Getting Better All The Time

Yup, It Happened

2010-03-31T21:49:00.003-05:00

Well, John Piper went and done it. He invited one of the least qualified men in America to stand and teach at one of the most prestigious bible conferences in America. My own opinion of John Piper has gone down more than a few notches. Piper knew that there would be an outcry against this decision. And yet he obviously is convinced that he has a good enough reason to invite Warren to speak. It's his conference, I guess he can invite whoever he wants to. The problem is, John Piper is a leader amongst leaders, and people pay attention to what he says and does.

There are plenty of churches out there that have not succumbed to Warrens purpose driven drivel. But with this announcement, they may have a rethink of their decision, and run down the pragmatic path of purpose driven dopiness. Churches that have been spared the totally pragmatic approach to ministry will now think it to be an acceptable format for church growth and overall ministry. The preaching of the gospel is not about pragmatism. The church grows as God gives the increase. And it's tied directly to the preaching of the gospel. This is the means (preaching the gospel), that has been given to draw men to God.

I hope John Piper will consider what the unintended consequences of his invitation might mean to the greater evangelical movement in America. A movement that is already in a boatload of trouble, just got another torpedo amidships. I hope that pastors will pay close attention to what Rick Warren says while he is at the conference, and compare it to what it means to preach the gospel in a biblical manner, vs. the pragmatism that is espoused in the Purpose Driven books.

Don't Believe Everything You Hear

2010-03-30T20:59:00.004-05:00

There seems to be a rumor floating around the internet that John Piper is inviting Rick Warren to speak at the 2010 Desiring God conference. The only reference to this supposed travesty is on a fundamentalist blog that seems to be KJV only in nature as well as a few other problems with the theology. Not the least of which is the guys suggested reading list.

The rumor really got a huge kick when a well known blogger posted something about it on his Face Book wall and really got the comment thread going. Now don't get me wrong. I like the guy who did the FB posting, but I wish he had waited to see if any of the dirt was true before he went and spilled the beans to the general public that otherwise would not have been any the wiser.

I think we need to be careful how much we feed the trolls so to speak. Guys that write on sites like the one advertising the supposed Rick Warren @ Desiring God thing, just love to get people stirred up and start the fur flying so to speak, and watch their hit counts go up on the blog.

I suppose it could be true, but their is just not enough evidence for it to get me riled up right now. John Piper has invited people to speak at Desiring God before that raised more than a few eyebrows. A few years ago he invited Mark Driscoll to speak which at the time was a huge chance for Piper to take. Driscoll was known for his, shall we say, spicy language from the pulpit. But Piper took him under his wing and Driscoll is the better pastor for it. I have listened to many of Driscolls sermons, and can say that the man knows what the gospel is and how to preach it, and is not ashamed of it.

The difference between Driscoll and Warren is, Driscoll had no real problems with his theology, only his methodology. He was at times deliberately abusive from the pulpit, and swearing in the middle of a sermon was not unheard of. Rick Warren on the other hand, has massive problems with his theology.

Tim Challies says it like this -

Warren does not appear to have a biblical understanding of the Gospel the Good News of Jesus Christ. He teaches a typical decisional regeneration that will surely lead many to believe they have made commitments to Christ when they have not. In The Purpose Driven Life he leads unbelievers in a short prayer which he says will usher them into God's family. Prior to this he has made no clear presentation of the Gospel. He has not spoken about how our sin has separated us from God and condemned us to an existence apart from God. He has not spoken about the necessity of Christ's sacrifice and His substitutionary death for us. Yet he leads people to say Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you (page 58) and then follows with the astonishing words Welcome to the family of God! How can people believe in One they do not know? A decision no more makes us part of the family of God than does baptism. We become part of God's family when God regenerates us and adopts us into His family. This may take place at the moment of decision, but a decision does not necessarily cause it to happen. By declaring that anyone who said those words and meant them is a believer, he is giving false hope and shows a glaring misunderstanding of conversion and the Gospel.

Warren's confusion about the Gospel is shown also in that he extends his Purpose Driven seminars to include Catholics and even Mormons. Presumably he must see some good in their systems of doctrine, both of which deny the very heart of the Gospel.

Warren first supported prop. 8 in California, then later denied that he did, when there was video all over You Tube of him saying that he did support it. He was only worried about offending the gay rights activists in California! The man has a problem with the truth, and preaches a self help gospel that is no gospel at all.

I would hope that John Piper is NOT going to invite Rick Warren to speak at the Desiring God conference this year, or any other year unless Warren repents of his false doctrines and begins preaching the gospel as it is presented in the scripture.

Will Accepting Christ Save You?

2008-07-14T21:26:00.006-05:00

Consider the following.

If the God of the Bible has revealed Himself to be a God that men cannot or will not, by virtue of their fallen nature come to him, so that if we are to be rescued from our fallen nature God must first make us alive spiritually so that we can see our need for redemption.

That being the case, is a person who has "come to Christ" by virtue of a "decision" that they made at an altar call or after hearing some other appeal of one nature or another, truly saved or are they worshiping a god of their own construct in that scripture tells us that in our unregenerate state we are haters of God. That we are spiritually dead and we all know that dead men can't respond to anything, no matter how appealing it is.

If salvation is indeed by grace through faith alone. Then how is it that we must believe or accept Christ to be saved? Doesn't that by extension mean that we would have to do something to be saved if that were the case?

It is a scary thought indeed. Did you make a decision for Christ? Or did Christ make a decision for you? Are you worshiping a god of your own making? Or are you worshiping the god of the Bible that loved his own while they hated him?

Sad State of the Church

2007-02-06T21:13:00.000-06:00

I have great concerns about the direction the church in America is going. When I say the church, I mean the part that calls itself Evangelical. You know, all of the good Baptists, and such. It seems that the vast majority of them are involved in a headlong rush to embrace the new fad that all of the postmodern types of our day seem to think that the church needs to be relevant, known as the emergent church. This latest fad, (and it is a fad), largely embraces the notion that truth in it's absolute form is unknowable. That the Bible is not infallible. And that truth is found in all religions. That all of the different religions are just different paths to the same god. I heard a youth pastor in a church in my hometown give a sermon and told the congregation that John 14:6 didn't really mean that Jesus was preaching an exclusive gospel. It meant that he was showing us a better way to live. In other words, just live the way Jesus lives. Be really nice to people. Hang out with prostitutes and other sinners. Make the world a better place. Then we can all hold hands and go off into the sunset together. Is this what passes as Christian doctrine nowadays?

I guess all of the Christians in Indonesia and places like that don't need to proclaim Christ after all, since Christianity is just a good way to God, but not the only way. I mean after all. Those silly people down through the ages that were burned at the stake, eaten alive by wild animals for sport, sawed in half, separated from their families by imprisonment, beaten, and murdered, were just a bunch of sadly mistaken religious zealots that could have had a good life if only they had heard a sermon like this one before they died such a horrible death. I mean, just think of all of the suffering that could have been avoided if they would just embrace this new postmodern doctrine that believes in no absolutes. Believes that all opinions have value, even the ones that are based in pagan doctrine. Believes that Jesus is here to be our "homeboy". Believes that homosexuality is just a lifestyle choice and not sin. In fact, the postmodern/emergent mindset avoids the word "sin" at just about any cost.

The church here that I referred to earlier never talks about repentance, or salvation. They talk about life change. Life change? What in the world is that supposed to mean? If life change is supposed to mean that you give your life to God. Then why not say so? Maybe it's because they are afraid that people don't like to hear that they are sinners. Talk like that doesn't address what people feel like they need from a church. After all they feel badly enough already. Why should we tell them that they are sinners? Because church should always be a place where people can go to feel good about themselves. Right? I'm sure the persecuted church in the world today will be happy to hear that.

I have heard that the persecuted church in some parts of the world is praying for us to undergo persecution here in America ourselves. They are praying this because they have heard about all of the frivolous things that are plaguing the church in America today. They know that persecution is a refining fire, and the silliness that is going on today will disappear when people must make a choice between following Christ and living. If that is what it takes to purify His church, then God will do it. I have no doubt.

Thoughts from a wake.

2006-10-03T21:46:00.000-05:00

I just came from the memorial service of one of my wife's cousins. I'll call him Mike. He died from cancer at the age of 59. He was a smoker for most of his life, and he had his first bout with lung cancer about 18 years ago. With treatment he was able to bring the cancer under control for quite a while, until sometime last spring suddenly it was back again, and apparently much more virulent than before. So Mike finally lost his battle with the dreaded disease.

Mike wanted cremation, so there was to be no regular funeral, and indeed I was a little surprised to find that when we arrived at the funeral parlor, the cremation had not yet taken place and he was laid out in a casket just as at a normal wake. Instead of a funeral later on, the family was having a "celebration of life" service to allow his friends and family to eulogize him in any way they saw fit to do. And several people did come forward to tell of all of the wonderful things they remembered about Mike.

Several friends that Mike had known in this life came up and told how he was a great friend, and one even told of how when he went to visit him in the hospital, Mike had been the one to comfort him by telling him to make every moment count and live life to it's fullest, and so on.

Both of Mikes sons came up and spoke glowingly about how their father was such a great dad and a terrific provider. About how he would give you the shirt off of his back and all of the wonderful euphemisms that go along with it. Now don't get me wrong. I'm glad that he was such a wonderful father. God knows that we could use more men who would be half of the father that Mike was to his children. In a secular sense.

In the spiritual sense, Mike apparently couldn't have been a worse father. As far as I could tell, he didn't do anything to teach his sons and daughters of the need to give place to the one who died for their sins. I listened carefully to all of the wonderful things said about Mike during the eulogies, but not one word was mentioned about any love for Christ. Not one word was mentioned about the things of God. Not one word was mentioned about a passion for the church, or for a love of studying God's word. Nothing was mentioned about how Mikes death might be the catalist for someone in attendance to give their life to Jesus. ( I think funerals are one of the best places to proclaim the gospel because everyone in attendance is face to face with their own mortality.) It would be so easy to say, "Just look at him and realize that as he is, you will be someday. Let me introduce you to someone who can give you eternal life."

Mikes great passion in life, was not the spreading of the word, or any thing to do with things eternal. It was golf. So Mike's ashes will be spread over a golf course because that is what he wanted. What will be said of him in the years to come will be that he really loved golf, and he was cremated in his golf shirt. It will be said of him that he was a good father, son and friend. But I seriously doubt that anyone will say of Mike that he was a man of God. Somehow the topic just never came to the forefront when people had the chance to bring it up. Indeed there was not even a minister or priest present at the wake to assist in the ceremony. All of these things combine to speak loudly of what Mikes spiritual condition was. Now I am a firm beleiver in deathbed repentance. Only God himself knows exactly what Mike's spiritual disposition was when he died.

I want it to be said of me when I die that I was a man who feared God. I want it to be said of me that I was a man who wanted to see the gospel proclaimed in all of the world. I want it to be said of me that I was a man who prayed fervently, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven." I want it to be said of me that I lived my life to the glory of God. What will it matter when we say that we could shoot a 68 on the golf course, and had our ashes spread on one when we stand before the judgment seat of God?

I had a conversation last night with my good friend Jim, and we were discussing just such things. He has a penchant for building models, and has many of them that have never been assembled. He put the question to me about the value of spending time doing that sort of thing when there are so many souls yet to be won to Christ, and how that time would even be much better spent studying God's word. I agree whole heartedly. May everything I say and do be done to the glory of God.

Just when you thought....

2006-08-20T22:36:00.000-05:00

I started to post about this topic the other day when I first found out about it, and upon further research found that it is not as new as I thought it was. In fact this topic is about two years old. But beings that I had not heard about it, maybe you have not heard anything either.

There is a new bible "translation" out that is nothing short of being as stupid as a screen door on a submarine. A translation that makes Eugene Peterson look like a literary giant for having published "The Message". Titled "Good As New" this latest so called translation is pretty far over the top where most Evangelical Christians would be concerned. It actually promotes fornication, and yet the Archbishop of Canterbury has praised this version for it's "extraordinary power". How is it that someone who is supposedly a leader in the Christian community, an upholder of what is supposed to be true and good and lovely in the sight of God, stoop so low as to praise a publication that glorifies elicit sex, and the debasement of Jesus Christ himself?

I suppose that the theological liberals out there will say that it is more important to show love to the populace at large, and show them that they are accepted just where they are rather than act in such an unloving manner as to tell them that they are...*gasp*... sinners, and that they should (God forbid), repent and turn from their evil. But no. This book postulates that when we are tempted by sexual urges, rather than flee immorality, we should get a partner because not having sex might cause us to be "frustrated".

Obviously the most loving thing we can do is point the world to Jesus even if it does offend and make uncomfortable the hearer. In fact if the hearer is getting uncomfortable with the gospel, you stand a much greater chance of reaching them with that same gospel because at least they are hearing what you have to say. The one who is in the greatest danger is the one who is indifferent to the gospel message.

Here are some of the differences in how real scripture reads and how this fake scripture reads -
Mark 1:4 in both the NASB and Good as New versions...

NASB-
"John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

Good as New-
"John, nicknamed 'the Dipper' was 'The Voice'. He was in the desert, inviting people to be dipped, to show they were determined to change their ways and wanted to be forgiven."

Now Mark 1:10-11

NASB-
"Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him; and a voice came out of the heavens: "You are my beloved son, in You I am well pleased".

Good as New-
"As he was climbing up the bank again, the sun shone through a gap in the clouds. At the same time a pigeon flew down and perched on him. Jesus took this as a sign that God's spirit was with him. A voice from overhead was heard saying, 'That's my boy! You're doing fine!'"

Now Matthew 23:25
NASB-
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence."

Good as New-
"Take a running jump, Holy Joes, humbugs!"

Now Matthew 26:69-70
NASB-
"Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, "You too were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about."

Good as New-
"Meanwhile Rocky was still sitting in the courtyard. A woman came up to him and said: 'Haven't I seen you with Jesus, the hero from Galilee?" Rocky shook his head and said: 'I don't know what the hell you're talking about!'"

Now 1 Corinthians 7:1-2
NASB-
"Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. "

Good as New-
"Some of you think the best way to cope with sex is for men and women to keep right away from each other. That is more likely to lead to sexual offences. My advice is for everyone to have a regular partner."

And finally 1 Corinthians 7:8-9
NASB-
"But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Good as New-
"If you know you have strong needs, get yourself a partner. Better than being frustrated."

I think you can see what I mean. And if you by some chance think that this is all just peachy keen, then you have a real problem that needs to be delt with.

Survey Schmurvey

2006-07-01T23:16:00.000-05:00

A 1995 Barna Research Group survey discovered non-Christians have no clue what Christians mean when they use some of the phrases Christians often take for granted.

63% of non-Christians don't know what Christians mean when they talk about the Gospel.

75% of non-Christians don't know what John 3:16 is.

Add to that phrases like "a broken heart," "I've been convicted" and "get into the Word,” which non-Christians would hear quite differently.

What they hear is the unspoken message, "If you don't understand the holy lingo, you don't belong to the holy huddle."

But get this, 40% of Christians don't know what the Gospel means, and 53% don't know John 3:16.

I would imagine 11 years later in 2006 the numbers are even worse.

The preceding information was passed along to me from someone who works at a large church. The question I have is, what are churches doing with this information? Will they use it as a springboard to preach the word with clarity and authority? Will churches use this information to inform non-Christians about what it means when Christians speak of the Gospel? Indeed if 40% of all Christians don't even know what the Gospel means, and 53% don't know what John 3:16 says, then what does this say about how ineffective churches have been in the preaching of said Gospel? Is the response to this information going to be that, when the preaching is finished there will be no doubt about the exclusivity of the message of the Gospel That man is indeed a sinner, and he is in need of a savior?

Or will the opposite happen, and more and more churches will strive to be "culturally relevant" and water the message down even more so that non-Christians won't be frightened off. Will they cease to speak of "conviction" and "getting into the word" just because unbelievers don't know what these terms mean?

The comment about it being worse eleven years later was added by one of the leaders in the same church where I got this pole from. If it is indeed worse, what does this say about how churches have gone about preaching the gospel? Maybe we should preach more from the Bible and not so much from self help books. Maybe our small group study time should be more devoted to "getting into the word" and not focusing on program books like The Purpose Driven Life. No one was ever saved by a program. People are saved by the hearing of the word. Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (NIV)

A Call To Prayer

2006-05-03T22:57:00.000-05:00

A Call to Extraordinary Prayer for Revival
Erroll Hulse

Concerning fervent, persevering prayer, the prophet Isaiah writes, "I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest, until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise of the earth." (Isa. 62:6-7) Revival is a reality about which we must give ourselves no rest, and the Lord no rest, until He comes and makes His church the praise of all the earth.

Throughout history, the curch has been revived and enlarged through outpourings of the Spirit. Jonathan Edwards, aleader in the First Great Awakening, writes: "It may be observed that, from the fall of man to our day, the work of redemption in its effect has mainly been carried on by remarkable pourings out of the Spirit of God . . . at special seasons of mercy." Without periodic, extraordinary visitations of God, the curch inevitably degenerates.

Nearly a century has passed since the church has experienced widespread revival. Although the gospel has advanced into more places and nations than ever before, the church faces defeat in many ways. Glowing statistics can never measure the spiritual cliamat of the church. In our generation we hav increasingly suffered from spiritual lethargy and powerlessness. There is a high percentage of weak and lukewarm Christians in western churches who evidence little interest in growing in grace and knowledge. The curch may be bustling with activity and at the same time be infiltrated and permeated with the worlds thinking and doing. It is the case that our bright forms of worship camouflage a dead spiritual condition.

Our paramount need is for heaven-sent revivals of the kind that have adorned the history of the church. Nothing less than the powerful work of the Holy Spirit on a massive scale will meet the desperate spiritual of our age, and remove the gross darkness that covers the nations. Only the manifestation of God in the midst of His people can give the church victory, making her the "praise of the earth." Whatg should we emphasize in such spiritually degenerated circumstances? Prayer! This is the principal means of grace to be emplyed by the Lord's people. Prayer occupies a primary place in the advance of all the Lord's work, and especially in the quest for revival.

Jonathan Edwards comments that when God has something very great to accomplish for His church, it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of His people, quoting from Ezekiel 36:37 "I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do this for them." In Zechariah 12:10 it is revealed that, when God is about to accomplish great things for His church, He will begin by a remarkable pouring out of "the spirit of grace and supplication." It is the invariable constitution of the kingdom of heaven that blessings of great magnitude are not imparted except to prayers of the deepest urgency. History demonstrates this principal. The common precursor to revivals has been prevailing prayer. Pentecost, which was the first Christian revival, followed ten days of intense prayer characterized by whole-hearted unity (Acts 1:14, 2:1-4).

Before the Second Great Awakening (late 1850's), Jeremiah Lamphier called a prayer meeting in downtown New York. Within six months 10,000 businessmen were praying for revival, and within two years about 2,000,000 people were added to the churches. The same pattern is found before the 1859 revival in Ulster, Ireland. James McQuilken and three others began to meet in a school house every week for prayer and Bible study. They kept themselves warm with armfuls of peat gathered on the way to the school house every Friday evening. While peat warmed thier bodies, the Spirit kindled the fire in their hearts. By the end of 1858, the participants at the prayer meeting had grown to fifty. Intercession without distraction to other subjects was made for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on themselves and and the country. Their prayers and possibly many more were wonderfully answered in 1859 when an estimated 100,000 were added to the churches in Ulster.

These accounts and many others illustrate prayer as the genesis of revival. The beginning of a time of revival invariably has been marked by quickening of the ordinary prayer meetings, resulting in new vitality, more participation, more sense of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and more unction in intercession. Therefore, in times of special need and of the church's weakness, there is a biblical and historical warrant to resort to extraordinary prayer for revival. Isn't spiritual apathy and powerlessness in the curch today a crisis which calls for urgent prayer?

Let the desperate need for revival, the impoverished spiritual condition of the church, the darkness in the world permeate our souls. May we profoundly realize the prevailing power of prayer. Let our fervent desires and longings for the manifestation fo Christ's kingdom overflow in extraordinary intercession, with cries for special mercy. Jonathan Edwards wrote, "there is no way that Christians in a private capacity can do so much to promote the work of God and advance the kingdom of Christ, as by prayer."

We must not expect revival to come easily and quickly. Do not be discouraged if the results are not immediate; revival is God's perogative. As God has been pleased to specially manifest His glory in the past and in the present in some countries, may we be inspired to persevere in crying, "O LORD, will you revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you." (Ps. 85:6)

When the vision of Christ's glory, demonstated in the salvation of souls, becomes an intense desire in our hearts, that is especially the time when we must pray with fervor for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in revival. "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet, until her righteouness goes forth like brighteness, and her salvation like a torch that is burning." (Isa. 62:1) I implore you to be one who, in our desperate day, urgently and persistently seeks the Lord in extraordinary prayer for widespread spiritual awakening, that God's glory would be magnified in His church and in all the earth.

Contemplative Prayer and Psalm 46:10

2006-04-10T18:32:00.000-05:00

I was made aware of an article about the true meaning of Psalm 46:10 in an email that I got from Lighthouse Trails. The aritcle can be found right here which was authored by One of the pastors at the Franklin Road Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. The article references a DVD that advocates contemplative prayer and is being promoted in a Christian magazine. I checked it out and thought it was one of the best writen articles on the subject I have read in a while. I emailed them and asked permission to post it here, and they agreed to my request. Here it is.

BE STILL

Some thoughts on Psalm 46:10 as it relates to comtemplative prayer.

"Be still, and know that I am God . . ." (Ps. 46:10). Those promoting contemplative or "listening" prayer point to this Scripture for endorsement. Generally, contemplatives advocate quiet meditation as a means to experience soul to soul communication with God. Influential Christian leaders now encourage contemplation as a way to obtain "God's guidance in everyday life." At face value, Psalm 46 verse 10 appears to endorse this mystical way to pray.

In the current issue of a major Christian magazine a full page advertisement promotes a soon to be released DVD entitled "Be Still". The DVD case bears the inscription of Psalm 46:10. A blurb on the cover also reads, "In Today's Fast-Paced, Hectic Life, Be Still Is an Important Tool that Keeps You in Touch with Yourself, Your Family and God."

Looking then at the full page advertisement, promotions read: "BE STILL . . . demonstrates how contemplative, or 'listening,' prayer can be be a vital way to find peace in the midst of a frenzied, fast-paced, modern world. BE STILL examines the importance of silence and reflective prayer as a way to receive God's guidance in everyday life. BE STILL . . . features a useful 'how to' section that shows how contemplative prayer can be used to return to a more simple life and reaffirm that which is truly important."[1] As advocated by some of today's most notable Christian communicators, what should Bible believers think about this soon-to-be-released DVD on contemplative prayer?

Bible Interpretation 101 teaches that every text without a context is pretext. Extracting Psalm 46:10 as an endorsement of meditative prayer is just such a pretext. Here's why.

First, the injunction to "Be still" must be understood in the milieu it was uttered. The Psalmist addressed a cosmos in crisis. The crisis imperiled the creation (vv. 1-3); threatened the city (vv. 4-7); and besieged the community (vv. 8-11). In the crisis, the people were afraid (v. 2).

Second, the verb "Be still" (Hebrew, rapah) is used 46 times in the Old Testament with meanings everywhere from describing laziness to ordering relaxation. Though the majority of versions translate the injunction "Be still," other meanings are "Cease striving " (NASB), "Be quiet" (NCV), "Desist" (Young's), or "Calm down" (CEV). In no biblical usage or context does the Hebrew verb enjoin God's people to meditate or contemplate. Rather, God's people are to rest in him.

Third, the command to "be still" (v. 10) is specifically addressed to the survivors of a war torn nation, people that on all sides continued to feel threatened. To those scared to death by what was going on all around them (v. 2), the sovereign Lord encourages them to stop their trembling. As one commentator observed, "In this explosive context, 'be still' is not an invitation to tranquil meditation but a command to allow God to be God, to do his work of abolishing the weapons of war."[2]

And finally, in the third section the Psalmist looks forward to a new order when God will impose his peace plan upon the world (see Is. 2:4). As he will have ended conflicts and destroyed the weapons of war (vv. 8-9), the Lord affirms that in the future kingdom age he "will be exalted among the nations" (v. 10). In view of this prospect, the sovereign Lord encourages his covenant people, "Be still, and know that I am God . . .." In the end, the sovereign God will defeat war.

A friend of mine, devoted to the pursuit and practice of alternative spirituality for some of his adult life, related how one New Age class adapted this verse for use. At each session's beginning, participants were told to relax and say to themselves, "Be still and know (pause) . . . I am God." Thus New Age practitioners turned God's word upside down to affirm their own divinity!

To those who use Psalm 46:10 to endorse meditative spirituality, I say "Nice try!" "Be still" is not an invitation to contemplation, but rather calls upon believers to affirm that in a crisis God is in control.

_________________

[1]Advertisement, Christianity Today, April 2006, p.5.

[2]Craig C. Broyles, Psalms (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1999) 210.

Questions & Answers

2006-04-06T22:18:00.000-05:00

Someone asked me why I had posted a series of questions as my last entry. They were of the opinion that the questions were self answering. While that may be the case for a lot of people, it is certainly not the case for the culture at large. I would dare say that there are a lot of people out there that would answer these questions quite differently than I would.

Take for example the first two questions. They are closely connected-
Why do we have to be "relevant" to the culture around us?
Isn't scripture relevant all by it's self?
I would argue that while we should not try to preach the gospel in a way that would deliberately drive people away, neither should we water it down so much that it just becomes a "feel good" speech, or maybe some kind of motivational pep talk, leading the hearer to believe that God is ok with them just the way they are. We do not become more relevant just because we look to entertain people with a funny sermon that satisfies their "felt needs", to the point that it is almost unrecognizable as the gospel. The gospel is by nature devisive, and some will find it offensive. What happens when we make the gospel unoffensive to all? It ceases to be the gospel at all. I found the following paragraph at this blog. It says in a much more concise manner than I could ever do, the importance of maintaining solid Biblical doctrine.

The Church needs to express with strength and clarity the nature of God, Christ, and the gospel in terms of propositional truth claims and then demand that the world submit to the Person who embodies that truth or suffer eternal consequences. That is what god has placed us here for. Since the stakes are eternal, the truth should be maintained as purely as possible and expressed in the clearest and most concise of terms. When this is no longer taking place, the Church becomes irrelevant for it has lost its essential purpose. It is no longer salt or light. If we have nothing certain to offer the mass of floundering humanity on which they may hang their faith, then what on earth are we even doing here? If in our effort to be relevant we lose our uniqueness and purpose then we are no longer relevant at all.

I guess I sort of got into answering the question about watering down the gospel too. I will post more later.

Some Questions

2006-04-03T22:41:00.000-05:00

Why do we have to be "relevant" to the culture around us?
Isn't scripture relevant all by it's self?
Do we have to look and sound like the rest of the world in order to minister Christ to the world? Aren't we called to be a separate people?
What does being a separate people mean?
Is the church guilty of watering down the gospel too much to try and make people like Jesus?
What did Paul mean when he said that no one seeks after God?
What did Jesus mean when he said we should watch out when people speak well of you?
What did Jesus mean when he said "Take up your cross and follow me"?
What did Paul mean when he told us to not be imitators of the world?
Is the Bible the final authority?
Is the Bible the word of God?
Should we change the way scripture is presented in order to try and draw more people into churches?
Should worship occur in the dark?
Is everything in the Bible that is associated with darkness, synonomous with evil?
Do we need mood lighting to get people to worship?
Can unbelievers worship God?
What did Jesus mean when he said that the way to hell was wide and many would find it, but only a few would find the way to heaven.
What did Jesus mean when he said, "I am the way and the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by me"?
Is Christ the only way to heaven?
Will any Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, or any other non-Christians go to heaven?
Can you be pro-abortion and still go to heaven?
Do true Christians keep on living with their boyfriend/girlfriend even after their conversion?

Just some questions.

Easy Believism 2

2006-02-06T22:23:00.000-06:00

I did finish reading the book, "Hard To Believe" by John MacArthur. It is a wonderful book that spells out the essentials of the Christian faith in a very direct and fresh way. Chapter three deals with the unattractive nature of the gospel, in that we must promote an innocent man curcified on a cross, for our sin. John MacArthur puts it like this in a chapter called, Truth In A Privy Pot.

The claim that Roman soldiers executed the God of the universe on a cross, like a criminal, also assaults our rational minds. It's an affront to the pride we carry for having the gift of reason that puts us above the animals.
Plenty of tolerant people out there say, "Okay, you're into this cross thing, and Jesus being crucified, and that's your truth. Good for you - we are an inclusive people. You're welcome to your foolish perspective, your simple, silly story of a crucified Jew, and that's fine if that's your truth. But it's not our truth."
Well here's the rub: It is your truth. It's everybody's truth. It's the only truth. The power of the crucified Christ is the only power of God by which He saves.

Wow, I love that. I wish I could write like that. (I guess if we all could write like that, John MacArthurs writings wouldn't be anything special.) It seems that the seeker sensitive, pop culture, fluff filled churches of today have not even come close to preaching anything like this in a long time, if ever at all.

It seems that the church in the western world has forgotten 1 Corinthians 1:26-29.
26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.

This whole passage flies in the face of performance oriented church as it is done at mega churches all over America. How can we rationalize all of the lights and glitz when Paul makes it abundantly clear here that the path to Christ is not a pretty one. We should not do anything that brings glory to ourselves in the presentation of the gospel. God is a jealous God. Just like when a hitter in baseball hits a dry streak, he has to go back to the basics to make it right. It is time to return to the basics of Christianity. It is time to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It is time to preach denial of self and taking up your cross and following Jesus.

Yeah, yeah, I've heard all of the arguments for making church seem more "friendly" and "safe" for people who are "seeking". Seeking? Romans 3:11 tells us- there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. So how did they come up with this whole "seeker sensitive" thingy anyway? Maybe Romans 3:11 isn't in the Message. Well, I just looked, and it is....sorta. You can look it up yourself. I'll not grace my blog with that kind of tripe.

Gotta go because sleep calls. I'll post more later on this book.

My Two Bits on Cessationism

2006-01-20T18:01:00.000-06:00

A lot is going around the Christian blogosphere right now about cessationism vs. continualism. In other words, have the gifts, such as tongues, healing, prophecy, and such stopped, or do they continue to this day? I was raised in a Pentecostal church, so you can imagine where I was when I was a boy. And to this day I'm sure that my view of these things is jaded by what I saw and experienced when I attended a Pentecostal church in my youth.

I have gone through quite a shift in my theology however, and I now have leanings that are more of a Reformed Baptist in nature. (Although I have never looked up where the Reformed Baptist's stand on all issues, so there may be some points of contention that I don't even know about.) As much as I think I understand the arguments made by the Reformed Baptist camp on why cessationism is the correct exegesis of scripture, I'm not sure they have it all right, and here is why.

The church I attended in my formative years had two mid-week services. On Tuesday nights, we had youth service. I've never been able to figure that out. The other mid-week service was held on Thursday night, and it was Bible study for the entire congregation. We would have a short time of worship before the study began, usually two maybe three songs and then our pastor would begin.

There was a young lady in our church who was dating a Japanese exchange student that was attending our high-school at the time. I don't know if he really understood what was going on in a Pentecostal church or not, but he came to church with her often because he liked her.

One Thursday night, as the prayer over the teaching was just about to conclude, a strange hush fell on the assembled members. A lady toward the back began giving a message in tongues. This was not in and of it's self too terribly strange, except that it had never happened during Bible study on Thursday night that I could remember. Also, this particular woman, to the best of my recolection, had never given a message in tongues. It all seemed rather strange. As she began to speak, I thought I heard some words I understood. Snippets here and there. You see, there was a time in my life that my parents thought that we would be called to the foreign mission field...to Japan. So we had studied some Japanese when we were younger. That's how I got the feeling that she was speaking in a language that someone there could understand!

Sure enough, Hiro, (the student's name) looked rather surprised and even left the auditorium after a couple of minutes. I talked with him after words and he confirmed that the lady was indeed speaking in a manner that he understood. This woman in no way understood, or spoke any foreign language at all, and she was quite embarrassed that she had felt to do such a thing when it seemed at the time to be so out of order.

All highly subjective I know. It happened a long time ago. But I remember it as if it happened last week. All I can say is, don't be too quick to jump on the total cessationist bandwagon. I'm sure this sort of thing is exceedingly rare. I have only experienced it once. I have never talked to anyone else who has experienced it in this manner.

Easy Belief?

2006-01-15T20:30:00.000-06:00

I have started reading John MacArthurs book "Hard to Believe" and it is a real page turner. Dr. MacArthur does a great job of taking apart the whole idea that we could possibly preach the unadulterated gospel and still be well thought of by the world. I particularly like chaper two entitled, "The Hard Truth". The myth of popular Christianity is exposed in this chapter.

John MacArthur explains- Christians have worked hard to position themselves in places of power within the culture. They seek influence academically, politically, economically, athletically, socially, theatrically, religiously, and every other way, in hopes of gaining mass media exposure. But then when they get that exposure - sometimes through mass media, sometimes in a very broad-minded church environment - they present a reinvented designer pop gospel that subtly removes all of the offense of the gospel and beckons people into the kingdom along an easy path. They do away with all that hard-to-believe stuff about self sacrifice, hating your family and so forth.

This is certainly not the gospel we hear preached on TV nowdays. It seems that all of the preachers on the tube either have a pablum filled message about how God wants you to be liked by everybody, or how you can be rich if you will just sew "seed" into their ministry, or if you will just "have faith" then you can be healed of that cancer or whatever else is ailing you. And if you don't get healed it's your fault because you didn't have enough faith to make it happen.

The simple truth is the gospel is not about our felt needs. It is about the salvation of the lost, which includes all of us until we accept Jesus as savior. It is amazing to think that the popular Evangelical movement has strayed so far from the preaching of the "hard truth" of the gospel. Many pastors are content to focus on church growth, while abandoning the true gospel in favor of something more palatable. The gospel does not address our felt needs. In our unregenerate state we have no felt need of a savior. The gospel tells us that we are dirty and unworthy, and that a totally innocent man had to die so that we could spend eternity someplace besides hell.

I am looking forward to finishing this book. It probably won't take too long given that it has taken hold of me, and I'm having a hard time putting it down long enough to post this. But I was just so excited about what I'm reading that I had to say something.

Contemplative Prayer part 3

2005-12-23T21:27:00.000-06:00

I have recently found some material that is being circulated in churches that are moving toward the use of contemplative or centering prayer. It is to be used as a manual of sorts to teach pastors, other leaders and perhaps even lay people how to do this type of prayer. As I read the handout, I was filled with a sense of dread at the knowledge that this misinformation was being used to deceive God fearing, upright leaders in a church somewhere. I can’t for the life of me figure out why churches are so anxious to adopt a prayer method that is not Biblical.

The first paragraph starts like this: We may think of prayer as thoughts or feelings expressed in words. But this is only one expression. In the Christian tradition Contemplative Prayer is considered to be the pure gift of God.
Anyone who thinks of prayer as thoughts or feelings doesn’t know what prayer really is. Prayer is talking to God pure and simple. We have an outline for the way in which we should talk to God in Matthew 6:9-13, and in Luke 11: 1-4. Jesus never said that prayer was a gift. Nowhere in the scripture is this intimated. There are many things in “Christian tradition” that in fact have no basis in scripture, such as labyrinth walking, papal authority, and a host of other things that I won’t go into here. As for prayer being a gift from God, I can’t find anything in scripture that would indicate that this is the case.

The paragraph goes on. It is the opening of mind and heart – our whole being – to God, the Ultimate Mystery, beyond words, and emotions. Through grace we open our awareness to God whom we know by faith is within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than choosing – closer than consciousness itself. How is it that somehow we can be privy to the “mystery of God” by chanting a mantra? How is it that so many are allowing themselves to be deceived into practicing a method of prayer that is not even mentioned in the Bible? Are they saying that we cannot really know God in His fullness unless we practice contemplative prayer? Are they saying that there is special knowledge to be learned about God by emptying your mind and allowing whatever to enter? Sounds like Gnosticism to me.

The material goes on to say that, Centering prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of Contemplative Prayer by preparing our faculties to receive this gift. This is a hoot. Toward the end of the instructions there are things listed of what Centering Prayer supposedly is and is not. The first item is, It is not a technique but a way of cultivating a relationship with God. Wow. It’s a method but not a technique. Hmmm. Maybe somebody can help me with that one.

This material also goes on to talk about how Contemplative Prayer is inspired by so many great spiritual writers, and the book The Cloud of Unknowing, whose author is anonymous. One of the writers they mention is Thomas Merton. Zen, according to Merton, offers us the pure act of seeing, pure consciousness. It is this, Merton writes, that is the real meaning of knowledge in meditation and contemplation leading to salvation in Christ.”
“The deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion . . . It is beyond words. We are already one.” -Thomas Merton
And in the last public utterance of his life, delivered on the day of his death in Bangkok, Merton said: “And I believe that by openness to Buddhism, to Hinduism, and to these great Asian traditions, we stand a wonderful chance of learning more about the potentiality of our own traditions, because they have gone, from the natural point of view, so much deeper into this than we have.” Quote from the book, “Lost Christianity” by Jacob Needleman, p.112.
How is it that so called Evangelical Christians are taking heed of the teachings of a man that had come to the conclusion that Buddhism was on an even plain with Christianity?

Another one mentioned in the “manual” is Teresa of Avila. Some items pertaining to St. Teresa - Quoting a short biography by Caroline T. Marshall on the life of St. Teresa of Avila:
“After a prolonged sickness that almost led to her death, Teresa was introduced to the Third Spiritual Primer, by Francisco de Osura, a Franciscan. De Osura followed a tradition of Christian mysticism that had been deeply influenced by the Sufi mystics of Islam. In this system emphasis is placed on prayer in which the worshipper detaches himself from everything except God. A sort of spiritual intuition, which is combined from memory, will, and understanding, enables the supplicant to receive a direct experience of God, who then illumines the soul with knowledge of Himself. De Osura’s inspiration was to be the foundation of Teresa’s mystical and spiritual life.” (Emphasis mine)
Is it possible that there is spiritual deception in the origins of Islam and other religions influenced by mysticism?

I found the following quote on the web, and thought it was appropriate.
However the Bible clearly states as we have seen that human disciplines, techniques etc. are not the appropriate way to approach God, gain salvation, or to gain spiritual incite or power. Instead of human effort God has provided another way -which is through the atoning and finished work of His Son the Messiah who is the sacrificial Lamb of God, who we may approach by faith and is based on historical and biblical revelation.

That pretty well sums up my feelings on the matter. I posted earlier that one of my fears is that Contemplative Prayer is not a path into the throne room of God. That it indeed leads someplace else. The church seems to be in the process of ignoring the finished work of Jesus on the cross, and trying to make their own path to God.

A New Low

2005-12-03T23:15:00.000-06:00

It is unbelievable how low people can go. Check this out and see for yourself.

Labyrinths: What's the Deal?

2005-11-20T20:03:00.000-06:00

How many of you have heard of using a labyrinth in a church setting? This is a practice that seems to be gaining popularity in current evangelical circles. Youth Specialties (a very popular evangelical resource center), promotes this practice at their conventions and on their website. From the description below, this practice seems to be very humanistic if not downright pagan. I found the following list at this website.

Labyrinths Top Ten List

10. It is a Right Brain task involving creativity and imagery. There is no logic or maze trickery.

9. You can experience an ancient archetype symbolic of wholeness and life's journey. The seven circuits symbolize the variety of parts that make up the whole human.

8. Allows you to be a part of human history...people all over the world have been walking these patterns for over 3,500 years.

7. When the labyrinth is an outside one, it is a wonderful opportunit to connect with nature and Mother Earth, allowing you to realize how sacred & precious everything is.

6. It is a walking meditation promoting relaxation, deeper breathing & release of stress.

5. Mysteriously works with the chakra system and chi meridians used by Chinese acupuncturist throughout ages for healing and balancing the organs & body.

4. It is a way to get in touch with the inner self; the self that knows you best.

3. Gives you the opportunity to express your personal needs to yourself.

2. Gives you the opportunity to listen and search for your own answers. To be self-dependent, self-responsible and connected to your inner source.

1. It is a gift of self-care you give to yourself and share with others.

I'm sure David Letterman would be very impressed with such a great top ten list. I mean after all, isn't this the way every Christian lives out their walk with the Lord every day?

I am aware that this practice has been in use in the Catholic church for a very long time. It's exact beginnings are unknown. The practice goes back at least 3500 years, and has been used in Asian, European, and North Amereican cultures in times past.

Tim Challies is much more adept at putting into words how I feel about this. Here is a link to his blog with a much more articulate explanation of the percieved problems with labyrinths, as well as a great discussion following his post.

And We Want Mood Lighting In Church?

2005-11-09T20:17:00.000-06:00

The following is an excerpt from the current issue of The Voice of the Martyrs.

Cuban Crazy Man: Brother "Pedro"

Liberated by Christ from a life of crime, "Pedro" (not his real name) began street preaching and witnessing in the parks of Cuba. This is illegal. He began passing out tracts and sharing about new life in Christ. Cubans are so thirsty to hear about God they woud even kneel with Pedro in public and pray.
The Cuban police put Pedro in jain, but then he continued to preach to the prisoners and to his jailers. He told them: "You keep me from talking about Someone who has transformed my life. You know who I was; a delinquent who was always in prison, but Christ has freed me. How could I not tell what He has done for me? And if you have brought me here to this jail, it is because you also need Jesus."
Since the jailers could not shut Pedro up, they let him go back into the street, telling him not to preach publicly. But he did not obey them and continued to preach.
The Cuban communist government, realizing the emptiness of atheism is not enough to combat Christianity, has built statues of idols and images relating to witchcraft at the entrances of towns. This dark religion is called "Santeria." Witches who live in the area are supported by the government under the guise of "national culture." In the city of Holguin, Pedro Preached about the worthlessness of these statues, sharing about the Living God. Later Pedro left Holguin on a train and began preaching illegally in other cities.
In the city of Villa Clara, he was thrown in jail. The police called back to the police station in Holguin, Pedro's former jail. The authorities in Holguin warned them, "This guy caused us more damage inside jail than out in freedom because he wouldn't stop preaching!"
Pedro continually gives out Christian tracts. His favorite locations are police stations. He goes in to talk to them about Christ. Some of these policemen later come to him and secretly ask for a Bible, telling him they need what he is talking about. Nothing stops Pedro They call him crazy.
There are now 10,000 illegal house churches in Cuba. Christian workers like Pedro have found a new freedom. A freedom no government can grant or deny.

*end excerpt*

If you want more information on what people like Pedro are doing about spreading the gospel boldly under conditions that would cause most of us to curl up in a ball and cry for mommy, then click here.

Pastors Should Read Their Bible Again!

2005-11-03T21:14:00.000-06:00

I ran across a rather alarming poll that Tower to Truth Ministries had in a recent newsletter. It makes me wonder what direction the church is going. The survey consists of 7,441 mainline protestant ministers on three major questions.
QUESTION: Do you accept Jesus' physical resurrection as a fact?
51% of Methodist pastors said NO
35% of Episcopalian preists said NO
33% of American Baptist pastors said NO
30% of Presbyterian pastors said NO
13% of American Lutheran pastors said NO
QUESTION: Do you believe the virgin birth of Jesus?
60% of Methodist pastors said NO
49% of Presbyterian pastors said NO
44% of Episcopalian priests said NO
34% of American Baptist pastors said NO
19% of American Lutheran pastors said NO
QUESTION: Do you believe the Scriptures are the inerrant word of God in faith, history and secular matters?
95% of Episcopalians priests said NO
87% of Methodist pastors said NO
67% of American Baptist pastors said NO
77% of American Lutheran pastors said NO
"My people have been lost sheep, Their SHEPHERDS have led them astray"- Jeremiah 50:6. "If the blind leads the blind both will fall into a ditch"- Matthew 15:14.

One Way To the Father

2005-10-27T22:12:00.000-05:00

My son recently posted to his Xanga site some things about what I would consider to be basic truths that are easily discernible in the Bible, and how they seem to relate to one rather well known figure in our time. The figure is none other than Mother Teresa. All he did was to post some quotes from her such as:

"We never try to convert those who receive [aid from Missionaries of Charity] to Christianity but in our work we bear witness to the love of God's presence and if Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, or agnostics become for this better men -- simply better -- we will be satisfied. It matters to the individual what church he belongs to. If that individual thinks and believes that this is the only way to God for her or him, this is the way God comes into their life -- his life. If he does not know any other way and if he has no doubt so that he does not need to search then this is his way to salvation."
She also said, "I love all religions. ... If people become better Hindus, better Muslims, better Buddhists by our acts of love, then there is something else growing there." [On another occasion, she again demonstrated her false gospel that 'there are many ways to God': "All is God -- Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, etc., all have access to the same God."

(All is God? Sounds like pantheism to me.)

And then he asked how this jibes with John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. It was amazing the amount of venom that came from people he thought were his friends.

It would seem that Mother Teresa held to a universalist view concerning our eternal salvation, while Jesus from the quote above in John 14:6 would seem not to hold to such a view. How do you reconcile these two statements? Can you really get to heaven just because you have faith in whatever you want to have faith in? Was Jesus just blowing smoke when he said he was the only way to the Father? If a non-Christian can get to heaven their own way, then why did Jesus die on the cross?

I know that the subject of Mother Teresa is supposed to be "holy ground", but I see some real problems here. Indeed it does not matter who does not believe Christ is the only way to the Father no matter how many good works they have done. Click here to learn more about the supposed good works Mother Teresa did.

My problem is not even as much with Mother Teresa as it is with the mindset of society in general. The postmodern way of thinking seems to say that there are many truths. That truth is what you want it to be. We as a society are steeped in moral relativism. We have been taught from early on that what is true for you may not be true for me. And since there are no absolutes, then even the teachings of Christ have been called into question by some "evangelical" church leaders. They want to expand what it means to be orthodox. (I guess 2000 years of biblical teaching and learning just couldn't get it right for these guys.) So now we have guys like Brian McLaren trying to create a different orthodoxy.

Sorry, but I'll take the old orthodoxy anytime. When I see video footage taken at Mr. McLarens church and there is a symbol of Ra, the Egyptian sun god over the front of the auditorium, it gives me reason for pause. It is a strange perversion to call yourself Christian, and hold to pagan symbols as part of your worship. What they are worshiping is not the god of the Bible.

Emergent Church

2005-10-22T00:27:00.000-05:00

Someone I know recently read the book "A Generous Orthodoxy" by Brian McLaren. He was really excited about the book. He started talking about this whole Emergent Church movement, and how it was going to change the way people did church. I have not as of this writing read the book myself. But it sparked my interest in what is being call the Emergent Church because I began to hear about the Emergent Church or Postmodern movement from other sources as well. That is when I began check out what others were saying about the Postmodern movement. I can honestly say I approached this issue with an open mind and heart. I had no preconceived notions about it, because I knew nothing about it.

I am no expert by any means. But I have discovered some things that have caused me concern about what is happening with this movement. One such thing that has bothered me is the mindset that doesn't want to give all authority to the Bible for all people. On his website, Brian McLaren was asked a question regarding the inerrancy of the Bible. Mr. McLaren's response was "I believe the Bible is uniquely authoritative for Christians." http://www.anewkindofchristian.com/archives/000406.html What about the Bible being authoritative for non-Christians? I sent an email to Brian McLaren and asked him what he meant by this statement, I never received an answer.

I also found an article about the Emergent Church by PBS, it included video of worship at the church Brian McLaren pastors, Cedar Ridge Community Church. There is a video link on the website that shows some of the worship as it occurs. If you look carefully at the video, 25 seconds into it, you see a large winged symbol over the platform/altar area of the sanctuary. I researched the symbol it looks unusually similar to the symbol used for the Egyptian sun god Ra! Click on the PBS link above to see the video. Click here to see what I found on the web about the symbol that appears in their sanctuary.

If you are interested here is a link to a book review of "A Generous Orthodoxy"

Contemplative Prayer part 2

2005-10-20T00:03:00.000-05:00

I have decided to read Ray Yungens book again "A Time Of Departing" because there are things that really need to be brought out into the open about what is happening in the Christian community. It seems that there is nowadays a practice that is becoming more and more common in evangelical circles, non-evangelical (such as Episcopal, Methodist etc..) and has become common in the Catholic church as well. I am speaking of contemplative or breath prayer. The following is an excerpt from Ray Yungens book.

In the early Middle Ages, there lived a group of hermits in the wilderness areas of the Middle East. They were known to history as the desert fathers. They dwelt in small isolated communities for the purpose of devoting their lives completely to God without distraction.The contemplative movement traces its roots back to these monks. They were the first ones who first promoted the mantra as a prayer tool. One meditation scholar made this connection when he said:

The meditation practices and rules for living of these earliest Christian monks
bear strong similarity to those of their Hindu and Buddhist renunciate brethren
several kingdoms to the East....the meditative techniques they adopted for finding
their God suggest either a borrowing from the East or a spontaneous rediscovery.

The desert fathers believed as long as the desire for God was sincere - anything could be utilized to reach God. If a method worked for Hindus to reach their gods, then Christian mantras could be used to reach Jesus. Do you see the reasoning here? Non-Christian sources as avenues to spiritual growth, are perfectly legitimate in the Christian life, and if Christians only practice their Christianity based on the Bible, they will impoverish their spirituality. This was the thinking of the desert fathers. So now as a result we now have contemplative prayer. Please take heart to what Jesus Christ expressly warned His disciples in Matthew 6:7:"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do." It should be apparent that mantra meditation or sacred word prayer qualifies as "vain repetition" and clearly fits an accurate description of the point Jesus was making here.
**end excerpt**

Many Christians will say that there is a difference between Eastern and Christian mysticism. On the surface this seems logical. What really makes a practice Christian? The answer is simple, did Jesus sanction it? A Christian is a pupil of Christ. That means you follow the teachings of Christ. Nowhere in scripture does Jesus teach this method of prayer. And I don't think that our Lord is one to hold any good thing out from us. If this is supposedly such a great way to commune with the Father, then why didn't Jesus outline this methodology instead of the prayer he gave in Matthew chapter six? The answer is that contemplative prayer is not Biblical in nature. God does not leave it up to well meaning people to invent their own Christianity. He has set before us certain models for our approach to the throne. Your intent has nothing to do with it. Just look at the story of Cain and Able. Cain thought he could please God in the way he wanted to, but God was very displeased when Cain wanted to bring a cleaner, less gross sacrifice to Him.

It is my prayer that God will be glorified in the manner that He should be glorified. That our approach to the throne will be done properly and reverently. After all, He is the king of the universe. You don't make up your own method of going before the throne. The approach that contemplative prayer takes, doesn't even lead into the throne room. It leads someplace else.

Contemplative Prayer

2005-10-19T23:10:00.000-05:00

I have been reading some rather disturbing things about the contemplative prayer movement in the church. Many Christians are practicing this prayer methodology and it is growing by leaps and bounds in popularity. The Catholic church in particular seems to relish in the pursuit of of this practice. Indeed the Pope himself has advocated that even the laity should pray using these methods. It is started by emptying your mind by repeating a single word over and over again til nothing is there. This is referred to by many as the "silence". Many will say that the Christian version of this prayer method does not have its roots in eastern thought. It is very strange though that the methodology and end result are very similar whether the practitioner is Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, or any other religion. The person praying in this manner often ends up in an altered state of consciousness. Why then is this practice so bad? There are three main reasons-

It is not found in the Bible.
It correlates with occult methods (i.e., mantra, vain repetition).
It is sympathetic with Eastern mystical perceptions (God in everything; all is One-Pantheism).

Nowhere in the Bible are any instructions found that would lead us to believe that we should pray by emptying our minds. To do so is to invite strange spirits into your consciousness. When we pray we should focus on Christ and what he has done for us through the work on the cross. Not focus on nothing.

There are many respected so called Christian authors out there who advocate this prayer method. People like Bill Hybles of Willow Creek Community Church, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and author of the best seller Forty Days of Purpose. There is a best selling Christian book out there called Celebration of Discipline that advocates contemplative or breath prayer as it is sometimes called. Here is an excerpt from the book that you see at the top of this post that I am currently reading. This account is from one Ron Comer, pastor of Eastside Christian Fellowship in Salem Oregon, when he read the book Celebration of Discipline.

One day I decided to lock myself in my office and not come out until I knew I had met God. I took from my shelf a book by Richard Foster called Celebration of Discipline. I had briefly read it years before but did not give much attention to its practical application. Now, as I began to read, I was intrigued by the freshness of Foster's approach. It seemed so freeing to come before God and just empty me of myself. I knew God could not fill me if self was in the way.

I laid the book on the floor and got on my knees. I began to step through Foster's teachings of how to come before God. I emptied my mind of all thought and began to repeat sacred words that brought praise to God. I found myself repeating the same words over and over. After a period of about two hours, I began to feel a release from all my cares. As contrary as it seems, my body began to feel an energy that was both exciting and relaxing. My mind was at peace and my spirit open to any experience God would share with me. I began to slip into a euphoric, mystical state. Suddenly, I was struck by five powerful words that penetrated every sense of my existence. The words were firm but loving. My inner spirit had never heard such clarity. The five words were, "This is not from Me!"

Immediately upon hearing these words I began to grieve at all I was doing, and I repented - feeling polluted and foolish. I quickly realized I had not been enjoying God but had opened my mind and heart to a seducing spirit. God ended this episode by confirming in my spirit I needed to stay alert and discerning for deceptive spirits that were amazingly good at emulating the Spirit of God and masquerading as angels of light.

Is this the kind of prayer the church really wants to involve itself in? I vote no.