Non-Believers: The Christian Religion is Not for You

The one true religion; the components that make up the Christian faith, are not for the atheist, the agnostic, or for followers of other false religions. The Christian religion is only for those who have repented, believe and follow Jesus Christ, and desire to know Him better. The Christian religion does not save a person; our religion is comprised of God-given commandments, doctrines, and directives for the born-again Christian; that is, the person who recognizes Jesus accomplished all the work on the cross and has received by faith Christ’s merciful and gracious salvation. Our religion is the means by which we learn about Jesus, His will for us and the Church, and the method by which we mature in our faith through submission and obedience.

So if the Christian religion is not for the non-believer, what should we be doing?

We should be sharing the Gospel Message and nothing else. If we’re caught up in other biblical topics, we should always aim to bring the discussion back to the Good News. Once they understand (and accept) their sinful condition, grasp how they are separated them from God, recognize their need for a Savior (Jesus Christ) in order to restore that relationship, and once they repent from their sinful ways and receive and believe by faith in Jesus Christ, then they are born-again Christian believers and are ready to partake in the God-given (not man-made) doctrines, rituals, commandments, and assorted teachings of the church.

So should we invite them to church?

I submit to you that unless the Gospel message is going to be preached, the bad news with the Good News, they are not going to comprehend or appreciate the elements of our religion, in fact they might be turned away by them. I believe those who [errantly] teach that Christianity is a “relationship and not a religion,” have suffered to one degree or another of having religion crammed down their throats before hearing and receiving the Gospel, very often for long and sustained periods of time.

Consider 1 Corinthians 2:13b-14

“[W]e speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.”

In other words, non-Christians do not have the Holy Spirit residing inside of them. The King James version refer to these folks as ‘natural men.’  Therefore, the spiritual truths of our religion are foolishness to them. However, the Holy Spirit comes alongside the non-believer for the sole purpose of understanding the Gospel Message! So, while they may scoff at our Bibles stories, our rituals, and our doctrines, they have, by the accompaniment of the Holy Spirit, the capacity to understand their need for a Lord and Savior in their life. Once they take that step of faith, they’ll receive the Holy Spirit within, and can begin to understand, bit-by-bit like the rest of us, God’s Holy Bible and the religion He has provided us.

What is the Gospel?

Go here to learn more.

Question: Does this mean we should not send our children to church?

Of course not, but I also believe that our Sunday School lessons should emphasize the Gospel Message more so than Bible stories. There will come a time that these children will have to make their own decisions and we want those decisions to be based on the full understanding of the Gospel message and nothing else.

We need to remember that the religious happenings inside our churches are primarily for equipping the saints. Sure, non-believers are welcome, but at the same time it could be likened to inviting a mathematical-illiterate to your calculus class. Unless your professor is going to pause and teach this visitor basic arithmetic, what they hear in that classroom will be mostly foolishness to them, much in the way the 1 Corinthians passage demonstrates.

 

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Don’t Be Law-less

When we are sharing the Gospel we must include the Law in our conversations. Our listeners need to see their guilt, their helplessness, their depth of sin, their opposition to God, and their only solution in Christ Jesus. They also need to know the consequences of their sin, but we will leave that for another post.

 

The Law and it’s Purpose

 

1) GUILT: “The law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.” (Romans 3:19)

 

2) HELPLESSNESS: “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” (Romans 3:20)

 

3) ANTI-GOD: “Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.” (1 John 3:4)

 

4) SIN-FILLED: “Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin.”(Romans 7:7a)

 

5) SOLUTION: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:24)

 

Do not make the mistake of sharing a squeaky-clean Gospel – merely saying that Jesus died for our sin is not enough. People need to know what sin is, accept their guilt, learn the consequences, recognize their inability to do anything about it, and acknowledge that Jesus is their only solution for their sin problem. I have seen data that shows that when we omit this information, 80% to 90% of people who received Jesus eventually reject Him and return to their sinful ways.

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25 Answers to the Question, “What is God’s Will for Me?”

“So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17)

You’ve heard (and perhaps asked) the question a thousand times: “What is God’s will for me?” Well according to Ephesians 5:17 it’s a very good question to ask.

Let’s examine the 25 times the phrase the ‘Will of God’ is mentioned in the Bible and then consider the short answer that each verse provides.  I say ‘short answer’ because there is much, much more to be gleaned in going back and examining the Scripture references in their Biblical context (click on the verse to read it in context). We would also do well to remember that while the Lord has a specific plan for each of us, it’s not primarily about us.

God’s Will

It’s the will of God that you do the will of God (duh), “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.” (Mark 3:35)

It’s the will of God that you serve, “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers” (Acts 13:36)

It’s the will of God to fuel your Christian walk, “Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.” (Romans 1:10)

It’s the will of God to know you and intercede for you, “And he that (searches) the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he (makes) intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:27)

It’s the will of God to change you for the better, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

It’s the will of God that you draw upon His joy, “That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.” (Romans 15:32)

It’s the will of God to send you out with the Gospel, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God” (1 & 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:1)

It’s the will of God that you be submitted to Him and to every believer, “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.” (2 Corinthians 8:5)

It’s the will of God to deliver you from evil, “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father” (Galatians 1:4)

It’s the will of God that you are obedient, “Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:6)

It’s the will of God that you work enthusiastically, “Always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” (Colossians 4:12)

It’s the will of God for you to be holy, pure, and set apart, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication…” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

It’s the will of God that you demonstrate continual gratitude, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

It’s the will of God that you are faithfully confident until your great inheritance is realized, “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:36)

It’s the will of God you abstain from lust, be honest, and obey the law of the land, “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:15)

It’s the will of God that you could suffer for doing what is right, “For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.” (1 Peter 3:17)

It’s the will of God that you be Christ-minded, “That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:2)

It’s the will of God that if you suffer it is not as criminals, but as unashamed, God-glorifying Christians, “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” (1 Peter 4:19)

It’s the will of God that you know: “The world (passes) away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God (abides) forever.” (1 John 2:17)

I can hear some of you saying, “Yes, I know it’s God’s will that I serve Him, that I’m obedient, that I’m enthusiastic, etc., but what does the Lord specifically want me to do!”

What do you want to do?

According to Psalm 37, there’s a good chance God has already put a desire in your heart, that is, if you are trusting in Him, if you’re delighting in Him, if you’re committed to Him, and if you’re resting in Him. Now couple this God-given desire with His plan that we share Jesus with a lost and dying world, praying for direction how two realities can function as one.

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Psalm 37:4)

Begin each day asking the Lord, “What would you have me do today?” and sense the Lord saying back, “What do you want to do?” When I do that, sometimes my answers are errant and the Holy Spirit is faithful to correct me. But a lot of the time my answers reflect the desire that He has put in my heart and I go and do that thing. That’s not to say that things always go as I had planned, but they do always seem to go as He has planned.

Get in the habit of doing God’s will as He has already prescribed in His word and watch Him lead you directly where He wants you to be.

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How to Talk to Caitlyn

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

When I heard the news and saw the magazine cover, I was stunned. Before my heart beat again, the Holy Spirit mutely cautioned, “Don’t say it.” He knew exactly what was percolating inside my wicked heart before I did. So I paused, asked Him for help, and promised not to write or post anything that day.

It was difficult. My flesh was chomping at the bit. “Let me at him,” it kept saying (I appreciate it when my sin nature is brash – it makes it easier to recognize). In contrast, the Holy Spirit was communicating tenderly, as usual. Actually it was as if He invisibly gestured no with His head and the maneuver created a holy breeze I somehow felt and interpreted to mean no. Needless to say, His counsel was unobtrusively powerful.

So I began this morning asking the Lord what, if anything, should I say? I felt the Lord immediately unburden me from the notion that I had to be a part of the national dialogue about homosexuality (in general) or transgenderism specifically. There are plenty of good folks out there already lovingly doing that. No, what I felt compelled by the Lord to do was to prepare myself to talk to Caitlyn directly (not literally, because that just isn’t going to happen). I should know what to say to the Caitlyn’s of the world if the opportunity arises.

The first thing I discerned was that I need to say the name Caitlyn. Yes, it pains me, but here’s the reality: as it pertains to a name, people have a right to go by whatever moniker they want and as long as it is not vulgar or obscene (in the traditional sense of those words), we should use them. Generally speaking, names are innocuous and we shouldn’t get too hung up on them and observing their requests give us a common ground where a dialog can begin.

However, re-identifying gender is another thing entirely and that of course is our first sticking point. Caitlyn is a he. Names we can change, but we cannot undo God’s workmanship. We can de-petal a rose and it’s still a rose. We can strip the stem bare of its buds, leaves, and thorns, and it is still a rose. We can toss the pieces into the furnace, collect the ashes, and but still undeniably it was a rose. There are no alterations so great or complex that can overrule the Creator’s design.

So what would I say to Caitlyn in that regard?

Nothing, at least not at this juncture. Caitlyn doesn’t need advanced theology instruction, she needs fundamental Bible lessons, for in Caitlyn’s mind everything I wrote above is foolishness. God would agree. Let me qualify that last sentence: God would agree that Caitlyn’s perception of the account is foolishness. 1 Corinthians 2:14 bears witness to that.

“[T]he natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Caitlyn does not have the capacity to understand these maxims because the Holy Spirit has not taken up residence, therefore these premises are nonsensical; it’s exactly the condition God has told us about in His Word. It’s at this point the church should see the road sign advising us to turn around and take Caitlyn back to the basics; if there’s to be any hope for Caitlyn, we need to share the Gospel.

That’s easier said than done, right? The answer is maybe. It depends if you fully grasp these words of Jesus:

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30

It’s God’s job to draw the sinner to the cross and He often does it through divine appointments. All that is to say that if we find ourselves suddenly having an audience with Caitlyn, it could very well be said that God ordained the encounter. God drew Caitlyn to this discussion, despite the fact that Caitlyn’s flesh is likely doing everything in its power to undermine the exchange. What makes it easier (for us) is that God doesn’t necessarily want us to give a Gospel presentation, but rather engage in a conversation where the soil can be prepared so the Gospel can be presented. In order to do that, we need to talk to Caitlyn, but more importantly, we need to listen to Caitlyn. There’s a door that needs to be opened and the only doorknob is on Caitlyn’s side. If it’s opened we must be careful to not barge right in and throw dirt on the carpet (the not-so-subtle technique used by vacuum cleaner salesmen). Sure, we’re aching to dive into Romans 3:23, but we must listen before we can be heard.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

I suppose all that is to say [that] we need to be compassionate; the more outraged and incensed we might be, the more grace we need to exhibit. It makes no sense whatsoever to bowl the Caitlyn’s of the world over with Scripture that denounce their actions if they’re not saved. Essentially it’s like teaching calculus to a five-year old before they’ve learned 1 + 1 = 2.

So where do we begin?

If I ever get the opportunity it will go something like, “Hi Caitlyn. My name is Dave… so tell me about yourself.” If an ambassador for Christ can’t get past this first line, then it just might be that they need to return to the rudiments of our faith. If that’s where you are, rejoice! You have just been given an opportunity to grow spiritually.

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The Lesson of the Sower

 

“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:3-9

Charles Spurgeon’s take on the parable.

“The preacher of the gospel is like the sower. He does not make his seed; it is given him by his divine Master. No man could create the smallest grain that ever grew upon the earth, much less the celestial seed of eternal life. The minister goes to his Master in secret, and asks him to teach him his gospel, and thus he fills his basket with the good seed of the kingdom. He then goes forth in his Master’s name and scatters precious truth. If he knew where the best soil was to be found, perhaps he might limit himself to that which had been prepared by the plough of conviction; but not knowing men’s hearts, it is his business to preach the gospel to every creature—to throw a handful on the hardened heart, and another on the mind which is overgrown with the cares and pleasures of the world. He has to leave the seed in the care of the Lord who gave it to him, for he is not responsible for the harvest, he is only accountable for the care and industry with which he does his work. If no single ear should ever make glad the reaper, the sower will be rewarded by His Master if he had planted the right seed with careful hand.” — Charles Spurgeon

For the record, I do not disagree with Charles Spurgeon. He likens the sower (in Jesus’ parable) to a preacher; one who is specifically called to teach the Word of God. I suppose Spurgeon would further liken the preacher’s congregation as the field (the soil) to which he broadly casts God’s celestial seed. I suspect any pastor would acknowledge that within his very flock there are some with harden hearts and others whose minds are preoccupied with the cares and pleasures of the world. As the parable reminds us, the seed that falls in these unfortunate places are devoured by birds, withered by the sun, or choked out by thorns.  That leaves me with a few questions for Pastor Spurgeon, and also for those who ‘fully’ embrace that interpretation.

1. Is this parable for preachers exclusively or for the church generally?
2. Is that the end of the lesson; is that all that Jesus intended us to glean from the parable?
3. Is there an additional (and incredibly obvious) message we’re all missing?

As you might surmise from my questions, I believe the parable was intended for the entire Christian audience (pastors included), that there is much more to be gleaned, and that we might be glossing over a critical aspect of Christ’s teaching. What is that critical aspect? In two words: soil preparation.

Can soil prepare itself? Let’s consider the sower (aka, the farmer; husbandman) and his duties. If all he had to do was broadcast seed, I suspect farming would be an easy livelihood, but there is much more to it than merely casting seed. By definition he is a person who cultivates the land.  He is a nurturer and a promoter, he fosters growth by preparing and tending the soil. He breaks the hardened earth with the till, thus exposing the rocks for removal while simultaneously plowing the weeds under for nutriment. As he turns over soil, he’s aerating, effectively breathing life-giving air into it. It brings to mind this Genesis passage:

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

I noted He did not broadcast His breath upon the earth (although He certainly could have); He took a portion and formed it for the sole purpose of breathing into it. Arguably (in this) we see the first mention of cultivation in the Bible. In that act, coupled with the lesson of Christ’s parable, I’m seeing a picture of the ‘born again’ experience; that moment when life is poured into a soul by the Word of God, giving new life. Of course this all begs the question, “As sowers of God’s seed, are we also called to be cultivators of His soil?  Cain would ask another way, “Lord, am I my brother’s keeper?”

Instead of speculating, it would be better to turn to the Bible to see if there are any good examples of sowers cultivating the ground before actually depositing the seed.  Naturally the best example of goodness is Jesus, so let’s see what He has done in this regard.

The Woman at the Well

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. John 4:16-18

I don’t see any broadcasting in Christ’s encounter with this woman, at least not initially. What I do see is Jesus breaking up some hardened soil and addressing a mind that has been preoccupied with the cares and pleasures of the world. This cultivating act ultimately leads to Holy Spirit conviction. The Apostle Paul would later say, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Having received the word (after having been appropriately prepared), the woman leaves the well rightfully proclaiming, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” (John 4:29) all because the Messenger took the time and effort to remove some stones, turn under the thorns, and aerate the soil.

The Woman Caught in Adultery

Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:6-12

Take note that nowhere in this account does Jesus condone the sin of adultery or this woman’s involvement in it. Without using so many words, Jesus effectively gives us what the Apostle Paul would give us in Romans 3:23, that is, “”For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” When it comes to preparing soil for seed (or the soul for God’s word) addressing sin; putting the spade into the earth and exposing sin for what it is and what it does, it arguably the first step. God only knows what Jesus wrote in the soil, but what we do know is that it was very convicting. Perhaps in some way it revealed the second step in the Roman’s Road to salvation, “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). Either way, Jesus is doing a lot of groundwork. At the right time Jesus plants the seed essentially saying to her, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1).  We also notice that Jesus [the multitasker] was working in the field of many souls this day.

Jesus and His Disciples

Is not everything Jesus said and did before His disciple preparatory? These same men who walked and worked side-by-side with the Messiah had little or no understanding of His earthly mission, let alone the suffering and death He was going to endure, or His glorious resurrection.  What we do see in Jesus’ interaction with His disciples is the same love and patience we might witness in a dedicated farmer.

For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. Matthew 13:17

We’re Not Jesus

That’s an incredibly important tenet to remember, but at the same time Jesus is our example. If Jesus takes the time to prepare a soul to receive the Word, should we not do the same? The question now is what does that look like for the disciple of Christ? I believe it begins with being a good listener. As Mark Cahill would say, “Sharing the Gospel message should be a conversation, not a presentation.”

Now that may not be the case for the preacher (in Charles Spurgeon’s analysis), for a preacher’s sermon is a presentation of Bible Scripture; it’s a teaching without class participation, but I’m not a preacher. I’m just a guy saved by grace with a burden on my heart to share God’s grace with others and to do it in the most loving way possible. To me a presentation says, “Here’s some seed for everybody,” but a conversation says, “Tell me about yourself and when we’ve dug around a bit, I have a good word for you.” There is nothing presumptive about that kind of approach, while the broadcasting approach supposes much.

For my money, Ray Comfort does it well. Instead of hopping up on a soapbox and broadcasting seed, he engages folks one-on-one (often in populated environments) and determines where they are in their earth-bound life. It’s not uncommon (for one example) for Ray to discover a person who falsely believes they’re going to Heaven [because] they think they’re good. Comfort is quick to turn over a portion of soil, exposing their true sin-nature by the Ten Commandments, quite often bringing revelation to the person that they are sinners in need of saving. In contrast, if Ray did not take the time to cultivate the soil, I suspect very few would even listen to a broadly cast, Gospel message. Even then what would the result be without cultivation? Would not some seed be eaten by the birds, dried up in the sun, or choked by the thorns? Is not [at least] one lesson from the parable of the sower that this does not have to be the case, but rather with just a smidgen of preparation, the yield could be greater (not for pride’s sake, but for God’s sake)?

I believe it is and for that reason I will take the time to prepare the soil whenever it is possible, and not because I believe I can ‘save’ a person with my efforts, but because I believe it is of godly counsel and good stewardship to do so. I see it as a compassionate and loving way to deliver the Word of God, partly because it demonstrates to the hearer that you care, taking the time to listen and go deeper. It’s not the only thing, but it’s an important thing that Christ revealed in His parable of the sower and prescribed in Paul’s letter to Timothy. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with patience (and truth) are the sower’s tools.

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away * their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Timothy 4:2-4

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Case Law: Open-Air Preaching

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God : the powers that beare ordained of God.  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. Romans 13:1-2

Therefore, Know Ye the Law!

A friend of mine shared these assorted case law’s that are applicable to open-air preaching and I wanted to share them with all my evangelical friends. I’m sure this is not an exhaustive list, but there are some pretty good citations here. Perhaps it might be wise to have a copy on hand to share with anyone (police or otherwise) who would like to squelch your free speech. I’m posting these for informational purposes only. Please be responsible and do your own research and do not rely solely on this data. I am not a lawyer. I provided clickable links so you my delve further into each.  As always, go out in the Spirit, and not your flesh.

Leafleting, Preaching, & Displays

We have the right to pass out literature, to preach, and to displays signs on public areas. Coates v. Cincinnati 402 U.S. 611 / Edwards v. S. Carolina, 372 U.S. 299 / Furr v. Town of Swansea, F. Supp 1543

We have the right to exercise our religion and to speak in all quintessential public forums. Frisby v. Schultz, 487 U.S. 474 / U.S. v. Grace, 461 U.S. 171, 176.

Public Access

We have a “guaranteed access” to streets, parks, and other “traditional public forum,” and mere inconvenience to the government will not outweigh our free speech interests. Hague v. C.I.O. 307 U.S. 496.

Offending Others

Our freedom of speech may not be prohibited merely because it offends some listeners. Cantwell v. Conn, 310 U.S. 296 / Simon & Shuster v. New York State Crime Victims Bd, 502 U.S. 105 / N.Y. Ties v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254.

A city may not consider the listeners reactions when permitting free speech activity. Forsyth County v. The Nationalist Movement, 505 U.S. 123.

Hecklers do not have veto power over a speakers right of free speech, and police must control a crowd rather than arrest the speaker in order to maintain order. Cox v. Louisiana, 379 U.S. 536.

We have the right to be protected by law enforcement, if the crowd is offended by what we are preaching, and becomes hostile. Hedges v. W.C.U.S.D. No. 118, et al. 9F.3d 1295.

Amplitude 

We have the right to be loud enough to be heard. Saia v. New York, 334 U.S. 1948.

Permits

Permits are not allowed to be used to restrict a speakers right of free expression, and permits may not be used as a prior restraint on free speech. Kunz v. New York, 340 U.S. 290.

Gathright vs. City of Portland, 9th Circuit, affirming that just because a private group leases or permits space in a park or other traditional public forum, they may not then preclude your gospel preaching from that venue at that time.

Law Suits

A free speech lawsuit is a Federal case, and allows to sue police officers and/or guards in their official capacity, and as individuals. Freedom Restoration Act, Title 42, Section 2000aa.

A free speech lawsuit will subject the police and others involved, to pay our damages and all of our attorney’s fees. 42 U.S.C. && 1983 and 1988.

Malls

Calif Supreme Court help that the Calif Constitution protects speech & petitioning, reasonably exercised, in shopping centers even when the center is privately owned. Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins, 447 U.S. 74 (1980)  447 U.S. 74. No. 79-289. Argued March 18, 1980. Decided June 9, 1980.

Shopping malls and their common areas. The commons areas outside each individual privately  owned store is “public fora” (a public area used for “communicating thoughts between citizens and discussing public questions,”)

(Hague v. CIO, 307 U.S. 496. 515 (1939)    The City of Los Angeles tried to restrict free speech activity in a particular part of a park at the famous Olvera Street, which was mainly used by merchants. The 9th circuit said otherwise.

Gerritsen v. City of Los Angeles, 994 F. 2d 570 – Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit 1993

*I am not a lawyer. I am Christian trying to operate within the parameters of the law. This post is not intended to be legal advice. Please know the laws where you live and do your best to evangelize accordingly. Oh, and exercise your religious freedom before you lose them. 

 

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What’s a Twenty-Four Letter Word for Forgiveness?

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” Romans 4:7-8

Salvation as we know, is about the forgiveness of sins. Around 1739 the Moravians were in Alaska sharing the Gospel when they stumbled upon a problem—in the native Alaskan language there was no word for forgiveness, which made it kind of hard to talk about the subject matter. Not a problem. After pondering the issue for a little while, they made up a word.

Issumagijoujungnainermik

That word ‘issu-magijou-jung-nainer-mik’ is currently the longest word in the native Alaskan language and it literally means, “Not being able to think about it any more.” Isn’t that beautiful? It almost perfectly describes how God the Father views the sin of His children—He isn’t able to think about it anymore. Why? Because we’re justified by Christ’s blood and God sees us as if we have never sinned.

In other words, the Father does not look at us; see our sin and say, “Lucky for you My Son died for those sins.” No! He sees us robed in His Son’s righteous and sinless! That’s like going to court with a speeding ticket and the judge saying, “Sir, the charge you are talking about does not exist.”

God isn’t winking at our sin…it’s completely gone! Incredible, isn’t it? The only work the believer must do (which really isn’t any effort) is to accept delivery of the free gift.

Have you received God’s free gift?

Are you going to Heaven?

“I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” Jeremiah 31:34

These ramblings are typically (but not always) a byproduct inspired by God through my personal Bible study at SearchLight with Pastor Jon Courson and with my pastor at my home church, Calvary Chapel Coastlands

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Fingertip Revelation

Adam, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah… 1 Chronicles 1:1-4a

Genealogy Smeen-ealogy

Not to many Christians [I know] get excited over Bible genealogies. Aside from picking out the names we know and the subsequent Bible stories we can relate to, for the most part we tend to find ancestral accounts, well in a word, boring. We might liken the experience to looking through a friend’s family photo album for the umpteenth time. We smile; we’re polite, but the reality is that we want to see images of ourselves.

If that’s you, then you have probably loathed (in a ‘It’s-okay-God-knows-my-true-heart’ kinda way) much of Genesis and these first nine chapters of First Chronicles. I’m hearing ya—I feel your pain. However, if we prudently elect to pause and graze in this genealogical field, we might deliciously discover the remarkable. Consider the first ten men of the Bible recorded here in 1 Chronicles 1 and in Genesis 5: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and good ol’ Noah.

We know that Biblical names have meanings. Adam you might already know means, ‘man’, but are you aware of the meanings of these other names? Did you know that Seth’s name means ‘appointed’, Enosh means ‘subject to death’, Cainan means ‘sorrowful’, Mahalalel means ‘from the presence of God’, Jared means ‘one comes down’, Enoch means ‘dedicated’, Methuselah means ‘dying he shall send’, Lamech means ‘to the poor brought very low’, and that Noah means ‘comfort or rest’?

“So what,” you say.

An Intriguing Revelation, That’s What

If you haven’t done so already, put the meanings together in the order they appear. What do we discover? The entire Gospel message, that’s all!

Man, appointed; subject to death; sorrowful. From the presence of God, One comes down; dedicated. Dying He shall send to the poor brought low comfort and rest.

See your image? Suddenly genealogies aren’t so boring now, are they?

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These ramblings are typically (but not always) a byproduct inspired by God through my personal Bible study at SearchLight with Pastor Jon Courson

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Tools of the Trade

So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. And the water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.” Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Exodus 4:2-10The Tools of our Ministry

In these eight verses from the Book of Exodus, God pictures the three ministry tools given to every believer for the furtherance of His kingdom. As we delve into the typology of these miracles and their prophetic parallels, take notice that in the Exodus snippet above, Moses only tries two of the three devices God had provided. Motivation aside, in his deviation there is a significant lesson for the body of Christ. But first, lets examine the fishing tackle.

Tool One: Talent

God tends to use us wherever He finds us. It matters not if we sell cars, sweep floors, or chair a major corporations—God can use our current aptitude for His honor, glory, and praise. Our Lord essentially said to Moses the sheepherder, “Is that a shepard’s staff in your hand? I can use that!” Our Father says the same thing to us, but first we are told to throw it down. Why?

Because God desires that we see our talent for the snake it likely is. Far too many of us give prime recognition to the job or the position within the job, rather than God. We are guided by flesh and not by Spirit. In so doing we are not serving God. Incredibly, this can even occur in our ministries! God tells us to throw whatever it is down and then to pick it back up by the illogical-end (everybody knows you do not pick up a snake by the tail). This faithful, irrational act reestablishes God as our head.

Tool Two: Testimony

In the Bible leprosy is a picture of sin. The demonstration of Moses revealing (first) his leprous hand from his heart and then a cleaned one is a depiction of the born-again experience. When we share our testimony, like Moses, we express what we once were and how through the cleansing, redemptive power of Christ we have gotten where we are today. Many times our mere behavior bears witness that our desire to sin has been replaced by our desire to serve Jesus.

Tool Three: Truth

And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. And the water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.” Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Exodus 4:9-10

The people looked to the Nile’s water for life, but the spirit of God’s message to Moses was that this course of water; a picture of the road that they were on, only brings death. Moses had received the God-given authority to bring this powerful, no-holds-barred message, but he stuttered—not so much in his speech, but in his response. This is precisely where many of us pause and stutter as well.

We readily employee the first two tools of our ministry (just like Moses), but when it comes to plainly telling folks that they are on a road towards destruction, we stop cold. After all, we don’t want to offend anyone. The truth be told, there comes a time, after other tools have been utilized and ignored, that we must say to the non-believer, “The course you are on leads to death—you MUST be born again.” The other tools are important, but the implementation of this tool is critical and sadly the one we tend to use the least. Do we really know what we are declaring when we joyously sing, “I want to see Jesus high and lifted up?” It is time for the world to understand the implication of a ‘lifted up’ Jesus. Let us; let me stutter no more.

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die.   John 12:32-33

I am convicted by own words. I confess that I am guilty of the very thing I preach—my propensity is to rely on devices that are easy to handle and to ignore the ones that require a steady, skillful hand. It’s clear as I write that this latter tool; the tool of truth requires practice and a thorough review of the owners manual in order to use it effectively. Checking-in with the Manufacturer on a regular basis is also highly recommended.

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Gods Glory is Our Glory

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2Understanding God’s Word

“I read the Bible, but I don’t understand it.”

Have you ever said those words? I know I have—I would read passages like the one from Proverbs 25:2 (above); that ‘God glories to conceal matters, ’ and come away puzzled—why on earth would my Father do such a thing? Then it struck me: possessions that are easily gained are easily lost, but in contrast, things which are attained through diligence are treasured assets; the glory of a king! God’s glory, as it turns outs, is to etch His Word upon our hearts as we diligently seek Him.

Check This Out

And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth (and) Seth …begot Enosh (and) Enosh…begot Cainan (and) Cainan…begot Mahalalel (and) Mahalalel…begot Jared (and) Jared…begot Enoch (and) Enoch…begot Methuselah (and) Methuselah…begot Lamech (and) Lamech…had a son (and) he called his name Noah. Genesis 5 (various verses 3 – 28)

Come to God’s Word with consistency, hopeful and expectant hidden things will be exposed, praying as you read, and through a heart bent towards compliancy. In God’s perfect timing there will come the ‘Ah ha’ moment, and when it ‘clicks’ we then own it; it has been permanently stamped upon our hearts.

Consider the seemingly boring and tedious genealogy of Adam in Genesis 5. Although we don’t give it as much credence as we used to, it is still common knowledge that most names have precise meanings (the name ‘David’ for example means ‘beloved’). Reflect upon the meanings of these names for a moment:

Adam: man
Seth: appointed
Enosh: subject to death
Cainan: sorrowful
Mahalalel: from the presence of God
Jared: one comes down
Enoch: dedicated
Methuselah: dying He will send
Lamech: to the poor and lowly
Noah: rest and/or comfort

At first glance there is not a whole lot there, but connect the names and suddenly there emerges an Old Testament signpost pointing us to Jesus Christ. This sure sounds like the Gospel to me…

“Man, appointed, subject to death, sorrowful, from the presence of God, One comes down, dedicated, dying He shall send, to the poor and lowly, rest and comfort.”

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 14:26

Likely not the best source of biblical axioms, but regardless the lottery commission got it right when they coined, ‘You have to be in it to win it.’ While it is true we can hungrily go into our prayer closets and pray for food, the likelihood that God will slide a pizza under the door is quite slim—be an active participant in your personal faith journey.

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