The Manhattan Declaration

“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”  Psalm 11:3

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil...”  Isaiah 5:20

Have you heard of the Manhattan Declaration?  It has been around for awhile, but I’m afraid not very many Christians are aware of it.  But it could be one of the most important documents produced by the American church, in our lifetime.  It is a united Christian proclamation put together by a collaborative effort of every branch of the American Church; Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox, and signed by over 140 leaders from every branch of Christianity.

The Manhattan Declaration (Released November 20, 2009) is a wake-up call—a call to conscience—for the church. It is also crystal-clear message to civil authorities that we will not, under any circumstances, stand idly by as our religious freedom comes under assault.

The Declaration begins by reminding readers that for over 2,000 years, Christians have borne witness to the truths of their faith. This witness has taken various forms—proclamation, seeking justice, resisting tyranny, and reaching out to the poor, oppressed, and suffering.  Having reminded readers about why and how Christians have spoken out in the past, the Declaration then turns to what especially troubles us today—the threats to the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and religious freedom.

The Declaration isn’t a partisan statement. It acknowledges that since Roe v. Wade, “elected officials and appointees of both major political parties have been complicit in giving legal sanction to the ‘Culture of Death.’”  The result of this bipartisan complicity is an increasingly prevalent belief that “lives that are imperfect, immature, or inconvenient are discardable.” This lethal logic produces such evils as euthanasia and the “industrial mass production of human embryos to be killed” for their stem cells.

The response to this kind of assault on the sanctity of human life requires what the Manhattan Declaration calls the “gospel of costly grace.” This starts with the willingness to put aside our comfort and serve those whom the broader culture would deem outside the scope of its concern and legal protection.  The cost may be even higher. Christians may have to choose between the demands of what St. Augustine called the “City of Man” and the “City of God”—which, for the Christian, is really no choice at all.

This kind of principled non-cooperation with “secular left” won’t be easy—there are signs of a reduced tolerance for that most basic of American values, religious freedom; Christian organizations are losing tax-exempt status for refusing to buy in to homosexual “marriage.”  Some are going out of business rather than cave into immoral demands—such as placing children for adoption with homosexual couples. Conscientious medical personnel are being sued or fired for obeying their consciences.

Enough is enough. The Church must take a stand. And with the release of the Manhattan Declaration, that’s exactly what we are doing.  Check out the entire Declaration www.manhattandeclaration.org.

Thousands of people are logging on to read and sign the document.

When you sign this document you are telling the world that you stand for the sanctity of life and traditional marriage—and that you cherish your God-given freedom. 

May the Lord Bless us as we take this stand,

Pastor Roger

Adapted from an article by Chuck Colson, at www.breakpoint.org.

ALERT: DO AMERICAN CHURCHES CARE ABOUT THE PERSECTION OF CHRISTIAN WORLD WIDE?

Our 24/7 news cycle is consumed these days with American politicians sparring over the debt ceiling and the implementation of President Obama’s controversial healthcare plan, both important debates to be sure. Meanwhile, the tragic fact that followers of Jesus Christ are being targeted and slaughtered across the globe is given scant attention.

We learned recently of the horrific attack against a Pakistani church by Muslim extremists that killed 85. In Kenya, the jihadists that attacked an upscale mall in Nairobi reportedly killed hostages that couldn’t recite the Koran. Christian pastors in Iran are being jailed and Indian Christians endure violence, imprisonments and even death,

Physical attacks against Christians appear to be on the rise around the world, and yet both the American media – and all too many American Christians themselves – seem to be setting their sights elsewhere. It’s not that we don’t care, it would just appear that we care more about other issues.

Not surprisingly, I’m deeply concerned at this prospect, as I imagine many of you are, too. But why do we find ourselves in this difficult spot? For several reasons, I think.

First, the ease and access of global communication alerts us to these atrocities more quickly than ever. What once took days to reach us now takes seconds via social media. The filter of traditional media is gone. A tiny camera on one smartphone is all it takes to expose the violence of a despot or mob a half a world away. As a result, there seems to be an inordinate amount of bad news to process lately, both domestically and internationally. I think many of us become paralyzed under its weight. We feel helpless. We’re here and they’re there – and so what can we possibly do about it? Unfortunately, many of us tune out, I think, as a means to cope with the sorrow and sadness.

But I wonder if behind the American Christian’s disconnect with the plight of our brothers and sisters across the globe is also an ignorance of historical Christendom itself. Could it be that we’ve become so comfortable with the freedom we have to worship in the United States that we too easily dismiss the violence against Christians elsewhere as something of an anomaly? To do so is a grave mistake.

Dating back to the early Church, Christians have been the victims of regular and repeated persecution. From the Emperor Nero in the first century to Diocletian and Galerius in the third and fourth, right up to modern-day oppression in communist countries and Bashar al-Assad in Syria, millions upon millions of believers throughout history have died for espousing a belief that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world.

According to Pew Research, the growth of Islam and Islamic-led governments in the Middle East and North Africa has led to a steep decline in the numbers of Christians in those regions, from 9.5 percent of the population just a few generations ago to just 3.8 percent in 2010.

This is not to say that Christianity is dying. The fact is, the Gospel is a force that cannot be stopped. But it would seem a wise and worthy endeavor if Christians in the U.S. would commit to praying earnestly for those sisters and brothers in harm’s way elsewhere. We need to ask the Lord to soften our hearts to the plight of the persecuted church.

Voice of the Martyrs, Christian Freedom International and Freedom House are three organizations that can help you stay connected with our brothers and sisters living through unspeakable hardships for the sake of the Gospel.  I encourage you to connect with them through social media so you can get periodic updates that will prompt you to take a minute and pray.

By lifting up this important issue and encouraging believers to “pray without ceasing,” we unleash God’s power.  Prayer is effective. Prayer is the answer.

"Lord, I ask you to pour out your grace, strength, and mercy upon our brothers and sisters across the globe who are suffering in your name. Amen."  From http://community.focusonthefamily.com.

In Jesus Name
Roger

THE IMPORTANCE OF SMALL GROUPS

The Small Group is the prime platform for establishing and instilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission that Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:18-20 and Matthew 22:36-40. 

Matthew 28:18-20
¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  
Matthew 22:36-40 
³⁶ "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
³⁷ Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

The Small Group is also the vehicle with which to develop and experience authentic relationships and growing discipleship. This builds a Church of authentic community, poured out to His precepts and being in relational intimacy and fullness in Him. 

This is what we are called to emulate from our Lord. Because people will be learning and growing, they will move from personal agendas and pride to growth and service to our Lord. This produces a supportive environment that has love and care, hospitality, and the Spirit impacting the people. This will then foster the engagement of the community and world for the Gospel.

The Great Commission says, "Go and make disciples!"  Small Groups is where the real making of disciples takes place. 

Making Disciples for Jesus,
Roger 

Adapted from an article found at http://www.discipleshiptools.org/pages.asp?pageid=60405

ADVERSITY AND HUMILITY

“The Lord your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. ¹¹ The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, ¹² be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.”  - Deuteronomy 6:10-12 (NLT)

How do you deal with adversity?  How do you deal with the problems and pains of this life?  In his book, The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, He speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. Pain is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

As we address the problem of pain, we also need to talk about the problem of prosperity.  Prosperity brings responsibility, because we are not owners; we are stewards.  Everything God gives to us is a gift, and we will be held accountable for what we do with the resources He has made available to us.  Therefore, as a follower of Jesus Christ, we need to always remember that in all things, we are always dependent upon God.

When life gets really hard and adversity hits, we pray. We become very dependent upon God —and so we should.  But, on the other hand, when life is going reasonably well, we tend to forget about God and prayer.

When the terrorists attacked New York City on 9-11-2001, and 3,000 Americans were killed in one day, the following day churches were filled to overflowing with people seeking God, and lifting up prayers.  But only a short time later attendance was back to normal. 

The psalmist wrote, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word” (Ps. 119:67).

Adversity wakes us up and keeps us humble, while prosperity can make us proud and self-sufficient. We tend to forget about God when we are in good health, have lots of credit cards, or a bank account full of money.  But when the economy goes south or the doctor has bad news, we turn to God, because we are reminded of what really matters.

It’s hard to thank the LORD for adversity in our lives.  We never say to God, “Thanks for making me sick” or “I’m sure glad I lost all that money, I really needed that.”  No, of course we don’t respond that way.  But on the other hand, God is in control, and we need to humbly remember that in the face of hardship, trials and difficulties, God is allowing us the opportunity to depend on Him more. And in the process, we actually get to KNOW Him better.

May the LORD bless you abundantly, but may you always remember where the blessings came from.

Yours in Christ,

Roger

Why We Need the Church

This article was originally written by Greg Laurie of Harvest Church in Riverside, CA.  A very poinient message for the day and age we live in when so many people think church is irrelevant.
The following is from Greg...

I read an article that actually says going to church is good for your health. Among other things, the article revealed that people who had heart surgery and drew comfort from their faith and their church had a higher rate of survival. People who go to church have lower blood pressure than those who don’t. 

People with faith who attend church regularly experience less depression than non-churchgoers. And suicide is four times higher among those who don’t attend church than among those who do.

These are fringe benefits of going to church. The real reason we should come together in worship is because God works in a unique and powerful way when His people gather together in his name. It is in church that we refocus and learn and grow. It is in church where we help one another and use the gifts that God has given to us. 

The church exists for three reasons: for the glorification of God, for the edification of the saints and for the evangelization of the world. And Jesus loves the church.

I bring this up because there are some Christians today who say things like, “Well, I love the Lord. I just don’t love the church.”

Sorry. That is impossible. The apostle John wrote, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too” (1 John 5:1 nlt).

When I become friends with someone, I become friends with their kids, too. If I love them, my love extends to their family. And their kids become like nieces and nephews to me. In the same way, when we love God, we will love his children also. And if you don’t love his children, one has to question how much you really love God.

It is popular today to criticize the church. But understand this: When you criticize the church, you are speaking critically of someone Jesus loves. 

The best way to offend me is to insult my wife. You might walk up and say, “Greg, I disagree with this, and I disagree with that.” I have had people do that, and I am willing to talk with them about those things. On the other hand, if someone comes up and insults my wife, that is a different matter altogether. I would take that personally, as any loving husband would.

The church is the bride of Christ. The church belongs to him, and he loves her. The apostle Paul used that analogy, saying, “Husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her” (Ephesians 5:25 nlt).

Some people claim to be Christians, but they don’t attend church. However, a true Christian should long to be with God’s people.

Some claim they don’t go to church because they haven’t found one they like yet. But here is what the Bible says to believers: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24–25).

Notice this doesn’t say, “Let us not give up meeting together, unless, of course, Sunday is your only day off … or if you have a triathlon … or if it is a great beach day. Then you are excused, because you don’t really need fellowship as much as other Christians do.” No, if you love God, then you will love his people – and love being around them.

And if you don’t love being around the people of God, then are you really a Christian? The Bible asks the question, “For if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” (1 John 4:20 nlt).

I think someone’s desire for fellowship with other Christians can be a barometer of their love for God. The more someone loves God, the more he or she will love to be in the church – a part of the church, loving the church. The less someone loves God, the less he or she will want to be around other Christians.

Some may say, “Yeah, but I am so over the church. The church is so critical and judgmental. It is so full of hypocrites.” To those who say the church is full of hypocrites, I say, well then, come on. There is always room for one more.

I am not excusing hypocrisy. The church has its flaws, because it is made up of people like me – and people like you. However, Jesus started the church. He loves the church. And He died for the church.

To me, a lack of fellowship with other believers is a sure sign of someone who is starting to lose ground spiritually. In the Christian life, we are either moving forward or moving backward. It is either progression or regression.

There is no standing still. So if someone is suddenly withdrawing from church, backing off from reading the Bible, and has an almost nonexistent prayer life, they are regressing, whether they want to admit it or not.

Backsliding always begins with relaxing your grip on that which you need before taking hold of that which will destroy you. So when someone says, “I am just too busy for church,” or “I don’t have time,” or “There are other things I need to do,” that to me is an indication that something is wrong spiritually.

And it trickles down to the next generation. A study revealed that when parents attend church regularly, 72 percent of their children will remain faithful in their church attendance.

So be a part of the church. Stop critiquing it. Stop maligning it. Don’t be a church connoisseur. Be a church family member. And then watch how things will change for you.
So,make sure you go to Church this Sunday!

I agree wholeheartedly with Pastor Greg.  I hope you will consider going to church this Sunday, and if you come to Myrtle Point Christian Church you just might discover that our church is NOT one of those judgmental, stuffy churches.  We are just ordinary people who love God, and love other people with the passionate, unconditional love of Jesus. Come try it out this week, I think you might be surprised.

God Bless, Roger

Is There Really Just One Way?

I would like to share with you an article I was reading on another website written by Sean McDowell.
Sean McDowell says: “We can’t change how everyone thinks. But we can change us. And that’s the opportunity for the church in the midst of pluralism.” 

I’m asked the question all the time: How can Jesus be the only way?  It’s a universal question that comes from Christians and non-Christians alike. And it’s a question for which we have to have a clear answer—shared with the right motive—because the answer is the foundation of our faith.

NEW TWISTS ON AN OLD QUESTION

Pluralism and competing religious ideas have been a problem for the Christian church since its inception. People wouldn’t have had a problem with Christianity if early Christians had just said, “We follow Jesus, one god among many.” But Christians were persecuted and killed because they took seriously the Scriptures and the words of Jesus that He is the only truth, the only way to get to heaven.

Although it’s not a new question, the state of our culture and technology today inject new nuances into it. With travel increasing in the 20th century and the growth of the Internet in the last decade, every person has access to every religion and worldview imaginable. And immigration brings radically different people groups and religions around us.

In our multicultural society that emphasizes political correctness, the prevailing opinion is that telling other people what they should believe is wrong. It strikes non-Christians and some Christians as arrogant for Christians to claim there is only one way to God. Just because people don’t believe like us, we’re condemning them to hell? The idea of seemingly nice, kind, good people with different belief systems being separated from God strikes people as profoundly unfair.

TRUTH MATTERS

Nevertheless, the belief in the uniqueness of Jesus is important. As James Emery White says in Christ Among the Dragons, this is the core of Christianity. Jesus claimed to be the universal truth and the only way to get to God. We cannot have a Christian faith without sticking to the core of Jesus’ identity. If we don’t know what it means that Jesus claimed to be the only way, the only truth and the only life, we could be giving up what Christianity itself really stands for.

If I view Jesus as just one way to get to God, why am I going to stand up when I’m persecuted? Why am I going to try to share my faith with other people? Why am I going to try to live boldly for my faith, if Jesus is just my way that works for me, as opposed to being the objectively true way that applies to everybody whether they accept it or not? This is not merely a theoretical or philosophical exercise. The Sept. 27, 2010, issue of Newsweek cited the statistic that 80 percent of Americans believe people of other religions can get to heaven. But at least 100 verses in the New Testament either directly or indirectly state that Jesus is the only way.

How do we respond?

TWO MISTAKES AND A BETTER WAY

People tend to make two mistakes in their reactions to this issue. One is to adapt to culture and capitulate to the opinion that Jesus is true for us, but we don’t want to judge anybody else. The other way is to withdraw from culture and become isolated in a Christian subculture so separated from the world that we cease to be salt and light. By improving our understanding in three areas, we can find a better way.

The Need for Theology. Christians become more accepting of the ways of the world as we become less astute theologically. I’ve found in dealing with Christians that questions about the perceived unfairness of other religions not getting to heaven tend to wane when people really understand the truths of Christianity—how corrupt human nature is apart from Jesus, why we need Him, why Jesus died upon the cross and what He actually accomplished on the cross.

The Nature of Truth. In our secular culture, we tend to think of science, math and maybe history as objective, fact-based categories, but religion and morality as subjective categories. That’s why people say, “ Christianity may be true for you, but I have a different truth.” That thinking infiltrates our churches. We have to clarify that when it comes to Christianity, we’re dealing with objective truths about the world that either Jesus was God or He wasn’t. Either the Bible is true or it isn’t.

The Necessity to Engage. The local church also needs simply to get out there and engage people of other religions. People in our neighborhoods. People in the work place. Sometimes that may be a specific evangelism effort. Most often it’s simply building relationships with people, listening to them, trying to understand them. In doing so, we earn the right to be heard, and what we say is more specifically tailored to their need.

THE QUESTION I ASK MYSELF

We have an opportunity as Christians to dig deep and really ask ourselves, “What motivates us?” The only way to counter the prevalent impression that Christians are arrogant and bigoted is to be truly motivated by love. Of course, we can’t change how everyone thinks. But we can change us. And that’s the opportunity for the church in the midst of pluralism. It’s the opportunity to bring us back to how Jesus really treated people, the way He listened to people, the way He loved them for who they were with a self-sacrificing love—living and sharing His truth in the process. Imagine the impact if we did the same!

As an author, speaker and educator, Sean McDowell is passionate about apologetics—knowing what we believe and how to articulate it persuasively and compassionately. Among the books he has authored or co-authored: the apologetics guidebook, GodQuest: 6 Signposts for Your Spiritual Journey (with Stan Jantz).

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2011 issue of Outreach magazine.

The Hesed Love Of God

Each and every day, as we walk the life of a Christian, the love of God should take central stage, but do we really have a grasp on what that means?

The love of God seems to be an endless debate, especially in recent days. I’ve heard the arguments, listened as many re-cast the love of God in terms of human understanding. Only, the reality is that this love is demonstrated in a way we would least expect.

God’s love is displayed in the way He allowed the brutal murder of His only Son. God’s love shines in sacrifice and blood and death. God’s love isn’t some human, fluffy romance novel, feel good, self-serving emotion. In contrast, the love of God is passion that engages justice, requires holiness and lays down its very life to provide us with a choice, the opportunity for salvation.

God’s love is bound up in the message of the cross. By pouring His love into the cross God hides His love from those who would reject His reign.

In Matthew 9:13 Jesus said, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ ” And in Matthew 12:7, Jesus told the Pharisees “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”

In these two verses Jesus is quoting from Hosea 6:6 where God says, "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice. And acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."

The Hebrew word used for mercy in this verse is “Hesed”. God says, "I desire hesed."

Books have been written on the meaning of Hesed and when we read the word mercy we don’t even scratch the surface of what Jesus is trying to say. I can’t begin to do justice to the term in this one blog post, but consider the implications.

Michael Card says, “'Hesed' is a Hebrew word that describes the indescribable, that defines the un-definable. Put simply, hesed is the defining characteristic of God in the Old Testament."

Hesed is connected with grace, mercy, truth and the covenant keeping love of God. Hesed is personal and relational. And most of all, hesed is the love of God reflected in terms of covenant. The hesed love of God for His people is all about them living under His reign.

The hesed love of God is about the people of God living under His reign.

Isn’t this what the cross was all about? The kingdom of God came to earth. Jesus died, was buried and rose again so we could find forgiveness and the invitation to enter into a new kingdom, rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the Son.

So that we could find salvation in an everlasting covenant. So that we could live under the perfect reign of a loving God.

This hesed love of God is reflected when people love Him, serve Him, seek to be like Him and give Him thanks while living under His rule. It is mercy. It is Grace. It is Relationship.

The love of God is the cross of Christ transforming lives. This is how we practice the meaning of the Christian life. We live the hesed love of God, making the invisible kingdom of God visible. Jesus told us to learn what this means, and to practice this truth with our lives.

I desire hesed, not religion.

May the loving-kindness of God be expressed in your life today and always as you come in contact with those around you. Then you will truly be revealing the love of God in the World!

God Bless
Roger

(the idea for this article came from "Sojourner's Journey", April 13, 2011)