The Big Game

Super Bowl XLVI features the New York Giants vs. New England Patriots this evening at 6:30 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.  Advertisers have spent as much as 3.5 million for a 30 second spot.  It is one of the major sport events in our nation which will be watched by millions of people.

Sports fans in general are known for their loyalty, dedication, and deep commitment toward the players involved and the teams they represent.  In many cases, fans will go to extreme lengths to follow or support their favorite player or team.

It has been pointed out that there are certain characteristics of Fans:

They arrive early

They don’t care when they get home

Will endure any kind of weather

Want the best possible seats

Never miss a game

Memorize statistics

Pay the price

Vocalize whose side they are on

Now apply these characteristics to our dedication as Christians!  Do we measure up?   Are we more committed to our favorite sport, hobby, individual, or ________________than we are to Jesus Christ?

Do we show up early to fellowship and to welcome visitors?

Are we annoyed to see a baptism, or someone asking for prayer causing a delay in  our plans?

God is looking for some people who say I can’t wait to get to God’s house.

We need to ask ourselves am I really passionate about the Lord?

Are you a faithful attender?  You won’t miss a game.  What about a worship service?

We need to get into the Word

We sacrifice to pay for tickets.  What do we sacrifice for God?  Christ? Church?

Will you be vocal in telling others about His Son?

Our daily existence as a Christian is eternally more important than any game or worldly event.   “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

                                                                                                                       SM

Saints

Paul addressed the “saints” in Rome (Romans 1:7), Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2), Achaia (2 Corinthians 1:1), Ephesus (Ephesians 1:1), Philippi (Philippians 1:1), and Colossae (Colossians 1:2).

The Bible speaks of the saints in Jerusalem (Acts 9:13), Lydda (Acts 9:32) and at Joppa (Acts 9:41).

When the Bible speaks of “saints” in the various locations, who is being described?

“Christians in general are “saints” in NT usage, and the term is common in reference to the inclusive membership of a local church (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; II Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2). Other references in the NT equate Christians in general with “saints” (2 Cor. 13:13; Rom. 16:15; Acts 9:13; Heb. 13:24; Rev. 5:8). All these are identified as saints because they are in Christ Jesus “(Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, Volume 2, p. 1503).

The term “saint” has been abused and misapplied as Wayne Jackson observes:

In the Catholic system, becoming a “saint” is reserved for one whose holiness of life and heroic feats were exceptional. The prospective “saint” must be confirmed, however, and then recognized by the Church’s official processes of beatification and canonization.  Beatification involves an investigation into the supposed sanctity of a deceased Catholic. An enquiry probes the past of the candidate, looking at his or her deeds, writings, alleged miracles, etc. Usually, this phase lasts for several years. The pope makes the final decision as to the beatification confirmation. Once beatified, the candidate is acknowledged as “Blessed.”  Canonization is the subsequent procedure in which a public and official declaration of the virtue of the proposed “saint” is made. It must be established that two miracles have been effected at the behest of the candidate, subsequent to the beatification process.

The Roman Catholic concept of “sainthood” is foreign to the New Testament. No process implemented upon this earth (religious or secular) can alter the status of those who have died already. Superstition must be laid aside, and replaced with Scripture, if one is to please the Creator.  (Christiancourier.com).

As Christians, we are to strive to live holy lives, not to be honored by man, but to please our Father in Heaven who is holy and calls upon us to live holy lives as well (1 Peter 1:15-16).

Since God is holy in character, that which is set apart to Him and for His use must be holy in character. Thus we have the essential idea of holiness as Godlikeness. In referring to Christians as “saints,” Paul is emphasizing the fact that they are set apart to God. He is also implying that, as such, they should become more and more holy in character, more like the God they serve (Word Meanings in the N. T., pp. 132-133).

Every Christian is a saint and Christlike character should be our goal as we follow the footsteps of our Savoir (1 Peter 2:21).

SM

Christian Worldview and Economics

Read A Christian View of the Economic Crisis by Albert Mohler.

A Christian Minister In The School of Christ

From what the apostle says here concerning the qualifications of a Christian minister, we may well exclaim: Who is capable of these things? Is it such a person as has not intellect sufficient for a common trade or calling? No. A preacher of the Gospel should be a man of the soundest sense, the most cultivated mind, the most extensive experience, one who is deeply taught of God, and who has deeply studied man; one who has prayed much, read much, and studied much; one who takes up his work as from God, does it as before God, and refers all to the glory of God; one who abides under the inspiration of the Almighty, and who has hidden the word of God in his heart, that he might not sin against him. No minister formed by man can ever be such as is required here. The school of Christ, and that alone, can ever form such a preacher.

—Adam Clarke, comments at the end of 2 Timothy chapter 3 in his commentary on the Bible.

Christians and Wealth

The following is from the Asbury Collegian, written by their editorial board, February 2, 2007. “Christians And Wealth: If you’ve got it, don’t flaunt it”

Do you ever sit in a location, say a shopping mall or boardwalk, marveling at all the different sorts of people that happen by? We all people-watch from time to time, taking note of an angst-filled teen moping by, his countenance riddled with piercings, or a Chanel-suited lady, her high-heels clicking as she struts past with the gate of a Lipizzaner stallion.

What opinions do people form about us as we walk by? Will the first thing they notice be our Louis Vuitton handbags? Designer jeans or shoes? A key ring studded with the logo of a sports car, dancing and dangling from our fingertips?

People will make lots of assumptions about us based on the way we outfit ourselves – whether simply and frugally or flashily and expensively. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with earning a lot of money or being affluent, or even owning nice things, there comes a point when excess is unacceptable.

Even if one might feel justified in purchasing a new luxury car by having given a great deal of money away for good purposes, what purpose does the purchase serve? What do we have to prove that we must clothe ourselves with the clothing of kings and drive automobiles favored by heads of state?

Christ had a lot to say on this matter; in fact money is one of the most frequently discussed topics of the Gospels. Jesus said: “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

As Christians we are to have a burden for the poor, not a burden for a Bimmer and certainly not a burden for both. Even with abundant resources in our lives, overindulgence to support a wealthy image has nothing to do with Christ and everything to do with ourselves.

Responsibility

The following has been in my files for several years and there is no author listed. For anyone who has been involved in church work, this provides an illustration that is all too real!

“Our church was saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our most valued members. Someone Else. Someone’s passing creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person’s share of the work. Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone’s list, “Let Someone Else do it.” Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results; “Someone Else can work with that group.” It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the most liberal givers in our church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the difference. Someone Else was a wonderful person; sometimes appearing superhuman. Were the truth known, everybody expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do. Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did? When you are asked to help this year, remember – we can’t depend on Someone Else anymore.”

The warning is clear: “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1). As Christians, we are to remember that “we are laborers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9). Successful churches are the result of faithful Christian volunteers being blessed by their heavenly creator!!

Defining and Applying Christian Worldview

What is a worldview?

A worldview is a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic constitution of reality, and that provides the foundation on which we live and move and have our being.

The Universe Next Door. A Basic Worldview Catalog by James W. Sire. Fourth Edition. (Downers Grove, IL; IVP Academic. 2004).

Applying a Christian worldview.

One of the goals of The Truth Between Extremes blog is to see things in this world through the eyes and mind of Jesus Christ. The following two quotes are from a text used in my Christian Worldview class at Asbury College. They present an application of what is involved in engaging our day to day lives as Christians with those who are of another worldview.

As Christians we have no less responsibility to think than do others and it is incumbent on us that we think in a Christian manner about the many issues confronting us as we live today. The Christian’s ability to think Christianly about every topic, every question, every decision requires that he or she develop a generally correct knowledge of reality. And this correct knowledge of reality must be developed in a world that promotes many ideas and values that contradict those held by the Christian community. That is to say, we live in a society that holds a great variety of worldviews, many of which contradict or ignore the worldview of Christianity (p. 5)

We live in an extremely complex world where we are bombarded daily with differing opinions and interpretations; it is a pluralistic world where relativism and ambiguity are important components in almost everything we do; it is a world where Christians are called on constantly to make decisions about complex matters with far-reaching implications and consequences. Without a biblical orientation, the believer is adrift in such a world, shunted off course by every current of opinion, and blown erratically by the shifting winds of intellectual fashions. We need an awareness of the process by which our worldview is established and refined in order for us to filter out extraneous elements that do not belong in the value system of a Christian. We also need such an awareness in order to focus our attention on principles and methods that will establish biblical truth more solidly in our hearts (p. 6)

Transformed Thinking. Loving God With All Your Mind by Edward M. Curtis, Ph.D with John Brugaletta, Ph.D. (Franklin, TN; JFO Publishing, Inc. 1996).