STAYING POSITIVE

#1 · July 21, 2003, 2:10 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on July 21, 2003, 2:10 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

STAYING POSITIVE
July 20, 2003

Text: Acts 20:13-38

I found myself somewhat disturbed after reading an Associated Press
article this week. Elizabeth Markey wants people to know pagans do not
turn people into toads and put spells on people. Markey, co-founder of
the Fort Wayne Pagan Alliance, said she and others like her practice an
Earth-based religion that is often misunderstood by people. We're just
like everyone else, Markey said. We're doctors, lawyers, nurses. But
you'd be surprised how many people ask me those kinds of questions.
Markey says she is one of hundreds of pagans - an umbrella term for
witches, Wiccans and Druids - in Fort Wayne. Paganism is a system of
beliefs based on several Celtic, Norse and Native American philosophies.
Pagans choose which philosophies suit them, but they are usually
polytheistic, meaning they believe in more than one god, and believe that
the earth is sacred, Markey said. There is a stigma attached to
paganism, said Starr Moonchild, co-founder of the Fort Wayne Pagan
Alliance and owner of Spirit Healing, a pagan shop that sells incense,
herbs, teas and oils. We want to make paganism as mainstream as
Christianity. But we want to do it through harmony and understanding.
Pagan religious holidays are based around the changing seasons - the two
solstices and the two equinoxes. Most pagans celebrate these times by
going out into nature and giving thanks to the god and goddess for
blessing them with a good life. But many pagans celebrate these holidays
alone, Markey said. Our main goals are unity and tolerance, said
Markey... but we also need to be visible. We're here. We need to come
together and be heard. ("Pagans Work to Change Perception of Their
Religion," Kokomo Tribune, July 14, 2003, p. A6)

Even though I have said on many occasions, and will continue to say, that
I celebrate freedom of religion in America, I am disturbed by the
increasing number of religions that people want to make mainstream. I am
disturbed by the historical distortions through which adherents to
religions such as this paganism want to portray them. I am disturbed how
many people, including some who call themselves Christian, clamor for all
religious beliefs to be considered equally truthful and valid.

What we must do as Christian witnesses is to stay positive in our living
and our testimony. These verses from Acts 20 tell of Pauls trip to
Jerusalem. Probably remembering Jesus journey to Jerusalem, with whom he
so closely identified, Paul felt some premonition of impending disaster.
Although he did not stop in Ephesus, Paul sent for some of the Ephesian
believers and took the opportunity to share some farewells. We note that
Paul stayed positive by recounting the opportunities that God gave to
him. Specifically, he said, You know that I have not hesitated to preach
anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and
from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they
must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

It is readily apparent that Paul carried no concept that other religious
beliefs were equivalent with Christian faith - not even the traditional
Judaism in which he grew up. This is important. In some ways, the culture
in which Paul ministered was similar to our own. It was pluralistic.
There were many religious beliefs that were practiced and tolerated. It
was not until years later that Christianity was singled out and
persecuted on a wide scale. There were some false charges and
persecutions at local levels, and Paul could have saved himself much
personal danger and discomfort by compromising the Gospel message and
testifying that belief in Christ was just one more religious choice among
the buffet of religious choices already out there. But he could not do
such a thing with honesty, so he proclaimed Jesus Christ as the way to
life.

Like Paul, we have to deal with a pluralistic society. Our message of
particular salvation through the body and blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ
may make us unpopular in some circles, but, like Paul, we must proclaim
the truth and endure the difficulties when they arise. It is not the
religious pluralism, or diversity, in America that most disturbs me. What
disturbs me are the many falsehoods that adherents to paganism accept and
pass off as truth. A very real truth of Christianity is that I can show
with complete honesty and integrity how the founder of the faith, our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, valued human life and dignity. I can show
how he spoke, taught, and lived the message of both divine and human
love. I can demonstrate how his earliest disciples passed along Jesus
message and ministry of Gods love for us and our love for one another.
Paganism cannot do this with honesty and integrity.

The history of pagan beliefs, even as diverse as they are, are filled
with myths and fears that led adherents to devise rituals which devalued
human life. Some required certain sexual practices, including the bondage
of women for such purposes, as religious rituals. Some required the
disfiguration of the body. Some even required the sacrifice of another
human, be that person a man, woman, or child. Pagan religions kept their
followers in bondage to fears of angering wandering spirits that could be
found throughout nature. Spirits lived in trees, in water, in fire, in
the air, in rocks. And each one had to be pacified in accordance with the
body of mythical beliefs passed down from one generation to the next.
Throughout central and northern Europe, Scandinavia, and the British
Isles, pagans lived very tedious, fearful lives as they sought to placate
make-believe spirits through their particular works righteousness.

A big problem I have with Elizabeth Markey and others like her who want
to make paganism or any other such religious beliefs mainstream is that
they refuse to acknowledge honestly and openly all that their religion
has stood for throughout the ages. In fact, they usually fail to
acknowledge that the religion they tout is a twisted version of the
religion they claim it to be. I am reminded of Shirley Maclaines famous
promotion of reincarnation. According to her version, reincarnation is a
desirous goal leading to ever increasing levels of fame and fortune. Her
version is all a glamorous, glorious endeavor. In reality, reincarnation
has its roots in some of the Eastern mystical religions. Rightly
understood, the human goal is to not be reincarnated. The goal is to do
the right things in life in order to escape its endless, inevitable
drudgery. Now, how many people would Ms. Maclaine have had jump on her
religion bandwagon had she presented them with an accurate portrayal of
her religion? Similarly, how many common, normal folk are going to jump
on the bandwagon of paganism when they are presented with the realities
of the religions? Not nearly enough for them to go mainstream. As Paul
warned, Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy
Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which
he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves
will come in among you and will not spare the flock. The savage wolves
are here.

Nevertheless, there is reason for hope and for staying positive. News
articles such as that from the Kokomo Tribune demonstrate clearly that
people continue to yearn for spiritual connections. People are searching
for spiritual peace and truth. The good news is that the truth for which
they seek is very real and very available. Jesus Christ is Lord and, of
course, is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6) The same
saving message which Paul took throughout the Mediterranean world - into
the very heart of pagan and emperor worship centers - is just as valid in
our day. We are the ambassadors delivering this message.

Another bit of good news is that we dont need to be experts in either
Christian or pagan histories to be effective. We dont need to have every
answer to every objection that someone may raise when they hear the good
news of Christ. A sincere desire to share Jesus is the only prerequisite
a Christian needs in order to be an ambassador.

Our current Thursday Bible studies have been focusing on exactly that.
The study is Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay and Ralph Hodge.
Bill teaches a straightforward way to share the Gospel that makes sense.
It makes sense because he depends entirely upon God for conversion to
begin and take place. He teaches, first, to use questions to determine if
this is a situation where God is at work. He also emphasizes that
throughout the encounter it is the other person who is doing the
reflecting and talking. They, not you, answer the questions.

In your bulletin is an insert with the questions and Scripture that Bill
suggests. During a conversation, the opportunity to ask about religious
belief may arise. Here are his five questions to determine where God is
working: 1. Do you have any kind of spiritual belief? 2. To you, who is
Jesus? 3. Do you believe there is a heaven and a hell? 4. If you died
right now, where would you go? If heaven, why? 5. If what you believe
were not true, would you want to know it? At this point, his advice is
rather simple: if the person says no, do nothing. At that point, he
believes that it is not an encounter in which God has prepared the other
person for the Gospel. Most of the time, Bill says, the other person is
at least interested in hearing more.

At that point, he opens a small Bible he has with him that has the
appropriate verses highlighted. He emphasizes two points here: have the
other person read the verses and have that person read out loud. After
each verse is read, he asks, "What does this say to you?" If the other
person says, I dont know, or I dont understand it, he asks him or
her to read it again. He wants to avoid trying to explain something that
the other person can use to argue about. The verse is for that person in
the moment; let him or her state what the verse means. You have the
verses on the insert. Another little trick for those who have difficulty
committing to memory. You dont even have to memorize where all the
verses are. Just know that you begin with Romans 3:23. In the Bible you
use, place the next verse, Romans 6:23, in the margin to indicate where
to go next. (1. Romans 3:23 - "All have sinned." 2. Romans 6:23 - "The
wages of sin is death." 3. John 3:3 - "You must be born again." (Ask,
"Why did Jesus come to die?") 4. John 14:6 - "I am the way." 5. Romans
10:9-11 - "If you confess... you will be saved." 6. 2 Corinthians 5:15 -
"Those that live should no longer live for themselves." 7. Revelation
3:20 - "I stand at the door and knock.")

Finally, close with the following key questions: 1. Are you a sinner? 2.
Do you want forgiveness for your sins? 3. Do you believe Jesus died on
the cross for you and rose again? 4. Are you willing to surrender your
life to Christ? 5. Are you ready to invite Jesus into your life and into
your heart? Be patient and, especially, be silent if the other person is
reflecting and thinking about it. Be praying silently for the Spirit to
have a victory in the moment. Regardless of the outcome, you have
faithfully proclaimed the name of Jesus to another person. If the other
person says that he or she wants to make a decision for Christ, you can
offer to pray with him or her to invite Jesus into his or her life that
moment. An example prayer is also included on the insert. (A model
"sinners prayer": Heavenly Father, I have sinned against You. I want
forgiveness for all my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for
me and rose again. Father, I give You my life to do with as You wish. I
want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in
Jesus name. Amen.) (From William Fay & Ralph Hodge, Share Jesus Without
Fear, Nashville: LifeWay Press, 1997. Used by permission)

So while it is disturbing that there are movements of people, as close as
Fort Wayne, who want to go mainstream with paganism, we do not need to be
dismayed by it. People are longing to connect with God. They are longing
for living water. They are longing for the truth. Christians have been
given the truth to share, and we do that best when we stay positive. Paul
writes, Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can
build you up and give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must
help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself said: It
is more blessed to give than to receive.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

________________________________________________________________
The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
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Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

STAYING POSITIVE
July 20, 2003

Text: Acts 20:13-38

I found myself somewhat disturbed after reading an Associated Press
article this week. Elizabeth Markey wants people to know pagans do not
turn people into toads and put spells on people. Markey, co-founder of
the Fort Wayne Pagan Alliance, said she and others like her practice an
Earth-based religion that is often misunderstood by people. We're just
like everyone else, Markey said. We're doctors, lawyers, nurses. But
you'd be surprised how many people ask me those kinds of questions.
Markey says she is one of hundreds of pagans - an umbrella term for
witches, Wiccans and Druids - in Fort Wayne. Paganism is a system of
beliefs based on several Celtic, Norse and Native American philosophies.
Pagans choose which philosophies suit them, but they are usually
polytheistic, meaning they believe in more than one god, and believe that
the earth is sacred, Markey said. There is a stigma attached to
paganism, said Starr Moonchild, co-founder of the Fort Wayne Pagan
Alliance and owner of Spirit Healing, a pagan shop that sells incense,
herbs, teas and oils. We want to make paganism as mainstream as
Christianity. But we want to do it through harmony and understanding.
Pagan religious holidays are based around the changing seasons - the two
solstices and the two equinoxes. Most pagans celebrate these times by
going out into nature and giving thanks to the god and goddess for
blessing them with a good life. But many pagans celebrate these holidays
alone, Markey said. Our main goals are unity and tolerance, said
Markey... but we also need to be visible. We're here. We need to come
together and be heard. ("Pagans Work to Change Perception of Their
Religion," Kokomo Tribune, July 14, 2003, p. A6)

Even though I have said on many occasions, and will continue to say, that
I celebrate freedom of religion in America, I am disturbed by the
increasing number of religions that people want to make mainstream. I am
disturbed by the historical distortions through which adherents to
religions such as this paganism want to portray them. I am disturbed how
many people, including some who call themselves Christian, clamor for all
religious beliefs to be considered equally truthful and valid.

What we must do as Christian witnesses is to stay positive in our living
and our testimony. These verses from Acts 20 tell of Pauls trip to
Jerusalem. Probably remembering Jesus journey to Jerusalem, with whom he
so closely identified, Paul felt some premonition of impending disaster.
Although he did not stop in Ephesus, Paul sent for some of the Ephesian
believers and took the opportunity to share some farewells. We note that
Paul stayed positive by recounting the opportunities that God gave to
him. Specifically, he said, You know that I have not hesitated to preach
anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and
from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they
must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

It is readily apparent that Paul carried no concept that other religious
beliefs were equivalent with Christian faith - not even the traditional
Judaism in which he grew up. This is important. In some ways, the culture
in which Paul ministered was similar to our own. It was pluralistic.
There were many religious beliefs that were practiced and tolerated. It
was not until years later that Christianity was singled out and
persecuted on a wide scale. There were some false charges and
persecutions at local levels, and Paul could have saved himself much
personal danger and discomfort by compromising the Gospel message and
testifying that belief in Christ was just one more religious choice among
the buffet of religious choices already out there. But he could not do
such a thing with honesty, so he proclaimed Jesus Christ as the way to
life.

Like Paul, we have to deal with a pluralistic society. Our message of
particular salvation through the body and blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ
may make us unpopular in some circles, but, like Paul, we must proclaim
the truth and endure the difficulties when they arise. It is not the
religious pluralism, or diversity, in America that most disturbs me. What
disturbs me are the many falsehoods that adherents to paganism accept and
pass off as truth. A very real truth of Christianity is that I can show
with complete honesty and integrity how the founder of the faith, our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, valued human life and dignity. I can show
how he spoke, taught, and lived the message of both divine and human
love. I can demonstrate how his earliest disciples passed along Jesus
message and ministry of Gods love for us and our love for one another.
Paganism cannot do this with honesty and integrity.

The history of pagan beliefs, even as diverse as they are, are filled
with myths and fears that led adherents to devise rituals which devalued
human life. Some required certain sexual practices, including the bondage
of women for such purposes, as religious rituals. Some required the
disfiguration of the body. Some even required the sacrifice of another
human, be that person a man, woman, or child. Pagan religions kept their
followers in bondage to fears of angering wandering spirits that could be
found throughout nature. Spirits lived in trees, in water, in fire, in
the air, in rocks. And each one had to be pacified in accordance with the
body of mythical beliefs passed down from one generation to the next.
Throughout central and northern Europe, Scandinavia, and the British
Isles, pagans lived very tedious, fearful lives as they sought to placate
make-believe spirits through their particular works righteousness.

A big problem I have with Elizabeth Markey and others like her who want
to make paganism or any other such religious beliefs mainstream is that
they refuse to acknowledge honestly and openly all that their religion
has stood for throughout the ages. In fact, they usually fail to
acknowledge that the religion they tout is a twisted version of the
religion they claim it to be. I am reminded of Shirley Maclaines famous
promotion of reincarnation. According to her version, reincarnation is a
desirous goal leading to ever increasing levels of fame and fortune. Her
version is all a glamorous, glorious endeavor. In reality, reincarnation
has its roots in some of the Eastern mystical religions. Rightly
understood, the human goal is to not be reincarnated. The goal is to do
the right things in life in order to escape its endless, inevitable
drudgery. Now, how many people would Ms. Maclaine have had jump on her
religion bandwagon had she presented them with an accurate portrayal of
her religion? Similarly, how many common, normal folk are going to jump
on the bandwagon of paganism when they are presented with the realities
of the religions? Not nearly enough for them to go mainstream. As Paul
warned, Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy
Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which
he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves
will come in among you and will not spare the flock. The savage wolves
are here.

Nevertheless, there is reason for hope and for staying positive. News
articles such as that from the Kokomo Tribune demonstrate clearly that
people continue to yearn for spiritual connections. People are searching
for spiritual peace and truth. The good news is that the truth for which
they seek is very real and very available. Jesus Christ is Lord and, of
course, is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6) The same
saving message which Paul took throughout the Mediterranean world - into
the very heart of pagan and emperor worship centers - is just as valid in
our day. We are the ambassadors delivering this message.

Another bit of good news is that we dont need to be experts in either
Christian or pagan histories to be effective. We dont need to have every
answer to every objection that someone may raise when they hear the good
news of Christ. A sincere desire to share Jesus is the only prerequisite
a Christian needs in order to be an ambassador.

Our current Thursday Bible studies have been focusing on exactly that.
The study is Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay and Ralph Hodge.
Bill teaches a straightforward way to share the Gospel that makes sense.
It makes sense because he depends entirely upon God for conversion to
begin and take place. He teaches, first, to use questions to determine if
this is a situation where God is at work. He also emphasizes that
throughout the encounter it is the other person who is doing the
reflecting and talking. They, not you, answer the questions.

In your bulletin is an insert with the questions and Scripture that Bill
suggests. During a conversation, the opportunity to ask about religious
belief may arise. Here are his five questions to determine where God is
working: 1. Do you have any kind of spiritual belief? 2. To you, who is
Jesus? 3. Do you believe there is a heaven and a hell? 4. If you died
right now, where would you go? If heaven, why? 5. If what you believe
were not true, would you want to know it? At this point, his advice is
rather simple: if the person says no, do nothing. At that point, he
believes that it is not an encounter in which God has prepared the other
person for the Gospel. Most of the time, Bill says, the other person is
at least interested in hearing more.

At that point, he opens a small Bible he has with him that has the
appropriate verses highlighted. He emphasizes two points here: have the
other person read the verses and have that person read out loud. After
each verse is read, he asks, "What does this say to you?" If the other
person says, I dont know, or I dont understand it, he asks him or
her to read it again. He wants to avoid trying to explain something that
the other person can use to argue about. The verse is for that person in
the moment; let him or her state what the verse means. You have the
verses on the insert. Another little trick for those who have difficulty
committing to memory. You dont even have to memorize where all the
verses are. Just know that you begin with Romans 3:23. In the Bible you
use, place the next verse, Romans 6:23, in the margin to indicate where
to go next. (1. Romans 3:23 - "All have sinned." 2. Romans 6:23 - "The
wages of sin is death." 3. John 3:3 - "You must be born again." (Ask,
"Why did Jesus come to die?") 4. John 14:6 - "I am the way." 5. Romans
10:9-11 - "If you confess... you will be saved." 6. 2 Corinthians 5:15 -
"Those that live should no longer live for themselves." 7. Revelation
3:20 - "I stand at the door and knock.")

Finally, close with the following key questions: 1. Are you a sinner? 2.
Do you want forgiveness for your sins? 3. Do you believe Jesus died on
the cross for you and rose again? 4. Are you willing to surrender your
life to Christ? 5. Are you ready to invite Jesus into your life and into
your heart? Be patient and, especially, be silent if the other person is
reflecting and thinking about it. Be praying silently for the Spirit to
have a victory in the moment. Regardless of the outcome, you have
faithfully proclaimed the name of Jesus to another person. If the other
person says that he or she wants to make a decision for Christ, you can
offer to pray with him or her to invite Jesus into his or her life that
moment. An example prayer is also included on the insert. (A model
"sinners prayer": Heavenly Father, I have sinned against You. I want
forgiveness for all my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for
me and rose again. Father, I give You my life to do with as You wish. I
want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in
Jesus name. Amen.) (From William Fay & Ralph Hodge, Share Jesus Without
Fear, Nashville: LifeWay Press, 1997. Used by permission)

So while it is disturbing that there are movements of people, as close as
Fort Wayne, who want to go mainstream with paganism, we do not need to be
dismayed by it. People are longing to connect with God. They are longing
for living water. They are longing for the truth. Christians have been
given the truth to share, and we do that best when we stay positive. Paul
writes, Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can
build you up and give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must
help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself said: It
is more blessed to give than to receive.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

________________________________________________________________
The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!
Only $14.95/ month - visit http://www.juno.com to sign up today!