Wise words for teenagers (and everbody actually!)

I just love this clever but impactful picture from Reinhard Bonnke who is a German charismatic Christian evangelist, principally known for his gospel missions throughout Africa. Bonnke has been an evangelist and missionary in Africa since 1967.

Bonnke's Autobiography, Living a Life of Fire is a collection of stories of his life including accounts of his childhood growing up during the Second World War and living in prison camps to his early years in ministry and how he believed God used him to bring the gospel of salvation to Africa.

Take a look at his autobiography here...

The Duck Dynasty Debacle

Duck Dynasty is an unlikely but wildly popular US “reality TV” show about the madcap life of a redneck family from the Louisiana backwoods;   unlikely, perhaps, because the family are devout Christians who wear their faith on their sleeves (or should that be “bandanas”?)

See here for Phil Robertson's new book - unPHILtered: The Way I See It

With their Christianity so evident, it’s perhaps no surprise that when Phil Robertson, the clan patriarch, was interviewed by GQ magazine recently, he was asked about a question about it.   A golden opportunity, surely, to present the gospel attractively and biblically? 

The question – “what is sin?” seems innocuous enough.  It’s a question that could, perhaps, be answered by a small child with a few weeks of Sunday School under their belt.  But it’s such a key question that certain answers can badly misrepresent the gospel and needlessly turn the questioner off Christianity entirely.  For that reason, just the opening sentence of Phil’s controversial answer provides some important lessons for us about witnessing. 

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there.”

So how would we answer GQ’s question?

The first key is to ensure that we base our answer on the Biblical definition and meaning of sin.  Homosexuality is not actually what sin intrinsically is, it is only one of many, many symptoms of it, just like having a high fever is a symptom of influenza.  That’s not to say, of course, that homosexual behavior is at all acceptable to God – but the root meaning of the word sin is “to miss the mark”, God’s mark or standard – and that applies to all human effort and behavior.

The second key is to make clear what the root cause of sin is.  To imply that all sin starts with homosexuality is wide of the mark! James 1:14-15 says that “each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed…then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin”.  As Jesus said, it is what comes from the inside that makes us unclean (Mark 7:15).  The root of sin is in our hearts in such things as pride, lust, greed, selfishness, envy – in fact the laundry list of items laid out in Galatians 5:19-21.  A wise gardener does not deal with dandelions by trying to contain thousands f floating seeds; he knows the most effective action is to focus on the roots!

The third key is to state that sin brings the same issue to every human being, regardless of their sexual orientation.  To focus on one particular sin, and target one particular section of society, risks alienating some and perhaps lets others think that they are off the hook.   (It’s even worse when the particular sin is selected because of an apparent personal distaste for the sin involved – Robertson also made comments about homosexual vs. heterosexual intercourse which cannot be published here because of their coarse and explicit nature).  What we need to focus on is God’s objective view and evaluation of sin, not our own subjective one.  Look again at the seemingly unprioritized list of Galatians 5 and find items that perhaps much more commonly beset us.  Why focus on homosexuality and overlook jealousy, rage and selfish ambition? 

Robertson’s comments certainly hit the headlines and attracted a lot of criticism from sections of the media and society.  However, some Christians have praised his bravery for standing up for what he believes, whereas his family has defended his right to free speech under the US constitution, excusing his language on the grounds of his life experience.   Is this valid?  After all, Paul was known for his “parrhesia” (a Greek word meaning “frankness of speech”) and calling a spade a spade.

As citizens, primarily, of heaven, Christians need to be wary of utilizing earthly rights or use them as a means to justify their conduct.  We have heavenly rights, but they come with heavenly responsibilities, including being “shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16) and “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).  In addition, standing up for what we believe is not necessarily the same thing as proclaiming what God actually says in his Word! 

The way we stand up and/or proclaim is also important – we need to be conscious of our audience and tailor the way we speak accordingly, remembering we are now ambassadors who are a new creation with a new way of acting and speaking!

Carrying the Cross - A Sketch

I recently wrote this sketch for an event based on Jesus' discipleship call to carry the cross - but we ran out of time and it never got used!   The sketch looks at what happens when a Christian feels uncomfortable when they are carrying the cross - literally in this case!

Scene:  Two men at bus-stop waiting for a bus.  One man is holding something quite large….

Man 1:  Bus late again!

Man 2:  Yeah, third time this week, ridiculous.

Man 1:  I’m going to start walking if it doesn’t turn up soon….

Both men wait impatiently, check their watches, look at the sky…bored.  Man 1 looks at Man 2 and looks up, noticing the object that he appears to be carrying.  Decides to pass the time and enquire…

Man 1:  Hope you don’t mind me asking…but…what’s that thing you’ve got there?

Man 2:  I’m sorry….?

Man 1: What’s that…you know, that thing you’re carrying?

Man 2:  I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m following you…what thing?

Man 1: Err…that great piece of wood you’ve got in your hand…looks about 8 foot tall and 4 feet wide…(looks baffled)

Man 2:  (pretends to be surprised) Oh…oh...of course…THAT!  Oh…erm..well..ahem…it’s a big piece of wood..

Man 1:  Err..yes, I can see that, but why are you carrying it?  You’re not expecting to get it on the bus are you – it’s miles too big.

Man 2:  Yeah, it can be a bit inconvenient at times but it seems to be able to fit just about anywhere really…with a bit of effort…

Man 1in:  That I’d love to see…but… why are you carrying it?

Man 2: Well…err…someone asked me to carry it actually… (seems embarrassed)

Man 1:  Really?

Man 2:  Yes, an…errr…friend of mine as a matter of fact.

Man 1:  Oh, so you’re helping him out then?

Man 2:  Well,…err…not exactly, he’s helping me I suppose…it’s…err.. a bit difficult to explain…

Man 1:  You can say that again…so he is local, your mate?

Man 2: Well…yes and no….he’s not been here for quite a while as a matter of fact. But he’ll be coming back very soon, I’m sure.

Man 1: All sounds very odd….got a name, this mate of yours by any chance…?

Man 2:  Well, he’s got a few nicknames…I…err..call him “JC”…

Man 1:  Never heard of him…so, tell me then…what does this piece of wood do..what’s it for?

Man 2: Well it’s a very versatile thing actually...it can serve a different purpose to different people...if that makes any sense…

Man 1:  It doesn’t, to be perfectly honest!  (Sounding skeptical)

Man 2:  Well…erm…ahem…it could make a great washing line…

Man 1:  You’re joking aren’t you…?

Man 2:  Or..or..or…you could put your satellite dish on the top of it and get great reception…

Man 1:  This is getting ridiculous…

Man 2:  OK, OK…it comes in handy if you ever need a giant T-shape for any reason…

Man 1:  You’re nuts!

Man 2:  I’m sure it must look that way..but you’d never understand…..sigh…anyway…you seem to be asking lots of questions..whats the big deal if I choose to carry around a big piece of wood…?

Man 1:  No big deal, mate.  I just thought you might be carrying a cross…you know…because you’re a Christian….Matthew 16 and all that…I’ve been thinking about becoming a Christian for a while but I’m looking for some guidance…but obviously I was mistaken..oh well…have to dash…bye!

Man 2 (to himself):  I think that could have gone better…Taxi!