Ok, it's been quite a long time since I posted. I wrote a prayer yesterday for our prayer meeting. Our emphasis was on our veterans, since it was Veterans Day.
Veteran’s Day Prayer – November 11, 2009
Todd Hitchcock
We acknowledge today, Heavenly Father, your protection, blessing and divine movement throughout the young history of the United States of America. Under your guidance and through your will we have been blessed beyond all we could ask or imagine. We pray your continued presence and power on our nation. We humbly submit our failings and our sin. We ask for your mercy, for grace and forgiveness. We pray, “God bless America.”
Since the founding of our nation, “conceived in liberty,” countless men and women have stepped forward to defend our country and many others from aggressors in a commitment to liberate those held captive, spiritually and physically.
We ask for your blessing on all those who have served in our armed forces. We ask for healing through the power of your Holy Spirit for the veterans who have been wounded, in body and soul.
We especially pray for the men and women, who daily come home with injured bodies and traumatized spirits. Bring peace to them and we pray they would find the Price of Peace.
Heavenly Father, in appreciation we pray for the selfless sacrifice of these veterans and of their families. Help us to remember them, to pray for them, and to care for them. We pray for consolation to every veteran’s family with your unfailing love.
Thank you, O God, for your gifts of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and for a nation that is the land of the free and the home of the brave! May we fight to keep these rights available to us all.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Am I really HATEFUL?
Yesterday, the House of Representatives, (who are they representing?) Voted 249-275 to pass the Hate Crimes Bill. Now, I for one will stand with anyone who is being silenced for what they believe, even I don't necessarily agree with them. Why? Because in the United States of America we have freedom of speech. I do understand that freedom of speech does not necessitate anything being said at anytime. We all know the old adage, we can't yell, "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater, that would be a misuse of freedom.
The problem with this bill is not that we need to protect people from being hateful. The problem with this bill is that it is protecting on the one hand and silencing on the other. There are already plenty of laws in place to protect people. The Hate Crime Bill moves from actual crimes against another to ideology in which the government deems to be too inflammatory. This would include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Imagine you are passing through the airport. Your child is in desperate need to use the restroom. There is no longer any protection as to specific use of facilities by gender association. Is it wrong to say that I don't want grown men using the same restroom in which my young daughters need to use? Am I really being hateful by not wanting to expose that potential to my children? If pedophiles are raised to be allowed "equal rights." How does this scenario radically change my options?
I don't know how to imbed a video to this blog, so here is a Fox News report that you have to view!
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=518786
The book of Romans is a fabulous book centered around the grace of God. ALL are fallen (sinful) and ALL are in need of the free gift of God through salvation. But, in the opening chapter of Romans, Paul describes God's invisible qualities, His divine nature and eternal power as being self evident to all mankind. Included in this section is a list of abandoning what is natural as well as the things that lead to a depraved mind. Included in this section is a clear teaching that homosexuality is a sin and as with ALL sexual sin there are unique consequences attached to them.
Am I being hateful to believe that what the Bible says is true? According to this Hate Crimes Bill, yes I am. Because of the vagueness of this bill, and of the intentional denial of protecting the actual words contained in the Bible, as a pastor I could be arrested and convicted of at least 5 felonies for simply stating what the Bible says. All our lives we have told our children that only "bad people" go to jail.
Perhaps the greatest thing that could ever happen to American Christianity is whole scale coordinated persecution. The thought does not bring me any kind of personal comfort. But if it causes God's Kingdom to grow, then that's what matters most in the light of eternity.
My heart and my mind realizes that we have failed tremendously as Christians and as a church to reaching a lost world for Christ...and by this I don't mean we need to start a new "evangelistic" process. What we failed in is the other side of the gospel. We neglected the poor in Spirit, we neglected the hurting, the widow, the criminal, and the list goes on. As a result, we are viewed as arrogant, self-serving and hypocritical. Why? Because we have taken the truth of Christ to a hurting world and neglected the loving hand and powerful resources of God and not generously given them away.
Now, I am not throwing judgment...if anything I am as guilty as anyone else. But this is where we have failed, and I for one have spent much time asking God to forgive me and to lead me according to the WHOLE Gospel of Christ. So, the response is, what are we going to do differently? What do we need to rethink? How can we change the perception that we don't care about anything else but our religious ideology? Are we more concerned that we convince others to think as we do, or are we concerned that they are lost, dying and destined to live for eternity in hell? Jesus came to save the lost...not to change ideology. Guess what...the Holy Spirit will change ideology once a persons life is TRANSFORMED!!! Praise God!
We need to love all people through the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to stand up and allow God's truth to not be silenced. What are we going to do about it?
The problem with this bill is not that we need to protect people from being hateful. The problem with this bill is that it is protecting on the one hand and silencing on the other. There are already plenty of laws in place to protect people. The Hate Crime Bill moves from actual crimes against another to ideology in which the government deems to be too inflammatory. This would include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Imagine you are passing through the airport. Your child is in desperate need to use the restroom. There is no longer any protection as to specific use of facilities by gender association. Is it wrong to say that I don't want grown men using the same restroom in which my young daughters need to use? Am I really being hateful by not wanting to expose that potential to my children? If pedophiles are raised to be allowed "equal rights." How does this scenario radically change my options?
I don't know how to imbed a video to this blog, so here is a Fox News report that you have to view!
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=518786
The book of Romans is a fabulous book centered around the grace of God. ALL are fallen (sinful) and ALL are in need of the free gift of God through salvation. But, in the opening chapter of Romans, Paul describes God's invisible qualities, His divine nature and eternal power as being self evident to all mankind. Included in this section is a list of abandoning what is natural as well as the things that lead to a depraved mind. Included in this section is a clear teaching that homosexuality is a sin and as with ALL sexual sin there are unique consequences attached to them.
Am I being hateful to believe that what the Bible says is true? According to this Hate Crimes Bill, yes I am. Because of the vagueness of this bill, and of the intentional denial of protecting the actual words contained in the Bible, as a pastor I could be arrested and convicted of at least 5 felonies for simply stating what the Bible says. All our lives we have told our children that only "bad people" go to jail.
Perhaps the greatest thing that could ever happen to American Christianity is whole scale coordinated persecution. The thought does not bring me any kind of personal comfort. But if it causes God's Kingdom to grow, then that's what matters most in the light of eternity.
My heart and my mind realizes that we have failed tremendously as Christians and as a church to reaching a lost world for Christ...and by this I don't mean we need to start a new "evangelistic" process. What we failed in is the other side of the gospel. We neglected the poor in Spirit, we neglected the hurting, the widow, the criminal, and the list goes on. As a result, we are viewed as arrogant, self-serving and hypocritical. Why? Because we have taken the truth of Christ to a hurting world and neglected the loving hand and powerful resources of God and not generously given them away.
Now, I am not throwing judgment...if anything I am as guilty as anyone else. But this is where we have failed, and I for one have spent much time asking God to forgive me and to lead me according to the WHOLE Gospel of Christ. So, the response is, what are we going to do differently? What do we need to rethink? How can we change the perception that we don't care about anything else but our religious ideology? Are we more concerned that we convince others to think as we do, or are we concerned that they are lost, dying and destined to live for eternity in hell? Jesus came to save the lost...not to change ideology. Guess what...the Holy Spirit will change ideology once a persons life is TRANSFORMED!!! Praise God!
We need to love all people through the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to stand up and allow God's truth to not be silenced. What are we going to do about it?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Stewardship Series
Ok, so Philippians 4:19 tells us that God will meet our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. What exactly does that mean? Is God going to just magically clean up all our messes? We want to give special, precious gifts to our children, and God is no different. But I don't just give them anything at anytime.
The key phrase in this verse is "in Christ Jesus." John 1:1 tells us that Jesus is the "Word." If we are in Christ Jesus we are in the Word. Living according to the Word is a requirement of God meeting our needs. According to doesn't mean anything at anytime, although God does have the capacity to knock our socks off, even when we don't deserve it.
So, next time you are in need...make sure you are living according to the Word.
The whole section of teaching prior to this verse is intently focused on living a life fully and completely reliant on God. We work out our salvation, we don't work for our salvation!
Whew, I can't wait for Sunday!
Please add to these thoughts by commenting. Maybe I'll use something you add to one of the upcoming messages.
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