Previously in the post Where is Sodom? there was some discussion about abominations. Here is John MacArthur explaining abomination and what that includes.

Thus, homosexuality is viewed in Leviticus as morally equal to sins such as adultery, incest, and bestiality. As noted earlier, such sins are wrong in any age and in any culture, because they violate the design for marriage that God established at creation.

…

God’s utter hatred for homosexual behavior is brought home by the word “abomination,” which describes what God thinks of it, and any other violation of His intended plan for heterosexual marriage. The word occurs repeatedly in this context (Lev 18:22, 26, 27, 29, 30; 20:13) and is also “a term especially frequent in the Book of Deuteronomy, [which] refers to an act that is abhorrent or repugnant, such as idolatry and inappropriate worship of God (see Deut 7:25; 27:15; 17:10; 12:31; 18:9-14).”

In the same way that idolatry is a perpetual offense to God’s moral character, subject to His wrath and condemnation, so also is any perversion of His design for marriage.

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John MacArthur

So using this explanation divorce, adultery, idolatry, homosexuality, worshiping a false god, or even worshiping our own made up Jesus can be considered an abomination to the Lord.  We need to be careful to not think we ourselves have not committed an abomination to the Lord while labeling others as abominable in His sight.  Inappropriate worship of God can cover a huge area.

This goes right along with the post about Fake Christians.  Be sure to follow the link to the different types of man-made “Jesus”.

Our primary mission field today is within the church. The latest survey reveals that 86% of Americans say they believe in Jesus. Yet, a much smaller percentage of people say they are born-again Christians. How can so many people be deceived or deluded? Many of them have been told by misguided pastors or evangelists that repeating a prayer, signing a card, being baptized, joining a church or coming forward in an alter call has made them a Christian. Others have been asked to “accept” a Jesus they don’t even know. It is no wonder the Apostle Paul exhorted his readers to “examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5). We are to test ourselves and encourage others to do the same. The test: have we believed the true Jesus as he is revealed in the Scriptures or a “Jesus” who has been created by the imagination of men?

- Mike Gendron

HT: Pilgrim at DEFCON

Kim at Life In a Shoe has the following to share about potlucks.

Potluck protocol and recipes

… We love potlucks and have hosted them nearly weekly for years.  Our church also has a potluck meal after the worship service every week.  We love the additional fellowship and I believe our church body is exceptionally close because of this tradition….

The Common Room has more to share about potlucks.

Welcome to Potluck Saturday

… My mother taught me that you should also bring a main dish, a side dish, and a dessert to a potluck, and it should be enough to feed as many people as are in your family plus around four others. …

Previously I had shared some helpful tips to make potlucks easier:

Potluck Meals Made Easier

Our church has potluck meals each Sunday AM.  We also had been in a previous church that had Providence Meals each Sunday.   So I’m beginning to get some experience with them.

When I was little my grandmother would fix a complete meal for a Dinner on the Grounds, different term same meal.  She would prepare everything.  Meat, sides, dessert, salads, drinks, etc.  Right down to sliced tomatoes, pickles, hot pepper sauce, chow-chow ….  How we got everything to church is a wonder.  She always had a large box that she would pack with her food.  I have a couple of coke bottle carriers that work well for transporting casserole dishes, hot crock-pots, etc.  By the time my family of seven is loaded in the car with all the food, bibles, computers, camera equipment, and violins we are jamb packed.

Here in the south we do use the term pot luck in two ways.

1) Covered dish meal

2) You get whatever is in the pot when visiting.  Although we may have to throw in a few more vegetables.

More studies are backing up the facts that we are losing a generation of teens in the church.

Author: More teens becoming ‘fake’ Christians

If you’re the parent of a Christian teenager, Kenda Creasy Dean has this warning:

Your child is following a “mutant” form of Christianity, and you may be responsible.

Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls “moralistic therapeutic deism.” Translation: It’s a watered-down faith that portrays God as a “divine therapist” whose chief goal is to boost people’s self-esteem.

…

Dean drew her conclusions from what she calls one of the most depressing summers of her life. She interviewed teens about their faith after helping conduct research for a controversial study called the National Study of Youth and Religion.

The study, which included in-depth interviews with at least 3,300 American teenagers between 13 and 17, found that most American teens who called themselves Christian were indifferent and inarticulate about their faith.

The study included Christians of all stripes — from Catholics to Protestants of both conservative and liberal denominations. Though three out of four American teenagers claim to be Christian, fewer than half practice their faith, only half deem it important, and most can’t talk coherently about their beliefs, the study found.

…

Teens want to be challenged; they want their tough questions taken on, she says.

“We think that they want cake, but they actually want steak and potatoes, and we keep giving them cake,” Corrie says.

I’ve read lots of sermons about Lot and his sins.   Many, many sermons focus on Lot and his choosing the best portion. But funny thing is Lot is not condemned in the Bible for that.  There is a description given for the land Lot chose but none given for the portion for Abraham. It isn’t like Abraham’s portion was described as rocky, scrub brush, barren dessert.  We just tend to assume that because the portion Lot chose was Eden-like that it was the best portion. (Genesis 13:10-11)  But nowhere is Lot condemned in Scripture for choosing the “best” portion.  Remember Canaan, Abraham’s portion, is described as full of fruit and flowing in milk and honey in Numbers 13:23 & 27.

I did notice an interesting series of events though when reading about Lot and Abraham. See Abraham was a father figure to Lot. Lot was orphaned; his father Haran had died early. (Genesis 11:27-28) Lot had left all his other remaining family to travel with Abraham.  Lot could have stayed with Nahor, Milcah, Bethuel, Rebekah and Laban. (Genesis 24) But Lot chose to travel with Abraham. (Genesis 12:4)  That was a wise choice considering Laban’s behavior later in Scripture.

In Genesis 12:10-20 we see Abraham failing to trust the Lord. Abraham, Sarah and Lot, along with all their other people, travel to Egypt.  Abraham fails to trust the Lord to take care of him so he asks Sarah to lie about their relationship. What I never really realized before is that Lot was with them.  Lot saw his uncle fail to trust the Lord, fail to protect his wife, lie and have Sarah lie also.  I would imagine Lot had to go along with the lying.

Can you imagine the loss of respect Lot would have had for his uncle? It appears the herdsmen had lost respect also because soon they are bickering.  (Genesis 13:7) When Abraham hears about the strife he suggests that Lot chose a portion. (Genesis 13:8-9) Lot doesn’t even bat an eye at the suggestion.  Why not?

What would have been different if Lot had remained?

Think ahead to the book of Ruth.  Remember Naomi and her two daughters-in laws? Naomi asked her daughters-in-laws to separate from her. Then remember what Ruth said?

Ruth 1:16-17 (ESV)

16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Remember how blessed Ruth was because she stayed with Naomi?

Ruth 4:17 (ESV) And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

Then think about Elijah and Elisha.  Elijah tells Elisha repeatedly to separate from him but what does Elisha do?  He insists on remaining with the man of God.  Three times and in three different cities this happens.  Elisha was blessed because he remained with the man of God.

2 Kings 2:1-14 (ESV)

1 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.
5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.
8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”
10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.”
11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

What might have been the outcome if Lot insisted on staying with Abraham because he was a man of God?

We’ll probably never know.

But the seemingly simple solution of separating due to strife just may not be the best option.  It may cause more hardship in the long run.  The strife over grazing and water was nothing compared to what Lot had to endure much later in life losing all he had and destroying his family.  How might Lot have been blessed if he had stayed with Abraham resolving with the conflict instead of taking the seemingly easy way out to avoid conflict?

Do you run from conflict? Instead of attempting to dealing with it?

Are you separated from other believers due to conflict?

Some churches do.

Grace Life Church of the Shoals (Jeff Noblit) has an approved songs list.

Grace Family Baptist Church (Voddie Baucham) has a list of songs with deep theological meaning.

I’ve been busy and haven’t been able to comment on other posts but here are a few that have caught my eye.

Kelli – Petunia-Style Church Goers – somehow we’ve missed this book in the early reading stage.

Terry from Breathing Grace – An Intriguing Idea… – Churches measuring divorce statistics?

Jim Elliff – The Church That Disciplines – This is actually old but it ties in with the above.

Voddie Baucham – Response to Andreas Köstenberger on the FIC – Interesting discussion if you are part of a FIC or even know what it means.

Ingrid Schlueter – Reflections on Reactive Attachment Disorder