Charismatic vs. Reformed

alright. I visited a charismatic church this weekend. everybody knows by now that I'm an unforgiving cynic most of the time. (not always a good thing). but I definitely walked into that building with a mostly open conscience. I wasn't going to condemn something before I experienced it.

well. to say the least, I was uncomfortable. some might say it's because I'm conservative and traditional. others might say I'm close-minded. the people in this church would say that I was refusing the movement and revelation of the Spirit and therefore sinning.

I'm a little conflicted about this church. of course, I would never, ever agree or believe anything that went on in that church (I was happy they sang "How Great Thou Art", though). but am I being too hasty writing them off and condemning them in my heart?

a more specific question, are prophets/prophetesses biblical in today's culture? are they the false leaders that Paul warns us of in the first chapter of Galatians:

"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospe contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" Galatians 1:6-9 (NASB).

the comments are open to the public. feel free to express your opinion! just remember to always back it up with at least one source. :)

Weekend Factoid: Mennonite Gaga.

I thought it would be fun to add a "segment" to this blog. every Friday or Saturday (Lord willing), I plan to introduce an interesting, lightweight fact. ranging from everything to a little to do with the topic of biblical thought. just to add some relief from the deep thoughts. let me know in the comments if you readers have any strong opinions about this!

so my first weekend factoid: Gaga and the Mennonites.

I actually got this fact from one of my Mennonite friends/coworkers. he had posted it on his Facebook. apparently, Lady Gaga frequents Lancaster, PA. she uncharacteristically flies under the radar and visits with her boyfriend's high school friends. 

and of course, all of his high school friends are from a Mennonite Bible school in the area. 

not only are they friends, but they are classmates.

yup! Lady Gaga is dating a Mennonite. Taylor Kinney to be exact.

of course, he would be in the more "liberal" circles as a soap-opera actor. but still, a Mennonite. how odd, interesting, and... actually, typical of Lady Gaga.

click here for the article.

have a relaxing, safe weekend!

Disney.

as everyone in the world has already tweeted or Facebook'd, Steve Jobs passed away. God blessed the man with ingenious creativity and originality and a humbler spirit than the majority of prominent Christians. Jobs invented and designed the best operating system so far (yeah, yeah, I use a PC, but let's get real...), and always pursued new and more challenging things.

the only unfortunate thing is that Steve Jobs didn't know it was God who gave him this gift and it was God who could take it away. like most people today, Jobs was stuck in the Disney mentality:

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." (Steve Jobs @ his Stanford University commencement address in 1995)

 alas, poor heart. as Shakespeare put it,

"...poor fool, it keeps on the windy side of care."

not much of a compass, really. the heart makes a lousy map. if only Steve Jobs had made God's word his map!

"The law of God is in his heart, his steps do not slip." Psalm 37:31 (NASB).

I am praying for the Jobs family, for his friends and coworkers, and for the company that sells his creations. God is in control!

---

as a side note...........I'd like to point out the difference between true Christians and the demon-possessed slanderers that claim faith in the one true Christ while defying everything Christ-like or Christ-natured. who else could I be speaking of but Westboro Baptist Church.

one of the cult's leaders tweeted an important announcement:

what an absolutely horrible, non-Christian thing to say. and this, of course, is the world's reference for Christians. the Westboro Baptists who claim God hates the world. the "church" has performed similar pickets against grieving families, destroying all witness about the truth of God and His purpose.

Washington Post Blog article: Westboro Church vs. Steve Jobs' funeral

yes, it would have been a beautiful miracle if God had transformed Steve Jobs, and Jobs, in turn, gave God the glory. but he didn't. a picket won't do anything except send people away from the truth.

all this to say... Westboro is a cult. nothing to do with the true God of the Bible.

Lone Ranger.

my dad is still the Lone Ranger's biggest fan. you know, the masked cowboy sheriff, sniffing out crime and hunting the perpetrators down. with the big, white horse named Silver and the Native American sidekick, Tonto. they rode the desert plains together, tracking outlaws. I mean, come on, he had a mask and was possibly the first cowboy to wear spandex instead of cowhide. everyone knows the Lone Ranger.

what made him the Lone Ranger was... well... he was a loner. he wasn't even an official sheriff. the guy was completely independent. even his partner, Tonto, would go and do his own thing. I mean, sure, usually they were together when news of the outlaw gangs came in, but Tonto had his own agendas too. they were free agents, fighting crime where they saw it. no affiliation. no checking in. no really getting to know people.

well. that works for him. but Christians... not so much.

trust me. I tried it alone. no, I didn't go into sex, drugs, and alcohol, but I confess I cussed a lot. under my breath. in my room to myself. which made me an angrier person in a shorter amount of time. swear words tend to have a knack for making a person angry or bitter.

everything also becomes more about myself. over stupid, silly things, too. why should I do the dishes, I'm never home making them dirty. why should I take care of the dog all day, I didn't buy her. why should I pay for the gas that someone else used in my car. why should I apologize, it's not like I'm as bad as him or her.

I also turn into Ebenezer Scrooge. clutching my belongings to myself. I bought them, what right have you  to touch them. I'll hunt down a single bottle of nail polish, muttering angry things all the while, whipping myself into a frenzy -- only to find it sitting in my own room. just in a different spot on the shelf.

the good thing is that God instantly convicts me. the bad thing is that this even happens.

and for the most part, it happens when I don't fellowship with the people of God. I have a dear Christian friend on campus. I love it when we can find time to just have breakfast, catch up, and have a truly refreshing talk about life as believers and the challenges we face.

I attend an excellent, firm church. sure, like every church, it has its quirks. but I love meeting with the people in that church. I thank God there is a small group/Bible study on the one evening I have free from work and class. and God uses that fellowship to help me. like a pit-stop halfway through the week-long marathon between Sundays. (which, I mentioned in the previous blog post, are crucial to keeping a believer accountable in their walk).

what I am not saying is that fellowship with believers is an instant magic, like osmosis or diffusion, where Christ-like behavior seeps from one person to the next. no. not at all. think of it more as a refresher. a nice, cold, icy glass of water after a three mile run in 80 degree heat. a beautiful, welcome break. 

as you can see, I'm not the number one Christian. like Paul, I am the least of all, a grateful slave to Christ. I'm not lecturing anyone about hanging out with the right people or spending more time with the good crowd. this blog post is a mere thought after noticing the God-moved change after He urged my heart to get more involved with His people. and what else are we supposed to do with God's life lessons but share them?

Sunday.

there are two kinds of "Sunday" people.

first (and how most Christians are stereotyped) are those who believe and religiously follow the Mosaic Sabbath. this is the implication that all activity separate from worshiping Jesus Christ with fellow believers or in individual quiet is unacceptable and considered a sin. in short, according to God via Moses:

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." Exodus 20:8-11 (NASB).

sounds very reasonable. there is nothing wrong with this view. the only danger, however, is taking it too far into legalism land. for instance, the Jews had long lists of dos and don'ts for the Sabbath day. don't walk more than fifteen steps. don't buy or prepare your food, instead preparing it the day before and eating the leftovers on the Sabbath. in fact, don't even prepare your animals food. don't send them out to pasture, because, well, that requires labor. just make sure you have a day's worth of food for them saved up from the day before. eventually, the Sabbath became more of a ritual instead of a day of celebration among the saints.*

the second are those who basically blend in with everyone else who treats Sunday just like another day of the week. they explain that we, in the new covenant, don't need to follow the intense law of "keeping" a certain day of the week. instead, we worship Christ every day, since He is now the Lord of the Sabbath. we only pick Sunday as a day of worship because it's the "day off" for Christians who have to work during the week and students.

"Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. But some of the Pharisees said, 'Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?' And Jesus answering them said, 'Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?' And He was saying to them, 'The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.'" Luke 6:1-5 (NASB).

"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain." Galatians 4:9-11 (NASB).

again, more biblical backing to this view. however, this view also has to be taken with a grain of salt. after a while, after feeling "liberated" from the burdens of observing the Lord's day, most Christians consider worship in a church setting on Sunday mornings as an option. hey, if you don't make it on Sunday, just go next week. or to a Bible study. or to Sunday evening.

while there is nothing openly or directly wrong with this, there is again a danger. we begin to rearrange our priorities. it's more fun going to Kennywood with my coworkers on a "work outing", but what witness would I be if I chose to skip out on church just to ride a few rides, get nice and sweaty, walk around aimlessly with people I see and joke with at work, and talk about silly, empty, stupid things?

I really wanted to run the Great Race down town. for some insane reason, I like to run, especially with other people. it would have been fun. I would have done a miserable job and come in around 300th place, but still. and then I found out it was on a Sunday morning. 8:00. about an hour and a half before church. if I had lived in Pittsburgh, right down town where it started, this wouldn't have been much of an issue. I run for half an hour, go home, shower, go to church. but I don't live down town. it would have been impossible for me to go to church. what witness would I be if I decided running with a few hundred people I didn't know was more important than fellowship with the two dozen I do know at church?

granted, I would do that on a Tuesday or Thursday or Saturday instead of sitting and reading my Bible, but there is only one day a week that I can actually find 3 to 4 free hours to spend with the people of God. as Christians, we need to be aware of not only the impression it leaves with those who watch us, but also on our walk with Christ. if we spend our normal time with the church, the body of Christ, doing unedifying activities, we will be affected.

what is your priority? or, a more appropriate question, who is your priority? yourself with your personal interests or desires for the day? your family and what they want to do that day? your preconceived ideas of what is important on a Sunday morning instead of church? or is it God and His believers, His church?

"'For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.'" Matthew 18:20 (NASB).

Wonderful.

"God is wonderful. You are wonderful. God's work in you is wonderful."

Stuart Olyott is one of my favorite preachers. not that it's good to place pastors (or really any human aside from Christ) in celebrity status. but there are definitely some who don't look for the spotlight, but seem to be on the "Most Played" playlist in my iTunes.

tonight we listened to his sermon on John 16:7-11.

"'But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of the world has been judged.'" (NASB).

there are so many things in this passage, but the main thing I focused on is the difference between "I go to church, I give tithes, I am a good person overall, so I must be a Christian" and "am I really a Christian?"

true Christians say the latter. people who strut in their own confidence and assurances are condemned people, I think. after all, there are (at least two) Scriptures that speak of God giving them over to their own ways.

"So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices." Psalm 81:12 (NASB).

 "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." Romans 1:24-25 (NASB).

and so, "professing to be wise", many nominal Christians, or church-goers, think they're a-ok. it's all good in the spiritual hood. no need to send their soul to the shop for checkups.

meanwhile, God works on the true Christian.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God set beforehand that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:10 (NASB).

how beautiful is that? that we should find our assurance in our failures. in our realizing it is only through Jesus Christ, who left the Helper (the Holy Spirit) to mold us and remind us of who we are, and who Christ is. this was the point that Stuart Olyott drove home in his third tack, "God's work in you is wonderful".

after all, not only does He convict us of our horrible, filthy, wretched, shameful, embarrassing, grievous sins and natural, evil desires of the heart (John 16:9), but He then reminds us of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. lest we look at our sins and conclude there is no hope like Judas Iscariot. no, instead we can say, "who can get rid of my burden of sin?? only Jesus Christ, the perfect, innocent, blameless, holy God-man".

and last but definitely not least, He warns us that the ruler of this world (ruler meaning the devil and the world meaning all who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior) is headed for imminent and inescapable torture in the pit of hell. or as Stuart Olyott so quaintly put it:

"there is no future in wickedness."

it might be hard to see the comfort in these verses at first. but after the study, I feel that I can carry them around with me in my heart. the Helper, the Holy Spirit, accompanies every true believer in Jesus Christ. because, after all, Jesus Christ personally appointed Him to us. not only will He admonish us, inflict guilt upon us, and bring us the the grim realization of our sinful nature, but then He will immediately and constantly showcase the excellence, the grace, the love, the righteousness, the perfect sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

what hope! what comfort.

"All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." Hebrews 12:11 (NASB).

1000 gifts, part 3

shout-out to Ann Voskamp.

*

1000 gifts:

1) a cuddly puppy keeping my left leg warm.
2) an awesome brother willing to humiliate himself so I can pass a class.
3) green grass everywhere!
4) the small joy of knocking out each class one by one on finals week.
5) green leaves!
6) the moments of sunshine worth running out onto the deck to enjoy.
7) a job with security.
8) an overworked, stressed, dedicated mother who still loves us when we demand yet another thing from her.
9) the bumpy adidas slides that massage my feet after working all day.
10) big fluffy dinner rolls. the buttery kind.
11) the refreshing cool front after weeks of stifling humidity and sharing a fleece blanket with my puppy.
12) little 100 calorie pop-tarts and good, strong coffee.

and to add:

13) those girly moments when all I wanna do is paint my nails with my sisters.
14) a new, evening job for the school year.
15) the heads-up from a considerate friend about a job opening at her company for next year.
16) football season. how I missed thee.

*photo from Kansas City Star article on the Steelers/Eagles game on August 18, 2011. 

Totally Depraved.

"what are you going to say before God?"

I was only eleven or so, but after a discussion with my parents about grace, forgiveness, and my personal spiritual state, my dad posed this challenge to me.

"what are you going to say before God? if you die today, and you're standing before God at the gates of heaven, and He asked 'why should I let you in', what will you say?"

young and unsaved, I remember going about the next few days pondering the question. I would get nervous, even. what if I did die now, and I didn't have anything rehearsed? being open and trusting, I walked down a couple houses to my Catholic neighbor friend to play.

after a rigorous game of riding bikes around her yard and pretending they were cars in traffic and we were in our twenties, I brought up the heavy topic on my mind. neither one of us really wanted to discuss it during the Arthur the Aardvark episode, but we hawed and hummed for a bit until she giggled, "I'd say 'hey! let me in! I'm a good kid!'"

my dad raised me more biblically than that, so I smiled half-heartedly and began to write a speech I would present before God. "I believe in Jesus Christ, and I know He's the Son of God, and I, I, I."

the popular belief among Christians today is that man somehow has a little bit of good in him. Albert Martin, who I've mentioned in a previous blogpost, spoke at a conference on the five points of Calvinism. the point of this blogpost is not Calvinism, so I won't get into that (yet). I wanted to focus a little more on what he covered in the topic of total depravity.

there are so many things to cover with total depravity, but the main part I would like to talk about is man's inability to commend himself to God. before salvation through Jesus Christ, every human being is completely dead in their sin.

yes, of course, there are good people out there. they help the little old ladies across the street, carry groceries for pregnant women, save another person's life, or risk their own for the good of the many. think of all the nurses, doctors, soldiers, policemen, fire fighters, and other occupational heroes that do exponential good for so many people. or the fathers, coaches, teachers, neighbors, grandparents, mothers, bus drivers that are small-town heroes in their own way. humans are not incapable of showing civil kindness. that is evident.

however. any one of those people, those heroes, whether acclaimed or not, who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who do not proclaim Him as Lord and Savior, who do not fervently acknowledge that they would still be walking dead if it wasn't for Him and His grace alone... are still totally depraved.

"What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, 'THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE. THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING, THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS; WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS; THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.'" Romans 3:9-18(NASB).

what could I possibly say to God as I stand in His presence upon death? if it wasn't for God alone... His "invisible hand" moving me to search for a foundation, a truth. His choosing me, electing me to be among His fold. His work of rebirth in my soul, creating a new person, a new being, a new workmanship. His harsh, challenging, heart-breaking methods of bringing me closer to Him. I would still be glorifying my own lusts, strutting my way to hell.

so I will finally answer my dad's question:

"what are you going to say before God?"

nothing. I will simply refer to Jesus Christ and bawl in reverence, "only He can recommend me, because even my best work would make You dry-heave in disgust. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe."

Doing Vs. Being

I promise I am still alive. the past couple of weeks have been a little hectic. I'll be posting more often in the next week, I hope. :)

in the meantime, I want to see if I can get some interaction or discussion. one of my friends posted an interesting article by Kurt Willems. in it, Willems vehemently declares he's done with living like a Christian. I'll let the article speak for itself.

personally, I'm only a little conflicted upon reading this. I agree that simply acting like a Christian doesn't do any good. my grandmother was a dedicated Sunday school teacher, but she didn't believe Jesus Christ was alive in heaven. however, the whole mystic feeling to his "being" spiel makes me a little leery.

perhaps the best way to describe the reason for my suspicions is to turn to James:

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does." James 1:22-25 (NASB).

read the article and then use the comments: do you think Willems is mystifying the Christian walk a bit too much? since the law (perfectly fulfilled in Christ) explicitly commands us as believers to do the deeds Willems claims he won't do... is he encouraging Christians to be only hearers of the word?

or... is he onto something? clearly, it's not enough to just do works, especially for the wrong motive. however, clearly we are supposed to do Christ-like actions, as Christians.

feel free to comment. by all means. this is why I make the comments available to the public!

1000 gifts, part 2

shoutout to One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.

"Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Lord, and I will sing praises to Your name." Psalm 18:49 (NASB).

1000 gifts:

1) a cuddly puppy keeping my left leg warm.

2) an awesome brother willing to humiliate himself so I can pass a class.

3) green grass everywhere!

4) the small joy of knocking out each class one by one on finals week.

5) green leaves!

6) the moments of sunshine worth running out onto the deck to enjoy.

7) a job with security.

8) an overworked, stressed, dedicated mother who still loves us when we demand yet another thing from her.

9) the bumpy adidas slides that massage my feet after working all day.

10) big fluffy dinner rolls. the buttery kind.

 and to add:

11) the refreshing cool front after weeks of stifling humidity and sharing a fleece blanket with my puppy.

12) little 100 calorie pop-tarts and good, strong coffee.

Valiant.

in John Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress, a character named Valiant led Christiana, Christian's wife, and their children to the bank of the Jordan River. here they waited to cross until their time (destined by God, of course) to enter the Celestial City.

there are many memorable and encouraging characters in John Bunyan's "dream", but Valiant always stands out to me. most especially when he delves into the Jordan to cross to the angels of God waiting for him on the other side. strong throughout the entire journey, focused solely on reaching the city of God, Valiant never falters. even when facing the murky waters and strong currents of the Jordan, he yells out

"O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:55

am I deficient? am I actually saved if I can't stare earthly death (or ridicule) in the eye and say "hit me with your best shot"?

I'll admit, I'll stay silent when Satan taunts me in a college classroom with liberal, evolutionist professors. I'll uneasily shrug it off when a homosexual smears their lifestyle in my face. today's culture has taught my generation to be tolerant of everything except for Jesus and true Christianity. I experience it firsthand. but do I openly speak up? no, I am not so Valiant.

the worst they can do is kill me. torment me to death. and in America, the worst they can do is mock me. does it really matter? will it really sting? of course not.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8 (NASB).

so why am I so afraid?

the same reason why Peter sank on the rolling waves when Jesus called him onto the water. I'm scared of the murky water and strong current, threatening to pull me to the rocky bottom and beat me senseless.

of course, there's no need to be rude and openly bash a professor over the head with a Bible in the middle of class. or grab a soap box and a sign and stand on a street corner and act better than I know I am. but in conversations with friends, classmates, and friends of friends, I should trust God more and stand firm. I should not be ashamed of His holy and perfect priorities and perspectives.

Valiant stands out most to me not because I relate to him, but because I want to relate to him. to have the same confidence and courage to strike out into the battlefield of life and know that this is but a fleeting moment in God's eyes. as John Bunyan wrote in his hymn:

"He who would valiant be 'gainst all disaster,

Let him in constancy follow the Master.

There's no discouragement shall make him once relent

His first avowed intent to be a pilgrim."

as my last college semester draws closer, pray God I will true Valiant be, at school, at work, at home, and especially after graduation.

obviously, Christians are warned of mockery. I fully expect it. but my old man battles with the new, saying "yes, yes, you know the popular thing to say", while the new man stutters, "but! I know that Christ suffered worse for me." this post is really for venting my disappointment in my own shortcomings.

why I'm not emergent, number 2

if you remember, last time I mentioned Rob Bell. and if you remember, he's a complete, blasphemous heretic. he claims there is no hell, or at least, God doesn't use it for people. lucky for him, there will be a first-class room with an excellent view waiting for him there. and I can say that confidently, since Paul declares

"I am amazed are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" Galatians 1:6-9 (NASB)

 man, it's so true and important that Paul says it twice.

tonight, we listened to a sermon by Ted Donnelly on Romans 9. I couldn't help but think of Rob Bell and his defenders when Professor Donnelly mentioned the politically and socially incorrect truth about God's elect and effectual calling.

let's amuse the emergent, post-modern, Rob-Bell-ish thinking for a second.

• there is no hell.
• or at least, God doesn't intend to use it on anyone. God is love, dudes. peace.
• God will save everyone.
• they could be Muslim, and the door is open. doubly wide, apparently.
• or Hindu.
• or really any religion besides true Christianity.
• heck, they could be flat-out atheists.
• they'll get to heaven!!!! party hats for everyone. the candy bags are by the door, don't forget to take a swing at the devil pinata!!!!

awesome! but.

• hell and Muslims, Hindus, Jews, atheists, agnostics, nominal Christians, etc:

"Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of his anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.'" Revelation 14:9-11 (NASB).

"And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15 (NASB)

• God saves everyone:

"And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, 'The older will serve the younger.' Just as it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'" Romans 9:10-13 (NASB)

"So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires." Romans 9:18 (NASB)

• God is not love if He doesn't save everyone:

"What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." Romans 9:14-17 (NASB)

there are plenty more verses, but that would make a super long blog post that no one would read.

to claim that God will save everyone, that all people, no matter what they believe, will go to heaven, is to discount His mercy and grace. if everyone can make it to the pearly gates with little more than a little friendliness, why did Christ need to die? according to Rob Bell and many other emergents and like-minded people, we don't need Him. He is useless. God, the Son of God, is useless to them.

O God, don't let me fall into the same, apathetic trap... don't let me lose my wonder.

"The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair." Relient K. 

1000 gifts, part 1

I'm sure most people have heard of or read the book "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. Voskamp has excellent perspective on the will of God through both the bad and the good times. she encourages everyone to think of the gifts God gives each day, instead of focusing on the trials. the more we recognize the little things that God blesses, the more we seek to praise Him even in the storm.

I started a list a while back, during the spring semester of this year. I was stressed, and it was nice to focus a little on something small but awesome, especially during the mid-term/final weeks.

1) a cuddly puppy keeping my left leg warm.

2) an awesome brother willing to humiliate himself so I can pass a class.

3) green grass everywhere!

4) the small joy of knocking out each class one by one on finals week.

5) green leaves!

6) the moments of sunshine worth running out onto the deck to enjoy.

7) a job with security.

8) an overworked, stressed, dedicated mother who still loves us when we demand yet another thing from her.

this is what I started with. I'd like to continue it starting now.

9) the bumpy adidas slides that massage my feet after working all day.

10) big fluffy dinner rolls. the buttery kind.

No Rights.

"you have no rights."

Granny shook her finger at me while I sat fuming over something trivial that seemed unjust at the moment. I had given her my argument, huffed and puffed, sulked a good deal, and knocked my pillow once or twice. maybe I wasn't mad at her, but she got to hear it since no one else would listen. whatever happened, it just wasn't fair. how could they treat me like that? don't I deserve some kind of respect?

"you have no rights. I have no rights, they don't have any rights, you have no rights."

but I think I do. most American Christians do, too. it's our right, you can't take away our rights, this is rightly mine, blah, blah, blah. when really, we deserve nothing.

well actually, we do deserve something.

"Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, for what he deserves will be done to him." Isaiah 3:11 (NASB).

"How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and has insulted the Spirit of grace?" Hebrews 10:29 (NASB).

of course, this talk of punishment or "judgment" might seem a little vague in these verses. the Bible, however, is painfully clear on what all humans born into this world deserve. Jude urges,

 "Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once and for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. And angels, who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire." Jude 5-7 (NASB).

isn't that a tough one to read? most so-called "Christians" today would refuse to believe a God that would destroy everyone who does not believe. their god is rational, urges people to come to him, and when they refuse him, he weeps.

in your dreams.

the truth of the Bible is: yes, "God so loved the world" and urges believers to spread the gospel and pray for the salvation of the lost, but God is a jealous God. 

"You shall not make yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindess to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." Exodus 20:4-6 (NASB).

when God says He visits the iniquities of the fathers on the children, He implies that all people are guilty, since every child is born into the world with the sin of their fathers (or, Adam and Eve, the first man and woman who sinned against God) and will be punished for not only their fathers' sin, but their own. and so on through the generations.


people today are under this false pretense that God loves everyone and gives everyone a second chance. and that humans themselves somehow deserve it. in fact, they get angry if you simply suggest that maybe they don't deserve heaven and an eternity with God. practically livid. how dare you suggest that I don't deserve heaven? I'm a Christian, aren't I? I have rights!


"you have no rights."

Granny smiled a little, because she knew I knew what she was talking about. "Granny, that is not the point, it simply isn't fair--"

"nooo, what isn't fair is that Jesus died for you. and that God's grace was extended to you. and that now you have a hope after death that no other religion promises. a true hope. you don't deserve that. it doesn't belong to you. you have no rights."

and like most grandmothers, she's right. I have no rights to boast of. just the grace and mercy of God.

"'But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the Lord." Jeremiah 9:24 (NASB).

"But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14 (NASB).

 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10 (NASB).

Camisoles.

I know this is the second post in one day, but I had to share a bit from a sermon by Albert Martin. love the guy. he's hard to adjust to, but his sermons are bullets straight to the part of your mind that you never wanted to dust off.

the sermon was on feminine modesty.

every girl has heard the sermon from one person or another about dressing well and covered up. and every girl has brushed it off at one point. or many five points. or a hundred. either way, do you really want to show unbelievers that Christ affiliates Himself with hookers? I mean, seriously, the popular fashions today involve exposure of boobs and butts. and unfortunately, most boobs and butts are seen dangling in church services and youth groups.

what an awesome message to send.

Jesus is not your pimp. so don't disgrace Him by dressing like a prostitute.

Suffering.

today's sermon was on suffering.

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. . . . Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." 1 Peter 3:12-16, 19 (NASB)

an elder preached the message, a man I have quickly grown to respect during my short time knowing him. and the Lord used his message at just the time I needed it. funny how He does that.

while I have by no means suffered what 90% of the world endures (poverty, disease, a struggling marriage, a wayward child, bankruptcy), I have witnessed a kind of "fiery ordeal" escalate to a point of breakage. I watched a person I love dearly hit rock bottom emotionally and mentally as they made a difficult decision.

I will not go into any details whatsoever of the kind of ordeal this was. however, it severely effected this individual, as well as several other individuals.

but really, why must we endure these things? we are God's people, His elect, His children, correct? why do we have to put up with trials and feel the burn and the sting of hard decisions and pressing times? is God disciplining us? punishing us for something we did?

our finite understanding often lands on that conclusion. clearly I did something wrong, so God is smacking my hand for it. this is not too far-fetched, but it would be ridiculous to conclude that this is the permanent reason for suffering. the author of Hebrews explains:

"It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons." Hebrews 12:7-8 (NASB).

gathering from these two verses, it is clear that God disciplines only those whom He loves. so really, it is an assurance of your salvation to be disciplined by God. but it does not end there.

"Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness." Hebrews 5:9-10 (NASB).

suffering and trials are not merely God's revenge for a sin we committed. God is not so trivial. when we suffer,  it is God transforming us. a quote in my Bible from this morning's sermon says simply

"suffering not for punishment, but purification (ie: Paul: 'I was given a thorn')"

and the corresponding verse written by Paul:

"Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!" 2 Corinthians 12:7 (NASB)

God provides suffering, trials, torment, and anguish to make us holy. to remind us that yes, we are blessed, but we are still sinners with no right to boast. to tap us on the shoulder or smack us with a two-by-four and say, "I am God, your Creator, and you are the creation. you rejected me, and it is only because of my grace, my extended hand, that you are able to fellowship with me. but fellowship with me entails partaking in my suffering, for I suffered the most painful, horrific, tearing death and torment for you. the least you could do is suffer but a little in order to serve and love me better."

"Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." 1 Peter 4:19 (NASB)  

Honeysuckles.

sometimes, the best way to really appreciate God's creation is to go for a run in it.

the sun was lazily sitting in the east and all the foliage was soggy with dew. the air smelled like summer, and it was quiet except for me and my brother's feet and our gasping dog.

I sometimes get caught up in my man-made schedule and forget that it's such a minuscule thing compared to the expanse God made with a word.

"Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light." Genesis 1:3

"Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years. And let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth'; and it was so." Genesis 1:14-15 

and bam. there was the sun. the same one I squinted at on my jog.

"Then God said, 'Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.' God made the expanse and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so." Genesis 1:6-7.

and bam. there was the sweet, cool air I was breathing in.

"Then God said, 'Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear'; and it was so." Genesis 1:9

and bam. there was the ground that supported my weight as I scaled it.

then came the real kicker of the entire first chapter of Genesis.

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Genesis 1:26-27

 these two verses punch evolution in the face. God took special care to create men and women. the other animals and rest of creation were carefully and wonderfully created, too, but humans were made in God's own image. no other animal or aspect of creation has claim to that. and yet, we are the only part of creation that tries to disown God as our Creator.

everyone knows Genesis, and everyone knows the creation story. sometimes, though, I like to be reminded of how good and awesome and perfect God's plan must be if His creation is this beautiful, even in a fallen world.

Fickle.

today's sermon really hit home for me. the pastor is working the church through Mark, today's passage being Mark 14:26-31. he named it "Pride Comes Before a Fall".

"After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, 'You will all fall away, because it is written, "I will strike down the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." But after I have been raised, I will go to Galilee.' But Peter said to Him, 'Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.' And Jesus said to him, 'Truly I say to you, that this very  night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.' But Peter kept saying insistently, 'Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!' And they were all saying the same thing also." Mark 14:26-31 (NASB).

the entire sermon was excellent. I am blessed to know about this godly, biblical church. one point, however, stood out the most to me. notice how fickle Peter is. I mean, he is enraptured by the holiness of Christ, enamored with Jesus, the Son of God walking on the Mount with him, and he vehemently and passionately cries, "I will never deny You!"

in the very same chapter, the very same day, as Jesus predicted, Peter denied his association with Christ three times. three times! that's a whole lot of denial. it takes a true coward to stand up and deny the God-man merely a few hours after telling Him to his face "I never would, Jesus, no, You're wrong about me."

and yet how many times have I done that? I've wept at the mercy and grace of God, marveled at His love and awesome power, and promise Him, "I will never forsake You, I will never let you down, I will never do this sin again in my life, because I love You, Jesus!" and then hours, days, weeks later I'm distracted by the shiny, glimmering sin hovering off the path. and there I am, denying Jesus, just like Peter.

maybe I don't openly blurt it out. but in my heart, I do. sin attracts me, hitting the very weakness I told Jesus I would never indulge again. and instead of remembering my promise, "I will never deny You!", I place Him on the shelf and think "will it really hurt if I do this? oh, but I can't, because of Jesus-- oh, whatever, I might as well just do it, get it over with, get it out of my system, and then I'll be ok."

how fickle we are. and yet, Jesus loves us. He loved Peter, even after he flunked the very test he signed up for. in Acts 5:17-32, we see Peter being used phenomenally by Jesus... and we see the power of sanctification as Peter, instead of denying Christ, proclaims Him.

"But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the One whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." Acts 5:29-32 (NASB)

I am fickle. I disappoint, frustrate, sadden, and anger God. I make promises to Him that He knows I can't keep, and then I break them without blinking an eye or even acknowledging them to Him. I put Him on the back burner in order to save my earthly reputation or surround myself with a small, sinful pleasure. and still He loves me. because even though I am fickle, I am His, and through sanctification, He has great plans for me.

"So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Tend My lambs.'

 "He said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Shepherd My sheep.'

"He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' And he said to Him, 'Lord, you know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said to him, 'Tend My sheep.'" John 21:15-17 (NASB).

P.S.: we have to remember, however, that there is a difference between fickle and dead. fickle people are believers in Jesus Christ, who are alive in Him, but continue to battle with the old loyalty to sin. dead people are spiritually dead to Christ, disinterested in the sacrifice and calling of Jesus Christ and destined for an eternity in hell. 

why I'm not emergent, number 1

I apologize if this seems too long-winded. after reading the article, I just wanted to discuss it with myself. and since I try not to talk to myself too regularly, I figured my blog would suffice. 

alright. I'll assume nearly everyone here has had some encounter with the emergent church. it's actually old news. love bunny "Christians" who tell gays to get hitched and have fun. or guest stars on the Barney show, holding hands and telling the Muslim, Hindi, Buddhist, or atheist, "hey brother, hey sister, welcome to the Christian family. yeah, we disagree on a little tiny topic that is roundly blasted by the Bible, but who cares. it's just the word of God. or so people say. it might not be true. but it might be. and in case it is, I'll just tell myself that. and when I die, who knows, maybe the Koran is the word of God. who knows. you know? who knows. welcome to the family. have some tea and Jesus incense."

...yeah, they might annoy me a bit.

of course, any emergent folks that happen to see this will rail about my being judgmental.

one of my emergent friends from college enjoys pushing my conservative buttons. you see. he is open-minded enough to vote for Obama, to promote gay marriage, and to buy Rob Bell's book. he is one dare-devil Christian. man, isn't he B.A. look at him. and to think we're lucky enough to have him join the ranks of many other emergent pastors in America.

this "nonconformist" friend of mine posted a link on facebook. a blog written by J. R. Daniel Kirk. he's a professor, clearly a smart, intelligent, knowledgeable man. however, he's emergent.

now, this is not to say that he is stupid. I never want to generalize the emergent church people as stupid. they're just not thinking. no, they're thinking, their thoughts are just... well. clouded by postmodernism and mostly wrong. the blog post touched on the controversial book by Rob Bell and the outrage that many Christians rightfully expressed at his unbiblical views on heaven and hell.

Kirk basically scolds the Christians that voiced their frustration and slight anger at Rob Bell. they called him a heretic. Kirk, baffled, wonders how on earth any true believer could do that to another brother in Christ. or in his own words:

"what list of theological beliefs must be checked off before someone can be embraced as a brother or sister even if we disagree about other important issues?"

I think another characteristic of emergent folks is contorted sentence structure.

now, while I might disagree with a Presbyterian on infant baptism vs. believer's baptism, or a Pentecostal on tongues and the laying-on-of-hands for miracles, I can still say, based on the individual, that they are a brother or sister in Christ. I still consider discussions with a premillenialist or a postmillenialist as fellowship with believers. these are small issues. relatively important, but not explicitly laid out in the Scriptures. they're vaguely outlined to us by God, giving us room for discussion, room for questions, and anticipation for the conversations we'll have about it in heaven when everything will be revealed.

in these "important issues", I agree with Kirk. I wouldn't call someone a heretic simply because they baptized their baby or prayed over a cancer patient and expected a miracle. however, the "important issue" that we are talking about, that Bell is accosted for, is that God loves everyone and has no room in His heart for hell.

...right and uhm. which Bible did you get that from? oh, you didn't use the Bible? it just felt right? oh, it's just a dream. of John's. in Revelation. and Jesus's words on it? oh, they don't matter? ok. gotcha. welcome to the Christian family, brother.

yeah, I'm sorry, I'm not gonna call this guy my brother in Christ. he is a heretic. why? because God sends people who hate Him, who reject Him, who blaspheme Him, who practice sin against Him, who despise everything about Him, who are ashamed of Him, who are gay and lesbian and revel in it, who live with their boyfriends or girlfriends, who rob banks, who murder, who sit in the pews at church, who sing the worship songs, who talk pretty, who strive to change the world, who are kind, who raise good kids, who have good morals to hell. to hell. to hell. all because the Spirit never stirred their blackened hearts and weighed so much on their souls that they were forced to their knees and could only say "praise God, who sent His Son to die for me, a sinner. I once was lost, but now I'm found, and I will live for Him forever."

now, Kirk would call me a threat to evangelism. see, I'm tribal. for calling Rob Bell a heretic. because you know, he deliberately lied about hell. that's all. Kirk quoted Mickey Maudlin:

"But now I think the biggest threat is Christian tribalism, where God’s interests are reduced to and measured by those sharing your history, tradition, and beliefs, and where one needs an “enemy” in order for you to feel “right with God.” Such is the challenge facing the church today and what the reaction to Love Wins reveals." 

now, I won't disagree that there are people who think like this. but using the term "tribalism" to defend Rob Bell's outright dishonesty about God and what He clearly says about hell and those who go there? no. I am not looking for an enemy to "feel 'right with God'". the Bereans weren't looking for an enemy either, searching the Scriptures to qualify Paul's teaching. 


I'm not tribal. I just want to know what the Bible says about this. so, I checked:

"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

"You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?" Matthew 23:33

“For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness." Isaiah 38:18 

 "Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.  Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." Revelation 9:1-4 (and most of Revelation)...

...if there was no hell, why on earth did Jesus abandon His throne in heaven to live a life of pain, suffering, and humiliation? why did He take on flesh and live among us instead of being worshiped in heaven? why did He die. and why did He suffer in hell Himself for three days, bearing the torture for our sins? and better yet, why did He give us hope by rising again?

Cru.

awesome. so now, Christianity is supposed to be politically correct?

The name of Christ is too shameful for a Christian to be affiliated with?

whatever happened to Paul's "for I am not ashamed of the gospel"? isn't it the "power of God for salvation to everyone who believes"? and not just for the Jews that wear yamakas and chant at a wall, but also for the Greeks -- a.k.a. Gentiles -- a.k.a. the rest of the world? (Romans 1:18)

I thought that it was the Christian's mantra, to know that the world will be put off by the name of Christ. ..uh.. duh. didn't Christ say "if the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. if you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you." (John 15:18-19)

in fact, Jesus goes further to imply that if you think, as a Christian, that you shouldn't be persecuted, that you are claiming to be better than Christ. "remember the word that I said to you, 'a slave is not greater than his master'". are we so arrogant that we think we are above persecution, when Christ endured the worst persecution possible for simply telling the truth? (John 15:20)

and another one bites the dust.

Attempt number abillion ...

...to try and host a blog. never fails, I always forget I even own one.

this time, I'll keep it all short and sweet. and to start: