Of Heroes and Legends, (There Can Be Only One) (poem)

[Note: Another poem from the archives and yes, this is another one I wanted to post because of my recent conversation with friends about science fiction and fantasy stories (and most anything really) being used to convey spiritual truth. I've heard it said before, "Everything is theology"- and I think it's true. And in the end, all of the heroic stories point us back to, as Tolkien called Him, "The One True Myth"- Jesus Christ, the Hero who gave His life to save His enemies and rose again to prove He's God. He is the One all of my writings hopefully point to all the time.]

This seems to be appropriate to follow the parody song about Narnia that I posted last. This a little poem I wrote just recently- this one just came to me one day and all of a sudden I had to hurry and write it down. This one was fun for me given my love of sci-fi and fantasy and superheroes and comic books and so forth, of course. :-) It talks about the heroes and legends of old- the ones in myths and stories of yore- and how through all these characters and adventures- we are ultimately drawn to the longing and desire inside all of us to be part of something bigger than ourselves- to join in the great adventure that God is ultimately calling us to- the one that He laid out for us before time and made possible through the death and Resurrection of Jesus. This is also definitely inspired from my love of Hebrews 11 – the hall of faith. I really love Hebrews 11:38 when it describes the faithful to God- “they were too good for this world.” Or in other translations- “the world was not worthy of them.” (I think of the great heroes of the faith in The Bible of course- and a few of my modern Christian heroes as well like St. Francis of Assisi, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Eric Liddle, Mother Teresa, Mister Rogers, Jim Elliot, C.T. Studd, Hudson Taylor, Martin Luther, Rachel Scott Joy, Cassie Bernall, Larry Norman, Keith Green and Rich Mullins- among others) And as J.R.R. Tolkien once explained to C.S. Lewis- though it sounds like one of the myths of the dying and rising gods of old- Jesus and Christianity is different in this regard- because it actually happened. Jesus is the one true myth!


Of Heroes and Legends,
 (There Can Be Only One)

(by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 3/9/2011)
(Psalms 44:4-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Philippians 3:8, Hebrews 11, Jeremiah 20:9, Hebrews 12:1-4, Ephesians 6:10-20, Proverbs 28:1, 1 John 5:4, John 16:33, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, Acts 17:22-31, Matthew 13:34-35, 1 Corinthians 9:22)

Once upon a time, as all good stories start
A bright new world of hope, then things fall apart
As years of wreck and ruin rage, a line of heroes begins to raise
The stuff of myths and legends here to save the day

In the days of darkness and dangers
There are the adventurers, wanderers and strangers
The giants of old, the men of reknown
The ones that the songs and tales are written about

Powerful in battle, armored for the quest
The good fight to conquer kingdoms and restore justice
A strong faith gives a supernatural advantage
As brave as a lion, the righteous one stands

With every chance to turn back, they continue on
Struggling to save the good that’s left in the world
Where the smallest ones can be the boldest ones
A fire burning in the heart drives them on to greatness

An epic scale like Middle Earth, for Narnia and for Aslan
Though tortured, flogged, jeered and facing the sword
Destitute, persecuted and mistreated- they were too good for this unworthy world
This great cloud of witnesses calls us to endure and join them on the golden shore

And the Man on the moon is the One who made it and holds it in His hands
Santa Claus- ol’ Saint Nicholas shows us The Father’s kind and giving heart
And Superman is the picture of the God-Man who brings salvation for all
The One True Myth- Realer than Real, Truer than True is The Hero we need to believe

If we can trust the foolishness of God, the pilgrim’s progress leads us to the Grey Havens
Where we realize all the stories of lore really pointed us to Christ at the core
And then with Him, as all good stories end, we live happily ever after.

………………………………………………………………………………….

For Narnia and For Aslan (song)

[Note: Another entry from the archives here. I particularly wanted to post this parody song for some friends who enjoy science fiction and fantasy as well and I thought would appreciate this. :-)]

Here is a parody song I'd like to share that hopefully will be funny, encouraging, and maybe even edifying- and hopefully will ultimately point you to Jesus Christ and bring Him glory! :-) That’s what it’s all about.
       I did this first one here a while back right around when I first saw the last [thus far] movie in “The Chronicles of Narnia” series. True- there were some things that could have been closer to the book and I wish they were there. But “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” was an incredibly awesome movie and I am glad for the strong Christian messages that C.S. Lewis brought across so well in his books that are definitely evident in the movie. The main theme was dealing with the temptations that come in the Christian life and continuing to faithfully follow Christ throughout. And I loved the illustration of Eustace coming to salvation through Aslan ripping off his old self and having him discover his true self in Aslan. That was “painful- but a good sort of hurt, like taking a thorn out.” Okay- that wasn’t exactly verbatim- but I love that line. And Reepicheep was great! And I loved the song at the end- it was all so good. It just made me psyched to see the next book in the series come to the movies- which by the way, from what I’ve heard online, the plan is to do “The Magician’s Nephew” next! I still wish they would have done “The Silver Chair” first (which would have kept it in the published order)-but I’m not complaining. I’m just glad to see another Narnia movie coming! I’ve read and reread all the books and I love them! (I remember reading them as a kid and then rereading them a few years ago and they all pack such spiritual truth.) I love how C.S. Lewis helped kids fall in love with Aslan in his books, which was easy to do since he is clearly depicted as a Christ figure. Of course, Lewis says that Aslan is a supposal of what Christ would be like if He came as a lion in the world of Narnia just as He has come in actuality to ours. And we must learn to know Him by the name He’s known in our world- The Lord God and Savior – Jesus Christ! :-) So this song is rides along and races through all 7 books as my tribute to “The Chronicles of Narnia”. I can’t wait to go to the new Narnia and live with Aslan- The real Aslan- Lion of Judah- for all time!


For Narnia and For Aslan

(parody of “Bicycle Race” by Queen; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/22/2010)
(Matthew 13:34, Revelation 5:5, Revelation 21-22)

Narnia! Narnia! Narnia!
I want to fly to Narnia! Narnia! Narnia!
I want to ride to Narnia!
I want to meet The Lion!
I want to go to Narnia!
I’ve longed for Aslan all my life!

In the back- world of white
Apple bark wardrobe sight
Winter dark millennium
Jadis made herself queen
And it’s never Christmas
It’s foretold- girls and boys
Stone Table (and) Aslan dies
Like The Lord Jesus Christ
Witch didn’t know the deeper magic
Christ did rise as did Aslan
All has been made new in

Narnia! Narnia! Narnia!
I want to fly to Narnia! Narnia! Narnia!
I want to ride to Narnia!
I want to see The Lion!
I want to go to Narnia
I long for Aslan

Narnian wars- Telmarines enslave!
So 4 kids- it’s The Pevensies, oh yeah!
Fight back- I’m sure it’s Caspian (for the win) (Yay!)
Then look out for seven kings lost- yeah
On the Dawn Treader- Go!
Narnia- Hey! Narnia- Hey! Narnia- Hey!
Narnia! Narnia! Narnia! I want to go to Narnia!
Narnia! Narnia! Narnia! Narnia!
Narnia- Hey!

Yeah, Jill Pole and he came
Eustace Scrubb- witch is slain
Puddleglum helps save Prince Rilian
Shasta’s gonna meet Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy
Cor’s a child of The King
Digory and Polly- thieves
In comes Aslan like Jesus
All at the end if they come in the gate
Term is done- it’s holidays!
And all’s forever new in

Narnia! Narnia! Narnia!
I want to fly to Narnia! Narnia! Narnia!
I want to go to Narnia!
I’m going to see The Lion!
I’m going to live in Narnia!
I’ll live with Aslan for all time!

………………………………………………………

In That Day (story)

[Note: This is a story I wrote a few years back as a sort of writing experiment, trying to do a progressive story with different time periods represented and certain comparisons made. I could summarize some of the main point with a classic Larry Norman song- "Nothing Really Changes". Ever since Genesis 3, we as humanity have been in the same spot- we are diseased with sin and the only cure is the salvation Jesus offers through faith in His death and Resurrection. One day, in Revelation 21-22, Jesus will bring all things to newness and full restoration. However, Ephesians 2:10 makes it clear that the process starts in us now. This story is an attempt to illustrate a lot of these points. In order to do that, there are a number of caricatures in the story. For the purposes of conservation, there are some characters that embody multiple vices. This is not meant in any way to imply that this is true of all such individuals in similar situations, of course, but it also doesn't preclude that it couldn't be true of any one individual. When it comes down to it, we are all sinners with none righteous (Romans 3:23) and breaking The Law at one point leaves us guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10) Thus, no sin is any worse than any other. And one day, God will judge all of us. And The Bible clearly warns that eternal torment in Hell awaits all those who reject God's offer of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus. Thankfully, Jesus' amazing grace paid for all of our sins and is greater than them all. Praise God for His love! Heaven awaits all who will put their faith in Him and follow Him.]

 

In That Day

[Copyright Nathan Ludwick 4/21/2015; originally written circa 2002-2003]


Part One: Twenty Minutes Into the Future

 “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator- who is forever praised. Amen.” (Romans 1:25)

                The boy awakens to the insistent ringing of a telephone. Catching the call on the fourth ring, the boy rubs his eyes with one hand in an attempt to make himself fully alert. He listens intently as a cavalcade of emotions are poured out on the other end. As the caller breaks into cries of sorrow, the boy assures the caller that everything will work out somehow. Amid constant tears, the caller finally hangs up after promises from the boy to meet her later, after work. The boy hurriedly prepares himself for his job and rushes off to his business place, ready to work eight hours that evening for minimum wage. As the boy speeds his car down the road, the words of his telephone call resound in his head. He wonders what exactly will be done for the future and how he can prepare himself for it. As he pulls into a parking space at work, he wonders how he will tell his parents the news that his girlfriend will soon end the life of his unborn child.
                In another part of the city, an elderly man prepares himself for bed. He sees about attending to dental hygiene and then goes from room to room, turning out all the lights in the house. He eases himself into a comfortable bed at an hour fairly early in the evening, as he has grown accustomed to doing over the passing years. He holds a pillow, emblazoned with a picture, close to him and thinks about what will happen to her in the future. He speaks not a word, as he gets lost in his own thoughts. He gives a little start at a sudden noise, and relaxes again when it turns out to be only the dog and cat settling down for the night. He lapses back into his train of thinking, and grieves because there is no hope left for his wife and soon she will be taken off of life support at the hospital.
                The college student hastily changes his clothing as he prepares himself for his night out on the town. The weekend has finally come and the student is ready to throw off the scholastic pressures of yesterday and step forward into the carefree future. As he leaves his apartment, he thinks about where he wants to go first. He goes to the nearest singles bar and heads out to the dance floor. After finding a companion for the night, they both order drinks from the bartender. After regaling each other with numerous stories, each story is followed up by a round of drinks. After a while, the two leave the bar and slip into a dark alley to light up a few joints. Finally, after a few hours, the two go off to enjoy the rest of the evening together, after picking up some cigarettes and cigars at a local gas station. At a house far away in another state, the student’s parents hold each other close as they sit on the couch and wonder how their son could abandon his longtime girlfriend because of his desire for an alternate lifestyle.
                A proud father and his expectant wife leave the doctor’s office and discuss their options for their child. Both wonder at the marvel of modern medicine and technology that moves along ever so quickly. They think about all the packages the doctor presented to them and the offers that were made. They consider all the possibilities for their child and dream of how wonderful it will all be in the future. They think of all the chances and opportunities their child will have that many others would not have. The parents look forward to giving their child the very best that their sizable income can buy. They imagine about what it will be like for their child to grow up with absolutely no diseases and blond hair and blue eyes, just like his dad, all thanks to the wonder of biological engineering. They ponder with wonder what it will be like living in this brave new world of advancements.

Part Two: Back to the Beginning

“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” (Judges 21:25)

 
                A man called Ammon makes a terrible wrong choice that he has to accept the consequences for. In order to “extend his borders” he “rips open the pregnant women of Gilead.” The wrath of God is not held back from him. (Amos 1:13)
                A king named Saul runs in the midst of a losing battle. He gets wounded by the arrows of the opponent and may not survive. He does not want to be captured by the enemy’s hand and so he asks his armor bearer to end his life for him. The armor bearer refuses and so the king takes his own life. A man retells this story to the new king and claims to be the one who killed Saul when asked by him to do so. The new king has him executed for “destroying The Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 31:4, 2 Samuel 1)
                All the men of a city come out to greet three visitors. The three men who come to visit stay with a man by the name of Lot. The men desire to have sexual relations with the visitors. Lot refuses and the visitors blind the eyes of the men outside. The visitors reveal themselves to be angels who have come to get Lot and his family out of the city because God has determined to destroy it. Lot’s sons-in-law don’t believe and don’t come and Lot’s wife disobeys the angels and looks back at the city. Lot and his two daughters escape and then “The Lord rains down burning sulfur” on the city and its neighbor. (Genesis 19)
                A man and a woman walk through a peaceful garden and enjoy the beauty of creation around them. Birds and butterflies fly high in the sky, singing their pretty songs. Fish swim along in the river and deer run through the woods. A serpent entices the woman with forbidden fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. The serpent promises the woman the chance to be like God, knowing good and evil. The woman eats of the fruit and gives some to her husband, who eats of it as well. “God banishes both of them from the Garden of Eden.” (Genesis 1-3)

Part Three: Back to the Future

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37)
“…Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27)

                The boy, the girl, the grandchildren, the college student and his friend, and the expectant parents all continue in their lives. Their choices are made. Time marches on and moves forward. They eat, drink, and are merry. They have fun now and do not worry about the consequences of their actions. An appointment looms over them all and on one day, they will all have to keep it. The appointment with death is one that cannot be avoided. And “in that day” (Obadiah 1:8), God will surely judge everyone for all the sins they’ve done. However, there is still time to change things before that day comes. God offers salvation for the asking through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. “Anyone who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:32) The people make their choices and live their lives. They don’t listen to the Word of God and ignore the “knocking at the door of their hearts.” (Revelation 3:20) And “how shall they escape if they ignore such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3) God is both righteous and fair. He does deal out judgment and He loves everyone. He still offers salvation to those who will listen and turn to Him.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says…” (Revelation 2:29)

 

Physician, Heal Thyself (poem)

[Note: Here is a poem from the archives (March 20, 2008 to be exact) that felt appropriate, especially after an article I read today about the rich people who invest tons of money into scientific research for ways to defy death and live longer- all the while ignoring the eternal life that Jesus offers to us through faith in His death and Resurrection. Hallelujah- what a Savior!]

 I'd been reading through Jeremiah in my devotions at the time and this just kind of hit me one day- and I decided to go the poem route this time. So here you go. It kind of deals with the problem of evil in the world- and the claims of people who think that all people are basically good- but at the same time they also vilify God for not taking an active approach to evil in the world... One day God will eradicate all evil from the world- but on that day it’ll be too late for the skeptics- because that will be the day He comes back to set up His kingdom and eternally banish the devil and his followers to punishment in Hell. " Oh yes- He’s gonna stick an apple in the devil’s lying mouth and cook him in a sulfur stew- one that’ll never be through. Is it soup yet? NO!"( Not a direct quote- but it’s from "Dear John Letter (to the devil)" by Keith Green- I love his songs! ;-))
So anyway, here’s the poem I was talking about.  And that’s it for now.


"Physician, Heal Thyself"
................................
(by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 3/20/2008)
(see Jeremiah 17:9, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 6:23)

In this world that begins wth crying
(Assuming you make it that far without dying)
(Like a cancer that has to be killed-)
(Take a pill and drop the bomb- Nice choice, Mom!)
It seems too often we leave life the same way
Kicking, struggling and fighting to hold on to the pain
The pain that fills our in-betweens and lets us know we’re alive
With all the trials, sorrows and grief
We hardly have time for anything else in an existence all too brief
And whether yours are pink or white we all face the same strife
At least in this one commonality all humans can finally unite
But difference brings division as subtraction tempers suspicion
An addition of attrition makes for a multiplication of munitions
And all the arithmetics of politics still leave us base at the base
"Where is the love?" cries the woman of Ramah
Surely we can join together and rise above this
But once the gun is cocked, down comes the hammer
No, we didn’t start the fire but on this one Smokey’s a liar
We’ve been trying to fight it since the Garden
But the second degree burns only made our hearts harden
For a world where insolence begets violence in the extreme
And weak, tired and scared souls must protect their feelings at all costs
Because our egos won’t tolerate toleration for any cause
And we’ve taught ourselves how to gratify ourselves and make it all good
But when we can’t do that anymore we’re faced with a reality that shakes us to the core
Shakes us forward and shakes us free
Or shakes us to awake and fully engage our carnality entrenching mortality
And human life becomes nothing but prey when we’re nothing but hairless apes
When everyone does what’s right in his own eyes
It’s only a matter of time before someone loses a contact
And then concludes everyone’s impaired but her
And here is where we all live for now in the land of roaring lions
But only two because there is no non-secretarian of the jungle, only a King
Where one devours one while the other devours us that acquiese to coalesce
And he tells us we’re good of our own merit and lets us think we thought that ourselves
And those who know only the untame lion is truly good cling to the mane of salvation
It only begs the question for skeptics as each day’s paper brings evils unfurled
"How can a good people allow evil in the world?"
We keep telling ourselves we’re better than this and hope optimism will end the evils we’ve wrought,
There is a balm in Gilead but it flows only from Immanuel’s veins- the free gift of God.

Maundy Thursday (song)

[Note: Here is a song for Easter I did some years ago, from even before the copyright date below. Praise God for His love that He demonstrated by sending Christ Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners. And praise God that He rose again and is alive forevermore! And because He lives, we can live also. Happy Easter! Jesus lives! :-)]

"Maundy Thursday"
(parody of "Monday Monday" by The Mamas and The Papas; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 3/20/2008)
(John 3:16, John 14:6, Matthew 14:12-26, Matthew 26:39, Luke 22:14-23, John 13:26-30, John 13:33-38, John 14:28-31, Matthew 28:5-10)

Ba da Ba da da
Ba da Ba da da
Ba da Ba da da

Maundy Thursday (ba da ba da da)
Passover meal (ba da ba da da)
In the morning, You showed us all we would need
On Friday morning, Friday morning, (we) still didn’t believe
That (by) Sunday evening, You would still be here with me

Maundy Thursday, can’t touch Sunday
Sunday morning- at that time, it (just) turned out like You said
On Maundy Thursday, You gave me a warning of what was to be
On Friday’s closing, how could You leave and not take me?

Any other way (Any other way), Any other way
Any other way that You could find, yeah!
But with Olive Garden chums, But with Olive Garden chums
You can find Him crying, "Not my will, but Thine"

(Oh) Maundy Thursday (ba da ba da da)
Soaking bread to eat (ba da ba da da)
Disciples wondering, "What you do, go and do quickly"
For only 30 pieces of silver Judas I. betrayed Jesus C.
On Thursday evening, "You would trade silver for Me?"

Every other stray (Every other stray) Every other stray
Every other stray can repent and still be fine, yeah!
But the destruction-headed one, But the destruction-headed one
It’d be better if he had never been alive!

Maundy Thursday (ba da ba da da)
Soon it will be (ba da ba da da)
Friday morning, "I’ll give all to redeem the world to Me"
Come Sunday morning, Sunday morning, "I can guarantee"
"Stop all your weeping, I’ll have killed death eternally"

Any other way, Any other way
Any other way of reprieve that You can find, yeah!
But whenever Jesus comes, But whenever Jesus comes
You won’t be flying on His airline

Someday, Someday (ba da ba da da)
Best rush to pray (ba da ba a da)
God, de Son He (ba da ba da da)
He’ll return for us someday (ba da ba da da)
Oh, come the Son’s way - don’t throw it away (ba da ba da da)
Maundy Thursday - not just a portrait (ba da ba da da)
Oh, Maundy Thursday (ba da ba da da)
Oh, Maundy Thursday (ba da ba da da)
.........................................................

Jonah Man (song)

Well, if this doesn't beat all- another parody song! :-) Of course, I think that could have been just what the subject of this song was saying too. God told Jonah to go and preach a message. Okay- he was a prophet; he's up for preaching God's Word, of course. But wait- God told him to go and preach to the Ninevites! But they're enemies- they don't even worship The Lord! And God wants him to go preach to them? Doesn't that beat all? Of course, it was a message of destruction for the town. But Jonah knew about God's mercy and His slowness to anger- and He didn't want to see that applied to his enemies. Jonah is an interesting book in The Bible where the message seems to be more about the messenger and what he learned rather than the message he preached. And in the end, Jonah learned more than he thought he knew about God's love and mercy. It reaches to all people- even him in the midst of his sin. Even for times when both he and Nineveh looked like they were going nowhere, man- nowhere but down- God still showed that He had a plan in mind for good and it will be accomplished one way or the other. And though there is an unfortunate sequel where Nineveh was eventually judged down the road (see the book of Nahum)- at this point in history, God saw the people humble themselves and was moved with compassion and stayed His hand. And I know this with this Biblical account about a big fish swallowing a man can be a lot to swallow for some folks. And no matter what kind of seafaring creature it was, it still is definitely a whale of a tale. And it's one that you can't just spit out and aside because Jesus upheld it as a true account. And Jonah is also referenced as an historical prophet elsewhere in The Bible. There are a lot of spiritual lessons we can learn from this book- so dive in, ride it out to the end and sail on with the Banner of Love flying. Jonah, man- isn't he a lot like you and me?
One of my favorite lines in this song: God is not a BIT like you and me- praise God for that!
 Lord, help us to be more like You and show Your mercy, grace and love.

"Jonah Man"
(parody of "Nowhere Man" by The Beatles; copyright Nathan Ludwick 1/27/2015)
(The book of Jonah, 2 Kings 14:25, Matthew 12:38-42, Romans 9:14-18, Revelation 7:9-10)

He's a real Jonah, man
Getting out to Joppa land
Making all his Tarshish plans to go by sea

Running when God told him to
Go and share, "Nineveh's doomed"
Isn't he a lot like you and me?

Jonah, man- please listen (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
You won't blow off your mission (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
Big fish, man (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
The Lord has got at command (aaah-ah-la-la-la)

They're as blind as they can be
Nineveh- God has pity
Jonah, man- he don't pity at all

3 days in fish's tummy (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
Prayed inside- Fish hurled thee (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
Preach it now (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
And from the king down- repent and fast (aaah-ah-la-la-la)

The Lord's wrath's appointment's moved
Jonah glares; God loves him too
God is not a bit like you and me

Jonah, man- please listen (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
They don't know right from left hand (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
Jonah, man (aaah-ah-la-la-la)
The Lord's got love for all lands (aaah-ah-la-la-la)

He's for real- Jonah, man
He's the sign from Son of Man
Matthew 12- it is there, man- for all to see
2 [Two] Kings 14:25- in history!
Go read all of Romans 9- God has mercy!

....................................................................................

Separated- I cut myself clean

[Another (slightly updated) entry from the archives- March 17, 2008 to be exact. Some of the references in here are from one of my previous workplaces- and the experiences related here are fairly typical of me. LOL. :-) And yes- of course that's a DC Talk reference in the subject line. :-)]

Another weekend has ended and another week has begun. Tomorrow is our prayer meeting at work. I always look forward to that! :-) I managed to get lost not once, but twice this weekend!!! LOL- Friday night I wound up driving all through Maudlin and Simpsonville and out towards Belton and Honea Path before I finally turned around and got back home.  So that was an interesting drive.  Then on Sunday afternoon/evening/night I drove way out towards Marietta and Cleveland (the one in SC, apparently- not Ohio!) and eventually out by Table Rock- which is a beautiful state park, by the way.  My uncle and aunt’s family go there for vacation fairly often.  And so I wound up going to Rocky Creek Baptist Church Sunday morning and had a great sermon taken mainly from Joshua 23, all about following God’s call to be holy and separate from the world.  And then in the evening, in a totally different county (I was somewhere near Pickens or Pumpkintown or something by this point)- I visited at Holly Springs Baptist Church and heard a great sermon taken mainly from 1 Peter 1:13-16, all about following God’s call to be holy and separate from the world.  Talk about deja vu, huh?
Wow! I just find it so awesome how God weaves together stuff like that to flow together so smoothly- even though I wasn’t even at the church I’d intended to go to that evening- but instead got way lost and went to a church in another county- and yet both messages I’d heard that day were very much on the same lines of being holy.  It was also interesting talking about being separate from the world- note that Jesus said we were to be "in the world- but not of". (See John 17:15-17)  We don’t have a choice about being in the world, obviously (I mean, unless you’re dead or you volunteer for that NASA mission to Mars or something ;-)) - BUT, we don’t have to be of the world- and if you’re in Christ, then you’re not of this world! (as Petra pointed out in an awesome 1983 album and song! :-))
In fact, as both sermons talked about, Christians need to be separate from the world and its influence and instead surround ourselves with friends who will help build us up in the faith.  But there is a slight caveat here.  This verse came to mind during church on Sunday- and I’ve just now been able to track down where it’s located (as I’d been trying to remember and racking through the New Testament)-
"I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people- not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world." (1 Corinthians 5:9-10)   Right- there’s no way you can fully get away from the immoral people in the world because as it says here, you’d have to leave this world to do that!  But if you read on in verse 11, it says to not associate with someone who calls himself a "brother" (i.e. Christian) but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. In fact, it says with such a man, do not even eat.  God will judge those outside the church- but expel the wicked man from among you (within the church).  But as one pastor pointed out, we should love everyone because God loves everyone.  The example of homosexuals was brought up, as it’s continuing to be a big issue in America today- yes, we should love those who identify as homosexual because God loves them [and of course, we should love everyone because God loves everyone] - but we can’t condone their lifestyle because God doesn’t. [i.e. Just to clarify, while I do believe, due to our fallen world, people can be and are born with homosexual tendencies- but the sin comes in when people choose to act on these tendencies and engage in lust, same sex relationships and sexual encounters.] And we should definitely befriend unsaved gay people and all lost people so that we can share the Gospel with them. [Also to note: I specifically mentioned gay people here because of the example raised in the service, but also to address a tendency some Christians have of avoiding those with particular temptations to sins that we perhaps may not deal with nearly as strongly or just don't understand and perhaps feel uncertain of how to relate with them as a friend. Of course, I think this is exactly how we should relate to all people- in a manner of friendship driven by a sincere love of Christ, which in turn drives us to sincerely love one another.]  (Now I know my brother Kevin would probably interject at this point- so let me clarify. I don’t think that you should ever establish a superficial relationship for the sole reason of "converting" someone to Christ. People can (and will) see right through that. People are people- not prizes. Establish friendships with people to be friends with them- and through that window, by all means show the love of Christ to them- and as God opens up opportunities- share with them about Christ.  And always remember that it’s the Holy Spirit who does the work of converting- we just share the Good News.)
Anyway- I just thought both sermons were great- and that it was cool to hear some of the things that one pastor mentioned- because it’s some that I must admit don’t always get addressed very often in Southern Baptist churches- but at least one pastor went there!  We looked at 1 Corinthians 6:17-20 to focus on sexual purity in particular, and also the Biblical prohibitions we have in place via The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17 or Deuteronomy 5:1-21 - it’s in both places!) - And it’s also good to remember that they are prohibitions in some aspects, but there’s also things that we should do as well.  And ultimately, the laws enable us to truly live the good life that God wants us to live if we follow them as we should.  So they only prohibit us from destruction and woe.
We also hit on 1 Corinthians 8:8-13 (talking about being careful not to be a stumbling block to a weaker brother) and 1 Peter 5:8-9 (watch out for the devil- a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour!)
And we looked at 2 Corinthians 6:14-18- and here, let me get back to what the pastor mentioned that doesn’t always get addressed too often.  Smoking is harmful to the body- so don’t do it!  God tells us to take care of our bodies because they’re His temple- so smoking, drugs, alcohol and any other substances or lifestyles that are destructive to our bodies should be avoided. (The pastor said- "I know some of you will say, ’I have an uncle who smoked all his life and he lived to be 90.’  Well, he might have lived to be 100 if he hadn’t smoked!"- :-))  And the pastor also talked about gluttony- which is eating too much.  And it’s a sin just as much as anything else. Americans are killing themselves because of eating too much.  People are getting heart attacks because they’re too fat. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s the truth- and that’s why I need to be careful myself of being gluttonous and making sure to get out and get some exercise!
Well- I know I’ve been going on for a while here- I just thought there was a lot of good stuff in there.
So anyway- be separate from the world- not by "shunning all evildoers"- but by not allowing the world’s influence to be your main influence- that should be God and His Word.  Let your life stand out so starkly from the rest of the world that people take notice- and as the Sanhedrin noted of Peter and John, let the world take note that "these men had been with Jesus".  I trust that everyone can say of us who follow Christ that we have been with Jesus and are walking with Him