Category: Faith Fix

Onward Christian Soldiers! (ATP)

As Christians can we bibicaly ask for a “religious exemption” from getting the vaccine?

This is an interesting question, one that might cause some debate.  As asked however, I am going to attempt to answer it from the Bible.

The debate over the vaccine is raging in our country, no less so in the church amongst Christians. Should this be? I would first put forth, ANYTHING that causes division amongst brethren is not of God but the devil. The devil loves strife, God despises it but, you want proof to this, right? Proverbs 6:16 & 19 says: “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: …A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.” Peace and order define our Heavenly Father, therefore He hates strife. So what do we do when there are so many ideas about it?

Step back. 1 Corinthians 7:15 tells us, “…but God has called us to peace.” Yes I know, this scripture is referring to believers being married to unbelievers, however, the last few words are still clear, we are called to peace. Some things we simply will not agree on because we have consciences and what yours allows you to do (in line with God’s word), mine may not allow me to do (in line with God’s word). In an area such as this it’s best to agree to disagree and move on to something else.

People are arguing so many things but what I have witnessed, on all sides, is that most of the arguments are not based in much other than emotions, stirred up by shameless politicians. This I can say, the vaccine is not the mark of the beast found in Revelation 13. You might not like the idea of it, and you may be justified in that, but that does not mean you can make it something it clearly is not. Herein lies the problem. When people get stirred up in their opinions and emotions they go on a witch hunt and that is not right. Remember, God also hates a false witness.

So, what is the vaccine? It is medicine, or at least that’s what it’s sold to us as. Some people don’t believe this but truly, all we know about it is that it is indeed some kind of medicine. And this is where the debate might take off but if you hate that I’m saying that, at least try to hear what I am actually saying. I did not say it was good medicine or bad medicine, but simply medicine. I am not a doctor. Most people that I know also do not fall into that category. This being said, as we were making the decision whether we should get poked or not, we consulted people we trust, those we know personally who are in the field of medicine. When they told us what they thought, we made the best informed decision we could based on that knowledge and also what our hearts told us. We had complete peace in the decision we made (and I am purposely not saying what that decision is)!

So is the vaccine SCRIPTURALLY wrong? Let’s look at a few scriptures. In 1 Timothy 5:23 Paul instructs Timothy to take a little medicine (wine for the stomach). In Revelation 22:2 we see that near a river in the New Jerusalem God will build someday, is a tree whose leaves are medicine. In Isaiah 38:21 the prophet instructs Hezekiah’s servant to make a healing ointment. Colossians 4:14 calls Luke the beloved doctor, so obviously that’s not bad. 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 instructs us that, “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.” And in Romans 14:23, “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and WHATEVER is not from faith is sin.” Of course, these are just a few of many scriptures but the point is, medicine in of itself is not wrong, and conscience goes a long way. I will say this about conscience though; if you are saturated with opinions of man (even your own), your conscience will not be able to lead you accurately. This trap gets many believers.

All of this said just to answer the question, “Can we ask for a religious exemption?” You can ask, but you won’t be able to back it up with scripture. Nowhere in scripture do I see anything that says we are specifically not allowed to take any particular medicine. In order to qualify for religious exemption on anything (and I am also not a lawyer), you would first have to prove that your religion is opposed to it. Christianity is not opposed to vaccines, or medicines of any kind, in and of themselves.

I want to leave you all with a simple thought, that has been playing over and over in my mind. When we decide we are going to fight something we need to ask ourselves this question: “Is this the hill I want to die on?” If you feel completely justified in what you do, then do so in faith and accept the consequences. When you stand before Jesus, you will know for sure whether you were right or wrong.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

I Saw Jesus In My Cheerios (ATP)

We recently talked about how visions from God are very very very very very very very rare. What is a vision from God? Are visions different than images and things we see when we pray in the spirit? We also hear a lot about visions and visitations in our circle. 

2 Peter 1:19 (NASB)
So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

Let me start this by saying something, then we will get back to our scripture. Visions, spiritual leadings, prophets, spiritual dreams, all these things are God’s idea. If He has given them, then they are a good thing. That said, the devil loves to try and manipulate what God has given by playing on the natural desires of people. People WANT experience, and that isn’t necessarily bad. We should want experience, however, only if it is God. With this approach we can desire something rightly, keeping it in its proper place.

The way we do this is by constantly being submitted to His word. The Bible is truth, and we have to approach it as such. We SHOULD NEVER approach God’s word with our understanding but seek it with His intent. How you may wonder will one do this? By being submitted. Submitted to Him, His truth, and His body which is the church. Whenever we reach a point where we cannot be taught, we have reached a point of being deceived. None of us knows everything, we are all in a process of learning.

A simpler way of saying the above scripture would be, “Prophecy can be sure when it is compared to His written word, pay attention to that, it will keep you grounded in a sinful world.” Prophecy in its basic form is inspired utterance, or speech inspired by God. Prophecy can include dreams and visions. Visions in a basic sense are like awake dreams. There are various ways of seeing them but they are definitely a real thing. When I have said that they are rare, what I mean is, rare in comparison to life.

There are 365 days in a year. If someone were having visions half or a quarter of those days or even weekly, that would not be rare. That would be often. Sometimes, unstable people will think they are having visions and/or dreams from God all the time. People like this will often constantly tell stories behind the words, “God said.” The truth is, as the above scripture states, we have a more sure prophetic word, speaking of His established word.

Visions and dreams are simply not needed to carry out day to day tasks. You don’t need supernatural visitations in order to fulfill most daily obligations. Typically speaking, and we see this all through scripture, when God speaks in a supernatural way it is for the purpose of doing something drastic, to save from some imminent danger trying to thwart His plan, or something in this nature. It is not to entertain, or to make someone look good.

Another aspect of this, is most people may never even experience a spiritual dream or vision. Also, if one does, it doesn’t make that one any more special than anyone else. There is a God given office of prophet who by nature will have experiences more often than others, but if they are a true prophet there will be evidences. Look at 1 Timothy 3:1-10. These scriptures speak specifically of church elders such as bishops or pastors and deacons. Notice that these speak of character and stability. Verse 10 specifically says, “These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.” If these offices must be tested and beyond reproach, couldn’t we say that all God’s offices would need these qualifications? The truth is, most people who claim to be prophets, or have a lot of these supernatural experiences, are often unstable and caught up in sin. They bounce around and act goofy. This is not the calling card of a person who walks closely with God, hearing from Him all the time.

Any spiritual experience will not come strictly by praying in the spirit, but certainly can. They come from the will of God and His desire to move. I’ve spent hours praying in the spirit, with no experience at all. Then at other times, while doing something completely mundane and not spiritual, I’ve had a vision. Our hearts should be to seek to know God, not have experience. We can not make experience happen and we should not seek it out. However if we have them, after they are tested with the Word, we can thank God for them.

There are some denominations that believe these things don’t happen anymore. Although I think it is foolish to believe this, I also understand their stance being that many are led astray by false experiences. The safest thing we can do is know where God would have us to connect, connect in faith, trust Him and be thankful. None of us knows it all but that doesn’t mean that some of us can’t know some. We should always have a heart to love God and learn from Him and each other.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 (NASB)

“Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.”

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

Loving Jesus (ATP)

How do you know you love Jesus? Many pastors liken it to wanting to serve Him and follow Him like we do when we first fall in love with our spouse. When we fall in love with our spouse for the first time, we’re all about them, but isn’t that a different kind of love then what God has for us and what he wants from us? Not a love based on emotions but on devotion and actions?

What a great question! Matthew 22:37 says, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.” Love is key to our walk with the Lord.

Let’s address first, the reason why many pastors often compare falling in love with Jesus to falling in love with our spouse. The Bible itself compares our relationship with Jesus to that of marriage. Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” The love of Christ is compared to the love of a godly husband. When we first get saved it is so exciting. We are entering into a brand new relationship and it feels good and all we want to do is embark on that relationship more and more. But, you hit the nail on the head when you said a real marriage with our spouse isn’t just based on emotion but on devotion and action. But just as in a marriage, that devotion and the actions that prove that devotion, should grow greater and greater as time goes on. That is likewise the way our relationship with Jesus should be. Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” All we have should be first offered up to the Lord, all our love, and all our devotion.

Although our relationship with Jesus involves a different kind of intimacy than with our spouse, it should involve a great level of intimacy. If we never want to spend time with Jesus we have to question whether or not we really love him. If your spouse never wanted to talk to you, you would question whether or not they love you and you would be a fool not to. It’s very much the same. Notice in a good marriage there should be a balance between emotional feeling kind of love and real covenant devotion, despite our feelings. James 4:8a says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Your relationship with Jesus will only be as good as your level of drawing near to Him.

Another key indicator of our love for the Lord is based in John 14:15, Which says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” A true indicator of our love for Jesus is whether or not we are doers of His Word. He said love for Him is proven in that. If you have no interest in following His example, you really have no interest in Him. I love how A. W. Tozer puts this, “ The whole transaction of religious conversion has been made mechanical and spiritless. Faith may now be exercised without a jar to the moral life.” This really spoke to me. It seems many Christians come to God and pray the sinners prayer excepting Jesus well really only mentally assenting and never having a true heart conversion. Our whole moral compass will be changed when we truly love Jesus.

It’s not hard to check your spiritual pulse. Do I hunger for more of God? Does my heart want to please Him? When I hear the Word of truth, do I do my best to follow it? When I go to God do I only go to get? Or when I go to God do I only want to spend time with Him? Most Christians go through ups and downs as far as our excitement for the things of God goes, but we should work to quickly refocus our attention on Him. He’s always there as we draw near.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renée

Family Ties (ATP)

Is it a bad thing to want to be around your church family more so than your own family? (parents, siblings, etc. not spouse and kids)

Being a Christian, and I don’t just mean becoming one, but being one, changes a lot of things for the believer. One of the things it can do is alienate you from family and friends, often times only because they don’t like what faith means.

When my life started changing for the better, when I started living a Christian life, people that were close to me were generally happy to see it. They were happy I wasn’t so lost anymore, or going to the places I used to go. That is until I started taking my faith seriously. See, people are ok with a level of Christianity. You believe in God, that’s great, just don’t get weird on us. I actually had that said to me! The problem is, to be a real Christian, it will make you “weird”. Why is that? It is because God calls us away from the world and to Himself. 1 Corinthians 2:14 explains, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” People who don’t understand true faith, do not like true faith, this is where division starts.

Look what Jesus said in Luke 12:51-53, “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” Again, the reason this division happens is because some will just refuse the way God requires. Often times the division isn’t specific to your “religion” but to your faith. I have found that sometimes these people will wish that you were more like you used to be! How’s that for love? Because I’m uncomfortable with your faith, I wish you would be more like you used to be!

So back to the question, that tension can cause us to not want to be around them anymore. It’s far easier not to deal with all that junk, but to answer this rightfully we have to look at it two ways. One, if these family members are unsaved, us avoiding them may assure they never get saved. We have to look at it as a mission field, not to preach at them all the time, but witness to them. I once heard someone say, “Christians should witness all the time, but speak only when they have to.” I agree wholeheartedly. I have found over the years that life presents the opportunities. People always end up in trial and they always end up coming to the one who knows God.

The other side to this however, is some people take the place of being used to attack us. They will lash out at believers for no reason, they will attack verbally and accuse. They can become quite vile. I have dealt with this too. In these cases we have hard decisions to make, especially if we want to be a witness to them. In these cases there are a few things to consider. What would Jesus do? 1 Peter 2:23 says about Jesus, “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” I want to mix this with another verse. Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

Our take away is this, it’s not wrong to feel estranged from family, but we must use wisdom before we just separate. We do our part to be peaceful and if we can take the blows, then we take them. However, should their treatment turn into plain abuse, then we may have to make uncomfortable decisions. We may have to back away. If someone else’s toxicity is going to harm us or cause us to back away from God, then it may be time to separate. I would and have simply put it before God with this, “Lord, I want to do right by you, what should I do?” If you do that and refuse to fight, He will make clear what you should do. I have seen even in these tough situations, people come around because though I distanced myself, I didn’t do it with anger and malice. Sow peace, and peace is what you will reap. As much as up to you, you always choose right.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

 We All Need Jesus (ATP)

How can a special needs child or adult get saved when they may not fully understand the spiritual side of life, when they already have trouble understanding parts of the “real” world?

Proverbs 21:2 (NASB)

Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.

This is actually a great question. If you’re reading and you think, “I don’t know any special needs people, it will still help you!

First, we need to understand something about God. Romans 2:11 tells us, “For there is no partiality with God.” We need to understand that God loves people. His absolute desire is for people to know Him. He keeps no one away but Jesus made a way for every human. If the gospel can save one, it surely can save all! Hallelujah!

God does not see people through the lens of infirmity, or of ugliness, or of color, of height, talent, social status, age, ability or… I think you get the point. God weighs the heart. What does this mean exactly? God knows our thoughts, He knows our motives, and He looks at all things from that stand point. We will all be judged one day but God is a just God who judges fairly. He doesn’t consider what we often consider, the things we see. He considers what is in the heart.

That being said, with someone who does not have the capacity to understand the Gospel, God would not hold them accountable any more than an earthly judge would a toddler who took something that wasn’t theirs. It would be unjust to jail a two year old for stealing a piece of candy and in the same way, to condemn a person that lacks the ability to understand. We need also not disregard someone of special needs either. What I mean is, you can teach them the name of Jesus. You can teach them to praise God. You can surround them with love and scripture and worship, and these things will penetrate their hearts.

Recently, while visiting my grandmother who was bedridden and not really conscious, my wife gave the most wonderful advice to her care givers. Grandma can’t pray or read the Word, but her spirit can hear praise. “Put soft worship music on in the background,” she encouraged. Though her flesh may not comprehend, her spirit certainly can. Though she can’t respond, her ears can be filled with God’s goodness. In fact, as we sat there and prayed over her, our prayer turned to praise and that’s what we did for a good portion of the time. She went home to be with the Lord a short time following, but we sent her with praise!

We have to remember that God is love, He is merciful and He is just. He desires the best for all people. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” He is not looking to condemn but to give every opportunity to be saved. We also need to understand what repentance is. Repentance literally means to change, it does not mean what most people think and that is being sorry. There are plenty of people who are in hell that are sorry, but never changed. The change we need is from sin and to one who does not have the ability to comprehend sin, this will not be held against them.

The only exception I’d say to this could be someone who had the faculty of mind and got in an accident becoming unable to comprehend. If that person went into that state rejecting God it would probably be similar to if they had died in rejection. To the one born into such a life, or becoming that way before they are really accountable, God would be unjust to hold that against them and He wouldn’t.

Remembering, the fact that God is merciful, not willing that any would perish we must learn to look at God continually the way He desires us to. As a loving Father whose children are precious to Him. Live in faith knowing God does not condemn the innocent. In fact, remember this above all. Jesus died to save the sinful and the guilty. What an amazing act of love!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

Judgement Or Consequence?

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NASB)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

Answering questions of people who are hurting can tend to be a challenging thing for any pastor. Often times people come to their pastor, only after something bad has happened. Or, they only ask for spiritual guidance after an event has occurred or a decision has been made. There is always more work in cleaning up a mess than preventing it in the first place. Even as I write these words, fully understanding the direction I am going, I fall into this trap at times myself. It is pride in human nature that makes us do things that wisdom might tell us not to. The counsel of trusted and proven people is always worth it’s weight in gold!

Recently, I was pondering the idea of people dealing with issues that have occurred because of something they had done. There seems at times to be inconsistencies in the “judgement” people face from the wrongs they have perpetrated. Have you ever seen it? Two people caught in the same sin, yet with varying outcomes? What about two people, both equally faithful, and one gets blessed greatly and one not so much or even not at all? These are times when we go to God and ask the age old question, “but why?” It just doesn’t seem fair!

The reason people get mad at God in these times is because they simply don’t understand how God works, though His word makes it clear. God is not looking to judge us, He is not looking to pour out His wrath, or to punish us for every little mistake. The truth is most of the effects we deal with regarding sin have nothing to do with God or His judgement at all. It is the result of consequence, and God does not control consequence. I am not saying judgement never comes, but it seems to me that whenever God’s judgement finally does come, it comes swiftly and with finality.

We have plenty of scripture that tells us God is not looking to destroy us but to bless us. He withholds judgement, far longer than any of us would. Think about it, He was patient with the Canaanites though they were evil for like 400 years! Look how long and how many times He waited for and still blessed Israel, though they constantly went astray. Or how He purposed to send warning to the Ninevites, and then waited for the disobedient one (Jonah) whom He sent, to get right and warn them. Then look at Jesus, long-suffering with His disciples as they failed in faith and action time and again. To the point that He even forgave Peter and consequently restored him though Peter denied Him with a curse. Yes, the Lord is patient, looking to bless and not to harm.

What God did warn us about are the things sin produces. Sin causes bad things to happen, not because God makes them happen, but because that’s what happens when you sin. Natural consequences to things done wrong are so often overlooked. God doesn’t cause lung cancer but smoking can. If someone gets cancer because they smoked, that has nothing to do with God. Some people, because of their genetics may not get it, while some get it quickly. The fact remains, both are at risk. This is one little example, but I think it shows my point. Of course there are cancers not caused by smoking, but rest assured there is an answer and that answer is never because of God.

We must realize, God is not bringing judgement upon us for every failure we happen to trespass. Quite the opposite, He has made a way out. 1 John 2:1 (NASB) says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Our advocate does not erase all the consequences of our sin, but He does cleanse us from it so we can have access back to the Father. This is actually completely the opposite of what people think! They think He has brought judgement, when in reality He has made a way to bypass that judgement. I believe this with my whole heart, that if we find ourselves in a heap of self caused trouble, yet truly repent and turn back to Him, His wonderful Holy Spirit will guide us out of the mess we’ve created. Instead people blame God or others for their trouble, refuse to yield to His Spirit, and spend too much time wandering in the wilderness! What most people blame on judgement is nothing more than consequence of sin!

Now we could argue about consequence all day long but honestly, that’s dumb. Why argue about what we’ve received when we’ve been wrong? If you were wrong, you deserve consequence regardless of whether it’s fair or not. Think about it this way. We’ve been way more blessed than we deserve. Should we fight that too? Certainly not!

The truth is Christians, consequence should bring us to one place and that place is repentance. Repentance means to change direction and go in another. If there is no consequence than there is no change and if we don’t change we are the same lost creature unable to get in His presence. His presence is the fullness of joy,  and that my friends is where God desires us to be. Stop blaming God, but look to Him for help. After all, He’s never far from any of us!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff