Sin of Sodom

Have you heard the story of the city of Sodom?

In Genesis 18, God speaks to Abraham and tells him about His plan to destroy the city. Abraham begs God not to do it for the sake of his nephew Lot. So, in Genesis 19, God sends two angels down to the city gate of Sodom. The angels, two men, meet Lot at the city gate and proceed to the city square where Lot secures them in his house and then must defend them to the crowd of men standing outside that want to have sex with them. Yeah, you read that right!

So, in an effort to keep these men from accosting these angels inside his home, Lot offers up his two virgin daughters to the crowd of men to "do with what they want". They refuse Lot's offer and try to break down the door to get to the men inside. So, the angels pull Lot in the door, strike the evil men with blindness and proceed to lay out God's plan of destruction. The angels send Lot to a nearby town and God rained down burning sulfur on Sodom.  

So, here is a question; why was the city of Sodom destroyed?

You see, many people use the city of Sodom as an example that God despises same-gender relations and that He punishes this sin. While this is true, that is not the primary reason that the city of Sodom was destroyed! Read Ezekiel 16:49-50 and you find out something different.

"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen."

That sounds a lot like America. Moreover, that sounds like a lot of Christians living in America!

ARROGANT ~ OVERFED ~ UNCONCERNED

It's odd that we look at the city of Sodom as an example that God will punish sin until we find that we are guilty of the very sin by which God was punishing.

The Jesus Perspective

I found an article I wrote for the newspaper some time back and thought I would post it on here.

This past week I was reading Mark 5:1-20, an account of Jesus meeting a demon possessed man on the shores of Gadara. He delivers this man and sends the demons into a nearby heard of pigs. Take five minutes to read it yourself. As I read through this I considered the people of the region, Mark calls them the Gerasenes.

Jesus meets this demon possessed man, a human being and delivers him from bondage. Hallelujah, it is time to celebrate! But instead, the men that were tending the pigs, ran off to tell others about this tragedy. But, if they missed the miracle of the moment when Christ took those demons out of the man, they will get another chance to rejoice.

Up to this point many of the people of this region only knew him as ‘the possessed guy,’ ‘the crazy guy,’ ‘the screamer’ or ‘the cutter.’ Now, they get the chance to see him whole again, “dressed and inhis right mind.” Now they can show pity on him and be glad that he has been delivered. But it reads “they wereafraid.” To be clear, minutes ago he was hanging out in the tombs, he was cutting himself and screaming out in pain day and night and he was breaking chains with superhuman strength and now they are afraid?

The people begin to tell others the whole account. They share what has happened with the man who was possessed for such a long time, of thousands of demons came out of him and into the pigs that ran off the cliff and of Jesus, His power and control.

Jesus’ supremacy can no longer be doubted. Scripture reads that the people pleaded with Jesus to leave their region. They wanted Him out of there. The truth is that they would have rather had the pigs then Jesus.

Later, as the man begins to give a first-hand account of his deliverance in the ten-city region, we read people were amazed. Translated, it meant that the people marveled, they admired Jesus, His power and of the miracle.

People were always one step behind, afraid after the man had been delivered and marveled after Jesus left town.

It is my prayer that we do not emulate the Gerasenes, that we are not one step behind, running away when we should rejoice, fearing what we should embrace and dismissing the One we should welcome.

Maybe you feel a bit like the man at the beginning of the passage, you are facing the pressures of life, the loneliness of culture and the shame of the past. You are one step away from being free. And just as the man in the passage did, you need to run and fall on your knees in front of Jesus. Maybe you feel like the Gerasenes or you know someone who is struggling, you see someone hurting and know that something needs to be done.

Are you going to pass on by or stop and see what Jesus sees? It is all about the perspective that we take, the moment we pause and consider what a person is going through and how some of the simplest actions we take can change a person’s life forever.

Blessed with Provisions

Yesterday I was speaking with a friend about wealth in America and poverty around the world. He seemed to be of the school of thought that we do enough for the needs of those outside our country and that we need to care more for our own before we concern ourselves with the needs of those living over seas.

I asked Him what he felt our response as Christians should be. I asked him where Scripture states that we should care for our own before we care for the needs of others. After some discussion, he pointed me to Genesis and the account of Joseph, how God blessed Joseph with a gift to bless Egypt during a time of famine.

I read this account and I thought that my friend might have had a good point. But then I kept reading.

Genesis 42:1-2 reads:

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

When the top 4% of the world are living on 75 times more wealth than the bottom 96% of the world is, don't you think their statements echo that of Jacob's?

I imagine they say something like:

I have heard that there is wealth in America. Let us go there and get some for ourselves, so that we may live and not die. 

As Christians, we must believe that God is in control of all things at all times in all ways. As Christians, we must believe that God loves all people at all times in all ways. Which brings us to the question, why does God allow famine, droughts, and plagues that lead to poverty?

The answer is that God provided us a Joseph!

God has provided us with a man (or a woman), or several, to see visions, to dream dreams, and to plan ahead. And, God has provided them with the means to do so.

The issue, then, is not that God allows these things to happen and that He fails to provide. The issue is that when God provides for the needs of His people, those of us who receive His provisions sit on them, we waste His blessings or we absorb His blessings for ourselves.

You see, God has blessed the nation of America, He has poured His favor upon us. And, as Christians living in America, we have made the wrong assumption that God intends for us to sit on, to waste, or to absorb His blessings. God does not intend for us to do this, but rather, He intends for us to share His blessings and to bless others.

Perhaps this is the test. And, if it is, we are failing terribly!

With this in mind, read the parable of the talents, Matthew 25:14-30. Pay attention to what happens to the lazy servant.



Go And Do Likewise

Last week I wrote about the issue of immigration titled WWJD: Immigration. Since writing this I have been troubled by the issue of immigration but also by the issues going on around the world that we, as Christians living in America, seem to care less about.  

I am still looking to answer questions on what Scriptures say about Christians protecting and providing for their own before we concern ourselves with what is going on with those that are not "our own".  From what I have found thus far, we are not to draw boarders and look out for "our own", but rather we are to love and care for everyone.

This morning I was reading from Luke chapter 10 and I was struck by an account that I have read countless times, the parable of the good Samaritan. The question at the center of this parable; "Who is my neighbor?" Now, the reason this question was asked was that the experts in the law were looking for a way to restrict those they are called to love and to care for. Isn't that what we, as Americans, try to do daily?

You see, the problem is that we have become Americans, yet we have failed to become Christians!

Many Christians in America today need to ask this question; "who is my neighbor". When we ask this question, when we wrestle with this question, when we take this question to Jesus, we would find that His answer would be much the same as it was in Luke 10. The answer to the question of who our neighbor is, then, is anyone we become aware of that has a need, anyone we access to helping with their need, and anyone we have the ability to have mercy on.

But, and I believe this is the biggest issue, the real reason we don't ask the question, "who is my neighbor", is because we already know the answer and we already know that Jesus would call us to "go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37).

“Go and do likewise.”

Go, and see the world as Jesus saw the world. Go, and see other people as Jesus saw other people. Go, and love as Jesus loved. Go, and have compassion as Jesus had compassion. Go, and have mercy as Jesus had mercy. Go, and be a neighbor. Go, and do likewise.  

WWJD: Immigration

I read the news everyday and find that more and more of it focuses on gay rights (with same-sex marriage rights being passed in several states and California passing a law to include prominent gay rights issues in their public school textbooks) and immigration (with much of the nations funds directed at protecting our boarders and deporting illegal immigrants). Perhaps you've read some of the same articles.

Just today I wrote a blog relating to my stance on the homosexual lifestyle, I know where I stand on this. But, I am not so sure where I stand on the issue of immigration. You see, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I think it best to find out what He thought, what He said, and determine how He would have acted if He had lived in the United States today. I've been searching the scripture for an answer on this and I have yet to find it.

So, I'm asking for some help here; tell me, what do the Scriptures have to say about immigration, about boarders between countries, and about protecting our own and taking care of other people and other lands AFTER we have covered our own desires first? Let me know through Email, Twitter or Facebook. I hope to hear from you!

Where I Stand on the Homosexual Lifestyle

I know where I stand on homosexuality. I know what the Scriptures say about the homosexual lifestyle. I understand what the Scripture has to say about homosexuality, that it is a sin and that, like all sin, it is wrong and those that continue to practice this lifestyle will be judged for their sin.

Yet, as I have said in the past, I don't understand why so many followers of Christ have decided to paint homosexuals as the worst of the worst, the most sinful of the sinners. As I said to a man almost a month ago, we all face a struggle with sin and although you may not struggle with the sin of homosexuality, you should not condemn others who do. You see, just as I do with people that struggle with greed, lust, deceit, and so many other sinful lifestyles, I feel sorry for those dealing in the homosexual lifestyle. Why? Because they are caught in a bondage with sin that they are being told is not sin, is not bondage, is not wrong at all.

There is a lot of ignorance in our country today, on one side is the ignorance of the homosexual community; ignorant to the fact that it is wrong and demands correction, on the other side is the ignorance of the judgemental Christian community; ignorant to the fact that we are not to judge but to live a life of love and light, portraying Jesus Christ. So many tend to point to this lifestyle as that which is ruining our culture and our children when the truth of the matter is that there are many things ruining our future, and much of it has already been accepted into our churches and our homes.

Running to meet your goal

As a general rule, I don't run. I don't particularly enjoy running, whether it is running for exercise or running as a competition, I don't enjoy it. Running can fall into two categories; speed and endurance.

• Speed: When I was in grade school we had to run through a series of chairs in gym class twice a week and by weeks end we would have run an entire mile. Near the end of our second grade year they announced that I was the fasted kid in second grade. My dad still credits me with the title and claims that I could beat all those second grade kids with my speed today.
• Endurance: When I was in college my wife (at the time she was only my girlfriend) asked me if I would train for a mini-marathon with her. I didn't particularly like the idea of running in a mini-marathon, 13.1 miles of winding roads and climbing hills, and I didn't like the rigorous training that came with getting myself into shape for it. But, while I didn't enjoy it, I did like the company that came with preparing and training, and because the love of my life wanted me to do it, I did it.

Hebrews chapter 12 has some to say about running, perseverance, and endurance (verses 1-2);

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" 

 Max Lucado had the following to say about this passage in his book "Just Like Jesus":

"The word race is from the Greek agon, from which we get the word agony. The Christian's race is not a jog but rather a demanding and grueling, sometimes agonizing race. It takes a massive effort to finish strong. Likely you've noticed that many don't? Surely you've observed there are many on the side of the trail? They used to be running. There was a time when they kept the pace. But then weariness set in. They didn't think the run would be this tough..."

What about you:

• Do you find that the "Christian race" is tough or even agonizing at times?

"let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" 

We each have a race to run, each of us have goals by which we need to reach and goals we set out to reach. Yet there are often things that keep us from reaching these goals because we fail to recognize that they are weighing us down and keeping us from fixing our eyes on the end goal and the prize before us.
Here are some questions for you to consider:

• What are your goals?
• Primary goals?
• Secondary goals?
• What steps need to be taken (by you) in order to achieve these goals?
• What will (you) need to stop?
• What are the costs of these goals?
• What are the benefits of these goals?

Read through Hebrews 12:1-11, considering this, thinking of the subject of your struggle with sin, your hardships, and God's discipline in your life. Stay focused on the goal and run your race with perseverance.