Sunday, April 18, 2010

You Ca'nt Ad-lib Shakespeare( Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Listen to what I'm fixin to tell ya)

The News has recently come out that Christian singer Jennifer Knapp has come out as a Lesbian.She continues to sing songs about her faith in Jesus. She and other Christian musicians say that "same sex" sexual relationships are completely compatible with being a follower of Jesus- that the Bible does not forbid such relationships. As you might guess- I disagree- This is My response :



In High School I did a little acting.. I was mostly a music guy.. but I was blessed to be involved in some of the joint efforts of the music and drama departments... we had a blast.. I remember being in "A Mid-Summer Night's Dream".. One of the actors- a very talented actor named Steve was caught trying to do the un-thinkable during rehearsal .. He was on a roll... he spoke his lines perfectly and clearly... and then.. it happened... he started making up his own lines... - immediately a loud booming voice came from somewhere in the dark... " Mr. Whitney... you can't do THAT.... You ca'nt AD-LIB Shakespeare... this is not a soap opera... it just does'nt work with THIS- you ca'nt make it up as you go along".. well... Steve worked a little harder on the script and did a wonderful job... I think about that day... when all of us were given that warning...." you ca'nt make it up as you go along"... it's true- we HAVE to follow the SCRIPT... if we do'nt, it changes everything... the entire production becomes something it was never meant to be. It's like quoting lines from" Lil Abner" while you are doing " Death Of Salesman" - Daisy May winds up being Willy Loman's mistress- we KNOW it was'nt her... SHE doesnt BELONG there....







All of us that follow the Nazarene have a "Script" of sorts... IT tells us HOW to "ACT" it tells us what kind of "lines" belong in this play... what fits.... whats out of place... it tells us the "roles" that we are to play... and HOW to play them..- but these are troubled days, many who claim allegiance to the Messiah are deviating from the script, they've ignored the directions... the roles that are clearly defined are being mocked and forsaken... " Sorry God, I know you wanted me to "play" it THAT way... but I have a better Idea... right here... yes- there on page 37... where it says that "Man shall leave His Father and His mother, and cleave unto His WIFE, and they shall become ONE FLESH".. yes.. there.. well... I am gonna ad-lib.. I am going to make it up as we go along...I know that ALL throughout the script, this relationship is emphasized, the UNION between male and female is exclusively spelled out as being the ultimate picture of Jesus and His bride -the Church.... but do'nt ya know that me and some of the other actors have looked at the script and... we think that when YOU wrote this play, you REALLY didnt mean what SOME people say you meant.. I mean- after all... the parts of the play about Loving others, not judging, giving to others, ... .. well those parts are EASY to understand- thats all pretty clear- we know what they mean.. but where you talk about how that the sexual relationship is supposed to be exclusively between ONE woman and One man in the marriage relationship???? well...... we ca'nt REALLY trust THAT interpretation can we???? We wanna ad-lib.. nope.. more than that we wanna change the "play" into something else.... and we are going to shout it out loud so that all will know it.. we do'nt like the roles you have given us.. and do'nt say that we"protesteth too much"- we are just following our feelings....






Ok Guys let's try again from Scene three-


" Juliet, Juliet- Lady Montangue says that your eyes are like doves, she requests that you come and be her life companion and live in her castle - She will play love songs to you upon the Lyre!!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

THERE'S WAY TOO MUCH CONTEMN'N AND NEGLECT'N GOIN' ON OUT THERE!



Hey yall! Greetings from the sunny south-land! The air is thick with pollen, the fields have been plowed, and the mailbox is gettin' full!!! Yep.. it's time when LOTS of folks are sending out those support letters so that we can "partner " with them on summer mission trips! It's encouraging to see SO many followers of Christ wanting to go and tell others the GREAT news of the GOSPEL... I am blessed to contribute so that others can go forth and make disciples... that IS what it is all about. remember the words of Jesus?" Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;and lo I am with you always,even to the end of the age"- Matthew 28:19,20... We call this " The Great Commission" and thats the reason we GO in HIS name... but notice something with me.. He DID NOT say" Go and share the Gospel message and ask people to say a prayer asking Jesus "into their Heart"( by the Way, that phrase is NOT in the BIBLE), He did NOT SAY, " Go and Pass out Gospel Tracts", NOPE.. He said go and make DISCIPLES! A "Disciple" is properly defined as a Follower- Learner.... so How do you MAKE DISCIPLES??? In Matthew 28:19,20 Jesus tells us!! Now our Pastor friends who have studied GREEK will tell us that the ORIGINAL GREEK of the GREAT COMMISSION conveys this IDEA- " Go and Make disciples, this is how to make disiples: BAPTIZE and TEACH".... thats what Jesus commanded .. yep he told us HOW to do it.. is'nt interesting that Jesus though so HIGHLY of Baptism that he INCLUDED IT in the Great Commission??? It must be a BIG deal to Jesus!!... but it's not such a big deal to some of us.. After all- some of us go out on mission trips, we share the Gospel, ask people to trust in Christ alone for salvation.. then we leave... we think NOTHING of their need to receive baptism, the sign and seal of the covenant of Grace! We need to go and share the Gospel, -we need to work with local Gospel preaching churches ; making sure that those who respond to the call of the Gospel are baptised and taught the Scriptures... Remember that in the NEW TESTAMENT , when someone believed in JESUS they were immediately baptized along with their HOUSEHOLD( sorry my Baptist friends, I could'nt resist- love ya:)... NO Church in the Area?? well.. we should start one..when we take Baptism seriously , we will do this... but first we must begin with OUR OWN CHURCH- we do NOT really believe that Baptism is a big deal.. and we show it in many ways... we send out people to share the Gospel who have NEVER been baptized.. oh yes.. they believe in Christ.. but we have let them down because we have not taught them the importance of this sacrament( for my Baptist friends- this ordinance)..We have people TEACHING and leading others in the Church who have NEVER been baptized.. it's not so important to us... and thats a shame... The Westminster Confession of Faith says this about Baptism:" although it be a GREAT SIN to CONTEMN( despise) or NEGLECT this Ordinance , yet Grace and salvation are not so inseperably annexed unto it as that no person can be regenerated or saved with out it, or that all that are baptised are undoubtedly regenerated".. In OTHER words.. baptism doesnt SAVE you... You can be saved with out being Baptised, all those baptized are not necessarily BELIEVERS- ALL that is TRUE... but look at the first part....- a GREAT SIN to contemn or neglect..!!!???.. as for me.. I think there's way too much contemn'n and neglect'n going on out there! Shalom Yall...