Building the Home on Christ Alone (Part 2)

As I work on my blog for this past week's message, "Raising Children to Glorify God" I thought this video would pacify you with a humorous characterization of somebody I'm sure we've all met. The song is by Peter Denahy, who is an Australian Country artist; and although he's depicting an Aussie youth, I'm sure it could apply to American culture as well. It is my prayer that as you grow to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, you will avoid raising your kids to become part of the "Sorta'. . . Dunno'. . . Nothin" crowd.

In Deuteronomy 6:1-9, we find Moses speaking to the children of Israel towards the end of his life. You will notice that he is emphasizing the solemn responsibility of Jewish households in the Old Testament to diligently train their children up knowing and delighting in the Law of God. Read this passage and consider the weighty responsibility it lays upon us all as parents to teach our children the law of God:

“Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates"(Deuteronomy 6:1-9).

If this passage tells us anything it tells us that children are smart; they will never follow beliefs backed up by words alone, only by beliefs backed up by your life. You can say you believe the Bible all day long. But if you can scarcely remember where you placed the Bible last, while never having to search for the TV when Monday night football calls, it is proven to be more sacred by the priority you make for it.

God did not give us the Law as a bunch of words He just arbitrarily pulled out of the air. No! God is revealing what He loves and what He hates; He is laying open for us His heart and mind. Therfore, any parents who model these words cannot simply show half-hearted, flippint agreement to the Law of God; they must cherish the Law of God with heart-felt love and addiction. "You say that you believe in one God, you do well. The devils believe also, and tremble" (James 2:19). How can you apply these words to your own family's situation?

To be continued!

The Questions we Don't Want to Ask

This post is a follow-up to my last one and will culminate by answering the question, "What variables must line up for us to rightfully call ourselves "Christian?" In my last post, I assumed that while Bob Dylan may be nominally Christian, he is not "Christian" in the biblical definition. I hope that he'll prove me wrong in the end. Whatever the case, the more important question for all of us should be, "Am I a Christian?" I will give six tests from the Scriptures to help you answer that and promise that I myself have to constantly answer that same question.

Through the vissicitudes of life, the elements of time beat against our souls and our tastes and interests change. But we could never be freed from the sounds of our youth. Some music always resonates with us and sparks up nostalgia of days gone by. You're probably already hearing the music of your own days.

Probably no other almum hits closer to home for me than Marvin Gay's "What's Going On." This album revealed Marvin's political, philosophical side, which people hadn't seen much of until 1971 when it was released. As a kid I listened to everything from Country to Ol' Skook R&B, and will never forget thumbing through all my parent's old LP's, which defined their era. This got me acquainted with the Carpenter's, The Four Tops, B J Thomas, etc. But none of their music spoke to me like Marvin Gay's. I could listen to songs like "What's Going On" and "Make Me Wanna Holla'" all day while cleaning the house or just killing time. I even remember having friends over and playing it for them. Much to my chagrine, they just didn't get it.

There were a couple years where I quit listening to non-Christian music. But this attempt would be short-lived when I met Jermaine Fenwick during college. Jermaine came to know Christ after being involved with the Nation of Islam for some time. He and I became good friends and would talk, debate and pray together about every day. I found him grooving along one day to his walkman and asked what he was listening to. It was none other than Marvin Gay's song, "What's Happening Brother", from the greatest album ever. I was hooked all over again.

Ever since that fateful day on April 1, 1984, when Marvin was tragically shot by his own father, we have brainstormed about what this 44 year old crooner, who showed no signs of slowing down, could have produced. One of the questions that come up among R&B lovers like myself who also happen to be Christians, is whether or not Marvin was truly a believer. Even after reading Marvin's biography, "Trouble Man," I'm not even going to attempt to answer that question. I reverence his smooth, debonir personality far too much I guess you might say.

It would be easy to conclude that Marvin Gay was a Christian. He had a strong belief in God and even inculcated this belief in his music. One of his songs was entitled "God is Love." In this song, Marvin repeats the chorus "Oh don't go and talk about my father, God is my friend." Then background of Marvin's voice chimes in by singing: "Jesus is my friend." You will not find a more beautiful song anywhere that puts in perspective the need to confirm our love for God by exhibiting love toward our fellow man.

I have read enough to know without a doubt that artists like Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ron Isely (of the Isely Brothers) and Bob Dylan all have a strong belief in God as well. Steve Turner has written a great book describing the journey of countless artists in their spiritual quest for truth (Hungry for Heaven: Rock 'N' Roll & the Search for Redemption, 1995). As I said in my previous post, I am not in a place to judge anyone; it is only by the grace of God that I myself am not only judged, but condemned (Romans 5:15-21). Yet, Jesus told us: "you shall know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:20). These words in context were to help his disciples discern who was a sheep, and who was nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Keith Green, who was a bluntly biblical Christian artist, once said, "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger!" In other words, it is not enough to profess that we know Christ by going to church or standing up on stage and thanking Christ. We must not only profess Christ, but possess Christ.

Obviously, I profess to know Christ. But I must always ask myself, "do I really possess Christ?" If you read this blog and then see me cussing somebody out after giving them the double-gun (two birds) salute in traffic, you would probably say that I'm not a sheep at all, only a wolf in sheep's clothing. When Jesus says that "you will know them by their fruits" He is telling us that we can know whether or not we, and those around us are believers based on the fruit revealed in the way that we live.

Having an assurance that you are safe in the arms of God as a Christian cannot be based solely on the fact that we prayed a prayer, or were baptized, or go to church every week. However, the Bible gives us several tests we must first apply to our lives to determine whether there is evidence of God’s grace there. Paul goes so far as to command us to “test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves” (II Corinthians 13:5). Here are six tests straight from the Scriptures you can start with. As our lives line up to the following six tests that we can gain the hope and assurance of salvation. But remember, following these tests could never get anyone saved. Rather, these tests give evidence that you have already been radically changed by God himself:

1. Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?

Paul prays, “If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed. Maranatha” (I Corinthians 16:22). These are politically incorrect words if there ever was such. But to fulfill the first and greatest commandment, which is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37) our hearts must be solely devoted to Him.

St. Augustine described this love well when he wrote, “He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake.” Everything in our lives should exist for His glory; and every activity done should be done out of love for Him.

This first test may sound simple, but it is actually the only test. The other five tests determine whether we pass this first one, or whether we’re fooling ourselves when we sing, “I love you, Lord.”

2. Are you actively guarding your soul from sin and the world?

The Apostle Paul humbly acknowledges that he himself could apostatize and prove himself to become a hypocrite if he was not diligent in guarding his heart from being drawn away with the world. “But I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (I Corinthians 9:27).

First John tells us plainly, “Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I John 2:15). Guard your heart with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23), because to gain the world is to forfeit your claim to God. Too many professing Christians are in love with this world. They love endulging "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life." John tells us that we cannot love this world which is at war with God and yet profess to love God (read also, Colossians 1:20-21, James 4:4).

3. Are you free from habitual sin?

I John 3:9 tells us that “no one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” I John teaches that as Christians, we will sin at times, and that “If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (I John 2:1). We can confess our sins and know that He is faithful and just to forgive us (I John 1:9). As Christians, we never get beyond a place of brokenness and repentance until we see Jesus face to face (i.e., Psalm 34:18, 51:16-17).

However, it is clear that if a Christian remains in habitual sin, and is not convicted and remorseful, his faith is vain. Just consider the black and white clarity with which John distinguishes those who are true believers from those who are lying hypocrites, "The one who says, 'I have come to know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected" (I John 2:4-5).

4. Are you convicted when you sin?

As said previously, Christians are not perfect, and there are times that we succumb to our old nature and fall flat on our faces. The difference between a believer and one who is lost is in how they respond to sin. A believer possesses the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and will inevitably be convicted with guilt when he sins. Hebrews tells us that just as earthly fathers discipline their children, the Holy Spirit will discipline us when we sin. “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives . . . But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (Hebrews 12:6, 8).

5. Do you love your neighbor as yourself?

Our world is becoming more decadent and distant from God; one of the most obvious indicators of this godlessness is that the love of many in our culture has grown cold (Matthew 24:12). The murder of unwanted children is commonplace as over 48 million abortions have been performed in the US alone since Roe vs. Wade. This type of disregard for human life out of convenience should cause our society to be repulsed. But instead, our society is only becoming more callus as we are now considering seriously the legality of euthanizing grown adults that are unwanted or disabled.

Christians, however, have a strong warrant to believe that every human life has dignity and is worthy of respect. We believe that man is created in the image of God. I John goes so far as to say that if we do not love our brother, we cannot call ourselves Christians, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (I John 4:7-8). Also, “anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother” (I John 3:10).

It is not enough just to say we love our neighbor; John tells us that if this love is not evidenced by offering aid to those who are in need, then what we call love isn’t love at all, and our faith should be called into question. “But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him” (I John 3:17).

6. Are you persevering?

There are many passages in the New Testament that warn us of false faith that fizzles before the finish. Mark my words, this kind of fickle faith isn’t faith from the first. I John tells us that if someone claims to be a believer, and yet falls away, their faith was false to begin with, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us” (I John 2:18-19).

God’s grace never fails. If what we possess is genuine, it will persevere until the very end. This is why Paul can speak with confidence to the Philippians, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Your assurance should grow day by day as you continue by God’s grace to persevere. Hebrews tells us that our full assurance will culminate in the end, when we have remained faithful to our Lord, “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end” (Hebrews 3:14).

An occasional, "I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" is cool. I'll be shouting with joy anytime a musician on the tube mentions the name "Jesus", especially in a PC culture where it been practically banned.

But sorry, this glib reference to "Jesus" is not evidence of true faith. If Jesus, who's entire message on this earth was "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17) lives inside you, then your own message to a dying world must be just as urgent. If God’s Spirit has made its residence in your life, then you will persevere until the end because it is no longer you who lives, but Christ Himself who lives in you (Galatians 2:20).

Fast Train a' Comin'

On August 20, 1979, Bob Dylan caused listeners shock by recording one of several albums that seemed to indicate he had become a Christian. People were asking, "How could such an enigmatic guru accept such a simple-minded message?" Listening to Bob Dylan there can be no doubt that he is a poetic genius, and nobody aside from God can ultimately judge what's going on in his heart.

However, his seemingly short-lived faith is much like the faith so common in the church today. It is a faith often more tailored to fit record sales than a clear description of the Gospel. One of the songs on Dylan's album was "Slow Train Coming." It is sad that Dylan's "Slow Train Coming" never quite made it to the terminal. Nonetheless, know that Christ is building His church and Christianity is spreading like a fast train a' comin' in many parts of the world according to the recent Voice of the Martyrs Magazine.

I felt like shouting when reading about one wide-eyed Christian musician named Hazim. You might say that Hazim is riding that train literally. He regularly shares the Gospel by strumming his six-string guitar aboard a commuter train in Algeria. That's right . . . Algeria! When I read this I have to admit that I hung my head in shame. I wouldn't have the boldness to get on a train in America, much less a train in the fascist Islamic state of Algeria, to start strumming loud Christian hymns in earshot of every passenger on board.

This Muslim run country has been agressively attacking the presence of Christ for years. According to Voice of the Martyrs, seven house churches have been shut down in recent months and three pastors are now toiling by the sweat of their brows in labor camps. Their crime . . . worshiping Jesus. Undaunted, and staring persecution dead in the face, this believer is sharing the gospel by singing Christian hymns to Muslim passengers, who you might say are his captive audience. He says that if they notice the Christian lyrics and ask him to stop singing, he simply puts down his guitar and commences to tell them the good news of Jesus Christ.

Ironically, many artists in the US is faced with falling record sales due to his unsophistocated faith . . . faith that fizzles fast. When Hazim, on the other hand, faced with imprisonment and possibly death, continues to sing to the glory of God. Hazim may not recieve the praise of a Bob Dylan in in the US. But in God's eyes, I would imagine that Bob Dylan wouldn't be worthy of performing his opening act. But in case you don't quite agre, let's look at what what classifies as music to Christ's ears: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12).

What kind of impact does Hazim's boldness have in the radical Islamic state he finds himself engulfed in? In recent years, we are told by Joel Rosenberg, in his book, Epicenter, that more than 80,000 Muslims have come to know Christ. In Russia alone, more than a million Muslims have come to know Christ in just the past year. In Turkey, 35,000. In France, 10,000; and India, 10,000. Even in France and Russia, these new believers will certainly be targeted as blasphemers and infidels by their own parents because the Muslim population of these countries is predominately unassimilated. Many pundits, such as Mark Steyn, have even told us that the Muslims of Europe are beginning to seem more militant than the ones found in the Arabian Peninsula where it all began.

Pray that God will wake us up as a church (Romans 13:11-13). Pray that He will arouse us from the pleasure persuing pipe-dream that has made us so impotent in the face of a dying country. If we had the boldness that God has bequethed upon our dear brother Hazim, we would certainly be persecuted, but mark my word, the Gospel would be paid attention to. It would be received so much more seriously than it currently is. The world does not need cool, retro looking "Christian" musicians who can strum an enigmatic tune that is arguably more influenced by the Dalai Lama than by Jesus Christ. The world needs the truth; the raw truth.

Jesus said in Mark 8:38, "For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Shame on us in allowing the sword of the Spirit to be sheathed by the shameful desire to subvert the gospel into something that is cool.

True, it is not cool to be called "socially irrelevant" and "politically incorrect." But neither is it cool to be lynched, killed and dumped into the Nile River by your own drill seargent because you refuse to be cool in the eyes of your fellow soldiers. What might I be speaking about?

Hani was a young Egyption, Coptic Christian, who loved Jesus with all his heart. While serving his mandatory stint in the military, Hani shared the gospel in the boldest way possible. He shared it by being killed as a martyr for refusing to renounce Christ and become a Muslim. Hani suffered importunately and was often interrogated, until finally he was killed at the hands of his own comrads. After being brutally beaten he was dumped in the Nile in an attempt to make his death look like a simple drowning incident. Maybe if Hani had downplayed it a little bit; kept it on the downlow, he would have been accepted . . . cool . . . relevant. Thank God he was more in love with Christ than he was with himself.

Hani's story broke my heart because of the great injustice perpetrated against this young Christian. But my heart breaks more for the condition of my own heart and for the condition of a church that is increasingly more concerned about "cool" issues like global warming than they are the global damnation that awaits a Christ-rejecting world.

Christian musicians and pastors alike must reject the seemingly ubiquitous desire to be a primadonna; the desire to be accepted like a rock-star. Christ told us to be greatly surprised if we were even accepted, much less idolized by swooning fans.

If there is anything I am certain of concerning the state of the church in America, it is the words of Peter: "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good" (I Peter 4:17-19).

Building the Home on Christ Alone (Part 1)

There is no institution that is more attacked and misunderstood today than the family, and yet there is no institution that is more vital for the survival of our civilization. It is no wonder that every time you see someone baptized in the book of Acts, we are told that they were baptized with their entire households; except in the case of the Ethiopian eunech, who, for obvious reasons couldn't have a family. This is one of many indications we have in the Bible that the families these early Christians came from had a much greater loyalty to one another and a much greater influence on one another than any family seems to have today in the United States. Think about this for a moment. I remember talking to my wife's grandfather, who comes from a strong Dutch Reformed, Christian background. I am always amazed to hear him share experiences he had growing up in the Thirties. What really strikes me was the fact that his family formed his beliefs about practically everything. Whereas today, most youth are more influenced by the surrounding pagan culture than by anything their Christian parents have to say. If mom or dad sit down to have "the talk", or as we usually call it, "the birds and the bees talk", they're surprised when their kid responds with, "tell me something I don't know." Either parents are asleep, or a godless culture is beating them to the punch. In our grandparent's generation this was not the case. The nuclear family taught them virtually everything they knew about life without the interference of a fallen culture, much less a culture that has declared war on the home. If Christian parents do not take up the responsibility to be the number one influence shaping what their children believe, I can almost promise that our civilization will be lost. The declining life expectancy of our children, which the AMA has already predicted will be only one symptom of a world gone mad.

This series looks at God's blueprint for the home revealed in the Bible and will cover five areas. First, Marriage as God's own invention. Second, raising children to glorify God. Third, His responsibilities. Fourth, Her Responsibilities. Fifth, we will look at the Bible's wisdom in the area of finances and home economics (nothing to do with the elective you took in high school).

Today, I'm dealing with marriage as God's own invention. John Piper has said, "The chasm between the biblical vision of marriage and the human vision is, and has always been gargantuan . . . our own sin and selfishness and cultural bondage makes it almost impossible to feel the wonder of God’s purpose for marriage between a man and a woman." In this first session then, we are examining God's view of marriage. I think you are going to find that when we look at the biblical blueprint, it will prove to be radically different from how even church members have viewed it:

God is the architect:
Here are some questions that I think are important to ask in proving that Marriage is something God ordained, and therefore, must be viewed with the greatest reverence:

1. Was it Adam or God that determined it was not good for him to be alone? (Gen. 2:18) It was the Lord that created Adam (2:7). It was the Lord that placed him in the garden (2:15). And it was the Lord that decided that Adam should not be alone (2:18-22). This is key because it reminds us that God's intention is not for a man to be alone, but to share life with a life-long mate. Although there are times when God calls someone to life-long celibacy, as in the case of the Apostle Paul, that is the exception, not the rule. Anybody can be celibate, but God alone can make a marriage work the way He intended it to work.

2. Who was the first father to ever give away a bride in marriage? (Gen. 2:21-22)God: “And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man" (2:22). Notice how delighted God is in his creation of woman. He is the one who presents Eve unto Adam as His very own creation. Any time a husband mistreats his wife or severs himself from her, he is saying, "God, what you made is not good enough."

3. Who first came up with this idea that a man and woman would become “one flesh”? (Genesis 2:24). In Matthew 19:3-7, The Pharisees asked Jesus: "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, for this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." Notice here that God made them "male and female" for the purpose of this "one flesh" union. In other words, the very fact that you have a gender points to the fact that you were not created to live for your self and your own lusts; you were made for the one God has ordained for you, and therefore your life isn't first about you.

Jesus is telling us plainly that marriage is a covenant that is not to be broken. The number of marriages in the US during 2006 was 2,230,000 (US Dept. of Health & Human Services) The marriage rate was 7.5 per 1,000 total population. However, the divorce rate was 3.6 per 1,000 population. This represents almost half of all marriages (46 reporting States and D.C.). There can be no doubt that our societies' view of marriage does not live up to God's original design.

4. Who is it that performs this “one flesh” union? (Gen. 2:24, Matt. 19:6, Eph. 5:31) Notice that twice Jesus says: “they twain (two) shall be one flesh." We know from the passage in Matthew 19 that God performs this "one flesh" union, indicating bodly that he hates divorce. There are cases in which the Bible allows for divorce in the case of adultery and abandonment (see I Corinthians 7:10-16), but Jesus and Paul are explicit in telling us that divorce should always be the last option even in these cases. Christ accepted us when we were unacceptable, we too should exhibit the same love.

Christ & the Church was God's Inspiration:
5. What is marriage patterned after in the Bible? Paul says in Eph. 5:31-32, "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."The context of this passage all the back at verse 22 is the marriage relationship. Paul is telling us here that a husband's love for his wife is suppose to be patterned after Christ's love for the church. Can you imagine the burden of responsibility this lays upon the shoulders of any husband? We as husbands must walk in the Spirit, and in the power of the Spirit if we ever hope to live up to this pattern, knowing that Christ's love was an unselfish love. Christ's love led him to lay down his life for us, and we are to lay down our lives for our wives by living for our wives, and putting their interests above our own (Eph. 2:25-27, Phi. 2:1-5).

6. How could Adam & Eve be naked and not ashamed? (Gen. 2:25)

A. There was no shame in nakedness because there was no human flaws. God himself declared that that his creation was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Imagine life before the Fall; there was no aging, no atrophy, no zits, sunspots, liver marks or disease. The human body was in its original, perfect state, leaving the man and the woman to be naked and not ashamed.

B. There was no shame because love covers a multitude of sins (I Peter 4:8, I Cor. 13:5). The second reason that Adam & Eve was naked and not ashamed is more much more important than the first because you can in fact be perfect and yet still be rejected by your spouse. Think about this. God was perfect; there was no flaw in Him, and yet Eve still rejected God and his law to write her own self-law. Would she not also in time, reject Adam if his will ever crossed her will? The reason why they were naked and not ashamed is that love covers a multitude of sins. Because Eve was
perfect, Adam would have no need to be ashamed even if he were impefect. This is because Eve would always put his needs above her own, and always accept him regardless of whether he remained handsome, or whether he waxed old; whether he was himself faithful, or unfaithful.

7. What brought about the need for a covering? (Read Gen. 3:7-10-11)

A. Adam & Eve were no longer trustworthy. As soon as Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, she declared that she would now put herself first, God and everything else, second. Adam knows this and says in his heart, "she's put God down; she’ll be likely to put me down in order to build herself up." This unfaithfulness to God will breed unfaithfulness to everyone else that no longer agrees with her own self-law, regardless of how perfect or imperfect they are. Remember, when you drive a wedge between you and God, you drive a wedge between you and every other human alive. If she has declared that she is not faithful to God, she may not be faithful to me. This is why 2nd. Marriages so often don’t work. The affections are inevitably split.
B. The second reason Adam needs a covering is that no longer is Eve not trustworthy. He has to confess, "I am no longer trustworthy." Even if Eve were the most faithful person in the world, Adam would still be ashamed because he is proven unfathful. This is true for all of us.

We can be easily hurt by those we love the most. But whether or not those around us are trustworthy or not isn't the deciding factor in whether we remain trustworthy. The fact is, we are all untrustworthy based on our own sin. The light of truth exposes the ugliness of our sin even as the holy voice of God exposed the ugliness of Adam's sin. For this reason, we need a covering. The innocence of nakedness does not jive with the guiltiness that comes from sin and a defiled conscience. Their vain attempts to cover themselves was the first example of hypocrisy. John Piper says it was also the world's first snow-job.

8. Why clothes?

Clothes are not meant to make people think of what is under them. I Timothy 2:9 tells us to stay modestly clothed, not to draw attention to the flesh, but to deflect attention onto God. Clothes are meant to make people think of what’s not under them. Diligent hands ready to serve others rather than self. Beautiful feet that carry the Gospel of peace. A shining face that glows with joy unspeakable because we've met with God.

9. How should your marriage look like Christ and the Church?

A. Remember, Christ loved us when we were unlovable sinners. Therefore, we are called to love our spouse even when they seem unlovable (Eph. 5:25). He accepts us based on grace, not works. We too, should accept our spouse with the same grace. This does not mean that we overlook their sins. It means that we call them to repentance, all the while willing to forgive them of their sins and accept them as Christ accepts us (Deuteronomy 7:6-7, Ephesians 2:7-8).

B. Christ is reshaping us into the perfect bride. We too ought to influence our spouse through our own imitation of Christ to become more like Christ(Eph. 5:26-27). This means that we will show them Christ not just with words, but with a life that backs them up.

C. We should be Christ to our spouse by esteeming them as better than ourselves and by putting their needs above our own (read Phi. 2:1-5). We are to love them as we love our own flesh (Eph. 5:30). We are called to exhibit a love that only Christ can enable us to have because we are called to love them as Christ loved the church. Remember that if we are not loving our wives as Christ loved the church, then we are portraying a false image of Christ to the world. It is no wonder that the world does not know Christ when so many husbands have no clue that their responsibility is to be a model Christ. Let us press into God's kingdom with a holy violence that we may receive grace to live up to this solemn calling He has placed upon us.

Next week, we will pick up with part two of Building the Home on Christ Alone, which will deal with the Bible's prescriptions on how to raise up children to glorify God.

Conversations with a Devout Muslim! (part three)

Assalamu alaikum! Peace be upn you! Below is a conversation I had with Webdawah this morning. I hope it is encouraging to you as you seek to defend the faith. It should become quickly obvious, but "livrevoar" is me, and "webdawah" is my Muslim friend:

livrevoar
Muhammad himself was so narcussistic that anyone who insulted him in any way was to suffer humiliating death, preferrably by beheading (read Sura 47:4). This was the demise of the Jewish poet, K'abbin Al-Ashraf, who was murdered because of what we would call "poetic justice."Anyone who rejected Muhammad or his message was called "the vilest of creatures" thus deserving no mercy (read Sura 98:6).Islam is anything but a religion of free thought and dialogue; it is the fingerprint of a demagogue.

webdawah
It is obvious that you don't know what reverence means. If you would express yourself without purposefully insulting others, then it's clear you want peace.

livrevoar
I don't intend to impugn Muhammad with baseless, ad hominem attacks. I believe he was a very sincere man who was convinced of his message. However, you have to understand that I only use the word "narcissist" in reference to Muhammad where it is warranted by the Qur'an. You must reflect over the following verses and remember that Muhammad's status is to be seen as "an excellent example of conduct" (Sura 33:21):

livrevoar
The first verse that indicates such narcissism is (Sura 111:1-5), where Muhammad is incensed over his uncle's apparent disbelief in his prophetic status. Muhammad proclaimed, "May the hands of Abu Lahab perish! May he himself perish! Nothing shall his wealth and gains avail him. He shall be burnt in a flaming fire, and his wife, laden with faggots, shall have a rope of fibre around her neck."

webdawah
You cannot read the Qur'an and tell the whole history of Muhammad(pbuh). He did not say the words of Surah 111:1-5 out of his own will, it was a revelation. What is the missing link is the torment, intimidation and death threats he had received from his own uncle, because he proclaimed one God.

livrevoar
Remember the Jewish tribes of Medinah, such as Banu Qurayzah and Qaynuqa, who no longer exist after their complete decimation, doubted Muhammad's prophetic status. When Muhammad was offended by the poetry of Ka'b bin Al-Ashraf, he went so far as breaking their covenant to have him killed at the hands of Muhammad bin Maslama (Bukhari: 4,56,3032. Muhammad soon despised the Jews, even saying, "You brothers of monkeys, has God disgraced you and brought his vengeance upon you."

livrevoar
In three places this same language is used in the Qur'an, equating the Jews with pigs and monkeys (2:62-65; 5:59-60,7:166). The Jews of the Qurayzah, when Muhammad's wrath brimmed over, cried, "O Muhammad, you are not a barbarous person" (Ibn Ishaq, 461). But Muahmmad, as you know, massacred every Jewish man with hair grown upon his pubes; numbering as many as 900; beheaded in one day. This confirms what the Quran teaches concernting unbelievers,"smite the necks of unbelievers"(Sura47:4)

livrevoar
It confirms what Sura 5:33 directs in the amputation of the hands and feet of unbelievers. It confirms what the Hadith teaches in the burning out of the eyes with heated iron bars, followed by leaving the subject in the desert to die, with the specific injunction that they be given no water, and that their pleas for mercy go unheard(Sahiah Bukhari, 7,76,5727). The specific instance recorded here was in reference to the punishment of shepherds who renouonced Islam.

livrevoar
The Qur'an is replete with a well developed theology if jihad against humanity, and yet you call the simple charge of "narcissism" "irreverent."As if the raping of the entire known world on every continent is not the most inhumane form of "irreverence" Satan has ever invented. Those Christians Indonesia, Sri Lanka, East Timor, and yes,the West Bank of Israel,being martyred by Islamists,are created in the image of God.They are his beloved creatures & their blood cries out for vindication.

livrevoar
But while the chief judge, Jesus Christ, prophesied as the Messiah in Daniel 9:25(Yeshua ha Mashiach),will one day bring condemnation, know that it is not my job to condemn,only to call you, who are a sinner no different than I, to repentance."It is of the Lord's mercies whereby we are not consumed because His compassions fail not" (Lam.3:22). God extends his compassion to you thru Jesus Christ, who bore your sins on the Cross. His death paid the penalty that should have brought us death.

livrevoar
But praise be to God that through his life, you too may have life, webdawah (Romans 6:4, Ephesians 2:1-5, I Peter 2:24-25).

webdawah
Equating some Jews with apes and pigs is not a detestation of Jewish people as a whole. The ones who delibrately distort their scriptures, are the ones described as despicable. Try to read in context..Sura 47:4 confirmed nothing, you should try reading Deut. 20:14 and on. Actually a Jew prescribed this punishment if you are really interested in knowing the whole story and not just what helps your argument against the Prophet(pbuh)

livrevoar
Was Ibn Ishaq's Sirat, Ibn Sa'd, and all the others simply make it up??? Or could it be that you decide what parts of the Muslim tradition actually happened and didn't happen based on what reflects faborably or unfavorably on Islam. You're only standard is expedience. No, it is not very credible to me that one of the most revered Sirat of Muhammad would pull 6-7 hundred slaughtered out of the air.

webdawah
I'd believe everything in the New Testament if I can get past the four Gospels. I'm still expecting your reaction to my "Dubious Writings" series.

webdawah
It's amazing that you mention these places where Christians have lived for generations and vastly outnumbered by Muslims. I'd expect that they would have been conpletely annihilated, but that's not the case. Isolated clashes are blown out of proportion by people like yourself who are desperate for a score against Islam.The Palestinian ambassador to the U.S. is a Christian, who blames some other people for their woes....The Jews.

livrevoar
What you don't take into account is that Christians are not desparate for a "score" against Islam. Jesus builds his church (Matt.16:18) we simply stand in awe of his splendor. Jesus Christ is Lord over all, and the day will come when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that he is Lord(Phi.2:10-11, Psalm 2:6-7, Acts 4:24-28). We are not called to score through military conquest/politics. We plant, we water, but God gives the harvest.I have to go to work,but I hope to speak more.

webdawah
Ibn Ishaq did write a biography, but did not go through isnad(the science of chain of narrators). It is known that one of his sources on this particulr event was a Jew. Could we not then be suspicious of the content? The Qur'an actually mentions the same event, without mentioning a number or hinting at a huge number for that matter.

webdawah
Narrated Ibn Abbas: When the Verse:--'And warn your tribe of near-kindred, was revealed, the Prophet ascended the Safa (mountain) and started calling, "O Bani Fihr! O Bani 'Adi!" addressing various tribes of Quraish till they were assembled. Those who could not come themselves, sent their messengers to see what was there. Abu lahab and other people from Quraish came and the Prophet then said,...

webdawah
..."Suppose I told you that there is an (enemy) cavalry in the valley intending to attack you, would you believe me?" They said, "Yes, for we have not found you telling anything other than the truth." He then said, ...

webdawah
..."I am a warner to you in face of a terrific punishment." Abu lahab said (to the Prophet) "May your hands perish all this day. Is it for this purpose you have gathered us?" Then it was revealed: "Perish the hands of Abu lahab (one of the Prophet's uncles), and perish he! His wealth and his children will not profit him...."(111.1-5)(Book #60,Hadith #293)

The conversation continues, but I had to cut it off. Although I don't get much in the way of true answers from Webdawah, but as you can tell, he is very zealous in defending Islam in light of my critique. I hope to answer some of his last statements tomorrow.

The most intruguing thing he said today was "I'd believe everything in the New Testament if I could just get past the Gospels." My ears really perked when I read this, and I think that's exactly where I'm going to go next.

Conversations with a Devout Muslim (part two)!

livrevoar
It is ironic that Muhammad denied the Trinity when the Christians who influenced him before his revelations were heretics who also denied the Trinity. One such example is the monk Bahira, who lived in Syria. Muhammad was clearly borrowing from the theology he had access to, and yet it was a twisted theology that all of the branches of Christianity rejected (Look at the Council of Nicea A.D. 325, Chalcedon 425).

webdawah
He met Bahira only once at the age of 12-14. He did not become a prophet untill he was 40. Imagine how long he would have had to keep all that knowlege of Christianity to himself without telling a soul. Besides, he had to be a genius for retaining all that information in oly one meeting.

livrevoar
Bahira is only one example. There were many renowned monks in the Arabian Peninsula such as Babira, who were Monophysitic or Nestorian. These sects were dominant in and around Mecca during the time of Muhammad. There were even Christian artifacts in the Ka'bah of Mecca that were central to these groups. This is all well-documented history that you should know. "History" in more ways than one seeing that all Jews & Christians were soundly decimated at Muhammad's behest.

webdawah Irrespective of who lived where, the revelation of the Qur'an mentioned people accusing the Prophet(pbuh) of getting information from a particular source who did not even speak in Arabic. I wonder why the Arabs who opposed him did not come up with these claims. The Qur'an even mentioned stories, while saying that none of them knew it before it revelation. I wonder why none of the opposition spoke up about fore knowledge of these things.

webdawah
You will not be able to give an unbiased or incontrovertible source that Muhammad(pbuh) decimated Jews and Christians when not at war.

livrevoar
You cannot possibly act is if there is no incontrovertible evidence. It is heart-wrenching to think that Muhammad's dying words were "turn Al-Mushrikun (all disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah) out of the Arabian Peninsula (Bukhari, vol. 5, 64, 4431). To know that Muhammad's legacy of genocide lead him to exterminate not only the Jewish tribes who refused to believe exactly what he said, but all Christians and Jews. Today's Saudi Arabia with no church, and no Synagogue to be found is a tribute to his brutal legacy of death.

livrevoar
Christianity alone offers a genuine relationship with God, because it teaches us that God is not only transcendent, but also immanant. He was prophesied as "Emmanuel" (Isaiah 8:8) which is translated "God with us." This solemn title cannot tell us anything rational about Jesus Christ if it is not telling us that he is God incarnate. Turn to him for forgiveness of sins. He loves you, and after all your good deeds fall short of pleasing God, only Christ alone can grant you access to God.

webdawah
The story told about Jesus in the New Testament, does not conform with "Immanuel" of Isiah 8:8. You call it a title, but nowhere in the New testament is Jesus(pbuh) referred to as that. The sign of Immanuel was for King Ahaz, who lived during the time of Isaiah. Only God can forgive sins, all you need to do is ask.

livrevoar
Webdawah! You have not read the Gospels. The sobriquet "Emmanuel" was given to Jesus by the angel of the Lord in Matthew 1:23. Notice when you read this passage that the name "Emmanuel" was to be proclaimed at Jesus' birth in Bethlehem to proclaim that his advent was nothing less than its Hebrew meaning, "God with us."

livrevoar
when you put the pieces together and realize that this was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy made as much as 700 years prior is phenomenal "And a virgin shall conceive and have a son, and his name shall be called, Emmanuel" (Isa. 7:14). Not only was God to be "with us" in the flesh in the form of Christ, but we are even told that he would be born of a virgin.

webdawah
I actually have read the Gospel. I even made a seires(Dubious Writings") about them. This issue of Immanuel was discussed in one of them. Check it out. I have already reponded to the descrepancies between Isaiah and Matthew. It might be in the 4th part of "Dubious Writings."

livrevoar
Webdaway: You are interesting to talk to and I appreciate your willingness to give answers to my arguments. I should have time later to continue the discussion on Trinity and Incarnation, both doctrines which are the center of the Christian faith. I am not a deluded European, however; I will not debase myself by calling Islam a religion of peace in order to buy a few more years of peace, when I know there will be no peace until either two things happen . . .

livrevoar
All the world will be beaten into submission (Dar al Islam) where you hope to successfully establish a world-wide, unified Callifate, or Jesus Christ will return with the glory of his Father and establish a kingdom of peace which will have no end (Daniel 2:44). I opt for the latter and pray that God, in his time, will open your eyes and bring you out of darkness and into his marvelous light.

webdawah
It is interesting that you quote from Daniel, but I would challenge you to show me anywhere in Daniel that speaks of Christians or Christianity. The topic of end time can also be discussed between you and me at your convenience. Whenever you are ready we can continue were we stopped and if you do not want to continue I understand. I just don't like when people start switching topics on me. I hope the one true God opens your heart to Him. Peace.

livrevoar
It is also interesting that you use the same language of God's Spirit drawing the heart of man to himself that is used in the Bible (Acts 16:14, John 6:44). But show me in the Qur'an where God lovingly draws men to himself? If there is such a warrant, how do you you square this gentle drawing with the mass carnage that is commanded in the Qur'an?

relucta
Al-Waddud = The Loving ... One of Gods beautiful 99 names

webdawah
Allahu Akbar!

webdawah
You mean this type of carnage?; Surah 4:17, 4:26, 6:12, 6:54, 6:155, 9:15, 9:26, 9:106, 9:117, 23:118, 27:46, 33:73, 39:53 etc. Be more specific.

livrevoar
You make this too easy! The entire eigth chapter of the Qur'an (Al-Anfal) is devoted to dealing with the spoils of war. Muhammad was such so devoted to the genocide of all non-Muslims that extensive paramaters had to be set to deal with all he had stolen in his raids. These were not just any raids; but raids that Muhammad provoked (Nakhla, Badr, etc) for the advancement of Islam. Not for any other reason.

livrevoar
Muhammad himself was so narcussistic that anyone who insulted him in any way was to suffer humiliating death, preferrably by beheading (read Sura 47:4). This was the demise of the Jewish poet, K'abbin Al-Ashraf, who was murdered because of what we would call "poetic justice."Anyone who rejected Muhammad or his message was called "the vilest of creatures" thus deserving no mercy (read Sura 98:6).Islam is anything but a religion of free thought and dialogue; it is the fingerprint of a demagogue.

livrevoar
More than 139 Danes have already been killed because of a cartoonist's satire of Muhammad. Yet you have never seen someone killed because they criticized the Pope, George Bush, Gordon Brown, Ghandi, the UN, or better yet, even Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What this zeitgeist among Muslims conveys is that ideas have consequences. When you follow an intolerant leader who allowed no dissent, you will foster the same intolerance.

This brings us to the end of the discussion. Webdawah, has not yet had an opportunity to respond to my last statements, but I'm sure he will. I'm sure this discussion will continue because the one thing we both have in common is that we have to have the last word. Even if it is obvious that he is not at his computer at the time I post a comment, I will go back to youtube.com days later, and find that he has responded.

Conversations with a Devout Muslim!

Sometimes when I am on Youtube.com listening to videos, I can get into some interesting discussioins with people of other faiths. In fact, I have found it an effective way to share your faith. These conversations are especially interesting, not to mention, economical, when the people you're talking to often live in an entirely different country, and it costs you nothing.

Below is just a snippit of a conversation I had last night with a devout Muslim who's handle is Webdawah. My handle as you'll notice, is Livrevoar. I had no intention of getting into a debate. But after seeing a video he shot that completely slammed the Incarnation of Christ, I felt I had to share with him the truth by posting a comment. Within minutes, however, he had already shot a comment back refuting my first comment. It got really fun after that.

The conversation starts in the paragraph below. My first comment was a response to a video he shot attacking the idea that God could undero Incarnation (The Incarnation is the doctrine which teaches that God became a man when Christ was born in Bethlehem. His argument was that just as an ice-cube melts, and is no longer an ice-cube, and just as a baby grows up, and is no longer a baby, for God to become a man, he would no longer be God:

livrevoar
You have obviously confused the incarnation (God becoming man) with Modalism (the idea that God became solely a man and was no longer Spirit). This definition does not fit how Jesus speaks of Himself as being God in the flesh "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30), as well as being distinct from God the Father "glorify me with thine own self, with the glory that I had with thee before the world began (John 17:5). . .

livrevoar
Yet, notice that in both of the references below, Jesus is making the bold assertion that he is God; enjoying glory with God before the world's creation, and being of one substance with God. Christianity is based on the assertion of John 1:1 that the "word" referring to Jesus Christ "was God," and that the "word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

webdawah
If Christianity is based on John 1:1, that means Christianity began around 70 years after Jesus(pbuh). The Gospel according to John was written at least 70 years after Jesus(pbuh).

livrevoar
Christianity alone offers a genuine relationship with God, because it teaches us that God is not only transcendent, but also immanant. He was prophesied as "Emmanuel" (Isaiah 8:8) which is translated "God with us." This solemn title cannot tell us anything rational about Jesus Christ if it is not telling us that he is God incarnate. Turn to him for forgiveness of sins. He loves you, and after all your good deeds fall short of pleasing God, only Christ alone can grant you access to God.

webdawah
If Jesus said that he and God are one, and to you he meant it leterally, that means we talk of a duality, no more a trinity

livrevoar
Webdawah. LOL. Notice how you read the word "duality" into my words, when I used no such word. My argument was, however, that Jesus and God are part of the same substance, and that is understood in relation to the perfect Trinity. The Trinitarian distinction is inevitable when you understand that Jesus not only claims to be of one substance with the Father; he also claims to be of one substance with the Holy Spirit when he comforts his disciples by saying, "I will not leave you comfortless-I will come unto you (John 14:18).

webdawah
I did not read duality into your words. 1 is a complete number, and is definate. Me and the father are 1, completely excludes the holy spirit...hence a duality.

livrevoar
Not to belabor the point, but your logic is not credible. For Jesus to say that "I and my father are one" (John 10:30) is actually a beautiful formulation of the Trinity. He is one with the father. He is also one with the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-18). Because Jesus does not make a comprehensive (all-encompassing) formulation of the Trinity in John 10:30 does not in any way limit himself to a duality. You would not even apply this logic to yourself. Let me give you an example:

livrevoar
If you were to say, "I am going to visit family in London." And a month after you returned from your trip you say, "I am going to visit my family in Istanbul," would it not be absurd for me to attack you saying, "You have no family in Istanbul, your family is in London?" For me to force the framework of duality upon your relationship to your family would be absurd, even as it is absurd to force the same framework on the words of Christ, when nowhere in the Bible is it warranted.

webdawah
A family is dynamic. You could have cousins in Istanbul, and have siblings in London. God is 1.

livrevoar
This is where you must recognize that God is Triune (one in essence revealed in three personhoods). Jesus commanded his disciples to baptize into "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). To be baptized into Christ was to be baptized into all three. Colossians 2:9 corroborates this saying that "in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Godhead "Theotes" in the Greek, means all that is Divine).

livrevoar
It is ironic that Muhammad denied the Trinity when the Christians who influenced him before his revelations were heretics who also denied the Trinity. One such example is the monk Bahira, who lived in Syria. Muhammad was clearly borrowing from the theology he had access to, and yet it was a twisted theology that all of the branches of Christianity rejected (Look at the Council of Nicea A.D. 325, Chalcedon 425).

So much was said in countering each statement that it is remarkably hard to reproduce here without completely losing people. Our conversation, however, continues. I will try to post more of what we are talking about within the next few days, so stay tuned; logged on, or whatever.

Also, pray for Webdawah that God will open his heart to the truth. If you go to his websight, you will find 31 videos that he has shot trying to refute Christianity and he has devoted a large part of his life and energy to this end. He would rather read God's word (the Bible) with a chainsaw than with an unbiased mind.