Alienated Turtles and A Mutated Gospel

As a child I remember reading a couple issues of a black and white comic book about ninjas. Teenage ninjas. Teenage ninjas that were mutated turtles! It was awesome. Then there was a full color animated cartoon. It was awesome. Then a live action movie. It was awesome! Then more animated cartoons, different universes, two more live action movies, video games, and a CGI animated film. The story was roughly the same. Radioactive ooze turns pet turtles into ninjas. They learn ninjitsu from a mutant rat (like the turtles) who was once either a man or a rat (depending on the story line you follow) until he came into contact with the ooze. Ahh, the ooze.

Recently, Michael Bay, director of the Transformers movies (who has been hired to direct a new live action Ninja Turtles movie), made a statement about the upcoming movie. He said that the turtles would be aliens and people would love the story. ALIENS?!?

Fanboys across the world took to the interwebs and blogosphere in an outcry. The problem: The fans were excited about a new live action movie (the method of telling/retelling the story) but they were upset about the alien roots (the message, the origin, had been corrupted).

Today the church faces a very similar situation. When the virgin birth is denied or it's importance is limited, when preachers teach Christ is "just one of many ways" to heaven, or hell isn't as bad as some people say it is or it isn't even real, we have strayed greatly. As Christians, we should be just as outraged as "fanbois" all over the interwebs at Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles. As Christians, we have the greatest story ever told and we need to tell it again and again in as many different ways and venues as we can but we cannot change the story! With the greatest story comes the greatest responsibility. In other words, the Gospel's just too important to mess with.

God created us. Our sin separated us from God. We don't like that separation so we do anything we can to fill it, typically falling into more sin. God doesn't like that so He puts into motion a plan to deal with our sin. Enter Christ, God the Son, born of a virgin. Christ teaches us about living for God the Father. Christ dies for us to make a reunion with God the Father possible. Christ rises again to ensure us everything will be just as He said it would. Christ ascends to Heaven telling us He will come again to, once and for all, reunite us with God. God the Spirit works in us today, guiding, teaching, compelling us to turn from sin and receive Christ. Those who receive Christ receive Heaven. Those rejecting Christ receive Hell.

It's the greatest story ever told. It's not our story to mess with. Let me spur you to share it with someone today. Share your forgiveness!

all about Christ,
David

SPUR: Conversation

I'm not sure if you are familiar with The Elephant Room or not. Basically here's how it works. A bunch of ministers/pastors/clergy get together. These individuals may disagree on any number of theologies (minor and major) and approaches to the ministry BUT they are solidly united by the blood of Christ. In that spirit of unity (all unity should flow from the blood of Christ) they discuss and even argue their views. My faith has been challenged by the few videos I have been privileged to watch. 

Here is the SPUR to love and good deeds this week. You are probably surrounded by individuals who claim to follow Christ. Ask questions. 

• What do you believe about the Trinity? 
• What do you believe about the tension of saved by grace and the necessity of works?
• How does salvation work?
• What role, if any, should the church play in politics, sports, school and so on?
• Do all dogs go to Heaven?

Ask questions but more importantly, know why you have the answers you have. 

• Are your understandings/answers/theologies (whatever you want to call it) "yours" OR did you just hear them somewhere? 
• Are they from the Bible or a person or a t.v. show (you know it happens!)?
• Why do you believe what you believe?

When you ask questions and discuss, show respect. As Christians we need to engage each other in these conversations for spiritual growth but we need to do it in the right manner.

Want to learn more about this format or The Elephant Room? Click here.

Taken from the Elephant Room: Round 2 on Vimeo.

And if anyone has the full video set, let me know!

all about Christ,

David

For God so Loved Tebow

I will probably make some of you a bit upset with this post. My Facebook post inspired a huge discussion. It comes down to this. Tim Tebow. The man is amazing. He is on fire for God (just watch him). He is a humble man (just listen to him). He is putting up great stats (wins at the very least) and is getting the job done, regardless of how he throws a ball (seriously, it's ugly)! He is concerned about social justice issues and winning games. And there is no doubt in anyone's mind that he loves Jesus (this is the way it should be for all Christians by the way). Tim Tebow takes all the press with so much grace and dignity. But there is a problem. He has become an icon, an image, an idol.

• Did you know Tim Tebow rode into Denver on the back of a donkey?
• He once touched a pigskin and it came back to life!
• He turned a pitcher of water into Gatorade.
• His number is #15 because that's how many men it takes to tackle him.
• He can dribble a football
• He threw 316 yards, averaging 31.6 yards per throw, and getting a 31.6% viewer rating (whatever that is)...obviously God loves him and wanted him to win over the evil Steelers...(okay so I added the evil part because I am not a Steelers fan).

With all eyes on Tebow, he purposefully and appropriately redirects the attention to God...and so many Christians are enamored by this but they forgo Tebow's redirection and look to Tebow again. They tell their friends that God is giving Tebow wins. It's like the Bible Code. It makes me sad to hear things like this. Why? It's the Prosperity Gospel.

The Prosperity Gospel is a gross twisting of the scriptures. The way it works is like this: Love God and you will have all your dreams come true. Money? Yup...lots! Health...live to be 150! Want to win the Super Bowl...just watch Tim Tebow! While that is not how the Gospel works that is how so many have treated the Gospel in the midst of Tebow fever.

The Gospel does not promise us health or wealth or Super Bowl rings to pawn in our later years. Before you mishear me and start typing your angered response, the Gospel doesn't promise us heart ache either. God's goal is not our happiness or our sadness. God's goal is our holiness which is only accomplished through the blood of Jesus Christ.

When we say God is blessing Tebow, we start to sound an awful lot like Satan in the book of Job. I can just see God saying, have you considered my servant Tebow. There's no one else like him. And Satan says, that's because you bless him and give him wins. God says no, he is righteous and faithful. His wins have nothing to do with me or how he feels about me. Remove the wins and he will still bless me. Obviously I'm taking a few liberties here but I think the point is solid.

Now with all this said. I am pulling for Tebow. I lived in Florida during the Tebow years. I have always seen him as an upstanding Christian man, a solid player, and a model athlete. He's the complete package! I want him to win. I want, since the Bengals are out, the Broncos to go to the Super Bowl and surprise everyone. I would love to see him win. BUT I am afraid of the reaction of so many...Christians and non-Christians. OMT!

all about Christ,
David

Seven Deadly Sins of Today

I've been working on a modern list of the Seven Deadly Sins. The name, Seven Deadly Sins, comes from the Catholic Church and there is no "biblical" list of seven deadly sins. Proverbs 6:16 does includes a list of 6 sins God hates and 7 that are an abomination and Galatians 5:19-21 includes a longer list of sins (15 specific and a broad 16th). The Seven Deadly Sins, according to the Catholic Church, are Greed, Sloth, Pride, Wrath, Lust, Envy and Gluttony. They are deadly, again according to the Catholic Church, because your soul is in extreme danger if you commit these.

All that aside, sin is sin and any sin separates you from God. What I wanted to do is update the list for today. I will keep the name "deadly" because I believe these sins will KILL the Church if they go on unattended. You will notice some sins on my list are similar to the original. I need help adding the 7th so here are my Six Deadly Sins (just doesn't roll off the tongue). Some of these deadly sins may need to be regrouped with others. Just let me know what you think!

1 - Opinion (Which is nothing more than pride repackaged. Opinion says I'm right, you are wrong so it includes judgment. Opinion is not fact.)

2 - Gossip (This is fake or immature knowledge. When you pass on knowledge/information that is not known or not yours to share that is gossip. If you wonder if what you are sharing is gossip, then don't share it.)

3 - Apathy (Apathy says I don't care. Faith without works is dead. Is your faith active or dead? There is no place for Zombie Christians, they may move but they are actually dead. We must care. We must live out our faith!)

4 - Intentional Ignorance (Some have a fear of being responsible for the knowledge they gain. There is little to no (or know) personal study, no desire for personal growth, always asking others if they ask at all. Grow so you can share!)

5 - Cultural Attrition (The culture has a definite affect on us. The culture determines for too many people what boundaries they can and cannot cross. The nation becomes more sexual, our language deteriorates as we sound more like flash celebrities and theology is replaced with philosophy.)

6 - Habitual (So many buy into the "healthy habit" lie. Habits are broken all the time. We don't take habits serious. People say, "I got out of the habit of 'prayer', 'church', 'study', whatever…these are not mere habits, these are lifestyles that must be lived.)

7 - 

Well, as you can see 7 is blank. Help me out.

all about Christ,

David