The Joshua Moran Blog

Josh shares about ministry, business, current events, politics from a biblical point of view.

Archive for category Christianity

Working Out – Lifestyle versus Fad

May 27

Posted by Joshua Moran in Christianity, Nutrition, Sports | No Comments

The alarm rang this morning, and I knew I was to get up and get my daily workout started. This morning was day 67 of my P90X routine and for the last ten days I have been doing doubles. I was not so much exhausted physically as much as I was mentally. Something in me just battled getting up and getting the workout started, and my inner voice was compelling me with some great excuses to not workout. I had just finished telling a youth the day before how working out has become a lifestyle for me, and that I am excited to workout everyday. The irony of staking claim to victory, and shortly thereafter punching my way through apathy and laziness.

Eventually I got up and got to finishing my workout, and it was worth it! My point of writing this morning has more to do with our relationship with Christ versus the physical workout, but the physical sure makes a great illustration for the spiritual. How often do we claim to other believers that we are doing well with our Bible reading, prayer, and walk with Jesus, only to know internally we are struggling, missing out time with God, and blowing it in areas of character that mean the most. The Bible tells us that we do not battle against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of wickedness (Eph. 6:12), yet we can often take our daily Christian disciplines so lightly that if we miss or start a pattern of apathy, we easily shrug it off.

I often tell people that participate in fad-like diets that help you lose weight quickly are not only depressing, but harmful to your well-being. You lose weight fast, people start noticing, you are getting excited… then you hit the plateau! You are losing less and less, you are not as excited, so you let down your guard and gain it all back again. Diet without regular exercise is frustrating and half-hearted, as is Bible reading without quality prayer time, as well as Christian service without discipleship. When we ignore basic Christian disciplines that are meant to be implemented daily, we lose steam and start a downward spiral of spiritual losses that eventually get us frustrated, tired, and burned out.

The Bible tells us to not grow weary while doing good, but that we will reap the rewards if we do not give up (Gal. 6:9). All too often we give up to easily, cutting ourselves short of spiritual victory that is just around the corner if we would simply press in even when it hurts. I preached on the Parable of the Sowers last week, and the truth in this parable rings true today. There are those who will never respond to God's gift of salvation, the seed that hits the road. There are those who respond to God so quickly, but they never become accountable to other believers, they lack discipleship, and eventually when the trials of life come they fall away, the rocky soil. Further there are those who enjoy Christianity for the benefits socially and spiritually, but they enjoy the desires of the secular world too much to give there entire being to God and get choked out of relationship with God… the weeds. Finally there are those who respond to the call of God and they ask questions, they desire discipleship, they press in daily to the basic disciplines, and though trials come they are prepared. They may fall but they get themselves up and keep pressing forward… the good soil.

Christianity is a lifestyle that the world is hard-pressed to really find. Most of American Christianity is characterized by small bits of implementation, nominal Christianity. To live a lifestyle of Christianity is difficult! Whoever told you that coming to Christ is like forever walking in a field of your favorite flowers simply lied to you. Christianity is difficult, but true! Each day you live for Christ, make it a full day of surrender, not worrying if you can pull off the same zeal the next day… just living today in fullness creates an atmosphere for tomorrow. Keep running the race.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Planned Parenthood Endorses Full Sex Education to 10 Year Olds!

Feb 8

Posted by Joshua Moran in Christianity, In The News, Politics | 1 Comment

A fox news article I just read is quite disturbing. A report that is advocated by the International Planned Parenthood Federation states that children should be given a comprehensive sex education at the age of 10 and above, and the report goes on to belittle the Catholic and Islamic movements for depriving their children of such an education. This report condones that the government should be resposible to teach young children about the repoductive process as well the "pleasures" involved.

sex education should be "recast" to show sexuality as a "positive force for change and development, as a source of pleasure, an embodiment of human rights and an expression of self."

In the words of Hillary Clinton "it takes a village to raise children" so this report goes further to tear down the role of Mom and Dad. I encourage all Christians and conservatives to not only read this report, but be on guard, pray, contact your representatives, and board of education. This should not be tolerated, and Planned Parenthood should not be allowed to define what a parent's role is in the home.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Tim Tebow Controversy and True Choice

Feb 4

Posted by Joshua Moran in Christianity, In The News, Politics | 2 Comments

I was reading the latest headlines like I usually do each morning, and I read a small article about how Planned Parenthood is responding to the Super Bowl ad paid for by Focus on the Family. NFL star Tim Tebow shares in a 30 second commercial, how he is grateful for his mom deciding to not have an abortion. As I read the article (original article) I could not help but question the motives of Planned Parenthood. The motives of Focus on the Family and Tim Tebow are pretty obvious, to encourage pregnant mothers to see through their pregnancy to full term and make a choice to keep the baby or give away for adoption.

Planned Parenthood began as an organization that reached out to poor black communities, and what looked like a pure motive to help. The real mission of Planned Parenthood was to stop the growth of what they considered an "inferior" race. Planned Parenthood would have you believe that Sanger was a hero and a strong woman wanting the best for all women of all races, but this is not entirely true. By the way you can purchase A Nation Adrift on DVD where I source the above statement at the bottom of this post.

I find this whole argument of Planned Parenthood to be rather weak and rooted in profits rather than mission. In this country we have the freedom of speech and the ability to speak out on issues that are both moral and non-moral. The Focus on the Family ad is giving a testimony of a mother who opted for birth rather than abortion, and in essence she made her "choice". Planned Parenthood and pro-abortion groups would have you believe that they are about choice alone, but the fact is that Planned Parenthood would be shutdown if abortion were illegal. THEY MAKE A PROFIT ON THESE PROCEDURES! How can a group who fronts themselves as a activist group for womens rights stand to make a profit off the same women who they coerce to choose abortions.

Now I am not one who would hold signs in front of a clinic, and shout hell-bound passages at the incoming and outgoing clients. I do support a solid 30 second commercial that would air in front of the largest television audience of the year. How can a woman truly choose, when she is bombarded with one-sided messages. Either political party would cry murder if we only educated the people about one political party and then asked them to make a choice at the polls.

Here is an idea! When seniors over 62 years of age apply for a Reverse Mortgage, they have to go through a Reverse Mortgage counseling. How about each woman that applies for an abortion gets an honest two-sided counseling session and must bring the certificate to the pre-op before an abortion can be performed, which states she made an informed decision. The counseling could be performed by Planned Parenthood for pro-abortion information, and the local pregnancy center for pro-life information. Of course the pro-abortion groups would go nuts over that idea and say it is shackling women.

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said Tebow's story was "compelling," but added that every woman must be able to make important medical decisions for herself and her family. Right… so why is Planned Parenthood fighting abstinence programs in the public schools, asking TV execs to ban this commercial, and paying millions each year to keep lobbying for abortion rights to be extended further than they already are.

So Planned Parenthood responds with a "much" longer video on youtube as a response.

BUY THIS DVD

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Net of Fish

Nov 13

Posted by Joshua Moran in Christianity, My Sermons | No Comments

Tonight I am discussing the Parable of the Net of Fish, and once again the focus is put back on both eternal punishment and eternal life. As we know the world will be judged one day, and God will separate the good from the bad.

This parable is important because Jesus is emphasizing that within the church or movement of the gospel (the net), there are bad fish and good fish together. The scripture where Jesus clearly says that there will be those who did things in His name will be told to get away from Him. How can this be? Can someone who has grown up in church, attended every event the church had, raised a family in the church still not go to heaven in the end. The answer is an unfortunate yes.

The churches job is to separate themselves from the world in character, but reach the world in deed. We are not to make any final judgments, but we are to have discernment about what is truly godly and what is truly ungodly. The problem many of us church goers have is calling something that is not godly, evil. Now we could take that to an extreme, but we should make it a priority to think things through spiritually.

For example we may look at a slice of pizza and we know it is not the best food for our bodies, and is spiritually neutral for someone like myself. Is it right to label pizza one or the other?  Now let's say you are in church and your favorite praise song is playing, the congregation is asked to sit for a duration, but you decide to stand and worship with your hands raised high anyway. Is this godly or evil? The pizza issue is a spiritually neutral issue, yet the praise issue is a matter of rebellion.

We must be full of the Holy Spirit and His wisdom to live life for Christ. His grace is truly sufficient, but may we always be aware of good and evil.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Parable of the Mustard Seed

Nov 3

Posted by Joshua Moran in Christianity, My Sermons | No Comments

This week spoke about the Parable of the Mustard Seed. I am so encouraged to know that faith does not start with me. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Too many times we hear on the television or conferences that faith is something we conjure up.

The kingdom of God is expanding! First in the individual and then in the overall Body of Christ. This week we will learn about faith most of all, and that the seed of faith belongs to God alone. We do not have to manufacture the mustard seed of faith but it is rather a gift from our Father.

When we take the faith He started in us, and offer it completely to God He is faithful to make our faith grow. We will jump from the parable to another time when Jesus used the mustard seed as a small lesson in Matthew 17:19-21. 

I. The Kingdom of Heaven in each of us starts small, and grows big!

  • The Jews never understood the beginning of God’s kingdom this way so this illustration would have been shocking to it’s listeners
  • Many comparisons could be made in this fashion
  • Jesus, born in a manger, died on the cross, raised to heaven, coming back as King
  • The Israelites, before Exodus 1, were small in number and eventually grew into a nation
  • The nation of Israel today, born in 1948, is a tiny speck in the middle of hostile nations, will be the center of future worldwide events including the tribulation, the temple, the second coming of Christ, the new heavens and new earth.
  • You decide as a child to put your trust in Jesus in CM one Sunday, you walk with God and are being taught, as a teenager you are on fire for God and shine the light of Jesus, as an adult you go into ministry and see thousands repent, then you die only to be with Jesus, people still read your books and hear your sermons.
  • The mustard seed regarding the individual is God's planting of faith when you first believed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Allow God to nurture that seed and watch out… growth beyond comprehension!
  • The mustard seed in the overall Body of Christ are the people God chose, the nurturing happens by way of God, and the tree represents the growth of not just one but also the growth of many.
  • The birds resting in the trees, represent the wisdom, character, and security exemplified by a true believer of Christ. Many will come to you because they see the character of Jesus in you.

II. Your faith is only as large as your obedience to God.

  • Read Matthew 17:19-21
  • As believers, we should see our doubts as faith that is not submitted to God yet.
  • When doubt first creeps in, we should submit it to prayer and if necessary fast.
  • Doubt itself is not sin but it becomes sin when we attribute the doubt to the character of God.
  • We sin when we transform the doubt to unbelief!

III.     Nothing is impossible for God!

  • Abraham’s Sacrifice | Joseph’s Imprisonment | Gideon’s Courage | Elijah’s Boldness | Stephen’s Sermon | Paul’s Steadfastness | The demoniac's Father's Unbelief

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I Believe So I Stand!

Oct 24

Posted by Joshua Moran in Christianity | No Comments

Joshua Moran 1979I was preparing for our Praise Team practice tonight, and was swept into the presence of God in total abandon. I was listening, playing, and singing this song called The Stand from Hillsong, and I was overwhelmed with God's Word, God's Love, God's Providence, God's Holiness, need I go any further. I was reminded of when I first heard the good news of Jesus Christ and totally understood it. I was at Bayonne First Assembly of God, and I was in the basement of the 15th Street church in one of the small rooms with an accordian door. I was about 5 to 6 years old, and I was sitting in class, scared to death of everyone.

My mom and dad just decided that it was time to go to church and teach their kids about God. Man, am I glad Mom and Dad decided to walk with God that one day, because I would have been so lost without the admonition and training of the Lord my parents gave me. Back to the story… I was sitting somewhere on the lefthand side towards the back and was nervous, and the thought of this God was too much for my little brain. Then came snack time, and if anyone knows anything about me and food… well I never skip a meal (except for fasting of course). They were handing out juice and saltine crackers, and then they were about to get to me, my stomach churning, I was going to actually eat in Sunday School. The helper stuck her hand in the box and… crumbs, no crackers. Boy, the tears welled up, but I held it together and tried not to cry.

I remember the feeling of being lonely, and sticking out like a sore thumb, the curly haired dork with no crackers! Then our teacher said we should pray for God to multiply the crackers just like in the story of the fishes and loaves we just learned. Oh Boy! I clenched my eyes shut so hard, and I agreed in prayer with the teacher who seemed to pray for a very long time. When our teacher told us to open our eyes, the most glorious thing was in front of me… more crackers. I felt like little David who took down the Giant! Of course as an adult I realize that either someone ran to the corner store or a closet somewhere since God would probably not have bothered with brand new packaging. That day I believed! I believed God could do anything!

Here many of us may stand today in the trials of life, some of us wavering in our faith or even walking away from God. We have tried everything, everything except waiting on God. We can become so impatient with God's timing, and compromise our very souls becuase we think we figured it out. When I came running back to God in 1999, I was not so arrogant to think I had it figured out, I knew better. I was taught by my parents, Sunday School, youth pastor, evangelists, and our senior pastor what it meant to walk with God, and so I had all the head knowledge… enough to stump Christians who would try to get me to go to church while I was in the military. No, my blockade was I felt I went too far… God could not forgive my worthless soul, who tasted the things of God, but like the Prodigal Son decided to go my way anyway.

I was still in the military and I started going to church and helping the youth group with games and media stuff. I was signed up to go to this youth camp with the kids. What was I thinking! It was at that camp that I ran to the altar and committed myself to Christ, it was so real, so authentic! I needed Jesus, I did not care what other people thought, or how it would effect realtionships… I WAS SAVED! I broke off friendships that took me down, I stopped drinking alcohol completely, I stopped cursing, and I stopped running!

So today I stand, not because I can, but I stand because He died for me. I stand in awe of God! When we take the time to talk out and remember all that God has done in our lives and those around us, we can stand and see the God of this Universe is active in our very history. What will your history book say? You see God wants all of us, and when we compromise we rob ourselves of the grace available to us. God will use people to minister to you, but He will often use you to make an impact on others. My youth pastor probably prayed for me and wondered if I would ever turn to God, if he ever made an impact on my life. I know as a youth pastor I have felt that way sometimes, and it seems you are just treading water. My youth pastor made an impact greater than he knew then, and his wife who prayed for crackers that morning helped propel a skinny, awkward, curly haired boy in to a life of faith that will last for all eternity!

God loves you so much, and His grace and mercy extend beyond your sin! Repent, Believe and Stand!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Parable of The Marriage Feast – Matthew 22:2-14

Oct 22

Posted by Joshua Moran in Christianity, My Sermons | No Comments

When we read this parable of the marriage feast, it is very similar to Luke 14. This is indeed a different parable though, and we are compelled by Jesus to pay close attention. Jesus just told the parable of the landowner in the previous chapter, the Pharisees already hyper-sensetive to the fact that Jesus was talking about them. This parable was not just talking about the Pharisees and religious elite, this parable entails the purpose of our lives.


Parable Breakdown

·      The King – God the Father

·      The Son – Jesus Christ

·      The Marriage – Jesus taking on human form to save us

·      The Marriage Feast – the death and resurrection of Christ

·      The Servants – prophets, apostles, teachers of the gospel though some scholars attribute the Holy Spirit to this mention

·      First Invite – The Old Testament Prophecies and Covenant

·      Second Invite – The apostles preaching the gospel in Jerusalem

·      Third Invite – Gospel to the gentiles

This parable was not some illustration of a principle that Jesus was trying to make, but rather a historical and prophetic picture of the kingdom of God. For example, the treatment of the second invitation servants foretells of the coming persecution of the early Christian church. The fact that the king in verse 7 burns and destroys the city of these invitees has a strong prophetic voice towards the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The third invite, being for the gentiles, is a prophecy concerning the gospel being preached beyond the Jewish people once Christ ascended and the Day of Pentecost arrived.

What we may often miss in this parable is not the fact that a man was not wearing a robe once the king came to see the guests, but rather the fact that only the king could tell he was not wearing the proper attire. The King of kings exposes all insincerity! We may think we have fooled everyone into believing we are truly Jesus followers, but if we are not genuine we may find ourselves in a Matthew 7:21-23 situation. As I was preparing a message to our youth group on this very parable I was compelled to do some searching of my own motives and heart.

Obviously the grace and mercy of Christ is available to all who seek Him, but we must always be careful to take lightly the grace of God. Last night I spoke of the grey areas of life such as alcohol, clothing, entertainment, and relationships. I challenged each young person to know so well teh conviction of the Holy Spirit that those grey areas become black and white for them. The Apostle Paul in Romans 14 tells us that we can eat or drink anything, but it must be done in faith as the last verse tells us. Can some the activities we partcipate in truly be done in faith!

Why did the subject of the grey areas of life come out of this parable? As I was studying the parable and the cultural context, I realized this man who was found ill-equipped was offered the right robe. He most likely even put it on as no guest without the right robe would have gone unnoticed, and perhaps he hemmed it, or died the fabric slightly, or ripped it. We often do this with the Word of God, we take a doctrine or solid foundation and we lighten it up. We do the God-thing our own way, and we lift the boundaries we should have on modesty, entertainment, and relationships. We start to build ministries, churches, and movements off of the false sense of freedom we get out of our own desires. May we be like King David who cried out for God to search him… search us O God, know our innermost thoughts, find all that is unpleasing and out of your will!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Simple Truths: The Lost Sheep and Coin

Oct 14

Posted by Joshua Moran in Christianity, My Sermons | 1 Comment

I am currently teaching a series to the youth in our church called "Simple Truths". I am putting together this series based on my teachings of all of Jesus’ parables, and I am having a great time studying and making these teachings applicable to young people.

Tonight I will be sharing about the parable of the Lost Coin and the Lost Sheep from Luke 15:4-10. It stands to reason that a shepherd in biblical times was often a disliked, if not abhored individual to the upper class folks. A shepherd was considered one who could not be easily trusted, and their testimony was often disregarded in Middle Eastern court proceedings. So why did Jesus choose such a profession to illustrate the great love God has for His children?

Well, let’s first consider that Jesus was also called the Lamb of God, and the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. I believe that the shepherd was often misunderstood in their own culture, and with every profession comes the few who ruin it for the bunch. Most of the reputation that shepherds possessed came from a simple class issue, they were often poor. Much like Christ was born in the poorest of conditions, so the illustration proves that godliness and God’s character have nothing to do with wealth.

If we, like sheep, go astray (Isaiah 53:6) from our relationship with the Good Shepherd we are choosing to abandon what is good. Just like a sheep, we will face dangers that would have better odds had we stayed in the shepherds protection. Wolves, snakes, and thieves perhaps would stalk the lost sheep, waiting for a moment to pounce on the solitary animal. When we decide to walk away from God, we face dangers that we are not prepared for. The great news is our Shepherd is always there to rescue us, if we just call out to him.


The shepherd will leave the 99 to rescue the one sheep who needs him. What we must realize in this passage is the job of a shepherd. When a shepherd must leave the herd to find the one who has gone off, he will often find the sheep and break it’s legs. Seems cruel, but sheep are dumb-minded and need a painful marker that reminds them not to walk off like that again. We should not despise the chastisement of the Lord, and when we walk away or choose to not follow God the time will come when we will call out to Him. When we do, God will humble us, bring us back and start a fresh work in our hearts. A new spiritually painful marker is set for us to never forget how good God is, and how much we need him.

The closing of each of these parables tells us that heaven rejoices when the precious lamb or the priceless coin of the woman is found. Even though we may go through a painful circumstance or living out a sinful direction for our lives… God is merciful! When we feel most broken before God, heaven rejoices.

A picture forus if I may… While we run to our own wisdom, addictions, and sinful desires that lead us away from God, Jesus ran to the cross and took it all on his own body, mind, and spirit. While were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8), and if we are Christians who decide to compromise our relationship because of selfish desires we are crucifying Jesus all over again (Hebrews 6:6).

Tears flow down my face as I recall what Christ did for me and you, and may we all choose to be in the protection of the Good Shepherd!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Absolute Truth or Absolutely Not

Oct 5

Posted by Joshua Moran in Christianity | No Comments

I know it to be true that when I bought a tow rope from Wal-Mart a couple of weeks ago, that the rope was rated to tow a small vehicle at slow speeds. Having this knowledge alone did not convince me of it’s safety or abilities to perform the tow I needed done. It was when I strapped the two cars together, and began towing the small car that the combination of the tow rope’s advertisement, the common knowledge that people have done this before, and that I got the car safely towed to it’s destination that I believed in the product and gave it a permanent place in my trunk.

C.S. Lewis mentions that a person can easily believe that a rope is strong enough to hold together a small box, but ask that same person to trust in the rope while hanging over a cliff… The small box represents reasoning before faith, while the cliff hanger represents faith coming to good reason.

When people who do not believe in God are confronted with good reason, they still have a moral choice to make, one that encapsulates the entailments of living a Christian life. The apostle John writes that the light has come but men continue to love darkness instead of light because of their evil deeds. Though many call upon philosophy (the science) as their reason for unbelief, the very fact that we are all sinners darkens our minds, and anything short of the Holy Spirit’s intervention and conviction keeps the mind darkened.

I am one who has a cohesive belief that starts with faith and comes to reason. Christianity is a reasonable faith!

Some authors I recommend:

Ravi Zacharias

Paul E. Little

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proper Hermeneutics: Cannibalism

May 12

Posted by Joshua Moran in Christianity | No Comments

Jeffrey DahmerTo take John 6:53 as Jesus telling the disciples to literally eat of His flesh and blood is a grave mistake. The interpreter should assume that a passage uses non-figurative language unless this assumption creates an absurdity or the general context indicates otherwise (Gibbs 2004, 261). The belief that Jesus was condoning cannibalism is quite an absurdity, and in effect violates the general context of what Jesus was teaching his disciples. God’s laws from the Old Testament state that we should not murder in Deuteronomy 5:17, and the prophecies of the Messiah’s death are clearly in the Scriptures and cannibalism does not fit into the gospel plan. There is nowhere in the Bible where we here of cannibalism being acceptable to God, or even a necessary evil to survive. This all stands to support that this belief would be an obvious absurdity

Jesus teaches it plainly in John 6:63 when He says that the words He spoke of are spirit not of flesh. The disciples up to that point were much more numerous, but these words seemed to confuse the majority of them, so many disciples left, all except the chosen twelve. Jesus states that He specifically chose them, and most likely made the teaching hard to imagine or understand, to fulfill the purpose of filtering down His followers. If only the doubters stayed to hear an explanation rather than leaving His presence, which is similar to an interpreter who would look at verse 53 in total isolation and not continue reading on. The easiest way to clear up this belief would be to study the immediate context, and continue reading the complete thought of the author.

The author is writing a narrative and what we should remember is that Scripture interprets Scripture. The Bible cannot contradict itself, nor should a single passage somehow bring a new teaching all by itself, but rather a belief or doctrine should include multiple passages. The proper interpretation would be that Jesus is saying you must be willing to follow even to the death, and possibly a foreshadowing of the believers partaking in communion in the early church to come.
 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,