Why We Continue To Miss The Mark

Today's article comes from guest writer, and my good friend, Jon Hinton, a recent graduate of the University of Northern Iowa.

Feuding over gay marriage, abortion, and capital punishment while arguing over tolerance, love/acceptance, and seeker-friendliness when we are surrounded by a world that is beaten, battered, bruised, scarred and falling apart from the damaging effects of sin......doesn't seem to make sense until we step back and take a look at what's really going on.

What we see all around shows us why we desperately need a Savior to redeem, transform, renew, and restore our hearts and minds to a proper way of thinking.

So many of us think that the Lord is on our side whether they be practicing homosexual Christians, agnostics who want to do good in the world, Conservative Bible-thumping Jesus Freaks, or Social Justice Christians who over-emphasize love and tolerance. This isn't about the Lord being on our side......it's about being on the Lord's side.

These issues that I listed above are not about left vs. right or even right vs. wrong - at the core, they're about whether or not we believe in what God has defined/ordained. Either we as the Church believe that God's Word is Divine and that He is God and has a reason/design for why He has declared some things good and others sinful.

Or we ultimately believe and act like we are our own God and that we can pick and choose what Scriptures are applicable to us today due to cultural context and social evolving.....that our LOGIC/REASON is the ultimate authority of right and wrong.

That, my friends, is the definition of pride and arrogance.May I remind you that "The Lord opposes the proud, but gives Grace to the humble." - James 4:6

Am I saying that Christians haven't made a mess of things? NO!!

Those Christians come from the same world that makes a mess of things every day.......it's called Total Depravity, we're all infected by it.

Just because you’re a Christian......others think you're perfect.

We ALL should know better!!!

Issues like abortion and gay marriage are symptoms of a deeper problem that lies within men's souls.

These issues should never have been politicized in the first place - they always should have brought us back to redemption.

You cannot change the mind without first changing the soul and you cannot change a culture without first changing the hearts and lives of men!

What these topics show is that ALL people desperately need the redemptive, transformative, salvific grace of Jesus Christ......in more ways that we can even fathom (and that includes the hearts of His people)!

If we ALL do not allow that Grace and Power to transform every part of our being everyday........I cannot help but think that we are left with culture war arguments and petty church squabbles while a broken world is still left searching for answers.

And then we wonder why nothing changes for the better.........

In other words, the focus should be on Jesus and what He has laid out for us in His Word.

In other words - If you want to speak truth and fight the advancement of evil that is around us, you have to confront and transform the culture.

If you want to confront and transform the culture, you need to change its way of thinking.But to change our culture's way of thinking, you need to transform the hearts and minds of men. And authentic transformation only happens thru the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If we as Christians in America put as much effort into evangelism and discipleship over the last 30 yrs as we did political issues.......we would have transformed our culture and the issues we fight for would have taken care of themselves. But since we haven't done that in the manner/degree we should have - we stand on Biblical principles and share/try to legislate them with a culture that doesn't believe in the Bible to begin with. Then we wonder why they don't understand what it is we share with them in the first place.

Instead we as Christians waste our time and ignore God's command to disciple the nations by fighting over the civilians affairs that Paul warned Timothy not to involve himself in - and being a critical thinker, I have to admit when I see a problem that is helping to contribute to the place where we are at today.

But as I close this reflection, I cannot help but think of how much I desperately need Jesus myself.......because the change I want to see in the culture around me - starts within me thru allowing Jesus to take control of my entire being. Revival starts when I ask the Lord to revive my heart for Him and then I live that transformation out on a daily basis. That is where real hope and change for a society begins and ends.......in the power of Christ alone. And I don't think I realize the power and authority that is within my reach.....and it's just a prayer away.

Lord, Imprint these words onto my soul and make them my heart's cry.
Let me see my life, the lives of others, & Your world through Your eyes.
Then give me the strength and courage to do what has been commanded of me as a Man of God.
I ask this in Jesus' name,
AMEN

Love Wins

Rob Bell's newest and most controversial work to date has generated quite a stir in the evangelical world. Bell attempts to tackle the tough issues of the nature of Heaven and Hell and the fate of mankind. While he has received praise from prominent figures like Greg Boyd and Doug Paggit, there has been a backlash in the Evangelical community coming from leaders such as Justin Taylor, Kevin DeYoung, Russell Moore, etc. Some call Mr. Bell a heretic, others a universalist, and Martin Bashir of MSNBC (of all places!) told Mr. Bell to his face that he was guilty of "amending the Gospel so that its palatable." So, is Love Wins worthy of praise, or is this work just as dangerous as many Evangelical leaders are proclaiming? That is a question I will answer personally when I finish Bell's work and am able to thoroughly analyze his claims. Until then I direct you to some recent responses to Love Wins to help in understanding what is at hand. Enjoy.

Open Letter to Rob Bell - Frank Turk
A Response - Justin Taylor
A Review - Kevin DeYoung
The Blood Drained Gospel of Rob Bell - Russell D. Moore
Interview - Martin Bashir

Expectations

There are many blogs and many bloggers on the internet, some of which I read regularly. Some of these blogs have massive followings while others have a small circle of devoted readers. I am not looking to create the next "great" blog or establish myself as some prominent voice in whatever topics may be discussed. This blog will simply feature my random thoughts on various issues as they take coherent substance in my mind. It is likely that I will link to various blog postings, new stories, and videos of interest. It is possible that at some point guest writers may be featured. So what are my expectations for this blog? At this point they are vague and low. Enjoy.