Tag: <span>Jesus</span>

My Pastor is better than Your Pastor.

July 23, 2023
by Sharon

I was reflecting on a conversation I had with a church friend of mine. I had accepted his invitation to visit his home church. An experience that even he agreed was boring.

He told me that he stayed there, despite how boring it was, because he felt safe there. Why? Because the pastor preached right out of the Bible.

This begs the question; Is the presence of the Bible and use of scripture enough evidence that you’re in a place where you can gain the wisdom and understanding that is essential for spiritual growth and discipleship?

Perhaps not.

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1

Just the other day I was talking with a man who recently started attending a new church. He was really excited about it. “What do you like about it?” I asked. With great enthusiasm, he said, “I like the fact the pastor preaches right from the Bible. So many don’t, you know.”

Really?

I’ve been to a lot of Christian churches and I never found one that didn’t preach from and through the Bible. They all preach the Bible. They just don’t all preach the same way. Nor do they all arrive at the same conclusions about the meaning of each scripture or passage.

Even within the same denominations, you’ll have inconsistencies in interpretations.

This isn’t to say that any of them are wrong. The fact they have a Bible in their hands… just doesn’t automatically mean they are right.

A perfect example is the time our team visited three different churches of three different denominations in three different cities on the same weekend. One was Pentecostal, one United Methodist, and one Baptist. All three were teaching from the same passage of scripture. None of them communicated the same message. None of them handled the verses in the same way. None of them applied the verses in the same way. We each have our own preference for style and teaching and that’s perfectly fine.

My Way is Better than Your Way

There are three primary Biblical teaching formats: topical, textual, and expository. Most pastors tend to favor one over the other. Most Christians, by the way, tend to favor one over the other as well.

The problem is that many of us make a value judgment saying one is a more valid method of teaching what the Word of God has to say than the other.

With topical teaching, the pastor selects a topic and uses passages from the Bible to elucidate that topic and support the thesis. Love, service, marriage, parenting, sex… the Bible has something to say about all of them.

In practice, the pastor prays about what God wants them to teach the church and then they go to the Bible to construct their message using a variety of verses. Many people find this style of learning helps them connect to the Bible on a very personal level. This style can be useful for helping us gain practical knowledge about how the Word of God relates to our everyday lives.

The danger is that if you are not reading the Bible on your own, you may never fully experience scripture within its original context…and with the Bible, context is everything. There is a beautiful unfolding of the story of God when the books of the Bible are read one by one. A careful teacher will make sure the scriptures are used in ways that preserve the contextual message. Having said that, it’s a dangerous assumption to think that all pastors are that careful.

Textual teaching is where one specific passage from the Bible is used as a jumping-off point for the pastor’s lesson. For example, the pastor may use the story of the Good Samaritan to teach a message on serving others. Like topical teaching, this style is easily relatable to the average listener but, once again, it uses the Bible more as a reference book. Unless the attendees are reading the Bible on their own, the only understanding of the Word of God they’ll have is the one their pastor gave them.

“I believe the Church has to get back to expository teaching…allowing the text to speak for itself. Instead of topical verses that say what I want it to say…the scriptures must be the final authority…if you’re not careful, you’ll have an entertaining leader …but what happens when that leader falls apart?…the church is over because it was built on a personality… I have been that leader…” Jay DePoy, Ashville, NC

Expository teaching is when the pastor teaches through the Bible verse by verse. Each week’s message will be whatever lesson the text at hand is teaching. Most conservative churches feel expository teaching is superior to others. It illuminates the Bible one scripture at a time and allows the learner to better comprehend the “full counsel of God”.

On a practical level, many people find expository teaching hard to follow…or even boring. I say that depends on the teacher.

In reality, no matter the style, a teacher will convey the message the way they, themselves, understand the text. Therein lies the rub.

The most important thing about learning what the Bible has to teach is this; what we hear on Sunday morning is not enough to lead us to wisdom and maturity no matter how great our teacher is or what teaching style is employed. We grow in wisdom and knowledge when we pursue God’s Word, pray for wisdom, and live out what we learn.

Hearing it will never be enough.

“You don’t go to a restaurant once a week expecting to be fed…if you only feed on the Word of God once a week.” Pastor Dale Travis, Family Life Church, Amarillo, TX

“…Pastors are held accountable for what they preach, the listener is held accountable for what they hear…” Pastor Vic Redding, Faith Free Will Baptist Church, Greensboro, NC

Read that last quote again. Ultimately, the communication style isn’t what matters most. It’s up to each of us to make sure we are not just “hearing” the word of God – but what we do with what we’ve learned that changes us from “attenders” to true followers.

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

Uncategorized

My Church is better than Your Church!

July 21, 2023
by Sharon

“The Body of Christ is divided.” Pastor Ryan Stafford, Victory Christian Church, Tulsa, OK

“I believe that most people are just playing religion. They don’t have a relationship with Jesus. They believe their connection with a building, walking through those doors, is going to cleanse them. And then they’re out religiously trying to live by rules we know from the Old Testament that man can’t live by.”

Pastor Kevin Berg, Desert View Baptist, Winslow, AZ

“Jesus said we are to esteem each other as more important than ourselves. If we can represent Him in that way then we are wanting our brother or sister to have better than we have. Then we’re really trying to say, “You are not a threat to me; you are a compliment to me. I’m not comparing myself to you. I’m not competing with you. I am meant to blend with you and celebrate you and be excited about the gift in your life.”

Unfortunately, insecurities, comparativeness and competitiveness have made people build little personal empires instead of building the kingdom of God.

It’s been more about a ‘me’ than a ‘we’. What God’s looking for is a ‘we’. ”

Pastor Francis Anfuso, The Rock of Roseville, Roseville, CA

Sadly, the spirit of competition, personal bias, and negative judgments toward churches and denominations other than our own have conspired to make us all look like arrogant supremacists who create more confusion than clarity to the message God is trying to send to the world.

“Denominations just build walls between us. We have a tendency to declare that ‘this is what the Bible teaches’ and be really arrogant about it. We need to respect that another equally intelligent person might see it differently…we have to get over our pride and realize we are all on the same team…God loves us all in the same way and if we could work together the world could be saved.”

Pastor Jeremy Brown, Journey Church, Jackson, TN

“If we’re going to reach this world for Jesus… if we’re going to help people move from where they are…the biggest thing is the Church needs to stop throwing rocks at each other…if the Church can’t get along with itself and unite around Jesus and loving people…why should I put my faith in them?”

Pastor Chuck Van Hook____ , Journey Church, Jackson, TN

“The vast majority of Americans are not interested in a Sunday morning church…the fastest growing churches are growing with transfer growth. We have churches competing with each other for an ever-decreasing piece of the pie. We’re…we’re either going to reinvent the way we do things or we’re going to see an increasing decline in the church.”…”

Jeff Kirsch, We Are Church, Denver, NC

“I think we have to recognize there is no perfect structure. And structures in and of themselves don’t bring transformation. What we’re trying to do is facilitate and make it as easy as possible for God to come on earth as it is in Heaven…For His Kingdom to come. The Church is called to be the incarnate expression of Jesus on the earth. It’s why I love the Church. I love the Body of Christ in all its varied forms and expressions. I’m convinced that if we pay attention to what God is doing and what God is saying to us that every church in every city has a role, a place, and a future.

Paul said it is so unwise to compare ourselves with ourselves. We are not to do that. That’s where so many churches get into trouble. We go to conference after conference trying to figure out what are we doing that’s wrong or what we are doing that’s right or how we do this better.

I am all for excellence. I am all for effective ministry. But I’m so much more confident in the Holy Spirit’s ability to teach us, guide us, empower us, and equip us.”

Pastor Roger Nix, Believers Church, Tulsa, OK

“(Churches of other denominations need to) come together for the sake of the mission…it isn’t just for the lost to be found, but to make God known…that’s when we come together to fight human trafficking or stop hunger… ”

Pastor Les Croft, Greensboro Christian Church, Greensboro, NC

“We shoot ourselves in the foot…the spirit of competition is not of God.”

Reverend Reggie Fowler, 1st Christian Church, Amarillo, TX

I could list more, but you get the idea.

Virtually every pastor we met expressed some amount of frustration about the way churches compete with one another, or the way one denomination will promote the message, their view on scripture is the only, truly accurate one.

We form our opinions about what is true and then make the wild assumption that any differing opinion must be wrong. And by wrong, they usually mean that you won’t go to heaven until you get it right.

Well, their version of right anyway.

One lifelong Christian and seasoned sr. pastor I interviewed admitted, with a good deal of chagrin, that until recently he hadn’t realized the Methodists were saved.

“We are too denominationally driven…my church is more right than your church…”

Dr. Lee Simpson, Faith Clinic, Amarillo, TX

“I’m Longing for a church that isn’t about denomination…just a building that says “We love God”.”

Reverend Reggie Fowler, 1st Christian Church, Amarillo, TX

Here’s the thing: According to the 2010 Religious Congregations Census, there are about 314,000 Protestant and other Christian churches in America.

Most of them probably feel they (or their denomination) have the “most accurate” understanding of the Bible and what it has to say about God, faith, and practice.

Yet, there will be a multitude of disparities from one to another. If we all got together to argue about theology and doctrine we’d surely walk away feeling exhausted and frustrated at the end of the day (if not beaten and bloody).

Simply put, no one could win the arguments because we’re not all wrong and we’re not all right.

We ought to be humble enough to admit it, but far too many of us aren’t.

If thousands of scholars and theologians can’t agree; why are we so hell-bent on this relentless, community-destroying game of “Religious King of the Hill” with one another?

We reviewed hundreds of church websites looking for those we might visit as we traveled across the U.S.

There were more than a few who weren’t shy about claiming superiority over other churches, even at times, within their own denomination.

We would usually find it in their “What We Believe” page or in the “Letter from the Pastor” page.

I read numerous comments that boasted about how special or different their church was from all the rest.

One pastor even posted this,

“Other churches pick and choose which doctrines they want to follow. But (his church) is not ashamed to follow traditional doctrine.”

The upshot was, ‘if you want to go to the right church, with real Bible teaching, with the real people going to Heaven, this is the only one!’

It isn’t only denominations.

With the surge of the new myriad Post Modern expressions of the Church, we have no shortage of arguments about what is the “right way” to do church. We’ll talk about this in more detail later on.

“The Body of Christ is divided.” Pastor Ryan Stafford, Victory Christian Church, Tulsa, OK

Given the reality we’re confusing the non-Christians and undermining the work of the Gospel by criticizing one another, do you think that a cease-fire is in order?

What message do you think the present disunity among God’s people is conveying to the non-Christian world?

In Sacramento, CA, where I live, there is a movement started to create unity among pastors of all denominations.

They meet with regularity to build one another up.

They pool resources and meet the needs of all churches to the best of their ability.

This movement has created a groundswell of love and brotherhood that has erased the lines between denominations, individual church communities, race, and gender.

“As a result (of reaching out to other pastors) bridges have been built, breeches have been healed, relationships have been formed that have been absolutely transformational. So now, some of my closest friends are leaders around the region that I know would take a bullet for me just as I would take a bullet for them.”

Pastor Francis Anfuso, The Rock of Roseville, Roseville, CA

“I see denominations partnering more than ever before.” Pastor Steve Tiebout, The River, Cookeville, TN

Let’s be honest. We all want to feel like the church we attend is the right church. There is nothing wrong with that…to a point.

One Body but Many Parts (1Corinthians 12:12-27)

There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts.

Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.

The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care. The parts that can be shown don’t need special care. But God has put together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any. In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of one another. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy.

You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it.”

Before you let that message go in one ear and out the other (ooh that’s punny!) It isn’t you who decides what body part you best represent. God alone knit us together. God alone knows how this all shakes out.

Be humble. Lift up all who proclaim the Name of Jesus Christ.

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

Christian Living

Who are you following? No really. Do you know?

December 24, 2022December 25, 2022
by Sharon

Since the birth of our nation, we’ve had guiding principles. Shared values. We didn’t all see the future the same way, but we were free to pursue it in whatever way we believed to be right. We were guided by our own conscience and fidelity to our shared moral and social contract. We each understood that our personal liberties and rights only extended to the point they interfered with the rights of others. Our founding fathers called that contract The Constitution of the United States of America and established a government comprised of fellow citizens to keep and protect it.

Lately, it feels like We the People of this nation are trapped in a bus with no steering wheel and no brakes. Our direction AND our destination are being changed and changed again by powerful people and politicians pushing us in a direction most of us don’t believe to be right or good.

None of these people have the right to nullify the Constitution that made the United States the greatest nation on the planet. Nor do they have any authority to supplant it with a new one created in their own woke image. But that isn’t stopping them. It’s not even slowing them down.

They have completely flipped the script on us. It’s like we woke up in 2020 to discover we no longer live in a nation ruled by the consent of the governed. Sadly, the MAJORITY of our leaders are corrupt and rule as though they don’t need or want our consent. Not anymore.

They see you and me as sheep. And themselves as rightful shepherds and benevolent saviors of the world.

I used to feel a bit offended that Jesus referred to His followers as sheep in the Bible. I get it now.

Sheep are kinda dumb, aren’t they? They mostly just go with the flow. Most aren’t even following the shepherd. They are only following the sheep in front of them. They don’t actually know the shepherd personally. So if someone else came along with a bucket of oats and SAID they were the shepherd … well, they’d be easy to fool.

This is what’s happened to America. Whether it’s Mainstream Media, Cable TV, Social Media, or celebrities; they’ve persuaded many sheep to follow them …and hate anyone who won’t.

These new shepherds want us to believe the Christian ethics, morals, and values that called the United States into being; were wrong all along. They say those who penned our Constitution were merely imposing the traditions and preferences of “old white men”. Never mind those “old white men” weren’t old OR that the genesis of our Constitution was rooted in the freedoms and liberties given us by God alone- not them. Not any man.

The ultimate power of our Constitution IS that We the People hold the power AND the right to shut down our government if it ever attempts to take our God-given rights away.

But our new shepherds don’t want us to believe that. They claim they are protecting Democracy by nullifying our Constitutional Rights. Just as every tyrannical government has done before.

By delegitimizing the people who wrote and signed our Constitution they attempt to usurp the rights and powers embedded in it.

Our self-appointed “shepherds” have this in common. They esteem their own words above the Word of God.

Everything established by God or created in His image is either being distorted or destroyed.

As hard as it is to believe, our own government calls those who refuse to accept the usurpation of God in America… a threat to our democracy. ANYONE who knows the Bible knows what an outrageous lie that is.

And right now, that’s our biggest problem, isn’t it? Far too many are easily led astray by a bucket of oats and a skillful liar.

Mark Twain said it best. “It’s easier to fool people than it is to convince them they’ve been fooled.”

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3

Do you KNOW who you are following?

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”John 10:27

He is still speaking. Just listen.

He WILL show us the way, the truth, and the life that supersedes the insanity that surrounds us today.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

Uncategorized

So long, 2018!

January 4, 2019January 4, 2019
by Sharon

Happy New Year! I pray 2019 is off to a great start for you!

Life is a series of beginnings and endings. Some beginnings are awesome. Some are not. There is joy we feel at the beginning of a new journey but there can also be joy at a journey’s end. Beginnings and endings aren’t inherently good or bad. They are just the events that move us forward throughout our lives.

What really matters is how we integrate the experiences life brings us. What really matters is whether we allow them to make us better, stronger, wiser people – or allow them to break us down, hold us back …or defeat us all together.

By God’s Grace, we all enjoy beautiful stretches of relative peace, security and good fortune in our lives. And because we are humans in a fragile world fraught with natural disasters and sin, our peace and security is sometimes obliterated by misfortune, disaster, and loss. Putting an “end” to the world as we knew it.

We celebrate New Year’s Eve filled with hope of better things to come. Sometimes we are celebrating the end of a year we couldn’t wait to end because of the terrible things that occurred somewhere between January and December.

We’ve all had some pretty horrendous years. If you haven’t yet… I’m sorry to say, you will.

But consider this. None of it is wasted. All of it matters. The best times and the worst times are all things God uses to make us wiser, stronger, softer, and better able to fulfill His purposes.

In this life, we will endure suffering. There is no Free Pass for Christians unfortunately. The rain falls on all of us, good or bad. (Matt 5:45)

If 2018 was the worst year you’ve ever had (and for MANY people it was), know that God wants to lift you up again. Hold on to Him and let Him see you through whatever dark valley you find yourself in today. Let Him lift you out of the miry muck and set your feet on solid ground again. (Psalm 40:2)

Don’t make the mistake of believing your heartache happened because God doesn’t care about you. That’s a lie straight from the pit of hell. The enemy wants nothing more than to use your disappointment, failure or tragedy to lure you into a dark corner of hopelessness. Don’t let him.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:2-4)

The New Year is a pin in the map of our lives. By all means, mark the spot. But learn to see it as a mile marker on a journey we have yet to complete.

Father God we look to YOU. We humble ourselves before You and acknowledge that You, alone, are God. You know everything and see everything. Our comfort is in remembering You specialize in making all things new. You are the author of the greatest beginnings. Even our endings are in You. Help us to embrace them all. Show us how the hardest things can produce the best in us.

God lead us to pray for one another. Use us to help the hurting. Give us a common prayer and let us seek a common blessing.

We ask it in Your precious Name, Jesus. Amen!

Happy New Year my dear ones. May God make it so!

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

Uncategorized

Is It Time To Fight Fire With Fire?

July 30, 2018July 30, 2018
by Sharon

“Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness”

Amos 6:12

The social landscape of the West is riddled with land mines these days. I say that figuratively, but, tragically, no one would be surprised if there were literal land mines.

It was less than a year ago when I Googled “SJW” to find out what it stood for. It’s “Social Justice Warrior”, in case you didn’t know. This is the proud title coined by people on the far left who believe our society is so hideously marred by a male dominated Patriarchy of racists, sexists, xenophobes, homophobes and evil capitalists, that it must be torn down to its foundation and replaced by a socialist utopia of total equality of outcome; where it is against the law to promote or value anything else. Any and every other utterance, in their utopia, would be considered “Hate Speech” … and illegal.

Of course, they have more than a few evil twins on the right

These extremists want to decide, for all of us, what that Utopian society should look like, who should have to pay for it, AND what is considered hateful and offensive speech. They plan to accomplish this by silencing anyone, by any means necessary, who happens to disagree with their point of view. It’s a hostile take over and they are proud of it.

They’re proud of it because they genuinely believe their aims are morally right.

Of course, they have more than a few evil twins on the right – and far right – who are just as likely to employ dishonorable tactics in their attempts to point out how “stupid and irrational” the SJWs are. You don’t see as many marching in the streets with picket signs, but there is no shortage of them in the comments sections of any news article, podcast, or blog. They are also quite fond of promoting insulting memes on social media.

These extremists make their mark by condemning everything that comes from the left…even when there is a serious issue that truly needs to be discussed (if we could all calm down just a little). They may prefer not to be hostile but will rise to whatever level they must to squelch the ideals of the SJW.

They’re proud of what they do because they genuinely believe their aims are morally right.

But this is not The Way.

The truly sad thing is that both groups are wringing their hands with the gleeful anticipation of “owning” the other side when they “win”. They long to see the other humbled and pressed into submission to their ideology. With the power of their chosen government to see them prosecuted and persecuted for holding the wrong ideals for society.

Read Amos 6:12 again:

“Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness.”

It’s times like these that make me wish we all still valued the principles of the Judeo/Christian philosophy the way we once did in America. Christians and non-Christians alike. Then we would have the same common dictates for how we treat one another when we disagree.

We would all have the same self-imposed restraints that promote peace and virtue.

It’s what we used to call “Common Decency”. There is nothing common about that anymore.

If we all abided by these same ideals, we could call, “foul!”, when someone breaks the rules by acting hateful or odious.

But for those who don’t believe, the Judeo/Christian principals are meaningless. They may agree those things are swell, but they feel no compulsion to embody them when temperatures rise.

But WE must.

Trying to maintain your Jesus-like calm in a heated debate with a non-Christian can be like being in a cage fight with your hands tied behind your back.

It isn’t fair.

But Christianity has never been about fair. If it were, we’d all stand before God with the full weight and penalty of our own hideous sins.

It doesn’t matter whether you are on the RIGHT or on the LEFT.

If you are a Christian, you have a duty to represent Christ well.

No matter how much you believe you are right and everyone else is wrong, you STILL have a duty to represent Christ well…if you are a Christian.

When you mock those who disagree with you or insult the intelligence of those who have a different perspective, you are turning justice into poison and righteousness into bitterness. Who is glorified by that?

You? Perhaps.

God? Not in a million years.

I’m not saying you don’t have a right or cause to be angry. Maybe even outraged at times. But YOU, Christian, were taught not to sin in your anger.

You are called to a better way.

Ephesians 4 says this:

“²⁰That, however, is not the way of life you learnedwhen you heard about Christ and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. ^…

²⁹Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

We are in difficult times. Make no mistake about that. Our reputation has never been worse, and our world has never been in greater need of God’s Grace.

WE are His footmen.

WE are His representatives.

His ONLY representatives on earth!

There is no better way forward for any of us but to exemplify the character of Christ.

We have to trust that God will lift us up as long as we continue to seek His righteousness in humbleness and truth.

Try this.

Spend so much time and energy praying for your enemies that you have none left to troll them on the internet or denigrate them them behind their back.

We were not called to “fight fire with fire”. We were called to overcome evil with good.

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” Matthew 5:44

There is more than enough poison in the political and social discourse. No one needs a self-righteous Christian adding to it no matter how justified they feel in doing it.

Our job isn’t to win an argument. It’s to win souls to Christ!

If it is really important…if it is really just…if it is really righteous…it should be wrapped up in the Love of Christ and delivered with the same humility He displayed to those who persecuted Him and hung Him on a cross.

So, no. We don’t need any left leaning or right leaning Christians “schooling” or “owning” the people who disagree

with them on the internet.

However, we could use your help in building up the Church… by putting on Christ and displaying Him GLORIOUSLY before a nation of unbelievers.

A nation of unbelievers, by the way, who are gathering their strength to oppose Him categorically in America.

We were not called to “fight fire with fire”. We were called to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21)

Keep your eyes on Christ and devote yourself to loving as HE loves.

By all means, be wise as serpents…but be gentle as doves. (Matthew 10:16)

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

Uncategorized

Whose Side Are You On?

March 15, 2018March 17, 2018
by Sharon

Our society is changing all around us. Some days I feel like my head will spin right off my shoulders when I listen to the latest news of the latest scandal or the latest disaster. Each one triggering another round of caustic social comment and chaos.

I’ll be transparent and say I am worried about the future of America these days. Yes, yes, I know God is still God, but never underestimate the ability of mankind to make a mess of the world God gave us.

I still remember the bomb raid drills at school when I was a kid. I remember lying awake at night wondering if everything and everyone I loved was going to disappear in one awful moment.

It feels a little something like that to me again, these days.

I bet you think I’m talking about North Korea aiming its nuclear missiles at the West Coast. I’m not. I’m far less worried about Kim Jong-Un and his potential destruction of America than I am of the destruction of America that’s happening from within.

Do people actually believe that we are so much smarter and wiser today that we no longer need the wisdom of the ages to guide us?

Yesterday I heard a public figure from Great Britain say how strange it is that “America still clings so strongly to a set of documents written more than 200 years ago”. His contention is that in 2018 we should feel free to write a new declaration of values and principles for our society.

I can only imagine his view of people who still cling to a set of documents that were written more than 2,000 years ago!

Do people actually believe that we are so much smarter and wiser today that we no longer need the wisdom of the ages to guide us? Do people actually believe it’s time to toss out the writings of the framers of the greatest nation on earth simply because it’s nearly 250 years later? Do people really believe it’s time to discard the wisdom of the Bible?

Do we think a man or woman born in the 21^st Century is somehow endowed with greater intelligence, morality, or wisdom than a man or woman born any generation before? Such arrogance!

There was no such thing as Google in Abraham Lincoln’s lifetime, but there is no greater wealth of wisdom today than there was then.

Without question, some of the greatest thinkers in history lived and died before anyone reading this post was born.

Each and every one of us is born completely ignorant no matter what year we arrived in this world. Any claim we lay to a new or greater wisdom is wholly dependent on the successes and failures of those who came before us. EVERY generation must rely on the experience and wisdom of those that preceded it… or risk recreating the failures and disasters that already scar the history of humanity.

Jesus, who knew everything, taught us to revere the wisdom handed down from the prophets. Wisdom recorded centuries before His birth.

That’s because Jesus knew something we are in danger of forgetting:

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

To be sure, we have gained new wisdom through generations of Americans. But, by no means has every generation been a forward step in anything we can all be proud of. Believe me, I came of age in the 1970’s. My generation gave you Disco, legal abortion and the sexual revolution. Were it not for Atari, Wozniak, and Jobs we’d have nothing good to show for ourselves but bell bottoms, line dancing and a few epic PG-13 disaster movies.

Every social boundary we’ve set, (the sexual revolution notwithstanding), was made based on the ethos formulated and carried forward through the ages in a collection of books we know as the Bible. Yes, even those penned in our Declaration of Independence and every subsequent amendment was rooted in what the Bible teaches.

So, it is no surprise the enemy would strive to make the Bible and all who revere it into a whipping post for those who think “It’s Time” to tear it all down.

Our culture isn’t just becoming “less Christian” people are increasingly seeing Christians as the ones whose values should be formally disregarded and rejected. Our prayers are mocked as silly and useless. Our brand of morality is ridiculed. We are considered enemies and obstacles to social equality and freedom.

This battle belongs to the Lord. The least we can do is not be foot soldiers for the enemy.

The divisions among us are growing. But they aren’t growing because of new and greater wisdom. The divisions are growing because satan knows:

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Matthew 12:25

And this, my friends, is why it’s all happening. This hostile environment of competing values is exactly what satan wants.

Is your head spinning trying to understand how Christians have become the unwanted step-child in this country?

Understandably, Christians are jumping into the fray to defend our faith and values from the barrage of attacks on social media. This isn’t a bad thing in and of itself. If we don’t speak up we risk having our voices and our values summarily stamped out of the American discourse. I’m glad we have so many people who are willing to defend the Gospel. The problem is when we try fighting “fire with fire” …because that is not The Way.

If we set the Way of Jesus aside while we slug it out with the jerk on social media we’ve set aside the very thing that makes us different.

I believe this is what Jesus meant when he said,

“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. Matthew 5:13

Getting us to act out in ways that cause more harm than good is exactly how satan rolls. Divide and conquer! He gets tempers to blow and the finger of blame pointing in every direction. Then all he has to do is sit back and watch us devour one another!

satan is running around starting fires, burning down relationships, shattering institutions, disfiguring morality, and using outraged Christians to destroy the reputation of Christianity! Why? Because when we say we represent Christ but act in ways that don’t, we send the message that Christianity is utterly self-serving and useless.

Worse, when we act ugly; When we act judgmentally; When we act superior; we unwittingly become the instruments of satan not the messengers of God we set out to be.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48

Let me go one step further and say that getting into arguments about what is moral or wise is no help at all. Whether online or in person, understand that people are judging Christ and the wisdom of our faith by how YOU handle yourself.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

Brothers and sisters, we are the fragrance of Christ in this world! Let that be more powerful than any argument.

Dear ones, we must live as we are called to live. Show respect and Love to others even in the midst of disagreeing with them. Your goal should not be winning the debate or grossly displaying how many scriptures you know to bring another low.

Your goal should be to honor God by displaying Christ in every encounter you have with another human being…whether they share your view of scripture or not.

“If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” Galatians 5:15

Our very mission is to draw others to Christ. Isn’t it obvious that anything we do that drives people away defeats us?

If you can’t express your point of view without violating the tenets of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control you forfeit any claim that you represent Christ or the wisdom of God’s Word.

You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight!” Isaiah 5:21

God has His own way of dealing with His enemies.

He doesn’t need you making things worse.

This battle belongs to the Lord. The least we can do is not be foot soldiers for the enemy.

In His love and service,

Sharon Bollum

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How to be a Christian in an anti-Christian Culture

October 26, 2017October 30, 2017
by Sharon

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but things are kind of a mess right now.

Our society is in chaos.

The secular world is splintering in a thousand different directions.

The message of the cross will never be irrelevant. But that doesn’t mean the Church isn’t in danger.

Christianity is being steam rolled by an aggressive and growing anti-Christian movement while we struggle to keep the American society, as we know it, intact.

A recent headline stated that Christians are now the minority in the US. However, a careful examination of the article reveals they are actually talking about the shrinking percentage of WHITE Christians;… as if the color of a Christian’s skin is relevant.

Of course, it isn’t relevant at all but that really wasn’t the point of the article. The goal of the headline was to promulgate the notion that Christianity is becoming more and more irrelevant in our society.

What’s true is the health and reputation of the Christian community is at an all-time low. Read more “How to be a Christian in an anti-Christian Culture” →

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Dealing vs. Healing

July 5, 2017August 12, 2017
by Sharon

I’ve always been reluctant to share personal struggles. I remember a time when I decided to open up to a church member, who had become a friend. She sensed something was bothering me and encouraged me to talk about it. I shared with her that I had been feeling very down and was struggling in my relationship with God. I’ll never forget her reaction. She was horrified. In her mind, the fact that I was a pastor was supposed to mean that I no longer struggled with life…much less God. I was speechless. She said it made her feel totally insecure to think that the people she counted on for leadership and guidance didn’t have it all together. I tried to tell her that pastors were just like everyone else with all the requisite dramas and heartaches that go with being human. She literally said, “Oh my God! If the pastors start falling apart, who’s going to take care of the rest of us???” I felt embarrassed and full of regret. Needless to say, I kept my struggles private after that.

What is God’s will for women?

February 3, 2017February 10, 2018
by Sharon

My first foray into the Bible, when I was a new Christian, was confusing and disheartening to say the least. Even before I finished reading Genesis I began to believe God hated me because I was born a woman. It was hard to think otherwise reading story after story of men doing heinous things to innocent women while still being considered worthy and righteous men of God. I remember the feelings of anguish and being forsaken by the same God I was supposed to believe loved me and died for me. It didn’t make sense Read more “What is God’s will for women?” →

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Was That Really God’s Plan?

December 7, 2016September 3, 2018
by Sharon

Last Saturday I eulogized the 28 year old son of a friend. There were plenty of tears and lots of well-wishes for the family. I overheard a number of people comfort the parents by telling them their son’s death “Must have been God’s plan.

The next day I did a Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (nilmdts.com) hospital session for a baby in the NICU who is unlikely to ever go home with her parents. As a volunteer photographer I’m not allowed to share my faith with the families I serve. This particular baby girl belongs to a Christian family though. In fact, their pastor was there in the NICU to dedicate the baby to the Lord with a handful of family members in attendance. It was my honor to capture the event with pictures and video. Should the baby pass away, they’ll have the images as a lasting remembrance of their child. Read more “Was That Really God’s Plan?” →

Tag: <span>Jesus</span>

Hearing it will never be enough.

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Lately, it feels like We the People of this nation are trapped in a bus with no steering wheel and no brakes. Our direction AND our destination are being changed and changed again by powerful people and politicians pushing us in a direction most of us don’t believe to be right or good.

I used to feel a bit offended that Jesus referred to His followers as sheep in the Bible. I get it now.

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“Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness”

They’re proud of it because they genuinely believe their aims are morally right.

But this is not The Way.

“Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness.”

But for those who don’t believe, the Judeo/Christian principals are meaningless. They may agree those things are swell, but they feel no compulsion to embody them when temperatures rise.

But WE must.

If you are a Christian, you have a duty to represent Christ well.

You are called to a better way.

We are in difficult times. Make no mistake about that. Our reputation has never been worse, and our world has never been in greater need of God’s Grace.

There is no better way forward for any of us but to exemplify the character of Christ.

Spend so much time and energy praying for your enemies that you have none left to troll them on the internet or denigrate them them behind their back.

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I still remember the bomb raid drills at school when I was a kid. I remember lying awake at night wondering if everything and everyone I loved was going to disappear in one awful moment.

Do people actually believe that we are so much smarter and wiser today that we no longer need the wisdom of the ages to guide us?

There was no such thing as Google in Abraham Lincoln’s lifetime, but there is no greater wealth of wisdom today than there was then.

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

This battle belongs to the Lord. The least we can do is not be foot soldiers for the enemy.

And this, my friends, is why it’s all happening. This hostile environment of competing values is exactly what satan wants.

Is your head spinning trying to understand how Christians have become the unwanted step-child in this country?

Worse, when we act ugly; When we act judgmentally; When we act superior; we unwittingly become the instruments of satan not the messengers of God we set out to be.

If you can’t express your point of view without violating the tenets of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control you forfeit any claim that you represent Christ or the wisdom of God’s Word.

This battle belongs to the Lord. The least we can do is not be foot soldiers for the enemy.

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The message of the cross will never be irrelevant. But that doesn’t mean the Church isn’t in danger.

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