Is your faith a victim of the Guitar Hero Effect?
Guitar Hero is one of the hottest video games to hit stores in a long time. Kids want it, teens want it and even adults want it. It’s THE party game that’s taken the country by storm.
What is it? It’s a music video game that makes you feel like you’re on stage at a rock concert.
Playing the game with the guitar-shaped controller simulates playing an actual guitar. Players watch a color-coded moving music track on their TV. Then they use five colored “fret buttons” and a “strum bar” instead of frets and strings to make music.
Most players are content to just play the game. Some have been inspired to learn to play a real guitar. But, for the majority, that requires more discipline than they want to practice.
For many people, playing Guitar Hero is just like the way they practice their faith.
Now hold on just a minute! How does a playing a video game compare to being a Christian?
The answer is in the word “simulate.” Guitar Hero isn’t really the same as playing a guitar. It imitates the motions and creates the impression one is really playing. But it’s all a fake. A show.
And that’s the way many people approach Christianity.
Through their family and friends they are impressed with the need to “be a Christian.” So they check it out. They discover that Christians meet on Sunday and pray to an unseen God. They also give money to help missionaries build orphanages, drill wells and build hospitals.
So people figure, “I can do that!” and join up. And they become like my friend, Doug, who told me that for a long time he was “almost a Christian.”
For many years Doug played the Christian “game.” He got quite good at it. He sang in the choir, attended church regularly, gave money and even prayed. But he was just “going through the motions.” There was no passion, no reality in his heart. It was all a show and he knew it.
One day while I talked with Doug, it was as if the lights came on for him. He understood that God loved him. That Jesus died on the cross for his sin. That if he would trust and follow Jesus Christ, his sin would be forgiven and he would become part of God’s family.
When Doug bowed his head, humbled his heart and prayed, he became a new man.
No longer did he pray just to be heard by others. He prayed to talk to his Father in Heaven. And when he read his Bible, it wasn’t to get “points” with God in the Christian “game.” It was to hear God speak to him.
Doug decided he no longer wanted to simulate being a Christian. He wanted the real thing.
What about you? Has your “faith” been more like playing a game of Guitar Hero? You think, “I look pretty good. I’ve gotten to be an expert at playing this game. I’m good enough.”
That’s the Guitar Hero Effect. But playing a Christian game is not the same as the real thing.
For you to become a true Christian takes a leap of faith and a commitment to something greater than serving yourself. It’s realizing you’re not good enough for a holy God. It’s turning from your sinful attitudes, trusting in Jesus Christ to save you and serving him with your life.
And like my friend, Doug, you will never regret it.
If you’re interested in “being” a Christian and not just “doing Christianity” then faith in Jesus Christ is the place to begin. The Bible says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”
Next, find a good Bible-teaching, Christ-serving church and start attending. You will find answers to the questions of life, a purpose in living for God and a joy that you can only imagine.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Fatal Error
The Blue Screen of Death. Have you ever seen it?
We saw it at church last Sunday morning. Why? Because our church has a computer operated video projection system. It’s just the tool to connect with today’s media savvy generation.
The Blue Screen of Death is what a Windows computer displays when it suffers OS death. The OS (Operating System) is the computer program that runs the computer.
When you see the Blue Screen of Death your computer has “crashed” or “died.”
After the Blue Screen of Death appeared the first words I noticed were “Fatal Error.” I thought to myself, “That can’t be good! The service isn’t over yet—What now?”
Fatal Error means the CPU (Central Processing Unit or “brain”) stopped processing data. Any data not saved is gone forever. And you have to “reboot” or restart the machine.
Computer experts all say that sooner or later every computer will crash. The solution is to prepare in advance for that day by backing up your data. Save your work or you will lose it.
What’s sad is that many computer owners don’t believe it will ever happen to them. So they don’t invest the time or money to save their data.
I guess it stands to reason because most people act like they’re never going to die either.
Now hold on just a minute--What do computer crashes have in common with people dying?
Good question. The answer is that sooner or later both computers and people die. If we don’t think about saving the contents of either one, both our data and ours souls will be lost forever.
Many people don’t think they’ll die in the foreseeable future. And that could be a fatal error.
I once spoke to a man who was very ill and asked him this question: “When you die, what do you think you’ll find on the other side?”
He said he had never really thought about it. And he’s not alone. It’s a common response.
Now why wouldn’t you think about the one thing in life that is absolutely certain? Everyone who lives will die. And everyone who dies spends eternity somewhere.
Many people spend huge sums preparing for retirement. Others spend a good deal of time and money preplanning their funeral. And both are a good idea.
But God’s warning in the Bible to people like that was, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”
What an oversight--planning for life but failing to prepare for death! You lose twice. You lose all the stuff you worked for and you lose your soul in hell.
The Bible says, “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Which by the way rules out reincarnation since it says we will die only once, not many times!
A Christian is simply someone who believes what the Bible says and trusts Jesus Christ to do what he said he would do--save his or her soul.
When you become a Christian, it’s like backing up your computer. You no longer have to worry about death. You’ve prepared for it because Jesus is your backup. He saves you.
After we die God will “reboot” us at the “resurrection.” Jesus did it first to show it could be done. He will raise us all to face judgment or reward in a new body.
So if you want to avoid a fatal error in life, put your faith in Jesus Christ to save you. He will give you eternal life now and Heaven forever.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
We saw it at church last Sunday morning. Why? Because our church has a computer operated video projection system. It’s just the tool to connect with today’s media savvy generation.
The Blue Screen of Death is what a Windows computer displays when it suffers OS death. The OS (Operating System) is the computer program that runs the computer.
When you see the Blue Screen of Death your computer has “crashed” or “died.”
After the Blue Screen of Death appeared the first words I noticed were “Fatal Error.” I thought to myself, “That can’t be good! The service isn’t over yet—What now?”
Fatal Error means the CPU (Central Processing Unit or “brain”) stopped processing data. Any data not saved is gone forever. And you have to “reboot” or restart the machine.
Computer experts all say that sooner or later every computer will crash. The solution is to prepare in advance for that day by backing up your data. Save your work or you will lose it.
What’s sad is that many computer owners don’t believe it will ever happen to them. So they don’t invest the time or money to save their data.
I guess it stands to reason because most people act like they’re never going to die either.
Now hold on just a minute--What do computer crashes have in common with people dying?
Good question. The answer is that sooner or later both computers and people die. If we don’t think about saving the contents of either one, both our data and ours souls will be lost forever.
Many people don’t think they’ll die in the foreseeable future. And that could be a fatal error.
I once spoke to a man who was very ill and asked him this question: “When you die, what do you think you’ll find on the other side?”
He said he had never really thought about it. And he’s not alone. It’s a common response.
Now why wouldn’t you think about the one thing in life that is absolutely certain? Everyone who lives will die. And everyone who dies spends eternity somewhere.
Many people spend huge sums preparing for retirement. Others spend a good deal of time and money preplanning their funeral. And both are a good idea.
But God’s warning in the Bible to people like that was, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”
What an oversight--planning for life but failing to prepare for death! You lose twice. You lose all the stuff you worked for and you lose your soul in hell.
The Bible says, “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Which by the way rules out reincarnation since it says we will die only once, not many times!
A Christian is simply someone who believes what the Bible says and trusts Jesus Christ to do what he said he would do--save his or her soul.
When you become a Christian, it’s like backing up your computer. You no longer have to worry about death. You’ve prepared for it because Jesus is your backup. He saves you.
After we die God will “reboot” us at the “resurrection.” Jesus did it first to show it could be done. He will raise us all to face judgment or reward in a new body.
So if you want to avoid a fatal error in life, put your faith in Jesus Christ to save you. He will give you eternal life now and Heaven forever.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Edna’s Story
Is God in control of our world--even when bad things happen?
Read Edna’s story and you decide. I don’t know how else to explain it except for God.
On a business trip to Florida last month I met Edna. She was the hotel’s breakfast lady. Edna got up at 4 a.m. so the hotel guests could have breakfast from 6-9 a.m.
When I saw her the second day I thanked her and told her she was doing a great job. We chatted for a while and I discovered she was a Christian.
On my last morning at the hotel Edna said, “You know, God works in mysterious ways.” I’m always interested in how God works in other’s lives so I asked what she meant.
Edna said she recently bought a small used purse at a hospice store. But then she lost it at the grocery store. Sadly she had just cashed her paycheck and the cash was in the purse.
When she arrived home she discovered the purse was missing and called the store immediately. But no one had seen it or found it.
Of course she had to replace her driver’s license and credit cards right away. It was a hassle, but with identity theft such a problem she had to do it.
Two days later the store called. They found the purse. It was folded up in a shopping cart and just discovered when a customer used the cart. Everything was intact. Even the cash.
Edna realized she had tucked the purse under her arm and it fell in the cart as she put the groceries in her car. Determined to avoid a repeat, Edna went out and bought a larger purse.
As she transferred the smaller purse’s contents, she heard change jingle in it. But when she looked the purse was empty. Upon further investigation she discovered a zipper pocket in the purse with an open side seam. The change had fallen through and was under the purse’s lining.
When Edna reached in and pulled the change out she was surprised to also see a class ring.
She called her son and he found a woman’s name on the inside of the ring. After checking on the Internet he found the woman in New York. So he called and spoke with her assistant.
When her boss came in the assistant said, “You just received the strangest call from Florida!”
Returning the call the woman said the purse had been her mother’s. She thought her mom lost the ring almost 20 years earlier. After her mom died she was sure it was gone forever.
Edna's conclusion: “If I hadn't lost that purse, I never would have found the ring!”
Why do bad things happen to good people? Sometimes so God can bless others and us!
Even the Jewish Patriarch, Jacob, had to learn this. After a series of seemingly unfortunate events he complained in Genesis 42:36, “Everything is against me!”
But if you read the rest of the story you discover what Jacob learned: God was blessing him! It just took a while for him to see it. That’s because God’s schedule is often different than ours.
And the same is true for everyone who trusts in the God of the Bible. Jesus never fails.
In Jeremiah 29:11-13 God speaks through the prophet and says to his people, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Listen--either God is in control or there are an amazing amount of coincidences in our world.
Will you trust God? He is good. All the time. Even if things don’t make sense now, they will later. Why? Because God is faithful and he’s not going to lose his reputation on you or me.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Read Edna’s story and you decide. I don’t know how else to explain it except for God.
On a business trip to Florida last month I met Edna. She was the hotel’s breakfast lady. Edna got up at 4 a.m. so the hotel guests could have breakfast from 6-9 a.m.
When I saw her the second day I thanked her and told her she was doing a great job. We chatted for a while and I discovered she was a Christian.
On my last morning at the hotel Edna said, “You know, God works in mysterious ways.” I’m always interested in how God works in other’s lives so I asked what she meant.
Edna said she recently bought a small used purse at a hospice store. But then she lost it at the grocery store. Sadly she had just cashed her paycheck and the cash was in the purse.
When she arrived home she discovered the purse was missing and called the store immediately. But no one had seen it or found it.
Of course she had to replace her driver’s license and credit cards right away. It was a hassle, but with identity theft such a problem she had to do it.
Two days later the store called. They found the purse. It was folded up in a shopping cart and just discovered when a customer used the cart. Everything was intact. Even the cash.
Edna realized she had tucked the purse under her arm and it fell in the cart as she put the groceries in her car. Determined to avoid a repeat, Edna went out and bought a larger purse.
As she transferred the smaller purse’s contents, she heard change jingle in it. But when she looked the purse was empty. Upon further investigation she discovered a zipper pocket in the purse with an open side seam. The change had fallen through and was under the purse’s lining.
When Edna reached in and pulled the change out she was surprised to also see a class ring.
She called her son and he found a woman’s name on the inside of the ring. After checking on the Internet he found the woman in New York. So he called and spoke with her assistant.
When her boss came in the assistant said, “You just received the strangest call from Florida!”
Returning the call the woman said the purse had been her mother’s. She thought her mom lost the ring almost 20 years earlier. After her mom died she was sure it was gone forever.
Edna's conclusion: “If I hadn't lost that purse, I never would have found the ring!”
Why do bad things happen to good people? Sometimes so God can bless others and us!
Even the Jewish Patriarch, Jacob, had to learn this. After a series of seemingly unfortunate events he complained in Genesis 42:36, “Everything is against me!”
But if you read the rest of the story you discover what Jacob learned: God was blessing him! It just took a while for him to see it. That’s because God’s schedule is often different than ours.
And the same is true for everyone who trusts in the God of the Bible. Jesus never fails.
In Jeremiah 29:11-13 God speaks through the prophet and says to his people, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Listen--either God is in control or there are an amazing amount of coincidences in our world.
Will you trust God? He is good. All the time. Even if things don’t make sense now, they will later. Why? Because God is faithful and he’s not going to lose his reputation on you or me.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Count the Cost
Would you obey God if it cost everything you had?
Three hundred years ago Alexander Mack and a group of seven Christians risked their lives to do something we take for granted. They were baptized.
“Now hold on just a minute. Why would Christian baptism be dangerous?”
Religion was controlled by the State in 18th Century Germany. Each province’s prince chose which Church his citizens attended. And the State enforced the rules of Church as law.
To be a Christian in that time meant to be baptized as an infant and agree with Church beliefs. How one lived didn’t matter much at all.
Alexander Mack was influenced by a new idea called Pietism. Pietists believed Christians should follow the teachings of Jesus and live their faith every day. Such a life, they felt, should show honesty, humility and Christian love.
Another group that affected Mack was the Mennonites. They were punished by the State because they didn’t baptize their infants. Instead they baptized adults who chose to follow Jesus.
Eventually Mack began meeting with others to study and discuss the Bible. They talked about how Jesus’ teachings should affect their lives. But church leaders of that day didn’t want others studying and teaching from the Bible.
Since they were not following the laws of the Church and the State, Mack’s group was threatened with arrest. But they bravely continued obeying the Bible.
Jesus told several stories in the Bible about the cost of following him. He said the cost was complete surrender to him as Lord. Mack’s group counted the cost and obeyed Jesus.
In August of 1708, Alexander Mack gathered with four other men and three women by the Eider River in Schwarzenau, Germany. After singing hymns and reading Jesus’ words about counting the cost, the eight brave Christians were baptized.
As word of the baptisms spread people came to hear what this new group believed. At first they were called New Baptists and then German Baptists. Soon the group began to grow.
Because the religious climate in Europe was not friendly to groups like Mack’s the new church eventually moved to America. William Penn invited them to settle in Pennsylvania.
Soon a church was started in Germantown near Philadelphia. They became known as the German Baptist Brethren.
Enjoying their new freedom in America, Brethren churches grew and began printing a newspaper. They also printed the first Bible from moveable type cast in America (in German).
But soon the Brethren had to count the cost again. As the colonies moved toward war, Brethren were persecuted for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the King of England. They also refused to take up weapons to fight because of their peaceful nature.
As a result many were forced to flee and settled in the Shenandoah Valley and the Midwest.
Last weekend almost one thousand spiritual descendants of Mack’s movement gathered in Schwarzenau, Germany to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the first Brethren baptism.
Today Brethren churches are spread around the world. Just like throwing a stone in a river sends out ripples, Mack’s actions have impacted the lives of thousands of people today. And it’s all because one man listened and counted the cost when Jesus said, “Follow me.”
As a Brethren pastor I still invite people to count the cost and follow Jesus Christ as Lord.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Three hundred years ago Alexander Mack and a group of seven Christians risked their lives to do something we take for granted. They were baptized.
“Now hold on just a minute. Why would Christian baptism be dangerous?”
Religion was controlled by the State in 18th Century Germany. Each province’s prince chose which Church his citizens attended. And the State enforced the rules of Church as law.
To be a Christian in that time meant to be baptized as an infant and agree with Church beliefs. How one lived didn’t matter much at all.
Alexander Mack was influenced by a new idea called Pietism. Pietists believed Christians should follow the teachings of Jesus and live their faith every day. Such a life, they felt, should show honesty, humility and Christian love.
Another group that affected Mack was the Mennonites. They were punished by the State because they didn’t baptize their infants. Instead they baptized adults who chose to follow Jesus.
Eventually Mack began meeting with others to study and discuss the Bible. They talked about how Jesus’ teachings should affect their lives. But church leaders of that day didn’t want others studying and teaching from the Bible.
Since they were not following the laws of the Church and the State, Mack’s group was threatened with arrest. But they bravely continued obeying the Bible.
Jesus told several stories in the Bible about the cost of following him. He said the cost was complete surrender to him as Lord. Mack’s group counted the cost and obeyed Jesus.
In August of 1708, Alexander Mack gathered with four other men and three women by the Eider River in Schwarzenau, Germany. After singing hymns and reading Jesus’ words about counting the cost, the eight brave Christians were baptized.
As word of the baptisms spread people came to hear what this new group believed. At first they were called New Baptists and then German Baptists. Soon the group began to grow.
Because the religious climate in Europe was not friendly to groups like Mack’s the new church eventually moved to America. William Penn invited them to settle in Pennsylvania.
Soon a church was started in Germantown near Philadelphia. They became known as the German Baptist Brethren.
Enjoying their new freedom in America, Brethren churches grew and began printing a newspaper. They also printed the first Bible from moveable type cast in America (in German).
But soon the Brethren had to count the cost again. As the colonies moved toward war, Brethren were persecuted for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the King of England. They also refused to take up weapons to fight because of their peaceful nature.
As a result many were forced to flee and settled in the Shenandoah Valley and the Midwest.
Last weekend almost one thousand spiritual descendants of Mack’s movement gathered in Schwarzenau, Germany to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the first Brethren baptism.
Today Brethren churches are spread around the world. Just like throwing a stone in a river sends out ripples, Mack’s actions have impacted the lives of thousands of people today. And it’s all because one man listened and counted the cost when Jesus said, “Follow me.”
As a Brethren pastor I still invite people to count the cost and follow Jesus Christ as Lord.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
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