This Present Darkness

Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Recently, a friend at work asked me if I read much Christian fiction. I admitted that I didn't read much fiction at all. I have a hard time losing myself in stories that don't reflect reality (or at least the deep themes of reality), plus all fiction pretty much fails to meet the bar set by Tolkien in LotR.

My friend went on to suggest that I read a novel called "This Present Darkness" by Frank Peretti. I politely said "ok, thanks" and put the issue out of my mind. The next day I found a $25.00 gift card to Books-A-Million in my dresser drawer. Apparently, I received it for Christmas, stuffed it away, and absolutely forgot it existed. Imagine my surprise at finding it - it truly was Christmas in July!

So today, after work, I stopped in to spend the gift card before I forgot about it again. I moved back to the Christian section and picked up "Death by Love" by Driscoll. It looked really good, but something in me put it back down. Then I grabbed a small booklet by J.I. Packer called "Affirming the Apostles Creed." Then, as I headed for the checkout, my mind flashed to the recent talk with my co-worker about the Peretti book. I went back to the Christian Fiction section (new territory for me) and looked around. I quickly found the book and next thing I knew I was buying it.

I came home tonight, spent time with the family, and then laid down at 11pm to read. I had no idea what this novel was about. However, my first indication of it being good was that it was published by Crossway. I am always pleased with the publishing decisions of the folks at Crossway. In shortly over an hour I had devoured the first 60 pages of this book. 60 pages which have been so powerful for me that I am sitting at the computer at 1am writing this blog.

"This Present Darkness" has started out in the fashion of C.S.Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters." An intense and gripping portrait of the world that lies under our visible arena. A place where angels and demons readily engage each us, entice us, and protect us. Yet, the supernatural characters in the book don't take front stage. The main player is a small town pastor who is unfailing in his proclamation of the gospel and unwavering in his prayer for the community - in the face of much hardship.

Granted I have a long way to go in this book, so my review is incomplete, but the first impression is a great one. I don't see any theological heterodoxes or heresies in the writing, I do see a strong stance by the pastor character for Christ, and the writing is fun and engaging. I would highly recommend this book to friends, even off of the little bit I have read. Has anyone else out there read the book? If so, what are your opinions - please no spoliers!



Reading this also reminds me to give a "shout-out" to my friend William "Doc" Woods. Doc is the author of a book which has similar structure. His "The Warfare of Doubting Thomas" is a great blend of his Catholicism and his years in the Navy. It is a worthy read as well. Plus any book with my name in the acknowledgements must be good right?!?

- OH, I forgot to mention the providence of this find. I am scheduled to teach a seminar to middle school boys at Eagle Ranch on Monday. It is a 6 hour class on physical and spiritual self defense. I am very able to do the physical part off the top of my head, but I have been praying for assistance on correctly discussing the world of spiritual combat. This book will certainly not be my textbook, but it was a good resource for visualization as I prepare. You can check out more about this grassroots venture at:
http://protectthyselfsd.blogspot.com/
I hope to evaluate the endeavour after my first seminar and potentially pitch the idea to local churchs. We'll see what God has in store.
Soli Deo Gloria

Missing Discipleship Group

Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.

Last night I had to miss my weekly mens discipleship group. Something came up last minute at home with our photography business that kept me from going. As I reflected on missing, I found myself rather sad.

I have come to cherish the 2.5 hours of solid fellowship and study with 3 awesome guys from my church each week. It has been a "pit stop" in my life where I can refuel and retool. We have been studying "Gospel Christianity" by Tim Keller and I have learned alot about making the faith practical from that workbook.

More importantly, I have deeply benefited by sharing with and hearing from other men about our Christian walk in this life. It is nice to be able to bounce ideas off of other men and be better for it. This is my first regular mens group that actually delves into the Word for the glory of Christ. I am humbled to be a part of it.

I am ultimately very thankful for the iron in my life and I am looking forward to our next meeting so we can continue making each other better men through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Infant Baptism

I jut read a great post on infant baptism by Kevin DeYoung. I adopted reformed theology a couple of years ago, but it wasn't until the last few months that I began to attend a PCA church that teached padeobaptism. I thought this article was very good to summarize the position. I expect to have my 8 month old baptised pretty soon.

http://www.revkevindeyoung.com/2009/07/why-i-baptize-babies.html

One of the best things I get to do as a pastor is to administer the sacrament of infant baptism to the covenant children in my congregation. Before each baptism, I take a few minutes to explain why we practice infant baptism in our church. My explanation usually goes something like this:

It our great privilege this morning to administer that sacrament of baptism to one of our little infants. We do not believe that there is anything magical about the water we apply to the child. The water does not wash away original sin or save the child. We do not presume that this child is regenerate (though he may be), nor do we believe that every child who gets baptized will automatically go to heaven. We baptize infants not out of superstition or tradition or because we like cute babies. We baptize infants because they are covenant children and should receive the sign of the covenant.

In Genesis 15 God made a covenant with Abraham. This covenant was sealed with the sign of circumcision in Genesis 17. God promised to bless Abraham. For Abraham this meant two things in particular, offspring and land. But at the heart of the covenant was God’s promise that he would be a God to Abraham and his children (Gen. 17:7, 8).

Circumcision was not just a physical thing, marking out ethnic Jews. Circumcision was full of spiritual meaning. The circumcision of the flesh was always meant to correspond with circumcision of the heart (Rom. 2:25-29). It pointed to humility, new birth, and a new way of life (Lev. 26:40-42; Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 4:4; 6:10; 9:25). In short, circumcision was a sign of justification. Paul says in Romans 4:11 that Abraham “received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.” God’s own interpretation of circumcision is that it was much more than just a physical sign for national Israel.

Remarkably, though, this deeply spiritual sign was given to Ishmael as well as Isaac, even though only Isaac was the continuation of the promised line. The spiritual sign was not just for those who already embraced the spiritual reality. It was to be administered to Abraham and his sons. Circumcision was not a simple equation. It didn’t automatically mean the recipient of the sign was in possession of the thing signified. Circumcision, like baptism, also pointed to belonging, discipleship, covenant obligations, and allowed for future faith that would take hold of the realities symbolized. Just as there were some in Paul’s day who were circumcised but not really circumcised (Rom. 2:25-29), some children of Abraham who were not truly children of Abraham (Rom. 9:6-8), so in our day there are some who are baptized who are not truly baptized. Children should be marked as belonging to the covenant, but unless they exercise saving faith, they will not grab hold of the covenant blessings.

Children today are baptized based on this same covenant with Abraham. Paul makes clear in Galatians 3 what Peter strongly suggests in Acts 2, namely that the Abrahamic covenant has not been annulled. It is still operational. In fact, we see the basic promise of the Abrahamic covenant running throughout the whole Bible, right up to the new heaven and new earth in Revelation 21.

Because sons were part of the Abrahamic covenant in the Old Testament and were circumcised, we see no reason why children should be excluded in the New Testament sign of baptism. Admittedly, there is no text that says “Hear ye, hear ye, circumcision replaces baptism.” But we know from Colossians 2:11-12 that baptism and circumcision carried the same spiritual import. The transition from one to the other was probably organic. As the Jews practiced proselyte baptism, that sign came to be seen as marking inclusion in the covenant people. For awhile circumcision existed along baptism, but as the early church became more Gentile, many of Jewish rites were rendered unnecessary, and sometimes even detrimental to the faith. Thus, baptism eclipsed circumcision as the sign renewal, rebirth, and covenant membership.

Although not conclusive all by themselves, there are several other arguments that corroborate a paedobaptist reading of the New Testament.

One, the burden of proof rests on those who would deny children a sign they had received for thousands of years. If children were suddenly outside the covenant, and were disallowed from receiving any “sacramental” sign, surely such a massive change, and the controversy that would have ensued, would been recorded in the New Testament. Moreover, it would be strange for children to be excluded from the covenant, when everything else moves in the direction of more inclusion from the Old Covenant to the New.

Two, the existence of household baptisms is evidence that God still deals with households as a unit and welcomes whole families into the church to come under the Lordship of Christ together (Acts 16:13-15; 32-34; 1 Cor. 1:16; cf. Joshua 24:15).

Three, children are told to obey their parents in the Lord (Eph. 6:1). Children in the church are not treated as little pagans to be evangelized, but members of the covenant who owe their allegiance to Christ.

Four, within two centuries of the Apostles we have clear evidence that the church was practicing infant baptism. If this had been a change to long-standing tradition, we would have some record of the church arguing over this new practice. It wasn't until the 16th century that Christians began to question the legitimacy of infant baptism.

So we come to administer the sacrament of baptism to this child today with the weight of church history to encourage us and the example of redemptive history to confirm our practice. We baptize in obedience to Christ’s command. The sacrament we are about to administer is a sign of inclusion in the covenant community as circumcision was, and the water we are about to sprinkle is a sign of cleansing from sin as the sprinkled blood of bulls and goats in the Old Testament was. We pray that this little one will take advantage of all his covenant privileges, acknowledge his Lord all the days of his life, and by faith make these promises his own.

Calvin on the Gospel

On his blog yesterday, Tullian Tchividjian wrote:

A friend sent this nugget of gospel gold to me the other day. It comes from a stunning preface John Calvin wrote for Pierre Robert Olivétan’s French translation of the New Testament in 1534. Calvin wrote:

Without the gospel everything is useless and vain; without the gospel we are not Christians; without the gospel all riches is poverty, all wisdom folly before God; strength is weakness, and all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God. But by the knowledge of the gospel we are made children of God, brothers of Jesus Christ, fellow townsmen with the saints, citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, heirs of God with Jesus Christ, by whom the poor are made rich, the weak strong, the fools wise, the sinner justified, the desolate comforted, the doubting sure, and slaves free. It is the power of God for the salvation of all those who believe.

It follows that every good thing we could think or desire is to be found in this same Jesus Christ alone. For, he was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for our life; so that by him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal. In short, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune. For all these things which were to be the weapons of the devil in his battle against us, and the sting of death to pierce us, are turned for us into exercises which we can turn to our profit. If we are able to boast with the apostle, saying, O hell, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? it is because by the Spirit of Christ promised to the elect, we live no longer, but Christ lives in us; and we are by the same Spirit seated among those who are in heaven, so that for us the world is no more, even while our conversation [life] is in it; but we are content in all things, whether country, place, condition, clothing, meat, and all such things. And we are comforted in tribulation, joyful in sorrow, glorying under vituperation [verbal abuse], abounding in poverty, warmed in our nakedness, patient amongst evils, living in death. This is what we should in short seek in the whole of Scripture: truly to know Jesus Christ, and the infinite riches that are comprised in him and are offered to us by him from God the Father.

FROM:
http://www.crpc.org/blog/?p=712

Bill Cosby speaks...

Seems like a fair guy to me. And I like Jello!
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/072309_Bill_Cosby_reacts_to_Gates_incident

Mortification

Romans 8:13
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

A lion prowling around the exterior walls of my house may be barred in the immediate from eating me, yet he is only biding his time and waiting for my guard to drop or my gate to fail so that he might come in and have a meal. To be freed from the worry and the danger of that lion, I must do more than place barricades between us - I must see him slain.

I often feel that my battle to overcome the sins that plague me is a desperate one which usually ends poorly for me. I know that we shall not be perfected as long as we wait in this mortal shell groaning for our future hope, yet I am also aware that there is power in the Holy Spirit to overcome the desires of the flesh and the snares of the evil one.

I like the title of John Owens book, The Mortification of the Flesh. That reflects my desire to utterly vanquish the temptation and sin that creeps up in my heart. I am looking to add that title to my collection in the future, I imagine it will be a good read. Until then I am reexamining how I can best allow the Spirit to work in my life and how I can subsequently be set more free from the envy, pride, and lust that attack my walk with God.

I am thankful to be back in church with godly people who have Christ-centered hearts and biblically sound theology. I am also excited for the new friends I have made and the Tuesday night bible study that I have with some other men. I have been edified by reading the Bible thru this year and I have been working at my prayer life. All that said, I still feel that my natural man wins the skirmish on a regular basis.

Does anyone have any practical suggestions or resources that have helped you in killing your sinful self and living more fully and joyously for the glory of Christ? (No flagellation, cilice, or mock crucifixions will be taken in account)

The Sea

We went to the beach this weekend. It was my first time back to the beach since I left my apartment in Wilmington, NC back around 2004. I found myself once again in awe of the vastness and the power of the ocean. As I get older in the Lord I am becoming more prone to reflect on the beauty of God's creation. The ocean is a masterpiece.

Several reflection about the sea, the Scriptures, and my spiritual life came to mind as I looked out on the waves...

1) The promise of God to Abraham in Genesis 22.
“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. "
It reminds me that I am one of those grains of sand. Not because of anything I did, but due to the mercy and the covenant love of God. Am I taking utmost pleasure in that adoption or am I letting other idols rule my heart?

2) The divinity of Christ shown in his absolute authority over nature. (Mark 4)
"On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
A question answered by Peter in Matthew 16: "“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Do I bow before him in the same manner as the waves fell prostrate or do I rebel aganist his Lordship?

3) The glimpse John had into Heaven in Revelation 5.
"And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!'"
Do I weep with longing to join the worshippers before the throne or do I desire to sing my own songs for my own purposes?

I do not think that a born-again believer (John 3) can ever lose his salvation. It is clearly a gift from God and it is he, not us, who sustains that gift. However, I am always concerned, not paralyzingly worried - just concerned, that I might be one of those individuals who is not radically changed by the Spirit. The snares of this world are many and are alluring - I often wonder how I can be sure of my election.

Ultimately, I can't be 100% sure and thats ok. In fact, it is probably better to be like a Puritan, constantly self-examining ones evidences of fruit, than to get so assured that you become complacent. That said, there are some things that can give you an indication of your new birth. I just finished John Piper's book Finally Alive. It deals with the truths of regeneration and it has a helpful section on page 125 where Piper details 11 biblical evidences to help me (and you) test ourselves to ensure that we are walking into eternal joy with Christ and not gnashing of teeth.

I highly suggest the Piper book AND a trip to the beach, summer will be over soon and the ability to read and vacate will be greatly lessened with the coming of school, holidays, and football season :)

Quote 7/19/09 - from the Pacman

"Doctrinal preaching certainly bores the hypocrites; but it is only doctrinal preaching that will save Christ's sheep. The preacher's job is to proclaim the faith, not to provide entertainment for unbelievers--in other words, to feed the sheep rather than amuse the goats"- J.I. Packer, A Quest For Godliness , 285

Shameless plug...

My wifes webpage went "live" today. She has only been in photography for 4 months, I am so proud of her!

Check it out at:
www.simplyyoursphotography.net

photo caption: a family portrait of The Browns at Heritage Park

100 Christian Apologists

I used to be really big into apologetics. Not so much these days. However, I ran across this blog post that lists 100 great apologists and provides links to their pages/ works. It is worth a look and a bookmark/ favorite, for future reference.

http://apologetics315.blogspot.com/2009/06/100-christian-apologists.html

Quote of the Week 7/12/09

"Grace" is more than mercy and love, it superadds to them. it denotes, not simply love, but the love of a sovereign, transcendly superior, one that may do what he will, that may wholly choose whether he will love or no. There may be love between equals, and an inferior may love a superior; but love in a superior, and so superior as he may do what he will, in such a one love is called grace: and therefore grace is attributed to princes; they are said to be gracious to their subjects, whereas subjects cannot be gracious to princes. Now God, who is an infinite Sovereign, who might have chosen whether ever He would love us or no, for Him to love us, this is grace.

—Thomas Goodwin

Word-Farce Theology

A friend who usually blogs about daily life recently wrote this:

"My husband and I are firm believers in Healing. I can count on one hand the times we have gotten any kind of sickness in the past five years. We don't push this belief on anyone, we just simply do not allow sickness into our lives. While I attribute the majority of our health to the fact that we broke that stronghold off awhile back, I also give credit to the foods we eat."

I want to address these comments with a piece from Marco Gonzalez at ReformationTheology.com
________________________________

When I first became a Christian, I was influenced heavily. Much of my doctrinal and theological stances were formed and shaped by the gospel of prosperity (or as many have labeled it “The prosperity Gospel.”) The prominent speakers: T.D Jakes, Jesse Duplantis, Kenneth Copeland, and Kenneth Hagin all participated in creating my understanding of the gospel. The success of these individuals is well-known Even without the major influence of their broadcasts on TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), many of the dominant speakers have gross revenues reaching a billion dollars a year. TBN is primarily the telecommunication used to project these individuals toward Christians. I’ve personally listened to well-over a thousand hours of broadcasting.

This is including when I was cultivated by the network and after I broke free from it. Whether we wish to admit it or not, TBN has influenced billions of Christians. From my own personal experience and close friends, I have witnessed the devastating effects of the prosperity gospel.Living in Southern California, I am aware of two individuals who have fought seriously against the prosperity gospel: John MacArthur, Hank Hannagraph. Whenever TBN or individuals from TBN have been criticized, the founder of TBN, Paul Crouch, has replied back to the criticism. When Hanagraph and MacArthur were exposing much of the deception of TBN, Crouch responded. Paul Crouch said both Hanagraph and MacArthur were “heresy hunters” and looking to pick fights. Crouch went as far as to say (and this is a direct quote), “If God doesn’t shoot them, I will.” I mention this because TBN is built upon billions and billions of dollars. Crouch realizes whenever his speakers are criticized, it results in a net-loss and is a liability to his corporation.

In fact, both Hannagraph and Macarthur immediately received death threats following their sermons and discussions about TBN. This does not mean that TBN sent them death threats directly, but what it does mean is that TBN posses many loyal followers who are willing to defend their leaders. It is note-worthy to mention that I have personally never heard Macarthur or Hannagraph say their death threats were directly from TBN.

Before we can address the prosperity gospel, we need to understand the enormous impact it has and continues to have on Christians. While to many Christians what TBN and their speakers say may appear to be rank heresy, Christians need to understand the innumerable amounts of people who believe in the prosperity gospel. With over six-teen satellites world-wide, TBN reaches trillions of people groups from every, tongue, tribe, and nation. Just walk inside your favorite Christian bookstore and look at the new releases and you will find the top-selling authors of Christian publishing to be prosperity preachers. Or start talking with normal everyday Christians and you will find their theology embedded with the prosperity gospel.

I will not deny that I once was held in bondage to this. Breaking out of this mentality can only come from the spirit awaking and humbling our souls to the word of God. The belief that financial restoration is the primacy of the gospel makes it so it is not hard to attract numerous followers. Followers who are so deeply entrenched in this ideology will fight every logical and coherent biblical argument that those who proclaim the gospel’s preeminence is faith and repentance can give.

I have seen the heartbreak and witnessed the unanswered prayers and uncertain hope in God because of a lack of healing or prosperity. There are countless people who are poor or are currently afflicted by a medical condition; the prosperity gospel provides false hope for these people as a mandated guarantee God will provide provision. Take a moment and understand a mother whose child is terminally-ill and all her options have been exhausted. Or a couple who is bankrupt and lives on the street and has no other choice. It changes our perspective when we realize these are not just ignorant people, but people who are in extreme hardship and the prosperity gospel gives false hope to them.

I need to make this clear because many are under the assumption that the followers of TBN are obtuse. I am not making excuses for the lack of discernment these individuals have, but we need to understand the roots of their fellowship with the prosperity gospel. The first part of this essay was never intended to examine the prosperity gospel’s theology, rather it was planned to give a perspective of TBN as a network and their followers as a whole.

Obviously, prosperity is attractive; there is no human being who objects to God as a giver of healing and financial restoration. These people provide a false fabrication of God and then subject millions to it. The prosperity gospel is by far the worst manufactured gospel of our generation. It differs from Roman Catholism, because Catholism twists the essence of the gospel in a way which looks, from a distance, like truth. On the other hand, the prosperity gospel is blatantly false with the ideology that God’s provision toward your wealth and health is available if you tap into the spiritual realm correctly.

The prosperity gospel will continue to do damage to Christians and evangelicalism. It is imperative we equip ourselves with the understanding of its doctrinal and biblical stances toward interpreting scripture. Most of all though, we need to pray; we need to pray that our motives are gentle and pure. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on the eternality of God’s judgment and remember this is not merely an aim to correct doctrine. Before I address the theological issues, we need to look at our hearts and make sure they are pure. Don’t let correcting someone’s doctrine become the primacy of this endeavor but become distressed that God’s grace will be concluded with the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that now is the time of salvation.

Let the word of God dwell deeply in you to create an overwhelming passion for people to be set free; people who are in bondage to the roaring doctrines of false teachers and preachers. Do not let your heart grow cold toward those who refuse to walk in the truth, but fervently pray to God to awaken their soul. If we want to be truly effective in our apologetics and defense of the gospel, we need examine our hearts. Most of all we need to depend on the Holy Spirit to break down the anarchy of people’s hearts and minds.

Since the birth of 1st Century Christianity, the church, collectively, has been beleaguered with false preachers. Many of the written epistles to churches were written with the intention of warning believers of the impending crisis surrounding the gospel. Paul, who possessed an abundance of fellow ministers that preached along with him, was ultimately left alone in his endeavor as some of his closet companions fell away for the “pleasures of the world.” It comes as no surprise then, that in the 21st century, false preachers and teachers are widespread; TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) has proven to us the prevalence of this.

It is a difficult thing to look at the prosperity gospel’s theology and create a systematic overview of it. This is mainly because there is no doctrinal statement or systematic theology. For example, Benny Hinn and T.D Jake’s theology is plagued with prosperity. However, Hinn is clearly more extreme on particular issues then Jakes. That being said, the main premises of prosperity theology are identical (That is, how they view the gospel in terms of prosperity.)

Typically, Prosperity theology is set up in a formula. If you correctly follow these steps, then the reward is God’s provision. You don’t have to watch for very long to understand that prosperity preachers always have a disclaimer: If you didn’t receive your blessing then you had a lack of faith or you didn’t tap into God’s spiritual realm correctly. The premise, I believe, of comprehending prosperity theology is their theology of faith. It is faith that connects us to this “spiritual realm of God’s riches.” Prosperity preachers view faith as a force. They believe faith is the force which has the ability to restore and change your life. This Faith is the substance of things hoped- which for the prosperity gospel becomes physical and financial. Faith connects us to God, and therefore, God as the giver of all things requires his people to have faith in the substance of his provision.

The “prosperity gospel” sees Jesus interaction with individuals in the gospels as passages requiring “faith” for healing. The woman who touched Christ’s garment is a perfect example of prosperity preacher’s claim to name-it-and-claim-it. Let’s Remember this woman had been terminally-ill and had exhausted all her resources on every type of medical treatment available. The woman’s first reaction to seeing Christ was to immediately grab hold of his garment for healing. The woman, built up with faith, touched Christ’s garment and was at once healed. This woman, who is an example of this so called force of faith, exemplifies for us that the amount of faith she had gave her the power to receive healing.

Notice that her healing and restoration were not caused merely by faith, but the amount of faith she had. I have witnessed too many cases of unhealed people who fallen victim to this ideology of faith. These people have been told they lacked the right amount of faith in God; consequently, this is why God refused to heal their bodies and restore them. As a result, faith is no longer about connecting us to the merit of Christ. God’s commitment to uphold his glory is emphasized throughout prosperity theology. God has made the promise through the atonement healing to those who believe. A word of caution must be inserted here. I do believe God requires faith in certain circumstances, however, those conditions are based upon his promises.

God has not - in any part of the NT- guaranteed divine healing on the basis of faith. There is only one promise guaranteed in the NT and that promise is “Emmanuel” God will be with us throughout all of our economical and biological deficits. Therefore, prosperity preachers begin with faith. This faith is based upon a promise and the victory to overcome financial or physical problems is guaranteed through the atonement of Christ; this is all done on the basis of God’s promise of divine healing and restoration.

In general, many in charismatic circles believe the atonement of Christ also purchased physical healing. The scripture reference used is

Isaiah 53:5-6 (KJV) 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

This is part of Isaiah’s climatic hope of restoration to Israel. The reference used is “For he bruised for our iniquities and crushed for our sorrows.” While this is a clear case of isogesis, it still remains as precedence for prosperity theology’s claim to the promise of healing. You can immediately see the consequences of such hermeneutics; every passage will be read with the assumption that it’s referring to the present conditions of our lives. When scripture say “according to the riches of God’s mercy” you can instantly see how the meaning will be truncated.

The Christian life immediately becomes the measure of our faith and ignores the main purpose of faith: to connect us to the merit of Christ. A few months ago I was watching TBN and Juanita Bynum was preaching. If you don’t know who she is just make a trip over to Wal-mart and you will see her popularity. At this time TBN was doing their fundraising campaign. Bynum was on the air and promised the first 7,000 callers who gave 1,000 dollars each would receive a blessing. You don’t have to understanding much arithmetic know how much of a net gain that is; it’s $7,000,000. Immediately Bynum met her goal in only forty-five minutes.

Bynum, who believers herself to be a modern day prophet and one who discerns the will of God, wholeheartedly believes her message. Her message was no different then T.D Jakes, Benny Hinn, Keneith Hagin, Joel Osteen (who I wouldn’t label a prosperity preacher, but his message is plagued with it from his father), Jesse Duplantis and every single prosperity preacher that affirms the same message.

According to them: God sent Christ, born of a virgin, incarnated into the form of man to provide reconciliation and restoration for our physical and financial problems. To tap into this power, the amount of faith that we have connects us to all the physical blessings of God. My brothers and sisters, we need to pray fervently that God would awaken these false teachers’ eyes.

We need more faithful pastors and teachers who will alert the church of these subduing doctrines of hell. As John Macarthur has said “TBN has done more harm then Jerry Springer.” That may sound humorous at first glance, but it’s a true statement. The Trojan horse of Christianity is a just a click, channel, and remote away for billions of Christians. Let us stand and defend the faith that was handed down to us from the generations before.
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I HATE the word-faith, properity, name-it claim-it movement. It is a false gospel that places emphasis on man not God. It is a heresy that reduces the cross to a means towards material blessing rather than the way to eternal joy.

2 Corinthians 11:4
For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it!

Galatians 1: 6
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

ALWAYS use words...

St Francis of Assisi once said "Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words."

I reply:
"Malarkey"
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To see Jesus one must hear the gospel message. It is necessary.

Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God.

I also believe that the hearing of the gospel should be a complete hearing That is, the good news is of little import without the bad news.

In order to fully appreciate what Christ did for us at the cross we must deeply understand:

How good God is.

How bad we are.

How angry that makes God.

Only by seeing the truth behind these statements can we grasp what grace and mercy amount to. If we fail to recognize the bad news of our natural state, the good news of the cross will be accepted yet shallow at best/ unconsidered at worst.

I had a conversation this past Monday with a co-worker which brought this to mind. He was rightly lamenting the failure of many conservative evangelicals to stress social action. He was frustrated that so many believers are eager to condemn the unregenerate as "sinners" and preach hellfire sermons while they simultaneously dodge the example of Christ meeting the needs of the unsaved.

I agreed with him that meeting needs for those who are lacking is the duty of believers. Since all people are created in the image of God, we should respect and love them as ourselves. I also explained that I believed very heavily in relational evangelism.

Despite our apparent consensus, I could feel that there was still some divide between us. With some coaxing it came out - my co-worker is a strong advocate of doing good for others that they might be so impressed by our generosity that they will ask about the hope within us and thereby open a door to conversation about Christ.

I, on the other hand, see that as true but incomplete. I am more inclined to do the good deed and then share the gospel message regardless of if the recipient asks about Christ or not. I don't mean in a mechanical or pushy way - but with straightforward honesty, well-put questioning. and sincere concern.

While my friend at work believes that unbelievers will convert when they see the joy that Jesus brings, I tend to think that conversion is unlikely unless they see BOTH the hope we have in our Saviour and the despair of their own situation. It would be very easy for someone who is not presented with the truth about their spiritual deadness to simply say "oh, thanks for the food and the water, I am glad that Jesus makes you happy, I will now go back to the animism (materialism, etc) that makes me happy - be happy!"

We must show those who are unsaved that they are in desperate need of a rescue operation, not just that Jesus can make us happier and better people. Its a both/ and NOT an either/or.

I think that my friend has had some bad personal experiences with Protestants who were self-righteous and haughty. Too often the personal interaction we have with others will produce feelings and convictions within us that may or may not be biblical. Ultimately, it is the black, white, and red in the Bible which should dictate how we fulfill the Great Commission.

My reading of the text informs me that neither the Lord nor the apostles were reserved in declaring the tragic condition of humanity and its ultimate fiery end without grace, so we must not be either.
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Matthew 13:40-42
Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 13:49-50
So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Romans 6:21
What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

Romans 6:23a
For the wages of sin is death,

Romans 8:34a
Who is He who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen,

Revelation 20:15
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, and sinners unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
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In light of all these texts, and they are but a few, it is obvious that there is bad news. If we don't share BOTH the bad news and the good news with folks, they are likely to go on with their idolatry and immorality while they accept our Christian charity. Trying to soften the message of the cross or to make it more palpable is close to denial of that message. I would urge those who stress social action at the expense of biblical teaching and gospel proclamation to be aware of their path lest they slide into a place where they cannot say with Paul:

Romans 1:16a
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes

If what we preach about Christ does not offend the natural man within the hearer then it is not the gospel. As children of wrath and disobedience, unregenerate people should be either broken by the Spirit unto repentance when they hear of Gods mercy thru Christ OR they should be outraged. Which one they will display is for God to work out. We are only to plant and water the seeds, God will handle the rest. (1 Cor 3) The wind blows where it wills. (John 3)

Lastly, I am not advocating that we should be mean or disrespectful...only straightforward. As Paul says:

2 Timothy 4:1-2
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

May God grant us all the strength to preach the word in our daily lives AND to live that word out thru our love and compassion for others - just as Christ had compassion on us. May the importance of proclaiming the entire gospel be revealed to my co-worker. May God get the ultimate glory in all things.

Two Random Points

1) Recently a relative told me about a sermon series at their church. It was entitled "20 questions." The name eluded to the reason behind the series - a 12 year old girl from the congregation sent the pastor a list of 20 theological/ faith questions. The pastor decided to answer them publicly.

My relative gave me the link to download the sermons and so I did. I put (4) of them on my IPO to listen to at work. The second message was entitled "Did God make me a Christian or did I choose to be one?" I was highly interested in this message and I listened to it with lots of devoted attention on what was being said.

The clergyman began his remarks by answering "YES" to the question. I thought that was clever and true. We do choose God, as a result of his having chosen us. The "YES" answer worked for me. I got excited about what else he would say. Then it hit...

Unfortunately, this United Methodist pastor spent the vast majority of the rest of his sermon denouncing "predestination theology." He never referred to Reformed or Calvinist beliefs, he misrepresentated what we believe in the Reformed camp, and he even used a quote of Wesley's to condemn Reformed faith as blasphemy. Thats pretty strong!

I hate to say this, but this type of attitude is pretty typical in my experience. I know that a lot is said about Calvinists being arrogant. I don't think most are - I think we are pegged that way because the biblical material we present is offensive to the natural man of the listener in many cases. Actually, it seems to me that the stewards of libertarian free will theology are the ones who are most exclusive. How many times have you heard and Arminian say: "sure, we disagree about soteriology and the how of salvation, but I respect your interpretation on the elect and I love you as a brother."

Typically, I see fundy free-will guys lambasting (sp) the reformed view with little charity. On the flip side, most of my friends are reformed guys and I have never seen any of us be derogatory towards an Arminian. I disagree with free-will theology and I think that it often leads to anthro-centric beliefs - but I always respect and love my brothers in Christ.

We both believe the same "what" if not the same "how." I pray for more love and charity between the differing Protestant theologies. A house divided cannot stand.
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2) This brief thought struck me today:

"We must enjoy God for who he is, not for what he does for us or gives us."

This is the rule of any relationship. I must love my parents, my wife, my kids, for who they are in themselves. No one would say I truly loved them if I only had dealings with them to service my own desires.

We can't want God because he heals us, he prospers us, he saves us from the fear of death, or he lets us live forever in happiness. Those are all good and true things in different measure, yet the core truth is that we must desire God for who he is. We must desire relationship with him that we might be counted able to bring him the glory he deserves, regardless of what price it is to us.

Some folks don't get this. I worry about them. They might be the people of Matthew 7:21-23 one day.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

We must come to know God in real relationship as we would any other whom we truly love - for them, not us.

The practical ways to do that are time in the Word, prayer, and community. These things must be habitual, but not mechanical, if we are to get close with the Father. I have seen my own relationship grow a great deal in the past year. That is primarily due to the journey I started on January 1 to read the Bible this year (every day) and the new church family we have found. I still struggle with prayer. I think getting close with God will always be a struggle. We are in a war as long as we are on this planet. The world, the flesh, sin, and the devil will stop at nothing to thwart us from staying close to God.

Praise be to the Lord that the final victory is already written. We will stand in his literal presence one day and those enemies will be vanquished forever. Until then keep marching!

Quote 7/5/09 and Job Update

If God has given you but a small portion of the world, yet if you are godly He has promised never to forsake you (Heb. 13:5). Providence has ordered that condition for you which is really best for your eternal good. If you had more of the world than you have, your heads and hearts might not be able to manage it to your advantage.

—John Flavel

I don't know what lot has been given to me in this life. I thought for many years that I would be career military or police - yet, my flesh urged me into actions that prohibited those paths for my future. Then, I imagined that politics would be my calling. A behind the scenes internship at the State Capitol foiled those plans. So, I have been long suffering at my menial government job for 4 years now.

There was suppossed to be a position opening here that I might be very competitive for - as of today they have told us that the upcoming position is "in administrative purgatory." I suppose that civil service (at least at my current agency) is not in the cards.

So, now I am seriously looking to my future. Wondering where to go from here is a full time preoccupation. I am thankful to God that I have a job, a secure one at that. Nevertheless, it does not pay adequately and I need to find my path sooner rather than later.

This makes me question what I am good at and what skills I have...Learning to kill folks in the military does not transfer easily to civillian life. My degree in PolSci is pretty generic. I have no mind for numbers, business, or science. My primary interests are theology and mixed martial arts. God did not grant me the physical prowess for MMA...lol.

I am looking at other Federal agencies or the possibility of going into education thru the GA TAPP program. I still have a strong desire to attend seminary, but I don't see now as the best time.

Ultimately, I know that God has me here for good reasons and that whether or not I have tremendous increase and blessing in occupation and finances OR I stay in a low-paying unexciting position, he is providing me with exactly what is best for my eternal soul. In the end, it is the status of my walk with him - not material gain that is important, the two don't always go hand in hand.

While recognizing that I still feel that it is my duty to be looking for opportunities to advance (Abraham didn't get his wife pregnant by gazing at camels, he had to do something to see his faith realized.) If anyone has any suggestions on career paths or if you know of any job openings that you think I would be good at, please let me know.

I am trusting in the promise that he will never forsake me - I appreciate your prayers.

NOTE: You may notice a drop-off in the number of blog entries coming out of me. My internet time is now best spent looking for a career. I hope to get one and resume my frequent thought contribution here soon.