, day care, schools, gift shops, etc. in them.

We have churches preoccupied with teaching everything from yoga to belly dancing. Here in Wichita we had a fellow trying to start a church inside of a strip club… with other local preachers trying to justify said behavior.

Where Did Church Buildings Come From?

In recent years I have continued to run into folks that have believed it was somehow more spiritual to worship God at home alone, or in small groups etc. Each time it seems the persons are coming from a different direction but to the same conclusion that the practice of gathering together in a public building as a congregation of God’s people was somehow inferior to a private, or hidden worship.

They are generally pursuing intimacy and fear losing it.

By way of contrast I have also continued to run into folks that believe that the building was “nothing” and therefore you can do anything with said building that you wish. They have thereby wrapped Jesus’ name around everything from country music shows to strip dancing. Yes… here in Wichita a group recently tried to mingle the worship of God with a strip club!

Locally we are trying to raise enough for a down payment and to find financing to buy our first building… so we have been discussing every aspect of this question for the last year.

Here is some of the rationale often given to dismiss church buildings;

• Organized religion is corrupt. (No one can deny that some, if not most, of it is!)
• Constantine founded modern Christianity in the 300’s AD. (Not true…)
• Church buildings were not used until after Constantine’s edict of Milan in 313AD. (this is a blatant misrepresentation of history!)
• In the first century the church was composed of “house churches.” (Some were in homes… only some… not all or even most.)
• If a local church owns a building, then its work ends up centering on the building rather than saving souls etc. (This can and often does happen. This argument is like saying ‘since some marriages fall apart we should do away with marriage.’ Simply put, it is clearly an over-reaction.)

Merry Christmas, Merry X-Mas, Christian Confusion & The Whole Nine Yards

Well, this year is a lot like most years.  Some are desperately trying to “put Christ back in Christmas”.  Some are trying to kick Christ out of everything to do with our civilization.  Some are so mixed up they don’t know which way to jump.

Sometimes I must confess I am the latter. Here’s my dilemma...  As a Christian, I am absolutely compelled to stand up for my Lord and Christianity in general.  However, what most people consider to be “Christianity” is not truly Christianity.  Ironically, those wishing to attack Christianity, often end up attacking Catholicism or some other denominational variant instead.
  
With Christmas in mind, let’s pick one example of confusion: The nativity scenes. . .

In recent years, there has been a full court press against the public display of nativity scenes.  Those attacks are intended to drive Christianity from the public spectrum.  Ironically anyone who has a respect for the Bible, is going to be loathe to defend the nativity scenes (regardless of the motives of those attacking them!). These same Christians (myself included) may aggressively wish to defend the fact that Christianity played a huge role in developing our culture, and it’s eventual success. 


Why can’t I defend the nativity scenes?   Let me count the ways. . .
1)  Angels over the manger. The angels appeared to the shepherds in the field.  Luke 2:8ff. The angels spoke to the shepherds.  Then, “When the angels had gone away from them into heaven,”  (Luke 2:15)  the shepherds went to the manger and saw it all. Were the angels around all this? You bet. Do I have a right to place them at the manger when the Word of God doesn’t say they were there?

2)  The three wise men.  How many wise men? The bible doesn’t say.  Many of the oldest traditions hold that there were 12.  (not three). It is thought that tradition has eventually settled on three wise men because of the three gifts.

Will Your Kids Go To Heaven?

Do you want to have a successful Christian home?

"You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)

Do you want your kids to go to heaven?
Do you want your family/marriage/home to be solid?
If you answered yes….. The next question in front of you is:
“Should you choose a liberal or conservative church?” 

Which path gives you the best hope of building a strong family that will lead to your children choosing to be Christians? Today it is common for kids to be raised in a church only to hit teenage years and turn away from the “faith of their fathers!”  Many do not realize that it doesn’t have to be that way… and it is not that way among us.

Our families stay together and our kids become Christians.… Want to know more?

Can a Christian Join AARP and Thereby Pay for the Homosexual Agenda?

"Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;" (Ephesians 5: 11)

Today’s mailing is going to be a little different subject matter than normal.  Many of our subscribers from outside the USA won’t be interested in this particular E-mailing.  The principle of joining organizations may be of interest, but AARP is more of a "USA question" about Bible application… sorry.

I keep getting questions about whether a Christian can join AARP with their very liberal social agenda.  Many Christians have been infuriated by their ultra-liberal lobbying efforts on social issues but believe that they simply “must” join because of the insurance programs, travel discounts, etc.

The American Family Association has started recommending to followers to cancel their memberships.  Here is a link to one such story.  

Lessons Learned From a Visit to a Country Graveyar

The Poca Hollow cemetery 

"It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes {it} to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for when a face is sad a heart may be happy. The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure." (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4)

 I visited the Poca Hollow cemetery last month.  My first trip to this hidden little graveyard nestled in the boot heel of Missouri was some thirty years ago, in 1980.  My wife’s clan is from there.  This cemetery overlooks an almost forgotten civil war battlefield. The locals point to the valley where the Yankees came through, then point to some of the old buildings (over their shoulder, behind the picture) that still have civil war bullets in them.  The anonymity is fair enough… except for the family this cemetery is almost forgotten as well.   You don’t just accidentally go there… you have to know where it is and choose to visit it.

Today Poca Hollow is a peaceful place.  As you thoughtfully stroll among the stones, contemplating the human lives represented by each grave, numerous Biblical passages cannot help but come to mind.  The first scripture is obvious….

“For, "ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." And this is the word which was preached to you.” (I Peter 1:24-25)

What Denomination Are You?

“If {anyone suffers} as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” (I Peter 4:16)

We are simply Christians: no more, no less. That’s what Jesus wants us to be.  Wouldn’t you agree?  Have you noticed that churches seem to have a hard time deciding to be content to be just churches? Christians need to be content to be Christians and churches need to be content to be churches.  What does the Bible actually teach us?

Most are unaware that the modern series of divisions that we call denominationalism is actually addressed (in principle) by the Bible.  “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.”  (I Corinthians 1:10)