The Test of Practice

"Worldviews should be tested not only in the philosophy classroom but also in the laboratory of life. It is one thing for a worldview to pass certain theoretical tests (reason and experience); it is another for the worldview also to pass an important practical test, namely, can the person who professes that worldview live consistently in harmony with the system he professes? Or do we find that he is forced to live according to beliefs borrowed from a competing system? Such a discovery, I suggest, should produce more than embarrassment." Dr. Ronald H. Nash

Christianity and Culture One Year Publication Anniversary

One year ago, my first book Christianity and Culture: A Christian Perspective on Worldview Development was released for the public. To God be the glory! Since the publication of this book thousands of souls have been touched by its content. I have had the privilege of speaking on the topic of worldview development at various churches and institutions of higher learning across America. Several Christian leaders and professors in seminaries and universities have endorsed the book. The book is being used as a supplemental text for a variety of advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Foundations to Ministry, Christian Ethics, Psychology of Religion, Philosophy and Christian Education courses. By God’s grace and His divine favor, a revised and updated version is due to be released through Creation House Publishers in 2011. So look for the revised edition of Christianity and Culture as well as other publications in your local bookstores! In the meantime if you desire to purchase your copy of Christianity and Culture, you can log on to our secure websites at: http://www.christianityandculturetoday.com/ and http://www.highercallministriesintl.org/

Fourth of July Celebrations and American Freedom

Disclaimer: No part of this note is in any way the endorsement of a political party and does not reflect any of my writings in my latest book, Christianity and Culture: A Christian Perspective on Worldview Development. This is simply my thoughts on the meaning of the Fourth of July in American history.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Thomas Jefferson

This weekend, Americans everywhere took the time to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It has been 234 years since our forefathers declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and for that we thank God for His many blessings upon this country. And on goes the celebration! Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. It is said that this nation spends billions of dollars during the July 4th weekend celebration each year, but unfortunately very few Americans know the meaning of freedom and the documents that were drafted to secure such freedom.

American Democracy and Freedom

In Democracy in America, Frenchman Alex de Tocqueville (1835) captured an idea that has since become known as the American liberal tradition.[1] When describing the emergence of American democracy, Tocqueville wrote, “The revolution in the United States was produced by a mature and reflective taste for freedom, and not by a vague and indefinite instinct of independence. It was not supported by passions of disorder; but, on the contrary, it advanced with a love of order and of legality.”[2] Tocqueville understands American democracy as a democratic regime at rest (stasis) because of its potency to bring liberty, particularly the personal freedom to do what is right. He also believes that Christianity “has rendered all men equal before God” (11). Louise Cowan and Os Guinness (1998) write that Democracy in America analyzes the workings of a free society and religion’s critical role in ensuring that it remains free.[3]

The Documents

No two documents in American history have been more vehemently debated or interpreted than the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address. Ironically they both respectively make up the fundamental artifacts of the American Republic apart from the United States Constitution. Based on the premise that “… all men are created equal, [and] that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness),” these documents share common truths concerning the founding of the American Republic as a political community.

Another Primer on Freedom

The Republic of Plato is the greatest work written on the political community and the power to rule. The Republic begins with the question “what is justice?”[4] In light of the concepts of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address both tackle the philosopher’s quest to define justice and equality. Justice or the good of the many is the goal of a democratic regime. The writers of the Declaration of Independence express the people’s desire to be free from the Tyranny of English colonization. Its premise is that freedom is for the good of the people, thus deliberating a verdict for justice. The same can be said of the Gettysburg Address, perhaps the greatest propaganda for war in world history; Abraham Lincoln’s public address is indeed one of justice’s greatest credence.

As we celebrate freedom, I pray that we remember that “all men are created equal” and that we have been endowed such freedom from our Creator God. God gave America freedom from the cruelty of British tyranny but God never gave America independence from our dependence from His sovereign authority! This is my prayer for all Americans and human beings across the world!

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[1] Smith, Rogers M. “Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal, and Hartz: The Multiple Traditions in America.” The American Political Science Review 87.3 (1993): 549-556.
[2] Tocqueville, Alexis De (author), Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop (Translators), (2000). Democracy in America. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 67.
[3]Cowan, Louise and Os Guinness (1998). Invitation to the Classics: A Guide to Books You’ve Always wanted to Read. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 228
[4] Bloom, Allan (1991). The Republic of Plato. New York, NY: Basic Books/Perseus Books, 7-34 (330d-354c).

Your Spiritual Freedom Matters to God

“And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Today, I would like to take the opportunity to draw your attention to a freedom that is greater than human freedom. As we honor those who have died for human freedom, let us treasure the freedom that was brought by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Do not get me wrong, I am all for freedom from any form of dictatorship or tyranny but I am even more for freedom from the tyrannical rule of Satan. God says that He not only desires to give us human freedom, His ultimate goal is for us to live in the freedom that Christ offers.

Human/ Political Freedom

This weekend, Americans everywhere took the time to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It has been 234 years since our forefathers declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and for that we thank God for His many blessings upon this country. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. It is said that this nation spends billions of dollars during the July 4th weekend each year, but it breaks my heart to know that that many have ignored the price that was paid for their spiritual freedom and independence from Satan.

Spiritual Freedom

What is the cost of Spiritual freedom? I was reminded again and again that spiritual freedom isn’t free. Christ paid the price with His precious blood. I fear that an increasing number of Christians have lost the art of living in the freedom that Christ offers.

As part of our covenant relationship with Almighty God, we have received the promises and provisions made through the dispensation of grace. This is God’s appointed time and season of total victory over the powers of darkness. The Word of God gives the promise that “Whatever is born of God overcome the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (I John 5:4).

Let us not steep down to living in sin and allow ourselves to be enslaved by the enemy of our souls. I exhort you and beseech you in the compassion of Christ, faint not, weary not. There is a great necessity of heaven; you must have it. We have spiritual freedom from sin, death, hell and the grave. Dear friend in the name of Christ I urge you not to seek freedom from your dependence upon Almighty God. May we all embrace our freedom in Christ, the grace of the Lord be with you!

Truth and Worldviews in Culture

Everyone has a value set that determines his or her view of the world. However, a recent national survey of adults conducted by the Barna Research Group (2008) indicated that only 4 percent of adults have a biblical worldview as the basis of their decision making. The findings from this survey are astonishing, even more surprising is that the survey also discovered that only 9 percent of born again Christians have such a perspective on life.[1] Our perception of truth, and what we esteem the most, directly impacts how we judge everything around us. It also determines the level of influence we will have on this culture.

What is Truth?

Truth in biblical terms can only be known in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus once said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). It is increasingly evident that we are living in “perilous times” (II Timothy 3:1-9), where the Christian faith and its truth are in conflict with the secular worldview of the current age of unbelief (I Timothy 4:1-2).

According to Colson and Pearcey (2001), “The dominant worldview today is naturalism, which has created a culture that is both post-Christian and postmodern. By post-Christian, we do not mean Americans no longer profess to be Christians or no longer attend church. As a matter of fact, most Americans do both. Rather, by post-Christian we mean that Americans, along with most other Western cultures, no longer rely on Judeo-Christian truths as the basis of their public philosophy or their consensus.”[2] If one is to make a difference in our world, he or she must grasp these profoundly contrary worldviews of reality, for they are the roots of our cultural crisis.

The treat against Truth

Whether one embraces naturalism or other worldviews, many in this world are saying “leave me alone with my truth.” They possess a plurality of truth which is commonly known as relativism and is often expressed through liberalism. Unfortunately, a great number of Christians have fallen for the lies of liberalism. Liberalism is always making major concessions to culture in order to become accepted. Adjusting and compromising the message of the cross for the sake of acceptance is an abomination to God. The making of Christianity as a relevant source of comfort to sinners through seeker friendly approaches is a mean of placating the approval of a hostile culture. Rethinking truth in order to make it palatable to culture is a false gospel and an abomination to God. No matter what your set of beliefs at the end of the day you will have to give an answer to God—Jesus Christ.

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[1] Barna Research Group, A Biblical Worldview Has a Radical Effect on a Person’s Life. Barna Update December 1, 2003 Retrieved on December 15, 2008 from http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=154.
[2]Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy, How now shall we live? (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 22.

Christ and Culture

I am often fascinated by those who possess the ability to speak to the needs of the mass. None was more convincing to me than the Apostle Paul. As one of the greatest thinker and theologian of his day, Paul was called by God to speak to his culture. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Paul’s mandate to communicate the gospel to the culture was his ability to use godly wisdom through rhetoric.

Tertullian, in the seventh chapter of his classic Prescriptions against Heretics once wrote “What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church? What between heretics and Christianity? Our instruction comes from “the porch of Solomon,” who had himself taught that “the Lord should be sought in simplicity of heart.” My friends, may I suggest that what this world needs is not more money and famous Christian leaders but a sound and effective proclamation of the truth claims of the Christian faith.

The Biblical Account

Acts the seventeenth chapter, records what many theologians have described as the time “When Jerusalem met Athens.” Please allow me to provide you with a little background on the story.

For those of you who do not know; in biblical times, Jerusalem was the center of theology, it was the place where theologians gathered to discuss their faith; and Athens was the center of philosophy, it was the place where philosophers gathered to reason and contemplate on life’s questions. In other words, Jerusalem can be seen as the place where men gathered to worship (Churches and the Christian community). And Athens is the marketplace (the world of business or schools) and where most of us live out our Christian faith.
Acts 17:22-25 records Paul address to the Areopagus, an open forum for philosophical debate:

"22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 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: 24 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. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things."

Bringing Christ to Bear in Culture

Paul, the apostle is the perfect example of one who took the mandate to engage the culture with boldness and great resolve. He understood that we must be passionate about reaching the world for Christ and propagate the Christian worldview within every man’s world. The Athenians were like many people in our sphere of influence. They are ignorant of the true God, in spite of their religiosity.

Paul’s argument was as follow: “30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 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).

Will you join me in answering the call like the Apostle Paul and proclaim the truth God’s answers to man’s deepest questions. For more information on how you can impact culture with the Christian worldview, you can purchase my book on the same subject at www.christianityandculturetoday.com and www.highercallministriesintl.org

Impacting Culture with the Passion of Christ

“In as much as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the things in which you were instructed” (Luke 1:1-4)

Jesus Christ transformed the world with His mission to save the lost. The gospel writers record the redeeming power of God in the passion of Christ. Now the message of hope has been entrusted to us, will you answer the call to make Him known to a lost culture?

Imagine having a front row seat at history’s grand story of redemption with Jesus as the leading actor. That is what you get from the gospel according to Luke. Luke a historian and well-known physician in the first century, gives his readers an eyewitness account of the revolutionary life of Christ. The coming of Jesus is the most important event in human history and it continues to impact societies and cultures even to this day.

Not too long ago we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. As I meditated upon the significance of living in Christ, I began to think about the impact the gospel has had in my family and in my own life. It became apparent to me that many of us have not shared the joy of knowing Christ with our culture. And what an impact it would make upon our culture today if every Christian were willing and equipped to share their faith.
I am often reminded of the fact that we, followers of Jesus Christ have been made stewards of God’s message of salvation to the world. God did not entrust this message to angels but to us. That stewardship was given as part of Christ’s final commandment to His disciples. His charge to carry the gospel to the whole world is called the Great Commission.

Christ came and died a death that He did not deserve. He paid the price for sins that He did not commit. He offered His life as a ransom for sinners, bound to a sinner’s hell. Christ came to offer the hope of eternal life and has since undertaken the greatest recruiting effort in the history of humankind. He is calling those of us who have tasted the gift of salvation to become carriers of the message of hope.

Christ has given us the responsibility of bringing this message of hope to a lost world. People need to hear to hear that Christ is the answer to our spiritual poverty. They need to hear that God is able bring rest and comfort to their weary souls. They need to know that there is hope for a brighter tomorrow in Christ. According to Bible, God is not “willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). God’s desire for every human life is eternal life in Jesus Christ. I am often comforted by the hope that anchors my faith—Jesus Christ overcame death to give me victory over sin and death. Jesus is still the answer for the world and our culture.

PRAYER

Our gracious Lord, the call is too high for any of us. But we thank you that the Holy Spirit will empower us to fulfill the Great Commission. God, help us to answer the call to become passionate messengers of the blessed hope. I pray for those that have yet to come to Christ, may we be witnesses of your grace to them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Faith that overcomes Fear

“6For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” (II Timothy 1:6-7, New American Standard Bible)


People across the globe are living in fear and are dealing with the realities of our time. In light of the recent events like earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, and the economic instability around the world; more and more people feel powerless and live hopeless lives. God has given us power over fear! Fear says that you will not succeed and that you will not make it. Faith says nothing is impossible to those who believe in the only omnipotent and sovereign God of the universe.

The greatest weapon you and I have is the power to change fear into faith. Faith is when your spirit-man has been empowered with the tools to overcome setbacks, oppositions and the storms of life. Christ has overcome fear on our behalf and has given us the power of faith to live a life of victory. “And this is the victory that overcomes the world— our faith” (I John 5:4). As long as the fear reigns in your life, it is sitting on the throne. If the fear of failure, the unknown or the fear of the future is on the throne of your heart, then Christ is still on the Cross. Put Christ on the throne of your heart and place your fears back on the Cross; for this is where they belong.

Friends, you and I can destroy the anxieties and worries that have hindered us from developing and walking in faith. The Scriptures enjoins us to walk by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7, NKJV). If you don’t destroy the giant of fear, it will refuse to relinquish its grip. It will take an act of your will and God’s power to build the kind of faith that confesses like the apostle Paul, “16Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day…18While we do not look at the things which are seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:16-18, NKJV). God has given us the power to abort the seeds of fear. He has given us His Word and His Holy Spirit as the means to increase our faith (Romans 10:17). God will not do your fears without you—but He will do it through you.

Good Friday or Resurrection Sunday, how are you living your life?

On Sunday April 4, 2010, Christians around the world celebrated Easter. This holiday is the hallmark of the Christian faith, and culminates Holy Week and what is often called the Passion Week. This past Friday we reflected upon Good Friday, and on Sunday we celebrated Jesus’ bodily resurrection. I pray that this blog will lead you into a deeper sense of the significance of Good Friday and the first Easter.


Good Friday!

While many would argue that there was nothing good about this day; and while the world believes it is another ordinary day, for the Christian this day is central to our faith. My friends join me as I meditate on Christ’s horrible crucifixion and let us rejoice together because He bore our sins and iniquities. It is His death on the cross that purchased our redemption. Jesus Christ died in our place when He was crucified on the cross. I Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” The Jews rejected Him, The Romans arrested and tried Him, the world condemned Him as a criminal, and He died for my sins and yours.

What is Jesus to you?

We deserved to be the ones placed on that cross to die, because we are the ones who live sinful lives. But Christ took the punishment on Himself in our place—He substituted Himself for us and took what we rightly deserved. He died and received the just punishment for our sins. Jesus Christ can change and redeem your past. There is no amount of sin that is too much for Him. You may find yourself in a bad situation, whether it be a bad relationship, a bad marriage, a divorce or even an insurmountable amount of pain from past failures and disappointments. You may be hopeless and depressed. Are you in a dead end situation? Listen and look up, Jesus Christ is alive and He is seated on His throne. Do not look at your dead situation but trust Him for He is still the answer!

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

Easter is the dawn of a new beginning in the life of those who are dead in sin. If Jesus were not resurrected we would be condemned to a sinners’ hell, and we would receive the wrath of a holy God. The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ brings the hope of a better life, one that is forgiven and can be lived in the power of the resurrection.

On Good Friday we were able to put our past behind us, but through faith in Christ’s bodily resurrection we can live our lives today with the blessed hope of a brighter future and eternal life. The Apostle Paul writes, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that 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, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over 500 brethren at once..." (I Cor. 15:3-6, NKJV).

Where are you living your life?

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; what can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” The Apostle John writes, “the blood of Jesus Christ His [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin” (I John 1:7); The Apostle Peter reminds us that you and I “…were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold...but from the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I... Peter 1:19-20). There is Power in the shed blood of Christ. Because of His sacrificial death my sins were nailed on the rugged cross; my past sins and failures were all nailed on that cross. As the Apostle Paul so eloquently puts it, “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen in Christ [those who had died as followers of Christ] have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are the most pitiable” (I Corinthians 15: 16-19). This is the conviction that we have, based on the reality of His sacrificial death and His bodily resurrection. This is the faith that overcomes the world, even our past sins.

So today, let us remember the Lord’s atoning death but most of all let us celebrate His triumphant resurrection. For He is risen! He was buried in the belly of the earth and rose again on the third day. So stop living in your past failures. Jesus Christ did not resurrect with your sins and failures. He eradicated your past completely! Those things behind you are in the past, for He nailed them to the cross. So confess your sins to Jesus the Christ today and ask Him to come live in you and give you eternal life (Romans 10:9-10; I john 1:9). This is the greatest news ever known to mankind! He is risen indeed and with Him I can face tomorrow!!!

Leadership Training and Church Ministry

As a Bible teacher, pastor, leadership trainer, church consultant and researcher I am always thinking about the effect that church leaders can have on a congregation (positive and negative), pitfalls, and the complex emotional process that can help or hinder leadership. I know of few things that empower leaders and help them think through their roles and responsibilities like strategic training through godly principles. Leaders are encouraged in Scripture to honor the Lord by being devoted to the mandates of Christ to lead by example.

Phil Pringle, Senior Pastor of Christian City Church in Sydney, Australia, and author of You the Leader reminds us that “God desires leaders who are sold out for Him, for it is these leaders who can change the world” (21). He later comments that, “Our [leaders] personal relationship with God must occupy first place in our [leaders’] lives” (27). God calls all Christian leaders to depend on Him for wisdom and to constantly examine the spiritual and emotional processes of leading His people. Ministry is a high calling that demands spiritual growth, character development and an infusion of godly wisdom. Pringle (2005) writes:
Pastors who have growing churches are sometimes accused of “stealing sheep” from other churches. However, rather than stealing, they have just provided green grass in a restful climate. If a preacher is not searching out the Word of God with a personal hunger and excitement, that pastor shouldn’t be surprised when people find that grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. It is essential that all pastors spend time in the Word and in the anointing—for themselves and for their flocks. (126)

What are the indispensible qualities that every Christian who serves in leadership or aspiring to be a leader should possess? What is difference between a good leader and a great leader? I strongly believe that great leaders “provide hope, steadiness, and moral guidance” to a society that is starving in a spiritual famine. Leaders that are experiencing the kind of spiritual growth that draw others to Christ are in high demand. It is my prayer and passion to be actively involved in the training and development of 21st century leaders who will lead us into the next great awakening.

Christian Leadership in the 21st Century

Have you ever thought about being placed in a position or having responsibilities without the authority to lead? Pray that our Christian leaders would receive a divine infusion of God’s power (A Pentecost experience-- Act 1:8; 2:1-4) that would propel them to lead His people with God-given authority! “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). May God grant us 21st century leaders who not only carry a burden to lead but have the authority and power to fulfill the kingdom mandate! Pray that the Holy Spirit guide our leaders so that they can be effective (in doing the right things) and efficient (in doing things right) in their leadership roles. That is my thought, you think about that!