You Will Have to Fight

We live in the midst of a vicious war being fought in many battlefields with an array of weapons and armaments. Do not be deceived, most professing Christians are content to attend a local church which meets their needs and the needs of their family, but as far as entering and participating in this Spiritual war they are blissfully and voluntarily ignorant and absent. This is not a battle over moral issues no matter how serious. Abortion, gay marriage, and all the other convenient issues that are political fodder every four years are only a mirage compared with the larger and eternal issues that are slipping away before our very eyes and with which the church has become complicit. You and I will one day give an account before the Master and Author of salvation.

Again, we live in the midst of a doctrinally ignorant and pacifist church that has mistaken love for the acceptance of grievous error that is tearing the very heart out of the gospel. You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. The truth is changing within the church without much resistance from the ones who should be the guardians of truth, God‘s servants. Bible study, if any, centers on us rather than Him. What can God do for me and my situation is the self serving teaching not what God commands from me and the privilege it is to be His servant. But what many don’t know or wish to know is that the message of salvation is slowly and not so slowly being redefined, repackaged, and ultimately rendered eternally useless. And there seems to be a slumbering spirit that has enveloped the church while the spirits of anti-christ boldly plunder the faith once delivered to the saints.

If you want to please the Heavenly Father and be found a faithful follower of Jesus Christ you will have to fight. Oh yes, the enemy is upon us and the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and only the violent take it by force. Does that mean we are to become abrasive and unkind? No, we are still to have the aroma of God’s Spirit in our speech but we must make a glorious and unswerving commitment to God’s Word that sends us voraciously to the dining room of the Almighty’s feast of truth. Reading, praying, meditating, learning, comparing, memorizing, speaking, sharing, and living the uncompromising truth of God’s Word must be our lives, if we truly believe it is the Word of God. Awake, says God’s Spirit, and pick up the Sword of the Spirit to both circumcise our own hearts and to wield it in battle. How can the majority of pew dwellers arrive at the building on Sunday mornings with a clear conscience about treating God’s Word so despicably during the week, much less that very morning?? And they leave the service happy and content with their Spiritual walk after having listened to a sermon purchased on the internet.

Oh yes, my friend, what we are doing will never win the victory either personally or ecclesiastically. We will have to push away from the world’s table, rejecting its entertaining delicacies, and put on the whole armor of God and His Word. And do not think that because blogs like this one speak against the falling away that it can serve (you or me) as a substitute for personal devotion and obedience to the Word, no, that is another deception of the evil one when we feel that because we have spoken against the deteriorating truth within the church that it relieves us from following hard after the Savior in our personal lives. In so doing we become as sounding brass and tinkling cymbal and our words are fleshly echoes of a hollow Spiritual life. The Spirit is calling all of us to enjoin the battle by drawing closer to our Wonderful Lord and Savior by sacrificially committing our time to His Word.

Here are some of the issues that have doctrinally veered off course and now lie broken in the streets:

The Incarnation.

Men of theological ill repute are questioning the divinity of the Lord Jesus by removing the essential nature of the incarnation and allowing for different perspectives.

The Word.

Many now view the Bible as an overview narrative of God’s dealing with mankind and rejecting the specific doctrinal teaching essence of the Scriptures. They enjoy the gospel narratives and the Old Testament history but soften the specific, apostolic teaching of the Apostle Paul. And inerrancy is a non-essential.

Salvation.

The elements of true salvation are vague and nebulous at best, and the salvation of people who never heard the gospel is now a possibility. The Roman Catholic Church, liberal mainline Protestant denominations, and unbelieving Jews are now part of the body of Christ.

Jesus.

Many now teach that we should not concentrate so much on the divinity of Christ and His redemptive mission, but we need to start to accentuate His humanitarian efforts and downplay the cross.

While we slept the enemy has come in and sown seeds in God’s own fields over which we were to be watching and plowing. Just outrage will not please God, no, only personal repentance with a corresponding revival will please the Father. And one of the main battlefields, the prayer closet, has been fully captured by the enemy which has cut off the supply line to our only power. Without me you can do nothing. Go ahead and consider this little post “melodramatic” and “ over the top” but eternity will show that it is far worse than we can all know. The Word calls us by the Spirit, will we hear and heed the call? If you desire to follow in His steps you’re going to have to fight. It is a glorious fight that started way before we arrived at His camp, but it is now on our watch and passivity means defeat. We need an awakening that allows the Spirit of God to interject Himself into our self-centered lives and break up the fallow ground in order to furiously plant a harvest of God’s Word.

God has given us His Word, His Son, and graciously put Him in written form so that we might understand Who God is, namely, Jesus the Christ. How can we allow strangers to play intellectual checkers with the Holy Scriptures? And more personally, how can we treat God’s Word as a Spiritual curiosity rather than our very life? Before the creation was spoken into being, God made a promise which He swore by Himself. Before the dust swirled into Adam, God had made a promise. Before Bethlehem, God had made a promise. On Bethlehem’s night, God kept His promise. Through Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Matthew, Mark, Paul, John, and others God taught us about His promise, the Word. From the seed of the woman in Genesis to Isaiah 53 to John the Baptist's identfication of God's Lamb, God has kept His Word. Through the scrolls of the New Testament writers, the sacrifice of faithful scribes, all the way to Gutenberg’s press, God was diligent in offering His Word, keeping His promise. From the early church, to the reformation, to the first and second awakening, and through many small revivals, and using many faithful servants both renowned and unknown, God was continuing to keep His promise, His Word. From the first creative Word to the year of our Lord 2007, God has faithfully kept His Word and continued to offer it to those who desperately need it. God has kept His Word…but we have not. And when the modern church movements tamper with and wrest the Holy Word they are in reality attacking the Lord Jesus Himself while the church plays the lethargic fool.

Repent.
Make no mistake, you are going to have to fight to follow.

But first you will have to surrender...

Arminian Highjack

The bottom line difference between Calvinism and Arminianism is that a true Arminian believes that Christ died for everyone and that everyone has a chance to be saved. But in the evolving theological stream in these modern times some professors of Arminianism thought it best to help God out by contouring the message of the gospel to appeal to the cultural masses and tilt the probabilities in favor of sinners choosing salvation through Christ. They have assumed that the reason that so many reject Christ is that the message is unwieldy and unattractive to the average hedonistic westerner and therefore by molding the gospel with flowery language and earthly promises and removing the distasteful elements of sacrifice and cross bearing many if not most would run to believe in Jesus. And they measure their success by numbers, quantity as opposed to quality.

Now the end result is massive amounts of shallow believers whose conversion experience resembles nothing more than a hypnotists stage trick who manipulates unsuspecting members of the audience to repeat his suggestive commands. And when they awake from their momentary illusion they have forgotten what everyone else saw because it really wasn’t done with the power of their own will but the will of the hypnotist. The same is true with millions of these sinner’s prayer conversion experiences that were done in the power of the well trained “soul winner” and not in the power of the Holy Spirit. And after so many of these false conversions never exhibit the fruits of authentic conversions the church turns an unconcerned head with little if any question about their methods as they head for the next parrot. Now the implications of these theatrics are staggering. How many millions of people that were given assurance of their eternal destiny based simply upon their recitation of a form prayer will eventually wind up in the lake of fire? Serious business, no?

But this was not always the Arminian way. The great preachers of old presented the true gospel complete with the forsaking of all and the taking up our cross to follow the Lord Jesus forever. Some of the Arminian preachers were borderline legalists, and they would absolutely reject the watered down and unrecognizable message that passes as the gospel today. But the message has been high jacked and carried into the cesspool of humanism and relativism with no mention of sacrifice and little reference of eternal life. So we now have a church that doesn’t actually believe in eternal life and desires the fruit of this present world, giving no thought to the sufferings of the Messiah. The stripes, the thorns, the punches, the spit, the beard, the nails, the mocking, and the spear just translate into God helping me climb the corporate ladder and making me successful in this life. That, my friends, is blasphemy at its very core. A false Jesus is presented as an agent of earthly makeovers which always are painless and advantageous to man while not mentioning the glory of God.

Who is this Jesus? Why was He rejected of men and we are applauded? Why was He poor and we heap up treasures? Why was He acquainted with grief and we want no part of it? Why was He called Beelzebub and we desire honor? Who has the right to transform the incarnation into a hedonistic tool for our benefit?

The goats and sheep started herding together unnoticed decades ago, sharing and mixing food and listening to many different shepherds with many different pastures. And today the goats are told they are sheep and the sheep receive the goats into their fold. And after a while, after much mixing and intermarrying of herds, the community of believers was no more than a mixed multitude. Could it get much worse? Yes. Not only have goats infiltrated the sheepfold, but grievous wolves have been invited to show us the way to Jesus, the Great Shepherd, when they themselves have never met Him. Oh yes, millions will flood church pews this Sunday to celebrate the Christ child who are no more born again then Judas himself. Watch as the crowds sing Hosanna to Jesus only to walk away and return to their lives of selfish pleasures and Spiritual death. And the false teachers will stand in front of many sheepfolds and spew utter nonsense in the name of the Savior.

For every congregation that is brought to tears of true repentance, there will be tens of thousands that leave with an earthly effervescence that they claim is God’s joy. Oh brothers and sisters, I can feel the love that brought Bethlehem’s birth, but can we not feel the grieving of the Spirit of Almighty God? Who are they preaching, who do they pray to, who are they worshipping, who is this one they call Jesus? Why doesn’t this Jesus change; why doesn’t this Jesus convict; why doesn’t this Jesus bring us to our knees in utter contrition and awe? Could it be because this Jesus is the creation of man and not the same Christ that made John fall as though dead? This is not the same Jesus whose face was transformed upon the mount. This is not the same Jesus who sits upon the majesty on high and awaits the final moment when He will bring the judgment that this world so richly deserves. This is not the same Jesus from whose very face heaven and earth fled.

So amidst the festivities of this “season” let us not forget that the gospel is the only hope of escape from the wrath that is at the door. Do not be fooled by these well groomed ear ticklers that preach a Jesus that is palatable to the carnal mind and will gladly take up a small part of your busy life. No, a thousand times no, He is the Lord and He deserves and demands all. Look around and see the multitudes of religious professors who know more sports stats than they know about the Savior. Who never read God’s Word, never have seasons of prayer, never fast, never witness, and feel positive about their Spiritual standing and confirmed by shallow men in earthly clothes.

And in the end, if you believe that Jesus died for every man, be careful and guard the message of the everlasting gospel and keep it pure and unchanged. For if a man embraces a false Jesus, ultimately, he might as well be an atheist.

Jesus, reveal Yourself to us and give us the power to follow hard after You. We desire You and You alone. Not what man says, not what the world presents, not what we want, but just You.
You, Jesus, You.

The Birth of God (christmas)

Back in those days Caesar sent out an order that a census should be taken of the entire Roman Empire. This was the first census taken while Quirinuis was governor of Syria. All the people went to be registered in their home town. And Joseph went to Bethlehem, the city of David, because he was of the tribe of Judah. So Joseph and his wife, Mary, who was about to give birth, went to be registered in Bethlehem. And when they arrived in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary, who was still a virgin, to give birth. And when Mary gave birth to her first-born Son, she wrapped Him in household cloths and laid Him in a cattle trough, because their no room for Jesus in the inn.

Now in the area around Bethlehem there were shepherds watching their flocks that night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the visible glory of the Creator of the universe was all around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them,”Don’t be afraid, I have a wonderful message of unbelievable joy from Almighty God to every person. This very day a Savior has been born to you in Bethlehem. This baby is Jehovah, the Messiah“. And this is how you will recognize Him. He will be wrapped in household cloths, and He’ll be lying in a cattle trough.

And suddenly there appeared a multitude of the angelic army of heaven, and they were praising God and shouting,”Glory to the Most High God, and on earth, He has shown good will to men”.

Ah, Christmas. That's what the world calls it, but it is, in truth, the fulfillment of a promise God made before He ever created the universe. GOD HAS KEPT HIS WORD! God leaves His glorious dwelling place to not only visit OUR cursed dwelling place, but He comes disguised as one of US. There can be no human mind that can fully understand the magnitude of this event, and so the apostle Paul calls it a mystery(I Tim.3:16). No one can believe this glorious birth unless God’s Holy Spirit helps him.

Read the account of God’s birth in Luke chapter 2. With all the details before and after His birth diligently recorded by the Holy Spirit about the actual birth of His Son, God gently pulls a sacred veil over the event and only reveals,”And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger.” That’s all God reveals. We don’t need to know the details of His physical birth, we need to fully embrace the profound truth about WHO this infant was and WHAT He came to do!

Let us repent of all the sentimentalism that surrounds this observance, and let us revel in the event that changed everything, and most importantly everyone who follows this infant who now sits high upon a throne, not as an infant, but as King of Kings and Lord of Lords! The time for families, feasting, and all other parts of this time that the world celebrates should be overshadowed completely by our corporate and PRIVATE worship of the Lord Jesus Himself.

The birth of Jesus was probably close to if not on the Day of Atonement. This is based upon the ministry of Zechariah which was in the early summer months and doing some math we see the Savior’s birth in late September or early October. But the exact time is irrelevant, suffice to observe that eternity has arrived in the subset we know as time. God has come to give Himself a ransom for many and if you like me are one of the ransomed ones we can rejoice in the love that drew salvation’s plan. I realize that the story of a divine infant being born in a stable and as the only hope for man is unsophisticated in today’s intellectual genre. And even further the unsightly and repulsiveness of the cross is rejected by the carnal mind of human reason. But the deepest truth masquerades as the simplest revelation. The apocalypse begins in Bethlehem and will culminate in Jerusalem. So can we capture the exhilaration of those first shepherds and bow down before this God child?

The ultimate glory of God will not be found in the incredible make-up of the human body. It will not be found in the molecular design of all creation. It will not be found in the wonders of this earth. It will not be found in the indescribable expanse of the universe. It will not even be found in the place called heaven. No, if you desire to see the true glory of God, crawl on your knees in a spirit of worship over to that cattle trough, place your hands on its side, lift your head up and look over the side of that manger; clear your eyes, push away the hay, and look full in the face of that baby and you will see God Himself, “UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY”. You now see, "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ".

LORD, HELP US TO SEEK YOUR FACE ALONE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQOcwKwwa9Q&search=The%20Passion%20of%20the%20Christ

The World's Politics

During the first years of the Christian church certain cities began to emerge as centers for Christianity. Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, and Rome were some to be noticed with Rome becoming the first among equals. It was during this time that the bishop of the church of Rome gained power within the church which eventually led to that office becoming the pope of the Roman Catholic Church. This power was at first wielded within the confines of church authority, but in progressive generations the pope would gain political power which translated into the actual Roman government. Some popes would hand pick the Roman governmental leader and some popes became the civil leader themselves. They would even wage war with other countries while thinking they were fighting with God on their side. This was the first evolution of the combination of politics and church in the New Testament.

Regardless of the Scriptural teaching to keep ourselves separate from the world the church would through the ages try sometimes to find power and influence inside the confines of human government. But never forget the road map to that thinking was drawn by the Roman Church and today’s continued venture into politics by the “religious right” simply mirrors the path taken by the early papal fathers. When Paul exhorted Timothy to “endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” he also observed that “no man that warreth entangles himself with the affairs of this life”. But the evangelical church which is part of the invisible body of Jesus Christ still attempts to affect change through the political process while still preaching how things continue to get worse without coming to the obvious conclusion. And the elephant in the room continues to be that the only true change comes through the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Politics is a dirty business that necessitates obscene amounts of money spent to convince people to elect you, and if you are appealing to the evangelical vote you must convince us that you embrace the same closed set of well defined moral issues such as abortion and same sex marriage. And after you are elected and serve, those same issues remain intact and unchanged and in some cases get worse. And on and on goes the political merry-go-round with the coming election in 2008 being no different. We even believe that it is our God given duty to participate because we believe that democracy is God’s government of choice. The church even has business meetings that include a voting process sculpted after the government and ignoring the teachings of Scripture. And when a man is elected president that professes to be a Christian he gets a free pass in all he does because he says he prays and loves Jesus.

And I want to digress into the earthly realm in order to show the utter foolishness of mixing the flesh and the Spirit:

Anyone who is a serious and well read student of history and human behavior can easily see that the tribal and religious barriers that have existed for thousands of years in Iraq will never be unified under one democratic government. And the demonic strongholds that have infested themselves in that region are not even mentioned much less believed. And in the end this present war will cost one trillion dollars with thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries with the end result being that we removed Sadaam Hussein from power and many thousands of Iraqis losing their lives. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees have fled to Iran, Syria, and Jordan. And with Sadaam’s ouster the balance of Middle East power has shifted to Iran and the entire region is destabilized. And with the situation in total collapse the American government presses on ignoring the shadow of Vietnam. (remember I am dealing in the natural)

Now I remember going to a Southern Baptist church three years ago just before we invaded Iraq and the preacher’s message was entitled “It’s right to fight when the fight is right”. His premise of course was that God was on our side in this war because we were in the right. Do I need to identify for you the dangers of that kind of thinking that equates America with God's will without any Scriptural evidence? How can we ever be sure that God is for us going to war, and since when does God speak to governments? And if America is a Christian nation then by all means let’s elect a pope who will speak for God and inerrantly lead us. But brothers and sisters, America is a country in which it was God’s will we were born into to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, not to become infused into this system. It may be right to go to war sometimes on an earthly level, but we must never attach God's will to it for in that we blaspheme His name. We are not of this world and we are called to a heavenly mission which requires us to separate from this world’s system in order to sanctify ourselves for the battle. How the heart of our Father must grieve when he sees the sacrifice of His Son become Americanized and His people become mixed with the multitude marching under the banner of nationalism.

Can we not see that God’s kingdom is invisible and He endorses no country except Israel in His final plan? What would happen if millions of believers that live in America would suddenly be scurrying about in prayer meetings, memorizing and praying God’s Word, doing humanitarian deeds aimed at bringing glory to Christ, having elongated seasons of worship with little restraints of time, and boldly preaching the Word of God with Jesus being held high? And with the empty lives of the lost multitudes going further and further into darkness, would the Holy Spirit be able to use the fulfilled light of our lives to point them to Christ instead of us joining them in their earthly pursuits? Have we not tired of the pointless cycles of political swings that are full of sound and fury while signifying nothing? And while we have played at the world’s games the enemy has come in and sown doctrinal poison within the church itself, and these great swelling waves of falling away within the evangelical community can never be cast out with votes. God is calling us to Him and His work so let us cast off the bondwoman of this world and diligently seek the Lord while He may be found, redeeming the time because the days are short.

So what should our position be concerning these matters as Christians? We should have no position except that we are to be salt and light in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. And our power should never come from the ballot box but from the love of God as shown through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We should not speak against or for the government and its leaders which is respecter of persons, but we should pray for them. That is correct, in the coming election in 2008 let us pray for Mrs. Clinton, and Barak Obama, and all the politicians that the Spirit of God would miraculously open their hearts and change their lives. And ultimately we should fast and pray that the Holy Spirit would again gain entrance to the church of the living God and change us all. Let us remove the giant mote in our own eyes and show forth the cross of Jesus Christ which is the only hope for us all. It is an offense to Almighty God to see His children whose lives are hid with Him to get into all these verbal bashing political forays and claim that God is on our side. God is on no one’s side, He beckons us all to come to His side. Let’s prayerfully run to His side and as 2008 comes to a close we can hear the echo that we should so desire to hear,

“Well done, thou good and faithful servants“.

What is the Purpose of This Conversation?

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.
Mk.16:15-16 - …Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.
Rom.10:17 - So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Rom.10:14 - 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?

One of the most prominent conversations that takes place within the emergent movement as well as many of the seeker/purpose circles is the question about can a person be saved without the gospel? To simplify the question it surrounds this general scenario: If a person in another country never is reached with the saving message of Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross, can that person be ultimately saved if he acts upon the religious light he has? If he believes in a God, a Creator, and lives his life accordingly, does he have a chance to be saved?

As a preface let me observe that this is the first generation of orthodox evangelicals that have given place to this notion and that this is an extremely serious and eternal question that has implications for hundreds of millions of souls. And let me add that if we believe that is necessary for a person to embrace the gospel to be saved, but if a person dies without ever hearing the gospel he never could have been saved anyway, then the premise is the same. What is that premise?

That a person’s opportunity for salvation doesn’t necessarily depend upon his being reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And ultimately what both schools of thought promote, whether subliminally or overtly, is that it really doesn’t matter if people are reached. To say that it is better if they are reached even though their eternal destination may not fully depend upon it is hollow no matter how you dress it up with “we go to glorify God” verbiage. Without realizing we have been given the ministry of reconciliation and that people need to hear before they can believe, the intensity and burden we should have for the harvest is severely compromised regardless of our protestations to the contrary.

Here is my question concerning this question: What is the purpose of asking or contemplating this thought? If indeed the Great Commission is to preach the gospel to every creature throughout the world, then what purpose do these questions serve? Is it just speculation? Is it to soothe our conscience? Is it to protect God with a conjured up sense of fairness? Is it to smooth the roughness of exclusivity from the gospel? And if it turns out in eternity that no one could be saved without hearing the gospel, then how do you think God Himself feels about people who even surmise that some could be saved without hearing? And if it turns out in eternity that everyone could have been saved, then how does God feel about us writing off hundreds of millions to unelected status? Beliefs affect behavior, and the protestations of some not withstanding, the belief that men can be saved without the gospel affects the way and the fervency with which we attempt to spread the gospel. The same for the belief that those who die had no chance anyway. Even if we refuse to acknowledge it, what we believe has a direct correlation to our behavior.

Now one must invent some tortured and modern understanding of the clear teaching of the Scriptures to say that someone could be born again without believing on the Lord Jesus Christ according to knowledge. And if those who will not be reached were never chosen to receive salvation anyway, well that gives us insightful evidence into the choosing process of God. We then know God chose geographically. Not many Iranians will be reached, not because of radical Islam but because of God. Not many North Koreans will be reached, not because of Kim Jon Il but because of God. Not many from India will be reached, not because of the government but because of God. And ultimately all who will not be reached will not reflect the hedonism and lethargy of the western church, but because God did not will it. I suggest both thought processes misrepresent the length and breadth and depth of God’s desperate love and the fullness and uniqueness of His offer of eternal deliverance through His Son’s completed sacrifice. And the absolute clear teaching of the New Testament is that every person throughout the world needs to hear the only saving message of Jesus and His cross. And it is astonishing that this information obsessed generation refuses to recognize the eternal importance of spreading the most important information of all!

And so I ask again, what is the purpose of such theological surmisings? Why is there so little dialoguing about the prospect that no one can be saved without hearing the gospel, and that the offer of salvation is for everyone which is the expanse of God’s love for the world, and that we must be in loving crisis mode to spread the everlasting gospel ignoring the sacrifice. As I asked myself why people would be asking these questions on a consistent basis it occurred to me that they only served to diminish the sacrificial fervency that the early apostles showed in spreading the gospel. And we have settled into a comfortable theological niche that salves the conscience and ultimately dilutes the missionary effort regardless of how much we do now. No matter what you believe, the command is the same, but what you and I believe about the consequences of that command will affect how we obey.

150,000 people will die today, most of them to enter a Christless eternity. Now if those who never heard the good news might still be saved, well, save your tears. If those who never heard the good news could not have been saved anyway, well, save your tears. But even if you embrace either of those positions, and you are open enough to admit that just maybe you may be mistaken, then let us together fall on our knees and ask the Heavenly Father to revive us with a renewed sense of the Day of Pentecost which not only seals us, but empowers us to preach the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. How could it ever be wrong to passionately tell the entire world about the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and leave the eternal results to the Father Himself? But how could it ever be right to prejudge the eternal results of lost souls via theological badminton, and all the while claim we are sacrificially and vigorously trying to reach everyone. We are only deceiving ourselves. Let us reach everyone throughout the world as if their eternity depended on it and as if they could not be saved without it. One day we will know even as we are known, but until that glorious day let us preach with an urgency that communicates to the world that this gospel is not just to help people here and now, but their very souls are at stake.

May our obedience to the Great Commission be such that the Lamb that was slain will receive the reward of His suffering!

The Blood in Spirit

On Wednesday, December 6th, after four days of severe bleeding (I will let you guess where I was loosing the blood) I went to a specialist who upon taking my blood pressure sent me by ambulance to the hospital. During my stay at the hospital I received 9 units of blood and I got used to seeing massive amounts of blood. Of course I began to think of the incredible blood transfusion I had received thirty-one years ago when I became born again. Although I was very ill and weak I asked the Lord to help me see things in the Spirit that He would help me share later, if He would let me live. Well here I am and here are some things I experienced.

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I can sometimes imagine the scarlet horror of seeing the Son of God covered and dripping in His own blood but my human eyes only see the unsettling vision of seeing someone who has lost great amounts of blood. Many surgeons in M.A.S.H. units have witnessed soldiers who have arrived in their tents with most of their blood outside their bodies. I have even seen massive amounts of blood due to an automobile accident. But the blood of God is substantively and qualitatively different than can be comprehended by any human eye.

Tangible yet intangible. Immutable yet mercurial. Seen yet invisible. Crimson yet transparent. Given in time yet timeless. Shed on earth yet applied in spirit. Sacrificed by the Son yet carried by the Spirit.

Think about it. Those who watched as Jesus drew His last breath and committed His Spirit to the Father, they saw His blood. They saw it on His face and hands, on His legs and in His hair, pouring from His side and flowing from His back, they saw pints and pints of blood that outlined the journey from Pilate’s whipping post, through the Via de la Rosa, up Golgotha’s hill, and colored the place beneath His cross. It was a drawn out butchery and they saw all that blood.

But today that very same blood cannot be seen, it is now spirit. Like boiling water changing to mist while retaining it’s same core essence, the blood of Jesus is now applied to a believing sinner’s heart as spirit by the Spirit. You may feel the need to remove your Spiritual shoes at this point, we are on holy ground. There is nothing that has the power of redemption but the blood of Jesus, and every sinner who in repentance places His God given faith in Jesus and His finished work is washed in that same blood. Not some other blood that wasn’t spilled at Calvary, no, it is the same blood in spirit form. And in a mystery of regeneration the Holy Spirit invisibly carries that same blood into the soul of any person who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. And only God can actually see the blood applied to the doorposts of our hearts, but the world can witness the transformation of our lives as the death angel is denied his prey and we have been made living, blood bought followers of the Passover Lamb.

The invisible blood has birthed visible worshippers to the glory of God. And now the scrolls of Revelation pull back the glorious curtain to give us a glimpse of the majesty on high.

Rev.1:5 - …Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.
Rev.5:9 - And they sung a new song saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.
Rev.7:14 - …These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev.12:11 - And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…

So look and wonder, all the saints that have been washed in the blood of the Lamb are dressed in fine, white linen gowns of worship. The blood of the Lamb has changed the spotted robes of sin into the holy robes of His righteousness. So picture the throngs of worshippers, wave after wave, shouting the awesome praises of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah as He sits regally upon the throne of the Risen Christ of God. But wait, look…

Rev.19:13 - And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood…

And the word for vesture is the same word used as Pilate’s men placed a purple robe upon Jesus in mock kingship. It is the same word used for the robe they cast lots for at Golgotha. But those robes were purple and perhaps the other drab in color. But this robe says it is dipped in blood. Now I believe personally that the only robe in heaven that will appear as red will be the robe of the Lamb, all others are white. He wears several garments but this one is dipped in blood. So throughout the expanse of heaven, with all the angels, and with all the white robed worshippers, the striking robe that stands out and which draws every eye, is the brilliant and majestic crimson gown of the Risen Lamb. And there is a hue around the throne of emerald green, but in the center shines that scarlet vesture, not just any color of scarlet, but the color of blood. John tells us that He appears as a Lamb that had been slain. That is right, a Lamb adorned by His own blood. And in heaven it is the perfect color of blood that drapes He who is our Lamb that was slain before the foundations of the world. And throughout eternity as we worship our Risen Savior, as we gaze upon our Victorious Lord, we will always see that blood.

Yes, the blood of Jesus saturates His own vesture. And on that very vesture, perhaps written in gold, are the words in great capital letters,

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

Go ahead and bow your head, it is scene we never deserved to see but have been granted eternal admission to, by God’s grace through…

The Blood of the Lamb

Halleluiah to the Lamb...Forever.

I'm Back!

I have just returned from a ten day stint in the hospital. Some very serious issues that might have ended my earthly journey, but God was merciful. I am weak from significant weight loss and I will post about it shortly.

Whether in life or death, let Jesus Christ be praised!

Rick

Bethlehem's Cross

Bethlehem's Cross

Mic.5:2 - But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel…
Lk.2:7 - And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger…
As Mary, exhausted by the birth, watched as Joseph laid the Son of God gently into the support of the wooden trough, it pictured a day in which other hands would violently place the Son of God upon the support of the wooden cross. Perhaps somewhere two other infants slept who would one day be lifted up on either side of this baby, Emmanuel. Only God is capable of using everything to point to His Son and all the facets of His loving ministry that had brought Him to this accursed world. While the Lord Jesus lay in that manger men were blaspheming and committing adultery and becoming drunk in that very city. The world was surely not anticipating His coming, and even the Jews had changed the Spiritual quality of His Messianic ministry into a national victory for Israel rather than a death destroying victory through the atonement. And the thought of Israel’s Messiah being born to a peasant girl in of all places a cattle stall was unthinkable.

But even in the candlelight of the moment, the shadow of the cross hovered over the infant’s resting place. These wooden beams provide for Him sleep, but the coming wooden beams would provide for Him death. And the humble teenage virgin mother must have gazed at her child in amazement. Do you think she must have gone back again to Gabriel’s words and tried to understand just who He was. Did the words “save His people from their sins” mean that He would bring them out of Roman bondage, or was it deeper than that? And His humanity seemed to mask the Spiritual realities of His divine Personhood from everyone but the keenest seeker whose hearts can hear the Spirit of Truth. And soon the prophet Simeon would warn Mary about the coming piercing sword that would impale her very heart. Who would have believed this infant was destined for the cross, and if the prince of darkness himself had known they would not have crucified Him. No one knew.

But never forget in the joy of His birth that He would be a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, and ultimately rejected of men. As the Eternal Word walked though this sin cursed world His heart must have broken, for He saw Adam fall and He witnessed all the consequences throughout the ages from heaven‘s glory, but now he sees through the eyes of man. But here He is, entrusted to a handmaiden of Judah, and safe in the care of His Father’s angels. The incarnation is the greatest of all mysteries as Paul rightly observed, and to see the Word as a baby is especially past our finding out. How many of us have wondered at what age Jesus became aware of who He was? It seems evident that at the age of twelve as He taught in Jerusalem’s Temple that He began to fully inhabit His calling, but to what extent did He willingly allow Himself to be subservient to the understanding of a little boy? But we do know that as this newborn slept in the innkeeper’s afterthought, he began a thirty-three year incubation that would culminate in the gruesome and glorious work for which He came.

Bethlehem has become the waiting room for Golgotha. This new life has an appointment with the place of the scull, and the world will see a justified punishment for a blasphemer, but the eyes of the Spirit see a spotless Lamb who knew no sin, slaughtered for those who were thoroughly practiced and inhabited in sin. Many times we have thought about when did Jesus actually pay for our sins. Did it begin with the scourging? Did it start will the crown of thorns? When He was nailed to the cross? The spear? Did it begin upon the lifting of Him on the cross? Just maybe, on that humble night in Bethlehem, the Infant of Sacrifice was born with His little face fixed like a flint eastward toward a little hill outside Jerusalem and to a pair of cruel Roman planks, somewhat like the planks that held Him now. A story of God’s eternal plan that resists human intellect but grows in the nurturing arms of faith, also His gift. And the recipients of this child, His adopted family, must bow in reverence and whisper “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable Gift“.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.

A Warning to Emergent Blogs

This particular post will be a little longer and more in depth than usual. Over these past 8 months I have tried to understand the emergent movement which is difficult seeing they abhor labels and creeds and they are quite articulate in the arena of the philosophical. I have read many emergent blogs and I have participated in several comment sections of about six different blog forums which identify themselves as emergent. There is now a kind of movement within the movement to disassociate with the term emergent which is designed to let everyone know you even reject the label emergent because you happen to be even more free than they are. Great.

Well this week I was commenting on an emergent blog named “Jesus Creed” overseen by a brother named Scot McKnight, a nice and seemingly orthodox believer who has authored several books and speaks at some of these emergent meetings. He is well known throughout emergent-dom. The post was about the rightness of labeling people. What I will share is of the utmost importance, and it cannot get any more serious. Remember this blog is a little more conservative than many of the emergent forums. Below is the transcript of my participation as well as a woman named Vynette and McKnight himself.

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ME - Labels are used, however inaccurately, to describe the theologies that the labelee is purported to espouse. I suppose that they began in the Bible. Evil beasts, slow bellies, the circumcision, enemies of the cross, carnal, dogs, evil workers, the concision, and a few more.
I agree they must be prayerfully tempered and led of the Holy Spirit, but when a man openly teaches, for instance, that Jesus was not born of a virgin he is a heretic (another Biblical label although used many times inaccurately). When a man teaches most of the orthodox doctrines of salvation but is pro-choice and believes homosexual acts are not sinful he is at least a liberal ( a non-Biblical label that at least indicates a problem). Labels have been used as vicious cannonballs to hurt people, but I submit there is a loving informational ministry for them to perhaps “mark” a person’s teachings and to warn that person of his error. The fleshly aspect of labels is the “scalp counting” within the church. The exact balance is very difficult, and I again would submit that we only come forth with a negative label after a complete dialogue with the person to whom we are labeling.
Thanks all you slow bellies! (sorry, satire!)

(one commentor questioned the word heretic)

ME - The word “heretic” is a Biblical word and in the context it refers to someone who teaches things at discord with the core teachings of salvation (i.e. salvation by works). I personally abhor the careless and profuse usage of labels that are not sufficiently documented and in which the personal attack overshadows any legitimate and humble Biblical question. Even in the face of growing rejection of historically accepted salvation particulars we must remain lovingly anchored in our confronting as well as that rarest of all attributes, humility.

McKNIGHT - Henry,
Where do you find “heretic” in the Bible?

ME - The heretic reference is Ti.3:10, but false teachers or false apostles and others can just as easily be interchanged. My point is that there does come a time when certain teachers throughout church history so strayed from Biblical truth that they and their teachings must be humbly labeled.
That does not excuse the misuse and “rush to label” spirit that is prevalent today. Additionally it seems that the labeler many times enjoys a fleshly sense of bravado along with the accolades of his commentors when he is “bold” enough to label someone with a descriptive tag. Rarely have I seen a thoughtful, heavy hearted spirit when someone is labeled, there usually is a joyful dance on his theological grave.

(after several other comments I added this)

ME - One aspect about the label machine is the piling on that is common in the great white throne bolgasphere. If someone happens to see compromise in (for instance) Rick Warren’s approach, many times some blogs become candid camera for everything he does, even if it does not reflect on the issue but is in someway negative about him and can be erroneously used to pile on. Personal shortcomings are used as evidence for doctrinal error.
The recent example of Pastor Haggard’s sad and sinful situation was used by some blogs to prove the unscriptural nature of the mega-church. Did they call for prayer and fasting for him and his family, or did they exhibit an obvious effervescence because one that they disagreed with fell? That, my friends, is sin by any definition. So does that mean that if MacArthur fell morally we could say that Calvinism is somehow disproved? The vicious self righteousness that masquerades as “watchman” ministries is counter-productive to any worthwhile doctrinal correction that is sometimes needed within the loving confines of the church.

(I have come across this woman Vynette before and she quotes me from a past confrontation)

VYNETTE - I have been labelled on many blogs and I raise no objection as long as there is a prior full and frank dialogue about the topic in question. The substance of my comments is seldom addressed, however, and this is the typical response I receive:
“Vynette is an obvious heretic and should be immediately banned from comments. She is promoting the spirit of anti christ and the Holy Spirit is grieved.”
There is one commentor on this thread who will recognise these words but how do others feel about these tactics? Are these labels justifiable if a person, such as myself, claims that there is no scriptural evidence for doctrines such as the Miraculous Incarnation and the Trinity?
Should these claims be dismissed out of hand or should they be investigated?

ME - You are referring to me, Vynette, and you openly teach that Jesus was not born of a virgin and that he was not divine. I call you a heretic based upon your denial of the clear teachings of the Word of God, and the Bible declares that anyone that denies the deity of Christ (that he has come in the flesh) is the spirit of anti-christ.
Some blogs have rightfully blocked you from presenting your heresies. I would recommend others do likewise. Jesus, the divine Son of God, stands ready to forgive and save you if you will seek Him. I pray for you.

McKNIGHT - Henry and Vynette,
You are welcome to engage one another on another site, but this post is not about specifics but about labels.

ME - I will respectfully bow out, Scot, but I believe that labels without specifics was the problem. Thank you for the forum.

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Can you imagine that McKnight said we can engage one another somewhere else, and with that statement reveals the exceedingly serious flaw with the emergent dialogue. They encourage conversation with anyone including the spirit of anti-christ. I really feel bad for people like McKnight who is probably on the conservative wing of the emergent conclave, but even he will not directly confront, much less rebuke, a person who has obviously come under the influence of the spirit of anti-christ. Jim Bublitz of the blog “Old Truths” blocked Vynette as soon as he realized what she was saying and I’m sure she was rebuked and blocked on many sites. But not Jesus Creed and a handful of other emergent leaning blogs I’m familiar with.

Now here is the question, what does the Bible say to do with such people, and do we believe the Bible more than our good intentions? I do not question Brother McKnight’s good intentions, but good intentions can be the enemy of the Word of God. Our hearts and lives should seek to be in concert with the Word of God which is absolute, not our good intentions which are subjective at best and sinful at worst. So let us examine the clear and unmistakable teaching of the New Testament concerning giving platform for serous error.

I Cor.16:22 - If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
This is referring to those who openly reject the Lord Jesus Christ, not just a person who deals with some doubts.

II Cor.11:4 - For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit which you have not received, or another gospel which you have not accepted, you seem to give him a place.
II Cor.11:19 - For you suffer fools gladly, seeing yourselves are wise.
This is a rebuke from Paul concerning the Corinthian practice of letting heretics speak. And Paul hits the nail on the head when he sarcastically implies that they allow this discourse because they consider themselves smart. Are you listening emergent?



Gal.1:8-10 - But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men I should not be the servant of Christ.
A firm rebuke of any believers that would hear a false gospel from a person who God says is accursed. Additionally Paul says if you allow dialogue with them even to please them, you are not the servant of Christ. Strong and clear, no?


Gal.2:4-5 - And because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privately to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage. To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
Paul doesn’t give a forum to false brethren who snuck in without notice. How then can it ever be right to invite false brethren in openly and allow them a place at the dialogue table? The answer - it never is.

Eph.5:10-11 - Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Again interaction with the works of darkness is confined to rebuke, not dialogue. The works Paul mentions would surely include heretical teachings.

I Tim.1:19,20 - Holding faith and a good conscience, which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck. Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan that they learn not to blaspheme.
Here Paul doesn’t just label, he names the men personally. And instead of dialogue with them, he sends to dialogue with Satan which he prays will lead them to repentance. When was the last time you heard a preacher get up in the pulpit and in his prayer he delivers someone by name unto Satan hoping for their salvation? Today that would be considered hate speech.

II Tim.2:14-18 - Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as a cancer; of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already, and overthrowing the faith of some.
Again Paul says don’t trust dialogue, trust God’s Word. His prophecy of profane and vain babblings has been fully realized in our generation, and these detestable open forums will, as Paul put it, overthrow the faith of some. I would surmise that there are many people like Vynette who once were evangelical in their beliefs but have now through dialogue become shipwrecked. Can you not understand what God is saying and why, all you emergents, or do you not even care?

II Tim.4:14-15 - Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil, the Lord reward him according to his works. Of whom be aware also, for he has greatly withstood our words.
What was the great evil Alexander did to Paul? He resisted the gospel and probably convinced others to reject Christ. Paul not only did not have a friendly cup of coffee with a warm exchange of ideas, he asked that God would punish him.

Ti.1:15-16 - Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God, but in their works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Let me address the Rick Warren doctrine of cooperation with unbelievers and liberal professing Christians to do good works. God says all their so called good works are reprobate, and to God they are abominable and disobedient. Same thing applies to a cooperative dialogue with the same people. Oh the good intentions of man, again, the enemy of the Word of God.

Ti.3:9-11 - But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing hat he that is such is subverted, and sins, being condemned of himself.
If God says quit arguing (striving) about the law, how much more about who Jesus is? The inerrancy of Scripture? The virgin birth? Salvation by grace through faith? And here Paul labels someone who teaches error as a heretic and that not only should we avoid dialogue, we should rebuke him twice and then reject him completely. These verses are the overarching Biblical principle that reveal the unscriptural and destructive nature of the emergent dialogue format.

II Pet.2:1-3 - But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly will bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their shameful ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with false words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not; and their damnation is not asleep.
These false teachers came in secretly, today their damnable heresies are gladly welcomed as a viable topic for thoughtful people. And again Peter says this type of teaching will lead many away from Christ. How many people do think someone like Vynette has led away from Jesus? And Mr. McKinght, you are a partaker of her evil deeds. Have you no conscience even about letting the most blatant and obvious heresies go unchallenged and even blocked? Your well meaning attempt to get people to think has become a conduit for the evil one. Do you care?




I Jn.218-19 - Little children, it is the last time: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
I Jn.4:1-3 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know you the Spirit of God; Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world.
How can a preacher not only refuse to recognize that spirit, but actually give place to it. Do you think God winks at allowing that spirit on your blogs? Don’t you understand you grieve the precious Holy Spirit which is extremely serious business. God doesn’t care about your good intentions, obedience is better than sacrifice! And the thousands of people who see how you conduct your dialogue begin to emulate that style and in so doing they are poisoned in their faith. We should never converse with the spirit of antichrist no matter how pleasant they are, they are blasphemers. You have become pioneers of shipwrecked faiths. Will you not even consider some of these verses and fast and seek the Lord, or perhaps as Paul said you have become wise in your own eyes.

Jude 4 - For there are certain men crept in secretly, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into uncleanness, and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude 8 - But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Jude says that even Michael the Archangel didn’t speak evil of Satan, but rebuked in the name of the Lord. These false brethren speak evil of the Lord Himself, openly and unashamedly on the very blogs that have Jesus' name in them. Only in this generation would that have been tolerated. God must be so impressed by our dialogue about Him, even including those who not only deny Him, but turn His offer of grace into something unclean.

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I believe God has spoken clearly and forcefully about the kind of dialogue that allows Satan to teach his heresies. I do not believe that most of the emergent blogs set out to accommodate these false teachers, but without any discernment and any accountability that is exactly what transpires throughout the emergent blogasphere. I implore men like McKnight who is well respected by many to take a hard look at some policing on his site. It seems that a cranky orthodox believer is more likely to get blocked than a friendly spirit of antichrist. And, yes, I label them as God has. Not in a haughty spirit, but Jesus the Christ has so mercifully and graciously extended His salvation to me, I will never give space to any spirits that blaspheme and the Scriptures commands all of us to silence their evil teachings. If we cannot agree on that, well, we have nothing else to dialogue about in a forum which facilitates false and heretical teachings. I do not wish to pick a fight, neither do I wish to be melodramatic, but the core of the faith is at stake and the faith of probably millions will now be affected. Will Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Moonies, and the Church of Satan be allowed to participate in the future?

And as you might notice the number of people who visit my blogs is miniscule compared to some of the emergent blogs, so I am officially a nobody and an unprofitable servant. But if God can speak through a donkey, so let it be with me, all for His glory alone. Amen.

PURSUING THE CHRIST

When a sinner by faith embraces the Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ he begins a brand new journey that has no parallel this side of heaven’s glory. The born again experience happens in a time and place setting, but the pursuit of knowing, pleasing, and glorifying Jesus is life long journey. What are the necessary commitments that lead to an effective journey of faith that will ultimately open the “spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him”?

I think the primary ingredient must be a heart that desires above all else to know the Lord Jesus on a deeper and more sacred level. So many people are satisfied with knowing Christ as their Savior on a theological level and to be honest accepting that as your final Spiritual destination may in fact indicate you may well need to examine yourself to see whether you are in reality a true follower. What person takes one spoonful of the greatest ice cream they’ve ever tasted and puts the spoon down never to taste it again? And what sinner has tasted of the glorious grace of God through Jesus Himself, been forgiven of his sins and had the weight of eternal condemnation lifted from his spirit, only to never desire to drink again from that living fountain? The church has concentrated so pervasively on the “fire insurance” aspect of salvation that so often we have grievously neglected to fully disclose the “surrender” aspect of becoming a follower of Jesus. Is it possible to Spiritually encounter the Lord Jesus, repenting of your unbelief and embrace Him, and never have a desire for more of Him? And in reality at the moment we are born again we have only just met Jesus, and as a follower learns more and more of Him his love and worship for our Wonderful Lord increases with each enlightening day.

After 31 years of following Jesus I believe there are only two ways in which God reveals Himself more deeply to a committed pursuer, His Word and His Spirit. One is manifested with ink on paper while still inherently Spiritual, the other cannot be seen with human eyes and cannot be heard with human ears. He, the Holy Spirit, is more mercurial than the written Word but is just as absolute in His presentation of the truth. He is the Spirit of Truth and in that He is equal and in perfect agreement with the Word. Therefore both the Word and the Spirit are necessary for a glorious pursuit of Christ Jesus. And in today’s ecclesiastical genre many accentuate the Word with little Spirit and many more accentuate the Spirit at the expense of the written Word. Let’s explore these two camps.

We must study the Word as if our very lives depended on it. As one who can personally identify with this, it is possible to get so caught up with defending the Word and confronting its attackers that you no longer can glean the life giving nectar that God wants to infuse into you and your walk personally. Every Scripture you read is immediately translated to buttress some theological issue for today and in so doing we have become puffed up and lack the humility necessary to allow the Word to change us from glory to glory. The Word is our daily bread, and only the Word can direct our paths to walk in His steps. You want to reinvigorate your pursuit of knowing Him, then you and I must fall into an insatiable thirst and love for the written Word for in them Jesus lives also. Oh yes, do not ever diminish the written Word for in them in a mystery Jesus reveals Himself to each seeking follower, and to those who ingest it vigorously they find daily sustenance, cleansing conviction, and faith building power that can only come from its scared pages. Do not ever allow anyone to diminish the paramount importance of the written Word as the glorious communicator of truth to the believer. Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven. God does not argue over His Word, it is settled, He just desires that His followers would quit relying on their own strength and completely give themselves to the Word. Remember, Jesus is in those Words and He offers the revelation of Himself to us personally through the heartfelt commitment to seeking His face in His Word.

Now the other bookend of this pursuit is the precious Holy Spirit. There are many in the evangelical community who are definite students of the written Word, and especially the well worn themes of orthodox teachings. These Biblical teachings and doctrines are the ones that most of us would wholeheartedly agree with and would defend as Biblical essentials. But it is possible to study and become versed in the Scriptures complete with all the doctrinal accoutrements of conservative teaching which can stand doctrinal scrutiny, but is void of the life and love which always accompanies the presence of the Holy Spirit. What some may say and teach may be correct and truth, but the Word also admonishes us to speak the truth in love. The Word when spoken and taught by a vessel who has neglected the prayer closet, and who shows little love for wayward sheep, and exudes no sense of humility himself, becomes as sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.

The only way to receive a greater anointing of the Spirit is through prayer and fasting built upon the foundation of personal obedience. And please let us seek a revival of God’s Holy Spirit, not an emotional experience that seems to bring pleasure to us, but a convicting sense of our own inadequacy that brings to us a Christ honoring sense of humility and the total reliance of God’s grace and not our own abilities. The one tangible litmus test in any believer’s life as to the presence of the Holy Spirit is humility. One can teach the truth but without humility it is presented in the strength of our own flesh. Only Christ is truth and any morsel of truth to which we are granted understanding is by God’s grace and certainly not our own intellect.

So let us pursue hard after our Lord, He beckons us come and dine. There are times of refreshing that mark the place of our journey and through our Spirit empowered Word feast we are propelled into places of revelation we heretofore had not visited. To become satisfied with where you are is to die on the vine, and if while reading this the Spirit has gently spoken to you and me again then I say “Praise His Name” for He deserves to constantly hear the running footsteps of multitudes of pursuing followers who will never be satisfied with anything less than His presence in our lives. We must not pull off to the side and wait for heaven, no, we must again put on the Armor of Light, wield the Sword of the Spirit, and with all Prayer and supplication let us run toward Author and Finisher of our faith.

To know Him is life itself. Amen.

An Emergent Conversation

On an emergent leaning blog there was a post which questioned if people could be saved even if they’ve never heard the gospel. The following is a conversation I had with someone who claims to be an emergent Christian. I have included it in its entirety so you may see exactly what is at stake. The very foundations of the faith are being treated as questions with multiple choice answers, and I was the only one of scores of commentors to confront this person’s obvious departure from Biblical truth. And therein lies the major problem, the emergent format.
Some of the emergents are somewhat orthodox personally, but all of them have signed off to a formatted dialogue in which there are literally no boundaries. If you think homosexuality is a sin you still welcome others who don’t. If you believe the Bible is inerrant you still welcome those who don’t. If you believe a person must hear the gospel to be saved you still welcome those who don’t. And if you believe not all will be saved you still welcome those who believe everyone who ever lived will be saved.

So here is our conversation (I will call the person Bill, that is not his name):

ME - But whatever the absolute truth is in Christ on this issue, the command to go throughout the world is the same. So it leads to this question: Why do men argue and philosophize about it? The answer is that whether overtly or subliminally, if men can be saved without hearing, or if God only chose some, it affects the missionary fervor.
It is easier for us to share theologies than to go and share Christ. Lord help us all.

BILL - I was musing on this and other questions yesterday in the shower. -Do the rest of you get the problems of the world solved there? How could Jesus dying for all diminish his sacrifice? It does nothing but point to the lavish generosity of his love, the same love that created countless Galaxies so that we could contemplate, with wonder and adoration, the awesome night sky!
And it is the adoration that is pivotal. What if our iconic restoration is the result of that worship? What if God wasn’t determining who “the elect recipients of the benefits of atonement” would be? What if God through Jesus on the cross, with the Holy Spirit present there too, was simply (!) removing everything that could possibly get in the way of people worshiping him- bowing to him as the origin, condition and goal of being- sweeping it all off the table in the embrace of graced forgiveness? What if what humans need to do is “opt in” wherever they are and with whatever knowledge they have- and why can’t we be faithful to tell and live the story (this is not as easy as it might sound) and let God decide about who belongs to him?
To me, the responsibility for proclamation of the good news is even more weighty because of these questions. We had better be sure of what we’re proclaiming as the good news. Jesus said “Make disciples- immersing them in the fullness of the reality of life in the Triune God.” (Willard) What does the fullness of the reality of life in the Triune God look like for humans?
These are way more pressing questions for me than the Calv/Arm debate or which -ism constitutes what it means to “be saved”. I do think that one of the important things emerging people are doing with this question is “deconstructing” it, if you will.

ME - “What if what humans need to do is “opt in” wherever they are and with whatever knowledge they have”
The desconstruction you mentioned began a long time ago. Is a moral person who has never heard the gospel and who worships one God he calls Allah, and attempts to treat others kindly, and provides for his family, and prays every day, is he saved? And if he is, then on the day he meets a missionary for the first time and hears the clear gospel about who Jesus is and what He has done, and if that religious man rejects that truth, does he suddenly become lost? If so, the missionary becomes an emissary of death rather than life.
Is this not clear, “How shall they believe in whom they have not heard”?
The things about the emergent movement that resonate with many of us is the rejection of hedonism, some methodology metamorphosis, and a revival of humanitarian efforts. But the central and choking issue that stops us in our tracks is the dialogue about expanding the parameters of salvation. That is a “do not enter” flashing sign for many believers.

BILL - Henry,What does “saved”/”salvation? mean?What is “a clear presentation of the gospel?”What is “the gospel?”What does “lost” mean?What does it mean “to believe”?Why is it up to us to judge about a “righteous Muslim”?
Have you ever read Lesslie Newbigin’s “The Gospel in a Pluralist Society”? He served for many years as a missionary in India. I value his insights.

ME - if after two thousand years and the entire New Testament at our disposal we still do not know the answer to the questions you raised, then let us go around the world and honestly tell people “we do not know how to be saved”. At least we would have honesty as a platform.
Calvin, Luther, Edwards, Finney, Wesley, Moody, Carey, the Moravians, fools all of them if they claimed to know the answers that you claim no one is able to discern. And what you place on the table of dialogue is exactly what we reject about the emergent movement (to be fair many men who would call themselves emergent would disagree with your premise).

BILL - Henry, I make no claim that we are unable to discern. I believe God wants us to know and be able to discern. I do claim that the categories have become restrictive, and that we assume a lot. I think the good news had better be so for all people in all times and places, and each generation must grapple with it anew. I think we had better become, in a sense, more biblical. Here’s just one example: What does Jesus say the good news is, in most places where he says some form of the word euangelion, or it is described what he is talking about, particularly in the Synoptics? (By this I am not meaning to make Jesus and Paul, or the Synoptics and John, adversaries; this is just the biggest and most obvious example that comes to mind.)

ME - If you are saying that we need to more closely and broadly emulate the Lord Jesus I say amen. But He has provided the only payment for sin (archaic, I know) and the Holy Spirit is well able to translate truth over cultural barriers, He has proven so over the centuries.
I do not think that every generation has to re-grapple with certain issues, and Paul warns us from leaving the simplicity that is in Christ. Go ahead and grapple with innovative ways to communicate and connect with people, but when you “grapple” with the historic understanding of the sin-bearing atonement you ultimately don’t grapple, you change.
But at least you are honest, Bill, some emregents have a foot in every camp with each foot front and center depending on the audience.

BILL - Well, Henry, I’m trying to be honest. It’s why I started asking these questions, for essentially the same reasons T articulates, when I got into my 40s. I believed the “historic understanding of the sin-bearing atonement” for most of my life up until then. And in honesty I couldn’t answer a lot of the questions that came up for me with that understanding. I’ve listed some of them above. That understanding more and more often left me with, “But what about…” and I honestly could not ignore those issues any more. Because I believe that God wants us to understand what he left for us in the bible, I was very frustrated with those “hanging questions”.
I have found something that approximates an integrated theology with very few “hanging questions” by going back beyond the Reformers and looking at “big picture” questions with some help from Willard, Newbigin, Webber, Eastern Orthodox thought and NT Wright. I still have questions, but not too many any more. The most important thing to come of my questioning journey is that my heart is bowed before Jesus in worship in a much deeper way now. I am inexpressibly overjoyed to be a Christian.
I believe God does not despise my questions, or anyone else’s for that matter. I believe that following Jesus is simple, but it’s not easy. I believe it means, among other things, being safe enough in God’s love to ask questions. If you are safe in God’s love and don’t feel the need to ask so many questions, then be blessed and at peace there. I don’t need to argue. I trust God’s mercy for us, both and all. Thanks for the kind tone of the discussion.

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Does it not shock you and break your heart when you see the list of things that this person said could not be completely discerned as truth? Maybe fifty years ago if this movement had been identified in its infancy, we might have confronted it with a barrage of communication throughout the evangelical world, but the walls have now been breached and these teachings are espoused by thousands of preachers who describe themselves as evangelicals. Many conservative preachers secretly read and are edified by their books, and some of the major streams of doctrinal departure are secretly woven in many Sunday morning sermons with the listeners none the wiser. And thousands of preachers who would reject these views still are complicit with either their friendship with the purveyors of these falsehoods, or their deafening silence. I will not become obsessed with chasing them all down, but I will not, I cannot remain silent. The integrity of God’s Word still has thousands of voices and may they all be to His glory not ours.

So what must be our duty before our Lord in the midst of what can only be described as the blasphemous beginning of the final falling away? We must fall in love again personally with God’s Word to a deeper degree than you could imagine. Not primarily for a rebuttal to these doctrines of demons but to ingest so much of the engrafted Word into our spirits that we are changed into the image of its Personhood by its Author. Let us remove the emperor’s clothes, it is significantly easier to confront such blatant heresies than it is to spend upper room time with our Lord, seeking His face and repenting before Him of our own sins and pride. And let us proceed even further into the restricted area about which we wish no one knew. I have sometimes felt a smugness and a fleshly power when dispatching God’s truth against obvious error, and humility easily disappears when in absolute reality I am no more than a Biblical water boy for the King of the Word. May we all stay on our face no matter what mighty truths God shares with us by His sovereign grace.

Additionally let us ask God to Spiritually infuse us with a prayerful intercession for these deceived people, many of them brothers and sisters. The amount of time we spend before the throne beseeching the Father on their behalf is shameful, and I would guess that the amount tears that are shed would indict all of us. We need a revival of prayer because without prayer how can we know what to say and how to say it.

And we must educate our children both with our words and our attitudes. This falling away is world wide and it will continue to grow in immensity and depth, and without being vigilant as well as dedicated to grow in our own lives we will become stale and cold at the very least, and many will succumb to the exciting and revolutionary new teachings that like strong drink will relieve us of the truth.

We are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. While continuing to reflect His love, we have no room for the dismantling of His Words. Thirty-one years ago I was born again and I met Jesus Christ. I will not leave Him for the doctrinal free for all and although the intellectual melee may be stimulating to some, it is nothing more than foolishness to God.

Let us stay true, broken, and continue to worship Jesus alone in Spirit and in truth.

Amen and Amen.

Jesus Arrives

Lk.2:11 - For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

We rightfully concentrate on Bethlehem, it is the city of David that was given by the prophet as His birthplace. Gloriously simple and majestically humble, it shall forever hold a place of amazing brilliance as the city where Christ drew His first breath. The house of bread opened its arms to the Bread of Life.

But Bethlehem was not the place where Jesus actually arrived in this world, no, it was Nazareth. Right after Gabriel came, or perhaps while he was speaking to the vessel Mary, the Holy Spirit visited her carrying with Him a Seed of the Spirit which housed the eternal Word. At this juncture remove your human reasoning and rise up on the wings of eagles lifted up by the wind of faith. And this Seed entered the single cell of Mary and in that womb Jesus rested and began a human journey which would lead Him from the miracle of God's conception to the miracle of God's death. Did you ever wonder what exactly took place in God's throne room as Jesus prepared to submit to the Holy Spirit, the ordained courier? How did God the Father say good bye, and how did the glorious Word become obedient to the future design He had planned for Himself? Who can know it and who among us can pull back the sacred veil and reveal it in its fullness, nay, not one among us, for the final preparatory steps that would send Heaven's Prince to the Earth are hidden within the Godhead. God is now here and his ministry and mission in the embryonic stage has become a glorious reality hidden in a virgin's womb. Gasp for breath all you earth bound sons of the living God, today your ears have heard the voice of heaven speaking through an infant's beginning as God the Creator now abides in the womb of His chosen creature, and with every divided cell the human building blocks were set one upon another to come forth in Bethlehem as God, revealed in the newborn stable boy.

"...but a body thou hast prepared me..."

We cannot tell how limited the Lord Jesus agreed to be as an infant, but I believe that He had entrusted everything to the watch care of His Father, culminating with the Spirit's anointing at His baptism and the Father's own testimony of His only begotten Son. What a privilege it was to be dispatched from heaven's glory on the day of His birth and announce with shouts of praise that God the Son had come to earth. The heavens part and the glory of God descends upon a sheep filled hillside, and as the shepherds cower they suddenly hear a sound they've never heard, full of angelic voices and drenched in the aroma of heaven, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men". And in the presence of a multitude of the heavenly hosts I believe the shepherds could hear it, and see it, and smell it, and taste it, and feel it, and other emotions that Paul said are "unlawful to utter". But only a few miles away the Lord of these very angels squirms in a feeding trough, and only candlelight illuminates the face from which the heavens and the earth would one day flee. But on this night these shepherds will make their way inside the city, and with the angelic visitation still all over them, they quietly enter the straw filled tabernacle and are immediately sent to their knees. These earthly shepherds bow in worship before the Great Sherpherd. Shortly death would come seeking Him, but the Heavenly Father was eternally way ahead of these hapless baby killers sent by that fool, Herod. Jesus was protected by the ministry of the angelic beings sent from the presence of the Father to penetrate the dreams of Joseph, and as the child grew He could not help but seem special to those closest to Him, and especially that humble, chosen vessel Mary. She pondered much in that precious heart that sought God's will.

Now man demands pomp when he is announced, but God is willing to appear common. Can you imagine the Father allowing His Son, His Equal, to come to this sin ravaged world with only the recognition of some insignificant shepherds? What kind of love are we dealing with here, and what lengths will this infant go to prove His love for us? "Bless the Lord my soul, and all that is within me bless His Holy Name". The mystery is upon us, and although the world has twisted this story to fit their sentimental and hedonistic ways, the truth still towers above all the "Christmas" observances. Jesus the Christ, the everlasting Messiah, has come to this Earth and through Him we are saved, forever. So go ahead you shopping malls make merchandise on His back; go ahead you churches and charge admission to present His story; go ahead and light token Christmas trees in Washington without mentioning His name; go ahead you believers and spend much on each other without purchasing a single gift for the birthday Boy; and go ahead you preachers and teach on some humanistic topic while spurning the greatest story ever told.

Oh but not me, by God's grace. I am as imperfect as anyone you may think of, but I refuse to surrender any honor or glory or majesty or power or worship to anyone or anything, but Jesus, the Incarnate Infant of Bethlehem. And to you the followers of that child, make this coming observance a showcase for Him with our words and lives being "apples of gold in pictures of silver" for Him. And instead of "Merry Christmas" I will continue the tradition I began last year by saying "Praise to the God Child". People will ask you what you mean and by their own words elicit a wonderful witness for Him.

Praise to the God Child!!!

His Followers

Eph.5:1 - Be ye therefore followers of God...

God has always had His followers. From the moment the dust coagulated around the creative Word in Genesis and Adam was formed, God has always had a following. From the ark of reeds carrying baby Moses to Solomon's Temple, God has always had His followers. From the boldness of John the Baptist to the secret seeking of Nicodemous, God has always had His followers. From the day of Pentecost to the third millennium, God has always had his followers. From the largest television gospel presentation to the smallest Chinese house church, God has always had His followers. And when years and days are no longer observed, and when time is swallowed up in eternity, God will have His followers. And God's Name is Yahweh, Jehovah, Yeshua, Joshua, Jesus, and an innumerable amount of attribute revealing names. Jesus steps into earth at Bethlehem, walks as a man for thirty three years, completes His eternal work in six hours, returns to the Father from Jerusalem, and all of history will forever be His entourage out of which He has gathered and separated for Himself a bride. Jesus always had and always will have His followers. But why?

His Will.

Above everything in the universe is God's will which is God's Word. When God has willed something it is etched in stone waiting to be unfolded in reality at the time stamped upon that spoken Word. God's Word is reality and everything else is a pretender no matter how it appears. Appearance is a poor player who struts across this event horizon masquerading as reality, but appearance is the bond slave of the Word of God. The blue skies were the appearance but in obedience to God's Word the flood was the coming reality. Sarah's womb was the appearance but in obedience to God's Word Isaac was the coming reality. The tomb holding the body of Jesus was the appearance but in obedience to God's Word the resurrection was the coming reality. When God's Word manifests itself man made appearance is consumed with the brightness of the celestial power of God's immutable Word. God has spoken before the creation of the universe that Jesus would have His followers, His bride, and nothing in heaven or earth could ever come between that Word and its fulfillment. So God willed that His Son would be glorified with followers.

His Love.

God's love is so deep and powerful that it defies definition. It usually is defined by its accompanying and revealing acts, but its essence is beyond us. The Scriptures declare that God actually is love, and that love inherently draws followers to itself. People are invisibly drawn by love to joyously become followers of the Lord Jesus. Well said the song, "Oh the love that drew salvation's plan", and that same love pulls upon the hearts of men to follow the One who so loved He "gave Himself a ransom for many". What kind of love creates when He was self existent and sufficient in Himself? What kind of love creates this race with the full knowledge of awaiting treason and rebellion? What kind of love leaves the splendor of the divine throne to be found in the likeness of one of these accursed creatures? What kind of love accepts the label scapegoat, and willingly becomes the sacrificial murder victim for His very killers? This love, my friends, demands followers.

His Power.

What kind of man is this that can even command the wind and the waves? And most of the evangelical world, much less the world, are unaware that Jesus Himself was the Creator and is the sustainer of the entire universe. Look at your hand, Jesus created it. The mind you are using to read right now, Jesus made it. Jesus Himself proclaimed, "All power is given unto me, both in heaven and in earth". There is no power but Christ's power, and His power is unimaginably absolute. Jesus doesn't have the greatest power, no, He has all power. And although creative power is awesome and mind boggling, power over death is ultimate. The Scriptures rightly observe that man has always had a fear of death, and all the spurious religions of the world try and give false hope to a darkened world. But Jesus has power and authority over death itself, and especially the second death which is eternal death. Sometimes a person becomes so fearful of his coming judgment, and so frightened about his eternal destiny, that the Holy Spirit can lift up the powerful Christ as the only Refuge and Rock that is strong enough to hold eternally. And it would be safe to assume that legion are Christ's followers who have embraced Him in part as their powerful Rescuer.

His Spirit.

No one becomes a follower of Jesus unless the Spirit draws him. The work of regeneration is exclusively a work of the Spirit, and the works of man are not only irrelevant, they are poison. Anyone who is truly born again can recall a strange and different mental and emotional aura that came upon him or her before salvation. I can recall in the days leading to my conversion everything seemed to remind me of the Person of Christ. A bumper sticker, a cemetery statue, a radio program, and many other little "coincidences" that would only have been significant to me because of the progressive revelation ministry of God's precious Spirit. No one is smart enough, no one is clever enough, and in reality no one is even interested enough to pursue Jesus Christ apart from the gracious calling of the Holy Spirit. (And all the reformed group said Amen!) In the end we all owe everything to the Spirit of God who called to us generally and eventually gave us personal attention in leading us to Christ. We have become followers by the Spirit.

His Word

We have become so used to accepting an earthly definition of the "Word". Ink on paper or the sound of vocal chords vibrating as the air rushes over them, those are to the earthly mind a word, and with all the different translations and interpretations I fear we have compromised the essence of God's Word in our own minds. But God is His Word, and the Word existed before there were angels, mankind, or creation itself. I had heard Bible verses before I was saved, but when the Spirit began His mission of love to me I began to hear these verses differently. You see, I began to see and hear Jesus in the Bible verses I was hearing, and it wasn't until after I was born again that I learned that Jesus was the Word. And even He said the Scriptures speak of Him. The Word is like a Sword of lightning that cuts within the human heart, slices it wide open to its repulsive sin, and upon the first sign of repentance and faith, the Word Jesus rushes in to take up eternal residence in a brand new heart. To say it is a glorious mystery is to infinitely understate the eternal power of the Word of God, Jesus.

His Nature.

To say that Jesus has many different natures is to confine His glorious Personhood. Of course He is perfectly kind, merciful, patient, and all the other attributes that we can understand on an earthly level, but He is infinitely more than those. Jesus is divine, holy, and without sin. And after a meditation on that fact, His incarnation becomes all the more a staggering condescension that cannot help but fully speak to the selfless and loving nature of the Savior. The cross. Just the words remind us of the nature of our Lord. And if you take all the mercy of Christ, and all the grace, and all the longsuffering, and all the compassion, and all the sacrifice, and all the love, and you took all the attributes of His majestic nature and distilled them all down to one fine point, you would have an eternal treasure chest that sparkled with blinding glory. And all over that divine chest would be the Names of God from Alpha to Omega and everything in between. And if perhaps you became overwhelmed by the sheer splendor of this treasure chest of God's glory and nature, and in a state of pure worship an angel whispered, "Would you care to open the chest and see the very heart of God", and you replied, "yes, if I may". And as you were granted this privilege you reverently and respectfully opened the lid. And when you gazed over the side and looked into the inner chamber of God's heart, you would see engraved in living and eternal gold leaf..."His Followers".

Now you know, Jesus will always have His followers.

"Follow Me"
Speak Lord, your servant obeys.