To All the Church Attendees with a False Sense of Security

Just because you attend church doesn’t mean you’re saved.

But how many of us operate that way? It’s the modus operandi: salvation by association. Redemption through osmosis. But it’s a myth. It’s a lie. It’s a false sense of security.

Boston Public Library (CC)

We think that by belonging to a group or a particular church we’ll sneak our names in the book of life. It doesn’t work like that. (And that’s a good thing.)

Why Wearing Deodorant Is Biblical

God says to sacrifice burnt offerings as “an aroma pleasing to the LORD” dozens of times in the Old Testament (Numbers 29:8 for example).

We no longer have to sacrifice animals under the New Covenant, but Romans 12:1 tells us to “offer [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.”

So if sacrifices give off a pleasing aroma, and we are supposed to be a living sacrifice, that means we should smell good, right?

Wear deodorant. Take a shower.

For God’s sake.

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Why the Fourth Commandment Holds the Key to Heaven: Part II

Israel was on the precipice, and they blew it.

They had come so far only to let fear rule them at the penultimate hour.

Had they only trusted in God, they would have—at long last—had rest. Instead they gave in to fear and turned their backs on the LORD.

Last time we looked at the Fourth Commandment as a metaphor: our six days’ work is to be obedient and remain faithful to God. The seventh day is rest that only God can provide—heaven.

Allow me to continue that metaphor for another week with a cautionary tale from the Old Testament.

Why the Fourth Commandment Holds the Key to Heaven

Twice in the past fourteen months my family and I have traveled to Florida by car. (You’re not getting me on a plane with three young kids—especially my own.) But here’s the best part:

We drove straight through.

Ready for some rest after a long road trip

Now if you’re coming from, say, Alabama that’s not such a big deal. But we drove from Norman, Oklahoma—a twenty-hour trip.

We’re talking a full day in the car.

With three kids.

I cannot say I recommend it per se, but it was the right decision for us: it saved time, saved money on hotel and saved money on food because we ate meals in the car.

Both times we did it, getting there was much easier than getting back.

Why?

On the way there we were fueled by excitement. We were fueled by the promise of a week of fun.

But we also had the promise of rest.

We knew once we got there, we would have a week of relaxation (as much as a parents with three children can).

On the way back?

Not so much.

We would have to go back to the grind—back to work, back to responsibility.

Our lives are kind of like a road trip: exciting at times, grueling at others. But just like my family's road trips to Florida, we too have the promise of rest once we reach our destination:

. . . the promise of entering his rest still stands . . . Hebrews 4:1

But God's rest is eternal, and there is no return trip.

Our journey on earth, though tough at times, is totally bearable because we have that promise.

The Fourth Commandment as a Metaphor

So where does the Fourth Commandment fit in to all of this?

While I do believe that the commandment to honor the Sabbath is literal, and that it is still relevant (more on that in two weeks), I also believe that the Fourth Commandment is a metaphor—one that demonstrates the key to eternal life:

Why the Fourth Commandment Holds the Key to Peace

Have you ever tried to sleep when you were stressed out about something? How did that work out?

Believe me, I’ve been there.

One time I lost three thousand dollars.

Why The Fourth Commandment Holds the Key to Freedom

I felt like a slave.

I wasn’t doing any hard labor. I didn’t spend long hours in the sun.

But I felt just as exhausted at the end of the day.

I spent nearly an hour in traffic commuting to work, risking my life and destroying my car—the cost of suburban living and urban work.

I was stressed out before I even got to my job which was often stressful itself.

Then another hour in traffic.

I fought going to sleep because that meant the next day would come sooner.

I didn’t even notice how tired I really was until I changed jobs. I had become accustomed to it.

I had accepted it.

Rest Means Freedom

We don’t often realize we are held in bondage if the chains are metaphysical. The chains of alcoholism, workaholism and lust may not be material, but they are real.

Get More Out of Church: 5 Practical Steps

Do you desire a more meaningful church experience on Sunday?

Vinoth Chandar (cc)

Last week we looked at one way to accomplish that goal. Here are five more ways:

1. Expect to hear from God

Pray that God will send His Spirit and speak to the congregation.

And then expect that He will.

If you don't have faith that God is going to speak to you then why go to church at all?

Jesus says in Matthew 7:7 to “ask, and it shall be given you” (KJV). Ask that God would speak to the congregation and then attend in anticipation.

It may not happen every Sunday, but if you never ask will you ever receive?

2. Get plenty of rest

Getting enough rest helps ensure that you will be engaged in worship and focused during the sermon—not to mention a lot less likely to make a fool of yourself by snoring in church.

The fourth commandment tells us to rest, but if you begin the night before, you will have a better church experience.

Besides that, it will make the next step much easier.

1 Way to Get More Out of Church

Have you ever left a church service and thought to yourself, “Well that was a waste of time”?

I have.

Lest we get confused, this is not a limitation on God’s part. And it is rarely anyone else’s fault either. No, this is on us.

Photo Credit: Chad Kainz (Creative Commons)

So here is one way I have found to help avoid these instances when I feel something is lacking on Sunday:

5 Reasons Sunday Still Matters

A couple years ago, God showed me how important Sunday is.

At my old church, the pastor encourages the congregation to text him questions related to the bible or theology on Sunday mornings. At the end of service he answers as many as he can.

Matt Jiggins (CC)

One Sunday before the service, he asked me if I had a question for him.

I had texted him questions in the past, but I wasn't planning to send him one that day. Yet when he asked, I remembered a question that I had been pondering for a while. So I texted him the following:

Why did Jesus weep at the death of Lazarus if He knew He was going to bring him back to life?

To be honest, I can scarcely even remember how he answered the question. What I do remember is what happened afterward.

Why Sunday Is Not As Important As You Think

Some say the Sabbath is Saturday. Some say it is Sunday. 

Which is it? If we are going to keep it holy, we kind of need to know, right?

The answer, actually, is irrelevant.

A Quick Way to Gain a Deeper Understanding of the Christmas Story

It was if I had never read the Christmas story before.

There on the page of a child's book, the story was totally foreign to me.

That frigid night my son and I sat by the window sill—the cold air bleeding through the panes, doling out goosebumps. With son on my knee, we read through the entire Christmas story culled from all three of the synoptic gospel accounts.

Maybe it was the simplicity of the book or the setting in which we read, but something about those words struck me that night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

Matthew 2:13

You’ve probably read this verse before. I know I had.

And while it might seem like a side note to the story of Christ, it actually holds the key to why Jesus came to earth.

Let me explain.

Should We Buy Things on the Sabbath?

The Fourth Commandment's prohibition against work most assuredly includes commerce.

Selling goods and services for profit is an activity aimed at making money, and Nehemiah warned against this very thing:

I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day. Nehemiah 13:15

In the book of Nehemiah, Israel began rededicating itself to God after exile, and Nehemiah knew the importance of keeping the Sabbath holy. Tempted as the people might have been to make some extra money, he told them to avoid selling food.

Photo Credit: Steve Snodgrass (Creative Commons)

But selling is just one half of commerce. What about buying? I buy things on the Sabbath almost every week. Is that prohibited?

How to Observe the Sabbath and Stop Worrying About Money

I dare you to tell me that the Fourth Commandment—the commandment to “Remember the Sabbath”—has nothing to do with money (Exo. 20:8).

True, you will not find the word “money” anywhere in the passage. But to ignore its financial overtones would be a grave error.

You Might Be Asking the Wrong Question When it Comes to the Sabbath

We know that the Fourth Commandment prohibits working on the Sabbath:

On it you shall not do any work . . . Exodus 20:10b

But what exactly is work?

Photo Courtesy: Kheel Center, Cornell University

If I work in my yard or clean house or cook a meal, is that work? What if I go hiking or jogging?

I have news for you.

We might be asking the wrong questions. Rather than asking, “What is work?” maybe we should ask, “Why am I working?”

How to Prevent Burnout God's Way

You might think the Fourth Commandment is about resting, but you'd be wrong.

Well, half wrong.

The Sabbath commandment is as much (if not more) about work as it is about rest. It admonishes both the sloth and workaholic.

The Ewan (cc)

Throughout my own life I have wavered back and forth through these extremes. I went through pendulum swings of productivity and inaction.

In high school I spent most of my free time playing video games.

As I entered my second semester of college I had transitioned into an almost full-fledged workaholic. I had a couple of part time jobs, was going to school full-time and regularly updated a blog. All the while I was trying to maintain a long distance relationship with my future wife.

Here's One Less Thing to Worry about This Thanksgiving

Driving to work one day, something struck me so poignantly that I nearly had to stop the car.

It was a cool fall morning.

The leaves had turned colors overnight. Light rain gave a welcome reprieve from the dry sizzling summer we had just endured.

I was a bit bleary eyed—not unusual despite the strong cup of black coffee I had swallowed in the moments prior my departure.

I fiddled with the radio, trying to find a station not airing commercials.

A school bus passed by in the voluminous roar of its massive engine. Turning a corner, I headed west only to be struck by the magnificent:

Why Keeping the Sabbath is Easier Than You Think

Keeping the Sabbath is easy:

Go outside, and watch the sunset.

Hold an infant. Pick a flower. Pet a dog.

You see, remembering the Sabbath means reflecting on God’s creation.

Is Working on the Sabbath a Sin?

Working on the Sabbath is not necessarily a sin.

Jesus said so himself.

Photo Credit: Alexander Baxevanis (creative commons)

In response to criticism of His disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath He says:

Haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? Matthew 12:5

How can this be? I thought that priests were holy. How did they desecrate the Sabbath?

Why Throwing Away Your Traditions Is Sometimes the Best Way to Honor God

It was a Sunday afternoon when I received the phone call.

Someone needed help moving.

I remember thinking, But Sunday is my day of rest. If there’s anything I hate more than moving, it is moving on a Sunday. Sundays are when I eat too much and then sleep it off on the couch; they’re not for moving.

Alex Dugger (CC)

I was placing a higher value on my own needs rather than on someone else’s. I had determined that anything I did not want to do was work. And God forbid I work on the Sabbath. 

Literally.

The Pharisees did the same.

Here's Something More Important Than Voting to Do on November 6

It was during quiet time with God that it hit me.

I felt ashamed and embarrassed.

I had let myself once again fall into the divisive trap that is American politics.

Photo credit: Ricardo Fernández (Creative Commons)

You see I am often critical of politicians. I question their words, their motives, their initiatives.

And rightly so in many cases.

But it was in that moment that I felt God asking me, "For all the criticizing that you do, have you taken time to pray for them?"

The truth is, I had not.

I had dehumanized the politicians on the other side of the aisle so that I could demonize them.

But what God reminded me that morning is that these same politicians are real people, made in His image, loved by Him, and in need of a savior.

Just like me.

The 76%

Most of us have already decided who we're going to vote for in the presidential election.

And all of us think we are right (myself included).

But how many of us have taken the time to pray about it?