A Real Rarity

4 Comments / July 5, 2018

The other day I was listening to a podcast where two men were discussing the rarity of people who are really willing to listen to an opposing viewpoint anymore. The context was in discussing discernment and how–even with solid biblical evidence–few people will really listen to someone who simply wants to share with them their concerns. Instead, they regularly encounter a defensive, arrogant spirit and often endure personal attacks. Simply from speaking up against a false teacher.

They went on to say how this is very different than in years gone by, where two people could have an intelligent and thoughtful conversation about Bible teachers, authors, pastors, (and I will add: Anything else).

Why is this? Why this crazily defensive and hostile attitude towards someone who disagrees with us? What has been fomenting this strange relationship phenomenon over the last few decades?

But why isn’t really the question I want to deal with today. I am more interested in what this change in how we accept and give confrontation has cost us as Christians–and what we can do about it personally.

You see, when we aren’t willing to listen to and to think on a viewpoint or opinion that is in opposition to ours we set ourselves up for failure. How in the world can we grow in holiness and keep ourselves pure and separated from the world if we think we know everything? Do we honestly believe we know all there is to know about God and His Word? We don’t have to agree with someone but we can always listen and consider what they are saying in light of God’s Word. Instead it is most common–even for Christians– to get angry, to attack and malign, and to hold grudges.

This plays itself out in a myriad of ways–

–When someone comes to us with a concern about a favorite teacher or author. How do we respond?

–When our spouse confronts us about a sin in our lives. How do we respond?

–When our child seems confused about something we said or did and asks us about it. How do we respond?

–When someone at church doesn’t like our decision about a ministry we lead. How do we respond?

–When a parent, sibling, or friend lovingly questions our entertainment choice, our child-rearing, or some other aspect of our lives. How do we respond?

At the heart of this all is arrogance. Plain and simple. “Who are you to tell me…anything?”

So this leads us to two important points that we need to consider today.

First, what kind of “hearer” are we? Are we willing to reflect on the words someone speaks to us? Or do we immediately go on the defensive? Do we allow our relationships to change or be destroyed because we don’t like what someone has said to us? Do we lash out in attack? Do we hold grudges?

This is of the devil, my friends. Even if what someone is saying to us has zero biblical merit, we should choose to listen and consider. And then, if necessary, we must forgive. Satan would like nothing more than to break down the friendships and families of Christians. And this is a very effective way.

We can cut him off at the pass by responding to unpleasant words with humility and love.

Proverbs is full of counsel about the fool. And one of the main things about a fool is that he does not listen to wise counsel–

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise. (Proverbs 12:15)

Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words. (Proverbs 23:9)

And then Proverbs 26:12 shows us that there is more hope for a fool than for someone who is wise in their own eyes!–

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Do we think we know all the answers? Then there is more hope for a fool than for us!

And, second, this new dynamic should make us consider very carefully what is worth a confrontation. How many people do you know that, with a critical spirit, sarcastically attack people about the most inane and insignificant things? If this is us, then we will not be listened to when it really matters. It is extremely important that we confront lovingly on biblical matters and then let the other stuff roll. After all, does it really matter if they chose to go here instead of there? Does it really matter if they did their preferred “this” instead of our preferred “that”? Is it a biblical matter? Does their choice have eternal ramifications? Asking these questions can help us determine if it is worth a confrontation. Instead, we sometimes get this all mixed up and we confront (or make sarcastic remarks) on the trivial and never touch the stuff that has eternal ramifications. This is another subtle trick of Satan’s.

And, third, we should consider our own attitude about confrontation. It takes courage and a lot of love to confront someone in a biblical way. It is so much easier to just sit by and let it go. True love speaks the truth. Self-interest often leads to either ignoring it or saying sarcastic, back-handed remarks that hurt instead of heal.

Just recently, I was part of something like this and that experience has given me a real-life example of how all of this should work –in the right way. I will be purposely vague. I felt compelled to talk with someone about something. I hesitated for a very long time because of the possible ramifications. I have lost friends over things like this. I knew the risk and I basically told God I didn’t want to take it. But I knew that I was not doing the right thing. So I prayed and told God that if He would open up an opportunity, I would take it. Otherwise, I would stay quiet. Of course, the perfect opportunity presented itself a few days later. And, so, I, faltering and lovingly, shared my concern. And, wonderfully, the other person heard me without getting upset. They took what I told them and they acted upon it. This is how this should work between Christians (Proverbs 27:17). I was beyond thankful. And I wondered: Am I as mature and wise as this person when someone confronts me?

This is a question we should all ask: Do I hear? Or am I like the fool?

And the second question: Do I confront lovingly and only on the things that really matter?

Let’s be one of those real rarities: A Christian who is willing to thoughtfully consider what someone has to say to us and to also be one that has enough love and courage to confront when it’s biblically necessary.

 

 

Is Being Nice Enough?

6 Comments / July 2, 2018

Do you believe that others will know you are a genuine Christian because you are a nice person? It is tempting to think this sometimes. We think that somehow because we are a nice and kind person, people will see that we are different and ask us about Jesus Christ.

But how often does this really happen? How often has someone asked you about your “niceness” and about what drives it?

I would say it’s pretty rare for a number of reasons.

First, there are many, many wonderfully kind unbelievers. Being nice and kind does not really set you apart. In fact, my daughter who used to work at a local restaurant said that the wait staff used to hate when “Christian” concerts and speakers came to town because their fans were often the cheapest and the rudest. What a testimony, huh?

So being nice is not something that describes just Christians and, in fact, many who call themselves Christians make a pretty bad name for the rest of us by not being nice at all.

Second, I would say that while nice people are a joy to be around and to work with, they don’t generally ruffle any feathers or cause conflict (often out of their own self-interest). And, while this may be a good thing in some circumstances, when it comes to someone’s eternal destiny, we sometimes have to risk a few ruffled feathers by speaking the truth of God’s Word.

Third, if we are honest, we have to admit that most people don’t really care about the God of the Bible. They have been blinded by the lie that they can create a being of their own wishes and desires and call it god and they are content to with this. They really aren’t searching because they think they are okay. Welcome to the postmodern world.

So is being nice enough?

I think we can safely say that it is not. Being nice will neither set us apart or give us extra opportunities to share the Gospel.

Does that mean we shouldn’t be nice? Of course not. All of us, as believers, should be very kind to others. We do this because it’s commanded (I Corinthians 13) and not as some evangelistic method.

So how do we set ourselves apart? What will draw people to us when they are hurting or have questions? What will cause them to direct their questions to us if the Holy Spirit starts to work on their heart?

If we are faithful to God and His Word, this will naturally show up in our lives. Not only in our kindness but in many other ways, as well. Someone who loves the Lord sets themselves apart in the workplace by not participating in the off-color conversations and raunchy jokes (Colossians 3:8). Someone serious about their faith doesn’t choose to be entertained at bars, strip clubs, or casinos like their worldly co-workers (James 4:4). Someone who is obedient to the Bible’s commands doesn’t cheat or lie or steal when they could do so without the boss or the spouse or the friend knowing (Colossians 3:9). Someone who loves others will speak the truth with love and grace as God gives opportunity (Proverbs 8:7). They control their tempers and do not hold grudges (Colossians 3:8). Someone who is a genuine believer has the courage to stand up for what’s right and to tell others the truth of the whole Gospel–including the part about sin and repentance (Mark 1:15). And they also have a generous and cheerful spirit (2 Corinthians 9:7). Integrity, honesty, grace, courage, generosity, patience, and, yes, kindness, should be the words that people use to describe us. Of course, we aren’t perfect and we don’t get them right all the time. Some of these are easier for us than others. But we should be different in a myriad of ways–not just by the fact that we are “nice”.

It is about so much more than being nice. It’s about being wholly dedicated to the Lord so that when people are searching they come and find you. Anyone can be nice. But it takes a genuine believer to point people to Christ with both their words and their actions.

 

Before We Can Learn to Discern

4 Comments / June 28, 2018

Isn’t it hard these days to keep with the plethora of false teachers and the deluge of false teaching that are flowing into the church?? It used to be fairly subtle but now it’s an all-out war on biblical, historical Christianity. Personally, I find it incredibly discouraging. Never in a million years did I see this coming.

Last year I wrote a series on how we can learn to discern (you can find it here). I am placing this post at the beginning of that series because it provides a critical step we need to take in our efforts to discern.

People will sometimes ask me about a specific teacher and I am happy to do a little research and see what I can find out. It usually isn’t too hard to figure out if you know what you are looking for.

So how can we know what to look for? Who am I to tell you? Who is anybody to tell you?

See, this has become a very real issue in this world of strong opinions. On what opinion do you stand? And why do you stand there?

There’s really only one way to know and that is through complete and utter reliance on the Word of God and what it teaches. Before we can learn to discern–and as we are learning to discern–we must spend consistent, daily time in the Word, approaching it with humble submission and a spirit of obedience.

When we do this and when we take the Bible at face-value (literally) from beginning to end we will find it makes so much sense. Especially in light of what we are experiencing these days.

The Bible predicts a one-world religion. We are watching all religions–including Christianity–being funneled into a global religion even as I write this. This shouldn’t surprise us. God told us it would happen. (Revelation 17:1-18). This understanding gives us a framework, doesn’t it? Whether it happens tomorrow or in a hundred years, we understand Satan’s game plan. We know what he is working towards. (GodQuestions.org has a good (and brief) article on this here.)

We also find out in our Bibles that justification is by faith in Christ alone (Romans 10:9-10 and many, many other places). This means that any religion–no matter how “Christian” it sounds–is a false religion if it requires any works as part of salvation. We know that any religion is false if it takes the focus off of the finished work of Christ on the cross.

We find out in God’s Word that He condemns drunkenness, sorcery, homosexuality, rebellion, impurity, dissensions, fits of anger, impurity, obscene language (Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:5-9). Knowing this helps us intelligently discern in the world of entertainment and in living our daily lives. We not only know that entertainment that incorporates these things should not be regular part of the Christian’s life, but we also know that anyone or any organization that promotes these things is not the real deal. I’m not judging motive or eternal destiny here. People get confused. I am no judge. But what we can know is that they are off biblically and we shouldn’t follow them.

So these are three examples from the Word to show how it helps us to discern. You see, it is hard for me or anybody to keep up with all the false teachers that are out there. But if we are studying our Bibles with the right heart, we will be amazed at how God will open our eyes to what is going on. We will become more aware the more we study the Bible.

So what about the people who seem to study the Bible all the time and don’t discern at all? This has been a conundrum I have faced for a long time. How does that work?

There are so many things that can keep us from really seeing the truths of scripture, no matter how much we read it–

1. A proud heart. Many people approach the Word with their preconceived ideas of what they want it to say, what they wish it would say, what they think it should say. God will not give insight to the person who studies the Bible with preconceived notions. We have to humble ourselves and yield ourselves to Him and His message. (How arrogant of us to think we know better than He does? But we can all fall into this trap.)

2. A fearful heart. I believe another very real issue is that the ramifications of really believing what the Bible teaches is frightening. The way is narrow? My husband…daughter…mom & dad…are not saved and that means…? It is not a pleasant message. (But, as we all know, pleasantness is irrelevant when it comes to truth. Many people face the Bible’s message in a very different way than they would ever face an unpleasant medical diagnosis. Can you imagine ignoring a deadly disease and pretending it’s just not there??)

3. A heart that loves sin. This is probably the biggest thing that hinders believers in their biblical discernment. We Christians love our sin. And reading the Bible with a heart to obey means we are willing to give up our sin. But many are just not willing to do this. Whether it’s sexual immorality, sorcery, occasional drunkenness, ungodly entertainment, an unforgiving heart–whatever it may be–many of us hold on to these things for dear life, believing (mistakenly) that we can’t possibly be happy without them.

Do you have any of these attitudes as you approach the scripture? I know I certainly have had them and still do at times. This isn’t a black and white issue. We must be constantly checking our heart as we go before the Lord each day. We must be examining ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) on a regular basis to make sure our hearts aren’t becoming hardened.

Recognizing that scripture is our final authority and our only legitimate way to know who God is and what His plan is for mankind will be the first healthy step in learning to discern. As we get ourselves into the Word with a humble heart willing to turn away from sin, we will be surprised at how aware we become of all that God is ready and willing and wants to teach us as we study His Word consistently.

 

Do You Have a Few Minutes?

2 Comments / June 25, 2018

Last week, a Growing4Life reader (who is also a dear friend) gave me a biography of J.C. Ryle. She knows that he is one of my favorite authors and had picked this book up for me as a gift. Inside the book she had written a wonderful (and much needed) note of encouragement. I often marvel at God’s perfect timing and am so thankful that He so often uses others to encourage us as we go about doing the work He has called us to do. No matter what our calling is in life, we all can use a pick-me-up once in awhile.

Certain people seem to have the gift of encouragement (like my friend) but it is really something we should all be doing.

It’s crazy how quickly we all fill up our time. Crazier still that this “filling up” hasn’t really led to better lives–just busier ones. And this leaves us precious little time to build into the lives of those around us. We get so caught up in our own worlds and our own problems, that we forget the discouragement, sadness, disillusionment, and grief that is overwhelming others.

Romans 12:15 tells us that we are to–

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

 

But, if we are honest, most of us are too busy rejoicing and weeping over our own situations to pay much attention to the situations of others.

And that is why today I want to offer a little challenge to all of us. Would you join me this week in my Encouraging Others challenge? The truth of the matter is that, as believers, we should do this every day but few of us actually do. Oh, some of you are much, much better at this than others and will find this challenge easy. But some of you aren’t an “encourager” by nature and could find this to be a bit more challenging. I hope you will step out in faith and give it a try, anyway.

This week, let’s take just a few minutes of each day and encourage someone. Think through all of your friends, family, church family, and co-workers. Who do you know that could use a bit of a pick-me-up this week? You can also encourage someone you don’t know all that well (or at all) such as the cashier at the grocery store, the lonely elderly person at the mall, or a hurting neighbor.

We live in a sinful and hurting world which means that there are probably millions of people who could use some encouragement right now. Would you join me in making a small dent in that number this week by taking on this challenge?

Here are some ideas that might help you as you think about who you want to encourage and how you want to encourage–

1. Be aware of those around you. Notice if someone seems extra quiet or appears to be struggling and take some time to talk with them and ask them about themselves. Not in a nosey, busybody way, but in a loving and kind way that shows you genuinely care. If someone just won an award or received some good news, rejoice with them.

2. Ask questions. Instead of talking about yourself the next time you are with a friend or talking with a bank teller or store clerk, ask questions. How is your day? How are the kids? Do you enjoy your job? are good questions for friends. And How are you today? Are you from around here? How long have you been working here? for strangers. And, if the Lord gives you opportunity, even How can I pray for you? I am often surprised at how many strangers will start telling me their life story if I ask a question or two. Most are ready and willing to talk to anyone because there is a real shortage of people who actually listen anymore. (But be sensitive if someone isn’t willing to talk. You will sense it pretty quickly).

3. Be creative. There are so many easy and quick ways to lift someone’s spirits. A hand-written note, an email, a lovely card, a comment on social media, a text, or phone calls are all ways to brighten someone’s day. You can literally do some of these in less than a minute so saying you don’t have time to take on this challenge is not an acceptable excuse! ;) Flowers from your garden or homemade cookies are an easy and inexpensive way to brighten someone’s day. A grocery or restaurant gift card for those in financial difficulty is another idea. Think outside the box.

4. Remember your discouraging times. What was it that cheered you up? What would have given you a much needed boost at your lowest time? When you think of it, do that for someone this week.

5. If you think something good about someone, try to say it to them. For example, if you notice that someone’s children are respectful and well-behaved, say something.  If you like someone’s new haircut or notice they’ve lost weight, mention it. If someone has blessed you by their special music, teaching, or preaching at church, let them know. If a co-worker really stepped up on a project, thank them. Say the good thoughts that you are thinking about others. This is perhaps the easiest way to encourage others.

6. Consider even more. If you feel extra ambitious or have a little extra time on your hands this week, think about taking someone a meal, visiting with a shut-in, or having some church families to your home for coffee and dessert.

7. Be sure to encourage fellow believers. These verses from Paul speak specifically regarding how we are to encourage one another as believers. Let’s remember our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, especially, this week–

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (I Thessalonians 5:11)

8. If you are praying for someone, let them know. Sometimes we will be praying faithfully for someone but they have no idea. This week let’s take some time and let them know. I know I am so greatly encouraged when someone tells me they are praying for me. I am sure you feel the same.

9. Expect to be blessed. It is so amazing how blessing others almost always blesses us more. It doesn’t seem logical, I know, but when we put aside our own selfish desires and agendas and focus on blessing others, we are so blessed, too! It’s one of the most beautiful things about being an encourager.

So are you ready? Do you have a few minutes that you can carve out of your day to be an encourager? Then let’s do it!

 

P.S. If you have other creative ideas on how to encourage someone, please share them in the comment section below. And thanks in advance! :)

Christians and Politics

4 Comments / June 22, 2018

There are a lot of really big political issues going on right now with really strong opinions coming from both sides. But I guess this is nothing new. Throughout history, there have always been enormous issues in every nation and people who have had strong and opposing opinions about them.

This can lead to arguments, debates, and even mean comments on social media. Whether it’s at work, on the sidelines, at family gatherings, or on our social media account, we all hear opinions about political matters.

So today I want to take a look at how we deal with those who are coming from the opposite world view than we are. What should be our protocol as believers when a “Big Issue” comes up?

1. Remember that, as a believer, we are not here to push a political agenda. I can’t think of anywhere in scripture that God gives instructions to believers to moralize their country. Now–don’t get me wrong–there isn’t anything wrong with working in government or helping a ministry that is working towards this, but this is not our main purpose. Our purpose is to share the Gospel. We are here as instruments of God to share His Good News. If we can remember that this is our purpose, rather than pushing a political agenda we feel strongly about, it naturally changes our attitude, doesn’t it? Matthew 28:19-20 reminds us of our greatest calling as believers–

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

2. Remember that any issue involves real people. Whether it is our President and his family, immigration, the LGBT agenda, or any other hot button topic, they involve real people who have feelings. Any opinion we choose to give, no matter what it is, should be respectful and kind. We’d best stick to the issue at hand rather than lashing out in attacks towards the people involved. There is no room in a Christian’s life for mean, ugly words about others, no matter what the issue. Matthew 7:12 makes this clear–

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

3. Remember that debates and arguments are generally useless. If someone has a really strong opinion, no amount of debate is going to change their mind. Thoughtful and intelligent conversations about the issues can be useful in understanding the opposition’s point of reference but vehement debates and angry attacks only make things worse. Proverbs 18:13 encourages us to hear before we talk–

If one gives an answer before he hears,
    it is his folly and shame.

4. Remember that everything is in God’s Hands. Sometimes we may be tempted to panic as we watch things take place in this world that we never could have imagined. But God knows exactly what is going on. He is completely sovereign over all that is taking place and we do not need to panic if we can’t change our culture. Proverbs 21:1 says it this way–

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
    He turns it wherever He will.

5. Remember that our opinion will be part of a shrinking minority. Why are we so surprised about this? We are not part of this world. We don’t belong here and never have–even though we have made ourselves pretty comfortable in the Christianized nations most of us found ourselves living in for awhile. With nations that are no longer “Christianized”, we find ourselves a bit distraught. But we shouldn’t be confused or dismayed by this turn of events, as we are told to expect this throughout scripture–

John 15:18-19If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Acts 14:21-22 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

I John 3:13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.

And these words by Jesus describe the end of the age in Matthew 24:9-14—

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away[a] and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

So, you see, we are not, as a general rule, going to land on the “politically-correct” side of these big, political issues if we are standing with biblical conviction. There isn’t anything wrong with speaking our opinion in a respectful and kind way, but don’t expect to be lauded for it. Unless you are with a group of like-minded Christians, you will most likely be mocked and ridiculed. We must expect this instead of being so hurt and troubled by it.

But guess what? So many who have gone on before us have had to stand against popular opinion, as well. We can look back at so many–the Roman Christians, the Huguenots, the Reformers, the Puritans, the Christians under Hitler’s regime, and so many more–who stood strong in the face of adversity. We have a long history of standing strong behind us. May we follow their examples.

—————————————————————————-

These big issues can be overwhelming but it is my hope this morning to help us remember that our main purpose in life is not pushing some political agenda. Instead, it is sharing the Gospel and encouraging others towards a biblical walk with Christ. Doing the work of God is our main priority and it is incredibly important that we do not let political agendas build walls between us and the lost.  Or even us and other believers. We must remember what is our main purpose.

 

Simply Broken or Thoroughly Dead?

6 Comments / June 18, 2018

There is a really big difference between a body that is broken and a body that is dead. A body that is just broken means there is still hope it can be fixed. A body that is dead brings only hopelessness.

Paul declares that we were dead in our trespasses. Dead. Without any hope.

Ephesians 2:4-5 puts it like this–

 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

This is really in a bit of a contrast to today’s common theme of “brokenness”. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the word “broken”, is this the best term to describe us before our redeemed state?

You see, broken would imply that there is something worth fixing in humans.

But we were not broken. We were dead. Utterly and completely dead in our trespasses and without any hope at all.

When we realize this truth from Ephesians 2, we also realize just how miraculous God’s mercy and grace are. Raising us from spiritual death is far greater and much more amazing than fixing us when we are broken. Wouldn’t you agree?

God didn’t just fix us, he raised us from the dead and made us alive!

A lot of this goes back to the doctrine of total depravity, which would state that all men are born sinful and dead in their sins. This is clearly in scripture from Genesis to Revelation (Ephesians 2 is just one place of many) but it is also a very distasteful doctrine. And, so, over the past years, the mainstream Church has started to be more lax on this particular doctrine, until eventually instead of dead we are just broken. And instead of hopeless in our sins, we are hopeful in our brokenness.

Can you see how this changes the essence of salvation? How it diminishes the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross?

Suddenly, it becomes about Jesus fixing us rather than raising us from the dead.

Sure, it’s semantics, but I believe this is important because it takes some of the credit and glory from God and puts it squarely on us. And, yet, scripture makes it clear that this is not the case (Romans 3:11-18)–

None is righteous, no, not one;
11     no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14     “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16     in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

What does the Bible teach about human depravity is the question we must ask, and, once again, we find that what the Bible teaches is in complete opposition to what most of modern-day “Christianity” is teaching.

It is disconcerting, quite frankly, to always find myself in such opposition to what is being taught in the mainstream. Sometimes I feel like I must be wrong. That I must have missed something in my Bible. The doubts come but then I go back to the Word. What does the Bible say? And, again, I see that even though I am part of a quickly shrinking minority, the rock of the Word will not fail. No matter what the mainstream church says, no matter what they do, no matter how they persecute and mock us, we can hang on to the anchor of God’s Word with the assurance that God will keep us safe and secure.

We, who were dead in our trespasses are now alive in Christ! How awesome is that? So, let us not grow weary in standing on the truth of God’s Word and let’s hold each other up in prayer and through fellowship.

And let’s, by all means, continue to hold to the doctrines of the Bible that must be upheld for if we do not, we will find our own faith completely eroded into the man-centered, God-diminished thing we see in the lives of so many around us. God be with you as you stand for Him this week.

 

Salvation is not a Moment

Leave a Comment / June 14, 2018

Does one prayer give us fire insurance from hell for the rest of our lives? Does it secure our place in heaven forever? Well, it might. But it might not.

You see, salvation is not a moment. And since we can’t know someone’s heart when they say that prayer it takes time to figure out if they truly were serious.

We learned this many years ago when one of our young employees was really struggling in life. My husband talked with him about the Lord and connected him with our pastor. He “got saved” and things seemed to change. We saw him around church for the next few months. And then, gradually, he stopped coming. A year or two went by and he ended up cheating our company by using our machines to do his own work on the side while he was supposed to be working for us. That was the end of his employment with our company and the last thing we ever heard about him was that he died in a motorcycle accident, leaving a wife and two young children.

Do I know he wasn’t genuinely saved? No, I can’t possibly know that. We lost touch and he could have changed. And, honestly, we can’t possibly declare if anyone is or isn’t saved. Only God knows the heart.

But what we can see are the repenting person’s transformation, or lack thereof. This young man, in desperation, called out to the Lord. But when things started to get better, the things of the Lord grew uninteresting and unnecessary.

It reminds me of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-9–

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

I believe this passage teaches that there is only one type of prayer that leads to genuine salvation and that is the prayer that comes from the good soil of a repentant and humble heart and then produces a crop of spiritual fruit. Just because someone says a prayer doesn’t necessarily mean they are saved. We honestly can’t find it anywhere in the Bible. While Jesus tells us that to be saved we just need to believe in Him (John 3:16), we also know that true belief gives us a hatred for wickedness and evil by reading verses 19-21 of that same chapter–

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

So you see it is impossible to claim Christ as your Savior if you don’t love the light. While believers are not perfect and never will be on this side of eternity, we do love the light. We do desire to walk like and be like our Savior. We hate sin and yearn for righteousness.

If there isn’t even a smidgen of these new desires in someone you love who claims they are a Christian because they said a prayer, you have cause for concern. Pray for them. And talk with them as God gives opportunities (but never, ever saying they aren’t saved, because we can’t possibly know, but, instead, taking them to the scriptures and showing them what the Word says about genuine salvation).

I get why we like to think salvation is a moment. It is a comfort to us, isn’t it? It assures us that we will spend eternity together with those we love. But the Bible clearly shows us that this is a false belief. Oh, how I wish it wasn’t so, but it’s there. All through the scriptures. Not just at one, vague place but all through them. True salvation yields change.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.[b] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

So what does this mean for those of us that are genuinely saved? It should give us a more passionate prayer life and compel us to speak the truth in love and grace. For what could possibly be sadder than believing that a sentence you prayed as a kid saved you for eternity and then finding out too late that you have believed a horrible lie?

It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills. (Adrian Rogers)

Yes! a thousand times, yes! May we be kind. And may we be filled with God’s love. But may we speak the truth that heals rather than comfort people with lies that lead to their eternal damnation.

Salvation is not a moment.

 

The Untouchables

10 Comments / June 11, 2018

A few months ago I posted something negative about a man that was much beloved by the Christian world. What I posted was based on his documented actions of unity with a false religion and his recorded words on video where he said he does not believe Jesus is the only way. But because this man was so beloved, I was greatly attacked on both social media and personally. In fact, I lost both readers and perhaps even a few friends over this.

This has happened to me before with a few other men and women that I have spoken up about and I have come to realize that there are certain people one must never talk about if one does not want to be maligned, gossiped about, and openly attacked. I have deemed these the “untouchables”.

They have become such a part of the fabric of Christianity that even solid believers are unwilling to take a hard look at their actions and words–even if they conflict with scripture.

So who are these “untouchables”? There are a few similarities I have noticed among them–

1. They generally begin their ministries in a biblically solid way. While they may not hold to orthodox beliefs, their initial books and teachings will hold few things that conflict with the traditional interpretation of scripture.

2. They generally have friends in high places. Not only are they trusted by the masses, but they are trusted (and lauded and praised) by men and women that we trust.

3. They generally do and encourage a lot of good things. They promote the things that almost all people have a heart for: Helping others; Loving Jesus; Loving others; Unity.

4. They generally do not accept the biblical account of creation or at least leave the door open for evolution.

5. There is always a gradual and subtle creep away from what scripture teaches. This is slow and sure. It will always happen.

So what does it matter? If they’ve done a lot of good, why not leave them alone?

I would ask this: Can it possibly be God’s definition of “good” if the teacher is leading his followers off of the narrow way and on to the broad way?

Can someone’s good outweigh the bad when it comes to the health and destiny of people’s souls?

We are a culture that is obsessed with following people. Movie stars. Athletes. Musicians. And, yes, even pastors and Bible teachers. This blind obsession often leads to an unbiblical loyalty and trust that reassures us that we can stop discerning.

I saw a quote by Mike Gendron the other day that sums up why this is so dangerous–

One of the most troubling problems within the church today is the unwavering loyalty to a “Christian” personality rather than to Christ and His Word. The unwillingness to test every man’s teaching with God’s Word, coupled with a stubborn lack of discernment, produces fertile ground for deception to flourish.

And that is exactly what we have these days–a fertile ground for deception to flourish because of unwavering loyalty combined with a stubborn lack of discernment.

Look, I am not so naive to think that I can change the world with a blog post. This is the Christian world we live in and my blog post isn’t going to change anything. But here’s what I hope to do this morning–

I hope to encourage you (and myself, too) to not let any man or woman become an “untouchable” in our lives. Everyone we read or listen to should be held to the authority of scripture. And when someone says something negative about someone we dearly admire and trust, then we should be willing to take an honest look at what they are saying and compare it to scripture (rather than attacking the messenger, as is so often the case). We must be careful to let no man or woman receive a pass on teaching what is right and true simply because we like them or because discernment happens to be dreadfully unpopular.

I know it’s a discouraging, time-consuming, and exhausting task to hold teachers and preachers and authors up to the light of God’s Word. We are living in an age where deception is flourishing and discernment is viewed as sinful. It’s not fun to be in this camp. But it is not only necessary if we want to stay on the straight and narrow, it is what we are commanded to do as believers.

I leave you with this verse (I Thessalonians 5:21)–

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

 

The Love and Compassion that Swallows Fear

4 Comments / June 7, 2018

I heard someone ask Ray Comfort the other day if he stills gets scared when he witnesses to people. If you don’t know who Ray Comfort is, you will find him at Living Waters teaching people how to share the Gospel and doing a lot of that himself. After all these years you would think he’d be super comfortable sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others, but he actually said he is still terrified. And then he said he has learned how to hold that terror and gave a little analogy that I wanted to share here–

If you had a pool filled with floating ice cubes and the coldest water you could imagine, you wouldn’t think about jumping in. But if a three year old fell in that pool, you wouldn’t think about it for a second. You’d just jump in and save him. There is a love and compassion that swallows fear.

That is true love, isn’t it? The kind that swallows fear?

And this isn’t just relevant to witnessing. It’s relevant to being a godly parent, being a godly leader, and encouraging Christians away from false teaching. These all take a love that will swallow that consuming fear that comes when we think about any confrontation.

What kind of fears do we fight?

There are so many but they all have one thing in common–

 

fear that people won’t like me

fear people will think I’m weird

fear that people will think I’m a fanatic

fear that people will think I’m divisive

fear that my comfortable circumstances will change

fear that someone won’t be my friend anymore

fear that people will be mean to me

fear that people will gang up on me

 

Do you see the main thing listed in these fears? Me and I. I am sure there are so many more fears but can you think of one fear you have in regards to telling others the truth about the Bible that isn’t wrapped up in you?

So this is a natural thing, isn’t it? We naturally want to live pleasant, happy, carefree lives. Of course, we don’t want to rock any boats or upset anyone because that means we have to deal with the unpleasant consequences that follow. The easiest thing to do is to just stay quiet. And so we don’t tell unbelievers about Jesus Christ–or if we do, we conveniently leave out the part about them being a sinner and needing to repent. All of that unpleasant stuff that no one wants to hear. And we don’t love our Christian brothers and sisters enough to call out sin or to mention that the author or the preacher they love so much is a false teacher.

Because our fear is bigger than our love.

You’d think–with my blog and all–that I wouldn’t struggle with this, right? I mean, let’s face it, when you do this kind of blogging there isn’t really any question of where I stand. But I still struggle with this. Somehow talking with someone one-on-one seems a lot more frightening than writing a blog post. I would imagine most bloggers and writers feel that way. In fact, you may feel that way even with social media, feeling much freer to share there (although that’s probably worth a blog post in and of itself–social media is not the place for these conversations, as a rule. If we wouldn’t say it to someone in person, we shouldn’t write it on a Facebook wall or tweet it).

Now, I must add one thing and this seems to be the perfect place to add it. “Jumping in that pool” to save someone is always the right thing to do. And because we do not know when someone is going to die, there is an urgency to witnessing that we cannot deny. However, while this isn’t really the topic of this post, I do think we need to remember to be wise. If we broach the subject of salvation or of a false teacher or of their own sin with someone and they grow angry and defensive, then we must know when to back away. We are not bulls in a china closet. We don’t just keep going, ramming Bible verses down their throats. There is a grace and love that must accompany speaking the truth.

But most of us never even get to the point where we are willing to speak the truth. To anyone. About anything. Because of that terrifying fear. But we have the power to overcome that fear. I John 4 tells us that God’s perfect love casts out that fear–

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

I think we must ask this question: At what point does our fear become a sin? At what point does it move from being a natural human response to an actual sin? Anger and envy are natural human responses but we don’t give them the same pass as fear, do we? Why is that?

Of course, this is compounded greatly by the fact that we are literally becoming the great enemy of the western world more and more each day. The agenda to demonize biblical Christians is vigorous and influential and so this intensifies our fears. And there is much to fear these days. The days of freely sharing biblical truth are slipping away into the twilight.

But there is a love and compassion that swallows our fear! And if we are born again, we have access to it. Right now. Today. Why are we allowing ourselves to be controlled by fear when we should be controlled by love?

 

 

Is the Lord Still Speaking?

21 Comments / June 4, 2018

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now. I have also been dreading it. I know that most of you–my readers–are going to disagree with this post (I even disagreed with it myself a few years ago!) However, I also recognize that this is probably the area that Christians are most vulnerable in this age that is driven by mysticism (experience=truth) and clouded by pragmatism (if it works, it must be true).

I also want to say right up front that if you don’t agree with me, I hope that you will stick around and that we can still be friends. I am not demanding that you believe as I do, but, instead, just ask you to open your mind as I simply share why I believe that the scripture teaches this. I ask you to do some digging of your own into the Word rather than just imbibing the messages of fallible authors, pastors, and teachers or listening to the experiences of friends.

A few months ago, I had a conversation with someone. We were talking about whether or not God still speaks to individuals today. The woman adamantly assured me that special revelation most certainly does continue. When pressed, however, for scripture to back up her viewpoint, she couldn’t give any.

Honestly, that used to be me. Until a good friend started talking with me about this and opened my eyes to the ramifications of this belief. If this is true, then the words God speaks to us must, by their very nature, be as authoritative as the words of the Bible. Wow. That is a Pandora’s box that we will never close once the lid is cracked (and this is exactly what is going on today). This same friend also handed me a book that not only changed my mind but also deepened my conviction called “Is That You, Lord: Hearing the Voice of the Lord, a Biblical Perspective” by Gary Gilley. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Almost always, the Old Testament or the book of Acts is the go-to for those who do use scripture to back up their case for special revelation. But there are a few problems with this. First, the Old Testament was under a totally different covenant and during the time when the Holy Spirit was not indwelling believers, so we can expect God’s communication with men to be very different than under the New Testament covenant. Regarding the book of Acts, we can see that if we carefully study the New Testament as a whole that Acts is a transitional book that had many unusual and supernatural occurrences as God built the early church. If you would like to know more about this, I encourage you to read Pastor Dean’s short essay on this very thing, which you can find here.

I thought I’d share with you some other reasons that I have arrived at the conclusion that the sign gifts and special revelation are not applicable to us today.

First, we cannot possibly know if we are hearing from God or Satan (or a demon).  2 Corinthians 11:14 makes it clear that Satan comes as an angel of light. This means he pretends to be something he is not in order to deceive. So let’s say you hear a voice say something to you. Even if it is a good thing—perhaps to help a neighbor—how can you possibly know it came from God? How can you know with absolute certainty? You see, Satan could feasibly pretend to be good—perhaps even for many years—until you trust that voice and listen to that voice. And then he will suddenly start to steer you off the narrow path. He is like a lion who wants to devour us and he is a deceiver. We dare not underestimate him when it comes to hearing a voice in our head.

Second, as we study the gifts we can see that the sign gifts as described in the Bible are absolutely nothing like the sign gifts of this modern age. Two really obvious examples are tongues and healing. First, tongues in the Bible (see Acts 2) were actual languages that were used to tell foreigners of the Savior. They were always used to bring glory to God and never to self and they were always to be interpreted (See I Corinthians 14). This is in complete opposition to the gibberish of today, which is rarely (if ever?) interpreted and looks much more similar to the demonic sects of Hinduism and other false religions. The similarities are truly shocking! As for healing—Acts 5 shows that even Peter’s shadow healed people who were obviously sick and dying. Today, modern apostles who claim to heal never heal radically. It’s always something you can’t see such as headaches or lengthening a leg. Never radical healing where someone with spina bifida can walk instantly or someone in hospice is radically healed in the blink of an eye. That is because the time for that is over. NOW, can God heal? Yes, yes, yes! He can and He does. Being a cessationist doesn’t mean you don’t believe in miracles. God works in marvelous ways and I have been privileged to see that on occasion. I just don’t believe He gifts prophets to do that healing in this day and age and I don’t live for miracles. Perhaps that is the biggest difference between a cessationist (someone who believes the sign gifts have ended) and most continuationists (someone who believes the sign gifts continue): Cessasionists appreciate miracles and we praise God for them, but they are not what make up the excitement or substance of our Christian lives.

Third, God put Himself in a box. Inevitably, the argument is always that we can’t put God in a box, but I want to assure you that God did that Himself. When we read His word, we see a couple of things that stand out. First, I Timothy 3:16 says this—

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Do you see verse 17 says that scripture will make us complete and thoroughly equipped? We don’t need any other word from God or special experience to equip us for the Christian life.

And Jude 3 says this—

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

Do you see the words “once for all”? This means that we shouldn’t expect any more revelation from God. As I already mentioned above, if God is speaking to us today those words must hold the same weight as the Word of God. No revelation from God can be more important than another one. And this causes us a major problem–especially because so many who claim to hear from God speak things in complete opposition to the Bible. In fact, did you know that almost all false religions started with a vision or “special message” from God? Do a little research and you will see. It is a sobering reminder of just how deceptive and crafty Satan really is.

Fourth, experience is the opposite of faith. The accusation I hear frequently is this: If we don’t believe in the sign gifts and special revelation, we are lacking in faith. But I would beg to differ. I believe that those who must rely on special experiences are actually the ones lacking in faith. We read this in Hebrews 11:1–

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith means we haven’t seen or felt or heard it physically but are trusting God and His Word that what He says will come to pass. We must have faith to believe that He has saved us through grace alone in Christ alone. True faith means that we don’t need any special messages or visions to confirm this.

Fifth, God’s special revelations in the New Testament always had to do with growing the Church and sharing the Gospel. They were rarely (if ever?? I’ve not done a thorough study) about someone’s personal dreams or desires or health or wealth. For example, in Acts we see several places where Peter and Paul experienced the supernatural, but it was always to point people to God and the Gospel. It always had to do with furthering God’s Kingdom and had nothing to do with their own selfish motivations and desires. This is a rather significant contrast to most special revelations claimed today.

Sixth, we must do a careful evaluation of the fruit that has resulted from the movement that promotes and endorses these things. I have not seen churches grow stronger or sounder or more biblical as a result of practicing the “spiritual gifts” but instead we see, as a general rule, movement away from the sufficiency of scripture and sound doctrine, while moving towards mystical, experience-based religion that has no absolutes. Individually, most end up in a self-absorbed, mystical religion that is always hungering for the next experience, which inevitably takes their focus off of studying, submitting to, and obeying the Bible.

And seventh, and most importantly, is that the emphasis on special revelation always takes the emphasis off of the Word and places it on to personal experience. Interestingly enough, we know from a study of the book of Revelation that in the last days there will be a one world religion. This religion will draw all men together into the final false religion of the antichrist. If we take an honest look at the fruit of the charismatic and NAR movements, we can see that they are drawing men away from the Word and making them reliant on mystical experiences. This is exactly what Satan wants. You can’t rely on experience and on the Word. They are mutually exclusive. So we can see that this movement is drawing men away from true Christianity into this mystical one-world religion that is coming.

So these are some of my reasons.

BUT what about…

I know you are asking it, so let’s just go there. What about the time that I felt like I just needed to pray for someone and found out later that they needed prayer at just that time? Or the time that I could “hear” the Lord say “give so-and-so some groceries” and I find out later that they desperately needed those groceries?

Phil Johnson has written a great post on this, which you can find here. But I want to share this quote from it that, to me, wraps it all up rather nicely–

I am convinced by all the clear commands and best examples of Scripture that God would have us seek understanding and guidance by looking into the more sure Word of Scripture, rather than listening to the declarations of uncredentialed modern “prophets” who frankly admit that they often mistake their own imaginations for revelation from God.

What does this have to do with providence? Glad you asked. I’m willing to acknowledge that God has sometimes employed my intuitive hunches, spontaneous notions, subliminal logic, unconscious thoughts, or whatever, to order my steps providentially.

I emphatically deny that this is a form of prophecy or revelation, because it is notoriously fallible. And following your sense of intuition will get you in trouble at least as often as it works out well. To regard one’s intuition as a gift of prophecy or claim it as a kind of special revelation is really no better than what pagan fortune-tellers and occult clairvoyants do.

Now this is something to think about, isn’t it? Are your hunches and intuitions and impressions and thoughts of action always right on? Mine are certainly not. And that is how we know that God can use them but they aren’t prophecies or special revelation. I encourage you to read Phil’s entire post if you would like to understand this subject better.

Now, after all of this, I recognize that many (probably most) of you will not agree with me on this. I share this post to just encourage you to not come to your conclusion lightly as you ponder this subject. I did this myself and I believe that I came to the wrong conclusion. If not for my friend, I would still be at that same place–strongly holding an opinion that I don’t believe, after studying the scriptures, was the right one.

I want to reiterate that I do not share this to cause division and I still warmly consider you as part of my Christian family, even if we disagree on this area. This is one of those secondary issues that seems fuzzier than it should. It’s one of those things I’d like to ask God about when I get to heaven. Sooooo why didn’t you make it clearer, God? My suspicion is that if it was clear the mainstream church (as opposed to the remnant of the true Church) would never be drawn into the one world religion predicted in the last days, but time shall tell.

Well, I hope this post has been an encouragement to those who agree with me, and that it has caused those of you on the fence to really think about what you believe, and that it will drive those of you who disagree with me into the Word to disprove what I have written.

I’ve said this before but I’ll repeat it: My opinion on this doesn’t matter. At all. Don’t rely on me. Go to the Word. We must get our opinions on biblical matters from the Bible. Personally, I believe this is what the Word teaches after extensive study. I simply suggest that you, too, only make a firm opinion about this after doing your own study of the issue with a humble and submissive heart.

 

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