by Caleb Gordon | Nov 9, 2015
There are videos floating all over social media right showing students not listening to any authority, telling teachers, principals, and police officers they will not comply with the rules. They are rude and mean…and in some videos I’ve seen, these teens become physically violent. Does anyone else find this kind of behavior wrong or evil? Something has changed in students.
When I was a student (which was not that long ago) I knew if I acted up in class, there would be consequences from not only the teachers and principals, but from my parents. My dad would have dealt out a punishment accordingly, had I done anything wrong in school. I understood there was an authority structure. What has changed?
We are seeing what happens when a culture abandons a Biblical worldview.
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
In these videos we see students living out this passage. When a culture does not embrace and love God, it will turn and love something else. What we need more than ever are Christians who actually believe the mission that they have been called into. Men…we need to live this out: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Cor. 16:13-14).
If we has CHRISTIAN men actually believed and followed through on this mission that God has set up for us image the impact we’d have!?
What is stopping us?
Now is the time for us to stand up for Godly principles and ideas! If not us then who? If not now, then when?
by Caleb Gordon | Oct 15, 2015
If you’ve not seen the news, Lamar Odom took cocaine with prostitutes, and now he’s in a coma. What happened to this guy? What would cause him to want to go this direction in his life? I mean he has it all, right?
He plays basketball for a living, makes millions of dollars, was married to Khloe Kardashian, has fame and fans. Why was he not satisfied? Why was he trying to find an escape from his life?
Because we as human beings were never meant to find satisfaction in this present world.
Take a look at Prov. 19:23: “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.”
Lamar was not resting in or fearing the Lord whatsoever. How can I say that? Because if I knew I might possibly come face to face with the Creator of my life, as well as the universe, I’m not going to be found drugged up and in the lap of a prostitute.
Think about it. At any given moment, we could be standing in front of God Almighty! That’s really sobering! And once we are in standing in front of God, it really does not matter about anything you’ve had here on this planet. All that will matter at that point will be, are you secure in Christ?
So what is Lamar teaching us? You’ll never find sanctification in this present, fallen world. The only LASTING joy that can and will be found is in Jesus Christ and his redemptive powers. Chasing anything else is going to leave you feeling quite empty, and you’ll keep chasing things that won’t fill you.
Chase Jesus. He’s better!
On a side note, pray for Lamar. Pray that (1) he lives! And (2) as a result of him living, may this bring him to the feet of Jesus.
by Caleb Gordon | Oct 14, 2015
I got to thinking about this question this week.
We have to get our heads around the idea that people are not who we are to battle against. Someone I don’t agree with is not my enemy. The devil does a really good job at distracting us from waging war on our own sin and on him; rather he convinces us to focus on fighting each other.
Look at this: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Gal 5:16-17).
Dear Christian, the battle you are to be fighting is not with other people. You see, the people you engage everyday are not your true enemy. That “battle” is just a shadow of the real war that is raging behind the curtain. The focus needs to be on the real war at hand. When we put our focus on the real war, this is when ground is won! When we focus on fighting our own personal sin and resisting the devil, that is when we make real progress!
When you don’t focus on the real battle at hand we make up battles to focus on, and that’s when discord shows its ugly face in our relationships. Stop putting your focus on other people, but rather make war on your own personal sin and walk in such a way as to gratify the desire of the SPIRIT, not your flesh!
This is how you win!
by Caleb Gordon | Sep 3, 2015
There is a time to be angry…but in many cases, anger can be dangerous! You see Jesus said ‘Be angry and sin not.’ The words SIN NOT!
Anger can drive wedges between you and people that you love. Anger shows its head and causes you to live in regret most of the time. Anger causes you to say things that you normally would never say.
So what should we as Christ followers do? Follow the mandate from the WORD OF GOD: Let all your anger be put away. Why?
Look at James 1:20: “because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
What should be done then?
Before we open our mouths and speak, we need to ask some questions.
- Is this going to help? Is what I’m about to utter out of my mouth going to bring life or death to someone? Am I honestly going to help this person by the words I’m about to speak? If the answer is “no,” then be quiet!
- Is this going to glorify God? The word I’m about to speak, will it bring glory to God, and further his Kingdom? If you answer “no,” then, be quiet.
- Is this going to lead people to want to know Jesus? Are the words I’m about to express to someone going to help them understand the Gospel better? Or am I going to cause someone to stumble? If I’m going to cause someone to stumble I should just keep quiet.
I think this Bible verse really captures the whole thought:
James 1:19 — “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,”
Being slow is a good thing sometimes. I hope this helps!
by Caleb Gordon | Aug 25, 2015
Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
There is no denying that our world is going at break-neck speed into crazy town. If you just turn on the news or visit a news web site you can read all about the antics and downright spookiness of our modern day.
The thing that is even more disturbing is the stats inside of the church!
As many as eight out of 10 students WALK AWAY from church, Bible, and Jesus by the time they are 19 or 20. Some reports have said that one out of two marriages end in divorce (This is inside the church). Church membership and commitment has dropped exponentially over the last five years alone.
WHY?
Well, there are several ideas I have. A. Men faltering on their true roles as men. B. The nuclear family unit being literally ripped apart. C. There is no true moral compass in our culture.
But I personally think the main reason is that many in our churches are not truly taking what Jesus did for them as PERSONAL.
What do I mean?
We have grown up in America, and many of us have been in church most of our lives. We’ve been to Sunday School and VBS, and we’ve heard the stories. We know that Jesus died on a cross, and three days later he came back to life. We’ve seen it on movies, and we have heard all about John 3:16.
What this all boils down to is that it’s familiar. Nothing is life- shaking. It’s just part of our routine. We love the idea of Jesus, but in reality, when push comes to shove, nothing about what we do in our lives is transforming. I speak this from personal experience. I was part of the “don’t rock the boat” culture.
Then I read this verse:
“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor. 5:15).
This caused in me a shift in me!
It made what Jesus did for me PERSONAL. It was not just some foggy, far out there idea. I had a stake in this thing now. Jesus died for me, but not just died; he came back to life, and as a result of this, I am JUSTIFIED before God the Father. I have right standing with God because of what JESUS did for me. All of my sins are forgiven. (Past, present, and FUTURE).
Think about it. Look at that first part of the verse again…
“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves…” I admit it, I live for myself! I love “ME TIME.” But sometimes, our old sin nature can distract us even if we are redeemed and belong to Jesus. And the Devil has one desire when it comes to believers. DISTRACT, DISTRACT, DISTRACT! And how does he distract believers? A lot of the time with GOOD THINGS. But if a GOOD thing distracts you from the BEST thing, that good thing becomes evil.
Why is this bad? Because we as Christians have a mission, and that mission is all about JESUS! And the Devil does not care how he gets us as long as he gets us off mission! So when I read this verse everything changes! My life is not about me. My life is not about my family. My life is not about me being happy or comfortable. My life is to be about Christ and Christ alone!
It causes Matt 5:13-16 to take on a whole new life.
If we as Christians started truly being salt and light what would it look like?
Salt does what? It preserves. It keeps things good.
We should be known for persevering good in our culture. Not caving into the evil of our day.
Light scatters and dispels darkness.
We should be known for bringing light into a dark and dying world.
So what are some tangible ways in which we can live this out?
- Stop playing with sin. Don’t tip toe around sin…we run from it. We confess it, we repent of it.
- Get into a community of other believers that push us towards holiness…and when we are pushed on we need to be willing to except that word.
- Our conversations become different. Our focus is Gospel-Centered. No more idol chatter…we focus on the mission at hand.
- Talking to people about Jesus becomes like second nature. Whether you’re at the gas station or grocery store you talk to people about Jesus. Invite them into this thing called a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus.
- Forgiveness becomes just as natural as breathing. Don’t hold grudges. Regardless of the issue or circumstance, we FORGIVE! Jesus has forgiven you and I of much so therefore we must forgive of much!
If we begin to live this out like this, and start to take this thing personal…this is when things begin to transform. People begin to come alive for the Glory of God. Life is no longer boring…it’s an adventure everyday! It becomes meaningful. You begin to have purpose, and as a result you are now living a BIBLICAL lifestyle, and that is what God wants for each of us.