Something has been bothering me for a while, but until now I haven't had a chance to write about it. Prior to Christmas I was told that several churches across the country, and even some in my own community, were not going to have any worship services on Christmas Day. Honestly, when I first heard and read of those stories I thought it was a joke. Wouldn't that be like the beaches closing during the summer or the mountains closing during the fall? But sadly I found that the stories were true. I passed a couple of empty church parking lots on Christmas Sunday morning.
What I'm going to say next will not sit well with some, but I'm convinced that enough is enough. Frankly, I'm not concerned with who this might offend. I mean, what's next? No service on Easter Sunday? Doesn't that make sense? If you would cancel services on the day we've set aside to celebrate Christ's birth, why not cancel services on the day we've set aside to celebrate His resurrection?
What really gets under my skin are some of the lame excuses that were offered up to justify the Christmas cancellations. The most prominent one I heard is "we want to give our people some time to spend with their families." I'm sorry, but that's one of the most selfish things I've ever heard. Have we become so preoccupied with our own lives, families, and possessions that we can't find a few minutes to come and worship at God's house on Christmas?
By the way, I wonder what kind of testimony we set before the world when some of us chose to cancel worship. I can just imagine the irony in a lost person's mind as he/she considered that the Waffle House and Walgreens were open on Christmas but the church chose to close. For the last several years our culture has started to treat Christmas as just another day. Judging by the actions of some of our churches, perhaps the culture is right. Maybe Christmas is just another day.
I could be wrong, but I think the cancellation of services at Christmas was really done to give us a morning off so we could open gifts and play with our new toys. Maybe the greatest damage was done to our kids. What lesson did they learn by staying home on Christmas morning? Perhaps they got the impression that me and my gifts are more important than the Heavenly Father and His greatest Gift. The next time Christmas falls on a Sunday, I genuinely hope that every house of God will remain open for business.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Segregated Churches and Separated Truths
You've heard of "different strokes for different folks," but have you ever heard of different sermons for different shades? A recent experience brought that question to mind. One of the tools our church's website uses is Google Analytics. It is basically used to tell you who visited your website and how they got there. One of the features I enjoy is that it will tell you exactly what keywords someone entered to find your website.
While doing a recent study of our Analytics results, I noticed that someone from Oklahoma actually entered this phrase into the search engine: "2 Chronicles 20:1-30 black pastor sermons" (emphasis mine). I'll have to confess that I was taken back for a few minutes. Someone was not just searching for a sermon on that particular text - they were searching for a "black pastor" sermon on that text.
It caused me to wonder, "Does God's truth now come in different colors?" I mean, isn't it bad enough that our churches are already as segregated as they are? We're no longer satisfied with worshiping apart from one another based on categories of race, economics, etc. Apparently, even our messages need some semblance of segregation - one message for the white man, and yet another for the black man. What next? One message for the poor man and another for the rich man? One message for men and another for women? Why not one message for republicans and another for democrats?
My point is very simple: God's truth is universal. While there may be different applications for different audiences, I think we've got a problem when we start trying to discern and communicate God's truth through the filters of our own flawed preferences and categories. I'm certainly no super-Christian, but never once has it crossed my mind to do a search for a "white pastor" sermon. What would that even mean?
Rather than going to God with our biases, agendas, and preferences, perhaps we should go to God's Word as little children ready to receive what the Father has prepared for us. His truth requires no biases or subdivisions - not one set of truths for this audience and yet another set of truths for that audience. His truth transcends race, gender, economics, and any other category we'd like to throw over it. Rather than molding God's truth into our image, I hope we'll all allow His truth to mold our lives into the image of His Son. Maybe then our churches will look much less segregated and much more like heaven.
While doing a recent study of our Analytics results, I noticed that someone from Oklahoma actually entered this phrase into the search engine: "2 Chronicles 20:1-30 black pastor sermons" (emphasis mine). I'll have to confess that I was taken back for a few minutes. Someone was not just searching for a sermon on that particular text - they were searching for a "black pastor" sermon on that text.
It caused me to wonder, "Does God's truth now come in different colors?" I mean, isn't it bad enough that our churches are already as segregated as they are? We're no longer satisfied with worshiping apart from one another based on categories of race, economics, etc. Apparently, even our messages need some semblance of segregation - one message for the white man, and yet another for the black man. What next? One message for the poor man and another for the rich man? One message for men and another for women? Why not one message for republicans and another for democrats?
My point is very simple: God's truth is universal. While there may be different applications for different audiences, I think we've got a problem when we start trying to discern and communicate God's truth through the filters of our own flawed preferences and categories. I'm certainly no super-Christian, but never once has it crossed my mind to do a search for a "white pastor" sermon. What would that even mean?
Rather than going to God with our biases, agendas, and preferences, perhaps we should go to God's Word as little children ready to receive what the Father has prepared for us. His truth requires no biases or subdivisions - not one set of truths for this audience and yet another set of truths for that audience. His truth transcends race, gender, economics, and any other category we'd like to throw over it. Rather than molding God's truth into our image, I hope we'll all allow His truth to mold our lives into the image of His Son. Maybe then our churches will look much less segregated and much more like heaven.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
How Do We Make Decisions?
As I was returning from lunch this afternoon, I was listening to the Dave Ramsey Show. A gentleman called in with his dilemma. He basically admitted that he had lived in the casinos for a number of years, but that he left that scene about 2 years ago. While he said he had made a substantial amount of money gambling in the casinos, he basically implied that his lifestyle was turning into an addiction. Clearly, I commend the man for being willing to leave the casinos, even when he was making quite a profit off of them.
But the man's story was not finished there. He explained that he has learned many of this gambling ways from his father. Apparently, his father had not fared so well at the gambling tables. He explained that his dad had a $225,000 mortgage, but that because he was so far in gambling debt that he would not be able to make good on the repayment of the loan. So, the father set a proposal before his son. He said he would give his son what little bit of money he had left if his son would go and turn it into a profit at the casinos. The bottom line is that the son was calling Dave Ramsey because he had mixed emotions about returning to the casinos, but he didn't want to see his father lose his home either.
What kind of advice would you give to the young man if you were in Dave Ramsey's shoes? I can tell you what Mr. Ramsey said. He told the young man to tell his father: "I'm sorry Dad. I can't go back to the casinos to help you. I'm not going to give an alcohol his next drink." That's pretty good advice, and I suspect Mr. Ramsey's opinion has something to do with the fact that he professes to be a born-again Christian.
But still I'd like to know, what would you have counseled the young man to do? We can understand why the son might have mixed emotions about going back to the casinos, but would it really be all that wrong for the young man to go back so he can help his struggling father? Some would argue that returning to the casinos would really be the best thing for the young man to do if he really loves his dad.
Every day decisions like this have to be made. When the moment of decision comes, I wonder how you and I make decisions. Or how do we decide what kind of counsel to give when others have decisions like this that must be made. I sincerely hope that we are turning to the Word of God when these issues of life need to be determined.
If I were counseling this young man, I would have to tell him that returning to the casinos (or to any form of gambling) is not the answer. Why? Because God's Word condemns gambling. Not only did he rebuke Israel for sitting at the "tables of chance" (Isa. 65:11), but gambling flies in the face of everything God has said about the making and mastering of money. To gamble is to sin, and clearly we would not want to counsel anyone to walk in the paths of sin - no matter how well-intentioned they might be.
So what of the father who stands to lose his home? I would encourage the son to talk to his dad to see if he has any assets that can be sold to help meet the debts. If not, I would encourage the son to help his father secure an honest job that would help him in paying his debts. If the father were not capable of working due to handicap or disability, I would encourage the son to do all he can to help provide for some of his father's bills. But under no circumstances would I counsel the son (or the father) to go back to gambling.
But you say, "The father could lose his home." That's true, but such are the consequences of a life of sin sometimes. We can't just expect to live in a way that is contradictory to God and then not have to suffer the consequences along the way. And remember, the Bible says "Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble" (Prov. 15:16). And again, "Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich" (Prov. 28:6).
So I hope you and I will consider how we make our decisions. As Christians, I'm convinced that biblical ignorance is not always our problem. Many times we know what God's Word says - we just don't always want to do it. When the decisions of life must be made in our own life and in the lives of others, I hope we'll be found turning to God's Word. God's path is not always the easiest one, but it is always best!
But the man's story was not finished there. He explained that he has learned many of this gambling ways from his father. Apparently, his father had not fared so well at the gambling tables. He explained that his dad had a $225,000 mortgage, but that because he was so far in gambling debt that he would not be able to make good on the repayment of the loan. So, the father set a proposal before his son. He said he would give his son what little bit of money he had left if his son would go and turn it into a profit at the casinos. The bottom line is that the son was calling Dave Ramsey because he had mixed emotions about returning to the casinos, but he didn't want to see his father lose his home either.
What kind of advice would you give to the young man if you were in Dave Ramsey's shoes? I can tell you what Mr. Ramsey said. He told the young man to tell his father: "I'm sorry Dad. I can't go back to the casinos to help you. I'm not going to give an alcohol his next drink." That's pretty good advice, and I suspect Mr. Ramsey's opinion has something to do with the fact that he professes to be a born-again Christian.
But still I'd like to know, what would you have counseled the young man to do? We can understand why the son might have mixed emotions about going back to the casinos, but would it really be all that wrong for the young man to go back so he can help his struggling father? Some would argue that returning to the casinos would really be the best thing for the young man to do if he really loves his dad.
Every day decisions like this have to be made. When the moment of decision comes, I wonder how you and I make decisions. Or how do we decide what kind of counsel to give when others have decisions like this that must be made. I sincerely hope that we are turning to the Word of God when these issues of life need to be determined.
If I were counseling this young man, I would have to tell him that returning to the casinos (or to any form of gambling) is not the answer. Why? Because God's Word condemns gambling. Not only did he rebuke Israel for sitting at the "tables of chance" (Isa. 65:11), but gambling flies in the face of everything God has said about the making and mastering of money. To gamble is to sin, and clearly we would not want to counsel anyone to walk in the paths of sin - no matter how well-intentioned they might be.
So what of the father who stands to lose his home? I would encourage the son to talk to his dad to see if he has any assets that can be sold to help meet the debts. If not, I would encourage the son to help his father secure an honest job that would help him in paying his debts. If the father were not capable of working due to handicap or disability, I would encourage the son to do all he can to help provide for some of his father's bills. But under no circumstances would I counsel the son (or the father) to go back to gambling.
But you say, "The father could lose his home." That's true, but such are the consequences of a life of sin sometimes. We can't just expect to live in a way that is contradictory to God and then not have to suffer the consequences along the way. And remember, the Bible says "Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble" (Prov. 15:16). And again, "Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich" (Prov. 28:6).
So I hope you and I will consider how we make our decisions. As Christians, I'm convinced that biblical ignorance is not always our problem. Many times we know what God's Word says - we just don't always want to do it. When the decisions of life must be made in our own life and in the lives of others, I hope we'll be found turning to God's Word. God's path is not always the easiest one, but it is always best!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
"Preacher, Does This Church Belong to You?"
That's definitely my favorite question I've been asked at VBS this year. Hanging with the kids is always so much fun. They're full of questions, and almost always they are very sincere and innocent when they ask them. God gave me quick grace to answer the little girl's question. I responded, "No honey, this church belongs to Jesus."
But a little later, I started thinking about my answer to the little girl's question. Did I answer her honestly? Can we genuinely say that this church belongs to Jesus? Of course, the church does belong to our Savior. He said in Matt. 16:18, "On this rock I will build MY church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." No doubt - the church belongs to Jesus.
So then, I guess we've got to answer the question, "Is this group of people really a part of Christ's church?" The church is the Body of Christ, and we know that we become a member of Christ's body at the very moment we place our faith in Him. All that is pretty elementary stuff, but what we need to determine is if we're acting like we belong to Jesus.
I'm convinced that if we belong to Jesus, we'll start doing what He says. So what did Christ tell us to do? He instructed us to do many things, but the last marching orders He left us with were these: "Go and make disciples" (Matt. 28:19). The last thing Christ wanted His church to know before He left this earth for heaven was "go and make disciples."
So back to that little girl's question. Does the church I pastor really belong to Jesus? Does the church you attend really belong to Jesus? There's a sure-fire way to find out. How many disciples are we making? How many unchurched people are we reaching? God help us all to answer these questions and to make sure that our churches belong to Christ.
But a little later, I started thinking about my answer to the little girl's question. Did I answer her honestly? Can we genuinely say that this church belongs to Jesus? Of course, the church does belong to our Savior. He said in Matt. 16:18, "On this rock I will build MY church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." No doubt - the church belongs to Jesus.
So then, I guess we've got to answer the question, "Is this group of people really a part of Christ's church?" The church is the Body of Christ, and we know that we become a member of Christ's body at the very moment we place our faith in Him. All that is pretty elementary stuff, but what we need to determine is if we're acting like we belong to Jesus.
I'm convinced that if we belong to Jesus, we'll start doing what He says. So what did Christ tell us to do? He instructed us to do many things, but the last marching orders He left us with were these: "Go and make disciples" (Matt. 28:19). The last thing Christ wanted His church to know before He left this earth for heaven was "go and make disciples."
So back to that little girl's question. Does the church I pastor really belong to Jesus? Does the church you attend really belong to Jesus? There's a sure-fire way to find out. How many disciples are we making? How many unchurched people are we reaching? God help us all to answer these questions and to make sure that our churches belong to Christ.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Judging a Book By Its Cover
My oldest son, Tanner, has become an avid reader. Just this past year he read about 40 or 50 books for his school's AR program and finished at the top of his class. I'll be honest - that's more books than I read in my entire K-12 experience. I've become a much better reader since then, but I definitely got off to a slow start. Tanner really got interested in the Percy Jackson series of books this past school year. He read all five in the series and just completed "The Lost Hero" a couple of months ago. Some of those books were hundreds of pages long with small font and no pictures. His mother and I thank God for his new-found love of reading.
And yet we had an experience at Wal-Mart a few months back. While perusing the book section of Mr. Walton's Supercenter, their was a book that immediately caught Tanner's attention. I'll have to admit I was impressed as well. It had a metallic cover with a Punisher-type skull on the front of it. It was just the kind of book that a young boy would be attracted to. Tanner asked if he could have it so I picked it up and read the back cover of the book.
After reading the back cover I turned to Tanner and said, "Trust me, you won't like this." I can't remember now exactly what the plot of the book was, but I knew it wouldn't interest my son. And yet he was smitten with the cover - he had to have the book. Realizing I wouldn't be able to talk him out of it, I decided to buy him the book. He was pumped about getting this shiny new book, but as he began to read it his enthusiasm turned into boredom. Needless to say, the book couldn't deliver what the chrome cover seemed to promise.
We've all been guilty of judging a book by its cover, but of course it's not just books that we judge. We're often guilty of judging other people based on their appearance. I was reminded of this while reading the words of Paul today. He asked the Corinthians: "Do you look at things according to the outward appearance?" (2 Cor. 10:7). If so, then Paul knew he was in trouble. Apparently the Corinthians had already started judging him. Some of them were saying, "his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible" (2 Cor. 10:10).
Paul was not the first person to suffer this kind of judgment. Remember, if had been left to Samuel's discretion, Eliab (David's oldest brother) would've been anointed Israel's next king. Samuel certainly wouldn't have anointed the ruddy young shepherd boy of Judah. God had to teach Samuel an important lesson: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7).
Were we alive when Jesus was still physically ministering on this earth, my guess is that none of us would've been drawn to His appearance either. Concerning the coming Christ, the Bible said, "When we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him" (Isa. 53:2). The physical appearance of our Savior would've probably never drawn us to His saving power. But of course, Jesus didn't draw men unto Himself through good looks. Rather, we have all been drawn to our Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit.
So I would remind us all of that old adage: Don't judge a book by its cover. Satan has placed a lot of shiny books on the shelves of this life. But just a few pages into his story will show us that he can never deliver on what he's promised. The Bible says that he's the father of lies (John 8:44). Rather than picking up any number of his shiny volumes, I hope we'll all be compelled to pick up our Heavenly Father's book. The Bible may not be the most attractive book on the shelf, but it is the only one that can offer its readers a well-spring of life. When we allow the truth of its pages to saturate our lives, we'll never go looking for a refund.
And yet we had an experience at Wal-Mart a few months back. While perusing the book section of Mr. Walton's Supercenter, their was a book that immediately caught Tanner's attention. I'll have to admit I was impressed as well. It had a metallic cover with a Punisher-type skull on the front of it. It was just the kind of book that a young boy would be attracted to. Tanner asked if he could have it so I picked it up and read the back cover of the book.
After reading the back cover I turned to Tanner and said, "Trust me, you won't like this." I can't remember now exactly what the plot of the book was, but I knew it wouldn't interest my son. And yet he was smitten with the cover - he had to have the book. Realizing I wouldn't be able to talk him out of it, I decided to buy him the book. He was pumped about getting this shiny new book, but as he began to read it his enthusiasm turned into boredom. Needless to say, the book couldn't deliver what the chrome cover seemed to promise.
We've all been guilty of judging a book by its cover, but of course it's not just books that we judge. We're often guilty of judging other people based on their appearance. I was reminded of this while reading the words of Paul today. He asked the Corinthians: "Do you look at things according to the outward appearance?" (2 Cor. 10:7). If so, then Paul knew he was in trouble. Apparently the Corinthians had already started judging him. Some of them were saying, "his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible" (2 Cor. 10:10).
Paul was not the first person to suffer this kind of judgment. Remember, if had been left to Samuel's discretion, Eliab (David's oldest brother) would've been anointed Israel's next king. Samuel certainly wouldn't have anointed the ruddy young shepherd boy of Judah. God had to teach Samuel an important lesson: "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7).
Were we alive when Jesus was still physically ministering on this earth, my guess is that none of us would've been drawn to His appearance either. Concerning the coming Christ, the Bible said, "When we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him" (Isa. 53:2). The physical appearance of our Savior would've probably never drawn us to His saving power. But of course, Jesus didn't draw men unto Himself through good looks. Rather, we have all been drawn to our Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit.
So I would remind us all of that old adage: Don't judge a book by its cover. Satan has placed a lot of shiny books on the shelves of this life. But just a few pages into his story will show us that he can never deliver on what he's promised. The Bible says that he's the father of lies (John 8:44). Rather than picking up any number of his shiny volumes, I hope we'll all be compelled to pick up our Heavenly Father's book. The Bible may not be the most attractive book on the shelf, but it is the only one that can offer its readers a well-spring of life. When we allow the truth of its pages to saturate our lives, we'll never go looking for a refund.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
What If I Had Never Been Born?
Today is my 34th birthday. While I know that's still relatively young, I can honestly say I don't feel quite as young as I did 5 or 10 years ago. Many of my older friends tell me that it will only get worse. Gee thanks - just what I wanted to hear.
I think birthdays are kind of like milestones in our lives. They cause us to pause and reflect on where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. Today I stopped and asked myself this question: What things would be different if I were never born? Specifically, I wonder how many people would still be headed for hell if I had never been born. While I'm ashamed to admit it, the answer is not near enough.
I led my first person to faith in Christ when I was about 15 years old. I'll never forget it - I was on a youth Evangelism Explosion visit with Gary Boyd and Amy Shoemaker (now Garland). Gary told me that it was my turn to share the Gospel. We went to a nice home in Sequoyah Hills in Knoxville, TN. A teenage girl answered the door and we introduced ourselves and began to ask her about her church background. Then we came to the two big questions we were trained to ask: "If you were to die tonight, do you know that you would go to heaven? If God asked you why you should be allowed into heaven, what would you say?"
While I can't remember exactly how the young lady answered that question, I remember that she indicated some doubts about her relationship with Jesus. God allowed me the privilege of sharing the Gospel with her. I can vividly remember being scared and trying to remember everything I wanted to say. I'm sure it was probably one of the more lackluster Gospel presentations that's ever been given, but God used it to save the soul of that teenager. I praise God that He allowed me, Gary, and Amy to be a part of that experience.
But as I look back over these 34 years, for every one time I faithfully shared the Gospel with someone, there were probably at least 10 or 20 other opportunities that I squandered. Those opportunities were missed either because I had a fear of failure or rejection. While I praise God that he has used me to see a good number of souls added to His Kingdom, I'm ashamed that many others remain separated from His grace simply because I was unwilling to share. Too many people are still on the road to hell, and unless I do something about it their blood will be required at my hands (Ezekiel 33:8).
Perhaps you share some of my concerns. Whose life is radically different because you and I were born? We can live in nice homes, drive nice cars, make large salaries, and belong to fancy clubs, but that will probably do very little to change someone's life - much less their eternity. I hope the burden of Jesus will become ours as well: "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is still day; the night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4). When the night comes, I hope we'll all be found leading the lost to a saving knowledge of Christ.
I think birthdays are kind of like milestones in our lives. They cause us to pause and reflect on where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. Today I stopped and asked myself this question: What things would be different if I were never born? Specifically, I wonder how many people would still be headed for hell if I had never been born. While I'm ashamed to admit it, the answer is not near enough.
I led my first person to faith in Christ when I was about 15 years old. I'll never forget it - I was on a youth Evangelism Explosion visit with Gary Boyd and Amy Shoemaker (now Garland). Gary told me that it was my turn to share the Gospel. We went to a nice home in Sequoyah Hills in Knoxville, TN. A teenage girl answered the door and we introduced ourselves and began to ask her about her church background. Then we came to the two big questions we were trained to ask: "If you were to die tonight, do you know that you would go to heaven? If God asked you why you should be allowed into heaven, what would you say?"
While I can't remember exactly how the young lady answered that question, I remember that she indicated some doubts about her relationship with Jesus. God allowed me the privilege of sharing the Gospel with her. I can vividly remember being scared and trying to remember everything I wanted to say. I'm sure it was probably one of the more lackluster Gospel presentations that's ever been given, but God used it to save the soul of that teenager. I praise God that He allowed me, Gary, and Amy to be a part of that experience.
But as I look back over these 34 years, for every one time I faithfully shared the Gospel with someone, there were probably at least 10 or 20 other opportunities that I squandered. Those opportunities were missed either because I had a fear of failure or rejection. While I praise God that he has used me to see a good number of souls added to His Kingdom, I'm ashamed that many others remain separated from His grace simply because I was unwilling to share. Too many people are still on the road to hell, and unless I do something about it their blood will be required at my hands (Ezekiel 33:8).
Perhaps you share some of my concerns. Whose life is radically different because you and I were born? We can live in nice homes, drive nice cars, make large salaries, and belong to fancy clubs, but that will probably do very little to change someone's life - much less their eternity. I hope the burden of Jesus will become ours as well: "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is still day; the night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4). When the night comes, I hope we'll all be found leading the lost to a saving knowledge of Christ.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Feeding Rover After the Rapture
Most of you are probably aware that a false teacher named Harold Camping has predicted that Christ will return to rapture His church on this Saturday - May 21, 2011. I wrote a blog post about Mr. Camping's false teaching several months ago. While Mr. Camping's prediction will be proven bogus when the clock strikes midnight this Saturday, it has managed to accomplish one thing. Apparently, it has caused Christians to think about the welfare of their pets following the Rapture.
Until last Wednesday, I had no idea that post-rapture pet care had become such a thriving business. Check out this article that a church member shared with me to see what I'm talking about. There are at least 3 post-rapture pet care services that want your business. Two of them are run by atheists, and the third is a Christian-owned service that claims to coordinate "with atheist animal lovers nationwide who volunteer to take care of left-behind pets." The price for post-rapture pet care services range anywhere from $10-$135.
While I can appreciate the fact that Christians want Rover taken care of in the event of their departure, I find all this post-rapture pet care stuff to be a little disturbing. A few initial observations immediately come to the surface. First, this seems more like a money-making scheme than anything else. If the Christians aren't going to be here to insure that their pets are taken care of, what makes them think that they will be? Are they just going to take the atheists' word for it? And by the way, when the rapture occurs all the atheists will realize that they've been left behind. Do we really think that pet-care is going to be their top priority?
The greater concerns are biblical in nature. Christians, instead of investing our money in the post-rapture care of our pets, why not use our money for the pre-rapture salvation of the lost? The fact that a group of Christians would be concerned in working with atheists to provide pet care rather than presenting them with the Gospel is a telling sign of how misplaced our priorities have become.
To me, that's the most tragic part of this whole story. Are "Christians" now going to be known more for their love of pets than for the lost? Perhaps we already are. Statistics tell us that nearly every mainline Christian denomination in America is now baptizing fewer and fewer people with each passing year. Is it any wonder? We're now thinking more about the earthly welfare of our pets than we are the eternal destination of the lost.
God help us never to forget these words of a certain rich man whom Jesus said is now burning in hell: "Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame" (Luke 16:24). If God's people would often stop to consider the eternal destiny of those who die lost apart from Christ, my guess is that post-rapture pet care services would become a thing of the past.
Until last Wednesday, I had no idea that post-rapture pet care had become such a thriving business. Check out this article that a church member shared with me to see what I'm talking about. There are at least 3 post-rapture pet care services that want your business. Two of them are run by atheists, and the third is a Christian-owned service that claims to coordinate "with atheist animal lovers nationwide who volunteer to take care of left-behind pets." The price for post-rapture pet care services range anywhere from $10-$135.
While I can appreciate the fact that Christians want Rover taken care of in the event of their departure, I find all this post-rapture pet care stuff to be a little disturbing. A few initial observations immediately come to the surface. First, this seems more like a money-making scheme than anything else. If the Christians aren't going to be here to insure that their pets are taken care of, what makes them think that they will be? Are they just going to take the atheists' word for it? And by the way, when the rapture occurs all the atheists will realize that they've been left behind. Do we really think that pet-care is going to be their top priority?
The greater concerns are biblical in nature. Christians, instead of investing our money in the post-rapture care of our pets, why not use our money for the pre-rapture salvation of the lost? The fact that a group of Christians would be concerned in working with atheists to provide pet care rather than presenting them with the Gospel is a telling sign of how misplaced our priorities have become.
To me, that's the most tragic part of this whole story. Are "Christians" now going to be known more for their love of pets than for the lost? Perhaps we already are. Statistics tell us that nearly every mainline Christian denomination in America is now baptizing fewer and fewer people with each passing year. Is it any wonder? We're now thinking more about the earthly welfare of our pets than we are the eternal destination of the lost.
God help us never to forget these words of a certain rich man whom Jesus said is now burning in hell: "Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame" (Luke 16:24). If God's people would often stop to consider the eternal destiny of those who die lost apart from Christ, my guess is that post-rapture pet care services would become a thing of the past.
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