Monday, 5 May 2008
Richard Dawkins Looses His Cool
David Quinn (a Catholic commentator and journalist from Ireland) makes Richard Dawkins (Atheism’s best of the best) lose his cool in the following audio clip from Way of the Master Radio. I am certain that you will enjoy this 16 minute audio clip.
Hillary Clinton to speak at Rick Warren’s “church.”
Pro-abortion presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will speak at Rick Warren’s “church” during his global conference on AIDS.
The great falling away has begun!
Crosstalk did a show featuring Brannon House on this topic. To listen, click here. Listen to details from last year’s AIDS conference (in which Barack Obama was a guest) by clicking here.
Saturday, 3 May 2008
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
What is the Emerging Church Movement?
Technically speaking, the Emerging Church Movement is a re-packaging and re-imagining of liberal and Neo-Orthodox theology and thinking in a post-modern context. Put more simply, it is a reaction by liberal fringe theologians against the mass marketing and commercialization of Christianity by the mega-churches and the church growth movement.
If the Emerging Church Movement were a political party, they’d be the ‘Green Party’; having vaild complaints about commercialization but whose solutions are actualy worse than the problems their trying to correct.
The hallmark of their doctrinal and theological position is that it is fluid and indefinable. They spend a lot of time conversing about and nuancing theological theories. The more novel, creative and abstract the theory, the more they love it and converse about it.
Emerging is a great term for them because in reality they never arrive anywhere. In fact, one of the primary leaders within the movement is Brian McClaren. He is the author of one of the main books in the Emerging Movement called, A Generous Orthodoxy. One of McClaren’s key ‘talking points’ is that certainty and faith are mutually exclusive concepts. I call this, “McClaren’s Principle of Uncertainty.” This ‘principle’ is at the very heart and center of the Emerging Movement.
It would not be an overstatement to say that Mclaren is vehemently hostile to the idea that we can claim any degree of certainty about any point of truth. (And this hostility is mirrored by many followers of the Emergent Movement)
McClaren states over and over and over in his books and lectures that he despises every hint of certainty or assurance. He claims that it is arrogant and unspiritual to speak dogmatically about any point of spiritual truth.
McClaren’s favorite whipping boys are Radio Preachers. He says it makes him angry to listen to Christian radio and hear preachers who seem so sure that the doctrines they believe and teach are really true.
Brian McLaren's opinion is that “Authentic humility”, must start with a refusal to insist on the absolute truth of any given proposition.
I don’t know how anyone can miss the blatant contradiction in McClaren’s position. On the one hand, he despises anyone who seems sure that the doctrines they believe are true. Yet, McClaren is absolutely certain that his doctrine of uncertainty is absolutely true.
It is precisely this principle of uncertainty that makes the Emergent Movement so seductive and dangerous. On the one hand, the Emergents appear loving, tolerant, and open minded to all religious views. On the other hand, this uncertainty robs Emergents of the promises held out to us in the scriptures for our salvation.
The saddest and most dangerous example of this is seen in how the Emerging Church deals with Christ’s Death on the Cross.
Emergent leaders and followers openly attack the doctrine of Christ’s sacrificial atonement for the sins of the world in their writings, lectures and websites. The Emergents argue that, the penal substitionary theory of the atonement is only one of many explanations for Jesus’ death on the cross. Because Emergents value uncertainty, anyone making the exclusive and certain claim that Jesus died for our sins, is rejected and ridiculed.
When I’ve tried to discuss the scriptural support and evidence for Jesus’ death on the cross as a sacrifice and atonement for our sins with Emergent followers, I was told that, “Scripture simply does not propose a theory of cohesive theology of atonement.” That “it’s only one theory and only one aspect of the atonement.” While other Emergent followers were openly hostile to the idea that Jesus died for them by saying things like, “I don’t want to have the guilt of having someone die for me” and, “the idea that God punished Jesus for my sins is repugnant to me because it sounds like cosmic child abuse.”
The Bottom Line: The Emergent Movement claims to be a church movement, but the fruit of this fad is utter uncertainty and an absolute denial of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus death on the cross for our sins.
These two facts alone are enough to brand the Emerging Movement as heretical and anti-Christian. This is also why I’ve started the Post-Emergent Movement. People in the Emerging Movement need a real alternative to the lies and uncertainty that their being fed by leaders such as McClaren and McKnight.
For those within the Emerging Church, I would assure them that scripture offers humanity a sure and certain faith in Jesus Christ. The scriptures tell us plainly and clearly that God is offering all of humanity salvation and peace with Him through the victorious death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. These promises are true, these promises can be believed with certainty and these promises can set you free from the tyranny of uncertainty. In short, Jesus Christ died for YOU. Repent and believe the Gospel!
Pop Goes the Church
Listen carefully to how they decide what they are going to preach about at Grainger.
Then compare what you hear to what scripture says:
2Tim. 4:1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Titus 1:7 For an overseer,as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Then compare what you hear to what scripture says:
2Tim. 4:1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Titus 1:7 For an overseer,as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Monday, 28 April 2008
Do Today's Churches Give God a Subordinate Role? (John Macarthur)
'Many in the church today believe that the only way to reach the world is to give the unchurched multitudes what they want. . . Subtly the overriding goal is church attendance and worldly acceptability rather than a transformed life. Preaching the Word and boldly confronting sin are seen as archaic, ineffectual means of winning the world. After all, those things actually drive most people away. Why not entice people into the fold by offering what they want, creating a friendly, comfortable environment, and catering to the very desires that constitute their strongest urges? As if we might get them to accept Jesus by somehow making Him more likable or making His message less offensive. That kind of thinking badly skews the mission of the church.
The Great Commission is not a marketing manifesto. Evangelism does not require salesmen, but prophets. It is the Word of God, not any earthly enticement, that plants the seed for the new birth (1 Peter 1:23). We gain nothing but God's displeasure if we seek to remove the offense of the cross.
Something is wrong with a philosophy that relegates God and His Word to a subordinate role in the church. It is clearly unbiblical to elevate entertainment over biblical preaching and worship in the church service. Sadly, some actually believe that their salesmanship can bring people into the kingdom more effectively than a sovereign God - a philosophy that has opened the door to worldliness in the church.'
Tony Campolo Quotes
Some christian leaders look up to Tony Campolo. What's even more scary is that some christian youth pastors look up to him and consider Campolo to be a mentor of theirs. I get nervous when I realize this.
How is a parent to know how much of Campolo's teachings are trickling down through their youth pastors to the teenagers as these teens attempt to learn true biblical doctrine through a trusted youth pastor?
If you're a parent or a teenager whose youth pastor mentions his admiration for Tony Campolo please take a look at some of these quotes of his and you let me know if you're comfortable with anyone looking up to Tony Campolo as a mentor or as a christian leader:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Beyond these models of reconciliation, a theology of mysticism provides some hope for common ground between Christianity and Islam. Both religions have within their histories examples of ecstatic union with God, which seem at odds with their own spiritual traditions but have much in common with each other."
-Tony Campolo
(Page 149, Speaking My Mind)
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"I am saying that there is no salvation apart from Jesus; that's my evangelical mindset. However, I am not convinced that Jesus only lives in Christians"
-Tony Campolo
(National Liberty Journal, 8/99)
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"...what can I say to an Islamic brother who has fed the hungry, and clothed the naked? You say, "But he hasn't a personal relationship with Christ." I would argue with that. And I would say from a Christian perspective, in as much as you did it to the least of these you did it unto Christ. You did have a personal relationship with Christ, you just didn't know it."
-Tony Campolo
EVANGELICALS AND INTERFAITH COOPERATION, An Interview by Shane Claiborne
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"We cannot allow our theologies to separate us" (speaking on the relations between Muslims and Christians)
-Tony Campolo
EVANGELICALS AND INTERFAITH COOPERATION, An Interview by Shane Claiborne
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"What can we learn about that kind of spirituality that can help us find common ground? No theological statements were made, no compromising beliefs, no attempts to come to a common denominator. And yet, a kind of spiritual oneness.
That's the place where we come together, in common need and common suffering, as we reach out to one another in love, leaving judgment in the hands of God, sharing out of our own faith. I mean the last thing we are asking in those times is—is your theology the same as mine?—and vice-versa. All of the sudden in the hour of suffering there is a commonality. And that's where we meet. It's in mystical spirituality and in communal mutuality that's where we come together."
-Tony Campolo
EVANGELICALS AND INTERFAITH COOPERATION, An Interview by Shane Claiborne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It seems to me that when we listen to the Muslim mystics as they talk about Jesus and their love for Jesus, I must say, it's a lot closer to New Testament Christianity than a lot of the Christians that I hear. In other words if we are looking for common ground, can we find it in mystical spirituality, even if we cannot theologically agree, Can we pray together in such a way that we connect with a God that transcends our theological differences?"
-Tony Campolo
EVANGELICALS AND INTERFAITH COOPERATION, An Interview by Shane Claiborne
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
""Beyond these models of reconciliation, a theology of mysticism provides some hope for common ground between Christianity and Islam. Both religions have within their histories examples of ecstatic union with God ... I do not know what to make of the Muslim mystics, especially those who have come to be known as the Sufis. What do they experience in their mystical experiences? Could they have encountered the same God we do in our Christian mysticism?"
-Tony Campolo
"Speaking My Mind", pages 149-150
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"Jesus is the only Savior, but not everybody who is being saved by Him is aware that He is the one who is doing the saving"
-Tony Campolo
EP News Service, Oct. 4, 1985
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"...during times of reflection I sensed that believing in Jesus and living out His teachings just wasn't enough. There was a yearning for something more, and I found that I was increasingly spiritually gratified as I adopted older ways of praying--ways that have largely been ignored by those of us in the Protestant tradition. Counter-Reformation saints like Ignatius of Loyola have become important sources of help as I have begun to learn from them modes of contemplative prayer. I practice what is known as "centering prayer," in which a sacred word is repeated as a way to be in God's presence."
-Tony Campolo
"Mystical Encounters for Christians"
www.beliefnet.com
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"I've got to push everything out of mind save the name of Jesus. I say His name over and over again, for as long as fifteen minutes, until I find my soul suspended in what the ancient Celtic Christians called a "thin place"--a state where the boundary between heaven and earth, divine and human, dissolves. You could say that I use the name of Jesus as my koan."
-Tony Campolo
"Mystical Encounters for Christians"
www.beliefnet.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Today, some of the most spiritual people I know claim to be without religion."
-Tony Campolo
"Mystical Encounters for Christians"
www.beliefnet.com
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"He saved us in order that He might begin to transform His world into the kind of world that He willed for it to be when He created it. … When Jesus saved us, He saved us to be agents of a great revolution, the end of which will come when the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our God”
-Tony Campolo
"It's Friday but Sundays Coming", page 106
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"Our call is to be God’s agents, to rescue not only the human race but the whole of creation.”
-Tony Campolo
TEAR TIMES, “Why care for creation?” 1992
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"...Isn’t God’s message to sinful humanity that He sees in each of us a divine nature of such worth that He sacrificed His own Son so that our divine potentialities might be realized? ... The hymn writer who taught us to sing “Amazing Grace” was all too ready to call himself a “wretch” ... Forgetting our divinity and over-identifying with our [Freudian] anal humanity... Erich Fromm, one of the most popular psychoanalysts of our time, recognized the diabolical social consequences that can come about when a person loses sight of his/her own divinity ...”
-Tony Campolo
"Partly Right" 1995
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“What I am trying to say is that Jesus who incarnated God 2,000 years ago is mystically present and waiting to be discovered in EVERY person you and I encounter”
-Tony Campolo
"A Reasonable Faith" 1983 page 171
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“I do not mean that others represent Jesus for us. I mean that Jesus actually is present in each other person."
-Tony Campolo
"A Reasonable Faith" 1983 page 192
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“That a new humanity will be brought forth from this Christ consciousness in each person."
-Tony Campolo
"A Reasonable Faith" 1983 page 65
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“One of the most startling discoveries of my life was the realization that the Jesus that I love, the Jesus who died for me on Calvary, that Jesus, is waiting, mystically and wonderfully, in every person I meet. I find Jesus everywhere."
-Tony Campolo
an address at Prestatyn in the UK, 1988
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“There is a feminine side of God. I always knew this ... It is this feminine side of God I find in Jesus that makes me want to sing duets with Him ... Not only do I love the feminine is Jesus, but the more I know Jesus, the more I realize that Jesus loves the feminine in me. Until I accept the feminine in my humanness, there will be a part of me that cannot receive the Lord's love. ... There is that feminine side of me that must be recovered and strengthened if I am to be like Christ ... And until I feel the feminine in Jesus, there is a part of Him which I cannot identify.”
-Tony Campolo
"Carpe Diem: Seize the Day", 1994, pages 85-88
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"going to heaven is like going to Philadelphia....There are many ways....It doesn't make any difference how we go there. We all end up in the same place."
-Tony Campolo
"Carpe Diem: Seize the Day", 1994, pages 85-88
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"Anyone who resists the notion of women preachers is functioning as a tool of the devil."
-Tony Campolo
opening session of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's general assembly June 26, 2003
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"When in fact we live in a society that makes life hell for gays and lesbians, this community has got to stand up and say, 'We're on your side as you struggle for dignity,' and, 'Yes, we will defy anybody who says otherwise, even if we have to go to Disneyland to prove it.'"
-Tony Campolo
"Campolo: Opposition to women preachers evidence of demonic influence"
Jun 27, 2003, By Gregory Tomlin,Baptist Press
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"I have already made the point that we need to have to win people to Jesus Christ, but we must also preach the whole Gospel which not only calls people to love Jesus but to bring His justice into the political and economic arena in which we live."
-Tony Campolo
"Campolo: Opposition to women preachers evidence of demonic influence"
Jun 27, 2003, By Gregory Tomlin,Baptist Press
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"On the other hand, we are hard-pressed to find any biblical basis for condemning deep love commitments between homosexual Christians, as long as those commitments are not expressed in sexual intercourse."
-Tony Campolo
"20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid To Touch", page 117
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"One of the meanest arguments against public schools comes from alarmists who contend that public school students can be forced to study under homosexuals and might even be subjected to homosexual seduction. This contention makes me furious - not because I believe there are no homosexuals in the public school system, but because of the implication that homosexuals are some kind of special threat to children."
-Tony Campolo
"20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid To Touch", page 84
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm not convinced that Jesus only lives in Christians."
-Tony Campolo
Charlie Rose show on January 24, 1997
----WOW! If you need more, I'm sure I can find more but I believe this ought to be plenty to convince any true christian to avoid Tony Campolo at all costs. How can a christian hold up Tony Campolo as a mentor with comments like these, especially someone who is involved in teaching the youth?
Thursday, 24 April 2008
The Physics Parable (Paul Washer)
"He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:"
Matthew 13:11-14
Oprah Is a Better 'Christian' Than You
Proof that it's possible to be so open-minded that your brain leaks out.
The funny thing is that their own New Age theology contradicts itself. They will tell us that our narrow-minded belief that there is only one way to God (John 14:6) is wrong, and that we should allow for the possibility that there are "many paths" to God, or what they refer to as "spiritual freedom." At the same time, they refuse to consider the possibility that they might be wrong. This is the epitome of hypocrisy. By saying, in essence, that they have a monopoly on truth, they end up doing exactly what they accuse us of doing.
Sorry, Oprah. I'm going to have to pass on this "new spirituality." Call me narrow-minded, but a narrow mind is still better than none.
The funny thing is that their own New Age theology contradicts itself. They will tell us that our narrow-minded belief that there is only one way to God (John 14:6) is wrong, and that we should allow for the possibility that there are "many paths" to God, or what they refer to as "spiritual freedom." At the same time, they refuse to consider the possibility that they might be wrong. This is the epitome of hypocrisy. By saying, in essence, that they have a monopoly on truth, they end up doing exactly what they accuse us of doing.
Sorry, Oprah. I'm going to have to pass on this "new spirituality." Call me narrow-minded, but a narrow mind is still better than none.
On Asking Jesus Into Your Heart
I do not believe that the Scriptures teach, nor that we should lead people to believe, that sinners are saved by “asking Jesus into their hearts.” Yet in making this point it is easy to create a number of misconceptions. What follows are six points I shared with the church last night to put this issue in biblical perspective.
1. Throughout Scripture, the biblical response to the gospel is to repent and believe.
From the preaching of Jesus, to Peter, to Paul, our proper response to the gospel is always centered upon faith/repentance. Jesus said in Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (cf. Matt 4:17; Acts 2:38, 16:30, 17:30; Rom 10:9).
2. The Bible never commands anyone to be saved by “asking Jesus into his heart.”
On several occasions we see people called to respond to the gospel. In some instances, the hearers directly ask the question, “What must I do to be saved?” As Jesus and his apostles address this issue, we see people called to repent. We see people called to believe. We never see anyone told to “ask Jesus into his heart.” Never. Not even once.
3. Nevertheless, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, does come to live within us.
Although we are never commanded to ask Jesus into our hearts in order to be saved, it is true that Christ does come to dwell within us through his Spirit. Paul said in Galatians 4:6: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” We would not want anyone to conclude that a caution against a formulaic prayer to “ask Jesus in” is in effect denying the reality of his presence in the life of a believer.
4. It is a good and right desire to long for the presence of Christ within us.
Even more so, I would argue that the desire to commune with Christ and experience his work in us is a good and biblical thing. Paul commands us in Ephesians 5:18 to “be filled with the Spirit.” We should desire and seek his ongoing work in us through his Spirit.
5. However, the way in which Christ comes to dwell within us is through faith.
I believe this is the key issue. The point is not to say that Jesus doesn’t give us his Spirit, or that we shouldn’t desire to have him in our life. The main issue at hand is how does this happen (not to mention the importance of stressing the objective nature of what Christ has done outside of us)? How is it that Christ comes into a person’s life? The answer: through faith. Paul prays in Ephesians 3:17: “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…”
6. Therefore, our emphasis in calling people to respond to the gospel should be not on a particular prayer, but biblical faith.
Believe me. I want Jesus in my people’s life. I want him to commandeer their hearts and set himself up on the throne of their thoughts and affections and actions. I want them to know the internal peace of Christ’s external work on their behalf through his life death and resurrection. I want them to love the Holy Spirit and the fruit he would produce. And for these reasons, I must do what the biblical writers do. Set forth Christ in all of his glory and grace, and urge everyone who has ears to hear to believe!
1. Throughout Scripture, the biblical response to the gospel is to repent and believe.
From the preaching of Jesus, to Peter, to Paul, our proper response to the gospel is always centered upon faith/repentance. Jesus said in Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (cf. Matt 4:17; Acts 2:38, 16:30, 17:30; Rom 10:9).
2. The Bible never commands anyone to be saved by “asking Jesus into his heart.”
On several occasions we see people called to respond to the gospel. In some instances, the hearers directly ask the question, “What must I do to be saved?” As Jesus and his apostles address this issue, we see people called to repent. We see people called to believe. We never see anyone told to “ask Jesus into his heart.” Never. Not even once.
3. Nevertheless, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, does come to live within us.
Although we are never commanded to ask Jesus into our hearts in order to be saved, it is true that Christ does come to dwell within us through his Spirit. Paul said in Galatians 4:6: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” We would not want anyone to conclude that a caution against a formulaic prayer to “ask Jesus in” is in effect denying the reality of his presence in the life of a believer.
4. It is a good and right desire to long for the presence of Christ within us.
Even more so, I would argue that the desire to commune with Christ and experience his work in us is a good and biblical thing. Paul commands us in Ephesians 5:18 to “be filled with the Spirit.” We should desire and seek his ongoing work in us through his Spirit.
5. However, the way in which Christ comes to dwell within us is through faith.
I believe this is the key issue. The point is not to say that Jesus doesn’t give us his Spirit, or that we shouldn’t desire to have him in our life. The main issue at hand is how does this happen (not to mention the importance of stressing the objective nature of what Christ has done outside of us)? How is it that Christ comes into a person’s life? The answer: through faith. Paul prays in Ephesians 3:17: “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…”
6. Therefore, our emphasis in calling people to respond to the gospel should be not on a particular prayer, but biblical faith.
Believe me. I want Jesus in my people’s life. I want him to commandeer their hearts and set himself up on the throne of their thoughts and affections and actions. I want them to know the internal peace of Christ’s external work on their behalf through his life death and resurrection. I want them to love the Holy Spirit and the fruit he would produce. And for these reasons, I must do what the biblical writers do. Set forth Christ in all of his glory and grace, and urge everyone who has ears to hear to believe!
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
Is This You?
You look at a beautiful painting and you say to yourself, “There must have been a painter.”
You look at a motor vehicle of great workmanship and you say to yourself, “There must have been a manufacturer.”
You look at a meticulously detailed sculpture and you say to yourself, “There must have been a sculptor.”
You look at a massive bridge spanning a large body of water and you say to yourself, “There must have been an engineer.”
You look at a tall building and you say to yourself, “There must have been a builder.”
You look at a complex computer program and you say to yourself, “There must have been a programmer.“
You look at a well-written best-selling novel and you say to yourself, “There must have been an author.”
You look at the human body and say to yourself, “This must have been the product of an accident. A long time ago absolutely nothing from absolutely nowhere exploded and not only created absolutely everything, but also created order and it all occurred as a random accident.“
If this is you, then this is your day: HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY!
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1).
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words (Proverbs 23:9).
A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge is easy to one who has understanding (Proverbs 14:6).
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 12:15).
The foolishness of God is wiser than men (1 Corinthians 1:25).
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27).
The wisdom of this world is foolishness before God (1 Corinthians 3:19).
A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them (1 Corinthians 2:14).
The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).
You look at a motor vehicle of great workmanship and you say to yourself, “There must have been a manufacturer.”
You look at a meticulously detailed sculpture and you say to yourself, “There must have been a sculptor.”
You look at a massive bridge spanning a large body of water and you say to yourself, “There must have been an engineer.”
You look at a tall building and you say to yourself, “There must have been a builder.”
You look at a complex computer program and you say to yourself, “There must have been a programmer.“
You look at a well-written best-selling novel and you say to yourself, “There must have been an author.”
You look at the human body and say to yourself, “This must have been the product of an accident. A long time ago absolutely nothing from absolutely nowhere exploded and not only created absolutely everything, but also created order and it all occurred as a random accident.“
If this is you, then this is your day: HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY!
The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1).
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words (Proverbs 23:9).
A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge is easy to one who has understanding (Proverbs 14:6).
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 12:15).
The foolishness of God is wiser than men (1 Corinthians 1:25).
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27).
The wisdom of this world is foolishness before God (1 Corinthians 3:19).
A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them (1 Corinthians 2:14).
The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).
They believe they’ve got a “cool” place to “experience” God
They believe they’ve got a “cool” place to “experience” God.
When a man-centered church is marketed like a business you get church advertisements like: “Experience the difference.”
At the following social club you will enjoy live music, dramas, and “relevant” practical messages while wearing your favorite pair of jeans. The coffee is hot so grab a donut, kick back and listen to awesome live music and you’re going to hear a message of hope.
When a man-centered church is marketed like a business you get church advertisements like: “Experience the difference.”
At the following social club you will enjoy live music, dramas, and “relevant” practical messages while wearing your favorite pair of jeans. The coffee is hot so grab a donut, kick back and listen to awesome live music and you’re going to hear a message of hope.
How Will I Know?
We do not grow into a spiritual relationship step by step— we either have a relationship or we do not. God does not continue to cleanse us more and more from sin— "But if we walk in the light," we are cleansed "from all sin" ( 1 John 1:7 ). It is a matter of obedience, and once we obey, the relationship is instantly perfected. But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again.
All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, "I suppose I will understand these things someday!" You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the "wise and prudent." "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . ." (John 7:17 )." October 10th
All of God’s revealed truths are sealed until they are opened to us through obedience. You will never open them through philosophy or thinking. But once you obey, a flash of light comes immediately. Let God’s truth work into you by immersing yourself in it, not by worrying into it. The only way you can get to know the truth of God is to stop trying to find out and by being born again. If you obey God in the first thing He shows you, then He instantly opens up the next truth to you. You could read volumes on the work of the Holy Spirit, when five minutes of total, uncompromising obedience would make things as clear as sunlight. Don’t say, "I suppose I will understand these things someday!" You can understand them now. And it is not study that brings understanding to you, but obedience. Even the smallest bit of obedience opens heaven, and the deepest truths of God immediately become yours. Yet God will never reveal more truth about Himself to you, until you have obeyed what you know already. Beware of becoming one of the "wise and prudent." "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know . . ." (John 7:17 )." October 10th
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