Do You Want to Be Made Well?

This is the question Jesus asked a man laying at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:6).  The Bible says that the man had been suffering with "an infirmity" for 38 years.  God's Word does not tell us exactly what the man's infirmity was, but it probably had something to do with his legs because he needed someone to carry him to Bethesda's healing waters.  Whatever his disease, it's clear that the man was not able to get to the waters of Bethesda fast enough to be healed (John 5:7).

When Jesus passed by, He knew the man had been handicapped for 38 years - "(Jesus) knew that he already had been in that condition a long time" (John 5:6).  So then, it seems almost ludicrous that Jesus would ask the man if he wanted to be healed.  Of course he wanted to be healed...right?

Can I suggest that not everyone really wants to be made well.  There are all kinds of sickness - physical, emotional, mental, etc.  I'm not really talking about those.  My focus is on the spiritual.  Think about it - many people are "sin sick" because they've never trusted Christ as their Savior.  Jesus still asks billions of people all over the world, "Do you want to be made well?"  The only way any of us can be delivered from our sin sickness is through faith in Jesus.

Even among those who are saved, there is still a great deal of sickness.  Many Christians are diseased with "besetting sins" - evil thoughts, words, or deeds that harm our relationship with God.  God has the power to deliver all His children from the sins that trip them up, but we've got to want to be made well.  Wellness comes in the form of daily prayer, Bible reading, and obedience to His commands.

This sin sickness is not just limited to individuals.  Many local churches are diseased and in need of Christ's healing touch.  God has all the power to revitalize diseased churches, but they've got to want to be made well.  The sad fact is that many churches would rather die than to be healed, because healing requires change.  Change is something that too many of our churches are not interested in.  An unbiblical commitment to tradition has left many churches laying at the pool of Bethesda.

So what about you?  Do you want to be made well?  I suggest you follow the example of Bethesda's suffering man - listen to the voice of Jesus, place your faith in Him, obey His commands, and tell the world that Christ has set you free.  "If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).

Is Assisted Suicide OK?

Perhaps you've familiarized yourself with the story of Brittany Maynard.  She's a 29 year-old Portland, Oregon woman who has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.  Even more tragically, she's only been married to her husband for about 2 years and was attempting to have children.  We always cringe and grieve when we hear of these tragedies affecting the youngest among us.

Brittany is now a volunteer advocate for Compassion and Choices - one of the nation's leading end-of-life choice organizations, or as it has now been called "death with dignity."  Isn't it interesting how our culture renames things over time?  What we used to call assisted suicide (remember Dr. Kevorkian - "Dr. Death") we now call death with dignity.  This renaming has become common in our post-Christian culture.  What was once "gay marriage" has now been re-branded "marriage equality."  What was called "the taking of an innocent human life" has now been renamed "a woman's right to choose."  The new terminology makes our sins sound so much better.

There are two major problems with assisted suicide, among many others.  First, assisted suicide rejects the sovereignty of God.  Only God has the right to end our lives.  He alone is the Giver of life and He alone is to be the Taker.  Bible-believing Christians affirm life from conception all the way to natural death.  That's not to say that there is anything wrong with artificial life-saving methods (ventilators, etc.).  But we should ask ourselves why a Christian would want to go to great lengths to extend his/her life when the Apostle Paul has said "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phi. 1:21).

Further, assisted suicide doubts God's power to heal, or at least it denies Him the opportunity to do so.  Remember, there have been a number of people that doctors and nurses have given up on, only for God to step in and heal.  The Bible is filled with examples.  How about the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34)?  She "had a flow of blood for twelve years and had suffered many things from the physicians."  Yet with one touch of the hem of Jesus' garment, she was totally set free.  Or how about the man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-9)?  For thirty-eight years he had suffered with an infirmity, but after Jesus told him to "rise, take up your bed and walk," his life was never the same.  Or how about the man at the Gate Beautiful (Acts 3:1-10)?  He was lame from birth and was carried to the gate by his friends every day to come and beg.  The apostles didn't have any silver and gold, but what they have they gave - healing in Jesus' name!  He went "walking, and leaping, and praising God" (v. 8).  And these biblical examples don't even include the countless other stories that could be told by many of you.  Assisted suicide doubts that God is able to do even the miraculous.

Some may say I don't know what I'm talking about because I've never experienced Mrs. Maynard's kind of suffering.  If I had, then I would have a much different perspective.  What those people may not know is that I watched my dad suffer with prostate and bone cancer for several years prior to his death.  I watched him throw up as a result of chemotherapy.  I watched him burn up as a result of radiation.  I watched him moan & groan and plead for relief.  On one occasion, I even caught him as he fainted at the bathroom door.

Yet never once did my dad curse the Lord.  Never did he get mad at God and ask "Why me?".  In fact, he became an even greater soul-winner after his sickness.  And he certainly never considered or mentioned the taking of his own life.  Why?  Because he trusted that the God who gave him his life was more than capable or taking it in His time.  My mom, brother, and myself were standing right there with dad in the Hospice care facility when God did exactly that.

I truly sympathize with the Brittany Maynards of the world because I have witnessed their suffering up close & personal.  But no amount of suffering gives us the right to make decisions that are reserved for God alone.  We should all pray that God will relieve Brittany's suffering and that He will give her the courage to leave her life in God's hands rather than taking it into her own.

So Now My Fast Food Has to be Gay?

I'm sure we're all keenly aware that we live in a world of ridiculous headlines.  The stories have gotten so bizarre, I'll have to confess that I've become somewhat desensitized to much of the craziness in our culture.  But then there's that headline that just can't be ignored...something so ludicrous that it makes you wonder if we've reached yet another all-time low.

Check out this story.  Apparently even our fast food must now be gay, or at least gay-friendly.  In honor of Gay Pride month, Burger King announced that it would be selling a gay whopper - "The Proud Whopper."  Wrapped in a rainbow, this flame-kissed sandwich is more about an ungodly agenda than satisfying hunger.  Really?  Has our culture become so perverse that now even our hamburgers have to be homosexual?

This should only remind us that the assault on our Christian faith will only get worse.  Those who do not believe in God or respect His Word will continue to level their assaults against the Lord and His truth.  We would all do well to ask ourselves, "Am I totally surrendered to Christ?"  You may be willing to live for Him, but are you willing to die for the Savior?  We're tempted to think that things will never get that bad.  Living in America, some of us might think that we'll never be forced to choose between our life and our faith.

Think again.  Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33).  Paul told young Timothy, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12).  The same Paul also said, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).  Millions of Christians across our world are already being physically assaulted for their faith - some even killed.

If you are forced to choose between Jesus and your life, what will you choose?  Consider the words of our Savior:  "What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt. 16:26)  In a world of homosexual hamburgers and collapsing convictions, will you live for Jesus?  Choose wisely, for your eternity destiny (and that of many others) depends on your answer to that question.

Should Christian Business Owners Be Forced to Provide Goods and Services to Everyone?

A strange thing happened to me last night.  I was driving home and listening to what was supposed to be sports talk radio.  But almost as soon as the discussion came on, the conversation turned to whether or not Christian business owners should be forced to provide goods and services to homosexuals.  I'm not sure what sparked such a discussion on a sports talk show, but it might have had something to do with Jayson Collins becoming the first openly gay player in the NBA.  In fact, his jersey has become the top-seller on NBA.com.

While I don't know what prompted the conversation, it immediately caught my attention.  Caller after caller said it is reprehensible that a homosexual would be denied service for any reason.  One brave soul dared to call in with a different perspective and he was laughed off the air.  The hosts routinely compared the "homosexual struggle" to that of blacks during the civil rights movement.  The logic:  Just as service should have never been denied to blacks, neither should it be denied to homosexuals.  That is clearly an apples and oranges comparison, but that's a blog for another day.

There is currently a bill in the Arizona legislature that would protect the freedom of Christian business owners from providing goods and services to anyone (not just homosexuals) for religious reasons.  The governor is receiving heavy pressure to veto the measure so that Christian business owners would be forced to serve all comers, including homosexuals.  The bill was introduced in Arizona because some Christian business owners have refused to provide their services (wedding cakes, photography, flowers, etc.) to homosexual customers.

It begs the question:  Should Christian business owners be forced to provide goods and services to everyone, even if they have a religious objection?  We need to ask ourselves why some business owners have refused to offer their services to homosexual customers.  In most cases, it's because those owners have been asked to provide their services for gay weddings.  If we were talking about selling a cup of coffee to a homosexual, that would be one thing.  But we're not talking about a cup of coffee and a piece of pie - we're talking about goods and services being used for homosexual weddings & receptions.

Why would a Christian business owner object to that?  Because Christians believe that marriage was an institution created by God in the garden of Eden.  Jesus said, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh" (Matt. 19:5).  Christians have always believed that marriage was a joining of one man and one woman for life.  Anything beyond the union of one man and one woman is classified as sin throughout both testaments of Scripture.

Clearly, Christian business owners would not want their services being used to celebrate that which God has condemned.  For that reason, some have lovingly refused to do business with homosexual customers.  Should they be forced to violate their deeply-held convictions?  Absolutely not, and all those who support religious freedom should stand and support their "right to refuse."  If the government can force business owners to do business with those who violate their convictions, what will they force them to do next?  This is still "the land of the free and the home of the brave."  Let's encourage our lawmakers to keep it that way.

In Memory of Larry Stinnett (1946-2012)

It's been a year since I last posted an entry on this blog.  I guess there are a variety of reasons for my absence, but none of them would be more prominent than the homegoing of my dad.

Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007.  Dad had a PSA test that had come back somewhat elevated.  The urologist was so concerned about it that he ordered 12 biopsies to be done.  When all 12 biopsies came back positive for cancer, the urologist moved hastily to remove dad's prostate.

I'll never forget the day we discovered the terminal nature of dad's diagnosis.  The urologist took dad back for surgery and we were told that it shouldn't take long to remove the prostate.  The doctor planned to do the surgery laproscopically - as minimally invasive as possible.  After only an hour in the surgery room, the urologist came back out and gave us the bad news - he was unable to remove the prostate.  When mom asked what that meant, the doctor replied, "It means your husband probably has 1-10 years to live."

Those words were like a punch in the stomach.  We thought dad was going to have a simple procedure, recover at the hospital for a day or two, then be on his way.  Clearly things didn't turn out that way.  The doctor's words were prophetic - dad ended up with five years following his terminal diagnosis.  I wish I could say those five years were always filled with joy, but they were not.  Dad suffered many things before he went on to this eternal reward.  He endured chemo, radiation, hormone shots, and even a an experimental treatment called Provenge.  I'm sure those treatments prolonged life, but none of them could remove the inevitable.

Dad had a great deal of pain he tried to manage everyday, and the pain grew much worse the closer he drew to heaven.  Prostate cancer loves to spread to the bone, and that's exactly what happened to dad.  But there's one thing I can say:  Dad kept a positive attitude all the way unto his death.  He never lost his hope in God or his joy in the Lord.  He rarely ever spoke of his impending death.  He was and is an inspiration to us all.

So dad has been gone for a year.  It's been a hard year.  There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him.  Thousands of things he said still run through my mind.  They even replay in his voice.  So many times I've wanted to pick up the phone and call him and get his advice.  It's been well-said that you don't know how much you love someone and need someone until they're gone.  Dad was my example.  He was a constant source of wisdom and information.  Now that he's no longer here, there's a void in my life that no one else can replace.

One year after his death, I've decided that it's time for me to memorialize him by letting you know who he was to me.  A blog post is not enough space to tell it all, but I want to give you just a taste of the man he was in my life.

Dad was my provider.  Quite simply, he was one of the hardest working men I ever met.  He would rise early and he would often stay up late.  Short of sin, there's nothing he wouldn't do to make sure his family's needs were met.  I especially began to appreciate dad's work ethic when he and mom started their own business in the early 90s - just as I was beginning high school.  Dad's first work vehicle was an old Subaru hatchback.  His first office was his bedroom and he slowly graduated out to the screen-in porch.  One time he took me to work with him just outside of Nashville.  We worked from sun up to way past sun down for two days.  I didn't have any trouble sleeping when the work was done, and to his credit dad never had any trouble sleeping either.

Dad was my protector.  Not only was he my protector, but he protected my mom and my brother as well.  I'll never forget a beach vacation our family took one summer.  My brother (Brad) got on a float and began to ride out over the ocean waves.  Brad lost track of how far he was from the shoreline - he was too far out to swim back.  When dad noticed the dilemma my brother was in, he took off, swam out to my brother, and brought him back to shore.  He was a man's man for sure.

Dad was my coach.  My dad loved sports, played sports, and taught us to love and play them as well.  He was a baseball coach - from T-ball all the way through little league.  He was also a basketball coach.  My brother and I both played church league basketball during each of our 13 school years.  I can't remember one of those 13 years that dad wasn't coaching me or my brother or both of us.  He even coached RA basketball for Oakwood Baptist Church before I was born.  He was also a softball coach.  He coached the men of Wallace Memorial to a city championship and on to state competition.

There's so much more I could say about dad.  He was my teacher, in every area of life.  My dad even taught me and my brother all about "the birds and the bees."  True story - he checked out an anatomy book from the library and used it to explain to me and my brother what distinguishes a man from a woman.  How many dads would bother to have that discussion with their boys anymore?  Dad taught me how to love my wife and my children though the way he loved my mom and us.  Most important, he taught me to love God, to love His Word, to love His church, and to love the lost.

Dad was truly my example, my friend, and now more than ever he is my hero.  Dad never said this to me or my brother, but he surely could have: "Imitate me, even as I also imitate Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1).  He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.  I look forward to seeing him again "soon and very soon."

Are Creationists Abusive Morons?

My oldest son loves science.  He's a fan of just about anything that has to do with the natural order.  Thus, it's no surprise that he loves the work of Bill Nye - the "science guy."  Recently, Bill Nye spent time pontificating about creationism and it's affect on children.  You can see the video here.  Take time to watch the short video.  It's mind-boggling stuff.

According to the science guy, "the denial of evolution is unique to the US."  I'm guessing Nye doesn't travel very much - at least not internationally.  If he did, he would know that a vast number of people from every continent on this planet actually deny the theory of evolution.  But that's not the point.  To Nye, "evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science."

So let me get this right.  The idea of all ideas - I mean the one that everything hinges on - can't even be proven as a scientific fact?  We're going to hang all our hopes and dreams on a theory?  And to think scientists often depict themselves as anti-faith.  It's hard to imagine a supposition that requires more faith than that.

Let's get to the heart of the matter.  Nye is basically saying that raising children within a creationist worldview is a form of child abuse.  To him it's an especially awful form of abuse because it causes children to become like their creationist parents - crazy, scientifically-illiterate fools who can't "build stuff and solve problems."  Creationists tend to "hold everyone else back" by making things "fantastically complicated."

It's a good thing Bill Nye is the science guy because he could never claim to be a history buff.  If he knew anything about the greatest scientists of human history he would know that most of them were creationists.  Perhaps you've heard of some of them - Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Johann Kepler, Leonardo DaVinci, Blaise Pascal - just to name a few.  At least 40 scientific disciplines were established by creationists and many other noteworthy discoveries were made by men (and women) such as this.  Check the list here.  I guess they were all "holding us back."

Bill Nye oozes with pride as he arrogantly repeats that familiar refrain, "In another couple of centuries that worldview (creationism) won't exist."  And why?  Because "there's no evidence for it."  The psalmist would beg to differ:  "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1).  Paul would agree:  "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead" (Rom. 1:20).

So the science guy thinks that it borders on abuse to teach our kids biblical creationism.  I say that the abuse happens when we withhold the truth of God's Word from our kids and teach them that they've descended from apes.  I say abuse happens when we act as though "God is dead" (Nietzsche), or that even if He is alive He can't be known.

Bill Nye isn't the first quasi-intellectual to predict the soon-coming disappearance of the biblical/creationist worldview.  Rest assured he won't be the last.  I'm not too concerned though.  When he's dead and gone, the truth of God's Word will stand:  "The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever" (1 Peter 1:24b-25).  Hitch your wagon to Bill Nye if you want to.  I'm going to stay with the One who was there when everything was created.

Marriage: Blacks Need Not Apply

That was essentially the message sent by First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, Mississippi to a black couple desiring to get married in their facility about two weeks ago.  Read the story here.  You would think that our culture had moved beyond racism by now.  You would especially think that our churches had moved beyond racism, but sadly even some within our churches are still filled with prejudice.

In this particular case, Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson were forced to move their wedding to an alternate location just one day prior to their wedding.  Why?  According to the pastor, "a black wedding had never been done here before, so it was setting a new precedent, and there were those who reacted because of that."  How many people reacted?  There were five or six church members who objected to the wedding.  A pretty small but vocal minority, considering they threatened to vote the pastor out of the church if he proceeding with the wedding.

It's easy for me to sit here and say what I would have done as pastor.  I hope I would've said, "Then you'll just have to take your vote and run me off because there's no way I'm going to allow an ungodly bunch of racists to distract me from doing God's will."  My heart genuinely goes out to this pastor because those kinds of stands are easier said than done.  I don't know his personal situation, but perhaps he's trying to support a wife and children just like I am.  

The biggest thing I've taken from this ugly episode is that I need to be willing to stand for God's truth - no matter what the cost.  I hope all pastors will learn the same lesson as well.  God has not called us to do what is convenient.  He's called us to do what is right.  The fact is that God knows exactly where we are and precisely what we need.  If we lose something as a result of standing for Him, that doesn't change the fact He's promised to provide all our needs.  "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33).

I hope our church members will also learn some lessons from this.  The first one is obvious - there is no place for racism within the Body of Christ.  The Scripture says that "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34). When Peter was tempted to withhold the Gospel from a Gentile (non-Jewish) man, God showed him that His love and salvation are for everyone - regardless of their skin color.  When we allow hate and prejudice to fill our hearts, it is proof that we are either extremely backslidden or that we were never children of God to begin with.

I also hope that our church members will learn that it's never right to sit by and allow the carnally-minded to dictate the direction of our churches.  As pastor, far too often I have watched as a silent majority have allowed a vocal (and usually ungodly) minority to run the show.  I don't think the silent majority intends to harm the church, but that's exactly what they do when they choose to remain silent.  My guess is that the pastor of First Baptist would've been much more likely to take a stand had he felt that people were going to "have his back."

If your pastor is a man of God who loves the Word and preaches its truth, by all means support him and stand with him against those who would seek to do harm to the cause of Christ.  That may go against the "go along to get along" mentality that we've sometimes grown accustomed to, but who are we trying to please?  "Do I now persuade men or God?  Or do I seek to please men?  For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10).  When it's time to stand, I pray we'll all be found pleasing to Christ.