The Vessels of Redemption

When a lost sinner is drawn to Jesus he senses something unexplainable taking place within his heart and spirit. This happens in all kinds of ways and in all kinds of sinners. The one constant is that all are sinners and Jesus is the only Savior. But the fear of death mingled with the uncertainty of purpose lurks within every lost sinner. Blindness is the great equalizer, and regardless of the comparative depth of sin all sinners are blind until they receive the ability to see spiritually by God’s grace through the Lord Jesus. Thus the term “born again” explains what happens when a sinner is born into the kingdom of God.
And when this sinner now is a child of God, and when he now realizes just who Jesus is, then and only then can he worship Him who is now both Lord and Elder Brother. The mystery of such truth is profound, however we are allowed glimpses and unfolding revelations that are sometimes experienced by others and sometimes deeply personal. And along with the knowledge of Him and His redemption, God allows for some times of refreshing as well as moments and seasons of humbling glory that for moment, or a day, or a period of time lift the veil and allow us to see Him more clearly than our usual comprehension permits.
It is in those times that we are disarmed and brought low and high simultaneously. To enter into the presence of Jesus in a way that is extraordinary during a time of worship, or a time of penetrating prayer, or even listening to a song of praise changes us. We, by God’s grace, exhale more death and inhale more life. There is no drug or vicarious experience that can compare with touching the hem of His garment by faith through the amazing power of the Spirit. It may lead to tears, it may lead to joy, it may lead to repentance, and it may lead to celebration but when we meet the Risen Christ in reality we cannot treat it as just another episode in life’s mundane journey. If you can file it among all the rest then you have not really touched and been touched by Him.
It seems so mystical and esoteric, does it not? It surely is and anyone who has entered into the “Holy of Holies” as it were identifies with my description. These moments do come as an aside, and they are not an everyday or even every Sunday occurrence. They come to those who earnestly and sacrificially seek Him and His manifested presence. I do not speak of the wild, weird, and often contrived events by some of our denominational friends. Often times these times are so personal they cannot be revealed and are beyond verbal communication. But know this: regardless of how far you have gone with Jesus there is so much more. Not so you can be entertained or even amazed, but so you and I can continue to be changed from glory to glory.
Is your testimony relying heavily on what God has done in your life during the first year or two after you were saved? Where is the freshness of what God is doing in your life right now? Has the changing ceased with the rescue from addictions and habits, or is Christ’s refining fire burning new avenues of love and grace and witness in the life you now live? Are we breathlessly running to tell others of His resurrection or has it become a church doctrine alone? Do others observe that we have “been with Jesus” or are we identified by what we are against and what we say we believe?
The emergent church has asked some important questions but has come up with the wrong answers. The answer for the church is a revival of Jesus Himself. Doctrine is important, but when it replaces a vibrant and unmistakable manifestation of the life and spirit of Jesus being lived out in each and every believer, then doctrine has replaced a living faith with a library of written confessions that far outdistance their living revelations. And should not a living expression of Jesus be more and more luminescent as the darkness of culture grows ever so more deep? As it is we have been assimilated in so many ways and are unremarkable amidst so many who live and breathe unreceptive darkness.
Oh that men would see the radiant goodness of God in our lives, and in fact be drawn to us simply by the power of a sacrificial life that reflects the Risen Christ. The Philippian jailer saw the hope that made imprisoned men sing praises to God and he was moved to ask of the hope that was in them. How often do we complain about circumstances today and broadcast the sins of the unregenerate instead of praising God for this great opportunity to shine His redemptive light? This life we live and this time and place in which we have been born is a providential act of the Creator and when we complain about the sin of others we do despite to the unmerited grace that we received.
To know and serve the Savior is the ultimate life, and to increase His knowledge can only be done by reflecting His life and spreading His Word. It is a calling and privilege that no sinner ever deserved nor has the ability in himself to accomplish. Praise to His matchless Name who by the sickle of the cross has harvested a worthless crop and made it into a company of saints who will reflect His glory forever. And in the end it will all be about Jesus and His glory. In the center of heaven stands a Lamb, as it had been slain, and we will all with heavenly voices sing His praise forevermore. It all seems like some fairytale, and like some dream, but the reality will far surpass any and all imaginations. It has not even entered our finite minds what God has prepared for us.
And so, this that we call redemption, is a sacred trust that goes far beyond what we can ever imagine. Holding it high it shines like the heavens against the blackest night. But bring it down among those who desperately need it and it gets messy. It seeks out those who we would not seek, and it clings to some of the most undesirable among us. It finds the whore and passes by the elder. It finds a voice through an illiterate Sudanese mother and holds its tongue when the self righteous speak. It bows down to an eight year old and yet remains hidden to a genius. Redemption rests in straw and rejects the bed of down and extravagance. And what are to make of this? Redemption reaches out through the lips of Spurgeon and Wesley alike. Finney and Whitefield. MacArthur and Graham.
Oh the glory of God’s redemption! Would that men who claim its reward and are claimed of it as well would so illuminate its glory that sinners would run to us. And if our lives would manifest such redemption as we claim in our theology, well, who could withstand such convicting and drawing power? We would either gain a seeking audience or we would be put to death. To blend would be impossible. Jesus told us that lifting up Him would draw men to Him everywhere. And so why are men not drawn to Him today? Why does it take extravagant evangelistic programs and catchy sermon series and organized outreaches to draw sinners that live among us to show some interest in the gathering we call “church”? Why do men neither run to us or from us?

Could it be that we are living our lives and not His? To suggest that there are millions of believing followers of Jesus, inhabited by the Holy Spirit Himself, living in this darkened existence and yet with such little effect and with such spiritual ambivalence is a boast that cannot be true. And it isn’t just the formal churches, or the seeker sensitive ones, or the emergent brand, or the purpose driven type. No, it is all of us…all of us.

Dear Lord, help us to let go of this life and cling entirely to Yours.

The Words in Red

If the words of Jesus do not mean everything...then they mean nothing.

Rick Frueh A.D. 2010

Our Message is not Law

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

The moral crusades that many evangelicals become embroiled in are nothing more than a ministry of death and condemnation. Even in places like Nigeria there are movements that have so condemned homosexuality that the laws have been changed to include capital punishment for the offenders. “That is going too far!”, you suggest? In the natural, to be sure, but in the realm of the spirit it carries death just as certain.
The law was a schoolmaster to bring the world to Jesus Christ, but without the gospel the law is death. People who desire the Ten Commandments be placed upon the walls of public schools are greatly misguided. The Ten Commandments represent certain spiritual death since no one can completely adhere to them and if you break one you have broken them all. The pitiful and self righteous attempts to contain and even alter the behavior of sinners by outward means may be the role of the government, but the church must provide a panacea that cures the heart.
I am not pro-life and pro-heterosexual marriage because I was convinced by any physiological arguments. I believe what I believe because of the grace of God that changed me some 35 years ago. But even what I believe about those issues is irrelevant in the realm of spreading the gospel. When Jim Elliot and his brethren went to find and witness to the Auca Indians they did not attempt to persuade them to cover their nakedness. They went with the gospel and it cost them their lives. Later on believers went again and many Aucas were saved by the power of the Good News. How counter productive and absurd would it have been for Elliot to bring some moral crusade to this tribe? But that is exactly what some believers and churches do in the midst of a dark community that is every bit as lost as were those Auca Indians.
But the grace of God through Jesus Christ is the portal that leads to freedom. Be not mistaken, though, all of us journey upon a path filled with stumbling. And therein lies another wonder of redemption and sonship. A man is driving his car and sees the sign that says 55 miles per hour. He realizes that is the law and sometimes, not all times, he drives under that speed limit. That is the law. And in the Old Testament the law was written outwardly and obeyed with varying degrees of consequences for those who disobeyed it outwardly.
But in the New Testament this same driver now travels a road where there is no speed limit; there is no law. But he has been implanted with a communication device that advises him when he is driving too fast and unsafely. And when he reaches 55 miles per hour that voice inside tells him to slow down. The man slows down, not because it is the law, but because he loves, respects, and even worships the One whose voice is speaking to him.

Christ is the end of the law to all who believe.

Brethren, let us not be ministers of that which kills and has passed away, for if we were still judged by the dictates of the law we would all be put to death, both physically and spiritually. Let us minister the Good News that God has come as a man and has provided a way, the only way, for a sinner to gain eternal life. And purely by faith in this God/man a sinner can be eternally forgiven, and the residual effects will change him in this life as well.
So often the church has come across as a self righteous old man who cannot wait for your soccer ball to be kicked into his yard so he can race to confiscate it. We must be different. Jesus rubbed shoulders with the vilest of sinners, and if you believe that all His followers became perfect you have not read the New Testament or even some accounts of the early church. So many believers act as if they are fearful of being portrayed as condoning sin, and in that fear lurks self righteousness that blocks a redemption that is far from being fearful of sin. In fact, the redemption of Jesus Christ seeks out sinners and their sin and when allowed that redemption defeats sin and rescues the sinners.
The law has dropped us off at school, Jesus Christ University, and when we enroll by faith the law which dropped us off dies along with Christ who is the end of the law for everyone who believes. We no longer strive to lead lives that glorify God because of any law, but the love of Jesus Christ constrains us. Through Christ we offer a hope that transcends human endeavor and self rehabilitation. It is a glorious message that bids all sinners of every stripe and lifestyle to come and dine with your Redeemer and Creator. A new life awaits you which ends with an eternity in the presence of the King of all Kings. It's an offer of grace that is unbalanced in the sinner's favor.

And that life is still offered to whosever believes in Him.

(In 1975 I took Jesus up on His offer. Since then I have broken the law in thought, word, and deed many times. If there was a law, that is!)

Our Real Founding Fathers

Some of the observable characteristics of early believers that drew a level of attention from the lost world were a humble lifestyle, an unexplainable hope, a contentment with their plight in life, a detachment form politics, and a willingness to be persecuted for Christ without retaliation.

Hmm…

Unlimited Atonement

The heart of God is redemption, and he has offered it to every sinner. To say that God hates most sinners and loves a miniscule number of sinners makes a mockery of the truth that “God is love”. To those who espouse a limited offer of redemption for a very small number of sinners you might change that verse to read “God is a little bit love”.

(I once observed to a renowned Calvinist that if a brand new believer who had no church background was given a Bible and sent to spend two years on an island alone, he would never come away from that experience believing in limited atonement. The man replied to me, “That is why we have teachers”. Let that logic sink in.)

A True Seeker

To seek His face. Two lovers are sitting at a table. Where do they look? They are gazing into each other’s faces.
And so exhorts the psalmist and the Apostle Paul. The glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ. So do we even know how to seek His face? Is obeying the tenants of the faith, and avoiding certain sins, does that life count as seeking His face? And if the Scriptures teach us to seek His face, then it must mean His face can be found. He rewards those who diligently seek Him, says the writer of Hebrews.
We seem to be diligent about so many things, but are we diligently seeking Him? I do not mean diligently seeking doctrine, or theology, or even sinners. Do we seek His face? It seems so ethereal and so esoteric and even so mystical, and yet it is Scriptural. But the western lifestyle has lured us into Martha’s kitchen and made obsolete the place of Mary’s resting.
Has Jesus become another facet of our faith or is He the life breath of our existence? Do we know the theology better thaqn we know the Redeemer? Am I just a believer or am I a seeker as well? I must return to the passion I once had when I had just met Christ and knew nothing of doctrine and theology. In some ways I knew Him better then than I do now.

Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

Thy Face Will I Seek

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Memorial Day

There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

Spiritual Silence

Silent meditation on the Scriptures, the Savior, redemption, and other related spiritual issues is healthy, edifying, and convicting for every believer. We all talk way too much and listen very little.

God Deliver Us

Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

Upon hearing the testimony of the blind man who Jesus had healed with spit and mud, the Pharisees declared themselves to be “disciples of Moses” and accused the now seeing man of being a follower of Jesus. The law was their foundation and from its vantage point they were comfortable in condemning everyone. They said they knew God spoke to Moses but that this man, Jesus, was a sinner and God does not speak to sinners.
They had many deceptions in their theology. There are times I feel sorry for them and times I am angry with them. But exposed inside their words are things that expose me as well. I am so given to condemnation and accusation and my words sometimes reveal Moses more than do they Jesus. I am not rejecting any kind of correction or even discernment. But I am openly lamenting my uncertainty about the line of demarcation between correcting and condemning, between discerning and judging, and between standing for truth and self righteousness.
I am not a follower of Moses, and I believe that the grace of Jesus Christ is an ocean that cannot be plumbed by the human mind or even theology. I have a collection of sins that disturb me and a much longer list of personal sins that seemingly disturb me much less. My sins, the ones which no one knows about but me and my God, and the ones which haunt my mind, refuse to allow themselves to become a blog post. And inside this castle of sin are little and great foxes.
And it is this hidden safety which affords me, and you, the license to condemn others so freely and with such verbal authority. But what authority would we have if our thoughts and perhaps some of our deeds were made as public as they have with others? And without the humility that embraces our profound reliance upon God’s grace, we have become nothing less than the Pharisees who claimed to see the speck so perfectly in others. And just so we can all feel comfortable, I do not discount the need for correction and the discernment of spirits.
But I do feel the need to point our discerning beams inward as often, and maybe more often, than we do outwardly. No revival will ever come without the following believers of Jesus Christ being personally broken over their own spiritual walk. And what I do claim to know is this:
While we go around drawing Mohammed, and being obsessed with heresy, and stuffing ballot boxes, and preoccupied with money and things, the church refuses to repent and seek God’s face in the closet of passionate prayer, and ultimately we have become obsessed with the church and have left our first love…Jesus.

Unless there is an unusual revival in the western church we will continue as we are.

God deliver us from what we have become.

Valley Forge - A Holy Place?

Some believers are adamant about tracking the associations of other believers. And when some questionable association is uncovered they are effervescent about exposing that yoking and castigating any and all involved. However, these same believers feel no conviction about joining with unbelievers when it centers around American issues. It seems being an American is the one unequal yoke that is allowed by many orthodox believers who use that verse for almost all other unbiblical associations.

Being tethered to unbelieving Americans is every bit an unholy alliance as is being tethered to unbelieving Iranians.

The deception continues.

Dead Men Walking

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Look upon the cross with the eyes of your spirit. See the marred face and the horror of that bloody mess. Resist the temptation to succumb solely to sentimentality or saccharine feelings of pity. But do welcome passion and emotion and even unspeakable pathos. But look deeper and with penetrating discernment and personal reflection. Look and find you, both then and now. Look until you see your raison d’etre.

This crucifixion must be our reason for being and our motivation for living.

You see, how easy and worthless we have made the Christian experience and the walk of faith? How can we 2000 years later incorperate that crucifixion in our lives? Sure we see the love, the sacrifice, and the redemption, but what is at its core that God desires from us? Our walk of faith centers around money, the family, morality, nationalism, music, Christian books, theology, and even missions. But God’s walk of faith, and the exclusive point of glory for the Apostle Paul, is the cross. Our journey walks on feet; His walks on nails.

We have been called to die. Macabre to some; freedom and glory for those who follow Him.

He is Made in Our Image

There were many prophetic glimpses and many shadows and even ceremonies that pointed to something and Someone to come. The religious leaders thought they knew and Israel as a whole became deceived and even indifferent. But after all the laws, all the violence, all the hatred, and all the amplified ceremonial structures, look Who “emerged”.
He was a liberal in today’s parlance. He came against the orthodox crowd and taught things that surely seemed contrary to the generally accepted understandings of that day. He even ignored certain observances and rubbed shoulders with sinners both men and women. He was in every sense a religious and cultural liberal, at least as men bestow these monikers upon whom they desire. He would be considered a rebel today.
He was far from being a capitalist, and in fact He was a socialist in the general sense of our definition. What conservative capitalist encourages men to give both coats to one who asks of them? What capitalist glories in a fox hole as His home? What capitalist insists that the love of money is the root of all evil, and what economist demands that people do not save up money for themselves? To be more accurate He was neither a socialist or a capitalist. He was the ultimate Giver.
He taught pacifism unless you strip His teachings to mean something else. Those who take some obscure verse and make that their foundation are many times those who claim proper context. No one can read the New Testament and claim that God approves of killing of any sort after He allowed the sacrificial murder of His only Son. Jesus was the Prince of Peace and had no allegiance to any nation.
He was the exact image in human form of God Almighty. He was the Creator, and yet He allowed the spit of wicked men to adorn His face. Such humility is both alien and horrific to our sensibilities, but His followers today retaliate when disrespected. Humbly and silently taking castigation is a sign of weakness in today’s evangelical atmosphere of carnal boldness. And as He was being crucified He asked for forgiveness to those who should have been where He was. We have made the cross a religious museum piece and a doctrine rather than a personal model.

We have lost the vision of who Jesus was and is, and in His place we have constructed a facsimile that bears a striking resemblance to…

well…

I am ashamed to say it…

us.

Moses and Paul

Interceding for, and even standing in for the obviously guilty, is the essence of the cross. Both Moses and Paul stood and pleaded for their guilty countrymen. Where is that spirit in today’s church?

It has been swallowed up in nationalism. Those that have been given grace demand law from others. That is not what being a follower of Jesus is all about. To be more concerned with dishing out justice than the redemption to sinners is to be aligned with the Accuser and at odds with the Intercessor.

The Gospel to the Poor

Once the issue of redemption through faith alone in Jesus Christ is understood, then one can see something quite interesting throughout the New Testament. Many parables and teachings deal uncomfortably with works, and even with some that seem to use works as the dividing factor between sheep and goats. In fact, without the clear doctrinal teachings of Paul we might be tempted to believe in a works salvation. But there is irrefutable Scriptural evidence that lays out the truth that without faith, and faith alone, no one can be saved. Upon the first sighting of any human work as it pertains to redemption that redemption is eternally poisoned and is an enemy to grace itself.
But after that foundation is established we can see how important works are in the life of a believer. And not just the usual list of dos and don’ts that the western church has constructed, but a list of works that God deems paramount and revealing of an authentic believing follower of Jesus Christ. And central to these works is the ministry to the poor, the disenfranchised, and the social outcasts. From the very moment that the church in Jerusalem understood that Gentiles could be saved they immediately made mention of a ministry to the poor. Jesus Himself was faithful to identify His own poverty as He walked as a man.
I did not see this clearly in my early years as a believer, and I was quick to defend certain doctrines while giving pitiful lip service to others. I mean who could be against the ministry to the poor? At least with our lips, and as a doctrinal aside, we acknowledged such. In my Bible College there were many classes on certain doctrines and even some entitled “Systematic Theology”, but there were no classes on the divine call to minister to the poor and downtrodden. In fact, most "orthodox" and "conservative" Bible colleges treat any kind of social ministries as the liberal wing of evangelicalism and they often and loudly warn of its dangers while assuring everyone they believe in such things as long as they are free from gospel entanglement. But that does not square with the tone of the New Testament and the passion that Jesus had for those who were without upon this earth.
Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. What light was supposed to shine to those who need to see our Heavenly Father? Was it because we do not smoke? Or drink? Or do drugs or commit adultery? I have heard atheists and agnostics notice that the church falls short in this area. Even such outspoken atheists like Bill Mayer and Christopher Hitchens have often pointed out the western church and their lifestyles and lack of sacrificial passion for the poor and downtrodden, as well as our preoccupation with the sinner's sin and the supposed divine destiny of America. Sadly, from the mouth of unbelievers comes truth. However that also reveals that the lost see the ministry to the poor as spiritual and they know nothing of any doctrinal disputes. That seems to be the city on a hill that would draw men to ask us of our faith and hope. So when believers take political sides and castigate the gay community, and demand all illegals be deported, and treat Muslims with contempt and ridicule, what must the lost person think of our faith? He dismisses our faith as just another set of moral rules and political perspectives, and now we are not known for Jesus…we are known for our causes and moral crusades. And when someone like Bono spends time and energy in an effort to raise money and awareness for the poor and sick around the world, the orthodox church is quick to discredit him lest we allow the Spirit to use someone of his "ilk" to chasten our own lethargy.
The fallen man cannot know the things of God, but the Spirit will use the gospel to draw that same lost man if we do not place these earthly stumbling blocks in his way. The western church is consumed with greed, nationalism, hatred, arrogance, and carnal boldness which have created an atmosphere of powerless rhetoric that diminishes the Lord we claim to follow. And Sunday after Sunday men speak from pulpits as if God approved of all our debt, lavish lifestyles, and dead religion. The whores, and the addicts, and the alcoholics, and the homosexuals, and heterosexuals, and the imprisoned, and millions of children are without authentic love and hope, and many are being systematically tortured. They, like Lazarus, watch as we build bigger barns and store up our goods for future days and we continue to be willingly oblivious to people's plight to say nothing of God's written desires. But God sees what we do as well and He hears as we attach Jesus’ name to what we do. Jesus has nothing to do with any of it.
Many in the orthodox community spend inordinate energy and time defending the inerrancy of the written Scriptures while boldy disobeying many of the "inerrant" teachings of the New Testament. And when presented with such a suggestion they recoil and retreat to the safety of their systematic forts and "heretic" label makers. Introspection does not seem to be their best suit. Believing and teaching the inerrancy of Scripture, including confronting those who dismantle and change its teachings, are worthless and hypocrisy at its zenith when it is accommpanied by a blatant disregard for the very teachings we claim are inerrant. Defending the faith consists of two major principles: Defending Jesus by word and deed - and the deed is much more than lip and pen service. In fact, this kind of defense is actually a redemptive offense.
That does not mean people are not saved since salvation is purely by faith and faith alone. But it does mean that we in the west have bought into a ecclesiastical system that has disemboweled the very essence of what it means to be a believing follower of Jesus. In our playbook a true believer is a church member, a tither, pro-life, conservative, and careful with his finances. Just a cursory reading of the New Testament would suggest a true believer is a verbal witness, a painfully humble person, meek, moderate, loving and gracious, and he is passionate about the poor and disenfranchised. What are the hot issues that usually take up our thoughts and banter? Gays, Muslim extremists, Hollywood, Miley Cyrus, Voting, the Judeo-Christian ethic, and a host of other things that benefit no one. Rarely are we energetically engaged about how we can reach starving children around the world, or how we can reach more prisoners, or God forbid how we can reach out and help undocumented Mexicans in this country. God has every single one documented.
And some of the same believers who would disobey any law that forbid us to read our Bibles, defend the mercurial and financially motivated laws that attempt to find and deport many poor people who have come in search of the common necessaries of survival. But what they fail to see is that the government's views and laws about undocumented workers is every bit as antichrist as would be a law forbiding Bible studies. You see, we are in favor of confronting a law that would forbid a Bible study, but we happily support a law that forbids our obedience to the teachings supposedly learned in those "Bible" studies.

I again challenge you to read the New Testament all the way through in one month. And at the conclusion ask the Spirit to reveal to you what God desires of us who claim to know and follow Him.

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

(By a complete study of the New Testament we see that salvation comes by faith alone, so that cannot be what is suggested here. However these words came from the very lips of God. They must mean something very important.)

Draw Mohammed Day

Recently there was a campaign called “Draw Mohammed Day” in which everyone was encouraged to draw Mohammed which would incite Muslims of all stripes. It began with humanists claiming it would confront the need for free speech and to show courage against threats from Muslim extremists. In short, it is the world battling the world with carnal weapons.

We as followers of Jesus should know better and be lovingly broken over the eternal plight of all outside the redemption of Christ. To purposely incite people from other religions goes against the teachings from the Founder of our faith. How did Jesus "confront" the false gods of this world? He went to the cross and sacrificed Himself. He calls us to do the same.

The Grace of Jesus

Jesus, I have no other gods before me. I have failed you perfectly in so many ways, but my shame showcases the eternal incandescence of your matchless grace. What words of mine can magnify You and Your redemption? That You would embrace a sinner like me is unthinkable, but the reality of such salvation turns a rebel into a son. And not one single work of righteousness is mine.

If it is not all of grace then no one will be saved…most of all me.

He is All in All

There is nothing like knowing, and yes experiencing, Jesus. All human endeavors and pursuits fade into meaninglessness when compared with having even one moment with the Creator, Savior, and Redeemer. Just to pause and fellowship with Him is hope itself. Let others draw whatever they can from the shallow and bitter well of this present world, but some of us can only dream of the next moment with Him and the first moment of being in His presence forever.

After 58 years this month upon this world there is nothing left but Him. The “life” in eternal life is Jesus who is our life. I feel His return is coming soon, and that day will be the culmination of the divine plan that was with God before the worlds were spoken into existence. And somehow I was included in that eternal plan. In my mind no one deserved it less than did I.

The Fallen Systems of Men

Communism, totalitarianism, socialism, Nazism, and capitalism are all fallen man made systems. To defend any of them is idolatry. Did I mention the fallen system called democracy which is defined by fallen men governing themselves? Democracy began with the coronation of a man called Saul.

Rick Frueh A.D. 2010

I Saw a Hypocrite This Morning

When I used to attend rock concerts (Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Jethro Tull, etc.) there was a camaraderie among all of us that broke down unnecessary walls. It did not matter about backgrounds, social standings, race, or most anything else. We were “brothers and sisters” so to speak and the hospitality was tangible.

That atmosphere is sorely missing in the body of Christ. Why? I have come to the conclusion we have complicated the gospel and the message of redemption. Systematic theology with all its accoutrements has built up unnecessary walls of separation that have nothing to do with redemption and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The early believers knew nothing of the finer points of theology; they only believed that Jesus was the Risen Christ and the only Messiah. The truth that tied believers together was that eternal life could be found by faith in Jesus Christ.

Fast forward to the year A.D. 2010. Thousands of denominations have sprung up; each with their own set of distinctive doctrinal particulars. Eternal life has given way to fine tuning and deriving benefits from this earthly life, and Jesus has become a moral politician that desires national reform rather than personal salvation. We have taken the simple gospel message and exchanged it for a message that is joined to all kinds of other issues both moral and theological. And in so doing, we have not only created little ecclesiastical forts, but we have left the gospel itself.

“Look how they love one another” is a bad joke today. We cannot stand each other to say nothing of love. And in the midst of this colossal evangelical quagmire…we do not even really care. We have nothing by which to judge ourselves because during our lifetime it has always been like this. Our grand and glorious systematic theology books are like the Encyclopedia Britannica, and yet we profess to believe the “unless you become like a little child” exhortation. The Greek language has become an idol, and everyone must believe in Scriptural inerrancy regardless of the many conflicting interpretations even among the ardent inerrantists. So the interpretations are not inerrant but we still must espouse inerrancy or be deemed a heretic? How about this: You are not a heretic if you do not believe in inerrancy, but you are a heretic if you do not obey the Scriptures…starting with I Corinthians chapter 13.

I saw a hypocrite this morning.

You can see one also.

Gaze into a mirror.

Without Love

It is sometimes suggested that anyone who sins willfully cannot be a genuine believer. The adverb “willfully” is usually associated with certain sins. But in light of I Corinthians chapter 13, and in light of the way most believers do not even attempt to fulfill its commandments, we all are living in willful sin. Ambivalent, contented with failure, and exhibiting no more or less love than do those who walk in darkness.

In fact, the western church has long since lost the knowledge of what it means to truly love each other, to say nothing of loving our enemies as did Jesus upon the cross. No wonder we have to manipulate sinners to come to Christ through programs, entertainment, and strategies. I am convinced that the greatest stumblingblock to lost sinners is not the moral failures of pastors, or the iconoclast attacks from the devil, or even the Biblical illiteracy of the average church goer.

It is the abject and blatant lack of demonstrable love of the individual believer and the church of Jesus Christ as a whole. Without love we have nothing but powerless, theological words.

A Poor Excuse for Christianity

Theology is a poor excuse for Christianity.

Rick Frueh circa A.D. 2010

Undocumented Workers

The Atmosphere of Hypocrisy

A few hundred years ago an indigenous people set up communities all over their land. They lived off this wonderful land for many years. But one day some undocumented people came ashore and set up their own community. Some of the indigenous people objected to this intrusion, especially since these undocumented people began to take food out their mouths by killing their buffalo herds by the millions. Very rapidly the indigenous people began to lose their land to these undocumented people, and eventually the native people were decimated through overwhelming violence. To a large degree, these undocumented people committed genocide.

Many years later, the descendents of these undocumented people now enjoyed the fruits of their forefather’s takeover of this land, and by sheer numbers and power they now claimed to be the native people. But one day some undocumented people began to cross these new borders, mostly looking for work and to escape the bondage of poverty. Well, these new native people were energized to protect what they had rightfully stolen (Princess Bride), and they set out to find these undocumented people and send them back to where they came from. Although these undocumented people were not attempting to wipe out the descendents of the first undocumented people, the new natives felt like they were losing jobs and money.

So the people, who enjoyed the results of genocide by their undocumented forefathers, were not about to show some compassion to any undocumented people of today.

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A king called for a man who owed him a large amount of money. The man begged for time and the king was moved with compassion and forgave him the entire debt. But that same man went out and found a man who owed him a few dollars, and that man had the man thrown into prison.

That parable illustrates blatant hypocrisy. To not see a connection with the undocumented workers is to be willfully blind. And my comparison is on an earthly level. We as believing followers of Jesus Christ should rise to a higher standard. Let the government do what pleases them, but as ministers of reconciliation and love, let us move in communities of compassion.

Our standard is Jesus...not Ceasar.

The Path of Grace

The path of grace that leads to life is littered with many manmade obstacles as well as many shortcuts that lead to death. But when you reach your destination and you turn around to see your footprints that carried you to Jesus you might be surprised when you find you left no footprints at all. Human footprints do not lead to Jesus.

Rick Frueh circa A.D. 2010

The Resurrection

I posted an article about a leading emergent’s presentation of the resurrection. You can read that post here.

And now I humbly ,and with an admitted incompetence, attempt to reveal the power and glory of the resurrection of the God/man called Jesus. But inherent within the glory of Christ’s victory over death are the sufferings endured upon the place of torture and death we concisely call the “cross”. That term, the “cross”, has become a word that many times engenders fondness, sentimentality, and even religious thoughts. It has become a cultural term that indicates a religion called Christianity, but it has effectively lost its redemptive quintessence which forms the entire embodiment of its eternal significance. And without that understanding, not only does the meaning of the cross lose its power and glory, but so does the resurrection.

To put it simply, to misunderstand, misappropriate, or even dilute the cross of Jesus Christ immediately compromises the colossal meaning of the resurrection which authenticates, validates, and eternally confirms what was accomplished upon that cross. Of course it is insignificant and unsophisticated to the fallen mind, but to those who have been enlightened by the Spirit and changed by that same power it is the source of our redemption. The cross to us is an ongoing exploration of an eternal mystery through which we see more clearly who Jesus is and what He has done in our place. That is why it is sacrilegious to present the resurrection as some form of “God hasn’t given up on the world”…whatever that means. I wonder how the starving children in Darfur can process that declaration in light of their present circumstances.

The gospel isn’t a message that God has a positive attitude about the world. The resurrection at the most basic level reveals openly that although God gave His Son for the sins of mankind that same Son did not stay dead. He is risen! And if Jesus rose from the dead then He is the Son of God and whosoever believes in Him is forgiven of their sins and has eternal life. As Paul said, if Jesus did not rise from the dead we are still in our sins. That is the message of the resurrection: We who believe are not dead in our sins because upon the cross they were paid for in full. How do we know this? The resurrection!!

How shocked must be the angels of heaven when they see that resurrection being manipulated to mean something other than what God has said in His Word. Think about the two angels whose message was to say, “He is not here…He is risen”. And why were the soldiers paid to lie and say His body was stolen? Not because people would believe that God hasn’t given up on the world, but that people might believe on Jesus Himself as the Savior of the world. Up until Sunday morning even His disciples saw the cross as a defeat, but when Jesus was raised from the dead He was declared to be the Son of God by the spirit of holiness. The resurrection eternally identifies He who suffered and died on that cross.

How dare we downplay and even ignore those precious wounds and those unimaginable sufferings. If we lose sight of what Jesus did upon the cross we lose our faith regardless of how many positive spins we put on the designs of God. Should Jesus tarry we can be assured that more and more false teachers will present another gospel that uses the same gospel words but are substantive departures from the faith of Christ. Those who refuse even a measure of discernment may fall prey to these teachings and not be aware of what they are believing. I have often said this to those entrusted to my spiritual care, “With the shallow spiritual state of the church, who do people believe? Usually the one they heard last or the one who has the most effective and creative way to present their views”.

But let us leave the comparison. I have personal reasons for loving and exalting the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus rose from the dead for me. I cannot explain it and I cannot fully understand it, but when Jesus died upon the cross and then resurrected from the dead He was doing it collectively for all and personally for each. And I have never adequately shared how sinful I really am and what sinful thoughts I have entertained in unguarded moments in my 58 years including 35 knowing Christ. I am convinced that try as we might we all have a built in defensive mechanism that admits to depravity and fallenness while still retaining a significant and structurally sound wall of protection. I am far more sinful than anyone knows.

And even with that admission I realize that God knows infinitely more about my sin than do I. And even with my self serving compromised view of my own sin I cannot but embrace and love He who died and rose for me. Yes, the gospels were written for me to know how much God loved my and gave for me. And when I think of the implications of God Himself enduring the punishment for my sins, including all the sins I have committed after I believed in Jesus, I am undone.

I am undone. I deserved hell.

The only worth I have is what Jesus did for me.

The glory of the Risen Christ will be on display for all eternity and purely be God’s grace I will be allowed to see and worship Him.

Forever.

I am undone.

Rick Frueh Comes Out of the Closet

With all the professing Christians coming out and admitting to having same sex attractions, and with all of the easy pouncing being done by “discernment” blogs on such people and their struggles, I felt it time I come out of the closet myself. I have been a hedonist for almost all of my 35 years as a believer including many years as a pastor. I encourage all the discernment crowd to follow my example and come out into the light of spiritual freedom as well. How do I know I am a hedonist? Here are just a few items that are unmistakable:

* I have a swimming pool with hundreds of gallons of water when millions do not have enough drinking water.
* Over the years I have thrown out embarrassing amounts of food.
* I have spent four times as much on food in restaurants while millions starve.
* I have had a savings account while still professing to trust God.
* I have several rooms with televisions in them.
* I have bought cars above that which I needed.
* I have given money to help a church building pay interest to secular institutions that use it to lend to establishments we would not support.
* Over the years I have had an enormous amount of clothing that I did not need.
* I have spent thousands of dollars to attend various Christian conferences.
* I have spent much money to buy Christian signs, bumper stickers, fish symbols, Bibles, Bible covers, crosses, and Christian pictures.
* I have spent much money on preaching tapes, Christian books, Christian magazines, and Christian music tapes and CDs.
* In 58 years I have spent an obscene amount of money on entertainment, all while knowing people are starving.
* I have actually paid money to hear a Christian sing.
* I am not content with food and clothing.
* I have bought things for my children that they did not need.
* I have spent much money on dogs over the years.
* And many other tell tale signs of a hedonist.

Now I was involved with the hedonist community where we all practiced such things and even suggested God’s blessing and approval on our behavior. If Larry King had asked us to appear on his television show we would have gladly explained why we were hedonists and that God wanted us to enjoy the good things in life. And when Larry quoted some verses in the New Testament that suggested otherwise we would have told him he was interpreting them out of context. But still we would not admit that being a hedonist was wrong.

But today I am coming out of the closet and openly and before God admit that I am in many ways a hedonist. I want to deny the Scriptures but they are so very clear I cannot twist them enough to make room for 35 years of my Christian lifestyle. I was born this way; being selfish and seeking that which benefits me supremely. There are many in my community that are afraid to come out for fear they will be criticized and even mocked. In fact, many are so perplexed about their lifestyles that they still believe God is blessing them in their way of living.

A few years ago I was so very comfortable in castigating other groups that lived lives that reflected the western culture rather than the “in His steps” culture. The gay community always provided for me and my community a convenient whipping boy that elevated their sin and camouflaged our own. To this day most of my hedonist brothers and sisters are offended by any suggestion that they lead anything less than a life that accurately reflects the New Testament life and teachings of Jesus. You see, we held onto our orthodox view of Scripture and used that as a protective doctrinal fort which blinded us to some of the most obvious ways we lived in disobedience to the Master.

So today I am coming out as a practicing hedonist in direct defiance of the open understandings of the New Testament teachings. Again I exhort those brothers and sisters to take the hedonist plank out their own eye before they pillage the lives of others who struggle with other sins. I do see a connection with my hedonist community and the gay community. Both are blind to their sin and both say that they see clearly. There is redemption for both.

Let us hope that a person can be a genuine believer and still be a hedonist.

Where are our Hearts?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What in the world did Jesus mean by these words? Be careful, you who are militant about literal inerrancy; you who strain at the homosexual verses but have no problem dismissing these words. You may notice Jesus did not say to make sure your heart does belong to the treasures you store up for yourself. No, Jesus says that your heart will be where your treasure is, and if you store up money upon this earth your heart will definitely be in that treasure.
Go ahead and listen to preachers who reject the prosperity message but are only too content to explain away these words from the Master they profess to believe. Have we not been consumed by this Babylonian culture and in so doing we by necessity need to soften and even change the open and literal meaning of the words of Jesus? What if it was revealed one day that if all the money saved up in western bank accounts of believers could have been used to spread the gospel many more souls might have heard the gospel message? What if that money could have been used to feed starving children and help brothers and sisters in Christ in need around the world?
What if was revealed that if we had let loose of this earth’s treasures that our hearts could have been so much closer to Christ and so much less stressed and worried? And what if the billions upon billions of dollars that were paid to secular institutions through church mortgage interest payments would have been used to help the poor, widows, and orphans? Who can righteously come forth and say that the God of the Scriptures would choose buildings over orphans? And who could argue that God is hoodwinked by our token humanitarian efforts which never even mean a sacrifice that requires us to endure something like these:
· Less food
· Less dining out
· Less pets
· Less movies
· Less clothes
· No air conditioning
· No vacation
What kind of God approves of money that could buy food for people who starve being saved up for some future self expenditure? What lesson was the Master teaching in the story of the rich man and Lazarus? And the same people who change the words of Jesus to mean “lay up for yourselves treasures on earth as long as those treasures do not have you” are the very same people who castigate gay people who change God’s Word to accommodate their lifestyle. One group modifies God’s Word to accommodate a sexual lifestyle while the other modifies God’s Word to accommodate a hedonistic lifestyle.
Please tell me how God separates one hypocrisy from another. I realize that in order for us to actually entertain the notion that we have altered the Christian faith and practice we must unravel and repent of decades of heretical teachings that have taken place in orthodox pulpits. We would have to read the New Testament again and afresh with a passion to reject everything we may have learned that is not in concert with the teachings of Christ and the epistles.
It is so much easier to elevate the sins of the emergent church and the gay community and the liberal theologians because it keeps us from pausing with a polished mirror to see ourselves in the context of the New Testament teachings and the very life of Jesus Himself. We do not need to tweek this system we espouse within the community of faith. We need to scrap the entire thing, fall on our faces before God, and beg God to fill us with a passion to seek Him whatever the cost.

Or we could just go on as we have been doing.

I’m sure God will continue to be impressed and pleased.

What Would Jesus Do?

Would Jesus demean and castigate lost sinners?

Would Jesus become one of many political participants?

Would Jesus feed dogs before He fed hungry children?

Would Jesus approve of coarse language coming from His followers?

Would Jesus endorse capitalism?

Would Jesus kill people to protect an earthly government?

Would Jesus attack and denounce those He said He came to seek and save?

Would Jesus seek the applause of those who agreed with Him?

Would Jesus have a large wardrobe?

Would Jesus save large amounts of money for His retirement?

Would Jesus endorse profiting from writing books about His book?

Would Jesus hire a well paid staff?

Would Jesus construct a one hour worship time?

Would Jesus live consistently without tears for lost sinners?

Would Jesus offer redemption or condemnation?

Would Jesus be pleased as many missionaries are barely supported while the western church lives in comparable luxury?

Would Jesus be content with a lukewarm, hedonistic, and culturally comfortable band of people who claim to be following Him?

What would Jesus do?

I have my thoughts...

The Cross is now an Embarrassment

Watch this video

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

The greatest mode of deception is to openly profess to believe something, and then so change its focus, direction, and essence as to render your belief as meaningless, and more insidious, as unbelief itself. You will notice that Rob Bell seems to be part of some theatrical troupe as he presents his view of what God did and is doing through the resurrection. All this nebulous and upbeat “God has not given up on the world” rhetoric is energizing to the flesh but void of any Biblical message. But let us zero in on something very obvious but mostly missed. There is, as usual, no cross.
The cross of Golgotha has become like an embarrassing wierd uncle who we admit is related to us but are very uncomfortable speaking about him. These new streams of Christian teachings including the differing branches of the emergent movement have one thing in common: They all have hidden the cross of Christ. One such believer told me that the resurrection was more important than the cross, as if they could be untethered and assessed separately.
But there is nothing so central and core to the Christian faith than the cross. It was there that redemption was purchased through the sufferings of the Incarnate Savior. Assuredly, it can never be fully explored and never fully exalted to the place of eternal prominence it so richly deserves. The most profound and expressive words from the pen of Charles Spurgeon fall pitifully short when it comes to completely glorifying that crimson tree of eternal life. Of course the resurrection substantiated and authenticated that cross and the identity of the One who adorned its Roman planks, but it was upon that hill of death where the Eternal Word suffered, bled, and died for the sins of the world. God’s heart was there exposed and His sacrifice was openly exhibited for the angels of heaven to wonder.
These new and modern movements are many and varied with all sorts of intellectual titillations that excite the flesh and create a false sense of spiritual elevation, but in the end they are nothing more than attacks on the cross. The cross of Jesus Christ is a stumblingblock and a scandalon to the fallen mind. It does not meet the expectations of the modern, sophisticated taste. The ancient landmarks have been removed and the lure of post modern sirens are drawing millions away from that old, rugged tree.
This is not about methodology or even ecclesiology; this is about Christianity itself. The same words are used and the name of Jesus is sprinkled just enough as to be recognized, but this is not the Christian faith. These “messages” cannot save and without the cross all we have is a new start and turning over some new leaf exhorted by some esoteric words that connect with the carnal intellect. Men like Bell will continue to be more and more prolific, and their mystique will grow exponentially as spirituality increases at the expense of truth. The message of comprehensive redemption of the universe through the resurrection is one of the most insidious deceptions of this new age.
To downplay, and even discount, the necessity of personal redemption through faith in Jesus Christ and his work on the cross is to preach another gospel and another Jesus. And make no mistake about it, the cross has become an embarrassment to the church both doctrinally, publicly, and as a lifestyle. And this teaching that exalts a new life while circumventing the cross is nothing but legalism and the works of the law.

Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

The cross is God’s glory, and the church is making a mockery in the way we soft peddle it, minimize it, and even ignore it. How many would be invited on Larry King to discuss the cross of Jesus Christ? And yet all sorts of professing believers are invited to discuss all sorts of issues. And most of the time confusion and error reign in those forums.
We desire resurrection’s glory without Calvary’s suffering and shame. We are living in the last days and at the heart of these evil days is the rejection of the cross of Jesus Christ. Church signs are full of upcoming series about the family, finances, sex, politics, and all kinds of interesting topics. But if you see a church advertising a series on the cross I would suggest you wander in and listen expectedly.
Who would have suspected that the place where God gave His Son to the unspeakable torture of human redemption would one day fall out of vogue in the evangelical community? The cross has become an embarrassment to most of the western church, and most of the western church has become an embarrassment to God.

Justification by Faith

but Where are the Works?

When anyone suggests or even implies that salvation can be achieved through human works, and usually works of the humanitarian variety, many come running to defend the truth that faith in Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to eternal life. That is a Biblical battle that always must be fought with conviction as well as humility. But what is curious and disturbing to me is the way in which many use some preamble that usually goes along lines like this:

“Now I agree the church should feed the hungry, care for the orphans, and meet the needs of the widows.”

After that we launch into our “justification by faith” treatise which is infinitely easier to prove than it is to obey the humanitarian commandments of the New Testament. In fact, we agree that we should take care of the orphans and widows and then we do not. Get it? We offer a disclaimer so that no one can accuse us of not believing the New Testament as it concerns ministering to the earthly needs of people, and then we do not do it. And please do not cite some pitiful ministry that centers around some food bank and claim we are passionately seeking to meet the needs of people around the world. But let someone focus on those needs and our doctrinal energies seem boundless.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.
For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.

We have a duty, and yes a commandment from Christ, to seek out the poor and minister to them in earthly things as well as the gospel. But western believers live in comparable opulence while much of the world goes without the basic necessities of life. And yet we are such staunch defenders of certain doctrines while we stand naked and indicted concerning the obvious calling of our Lord to help people.
Works without faith are useless, but faith without works is dead. And by works we cannot feel comfortable with avoiding smoking, drinking, adultery, stealing, or all the usual sin suspects. What about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoners, and being consumed with helping the downtrodden and the impoverished around us? And curious enough, are not those the things that Jesus found lacking in the goats as He separated them?
The next time you see someone defend the doctrine of justification by faith while he also acknowledges our responsibility to minister to the poor, remind him of how disgraceful are our efforts to obey what we claim we believe. We seem to believe on Jesus and fall short of believing what Jesus said.

Let Him be Accursed...

There is nothing like knowing Jesus and His exclusive salvation. There is no one like Jesus and the infinite ways in which He reveals His Person to each believer. And the Spirit guards the Person of Christ and His gospel with a jealous zeal. The Apostle Paul designated two people who should be accursed, including his “anathema maranatha” condemnation. Those who preach another Jesus, and those who preach another gospel are to be considered enemies of the cross. It is the one line of demarcation over which God will not extend mercy, and these two issues are those that God commands us to be unwavering in our rejection and condemnation; even condemnation of the people who spread such lies.
Liberty University, the school founded by the late Jerry Falwell, has invited a Mormon to speak at their commencement ceremony. Oh how the mighty have fallen! Nationalism and politics have now ushered in a new level of compromise and heresy. Read the list of Godly men who have graced the pulpit in years past at Liberty at commencement and look what 2010 has wrought. It is startling, it is amazing, and it is profoundly sad and pitiful. The love of “conservative values” and America has enveloped the love of Jesus Christ. But this is no trivial matter; this is as serious as it gets.
This kind of compromise rivals the Rob Bell’s, and the Rick Warren’s, and the health and wealth lies. This man, Glenn Beck, besides being a caustic idolater who holds the ”founding fathers” in admiration, is a practicing Mormon. Who would have believed the largest evangelical university on the planet would bow so low to politics that one who teaches another Jesus would be invited to speak at the university, and most spectacularly at the commencement ceremony itself? Jesus has left the building. What does the Spirit say about such behavior?

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Unparalleled are the Spirit’s contempt for those who would preach another Jesus and another gospel, and in fact, God makes it clear that He holds those who join with them in any way, including inviting them into your presence as friends, accountable for their wickedness as well. It is unconscionable to see the depth of such compromise and deceit. Have we reached the point where we cannot find a Godly man who can come and lift up Jesus and His gospel and give that as a commission to the graduating class of professing believers? Talk show hosts, and Mormons at that; that is where we are today?
Hold fast to your faith. The end is upon us.

We have constructed our own evangelical tower of Babel which in the end leads nowhere. We have mixed the holy with the profane. We have become a wild ass, running and frolicking without any restraint. We have jumped the fences of the Lord and we are grazing in the pastures of the heathen.We dine at Hollywood's trough on Saturday night and lift up dirty hands on Sunday. Our church buildings are our glory and our prayer closets are our shame. We worry about the economy but sleep well while souls perish. We make celebrities of preachers and show disdain for praying grandmothers.We herald politicians and refuse to preach Christ on the street. We criticize lost sinners but speak well of the harlot church. We have become prisoners of America's hedonism and yet we proclaim we are free.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: We are in desperate need of a massive and church shaking revival that breaks our earthen vessels...

Rick Frueh circa A.D. 2008

A Saint Awaits Life

**Update**

* Wendy went to be with Jesus just hours after I wrote this post. She is presently experiencing a joy unspeakable and full of glory.

A friend of mine is moving toward life everlasting. Oh death thinks it is about to be victorious, but in the end life will triumph. Go ahead, Death, enter her room and search for her sins…you will not find them. They are gone. But you have witnesses, you say? Let God be true and every man a liar. This sinner named Wendy has been forgiven, redeemed, and given eternal life. It was not deserved and it certainly was not earned.

The sufferings and the horror of Christ’s death was imputed to her forever simply because of childlike faith. Oh death and oh law, how can you compete with that? Go ahead, parade ever jot and title of the law, and demonstrate how this sinner broke them all, and all you have done is further illuminate the grace of Jesus. Accuse all you want, but it falls on the deaf ears of her Judge who declares her righteous before the angels of heaven and the company of saints.

You have come to enjoy a victory but all you have is a shell once used by a redeemed sinner. This death is the last enemy, and yet God has waited to perform His promise to each and every one of us. You think cancer will take her life?? You are eternally mistaken, and in fact, no one can take that which belongs to Christ! The sorrow will be ours who remain in this world, but when this saint enters the Gates of Splendor and sees the Risen Christ in all His glory her joy will be transcendent. On this earth she has been a blessing to many, many others. Her passing will stand as a spectacle of a godly woman who with many flaws served a flawless Savior. I have wept with her, prayed with her, worshiped with her, witnessed with her, and, yes, I have danced before the Lord with her. I have seen her publicly admit she was wrong. I have seen her energy as she hurried to minister to others. She and her family have loved me and my family like none other on this earth.

But in the end there is only one thing that matters; this woman believed in Jesus and her life was changed forever. And like me her sins and faults were many, but six hours on Golgotha and one moment of resurrected glory wiped those handwritings of ordinances that were against us, and soon her redemption will become an eternal reality. In actuality, her life has always been hid in Christ with God since the day she was born again. I have loved her and her husband.

She has fought a good fight; she has kept the faith; and she has finished her course. If the Lord sees fit to keep my decaying frame alive much longer, I will remember her often. But more often, I will imagine her weeping, praising, worshiping, and, yes, dancing before the Lord who saved her. Jesus will soon come for you, my friend. I may not be far behind…

The Church and the Gay Issue

Hypocrisy at its Finest

A singer named Jennifer Knapp, of whom I had never heard before last week, used to sing gospel songs. She disappeared from the Christian scene and last week re-emerged and stated she was gay. She also said she could not reconcile her same sex attractions with what is usually accepted as the Biblical norm, which is that practicing homosexuality is a sin. OK, we have heard this story before. I both disagree with her lifestyle and Biblical perspective, but I also anticipated the hypocrites to pounce upon this issue. Peruse the internet and behold – I was correct.
Let me make some observations. Yes, there are verses, not to mention the physiological design that clearly reveal God’s intent as it pertains to same sex unions. But while we jump up and down upon that safe zone it is also true that for every New Testament verse about homosexuality there are at least ten about covetousness, greed, and the love of money. And then there are verses like these:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:


For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

And not only do most western believers ignore those verses, even the strictest literalists twist and change them in order to accommodate the hedonistic, western lifestyle. See - the verse about homosexuality being a sin is literal, but the verse about laying up money for yourself is, well, a figurative suggestion. In fact, most believers claim their investment portfolio, or their 401k, or their large house and cars, are a gift from God and meant to lavish upon themselves - as if God takes pleasure is heaping prosperity upon some while He watches other believers starve. And which God would that be? The same believers who are effervescent in their "homosexuality is a sin" badge can sometimes be found on a "Christian" cruise complete with hefty pricetag, open gluttony, and a host of unbiblical behavior concerning money and excess. John Wesley would have roundly condemned as have I - here.
Oh how easy it is to use someone’s struggles as a platform for parading our orthodoxy as concerns CERTAIN sins. If we could investigate the average orthodox congregation we would find these sins:

* Large retirement accounts
* Unforgiveness
* Murmering about the president
* Judgment
* Divorce and remarriage
* Praylessness
* Lack of witnessing
* Self righteousness

And in fact, some of those sins are practiced as if they were in God’s will. What does this tell us? It reveals that we are a most self righteous and uncompassionate people who personally rely of God’s grace to save us but who dispense law to those whose sins we have never tasted. So if you desire to display your credentials about homosexuality being a sin – Bravo! You are awarded the Orthodox Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.
But upon further inventory of sins not associated with same sex relationships, we just might see that you and I are every bit as guilty as Jennifer Knapp. Most of us do not know, have not prayed for, and do not love this sinner named Jennifer. But she has inadvertently provided some red meat for those orthodox carnivors who specialize in scouring the news items in order to find misery, failure, heartbreak, struggles, and every sin that they can claim as personally alien. They do not love their doctrine...they love themselves.

And let us be perfectly clear: If a sinner cannot believe on Christ for their eternal salvation and still be deceived about certain sins in their lives…well then…no one will be saved.

Two years ago I wrote this out of a heart of compassion and a realization of my own hypocrisy.

An Inconvenient Truth

Profound Simplicity

In 1975 I heard the Spirit’s call; I then understood who Jesus is; I believed and I was given eternal life. Profound simplicity.

Defending Doctrine

Doctrine (Latin: doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or "a body of teachings" or "instructions", taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system.
(From Wikipedia)

There are two major movements afoot in these modern days concerning doctrine. One is defending doctrine, and one is dismantling doctrine. I have found both movements to be substantially hollow and counterproductive. In my view there are two doctrinal pillars about which Paul even warns about changing. They are the truth about Jesus and the truth about the gospel. Much of the evangelical world gets all caught up in doctrinal tributaries and denominations are formed primarily because of such fringe or non-essential teachings. But it is true that there are men today who either openly, or with cunning and sweet sounding words, have reduced the gospel to works and have stripped Christ of His exclusivity. That is what we rightly call heresy.

But it is quite easy to identify such heresies and condemn and confront them; much easier than to confront your own doctrinal disobedience and ambivalence. In fact, most of the western orthodox community has revolutionized Christianity in order to exist comfortable with the culture with specific emphasis on the believer himself. It is a form of humanism with a Christian label. And think of all the doctrine/teaching that fills the average believer’s life. Every week he hears his pastor expound doctrine; every week he discusses doctrine in Sunday School; every week he hears teachings on the radio and television; he many go to conferences and he may have teaching Cds; He may read books or magazines that teach Christian doctrine; and so the western believer is fed a constant stream of doctrine via many venues throughout his life.

And in the midst of all this teaching he may hear someone use the false teaching of someone else to Biblical authenticate what that person is teaching. It is not uncommon for a pastor to explain some form of heretical teaching in order to repudiate it from the Scriptures. And that is good and beneficial when it is given in the midst of a living family of teachings that find more expression through deeds than through systematic theology. Which brings me to my premise:

Teaching and defending Biblical doctrine without corresponding life manifestations is nothing more than self righteousness. A large part of defending doctrine is exhibiting it. Imagine for a painful moment that after the ascension of Jesus the Holy Spirit directed His followers to live lives of sacrifice and humility. Imagine believers unconcerned with money and careers, ambivalent to the trends of culture, and uninterested in earthly governments. Imagine pockets of believers living so remarkably and so gentle and humble, that those who came in contact with them were regularly prompted to inquire of them as to their motivation. Imagine a community of faith who actually demonstrated a belief that their lives were hid in Christ with God, and that all their affections lay in the world to come. Imagine a society of faith who counted their own comforts, their own needs, and even their own lives as sweet smelling sacrifices before their Lord.

And so I ask you…why do we have to imagine such a thing? Unless you are convinced that God does not wish us to live such lives, then we are forced to gaze into a mirror of spiritual indictment. What I am openly saying is that to a large extent, a very large extent, we have barely held onto the saving gospel of Jesus Christ in regeneration, but we have long since left the Biblical and Jesus model of allowing the Spirit of Christ to live in and through us. And do not think that I speak from an elevated platform looking down, no, I am right in your midst. As a matter of fact, many of these things I have identified became known to me through the Spirit’s magnification of things in my own Christian walk. Oh yes, we are all in this together.

But we do not need to stay where we are, and we must be vigilant and guard against any hint of self righteousness. Even our strongest words must never condemn without hope or indicate a victory that we have not yet experienced. We must learn again what it means to be clothed with humility. We must not compare ourselves with ourselves and find some morsel of carnal contentment. Jesus must be the template for everything, and the great doctrines and teachings of Scripture must be expanded once again to include the most uncomfortable and inconvenient life practices revealed in their pages. The Sermon on the Mount cannot just be great oratory; it must be the commands of Almighty God. The do’s must be equal to the don’ts. Something is wrong when God’s people can sit week after week, and year after year, and listen and learn what is being said and what is supposed to be believed, and yet with such an astonishing lack of conspicuous, if not spectacular, manifestations of those teachings in the men and women who hear and say they believe God’s Word. One of two things must be true: Either we do not believe God’s Word, or what is being taught is only a fragment of what should really be a panoramic expose of what it means to walk in His steps. And in believing that pitiful fragment…we have grown content, self righteous, and in many cases arrogant.

Imagine for a moment that what you and I have learned and aggressively espoused as Biblical truth has been flawed, incomplete, convenient, and contoured over the decades to accommodate even the most uncommitted and unsacrificial lifestyles. Imagine for a moment that the ears that are being tickled are not just the heretics and liberals, but they are ours as well. Oh my. When God called the Jews in captivity in Babylon back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and the temple, most did not go and many did not even hear God’s voice. Why? Because they had built prosperous and contented lives in Babylon, and to return to Jerusalem would require a sacrifice they had never known and were not willing to give. They had no guarantee that Jerusalem would be rebuilt, and many good and Godly people they knew in Babylon said the idea was just fanaticism.

And so it is today. Generations come and go with each new one building upon the shifting sand the former used. Comfortable and affluent lives are lived by professing believers in the west while millions struggle for food; even millions who name the name of Christ. The Apostle Paul is arrested in Jerusalem and led away in chains to be brought before the council. His very life was in jeopardy. However as they took him up the stairs, he asked the soldiers if he could speak to the crowd. That was the very crowd that was in an uproar over Paul and his teachings. And Paul witnesses of Jesus, not from the comfort of a pulpit, but in chains between soldiers and to a violent crowd and on his way to an uncertain future. And we say we believe men who die without Christ are lost forever but witnessing is not our lifestyle and passion. Most professing followers of Jesus will not actually witness to one soul in a year, and invitations to church suffice as “witnessing”.

We are cold and we are dead, and yet we say we are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. But imagine if God sees us as naked and poor and blind. What if takes the destruction of our present model in order for the Potter to make another? Are we willing to suffer the loss of all things to win Christ? Are we even willing for a mild reordering of our steps and priorites? Are we willing to die to ourselves complete with crucifixion, burial, and the glory of a resurrection that finds its eternal joy in serving the Risen Christ? Are we willing to even consider any of this?

We can continue to preach and teach doctrine. We can continue to point out the heretics and pat ourselves on the back because we are not like those men. We can continue to rush to the Sunday gathering and leave once more with a smile and the knowledge of religious obligation, but without the arresting and transforming power of God’s Spirit. And when we drive back into our neighborhoods and see the heathen man mowing his lawn, we can be assured he sees us as one of many in a hedonistic western culture, and in fact, he sees himself in us.

Imagine those who travelled from Babylon headed for Jerusalem. Some never made it and died after months of travel. And when they arrived in Jerusalem there were no stones and mortar waiting there, and there were no Home Depots with supplies. There were enemies that sought to destroy them, and there were ethnic Jews who criticized them and attempted to make them doubt. And back in Babylon those who claimed Jewish heritage continued to ignore God’s Word. At least they did not claim that Babylon was God’s creation and the Babylonian founding fathers were passionate followers of Jehovah.

I know, I am a curiosity if not an outright extremist. Enough for now. But I exhort you to read Matthew chapters 5-7 through several times, and in all honesty, see if you see the western church in those teachings. But if those words are too severe, we can run to the security of the doctrine of the Trinity or inerrancy and build our fortress around that. Remember, homosexuality is a sin. (applause here)