Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)
I have really struggled to communicate this, and I hope it is clear. The truths here are simple; the problem is that I am lacking the skill to communicate them simply. Before reading you must recognize that faith and belief are one in the same. If ones faith and belief differ then they are a “double minded man and unstable in all their ways.” So as far as this post is concerned faith and belief are interchangeable. Hopefully you will see why as you read.
There is an important truth that every reader of this post must recognize, and that truth is that EVERYONE EVERYWHERE ALWAYS LIVES WHAT THEY BELIEVE without exception. If this sounds ‘out there’ to you it is because your theology is not practical and it only exists in a vacuum. For example: Do you believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him, and moreover that God’s rewards are far greater than any that man can offer, and that when you seek God with your whole heart you will not be disappointed? You WILL diligently seek Him if you actually believe that, and if you are not diligently seeking Him, it is obvious that you do not believe these truths. Does that make sense? The only other option is that you do believe, you are just insane, literally. For the most part people are sane, they simply do not believe. For the most part I am sane, yet there are times, often, when unbelief sinks in and leads me to sin. There is a tendency for us to believe that we need to start living into the faith we hold, but that is absolutely untrue. The fact is that we ARE living the faith that we hold to, and if our actions are out of line with the faith we profess to hold, then the truth is that our profession of faith is quite different from our faith itself. This is the case for most of us, the author of this post included.
Now people will take exception with what is said above because it appears that if we all sin then we are all unbelievers. That is not what is being said. The truth is that we have areas or moments of unbelief, unless you are perfect (something I personally struggle to believe is attainable, but I will not accept that God is unable to perform that in someone). Unfortunately because our soteriology (doctrine of salvation) is based on a mental ascension to biblical truths as opposed to an actual belief that regenerates (or recreates, and changes) a person, we have come to refuse acceptance of the obvious truth that all sin in some manner results from unbelief. We then throw in even more confusion when we begin to speak of Sovereignty, free will, sanctification and more.
Luther was one of the main archeologists who dug up the old truth of justification by faith alone, but there was still more digging to be done. (God forbid I say Luther was wrong, he just had a further course to run.) Luther never was able to make the connections between faith and works, in fact he was ready to toss the book of James from the cannon. Luther did the church a great service, and it was a couple hundred years later when Wesley uncovered a little more. Wesley showed that not only was Justification by faith alone, but Sanctification was by faith alone as well. With that truth uncovered clarity is brought to James, and though Paul and James play different notes their message is in perfect harmony. Wesley did not finish the job though. Wesley’s theology on predestination and sovereignty is well, lacking to say the least. Equally the ‘reformed’ theologians have made human responsibility ‘free will’ a mere theory, or worse non-existent. Reformed theology rightly asserts God’s in control, but then takes all instances of cause and effect, and human responsibility and writes them off as God pulling marionette strings to get Himself glory.
Can all of this be reconciled? Maybe, but not by this author. It will take the brilliance of a Luther, Calvin, Wesley, or Edwards, of our own time. What will be said here however is this; faith without works is dead. Faith cannot exist apart from works, and more over lack of works (not busyness) is proof of lacking faith. Sin is the result of unbelief. If you sin, you have unbelief. If your life is one of continual disobedience without repentance, than your life is a life of continual unbelief. Unbelief is lack of faith. Justification, and Sanctification are both by faith alone, if you live in continual sin, you have no Justification, and the proof is your lack of Sanctification. (that was a mouthful)
Now, back to Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling…” He is able, do you have faith enough for that? You will never obtain faith by works, but by seeking the Father to grant you faith enough to believe. If you do seek for it, you indeed will receive faith. How will you know the measure of faith you have received? How much victory do you have over sin? How will you know you are justified? Are you being sanctified? Ultimately what does faith/belief produce?
You will know them by their fruits…
I apologize, this was pretty much a stream of consciousness ramble.
8.13.2008
6.20.2008
More on the Issue of Homosexuality
The issue at hand is not so much an issue of sin, it is an issue of repentance. The reason this has become an issue is that the Church as a whole has taken a lax position on sin. Now I understand ultimately Christianity is about grace, and that all who call upon the name of the Lord in brokeness and with a repentant heart will be saved. Now the homosexual community has what appears to be a legitimate beef against the profesing church as a whole, and in a sense they are correct. They ask the question: "What makes us so much different from every other nominal Church member? And why would a church exclude us from Christian service while still allowing unrepentant sinners full access?" The answer to that question in most cases is absolutely nothing! Again I restate that the sexual act between two of the same gender is not the only 'abomination' in the scriptures.
What is the homosexual to think when the unrepentant adulterer or fornicator is allowed full privelege and they are excluded. What about the one who is knowingly sinful in their business practices, why whould that man or woman have full privelege while the other does not? Is not unjust balances (unfair business) also an 'abomination'. You see until the professing church becomes a repentant church they are really in no position to exclude anyone!
This issue within mainline protestant churches be they UMC, PCUSA, ELCA, and so on, serves a major divider, but what happens is that people unite on one issue i.e. abortion, homosexuality, death penalty, and so on, but the majority of those taking are stand are in no position to take a stand. Anytime I am to take a stand on any issue of sin I must first examine myself ask the Lord to expose sin in my life that I may confess and repent. So long as I am harboring sin, and justifying it I cannot take a stand on anything.
What is the homosexual to think when the unrepentant adulterer or fornicator is allowed full privelege and they are excluded. What about the one who is knowingly sinful in their business practices, why whould that man or woman have full privelege while the other does not? Is not unjust balances (unfair business) also an 'abomination'. You see until the professing church becomes a repentant church they are really in no position to exclude anyone!
This issue within mainline protestant churches be they UMC, PCUSA, ELCA, and so on, serves a major divider, but what happens is that people unite on one issue i.e. abortion, homosexuality, death penalty, and so on, but the majority of those taking are stand are in no position to take a stand. Anytime I am to take a stand on any issue of sin I must first examine myself ask the Lord to expose sin in my life that I may confess and repent. So long as I am harboring sin, and justifying it I cannot take a stand on anything.
6.12.2008
Issues of Homosexuality
As I write this post I am at the annual conference of the West Ohio Conference of our denomination, and I am deeply disappointed. In a close vote our conference voted to explore material about homosexuality with an open mind and to seek God’s will concerning inclusiveness. The legislation that passed was not and out and out endorsement of homosexuality as valid and moral expression of human sexuality, however it was a step in that direction. I do not typically post on these issues, because with the primary audience of this blog this is a settled issue, but today I am going to post on this today for various reasons which I will form as questions.
Question #1
Should the Church of Jesus Christ be inclusive?
YES – The Church should be inclusive, actively seeking the lost for the purpose of bringing them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. We should indeed bring the gospel invitation to all people of all colors, gender, class, sexual orientation and so on. I do not believe this to be up for debate and my assumption is that all peoples both liberal and fundamental agree with this.
Question #2
Does nature point to the will of God?
YES – Scripture is clear that the glory of God is revealed through nature in many ways. Nature is a means of inspiration to us, and we can draw countless parallels of nature to Godliness and so on. In a sense we can even consider the revelation of nature as authoritative considering that God holds those who have not heard the gospel accountable based on His truth revealed in nature. (You have to be very careful here.)
Question #3
Does homosexuality occur in nature?
YES – It does, and that really is not up for debate. Murder, rape, polygamy, promiscuity, theft, deception, and so on also occur in nature as well as a plethora of other sins. Moreover sin is natural to all unconverted peoples, as original sin is evident in all of humanity. Natural certainly does not mean excusable.
Question #4
Is there any reason to believe that someone who engages in physically homosexual relations is any less a candidate of salvation than anyone else?
NO – It is important as fundamental Christians that we do not segment homosexual behavior into a separate class away from all sin in general. I know that most agree with this in theory, however in discussion and practice typically fundamental individuals will treat homosexuality in a completely different light than they do other sin. Remember, homosexuality is not the only ‘abomination’ in scripture.
Question #5
Should the Church of Jesus Christ be open to the acceptance of homosexuals into their membership, and moreover allow them to preach, teach, and lead?
YES – Under the condition of repentance, genuine conversion, and repudiation of their sin. A homosexual is as much a candidate for membership and Christian service as any other sinful person. The conditions for their membership and employment in Christian service ought to be no different then any other person. Recall the conversion of any genuine Christian and know that they have been brought to a place of loathing sin and desiring righteousness.
So what is the point??
I have posed 5 basic questions answered them with a simple yes or no and then appended an explanation. The explanations and answers are biblical, however if you remove the explanations and leave the questions as a simple yes or no you could see a very different picture emerge. Look at it this way.
Should the church of Jesus Christ be inclusive? – Yes
Does nature point to the will of God – Yes
Does homosexuality occur in nature – Yes
Is there any reason to believe that someone who engages in physically homosexual relations is any less a candidate of salvation than anyone else? – No
Should the Church of Jesus Christ be open to the acceptance of homosexuals into their membership, and moreover allow them to preach, teach, and lead? – Yes
You see if you just take the questions and the yes or no answer to them you can paint a pretty strong picture that tends to embrace what many call the homosexual agenda. These questions are posed over and over in order to get people to come to the logical conclusion that homosexuality within the Church is proper and acceptable. With out any biblical search into why the answers to these questions are yes or no we will not get a true picture of what God’s will is in this issue.
Now, there is another issue at hand here, and I believe that the forces of wickedness behind the homosexual movement are merely using homosexuality as a decoy. Fundamentalists, Focus on the Family, all the end timers, and so on have become so focused and intent on pulling the weeds of homosexuality out of the church that they have allowed giant oak trees of lust, deceit, divorce, pride, and so on grow with out even noticing. The professing church has completely abandoned holiness, and has even come to the point were she does not even have any real expectation of holiness from its ranks. However everyone feels good about themselves as long as they are against something unholy.
Question #1
Should the Church of Jesus Christ be inclusive?
YES – The Church should be inclusive, actively seeking the lost for the purpose of bringing them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. We should indeed bring the gospel invitation to all people of all colors, gender, class, sexual orientation and so on. I do not believe this to be up for debate and my assumption is that all peoples both liberal and fundamental agree with this.
Question #2
Does nature point to the will of God?
YES – Scripture is clear that the glory of God is revealed through nature in many ways. Nature is a means of inspiration to us, and we can draw countless parallels of nature to Godliness and so on. In a sense we can even consider the revelation of nature as authoritative considering that God holds those who have not heard the gospel accountable based on His truth revealed in nature. (You have to be very careful here.)
Question #3
Does homosexuality occur in nature?
YES – It does, and that really is not up for debate. Murder, rape, polygamy, promiscuity, theft, deception, and so on also occur in nature as well as a plethora of other sins. Moreover sin is natural to all unconverted peoples, as original sin is evident in all of humanity. Natural certainly does not mean excusable.
Question #4
Is there any reason to believe that someone who engages in physically homosexual relations is any less a candidate of salvation than anyone else?
NO – It is important as fundamental Christians that we do not segment homosexual behavior into a separate class away from all sin in general. I know that most agree with this in theory, however in discussion and practice typically fundamental individuals will treat homosexuality in a completely different light than they do other sin. Remember, homosexuality is not the only ‘abomination’ in scripture.
Question #5
Should the Church of Jesus Christ be open to the acceptance of homosexuals into their membership, and moreover allow them to preach, teach, and lead?
YES – Under the condition of repentance, genuine conversion, and repudiation of their sin. A homosexual is as much a candidate for membership and Christian service as any other sinful person. The conditions for their membership and employment in Christian service ought to be no different then any other person. Recall the conversion of any genuine Christian and know that they have been brought to a place of loathing sin and desiring righteousness.
So what is the point??
I have posed 5 basic questions answered them with a simple yes or no and then appended an explanation. The explanations and answers are biblical, however if you remove the explanations and leave the questions as a simple yes or no you could see a very different picture emerge. Look at it this way.
Should the church of Jesus Christ be inclusive? – Yes
Does nature point to the will of God – Yes
Does homosexuality occur in nature – Yes
Is there any reason to believe that someone who engages in physically homosexual relations is any less a candidate of salvation than anyone else? – No
Should the Church of Jesus Christ be open to the acceptance of homosexuals into their membership, and moreover allow them to preach, teach, and lead? – Yes
You see if you just take the questions and the yes or no answer to them you can paint a pretty strong picture that tends to embrace what many call the homosexual agenda. These questions are posed over and over in order to get people to come to the logical conclusion that homosexuality within the Church is proper and acceptable. With out any biblical search into why the answers to these questions are yes or no we will not get a true picture of what God’s will is in this issue.
Now, there is another issue at hand here, and I believe that the forces of wickedness behind the homosexual movement are merely using homosexuality as a decoy. Fundamentalists, Focus on the Family, all the end timers, and so on have become so focused and intent on pulling the weeds of homosexuality out of the church that they have allowed giant oak trees of lust, deceit, divorce, pride, and so on grow with out even noticing. The professing church has completely abandoned holiness, and has even come to the point were she does not even have any real expectation of holiness from its ranks. However everyone feels good about themselves as long as they are against something unholy.
6.05.2008
Losing Salvation
Can a person lose salvation? First off, when this is debated both sides usually are debating from a very humanistic standpoint and arguing about a very cheap salvation. The debate always seems to center around a very selfish idea, “Can I after believing and begin justified still end up in hell?” Can you see the humanism in this question? The debate that follows will have two sides armed with scriptures being quoted to support the case that you cannot end up in hell if you have truly believed, or to prove that one can still end up in hell even if they have believed unto salvation at some point. Unfortunately the debate is of no value at the outset, and the question of whether or not a person can end up in hell after initially believing is nearly a sinful question to even ask. Since when was salvation all about heaven and hell? In fact is salvation at all about heaven and hell? Certainly the ‘saved’ will end up in heaven, and the ‘unsaved’ will end up in hell, that is a statement of fact, but what is the purpose of salvation?
We must again revisit the three tenses of salvation and examine what the whole purpose of salvation in order to assess whether this point of contention is even worth debating, or if there is even really a point of contention.
There is the past tense of salvation: “I have been saved from the penalty of sins committed in the past.” We call that justification. Some would say at the point of justification we are also forgiven for sins we will commit in the future as well, personally I am ok with that, and even agree to an extent with that.
There is also the future tense of salvation: “I will be saved from the presence of sin in an eternal heaven.” We call this glorification. I think there is little debate on this, and that everyone would agree that the future tense of salvation includes a sinless heaven.
Then there is the present tense salvation: “I am being saved from the power of sin right now.” We call this sanctification. Now there is a lot of debate on sanctification, can someone be made perfect and sinless right now, or is sanctification an ongoing process and so on. That is a legitimate debate, I have a hard time believing anyone to be perfected, but at the same time I do not dare make a claim that the Holy Spirit is unable or even unwilling to perfect someone.
So we come back to our question, can someone lose salvation? You need to specify what you mean by salvation. Can someone become ‘unjustified’ and have to pay the penalty for sins they have already been forgiven of? Of course not! Can someone enter into a sinless heaven and sin? Well, it wouldn’t be a sinless heaven if there was still the chance of sinning. Clearly glorification as well as justification cannot be lost. You will not sin when you are glorified, and sins past will not be counted against us at the point of being justified.
So can someone lose salvation? Well in the present tense the answer must, if we are to be honest, be yes. It is clear that men and women are prone to backsliding, even the most devoted of believers backslide, and the sins that at one point we had power over, and were saved from, we at times commit again. We have lost present tense salvation from the power over that particular sin. People then want to ask the question whether or not they can go to hell or not based on that backsliding. That is were the whole debate begins, but why? Who cares about heaven and hell if we are not as close to the Lord right now as we once were, or as we desire to be? Do you not see it? So many people want to know whether or not they still get to go to heaven after they sin and they miss the whole point! Do they not want restored to present tense salvation again? Forget about heaven and hell for a minute, the Kingdom of God is at hand! Maybe the real reason you debate this so much is that you do not have a strong desire for salvation in the present tense. You are too worried about convincing people that you are sealed and that Christ will not let you go to enjoy and long for present tense salvation. Or on the other hand you may be too worried that you have lost salvation to realize that the Lord came to give you present tense salvation. Moreover God gets the most glory when He works present tense salvation in His people, so concern yourself with His glory and seek present tense salvation! Forget the silly once saved always saved debate that you find so important and begin to work out your present tense salvation with fear and trembling, and also with great joy and comfort in the presence of the Lord.
I hope that all made sense.
We must again revisit the three tenses of salvation and examine what the whole purpose of salvation in order to assess whether this point of contention is even worth debating, or if there is even really a point of contention.
There is the past tense of salvation: “I have been saved from the penalty of sins committed in the past.” We call that justification. Some would say at the point of justification we are also forgiven for sins we will commit in the future as well, personally I am ok with that, and even agree to an extent with that.
There is also the future tense of salvation: “I will be saved from the presence of sin in an eternal heaven.” We call this glorification. I think there is little debate on this, and that everyone would agree that the future tense of salvation includes a sinless heaven.
Then there is the present tense salvation: “I am being saved from the power of sin right now.” We call this sanctification. Now there is a lot of debate on sanctification, can someone be made perfect and sinless right now, or is sanctification an ongoing process and so on. That is a legitimate debate, I have a hard time believing anyone to be perfected, but at the same time I do not dare make a claim that the Holy Spirit is unable or even unwilling to perfect someone.
So we come back to our question, can someone lose salvation? You need to specify what you mean by salvation. Can someone become ‘unjustified’ and have to pay the penalty for sins they have already been forgiven of? Of course not! Can someone enter into a sinless heaven and sin? Well, it wouldn’t be a sinless heaven if there was still the chance of sinning. Clearly glorification as well as justification cannot be lost. You will not sin when you are glorified, and sins past will not be counted against us at the point of being justified.
So can someone lose salvation? Well in the present tense the answer must, if we are to be honest, be yes. It is clear that men and women are prone to backsliding, even the most devoted of believers backslide, and the sins that at one point we had power over, and were saved from, we at times commit again. We have lost present tense salvation from the power over that particular sin. People then want to ask the question whether or not they can go to hell or not based on that backsliding. That is were the whole debate begins, but why? Who cares about heaven and hell if we are not as close to the Lord right now as we once were, or as we desire to be? Do you not see it? So many people want to know whether or not they still get to go to heaven after they sin and they miss the whole point! Do they not want restored to present tense salvation again? Forget about heaven and hell for a minute, the Kingdom of God is at hand! Maybe the real reason you debate this so much is that you do not have a strong desire for salvation in the present tense. You are too worried about convincing people that you are sealed and that Christ will not let you go to enjoy and long for present tense salvation. Or on the other hand you may be too worried that you have lost salvation to realize that the Lord came to give you present tense salvation. Moreover God gets the most glory when He works present tense salvation in His people, so concern yourself with His glory and seek present tense salvation! Forget the silly once saved always saved debate that you find so important and begin to work out your present tense salvation with fear and trembling, and also with great joy and comfort in the presence of the Lord.
I hope that all made sense.
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.
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.
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.
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.
4.03.2008
Common Words #8 Just Believe
Mark 8:34
And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
The call to discipleship has never changed, nor will it ever change. Unfortunately we have reduced the gospel call to follow hard after Jesus into a few mental ascensions, pay a tithe, and show up to church whenever it is open. Of course if someone comes along saying there is more to it they get labeled a legalist, or ‘holier than thou’ and so on. Their argument is that ‘All you need to do is believe’ and ‘we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone’ and so on. These phrases are true, if someone ‘just believes’ they certainly will be saved, and they will be disciples of Christ. The problem is that a large portion of professed Christendom is actually atheist at best, and pagan at worst. That is a bold claim, but unfortunately it is true.
Just Believe…
If we believe that the Lord loves us, that He is all wise, all powerful, and all righteous and that He seeks to do good to those who love Him, then disobedience to His commands is insane. Think about it, the ultimate supreme power of the universe wants what is absolutely best for you and in that great love for you He gives you a command to obey, and you say NO! You fool!! Are we saved by keeping commands? No, but if we actually believe what we say we believe keeping God’s commands becomes a very natural thing.
Tell me this how can you just believe? If you believe it is going to be cold outside you pack a coat. If you believe you are going on a long drive you make sure you have gone to the bathroom before you leave. If you believe in Jesus Christ, and His promises and commands then you produce actions in accordance with that belief.
Now if you say you believe, but that belief produces no action the reality is that you do not believe. You might as well admit it! You believe what the Lord says about lust? Then why do you not seek to destroy it. You know what the Lord says about money? Why do you not use your monies as He commands? The truth is that if you believed you would act upon that belief! There are many people who profess a good profession but live no different than an atheist, and in truth they are atheists who have labeled themselves Christian.
I do not want to be hard, and know that God does love all people, and desires people. His commands are born out of that love, and are for our good. I do not point out this whole inadequacy of professing Christianity to make me feel good about myself, or to beat up people. The point is to love people enough to open their eyes the beauty of a real vital relationship with Christ, and not let them be satisfied with a unreal relationship with the King of Kings.
(I began this post a while ago and lost my train of thought so I will post it and leave it just as it is. I know it is not one of my better postings. I really want to move on to something new.)
And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
The call to discipleship has never changed, nor will it ever change. Unfortunately we have reduced the gospel call to follow hard after Jesus into a few mental ascensions, pay a tithe, and show up to church whenever it is open. Of course if someone comes along saying there is more to it they get labeled a legalist, or ‘holier than thou’ and so on. Their argument is that ‘All you need to do is believe’ and ‘we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone’ and so on. These phrases are true, if someone ‘just believes’ they certainly will be saved, and they will be disciples of Christ. The problem is that a large portion of professed Christendom is actually atheist at best, and pagan at worst. That is a bold claim, but unfortunately it is true.
Just Believe…
If we believe that the Lord loves us, that He is all wise, all powerful, and all righteous and that He seeks to do good to those who love Him, then disobedience to His commands is insane. Think about it, the ultimate supreme power of the universe wants what is absolutely best for you and in that great love for you He gives you a command to obey, and you say NO! You fool!! Are we saved by keeping commands? No, but if we actually believe what we say we believe keeping God’s commands becomes a very natural thing.
Tell me this how can you just believe? If you believe it is going to be cold outside you pack a coat. If you believe you are going on a long drive you make sure you have gone to the bathroom before you leave. If you believe in Jesus Christ, and His promises and commands then you produce actions in accordance with that belief.
Now if you say you believe, but that belief produces no action the reality is that you do not believe. You might as well admit it! You believe what the Lord says about lust? Then why do you not seek to destroy it. You know what the Lord says about money? Why do you not use your monies as He commands? The truth is that if you believed you would act upon that belief! There are many people who profess a good profession but live no different than an atheist, and in truth they are atheists who have labeled themselves Christian.
I do not want to be hard, and know that God does love all people, and desires people. His commands are born out of that love, and are for our good. I do not point out this whole inadequacy of professing Christianity to make me feel good about myself, or to beat up people. The point is to love people enough to open their eyes the beauty of a real vital relationship with Christ, and not let them be satisfied with a unreal relationship with the King of Kings.
(I began this post a while ago and lost my train of thought so I will post it and leave it just as it is. I know it is not one of my better postings. I really want to move on to something new.)
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