The Greatest Sins in America

I read a lot of blogs, papers and research reports from Christians of every stripe. Many of them are written by people who are considered to be Leaders, Influencers, Counselors, Speakers, Travelers and Experts.  Today all one must do to be considered an expert is to write a blog, preach a sermon or comment on a spiritual, social, religious, political or family matter.

We live in an era of punditry. Almost anyone can go on radio, TV, the Web and pontificate. That is not the problem. I like free speech. The problem comes from so many people who believe what is being said. We are a pretty gullible bunch of people in America.

We like big ideas. We love positive endings. We fall for positive promises as well as predictions of gloom and doom, especially when the good guys are said to win and the bad guys get hammered.

One topic that gets a lot of press and a lot of heat is sex. Immorality and sexual deviation are very HOT topics! One of the announcers for the Baltimore Ravens has the same name as a disgraced coach from Penn State who is in prison for his sex crimes. Despite the fact of different spelling and not being in jail, Gerry gets a lot of hate mail from irate but ignorant listeners and fans.

The Conservative Christian community also gets all hot and bothered by the sexual practices of Americans, especially young people. But hardly anythings hits our hot buttons like same sex attractions and pornography.

The red hot rhetoric of bloggers, preachers and letter writers would cause many to thin that sex causes more sin than anything else. I would love to read what you think. Many Liberals poo poo that notion that same sex liaisons are worse than gossip, failure to recycle and voting for Conservatives. 

Conservatives tend to say same sex and porn use are doubly wrong because they are intentional, ongoing rebellion. Their answer to these issues? Just say NO!

What think thee? What area of sinful life will tick God off more and are likely to bring His wrath?

Leave your comments here or on Facebook.

Want to learn how to help people break the cycle of sexual addiction? We have helped thousands of people leave their addictions behind.

Go to Sweeten Life and download my book, Breaking Free. Gary Sweeten

Is America Cursed?

It seems as though the USA is going through a series of terrible events both here and around the world. Our economy stinks, our foreign policy stinks, former allies are being rejected and radical Muslims are burning down our embassies and killing our diplomats who are supposedly their best friends. What is happening to us? Wars and rumors of nuclear devastation are front page news?

Thankfully, many Christians are praying for the upcoming election, wisdom for current leaders and repentance from Believers! The theme is consistent from year to year. It is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people
Who are called by my name
Shall humble themselves and pray
And turn from their wicked ways
I will hear and hear their land.

(Sweeten Paraphrase)

Here is a question for you. What do we Christians need to confess and repent about?

Write your comments and let us know what the Holy Spirit is telling you to do.

Can you find a scripture that suggests something a people will be punished for? Do we need to worry about these things at all?

Go to our web to find materials on how to pray for family and generational healing. Check out two books on healing and spiritual warfare.They are Breaking Free and How to be me in my Family Tree

We need to learn how to identify the areas of warfare where the enemy has a foothold and pray into the situations from the past.

Gary Sweeten

How to Encourage People in Pain

For the last few posts we have looked at ways to bring discouragement to people who are already discouraged. In my day we called it, "Kick em while they are down".

It has been said over and over that "Christians are the only people who shoot their wounded". This is a very disturbing and sad statement but it is not true. In fact, about every culture and group know how to hurt people who are already hurting emotionally and spiritually.

So why do we criticize Christians and the Churches to whom they belong come in for so much criticism?  I do not know exactly but I have some ideas why.

Because shooting victims is so far from what the Bible teaches. The core of Christianity is love. God is love. God offers grace and mercy while attacking the wounded depends upon justice, anger, bitterness and arrogance. (I am well acquainted with them all!)

Love and grace start by lifting others up with a special emphasis upon the sick, downtrodden and injured. The Bible says that we are to never allow anything that does not build others up come from our mouths. But boy do we ever violate that principal.

I read an article today that severely and harshly criticized Joel Osteen for his "Positive Confession Theology". The idea was that Mr. Osteen was not focusing enough on sin, bad behavior and God's justice.  There is no question that God is holy and that sin or a lack of holiness is rampant. I think Mr. Osteen would agree with that. However, he preaches about the positive results of affirmation and faith, hope and love.

In my experience, people are overwhelmed with their sins, guilt, shame and failures. What they lack is hope that God can love them. People tend to put up a lot of bravado and tough guy rejection of the need for God, but I think that often covers up a little boy or a little girls who believes there is no hope for them to be forgiven or redeemed.

Remember the Prodigal Son who shamed his dad, left home with the family inheritance and squandered it on wine women and song? He ended up in a pig sty eating with the pigs but knew he was too far gone to even ask the Father to take him back.  He knew his sin. He was overwhelmed by guilt. But most of all he was contaminated with shame.

His daddy accepted him back into the family with singing and dancing as well as a party. Dad could have lectured him to make sure he understood the damage he had done. He could have said, "Go down to the barn and sleep but he did not cause the son more pain.

Here is a video that Charley McMahan and I did last winter on this topic. Take a look and let me know what you think of it.

Gary Sweeten
sweetenlife.com
 

Great Non-Profit Opportunity

 

Flywheel is an organization dedicated to assist businesses get involved in good works and non-profits become more business like.  

 They are providing great training for leaders and also consult with organizations so they can increase their marketing, sales, and income. Sweeten Life Systems is currently attending their training and using them to consult with us on financial sustainability. 

 

Flywheel Classes are also very well done and extremely helpful to leaders of a charity. One will be held next week and it is free to non-profits.

Social Enterprise 201

Flywheel: Social Enterprise Hub continues their training series with Social Enterprise 201 on October 9, 2012 at the Health Foundation. This seminar will teach you how to turn your idea into action utilizing a feasibility assessment, market research, and a right-sized business plan. Organizations are encouraged to bring 2-4 people to work together as a team.

• Tuesday, October 9, 2012 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm
• Held at: The Health Foundation, 3805 Edwards Rd #500, Cincinnati, OH, 45208
• At this workshop learn how you can turn your idea into action – organizations are encouraged to bring 2-4 people.
• Free to nonprofit organizations
Click here to register: 

Business Planning Training

Flywheel: Social Enterprise Hub is finishing off its training series with Business Planning Training on November 2, 2012 at the Health Foundation. This session will breakdown the process of writing a business plan into easy-to-follow steps and will show you how to stand out from the crowd.

The Key to Evangelism

The conference held today in Cincinnati on reaching out to our Muslim neighbors was, from what I heard, a great success. This topic raises all kinds of scary possibilities and it is rare for any ministry to take the risk of doing a public conference on the topic.

Why is this such a sensitive subject? Let me count the ways.

1. Most Christians are terribly afraid of the terms Witnessing/Evangelism/Outreach/ and so forth.

2. There is a lot of tension in America and the world now because of the history of wars we have waged in the Middle East. Adding to the angst is the fact that many Americans have lost their lives and or suffered PDST as a result of the wars so anger, revenge and guilt hang heavily over Islam and the Middle East.

3. The attacks on 911 and the suicide bombings by Muslim radicals has poisoned the relationships.We fear for our safety.

4. We do not know how to answer the theological questions raised by Muslims.

5.  We have never met and talked with a Muslim and are anxious not to offend them by doing the wrong things.

Name your own reasons: _____________________


The conference Call To Love, which I had to miss because of illness, was the first of its kind in this area as far as I can remember.  It was well attended and the information was terrific to assist Christians in getting over our fears of reaching out to our neighbors.

They also have a weekly TV program so all of us can learn better how to connect without fear to the people next door no matter what they look like or how they worship.

While doing ministry in Asia the Holy Spirit opened doors for me to become very well acquainted with the Muslim community. I met with them, ate with them, trained them how to mentor their children, visited in their homes, taught in their Mosque and learned to like them.

I also studied their basic theology, psychology and sociology to be better equipped to train the telephone counselors and Muslim Domestic Court Mentors they asked me to train. I taught their leaders frequently.

There are over one billion people on earth who consider themselves to be Muslims. They worship Allah and revere Mohamed. They know little if anything about mercy, grace or God love. The most effective ministry to any group or individual is with love, grace, mercy and acceptance. However, with Muslims it is even more important. Like Hinduism, their religion is a harsh master. If we can show God's love and compassion to Muslims it will knock their socks off.It may also help them become open to Christ.

First, ask God for a Muslim to show compassion on.

Then pray for God to bless them with peace. then be nice and caring and compassionate.

Outreach is easy. It is all about developing a great relationship with another human being and allowing God to do the work of salvation.

Our materials will teach you how to listen, love and learn from God.

Gary Sweeten

10 Ways to Offend People in Pain #10

When you meet a friend or family member deep in sorrow, pain or illness it is always possible to make them feel even worse. Take courage from the friends of Mr. Job, he was in so much pain that he could barely stand it but those mischievous buddies made it worse.

I really like the simple way they added to his sorrow. "Curse God and die!" was a favorite mantra. God has abandoned you because of your great sin so quit trying to please God and give up. Just curse Him and die!"

It is another way to be a Prophet and see that the future is even worse than the rotten present. Do you know anyone who consistently predicts evil, difficulties, pain and failures? I was having trouble with my Blood Pressure and one friend predicted that this was just the beginning of a long path toward destruction and death.

I suspect that you all know about the placebo effect. A placebo is a treatment designed to encourage a patient to believe he is receiving an active medical ingredient when he is not. Yet, despite the fact that the sick person is getting a sugar pill or another harmless substance, the patient often gets better. Why does he/she get better? he has faith in the treatment.

The opposite is also true. People who put you down or put your medicine down is lessening the possibility that it will help you get better. Negative can make us sicker! Stay away from such people lest they drag you down. And, do not accept the things these negative people tell you. Download my Power Christian Thinking book today and learn how to make your own placebo effect on a daily basis.

Gary Sweeten

Love Your Muslim Neighbor

There are two polar opposite ways to react to the attacks by radical Muslims on Americans over the past several years. Both come from a deep fear and deep anger but they seem opposite in root as well as fruit.

Reaction #1. is to get angry and react to the attacks by suggesting that America drop an atomic bomb on downtown Cairo, Egypt and all the other places the people are rioting. Few people would serious suggest this but in the heat of the moment of hearing about the riots our feelings of revenge get the best of us. This is the position often taken by Conservatives in America.

Reaction #2. is to deny that most Muslims do not dislike us and the only thing that causes these riots the American Christians who make videos that insult Islam. American policies and American Christians are the real villains. This is the Politically Correct position often taken by Liberals in America.

Neither of these positions will hold water. IMO they are both based on anger, fear, denial of reality and a desire to avoid the reality of a world wide cultural conflict. the partial answer is for Christians to lead the way toward mutual understanding and dialogue. However, that will not solve the problem with jihadists who want to kill all Christians and Jews.

For Christians who wish to know more about Muslim Theology, culture and how to minister to them in peace, come to the seminar this Saturday. 

Come and attend the one day experience called Dare to Love on 9:30-3:00 on September 29, 2012. Register at www.calloflove.org/oneday You can call 513.898.0700 for more information.

The event address will be kept secret for security reasons until you receive your tickets.

The focus will be primarily on understanding Muslims so we can present Jesus Christ to them in a way that avoids getting stuck in our own world view and prejudices. Ron Peake, VP of Sweeten Life Systems is speaking on the basic theology of Islam and how to minister to them. We will have a booth at the conference.  It will also cover the roots of the Islamic  Jihad which leads to suicide.

Muslims are increasingly coming to Christ, abandoning Islam and its deadly practices. You will hear more about how to share the good news effectively on September 29. I worked closely with Muslims in Asia for three years and found them open to the gospel if presented in love and respect. 

Islam Theology is a Catch 22, no-win situation for truly committed Muslims. Through Christ they will find freedom, eternal life and security for today and forever. My message will also show you how to enjoy eternal liberation from condemnation, anxiety and fear.


Gary Sweeten

sweetenlife.com