The Caffeinated Christian

Tomorrow morning I am going to preach on "The Christian Vote in the Mid-Term Election."  The last time I preached on Christian involvement in politics some of the audio was used in Alexandra Pelosi's "Friends of God" documentary which aired on HBO.  Hopefully over the last 6 years I have cleaned up a little of my Georgia brogue.  I turned "ballot" into a 17 syllable word!  What's left of the accent may just be genetic.

Should Christians be involved in the political process?  There is a Biblical answer to this question that brings balance between two common extremes.  At one extreme is the idea that politics and Christianity should not mix.  There may be several reasons why one would hold to this viewpoint.  One may hold that the gospel demands the followers of Christ to withdraw from human government.  One may hold that since the end is predetermined that human politics is pointless.  In the end, who one votes for really doesn’t matter.  Or, one may hold that the political forum is so corrupt, and the kingdoms of the world under such influence of Satan, that politics could not possibly be a proper place to spread the gospel.  Similar to this view would be those who hold that the nature of politics compromises the gospel message, thus making the political forum an invalid means of evangelism.  Finally one may hold an anti-Christian position, that since many people in America are not Christian, Christi

Yesterday I wrote that for Christians, the agendas of the current political parties, news organizations, and political movements do not go far enough.   If we merely vote for the country to become more conservative we have fallen short of the gospel.   The gospel demands that we call men and women to repent of sin and trust Christ for salvation.   The gospel means that we not only vote, but that we become activists in the culture around us.   We are to be evangelists.   Is involvement in the political process a viable part of the evangelism?   There are many throughout the centuries that advise the church step to away from politics completely and concentrate on influencing the culture by simply living out the gospel.   Should we completely divorce the church from the state?   Bob Lockhart writes a thought provoking article , citing four ways political involvement helps the church fulfill its evangelistic mission: [1]   1)   By changing the laws of the culture a moral climate is create

There is a climax to the story of the Bible. All prophecies and promises come true and everything is set right once and for all when God’s kingdom comes. The healthcare and economy will be great, there will be justice against evil, and security and rest from our enemies. Will you be a part of that kingdom? More importantly, are you a part of His kingdom now? Listen to Audio

I have been preaching a series of sermons entitled, “What in the World is Going On?”  Our CLG’s have been using David Jeremiah’s book of the same name.  The study focuses on current events and prophetic clues as we try to lend a Biblical answer to what we see happening in our world today.  “What will be going on” in America next Tuesday is a very important mid-term election.  Throughout this sermon series I have been making statements to the effect that as Christians we cannot put our faith and trust in Fox News or CNN, the Republicans or the Democrats, Obamas or Bushs, Tea Parties or town halls as a means to restore America.  America needs to turn to Biblical faith in Jesus.  Exactly what does a statement like this mean given that Jesus is not running for office?  Some may have mistakenly understood me to mean that Christians do not need to be involved in the political process; whether that process be running for office, voting, or involvement in political agendas such as the Tea Pa

For the past few weeks I have sent the blog to the backseat of my priorities.  I not only needed to take care of some more important assignments, but I needed to take a step back and ask why I am doing this?  If I am going to continue with the blog, how can it be most effective? The most important question is does God want me to continue with feelmyfaith.com?  My call is to shepherd His people.  Does this blog help that process or hinder it?  Although all of my questions have yet to be satisfactorily answered, two thoughts about changes to the style of feelmyfaith.com have entered my mind.  My posts need to be more concise and personal.  After all, this is how the blog began, trying to connect the gospel to people as I walked in faith with my family, ministry, and through the mundane moments of life.  After all, these are the contexts that gave rise to my first post, “Tales of a First Grade Atheist.”  I moved away from the personal side of faith as an overreaction to what I did not wan

The Bible teaches that Christ is going to return. Discerning people will recognize that it could be soon and will prepare themselves. Until that moment, we should purify our lives, keep doctrinally sound, and be obedient to the will of God. Listen to Audio

When is the end of the world? Mankind has tried to answer this question throughout time. The National Enquirer, Nostradamus, and even the Mayans have had their theories. However, what is most important is to know that the world is going to end. God has a plan to fulfill His redemption story once and for all. Therefore, the ultimate question is - am I ready for His return? The End. Listen to Audio

The church is losing its voice in the world today, and we cannot blame it on anyone but ourselves. The line between the sacred and the sinful has become blurred by the lifestyles of those who claim to carry the name of Christ. Consequently, John delivers letters from the mouth of God to seven churches revealing that they have lost their impact on the world around them. Through the warnings left to these churches, we can equip ourselves to be effective and faithful to the very end. We must become a people of influence in these final days. We must share His gospel while there is still time. Listen to Audio

On Wednesday nights I have been sharing a series entitled “The Story of the Old Testament.”   Telling such an incredible story does not come naturally.   Unfortunately there is not a spiritual gift of Old Testament knowledge.   I was forced to know this stuff.   If I had not acclimated myself to this story several times, from various viewpoints, I would have failed any and every college and seminary class that had anything to do with the Old Testament.   Surveys of massive books or portions of the Bible do not come easily.   In fact it is a more difficult discipline than just interpreting a few verses, because you are covering such vast amounts of material.   However, it is a necessary discipline if you want to become a good Bible student.   Surveying the Bible provides you a cultural, geographic, and storyline context for interpreting particular verses or portions of Scripture.   For example, if you want to interpret Exodus 20 (the chapter in which the 10 commandments are given), your