Truth. An offense or not?

The other day my SUV was tagged by someone with some offensive writing on the side and male genitals on the back side. Did I jump to conclusions? No. Was I offended? Nope, I actually laughed at the amazing artwork and wonder of our county school system and their influence on the grammar and punctuation of the writing. So by now you may be wondering; Dude, what is your point?

Since I have nearly 1600 friends on Facebook, I figured I would post a picture of this and use it as an opportunity to reach out to the artist. These are the words I put with a nice picture of the F-bomb: “Whoever was brave enough to come and write this on my truck, should be brave enough to come to my house for bible study Sunday night at 6pm!” After a few minutes of posting, I began to receive comments and some likes. Just for the record I would like to state that all the comments I received were great and that I appreciate you and love you no matter the outcome.

The first several posts were very good until some people did not agree with me posting the picture. Many [Christians] said I should remove it. Many said I was at the same level of the unbeliever or maybe believer, who wrote the stuff. This began a snowball effect, was I amused? Somewhat. Was I concerned? Absolutely. Now keep in mind, I was not concerned with the comments per say. What I was concerned with was the reaction to the picture. The Holy Spirit began to stir up some thoughts inside of me, and these are some of those thoughts:

The word offense in the Greek is Skandalon; it is where we get the word Scandal from. This means, applied to Jesus Christ, whose person and career were so contrary to the expectations of the Jews concerning the Messiah, that they rejected him and by their wrong-headedness made ruin of their salvation. The bible tells us in Luke 17:1 “It is impossible that no offenses should come...” NKJV. Those were the words of Jesus to His disciples (Christians). Offense will surely come whether we expect it or not, whether we are prepared for it or not! Our attitude towards offense determines the effect it will have on us. With this being said, I find it sad that this offended Christians of all people. These are people who profess to living their lives laid down for Christ! Yet he says it is impossible for scandals to come against you, but we as Christians assume we must turn a blind eye. So if we do this just because of a lost soul writing profanity on a truck and I post it in attempt to reach out, I can only imagine what else Christians shy away from. Do you only reach out to people who look like you? Act like you?  Think like you? Like the same things as you? I hope not. In one comment someone wrote “You should take it off, you could have said it a different way.” – Funny, my wife put “Someone wrote the F-Bomb on my truck last night”, and she has 2 people “like” it. Like it? Everyone ignored it, until something according to a worldview, was not right.  Hence, my so-called scandalous picture. You see I believe that God is tired of the way Christians act, they want just enough of God to get by and no more. God has called Christians to a radical lifestyle of being like His Son, not like a smorgasbord where we choose what we want to obey and leave the rest. That is why the Bible talks about a great falling away in the end times. God wants us to be salt and light in the world but we can't be if we water down the truth or don't obey what God has said. You see, salt leaves a taste in people’s mouth that is not very satisfying, including Christians. Jesus said, "You can't serve two masters." You see the same attitude in the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They had their own ideas about what was right and no one was going to change that, not even the Son of God. They didn't really want to get close to God; they just wanted to play like they did. That is why people get offended. But remember Jesus told us the world would be offended by him, so it should be no surprise, although it often times it is.
The amazing thing in all of this situation was the fact that I was not offended by what had happen to me and my family, but when I shared it with others, no one, I repeat, no one, asked if everything was okay.

      Pride also causes one to be offended, even from Facebook posts. Pride has root in self and the scriptures command Christians to die to self. A dead man can never be offended. Our perception of people and matters determines whether we will be offended or not. A Christian's perception should be based on the words of God. John 16:1 says, “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.” KJV Having the words of God in us will enable us to think, feel and act as a Christian should think, feel and act. Unfortunately we tend to forget the Gospel is violent, just as my sin was violent and our savior being hung on a Cross and being murdered wasn’t violent enough. Apparently people have been saved since their conception into this world. They have never sinned, never seen sin, nor been around it. Much like the Pharisees who were recognized in oral tradition a standard of belief and life. They sought for distinction and praise by outward observance of external rites (according to Vines Dictionary.) They were bitter enemies of Jesus and His cause; and were in turn severely rebuked by Him for their avarice, ambition, hollow reliance on outward works, and affection of piety in order to gain popularity (Vines). Jesus knew their hearts and if they had seen the picture on Facebook, they would have written some of the comments that some [Christians] wrote.

About 5 years ago, I chose to live a lifestyle with no compromise for the truth of the gospel. I knew that this would become an absolute wilderness experience and that even salt tasting Christians would oppose. So in saying that, I am openly rebuking every negative comment that came from the mouths of professing Christians about my post. I will not tolerate leftist Christians and their worldly ways. Am I calling you out? You bet. Why? It’s what Jesus did. If you have a problem with the way I do things, consult my Father. But know this, the bible says that the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, but the violent take it by force. There is a Force moving through uncompromising Christians that the world has never seen before. Something so real that people will be willing to lay down their lives for the cause of Christ!

This day I ask you to evaluate your life. It is not a matter of being offended; it’s a matter of being captivated by a Man who should be offended by the way WE act around Him. Christ too knew offense all too well. He was criticized, ostracized, and accused for things He did not do. He was hated and never known by many. He was despised and rejected. He went to the cross carrying the offenses of the whole world but yet He did not turn around. He did not mock, He did not scorn and He did not condemn. With love He took up His cross and died for those very same ones.  

Journal Entries 2010: Radical Christianity

This is some thought taken out of my journal from last year. These are very random, not very subtle and sporadic. The way I love it. This is Radical Christianity…

What is uncompromising Radical Christianity? What causes you to pursue this passionate love for Jesus? What is it that awakens you? What moves you?

Jesus was never shaken by man, He never compromised His mission. He was ever present in the Father’s face. Was He uncomfortable? I believe that sometimes He was. Did it always move something in heaven and produce uncommon results? Absolutely! Why do we believe that we cannot get in God’s face? Why do we think that all things of heaven are produced by our work or our doing?

There should be something inside us that longs for God. There should be something so awakened inside of us that nothing else matters, but a passionate pursuit of a Man that changed the world. A desire to move the Kingdom in such a way that would change the world…forever eternity. A burning church needs burning men and women to shake the gates of hell. No compromise. An awakening within our hearts, that is pure and undefiled.

What moves you? Is it material things? Do you put first things first? Is God really first in your life? Is it evident? God has never intended for our relationship with Him to be comfortable. If you are, you’re probably not pursuing Him wholeheartedly. Stop reading this. Take a moment to check your heart and see if God really is first in your life. Do this first before all things. Go ahead, take this moment. Once you choose to allow Him first in your life, the comfort zone will no longer exist in your daily routine. This is my warning to you. If you are sincere and do this, your life will absolutely in no way ever be the same, I promise you. 

What is Radical Christianity? Many people in church have prettied this phrase up. They have come up with their own formula for success in the church. Again, give me a burning man and I will show you a burning church.  Show me a heart that burns and sparks other hearts and I will show you Radical Christianity. There is no magical formula, there is no scripture memorizing method. It starts with a pursuit. The pursuit of your life. Burning for God is creating your heart as His altar. Where you sacrifice your life to be in His presence, things begin to change inside of you. This will make you uncomfortable. This is good. This is radical.

Radical is not normal. Jesus was not normal. He was as far from normal as oil to water. Why does the church water-down Christianity? What authorizes us to do this? As I began to pray and seek God about these questions, I began to realize that we forgot the five “W’s” of church. Who; Jesus, What; Church (Ekklesia), Where; Cross, When; Now, How; Radically Uncompromised. Damon Thompson once said Jesus didn’t die halfway for you, so why do you get to live halfway for Him? This is where it starts, Jesus and Him crucified. This is the center of spiritual formation. This is what drives us. If we live halfway for Him, how is that radical? What’s radical is determining in your life that you will choose to live no other way and challenge those around you to do the same. Jesus. Period. No exceptions, no compromise. We don’t get right on Sunday and live the other six days holding hands with satan and call that church. This is not the church in which Christ is the center of. It starts with us and our lifestyle. Do you have a pure and holy lifestyle? I warned you this was gonna be hard.

In our bible study last night we talked about what it would be like standing before God and His judgement. Let’s face it, we will ALL be judged. As He begins to play your life on the movie screen, we get to the point we are at now. Decision. What will play next? Will it be the right choice, which is living for yourself and be normal? Or, be abnormal and have a radical abandonment toward God and be used to change the world? This is radical. Christ set the standard of living radical 2000 years ago; let’s get it back, it starts with you…and it starts now.

Why do so many believers and non believers think tattoos are sacrilegious PART 2

What is the Old Law? Why was it necessary?


Before we explain the New Law and its freedoms, we need to look at the Old Law, its nature, and why it was necessary in salvation history.

Before Christ embraced humanity and became man, the world was in a horrible mess, it was divided and people did not understand that we shared a common Father, that is, the one true God. The bible tells us this much. In fact, we know that men were spiritually childlike, immature, and unable to comprehend their sinfulness, and divided as we were, there was no quick solution for unity. It was at this moment, with the coming of Christ already a part of His Divine plan, that the Lord our God took to himself a people who would be set apart and made ready to receive the Redeemer.

So we start with what God gave Moses...the Ten Commandments. From there God gave the Israelites many more Laws or so called commandments throughout the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy.The Old Law is divided into two parts, the moral code and the civil and ceremonial things (ritual observances). The moral code, summed up in the Ten Commandments, is a natural law, the law of the conscience, gathered by reason, and the foundation upon which man is to realize his vocation to live in the image of God. The commandments make plain what is against the love of God, and therefore they show us our sins. The second part of the Old Law, the observances, was necessary to ensure the Israelites remained united as a people and apart from the pagans. So you can see where this is going...

God wanted his chosen people to develop an awareness of sinfulness so when the fullness of time arrived, God would introduce a New Law that would allow each of us to know, in our hearts, the love of God, who forgives our sins and raises us to eternal life. And therein lies the weaknesses of the Old Law:

1)It does not forgive sins (since only God's love can do this)


2)It can suggest that our actions, in accordance with the Law, are the only criteria for eternal life (wrong, since only grace based on faith and our cooperation with this grace can guarantee this)

3)It relies on fear of punishment, rather than love, which is God

In truth, if the Old Law did have the power to make us righteous and sinless, clean and perfect sacrifices for the Lord, then Jesus' death on the cross, the sacrifice that opens the door to God the Father, would have been unnecessary.

So we see that it is clear that the Old Law alone does not have the power to break the chains and bondage of sin, only the grace of the Holy Spirit, given to the faithful through faith in Christ, is able to remove sin.  Hence a New Law...Christ...throughout all the apostles writings in the New Testament we are given a new law starting with John the Baptist preparing the way and us finishing it! So you see we live under the Law of Christ and all His grace...

"But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit." -Romans 7:6

So lets not worry anymore what is on the outside of a person and remember that Jesus has set us free from religious drowning, He alone can forgive sins, He alone set me free and that is why I have Set Free tattooed on my right arm and in my heart...so live a life in the Spirit and break thos religious chains...PEACE

Why do so many non believers and believers think tattoos are sacrilegious?

Having many tattoos on my body, I figured it would be a good idea to share my thoughts on being a christian/pastor and having tattoos. Before you read this I would ask that you pray that the Holy Spirit gives you wisdom and understanding...

Why do so many non believers and believers think that tattoos are against the bible? And that is says to not get any tattoos?

I have personally been asked literally 30-40 times why I have tattoos and why I continue to get tattoos as a Youth Pastor or Christian...and without fail, just about everytime the same scripture that gets brought up is Leviticus 19:28 (half the time the folks who bring it up don't even know what this scripture is, but seem to know what it means!)

"You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh on account of the dead or tattoo any marks on your body; I am the LORD". (RSV)

Does this verse really condemn tattoos? Let's take a look.

First things first, as christians who should be reading and studying our bibles, we must understand that most of the time one scripture does not stand alone. We must be able to read and take the entire context and seek God for understanding on the subject. I also need to state that our faith is based on more than just tattoos; it is supported by good works as well. And we must pray as often as possible that issues (such as body art) are cast aside in favor of more pressing problems: christian unity, the onslaught of relativism, difficulties in evangelization, conformation to society and culture around us, lack of living a sanctified and pure life...etc

Now Leviticus 19:26-31 deals with pagan practices and God's prohibitions against adopting those practices. In verse 28, God is warning the Jewish people about a pagan practice at funerals, where pagans would mutilate/mark themselves to appease their false gods. The pagans hoped that by cutting themselves and marking images/symbols of idols on their bodies, that they would obtain favour in the afterlife from their false gods, both for themselves and for those who just died(this was taken out of a Matthew Henry Commentary.)As no one with a Christian tattoo is trying to practice a pagan deity, it is safe to say this verse is not relevant to us. Still, many who read the Bible will not take into account historical considerations or the full context of Leviticus 19:28.

Yet, there is a very real problem with using this verse in an anti-tattoo argument. One cannot believe that Jesus is Lord and He came to save the world through grace and love and still accept this verse as applicable to us today. It sounds harsh, but it is true. Why? The answer is simple. Christ gave us a New Law, one that supersedes the Old Testament Law, which includes Leviticus 19:28.

In my next blog, I will answer questions on the Old Law and New Law...until next time, keep your eyes on Jesus, seek Him with everything you have and never let Him go...  Pastor Travis