In View of the SCOTUS Decision on Marriage Equality

When Jesus confronted the Pharisees who caught a woman in her adultery and then brought her before Him to test Him (John 8:1-11), they quoted the Law of Moses which required that she be stoned. Unmoved, Jesus (knowing their thoughts) began writing in the sand. We don't know what he scribbled there. Maybe he was biding time before responding to them. Yet, He replied to her accusers, "You who have no sin cast the first stone," then returned to his scribbling. Eventually, one by one from oldest to youngest, her male accusers dropped their rocks/stones and went away until there were none. Jesus then turned to the adulterous woman and asked her, "Where are your accusers, those who condemned you?" She replied to Him "There are none Lord." 

"Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."

In view of the SCOTUS decision on marriage equality, some of my dear brothers and sisters in Christ have made themselves into Pharisees. They've made themselves the moral authorities when to be honest they are not. Christ is the moral authority and we are flawed at best in our own moral standards.

However, many of my 'neighbors' in the LGBT community refuse to acknowledge that we've all stumbled in our attempts to create our own standards around sex and human sexuality rather than follow God's standard. Jesus simply desires that we confess our sin and he will be faithful and just to forgive our sin and to restore us from all unrighteousness; to restore us toward his standard. Jesus restored this woman, and he wants to restore us by his love and mercy: his moral authority. He gave her life when according to the Law she was deserving of death. We, too, are deserving of death, but Jesus offers us life in his name.

Jesus also confronts our sin w/o accusation. It is our responsibility to acknowledge our sin. He also wants us to sin no more, which is the task before us. Though we may fail at times, he still commands us, "Sin no more." In Christ and Christ in me there is no sin. Yet if I refuse to acknowledge my faults, I call God a liar. However, Father forgive me for when I fail. Lord thank you for your love and mercy towards me. Thank you for forgiveness. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for life in your name through the power of the resurrection. 

Many will ask, though, "Whose God?" This is also the metaphorical crux. If people refuse to believe Jesus, then they themselves are their own moral authority and do not acknowledge their nature as sinful in the face of challenges to their lifestyle choices, decisions and behaviors. For without faith it is impossible to please God, for one must acknowledge that he exists in order to pursue greater revealed knowledge of he truly is.

All this to say: as Christ followers, refuse to be hypocrites. Refuse to be Pharisees in your own eyes, in your own condemnation of others as a moral authority. Understand the motives of your hearts. Be like Jesus who, not lacking in compassion, confronted this woman with love, mercy and grace. Sinner — acknowledge your sin. Accept God's love and sin no more. If you stumble or fail, acknowledge it. You have an Advocate before the Father, Christ Jesus the Righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins. 

I love all of you and wish only the best that God has to offer each and every one of us.

The Lawless and the City

1 John 3:4 - Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

Matthew 24:12 - "Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold."

Romans 4:7,8 - [7] "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN,
AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. [8] BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT."
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God ordains local authorities to serve and protect its citizens as well as to enforce laws. Although the Law-Giver condemns abuse of power and those who practice injustice, he is NOT in the business of condoning all-out anarchy, or in other words, lawlessness. That said, I am angry about recent incidents in the city; incidents that Chicago police and local news agencies have called "flash mobs," where large groups of young people commit random acts of violence upon unsuspecting "law-abiding" citizens in outdoor locales near or along Lake Shore Dr. I hate to write it this way (and many might say, "Then don't write it"), but these thug, teenaged, thrillseekers are terrorizing people who never accepted the invitation to terror. And unfortunately I have to report (and some may say, "You don't HAVE to") that sadly most of these young people are African American and male. Sadder still is that a few of them have been as young as thirteen years old.

Now I would be naïve to say of such a phenomenon like this, "It is what it is," shrugging it off with nonchalance. As an African American writer, I would be naïve to defend mob action by a few groups of black youths with a veil of excuses (many that enable rather than empower) that point out lacks of opportunity toward transition to productive adulthood. However, someone else's civil liberties have been violated, and the victims have the potential to be as ethnically diverse as is Devon Avenue. These youths' crimes are targeted, yet colorblind. But the violence only further perpetuates the deep-ceded stereotypes of black youths being violent and having no regard for the law; and it gives more fodder for the careless or perhaps racist writers, pundits, spin doctors, and commentators to fuel more fear on top of the terror that seems to already reign on the Magnificent Mile, in the Gold Coast, in Lake View, and mind you, in Englewood where violent crime is never new. But that never makes it right. These writers might write, "Take that back to the South Side. It doesn't belong here." But does violent crime and "lawlessness" ever really BELONG anywhere?

I read a quote in the Red Eye from a heart-broken father about the death of his son, and essentially it went like this: "The police got scared, they over-reacted, and they killed my son;" this in relationship to another recent incident where a teen confronted police after being ordered to drop what was in his hand. It was dark, the youth had reached for the object as he made charge, and, according to Chicago Police, had been warned. An officer shot him dead. The object: a cellphone. In our own disobedience when confronted by God about our own lawlessness, we only kill ourselves because we falsely believe that we can save ourselves from His sovereign presence and authority. We make excuses for our own lawlessness rather than own up, "I was scared, I overreacted, and now I killed myself for disobeying the righteous commandment."

All of us, humanity, by nature practice lawlessness because lawlessness is sin. "All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory;" have never met his standard of righteousness (Romans 3:23). Sin has never truly BELONGED. It was never truly God's intention for sinful man to remain sinful, but to renounce sin and be reconciled unto Him. This reconciliation is found through the blood of His Son Jesus who bore our sin and lawlessness and nailed them to a tree. Thieves, like the "flash-mob," only come to steal, to kill, and to destroy. However, Jesus came that we may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). And yes, this promise is for everyone, including the thug, teenaged thrillseeker whose lawlessness is just as evident before man and media as our lawlessness is before a holy and righteous God.

Life in the Middle

"Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory." (Prov. 11:14)

The absence of guidance in the life of people or communities, whether that be the family, a classroom, a neighborhood, or a nation, prepares them for a descent from that which is ideal: a platform for concerted, wisdom-driven success. It leads into a downward spiral of disarray, despair, depression, and defeat. As some might say, "Epic fail."

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A "Bay of Pigs" Strategy
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A military unit entering battle without a lead officer, a pointman, guiding the mission is sure to fail; as is one lacking clear direction. Success in the spirit-filled life is no less different and requires a "clear and present" guidance in order to secure victory.

When I shun the guidance of God's Word, put away godly, biblical counsel, or ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit, I am guranteed to fall. In fact, "when pride comes, then comes dishonor" (Prov. 11:2). Dishonor encompasses a failure that in most cases is preventable, if only one would heed direction and wisdom.
Not only is true success marked by wise counsel, it is also driven by right counsel. If I surround myself with fools and ask them for direction or advice, then I should expect failure. However, if I surround myself with those whose wise counsel come from integrity (ideally spiritual, biblical counsel), and heed it as that which is for my good, then success is closer. It doesn't mean that there won't be bumps along the way, but in the end there is victory.

Ultimately, a life hidden in Christ, indwelt by the Spirit, and led by the wisdom of God's Word as empowered by the gospel is a victorious life. But that's the beginning and the end of the journey. How will you choose to live in the middle?

Our Identity as Marked by the Gospel of Our God

http://bible.us/n/5Ihk

We marry our identities to so many different things that are contrary to who we really are or were meant to be. And too often have these marriages begun with shotgun weddings. However, the Apostle Paul encouraged believers in 1 Corinthians 9:17-23 to reflect on their identity, with the gospel in view, by inviting them, and more appropriately us, to see a snapshot of his way of life.

A part of this identity that Paul described is demonstrated in our humble service to others as empowered by the gospel of our God. "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more" (19). Who we are is married to "whose" we are; and though it is in our very nature to be servants to none other than ourselves,
the life that is now married to the gospel of Jesus Christ is one that is hidden in His identity. Jesus Himself "did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). And in His identity we are empowered to serve others with the gospel in view.

(22b) "I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.

(23)  I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it."

To "become all things" refer again to this identity, and it was Paul's clear goal to identify and connect with people: thoughtfully, emphatically with the gospel in view. Who am I willing to become in order to reach others?

"All men" means all kinds of people without discrimination or prejudice. The gospel is for everyone (Acts 1:8). Where am I willing to go to reach others; and what cultural barriers am I willing to cross or bridge to reach others?

"By all means" refer to various kinds of methods to proactively pursue people. Prioritizing the gospel is key in these approaches. What methods am I willing to employ to reach others?

"Do all things" refer to his purpose. It was Paul's constant life goal to ensure that everything he did, every action commenced, and every step taken was done through the lens of the gospel. We, too, in a post-modern culture should find ourselves engaged in such a way in our own lives. In what ways does my life engage the culture right now; and what am I willing to do to ensure that it continues?

He did all of this in order to become a "fellow partaker" in the work of the gospel. "Fellow" regards partnership: with God and His work and with those who participate in that work. "Partaker" means participant. He wanted to be an engaged and active participant in the work that God had not only called him to, but to the same Lord that counted him worthy, having entrusted to him the stewardship of that work. What has God entrusted me with in my stewardship of the gospel and of my identity in its work?

Ultimately, the end goal of the life whose identity is married to the gospel of Jesus Christ is that "by all means some [will be] saved." As Christians, our very lives should be marked by that which is "the power of God unto salvation to those who would believe" (Romans 1:16). This is who we are. Moreover, this is who we were meant to be.
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Questions
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1. In what ways can I become all things to the people who are in my sphere of influence?

2. What are some approaches and methods that will assist me in using all means to reach others?

3. Is my life mark by a prioritization of the gospel, and do I do all things through that lens?

4. Am I engaging the culture while in partnership with God, His work, and His people from a biblical worldview?

The Four Points: Evan Roberts (1904)

In 1904, a small town in the British Isles (Wales) experienced what many have called one of the greatest spiritual revivals in modern church history. This revival would far expand beyond its city limits and usher in the transformative work of the Spirit of God in the lives of those who would repent from sin and believe the truth. One of the figures that the Father used to spark that revival was a young man named Evan Roberts. With a burden for people, Roberts and a small group of friends began to minister, as the Holy Spirit led, the Gospel of our God in a way that intended a fixation on Jesus and right standing with God, rather than one that was focused on the programs, people, and preaching of the camp meetings themselves. In this, he drafted four simple tenets that would later be called "The Four Points" that he admonished people to consider:

1. All sin must be confessed to God and repented of.
The church has to be cleansed—the Lord’s bride would be with out spot so there would be no room for compromise with sin. If there is anything in our lives about which there is even doubt as to weather it is good or evil—then cast it off!

2. There must be no cloud between the believer and God.
Have you forgiven everybody? If not don’t expect forgiveness for your own sins. The Scripture is clear; we cannot be forgiven until we have forgiven. Unforgiveness separates us from God.

3. We must obey the Holy Spirit. Do what the Spirit prompts you to do.
Do what the Spirit prompts you to do. Prompt, implicit, unquestioning obedience to the Spirit is required if we are going to be used by Him.

4. There must be public confessions of Christ as Savior.
This is not a one time incident after our salvation experience or baptism—for the Christian it is a way of life. (Evan also believed that there was a difference between confession and profession).

If I/we hope to see personal, spiritual revival as well as corporate, spiritual revival in my/our lives and in my/our cities, we must consider and affirm that God is sovereign and that He desires all men come to the knowledge of the truth. Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to empower me in such a way that God is then able to strip away those things in my life that hinder His work in me, and transverely affect my spiritual impact on those around me? This takes a trusting ear that listens for His voice, a humble surrender to His will, and a faithful obedience to His call.