by admin | Oct 23, 2024 | Truth
PART TWO OF THREE
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
How we think and act on information is influenced by our culture, our attitudes, our upbringing and the people we put in our lives. For Christians, how we think about the world around us needs to be one that’s influenced by our faith in Jesus and knowledge of scripture.
That’s called a “world view.”
It’s how owning a gun can be natural to many Americans but in Canada and England, far fewer people even think about owning one. As similar as the countries are, there are different worldviews influenced by their cultures.
Our world view as Christians MUST be grounded in scripture and influenced by a desire to live the way Jesus wants us to live.
There is no other way.
Having a Christian world view means we are going to want to seek out what is true.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Paul is encouraging us to look for what is right and good in the world around us and focus on that.
We live in a time where false information spreads like wildfire across social media platforms. When we aren’t operating from a Christian world view, we are going to have strong opinions about issues that affect us that aren’t shaped by truth. The false information is put out there by people who are putting their own interests first, wanting to shape how you think about the issue, person, circumstance or situation they are talking about, often for political or financial gain. They’ve formed their opinion without a Christian world view and often can’t be trusted. Their motivations are to get you to think the way they do. Some don’t even believe what they have shared or put out there. They simply say what they think you want to hear to collect views, clicks and likes for financial gain.
When we share information, are we doing the same thing? Are we sharing something because we want it to be true and want to sway others to believe it too or are we sharing something that we know is true. There’s a big difference and for Christians, it should only be because we know it is true. As Paul said, what’s noble and true are what we should be focused on.
As Christians, we need to be people other Christians can trust as well when we seek advice or wisdom on how to act on the information around us.
In the age of social media, it’s hard to know what is true sometimes. We have such strong opinions, particularly about politics right now, that we believe anything that supports our view without checking the sources or having any reason to know it’s true other than to us, it is something we want to believe is true. We are to the point where we are making life choices and ending friendships over believing information that isn’t real. In a way, that’s like living in a false reality.
It’s okay for you and I to look at the same facts and truths and come to a different opinion about it. As long as we’re doing our best to apply the Bible and seeking godly wisdom to know how to respond to the truths we are pursuing, we can still come to a different conclusion from someone else. Whether dealing with other Christians or not, as long as we still treat people we disagree with the same same way Jesus would, we still maintain our integrity and are still interacting with the world around us based on a Christian approach to knowledge that is real.
And when we’re focused on what is real, noble and praiseworthy to God, God is glorified and our hearts are more at peace with the world around us.
by admin | Oct 23, 2024 | Behind the Bucking Chutes
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
Whether on the ranching, rodeo or horseman side, a cowboy is known for being tough, independent and taking care of work and life on his own. There are times when there’s no way around it and we just need some help, but otherwise, it’s seen as being weak to not be able to take care of ourselves, our animals and our families.
For Christians, we have to look at it a little differently by letting go of at least some of our pride. People who don’t have a saving faith in Jesus just see their strength as their own and their circumstances are whatever they made them.
With Jesus, we realize that nothing we do is accomplished without him. That can hurt our egos a little until we start to understand better what it means to “walk with Jesus.”
John 15:3-5 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
These verses are most often taught to show us that when our faith in Jesus is real, we produce fruit through having Jesus as a deep part of our lives. Fruit are the good, God-honoring actions and attitudes we produce in our lives and when we have been saved through our faith in Jesus and our repentance of sin, he abides in us. We can’t help it and as a result, everything we do is through Jesus.
More of the verses teach us that without Jesus, we are eternally separated from God, unable to do anything in this life that would be seen as fruit—actions and attitudes that honor God.
While life can still be difficult and we can face struggles and challenges we haven’t even imagined yet, if we take the time to think through these verses, we can realize we aren’t alone in our struggle and we’re going to have the strength we need from having Jesus in us.
Ephesians gives us something similar that we can also found encouraging.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
God created us to to good works, which is also another word for fruit. Even when we struggle, God has plans for us that are already set out. That means we have Christ going through it all with us. When we are following what God wants us to do, Christ is there to give us the strength to do it, working along side us as we saw in John.
That means we can pursue what God wants us to do with every expectation of it working out the way God intends it to. Life can still be hard and not go the way we want it to, but God will use us in ways that build up His kingdom. There is hope and purpose for us if we can understand and accept that as true.
by admin | Oct 10, 2024 | Truth
Part ONE of THREE
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
Part ONE in a three-part series about truth and integrity
Having an opinion about information and situations that are true or real is good. It’s especially important that our opinions are shaped by our understanding of scripture.
Having an opinion about information we don’t know is true is bad and likely we aren’t even applying our understanding of scripture when this happens.
It makes us untrustworthy.
If we’re untrustworthy, any message of hope from us about the gospel and a saving faith in Jesus is going to be lost.
1 Peter 2:12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
First, we have to understand our primary purpose for living is to glorify God. Second, we have to understand that Jesus gave all believers the task of sharing the gospel: how a saving faith in him gives us an eternity in Heaven.
If we don’t understand these two points, then this short series will mean little and those who don’t understand, will carry on doing as they please without letting scripture guide them. If that’s the case, then it’s important to re-evaluate your understanding of the gospel and whether or not you’re going to heaven or hell. It’s a harsh reality but too many people call themselves Christian without ever experiencing a desire to be more like Jesus. If you aren’t sure of your salvation, that’s something that gives you personal proof that it’s real. You know whether or not you care to both know and apply what’s in the Bible to your life.
When we do understand these two things, then many of us need to start taking the rest of this message more seriously.
What we’re being told in the verse from 1 Peter is that people have to see us acting with integrity. There are plenty of people who are still open minded and willing to listen to us if we just take the time to talk them about Jesus. There is also a growing part of our population that dislikes and even hates Christians. Some people will never listen to us explain our Christian beliefs. But if we don’t demonstrate integrity and that we are trustworthy, we can’t reach any of them.
Living out what the Bible teaches us are the good deeds being talked about. They are referred to in other verses in the Bible as works—the actions we take because of our faith in Jesus. These actions glorify God and they stand against anything hateful or harmful that non-believers might throw at us.
When our integrity holds, then others can see this, trust us and have a better chance of believing us when we tell them Jesus lived her, lives on in Heaven and is our only path to salvation.
by admin | Sep 5, 2024 | Behind the Bucking Chutes
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
You have the ability to change the course of someone’s day or even life.
Men especially, think how often you’ve heard a compliment outside of a dating scenario (or even in a relationship). Sometimes criticism is necessary and we need to know how to receive it without getting upset, angry or defensive. But we take criticism so often at work, in relationships and from family. Sometimes it gets back to us from our extended social circles where someone out there has been criticizing or complaining about us. Sometimes it gets back to us that it was someone close to us.
It isn’t weak to admit that sometimes it’s hurtful or at the very best, discouraging. It certainly makes most of us angry and puts us in a defensive position. And the more we hear, the more it piles up and the more discouraged we can become.
More importantly, it also isn’t weak to admit that it actually feels good to hear something nice once in awhile.
It can mean even more when it comes from people out of our extended connections who we know aren’t just saying something because they’re a close friend that sees we’re frustrated or who suspect might have an agenda behind the compliment. When it comes from someone who really did observe an action we took, a way we spoke to someone or a situation we handled, it can carry more weight because we know it was sincere.
Think of someone in your extended circles and something you’ve seen them do or a way they handle themselves and text or message them right now: “hey man, I just want you to know I’ve noticed how great you are with –your daughter–how you handled that bad call by that rodeo judge–how you never seem to let that supervisor get to you– the way you always lend someone a hand.”
Look for the good in the people in your close circles and in your more distant ones.
Do not underestimate how much God can use you to lift that person out of a very bad head space you didn’t even know they were in. And don’t rob yourself of such an easy way to glorify God by following what this verse teaches us.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Paul is telling us to first make sure we aren’t speaking any junk to begin with whether it’s gossiping or running someone down behind their back or even two their face or just speaking with foul language. We should only be using words and language that would be God-honoring. We forget, He is listening.
Paul then reminds us that anything we say should be for the benefit of others and that when we do this, it can point people to God’s saving grace.
by admin | Aug 15, 2024 | Behind the Bucking Chutes
By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
Of course we should care about our rights and freedoms. But what good does it do when we have the freedom to tell people about Jesus and never exercise it?
Many announcers will say a version of this in their openings: “In our great country, we have the freedom of religion and we’re going to exercise that right by going to the Lord right now in prayer.”
That’s fantastic that prayer is an important part of most rodeo events in the country, but for a lot of Christians, that’s the beginning and the end of where we exercise that freedom.
We’ll be loud and proud oi we think someone is threatening our freedom of religion and sit silent or motionless when God gives us the opportunity to tell someone why we believe what we believe—something Jesus calls everyone to do in Matthew through what’s known as the Great Commission.
Rodeo creates a comfortable setting to practice praying in public or talking openly about God but we’ve got to get out of our comfort zone and take our faith everywhere we go. If we’re truly saved and Christ is in us, we can’t help but be driven to do that.
Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Here in Matthew, Jesus is making it clear that we represent him to everyone and when our faith is real and we are living it out, people are going to see it the same way they can’t help but see a city that was built on a hill while traveling.
Even more though, Jesus is encouraging us to live out our lives as authentic believers so that others will see us living out those lives and point others toward God. While he doesn’t specifically say it points them to their need for a savior, that remains an important truth about living out our lives in a way that others see us different form them—they see our ‘light.’
We don’t live a Christ-like life to call attention to ourselves but to honor God.
Using the prayer example at a rodeo, an easy way for someone to get started and used to being out of their comfort zone is to pray before a meal when in a restaurant. It’s not that we never see that happen, but it can stretch some of us. If we’re comfortable with that part, before we pray, how about asking the server at your table how you can pray for them? That’s a real way to show Jesus to someone. Be open for ways we can be intentional about our faith when we’re our and our light will shine.
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