Saved? What does that mean?

A dear friend asked about the phrase "being saved" or "getting saved" that we Baptists use. I explained the concept of sin separating us from God, and us not being able to fix that of our own works, or will, or volition. I then explained that's why Jesus came.  He physically lived and died as a human while also experiencing a temporary spiritual death. This He did willingly, at God's direction, to pay the cost of OUR separation. When we confess our need due to our sin, accept Jesus' sacrifice as truth, and as OUR payment, we are "saved" from our sin. Then, the Holy Spirit that Jesus told about moves into our life, and reveals the nature, heart, teaching, love, and will of God to us. To be clear, I believe the decision to accept this as TRUTH in YOUR life is the critical step. Just knowing this concept won't cut it. Knowing it, and working to be REALLY GOOD won't do it. Only accepting your need, and Jesus as the fulfillment of that need leads to salvation. No other person can make that decision for you. I pray that some may find help, clarity, or above all, HIM in the words I've shared here. If I can ever help you work through such a decision in yourife, I would be happy to talk with you about that!

You Ain't All That!

As I've been working on some ideas to use in future speaking engagements, I've developed this notion of how "fooled" we become about who we are. Now, this "foolishness" falls into 2 categories:

1) We become convinced that we are way BETTER than we really are.
2) We become convinced that we are way WORSE than we really are.

I'm here to say to you that, "You ain't all that." Hang with me on this one for a just another minute...

Why Men Hate Going To Church by David Murrow

In this book, an updated and edited version of David Murrow’s 2005 original, the author addresses the issue of why men are missing in our churches, especially the Evangelical church. He contrasts the “tone” of churches and how they take on more feminine traits than male traits. While men use terms like “boring”, and “irrelevant” when describing their distaste for church, Murrow offers more detailed examples of how churches, and even Christ Himself, are depicted with mostly feminine traits, and that this leads men to find other outlets for their more natural tendencies toward competition, strength, and even conflict.

I find Murrow’s views very enlightening. Moreover, they align with much of my personal discoveries about men (including me!) that indicate men are in pursuit of many “masculine” things because of their fear of being labeled as too effeminate, or not “manly” enough. In fact, Murrow’s views are another example of how the “absence” of men from many of our most important institutions (church, school, and the home, for instance) is actually promoting an increase in the “feminizing” of our culture.

I also found the book an easy read overall. For those who like proof, Murrow provides significant data to back up his assertions concerning men and the church. For those who are concerned with adequate Biblical grounding, Murrow cites the Bible multiple times as he describes the conflict we’ve created in the church between Jesus the “Lamb” and Jesus the “Lion”.

I recommend this book to anyone researching the issue of men and the church, or who are pursuing further understanding of how to reach more men in this generation for the Kingdom.

Disclosure Note: I obtained “Why Men Hate Going To Church” from Thomas Nelson publishing via their “Booksneeze” program which offers bloggers and other reviewers books for free in exchange for a published review. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for the book, and the views expressed in this review are my own.