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Working hard in order to retire comfortably sounds innocent enough.  Looking forward to the days of not having the responsibilities of a job so that you and your spouse can play golf multiple times a week, travel the world, or simply relax and do nothing sounds like a great plan.  In two words this is ‘American retirement’; and it is the goal of millions of Americans.  It is the culmination of the American Dream.  But is it Christian?  Is it biblical?  Up front we must acknowledge that retirement is not a biblical concept nor is it an ancient ideal.  It seems that retirement is a more modern, western construct.  It is part of the famous American Dream.

There is certainly nothing at all wrong with retiring from the workforce after a career in a certain industry.  There is nothing wrong with having a nice retirement package that enables you to live comfortably.  The real question centers on what we do after we retire.  The Bible is clear that we are to finish strong.  It tells us that we are to endure until the end.  We are to run with endurance that race that is set before us.  As Christians, we are to push hard until the end.  We are to live our entire lives for Christ, not just the first 2/3 of our lives.

Many people serve God, work in the church, and live their life for God until they retire, and then they somehow think that they have no more Christian responsibilities.  They act as though they deserve a break from serving in the church.  In their mind there is no longer any responsibility for them to live for eternity and point people to Christ.  Those with this mindset end up doing nothing (or far too little) for God’s Kingdom during that last 10-20 years of their lives.

They act as though God is going to be impressed with all their golf score-cards, or with the pictures from their world travels, or with, as Piper has stated, their seashell collection.  How do any of those things benefit God’s Kingdom?  Please understand that there is nothing wrong with playing golf, traveling the world, or collecting seashells, but these things should not be our sole focus.

While there may be nothing wrong with retiring from a career, it is definitely wrong to retire from serving God.  We should never retire from being involved in our churches.  We should always strive to be active for the Kingdom of God.  In fact, while those in retirement may not have as much energy as they use to have, they usually have more time and more wisdom.  They should strive to accomplish as much for God in the final years of their life as possible.

View retirement as an opportunity to accomplish great things for God.   Finish Strong!

Why do bad things happen to good people? Have you ever heard anyone ask this question? It is a question that is at times asked by those who are blatantly opposed to Christianity as a way to try and prove that there is no God. It is also a question that is asked by those who are sincerely trying to discover who the God of Christianity really is. Many Christians have a difficult time answering this question. They resort to answers such as “God’s ways are higher than our ways” or “God is wiser than man.” As true as these statements may be, they do nothing to answer the posed question. So, why do bad things happen to good people?

There are several points that can be made in answering this question, but today I just want to mention one. One answer to this question is actually found in the inaccuracy of the question. We have to understand that there are no ‘good people’. Those who ask this question are making the incorrect assumption that they are good enough and deserve to avoid all bad and evil that could possibly come into their lives. They are saying that they deserve nothing but good.

The Bible is clear that there is none righteous, and that we are all sinners by nature and by choice. The best we can offer is nothing more than dirty rags. There is no such thing as good people. You may not commit murder, but you hate. You may not commit adultery, but you lust. We each have attitudes, thoughts, and motives that are direclty opposed to God. None of us can ever meet God’s perfect standard. There is no such thing as a good person…there is no one good enough to earn God’s favor.

An accurate way to word the question would be “why do bad things happen to bad people?” But where is the injustice in that? Once we acknowledge that there are no good people and when we see ourselves as God sees us, we can see the inaccuracy of the question. And that is the first step in offering a meaningful answer.

Later in the week we will answer the question, “Why do good things happen to bad people?”

Christians often talk about having a biblical worldview, but very few actually have one. This reality can be blamed on any one of several factors. I will very briefly mention two of them.

First, most Christians are ignorant of what is taking place in society and culture. (They are either ignorant of it or in love with it. I will give them the benefit-of–the-doubt and assume they are ignorant of what is taking place in our world.) Both political and social decisions that are made must be known and understood before it can be viewed through any kind of biblical framework.

Second, most Christians do not know enough of the Bible to have a biblical worldview. They may know some biblical principles and some Bible stories, but they really do not know the Bible. They may be able to quote some verses and throw around some religious terms, but that simply points to familiarity not knowledge, understanding, or application. A knowledge of the Bible is required if someone is going to have a biblical worldview, and most Christians simply do not know the Bible.

I have a desire to see people think biblically, to understand how the Bible and its doctrine affect everyday life, and to realize that the Bible speaks to what we see taking place in our society. Starting next week I will be posting articles that point out what is taking place in our world.  I will also offer biblical principles that deal with each issue that will help us to develop a biblical worldview.

I encourage you to learn to think biblically.  Join me on this journey of evaluating culture and society through the filter of absolute truth.  If you are on Facebook you can click HERE to follow these articles.  If you are on Twitter you can click HERE to get instant updates. 

JOIN THE DISCUSSION- Why do you think Christians don’t have a biblical worldview?  Respond with your thoughts!

As Christians we need to realize that there is a difference between morality and Godliness.  People who are Godly will be moral, but not all moral people are Godly.  Anytime we begin to focus on outward actions more than the condition of the heart, the result is morality without Godliness.  Anytime we focus on living a life that is motivated by duty instead of love, the result is morality instead of Godliness.  Churches are filled with moral people who fail to ever be Godly.  This problem is complicated by the fact that pastors stress external conformity so much that people sitting in the pew are slowly and subtly taught that outward conformity is equal to inward reality.   Just because you do what a Christian is supposed to do doesn’t mean that you are a Christian.  Just being moral doesn’t mean that you are Godly.  The two are not interchangeable.

We have to get down to the heart of the matter.  If you focus on pleasing men you will be moral, but if you focus on please God you will be Godly.  If you focus on the external you will be moral, but if you focus on the internal (heart) you will be Godly.  If you are content just to go through the motions of Christianity you might be moral, but if you focus on being sincere you will be Godly.   Don’t settle to be moral…strive to be Godly.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the state of Christianity in America, specifically in the Southeast.  Chattanooga, where I live, is commonly refered to as the Bible-Belt and there are many places, like Chattanooga, that are infiltrated with numerous churches.  This may not appear to be a problem, but there ends up being a culture of Christianity that is promoted that is not necessarily consistent with true Christianity. 

Over the past several months I have written a couple of posts that are each related to this specific topic.  One was on the difference between morality and godliness and the other post was entitled Christless Christianity. Both of these posts touched on some of the problems that are created in this kind of culture.  There is such a familiarity with Christian terminology that it is conducive to just go through the motions.  I would even suggest that based on how Christianity and church is conducted in these kind of areas that this type of hypocrisy is passively encouraged.  Let me offer an example.

I hear stories from new churches in areas like Miami and San Fransisco where new believers come up to mature believers and openly talk about their struggles with lust, pornography, and pride.  In these areas where Christianity is not as openly practiced, it is much more real.  There is honesty and openness…there is a sense of community and true discipleship that is not present in areas like Chattanooga.  In fact that kind of openness is frowned upon in the Bible-Belt.  We would rather hide our struggles and pretend that we are doing okay spiritually than have an open and honest relationship with a fellow believer. 

Christians in the Bible-belt do not see the need for discipleship or accountability. There is such a focus on the external that the internal is ignored.  This is often seen by an over-emphasizing of external holiness instead of inward.  The focus is on outward conformity instead of inward reality.  But this is also seen by a resistance, hesitance, and even a refusal to be open about the reality of struggles in the Christian life. 

True discipleship will never happen with out real openness and honesty.  True community will never happen without open and loving accountability.  True Christianity will not be lived until we focus first and foremost on practicing biblical Christianity instead of regional Christianity.

As I look at the state of religion in America, I am amazed by how much ground true and genuine Christianity has lost over the past 20 years. I’ve been trying to figure out why this is happening. There can be dozens of answers to this question all of which probably contribute to the overall problem. But there is one thing I see that is not viewed as a problem that in reality is. Christianity has become a sub-culture instead of counter-culture. In an effort to be “separated from the world” Christians have created their own culture…there own greenhouse from which they live their lives.