Keeping Life Honest and Truthful

Life Could be Worse

2012-05-25T12:28:43Z

There is a saying in our family that is used whenever life gets to be a struggle or there are issues to be faced that are unpleasant. We say, "life could be worse" and when you look around the world, life is worse for some people. When I have traveled to some of the poorer countries in our world, I always ask the Lord, 'why was I born an American?' Why wasn't I born in one of the slums in the world with no hope and no future? The answer I always get back from Him is found in Luke 12:48

48) Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

These pictures were taken in Cape Town South Africa in a community where HIV Aids and other diseases are wide spread. The open trench is sewer waste water and is obviously a health hazard. This area is often flooded with the winter rains and the residents in these areas just have to do what they can to just survive.

The most vulnerable in these conditions are the children.

It is easy to forgot, or be ignorant of the blessings of God. Life could be worse, but for many Americans, it isn't as bad as it could be. Our prosperity regardless of where we may fall on the economic ladder was given to us as an opportunity to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

Any experience God has allowed us to go through was meant for the good of others. What we have learned and processed through that experience is an opportunity to share the hope we have in God. When we stand before Almighty God someday we will give an account to Him on how we processed life's experiences. He will ask us did we bury the experience or did we invest that experience into the lives of others who were hurting and needed some hope.

The parable of the talents that Jesus told could also include our experiences, our insights, our gifts and talents, and the big question from that parable is: "how did we invest back into people the hope of God?"

Matthew 25:15-18

¹⁵To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.

Life could be worse, but God still cares for the least and the lost, and its our job to invest into people the hope we have in God.

Keeping it honest and truthful...K

Ghana Africa

2012-05-24T19:56:34Z

Paulette Kutzler standing guard over the bus that we traveled in throughout Accra Ghana. The temperatures were in the mid 90's with humidity close to 80%.

The bus was air conditioned.

Below the market place was full of products from fresh fruit to sweet breads. Everyone had a product to sell and they all carry their products on their heads.

Ghana is 80% Christian, but the battle for Africa is underway

with the Muslim community in the north beginning to move South.

I Would Love to Go to Church, But When I Do I Just Get Mad!

2012-05-24T14:14:23Z

The title of this entry were words that came out of a good friend who has been a Christian most of his life, and he is now in his sixties. Long time church going person who believes everything the Bible teaches, leads a leadership consulting agency and yet is frustrated when he attends church. So what bothers him about church? Good question! I think he would say that church is about itself, and not about the people they are called to serve. In making an illustration about his feelings, he said the church has become, in nature, like our president who makes reference to himself or his accomplishments in almost every speech. My friend would say that the systems that operate today in the church keep people from really understanding God and His Word, and keeps people at bay when it comes to making God known in and through the community. When he goes to church, he says "there is so much about the church that I can't see God in it, so it makes me mad." Well what do we expect? We have taught our pastors to be marketers, and promoters with system orientations like Rich Warrens "Purpose Driven Church." What this does, it makes us more familiar with the system of a successful pastor than it does about following the heart of the Holy Spirit. My wife and I understand what my friend is saying about church, because she has felt that most worship teams simply play the Christian cover tunes everyone is familiar with, and call it worship. Most pulpits try to analyze the difficultly of living out the Christian life in a post modern world and supply the audience with a few talking points to help them survive their ordeal. I don't want cover tunes, and I don't want any "tips for successful living" sermons. What I would like from a church, is a vision statement that impacts a community with the gospel, and supports that message by generous acts of compassion to the community. I want honesty from the pulpit that informs me on God's prophetic intentions for this world, and how I can engage my world with the tools He has given me to make a difference. I don't want more small groups to make me more comfortable about myself or my surroundings, and I specially don't want all the spiritual jargon being preached at me that changes nothing in my life. Nor do I want a post modern message that creates an addiction for social justice just so the church gets its strokes from being relevant to the community.

The church has always been counter cultural, taking risks and speaking the truth, even if it was not convenient to do so. The message of the church is to become a disciple of Jesus at personal risk to resources, reputation, and lifestyle. That message is one that denies self and picks up the cross of Christ based upon the values found in the scriptures. It stands against injustice, and unrighteousness at all levels of society, and does not back down from the powerful forces of peer pressure or denominational mandates.

I would love to go to church where the spiritual foundations are not based upon the best selling Christian books and is not coerced by leadership who don't know the Lord.

Check this verse out. God was against the shepherds because they had departed from His ways. Are we any different today? Passage taken from Ezekiel 34:10

Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

God was not happy with how the shepherds handled God's people, and I am sure He is not happy with the leaders of many of today's churches.

Beware shepherd, judgment begins in the household of God.

1 Peter 4:17

¹⁷For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and ⁱif it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Keeping it honest and truthful...K

Who Owns the Soul of Mankind?

2012-05-23T15:11:10Z

Ezekiel 18:^{4 says: "}Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine:the soul who sins shall die."

This verse is a great reminder that the soul of a person does not belong to the individual who possess it, but the soul belongs to God who created it. We say that it is the soul of a person that defines a person, in character, and in personality. It is also the soul that will live forever. The fact that the soul lives forever means that God had an intention for us to live forever with Him, and because of sin, we were separated from God until Jesus died upon the cross. It is the restitution of the cross that brings us back into fellowship with GOD.

If God owns the soul of a person, then where does free will come in? God may own the soul, as creator and His stamp of creation, "Made By God" is on every soul, but he also gave every soul the freedom of free will. Free will is the choice God gave to every soul to serve Him, or to serve self, and only you can exercise that free will, but the soul still is under the owndership of God. That is why God says that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, because it is His creation that will die in their sins.

Ezekiel 18:32

³²For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”

Ezekiel 33:11

¹¹Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

The social ills of abortion are quick reminders that society has decided when and where a life should be defined, and we give no thought to the perspective of who owns life. Our lives do not belong to us, ownership of my body and soul belong to God. That is why suicide, murder and abortion steal God's ownership rights to end life. In the case of abortion, life doesn't begin when a child is born, it begins when the soul and physical matter unite at conception. If God creates life, then He owns the rights to that life, and is the only one who has the right to end a persons life here on earth. When society removes the idea of God from government, from marriage, from the classroom, and even from the pulpit, you are then basically just stealing His rights to His creation. When the process of redefining God to the one dimensional aspect of love, you have created a God that does not exist. The only thing we talk about today is God's creation, and how He loves us. However, what about the fact that God owns everything, we never hear that message anymore, because people don't believe He does. In our day, we are in a battle for the souls of men like never before in the history of mankind. Yet, we rarely speak of His ownership of life, His commandments, or His requirements for eternity with Him. You see we need to be reminded continually that life is all about Him, and not about us. This world has this backward, and sometimes the church is just as guilty. Life belongs to God, hook, line and sinker, there are no exceptions to this. The reason the scriptures mentions relationships so often is because God wants us to treat each other with respect. This makes sense since everything and everybody belongs to God, and if we love Him, we should respect what He has created.

Who owns you? God does! That is why one day every knee will bow and every tonuge will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. All of Gods creation will be in harmony on that day, and everyone will acknowledge Him as Lord over all the earth.

Keeping it honest and truthful...K

Someone Once Said!

2012-05-22T12:37:31Z

Someone once said, "you are so heavenly minded, that you are of no earthly good." This could be said of many churches and denominations over the years, but, really, it's not true. I suppose the person coining this phrase was disgusted with fellow Christians because they were lazy and indifferent about reaching out to their fellow man. However, if one is heavenly minded, the focus isn't about heaven it's about getting people to heaven as an objective for the work here on earth.

Paul the Apostle said it this way in Colossians chapter one:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

It is questionable to me if you are a follower of Christ that unless your emphasis has a future appeal and concern, that you will only focus on eliminating the issues in our current world. Social justice advocates have many good causes, but as hard as they try and as hard as they work with society, they will never solve the problems they face. None of us will. Jesus said the poor will be with you always, indicating that the sin of man is so engrained in us that it will be impossible to alleviate poverty and the affects of poverty on this side of His return. Now, that sounds so heavenly minded, but it's the truth. When my wife and I were in South Africa recently, we visited a ministry that was dealing with HIV Aids victims, and even though they were caring for these patients, the hope they gave them wasn't in curing their disease, but in a Savior who loved them, and is preparing a place for them for all eternity. Now, the reality is, social justice cares for their pain, and their problems related to their incurable disease, but their hope is in a place in heaven because of Jesus. What comes down from heaven is the source and purpose of our hope. It instructs our steps, informs our purpose, and provides us with the security that God is in control of this earth, regardless of what is happening around the world. That theme alone is worth being heavenly minded about, to know that "GOD IS IN CONTROL." It is this heavenly source that keeps us grounded here on earth so that we can invest our lives into the social justice issues so that people know God is in control. That's right, being heavenly minded is to know God is in control. Knowing He is in control, helps me to encourage others to know Him, and the promises He gives to us about the future.

Don't stop believing that God is in control, regardless of what we may experience. We are still moving toward the completion of things to come so that He will return to His place on earth to rule and and to reign.

Keeping it truthful and honest....K

Reflection

2012-05-17T12:56:40Z

My wife and I traveled to Africa for two weeks visiting communities where radio stations and health care facilities are being established in villages primarily in the rural communities. The trip was encouraging, and I believe western Christians need to travel to other countries for several reasons.

1. The cultural experience brings both a historical and present day understanding on how people live

2. The religious beliefs and how the globalization of the world is playing out.

3. The realization that you live with disease because there is little to no availability of health care in everyday life.

4. You also see how faith plays a major role in the lives of the believers.

I am always encouraged and thankful when I return home. I am encouraged because God seems to be bigger and more real in places where life is harder, and human services are scarce. I am also more thankful that we live in a country where simple things like water is plentiful and safe. Traveling to other countries makes you appreciate what you take for granted everyday here in the United States. However, I noticed that God was at work in the countries we visited in ways we often don't see here at home. What God is doing perhaps was more evident because there were less restrictions on how He can be made known. In Ghana for instance, every taxi cab in the city of Accra had Bible verses and sayings on their rear windows. Again this is a reminder that God is not relegated to a Sunday morning, but is a testimony of a lifestyle of trusting God through a daily routine. When Sunday comes, they dress up in their best and go to church for half the day in honor of the one who gave them salvation. Yet Africa is like every continent today who is facing not only the struggles of economies that are poor, and human services are lacking, but they are also facing the threat of an Islamic presence that is relentless in it's pursuit of the people. Missionaries have told us that the battle for Africa is currently raging, and the the continent will either be won or lost in the next few years. This is why the communication of the gospel through radio, and through medical help will play a huge role in preventing the spread of Islam among the poor. The other threat that has been raging in Africa is the HIV Aids virus, and in many communities this virus is out of control. Again, this epidemic is primarily in the poorer areas, where medical education, and help is not readily available. One of the ministries we worked with in Africa was HCJB Global, a ministry that helps plant radio stations, and medical clinics in areas of the greatest need. This ministry works alongside Africans to establish radio stations promoting the gospel and partnering with local ministries to set up medical clinics to help meet the needs of their communities.

http://www.hcjb.org/

Over the course of this week I will reflect on some of the insights and lessons I have learned from visiting Africa, and seeing what God is doing through the faithfulness of the support from America, and the courage of the people of faith throughout Africa.

Keeping it honest and truthful...K

Taking some Time Off.

2012-04-29T13:50:10Z

Just a brief note that I will resume Blogging on May 15.

The Great Assault

2012-04-26T11:33:09Z

The great assault has begun and it will end when Jesus returns to Jerusalem. You ask "what assault?" We read this in Revelation 12:

³And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. ¹⁵The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. ¹⁶But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. ¹⁷Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea

This verse explains so much about the enemy of our soul. His main motive is to destroy the people of promise, starting with the Jews, and continuing with the Church. This great assault has all believers in his sights, and according to Matthew 24 life on earth does not get better, it continues to get worse.

⁹“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. ¹⁰And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹²And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

So the world will hate us because we represent the truth of the gospel, and the one who is behind this hatred is the Devil. The Apostle Paul writes that we don't fight against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. Those in high places who are in great influence and power have often been used to destroy the influence of the Church. Governments have tried to stop it's message, philosophies have tried to educate against it, and laws have been made to control it, but nothing has been able to keep it's influence from spreading around the world. The point I am making is the gospel will not only survive the great assault, it will thrive, but it thrives in darkness, not in the light. The world itself will only get darker, with culture setting the pace for behavior, morals, and beliefs. More of what Christians believe will be challenged, but the assault will not come from the world, it will come from the Church. There will be an increase in false prophets and teachers who will reinterpret the scriptures in a new format and understanding, formulating a new gospel based upon the ideas of a modern culture.

Don't be fooled when people say we will take dominion over this world to get it ready for His return, this will not happen according to the scriptures. The great assault by the enemy of our souls will continue to manipulate this world against God's plan of salvation and so the darkness will continue to grow even within the church. Now I am not suggesting we give up trying to rescue people from the darkness, but it will be one lifeline at a time thrown to those floating in this darkness.

Now, the good news in all of this is that Jesus will return in the midst of all the darkness to end the reign of Satan on earth, and imprison him for 1000 years. However until then we have to be strong the Word of God that helps us to discern truth, and stay focused on the task of resisting the temptations of the culture that is designed to twist your thinking and reroute your beliefs about God and His kingdom.

Keeping it honest and truthful...K

The Warnings

2012-04-25T11:21:46Z

I have written in the past about the book by Jonathan Cahn called the Harbinger, and I would like to follow up on that today. For those of you who did not know about this book you can follow a link at the end of my comments today that will take you to the authors blog and another link to a recent interview with Jonathan about his book. Basically the book talks about nine Harbingers,and a Harbinger is a warning. Jonathan takes Isaiah 9:10 and evaluates what happened to Israel as she ignored the warnings from God to repent and return to Him. Jonathan sees what happened at 911 as a sign that God was warning America in the same manner that we as a nation have drifted away from godly principles and values. In my opinion Israel was chosen by God, and America has been given favor because we have supported Israel and have been instrumental in distributing the gospel worldwide. That favor will end if we pull away from Israel in our support, and we stop be evangelistic in reaching the world for Christ. Now the government does not preach the gospel, the Church does, but if we don't have a government that is supportive of the mission of the Church, we will find ourselves going underground like so many Christians have had to do around the world. I don't believe America can be saved, but I do believe people in America can be. Our job as believers is to rescue as many as we can from the sinking ship, and we need to do so while we still have the chance to under our present system of government. There will come a day when governments will shut down our message, and our means to deliver that message. The gospel will be seen as dividing people and subverting world peace and order by insisting there is salvation in no other name than in Jesus. Our form of morality will be seen as restrictive and judgmental and we will be cast in the light as people of doom and gloom. Yet, truth has two side to it:

1. There is grace to save all people, no one is exempt from His love.

2. There is judgment to those who refuse His grace.

The Harbinger is a reminder of these two facts about truth. You have grace that will make things right before God through the cross of Christ, and you will be judged for your refusal to accept His grace. You and you alone will be responsible for the wrath of God to judge you because of your sins against Him.

The Harbinger is warning us of that as a country we are in danger of losing our favor with God. We have become an immoral, greedy, and idol worshipping country, with no standards that remind us of God's laws and values. The church in many ways has lost it's ability to speak into the lives of Americans because we feel we don't want to offend anyone. Yet, by being silent about the issues that separate us from God, we are condemning people to His judgment.

Many people have criticized the Harbinger as the fictional ramblings of a Messianic pastor, but I don't. Jonathan Cahn writes this book in the same spirit that the late David Wilkerson wrote when he was alive. God will not be mocked, and we need to warn people while there is time that we will either face the God of the cross in mercy and grace, or we will face the wrath of God in judgment.

It would be worth your time in reading "The Harbinger". Here are some links.

Radio interview: http://www.olivetreeviews.org/radio/historical-archives

The Harbinger Website: http://www.theharbinger-jonathancahn.com/

Keeping it honest and truthful....K

People Were Created for Relationship

2012-04-24T13:04:33Z

People were created for relationship and it started back in the garden with Adam. In Genesis 2:18 it says:

¹⁸Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.

The helper was a partner, a person that Adam could have an intimate relationship with that could procreate after himself. It was this reminder that relationship is the foundation of God's creation. If we could expand on that, we would find that relationship is essential for any kind of partnership whether it is in business, ministry, or civic projects, you need partnership with a variety of people to accomplish goals and dreams. Relationships are at the top of God's priority list of things to get right, and to keep right. Relationships take time, money and effort in order to maintain a healthy interaction between people. As I write this today I find myself in several situations where relationships are strained and in tension due to the lack of healthy interaction. I also realize that today's world is full of pressure and time constraints that make relationship maintenance harder to happen.

So why do I say relationships are at the top of God's priority list? So much of the law in the Old Testament, including the Ten Commandments are rules about relationships, first to God, and then to each other. Let me further answer that question by this scripture out of Matthew's gospel.

Matthew 5:23-24

²³So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

God thinks so highly of relationships that even before you come before him in worship, you must have your relationships in order. If you know you are not right with a person, go and get things settled with that person before you come back to worship God. Taking the time to keep your relationships in order is a perquisite according to this verse in our relationship to God. It is God's intention to help us not to ignore each other who we can see, in favor of relating to God to whom we can't see. Religious people are often charged with being so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. Keeping your relationships healthy is a form of worship to God, and it indicates to people that they matter more than issues, projects, money or time. In some cases, when two religious people are fighting it is usually over issues of interpretation or practice, and even those two issues should not separate us from the love we have for God to try to find ways to disagree, but still love the person we are in disagreement with.

I know this is easier said than it is to accomplish. We tie issues directly to the person, so the issue becomes the person, and so the relationship sours with our disagreement.

My suggestion today is that you always see the people separate from the issue. The person isn't married to the issue, they are two separate entities and the person in this equation is what is most important to God. Issues come and go, and it isn't the issue that gets into heaven as a saved entity, it is the person. That is why Jesus said, go settle the issues with the people you know have an issue against you. You don't want that issue to prevent someone from coming to know God and having salvation.

Do you see why relationships are most important to God? We are his ambassadors for Him, and if we are causing people to flee from Him because of something we have done, then now is the time to fix it through the humility of going and getting things right.

Keeping things right with others should be a top priority in how we live out our Christian lives.

Keeping it honest and truthful.....K

arketplace Ministers: Equipping business leaders to be marketplace ministers.

Danita's Passion: To encourage, exhort and equip Christ-followers to live out their faith 24/7, even at work

Clips: How tight do you want my clips to be? Here are some ideas to edit---use or not use as you deem fit. I'd like to get some snipets of laughter and interaction.