Kirk Franklin, Blood, and Jehovah's Witnesses (a Rant)

Driving to my office this morning was met with a little praise party in my car.  I was listening to some of the best music, in my opinion, out there: Kirk Franklin, particularly his "Hello Fear" Album. (subscribe to my "Gospel" playlist on www.Spotify.com to listen to it!) As with all things, you must discern the overall message of the song.  Sometimes my boy Kirk get's some flack for SOME of his music being shallow with more emotion than content.  I can agree with that statement with some of his songs, but one thing I'm learning a lot recently is that you can't accurately judge a person by their shadow. I certainly wouldn't want people to say I AM what I was in the past.  All that said, I had the opportunity to meet Kirk and find out that he's the real deal.  And if you know his music as deeply and intimately as I do, you'd notice a refreshing refining of theology in his music throughout his years as an artist.  His latest album, "Hello Fear" is STEEPED in the blood of Christ and the GOSPEL of Jesus as the substitutionary atonement. There is a song (titled: "But the blood")  that has these lyrics, "by the blood, falling on us, but the blood, gives me purpose, but the blood, You are for us, but the blood, Who can be against us?..."  The music, mind you, is getting more and more different from traditional black gospel music, but the message is floating in the blood of Christ.  Which brings up my topic for today.  What's with the Christian's fascination with blood?
I'm not sure if this has ever creeped you out at all about Christianity, and the more I think of it in the literal sense, it is kinda gross but in the spiritual sense it is glorious: without the blood of Christ, we'd be toast!
I'm attempting to read through the bible in 90 days, and so far I'm on track, but getting through Leviticus and Numbers was hard!  One thing I've been reminded of this time around is that the blood of the animal being sacrificed was sacred. God had very specific rules and regulations surrounding the blood of the animals. And when God gives his law, he also mentions that no man should eat the blood of any animal because the "life" is in the blood, "for it is the blood that makes atonement by the LIFE." (Lev 17:11).  And the writer of Hebrews uses this same passage in mind in 9:22 "...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."
I like the fact that God uses this imagery of "life" in the blood.  Because that is exactly what we are given through Christ's blood. Jesus is the perfect, spotless, lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn1:29) and His sacrifice on our account is our salvation. The only reason why this can be is because JESUS IS GOD.  GOD HIMSELF sacrificed HIMSELF for us and our atonement from the wrath of HIMSELF because of OUR sin!
When the priests in the Old Testament would take the blood of the atonement and "throw" it on the people, the same thing happens with us with Christ's blood. Christ's blood, like the song said above, "fallen on us" is our atonement!
But here's the clincher, the blood hasn't fallen on you if you don't believe you need forgiveness. The blood means nothing to you if you don't think you are a sinner. The blood means nothing to you even if you "believe in Jesus and that he died on a cross somewhere" but don't believe that He's GOD himself.
One last story.
This last week, I had two Jehovah's Witnesses knock on the door.  My wife went down and then came back up and said, "you're going to have to take this one." So I talked with them at the door.  "You're a bible reader?"  Me: "yes, I'm a pastor I love to read the bible." Then they said something about Abraham, and I returned with something about how they are Mormon (though I knew they weren't) and they were like, "Oh we're not Mormon! We're Jehovah's Witness... You're Christian right?"  Me: "yes, I am"  Them: "Oh! We are too! We believe in Jesus!"  Me: "But do you believe he is God?"  Them: "Uh.. no He's not God,  He's the son of God.." Me: "No, He IS God... and because you just said that, I'm not interested in hearing any more from you.." And with relief in their voices they said, "Ok well you have a good day!"
I want to say this as delicate as I can, many people in this world can say and in truth that they believe in Jesus and even that he historically died on a cross somewhere in the middle east.  BUT the way of truth is narrow and it is in the fact that Jesus IS God that will trip people up, and that God himself had to die BECAUSE of them!  And it was the blood of God himself that had HIS LIFE in it that falls on the true believer.  That is the only way of salvation. By the blood of Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, God Himself.
Please don't gloss over the gloriousness of Christ's blood today shed for you! And maybe if you're reading this today and never really thought about the importance of Jesus as God himself and his blood was shed for you, I urge you to believe that with all of your heart and rejoice today in your salvation! If that's you, please find a bible believing church to get connected and pursue your new relationship with Christ and fellowship in the body of Christ!
Have a great day!

"Tebowing" doen't make Tebow a Christian

I was in my bowling league last night (please take this moment to laugh and then read on), and the guys on my team know that I'm a pastor and often times they'll do things that they think will "please" me because I'm a "man of the cloth," as they say. I like bowling, but the reason why I joined this league was not to boost my average, but to live on mission and join a random group and show them the love of Jesus. I've had some great conversations around the table between frames with these guys. I'm not trying to force feed the bible down their throats, but more so hoping that they see that a true Christian can actually be a fun and cool guy.
In our culture, the "bible bubble," or "bible belt" as West Michigan has been called, has really perfected the art of polarization of so-called "believers" with the so-called "pagans."  Kids often grow up with the false notion that it is sinful to be in the presence of non-christians.  So we put our kids through Christian schools, we put them in Christian daycares, we have them make a list of their "approved" Christian friends that they are allowed to hang out with, and in all good intentions think we are growing our kids to be "good" Christians. The truth is, all of those things, though very good, don't make anyone or any kid a "Christian" any more than the act of "Tebowing" makes Tebow a Christian.
My teammate last night decided that after he got a strike that he would "Tebow."  And he did, and everyone looked at him, and he looked at me with the face of, "yea! you like that right?! right?! that's cool for you right? You want me to do this cause your a pastor right!?"  He genuinely wasn't trying to make fun of me, but in sincerity was trying to "please" me with his "christianeze" gesture.  When actually, he was just making a fool out of himself.
Let me pause and say this, I am a big Tebow fan. I have nothing wrong with the guy, and I very much appreciate that he "Tebows" still to this day and probably for his career. Why? Because he IS a Christian. I know that not because he "Tebows" but because his testimony is lifting high the name of Jesus and when given platform at press conferences, he uses that opportunity to glorify God and thank Jesus for taking his place on the cross.  Tebow is a Christian because he believes the Gospel, and as an outpouring of his heart and love of Jesus, he "Tebows."
The bible talks about "white washed tombs" (Matt 23:27) as those Pharisaical people who have made everything on the outward of their lives look perfect and "christian" yet are just fresh paint on a dead body. You aren't Christian because you are a good person or do "Christian" things, you are a Christian if you believe that Jesus died in your place because of your sin!
So in my bowling league, I'm hoping to show these guys that I'm not a whitewashed tomb, but rather that I'm a new creation because of what Jesus has done in his sacrifice for my sin. That I'm a broken man in the process of eternal healing through Christ's sanctification. That I'm NOT perfect, but forgiven.  I'm growing some good relationships with these guys and what used to be entire nights without one mention of God's word has now turned into at least one maybe two different conversations about what the one guy's female pastor talked about and where she found that in the bible (as an example) or the other guy, last night, who was talking about how he really liked Revelation, and actually KNEW that it correlated with the book of Daniel! Who knew!? The guys I bowl with have the appearance of religion but I pray that the gospel would impact their hearts in a powerful way, it if hasn't already.