Great Illustration

Some of the most powerful words of Jesus Christ are: "Whoever would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Jesus also said, "whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."

Cross carrying, however, is not a popular message. In fact, it flies in the face of much of the current version of the 'bait and switch' gospel message that promises if you come to God you will receive 'rich rewards', or come to Christ and 'you'll be wealthy', or, 'you'll be a better business man', not to mention that 'God doesn't want you to ever suffer'. This modernized, sanitized version of the Gospel of Christ is completely void of the mention of trials, temptations and battles that we are scripturally promised to face as believers.

But the Word of God actually tells us to embrace our trials: "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ^ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ^ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4. The Apostle Peter also tells us that when we are enduring trials, the genuineness of our faith is being tested so it will bring glory to Jesus Christ at his appearing. Carrying our cross is part of the gig as a true Christian.

This little illustration below powerfully shows the necessity of going through trials and suffering - the cross carrying - that we endure for the sake of Christ:

The Giveaway Gospel

(Note the powerful statement from the atheist below: "Nothing secures my atheism more than the fact that religion needs marketing. You would think that the truth would be all that’s needed wouldn’t you?” Ouch for the church marketeers.)

By Ray Baumann

I recently walked out of a Wal-Mart and noticed that all the cars in the parking lot were covered with flyers. Sure enough, there, on my truck, stuck under my windshield wiper, was a flyer. It read, “Win a car this Sunday!” and had the name of a local church that was giving it away. A car! Man, who wouldn’t want to show up for that?

What a great marketing idea if you are looking for exposure; if you’re a bank looking to open new accounts or a car dealer looking for people to come in for a test drive. But a church? Come on! It is now a very popular trend in the modern church to entice people with giveaways through contests and raffles. I guess the thought is along the lines of, “We can’t reach people if they don’t come to church.” So, go ahead and bribe them.

Welcome to the American church, where the lines between religion and consumerism blend into one giant gospel smoothie. I have heard of churches giving away iPods, Xboxes and smart phones, even a year’s worth of movies passes. Now those raffle-driven churches have really upped the ante with giving away cars, vacations, cash and homes. It seems that churches believe they are competing for a target audience. Churches are becoming more like the Price is Right than a place for training disciples and a resource for believers.

But, that is not as attractive to unbelievers because they are looking for something for nothing. The church calls this evangelism while people crowd in tight to see if they have won one of the many mega prizes given away each Sunday, all done in the name of boosting attendance. Why? The pastor’s own pride. If you win people with gimmicks you have to keep them with gimmicks. Through all of this, Jesus sits back and watches the foolishness of man and his desire to push his agenda over the Lord’s agenda. Disciplining believers is not sexy enough for most pastors because it won’t put their name in lights or get them multiple book deals or pack out the church every night.

An intense statement was sent to me in the title of an email I received from an atheist. It said, “Nothing secures my atheism more than the fact that religion needs marketing. You would think that the truth would be all that’s needed wouldn’t you?” This is probably the most profound statement I have ever read coming from an unbeliever. A numbers-driven gimmick gospel has compromised the American pulpit all in the name of being more effective in our culture. But the last time I checked, life and death and where people spend eternity are subjects that transcend every culture and cut right to the conscience.

There is only one gospel and it can’t be marketed, it can’t be repackaged to be an attractive product for our culture. If anyone will hate the true gospel of Jesus Christ it will be Americans. Why do we think the message must change with the culture? We need to realize that the message must never change. There is a judgment to come. "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:18)

Remember the last time judgment came upon the earth? It had something to do with a giant boat and a man named Noah. I don’t recall the gimmicks used by Noah. It’s not recorded that he enticed anyone to come on to the ark. There were no freebies, no free food or raffles. He didn’t open the ark as a petting zoo. He sure wasn’t very relevant, because he just preached repentance and left the rest up to God. Noah was a prophet who lived in an age similar to our own a time where greed, gluttony, drunkenness, sexual license and violence filled the earth. The Savior described Noah's day in the following words in Matthew 24:38:“For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39: And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

All of the prophets in the Bible proclaimed repentance. If pastors try proclaiming anything else they lead their flocks astray. Just getting the world’s attention is not what we are called to do.

Snake Oil Salesmen

(All I can say is God help us)

From The Elijah List October 22, 2007

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A/G Pastor Shot; Wife Killed

Unbelievable tragedy - it appears that the couples sixteen year old son may have been the shooter.

Here's an update from MSNBC.

Story from Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Wellington- A Lorain County pastor was in critical condition and his wife was dead after they were shot in their home Saturday night on rural Peck-Wadsworth Road.

Authorities said the couple's 16-year-old son was a suspect, but they would not give details of what took place. Wellington police found him and took him into custody after officers spotted the family minivan in Wellington.

Officers were preparing to search a residence late Saturday. Mark Petric, 45, was in critical condition at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. His wife, Sue, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Relatives found them in their home about 7 p.m.

Stephen Evans, a deputy Lorain County coroner, said Mark and Sue Petric were found sitting on separate couches in the family's living room in their ranch home. Mark Petric was shot in the face, while his wife had been shot in the head and arm.

Relatives, who came to the home to watch the Indians game, found their bodies. Evans said three people - the couple and their son - were in the home at the time of the shooting.

The couple were pastors at New Life Assembly of God in Wellington, according to the church's Web site. They had been at the small, close-knit congregation on West Street for two years and had moved into their home in April, the Web site said.

No one answered a call to the church late Saturday night.

A neighbor declined to comment, saying the family deserved privacy. Other neighbors said the rural setting prevented many people from getting to know the family.

11 Year Olds To Get Birth Control Without Parental Consent

from Foxnews.com

The plan, offered by city health officials, makes King Middle School the first middle school in Maine to make a full range of contraception available to students in grades 6 through 8, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

There are no national figures on how many middle schools, where most students range in age from 11 to 13, provide such services.

"It's very rare that middle schools do this," said Divya Mohan, a spokeswoman for the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care.

The Portland School Committee voted 5-2 for the measure.

Chairman John Coynie voted against it, saying he felt providing the birth control was a parental responsibility. The other no vote came from Ben Meiklejohn, who said the consent form does not clearly define the services being offered.

Opponents cited religious and health objections.

Diane Miller, who said she has worked as a school nurse in another district for eight years, called the proposal "tragic" and asked "What would God have us do?"

Miller said the plan gives children an adult responsibility they are not ready for, and puts them at risk from sexually transmitted disease and emotional problems.

"I just don't know how we can even look at this and consider it," she said.

Peter Doyle, a former middle school teacher, said the proposal violates the rights of parents, potentially ignoring their special knowledge of their children's health, and puts young girls at risk of cancer from too early use of hormone-based contraceptives.

"You all are going to be responsible for the devastating effects on young women when this goes through," he said.

Those who favored the plan said it isn't about encouraging premature sex, but protecting kids who don't have strong support from their parents.

"Unfortunately, not every child is getting the kind of parental involvement that is going to help keep them safe," said Richard Verrier.

"If my daughter were not able to talk with me about something, if she couldn't reach me for whatever reason, to keep her safe and healthy, I would want to make sure she had access to those resources from trusted adults," Verrier said.

Condoms have been available since 2002 to King students who have parental permission to be treated at its student health center.

About one-fourth of student health centers that serve at least one grade of adolescents 11 and older dispense some form of contraception, said Mohan, whose Washington-based organization represents more than 1,700 school-based centers nationwide.

At King Middle School, birth control prescriptions will be given after a student undergoes a physical exam by a physician or nurse practitioner, said Lisa Belanger, who oversees Portland's student health centers.

Students treated at the centers must first get written parental permission, but under state law such treatment is confidential, and students decide for themselves whether to tell their parents about the services they receive.

Five of the 134 students who visited King's health center during the 2006-07 school year reported having sexual intercourse, said Amanda Rowe, lead nurse in Portland's school health centers.

A high school in Topeka, Kan., on Wednesday stopped providing free condoms to students after district officials learned of the month-old program. The district has a policy against providing contraceptives.

Why I'm Not Emerging: A Brief Response to the Emergent Church

(This article, while written in 2005, contains many great points and fair analysis about the EC movement.)


by James MacDonald

Let me begin with a word of personal appreciation for the current leaders of the emerging church movement. I am deeply grateful for your courage in standing against the many shortcomings of the modern western church. Thanks for insisting that authenticity in relationship is the foundation of genuine Christian community. Thanks for standing against the formulaic/instant Gospel which fills our churches with tares and insulates the human heart from a genuine transformational encounter with the living Christ. Thanks also for daring to believe that failure is not final and that Christ yet longs for His bride to function with the health and wholeness He created it to enjoy.

In case you are wondering why my gratitude for the leaders of the emerging church does not translate into enthusiasm for their current emphasis and direction let me take a few words to explain why I am not emerging.

Because observing the bad is not a credential for guiding us to the good.

Even if every placard-carrying protestor across from the White House has a legitimate complaint, they will not soon be invited to cross the street and participate in governing our nation. The hippies of the late sixties told us that the choice to “make love, not war” would go a long way toward solving society’s ills. We now know however that free love is a fast track to rampant perversion and escalating victimization of the innocent among us. History is replete with proof that those most articulate about our shortcomings are often least able to bring balanced, objective solutions. I resonate deeply with much of the criticism flowing from the emerging church against current western Christianity, but I am deeply grieved to see the emergent remedies accepted so uncritically by those who feel gratified by the accuracy of their critiques. Knowing the soup is bad does not make one a chef. If successful diagnosis was a license to treat the patient every lab technician would be a surgeon . . . scary.

Because God is looking for obedience to revealed truth, not just sincerity.

I have had numerous interactions and time to personally observe several of the key emerging leaders such as Chris Seay, Carol Childress, Dave Travis, Leonard Sweet, Brian McLaren and Rob Bell. Some I have only spoken with, others I consider to be dear friends, but each that I have been exposed to give strong evidence that they are sincere and genuinely committed to Jesus Christ. If all that Christ asked of us was a gracious, kind demeanor they would be exemplary indeed; however the Lord is asking for much more. In John 14:21 Jesus taught “he who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.” We are expected to obey our Master and to accept His Word without equivocation. Cavalier questioning of the explicit statements of Scripture regarding the necessity of the new birth, the priority of biblical proclamation or the binding authority and sufficiency of Scripture cannot build a stronger, more Christ- honoring church no matter how sincere the messengers. Critiquing the church is good, disregarding or diminishing the revealed truth of our Founder is not good, no matter how ‘nice’ the people are who do it.

Because Christ’s is a kingdom of substance, not style.

Candles and bells, paintings and sculpture, incense and chanting—great! Let’s bring back the best of all those offerings of worship, but let’s not confuse style and substance. According to Jesus, it’s still truth that sets you free—not artistic expression. Wearing suits and ties is certainly not necessary and it can be contrived and unnatural, but wearing jeans and sandals is not a means to the revealed presence of Christ. John 14:21 teaches that obedience to the substance of Christ’s teaching brings His “manifest presence,” not forms—old or new. In most of these discussions we are simply inserting an ancient-dead form in place of a modern-dead one. The former feels new because it’s so ancient, as in “wow, we lit candles and sat in circles at church—that was so powerful.” Or wait, was it the form that was powerful or just the broken routine that allowed my heart to worship with fresh sincerity? The renewed, ancient forms of worship are powerful if they are offered in spirit and truth and will become just as worthless as they become routine. The power of Christ is not experienced in style, but in heart-felt substance and to miss that point is to set the stage for Emerging Church II when our kids get sick of the currently cool. Style is fun and fresh methods can promote sincerity, but the manifest presence of Christ which is the life of the church comes in response to biblical substance from the heart, not surface adjustments which can quickly become an end in themselves.

Because the answer is Jesus, not cultural analysis.

Several times in the past few years we have baptized more than 200 adults in our church in a single weekend. When you listen to so many concurrent stories of conversion to Christ in such a short period of time, you get a clear picture of how it happens. “I was going along thinking I was ‘too sexy for my shirt,’ and God dropped a boulder on my life to break me down and get my attention.” While the label on the boulder may change, the story does not. Bottom line: God uses the painful circumstances of life to soften human hearts and bring people to faith in Christ. In the past few years we have analyzed our culture ad nauseum. Cultures don’t come to Christ, individuals do and the fields are more ripe for harvest than ever before. Our endless discussion of culture has become just an elitist substitute for rolling up our sleeves and getting the Good News to the people who are hurting right now! Baby Boomer, GenX, Postmodern, blah, blah, blah. The discussion itself is modernistic and we’re just talking to ourselves. How about a more compassionate extension of our own life in Christ and please . . . a lot less perpetual babbling about culture, which even when rightly observed is not the answer, duh—Jesus is!

Because Jesus is the purpose for the party, not the surprise hiding in the closet of respectability.

If you have not traveled to the places in our world where the Gospel of Christ is spreading like wild-fire, I covet that opportunity for you. What you find there is not careful connoisseurs of some Rodeo Drive Jesus, but flag-waving, flame-throwing, on-fire followers of Christ. The power of God’s Spirit is moving because Jesus is experienced, adored and proclaimed in all of His transcendent glory. Why do so many of the emerging church websites speak of God/Father and less overtly or not at all about Jesus Christ the Lord? Claiming to be post modern we are still marketing Jesus and hiding Him in the closet of respectability until we feel like people are ready to handle Him. Jesus can’t be handled and He doesn’t need spin doctors. I know we’re pretty fussy about music forms, but let’s bring back an old chorus, This Little Light of Mine, and in case we’ve forgotten the answer to “hide it under a bushel?” is NO!
Anyway . . .

I am thankful for the honest and often accurate critiques of current western Christianity flowing from the emerging church movement. I strongly desire to see them show greater promise in the arena of solutions or at least be more open to analysis from outside their community than they have been to date. (Witness the harsh rejection, rather than careful analysis of D.A. Carson’s book, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church on many emergent blogs )

These are some of the factors affecting my decision not to emerge. What I am doing is hoping, praying and spending myself, along with many others, for “revival in the church in America in our lifetime.” The problems in the western church are extreme: legalism or license, dead orthodoxy or compromised consumerism, professional entertainers with pop psychology or angry disregard for the sinful world Jesus weeps for. The western church in our lifetime has become an awful mess, but Jesus is not giving up on her and neither should we. Now hear this: the answer we desperately need is a fresh move of God. We need a renewed vision of God’s exalted, infinite holiness. We need an overwhelming sense of our own pride and personal sinfulness. We need our eyes lifted from the bankruptcy of cultural reflection to the crucified, risen, glorified Christ. There must be a returning to the centrality of the unadorned Gospel and the power of God’s Spirit to redeem, restore and rebuild broken lives. We need men and women on fire with passionate confidence in the power of God’s Word proclaimed; not because pagans say they want it, but because God promises to bless it. In short, what we need, what we desperately need is a renewing work of God that will cut a swath of revival across our land like a tornado across a Kansas wheat field. That’s what we need and nothing else will do. In fact anything else is window dressing. Most urgently I am praying that we will repent and turn from the horizontal, man-centered focus that grieves God’s Spirit and prevents the presence of Christ from emerging more fully in our midst.

Why Unity In Doctrine Is Essential - Part 1

By Dr. Opal Reddin

We agree with David Wells when he says, "there is no Christian faith in the absence of 'sound doctrine' (1 Tim. 1:10; Tit. 1:9)." Without it, we have neither the Father nor the Son (2 Jn. 9). We are told to "contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). We must "guard" this faith (2 Tim. 1:13-14; 4:3). We know that this faith was stated in propositional truths, for Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "I plead with you that you all speak the same thing and that there be no division among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Cor. 1:10). It is on this basis that churches have statements of fundamental truths. Belief and practice are inextricably linked (1 Jn. 2:3-3:18).

There are two kinds of division, one of God and the other of Satan. When Paul warned against division, he was referring to bad division, caused by false doctrine. Some "depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). In John's Epistles he warned, "Many antichrists have come . . .they went out from us, but they were not of us" (1 Jn. 2:18-19). Regarding fellowship, he wrote, "If anyone comes with another doctrine, do not receive him . . .for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds" (2 Jn. 10,11). Paul told the Romans to "mark those who cause division contrary to the doctrine which you have learned" and avoid them (16:17).

There is good, necessary division, the result of being separated from Error by the Truth (Jn. 17:17). Jesus said, "I came to bring division" (Lk. 12:51); He separated His Church from the Judaism that rejected Him (Jn. 1:11). Paul maintained this separation by exposing the Judaizing heresy as "another (accursed) Gospel" (Gal. 1:6-9). Without this division, Christianity would have gradually become merely a sect of Judaism.

God Now Censored

Source: FoxNews.com

U.S. Congressmen are now being prohibited from using references to God in official correspondence from the Capitol building including, "under God" in the pledge, "God bless you," or "in the year of our Lord".

Washington, DC: Recently, Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo) was astonished when she flew a flag over the U.S. Capitol Building as a tribute to a senior citizen, and the accompanying certificate she received was edited with all religious references removed.

The Congresswoman was more astounded when, upon further investigation, she discovered the certificate was censored by order of the Architect of the Capitol, an unelected official who manages the flag office and other various operations within the Capitol Building.

Responding to a request for a flag flown over the United States Capitol in honor of a World War II veteran's 81st birthday, the Congresswoman ordered the flag and a certificate to state: "This flag was flown for Mr. John Doe on the occasion of his 81st birthday, the eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord, 2007. Thank you, Grandpa, for showing me what it is to be a true patriot -- to love God, family, and country. We love you!"

When the flag and certificate came back from the flag office, each reference to the Lord and God were removed.

In response, Congresswoman Musgrave alerted two of her colleagues. Joining her were Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA) and Congressman Michael Turner (R-OH). This group of lawmakers confronted Architect Stephen Ayers seeking to find the authority he was given to restrict their freedom of speech and religious expression.

Failing to provide the lawmakers a clear justification of his authority, the Architect has stood his ground and warned that because reference to God and the Lord may offend some Americans he prohibits them from being placed on official documents such as flag certificates.

"Our Founding Fathers fought against this sort of tyranny so every American citizen could freely express themselves and practice their religion. It's unfathomable that a bureaucrat in Washington today would think it is acceptable to silence the religious expression of lawmakers," said Musgrave.

"Flying flags over the Capitol is a traditional way to honor local residents. I was shocked when it came back with a censored certificate. I was even more shocked by the lack of reason the Architect has shown. He clearly has no basis for his actions and has displayed poor judgment on this matter," continued Musgrave.

Why Have Doctrines?

I came across an old letter written by Dr. Opal Reddin in response to some A/G ministers asking this question years ago. Given the current struggle that many face as to why it is important to believe the right things about Christianity and the Bible - thought this letter brings up some great points:


"Do we want doctrinal purity? Do we want doctrines? Referring to Pentecostals and Charismatics, one very popular speaker/author recently said that "people don't want doctrine, they just want Him (God)." The writer seems to believe that people can experience God without all the fuss about doctrine.

The Assemblies of God has been delineated as being strong on Experience and weak on Doctrine. Admittedly, we have been too busy trying to evangelize the world to take time to write many "scholarly" tomes, but we have known what we believe. In my time at Fuller Theological Seminary, I was often asked, "What does the AoG believe about this?" I suffered no embarrassment whatever as I always had an answer for any who asked about any doctrinal belief.

It's true that when the 300-plus Pentecostals met in Hot Springs, April 2, 1914 to form the General Council of the Assemblies of God they disdained a formal doctrinal statement. It indeed was a biblical experience they could not deny that had caused them to be driven out of their respective denominations. Since the majority were already "Bereans" and well grounded in the Word, they saw no need for a rigid creed.

(However) It was new "Revelation" that made the young movement realize the need for written "Statement of Fundamental Truths". The (new) "Revelation" was also termed "The New Issue", "Jesus Only", "Oneness", and "Pentecostal Unitarianism". To counteract what the majority could not accept, sixteen doctrines were enunciated at the fourth General Council in 1916. The second doctrinal statement, "The One True God", is almost as lengthy as all the others combined because of the need to defend Trinitarian doctrine against the errors of Unitarianism.

In Anointed To Serve, Dr. William Menzies wrote, "It is remarkable after all of these years the Statement of Fundamental Truths, as it was called, has remained virtually unchanged, with but minor rewording for the sake of clarification in recent years." (GPH, 1971, 119). Presently we face a deja vu: Many Pentecostals and Charismatics are saying ones belief about the Godhead does not matter. I urge each of you to review your understanding of the Trinity. In fact, since many of the "Latter Rain" false teachings are being recycled, why not teach our 16 fundamental doctrines to your congregation? A member of the board of directors told me last week that he's teaching them in Sunday school and the class is growing! They love doctrine, well taught."

In Spirit and Truth,

Opal Reddin


My note: We are definitely having deja vu again today! This time around I would urge our ministers to review their understanding of the Virgin Birth, Substitutionary Atonement, Inerrancy of Scripture and the reality of Hell, just to name of few. Because there are so called "Evangelicals" today who are questioning the veracity of these core doctrines of Christianity. People do love doctrine well taught. We've been doing a Wednesday night study of these 16 fundamental truths and the groups are growing. In fact, we've had better attendance for this study than any other - and folks even had to buy a book for their study groups. I think too often pastors underestimate the desire their people have to learn Biblical doctrine and be versed well enough to never "suffer embarrassment" from not being able to answer a question about their faith. In fact such knowledge may just keep them out of divorce court, the counselor's office, the Kingdom Hall, the Mormon Temple....

Fundamental Christians Cause Atheism?

From Newsbusters:

ABC may have set a loathsome new MSM low in insulting traditional Christians. On today's "Good Morning America," the network lumped the "Christan right" with the 9-11 Islamic terrorists as driving people to atheism.

Keying off an atheists convention being held this weekend, GMA ran a segment on the "Rise in Atheism." Seeking to explain the phenomenon, as images rolled first of the WTC in flames and then of a man placidly holding a sign that simply read "One Nation Under God" and of a display at a demonstration of the Ten Commandments, ABC's Liz Marlantes stated:

Some are reacting to religious extremism, like the Islamic fundamentalism behind the terrorist attacks of 9-11, but also the rise of the Christian right in the U.S.

So there it is. To ABC, traditional Christians are as responsible for making people doubt God as the 9-11 terrorists. People peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights by displaying the Ten Commandments or a sign containing an excerpt from the Pledge of Allegiance as faith-shattering as terrorists who murder thousands by flying airplanes into buildings.

Does MSM anti-Christian bias get any worse than this? ABC owes an apology.

NOTE: In making the case that atheism is growing, Marlantes mentioned that "Congress now has its first self-proclaimed atheist." But while displaying his image [shown here], ABC didn't in any way identify him. He is Pete Stark (D-Calif.)

My note: In the future prepare for the harshest criticism of Biblical Christianity to come from within the 'church'. Articles like this will give illustrative rise to emergents and others of their ilk as to why we shouldn't take the Bible literally, and why all good Christians should shun the 'fundamental' label. They would never use the term 'dumb down the gospel' but that is what will be promoted as hell is deconstructed, the atonement is diluted, the virgin birth is written off and holy living is something for narrow minded legalists.

By Their Fruits

Are you confused about the what “emergent church” believes? Click HERE to get the scoop.

Protecting Your Heart From Deceit

I'm an admirer of Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel. I became even more impressed with him as I heard him speak to our Ohio ministers this past spring via interview by our Superintendent. I love the statement he always makes when his team is leading in the second half of taking the "surest path to victory". The rationale is if you're holding a lead late in the game and winning being the goal - don't do anything to mess that up. Makes a lot of sense.

Spiritually it makes a lot of sense as well. As Christians there is a way that we can take the surest path to victory and guard our hearts from deception and heresy - this surest path is the proper study of the Bible. Many will agree that the Bible is the infallible and authoritative Word of God. But how can we make sure we have the proper interpretation of the Bible? How do we ensure that our understanding of God's Word is the right one?

Human history is littered with desperately deceived people misusing and misquoting the Bible to advance a cause or an agenda. Some pretty awful things have been done in God's name throughout history. It's our job as genuine Christians to make sure that we don't make those kinds of mistakes - and the job of pastors to equip and train the wonderful people that God has entrusted us with to guard against this deception.

Here's a thumbnail sketch of how we can make sure we are understanding and interpreting the Bible in the proper way:

First, pray for wisdom before you begin reading. James says: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5.

Historically people tend to fall into doctrinal error when they become Biblically unbalanced. James again says: "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure..." The wisdom of the Lord guards us from error and heresy because it is first pure, or true. Remember there are some great people, preachers, teachers and some wonderful human beings both historically and currently who have fallen off the wagon theologically and fallen into error because of this very point. Only a humble reliance on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit can keep us sound. No one is exempt from this.

Next make sure you are right with God before you study. This requires listening to the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit. If you've been convicted of something in your life and you've ignored doing something about it - beware. Some have tried to plow through the Bible while living in adultery, or other gross sin, and seem to 'not see' or gloss over the scripture that deals with their very sin. Others have fallen into error because they were opening the Bible to try to find a 'verse' to justify themselves. This has sadly led some down the path to the devastatingly false "God told me" conclusions. I can't tell you how many times in dealing with people over the last twenty years I've heard: "God told me to" or, "God showed me this". While I knew it couldn't have been the God of the Bible that did the telling, the person went on to shipwreck their life via a poor choice in a marriage, a relationship or some other ill-fated idea blamed on God. It's difficult to argue with a person who's told you "God told me to". That's why we, who would use that line of reasoning, must humbly examine our hearts and lives with a fine tooth comb - and ask for the Holy Spirit's assistance while doing so.

A third step to ensure proper Biblical understanding is - be ready to admit you're wrong. Something I've discovered as I've studied the Bible verse by verse, is that some of the views I've held weren't biblical. It wasn't anything deep, dark and hideous, but it was places where my thinking wasn't consistent with God's Word. I realized that I was wrong and had to align my thinking with God's thinking. Sometimes it's wisdom to suspend what you might think on a certain topic until you can do some in depth study in the Word on the topic. It's much easier to say "I'm not sure - I'm studying it out right now", than to speak and later have to retract.

Finally, be sure that the Bible is the first place you turn. Not Christian TV, not a pastor, not the Internet - but the Word of God. As a pastor, I'm intent upon Christians thinking and digging in the Word and not being told what to think. This is accomplished by Christians getting into the Word of Life for themselves and prayerfully studying it out.

Ponder for a moment how much more sermons would "hit you where you live" if you and the preacher were on the same page. This assumes that the preacher is actually and primarily using the Bible in his preaching, and that the listener is studying their Bible regularly. It can be that powerful when we realize that God is speaking to us from His Word - today! God has been revealed to us as a God who desires intimate fellowship with us (1 John 1). As Christians everything we do should be "Father filtered", so our thinking in all areas of life should have as its basis the Word of God.

How Saved Are We?

That’s a disturbing question.

But observing the average American Christian today, it’s painfully obvious that something has run amok. I’m not even talking about heretical movements that are flaunting false doctrine in abundance today - nor am I referring to declining church attendance. My concern is for those who are sitting in our pews.

The “sheep” are becoming more difficult to recognize as sheep. We’re undoubtedly reaping the fruit from decades of preaching a soft Savior, salvation without self denial, a crown without a cross and using unbiblical language like “accept” Jesus as one’s Savior (He accepts us).

So how many of our “sheep” have really experienced Biblical salvation? The late Dr. D. James Kennedy pondered the same question, when he stated that based on the empirical evidence, he had come to the conclusion that “75-80% of people attending church weren’t really saved.”

Jim Elliff essentially asks the same in his article about the Southern Baptist Church when he said: “When as many as 70-90% of “converts” are giving little if any evidence of being saved after their first weeks or months of emotional excitement, questions should be asked, both about our understanding of the gospel and about our methods.”

Questions indeed - and the biggest one - How saved are we?

Many church goers would say that they "know who they are in Christ” - but I must kindly beg to differ. Only 1-2% of Christians EVER share their faith - blatantly ignoring even an attempt at fulfilling the Great Commission. The divorce rate is actually higher in the church than it is in the world. (I've cited on this blog that the divorce rate among church attenders is actually higher than it is among atheists). The percentage of Christians involved in cohabitation and other sexual promiscuity rivals the world’s numbers. Again I wonder, how saved are we?

Ron Sider, author of The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience says, “If American Christians simply gave a tithe rather than the current one-quarter of a tithe, there would be enough private Christian dollars to provide basic health care and education to all the poor of the earth. And we would still have an extra $60–70 billion left over for evangelism around the world.” Apparently us church folks aren’t the most generous bunch either. That flies in the face of the very definition of a true Christian.

Evidence points to the fact that, by and large, we have a defective church. And the reason? We have preached a defective message. We have done a big disservice to our hearers in two ways: We have failed to tell them the old life must end; and we have failed to definitively show them the new life in Him. The truth is our Americanized modern gospel has created a lot of followers who are not true sheep, but geese - as in, lost as a goose.

The sad and difficult part is, many actually believe they are saved merely because they may have said some sort of a prayer, perhaps have a church membership card in their wallets or maybe even have baptism waters dripping off of their face.

John MacArthur, speaking about some of these church attenders who populate the American church: “People are breezing through these wide, comfortable gates with all their baggage, their self needs, their self esteem, and their desire for fulfillment and self satisfaction. And the most horrible thing about it is, they think they are going to heaven.”

The preaching of Biblical salvation is long overdue. So how Biblical is our salvation? Here is Biblical salvation in a nutshell:

1. To be saved there has to be a complete, utter surrender and sellout to Jesus Christ. This is often referred to as “believing in Jesus” or “putting your trust” in Him. God’s holy Son died for the world. The Perfect One suffered a criminals death. He bore all of our sin on the cross. The Righteous Lamb died for foul sinners. He paid the price completely for sin. We sinned. He died. We were guilty. He was punished. We deserve death. He gave us life. We rejected Him. He accepted us. Salvation is through Him completely. We add NOTHING to our salvation. It’s a gift of God given by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ the Righteous.

2. With this sellout, there is something called repentance. Repentance is a change of mind, a change of direction - we abandon the sin we used to partake in. Jesus described our salvation experience as being “born again”. That describes an upheaval. A drastic change. A brand new start. Does that sound familiar? When the Spirit of the Living God comes to inhabit our lives, there should be a big difference - a before and after - Liars stop lying. Thieves stop stealing.

It’s time to wake up the pew sitters in America with the truth. It may be shocking and offensive to many that have been lulled asleep by having their ears tickled, but it will be oh so healing, redemptive and life changing.

“Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Ephesians 5:14.

The Intoxicating Blogosphere - A Cautionary Tale

I really love to write. Preachers are supposed to like to golf - but I never was good enough to justify the the outlay of cash necessary to 'chase the little white ball'.

That's when I discovered blogging. A fun way to write, relax and even read and learn. But then comes comments - yes, actual people visiting one's blog and making comments about what you've written, positive, negative, it mattered not - it was readership! That's when I began to really delve into to the "blogosphere"! As it progressed I discovered a wonderful little idol called a 'counter'. This little device tracks and breaks down every single bit of traffic to your blog in so many ways it makes your head spin - and it's pretty cool. Then I discovered when I write on certain topics that interest me - my counter climbed! Cool! That meant more visitors coming to read what I've written, more comments. That was very cool. At least I thought.

Then it sort of hit me - and a commenter on another blog I think sums up this blog traffic 'high' by this statement they made:

"I have to admit I hadn’t spent too much time at ********** in the past few months, once I realized I was there simply for the “train wreck” appeal of it all. In some articles the prideful part of me would pop up and say, 'I would never do a thing like that!'"

And that is it indeed - the more contentious the topic - the more readers. Don't misunderstand, the topics I write and wrote about are things I am very passionate about, very concerned with and believe with all my heart and still do. And lets face it, not many care to read about my family vacation to Mackinac Island, or my children starting a new school.

The whole blog "gig" became rather intoxicating - and for me, rather wrong.

Here's what the Lord reminded me of yesterday: I am responsible for how people perceive me. I should do everything I can to make sure I am representing Jesus Christ and myself in the most accurate and the most Christ honoring way I can. This nearly led me to deleting this entire blog yesterday - and the reason is I honestly have no desire to argue with or be contentious with brothers in Christ. After being called some unsavory and hurtful things - I realized that how I was being perceived by some wasn't the real me.

The reason why lies in the very nature of electronic communication (blog, email, etc.). There is a very key component in this medium that is missing - TONE.

When one makes strong statements in communicating, tone can be your best friend. When preaching, strong statements come off much better because people can see the smile, see my tears, hear the concern in my voice, hear the humor - and it all makes sense and it is understood what kind of person I am and the spirit in which the message is delivered.

Sadly, people who only 'read' what I say electronically don't get to see or hear the above mentioned tonal qualities, which may lead some to conclusions about me that aren't true. Then some, armed with "Internet muscles" are glad to pull out the sword and use it on someone they've never met because they've rushed to conclusions about my heart and the spirit in which I deliver things that simply aren't true.

The solution? I remember that I'm responsible for how people perceive me - and now in this day and age that includes electronically.

So in that spirit, I back off, apologize to whomever I need to apologize to for coming across in a manner that was not my intent.

I make it a practice to evaluate criticism - if it has any merit, I receive it and repent - for the misguided hurtful criticism that has no merit - it's water off a ducks back.

The final analysis is that I set my face like flint to go after Jesus with more passion and more humility than ever before - I will continue holding my God given convictions and taking my stand for the Lord.

Why Orthodoxy Isn't Enough

(From Humble Orthodoxy - written by Justin Blizzard)


I’m committed to humble orthodoxy because orthodoxy isn’t enough.

Mere orthodoxy, mere correctness of doctrine, mere mental knowledge of biblical truth, isn’t enough to drive what I’m called to do as a man, husband, father, pastor, and missionary to the San Francisco Peninsula. Let me explain.

James 2 gives one of Scripture’s sharpest statements that God wants his people to operate with something more than mere orthodoxy, for even non-Christians, even enemies of God, can be orthodox: “Even the demons believe…” (James 2:19). James 2:19 is our reason why orthodoxy needs an adjective. I suppose we could place many different adjectives in front of the word “orthodoxy” which would help us move beyond the useless “demon orthodoxy” of James 2. Maybe what we need is “obedient” orthodoxy? Maybe what Christ wants from us is a “passionate” orthodoxy? Or “purpose-driven” orthodoxy?

It would seem to me that “humble” is the most appropriate adjective for describing the kind of orthodoxy the Bible calls Christians to cultivate. Though I became a Christian when I was just a young boy, I’ve lived most of my life with an aversion to humility. Until a few years ago, just hearing the word “humble” caused allergic reactions. My pride runs deep. I’m the kind of guy, the kind of Christian, who thinks he has what it takes to wake up in the morning, get dressed, and go out and live with an obedient, passionate, purpose-driven orthodoxy that pleases God, blesses my family, turns heads, converts thousands, and causes others to be really impressed with me…and maybe also with God.

Though I probably still woke up this morning with that same default, prideful frame of mind, humility has become attractive to me. The aversion has melted. I now hear the adjective “humble” and I’m drawn in. I want this word to mark my life. There are two reasons for this: failure and Jesus. I’ve come to realize that left to myself, I’m not much better than the demons. I can fill my mind with orthodox thoughts about God, yet live a life unchanged. As obedient, passionate, and purpose-driven as I aim to be in my orthodoxy, I fail: I don’t enjoy and glorify God, serve my wife, love my son, pastor my sheep, or love my lost neighbors here in the un-churched San Francisco Bay Area as the Bible calls for me to do. I can’t do it. I need help. I need a Savior.

I’ve come to see that I need Jesus my Savior every single day of my Christian life. That’s the heart of orthodoxy, the heart of the Bible, the heart of the gospel: living this Christian life that brings glory to God and redemption to the world requires, pivots upon, the Savior. And that’s true not just for day one, but for every single day of the Christian life. I’m committed to humble orthodoxy because humble orthodoxy highlights my Savior. And without a humble, daily reliance upon Jesus, I can’t be orthodox. It’s taken me a long time to realize this. It’s going to take the rest of my life to apply this. By the grace of God, game on.

Do Apostles Exist Today?

We're having some great discussion on this topic over here. I'm going to repost some thoughts on this topic:

Here are some common misconceptions of what an apostle is (via Anton Bosch):

-Apostles run denominations.
-Apostles receive supernatural extra Biblical revelation like Paul did.
-Apostles have authority that supersedes scripture.
-Apostles succeed one another -(as in a continuous line since Peter).
-Apostles are the highest authority in the church.
-Apostles are inward (churchward) while Evangelists are outward.

A good working definition of Apostle: Quoting from Thayer's the word apostle literally means: "a delegate, messenger, on sent forth with orders."

Apostles are literally those who have been sent out on a mission - from this concept we get the word "missionary".

So to the question - "Do Apostles exist today?"

The truth is, being an 'apostle' is a calling just like being a 'pastor'. What makes one a pastor? A title? A position? A degree from a Seminary or Bible College? I believe most pastors will answer 'none of the above' - what makes one a pastor is the Divine call on your life that you felt at some point in your history and continues burning brightly today. An apostle is called in the same way.

The problem we face today in believing apostles exist - is this "mystical" view of what an apostle is. We've gotten into our minds that if you're an apostle, then your shadow must be healing people. This is simply not the case.

Apostles today are some of the people you might know - church planters, missionaries, movers and shakers that are called of God to be such. Some might also pastor a church like Paul did for a time.

Biblically apostles are those:

-Who are sent out to preach the gospel.
-They establish churches.
-They confirm and establish the churches they start through follow-up visits.
-They appoint elders and pastors to oversee the local churches.

I don't know how other movements work, but this describes several missionaries that I know personally in the A/G. That's not to say every missionary is an apostle - because that wouldn't be accurate. By the same token I also believe every man behind a pulpit isn't necessarily gifted to be a pastor even though he (or she) may carry that title.

These apostles I know do things that I couldn't do - go places I can't, establish things I couldn't, endure things that make me cringe. They are undoubtedly gifted as Biblical apostles.

We have not lost apostles today, we simply cease to identify them for what they are.

Usually the guys that have it on their business cards - ARE NOT IT! God didn't call us to be legends in our own minds - but humble, broken servants of Christ that would gladly die for the cause of Christ. THESE are the type men that I know and call apostles.

Dr. D. James Kennedy, 1930-2007

“Now, I know that someday I am going to come to what some people will say is the end of this life. They will probably put me in a box and roll me right down here in front of the church, and some people will gather around, and a few people will cry. But I have told them not to do that because I don’t want them to cry. I want them to begin the service with the Doxology and end with the Hallelujah chorus, because I am not going to be there, and I am not going to be dead. I will be more alive than I have ever been in my life, and I will be looking down upon you poor people who are still in the land of dying and have not yet joined me in the land of the living. And I will be alive forevermore, in greater health and vitality and joy than ever, ever, I or anyone has known before.”

D. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

I've Officially Seen It All

Why All The Anger At Michael Vick?

Next Monday NFL superstar Michael Vick will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, putting the Atlanta Falcons quarterback's career in question and leaving him subject to a possible prison term. Vick will most certainly face some sort of prison time for his crime.

Not that I think dogfighting is OK - I most certainly don't - but I can't help but wonder why Vick has become public enemy number one? The protester's are out in full force wanting Vick's head on a platter.

Isn't Vick merely exercising his right not to raise those dogs? They were inconvenient to his lifestyle right now - perhaps he wasn't ready to raise dogs right now at this time in his life? Raising dogs takes time and money and if a person isn't ready for that, then they shouldn't have to go through with raising them. They were, after all, his dogs - so it was his choice...right?

For those who are unable recognize my sarcasm font, these are the exact same reasons used to execute human babies in this country every single day - the deplorable practice known as abortion.

This entire saga is a clear picture of how twisted and morally corrupt we are as a nation. For some of the very same people who are protesting Vick's mistreatment of dogs - are the very same people who are screaming to keep legal the vicious dismemberment of human babies in the womb.

Now a man will spend time in jail for killing some dogs - which is just.

But meanwhile, men are living free and luxurious lifestyles they've earned from the babies they've killed - that is unjust.

House Church Blues

(Excerpt from, Building Blocks of the Church: Re-examining the Basics)

"The house church idea is not a new one. It finds its roots in an overemphasis of the fact that the New Testament churches frequently met in homes. In some parts of the world, such as China, it is a spontaneous God-ordained movement. In most Western countries however, these "churches" are generally populated and promoted by discontents and reactionaries who had been either hurt or disillusioned by the excesses and failures of the Charismatic revival.

At the outset, however, it must be said that the New Testament did meet in homes, but not exclusively so.

The first problem with this line of (house church) thinking is that it is strongly and negatively influenced by the bad experiences and frustrations in established churches. This is experiential theology in reverse and it works as follows: 'Because authority is abused in some churches, we will have no authority in ours. Because there is an over-emphasis on money in some, we will not participate in any form of giving. Because theological training has opened the door for some ungifted men to enter the ministry, we will not have anything to do with anyone who has a (theological) academic background. Because some full time ministers are lazy and abuse their privilege, 'we shoot paid preachers.' Because some sermons are boring, we reject all forms of formal preaching and teaching.'"

Building Blocks Of The Church

From the Preface:

"There is a strong possibility that Jesus will completely reject many of the ministries that are currently conducted in His name - even some of the ministries that boast about pulling down demonic strongholds in the name of Jesus, as well as ministries proclaiming false, extra biblical prophecies as special communications from God: 'Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!' Matthew 7:22-23."

Contending Contentiously

A must read from Anton Bosch at Herescope Blog

"Let me be very clear on this: No one who is not involved in a local church (no matter how small), and who does not regularly teach the Truth, has the right to teach against error! There is no mention of a fault-finding, or critical ministry in the Bible. It is those who are “apt to teach” the Truth, who also then point out the error and warn concerning the wolves....

Every spectator on the sidelines of a sports game knows better how to play the game than anyone on the field! Yet there is no room for arm-chair critics in the church – only for those who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty with the vomit and diapers of new babes."

God All Sufficient

By Dr. Opal Reddin

LORD GOD ALMIGHTY
Omnipotent King, Lion of Judah, Rock of Ages, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Provider, Protector, Paternal, Leader Ruling Lord and Reigning King of all the universe.
He is Father, He is Helper, He is Guardian, and He is God. He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, He is the Keeper of Creation and Creator of all He keeps; The Architect of the universe and manager of all times. He always was, He always is, and always will be...unmoved, unchanged, undefeated, and never undone.
He was bruised and brought healing .He was pierced and eased pain. He was persecuted and brought freedom. He was dead and brought life. He is risen and brings power. He reigns and brings peace.
The world can't understand Him, the armies can't defeat Him the schools can't explain Him, and leaders can't ignore Him. Herod couldn't kill Him, The pharisees couldn't confuse Him, People couldn't hold Him, Nero couldn't crush Him, Hitler couldn't silence Him, The New Age can't replace Him, And Oprah can't explain Him away!
He is Light, Love, Longevity and Lord. He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God He is Holy, Righteous, Mighty, Powerful and Pure. His ways are right His word is eternal, His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me!
He is my Savior, He is my Guide,
He is my Peace, He is my Joy,
He is my Comfort. He is my Lord and He rules my life.
I serve Him because He is God and is worthy to be served. His bond is love, His burden is light, and His goal for me is abundant life.
I follow Him because He is...THE wisdom, THE power of the powerful, THE ancient of days, THE ruler of rulers, THE leader of leaders, THE overseer of overcomers and sovereign Lord of all that was and is and is to come.
Now if that seems impressive to you, try this on for size. His goal is a relationship with ME !He will never leave me, never forsake me, Never mislead me, never forget me, never overlook me,and never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!
When I fall, He lifts me up. When I fail, He forgives. When I am weak, He is strong. When I am lost, He is the way. When I am afraid, He is my courage. When I stumble, He steadies me. When I am hurt, He heals me. When I am broken, He mends me .When I am blind, He leads me. When I am hungry, He feeds me. When I face trials, He is with me. When I face persecution, He shields me. When I face problems, He is the answer When I face loss, He provides for me. When I face death, HE carries me Home! He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every time, and every way.
He is God, He is faithful and true, I am His and He is mine.
My Father in Heaven has already defeated the father of this world, and so if you're asking why I stand and feel so secure, understand this; He said it, and that settles it.
God is in control, I am on his side, and that means all is well with my soul.
Every day is a blessing for... GOD IS!

A Day At The Musuem

I had the wonderful privilege of attending the grand opening of the Creation Museum yesterday and it was truly spectacular. Designed by a former Universal Studios exhibit director, the museum does a wonderful job of clearly defining the literal view of Genesis, defining what special creation is, why there is suffering on the earth today, and also presents the clear and Biblical plan of salvation. A great point is made throughout as well that there is no such thing as "brute facts", but rather, all facts are interpreted. Since Creationists have a different starting point (God created) than Evolutionists (Atheism/Agnosticism), the same scientific facts are therefore interpreted differently.

On a rather humorous note, we were met at the Museum's entrance by about 100 protester's (see pictures below) "warning" us about going in to the museum. Secular society seems to possess and preach one single virtue, tolerance, and from the looks of things yesterday they aren't doing a very good job of upholding their single virtue. Amidst the hate messages, put downs and profanity that was being spewed by this (in)tolerant group (Note that some signs below equate teaching Creation to children as child abuse, and one calls home schooling child abuse) I decided to pull over to take a few pictures. I planned on saying nothing, but one man called out to me and asked me if I was going to the museum. When I answered in the affirmative he told me to be very critical when I go in there. I asked the man if he'd heard of the Scientific Dissent From Darwinism. He replied that there was no such thing. I kindly told him to Google that phrase and be enlightened. He was speechless. I have since learned that there is also an organization called "Doctors doubting Darwin."

It's amazing, but judging from the signs upheld and some of the ignorant comments, many of these folks have evidently blindly followed the lemmings off of the cliff on this issue. They literally have no idea that there is a mountain of science behind Creationism, nor do they realize that there are many scientists behind Creationism as well. I truly felt sorry for these spiritually blind souls. By the looks of some of their faces they really felt they were doing a service of some sort. Romans 1:21-22 speaks about such people:

"Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead."

On one final humorous note, as we got out of our van we were noticing the airplane flying overhead (pictured below) with banner in tow that said: "DEFCON Says: Thou shalt not lie!" I looked at my wife and said, "What's DECON?" She informed me that DECON was rat poison and the word was "DEFCON". How oddly appropriate.

The Old Cross And The New

By A.W. Tozer

ALL UNANNOUNCED AND MOSTLY UNDETECTED there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental.

From this new cross has sprung a new philosophy of the Christian life, and from that new philosophy has come a new evangelical technique-a new type of meeting and a new kind of preaching. This new evangelism employs the same language as the old, but its content is not the same and its emphasis not as before.

The old cross would have no truck with the world. For Adam's proud flesh it meant the end of the journey. It carried into effect the sentence imposed by the law of Sinai. The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure, only now he takes delight in singing choruses and watching religious movies instead of singing bawdy songs and drinking hard liquor. The accent is still on enjoyment, though the fun is now on a higher plane morally if not intellectually.

The new cross encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist does not demand abnegation of the old life before a new life can be received. He preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level. Whatever the sin-mad world happens to be clamoring after at the moment is cleverly shown to be the very thing the gospel offers, only the religious product is better.

The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect. To the self-assertive it says, "Come and assert yourself for Christ." To the egotist it says, "Come and do your boasting in the Lord." To the thrill seeker it says, "Come and enjoy the thrill of Christian fellowship." The Christian message is slanted in the direction of the current vogue in order to make it acceptable to the public.

The philosophy back of this kind of thing may be sincere but its sincerity does not save it from being false. It is false because it is blind. It misses completely the whole meaning of the cross.

The old cross is a symbol of death. It stands for the abrupt, violent end of a human being. The man in Roman times who took up his cross and started down the road had already said good-by to his friends. He was not coming back. He was going out to have it ended. The cross made no compromise, modified nothing, spared nothing; it slew all of the man, completely and for good. It did not try to keep on good terms with its victim. It struck cruel and hard, and when it had finished its work, the man was no more.

The race of Adam is under death sentence. There is no commutation and no escape. God cannot approve any of the fruits of sin, however innocent they may appear or beautiful to the eyes of men. God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him again to newness of life.

That evangelism which draws friendly parallels between the ways of God and the ways of men is false to the Bible and cruel to the souls of its hearers. The faith of Christ does not parallel the world, it intersects it. In coming to Christ we do not bring our old life up onto a higher plane; we leave it at the cross. The corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die.

We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum.

God offers life, but not an improved old life. The life He offers is life out of death. It stands always on the far side of the cross. Whoever would possess it must pass under the rod. He must repudiate himself and concur in God's just sentence against him.

What does this mean to the individual, the condemned man who would find life in Christ Jesus? How can this theology be translated into life? Simply, he must repent and believe. He must forsake his sins and then go on to forsake himself. Let him cover nothing, defend nothing, excuse nothing. Let him not seek to make terms with God, but let him bow his head before the stroke of God's stern displeasure and acknowledge himself worthy to die.

Having done this let him gaze with simple trust upon the risen Saviour, and from Him will come life and rebirth and cleansing and power. The cross that ended the earthly life of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner; and the power that raised Christ from the dead now raises him to a new life along with Christ.

To any who may object to this or count it merely a narrow and private view of truth, let me say God has set His hallmark of approval upon this message from Paul's day to the present. Whether stated in these exact words or not, this has been the content of all preaching that has brought life and power to the world through the centuries. The mystics, the reformers, the revivalists have put their emphasis here, and signs and wonders and mighty operations of the Holy Ghost gave witness to God's approval.

Dare we, the heirs of such a legacy of power, tamper with the truth? Dare we with our stubby pencils erase the lines of the blueprint or alter the pattern shown us in the Mount? May God forbid. Let us preach the old cross and we will know the old power. (A. W. Tozer, Man, the Dwelling Place of God, 1966)

The Single Common Denominator

Paul tells us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Philippians 3:16, "...to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind." In other words whatever has been causing you to grow spiritually - Paul is saying stay on that program.

Growing spiritually is a many faceted stone and certainly begins with daily Bible reading and prayer times. But spiritual growth isn't just a two-faceted stone - there are other important aspects to growing in the Lord.

In a recent church board meeting, as an exercise, we brainstormed whom at our church was growing spiritually and what were the observable reasons why. Those who were growing spiritually had many things in common, but as we pared the list down we discovered that there was one single common denominator: involvement in some type of small group at the church. In Acts 2:42-47 where we find our model for a New Testament church, the aspect of small group fellowship is referred to no less than five times.

The empirical evidence shows that for Christians to be spiritually healthy, they must be on a program that involves small group fellowship and interaction with other believers. This fact is not only consistent with Scripture, but can be observed in the lives of believers today.

This rather answers the age old "can someone be a Christian, yet never attend a church" question. Merely attending church appears to be the bare minimum for a believer - and if someone is a Christian and never attends, they won't be one for long.

Bye-Bye "Lucy"

Well according to this article, evolutionists have lost a prized find in their battle to prove the theory-tale of evolution. "Lucy" appears to be just another type of gorilla-like ape.

A Letter To Pastors

This letter was an open letter written from Dr. Opal Reddin shortly before her passing in 2005. Her hope was that Assembly of God ministers would heed her warning. I had Dr. Reddin when I attended Central Bible College and I can say not only was she easily the best professor I ever had - she was a lady who KNEW the Lord.



Friday, October 21, 2005 10:31 PM:

From Dr. Opal Reddin:

"As you have opportunity, please tell any and of our all of our A/G churches that I for one see Rick Warren and his deceptive "Purpose Driven books and practices" to be the gradual downfall to each church becoming involved. Some of my reasons:

1. His SHAPE, Jung-oriented spiritual gifts tests destroy the very meaning of "spiritual gifts", and hence all Pentecostal churches will become redundant. Those taking them as having any degree of value will find (too late) they were grieving the Holy Spirit. This is one of the main hindrances today to people receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

2. His "Gospel" excludes repentance as a necessary step toward salvation, and it IS necessary, according to Jesus. Warren's "Gospel" is "another gospel" of works," No wonder the Catholics and homosexuals feel at home in his pastor's conferences!

3. Every one who signs the covenant of membership is in the process of disobeying our Lord's commands to swear not .

4. Every A/G minister and memory should read Who's Driving the Purpose Driven Church? by James Sundquist and Deceived on Purpose by Warren Smith.

For these and other well-considered reasons, I plead with every A/G church and member to avoid Rick Warren's beliefs and practices in every way possible. We must get back to the things that brought the manifest presence of God into our midst, when gifts of the Spirit convinced unbelievers of their need to repent and get right with God. The Full Gospel will still bring sinners to salvation, and saints to full obedience as we anticipate our Lord's return in Glory.

Signed,
Rev. Opal Reddin, D. Min. Distinguished Prof. in Biblical Studies
Central Bible College

45 Reasons Why They Haven't Found The Tomb of Jesus

(Compiled By Todd Friel)

1. Explain to me why a poor family from Bethlehem would be buried in a middle class grave in Jerusalem.
2. Mary, Jesus and Joseph were the most popular names in Israel at this time. That is why the Jewish archaeologists who first discovered these caskets in 1980 NEVER claimed these belonged to the family of Jesus. The odds are too preposterous.
3. Israeli archaeologist Joel Rosenberg believes this new film is nonsense.
4. So does Jewish archaeologist Amos Kloner.
5. There is no credible evidence that Jesus was ever married. The only possible reference to Jesus being married is in a 14th century manuscript (Acts of Phillip) that nobody deems credible.
6. There is no evidence that Jesus had children.
7. They claim they have proof that Jesus had a baby. We can’t even determine the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby. (Jay Leno)
8. As there is no credible evidence that Jesus was married with children, this discovery does not prove that Jesus was married; it proves that these caskets don’t belong to Jesus. If Jesus was not married to Mary, this whole theory collapses.
9. If Jesus had a wife and children, wouldn’t Jesus have told John to only take care of His mother when He was on the cross?
10. Jesus son of Joseph is hardly legible.
11. Professor Stephen Pfann in Jerusalem believes the name “Jesus” should actually be interpreted “Hanun.”
12. For such an esteemed Rabbi, the family sure did a sloppy job of inscribing His name on the casket.
13. Jesus is never referred to as “The son of Joseph” in early Christian witness. That is the inscription on the casket.
14. If you were going to hide a casket, would you put it in Jerusalem and label it “Jesus”?
15. Why did they only test the DNA of the Jesus and Miriamne casket and not the caskets of the others? Because if they discovered that the DNA didn’t match, their story would crumble.
16. The scientist who did the limited DNA testing said, “Don’t be deceived by the media. This type of DNA testing cannot test every relationship.”
17. There is no DNA baseline available to prove this was the burial box of Jesus.
18. Miriamne e Mara is not legible, they are speculating.
19. Miriamne e Mara is almost certainly interpreted wrong. “Mara” is probably a contraction of Martha and is probably a second name.
20. Miriamne is NOT Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is not written on the casket.
21. Is the Yose (Joseph) married to Maria? Who knows?
22. Is Jesus married to Miriamne? Who knows?
23. The name Miriamne is not found in any credible text. Not one. The only time that we can find the name Miriamne is in reference to Herod’s wife, Miriamne.
24. Matya (they claim that is Matthew) is found on one of the caskets. If this is Matthew, why would Jesus’ disciple be buried with him?
25. There is no evidence that Jesus had a brother named Matthew.
26. Defenders claim that if Joseph and Mary had more children than what the Bible lists, “The name Matthew is consistent with the type of name that Mary and Joseph might have named one of their children.” That is not a credible argument.
27. They simply left Matthew out of the picture to make the statistical analysis look better.
28. They are doing their statistics backwards. They start with the presupposition that this is Jesus tomb and then try to determine the odds. You can’t do that.
29. If we found a gravesite today with the names John and David, John’s son (the equivalent to Jesus and Joseph) could we conclude which John this was? How many John’s have had a wife named Mary and a child name David in the last two centuries? Then if you knew that David was unmarried and from Los Angeles, but the tomb was found in New York, would you feel confident you had identified the right David?
30. Joseph’s tomb is missing. Why?
31. Jesus’ half-brother Jude is missing. Why?
32. Jesus’ half brother Simon is missing. Why?
33. Jesus sisters may be missing. Why?
34. If Jesus was buried and didn’t rise from the dead, why did Jesus’ half brother, James, die preaching that Jesus rose from the dead?
35. Ditto for Jude.
36. How could the family have kept this a secret from the early church?
37. Wouldn’t the Romans been able to find this casket and end the dispute?
38. Wouldn’t the Jews happily dug up this casket to put an end to this new Jewish cult named Christianity?
39. Trying to resolve whose caskets these are is like trying to figure who put the first dagger in Julius Caesar.
40. While science and CSI techniques can be helpful, we don’t have a time machine to take us back to the first century.
41. Eisegesis is when you form a conclusion and then go find the evidence for your theory. That is what they have done here.
42. There are a thousand scenarios to explain this. To assign ownership to Jesus is simply not reasonable.
43. We have films and eyewitnesses of the JFK assassination and we still can’t figure out who killed him.
44. If this were a civil case, it would be laughed out of court.
45. Wow! You trust this film more than the Bible? Now that’s faith. The Bible is a more reliable source of information than this circus of evidence.

Sources: Dr. Albert Mohler (www.albertmohler.com) Dr. James White (www.aomin.org ), Dennis Ingolfsland (www.reclinercommentaries.com)
Nathan Busenitz (http://faithandpractice.blogspot.com/)