10 November 2009
Quoting a Quote #12:
"Friend, you cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. And what one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government can't give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody. And when half of the people get the idea they don't have to work because the other half's going to take care of them, and when the other half get the idea it does no good to work because somebody's going to get what I work for. That, dear friend, is about the end of any nation." -Adrian Rogers-
22 October 2009
Shame on Us!
What kind of pastor would allow this kind of irreverance to go on in their church?
What kind of people would stand for this... it's nuts!
17 October 2009
I am a broke loaf of bread in the shadows with talking shoes!?
At one point this poor preacher asked: "Are you with me?"
To which we can quickly, decisively, and thankfully say "No" we are not with him!!
May God save the church from such false prophets & teachers as these.
13 October 2009
26 September 2009
Quoting a Quote #11
"The Christianity that attempts to suffer by proxy is not the Christianity of Christ. Each individual Christian business man, citizen, needs to follow in His steps along the path of personal sacrifice to Him. There is not a different path to-day from that of Jesus' own times. It is the same path. The call of this dying century and of the new one soon to be, is a call for a new discipleship, a new following of Jesus, more like the early, simple, apostolic Christianity, when the disciples left all and literally followed the Master. Nothing but a discipleship of this kind can face the destructive selfishness of the age with any hope of overcoming it. There is a great quantity of nominal Christianity today. There is need of more of the real kind. We need revival of the Christianity of Christ. We have, unconsciously, lazily, selfishly, formally grown into a discipleship that Jesus himself would not acknowledge. He would say to many of us when we cry, ‘Lord, Lord,' ‘I never knew you!' Are we ready to take up the cross? Is it possible for this church to sing with exact truth,
‘Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee?'
If we can sing that truly, then we may claim discipleship."
-Charles M Sheldon (from "In His Steps" p237)-
‘Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee?'
If we can sing that truly, then we may claim discipleship."
-Charles M Sheldon (from "In His Steps" p237)-
21 September 2009
14 September 2009
Open-Minded?
D.L. Moody on being tolerant, open-minded, and having "conversation" or "dialogue" with "differing views."
"A great many people say, you must hear both sides; but if a man should write me a most slanderous letter about my wife, I don’t think I would have to read it; I would tear it up and throw it to the winds. Have I to take up a book that is a slander on my Lord and Master, who has redeemed me with His blood? Ten thousands times no! I will not touch it."
"A great many people say, you must hear both sides; but if a man should write me a most slanderous letter about my wife, I don’t think I would have to read it; I would tear it up and throw it to the winds. Have I to take up a book that is a slander on my Lord and Master, who has redeemed me with His blood? Ten thousands times no! I will not touch it."
07 September 2009
01 September 2009
"I Refuse to Change"
Here's a story of non-transformation from the book "The Life You’ve Always Wanted" (27-9) by John Ortberg. I don't recommend the book. It is more of book about how you use Jesus to have a wonderful life, but it does have a good story.
Do we expect transformation in the lives of believers in our local churches? How long does someone have to come to your local church before we don't expect them to grow in grace anymore? What kind of sinful attitudes, language, or actions have we accepted from people who claim to be Christians just because they have been around for a long time?
For example, John Ortberg tells the story about the man who never changed.
“Hank, as we’ll call him, was a cranky guy. He did not smile easily, and when he did, the smile often had a cruel edge to it, coming at someone’s expense. He had a knack for discovering islands of bad news in oceans of happiness. He would always find a cloud where others saw a silver lining.
Hank rarely affirmed anyone. He operated on the assumption that if you compliment someone, it might lead to a swelled head, so he worked to make sure everyone stayed humble. His was a ministry of cranial downsizing.
His native tongue was complaint. He carried judgment and disapproval the way a prisoner carries a ball and chain. Although he went to church his whole life, he was never unshackled. A deacon in the church asked him one day, ‘Hank, are you happy?’ Hank paused to reflect, then replied without smiling, ‘Yeah.’ ‘Well, tell your face,’ the deacon said. But so far as anybody knows, Hank’s face never did find out about it.’
Occasionally, Hank’s joylessness produced unintended joy for others. There was a period of time when his primary complaints centered around the music in the church. ‘Its too loud!’ Hank protested – to the staff, the deacons, the ushers, and eventually innocent visitors in the church.
We finally had to take Hank aside and explain that complaining to complete strangers was not appropriate and he would have to restrict his laments to a circle of intimate friends. And that was the end of it. So we thought.
A few weeks later, a secretary buzzed me on the intercom to say that an agent from OSHA – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration – was here to see me. ‘I’m here to check out a complaint,’ he said. As I tried to figure out who on the staff would have called OSHA over a church problem, he began to talk about decibel levels at airports and rock concerts.
‘Excuse me,’ I said, ‘are you sure this was someone on the church staff that called?’ ‘No,’ he explained. ‘If anyone calls – whether or not they work here – we’re obligated to investigate.’
Suddenly the light dawned: Hank had called OSHA and said, ‘The music at my church is too loud.’ And they sent a federal agent to check it out. By this time the rest of the staff had gathered in my office to see the man from OSHA. ‘We don’t mean to make light of this,’ I told him, ‘but nothing like this has ever happened around here before.’
‘Don’t apologize,’ he said. ‘Do you have any idea how much ridicule I’ve faced around my office since everyone discovered I was going out to bust a church?’”
Ortberg continues to describe Hank: His children didn’t know him. He could not effectively love his wife or his children or people outside his family. He was easily irrated. He had little use for the poor, and a casual contempt for those who accents or skin pigment differed from his own. He critiqued, judged and complained, and his soul got a little smaller each year.”
“Hank was not changing. He was once a cranky young guy, and he grew up to be a cranky old man. But even more troubling than his lack of change was the fact that nobod was surprised by it. No one seemed bothered by the condition. It was not an anomaly that caused head scratching bewilderment. No church consultants were called in. No emergency meetings were held to probe the strange case of this person who followed the church’s general guidelines for spiritual life and yet was nontransformed.
The church staff did have some expectations. We expected that Hank would affirm certain religious beliefs. We expected that he would attend services, read the Bible, support the church financially, pray regularly, and avoid certain sins. But here’s what we didn’t expect: We didn’t expect that he would progressively become the way Jesus would be if he were in Hank’s place. We didn’t assume that each year would find him a more compassionate, joyful, gracious, winsome personality. We didn’t anticipate that he was on the way to becoming a source of delight and courtesy who overflowed with ‘rivers of living water.’ So we were not shocked when it didn’t happen. We would have been surprised if it did!”
Do we expect transformation in the lives of believers in our local churches? How long does someone have to come to your local church before we don't expect them to grow in grace anymore? What kind of sinful attitudes, language, or actions have we accepted from people who claim to be Christians just because they have been around for a long time?
For example, John Ortberg tells the story about the man who never changed.
“Hank, as we’ll call him, was a cranky guy. He did not smile easily, and when he did, the smile often had a cruel edge to it, coming at someone’s expense. He had a knack for discovering islands of bad news in oceans of happiness. He would always find a cloud where others saw a silver lining.
Hank rarely affirmed anyone. He operated on the assumption that if you compliment someone, it might lead to a swelled head, so he worked to make sure everyone stayed humble. His was a ministry of cranial downsizing.
His native tongue was complaint. He carried judgment and disapproval the way a prisoner carries a ball and chain. Although he went to church his whole life, he was never unshackled. A deacon in the church asked him one day, ‘Hank, are you happy?’ Hank paused to reflect, then replied without smiling, ‘Yeah.’ ‘Well, tell your face,’ the deacon said. But so far as anybody knows, Hank’s face never did find out about it.’
Occasionally, Hank’s joylessness produced unintended joy for others. There was a period of time when his primary complaints centered around the music in the church. ‘Its too loud!’ Hank protested – to the staff, the deacons, the ushers, and eventually innocent visitors in the church.
We finally had to take Hank aside and explain that complaining to complete strangers was not appropriate and he would have to restrict his laments to a circle of intimate friends. And that was the end of it. So we thought.
A few weeks later, a secretary buzzed me on the intercom to say that an agent from OSHA – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration – was here to see me. ‘I’m here to check out a complaint,’ he said. As I tried to figure out who on the staff would have called OSHA over a church problem, he began to talk about decibel levels at airports and rock concerts.
‘Excuse me,’ I said, ‘are you sure this was someone on the church staff that called?’ ‘No,’ he explained. ‘If anyone calls – whether or not they work here – we’re obligated to investigate.’
Suddenly the light dawned: Hank had called OSHA and said, ‘The music at my church is too loud.’ And they sent a federal agent to check it out. By this time the rest of the staff had gathered in my office to see the man from OSHA. ‘We don’t mean to make light of this,’ I told him, ‘but nothing like this has ever happened around here before.’
‘Don’t apologize,’ he said. ‘Do you have any idea how much ridicule I’ve faced around my office since everyone discovered I was going out to bust a church?’”
Ortberg continues to describe Hank: His children didn’t know him. He could not effectively love his wife or his children or people outside his family. He was easily irrated. He had little use for the poor, and a casual contempt for those who accents or skin pigment differed from his own. He critiqued, judged and complained, and his soul got a little smaller each year.”
“Hank was not changing. He was once a cranky young guy, and he grew up to be a cranky old man. But even more troubling than his lack of change was the fact that nobod was surprised by it. No one seemed bothered by the condition. It was not an anomaly that caused head scratching bewilderment. No church consultants were called in. No emergency meetings were held to probe the strange case of this person who followed the church’s general guidelines for spiritual life and yet was nontransformed.
The church staff did have some expectations. We expected that Hank would affirm certain religious beliefs. We expected that he would attend services, read the Bible, support the church financially, pray regularly, and avoid certain sins. But here’s what we didn’t expect: We didn’t expect that he would progressively become the way Jesus would be if he were in Hank’s place. We didn’t assume that each year would find him a more compassionate, joyful, gracious, winsome personality. We didn’t anticipate that he was on the way to becoming a source of delight and courtesy who overflowed with ‘rivers of living water.’ So we were not shocked when it didn’t happen. We would have been surprised if it did!”
30 August 2009
25 August 2009
Quoting a Quote #10
"When the apostle cries 'That I may know him,' he uses the word know not in its intellectual but in its experiential sense. We must look for the meaning-- not to the mind but to the heart. Theological knowledge is knowledge about God. While this is indispensable it is not sufficient.... It is not intellectual knowledge about God that quenches man's ancient heart-thirst, but the very Person and Presence of God Himself.... Christian truth is designed to lead us to God, not to serve as a substitute for God."
-A. W. Tozer (from Keys to the Deeper Life)-
-A. W. Tozer (from Keys to the Deeper Life)-
22 August 2009
20 August 2009
E. M. Bounds quote (3 of 3)
"We have emphasized sermon-preparation until we have lost sight of the important thing to be prepared-- the heart. A prepared heart is much better than a prepared sermon. A prepared heart will make a prepared sermon."
-Bounds (from Preacher and Prayer)-
-Bounds (from Preacher and Prayer)-
18 August 2009
17 August 2009
The Anti-Christ
Disclaimer: This video is an extreme example of a mind that has been so twisted that it would be able to prove anything by twisting words in English with words in Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew.
This video is a good example of what the Bible describes as a false teacher/prophet.
This video is a good example of what the Bible describes as a false teacher/prophet.
13 August 2009
E. M. Bounds quote (2 of 3)
"We need a generation of preachers who seek God and seek Him early... Our laziness after God is our crying sin. The children of this world are far wiser than we. They are at it early and late."
-Bounds (from Preacher and Prayer)-
-Bounds (from Preacher and Prayer)-
12 August 2009
Vocabulary is Everything...
Words are powerful. How you word things can be even more powerful. (Take for example Barack Obama's constantly spewing rhetoric on everything from health care 'reform' to economic 'stimulus.')
I find the church today has cloaked biblical language and adopted "user-friendly" language in the name of 'reaching' people in love. We have disguised our love of this present age with a false mask of evangelism. Repentance, born-again, sin, hell, and a host of other words are off limits from our pulpits and lecterns today. We have found that sinfulness in the church is easier to deal with by simply looking the other way or sweeping it under the rug.
Instead of trying to restore fallen brothers and sisters spiritually we smile with our eyes shut. Instead of speaking truth to the backslidden we converse about the mundanes and abstract.
The Emergent Church continues to lead the way with refusal to acknowledge the greatest need of our world... the atonement through Christ!
Vocabulary has trumped truth and subtle 'word choice' has eclipsed honesty. With all the talk, in government & church, about transparency I wonder when we will stop deception by the twisting of words.
The following excerpt is from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass.
"...There's glory for you!'
`I don't know what you mean by "glory",' Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. `Of course you don't -- till I tell you. I meant "there's a nice knock-down argument for you!"'
`But "glory" doesn't mean "a nice knock-down argument",' Alice objected.
`When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'
`The question is,' said Alice, `whether you can make words mean so many different things.'
`The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master -- that's all.' Alice was too much puzzled to say anything; so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again.
`They've a temper, some of them -- particularly verbs: they're the proudest -- adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs -- however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That's what I say!'
`Would you tell me please,' said Alice, `what that means?'
`Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. `I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.'
`That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful tone.
`When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, `I always pay it extra.'
`Oh!' said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.
`Ah, you should see 'em come round me of a Saturday night,' Humpty Dumpty went on, wagging his head gravely from side to side, `for to get their wages, you know.' (Alice didn't venture to ask what he paid them with; and so you see I can't tell you.)"
And so goes our wonderland!
I find the church today has cloaked biblical language and adopted "user-friendly" language in the name of 'reaching' people in love. We have disguised our love of this present age with a false mask of evangelism. Repentance, born-again, sin, hell, and a host of other words are off limits from our pulpits and lecterns today. We have found that sinfulness in the church is easier to deal with by simply looking the other way or sweeping it under the rug.
Instead of trying to restore fallen brothers and sisters spiritually we smile with our eyes shut. Instead of speaking truth to the backslidden we converse about the mundanes and abstract.
The Emergent Church continues to lead the way with refusal to acknowledge the greatest need of our world... the atonement through Christ!
Vocabulary has trumped truth and subtle 'word choice' has eclipsed honesty. With all the talk, in government & church, about transparency I wonder when we will stop deception by the twisting of words.
The following excerpt is from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass.
"...There's glory for you!'
`I don't know what you mean by "glory",' Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. `Of course you don't -- till I tell you. I meant "there's a nice knock-down argument for you!"'
`But "glory" doesn't mean "a nice knock-down argument",' Alice objected.
`When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'
`The question is,' said Alice, `whether you can make words mean so many different things.'
`The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master -- that's all.' Alice was too much puzzled to say anything; so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again.
`They've a temper, some of them -- particularly verbs: they're the proudest -- adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs -- however, I can manage the whole lot of them! Impenetrability! That's what I say!'
`Would you tell me please,' said Alice, `what that means?'
`Now you talk like a reasonable child,' said Humpty Dumpty, looking very much pleased. `I meant by "impenetrability" that we've had enough of that subject, and it would be just as well if you'd mention what you mean to do next, as I suppose you don't mean to stop here all the rest of your life.'
`That's a great deal to make one word mean,' Alice said in a thoughtful tone.
`When I make a word do a lot of work like that,' said Humpty Dumpty, `I always pay it extra.'
`Oh!' said Alice. She was too much puzzled to make any other remark.
`Ah, you should see 'em come round me of a Saturday night,' Humpty Dumpty went on, wagging his head gravely from side to side, `for to get their wages, you know.' (Alice didn't venture to ask what he paid them with; and so you see I can't tell you.)"
And so goes our wonderland!
11 August 2009
08 August 2009
E. M. Bounds quote (1 of 3)
"Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still."
Bounds (from Preacher and Prayer)
Bounds (from Preacher and Prayer)
28 July 2009
Another General Superitendent Speaks Out...
Dr. Nina Gunter is a general superitendent emeritus of the church of the Nazarene. The video of her below is while she was before her retirement at the General Assembly of 2009. She is speaking at the M7 conference.
23 July 2009
18 July 2009
I'm Glad to be a Nazarene!!
This is a General Superitendent emeritus of the Church of the Nazarene speaking at a District assembly in Grove City, Ohio. His words are encouraging to me! Praise the Lord our leadership hasn't surrendered to the disease of re-wrapped liberalism called emergent!
01 July 2009
29 June 2009
16 Teens Every Church Youth Group Needs...
I must admit, this is not wholly original to me. Although it is pretty funny.
Fifteen teens every church youth group needs...
1. The guy that owns a Jeep. When I was in high school I rotated between hating this guy and desperately wanting to be this guy. I don’t know how he got it but when I was getting dropped off by my mom in a white Pontiac Transport this guy was screaming into the parking lot in a rugged looking Jeep. I don't care who you are, having a Jeep in high school is like having a space shuttle. Who wants to ride with you & your mom in a minivan when they could be riding in the jeep!
2. The kid that hates God but got forced to attend because of his parents. Don’t try to get this guy to play any youth group games, speak up during discussions or not kick the bucket of orange drink over when no one is looking. Ugh! I wouldn't even be here but my parents keep making me come. As soon as this guy gets his driver's license you'll never see him again. Or he'll become a Christian in what is a really touching transformation process. This one could go both ways. In the meantime, don't look for a close friendship with him if you are a Christian... he thinks Christians are the enemy!
3. The ridiculously beautiful girl that doesn't know it. This girl is a lot of fun right up until the moment that you go to a camp or event where other youth groups are gathered and every guy on the church district hits on her. Even though you're not dating her and she's told you the dreaded "you're like a brother to me" there's a part of you that thinks, "I wish all those guys from that other church would stop bothering her." (And by bothering I mean, "making her laugh and have a good time" two things that you are apparently incapable of.)
4. One obnoxious pastor's kid that thinks he's a celebrity. I need to do a whole post on pastor's kids, but for now, let me just say that every youth group needs one who kind of thinks he's a celebrity. He's contextually famous, which just means a handful of people know who he is because his dad is the pastor but sometimes he acts like he's some sort of superstar. He knows how to walk, talk, laugh, and always what to say in the context of youth group, youth camp, or youth convention. Others in the youth group may aggravate his condition, but only because he's a celebrity in that context. At school (if not at a private school) he is just another kid to them. But this pastor's kid is just waiting for youth meeting at church!
5. The kid that wears shorts in the winter. It might be 10 degrees outside, but he'd have a coat on and a pair of basketball shorts. Makes no sense, but he will become almost combative if you try to pinned him to the statement: "I am cold, since it is below freezing and I only have on a pair of shorts." You might wonder if he even has any long pants until you spot him at school (which has a dress code) and realize he has shorts on under his long pants.
6. The guy that somehow got ordained at the age of 13. You need at least one "mini-pastor" in training. The junior high doesn't offer seminary classes, but for some reason, this guy has a deep theological understanding of all things Bible. He's not going to be the best person to take on a late night youth group prank, but he's going to be awesome at helping you find Biblical reasons to support why the town should forgive you for that prank. He's not the guy to choose if you're going to play a little ball, but you definitely need to pick him if you're playing a little "Sword drill."
7. The group of people you'll talk to at youth group but pretend you don't know at school. I think teenagers today are more secure than I was but back in the day, there were definitely, "youth group friends" and "in the hallway at school" friends. And when they accidentally collided together before math class it was always kind of a sweaty experience. We used to have a Bible study before school when I was a freshman and we'd all walk together to our first class and then immediately when we touched our feet onto school property we scattered in the halls like acne covered marbles that didn’t know each other. Good times.
8. That dude with an acoustic guitar. You know, the guy that, at the drop of hat, has to pull out his guitar and start playing. It's like spontaneous praise or something. Dude, you know who you are. Stop.
9. The guy whose girlfriend goes to church, so he's there too. Don't get use to him coming to youth group. There is a 95% chance that if she dumps him; you'll never see him again. Enjoy him while he's there, but know he's not coming for you or Jesus... just her.
10. The cool kids from school that come to youth group for a brief period of time. This is rare, but definitely a good experience. The cool kid starts coming out of nowhere. You're just all sitting there one night at youth group and the cool person from school walks in. Everyone is kind of in awe and hopes, maybe vainly, that the cool kid would sit by them. Eventually the cool kid realizes that the youth group is not helping their coolness, it's hindering it, and moves on. But oh it was wonderful while it lasted. (Warning: When the cool kid leaves, a new wave of dorkiness will envelope the youth group like a storm moving onto the horizon.)
11. The kid that passes gas all the time. Hate this kid. Hate getting placed on the same retreat van with him. Hate getting placed in the same cabin with him. Hate sitting near him at youth group. Still thought he was kind of funny though. (This kid may be part of the reason a #10 would leave your group.)
12. The 'Dare' kid. Whatever you dare him or her to do, they'll do! Want them to eat a cockroach you found in the youth room? Dare them to do it. They will eat anything to make a scene. The'll also do almost anything within reason. (Note: It may cost you a dollar or two, but it will be worth it.) (Warning: In church, if you make the dare and the person gets in trouble, you will take the fall too.)
13. The 'refuse-to-move' on kid. This kid is actually 21 years old, but refuses to move on out of the youth group. They still feel like and act like a 15 year old. They are usually males and the thrive on attention from 13 year old girls. (Not healthy either.) Some of them end up becoming youth pastors... not so much because they are called, but more because they can't fit in with people their own age anymore. They like to be called teen 'helpers.'
14. The 'van' kid. The church van went and picked up him and his little sister every week. Everyone else knew that he and his sister were the 'harvest field.' They often didn't smell good, look cool, or know that 'Jesus' is the correct answer to anything the youth pastor asked. Every so often the van kid grows up to be a church adult. Usually, they end up being the end of gossip when they get pregnant at 15 or start doing drugs with their parents.
15. The 'push-the-envelope' kid. Tattoos, piercings, wild/colored hair is standard for this guy. He gets a neon green Mohawk and immediately come to youth group meeting to 'test' it on everyone. They thrive on social rejection and a pinch of fear from other youth group members. If you ignore their outrageous antics, they'll leave the group. So say things to them often like: "Don't you think that spiked collar would look better on your rottweiler?" or "Is that new tattoo on your arm Jesus or Bob Marley?"
16. The church jester. This is the guy or gal that cannot be serious. They must have everyone laughing at all times. They are fueled by the laughter of the masses. Two church jesters in the same youth group can be a volatile situation. They will cease to be jester and begin to be assassins trying to 'get' the other.
Fifteen teens every church youth group needs...
1. The guy that owns a Jeep. When I was in high school I rotated between hating this guy and desperately wanting to be this guy. I don’t know how he got it but when I was getting dropped off by my mom in a white Pontiac Transport this guy was screaming into the parking lot in a rugged looking Jeep. I don't care who you are, having a Jeep in high school is like having a space shuttle. Who wants to ride with you & your mom in a minivan when they could be riding in the jeep!
2. The kid that hates God but got forced to attend because of his parents. Don’t try to get this guy to play any youth group games, speak up during discussions or not kick the bucket of orange drink over when no one is looking. Ugh! I wouldn't even be here but my parents keep making me come. As soon as this guy gets his driver's license you'll never see him again. Or he'll become a Christian in what is a really touching transformation process. This one could go both ways. In the meantime, don't look for a close friendship with him if you are a Christian... he thinks Christians are the enemy!
3. The ridiculously beautiful girl that doesn't know it. This girl is a lot of fun right up until the moment that you go to a camp or event where other youth groups are gathered and every guy on the church district hits on her. Even though you're not dating her and she's told you the dreaded "you're like a brother to me" there's a part of you that thinks, "I wish all those guys from that other church would stop bothering her." (And by bothering I mean, "making her laugh and have a good time" two things that you are apparently incapable of.)
4. One obnoxious pastor's kid that thinks he's a celebrity. I need to do a whole post on pastor's kids, but for now, let me just say that every youth group needs one who kind of thinks he's a celebrity. He's contextually famous, which just means a handful of people know who he is because his dad is the pastor but sometimes he acts like he's some sort of superstar. He knows how to walk, talk, laugh, and always what to say in the context of youth group, youth camp, or youth convention. Others in the youth group may aggravate his condition, but only because he's a celebrity in that context. At school (if not at a private school) he is just another kid to them. But this pastor's kid is just waiting for youth meeting at church!
5. The kid that wears shorts in the winter. It might be 10 degrees outside, but he'd have a coat on and a pair of basketball shorts. Makes no sense, but he will become almost combative if you try to pinned him to the statement: "I am cold, since it is below freezing and I only have on a pair of shorts." You might wonder if he even has any long pants until you spot him at school (which has a dress code) and realize he has shorts on under his long pants.
6. The guy that somehow got ordained at the age of 13. You need at least one "mini-pastor" in training. The junior high doesn't offer seminary classes, but for some reason, this guy has a deep theological understanding of all things Bible. He's not going to be the best person to take on a late night youth group prank, but he's going to be awesome at helping you find Biblical reasons to support why the town should forgive you for that prank. He's not the guy to choose if you're going to play a little ball, but you definitely need to pick him if you're playing a little "Sword drill."
7. The group of people you'll talk to at youth group but pretend you don't know at school. I think teenagers today are more secure than I was but back in the day, there were definitely, "youth group friends" and "in the hallway at school" friends. And when they accidentally collided together before math class it was always kind of a sweaty experience. We used to have a Bible study before school when I was a freshman and we'd all walk together to our first class and then immediately when we touched our feet onto school property we scattered in the halls like acne covered marbles that didn’t know each other. Good times.
8. That dude with an acoustic guitar. You know, the guy that, at the drop of hat, has to pull out his guitar and start playing. It's like spontaneous praise or something. Dude, you know who you are. Stop.
9. The guy whose girlfriend goes to church, so he's there too. Don't get use to him coming to youth group. There is a 95% chance that if she dumps him; you'll never see him again. Enjoy him while he's there, but know he's not coming for you or Jesus... just her.
10. The cool kids from school that come to youth group for a brief period of time. This is rare, but definitely a good experience. The cool kid starts coming out of nowhere. You're just all sitting there one night at youth group and the cool person from school walks in. Everyone is kind of in awe and hopes, maybe vainly, that the cool kid would sit by them. Eventually the cool kid realizes that the youth group is not helping their coolness, it's hindering it, and moves on. But oh it was wonderful while it lasted. (Warning: When the cool kid leaves, a new wave of dorkiness will envelope the youth group like a storm moving onto the horizon.)
11. The kid that passes gas all the time. Hate this kid. Hate getting placed on the same retreat van with him. Hate getting placed in the same cabin with him. Hate sitting near him at youth group. Still thought he was kind of funny though. (This kid may be part of the reason a #10 would leave your group.)
12. The 'Dare' kid. Whatever you dare him or her to do, they'll do! Want them to eat a cockroach you found in the youth room? Dare them to do it. They will eat anything to make a scene. The'll also do almost anything within reason. (Note: It may cost you a dollar or two, but it will be worth it.) (Warning: In church, if you make the dare and the person gets in trouble, you will take the fall too.)
13. The 'refuse-to-move' on kid. This kid is actually 21 years old, but refuses to move on out of the youth group. They still feel like and act like a 15 year old. They are usually males and the thrive on attention from 13 year old girls. (Not healthy either.) Some of them end up becoming youth pastors... not so much because they are called, but more because they can't fit in with people their own age anymore. They like to be called teen 'helpers.'
14. The 'van' kid. The church van went and picked up him and his little sister every week. Everyone else knew that he and his sister were the 'harvest field.' They often didn't smell good, look cool, or know that 'Jesus' is the correct answer to anything the youth pastor asked. Every so often the van kid grows up to be a church adult. Usually, they end up being the end of gossip when they get pregnant at 15 or start doing drugs with their parents.
15. The 'push-the-envelope' kid. Tattoos, piercings, wild/colored hair is standard for this guy. He gets a neon green Mohawk and immediately come to youth group meeting to 'test' it on everyone. They thrive on social rejection and a pinch of fear from other youth group members. If you ignore their outrageous antics, they'll leave the group. So say things to them often like: "Don't you think that spiked collar would look better on your rottweiler?" or "Is that new tattoo on your arm Jesus or Bob Marley?"
16. The church jester. This is the guy or gal that cannot be serious. They must have everyone laughing at all times. They are fueled by the laughter of the masses. Two church jesters in the same youth group can be a volatile situation. They will cease to be jester and begin to be assassins trying to 'get' the other.
23 June 2009
A Word from A.W. Tozer...
This is probably more true today than the day he first penned these words. From Born After Midnight (pp. 36-37)
"The period in which we now live may well go down in history as the Erotic Age. Sex love has been elevated into a cult. Eros has more worshipers among civilized men today than any other god. For millions the erotic has completely displaced the spiritual….
Now if this god would let us Christians alone I for one would let his cult alone. The whole spongy, fetid mess will sink some day under its own weight and become excellent fuel for the fires of hell, a just recompense which is meet, and it becomes us to feel compassion for those who have been caught in its tragic collapse. Tears and silence might be better than words if things were slightly otherwise than they are.
But the cult of Eros is seriously affecting the Church. The pure religion of Christ that flows like a crystal river from the heart of God is being polluted by the unclean waters that trickle from behind the altars of abomination that appear on every high hill and under every green tree from New York to Los Angeles."
"The period in which we now live may well go down in history as the Erotic Age. Sex love has been elevated into a cult. Eros has more worshipers among civilized men today than any other god. For millions the erotic has completely displaced the spiritual….
Now if this god would let us Christians alone I for one would let his cult alone. The whole spongy, fetid mess will sink some day under its own weight and become excellent fuel for the fires of hell, a just recompense which is meet, and it becomes us to feel compassion for those who have been caught in its tragic collapse. Tears and silence might be better than words if things were slightly otherwise than they are.
But the cult of Eros is seriously affecting the Church. The pure religion of Christ that flows like a crystal river from the heart of God is being polluted by the unclean waters that trickle from behind the altars of abomination that appear on every high hill and under every green tree from New York to Los Angeles."
02 June 2009
Death of the Emergent Church
Why the emergent church fad will fade & die... (ideas rooted in other stuff I have read as well as my own thoughts)
1. They tried to blitz the church. It was a rush job on, not only the fundamental truth of the Gospel (i.e. atonement), but an attack on methodology (which I'm not necessarily defending), style, and even basic identity. Certainly major religious movements and even political ones are most often accomplished quickly, but at much greater personal costs.
2. It was basically a fad among disenfranchised teens and 20 year-olds (many now in their 30's and a few sprinkled in their 40's and 50's). "Stick it to the man" became the watch word and song of a generation disenfranchised by a host of liberals and conservatives that were bogged down in the form of holiness instead of the origin of holiness (God). Problem is: that generation cannot stick with anything for very long... we (I am a part of that generation, but NOT the emergent church) get bored and look for some newer fad on the marketplace of religion.
3. No one cared! Basically the emergent church became a pimple on the cheek of the church and the church decided to let it just naturally go away. In my denomination, there are some so-called "Emergent Nazarenes" but for all the noise they make the pragmatic leadership of our denominations chose to ignore a group that claimed to hold the promise of our future as a denomination but has thus far failed to achieve anything more than bringing disunity, liberalism, and a disdain for all thing particular to being a Nazarene. It came, it made a lot of noise (only within the church), incited some excitement among a number of young adults, and is now quietly being shown out the back door by many denominations. It didn't accomplish anything. It was powerless to make any changes by its own foundational ideas (most of which were far from Biblical). Yeah, Sex God, sold a lot of books to some carnal (KJV language) Christians who are pre-occupied with the first part of the title. But then the fanfare died and the emergent was escorted home.
4. They didn't start their own church, they tried to change the church. Don't get me wrong, you have to respect the fact that they didn't go out and found yet another denomination (although most of the "leaders" of the movement have their own "independent" churches from which they bemoan the ills of denominations causing division in the church). If they had formed their own denomination then it would fall and eventually morph into the very thing they fight against... an established church. (I guess it was a lose/lose situation for them.) So they tried to change the universal church and they failed. Why? Because they only convinced a few young "guppy" folks who thought it would be cool to embrace a form of heresy.
5. Too much conversation. "Conversation" is one of their buzz words. Problem is a bunch of talk doesn't change reality. Playing sophisticated games of semantics only gives the rest of us a head ache. So while they are 'conversing,' the rest of the world moves on without them. And the church has always been more interested in being the church than simply talking about it. (Honestly, I would like to know just one positive thing that the emergent church fad has given to the universal church... outside of 'totally cool preachers.')
6. They were just re-wrapped liberals. Same song, second verse and the song is written. What's the difference besides their labels? They are just neo-liberals. They question the same things liberals did: authenticity/authority of Scripture, atonement, hell, & even, in some cases, God (although most emergents would accept the existence of God). They also push the same things liberals did: lower standards (they call having standards legalism), universalism, and 'conversation' with other religions as the the similarities of our gods (note I used a little 'g' to refer to their gods).
7. They didn't stand for anything. I guess if you believe there are no absolute truths then you will not stand for anything definitively. In the name of "conversation," "tolerance," and "ecumenical" they refused to boldly proclaim the powerful truths & standards of God's Word and His Gospel. The only moral issues they would stand for were ones that the world has adopted. "Any dead fish can swim downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream."
8. They are blown about by the winds of secular culture (worldliness). They believe that friendship with the world is friendship with Christ. They believe that Christianity is an adoption of a higher way of thinking. Their theology is rooted in man and not God. They live in the ambiguous and clouded religious terminology (as apposed to Biblical). They choose to be set apart to culture rather than Christ (but would claim they are one and the same). They cannot understand why the things of this world are inherently fallen and sinful and thus they are tossed to and fro by the philosophies and distractions of this sinful world.
9. They have, in essence, ignored God's Word. It's use is good only for a few of the 'stories' in it and various verses that, taken out of context of the whole Gospel, seem to support their heresies and justify their worldliness. Repentance, sin, hell, & Christ as the only way, to name a few, are verses and passages of God's Word they ignore because they don't like. Jesus Christs' death on the cross, the atonement, is viewed in a perverted and warped way. Truths that have been taken for granted by the church for 2000 years are now disregarded and stripped of all influence in emergent circles. (Without repentance you cannot be saved... and that frustrates emergents to no end.)
10. God is not in it. Now I know this one will get me in trouble. Case and point: Acts 5:33-40. Gamaliel stands up before the Sanhedrin and says: "...if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God you will not be able to overthrow them." If God is for them, who can be against them?
While the death of the emergent church has already begun, it has not yet occurred. It make a whole generation for this insidious fad to fade away. But in the meantime, you won't catch me mourning for that movement!
1. They tried to blitz the church. It was a rush job on, not only the fundamental truth of the Gospel (i.e. atonement), but an attack on methodology (which I'm not necessarily defending), style, and even basic identity. Certainly major religious movements and even political ones are most often accomplished quickly, but at much greater personal costs.
2. It was basically a fad among disenfranchised teens and 20 year-olds (many now in their 30's and a few sprinkled in their 40's and 50's). "Stick it to the man" became the watch word and song of a generation disenfranchised by a host of liberals and conservatives that were bogged down in the form of holiness instead of the origin of holiness (God). Problem is: that generation cannot stick with anything for very long... we (I am a part of that generation, but NOT the emergent church) get bored and look for some newer fad on the marketplace of religion.
3. No one cared! Basically the emergent church became a pimple on the cheek of the church and the church decided to let it just naturally go away. In my denomination, there are some so-called "Emergent Nazarenes" but for all the noise they make the pragmatic leadership of our denominations chose to ignore a group that claimed to hold the promise of our future as a denomination but has thus far failed to achieve anything more than bringing disunity, liberalism, and a disdain for all thing particular to being a Nazarene. It came, it made a lot of noise (only within the church), incited some excitement among a number of young adults, and is now quietly being shown out the back door by many denominations. It didn't accomplish anything. It was powerless to make any changes by its own foundational ideas (most of which were far from Biblical). Yeah, Sex God, sold a lot of books to some carnal (KJV language) Christians who are pre-occupied with the first part of the title. But then the fanfare died and the emergent was escorted home.
4. They didn't start their own church, they tried to change the church. Don't get me wrong, you have to respect the fact that they didn't go out and found yet another denomination (although most of the "leaders" of the movement have their own "independent" churches from which they bemoan the ills of denominations causing division in the church). If they had formed their own denomination then it would fall and eventually morph into the very thing they fight against... an established church. (I guess it was a lose/lose situation for them.) So they tried to change the universal church and they failed. Why? Because they only convinced a few young "guppy" folks who thought it would be cool to embrace a form of heresy.
5. Too much conversation. "Conversation" is one of their buzz words. Problem is a bunch of talk doesn't change reality. Playing sophisticated games of semantics only gives the rest of us a head ache. So while they are 'conversing,' the rest of the world moves on without them. And the church has always been more interested in being the church than simply talking about it. (Honestly, I would like to know just one positive thing that the emergent church fad has given to the universal church... outside of 'totally cool preachers.')
6. They were just re-wrapped liberals. Same song, second verse and the song is written. What's the difference besides their labels? They are just neo-liberals. They question the same things liberals did: authenticity/authority of Scripture, atonement, hell, & even, in some cases, God (although most emergents would accept the existence of God). They also push the same things liberals did: lower standards (they call having standards legalism), universalism, and 'conversation' with other religions as the the similarities of our gods (note I used a little 'g' to refer to their gods).
7. They didn't stand for anything. I guess if you believe there are no absolute truths then you will not stand for anything definitively. In the name of "conversation," "tolerance," and "ecumenical" they refused to boldly proclaim the powerful truths & standards of God's Word and His Gospel. The only moral issues they would stand for were ones that the world has adopted. "Any dead fish can swim downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream."
8. They are blown about by the winds of secular culture (worldliness). They believe that friendship with the world is friendship with Christ. They believe that Christianity is an adoption of a higher way of thinking. Their theology is rooted in man and not God. They live in the ambiguous and clouded religious terminology (as apposed to Biblical). They choose to be set apart to culture rather than Christ (but would claim they are one and the same). They cannot understand why the things of this world are inherently fallen and sinful and thus they are tossed to and fro by the philosophies and distractions of this sinful world.
9. They have, in essence, ignored God's Word. It's use is good only for a few of the 'stories' in it and various verses that, taken out of context of the whole Gospel, seem to support their heresies and justify their worldliness. Repentance, sin, hell, & Christ as the only way, to name a few, are verses and passages of God's Word they ignore because they don't like. Jesus Christs' death on the cross, the atonement, is viewed in a perverted and warped way. Truths that have been taken for granted by the church for 2000 years are now disregarded and stripped of all influence in emergent circles. (Without repentance you cannot be saved... and that frustrates emergents to no end.)
10. God is not in it. Now I know this one will get me in trouble. Case and point: Acts 5:33-40. Gamaliel stands up before the Sanhedrin and says: "...if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God you will not be able to overthrow them." If God is for them, who can be against them?
While the death of the emergent church has already begun, it has not yet occurred. It make a whole generation for this insidious fad to fade away. But in the meantime, you won't catch me mourning for that movement!
15 May 2009
My Own Caption #3
The new praise team at Mars Mountain Church.
Their motto: Everyone is welcome... except barbers.
12 May 2009
My Own Caption #2
08 May 2009
My Own Caption #1...
Poor guy would have made it to his destination had the radio evangelist not said: "Let us bow for a word of prayer."
06 May 2009
Quoting a Quote #9
“If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.”
D.A. Carson (from A Call to Spiritual Reformation)
D.A. Carson (from A Call to Spiritual Reformation)
02 May 2009
01 May 2009
Quoting a Quote #8
"No more love to God is there in an unrenewed heart than there is life within a piece of granite. No more love to God is there witin a soul who is unsaved than there is fire within the depths of the ocean’s waves; and herein lies the wonder, that when we had no love to God, He should have loved us."
Charles H. Spurgeon
Charles H. Spurgeon
25 April 2009
Quoting a Quote #7
"Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right."
Charles Hayden Spurgeon
Charles Hayden Spurgeon
24 April 2009
The Importance of Being Judgemental...
... is the title of an interesting article by Alan Keyes. His voice sure is annoying, but he would have my vote for president!
16 April 2009
Warren to the Rescue... BOO!
Who elected this guy spokesman for the Christian church?
I honestly have never thoroughly read his book "A Purpose Driven Church" and have not even flipped through "A Purpose Driven Life." However I will need to read the last chapter of each of these books to see if the 'purpose' of life or church involves at some point a waffling around the truth for a political move forward. (It seems as Christians we are ever so sensitive to even appearing to be offensive toward others; but we rarely seem to be concerned about whether we are... I have to use the phrase... "a stench in the nostrils of God.")
I won't delve too deep into this (it may be for another post), but why do we not refuse to reject false or compromising teachers/pastors/leaders like Rick Warren? Is it because they become popular? If not, what is it that gives them free reign to reject the orthodox teachings of God's Word for political rhetoric at best and heretical babble at worst?
Anyway, the following video will illustrate what I mean!
By the way, for anyone wondering. I am anti-gay marriage. "Why" you might ask? Because God is. However I am not going to lose too much sleep if our nation legalizes it, because God's Word is the only thing that is timeless (not Washington legislation).
I honestly have never thoroughly read his book "A Purpose Driven Church" and have not even flipped through "A Purpose Driven Life." However I will need to read the last chapter of each of these books to see if the 'purpose' of life or church involves at some point a waffling around the truth for a political move forward. (It seems as Christians we are ever so sensitive to even appearing to be offensive toward others; but we rarely seem to be concerned about whether we are... I have to use the phrase... "a stench in the nostrils of God.")
I won't delve too deep into this (it may be for another post), but why do we not refuse to reject false or compromising teachers/pastors/leaders like Rick Warren? Is it because they become popular? If not, what is it that gives them free reign to reject the orthodox teachings of God's Word for political rhetoric at best and heretical babble at worst?
Anyway, the following video will illustrate what I mean!
By the way, for anyone wondering. I am anti-gay marriage. "Why" you might ask? Because God is. However I am not going to lose too much sleep if our nation legalizes it, because God's Word is the only thing that is timeless (not Washington legislation).
11 April 2009
Easter Bunnies, Jelly Beans, & Salvation
I'll be the first to admit that I love Jelly Beans. A trait, I happened to have passed on to my son.
But while I could eat Jelly beans all day long, I must admit that I am troubled by the fascination of the church with Easter eggs, Easter Bunnies, and Jelly Beans around the most important celebration of the year: Easter.
We dress our kids up like little rabbits, give them an Easter basket full of jelly beans, Peeps, and rabbit shaped, hollowed out chocolate, and throw in a token 'abridged' version of the Easter story. (I've even seen a picture recently of a the tomb with the stone rolled away and a goofy looking rabbit peering out!?) As much as we try to convince ourselves that Easter is truly about the resurrection, I think we're going to have to admit we care a lot less about that and a whole lot more about "the hunt."
I think my opinion about encouraging children to believe in fairy tale characters was evidenced by a previous post, but why do we talk about the stupid rabbit? Why is it that we are so compelled to "enrich" (I use that last work sarcastically) the truth of the resurrection with bunnies and candy eggs?
The usual excuse is that little kids don't understand the crucifixion and ressurection of the Savior. Maybe that's because we've never taken the time to explain it to them. (Which also brings me to the place where I wonder how many parents actually explain God's plan of salvation and our response to grace to their children.)
You won't hear any talk about an Easter bunny around my house. But you will hear about a much more significant event: the resurrection of the Savior.
He is Risen! He is risen indeed!
But while I could eat Jelly beans all day long, I must admit that I am troubled by the fascination of the church with Easter eggs, Easter Bunnies, and Jelly Beans around the most important celebration of the year: Easter.
We dress our kids up like little rabbits, give them an Easter basket full of jelly beans, Peeps, and rabbit shaped, hollowed out chocolate, and throw in a token 'abridged' version of the Easter story. (I've even seen a picture recently of a the tomb with the stone rolled away and a goofy looking rabbit peering out!?) As much as we try to convince ourselves that Easter is truly about the resurrection, I think we're going to have to admit we care a lot less about that and a whole lot more about "the hunt."
I think my opinion about encouraging children to believe in fairy tale characters was evidenced by a previous post, but why do we talk about the stupid rabbit? Why is it that we are so compelled to "enrich" (I use that last work sarcastically) the truth of the resurrection with bunnies and candy eggs?
The usual excuse is that little kids don't understand the crucifixion and ressurection of the Savior. Maybe that's because we've never taken the time to explain it to them. (Which also brings me to the place where I wonder how many parents actually explain God's plan of salvation and our response to grace to their children.)
You won't hear any talk about an Easter bunny around my house. But you will hear about a much more significant event: the resurrection of the Savior.
He is Risen! He is risen indeed!
A New Low for "the Church."
Maybe I should have titled this post: "A new low for the church of Laodicea." (Revelation 3:17)
Advertising by "cool" churches has reached an all time low. How can the church continue to deny what it is and who it is about to bring people to the cross of Christ. Things such as this disturb me greatly. I cannot put words to the frustration and discouragement things such as the advertisement below bring.
My prayer is simply this:
"May the God who rose on the third day victorious over sin, hell, and the grave pour out His Holy Spirit on the church in America today. We need a fresh anointing, a renewal of the power and work of the Living God. Have mercy on us oh Lord!"
10 April 2009
02 April 2009
Quoting a Quote #6
"If Jesus had preached the same message that ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified."
Leonard Ravenhill
Leonard Ravenhill
31 March 2009
The "End of Marriage"
Sometimes we give the enemy more power than he has. (Yeah, I'm referring to the Devil, Satan, Beelzebub or whatever you want to call him. I do believe he exists, but anyway, back to the point...)
For example I received an e-mail a few weeks ago about some new legislation trying to be pushed through in California (they're going bankrupt due to excessive spending and are trying to take everything decent down with them). I'm not really so concerned about the legislation in this blog post as I am about something the e-mail said:
"A shocking and very disturbing report has just crossed my desk that could fundamentally shift the marriage debate in America. In fact, if this new strategy works, it could literally mean the 'End of Marriage.'"
Now certainly those two sentences that begin the e-mail are probably there to catch the attention of a reader, like me, who is probably going to delete that e-mail in 5 seconds or less unless it captures the interest of the reader; therefore, the purpose is probably an "attention getter."
However I want to, if I may, evaluate those two sentences as claims about marriage. May I just say that there is no governmental body that will ever be able to abolish the concept of marriage. Primarily because marriage was not invented by a human institution (including the church), but created by God.
The church in the United States has seceded the sacredness of the covenant called marriage to the secular idea of a sort of contractual business agreement between two people. If that is all it is, then why not allow two people of the same gender to enter such an agreement?
I propose a few things that would in a host of incidents be a change in the way the church in the United States deals with marriage...
(1) Preachers need to learn to say 'No.' The responsibility of a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not to oversee a ceremony between two people. The minister is God's representative to the individuals entering the covenant of marriage. So if God, in His Word, says "what fellowship has light with darkness" or "do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers' and a Christian wants to marry a non-Christian; the preacher should say 'No!' In matters of divorce the situation should be evaluated with the Bible as the standard (God does not believe in annulments or no-fault divorce).
(2) The church should refuse to recognize marriages performed by a 'justice of the peace' or other 'governmental official.' Already in some areas of our nation the state will join together either in a 'civil union' or 'marriage' people of the same gender. The state, like most ministers, also does not have any biblical inclinations about performing marriages that God will not bless or does not desire (such as a the marriage of a believer & a non-believer or those married multiple times without biblical reasons for divorce.)
(3) The church should begin to view marriage as a blessing rather than a right. I get so tired of people talking about "their rights." What right do you have if you are a living sacrifice? What right do you have if you have denied yourself, taken up your cross, and followed Jesus? Let me answer for you... NONE! Marriage is not something you are owed or deserve, it is something God blesses us with.
(4) The church should usher the sacred back into the wedding ceremony. For some people a wedding is just another opportunity to get drunk, go to a strip club the night before, or dance like a fool in front of everyone at the reception. I know of someone who "wrote their own vows" and made reference to the husband being superman and the wife being a dazzling princess. Please don't denigrate something as sacred as marriage by acting like a middle school teenager writing a love letter to the third girl that day! (Stop singing Britney Spear songs at weddings or using language that you might hear on some stupid reality show!)
(5) The church should raise expectations away from divorce. Most ministers, when they find out someone may be getting a divorce, simply ignore the couple (they wash their hands and deny any responsibility). Why don't we preach "against" divorce? Certainly we need to care and love for those who are experiencing the devestating effects of divorce, but that does not mean we look the other way while more and more, even in the church go through divorces! We sure can talk about promoting marriage in the church, but when it comes to salvaging a marriage being attacked by the Devil it becomes a "more difficult situation" that we simply refuse to deal with in reality.
(6) Re-draw the "battle lines." The fight for Biblical Marriage (which is the only kind) isn't with the state of California and proposition 8 (although we should certainly support such things), but within the church! Christians today don't seem to have a firm grasp on what marriage is anymore. I think that the greatest enemy to marriage is not the liberals, not the homosexuals, or even the politicians in Washington DC. The greatest enemies of marriage are the very people that claim to be defending it.
Hmmm.
For example I received an e-mail a few weeks ago about some new legislation trying to be pushed through in California (they're going bankrupt due to excessive spending and are trying to take everything decent down with them). I'm not really so concerned about the legislation in this blog post as I am about something the e-mail said:
"A shocking and very disturbing report has just crossed my desk that could fundamentally shift the marriage debate in America. In fact, if this new strategy works, it could literally mean the 'End of Marriage.'"
Now certainly those two sentences that begin the e-mail are probably there to catch the attention of a reader, like me, who is probably going to delete that e-mail in 5 seconds or less unless it captures the interest of the reader; therefore, the purpose is probably an "attention getter."
However I want to, if I may, evaluate those two sentences as claims about marriage. May I just say that there is no governmental body that will ever be able to abolish the concept of marriage. Primarily because marriage was not invented by a human institution (including the church), but created by God.
The church in the United States has seceded the sacredness of the covenant called marriage to the secular idea of a sort of contractual business agreement between two people. If that is all it is, then why not allow two people of the same gender to enter such an agreement?
I propose a few things that would in a host of incidents be a change in the way the church in the United States deals with marriage...
(1) Preachers need to learn to say 'No.' The responsibility of a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not to oversee a ceremony between two people. The minister is God's representative to the individuals entering the covenant of marriage. So if God, in His Word, says "what fellowship has light with darkness" or "do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers' and a Christian wants to marry a non-Christian; the preacher should say 'No!' In matters of divorce the situation should be evaluated with the Bible as the standard (God does not believe in annulments or no-fault divorce).
(2) The church should refuse to recognize marriages performed by a 'justice of the peace' or other 'governmental official.' Already in some areas of our nation the state will join together either in a 'civil union' or 'marriage' people of the same gender. The state, like most ministers, also does not have any biblical inclinations about performing marriages that God will not bless or does not desire (such as a the marriage of a believer & a non-believer or those married multiple times without biblical reasons for divorce.)
(3) The church should begin to view marriage as a blessing rather than a right. I get so tired of people talking about "their rights." What right do you have if you are a living sacrifice? What right do you have if you have denied yourself, taken up your cross, and followed Jesus? Let me answer for you... NONE! Marriage is not something you are owed or deserve, it is something God blesses us with.
(4) The church should usher the sacred back into the wedding ceremony. For some people a wedding is just another opportunity to get drunk, go to a strip club the night before, or dance like a fool in front of everyone at the reception. I know of someone who "wrote their own vows" and made reference to the husband being superman and the wife being a dazzling princess. Please don't denigrate something as sacred as marriage by acting like a middle school teenager writing a love letter to the third girl that day! (Stop singing Britney Spear songs at weddings or using language that you might hear on some stupid reality show!)
(5) The church should raise expectations away from divorce. Most ministers, when they find out someone may be getting a divorce, simply ignore the couple (they wash their hands and deny any responsibility). Why don't we preach "against" divorce? Certainly we need to care and love for those who are experiencing the devestating effects of divorce, but that does not mean we look the other way while more and more, even in the church go through divorces! We sure can talk about promoting marriage in the church, but when it comes to salvaging a marriage being attacked by the Devil it becomes a "more difficult situation" that we simply refuse to deal with in reality.
(6) Re-draw the "battle lines." The fight for Biblical Marriage (which is the only kind) isn't with the state of California and proposition 8 (although we should certainly support such things), but within the church! Christians today don't seem to have a firm grasp on what marriage is anymore. I think that the greatest enemy to marriage is not the liberals, not the homosexuals, or even the politicians in Washington DC. The greatest enemies of marriage are the very people that claim to be defending it.
Hmmm.
24 March 2009
Quoting a Quote #5
"An almost Christian, if we consider him in respect to his duty to God, is one that halts between two opinions; that wavers between Christ and the world; that would reconcile God and Mammon, light and darkness, Christ and Belial. It is true, he has an inclination to religion, but then he is very cautious how he goes too far in it."
George Whitefield
George Whitefield
20 March 2009
16 March 2009
Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote #2
In this quote Bonhoeffer is making the point that the Church at one point had become so secularized, in his words, that it reacted by implementing the monastic movement to offset the "worldliness" (my word).
Thus, he says...
"...the Church evolved the fatal conception of the double standard-- a maximum and a minimum standard of Christian obedience. Whenever the Church was accused of being too secularized, it could always point to monasticism as an opportunity of living a higher life within the fold, and thus justify the other possibility of a lower standard of life for others. And so we get the paradoxical result that monasticism, whose mission was to preserve in the Church of Rome the primitive Christian realization of the costliness of grace, afforded conclusive justification for the secularization of the Church. By and large, the fatal error of monasticism lay not so much in its rigorism (though even here there was a good deal of misunderstanding of the precise content of the will of Jesus) as in the extent to which it departed from genuine Christianity by setting up itself as the individual achievement of a select few, and so claiming a special merit of its own."
Thus, he says...
"...the Church evolved the fatal conception of the double standard-- a maximum and a minimum standard of Christian obedience. Whenever the Church was accused of being too secularized, it could always point to monasticism as an opportunity of living a higher life within the fold, and thus justify the other possibility of a lower standard of life for others. And so we get the paradoxical result that monasticism, whose mission was to preserve in the Church of Rome the primitive Christian realization of the costliness of grace, afforded conclusive justification for the secularization of the Church. By and large, the fatal error of monasticism lay not so much in its rigorism (though even here there was a good deal of misunderstanding of the precise content of the will of Jesus) as in the extent to which it departed from genuine Christianity by setting up itself as the individual achievement of a select few, and so claiming a special merit of its own."
14 March 2009
Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote #1
I've been re-reading "The Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I would certainly recommend it (especially along with a little study into the life of the author), but I wanted to post a few good quotes.
The quote below is from the very beginning of the book where he summarizes the rest of the book. It all deals with a proper definition of grace (costly vs. cheap) and the cost of discipleship.
"Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living incarnate.
"Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
"Costly grace it the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock."
The quote below is from the very beginning of the book where he summarizes the rest of the book. It all deals with a proper definition of grace (costly vs. cheap) and the cost of discipleship.
"Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living incarnate.
"Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
"Costly grace it the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock."
09 March 2009
A Real Life Musical!
This is very funny.
(*Warning: There is some inappropriate language used in this following video.*)
(*Warning: There is some inappropriate language used in this following video.*)
03 March 2009
Nursery Babies...
Here are some pictures of some of the nursery babies & toddlers from the church we minister in(including my two kids).
02 March 2009
Revival Messages...
I do like to listen to other preachers. Here is a brief summary of the messages that were preached during our last revival.
Sunday Morning: Do you want to know God more?
Sunday Evening: The heart is deceitful above all things (even to the self).
Monday Evening: Have you lost your sanctification?
Tuesday Evening: Why are Bad things happening to me? (Rom. 8)
Wednesday Evening: The Atonement (There is Power in the Blood).
Sunday Morning: Do you want to know God more?
Sunday Evening: The heart is deceitful above all things (even to the self).
Monday Evening: Have you lost your sanctification?
Tuesday Evening: Why are Bad things happening to me? (Rom. 8)
Wednesday Evening: The Atonement (There is Power in the Blood).
21 February 2009
Volition
http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/Volition/
A short film about choices.
Volition is the power of choosing or determing something. It has to do with having a will to make a choice or decision. This is a powerful, but short film that has ramifications far beyond the few things it addresses.
You can view the film at the link above.
A short film about choices.
Volition is the power of choosing or determing something. It has to do with having a will to make a choice or decision. This is a powerful, but short film that has ramifications far beyond the few things it addresses.
You can view the film at the link above.
20 February 2009
Sometimes I am Embarassed to be a Pastor!
Embarassed not because of my Lord or the Gospel message, but because of what some people will resort to in the name of "evangelism." For example...
19 February 2009
Winter Revival 2009
I know, long time no post.
Pray for our revival services that will be taking place February 22-25, 2009.
Sunday Services are at 10:30am & 5:30pm CT.
Monday through Wednesday services are at 6:30pm CT.
Our evangelist is Dr. Marlin Hotle. (His website.)
05 January 2009
Quoting a Quote #4
“We cannot blink the fact that gentle Jesus, meek and mild, was so stiff in His opinions and so inflammatory in His language, that He was thrown out of church, stoned, hunted from place to place, and finally gibbetted as a firebrand and a public danger. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah into a household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies.”
Dorothy L. Sayers
Dorothy L. Sayers
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