The Exclusive Christ

The Exclusive Christ

A survey of pastors was recently taken. The question was whether Jesus was the only way to eternal life.

Here are the results.

Do you still believe these are not the last days? The very heart of apostasy is when preachers deny the exclusivity of the Lord Jesus as it pertains to redemption. That is a monstrous betrayal and makes way for the Antichrist whose spirit now roams the earth. This discussion is not about women preachers or the mode of baptism. This rips apart the fabric of redemptive truth. It suggests that the incarnation was not absolute and not completely necessary to provide the way to eternal life. It despises the cross and minimizes the resurrection.

This kind of spiritual treason emanates from the fallen intellect of man. It indicates just how hollow most Bible colleges and seminaries are today. The entire concept of a multifaceted way to heaven begins with what is called the “unreached islander”. That is an idiom which indicates a man who has never heard the gospel and lives on some uncivilized island. The question is usually along these lines: “Can a person who has never heard the gospel but still believes in a God be saved?”

In light of the overarching theme and specific teachings of the New Testament that question is easily answered. The answer is no, he cannot be saved without Christ.

Jn.14:5-6 - Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 4:12 - Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Rom.10:13-17 - For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

These and other Scriptures openly and clearly teach us the very cornerstone of redemptive truth, and it is that Jesus is the only way to eternal life. No one reaches heaven through some nebulous genuflect to a nameless deity. Does that seem unfair to your fallen sense of justice? Well, just the contrary. We who will arrive on heaven’s shores because of Christ, that is the zenith of unfairness and injustice. We who are demonstrably guilty, and we who continued to sin even after we were washed, we get to spend eternity with the Risen Christ? That, my friends, is a monstrous injustice and absolutely unfair! Hence the word “grace”.

You see it isn’t unfair if any sinner does not inherit eternal life, it is unfair when some sinners do. But in this modern day of correctness and inclusiveness even preachers have made some convoluted way for lost sinners to be saved without Jesus. Think about that very concept. How can a sinner be saved without the blood? Without the stripes? Without the suffering? Without the resurrection? Without Jesus Himself? What kind of religion is that? That is nothing more than universalism under the guise of Christianity.

At the heart of the disagreement is whether God is God or does His plan have to meet with our approval? A broken heart before God says, “I can hardly believe God has provided a way for me!” A fallen and self righteous heart says, “I cannot believe God wouldn’t save everyone.” But the entire missionary effort is based upon the revealed truth of the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. For if the unreached can be saved without Christ, then why reach them?

Men and women of God have given their very lives for the cause of Christ and in an effort to spread the gospel. We are traitors to their cause when we pompously suggest other avenues of eternal life. And to think that so many so called preachers disown His exclusivity only indicates how close His return is.

It was somewhere around 2002 or 2003. I will not reveal there names for their own safety. Here is a story of courage and gospel honor. I was there.

They were missionaries in Pakistan. They had three wonderful children. It is a very difficult mission field and filled with many dangers. One Sunday morning, as they we worshiping in church, a terrorist threw several hand grenades among the congregation. The mother was hit and was severely injured. But the ten year old little boy was in critical condition and was fighting for his life. After he was stabilized it became evident he needed more medical expertise than was available in Pakistan.

The entire family was flown to an American hospital in Germany. The mother was released in less than a week, however she would walk with an observable limp for the rest of her life. The little boy’s life hung in the balance for weeks. Many prayed, many wept. I was a Sunday School teacher in the church that had sent them out, and their extended family worshiped there as well. The sister of the husband was in my class.

After almost a year they were cleared to return home. One Sunday, at the end of the service, the entire family was given the pulpit to say a few words. As they walked up the stairs to the platform the mother struggled with a limp. The little boy showed no outward signs of his ordeal although he was still on much medication. Jeff, the husband, came to the pulpit with his family behind him. We were all in tears as we listened.

He praised the Living God and he spoke eloquently of God’s amazing grace. He recounted some of their struggles, but he went on and on about how good God had been to them and what God’s grace had meant and still means to them. After about ten or twelve minutes Jeff asked for continued prayer. But this time he did not ask for prayer for the physical condition of his family. Well, what was he going to ask us to pray for?

He asked us to pray for their family since they would soon be leaving to return to southeast Asia to pick up where they had left off. What?? His entire family had almost been killed and now they were going back to witness to the people who seemed to hate them? And Jeff’s demeanor showed no signs of being a martyr, in fact he and his wife seemed to glory in the direction God was leading. Yes, the limping wife who stood next to the son who had almost comeback from the dead. I am not a spooky Christian, but there was a glory that surrounded that family on that Sunday morning. Not many weeks later they left, just as they had said.

Now you tell me, all you compromising preachers, how do you explain your compromise to such a family? If what you believe is true than this family are fools. But in reality, the honor and gospel integrity of this family shames you and your lying theology. Go ahead and debate and discuss all your “what if’s” and all your human reasonings. But one day, in the expanse of the corridors of the place called heaven, if you are there, you will see a family such as this be given the honor of placing great rewards and crowns before Him who you so glibly dissected.

And if you are indeed there in heaven, look around. There will be no one there who came any other way then through faith in the Lord Jesus. Amen.

Worshiping the Temporal

Worshiping the Temporal

And

Trashing the Eternal

Last year a man named Rob Bell wrote a book called “Love Wins” and made the obligatory “sell more” book tour. One of his stops was an interview with Martin Bashir, an MSNBC host. In that interview Rob Bell said that although responding to Christ in this life is “relevant”, what happens to unbelievers and believers after they die is completely “speculative”. Digest the implications of such a suggestion.

If we do not know our eternal destiny, and even cannot know such a thing, then we are no more than religious philosophers. And in Bell’s theology, this present life is primary while eternity is “speculation”. Now at the crux of such theology is a reworking of the Scriptures themselves. Or in other words, a rejection of their teachings. Bell makes all references to hell about earthly things, and he perceives the New Testament as a broad story rather than specific teachings.

I Jn.5:11-13 - And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

We can know that we have eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the hallmark of our faith and it is central to that which is called Christianity. If our faith is only for advancing our temporal existence, then we of all men are miserable. In fact, many other philosophies seem to make unbelievers wealthy and successful without Christ on this earth. He that has the Son has life and he that has not the Son has not life. Obviously that statement refers to something much deeper than a blood flow through a body.

Lk.16:24-28 - And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

In this parabolic teaching our Master tells us that we can and should warn others about going to a place of torment. I know, archaic and out of date, but true nonetheless. How can we warn people if the eternal is purely speculative? And if “love wins” then why the warning? Men like Rob Bell are extremely dangerous and are working against the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we worship the temporal, we trash the eternal.

If our focus becomes social justice, world peace, and all kinds of noble earthly endeavors, then we have lost the vision of eternity. Even John 3:16 becomes a fringe issue and a nebulous truth rather than the core of our faith. Men like Rob Bell, Rick Warren, and Joel Osteen are evidence that we are in the last days. Many are turning to fables and rejecting the truth. Preachers are now rich and famous rather than scourged and ridiculed. These false teachers are leading sinners to worship their earthly lives and use Christ to advance their own fallen agendas. They make merchandise of those who will listen, and with their enticing words of men’s wisdom they lead men away from Christ. In fact, they have gone so far from redemptive truth that they count the blood of Christ (almost never mentioned) as an unclean thing. This is no laughing matter; it is as serious as it gets in the world of the Spirit.

Col.3:1-4 - If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Do not get fooled, brethren. Do not incline your ears to lies all dressed up as deep spiritual truths. There are wars and rumors of wars. There are all kinds of diseases. There is starvation. There are calls for peace. And millions upon millions of professing believers live like heathens. But in the midst of all of this there is an organized effort to undermine the faith and bring reproach upon the name and work of Jesus Christ.

II Pet.2:1-3 - But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

This is not the time to be spiritually lethargic. It is not the time to be ambivalent concerning Christ. This is the time to lengthen the cords and deepen the stakes of our spiritual lives. We must seek Christ with our whole hearts. It is not enough to reject false teachers. We must be sitting at our Master’s feet and doing our Father’s work. Worshiping and witnessing. Praying and praising. Sharing and seeking. Rejoicing and mourning. Interceding and sacrificing. The end draws near and our lives are with Christ.

The temporal is to be used sparingly, but the eternal should consume us. One second after we are on the other side of death we will know with fullness how little we gave to this thing called eternity. And in that moment, even those who may have gained the whole world will realize in terror that they have lost everything. This is no game and no philosophical discussion. This is life or death, eternal life or eternal death.

Broken Prisoners

Broken Prisoners

II Cor.4:6-7 - For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

And if we lift the veil that protects us all from honest transparency, we are all exposed as broken vessels. And if we claim that we are not broken, then we are dire need of being broken. The church has become proud and arrogant and full of her own purposes. And this church, this body that is His, is in need of being broken once more in order to reveal the glory of the Risen Christ.

From the evangelical precinct captains, to the emotionless editorials on gay marriage, the church has become a club where religious people gather to hear a little talk and meet familiar faces. The Titanic is sinking and yet we still exhibit a redundant revelation of activity and a little convenient activism. And when you keep placing a car in drive but it never moves, well Houston there is a problem. When you point your flashlight in the dark without any illumination, well then it must be time to change the batteries.

It is most distressing when so many millions of professing believers get energized and mesmerized at election time. Do we think anything will change? Do we believe THESE politicians even though the previous batch made similar promises? And as I have said before, if believers could be sure that a certain president could make the country more prosperous than at any time in its history, they would elect that person even if he was an abortion doctor, or a married gay man, or even Satan himself. Let us not kid ourselves, the entire thing is about money.

And so we all stand in dire need of a spiritual breaking that leads us to a deep repentance and into a dramatic process of transformation. It is absolutely astonishing that men who say they have been called by God to preach and shepherd God’s flock are blind to the spiritual condition of the church. They are busy “building” a local church by addition and are observably uninterested in seeking the face of Christ and the power of the Spirit in order to see the church reborn in His image.

There are a group of believers in America who are separated from the temptations and distractions of this fallen culture. They do not care about numbers or church buildings or how the economy is faring. They are not caught up with elections and moral/political issues. They are not spending most of their time e earning money or buying new cars or seeking avenues of entertainment. Who are these believers?

Eph.4:1-3 - I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

They are prisoners in penal institutions all across this nation who believe in and follow the Lord Jesus. Paul refers to himself as a “prisoner of the Lord” several times, and surely he was. But all of us should exhibit the same focus that many hundreds and thousands of prisoners exhibit while incarcerated. Yes, they have been forcibly separated from the hedonistic culture, but that is no excuse for us. The church should be comprised of spiritual prisoners, but instead she has embraced the world around her.

Our lives should be so separated from the carnal distractions of this present world that it would seem as if we are walking prisoners. But the temporal has eclipsed the eternal; the carnal pushes out the spiritual; the fallen rules the redeemed. And what is left is a severely moderate profession of Christ that is so diluted and so compromised that those law abiders who profess Christ live just as those who do not. How can that be acceptable?

And yet we have grown accustomed to our convenient and self rewarding expression of Christianity. Revival? The average preacher believes revival is membership growth or cutting the ribbon on a new facility or electing a pro-life president. Like kids in a candy store we reach for almost every gadget or system the world invents. And instead of being gospel vessels that seek out spiritual consumers, we have become consumers of what the world has to offer. And we have elevated preachers whose hearts are after the flesh and not the spirit.

The entire western church construct is fleshly, and what passes for a disciple is a disgrace. Being a “follower of Jesus” costs nothing more than a church membership, which in itself is fleshly and designed to control. A “disciple” can be immersed in debt and engaged in all sorts of worldly activities and still be called a faithful disciple. The preacher can drop his kids off to school, open the mail at his office, and meet an affluent member for lunch and be considered a spiritual leader. The entire construct is an affront to all that is taught by the Master Himself.

We are prisoners to this culture. And any lifestyle that aligns itself with His teachings must be considered extreme and out of the mainstream. In short, we have lost what it means to be His disciple. And even someone who gleans a little vision has to answer to his or her spouse and that usually defeats any legitimate spiritual energy. Rarely do two marriage partners enter into a pure New Testament journey together. They are prisoners to each other, and any spiritual unction is usually brought into a more culturally acceptable alignment because one of the spouses is anxious over the future implications of any radical vision. And so it goes over and over and over.

But remember, we all will be prisoners of something or someone. You decide who or what will rule you. Don’t look around or you will be a prisoner of the illusion that is reflected by those to whom you ascribe a form of spiritual example. But if you receive the words of the New Testament in their undiluted purity, well then, you and I will have to be broken. We cannot mirror those words without being broken. But until then, lean back, relax, and go to church. You see, you are a prisoner and you don’t even realize it.

Homosexuality - Orthodox Hypocrisy

The self serving hysteria concerning homosexuality continues. Church leaders stand “boldly” and aghast at the “normalization” of homosexual behavior including gay unions.

"It leads to the redefinition of reproduction and parenthood, produces a legal revolution with vast consequences, replaces an old social order with something completely new, and forces the adoption of a new morality," said Albert Mohler.

John Piper said, "[Homosexuality] has been here since we were all broken in the fall of man," he wrote. "What’s new is not even the celebration of homosexual sin. Homosexual behavior has been exploited, and reveled in, and celebrated in art, for millennia."
"What’s new," he underscored, "is normalization and institutionalization. This is the new calamity."

OK, come on. The fallen community is supposed to be dead in sins and trespasses, so when something like homosexuality becomes more accepted and prominent does that make them more dead? Have they been able to manage their fallen-ness until now? And let us remember that the sin that plunged the entire human race into spiritual death was one “small” act of disobedience. It was far from the sin of homosexuality.

It's as if we expected the fallen culture to stay within accepted parameters of sin which would still be sinful but at least more palatable to us in the moral, Christian community. Never mind that adultery and divorce are raging throughout the “moral” evangelical community. Never mind that millions of believing men, including preachers, regularly watch some form of pornography. Never mind that the evangelical church is bursting at the seams with false teachers and feel good nonsense messages. At least we can rise up and express moral outrage at homosexuality and stroke our self righteous souls.

Is it not the zenith of hypocrisy when the divorced and remarriage community carries the banner for the Defense of Marriage Act? I mean let us retain the traditional man with woman marriage construct so we can also exhibit the traditional man divorces woman construct? I mean what is next if gays are to be married? Man divorces man and woman divorces woman? We could stomach their divorce much better than their sexual behavior! What hypocrites we are. Perhaps we are afraid the divorce rate among gay marriages would be less than among evangelical unions?

Ok, the Scripture is clear. Homosexual behavior is a sin. In other words it is wrong before God. There are numerous Old Testament references as well as several New Testament references that make that very clear. But before we all climb the throne of moral self righteousness let us pause and take a look at something else about which the New Testament is explicit. Those who dilute the Word of God point out that there are only a scant few references to homosexuality in the New Testament and they are correct. However Scriptural truth is not quantitative. It is qualitative and only needs one mention or teaching.

Rom.1:26-27 - For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

I Cor.6:9-10 - Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

I Tim.1:9-10 - Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;


But for every one reference to homosexual behavior there are at least ten references to sins involving money. Oh yes, its our dirty little secret. And if we can magnify homosexuality perhaps we can obscure the sin that runs rampant within our own moral camp. Let us examine some of the Scriptures that we love to ignore and resist confronting.

Matt.6:19-21
Matt.6:28-34
Matt.13:44-46
Matt.19:44-46
Matt.22:16-
Lk.6:24-25
Lk.12:13-15
Lk.12:16-21
Lk.22-34
Lk.16:10-13
Lk.19:7-9
Lk.21:1-4
Acts 4:32-37
Acts 20:34-35
I Tim.6:11
I Tim.6:17-19
II Tim.3:1-5
Heb.10:34
Jam.2:1-7
I Jn.3:17-18
Rev.3:17-18

These are certainty not an exhaustive list of Scriptures and teachings about money. But they clearly reveal a distinct difference in the way this culture lives, believers and unbelievers alike, and the way God would have us live. And now we are confronted by our own sin and Scriptural compromise. And if we are honest, that may well consume all our time dealing with it. But how can we live like we live, spend like we spend, borrow like we borrow, save like we save, and still claim to be “Biblical Christians”? And while we are immersed with all sorts of greed, avarice, hedonism, and financial idolatry, we still have the hubris to condemn the fallen culture when they exhibit the fruits of who they actually are? But where are our fruits that mirror these Scriptural commands?

But homosexuality provides a great whipping boy and a distraction from our own grievous compromises. And worse yet, we are not confronting homosexuality within the church, but we are commanding the dead, fallen world to stop? And with what power, pray tell, do we expect them to see and repent of their sin? Information? The words of our condemnation? The “great” model of traditional marriage the church has exhibited? How can a dead person hear? How can a blind person see? Sinners need the gospel not a lesson on marriage and the moral issues outlined in the Bible.

But my point is that we continue to openly and energetically disobey and compromise the Scriptures but we demand lost sinners to cease and desist from certain sins. And with what method do we seek to defeat sin? By the ballot box? By the embarrassing bemoaning of today’s fallen situation and a yearning for days gone by? If we are so concerned with the fallen culture then why are church houses dark during the week and yet our televisions burn brightly? If we are so outraged by this culture’s support of homosexuality then how can we attend Hollywood movies and give into their coffers? Why do we borrow from lending institutions that lend to gays and gay supporting institutions?

But again, our so called “culture war” is nothing more than moral hot air that strokes our flesh and does nothing to forward the kingdom of God. But it does make us believe we are “taking a stand” for God, when in fact we are countermanding the gospel of grace. Fighting fire with fire is an exercise in hopelessness. Has anyone ever read these words:

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

The Person that said those words desires us to mirror their spirit. But until we become living sacrifices for His gospel we can always claim to be “orthodox”. After all, we believe homosexual behavior is sin. (The applause light has been turned on.)

Behold! A Christ Moment!

HERE.

You've got to be taught To hate and fear, You've got to be taught From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!
(Hammerstein)

Matt.5:43-48 - Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Rarely have those who name the name of Christ shown such disdain for his words than in the western church. Since politics and nationalism has invaded the church, millions of professing believers exhibit an open rebellion for the words of Jesus even while claiming to follow Him. The grandmother of my children who is a godly woman was recently attending the funeral of her sister’s husband. He had been a faithful minister of the gospel. So in an atmosphere which should have been filled with joy and praise, she walked up to her sister and asked,

“What do you think about Obama?”

Can you imagine such a thing? That question not only reveals the western church’s obsession with American politics, but it obviously reveals a hatred for the current president. And in response to that question, her sister said with repugnance, “He’s a Muslim.” Oh my! In the midst of a home going for one of God’s children, believers cannot even pause their minds for a moment concerning hatred and politics? And when I related this story to someone who is a godly believer and has been for decades, she replied that she believed President Obama was indeed a Muslim.

What is happening to our faith and our hearts? I do not believe President Obama is a born again believer as the Bible teaches. I cannot know his heart, but I have never heard his open testimony. To be fair, the only president in my lifetime who I believed may have been saved is the second George Bush, and I still have no confidence about him either. When I was born again in 1975 I was ignorant of the Scriptures but my conversion was so tangible and life changing that I knew instinctively that Jesus was the only way to eternal life. But George Bush once said all religions lead to God and that is very unsettling. I’m sure President Obama believes the same thing.

But President Obama has professed to be a Christian for decades and has attended a Christian church. And even if he was a Muslim, does that change our love and concern for him as a living soul? The reason believers say he is a Muslim is because they believe he shows deference to Muslim nations in his foreign policy. And of course when someone fails to adequately protect the idol called America even believers let hatred enter their hearts. Muslims, they believe, are our sworn enemies and we must keep them in check. How wonderfully Christian.

But at the heart of the problem is the metamorphosis that has taken place in Christianity. The words of Jesus and of the New Testament as a whole have been swept aside in favor of a more convenient and cultural interpretation and practice. What interests the fallen culture now interests the church. What the fallen culture speaks about is what gives voice to the church. Eternity is no longer fashionable as a consuming subject because the saved and the lost desire economic and moral results now.

And since the church has decided that her views of morality and economics fall into the “conservative” category, she feels very comfortable championing those views in concert with anyone else who does regardless of their spiritual condition. If Hugh Hefner is against socialism, he is our conservative brother. If the stripper is against higher taxes, she is our political ally. If the doctor who performs abortions hates Obamacare, then he is a member of our club. And when someone like President Obama espouses things that are contrary to our moral/economic/political list, then he becomes our enemy. And we all know what Jesus said we must do to our enemies - annihilate them!

But do you see what has happened? The original faith called Christianity has all but vanished and made room for a different practice while retaining some of the tenants at least in doctrinal form. We say we believe the Bible and follow the example and words of Jesus, and yet we do not practice them. OK class, what do we call such a person? Jesus rebuked those who gave lip service to Him but whose hearts were far from Him. But the western church has so strayed that even their lips no longer even present a false front. We speak boldly in direct opposition to Christ’s teachings. Is this not as serious as it gets?

Hatred and judgment are serious issues. And when we say judgment we mean condemnation of lost sinners. We are all to judge spiritually about issues of the Spirit, and especially judge ourselves inwardly. But so many speak with caustic rhetoric about all kinds of people and in so doing they obscure the offer of eternal redemption. And the tongue is a world of iniquity. If you criticize and condemn others regularly, eventually you cultivate an inward hatred regardless if you want to admit it or not. And if you see or hear that person on television that hatred grows in scope and intensity. What a sad commentary of the church that should follow Jesus.

And the preachers themselves practice such things. They speak with indignation about politicians and officials and all sorts of sinners. They complain about the economy while with the same mouth endorse war. What an unchristian mess we have going today! The faith of Jesus exists and is practiced in a realm not of this world. We cannot combine the wrangling and systems of the pagan world with the teachings of our Master. We are to remain separate and rise above the fallen screeches that have no answer and secretly seek their own aggrandizement.

And people claim that there is now a war on religion. And in America they are right. The war is on religion, but it is not on Christ and the true manifestation of His life. Those who follow Christ are to endure hardship and rejoice when persecutions come. But those who complain on media outlets about their first amendment rights and the laws that they deem religious restrictions are acting in direct conflict with the faith they say they believe. Again, it is a convoluted mess.

Let us follow Jesus with all our hearts and cast out all that is not of Christ. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Let us speak and live according to who we are in Him!

The Camel Owns the Tent

An old Arab proverb.

One cold night, as an Arab sat in his tent, a camel gently thrust his nose under the flap and looked in. "Master," he said, "let me put my nose in your tent. It's cold and stormy out here." "By all means," said the Arab, "and welcome" as he turned over and went to sleep.
A little later the Arab awoke to find that the camel had not only put his nose in the tent but his head and neck also. The camel, who had been turning his head from side to side, said, "I will take but little more room if I place my forelegs within the tent. It is difficult standing out here." "Yes, you may put your forelegs within," said the Arab, moving a little to make room, for the tent was small.
Finally, the camel said, "May I not stand wholly inside? I keep the tent open by standing as I do." "Yes, yes," said the Arab. "Come wholly inside. Perhaps it will be better for both of us." So the camel crowded in. The Arab with difficulty in the crowded quarters again went to sleep. When he woke up the next time, he was outside in the cold and the camel had the tent to himself.

*****
Not long ago the church was focused with the spreading of the gospel. Those who were born again in Jesus Christ had a distinct and exclusive kinship with each other, and they avoided being in lock step with those outside of Christ. As a new believer 37 years ago, I can still remember the feeling that I was not of this world. And in the gatherings, Christ was exalted and preached and we fellowshipped as the real body of Jesus Christ. It was something to experience back in those days.

I cannot identify the exact year it began to happen, but I think it started with the Moral Majority in the late seventies. It was about that time when Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson and others began to steer the church in a new direction. All of a sudden politics was introduced to the church as a viable means to change a culture. It was at that same time when bigger church buildings and relevant type services came into being. The entire focus of the church changed dramatically.

It was also during that time that the prosperity gospel came into prominence. Money and power were now embraced as the divine rights of believers. Humility ran for cover. Even the local churches that rejected the prosperity message were affected by it and by the culture of hedonism and capitalism. Church salaries soared, and the churches entered into unbiblical debt to secular institutions.

Churches began to feel their power through the voting booth and in politics in general. Preachers were asked to appear on talk shows to discuss the topics of the day which were political and moral issues. The entire mission of the church was compromised while at the same time the church was viewed as a powerful voting block. We allowed the political camel’s nose under the tent and within a decade the camel was completely in the tent and running it.

I am not one who sees a demon under every bush. But I do believe what has happened to the evangelical church is a direct result of demonic deception working in conjunction with the fallen flesh of believers. And upon further Scriptural investigation, we understand that those who attempt to change things by democracy and the power of organization, are not only blind to the lesson of Gideon, but they are actually working against the will of God. Look at Rev. chapter 17.

Here we see an outline of what will happen in the last days. There are shadows and metaphors to be sure, but God gives us a glimpse into the fallen machinations of man. And when we are dealing with prophecy, there can be no doubt that these things will come to pass. Man can never change what God has revealed in the future, and in fact, God also participates and directs the last days. Look at verse 17:

Rev.17:17 - For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

Do you not understand the implications of what God is saying here? Not only are the governments of man setting about to do their own will and to join together with each other, but God Himself has placed it in their hearts. That means that when the church moans and groans about a one world system, and how liberals are joining with other nations, they are kicking against what God Himself is doing - as if they can change it! The kings of the earth are actually divine pawns that ultimately will do the will of God. And yet the body of Christ seems to think they can change things by scolding and voting and informing.

The entire end time plan is unfolding before our very eyes, and instead of rejoicing at His coming and giving sacrificial effort to spread the gospel, the western church pays homage to the camel and goes about washing and stroking and grooming the very fallen camel that God is using to bring His prophetic promises to pass. We cannot change that fallen camel, but the gospel can change the hearts of men. We should not allow that camel to come under the tent of God’s kingdom and have us distracted from our calling.

The Lord does not want us to change the systems of this world, and in fact we cannot. And do not assume that God’s hands are tied when wicked men rule. Oh no, God will catch the wicked in their own snare. But here we are today still opening the tent to those systems, and being self convinced that democracy is somehow a divine instrument, we spend all kinds of time and energy attempting to sanctify a fallen camel. The camel is what it is, but it should have no place in the kingdom of God. And once his nose is allowed to poke underneath the tent, then his body will follow.

Once the church began to embrace nationalism and democracy and patriotism, it wasn’t long before it became a vicious idol which consumed the church and diluted the everlasting gospel. Once the church paid allegiance and homage to a nation, its allegiance to Christ was significantly diminished. And the camel of nationalism and democracy was given a place within the tent. A prominent place. And believers spoke about issues and politics and elections and politicians and economics rather than Jesus and His gospel. And preachers became conservative voices rather than gospel voices.

We cannot serve the Tent Master AND the camel. They are incompatible and completely at odds in every way. The camel is demanding and his yoke is a burden. He demands spectacular attention and money every two and four years. He demands organization and rallies and talk shows and every four years he speaks about the same things all over again. And this camel suggests that every election is the most important in history and unless the right person or people get elected the nation is doomed. Of course it is like warning people that unless the Titanic elects a different captain the ship will sink - but all the while the hull has already been ripped beyond repair and is sinking with relentless speed.

But our Master’s yoke is easy and light. His promises are not burdensome, and His love and grace are liberating. He does not cry for the repair of the Titanic’s hull, but He commands us to point people toward the Lifeboat. And every person who lends his money and effort and voice toward hull repairing, is one less voice pointing toward the Lifeboat. For now, the captain of this sinking ship is the god of this world. There will come a day when the Captain of our souls will step aboard and create a new vessel which will radiate His glory. But only He can do that.

Until then, our calling is souls and our message is the Lifeboat. You see, in the kingdom of our vessel, the Captain IS the Lifeboat. We need our Captain and not some earthly camel. Amen.

Humility - The Doctrine Has Vanished

The flesh seeks to stake out its own territory. It will react when challenged, and it will return fire with fire. It is alive in all of us unless we crucify it daily, and more accurately, moment by moment. Humility is perhaps the most elusive Christian trait because it goes against everything the fallen nature desires and needs. Humility is the enemy of all that is in this world. Humility is the life force that lives and projects Jesus.

To embrace humility is painful to the fallen nature. And true humility has been lost to the church. What passes for humility these days is nothing more than a shallow and convenient response that costs nothing and retains one’s self esteem and sense of self worth. True humility is birthed through death, the death of our own life. But even to suggest such a thing is foreign to the smug climate of evangelicalism in the west.

Where can we find people who desire nothing for themselves, are concerned about others more than themselves, refuse to accumulate material things, and are surrounded by a tangible aroma of something completely different than anything on this planet? Where are those people? Where are a group of people who have become so like Jesus that their own identity has vanished? But let’s take a step back. Why doesn’t the church even present that as a pursuit? If an authentic destination is not presented, then it is assured it will not be reached.

If we pause for a moment; if we turn off the television; if we clear our minds of all things earthly; and if we focus on the Person and life of Jesus in the eternal and spiritual abstract, would we understand just how far we have strayed? Would it not appear obvious that we have constructed a religious culture of our own making that bears no resemblance to the Author and Finisher of that faith? Christianity is much more than a well organized set of doctrinal positions. Christianity is Christ, in word and deed,

And Christ will not fill a self righteous vessel. In fact, Christ will not fill a vessel that is consumed with itself and oblivious to the mandate to let Christ live in and through it. How can it be that we have so neglected this great salvation that our lives are mirrors of the surrounding culture? And how is it that the example of humility and selflessness is a man named Gandhi? Read the Foxes Book of Martyrs and ask yourself where are they today.

The flesh loves to protest. It reacts to a slight and it defends its territory. It compares itself to others. It is disturbed when people that it is not fond of are happy and successful. The flesh measures success by earthly standards, and it is never content. The flesh desires more money and an easier life. It ridicules sinners and exalts certain saints. The flesh has an ingenuous way of portraying a self deprecating humility, but all the while it is enjoying a manipulative pride. The flesh is evil and rejects humility in spite of parading certain humble appearing attributes.

Humility is without fanfare. Its self sacrificing aspect is both unusual and only receives notice in heaven. It is a quality that is met with disdain in these modern times. Most preachers in the west are unfamiliar with true humility in Christ. In fact, bravado is encouraged and admired in ecclesiastical circles. The entire construct of the Christian faith has been reformed, and what is taught as Christianity no longer is aligned with the Scriptural revelation as well as the incarnate narrative. It is no longer the faith that follows Jesus.

It is easy to spot heretics whose teachings are so blatantly unscriptural and self serving. The Warrens and the Bells and the Osteens are ducks on the pond for all us doctrinal watchdogs. And well they should be. But much less identified are the run of the mill believers whose lives know nothing of the crucified life and the cross bearing path. And comforted by the tepid and bland definitions of humility, we all are satisfied to sit in the bleachers of orthodoxy rather than submit our flesh in the arena filled with lions.

And when asked to prove our faith and our adherence to the teachings and living example of Christ, we can wave some piece of paper which took no more energy and sacrifice than playing checkers. And so we must ask ourselves this question, “What does it mean to be a Christian?” Is it just acknowledging a certain set of doctrines? Or does it go much, much deeper?
*****
“And so it wasn’t long until we had this: The fundamentalist knew each other because they said “We believe these things.” They were men for the most part that had met God. But you see it wasn’t long until having said “These are the things which establish us as fundamentalists.” The second generation said, “This is how we become a fundamentalist: Believe in the inspiration of the Bible; believe in the deity of Christ: Believe in His death, burial, and resurrection.”

And thereby become a fundamentalist. And it wasn’t long until it got to our generation where the whole plan of salvation was to give intellectual assent to a few statements of doctrine. And a person was considered a Christian because he could say “Uh-uh” at four or five places that he was asked to, and if he knew where to say “Uh-uh” someone would pat him on the back, shake his hand, smile broadly and say, “Brother, you’re saved!””

Paris Reidhead.
*****
And now in today’s evangelical climate the true test of a person’s spiritual life is his doctrine. Millions of preachers and lay people can translate Greek and Hebrew, and everyone has a Strong’s concordance. We can dissect the tense of the verbs and the Hebraic impact on the teachings of the New Testament. We can walk into a bookstore and purchase more Biblical material than all the early believers had in total. And with all our knowledge stacked up in front of us, we still have missed what it means to be a believing follower of Jesus. We love the word “believer” but cringe at the word “follower”.

Why? Because believing seems so easy, and arraigning the correct set of Biblical doctrines can be done by a click on a mouse. But following Jesus? Humility of His kind? Our Master did not consider staying with the Father as part of the Triune God as something to be held onto. And the Second Person of that Godhead humbled Himself, came in the likeness of human flesh, and became obedient to the death of the cross.

And when we present that as our template, our target, our mark, we must reevaluate what we have been told is authentic Christianity. Yes, we can start the process of repentance and leave the childish ways of this shallow faith. We can present ourselves as candidates for the cross and step into an excruciating realm of glory.

Or we can say “Huh-uh” to a well oiled set of doctrines and make sure everyone else makes an exact copy at Kinkos, and armed with that doctrinal talisman, we convince ourselves we are His living epistles. Or can we...

Utopian America

Perhaps the best or worst thing that could happen to some believers is if the American government would outlaw abortion, outlaw homosexuality, outlaw socialism, outlaw welfare, outlaw Islam, and send all illegal’s back to Mexico. In that event many believers would have nothing to discuss.

Oh, besides outlawing all those things, perhaps the government would substantially increase prisoner executions and make divorce quicker and easier. All in all, that would be a utopia for many evangelicals.

Respectful Christianity

The early church was not altogether organized as the world would define organized. The church would be recognized by the fruits of the Spirit and the word of their testimony rather than a name on a building or a denomination. Throughout the Mediterranean believers were joined in the Spirit rather than organized membership to a local assembly or an ecclesiastical organization held together by some doctrinal adhesive.

Because of persecution some believers met in secret while others met in many different houses and sometimes outside. And when they gathered they observed the Lord’s Supper as well as ate together in love and fellowship. Even the gatherings were very loosely organized and there was always an attempt to allow the Spirit to lead them. In fact sometimes they were so loose the Apostle Paul warned them about allowing a chaotic atmosphere.

And without radio and television, or other avenues of communication, and even without a high rate of literacy, the gospel spread through the Roman Empire and other regions of the civilized world. Yes there were signs and wonders, but the most effective gospel witness came through the humble power of the believers in many communities. When known sinners in these communities began to change, and when they would exhibit love and compassion and grace and humility, and when they showed kindness to their enemies, well, others began to take notice.

And when the idol worshippers and those in political power felt threatened, they persecuted this new sect of religious folk. And then something quite wonderful and quite unexplainable happened. When these believers in Jesus were persecuted and tortured and even put to death, they embraced it with joy. What could this new faith mean? Who sings on their way to the gallows? Who prays while being eaten by lions? Who prays for their executioners and forgives them while they are being murdered? The world understood war and violence, but how do you attack people who use their own death as a vehicle for spreading their faith?

And despite concerted efforts to wipe out this new faith, it only grew. But in the fourth century something happened that would eventually change the direction and even the practice of the faith. The Roman Emperor named Constantine was engaged in a war. And he claimed he saw the sign of the cross in the day sky, and he ordered his men to paint that sign on their shields. Eventually the armies of Constantine prevailed in that war and Constantine believed that the sign of the cross aided him in his victory.

Constantine became a Christian, or at least what he considered a Christian was. He made Christianity the “sort of” official religion of his nation and he began systematic changes that would favor this Christian faith. He began to persecute the pagans, and he made the local Christian assemblies tax free. Constantine even helped finance many Christian church buildings which was a major shift in their focus. Little by little the Christian faith and the secular government became partners in many ways. In fact, Constantine portrayed Christ as a man of war who conquered by the edge of the sword.

Constantine had a much more profound affect on the Christian faith than the faith had on him. He changed the birth date of Christ to December 25th and he also changed the time and place of Christ’s resurrection. Constantine made Rome the center of the Christian faith. He also became the arbiter in doctrinal disputes, and he believed salvation came through baptism. Curiously enough though, Constantine refused to be baptized until at his death bed. Since he believed baptism forgave sins he desired to wait until he had committed all his sins and then none would remain unforgiven. It was very superstitious and self serving. Constantine was hardly a model of a true believer.

The new and dependent relationship between the state and the church was a completely new phenomenon and through the centuries it would have extremely detrimental effects upon the purity of the church. Constantine even appointed bishops and then made them provincial governors. Many deep vestiges of Constantine’s compromising influences upon the church remain today and are practiced as if they had come form the Savior. Pagan holidays such as Christmas and Easter and others were started under a Constantine influence. But the principle that most damaged the church under Constantine was the alliance between secular government and the body of Christ.

That foundation has been quite successful in diluting the gospel and arraigning all sorts of unholy alliances and allegiances throughout the centuries. At one point the Roman Catholic Church actually was the government in some sections of Europe. And today a most grievous example of Constantine’s unbiblical constructs is when believers assert that America was formed as a Christian nation. That is Constantine-ism at its practical zenith.

The Pilgrims came to America to avoid religious persecution, but the founding fathers were entrepreneurs at heart and rebelled against the taxation coming from England. It is both fanciful and disingenuous to suggest that America was formed as a Christian nation. And although the original documents bore some resemblance to Judaeo-Christian ethics, they still were not Christian at all. They were pluralistic, endorsed no religion, and gave protection for every and all religions. That construct is not only unchristian, it is antichrist.

But being willfully ignorant of Constantine’s duplicitous example, evangelicals still insist that America is a Christian nation, and that God honors her wars, and that the church has a God encouraged obligation to participate in its secular government. They do not believe that through years of cultivating an allegiance to this nation that the spiritual character and condition of the church has been and continues to be eroded. They do not see that we are seen as nothing more than religious moralists that live identical to most unbelievers except to speak about abortion and gay rights.

Gone is our distinctiveness, and the church even listens to and embraces the conservative talk shows which spew caustic and self serving rhetoric. Many Christians attend rallies designed to celebrate/worship the nation known as America. These rallies are attended by and even led by believers and unbelievers alike. You see, the church has lost sight of the faith and of the Author of our faith. We have become modern day followers of Constantine.

And the most devastating aspect of our compromise is that the church is not drifting aimlessly. She is energetically following the pattern of Constantine and even inventing new and deeper inroads of poisonous relationships and secular allegiances. And instead of recognizing believers by their love and grace, and humble separation, and by their imitation of the life of Christ, the Christian faith is recognized by their buildings and their denominations and by their moral and political activism.

We have become respectful and benign within a culture of unbridled hedonism, violence, and idolatry. Constantine’s dream has become a reality.

But in the End, We Grieve

Those of us who by God’s grace have come to see and identify the heresy and the apostasy in the western church continue to speak out. Sometimes we name names, and sometimes we speak about truth. We often mention spiritual practices that compromise, and we often mention issues of power, violence, and money. There is an abundance of material with which to deal, and hopefully our words are taken as warnings. We will continue to speak, warn, and plead.

But in the end, we grieve. We grieve over deceived brethren that are walking a path of compromise. We grieve over the abject hedonism and greed that so often is exhibited by professing believers. We grieve over the massive divorce rate among believers and even preachers. We grieve over the state of our young people who were born into a diluted brand of Christianity.

We grieve over how the Word of God has been maligned and treated with so much disrespect. We grieve over the complacency about the lost in favor of how we can advance our own personal agendas. We grieve over millionaire preachers whose example has led many astray. We grieve over how the exclusivity of Christ has been challenged and eroded in our churches. We grieve over how much money it takes to run even the smallest local church.

We grieve because we have become prisoners of the culture and not prisoners of Christ. We grieve because violence and war is now embraced as part of God’s kingdom. We grieve when the plight of foreign missionaries is given so little attention and concern. We grieve when we see entertainment become the focal point of a worship service. We grieve because some of our friends distance themselves from us because we cannot remain silent.

We grieve when the communion service is streamlined to fit into a schedule. We grieve when sinners are told they are born again simply because they repeated a prayer. We grieve because the cross is no longer the center of Christ’s ministry. We grieve when adultery is rampant among professing believers. We grieve when the church castigates sinners rather than love and pray for them. We grieve when preachers spend more time golfing than they do praying.

Oh yes, we attempt to expose errors in doctrine and practice. And we speak out against the deepening compromises in the western church. We confront them with Scriptural truth. We contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. We do all that and more.

But in the end, we grieve.

Your House is Left Desolate

Acts 2:42-47 - And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Acts 3:1 - Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

Acts 4:29-37 - And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Acts 6:4 - But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

Those who say they believe in Jesus and are followers of His life and teachings do not have the luxury, much less the authority, of creating their own spiritual practices and calling them Christian. It is disingenuous, misleading, and even deceitful to give lip service to the Christ while constructing a religious practice that ignores large portions of His Word and even openly practices things that are at odds with that same Word. But that is precisely what much of the western church has done.

The evangelical expressions of the gathering we call church are the source of the spiritual independence that continues to stray from the Scriptural mandate. And when the foundational institution is significantly flawed and is infecting those flaws throughout the body, then the individual believer ultimately lives with a bastardized expression of a disciple of Christ. Like a computer virus, the infected teachings and practice that claim to be of Christ but are not, affect every area of the church collectively and individually. It is most sad and hurtful, and it grieves the Spirit as well as openly displays another Jesus.

Do not assume that this phenomenon is relegated to the Osteens and Warrens and Bells of the evangelical world. No, this contamination is widespread in the west and has infiltrated even the most “orthodox” of ecclesiastical expressions. And in an ingenuous deception, the enemy of our souls keeps the most orthodox groups in their own bondage by using the most grievous spiritual offenders as blinders within the so called orthodox community. In essence, when we in the orthodox community become obsessed with false teachers we slowly but surely lose the energy and indeed the perception needed to see and address our own Scriptural compromises. Our discernment of others, regardless how Biblically correct, becomes a stumbling block in our own corporate and individual spiritual lives.

And this kind of deception only accumulates more deception when practiced over numerous generations. And we are reinforced in our own deceptions by comparing ourselves with ourselves, and by seeing how Biblical we are in comparison to the compromises and even apostasy of others. And human idolatry, which is prevalent with the church, is another form of reinforcement. The church has its favorite teachers and preachers, and not only are we willing to give great credence to what they teach and say without much personal investigation, but we are willing to make them rich. We hold their personages in great admiration.

And if I were to list the names of the men and women in the west who have gained a following it would number in the hundreds and perhaps thousands. And their following numbers in the millions. Believers by the millions watch “Christian” television and remain ignorant that all the different programs teach something at odds with each other, and most of them teach another gospel and another Jesus. Indeed, Christian television has become a gold mine for preachers and a disgrace to the cause of Christ.

But the absurd, lavish lifestyles of the more famous preachers should not blind us to the way the average local assembly lives and believes. Even though the volume of prosperity is less, and even though many preachers would reject the so called “prosperity message”, the local church in general practices a form of the same. The believers have come into the local church with a culturally disfigured view of Biblical truth, and that perspective creates a fissured foundation whose cracks widen with every decade. So the Person of Christ as expressed through the church and His people becomes little more than a culture of religion that is known primarily by their moral views, which are usually one or two main issues. Obviously divorce and remarriage is not one of them.

And since people are in great debt to the world’s financial system, compromise is inevitable. And since the people are in great debt, they have little difficulty approving great debt for the church as well. And billions of dollars of mortgage interest given by God’s people go back into a fallen system and are used by that fallen system to fund all sorts of antichrist systems. And this is what we say is God’s will and way? Can we even say that with a straight face anymore? Take another look at my original verses.

There seems to be an indication that the early believers were in financial covenant with each other, even to the degree that the wealthy sold their wealth in order to minister to the believing poor among them. Now think about that for a moment. How often do we appeal to the early church fathers to understand some church doctrine, but we seem to gloss over this early practice? Let us say for arguments sake that Jesus does not desire the church today to mirror what they did in Acts. I am not willing to say that with full conviction, but let us assume that for now. But even if we are not to have all things in common anymore (Can you imagine even implying such a thing in the west? There would be violence in the sanctuary!), do not these verses provide for us the heart of God concerning wealth and material things? Even if we are not to sell all our earthly goods, how should what the early church did, recorded and published by God’s Spirit, affect what we believe about wealth and what we practice in the community of believers?

I am fully convinced that at the heart of nationalism and patriotism in America is the love of money. It is at the very core of the “American Dream”. And the church has embraced such a notion and changed the way we believe and changed the way we exhibit our faith and the Person of Christ. And today, that which should be obviously unbiblical and at odds with all the Jesus taught and lived, is embraced and practiced by thousands upon thousands of local churches who name His name. How in God’s name can that be? How did we get so far off course?

And this deep compromise is not hidden under layers of deception that are not easily unearthed. No, the compromises and blatant Scriptural disobediences by the western church are obvious to anyone who has not been blinded by culture and by years of systematic indoctrination by false teaching and by false practice. Give a Bible to a new believer with absolutely no Biblical knowledge or history, and ask him to read the New Testament through and through for two years. And after he has done so, ask him about how the church and the individual believer should live within this hedonistic culture.

Ask that believer about debt. Ask that believer about Christian cruises. Ask that uninfected believer about staff salaries and personal sacrifice. Ask him about capitalism. Ask him about national allegiance and pluralistic democracy. Go ahead, ask him. And when I suggested that scenario to one of the leading Christian teachers in America, his astonishing reply was, “That is why we need teachers.” What!?!? Look at what he is saying. He is suggesting that an uninfected and virgin view of the Scriptures must be brought into conforming with the majority by teaching him what we believe and how we practice it. And unconsciously, that man has identified the very crux of the problem.

So I am openly contending that the western church by and large no longer practices the teachings of the New Testament. I am contending that the culture in which we live has so affected and infected our lifestyles, as well as our thought processes, that we have become blind to the teachings of Scripture. Have you ever seen a picture that is designed to deceive your eyesight? And because you believe you are looking at something else, you are tricked into seeing what you think you see and not what you should see. That is called a visual trick, and magicians use that to trick and amaze us.

But that is what has happened to the western church. We read Scripture with a preconceived view of truth that has been formed by reason and the surrounding culture (A great portion being the educational system), and our Scriptural interpretation comes to us through that cultural prism and not through the Holy Spirit and the literal truth that seems so at odds with everything we think we know as “settled law” within the ecclesiastical expressions and beliefs we have come to embrace. In short. We think we see truth but we have been fooled by our own altered state of spiritual reality. Our Christianity has been refashioned to conform to western cultural mores and now our hearts and minds are deceiving us into believing lies. It is quite a sophisticated process. And it can rightly be called spiritual magic or witchcraft.

And when one compromise has been cemented into the church and the lives of believers, another one becomes less difficult to embrace. After a number of decades the compromise becomes immobilizing and removes any authentic spiritual power, and after many, many decades the beliefs and practices of that church can no longer be identified as Christian. Regardless of the five or four or three solas or whatever you present as your qualifications for being “orthodox”, in practice we have become a religious cultural institution that blends ever so nicely with a well rounded western lifestyle. The words of the prophet have come true,

Matt.15:8-9 - This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

And so millions of pew dwellers sit and are comforted by their faithfulness to their local gathering, but are unaware of either their eternal predicament or their shallow and convenient lifestyle. But the music is moving, and the collective goal of building projects binds their hearts and minds. But as Jesus once observed about Jerusalem, your house is laid waste even through you say you are “rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing”.

And it is not enough to become aware of these things. Far from it. Those to whom the Spirit has given a clearer vision are the more accountable and will give the greater answer on that day. Without a massive revival there is no answer. The situation is so desperate and so desolate, and there is so much that needs to brought down, that only the Spirit is able to do all that needs to be done. And the entrance to that kind of move of the Spirit of God can only be paved with unusual, penetrating, and elongated prayer. Without a move of prayer nothing can be accomplished but that which is of the flesh.

So here we stand, indicted personally and collectively before our God. Most could never receive such a message, and many will even become angry. But perhaps there are some who receive an imperfect but legitimate assessment of our spiritual condition. Perhaps some will disregard the flawed messenger and embrace the Spirit’s exhortation. Perhaps some will have their eyes opened and the hearts turned and begin a long journey that is not without sacrifice and suffering. Perhaps there are a few. Perhaps.

The Teachings of Jesus - Irrelevant

Matt.6:24-34 - No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

It is most unseemly, and openly unchristian, and against the entirety of New Testament teachings, for believers to be involved, one way or the other, with the current health insurance debate. In fact, to be involved with any of the world’s “money” arguments is being involved with an antichrist system.

But the erosion of the path of Jesus has taken place over many, many decades until that path is no longer discernable, and the Scriptural signposts that lined that path have become obsolete with no more literal impact than a newspaper editorial. If anyone can read the Scriptures I have posted and say that Jesus allows us to worry about our finances, and even more startling to argue in the context of the fallen financial schemes of this world, then they are either liars or substantially deceived. But in either case, they do not believe in the teachings of Jesus.

Apostasy is when someone or a group leaves the truth and begins to believe in and follow false teachings. It has most prevalently been defined within the context of theological errors that misrepresent the Person of Christ or the method of salvation. And there are legions of false teachers and false churches that fit that description. However many, if not most, who would classify themselves as watchmen or discerners ignore the elephant in the ecclesiastical room.

The overwhelming majority of the western church gets involved in all sorts of things that completely misrepresent the teachings of Jesus. And when it comes to nationalism, politics, and economic issues, the emergent crowd joins hands with the orthodox group. Osteen and MacArthur and Warren and Jeremiah and all the rest join hands, mouths, and hearts in earthly issues that are openly restricted by the Master. Believers criticize their government leaders; believers worry about economic issues; believers exhibit unreceptive attitudes toward Muslims; and believers by the millions attempt to serve two masters - money and God.

And so the believer who would never enter into a pact with a Mormon or an unbeliever, speaks and behaves like his next door unbelieving conservative and in so doing he brings an open shame to the Lord Jesus and by his speech and actions and attitude that believer proves that he does not believe the words of Jesus. All of us fall short of complete obedience to the words of Christ, but no one can openly disobey them and say that they are in fact obeying them and still claim to believe them. Especially when His words on a given subject are glaringly clear.

How has the church strayed so far so as to live in complete disobedience and yet with no conviction? The backslider realizes his condition and is conflicted within his own spirit. But here we have millions of professing believers acting in utter disregard for the teachings of Jesus and yet with no inward confliction. And many would rightly identify Rick Warren and Rob Bell and Joel Osteen as false teachers that teach things contrary to God’s Word, and yet they themselves are caught in a monstrous heedlessness as it concerns other teachings from the Word of God.

Obedience to the New Testament commands to believers is not convenient, and when taken literally and at face value, they go against all that the culture would consider reasonable and normal. But the western evangelical church has so diluted His words, that believers can openly ignore them and live as do their unbeliever neighbors, and not even be aware of their disobedience. And their preachers not only do not speak words of correction to the flock, but they speak words of encouragement.

I Tim.6:7-8 - For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

In light of how the western church speaks, thinks, and lives, those words are either moon man talk, or they stand as an open indictment of all we have come to accept as Christian. I honestly do not believe I have ever met someone who is truly content with food and clothing. But what is more startling and disheartening, is that the church no longer sees that as a goal, much less a New Testament teaching.

An Olympic high jumper tries to clear the bar set at six feet. After many misses, he takes the bar and sets it at two feet. He clears it easily and leaves the bar set at two feet for the rest of his Olympic career. And the church has taken the teachings of Jesus, the New Testament, and by diluting its interpretation and application, the church has embraced a form of Christianity which unashamedly ignores hundreds of New Testament teachings, as well as the overarching theme of the New Testament itself.

But in order to avoid the inconvenience and embarrassment of a spiritual inventory based upon the teachings of Jesus, let us continue on our current path and enjoy the temporal fruits of an earth bound life which is fully engaged with the issues that concern the kingdom of darkness. But what about the kingdom of God? Well, that can wait until we get to heaven. After all, that's where the teachings of Jesus will become relevant.

The Fear of God is Gone

Matt.10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Acts 5:11 - And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
Rom.3:18 - There is no fear of God before their eyes.
II Cor.7:1 - Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Rev.19:5 - And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

And now we live within the walls of the castle called “New Evangelicalism” where man is king and his whims are truth. And long, long ago the wicked dragon called the “fear of God “ was slain and the people felt much, much safer. That horrible dragon used to scare sinners and saints alike, and it would affect almost everything people believed. In fact, it would many times affect people’s behavior. And in those days when God’s people gathered to worship the Great King that dragon would somehow find his way into those meetings.

That dragon named the “fear of God” roamed around with impunity and even some who were not of the castle, which used to be called just “Evangelicalism”, seemed to live with that dragon in mind. But after many, many years that old dragon became an unbearable nuisance. The people of the castle who used to speak often about that dragon began to ignore it. And when others would mention the dragon the others would change the subject or even suggest that the dragon was a fable which had no place in these modern times. After a while the name of the castle was changed to include the word “New”.

And here we are in 2012 and that dragon has long since gone and our children do not even remember a time when the fear of God was a revelation, much less an influence in our lives. The church has absolutely no fear of God. The preachers live as if there is no God and the people push the pause button of their self centered lives long enough to attend one or more of the gatherings and fulfill the ancient traditions. These gatherings change nothing except to soothe many consciences. In fact, the god that is presented in those gatherings bears little resemblance to the God of Scripture. But the gatherings provide a forum for a brief kind of human fellowship.

What does the Great God see when He scans His kingdom today? He sees preachers acting like clowns. He sees great evangelical cathedrals built with the borrowed money from heathen institutions. He sees the need for staff grow exponentially in order to organize the activities and keep the sheep touched. He sees His people treat the Bible as a racing form that helps them become winners. He sees that prayer has become an elective which is mostly audited by the masses. He sees such shallow professions of faith that almost any tepid murmur repeated by instruction is considered a conversion.

Now it is impossible to actually see and understand a true revelation of the Living God and not have some fear for Him. I realize many preachers dilute the meaning of fear and change it into a benign reverence, but they are wrong. We should always have a deep and abiding reverence for our Great God and the Risen Christ, but we must also have a godly fear. Yes, we should be afraid. That does not diminish the intimacy with which we can approach our Savior, far from it. In fact, a godly fear only enhances our relationship with He who is our very life.

But without any fear whatsoever, we have created a god of our own choosing. And just by seeing the overall condition of the evangelical church we can see there is no fear of God. Who trembles? Who quakes in His presence? Who offers his life as a living sacrifice anymore? There is more portrayal of God as a blessor than there is as someone to be feared. When the Apostle John fell as though dead before the Risen Christ, just which God was that? And if that was our God, then where is that same fear and worship?

We have stripped God of His glory and the gatherings that should be about Him are now about us. Much of what takes place in those gatherings is designed for our excitement, our enjoyment, our blessing, our entertainment, and to alleviate any conviction that may come from God’s Spirit. After all, the preacher doesn’t seemed very concerned, and he is always smiling after the service, so what is there about which to worry? Church is now about us and not about Him.

And when Paul reveals that when Christ returns He will exact a fiery vengeance upon all the unredeemed inhabitants of this planet, why does that truth not actually resonate with God’s people? Is it because we do not really care, or more likely that we do not actually believe it? Let us be painfully honest here, if Jesus is coming back, and if when He comes He will bring a divine judgment upon this world, then how can we with a straight face suggest that our lives and church related actions actually mirror such a coming event? If we who profess His name are ambivalent, how can those without believe?

This is no game of doctrinal gotcha, or even a disagreement over gospel methodology. Little by little the church has lost the truth. Oh yes, we still have it on our statements of faith. We still mention these things once in a great while from the pulpit. Just enough to suggest we still believe it but not enough or with enough passion to support our contention that we do believe those truths.

And along with the fear of God the place called hell has also disappeared from evangelical speech, prayer, and practice. Who really thinks about hell except the weak minded who battle with depression and a fractured sense of personal security? But for those who are successful participants in this culture, well they have no need of a place called hell except for a quick mention in our systematic theology. But if we are to love and believe in the Person called Jesus, then we must exhibit a spiritual consciousness that inwardly and outwardly affects our very lives.

And that life transformation goes way beyond not drinking or smoking or cursing. It transcends just being a part of a local church or owning several Bibles. It travels beyond being a student of the Word or a full time minister. Under the immeasurable weight of Scriptural truth and the revelation of Who God is through the prism of the Lord Jesus Christ, our lives should be revolutionary and utterly remarkable in the midst of such hedonism and spiritual darkness. As it stands we blend very well and our moral and political mini-crusades are little more than irritants to the lost world.

But our lives are so much like those who do not believe that our faith is seen by others as nothing more than a source of comfort drawn from religious traditions handed down through the centuries. Fear? Are you kidding? We are more afraid of Sharia Law then we are the Risen Christ and His Word. All is quite and nice, peaceful and prosperous, until someone suggests that Iran may be building a nuclear weapon and then the church becomes afraid and supports any and all kinds of violence to alleviate our fears. And after we bomb Iran and reduce the nuclear threat we can return to an atmosphere that is quite and nice, peaceful and prosperous, and without the inconvenience of the fear of God.

So here we are behind the walls of the New Evangelicalism, safe and sound and free to create a representation of God which has been disfigured to accommodate our lives and our desires. This God, the God we preach, is not an irritant. He does not significantly meddle in our lives. And if we are a generous giver in our local church, this God never meddles. I mean after all, God has not given us the spirit of fear. Right?

Like Lou Costello once sang, “I fear nothing when I am in the right”! And the western church does not fear God. But we do fear one thing and one thing only. We fear anything that would encroach upon the comfort of our lives and the pursuit of the American Dream. That we fear.

In Search of Jesus

Can you see it? Can you feel it? Can you touch it? It is everywhere and all around us. It is the misery and suffering that invades so much of what we call the “human race”. Today, right now, there are countless beings suffering with intense and excruciating pain, both inside and out. Women, children, boys and girls, and men. Some will die before you are done reading, while others with continue to writhe unsparingly in the throes of affliction and despair. For millions there is no healing, no easing, no cure.

It is not God who is blind to this living tragedy, it is us. And most disheartening is the way God’s own people have marginalized the plight of others if not ignoring them altogether. How can it be spiritually acceptable for some to eat cake while others have no bread? Is that a reflection of the God we serve? Or is it a reflection of the god we serve? While millions argue about the nature of capitalism, millions have no water. And when that discussion is active in the body of Christ, well that is a tragic irony and a disgrace to the Savior.

And to what can we attribute such a monstrous expression of self centeredness? What reason can be given when God’s own people, gifted with eternal life and every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ, decide to be militant about their own elevated financial circumstances while walking around millions of Jericho bound sinners lying wounded, naked, and bleeding? What possible reason can be offered for such a display of mockery toward the faith of Jesus?

There is no excuse, but there is a reason. The western church of Jesus Christ has left the teachings of Jesus and now espouses the teachings and practices of the culture in which it lives. And after many decades, the teachings of Jesus will seem so radical that the church will reject them in their literal purity and attach a more convenient and comfortable metaphorical interpretation. And though that may appease our petrified consciences, it still is accompanied by the screams and groans of those who still suffer, still cry, still are beaten, still bleed, and still lie dead in their sins. And if you listen with His ears, those screams are not muffled echoes of years gone by, but they are ever present calls for help.

Where is God in all of this? But the more crucial question is where is the church in all of this? How many tears ever fall for these people, to say nothing of sacrificial action? While the church argues about economic systems and the ghosts of the founding fathers, sinners by the millions fade away into eternity. And millions more are captives of an existence that we would not allow for our own pets. And yet we claim to follow Him and His teachings. We are not just stretching the truth, we are grievous liars.

Can you see it? Can you feel it? Can you touch it? Does it even move us momentarily only to fade away by the bright lights of our own lives? No, it is a fairy tale which has no more response than does the stories from Grimm. The words of Jesus have become stories that are not even as entertaining as the words of Grimm. And while we can laugh and enjoy the ride called “It’s a Small World” at Disneyworld, others are on a reality ride of lamenting whose destination is eternal suffering. Can that even be true anymore?

We have created a spiritual calling that includes national allegiances, moral crusades, and all kinds of love of money issues. And it is most ingenious how the words of Christ can be read on a Sunday morning gathering without the slightest hint of conviction or the recognition that we are not doing them. Our god is our statement of faith, our church membership, and the talisman of our former baptism. But His words are like a pleasant wind that will pass as quickly as the final “amen”.

Matthew 25:34-36 - Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."

Mk.10:21 - Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

Luke 14:12-14 - He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Luke 16:19-25 - There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.
In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

Lk.19:8-10 - And Zacchae'us stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold."
9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

Ah yes, stories about Jesus. So enriching, so comforting. He was so wonderful, wasn’t He? It is most unfortunate about those poor people, I mean really. Democracy and freedom would bring them peace and prosperity. That is what they need. Let me write my building fund check and see God bless me. God lives to bless me. I hope those who suffer find some relief. And the mother in Darfur whose infant dies at her dried up breast, well it's those Muslims who created that mess. Tisk, tisk.

Prayer requests? Please pray for my friend who will be traveling on her vacation. Oh, and pray for my automatic pool heater which is making a weird noise. I think I need a miracle. Ok, church is over. Let’s hurry in order to beat the line at our favorite steak house. Hopefully we can eat and make it home in time for the kickoff. By the way, did you see the way that girl was dressed today? And brother Adams died his hair. I guess he wants to look younger. This new church building will be spectacular when it is finished. Maybe the air conditioning will work a little better than it does now. Remember, we need to get Obama out of there and return to the good old days. Oh Look!! The parking lot is almost empty at the steakhouse. God is so good.

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.

In search of the one called Jesus.