5.16.2008

25 Signs you may be a dead fundamentalist

I rarely post this way, and this is not meant to be angry so do not misunderstand it. Also, many people will view a post like this as some sort of liberalism, it is not. Much of the comments I make in the post cause me to repent for I know my guilt and some of the dead fundamentalism that still unfortunately plagues me.

You will know them by their fruit…
The fruit of the spirit is, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

:::::Warning signs that you may be a dead fundamentalist…:::::::

1. The majority of the time you read the scriptures it is to gather ammunition to prove someone else wrong.

2. Even when you are not intending gather ammo you tend to enter that mode as soon you begin to read.

3. You often find yourself quoting Ephesians 4:26 to justify your anger, without recognition that in the same verse it is clear that it is a sin to take that anger to bed with you.

4. You cling to Jesus’ words that He did not come to bring peace but a sword thinking that truth applies to you as well… even though He instructs His disciples ‘blessed are the peacemakers’.

5. Anytime someone disagrees with you, you assume them to be ignorant and unbiblical before you examine yourself and the basis of their disagreement.

6. You let everyone else know how biblical you are.

7. Even when around your brothers and sisters in the Lord your discussion is always about battle, and never about the mercies and glories of Christ.

8. You get angry every time someone disagrees with you. (That is your dead fundamental pride.)

9. The primary evidence of your faith is your disagreement with those outside of your faith.

10. You spend more time reading fundamentalist (dead or otherwise) blogs than you do in prayer.

11. People do not like you, and you claim it is because of Christ, but underneath it all you know it is you they are rejecting, not Christ that dwells in you.

12. You cling to the last 2 beatitudes without embodying the rest of them.

13. When you read that you are the salt of the earth you take it to mean that you are to sting people and be coarse.

14. You love to do battle and talk about putting on armor, but you go into battle without ever putting it on.

15. You like to remind everyone that the Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but fail to realize that perfect love casts out fear.

16. You fear the word unity, and when you hear it you instantly assume the speaker to be a liberal heretic.

17. People fear you more than they fear your God.

18. You define a biblical Christian as one who thinks like you, even though your understanding is ever increasing, and things you once thought biblical you now realize aren’t. You fail to accept that you have some unbiblical theology that you will change as it comes to light.

19. After reading the first 18 points you assume the writer of this is a liberal.

20. You think that someone cannot be both Arminian and Christian

21. You think that someone cannot be both Calvinist and Christian

22. You talk much about saving souls, but rarely get to a point of praying with someone and actually doing soul work because your fundamentalism pushes every one away.

23. You always have a verse or some other way of justifying #22.

24. The fruit of the spirit are conceptual to you, but the reality is that you do not bear that fruit.

25. This post brought you to a point of anger and not self examination.

I only write these things, because they are the very things that have caused great struggle in my life as the Lord continues to sanctify me. Many of follies listed above I have been glorious saved from others I find myself returning to. I will be the very first to admit that there are some significant wretched traces of dead fundamentalism in me, and without the blood of Christ the dead fundamentalism in my heart would send me straight to hell.

I hope in some way this post helps someone. Maybe some day I will post 25 signs you may be a humanist liberal.

5.06.2008

Common Words #10 Pray for Me

Contained in Psalm 24 are these words, 'Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord, and who may stand in His holy place, he who has clean hands and a pure heart who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn by what is false.'

Do you understand what you are asking someone when you say 'pray for me'? In essence you are say 'Please enter into the most holy place where angels fear to tread and speak to an all powerful God whom the Seraphs in Isaiah 6 covered their faces in fear of. Once you have entered that place bow down and plead my case before Him.'

See prayer is a majestic thing, not a few words you ramble off before eating your meal. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?? Are your hands clean, is your heart pure? Remember as Christians we make some very bold claims, and yet these bold claims seem to produce in most nothing more than some trite cliches and a pat on the back. You wonder why God doesn't answer prayer? He wonders why you come before Him without humility?

At some point we will need to get real, and if revival is ever to come it will come as a result of people who have been on their faces before God, and have set themselves apart for His sake. Prayer is a majestic thing, do not take it lightly.

People pray about ridiculous things, things they do not even actually care about, and they are dilusional to think that they are having communion with God, they are merely satisfying a ritual they feel inclined to do.

Common Words #9 Heart

(I wrote this post over a month ago, I guess I forgot to post it)

Common Words #9 – I know in my Heart

You cannot trust your heart. It is common in Christian circles for people to talk about their hearts. People say ‘it’s a heart thing’ or ‘I am not sure what the scriptures say but I know in my heart that…’ and so on. When did the Christian begin to trust their heart? Is not the vileness of our hearts what we have been delivered from? How many times must we go after what we feel and find ourselves in sin before we come to realize that our feelings cannot be trusted? This is a serious question. Remember what the scriptures say: "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9. Now if the heart is desperately wicked why do we put confidence in it? At the end of this post are a number of scriptures that show that the heart indeed can be wicked.

The point that is being made on this post is to not trust your heart. Possibly this is just a terminology issue, and what people mean is they trust the Holy Spirit within them, but in that case maybe they should state it that way. In most cases people who talk a lot about what they are feeling in their heart are merely talking about the emotions they are feeling. You cannot trust emotions! This is really important. Go to a professional sporting event and you will see all types of emotion, even total strangers giving each other hugs and high fives. Can you trust that emotion? Of course not, there is not love their, just a mere common interest for a short time which could quickly turn into hatred if one of the strangers fails to follow traffic rules in the parking garage after the game. Even if a group of people sit around and share their feelings and it seems that the Spirit is present this is not necessarily a move of God, even if it is in a ‘Christian’ setting. This is important to see. If the Spirit of God moves it will bring conviction of sin, as well as joy, and ultimately it will leave people glorifying the Lord.

Genesis 6:5
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Psalm 10:3
For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire,And the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD.

Psalm 28:3
Do not drag me away with the wickedAnd with those who work iniquity,Who speak peace with their neighbors,While evil is in their hearts.

Psalm 41:6
And when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood;His heart gathers wickedness to itself;When he goes outside, he tells it.

Psalm 66:18
If I regard wickedness in my heart,The Lord will not hear;

Acts 8:22
"Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you.