Don’t Stand Still
Just as a body, though one, has many parts,
but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12
We have been taught often in the church that we are part of
the body of Christ. We are the hands and feet of Jesus; we have been put here
to do his work. I have wondered what am I here to do for the Kingdom of God and
I have learned that I can usually communicate well.
Maybe not always, but I can
speak and write to relate some ideas to others.
Call it over 20 years of teaching and coaching, but
communication is what I do, unless you ask my wife, and dependent on what day
it is, she might disagree with my assessment of what I can do effectively.
But what I want to do is to write occasionally on some scripture
that I come across that sticks with me, and it happens often. I want to write
about that scripture and what it means to me and to us as followers of Jesus. I
want to share how God’s word has opened up some new idea or truth to me.
So I am going to write, and speak when I can, and I value
your feedback, both positive and negative. With my writing, I will explain my
thoughts and work through how the scripture relates to me and my struggles. In
doing so, I will often offer a challenge. It will be a challenge for myself,
but one that I hope you take upon yourself also.
Because the Bible is full of scripture that starts with
“get up”, “go up”, and “take up” meaning we have a faith of action, not of just
sitting and listening once a week, though our pastor does a wonderful job.
We are called to do something, to be Christ in an ever
increasing sinful world.
So I ask myself; what have I done, what have you done to be
an active member of the body of Christ?
I am not questioning you or your faith, I am questioning
mine. What have I done today, the last week, the last month to follow 1
Corinthians 12:12?
By writing, I hope this is a way to work to accomplish
more.
Greater
is he that is in you than he that is in the world. 1
John 4:4
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
Jesus Washed His
Disciples’ Feet
After
that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet,
drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John
13:5
I like to read. I read my Bible, but I also read books that
help with historical and cultural context of the Bible. Recently, I finished a
book by John MacArthur called The Upper
Room.
It explained scripture for what we know as The Last Supper.
While reading, John 13:5 overwhelmed me. (Jesus) began to wash his disciples’ feet…
MacArthur explains the cultural impact of this scripture. Because people in
that area wore sandals, there was water in a bowl used to wash your feet when
entering a house. Often, a slave would do it, as no one of worldly worth would
wash your feet. It was beneath them to do so.
Yet, as the Disciples argued over positions of power under
the new kingdom of Jesus, he got up, walked to the basin, and washed his
disciples’ feet. Disciples’…plural. He washed Peter’s feet who would deny
Christ three times not soon after. He washed all of the disciple’s feet, all whom
would stand by, some running, not speaking for him as he was murdered.
Yet, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet.
Including Judas Iscariot.
If you believe that Jesus was God
incarnate, then Jesus knew what was to happen to him.
He also knew that all of
the disciples would desert him, and one of them would even betray him to his
death.
Yet, he washed their feet.
A few years ago, I helped with Samaritan’s Feet at the
Final Four in Indianapolis. They provide shoes for young people who need them.
But before giving shoes, we take their shoes and socks off, wash their feet, and
put oil on them. At first, it was hard to do. I had too much pride. But it
became easier and a rewarding action of my life. Could I actually wash someone
else’s feet though? It would be hard to do so publicly, and imagine if it were
someone you knew had wronged you or will wrong you.
How often do we hold onto some wrong that we cannot let go?
Big or small, we have all been wronged and yet we will not let go of that anger
or bitterness.
I know I’ve done it and I fight it every day.
Yet, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet.
Greater
is he that is in you than he that is in the world. 1
John 4:4
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
A New ‘Just As I Am”
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke
is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
David
Crowder, Christian artist, has a song, Come
as You Are, and it is the song that I made a joyful noise with often. The
power of the lyrics is overwhelming.
No one
can out sin the cross, and’s God’s mercy and grace are powerful!
Come out of sadness
From wherever you’ve been
Come broken hearted
Let rescue begin
Come find your mercy
Oh sinner come kneel
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal
So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
There’s hope for the hopeless
And all those who’ve strayed
Come sit at the table
Come taste the grace
There’s rest for the weary
Rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t cure
Greater is he that is in the world than he that
is in the world.
1 John 4:4
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
Plank Eyed Saints
If you
read and study the Bible, you know there are many instances in which future
events, especially the coming of Jesus and his actions, are foreshadowed or
sort of preparing us for the Messiah. I recently finished Jesus’ Family Tree and came across scripture in which Joseph found
out that Mary was pregnant.
“Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man
and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce
her quietly”
Matthew 1:19. In Jewish custom, Joseph and Mary were considered married, though
the marriage had not yet been consummated. The point is that they had not been
together physically and yet, she was pregnant. Jewish law allowed, because of
her perceived unfaithfulness, that Mary could be placed before the elders for
judgment and stoned to death. But Joseph
wanted a quiet divorce. This is before the angel comes to him and tells him the
wonderful news about Mary and how she became pregnant. So Joseph must have been
hurt and may have wanted vengeance or justice, rightful under Jewish law. Yet,
he chose mercy or grace.
Compare
to the story from John as the Pharisees test Jesus and the adulterous woman. “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees
brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and
said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the
Law Moses commanded us to stone such
women. Now what do you say?” They
were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When
they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one
of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:3-7
Of
course, Jesus was both God and human on this earth, but Jesus showed mercy or
grace to a woman caught in adultery. Though Mary and this woman are not the
same, the perception of the Hebrews of both would have been equal for the
elders and both would be seen as adulterous women who could be stoned under
Jewish law. Yet Joseph and Jesus (of course) showed mercy or grace.
We are
faced many times throughout life with people who deserve to be stoned, yet how
do we react? Do we throw those stones? Or do we think about the log in our own
eye while looking at the speck in other’s eyes? Maybe it’s even a log in their
eye, but never forget our eyes stay permanently logged.
If not
for the grace of God and his son’s death at Calvary, we would deserve our own
stoning.
Greater is he that is in you than he that is in
the world.
1 John 4:4
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
Sin is…
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God. Romans
3:23
Indeed, there is no one on earth who is
righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:20
Therefore, just as sin entered the world
through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to
all people, because all sinned. Romans 5:12
The word
“sin” has become politically incorrect in today’s post-modern ever increasing
secular society. We as Christians are condemned to call anything a sin, it is a
mental disorder, an addiction, a choice, a lifestyle and having a psychology
minor, I agree with many of these assessments. However, those are often just
different words for “sin”.
As a Christian
you were baptized and should have stated that you were a sinner and needed
Christ to wash away those sins. That’s it for us. We were BORN into sin, live in
a sinful world and without acceptance of Christ dying for our sins, we are
condemned to Hell.
Does that
mean as believers if we continue to sin that we are condemned to Hell? No, but if
we know better and continue without searching for help, there will be some type
of retribution.
We talk
often that God is love, and there should be no doubt in our minds that this is
truth. However, we must never forget that God is also wrath, and He will deal
out this wrath on judgment day.
What we
are called to do as sinners is to repent, live the love of God and bring other
sinners into the Kingdom of God. We are not to judge any sin, but love every
sinner, and help them, and do as Jesus would do. Tell them there is an answer
to this life, and to go and sin no more.
But we
must understand that the word sin is an unpopular word and if we use that word,
we will be questioned, attacked, mocked, and ridiculed. And it will only get
worse until the day of Christ’s Second Coming.
Greater is he that is in you than he that is in
the world.
1 John 4:4
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
I Found it at Rock
Bottom
Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help
and our shield.
Psalm 33:20
I was 32
years old when I was baptized at the Borden Church of Christ. Honestly, I did
it for two reasons. I was a lukewarm believer which was much better than I had
been (an Agnostic-I didn’t know if there was a God or not and was screaming for
someone to help me believe), and I loved my future wife Kristi and felt it was
important to her.
Exactly,
you’re thinking those aren’t the best reasons to be baptized, but it started me
on the journey to become a deacon and share my faith on mission trips, in the
pulpit, and these writings. Do I believe that God sent Kristi into my life to
help lead me to my salvation? There is no doubt about it to me.
I often
think about what I put my hope in before Christ. I won’t go into detail, but I
put my hope in fleeting things. I put my hope into myself mostly and
consistently let myself down. I think back on the person I was before baptism
and really before the last five years and wonder if Kristi did the right thing.
I don’t think I would want Madison to be within 100 yards of someone like me
when she decides to date (which won’t be allowed until she moves out of the
house anyway).
But now,
my hope is in Jesus Christ. We have hit rock bottom a few times since that
faith has been strengthened with just the daily stress and struggle of life, but
sister-in-law’s heart and kidney surgeries, my depression after the tornado,
and just raising two stubborn-willed children (I will blame Kristi on that
one…I have been told over and over that her father bought a book on how to deal
with strong-willed children when she was little. Of course, I don’t have a
strong will at all).
How often
do we rely on “things” to help us through times of despair? And how often do
those things let us down or lead us down the wrong path? Rock bottom,
unfortunately, is where the answer often lies. Because it is there when we will
stop looking around and we start looking up, and ask how do we get out of this?
We have many choices then, but to me the only answer is that we get out by
looking up and dropping to our knees.
The Lord
is our help and shield. I can promise you that relying on God will never let
you down. You may not always like the answer to a question and you may not like
the outcome of an action, but Jesus is there for you. He is there for you
through prayer or by the actions of a follower who is sent at just the right
time.
Are we
willing to let go and let God? Are we willing to let go of the frustration, the
anger or the bitterness of something that has happened to us? Or will we hang
onto it, wallowing in it pointing and blaming?
I think
of Joshua 25:15 “But as for me and my
household, we will serve the LORD." when I think of where I will turn
in times of despair. It is easier to say this in times of good than reacting
when you hit rock bottom, so be intentional. Make a point to live for the Lord every
day, in good times and bad, and not as a fall back, but even if you do use Him
as a fall back, He’ll be there waiting because He loves us.
Greater is he that is in you than he that is in
the world.
1 John 4:4
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
What Would Jesus Do?
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on
him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s
have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;
he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:21-24
In the
story of the Prodigal Son, a son takes his inheritance early and squanders it.
He goes home, head down, ready to be scolded and rejected, yet his father takes
him and loves him. This story is a parable of God’s love for us. All of us have
taken our Father’s gift and squandered it, yet when we realize it and turn to
him, he embraces us.
We are
quick to read that and love God and be amazed at his love for us, but what
about his love for others? Are we quick to see the downfall of others and point
out their mistakes and judge them? I don’t mean to do it, but it is the
knee-jerk reaction to something we see or hear that we think is wrong.
I often
try to think that when someone has fallen through words spoken or actions taken
that I have messed up so…many…times myself, so who am I to judge? I am quick to
question someone when they claim to be different and that Christ has changed
their heart, yet we know it has happened because it has happened to us or to
someone we know and love.
I am in
constant battle with the love of self and forgetting about Jesus, but when I
was on my prison mission trip, or the trip to Muslim dominated Indonesia, or I
see coaches being arrested, or people making uninformed comments on social
media, I try to remind me that God loves them, too.
It’s easy
to think that Jesus loves me, we are taught the song real early, or that God
loves my wife, my children or my family and friends, but He also loves the
worst of us sinners. He loves us. He wants us to turn to him, and He wants us
to live for him.
Those
sinners don’t need us to push them away from God, they need us to draw them
nearer to him. They need us to wrap them in the best robe, put a ring on their
finger and sandals on their feet. They need us to love them as the father loved
his returning son, they need us to love them as God loves us.
I fail
too much, but I’m trying…I’m trying.
Greater is he that is in you than he that is in
the world.
1 John 4:4
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
What Did Jesus Say
About…?
2 Timothy
3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is
useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…
In
today’s world, there is a tendency to pick and choose what we’d like to believe
from the Bible. In our subjective world, we sometimes decide what we believe is
better than what is written in the book that guides our lives.
One of
the questions that is asked in many issues is “what did Jesus say about…?” and
insert any subject you’d like after the word “about”. And the argument is that as followers of
Jesus, we should do what he did or said. Of course, Jesus didn’t say anything
directly about many issues we deal with as Christ followers, but he was the Son
of God.
And that
is an important part of our belief about Jesus and that he was God on Earth. There
are numerous scriptures in which Jesus is called or calls himself many
different versions of The Father; that he fulfills scripture in which the Word
became flesh; that he is the Son of God; and part of the Trinity (the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit).
In other
words, if you believe that Jesus was God on Earth and that Jesus is part of the
Trinity, then Jesus spoke often in The Bible. He spoke in Genesis, he spoke in
Leviticus, he spoke in Matthew, he spoke in Romans, he spoke in Revelation, and
he spoke every word in every book of the Bible.
So, what
did Jesus say about…? Jesus (God) said a lot of things about a lot of things.
Now your
decision is to decide do you believe all of the Bible or just parts of it. Once
you choose to not believe any part, then what parts do you decide to believe in
or not? And are those parts different from what others believe? And finally,
why believe any part if it is all open to a subjective world view?
When you
choose to give your life to Christ, you become a member of The Church, and your
life should be guided by the Bible. There are many things that we will believe
that will not be popular with the world and we will be hated as Christ said:
John 15:8 "If the world hates you,
keep in mind that it hated me first.”
We’ve
already made our choice, now we have to make the tough decisions and take the
tough stands according to the current culture we live in. I pray that we continue
to stand for Truth, the objective, eternal truth of Jesus Christ.
Greater
is he that is in you than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
Every Day Isn’t the
Greatest Day of Your Life (but it could be)
1 Kings
19:4 “but he went on a day’s journey into
the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He
said “I have had enough Lord, take my life…”
I am not
sure that everyone has ever prayed that they wanted to die, but I am sure that
most of us, if not all, have been at the end of our ropes. Even Elijah the
Prophet had his moments where he was done with it. We may not have wanted to
die (we may have), but we have wanted to quit moving forward or even questioned
God’s plan for us.
Who of us
has never been so down it could be called depression? We deal with anxiety or
panic attacks and often feel that as a believer in Christ, it shouldn’t happen,
but it still does. I think it is important to remember Elijah and Job who in
Job 7:6-7 says “My days pass, they come
to an end without hope. Remember that my life is but a breath, my eye will
never again see anything good” when we come to these own moments in our lives.
Elijah
and Job’s scriptures do not sound like people who are just “down” or in a bad
spot right now. It reads as if they have entered real, legitimate depression.
Maybe you
have been victimized by the church or by yourself that you should be a better
believer, you should pray harder, etc., but it is important to know that you
may be doing exactly what you should be doing. Often, especially here in this
country, we are so individualistic that we won’t allow others in, we think we
can do it on our own and when it doesn’t work the way we think it should, we
begin to doubt ourselves and our faith.
Remember.
Proverbs
3:5-6 “Trust the Lord with all your heart
and DO NOT RELY ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING…”
Isaiah
55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your
thoughts….so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your
thoughts.”
Because
of our selfish ways in this fallen world, we often pray to God and if our
desires are not immediately met, we think there must be a disconnect with God.
We believe that he must not be hearing us. There is a disconnect, all right,
but it isn’t God not hearing us, it may be us not paying attention to his
answer which we may not like.
But in
Proverbs and Isaiah, I think we need to pray either differently, or understand
that what we think we want or need may not be God’s plan. And that plan will
have a purpose for us, it will then be our job to find that purpose. Maybe
God’s plan isn’t to remove anxiety or depression, maybe it is for you to turn
more fully to him, grow in your faith and share your experience with others so
that they may see they are not alone.
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
Home of the Supremely
Blessed
Romans chapter 16:17-18 “Watch out for people who cause divisions
and upset people's faith by teaching things that are contrary to what you have
been taught. Stay away from them. Such people are not serving Christ our Lord;
they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words,
they deceive innocent people.”
I have traveled around the
world, not literally, but I have been to five continents and have worshipped on
all of them. Some countries are so secular, religion is a two times a year
event, yet in other countries there is an authentic faith which most of us would
not recognize. During these trips I have not only noticed the faith there, but it
has put a mirror up to my own in the USA, and here is what I see.
1.
We have
a consumer based worship.
2.
We
have an ethnocentric superiority faith.
3.
We
have an apathetic faith.
4.
We
have messed up joy vs. happy
When it comes to worship
in the US, we have a mindset of “What have you done for me lately?” or “What do
I get out of it?” mentality. We want our worship to be wrapped in a nice hour
long package with singing, preaching, and praying. If we go too long, we have
to beat the crowd so we do not have to wait in line for lunch. What happened to
worshipping the all-powerful God who gave us the gift of salvation? What’s been
done for me lately, what do I get out of it? Eternal life with God in heaven
and not separation from Him in Hell.
When it comes to our faith,
we believe in the superiority of our country (and it is the greatest country in
the history of the world) so much that we believe through our wonderful giving,
we go and minister to these poor, underdeveloped peoples. It is amazing when I
go to these “poor” places that when I return I have a different perspective on
my faith. Maybe, just maybe, when I go to minister to them, they are
ministering to me.
“Maybe I will get up and
go to church, maybe I won’t.” “Maybe I will be involved, maybe I won’t.” “Maybe
today I will decide to make my faith be uncomfortable, and maybe I won’t.” We
are comfortable in this great country and we make decisions that many others
cannot such as what types of food to eat, or what type of house to own. That
creates a mentality that we rely on ourselves and by gosh, don’t we deserve one
day a week where we get to sleep in? What if Jesus had decided to sleep in on
that day at Calvary?
Finally, in our country,
we often do not have a Godly definition of happiness. We believe that our
happiness comes from what we do, what we have, or what we can afford (or not)
and since that feeling is fleeting, we constantly feel the need to fill that
hole with the next best thing. Yet, in poorer countries they have a joy we lack
because they do not worry about the next best thing, they are just trying to
survive the now. They have a relatively permanent feeling of joy vs. our need
for happiness…a need that is always just out of our reach for an extended
amount of time.
We talk every Sunday how blessed
we are, and it is true. By being born in this country, we have hit the economic
jackpot. But what do we do with those blessings? With more money and power
comes more responsibility. You can give more to show your appreciation for the
life God has given you, you can volunteer, you can go on a mission trip, or you
can just be here every Sunday with a great attitude.
And that’s what is great
about our country. We have the freedom to do what we want and more than likely
the resources to do it. But that freedom has been paid for with a price, a huge
price. Yes, our soldiers and their commitment, but what about Jesus on the
cross for you.
At the least, we owe our
time to God, at best, we owe everything!
“Greater is he that is in you than he that is
in the world.”
1 John 4:4
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
Biblical Conscience
Romans 12:2
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will
of God.”
God has provided us with so many things. Sure, we
have many material items, but he has, in The Bible, given us a guide on how to
live our lives through His will.
Jesus came to earth and set many examples from
blatantly speaking to us in The Sermon on the Mount, to his righteous anger, to
how to pray and how to treat others.
Yet, we often feel that we don’t know God’s
will for our life or we automatically revert to our selfish, sinful nature
without do without reflecting or following our biblical conscience.
We get the big ideas and what we should do when
it comes to our families, cheating on exams, drugs and alcohol and other issues.
We know the definitive “right” and “wrong” because the Bible tells us so which
has affected our conscience. But some of us even struggle with those issues
that are clearly spelled out as wrong.
But what about the larger issues?
What about Syrian refugees coming to this
country, or voting for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump or even a third party
candidate? What about defense spending vs. social program spending? What is
God’s will?
I don’t know if there is a great answer for
this (some think it’s an easy answer and they deal with their own conscience),
but I do know that having a biblical worldview (interpreting the world through
Jesus’s eyes) will change how you see some of these issues.
So what do we do?
1.
Study
God's Word
2.
Spend
time in prayer
3.
Seek
Godly counsel from a mentor, pastor, parents, or friends
4.
Turn
off the news
I think if we are honest, we will see that
often what we should do is not about us getting what we think is right, but
doing what we know God thinks is right. And that is painful for many of us who
have a hard time admitting to our failures or potential wrong beliefs.
I don’t have all the answers, often I feel like
I don’t have any of them. But I can tell you that if you do the above four
things and follow your biblical conscience, you will do the right thing…or not.
And if it doesn’t work out, then you do those four things again and plan your
next best action, all within the will of God’s word.
“Greater is he that is in you than he that is
in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Perry Hunter
Deacon
Borden Church of Christ
Don’t Lose Motivation for Mobilization
1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the
faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is
undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
In 24 hours a few weeks ago, our church was
able to raise thousands of dollars and supplies to send to the Abbott family
and their struggles with the flooding in Denham Springs, LA.
When Jim McKinley and I arrived at church the
Thursday before we headed to Louisiana, and we saw the amount of “stuff” we
were taking, we knew that the church trailer would be the only thing we could
use to travel down to help.
It was amazing to see our church mobilize to
help, to fight!
And really, we mobilized for battle didn’t we?
We mobilized to fight the battle that the Abbott family was fighting as well as
everyone else in that area. We were ready to fight! Some by going, some by
donating, all by praying.
But as we were headed south, and then as we
drove around and saw the mess of the area and saw the positive attitudes and
the churches working, I couldn’t help but ask a question.
Asking questions is what I do, and I am always
striving for us, for me, to be better, to be better followers and examples of
Christ.
The question was “why can we mobilize so well
to fight battles, but when it comes to the war, we often lose motivation for
mobilization?”
If you read 1 Peter 5:8-9 and understand that
every single day we are involved in battles within the spiritual warfare of
this world, we can’t afford to take the day off.
Whether it’s a flood, a tornado, war, divorce,
sickness, general unkindness towards our brother and sisters there are battles
fought every…single…day.
Yet, it takes a serious issue to hit us
personally to fight when there is more than enough for us to do on any given
day.
We must try to understand that every day we
must get up, get dressed, and go to battle in the war in which the enemy prowls
looking to devour us. We must be aware of this and resist.
Spiritual battles exist and we must not fall
asleep or become numb to that fact.
“Greater
is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Perry Hunter
Deacon
Borden Church of Christ
A Little Too Comfortable
John
15:18 "If the world hates you, keep
in mind that it hated me first.”
When Brother Richie first
arrived at our church, he and I had a brief discussion about how little we know
in the United States about how the world actually works (not that I do either).
We know little about the complete backwards way those in most of the world live
as opposed to here.
He asked me if I had read
“The Insanity of God”, I hadn’t so he gave me a copy to read. I put it to the
side because I felt it was another book like many I had read and I was reading
about 3 or 4 books at the time.
Then I heard that Lifeway
was putting out a onetime showing of the movie named after the book and it
piqued my interest. So I picked it up and started reading.
And it was a very good
read.
The book was story after
story of Christians persecuted and told from by Nik Ripken (a pseudonym). It
started with he and his wife’s work in Somalia and the obstacles they faced
there and then story after story from people living in China, Russia,
Afghanistan and other countries.
There was the story of the
Chinese house churches meeting illegally and asking if anyone had heard of
Jesus outside of the United States.
It was the story of a
Russian who thought his wife and child had been killed by authorities and The
Holy Spirit speaking to him explaining to him that his captors had lied to him.
It was story after story
where The Holy Spirit was speaking and living in the lives of these people. It
was The Old Testament and New Testament stories coming alive. God is still
working in the lives of people today, though we often feel that He isn’t here.
There were a couple of
pieces in this book that really stuck with me.
1.
These
people did not want prayers for the end of their persecution, it is what has
grown their faith.
2.
Will
persecution come to the USA? Why would Satan want to “wake-up” the richest,
most powerful Christian country in the world? We are asleep.
3.
We
shouldn’t ask why is there persecution in other countries, but we should ask
why there is none here?
Why are we not persecuted?
There are stats that say
very few people who are born in the church, raised in the church and die in the
church will ever share their faith in Jesus Christ with anyone.
The more we feel potential
persecution, why do we cower? Why do want to stay in the relatively safe,
comfortable Christian lifestyle?
Why aren’t we a little
crazy? A little insane when it comes to our love for God?
We’re comfortable…we’re
asleep.
It’s time to wake up.
“Greater is he that is in you than he that is
in the world.”
1 John 4:4
Perry Hunter
Deacon
Borden Church of Christ
Wait. What? Missionaries to…us?
Matthew 29:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit.
I recently found out that
some countries in the world are sending Christian missionaries to the United
States.
At first, I was appalled,
then I understood because it sort of reinforces what I believe about US
Christianity. We aren't the "best" Christian country in the world
today and we have not been for many, many years.
Here, we have an American
Christian worldview. We celebrate the US before we think about the church or any
celebration we might do there because of the pride we have in this great
country.
It is the patriotic thing to
do.
Now don't get me wrong, I
love this country and we are supremely blessed to live here and from an
economic and freedom standpoint there is no country better than us.
But we have been losing
our way for many years and it is culminating because of materialism, growing
secularism and humanism, our being too comfortable, and sexual immorality that
has existed in some form here since the beginning of our country.
We have a capitalist
economy, mostly, and it has been great to us. We are one of the richest
countries in the world and most of us have economic opportunities that people
are willing to die to attempt getting here just as our ancestors did. But that
has helped us become somewhat heartless in our worldview. We usually rely on
God only when we have experienced a health or death issue. We don't have to
think about our faith, in fact, our faith often is of convenience and not of
necessity and a private thing that we don't feel comfortable sharing.
We have removed God from
almost all avenues when it comes to government, schools, etc. We remove God and
biblical morals from schools and as much as we can in every way and then wonder
why the country continues to descend into an immoral crevasse. Child abuse,
molestation, shootings in neighborhoods/ schools, and for vengeance, etc are on
the rise. Why? We are a miserable country for having so much, why is that?
Because we continually try to fill a hole that we all have in our soul with
things that are worldly and it never accomplishes our goal which causes more
misery.
We have justified sin for
so long in this country that the sexual immorality from pre-marital sex to
divorce to other sexual sins are having the stigmas removed and even worse,
glorified. And we do not show love for those who have done these things using
judgment or condemnation without affection.
We want to be comfortable,
I get it, I really do. After church, I cannot wait to take my nap after eating
a lunch that costs more than a week’s wages in most of the world, but we have
got to strive to be better. I have got to strive to better.
We have to rely on God
every day and try to remove ourselves from being our own god because we are
nothing without him!
And sadly, I have found
this truth not here in the USA, but in third world countries where our
arrogance looks at, points, and says "poor things have nothing" when
in reality...they have so much more than us.
Total reliance on and total
devotion to God.
“Greater
is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Perry Hunter
Deacon
Borden Church of Christ
Break Our Hearts and Then Move
Often times there are
situations or images that catch my eye and contradictions stand out. It could
be nurses smoking outside of a hospital, it could be teachers when I was a kid
and I saw them (gasp) outside of the classroom, or it could be a baby crying in
a high school.
In Washington, D.C.,
security has kept the homeless away from tourist spots because who wants
"these people" to ruin our vacation (sigh), but once outside of that
area, you will find many who live on the streets.
There are many moral
questions that arise about helping the homeless, I am reminded of Matthew 25:37-40:
Then these righteous ones will reply,
"Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or feed you? Or thirsty and give
you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and
give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit
you?"
And the King will say, "I tell you the
truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,
you were doing it to me!"
I realize that often when helping
someone they do not need the money. In D.C. I ran across a few homeless who
refused food, a woman with perfect makeup living on the street (Not judging, it
was odd to see homeless with perfect makeup), and I saw people who wanted $1
just to get home, were given more, and kept asking for more money.
I am taken advantage of,
but I feel I should help because of the above scripture, (What if Jesus really
is one of these and I look the other way?), and because I have been supremely
blessed.
Should I not attempt to
help someone who has had much different life experiences than me, and have at
some point reached the realization that this is all that they can do?
When told by someone that
they never give to homeless because they know many are scammers, my response is
whether I give is between me and God and what they do with the money and really
need it is between them and God.
It is not my job to judge
or guess, but it is my pleasure to try and help them.
Back to D.C.; how odd is
it that in a city of millionaire outsiders that there are so many struggling
financially?
How odd is it that government
trillions of dollars in debt, its government workers continue to live lavish
lifestyles (relatively speaking) and people who have nothing do not?
And how dare I who lives
in a place where there is no visible homeless seems to have all the answers? I
don't, but I know as I have grown in my faith as I see how bad many people have
it, I want to do a little bit to help.
It won't be enough, but it
will be for that day...that moment.
And even in my hypocrisy
where I waste too much and could help so much more, I won't look away from the
problems of the world. Even when I feel that I am drowning in quicksand in
trying to help, I will not stop trying to make a difference.
I pray for our hearts to
not only be broken, but then to move to do something to heal it.
“Greater
is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Perry Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
We See Ourselves in
Others
As fellow believers or
even towards those who may not be believers or they believe in something else,
there is a humanity that touches us all.
If not, then I pray for
your soul.
Why is it that someone can
write something, see a movie, hear a song and relate to the thoughts of that
person? You can read something they’ve put on social media or have written in a
blog and you understand the point being made because you put yourself in their place?
Genesis 1:27 reads that
God created us in his image. By doing so, He has given us a personality,
intellect, sensibility and an ability to make moral choices. We are the most
perfect work of the creative energy of God in an organized body.
But we can make moral
choices.
Those object moral choices
are written on our hearts. Whether you believe in God or do not, Jeremiah 31:33
reads where God has written right and wrong in our most inner being and that
would explain why anyone can do good things.
So, we have been created
in God’s image, we have right and wrong written on our hearts, and then in
Matthew, Jesus commands us to love each other as ourselves. Most sermons are
written to love everyone even those we do not get along with, but I think we often
forget to love those we love.
Those people are the ones
we take for granted and figure someone else will get to them, but we must reach
out even to those we love.
Finally, Paul writes in 1
Thessalonians that until Jesus comes back, we are to console and comfort each
other with the fact that He will come back.
And as in Revelation 2:1-4
reads, there will be no more pain, no more fear, no more tears.
That is what we put our
hope in in this world with its pain and suffering. We cannot put it in anyone
or anything other than God…period or we will be let down, sometimes
considerably.
We must put our hope in
the good news that Jesus will come back and reign, a hope that no one else on
this planet possesses.
As we deal with this world
and its miseries, we should take comfort that this world is not our home and
pain and suffering will end someday.
We see ourselves in others
and it touches us when we see both joy and despair.
It touches us because God
has created it to do so.
And that touching feeling
that is written on our hearts and commanded for us to share will make this
life, this world so much more bearable until Jesus returns.
“Greater is he that is in
you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Perry Hunter
Deacon
Borden Church of Christ
Christian Extremist
1 John 2:2
says, "He [Jesus] is the atoning
sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the
whole world."
It seems that
every time some other religion commits an act of atrocity, Christianity is
thrown under the bus along with that religion.
It is
frustrating, to say the least, and I do not really understand why it happens.
Well, yea, I do, but that’s a political post I want to stay away from.
To be fair,
Christianity throughout history has not always been so nice in dealing with people
and following Jesus’ example.
From the wars
fought in the name of God, to our own hypocrisies, Christianity deserves some
of the stones hurled at us.
But often our
“extremists” are mentioned along with the extremist of the religion that has
done the horrible thing, and they mention Timothy McVeigh or the KKK as well as
other perceived “Christian” extremists from the past.
However, I
think those critics are getting it all wrong. I believe that an extremist takes
the words and actions of its leader and puts them 100% in action.
So what does
Jesus say and what would a Christian extremist look like?
1. We
should be humble. Philippians
2:5-8 describes the extent of Jesus' humility: "Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who,
being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be
grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being
made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!"
2. We
should serve.
Matthew
20:28 says, "…The Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many."
3. We
should glorify God.
1
Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether
you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
4. We
should pray.
Mark
1:35 says, "Very early in the
morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to
a solitary place, where he prayed."
5. And
we should sacrifice.
Romans
12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you,
brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.”
I am not the
greatest Biblical scholar there is, but I would bet it impossible to find Jesus
saying or doing anything like blowing anything up or terrorizing a group of
people based on anything.
A Christian
extremist is not a person who spreads violence or hate, it is someone we should
aspire to be.
A Christian extremist gives up
everything including and ultimately his life for the glory of God, not by
violence done by him, but possibly violence done to him.
“Greater
is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Perry
Hunter
Deacon
Borden
Church of Christ
