HAPPY HALLOWEEN?

Ok, so I must admit that I’m a tad bit confused here. As I looked out around last night and through out the month of October there was an obvious disconnect between the phrase “Happy Halloween” and what the “holiday” actually represents. What’s so happy about Halloween? I mean it is a celebration of death, fear, sorrow, gore, the satanic and occult (well, not so occult anymore in this day and age)? Can you really be happy when the homes of people are decorated as graveyards? When witches, ghosts and skeletons adorn malls, schools, government buildings and even churches? 

I find it hard to believe. Actually, I don’t find it hard to believe. It is just sad and disappointing to see “Christians” partake in this macabre celebration so freely. I was watching a documentary on the origins of Halloween and I was reminded of how obvious this celebration has to do with satan. 

Pop culture and Hollywood have done a great job in desensitizing us to the obvious implications of this. Movies like “Frankenweenie” and “Hotel Transylvania”, today are teaching our kids that witches, monsters, zombies, vampires and devils are cute and harmless. Adults, young adults and teens alike are all flocking to see the latest installment of “Twilight” or “Paranormal Activity”.

I’ll tell you this much the only twilight I’m interested in is the one that will quickly light up the sky with the glory of God and the paranormal activity that I care about is being taken up to heaven to be forever in the presence of my Savior, Jesus.

The Bible is very clear when it speaks about what God desires from us concerning this. Deuteronomy 18:9-14 tell us that God forbids us to engage in these types of practices. More over Ephesians 5:6-14 clearly states that we are to “Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.” 

I am saddened by the amount of people who call themselves followers of Christ yet they celebrate and promote such an evil-filled, satan-inspired celebration. We have been called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). There is a spiritual battle in this world but we have been set free from the clutches of evil (Ephesians 2:1-10), so we must live like free men and women. We are called to suit up, not with masks and costumes but with the armor of God, so that “will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil (Ephesians 6:10).”

So, I ask once more, is it a “Happy Halloween”? Christ has power over darkness; he is greater than any power in this world (1 John 4:4). Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Do not allow him even an inch in your life; do not allow him to trick you into believing his lies. Stand firm with God. Satan uses lies, deceit and fear to make us do his will; God stands at the door and knock, gently calling to us with love, so that we may be with Him as friends (Revelation 3:20). 

“I simply taught, preached, wrote God’s Word: otherwise I did nothing. The Word of God did it all.”

-Martin Luther (Christian Reformer)

Shall We Wear Shorts?

Let me start off by saying that I HATE wearing a tie. I don’t like tying them. I don’t like putting them around my neck. I don’t like figuring if they are going to match with what I’m wearing. Unfortunately for me, in my area of work it seems that it is a requirement necessary for proper execution of my responsibilities. If I don’t wear a tie, somehow, I really don’t know how, I will be leading someone to his or her eternal damnation. So I guess you can see my dilemma. Don’t get me wrong, I do wear a tie, somehow it gives me more credibility, but I don’t enjoy it. 

Yet the issue here is not whether I should wear a tie or not. I have noticed that for many people wearing or not wearing a tie or even certain types of clothes to church is enough to cause a stir of apocalyptic proportions. 

So many of us are quick to judge a person for what they wear or don’t wear. We shun them completely from the grace of God because they are not presentable in the presence of God, according to our own interpretations. So my question is this - what is more important, that someone wear a tie, shorts, a suit, a t-shirt or that they are actively seeking God?

If you search the Bible to see what it says about dress there is one principle that appears more consistently than any other on that subject… Modesty (1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3,4). Although the advice is mainly directed toward woman in its context, the principle is applicable to all today. The other texts that mention how people dressed teach us that our attire should be humble, plain and simple so that we draw attention away from us and toward Jesus. This is all I’m going to say about this principle because I believe there is a bigger issue at hand.

The issue that I speak about is clearly stated in James 2:1-4:

“My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.  If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?

Here is where the problem lies! I have seen this all to often with our churches. We somehow believe that the person who comes dressed up is of much more importance and relevance than the person that is not dressed up to the standards of appropriateness of our church-culture. 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us that God looks at the heart. When we come to church, we are not to parade around like a fashion show. We come to church to fellowship in the presence of our God and Savior. Yet it seems that in order to fellowship appropriately we must me dressed in a certain way. Church is to be a place where people feel welcomed and comfortable to approach God be it in a suit and tie or shorts and a t-shirt. It should be a place where encounters with Jesus are facilitated not blocked and made impossible to obtain.

Now, I’m not saying to be irreverent and disrespectful in dress. As a Christian I must understand that my outward appearance is a continuous witness of what I claim to believe and in whom I claim to believe. Clothes do not make the Christian but I have decided to follow Jesus and represent him even with my clothes.  Standards of dress change over time and are different from church to church, but we should avoid any style of dress that is offensive or sends a message opposing the church community's values.

Be careful to judge or condemn others for what they wear. We are in the business of leading others to Christ not to our customs and traditions. It is pharisaical to believe that rules are more important than the gospel. As for me, I will continue wearing a tie whether I like it or not, first off because my girlfriend believes I look good in them and second but most important because there is a larger principle at work and is more important than my personal desires, 1 Corinthians 9:19-22:

“Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ. When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ.

When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.”

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Masterpiece

I don’t know how it came to be that all this has happened but I know that it was not from one day to another. Day after day, slowly and steadily things have been placed in out minds and our thoughts that slowly have desensitized what we think and do. Everywhere we look I see how our minds are bombarded constantly by the media to think one way or another. What is worst is that we actually believe it.

As I visit Facebook and Twitter I see people whose minds have been flooded with these misconceptions of beauty, fame, success and well-being. I read hundreds of comments of young girls comparing themselves to the Kardashian’s and Rihanna’s of the world. Young men wanting to be like Chris Brown and Kanye. I must confess that this is utterly disappointing. I hate to see young girls, not only teenagers but also college-aged ladies comparing themselves to Kim Kardashian (remember that she only became famous after the release of a pornographic video). I hate to see how many young men want to be like Chris Brown (who beat up his girlfriend). Arguably there are a lot of things to say about them and many others whom popular culture has put up in a pedestal but that’s not the point.

Here is the point… “WE ARE A MASTERPIECE.” (Ephesians 2:10) Period. We were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27). Yeah, it might be a bit distorted and we might be seeing it through a foggy mirror but that never changes the fact of who and what we are. Our value is not what we think we are worth, our value is what God thinks it is. We are so valuable that He gave His Son to die for us. In the words of an overused cliché, “God does not make junk.”

So, with these words I have a simple conclusion. Don’t look at yourself with the eyes of this world; view yourself in God’s eyes. When you see yourself as the world sees you, you will always end up looking down. When you see yourself the way God sees you, you will always look up! 

“The greatest difficulty is that men do not think enough of themselves, do not consider what it is that they are sacrificing when they follow in a herd, or when they cater for their establishment”

_Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The things that make me different are the things that make me.” 

― A.A. Milne

A New Road to Travel

On Saturday July 28, 2012 I concluded my time as Youth Pastor at Spanish-American Church. As I waited for my senior pastor to finish his sermon and announce to the crowd of six hundred that I was to part, I kept telling my self not to cry. Sitting there I thought of how I got there, the circumstances that had lead me to become a pastor after years of running away. I thought my ministry was in education but God always has a silly way of doing things. (God does have a sense of humor)

I remembered how scared I was my first day preaching. I remembered how weird it felt to be called pastor by so many adults. I remembered standing there, naïve to the whole experience and how useless I felt as I stood before people who had been Christians longer than I have lived. A new challenge. A new opportunity. My tenure at Spanish-American started at VBS (Pandamania) and ended with VBS (Sky); one year and a month to be exact.

I never knew how attached you can get to a group of people. As the sermon finished and got called up, I was telling my self “Don’t cry. Don’t cry.” I was doing good until I looked at my senior pastor and saw how serious he was (I know he was crying inside). The tears just started flowing.

I love Spanish-American Church. It was my first church. I love the youth there. I love the Pathfinders. I love the adults there too. Yet in this ministry, as all know, one must go where he/she is needed.

In my heart I will take many memories. I have grown bounds thanks to the guidance of my now former senior pastor. I have been loved by such a great group of young people and I love them back too. I have seen young boys and girls grow into amazing followers of Christ. I have seen youth and young adults eager to make a difference. I have laughed, gotten sunburned, slept in freezing temperatures, faced my fears with MY, oh so energetic, Pathfinders.

Yet, now is time for a new challenge, a different road. I will head out to land different from this one but I do not head out alone. I head out knowing that there is a church in Boyle Heights on Bridge Street that is praying for me.

I love you Spanish-American…

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

"The Road Not Taken" -Robert Frost

Thoughts on the Wedding Ring

So today I found my self looking at a very bad quality video of my friend proposing to his girlfriend. As I watched his cheesy proposal (I guess most proposal are) he finally bowed on one knee and asked the all-important question. While he was doing this I wondered if he was going to bust out with an engagement ring, and sure enough he did. All of the sudden I caught my self thinking, “Why am I focused on such a trivial thing? Your friend is getting married for goodness sake!”

All my life I have been told that wearing jewelry is evil; that you are worldly if you wear it. People have preached about all these weird theories on the origin of the wedding ring. Growing up my parents have never worn, up to this day, a wedding ring. Yet, as times have changed and as I have grown older I had a curiosity about the weeding ring.

Now, I do not want to get into a theological debate about this but I quickly want to share what I have learned. The bible clearly makes a distinction between jewelry as adornment and “jewelry” that has meaning. Kings wore crowns, people of stature wore rings with their crest, the priest wore a breastplate covered in precious stones, the woman in Revelation 12 has a crown of stars and there are many more examples that I can point out. Yet, in all of the ones that I have pointed out, and the ones I didn’t, every single one of them had a use, purpose or meaning. Jewelry for the sake of adornment according to the bible is against God’s will. Through out the whole bible simplicity is preached. Paul asks for simplicity even in dress. You see the thing is to keep people focused on God not on your bling.

I’ve searched and I’ve studied and have found nothing to say that wearing a wedding ring is a sin. Yet I have learned that being vain is. It is when this object, and also other objects take our focus away from God and it becomes one of our gods that it is wrong. That’s why jewelry for adornment is wrong, the adornment is meant to place the focus on us and not on our Saviour.

Now, I’m not asking you to think like me. This is merely my opinion. I’m not saying that as long as you say it has meaning it’s ok to wear jewelry. (Oh… btw, piercings and tattoos are the topic of future blog. For now, not a good idea.) Think about this, is your desire to wear jewelry going to honor God and bring people to a deeper understanding of his love?

So what to do if you decide to go and get a wedding ring. My advice is keep it simple! People will know what it is. In the end it is not what you are wearing but if you are completely committed to what it represents.

Oh yeah… Congratulations to Javi and Rosily! May God continue to bless y’all as you start this new chapter of life together.

"Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."

-Proverbs 1:8, 9-