What is The Solution?

“For nation will rise against nation” (Matthew 24:7)

In a moment of anger and frustration over the current destruction and lawlessness in Ferguson, Missouri, I recently made some online comments that I now deeply regret. I was not being part of the solution, but rather, part of the problem. And for that I apologize to all.

What is the solution, if any, to generations of racial tension, division, hatred, violence, and injustice?

The great divide in our country is not a problem of black against white, liberal against conservative, democrat against republican

The solution is first realizing that the problem is a spiritual problem—an issue of the heart.

I've learned and experienced, that what comes out of a man is only what was already inside him. Hatred, vengeance, even murder—are in the heart of human beings. 

Jesus said murder begins in the heart.

"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies." (Matthew 15:19)

Maybe you’ve never physically killed someone. But to Christ, hating someone is the same as murdering him. Lusting after someone who is not your wife or husband is just the same as actually committing the physical act of adultery.

Man looks at what is on the outside of a person, their appearance, but God sees the heart.

So what is the solution?

Jesus said, “A man must be born again.”

The nature or ‘spirit’ of mankind is sinful and fallen. We need a spiritual re-birth—a new heart. And only God through Jesus Christ can give that.

The last six thousand years of world history is proof enough that man on his own does not possess the power or goodness within himself to solve the world’s problems of hatred, racism, division, and war.

Only Christ is the solution.

If you really are open, and are searching for truth, for the solution, for the spiritual re-birth that only Christ can give, then you will find it through Him.

And you start by crying out to God. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you.

Then begin with reading the Bible, John chapter 3, verses 1-21.

If you genuinely seek Christ you will find Him.

This is the solution to the world’s problems.

—God is Love and Love Never Fails

Set Free From The Past

“Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” (Philippians 3:13)

Dwelling on the past.

We all do it.

Someone hurt us. Rejected us. Broke our heart. Neglected us. Even abused us. They weren't there for us when we needed them. They told us we were a disappointment to them.

Everyone has, at one time in their life, carried around some serious emotional baggage from their past.

And sadly, many people still carry it.

Wouldn't you like to, once and for all, be free from the oppressive, heavy weight of that baggage?

Personally, I know only one Counselor who was able to set me free from the pain, shame and oppression of my troubled past.

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Doesn't it give you great hope that God Himself is your Counselor!

And what He spoke through Paul, He speaks to us today, that we have to forget those things which are behind us. Forget the past. And reach forward to those things which are ahead.

Part of forgetting the past is forgiving those who hurt us.

"Easier said than done" you say?

Bitterness and unforgiveness will destroy a person.

A friend of mine once said,

"Unforgiveness is like drinking poison, hoping the other person will die."

Choosing to forgive someone who hurt you is not saying that what they did to you was okay.

What they did to you was not okay.

Forgiveness means that you, from your heart, are choosing to release that person from the debt of your unforgiveness.

And in the process, you are setting yourself free from your self-imposed bitter prison.

You can be set free. Your broken heart can be healed.

Jesus said:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18)

The Mighty God—Jesus. His name is also called Wonderful, Counselor, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.

You will know His peace when you choose to forgive the people and forget the hurts of your past, and look forward to the wonderful things that are ahead for all who trust in Jesus and look for His appearing.

Jesus promised us:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

In our opening verse, Paul not only said to forget those things which are behind us. But he said we're to be reaching forward to those things which are ahead.

Jesus is our future, but He is also present with us right now. Reach for Him. Cry out to Him. Trust in Him. Reach out for those things He has for you right now—like the people He has placed all around you who need His love, kindness and compassion.

Paul said:

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-15)

The goal Paul speaks of here is to make Jesus known to whoever will listen, to whoever will hear and believe the Gospel and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. 

And the prize is when Jesus calls us upward, to be with Him in the place He has prepared for us. And that prize is free. You can't earn it. It's a free gift to all those who have chosen to believe in Jesus as Savior and who have surrendered their hearts to Him who loves us; having died for us while we were still sinners.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Godly, bible-based counseling can be very beneficial.

But there is only One whose name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,

His name is Jesus.

No matter how bad your past was, no matter where you're at, no matter what you've done, reach out for Him today.

Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted, to bring liberty to the captives, and to set free those who are oppressed.

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

In God's Image

"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27) 

"God created man in His own image."

This is, in my opinion, perhaps, one of the most misunderstood passages in the entire Bible.


What image (or likeness) is God?

"God is not a man, that He should lie." (Numbers 23:19)

God is Spirit. He is invisible. Jesus said, 

"No one has seen God at any time." (John 1:18). 

God is not a man, He is eternal Spirit. And He has given us an eternal spirit. Our current body is not eternal. 

Thus, to be created in "God's own image" is to be made an invisible, eternal spirit—the life force that is who we are at our very essence.

The Son of Man, Jesus, is said to be the "image of the invisible God." (Colossians 1:15). Jesus "became flesh." He did not exist in a fleshly body in Heaven prior to coming to earth. He was eternal Spirit; He was with God and He was God. (See John 1:1).

Only God is good. All men are sinners.

Man cannot try to justify his sinful human condition, no matter what that is, by claiming, "I was born this way", or, "I was made in God's image." 

We were all born sinners, and we are all commanded to repent and turn from our sin and turn to God.

"Truly, these (former) times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man (Jesus Christ) whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31)

But you can be spared from God's coming judgment by surrendering to His current and eternal love.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)   

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

The Bridge

“Between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able.” (Luke 16:26)

Imagine you are driving along on a dark, stormy night.

Thick fog and blinding rain obscure every curve on the narrow, winding road, high above the jagged rocks and raging sea. Something catches your eye as the lightning flashes, and you stop your car and get out to investigate. The bridge has been washed out. And where pavement once lay, a bottomless chasm now vanishes into the night below.

You rush back to your car, pop open the trunk, and furiously tear apart the contents, searching for your emergency flares. You race 100 yards back up the road you just came down, and light two of the flares, ready to warn any unsuspecting traveler, of the imminent danger which lies unseen just ahead.

Soon a set of car lights pierce through the fog and are coming straight at you. As you frantically wave the flares high above your head and shout "stop!" The truck finally screeches to a halt on the wet pavement, just inches from your feet. The driver jumps out and screams at you, "What is your problem?" You immediately respond, "Sir, the storm washed the bridge out just ahead. Please, I implore you sir, go no further, or you will plunge to your death!"

The driver angrily responds, "You're crazy! That bridge is solid steel! A perfect example of man's finest engineering. Nothing could possibly ever destroy it. Now get out of my way you crazy fool, I have somewhere I have to be!"

But no matter how much you plead with him to stay with you in safety, he drives blindly on into the blackness of night, plunging to his certain death.

And such is the life and message of the follower of Jesus Christ.

Ours is a message of hope and salvation, in the face of imminent danger and eternal darkness. But to many, our message is unpopular. People don't want to be warned to go no further, that imminent danger and death lies just ahead if they continue on the same road they are currently on.

Even Jesus—the God of love and light—who came to save the world, was murdered, and nailed to a wooden cross like a common criminal for bringing His message of love, grace and salvation.

All men have sinned and need a savior.

Jesus is the Bridge.

You who reject Christ may hate the message and the messenger. 

But consider that we who stand on the road on a dark night, waving safety flares high above our heads, shouting out a warning, "Danger, Bridge out!" do so in love. Not in hate, and not in judgment.

To allow someone to drive blindly on, not warning them of the imminent danger ahead, is the opposite of love.

Jesus is the Bridge.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Love is The Answer

"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:8)

What is the meaning of Life?

Why are we here? What is our purpose? What will make the world a better place?

Most people will probably say "Love." Yes. Love is the answer.

On that we can all agree.

So if love is the answer, and most people will tell you they are loving and they try to love others, why is the world in such a mess? Why is there so much division, hate, war, violence, and strife among people?

Because most do not truly know love.

God is love.

And if God is love, then knowing and loving God is the answer to the world's problems.

But many people today either refuse to believe in God, or they really don't want anything to do with Him personally, even if they say they believe there is a God. 

Many say, "god is simply an 'energy' in the universe, so we can't know God personally."

But that is untrue.

God said:

"Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:12-13)

If you really want to know God, all you need to do is pray to Him and He will listen. And if you seek Him with all of your heart, He promises you will find Him.

The almighty, invisible Spirit; the immortal God, made a way for you to know Him personally, as Father. And He did this by sending His own Son, Jesus, to come to earth, and become "flesh." To become a man—the perfect Man; who came to restore relationship with God and mankind.

What caused the separation between God and man in the first place?

We did.

By breaking God's law, by sinning in the very beginning. The first man and woman (Adam and Eve) disobeyed God and ate that which was forbidden. (Read Genesis chapters 2-3).

Man caused the separation; a bottomless chasm, a breach, that man on his own cannot ever repair. 

So God Himself made a way by sending His Son Jesus to repair the breach. He is the bridge between God and man - the only bridge.

This is why Jesus said:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

All men are sinners in God's eyes. We have all broken God's laws (see the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:1-17, and Romans 3:23).

You may say you're a "good person." But God Judges man according to His standards of perfection, not according to ours.

This is why we all need Jesus as our Savior. He is the bridge between God and man. And there is no other way to reach God. We cannot climb our way up to Him by doing good.

That is why He came down to us as Jesus Christ—God the Son.

God is Love.

And Love is the answer.

Pray to Him and seek Him with all of your heart and you will find Him.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Powerful or Powerless

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

When you pick up your Bible, do you ever stop and think, this book is literally alive?

The word of God is living and powerful.

Stop for a moment now, and read and really meditate on all the words in Hebrews 4:12.

The words of the Bible are literally God-breathed. All of them. (See 2 Timothy 3:16).

Knowing this, why do so many Christians, churches, and ministries try to reach people through worldly wisdom and philosophy?

We seem to strive so hard to be hip and culturally relevant, hoping to attract people using virtually the same methods the world does. It seems like we're trying to make Jesus "cool" to people using hip bands playing the latest modern "Christian" music. But how regenerative and spiritually transforming has worldly philosophy and hip music proven to be?

We're known by our fruit.

Over the last twenty years of my walk with Christ, I have witnessed first-hand, churches or believers who claim; "preaching the gospel the same old way will not work on this current generation; we have to say and do things differently now."

And I have seen one such "culturally relevant" church close its doors forever. Fruitless, powerless.

This particular former church was situated in the middle of the downtown in their city. They played hip, cool music. Served great coffee. Tried to love people. And they made sure the name on the door sounded nothing like a church or a ministry. They said, "We don't want anyone to know we're a church. Our part is to play music and serve coffee. God's part is to do the rest."

And God shut them down. Closed their doors.

Preaching the gospel and making it a priority to pray we're not part of their game plan.

Since then, I have seen worldly wisdom and philosophy slowly creep back into the Church in subtle, diabolically camouflaged ways. "We have to do things differently now" they say.

2,000 years ago, Jesus' Disciples never tried to reach people through philosophy. Even in his day, the Apostle Paul did not use philosophy as a means of connecting with the philosophers in Athens.

“Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:18-31)

It says that Paul "preached to them Jesus and the resurrection." And he preached repentance, and God's judgement of the world, by Jesus Christ. 

Paul was a well read, extremely intelligent man, who could have easily debated with these wise philosophers on their level. 

But instead, he preached Jesus. 

In another letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul said:

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18-24)

Here's the bottom line: 

"It pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."

Paul said:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)

While it may seem old fashioned or un-hip to preach the "foolish" message of the Gospel, that alone is where the power of God to salvation is.

Only the word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart—which is where we will truly connect with people. Everybody hurts. Everyone has experienced loneliness, pain and rejection. Everyone wants to be loved.

Sow to the spirit, not to the flesh.

Worldly philosophy and man's wisdom is absolutely powerless, and will fall flat at their feet. Fruitless.

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.

Living Godly in Jesus Christ

“All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12)

Persecution?

That doesn't seem to be something that Christians in comfortable, prosperous America, are experiencing much of, here at home.

Have you been jailed, beaten, or tortured lately for sharing your faith in your U.S. city?

I searched throughout the book of Acts this morning to see what the main focus was by Paul and the other Disciples, and what they were persecuted for. 

Any guesses what the answer is?

Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Here's what Paul preached:

”Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

In that short passage, Paul twice said, "According to the Scriptures."

Jesus was crucified on a cross and died there for our sins, He was buried, and then rose from the dead on the third day—according to the Scriptures.

If you are trying to "share your faith" with unsaved people, but it doesn't include the truth that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried and then rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, then it's not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Over the last twenty or so years of being a Christian, I have heard many religious people say the following, or something close to it:

"All I know is we're just supposed to love people."

And in context, what every one of these people meant by this, is we're to never offend people by preaching God's Word to them, we're just supposed to be loving and nice to them.

But let's be honest. The message of the Gospel is offensive to the unsaved.

It proclaims that we are sinners. That's offensive when most people will tell you, "I'm a good person. I don't kill people or rob banks." Tell someone they are a sinner and they will probably be offended.

It proclaims that our sins are so great that Jesus—the Son of God—had to die on a cross for our sins to be forgiven. That's really offensive. It tells me that my sins are so bad I deserve to go to Hell, and that I can't work my way into Heaven by doing good deeds, or according to my own merit. It tells me that I am absolutely not a "good person."

It proclaims that we all are accountable to God and that He will judge us. That is very offensive to someone who either doesn't believe in a God, or to someone who won't admit that he has broken God's laws.

It proclaims that we all are hopelessly lost and desperately in need of Christ The Savior.

If you share the Gospel Truth with people... no matter how nice and lovingly you try to do it, the chances are that they will be offended by it. 

You, as one who shares God's Truth in love, will be offensive to them.

Look at the Apostles and disciples in the Bible who were jailed, beaten, or killed. They were not persecuted in this way because they "just loved people."

No one is ever persecuted, beaten, or killed for simply being nice.

Please don't misunderstand me.

We are supposed to be loving and nice to people. And in sharing our faith, we should testify of all the good things that God has done in our lives, and how He has blessed us. Never stop doing that, and always give God the glory in the process.

But no matter how impressed someone might be with how God-blessed your life is, and may even say, "I want what you have"—make no mistake about it; unless they hear and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and repent of their sin, and turn to the living God; they will not be saved and born again by the Spirit of God.

When the Apostle Peter gave the fist sermon after the Church was birthed in the Spirit, on the Day of Pentecost, all those men being convicted and cut to the heart, when Peter told them that they had crucified and killed Jesus, who was both Lord and Christ, said, "What must we do?"

Peter said:

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

Paul said:

"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)

Even to the ultra-hip, intellectual philosophers in Athens, Paul preached repentance from sin, God's judgement, and Christ's resurrection from the dead:

“Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,  because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)

Study the entire book of Acts and see how many times Peter, John and Paul were imprisoned or persecuted for preaching the Gospel, or preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 

Paul said:

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.  For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)

Had these faithful disciples of Jesus Christ not courageously loved God and people enough to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their day, we might not be where we are today; saved and free in Jesus Christ to boldly and courageously speak the same Truth in love to people in our day. 

"Freely you have received—now freely give."  —Jesus

—God is Love and Love Never Fails.