A lot of people ask me “hey, what was that song you guys played yesterday”? Starting today and coming every Sunday I will take a minute and let you know what we played, who recorded it, and even what we are listening to for the future.
Sunday, July 19
TODAY IS THE DAY - LINCOLN BREWSTER
LET US RISE - SARAH REEVES
HEAR US FROM HEAVEN - JARED ANDERSON
GLORIOUS - CHRIS TOMLIN
You'll Come - Hillsong United
The scripture most used in the “don’t judge me” discussion is Matthew 7. It starts out emphatic enough in verse 1 where Jesus says “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” If you stop there our discussion would be over, but it continues. Let’s look at the verses following verse 1.
2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
3“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?
5“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
When read in context what Jesus appears to be giving is a prescription on how to judge, not a proclamation not to judge. After all is not judging necessary in order to help our brother grow? The don’t judge me crowd says mind your own business, the Biblical standard here is make sure you are taking care of your own business as you get into that of your brothers.
Jesus is making sure that He addresses the religious leaders of the day that loved to put burdens and rules on everyone but themselves. They lived with a condemning attitude toward others. Why did they do this? It is psych 101. They did it to inflate their self image. The best way to look better yourself is to push someone else down. Jesus, the perfect Son Of God is basically saying “you really want to go there?” Here is the prescription that I see being spelled out in this passage by Christ.
1. You better be careful.
2. If you have a judgmental attitude toward others it is going to come back on you!
3. Look at yourself and your own failings before you take on the failings of others.
4. Humble self-evaluation, repentance, and understanding of grace will allow you to effectively help your brother with his failings.
Remember! It is not that we should not judge, it is that we should be very careful of how we do it and make sure we have taken a hard look at our own life before we attempt to crawl into the lives of others.
Tomorrow… The do’s and dont’s of judging. The apostle Paul speaks to this debate.
We live in a culture today that is all about tolerance and acceptance. I get it, in fact I endorse it and so does the Bible. However, in the noble quest to respect one another I am afraid that we have fallen prey to an idea which many find Biblical, that I would suggest may actually not be in the Bible. Since this is one of these cautionary subjects, let’s take a minute to pray for God’s wisdom and discernment before we go on.
No! I am serious. I am not writing and you should not be reading until you pray for God’s guidance here!
Ok, Now we are ready to move forward.
Don’t judge me! Who are you to be my critic! Judge not lest YOU be judged!
I LOVE THIS! It gives me a bit of a free pass. It is self protection, it helps support my self-esteem, and it sounds so right. On top of everything, I can find scripture to bolster my self indulgent theology. But what if this thinking is flawed?
What if in an attempt to avoid confrontation, to protect egos, to establish a mind your own business quid pro quo, we actually hurt one another and allow sin to go unchecked? Could it be that a lack of “judgment” is causing a “whatever works for you is fine withe me” mentality in the Body of Christ?
Next up….
We will look (in context, what a unique idea) at the scripture so often used as a pillar of support of “don’t judge me” thinking.
Hey everyone,
I ran across this young lady in Rock Hill, SC who makes bow ties from regular ties. I hear great things and the price ($23) is unreal! You just pick one from her store or send her a regular tie and she will convert it. Here is her info. http://elliesbowties.com
By the way, her husband is a minister in Rock Hill and I have talked to her about possibly having a trunk show in Columbia sometime late this fall, just in time for Christmas!
If you need to know how to tie a bow tie, check out the video, brought to us by Ellie’s husband!
50 years ago today in Tuscaloosa Alabama, Pat and Henry Turner had a son they named Steve. Little did they know what an adventure they would be on with this little boy. After all these years I am even more in awe of my parents and the love and leadership that they invested in me. I know I was a handful. I was ADD before ADD was in vogue. My teachers called it a lack of focus and discipline. I called it boredom. One wise teacher, name not remembered, suggested I keep workbooks and Weekly Reader Book Club books under my desk for those “unfocused” times. She was brilliant! Not only did I stay out of everyone’s hair, and in the second grade I do mean literally out of people’s hair (mostly the girl that sat in front of me), but I progressed faster and faster in my learning because of her idea. I am sure glad the drug option did not exist back then!
Fifth grade brought eyeglasses and along with it the terror of being “four eyes” not to mention the change in schools that brought sheer terror. I coped by becoming the class clown and taking very seriously the need to win in all things competitive so as to prove myself worthy of my friends. In middle and high school I honed these skills and found that humor and athleticism were pretty good magnets for the ladies. It wasn’t the “I want him to be my boyfriend” magnet, but more the ” he is a nice guy to hang out with when I am not in a relationship” magnet. Yeah, I was that guy!
I also was always in church! I am from the era where you measured your spirituality by how many hours you actually spent each week under the steeple. A given Sunday for me was…. 9am Arrive at church, 9:45 Sunday School, 11am Worship, 3pm Hand bell Choir (yes you read right), 4pm youth ensemble, 5pm youth choir, 6pm church training, 7pm evening worship, 8pm youth fellowship at Shoney’s. Today people would think “you must be crazy” but I honestly am thankful now for every minute and every activity. Norman Chase introduced me to the music ministry during “youth week” at church, I learned how to read music in choir, hand bells and church orchestra, and I became a religious rebel singing a “rock” musical in church in the mid 70′s called “Come Together”.
1977 took me off to college and my first ministry position as minister of music at First Baptist Church, Woodbury TN. Thank you to that brave bunch who took on a then seventeen year old as their music minister. Then it was on to Salem Baptist Church as minister of music and youth, followed by Powell’s Chapel Baptist in the same position. My journey into full-time ministry began as I served the incredible people at Belle Aire Baptist Church as their college minister and music minister. I am blessed now by being a part of the Shandon Baptist family where I have been for the past eleven years, and this month marks the end of 32 years in ministry for the Lord.
I was married to my adorable wife at age 20 in May of 1980 and two years later took on the parenting of her twin brothers, Donny and Tommy,who were both thirteen at the time. I worked at a bank, was part owner of a computer dealership, and spent close to a decade at Apple Computer. in 1984 my beautiful daughter Kristin was born 9 weeks early at a whopping 2 pounds and two years later we welcomed our wonderful son Ryne into the world. WOW what blessings I have been given!
Along the way was joy and heartache, trials and tribulations, extreme highs and devastating lows. All used by the Father to mold me, teach me, and make me into the 50 year old I am today. I still have a way to travel, many lessons yet to be learned, lots of rough edges needing to be sanded down and polished smooth. I am not a finished product yet but the Master is still at work. I have learned to take off my masks, be honest about my shortcomings, and understand that I am dirt made holy by the grace of a great God because of the sacrifice of His only Son.
At 50 I realize the journey is just beginning. I think my best days are yet to come and I know the final outcome will be worth it all! To all of you who have been a part of my journey, I humbly thank you! You are my teachers, my mentors, my inspiration and my adrenaline. You spur me on to greater things, keep me grounded in reality, and make me strive to become better when it would be easy to say I have gone far enough.
Wherever the next years lead, may I remain faithful to the call and the example you have set for me, but most importantly may I continue pursuing the leadership of the One who made it all possible!
As I begin this journey with you on this blog, I want to head down some paths that may be sticky. I think they are conversations that we must have about subjects that need to be put on the table. I approach each of these with prayer, Biblical study and thought, and humility. I know that we will not all have the same opinions on these subjects but I just ask that you consider the arguments made and let them stir in your heart and mind. I do not want to debate these issues, I just want to throw some ideas out there for all of us to think about. Not everyone may want to read these posts so I have developed an easy way for you to know when it is coming. Anytime you see the caution symbol above, you know a touchy area is to follow. All I ask is that you do the same thing before you read them as I do before I write them. Pray for wisdom, guidance, humility, and most of all love.
Remember… Iron shapens Iron and conflict is the pathway for growth!
A lot of you may be wondering why I shaved my goatee. After all, most of you who are reading this have never known me without it. Here is my top 10 list for why I took the razor to the chin!
1. It’s hot in July!
2. Loreal has discontinued my “dark ash brown” hair color.
3. David Crowder was going to sue.
4. Ice cream cones and a goatee are a bad combination.
5. It was a slow news day.
6. Trying to pull off the whole Benjamin Button thing!
7. I accidentally bought a self-propelled Fusion razor.
8. Didn’t think Dawn having an easy to grab handle on my face was a good idea!
9. The people in the witness protection plan told me to do it
10. It’s an Old Testament thing.
This week has been very puzzling for me. As I watched clips from the funeral services of Michael Jackson and Steve McNair, I was struck by the disconnect from reality that many people had toward these famous celebs. I heard over and over about how Heaven was a better place because of these men and how they were now either singing for God or throwing passes on the heavenly field.
Now I do not know whether or not these guys had a personal relationship with Christ, but let’s be clear here. Unless they were saved by grace through their faith in Christ, they are NOT in Heaven, they are not enjoying a glorious moment with the Father, and they are not in peace. We need to understand that we cannot wish people into Heaven. Charity toward others will not get you there. Being a creative music genius will not get you there. Only faith in Christ will get you there.
Make sure that your life is found in Him and Him alone. Many of us all put our hope in things that do not matter. Whether it is church, religion, or good works, none of them provide salvation. Just as fame is a phony security blanket, so is spirituality without Christ.
Where is your hope found?
