My Thoughts About Society

I must confess, I am not much of a pulpit pounder anymore. I accept people where they are, even if where they are is far from where God wants them to be. I cannot hold a non-Christian accountable to God’s standard if they do not know God. I agree with Romans 1:16, “For I am not the least bit embarrassed about the gospel. I won’t shy away from it, because it is God’s power to save every person who believes: first the Jew, and then the non-Jew”(The Voice). But I also understand the words of Romans 2:12, “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;” and I would not try to excuse anyone’s sin.

Societies have always run in cycles. People would find a new land and establish a government, which started out with the desire to follow scriptural and moral principles. For a couple hundred years, the system works. But, during that period an undercurrent of ungodliness always brews. Sooner or later, those cultures give in to unbiblical thinking and ungodliness. The only exceptions seem to be those countries that mandate a value system through intimidation and the threat of violence. To understand how a society fails one only has to read Romans 1:17-30. It is the slippery slope that every “free” society has proven true.

America was established through scriptural principles. That did not make us God’s nation as many seem to believe. God has had only one nation to date, and that nation also failed to live up to its side of the covenant.  Let’s be honest, America is no longer a “Christian” nation. At best, we are a nation that has a lot of Christians. We have followed history and gone down the slope with other nations, who remain huddled at the bottom of the slide. Revisionists are attempting to erase all signs of faith from our heritage so they can try to make people believe that the bottom of the slide is the “real” normal. They would have us believe that the bottom of the slide is actually the top, and Christians have had it backwards all along.

There are no continents left to inhabit. We cannot go away and start over. We must stay right here and help our society to reestablish the desire to find the grace of God. So, where do we go from here? Well, we accept the conclusion the writer of Romans came to in Romans 3:23; “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (NLT). Then, we have to dig our way out of the muck, one soul at a time. We can not approve of where people are, but we must accept that they are there if we have any chance of enacting Biblical change.

We must continue to preach Romans 3:25, “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood” (NLT).

The good news of the Romans 1:17-30 passage is that God did not allow the progression of sin because he was giving up on us. Neither did allowing it signify approval of any behavior. He let it happen with one goal: That people would realize their unhappiness and turn back to their love for God. It is never too late.

I will let others do the fighting, and the pulpit pounding. I am committed to being a safety net, so that when people fall flat, and they will, I will be one of those who stand in the wings to help catch them. Many gift mixes are needed, I am certain of that. I know my own gifts, and I know what the Lord has called me to do. How about you? Do you know how you have been called to serve the Lord in this sin-drenched world? It takes every believer, not just a hand full, to impact a world that is headed in the wrong direction.

The easiest thing for believers to do is to find fault in me, and the words I have shared. I am sure that some might, and somehow feel spiritually superior in doing just that. But whether you agree with the way I explained it or not, we must all agree with the conclusion: The world is in trouble, and we need to do everything that is Biblically authorized in bringing it back to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Part of Isaiah 9 We Skip Over In The Christmas Story

With the Christmas holiday, the prophecy found in Isaiah 9 becomes a key topic in churches throughout the world. We love to read those glorious words,

For to us a child is born,


to us a son is given,


and the government will be on his shoulders.


And he will be called


Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,


Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

(Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV)

The promises of the scripture give us strength as we ponder the power of the birth of Christ. We love to discuss what we are saved to… but we often miss the power of what we are saved from.

This week, Isaiah 9:4-5 captured my attention. It is a powerful text and deserves our attention. To grasp it’s meaning we must create a mental image of battle. Picture an army engaging in battle during the Isaiah the prophet’s lifetime. Soldiers walked great distances to reach the battlefront. Drones, bombs and grenade launchers were not available. They relied on Arrows and swords to defeat their enemy. Because of this, the soldier wore heavy armor complete with heavy breast plates, helmets, metal arm and leg protection, and armor coverings on their boots.

Movement of any kind could be painful, binding and pinching the skin. While the battle was raging, the soldier sweat profusely, cuts and scrapes could not be avoided, and shear exhaustion was the result. When soldiers withdrew from battle, their clothes would be drenched in sweat and blood. Their bodies were covered with sores, even if they escaped injury by enemy sword. Additional injuries were not dealt with until the day’s battle was over. This often added a great amount of extra blood, which soaked the soldier’s clothes. When they were finally able to retreat, even their boots were filled with sweat and blood. The next day, the soldier did not have a suitcase full of clean clothes. What they had on the previous day was what they had to wear that day. It is a gruesome picture but an accurate description of battle.

Sin has so many similarities to the picture of battle. We never enter into sin thinking that it will leave us bloodied, soaked, and exhausted. But, think about the actual effects of sin. Addiction, financial ruin, broken relationships, loss of health, and separation from all we hold dear are the real results of sin. Day in and day out we must wear the same garment of sin, and each day we are robbed of more of our existence, until there is nothing left to give.

The good news is that Christ came to offer salvation.

“For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,


you have shattered


the yoke that burdens them,


the bar across their shoulders,


the rod of their oppressor.”

Isaiah 9:4 NIV

When we accept Christ, the yoke of sin is shattered. The rod of our oppressor is broken. The bar across our chest and shoulders that carries the weight of guilt and shame is lifted from us.  The yoke of Christ replaces the yoke of sin. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29 NASB).

Why, after having the yoke of sin removed, would we want to have the yoke of Christ placed on us? It is for our own protection. Jesus said that if a demon is not replace by something else, it will just go and get ten more, and the problem will be even worse. Once we are safely in the yoke of Christ, he is able to carry our burden, and keep us from being recaptured.

Now, here is where this victory has its profound effect.

“Every warrior’s boot used in battle


and every garment rolled in blood

will be destined for burning,


will be fuel for the fire.”

(Isaiah 9:5 NIV)

The King James Version conveys the picture of this verse beautifully. “For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise.” What a great picture of a life in sin. But when the silence of redemption comes, our bloody, smelly garments are rolled up, and thrown into God’s consuming fire along with our worn out boots.

The Voice presents verse five like this:

“It’s true. All the fabric of war will go up in flames:


the troops’ heavy boots that stamped us down and their blood-soaked garb


Will all be burned beyond recognition or use.


There will be a new time, a fresh start.”

When we come to terms with what we have been saved from, the picture of what we have been saved for becomes all that much sweeter. We like to downplay sin as simply an error in judgment, or a poor choice, which we can walk away from any time we want. But look at the real effects of sin. We see it in broken lives, destroyed families, crushed hearts, and shattered lives. The yoke of sin is a burden that crushes us. We need help if our lives are to get any better. It is because of this that Isaiah wrote:

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
 And the government will rest on His shoulders; 
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, 
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
 The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”

(Isaiah 9:6-7 NASB)

Emily's Thankful Leaf

I got an email from my youngest daughter the other day. The family is building a thankful tree. Every day the grandkids tell momma what they are thankful for. She then writes the words on a leaf, and they hang it on the thankful tree. On this particular day her oldest child, Emily, said she was thankful for Grandpa's new knees. What an honor to be so loved by my grandkids that they would be thankful for my new knees.

Today, I need to remember to be as thankful as my grand daughter. It is a bit more difficult to be thankful on the days where the cobalt and plastic, don't feel very good inside of my legs. The healing process takes time, and I want it to be better right now.

Being thankful is therapeutic. It takes the focus off of the pain and directs our focus on a different subject. Being thankful activates your mind, brings strength to your body, and produces joy in your spirit. How many times have you visited a person in a nursing home or hospital thinking you were going to lift their spirits only to have them lift yours. The person you visited has been through the problems and the pain. They live with it every day. Yet they decide that being thankful is a better way to live.

I remember my younger years. Back then, I could be much more thankful than I seem to be today. It is so easy to focus on the internal pain, and the problems around us. Perhaps that is a reason why Jesus held a child and said, "Unless you become like one of these, you will not enter the kingdom." Life isn't so difficult that I can't be thankful. So what if I have to sit down and wrap my knee in ice. So what if I don't have the stamina to stand on my feet for long periods of time. This pain is only temporary.

So today, I have decided that I am thankful for my life, a wonderful wife, a great family, the roof over my head, good friends, and oh yes, new knees.

Who Are You When You Think Nobody Is Looking

We all have a public persona, the way we want others to view us. We have our Religious persona, the way we want people to view us at church. It would be nice if those two persona's were the same, but quite often they are not.

There is a third persona, the person we are when we think nobody is looking. I used to have young people that I worked with say, "Come on Mr Bittner, when you hit your thumb with a hammer, what do you say?" My response is a very loud, "OUCH!" This is of course followed by, "Yeah, but what if nobody is around. Don't you let off with a cuss word or two?" "Oh, when nobody is around, I do say it differently. OUCH THAT HURTS!"

We have been challenged to the core recently. Our family income situation has gone through a very unplanned change. Lightning hit our house, charing some of the electrical lines. And, I went through knee replacement surgery.

I approached the surgery with as good of an attitude as possible (having already had one knee replacement, I knew what I was in for). But, pain and hospital stays are not my strong suit. I tried to be nice, not let the nursing staff suffer my wrath.

In the middle of my hospital stay, Kim had to leave (a job related thing). Apparently on her way out of town she stopped at Sprinkles (a well known cupcake shop in the area) and bought cupcakes for the 3rd floor nursing staff, a special thank you for the care they were giving.

For two of the tree-day hospital stay, a young 30'something nurse named Ray (her Tagalog name was much longer) took care of me. She was very kind, and considerate. She seemed very dedicated to my comfort and I was grateful to have her take care of me. The night nurse was a young man named Michael who was equally caring. Perhaps the most patient of all was an aid name Maria. She was particularly kind because I dropped a full Urine bottle three different times in one day. It made quite a splash but she never flinched. All of this is to say that life has not been smooth lately. We have been hit by trial upon trial. Through it all, what are we like? I was about to find out.

The day before checking out, Ray came into the room. She informed me that she would be off the next day and that she would miss taking care of me. Then she said something that really shook me into a new reality. "I am very interested in getting to know Jesus. I think that you are the person to help me. Could you please send me a book that will help me know Jesus the way you know him?"

How did she know? Did she Google me? Did she read my blogs? I do not remember much, if any, discussion about my faith. Yet at my worst, she still knew.

Faith is apparently not determined people's acceptance or rejection, lightning strikes, jobs, titles, or income. It is not shaped by pain level or a body that has needed major surgery each year for the last five years. It is refreshing to know that when I am at my worst, people who look still see that Christ in me, is my hope of Glory.

Who are you when you think nobody is looking?

Theology: For Beginners

The education system does not take a five year olds, and place them in high school. They know that a child must start from the beginning, and pass K through 8 first. New Believers need a Theology book for beginners. A book that explains theology in simple terms. Discover why going to church is important, why we sing, and take an offering. Learn the Biblical theology of the sermon, and the Lord's Supper.

We do the same things over and over at our church, but why? Do you know why? Leave Greek words, commentaries, and Lexicons until later. Learn the basic first. Build a solid theological foundation, then the rest will take care of itself.

Perhaps that is what Jesus meant when he spoke about wise and the foolish man. The wise man built his house on the firm foundation of the rock. The foolish went for beach front property, so he built his house on the sand. Understanding what goes on in church is building your spiritual house on the rock.
Basic theology from The Art of Worship will give you that solid foundation,

If you invited a friend to church, and they asked you why your church did a certain thing, would you know how to answer them? The Art of Worship will give you the answers to those questions, delivered in a completely understandable way.

Click this link to order your copy: www.2t2ministries.org.