The Sensation of Touch

I love to teach the principles and values found in the Bible. As 2 Timothy 3:16 states "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness...." Thus there is nothing in life the Bible doesn't address, it is always relevant. A common issue during military deployments is the mixing of males and females who are thousands of miles away from their spouses. Wives and husbands expect their counterparts to remain faithful and honor the commitment of their marriage covenant. That is why it is called Holy Matrimony, their is a covenant between husband and wife to honor one another. To be holy means to be set apart, couples are to honor one another by setting apart their marriage as holy and fully dedicated to Christ. For many they will emotionally disconnect from their spouse. An emotional affair can be even more threatening to a marriage than physical adultery. But what can be just as dangerous is physical touch.
What physical touch boils down to for the Christian is lustful thoughts, which Jesus tells us is adultery. Yes, lust is adultery in the heart and is just as sinful as the physical act of sex.

One of the clearest principles on this issue of physical relationships is Ephesians 5:3, "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people." You see, Jesus sees deep into the depths our hearts and minds, because "He knows what's inside of man."
Sexual immorality is not just sexual intercourse outside of marriage.  It includes sexual touching, lustful behavior, and even what we look at. The Bible says, to avoid even a hint of sexual immorality. This is the principle.  Our lives are to be free of even the slightest notion of sexual immorality.  There are obviously some behaviors which all people agree are ‘off-limits’ - I won’t even mention these! 
But when it comes to other behavior you must filter your actions through a biblical lens exercising godly wisdom as to whether it is sexual or not. Godly men and women should identify boundaries that will honor God and their spouse.  Take hugging for example. There is a type of hug that is completely non-sexual.  Then there are other hugs that begin to ‘hint of sexual immorality’.  We know the difference and we are called to avoid even a hint of sexual immorality.
In the movie Fireproof, Kirk Cameron refused to kiss the actress playing his wife because he wanted to honor his real wife, why? Because he is abstaining from the appearance of immorality by honoring his wife as the church is to honor Christ. He is refraining from the slightest appearance of immorality.
Finally, in 1 Thessalonians 4:4 Paul writes that we should abstain from sexual immorality, so that each of us knows how to control his own body in sanctification and honor..."

Undoubtedly this post will come across as too conservative or old fashioned, but with Christian marriages falling apart in almost greater numbers as non-Christians, physical touch must be guarded against. It's temptation that will lead to emotional and sexual feelings that quickly turn to lust.

In the Hebrew Talmud (essentially the Jewish Old Testament commentary) specifies a number of restrictions to prevent men from transgressing, such a man and a woman not being allowed to touch if they are neither related or married. This is because of the fear that touching might lead to sexual transgressions. As an extension of this, Orthodox Jewish men aren't supposed to sit next to women to which they are neither related nor married.
You will also find this teaching in Islam, which they borrowed from the Jews. During our cultural brief upon our arrival in Egypt, our speaker warned against touching Muslim women because of the sexual energy that can be released. These are just examples to say that this is a teaching and for Christians commands to prevent lustful and sinful transgressions.

Guard your heart above all else by guarding against sexual touching.

Consider the Cost

Have you properly consider the cost of following Christ?
Right after Jesus turned to the crowds and said "if you don't hate your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, and even your own life-you cannot be My disciple" and then says you must "bear their own cross and come after Him"(Luke14:26), He tells the crowds who want to follow Him to consider the commitment it will require.
Jesus provides two examples for people to calculate the cost of followership, building a house and going to war. Both the builder and the king needed to make all-or-nothing decisions before beginning their projects. Here in Egypt we see unfinished buildings scattered all over the landscape and the consistent comment everyone makes is how poorly this reflects upon Egypt. For those who have seen these unfinished homes, hotels, and buildings, they know first hand the sadness it brings to their hearts. Even in America, especially during 2007-2009 there were many homes that were under construction but were never finished. Homebuilders went out of business or individuals who began homes were unable to complete the homes for a variety of reasons. Everyone has seen an unfinished home, the weeds are overgrown, there is perhaps graffiti, broken windows, and that dark, gray appearance slowly becomes visible on the exterior of the home. There was undoubtedly great expectations when the plans were being drawn up and when the foundation was poured, but went the project was abandoned "the onlookers began to make fun of him, saying. This man started to build and wasn't able to finish" (Luke 14:29).

Jesus was telling the crowds that He didn't want a half-hearted commitment and some decision that didn't consider the cost of following Him. But He wants only those who will not shy away from hardships and suffering, and will ultimately stand firm in their commitment to Him to the end.

If you have never fully committed to Christ or considered the worldly cost of followership, then kneel before the King of Kings, genuinely repent of your sins, and surrender to Him. Don't end up like an unfinished Egyptian building or an abandoned American home under construction "where people will make fun of you."

Jesus loves you and will strengthen you no matter what this fallen world places in your life.

National Apologetics Conference

The National Apologetics Conference is coming to my church, First Baptist of Indian Trail this October.

Some of the speakers include:

Gary Habermas
Josh McDowell
Norman Geisler
JP Moreland

Please make plans to attend it will be well worth the admission.

http://conference.ses.edu/

 

Regeneration Means Perspective

Perhaps the two greatest failures in the church and in the lives of believers from my perspective as a chaplain is the lack of regeneration and the lack of discipleship. Everything comes back to the gift of salvation. We can read the parable of the sower (Matthew 13) and clearly see what happens when people respond to the gospel. Jesus even provides examples of what the lives of these people will look like or what kind of spiritual fruit they will produce. Did He provide this for us to judge people? No, He provided this information so we can see the difference between someone who superficially commits to Christ, perhaps out of emotion and remorse, and someone who genuinely responds to the gospel in faith and produces Kingdom fruit in their life. There are plenty of atheists who believe in charity work and doing good things for people, so good works alone are not sufficient to identify with Christ. There are movie stars who identify themselves as Buddhists, agnostics, and scientologists who give more and do more temporal good than many who identify themselves as Christians. That is why we are not saved by our works; we are saved by the grace of God when we placed our faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior. Paul says in Titus 3:5 that "He saved us not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit."



So what is the difference between a "good" Buddhist or a Hollywood actor who practices Christian Science and does charity work and a disciple of Christ saved by His grace and blood? Just that, we realized that we needed saved. If you don't understand how sinful you are you will never hate sin enough to ask for forgiveness from your Creator. You will never understand that your sins have separated you from His spiritual blessings and the Cross will simply become a lie and fairy tale to you. You must understand that the whole world is guilty before God, without Christ's righteousness a person will remain lost and remain as Paul described in Romans 3:9-18.

 

I come across people who identify themselves as Christians all the time who tell me they believe in Evolution. I simple explain to them that Evolution is in complete contradiction to biblical Christianity and to God. There is not one shred of evidence for Evolution and never will be, because God created man and woman in His own image. The primary issue with Evolution, other than there is no proof, is that it convinces a person that they are not accountable for their sins because they came from a monkey or primate, thus the fall of man never occurred and sin is marginalized in society and ultimately makes God out to be a liar.

 

So this Sunday in order to strengthen and build the biblical worldview of those here at South Camp I will be showing the new film: Evolution vs. God by Ray Comfort. It’s an amazing video!

 
Please come join us this Sunday if you are here at South Camp.

Who Has Control?

I wanted to share this statement from my morning devotion since it relates to my previous post.

Oswald Chambers wrote this:

"We gradually have to conform our walk and conversation to the precepts of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of rules and regulations - it is a picture of the life we live when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us."

Does the Holy Spirit have His unhindered way with you....or are YOU getting in the way?

Your Righteousness

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most spiritually transformative texts in the Bible. When a believer stops and reflects on exactly what Jesus is saying, their heart is shaken, but in a good way. A few verses after Jesus finished telling his disciples He had come to fulfill the Law, He spoke these words: "For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). A believer has to look within himself and also understand a little bit about the scribes and Pharisees Jesus is referring to if they are going to understand what He means. The scribes and Pharisees were known to focus on external obedience, meaning they were very concerned about their outward appearance and image as religious leaders. In the verses following verse 20, Jesus explains the significance of the law and shows that the spirit of the law involves an internal conformity, rather than proving you can obey the letter or word of the law.

Please understand just how shocking this statement was to those listening in the first century. How dare Jesus show contempt for the teachers of the law. The Pharisees were the model of righteousness. With that in mind, picture Jesus standing before this crowd of Jews and telling them that "unless your righteousness surpasses the scribes and Pharisees" your not going to heaven. These men were SHOCKED and I am quite certain they were some bashing him under their breath and whispering to each other about his insulting comments and arrogance. This statement, along with the entire Sermon on the Mount was turning their world upside down.
But here is what Jesus wanted them to know:
To enter the kingdom of heaven their righteousness wasn't going to come by their own efforts, because the righteousness of the kingdom of God operates from the inside-out. It's not what you can do, but what Christ has already done. Or for those on the Mount of Beatitudes what Christ was going to do for them.
Only the righteousness of God that is imputed to each person (sinner) who comes to Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven.
Reflect on that today.

Almost Done

I am receiving my MFO (Multinational Force and Observers) Medal. Don't be too impressed... everyone got one. It just means I have served at least 6 months in the MFO. For me it represented one more step closer to returning home to my wife and children. The man giving me the medal is Major General Whiting of the New  Zealand Army (MFO Commander). He is always smiling and in good spirits, although he has never heard of Ray Comfort, one of my favorite evangelist and apologist who is a native of New Zealand.

Egyptian Hero

 

 

Pictured above is SSG Davis, my chaplain assistant and one of my Egyptian heroes, Ali. Its men like Ali who have made my deployment comfortable. Ali is the man who has cleaned our Chapel since day one. We adopted Ali and his family and showed him the love of Christ, something he had never experienced. We showered Ali with Christmas gifts (his first time ever), celebrated his birthday with a party in the Chapel and sang him happy birthday (his first time ever), and most importantly shared the gospel with him. In fact Ali, has read the entire Baptist Faith and Message in Arabic. Ali, like many Egyptian MFO employees lives in Cairo and only sees his family about 10 days a month and collects a monthly paycheck that we would consider an insult.

We love Ali and will miss him when we leave. In fact Ali can't even talk about us leaving without crying.

Take the time to thank a person who does the work we all take for granted.

Praying In Jesus' Name

Here is a wonderful answer to a highly contested issue regarding religious freedom answered by Dr. Russell Moore the President of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

As a Chaplain, Must I Always Publicly Pray in Jesus’ Name?

Dear Dr. Moore,
I’m a committed evangelical Christian, and also a chaplain with responsibility for people from all sorts of religious backgrounds. I am called on to pray at many functions, with mixed audiences. Some over me are pressuring me not to end my prayers “in Jesus’ name” but to instead pray more inclusively to God, generally. I can pray “in Your name” and that seems to solve the problem. I mean Jesus, of course, but it wouldn’t be as patently offensive and it would enable me to minister here longer and more effectively. Is that ethical?
A Confused Chaplain


Dear Chaplain,
You’re assuming this quandary is about language. It’s not. Praying in Jesus’ name isn’t simply a cultural addendum at the end of a request, something evangelicals do in the same way we repeat phrases like “just” and “lead, guide, and direct us.” We pray in Jesus’ name because Jesus commanded us to do so (Jn. 14:13). We pray in Jesus’ name because we believe that “there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). Thus, we have no access to God apart from our being hidden in Christ.
When you pray publicly, you are not there to proselytize or to do apologetic battle against other religions. But that’s not what praying in Jesus’ name is. If you are asked to pray, you can only pray as a Christian. In so doing, you are actually, ironically enough, protecting the rights of other religions and their chaplains. I frankly don’t want a Muslim chaplain forced by the government to pray like a Episcopalian.
As for the old “in Your name” wink and nod, I would counsel you against that. Our ancient Christian forebears, under persecution in Rome, could have pinched the incense and proclaimed “Caesar is lord” while assuring themselves privately that they meant the “eternal Caesar” of Jesus of Nazareth. After all, wouldn’t they be of more service to Jesus alive and preaching than thrown to the lions? And what is a momentary acknowledgement of a civic faith, especially when one can be as specific as one wants in private?
Well, behind all those rationalizations hung a warning: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33).
Christian chaplains have been ordained by their churches, and offered to the military, to be Christian chaplains. For them to pray as a civil-religion cleric is for them to enlist their services in another faith. You wear the Cross, and must speak it and not put it under the bushel of a more inclusive language of civil faith.
Chaplains don’t serve chiefly a civic function. They are there, first of all, to guarantee the First Amendment liberties of military and other personnel to the free exercise of religion. If the government decides that the only chaplains who can serve are those willing to pray like Unitarians in public, one wonders what would remain of the purpose of chaplaincy at all.
From the government’s point of view, it might not be that much to ask a chaplain to pray a sensitive prayer to a generic God. Perhaps it wouldn’t seem too much to ask a Catholic soldier to serve himself and his Protestant friends Mass since “bread is bread,” and a Muslim chaplain to lead people in the Rosary because “it’s just a prayer.”
But it is too much to ask. A Muslim who would speak of Mary as the Mother of God rejects the Koran, and he’s just not a Muslim anymore. A Catholic Mass without a priest is just not a Catholic Mass. And a prayer to a “God” who is not clearly the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ is not a Christian prayer.
When Caesar asks for service and for taxes and for honor, we should render such things gladly. Prayers don’t belong to Caesar, though, and they shouldn’t be brought before him for editorial submission. We owe Caesar submission and loyalty in almost everything (Rom. 13), almost.
But when Caesar objects to the mention of Jesus in a Christian’s prayers, we must have the conviction to say, “Sir, I wasn’t talking to you, sir.”

Pluralism and the Supreme Court

Here is a great statement from David Barton about what one of first US Supreme Court justices stated about pluralism:


Joseph Story is one of the most important names in American jurisprudence. Not only was he placed on the US Supreme Court by President James Madison, he also founded Harvard Law School and authored numerous legal works on the Constitution. While today’s revisionists claim that the goal of the First Amendment was absolute religious pluralism, Joseph Story vehemently disagreed. He declared, “The real object of the First Amendment was not to encourage, much less to advance Mahometanism, or Judaism, or infidelity, by prostrating Christianity, but was to exclude all rivalry among Christian denominations.” According to Founder Joseph Story, Christianity, not pluralism, was the goal of the Founding Fathers in the First Amendment for only a Christian nation is tolerant and thus is truly pluralistic.

 

Mission Work in Egypt

Scripture tells us that whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed (Proverbs 19:17). But most importantly Jesus said that whatever you do for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40). A few months after arriving here in the Sinai I was put in contact with a British lady named Maxine who provides food and clothing to this leporosy colony in Egypt. We have been able to provide an assortment of items to this colony right here from South Camp Chapel. It's become our mission project during this deployment.

Although leprosy is on the verge of extinction and many people totally forgot about this disease, there are still some leprosaria or leprosy colonies as they are often called. This leprosy colony is in Abu Zaabal, 40km north of Cairo. About 850 patients are still living there, and another 3,000-4,000 cured lepers are living in the adjoining Abdel Moneim Riad village. The woman in the above picture is Warda and has lived there for 35 years.

This is Shiekh who has been there for the last 63 years, he is blind, with a disfigured mouth, nose, and limbs.
 

Be Broken

In 2 Timothy 4:6, Paul wrote that he was already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for his departure was close. This of course is what Christ did for us when He came to earth as God incarnate. Paul writes in Philippians 2:7 that "Christ emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men...and then He humbled Himself to the point of death-even to death on a cross."

Here is what you should know, God the Son became a servant...you should to.

Oswald Chambers wrote that "you should spend your life for the sake of others as the bondservant of Jesus. This is the true meaning of being broken bread and poured-out wine in real life.

Don't just receive His grace, but go out and be it....we are called to be the bread and wine of Christ to the world.

 

How Times Have Changed

I thought I would share this photo I took in Nazareth just a block away from the home where they believed Mary was born.

Believe it or not, Islam actually believes in an Islamic Messiah, although he is not Jesus.

In 2005, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood before the UN Security Council in New York City to explain his continued determination to develop nuclear weapons. Shockingly enough, he began his speech by declaring this prayer to Allah: "In the name of the God of mercy, compassion, peace, freedom, and justice....," and he ended his speech with this prayer" I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, the perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace." The "promised one" in Ahmadinejad's prayer was not a reference to Jesus Christ, but to the Twelfth Imam, a figure in Shi'ite teaching that parallels the figure of Al-Mahdi teaching.

Talk about a country of freedom!
Millions of American's have died so Ahmadinejad can openly pray this prayer in  New York City.
Just consider what would happen if an American Christian tried to pray a prayer of the second coming of Jesus Christ in a Muslim nation

 

Coca-Cola on Holy Ground

I took this picture during my visit to Israel. The Coca-Cola truck had just arrived to stock the gift shop at the Mount of Beatitudes, the location where Jesus reportedly preached the Sermon on the Mount. Nearly 2,000 years after Jesus preached the greatest sermon of all time, Coca-Cola is delivering drinks. Amazing!

It is a privilege to serve the employees of Coca-Cola as their Chaplain and look forward to serving them again in just a few months.



 

Who is your God?

I am reading a book called "god's at war" by Kyle Idleman. Check out the video below.
A god is what we sacrifice for and what we pursue. Does that shock you? If you are pursuing something in your life more than God, then whatever that pursuit is, has become your god and you are guilty of idolatry. We all have been guilty of this, including myself. If you are choosing something over God, the Bible calls that idolatry.

The author Kyle writes "Idolatry isn't just one of many sins; rather it's the one that all others come from."

Before you start asking God for something that you want, you need to ask yourself a question. Do I expect God to bless me in an area that represents competition to Him?
If you are asking God to bless you in an area that you worship more than Him, you might want to make some changes. Begin with confession and repentance and seekign His will for your life.

The author Kyle writes "God's not going to bless the one area of your life that is robbing Him of His place on the throne of your heart."

Wallbuilders - David Barton and Rick Greene

                         
   
If you would like to learn more about America's Christian heritage, please check out www.wallbuilders.com and their daily radio program which can be accessed from their website.

Here is the goal of Wallbuilders:

WallBuilders' goal is to exert a direct and positive influence in government, education, and the family by (1) educating the nation concerning the Godly foundation of our country; (2) providing information to federal, state, and local officials as they develop public policies which reflect Biblical values; and (3) encouraging Christians to be involved in the civic arena.
 

America's Biblical Roots Run Deep

                                 

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

5 were captured and tortured by the British
29 had their homes, business, and property destroyed and eventually went bankrupt
Several lived off charity and died penniless
9 were killed in the Revolution
2 lost sons during the Revolution

52 of these men were Christians, but not one of them betrayed their oath and commitment to the nation they had birthed!

Enjoy the video above as it walks you through the biblical roots of our nation's capital.
 

People Pleasing

I love the way Jesus spoke, it's just so different than the world, both then and especially now.

In Luke 6:24-26, Jesus spoke of four "woes." The term "woe" is a mourning sound uttered in response to anguish or prompted by suffering. Jesus says "woe" to the rich, "woe" to those who are full, and "woe" to those who are laughing. The second and third "woes" simply contrast the second and third blessings. However, it’s the fourth "woe" I want to focus on. Jesus said "Woe to you when all people speak well of you for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets."

Once again this is completely opposite of what the world and organizations teach. This fourth “woe” goes to all who seek the acceptance and admiration of godless people. This does not mean that Christian’s are to be obnoxious or offensive. Christians are to lead quiet and morally respectable lives and to “live their lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27). Christians are to demonstrate love by their words, but most importantly by their actions. Christians are to speak truth and live by truth, no matter how different that might be from their environment.

Jesus warned against people-pleasing. If a follower’s perspective on God, morality, spirituality, and the ways of the world doesn’t ruffle some non-Christian’s feathers, there’s something terribly wrong with that follower’s Christianity. It’s possible such a person has compromised the message of Christ or watered down the gospel for the sake of social or political gain.

 

Woe to that Person!

 

Don’t forget how different Jesus was from the world.

 

Unstoppable Movie Trailer

Unstoppable

Some may have already heard, but Kirk Cameron will release a new movie this September titled "Unstoppable" which will answer some of life's toughest questions about suffering. Kirk Cameron has recently partnered with Liberty University to make films that represent Gospel values and this film is just the beginning.

Whenever chaplains or pastors like myself seek to explain suffering and why bad things happen to good people, we almost always turn to the story of Job.
The book of Job demonstrates that God is sovereign and trustworthy in all situations, even in lives most difficult circumstances. But like any other scripture in the Bible, if a person doesn't believe that "all scripture is God breathed" then they will never adopt a biblical worldview. In the Bible, God speaks of the consequences of living according to the world, rather than in concert with His principles. Some of the consequences can be shame, bitterness, physical disability, anger, God's punishment, and discouragement. Ultimately without a biblical worldview you will demonstrate that you have chosen the ways of the world over God.

In Job 2:10, Job spoke these profound words "Should we accept only the good from God and not adversity?"
He later responded to his friend Zophar "Even if God kills me, I will hope in Him" (Job 13:15). How often do you hear people respond like that when they are suffering?

Suffering comes to everyone and God does not keep His children from suffering. The key point to take away is that God allowed Satan to strike Job, but God limited what Satan could do and He still does.

 

Fijians Praising the Lord

On July 3rd we gathered at the South Camp Chapel to praise The Lord. These Fijian brothers were visiting from North Camp and they love to sing to The Lord. What a great time we had lifting up His name. Their singing was simple, beautiful, and undoubtedly pleasing to God.

The Wise Can't See the Son

The depths of scripture is truly supernatural and the more I study the more I realize how little I know even though God has chosen to reveal a little more to me. When Jesus' 70 followers returned from their mission of proclaiming the kingdom of God and healing the sick, Jesus  rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said these words "I praise You Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to infants" (Luke 10:21). Why did Jesus say this? It's as if Jesus doesn't want the wise or the learned to have salvation. One reason was that the wise and learned people of the area had rejected His ministry by rejecting His 70 followers, but the insignificant and children had embraced the message about the kingdom. But why would God hide His message and kingdom from the wise and learned? Because those who are impressed by their won intellect no longer have a place in their heart for God. They have rejected the forgiveness offered through Christ for their own wisdom. That is why children (infants) who have not been contaminated by the world's wisdom can see the kingdom of God and receive it with joy and gratitude.
In 1 Corinthians 1:19 Paul quoted Isaiah 29:14 which says "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and I will set aside the understanding of the experts."
God was warning the unbelieving leaders of Jerusalem who considered themselves wise that He would judge them and expose their wisdom as useless.

Take Away:

For the wise, the kingdom of God is hidden and they are living in darkness and denial. They will be blinded by God until they humbly come to His Son Christ on their knees and confess that He is their Lord and Savior.
The joy and peace is incomprehensible! Come to Him now.

Fiesta Day in the Sinai

Here is our winning volleyball team from Fiesta Day. It was a great day of fun and games. For winning first place in volleyball we were awarded Central Texas College t-shirts. The lady in the front is Susan, the CTC employee here at South Camp.
Volleyball has become my favorite sport during this deployment.