The Great Illusion

As I listen to the potential candidates for President this coming year I filter what I hear through my Christian World View.   I can’t help but wonder if the people hearing them understand what is being said.   The upcoming presidential election is not solely about economics.  It’s not a choice between economic issues and social issues.  It’s a false understanding of what is happening if you think this is so.  America’s social and economic issues are inter-connected.  American cannot have a healthy economy with without strong moral values.  Consider what happens when the family breaks down; when the traditional marriage unit disintegrates and more single parents struggle to provide for their children, relying on public assistance and putting further strain on our economy.  It only makes sense.

How about abortion?  52 million lives that have ended since the legalization of abortion. These babies could have been consumers, producers, and inventors in our society. In essence, abortion has eliminated key players in our national economy.

What about education?  Schools are affected by moral conditions and values; our founding fathers knew that education with strong moral values and virtues was important.  Without moral values the educational system will break down. How can you teach children wisdom, truth, and integrity of life outside of a God centered environment?  What will the teacher teach, and what will the children learn as the foundation of life?  If you don’t connect the facts to the Author of facts then what foundation can you build on?  The whole system will eventually crumble…

The issue is not the economy; it is a strong moral foundation.  The great illusion and myth that it’s possible to have a strong economy that is free of moral values is just that – a MYTH!  It won’t work, and God will not bless our economy as He has in the past.   This election is more than just the economy.  More than just “It’s not fair” and who pays more in taxes. There simply is not enough money generated from the energy output of people who are wandering aimlessly through life, hoping things will get better.  Meditate on this scripture in Ecclesiastes 10:15 (NIV) ¹⁵A fool’s work wearies him; he does not know the way to town.

Watch carefully, and listen closely to those around you; the focus of energy is shifting to blame, criticism, and the pursuit of personal gratification.  This is what happens when a society becomes weary and heaven laden without a place of rest. That place of rest is Jesus. (Matthew 11:28)

So how do you respond?

• Strengthen yourself in His Word: Psalm 119:28 (NIV) My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
• Learn to pray God’s word:  TODAY begins 40 Days in Prayer….please as never before pray for our nation.  Pray that the church will take it rightful place and exert its influence over our families, schools, and governments.  That the church would be “salt and light.” 
• Pray for boldness:  Acts 4:29 (NIV) ²⁹Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.   I love this scripture “Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.” Proverbs 25:25  I will never forget the experience of passing out 8,000 bottles of ice cold water at the Toy Fest Parade in East Aurora.   The look on people’s faces when we ran out of water brought tears to our eyes!

Pray also for the Saturday’s Men’s Breakfast; we are expecting at least 200 men to show up and 300 at the April 28^th showing of the movie “Courageous.”  It’s time for men to resolve to be men as God created them.

Pastor Pat

Taking on the Spaghetti Monster – Ratio Christi

February 20, 2012

On March 24th, the masses are expected to descend on the Washington Mall for what is being labeled as “largest secular event in world history.”  The ill-named “Reason Rally” will celebrate atheism, complete with live music, food, comedians, and a speaker line-up that includes famed atheists like Richard Dawkins and PZ Myers.

I don’t know about you, but it strikes me as strange that people — like the members of Missouri State University’s atheist club known as the “Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster” — are gathering to revel in their shared bond of not believing in something.

It might sound like nonsense to you or me, but maybe not too many Americans in the under-30 crowd. While there are no hard facts on how many young Americans don’t believe in God, we do know that atheist — or non-theist — groups are on the rise on college campuses, filled with kids who grew up in Christian homes.

According to the Barna Research Group, three in five “Christian” kids abandon the church after the age of 15. Eighty-four percent of 18- to 29- year olds who call themselves “Christians” admit that they have no idea how the Bible applies to their occupation.

It’s no understatement that the church has done a poor job in teaching our young people that reason and faith are not opposites, and that atheists are far from being on the side of reason. You can find on our website a chart which I use to demonstrate the various worldviews work out, and which one, Christianity, is rational. Many kids, however, who grow up huddled in a Christian environment find themselves in the university setting completely unequipped to defend the rationality of the Christian faith against the secular humanist worldview so prevalent on college campuses.

Well, there are several Christian groups doing something about it. Last September, I heard about a new group called “Ratio Christi” — Latin for “The Reason for Christ” — that is starting up student apologetics clubs to reclaim the intellectual battleground on college campuses. 

The first club began at Appalachian State University in 2008; it has since grown to 65 chapters, including one in South Africa that draws over 200 students. By coming alongside campus ministries, not starting their own, these grassroots groups are filling a very obvious need. At weekly meetings, students can interact with trained apologists who give them with credible answers and deal with the crucial questions of life, like “Does God really exist?” and “Is Christianity consistent with science?”

Let me share what one student said after participating in a Ratio Christi club at North Carolina State:

“Ratio Christi has given me something that I did not know exists — a rational and logical defense for my faith. When I dialogue with atheists, they are shocked I have a defense. When I run into skeptics, they are overwhelmed by the amount of evidence supporting creation. Last but not least, when I talk to Christians with questions about this, they find that their belief has a strong, historical foundation that cannot be shaken.”

Folks, this is music to my ears. A young, bright, college kid who gets it — and who is willing to defend the faith and make the case that Christianity is truly the only reasonable worldview there is.

Come to BreakPoint.org to learn more about Ratio Christi and other organizations like Veritas. We’ll link you to them.

Chuck Colson

40 Days in Prayer

We just finished 40 Days in the Word at Crossroads, and to quote Greg Corral,  “That was the most effective church wide small group event that we have ever participated in.”   It was, and I can feel the impact of this event  on Sunday morning when I stand to preach.  Imagine 245 people in small groups all reading the Scriptures!  The impact on Sunday morning is that those who reading come prepared, having put on the “breast plate of righteousness.”

Ephesians 6:14 (NIV) ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…

I want to personally thank Pastor Ross,  and all the group leaders for opening their homes and giving everyone at Crossroads, and many who are not actively involved in our church,  the opportunity to participate in this “move of God.”

Beginning this Sunday we are launching another church wide small group event,  40 Days in Prayer.  This will shake the world you live in, like it did in the Book of Acts.

Acts 4:31 (NIV) ³¹After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Crossroads is about to become a “house of prayer.”    We will be using a DVD series from Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle.  I will be leading this event along with Peggy Lydell and Pastor Bill Pomerhn.  I asked the group leaders of 40 Days in the Word to continue meeting if at all possible.  Of the 18 groups that are currently meeting, 14 have agreed and done so with much excitement.   Those who could not continue had scheduling conflicts.  They are free to shift over to groups who are continuing to meet.  (See the group schedule on our website or on the Sunday morning Communication Card.)

This Sunday I will be starting a 6-week sermon series on 40 Days in Prayer.  I will begin by with a sermon, “The World is a Battle Ground, Not a Playground”.  It’s true, you are involved in a spiritual battle,   and you have a very active “adversary”  whose desire is to destroy you, your family, this church, our nation and anything that is intended by God to expand His Kingdom into all the world.  It started back in Genesis 3:  “the serpent came to them”,  and will end in Revelation 20:10: “the devil was thrown into a lake of burning sulfur, and then God will make a  “New Heaven and a New Earth”  in Revelation 21.  

The power we have to defeat this “adversary” is twofold, faith and prayer.   That’s what this whole series is about, from 40 Days in the Word – 40 Days in Prayer.   We know the times and seasons we are living in, and we know how to respond; so let’s respond.

See you Sunday.   I will talk much more about this in the coming days.  Join a group and become an “overcomer.”

Revelation 2:7 (NIV) ⁷He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Blessings,

Pastor Pat

From Focus on the Family

What Every Christian Ought to Know About President Obama’s Healthcare Mandate

It was difficult to click on a website, turn on the TV or venture into the social media space over the weekend without encountering news of President Barack Obama’s attempt to blunt criticism that his healthcare plan would force religious groups to violate their deeply held morals and values by paying for contraceptive drugs that could cause abortions.

As you’ve probably read, seen or heard from that coverage, the administration’s self-described “accommodation” has not gone over well with institutions or people of faith. That’s because, for us, this is matter of morals, not money. Principles like how we view human life and whether we are truly free to live and practice our religious convictions speak to the very essence of who we are as people and as a society. They are woven through every aspect of our lives. They are not issues for America; they are the ethos of America.

There are many compelling points to be made that the president’s revision does not adequately address the concerns of Catholic charities and other religious groups—including evangelical organizations like Focus on the Family.

Under the revised mandate, employers who have “a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of their health plan” will not fund these services directly. Instead, the insurance plan will cover these services to all female employees. Still, all insurers must include coverage for the objectionable services in all the policies they would write. At this point, it would appear that self-insuring religious employers, and religious insurance companies, are not exempt from this mandate.

Also of concern is that private business owners who provide healthcare services for their employers have no exceptions. A Catholic business owner would have to fund contraception; an evangelical business owner would have to fund possible abortion-inducing drugs. To think you’ve placated Christian groups by giving them what they want, while denying it to other people, disregards a core tenet of our faith: the needs of others are always to supersede our own.

Then there’s the issue that the drugs mandated for coverage by the Obama administration go beyond contraception as most Americans understand it. That is, they don’t just prevent the fertilization of a woman’s egg. Drugs like Plan B and Ella, which are mandated for coverage, can cause an early abortion by preventing the embryo from attaching to the uterine lining. This is terminating a human life.

That brings up a point that should be pondered by fair-minded Americans who hold even vastly different views on the sanctity of human life: This mandate elevates contraception and abortion-inducing drugs to the level of preventative healthcare. They are not. Plan B should not be considered equivalent to the polio vaccine. Pregnancy is not a disease. Perhaps the most fundamental flaw in the White House’s “accommodation” reasoning—no matter, frankly, what in the end that accommodation turns out to be—is that religious liberties are not something any president has the legal authority to recognize or deny. As Christians, we believe these rights come from God; but you don’t need to believe in God to recognize such rights are protected for all citizens by the Constitution.

There is a limit to what government can compel us to do—or not do—particularly in matters of faith and conscience. It is in the best interest of all Americans, of every ideological stripe, that this limit, this line, not be crossed.

This is not about politics. It is about more than one government policy. It is about what’s proper—and it is never proper for government to force the people who elected it to violate their consciences.

Yours in Christ,

Jim Daly,
President
______________________________________________

From Pastor Pat:  Francis Schaffer wrote a book “A Christian Manifesto”  and on page 34 he writes:

Willim Penn (1644-1718) had expressed earlier:  “If we are not governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants.”    

There is a huge question on the table…has the government crossed the line and invaded our Constitutional right to freedom of worship.   Jesus was clear;

Matthew 22:21 (NIV) ²¹“Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

There is misunderstanding of order when we elevate “Caesar” above God; that is government above God.    We as a nation have just “crossed the line” and I fear for the consequences.  This next 40 Days begin with me to pray for our leaders to repent of their “mandates.”  The time for the church to cry out to God is now!

The Christians in the times when Rome was at its height of power were told that they were free to believe what they believed religiously; they could believe anything, or they could be an atheist.  But they had to worship Caesar as a sign of loyalty to their state.  The Christians said they would not worship Caesar, anybody, or anything, but the living God.  They refused to give to Caesar, what belonged only to God; they stood in CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE and were thrown to the lions.  It hasn’t come to that yet, but with the promise of financial penalties if churches do not abide by the new mandates of the health care law, it could bring many to their knees in submission to Caesar if they stand in disobedience.

Pray for wisdom,

Pastor Pat

Also read “Break Point” by Chuck Colson.

 

 

Law of BIG MO – Part 3

The first century church didn’t keep up with its time; it didn’t spend its energy keeping up with its time;  in fact, the first century church CHANGED TIME.  It rewrote history.  It radically impacted culture.  The church was a forerunner, not a runner up.  It changed everything it came in contact with, turning Jerusalem upside down with the Gospel message.  The Holy Spirit was unleashed on everyone they came in contact with.  They understood the LAW of BIG MO (MOMENTUM = MASS X VELOCITY SQUARED). 

That’s why the book that describes the young church is called the BOOK of ACTS; there was action, reaction, friction, traction, and COLLISION with the culture around them.  I don’t know how you are feeling, but this past Sunday there was a powerful presence of God in our service.  Several others I spoke with said the same thing.   I was in the hallway just outside my office door and a man with his wife said to me, “This is the second time I have been in church in 30 years and last week was the first time.”    He hadn’t been in church for 30 years, now in the past two weeks he’s been coming to Crossroads… that’s amazing. It’s hard to keep up with the testimonies from the Micah 6:8 projects that “40 Days in the Word” has encouraged people to participate in.  Now we are continuing into “40 Days in Prayer” with 14 groups still meeting!  That’s the momentum that we are currently experiencing.  Many new faces and a full sanctuary is leading the Staff to ask, “How do we respond?”

We put a survey on the back of the Communications Card this past Sunday and it listed 3 service times:  Saturday night (probably around 5pm), Sunday morning 8:45am and 10:15am.  Pray with us as we consider the options.  Pray that the “Father’s Heart” be revealed to us.

Blessings,

Pastor Pat

Law of BIG MO – Part 2

The last blog I wrote, “When you consider the church and see its birth, you begin to understand the heart of the Father for His church; that she was to be a revolutionary agent of change, leading a changing world.”

“You know what I think?   BIG MO is on the move…”

So what is the “Law of Big Mo?”  I confirmed this with Bill Pomerhn, and even Larry Bool, who knows a ton about this since he has a PhD in such things.  They both confirmed that “MO” which is Momentum is  P=MV2; P=momentum; M=mass; V=velocity.  So momentum is a huge train (mass) moving down the tracks at 60 miles per hour (velocity) hitting a solid concrete wall.  It is estimated that with the “law of big mo” that train would penetrate six feet into a solid concrete wall before in came to a crashing halt!   That’s what “big mo” will do.

Everything is moving faster and we live in a world defined by speed.  We’ve shifted from good food to fast food, but now we want GOOD FAST food.   We’ve left the slow cooker and gone to a microwave.  The national pastime of baseball has been overtaken by the fast game of basketball.

Point is,  what was once considered fast is now normal.  Communication has gone through the journey from the Pony Express to the Federal Express, from telegraph to wireless communication, and from the local post office to cyberspace. Generations have changed faster than they’ve ever changed.  At one time you could talk of three generations in the one breath; ABRAHAM, ISSAC, and JACOB.

Imagine with me. ABRAHAM, ISSAC and JACOB, three generations that wore the same kind of clothes; ate the same kind of foods; listened to the same kind of music; traveled in the same way, and shared the same values and beliefs.  Their world view was the same, by the mere fact that all they knew was limited by their means of transportation and communication.

ABRAHAM, ISACC and JACOB saw eye-to-eye and understood each other.  The changes these three generations saw were very few. Now we speak different languages from one generation to another. We have had a major shift in values and are on the run with enough momentum so that we now have a “one world economy.”  You have heard me say that village pastors in India have cell phones and can link up to our website from the remote places where they live.

“BIG MO is on the Move!”   So is God surprised by all of this?    Hardly, He knows what momentum is He “flung the stars into the heavens” and they are still expanding. (Psalm 8:3)

Blessings,

Pastor Pat

The Time is Now – Defend Religious Liberty for All

Daily I receive an email from Break Point with Chuck Colson,  he’s well worth reading.  Today’s is a clear warning and wake up call to the church.  Read this carefully, read the Manhattan Declaration and consider signing it.

Blessings,

Pastor Pat

February 8, 2012

Folks, we have reached the point where Christians may be called to actively defy the government of the United States. This is a shocking and sobering statement, but I’m sorry to say it’s true.

If you’ve read the Manhattan Declaration–and I pray you have read it and signed it—you’ll know that we predicted this time would come. We just had no idea it would come so soon.

As you know by now, Obama Administration has refused to grant religious organizations an exemption from purchasing health insurance that covers abortion-inducing drugs, surgical sterilization, and contraception.

The Catholic bishops responded quickly, decrying the Administration’s decision for what it is—an egregious, dangerous violation of religious liberty.

And folks, we evangelicals must stand with them. While all of us may not share the Catholic view of contraception, all true Christians believe that the taking of human life in utero, whether surgically or by abortifacient drugs, violates the basic human right to life.

Many bishops have already declared that they will not obey this unjust law. The penalty for such a move would be severe. Catholic hospitals, universities, and other organizations would be force to pay punitive fines ($2,000 per employee) for refusing to purchase insurance that violates the teaching of their church.

But Catholic institutions aren’t the only ones affected by this mandate. Prison Fellowship, for example, which employs 180 people, could not morally purchase insurance for its employees that covers abortifacients. Nor could we afford the fines we would incur.

For some faith-based institutions, it would spell the end of their existence—and their far-reaching service to the public and to the needy. As Mike Gerson pointed out in his excellent Washington Post op-ed on Tuesday, it’s crazy that the government would drive charities like the Salvation Army and other Christian groups out of business. The government simply can’t afford to replace the services they provide–such as “homeless shelters, food banks, health care, welfare-to-work, prisoner re-entry programs” and much more.

Here is what I want you to do right now.

First, go to Manhattan Declaration.org and sign the petition to President Obama prepared by the Becket Fund, protesting this violation of our civil liberties.

Second, if you haven’t done so, sign the Manhattan Declaration. Join with 500,000 people who have committed to “fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.”

Third, pray that God would soften the hearts of the president and others in his administration that they would reverse course.

Fourth, be vigilant. The Administration may reverse itself here, but we are seeing an extremely dangerous pattern. The issue of religious liberty is not going to go away. Our freedoms are at stake.

For more on this grave threat to religious freedom, please go to ColsonCenter.org and watch my “Two-Minute Warning.”

Got that? Go to ManhattanDeclaration.org and sign the petition to the President and the Declaration itself. Then watch my “Two-Minute Warning” at ColsonCenter.org, and above all, my friends, be vigilant, and pray.

Chuck Colson