Hero Worship

The King- of pop or Calvin?

This week we observed (like it or not) the passing of a pop star, who according to family members at the public service- or concert if you prefer, was persecuted by the very same paparazzi, press and public that deified and worshipped him to begin with. This week's funeral extravaganza was described by national news headlines as, " We've lost a Hero."

Hero? A talented entertainer perhaps. Hero? Not if you take the definition of the word seriously. A hero is defined as one who is, "someone distinghished for exceptional courage, fortitude or bold enterprise." While worship is to be reserved soley for God, we can admire heroes of the faith like missionaries and martyrs who knew and know what persecution really means and sacrifice all- life and limb in particular, for the cause of Christ and His kingdom. A hero is a young boy- two actually, who lost their heads - literally, in Somalia earlier this year for refusing to divulge information about a church leader to terrorists.

Though flawed, another hero of the faith is John Calvin, whose 500th birthday is celebrated today. Calvin broke away from the apostasy of Roman Catholicism, to lead a movement to return the church to the authority of the inerrant, infallible Word of God and to a better understanding of the doctrines of grace, a theology which extolled the rightful sovereignty of God over all- including salvation and justification by grace alone and faith alone in Christ alone. Calvin's ministry influenced western civilization in general and America in particular, with his emphasis on the individual and liberty for all - economically and even politically, as an extention of the Lordship of Christ.

Ultimately the hero and master I wish to worship is the One- the only, Jesus Christ. Psalm 146:3-5 summarizes hero worship best, when it says, "Do not put your trust in princes (or kings of pop), in mortal men who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they retun to the ground. On that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose hope is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God."

Is There Hope for the American Marriage?

Why Marriage Matters...

The recent fall from grace of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, a "family-values conservative," (a la Jon and Kate) sent TIME magazine scurrying to explain the pitfalls and consequences of infidelity and broken-marriages and homes in the U.S.A.

What is particularly hurtful in this latest escapade of celebrity sin, was Sanford's professed allegiance to the faith and a political platform built on that very same faith, which he undermined after having ilicit emails discovered by a local newspaper. TIME picked up on Sanford's self-admission that he had "..broken God's law,' a sentiment that served only to emphasize the narcissism that had got him in trouble. Wrestling with God's law had apparently been the subject of many sessions of his Bible-study group, a seminar that may have spent a little too much time on the Song of Solomon." As we know, virtually nothing hurts the cause of Christ more than hypocrisy - particularly from those in the public eye.

However, TIME's article does remind us of at least two basic maxims or lessons from infidelity in matrimony: (1) "a lasting covenant between a man and woman can be a vehicle for the nurture and protection of each other, the one reliable shelter in an uncaring world- or it can be a matchless tool for the infliction of suffering on the people you supposedly love above all others, most of all on your children." The article confirms the long-held, common-sense notion that divorce breaks homes by breaking hearts , which then breaks communities and nations - to say nothing of the fact that divorce breaks the heart of God (Malachi 2:16) (2) The definitive reason for, or the root cause of broken families- adultry and divorce more specifically, stems from the sin of selfishness- or better yet, self-gratification. TIME framed that issue well when the author asked, "What is the purpose of marriage? Is it- given the game-changing realities of birth control, female equality and the fact that motherhood outside of marriage is no longer stigmatized - simply an institution that has the capacity to increase the pleasure of the adults that enter into it?"

God's biblical answer to the question is manifold. The good news is that God is a God of second or third or many chances. God heals divorcees in Christ and can give them another shot at a godly family- blended or otherwise. How then do we live and breathe in marriage in lieu of all of the above? It's simple enough to understand- forget changing your spouse- work on yourself. Put your spouse's interests and those of your family's first. 1 Pet. 3:1-2 directs wives to "accept the authority of their husbands, even those who refuse to aqccept the Good News. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. They will be won by watching your pure, godly behavior (New Living Translation)." Within the same chapter, God through the apostle, admonishes husbands to "...give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live together." In fact, the verse (1 Pet. 3:7) warns husbands that God will not "hear" or answer their prayers if they don't treat their wives as they should. What's the common thread then? Obviously, self-sacrifical love- just like God and Christ's on Calvary (John 3:16).

As one marriage counselor noted, "Maybe the best prevention for an affair outside marriage is to plan one with the man or woman we're married to."

The Death of Plastic Surgery, Piercings and Tattoos

Finding Neverland....

The passing of Michael Jackson into eternity last week has been called everything from the 'sad end' or 'death of an icon,' to the 'passing of Peter Pan.' But what is most fascinating to me in Jackson's adult life and death is it's similarity to 16-year-old pop diva Miley Cyrus' ("Hannah Montana") revelation of a new nose piercing and what that might say about America's obsession with appearance. What does the death of Jacko and Miley's many piercings have to do with each other? Simply, it's an illustration of our modern-day discontent with who and what we are and look like, and our fascination- particularly by celebrities, to alter what God has created us to be.

In Jackson's case, his history does reveal a harsh if not abusive childhood under the tyranny of father Joe, as well as challenging skin problems as a youth - those not terribly uncommon to many kids today. That might explain a natural inclination to make some physical adjustments. However, to say the 'King of Pop' went through a little make-over from childhood to manhood would be an understatment, as evidenced by the fact that at his death he looked NOTHING like the boy born in Gary, Indiana. As Newsweek reported, " Jackson arguably looked his "blackest" on the original cover of 1979's Off the Wall; by Thriller, the transformation had begun. Off the Wall was his declaration of manhood: it came out the year he turned 21, and it was his greatest purely musical moment. Why did he feel so deeply uncomfortable with himself? The hopeless task of sculpting and bleaching yourself into a simulacrum of a white man suggests a profound loathing of blackness."

What is it about ourselves - celebs and now youth today that drive them to body piercings and tattoo markings of every sort and plastic surgery of every kind? We know that many, if not most, plastic surgeries are attempts to meet emotional voids in physical ways, to attract attention, or to seek approval from others. The most commonly performed cosmetic procedures include breast augmentation/lifts, liposuction (the removal of body fat), facelifts, buttock lifts, botox/fat injections, and nose and face reshaping a la Jackson, who had more thorough plastic surgery than what you get in the witness-protection program. Amazingly, two million people subject themselves to these kinds of procedures each year, shelling out money and sacrificing much time and comfort. When vanity motivates a person to undergoing surgery, he/she has become his/her own idol (Commandments 1 and 2), therefore regulating God to the status of an afterthought, which is why the Bible warns us not to be vain or conceited (Philippians 2:3-4) and not to draw attention to ourselves by the way we look (1 Timothy 2:9).

Tell the kids and write your favorite star that even the most skilled surgeon cannot hold back the hands of time, and all cosmetic surgeries will eventually have the same result—aging. Those lifted body parts will sag again, and those cosmetically altered facial features will eventually wrinkle. The Bible says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). Therefore, it is far better to work on beautifying the person underneath, “that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight” (1 Peter 3:4), than the piercing, marking and alteration of God's good will and purposes, which ultimately is for the make-over of our hearts, minds, souls and spirits for relationship with Him- for eternity.

Do You Know the Gospel of Satisfaction?

Religion Can't Give You Eternal Life

“What can Jesus do for me that I cannot do for myself?” That was the question posed by evangelist Luis Palau to hundreds attending his Highland Festival in Inverness this past weekend. Palau, who has a Scottish grandfather, told around 1,000 people that Jesus could do everything that money could not and do that which neither scholars nor scientists could fully explain.

As we continue to ask and wrestle with the question, "Why Give the Gospel?" and how to, we have to come to grips that people almost instinctively are looking to fulfill a deeply-held desire for meaning and love in their life. A courageous ex-homosexual man in our community who is a friend and has a burden to minister to and win homosexuals to the kingdom of Christ, said that many of these people caught in this perverted lifestyle, are as the song goes, "Looking for love in all the wrong places." He added that that they are looking for a man to love them unconditionally and this local missionary to homosexuals tells them, "I know such a man- Jesus Christ."

What can Jesus do that we can't do for ourselves? One, He can love us as only God can, and as a result, He can be the only substitute necessary to forgive us of our sins- sexual or otherwise. Only HE can pay the ultimate price- or make the ultimate sacrifice for us. As I often say, that's the greatest news in the history of the world. When's the last time you shared or broadcasted that news with someone?

Palau, the world evangelist based in Portland, Ore., warned against the dangers of sexual temptation, saying that although sex is a beautiful gift from God it should be used within God’s plan of marriage. Urging young people to first find love in God, Palau encouraged the crowd to regard themselves as the holy temples of God and appealed to young girls and women especially to do what is right in the eyes of God, rather than give in to pressure from men to have sex.
“When you are looking for real love, pure love, you delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart,” he said, quoting Psalm 37.4.

“As a young person looking for love you have to say ‘Jesus Christ I can’t find real love without you, fill me with your love.” As you go about your daily business today and the rest of this week, pray and ask God for opportunties to walk and talk in such a way that lost and dying people will yearn to ask you about life and where and in whom they can find unconditional love, fulfillment, satisfaction and escape from the judgment or wrath of a loving AND holy God. Then, be ready to 'give an answer for the hope that lies within you (1 Peter 3:15).'