Avoiding the Snare of Sexual Sin

Sometimes, despite the most compassionate environment, the best teaching and the strongest accountability networks, Christians still find themselves caught up in sinful relationships. This can be especially devastating to a congregation when one of its leaders... an elder or preacher, gets caught in the snare of sexual sin.

The Christian community doesn't always handle the discovery of sin well - especially sexual sin. Too often when someone has confessed sin and repented of it they remain excluded from fellowship, marked as somehow unclean or lacking self-control. That's where restoration comes in. Our desire must always be to see our friends restored to fellowship, encouraged and upheld as they seek to walk in obedience.

It is paramount to remember that the purpose of confronting any kind of sin is always twofold: repentance and restoration. Repentance means coming to our loving Father acknowledging that our deliberate choices to disobey him have violated his trust, and that our rebellion against the family rules has placed a barrier between us and the One who loves us so deeply. We feel the weight of offending our Lord, and so we go to him, confessing our failures and our desire to live otherwise. We ask for and receive God’s generous forgiveness.

Don’t say it can’t happen to you.
While most of us readily nod our heads in agreement, in our hearts we can still live in functional unbelief of this fact. We need to constantly remind ourselves of Paul’s warning to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 10:12... Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. That means it CAN and COULD happen to anyone. We must be vigilant in this area and all others, for the world is broken, our enemy is against us, and our flesh is weak.

Repent of your pride and self-righteousness.
The Bible clearly teaches in Proverbs 16:18... Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Almost everyone I’ve ever known who has fallen into sexual sin believed they never would. So often, it is our pride that allows us to “push the envelope” and think we are the exception to the rule. It is also pride that can keep us from getting the help we need so that we could have avoided this particular fall into sin in the first place. Most affairs don’t begin on a whim. The seeds are sown in soil of an unhappy or tumultuous marriage. Men and women too... if there are currently problems in your marriage, please reach out to someone and deal with them now so that you don’t become a statistic later.

Put all the needed safeguards in place–and keep them there.
Prov. 16:17 says... The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives. All of us know this is true, but are we living as if it is true? We know that we shouldn’t be alone with a member of the opposite sex, but do we keep that rule faithfully? We know we should have working porn filters on our computers, but do we? We can all agree any of our practices can be cumbersome at times, but situations like this remind us that they are more than worth it.

For the sake of the Gospel and the reputation of our churches, heed the warnings today and employ whatever specific practices you need to keep yourself pure and unblemished by sexual sin.

Don’t just have a plurality in place – have one in practice.
Far too many churches have a plurality of elders on paper but, in reality, have a preaching minister surrounded by “yes-men.” This kind of unhealthy leadership system only aids in the winking at and concealing of sexual misconduct.

If you are concerned about a member on your team, even if it is the most senior leader, please have the courage to sound the alarm. Of course, this should be done personally, honorably, and hoping the best for all parties involved, but silence is often exactly what allows deeds done in secret to remain in secret, sometimes for years. Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions. Too much is at stake to hope that sexual sin will somehow fix itself... it won’t and frankly you know it can’t.

Make your wife your partner in purity.
This can be a tricky issue. There is legitimate debate and concern over how “in the loop” one’s wife needs to be in such matters. I personally believer a wife needs to know enough to be prayerful, but not so much that she becomes paranoid.

Practically, this means that your wife needs to know that emotionally needy women are often attracted to pastors and preachers, and those leaders, often don’t recognize the danger right before their eyes. It also means that she needs to know that regular intimacy with her is a helpful practice that can keep you from looking elsewhere. It may also mean that she may periodically check out your phone or Facebook page for anything inappropriate. At a minimum, protecting each other’s integrity should be a topic of regular conversation. If you have nothing to hide or be ashamed of, then openness and transparency won’t be a problem, right? How are you and your wife partnering together for the sake of each other’s purity?

Never forget that we are in a spiritual battle with real winners and losers.
Though we may try to ignore it, we have three very real enemies (the world, the flesh and the devil) who are all more than happy to play their part in helping us flame out of our relationship with God. Satan and the kingdom of darkness are always benefited when a Christian, regardless of position or privileges in the church, goes down in flames because of moral failure. It’s like a “nuclear radiation leak”, it does severe and lasting damage on so many levels all at once. There is a simple “disaster preparedness” exercise that you might find useful in protecting yourself. Try this: Picture what would happen to your wife, your children, and church if you chose pride and pleasure over Jesus in a moment of weakness. You will be jolted to your senses and driven to the Scriptures, the comfort and security of your wife, and trusted accountability partners to help you stay the course of purity. Remind yourself daily of the battle we are fighting.

The Scriptures are explicitly clear – sexual sin is both damaging and deadly to all it affects – especially leaders in the congregation.

For the sake of God who is Holy and your own quest to live holy lives, don’t allow yourself to become a statistic. Pray for those closest to you that they don’t become statistics. Take the steps necessary to walk in integrity. God is with us, available to us, to help us through anything that tempts us... use Him!

Prepare yourself everyday to run your race strong and pure and holy and obedient and righteous for the glory of God and the good of our families, our churches, and to be a shinning witness for Christ to the world around us.  

The Problems of Porn in Relationships

There are many struggles that a Christian will go through in their struggles to live up to God’s standards. Some will fall away because they feel as if they’re giving up too much of the pursuits and practices they’ve come to enjoy.  Even long faithful Christians can become entangled in worldly things to such an extent that they slowly drift away from God and the brotherhood of believers.  Sexual sin is one of those powerful snares that can ruin ones relationship with God.

Christians are not exempt from sexual sin.  If you are one who has fallen into the traps of fornication, adultery, pornography, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, or any other sexual deviation, then you need to stop. Stopping will not be easy to do! You must seek the help of elders in your congregation to help you begin the long and arduous journey of recovery, accountability and learning abstinence. You must confess your sins to the Lord and break off your relationships that lead you or tempt you into repeating such sins.  This may be hard to hear, but it is what is necessary for your eternal welfare.

Pornography in recent years has become a plague on our perceptions of sexuality. It has been allowed to define what is normal and acceptable. Porn addiction is a dark secret among Christian men and women. One that is undermining the cohesiveness of our congregations, our ministries and one’s personal relationship with God. The second being non-existent as long as you allow yourself to be a willing servant of pornography and succumb to all the bad behaviors it can bring into your life.

A new study done by Patrick F. Fagan examines the effects of pornography on individuals, marriage, family and community. Fagan is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Research on Marriage and Religion at the Family Research Council. He specializes in examining the relationships among family, marriage, religion, community, and America's social problems. This study is important for everyone to read as it demonstrates that it has damaging effects on individuals and families. In the summary Fagan explains,

Pornography is a visual representation of sexuality which distorts an individual's concept of the nature of marital relations. This, in turn, alters both sexual attitudes and behaviors. It is a major threat to marriage, to family, to children and to individual happiness. In undermining marriage it is one of the factors in undermining social stability.

Social scientists, clinical psychologists, and biologists have begun to clarify some of the social and psychological effects, and neurologists are beginning to delineate the biological mechanisms through which pornography produces its powerful negative effects.

Some of the findings inside the study include:
Pornography is addictive, and neuroscientists are beginning to map the biological substrate of this addiction.

Users tend to become desensitized to the type of pornography they use, become bored with it, and then seek more perverse forms of pornography.

Married men who are involved in pornography feel less satisfied with their conjugal relations and less emotionally attached to their wives. Wives notice and are upset by the difference.

Pornography use is a pathway to infidelity and divorce, and is frequently a major factor in these family disasters.

Among couples affected by one spouse's addiction, two-thirds experience a loss of interest in sexual intercourse.

Many adolescents who view pornography initially feel shame, diminished self-confidence, and sexual uncertainty, but these feelings quickly shift to unadulterated enjoyment with regular viewing.

The main defenses against pornography are close family life, a good marriage and good relations between parents and children, coupled with deliberate parental monitoring of Internet use. Traditionally, government has kept a tight lid on sexual traffic and businesses, but in matters of pornography that has waned almost completely, except where child pornography is concerned. Given the massive, deleterious individual, marital, family, and social effects of pornography, it is time for citizens, communities, and government to reconsider their laissez-faire approach.

You can (and should) download the study – CLICK here. QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Is your church leadership addressing the issue of pornography? Should it? How should it be done?   You can rest assured that inside your congregation, quite possibly nearly 60 percent of the men, with women not far behind, are engaged in repeated and persistent use of pornography. It’s time to act to turn lives back to a path of purity and holiness before God.

NEXT WEEK’S POST... We’ll dig into porn and how it can so easily ensnare and derail a Christian's walk with God.

NO ONE KNOWS...

Matthew chapter 24 commonly referred to as the Olivet Discourse, has perplexed many interpreters and caused a multitude of speculations, predictions and differing opinions about its meaning. It has in fact spawned entire religious denominations who have constructed fear inspiring end-times predictions around its content.

Jesus speaks the words. What might be the real lesson that He wanted to get across in his dialogue of Matthew 24? It seems reasonable that there are at least two specific intentions: as prophecy, and as a Christian living lesson. Jesus' words are a warning that his disciples, then and now, need to be spiritually ready for His return, because they cannot know exactly when He will return. The parables in Matthew 25 continue to admonish that same theme.

In Matthew 24:36, Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." This is Jesus' plain statement that he himself does not know when the “end of the age” would come. That may seem shocking, since he is the Son of God, the one who is returning, but nonethelessHis words are plainly spoken and clear.

Accepting this point clears up a lot of confusion about His intent of chapter 24. It tells us that Jesus was not meaning to prophesy about the specific time of "the end" or of his return, since he himself did not know when it would be. Matthew 24 was to serve as a lesson in spiritual awareness, alertness, the condition of our hearts and relationship with God. That intent would seem to dampen Matthew 24 as a basis for world events watching, calculating time and arriving at dates for His second coming. He did not mean it to be a "when" prophecy calculator. Jesus could not have been prophesying about when "the end" would happen, because he himself did not know... the day or the hour.

What we see in subsequent history is that Jerusalem has been the focal point of many turbulent events and times. For example, in A.D. 1099, the Christian Crusaders surrounded Jerusalem and massacred all the inhabitants. And during World War I, in 1917, British General Allenby took the city from the Turkish empire. And we are all quite aware of the central role Jerusalem and Judea continue to play in the strife between Jews and Arabs. While this part of the world has certainly been a hot spot of conflict over the centuries, these events in and of themselves have nothing whatsoever to do with “signs” of the end of the age.

To summarize, Jesus told his disciples that the answer to their question about when the end would come was this: "You can't know it, and not even I know it." That seems to be a difficult lesson to learn. After his resurrection, the disciples still pressed Jesus on the matter. They asked: "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). Again, Jesus told them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority" (verse 7).

Despite Jesus' clear teaching, many Christians throughout the centuries have repeated the mistake of the apostles. Many have tried to prognosticate when "the end" would come, and have almost always said it would be "very soon." But history has proven Jesus right and every prognosticator wrong. Quite simply, we cannot know when "the end" will come. Why such leaders as Harold Camping of Family Radio and organizations like the Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t see this, is indeed baffling.

So what are we to do in the meantime, while we await Jesus' return? Jesus gave the answer to his disciples, and it is our answer as well. He said: "Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.... So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (24:42, 44). Keeping watch, being on-guard... these are very different things than predicting a day, a month, or even a year of when Christ will return.

Jesus' message in-a-nut-shell is really simple and easy to understand. The disciples are concerned by Jesus' teaching that the temple buildings will be destroyed. They ask when this will happen, and when "the end" and his "coming" will occur. They were thinking [and hoping] that Jesus would take the mantle of messiahship and inaugurate the kingdom of God in all its power, tossing out the Romans by force of arms and re-establishing the throne of David in Israel.

Jesus warns them against such thinking. There will be a delay before "the end." Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed, but the life of the fledgling church will continue.

Future times will be characterized by violent persecution of his followers and terrible tribulation in Judea. The disciples are shocked at this information. They think the Messiah's disciples will be immediately and eminently victorious, the Promised Land easily conquered and the worship of God restored. What is this talk about the destruction of the temple and the persecution of his followers?

But there is more shocking teaching. The only "sign" that contemporary disciples will have of Jesus coming will be his actual coming... arrival. This "sign" will have no predictive value because it comes too late to matter for those "not prepared" for his second coming.

Jesus' point leads to his discussion that no one can prophesy when "the end" will occur or when he will come. Say it again... not even Jesus knows the time. Only the Father knows. Jesus took advantage of his closest disciples' wrong-headed thinking and turned it into a spiritual lesson.

Some will argue that the wide array of interpretations of Matthew 24 don’t really matter, however that is akin to a false sense of security. Understanding these important teachings of Jesus is critical to our personal salvation. We must watch our doctrine and teach only what the Bible teaches. We must not go beyond reason and logic in our attempts to understand any passage of Scripture. If we do, we will most assuredly end up on the wrong track, with an erroneous understanding of critical aspects of God’s word. We could even find ourselves lured into association with a body of believers who are essentially a false religion.

Like the disciples' who were with Jesus during those intense periods of learning, we today must learn the same lesson he has been offering to all believers throughout the past 2,000 years.

Look forward to the Lord's return... eagerly anticipate it... pray for it... live like He’s coming tomorrow or next week. Live responsibly, faithfully, compassionately, courageously as we await the Master’s return. (24:45-25:46) That was the concern of Jesus at the time of His return... that we be found worthy of salvation, ones who are living holy lives.

"Amen, Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev.22:20).

Why it’s Easier to Continue to Believe a LIE than embrace a TRUTH

How do organizations with a history of making “end of the world” second coming of Christ predictions, all of which have failed, continue to hold on to their followers? Why do such organizations often grow and flourish? Why do intelligent people get caught up, fervently and passionately, in believing such things?

Had you been a follower of Family Radio’s Harold Camping and his “end of the world” predictions, what would you have been thinking after “May 21st” passed with no change? What would you have thought after September-October of 1975 came and went and the battle of Armageddon didn’t happen as fervently predicted by Jehovah’s Witnesses for years? Would you continue to follow such organizations, even though in your mind you know something is seriously flawed in their theology?

Perhaps no other event in the history of a religious group provides as much potential for excitement and disappointment as predicting the end of the world. A prophecy can generate enormous enthusiasm among a groups members as they begin preparations for the paradise to come. In fact such excitement can become infectious, drawing many new members into the fold to await Armageddon.

However, one can also imagine few disappointments as great as the passing of a prophecy unfulfilled. At that point a believer must face the fact that all of the investments and sacrifices made in loyal support of the group may have been for naught.

One of religions greatest strengths is its otherworldliness – the ability for a groups leaders to preach so called truths that cannot be readily disconfirmed. Therein lies prophecy’s potential for excitement and disappointment. A fulfilled prophecy makes real what one had to take on faith. A failed prophecy, on the other hand, demonstrates that ones’s faith was mistaken, misplaced.

While we may be rightly concerned about the impact on the people who follow religious organizations that exist for predicting the second coming of Christ, I am not so sure the followers are suffering all that much. What does it take to be a true believer, a loyal follower of Camping or a Jehovah’s Witness when all they’ve predicted has failed to happen?

Five conditions must be present, if someone is to sustain a fervent belief [and support of leaders] after a failure or disconfirmation of an intricately developed prophecy.

1. A belief must be held with deep conviction and it must have some relevance to action, that is, to what the believer does or how he behaves.

2. The person holding the belief must have committed himself to it; that is, for the sake of his belief, he must have taken some important action that is difficult to undo. In general, the more important such actions are, and the more difficult they are to undo, the greater is the individual's commitment to the belief.

3. The belief must be sufficiently specific and sufficiently concerned with the real world so that events may unequivocally refute the belief.

4. Such undeniable disconfirmatory evidence must occur and must be recognized by the individual holding the belief.

5. The individual believer must have social support. It is unlikely that one isolated believer could withstand the kind of disconfirming evidence that has been specified. If, however, the believer is a member of a group of convinced persons who can support one another, the belief may be maintained and the believers may attempt to proselytize or persuade nonmembers that the belief is correct.

The psychological theory that helps explain human behavior and response to religious organizations that make frequent and repetitive predictions that fail, is know as cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance. Dissonance is defined as a lack of agreement; an inconsistency between the beliefs one holds or between one's actions and one's beliefs. It’s human nature to want to reduce and remove internal [mental] conflicts within our value structures. We do this by changing our attitudes, our beliefs, and trying to harmonize those changes with our decisions, choices and actions.

Dissonance can also be reduced by justifying, blaming, and denying. In the recent case of Harold Camping’s failed May 21st prediction, he himself used a blend of all three by providing a new date to his prediction, clarifying what the first date really was, changing a few of the basics, and continuing on to a new date... October 21st. His followers for the most part, are lining up right behind the new pitch. His followers cannot comfortably exist day-to-day without somehow fixing their mental dissonance, so adapting to the new prediction, clarified prediction and new date seems a reasonable way to achieve mental balance and peace.

However, experience or reality can clash with expectations, hopes and dreams. When people are experiencing cognitive dissonance because of a failed expectation, they will often feel shock, surprise, dread, guilt, anger, and usually embarrassment, especially among family and close friends. People are unwilling to think of their choices as not correct, despite substantial evidence to the contrary. This bias gives dissonance theory its predictive power, shedding light on otherwise puzzling irrational and sometimes destructive behavior.

Smoking is often presented as a classic example of cognitive dissonance because it is almost universally known that cigarettes can cause lung cancer, yet virtually everyone wants to live a long and healthy life. The desire to live a long life is dissonant with the activity of doing something that will most likely shorten one's life. The tension produced by these contradictory ideas can be reduced by quitting smoking, denying the evidence of lung cancer, or justifying one's smoking with a variety of reasons. For example, smokers could rationalize their behavior by concluding that only a few smokers become ill, that it only happens to very heavy smokers, or that if smoking does not kill them, something else will.

Once a person makes a life-changing decision that impacts everything, such as choices made in the context of religion, it is very hard for that person to discard their belief systems. Even in the face of failed prophetic predictions, people will cling to the alterations, modifications, new light and revelation, and special knowledge of the groups leaders as a way of defending their inner self. Dissonance is a threat to the self-concept. The thought, "I am increasing my risk of lung cancer" is dissonant with the self-related belief, "I am a smart, reasonable person who makes good decisions."

The most famous case in the early study of cognitive dissonance was described by in the book When Prophecy Fails. The authors infiltrated a religious cult group that was expecting the imminent end of the world on a certain date. When that prediction failed, the movement did not disintegrate, but instead grew substantially larger. How could that have happened? The true believers, sharing cult beliefs with others, gained acceptance and thus reduced their own dissonance. The more people who embraced the cult’s beliefs, the more inner peace was gained by the founding followers who could self-justify and rationalize that “what we believe must be right because many others are joining us.”

Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to believe the heresies taught to them? Because the organization continues to grow. Why will Harold Camping and the Family Radio Network continue to flourish... for the same reason. Their respective followers will find ways in their own minds to justify their choices and decisions thereby reducing the mental anguish associated with their decisions (dissonance). They will cling to an organization, to the “special knowledge of men,” to dates and predictions, but give little heed to what the Bible clearly teaches.

So what happens when prophecy fails? When you look at the cultic groups throughout history that have formed around leaders who dogmatically proclaimed that The End would come in their own generation, and that they were God’s Mouthpiece to warn the world, you will find a common thread. The group’s leader proclaims that his prophecy didn’t really fail at all. He will adapt and fine-tune the next version of prediction. And he will retain a significant proportion of supporters and probably grow. Why? Because no one wants to admit they have wasted years of their life supporting a failure. Or a charlatan. Or a false prophet.

As we all know, it is often easier to make excuses than it is to change behavior. Dissonance theory leads to the conclusion that humans are frequently rationalizing but not always rational beings, especially in matter of religion... where so much is at stake.

Mr. Camping's Fateful Finger of Fate continues...

Now what will happen?

It’s been 10 days since Harold Camping of the Family Radio empire predicted that the world was going to end on May 21st at 6 pm [time zone irrelevant]. He predicted that on that Saturday the world would see the second coming of Christ and the rapture of some 200 million souls. The rest of earth’s population would be left behind to suffer all manner of horrible demise, culminating in the earth being consumed by fire on October 21st.

Well, we’re all still here, so Mr. Camping’s prediction didn’t turn out as he predicted. So what does Mr. Camping do now? You guessed it... he made a few minor adjustments to his prediction and continues on to a new date for the end of the world.

Here’s the latest on Family Radio evangelist Harold Camping’s “revised” prediction. In a special radio broadcast Monday May 23rd, two days after the failed end, he said his predicted May 21, 2011 Rapture was actually “an invisible judgment day“ where all of humanity were judged by God. He said he had come to understand that May 21st was a spiritual, rather than physical event. He went on to say....

“We had all of our dates correct,” said Camping, clarifying that he now understands that Christ’s May 21st arrival was “an invisible spiritual coming” ushering in the last five months before final judgment is executed and the destruction of earth.

Camping carefully walked listeners through his numerological timeline, insisting that his teaching has not changed and that the world will still end on October 21, 2011. “It won’t be a spiritual coming on October 21st,” Camping said, adding, “the world is going to be destroyed all together... it will be very quick.” Doesn’t he realize Oct. 21st is smack dab in the middle of football season?

Now, just for fun let me toss out a couple of Bible verses that seem to suggest Mr. Camping ain’t no way no how able to make such predictions. First lets look at a passage from the Old Testament... a time when lots of guys were going around making predictions in the “name of God” and getting people all stirred up. In Deuteronomy 18:21-22 we find this advise: “You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him..."

What does that passage say to you? I thinks it simple and straightforward. If someone makes a [false] prophecy – something that doesn’t happen as predicted, and they have claimed to be a prophet of God, which is exactly what Mr. Camping by his audacious predictions and “special knowledge” claims to be... then they are a false prophet and are not to be listened to. Does Mr. Camping set himself up to be the prophet of God? He most certainly does.

Let’s take this reasoning one step further. Consider the blunt words of Matthew 24:36. Please check your Bibles... the words in chapter 24 are in “red” meaning they are the directly spoken words of Jesus, the Messiah; God Incarnate; God the Son, known to mankind as Jesus, the Christ. Here’s what He himself said on the matter Mr. Camping seems to know so much about... “when the end will come.” Matthew 24:36 says... "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Wait a minute... NOT the Son? Only the Father? Wow! The savior of mankind... the central figure in the Bible’s message... the author and perfecter of our faith... the originator of the plan of eternal salvation... He doesn’t know the day or the hour when HE will return... HIS “own” second coming???

The Bible, our only record and authority of what God has done in the past and will do in the future makes it very clear that Harold Camping was and continues to be wrong. His use of numerology to make his predictions is nothing more than fortune-telling which God condemns. Mr. Camping has no special knowledge... no hotline of new prophecy being uttered exclusively to him by God.

I suspect that many of his disciples—some of whom quit jobs, sold homes and took other drastic actions, confident of his prediction—are feeling pretty frustrated right about now. It would be easy enough simply to poke fun at Camping, but I keep thinking of those gullible followers who made life-transforming decisions on the basis of the foolish teachings of their spiritual leader.

What do we learn from all this? For one thing, it is a reminder that "concerning that hour no one knows" regarding the second coming of Christ. Not even Jesus, who is seated next to the Father. Anyone who claims to know and predict such things is either foolish or a premeditated liar.

Situations like Camping’s failed prediction give sincere truth bearing Christians a black- eye. Here’s a "Christian leader" making outlandish assumptions and bringing ridicule to Christian people working hard to save souls and teaching them how to live in anticipation of Christ’s return. What happens as a result of Camping’s goofy stunt? Many in our culture who might have been thinking about their spiritual circumstances, are put off by all the hype and embarrassing failure. Further, along with the help of eager media organizations, Christians are once more viewed as a bunch of crackpots and the “second coming of Christ” is nothing more than a myth.

Lessons to be learned... Be careful what you say publicly, because you carry the reputation of your church and the ministry of Christ in everything you say and do. Your words are powerful.

Finally... this whole episode is a reminder that every spiritual leader—whether an elder-pastor or pulpit preacher or someone in other influencing roles — needs to be accountable to others. We all need others to give us wise counsel, to help us see when we are going off the deep end, into error or frivolity.

The millions of dollars given to Camping’s Family Radio could have been better spent for Kingdom causes such as preaching the gospel to unreached peoples and doing what God expects... caring for those less fortune than ourselves and watching out that we don’t get polluted by false teachings like those of Harold Camping. (James 1:27)

Until next time, when we explore... Why intelligent people get caught up, fervently and passionately, in believing predictions about the end of the world?



Unleashing the Heart of God in YOU!

Even though tithing isn’t a major New Testament emphasis, the Bible actually says a lot about giving. The very heart of God is about giving because He is a God of love. He gave the greatest gift ever given to fallen man in a sin filled world.... "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

If as Christians, we are to enjoy a rich and vibrant relationship with God, growing in Christlikeness, we must have a heart of love, a giving heart, just as He did. If we have a heart of love we will also have a heart for giving. "He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses." (Proverbs 28:27) "let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need." (Ephesians 4:28)

The Apostle Paul said that the churches of Macedonia gave beyond what they could really afford to give because they first gave their heart to the Lord. "For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we had hoped, but first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God." (2 Corinthians 8:3-5)

So what does all this Biblical admonition look like in action, in the context of giving in the modern church experience?

No one can tell you what to give, not even God. However, God hopes that by His great love sacrifices for you, you will develop the heart He wants you to have with a generous spirit of giving, one that will become a natural and sustaining part of your life in Christ.

Reasonably, we should give first at least a tithe to the congregation where we are regularly fed spiritually. After that we should feel motivated to give beyond the administration of our local assembly, to those opportunities, situations and needs that God lays on our heart. I know there is a teaching out there that is believed by many Christians that says, since we are not under “law” that we do not have to give a tithe. They teach that since we are now under “grace” we can give anything we want. However, this is not the teaching of the Word of God.

We need to understand that giving of at least a tithe was started by God and nurtured in the hearts of believers long before the law was ever given. Abraham gave a tithe in Genesis and this is confirmed in Hebrews. He gave because he wanted to give back to God a “little” that had been given to him. "Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most high. And he blessed him and said: 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.' And he gave him a tithe of all." (Genesis 14:18-20)

Jacob lived before Moses and the law, and he gave a tithe of all he had. "And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You." (Genesis 28:22) So at least a tithe becomes our starting point.

Understanding the principle of tithing and giving is not a matter of law, it’s a critical cornerstone of our expressive love for God. We need to constantly refresh our minds with God’s views on tithing and giving and the consequences of being stingy with what already belongs to Him. Remember Malachi 3:8-11 where God says: "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings, you are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation...” These curses and blessings concerning tithing and giving were not just given to ancient Israel... they’ve applied to all believers through the ages. In Proverbs 3:9-10 there is another guiding principle for every believer... "Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine." Maybe you don’t have a barn or wine vats to fill, but I think you get the idea of what God is telling us.

Jesus also included the warning that we should not brag to others about our giving. "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory form men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." (Matthew 6:1-4)

You probably know well the story of the “widow's mite” of which Jesus spoke about... "Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." (Mark 12:41-44) Can you relate to what this widow did? Most of us can not. God wants sacrificial giving. Everything we have is from Him to begin with. God loves for us to step out in faith and trust Him with our giving. This is the avenue by which He will reward us abundantly.

Giving is not really giving unless it is sacrificial. Remember the little boy who gave up his lunch to Jesus, and how Jesus feed more than five thousand people with that small bit of food given sacrificially. (Read John 6:5-13) It does not matter how little we have to give, we need to be willing to give it, and God will bless others and ourselves for "sacrificing."

We are to give with joy. "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7) Cheerful in the Greek language is hilaros (hil-ar-oss); It means to be willing, good-natured, joyfully, ready. The word describes a spirit of enjoyment in giving that sweeps away all restraints. The English word "hilarious" is a transliteration.

How important is giving? Your eternal salvation depends on developing and manifesting a life-long heart of giving. there is no way around this expectation that god has of those who claim to be His followers.

There will come a time when all people will be shown to be true believers by their giving. Notice what Jesus says in Matthew 25:31-46.... When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the king will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'”

What a grim warning! The passage goes on to say that those that did not give when they saw those in need were not His sheep and destined for everlasting banishment. Strong language indeed, but explicit of the way God feels about giving. Cain said to God, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9) The answer is obviously, "Yes we are!

Jesus illustrated this with the story of the Good Samaritan. "And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' He said to him, 'What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?' So he answered and said, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.' And He said to him, 'You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.' But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' Then Jesus answered and said: 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave then to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you. So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? And he said, 'He who showed mercy on him.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:25-37)

There is so much more that can be said about this subject of giving, but I would like to close out this discussion with these reminders... Jesus said that He would reward us if we even give a cup of cold water. (Matthew 10:42) God is watching our every action, and He knows our every motive. He wants us to give, because He is a giving God. "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this... to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27)

The Fickle Finger of Fate

Tomorrow, May 21, 2011 the world as we know it is supposed to come to an end. It’s been predicted, that the Lord Jesus Christ will return sometime around sundown Jerusalem time, gather up His flock and usher in a new heavens and new earth.

It won’t happen. As Sunday May 22nd dawns around the world in all time zones, life will be continuing... there will be no evidence that Christ returned or the world had come to an end.

The fellow responsible for this most recent “end of the world” prediction is pictured here, Harold Camping, with his fickle finger pointing upward, no doubt pontificating about the fate of the world. He’s been doing this for a long time. His first failed prediction came in September 1994... he sort of apologized but kept right on working his predictive schemes. I think he’s obsessed with trying to nail down the exact day and time of Christ’s return.

If Mr, Camping were speaking from any normal pulpit, it would be easy to dismiss him as just another half-baked religious eccentric wrongly predicting the apocalypse. But this fellow has access to an audience that far exceeds the normal pulpit. Every day Mr Camping, an 89-year-old former civil engineer, speaks to his followers via the Family Radio Network, a religious broadcasting organization funded entirely by donations from [scared] listeners. Through the generosity of his [gullible] listeners his network now owns 66 radio stations in the US alone with assets in excess of $120 million. So, by way of this elderly man's ubiquity on America's airwaves and billboards, his unlikely Doomsday message is almost impossible to miss. The “prediction business” seems to be a cash cow for his little empire.

He claims to be a biblical scholar, at least one who knows scripture. But he’s really not a scholar at all. He’s a numerologist. Camping sees patterns in numbers “hidden” in the Bible that he believes unlock prophecy and by this “special knowledge” he’s able to predict the world’s end.

Would you like to know how he came up with his prediction? I thought you would. Take a look at the essence of his calculation that led to tomorrow’s date of May 21, 2011...

First the basics of his numerological formula: the number Five (5), Camping says, equals "atonement." the number Ten (10) represents "completeness." The number Seventeen (17) means "heaven." So here’s how he reached his conclusion for the May 21, 2011 prediction:

Christ hung on the cross April 1, 33 A.D. He then leaps forward to April 1 of 2011 A.D., he does a subtraction of 2011 minus 33 which equals 1,978 years.

Camping then multiplied 1,978 by 365.2422 days - the number of days in each solar year, not to be confused with a calendar year.

Next, Camping says that April 1 to May 21 encompasses 51 days. So he adds 51 to the sum of the previous multiplication total, and it equals 722,500.

Camping then concluded that (5 x 10 x 17) x (5 x 10 x 17) = 722,500. Or put into words: (Atonement x Completeness x Heaven), squared.

Did you figure out how his calculations worked out to 5.21.2011? Neither did I. It’s not my intent to be insulting [oh yes it is] but his calculations are just plain goofy. The Bible does not have hidden codes or numerological calculations that must be uncovered to reveal future events. If he’s really read his Bible, the same Bible I’ve read numerous times, he would know that!

I have to illustrate how this sort of predictive goofiness works. You can use numbers to prove anything if you have an agenda that demands a certain outcome. Let me show you how easy this can be done. You can decide the formula and assign values. I worked the following out myself so the math is very simple and it works! Here goes...

First, let me establish the following numerical assumptions and toss out a few Bible verse to give you the impression it’s all Biblically sound:


Number One (1) is the number that represents unity: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Ephesians 4:5... "one Lord, one faith, one baptism."


The number Three (3) is the number that represents divine perfection: The Trinity consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; Three bear witness (1 John 5:8).

Now comes the stretching and reaching... Let’s consider the Three appearances of Christ past, present, future; Let’s consider both the Tabernacle and the Temple because they consisted of three parts: The Court, The Holy place, The Sanctuary.

Okay, here comes the “divine math”...

1(Father) 1(Son) 1(Holy Spirit), 111, x 3 (this is the number of divine perfection, "and these three are one") = 333, the trinity. Let’s “Double” that number... to greatly increase our assurance that this is in fact established by God and will shortly come to pass. I’ll use Genesis 41:32 to support this assertion, flimsy as it is. Doubling it equals 666. Wow... isn’t that the mark of the beast? Yikes!

This numerological calculation, of course incredibly Biblically sound and proven by hidden codes [NOT], has just proved that the Beast of Revelation is in fact the Truine God!

Anything else you would like me “prove” for you?

Here’s the rock-solid facts: God’s Word of Truth is available to all, not just those who seem to think by some special skill or knowledge they can crack some non-existent numerical code hidden in the biblical text. There’s a harmful elitism and mysticism in saying we need some sort of special knowledge to understand part of God’s message to us. God warns that He has hidden things from the wise and revealed them to babes (Luke 10:21). “Babes” is a metaphor for the innocent and honest of heart who seek to know God and His truths.

We can certainly find useful and helpful mathematical references in the Bible to help us understand certain aspects of God’s message to us. That being said, we MUST never use math in attempts to unlock so-called unrevealed mysteries of the Bible. God has given us Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit, not numerology or hidden codes, to help us understand His Word. Such attempts in using numerology to predict what can’t be predicted are hated by God and place those who put their faith in such things in a tenuous position, as His Word has clearly told us... He practiced divination and magic and consulted fortune-tellers and mediums. He sinned greatly against the Lord and stirred up his anger. (2 Kings 21.6 and 2 Chronicles 33.6). (Read also Samuel 28.3-25). I make fools of fortune-tellers and frustrate the predictions of astrologers. The words of the wise I refute and show that their wisdom is foolishness (Isaiah 44.25).

So what about old Harold Camping? Will he be shamed and embarrassed and say "I was wrong" about his failed prediction of Christ’s return on May 21? Probably not. Nor will he make amends or refunds to the thousands of people who believed his predictions, sold all their possessions and gave his radio empire their life savings.

An untold number of people have tried to predict the Lord's return by using elaborate calculations, what they believe are “end-time signs” and various time tables. They can’t no way, no how, begin to predict what only God the Father knows. THIS is what the BIBLE says regarding knowing dates and predicting the return of Christ... "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36) He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. (Acts 1:7)

Of one thing I am convinced... whether today, tomorrow, next month or next year, this sort of thing will happen again and again. People will continue to believe the misleading nonsense of men who know nothing of God’s time table... nothing more than you do.

READ your Bible with an open mind and seeking heart and you will understand “how to live your life” ready and prepared for Christ’s return... whenever He comes.