Category exhortation

Jul 27 2013

Yoga is not for Christians

If you are an average secular person, you probably never heard anything negative about yoga.

If you are a Christian, you probably heard more positive than negative things about yoga.

Let us be clear from the beginning.

The practice of yoga is grounded in idolatrous and demonic aspects of eastern religions, and Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit should not partake in it.

As a physician anesthesiologist I regularly ask  patients about their level of physical activity in order to assess their cardiopulmonary status before surgery.  More than half of them claim they practice some form of Pilates exercise mixed with elements of yoga.  This led me to research yoga, and the results I came across were astonishing.

Not only is yoga tremendously popular, but there are many Christians who practice it and there is even “christian yoga” out there.

What is yoga? It literally means “union” or “to yoke” with the universe and the Hindu gods.

Yoga is a school of Hindu philosophy defined as “the stilling of the changing states of the mind.”  Mumbo-Jumbo that makes you smile… But in reality it addresses physical, mental and spiritual techniques geared toward attaining permanent peace.  In the western world we tend to associate yoga with stretching, body posture, breathing exercises and meditation, but these are grounded in a practice meant to unite the individual with the universe and ultimately with the Hindu supreme god.

The Bible strictly forbids Christians from engaging in elements of other religions, in this case Hinduism.  We are called to avoid pagan methods of attaining peace and tranquility, and instead undergo the new birth which will give us a completely new outlook on life:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Rom 12:2 ESV

Attaining a nirvana state of peacefulness via physical posturing and meditation should never be our goal.  By hiding ourselves in Christ we will attain the “peace that surpasses all understanding” which Paul talks about in Philippians 4:7.

What about the so-called benefits of deep breathing and stretching?

Instead of the physical aspects of yoga, I highly recommend traditional exercise like running, biking and swimming which raise the heart rate for sustained periods of time and have been definitively shown to increase the HDL (good cholesterol) and lower the LDL (bad cholesterol).

Incorporating yoga elements in your life will lead to spiritual downfall because of disobedience to God’s Word which is explicit about detesting other gods and worship related to them.

If you are a Christian, you belong to Jesus who paid the ultimate price for you, and therefore yoga and any practice associated with other religions is not for you. 

Jul 5 2013

The High Cost of Pre/Extramarital Sex

The diagram and the following are statistics compiled by the American Sexual Health Organization

  • More than half of all people will have an STD/STI (sexually transmitted disease/infection) at some point in their lifetime
  • There are 19.7 million new STIs every year in the US
  • Each year, one in four teens contracts an STD/STI in the US
  • It is estimated that as many as one in five Americans have genital herpes, a lifelong (but manageable) infection
  • With more than 50 million adults in the US with genital herpes and up to 776,000 new infections each year, some estimates suggest that by 2025 up to 40% of all men and half of all women could be infected
  • HPV infection is the cause of cervical cancer in vast majority of cervical cancer cases

These are sobering statistics.  

STDs are hidden and they can lead to life-long suffering, infertility, cancer and death. 

We can see that in addition to spiritual implications there are severe physical consequences of sexual immorality.  The Word of God defines sexual immorality as any sexual behavior outside of marriage, physical AND non-physical.  Not only does God want us to have eternal life by being obedient to this Word, but He is looking out for our well-being in this earthly life as well.

Consider the following stern warning by apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”

Jul 1 2013

Ten Bible Verses Against Sexual Immorality

Deuteronomy 23:17-18 “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute.

2 Kings 23:7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah (Josiah’s reforms)

1 Corinthians 10:8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.

Jude 1:7 Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire

Isaiah 3:9 For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it

Romans 1:24-27 …God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Ephesians 5:3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.

Matthew 5:32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery

Mark 9:42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea”

Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery

Jun 24 2013

Do Not Put the LORD to the Test

In Matthew 4:7 Jesus says “You shall not put your God to the test.”

It is a grave sin to tempt God.

It is a grave sin to tempt God by putting Him on the spot and twisting His arm to do something in order to make one’s theology work.

A fanatical faith-healing family ended up committing such a sin leading to the death of their children.

Catherine Schaible and her husband Herbert will be charged with murder as their infant died of pneumonia as a direct result of their stubborn refusal of medical intervention.  Three years ago the same episode happened when this family refused medical help on another child who also died of pneumonia.

The family’s pastor advised them to call for help, but testified that the husband “said if he called anyone, it would be a denial of his faith that God could heal the child.”

We are dealing here with a situation that is very similar to what happened in Exodus 17 when Israel ran out of water in the wilderness.  After all that God has done for them, after numerous miracles and wonders they quarreled with Moses and tempted God.  They tested the LORD by asking “Is the LORD among us or not?” Ex 17:7

In Deut 9:22 the Bible tells us that this testing was actually a provocation: “you provoked the LORD to wrath.”

They put God on the spot with the attitude of You-better-help-us-or-else.  This led to a stern commandment from God in Deut 6:16 which was cited by Jesus as the devil was tempting Him “Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah.”

By refusing antibiotic treatment for their children (on two deadly occasions) this family tempted God.  They were essentially saying we have these modern medications which will heal our children, but we refuse them… we are faith healers and we are making you LORD responsible to do this…

God will not be intimidated by Satan, much less a human.

He is sovereign over all, and His ways are not our ways.  His ways are perfect, and He will not allow Himself to be tested by fanatics who want to prove their theology right.

When we find ourselves in difficult situations, in dilemmas, or in poor health we must lift up humble prayers and allow God to sovereigntly intervene.

And never tempt Him.

Apr 19 2013

On the Day of Silence, Speak the Gospel!

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April 19th. Day of Silence.

Today is a day of activism in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community, when students who subscribe to this lifestyle and their allies will refrain from speaking the entire day at school.

It’s an act to show they are being suppressed, discriminated, bullied and hated for what they label as their natural orientation.

How should a Christian handle the silent treatment from your fellow students?

It is important to realize hate is a sin, so we are forbidden from hating, bullying or discriminating against anyone.

The most logical response for a Christian filled with the Holy Spirit is to speak the Gospel.

Tell them that Jesus loves them and that God put a natural law in their heart that convicts them of their life style. The inner struggle they have is precisely a result of this law.

I believe the reason so many GLBT folks are trying so hard to win the approval of the Church for this lifestyle is because deep, deep down they are struggling with the morality of their lifestyle. They are trying to somehow win support from the ultimate moral authority, God, so they appeal their case to the closest surrogates, us, the Christians.

God may use us to respectfully convey some moral conviction for an unnatural alternative lifestyle.

When they call you a bigot, a backwards idiot, and other names, respond in love and in truth. Shine the light on the Word of God as the reason you hold to your beliefs and reject any anti-gay label.

The truth is out there.

The truth is in every man’s heart according Paul in Romans 1.

The suppression of truth must end for salvation to arrive.

Apr 17 2013

Why Christians Should not Curse and Swear

The Holy Spirit implicitly tells us that cussing is sinful.

We don’t hear many sermons about cussing, and that is probably because it is universally assumed that we all know that to cuss is to sin.

But Christians unfortunately use foul language, and it dishonors God.

Just like the largest commercial airliner, the Airbus A380 is commanded by a tiny joystick (see picture above), so our tongue is the tiny joystick, “a small member, yet it boasts of great things.” James 3:5

I would like to challenge any Christian who sometimes swears and cusses to mortify such outburst of the flesh.

And to motivate us, lets looks at what Scripture has to say on this topic:

“Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” -Jesus in Matthew 15:10-11

“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” James 3:10

“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” Ephesians 5:4

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.”  -Jesus in Matthew 12:36

“…the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” -Jesus in Luke 6:45

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt…” Colossians 4:6

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”  Exodus 20:7

“Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”  Proverbs 21:23

image credit

 

Apr 12 2013

How to Overcome Lustful Temptations

The primordial sin of the flesh according to apostle Paul in Galatians 5 is lust and the sexual sins associated with it.

It is the number one struggle of young men and women, and it is magnified in the information age when they are bombarded by all sort of immoral digital data.

After a long and admired pastoral career, John Piper offers relief for young believers who struggle with this problem in an interview transcribed by the Christian Post.

“Why does lust, I’m thinking mainly men but not just men, why does seeing have such a force to draw us to click on pornography or linger over some bathing suit issue of Sports Illustrated or to linger over some ad for a movie. What is it about us?” asked Piper.

“And my answer? It’s like drunkenness,” he said.

“In the same way drunks need designated drivers to help them out when they are too inebriated to function, Christians should have friends in their life whom they can count on to help them through lustful addictions.”

“My question is, is there something like that that we should do for each other? If ‘psycho-erotic euphoria’ is as powerful as drunkenness and I think it is, then we need people in our lives who will break our arm. Paul says I pummel my own body; you should pummel me,” said Piper.

“Look, if you’re drunk and you’re about to kill yourself, you better be glad there is somebody in your life to throw you in the backseat of the car,” says Piper.

“But this lust thing is much more like drunkenness than it is like anything else and so we may need this kind of personal accountability.”

Piper endorses accountability partners and relationships within a very close circle of friends (2-3 people) who can keep each other accountable by close monitoring from many aspects.  This is a physical and emotional approach.

To this I would add that fighting lust and its derivatives (such as pornography) must be done “BY THE SPIRIT” as commanded in Romans 8:13

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

BY THE SPIRIT means by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life:

  • The believer must allow the Holy Spirit to continually point him to Christ and to the cross when temptation comes.  Looking at the precious sacrifice of Christ will help the believer realize the suffering that Christ endured for him and for his sin.  Such an approach will make the believer realize the importance avoiding the trap of sin, and ask “will I crucify my Savior willingly again by indulging in sin?”
  • The believer must allow the Holy Spirit to remind him of Scripture.  Just like Jesus fought the devil using Scripture while tempted in the desert, so must the believer fight using “It is written” Luke 4:8
  • The believer must be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to receive power for witnessing to the world (Acts 1:8) which will inherently shift focus away from lust and unto the Kingdom of God.

image credit: TGC