Blandina

Blandina

One sure way to have a wrong and superficial perspective on things is to be ignorant of history and be blind to a greater reality. The story I am about to share is only one of many thousands over the course of two thousand years, but it represents a looking glass into both the glory of Christ as well as the state of western Christianity.

Her name was Blandina, and she was a frail, teenage slave girl in the 2nd century A.D.. She and her master lived in Rome and they had become Christians. It was during this time that pagan Rome became thirsty for the blood of Christians, and slaves were a unique target. It was thought that through torture the slaves would both renounce their faith and implicate their masters as well. With this in mind the little slave girl was arrested in 177 A.D..

As the Romans cast their eyes upon her it was evident that her stature would not endure much pain and suffering, and that she would quickly acquiesce to their demands of renunciation. She was unmercifully beaten and tortured, and her courage frustrated the Roman torturers. They returned and informed the magistrate that they had exhausted themselves in beatings and torture, but to no avail. All this little slave girl would say, “I am a Christian and I commit no wrongdoing”. The Romans would hear her pray for them and her fellow believers.

After this she was brought into the arena that housed the ferocious beasts and she was made to watch unspeakable horrors as her brothers and sisters were torn to shreds and eaten by wild animals. Instead of begging for mercy, this frail little girl began to cry out encouragement to her fellow believers and for them to be strong in faith, hope, and love. When the Romans heard her they brought her into the arena and tied her to a stake. She began to humbly pray for her captors.

Shockingly, though, the animals would not attack her. Frustrated once more, the Romans tied her to a gate and placed her before a vicious bull who gored her to death. She died with intercession on her lips and her remains were fed to the beasts. The testimony of this brave girl lives on until today. It was not uncommon for heathens to embrace Christ based largely on the faithfulness and demeanor they witnessed from Christian martyrs.

Against that backdrop let us examine the depth of Christianity that is prevalent today. Instead of praying for our enemies, the church is consumed with political wrangling and many embrace the caustic rhetoric of talk show hosts. Instead of humility many believe that fighting “fire with fire” is the ministry of God’s Spirit. Instead of living lives of quiet contentment and marginal sustenance, western believers enjoy many of the same amusements as do the heathens and they store up vast sums of money for themselves.

Suffering is out of spiritual vogue, and God’s blessings, mostly defined as material benefits, have replaced the glorious blessings of suffering for Christ. Oh for a return when all we think is Christ and all we serve is Christ and our lives are at His command, even unto death. Where are the days when the “things of this world grow strangely dim” and we are persecuted for Jesus’ sake and not some belligerent political rhetoric? When will those who bear His name be so humble, so compassionate, and so faithful to His gospel that sinners must either melt or throw stones? And when you read the story of Blandina, does your mind battle to even believe such a thing?

It is absurd to contend that we who sit behind glowing screens, or who talk on radio programs, or who write and profit from books, are warriors of God’s truth when believers like this one, frail slave girl has put us all to shame. We have tarnished the glory of God by allowing ourselves to be called "conservatives", and we squawk with the world when the government abuses our finances. In America we are one right wing voice among many, wholly unremarkable and even joining with unbelievers in our quest to manipulate society. We refuse to even see that God may desire persecution, and yet we battle it and resist it.

We seem to be proficient at orchestrating such melodrama as it concerns today’s battle against liberalism and post modern dilution, but where pray tell is our power? Where is our sacrifice? Where is the unmistakable and distinguishing essence that would lead pagans to Christ based substantially on our lives – where is the love of Almighty God through us? How have we changed the God of the cross into the God of democracy, morality, and the western hedonistic lifestyle? And yet, like Samson, we do not even recognize that our power is literally gone. Without a painful and humilitiating inventory, followed by a massive revival, New Testament Christianity in the west will remain represented by a mirage and a human forgery.

We even have the audacity to claim our controversy is some kind of “truth war”, and yet this bloodless and air conditioned “war” bears no resemblance to the selflessness of the cross and followers like Blandina. Our war is fought on radio shows, and in book stores, and in pitiful protests that seem to make us feel good about our “boldness” but costs nothing but an occasional terse word, which we immediately amplify to all who will hear as a trophy of martyrdom. In this battle we load our guns with the ammunition of caustic rhetoric and systematic theology, but void of the explosive power of humility, sacrifice, and God’s love, our weapons are carnal and spiritually unusable. We shoot sinners in need and we ignore the needs of fellow saints, except those who are doctrinally and geographically convenient.

We spend vast amounts of money to hold conferences where we can pass out platitudes among ourselves for our “bold and daring” verbal assents to doctrinal truth, while many heroes in Christ go unnoticed in Darfur, Pakistan, China, and other obscure places in the uttermost parts of the world. King David would not dare drink of Bethlehem’s well because he realized the valor of these men forbid him such a luxury, yet we go on Christian cruises, wasting obscene amounts of money and gorging ourselves, while brothers and sisters are in dire need and face certain death around the world. Can there be any more profound hypocrisy??

The disgrace and shame of the western church is uncovered in God’s sight and yet we refuse to blush. Our ignorance is only equaled by our insolent hedonism, faring sumptuously while beggars go hungry, even some who name His name. And when we read the account of someone like Blandina, it, like a court jester to a king, amuses us and perhaps elicits some insignificant emotion, but little else. These testimonies of days gone by will not even open church doors during the week for meetings of intercession and prayer. Prayer for our suffering brethren, you ask? Oh yes, but also prayer that God would break our hearts by showing us a mirror of ourselves and compare it to a portrait of His will.

A little slave girl, filled with God’s Spirit, prays for her executioners and brings no railing accusation to her torturers. Yet we, as modern examples of believers, yell at sinners, call them sarcastic names, and pounce upon them with clubs of doctrinal purity, all while contending they cannot even understand such things in their present state. Please do not contend with me concerning our great adherence to Christ in these last days. Please do not suggest we sacrifice in even the smallest of ways. Do not speak to me about how we show the love of God in our speech and actions. Please refrain from hinting that we western believers mirror anything close to New Testament teachings. Happy and comfortable in our little local conclaves, we are an accepted part of the western societal experience, but a salt less embarrassment to heaven. If we refuse to repent, let us at least remain silent.

Surely the coming of our Blessed Lord is nigh, but are His worshipers asleep in His fields? Have we made Babylon our marketplace and template? It is time to reevaluate who Christ is. Is He Lord, or is He not? Is He still the Suffering Servant in this present world, or is He interested in the culture wars? Was He more manifested in Blandina than He is in the modern church? We must examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith, not just are we saved, but are we walking entirely in the Kingdom of God. We must reach out into the darkness with a gospel light that does not flicker with the winds of this world, and that joyfully endures the scorn from those who are both blind to their need as well as blind to God’s love.

We must be Jesus again.

The Apostate Teachings of Rob Bell

As a preamble read this link by Peter Rollins who Rob Bell endorses and has had as his main speaker at his latest conference. Buckle your seat belts.

Are you beginning to get the picture? These emergents cannot even affirm their belief in a supreme being. This is the second half of Bell's teaching. He continues:

Who’s making a better world, Caesar or Jesus? They believed that a church was a living, breathing display of a whole new world God was bringing about, right here, right now. Because some people, some people are fierce with reality, aren’t they? They don’t have to spout off about how they’re right and everybody else is wrong because there is something going on inside of them so powerful, so tangible, you can’t help but ask questions.

Who is making a better world??? Let us come back to reality. Many of the early believers were tortured and killed for their faith in Christ. If indeed these compassionate communities were as benign and nebulous about Jesus, and consumed with magnanimousness and compassion, for what were they slaughtered? For what acts of kindness were they brought before the magistrates and condemned? Where is this “better world”? The church itself is hardly a better world, much less the world. These emergents have altered the clear teaching of Scripture concerning the perilous times that are coming, and in fact are here.

You’re dying to know why they are the way they are. You want them to explain the reason for the hope that’s within them. It’s because when you’re around people like this, you have this sense that you’ve in some way been with Jesus, and that is church. This group of people who by their compassion, their generosity, the grace that they extend to others, you find yourself believing when you’re around them, that God hasn’t given up on the world. That’s the gospel. That’s it. The gospel is the good news that God hasn’t given up on the world, that the tomb is empty and that a giant resurrection rescue is underway and that you can be a part of it. And so, yes, this has a deeply personal dimension to this. Jesus is saving me. He’s saving me from my sins, from my mistakes, from my pride, from my indifference to the suffering of the world around me, from my cynicism and despair. The brokenness I see in the world around me is true of my own soul, and so He’s rescuing me moment by moment, day by day, because God wants to put it all back together. You, me, the whole world. And so He starts deep inside each of us with our awareness that we need help, that we need saving, that we need rescuing.

The gospel is “God hasn’t given up on the world”? That’s what Wesley and Whitefield and Edwards and Moody preached? Is that what sparked the great revivals in Wales and the Hebrides? Was that the message of the Great Awakenings here in America? If so, John the Baptist was a fool, along with every Bible believing minister after him. And when Paul preached Christ and Him crucified he was overly constricting the gospel message. And when the Philippian jailor begged to know how to be saved Paul’s exclusion of acts of kindness and compassion misrepresented the gospel message. Bell's words are absurd.

And then He begins to show us, step by step, what it looks like to put flesh and blood on this gospel. Because we all fall short, and that’s the beautiful part. Broken, flawed, vulnerable people like you and me are invited to be the hands and feet of a Jesus who loves us exactly as we are and yet loves us way too much to let us stay that way. I believe. I believe because I see. I see the resurrection all around me. If people only had your life and they were asked the question: “Has Jesus risen from the dead?”, how would they answer? Has He? May you be a “yes” to the question “Has Jesus risen from the dead?” And may you come to see, may you understand, that you are the good news. You are the gospel.

And there you have it. Pastor Bell succinctly reveals the essence of emergent theology – you. This is no Christ centered message, and in fact, Jesus takes a back seat to kindness and unity. The cross is nowhere to be found here, and the blood is never even hinted at. Why? Because this theology is not about Jesus and His cross, this is about you. God desires to make a better world for you and I, and he will use everything but the cross. Good deeds and compassion and kindness are the rocks upon which this emergent church will be built.

People are convinced through kindness, not the Word and not the ministry of the Spirit. This, my friends, is open apostasy. No charity can soften the assessment of this New Age message of hope in humanity. What Bell is teaching is a bloodless religion that can be espoused by kind atheists and can join hands with most other religions. And this is serious business. If you believe that there is a God, and that Jesus is the only Savior and Redeemer, then you must not join hands, neither bid blessing, upon men like Rob Bell. I will expound further in my next post.

The Apostate Teachings of Rob Bell

The word "apostasy" means to depart from.

The times are perilous. The gospel itself has been changed in many different ways. For those who have been born again, and for those who have a knowledge of the New Testament, we should know what the gospel actually is. It is the good news that God came in the form of a man called Jesus, died on a cross to pay for our sins, resurrected from the dead, and offers eternal life simply by believing on Jesus as Lord and Savior. This gospel is not being compassionate, or kind, or even loving. All those things should come after conversion but they are not any part of this gospel. This gospel is about the finished redemptive work of Jesus the Christ.


The following transcript was taken from a video made by Pastor Rob Bell of Mars Hill Church in Michigan. Pastor Bell illustrates what is being taught as the gospel in many emergent circles. I would like to address parts of his message, and I hope to show anyone who may be sympathetic to the emergent movement that it is a serious departure from Biblical Christianity and is in fact apostate. Bell’s words can be found in italics.


I have also found something less than the compassion and generosity that Bell suggests are in Christian communities from Bell supporters when you question his theology. I have never attacked Pastor Bell personally and yet I have been called many names and have met with caustic attacks and demeaning sarcasm when I have questioned his teachings. And when I have asked for sermon documentation from Bell supporters, about certain doctrinal subjects as basic as the cross, I have been accused of not doing my homework.


The kind and loving ambiance that Bell teaches should reveal the presence of Jesus seems to dissipate with many Bell protagonists. I do not question Rob Bell as a person, or husband, or father, but I must question his teachings and his Biblical faithfulness as a pastor. The following is a first in a series.


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Sometime in the 1st century around the year 30A.D. a movement was started by a group of Jews who insisted that their rabbi, a man named Jesus from the Galilee region in Israel, had risen from the dead after being crucified by the Roman Empire. They claimed that after His resurrection they had seen Him and that they had had conversations with Him and had eaten meals with Him. And then they said that He had ascended to heaven, and that someday He would return. Now the world at this time was ruled by the Roman Empire, this giant, military, global superpower, from England to India. The Roman Empire ruled the world.

And one of the most popular gods of the Roman Empire was the god Mithra. Mithra’s followers believed that Mithra has been born of a virgin and that he was a mediator between God and humans, and that Mithra had ascended into heaven. Another popular religion at this time centered around the god Attis. The followers of Attis believed that Attis had been born of a virgin and each spring they gathered to celebrate the resurrection of Attis.

Bell seems to suggest that Christianity borrowed from pagan religions.

Which takes us back to the Roman Empire which was ruled by a succession of Emperors called Caesars. The first one, Julius Caesar, when he died, a comet appeared in the sky and people said: “Well, of course, that’s Julius Caesar, the Son of God, ascending to the right hand of the gods of heaven.

Soon after this Julius Caesar’s adopted son, Caesar Augustus came to power and Caesar Augutus believed that he was the Son of God sent by the gods to Earth to bring about a universal reign of peace and prosperity. One of his popular propaganda slogans was: “There is no other name under heaven by which people can be saved than that of Caesar.” Caesar inaugurated a 12 day celebration of his birth called the Advent of Caesar.

Another popular phrase at the time, people would literally greet each other on the street by saying “Caesar is Lord”. So in the first century to claim that your god had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, well, it just wasn’t that unique. The claims of these first Christians weren’t really anything new.

Again, Bell suggests Christianity borrowed from Caesar.

Everybody’s god had risen from the dead. What makes yours so special? Now these first Christians believed that Jesus’ resurrection had implications for the entire universe. Their tradition had taught them that the world is broken and desperately in need of repair and that at some point in the future, God was going to put it all back together. Now for them, this future restoration had nothing to do with leaving this world, it was all about restoration, the renewing and the reclaiming of this world.

This paragraph begins a pattern. You will notice that Bell continually suggests a divine motive to make the world a better place, and the Biblical teaching of the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ is absent from his theology.

And so they saw in Jesus’ resurrection the beginning of this universe-wide movement to put it all back together. Well this, of course, brought them into direct conflict with the Roman Empire, because remember, for the Caesars, it was all about Caesar’s belief that he was making a new and better world through his power, through his armies, and through his wealth. And so when Caesar wanted to send out a message to let everybody know of his latest military conquest or his latest accomplishments, he would send out a royal pronouncement telling the masses of his latest achievements. These pronouncements were called in the Greek language “evangelions.” An “evangelion” was like a “gospel” or a “good news”. In English “evangelion” spells “evangelical”.

Now these first Christians believed very passionately that the world was not made better through military power and political coercion. The gospel they were living had nothing to do with using political force to force people to live according to your laws. For them, this gospel was about serving the world, especially those on the underside of the empire. For them it was about serving not ruling. And so they took this empire propaganda term “gospel”, and they used it to descxribe this new world that Jesus and His followers were making right under the nose of the empire. Because their way, the way of Jesus, was totally opposed to the way of Rome. And so, when we read accounts of how they lived, we read they shared their possessions, they fed the hungry, and they carried each other’s burdens.

Again, intimating that believers, and Christ Himself, borrowed directly from Rome.

Well, it’s because the gospel for them was a whole way of life. A whole new world, right in the midst of this one. Now Caesar had a particular word that was used for a city or a village or a province that worshipped Caesar as the Son of God, that acknowledged Caesar as Lord. So Caesar would conquer, with his armies, a new land and then demand that all of the people would confess “Caesar is Lord”. If people didn’t, well, then they were crucified as a way of showing everybody what happens when you refuse to submit to the power of the empire. But if s group of people did, if a city or a village of a region did acknowledge and worship Caesar as the Son of God, Lord, if they did accept Caesar as their savior, then the area became a worshipping center of the Caesar. These worshipping centers were called, in the Greek language, “ekklesias”. The word “ekklesias” translates in English, “church”. And so these first Christians took this empire propaganda term “ekklesias”, and they used it to describe their gatherings, the ones where they confessed “Jesus is Lord”.

The pattern is unmistakable. Bell never, though, elaborates as to his point.

Well, obviously, the way they were living it raised all sorts of questions for those around them. Who do you believe? Casaer, who thinks that a new world, a better world, is made through his brute military and political power, by forcing people to do what he says? Or Jesus, who invites you to make a new and better world through loving acts of compassion and generosity? Caesar who killed Jesus on an execution stake, or God, who raised Jesus from the dead? Whose way do you think is better? Who do you think is Lord? Jesus or Caesar? Whose kingdom do you find more compelling? For them the gospel was an invitation to a whole new way of life. And they lived this way because they had this profoundly mystical understanding of what they were doing in their lives. They called themselves the body of Christ. And they believed that in their communities, in these loving, compassionate, generous, peace-loving communities, they believed that Jesus was present in a way that went beyond words. So they’d invite people to join them, to eat with them, to celebrate with them, to suffer with them, and then they’d ask them, after they’d seen the hungry fed, the lonely loved, and the poor honored, they’d ask the people, “Well, do you think Jesus is here?” Or more specifically, “Who do you think is Lord?”

Bell suggests that the proof that Jesus was among them was entirely based upon their acts of kindness. He never suggests the ministry of the Holy Spirit to illuminate a sinner’s heart as to who Christ is. This entire first portion of his message is revisionist and manipulated history. The point of the pagan gods having some characteristics to Jesus is irrelevant. Many gods throughout history made claims that were somewhat reflective of Jesus, but there is no point other than any god would have some miraculous nature to him or her. That does not add nor subtract from the One True God.

But Bell’s implication that believers settled into quiet and peaceful communities that specialized in helping people and thereby attracted sinners to Jesus is simply untrue. Hopefully believers exhibit some kind of compassion and kindness in their lives, but the distinctive of a Christian community has always been their obedience, worship, and preaching of Jesus as the one and only Savior and Lord. It is that name which got Peter and others beaten and threatened. It is that Name which made some lament they had spread their doctrine throughout the city. It was not acts of kindness that had believers thrown to lions, or burned at the stake, or tortured, no, it was their preaching the name and person of Jesus Christ.

Now if you recall, Jesus Himself told us He did not come to bring peace but a sword. Acts of kindness are done by Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and even pagans. Our calling is much higher at at a much greater cost. Many countries allow westerners in if they help with agriculture, medicine, education, or other things that address their needs. However, many countries insist that if these people are Christians they cannot share their faith or risk arrest or deportation. The acts of kindness they desire, but not Jesus, which seems similar to much emergent theology.



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Watch for the second part of this series, and perhaps a final overarching essay on the entire subject.

The Glorious Wounds of God

The prophet Isaiah had been used of God from the last years of King Uzziah and into the reign of King Hezekiah. He had seen the rise of Assyria, the enslavement of the Northern Kingdom, and he had watched as Judah sank into idolatry and unbelief. Isaiah would not live to see it, but Judah would be carried away into Babylon. His warnings would go unheeded.

But within the inspired writings of Isaiah lived a vision that was breathtaking and marvelous. God had chosen this man to see in great detail God’s coming Messiah, and the articulate nature of his vision seemed at odds with what Israel desired and expected. Oh yes, there were many verses that spoke of glory and grandeur, and there was great hope enunciated through his words. But delicately placed within his rebukes and encouragement were words of perplexity and bewilderment.

The core of these confusing words is found in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah’s prophecies. These words, these astonishing and excruciating words, would be misinterpreted and softened to accommodate the general thought of the people of Israel. In fact, many attributed them to a description of the sufferings of the nation of Israel itself. What other explanation could be found for such words of anguish and distress?

Who hath believed our report?

Surely this could not refer to the Messiah since He must come in great glory and power. He would rule with a rod of iron and He would deliver Israel from their bondage. These sufferings and humiliations could never apply to the shining Messiah. Never. Absolutely never. But could they…?

Among all the hidden treasure of future glory, and future dancing, and future deliverance, there was a treasure that could not be understood, and surely not even considered. This treasure was to be anticipated like Christmas morning, but this treasure would be shocking when found. This is not what earthly treasure hunters would seek, and this treasure would drape its glory in a crimson hue surrounded by those who denied its worth altogether. This treasure would not be found by seekers as much as it would itself seek to find those to whom it could bestow its wealth.

This reading of the prophet’s words does not draw many excited listeners. It speaks of defeat and gloom, and it is consumed with pathos and heartbreak so at odds with the upbeat atmosphere of today’s desired culture. These words are presented with the preamble, “Who hath believed our report?” Who indeed will believe what narrative these words are painting, and upon what fresco they will be painted. When the prophet Habakkuk asked God what was He doing about the Babylonians as they plundered Judah, God told Habakkuk that even if He told him he would not believe it. And the priceless apocalyptic glimpse within these few words would be unimaginable as well.

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

And in verse two the Spirit begins a future portrait, one that had been put to a sovereign canvas long before the worlds were made. One that would become the one and only foundation upon which God would call a people and build a church. But what is this we see? What words are these – no beauty, no desire, dry ground?? Surely there must be something lost in the translation. Even a fleeting glimpse of God and His glory had produced no such mirrors of Who He is. God passes with His back toward Moses, and for a moment Moses looked, and the face of a man called Moses had to be hidden lest it blind all others. That is God and that must be the Messiah.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

And verse three travels further into the absurd when it describes someone who clearly had no place among men, and who clearly had nothing to offer. And how could Israel despise their own Messiah? And instead of coming with a sweeping glory and a colossal entrance that is worthy of a king, this description uses words like sorrows and grief. By all accounts, this cannot be the One for whom we are looking.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

The chosen One of Israel was stricken? And to add to the confusion, this verse seems to indicate that we mistook the burdens of our sorrows and grief for the afflictions of God Himself. What is he saying here? Is the prophet suggesting that we caused this grief and this sorrow and this affliction, and yet we blamed it on God?? Oh no, this can never be and we cannot but dismiss such a thought.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Oh please, my ears cannot hear and my heart cannot receive such news. Where was I in the prophet’s words and how did my iniquities fall upon this man? We must refuse such picturesque gore and we must retreat to the comfort of the Glorious One who comes to deliver us and lead us into victory! There can be no symmetry in these two visions of God’s coming Messiah, so we are forced to reject the written mural that so shames us and portrays Him as receiving punishment rather than dispensing it.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities

Who can know this blasphemous conundrum? Who can describe the color red to a man born blind; and who can teach an ant to speak; and who can see the center of the Earth; and who can understand this saying? The same God who will send this Messiah, chosen before anything was, will be pleased to bruise Him? Can our hearts know any deeper insanity than this? How many days or months or years of meditation will this require before the illumination comes forth? And when this illumination comes forth and guides the mind into the trustworthiness of this mystery, will it bring us any closer to comprehension?

And how shall we approach the travail of His soul? To what shall we liken the travail that is an offering for sin? And how can we embrace such massacre knowing it is the looking glass into the wretchedness of our own selves? Count the sufferings of all mankind throughout history; enumerate the oceans of tears spilled by human grief; listen to the pleas of countless children as they suffer without an ounce of understanding; and multiply the heartaches that stalk humankind until they pounce upon each and every sinner born of woman. The answer to those tallies are worthless comparisons to the griefs pronounced in and upon this man.

But let us go further into a reality filled with violence, pain, and savagery. Step into the inventory of sins, all sins, committed and omitted by mankind as a whole. How many documentaries and accounts of one serial murder's sins have astounded our senses and disgusted our sensibilities? How many massacres has history provided for us in a sterilized context of literary comfort, and yet even with a reality buffer it can still manage to evoke emotion? How many sins are accumulated in one sinner’s life? One hundred? One thousand? Untold millions?? How many sins have been committed in totality among the complete compilation of human kind? And how many are added to that figure daily?

And yet in six hours Almighty God will be satisfied? What does it feel like to suffer for one sin, and yet in six hours the Messiah will suffer for all the sins of the world? And He had no sin of Himself but was willing to suffer for others; others that would despise and reject Him? We live in an amazing age of technology and knowledge. Quantum mechanics, the Theory of Relativity, the Hubble telescope, organ transplants, moon walks, vehicle trips that pass between Saturn and its rings, all these and more reveal a time of great human achievement.

So how can the bloody wounds of one Jew be the doorway to eternal life? How can the sufferings of this son of Judah satisfy the Creator in our place? Has God not seen what we have accomplished? Is He blind to the lifestyles we have carved out in His creation? Are we still to believe that God can only be satisfied by the gruesome wounds inflicted upon this pitiful figure? Can we allow ourselves to believe this Jew was the divine Messenger that would become the Servant of His enemies?

Who can describe your wounds, O Lord? Yes we can see the blood and the ripped skin and we can hear your cries, and we can see and understand the sufferings your body endured. But how, O Lord, can we ever touch the depths of your inward sufferings? With what tool do we measure how you suffered for so many sins and in so little time? And where can we find a place where we can touch the spiritual dimensions worthy of the staggering depths of Your sufferings? We cannot, dear Jesus, we cannot.

We are resigned, joyously resigned, to fall before Your cross and worship You. O for a thousand tongues to sing, and how can it be, and O sacred Head now wounded, and lead me to Calvary. There are no words, no human words that will ever suffice in describing what You have done. And there is no expressions of the heart that can be compared with Your scarlet labor. Sacred is the place and hallow is the sight. The stone will soon roll away to be sure, but when I survey that wondrous cross I am undone. It is there I find my life among the dying, and it is there I find comfort in those sufferings. Please continue to bid me to be an audience again and again before this Suffering Servant as He writhes for me. To say I did not deserve this sacrifice is to shamefully state the obvious and make a clumsy attempt at some false humility. Let the awesome spectacle speak for itself, for in the silence of a beaten and bloody corpse the God of all Creation has and will continue to speak forever. Tetelestai...it...is...finished.

The eternal glory of this Servant and His sufferings will always be the clearest looking glass into the heart of the Everlasting God.

Hunting for the Gospel

As an addendum to my post "Apostasy - Do you see it or are you in it?" - I bring you this this message from Shane Hipps. As you read it please understand that Pastor Hipps has preached at Rob Bell's home church and he has been a guest speaker at one of Bell's conferences. See if you can find the gospel.

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We have a ton of fun stuff to get through today. We are today starting a sermon series on the Gospel of John. And my sermon series, as you know, are kind of…I let the Spirit lead; I never know how long they’re going to be and that basically depends on when the Spirit decides to shut off my interest in the subject. So, uh, no…I’m kidding. I will probably go through till about Advent and then we’ll suspend for Advent. We’ll follow the church calendar through Advent and then we’ll pick it up again after that.

Um…let me say a few preparatory comments about the Gospel of John; it’s a very unique gospel. Um…so the people who spend…first of all, there are four gospels, if you don’t know, there are four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They’re in the New Testament of the bible. Gospels are called gospels because they tell the story of the life of Jesus – the “Good News” of the life of Jesus; gospel means, “Good News.”

So, four gospels…three of them (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) were written earlier than John. And those three…scholars — the people who study this stuff for a living — call those three gospels “The Synoptic Gospels.” Synoptic…a delightful word…I encourage you to work that word into casual conversation in the coming week. (Audience laughter) I’m going to show you how – don’t worry. I know it’s intimidating. So, synoptic…syn, the prefix means “together”. Optic means “view” — “view together”. So, the synoptic gospels can be viewed together. And the reason is because they have this incredible commonality. Those three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) draw heavily from the same sources, and so you can literally lay out all three gospels in three columns and you can see how they drew from the same sources, and in some cases not just the same stories, but the same words are used…very, very similar.

So, the way you work this into a casual conversation is you can say something like, “Hey, did you guys see the Presidential debates this last week or so?” The answer would be, “Yes.” “They had kind of a synoptic quality to them, wouldn’t you agree?” (Audience laughter) Sounds very sophisticated, does it not? All it means is you get to see two candidates together, but that’s not nearly as cool sounding…so synoptic…so use that. Again, my challenge to you…I have no spiritual challenge, only that challenge; (Audience laughter) find a way to integrate “synoptic” into your daily vocabulary.

Here’s the deal: so, for the non-synoptic gospel (the Gospel of John) John is a totally different kind of gospel. There are huge portions of John that are found nowhere in the synoptic gospels; and there are all kinds of stories and parables found in the synoptic gospels that are found nowhere in John. John has no parables at all. John is mostly a bunch of long conversations and debates between Jesus and Pharisees and Jesus and disciples, and so it’s…it has this sort of debate quality to it. It’s also…John does something else weird; he talks about really abstract things. Um…so one way to think about the difference between the synoptic gospels (your favorite new word) and John, is uh…one of the things that’s going on (this is a little bit of over simplification, but I think it’s helpful) the synoptic gospels are interested primarily in the exterior (or outer) dimension of the gospel…the exterior or outer dimension; that is those things that you can see, taste, touch, and feel. That’s the outer dimension of the gospel – something visible. John, on the other hand, is concerned mostly with the inner…interior dimension of the gospel; those things you cannot see or taste or touch – the inner dimension of the gospel.

So as a consequence they…they read very differently. For some people (depending on what you prefer in life and how you tend to relate to God), one of those sets of gospels is gonna’ resonate with you more than the other. Umm…so, for example …the interior and the exterior.

Today we’re going to celebrate communion. Communion is an exterior ritual. You’re going to hear some words, you’re going to see some movements, you’re going to move your body, you’re going to taste (in our case) grape juice, you’re going to eat bread; they’re physical, tangible qualities to this external aspect of that ritual. At the same time, when you do this act you will have an internal experience that is hidden from all of us. It is unique to you. So you may experience ….when you taste the bread and the wine you may experience transcendent joy, or nostalgia, or boredom or confusion (laughs). You may wonder why you’re doing it. But the point is that regardless of whatever that internal experience is, none of us can see it; that is what the Gospel of John is chiefly concerned with…exploring this inner dimension of the gospel. You with me so far? Good, great…thank you – I got a little bit of feedback. Uh, so here’s what we’re gonna’ do; we’re gonna’ jump in…I preface all this because what John does right off the bat (the very first set of verses) he does something very, very strange. Uh, so let’s read together John 1:1.

“In the beginning, was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” He (the Word that is) was with God in the beginning, in case you missed that first part (a little repetitive there). “Through Him all things were made, without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (Again, a little repetitive.) “In Him was life and that life was the light of all people.” (All people – not just Christians – all people.) “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” Light shines in the darkness…the darkness has not overcome it.

So here’s what’s going on (this is how John is very different from the other gospels), if you read Matthew or Luke, umm…they’re really interested (like John) in the origins of Jesus. Oh, I should say one other thing if you’re not familiar…that “Word” that John is talking about here in verse fourteen he goes on to say, “That ‘Word’ became flesh and dwelt among us.” So that “Word” that he is referring to is the “Word” and that “Word” becomes Jesus. So, John is talking about the origin of Jesus. Now, Matthew and Luke do the same thing; Matthew traces though the origin of Jesus’ human lineage – the external aspect of Jesus’ origin – his father, his father, his father, his father, his grandfather…all that. So, Matthew traces Jesus back to Abraham (the father of the faith). Luke traces Jesus back to Adam (the father of well, everything…all humanity, right?). But John doesn’t have any interest in that…he skips right over that…he talks about the inner origin of Jesus. So right off the bat you’re setting the tone of the gospel you’re gonna’ be reading.

Another thing that is really, really striking, this is one of the most innovative (that first verse) is one of the most innovative things I’ve ever seen. It’s an extraordinary theological innovation, “In the beginning was the Word.” Word…okay…this is so frustrating to people like me…the Greek word for word (you see, that’s hard to say…how am I supposed to…the word for word) that word, in Greek is “logos.” So anytime you see word it’s actually logos. So, in the beginning was the logos and the logos was with God and the logos was God. Logos! Here’s why this is problematic, uh…like in any language a word can be translated many different ways; and one of the ways you can translate logos into English is the word…”word.” But the problem with that is in our minds when we say the word “word,” you’re just thinking about the words I’m speaking. There is no way that what John meant by logos is what we mean by “word.” In a sense, there is no English equivalent to the word logos. So I actually think it would have been better if (I think it would serve us better) if we would just leave logos in our English bibles. This mysterious, odd, quasi-weird word that really we don’t fully understand, and the reason I think that we should have done that is because for the Jewish audience that’s how they would have read it. In the beginning was the logos? What? Logos had no connection to the Jewish or Hebrew imagination, none whatsoever. But John does something really fascinating…everything that follows is borrowed from the popular music, songs, and poetry of the Hebrew people.

So he takes this really weird word called “logos” that nobody really understands, but then he uses really common phrases and language and poetry and songs to describe what the logos is. So, if you go back into Jewish poetry or songs, what we find is something like this…you can go to a book called the Wisdom of Solomon. Wisdom of Solomon is not found in your bible, it’s found in what’s called the “Apocrypha”, I won’t get into the details of that, but it’s not in your bible, but it’s uh, basically a study of his celebration of wisdom. Listen to how they describe wisdom in this book, “Wisdom is like the light, she is found before it for after this comes night, but it shall not prevail against wisdom. And wisdom was with you Lord, it knows your works, it was present when you made the world.” Can you see the commonalities between their description of wisdom and John’s description of logos?

There’s this whole thing about the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness does not overcome it. Wisdom is like light; wisdom…darkness…night shall not prevail against it. The logos was with God from the very beginning of all time. Wisdom was with God from the very beginning of all time. The logos made all things of the world. Wisdom made all things in the world.

Let’s go to Proverbs speaking now again of wisdom, “The Lord created me…wisdom. At the beginning of His work, when there were no depths I was brought forth. When he established the heavens I was there, then I was the Creator by His side.” Isn’t that amazing? So wisdom…all these commonalities and parallels between wisdom and the logos.

So one of the things that shows us (just so we’re clear), for the Jewish imagination, the Hebrew way of thinking, wisdom wasn’t just, you know making good decisions or getting good advice…that’s kinda’ how we use the word wisdom…we tend to minimize wisdom. For the Jews, wisdom was the very DNA of God; the creative life force that gives birth to all things, that’s what wisdom was…really, really profound stuff.

So John basically comes along and says, “Wisdom was with God. In the beginning was wisdom and the wisdom was with God, and the wisdom was God and that wisdom became flesh.” Wow, beautiful, okay that makes…okay that helps, now I’ve got it connected. So why, (laughs) why wouldn’t John just use the word wisdom (Sophia in the Greek)? Why wouldn’t he just say, “In the beginning was Sophia (not logos)?” This is very confusing; and…and really confusing and it makes my life a whole lot harder cause now I have to try and explain it and you know, John clearly doesn’t think about my needs it’s all his needs (Audience laughter). And umm…so, anyway…whatever.

So, what’s going on? Here’s what John does, this is what when I say it’s one of the most exquisite theological innovations here…watch what John does; logos was not a word you’ll find very much in the Hebrew or Jewish literature…it’s just not part of how they think about things…however, at the same time that John was writing, there were a whole lot of Greek philosophers of religion. And, the Greek philosophers were…wrote extensively about this universal animating life force called the logos.

So John actually (in this case) borrows from the Greeks and says, “In the beginning was the logos,” and the logos was a whole lot like the wisdom that the Jews talked about. Interesting. Let me just say a word or two about logos…just to kind of help us get our heads around this. Again, weird kind of stuff they’re all trying to describe the life force…they’re dealing with the mysteries of, “Why are we all alive? Why are we all doing what we’re doing? Why do we have the needs we have? What is that behind all of this?”

The logos; they use two images to describe the logos…this mysterious, invisible thing…they use symbols to help see it. One of the symbols was “fire”…the logos was fire. Another symbol was they used the Greek word pneuma, which is “air” or “breath”; that’s where we get pneumatic pump from air, wind, breath. So two symbols…fire and breath or fire and air; now why would they use those two symbols to describe this mysterious, quasi-thing called the logos? The reason was fire is the ultimate illuminator. In that day and age without electricity fire is light…fire gives light; so the logos is light. And air, wind or breath is a symbol of life. The reason you can live right now is because you’re breathing in and out, in and out. So for the Greeks, breath was a hugely important understanding of life. So what that means is the logos is the light and life of the world…light and life. Now, watch what John does verse four.

In Him (meaning the logos) was life and that life was the light of all people. So not only does he slip in all these Hebrew/Jewish understandings of what wisdom is, he then goes on to say, “Hey, the Greek understanding of logos I’m just lifting that directly…the light and life.” Here’s why this is so beautiful; here’s what John does – John then goes on to say that logos (or wisdom) became flesh and was Jesus and dwelt among us. John is the ultimate unifier and integrator of two religious systems that have nothing in common; the Jews and the Greeks…nothing in common…nothing at all in common…didn’t even use the same language most of the time. So here John comes along and says, “Hey (to the Jews) you know that thing you talk about…that wisdom…that beautiful wisdom that you talk about? Yeah, that…right. You know that?” And to the Greeks he says, “Hey, you know that logos…that mysterious, beautiful thing with life and fire and light? That, yeah right?” Both of those things, wisdom and logos…they are actually one thing. And they found full and complete expression in the person of Jesus.

So here’s what’s so stunning: at a time when it was unthinkable to try and unify religions, John is basically saying your religion totally valid…I love it…I’m even using your language…and your religion…I love it…it’s beautiful totally valid…I’m even using your language, but I just want you both to know that there’s something bigger than what you’ve got.

There’s something that transcends what you have; it doesn’t nullify what you have, it doesn’t get rid of what you have. It just moves beyond it. So John does this unbelievably beautiful thing of basically saying, “I want to get past the religious divisions among us in our world. I don’t want to get past it…Jesus comes to bring us past it.” Jesus is the ultimate unifier in these various diverse ways of looking at the world. The only way that anyone could ever see that is by looking at the interior (not the exterior).

A black man and a white woman look very different on the exterior, do they not? They look very different from the outside, but on the inside the same longings, same needs, same need for love, for significance, for peace, same need for food…very little separates us on the inside. Now, this is really easy to talk about when you’re talking about people, isn’t it? Yes, people look different on the outside, but in the inside we’re all the same. That’s not what John is doing, he’s doing it with religions.

Mennonites and Muslims, they’re basically the same. No, no, no, no, we’re very different. I beg to differ, right? I mean when you try to do this with religious systems, you’re playing with very dangerous stuff because a religious system…what makes a religion a religion is the thing that makes it different from other religions. A religious identity is derived from what makes it distinct. A religious identity is derived from our boundaries; we sing music this way, that’s what makes us different. We believe Jesus did this and so we follow Jesus that way…that is what makes us different. You don’t even believe in Jesus; we’re different from you in that way. Even religions that have come along and said, “Our religion believes there are no distinction between religions” is in fact, a distinction.

So these…these external things…religion is about making these distinctions…and guess what? That isn’t a bad thing. Having a distinct religious identity marked by some boundaries, knowing how you’re different from other religions isn’t a problem. John isn’t trying to get rid of that, he’s trying to point beyond it. Keep it, but move beyond it.

To lose your religious identity is like losing a sail at sea. The sail is like religion, the wind is the Spirit. You need a sail to catch the wind…to harness the wind, but you gotta’ realize that that sail isn’t the wind. The sail is actually dependent on the wind. See, here’s the crazy thing, the Spirit (the wind), doesn’t need sails in order for it to move about the world.

The sails need the wind. So the Spirit in order for it to move and operate in the world has no need of religion, but we (those of us made the way we are) for some reason need sails in order to catch the wind. We need religious structures, external things we can touch and see and traditions and lineages that teach us so that we can better catch the wind. Now some sails are built better than other sails; some sails are bigger than other sails, some sails are better shaped than other sails and those differences matter. And sometimes, one sail is better than another sail in the same way that some religions are better equipped to catch the Spirit of God. Some religions are not as well equipped to fully capture and be compelled by the Spirit. So it matters what religion you choose. It matters why that religion…why you choose it. It matters what it looks like…how it’s shaped , but don’t ever confuse the sail with the Spirit…the sail with the wind.

Here’s what’s so confusing about this…John comes along and says, “Hey both of you guys you’ve got great sails…both look awesome.” I just want you to know it’s the wind that I’m interested in. He says Jesus became the fullness of that wind. And so along comes us and we create a sail around that person. We go, “Now we’ve got it!” Wooo! It’s just another sail. Just because we claim Jesus as the center of our religion does not make us one and the same with the wind of God. It just means we have another sail. I happen to think it’s a better sail than most other sails. I happen to think it’s a more effective sail than other sails (that’s why I chose this particular sail), but it ain’t the wind.

This is what John is doing and it’s extremely innovative and it’s very unsettling that he’s inviting us beneath and beyond the things that make distinctions between us. He’s pointing beyond the sail to the wind and he desperately wants us to experience the wind…the logos…that animating, creative life force that gives you breath right now in this very moment. That’s what John will be pointing us to, so as we go through this series, that’s what we’re going to be experiencing and exploring is this whole thing of the logos becoming flesh, and the difference between our…how we operate in the world and how God animates everything that is in the world.

And that’s why it says, “It was the life and light of all people.” It didn’t say the light and life of the people who believe in Jesus. This logos affects everybody including Osama bin Laden, as long as he’s got breath in him is a spark of the divine. “It was the life and light of all people.” It didn’t say the light and life of the people who believe in Jesus. This logos affects everybody including Osama bin Laden, as long as he’s got breath in him is a spark of the divine.

Now he has shielded himself from that probably and many of us have to ourselves. So, this morning we’re going to practice right now an external ritual. And my great hope this morning is that in these external elements of bread and grape juice whatever you taste and feel and experience physically with your hands and sight and eyes and mouths, that you will allow that to be part of a sail; that that will be designed to catch the wind of God in our midst this morning. My great hope is that this will propel you beyond these elements into the very presence of God. So I want to invite the leadership team members and people who have agreed to serve to man or woman your stations. We have two stations in the back…

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HT: Apprising Ministries

These types of messages, and these types of beliefs, are essentially non-christian mysticim. They are what is quickly infiltrating the evangelical church and deceiving the average pew dweller who is essentially Biblically ignorant or doctrinally ambivalant. And most disturbing is that this type of teaching is another form of universalism, which is a belief that all men are saved. The message is basically error frrom the first sentence until the last.

The Growing Apostasy – Part II

Scriptural Christianity should consist of the conversion of sinners and the continuing transformation of saints. This post is another perspective of a departure from that description of Scriptural Christianity. I would like to address a certain brand of apostasy that flies well under the discernment radar, and that is even embraced by many who would call themselves “orthodox”.

It is the sin of idolatry and we call it nationalism. It is loving a certain country, a certain economic system, and a certain form of government. And this idolatry has crept into the church and is openly taught as godly, when in fact, it is antichrist. This post is surely exhibit A as it pertains to nationalistic idolatry combined with a blatant carelessness about the teachings of Jesus and the souls of men.

It is a willful disregard for the facts to suggest that America was a Christian nation, and no one has ever provided me with any New Testament teachings that endorse violence by believers against any government for any reason. Hence the Revolutionary War was not Christian or ordained by God. In fact the New Testament never hints at divine support for any violence at the hands of believers. The teachings of Jesus are decidedly non-violent.

But let us examine the post to which I linked juxtaposed against the teachings of Jesus and the epistles of Paul. In this post the author makes a case for superior firearms, referring specifically to policemen. While his suggestion may be valid, it still cannot be tethered to the teachings of Jesus. But the comparison using policemen is not the core of the article, in fact far from it.

The author begins the second paragraph with, "Let’s apply this principle to nuclear weapons for a moment." From policemen to nuclear weapons in one giant leap. He takes the perspective that if America rids itself of nuclear weapons “the “good guys” of the world have essentially armed themselves with pop guns–worthless resolutions, sanctions and threats.” Who are these “good guys”? Are these the same fallen sinners that so many of the reformed persuasion insist are dead in their sins? Are they the same ones which fit the “there are none good” description? So the author is generally calling America and her allies the “good guys”.

Think on that for a moment, and compare that with the theology that the author espouses. Unregenerate sinners are fallen and totally depraved unless they are Americans and then they are the “good guys”. And reading further in the same paragraph the author suggests we fear the intentions of Iran and North Korea. Besides the Scriptural admonition that God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear, where has the New Testament commanded us to worry about the United Nations or the affairs of the fallen league of nations? Where does the gospel fit into all this?

In the last paragraph he makes this statement, “It’s nice to be liked, but when everything you stand for as a nation is at stake, popularity is worth sacrificing.” What does America stand for anyway? Political freedom? Hedonism? Abortion? Sexual freedom? Militarism? As you can see, Christianity has been jettisoned in favor of nationalism. The author ends with this:

“But if we are really willing to disarm and prostrate ourselves in front of possibly the most dangerous threats we’ve yet faced, we’ve already lost.”

Lost what? Christ? Our faith? He suggests that without nuclear weapons we will be disarmed and be prostrating ourselves in front of threats. That sounds similar to Someone who acquiesced to a Roman cross, and who scolded Peter for using a sword instead of telling him to get a bigger sword. Nuclear weapons are a scourge and should have no backing by the church. The entire narrative of the life of Jesus and all His teachings were non-violent. How can we read and believe the Sermon on the Mount and then support the destruction of millions of lost sinners?

Why does this sound so strange to your ears, and why does it seem so liberal and unpatriotic? Because for many decades Christians have been deceived into meshing nationalism with Christianty, and at the awful expense of our faith. We have become comfortable with war and we have allowed ourselves to trade spiritual power for political clout and military might. Our Christian schools brainwash our children from the youngest age to pledge allegiance to a flag, when they should have no other allegiance but to Christ. They are told a revisionist history that suggests that the forefathers were all committed Christians and godly men, and that God was behind the Revolutionary War itself.

And now we are supposed to teach our children that God desires us to be armed with nuclear weapons?? I have been called anything but a Christian from church people who will not entertain even the slightest Biblical perspective that suggests anything but complete and utter patriotism.

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And the disciples asked Him, “Who is our neighbor?”

The Master answered, “All who are naturalized U.S. citizens.”

“What about Muslim Americans?”, they asked.

“No!”, replied the Master, “They are taking over!”.

“What about American gays?”, they inquired.

“No!”, shouted the Master, “I came to call the righteous – don’t forget that!!”

“So should we nuke sinners?”, they wondered aloud.

“You betcha, especially if they are radical Islamists. I’ll make sure none of the elect are killed. I did not choose many Muslims anyway so relax”, said the Great Shepherd.

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Lord, where is the axe head…

Apostasy

Do you see it or are you in it?

Do you honestly and wholeheartedly desire to please the Lord Jesus? Are you genuinely committed to remain faithful to His Word? If you say you are, then read this post and decide once and for all, because the apostasy is here and it is gaining momentum throughout the evangelical world.

There are many new faces among the evangelical landscape with many new and interesting thoughts. Brian MacLaren, Doug Pagitt, Spencer Burke, Marcus Borg, Peter Rollins, Phyllis Tickle, Miroslav Volf, and many, many others. One notable name that has gained prominence, and who is interactive among all these I have mentioned is Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Michigan. He came from an evangelical background but has now has changed course and teaches an emergent message in a post modern reality.

Many mainstream evangelical churches are using his videos and material in their churches. But let us examine an interview and his responses to questions. These are not isolated answers that can be made more clearly orthodox by some of his other teachings. These are accurate representations of what he believes and teaches. He is a husband, a father, and a pastor. His character is not an issue, but his teachings must be confronted and challenged through the prism of Scriptural redemption and the core of the mission of Jesus and His church.

I want to make it clear that I am not attacking Pastor Bell personally or demeaning his office or in any way addressing him apart from what he is teaching. Against that backdrop let us examine this interview:

The interviewer asks: I’m struck by the fact that I don’t hear a lot of explicitly religious language, or mentions of Jesus, from you.

Pastor Bell responds: I think we have enough religious people who are going around trying to convert people. My guard is up when somebody is trying to convert me to their thing. Are you talking to me because you actually are interested in this subject, because you care about me as a human, or am I one more possible conversion that will make you feel good about your religiosity? I don’t have any embarrassment about my religion, and it’s not that I'm too cool, but I would hope that the Jesus message would come through, hopefully through a full humanity. If you have something to say, whether you're religious or not, if it is truly Christian and Jesus-centered, then it will help and be interesting and compelling to people, regardless of their world view. But I’m not just interested in talking to Christians. I'm interested in what does it mean to be fully human.

Bell is suspicious of people spreading the gospel in hopes of converting sinners? I find it difficult to even address that since it seems so at odds with New Testament Christianity. He goes on with, “but I would hope that the Jesus message would come through, hopefully through a full humanity”. Again, what in the world does that mean? Bell continues, “If you have something to say, whether you're religious or not, if it is truly Christian and Jesus-centered, then it will help and be interesting and compelling to people, regardless of their world view.” Are you getting the picture? Tell the martyrs about being interesting and compelling to sinners. Bell finishes with this, “But I’m not just interested in talking to Christians. I'm interested in what does it mean to be fully human” What does it mean to be fully human? Check out the current state of humanity around the world. Is that what it means to be fully human? Again the code speak that doesn’t even address the reason that Bell does not speak very often of Jesus, and armed with just that one fact, we can conclude that he does not teach a Christ centered message. As you can tell much of this new brand of religious jargon is a nebulous language that seems to purposely avoid – the cross. Let’s look at another question.

The interviewer asks: OK, how would you describe what it is that you believe?

Pastor Bell responds: I embrace the term evangelical, if by that we mean a belief that we together can actually work for change in the world, caring for the environment, extending to the poor generosity and kindness, a hopeful outlook. That's a beautiful sort of thing.

The ACLU believes the exact same thing. A hopeful outlook? The environment? That is what defines the belief system of Pastor Bell? Is Jesus any part of it? There is no mention of the gospel of redemption, and in fact, the environment takes the stage ahead of the souls of men. This is abominable and completely at odds with Biblical Christianity. In fact it is not Christianity at all.

The interviewer asks: Is religion a part of that?

Pastor Bell responds: At the heart of the Christian story is resurrection, the belief that this word is good, and that, as a follower of Jesus, a belief that God hasn’t abandoned the world, but is actively at work in the world. Even in the midst of what can look like despair and destruction there is a new creation present.

Men like Bell use the resurrection as some kind of metaphor for newness and recreating the world by solving its problems. As per his tradition, there is almost never any mention of the cross, much less a lifting up the cross as the sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. As you can see Bell’s concept of Jesus is a solver of the world’s problems and not the Redeemer and Savior of men’s souls. I hope you get the picture.

And on and on goes this new emergent Christianity. But at what point do you even question what is being taught? Like a slowly dripping faucet many are allowing this departure since it has come with such clever verbiage and patient unraveling. I implore you to, with humility and with faithfulness, to examine what is being said with neither a charitable nor a judgmental preconception. Examine these teachings with what you know the Scriptures teach with an emphasis on whether Jesus and His cross is being given the prominence it deserves.

A Theory of Everything

The larger parts of the universe are basically understood through Einstein’s theory of relativity. The atomic levels of matter are usually understood through quantum mechanics. But recently scientists, predominantly Stephen Hawkings, have attempted to understand the large and small of the universe through one system that connects both worlds. They call this a quest for a “theory of everything”.

Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End”.

That statement outlines the only “theory” that connects all things created. Being an amateur astronomer myself, I was amazed beyond words when I gazed at the universe and its colossal grandeur. Before I came to Christ it was evident that creation had to have a Creator. But inside I was empty and without any purpose since there seemed to be a fissure in the foundation as it concerned the material universe. And then I noticed that animals did not question their purpose, or investigate the existence of a Divine Being. Only man looked into the heavens and ask “who and why”.

The Scriptures declare Jesus as the Creator. And He is also the Redeemer of men’s souls. When I was born again in 1975 and the Holy Spirit took up residence in my being I not only felt at peace, I realized that Jesus Himself was the theory of everything. It is He alone who brings all things together in understanding and purpose. Regardless of the science or the superior intellect of men anywhere, whether they are aware of it or not, they are searching for Jesus.

We as His followers must give them Jesus. We cannot afford all these new and philosophical constructs that deal thoroughly with almost everything but Jesus. We cannot toss around the name “God” in the abstract and believe we are serving Jesus and His gospel. Many of these new and intellectually sophisticated teachings in the church are nothing more than spiritual discussions that excite the intellect but leave the gospel untouched. But make no mistake, without a Christ centered message we have no message at all.

Please do not be detoured into going after men and their new and increasingly popular teachings that relegate Jesus to an aside. Do not fall prey to others who worship their theology but yet deny the humility and compassion that is Christ. Resist those who teach that sinners without Christ will eventually find grace through some other vehicle. Set your affections on things above, where your life is hidden in Christ with God. There are no other theories, and there is no other way to life but through Jesus. Listen carefully, denying your fleshly interests, and see if you are hearing Jesus lifted up.

And let us all not become satisfied with rejecting the new and emergent teachings, or the limited atonement teachings, or the health and wealth teachings, or all the other teachings that consign men to the adventures and desires of this present world. Let us cultivate aggressively and with humble brokenness our relationship with the Christ. We cannot afford to spend inordinate amounts of time watching and rehearsing the errors of others, we must tend to our own spiritual garden. The Spirit is drawing our hearts to deeper waters, and just being orthodox can be hollow and void.

Jesus the Christ is our everything.

And in the midst of an ever increasing technological world, He remains the answer to life.

We are His children, we are His followers, we are His worshipers, and we are His witnesses.

Amen.

The Feel Good Gospel

in Various Forms

In many circles you will find articles and teachings that confront what is colloquially called the “feel good gospel”. It generally refers to a gospel presentation that is shallow and directed at building one’s self esteem than it is in presenting the Biblical gospel and allowing the Holy Spirit to use that in the hearts of sinners. The general description would apply to many seeker churches that seem to create an artificial ambiance that lends itself to have favorable responses from sinners. That does not apply to all seeker churches, but that description does have some merit with many churches described as seeker. The same might also apply to some “Purpose Driven” church constructs.

However there are a number of other churches that exhibit a “feel good” gospel that fly under the discernment radar. These are the churches that preach the “true and complete” gospel and that dot every orthodox “i” and cross every orthodox “t”. They are very scrupulous in their doctrine, and they are assiduous in their presentation of the gospel. They teach by the expository method, and they have a systematic theology that substantiates everything they believe and dismantles the errors of others. But unwittingly many of these churches preach a “feel good” gospel as well. How is that you ask?

Well, the gospel they preach makes them feel good about themselves and about their orthodoxy, and in so doing, they have undermined the very essence of Christ and the nature of the gospel itself. It is possible to espouse and teach the true and everlasting gospel through the prism of self righteousness. And sometimes these churches form associations, or religious clubs, that are designed to make each other feel good about their brand. And when they hold conferences they are not designed to speak correction or to challenge each other concerning their shortcomings. They are not even meant to present the whited fields before their eyes and elicit compassion and a greater commitment to reach them. Many of their “get togethers” are formatted to preach their own doctrine to themselves and evoke those same good feelings about themselves.

And when most of the conference goers leave the gathering they feel much better about themselves, their doctrine, and their discipleship. And those good feelings are usually accented and enhanced by a number of exposés of the error of others. And so the orthodoxy becomes self righteous expressions of the truth, and God’s power and grace cannot anoint such doctrinal self aggrandizement. But all in all, it makes them feel good.

So the next time you hear someone apply the “feel good” moniker on someone’s gospel, see if that person revels in his own acknowledgement of the truth. Does that person take pleasure in the deception of others? Do they seem upset and concerned about others in error? Are they concerned for the plight of the deceived, or do they display an effervescence in exposing their error?

We did not come to Christ through the prowess of our own spiritual discernment, no, we were drawn and illuminated by God’s Spirit. And any realization of that grace should, no, must manifest a profound humility and a deep concern for those who still stand outside the redemption of Christ. We can joy in Christ and His gospel, but we should never use the errors of others to elevate ourselves to ourselves and make us feel good about ourselves. Let us feel good about Christ and His salvation alone, and ourselves still struggling journeymen of grace.

MESSIAH (χριστος) (משיח)

The Jews had used that word to refer to kings and priests who were anointed in their calling.There had been open pronouncements as well as hidden shadows, all pointing to a future coming of God’s chosen, God’s anointed, and God’s Messiah. Most of the human race felt a deep need to be rescued, and that feeling had produced numerous religions built upon superstition as well as human strength. But unmistakably woven throughout the Old Testament was a vision of a Rescuer, one that would come and deliver His people. The descriptions and metaphors were varied and sometimes confusing.


Some prophecies seemed to describe a powerful ruler, one that would vanquish all His enemies, while others seemed to portray a humble and unlikely servant. But orthodox Jews had always believed that one day a priest and a king would come and deliver Israel from all her enemies. This Anointed One would be after King David and would rule over God’s people from David’s throne. Their vision, although glorious in their sight, was a constricted view that confined the Messiah to Israel and the land that she was given. But that description would prove to be shortsighted and vastly insufficient.


This Messiah would not come to judge Israel’s enemies; this Messiah would come to judge the sins of each and every Jew who called themselves Israelites. No longer would God deal with Israel as a nation, He would now deal with every person individually. This Anointed One would come in disguise. His disguise would not be as a foreigner from another land, no, His disguise would be far more astounding that that, for He would come as one of them. And instead of the loins of Levi, He would come as a son of Judah.


While the Jews would look for Him in a palace nursery, He would arrive in a lowly stable. While they expected royal parents, He came to peasants. While their eyes were on Jerusalem, He graced Bethlehem. As they listened for the hoof beats of His great steed, He arrived through a virgin’s womb. And as they looked for His great throne, He rested in straw. Instead of a robe, he wore strips of common cloth. So came this Messiah.


The Jews assumed this Messiah would come as a Jew and for the Jews, yet the prophet would reveal Him as a “light to lighten the Gentiles”. His ministry would not be restricted to a tabernacle made with hands, and His priestly mission was to all men and women equally. He was sent to the entire earth. So many had predicted He would come with great power, and so He did.



But it was not the kind of power they had assumed, and His mighty power would be wielded through weakness and sacrifice. This king and priest would not be anointed with oil, but with the waters of John’s baptism and the blood of His own veins. His outward appearance would conceal the enormity of His mission and the unassailable dominance He would have over all His enemies.


This Messiah came and fulfilled His ministry and calling. And when He conquered death and the grave, He offered redemption to all sinners everywhere. We were all called to become members of another kingdom, a kingdom of light and not darkness. This Messiah opened a way for all who would to follow, and in His wake came a Spirit, a Spirit that would continue and finish the mission of redemption provided by the Messiah. This Spirit was one with the Messiah, and He would come and speak of the Messiah and provide power for others to speak of Him as well.


This Messiah, the one and only Messiah, still speaks in 2009. His voice is not stopped and His arm is not shortened. He speaks in the mountains of Pakistan and the deserts of the Sudan. He moves among the homes in China and on the Indian reservations of America. He is witnessed openly in Canada and secretly in Iran. He is lifted up high in the great rallies in Brazil and in the hush of prison cells in the United States. He speaks in the marriage ceremonies between two believers and in the memorial ceremonies of saints that have passed. He is testified before congregations by parents of an infant, and He is glorified as a once follower of Charles Manson goes home to His dwelling place.


As the world scurries to figure out how the schemes of men can save the world, this Messiah remains the one and only hope for all mankind. And the leaders of countries who profess to be believing followers of Christ seem to compartmentalize him as religious window dressing. But one day this Messiah will return to be acknowledged of all men. His power and countenance will shame the world and all will bow to His glory. The offer of this Messiah’s redemption remains “now”, but one day the door to His ark will be shut forever. What a thought – fearful and unsettling.


Men continue to play at their games and at their religion, but the Messiah’s return looms ever larger. It would do well for the church of the Messiah to lift Him up higher to a world in desperate need of salvation. While men exert such energy to find national peace and safety, we cannot affort to be distracted from our calling. We must not get entangled with the moral and cultural battles armed with the carnal weapons of political leverage. We are a peculiar people, a holy nation, a people that have been called out of that darkness and into His marvelous light.


We must be armed with the weapons of prayer, God’s Word, and lives that speak of Christ’s redemption. We must sound the clarion call to sinners everywhere – “Believe the gospel and be saved!!”. Spread the salt – uncover the light – build His city on the hilltop - and preach both the words of redemption and the living expressions of God’s grace! The Messiah has come, and He calls men everywhere to believe His gospel and prepare ye the way of the Lord. The time of His coming is nigh, and His glory shall be seen by all people everywhere.

A Sister goes Home

Susan Atkins of the Manson family infamy, became a born again believer in the early 70s. She went home to be with Christ this week. Her life is an amazing pictorial of God’s eternal grace.

This Day

There have been many miraculous and glorious events throughout creation’s history. The day God created all the universe; the day when the Creator reached down and made Adam after His own likeness; the day when God made Eve from Adam; the day when their first child was born; the day of the flood and the day when eight souls stepped out from the ark; the day the earth stood still; the day God called Abram from Ur; the day God’s people crossed the Red Sea; the day Moses received the law; the day God filled Solomon’s Tabernacle; the day Jesus was born; the day Jesus was baptized; the day Jesus was transfigured; the day Jesus was scourged; the day Jesus was crucified; the day Jesus resurrected; the day Jesus ascended; and the day of Pentecost.

But there is no day, in fact not even the sum of all glorious days, that can provide the smallest competition for one coming day. For that day will encompass and swallow up every day before or after it. This day will rise like rushing smoke, holy and powerful, and burn every fiber of everyone who will witness this day. This day will consume the attention of the universe, and this day will stop the hearts and mouths of all who are granted its witness. Endless throngs will fall on this day as if dead, only to rise in the power of the Spirit to offer up the most sacred and resplendent worship on this day.

This day will shake the foundations of heaven and will reverberate throughout the corridors of eternity. This day will unveil grandeur beyond the imagination of any created being, and this day will step aside to uncover unspeakable majesty. No one will consider themselves worthy to exist on this day, and even the meaning of grace will blush in seeming inadequacy. This day has been predestined for the predestined, and this day will be a holy gift from the Father to His Son’s bride. All of history, like billions of rivers, will flow into one colossal ocean in this day. All the many and varied spiritual journies of all the sinners made righteous will on this day find complete unity. This day will usher the redeemed into a prepared eternity that has been heretofore unexpected, unthinkable, undeserved, and completely unimaginable.

What is this day?

Let us remove our shoes and speak with a holy whisper.

For ...

This is the day that the Risen Christ is Revealed in All His Glory.

Your Life is Hid

The unbeliever lives “in the moment” and “in himself” while the believer lives “in forever” and “in Christ”.

Rick Frueh circa A.D. 2009

Who Do You Seek?

Jn.18:4 – Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?

Jn.18:7 – Then asked He them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

Jn.20:15 – Jesus saith unto her, Woman why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?

That question is one of greatest importance in the life of a believer. Who do you seek, if you seek anyone at all? What is our passion and how much does it take to distract us from Him? Well, how can we know if we are seeking Him? How can we be sure we are seeking Jesus and not the desires of our own lives? And how can we be sure we are not just seeking doctrine and theology, but that those things are vehicles through which we are seeking and finding His presence?

Can we experience the presence of God today? And if we can, how can we? I do not speak of emotionalism that relies on a manipulated atmosphere, but I do suggest that even though God’s presence is assuredly with us at all times, there are times where God’s presence is manifested in unusual ways. If we desire to know the presence of God and the power of His resurrection, as well as the fellowship of his sufferings, we must seek to draw close to Him. It will require more than daytimer prayer; it will mean fervent and laborious prayer with tears, an open Bible, and a brokenness that crushes and circumcises our very hearts. In short, as we seek Him we must begin the process of death.

I have watched a documentary called “Grizzly Man” which is the controversial account of a man named Timothy Tidwell. He was consumed with Grizzly bears in Alaska, and he spent thirteen seasons watching and filming their activities. He was roundly criticized for being too close to those huge grizzly bears, but he so desired to know them that he was willing to endure the danger. One day the thing that many had feared became a reality, and one of the bears that so consumed Tidwell, consumed him.

We can only pray that we will get so close to Christ that we will be consumed as well.

A Tree Twice Planted

Somewhere

in Palestine,

several millennia

ago, a tree dropped

a seed to the ground,

and that seed became

lodged in the soil and

began to grow. It was planted by God and became a tree. One day

that tree was cut down and hewn into planks. Those planks were

nailed together and men planted that tree, now reshaped, once

more on a small hill

outside Jerusalem.

This time that tree

was planted by men,

and the God who had

planted it first, now

claimed it bodily. Now

this tree was planted

the second time to kill

God, but without realizing

it, men had planted

their own redemption.
The tree had been planted twice so mankind could live once. The

seeds from that twice planted tree continue to fall in good soil and produce

L

I

F

E

Modern Day Parables

There seems to be a resurgence in parables today, not the ones in the Bible, but new and modern ones. Many of these parables are philisophical constructs that are meant to be thought provoking rather than truth communicating. A man named Peter Rollins seems to be one of the leading story tellers, and his parables are cloaked in paradox and with a certain attempt to dismantle common Biblical thought. Many of his parables place a priority on human works and are almost void of Christ's redemption and His gospel.

Of course the western mindset is always excited to feast on mystery and cerebral challenges, but that same mindset now seems unattracted to and bored with Christ and His cross and resurrection. "We've heard that story, let's move on," seems to be the unspoken attitude. Well I have been led to from time to time present some parables of my own. Here is the first, which is generally in response to this one from Rollins.

****************************************************

The Deception of Good

In a land called Darkness, and at the entrance to a certain bridge called Redemption, there were five people who were suffering from AIDs, and adding to their discomfort they had not eaten in a week. But like an angel from heaven, one man decided to help these five poor people. He brought them nourishing food, he helped them bathe, and he brought them medicine to ease their pain.

Now as this man helped these five people, buses loaded with people kept passing by and crossing the bridge to a land called Eternal Life. Many buses stopped and asked the man if he desired those five people to get on the bus and cross the bridge. They told him that many people like the ones he was caring for were being cared for on the other side of the bridge. They warned him that it was widely believed that the bridge would soon be taken down, and that anyone left on this side would die, which would seem to ultimately countermand all his valiant efforts to help these people.

The man refused and said he wanted to continue to help these five people, after all they were very grateful for his help. Bus load after bus load passed them by and crossed the bridge. Finally God sent an angel to this man to show him where God had already asked everyone to cross the bridge. After listening to this angel read several parts of God’s Word that made it clear that God wanted everyone to cross the bridge that led to safety, the angel asked him one last time:

“Will you and the five others now leave Darkness, cross on Redemption, and go to Eternal Life? You can bring all your food and medicine with you.”

The man, still feeding those five people, answered,

“You do not understand, go back and tell God we are building our own bridge, and in fact, we already live in the land called Eternal Life.”

The angel shook his head in disbelief, astounded at such deception. The angel returned to God. God informed the angel that he had seen and heard all that this man had said and done. God looked at the angel and said sadly,

"Who would have thought that good has become a great deception?"