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: