How essential is separation from the world to the cause of Scriptural holiness?
Here is what we know:
There are some who have confused the effect of holiness (separation from the world, the flesh, and the devil) with the cause of holiness, and in so doing they have entirely missed the heart of holiness (i.e. righteousness, joy, peace, and love). Their bitter, censorious, and harsh critique of those who do not live “by the book” (that book usually being the Church Manual) has turned many away from the highway of holiness.
In reaction against those who have accented separation from the world (especially in entertainments, adornments, and lifestyle), there has risen a large contingent of “Anti-Pharisees” who believe themselves to be “Super Saints.” Like the Gnostics of the First Century they suppose that they know the real truth, and so how they live their lives is not important. They criticize their critics and unwittingly fall into the same bitter attitude as those they despise.
Indeed “legalism has slain its thousands, while liberalism has slain its tens of thousands.” Sadly, both make shipwreck of their faith.
But God has brought us to the Kingdom for such a time as this! He is raising up a people who love heart holiness and who desire to live holy lives.
If God’s Word is inspired (and it is!), and if God’s Word reveals God’s will (and it does!), then God’s People will take seriously the spirit and the letter of God’s will as it is revealed in God’s Word and by God's Spirit.
To neglect separation from the world is folly, but to reject separation from the world is rebellion.
It is time for God’s people to stand for His standard and to march forward up the highway of holiness until we hear Him say, “well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
My father used to say, “All that is necessary to have a worldly church is nothing.” Let’s do something! And let’s say something!
Martin Luther was right! “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ.
Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”
Thursday, February 18, 2010
OUR BLESSED ASSURANCE
THIS IS MY STORY
It is the mission of the Church of Jesus to accurately and fervently speak the Gospel--the whole Gospel. For centuries the Gospel story has been the narrative upon which our Western Civilization rested. But the corrosive influence of modernism--with its viral skepticism, and the subsequent demise of modernism and rise of post-modernism, have left the West without any narrative or story upon which to build.
The story of Christ propelled the West forward because it is a true story that is filled with truth that transforms. Other cultures have had their own myths and narratives upon which they have built their civilizations. Those civilizations fell because their faulty foundations were not grounded in truth. The tragedy of our day is not that the Christian narrative, or truth cannot stand the strain of examination or the stress of experience, but that we have exchanged the rock solid foundation built on Christ our chief cornerstone, for sands of our own making.
Nearly 20 years ago Robert Jensen observed, "as the Church once lived and conducted her mission in the precisely post-Hellenistic and post-Roman-imperial world, remembering what had vanished but not knowing what if anything could come next, so the Church must now live and conduct her mission in the precisely 'post'-modern world."
If there was ever a moment when the Church of Jesus Christ needed to proclaim the old old story--of the blood that cleanses from all sin and of the Spirit that indwells and empowers and sanctifies believers--it is now! As all around our souls gives way--Christ is all our hope and stay! His Spirit answers to the blood!
THIS IS MY SONG!
But an intellectual affirmation of that old old story will only go so far. We must also have the Song in our hearts. The joyful melody rising from hearts "strangely warmed" and "purified by faith!"
Songs of "Victory in Jesus!" Songs of "Glorious Freedom!" Songs of "Holiness Unto The Lord...Now and forever!"
In seeking to win the teens and twenties of this generation, I have been struck with the stark contrast of their song, with my song. I listen to "He Touched Me!" "Because He Lives!" "The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference" "I'm Free!" and "The King is Coming!" and my heart is stirred and memories of great Gospel services freighted with God's presence fill my mind. They are not stirred. They have no such memories. They have no song.
Only the mighty outpouring of Pentecost can produce that song in our souls! Without the Spirit, the dirge and the minor chords of defeat will characterize the nominal Christian. But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, there is truth, there is joy, and there is holy love.
PRAISING MY SAVIOR ALL THE DAY LONG!
Our Story and our Song is not reserved for a time specific, it erupts in a life of praise, "all the day long!" It is no wonder that those who believe the Story, and who sing the Song, are so mightily used by God. The Holiness people have been at the forefront of moral revolution (i.e. Wesley's England), social justice (i.e. anti-slavery movement), and ecclesiastical reformation (i.e. the Salvation Army and Campmeeting movement).
CONCLUSION
So the blind poet Fanny Crosby saw what many of us are failing to see. Until we grasp that which she so passionately expressed, "This is my Story!" "This is my Song!" "Praising my Savior all the day long!"we will never possess that BLESSED ASSURANCE!
It is the mission of the Church of Jesus to accurately and fervently speak the Gospel--the whole Gospel. For centuries the Gospel story has been the narrative upon which our Western Civilization rested. But the corrosive influence of modernism--with its viral skepticism, and the subsequent demise of modernism and rise of post-modernism, have left the West without any narrative or story upon which to build.
The story of Christ propelled the West forward because it is a true story that is filled with truth that transforms. Other cultures have had their own myths and narratives upon which they have built their civilizations. Those civilizations fell because their faulty foundations were not grounded in truth. The tragedy of our day is not that the Christian narrative, or truth cannot stand the strain of examination or the stress of experience, but that we have exchanged the rock solid foundation built on Christ our chief cornerstone, for sands of our own making.
Nearly 20 years ago Robert Jensen observed, "as the Church once lived and conducted her mission in the precisely post-Hellenistic and post-Roman-imperial world, remembering what had vanished but not knowing what if anything could come next, so the Church must now live and conduct her mission in the precisely 'post'-modern world."
If there was ever a moment when the Church of Jesus Christ needed to proclaim the old old story--of the blood that cleanses from all sin and of the Spirit that indwells and empowers and sanctifies believers--it is now! As all around our souls gives way--Christ is all our hope and stay! His Spirit answers to the blood!
THIS IS MY SONG!
But an intellectual affirmation of that old old story will only go so far. We must also have the Song in our hearts. The joyful melody rising from hearts "strangely warmed" and "purified by faith!"
Songs of "Victory in Jesus!" Songs of "Glorious Freedom!" Songs of "Holiness Unto The Lord...Now and forever!"
In seeking to win the teens and twenties of this generation, I have been struck with the stark contrast of their song, with my song. I listen to "He Touched Me!" "Because He Lives!" "The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference" "I'm Free!" and "The King is Coming!" and my heart is stirred and memories of great Gospel services freighted with God's presence fill my mind. They are not stirred. They have no such memories. They have no song.
Only the mighty outpouring of Pentecost can produce that song in our souls! Without the Spirit, the dirge and the minor chords of defeat will characterize the nominal Christian. But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, there is truth, there is joy, and there is holy love.
PRAISING MY SAVIOR ALL THE DAY LONG!
Our Story and our Song is not reserved for a time specific, it erupts in a life of praise, "all the day long!" It is no wonder that those who believe the Story, and who sing the Song, are so mightily used by God. The Holiness people have been at the forefront of moral revolution (i.e. Wesley's England), social justice (i.e. anti-slavery movement), and ecclesiastical reformation (i.e. the Salvation Army and Campmeeting movement).
CONCLUSION
So the blind poet Fanny Crosby saw what many of us are failing to see. Until we grasp that which she so passionately expressed, "This is my Story!" "This is my Song!" "Praising my Savior all the day long!"we will never possess that BLESSED ASSURANCE!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
WHAT THE CHURCH CAN LEARN FROM SCOTT BROWN
Greetings Friends of Faith,
The election of Scott Brown to fill the U. S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Senator Ted Kennedy is another evidence that truth is often stranger than fiction! At the very moment when the United States Government was poised to take over the American Healthcare System, a socialistic plan that would have increased our national debt by trillions (one trillion dollars = $1,000,000,000,000.00), and would have applied taxpayer dollars to fund abortion, one of the plan's most liberal proponents is stricken with brain cancer and dies.
Into the political fray enters Scott Brown, a strict constitutionalist, a fiscal conservative, who is strong on national defense (He believes that American tax dollars should be used to capture terrorists, not defend them), and opposed to the President's Healthcare plan. He was written off with little or no chance of success. But on Tuesday of this week he won with more than 50% of the vote, a margin of 5% over his opponent. This was nothing less than a Massachusetts miracle in a state that is noted for its liberal legislators. (i.e. Barney Frank, the overtly homosexual Massachusetts congressman).
Across the United States of America there is a rising tide of voters demanding that their representatives return to the principles of the Declaration of Independence, (That all men are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights...life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness) and the U. S. Constitution. If pollsters are correct these voters will profoundly change the composition of Congress in November.
To the extent that our country is true to our national DNA (The genetic code found in the nucleus of every cell), as expressed in our founding documents, we will be strong and prosperous. Enacting laws and engaging in practices that are unconstitutional will prove a malignant force that robs us of our freedom and our secure future. Unless malignancies are quickly identified and removed, our very existence is threatened.
There is a lesson here for the Church as well. To the extent that our church is true to our spiritual DNA as expressed in the inspired, inerrant Word of God, we will be found faithful in the sight of God. False doctrine and disobedience are malignancies that will ultimately destroy us. We, who have been called by the Lord to proclaim holiness, must not dilute or deny the faith. This is not the time for compromise. This IS the time for truth.
The election of Scott Brown to fill the U. S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Senator Ted Kennedy is another evidence that truth is often stranger than fiction! At the very moment when the United States Government was poised to take over the American Healthcare System, a socialistic plan that would have increased our national debt by trillions (one trillion dollars = $1,000,000,000,000.00), and would have applied taxpayer dollars to fund abortion, one of the plan's most liberal proponents is stricken with brain cancer and dies.
Into the political fray enters Scott Brown, a strict constitutionalist, a fiscal conservative, who is strong on national defense (He believes that American tax dollars should be used to capture terrorists, not defend them), and opposed to the President's Healthcare plan. He was written off with little or no chance of success. But on Tuesday of this week he won with more than 50% of the vote, a margin of 5% over his opponent. This was nothing less than a Massachusetts miracle in a state that is noted for its liberal legislators. (i.e. Barney Frank, the overtly homosexual Massachusetts congressman).
Across the United States of America there is a rising tide of voters demanding that their representatives return to the principles of the Declaration of Independence, (That all men are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights...life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness) and the U. S. Constitution. If pollsters are correct these voters will profoundly change the composition of Congress in November.
To the extent that our country is true to our national DNA (The genetic code found in the nucleus of every cell), as expressed in our founding documents, we will be strong and prosperous. Enacting laws and engaging in practices that are unconstitutional will prove a malignant force that robs us of our freedom and our secure future. Unless malignancies are quickly identified and removed, our very existence is threatened.
There is a lesson here for the Church as well. To the extent that our church is true to our spiritual DNA as expressed in the inspired, inerrant Word of God, we will be found faithful in the sight of God. False doctrine and disobedience are malignancies that will ultimately destroy us. We, who have been called by the Lord to proclaim holiness, must not dilute or deny the faith. This is not the time for compromise. This IS the time for truth.
HEART HOLINESS
Dear Friends of the Cross,
In a shocking new survey, George Barna is reporting that less than 1% of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 23 have a Biblical worldview.(1) I’m hoping that something is really wrong with the methodology of his survey, but even if his margin of error is +/- 10% (an extremely unlikely possibility for such a reputable pollster), it is alarming evidence that the youngest adults in America are rejecting Biblical Christianity.
Furthermore, 61% of today’s young adults who were churched as teens are now disengaged from the Church (they do not actively attend Church, read the Bible, or pray). Only 20% of the twenty-somethings have maintained a level of spiritual activity that is consistent with their high school experiences.
We who contend for Scriptural holiness may be quick to criticize Churches that are failing to win their young people, but we too have witnessed our own “falling away.”
During the 19th Century, Methodist circuit-riders, Camp meeting Evangelists, and holiness writers were the predominant religious force in our nation. Today, many of our congregations iare struggling, several of our schools are finding it increasingly difficult to attract students, and the message of holiness has been relegated to a historical footnote.
Why? One thoughtful observer concludes:
We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Ironically, the billions of dollars we've spent on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it. Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community. Coming generations of Christians are going to be monumentally ignorant and unprepared for culture-wide pressures.2
Michael Spencer’s diagnosis of our plight is right, but it is incomplete.
We believe with John Wesley that, “A man may be orthodox in every point, he may not only espouse right opinions, but zealously defend them…and yet it is possible that he may have no religion at all. He may be almost as orthodox as the devil, and may be a great stranger to the religion of the heart!” (52 Standard Sermons, Number 7:The Way to the Kingdom).
We need more than enlightened minds. Our greatest need is for the heart-purifying, life-changing, mighty baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire. (Matthew 3:11, Luke 3:16). We need flaming hearts.
The inspired Apostle Paul tells us, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind [or self-discipline].” (2nd Timothy 1:7). Indeed it is this power, this love, and this self-discipline, that is our most pressing need.
Without a personal Pentecost and the frequent fresh outpourings of God’s Holy Spirit into our lives—our Christ will not be exalted, the cause of Holiness will not be advanced, and our Churches will never be that winsome force God intended for us to be.
We need apologists who will defend our faith against the onslaught of heresy
…but we need more.
We need leaders who will strategize and organize God’s people …but we need more.
We need pastors and teachers who will minister and teach …but we need more.
We need writers, composers, and musicians who will communicate the Gospel to the masses…but we need more.
We need workers and supporters who will man their posts and finance the work
…but we need more.
More than anything else, we need Christians who are so “filled with all the fullness of God,” (Ephesians 3:19) that the fruit of the Spirit, (“love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance” Galatians 5:22ff) is existent in their hearts and evident in their lives.
We need Christians who “are Christ’s.” We need Christians who “have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” and who are “quickened by the Spirit,” (1st Peter 3:18) “filled with the Spirit,” (Ephesians 5:18), “sanctified by the Spirit,” (1st Corinthians 6:11), “walk in the Spirit,” (Galatians 5:25), and are “led by the Spirit.” (Romans 8:14).
It is our conviction that Spirit-filled men of God are the only ones who will “earnestly contend for the faith” with the kind of power that can triumph over the onslaught of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Enlightened minds and inflamed hearts will not dilute, nor deny the faith. They will deliver the faith!
We invite you, and all of like heart and mind, to join with us for next month’s St. Louis Holiness Convention. Our speakers are men of God. Our singers are anointed by God. Our services will be ordered by God. And it is our fervent prayer and anxious expectation that everyone attending will be blessed by God. Without Him we can do nothing. But “with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26). This year our speakers and singers include:
WILLIAM CAWMAN (Emmanuel Church, Colorado) comes to us from New Jersey. Brother Cawman is a devout and thoughtful man of God.
BOB & ROWENA CLOUSE (Church of God Holiness, Missouri) pastor the Church of God Holiness in Mexico, Missouri. They are wonderful singers with a passion for the cause of Scriptural holiness.
BENJAMIN CRAWFORD (Bible Methodist, Alabama) is a young man with a passion for evangelism and the cause of Scriptural Holiness. He is currently a candidate for the Alabama legislature.
ANDREW DURST (Crusaders USA, Illinois) is Associate Pastor at Faith Crusaders, Urbana, IL, and the Field Director of GREAT COMMISSION CAMP. This year Pastor Durst will be leading teams in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.
DR. STEVE GIBSON (Midwest Pilgrim Holiness), Pastors Victory Chapel in Indianapolis. He is the author of five books including “The Essential Wesley, I Believe,” and “Practical Christianity,” and director of KEYSTONE URBAN INSTITUTE.
ERIC HIMELICK (International Conservative Holiness Association, Indiana) leads Victory Inner City Ministries. He is a church planter, a professor at Union Bible College, and author.
DR. MARSH W. JONES (Crusaders Church USA, Illinois) is serving his 3rd year as Bishop of the Crusaders, and Pastor of Faith Crusaders Church in Urbana, IL. He has written “The Pulpit, The Periodical, and The Pen: The Life of Joseph Benson.”
TOM KISER (New York Pilgrim Holiness) is launching a new ministry to the streets of New York City. “Goforthall.org” is reaching thousands through prayer stations and discipleship groups.
P L LIDDELL (Church of the Nazarene, Michigan) has been an evangelist for holiness over 50 years. He has composed and written a number of great Gospel songs including, “When I Said Yes To Jesus.”
KENNY THOMPSON (Church of God Holiness, Missouri) has been used of God around the world in the advancement of holiness missions. His zeal for God and his love for people have endeared him to thousands.
WALLACE THORNTON (Church of the Nazarene, Missouri), Pastors in Moberly, Missouri, and serves as an adjunct professor and scholar to a number of Bible Colleges. He is the author of “Radical Righteousness.”
Meals will be provided on a free-will offering basis. We will do what we can to help you secure lodging. If you’re looking for rooms on Priceline, select the St. Louis Airport and Westport areas as they are closest to the convention site. If you need transportation to and from the Lambert International Airport, we will meet you.
Invite your family and friends to join us next month, Thursday, February 25 and Friday, February 26, 2010. If you have need of more information you may call my cell phone (314) 607-1424, or e-mail PastorRick@FCCToday.org.
Onward!
1The survey defined having a Biblical worldview as holding the following six beliefs:
1) Believing that absolute moral truth exists.
2) Believing that the Bible is completely accurate in all the principles it teaches.
3) Believing that Satan is a real being or force, not merely symbolic.
4) Believing that a person cannot earn their way into heaven by trying to be good or by doing good works.
5) Believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth.
6) Believing that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.
2 Michael Spencer, “The Coming Evangelical Collapse,” in The Christian Science Monitor,
March 10, 2009
In a shocking new survey, George Barna is reporting that less than 1% of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 23 have a Biblical worldview.(1) I’m hoping that something is really wrong with the methodology of his survey, but even if his margin of error is +/- 10% (an extremely unlikely possibility for such a reputable pollster), it is alarming evidence that the youngest adults in America are rejecting Biblical Christianity.
Furthermore, 61% of today’s young adults who were churched as teens are now disengaged from the Church (they do not actively attend Church, read the Bible, or pray). Only 20% of the twenty-somethings have maintained a level of spiritual activity that is consistent with their high school experiences.
We who contend for Scriptural holiness may be quick to criticize Churches that are failing to win their young people, but we too have witnessed our own “falling away.”
During the 19th Century, Methodist circuit-riders, Camp meeting Evangelists, and holiness writers were the predominant religious force in our nation. Today, many of our congregations iare struggling, several of our schools are finding it increasingly difficult to attract students, and the message of holiness has been relegated to a historical footnote.
Why? One thoughtful observer concludes:
We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Ironically, the billions of dollars we've spent on youth ministers, Christian music, publishing, and media has produced a culture of young Christians who know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it. Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community. Coming generations of Christians are going to be monumentally ignorant and unprepared for culture-wide pressures.2
Michael Spencer’s diagnosis of our plight is right, but it is incomplete.
We believe with John Wesley that, “A man may be orthodox in every point, he may not only espouse right opinions, but zealously defend them…and yet it is possible that he may have no religion at all. He may be almost as orthodox as the devil, and may be a great stranger to the religion of the heart!” (52 Standard Sermons, Number 7:The Way to the Kingdom).
We need more than enlightened minds. Our greatest need is for the heart-purifying, life-changing, mighty baptism with the Holy Ghost and fire. (Matthew 3:11, Luke 3:16). We need flaming hearts.
The inspired Apostle Paul tells us, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind [or self-discipline].” (2nd Timothy 1:7). Indeed it is this power, this love, and this self-discipline, that is our most pressing need.
Without a personal Pentecost and the frequent fresh outpourings of God’s Holy Spirit into our lives—our Christ will not be exalted, the cause of Holiness will not be advanced, and our Churches will never be that winsome force God intended for us to be.
We need apologists who will defend our faith against the onslaught of heresy
…but we need more.
We need leaders who will strategize and organize God’s people …but we need more.
We need pastors and teachers who will minister and teach …but we need more.
We need writers, composers, and musicians who will communicate the Gospel to the masses…but we need more.
We need workers and supporters who will man their posts and finance the work
…but we need more.
More than anything else, we need Christians who are so “filled with all the fullness of God,” (Ephesians 3:19) that the fruit of the Spirit, (“love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance” Galatians 5:22ff) is existent in their hearts and evident in their lives.
We need Christians who “are Christ’s.” We need Christians who “have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” and who are “quickened by the Spirit,” (1st Peter 3:18) “filled with the Spirit,” (Ephesians 5:18), “sanctified by the Spirit,” (1st Corinthians 6:11), “walk in the Spirit,” (Galatians 5:25), and are “led by the Spirit.” (Romans 8:14).
It is our conviction that Spirit-filled men of God are the only ones who will “earnestly contend for the faith” with the kind of power that can triumph over the onslaught of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Enlightened minds and inflamed hearts will not dilute, nor deny the faith. They will deliver the faith!
We invite you, and all of like heart and mind, to join with us for next month’s St. Louis Holiness Convention. Our speakers are men of God. Our singers are anointed by God. Our services will be ordered by God. And it is our fervent prayer and anxious expectation that everyone attending will be blessed by God. Without Him we can do nothing. But “with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26). This year our speakers and singers include:
WILLIAM CAWMAN (Emmanuel Church, Colorado) comes to us from New Jersey. Brother Cawman is a devout and thoughtful man of God.
BOB & ROWENA CLOUSE (Church of God Holiness, Missouri) pastor the Church of God Holiness in Mexico, Missouri. They are wonderful singers with a passion for the cause of Scriptural holiness.
BENJAMIN CRAWFORD (Bible Methodist, Alabama) is a young man with a passion for evangelism and the cause of Scriptural Holiness. He is currently a candidate for the Alabama legislature.
ANDREW DURST (Crusaders USA, Illinois) is Associate Pastor at Faith Crusaders, Urbana, IL, and the Field Director of GREAT COMMISSION CAMP. This year Pastor Durst will be leading teams in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.
DR. STEVE GIBSON (Midwest Pilgrim Holiness), Pastors Victory Chapel in Indianapolis. He is the author of five books including “The Essential Wesley, I Believe,” and “Practical Christianity,” and director of KEYSTONE URBAN INSTITUTE.
ERIC HIMELICK (International Conservative Holiness Association, Indiana) leads Victory Inner City Ministries. He is a church planter, a professor at Union Bible College, and author.
DR. MARSH W. JONES (Crusaders Church USA, Illinois) is serving his 3rd year as Bishop of the Crusaders, and Pastor of Faith Crusaders Church in Urbana, IL. He has written “The Pulpit, The Periodical, and The Pen: The Life of Joseph Benson.”
TOM KISER (New York Pilgrim Holiness) is launching a new ministry to the streets of New York City. “Goforthall.org” is reaching thousands through prayer stations and discipleship groups.
P L LIDDELL (Church of the Nazarene, Michigan) has been an evangelist for holiness over 50 years. He has composed and written a number of great Gospel songs including, “When I Said Yes To Jesus.”
KENNY THOMPSON (Church of God Holiness, Missouri) has been used of God around the world in the advancement of holiness missions. His zeal for God and his love for people have endeared him to thousands.
WALLACE THORNTON (Church of the Nazarene, Missouri), Pastors in Moberly, Missouri, and serves as an adjunct professor and scholar to a number of Bible Colleges. He is the author of “Radical Righteousness.”
Meals will be provided on a free-will offering basis. We will do what we can to help you secure lodging. If you’re looking for rooms on Priceline, select the St. Louis Airport and Westport areas as they are closest to the convention site. If you need transportation to and from the Lambert International Airport, we will meet you.
Invite your family and friends to join us next month, Thursday, February 25 and Friday, February 26, 2010. If you have need of more information you may call my cell phone (314) 607-1424, or e-mail PastorRick@FCCToday.org.
Onward!
1The survey defined having a Biblical worldview as holding the following six beliefs:
1) Believing that absolute moral truth exists.
2) Believing that the Bible is completely accurate in all the principles it teaches.
3) Believing that Satan is a real being or force, not merely symbolic.
4) Believing that a person cannot earn their way into heaven by trying to be good or by doing good works.
5) Believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth.
6) Believing that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.
2 Michael Spencer, “The Coming Evangelical Collapse,” in The Christian Science Monitor,
March 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA?
We sing ‘Tis the Season to be jolly! Fa la la la la, la la la la!” (I think there are enough “la-la’s” in there.) But “jolly” does not really describe many of us today. I think we would identify more with the Christmas carol, “ye beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low, who toil along the climbing way, with painful steps and slow.”
It’s hard to be “jolly” as you watch your country being led by men and women who mock those of us who “cling to our Bibles” and who declare, “America is not a Christian nation.”
It’s hard to be “jolly” when the most defenseless among us, our unborn children, are at greater risk of being murdered in the womb, than they are outside. To add insult to injury, yesterday a majority of our United States Senators voted that healthcare reform would include government funding for abortion! Our tax dollars would be used to pay for the slaughter of the pre-born should this make it to the President’s desk.
It’s hard to be “jolly” when divorce is ripping our families apart and leaving millions of children confused and torn. Adding insult to injury, today’s parents are so self-centered their children are too often left to fend for themselves. We wonder why our schools are struggling to meet academic goals. We need look no farther than the disintegrating family unit.
It’s hard to be “jolly” when the vice is praised and virtue is mocked. Christianity is ridiculed in the public square while pornography is celebrated.
It’s hard to be “jolly” when government spending is growing at such an alarming rate. Today 20 cents of every federal dollar is spent on the military, while 54 cents is laid out for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Welfare programs. The other 26 cents goes for roads and other government projects and the interest on our debt. (Congressional Budget Office 2008). Right now the U. S. Government owes $12,000,000,000,000.00. That’s over $350,000 per American. At the current pace, our debt will equal the total value of all the goods and services our economy produces next year. That hasn’t happened since World War II.
It’s hard to be “jolly” when the Church, the one institution that God has ordained to be the conscience of the nation is for the most part AWOL (a military term meaning “Absent Without Leave.”). Our pulpits are silent on the great moral issues of our day. We refuse to confront sin, proclaim grace that delivers from sin, and promote holiness of heart and life. The fastest growing churches are those that have adopted sensual music and whose leaders embody the spirit of the age.
BUT WE WHO KNOW THE LORD JESUS CHRIST NEED NOT DESPAIR! While we are deeply concerned about the direction of our nation, we have an unshakable confidence, an optimism that is grounded on the unchanging, eternal Word of the Living God— Christ shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though our nation rejects the Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though churches neglect the Gospel of the Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though sinners oppose the Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though the world denies the Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though the self-righteous crucify the Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though the carnal ignore our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though families renounce our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though schools disallow our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though professors and scientists repudiate our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though cynics and comics deride our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though the enemy and all the powers of hell are bent on destroying our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
You know, the more I think about it, the more thrilled I get! Fa la la la la! La la la la! Hearing the bells of Christendom on Christmas day, Longfellow wrote:
Then peeled the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, goodwill to men.
And that we know is true, for He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
So look up this Christmas season. Whatever the burden you bear, whatever the concern you have, the virgin-born, crucified, buried for three days, risen from the grave, ascended into heaven, and coming-again King of Kings and Lord of Lords shall reign forever! And of His Kingdom there shall be no end.
If this Christ Jesus is not your Lord and Savior He wants to be. No matter how far you have strayed from His will, He loves you with an everlasting love. He longs to see you reconciled to God.
Repent of your sins—confess your sins and decide to do the will of God.
Believe—Trust only in Christ’s sacrifice for your salvation and believe Him. He told the truth, and He is “the way, the truth, and the life.”
Love—Live life from this day forward loving God, loving His Word, loving His will, loving His church, and loving your neighbor as yourself.
It’s hard to be “jolly” as you watch your country being led by men and women who mock those of us who “cling to our Bibles” and who declare, “America is not a Christian nation.”
It’s hard to be “jolly” when the most defenseless among us, our unborn children, are at greater risk of being murdered in the womb, than they are outside. To add insult to injury, yesterday a majority of our United States Senators voted that healthcare reform would include government funding for abortion! Our tax dollars would be used to pay for the slaughter of the pre-born should this make it to the President’s desk.
It’s hard to be “jolly” when divorce is ripping our families apart and leaving millions of children confused and torn. Adding insult to injury, today’s parents are so self-centered their children are too often left to fend for themselves. We wonder why our schools are struggling to meet academic goals. We need look no farther than the disintegrating family unit.
It’s hard to be “jolly” when the vice is praised and virtue is mocked. Christianity is ridiculed in the public square while pornography is celebrated.
It’s hard to be “jolly” when government spending is growing at such an alarming rate. Today 20 cents of every federal dollar is spent on the military, while 54 cents is laid out for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Welfare programs. The other 26 cents goes for roads and other government projects and the interest on our debt. (Congressional Budget Office 2008). Right now the U. S. Government owes $12,000,000,000,000.00. That’s over $350,000 per American. At the current pace, our debt will equal the total value of all the goods and services our economy produces next year. That hasn’t happened since World War II.
It’s hard to be “jolly” when the Church, the one institution that God has ordained to be the conscience of the nation is for the most part AWOL (a military term meaning “Absent Without Leave.”). Our pulpits are silent on the great moral issues of our day. We refuse to confront sin, proclaim grace that delivers from sin, and promote holiness of heart and life. The fastest growing churches are those that have adopted sensual music and whose leaders embody the spirit of the age.
BUT WE WHO KNOW THE LORD JESUS CHRIST NEED NOT DESPAIR! While we are deeply concerned about the direction of our nation, we have an unshakable confidence, an optimism that is grounded on the unchanging, eternal Word of the Living God— Christ shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though our nation rejects the Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though churches neglect the Gospel of the Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though sinners oppose the Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though the world denies the Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though the self-righteous crucify the Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though the carnal ignore our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though families renounce our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though schools disallow our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though professors and scientists repudiate our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though cynics and comics deride our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
…Though the enemy and all the powers of hell are bent on destroying our Savior—He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
You know, the more I think about it, the more thrilled I get! Fa la la la la! La la la la! Hearing the bells of Christendom on Christmas day, Longfellow wrote:
Then peeled the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, goodwill to men.
And that we know is true, for He shall reign forever…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
So look up this Christmas season. Whatever the burden you bear, whatever the concern you have, the virgin-born, crucified, buried for three days, risen from the grave, ascended into heaven, and coming-again King of Kings and Lord of Lords shall reign forever! And of His Kingdom there shall be no end.
If this Christ Jesus is not your Lord and Savior He wants to be. No matter how far you have strayed from His will, He loves you with an everlasting love. He longs to see you reconciled to God.
Repent of your sins—confess your sins and decide to do the will of God.
Believe—Trust only in Christ’s sacrifice for your salvation and believe Him. He told the truth, and He is “the way, the truth, and the life.”
Love—Live life from this day forward loving God, loving His Word, loving His will, loving His church, and loving your neighbor as yourself.
Friday, November 6, 2009
ATTITUDE AND ALTITUDE
My flight instructor warned me, “Do not trust your feelings! Keep your eyes on the instrument panel.” I can’t tell you how difficult that was. For several minutes I flew at about a half mile above the ground with my hands gripping the controls. “Now prepare to land,” my instructor directed. It was my first attempt at landing.
I radioed my intention to the tower then gently turned the plane to align myself with the runway. I was now flying in the landing pattern and waiting for my turn to bring the plane down. “You must keep your eyes on those instrument gauges!” my instructor warned. My eyes quickly scanned the panel.
The altimeter indicated that I was flying at the right altitude, approximately 1,500 feet above the runway. The airspeed indicator showed that my speed was proper—not so fast that I would be unable to land, and not so slow that I would “land” (or perhaps I should say “crash”) before I reached the runway. The fuel gauge reported that I had a half a tank.
“Sport 1150 you’re cleared to land,” the air traffic controller’s voice crackled on the two-way radio. My hands were sweating. With my instructor beside me, we rolled into the final approach to the runway. I extended the flaps on the wings. The plane slowed, and began to drop toward the runway.
For a moment I turned my attention away from the gauges, to look out at the horizon. “Pull back on the stick!” my instructor raised his voice. “Keep your wings level!” He shouted. Watch those gauges. Suddenly an alarm sounded. “Rick!” My instructor’s voice was urgent. “Watch…”
But it was too late. The plane hit the ground moving at 100 miles an hour. My first landing ended in disaster. Fortunately, I was only flying a Flight Simulator—a plane built to teach new students how to fly before actually leaving the ground.
What had been my fatal mistake? I had failed to keep my eye on the gauge that showed my plane’s relationship to the horizon. This gauge indicates to the pilot if the wings are tilted or parallel to the ground. It also would also show if the plane was pointed to the surface of the earth or up towards the sky. Pilots know this gauge to be the ATTITUDE INDICATOR or artificial horizon indicator.
I’ve often thought how appropriately named that gauge really is. As we fly through life, it is vital that we pay attention to our ATTITUDE. If we fail to keep a right attitude, we too will crash.
THE BIBLE URGES GOD’S PEOPLE TO THINK AS CHRIST THOUGHT. “Let this mind [or attitude] be in you, that was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5.) That means that we are to discern what is holy and sinful, and that we are to approach each situation with a Christ-like attitude.
Truth is, OUR ATTITUDE DETERMINES OUR ALTITUDE. If we have a Christ-like attitude we will have a heavenly altitude! No matter what our circumstance may be—for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health—we can triumph in every circumstance when our hearts and minds are directed towards heaven.
Fear is paralyzing. But faith—that unshakeable confidence in God and His goodness is empowering. I can’t think of any great accomplishment that was built on the foundation of fear. I can think of many temporal and spiritual victories that have been won because someone believed God. (Be faithful!)
Impossibility thinking is debilitating. But possibility thinking—directed and inspired by God—enables us “attempt great things for God and expect great things from God.” (the words of William Carey, missionary to India). The enemy says, “It can’t be done!” But Jesus said, “with God, all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (Be confident!)
Hopelessness drives us to despair. But the Christian’s hope—the assurance that one day our “faith shall be sight”—keeps us moving towards victory. Our brave American veterans who fought their way onto the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, pressed forward with the hope that they would win. And they did! (Be hopeful!)
In fact, if we had come to St. Louis with a hopeless attitude there would be no Faith Community today. But we believe God! And we know, that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19. We know that “he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Philippians 3:20. I agree with the songwriter:
We’ve come this far by faith, Leaning on the Lord
Trusting in His Holy Word, He’s never failed us yet.
Oh! We can’t turn back! We’ve come this far by faith!
The Scriptures urge us to:
“Rejoice evermore!” 1st Thessalonians 5:16 (Be joyful!)
“In everything give thanks!” 1st Thessalonians 5:18 (Be grateful!)
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (Be encouraged!)
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32. (Be compassionate!)
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” 1st John 4:7. (Be loving!)
“Comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” 1st Thessalonians 5:14.
(Be patient)
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1st Timothy 6:6. (Be satisfied!)
“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!” Philippians 4:6. (Be exultant!)
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (Be intentionally upward in your thinking!)
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6,7. (Be peaceful!)
SO BEFORE YOUR PLANE HITS THE GROUND, CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE! And let the mind of Christ be in you! Ultimately it is a matter of our will agreeing with God’s will. When we give up on seeing things our way, and begin seeing things God’s way, it is then that our hearts and minds and lives will soar into the “good, acceptable, and perfect will of God!” Romans 12:2.
I radioed my intention to the tower then gently turned the plane to align myself with the runway. I was now flying in the landing pattern and waiting for my turn to bring the plane down. “You must keep your eyes on those instrument gauges!” my instructor warned. My eyes quickly scanned the panel.
The altimeter indicated that I was flying at the right altitude, approximately 1,500 feet above the runway. The airspeed indicator showed that my speed was proper—not so fast that I would be unable to land, and not so slow that I would “land” (or perhaps I should say “crash”) before I reached the runway. The fuel gauge reported that I had a half a tank.
“Sport 1150 you’re cleared to land,” the air traffic controller’s voice crackled on the two-way radio. My hands were sweating. With my instructor beside me, we rolled into the final approach to the runway. I extended the flaps on the wings. The plane slowed, and began to drop toward the runway.
For a moment I turned my attention away from the gauges, to look out at the horizon. “Pull back on the stick!” my instructor raised his voice. “Keep your wings level!” He shouted. Watch those gauges. Suddenly an alarm sounded. “Rick!” My instructor’s voice was urgent. “Watch…”
But it was too late. The plane hit the ground moving at 100 miles an hour. My first landing ended in disaster. Fortunately, I was only flying a Flight Simulator—a plane built to teach new students how to fly before actually leaving the ground.
What had been my fatal mistake? I had failed to keep my eye on the gauge that showed my plane’s relationship to the horizon. This gauge indicates to the pilot if the wings are tilted or parallel to the ground. It also would also show if the plane was pointed to the surface of the earth or up towards the sky. Pilots know this gauge to be the ATTITUDE INDICATOR or artificial horizon indicator.
I’ve often thought how appropriately named that gauge really is. As we fly through life, it is vital that we pay attention to our ATTITUDE. If we fail to keep a right attitude, we too will crash.
THE BIBLE URGES GOD’S PEOPLE TO THINK AS CHRIST THOUGHT. “Let this mind [or attitude] be in you, that was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5.) That means that we are to discern what is holy and sinful, and that we are to approach each situation with a Christ-like attitude.
Truth is, OUR ATTITUDE DETERMINES OUR ALTITUDE. If we have a Christ-like attitude we will have a heavenly altitude! No matter what our circumstance may be—for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health—we can triumph in every circumstance when our hearts and minds are directed towards heaven.
Fear is paralyzing. But faith—that unshakeable confidence in God and His goodness is empowering. I can’t think of any great accomplishment that was built on the foundation of fear. I can think of many temporal and spiritual victories that have been won because someone believed God. (Be faithful!)
Impossibility thinking is debilitating. But possibility thinking—directed and inspired by God—enables us “attempt great things for God and expect great things from God.” (the words of William Carey, missionary to India). The enemy says, “It can’t be done!” But Jesus said, “with God, all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (Be confident!)
Hopelessness drives us to despair. But the Christian’s hope—the assurance that one day our “faith shall be sight”—keeps us moving towards victory. Our brave American veterans who fought their way onto the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, pressed forward with the hope that they would win. And they did! (Be hopeful!)
In fact, if we had come to St. Louis with a hopeless attitude there would be no Faith Community today. But we believe God! And we know, that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19. We know that “he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Philippians 3:20. I agree with the songwriter:
We’ve come this far by faith, Leaning on the Lord
Trusting in His Holy Word, He’s never failed us yet.
Oh! We can’t turn back! We’ve come this far by faith!
The Scriptures urge us to:
“Rejoice evermore!” 1st Thessalonians 5:16 (Be joyful!)
“In everything give thanks!” 1st Thessalonians 5:18 (Be grateful!)
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (Be encouraged!)
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32. (Be compassionate!)
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” 1st John 4:7. (Be loving!)
“Comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” 1st Thessalonians 5:14.
(Be patient)
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.” 1st Timothy 6:6. (Be satisfied!)
“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!” Philippians 4:6. (Be exultant!)
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (Be intentionally upward in your thinking!)
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6,7. (Be peaceful!)
SO BEFORE YOUR PLANE HITS THE GROUND, CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE! And let the mind of Christ be in you! Ultimately it is a matter of our will agreeing with God’s will. When we give up on seeing things our way, and begin seeing things God’s way, it is then that our hearts and minds and lives will soar into the “good, acceptable, and perfect will of God!” Romans 12:2.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
"EMERGENCE" AND "AMBIVALENCE"
When the serpent, “that old serpent called the devil and Satan” (Revelation 12:29), tempted Eve to take the forbidden fruit, his first tactic was to question God’s word. “Hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1).
The devil’s tactics have not changed throughout all human history. Still today his first attack is “Hath God said?” Is God’s Word true? It is not possible to overstate the importance and urgency of knowing and believing God’s Word
From the middle of the 18th to the early 20th century Bible Believing Christians were ridiculed by scholars and clerics who aggressively taught that the Bible was simply a man-made book. Unlike their skeptical predecessors these cynics doubted not only the accuracy of the texts, but the authority of those who authored the Bible. “Higher Criticism” as this approach to the Word of God was called, undermined the confidence of millions of professing Christians.
In the middle of the last century, Bible Believing Christians were ridiculed as unscientific and unreasonable. The creation account, Noah’s flood, and the miracles of Scripture were all discounted as moralistic fables. It is noteworthy that even in many of the Evangelical and Conservative Christian colleges and universities, the possibility that “God breathed into man the breath of life” is no longer considered factual.
And today, at the dawn of the 21st century, we are met with the spectacle of “The Emergent Church.” Their leaders have managed to fuse the dominant philosophy of our generation, “nothing is certain,” into a basic theological tenet. For them, “truth is not a destination, it is a journey.”
Their leaders write:
“We are half finished, half-baked, and not driven by the need to find final and definitive answers.” - Jason Clark
“Modern foundationalism, with its emphasis on the objectivity, universality, and absolute certainty of knowledge, is an impossible dream for finite human beings whose outlooks are always limited and shaped by the particular circumstances in which they emerge” - John Franke
“Moving from Absolute to Authentic” - The subtitle of the book Stories of Emergence
“The problem with the critics [conservative Evangelicals] here is that they think they have a superior, timeless gospel that floats above any culture…” - Brian McLaren
Of course we are humble enough to know that we do not possess all truth. We have never made such an outlandish claim. But we do believe that Jesus is “the truth.” (John 14:6).
We reject the notion that Truth is unknowable, for we know Him! He bears witness of the Truth. (John 18:37) Pilate, the same who ordered Christ’s execution, wondered aloud, “What is truth?” But those who crown Christ King know Truth.
While we acknowledge that the life of faith is a journey from the City of Man to the City of God, it is certain that no one will make it to heaven without Him who said, “I am the door!” (John 10:7). Only those who definitely and unreservedly commit to Christ will be saved. No one can be admitted into the City of God who fails to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He is the Way!
And we reject the idea that since we can never know all the Truth, we should not commit to the Truth that we do know! That would be like saying that since I do not understand calculus I will no longer believe the multiplication tables.
Truth perfectly corresponds with reality, but it is more. It is propositional, but it is also personal. “The Word was made flesh…and we beheld His glory…full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)
And we believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is superior to any and all cultures—American, Roman, Greek, or any other culture on earth. Let God be true and every man a liar. We are Christians first. He is the Life! (John 14:6)
Ours is a generation that would rather discuss all the options than commit to a specific truth or person. We love to talk. We loathe commitment. But it is this unwillingness to commit that lies at the heart of all that troubles our soul—our churches, our politics and our culture.
Leaders would rather waffle than clearly state their positions. Men are afraid to commit to be loyal husbands. Women are hesitant to commit to be faithful wives. Young people are unwilling to commit to virtuous living. Pastors are afraid to say “Thus saith the Lord.” We’d all rather just go along and see what happens than commit ourselves to another person, to a particular choice or to an idea.
Many are hoping that what they lack in commitment they can make up in sincerity. They imagine that so long as they are sincere they will “live happily ever after.” How tragic. When the President Kennedy’s son JFK Jr. was flying his wife and sister in law to Martha’s Vineyard he sincerely thought he was heading for a safe landing but his inexperience cost him and his passengers their lives.
Actually, when we fail to commit or when we justify our lack of commitment we are in fact making a choice. We are choosing to believe that the cost of commitment is greater than the cost of failing to commit. But it is not. When it comes to the most important commitment a person makes—the choice to believe Christ—our eternal destiny is at stake.
Moses urged Israel to choose: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Joshua made his choice: “If it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15).
Elijah challenged Israel to choose: “Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye
between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. (1 Kings 18:21).
Jesus said, “6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)
The Apostle Paul knew that half-hearted commitment would not suffice at judgment. When King Agrippa testified, “Almost thou persuadest me…” the Apostle urged, “I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, (Acts 26:28,29).
If Paul had been an “Emergent Christian” he might have said, “Agrippa, I know you are on the journey so that’s fine. Just keep searching around.”
If Paul had been an “Emergent Christian” he would have written, “I am pretty sure whom I have believed, and I’m sort of persuaded that He is able, to keep that which I’m considering committing unto Him against that day,” instead of “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12
If Paul had been an “Emergent Christian,” he would have concluded his ministry with, “I have struggled with what I should fight for, I think I’ve come quite aways down the track, and I have kept my heart and mind open,” rather than “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7).
May God grant that we will not be changed by the wrong-headed, weak-willed, rebellious Spirit of this Age, but that by God’s Spirit we will change the spirit of our Age!
The devil’s tactics have not changed throughout all human history. Still today his first attack is “Hath God said?” Is God’s Word true? It is not possible to overstate the importance and urgency of knowing and believing God’s Word
From the middle of the 18th to the early 20th century Bible Believing Christians were ridiculed by scholars and clerics who aggressively taught that the Bible was simply a man-made book. Unlike their skeptical predecessors these cynics doubted not only the accuracy of the texts, but the authority of those who authored the Bible. “Higher Criticism” as this approach to the Word of God was called, undermined the confidence of millions of professing Christians.
In the middle of the last century, Bible Believing Christians were ridiculed as unscientific and unreasonable. The creation account, Noah’s flood, and the miracles of Scripture were all discounted as moralistic fables. It is noteworthy that even in many of the Evangelical and Conservative Christian colleges and universities, the possibility that “God breathed into man the breath of life” is no longer considered factual.
And today, at the dawn of the 21st century, we are met with the spectacle of “The Emergent Church.” Their leaders have managed to fuse the dominant philosophy of our generation, “nothing is certain,” into a basic theological tenet. For them, “truth is not a destination, it is a journey.”
Their leaders write:
“We are half finished, half-baked, and not driven by the need to find final and definitive answers.” - Jason Clark
“Modern foundationalism, with its emphasis on the objectivity, universality, and absolute certainty of knowledge, is an impossible dream for finite human beings whose outlooks are always limited and shaped by the particular circumstances in which they emerge” - John Franke
“Moving from Absolute to Authentic” - The subtitle of the book Stories of Emergence
“The problem with the critics [conservative Evangelicals] here is that they think they have a superior, timeless gospel that floats above any culture…” - Brian McLaren
Of course we are humble enough to know that we do not possess all truth. We have never made such an outlandish claim. But we do believe that Jesus is “the truth.” (John 14:6).
We reject the notion that Truth is unknowable, for we know Him! He bears witness of the Truth. (John 18:37) Pilate, the same who ordered Christ’s execution, wondered aloud, “What is truth?” But those who crown Christ King know Truth.
While we acknowledge that the life of faith is a journey from the City of Man to the City of God, it is certain that no one will make it to heaven without Him who said, “I am the door!” (John 10:7). Only those who definitely and unreservedly commit to Christ will be saved. No one can be admitted into the City of God who fails to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He is the Way!
And we reject the idea that since we can never know all the Truth, we should not commit to the Truth that we do know! That would be like saying that since I do not understand calculus I will no longer believe the multiplication tables.
Truth perfectly corresponds with reality, but it is more. It is propositional, but it is also personal. “The Word was made flesh…and we beheld His glory…full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)
And we believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is superior to any and all cultures—American, Roman, Greek, or any other culture on earth. Let God be true and every man a liar. We are Christians first. He is the Life! (John 14:6)
Ours is a generation that would rather discuss all the options than commit to a specific truth or person. We love to talk. We loathe commitment. But it is this unwillingness to commit that lies at the heart of all that troubles our soul—our churches, our politics and our culture.
Leaders would rather waffle than clearly state their positions. Men are afraid to commit to be loyal husbands. Women are hesitant to commit to be faithful wives. Young people are unwilling to commit to virtuous living. Pastors are afraid to say “Thus saith the Lord.” We’d all rather just go along and see what happens than commit ourselves to another person, to a particular choice or to an idea.
Many are hoping that what they lack in commitment they can make up in sincerity. They imagine that so long as they are sincere they will “live happily ever after.” How tragic. When the President Kennedy’s son JFK Jr. was flying his wife and sister in law to Martha’s Vineyard he sincerely thought he was heading for a safe landing but his inexperience cost him and his passengers their lives.
Actually, when we fail to commit or when we justify our lack of commitment we are in fact making a choice. We are choosing to believe that the cost of commitment is greater than the cost of failing to commit. But it is not. When it comes to the most important commitment a person makes—the choice to believe Christ—our eternal destiny is at stake.
Moses urged Israel to choose: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Joshua made his choice: “If it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15).
Elijah challenged Israel to choose: “Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye
between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. (1 Kings 18:21).
Jesus said, “6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)
The Apostle Paul knew that half-hearted commitment would not suffice at judgment. When King Agrippa testified, “Almost thou persuadest me…” the Apostle urged, “I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, (Acts 26:28,29).
If Paul had been an “Emergent Christian” he might have said, “Agrippa, I know you are on the journey so that’s fine. Just keep searching around.”
If Paul had been an “Emergent Christian” he would have written, “I am pretty sure whom I have believed, and I’m sort of persuaded that He is able, to keep that which I’m considering committing unto Him against that day,” instead of “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12
If Paul had been an “Emergent Christian,” he would have concluded his ministry with, “I have struggled with what I should fight for, I think I’ve come quite aways down the track, and I have kept my heart and mind open,” rather than “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7).
May God grant that we will not be changed by the wrong-headed, weak-willed, rebellious Spirit of this Age, but that by God’s Spirit we will change the spirit of our Age!
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