Cancel Christmas???

Cancel christmas? Such a horrible idea, isn't it? Or is it? Let me share something I observed a while back...

I was walking across the parking lot into Costco. Also walking toward the store were a mother and her son. The mother was telling the little boy what they were going to get and what they were not going to get; the little boy was whining about not getting something or other.

"Do you want me to cancel Christmas!?" the mother snapped.

"No"

"Then you better behave yourself."


So I ask you again, cancel Christmas? If christmas was truly the celebration of Jesus' birth, and as such was a holy day of worship toward God, then it could never under any circumstances be cancelled. But yet, the mother's threat still could be made...

Some Thoughts (Seasonal?)

Have you ever noticed...

They start playing christmas music the day after Thanksgiving?

That Thanksgiving gets comparatively short shrift, as a holiday?

That Thanksgiving isn't a huge, overcommercialized holiday?

• Is it because we don't give presents?
• Is it because we don't feel compelled to put up decorations like christmas?
• Is it because it's actually a Christian holiday, rather than only nominally so?

---------

Why is it christmas that everyone (practically speaking) loves dearly, regardless of what they think of Jesus?

Christmas junk has been in stores since August.

Something possesses non-christians to have a "christmas spirit;" and when I look around, it's not the Holy Spirit.

Why is it that christmas with all its appurtenances is pretty much exactly what I would expect a worldly holiday to be, other than the fact that Christians love it? This smacks of a horrible deception to me, and it's not the non-Christians who are deceived. They know that christmas is all about the presents and the tree and the food.

The Battle

The battle is not won in ornate palaces with stained glass windows. The battle is not won by those who sit and imagine what it will be like when they taste the sweet fruits of victory. The battle is not won by enthusiastic planners of great campaigns. The battle is not won even by the mighty warrior who is the hero of every little boy.

The battle is won by the housewife, the battle is won by the man who provides for his family, the battle is won by the youth in school. The battle is won by those who live day by day uprightly, productively, thoughtfully, persistently, and above all, charitably.

The battle isn't won on sunday mornings. It's won on monday morning, and tuesday mornings, and wednesday mornings, and thursday mornings, and friday mornings, and saturday mornings.

Shouldn't we come on sunday morning, not to get the victory, but to declare the victory that we have won all through the rest of the week?

Something Wrong?

Is there something wrong when:

I witness with trepidation because I can't point to a group of people and say "You see those people? They're Christians. They have the same fantastic life and God-given power that I just told you about. On sunday, let me pick you up, and we'll go to their meeting and you can hear them tell about what God has done in their lives and see for yourself what Christians are like and what they believe."

Is there something wrong when:

Every sunday, like clockwork, I go to another meeting where everyone just sits in their pew and the pastor gets up in the pulpit and talks about who-knows-what for 45 minutes and then I wonder if I should have done more than just sit there and look slightly interested.

Is there something wrong when:

I even consider standing up and telling the next pastor that has the gall to say "Nobody can live a holy life until they get to heaven" that he has no right to stand up there and pass himself off as a man of God who is teaching what God wants to be taught, and that unless he is going to teach that we must be holy even as He is holy just as the holy men of God taught and wrote as the Holy Spirit inspired them to teach and write in the holy scriptures, then he should stop calling himself a preacher of God's word.

Is there something wrong when:

It makes me sick to think that all those people are just soaking up this teaching that sin is a necessary, though unwanted, component of a Christian life -- and hardly anybody knows enough to even realize that there's something wrong with that picture; or if they do, they either don't care enough to say something or they aren't brave enough to speak out against it.

Is there something wrong here?

Just Enter In/Praise Song (Medley)

[Announcement by worship leader (not harsh, but firm)]
All right, we’re gonna start worship soon

[Worship leader counts, as to start a song]
1...2...3…hey!

[Guitar strums, etc.]
[Worship leader says/sings]
Come on now, we’ll play a worship tune
‘verybody’s in the room

[Sings]
Spirit come, it’s you we need
We’re so hungry, feeling’s gone
Ooh-ooh we plead

Fee-eel it move
Wee-e’re in the groove

Won’t you come, just enter in
Lost in feeling, now we’re drawn
Loong-iing for Him

Emotions move
God’s in the groove

[Worship leader prays (music playing softly, worshipfully in the background)]
Oh God,
Fill us now as we come before you
Free our hearts as we adore you
We worship you, we do
Help us keep this feeling the whole week through
Oh, Lord.

[Sings next song…]
When we sing just so
Ooh you feel just right (BGV: "feel just right...")
When the lights are low
Ohh you close your eyes

C’mon we'll all stand
Ohh sing Adonai (BGV: "Aa-doh-nai...")
C’mon lift your hands
Ooh worship tonight

We sing our praise song
Ooh let your soul fly (BGV: "fly aw-ay...")
Lord of all reigns on
Eemotional high

What About Heaven...

I don't have a point, just a question:

Why is it that when we envision heaven, it is a place where we can, in God's presence of course, indulge in pleasurable and leisurely experiences constantly? It seems as though we picture heaven as the most perfect theme park, where it's always a perfect sunny 70 degrees, where we're hanging out with all our friends, and we can do whatever we want.

Why do we make heaven into our picture of what would satisfy the desires that we wouldn't consider very Christian to indulge while we are here on earth? Why don't we see heaven as a place where we only do what God wants us to do? Is it because that's not much fun?

One at a Time? Or All Together?

How does it work for a family to be serving God versus a single person serving God?

A family is, in fact, a bunch of single people (except for one married couple in there), and so a big part of how a family serves God is involved with what each person is doing individually.
Thus, as a family, the father needs to do what God has called him to do (providing for his family, loving his wife, raising godly children in a godly manner, working in and with the church in the way God's called him to do), the mother would need to do what God has given her to do (raising godly children in a godly way, doing what needs to be done in running the household, loving her husband, and ministering to others as she has been called or as may be needed), the kids' main job in serving God has to do with being obedient, diligent in school – learning what it means to be godly adults, and practicing that in appropriate ways.

But serving God as a family means more than that. If that was all it was, then marriage and family really wouldn't be much of anything special. As a family, there is a unity (or there should be) that should stand as something special.

In the “perfect” marriage relationship, the husband and wife love each other unselfishly and consistently look for the other’s good before his or her own. Both are understanding, supportive, and communicative; they honestly want the best possible for each other, and are willing to sacrifice for that.

However, in the godly marriage relationship, the husband and wife love God first and foremost and work together towards the goal that God has for them, towards fulfilling his will. They are not focused inwards, towards each other, but outwards – their focus is on God and serving him, a common goal shared by both partners. Since they love God, they will also love each other in the manner of the “perfect” marriage relationship, but that will not be the main focus – the main focus is God and God alone, and the qualities of the “perfect” marriage relationship are simply the natural result of serving God first.

This is in fact the underlying principle not just for a married couple but for the entire family – they are all focused on an “outside” goal. The family relationship is built around the fact that each of the family is loyal first to God, and then, because of that, to the family.

The family as a whole should work together to serve God, so that it isn't, “Oh, Mrs. Christian is such a godly woman, especially with everyone doing everything they do in her family,” but rather “That Christian family is weird – it's like they all have the same goal or something.”

One of the main ways of serving God as a family has to do with the fact that every aspect of a family’s life should be an example of godliness to friends, acquaintances, and neighbours; like it says in Timothy about having well-behaved children (not accused of being riotous or unruly), and that the husband and wife ought to have the kind of relationship that people look at and admire because of its love and virtue.

The other major part of serving God as a family (maybe more as parents) has to do with raising children who truly know what godliness is (even if they choose to turn away from God). One of the things that stands out when reading through Kings and Chronicles are the little notes “and so and so walked in the ways of his father so and so, to work evil...” Or like the sons of Rechab, who had vowed not to touch wine or strong drink because of their Dad. Each of those things shows that the children’s actions reflect on the family, either in a good way or a bad way. For that reason, it's really important how children are raised (because they are, after all, a major “product” of marriage), and that even if the children decide to turn away from God, it's important that their only significant complaint should be along the lines of “Mom and Dad were just too much into Jesus -- that was all they ever talked about -- and I couldn't handle it” rather than about how “Mom and Dad were unfair, mean, and touchy” or any other complaint that might have validity.

In terms of what the family should be doing to serve God...

Generally speaking, the father’s/husband’s calling should provide the major direction for the family. So if the father is called to work in evangelism, the family would end up serving roles within that realm, not necessarily all doing what the father does, but serving in whatever areas may fit alongside his vocation.

It's one thing to say that a husband and wife should love God and work together to serve Him, but how exactly does that work in practice?

A lot of that comes around to listening – What does God want us to do? – and then doing it. It's hard to say very specifically something like “Well, this family should be cooking for the soup kitchen, helping out at Serenity House, leading Bible studies, helping out little old lady neighbors” because that is dependent on what God tells the couple to do – they might, but really what they specifically do to serve God is dependent on what he tells them to do.

Serving God as a family involves whatever is given in the Bible (pure, undefiled religion, etc.) and then furthermore, doing whatever else God has asked apart from the Scripture (being led by the Spirit to do such and such) – but what differentiates it from an individual serving God is that unity, that common goal, because it truly isn't a single person doing it – the whole family does it together – and it's more than “Well, Mom and Dad said we're going to go and do this as a family, so we have to do it,” but it really is a common value between each member of the family.
_________________________________

Thanks to the friend who helped write this.

Walking in Love and Truth

If we live in the Spirit of the Lord
Then let’s walk according to His Word
You and I can walk in love and truth

Live so they see
Our words and deeds agree

If we live in the Spirit of the Lord
Then let’s walk according to His Word
You and I can walk in love and truth

Walk in the light
‘Cause He is in the light

If we live in the Spirit of the Lord
Then let’s walk according to His Word
You and I can walk in love and truth

You say you do
Does your life prove you’re true?

Submit! Sit! Stay! Obey!

The Bible says that a wife is to submit to her husband. But how does that work in a godly marriage relationship? It would be easy to give a short, pat answer, but delving into that answer would not be quite as short.

Here’s the short, pat answer: Ephesians 5:22-33. That explains everything, doesn’t it?

The major element of that submission is that it is a willingness to do what the other sees as the best course of action. That statement can be badly misinterpreted, however, so I want to be clear what I mean by it.

It doesn’t mean that the wife is somehow inferior. It doesn’t mean that the wife should not protest the husband’s decision if she thinks it’s unwise. And it doesn’t mean that there are no areas in which she would rightfully carry authority; so in circumstances where her decision is appealed (by the kids, for example), there would be times when the only appropriate response from the husband would be “What Mom says goes.”

In the end, really what it comes down to is that while they would work side by side as equals – as one, and it shouldn’t be any other way – if anyone asked her “Who’s in charge?” she would point to her husband, and if anyone should say “You can’t do that. Who said you could?” she would point to her husband.

This submission doesn’t have to do with one of them having power over the other, or with the wife being like a servant to the husband. It does have to do with a recognition of how the authority structure in the family works, and it does have to do with the fact that God has created husbands and wives to interact a certain way, as a reflection of the relationship between God and men.

The marriage relationship is a joining of two into one, and so nothing really should be done by the one without the other – everything is no longer “yours” or “mine” but “ours” – and so that relationship is one where each wants the other to be a part of whatever task they have to do, as though they were the very best of friends (which they should be). But in that friendship, and in those tasks that they do together as one, one of them will generally need to take the lead, and scripture is pretty clear that that is the husband’s role.

An illustration comes to mind: There were a couple of guys who decided to go sailing, and since neither of them were “in charge” there were disputes about what they were going to do in some cases. Finally one told the other “Listen, I was the one who initiated this whole adventure, I was the one who let you come along, and you chose to join me – I’m the one in charge.” It wasn’t that the other guy was unfit to lead, but that he wasn’t the initiating force to begin with, and he had joined in with the understanding that he was joining, not leading – though he didn’t want to be mindlessly bossed.

Perhaps it’s a weak analogy for submission in marriage in general, but when a woman marries and has her husband as the authority, there is that aspect of willingly choosing to place herself under that authority. It is not that all of the sudden “Oh, I guess I have to listen to this guy now that we’re married,” but rather like how obeying Christ is part and parcel of becoming a Christian – not a sudden realization you have after you’ve decided to be a Christian – you choose to follow Christ knowing that that’s what’s involved. Submission is something that is wrapped up with marriage, not something that just kind of kicks in after you get married.

Submission doesn’t really have to do with “women being weaker vessels”, and there is no room for an attitude like

If you want to build a happy home,
Have you sacrificed a mind of your own?
‘Cause a good wife learns to cower
Underneath the umbrella of power...[1]

Godly submission is a description of how the two can and ought to best work together – the husband loving his wife, the wife loving her husband – being one flesh, serving God wholeheartedly with one heart, rather than two individualistic hearts.

Above all things, godly submission must work with love, or else it doesn’t work at all. A wife must actively work towards her husband’s highest good, not just mindlessly doing whatever he tells her to do, and if she is going to work towards her husband’s highest good, she has to listen to what God tells her, not just what God tells him. She has to think for herself and share those thoughts, rather than just listening to her husband’s thoughts.
_________________________

[1] Steve Taylor, "I Manipulate"

Thanks to the friend (who remains anonymous) who helped me write this post.

Such People as Quakers are Needed Today

Oh! Better were it to be stripped and naked of all, to account it as dross and dung, and become a fool for Christ's sake, thus knowing him to teach thee in thy heart, so as thou mayest witness him raised there, feel the virtue of his cross there, and say with the apostle, I glory in nothing, save the cross of Christ, whereby I am crucified to the world, and the world unto me. This is better than to write thousands of commentaries, and to preach many sermons. And it is thus to preach Christ and direct people to his pure light in the heart, that God hath raised us up and for which the wise men of this world account us fools, because by the operation of this cross of Christ in our hearts, we have denied our own wisdom and wills in many things and have forsaken the vain worships, fashions, and customs of this world.

For these divers centuries the world hath been full of a dry, fruitless, and barren knowledge of Christ, feeding upon the husk, and neglecting the kernel; following after the shadow, but strangers to the substance. Hence the devil matters not how much of that knowledge abounds, provided he can but possess the heart, and rule in the will, crucify the appearance of Christ there, and so keep the seed of the kingdom from taking root. For he has led them abroad, lo here, and lo there, and has made them wrestle in a false zeal so much one against another, contending for this outward observation, and for the other outward observation, seeking C h r i s t in this and the other external thing, as in bread and wine; contending one with another how he is there, while some will have him to be present therein this way, and some the other way; and some in scriptures, in books, in societies, and pilgrimages, and merits. But some, confiding in an external barren faith, think all is well, if they do but firmly believe that he died for their sins past, present, and to come; while in the meant time Christ lies crucified and slain, and is daily resisted and gainsayed in his appearance in their hearts.

Thus, from a sense of this blindness and ignorance that is come over Christendom, it is that we are led and moved of the Lord to constantly and frequently to call all, invite all, request all, to turn to the light in them, to mind the light in them, to believe in Christ, as he is in them: and that in the name, power, and authority of the Lord, not in school-arguments and distinctions, (for which many of the wise men of this world account us fools and mad-men) we do charge and command them to lay aside their wisdom, to come down out of that proud, airy, brain-knowledge, and to stop that mouth, how eloquent soever to the worldly ear it may appear, and to be silent, and sit down as in the dust, and to mind the light of Christ in their own consciences; which, if minded, they would find as a sharp two-edged sword in their hearts, and as a fire and a hammer that would knock against and burn up all that carnal, gathered, natural stuff, and make the stoutest of them all tremble, and become Quakers indeed: which those that come not to feel now, and kiss not the Son while the day lasteth, but harden their hearts, will feel to be a certain truth when it is too late.

To conclude, as saith the apostle, All ought to examine themselves, whether they be in the faith indeed; and try their ownselves: for except Jesus Christ be in them, they are certainly reprobates. (II Cor 13:5)
____________________________________

The above is from Robert Barclay's "Apology for the True Christian Divinity."

Surely, if those called by the name "Christian" have such a focus on outward observances and such a faith wherein they may sin daily and yet still believe they are bound for heaven, such men and women as the Quakers were are desperately needed today. I will be one of them. I must be, so long as Christ, who lives in me, moves me to urge people away from their sinfulness, off of their outward rituals, and down from their selfishness.

I Don't Know (Song for the Quakers)

I don’t know what I should do with my life
I don’t know if I should mar-ry me a wife
Or be single

I opened up my Bible and listened real hard
I listened and ah listened ‘til I grew real tahred
An’ I don’t know

(chorus:)
I listened and I read
But all it ever said
Was “boy, whatever you’re doin’ with your life
Do it to the Lord and you can do it right.”

Seems scripture alone can’t come alongside
Seems scripture just don’t help me decide
What I should be

(chorus:)
I listened and I read
But all it ever said
Was “boy, whatever you’re doin’ with your life
Do it to the Lord and you can do it right.”

(2nd chorus:)
I guess I need a friend
Who can tell me more than
Just “boy, whatever you’re doin’ with your life
Do it to the Lord and you can do it right.”

Who can ah ask tuh show me the right way
Who but the Spirit o’ God can show me today
And say more than

Just “boy, whatever you’re doin’ with your life
Do it to the Lord and you can do it right.”

Escalator

Climbing up a down escalator
Eventually you will make it
Just before you meet your undertaker
Live in hope now

Climbing up a down escalator
Is this really how God made it
Always going to be holy later
Feel okay now?

Climbing up a down escalator
Just as you die, you will make it
No-one told you 'bout the elevator
Going up now?


Gradually getting better
Little by little you lose your fetters
One day you'll be dead
And then
Only then
Will you be truly alive
No hope to thrive
In this life
Hah. Wait until you're dead

A "Hell"ish Inconsistency

Often, we think it a very grievous offense against God when someone speaks lightly of hell. One may say, "to hell with that idea," expressing their disgust, for example, and we would count it to him as blasphemy.

However, why do we not think it a very grievous offense against God when someone speaks lightly of heaven? Should one say "that's positively heavenly," expressing their delight, we think it to be no offense at all, and yet they have treated God's authority with respect to eternal destiny no less lightly than if they had used "hell" in their dialogue.

If someone says "Oh hell!" because they are frustrated, we would condemn them for using "bad language." But if someone says "Good heavens!" because they are surprised, we think nothing of it.

How can we so slight the good things of God, as to care not how or what people ascribe to the blessed state, and yet concern ourselves greatly with people's ascriptions of the state of the damned? Do we really truly believe that God is not concerned equally with His authority and glory and rightful attribution with respect to both sides of His office as eternal judge and arbiter?

This inconsistency is not right. We should either count expressions on both sides as equally harmless, or as equally serious offenses. We cannot count them harmless, for it is indeed a serious thing to usurp God’s authority; we must therefore guard our tongues (and our friends’ tongues) carefully, so that we speak without offense to God.

Things

“Things,” material, physical objects – stuff – are interesting. Looking at the world we live in, I can’t help but realize more and more how it is so perfectly set up to be a trial period – we come, we stay a while, we get a chance to do some stuff, and then we’re gone – for the most part, none of us leave anything behind, except what may be used or admired by others. Someone else will live in the house we build, someone else will hang our painting on their wall, someone else will drive our car.

If, then, all this stuff is here for us to use, what are we supposed to be doing with it? It isn’t dependent on us – it’s here whether we use it or not – we can’t increase it in any way, there’s no way we can get more of it, or say “mankind has increased the amount of matter in from 10 bazillion tons to 110 bazillion tons.” Things, then, are really inconsequential…but what then are we here for? It’s interesting how people use things as a means of relating to one another – we steal or share, we restrict privileges, we tax, we give welfare, we adorn ourselves with gold, silver, and precious stones, we hold hands, we have sex, we babysit kids…the list goes on and on. The common theme, however, is that things are the means by which we relate to other people; this is the trial, not what we “accomplish” with the things we have, but how we use those things in relationship to others. Do we hoard “our” stuff, or are we generous? Liberal or possessive? Caring, sharing, and honest, or malicious, stingy, greedy, and dishonest? Selfish? Or charitable?

This is why Jesus can say “by their fruits ye shall know them.” It is not about what we have, what we “achieve,” or how much we can collect, but rather that we use what we have to show that we do indeed love others as much as we love ourselves.

Now, because this life is a trial, we must give due allegiance to the Trier. This means more than merely acknowledging His existence – it means we must know Him and follow His instructions. If we have failed the test, He is the only one who could ever say “I forgive you, now you can start again.” We must, at all costs, honour, love, and obey Him, if we are to live this life so that we pass the test.

He has given us two great commandments: to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love thy neighbour as thyself.

Tradition and Truth (or, "Observance of Days, Times, and Seasons, Become Common. Contrasted with Truth")

Today, I hear it more and more -- I hear it in Christian Club at school, I see it in the lives of my friends and acquaintances, I see it in the church -- a following after traditions and celebrations, an observing of this day or that day, seasons that Christians make a special effort to set apart.

In the 1940s, A. W. Tozer said “From this bondage reformers and puritans and mystics have laboured to free us. Today, the trend in conservative circles is back toward that bondage again. It is said that a horse, after it has been led out of a burning building, will sometimes, by a strange obstinacy, break loose from its rescuer and dash back into the building again to perish in the flame. By some such stubborn tendency toward error, fundamentalism in our day is moving back toward spiritual slavery. The observation of days and times is becoming more and more prominent among us. “Lent” and “holy week” and “good” Friday are words heard more and more frequently upon the lips of gospel Christians.” [One might easily add “christmas” and “advent” to this list.]

How much more enslaved to tradition are we today? Tozer saw what he saw sixty years ago – now, we have sixty more years of life behind us, and now those who grew up observing times and seasons are not mere children, but the pre-eminent people in the church. What do we have today? Are we not more entrenched in our observances than ever before?

I hate tradition. I hate tradition, because, even though it often is begun with a real purpose (as a means to accomplishing an end), it often ends up controlling our lives – the tradition itself becomes an end in itself – it usurps the value and the authority of the initial reason it even exists!

“I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
– Amos 5:21-24

Traditions should only exist to serve a purpose greater than themselves. If they do not plainly serve that purpose, they cease to be useful. In fact, they become worse than useless – they shackle the mind and begin to enslave, yes, enslave our will, so that we no longer live or fight for a goal or purpose that is valuable in and of itself, but we begin to fight for the tradition. This is horror of the greatest magnitude. To zealously go into battle for something that has no intrinsic value is utterly ridiculous.

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
– Colossians 2:8

The only thing that is of real intrinsic value for any intellectual life activity is truth. At the root of all conflict, of all science, of all things worth fighting for, you will find truth. It is the one thing worth dying for. “I’m right and you’re wrong” we say as individuals. We say it as nations too: “you can’t treat people that way – it’s not decent, it’s not human – it’s not right!”

If truth is worth dying for, if it is worth fighting for, it is certainly worth living for! That is why I am here – to tell you, if you haven’t realized it already; to drive it home to you, if you’ve been thinking about it; and to encourage you, if you know it already – if truth is not the ruling principle in your life, you will end your life with nothing of any real value to you.

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
– Proverbs 4:7

Thus, our most important pursuit in life is to know and act on truth; to live our lives by it. Anything less is worse than useless. "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" True freedom is found only in Truth.

"Be a lover of truth. Let neither majority nor authority be more important to you than truth."
– Dennis Carrol

The only real authority is derived from truth. Truth is not determined by popular vote, for it remains the same whether or not the whole world refuses to acknowledge it. Truth is not determined by authority, by the word of a leader, for many is the leader who has led through falsehood and deception.

"Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding."
– Proverbs 23:23

Truth of supreme importance, and because of its importance, our lives must be led by his guide. Truth does us no good if we know it and yet ignore it through our actions. We must know it and live by it. "The lip of truth shall be established forever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment." (Proverbs 12:19) If you settle for less than truth in your life, in your motives, in your actions, your life is wasted. "For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36)

The Dismal Spirit of Today

A. W. Tozer says, regarding the spirit of Christians today:

"We read our chapter, have our short devotions and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar.

"The tragic results of this spirit are all about us: shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit. These and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul.

"For this great sickness that is upon us no one person is responsible, and no Christian is wholly free from blame. We have all contributed directly or indirectly , to this sad state of affairs. We have been too blind to see, or too timid to speak out, or too self-satisfied to desire anything better than the poor, average diet with which others appear satisfied. To put it differently, we have accepted one another's notions, copied one another's lives, and made one another's experiences the model for our own. And for a generation the trend has been downward. Now we have reached a low place of sand and burnt wire grass and, worst of all, we have made the Word of Truth conform to our experience and accepted this low plane as the very pasture of the blessed.

"It will require a determined heart and more than a little courage to wrench ourselve loose from the grip of our times and return to biblical ways. But it can be done. Every now and then in the past Christians have had to do it. History has recorded several large-scale returns led by such men as St. Francis, Martin Luther and George Fox. Unfortunately, there seems to be no Luther or Fox on the horizon at present."

I may be no Luther or Fox, but I, as they did, will stand up and speak out for a return to purity, righteousness, and a separation from worldliness. I must stand on the Bible for my spiritual standards, caring not that the Word of the Spirit may be divisive or disruptive. Will you stand with me?

Broken Hearted Warrior

There stands the soldier of truth. At his feet lies his foe, ever elusive, deceptive, but now with nowhere to hide. The soldier's sword glimmers in his hand, his feet firmly planted and his banner held high, as he gazes round the battlefield. His heart fills with sorrow as he sees the innocent dead, the wounded and dying, all who have perished in the struggle.

"You've killed them." The liar says, as he yet cowers on the ground. "There, the blood is still wet on your sword -- you, in your rash zeal for this 'truth,' you've destroyed these, and look at the others...at him, he has deserted because of you -- this pain needs to stop. Come, let's stop the hurting, stop breaking relationships. Is it really such an enormity? It should never have come to this; should we not stop now, while there is yet time?"

Can such an one ever rest from guile and subtilty in his contriving to cover his sin of former time with smooth words and a twisted truth? Ah, it is a hard thing -- nigh impossible.

"No." The soldier says softly, as his eyes well with tears. "For me to lay down my sword and banner, and allow you to stand is to betray my King and His trust in me, to betray my brotherhood, and to exalt the very enemy of the crown and throne and sceptre of the Kingdom for which I stand."

His voice a little stronger, "The blood of all these people may drip from the sword of truth, but it is on your hands, and the King will require it of you...in full."

...

Why, why must the victory of truth stand atop the graves of honest men, women, and children? Why must the triumph of truth come at the cost of honest and innocent souls?

The Bible -- the Word of God?

Is the Bible God’s word?

First, does the Bible pass the test of historical accuracy? We know it does, for several reasons: first, because it passes the test of reality – worldly archaeologists rely on it to tell them where to find places to dig (and what do you know…the archaeologists dig, and presto – there it is) – the Bible is archaeologically accurate. Second, the Bible has more manuscript evidence than any other historical document. Third, even the secular historians’ (Josephus, etc.) accounts agree with those of the Bible. And fourth, the Bible’s account of historical events and people have consistently been confirmed by other historians, even today (Darius existed, King David existed, Solomon existed, etc.).

These are more than enough to show the Bible’s reliability, at least as a historical document. Now, this does not prove that it was inspired by God (i.e. men wrote what God told them to), as men alone can also write historically accurate documents…but it does give us some place to start, because if we know that it is historically accurate, then we can look at its content (i.e. what Jesus said about himself) to see what it says.

Second, is the Bible consistent with itself? In its 2000 (at least) year history, there has been ample time for those who do not believe it to find a contradiction in it, but to date, there has been found not one bona fide, incontrovertible contradiction.

Now, can we prove something from this? Not directly, until we consider what Jesus said about himself. So what does he say? Most importantly, he claims that he is God.

If we examine Jesus’ claims, then we are left with only a few options. Either Jesus was who said he was, or he wasn’t. What does this mean? If we break it down further, Jesus could have been a lunatic (with an infinitely wrong belief of himself), a liar (one who knows that what he says is untrue), or exactly who he claimed to be – God. There are no other options.

That Jesus claimed to be God is plain to anyone who reads the historical accounts of his teachings (see John 1:1-17; 8:58; 10:30; Luke 5:20-21; and others)

But what if he was not who he claimed to be? We have two options left: he must have been a liar or a lunatic.

If he was a liar, what did he stand to gain by propagating the lie? That people would follow him?...this might be possible, except that when given the chance to save his life by simply saying “yeah, it’s not true, I’m really not God” does he do this? No, in fact, he continued to maintain that what he said was true (see John 18:19-23; Luke 22:67-71; and Mark 14:61-62). Again, if he was a liar, how is it then that he rose from the dead? He was certainly dead after having been crucified (the Romans were experts in crucifying people), and yet there were hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw him alive after he had been dead and buried. Not only this, but those who could have disproven his resurrection did nothing to deny it (the Pharisees had a lot of credibility to lose if Jesus rose from the dead, and the Roman soldiers who were guarding the tomb could have easily repudiated the story of Jesus’ resurrection, if it had not been true). Thus, we see that the claims that Jesus made were not lies; at the very least, Jesus believed in what he taught up to the very end.

This brings us to our third option…if he were a lunatic. What is the defining characteristic of lunacy? It is that what I am and what I believe I am are different. If this difference is only a little, we call it pride (or depression), if it is larger, we call it delusions of grandeur; now, these differences are those of degree – what if we look at differences of kind - if I were to believe myself to be a horse? I would certainly be classified as certifiably insane. The ultimate in lunacy, then, is to claim to be something infinitely different in kind and degree, when I am not that something. For a man to claim to be God is just such a situation – God is infinitely greater (degree) and definitely not human (kind). For Jesus to believe his claims (assuming that they are not true), would mean that he was raving mad – as insane as is possible. And yet, his claim were true, as we have seen before... everything that he claimed would happen to him, or that he was, are backed up by history, as he said, (paraphrased) “If I don’t do the works of my Father [God], then don’t believe me. But if I do, then you know that the Father is in me, and I in the Father” (John 10:37-38)…thus, he says that if what he does is not matching what he says, then we don’t need to believe him. Jesus clearly was no lunatic.

The logic of this argument goes thus:

Jesus is lord, liar or lunatic.
Jesus was not a liar.
Jesus was not a lunatic.
Therefore: Jesus is lord.

This argument is not my own original creation – I’m not that smart – C.S. Lewis originally used it in “Mere Christianity” (an excellent book, by the way) and Josh McDowell refines it in “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” (I don’t have space to quote his whole chapter here, you’ll have to read it for yourself).

"But," you may say, "you still haven’t proven that the Bible is the Word of God." You are right…but I don’t have far to go. Now we can say that:

Jesus was God
Jesus maintained that Scripture is authoritative (see Mark 12:10; Luke 4:21; and John 7:38; 17:12)
Therefore: Scripture is at the very least, ordained by God as the authoritative rule of conduct for all men (i.e., you and me).

Whether it was specifically written by God or “is the Word of God” or however you want to look at it, this is far enough for our purposes…the Bible is authorized by God as the rule of life which defines right and wrong conduct.

A Word from William

"Come, let us pursue this interesting and important inquiry. How far can God save from sin here? This question can be satisfactorily answered only by hearing what the Lord says on the subject and, having listened to the Scriptures, you may then with propriety and advantage listen to the testimony of those who boldly profess to have an experience on the subject.

"What says the word of the Lord? What people say -- whether they be learned or unlearned, official or unofficial, or anything else -- if they speak not in harmony with the direct and plain teaching of the word of God, they speak not the truth on this subject, whatever they may do on any other. And as the opinions of other men are not our standard, neither are their lives. If A and B say I cannot be saved from sinning -- if they say I must go on in unbelief and unfaithfulness and evil tempers unto the end of my earthly days, if they say I cannot love God with all my heart and be loyal with simple obedience to my heavenly King -- I ask A and B for their authority. If they confess that, after some two or three disjointed, misapprehended texts of Scripture, they rely upon the fact that this unholy, inconsistent, Spirit-grieving life is the common confessed experience of Christians, and therefore nothing better is possible to me, I reject their authority. I won't accept the backsliding experience of any number of people as the standard of religious attainment for me. It is not what men are, but what God wants them to be; not what they actually possess and enjoy of purity and peace and power, but what Christ, the blessed Christ, with his agony and Blood bought for them; what the Father freely offers, and what the pleading, long-suffering Holy Spirit waits to bestow. If I live at Ephesus, am I to conclude that it is impossible for me to keep my first love with its self-consuming, soul-saving power? Or if my lot is cast in Laodicea, am I to teach that it is the right and acceptable thing before God and men not to be enthusiastic, not to be be eaten up with the zeal of God's house, not to be burning hot, but to be miserably, contemptibly lukewarm in His service?

"O my brethren, my comrades in The Salvation Army, to you I write, Beware of this measuring yourselves with yourselves. It is not wise. Endless loss and sorrow and backsliding have been caused by it, contenting ourselves with being as good as other people. And yet many will do it, no matter how warned or cautioned they may be; and therefore let us hurry up to the high levels of attainment, so that instead of dragging men down to Ephesus and Laodicea we may lift them up to Mount Beulah, and draw them on to that blessed highway, the highway of holiness."

-- William Booth

Worth Reading.

I read this on Mike's profile (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/note.php?note_id=86434649709&ref=nf). Mike reposted it from Fariss' profile...and I am passing it along to you (with some spelling corrections), because it is worth reading, and more than worthy of being read, it is worth being acted on. So read on...

-------------------------------------------------
Fariss' opening statement:

As of late my good friends Jonathan and Britt have been noticing more and more of the immodesty this culture has grown into a habit of accepting.

Our notes are aimed at trying to start change. so i encourage you to come along side us and write, and promote change in your area whether it be writing your own note/blog or copying and pasting ours.
Attention craving, conformitism, and immodesty are crippling our society, our churches, and our schools from behind and we don't even notice it. so please be the change.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonathan's Note:

Ah, I'm not really sure how to start this.

I just want to thank all the female friends of mine for being modest.

I went bowling the other night, with a bunch of friends, and it was just so...man, there were a lot of girls who were not dressed modestly, let's just say. I felt bad for them, it was weird. I don't understand why girls dress like that. It's like, why demean yourself, just to get attention from guys who don't value YOU. That only attracts guys who only care about your body. And that's not someone you want to spend the rest of your life with...immature, selfish, and perverted.

So, my point.


Thank you ladies, for being modest. Because, it's hard for guys as it is, not to be looking at ladies like that. So when girls dress like that it just makes it harder. That is NO excuse though, guys make their own decisions, and you aren't responsible for that.

Be proud about who you are. Because you are a loved creation of the Most High. So don't feel like guys won't notice you if you don't wear less.

GAH! ok, ha, side note. Whoever came up with the saying "less is more" should....I don't even know, But it has messed a lot of brains up, and that's NOT cool.

anyway.

Yes, so guys WILL notice you. Ha, ok, little secret of the male mind. Guys like a challenge, so if you're dressed modestly, and act mature, and aren't totally open about EVERYTHING, they notice that. Maybe it seems like a short term loss, and long term gain. But don't worry about such things. Be who you are, and you will be amazed.

Also, I want to apologize for the perverted ways of males. I really do feel bad for girls a lot of the time. You girls have so much pressure on you to "look your best" and to be current and fashionable. Not to mention school, and all the stuff you have to deal with there. It's not cool that guys use ladies as eye candy.

Mmmm, you my friends know my thoughts about that, if not, you don't know me all that well.

I am for love...but one of the few things I hate, is how guys use girls for eye candy.

But my main point of this note, was to say thank you for being modest. So, thank you. Keep doing so, and be proud about it.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Britt's note:


Goody goody, now its time to write about Guys and modesty.

In our culture today, Just as Girls feel that the best way to fit in is to look a certain way, Guys feel that that the best way to fit in is to grab attention and beat other Guys down.

if you haven't notcied already most guys tend to CRAVE ATTENTION!

Guys Crave the validation that comes from getting attention.. it can be negative attention, or it can be positive attention done with the wrong motivations. That's why you sometimes have the guy at youth group that will never stop talking and being annoying, and you can have the goody goody hypocrite that volunteers for every youth event because he gets kudos for it. Both guys are seeking validation from the attention these actions produce.

WHEN GUYS CRAVE ATTENTION IT BREEDS IMMODESTY

Guys don't have to wear nothing to be immodest. A guy can be immodest by the way he conducts himself, the way he talks, what he talks about, what activities he participates in, his motivation for doing things and so on.

I was talking to a middle school boy about 3 years younger then me and i was talking to him about dating (sidenote: I am very much against dating before the age of 18, its pointless until your actually ready to get married) he was in a relationship and i asked him why he was dating this girl even though they were only in middle school. he said "Because everyone i know is doing it, and she's hot, so it makes all the other guys jealous and it just feels good to have the ATTENTION because she is so popular and hot", i asked him if really did like her, and after some thought he said "No but the attention is really nice".
GAHH! that is disturbing! The new generation of men are becoming pathetic wimps that are desperate for attention! its not wonder we are having so many moral failures in men now days!

Craving Attention breeds immodesty

Please o please guys, our culture is in a place that we need Guys to step up and be leaders. The Bible has said that just as the men of the church fall, the est of the church will fall also. Men/Guys that crave attention and are immodest will NEVER be able to lead.
strive to redefine what the media says about Men being wimps that are dependent on sexual desires and attention, Redefine how we lead, Redefine the norms, Redefine "Love", Redefine on fire for Jesus, Redefine Passion, Redefine our schools, Redefine Christianity

Redefine our Culture


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fariss' addition:

It's very obvious at this point in time the way our world is going is down hill... When I look around I'll tell you what I see in a list:

1. Pre-marital Sex as something OK, something that "everyone is doing" (a lie)

2. Sexual confusion--- you are who God made you to be, not who you feel you should be.

3. Drugs & Alcohol...... and with them I hear all the lies being put in peoples heads such as
---------->They Don't Hurt Me
----------->I'm not addicted and I can't be...
------------>I do it because I'm bored
------------->I do it because It feels like I won't gain the attention of the world otherwise.

4. Lies... I see people believing the lie that "they should be satisfied on this earth" when the only true satisfaction can come from a loving God.

I'm here to tell you that there is HOPE... there is LOVE... but they can only come in their true from a loving and mercyful God.


I'm tired of sitting down and watching friends and acquaintances get sucked into their worldly desires...
I know that God is for lack of words to describe him, The Best Thing That Has Ever Happened To Me.

I've seen the above and have practiced lust and sin as a habit... It's the biggest part of my testimony I'm ashamed of. It's sick, repulsive, disgusting and LITERALLY POISON (not joking) to dwell upon.

I hope this encourages you all. I pray you all come to a point in your relationship with Christ that you come to realize what is of God and what is not. I wish for every one of you who read this note to grow exponentially in your love with God.

Step out...... Be a REBEL!....... Everyone is conforming and instead of the unbeliever being the rebel, they have be come the norm.
We need to be rebels in our communities reading our Bibles, Spreading God's Love, Spreading the Gospel and the reason for the HOPE that is in us.

God Bless,
Fariss

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can't add too much more.

Jesus said "go and sin no more...I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Our actions will speak volumes more than the words in this note ever will. I don't want to have passed along a note that "is encouraging" to make us "feel better;" I want to influence actions: godly, righteous, holy zeal for the Love and Truth that God is and stands for. That means that you and I need to be filled with the Spirit of God, renewed in our minds to have the mind of Christ, and to have put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man. Action. Faith is all fine and well, but without obedient action, it is worse than useless, and gives a reason for unbelievers to despise and blaspheme the God they so desperately need.

For Those Who Think We Cannot

For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 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 30:11-19
_______________________________________________________

Here, the Lord tells the children of Israel what he requires of them. He has laid out his commandments, and He has explained in graphic detail the consequences of forsaking those commandments. Now, these things were written for our examples – that we should not lust after evil things, as they did – so let us take care to pay attention to what we read. In giving the commandments of this covenant, as weak and unprofitable as it was, as burdensome a yoke (that neither they nor their children were able to bear, says Peter), what does the Lord say? He says there is nothing about these commands that is difficult: they are not hidden requirements that we might break them unwittingly, they are not far off, idealistic and unrealistic; they are not up in heaven that we need some prophet to bring them to us, nor are they in some far away country, that we need a hero to retrieve them for us. No, the Lord says, they are right here, near you – in fact, they are in your mouth – in your heart. Simply do them and live. It is not a difficult choice, people.

Now, if that is what our Lord provided for His people in the former covenant, what greater provision and power must there be in His new covenant? For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God…by so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament…wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are call might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

The new covenant being established on better promises than the old, we may say that through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, grace and peace are multiplied unto us according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness – through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue – and by him are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Thus, in the Spirit and power of the Lord, we may live, not in fear, nor in sin, but in wholehearted obedience and love, and that not as though it were difficult, but easily and naturally, for our Lord says “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” (I John 5:2-4)

An Act Made at a General Court, Held at Boston, the Twentieth of October, 1658

I was reading Foxe’s Book of Martyrs the other day, and came across a passage that sounded eerily familiar – too familiar, perhaps. Without further ado...
____________________________________________________________

An Act Made at a General Court, Held at Boston, the Twentieth of October, 1658

"Whereas, there is a pernicious sect, commonly called Quakers, lately risen, who by word and writing have published and maintained many dangerous and horrid tenets, and do take upon them to change and alter the received laudable customs of our nation, in giving civil respects to equals, or reverence to superiors; whose actions tend to undermine the civil government, and also to destroy the order of the churches, by denying all established forms of worship, and by withdrawing from orderly Church fellowship, allowed and approved by all orthodox professors of truth, and instead thereof, and in opposition thereunto, frequently meeting by themselves, insinuating themselves into the minds of the simple, or such as are at least affected to the order and government of church and commonwealth, whereby divers of our inhabitants have been infected, notwithstanding all former laws, made upon the experience of their arrogant and bold obtrusions, to disseminate their principles amongst us, prohibiting their coming into this jurisdiction, they have not been deferred from their impious attempts to undermine our peace, and hazard our ruin.

"For prevention thereof, this court doth order and enact, that any person or persons, of the cursed sect of the Quakers, who is not an inhabitant of, but is found within this jurisdiction, shall be apprehended without warrant, where no magistrate is at hand, by any constable, commissioner, or selectman, and conveyed from constable to constable, to the next magistrate, who shall commit the said person to close prison, there to remain (without bail) until the next court of Assistants, where they shall have legal trial.

"And being convicted to be of the sect of the Quakers, shall be sentenced to banishment, on pain of death. And that every inhabitant of this jurisdiction, being convicted to be of the aforesaid sect, either by taking up, publishing, or defending the horrid opinions of the Quakers, or the stirring up mutiny, sedition, or rebellion against the government, or by taking up their abusive and destructive practices, viz. denying civil respect to equals and superiors, and withdrawing from the Church assemblies; and instead thereof, frequenting meetings of their own, in opposition to our Church order; adhering to, or approving of any known Quaker, and the tenets and practices of Quakers, that are opposite to the orthodox received opinions of the godly; and endeavoring to disaffect others to civil government and Church order, or condemning the practice and proceedings of this court against the Quakers, manifesting thereby their complying with those, whose design is to overthrow the order established in Church and state: every such person, upon conviction before the said court of Assistants, in manner aforesaid, shall be committed to close prison for one month, and then, unless they choose voluntarily to depart this jurisdiction, shall give bond for their good behavior and appear at the next court, continuing obstinate, and refusing to retract and reform the aforesaid opinions, they shall be sentenced to banishment, upon pain of death. And any one magistrate, upon information given him of any such person, shall cause him to be apprehended, and shall commit any such person to prison, according to his discretion, until he come to trial as aforesaid."

A Few Words from Leonard

Some quotations from Leonard Ravenhill. I found them encouraging and applicable; I pray they do the same for you.
_________________________________________________

"A popular evangelist reaches your emotions. A true prophet reaches your conscience."

"A true shepherd leads the way. He does not merely point the way."

"You never have to advertise a fire. Everyone comes running when there's a fire. Likewise, if your church is on fire, you will not have to advertise it. The community will already know it."

"John the Baptist never performed any miracles. Yet, he was greater than any of the Old Testament prophets."

"I doubt that more than two percent of professing Christians in the United States are truly born again."

"Our God is a consuming fire. He consumes pride, lust, materialism, and other sin."

"There are only two kinds of persons: those dead in sin and those dead to sin."

"Children can tell you what Channel 7 says, but not what Matthew 7 says."

"Some women [some men, too!] will spend thirty minutes to an hour preparing for church externally (putting on special clothes and makeup, etc.). What would happen if we all spent the same amount of time preparing internally for church with prayer and meditation?"

"Maturity comes from obedience, not necessarily from age."

"What good does it do to speak in tongues on Sunday if you have been using your tongue during the week to curse and gossip?"

"Would we send our daughters off to have sex if it would benefit our country? Yet, we send our sons off to kill when we think it would benefit our country!"

"The only time you can really say that 'Christ is all I need,' is when Christ is all you have."

"The Bible is either absolute, or it's obsolete."

"Why do we expect to be better treated in this world than Jesus was?"

"Testimonies are wonderful. But, so often our lives don't fit our testimonies."

"My main ambition in life is to be on the Devil's most wanted list."

"You can't develop character by reading books. You develop it from conflict."

"When there's something in the Bible that churches don't like, they call it: legalism.'"

"We can't serve God by proxy."

"We must do what we can do for God, before He will give us the power to do what we can't do."

"There's a difference between changing your opinion, and changing your lifestyle."

"Our seminaries today are turning out dead men."

"How can you pull down strongholds of Satan if you don't even have the strength to turn off your TV?"

"If a Christian is not having tribulation in the world, there's something wrong!"

"Any method of evangelism will work, if God is in it."

"Church unity comes from corporate humility."

"Many pastors criticize me for taking the Gospel so seriously. But do they really think that on Judgment Day, Christ will chastise me, saying, 'Leonard, you took Me too seriously?'"

"If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified."

"You can know a lot about the atonement, and yet receive no benefit from it."
_____________________________________________________________

And one final quote, a warning to which we would do well to take heed:

"If the whole church goes off into deception, that will in no way excuse us for not following Christ."

On Interpreting Scripture

Sometimes, I feel dumb asking other people what they think about this or that spiritual topic. Not all the time, but when I don’t know the “answer” – for some reason, it strikes me as presumptuous (maybe that’s not the right word, but it seems not quite right, anyway) to ask others, when it is the Spirit of God that leads us into all truth – shouldn’t I simply ask the Author what He meant, if I don’t understand?

If Jesus said that the Spirit, when He was come, would guide us into all truth, I must lay hold on that promise and bring it before God as the basis for my prayer – God has promised that He would send the Spirit, and that the Spirit would guide me into all truth – if I am to live and walk in the Spirit, then I must take God at His word, and actually live that way. So if I am to rightly interpret a section of Scripture, I must be in the Spirit (for who knoweth the mind of man, save the spirit of man; who knoweth the mind of God, save the Spirit of God?).

Now, the wisdom (that is, the correct and skilful application of knowledge) that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated. Easy to be intreated. That means that any enduement of heavenly wisdom will only make me more approachable and willing to listen to others’ thoughts and arguments. Hmm…like love, pure, not rejoicing in iniquity, but rejoicing in truth; heavenly wisdom is first pure, seeking the pure, the right, the truth, so as not to fall into error or sin.

The Problem with Committees (Or, "When the Kingdom Gets in the Way")

The other day, I saw a large committee (more than twelve people were present, with more who were supposed to be there) actually function well, and seem to effectively get necessary tasks accomplished or designated. I didn't think about it at the time, but now that I ponder it, I wonder why committees sometimes work, but other times don't.

They often fail to work successfully (or work only at a mediocre level) in churches...and generally it is the same with cities that have a city council. The committee ends up not doing very much at all, just sort of muddling along, not breaking anything, but also not really accomplishing anything noteworthy. Or the council members will work or fight against each other and, while still muddling along and not technically breaking anything, end up destroying their citizenry's confidence in their effectiveness and the integrity of the members and the system (and once the taxpayers are convinced that the system and the governors are not looking out for their best interests, they start taking some sort of action, be it protesting, getting involved directly in the system, or simply moving away).

Churches often end up the same way -- the board of elders, or the several pastors, or whoever makes up the committee will generally muddle along, getting enough done to keep the normal day-to-day church operations going (paying rent, salaries, and scheduling cleaning, or whatever), but not really doing much more than that, having difficulty getting involved in a new area of activity or changing routines. Or the elders/pastors will end up in conflict and will spend so much of their energy in adversarial activities amongst themselves, that they have trouble functioning effectively, and the church members end up losing confidence in the leaders' effectiveness, integrity, and often begin to doubt that the system works at all.


So… what makes the difference between a functional committee and a dysfunctional committee? I think there are several elements:

Necessaries:

First, a group will function well if there is a common goal to work towards. This cannot be a nebulous or inconcrete goal, however; it must be a goal that everyone can see and know exactly what they are working towards -- in short, it must be measureable -- it does not need to be measureable exactly in numbers (though that is certainly one way of measuring something), but it must, at all events, be crystal clear in the minds of all members. [Examples of goals that don't have numbers but are yet measurable: winning WWII, stopping Godzilla from destroying Tokyo, hitchhiking to California, etc.]

Second, a group must not only have a common goal, but all the members of the group must agree that that goal is the one to work towards. In a work situation, this acceptance is generally implied when you take the job -- you must work toward the goals of the company. In a church setting, this goal must be made clear, and must clearly be accepted by the members of the group.

Hindrances:

First is the kingdom mentality. I think one of the things that often gets in the way of effective committee functioning is when the committee is given rule over a kingdom. This happens in city government -- the mandate of the city council is to bear rule over the citizenry, and maximize their welfare; same story in church government -- somehow, the church body becomes to the leaders a type of citizenry ("our flock," "our congregation," etc) for which the elders/leaders perceive that they have some mandate to rule over and maximize "welfare...

The problem that I see with this is that truly effective kingdoms must clearly have in mind a common goal (as mentioned above), but in general, the basic premise of a kingdom is to extend your rule over as many people, and as much territory as is feasible -- this means WAR -- but war is pretty much the one thing that these kingdoms either cannot, or will not do. For municipalities, it is forbidden, and for churches, it is sorely ill-defined, and few "soldiers" can see the battle to fight it, let alone prepare for it.

Thus, when your organization is in some sense a kingdom, and there is no war or conquest, the kingdom mentality fails to function very well at all.

Second, any obscurity of the goal will tend to result in a proportional reduction in the effectiveness of the group to make decisions. Clarity of purpose, direction, and objective are absolutely essential.

Third, forgetfulness. People often tend to get involved in their specific tasks, and forget the end goal that their task is designed to help accomplish. When the leadership gets involved and focused on this project, that project, and what-project-should-we-do-next, sight of the goal is lost, and the effectiveness of their directions is greatly reduced. The goal must be kept in mind at all times, and the criteria for all projects must be its effective contribution to the accomplishment of the goal. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

Fourth, stasis. Growth or movement helps to focus a goal [it is easier to spot someone who is running, than someone who is walking, and easier to spot someone who is walking than someone who is standing still]. The point at which an organization "reaches the top," is the point at which it is most likely to fall apart. This is because a goal once reached is a goal now nonexistent. When the leadership is in a position of "what shall we do now?" all unifying and motivating effects of the common goal are removed, and unless a new goal is instituted [this is, in my opinion, where a good leader will recognize that a new goal is needed, and set it up for the organization], the leadership will fall to bickering about selfish points that accomplish nothing for the organization.

I had a fifth point....but I thought of it as I was in the middle of writing the fourth, and I forgot it. I even considered stopping to write it down, but decided not to, continued writing number four, and promptly forgot my fifth point. Frustrating. (And my own fault, too!)

The 5 Minute Prayertime (Or, "Uh, It's 8:55 -- Anyone Have Any Prayer Requests?")

We were doing Bible study the other day, and we stopped reading about 10 minutes before it was time to leave, so that we could pray (we were reading Luke 18, which is kind of ironic). We spent about five minutes sharing what we thought we needed to pray about, and then spent about 5 minutes in prayer.

Is prayer really something to be done at the end of Bible study – for 5 minutes – like a little activity to close off the study? Is prayer really about making a laundry list of needs and praises and then reciting them to God?

“Ok, so we need to pray for your brother, for his friend, for my mom’s health, for our church, for Bill who is in the Navy, Jane passed her graduation exam – praise God, pray for us to live out what we just studied, and to help us drive home safely…. Joe, would you like to open us in prayer?

‘God, we just ask that you would show your presence and give strength to my brother as he goes through this hard time…’”

Really? When half the prayers we say are basically standard lines that we could say about (insert name here) and ask that God would help/encourage/show Himself/work in their heart/strengthen (circle one)…

Is this how prayer meetings are supposed to work? Or have we lost something along the way? What happened to praying without ceasing? Jesus (in Luke 18) tells us that we should pray always and not faint. The disciples spent pretty long amounts of time “continuing in prayer and supplication.” I have a really hard time imagining the apostles sitting around a room asking people for prayer requests and then designating an “opener in prayer” and then going around the room, praying about the things that people had brought up.

Is this how we talk to God? A five minute “we’ll talk now” session after we read our favorite part out of the book He loaned us? And we don’t even ask Him what He thinks about it…just “Hey, you know, it’d be really nice if you ran an errand for me; my neighbour needs your help.” If we’re feeling particularly righteous, we might even pray for 15 or even 30 minutes. Such devotion!

Petitions certainly have their place in prayer – but if whenever we get together to pray, it’s only to ask for this thing, that thing, and the other thing, then I think we’re missing something fundamental.


How then is prayer (in a group setting) supposed to work? What is it that prayer accomplishes? What is it that causes prayer to be truly effectual?

Seers

Visionary for hire
Your eyes seem lit with fire
You speak of things much higher
Your job is a quagmire
Wisdom wants you to try her
Too often you find yourself the liar
Visionary for hire.

Nobody knows
Nobody cares (Or do they)
But see your judgment goes
Is it really so fair? (but hey)

When you get paid,
Man, you got it made
People say you set them free
Do they realize? (do they see)
This visionary works for a fee.

Visionary for hire
Where do you get your fire
You talk of things much higher
You’re stuck in a deep mire
To blind to wisely apply her
You’re trapped in a circle of liars
Visionary for hire.

Nobody goes
Nobody dares (or do they)
But your sense of right flows
By the man who pays the fare (but hey)

When you get paid
Man, you got it made
People say you set them free
Do they realize (do you see)
This visionary works for a fee...

Offences and Servants

Luke 17:1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
Luke 17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luke 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
Luke 17:7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
Luke 17:8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Luke 17:9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.
Luke 17:10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
__________________________________

17:1-4... It seems that this section is not concerned about us sinning, it's more about when someone else sins against us, which, because we live in a world of fallen people, is likely. Thus, Jesus is telling us how we are to love others...the same way that God loves us - who forgives us when we come to Him and repent.

Since a key word here seems to be "offences"....we should define it, should we not? It seems that in this section "to offend" is the same as "to try to cause to sin"...Strong's concordance says that it means "to trip up, or entice to sin."

17:1 -- Offences will come...that is, there will always be someone who will try to deceive the weaker brethren. And woe unto him that offends...it is wrong to lead people into sin, and thus God will punish people who do it.

17:2 -- It would be better for one to die a horrible death, than to lead a little one astray.

17:3-4 -- John Wesley writes "If he sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day return, saying, I repent - That is, if he give sufficient proof that he does really repent, after having sinned ever so often, receive him just as if he had never sinned against thee."....so these two verses aren't concerned with us sinning, but with us forgiving those who sin against us


17:5 -- The apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith, so we know that that is what Jesus is talking about in verses 6 through 10...He is responding to the disciples' petition.

17:6 -- "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed..." that is, if you have even a little faith, you have it all, for you can do anything (anything that glorifies God) if you have even a tiniest bit of honest faith.

17:7-8 -- A servant is bound to serve his master, and the master need not thank the servant, for the servant's pay is equal to the service he renders - the servant serves, and does merely his duty - what glory is there in doing nothing more than you are told?

17:9 -- Therefore, does the master need to thank the servant? Nope.

17:10 -- So, Jesus says, we are like the servant (God is our master)...if we do what God has said (that is, keep the law), what glory can we claim for ourselves? We have none - all we have done is what we were supposed to - we haven't done anything extra that God should be indebted to us. So in this way, we say "we are but unprofitable servants...we have no merit to our credit, we have only done our duty."

Note that Jesus never says that cannot do our duty, instead, He says the opposite - not only are we bound to do our duty, we can do it, and then say "yes, we have done our duty". So why are we "unprofitable" servants? Because we have robbed our master - while we were in sin, all our time and talents that should have been used in our master's service, we have used in the service of His enemy - this is nothing less than robbery! So even though we render obedience now, we have no way of repaying our debt (this is why we need a saviour). Thus, salvation comes, not by the works of the law (doing our duty), but by faith in Jesus Christ, for he has made it possible for God to forgive us (Galatians 2:16).

Does this passage teach that we will continue in sin? God forbid! Rather, it tells us that we can (and strongly implies that we will) keep His commandments...but we are not justified by our own works, but by faith in Christ, remember, it was faith that the apostles were wondering about - so Jesus lays out how even if we keep the law (which we can), we still can only be saved by faith.

Secrets

“Everything secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity.”
--Lord Acton

When public discussion of a subject is forbidden, it should raise an immediate suspicion in the minds of those who know of the situation.

There is a very good reason that we have a constitutional right to a public trial. When decisions are made in secret, apart from the view of the people who constitute and support the decisions, there arise several problems. First, if the decision is secret, then there can be no appeal to a higher authority, should a party be wronged. Second, if the decision is secret, one of the major motivations for honesty on the parts of all involved is removed: no-one other than the parties present knows what was said, and most importantly, there is no way of factually verifying whether something was or was not said (should it come under dispute). Third, if the decision is secret, there is a direct implication that certain parties do not think that the decision (or the process through which it was reached) or the reasoning behind it will stand the test of public discussion.

“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
(John 3:20-21)

“For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”
(Luke 12:2-3)

“No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.”
(Luke 8:16)

“Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? And who knoweth us?”
(Isaiah 29:15)

If we are truly honest, then we will have no fear of our words or deeds coming to be known by all. It is only if we have some dark deed or dishonest word to hide, that we will be apprehensive about being recorded or publicized.

I Can Only Imagine

A few days ago, I turned on the radio, and paused to hear what the Christian station was playing before I pushed my cassette into the player. I had turned it on just in time to hear the announcer say that next up would be MercyMe with “I Can Only Imagine.” Now, I didn’t like the song, mainly because it is generally overplayed and seems pretty much geared to just stirring up a “worshipful” experience in the listener’s emotions; but I decided that I should listen to it and give it a fair chance – maybe it’s not as bad as I thought. So I held off on Rez Band and let MercyMe play. The more of “I Can Only Imagine” that I heard, the more I could say that the tune was catchy, and I could even say that the music was tasteful (though not my preference), but the more I heard, the more I was disgusted. The song makes me sick! The lyrics simply do not accord with what the scripture says.

The hook line “I can only imagine” sets the tone for the whole song, puts it immediately in the realm of non-experience. If you can imagine something, perhaps it is something you’ve experienced before and can relate to; however, if you can only imagine something, then it is clear that you have never experienced it, otherwise you would say that you know what it is like, not that you can only imagine it. At best, you can hope to experience it in the future, which is (I think) most likely the point of the song – but even that consideration does not stand in the song’s defense.

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

The first thing that he “can only imagine” is what it will be like to walk by the Lord’s side. If we can only imagine this, we do not know the Lord. Psalm 23 says “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me” – the Lord walks with us; It is written in Micah: “what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” – walking with the Lord is not some future hope, but something God requires of us right now. “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Yes, in heaven we will indeed walk by His side – but that walk will not start in heaven – that walk starts right here, right now (if you’re not already).

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

Perhaps he can only imagine what it is like to see the Lord’s face – but scripture is pretty clear about what it means for me to face the Lord and what it means for the Lord to face me. Moses “talked with the Lord face to face” – as with a friend, the Bible says; we know what it’s like to talk with a friend face to face. “The LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.” (II Chron. 30:9) The face of the Lord is gracious and merciful; David was pretty well terrified when he could not see the Lord’s face (Ps. 13:1; 30:7; 88:14; 143:7) – should we not live our lives knowing that “the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers”? Of all the verses of the song, this is the most believable – do I know exactly what my eyes will see when I enter heaven’s gates? No. However, by the same token, I don’t know what my brother will look like when he visits tomorrow…but I do know what he is like, and I will hardly be surprised when I see him.

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

What will his heart feel? What does his heart feel? Perhaps he doesn’t know that the Spirit of glory rests on believers (I Peter 4:14), and that we are in fact partakers of the glory that shall be revealed. Peter says about Jesus that “though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” We are to be full of God’s glory now, not merely later. Will we be surrounded by His glory in heaven? Absolutely. But are we bereft of His glory in our walk on earth? No! We are to “walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” We are to live in His kingdom today and we are to live in His glory today, and if we are doing so, we will know what our hearts feel like when His glory is around us.

Will he dance or be still? Will he stand or fall to his knees? Will he sing hallelujah or be silent? I can only imagine? All of those things – dancing, being still, standing, kneeling, singing hallelujah, and silence – are all things that followers of Christ should be doing. This part of the song almost makes sense – until he decides to say that he “can only imagine” – why can he “only imagine” doing something that he ought to be doing right now?

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son

What is this? He can only imagine the day that he finds himself standing in the Son? If this is indeed the case, he is no better off than an atheist or a pagan, because “we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” (I John 5:20) If he is not dwelling in the Son, he will not inherit eternal life. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

If he can only imagine doing nothing but worshipping God, what is he doing? He’s not worshipping God, because he can only imagine doing so? Perhaps the “forever” should play in…but then that means that he only worships God sometimes – not all the time. That’s even worse! Christianity is not a part-time occupation. Worshipping God all the time with all our whole life is the very essence of what following Christ is about; and if he can only imagine doing so, I can only think that he is deceived to think himself Christian.

[Chorus]
I can only imagine [x2]
Etc. etc.

Why, Bart, why? I can understand that you wanted to write a song about heaven and how wonderful it will be….but is it too much to ask that you actually say what you mean? Is it too difficult to write lyrics that actually say what I think you’re trying to say? To write lyrics that are scriptural?

Thousands, if not millions, of churchgoers sing these same words regularly. Why? I don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe because it makes them feel good. Maybe they don’t think about what they’re actually saying. Maybe they don’t care. Maybe they don’t like it either, but just go along with the crowd. Maybe it’s really not a popular song at all, and it’s just one of satan’s conspiracies to undermine the church by playing it on the radio. Maybe not. What I do know is that I cannot sing “I Can Only Imagine”; I would have to be out of my mind to so belittle God’s work and His promises.

A Gospel Question...

I was asked how to approach a homosexual with the gospel…

The first thing that you must remember is why you are talking to them in the first place. Are you approaching them because “they especially need the gospel”? Or are you telling them because you genuinely love them and want them to live their lives so that God is pleased with them? You must share the gospel because the love of God has been poured out in your heart through the Holy Spirit, and also (though not less important) the simple fact that we are commanded to bear witness of the gospel in all the earth.

If your motive for sharing the gospel is not pure, then you have other problems that are far more pressing than sharing the gospel with someone else (Matt. 7:3-5).

In general, you should not approach them any differently than any other sinner. My advice is to remember two things: first, to “let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (Col. 4:6) Second, “in meekness [instruct] those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” (II Tim. 2:25) Meekness and graciousness are paramount, you must not treat them as less than human, or as more sinful than anyone else (Jas. 2:10-11) – they are just as human as everyone else, and certainly have not broken God’s law any worse than anyone else has.

Having said that -- you just take the same kind of approach that you would for anyone else: telling them of their rebellion toward God, of God's requirements, of the punishment that they deserve (that we all deserve), and of the salvation from sin that Christ has provided. Tell him that it is open to him specifically, and that Christ does not save us merely from the punishment of sin, but also from the power of sin in our lives so we can live rightly before Him. Then tell him what God requires of us for salvation -- that it is by faith that we receive it -- we don't go change ourselves and then come....we first turn to God, and He changes us, "for he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life," and “repent ye, and believe the gospel.”


(Thanks to Daniel for prompting me to think about the topic.)

Looking the Part

"I once saw a man at a golf course step out of his cart and approach the first tee. He looked immaculate -- expensive set of clubs, sharp looking clothes, confidence all over his face. He looked every inch the pro...until he tried to play golf. He was simply not very good. He might have looked the part, but he should have just hung around the clubhouse where he was a convincing golfer instead of demonstrating his true abilities by actually attempting to play."
--Benny Perez

"We are a generation of cheap Christians going to heaven as inexpensively as possible; religious hobos and spiritual deadbeats living on milk instead of meat, crusts of bread instead of manna, as though we were on a cut-rate excursion."
--Vance Havner
_______________________

Are we dressed for the part of living for Christ -- but unable to actually live it out, as the golfer was? Do we have the form of godliness without the power of God? Are we truly living victoriously, using and showing the power of Christ....or would it be better if we just hung around in our "clubhouse", where we can look convincingly spiritual? If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit -- for if we live after the flesh, we shall die: but if we through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, we shall live; for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

If He has given us strength that is according to His glory (which He has), and if Christ dwells in our hearts by faith (which He does)-- we must live our lives out according to His glory, and according to the love in which we are rooted and grounded. If we do not...we are in serious trouble!