Religious Jerks

We struggle a lot with the concept of being Liberal or Conservative. An idea that religion is like a coin having two sides, known to many as the "extremes." Terms like middle ground, too extreme, close-minded, radical or even rebellious creep into our Christian vocabulary. It is so easy to begin debating certain topics: music, coffee, sports, dress and accessories, simplistic lifestyle, quoting famous authors or even Bible texts.

In the end we are either at one end  of the spectrum or the other; arguing who has the right to stand in the middle. Some would like to  use definitions such as pharisees or hypocrites, but i would sum it all up as -- Religious Jerk. Please don't get me wrong, but we tend to forget how our views are expressed.  We need to be very sensitive to what our words express give a care how the light is presented, being insensitive, selfish, ignorant, and inconsiderate to others who may not be same side of the coin.

The Hypocritical Worship Scheme

Worship seems to be the topic of the moment, inside are issues on music, program styles, dress codes, and even the worshipers themselves.

Who are we? PHD, high school grad or whatever, we need define worship to what it should be.  The Bible states, that God’s ways are not our ways and that we can never fathom His thinking or creativity, yet we love to put ourselves in God's shoes. One of the theological pundits of my generation, Rick Warren, shared an idea I can never forget. Helabels the present generation surfers, as surfers we ride waves.  The greatest surfers are always looking for the perfect wave and they put all their skill and energy into maximizing the experience.  Rick points out that we sometimes think we can create our own wave, which isn't possible, as if we could do God's job.

I enjoy worship, and in my ministry, we do worship. Its not a pride thing, its a life thing. Its not a church thing, or a group thing, its a personal thing. Being and doing youth ministry since i was kid, the one thing that i can say out of experience is we can not make a wave, and expect to to enjoy it let alone sustain it enough for others to ride it. Programs are programs unless you've got the timing and direction right.

Planks, we all got planks!

A week ago I came across a bit of information that shocked me. Many may have heard this, but I am not re-posting this as a way to scoff or point fingers. I believe that there is something more to this story than just typical church chizmiz. I was never a fan of Dr. Pipim's mindset and perspectives, but that did not stop me from attend a series of meetings which he spoke for.

During the last few days I have been thinking about Dr. Pipim's boldness and humility. Presumably a man at the top of the spiritual ladder, in front of everybody, willingly to step down. I can, at some level understand such a move, and in seeing his counter-cultural move in light of his actions makes me proud to be Christian. It sets an example to many, Christian or not, of what it takes to be a honest, truthful, and humble leader. 

How to seek God's guidance?

Different people have different opinions of what God's will be or how to find God's will. More often than not, many enjoy taking a verse our two to mean something definite but forget the Gospel as a whole. I thought it be good to connect the dots on how upside down God's Kingdom is, and how to the contrary God's guidance works.

Jesus says that cursed is the one who asks for signs, but blessed are you when you believe and do not see. Yes it is good to want signs to help BUILD your faith, however, the Bible says we should NOT seek signs, but seek God and His Kingdom FIRST, then the signs will be added. We are to seek God, NOT signs.

John 20

29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Matthew 16

1-4 Some Pharisees and Sadducees were on him again, pressing him to prove himself to them. He told them, "You have a saying that goes, 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' You find it easy enough to forecast the weather—why can't you read the signs of the times? An evil and wanton generation is always wanting signs and wonders. The only sign you'll get is the Jonah sign." Then he turned on his heel and walked away.

Matthew 6

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[d] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Jesus the weirdo!

Jesus was weird. Really! Think about it. All of a sudden this dude comes along, spitting in blind man's eyes (Mark 8:23), talks to a tax collectors in Sycamore tree (Luke 19:4-5), and overturning tables in the Temple (Matthew 21:12). Then Jesus takes it a step further and gets really crazy. He starts telling everyone to love their enemies, and pissing the Pharisees off by hanging out with prostitutes and tax collectors, and calling them out for all their religiosity nonsense.

And He asks His followers to be just as weird. Think of Simon Peter. He was just a fisherman, but then this Jesus guy comes along. And He says, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." And here's the really crazy part...Simon Peter does it! Mark 1:18 says "At once they (Peter, James and John) left their nets and followed Him." Levi was just sitting at his tax collector's booth, and Jesus comes by and says "Follow me," and "Levi got up, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:28)."


For sure Peter and his partners didn't start their day thinking, “I'm gonna give up my career and life style to follow some guy named Jesus.”  And I'm sure Levi wasn't thinking, “today's a great day to get rid of all my wealth” . Their friends and family probably had some words to say as well. But weirdo Jesus came a-calling, and they responded.


And weirdo Jesus is still calling His followers. That calling is what made one of my friends leave the comfort of her home in the America to be a medical missionary in the Philippines. It's what made a college friend pick up prostitutes and helped them find Jesus Christ and then showed options for a new livelihood. It's what made dozens of people walk down the aisle and give their lives to Christ at Week of Prayer services.  The other day I meet someone who left their job and securities to turn their family (even their kids) into a full time missionary team that builds small churches in the Philippines.  And it's what's calling me to leave alone my blue passport and live in a house that sometimes is over crowed with just enough food, no air-conditioned, no iPad, slow internet, do mission work that I pay for and not paid for, satisfied with a 4yr old laptop, and everything I own can practically fit in a backpack and suitcase!

Too Comfortable

We know that God wants to bless us. Better home. Better life. Higher salaries. Make us happy. Give us comforts in life we never had before. He is such a wonderful God. Right?


I don't want to blow this out of proportions, but I think we may have missed the point about blessings and the comfort we expect from God. Maybe God’s definition of blessed and ours is not congruent?


Remember Abraham? God asked him to leave his family, friends, home, to go to a place he didn’t even know the name of and then, to top that off, God demands the sacrifice of his only son? If we were there, we would be yelling at Abraham and trying to convince him that he wasn't doing the will of God!


For Moses and Joseph, they went down from their familiar and comfort zone. Can the will of God be for anyone to take a lower position in life? Many leaders look at those who do so today and declare, “I think that God is going to elevate you in his will, you may need to wait for the next opportunity where your benefits aren’t taken away…”


All the heroes of Hebrews “Hall of Faith” were incredible! They had a God who was totally in control of their lives! They must have had SSS benefits, comfortable living, increased blessing, and bliss! Let’s take a look….


Abraham was in the perfect will of God, promised lands, nations, and blessings. The only ground he ever owned after he went through all he did was the small parcel of ground on which he and his wife were buried.


Noah… but he ended up building a boat in the middle of the desert and was misunderstood by his generation and ended up with a church of 8 members.


Jacob… and ended up being tricked and deceived by an ungodly relative who stole years of his life.


Joseph… having dreams from God, yet abandoned by his family, tossed in a pit, sold into slavery, accused of rape, imprisoned.


No one was ever in the will of God like Jesus Christ. He was born in a stable, almost murdered by a king, the most misunderstood man of his day, didn't have a bank account or business, forsaken, beaten, abused, crucified and laid in a borrowed tomb. He never married. He never built a new home, never saved money, never built a real kingdom… he lived a life that was obviously NOT blessed!


God is more interested in our walking by faith than in our comfort! The life of faith will not always give you palaces and pleasantries, raises and royalties.


• Have you ever been changed by a comfortable message?
• Have you ever been healed by a comfortable prayer?
• Has anyone ever been transformed by a comfortable altar call?
• Has there ever been a soul born again and discipled via comfortable means?
• Has there ever been a financial miracle not preceded by uncomfortable and sacrificial giving?
• Has comfortable worship ever launched you into his presence for long term transformation?


We need to rid ourselves of this “the will of God is comfortable, pleasing, smooth sailing” mentality!
We are crying out for comfort. We like our salaries, our vehicles, our clothes, our styles, our ideas, our fashions – AND GOD SAYS WE ARE POOR, NAKED, AND LUKEWARM!


He said we are to receive a “New Comforter”… A Comforter granted by heaven that gives us the only comforts we should be thriving on!


Maybe when we think we are under an “attack of Satan” we are really under an “attack of God”. I need more of those. So Lord, move me from my comfortable place. Maybe I should understand that if I am not walking with some sort of limp, Jacob, I have probably not experienced the blessing that God really wants me to have.


I NEED AN ATTACK OF GOD!


Are you to comfortable for God?

Unlucky Me

A few weeks ago, while doing errands for a friend’s wedding I encountered what seemed like a bad predicament.   In my hast that morning to do the assignments given me, I failed to put my wallet in my pocket or get the lose change from the pants I had worn the day before. I did though have the money needed to purchase the items I was assigned to get for the wedding.  As I was paying for the items, it suddenly dawned on me that I didn’t have my wallet.  There I was 6 or 7 train stations from my point of origin and to get there would cost 15 pesos. I dug into my backpack and was joyously relieved to find 18 pesos. Feeling very lucky,  I walked to the train station, my precious 18 pesos in hand.  As I was crossing the street to enter the station’s terminal my arm was bumped and a 5 peso coin flew out of my hand, and began rolling away.  In disbelief I scampered after the rolling coin. As I was about to grab it, it rolled into the sewer.  What luck, now I was 2 pesos shy of getting on the train.  I had to walk two train stations over to grab a train worth 12 pesos.