SEVEN FAMOUS BIBLE VERSES #5: "SECRET BEHIND PHILIPPIANS 4:13"

Mankind has always coveted power from the dawn of time, and especially when life on planet earth was rebooted, post Noahic-Flood. One of Noah’s great grandsons was a….Nimrod. In fact, Nimrod was his name. He is the person responsible for the reintroduction of idolatry and pagan worship into the world after God had cleansed the earth of every evil thing and person. Nimrod wanted power, longing to be like God and decided to build a tower that he thought would reach the sky…all the way to heaven. The result was the Tower of Babel and the true power of God revealed when the Almighty scattered mankind across the land, speaking in strange languages and tongues. Before this event, all living humans spoke the language of Noah.

Nimrod used his God-given gifts and abilities to shake his fists at the Creator and do things in his own power. Then God showed up. Many will see the brilliant and lost in this world prospering to the tune of billions, while blaspheming God or worshiping their own creations (whether it’s in the technology or financial world). They see this inconsistency going on while God’s people suffer in most countries of the world and have nothing. This should not concern us to the point of sin. It should inspire us to work harder in Kingdom Service and not to an obsession of what is celebrated in this celebrity culture, but a reliance on the Strength and Character of God, in order to be like Him.

  

The popular Philippians 4:13 verse is a favorite of a lot of people, especially soldiers, college students and even athletes, most of whom do not follow Christ.  Taken by itself, the impact which God intended for us to have from this verse is lost. By itself, it even becomes somewhat of an idol if we are not in relationship and fellowship with the God Who had it written down for us. The Power is not in the word but the Word Who became flesh. The Power is not in the t shirt, hat or mug it is on, but in the Author of Life. The run up to this exhortation (4:13) is Philippians 4, verses 11b and 12.  If we miss this, we are operating in midair with now landing gear down.  The Apostle Paul, under inspiration from the Holy Spirit writes the following:

Philippians 4:11b-12 ---  11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 

The above passage should be an example to those of us in modern times who sometimes feel as if we need the next best thing....and then we will be happy. Or maybe, if we had this new car, or new job, or new home, then we can really be satisfied with our lives.

Focusing on the wrong things brings dissatisfaction, but peace with God and the simplicity of the Gospel lead to peace, joy, contentment. The mark of a true believer is how one carries oneself under ANY circumstance. This is the main point of the passage. 

When the modern cultural fad adopts the "Bumper Sticker" man-made attribute of "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me", the fad creates more fad adherents than followers.  When Philippians 4:13 becomes written on the back of your cleats, or on your ball cap or coffee mug, it should be more than just YOU and I making some kind of statement to the world that we are "Christians".

Because the Gold of this teaching is found here in Verses 11b and 12, we can surely NOW rest in Philippians 4:13 ("I can do all things through Him who strengthens me") but more important, we must ensure we are filled with the sense of the main thing which is integral to our soul and its well-being BEFORE we get there. The main things ARE the main things and here they are:

 -  Open our eyes to what the Lord has done for us and be grateful for every single thing He has done for us. 

 -  Gratitude for what our Heavenly Father has done for us, beyond just meeting our needs, but allowing us to be even more comfortable and prosperous than we were, maybe even ten years ago, should lead us to proper humility.

 -  This Humility should result in perspective of the kind where we can handle any form of adversity which the world throws at us in general, or at Christians specifically. Life will happen to all. Life is lived in the valley of sometimes flowing waters and fertile soil, but many times, life is lived in the valley of despair. The Secret is found in the Oracles of God, Who laid them plainly out in Scripture.

 -  Adversity, in the Valley of Despair, can always be handled with Godly dignity and grace if we know the Source of Everything and not just the Strength and Power which comes from God.

 -  Gratitude, Humility, Persevering in Adversity even when times are good (and they will not stay good forever) can be rolled up into one thing - Godly Perspective. This is the Real Secret which are available to the Faithful who can now claim the ability to possess all these attributes, because his/her reliance is in the Lord Jesus Christ - Who has given us and embedded His character and power IN us. 

Therefore, if we are really searching for the Secret behind this popular or any other verse of its genre, we will most certainly find that there is no hidden magic formula at all! God has written it all out in the open! All we should immediately grasp is this - our God is a God of order and is also Process. He IS in the details and longs to fill them in for us - if we will only ask. 

BOB WARREN, GOD'S FORWARD - A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

Everybody has come across that one person in your life who has made a HUGE difference and even changed the direction of where they were heading. One such person, was prime among the very small group of Godly men who mentored me in Ways of the Lord. The Bible – the pure and powerful Word of God – is an integral part of me, now more than ever. It was not always so until I understood – from that same Bible – what victory Christ actually won for me at the Cross….and not just me, but all mankind for all time.

I would not have understood that victory or where the written proof was, were it not for a man named Bob Warren. Bob is my most unforgettable person in life. When he passed from this world on Monday morning, August 25, 2014 – he left behind a legacy which touched thousands of men, women and young people which most American preachers would give their big salaries for (maybe). The last time I saw Bob a couple or so summers ago, he was asking permission to pour his teachings into my oldest son, who showed an interest during camp and stayed up late for Bob’s late night mega bible studies. That was the kind of man he was. He reached into the inner city and the poorer counties and gave youngsters (boys and girls) a chance a summer camp experience they could never otherwise have .

He deeply affected both my sons’ lives because his BASIC (Brothers And Sisters In Christ)

The last leadership training for Summer Camp at
 Bob Warren's THE HILL, this past July 2014

Training was all about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible and walking it the Christian life. The sadness I saw in them trumped the deep loss I felt at the passing from the scene, of this hero of the Faith. So who was Bob Warren and why did he mean so much to those who knew him?  The lanky 6 ft. 4 inch athlete from Hardin, KY grew up on his folks hog farm and rose to such prominence in the late 1960’s in the South East Conference (SEC) in basketball, at Vanderbilt University, that he was drafted by both the NBA and the NFL! (Hardin, Kentucky, is just to the east of Paducah and the home of Murray State University). The SEC was well loved at that time, since the New York Jets had scored big with a quarterback named Joe Willie Namath of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Bob turned down the NFL in New York (Giants) and chose the National Basketball Association, where he ended his career with the San Antonio Spurs, current reigning NBA Champs. To those who knew Bob, his stellar basketball career was not his biggest accomplishment in life.  He always talked more about the Lord than the guy he used to be who "put a round piece of leather through a round piece of iron"!! When the Lord Jesus Christ delivered him from the dominion of darkness and saved him, Bob entire life went straight into a whirlwind. At once, it was both his biggest victory and the most critical time of his life. As he told the intimate groups he spoke to, being born-again into the Kingdom of God cost him his marriage. His unsaved and non-believing wife immediately left him and Bob never dated for 25 years after that. The great athlete spent the next quarter century alone, but he was not alone. (He remarried later in life. His wife is Kimberly and his only son is Benjamin).

Bob Warren (1946-2014)

Bob Warren moved back to his dad’s farm after retiring from the NBA and immersed himself in the Word of God. He studied the Bible so much, he wore out a new Bible every two years. Bob knew the Bible so well, the Lord revealed more and more to him which he selflessly shared and passed on to anyone who asked.  I became acquainted with Bob Warren through a good brother in Christ – Bryan McKenzie, who was also our church youth pastor over a decade ago. He was injured while playing for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and completely at a loss about what to do next. Being from Kentucky himself, Bryan sought out Bob who was now well known as the premier Bible teacher of the Bluegrass State!  Bob told him to read the Bible four times and then come back and speak with him. Bryan read it once and went back to Bob.  Thus began an association which then spread to Illinois and hundreds of coaches, high school kids and athletes over the past 15 or so years. McKenzie went on to found the Central Illinois Chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) which is now the largest FCA in the state of Illinois.

One year, a long time ago, he handed me a set of cassette tapes of teaching from Romans chapters 1-8, by Bob Warren. Then he told me not to give it back to him until “I got it”. I did not know what that meant…i.e. “got it”. So I listen to the friendly southern preacher Warren explaining every verse of every phrase of eight chapters of Romans. I listened once – did not get it, even though I understood it.  The second time through – I can still remember the moment it hit me! I GOT IT! I got why this Book of Romans was not only the Book that launched the Reformation, but explained my Redemption!  I was free at last, just like Martin Luther! I was saved 13 years before, but I did not understand the Victory until I got through Romans 6 – 8 (twice) and felt myself completely living in the victory! If you think this was good news of the revelation of the Victorious Christian, this same study led a good friend of mine to being born-again just before I had gone through the study.

“PM” grew up in the ritualistic Greek Orthodox tradition and did not Christ as Lord and Savior  - until Bob’s teaching on Romans 1-8 opened his eyes. When he gave that testimony at a men’s breakfast several years ago, there was not a dry eye in the place. These are just a couple of the countless other such testimonies. More and more, Bob’s amazing revolutionary teaching from the Word reformed many, such as the guy who had his light come on while driving and pulled over to the side of the highway after listening to Bob, and knelt by the side of the road to give his life to Christ! My next step was asking myself “what more was I missing”? If I had just gotten the same revelation as Luther, Warren and McKenzie, there had to be more in that Bible – like 64 and ½ books worth more! Sure enough, I discovered Bob had a teaching on how to study the Old Testament!

Like most Christians, we tend to avoid the “Old Testament” as, well, “old”, not knowing that almost ALL the End Times prophesy were delivered from Heaven by the Old Testament prophets! By the time I had spent several weeks almost daily, stopping and playing those old cassettes, I was so familiar with the period of the Kings, their doings and How the Lord moved through human history…I sought out a local Messianic congregation to find out more about Hebrew roots of the Scripture. I am still friends with many in the national messianic Jewish movement, who look to Yeshua as Savior. My hunger and thirst for the Word of God and love for the Savior and Kingdom work, and primarily to connect the dots to such an extent that I can explain it to someone else, is partly the legacy of this great man – Bob Warren….and not just me, but God alone knows how many others!

On learning of the passing of such a great influence and friend in my life, the shock turned to joy once I overcame the grief, knowing that Jesus was giving him the rest and reward he truly deserved. The man who taught kids at his annual weeklong summer camp, the value of not just the Word but application (all kids had to go help a local farmer with his chores or repair projects) was now finally home, in the Abode of the Master.  His last book series, which he never got to finish was called “God’s Heart” and it was on selected topics of the Faith – from predestination to living in Hope. But while he will never finish writing them, he did not really have to – the lives of those whom he influenced and loved to Jesus,  are already living examples of God’s Heart to a perishing world. Thank you, Bob Warren, formerly of Hardin, Kentucky! Walk on, brother – as you always said – walk on in the streets of Gold, where you are now, for all eternity….until we meet again! Amen.

BobWarren’s website: “LIFE ON THE HILL”
Click here to purchase the Life-Changing teaching on Romans 1-8 from Amazon.com
The only known video message from Bob is an amazing testimony to a man whose walk was closer than most! You have to watch this:

THE EYES OF THE LORD PART 2 - "ALL IN"

“For the Eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

The theme of the 2014 Fellowship of Christian Athletes annual sports camp (for high school kids and led by its powerful Chaplain Kirby Myers of the Naval Academy FCA) is “All In”…..as in totally sold out to Christ, or committed to walking in His Ways – which are not our ways.  At least one quarter of the high school teens are only there for the sports camp training from the best football, baseball etc. coaches in any state.  Some of these coaches are many times state champions like the Central Illinois father-son team of Ken and Derek Leonard, the latter having four straight state 4A High School football championships under his belt. We can say that kids like those are not “all in”.

So it was with a king of Judah named Asa, who was ruled the southern kingdom around     the 9th century BC. When he had been king for 36 years, the southern kingdom of Judah was attacked by the northern kingdom and its vicious armies.  But instead of turning to the Lord, Who had favored the southern kingdom, Asa made a treaty with the pagan kind of Aram (Syria)….a man named Ben-Hadad.  The Lord had already sent the prophet Azariah to warn Asa that if he (Asa) sought the Lord, the Lord will be gracious and open to him. But God also warned Asa that “if you forsake Him, He will forsake you”!  2 Chronicles 15:17 said that Asa’s heart was “blameless all his days”.

But then, something happened. When Asa made his pact to seek Ben-Hadad’s assistance to defend Judah, he disregarded the Word of the Lord. The Lord then sent another prophet, Hanani, to deliver the word from on high. When Hanani went to tell King Asa of the direct admonishment of the Lord, for relying on a pagan alliance with Ben-Hadad rather than God whom Asa followed for most of his life, the King through Hanani in prison! Not just that, but King Asa had a complete shift in character from the majority of the many decades of good rule, and began oppressing his own people. In due course, King Asa developed a severe disease in his feet and instead of turning to the Lord for healing, as apparently he used to do, he turn and trusted only in his mortal doctors. There was a strange end to this once Godly turned prideful and selfish man - King Asa. When he died, he was buried in a grave - WHICH HE DUG FOR HIMSELF!

There are some critical lessons for us to learn from a man like King Asa. They are relevant for even these modern times. The first one is that you can do all kinds of wonderful work for the Lord. You can do go missions to dig water wells for people or build churches in Central America. You can feel the homeless at the local breadline or even win souls for Christ in passionate street ministry. You can be the best preacher in town with the liveliest church. If all of this means your self-reliance on your own judgment, is more important than seeking the Lord.... or you have some notion about making friends with the world to "get along", then you are in mortal King Asa territory. In this case, it would be a good idea to search your own heart to see if you are truly born again!

Secondly, the scary thing was - Scripture said Asa's heart was "blameless all his days"....until that 36th year when he committed a HUGE sin by taking the gold and silver from GOD's TEMPLE in Jerusalem and giving it to Ben-Hadad, for some defense "alliance". We can be deceived into thinking we are alright for most of our christian life and show our true colors towards the end of life, when it counts the most. We can appear to live the perfect life, in the eyes of the world, yet suffer shame and loss on Judgment Day. Asa shook his fists in front of Holy God not once, but many times in the last three years of his long reign as king. He knew the power of God - we know the power of God. He knew God would fight his battles, if he asks - we know the Source of our Strength, but sometimes do the opposite of Philippians 4:13. 

He knew the prophets of God (Azariah and Hanani) and persecuted them for speaking truth - we stick our heads in the sand because we, as a church, are afraid to acknowledge sin, call it sin, call evil evil and then stand up for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are no different from King Asa sometimes...to the point of doing it our way, with no apologies to Frank Sinatra. Some of us refuse to even pray and/or intercede for our families and friends or country, because "God knows I'm okay". Some of us are so full of our own pride and self-importance that we even dig our own philosophical grave, as King Asa did so we could be buried "his way"!

The Scripture, whose context anchor this historic event, says that "the Eyes of the Lord run and move to and fro" across all mankind....to find AND support those whose hearts were ALL IN, or LOYAL to Him! King Asa was NOT loyal to HIm when it counted. Are you?
Jesus said in Matthew 24:13 "But the one who endures to the end will be saved." What the Savior really means is that the elect - those who are called by His Name and are saved WILL make it all the way to the end of all things.  This is absolutely true. True believers have the capacity to persevere (also called "Perseverance of the Saints") because the Holy Spirit of God, who lives in us to guide us to the path of all Truth, leads us into the path of all Truth. The challenge from now on is for each of us to set our eyes and hearts to "Jerusalem" to fix our gaze on Him; to never waver and to never, never, never give up and never give in.

Let us then resolve to be like King David in Psalm 139:23-24" Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts and see if there is any wicked way within me". Then beseech the Lord to remove all filth, sin, iniquity and the propensity towards transgression, that His Eyes may find us "all in" for Him! Amen.

CAN UNBELIEVING PARENTS TEACH ABOUT JESUS?

PART 2 - THE ANSWERS 

The very thought provoking column by William Hageman of the Chicago Tribune which sparked these last two blog posts also tried to offer some solutions to this increasing crisis of Faith. (The column is headlined "TEACHING KIDS ABOUT FAITH WHEN YOU DON'T PRACTICE ONE").  Some of them are worth implementing immediately. 

Hageman threw in some ideas from authors whose books have sold well in Christian circles (like Sticky Faith).  He said that the topic of God is going to come up in the daily lives - mostly at school - of these kids who are not raised in households of faith. I would add, that God has His people, no matter how young or old, EVERYWHERE. Even in some crime-ridden public school in the worst-in-the-nation system in Chicago, we are finding out from my Gideon Bible brethren that sometimes the principal or an administration person may actually be a real Christian.....and as happened in a school in Springfield yesterday in a bad neighborhood, they actually want the Gideon New Testaments handed out in their schools. We are finding this a lot, on an anecdotal level, in school districts across the country as more and more responsible adults realize that sinful mortal men and women do not have the true answers to give these poor kids any real hope!

To build on Hageman's point, if a parent has no faith or practices none BUT is concerned about their children's future, when the child brings up the fact that he or she saw a bunch of Christians holding hands around a flagpole in the school yard wanted to join them - then please do not make fun of that child for wanting to know more about, for example, SEE YOU AT THE POLE! This year's event is on Wednesday September 26.  We will remind folks of this in a couple weeks, but be ye prepared for that big day in the life of a school child as the academic year gears into full speed! Even if the parent could care less about God or church or the Bible or prayer (except when something bad happens) etc etc....if you try to stop a young person who is seeking answers which you, in your evil rebellion against God cannot or do not want to give - you will be judged harshly by God, if you do not repent and make it right, period. This is a promise from Jesus "And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea" (Mark 9:42).

So we know kids are going to find out about God somewhere - either how to disobey Him more, or hopefully, through peers - seek to know why Susie or Joshua or Brittany have such a wonderful shine on their face and smile, even through adversity and even bullying in school. The least an unbelieving parent can do, is NOT get in their way. If there is an athletic program in the school, there will most likely be a Fellowship of Christian Athletes huddle (Bible Study group) in there. I would encourage the kid to join one of those groups - even if the child is not a full time jock or a swimmer or just plays chess. They will not refuse him or her entry to the group. Huddle leaders are students just like them, except the huddle leader is usually a born again older teen who is grounded in the Bible. It has to be the Bible and nothing else.  The article mentioned above got input from people from other faiths and NO faith. While it may be worth looking into their methods whereby they share their world-based philosophy, you may use some of them but base it 100% on God's Word!

If an unchurched or unsaved parent wants the best for their kids' life, they would allow them to seek purpose in their lives on their own, if they are not willing to do it the right way. The right way is what God says. God gave the example in the Book of Deuteronomy to show how we are supposed to teach our kids His Word. "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:5-9 ESV)

Most western parents, and increasingly, most Christian parents do not even follow 15% of that recommendation from Abba Father! They will drop their kids off at youth group and never check to see what they are learning while they themselves talk about Golf, football and Starbucks in church with their adult friends. This is no different from what an unsaved parent does....except it looks better because the parent goes to a (mostly country-club) American church.

So think on these things, my friends. Are there answers to these things which are occurring with frequency? Yes...and none of them are easy. In fact, some of them will seem impossible. An increasing number of churches are abandoning their jobs and missions to reach these folks "because it is too hard....and we have to take care of our own"!!! This is disobedience and these pastors and church boards will be accountable for that...do not go to these people. Find someone you trust, a co-worker who is fired up for Jesus or an obvious active Christian and seek their counsel. Most times, nine of out ten, this type of person will go out their way to help!! Therefore, Open the Eyes of your Heart my friends, see the need, and act accordingly.

NEXT UP - "PRACTICAL ATHEISTS"

(photo by Tampa Bay Online & google images)

TEBOW & PUJOLS - CHRIST OR MAMMON?

Very few athletes have been making as huge headlines recently than football's Tim Tebow and baseball's Albert Pujols. Both men have been known to wear their 'testimony' on their sleeves.


Love 'em or not, both men have people talking not just about their public professions of Faith in Jesus Christ. However, by doing so, they have invited more scrutiny on their individual lives to see if their talk matches their walk!

Albert Pujols with his idol...er..statue

This is actually not a bad thing, as many a so-called "Christian Athlete" has fallen  hard on  their face, making all their talk about "Jesus is my Savior" a laughing stock to a cynical word.  Christian ministries are actually partially to blame for this, because they fall all over themselves, to hire this or that newly minted celebrity athlete, who happens to say that he believes in the bible or is a "christian"! I have yet to hear of some poor soul say that he/she got saved because Kurt Warner or Deion Sanders spoke at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet!


The latest example is current Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd. After claiming Christ, the Bible and a picture perfect family life, the Feds just arrested him last week, for running a Cocaine/Marijuana ring worth millions of dollars! When he was arrested last Friday and charged, the news media led with the fact that he was a man who quoted the Bible and spoke to others in need.


Both Pujols and Tebow do not fall into this category because neither have committed any type of crime. However both men have to guard their conduct - personal and professional, because the reputation of Christ rests on it.


Baseball's Albert Pujols has already lost credibility. Last winter, when the negotiations started with the St. Louis Cardinals over the kind of money and contract he wanted, his reputation as the most God-fearing and loved man on the team, came into question. Many saw a different side of a man whom an entire St. Louis region put on a pedestal.


By the time CHRISTIAN DAY at the Park (Busch Stadium) came by on August 3, resentment against him was building. I was working at Gate 8 of the Cardinals-Rockies late game as we passed out baseball cards with 5 players's favorite bible verses at the back of it. I found out later this was universal, but Pujols' card was no longer the favorite! Sure this is anecdotal, but the fans already suspected he was not all he seemed.


These players - from Lance Berkman to Pujols - spoke somewhat eloquently about their so-called faith in Christ when the time for speechifying came before the remaining 8000 fans on that Christian Day. However, when the Cardinals won the 2011 World Series and each of these same men had the chance to tell the world about Jesus, not one of them - not Pujols or Berkman - said a thing. When it came right down to it, they thanked themselves.


This is the difference between these people and Tim Tebow. Tebow gives credit to Jesus, at the end of every touchdown or when he won those two NCAA Football titles at Florida. Pujols went on to sell out his standing in the eyes of God and man to the highest bidder, for a massive $250 million/10 year contract (massive for a fading star). After he sold out all those who looked up to him as some kind of saint, he said God told him to do it!!! The question is, did God also tell him to turn down the $230 million from the Miami Marlins or the $170 million from St Louis, where he already had a ministry and a base etc..??!!! 


Tim Tebow was given a $2.5 million signing bonus last year, when he signed with the Denver Broncos Football team. He gave it all away! He is building a hospital in the Philippines where his Baptist parents are missionaries and has already said he gains more satisfaction in humanitarian work and missions than anything else. 


He takes a knee publicly on the sideline and prays out openly after he scores or wins a game. This has begun a national phenomenon called "Tebowing". You are not going to believe this, but the practice of praying after a touchdown so openly has made Tebow a favorite with Orthodox Jewish Rabbis, of all people! They do not agree with his personal belief in Christ, but admire completely his devotion to God! This is the kind of effect a sold out man can have on the world.


The big problem for Tebow is - people are waiting for him to fall. Every man of God, who seems so perfect, has the biggest bullseye on his back. 


He will be set up by those who will exploit his weakness for beautiful girls.
He will be watched as far as his lifestyle (re: alcohol, going out and any parties).
He will be a focus of stories from inside the locker room, as to "what kind of guy Tebow really is". 
He will be examined with the media microscope from hell. 
The same media who is putting him on the cover of every sports magazine and the top of every TV highlight, will go ape, to try and destroy him, if or when he makes even the most minor of slip-ups.


The thing for him to do, is when trials and temptations come, as they will to a young vibrant and single man, is to NEVER take his eyes of Jesus. Never lose his integrity and never stop praying with humility and fervor.


The other potential pitfall is his tendency to seek a limelight for his praise. Jesus said to go to your prayer closet and don't do like the pharisees. This is a special dispensation. It would be a lot better if he were to go back to the bench and pray obviously and not in such a flashy way, but Tebowing is what it is...and it IS Christ-honoring. May it continue to be completely real and may God continue to watch over His young whipper-snapper, Tim Tebow!

(Images courtesy Google images)

THINK ON THESE THINGS - SUNDAY

Jane Fonda - Born Again? Not really.....!

CELEBRITY "WORSHIP" IS NOT CHRIST WORSHIP

I remember back in 2000, most of us were stunned when "Hanoi" Jane Fonda, one of the most radical anti-Vietnam War protestors, and  a feminist whom almost all United States military veterans and citizens despise,  announced boldly that she had become a "Born-Again Christian"!


I was among those who believed it...after all, it was Jane Fonda, who grew up the daughter of atheist Henry Fonda and like most liberals, turned their noses up against the Bible Belt and all we believe. Even more incredible was the fact that Jane was married to one of the worse Christ-haters in America - TV mogul Ted Turner (CNN, TBS etc). This revelation led to Turner divorcing her.

Jane said she became a Christian after attending an African-America Baptist church in Atlanta, secretly, for many years. She then reinforced that view on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2005. However, the fruit of one' decision in life are not immediately visible. The question is...where do you stand in the long run?


Are you really and truly BORN AGAIN?
Are you a repentant sinner, saved by the Grace of God?
Are you a really a son or daughter of His?


Like most American professing Christians, Jane developed doubt and even despair over the years and by her own admission, looked outside the Bible for answers. She went to texts not considered in the Canon of Scripture, as well as to other religions. While she admitted to faithful attending Real Bible Studies over the years and knowing exactly the Words of Jesus, her rebellious spirit has led her to become more interfaith like most evangelicals to the point where she rebels against the Attributes of God the Father!


She never left her feminist background and also dislikes certain tenets of the Faith which are prime for real believers. She is still pro-abortion.  Jane Fonda says in her biography "Over time, and, I feel, because I stepped outside of established religion, I was able to rekindle the spiritual experience that I’d been seeking. Some will say that because of all this I am not a true Christian. So be it. I feel like a Christian, I believe in the teachings of Jesus and try to practice them in my life. I have found Christians all over this country who feel as I do. 
They may not have been ‘saved’ yet they hum with divine spirit.


Look at that last line "THEY MAY NOT BE SAVED...!!!!!" Yet Jane calls them Christians! Sadly, SHE IS CORRECT! Most America Christians have never really been saved!

Therein lies the another big problem. Christians and Christian media is HORRIBLE about this. Some celebrity declares he/she is now a christian, and we go ape hooting and hollering and inviting him to speak to our youth. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is bad about this...not our local one in Springfield, which is led by biblically grounded and wise friends of mine. But some flashy football player says that he "loves Jesus", (usually after he is arrested for something or other, or caught with a woman not his wife) and he is on some Christian magazine cover. 


Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is the biggest culprit here. They have these athletes, movie stars or rap singers on on the air, worldwide...in PRIME TIME! Most of them ramble or cannot give an account of the Life-changing power of the LORD JESUS Christ and how He rescued them from the Domain of Darkness! Sure enough, over time, most of their empty lives show no fruit and they end up worshiping other gods, while professing what they call 'the nice teachings of Jesus'!

Albert Pujols

We have to guard against this stuff. A prime example this weekend are some men, whom the Christian world tout as BIG TIME CHRISTIANS - Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman. No one ever accused World Series MVP and St Louis sports hero David Freese of being a Christian. But the entire celebrity christian World - from Focus on the Family to FCA - tout Pujols  and Berkman...and Pujols especially, as some paragon of Christianity, just south of the Apostle Paul.


Yet, with the world watching an amazing sports comeback story, when the wildcard St Louis Cardinals came from just barely making the playoffs to baseball champions of the World, NONE OF THESE TWO MEN, THANKED GOD OR JESUS WHEN IT WAS THEIR TURN TO TALK ON NATIONAL TV!! NONE! ZERO, ZIPPO, NONE!!


All we heard was how good they were, how good their team was and how good it felt to be "world champs"!  YET, these same men will now be invited to speak at major Christian events, where you will hear the name of Jesus in passing and nothing about the Gospel. Then you will hear about how good they feel and how they stuck it out to win...etc etc....then they will raise a lot of money for some group....many in the Crowd will not be really converted christians...just a bunch of celebrity gawkers.


These gawkers will then leave the fundraising dinner, maybe with a photo of this celebrity ball player, satisfied with themselves and the $1000 they donated to some christian cause....and go home. The entire exercise will be worth NOTHING in terms of Eternity, and if this person is not saved, which is most likely the case in modern American christianity, they will stand before Jesus and be condemned.


Is this what we want? Celebrity determining Eternity, for those who worship this, rather than Christ? NO!


A thousand times NO!


The best advice we can give seekers, weak christians and even those who can get caught up in the the Jane Fonda's and Pujols or Deion Sanders...or even Charlie Sheen (who once said he was born again)...is to ignore Celebrity...forget this garbage! They - the regular man and woman in our own sphere- they will stand before Jesus one day and be judged and if He is not their Savior and they were never really converted; born again and saved.....well, what will it profit them on that day? 


THINK ON THESE THINGS...and then act accordingly!!

(Credits: Photo by Google Images.

Quote: from JaneFonda.com)

SEE YOU AT THE POLE - WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 28

THEME FOR 2011- CONVERGE

Today - Wednesday September 28 is the Annual SEE YOU AT THE POLE Day at High Schools across America.


Hundreds of thousands of Christian students will exercise their First Amendment rights to assemble freely and pray around the Flagpole of their schools. Most will meet at 7am this morning. However activities are planned both in schools and church youth groups all day and into Wednesday night.


The theme of this year's SEE YOU AT THE POLE (SYATP) is CONVERGE. SYATP was started in 1990, when a church youth group in Texas met to pray for each other. It caught on like wildfire and one year later, over 1 million youth were praying around flag poles in America. This grew to over 4 million by the year 2000. Many school districts have tried to stop this Christian activity, but even the ACLU does not object to student led prayers outside of the classroom.


The theme verse for 2011 is Matthew 18:20 NASB "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."


If you are in either a public or private High School, you will find fellow saints around your school flag pole. Converge around it.