Dating vs. Courtship

One of the challenges for many Christians is the issue of dating. Being single for a believer is hard because there are no hard and fast rules in terms of how to biblically negotiate one's interaction with the opposite sex. The world has no true blueprint for premarital interaction because the church's witness is not sound. For this reason we need to distinguish between dating and courtship.

Let's set the record straight, Christians are not supposed to "date," we are supposed to "court." What is the difference? Dating is based upon physical attraction, personal chemistry, mutual interests and a desire for companionship. Courting is based upon a pursuit to identify if a person has been ordained by God to be your spouse. The difference is that you can date someone without being overly concerned about whether you're going to marry them or not. Such is not the case with courting. Once you identify that the person is not the one you are to marry the courtship ceases. I've had plenty of people that I've dated who, after a while, I knew was not going to be my wife; but I continued to date them anyway! This is not of God. The church has to get back to the Divine Design of how relationships are supposed to lead to marriage, and dating is not the way.

With courtship there is no physical, romantic contact. No kissing, no making out, no heavy petting, no inappropriate touching; this type of activity does not transpire in courtship. Why not? Because that type of intense physical exchange is reserved for marriage. In typical dating, even Christians who date, if you're not sexually involved (which is not a given even in the church), usually you're "pushing the line" to see how far you can go without "sinning." Once again, this is not the will of God. When you're courting, you're deliberately and intentionally trying to find out "who the person is" so you can accurately discern and ascertain if God has ordained them to be your spouse. A lot of times it's hard to stay "objective" when physical involvement has transpired.

I know this concept is not popular, let alone readily taught, but Saints, we've got to restore Divine Order to the relationships that lead to marriage. We need to "kiss dating goodbye" and embrace the consecration of courtship.

The Judgment of God, Part 2

As we continue to explore the concept of the judgment of God, let us remember that judgment is not punishment. Judgment is deliberation, evaluation and assessment. Every human being that resides on this planet is accountable to the God that created him or her. Therefore, everyone is subject to the judgment of God.

Another area that we don't often explore is that the judgment of God is not restricted to individuals. God also judges communities, regions, states and nations. Once again, this is not a popular teaching in the mainstream church, but it is biblical. The Bible clearly states that the God we serve does not change (Malachi 3). Therefore, if God judged nations back in the Bible days, He's judging nations now.

This is where I get concerned, because I firmly believe that America is on the path of judgment. There are some things that this country have embraced and endorsed that simply are not of God. People mistakenly think that they can do whatever they want to do. This is not correct! Hopefully we've established that every human being and every nation is accountable to God. And when you have a nation that is on the verge of legislating what God considers abomination, judgment is inevitable.

Saints, let me make it plain: if the United States Supreme Court legislates same-sex marriage in this country, America will be judged. People can blow this off if they want, but the signs are already in place. Why do you think the states in the Northeast have gotten hit so hard with severe weather over the last few years? Right now Massachusetts is experiencing "record snow falls." Remember New York and Hurricane Sandy? Some might consider these "coincidences." No saints, they are signs of judgment. And it is not a coincidence that many of the states in the Northeastern part of the United States, like New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey were some of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage. Coincidence? I think not.

Remember, the judgment of God is not punishment, it's evaluation, deliberation and assessment. In the state of Michigan (where I happen to reside), same-sex marriage was blocked by the Hand of God, and was NOT legalized in this state. Do you think it's a coincidence that we're experiencing one of the mildest winters that we've had in years? And don't fool yourself, the flood that hit Detroit in August was a warning! By His Grace, we were passed over.

What I'm trying to express more than anything is that the judgment of God is real, and if things don't turn around, America's going to experience judgment in a way that she never has before. Saints, we have to stand in the gap. We have to pray that God will divinely intervene and not allow the Supreme Court to pass this legislation. If the children of God pray, God said not only would He hear us, but He would also heal our land (2 Chronicles 7).

The Judgment of God

One of the concepts that is not frequently preached from the pulpit is the understanding of the judgment of God. Preachers are quick to talk about the Blood of Jesus, His Resurrection from the dead, and our going to heaven when we die (as well they should). But eternal salvation is not the only aspect of the character of God that we need to be familiar with if we're going to experience a fruitful relationship with the Father. We must understand that the God we serve is a God of judgment.

Let's first clarify the concept of Judgment. Judgment is not punishment. Judgment is deliberation, evaluation and assessment. When a teacher gives a student a grade, that teacher is not "punishing" the student. The teacher is giving the student a grade based upon an evaluation of the work performed in the class. If students do well, they get an A. If students do poorly, they get an F. That's not punishment, that's judgment. When a court renders a verdict or a judge gives a sentence, that's not punishment. The judge or jury looks at evidence to conclude whether a person is guilty or not guilty. That's not punishment, that's a judgment.

The God we serve is a God of judgment. Because He is the Creator of the universe and the Author of all life, all creatures and living beings are accountable to Him (Acts 17). This includes human beings, saved and unsaved. Therefore, God judges every human being that walks the face of the earth. And what the church needs to understand so that we can have an appropriate witness is that God doesn't just wait until after a person dies to render judgment on that person's life. Just like there are mid-term exams, final exams and even pop quizzes, God looks at our lives on a daily basis and evaluates and deliberates as He Sovereignly sees fit. 

For this reason, we have "the right" to live any way that we choose. We are all accountable to the judgment of God.

Religion vs. God

The witness of the church in America has not been as strong as it could be for several reasons. One of the main reasons for the American church's weak witness is our preference for religion over God. There are thousands and thousands of people in this country that go to church on Sundays. They more than likely would profess to be Christians, but the problem is they don't know God.

What religion does is take the concept of God and wrap it around doctrine and dogma that is designed to regulate the behavior and thinking of the adherents to that particular faith system. What we've done in the church is defined this faith system as Christianity. However, it's really not Christianity, it's church religion. Christianity is about having a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.  True Christianity isn't about "living right," it's about knowing God. And unfortunately, there's more than a few Christians that understand church religion, but they don't know God.

Why do I say this? Because when you have a personal relationship with God, you understand that God loves you in spite of you. You're not trying to "earn your way to heaven" because you stopped a few sins. You understand that you'll never be good enough to go to heaven. But the Grace of God says that Jesus' Blood has already made you good enough. Hallelujah! That's called Grace and that's knowing God. But religion will tell you that if you don't "get it together" you're going to hell.  This is not of God, and this is not Christianity.

It's time we stop embracing the religion of church and adopt what true Christianity is: knowing God the Father through the Redemptive Work of His Son, Jesus the Christ. Once we get to know who God really is, the church will have an authentic witness and we will in turn change the world.

One Church

One of the challenges that the Body of Christ is going to have to deal with in preparation for the Kingdom Move that God is getting ready to release in the Earth is the challenge of racial prejudice. Whether we want to admit it or not, there are more than a few Christians that are prejudiced.

Being prejudiced means that a person has developed pre-conceived notions and biases against other ethnicities which are not their own. It doesn't mean that they "hate" people of other racial backgrounds, it means that their interaction and perception has already been tainted by stereotypes rather than facts.

The reason we know that the church still suffers from this disease is because people still talk about going to a "black church" or a "white church." People are now talking about "the Hispanic church." Saints, there is no such thing as a black church, white church, Hispanic church, Korean church; we're just the church! (Galatians 3:28). The fact that we still refer to the church on racial or ethnic terms shows that we're still infected by this prejudice spirit.

The Bible doesn't refer to the church based on ethnic composition, it refers to the church based upon geographical location. Therefore, the question isn't what is the status of the "black church" or "the white church" or the "Hispanic church." The question needs to be, what is the status of the American Church. And as long as we're making reference to the church based upon skin color and ethnic background, it will remain a divided church, not One Church.

The Issue of Abuse

One of the major social issues that was highlighted in 2014, was the Issue of Abuse. With the incidents that occurred in the NFL last year, a lot of debate and discussion took place in regards to domestic abuse, not only in sports but in our society at large, Unfortunately, domestic abuse is not an issue that's restricted to the secular world. The church too must deal with domestic abuse. More than a few families in the Body of Christ are being challenged with this social dysfunction.

Let us first define abuse. Abuse can be defined as hurting or injuring someone by mistreatment or ill-use. When it comes to our families, we have husbands abusing wives, wives abusing husbands, parents abusing children and children abusing parents. And please, let's set the record straight, women and children are not the only ones being abused in our society. Even though the media doesn't really address it, there are women who are abusing men, and there are kids, teenagers and grown adults, that are abusing their parents.

Believe it or not, at some level, many of us are proponents, as well as victims of abuse, and don't even know it. Society focuses a lot on physical abuse, but what about verbal abuse? When you talk to someone insultingly, degradingly and without respect, that's verbal abuse; whether you mean to be abusive or not. Then what about emotional abuse? When you refuse to be considerate of other people's feelings, particularly your spouse, children or parents; when you are blatantly insensitive to the concerns and needs of those within your household and it detrimentally affects their self-worth and self-esteem, that can possibly be emotional abuse.

Before we start pointing the finger at the people on TV and in the news, we might do well to take a look in the mirror and ask ourselves the question, "Are we ourselves guilty of perpetuating this Issue of abuse?"

Divine Intervention in the NFL

Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson 

Recently I was watching ESPN'S First Take, and on the sports show the question was raised, "Does God care about the outcome of football games?" I'd like to respond to that question emphatically by saying YES, HE DOES. Why do I say that? Because God cares about everything that happens in the earth, and He cares about everything that pertains to His children.

One of the things that is often overlooked when people talk about God is that He is a Father. The prayer that Jesus teaches us in the 6th chapter of Matthew (typically described as "The Lord's Prayer") starts off with us saying: "Our Father." God is a Father, and I have never met a human father, that's actively engaged in the life of his children that isn't concerned about everything involving their child. Whether it be sports, recreation, education, relationships, it doesn't matter, that father is concerned about how it's going to affect his child. 

God is the Greatest, most Compassionate Father in the universe. So, if His children, and there are several born-again believers that play in the NFL, are involved in playing football, God cares! The NFL is more than just athletic entertainment, it's more than just a billion-dollar sports industry, it's the career and livelihood of hundreds of men. And for those football players who are saved and play in the NFL, yes God cares about the outcome of their games.

Does this mean that it was God's will for the Seattle Seahawks to beat the Green Bay Packers to win the American Football Conference because Seahawks' quarterback, Russell Wilson, is saved? I can't answer that. Does that mean God actively favors some teams to win over others? I can't answer that, either. But what I can say is when you have a child of God operating under the Divine Favor and Blessing of God the Father, regardless of the arena of his or her activity, including professional sports, yes, God is Sovereignly involved.