The internet is both corruption and possibility. When God created food, sex, material items, and an endless array of other “things”, He created them with a proper human use.

However, when the devil saw these “things” he also saw infinite ways to corrupt and disrupt the proper use of them. When God created food then the devil shifted that good thing into gluttony and lack of contentment. When God created sex the devil shifted it into pornography and the sex trade.

The devil can create nothing – but he can corrupt the wonderful things that God has made for our benefit and enjoyment. Our job is to learn to use the things God gives us in a Biblical way.

I see the internet as a new type of God-given blessing that must be used with responsibility and for the good of mankind. With the power of the internet we can look up Bible verses and commentaries in seconds. We can evangelize in ways we’ve never dreamed of (check out my YouTube channel to see just one of the ways we can reach people).

However, we all know that with the power of the internet we can also look up pornography and horrible photos of death and corruption in seconds. We can communicate with others across the world in sinful and improper ways.

The choice is yours. Will you use the power of the internet for good for for evil? Will you choose the path of light or the path of darkness? Let us all choose the path of light. This is, after all, the new frontier.

The post Is the Internet the New Frontier of Evangelism? appeared first on Jay Scott.

Sadly, these kids often used worldly tactics to get this social capital. They were not opposed to making fun of people, using profanity, or insinuating that they were starting to drink alcohol or “smoke weed”. They did whatever was trendy or popular at the time in order to gain prestige and attention in their social circle. The berated those that were outcast by society and worshipped those who were lifted up by society.

Adult life is much the same. One need only watch a sports discussion program, YouTube, TV (in general), the news, or the movies to find out this is true. The internet term “clickbait” is the epitome of someone striving to be a “cool kid”. It means one is doing whatever is necessary to gain attention (even if that means being dishonest).

Many television programs follow this tactic in part or in whole. On these programs you will regularly see people talking trash about others, putting others (who were previously in their corner) down, selling useless products, stripping themselves practically (or literally) naked, and cursing like sailors.

“Cool Kid” Syndrome is Everywhere

In fact, I daresay that one need not even watch television or internet programs to witness this phenomenon. Everyday life is full of “cool kids”, or maybe we should call them “popular adults”. They are at your work, they are in your family, they are throughout society. They are just old “cool kids”.

It does not matter to them that wrinkles have replaced freckles and gray hair has replaced pig tails. They continue the game, after all, they can dye the hair. These people ride the wave of the culture and embrace whatever methods necessary to gain fame, money, popularity, and power. And once they begin it is likely that they never will stop.

This, of course, requires that one ignore what God says about morality. But such is the price of fame. The sad truth is that in order to be popular and accepted by today’s society you will very likely have to sell your soul.

What is the Cost?

Even more disheartening is that the desire for social acceptance and social capital is an unquenchable hunger that cannot be satiated by anything here on earth. If we take this path we will leave this earth with nothing but a tattered and moth eaten soul and we will stand before the almighty God with a hopelessness that cannot be adequately described with words.

So, what is the solution? Look to Jesus for your example. Though He was despised by most of the popular and powerful here on earth, he ended up seated at the right hand of God in heaven. He knew that popularity here was fleeting and futile, and that eternal life was far more important than temporary earthly gain.

The great news is that if we follow the New Testament pattern we too can spend a glorious eternity in heaven. Then, I am sure, that a faint smile of relief will play across our lips as we suddenly realize just who the “cool kids” were all along… 

The post Being One of the Cool Kids appeared first on Jay Scott.

I remember researching about the hiring process when I was looking for a new worker in my business years ago. One piece of advice that I thought was pretty good (at the time) was to set an inopportune time for the potential hire to come in for a meeting; say, 6:00am. If the hire did not show up (or was late) you could immediately write them off of your list of potential hires.

This might be good advice for a boss who is looking for the most “productive” worker he can get, but I think it is terrible advice for a Christian looking to save souls. We must remember that everyone we meet is a soul that God created! That soul has the potential to end up either in Heaven or in Hell. We should not test people to see if they are “worthy” to hear God’s Word (or to be our Christian acquaintance). We should not “look” at them (or their background) to see if their personage qualifies them for Christian aid. That is how the “world” behaves, that is not how a Christian behaves. If someone wants to discuss Biblical topics we should be there for them at any time, no questions asked. As James said so eloquently:

Jas 2:2  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

Jas 2:3  And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

Jas 2:4  Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Does “being there at any time” mean you should just leave work to attend a Bible study with a potential convert? Does that mean you should just leave your wife (who happens to be in labor) to get to that phone call from a potential Christian? Not necessarily. It means you should enthusiastically let the potential Christian know that they are important to you and you should get back to them in a timely manner. Let them know that you want to help them as soon as possible and schedule a time to do so.

This same rule should extend to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. If someone needs something we should always be there to help. We may think, “this person is trying to use me”, or “I’m not a psychologist”, but the truth is that we cannot tell how much a person is in need by looking at them. That brother or sister may be in desperate need of advice or a Christian discussion. And of course this always goes for someone looking to become a member of the body of Christ…

We’ve probably all heard the story of someone calling up a preacher at midnight and saying “I’m ready to become a Christian!” The next part of that story is usually that the preacher gets up and goes to the church (no matter the time) and baptizes that individual. That is the exactly what should happen! In the case of someone seeking to be baptized we should always be there immediately. In addition, I hope that a part of that story is that the preacher (or Christian) shows up and does his duty with enthusiasm and joy. That is our purpose here, to obey God and to bring the lost to Jesus. Let us strive to never leave a soul out in the cold. Let us strive to never reach our “maximum soul capacity”.

The post Is Your Soul Capacity Full? appeared first on Jay Scott.

All of it boils down to this: nearly all of the popular content today promises that with just a few simple changes to the politics of the country, or to your diet, or to your workflow, you can have the body, life, and country of your dreams. This promise is the sugar-stick candy of the world – it tells you that you can diet, work, or vote your way to a perfect life and a perfect world. The problem here is that that isn’t what the Bible tells us about the world:

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

If we believe Christ then there is no mystery about the state of the world we live in. It is a sinful place that (generally) does not welcome those who follow Christ. So, the next time things aren’t going quite right for you in this world, remember, they aren’t really supposed to! Our job (as Christians) is to prepare for eternity, our job is not to be a successful in this current world.

Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Now that is a strong statement by Jesus! We are not a few “changes” away from a perfect life and country, unless the change you are considering is the path of Christ. By following the plan of salvation you can truly have the fruitful (and eternal) change that the world falsely promises. Build your hope on things eternal – build your hope on Christ.

2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

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Still, when these “dreams” crash and burn it can seem humiliating, deflating, and (sometimes) even embarrassing. It can really seem as if your life is coming to end, or at least that you are a wretched and miserable failure.

Thankfully, Christianity can protect you from the disappointment of your “dreams not coming true”. Jesus tells you that your identity doesn’t have to be centered solely in yourself, it can be located outside yourself (in God). When you put your identity in God you begin to realize the immense pressure that you have on you when you attempt to “make” your own identity.

I, for one, believe that America is going through an identity crisis, and I think this is largely because Americans are told that in order to be happy one must “look within themselves” and “follow their heart”. Doing this puts all the pressure on you, and oftentimes it is a pressure that no human can live up to. Besides, following your heart only works if what you are aspiring to is currently “trendy” and not looked down upon by society. Nothing takes the air out of “being yourself” more than others thinking the “self” you have chosen is unacceptable.

So, the question is, why should you take on all this pressure? Why should you be responsible for designing the “perfect you”? If it is going to be enjoyable on any level at all then you will have to design a “you” that adheres to the whatever the current society deems trendy and in vogue. And many things that are fashionable today are downright morally reprehensible.

You shouldn’t have to be responsible for that. That’s why you should look to the Bible, the Word of God for your identity. If you do, then all of the identity pressure will be removed and you will finally be free.

You might ask, “How will I be free if I have to follow a rule book like the Bible? Won’t that make me less free?” It might seem like that on the surface, but I assure you that following the design God has laid out in the Bible will allow you to finally find freedom, not lose it.

If you put yourself in God’s hands and allow Him to direct your life (through His Word and will) you will finally achieve the freedom you were looking for all along. Don’t define your identity by earthly standards because whatever you choose to “go after” could be taken from you at any moment by illness, misfortune, or death. Put your hopes in things eternal and place your identity in the hands of your Creator. I’ll end this blog with one verse that sums this up better than I ever could:

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

The post Where are Your Dreams Directed? appeared first on Jay Scott.

It’s a shame that this is the case but I think it is a natural process for mankind to revert back to “taking things for granted”. Numbers 11 has a lot to tell us about this very topic. When the children of Israel were given manna every morning they couldn’t help but complain about how tired they were of the heavenly bread (Num 11:6). They also complained to the Lord about being freed from captivity – they said that they missed the fish and cucumbers they got to eat as prisoners in Egypt (Num 11:5).

As Christians today we need to be on constant guard against this issue in our own lives. It’s very easy to take things for granted and expect them to always be there, but God gives us every blessing. Without Him we would have nothing and we could do nothing:

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

If the pandemic has taught us anything it is the importance of normal life. Our everyday blessings and necessities are by far the most important ones in our lives. And while our physical blessings are certainly wonderful, our spiritual blessings are even more important. As the pandemic slowly fades (and with God’s help may it continue to do so) I pray that we all will be able to appreciate our daily blessings more than we ever have before, and I pray that in so doing we will give God the glory for every gift He bestows upon us.

1Co 1:31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

P.S. Next week we’ll be discussing the greatest gift we have been given – the gift given to us by our Savior Jesus Christ.

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