Feathers Are Flyin’ Over Chick-fil-A

So, now we have a good example, from the mayor’s of Chicago and Boston, of what the secular liberals in the country really want—a dictatorship. This past week the feathers flew over a statement made about marriage by the CEO of Chick-fil-A. Mayors Emmanuel of Chicago and Menino of Boston denounced the fast food chain and swore to deny them permits to open a restaurant in their cities.

What did the CEO say that was so outrageous? Mr. Cathy made a statement in support of traditional marriage. O my God, gasp! He didn’t really do that, did he? You bet your bippy. Here is what he said: “We are very much supportive of the family—the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives.”

Well, that statement put the pro-homosexual marriage people in a very angry mood. And the feathers hit the proverbial fan. Mayors Emmanuel and Menino and the city fathers of Chicago and Boston threatened to use the powers of their governments to punish Mr. Cathy and Chick-fil-A for their despicable anti-gay bigotry. But an article in National Review Online and other wiser voices pulled the choke collars on the mayors and they have backed down. Here is a part of the article.

“Bigotry should be made of sterner stuff. Mr. Cathy did not even target homosexuals, and his reference to being married to “our first wives” indicates that his criticism of the recent decay of marriage is by no means limited to the question of same-sex marriage. But even if it were, it would be worth noting that opposition to gay marriage was until [most recently] the official position of President Barack Obama and his administration. It was certainly the position of the administration while Mr. Emanuel served in it — not to mention the position of the Clinton administration when Mr. Emanuel served in it, too. If a Chick-fil-A franchisee is a detestable bigot because his boss — a private-sector CEO — opposes gay marriage, what does that make Mr. Emanuel, whose boss opposed gay marriage as president of these United States?”

Bravo! If you do not like the philosophy of a particular company don’t buy their products. But it is quite another thing for a government to punish any person or company that may hold a different religious or political view than those who govern. What the mayors of Chicago and Boston were attempting was not protecting the so-called assailed rights of homosexuals; they were attempting to be political bullies. The kind of bullies the American Revolution fought against for our freedoms. The mayors should be ashamed of themselves. So, tell me, why are people who promote tolerance so intolerant?

If anyone really wants to know the character of the man who founded Chick-fil-A, Mr. S. Truett Cathy and the values he passed on to his son, Dan Cathy, I recommend a book to you. The book is titled “It’s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men.” The book is about the power of love, God’s love and our own, to build children into healthy responsible adults. Maybe the mayors can get a copy at their local libraries.

Denver’s Dark Night

The news hit the heart of our country like a hammer to the chest. At the premier of the movie “The Dark Knight Rises” in a movie theatre in a suburb of Denver, a young man opened fire and killed at least 12 people, wounded over 50, some of whom are in critical condition. Dressed like a character in the movie the audience at first could not distinguish reality from fantasy until the blood and screams began.

The news media began their work almost as fast as the police arrived to do their work. And the questions began—who, what, where, when. The most difficult question of all is this, “Why?” The same painful question is always asked. How can someone do such a horrible, evil thing?

Some people immediately begin to think that it is a political problem or perhaps the killer faced immense social pressures that made him explode or perhaps he was mentally ill. Some people immediately want to ban all guns not thinking that the killer could have blown up the theatre or used poison gas. It is not the lethal weapon used that is the problem. The problem is the human heart.

Christians are guided to understand all of this moral madness by the Word of God. Jeremiah the prophet said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it (Jeremiah 17:9)?” Another translation is even more forceful: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it (Amplified Bible)?” The human heart is capable of horrendous evil. The Lord Jesus Christ understands this and taught, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies (Matthew 15:19).” The first man, Adam’s, fall into sin unleashed evil, sin and death into the world.

Every single one of us is a sinner. We may not all commit such horrible offenses as happened in Colorado. But we are all capable of being tempted by a full range of sinfulness. So, how do we restrain such evil? The first point is to recognize that we are all sinners and individually turn to a gracious and merciful God to save us from ourselves. The Bible is quite clear that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).” As sinners we are all under a divine verdict of guilt and the penalty is death. But “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).” If you trust in God to save you from your sins through faith in Christ, his sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection, God will cleanse you of every sin.

Secondly, begin to transform the pattern of thinking in your own heart by learning Scripture, which is God’s Word to us.  The psalmist wrote, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You(Psalm 119:11).” Learn God’s Word and obey it.

Thirdly, teach your children. The Bible says, “fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).” Our children need to know that there is a God, that there is absolute truth: right and wrong. They need to know that they are sinners but that there is a gracious and merciful God who wants desperately to save them from the power and penalty of sin.

God has given life meaning and purpose. Without our understanding that we derive our life from Him and meaning and purpose, we will be people without hope. And life in our world will continue to unravel in meaningless acts of violence both physically and emotionally. But God says to us, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).” When we turn to God in faith then life takes on meaning, there is peace and a future full of hope.

Finally, we must admit that there will be no full resolution to evil and violence in this world. But there is a new world coming. God will renew our world at the return of Christ. At that time it is promised that “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4).”

Pray for the people of Colorado. Pray for their grieving hearts to be comforted. Pray for our country and our communities. If you live in the greater Chicago area I invite you to be a part of the church I pastor, Grace Ministry International. Services are Sunday at 10:30AM at the Gorton Community Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL. You may visit our web site at www.graceministryinternational.org. All of the e-books and audio and written teachings on the site are available free of charge. I am always happy to hear from readers. You may contact me at chuck@graceministryinternational.org. God bless you!

Thinking Like The Psalmist About The Scriptures

Last week I encouraged us to read the Bible for our own profit. The Scriptures offer this promise: “Blessed [supremely happy]” is the person whose “delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.” Everyone seeks to be happy and we ought to seek our own happiness. Our being blessed or happy leads to the overflow of our joy in both praise to God and in acts of kindness and love to other people.

If we delight in the Word of God then what we believe about the Bible should inspire what we do with it. This was true for the writer of Psalm 119. The psalmist believed that,

God’s Word is true - Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth (v. 142). The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever (v. 160).

God’s Word brings joy - Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart (v.111).

God’s Word brings wisdom - Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.  I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts (vss. 97-100).

God’s Word makes one blessed or supremely happy - Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart (vss. 1, 2)!

God’s Word cleanses us from sin - How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word (v.9).

 This is what the psalmist believed about Scripture. So what did this belief inspire him to do? It motivated him to,

Study the Word of God - Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day (v. 97).

Delight in the Word of God - Unless Your law had been my delight
I would then have perished in my affliction (v. 92).

Store the Word of God in his heart - Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You (v. 11).

Obey the Word of God - Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them (v. 129). Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. I have sworn and confirmed That I will keep Your righteous judgments (105, 106).

Praise God for His Word - I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments (v.7). Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous judgments (v. 164).

 And because of his attitude and actions concerning the Word of God the psalmist could then sing, “Great peace have those who love Your law,
And nothing causes them to stumble (v. 165). Let’s think like the psalmist concerning the Word and let’s act accordingly for our own good and God’s glory.

Reading the Bible for Profit

The good news about the Bible is that it’s still the number one selling book of all time. The American Bible Society recently did a survey that showed that 82% of Americans still believe the Bible is sacred literature. And many people have more than one Bible in their home. The bad news is that the best-selling book is not being read or applied.

 So, let me encourage you to read the Good Book. The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” In other words all of Scripture, even the difficult and so called boring sections, are profitable because it corrects your thinking and informs you of the truth. And if you allow Scripture to permeate your heart and mind you will have whole and holy thoughts, feelings and actions.

 Reading the Bible will have an effect on your life that will shape you into the kind of man or woman who can stand strong for Christ, sniff out the lies of the world and love all that is truly good and beautiful. The psalmist sang “Blessed [supremely happy] is the man who…delights in the law of the Lord (Psalm 1: 1, 2).” So here are several suggestions to help you read the Scriptures.

 1.      Begin reading your Bible today. The way to do something is to do it. Don’t just think about it or say it would be a good thing. Begin reading today.

2.      Use a Bible reading plan. You can use the one in the link or you can find one on your own: http://www.esv.org/assets/pdfs/rp.one.year.tract.pdf.

 3.      Read the Bible with a heartfelt desire to understand it. The goal is not just to read so many chapters every day. Ask yourself as you read, “What does this mean? What is it all about?” Pray, “Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law (Psalm 119:18).”

 4.      Read different versions of the Bible. You don’t have to have every Bible version available. But it is a good idea to have one or two so you can compare. Sometimes reading from a version other than your regular Bible can give you new insights into the meaning of a text.

 5.      Read with an attitude of faith and obedience. Study your Bible with a determination that you will believe God’s promises and obey His commandments. Consider as you read through a chapter: “How does this affect my thinking and behavior?” The Bible profits you the most when it is believed and obeyed.

 6.      Read the Bible daily. If you eat food every day you should have spiritual nourishment every day. The world is constantly asking you to think and behave in a certain way. Therefore you need the Word of God in your heart everyday so you can live a life that pleases God and benefits you.

 7.      Read the entire Bible. There are some sections of Scripture that are never, if hardly ever, read at all. And yet we are told that “All Scripture is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). We need well balanced reading to have well balanced doctrines and practices.

8.      Finally, read the Bible honestly. Determine to take everything in its plain, obvious meaning. Generally speaking, whatever a verse or section of the Bible seems to mean, it does mean. The right way to understand the Bible is to take it at face value without trying to force it into a particular theological system.

I have developed a foundational class on the Bible that will profit you. Whether you are a beginner or advanced in understanding God’s Word you will benefit from the class. It is titled “The Powerful Christian Living Class” It is a nine session class in both audio and written versions. You can access it, free of charge, at the “Teachings” section of the web page www.graceministryinternational.org. You will need a New King James Version of the Bible. May the Word of God fill you with joy and peace.