J.C.Ryle’s piercing truth

Beware of manufacturing a god of your own: a god who is all mercy but not just, a god who is all love but not holy, a god who has a heaven for everybody but a hell for none, a god who can allow good and bad to be side by side in time, but will make no distinction between good and broad in eternity.  Such a god is an idol of your own, as truly an idol as any snake or crocodile in an Egyptian temple. The hands of your own fancy and sentimentality have made him.  He is not the God of the Bible, and beside the God of the Bible, there is no God at all.

Beware of making selections from your Bible to suit your taste. Dare not to say, ‘I believe this verse, for I like it. I refuse that, for I cannot reconcile it with my views’. Nay! But O man, who art thou that repliest against God? By what right do you talk in this way? Surely it were better to say over EVERY chapter in the word, “Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth”. Ah! If men would do this, they would never deny the unquenchable fire.

-J.C. Ryle {from ‘Fire, Fire!’}

1816-1900

Pray and Seek a Revival of the Lord

Striving for the Truth

There are congregations, even in the present age of conflict, that are really gathered around the table of the crucified Lord; there are pastors that are pastors indeed. But such congregations, in many cities, are difficult to find. Weary with the conflicts of the world, one goes into the Church to seek refreshment for the soul. And what does one find? Alas, too often, one finds only the turmoil of the world. The preacher comes forward, not out of a secret place of mediation and power, not with the authority of God’s Word permeating his message, not with human wisdom pushed far into the background by the glory of the Cross, but with human opnions about the social problems of the hour or easy solutions of the vast problem of sin. Such is the sermon. And perhaps the sermon is closed by one those hymns beathing out the angry passions of 1861, which are to be found in the back part of the hymnals. Thus the warfare of the world has entered into even the house of  God, and sad indeed is the heart of the man who has come seeking peace.

Is there no refuge from strife? Is there no place of refreshing where a man can prepare for the abattle of life? Is there no place where two or three can gather in Jesus’ name, to forget for the moment all those things that divide nation from nation and race from race, to forget human pride, to forget passions of war, to forget the puzzling problems of industrial strife, and to unite in overflowing gratitude at the foot of the Cross? If there be such a place, then that is the house of God and that the gate of Heaven. And from under the threshold of that house will go forth a river that will revive the weary world.

J. Gresham Machen- Christianity and Liberalism

Passionate About the Truth

“I honestly do not understand how anyone can say “I believe the Bible is the Word of God” without being passionate about that confession. I love the Trinity, justification by faith, the Resurrection, and sola scriptura. I do not pretend to be dispassionate about these things, and, as such, I stand firmly on this assertion: Christian scholarship that lacks passion about the truth is not worthy of the name Christian to begin with. If dispassion and detachment are necessary attributes of scholarship, then I do not seek the appellation. I cannot comprehend dry faith, arid confession, or mere mental assent.”
- James White, from Scripture Alone, p.10

Joel Osteen and the “Glory Story”- Mike Horton

“Name it, claim it”; the “health-and-wealth” or “prosperity gospel” : these are nicknames  for a heresy that in many respects is only an extreme version of perhaps the most typical focus of American Christianity today more generally. Basically, God is there for you and  your happiness. He has some rules and principles for getting what you want out of life and if you follow them, you can have what you want. Just “declare it” and prosperity will come to you. (1) God as Personal Shopper.

Although explicit proponents of the so-called “prosperity gospel” may be fewer than their influence suggests, its big names and best-selling authors (T. D. Jakes, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, and Joyce Meyer) are purveyors of a pagan worldview with a peculiarly American flavor. It’s basically what the sixteenth century German monk turned church reformer Martin Luther called the “theology of glory”: How can I climb the ladder and attain the glory here and now that God has actually promised for us after a life of suffering? The contrast is the “theology of the cross”: the story of God’s merciful descent to us, at great personal cost, a message that the Apostle Paul acknowledged was offensive and “foolish to Greeks.”

Click on the Image for the full article- it’s well worth the read.

Reclaiming the Mind Ministries

As someone with a keen interest in theology I always enjoy discovering new resources to read or listen to. My mind never tires of reading and learning more about the God of the Universe and the teachings of the Bible. I don’t know what it’s like in the USA but in the UK, there appears to be an attitude amongst majority of Christians that places theology on a shelf where only pastors should dare venture for personal study and any books that are read seem to be shallow and ‘fuzzy wuzzy’. For me I find that quite sad. Not every Christian is called to be a pastor or a full-time apologist, however every Christian is called to be a theologian and proclaimer of Gospel truth. I think of 1 Peter 3:15 which states,

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

Now, keeping this verse in mind, can one really suggest we are not called to be theologians?? Please don’t misunderstand me here. I don’t mean that every Christian should hold a theology degree. No, not at all. Becoming a Christian simply involves the grace of God at work in a persons life, bringing them to repentance and a faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. However, once saved are we not to obey? Are we not to go and make disciples of all nations? How do we do that?…we proclaim the gospel. Simple, right? Hhhmmmmm.

Indeed we do proclaim the gospel, but we also have a biblical duty to seek to have an answer for the hope that we profess. In essence, I think Peter is telling us that we who profess the name of Christ should seek to know what we believe and what we believe it. We should know Theology!! True theology that is! Theology simply means the study of God so can we honestly say that we shouldn’t diligently study and listen to things pertaining to our faith?

We should first study theology as an act of worship and devotion. It should begin with immersion in the Bible and then expand into areas of systematic study of different doctrines taught within the Bible done through reading books etc. I became a Christian aged 18 shortly after finishing Secondary School, and when I think back to my time in school I find myself drawing on one particular memory….being in my Sixth Year social room asking some Christians about Christianity. I had sincere objections and honest questions that I wanted help with, but when I asked them their response was “You just gotta have faith”. I can’t begin to tell you how much this annoyed me. It gave the impression that they had no clue about Christianity, had a shallow faith and were more a part of a geeky clique than they were part of a people saved by grace.

As a result I now seek to try and have an answer to peoples questions, because when you look at the Bible you see how many people ask questions! Think of the people who asked questions to Jesus…Nicodemus, the rich young man, the Pharisees are but a few. Think of the questions Paul answers in his letters to the different churches. Questions are good and we should ask them! But we are also duty bound to seek to answer other peoples questions where we can. We must be PREPARED to give a REASON for the HOPE that we have. Prepared means we must diligently study the word and what it teaches which will thus lead to having a reason for why we believe what we do believe which will ultimately point toward the glorious hope of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I therefore am glad to recommend Reclaiming the Mind Ministries as an excellent resource for audio and literary teaching on differing areas of Christian Theology. I have only recently discovered this but have already subscribed to the 3 podcasts….Theology Unplugged….Converse with Scholars and The Theology Program. Important topics are discussed and explained and some top evangelical scholars talk about some very relevant and interesting issues found in both the Bible and differing cultures of our world. So……thumbs up for Reclaiming the Mind Minsitries !

Al Gordon- Worship the Lord

This song by Al Gordon is one that I listened to over and over again whilst at University….often reducing me to tears. God is great…..beyond what our finite minds can comprehend…his name is above all other names……..no one else is worthy of the praise he is due. Sometimes the Christian life seems harder than hard……i have gone through it/am going through it at the moment. We face the lies of Satan that tell us we are failures….useless….condemned. At times this can drive us to despair…..but we need not despair because God is so gracious and so loving towards us because of Christ. That’s why I love this song…..the line where Al sings that Christ is his righteousness, Christ is his holiness is a beautiful reminder of the gospel. We find our righteousness in Christ, not ourselves. I find it difficult to think of words that express how this makes me feel. It is wonderful, beautiful, comforting, peace-giving, amazing, precious and sweet. Meditate on the Love, Mercy and Grace of God sang about in this song and let your heart be glad and comforted.

J.C.Ryle- Pharisees and Saduccees

Every word spoken by the lord Jesus is full of deep instruction for Christians. It is the voice of the Chief Shepherd. It is the Great Head of the Church speaking to all its members, – the King of kings speaking to His subjects, – the Master of the house speaking to His servants, – the Captain of our salvation speaking to His soldiers. Above all, it is the voice of Him who said, ‘I have not spoken of Myself : the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak.’ (John 12: 49.) The heart of every believer in the Lord Jesus ought to burn within him when he hears his Master’s words: he ought to say, ‘This is the voice of my beloved.’ (Canticles – Song of Solomon 2: 8.) And every kind of word spoken by the Lord Jesus is of the greatest value. Precious as gold are all His words of doctrine and precept; precious are all His parables and prophecies; precious are all His words of comfort and of consolation; precious, not least, are all His words of caution and of warning. We are not merely to hear Him when He says, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden;’ we are to hear Him also when He says, ‘Take heed and beware.’ I am going to direct attention to one of the most solemn and emphatic warnings which the Lord Jesus ever delivered: ‘Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.’ Upon this text I wish to erect a beacon for all who desire to be saved, and to preserve some souls, if possible, from making shipwreck. The times call loudly for such beacons: the spiritual shipwreck’s of the last twenty-five years have been deplorably numerous. The watchmen of the Church ought to speak out plainly now, or for ever hold their peace.

Read the Full article here

We don’t know God

Awake O Church and Run!

Our holy Lord requires absolute submission and obedience in all things, both in the inward life and the outward, even to “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Alas that this is so little insisted upon in a day when the high claims of the Savior are whittled down in an attempt to render His Gospel more acceptable to the unregenerate.

- Matthew Henry

1662 – 1714

Football4Africa- Faith in Action

TV Church

What is the “electronic church”? If you turn on your TV, you will find a variety of religious broadcasting, from Roman Catholic masses to traditional Presbyterian services to charismatic talk shows. Some of these programs are rather amateurish local broadcasts of local worship services. Others are sophisticated and expensive programs syndicated all over the world. Some of these programs are produced by honest, earnest people trying to be helpful to others. Others seem to have questionable messages and methods. In one sense, all these programs are part of the electronic church.

Usually, though, “electronic church” is used to refer to those programs distributed beyond a single local area and supported by the contributions of viewers. For the purposes of this article, the “electronic church” will refer to any TV broadcast that becomes a central part of the religious experience and practice of its viewers.

My concern here is to argue that the electronic church at its best can only be a religious supplement in the life of the Christian. There are indeed many useful supplements for Christians today, including Christian bookstores, radio stations, and a host of local, national and international organizations for various educational, evangelistic and welfare goals. But the purpose of this article is to maintain that all those supplements must remain subordinate to and supportive of the Christian’s commitment to the local church.

The necessity of the local church is clearly taught in Scripture and is indispensable for the Christian life. Before we critique the idea of an “electronic church,” we should understand the nature of the institutional church.

The Institutional Church

God has a great redemptive purpose in the world. He intends to save a people from the judgment and wrath to come and has sent his son, Jesus, into the world to fulfill all righteousness and to die for sinners that such people might be redeemed. God’s saving work, however, is not concerned with individuals in isolation. Rather, God is redeeming a people whom he calls the Body of Christ, the church: “And God placed all things under [Jesus'] feet and appointed him to be head over everything in every way.” (Eph 1:22-23)

What is this church about which the Scriptures speak so highly? In the Bible, the word “church” is used in two ways. The first meaning refers to the universal or organic church-all believers in all times who are united to each other and reconciled to God by their union with Christ. The second usage refers to the institutional expressions of that universal church.

Many Christians today seem to assume that all God requires is a relationship to the universal church that occurs automatically for the believer. In other words, it is often said that “the church is people.” Hence, belonging to the church means belonging to Christ, not to an institution. That, however, is not true. The Bible is clear that Christians are also required to be part of the institutional church’s life, particularly the life of the local church, which God himself has brought into being and structured by his Word.

To View the rest of this article click here

Don’t tell me God is not a God of wrath and Justice after reading this…

Above is a model of a baby at 20 weeks development within the womb. Looks pretty human doesn’t it? You can see it’s little hands, and feet, nose, ears, eyes and mouth. You can imagine it smiling in the mothers womb and wrestling around there thinking “when am i gonna get outta this weird little cavern!”. Now imagine the development that takes place in the 3 weeks after this stage. Development of a foetus is fairly rapid and simply amazing. It’s a human right? An unborn human, in development, just like my 3 year old nephew is a live human, growing taller and developing his speech by the day. What is the difference between this baby and my nephew? The answer is simple; one is born and other is not. But just because this baby is ‘not yet’ born doesn’t mean that anyone has any right to take its life. The Pilgrim over on Defending Contending posted this article today that sickened me to my stomach. It’s about a 23 week old baby being aborted in a Florida abortion clinic….but the way in which it was done is, to put it bluntly, inhumane, animalistic, even bordering on sadistic. Click Here to read the story. It made me feel sick to the stomach because I was able to feel, albeit on a miniscule scale, the sheer vileness of my own sin toward God. What a wretch I am but thank God for Jesus. Thank God. Don’t tell me there is no such thing as a God who cares. Don’t tell me God is a God who will not bring justice for such horrible, horrible acts (cough, cough, Bishop Spong), because to claim there is no judgement to come is to, in my view, simply reject the holiness of God and his justice, and it turns God into something he is not- an idol, and you cannot find salvation in an idol.

The sad thing about news like this is that there are cases like it every day that don’t make the news. How the blood of the unborn must cry out to and touch the heart of God.

Judges- The Products of Pluralism

A month ago(ish) I posted on here saying I was going to started posting a weekly sermon. Well due to technicalities, the Christmas break, and some “oking” that I had to do with the Pastors whose sermons I will be posting, I have finally got around to posting the first sermon! This weeks sermon is from Daf Meirion Jones, who is the Vicar at All Saints Church in Preston, England. I was a part of the All Saints fellowship for around 7 months whilst I studied for my final year at the University of Central Lancashire in 2007/2008. It was during a very difficult period in my life as I was struggling with a few issues and Daf and everyone at All Saints were a blessing from a loving God looking after a hurting and confused child of His. Daf personally mentored me in 1-2-1’s and I will be forever grateful for the role he played in my spiritual journey and walk with Christ. I hope someday to repay him, although no doubt he will say “Yea right” to that! This sermon series on Judges is excellent, higlighting the seriousness of pluralism, how we are oft to forget about God, but how he graciously acts in our lives and circumstances to bring us back to Him. Listen, be blessed and keep on. Click on the image or logo to open the sermon.

Persecuted for Praying

 ”A Nurse could be sacked and even struck off for offering to say a prayer for an elderly patient” reports the Daily Mail. “Caroline Petrie, a community nurse and devout Christian, has already been suspended for an alleged breach of her code of conduct on equality and diversity. She now faces disciplinary action, even though the patient involved did not make a formal complaint.” To view the rest of this Daily Mail Article click here .

I guess this news report is yet another indication of the decline of the freedom of religion for Christians in Britain. Muslims have struck fear and terror into the British government and much like the IRA did during the troubles in Northern Ireland, the weak and largely impotent British government ever-steadily is allowing those who threaten with the sword to have victory…albeit a subtle and silent one. To be honest as Christians we should not expect to be liked by the world. Jesus himself said it. Yet it is somewhat striking that we now live in a society that tries to put a ban on people’s beliefs, even though it claims equality for all.

Melanie Phillips, journalist for the Daily Mail, has written an insighful article on this area titling it “BRITISH POLICE RUN FROM MUSLIM DEMONSTRATORS, A CHRISTIAN NURSE FACING THE SACK FOR OFFERING TO PRAY for a patient- this is the way a society dies.

She goes on to write

 ”In our allegedly multicultural society, there is one religious group which is apparently not to be afforded equal respect, let alone treated for what it embodies – the foundational creed of this nation. That group is Britain’s Christians. Somerset community nurse and committed Christian Caroline Petrie has been suspended and faces being sacked and even struck off for offering to say a prayer for an elderly patient. Although startled, the patient – herself a Christian – did not make a complaint and was in no way offended.  Suspension and dismissal are sanctions to be used for mistreating or neglecting patients. Yet here they are being used against a nurse for offering to bring a patient a form of spiritual solace – which the patient was able easily to refuse and which caused her no problem. Is this not an utterly idiotic over-reaction? I am a Jew; but when my mother was in the last stages of her terminal illness she was cared for by deeply devout Christian nurses who regularly prayed for her. Far from being offended by this, I was touched and comforted by this signal that they cared so much about her. Moreover, this is not actually about upholding professionalism in nursing. It is all about foisting upon nursing the sinister and politically correct ‘diversity’ agenda – which means in effect treating Christianity as inherently offensive. Demonstrating ‘a personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity’ apparently means that offering Christian solace to anyone at all, even if they don’t belong to another faith, somehow damages ‘equality and diversity’.

Would the same action be taken, one wonders, against a Muslim nurse offering to pray for a Muslim patient?It is but the latest in a growing line of incidents where people find themselves singled out for opprobrium for expressing their Christian faith. These include the Heathrow check-in worker who was banned from wearing a cross around her neck at work; the Relate counsellor who was sacked for refusing to give sex counselling to homosexuals; and the woman who was forced to stand down from an adoption panel because she disapproved of gay adoption. It was particularly telling to compare this incident with the astounding video footage featured in yesterday’s Mail on Sunday, showing police officers running away from chanting demonstrators who took part in a violent protest in London against Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip. The ten-minute amateur film shows 30 officers being chased by a crowd of up to 3,000 people who broke away from an official protest march last month. Absurdly, the police claim they were ‘going backwards’ but not running away.  But the video clearly shows the police retreating under fire, being chased through central London by protesters chanting ‘Allahu akhbar’ as they pelted officers with traffic cones and screaming ‘cowards’ and ‘they’re going to get it’. It is hard not to reach the dismal conclusion that a society faced with violence in pursuit of the goal of overturning Christian values and conquering Britain for Islam turns tail and runs away – while at the same time coming down like a ton of bricks on any expression of those Christian values which underpin British society, in the interests of ‘equality and diversity’.

This is the way a society dies.”

Yes indeed. Yes indeed. Britain is in societal meltdown. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato once said “The city is the soul magnified”, and if we look at the state of this nations’ cities it does not take long to notice the grave immorality and the societal decay that is taking place. The cause? Liberalism. By in large. Rebellion against authority, plain and simple. Authority in the form of government, authority in the form of Law and Order, authority in the form of Schooling and authority in the form of the family and male headship. Charles Haddon Spurgeon and J.C. Ryle, two great men of God in the 19th century, voiced their fears that all would be lost if the onslaught of theological liberalism that was rising in their day be allowed to continue, that is not preached against. Spurgeon’s wife Susannah would later share her belief that it was this battle, known now as the “Downgrade Controversy”, that eventually killed her husband. This Liberalism wreaked havoc in the Church of England, havoc from which the Church has never recovered from and is still marred by. Liberal preachers, preaching a liberal gospel, with liberal “left-wing” beliefs has led to a famine of the word of God in this land. The only words I can muster up at present that I feel do justice to describe liberalism are those like “sinister”, “malicious”, “evi”l, “destructive”, “heretical” and “disgraceful”. Liberalism has sought over the years to attack EVERYTHING that the British people once stood for- for morality, for the family, for work ethic, for the protection of the unborn….everything. In fact theological liberalism is an open attack on God himself, and it is about time that British Christians seeking to be faithful to the Word of God are warned publicly about it. Pastor’s and Teachers cannot and must not remain silent about this and must preach the word of God as it is. Where are the Spurgeons, the Ryles, and the Llyod-Jones’ of these Islands? Where have these great  voices and proclaimers of Gods truth gone. Why is there a silence about the state of the UK church. I hear our American brothers and sisters speaking out against what they see happening in their country. Why then do we British remain relatively silent? Thankfully “Pierced for Our Transgressions” was relased last year by some of the guys at Oak Hill defending the doctrine of Penal Substitution against the attacks it was receiving from British “evangelicals” such as Steve Chalke. We need more of this. We must take a stand for the truth of God. Yet often our middle-class churches prefer an attitude of “niceness”. They come to our churches because “they like the young man that is preaching”. Yet Jesus said “Woe to you when all men speak well of you” (Luke 6:26).

We must put aside this nicey niceness and just preach the gospel. Yes be loving and love others but don’t water down or soften a hard hitting message that God has placed on your heart because you are afraid people won’t like you. Preach the word IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON. Britain is definitely out of season and we dare not change our message to make it more palatable for our out of season hearers. If all men hate me because I have sought to be faithful to the word of God, to the conviction of my heart, to my conscience and to the leading of the Holy Spirit then so shall it be. “Do not fear them who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead  fear him who can kill both the body and soul in Hell” (that’s God if you don’t get it- Matt 10:28). We must pray for revival and labour for reformation in our churches. Who will stand up and say “Here I am God..send me”. My hand is up…..now I wait. I wait for God to make clear his calling, if he has been merciful and gracious to me by calling me to preach and teach then I dare not water down what is on my heart and in his word….for one day I must give an account. One day we all must give an account. To be honest I couldn’t care less what you or others might think of me, because when I stand before God I want to hear those words “Well done good and faithful servant. You have run the race well and finished strongly. You were courageous in standing for the truth, and you did not deny me from the pulpit”. And the amazing thing about this is that I will only be able to do this and finish like this because he first loved me, died for me, called me, saved me, enabled me, guided me and kept me through all circumstances right to the end. That is the God I serve, unlike the tyrannical Allah of Islam whose followers kill by the Sword and seek to strike fear into the hearts of the ”infidels”. No….my God says “those who live by the sword die by the sword” (Matt 26:52). Christians let us humbly and quietly face whatever persecution comes our way. Let us instead be more focused on being wholly faithful to God’s word, even if your church and pastor is not. God will do the rest and he will keep you.

Update: The National Secular Society has backed the suspension of Mrs Petrie. The group, which represents the interests of atheists, agnostics and other non-religious groups, said it was inappropriate for health workers to ‘evangelise’.

Book Review- The Jesus Who Never Lived: Exposing False Christs and Finding the Real Jesus

Sometimes apologetics books can be dry and hard to read. Agreed? It takes one to have a keen interest in the subject at hand to stimulate the mind to keep flicking those pages, absorbing the content of said pages as you do so. Sometimes the author is very intellectual and the information given us very helpful, but sometimes when this is the case the author’s prose can be, well, boring really.

Not so with H. Wayne House’s most recent book “The Jesus Who Never Lived: Exposing False Christs and Finding the Real Jesus”. In this fantastic book House exposes the myths, legends and reshapings that the gospel has been subjected to from the moment the resurrected Christ ascended into heaven. Throughout the Bible we see a continual theme; conflict between the truth of God and the lies of Satan/Man. From the very beginning, when the Serpent made Eve question God’s authority and word, to the prophets of Baal through to the Apostle Paul warning the Ephesians night and day with tears that after his departure from them savage wolves would come amongst the church seeking to destroy the Ephesian fellowship of believers with their lies.

This trend continues today and ever will do until the day Christ returns. Thus, until that day the Christian is engaged in a daily battle with what is true and pleasing to God and that which is an abomination in his sight. We are in a war, albeit a spiritual one. Some Christians don’t like the terms “Spiritual Warfare” and “Daily Battle”. They are pacifists and they argue that God is love so words or phrases like these connotate violence and hatred. I see their point, yet I don’t agree with it fully. Why? Because the Bible clearly shows that God does hate. He hates evil, he hates sin, he hates wickedness and he hates falsehood. Jesus called the Pharisees “white washed tombs” because they appeared clean on the outside with their religion but inside they were corrupt and ignorant of the truth.

My point is that the TRUTH IS IMPORTANT TO GOD and we should seek to know and walk in it. Just like counterfeit money destroys an economy so too does false teaching wreak havoc in the church. Unfortunately, today we find ourselves living in an age of ingnorance. Discernment is scarce amongst God’s people because we simply are no longer  a reading people. Entertainment options such as the T.V, X Box and t’internet have by in large distracted people from the books and more worryingly Christians from the Bible. If we are to be able to truly distinguish between truth and falsehood then we must be grounded in the Bible. That’s the first step, to be anchored in God’s word ad finem (to the end).

Nevertheless, it is also good for a Christian to have a ‘working knowledge’ of other beliefs in order to effectively enter into dialogue with people of other faiths and explain to non-Christian friends why we trust what we believe to be the truth, the true God. It is also good to have an introductory knowledge because, in my own life, I have found that it has strengthened my faith, because I see how religions like Islam and Mormonism have twisted Christianity into something that it wasn’t originally and are really just ficticious creations of man.

This is what Wayne House provides in this book. It is intended for the average lay reader and provides a sweeping overview of how Christ has been viewed the past 2,000 years. Part one details why it is important to know just who the real Jesus is. In doing so House takes us back to Jerusalem and informs us of how Jesus’ family and disciples viewed him, how the Jewish leaders viewed him, how Roman and Jewish sources viewed him and finally how the early church viewed him.

He then goes on to discuss the distortions of Jesus that have taken place throughout history, beginning with the rise of false Christs in Jerusalem, then on to the rise of false religions, the claims of who Jesus was by other world religions such as Hindu and Islam, the quest for the historical Jesus since the Enlightenment, the Jesus of false Christianities such as Mormonism and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Jesus of what he labels ‘Media Scholarship (that being a paradoxial and ironic name as Media and Scholarship go together like chalk and cheese- they don’t!) and finally the Jesus of Popular religion. He pierces holes in these ideas of Jesus with historical fact, yet he also remains in the Scriptures. Nice.

Thirdly, and finally, House concludes by helping us find the real Jesus. Arguably this is the most important part of the book and he does it well.

I have to say that this, alongside Michael Horton’s ‘Putting Amazing Back Into Grace’, is one of the best books I read in 2008. I finished it in a matter of hours as I found it fast-paced, informative and easy to read. I learnt something new with nearly every page I read and I cannot recommend this book enough. Buy it. It will equip you to share your faith with others in relation to the classic objection “What about other religions”. It will also serve as a source of encouragement due to the fact that House shows us that we can trust the Scriptures, that we can trust in Christ and we have no reason to doubt.

J.C. Ryle- Exhortations for Young Men

When the Apostle Paul wrote his Epistle to Titus about his responsibility as a minister, he mentioned young men as a group requiring particular attention. After speaking of older men and older women, and young women, he adds this advice, “Encourage the young men to be self-controlled” (Titus 2:6). I am going to follow the Apostle’s advice. I propose to offer a few words of friendly exhortation to young men.

I am growing old myself, but there are few things that I can remember so well as were the days of my youth. I have a most distinct recollection of the joys and the sorrows, the hopes and the fears, the temptations and the difficulties, the mistaken judgments and the misplaced affections, the errors and the aspirations, which surround and accompany a young man’s life. If I can only say something to keep some young man walking in the right way, and preserve him from faults and sins, which may hurt his prospects both for time and eternity, I shall be very thankful.

There are four things which I propose to do:

I. I will mention some general reasons why young men need exhorting.

II. I will note some special dangers which young men need to be warned about.

III. I will give some general counsel which I beg young men to receive.

IV. I will set down some special rules of conduct which I strongly advise young men to follow.

On each of these four points I have something to say, and I pray to God that what I say may do good to some soul.

I. Reasons for Exhorting Young Men

1. What are the general reasons why young men need specific exhortation? I will mention several of them in order.

(1) For one thing, there is the painful fact that there are few young men anywhere who seem to be Christians.

I speak without respect of persons; I say it of all. Rich or poor, gentle or rough, educated or uneducated, in the city or in the country–it makes no difference. I shudder to think how few young men are led by the Spirit, how few are on that narrow road which leads to life, how few are setting their affections on things above, how few are taking up the cross, and following Christ. I say all this with sorrow, but I believe, in God’s sight, that I am saying nothing more than the truth.

Young men, you form a large and most important class in the population of this country; but where, and in what condition, are your souls? Regardless of where we turn for an answer, the report will be one and the same! Let us ask any faithful minister of the gospel, and note what he will tell us. How many unmarried young people can he remember who come to the Lord’s Supper? Who are the most backward about the doctrines of salvation, the most irregular about Sunday services, the most difficult to draw to weekly Bible studies and prayer meetings, the most inattentive to whatever is being preached? Which part of his congregation fills him with the most anxiety? Who are the Reubens for whom he has the deepest “searchings of heart”? Who in his flock are the hardest to manage, who require the most frequent warn ings and rebukes, who cause him the greatest uneasiness and sorrow, who keep him most constantly in fear for their souls, and seem the most hopeless? Depend on it, his answer will always be, “The Young Men.”

Let us ask the parents in any county throughout this land, and see what they will generally say. Who in their families give them the most pain and trouble? Who need the most watchfulness, and most often provoke and disappoint them? Who are the first to be led away from what is right, and the last to remember cautions and good advice? Who are the most difficult to keep in order and limits? Who most frequently break out into open sin, disgrace the name they bear, make their friends unhappy, embitter the older relatives, and cause them to die with sorrow in their hearts? Depend on it, the answer will generally be, “The Young Men.”

Let us ask the judges and police officers, and note what they will reply. Who goes to the night clubs and bars the most? Who make up street gangs? Who are most often arrested for drunkenness, disturbing the peace, fighting, stealing, assaults, and the like? Who fill the jails, and penitentiaries, and detention homes? Who are the class which requires the most incessant watching and looking after? Depend on it, they will at once point to the same group, they will say, “The Young Men.”

Let us turn to the upper classes, and note the report we will get from them. In one family the sons are always wasting time, health, and money, in the selfish pursuit of pleasure. In another, the sons will follow no profession, and fritter away the most precious years of their life in doing nothing. In another, they take up a profession as a mere form, but pay no attention to its duties. In another, they are always forming wrong connections, gambling, getting into debt, associating with bad companions, keeping their friends in a constant fever of anxiety. Note that rank, and title, and wealth, and education, do not prevent these things! Anxious fathers, and heart-broken mothers, and sorrowing sisters, could tell sad stories about them, if the truth were known. Many a family, with everything this world can give, numbers among its relatives some name that is never named, or only named with regret and shame, some son, some brother, some cousin, some nephew, who will have his own way, and is a grief to all who know him.

To read the rest of this fantastic piece of work click here

We believe in the Jedi not Christ….New Age Pantheism wrapped in Jedi clothes

So here we have it….The Church of the Jedi…..because the story about Jesus is just too far fetched for some quite clearly!

The church of the Jedi states;

“Everything in the universe is bound by energy, from the mighty power of the sun down to a tiny grain of sand on a beach. All living creatures share a connection through energy, the universal power which radiates through us all. This phenomenon has always existed, but it was in 1977 after the release of the film “Star Wars” that it was given a name, the force. Since the creation of Star Wars and its subsequent sequels and prequels, people from all over the world have adopted a belief in the force and the films protectors of the faith “The Jedi”.

It was through these beliefs that the UK Jedi church was set up. Our aim is to bring all of the world’s believers in the force together for the power of good. We will form a community that does not have bias or any type of prejudice. A community that does not reject other religions, but in fact encourages the positive teachings that other religions can bring. It is through positivity that we shall thrive, for that is the light side of the force.”

“There are two sides to many things in life, Black and white, up and down, good and bad. In eastern philosophy where the life force is known as chi, they represent these opposites through the symbol of yin and yang. In the Jedi faith the force is split into the two halves of the light and the dark side. In a world where good cannot exist without evil and evil without good, Jedi take it upon themselves to keep the balance between the two halves by focusing only on the light side of the force.”

If that’s not enough to make you giggle then maybe this will….

“Religions base their faith on holy texts such as the bible and the Koran to name only two, but we base our faith on the impartial and highly accessible stories George Lucas has brought to us in both film and book. We obtain this information and rather than creating strict rules to live by we take it as a guide to living a better and more worthwhile life.”

But on a more somber and nihilistic note…..

“So in summary, no religion is truth. It is all just a matter of faith.”

However they do get one thing right about another weird cult….if only others in the world could see the through its celebrity facade…..

“What right does anyone have to start a church? If a group of like minded people wish to organise a place and a structure to practise and discuss their religious thoughts, then that is the right of anyone who lives in a free and fair society. As soon as enough people are involved, they experience administrative issues that create costs too much for any single member to bear on their own. At that stage it is necessary that the organisation may create its own legitimate status to operate bank accounts and manage its own set of financial accounts, which are not to the betterment of any individual, and are long lasting should any founding members pass on.

Lets consider the Church of Scientology. About 60 years ago, a fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard wrote a body of beliefs and related practices. Hubbard chose only later to characterize his writings as an “applied religious philosophy” and since it has gained legal recognition as an official religion in many western countries. Unlike the Church of Scientology, we will not harass members of the public, nor ex members of our Church. We welcome all those who wish to join, and we farewell all those who wish to leave. We only request that the Jedi Church is given every legal right and recognition that is given to other legal and recognised churches in our society, and that our members be free to practise their religion free from persecution.”

Please do excuse for the silly pun….but….until my next post….may the force be with you all. Seriously. No, seriously!!

The Evidence for Atheism

more about "The Evidence for Atheism", posted with vodpod

False Teaching- Listen up all y’all out there!

This is a great video in warning us to be discerning against any teaching that is out there. We must always go to the Bible to see what it actually says, not what somebody says that it says. Just like the Bereans. I don’t necessarily agree with all the pictures on here (most of them I do) so don’t think I’m slating the guys who’s images appear. Rather listen to the what the guys says. I’m not sure who it is, so any heads up on this would be cool!

1. Exposing Mormon Claims and their prophet Joseph Smith

To the Non-Religious, Fed up with Christianity

Umpteen times I have come across comments and posts by people proclaiming their disdain and sheer irritation with Christianity. I have also read and heard remarks by Christians siding with the Non-Christians, stating that they too are fed up with radical fundamentalism, the kind who run around preaching hell, fire and brimstone at every person who just happens to make the mistake of looking them straight in their squinty little eyes.

However, these Christian’s tend to go on to say that they like to keep their beliefs to themselves and aren’t really concerned with the fact that those around them don’t believe in the same thing as they do. Their “humble” philosophy in life is “judge not, lest you be judged”, however they are seriously misinformed and make a grave mistake by adapting this approach. Why? Because they fail to understand the nature of critical judgementalism versus evangelism.

What then is my argument? My argument is that I totally understand the contempt that non-Christians have for Christianity. I often hear, and have been guilty of saying this myself, Christians respond to non-Christians by saying, “Don’t look at me and hate Christianity simply because I practice it poorly. I’m a sinner just like you and can’t live a perfect life. Look at Jesus. Your judgement of Christianity should be based on HIM and not me.” May I humbly submit to you the reader that this is absolutely ridiculous. We Christians need to stop defending our sinful, superficial Christian-living and wake-up and realise there is something seriously wrong with our churches…or those who fill them. I’m included.

The second point I would like to make is that I find it difficult to believe that someone is a Christian when they do not grieve over their own sin or the sin of others, but instead accept it as ok, because they believe something different from themselves. Now, before I hear the cries of “Who are you to judge mate!!?”, please do hear me out. Christianity is an evangelising religion. That very word evangelism stems from the Greek word “EVANGELION” which literally means “Good News”. It must convey to others that their sin will separate them from God, and that they must repent and believe in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus wholly trusting in Him alone to make them right before God. God, in his sovereign will, has ordained that human language is to be the medium for this message to be proclaimed. God the Son came down and preached the good news, but Jesus’ ministry was the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. Thus God has also given us His word, the Bible to testify and point us to Christ. The Bible states that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”. So, God has decided that the gospel be proclaimed through human language, written and spoken.

WHY then are Christians to share this message and why do I blog??????

Quite simply it is because of love. Ideally, a Christian should be motivated to share his/her faith because they believe, as the Bible teaches, that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and will thus suffer the wrath of a Holy and Just God at the time of judgement because He would in fact be unjust and a liar if he were not to keep to his own testimony. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only way that we can be freed from this judgement, by dying on the cross for us. By his own will, and not against it as some are now suggesting, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He took the punishment we deserve. However the crux of the issue lies in His resurrection. Did it happen or didn’t it? If it didn’t then for goodness sake I wish the Christians who say “it doesn’t matter ‘cos I will have lived a decent moral life anyways” would just keep quiet and realise the fallacy of their mindset. The apostle Paul himself states in 1 Cor 15:15-19 that,

“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”

Let me make this categorically clear; if Jesus did not rise from the dead, if they were to dig up his bones tomorrow and it was proved that they were actually Jesus’ genuine remains then I will be straight out on the town partying and over-indulging myself with fine women. No longer will I waste my life for a lie for I am to be pitied and deserve to be mocked and ridiculed for believing a lie.

However, I believe in the resurrection of Christ. I believe because the change in the disciple’s behaviour indicates a MAJOR occurrence took place three days after the crucifixion. I believe in the resurrection because the Apostle Paul suddenly became a follower of Jesus abandoning his hate-filled persecution of Christians due to the risen Jesus meeting with Him on the road to Damascus. I believe in the resurrection because no-one WILLINGLY dies for a lie. Yes we have Islamic fundamentalists who blow themselves up, but that is because they fully believe that they are following the truth. They unknowingly die for a lie.  The disciples, however, are a totally different scenario. They followed Jesus for 3 years, sitting under his teaching, hearing His claims that He was God, that he was the Messiah, that he would die and be raised from the dead on the third day. Their despondency in the gospel accounts after his crucifixion reveal an authenticity of the gospel accounts. They reveal the despondency and disillusionment that comes with following Jesus. Geuine, raw, real life emotions are recorded here. Yet why did they die for their belief that Christ was the Son of God? Well because they met with the risen Christ and had no reason to doubt. Jesus’ claim was/is massive and the fact that Paul testifies that we would be stupid to believe and follow him if he wasn’t raised from the dead shows that he is TOTALLY AND UTTERLY CONFIDENT THROUGH HIS OWN OBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE that Jesus was raised from the dead. There is no other explanation.

I believe in the resurrection because ancient historians and archaeologists can locate the graves of prominent figures from ancient times yet cannot begin to point to a site where the most famous man in all of History was “buried”. Sure fantastical new hypotheses are proposed every year but none of these have any credibility and when critiqued are always exposed as shabby scholarship by desperado professors seeking to make a quick buck by releasing a book that is always guaranteed to make the best sellers list.

So Christians believe that they are forgiven and justified before God because Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead showing that His testimony was true. This is good news to proclaim in sheer joy and love is it not? Well yes, of course it is!

BUT…..Christians often do not preach this truth from the motivation of LOVE. They often preach it without practicing it. They often forget the fact that the only difference separating them from non-Christians, is the blood of Christ shed for them to redeem them. They did nothing but repent and submit to His Lordship, and even then they were only enable to do this by the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. They earned no right to a higher standing, or to cast icy glances at sinners.

Jesus himself showed love to sinners, knowing that his LIFE OF LOVE would provide a solid foundation and prepare the hearts of his hearers to receive his message of truth, which DID talk about sin and hell and the fact that he is the ONLY way and that it is not possible for people to get to God through anyone else.

So Christians, where did we go wrong? We are hypocrites. We rebuke sinners and love each other, even when we have hidden sin festering beneath the surface like a rotten carcass on a hot summers day. Why don’t we start loving sinners, and rebuking ourselves? If we get real with God and allow him to cleanse us from our sin, some of the sin that will go out the window will be disdain for non-Christians and secular culture. Then we will be able to love them as Jesus did, and perhaps provide a ready soil in which to plant seeds of truth. I am sick and tired of Christians being a part of, and forming  little cliquey clubs. I love God, I love his creation, I love people and I love his Christ and as God is my witness I want to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a lost world and I want to share His good news as I do so.

But I and we must first get real with God. We must humble ourselves and turn from our own wicked ways. We must repent of our pride, of our selfishness, and allow him to work his holiness in us. Maybe then, non-Christians would have an accurate understanding of the Church.

Non-Christians, as a result of this blog, I don’t expect you to believe what I believe all of a sudden. But if you don’t believe, I hope that it will not be because of the impression that I am hypocritical or hateful or judgmental. However, by saying that I am saying that I am going to shy away from presenting what I believe to be the truth. Nevertheless, maybe if we can start displaying true Christianity, it will allow you to make an accurate, informed judgment about the truth of the matter. Maybe if we start living out what we believe then people will see that the Word (resurrected and written) that we believe in and follow is actually the truth.

God give us the grace, give me the grace, to live such a life and forgive me for the times I have failed to do so….in public and behind closed doors, even this night.

In Jesus name,

Amen

What is it about the New Atheists?

What is new about the new atheists? It’s not their arguments. Spend as much time as you like with a pile of the recent anti-religion books, but you won’t encounter a single point you didn’t hear in your freshman dormitory. It’s their tone that is novel. Belief, in their eyes, is not just misguided but contemptible, the product of provincial minds, the mark of people who need to be told how to think and how to vote–both of which, the new atheists assure us, they do in lockstep with the pope and Jerry Falwell.

…

For the new atheists, believing in God is a form of stupidity, which sets off their own intelligence. They write as if they were the first to discover that biblical miracles are improbable, that Parson Weems was a fabulist, that religion is full of superstition. They write as if great minds had never before wrestled with the big questions of creation, moral law and the contending versions of revealed truth. They argue as if these questions are easily answered by their own blunt materialism. Most of all, they assume that no intelligent, reflective person could ever defend religion rather than dismiss it. The reviewer of Dr. Dawkins’s volume in a recent New York Review of Books noted his unwillingness to take theology seriously, a starting point for any considered debate over religion.

The faith that the new atheists describe is a simple-minded parody. It is impossible to see within it what might have preoccupied great artists and thinkers like Homer, Milton, Michelangelo, Newton and Spinoza–let alone Aquinas, Dr. Johnson, Kierkegaard, Goya, Cardinal Newman, Reinhold Niebuhr or, for that matter, Albert Einstein. But to pass over this deeper faith–the kind that engaged the great minds of Western history–is to diminish the loss of faith too. The new atheists are separated from the old by their shallowness. (Sam Schulman)

Special Challenges of the 21st Century….

I Like this article……. a lot………

On August 9th, 1995, Netscape, the first mainstream web-browser, went public; and the world has never been the same. But the incredible benefits provided by the Internet are accompanied by lethal dangers. It took three years for the Internet to even begin to take off, but there were already 14 million pornographic Web pages. From 1998 to 2003 that number jumped to 260 million; a 2,000% increase in just five years.

This post is not about pornography; but it is all about how technology presents tremendous new challenges to Christian character; and about what we need to do about it. I strongly believe that it is foolish for my generation to assume that the next ten years will treat them the same way the last ten have. If we think technology has peaked and that things will remain largely the same with just a few added “conveniences,” we are gravely mistaken. Think of any ten-year-olds you know. The Internet is ten years old.

Technology itself and the challenges it presents are in their nascent form.

Over the next 5-10 years advances in technology will allow pornography and the sex industry to push so far into mainstream culture that they will no longer be generally considered dirty or taboo. Yet this is only one of the challenges our generation faces. According to Marvin J. Cetron and Owen Davies from the World Futures Society, medical knowledge and development are currently doubling every eight years. The speed of change in the medical field is outpacing the public’s opinion on the ethics of things such as stem cell research, genetic engineering, cloning, DNA mapping, surrogate motherhood, infertility solutions, selection of a child’s sex, use of fetal tissue, artificial organs, organ cloning, and life support.

Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, writes: “Technology will continue to reshape people in such a way that their attention spans will be shorter and they will have difficulty distinguishing truth and lies, and the deluge of information will become so great that separating the useful from the trivial will be laborious. [Furthermore] the tsunami of information and services customized to please individual people will create a culture of self-absorbed, narcissistic people consumed with themselves and unconcerned about serving other people.”

These are barely the tip of the iceberg; but their magnitude and scope are unique to our generation. Which is why you must be aware of them. In a world that continues to celebrate debauchery and advance technologically the moral challenges facing our generation will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen.

I am convinced that as our world continues to change it will become more and more difficult to actually avoid exposure to sin and will become more and more necessary to develop the strength of character to resist it, fight it, and conquer it.

I’m calling you to be the kind of young men and women who are willing to fight the fight against sin. I’m calling you to cut off your hand or gouge out your eye rather than lose your soul (Matthew 5:29-30). Character is a victory, not a gift. It requires war, not diplomacy.

The time for lukewarm Christianity is behind us. The [West] will not survive another generation of Christians that fit in.

A Guide to Contemporary Christian Worship!

Thank you for choosing to worship with us today. If you are from a church that uses traditional hymns, you may be confused. Please take a moment to read through this guide to contemporary Christian music.

In our church you will not hear “How Great Thou Art,” “Wonderful Grace of Jesus,” or “Like a River Glorious.” (Generally, hymns that have words like “Thou” are not used. They are too archaic and are normally replaced by words like “awesome” and “miry clay”). Yes, okay, we may do “Amazing Grace” or “Peace Like a River” at some point, but as a general rule we avoid songs with too many different verses or those that can’t be played easily on guitar and drums.

If you are new to worship here, you may wish to know the reasons for this. One is that deep theological concepts do not belong in contemporary Christian worship. We frown on songs that change more than one or two words for each verse. For example, our version of “Holy is the Lord” consists of repeating that phrase six times per verse and then changing “Holy” to “Worthy,” “Mighty,” “Jesus” and finally changing “the” to “my.” Isn’t that much simpler to sing and easier to remember? The twin goals here are a) repetition and b) chanting quality. We don’t focus on what we’re singing, but how we’re singing it. The main thing is to get that kind of tingly, “olive oily” feeling. Don’t worry if you don’t get this right away. It will come as you learn to disengage your intellect. Just free yourself. Immerse yourself. Relax.

Nevertheless, a traditional hymn may sometimes be used. For example, we’re not averse to “Holy, Holy, Holy.” You may be tempted to sing this as you would have in your former church, but please note that it is sung here with changes, mainly the fact that we repeat it several times and try to sing as slowly as possible, thereby emphasizing the funereal nature of the verse.

Repetition is very important in contemporary Christian music. We repeat: Repetition is very important in contemporary Christian music. Just because a song may have one verse and one chorus does not mean that you only sing it through once. Old hymns have several verses, each of which introduces a new theological concept, and are meant to be sung once followed by “Amen.” This is no longer how it’s done. The correct procedure is to sing the identical verse and chorus at least three times. Often it is preferable to repeat the verse two times initially before moving on to the chorus.

Also the worship leader may want to repeat a verse or chorus found in the middle of the song. This is signaled by “calling an audible.” When this occurs, the worship leader will say the first few words of the verse or chorus he will be singing next. Sometimes, due to the similarity of the verses, this may be confusing and the overhead projector may flash several pages of text until the correct one is arrived at. Don’t panic, this is normal. Just continue singing as though you know the words and soon either the correct slide will appear or a new chorus will begin.

After the verse and chorus are sung at least three times, it is permissible for the song to end. However, the chorus must first be repeated in its entirety, then the last paragraph, then the last line. When singing the last line it is important to slow down a little and look upward. Raising a hand is permissible and often done at this time. This may take a little getting used to but don’t worry, if you just join in, in a short time you won’t even notice and soon you will forget that you ever did it any other way.

We are just really glad you chose to share the worship experience with us today. Thank you and we hope to see you again soon.

Thank you and we hope to see you again soon. Thank you. Thank.
(Source: Wittenburg Door)

How to identify a Cult- It’s simple really………..

For the past few years I have looked at cults and different religions with a view of trying to understand them to better equip me in my witnessing and communication of the Christian Faith. I found, over the years, it is quite impossible to know everything about all religions or even a minority of them. While it is good to be aware of different religions and cults, it is much more valuable to be in touch with the truth of the Bible. The apostle Peter says so himself in John 6:68 stating “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” This is advice from not only my own experience but from many who work with and have written books on the subject of cults.

Many are surprised by what they can discern once they become familiar with the Word of God and what some call the key tenets of the Christian faith. Knowing what the Bible says about God, Jesus, man and salvation will enable a person to spot any cult within just moments of talking to a person or reading their material. Being familiar with the truth is the best protection against deception a Christian can have. So that’s the first and major point. The problem within the Christian church today is that there is an increasing number of Christians who don’t know their Bible. Other things in life take priority, the result being a biblically illiterate and misinformed church. Often the people who fall by the wayside are those who do not study their Bibles and when they are faced with opposition, be it physical or the more common rationalistic, intellectual opposition that we in the post-enlightened West are subjected to (might I add that we should not fear it because the truth of the Bible stands firm under the closest scrutiny) then they crumble and fall away as they don’t know what the Bible teaches about the relveant area. The battle belongs to the Lord and the Bible is the Christians weapon that must be studied, and used when in need for it is through the word that the Holy Spirit works.

The following 18 point checklist can be used as a guide to help in the examining of a teaching, doctrine, movement, ministry, or alleged spiritual gift. It can also serve as a guide to the learning of some of the key points a believer should be watching for when discerning whether an organization or particular teaching is not adhering to Biblical standards.

• Does it attempt to attack or change the person, work or Deity of Christ?
• Is salvation by a new unique non-scriptural method, works, or something other than faith in Jesus and His work on the cross?
• Is membership with this group required for salvation?
• Is the Doctrine of the Trinity compromised?
• Does it attempt to change the teaching about the person, Deity, and/or work of the Holy Spirit?
• Is the Holy Spirit credited with revealing things that are contrary to what He has already revealed in the Bible?
• Is God being made to seem more like man?
• Is man is being made to seem more like God?
• Is someone or something being presented as an authority equal to or superior to the Bible?
• Is the teaching or interpretation of one person or select group of people seen as the only acceptable material or guide by which you are to study the Bible?
• Does it edify the Church and build up the body of Christ or does it seek to give glory to a person or organization?
• Are claims and/or prophecies made that cannot be substantiated or that have failed to come about?
• Are terms commonly used in “Christianity” redefined and given new “non-biblical” meanings?
• Is the teaching or activity consistent with the New Testament?
• Is this a matter of tradition, culture and emotions or is it Bible?
• Does this group or teaching force interpretations of scripture passages that make the Bible contradict itself?
• Does movement or group produce healthy well-balanced growing Disciples?
• Is the teaching, movement or group focused on the entire message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ or are they focused only on a few specific issues? (For example end time prophecy, deliverance ministry, healing campaigns, prosperity teachings etc.)

 

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:6-9)

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. ”- (Ephesians 6:12-13)

Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6 36-40)

A Liberal Gospel is idolatry

“What happens to the Gospel when idolatry themes are not grasped? ‘God loves you’typically becomes a tool to meet a need for self-esteem in people who feel like failures. The particular content of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – ‘grace for sinners and deliverance for the sinned-against’ – is down-played or even twisted into ‘unconditional acceptance for the victims of others’ lack of acceptance.’ Where ‘the Gospel’ is shared, it comes across something like this: ‘God accepts you just as you are. God has unconditional love for you.’ That is not the biblical Gospel, however. God’s love is not Rogerian unconditional positive regard writ large. A need theory of motivation – rather than an idolatry theory – bends the Gospel solution into ‘another gospel’ which is essentially false. The Gospel is better than unconditional love. The Gospel says, ‘God accepts you just as Christ is. God has ‘contraconditional’ love for you.’ Christ bears the curse you deserve. Christ is fully pleasing to the Father and gives you His own perfect goodness. Christ reigns in power, making you the Father’s child and coming close to you to begin to change what is unacceptable to God about you. God never accepts me ‘as I am.’ He accepts me ‘as I am in Jesus Christ.’ The center of gravity is different. The true Gospel does not allow God’s love to be sucked into the vortex of the soul’s lust for acceptability and worth in and of itself. Rather, it radically decenters people – what the Bible calls ‘fear of the Lord’ and ‘faith’ – to look outside themselves. Christian counselors with a psychologizing drift typically are very concerned with ministering God’s love to people who view God as the latest and greatest critic whom they never can please. But their failure to conceptualize people’s problems in the terms this article has been exploring inevitably creates a tendency towards teaching a Liberal Gospel. The cross becomes simply a demonstration that God loves me. It loses its force as the substitutionary atonement by the perfect Lamb in my place, who invites my repentance for heart-pervading sin.”

David Powlison

Prayer Request for the Persecuted

Free Shuang Shuying

Shuang Shuying, a 79-year-old Christian grandmother, has been imprisoned by the Chinese government for almost two years, because of her family’s work helping the poor and oppressed. Read more.

She has become extremely thin and fragile and her health is deteriorating from the harsh conditions, almost to the point of death during the past two years in prison. However, the greatest injustice is that her husband Hua Zaichen, 90, is dying and authorities have denied her a last visit with him even though her prison sentence ends February 8.

Government officials mock Shuang Shuying’s desperate longing to see her husband. They have told her that if he dies, they will escort her in prison uniform, handcuffed and shackled, to see his body for 10 minutes.

You can bring aid to this family as Shuang Shuying’s husband struggles daily to stay alive in the hope he might see his wife before he dies. Will you let your voice be heard on behalf of this elderly couple who have laid down their lives to serve others?

» Two ways you can act now to bring justice.

How John Stott Prepares a Sermon

As someone who aspires to one day preach the word I find myself continually seeking to learn about preaching and pastoral duties. I cannot grow bored with reading, studying and talking about this area. It stimulates my mind, engages my heart and leaves me bursting at the seams to preach. Unfortunately I am not in a position where I can do this yet, but patience is  a virtue right? Nonetheless in my season of waiting I believe it’s a good thing for me to try and increase my knowledge of what it meas to be a preacher. I find myself reading the examples of men of God who are alive today, men like John Piper, John Macarthur, Mark Driscoll, Albert Mohler, Graeme Goldsworthy, Voddie Baucham, Michael Horton (and the rest of the White Horse Inn crew), R.C.Sproul, C.J. Mahaney, Mark Dever, D.A. Carson and this man, John Stott. I am also greatly intrigued by men of old such as Augustus, Luther, Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, the Puritans such as Thomas Watson and Richard Baxter amongst others. I have yet to read John Owen but no doubt I will add him to my list when I eventually get around to reading some of his work. The Puritans’ contemporaries also inspire me, men like C.H. Spurgeon and J.C. Ryle, A.W. Tozer and Martin Llyod-Jones. All these men greatly influence my Christian walk because ultimately they teach pure and simply from the Bible and have/had a passion to live their lives for the glory of God and to preach the gospel faithfully, without straying away from Biblical truth. They have fought battles for the truth. Defended the gospel. Proclaimed the whole counsel of God without fear of what people might think of them. If God would give me grace to be even a little like one of these men, then I should be very grateful indeed. Of course there are others out there whom I listen to and read who I have not mentioned. There are also many more whom I dont get to read or listen to but whom serve the Lord faithfully in their daily duties of service. For these men I thank God 

 

HAving said all this, I was intrigued, therefore, to recently come across a summary of John Stott’s preparation steps (putting in short form what he expands on in Between two Worlds). Thanks to the website (Unashamed Workman, Xenos)  for this link which I’ve quoted in full.

I. Choose your text

A. It is best to rely on expository book studies for the steady diet of your people, because this ensures they will get “the whole counsel of God.”

B. However, the following may be occasions for special sermons:

1. Special calendar occasions: Christmas, Easter, etc.
2. Special external circumstances which are in the public mind.
3. Special needs discerned by the preacher or others.
4. Truths which have specially inspired the preacher.

C. Keep a notebook to scribble down ideas for sermons, insights, burdens, illustrations, etc. Record them immediately wherever they come to mind, because you will usually forget them later.

II. Meditate on the text

A. Whenever possible, plan out texts weeks or months in advance. This gives the benefit of “subconscious incubation”.

B. Concentrated “incubation” should begin at least one week before preaching. It should involve the following:

1. Read, re-read, and re-re-read the text.
2. Be sure you understand what it means. Do your own interpretive work. Don’t use commentaries until you have formulated specific interpretive questions which you have been unable to answer, or until you have completed your interpretive work.
3. Brood longer over how it applies to your people, to the culture, to you, etc.
4. Pray for God to illuminate the text, especially its application.
5. Scribble down notes of thoughts, ideas, etc.
6. Solicit the insights of others through tapes, talking with other preachers, etc.

III. Isolate the dominant thought

(This is the purpose of section II.)

A. Your sermon should convey only one major message. All of the details of your sermon should be marshaled to help your people grasp that message and feel its power.

B. You should be able to express the dominant thought in one short, clear, vivid sentence.

IV. Arrange your material to serve the dominant thought

A. Chisel and shape your material. Ruthlessly discard all material which is irrelevant to the dominant thought. Subordinate the remaining material to the dominant thought by using that material to illuminate and reinforce the dominant thought.

B. Your sermon structure should be suited to the text, not artificially imposed. Avoid structure which is too clever, prominent or complex.

C. Decide on your method of preaching for this text: argumentation, faceting, categorizing, analogy, etc.

D. Carefully choose words that are precise, simple, clear, vivid and honest. Write out the key sections, phrases, and sentences to help you in your word choice. Stick to short declarative and interrogative sentences with few, if any, subordinate clauses.

E. Come up with illustrations and examples which will explain and convict. Employ a wide variety: figures of speech, images, retelling biblical stories in contemporary language, inventing fresh parables, retelling true historical and/or biographical events, etc. Keep a file of these, especially if they do not come easily to you. Avoid making illustrations and examples so prominent that they detract from the dominant thought. Also, avoid applying them inappropriately or overusing them.

V. Add the introduction and conclusion

A. The introduction should not be elaborate, but enough to arouse their curiosity, wet their appetites and introduce the dominant thought. This can be done by a variety of means: explaining the setting of the passage, story, current event or issue, etc.

B. The conclusion should not merely recapitulate your sermon–it should apply it. Obviously, you should be applying all along, but you should keep something for the end which will prevail upon your people to take action. “No summons, no sermon.” Preach though the head to the heart (i.e. the will). The goal of the sermon should be to “storm the citadel of the will and capture it for Jesus Christ.” What do you want them to do? Employ a variety of methods to do this:

1. Argument: anticipate objections and refute them
2. Admonition: warn of the consequences of disobedience
3. Indirect Conviction: arouse moral indignation and then turn it on them (Nathan with David)
4. Pleading: apply the gentle pressure of God’s love, concern for their well-being, and the needs of others
5. Vision: paint a picture of what is possible through obedience to God in this area

VI. Write down and pray over your message

A. Writing out your sermon forces you to think straight and sufficiently. It exposes lazy thinking and cures it. After you are thoroughly familiar with your outline, reduce it to small notes.

B. Pray the God will enable you to “so possess the message that the message possesses you.”