Peace in the Middle East

There will be two times of peace in the middle east.  The first will be under a great world wide ruler that will be able to bring peace on earth for the span of 3 1/2 years.  This great leader is the one the Bible calls the Anti-Christ.  The second, and final peace will be brought under the Prince of Peace during the millennial kingdom when He rules and reigns over all the earth for 1,000 years.

To understand the events of this week, and for that matter, the last 1,500 years you must understand Genesis 22.  I personally believe that without a firm grasp of Genesis 22, Christians may find themselves on the wrong side of history.

Before we begin, we must understand that Islam is not at war with Jews and Christians because of cultural differences or issues of free speech or even modesty of women.  At its core is the fact that as long as Christianity and Jews are allowed to exist on the earth, Islam's core religious tenets will be in question.

For the purpose of understanding the conflict, we will combine Christianity and Judaism into one faith, that we will call the faith of the Bible. (The Jewish Old Testament combined with the Christian New Testament.)Or as it has been called the Judeo-Christian ethic.   The link between these two world religions and by extension the nation of Israel and America cannot be underestimated.

The First Conflict: Isaac or Ishmael (The Jewish Conflict)
The root of the conflict between Islam and Biblical Faith exists in the account of Abraham on Mount Moriah.  This is the place where in Genesis 22 the Bible states that Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac.  For Jews this is a key historic event and for Christians this is a major picture of Isaac as a type of Christ and the lamb as a sacrificial substitute.  (This also explains the constant battle for Jerusalem and specifically the Temple Mount)

In Islam, Abraham's first born, yet illegitimate son Ishmael was the one in the story.  Ismael, the son of the Egyptian slave Hagar, is the forefather of the Ismaelites, of which Mohammad claimed to be a descendant.  This conflict is core to understanding why these two worldview will always be in conflict.

The Second Conflict: Jesus or Mohammad (The Christian Conflict)
The root of this conflict between Islam and Biblical Faith exists in who's narrative of God you will accept.  Though Islam claims that Jesus was a prophet, their mantra is that "there is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is His prophet."  The exclusivity of Mohammad is as central to Islam as the exclusivity of Jesus is central to Christianity.  There is no way to find an amicable resolution to this conflict.

Conclusion:
For people of the Bible, there are some choices.  Will you accept the narrative of the 24 hour news cycle that makes this about oil, or land, or insults? Will your loyalty be to the Bible, and Jesus? Will you stand with Israel?  Will you accept the idea that Islam is peaceful, or that peace can be achieved through a two state solution, or by democratizing nations in an Arab Spring?

The Castro Brothers

Forward, But in What Direction

I am a conservative that is right of Romney.  Romney, let's not forget is a New England Liberal.   One who has drifted with the expedient political winds.  I will hold my nose as I cast my vote for him for the first time in November.  Not because I disagree with his politics, but because I believe his is a far cry from the godly men we used to elect into office. American politics IS moving forward, but in what direction?

I am a conservative and I watch FOX News because I believe CNN Is a minion of the left wing.  I was surprised that even their reporting showed the all out retreat of the Democratic party from the morality of our past.  The Democratic national convention last night removed "God" from their official platform to the cheers of atheists who are quoted as approving of this forward motion.  (See CNN article here).

I fear that my statements about November's election may be construed as political.  It is not.  It is, above all moral.  I am watching as both parties move forward but they are facing away from God's word, and towards a secular humanist state.

Please understand that we get the politicians we elect.  They are in the most basic sense, a reflection of our national values.  I do not mourn the election of any politician more than I mourn the national sin that would choose such a politician.

Last night, the Democratic Party endorsed Contraception, Abortion, Gay Marriage. And this to thunderous applause.  These are the issues that eclipse any political agenda.  These are not political issues.  These are moral issues. The danger is that those who believe in democratic principles are being swept forward in a moral tidal wave.

I can agree to disagree on economics and jobs, and politics.  I cannot agree to disagree on morality and scripture.  It is clear to me that both parties are moving forward in the wrong direction.  Both parties are abandoning their biblical moorings and increasingly supporting and promoting ungodly lifestyles.  The difference is that the Democratic party last night made it loud and clear that they wanted to win that race.

Broad is the road that leads to destruction, and forward is the way that we are headed.  It may be too late to exit the vehicle before the cliff.  The brakes may be out, but I choose to be in the car that is traveling "forward" in the slow lane.

It is my prayer that morality would be the reason Christians go to the polls.  Not politics, not personality, but bible.  That we would humble ourselves and pray and seek God's face and forgiveness and repent from our forward direction, and head back to the bible.

Turning on the lights and dusting off the blog

I began blogging in 2006 way before it was cool, and while Facebook was still in diapers.  It served as a way for people who did not know about us and Cornerstone to get a look behind the curtain before attending one of our Sunday services.  In those days I felt that it knocked down some of the weirdness of attending a church that meets in a school and it allowed people to "check us out" before they checked us out.  At that time, we were running an average of 108 in church, and it was a great way to interact and spread announcements.

Enter the Facebook Era.  In September of 06, Facebook became available to normal people.  Not that college students are abnormal, but let's face it.  College students are abnormal.  I was an early adopter on Facebook because it did exactly what I wanted the blog to do.  It allowed me to communicate with our people in a timely manner and allowed them the ability to get to know me and my family apart from Sunday.

Through the years, I blogged less and less and about less important things and it became more of a nuisance than a real outlet for serious discussion and thought.  By 2011, the blog was an after thought and needed some attention.

As the church has quadrupled in size, I found myself with a thousand Facebook "friends" and a more diverse congregation of people from all walks of life.  Along with the growth and diversity came a shallower interaction with everyone, and an increased pressure not to be offensive to people who may not agree with my theology, philosophy, humor, politics, you name it.  I found myself typing a status, only to delete it before posting, putting up a humorous picture, only to take it down as the sensitive were offended.

So last week I sat down and tried to put on paper a "Philosophy of Facebook"  Now this was a personal exercise and I do not believe everyone needs one, but I needed to figure out its purpose and place.  I came up with a few types of facebookers to consider....

Personal - Pictures and family events

Play by play - What I am doing

Pastoral - Verses and inspirational quotes

Provocative - Engaging people in discussion

Political - Trying to sway the vote

Preachy - Spouting deep spiritual truths into everyday life

Yes.  They all start with "P"  I am a preacher, I cannot help it.  After doing this, I decided that I would use  my Facebook account to be personal and pastoral, with a smidgen of play by play. (Yes, I know about Twitter, but nobody cares about anyone's tweets but their own)

The new direction of the blog will be a place for me to be authentic.  I will get preachy so people, if they choose to come here can know my faith, I will get political because I believe we have a responsibility to run our government in a biblical way.  I may even be provocative, but I think that is against my nature.

So, if you want vanilla Joel you can find him on Facebook.  He will be nice, a little witty and post awkward photos from time to time.  If you are hard core, and you don't mind straight talk, you can find Jalapeno Joel here at JoelJohns.org

This is an exciting and busy time of year around Cornerstone and with so much happening, we wanted to touch base with you and keep you informed of all that God is doing at Church.  There are many opportunities for you to be a part of God's amazing work in this community, and we hope that you will take time to pray and ask God how He wants to use you.

Above all things, we desire to be known as the church in our community that is focused on God.  Though we feel that great preaching, great music and community involvement are important, we do not want to be known for anything less than a laser focus on God.  In this series we will see how the Bible helps us define and refine our focus on God.

Directing KiDS each week with the goal of understanding and loving Christ!  Each week, KiDS will interact and participate to bring the stories of the Bible to life. Some weeks we will rehearse, other weeks we will film and produce.  In the end, everyone will learn the Bible, and be able to share it through video via our online KiDS NETWORK.  We need adults who can write scripts, run video cameras, direct, edit and produce.  If you want to be a part of this exciting new network, then reply and let us know!

Last year we worked and planned for 400 people to come to our annual Trunk-or-Treat. 
By night's end, we saw just short of 1,500 souls come through.  God's abundant blessing last year has taught us to be ready this year!  In preparation for 1,500 people we need all hands on deck. We need over 100,000 pieces of candy, 50-75 people to decorate their trunks and pass out candy, we need volunteers for the parking, registration, bounce houses and refreshments.  Every person who comes to Trunk-or-Treat is given a gospel tract, along with information about our church.  Then, everyone who does not indicate a church home is followed up with and invited to attend Cornerstone. 

 

Religious Freedom

In a country that truly values religious freedom no one would bat an eye at 30 people burning a Koran out in woods.  It would not be cause for a fire permit, it would not be cause for checking driver’s licenses, it would not make even page 5 of the local paper, it would not be tweeted.  

The fact that we are even talking about this event tells me that the idea of religious freedom is only lingering. Just like the scent that remains even after the one wearing perfume has left the room.  The rubber is meeting the road.  Religious freedom is being tested, will we allow them to build the Mosque at Ground Zero, will we allow this Church to burn a Koran or will we regulate it, manage it, control it?

Sinning to Death

This weekend we wrap up our study in the book of James with his admonishment to the church to confess trespasses, pray for one another and even be willing to confront the wayward.  As I worked this week to wrap my mind around this concept and its implications, I was reminded of the fact that to do this requires that I give up the hope of a "normal" life.  What normal person confesses to another person,  what normal person makes it a habit to confront sin?  Normal people don't interfere with someone else's private life, normal people don't whip out the sandwich boards and bullhorns. To live the Christian life, we are to be peculiar.

Someone reminded me of this earlier this week as they related the sentiments of a co-worker that said "You Christians hate everybody."   The reality is that what is often seen as hate is the most self sacrificing form of love. It would be so much easier to pretend to love you by patting you on the back and encouraging your sin, or patting you on the head and making light of your ignorance.  I don't want to be seen as a hater.  I don't want to stand out as the nut-case Christian.  I don't want others to see me, and groan.  I am tempted to sit still and be quiet.  I am tempted to mind my own business.  I am tempted to live and let live.

But I am called to make a difference.  I am called to love people as I love myself.  To place my love for God and His Gospel above all that this world has to offer.  God's word teaches that there is a sin that is unto death.  It is possible for a person, a culture, or a nation to sin itself to death.  We are called to confront a world gone wrong.  We must accept that what is seen as love is actually hatred, and what is loving will be at first seen as hatred.  The doctor who gives the vaccine, or sets the broken arm, know this very well.  The momentary pain and "hatred" they inflict is for the long term good.  In fact, inflicting pain is the most loving thing they can do.  The man on the side of the road screaming at the cars driving by is seen as a lunatic, until the driver learns that the bridge is out.

We must be willing to love.  We must understand that our friends and family are sinning themselves to death and that God has placed us where we are to shine as lights in the darkness.  Harsh, is the unfortunate reality.  Hatred is the perception. But love is the responsibility for every one who claims to know the Truth.

James 5:19

¹⁹Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 

²⁰let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Land Celebration Video

Land Purchase

This past weekend the church voted to move forward with the purchase of three acres of land in the Cagan Crossings Development.  This property will provide a great location for the church as many people already frequent the town center for shopping at Wal-Mart, Lowes, and Starbucks, as well as use it as a community center with the presence of the library.  We are excited to "book-end" the library  (Pun intended) on the south of the development and believe that God will greatly use us to reach this community with His love.

It is our goal to pay for the land in advance of building any buildings on the property and the church is actively working to raise the remainder of the funds that it will take to complete the sale.  In the mean time, we are working out the final detail with the Cagan Management Group and look forward to sharing more news in the future.  Until then, enjoy the pictures and keep us in your prayers.