"A Call to Discipleship" Book Review

"A Call to Discipleship" is the second book by Susan Heck I have had the privilege of reading and encourage you to do the same. Just Like "A Call to Scripture Memory" it is a short easy read packed full of goodness.

In this book Susan tackles the issue of discipleship specifically as it relates to women in the church. Which seems to me to be something that is lacking in majority of churches. 

Why is that?

 I believe that the "me-centered" lifestyles the world encourages have seeped into our churches, leaving attendees void of accountability,and biblical discipleship...i.e. be a disciple and make disciples ( Matthew 28:18-20)

Susan addresses the questions:

-What is discipleship?  -Why should we disciple?  -Who should we disciple?  -What do we teach to those we disciple?  --And when, where, and how do we disciple?

Using Titus 2 to find the answers to these questions, we find the biblical model for women disciplehip:

"But as for you, teach what accords with psound1 doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, psound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 qOlder women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, rnot slanderers sor slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, tpure, uworking at home, kind, and vsubmissive to their own husbands, wthat the word of God may not be reviled."

Of course the book goes into greater detail breaking down what the verses mean but I wanted to give a quick overview of some points that really stood out to me regarding disciplining women on how to treat their husbands:

We are commanded to love our husbands 
-it is a Privilege to love them not a burden
-we are to love them physically, emotionally,& spiritually 
-you are to recognize importance of taking time to listen to husband even when what they are talking about doesn't interest us.
-greet him at the door cheerfully not with a list of things to do
- (do not nitpick) our focus should be on what he does do, not what he doesn't do. We should be grateful that we even have a husband."

 

So I hope you get this book and may it challenge you to go out and make disciples and learn ways to encourage women in your church to be more like Christ

Matthew 28:18-20

 "And Jesus came and said to them, h“All authority iin heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 jGo therefore and kmake disciples of lall nations, jbaptizing them min2nthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them oto observe all that pI have commanded you. And behold, qI am with you always, to rthe end of the age.”)

"A Call to Scripture Memory" by Susan Heck

A friend of mine recommended Susan Heck to me because I was looking for female teachers who presented the Word of God without fluff, presented the Word of God accurately and encouraged women to live a life worthy of the Lord in all that they do. I can say that Susan definitely exhibits all three characteristics I just mentioned.

This past Christmas my parents gifted me with three of Susan's books - "A Call to Discipleship", "With The Master:In Fullness of Joy", and the book I want to tell you about today called "A Call to Scripture Memory."

This is a quick easy to read book pamphlet that you can finish within an hour since it is only 21 pages. Although Short it is packed full of reasons why women specifically should memorize scripture and why we should memorize full passages. This is a description taken from Susan's website: With The Master :

This is a women's challenge and a methodology to memorize large portions of God's Word. It answers the questions: Who should memorize Scripture? Why should we memorize Scripture?What Scripture should we memorize? Where should we memorize Scripture? How does one memorize Scripture? Also within this booklet you will find 11 reasons why you should memorize Scriptrue, and valuable tools to teach you how, what, and when.

One of the most interesting reasons Susan gives for memorizing scripture is that if God allows us to reach an old age what do we want coming out of our mouths? She says "How we act as we get older is really who we were when we were younger, but that we can't mask it any more." She goes on to say "So, you better start transforming your mind now." 

Memorizing Scripture is one of the only ways to constantly keep our minds stayed on Christ and encourage others, especially in times were we don't have access to a physical bible.

So go get the book and be sure to check out these links for more on memorizing scripture

Top Four Ways to Memorize Scripture

John Piper: If my words abide Sermon

Book Review: Defending The Faith: Apologetics In Women's Ministry by Mary Jo Sharp

I just finished reading this book and It has definitely made my favorites list. I want to encourage everyone who works in or leads a women's ministry to get their hands on this book.

Many women can carry on endless conversations on fashion, tv shows,  make up and things of trivial matters, yet when pressed on more important, deep issues of the faith many become quiet, or even dismissive.

We say God is the most important part of our lives but in reality there is a huge disconnect in our daily living.
Mary Jo explains this disconnection in the mind of women: "I (know) I am a fallen being who is prone to corruption, yet I believe I am usually right in all my thoughts and reasonings."  because of this thought process , "women are not generally ones who meticulously investigate how we know something we believe is true and who love discovering truth."

In Matthew 22:37 we are commanded to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."  Women usually excel at the heart and soul level yet completely neglect loving the Lord with all their mind.

When our feelings change (and we women know too well how often that happens) we need a firm foundation in our beliefs so that we will not waiver.  As C.s Lewis puts it, " Faith is holding on to what your reason has already accepted in spite of your changing mood."

This is why apologetics is so vital  (for all christians) but especially in womens ministries. Women have the most influence over the next generation, so we need to not only live out the gospel daily but need to be able to articulate to our kids why Christianity is true above all other beliefs.

In this book Mary Jo goes over top reasons why women shy away from engaging non Christians in conversations about God including "a lack of confidence in what she believes,  a lack of knowledge , or lack of commitment to the truth, and putting too much burden on herself to have all the answers." Mary Jo than gives practical tools on how to start tackling these objections and how to start engaging your church and womens ministries in apologetics.

Here are a few points from the book that Mary Jo elaborates on through the chapters which every leader needs to consider pertaining to womens ministry.

"-We need to take an honest look at womens ministries and ask how or if they are effectively making disciples of all nations.
-Get back to the basics of hard doctrinal truths.
-Get women to analyze their lives to know whether they actually believe what they claim.
-Train them how to stand their intellectual ground and even advance against worldly pretensions.
-Take them out into the community to do good works and to spread the good news.
-Take some risky opportunities to testify to the most important event in human history: the resurrection of  Jesus Christ."

Even though this book is focused on engaging womens ministries in apologetics,  im sure even leaders of mens ministries can glean some Insight in introducing mens groups to learn apologetics.

so what are you waiting for..... go get this book, read it and make sure leaders In your church get a copy too.

blessings
-Vilmaris

Book Review: Counsel From The Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick

If you follow my blog you might notice how much I love Elyse Fitzpatrick.  I was so excited when my husband got me her book,  Counsel From the Cross. It is a 30 day devotional that directs your attention to the gospel in every page. I took a little longer to finish it because some days I stayed rereading a certain day over and over because it really spoke to something I was going through.

We need to be reminded of the Gospel daily.
We need to be reminded that its not about our self righteousness but Christ's perfect righteousness.
We need to be reminded that we can rest in the finished work of Christ at Calvary.

And that's exactly what this book does.


Each devotion is only a few pages long so you can go through them before your day starts or right before bed.

I definitely reccomend this book, and I will be reading it again.

Happy Reading

WHY 1 PETER 3:15 is NOT JUST FOR THE MEN: Women and Apologetics

1 Peter 3:15 "but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,"

Ladies this verse is not just for the men in our lives it is for us also. We need to stop living like apologetics (defense of the Christian Faith) and correct theology has no place in our lives. If anything we need to be continually learning and growing in the faith in order to teach and equip the next generation.  I say this because most women I have come in contact with have no care to learn apologetics, theology and sound doctrine. They are content living in the realm of "feelings", what "feels" right and their "personal relationship" with Christ. Discussions on deeper issues of the faith tend to stay in the man circles while the ladies quietly stand to the side.


Women have a unique opportunity to share the gospel in places men cannot go. For example apologist Mary Sharp shares:
"Muslim women are often prohibited from dialogue with men outside their family or mosque. "Christian apologetics," Sharp explained, "will need women skilled in Islamic apologetics to speak with Muslim women, to go where Christian men cannot."

Not only is that one great reason why Women need to at least learn basic apologetics but another reason is that relativism (the notion that no belief is right or wrong:your truth is your truth,my truth is my truth) is being given to our kids left and right. Christian mothers need to be able to properly articulate the christian faith and why Christ is the ONLY way THE truth and THE life.(John 14:6)


Below is a part of a  Q&A by Lee Strobel and Mary sharp on the topic of women and apologetics. (for full article click HERE.)



• Why has there traditionally been a shortage of women in the field of apologetics?

I don’t have any statistical research on why women are not as publicly involved with apologetics. However, from my interaction with women at conferences, I have found a few repeating thoughts on the issue:

1) They’ve never been introduced to the field of apologetics before and/or they are not sure of its relevance to their life. Women in the church need to understand the importance of apologetics and its potential impact. I’ve found that once women’s groups are aptly introduced to the subject, they have some of the most impassioned responses to the material. It’s not so much of a lack of desire as a lack of proper introduction.

2) One reason that shocked me was the concern women shared with me of appearing to be unintelligent. I’ve heard women say they don’t want to come across as the one who asks the “stupid question.” They feel like they should know more of the content of their faith at this point in their spiritual life, and so they don’t want fellow church members to know that they really don’t have answers yet.

3) Women have told me that their churches are not a safe place to discuss their doubts. So those who have potential for great learning in apologetics may have no outlet within their church family to explore and learn about their questions.

4) As for why we don’t see women in leadership in apologetics: As with any issue, there are many reasons that contribute. Instead of tackling all of them, I will focus on a couple personal reasons with which I’ve struggled.

First, there is the issue of putting yourself in a position where people are going to heavily criticize and attack your character and ideas. To publicly defend the faith, you have to be prepared for slander and character defamation. You have to find a way to handle these attacks that is not an all-consuming fire. You especially cannot allow apologetics discussions to beat your family down.  Finding a balance can pose a bit of a hurdle to women in leadership.

Second, women must be encouraged within the church to develop their minds and to know theology and doctrine. There must be an educational environment in the church that encourages great thinkers and develops doctrinally sound Christians to inspire greater numbers of apologists, in general, which would include Christian women.

I have found that once women are introduced to apologetics and they see the amazing transformative power of building a solid foundation for belief in God, they are excited and want to study more. I have found this to be true regardless of age, race, marital status, work commitments, or family commitments.

• Do you see more and more women getting into apologetics ministry? What can we do to attract more women into the field?

I do see more and more women getting into apologetics ministry! We can encourage women to get involved in apologetics by encouraging great thinkers in the church, in general. To attract more women, we need to be purposeful about encouraging and including women in discussions of theology and philosophy.

• I know you recently videotaped an apologetics course aimed at female audiences. Do women tend to gravitate toward different apologetic interests than men?

I did recently film a video-based apologetics course with LifeWay Christian Resources entitled, “Why Do You Believe That: A Faith Conversation.” I think the interest in apologetics is reflective of the time and culture in which we live.  We currently have more access to bad information than ever before. As C. S. Lewis stated, “Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered.”

I haven’t noticed gravitation toward certain topics. Women’s interests seem to be as diverse as the field of topics. I have found that, just like men, individual women seem drawn to a particular argument or style of apologetics. However, women, as a ministry group, haven’t been aptly introduced to apologetics through women’s studies.  So, I think we have yet to see if there is a draw to one or another field of study. The one area of particular interest I have noticed from my speaking engagements is how to have better conversations with people who do not believe in God or in Jesus Christ.

I will make one suggestion. With the recent interest of women in books like Twilight, I think there is opportunity to tap into the idea of romance. The ultimate romance is a love affair with God, the lover of our soul. If we can somehow weave a Chesterton-type call to the romance of orthodoxy into our apologetic arguments—perhaps through the argument from desire or from objective beauty—I think we will catch some attention.

"My Bondage,My Freedom" Part 3

(For part 1 go  Here   And part 2 go Here)

           "They measure and esteem men according to their moral and intellectual worth, and not according to the color of their skin", said Douglass about the people of England. Yes, he finally 
got to experience true freedom. There was no one yelling at him to walk through another entrance. When shopping, he was not told to leave because they don't do business with black people. He could go to Sabbath service in peace. There were no pastors telling him to leave because black people were not welcomed. For the first time in his life, Douglass was respected for his intellect and treated as a human being, with dignity and respect. Having to return back to America was a sad day for him. Only in America did he offend people by the color of his skin. Regardless of who might get offended Frederick Douglass continued to speak out against slavery, sharing his story to anyone who would listen. 

           There are many things we can learn from "My Bondage, My Freedom", but I want to focus on two main points that really impacted me. The first is too not judge someone based on their appearance. This has definitely been a fault of mine in the past. Specifically my ignorance was geared to those who looked “ghetto”. I just assumed if they looked a certain way they were uneducated and not worth my time talking to. I, like Douglass at a point in my life came to the realization that I was wretched and needed a savior. Christ showed me and continues to show me how to show grace to everyone. He has shown me to be focused on a person’s eternal well-being than their current physical state. The sad part of my former mindset is that being of Hispanic origin I knew all too well how it feels to be judged by the color of my skin or how I looked. In Gods eyes we are all deserving of his wrath. Praise the Lord that he sent His son Jesus that some might be
saved. I continue to ask God to fill me with His love to show to others. After reading how Fredrick Douglass was treated in life, it has made me more aware of how I treat others. It has also made me aware that if I claim to be a Christian how I live can affect someone’s view on God and Christianity. If the slave holders had an accurate portrayal of the Christian life, Douglass may have been a freeman much sooner. If Douglass was exposed to true Christianity he may not have had a time in his life were he doubted God. I definitely do not want to be a stumbling block based on how I treat other people.

            The second point I want to present, is the importance of an education and in that learning about history to avoid past evils. Douglass did whatever he could in learning to read and write.  We have no excuse today. No one is preventing us from learning and studying. Actually if anything the opportunities are endless. Going to College, (if you can) but if not there are free libraries, free e-books, and community classes available for us to take advantage of. Many young adults waste so much time surfing the internet and watching TV. Doing mindless activities all day long without realizing the opportunities they have to learn and to expand their knowledge of the world and it's history. By doing this we can learn about past failures and how to avoid them. We can learn about successes an how to accomplish them. Gaining knowledge 

prevents one from being persuaded to a life of bondage. Even after slavery was abolished many slaves still lived under control of their masters all because they couldn't read. They could not read the documents that said they were free. Let's not take for granted our ability to read and write. To learn so easily and not have to fight and learn in hiding as Douglass did. We Americans have to stop being so proud, believing we have all the answers. We must study and learn our history to become a better people. This may be a slight tangent, but many homosexuals today try to compare their fight for equality as the same as when blacks had to fight for their equality. Oh if these same people would read how Africans were being treated and enslaved they would never compare their fight to that of the former slave. While I am on a tangent, if blacks would study history and how so many risked their lives to live a free life (such as Douglass) maybe they would not be so ready to commit abortions. Maybe they would give their offspring a chance at life instead of viewing the baby inside them as their own property to do as they please with.

           I leave you with words from Mr. Douglass written to the America people, "I exhort them to remember the history of other nations; and I remind them that America cannot always sit 'as a queen,' in peace and repose; that prouder and stronger governments than this have been shattered by the bolts of a just God."

Part 2 "My Bondage,My Freedom"

 This is part 2 of a 3 part series on my summary of the book "my bondage,my freedom" by Fredrick Douglass. For part 1 click Here for part 3 click Here

   There came a time in Fredrick's life where the awareness of not only his physical condition was wretched but also his spiritual. He learned from a minster that "all men were, great and small ,bond and free, were sinners in the sight of God; that they were by nature, rebels against His government: and that they must repent of their sins, and be reconciled to 
God, through Christ." After this point in his life he wanted to see all men saved by Christ. He would collect the few pieces of scripture he could find to learn and study. He also began to teach other slaves how to read the bible. Through this the hypocrisies of the slave owners were brought to light. After learning that all men are equal in the sight of God, Douglass wondered how any professing Christian could also be a slave owner or in support of slavery. For example; he witnessed one of the cruelest slave drivers show absolutely no mercy during the week. If a slave gave him the wrong look, or were too slow for his liking they would be beaten or whipped. Yet when the Sabbath came around this same slave driver would walk around like the holiest saint there ever was. So you can see why Douglass would doubt when a slave owner said he was a Christian but continued to keep slaves and treat them harshly. Another example is regarding the sweet Christian
mistress who innocently taught him to read, she became hardened by her participation in the slave system. She eventually had less involvement in church and no intent on living a Godly life. Slavery either drew you away from Christianity or created you to be a Pharisee. Douglass said "I should regard the fact of being the slave of a religious slave holder, the greatest (calamity) that could befall me. For all slaveholder with whom I have ever met, religious slaveholders are the worst. I have found them, almost invariably, the vilest, meanest and basest of their class." After seeing so much hypocrisy Douglass began to doubt Christianity and seeking a religious life. Without access to any reading material and constantly being beaten by the slave driver Fredrick's resolve to escape from slavery almost disappeared. Hopelessness set in and he questioned if his life would ever be more than someone else's property.

            This despair lingered until one day when a slave driver tried to get ahold of Douglass to beat him. Instead of giving in he fought back. This was the first time he ever fought back and stood up for himself against a white man. Here was the moment in time when he felt he was more than property, more than an animal. He was a man. He had always been a man but slavery used all her power to convince him otherwise. The ideas of running away, the thoughts of freedom began overtaking his mind again.  With this new excitement he started to teach other slaves how to read the bible. He also started a plan to run away with a few of his fellow friends. This never took place because they were arrested on suspicion of their plan to escape. Eventually he was released from prison and sent to serve a family in Baltimore. He would find his own work to then be forced to give all his earnings to his master at the end of each week. This pushed him over the edge.
How could he work so hard to then be robbed of his wages by a man who did not earn it? A new escape plan came to being. (The details of the escape are left out of the book so no one involved would become a target of evil.) 


          
          Frederick Douglass is now a freeman. He fought the snare of slavery and won. He found work and kept his rightful wage. He was finally the master of his own person. No one told him what to do or how to do it. No one robbed him of his earnings and most importantly no one stopped him from obtaining an education. He began to partner with abolitionist to spread word of the anti-slavery movement. Everywhere he went he shared his experience as a slave and the horrors of the slave system.  Even though he was a freeman he still lived under the threat of being kidnapped and thrown back into bondage. He still had to deal with the ignorance of white men who treated black men as lower class citizens. It wasn't till a visit to England where he breathed his first breath of true freedom.

"My Bondage, My Freedom" part 1

A few weeks ago, christian hip hop artist Lecrae gave a  challenge to read " My Bondage,  My Freedom" by Frederick Douglass in honor of black history month.  He then asked that whoever would read it to write him a summary. I will post my summary in 3 parts on the blog so stay tuned for part 2 ( Here )  and 3 (Here  at a later date.

Part 1

Fredrick Douglass was a man born into many sorrows and well acquainted with grief. Grief that held him in the bonds of slavery for many years until he proved that with determination and education he could be rid of it's chains. Douglass shines light on the evils and horrors that were the American slave system. Such were the evils he mentions it leaves the reader shocked and appalled at our nation’s vicious roots. We will now examine these roots which made the slave system work, along with the many sins and hypocrisies of its proponents and how this affected Douglas's life based on his writings.            

               Before getting into details of Fredrick’s life, I want to present details of what it meant to be a slave. Slavery defined by Douglass is the “granting of that power by which one man exercises and enforces a right of property in the body and soul of another.” The conditions of slave life were unimaginable. They were given very little food to eat, while their masters had abundance. They were forced to work all day, year round under threat of being whipped. One aspect of slavery that really surprised me is that nursing mothers were allowed only one hour to feed their baby during the day. Since many of the slaves lived a few miles from the plantation mothers had to leave their babies in the corner of the work field just to have enough time to feed them. As a nursing mother myself I can never imagine being under these conditions. Slaves had no say how to live their life. They were always guilty of crime. Even in his book Douglass spares us from many horrifying details of being a slave.            

Douglass grew up without father or mother, one of the cruel realities of being born a slave. (Which may have proved beneficial in his anxiousness to escape, for there was no one holding him back). This occurred because slave holders viewed those of black skin color as nothing more than property, chattel, on the same par as animals. Thus they had no guilt in separating families for sake of wealth or for the guilt of sin. Many slave holders took pleasure in defiling black slave women. The consequence of slave offspring abounded much on these southern plantations.  Douglass wisely points out that "men do not love those who remind them of their sins unless they have a mind to repent." And no slave holder did have a "mind to repent". So they sold their own children away and separated many families to keep their sin hidden and lighten their conscience. But nothing the 'white master' could do was enough to blot out the transgression. They were always in a state of uneasiness, constantly living in a false idea of peace, walking around "troubled, like the restless sea". The children not sold away would be left to find a place to rest on their own. Without home or bed Douglass was forced to find sleep anywhere he could, the closet, or the kitchen corner.        

    Even though the tragedy of separating mother and child is one of the greatest evils the slave system holds, there is yet one greater evil. And that is to deny one education in order to keep the uneducated enslaved to the educated. This crucial point of slavery was unknown to the wife of one of Douglass's masters. If it wasn't for this lack of education on her part Fredrick Douglass may have never become the man we know him as today. He may have never become a freeman if not for this one woman innocently teaching him to read and write. As a child Douglass was sent to serve a family in Baltimore. It was an improvement from life on the plantation.  The wife of the master took in Fredrick as her own. She was truly unaware of the proper etiquette of a slave owner. For one day when Fredrick asked her to teach him to read she pleasantly agreed. His education came to an abrupt halt when the master found out about it, The master warned his wife "if you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell; he should know nothing but the will of his master, and learn to obey it." This was the prevalent thought of all slave holders. If you educate the slave they will read scripture for what it really says, they will  learn of freedom, and they will fight to obtain it. So here was the end of Fredrick's formal training. But the damage was already done. He had caught his first taste of freedom. From then on Douglass took advantage of every opportunity to learn to read and write. Whether exchanging food for lessons from neighborhood children or hiding in the masters house with a book. He realized that if the slave holders saw educating slaves as a repulsive thing then he must become educated and become very well educated at that. He could never be content as a slave anymore because through reading he gained the knowledge of freedom and yearned for it more than anything.

Does God really have a wonderful plan for your life?

One of the most popular sayings in contemporary churches today is that God has a wonderful plan for your life.

Does he really?

2 Timothy 3:12 says:

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted

Persecution? 

Now that's a word we never hear in American churches. We need to face the possibility that one day Christians will be openly persecuted in the United States. What will happen to those who are taught that if you are a christian your life should be full of wealth, health, and happiness? Will they be the first to deny Christ when persecution strikes? 

All over the world those who become christians literally have to count the cost before taking a stand for Christ. They know that once word spreads they have become a follower of Christ, they and their families will be prime targets for persecution and death. 

Lets look at how some of the first disciples died:

Peter - crucified (upside down)

Matthew - arrested in Ethiopia and there nailed to the ground with short spears and beheaded. 

John - faced martyrdom when he was boiled in a huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos. He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully. 

James, the brother of Jesus- thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat him to death with a club.

Bartholomew, also know as Nathanael - beaten then crucified

Andrew - was crucified 

 Thomas - stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church there.

 Matthias (the apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot) - stoned and then beheaded.

 Paul - tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. 

 James (son of Zebedee) was beheaded by King Herod in Palestine.

 Philip was crucified. 

James the Less (son of Aphaeus) was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple at Jerusalem and then stoned. 

Simon was crucified. 

According to Voice of the Martyrs

"In more than 40 nations around the world today Christians are being persecuted for their faith. In some of these nations it is illegal to own a Bible, to share your faith Christ, change your faith or teach your children about Jesus. Those who boldly follow Christ—in spite of government edict or radical opposition—can face harassment, arrest, torture and even death."

Does this sound like the "wonderful plan" being preached from many pulpits?

Indeed we must start calling American christians to count the cost of following Christ.

 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:23-26

well I guess if what they mean by "wonderful plan" is that you may face persecution in this life and when you die you get to be with Jesus for eternity...then I agree,that plan sounds wonderful.

If you like to find out more on what it really means to follow Christ check out these books:

Me:The older brother...how about you?

Usually when most pastors tackle luke 15:11-32 their focus is always on the younger brother. Yet in the book "Prodigal God" Tim Keller shows how both the younger and the older brother are equally lost.

The younger brother represents the wild child. You know the person whos always drinking and partying and doing all the 'big sins'.This brother willingly embraces a life of sin. They want nothing to do with the father and will do everything in their power to stay far away from him.

The older brother represents the polished every sunday church goer. They know all the right words to say, every song memorized, always
Carrying their bible. Yet they also want nothing to do with the father. They believe their good works can grant them good favor with the father and will exempt them from actually getting to know him. 

“‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; " Mat 15:8

I relate with the older brother the most. Always looking down on those whos sins were in the open for all to see. I was blind to see that I too was in desperate need for a savior. I thought if I was obedient to my parents, I didnt curse, and I was actively invovled in church activities I was on good standing with God and on my way to heaven.  How wrong I was. Im so grateful God opened my eyes to see my older brother atitude. We all deserve hell. There was nothing I could do to save myself. My righteous deeds were like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). 

Praise the Lord "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:6-8 ESV - The Gospel

Which brother do you relate with?

Read the first chapter of Prodigal God for free here

Luke 15:11-32 ESV

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.  Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.  And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.  And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.    “But   when he   came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’  And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.  And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.  And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.    “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’  But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,  but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’  And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.  It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

4 More Temptations of Screwtape

Im back again with 4 more Temptations of Screwtape.  If you are not familiar with C.S. Lewis and the Screwtape Letters click HERE  for the background and first 4 temptations of Screwtape.

1."We become easily distracted by the little things it's no longer the big sins that keep us from our prayers but little things. You no longer need a good book which he really likes to keep him from his prayers or his work or his sleep , a column of advertisements in yesterday's paper will do. you can make him waste his time not only in conversation he enjoys with people whom he likes but in conversations with those he cares nothing about on subjects that bore him. You can make him do nothing at all for long periods."

Yea you know you spend way to much time on facebook mindless scrolling .......and scrolling ........and scrolling. Or watching tv for hours on end, playing video games, and for the ladies all that time spent shopping. Its so easy to be distracted by the litttle things in our short attention span culture. Matt Chandler shares his thoughts on this topic in his blog: Inspirations 
Before you set out to do something ask yourself will this deepen my affection for Christ? Will it impact me to grow in the Lord? If the answer is no, maybe limit how much time is spent there and move on to something eternally beneficial.

2."surely you know that if a man cant be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for the church that 'suits' him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches. "

In our day this would be called "church hopping". One way to keep a christian from growing spiritually is  to keep them away from community and accountability in a local church. If one likes to visit a  new church every other week they will never have the opportunity to be discipled and again be held accountable for their sins. A popluar excuse why one might church hop leads to the 3rd temptation............

3. Factions and Divisions in the church

Screwtape urges Wormwood to get the patient into a church of factions and divisions. You know the type of church were attendees make a big deal out of something so little just to cause a fight. The carpet color, the pastors tie, the last song of worship....etc. It's very easy to complain then to lay aside your self to serve and better one another. If we can learn from Paul about putting others interests above our own there would be less knit picking and divisions in our churches:

Philippians 2:1-8 ESV
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

And Finally......... 

4.Sexual feelings is the only prerequisite for marriage. 

The lie that Marriage is only "binding as long as the feeling of being in love is experienced." God said marriage is a man and woman as one flesh, not " a happily married couple or a couple who married because they were in love". The Culture tell us that marriage is for love not the purpose of children and representing the gospel to the world (Christ and the church). The world throws the word "compatible" around to get you thinking that you should run from marriage until you find that perfect "compatible" mate.  That is the biggest lie out there. Christians should be seeking a husband or wife that will point them to the Cross. Someome that will love you unconditionally because Christ loved us unconditionally so much so that he died for us while we were still sinners (Rom 5:8).

I pray these few snippets from the Screwtape Letters encourages you to pick it up and read it. Its easier to be on guard against temptations when you know the enemy's game plan.

Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

Grace and peace as you strive for a lifestyle of Worship