Isn't It the Same God?

 Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?

Are Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?

They all respect the Bible. They talk about God and Jesus just like Evangelicals do, so aren’t we basically on the same page?

    That’s religion’s claim and it’s growing in popularity. But it’s an old lie with a new facelift. Instead of crashing the car, Satan simply adds water to the gasoline. It’s easier to eradicate Christianity by watering it down than by waging a frontal attack. So he convinces professing Christians that sincerity is all that matters and they become his best evangelists. After all, don’t all roads lead to the same place?

    Jesus already answered those questions with a single statement: “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” (John 5:23) If we don’t honor Jesus as Savior, Lord, and God, we do not know God. Period. Because Jesus IS God. To cancel His eternal nature is to distort the character of the God we profess.

    When we revere books written by men who declared messages contrary to the Bible, when we add or leave out words so the Bible says what we’ve decided it should say, we make Jesus less than He is and that dishonors the Father. Jesus is who He is: the eternal Son of God. We don’t get to redefine Him. He said that He came to earth to show people what God is like. He paid for our forgiveness with His own blood. Because of that truth, God declares, “This is my Son. Listen to Him” (Luke 9:35).

If a person or a religion does not honor Jesus Christ as equal with God,

they cannot come into the Father’s presence.

Who Are You REALLY?

    As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs. This man had been living in the tombs and could no longer be restrained, even with chains. (Mark 5:2-3)

    Earned reputations are hard to overcome. Maybe you were “the rebel,” “the slut,” or “the dropout.” He was “the crazy man.” Everyone knew about him. It was humiliating. He’d lived for years in the cemetery, naked and self-harming. People giggled and pointed. They talked about him but not to him. Then he met Jesus and everything changed. Naturally, he begged, “Take me with you!” But Jesus said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you…” (Mark 5:19)

    It’s easy to impress people who don’t know us. We can talk a great game, flit about with our noses in the air, but not when there are people who can point and say, “We know who you really are.” Even after we meet Jesus, it’s tempting to want to move to another planet and start over. But it’s with our own people that we prove ourselves.

    A consistent life change gets their attention. “Whaddya mean you don’t drink anymore? You don’t party? You don’t sleep around? You stopped cussing? You read the Bible? Sure. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

    And there is our mission field. The space between our verbal witness and our consistent witness is our real testimony. If Jesus has saved you, go home to your own people and prove it.

Our real testimony is found in the space between what we say we are

and what we show ourselves to be.

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Deconversion's Roots

    You’d have to be oblivious not to notice the mass exodus from Christianity taking place in the last couple of decades, especially in the last couple of years. People who once claimed to hold faith dear are walking away. But the trend is not as random as it may appear. There is an interesting similarity that defines a huge majority of defectors.

    If you follow the root of many so-called “deconversions,” there is often a common seed: aberrant sexuality. Self-proclaimed “followers of Jesus” run face-first into a “Thou shalt not” that challenges them at their secret core. And they have a decision to make, one with eternal consequences. But when the flesh is screaming for what it wants, eternity seems a small price to pay.

    Many simply rewrite the Bible to include their particular vice, but the rest stare at the clear instruction and argue: “You mean to live as a Christian, I can’t spouse-swap? I can’t live in sexual immorality with my latest squeeze? But I’m same-sex attracted. I’m gender-confused. I have a stronger sex drive than my spouse. I want to play the field. I want to experiment. I'm bored…” So they wrestle with their options, sweat it out in prayer, and when God does not relent, they walk away from Him.

    It’s nothing new. It’s the same lie Eve believed in the Garden: “Has God said…? But you have a right to do what you want.” And because that lie was so effective then, the Serpent has continued to use it, modernizing it to fit the times.

    The god of this generation is sex, so he exploits those lusts as far as they will go. But lust doesn’t have a satiation point. It’s never quite enough. It’s never dark enough, dirty enough, exciting enough, fulfilling enough. It must go darker, more perverted, riskier to bring the same thrill. It’s a sip of water that promises a pool just ahead. And by the time the pool becomes a mirage, it’s too late.

    The only safety harness for any of us who want to be faithful to the end is found in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ…” Unless we continually crucify those lusts that demand more and more, any of us could easily become the next "deconversion story."

    So the next time you hear of another professing Christian walking away from Christ, start digging. Trace the root. You may find the same old seed.

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Stuck in a Category You Don't Want

 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, (Moses) killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.    

Exodus 2:12

 

You’ve had it up to here and now you have a chance to even the score. So with one impulsive act, you seize the moment and cross a line. You can hardly believe what you just did, but hopefully, no one saw. Maybe it will all go away. No arrest warrants. No angry spouse. No financial ruin. But it doesn’t go away and from that moment on, defines everything you do, every breath you breathe. 

So it was with Moses. One impulsive act that seemed justified in the moment became the defining factor of his life. That’s how sin works. It slips in clothed in justifications, then shakes off the camouflage and sets out to destroy you.

 Moses did what we usually do when we realize we’re in a different category than the one we wanted. He ran. Instead of “prince” he became “fugitive.” Instead of “adopted royalty” he was a nobody. Maybe you’ve been there. Instead of future valedictorian, you became a pot head. Instead of beloved son or daughter, you became the black sheep. One bad choice is all it takes to catapult us into a category we never wanted: ex-con, sex offender, alcoholic, cheater… Satan whispers that we’re stuck there. “That’s who you are now,” he hisses. “Accept it and live like it.” 

But Jesus came to be a category-buster. Moses’ story reminds us that no one has to be stuck in a past mistake. God isn’t finished with our story if we’re willing to do it His way.

 Challenge: Do you feel stuck in a category you never wanted? Ask Jesus to be your category buster and do it His way.

 Prayer: Father, you know the mistakes of my past that have dogged me for years. I don’t want to be stuck there. That’s not who I have to be, so I’m willing to do whatever you say to bust out of it. Lead on and I’ll follow. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Favoritism Hurts

 When (Joseph’s) brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him… 

Genesis 37:4

 

Betrayal often begins through no fault of our own. We may think things are fine, but a storm is brewing in the heart of someone else. Joseph, young and inexperienced, had no idea how his father’s favoritism affected his older brothers. Jealousy united them until little bro was the most hated member of the family. When jealousy takes over, it’s easy to justify evil. “They deserve it,” we fume. “Who do they think they are?” Jealousy decides it’s our duty to cut the favorite down to size. That attitude can snowball, as it did with Joseph’s brothers, and lead to darker places than we ever intended to go, including betrayal.

 When Judy’s well-deserved promotion was given to Terry, she began to hate her coworker. Terry had done nothing wrong, but Judy justified her hateful attitude and doctored the books to get Judy fired. Sally grew up knowing she was not the favorite. She wore hand-me-downs while her older siblings dressed in designer fashions. She internalized the message that she was inferior and spent years in prison and rehabs, letting their wrongs ruin what could have been a successful life. Joseph’s story is a grim reminder that favoritism is a breeding ground for betrayal. Even when we feel overlooked or underappreciated, it helps to remember that God sees. He knows. The favoritism of others does not have to destroy all the good God intends for our lives.

Challenge: If you’ve been the victim of favoritism, remember that God doesn’t see you that way. You’re valuable to Him.

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Lead Me to the Rock

 From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.    Psalm 61:2

                            

Murky darkness blanketed the city. For miles on either side, cars inched through fog, drivers straining to see six inches past their hoods. The ditches were packed with vehicles that missed a turn or crashed in the gloom. Trying to move forward while enveloped in fog was dangerous or nearly impossible. 

Above the fog, clear skies promised a beautiful day. However, only the drivers headed up the mountain would see it. The rest would continue to struggle in a sea of other confused drivers. Some cursed the fog while others the rammed vehicles in front of them, none imagining there was any way out.

Every one of us has been stalled in a thick fog like that. Fears and tragedies swirl around us, blinding us to anything but Satan’s prophecies: “You’re going down this time,” comes a voice from the mist. “You’re such a failure even God is done with you. This will never get better.” We feel we’re at the ends of the earth: Where is God? Does He see this? Does He care? We inch through the darkness searching for relief. Some find alcohol, some pills or sex or gambling, but those only make the darkness thicker. 

This Psalm is a flashlight, pointing us toward real help. When we head for the Rock, a high place where fog dissipates, we start to see clearer. We reach for His hand. “Lead me out,” we cry. “Help me see this the way you do.” And as we allow God to pull us into His perspective, we realize that only from the Rock can we see hope on the other side

                                Where do you run when your heart is faint?

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Clandestine

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   

Ephesians 6:12

 In a bottomless cavern near the center of the earth, a meeting was in progress. Creatures seen only in nightmares were gathered before a monster so hideous he often frightened himself. Principalis had once been beautiful and that knowledge was a dagger that twisted at every glimpse of his reflection. Pain fueled his rage, but it was this legendary rage that had earned his title as prince of North America. His appearance was intended to terrify, but it was his voice that sizzled. Like water droplets hitting hot grease, his voice pierced the toughest armor and branded the ears of any who heard it. 

“It’s as we thought,” he snarled. “The Bright One has plans to demolish our empire. Call your forces. Call your chiefs. Call the powers, authorities, rulers…I want them all on this. He cannot have my town. It’s MY empire. My right to deceive and destroy if I wish. This is war.”

 A universe away, light sparkled and danced like a billion electrical charges, illuminating another meeting in progress. “So everyone is clear on the Master’s instruction?” The voice came from a majestic creature that resembled a bronze sculpture. His booming voice conveyed unquestioned authority. Head nods rippled around the room from a throng of creatures that would be frightening if they didn’t radiate with a power so great it made the air sizzle. Yet, it was power under command. Controlled and decisive, these were not beings to be trifled with.

“Our new assignment is a city owned by the Evil One,” Dre announced. An enemy stronghold, it’s ruled by Principalis himself. But the LORD wants it back. The enemy will not go easily, so this will require sacrifice. But we meet his evil with the power of Almighty Adonai. “Yes!” came the shouts. “Victory to our God!”

 

Check out Clandestine by Lea Ann McCombs. Available on Amazon or at the CP merch table.