It was like a dagger through my heart. The call was from my daughter who informed me that my oldest granddaughter was in jail on drug charges. This was not the first time—it was just another time. How many times would there be? I had never visited her when she was in jail before and didn’t intend to this time either.

In response, I almost screamed into the phone, “I think it is time for some tough love. Let her sit it out. It will maybe do her some good. Give her time to think for a change.” My daughter’s response surprised me and made me think. “Dad, I don’t have any throwaway children!”

I would later come to realize that my daughter’s reaction was also God’s reaction when Adam and Eve disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden and partook of the forbidden fruit at the serpent’s suggestion. God could have just returned them to dust from which they were made. But He did not set that example for us to follow. He had given them the ability to choose to follow His directions or that of the serpent. But when they failed, He continued to love them and even made clothing for them to cover their nakedness.

Although He did punish Adam and Eve and send them from their paradise, God still loved them and sat out to bring them home to Him again. He spared no effort or time in doing so either. Throughout the Old Testament God constantly worked to get mankind to follow His commandments. He finally sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to provide the ultimate sacrifice for all of mankind.

Sometimes it would be so much easier to just throw some individuals away than to suffer the disappointment and heartache that God’s way provides. So as I pondered my own earthly father’s reaction to my behavior as a young man, I realized that there were times when perhaps I could have been thrown away, disinherited, disowned or written off as hopeless. But my earthly father continued to love me and provide for me.

So it was with my heavenly Father. Hadn’t I once been a servant of God but listened to Satan’s lies and turned my back on Him. Hadn’t I disobeyed God many times, yet God had never given up hope and sent the Good Shepherd to rescue me.

Now I realize that God’s way was the way to deal with my wayward granddaughter. Although the way has not been easy, today she is gainfully employed, has two beautiful sons, and is drug free.

Do you have any “throwaways”? Have you given up hope? Although continuing to give love to a wayward child is difficult, it is amazing what God’s way can do with prayer and faith. Jesus Himself challenges us to provide that special love that comes from Him in John 14:32-36. Tough love is really loving when it is tough to do.

John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com

The Purpose of Bible Study

February 9, 2010

Recently I read that the goal of studying the Bible is personal application. I could not agree more;however, it is so easy just to read the words without concentrating on how to apply them in our own lives.

The Purpose of Bible StudyIt is of questionable value to just read the Bible if we are not going to apply its teachings to our lives. I Corinthians 10:11 says that “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.” It would seem then that we should seek to apply what has been written to our daily lives.

After we have repented of our sins, accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, and confessed Him with our mouths (Rom 10:9), we should make the study of the Bible a regular part of our lives. Only as we apply its teachings and allow Christ to live out His life in us are we able to do as Jesus commanded. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34, 35). In John 14:15 He gives further instruction as to the importance of applying His teachings to our daily lives.

No matter which book of the Bible you choose to start studying, perhaps you may want to join a Bible study group near you. I can assure you that you will find it beneficial to your growth as a Christian.

One of my favorite books is Proverbs. I find it chuck full of wisdom that still needs to be applied to our daily lives in this 21st century. Its principles were echoed by Christ himself throughout the gospels. Its words are often like a two edged sword; however, there are also many nuggets of humor to lighten it so that it is not too heavy. Proverbs 30:33 is an excellent example of this humor.

John welcomes your comments either below or email him directly at john@faithrescued.com

Billy Graham – Most Influential Preacher

February 9, 2010

The Rev. Billy Graham, crusading Evangelist, climaxed his tour of New England with a mass rally on historic Boston Common on April 23, 1950. Some 50,000 persons attended the event."

Billy Graham, whose crusade in Los Angeles in 1949 vaulted him into the public square, is far and away the top living preacher that has most influenced Protestant pastors, according to a recent survey by LifeWay Research.

In telephone interviews conducted in November 2009, Protestant pastors were asked to “name the top three living Christian preachers that most influence you.” Twenty-one percent of pastors surveyed said Graham – that’s nearly three times the number who named Charles R. Swindoll, prominent pastor, author and host of the radio Bible-teaching ministry Insight for Living.

Graham, who served as pastor early in his ministry, has led major evangelistic campaigns around the world, authored 27 books and counseled many U.S. presidents. His appeal to both religious and secular audiences is evidenced by the wide range of organizations that have honored him, including the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and the George Washington Carver Memorial Institute.

While Graham’s position at the top may have been expected, the list as a whole was a bit surprising for its lack of diversity, according to Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. “Considering our sample includes liberal and conservative, all races and ethnicities, mainline and evangelical, we were surprised that the list looked like mainstream Christian radio and publishing and was not more representative,” he said. “Of course, the majority who answer drive the final numbers, but I was expecting more diversity in the responses.”

Rounding out the top 10, after Graham and Swindoll, were:

- Charles Stanley, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, and founder of In Touch Ministries.

- Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and author of the best-selling book, “The Purpose-Driven Life.”

- John MacArthur, pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif., and president and featured teacher of the Grace to You ministry.

- Barbara Brown Taylor, religion teacher at Piedmont College in northeast Georgia and author of 12 books including “An Altar in the World.”

- David Jeremiah, founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego County, Calif.

- Max Lucado, minister of writing and preaching at the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, and the recipient of three Christian Book of the Year awards.

- John Piper, pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and author of more than 30 books, including “Desiring God.”

- Andy Stanley, senior pastor of North Point Community Church, Buckhead Church, and Browns Bridge Community Church – all in the Atlanta area – and founder of North Point Ministries.

“Studies like these can help us see who is shaping the thinking of Protestant pastors today,” said Stetzer. “Since survey participants are not picking from a predetermined list, the people named must be widely known. Knowing who is shaping Protestant thinking shows us what type of direction to expect from the nation’s pastors.”

Participants in the survey also were asked to “name the top three living Christian leaders that most influence you.” Graham again topped the list, but other names emerged as well, including James Dobson and Desmond Tutu. For complete results, and for more information on the survey, visit LifeWayResearch.com.

LifeWay Research conducted a telephone survey among a random sample of 1,002 Protestant pastors Nov. 5-12, 2009. The sample provides 95 percent confidence that the sampling error does not exceed +3.1 percent. Usable responses to the open- ended question about Christian preachers were received from 868 pastors. Usable responses to the open-ended question about Christian leaders were received from 765 pastors.

Share Jesus Without Fear

February 8, 2010

from Lifeway
Biblical Solutions for Life

In recent years, the Share Jesus without Fear book and its growing family of ancillary products have sparked a faith-sharing movement that continues to gain momentum.

It began with the jaw-dropping story of William Fay, once a money-driven businessman with Mafia ties who ran a house of prostitution until it was raided by police. Facing the threat of jail time, Fay turned to Jesus Christ for redemption and ever since has been turning others to Him as well.

Now featuring a fresh new cover design, Share Jesus without Fear relays Fay’s passionate, effective instructions on how to share the love of Christ with anyone–without feeling intimidated on either side of the conversation. Bold and joyful, the outreach movement continues without fear.

You can order a copy of this book  here

Be Careful of Oprah’s Spiritual Teachings

February 1, 2010

Apologists Josh McDowell (sitting) and Dave Sterrett (standing) explain to audience members why Christians should be careful when listening to Oprah Winfrey's spiritual teachings at an event hosted by McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Va., on Friday, January 22, 2010 (Photo: Peter Rice)

To a crowd of more than 1,500 people at McLean Bible Church outside of Washington, D.C,. on Friday evening, renowned apologist Josh McDowell and up-and-coming apologist Dave Sterrett explained the danger of adopting Oprah’s spiritual teachings from a Christian perspective.

They pointed out that the talk show queen and the spiritual teachers she promotes teach pantheism – God is all and all is God – and that there are multiple paths to reach God. She also emphasizes that people should carry out their inner longings instead of restraining themselves if the act is said to be a sin by the Bible.

“Here is where you got to be careful,” emphasized McDowell. “Not only Oprah but others use Christian or religious terminologies that Christians would accept as Christian.”

“The Christian God is a personal creator God which all truth resides, who is totally outside of ourselves and outside of our universe,” explained the best-selling author of More Than a Carpenter. “When Oprah and others refer to God, it is an impersonal force. And I think one way that comes out is that they will say, ‘Look within you and find yourself from within. Find that God-consciousness. That is God.’”

In their book, “O” God: A Dialogue on Truth and Oprah’s Spirituality, the apologists warn that Oprah “uses the language of the Bible and Christian traditions” but mixes that with other traditions to “create a hodgepodge of personalized faith.”

They point out in their book that Oprah, during her first A New Earth Web seminar on March 3, 2008, told participants that Christ came to show people that they can discover their own “Christ-consciousness.”

One of the main characters in the book, Lindsey, who is struggling to make sense of Christianity and Oprah’s spirituality, says at one point:

“Maybe Jesus was no more God than you and I are. Maybe we’re all just part of the UltimateBeing that we call God or Universal Energy or that Eckhart (Tolle) calls Consciousness. Eckhart (author of Oprah Book Club’s pick A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose) doesn’t feel that it is arrogant for me to say, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.’ If Jesus said it, why can’t I?”

But McDowell warned Friday that reliance on this inner consciousness is dangerous because it can justify sin since people should follow what they feel rather than an absolute Truth.

McDowell recalled an episode on an Oprah Winfrey Show last year where former evangelical leader Ted Haggard, who was involved in a gay sex and drug scandal, and his wife Gayle were guests. Gayle said that her husband has struggled with homosexuality since he was 12 years old and that he is trying hard to bring the desires under control and defeat it.

Oprah reacted by standing up and saying she disagrees and that one needs to look within oneself, to find the inner longings and live them out in order to be authentic.

“But wait just a minute,” the respected apologist cautioned. “What if he was a child abuser? Would Oprah say the same thing? To be consistent she has to. What if he was a rapist? She would have to say the same thing.”

McDowell and Sterrett, through examples of what Oprah teaches about spirituality, demonstrate that she cannot be consistent with her belief.

The apologists also addressed the opinion of Oprah and others who subscribe to religious pluralism – which says multiple religions, often contradicting, are equally true – saying that Christians are intolerant for saying Jesus is the only way. The apologists pointed out that people who say they cannot tolerate people who say Jesus is the only way are in fact showing they are intolerant with that statement. If they were as open-minded as they claim, the authors argued, they would tolerate people who disagree with them.

“I am not called in the Bible to be tolerant,” McDowell declared emphatically. “I am not. I refuse to be tolerant. I think it demeans people. I am not called to be tolerant; I am called to be loving. I am not called to tolerate people; I am called to love people.

“When you tolerate someone, it demeans them,” McDowell continued. “When you love someone, it projects value, dignity and worth in that person. As Christians we are called to not only love one another, we are called to love the ungodly.”

McDowell’s strong message about Christians not being called to be tolerant but to love resonated with attendee Denise Wingerd, 30, of Reston Bible Church.

“It clicked with me when he said Christians shouldn’t be tolerant,” Wingerd said to The Christian Post after the event. “The Christ standard is to love; to love those who persecute you. That is way above tolerance,” she said.

Wingerd said she used to watch the Oprah Winfrey Show until a “defining moment” made her decide to stop. On one episode, Oprah congratulated a guest for divorcing his wife and leaving his family after coming out that he is gay. Oprah had told the guest it was time to celebrate that he is now his best self.

“I thought to myself, this woman does not deserve my attention,” Wingerd said.

Meanwhile, Melanie McFarland, 29, a member of McLean Bible Church, appreciated McDowell’s argument that if people followed Oprah’s teaching on acting on their inner longings then child-abuse and rape would be acceptable.

“You can rationalize everything in the world,” McFarland said. “He (McDowell) opened my eyes.”

She added, “I don’t watch Oprah but it’s just amazing people take her word and don’t look for the truth.”

“O” God: A Dialogue on Truth on Oprah’s Spirituality is written as a fictional Socratic dialogue where the reader feels he/she is sitting at the table with the characters discussing and comparing Christianity with pantheism and the spiritual teachings promoted by Oprah and her teachers. The book contains many exact quotes from Oprah and the authors she promotes on their views of spirituality.

Included in the back of the book are discussion questions that can serve as a guide in conversations about Oprah’s spirituality in community groups, book clubs, and Sunday school Bible classes.

For the complete story including pictures and videos visit The Christian Post