The Lure of Doctrine Without Power

Does anyone really think that America today is lacking preachers, books, Bible translations, and neat doctrinal statements?  What we really lack is the passion to call upon the Lord until he opens the heavens and shows himself powerful.

Let me make a bold statement:  Christianity is not predominantly a teaching religion.  We have been almost overrun these days by the cult of the speaker.  The person who can stand up and expound correct doctrine is viewed as essential; without such a talent the church would not know what to do.  As I said in an earlier chapter, the North American church has made the sermon the centerpiece of the meeting, rather than the throne of grace, where God acts in people's lives.

The Jewish faith in Jesus' day was dominated by rabbis - teachers of the law.  Their doctrine was thorough.  Jesus told them, "you diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.  These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life" (John 5:39-40 italics added).  They knew the written word of God very well, but not the living Word, even as he stood before them.

The Scriptures are not so much the goal as they are an arrow that points us to the life-changing Christ.

It is fine to explain about God, but far too few people today are experiencing the living Christ in their lives.  We are not seeing God's visitation in our gatherings.  We are not on the lookout for his outstretched hand.

The teaching of sound doctrine is a prelude, if you will, to the supernatural.  It is also a guide, a set of boundaries to keep emotion and exuberance within proper channels.

But as Paul said, "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3?6).  If the Holy Spirit is not given an opening among us, if his work is not welcomed, if we are afraid of what he might do, we leave ourselves with nothing but death.

Granted, extremists have done fanatical things in the name of the Holy Spirit that have frightened many sincere Christians away.  Chaotic meetings with silly things going on and a lack of reverence for God have driven many to prefer a quiet, orderly lecture.  But this is just another tactic of the enemy to make us throw out the baby with the bathwater.  Satan's tendency is always to push us toward one extreme or the other:  deadness or fanaticism.

North American Christians must no longer accept the status quo.  No more neat little meetings, even with the benefit of 100 percent correct doctrine.  Are we hiding behind the doctrine of God's omnipresence, that he is everywhere around the globe, especially "where two or three are gathered together". . . to the point that we don't seriously ask and expect to see him work with power in our lives here and now? Shouldn't we implore him to manifest himself?  Moses did.  Joshua did.  Elijah did.  Elisha did.  Peter did. Philip did. Paul did.  Shouldn't we?

God will manifest himself in direct proportion to our passion for him.  The principle he laid down long ago is still true:  "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" . . . .
(Jer. 29:13).

Jim Cymbala
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire


My challenge for you -  and for me -  is to truly seek God and His will.  Not to just say the words, but to mean them.  And if we cannot do that now, then we should start by praying for the strength and courage needed to truly seek Him.  Being a Christian is not for sissies.  It's a road full of trials and tribulations, persecution and rejection, failures and shortcomings.  We may, at any given time, be asked to give up everything, even our lives.  We may find ourselves in a strange land with a strange people.  But one promise from our Creator is worth all the sacrifice we might ever endure.  After all, what He asks of us is nothing short of what He has already gone through a thousand times over.

The Death of Outrage

I lament the death of outrage.  Without a sense of outrage we run the serious risk of being ordinary when God created us to be extraordinary.  Outrage makes you do things that are out of the ordinary.  Without it we run the risk of becoming nice people in a nice church.  To be honest, that makes me want to reach for the nearest bucket.  That may seem a bit harsh but we do get an echo of this in the Book of Revelation where God vomits over lukewarm believers.  God only gave us ten commandments; there is no eleventh that says, "Thou shalt be nice."  Jesus, the head of the church, is no Mr. Nice Guy.  Christians seem to have bought into the sickening idea that niceness is the essence of goodness.  No more of this insipid niceness.  A nice soldier is an oxymoron.  Nice soldiers do not win wars.

Mick Duncan, Who Stands Fast?

Hearts of Men

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.  Isaiah 1:17

 

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. Proverbs 22:16

 

These are just a few of many scriptures that deal with the oppressed.  Take a moment to watch this video and prayerfully consider supporting the efforts of these brothers-in-Christ who have decided to obediently follow the commands given us from our Maker.  You may support them through prayer, finances, spreading their cause, showing the  movie at your mens group or all of the above. 

 

 

Hearts of Men Movie

 

 

 

¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

 



“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

 

²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

 

Luke 4:16-21

2014 Resolution

Our presuppositions will have a profound effect on the course of our lives.  It is a valuable practice to ask ourselves what we believe and why.  Paul challenges us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to "examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves."

God has miraculously wired our brains to observe, make deductions, store information and act.  It's a staggering and ever-changing process.  We can change our minds.  The oft-cited Romans 12:2 speaks directly to this process:  "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."  This requires action on our part.  A changed mind equals changed actions.

As we strive to be more Christlike and conformed to his image, we will find it profoundly rewarding to make it our habit to simply ask what a circumstance or piece of information means. 

Warren Walsh, Living Intentionally

Petitions/Boycotts - Should We?

What do some Christians hope to accomplish when they petition a company or a government?  Do they believe they are going to convince the company or government to become Christian?  There is no such thing as a Christian company or government.  Do they believe they are going to bring nonbelievers into the Kingdom?  I hardly think that strong arming a company into doing something is a good witness.  Instead the world sees the Christians as a band of bullies, demanding their way yet again.  What happened to being the face of love?  Do we only love when things are going our way?  That sounds like the way of the world, not the way of Christ. In fact, Jesus tells us himself that we will be persecuted and hated:

"If the world hates you,¹ keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you² out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  John 15:19-19

But even more important is this word from Jesus:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  Matthew 5:10-12

So we should REJOICE in bad times and times of persecution.  We know it's coming, Jesus told us to expect it.  And how we react is important.  When our Lord was persecuted, did he ask his apostles to petition the soldiers or the Roman government or the Pharisees?   God tells us to petition HIM, not the world:

Don’t worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. And God’s peace which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace will be with you.

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 4:9 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon of New Testament Greek.

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 4:7 Joseph ThayerA Greek-English Lexicon.
2. Philippians 4:7 William Gurnall, cited by Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.

Phil 4:6-9

His name is Friedrich Nietzsche. He was a German philosopher in the late 1800s. He was the son and grandson of pastors. He despised the Christian concept of God. He asked the question, “What is more harmful than any vice?” He gave the answer, “Active sympathy for the ill-constituted and the weak—Christianity.” He disdained Jesus as God on the cross. He believed Christianity was man’s greatest misfortune. He said the church left nothing untouched by its depravity. He defined good as all that heightens the feeling of power. Weakness was bad.

He used the word “Übermensch.” It can be translated “overman” or “superman.” The Nazis and Hitler co-opted the word and used it racially for a superior white race. But for Nietzsche Übermensch or superman was a counter value to God. Man becoming superman no longer needs God. Our goal in life is to be superman. What use then do we have of God? He would say none. God is dead. He is superfluous. In some ways Nietzsche is similar to Ann Rand and her coldly objective survival of the fittest. Only the strongest have a right to survive.

The point of all this being, Nietzsche’s response to hurt, insult, and persecution would be retaliation; the use of power because power is good and weakness is bad. The conclusion is that anytime we respond to insult, to a hurt, to persecution, with retaliation of any kind, we are more like Nietzsche than Jesus.Pastor Michael Wheatley, West Chester Presbyterian Church

Another aspect brought up by Father Jonathan Morris on FOX this morning is how signing these petitions is like saying you are speaking for all Christians when in fact, you aren't.  Petitions and boycotts are negative, punitive acts that diminish what Christianity is all about.

We need to respond to troubled times in a positive, loving way which is hardly found through petitioning and boycotting.  Encouragement and prayer for those being persecuted are positive ways to respond.  Pray that they would be faithful and obedient throughout their ordeal.  Pray that it would bring glory to God.  Pray that God's will be done.

Finally, the Robertson family will be fine.  They don't need nor have they asked for our petitions.  Their faith seems solid and I doubt the father is going to retract his statement.  Could he have said things in a more loving way?  Possibly.  But no matter how he said it the world was going to find it offensive because the world doesn't get it.  If dropped from A&E the Robertsons will probably get offers from other networks who see dollar signs in their duck calls.  We should be praying that the Robertson family would hear God loud and clear concerning what direction He would have them go at this point.  And pray that OUR family's response would be pleasing to God and glorify Him in the highest.



 

Christmas Hijacked?

There are so many articles and comments from secularists concerning Christmas and how one doesn’t need Jesus to celebrate the holiday.  It boggles my mind how anyone can even see the word CHRISTmas and think it’s okay to take Christ out of it.  All you are left with is MAS.  Perhaps that’s what the secularists should celebrate – but oh, wait, then that would mean they need to go to a church service or mass, right?  They definitely wouldn’t like that.  Back to square one.

 

The more I thought about it, the less sense it made.  I don’t see the secularists hijacking Hanukah or Ramadan, insisting their god be taken out of the holiday so all can celebrate.  I don’t see articles and comments desecrating the Jewish or Muslim holidays.  Only Christians seem to be the focus of hate.  Then it hit me.  Who hates us more than anything?  The enemy.  Yes, Satan and his followers want nothing more than to upstage, desecrate and ruin the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.  Satan has slowly but surely lured us into his world of materialism – lights, music, shopping, gluttony – until even we Christians have been lulled into a stupor. 

 

Awaken sleeping Christians!  Take back Christmas by using the one weapon Satan does not possess -  LOVE!  Spread the love of Jesus through the land and the enemy will fail yet again.  He has no weapon in his arsenal that can overpower the love of Jesus.  Spread the Good News everywhere you go.  Remember what Christmas is really about.  And most of all, invite the unchurched to church so they can hear the Gospel. 

          The best thing we nonbelievers can do, in fact, is be honest about not celebrating the religious side of Christmas. Each Christmas and Easter, churches have to struggle to accommodate the extra crowds who show up for holiday services. While pews may be partially filled or even deserted on a Sunday over the summer, the holidays see a huge increase in attendance as the CEOs (Christmas and Easter Onlys) stop by. The problem is particularly pronounced in Catholic churches, as Christmas is a holy day of obligation. When holiday church attendance is motivated by guilt instead of a genuine state of religious worship, it creates headaches for everyone—and takes up valuable pew real estate. Torie Bosch, editor of Future Tense

This is Satan’s plan -  to keep as many nonbelievers out of the churches, away from Christians, deaf to the Good News, as he can.  Struggle to accommodate the extra crowds?  Those are Satan’s words, not ours – we love the crowds and the opportunity to share God’s Word.  As far as the CEO’s -  hey, it gives us at least two opportunities a year to reach them!  Praise God!!  Remember our battle is not with the flesh and blood of this world, but rather with the spirit forces of evil (Eph 6:12).

 

Articles by nonbelievers:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/faithbased/2008/12/no_reason_for_the_season.html

 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/12/24/no_need_to_put_the_christ_in_christmas_if_you_re_not_religious_christmas.html

 

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865592614/Most-Americans-celebrate-Christmas-but-not-all-as-religious-holiday.html

 

Lester

I'm wondering -  do the homeless have their obituaries posted in the newspaper?  Do they have a funeral or memorial service?  Are they remembered at all or missed?  Or are they just a fleeting remembrance in the lives of a few people whose paths they crossed in their final years.  Yet they were someone's son or daughter, brother or sister, aunt or uncle.  They may have had children of their own and are someone's mother or father, grandmother or grandfather.  They were created by God, lived their lives and returned to the earth. 

I don't know much about Lester's personal life.  I know he was in the military.  I know he loved to find funny dog pictures and jokes on his computer to show us.  I know he worked hard in the kitchen on Thursday nights at Halo.  And I know he was saved.  Hallelujah, Praise the Lord.

Those who knew Lester would agree he was a character.  At first meeting, he seemed gruff and aloof.  Quiet, maybe even a little grumpy.  That was the exterior.  Inside, Lester was caring and compassionate.  He would ask about others all the time.  He loved to laugh and tell jokes.  He had a certain way he liked to work the kitchen at Halo and we all learned to do it Lester's way - it was, afterall, the best way. 

The last time I saw Lester he was eating dinner at Halo and I went to say hi to him.  He looked so much smaller and weaker than the robust military guy I met.  His voice was frail and I could barely hear him above all the noise of the dining hall.  He asked about Paul with a smile on his face.  Still thinking about others even with death at his door.

I still don't know what happens to the homeless when they die.  I suppose the state does something with their bodies.  I know that Lester's soul lives on in Heaven and one day the gang at Halo will see him again.  And I know that for me, Lester will be more than a fleeting remembrance as he touched our lives and left an impression.  And if he did that for those of us on Thursday night at Halo, I'm sure he did that for many people he came in contact with.  God bless him, he'll be missed.