Redeemed Sinner

Book Review: No He Can't by Kevin McCullough

2011-11-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

It seems pointless to mention that the author is clearly writing from a highly conservative perspective, however, that aside you can't deny the facts. President Obama has done more to dismantle hope and change rather than bring it. The change that he has brought in most areas has resulted in a horrible economy, unemployment at all time high, bad health insurance reform, and the squashing of the First Amendment.

That in mind, I wasn't crazy about this book. Facts are facts, however, the best books, papers, and news stories do what they ought to do and actually determine to remain fair and balanced. Few do this, mostly because it is human to be influenced by our own convictions. Three out of five stars for this.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from BookSneeze.com through their Blogger Book Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

BLOG MOVING!

2011-09-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

This blog is moving... actually... it already has moved to http://wretchthatIam.blogspot.com/. If you are one of the two or three who actually read this blog, then please direct your bookmarks to the new site! Thanks again!

This site will remain for a time, probably until the end of the year, but then I will be deleting this blog.

Pastor's Bookshelf: Slave by John MacArthur

2011-08-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

We exist to glorify and serve the Risen King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is not here to serve our needs. What has been lost from the true rendering of the Greek word 'doulos' as 'slave' instead of what we commonly see it rendered as 'servant'?

John MacArthur delivers yet another powerful literary work to help Christians understand exactly what is expected of them and why Christ used the imagery of a slave/master relationship at the same time the language of Christians being His adopted children. It would seem that much has been lost, by and large, by forgetting this important relational understanding.

I understand that "slave" carries a horrid meaning in America because of the atrocities committed here in the last 3+ centuries, but the early church seemed to have a right understanding of the Christians call to be a slave of Christ and we need to re-embrace that same meaning and try to get beyond the stigma with the word.

"Like slaves we are to be fully devoted to our Master alone."(P.48) To deny Christ's Lordship is to declare mutiny against Jesus Himself. Those who are offended at the designation of themselves, as Christians, as slaves to Christ, should examine themselves to see whether it is the American connotation of the word 'slave' that troubles them or the fact that being Christ's slave demands death to self and a forfeiture of seeking my desires first.

"Those unwilling to give up everything to follow [Christ] are not worthy of Him."(P.80) If we don't want to submit to Christ, we've never submitted to Him to begin with.

Further, we see the wroth of Christ to be our Master and His trustworthy kindness as such when held against the back drop of our former master that we has from birth. The most "devastating and degenerating power ever to afflict the human race..." (P.120) sin.

Our slavery to sin was one of a cruel master and our broken will readily submitted to him in complete and intentional opposition to God. And yet God reached out in grace and sent Christ to save us... rebellious wretches... anyway. But our blessed relationship to our Redeemer doesn't end with slavery alonie. Christ has not only purchased us, but through His atonement God has adopted us and made us His child!

Amazing Grace! Gladly then will I therefore bear the title of "slave" for and to Christ my Lord!

Can there be Apostles today?

2011-07-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

Acts 1:21-26 - “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— 22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.” 23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen 25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” 26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

Judas is gone. Christ has ascended and the Disciples are still waiting obediently for the Holy Spirit to come. The next thing that needed to be taken care of was the selection of a replacement for Judas.

A 12th Apostle needed to be appointed.

v21-22 - “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— 22 beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

Following the guidelines of Scripture, Peter stands and sets out the requirements to be an Apostle. He lays out 3 basic criteria:

1.) They had to have been “of the men” who had accompanied them all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out amongst them.

The first stipulation was that the person had to be a person who had seen what the other Apostles had seen. So from the baptism of Jesus by John, Peter says, and forward, the person had to have been in that group of Jesus’ followers for the three years of His public ministry.

Now, the reason for that was of course because of what they were charged with doing. They were charged with starting churches and founding them on the truths of the Gospel and so they had to have seen it firsthand to best do that.

Second, they had to have been an eye-witness of the resurrection.
Verse 22 says that one of those men must now join them, replacing Judas to be the witness of the resurrection.

You see they were to be first hand witnesses of the resurrection which makes sense because the resurrection is the central theme of our faith! I mean, Paul said if there is no resurrection then we have no hope and all our worship is in vain!

1 Corinthians 15:13-19 - But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

All of them were to be personal witnesses to Christ’s ministry, death, and resurrection. Now, these two criteria are why, without question or subjectivity, no one can be an Apostle today. Once more, there are NO MORE Apostles today. Anyone claiming to be one is a liar.

Because no one is living who witnesses those things. So the Apostolic office is closed. But we need to note that there is one final way that someone can be an Apostle and it was the way the other 11 became Apostles and Paul himself for that matter. That was by Divine appointment to the office by Jesus Christ Himself and later I’ll tell you why no one can make the Divine appointment claim stick today.

Well, out of all those gathered, 2 men apparently met those requirements.

v23 - So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias

Nothing is known about these two men really. They aren’t mentioned elsewhere in Scripture beyond here.

What they’ve done is narrow the options and eliminated those who didn’t qualify and so now they engage in their normal pattern of prayer to seek the will of the Lord pertaining to whom should be chosen.

v24a - And they prayed – They prayed. What they were doing was being obedient to the Will of God by seeking Him in prayer.

That’s what they desired as believers, and so what they did was seek out God’s Word for instruction and then they prayed. Make note of the humility in their prayer…

[And they prayed] v24b-25 –and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen 25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

Lord, show us the one that everyone likes or whose teaching style suits us? No

Lord, show us the one that will tickle the people’s ears? No

Lord, you know our hearts. Such a truth. Jeremiah 17:9 says that our hearts are deceitful and try to deceive us constantly. So how appropriate that they lay that confession before the Lord first. Lord, you know how prone to self my heart is. So work above that.

Studying the scriptures they knew that and also they know what God said just one verse later in Jeremiah 17:10 - I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.

They were aware of God’s word to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7 - But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Their prayer is for God to pick because they know that their hearts will taint the decision and what they want to be is obedient and true to God!

So they pray, God, you know our hearts, choose the one YOU want.

v26 - And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

Now some would suggest that this was a pagan practice, but in reality this underscores all the more how carefully they wanted to be in their selection of the replacement Apostle. They wanted to select God’s man free from their influence.

Anyone know why that is the case? Why I say that?

Well, what had they been doing? Studying God’s Word right? In Leviticus 16:8 - Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.

God tells Aaron that he is to “cast lots” to determine between the two goats offered for the sin sacrifice. One would be sacrificed and the other would be the scapegoat. Nehemiah 10, we see another example of casting lots and then in Proverbs.

Proverbs 16:33 - “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.

The lot is cast, but its every decision is FROM THE LORD. Casting lots was an acceptable Old Testament practice for determining God’s Will, now we don’t need it today. Why? Because we HAVE the Holy Spirit that enables us to best discern the will of God. We also have the complete canon of Scripture so we have the completed written Word of God.

Casting lots was most likely putting their names on stones, placing them in a jar and shaking it around until one fell out, the one that came out would be the one that was chosen.

So the lot is cast and it falls to Matthias. Which is gives us even more assurance that casting lots here wasn’t sinful. God no where rebukes them for what they’ve done.

A choice is made by the providence of God. It doesn’t fall to Matthias by change because there is no such thing as chance. There is merely God’s sovereign rule and His providential and permissive will.

Now as a side note, you may have wondered about Paul? Paul wasn’t an eye witness, yet Scripture identifies him as an Apostle. Well, remember our third criteria, which is by Divine appointment.

Paul is divinely appointed, But what were the specifics of his appointing? Acts 9 he is converted and then goes to see Annais… why? To BE confirmed.

He had to go to the eye-witness Apostles to be confirmed by them in his calling. He, nor anyone else, can just say. ‘Well God called me to be an Apostle.’ and then go on with it without being confirmed by an existing Apostle.

After the Apostles all died there were still preachers and teachers and such, but no more Apostles.

Secondly, the eye-witness Apostles were called to minister specifically to whom? The Jews right? Paul’s chief focus was the Gentiles.

The Gospel was a stumbling block to the Jews because they denied Christ. So eye-witness testimony would go a LONG way towards credibility for their claims to a society that was massively steeped in legalism.

To the Gentiles, the Gospel was foolishness, so no proof really would help… for them they needed to be brought first to an understanding that God was Creator, not chance or evolution, and they were in need of HIS forgiveness to be reconciled.

So no one today can be an Apostle because no eye-witnesses are living to be Apostles, nor are there any eye-witnesses alive to confirm the Divine appointment of an Apostle. Anyone who comes to you claiming to be an "Apostle" is likely preaching a different Gospel, and a different Gospel doesn't save (Galatians 1:6-10). Mark those and continue preaching the one true Gospel. That Jesus COMMANDS all men to repent and trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins. (Mark 1:15)

The Elephant Room Conference

2011-07-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

I recentlty finished watching the Elephant Room conference DVDs. If you are unfamiliar with it let me give you a brief synopsis. The Elephant Room Conference was a one day event recently held by Dr. James MacDonald of Walk in the Word Ministries where he gathered several well-known pastors with differing beliefs. The goal was to get together with these men who don't always agree on some of the issues of the church and discuss them in a very generous fashion.

I am 100% fine with generous, grace filled discussion. In fact, I believe that we need less snarky straw-men attacks and more of these genuine grace filled conversations. I know that I have personally fell into the trap of a snarky argument from time to time and I pray God will continue to grow me in grace and wisdom so that I choose my battles wisely and fight well when the time comes.

That said, I also think there is room for Biblical admonishment. It is fine to discuss these things as long as the goal isn't just to better understand someone's position but rather to try and come to a common understanding of the issue.

I don't want to spend this blog post on taking a position for each of the things they discussed... maybe in a later post... what I want to do is offer some thoughts on each person who was there. Since the goal was to better understand them... here's what I now understand better about them.

On the panel were the following Pastors:

James MacDonald

Matt Chandler

Perry Noble

David Platt

Steven Furtick

Greg Laurie

Mark Driscoll

So here we go.

James MacDonald did I think a fair job in moderating the whole thing. There were a few times when, in the context of a discussion, some things came up that maybe needed a bit stronger of a Biblical rebuke and exhortation to turn from that behavior and he seemed to shy away from it. That was a little disappointing to me coming from a man who has a brilliant reputation for defending the Gospel. I don't feel that he compromised the truth, I just personally felt he could have been a little stronger in some areas and it would have had the potential to be very helpful to those to whom he was speaking.

Matt Chandler was no surprise to me whatsoever. Matt is ferocious about the Gospel, he loves God, he loves people. He articulated well the Gospel, he articulated well his positions, I know that it helped me because I tend to hold many of the same views as Pastor Matt and so it really helped me think through how to articulate some of these specific convictions.

Perry Noble was also surprising. Ok, I am going to say this and I know my reformed brothers are going to get a bit torqued at me about this but I actually found myself liking some of what he said. I said some! This is by no means an endorsement of Perry Noble or his practices, he does many many things that distorts and waters down the gospel and I think that is a serious issue... However, on some of the topics... I agreed with some of what he said. Now the issue of his church band playing secular music came up, he defended it with Scripture... unfortunately for him he defended it with scripture that was ripped out of context and so it didn't make the case. I think the issue with Perry is that he is a man who loves the Lord but perhaps he is just terribly misguided? I won't say that he is a wolf necessarily, but he is flirting with apostasy pretty heavily.

David Platt was by far my favorite. David has a way of articulating truth so well and in his tone you can hear that his motive is not arrogance but love for the Gospel. He sincerely wants to see God glorified and it comes across in his approach. I know that he has been critiqued for the Radical book, that it will lead to an extreme poverty theology, however, when you hear him defend some of his views espoused in Radical you understand more of what his aim was in writing it. I think the reason that some people are so up in arms over his book has less to do with them feeling that he is pushing a bad poverty type theology and more with a love for stuff in their own lives and a heart that doesn't want to get rid of idols... just a thought.

Steven Furtick surprised me but not because I agreed with him more than I thought... Furtick surprised me because I was astounded to find someone who can find a way to boast on himself and what HE has done in almost every subject. I may not be being as generous with Steven as I ought, I'll confess, but I was shocked at how often his defense for his positions wasn't 'Well, the Bible says...' but rather, 'I just did this', 'I led our church this...' so on and so on. We heard about everything from how he shouldn't be called a wolf or false teacher because he sold everything to start his church and how he does to teach his church to love the Bible because he just led them through a fast and through the New Testament in 30 days (New through 30 he called it). When Matt Chandler confronted Steven on his methodology, instead of making a defense of it Steven just countered back by taking a shot at something Chandler had said. Now, whether or not Matt was in error on the comment that Steven brought up is not what I'm addressing. I'm merely saying that boasting in self and side-stepping arguments doesn't exactly do much to help people understand you better if being misunderstood is what you feel you are by the general public.

Greg Laurie was a new name for me. Prior to this conference I had never heard of him although upon hearing him speak and doing a little research on him online I am becoming more of a fan. He articulated himself well, he was clearly passionate for the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he seems to hold to very sound biblical doctrine. Though he wouldn't call himself a Calvinist, he certainly holds to those views. He just prefers to avoid those labels and I am fine with that... truthfully the word Calvinist has such a stigma attached to it, because most people don't really understand it, I would just as soon leave that little title off of me as well... even though I am a "five pointer" as they say. haha

Mark Driscoll did what Mark does. He defended the Gospel well and he made me laugh. I like Mark. I think because of my conservative upbringing he may be a bit too close to the contemporary style for me personally... but I don't think he is in sin or error with any of what he's doing (that I'm aware of). He made a very good point that really convicted me as well and that is that sometimes people confuse their love for the Gospel with a fear of God (fear in a negative way). What he went on to explain was that if we take the Gospel and hide it away, never sharing it. Treat it like the wicked servant of Matthew 25. Then we really don't love the Gospel. If we loved the Gospel, we'd share it. Further, he pointed out that it is those who are like that who are most likely to take cheap shots at those who don't share the Gospel at all or share a watered down version of it. Convicting for me because I don't want to ever drift towards the behavior of the wicked slave. I want to be faithful with what God has entrusted to me and take the Gospel to the Nations as the Lord has commanded.

Final thoughts:

I was helped by this conference. I think that I may have had a bit of bloodlust interest in it to begin with because I wanted to see some of those guys get a Gospel beating... which was a sinful desire in my heart. Thankful God revealed that to me through this. I deserve a beat down just as much as anyone for my sin as well. I do wish that some error had been labeled as error a bit more clearly BUT I wasn't there behind the scenes so I'll pray that maybe some more useful exhorting and admonishing went on backstage.

You can pick this up from the Elephant Room Conference website and it is a bit costly at $50 but I feel it is worth the price.

Pastor's Bookshelf: It Is Well by Mark Dever & Michael Lawrence

2011-06-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever struggled to find the significance and beauty of the sacrifices in the Old Testament? Most of us have at some point or another. Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence set out to exegete crucial Old Testament texts that shadow what was accomplished by Christ on the cross.

The truth that man MUST have a substitute for our sins in order to be spared from God's just wrath is at the very heart of the Gospel. Dever and Lawrence bring this out in a totality from the Old Testament all the way to looking at the actual words and work of Christ in the New Testament. From there they look at the depiction of Christ and His suffering from Isaiah 52 & 53. Bringing it home by then looking at what God has revealed about the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. They highlights the comprehensive and permanent nature of the salvation that God has provided by His grace. Climaxing in the understanding that the beauty in the life of a Christian comes from understanding the Gospel more, so that we learn to enjoy God fully as our all-sufficient Savior and see the benefits of our having been redeemed as being far more precious than any mass of worldly treasures and pleasures. In light of so great a salvation, how could we not trust Him more daily? One last note, I definitely appreciated there thorough use of Scripture to make their points as well as their constant encouragement to unbelievers, who might be reading the book, to repent and for the believer to guard their heart against legalism and self-righteousness.

Five out of five stars! Highly recommended! Great for individual study or small group.

Pick it up from 9Marks Ministries or from Amazon.com

Video: The Gospel by Eric Ludy

2011-06-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Pastor's Bookshelf: Before God: The Biblical Doctrine of Prayer by Mike Sarkissian

2011-05-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

I realized that I never posted a review on this book after I had written the review of Paul Miller's work on prayer. I actually completed this book months ago and most recently our church just completed a 17 week Bible study on prayer using this book to guide us through what Scripture teaches on the matter.

Let me be on record and state that I feel that Mike's book is possibly one of the most important books written on prayer within our generation. This book is very theological, very sound, and drives the reader back to the Bible to better understand what Jesus taught in the aptly called "Lord's Prayer".

Mike does a very thorough job of exegeting the Lord's Prayer and unpacking the implications of each petition contained in it. He also takes on the issues of how we pray, why we pray, and the reason why we should pray 'In Jesus Name'. If you have not yet read this book, please put it on your list. I would go into detail about how extensively God has used this book to shape up my own feeble prayer life, but I do not want to drift into an area of boasting as I still have much room for improvement though, by God's grace, my prayer life has improved significantly.

You can pick this up from Mike's Website or Amazon.com.

I am actually such a fan of Mike's work that I would like to get a copy of this book into someone's hands. I am giving away a copy of this book. To enter, comment on this post and answer the following question: What is your largest struggle in maintaining a healthy prayer life and why do you feel that deficiency exists?

To increase your chances of winning you can:
- Re-post this review by posting it to your facebook or creating a link to this blog using the feature below.
- Follow this blog either using Google or Networked Blogs.
- Tweet this link and mention @brojasonh

Drawing will be held on July 1, 2011. Please be sure that I have a way to contact you and that I know you've posted this to facebook or your blog.

Pastor's Bookshelf: A Taste of Heaven by R.C Sproul

2011-05-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

What is God's intention for worship in the New Testament church? We know of course that we are under the New Covenant of Jesus Christ and we no longer are required to practice the sacrifices and rituals as the Jews living under the Old Covenant would have. However, does that mean that God's design for the reverence and meaning of worship have changed too? Sproul argues that, while we obviously want to be very careful to consider the context and usage of anything from the Old Covenant before bringing it into the Church today, we can glean much deeper insight to how serious God takes the worship of His Name and how specific He was about the way we approach Him.

Though we don't go to the temple or burn incense on the altar, or take a lamb to the priest once a year to be slaughtered... the importance of those symbols (and others) hasn't simply gone away. They serve to teach us that God expects us to approach Him with reverence and not flippantly. That He desires sincere worship and that self-righteousness or works-boasting has no place in His courts.

This is important to consider because we live in a church culture that says pretty much anything goes. We see so much irreverence in so many so-called churches these days. Everything from using carnal means to get people through the doors to dumbing down the Gospel so much so that it becomes no Gospel at all (Galatians 1:6-10).

But we must exercise careful prudence in planning how worship is structured in our church. I'm not calling us back to a strict liturgy that would resemble the old-traditional Roman Catholic, rather saying that we need to approach everything we sing, do, and say in worship by asking the question. Does this glorify God and point sinful man towards the Savior OR does this point sinful man towards a carnal world and excuse his sinful behavior?

Paul wrote, in 1 Corinthians 10:31, that we should do all things to the glory of God. This does not mean that we take a carnal thing (such as a secular song) and Christianize it for use in the church or on our local family friendly radio stations. On the contrary it means that we need to consider all we do and filter it through whether or not this thing brings glory to God. How we intend it isn't what determines what brings glory to God, whether or not it glorifies God is what determines whether or not it glorifies God. We don't assign that meaning. To get a better understanding of this, we look to Christ's words in Matthew 6:33, He said to seek first the Kingdom of God and HIS Righteousness...

So that's the focus, seeking first that which glorifies God and that which strives after HIS righteousness... and not that which pleases us and to clear our consciences we tag God's name to it...

Lastly, He brings up the importance of the sacraments that have been ordained for the church today. Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Sproul presents the popular views on each and makes his case for which he ascribes to. He and I fall pretty well in line with our belief on the Lord's Supper and it being only for a believer. On the issue of Baptism we depart in view because, as a Presbyterian, Sproul teaches the practice of infant baptism. Let me be clear that he absolutely rejects the idea that paedo-baptism (infant baptism) saves. He believes infant baptism to merely be a sign of the New Covenant and not salvific. On that we agree, it is a sign of the covenant. But I would make the case that the New Testament teaches that Baptism, just like the observance of the Lord's Supper, is for the Believer only.

This is a great read, I give it 5 out of 5 stars for sure. You can pick it up from Ligonier.org.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Reformation Trust <http://Ligonier.org > book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Pastor's Bookshelf: A Praying Life by Paul E Miller

2011-05-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I must admit I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. The book started very strongly, Miller does a great job of just being real and admitting to struggles that we all feel with prayer. After all, we are a broken and sinful people and for Christians we hate the sin that dwells within us that constantly gets at us to sin, even in the neglect of prayer.

Then he moved into the way in which we ought to pray. It was here that I would have to, at least partially, disagree with him. He makes a point about how we are to pray humbly, and how we are to have faith like that of a child. I completely agree with that 100%. However, he then continues driving that point on to infer that there is no real structure that is necessarily important in our prayers.

Now, let me say that in principle I agree with this. In principle, there are no exact words or special phrases that we can pray that bring a miracle. Rather it is the heart behind the prayer that God is most concerned with. After all, Paul does say that we don't know how to pray as we ought but that the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:26-27). Further we know that what God desires is not empty sacrifice or empty words (Isaiah 1:10-15) but rather a broken heart and contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18; Psalm 51:17). So in that respect I completely agree with Paul. Please hear me, we don't have to have big fancy words or methods in our prayers.

However, I reject the idea that there is no guidelines or prescriptions for prayer offered in Scripture. Case in point would of course be the aptly named, Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:6-14. Now, in fairness, Miller doesn't outright suggest that there is no guideline, however, in my opinion (whatever that is worth) he pushes the issue of a childlike prayer too far and in doing so implies what I've suggested as the problem with this part of the book.

For a more thorough handling of the subject of prayer, there are several books I would sooner recommend to you (and would be glad too if you wish to email me and request those titles). Having said that, it is a good read and probably worth your time, just be discerning about it.

Pastor's Bookshelf: The Grace of Repentance by Sinclair Ferguson

2011-05-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

I first became tuned in to Sinclair Ferguson's work through a children's bible study book that we have been using with our kids during family devotion times. I amazon searched his name and found many other titles. After reading (and reviewing) By Grace Alone, another of Ferguson's titles, I became a fan.

I recently read "The Grace of Repentance" by Ferguson and it did not disappoint. I definitely give it 5 out of 5 stars. This book is an easy read and very convicting. We take God's grace for granted in so many ways. We fail to realize that it is only by God's grace that we are even able to repent and turn to God.

Sinclair does a great job of bringing that out and bringing to light the scriptural truth behind our sin, God's mercy in offering Christ, and God's grace in forbearing our sin and granting the grace of repentance to the Christian so that they continue to bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8).

It seems to have been lost in the last generations, but this book is a fresh Biblical reminder that repentance is not just a one time thing we do when God saves us, it is a lifestyle. Well said by Ferguson, "A life of repentance is ongoing, dogged, persistent refusal to compromise with sin." (p.25). Praise God for His grace and mercy in granting us repentance and allowing us the empowering of His Holy Spirit to continually turn from sin.

Available from Ligonier Ministries.

Pastor's Bookshelf: What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace by Richard Phillips

2011-05-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

What's so great about the Doctrines of Grace? That's the question that Richard Phillips asks in his book, which also bears the title. So many misconceptions exist concerning what the true Doctrines of Grace teach. Strawman arguments from those who have encountered Hyper-Calvinists have fueled much of the problem. (as an aside, Hyper-Calvinism= false doctrine).

Richard Phillips sets out to answer this question by examining the claims of each Doctrine against scripture to see if it is truly founded there. I believe he does this very well. Note, this is not an overly scholarly book. What I mean by that is that Phillips seems to go to great lengths to bring the arguments into understandable terms. If you are unclear on exactly what is meant by Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement (I prefer Particular Redemption or Definite Atonement to be more accurate), Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints this is a great book for you to check out. It offers a thorough but concise and easy to understand approach to the Doctrines of Grace.

Available from Ligonier Ministries.

Thoughts on Harold Camping

2011-05-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

So I was asked my thoughts on Harold Camping. Typically I just give the quick answer on something like this. That answer being that the views of Harold Camping or any of his counterparts who have gone years before or who will come in the future are not worth the effort to comment on. ((Just to be clear, I am not saying that they themselves aren't worth anything, just that their views aren't.)) That said, here are my thoughts. I pray they are helpful to you.

First, we want to avoid saying things like 'those guys are wackos!'. While they may or may not be of a sound mind, that really doesn't play into the discussion of their "end of the world" claims. Harold Camping and his followers are either correct or incorrect in their assertion. Being "wacko" wouldn't automatically mean they are incorrect. Plus, we want to speak the truth, in all situations, in love. (Ephesians 4:15).

Our goal in discerning the validity of any claim should always be three fold.

1.) To defend the glorious truth of the Gospel. (Jude 3)

2.) To protect our minds from false doctrine. (Romans 12:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:14)

3.) To warn others with the intent to (a.) spare them from deception (b.) pull the erring one from harm. (James 5:19-20)

In other words, we sound the warning because we want to see God glorified and to love people and NOT just to be "right" in an argument.

So, Harold Camping claims that he knows that God is going to end the world on May 21, 2011... He believes this because he has supposedly "developed a system" that uses mathematics to interpret prophecies hidden in it. By the way, our first red flag should be that HE developed this system. Camping says the world will end on May 21, 2011 because that will be 722,500 days since, what he believes was, the crucifixion on April 1, AD33. He gets the figure 722,500 by multiplying three hold numbers (5, 10, and 17) together, twice.

That's the claim, let's do the work of a Berean here (Acts 17:11) and examine this claim by Scripture.

Mark 13:32 - But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Not even the Son (Jesus) knows the day nor the hour. Only God the Father knows when He will end the world. We know a fair amount about how it will end (2 Peter 3:10). So it stands to reason that if God Himself only knows the day and the hour, then Harold Camping does not.

It's really that simple folks. Now, we have to understand that the canon of Scripture is closed. No new revelation is being added to the Bible. Further, if anyone comes speaking something contradictory or altering to Scripture then the Bible wins the argument and the person making the claim is wrong. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Camping's claims deny Biblical inerrancy because he is claiming to have received an extra-biblical revelation/divine knowledge. He asserts that since Noah knew about the flood, we can know about the end of the world too. But that doesn't fly because God's purpose is not the same. God's goal with Noah wasn't to end the world, just man. God's purpose in the flood, among other things, was judgment on man for their sin and restoration of the covenant that God had made with man now to be kept through Noah and his descendants. The "end" will be permanent restoration through the glorification of all who have believed on Christ and final judgment on the wicked who have rejected Him in unrighteousness.

So what should Christians think about the end of the world, be it Harold Camping's claims or just the fact that it one day will end. Well, let's look at three texts.

2 Peter 3:11-18 - Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish at peace. Take care that you are not carried away like the ignorant and unstable lawless people. (emphasis mine) Growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

The Angels said, basically, don't just sit around thinking on things too much that you aren't meant to know, rather, GO fulfill what you've been told! Which is to be His witnesses, to spread the Gospel, to the world. (Acts 1:7-8)

Ezekiel 33:1-9 - And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. 5 ‘He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life. 6 ‘But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.’ 7 “Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. 8 “When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. 9 “But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.

Sound the warning! Not about the end of the world so much, but rather about God's pending judgment on them for their sin and need for forgiveness. And how God has provided that means in Jesus Christ the only Savior! The reason to repent and trust Christ isn't because you are afraid of the end of the world or even of going to Hell. That CERTAINLY is a part of the whole equation for sure, but that's not the reason that we should try and convince others to repent and trust in Christ. The real reason that anyone should trust in Christ is because they have sinned and God's judgment resides on them... BUT GOD (Ephesians 2:1-9), in His kindness and goodness chose to show mercy on mankind through the willing substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ, His Only Son!

Christ, who stood in our place and took God's wrath for our sin so that we who are guilty could be justified before God. (Romans 2:3-5)

Let me, in keeping with good conscience to the truth of God's Word, avoid Harold Camping and his cult of lies. With his deceptions he proves himself to be, in fact, NOT a brother in Christ but rather one of the antichrists that John spoke of. (1 John 4:1-6) I would submit that in claiming to have this supposed knowledge of the end, Harold Camping is in fact NOT confessing the Biblical Christ.

In the literal sense of the word he is an anti-christ (anti=against) Christ. He and his followers are enemies of the Gospel. they are enemies of God and this should cause us not to be arrogant or haughty... but rather to weep for them and charge such a one by the mercies of the Living God, to repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15) that they might be saved!

Hey Ladies and Gentlemen!

2011-05-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Ladies, you cannot control the lustful thoughts of a man, BUT you can do your part to help protect him from stumbling. When dressing, please consider the following things:

1.) Are you dressing to frame your face or your body? An important question... one shows you respect yourself and care about the purity of others... the other could be sending some very wrong signals...

2.) Does your attire draw attention to you and your body or does it fit with the fact that you are a Christian young lady who is concerned chiefly with glorifying Christ and not self?

3.) Think forward to the day when you have children of your own... do want the young women who are around your son to be stumbling blocks to him by the way they dress? The thoughts you are enticing from young men, would you want your son thinking them about young ladies? Just a thought...

Men, you obviously cannot control what the ladies around you are wearing. But please consider these questions for self-examination:

1.) Are you, for your part, engaging in all out war against the sin of lust? Are you pleading with God in prayer to lead you in paths of righteousness and not in the ways of the wicked?

2.) Are you guarding your heart and seeking to honor God with your every action and taking every thought captive, or are you allowing Satan a foothold over you with lusts of the flesh? Don't buy the lie, straight from Satan himself, that just because "all guys do it" that it's ok... it's not.

3.) Are you preparing yourself for the day you will marry and begin leading your family by loving and demonstrating for them Christ?

4.) Would you want a young man thinking the same lustful thoughts about your daughter that you are catching yourself thinking?

5.) Would you feel comfortable one day explaining to your wife, one day, about the things you thought about others without delay OR would it be better if you were able to be honest that it was a struggle but you loved her enough to fight against it even though you didn't know her at that time?

At the end of the day, both Christian men and Christian women must keep in mind that Christ died to pay for that sin as well as all the others we struggle with. Purity rings, "Silver Ring Things", abstinence til marriage vows and all the like are no good if they aren't motivated a love for the Savior and a desire to live your life in a Christ-exalting way. A list of rules and such about it aren't going to fix it, but focusing more and more on understanding that Christ stood in your place and took God's wrath for even that sin will most definitely move a Christian to pursue the mortification of any sin!

Faces in the Crowd

2011-05-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

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Fight the Good Fight! - Tribute to Rev. Gary McCaleb

2011-04-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Today I had the privilege to attend the retirement reception for a man who has been a mentor to me and who will always be a great friend. Rev. Gary McCaleb retires this May after 20+ years of ministry at the same church. Through three years serving under Rev. McCaleb as Youth Pastor and 5 years of friendship I have watched (and learned from) him what it means to be a faithful Shepherd.

If I had to single out just one thing, amongst many, that he taught me it was what the heart of a Pastor who loves his flock looks like. He didn't have to sit me down and explain it, he demonstrated it with the way he lead the church and loved the people there.

Today as I was speaking with him at the reception, I asked him what came next for him. I expected to hear of plans to travel or a hobby or project that he might want to take up. None of that was even mentioned, instead he spoke very deeply of a new ministry that he will now have the opportunity to be a part of. He will now be a part of a ministry that encourages and lifts up Pastors and teaches them how not to neglect the watch-care of their own soul while striving to Shepherd their people.

Once again I am encouraged by the work that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has done in Bro. Gary's heart. I pray that his example will always be a reminder to me, I pray that God bless him and his wife in this new ministry venture as he seeks to remain faithful to the call to ministry, and I pray that God would continue to work mightily through him to bring the Good News of the Gospel to a lost and dying world.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NASB) - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Well... I should think they won't be calling again soon...

2011-04-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

I receive phone calls and fliers in the mail each and every week that want me to purchase their wares. Each one promises bigger and better results in training leaders, growing the church, reviving my community, etc. Anything you can think of and slap a Christian label on, and it's probably already being sold by the case load online somewhere.

This week was no different. Yesterday I received a phone call from a polite young man who was trying feverishly to convince me to purchase a DVD set recorded at a recent leadership conference. He said that they realized that travel expenses were too great a cost for many pastors and so they were packaging the entire conference on a DVD set plus study guides.

It was nothing fresh, it was your typical "leadership" conference. Just from the description and what I'd already read on this conference online, it is not a Gospel centered conference, it is a church growth conference.

All that aside, he began to list off the "teachers" featured on their DVD set and I noticed 3 names that I already know that I have very serious theological differences with. These are not small differences in thinking or even quibbles over methodology but serious concerns over what some of those men teach and hold to. Among their false doctrines were things like "Carnal Christianity", "Seeker Driven Mentalities", "Emergent Philosophies".

He asked if I were interested and I told him that I simply wasn't interested because I knew that I would not agree with everything those men held to theologically. So this sales person informed me that what they are teaching ISN'T THEOLOGICAL. What? A Bible conference that isn't theological? Well, that's just not possible. Matt Chandler said it well when he said that, "Those who say they aren't a theological type person really do have a theology. It's just a theology that would have gotten them killed 500 years ago."

So I questioned him and asked if it wasn't theological, what was it? His response. "Well, in this DVD set we are trying to teach you to lead your people to be missional." Well let's not even address how worn out the fad buzz word "missional" is. That's a whole separate post altogether, but suffice to say that being "missional" isn't a separate category of ministry. All activity should be "missional" in the true sense. And being "missional" is to be Gospel driven. Just saying...

Anyway, I pushed back and asked him how they taught missional principles divorced from theology. I pointed out that it was impossible for them to come and make any presentation on any subject that would be divorced from their individual theological views. He disagreed with me, but the reality is... he is wrong.

Whatever your views are on any theological topic, it will influence how you speak on those and any other topics. The young man told me that they avoided theology and just stuck to the topic assigned.

So I asked him to consider this, could a Evangelical Christian, a Muslim, and a Buddhist get together and teach a conference on a general topic and be agreeable? No. Why? Because what a Muslim means by "missional" will be RADICALLY different than what I know the Bible teaches and it will be worlds different than what a Buddhist means.

The fact remains, you simply cannot divorce theology from leadership, missional teaching, or any other subject and when you attempt to separate the two, you open yourself up to all sorts of error and false teaching which sadly is typically just a hop skip and a jump from heresy.

2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB) - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

Be very cautious around any who would tell you that theology doesn't matter. Theology is very important. Now, granted, theology is only useful if it draws you closer to God and spurs you on to obedience to His Word. Theology is important. Moreover, SOUND theology is important. I tried to explain that to this young man, it wasn't in his script and so he then retracted his earlier remarks and said that I could be assured that all of these men were very very Biblical. *buzzer sound here* WRONG. These particular individuals were not, as mentioned above.

2 Timothy 1:13-14 (NASB) - Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

Pastor's Bookshelf: A Call to Prayer by J.C. Ryle

2011-04-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

Bishop of Liverpool, J.C. Ryle (1816-1900), had a way of putting things and a way of teaching the Scriptures that really just made them snap home. He held nothing back in his preaching but always laid out plain Scriptural truth with deep application.

That same boldness and passion for the Lord Jesus Christ comes across plain and clear in his tract, "A Call to Prayer".

At only 33 pages in length, this is one of the most powerful works on prayer that I've ever read. He opens it up simply with one question that drives the rest of his thoughts. "Do you pray?"

A simple question, yet is there anything that is more intimate in the life of a believer than their prayer life? You can pick this up from Amazon.com and it is inexpensive as well! At the time of this post, the book only costs $2.99!

Pastor's Bookshelf: Radical by David Platt

2011-04-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

Radical is an insightful look at what Christianity is, as defined by Scripture, verses what Christianity has become, particularly in America. Platt uses several texts to show that what God has called us to as believers is not always in line with the American version of Christianity. For example, in America we tend to judge a church at face value... a big church with lots of people, programs, and buildings = strong and healthy and Biblical verses a small church with few people, little money, small building = weaker church with no hope

Now, let me say from the top. None of the above conditions of either church have any bearing on its health or soundness of its doctrine. There are large churches (though few in number) that are sound doctrinally and pursuing a life of obedience to Jesus Christ. Likewise, there are small churches that are sound doctrinally and pursuing a life of obedience to Jesus Christ. Size doesn't automatically indicate a particular feature, neither do lack or abundance of programs, funds and buildings indicate a particular feature.

Platt seeks to point out that the goal of the church is to take the Gospel to the world and also to serve others. Using the resources (financial or otherwise) that God has given them for the purpose of the furtherance of the Gospel, NOT to acquire more and more wealth. The goal of God blessing us with money for instance is not so that we can store it up and be mega-wealthy consumer driven people, but so that we are people who live according to what we need and find a way to use the rest to give Bibles, or tracts, or food, or clothing, or shelter, etc... to all who need it.

To say the least, I was heavily challenged by the Scripture that David brought to light in this book and it has brought about some very deep examination and convictions in my own life. To avoid boasting in myself, I'll just leave it at that.

Lastly, there were a few things I didn't particularly like about the book. David does a fantastic job of exegeting the Scriptures he uses to make his point, that is good! Intermingled with that, however, he uses illustrations from real life. People he knows, has encountered, or that are in his church, who have abandoned worldly things for the glory of Christ. To hear of those people is encouraging and a great example set. And that was his purpose in putting them in their too... however, I could have done with fewer of them and still gotten the point.

I believe he was going to the extreme to show the diversity that exists amongst the callings God places on our lives. How one person's call may look a bit differently than another. He made a point to say that very thing. That this person's "thing" may not be another's "thing". But the book would have made the point just as well with a more brief story on each of them or just fewer in general. That's a preference of mine personally that when I read any book that is going to convey Scriptural truths, I'd rather hear more about the Scripture and less about a personal experience, but that's just me.

Read it, Bible open as always, pray about it... and see if God doesn't use this book to challenge you as well to evaluate what you do with what He's given you. Are you using it to His glory, or your own?

Never lose hope!

2011-03-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

I want to write to all those who have prayed for your unbelieving family members, friends, and acquaintances and yet it seems to have been to no avail because that person has still not repented and trusted in Christ. I want to share with you a story of a mother in our church. Her name is Jannette. Jannette was raised Jewish and had been a practicing Jew until 20 years ago when God graciously saved her and her husband Ray.

Since coming to Christ, Jannette and Ray have prayed for Jannette's daughter Gaye, (Ray's step-daughter), that God would save her as well. After God saved Jannette, Gaye had become somewhat disillusioned and confused. Her mother had now abandoned the Jewish practices that she had once held dear and Gaye did not understand how such a change could happen so quickly. It would be fair to say that she even held a certain amount of anger about the whole situation. In any case, she remained a Jew in belief and stopped practicing.

For 20 years Jannette has prayed and pleaded with God to save Gaye. She has shared the Gospel innumerable times with her in hopes that she would be broken over her sin and cling to Christ. Twenty years of trying, twenty years with no results.

Two months ago, Gaye came to see me in my office. She was asking questions about Christ. Coming from a Jewish background, whom she had been taught Christ was is not who the Bible teaches Him to be. So I answered them as best I could and after we'd finished talking she left and I gave her a couple of materials to look over.

I heard nothing for 2 months. She called me yesterday and told me that the previous night (Tuesday), as she sat in her apartment thinking about what I'd shared with her. Considering the Law and how that is God's standard and how we've broken it. And then also the good news of the Gospel.

She said that God finally brought her to the end of herself and that she had confessed her sin to Him and begged God to forgive her! She had trusted in Jesus Christ and as she shared with me about it through the tears she spoke of a joy unexplainable that she now had and how she could tell that a burden had been lifted from her.

I'm choking back tears myself even recounting the story. A couple of things I want to share with you, brethren, to encourage you in your witnessing be it to family, friends, or strangers.

1.) Don't be discouraged! God is still God! He does things in His own time according to His own will and in His own way! Your job is NOT to convert someone, it's to share the Gospel. The power of God converts sinful souls. Your job is to faithfully proclaim it.

2.) The lack of response from the person you witness to does not necessarily mean that you've failed or that you are unsuccessful. Gaye had been prayed for by many many people for many many years before God broke her heart and saved her.

3.) No matter how hard someone's heart may appear to be to us, no one can sin so far that they are outside the saving reach of God's grace. Ours is not to determine who we think 'might' or 'might not' be saved one day, ours is to simply trust the One who gave us the message that we proclaim.

Keep praying for the lost, keep seeking them out, and keep sharing the whole Gospel with them! And trust that God will do what is good and right. You may never know the impact you have on others. Then again, God may grant you the unique blessing of being used by Him to bring someone to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Family Bookshelf: The Priest with Dirty Clothes by R.C Sproul

2011-03-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading this one with my children. I found it absolutely fantastic! It is a great explanation of the transaction that takes place at salvation where we receive Christ's imputed righteousness and He takes our sin. It puts it in terms that children can understand. At the end of the book it has several study questions for parents to discuss the book with the kids to help them see the truths of the Gospel and what Christ has done for us. I read it to my 5 & 4 year old. It was just a little too long to maintain my four year old's attention the entire time but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

Read as always with your Bible open. In fact, the great thing about this book. In the study section it outlines how to transition from talking to your children about the story to moving on the more important facts of the Gospel so that you raise your children in the truths of the Lord. You can pick this book up from Ligonier.org.

** Please note that I received a review copy of this book from Reformation Trust but was in no way obligated to give a favorable review, just a fair one.

Pastor's Bookshelf: By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me by Sinclair Ferguson

2011-03-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

We sing about it. We recite it. We are saved by it alone. We know it. But how often do we take it for granted? I'm speaking of course about God's Grace. A foundational and wonderful truth about the One True God of this world is that He has elected to make known His grace to us... us... unworthy sinful fallen people. God owes us no mercy, no grace... no salvation; nothing but wrath and justice. Yet by His grace we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, God's Son.

Sinclair Ferguson takes you to the Bible to bring out what Scripture reveals about God's grace. How amazing God's grace is in salvation and every day life. How God's grace upholds the salvation of all believers and how God's grace is truly all sufficient.

From beginning to end I loved this book. It seemed to begin a bit slow, but by chapter two I was enthralled. I know personally that I tend to take God's Grace for granted in my life. Lord forgive me for ever presuming upon or forgetting the power of your grace extended to me through your Son, Jesus Christ. If you don't own this, order it now. You can pick it up at Ligonier.org or from Amazon.com.

Two of my favorite quotes from the book: "No therapist, no psychiatrist can relieve you of guilt. He or she may help you to resolve feelings of false guilt that can arise for a variety of reasons. Prescription drugs may provide certain kinds of ease. But no therapy, no course of drugs, can deliver you from real guilt. Why? Because being guilty is not a medical condition or a chemical disorder. It is a spiritual reality. It concerns your standing before God. The psychiatrist cannot forgive you; the therapist cannot absolve you; the counselor cannot pardon you. But the message of the Gospel is this: God can forgive you, and He is willing to do so." (pg. 57)

" Until we acknowledge our sin and guilt, we will never come to discover that it can be forgiven. But when we do, actual forgiveness begins to give rise to an awareness of forgiveness psychologically, spiritually, mentally, inwardly. With that comes an increasing sense that the bondage of guilt has been broken. At last, we are set free. Wonder of wonders, we discover that at the very heart of the Gospel is this fact: God has taken our guilt upon Himself in His Son Jesus Christ." (pg. 58)

**I received a free copy of this book from Reformation Trust Publishing for review; but was in no way obligated to give a positive review.

Rob Bell's new book & Voddie's a bigot?

2011-03-01T07:11:00.000-08:00

Well this week has had no shortage of interesting news in the realm of Christendom. Rob Bell, the emergent Pastor from Grand Rapids, Michigan, released a video promoting his book. Voddie Baucham spoke at the 2011 National Religious Broadcasters on Saturday and apparently came out as a bigot... Let's begin with Rob Bell.

For starters, I'm really not sure why the conservative circles of evangelical Christianity are so shocked about Rob's book. The title of the book is "Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived". The main message of the book, according to reports, is that a loving God would never truly send anyone to Hell. So in essence, if reports are accurate, Rob is placing himself into the category of a universalist. A universalist is someone who believes that no matter who you are or what you believe, ultimately you are going to Heaven. Whether you call on God through the Biblical Christ or not. Eyebrows raised? They should be, that folks is another gospel (Gal 1:6-10). That folks, is heresy.

As I said, I'm not certain at all why people are shocked, nor do I feel that we have to wait for this book's release to begin warning Christians about the dangers of Rob Bell's teachings. This teaching of universalism is nothing new. Rob has long taught this exact same thing at his church and eluded to it through many other writings and the infamous Nooma Videos.

Here is just a small example from Rob's past false teachings.

From the book Velvet Elvis:

"Heaven is full of forgiven people." // Good statement!
"Hell is full of forgiven people." // WHAT?

"Heaven is full of people God loves, whom Jesus died for." //Biblical Truth
"Hell is full of forgiven people God loves, whom Jesus died for." //WHAT?

"The difference is how we choose to live, which story we choose to live in, which version of reality we trust. Ours or God’s."

So there you have it, everyone is forgiven! All you have to do to go to heaven is live in God’s story (whatever that means). This is a gross misrepresentation of the gospel, and must not go unrecognized. Rob Bell’s theology doesn’t merely come short of the whole gospel. Rather, it twists and distorts the biblical gospel into a strange universalism in which everyone is forgiven, yet not all realize this forgiveness, and therefore spend eternity in hell. Rob Bell is preaching a gospel which is contrary to that of the Bible. If you’re curious as to what the Bible says about such false teaching, check out Galatians 1:6-9.

Paul’s anathema to those who would distort the Gospel was a serious statement. In plain terms, he said, let them be damned to hell for it. In other words, there may be areas inside of Christendom in which we can agree to disagree. Now ultimately there is only one truth on every subject, that’s just logical. But there are things we cannot come to an absolute conclusion about and that’s ok. The Gospel message isn’t one of those areas. Bell is a Universalist, meaning everyone, to him, is going to heaven…

He has recently invited fellow heretics like Phyllis Tickle to come speak at his church and by allowing her to speak and then not refuting the heresy she spewed, he offered her an endorsement..

In one of his latest videos Rob states that “you are the gospel”. Not God is the Gospel, Jesus is the Gospel, but “you” as in you and me are the gospel… that’s just heresy served in a big stinking dish piping hot. That alone is enough to make me tune him out and listen to nothing else he says because anything else he says will be ultimately stained with his view on salvation. **that would be Nooma 15 – You

In reality, the Bible says the Gospel message is that we are sinners, condemned and unclean, and we must repent of those sins and place our trust in Jesus Christ! (Mark 1:15; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23)

I am not shocked that Rob Bell's newest book is only more of the same dribble we've come to expect from him. I am shocked by two things.

1.) I am shocked that we have not yet labeled Bell a heretic. It is merited folks. He has crossed the line from erring teacher to apostate teacher to flat out wolf in sheep's clothing. Of course his mild demeanor and "love love" type of persona will get a discerning Christian who calls him out labeled as mean and cruel or my favorite label "brother basher". My heart breaks for Rob Bell. I do not hate the man. I would rejoice if I heard that today he repented and trusted in Christ. If he can teach universalism and other bad teachings, then he is obviously not saved. Call me names if you like, but let's just be honest here. This is not a small matter, this is a matter over the purity of the Gospel that we are to defend. (Jude 3).

2.) I am shocked (and at the same time not so shocked) that there is more outcry against those speaking out against Bell rather than supporting a call for him to repent. (2 Timothy 4:3)

In other news, Pastor Voddie Baucham spoke at the 2011 National Religious Broadcasters on Saturday where he charged Christian Radio broadcasters to be bold in their stance for the truth. To not be ashamed to speak the truth and stand on the authority of the Word of God. One matter, amongst others, in which he spoke of was the homosexual marriage issue. Many family friendly radio stations, so-called, Christian stations, have tip toed around this issue and took an ambiguous stance rather than a firm one...

The quote that is being passed around by the LGBT propaganda machine is as follows:

“The reason is the homosexuals have effectively co-opted blackness…to where now, we actually believe gay is the new black and we actually believe homosexual marriage is a civil rights issue,” he explained. “I’m insulted that people equate not just a sinful behavior but a behavior that’s a special category of sin called abomination with the level of melanin in my skin,” he said.

The straw man argument being used against Pastor Bauchum is that he wants Christian radio broadcasters to "bash" homosexuals. Which is highly false and completely untrue. He never called the broadcasters to bash on anyone but merely to proclaim the truth, but we do live in a pluralistic society where "Tolerance*" is printed in bold letters on the banner. Check the bottom and notice the small print on the banner: "*We expect you to tolerate our views and we will tolerate yours, but only if you agree with us. If you disagree we will not tolerate it but rather label you and slander you in the media with all sorts of strawmen arguments."

First, making a comparison that "gay is the new black" is insulting and ridiculous to the black ethnicity... Another interesting point to me also is that in the other arena of discussion, over abortion being ...murder and such, the ~~pro-choice~~ pro-murder crowd rather, gets offended when the conservative circles talk about the staggering facts that more "black" babies are killed every year than any other ethnicity. But when that is talked about, they say 'don't bring race into that argument' which 1.) there is only one race and 2.) it isn't bringing up ethnicity, just stating facts.. but now that playing a 'race card' serves their purpose, they can... the old adage 'do as I say and not as I do' seems to be their hidden motto.

That said, I cannot fathom how an issue over marriage rights for homosexuals, which is NOT a civil rights issue but rather a Biblical one, can be anywhere remotely compared to the atrocities of bigotry committed against Black Americans over the years.

Some have criticized Bauchum, from within Christendom, over his comments.

" My only thought is does any of this rhetoric and discussion about things like this help people find God for the first time? Nope.. The more hate Christians show the more people don't want to be a part of us."

To that I will simply say that one of the first things Jesus did in His ministry was issue the command from God for people to repent and believe. (Mark 1:15). I am a bit confused at your comment so maybe you can help me truly get where you are coming from. How ar...e we supposed to bring a spiritually dead person closer to God? I can't say anything to them to bring them closer to God or prepare their heart for His truth... Only God can do that. I can do what the Bible says however and that is use the Law of God as that schoolmaster to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Paul said he would have known sin but by the Law (Romans 7:7). So if a lost person is dead in their sin and an enemy of God through wicked works then the only way to bring them to God is by showing them their need for God and what God has done for them in Christ...

I think the basic message is "Tolerate me, but don't expect me to tolerate you one bit". The real message isn't of tolerance but rather agree with me or else. *Deep sigh* Pray for Rob Bell, he needs Christ. Pray for the practicing homosexual...(Romans 9:1-3) they need Jesus too and your sins are no less grievous to God than theirs Christian so don't think yourself more highly than you ought (Romans 12:1-3).

Family Bookshelf: The Prince's Poison Cup by R.C Sproul

2011-02-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

As I said in my last post, recently a friend of mine had recommended a couple of great books to me that have aided my wife and I in teaching our children the Gospel in ways they can understand and at the same time don't water down deep truth. That second book is "The Prince's Poison Cup" by Dr. R.C Sproul. The Prince in the story represents Christ and the story centers around explaining to children that the work of Christ was to take the cup of God's wrath for our sin.

It paints a beautiful picture of Christ's death and resurrection for the ungodly against the staggering backdrop of our sin. You can pick this up from Ligonier Ministries or Amazon. Our children loved it and it really helped them understand and hopefully this will continue to lead them to a deeper love for Jesus. Of course our hope, as is the hope of every parent, is that one day God will redeem our children and cover them in Christ's blood.

Hope this is helpful to you!

BookSneeze Review: Voices of the Faithful Book 2 - by Beth Moore

2011-02-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

I realize that before I write this I will be assaulting a "golden calf" that is near and dear to many Baptists, namely author/teacher Beth Moore. That notwithstanding, let me offer up my thoughts on the book "Voices of the Faithful - Book 2".

The book is a collection of stories from missionaries serving, or having served, around the globe. It is laid out in a one-year devotional style. For the sake of reviewing this book I didn't read one per day but rather read them all across a few weeks span.

What I liked about the book: Encouraging stories of how God has provided for missionaries in the field. It is always humbling and encouraging to hear those testimonies coming from the foreign mission field.

What troubled me about this book: Well, the worst part of this book was really that Beth Moore has a hand in it. Beth tends to misinterpret Scripture on a constant basis when dealing with Old Testament passages and promises (but that's another post all-together). There were multiple translations used for the book. I realize that the translation used on a given day's reading may have been tied to the person who submitted the story, even still consistency is best. Not to mention, some of the translations used were not as reliable as others in their handling of the Hebrew and Greek.

The absolute WORST thing about this book that would incline me to not only not recommend it but also to not buy this as a gift for someone is the presentation of the Gospel found in the back of the book on page 433.

The page is titled: "Have you heard God's Voice?". Moore states plainly that once a person "accepts" God's offer of salvation we begin to experience peace and abundant life. This phrase needs better explaining. The peace we enjoy as Christians is not a peaceful or enjoyable life necessarily, but one of soul peace knowing that we have been set free from our sin and born again to a Living Hope in Christ. Nor are we anywhere guaranteed an "abundant life" in the material sense of the word.

Next, we do not "invite Christ into our hearts". Ephesians 2 makes it clear we are dead in our sin until God regenerates our hearts. He initiates salvation and we receive Him gladly. He doesn't need our acceptance folks, we need His.

She fails to take her readers through the Law to help them see their sin in light of God's truth. Paul said he would not have known sin had it not been for the Law (Romans 7:7). Instead she casually says we need to admit we are sinners. She does not then call for the reader to repent, as Christ would have (Mark 1:15), but rather says we should "Commit to turn from our sins".

The most troubling part of this whole presentation was the last paragraph when she encouraged anyone who had prayed a sinner's prayer but was still not sure they were saved to get involved in church. Listen, getting involved in church is important, but if someone isn't sure they are saved. Why not encourage them to do what Scripture has directed and examine themselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) to make their calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10).

No presentation of the Gospel, no matter how well explained, should be without explicit reference to Scripture. To leave this out is to invite error and misunderstanding.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Family Bookshelf: The Church History ABC's

2011-02-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

In addition to Scripture, which should always be first and foremost in our family discipleship, it can also be helpful and valuable to teach your children about "heroes" and "heroines" of the faith. Teach them about those who have come before them and have given their lives (even unto death in some cases) for the glory of God and the defense of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One such book aid for our family has been "The Church History ABC's". It has been helpful in a three fold way for us. It has helped us teach both our children some key facts about Christians gone before, it is written simply enough that my 5 year old daughter, who is learning to read, is easily able to read most words, and the alphabet structure has been helpful for my 4 year old son in helping him learn his alphabet.

You can pick this up from Amazon fairly reasonably.

The Bottom Line: Lame Attempts At Relevance (Part 1)

2011-02-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful article written by my friend and brother in Christ, Cameron Buettel, addressing the foolishness that goes on in most "churches" these days in the name of relevance.

Enjoy!

Soli Deo Gloria,

The Bottom Line: Lame Attempts At Relevance (Part 1)

Family Bookshelf: Sammy and His Shepherd by Susan Hunt

2011-02-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

If you are a parent who is trying to raise their child to love Jesus then you've no doubt faced the obstacles of communicating deep theological truths to your child in a way that will not only be understandable to them, but in a way that will be meaningful to them as they grow and have an impact on their choices in life.

Meg and I are ALWAYS on the lookout for tools and helps to assist us in communicating the truths of the Gospel to our children. Recently my friend Brian recommended a couple of books to me that I would like to also recommend to you. One of those books is "Sammy and His Shepherd" by Susan Hunt. You can pick it up from Amazon.com or Ligonier.org. This is a fantastic book to help your children understand how God cares for His children. It is the story of Sammy, a sheep with a good Shepherd. He meets a friend and throughout the story he is explaining to his friend how Christ redeems and loves us even though we do nothing to merit that love.

The whole story is an exposition of truths found in Psalm 23 and written in a way that young children can understand. At the end of every chapter there is a discussion section that will help you lead your children in a discussion over the symbols in the book as they relate to Biblical truth. Absolutely fantastic and absolutely something that every family should have on their bookshelf!

The difference between justice and mercy...

2011-02-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

I am so amazed at how, in nearly EVERY realm of life, people mistake mercy and justice. Justice is what is deserved for a particular act. That can be positive and negative obviously... Mercy is what is not required to be shown in any given situation. God is required to show justice. His own inherent Holiness requires it. He is never ever obligated to show mercy. Even in our own human legal system. We demand that courts bring justice, and we know that they are not obligated to show mercy. Yet when it is on us that justice is being served, we cry out "That's not fair!" and demand mercy. But mercy is never ours to demand in any situation. Justice is what is due for a particular act.

I am thankful that God showed me mercy for my infinite transgressions against Him, rather than showing me the justice that I so rightly deserved.

Is Forgiveness Possible? ER

2011-02-15T17:48:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine posted this video to his blog as a challenge to a couple commenters on his blog to watch this video and post how they would respond in this or any similar situation...

So I thought on it and decided I would like to put this on my blog as a question/ challenge not to anyone specifically but to anyone who would like to rise to the challenge. We live in a day where, sadly, the Gospel in many situations is reduced to something trite. "Get saved and God will make your life wonderful." Phrases like that. Phrases that just fail to give the full Gospel (as depicted in Scripture) in all its wonder and beauty.

But a message like "God has a wonderful plan for your life!", would hardly connect and do anything meaningful for a person in a terminal situation... so the challenge.

1.) Watch the video
2.) Put yourself in the woman's shoes and give your response to this man who is more or less asking what he must do to be saved. What would you say? Please be thorough as possible and please back up all points with Scripture.

Please don't shy away from this challenge. Scripture emphatically commands us to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15)... to preach the Word in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). If you aren't sure how to go about sharing the Gospel Biblically then please email me and I would be more than happy to point you to what Scripture says about it.

Christo-centric Marriage - Part 3

2011-02-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

Lastly, let’s look at God’s model for the roles in the marriage.

Ephesians 5:1-2 – Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Ephesians 5:22-33 - Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body. 31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Wives, you are to submit to your husband. This doesn’t mean he is a slave driver to you. It means that you submit to his leadership of the family so long as he isn’t leading your family to do anything that goes against the word of the Lord. I understand that in our feminist society this is not an altogether popular idea, but it is the Godly model nonetheless. Your submission to your husband is to model your submission to the Lordship of Christ in your life. Think on that and read Matthew 6:33.

Husbands, love your wives. Love them… how? Just as Christ loved the church and GAVE Himself up for her. That’s a lofty commitment that is called for from men. Love the wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. He died for the salvation of the church, not just a local body of believers obviously but all those who are truly born again, they constitute the true church of God. The word 'love' there in Ephesians 5:25 there, in Greek, ‘agapao’ (ag-ap-ah-o). It doesn’t imply perfect love as only God can show, rather it implies a higher love than merely a romantic infatuation type of love. This is not a casual love that we are called to. This is an intense love that compared to the world is radical and crazy and absolutely unheard of. It is a love that is committed regardless of any other factor. Practically speaking, our love for our spouse should be such that we seek to model that type of devotion towards the brethren. Men, we are to commit to love our wives period. Scripture gives no allowance for withholding or reducing that love because they don't do something the way we want.

Then Paul goes on to say that He [Jesus] gave Himself so that He might present the church in all her glory… spotless… blameless… holy… We are to love them above ourselves. Do whatever it takes to lead her towards Godliness (Matthew 6:33) and away from sin and temptation. So that we keep her (in as much as it depends on us) spotless, blameless, holy… before the Lord. That’s a tall order of love. It involves sacrificing our desires and comforts to love them with all we are. And again we do so because it is a living illustration of the Gospel. And God who saved us did not withhold any good thing from us but loved us, adopted us as His children, redeemed and forgave us, sanctified us, and will one day bring us into His presence in Heaven and glorify our sin marred bodies so that they are perfect and we are perfect.

Again we go back to the principle for both the husband and the wife, if God so loved us that He gave Christ, how can we who are not innocent fail to ‘so love’ our spouses knowing that we too are every bit in as much need of God’s grace every moment of every day.

Again, none of this is to be taken in an accusatory way. I don’t have all the details for your specific situation. I can’t (nor would I try to) force you to do anything. You have to decide for yourselves. I am also not claiming that I am the expert with a perfect marriage. Marriage (as you well know) is work. It is a continual journey. If not for our sin natures that still creep in and tempt us with selfishness, we’d all be able to love one another perfectly. Then again, if we could do anything perfectly we wouldn’t need Christ. Since we do need Him, we must also trust Him in all things. I am absolutely 100% in love with my wife and it probably takes much more forgiveness on her part to love me than it does me to her because I know that I do not always love her as Christ loved the church. I am selfish and I put myself first far too often.

As I said, I’m not perfect, nor do I claim to be the expert. I can only relate what Scripture says and tell you that as I've seen these principles for marriage in His Word it has been a convicting time where He has revealed that I don’t always love my wife as I ought to either.

Prayerfully, as Christians, we all can walk together in this and hold one another up and help one another so that we, together, can edify one another in the Lord. Spurring one another on to healthy marriages and healthy lives that all point back to the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His saving Grace that was displayed on the cross! The life that is not lived in a Christocentric fashion is the life that is wasted and that applies to all areas of life. Keep that in mind as you move forward. Pray and seek the Lord’s strength and wisdom in all things. Know that I am here for you if needed and will do whatever I can to help.

Christo-centric Marriage - Part 2

2011-02-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

The second thing is that love is not an emotion. Love is not attraction. Emotion is attraction. Physicalities are emotion based attraction. Love… is a choice. We have to choose to love someone. You hear people say all the time that the reason they got a divorce was because they simply "fell out of love with that person any more". At the risk of sounding rude can I just say one word to that? Poppycock. Love is not a feeling, it is a choice. You don't fall out of love any more than you fall in love, you CHOOSE to love. Again, we find our answer to “How much or how deep should I love?” by looking at Christ.

So let’s examine these things from Scripture.

We’ll begin with love being a choice. In keeping with our understanding that marriage is a covenental picture of the Gospel we will go to Ephesians 2.

In Ephesians 2, Paul opens with a bleak picture of the human condition… but a true one nonetheless. Ephesians 2:1-3 - And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

So that’s us… dead in our sins. Dead. Our sins demanding God’s wrath and not deserving God’s mercy. We are in that state unlovable in the sense that there is no merit in us what so ever that should cause God to set His redeeming love on us.

With that in mind, move on into verse 4 and beyond.

Ephesians 2:4-10 - But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

WOW! What a picture! We are unlovable, we are dead, we are helpless to change it. God is not obligated to help us in any way, yet He chooses to! He chooses to not only forgive us but lavish His unconditional love on us! And He does so out of His rich mercy, His great love! The Greek word used for love when referring to how God loves His children is ‘agape’. The closest English equivalent is the word ‘love’, but in reality it has no equivalent. It was a word that the authors of the Bible created to describe the unconditional loving grace of God. No human can perfectly love anyone in the ‘agape’ sense and so no one else can bear that title.

That’s quite a picture. We don’t deserve regular love from God, let alone a love that is beyond description! Yet, He chooses to love us. There again we see that love is a choice.

As you are choosing whether or not you will proceed in your marriage or walk away, keep in mind. God chose to love you even when you were unlovable and continues to love you even though you (like me and the rest of us) sin from time to time and do things that should merit His rejection of you, yet He doesn’t… If our marriages are a picture of Christ and salvation, then we ought to strive to love one another in the same fashion. Loving one another regardless. Not because of merit in the other person, but because God so loved us that He gave His only Son… if the Holy perfect God can find it right with Himself to love the unlovable (us), how much more should we be willing to love one another keeping in mind that none of us are perfect and therefore don’t have the right to refuse or reject one another. Jesus said let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.

We can apply that same exact principle to the issue of forgiveness in marriage. Think for a moment about your own sins. Not the sins necessarily that are causing the issues in your marriage. Open the scope up more widely than that. Need some help? Flip over to Exodus 20 and run through the 10 Commandments and see how many of them you’ve broken… In summary, have you always honored God as first in your life? Have you created an idol in your life, something you devote yourself to or worship more than God? Have you ever taken God’s Name in vain? That is called blasphemy and God takes it very seriously. Have you always set aside one day out of seven to honor and worship the Lord… to rest and reflect on His love shown towards you? Did you always honor and obey your parents growing up? What about murder? Jesus said that God sees hate in your heart the same as murder. Ever commit adultery? Before you answer quickly, no that Jesus said if you look on someone with lust then you have committed adultery in your heart. Whether you were married when the lust occurred is immaterial. Ever stolen anything, even something small? Ever lied? Ever coveted or desired something that wasn’t yours?

How did you do? Have you kept any one of them perfectly? I hadn’t… I don’t… James 2:10 says that if you’ve broken even one of the commandments then you are guilty of breaking them all because there is a totality to the law.

In salvation, did God… through Christ… not forgive you of every one of your transgressions of His law past, present, and future? If you are in Christ, then He has removed your sins so far as the East is from the West. Again remembering that God is perfect and Christ was sinless. Yet He became sin on your behalf so that you might be redeemed (2 Corinthians 5:21).

If you answer yes that Christ has forgiven you of all your sin. And you answer yes that He was Himself sinless and you didn’t deserve His forgiveness… then when we withhold forgiveness from our spouses for their sin we are placing ourselves in a higher court that God.

Do you see what I’m saying? God did not withhold forgiveness to you for your sins against Him and He rightly could have. But He didn’t, even to the point of the slaughter of His own Son. Yet we can’t pray and plead with God to help us forgive our spouses for their sins? Maybe if we were perfect we could withhold forgiveness if we wanted, but we aren’t so we can’t…

Plus, think about the message you send when you give up or walk away or fail to forgive or whatever in your marriage. You are saying to that other person, I expect you to put up with my sins, my quirks, my wants… but I am not going to put up with yours. And this doesn’t just apply to the person who leaves the marriage but also to the one who was left. Regardless of who started it took two people… two sinners… to cause any issue.

Let me just interject that if at this point your mind is dwelling on the sins and shortcomings of your spouse and not your own, you've just discovered one part of your problem... Listen, you may be innocent in any given situation of any wrong doing that has led to marital conflict, I grant you that. But you are not innocent of guilt of all situations... that's my point, so in withholding forgiveness or walking away you send a message.

You are sending the message that your sins were deserving of forgiveness from the sinless Son of God, but the other persons sins aren’t deserving of your forgiveness… Ouch, kind of a punch in the gut for me personally for sure.

Christo-centric Marriage - Part 3

Christo-centric Marriage - Part 1

2011-02-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

So this blog series (which will probably be two parts) needs a disclaimer before it. I am in no way contending that I am perfect. I am in no way contending that Meg and I have marriage all figured out. I sin daily, against my children and against my wife whenever I fail to love them and lead them as God has called me to do. So please know from the beginning of this article that it is intended only to help you. From one person figuring this stuff out Biblically to another who is going through the same trials and joys. Hope that sets a tone that keeps with the way this was all written.

With that in mind I would just like to put forth some things for you to consider as you choose what you will do pertaining to your marriage.

Problems arise in marriage. That's a given. Even Christian marriages are not without their issues from time to time. We should expect no less quite frankly. Anytime you put a man and a woman together and tell them to fight their sin nature that screams for them to put themselves first and instead to love the other person sacrificially, anytime you do that... you are going to eventually stumble and instead of loving sacrificially you will love yourself more and act on that self-love.

Determining who is "to blame" in each argument is of little to no value. The blame game isn't going to get you where you need to be in your marriage. Sometimes arguments and fights stem from or cause distrust. Every situation is different and I am in no place to diagnose each individual problem, however where the distrust originates is neither here nor there.

What is important is asking yourself the question: Do you commit to working this out or do you walk away? Sadly in our world many turn immediately to walking away without a second thought. But Christians are called to something different as we'll see as we progress.

Jesus said, in Matthew 19:6, that when two people marry they become “one flesh”. Regardless of what the local court house and state records may show, God sees marriage as permanent. Divorce is not optional from His view point. Not in any scenario. (See Permanence View link below)

Now many would point to the Bible and say that adultery makes it legitimate for divorce. In reality, Jesus said that MOSES allowed people to divorce for infidelity but it never says that God condoned or approved. But adultery and infidelity is not the thrust of this post, so let's move on.

Fill in the following sentence with your personal situation: You are upset with one another because of ____________________. Insert the issues there. One issue or a hundred issues… doesn’t matter… fill it in for yourselves. What I want to communicate will apply the same across the board.

A teaching that really gets neglected by and large in the churches of our day is the fact that marriage is not just the union of a man and woman in matrimony. It’s a picture of the Gospel. The reason that marriage is a binding union is because when God regenerates and saves a person (salvation) it is a binding union of that person to Him. Romans 8:1 – there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

We are eternally secure in Him. Saved by Him. Regenerated and forgiven by Him.
Romans 8:28-35 - And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

We are secure in Him. The meaning of that of course is securely forgiven. No condemnation for our sins will come upon us. That’s important because even though Christians are forgiven (saved) we still stumble into sin from time to time because our flesh is weak and none of us are perfect…

Knowing that even though I do sin, sometimes multiple times daily, still God will not reject the covenant of salvation that He has made with me in Jesus Christ. He will not reject the promise that He made to me through the blood of Jesus Christ that purchased me. He has adopted me as His child (and any other saved person) and therefore Christ paid the debt for the sins of my past, present, and future.

How does that relate to marriage? Well, marriage then becomes more than just a union… more than just vows we take and aisles we walk on one day. It becomes a life long journey. Marriage is a covenant (another word that is largely lost these days in our teaching of marriage).

Marriage is a covenant between two people and as we strive to understand how to make it work, we can find our answer. Not simply by trying to work it out and get over the issue… but by looking first at Christ. Loving out of the love with which He has loved us. D. Martin Lloyd Jones said that the logic of our loving out of the love Christ showed us is “quite irresistible”.

Our marriages are a visible picture of the Gospel. They are a living illustration of what Christ does for us in regeneration.

That’s the first thing I wanted to put out there.

Christo-centric Marriage - Part 2

Some additional resources that may be helpful:

The Permanence View of Marriage - by Voddie Baucham

The Permanence View of Marriage - notes from the above

Staying Married is not about Staying in Love - by John Piper

What should have been said theatre: Joel Osteen interviewed by Piers Morgan (homosexuality)

2011-01-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

Well once more Joel Osteen has been on TV and once more he's left a nasty taste in the mouth of all those who are truly born again believers and at the same time angered the LGBT community. The crazy thing, is that during the interview I found myself torn. On the one hand I applaud Piers Morgan for doing what other interviewers have yet been unable to do and that is to get Joel to actually mutter the word 'sin'. Good on ya. Further I, with Mr. Morgan, wanted desperately for Joel to just be clear. Get deeper into what he actually believes and just be clear.

Now, on the other hand... I agreed with some of what Joel said. Emphasis on the word SOME. Let's pick this apart discerningly with the goal of helping believers and homosexuals alike better understand the issue... and hopefully in the process we can clear up the mess Joel made and complete his statements RIGHTLY!

Is homosexuality a sin? Yes. It is not the created order of God. It is the product of a fallen world, with fallen people, who act on their fallen sinful nature. Further, it is harmoniously condemned in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

Romans 1:26–27 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

1 Timothy 1:9–10 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine,

On that point, that homosexuality is a sin, I completely agree with Joel. His next statement was that the church, however, picks certain issues and sins to bash on. I agree with him on this as well. Some so-called Christians do this and it is wrong. It is not right to isolate one sin and label it as worse than others. All sin is sin and all sin is damning.

Those churches that focus on hatefulness towards one issue or another are in error, and need to be called to repentance themselves.

Joel then says that homosexuality "isn't God's best". God's best? No, homosexuality is sin... it isn't so simple and trite as it not being God's best... no sin is God's best. The issue with sin isn't the fact that it isn't "God's best" The issue is the consequences due to us all for sin...

He goes on to say that sin means to "miss the mark". Actually, according to Romans 3:23, sin means to fall short of God's glory. Romans 3:23 - 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

We have to look at two key things in this verse from the Greek. The Greek phrase ‘fall short’ is hustereo (hoos.ter.eh.o). It means ‘to lack’, ‘to fail to reach the mark in obtaining something’. Now, the Greek word for glory is doxa (dox.ah). It refers to the magnificence and splendor that belongs only to God. The Kingly majesty that belongs only to Christ.

Now put that all together and we can best understand this part of our text this morning that our falling short of God’s Glory isn’t just some small shortcoming. It isn’t as though we were close to perfect but missed the mark just a tad. Oh no, it is much worse than that.

We lack completely and totally the requirements needed to even stand before God, let alone be innocent before Him. That’s the severity. THAT'S what sin is!

Joel is still failing to preach the Biblical Gospel. I would submit to you that Joel is not loving for neglecting to preach the full Biblical Gospel, he is a cruel individual for it. It was wicked of Joel to label homosexuality a sin and then not explain sin better and then not explain Jesus and forgiveness of sin.

God did NOT tell us to judge people's salvation. But we are to clearly define what sin is according to what God's Word says. We are to clearly define sin and what the implications of sin are and show everyone... everyone, not just the homosexual, but everyone that the God's perfect standard (His Law: Exodus 20). Reveals their sin to them and declares that they will be held accountable for it! Hebrews 9:27 - It is appointed a man once to die and then the judgment.

At mark 3:31 Joel comes the closest he's ever been to the Biblical Gospel, although still far short. What he should have said to Piers is that it isn't just that the homosexual is a sinner, it is that WE ALL ARE! We are all sinners and every last one of us is going to stand before a Holy God in judgment and we will either be punished for our sins or we will enter into Heaven having had our sins forgiven and paid for in this life by Jesus Christ and His blood shed on the cross!

The homosexual or the liar or the thief or the murderer or any other person isn't going to hell just because of one issue... they are going to hell because of ALL their sin...

James 2:10 - For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

Then , at mark 3:52, Piers asks Joel... what would you say to a homosexual if they were there right then.

Joel says "I don't know that I understand it all"

What might have been a better answer that actually spoke to the Scriptures he is claiming to live by so much?

How about, 'Piers, what I would have said is that homosexuality is a sin just like all other sin. And the Bible says in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. I would plead with my homosexual friend and tell them that they are going to die one day just like every other person ever born. And on that day they will stand before God accountable for their sin. And any "good" or "nice" things they did on this earth won't be what He judges them by, it will be by His perfect standard. His Law... and since they've broken His law just like everyone else, they will be guilty. And God, being a good and Holy Just God MUST punish them and send them to Hell where their sins have put them. But that God being rich in mercy and great in LOVE sent Jesus Christ to redeem them from the curse of the Law. That while they were yet dead in their sins, Christ died for the ungodly so that if they will repent. He will be faithful and good to forgive them. Not because they are a person who deserves forgiveness because none of us do. But because He is a good God who has done an amazing thing in Jesus Christ.'

Then, if I were Joel, I would have just said that I would plead with that homosexual or with Piers or any other sinner to give sober thought to the Word of God and consider their sin... and when the weight of their sin became real to them so much so that they realize they have offended and transgressed against the God who gave them life, to flee from that sin and throw themselves on His mercy for forgiveness and He will forgive. John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life.

What a fantastic promise made by God, that all those who call upon His Name, with a repentant heart, shall be saved!

That concludes this episode of "What should have been said theatre."

Dear Mr. Obama

2011-01-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

'Unashamed' Piper Sermon Jam

2011-01-25T08:50:00.000-08:00

Pastor's Bookshelf: Holy, Holy, Holy: Proclaiming the Perfections of God

2011-01-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

Holy, Holy, Holy: Proclaiming the Perfections of God is a profound look at God's Holiness as seen in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. How our Trinitarian God is intrinsically Holy and Just in all things. This book drove me to my Bible (as any good theological book should) and left me once more in awe of the God whom I serve.

God is Holy. He says so of Himself and proves to be so in all of His works. How many of us truly understand (at least from what we can understand) God's Holiness? In His Holiness we find the reasons for His grace, mercy, love, and even His wrath and justice.

Written by such great men of the word such as R.C. Sproul, Thabiti Anyabwile, Allistar Begg, D.A. Carson, Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Steve Lawson, R.C Sproul Jr., and Derek Thomas.

Each author brings a unique perspective to the table as they look at everything from the Holiness of God to how it should look when applied to our lives and even take you through how it should look as we endeavor to raise our children in the ways of the Lord.

Absolutely fantastic book and I highly recommend it to ANYONE. It is deep enough to challenge students of the Word but written simply enough that even a new convert will be able to understand the concepts outlined.

You can purchase this book from Ligonier Ministries.

Not ‘Change the Question’ – Find the CORRECT Answer…

2011-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Recently an article was posted to a Baptist association website in my area. It proposes that we ask certain questions to figure out better strategies of how to do ‘effective’ church more or less.

There is a fundamental flaw to the line of thinking set forth in the article. The problem with most churches isn’t that they are asking the wrong questions but rather they are coming up with the wrong answers. They come up with the wrong answers because they are seeking answers from a man-centered point of view.

By God’s grace I’ll address the issue without pride and I think the best way to do that is to take apart the questions line by line and suggest the answers that should be invariably the same across the board whether you are a large church or a small church. There discussed and proposed questions are marked as Question #1-9, and then my proposed answers follow.

Question #1: “Not long ago, I had a conversation with someone about some issues in that person's home church. Here are the some of the questions they were asking: Why are people leaving our church”

As with any question in life at all the first place we should seek an answer is the Bible. What are some possible BIBLICAL reasons that a person or family might leave our church fellowship

Reason #1 - Perhaps those individuals were false converts or non-believers to begin with. We’ll start with a worst case scenario.

1 John 2:18-19 - Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

John is writing to the churches over whom he has apostleship and they were obviously concerned over the departure of some of the members of their fellowship. These individuals, whom John says are among the antichrists that will rise from time to time, were likely Gnostics who had never been born again to begin with. They were either unbelievers who had crept in to deceive or false converts who had never truly repented and trusted Christ and so they were easily susceptible to false teaching of any kind.

What do we do with those types that leave because they don’t like the truth of the Gospel that is being taught from the pulpit? We absolutely do NOT pass judgment on them and assume that while they may be yet unconverted they are beyond God’s grace. This simply is not true. No one is too sinful to be redeemed by our Sovereign God.

If they have left and it is because they are false converts it is better for them to leave lest they store up more wrath for themselves on the Day of Judgment (Romans 2:5). If they are unwilling to repent, it is better that they not sit in church pretending to be Christian. God desires sincerity in worship (Isaiah 1:10-20). That does not in any case permit us to write them off. We should continue to love them and definitely continue to share the truth of the Gospel with them imploring them to repent and be reconciled to Christ. Not so that they will rejoin our fellowship and our numbers will stay high, but because we are chiefly concerned about their eternal welfare.

You may be asking, how do we know if that is the reason they left? Is it our place to make that call? Well I would say use extreme caution on these grounds. Rather than trying to figure out if that is the exact reason they left, take John’s word as a possible reason that they left and let it motivate you to a deeper compassion for them. Keep in mind though that if your end goal is getting them back in the pew, it will be sniffed out and your efforts are in vain.

Another possible reason, on the flipside of reason #1, would be:

Reason #2 - They left because they ARE born again believers and your church ISN’T striving to proclaim the Biblical Gospel.

2 John 10-11 - If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

We are living in a day where unfortunately more churches are concerned with being hip and trendy over being Christocentric. They are more in love with the a soft gospel that doesn’t mention sin or repentance and rather they proclaim a gospel that says, ‘Get saved and life will be great.’ That type of Gospel doesn’t save because it isn’t true (Galatians 1:6-10). It may well be that the answer to your question begins with you examining everything your church preaches and teaches and does in ministry through the lens of Scripture. Does everything you preach point your flock away from sin and towards Christ? Does it bring man low and exalt God? Are you proclaiming sound doctrine even though it isn’t always popular (2 Timothy 1:12-14)? If not, you’ve just identified the reason that faithful Christians are leaving your church. The response, repent and get on the Biblical program (Mark 1:15) then go and be reconciled to that person and tell them of what God has shown you in His Word.

Question #2: “How can we get those that left to come back? What’s the problem?”

At the risk of being accused of being cold hearted and uncaring, can I just say that if reason #1 is true then you don’t want them back. Until they repent and are converted they are not going to be anything but a cancer on your fellowship.

If reason #2 is true then you won’t be able to persuade them to come back until they see proof that the church has changed to a more Christ-centered direction (and not MAN-centered)

Question #3: “Now, I am not suggesting that those are not legitimate questions. I am suggesting there is a question that is more powerful. Why would anyone want to come to our church? That question is not a criticism (unless we can't come up with a single answer for it). It is a way of refocusing.”

Why indeed? Why would anyone want to go to any church? Well several reasons might be suggested and depending on your understanding of who church is being done for, you might come up with a plethora of answers…

That being the case, there must be an equalizer. A standard starting point that all true churches must filter this question through. Scripture is that starting point. After all, the first thing a true church must affirm unwaveringly is that ALL Scripture is infallible, inerrant, and God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Some great foundational Scriptures to help a church begin assessing the health of their church might be:

John 21:15-17 - So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

Romans 1:16-17 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 - And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Ephesians 4:14-16 - As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

1 Timothy 4:16 - Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

2 Timothy 1:7-14 - For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. 13 Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

Jude 3 - Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.

Do you see a theme just in those few verses? What is the most essential thing in a church? Sound doctrine. Without sound doctrine, without sound teaching and preaching, how can you proclaim the Biblical Gospel? Answer: You can’t. Without preaching the Biblical Gospel, no one will be saved Romans 10:14)!

Church is for the Believers, not the unbelievers… Do we want the lost to come? Absolutely and we don’t want to do anything that hinders them from coming… but the primary role of the church is discipleship within its doors, not evangelism. When Jesus gave the Great Commission He told us to “GO”. That implies leaving our home, leaving the comfort of the four walls of our church to take the Gospel to a world that is full of lost and dying people. The church should be welcoming and loving towards the lost person who comes to their church, but never ever ever at the expense of the truth of the Gospel (Galatians 1:6-10).

If anything we do that lost person a tremendous disservice when we water the truth of the Gospel down for their sake… We need to speak boldly to them, lovingly, explaining from every angle that we can muster about their sin and the just wrath of God due to them for that sin (Romans 7:7)… we need to proclaim to them with awe and reverence the great love of God for sinners, that He sent His only Son to die on the cross and take the full wrath of God… that whosoever would believe on Him would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16, Romans 3:25, 1 John 4:10).

Question #4-8: What do we have to offer ... What do we do well ... What are our strengths ... What sets us apart ... How is God "showing up" in our church?

Applying the above Scriptural principles, it should be a piece of cake to answer these.

What do we have to offer? Sound Biblical teaching and training of disciples. (Christocentric Discipleship)

What do we do well? Preach the unadjusted Gospel of Jesus Christ

What are our strengths? Strive to be a church that reflects Jesus Christ and shines His light in the world.

How is God “showing up” in our church? I must confess I must wonder if God finds this question insulting… if those whom God has drawn unto Salvation, purchased by the Blood of Jesus Christ… if they are gathered together… God is there… Not that the people are God obviously… but we have the “Helper” the Holy Spirit to guide us and lead us… Again, our goal is how we can best glorify God… where do we find how to glorify God? The Bible!

Question #9: Imagine what we might learn if we asked a new church member, "What drew you to our church?"

If the answer coming back from this “person” isn’t that they were drawn there because we love Jesus and we love truth and because of the love Christ has shown us we loved them… I don’t see any reason to take seriously any other answer…

The last paragraph read “Do you think it might empower our people if they heard that their lives and ministry investment actually impacted someone's life in a positive way? Do you think it might help us know how to be good stewards of our resources if we found out what ministries are truly having an impact (and maybe which ones aren't)? Do you think it might assist in the assimilation process if new members saw themselves as valuable resources to help the church expand its ministries rather than new blood (and money) to support current ministries?”

All of those questions are terribly man-centered… And as far as “assimilating” new believers… let them join, be a part of your fellowship and enjoy worship and discipleship with the brethren… but be oh so cautious before putting a new member or new believer into leadership quickly… 1 Timothy 3:2 warns that new converts in leadership roles can easily become conceited and if so they can fall under condemnation. Now, in fairness, that verse is specifically referring to the role of Elders in the church, however, I think it is a wise principle to apply in any leadership role.

I firmly believe we would begin to see a tremendous revival in this Nation if the preachers would all take the pulpit next Lord’s Day and begin to boldly, unashamedly, and lovingly proclaim the Biblical Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to their flock.

Yes, some will leave… they will. They will go out from the church because they were not a part of the true body of believers to begin with. Some will likely be convicted of their sin and be drawn to repent and trust Christ for the very first time. Either way, no matter what happens… Whether you have a church of 3, 30, or 300… God being glorified is your chief concern.

How do we call ourselves a "civilized" people and yet allow this?

2011-01-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

How can we claim to be so much more advanced than previous generations gone by and yet we allow the slaughter of over 4,000 babies per day in the United States alone. May God have mercy on those who are committing these atrocities and may He Sovereignly choose to draw them unto repentance that they might repent of their sin, not just this but all their sin, and be forgiven by His matchless grace. Placing their faith in Jesus Christ and hoping in Him alone for salvation.

Here me closely. Abortion is murder. Make no mistake. However, if you have had an abortion... or you are the "doctor" (and I use that term loosely) who has performed an abortion, or the nurse that has aided one... or whatever your role... God will still forgive you. You cannot out sin God's saving Hand. Turn to Him this day and be forgiven. He will forgive you not only for this, for this sin is not the only weight around your neck, but all your sin (1 John 1:9). Jesus died to take the wrath of God for all your sin. He is a sufficient and efficient Savior!

Trust Him today. And to the Believers... rise up and proclaim the Gospel boldly in your communities. The answer to the problem of rampant abortions is not going to be found in new legislation or hate campaigns... the only way lives and hearts will change is if God saves these individuals... God has called Christians to preach the unadjusted pure Gospel to the lost and dying world. Let's get on it Christians, preach the Gospel to all that God might send a revival to our nation through the salvation of many!

Unbiblical Language Uses...

2011-01-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, so what I would like you to do is post, in the comments section of this blog, a term or phrase that is unbiblical but is widely accepted and used in Christianity today. Not words that describe Biblical theology, like the word Trinity, that just aren't spelled outright in the Bible. But words or phrases that are NOT Biblical. Please site the reason WHY you feel it is unbiblical and, if you would be so kind, suggest the phrase(s) that should be used and be sure to include verse references. This should be interesting...

Pastor's Bookshelf: The Jesus You Can't Ignore by John MacArthur

2011-01-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

I am a long time fan of John MacArthur and so it should come as no surprise to anyone that knows me that I absolutely loved this book. Again, sticking right with the Bible, John does a fantastic job of exploring all that the Bible says about the life and ministry of Christ.

This book is an insightful and eye-opening look into Jesus' earthly ministry. Using Scripture, and Scripture alone, Dr. MacArthur opens the truth about Jesus' ministry and how He handled many different types of people. It is very empowering to see how boldly Christ confronted false teachers and those who would today fall into the post-modern and emergent categories. Empowering because as a true Christians in this era are criticized and even villified for taking hard stances on Scriptural truths.

We are looked down upon by the post-moderns and nominal Christians for stressing the importance of sound doctrine and for defending the inerrancy of the Bible. What the liberals fail to see is that without a right understanding of God and His Word you cannot proclaim truth. That is to say that the Scriptures are the infallible word of God. His revelation to us. We must strive to understand this truth and defend any and all attacks on it.

The trend of subjective scripture interpretation and watered down Gospel must be fought off strongly as a Shepherd fights off the ensuing wolves. Because the world is so enchanted by subjective truth, especially when it comes to the Bible, many are following a Jesus that doesn't exist in Scripture. Friends, if you follow a Jesus that it is not of the Bible, you follow a Christ that does not exist and cannot save you. If you preach a different Jesus than Scripture, you preach a Gospel that does not save anyone.

Tithing - Part 2

2011-01-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

So tithing is not a biblical practice or requirement for the New Testament church, why do we give? Should we give at all? And what did Jesus teach about giving and how much to give?

Matthew 6:19-21;24 - “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also… 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

He clearly teaches us that our value in this world is to be set on things above… not on money or possessions. Children of God are to be a people of single hearted devotion to God and God alone in all things. So that is principle one in our effort to have a Biblical doctrine of giving.

Truthfully, if we were going to talk about Biblically following the word “tithing”, Old Covenant tithing, we would need to not only give 10th of our income but also of our land, crops, possessions, etc. Tithing was a requirement for Jews under Moses in a theocracy. As I said, most nations still practice a form of tithing today, only now it isn’t collected to show devotion to God, it is collected to run the nation. We call it taxes.

Now, even though tithing is not a New Covenant requirement, it doesn’t mean that we toss out giving all together. Not at all. Tithing, like many other things in Christ, has been replaced with a new principle that we can most accurately define as Grace Giving.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 - Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Paul had instructed them not to be captive to covetousness but to trust God in all things and give FREELY, not under compulsion of Law, but freely. We are not to give 1.) under obligation nor 2.) under compulsion. Rather we are to give cheerfully as we purpose in our own hearts. Paul says that God loves a cheerful giver.

Instead of a legal requirement to tithe, under the New Covenant we have the privilege and opportunity to give to the work of the Lord. Now, under this covenant God has instituted the local church as being the place you give. But it is not given to the church even though the church receives it.

When you give, you give it to God. Truly you give it BACK to God because EVERYTHING you have money and otherwise already belongs to Him to begin with. Your money, status, talent, time, family. The church, then, is charged with the duty of stewarding the money received wisely and in a Godly way. It should all be given to further the work of the church and the furtherance of the Gospel.

How much should we give if 10% is not the mandate? Ready for this… I don’t know. That is between you and God. Each person can determine for themselves what they are going to give. You are not required to give 10%. You are, in Christ, encouraged to give freely as you purpose in your heart. Cheerfully giving to the Lord.

Maybe 10% is what you can give. Maybe it isn’t. Maybe you can give 15-20% or maybe 10% is pushing you to the max. If you are giving and worried that whatever percentage you are giving is more than you can afford, you cannot out give God, so rest knowing that God will provide for your need. As a Pastor, it doesn’t scare me to teach this because I know that God will provide for the needs of this church regardless. Giving is not, however, a promise of financial prosperity for you. Just because you give doesn’t mean God will increase your money. Sometimes giving of any kind, be it financial or otherwise, should hurt. How much sacrifice does it take for us to give our time or money or whatever to something that takes little to no effort to do or costs us nothing?

You need to approach your money and say this is all God’s. All of it. You need to approach your marriage, kids, job, property, etc… the same way. This is all God’s. And so God, how can I use it to BEST glorify you?

All money is God’s, so as you determine what you are to give, seek His will to be sure you are stewarding your money wisely. If you see this as a way of escape from giving at all, you are being tempted sinfully… Grace frees us from Law so that whatever we do, we do for Christ because of Christ out of our gratitude and worship for Christ.

You should approach your finances this way not only in determining how much you give to the church but also in how you steward the money in other areas. How big a house should you buy? Well, how big of a house do you NEED? What car should I drive? Well, what needs does your car need to meet for you? Clothing? Same question. All of which are run through the filter first of what best glorifies my Savior in this expense or action?

There is no moral requirement for you to tithe 10% of your income, but, as born again believers, we should DESIRE to show our gratitude by cheerfully giving, as Paul says, “whatever we purpose in our hearts.”

Whatever we work out with God is right for us to give. Paul doesn’t say that we shouldn’t give at all, in fact he says we should. But we are under no compulsion, but encouraged to do so cheerfully. Because we want to, not because we have to.

Now, who should we “give to?

Galatians 6:6 - The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.

It directs us to financially meet the needs of and support those who are charged with feeding us spiritually. That in this case would be the Pastor. That includes also, this church’s ministries because it is your local church body, your local fellowship that is responsible for feeding you.

After you’ve given whatever you give to the church, I think it is good to give to any other source of feeding for us. There are a couple of ministries that have been invaluable to me as tools of learning and training and Meg and I try to give when we can to them because they have been so beneficial to our feeding and spiritual growth through the years. It should not take the place of giving to your local body, but it is good to do.

Your first priority in giving is to the local church. This refers to financial giving. Giving to the church in this sense does not include your time and service. I’ve heard people say that they tithe their time to their church. I think that’s dangerously close to a copout. On the flip side, giving financially to the church is NOT the same as serving the church either. Give your time to your church as you can and whatever financial support you can but don’t exchange one for the other. Anytime your mindset in service or giving is to seek out whatever the bare minimum you can get away with is, you are really only cheating yourself…

Now, thirdly there are things like charitable giving. That would include special offerings for something (Annie Armstrong, Lottie Moon, love offerings for guests) Anything that you give over and above whatever you’ve purposes is the amount of your giving to the church but still is received by the church first is considered charitable giving.

Let’s make sure we are clear. No where in the New Testament are we obligated to tithe. If I told you that you were I would be not only lying to you but I would be putting a works yoke of legalism on you. This is a dangerous thing to teach in a way, though it doesn’t scare me… because it could easily backfire on a church. Some could say, well God directed me to no longer give the 10% that I thought I was obligated to give… God has told me to not give at all.

I can’t determine your number, but know that God knows and so I would encourage you to seek Him in the matter so that your conscience before Him is clear and you can testify before Him that what you are giving is what you can give.

Do I fear that giving will drop off as a result of saying this? Nope. I trust God more than that. God will provide for the needs of this church through the giving of His Children, because true believers will not feel this an escape from giving but now hopefully prayerfully begin to see it as more of an offering of praise and cause for worship rather than a yoke.

God doesn’t bless the person that legalistically tithes. He blesses the cheerful giver. God blesses you for giving, not for going back to the old covenant system of tithing. His blessings may or may not be financial, but He blesses. And I believe that God will bless me and the ministry He has called me to, again not necessarily financial, because I am not shrinking away from my duty to preach the Word of God, the whole counsel of God, to you truthfully and clearly.

If you are a faithful giver to this church and have just been calling it a tithe because no one had taught you different, that’s ok. God knew and knows your heart in it. Your heart is what is important in the giving. But I would just suggest that this may be one of those areas where our language needs to be cleaned up.

You don’t tithe, you give. Giving is a gift. Giving is of your own compulsion. You don’t owe the church money. If you owed the money, then it wouldn’t be a gift. When I pay the bill collectors that I owe money to I never feel like I’m doing them a tremendous favor by paying them. I feel obligated to pay because I am… I owe them. And perhaps I even pay them a bit grudgingly, ha!

Show me a person who is thankful to God for saving them and I’ll show you a person who loves the church and desires to be involved in service and in giving what they can to the ministry of the church and the furtherance of the Gospel.

Tithing - Part 1

2011-01-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

Coming off of the time of year where Americans spend the most money and typically acrue the most unsecured debt, I thought I'd begin the year with a blog post about tithing...

Thing that we need to note is that the tithe is NOT unique only to Israel or Christianity in general. It was practiced by several ancient nations and in some forms most nations still practice it today.

Quite simply the tithe is the practice of giving 1/10th of your income or property as an offering to God. As far as Biblical history goes, the practice of tithing predates even the Mosaic Law. The first recorded tithe is found in Genesis 14. Abraham had just returned from rescuing Lot and destroying the Mesopotamian Kings… when he came back he went to the “Valley of the Kings” where he met with Melchizedek, who was the King and High Priest at the time.

Melchizedek greeted him and they began to celebrate the victory and worship God for the victory and it says that of their spoils, Abraham gave Melchizedek 1/10th. That’s the first mention we see of a tithe and it doesn’t seem to have been anything that required Abraham to give it. He seems to have simply offered it as an act of worship.

Later in Genesis 28:22, “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” – Here we see Jacob promising God 1/10th of all he received, money, animals, etc… Still he was also doing this under no compulsion but simply out of gratitude to God.

Now, it isn’t until we get to Leviticus 27; that we see tithing prescribed in detail in the Law of Moses.

Under Mosaic Law, Israel was required to pay the following tithes.
- Tithe of the seed of the land – Leviticus 27:30-32
- Tithe of the fruit of the tree – Leviticus 27:30-32
- Every 10th animal of their herds and flocks to the Lord – Leviticus 27:30-32
- A tithe was to be given to the Levites because they did not receive a land inheritance like the other tribes had. The Levites, in turn, were to offer a heave offering to the Lord. That accounted to their tithe and what was left was their payment for their work in the tabernacle.– Numbers 18:21-32
- A vegetable tithe was taken to Jerusalem – Deuteronomy 12:5-7, 11-12, 17-18
- A cattle tithe – 2 Chronicles 31:6

By the time of the Exodus, no tithe is mentioned, the closest reference to required giving we have there is found in Ezekiel 44:29-30 where a giving of the First Fruits is required.

The Prophet Malachi instructed Israel to bring their tithes into the storehouse in order to enjoy the Lord’s blessing. Malachi 3:8-12 - “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11 “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.

Regardless of the type of tithe being called for, they all were given for the purpose of running the Nation of Israel. From governmental affairs to the Levites, caring for orphans and widows…

Deuteronomy 26:12-13 - “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. 13 “You shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from my house, and also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed or forgotten any of Your commandments.

All tithes were an acknowledgment of God’s ownership of all things. It was an expression of gratitude to God by His people.

Now, in the New Testament the word tithe and tithing is only a few times.
Matthew 23:23 - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Luke 11:42 - “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Luke 18:10-14 - “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Hebrews 7:5-6 - And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. 6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.

Hebrews 7:8-9 - In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes,

Reading through them all they have one thing in common… The are all without fail referring to the Old Covenant system. In Matthew and Luke Jesus is chastening the Jews because they are keeping the Law in letter… keeping it in a legalistic way… making it a works based system… but they are neglecting the Spirit of the Law. Paying tithes but caring nothing for their spiritual condition or anyone else’s. Further they completely neglected true worship of the One true God. They worshiped their own self-righteousness.

Plus, here Christ is reinforcing the Law that was still in place at this time given that this all took place in a pre-Pentecost time. So tithing would have still been a Law requirement even during Christ’s life. Christ Himself paid the tithes. It wasn’t until Pentecost that we see the implementation of the New Covenant of Grace through the blood of Christ.

Then in Hebrews it is explained that Christ fulfills the requirements for those tithes. Not only is Christ the fulfillment of all the OT Laws but He is also the perfect Great High Priest and He lives forever, reigning forever!

Nowhere in the New Testament are we commanded to tithe. Nowhere. A tithe is something that is required. We aren’t under the covenant of the Law any longer… we are under a covenant of Grace in Jesus Christ. The key word there to remember as we proceed is grace.

Matthew 5:17 - Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

I came, Jesus said, not to abolish (in other words He didn’t come to contradict the Law by doing away with it) RATHER He came to fulfill it. The Laws had been given to show that no one could completely be perfect and reach God’s standard, but Christ could and did.

Christ initiated the New Covenant at the Last Supper and it went into effect on the Day of Pentecost. So when we are looking at Old Covenant requirements verses New Covenant requirements, we can’t distinctively look Old Testament to New but rather pre-Pentecost and post-Pentecost..

Part 2: New Testament Principles for giving

New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

John Newton once said "I am not what I ought to be. Ah! how imperfect and deficient. I am not what I might be, considering my privileges and opportunities. I am not what I wish to be. God, who knows my heart--knows I wish to be like Him. I am not what I hope to be. Before long, I will drop this clay tabernacle, to be like Him and see Him as He is! Yet, I am not what I once was--a child of sin, and slave of the devil! Though not all these--not what I ought to be, not what I might be, not what I wish or hope to be, and not what I once was--I think I can truly say with the apostle, "By the grace of God--I am what I am!(1 Corinthians 15:10)"

As 2010 draws to a close and we look towards the new year I have found myself dwelling more and more on this quote and the verse that inspired it. As I look back on this year I hope to be able to find that I am growing more and more to be like Christ. That I'm becoming less of what I used to be and more of what God has called me to be. Of course it is easy for me to look across my own life and examine it only to find positive results. "Self" is also a deceiver.

Paul encouraged believers to "examine themselves" to see that they were in the faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5 - Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?

Examine ourselves by what? By God's Word. Obviously the entire Bible is a great source for examining one's heart. If I had to pick a spot to begin in this pursuit, I would likely recommend 1 John.

Are you growing in Christ? Are you abiding in His Word? Are you growing in love and compassion for others? Are you becoming more bold in your witness for Christ? Etc... Etc...

Being that we are coming up on the new year many people will make resolutions. Resolutions to lose weight, make more money, spend less money, save more money, workout more often, spend more time with friends, spend more time with family, quit smoking, drinking, etc...

While there is probably merit in those types of resolutions, some more than others, I wanted to encourage you to resolve this year to make it a practice of examining yourself DAILY by the Word of God.

John 14:21-24 - “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24 “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

Growth in Christ for a believer is not optional, it's a way of life. It's the practice of our life to desire to be more and more like Christ. The One who became sin for us so that we might become His righteousness. So that God could forgive us and adopt us into His family.

Are you growing in Christ? Just some thoughts. I encourage you to examine yourself to be sure you are in the faith. If you should find that you fail the test. Repent and trust in Christ now. Be reconciled to God. Look unto the Lord and be saved! (Isaiah 45:22)

Jonathan Edwards believed than rather a New Year's Resolution, that would like be forgotten quickly in the new year, that a life reformation was far more beneficial. So He penned this list of resolutions to keep himself reminded of the calling placed upon the life of a true disciple of Jesus Christ. I thought, for your benefit and mine, I'd post the list in its fullness. Below you'll find a list of the resolutions that Edwards read once every week to keep his mind on his duty before God.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards (1722-1723)
Resolutions 1 through 21 were written by in one sitting in New Haven in 1722.

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad's of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.

2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote the aforementioned things.

3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances don't hinder.

12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.

13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.

14. Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge.

15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger to irrational beings.

16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

18. Resolved, to live so at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.

19. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.

20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.

21. Resolved, never to do anything, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him.

22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power; might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God's glory, to repute it as a breach of the 4th Resolution.

24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.

25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.

26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do abate my assurance.

27. Resolved, never willfully to omit anything, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.

28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.

30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.

31. Resolved, never to say anything at all against anybody, but when it is

perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said anything against anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.

32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that in Prov. 20:6, "A faithful man who can find?" may not be partly fulfilled in me.

33. Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining, establishing and preserving peace, when it can be without over-balancing detriment in other respects. Dec.26, 1722.

34. Resolved, in narration's never to speak anything but the pure and simple verity.

35. Resolved, whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.

36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. Dec. 19, 1722.

37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent, what sin I have committed, and wherein I have denied myself: also at the end of every week, month and year. Dec.22 and 26, 1722.

38. Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord's day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.

39. Resolved, never to do anything that I so much question the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or no; except I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.

40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.

41. Resolved, to ask myself at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly in any respect have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.

42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism; which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-23.

43. Resolved, never henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God's, agreeable to what is to be found in Saturday, January 12. Jan.12, 1723.

44- Resolved, that no other end but religion, shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. Jan.12, 1723.

45. Resolved, never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan.12 and 13.1723.

46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eve: and to be especially careful of it, with respect to any of our family.

47. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peace able, contented, easy, compassionate, generous, humble, meek, modest, submissive, obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable, even, patient, moderate, forgiving, sincere temper; and to do at all times what such a temper would lead me to. Examine strictly every week, whether I have done so. Sabbath morning. May 5,1723.

48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or no; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.

49. Resolved, that this never shall be, if I can help it.

50. Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.

51. Resolved, that I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.

52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.

53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.

54. Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it. July 8, 1723.

55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments. July 8, 1723.

56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether ~ have done my duty, and resolve to do it; and let it be just as providence orders it, I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty and my sin. June 9, and July 13 1723.

58. Resolved, not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity. May27, and July 13, 1723.

59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July ii, and July 13.

60. Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4, and 13, 1723.

61. Resolved, that I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it-that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, etc. May 21, and July 13, 1723.

62. Resolved, never to do anything but duty; and then according to Eph. 6:6-8, do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man; "knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord." June 25 and July 13, 1723.

63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. Jan.14' and July '3' 1723.

64. Resolved, when I find those "groanings which cannot be uttered" (Rom. 8:26), of which the Apostle speaks, and those "breakings of soul for the longing it hath," of which the Psalmist speaks, Psalm 119:20, that I will promote them to the utmost of my power, and that I will not be wear', of earnestly endeavoring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance; according to Dr. Manton's 27th Sermon on Psalm 119. July 26, and Aug.10 1723.

66. Resolved, that I will endeavor always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.

67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.

68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. Aug. 11, 1723.

70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak. Aug. 17, 1723

Pastor's Bookshelf: Knowing Scripture by R.C Sproul

2010-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

"We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because [we feel] it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy." -- R.C Sproul - "Knowing Scripture", pg.17

I just finished reading this book. From the on set I have to say that R.C Sproul may in fact be one of most intelligent men of God alive today. This book is fantastic, although for me at times it was a bit hard to read simply because it presumes a knowledge of theological "technical" terms and at times I found myself dwelling on a particular term for an extra moment before moving on to be sure that I would understand the further explanation and application of that term later on. It may well have been my own mental limits in this area because I am in no way the plumb-line for intelligence!

That said, this book sets out to accomplish three purposes. One, explain the need for Scripture. Two, equip the reader with an overview of hermeneutic principles for studying the Bible. As an aside I have to say that for a book of only 125 pages the explanations of each step in the interpretation process are incredibly thorough. Sproul also takes time to explore misconceptions about Bible interpretation as well as common errors in our approach to serious Bible study. The third purpose is a challenge to students of the Bible to do that which God has called us to do and that is "abide" in His Word. He challenges readers biblically to study God's Word and also provides tips and recommendations that range from great Greek Dictionaries, Concordances, and the Bible reading plan that he has personally found most helpful.

Everything that he puts forth in this work is designed to point readers to Scripture, to develop a habit of reading Scripture daily, and most of all to see the amazing fulfillment that God has promised for those who abide in His living Word!

Seeing as how I will be beginning a year long reading plan myself starting January 1 (not the recommended one though) this book has been a great encouragement for me. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it for anyone.

Pastor's Bookshelf: Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

2010-12-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

Tedd Tripp doesn't lay out some new method of parenting, he doesn't encourage parents to adopt his methodology of parenting, he even openly admits short-comings that he and his wife had as parents. What he does is pull out sound Biblical principles to child raising. The overall theme is that behavioral correction is not the end goal in parenting. The goal is orienting your child towards the Gospel and teaching them the truth of God's Word from birth so that they know truth from lie as they grow. I was challenged, convicted, encouraged, and overall just blown away. We have put into practice many of the Biblical principles that he outlines in the book and have already noticed a change in the goals and expectations we set for our children. Godly child discipline always points your child towards the saving power of the Gospel of Grace in Jesus Christ alone.

I highly recommend this book for parents with children of any age. He offers encouragement for the new parent who is a bit scared and overwhelmed by the immense responsibility of raising a child as well as those parents who perhaps didn't raise their child in an always godly fashion and now the teen is rebelling more and more.

Read this, as any theological book, with Bible in hand. Do the work of a Berean (Acts 17:11) and examine the Scriptures to see if what Tedd Tripp says is fact. I believe you will find, as I did, that it is. The absolute best thing about this book is the fact that it points parents to the Word of God for their principles of how to steward the amazing gift of the children that God has given them.

Briefly: The religion of secular humanism

2010-12-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

Just something to consider. And this will be very brief. So many times when a Christian takes a stand for their beliefs (whether it be in the political realm, or in a public school, or wherever...) we usually hear something like this from those in authority; "Well, I see your point, but that is a religious view and you can't push your Christian values on others."

I would readily agree that there is NO benefit whatsoever in forcing someone to believe the way I do. First of all, if I force someone to think that way then they may act in a way that seems to agree with my way of thinking, BUT it doesn't change their minds and views. It only breeds resentment to a certain extent.

What strikes me as humorous in their argument about impressing values and such is that they fail to realize that they too push their views on Christians (and everyone else). Make no mistake... unbelievers, atheists, agnostics, pagans, false converts, and all the rest... all of them worship a god figure. The difference between truly born again Christians and the unbelieving world is that we worship the One true God and they worship themselves.

In the case of secular humanism, which is the predominant religion found in public schools and the government, worships a god... the god is man. They do what seems "right" to them and love the things that indulge man's covetous, lustful, hateful, self-centeredness.

Christians are not perfect and we are not without sin. We are not better than other people. We are simply better off because of the One in whom we trust.

Pray for those who persecute you and continue contending for the truth Christian. Don't back down and even though the world will hate you, take heart for greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

j

Angels - What are they? Where do they come from? Do we become them when we die?

2010-12-18T08:11:00.000-08:00

Probably the most universally recognized "religious" symbol in the world is that of an Angel. They are drawn as fat little cherub-like babies, brilliantly illumined figures with long flowing hair, holding trumpets, holding harps... All sorts of images exist of them. Equally as known as their visage are common misconceptions and cliche phrases about what they are.

Now let me state up front I am aware that this may hurt a few feelings and I assure you that my intention is not to hurt feelings. Probably the most common statements heard are that:

1.) People who go to Heaven become Angels when they die.

2.) The people who have become Angels are watching down over us from Heaven.

Let's address those two statements, although I'm sure there are PLENTY more, by looking first at what Angels are according to Scripture.

Angels are Created Beings.

Colossians 1:16 - For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

They are created beings. God created them. We know this because God created ALL things. Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology defines Angels as follows: "Angels are created, spiritual beings with moral judgment and high intelligence, but without physical bodies." It does seem that Angels are male. They are never referred to with a feminine gender anywhere in Scripture.

Angels have a certain degree of moral choice available to them because 1/3 of them were able to sin and join Lucifer in his rebellion (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-18). Although they sinned against God, no redemption is available for them. For those that joined Satan in his rebellion, they remain to this day condemned and damned for all eternity.

2 Peter 2:4 - For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

Jude 6 - And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,

Psalm 103:20 tells us that the purpose of Angels is to glorify God and do His will. Angels readily await to be dispatched to do the will of the Father. One way in which Angels do the will of God is that they do watch over Believers and war against demonic powers.

Angels DO watch over us... however, those Angels are NOT our loved ones who have passed away. Angels are not omniscient nor are they omnipresent. But they do watch over Christians. Whether or not each person has a specific "guardian" angel assigned to them is unclear from Scripture, but whether it be one for each believer or just the idea in general that angels are watching over us the same result is clear. God has provided for our care.

There are only two Angels given specific names in Scripture. Gabriel (Luke 1:19) and Michael (Jude 9). Other than that Angels are referenced by three different terms. ((The following types/ descriptions was also taken from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology.))

a. The “Cherubim” The cherubim were given the task of guarding the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:24), and God himself is frequently said to be enthroned on the cherubim or to travel with the cherubim as his chariot (Ps. 18:10; Ezek. 10:1–22). Over the ark of the covenant in the Old Testament were two golden figures of cherubim with their wings stretched out above the ark, and it was there that God promised to come to dwell among his people: “There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are upon the ark of testimony, I will speak with you of all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel” (Ex. 25:22; cf. vv. 18–21).

b. The “Seraphim” Another group of heavenly beings, the seraphim, are mentioned only in Isaiah 6:2–7, where they continually worship the Lord and call to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:3).

c. The Living Creatures: Both Ezekiel and Revelation tell us of yet other kinds of heavenly beings known as “living creatures” around God’s throne (Ezek. 1:5–14; Rev. 4:6–8). With their appearances like a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle, they are the mightiest representatives of various parts of God’s entire creation (wild beasts, domesticated animals, human beings, and birds), and they worship God continually: “Day and night they never cease to sing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”’ (Rev. 4:8)

Angels remind us that the unseen world is very very real and we must be very careful in dealing with it.

In Galatians 1, Paul warned that fallen Angels may even appear and try to distort the truths of the Gospel and deceive people. He said that we are to consider such a one anathema. Which literally means damned and accursed.

Just as the Sadducees in Jesus’ day said that “there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit” (Acts 23:8), so many in our day deny the reality of anything they cannot see. But the biblical teaching on the existence of angels is a constant reminder to us that there is an unseen world that is very real. It was only when the Lord opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant to the reality of this invisible world that the servant saw that “the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17; this was a great angelic army sent to Dothan to protect Elisha from the Syrians). The psalmist, too, shows an awareness of the unseen world when he encourages the angels, “Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!” (Ps. 148:2). The author of Hebrews reminds us that when we worship we come into the heavenly Jerusalem to gather with “innumerable angels in festal gathering” (Heb. 12:22), whom we do not see, but whose presence should fill us with both awe and joy. An unbelieving world may dismiss talk of angels as mere superstition, but Scripture offers it as insight into the state of affairs as they really are. Even Satan himself disguises himself as an "Angel of Light" (2 Corinthians 11:4).

1 Timothy 2:5 says that there is but one God and one mediator between God and men and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are not to pray to or seek out contact with Angels. If God needs to contact us utilizing Angels He will do so and make it clear that is what happened because they will speak His truth and nothing contradictory. I'm not certain whether I feel they do or do not appear in visible form today but they are present nonetheless.

When we are protected from some danger, our slipping foot gains footing somehow... or a car swerves and misses us somehow when a crash should have been inevitable. Anytime we are spared from some apparent danger we can attribute it, I think, to God commanding His Angels concerning us.

Psalm 91:11-12 - For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.

Now, how about our loved ones that pass? Well the Bible says that their bodies go into the ground and their they wait for the return of the Lord Jesus. We further know that the moment a person dies their soul goes to either Heaven or Hell. Believers' souls are immediately taken to Heaven.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 - Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

So if your loved one has passed on and they had been born again through Jesus Christ, take heart, they may not be watching down over you but they are in Heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ and they are ever before His throne praising Him and they suffer no more, neither will they ever taste death again. And when Christ comes again they will receive their physical bodies back only now they will be glorified and perfected, unstained by the sin curse of this world.

I understand that a cliche like "God got a good angel", "They are an Angel now and watching over me.", etc.. I get that it is intended to bring comfort to the grieving. And I'm not trying to be callous but rather trying to point you to a living hope!

I would simply suggest that rather than dwelling on your loved one being an Angel and speaking to them and such, seek your comfort from the Lord Jesus Christ. Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you.

Psalm 55:22 - Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Hebrews 4:16 - Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Trust in the Lord. He is your refuge. You need not believe that your deceased loved ones are watching down over you in order to find peace... there is a greater peace available and His Name is Jesus! He is greater than the Angels (Hebrews 1). He is the King of Kings and the Savior of sinners. He has come and died so that you might have life! If you don't know Him, repent of your sin and trust in Him. (Visit Needgod.com for the specifics of your sin)

As for Christians who are using these unbiblical cliches to comfort others. Please, you are doing them more harm than good. If you are unsure what to say in those difficult times, labor in the Scriptures all the more to determine what God's Word has already spoken about our comfort and peace available in Him. If you can't think of a good verse to share or anything Biblical to say, don't pop out a saying that isn't true... Just be there for the grieving... be a friend to them... try and care for their needs as best you can and pray with them. Ultimately, from my experience, most people who are grieving are looking for truth but they are also looking for someone to simply be there for them. Christians have a unique opportunity in that we are often those friends who are there to comfort AND we are armed (or at least we should be armed) with the truth of God's Word which is the best source to turn to in ANY situation.

Hope this helped you glorify God for His provision of Angels for you and cleared up any misconceptions you may have had.

The Limited Atonement - Part 2 - Guest Blogger: Jessica Stem

2010-12-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

The gospel can and should be freely offered to everyone because of the fact that the elect are only known by God (Thune). This is why He charges believers in Matthew 28:19-20 to “go and make disciples.” God uses believers to reach the rest of the elect. Also, it must be noticed that throughout the Bible God calls the Christian to love all men, even their enemies. It would be very hypocritical of Him to command man to love and for Him actually to love all people, and to some extent, Himself. Even when holding the view of limited atonement, it is still the Christian’s job, according to scripture, to evangelize and love others (Torrance).

Another question to think about is about the will of man; because faith is not man’s choice that brings him unto salvation, does this mean that man has no free will? The Arminian says that if one holds to the view of a limited atonement, man has no free will. This is a common misconception. Here is an illustration that will help explain how the free will of man fits into God’s will. Picture an umbrella that represents the sovereign will of God. Everything that is underneath the covering of that umbrella is man’s free will. Man has free will inside the limitations of God’s will. Furthermore, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (NASB).” Faith is not the sinner’s gift to God, but God’s gift to the sinner through His sovereign grace. Salvation is not our will, but the will of the Father for His children.

The view of unlimited or general atonement, which is held by many, draws its support from scriptures that say Christ died for the world or for all men such as John 3:16, II Corinthians 5:19, 1 Timothy 2:4,6 and II Peter 3:9. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (NASB).” The objection to this passage is the assumption that “world” means every individual human being (Berkhof, 395-396). A person must look at John 3:17, the following verse, to define world in this case. When looking at John 3:17, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved (NASB),” one must compare this verse to other scripture to fully understand its meaning. The word “might”, for instance, can have one of two definitions when just looking at the verse by itself. It could mean “has the possibility to” save, which would be the interpretation of an Arminian evangelical.

The other definition for the word “might” is “will in time,” which would mean that everyone from the beginning of time will eventually be saved, which is not the case. If “might” does mean “will in time,” then “world” in John 3:16 cannot mean everyone, but only the elect. So how can it be determined what the definition of “might” really is? Other scripture must be examined. John 11:4 says, “When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby (NASB).” The word “might” must mean “will in time.” There is no “possibility” of God being glorified; He will be glorified. John 10:17 and John 17:12 also show the same meaning of the word “might.” By reading in the context of John, the conclusion is that “might” simply means “will in time,” changing the meaning of the word “world” in John 3:16 to the group of God’s chosen and not every single individual that ever lived (Thompson).

Another problem with the interpretation of these types of verses is contextual error. The Arminian would take I Timothy 2:4, 6, “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth… who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time (NASB),” and say that this proves Christ died for all men. One must read this passage in context to see that the phrase “all men” is previously defined as all types of men in verses one and two of 1 Timothy 2, not every individual man in the world (Berkhof, 396). Some say that the Bible should just be taken at face value and not “manipulated,” as is the accusation towards Calvinists. I Corinthians 15:22 says, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (NASB).” If this was to be taken literally, everyone will be saved, which scripture teaches is not the case and again, leads to universalism (Frame, 151-155). Scripture must be interpreted with other scripture, not with the thoughts of man.

The Bible repeatedly and specifically qualifies the people group for whom Christ died in such a way that points undoubtedly to a limited atonement. This certain people group is referred to as “His sheep” many places in scripture. For example, John 10:11, 14 and 15 say, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep (NASB).” It is clearly obvious in scripture, life experience and logically, that not everyone will be saved. This separates the world into two groups, the saved and the unsaved. Jesus uses a metaphor in this passage to show that He is the shepherd, and the sheep are the saved. He does not say that He lays down His life for the whole world, but only His sheep. The shepherd died for His sheep, ultimately pointing to a definite limited atonement. There are also other names for this saved group of people such as His church in Acts 20:28, His People in Matthew 1:21 and the elect in Romans 8:33 (Berkhof, 395).

While looking at passages of scripture, qualifiers in verses about the atonement must be given careful attention. Matthew 20:28 says, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (NASB).” The word ransom is a means of deliverance or rescue from punishment for sin, which is simply a synonym for atonement. The qualifying word in this passage is many. Christ came to atone for many, not all men. Another similar verse is Galatians 1:4 which says, “who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father (NASB).” The reader must first know that this is Paul writing to the church in Galatia. So, in context, “our sins” and “us” is referring to the Christian, the chosen of God (Owen, 45). Even though there are “many” applications that can be made from a Bible verse, there is only one correct interpretation which must be made in accordance with other scripture. Scripture can never mean something that God never intended it to mean.

Some theologians have proposed that the atonement is not what saves, but has merely broken down the barrier of original sin so that everyone has the choice to either accept or reject Christ. This means that all the atonement did was make salvation possible by allowing everyone to freely come to faith; the atonement alone is not what gives us salvation (Frame, 151-155). There are two problems with this. The first is that it minimizes the Glory of Christ on the cross and maximizes human’s free will. If humans did have the free will to accept or reject Christ, everyone would reject and go to hell because of the human’s sinful nature. Romans 3:10-12 says, “As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one (NASB).” According to this verse, if it is the case that salvation is a choice of free will, no one will choose salvation because, naturally, no one seeks good or God; therefore, everyone is going to hell if salvation is a free choice.
Charles Spurgeon said, “We declare on scriptural authority that the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful, supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained toward Christ.” The second problem is that the efficacy, effectiveness, of the atonement is limited; it has a limited power to save. In turn, this confines the power of God. Whether a Calvinist or an Arminian, the atonement is limited in either its extent or its efficacy. Particular atonement is limited in its extent, and the unlimited atonement is limited in its efficacy. It’s not that Christ made satisfaction for the whole world, it is the fact that Christ’s death on the cross is so precious that in itself it is efficacious for the whole world (Hanko, 54-55). The immensity of Christ’s efficacy is taken away when the atonement is made unlimited and the variable of choice is added to the equation of salvation.

If the atonement was effective for all men, then why are some men still punished with eternal damnation? When a person says that everyone was atoned for by Jesus’ death on the cross, this can be translated to mean that all of their sins have been paid. If their sins have been reconciled, then they cannot be denied entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. John Piper uses an analogy that most Sunday school teachers use when explaining the gospel, to show error in the belief that all sins have been atoned for. He says salvation is like a ticket. It is bought with the great price of Jesus’ death on the cross. This ticket is what covers all of your sins and gets you onto the only train that goes to heaven. God has bought a ticket for you and for everyone else, but gives everyone the choice to believe and take the ticket. If you don’t take the ticket, you don’t get on the train and therefore will go to hell. The problem with this analogy is the purchase of the ticket, which is the canceling of the sins of unbelievers. Sin is the only thing that is keeping anyone out of heaven. If everyone’s sin has already been paid for at the cross, then why are people going to hell and not heaven (Piper)? The Arminian would answer this question by saying that people go to hell because of their unbelief and rejection of Christ. The problem with this answer is that unbelief and the rejection of Christ is a sin, which was already paid for on the cross for everyone, so if He did not die for unbelief, He did not die for all sin.

Therefore the Arminian view of an unlimited atonement is self-defeating and ultimately leads to universalism. John Owen further ratifies this point in his book, “The Death of Death in the Death of Christ”: [If Jesus died for all men]...why then, are not all freed from the punishment of all     their sins? You will say, ‘Because of their unbelief; they will not believe.’ But     his unbelief, is it sin, or not? If not, why should they be punished for it? If it be     sin, then Christ underwent the punishment due to it; If this is so, then why must     that hinder them more than their other sins for which he died from partaking of     the fruit of his death? If he did not, then he did not die for all their sins.

Again it is seen that if the atonement was general and Christ did indeed die for everyone, everyone must be saved. This is a recurring idea of universalism, an idea that is not biblical. In Michael Horton’s book, “The Gospel-Driven Life,” he uses a brilliant illustration to show how the gospel should be explained: The more we hear and understand concerning the gospel, the more our faith grows and strengthens. Nevertheless, the weakest faith clings to a sufficient Savior.      Faith itself does not save us from judgment any more than the quality of one’s     confidence in the lifeguard is responsible for being rescued from drowning. It is the rescuer, not the one rescued, who saves. In fact, it is in the very act of rescuing that a victim finds himself or herself clinging to the rescuer in confidence. I have yet to see a headline like, ‘Drowning Victim Rescued by Superior Clinging.’ It is always the lifeguard who is credited with the rescue. It is on account of Christ that we are justified, through faith, and not on account of our faith itself.

Horton paints a beautiful picture of how the gospel should be told. God sends His Son to come and save His children from drowning in their sins. It is not because the sinner grabbed on to Jesus so they would not drown, but because Jesus grabbed and saved the sinner from drowning (Horton, 124).

When searching scripture by reading in context, fully and completely defining all terms, and interpreting scripture with other scripture, it is clearly seen that God’s intent in sending His Son was to make it certain for His chosen to be saved. Also, the ramifications of what is implied with any view other than a limited view of the atonement are too great to be ignored. Humans are not and will never be able to incline themselves towards God. The love that God has for His people is specific. The power of His saving grace can never be limited. God is sovereign. Thank God for the limited atonement!

Works Cited
Berkhof, Louis. Systematic Theology. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1998. Print.

Bratcher, Dennis. "The Five Articles of the Remonstrants (1610)." Relocate. Web. 26
Apr. 2010.

"Calvinism -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Foundation. Web.

"Comparison of Calvinism and Arminianism." The Highway: A Repository of Historic Christianity and the Reformed Faith. Web. 26 Apr. 2010.

Frame, John M. Salvation Belongs to the Lord: an Introduction to Systematic Theology. Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R Pub., 2006. Print.

Hanko, Herman, Homer C. Hoeksema, and Gise J. Van Baren. The Five Points of Calvinism. Grand Rapids: Reformed Free Association, 1976. Print.

Horton, Michael Scott. The Gospel-driven Life: Being Good News People in a Bad News World. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker, 2009. Print.

Owen, John. The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2002. Print.

Piper, John. "For Whom Did Christ Taste Death.” Minneapolis, Minnesota. 26 May 1996.

Powell-Smith, Michelle. "Calvinism: A Brief History." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers' Network. 6 Jan. 2001. Web.

Spencer, Duane Edward. TULIP: the Five Points of Calvinism in the Light of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979. Print.

"Theology: Predestination." Home | St Augustine of Hippo | Order of St Augustine. Web. 26 Apr. 2010.

Thompson, Thomas R. "Limited Atonement (John 3:16)." Grace Online Library. Web.

Thune, Bob. "A Dialogue Concerning Limited Atonement." Web.

Torrance, James B. "The Incarnation and "Limited Atonement"" Web.

The Limited Atonement - Part 1 - Guest Blogger: Jessica Stem

2010-12-16T10:18:00.000-08:00

Last summer I met a student at an event I was teaching at, named Jessica Stem, who had just graduated high school. As we were talking Scripture and theology she revealed that for her Senior Thesis she wrote a defense of the doctrine of limited atonement. I asked her to email it to me, which she did, and I have to say that I was blown away by her well articulated defense and well done research. I am going to post her paper, per her approval, in its entirety over the next couple of days. Read and be blessed!

-- jason

Acknowledgments:
Deciding on the limited atonement for my thesis topic was pretty easy for me. Ever since I heard about it in Coach Allen’s Theology class junior year, I was hooked. My classmates tried to warn me that I was picking a very tough topic, but I did not care. I didn’t have a peace about doing any other topic that I thought of. I am very passionate about my views of the atonement because through all of my research, my faith has been tremendously strengthened as a result of figuring out what I believe apart from what my parents believe and what others have told me.

Even though my sotieriological views are different from my parents, it has been very satisfying to know that I believe what I believe because I have searched scripture for myself. Every time that I discus this theological issue with my dad, no matter how heated the discussion gets, he always tells me that he still loves me and will always support me; for that I would like to thank him.

I would also like to recognize one of his good friends, Steve Elkins. Steve has written several pieces on the atonement that I used to help solidify my refutation.

In addition I would like to thank many different authors for the material they produced that greatly helped me in my research: Luis Berkhof, Dennis Bratcher, John M. Frame, Herman Hanko, Homer C. Hoeksema, Gise J. Van Baren, Michael Horton, John Owen, John Piper, Michelle Powell-Smith, Duane Edward Spencer, Thomas R. Thompson, Bob Thune, and James B. Torrance.

Furthermore, I owe a big thank you to Mr. Richard Ohendalski for taking time to read my thesis paper and for giving me ideas that have made it better and more complete.
I must also recognize and thank Mrs. Chris Pritchard and my mom for proof reading this paper many times.

I would like to thank Alpha Omega Academy and Clint Allen for giving me this wonderful opportunity to share what I have learned. Specifically, to Coach Allen, thank you first of all, for introducing me to the limited atonement and second, for taking so much time to talk to me about this topic. Also, thank you for the plethora of resources that you have provided for me to use.

Finally and most importantly, I would like to thank my Savior AND Lord, Jesus Christ, for providing me with so great a salvation.

Jesus Christ, the Messiah, died on the cross to atone for the sin that separates man from God. This is no question for one who is truly a Christian. The question that is asked by Christians, however, is what was the intent of God in sending His Son to die for sin? Did God send His Son to make it certain for all men to be saved? Did God send His Son to make it possible for all men to be saved? Or did God send His Son to make it certain for His chosen to be saved? These questions deal with the theological implication of the extent of His atoning grace that was seen on the cross more than 2,000 years ago.
Theology concerning the extent of the atonement is by no means a matter of new business. This discussion traces all the way back to 300 A.D. with St. Augustine’s full understanding of predestination. Predestination is a Christian doctrine according to which a the eternal destiny of a person, whether it be salvation or damnation, is determined by God alone prior to, and apart from, any worth or merit on the part of that person. The regeneration of interest in this theology revived in the late medieval period with John Calvin, along with other Protestant theologians during his time ("Theology: Predestination").

John Calvin began preaching in Paris as a young Protestant and later fled persecution to his final destination of Geneva in 1536. Here, he took a job at the Evangelical Church of Geneva as pastor and continued his theological studies, including the doctrine of the atonement, which would later become Calvinism (Powell-Smith). After Calvin’s death many great men in history picked up where he left off, such as Dutch theologian Franciscus Gomarus and John Knox, founder of the Presbyterian church. Later eminent theologians included English Baptist John Bunyan, American preacher Jonathan Edwards and John Owen (“Calvinism”).

Calvinism is known by, but not limited to the acrostic TULIP, the five points of Calvinism: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. These five points were formed in a direct response to the five articles of the Arminian Remonstrance, an outline of the view of Arminianism (Hanko). These five articles deal with: free will or human ability, conditional election, universal redemption or general atonement, resistible grace, and falling from grace ("Comparison of Calvinism and Arminianism"). The Arminian Remonstrance was written to try to refute the theology of Calvinism that was so quickly sweeping the continent of Europe during the 17th century. It was found contrary to Scripture and declared heretical by the Synod of Dort, a counsel that was formed to review the Remonstrance (Spencer, 13-14). However, this did not stop the doctrine from spreading and greatly affecting the church under the movement begun by John and Charles Wesley, influential Arminian advocates (Bratcher).

Specifically, the issue of the atonement, the doctrine concerning the reconciliation of God and humankind, accomplished through the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ, is still a very controversial issue within the body of Christ. There are three main views concerning the doctrine of the atonement. The least convincing of the three is Universalism, which says that Christ died on the cross for everyone, therefore everyone is saved. This is biblically unsupported and easily nullified by the existence of hell. The next view of the atonement comes from the third article of the Remonstrance, which says that Christ came to atone for the whole world’s sin and it is each individual’s choice to either accept or reject Christ. Contrary to this is the third and final view of limited atonement, the “L” in Calvinism’s TULIP. This theological view says that Christ died on the cross for those who God chose beforehand and only the predestined are saved.
The love of God is one of the first aspects of the atonement to be considered. However a person views the atonement, whether general or definite, is how that person views God’s love towards them and all other Christians. If someone holds to the view of a definite atonement, they have a different understanding of the love that the Father has for them compared to the love that He has for the unsaved. Here is an analogy to help distinguish between these different types of love.

Think about the way a father loves his children. Now, think about the way that the same father also loves his best friend’s children. Is the love of the father for his own children any different from the love he has for his best friend’s children? Yes! In the same way God loves His children. He loves His children, the elect, in a different way than He does the rest of His creation because the elect are in the Son. When the atonement is seen as general, the love of God for His children is watered down to the same love He has for those who are not His children, diminishing the idea of covenant love.

With this view of a special love of God, a concern that arises often from those who are skeptical about a particular atonement is the question of evangelism; what is the point of evangelizing if the elect have already been chosen? Does the view of the atonement diminish the free gift of the gospel? Is it wrong to tell everyone that God loves them? Bob Thune says, “not at all!” He points out that many avid evangelists in the Christian history were Reformed theologians that held to a view of definite atonement. For example, John Calvin led a movement that planted churches all over France. Jonathan Edwards moved from a successful urban church to the wild frontier to share the gospel with American Indians. Charles Spurgeon preached some of the most powerful evangelistic sermons in the English language.

(stay tuned for part 2 in a couple of days)

Just throwing out some thoughts on FBC Dallas and the Grinch Alert website...

2010-12-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

I already know that this may irritate some, sorry... nonetheless this is just some thoughts on the subject...

You can find the website referred to here... Grinch Alert

So that I don't misrepresent First Baptist Dallas, you can find the Pastor's interview with Fox 4 below.

With that aside, let me offer up 10 suggestions that perhaps should have been considered before this and now perhaps thoughts on the aftermath and perhaps what should have been done? These are just my own musings on the issue.

What you do is ultimately your business... but I would just put forth a couple of questions for you to consider.

1.) Let's say that your website DOES in fact encourage businesses to begin using Merry Christmas as opposed to Happy Holidays... Have you considered that you have then pressured obvious unregenerate people to blaspheme the name of Christ by using it in a false way?

2.) We, as Christians, are to discern and judge between true and false teachings within the church and within those claiming to be Christian. We are not to go about making unrighteous, and in this case unnecessary, judgments on the unbelievers short of warning them of the wrath of God to come to them due their sin.

3.) Have you gone about cleaning up the doctrine and shoring up the theology in every aspect of your own ministries? What about the local "Family Friendly" Christian Radio Stations such as KLTY that consider it acceptable to play secular Christmas songs and commercials for the WB and the like. Granted, those commercial spots are paid for by those outside companies, but those radio stations have the duty to discern between what should and shouldn't be aired on their station. Have you considered confronting them in an Ephesians 4:15 way? Speaking truth in love to them.

4.) What about these business on the naughty list... has any staff person personally contacted any of them and arranged a time to sit down with them and share the true meaning behind Christmas which would easily lead into a way to share the Gospel with them and perhaps lead them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?

5.) It doesn't seem that this whole endeavor was thought through too wisely. All things are permissible... but not all things are profitable. This seems to be a profitless and fruitless endeavor.

6.) Do I use Merry Christmas personally? Absolutely. Should businesses? It would be nice, but I don't expect much from the "darkness" of this world. They hate God by default and so I'm not shocked when they display behavior in keeping with that...

7.) How does this accomplish ANYTHING for the Gospel or the glory of God? Even if they begin using the "proper" phrases... did you really accomplish anything?

8.) The end result of this is that those business who give to your bullying and change their signage (if any do) you've not changed their hearts, you've soothed the consciences of your church members who are out there indulging in worldly items and coveting everything they see... (as we all do from time to time because we are all sinful)

9.) Shouldn't we be consistent? If you are going to call out businesses using Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas then let's also go and call out businesses that support abortion, that backed Obama, don't expressly hire only Christians, or that serve alcohol, or that put out sinful media products (movies and music and such). Where does it end? The commission of the church is not to chiefly attack the peripheral issues of this sin broken world, but rather to attack the heart of all issues with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That though they are sinners bound for God's wrath, their is forgiveness and pardon in Jesus Christ alone!

10.) Preach the WORD in and out of season... PREACH THE WORD. Just because a few so-called Christians are willing to give your website and these businesses a pat on the back for this does not equal success or wisdom.

Joel Osteen once again misses an opportunity...

2010-12-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria was recently on the Sean Hannity program on Fox News. He was there to plug his new book "The Christmas Spirit". I have not yet read the book, but I have read some of Joel's earlier works and so I'm sure this is no departure from the norm.

Now he talks about Christmases in his past. Experiences growing up. His mother, who survived a terminal illness 30 years ago. All of those things, I really have no comment on because they are more or less harmless comments.

Then as the interview progresses, Joel says that what caused his father (John Osteen) to see their family become wealthy was because of faith in God + a determined spirit. Two major problems with that. One, where oh where does Scripture tell us that God wants us to be rich? Two, a determined spirit? Does that need comment? Where does the Bible ever talk about me having a determined spirit? Paul said, I determined to know nothing but Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said to seek first GOD and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS! That's just two examples, but it seems less and less to me that the focus of our spirit if their is to be on Christ. Glorifying His name. Submitting to Him. Nowhere is there a blanket promise that if I do that I will be wealthy or any other worldly comfort.

What then do we do with verses like Hebrews 11:37-38? Hebrews 11:37-38 - They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

This referring to those great ones of the faith who have gone on before us. Certainly if anyone had a strong faith in the Lord it must have been them since they are included in Scripture! Yet was their reward anything Earthly? Absolutely not!

Sean then asks them about those who are suffering and enduring heartache this time of year because of how difficult it can be for many people for a myriad of reasons...

Now, this may be my opinion alone... but I'll toss it out there anyway. It really seemed to be that their reaction was a bit delayed. As if the idea that there are those out there who suffer suddenly dawned on them and prior to they hadn't considered it... no backing for that assertion, and perhaps I shouldn't make it, but I'm just tossing that out there...

But notice how quickly Victoria goes back to promoting the book and away from truly addressing the topic of suffering. In the prosperity movement, all suffering comes from a lack of faith or an unconfessed sin. Neither of which can be backed Scripturally I might add...

She then says, referring to the theme of the book and the goal of the book which is to give stories about the true "Spirit of Christmas", that "...it's the memories that you make, it's not always the gifts you buy or... it's the memories that you make and people who are lonely alot of times people say 'Well what do you do?' or sometimes if you go out and help someone else, that's one of the greatest things you can do for yourself" (emphasis mine).

Well, the fact that her statement doesn't even qualify as a coherent comment... people who are lonely are apparently asking her.. 'What do I do?' and her best advice on worldwide television is to respond, go out and do something for yourself, BECAUSE it is one of the greatest things you can do... for who? for others... oh no... FOR YOURSELF!

Motive revealed... me me me... self self self... Sean Hannity then goes on to boast in his own selflessness and giving nature which is expected... But the issue is with the responses from a so called Christian and a so called Pastor at that!

Now, the real kicker. Sean sets Joel up to give the Gospel. "But there's a lot of people who really believe who really need help around the holidays. What do you recommend they do?"

What a golden opportunity to share the REAL meaning behind Christmas! The news of the birth of the sinless Son of God! God in the flesh! Sent to redeem the lost! Joel could have said something like... 'You know Sean, there are a lot of people out there Christian and non-Christian alike who are hurting and suffering the perils of this world... but there is one thing that separates those who believe in Christ from the rest of the world... and that is their hope. Not in gifts, or health and wealth even.. but in Christ. The true reason to celebrate Christmas is the birth of Christ, the promised Messiah, sent so that we might be forgiven by God. You see Sean, there really isn't anything in this world to hope for that won't ultimately disappoint. But there is one true hope to live for. Every person ever born into this world was born sinful. The Bible says that we are all sinners. God has graciously and mercifully defined sin for us in His word. The Ten Commandments gives us God's standard for goodness and reveals how we have all not only broken one or two commandments but that we are all in fact sinful people who have repeatedly broken the perfect Law of the Lord and our transgressions against Him are innumerable. Every person is guilty before God because of their sin, but Sean, the good news is that Christ came and lived a perfect life under God's Law and died a perfect death. The Bible says that He and He alone is our hope and our salvation. The perfect sacrifice for our sin. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that WE might become HIS righteousness! That is the true hope! Hope is found in Christ. God has promised, and His word is sure, that all those who will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved! If anyone will repent, turn away from their sin, and place their faith in Jesus Christ, God will save them. That is true hope."

Now... that's just an example of what he might have said... certainly elements of that are what he should have said. BUT, what did he say?

"I recommend that they don't get bitter, that they turn their faith toward the Lord. I think, like Victoria said, if you can go out and help somebody else, get your needs off yourself and reach out to others." (even though Victoria actually said that helping others was the greatest thing you can do for yourself) "Sometimes all you can give is a smile or a hug or go enjoy some fellowship with somebody else, I think that's the key. Don't sit around with your curtains closed, depressed, thinking about how bad you have it, that's just going to pull you down further."

That's it! That's all! Try that method folks. Go out on the street, find someone who is hurting and hopeless and tell them to just go help others and keep their curtains open because THAT will bring them hope. Or maybe YOU are the person reading this and it is you who is depressed or disappointed or hurting or whatever. Just try that method. Just go out and make yourself feel better by helping others. Because, of course, the goal in helping others is to do something great for yourself... The audacity of Joel Osteen!

Listen, believe it or not, you are not a good person. Neither am I. The Bible says we've our sins are manifold. If you've ever lied, stolen, lusted, coveted, hated, failed to honor God as number one, failed to honor your parents, etc... If you've ever done any one of those things then you are not a good person but in fact a guilty sinner who deserves the just wrath of the Holy God whose Law you've transgressed. If you die in your sins you will spend eternity in Hell suffering the unbridled wrath of God. But God offers hope in Jesus Christ. God can't overlook your sin or He would no longer be just however He has sent Christ so that if you will repent (turn from your sin) and trust in Christ you will be saved! God will place your sin on Christ and forgive you because of Jesus sacrificial death on the cross in your place! You can be saved! God will grant you eternal life because of Jesus! It isn't about what you can do to be good or earn forgiveness, because you can't be good and you can't earn salvation. It's about what Jesus DID! Repent and trust in Him right now! Look unto the Lord and be saved! (Isaiah 45:21).

I would be more than happy to talk with you if you have questions but please know I cannot save you. I can merely point you to the One who will!

For those of you who follow the likes of Joel Osteen, please... throw his worthless teachings out and get into the true Word of God! His books make GREAT kindling for your fireplace as this chilly winter season sets in!

A very brief word on why people go to Hell...

2010-10-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

You hear many these days say that people die and go to Hell because they don't know Christ. There is definite truth in that statement... but it isn't the most accurate way to phrase the 'why' of why people go to Hell. Let me make this statement which will at first make you recoil. No one has ever gone to Hell because they didn't trust Christ. No No No I am NOT a heretic... Please read on and let me explain.

John 3:16-18 (NASB) - “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

In verse 17 it says that Jesus didn't come to judge the world but to save it. If He came to save it then we can easily see the inference that the world stood condemned. Not for a lack of belief in Christ but for something else. Ephesians 2 makes it clear that we WERE dead in our sins. We are dead in our sins but God in His goodness has sent Jesus Christ so that those who repent and trust in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

What does it say there in verse 18. He who does not believe has been judged already. He who does not believe is ALREADY CONDEMNED. The REASON people go to Hell is because they are dead in their sins. If God sent people to Hell because they didn't trust Jesus then He would be a cruel God wouldn't He? It seems that way to me.... in a way of thinking at least...

Verse 18 is explaining what was said in verse 16 and 17. Verse 18 makes plain that those who are in Christ are saved from the judgment that once awaited them and that those who have rejected the Savior are still facing judgment as a result.

However, we are responsible for our own sin (Romans 3:23). God does not cause us to sin. We sin because we are sinful. So we condemn ourselves to Hell. However, Jesus Christ is the only One who can save us! Those who don't believe on the Son are condemned already, yet those who trust in the Lord will be rescued! Will be saved!

That shows Him to be the good God that He is, the beautiful Savior that He is!

All Hail the Power of Jesus Name!