God's Hate vs. Love

God’s Hate

·         The very first thing to keep in mind that we cannot apply a human concept of hate vs. love to God’s hate vs. love.

o   Humans associate hate with a multitude of negative emotions, none of which can be readily applied to God.

§  Anger, rage, etc.

o   God’s hate is better understood in that He hates all that which causes humans to reject God.

§  i.e. sin

§  Keep in mind that God absolutely “hates” sin and He will judge those who are not forgiven.

Below is a list of scripture that will help shed more light on this subject (this list is not exhaustive, but sets the tone…

·         Prov. 6:16-19

o   “The Lord hates six things; in fact, seven are detestable to him: arrogant eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet eager to run to evil, a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.”

§  If you look carefully at this list, you see that God hates sin in a very specific manner. But keep in mind, sin by itself never happens, Sin only occurs when a human does something.

·         Psalm 5:5-6

o   The boastful cannot stand in your sight; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who tell lies; the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people.

·         Psalm 11:5

o   The Lord examines the righteous, but he hates the wicked and those who love violence.

·         Psalm 31:6

o   I hate those who are devoted to worthless idols

·         Psalm 139:21-22

o   Lord, don’t I hate those who hate you, and detest those who rebel against you?  I hate them with extreme hatred; I consider them my enemies.

§  Notice that we are called to likewise “hate” (in a God type hate) those who hate God and we are to treat them as enemies.

·         Mal. 1:2-3

o   I have loved you,” says the Lord. Yet you ask, “How have you loved us?” “Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” This is the Lord’s declaration. “Even so, I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau. I turned his mountains into a wasteland and gave his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

·         There are many other scriptures which show the same thing, that God does indeed “hate” some people (keep in mind that hate is related to those people’s own actions.

BUT We also must look at the flipside regarding God loving all people which scripture is likewise clear…

God is love

·         1 John 4:7-10

o   Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him.  Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

·         1 John 4:16-21

o   God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears is not complete in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

§  Love originates from God and God loves all of us

So, where does this leave us? In one instance we are told that God loves us but in the next it says that God hates us, so which is it? The answer is both! God loves us and desires the best for us, but due to our sin, and the fact that God must hate sin, it forces God to assume a role that He does not prefer, to hate us, because we are unconfessed sinners. But, God never wants to leave anybody in the hate category, hence why He sent Jesus to pay the price to satisfy God’s hate.

By following this path, we clearly see that God loves us, but our sin forces Him to hate us, to which God initiated the path so that God can forgive us (through Jesus) so that God can once again love us.

Christian: Go to the ROOT of the Problem!

Have you ever gone to a Dr. with some sort of specific pain? I think many of us have had to do that at some point in our lives. Probably the scenario went something like this…”Dr. I have a this pain that will not go away.” Now imagine with me if the Dr. responded in this manner…”Alright, here are some pain pills, take them for 2 weeks and if the pain is still there come back.” Well, now imagine that 2 weeks go by and the pain is still there, so you go back to see the Dr. again. Again you tell the Dr. you this pain and once again the Dr. prescribed another, stronger pain medication and sends you off. Now repeat this scenario several times with no improvement in your pain. After several weeks/months you finally go see another Dr. who now runs some tests and determines that you have some specific problem. But, unfortunately since it has been left untreated for so long, he can no longer cure you and tells you the issue will only get worse.

Now, obviously this is a fake scenario...none of us would allow a Dr. to not “investigate” what the root problem was that was causing our pain...or would we?

How often do we follow this same pattern in our daily lives. We experience pain, suffering, hurt, etc. and then find some way to “deaden the pain of what we are feeling. For some it might be alcohol, others may choose drugs, you might turn to food, exercise, music, etc. You get the point...when we feel hurt our natural reaction is to lessen the pain or the hurt in some fashion. But what if that pain is an indication of some deep rooted problem you have. Some issue that could even take your life if left untreated.

Now, if like the original issue, we refused to treat our “root” problem” we obviously know we will get worse. The same holds true for our spiritual lives. God speaks to us many times in the midst of our sufferings. In many (not all mind you) instances, the pain and suffering we are experiencing is there to get us to dig deeper into our lives and discover the “ROOT” problem that has led us to our issue.

This is where many people fall flat on their face...they never go into the Bible or in heartfelt prayer seeking God’s answers to why they are hurting.  How often does the Bible speak about people that are suffering strictly because they have refused to acknowledge and then deal with their sins in a godly manner.

When ever we look into scripture and see people who deny their sins and seek the things of this world to distract them, it always ends up in a disaster. Look at the examples in the OT of people like, Abraham, Moses, Aaron, or David. In the NT we see this scenario played out in the lives of the Apostles, Paul, and many others. Every time they refuse to deal with the root problem it ends up bad.

So what about you? Are you ready to discover where your “root” problems are? Let me make this plain and simple...The root problem is always the same. You have drifted from God, walked away from your time with Him each day in His Word, and decided instead to do what you want and desire...to ease your suffering. But God says you are to do something different. God is telling you today…

Come back to Me, and I will heal your pain!”

  

Three Directions or Three Ways

Three directions, three ways, or perhaps you might say three foundations. No matter how you call, the basic premise is still the same. Every believer, every person who acknowledges Jesus as their Lord and Master must come to that point that they apply these three elements in every aspect of their lives.

So what three aspects might I be referring to? Simply this...we must be intently focused on maintaining an upward, an inward, and a outward relational focus.

First we must have a upward relationship. There can be no other focus without this critical element. One must have a growing and vibrant relationship with God as their Father, Lord, and Savior. Daily connection with God is critical to every aspect of our lives. Without it we are deficient and lack the basic understanding of what to do, where to go, and how to do anything else in our lives.

The second relational aspect is inward. By that I mean we all are commanded by God to develop connection and fellowship with our local body of believers, i.e. your local church. This is the area that many in the church are most familiar with. It is in this realm where discipleship, bible study, Sunday School, as well as many other areas take place. It is here where we learn to grown individually closer to God and to each other.

The final area we must stay connected with is outward. This is where the local church assumes a missional mindset. When believers get outside the walls of their church building and by their actions show the love of Jesus in a practical way.

Every one of these three areas is critical to a believers development. Think of it like a triangle...if you remove one of the sides the whole structure will come crashing down. Without a God-centeredness believers will tend to promote a selfish “me-first” attitude or strictly a social gospel mentality. If we center on the in and out, but leave out God we lose our central core and will drift off into a gospel-centeredness that focuses on what we believe or want to believe. Lastly, if one has a God and outward focus, but fail to develop theologically, one can just imagine the messed up beliefs that can result. This in turn to promote a luke-warm Christianity that nobody is ever drawn toward. 

So we see, for a believer to truly be a child of God we must stay connected in all three areas of life, the up, in, and out. Or we might say it like this...a believer must be focused on 1)worship, 2)discipleship, and 3)missions.

It is with this in mind that we, Friendship Baptist Church, will seek to incorporate this three-fold concept into all elements of what we do as a church.

1. Worship...As we gather on Sundays may we always seek to remain God-centered with our singing and praise.

2. Discipleship...As we seek to grow individually, may we daily seek to be more Christ-like in all that we do and learn.

3. Missions...As we go out into the world, may we seek to find new ways to demonstrate God’s love for everyone in everyplace, and anytime.

May God bless us as we grow stronger in His love daily.

  

Culture vs. Christian: You Decide

How many times in the recent past has your faith been challenged by contemporary culture? Once, twice, maybe more than that. It seems as if no matter where I turn, what paper I read, someone, someplace is attacking God and the Bible. Most of the attacks usually centered around this premise;

"the bible does not speak to our present culture, therefore it can be discredited, disregarded, or disproved."

This presents those of us who hold to the Christian faith a pondering decision, do we accept culture and reject the bible, or do we accept the bible and reject culture? You may think that this is a minor discussion, one that really doesn't make much of a difference. But can I tell you something; That decision is perhaps the second biggest one you will ever make, being 2nd behind your decision to accept Jesus as your Savior or not. So what is truly underneath the decision regarding how to respond to our culture?

Basically it boils down to this simple concept; Either the bible is absolutely perfect and without error, and as such whatever it says must be taken and obeyed. Or, you must decide what in the bible you will reject and what you will accept. In other words, what you will be doing is placing yourself above God if you choose the 2nd choice.

Now you might be saying hold on, how do we know the bible as we have it is still accurate as to what was written many thousands of years ago. Hasn't there been much discussion on this and hasn't it been shown that the bible contains many errors you say? To you I say, do you own research. Don't just accept what someone else says based upon their titles. Did not Jesus Himself reject the established religious scholars of His day. When you do you own research you will quickly discover that there are "0" real errors in the bible as we have it today. Yes, there are some grammars issues regarding punctuation and the like, but no place are there EVER any errors that effect what is being said.

So you must decide here and know; is the bible correct, or is culture correct. To you I say one last thing, look at cultures track record. How well has culture done in the past as it has dictated what we believe and do. Simply this, it has not done well. Yes culture has done some things to correct our paths, especially in the areas of racism and the degradation of females. But can I give you a clue, the bible spoke thousands of years on those same subjects. It denounced pure racism by color of skin and was it not Jesus Himself that promoted full acceptance of women into everyday life (just read the New Testament to answer this).

So I leave you with one final thought; Will you be dictated by, forced into, and coerced to accept what your faith and the very Words of God say are wrong. Or will you take a stand. Be of courage and do not fear the culture coercenist. Follow what God says, not matter who or what may come against you.

Social Media Rants: Why They Are Foolish

It seems that everyday I am reading another post on Facebook, Twitter, etc where somebody has gotten upset at somebody else and vents their frustrations in a post. What's bad is that many of these individual say they are professing Christians. You know the kind of post I'm talking about; posts that give vague allusions and seek to promote their view of the issue they are mad about. Oh, they try to appear in a way that seems to make it OK, not posting any names, etc. You get the sense that they feel they are entitled to post all their frustrations, all their anger, and all their opinions regarding said issue. But, I wonder if they would say the same thing or act the same way if the person (s) they are ranting about where in the same room with them. In other words, would this person express themselves the same way in the person was right there in front of them. For most I dare say they would not, although I realize that some would go ahead and do it no matter the cost. The very presence of the other person would deter moist people from "venting" their anger.

So why would a person NOT vent in public with the other person present, but feels obligated to VENT across social media. I feel the reason is that we feel safe expressing our views and opinions via social media outlets. It relates back to the change in how we relate to each other as human beings. 20+ years ago, to "vent" your feelings you actually had to encounter another person. It required face to face interaction. Yes I realize that some would say people used the telephone to do it, but even with that method there was instantaneous feedback and it was only with one person at a time. Today's culture has shifted where many people have lost the sense of what is right and wrong regarding social interactions. This is the unfortunate downside of our social media culture that we live in. I am reminded of the commercial a few years back where a car company made fun of a certain individual who thought their life consisted of having one gazillion friends on Facebook instead of getting out there and doing something together. The direct result is that that many have forgotten, or never ever learned, how to interact properly with a group of people.

We see this failure or lack of interaction skills most readily in social media posts. An individual posts a RANT against someone else (although they think they are smart by not including the name of the other person), then their "friends" join in an encourage the "venting" to continue, which in turn escalates the intense wording being posted until the entire pot has gotten out of control and all kinds of things are being said that would never be said in a face to face public environment.

WOW, hey I got a bit of advice for those that keep doing this. STOP IT! If you tried to talk to another person the same way you do across Facebook or other social media and they were there with you it would probably end up with the cops being called to break up the fight. Blood would be spilled, bones might be broken, and somebody would probably end up doing time in jail. If you call yourself a Christian then may I also remind you of what God has to say about such postings...God teaches us that if we allow our anger to control us, we have sinned. When you allow you temper to flow out into your posts, it is the say as actually saying the hateful words. God has much to say about hateful speech. He knows just how damaging it can be, both for the other person and yourself. A hateful word encourages anger, which in turn quickly escalates into deeper and darker actions of sin.

Many years ago I had to learn to stop myself before I said things. The reasons is that my mind, like yourself, is sinful and can easily cause me to create havoc with those around me. With that in mind, I ask God daily to stop up my mouth, to keep me from saying hateful and damaging things. Yes, I may feel that I "deserve to say what I feel, to speak the so-called truth, but just because it can be spoken does not mean it should be! If you call yourself a Christians, your words will cause others to draw toward Jesus or they will drive them away from Jesus. A Christian that regularly "blasts" others across social media proves to the unbelievers that being a Christian is no different that not being one. Friends, we are called to be transformed by God through the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 12:1-2). This is not something that you can do, only God in and through you will this happen. My tongue has not been controlled by biting my own lip, my own ignoring of the issue, or anything else I can do. NO, it is only done because I have God living within me. It is GOD that enables me to not say or post something, even when I know it would be truthful or proper to do it.

Remember, "A hateful word stirs up wrath, but a gentle word turns smooths tempers over."

My favorite question: How's That Working Out For You?

“How’s that working out for you?”

That is one probably my number one question I ask people who are leading lives that are focused on anything but God. Think about it for a moment...people who are into just about anything and everything this world has to offer, sex outside of marriage, drugs, alcohol, money, power, control, etc. all need to ask themselves this simple question. Is what you are doing bringing you “true” happiness?

When people first dive deep into such selfish desires (sins) they may answer “yes.” But, it doesn't take long before one discovers that such activities really do not provide true happiness, true satisfaction, or true contentment. We may start out with good intentions, just trying to make myself happy, but before long we discover that the very thing that we were seeking happiness in has know enslaved us in its grasp. The very thing we so longingly sought after, that thing which we just knew was right, proper, and justified has now turned on us. We no longer get the same satisfaction from it we once did.

That is exactly what sin is, pleasant at first. We enjoy how it makes us feel... powerful, in control, and satisfied. But, deep within sin lies another reality. A reality that seeks to destroy us. A reality that will end up with us being unhappy, unsatisfied, and unfulfilled.  This is exactly what Paul is speaking about in 

Gal 5:16-17...

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” (NLT)

Every believer must come to realize that they are in a war. A war battling for their body, mind, and soul. The battle is not physical though. The true battle lies in the desire to willingly submit our desires, passions, wants, and anything else that places us in control of our lives. When we place what we want under the control of Jesus, we discover that something truly remarkable happens. Before we were seeking after all types of “things” that would make us happy. When we give up this search, when we remove our wants, desires, basically our pleasure from in front of us and place God at the center of our lives. When we realize that allowing God to truly be in control, to truly have full authority to

direct us, we quickly come to the point that we can joyfully answer that question, “how’s that working out for you” with a resounding and joyful response of, “wonderful!”

Many times people have come to me seeking counsel, only to walk away soon after, refusing to take the advice of God. They follow again after what they have done for so long. But, it doesn't take very long for them to discover that as they continue to do the same things, follow the same paths, and chase the same dead ends, that they hear that question resounding in their minds. They realize, NO, what I am doing IS NOT WORKING OUT! This is usually the time they return to me with a willingness to give it “all” to God. What they quickly discover when this is done, they now can answer the question much differently…

IT IS WORKING OUT GREAT!!!

Give God a chance, you won’t regret it.

Unity: What is it?

Unity, what comes to mind when you hear that word? Togetherness, working as one toward a single goal, or maybe harmony. Webster defines unity as ...

“a condition of harmony or the quality or state of being made one.”

Unity is in reality an extremely important part of a believer's life. Not only do we need unity in our homes, at work, but also unity is extremely important between fellow Christians. Nothing promotes happiness like being in unity with those in the faith around us. Likewise, nothing promotes disunity like being in conflict with one another.

Take a moment and look at what God thinks about unity between believers.

 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is. For brothers to dwell together in unity!”(Ps. 133:1)

“Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 15:5-6)

“walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:1-3)

If there is one thing that is certain, God desires deeply that we all maintain a spirit of unity among each other. Our Lord knows all too well the pressures we as His children will face from the outside world. In addition to those pressures, life itself encourages disunity. All one has to do is turn on the news, watch any TV, see a movie, or even just walk through the local Wal-Mart and disunity rears its head convincingly.

So what are we, as Christians, supposed to do to see after, follow with, and encourage unity among ourselves. We could rack our brains looking for this answer, but fortunately God has already answered this question for us…

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” (Col. 3:14)

There it is. To have a God-given unity among believers, we all must focus on love. Specifically, the love of God. When we desire for our ENTIRE lives

to be consumed, surrounded by, and immersed with God’s love, that same love promotes peace. A peace that Paul tells us, “surpasses all understanding.” When we unite under the banner of godly love, there is NOTHING in this world that can stand against us. God desires unity among His children. That means that for it to happen, we must take our eyes on the differences and put them on what we have in common. You ask, “what do we have in common?” Let me give you just one...worshipping God and fulfilling His commands in this life.

Guess what?  When the church does this, great things happen. Don’t believe me … then I want you to look at Acts 2:41-47. This was a body of believers who had this unity we speak of.  And if you don’t think there will be any lasting impact, look at the end of v. 47 for yourselves. Now that is the type of unity I want, HOW ABOUT YOU?