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.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Just when you thought....
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.
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.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Survey Schmurvey
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.
What they hear is the unspoken message, "If you don't understand the holy lingo, you don't belong to the holy huddle."
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)
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
A Call To Prayer
A Call to Extraordinary Prayer for Revival
Erroll Hulse
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.
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.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Contemplative Prayer and Psalm 46:10
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.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Questions & Answers
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.
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.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Some Questions
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.
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.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Easy Believism 2
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.
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.
Friday, January 20, 2006
My Two Bits on Cessationism
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.
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.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Easy Belief?
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.
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.
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