I woke up this morning, opened up the paper and saw this:

Many different emotions swept over me.
Relief. Anger. Jubilation. Sadness. Grief. Worry. Anxiousness of the unknown future…
I remember being in a church gym with 48 other student pastors as cell phones started blazing with the news.
We huddled around a 13 inch black/white TV as we watched the replay of planes flying into the World Trade Center.
It was unbelievable and frightening.
Was this some kind of stunt?
Who could do such a thing?
What is happening?
People were asking all kinds of questions, with close to no answers being given in the hours following.

And so began “The War on Terror.”

Since that time we’ve witnessed massive casualties of our military men and women, innocent civilians caught in the midst of battle, terrorists dying for their cause, Saddam Hussein’s capture/trial/ and death, and a rise in security in every aspect of our lives. You cannot get away from this truth: the fabric and landscape of our world was changed forever by the tragedies that took place on September 11, 2001. We cannot go back to the old normal.

So, today with the news surrounding Osama Bin Laden’s death, we are hearing quite a frenzy of opinions. Across the board every news station is covering this. Newspapers are plastering the event across the headlines (i.e. the photo above), and social networking was set ablaze over night by the news. Here are some of the Twitter & Facebook updates I awoke to:

• “Just heard on the news “VB based seals” killed Osama!!!! Way to go Boys!!!!”
• “This has nothing to do with Obama. Stop celebrating him. Lets celebrate the troops who have been fighting for this day!”
• “Boy I love being military!!!!! Congrats USA!!!! And good job soldiers, you all are amazing!!!!”
• “Hell just received a new tenant. We warned you not to mess with the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!”
• “Woke up and saw that Osama Bin Laden is dead – there is no way America can have a case of the Mondays today! Now lets get to whoever terrorized these gas prices!
• “Okay, I’m hearing some Christians celebrating the recent news, and some Christians saying that celebrating someone’s death (even an evil person) is wrong. I guess I’m stuck somewhere in the middle.”
• “Not to blow up people’s news feed, but if you’re cheering the fact that Osama was killed, I urge you to check your heart. I don’t think that God cheers when one of his lost children is lost for good… Granted, God has the final say on who goes where but I can only assume by what I’ve seen that he did not accept Christ.”

Processing My Response

I was trying to process all of this and make sense of everything I was reading. The “Jason” in me began to celebrate that justice had come. The “Spirit” in me was mourning the possibility that another person more than likely will spend eternity separated from God (I don’t know where He stood with God, but his belief system point to one that was far from him). It’s like I’m schizophrenic in need of clarity. As a Christian, what am I supposed to do with all of this?

I find some relief, like the writer in Proverbs, who penned the words “When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous, but terror to evildoers” Proverbs 21:15. I remember David in the Old Testament writing, “The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked. Then people will say, ‘Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth.’” Psalm 58:10-11. When evil is dealt with by the hands of the Lord, His people rejoice that oppression has been brought to justice. This isn’t joy in seeing that person’s demise. This joy and jubilation is a reaction to the timeless truth that God’s mighty protection has reigned above all.

The flip side of this… a death took place. The death of an individual. Was he evil in his actions? Absolutely. Did he commit heinous murders through his terror plots? There is no doubt about it. If he came to God, could God forgive Osama Bin Laden of his actions and pardon him of all his sins and allow him to enter into Heaven, as a new creation? Yes. But… here is where I struggle. Based on God’s plan of salvation, and accepting the Bible and truths there-in, it does not look like Osama Bin Laden came to that place. Now again, I’m not sure whether or not he did or did not come to Christ and turn from his ways while hiding in caves and dodging military forces. If I were to consult my childhood Magic 8 Ball, “Outlook doubtful.” With that in mind, Biblical truths would point to the strong possibility of Osama spending eternity in Hell, and that breaks my heart.

As a Christian, no matter how awful a person, I wouldn’t desire for anyone to go to Hell. God, in His justice and holiness, can have no part with sin, and that penalty is separation from Him for eternity. It reminds me that I am thankful and in eternal debt to a Creator who showed me the error of my ways and I now fully submit to each day I walk this earth. It harkens me back to the image of the cross, Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. It’s His conquering over death that allows those “in Christ” to celebrate eternal life. I am thankful for God caring that much for you and I.

This is where I’m at. But…

Why Does Your Reaction Matter?

Simply put: you have influence. Around the water cooler, throughout social networking, at the dinner table with your family – you have influence. Your opinion and reaction matter. It helps mold those around you.You have the power to help guide others in an open and honest dialogue about pain,  suffering, justice, God, faith, etc. It’s an amazing opportunity to talk about things that normally wouldn’t come up in some circles you travel in.

Unfortunately, I think the overwhelming message/reaction is that somehow God is blessing America and everyone else around the world is kind of missing out. This “God Bless America” crap has got to stop. Really? Is America a “Christian” nation? (take a few seconds to watch the evening news and you’ll find the answer to that question). Is God really blessing America and leaving everyone else out to dry? We don’t have the market cornered on the “blessings” of God. Having traveled around and conversed with people outside the U.S., the view of Americans and Christian Americans especially isn’t all that great. The sentiment is, “Americans think God is on their side and everyone else is just screwed. How pretentious to think you’ve received all God’s blessings and somehow arrived.” (other people’s words, not mine).

I pray as we parse through all of our emotions, we don’t allow our love for the “land of the free and home of the brave” to cloud our understanding of “love the Lord your God with all your heart mind and soul” and “love your neighbor (no matter how far away) as yourself.”

Where Do We Go From Here?

Someone is going to (and probably has already) rise up and move into the position Osama Bin Laden left vacant with his death. Terrorism, war, fighting, and fear will always be a reality after the events on September 11, 2001. As we move forward, we can…

• Pray for our President. No matter what party you claim, his job isn’t easy and scripture calls us to honor and lift up those in leadership
• Pray for our troops & families. Being from a military family myself, I know the harm, danger, and anxiety that a family feels when a loved one is over seas. May we never forget their sacrifice.
• Celebrate today. You are breathing, you have life within you. Each day is a day of celebration for a life found in Christ. Take hold of it and don’t let anything steal your joy.
• Be aware that evil will still happen. There is no shortage of bad guys, evil henchmen, and terrorists. Bad things will continue to happen in a broken world that is in angst for the return of God upon judgement.
• Evaluate your life. What matters to you? Is God the most important thing of your list of loves? If not, what are you doing to make the strides to connect with Him? If He is, how are you taking hold of every opportunity?
• Pray for your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. The old saying, “Kill ‘em with kindness” (in my mother’s voice) is still something I hear echoing in my head.

It’s a tough thing to wrestle with. In the end, God judges all. Our job and duty is to cling to His teachings and make every effort to use today to the best of our ability.

Jason

Waking up in a foreign place is odd.
The sounds. smells. climate. humidity. sheets… it’s all so different.
Not to mention the time change.
The comfort level we’re used to is, well, off kilter.
But, in a very beautiful sense, it feels just like home.
Family isn’t close by, home cooking isn’t permeating the air, but… it’s home.

The sense of home comes not from the physical proximity to your zip code, but in proximity to the Creator.
When venturing into moments like this in life, the physical abandon allows for only one thing to grasp on to… God. It’s interesting we somehow “need” moments like this to show us how close to God we really are. Serving Him and allowing yourself to fall under His perfect plan, opens the door to a new sense of home and self (or better yet, selflessness). I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we feel the most “home” or “alive” when we are following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Serving others.
Giving up self.
Submitting to God.
Displaying generosity.
Helping the “least of these.”

How do we transcend the moments of “a missions trip” or “spiritual retreat” and experience those feelings of home, at… well… home?
Two words:
Heart surgery.

When our hearts begin to break with the same things that break the heart of God, “home” and “alive” don’t just happen on the doorstep of a foreign land or when we rush off to a remote place of spiritual renewal. They happen at the desk of a coworker battling a divorce, a neighbor in need of a friend, a homeless person looking for a bite to eat, a child longing for an adult to mentor them. It happens everywhere. Home is now all around us. Taking down our walls and allowing God the time to perform “heart surgery” is what transcends these experiences. His heart surgery opens our spirit to seeing things in a new way (no matter how near or far our address might be).

With a new view of “home” and being “alive,” the words of Dorothy bring on a whole new meaning,
“There’s no place like home.”

Amen to that.

It’s been an amazing time preparing for the journey back to Vietnam. Monica, Aaron, Nicole, and I have put a ton of effort into making this thing happen. Gina Barnett, a fellow Forefronter, wrote the curriculum that will be taught at the teacher conference we’re doing. BIG THANKS TO YOU GINA!!

So, as we are over in Ta Phin, Vietnam, we have two projects we’ll be a part of:

• Installing the beginning phases of a clean water system for 600+ people (it will be completed by the people of the village after we leave)
• Teacher Conference at the middle school with 45+ teachers. This is to help them bring 21st Century teaching methods into their school system. They are behind the curve in some of these new techniques.

Each of these projects help us continue to build relationships with the community and show them love. We care deeply about everyone there and have made strong, life long friendships there. It’s always an encouraging time to be a part of this journey.

Thank again for all your prayers and support. We will be updating here when we can, but for “up-to-the-minute” updates, please follow http://twitter.com/brandedwithlove or Like the Forefront Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/Forefront757

We love you guys (and gals), and continue to pray for the team.

Monica, Aaron, Nicole & Jason

Question:

It seems that there is a large gap between the birth of jesus and His adult life. Why?? What was going on (or apparently not going on) in His life?

Answer:

The short answer: I have no idea.

Longer version: Other than Luke 2:41-52, the Bible does not tell us anything about Jesus’ youth. From this incident we do know certain things about Jesus’ childhood. First, He was the son of parents who were devout in their religious observances. As required by their faith, Joseph and Mary made the yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. In addition, they brought their 12-year-old son to celebrate His first Feast in preparation for His bar mitzvah at age 13, when Jewish boys commemorate their passage into adulthood. Here we see a typical boy in a typical family of that day.

Evidently, this is all God determined that we needed to know. There are some extra-Biblical writings which contain stories of Jesus’ youth (the Gospel of Thomas, for example. which is not found in the Bible, nor thought to be inspired by God). But we have no way of knowing whether any of these stories are true and reliable. God chose not to tell us much about Jesus’ childhood – so we have to just trust Him that nothing occurred which we need to know about.

[via crucial questions]

Question:

Being kind of single and a Christian is such a sick spot and maybe the most difficult thing I’ve tried to do.  What’s the best way to avoid or get through all of the temptations that come with that?

Answer:

Being single is tough. Being Christian is tough. Being single and Christian can sometimes be almost unbearable. Just trying to keep it real. I STRUGGLED when it came to being S.C. (single/Christian). Everyone told me that being S.C. just meant I needed to lean on God more and allow Him to change my heart. The problem was I really wanted that, but the temptations/pressure came from all sorts of angles. Here are a few and how I would deal with them:

Pressure
One challenge many single people face is the pressure they feel from family, friends, society and even their church community. This is especially true if you are older than about 25. The expectation that you should be getting married continues to rise the older you are. Often church communities are family-centric, and a majority of their events are focused on couples and families, leaving singles to feel the need to find a spouse just to belong.

My encouragement would be to let people know, in a loving way, that you would appreciate not getting the pressure. Life throws enough things at you, no need for the ones you love to add to it. Most people will respect this (except for anybody’s mom, hahaha).

Contentment
The media and pop culture can feed discontentment in the soul of a Christian single. The quest to find purpose in a love relationship is found in song lyrics, movies and reality TV. Our society is infused with the message that you are not “normal” and cannot be fulfilled unless you are attached to someone. In our materialistic and information age, we are so used to immediate gratification, getting what we want when we want it. This makes it difficult for singles to accept and be content with where they are in life and to accept it as God’s will.

Contentment comes from acknowledging your identity comes from God and your worth is defined by Him. When this happens, those temptations begin to simmer a little less.

Physical Temptations
One of the most difficult struggles for today’s Christian single is the temptation for physical intimacy. Christians are called to chastity and believe that sex is to be reserved for marriage, that this is God’s design for sexual intimacy. This is completely counterculture to society’s message: “If it feels good, do it.” The message that premarital sex is acceptable is everywhere. The Christian single is surrounded by this, and his physical body often reacts to the stimuli, challenging him in his quest to remain pure.

I guide people to x3watch free web software to monitor web activity. Divulging all of your passwords to a friend, so they can help check up on you. Speaking of this, an accountability partner (that you don’t lie to) is HUGE! Don’t be alone in places you know can go south. Decide in advance to have plans for temptation, and take advantage of your “exit strategies” you’ve thought about in advance.

Loneliness
Because many people, even Christians, perceive that marriage completes a person, the single life can feel very isolating and lonely. It can be challenging to find someone to share your hobbies and interests with. Christians believe that God designed humanity to live in harmony with others. The single person has the need to share in healthy relationships and to have someone to talk with and listen to.

Find quality friendships — while so many are on the quest for love — this can be a difficult but worthwhile goal for the Christian single. Friends are such a great remedy for the soul. If you work a lot and say things like “I don’t have the time for friends” or “Life is too busy right now to worry about that kind of stuff” – you need to change your schedule and drop some things to address the priority of having relationships. It’s important.

Question:

Is it okay to be gay/lesbian and Christian? How do we know God isn’t accepting of gay people in a monogamous relationship with each other?

Answer:

First things first, God loves every person in His creation. None of His children are without love, this is shown by the simple fact that God showed us His love, “That while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” So, that is very good news, no matter what our sexual preference. That is something we can all celebrate. Now, because we have this knowledge, we have a choice to make. What is our response to this message? Our response to the cross and Jesus’ death is to accept God’s grace, through faith, at baptism. At that point we begin to live a life in His Spirit and share His love with others.

But, what about the sinful habits and things we had before we came to Jesus? Well, the Spirit helps us handle those things and we begin to make the choice to “choose to do good” with the Spirit’s help and “deny our selfish desires.” This is a process, and doesn’t at all happen over night.

You might be thinking, “Okay Jason, that’s great, and I want to follow Jesus, but what about me being gay/lesbian? I’ve always heard I cannot choose God and continue to practice a homosexual lifestyle. So I choose Him, get baptized, now what?”

Great question. After our baptism in to Christ, which isn’t a “wait until we’re all together” thing, it’s a “I’m messed up and need Jesus” thing… after that, we are commanded to live a life according to God and the teachings of Jesus. He taught about love, joy, kindness, surrender, submission, loyalty, honor, etc. the New Testament also teaches us about what we are to “flee from” and “cling to.” One of those things is sexual immorality.

Sexual immorality includes lust, bestiality, homosexuality, transgender, bisexuality, pornography, orgies, polygamy, adultery, and so on. We’re told in scripture about these things: Proverbs 5:17-23, Matthew 5:27-30, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, Ephesians 4:19-24, Galatians 5:16-21, Ephesians 5:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, Hebrews 13:4, Revelation 21:8 (just to name a few). So, if we claim Christianity, it’s very difficult to rectify Jesus’ teaching that sexual immorality is somehow accepted and condoned by God. Actually, it’s impossible. The only way we can say that God believes that it’s accepted, is to call Jesus, Paul, the Apostles, and the writers of the Bible liars. I cannot go to that place. God claims His Word to be perfect, complete, and without error. Also, Jesus was perfect. He had to be to die on the cross as an unblemished sacrifice for our sins. So, if He lied, Jesus wasn’t the pure sacrifice He claimed to be. If that is true, His sacrifice didn’t cover sin, and there is not reason to follow Jesus if He’s a liar who doesn’t save us and doesn’t teach truth.

Here’s the beauty I see here in God’s community at Forefront Church: we have homosexuals, pedophiles, bisexuals and more that attend, love God, and want to search further as to how to live for Him. I want to help each and every person come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and live for Him. Forefront is a welcoming place that accepts people from all walks of life and loves them as they learn about Jesus. We’re going to continue to keep an open dialogue, while at the same time preaching the Bible without apology. As we do that in love, I believe people will learn and understand God’s truth more.

Question:

I am a baptized Christian.There are times when I’m wrestling with God that I don’t like Him sometimes I even hate Him. Am I going to hell?

Answer:

Let me give you a little solace in this… I wrestle with God daily. Now, wrestling can be a good thing when we are trying to get closer to God, but don’t understand a particular passage, teaching, or concept. But, if wrestling begins to be a I want to change the Bible, God is a liar, the writers are full of $***, etc- I would say you’re beginning to walk in dangerous territory as a Christian.

The thing is, when we accept God, we are clinging to the promise that His is true, one and only, loving, just, graceful, wrath, peaceful, and alpha/omega all in one. If we are claiming that to be true, then His Bible is true/perfect, Jesus paid the ultimate price, and our role is to tell others about God’s love for everyone. Although anger towards Him comes, mainly because of life’s situations, it’s not “God’s fault.” We live in a fallen world where bad things happen to good and bad people. So, blaming him for the bad really isn’t true, but I believe God understands. Job yelled at Him, Jacob wrestled with Him, the Israelites went through a whirlwind with Him… but God was still good and He completely understood their frustrations with life.

Now, I would say hating God falls into a different category. Hate is such a strong word and emotion. The culture uses it so flippantly… “I hate that team.” “I hate when my food gets messed up in the drive thru” “I hate Jim Carey movies” (that last one was for my wife, ha). The thing is, God reserves the word hate for sin, divorce, the devil, and all that is evil. To claim you hate God, puts Him in the same category as these things. While I love your honesty, it’s a very scary place to be to “hate” God. It’s not the qualities or Spirit he gave you. If you’re a Christian, you “live by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control.” To hate God goes against the very nature of the God you claim and the Jesus that you follow. So, in essence, when you hate God, you are sinning. You are turning against the Spirit He gave us in salvation.

Are you going to Hell for hating God? God makes that call. I would say to allow the power of the Holy Spirit to reconcile whatever it is you are feeling and cleanse your heart in this matter. You can be frustrated with the way things are happening in life, wrestle with understanding God’s word, but hating Him is putting God the Creator in the same place as evil, sin, divorce, and the devil. Personally, that would scare me as a Christian, and I would take whatever action needed to get out of that season in my life and come back to the joy God brings.

Question:

Isn’t all sin the same in Gods eyes?

Answer:

If by all sin is the same, you mean “All sin has a penalty, and that penalty is death.” Yes. All sin is “missing the mark” when it comes to the teaching and commandments of God. It’s a turning away from the teaching of Jesus and precepts reminded to us by Paul and other New Testament writers. Before you get too bummed with the news, remember God sent His son to cover our sins and pay that price of death for us.

But, it’s interesting, that sexual sin is noted a bit differently than all other sins we read of in scripture. Take a look at 1 Corinthians for a moment:

¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20

I’ve always been taken back by this passage. I’ve learned all through growing up, that sin is sin, is sin. It’s all the same leading to death. The good news is God sent Christ to cover our sins. To pay the penalty and through grace (a gift we don’t deserve), we’re given the opportunity to accept God and follow Him. But, this sexual immorality issue, seems to be held in a different category. I think part of this is because the way it defiles not only our body, but others. Sexual addiction & sexual sin leaves such a scar and stain on our minds and hearts. Even with God’s love covering us, we still have moments where the ripple effects flow through every part of our lives. It’s almost impossible to shake. God forgives us, cleans us, and restores us- but that doesn’t mean we forget.

So, yes, all sin is the same as it leads to death without a relationship with Jesus. But, we see a special alert via Paul here for sexual sin carrying a different impact to our lives and the lives of the ones we are acting out with in this way.

Question:

What about the “gifts of the spirit” in our church? (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

Answer:

Spiritual gifts were very much alive, not only during the ministry of Jesus, but in the early days of the church. But, many would conclude that some gifts, i.e. prophecy, tongues, individuals harnessing healing power (like televangelists), would be done away with when two things came to pass: 1. Jesus death, burial and resurrection, and 2. The canonization (completion) of the Bible.

1 Corinthians, chapters 12-14 address spiritual gifts and how they were being used in the church. Some of these were prophecy, tongues, healing (by the individual), working miracles, wisdom, interpretation, etc. In the early days of the church, the Bible wasn’t completed (it was actually happening), and they were passing letters and the teaching of Jesus around. To confirm this message to the people, the spiritual gifts were a seal, stamp, and confirmation that God was working through them to deliver the message. If they had the Bible directly, they could measure what was happening by scripture as a measuring tool.

But, why don’t some of these happen today? There is a part in 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, that addresses this:

⁸ Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. ¹² For^(Q) now we see in a mirror dimly, but^(R) then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as^(S) I have been fully known.
1 Cor 12:8-12

Scholars/theologians have studied and analyzed the original text concerning 9 & 10. What is the perfect? Well, the perfect would be Jesus right? Well, that’s true, but He came before these things were written. So, what else is perfect? The Bible. God’s Word. Once the early church gained ground, God’s Holy Spirit was moving through His people, and the Bible was completed- the world had God’s heart/plan/teaching in a unified form. Once the perfect and complete Word was together, there was no longer a need for prophecy and tongues. It states, “as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” During that time, only certain people had the power to prophecy, speak in tongues, or even have the full knowledge of God’s divine revelation. Now, we all have equal opportunity to connect with God, read/learn His heart through scripture, and have that knowledge to follow Him into a committed relationship w’ Jesus.

Now, each committed follower of Jesus who has received the Holy Spirit, has some spiritual gift. May that be teaching, preaching, leadership, discernment, service, etc. We would take hold of verses 9 & 10 to believe that some spiritual gifts have been done away with, now that we have God’s perfect Word.

Question:

How do you share the good news with those who are lost and stubborn headed?  My fellow co-workers know of God but don’t know what it means to follow God or what it means to be a Christian.

Answer:

Sharing the love of God with other people is the most important thing we are called to do as Christians, but is also not easy, and often frustrating, especially when you are trying to share with people who aren’t particularly open to hearing what you have to say.  Thankfully, we are not only limited to words to share God with others.  Our actions often speak louder than our words.  The people around us-our family, friends, and co-workers- are watching our actions.

The way we act/react should be a reflection of what we believe.  They should be able to see God in everything we do whether it is having a good attitude at work, showing love to someone that is not easy to get along with, or helping someone with a need.  Eventually they see that there is something different about you, and they will want to know why.  In these times, you can begin to share the love of God with them on a more personal level.

The most important thing to remember is that we are ambassadors of God at all times.  He will provide the means and the words to allow us to share with others.  Be patient and allow God to work through you!