Author / Chad

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Posts by Chad

Dad of two, husband of one.
by Chad

Poisoned Pastries

My wife and I have a bread maker. It is quite possibly the most amazing device we have ever owned. All of the science, skill, mystery and knowhow required to bake bread are condensed down to add the ingredients and press the start button.

I find myself staring through the window on top in total fascination as this compact machine mixes, kneads, and bakes a complete loaf of bread on its own. The smell of fresh baked bread fills the entire house with the same hunger-inducing power as that of cooking bacon. If you own a bread maker, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Jesus spoke of bread a couple of times in scripture. Jewish tradition and Mosaic Law use bread to represent spiritual things. The bread used in these examples all had one thing in common–a complete lack of yeast or leaven. Unleavened bread is flat, dense, and can be cracker-like.

Crackers are okay, but personally, I love sour dough breads, yeast dinner rolls, and even plain ol white bread. Yeast is what causes bread to rise and be fluffy. Just a tiny amount of yeast will cause the entire loaf to transform into fluffy bread. It takes such a small amount, that bakers often go for years without having to purchase new yeast. If you’ve ever wondered why a baker’s dozen is actually 13 instead of 12, it’s because bakers save the 13th roll and add it to the next batch of dough. The yeast living in that 13th roll is transferred just by contact into the new dough and continues on from batch to batch, multiplying each time.

With an understanding of how just a little bit of yeast can go a long way, let’s consider what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 16:5-12. Jesus wasn’t warning the disciples about poisoned pastries or griping because they forgot to pack lunch… again. Jesus was warning them of poisoned religion. The best lie is 99% truth, and just like yeast in the dough, it only takes a tiny little lie to turn the entire truth of the Gospel into something completely wrong.

Today, we most certainly need to heed the warning Jesus gave. In American Christianity the leaven takes on many different forms, but there is one that is very consistent and persistent–the leaven of self. Adding just a little “self” into the Gospel turns the message from God-focused to self-focused. Instead of seeking God’s Will for our lives, we begin looking at the Gospel for how we can use God to accomplish our own will, and it quickly spreads throughout our entire way of thinking. In a very short time we end up with churches full of men and women who believe in God, but only want to seek Him for what He can do for them, how He can fix their problems, and how He can make their lives more comfortable. They will help those who are like-minded all the while “praying” for and condemning those who disagree with them or cause them to consider their own shortcomings. They’re quick to point fingers at the sins of others, then hide behind misquoted scripture, eisegeted understandings, or just ignore the evidence of a completely different truth from the lies that they so desperately cling to. They blame the world for its condition instead of realizing that they are called to change it. They live their isolated lives “just waiting on God” to do something about the state of the world.

In short they have reduced the Gospel to a religion of self gratification, self justification, and self righteousness.

There is no way to remove leaven once it’s in. The only solution is to throw the entire batch away, clean the work area, and start over with extreme care to not reintroduce leaven into the new batch.

So, let’s start over in our understanding of the Gospel, and this time be very careful to focus on the Truth, not our own selfish desires.

The Truth, whose name is Jesus, said very clearly in Matthew 16:24-26, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

Do you hear the truth here?? We must deny ourselves, pick up the very thing that we are to crucify ourselves on, and follow Jesus! The cross that we carry is the Truth. The Truth is God’s Love. When we take up the Love of God for all mankind, we see the world and our lives the way God does, and seeing it in Truth we are faced with the burden that Love brings. We obediently follow Him, losing our lives to save the lives of the lost. We crucify our own selfish desires and pursuits so that we may live to reach the lost.

With the leaven gone, we see and understand the promises of God and their purpose. Jesus didn’t promise to take care of us and grant our requests so we could pursue our selfish desires. Jesus promised to take care of us and grant our requests so we can reach the lost. Look now at the commands and promises in the word, and see them in truth.

Matthew 28:16-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 14:12-14
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

John 14:15-21
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

by Chad

A Priest Walks Into the IRS…

One of my favorite Bible Stories is a story that is often overlooked. It’s a story that is only one verse long. Thirty words. One complete sentence with a two word quote. It’s such a short story that most people don’t even consider it a story, yet it speaks so much to the reality of Christianity.

I’ll tell you the story, but first I want to give you an alternate version. Once you’ve heard both versions, take a moment and decide which version sounds more like your life.

Version One
One day a man named Matt was sitting at his desk. Matt worked for the IRS and was quite successful. He had many friends… well, he had many people that called him a friend, but truthfully they only liked his money. Most people who knew him really didn’t like him because of his occupation. For years Matt had sat at the same desk, collecting taxes from people, but for the last few weeks he had been hearing talk around town about a new guy that had been performing miracles and wonders. He was feeding people free meals, healing them, and teaching them with a passion and love that they had never seen before.

On this particular day, Matt was thinking of the things he had been hearing about this new stranger, and as he stared at his desk, he realized he was staring at a shadow of a man across his scattered paperwork. He looked up to see the stranger standing right there in front of him.

The man stretched out his hand toward Matt. Matt reached up and shook his hand, and as he stared at him in disbelief, the man said, “Matt! My name is Jesus. I’m the Son of God, and it’s a real honor to meet you. I’d like to offer my services to help you out, if you will let me.”

Matt could hardly believe his great fortune as Jesus continued, “You see, I’ve known you since before you were born, and I know that you struggle sometimes. Many people don’t like you, and frankly, a lot of your co-workers are doing much better than you. But don’t worry! I’m here to help you out. If you just believe in me, and let me follow you around for awhile, I’ll show you how to be much more successful, happy, healthy, and how to get everything your heart desires. As a matter of fact, I’m working on a book deal right now, and I know my book is going to really help you achieve your goals in life. So, if you’re okay with it, I’d like for you to invite me into your life so I can follow you around and make sure everything goes smooth for you. I really want you to be successful in your goals. What do you say?”

Naturally, Matt invited Jesus into his life, and the two of them went back to his house to talk about their game plan.

Version Two
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow Me.” And he rose and followed him.  (Matt 9:9 ESV)

If you haven’t figured it out yet, Version Two is the actual Biblical version, but we often live our lives as though the Jesus in Version One is the Jesus who wants a relationship with us. We live as though Jesus wants us to invite him into our lives, fix all of our problems, bless us with riches and success, and make our lives comfortable in exchange for just acknowledging that he exists. In reality, that Jesus doesn’t exist.

Jesus, the real Jesus, isn’t waiting for you to invite him into your life so he can follow you around. No. He’s actually inviting you to follow him, just like he did Matthew. Jesus said two words to Matthew, “Follow me.” Matthew did exactly that. He go up, left his desk, and followed Jesus. And he didn’t stop following Jesus at the end of the day. He continued following Jesus the rest of his life.

Stop and think for a second about the idea of inviting Jesus, the SON OF GOD, to follow us around. Aren’t Christians supposed to be FOLLOWERS of Jesus Christ, not masters of him? Aren’t Christians supposed to be doing the Will of God? It seems that most spend their time trying to dictate the Will of God. “God, I need this.” “God, I need that.” “God, help me this way.” “God, open these doors, not those.” “God, do this, and that, and bless me as I go about MY day.”

What if we, as true Christians not just the academic ones, stopped asking God to do our will, and instead we ask God to help us do HIS Will. Something like, “Father in Heaven, Holy is Your name! Show me Your Will, and let it be done in my life just like it is done in Heaven.”

Wow! What a concept! Asking God to show us what He wants us to do! Madness?? No. It’s called obedience. It resembles humility. It requires us acknowledging where and who God is, and where and who we are. He is God. We are His creation.

And once we get that very basic concept, we can move on to the promises He has given to us. We can ask Him to provide for the needs we have so that we can accomplish His Will. Something like, “And give us today what we need for today. Forgive me of the wrongs I have done as I walk in forgiveness of those who have wronged me, angered me, offended me, and treated me with all forms of disrespect. You forgive this undeserving me as I forgive those who don’t deserve my forgiveness.”

If we can get that far, then we can go all the way and make it a habit! “Lead me away from temptation to go back to my old ways, and deliver me out of the evils of this world.”

Wow. God is awesome in His ways! He deserves our praise! He is who He is, even if we don’t recognize who He is. Let us remind ourselves every day who He is! “For Yours, Most High God, is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory each and every day forever and ever.”

Amen.

by Chad

Lines and Checkmarks

Vote-for-BenderToday we vote.

In our country, as in many others, people are divided into political parties based upon their opinions, beliefs, desires, wants, and a whole host of other reasons and motives. Some rally around a cause and pick their candidates based on whether or not they support their passion. Many vote based on hearsay and media talking-heads. Some just vote along political party lines. A number of voters even take the time to study up on the candidates. No, seriously. You can actually do that on your own with just a little effort thanks to the wonders of modern technology.

How you pick which candidate gets your check mark is up to you.

So consider for a moment the ramifications of living a life according to God’s Word and the candidates that you pick. God’s Word says, “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” (‭Titus‬ ‭3‬:‭1-2‬ ESV)

Maybe instead of picking candidates based on the hearsay, we should consider which candidates we want to be submissive to. In reality, there may not be many candidates that are ideal, but God gives us the responsibility of submitting to their authority. As much as we may wish it did, His Word doesn’t give an exclusion clause. It doesn’t say to, “Remind the people to be submissive to rulers and authorities… oh, unless they disagree with them.”

It’s not just about taxes, politics, and special interests. It’s not about red states or blue states, donkeys, elephants, or tea cups. It’s about choosing the candidate that will rule over the land and us, the citizens. As a Christian, I want to choose the candidate that follows Christ. I may agree or disagree with their choices, but it’s far more important that I choose the one that I can agree with on who they follow–God or the popular opinions of man.

So how do we choose those candidates? Only God knows the hearts of men and women. Place your political views aside, and just as we are supposed to do in every area of life, follow the Spirit of God. Don’t ask God to wait in the car while you go into the voting booth. Follow Him into the booth, and mark the boxes that He leads you to.

Choose wisely, for the person you vote for today may be the ruler you live under tomorrow.

by Chad

Seek Truth, Not Opinion…

Red-LettersThe very fact that I am writing a blog seems ironic. To date, there are over 250 million blogs worldwide. Some are factual, some are fictitious, some for fun, some to address issues. So why add one more that may not be seen by more than just a handful of family and friends? I couldn’t tell you. Still, here it is.

If you really want to know why I’m writing this, it’s because I have a terrible memory at times, and when I hear something that I don’t want to forget, I have to write it down lest it escape me forever.
The better question to ask is, “Why are you reading this?” If you’re my Mom or Dad, then your motives are clear. So, thank you, Mom and Dad. The rest of you? What motives do you have? What do you hope to gain? What can you expect to get from this one blog in the sea of blogs?
Truth.

What makes blogs so popular in our society? Bored readers aside, opinion drives countless readers to spend time reading words not their own written by people they don’t actually know. I’m not interested in giving my opinions on life. I’m not actually interested in reading the opinions of others. I am interested in truth, and truth can be elusive.

So read on, truth-seeker. I’ll do my best to keep opinion to myself, and only share the truth that I find.

Let us consider the most important factor in truth seeking: the Source.

If you want the truth, go to the Source. If you want to know why an author wrote a story, ask the author. If you want to know what happened, ask the one who caused it. If you want to know what the colors on the canvas represent, ask the artist. If you want to know what the Bible means, ask the Spirit who wrote it.

I don’t write stories. I’m not a journalist. I can only paint by number. But I do know how to hear God’s voice, and it speaks many things that are often contrary to popular opinion as to what He wrote in scripture. Hear me now! His Word is 100% truth! His Spirit never contradicts His Word, and the Universe around us is 100% in agreement with His Word at all times. So when the world around us and His Word don’t seem to agree, the fault is in our understanding of one or the other. Truth is always Truth regardless of our understandings or beliefs.

Truth is powerful. It does not bend to opinion or popular vote. It stands the tests of time. The fires of persecution only burn off the impurities, and ignoring Truth only makes it more persistent. Truth offends those who hate it, but it sets free those who seek it.

There are countless opinions, but only one Truth.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” If you want to know the Truth, ask the author. Reading he Bible will open your heart to truth, but fully understanding the words written requires an open dialogue with the author. Reading His Word without asking Him what He means by it leaves us open to opinion, ours and that of others. Countless forms of religion are the result of countless opinions over the Word of God. Find Jesus and you will have found Truth.

If this is the only article you read on this blog, then take these words to heart. Seek Truth–His name is Jesus. Ignore opinion–his name is man.

Those who repeat Truth, they are the ones who Jesus has sent. You will know them by their fruit, that is to say, by what they produce.