Life as a Christian Woman

I was reading an article the other day about the freshman year of college, specifically how the year is pivotal in the life of young Christians. As you can imagine, so many begin college and quit attending church regularly, if at all.

Christian organizations have long had a presence in and around college campuses. Groups such as Campus Crusade for Christ, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and others do their best to reach that age group, and have some success. Individual denominations also make the push to get college kids involved in programs.

Yet this remains a time when many turn away from church. Why?

The answers are both simple and complicated (I don’t mean that as a cop-out!). Simple, because when I think back to my own time in college, I usually chose sleeping in over getting up and going to church. Complicated, because for many it is their first taste of independence, and church can suddenly seem so traditional, i.e. boring.

Even the most faithful Christian families wrestle with this. My parents were mortified when I stopped attending church in college. They raised me to be active and faithful. And they let me know it, too!

In my own house now, my step-daughter is beginning her freshman year of college, but so far seems inclined to keep attending. I attribute that more to the fact that she is going to school locally and can continue to attend the same church with all of her friends. But she is the exception to the rule.

So what is a parent to do?

If you have a college student in the family, encourage them to get involved. Do your own homework on campus organizations that may be of interest, or a church near the university that has a strong college outreach program.

But beyond that, it is up to them. Time for us to cut the strings and rely more faithfully on prayer. The spirit of the Lord has not left them just because they left for college, or because they choose not to attend church. The seeds that you as a parent have planted over the first 18 years of life are still there.

Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

There is great comfort in these words for a parent. We pray that our children will walk with God throughout there lives, be faithful in attendance and follow His commandments. But the reality is that so many get sidetracked, at least for awhile.

But remember those words from Proverbs. Bathe your child in prayer. He or she will be blessed for it and by it.

Every few days I check out a website called Christian News Headlines (ChristianNewsHeadlines.com). Headlines from around the world that pertain to Christianity or the Christian world can be found there, and a simple click will lead you to the full story.

Today a read a story that I wanted to make you all aware of. A few weeks ago I wrote an article on persecution of Christians in China (Christianity in China, August 11, 2008). While the nation of China put on a beautiful face for the world during the Olympics, and claims to have religious freedom, we know that is not true. For me, the story now has a face.

Two days prior to the start of the Olympics, on August 6, Pastor Zhang “Bike” Mingxuan (known affectionately as “Pastor Bike”) was arrested, along with his wife and a fellow pastor, Wu Jianghe. He was in a hotel getting ready to go pick up some medicine, when the electricity in his room was turned off. Using his cell phone, he called Bob Fu, president of China Aid.

“He told me that the electricity had been shut off, just in his room, nowhere else,” Bob Fu said. “He was talking to me when they came to arrest him.”

It is believed they are being held at Jing Ba Lu Branch PSB office in Zhengzhou City, the Capital of Henan Province.

Pastor Bike came to Christ in 1986, and immediately began doing missionary work in his hometown. But soon, his love for Christ combined with his love for the people of China pushed him to move beyond his hometown to minister to thousands. In 1998, Pastor Bike began riding his bike around China (hence the nickname!), spreading the word to all who would listen. He traveled 10,000 miles, and he passed out simple business cards that read, “Believe in Jesus. Be Granted Eternal Life.”

As you can imagine, he has been a constant target of the Chinese government. And despite opportunities to leave that country, he has turned them down, preferring to stay in his homeland to lead them to Jesus.

Pastor Bike is president of the Chinese House Church Alliance. You may remember that literally millions of Chinese Christians meet secretly in private houses all around the country. He is a bold force in that nation, and has never backed down in his desire to spread Christ’s name. He will cross borders to hand out Bibles. He will openly share the Good News with those under the age of 18, and has led thousands to be saved. In China, these are all crimes. He has also been a key to the creation of the China Prayer Bands, designed to let Christians around the world know of the persecution faced by their brothers and sisters in Christ in China.

The Voice of the Martyrs and China Aid Association have a website, “FreePastorBike.com” where one can sign a petition that will be forwarded to Chinese Ambassador Mr. Zhou Wenzhong. The message the two groups hope to send to the Chinese government is that the world is aware, and will not forget.

I don’t know if an online petition can help. But I do know that we can all join in prayer for Pastor Bike, and for the millions of Christians in China and around the world who are persecuted, who do not enjoy the freedom of worship that many of us take for granted. Christians who risk their lives and the lives of those they love to worship our risen Saviour.

Please take time to say a prayer today…

YouTube/BBC video in which Pastor Bike is featured about 1 minute in Click Here

Sweet, Sweet Spirit
Words and Music by Doris Akers

There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place,
And I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord.
There are sweet expressions on each face,
And I know that it’s the presence of the Lord.

Sweet Holy Spirit, sweet Heav’nly Dove.
Stay right here with us, filling us with your love.
And for these blessings, we lift our hearts in praise.
Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived,
When we shall leave this place.

When I was young, we ended every service at my church with this song. Growing up, it never really meant much to me, other than it was time to go to lunch!

But this past year we sang it at the church I now attend, and the words have stayed with me and given me reason to stop, to pause and reflect on their meaning.

The song is a celebration of the Holy Spirit and it’s role in our lives. The opening verse is a reflection of this emotion of gratefulness and praise that the Spirit is within us and among us. There is a spirit here, the song says, and we know it is the Spirit of the Lord, that He is in our presence. We look around at our friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ. We see in them the presence of our Lord.

How wonderful a sentiment!

As the song moves into the chorus, the words implore the Holy Spirit to stay, to fill us up in love. But the song doesn’t stop there. It goes on in thankfulness and praise, knowing the Holy Spirit will remain, and in response we “lift our hearts in praise.” And finally, the blessed assurance that through God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, when we leave we will know that we have been revived, restored to life through Christ.

Doris Akers (pictured above), the writer of Sweet, Sweet Spirit, as well as Sweet Jesus, I Cannot Fail the Lord, and other songs, was born in 1923, and began praising God in music almost from birth. In 1958, she co-wrote “Lord, Don’t Move the Mountain” with the legendary Mahalia Jackson, her close friend. The song won a Manna Award for more than one million copies sold.

That same year, Akers, who was African-American, began the Sky Pilot Choir. The racially-mixed group featured African-American gospel music, and was known world-wide for their style. It was with this group that the song Sweet, Sweet Spirit was born.

As she told Lindsay Terry in an interview in the late 1980’s:

She related to me that one Sunday morning in 1962, while directing the Sky Pilot Choir, she said to her singers, “You are not ready to go in.” She didn’t believe they had prayed enough! They were accustomed to spending time with her in prayer before the service, asking God to bless their songs. She said, “I feel that prayer is more important than great voices.” They had already prayed, but this particular morning she asked them to pray again, and they did so with renewed fervor.

As they prayed, Doris began to wonder how she could stop this wonderful prayer meeting. She said, “I sent word to the pastor letting him know what was happening. He was waiting in the auditorium, wanting to start the service. Finally, I was compelled to say to the choir, ‘We have to go. I hate to leave this room and I know you hate to leave, but you know we do have to go to the service. But there is such a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place.’”

Doris explained to me, “Songwriters always have their ears open to a song. The song started ‘singing’ to me. I wanted to write it down but couldn’t. I thought the song would be gone after the service. Following the dismissal, I went home. The next morning, to my surprise, I heard the song again, so I went to the piano and began to put it all down.” She had been given the now-famous “Sweet, Sweet Spirit.”

I find it inspirational to know that a song that has filled me and blessed me was born out of inspiration!

Akers’ songs have been recorded by many artists, including Bill Gaither, George Beverly Shea, and even Elvis Presley. Millions of church-goers have sung her songs. In 2001, she was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Akers, who died in 1995, was honored by the Smithsonian Institute, which labeled her songs and records “National Treasures.

But I’m quite sure that the award she now enjoys, that of eternal life singing in the greatest choir of all, is the one award that matters!

To listen & View Sweet Sweet Spirit on YouTube, click here.

Ok, I made that up.

But wouldn’t it be wonderful if we took one day to thank those who have made a difference in our lives? Honor the ones who have aided our walk with God?

Why not today?

In Luke we read:

The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Luke 14:11

When we truly humble ourselves, we look at ourselves in comparison to Christ. We realize our sinfulness and understand our limitations. Yet we also realize the gifts that God has blessed us with, the strengths that He has given us, and we praise Him for it. In other words, we affirm ourselves!

You see, humility is not self-degradation. Far from it. It is a realistic assessment along with a commitment to serve. Self-affirmation is a celebration of the gifts that God has given you.

Affirmation from others is important, too. Have you ever been having a bad day when someone thanked you for something that you had done? It lifts you up, doesn’t it?

Paul wrote some strong words to the Corinthians, but he always began on a positive note.

I can never stop thanking God for all the generous gifts He has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.
I Corinthians 1:4

He affirmed them, let them know they were loved by God and were important in God’s kingdom. We need to be affirming in this manner.

So today, make it a point to affirm those who have had a hand in your walk with God, who have raised you up in love to Christ Jesus. Affirm a church leader, or someone who works “under the radar” yet without them things might not run so smoothly. Affirm someone that you see sing in choir, or teach the children.

Maybe you can send an email, or write a note (the old fashioned way!). Or take time to visit with someone. Affirm them in God’s name, for all they do and have done for His world.

The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40

We live in a society based on time. Events are scheduled for certain times. If we are late for school, we are marked down for tardiness. All travel is based on time, as well as “estimated time” (ETA).

And we also use time to describe our impatience. Have you ever sat through a bad movie and kept checking your watch to see if it was almost over?

We have reminders of time everywhere. We have watches on our wrists, clocks on our walls, calendars on our desks.

Maybe that is why one of the harder tenets for Christians to submit to is “Not in our time, but in God’s.” When we pray, we say those words. We pray for our wants and needs, then submit faithfully that we understand it will be in His timing. But our brains are screaming NOW! ASAP!

But God isn’t affected by our impatience. He knows the perfect plan for our lives and knows what we need, and more importantly, when we need it. The Psalmist writes:

How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to mock you? Will you let them dishonor your name forever? Psalm 74:10

In our eyes, sometimes God moves slowly, methodically. But in those times of His apparent silence, he is still with us, and prods us to learn through that silence. How many lessons and blessings have come out of delayed answer to a prayer?

God caused the Israelites to wander in the desert for 40 years, partly as punishment and partly to learn to submit to Him, depend on Him fully. Christ didn’t begin his ministry until he was 30 years old. He had to patiently trust his father’s time line. Thirty was the age that priests began their ministry (Numbers 4:3) and Joseph was 30 when he began his reign over Judah (2 Samuel 5:4).

I am not a math whiz. In fact, I just don’t like it and I’m pretty bad at it. When I was in high school, my dad and I sat down every night so he could help pull me through algebra. I loved my dad, but I hated those times! My brain couldn’t wrap itself around theories of x and y, and my dad couldn’t wrap his brain around the fact that his daughter was clueless in this category. He used to tell me to go slowly, be methodical. I hated that word! One step at a time, he would say, and the answer will come.

Life is just like that. God wants us to follow His steps, not jump ahead. Each step that He has planned for us is there for a purpose. We pray for healing, but in the sickness we learn compassion. We pray for more money, but He teaches us to do without to focus on Him.

So we should follow God’s perfect clock… Methodically! After all, He is the perfect time keeper!

A close game between bitter rivals. Suddenly, one of the players goes down injured. As he lays there, the announcers say, “This puts everything into perspective.”

Our perspective on life needs constant tweaking. One minute we are yelling at our team to hit harder, then a player is injured and we get a different “perspective” on the game.

God’s perspective is unlimited and eternal. Ours is temporal and limited by our humanness. While God’s vision is perfect and clear, ours tends to be distorted by our world. When Christ was in the desert facing temptation, Satan tempted him by appealing to his human side, telling him he could achieve greatness without the coming pain of the cross. Later, Peter tells Christ the same thing.

Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, and not from God’s”
Matthew 16:23

Peter recognized the Jesus was Messiah, but he forsook God’s perspective and evaluated the situation based on his human-vision.

Satan is always trying to tempt us by taking our focus away from God, to look at life through worldly-eyes. But adjusting our perspective, looking at things as God would have us look at them, helps us stay true to His vision.

Moses begged God to take his mission away. He was a poor speaker, and was afraid he would embarrass God when he spoke to Pharaoh. He pleaded with God to send someone else. But God chose Moses, and spoke through him. If God asks us to do something, He will give us the tools to get the job done. If the job requires skills that we don’t have, He will provide them as needed.

We must put aside our world-view and trust God’s perspective. He will not fail.

Sometimes I just feel so darn inadequate.

Today I was speaking with a dear friend who is going through major upheaval in her life. Her faith remains strong, but her heart aches. For more than an hour I tried to find the right things to say, things that would lift her spirits. Instead I kept saying, “It will get better.”

Duh. Bet that helped a bunch!

When we got off the phone, I just sat there. Why couldn’t I come up with something, ANYTHING, that would help? Why did it seem that, when my friend needed me most, my brain decided to take a leave of absence?

I turned to my Bible. And I found great comfort in my inadequacy there.

One of the greatest leaders in the Bible, Moses, struggled with feelings of inadequacy.

“Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You will lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” “But who am I to appear before Pharaoh?” Moses asked God. “How can you expect me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:1-22

Moses felt unprepared to take on the task that God had uniquely chosen for him. He was to speak in front of Pharaoh, yet was a poor speaker. He was to lead a nation out of captivity, yet he was overwhelmed by the task.

But God worked through Moses. He went before Pharaoh, he spoke as the leader he was, and he led the Israelites from slavery to the Promised Land. God worked through Moses inadequacy to rescue His people!

We don’t have to be perfectly prepared for every task. In fact, it goes against our humanness. But God does not ask us to be perfect, He only asks us to obey, to listen, to allow ourselves to be used by Him.

He will use our inadequacies to His strength. He will provide words where we have none, if we will only allow Him to work through us, to His glory.

I don’t know if my mumblings and ramblings helped my friend. But I pray that in my woefully lacking words, God spoke to her. After all, His words are the words of life!

I used to know a baseball coach who was always telling his team, “PATD” or Pay Attention to Details. His theory was that if you took care of the little things, the big things would take care of themselves.

There is a lot of wisdom in that thinking. God cares about the smallest details of our lives, and wants us to care, too. Look at all the details that God hands down in Exodus regarding the building of the Temple! Nothing was left to chance.

God wants us to follow that path for our own lives. In Luke we read:

Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. Luke 16:10

It is so easy to rationalize a small dishonesty, a “white lie.” But small lies grow into larger ones. It gets easier with subsequent events to shade the truth.

This is a hard concept for me. I have always been a “big picture” person, but that isn’t how we are to live. We have to take care of small things, little details, to complete our big puzzle of life. Some things in life seem so unimportant, yet those are things that God wants us to pay attention to, as well as the big things.

Matthew 10:30 says that God knows the number of hairs on our head… he is greatly concerned with each and every aspect of our lives. But we aren’t. We claim we are too tired to do this or that, it isn’t really important. But if it is all important to God, shouldn’t it be to us, as well?

Following details is all part of a pattern of faithfulness and obedience. If we are faithful to the little things, as we read in Luke, we will be faithful in all things.

Look at the picture at the top of this page. Look closely at the detail involved. The richness of the color. The fragile petals, all perfectly formed and placed together. This is God’s way of paying attention to details.

So be faithful and obedient to God… let’s pay attention to those little things that so often slip through the cracks, and allow God to use those “little details” to fulfill His promises… and let our lives blossom like roses!

I have really enjoyed watching gymnastics during the Olympics, but I hate the judging system. Despite rules and points systems, it remains subjective at best. But I can deal with that… heck, if the athletes can, I shouldn’t have a beef.

But then a weird thing happened tonight. An American and a Chinese tied for the gold medal. Should have been smiles all around, but all was not as it appeared. Despite the fact that they tied (to the hundredth of a point!), the athlete from China was awarded the gold medal. You see, in the Olympics ties are not allowed in gymnastics. At the World Championships, yes. Olympics, no. So instead of two athletes sharing the gold, one has silver and is trying to figure out when a tie became a loss.

Life ain’t fair. But God is. And He expects us to be fair in dealing with others.

The Lord demands fairness in every business deal; He sets the standard. Proverbs 16:11

We know what is honest and what is dishonest. And to please God, there is no middle ground, only fairness and honesty in all we do. It’s easy to try to “pull a fast one” to advance our careers, or cheat a bit to save money. We soothe our conscience by saying that everybody does it. Politicians have perfected the art of “disinformation” against their opponents, putting out lies and half-truths through back-channels in an attempt to get elected.

God expects more from His own. We can’t rationalize treating others fairly. Sometimes it takes courage to be fair, to be honest, to rise above it all. But it is how God expects us to act.

The ones who can live here are those who are honest and fair, who reject making a profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong. Isaiah 33:15

If we are fair and honest in our relationships and life, we will dwell with God in His grace.

A few months ago I wrote an article entitled Who Sets the Example for Your Children? But perhaps an even better question is, Who is YOUR Role Model?

Today I picked up my newspaper and found an article all about how Madonna is a role model for women 50 and above. You see, she just turned 50 herself, and the article goes on and on about how she is showing women of that “certain” age that you can still be in great shape and conquer the world. Women were interviewed who spoke on how they learned from Madonna that they can be successful.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I took this article a bit personally. You see, Madonna and I happen to be the same age (ok, I’m older by three months). And of all the women on this planet, she would rank near the bottom in terms of who I would choose to emulate at this stage of my life, or any other stage for that matter.

But this is where our society, as a whole, is today. We elevate anyone to role model status merely because that person makes a lot of money and is constantly in the media. That is dangerous, and that is wrong.

We have a woman who has made a mockery of the sanctity of sex in marriage, who stands accused of cheating on her husband. A woman who has openly mocked the church that she was raised in. A singer who’s videos on occasion have been blasphemous.

And this is who women are looking up to? What part do they strive to emulate? Cheating? Blasphemy? Sexual free-wheeling?

What is so bad about living a faithful life, faithful to God, to family? Why do we, as a society, raise those up who make money and headlines, above those who work hard in service to God and community?

My personal heroes? How about a woman who juggles her job and family, and makes sure her children are raised to be faithful servants of our Lord? What about the woman who gives up her own desires to care for family members who are in need?

What about the woman who, 50 years ago, Madonna was named for? The mother of Jesus, a simple servant of God who looked beyond her own world to understand that her son was God’s son. A woman who merely did her job, following God’s direction through that fateful day at Calvary, and the glorious first Easter morning. No bells. No whistles. No spotlight. Just a servant of God fulfilling her duty to Him.

Now there is a role model!

Tithing. There is a vast divide on this issue among Christians. And I’m not going to attempt to close that divide!

What does the Bible say about tithing?

Early on in the Bible, God makes it clear that we are expected to tithe.

You must set aside a tithe of your crops — one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. Bring this tithe to the place the Lord you God chooses for His name to be honored, and eat it there in His presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to fear the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 14:22-23

Tithing is a way to demonstrate that God is our priority. By tithing, we are saying, “Here are the ‘first fruits’ of my harvest (paycheck). It is yours.” Of course, all we have comes from God, but by tithing we are acknowledging this.

Think about it. When you get your paycheck, you pay out bills in their order of importance. Housing, food, clothing, car, gas, etc. No one should buy a new TV if that would leave them unable to pay the mortgage! By giving God the ‘first fruits,’ we are showing Him that He is first in our lives.

But there are those who say that, while tithing is emphasized in the Old Testament, Christ came and delivered a new law, so there is no longer a need to tithe. But in Matthew, when Christ rebukes the Pharisees, he speaks on this topic:

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Matthew 23:23

It is clear that Jesus is letting the Pharisees know that they are placing too big of an importance on tithing, and need to focus on more important matters. But he also adds that they should not neglect to tithe.

Now, here is the tricky part. Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, says:

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Some claim that this statement releases us from tithing, but I read it differently. I read that we aren’t to give “grudgingly” or because we have to, but because we want to.

Tithing allows our local churches to go about the daily business of God. Even churches have to pay the electric bill, and our tithes make that possible to ensure the continued operation of the church. But at many churches our tithes also go to feed the poor, to aid missionaries in the field.

If you wonder what your church does with your tithes and offerings, ask! Most churches will gladly walk you through the process, and if the administrators won’t, you may need to look deeper. But I hope you will come away with a feeling of pride, that your 10% is opening the world of Jesus Christ to others.

Stress: 1) A specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism. 2) Physical, mental or emotional strain or tension.

We live in a stressful world, in stressful times. Turn on the television and see scenes of war played out across the world. Drive through neighborhoods and see foreclosed homes up for auction. Enter a hospital and see friends and families awaiting word on their loved ones.

We can’t avoid it. Stress is a part of daily life, whether we are caught in traffic or worrying about paying bills. And just because we are Christians does not make us immune to stress. For early Christians, stress was the rule rather than the exception. But as Paul spoke in Romans, God can use this stress to strengthen and develop us, to grow our faith and dependence on Him.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us — they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. Romans 5:3-4

But how blessed we are! In our times of stress, we can turn to our Father. No mediator, no facilitator, just us… face to face with God.

I wait quietly before God, for my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. Psalm 62: 1-2.

When we turn to God, He will comfort us, taking our worries upon His mighty shoulders. We rest in God’s strength, what more do we need?

We are told in Philippians that we need to use prayer to communicate with God about our worries and concerns. When Paul wrote these verses, he was sitting in prison, yet telling his readers to rejoice. In his words we learn that we don’t need to let our outer circumstance dictate our inner attitudes. Paul was filled with joy because, while he sat in jail, Jesus resided in his heart.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Allow the peace that God gives freely to guard your heart against anxiety and stress. True peace is not found in positive thinking, in the absence of conflict or in happy feelings. It comes when we know that our God is in control. It is a special contentment that we, as followers of God, are blessed to be able to receive.

Our minds determine our thought patterns. If we allow our thoughts to dwell on the negativity of a situation, we will become mired in the muck and mud of the world. Instead, replace those useless thoughts with prayer and praise. Paul implores us to program ourselves to think on things that are good, true and pure.

I know that all of this is easier said that done. But Paul, while a special man chosen by God, is no different than you or I. We are all God’s children, and He loves us and wants to comfort us. If God provided this comfort to Paul as he suffered through jail and persecution, He will do no less for us.

We have all heard the phrase “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1). But what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that at no point do we pass our opinion, our judgement on someone? To break it down even further, if we had a world with no judgment, what would be the purpose of our courts? Can you imagine the Olympics without judges (ok, bad example. That might actually be a good thing!).

The reality of God’s word is that we are to judge within His parameters, by God’s standard of fairness. Some types of judgement are both appropriate and necessary. Matthew 7:1 does not stand alone:

Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged. Matthew 7:1-2

Jesus’ statement is not a blanket rebuke of judging, but instead against the hypocritical attitude that we use to tear others down and build ourselves up. We are to be discerning in our judgements of others, not negative.

Jesus tells us to examine our motives for judging others. Often the things we like least about ourselves are the things we judge in those around us. We point fingers at others, yet make excuses for our own bad behavior. In fact, we as a society have become great at excuses. Too fat? Blame McDonald’s. Got a speeding ticket? The cop was just trying to make a quota. Didn’t get up for church? God will understand how hard I work.

Judgement is especially appropriate when we face sin. In Corinthians, Paul says:

It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning in these ways. I Corinthians 5:12)

Throughout the Bible we are told not to criticize by gossiping or being quick to judge. However, we are charged with dealing with the sin of others that can hurt. We are not to take revenge.

So before passing judgement, examine your motives. Look inside your own heart, at your own failures and weaknesses. Proceed with caution and love.

As I told you yesterday, I am a big fan of the Olympics. Tonight I was watching the men’s gymnastics team event. The underdog U.S. team led midway through the event, and ended up with the bronze medal. The team was not expected to perform well, as they had lost two of their top performers just days before leaving for Beijing.

But perform they did. At one point the team was huddled up. Gymnast Jonathan Horton spoke up and said, “No fear, no regrets.”

That phrase has stuck with me the rest of the evening. What if we could live every single day of our lives with no fear and no regrets.

What would it feel like to be unafraid of what others thought about us and speak freely of the love of Christ? To be unafraid to express our devotion to Him? Even in the free society that we live in here in the United States, we are “afraid” to offend others by speaking of our faith. Somehow it is easier to imagine crossing the seas to spread the Good News than to cross the street and invite our neighbors to worship with us.

And what would it be like to live with no regrets? To look back at yesterday and beyond, and know that we had done all we could to bring others into the Kingdom of God? That we had left no stone unturned in our desire to spread His message of love?

How amazing that would be!

Daily we live with that fear of offending the unsaved, yet by ignoring them we are condemning them to a life eternity apart from God, in Hell. And when someone we know dies apart from God, we regret never having taken the time to speak. When someone passes away, we are so programmed to say, “They are in a better place now.” But are they really? How do we know? Did we ever speak to them about our faith? Share our Jesus with them.

As Christians, let’s make our motto No Fear, No Regrets.

I love the Olympics, I love everything about them. If my family wants to find me anytime over the next two weeks, they know that I will be parked in front of the nearest television, watching everything from fencing to equestrian to basketball to swimming.

In fact, sports I would never dream of watching any other time take on a life of their own during the Olympics!

This Olympics takes on a bit of a different meaning, though. The host, China, has one of the world’s worst records in human rights and oppression of it’s people. And religion is a very touchy subject in the Middle Kingdom.

In China, those over the age of 18 are allowed be be involved with officially sanctioned Christian meetings through the “Three-Self Patriotic Movement” (TSPM) or the “Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association” (CCPA).

The TSPM is non-denominational, and preachers receive instruction at one of 13 sanctioned seminaries, which are Marxist-oriented. The TSPM is widely viewed as a wing of Communism.

Lest you think the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association is a branch of the Catholic Church, read on. The CCPA is an association of Chinese established in 1957 by the People’s Republic of China’s Religious Affairs Bureau to maintain state supervision over mainland China’s Catholics. In July of 1958, Pope Pius XII declared the bishops who participated in consecrating new bishops selected by the Association to be excommunicated. Pope Benedict XVI called agents of the CCPA “persons who are not ‘ordained’, and sometimes not even baptized”, who “control and take decisions concerning important ecclesial questions, including the appointment of Bishops.

But many Chinese Christians also meet in unregistered house church meetings, despite the reports of sporadic persecution. In fact, while the government estimates there are four million Roman Catholics and 10 million Protestants, independent estimates range from 40 to 54 million Christians in China. Most of the growth has taken place in the House Church movement.

The House Church movement began in 1949, following a Communist edict that all religions must register. The registry forces groups to join one of the state-mandated religious organizations, which opens the door to government interference and control. Risking jail and persecution, these groups meet in homes, often in secret, to protect those involved.

On Sunday, President George Bush and his wife Laura attended church in Beijing. They attended the Beijing Kuanjie Protestant Christian church, one of the “official churches” under Communist control. Afterwards, the President made a statement in support of religious freedom in China, a sentiment he has shared with Chinese President Hu Jintao on numerous occasions.

China is at a crossroads. It wants to be a major player in today’s world, and is well on it’s way. Many American companies have set up manufacturing plants in China (General Motors, for instance). With this influx of “foreign” workers, China will have to make decisions very soon about it’s future.

As you watch the festivities and competition, say a prayer today that the leaders of that far away land will have their eyes opened, that Christianity will continue to grow and be able to move out of the shadows and into the bright light of God’s world.