The Gospel Is Not To Be Compromised.

I am pretty much on the verge of leaving the congregation my parents attend. This may seem of little importance, but with the exception of college, I have faithfully been with them in the church I was raised, the mega church, and finally now the small Bible church. However, something has happened that has caused me to question my role in the congregation, so to speak.

I do not want to go into details... who knows who will be reading this post... and I don't want to bore you or gossip.

So here's the gist, as it were.

June 7, 2009 - guest speaker "preaches" at the church. his gospel is an urgency message of sorts, charging us the importance of being fishers of men to spread the gospel, by fishing and catching men for God, essentially. the problem came though from his lack of gospel in the sermon. he told more stories about himself than I thought possible. Much of the sermon was him preaching about himself, rather than him preaching about forgiveness of sins in Christ. In fact, the cloest thing he ever even came to the "gospel" was his mentioning he shared with one gentleman "the four spiritual laws." If you are unfamiliar, law #1 is "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." ::tries not to puke:: This is NOT the gospel! It is not really even true for that matter... but anyway.

Well I messaged the church group I started on Fb and told them that s sermon where the man preaches about himself and tells jokes is not a sermon. One where Christ crucified is not proclaimed is not a sermon. But the person who spoke apparently is an alumni, so to speak, of the congregation, and so no one saw it fit to out and out identify what (if anything) was wrong with the sermonette. My reaction in the message was a bit harsh, i recongized that and repented. Only then my repentance was called (unjustly) into question, and I found out that the leadership felt "more action" should be taken. They wanted to meet with me, but I declined. They seem to want me to repent of not just HOW I said what I said, but for SAYING what I said.

NO. The Gospel if of FAR more importance than man's feelings.

So as a result, I am looking at various churches... some Acts 29, Reformed Baptist and Presby in America for the summer. I don't want to be a loser and up and leave like that over something that may seem so trivial. But then again, the gospel is not trivial... it is CENTRAL.


I know I haven't written much lately. But I don't have the processes anymore to write really long blogs. And If i can't produce GOOD material... why produce half-thought out crud? lol.

On the Marketing of God's Word...

 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.


I am a big fan of the ESV.  I find it to be a very word-for-word accurate translation yet understandable.  I like that while it is similar to the NRSV, the version the Religious Studies Dept. uses here @ MSU, it reflects much more theologically conservative and faithful readings of many a passage that the NRSV... well... theologically butchers.  I've often wondered back and forth on the issue, however of the TNIV - Today's New International Version.  I know some personally who use this version... but I know there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding the translation, and not from just the KJV-Only nutjobs.  Many of the men I respect most - Al Mohler, John Piper, J.I. Packer, etc. are very distrusting of the TNIV for various reasons.  (One of the more damning aspects of the TNIV is its translation of Psalm 34:20 in such a way that actually REMOVES the prophetic reference to Christ - "[God] protects all their bones, not one of them will be broken," changing the singular "his" to the generic plural "their".)

However, this post is NOT about the TNIV.  (though I have spent too much time already rambling about it!)

While listening to a podcast by Rev. Al Mohler (here), I noticed something that the good Reverend pointed out.  The Bible is the Word of God, yes?  to equip for every good work... to teach... etc.?  Well...   


  
   
 
    
   

 
 
 
  
 
 
 


Do you get the point???

SO many "specialty" Bibles to fill market niches...

I have, for instance an NIV Student Bible... something more or less for teens with its level of notes... but I have it LEATHER BOUND.  I even had my name engraved... for WHAT?  a Bible that basically "expires" after I turn 18 or 19??  Does that seem... off to anyone?  It does to me.

There is NOTHING wrong with study bibles.  I have an ESV Study Bible AND an ESV Reformation Study Bible... both of which are amazing tools for study!  I often feel lost if I do not have either of those Bibles with me, ESPECIALLY when I am working through the Old Testament, with so many cities and terminologies I am unfamiliar with.  However many MANY of these I am skeptical of go beyond the scholarly emphasis.  They often will have study notes that focus on... well... me.  The Bible for the 12 yr old boy who plays Nintendo Wii... where does it end???  The focus isn't on helping the reader understand the given Bible passage.  It is on meeting the individual's felt NEEDS. 

Scholarship and theology has been exchanged for self-help Bible programs. ... and i'm not even TALKING about the "translations" themselves... from the TNIV to the NLT...  I'm not saying we have to have NO study notes and NO designs on the Bibles... that is fine.  But a camo Bible?  I mean really...

What are your thoughts??

If the law has not passed away, what then of grace?

Personally, I am in the process of working my way through the Gospel of Mark in preparation/repentance as we move closer and closer to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. However, a question came up today from a professor of mine that I had to address.


Matthew 5:17-20 {ESV}
[Jesus taught, saying:] "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever laxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Late last year I did a rather lengthy blog about the later portion of this verse -- "exceeding the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees." This post however will look at the earlier portion of this verse, particularly v 18-- the bit about NOTHING of the law is passing away with Christ's coming.

What exactly brought about the gears in my head turning in regards to this verse? I started focusing a bit on this verse as a result of a brief conversation I had with one of my professors and a fellow Religious Studies Major. I do not exactly know HOW we got to talking about it... but Travis mentioned a student in his youth group had asked about why they were no longer bound to the levitical law. Travis gave the answer, "Because we are under the new covenant," yet admitted he did not have, at that moment, a better answer than that and began to wonder a bit for himself what the answer was. My Prof. alluded to Matthew 5 in stating that Jesus had said he did not come to do away with the law, and not one "jot or tittle" would pass away from the law.

The next words (as close as I can remember) were "Now, this is in complete contradiction to what is written in Galatians! Yes it is -- Complete contradiction... [Christians] pick-and-choose which rules to follow and which ones to not."


For better or for worse, I did not respond to that comment. Possibly for worse. I had no desire to get into a theological discussion /argument with her however. Not only does she come at scholarship from a more secular angle, her coming at the conversation from a... well... NOT Reformed tradition means we are coming to the table from utterly different presuppositions about what the purpose of the law is, how man is saved, etc. Furthermore, if I do not chew on something for a while, my tendency to stutter really gets in the way. Either way, I figure I could pseudo-respond in blog-fashion. Certainly my prof's noting that Jesus said that not one bit of the law would pass away. However, I would take GREAT exception to the rest of her statement. To claim Jesus' words are contradictory of Paul's?

So what is my response?

I will first state the presuppositions I hold. I and a Reformed Christian and hold to the inerrancy and infallibility of the Holy Bible. I hold to the actual authorship of the Bible-- that is, if a book in the cannon says it is written by St. Paul... it WAS written by St. Paul. This goes for ANY book of the Bible, btw... even Daniel! I believe the Bible as being, as Paul wrote to Timothy, "theopneustos" -- breathed-out of the mouth of God. And as it is theopneustos, and our God is a God of order, not confusion or contradiction, then the Bible never contradicts itself. Any "contradiction" that we may observe IS either able to be harmonized with clear Scripture or may be beyond our comprehension as fallen man to understand. Again... no true contradictions in the Scripture. No double-talk from the Holy Spirit.

Now that that's out of the way...

Again, Jesus DID say that not one bit of the law is to be thrown away with the coming of Christ. This only makes sense with what Jesus was doing in the sermon of the mount - showing the TRUE nature of the law in the first place! Again, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, & 7) is NOT some sweet little sermon about good morals. Not at all. You think you're only guilty of murder if you actually KILL a guy?? HAH! If you even are P-Oed with someone, you are a murderer at heart! You think you can get a divorce?? If you get any sort of divorce other than sexual immorality, you are an ADULTERER! You think you are to only love those you like? Love EVERYONE! Oh and by the way... adultery isn't only what you do ... it includes your THOUGHT LIFE!! Not the nicest most encouraging sermon I've ever read, I'll tell you that! But this is completely in line with what Christ himself said about the law. Not only was he not abolishing it... he was showing that the TRUE nature of the law is SO MUCH more tedious and demanding on man than once thought! What does the law demand? Jesus tells us: "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48).

Just in case his disciples and those listening to his sermons thought Christ had come to do AWAY with the laws, he makes them IMPOSSIBLE to follow, by saying that through the law, Christ demands PERFECTION!

So... How does this fit in with salvation by grace, apart from the law? Easy. The law was never meant to save anyone. It was to point toward the Savior-- Christ Jesus. "Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:19-20). Paul writes here that the law was NOT to justify anyone in the sight of God; it can't be done!

How then are we justified? Romans 5:9 - "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by [Christ's] blood, how much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." Galatians 2:16 - "We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified."

Romans 5:18-21:
"As one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Furthermore, as written throughout Paul's letters and in Hebrews, we know that Christ's sinless perfect life allowed him to be the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sin to be made "once for all," as in NO more sacrifices are needed. That's it -- "it is accomplished/finished" as Christ said on the cross. His death atones for our sin, and HIS righteousness in life becomes OUR righteousness, imputed to all who repent of sin and place their trust in the gospel!

There is NO contradiction between what Christ spoke of concerning the law in the Sermon on the Mount -- that not one part of it would be done away with -- and the gospel of grace through faith, apart from the law. The law has not passed away... but its purpose was never to save us through obedience. For salvation via obedience to the law, PERFECT OBEDIENCE is required; this is something we are utterly unable to accomplish because of our utter sinfulness.

The law has not passed away. Its purpose is now what it always has been -- to bring about the knowledge of our sin. It is a signpost pointing toward Christ Jesus. The law points out our utter sinfulness and inability to obey the law perfectly and be righteous of our own doing. However... there is one who DID fulfill the law by perfect obedience -- Christ Jesus. And his righteousness and death on the cross purchases salvation for all who will repent and believe. This salvation is by grace through faith, not a result of works... so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The law is still there... still showing us our need for the Savior. And the fulfillment of the law is Jesus Christ-- our needed Savior. Salvation is not through the law that condemns. It is in the lived-out righteousness and perfect atoning sacrifice paid in full on the cross for the sin of all who would repent and believe.

It is a beautiful and glorious gospel.


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Grood Stuff @ Boulevard Baptist

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV)
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

If truth be known, I would probably be accused of being a "church hopper" by some (or many). This is unfair. I have not been hopping for the sake of hopping or until I find a church that has the right color of carpet or that only sings Charlie Hall praise choruses ('cause Chris Tomlin is better anyway... lol), etc. Someday I will write a lengthy blog about my journey through (more or less) Evangelical churches, starting with my parents being raised in the Oneness cult and then onto a Pentecostal-Evangelical church, then to a watered-down-gospel-less mega-church, and beyond. But not tonight.

I think I mentioned in a previous blog that Kacey and I were looking at churches, trying to find a good one (rare in any town I am convinced, Springfield or no). Well, without going into too much detail about the search (which consisted of mostly MAJOR misses, and only two good hits), I think we have finally found the congregation God would have us be in for the dividing of His Word. Boulevard Baptist Church.

Kacey and I have been attending there for about a month now or so, and we are really happy there. Even though I am not really Baptist (I would consider myself a "Baptistyrian"), but I recognize good Christ-centered preaching. Pastor Doug Shivers definitely preaches a Christ-centered gospel. I will admit, I am a HUGE fan of expository preaching - going into the meaning of the text with the Greek and Hebrew. Currently, Boulevard is not doing this. However, this is because they are doing an overview series on the ENTIRE Bible - one book a week. One cannot go into every Hebrew or Greek term in a book in an hour long sermon. However, he does give a very succinct overview of the book the congregation has been reading the past week, picking out the key passages that sum up the author's intention in writing the book.

There is something else that is amazing about Boulevard though, something rare in Evangelicalism today. Pastor Doug preaches Christ in every sermon. Yes, every sermon includes the gospel. I am not talking about a mere invitation at the end of the hour. I mean, he shows the book's place in God's redeeming a people unto Himself, and points to the gospel - Christ and the atoning work of the cross. A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Doug pointed this out as something pastors rarely do, and how it is needed for preaching. I did not want to be overly skeptical, but I wanted to be discerning and asked myself, "Okay, so he gives this principle lip-service. But does he actually do it in his sermons?" YES!! He does! Take today's sermon on Jeremiah. After giving the core of the book, he focused attention to Jeremiah 31:31-34, which is a CLEAR presentation of the gospel and God's promise of a new covenant!! So many could have missed this. But this church's focus is on proclaiming Christ and him crucified.

This church feels as though it could be a home for Kacey and I, and this is something I consider a blessing. Next weekend, Kacey and I will start attending Sunday School there, as they start a series through the Book of Hebrews. (I will be sure to bring my ESV Study Bible for help... )


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	Currently Listening To: Live Unplugged By Jeremy Camp see related

"How Can God Be Good and Still Allow Bad Things to Happen?"

It was sometime last week I was sitting next to my friend Elise during our Apocalypses course when the issue of Theodicy came up. It arose when our instructor mentioned the question that many must struggle with: "How can God be just/good and allow bad things to happen to people?"

This question is odd to me. I am not truly sure if I am relaying it correctly, or if my memory is going bad. But if I had related the "problem" correctly as previously stated... it is something I struggle with. It is not something I struggle with as most people probably struggle with. I would venture to guess most people who struggle with such a question are at odds with some apparent contradiction between God being a good/loving God and a just God and his action of permitting evil or bad things to occur. I suppose these individuals who are baffled by such a conundrum fret over God's inability or unwillingness to wipe evil away off the face of the earth for good... RIGHT NOW (or a long time ago... whenever it would be done). If God really loved us, then things would be better on this planet in this life, right?  

I have a problem not with trying to solve the problem the question asks.  I have a problem with the question itself.  A problem with what the question implies about God, his justice, his sovereignty, his goodness, and the state of man.

I would continue, but nothing I could possibly say would spell it out as beautifully as Preacher Voddie Baucham did in this video.  He speaks the truth.  So to get my thoughts on this "problem" of theodicy... check out the video posted below.



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Striving to proclaim & defend biblical truth and yet NOT be a grade-A jerk in the process

1 Peter 3:13-17 (ESV, emphasis added)
Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

I wish I could remember 100% the quote I am about to reference, but I do not really know where to begin to look for it. I know it was said by the guys who are on The White Horse Inn--one of my favorite podcasts to date. Though I will be unable to regurgitate the quote word-for-word, the essence will be there.

The best thing to do to someone who has JUST become Reformed (aka Calvinist) in his or her theology is to immediately lock them up for a period of time, so they can work out the rest of their theology and mature in the faith without killing anyone.

You know, the more I tried to remember EXACTLY what was said and write that, the more I realized I pretty much mangled the exact words. Like I said, it would not be verbatim. But the point is there.

Now you may be wondering why I, a Reformed Christian/Calvinist (basically a mix between Presbyterian & Baptist... a "Baptistyrian"), would desire to have been incarcerated for an undisclosed period of time after my acceptance of the truths established by the Word of God, brought back to light in the Reformation. It seems to go against conventional wisdom and desire. If someone has just been given the TRUTH, should he not shout it for all to hear, regardless of the form this proclamation takes and is perceived?

No. Well, not exactly. We SHOULD be proclaiming the truth--the gospel BOLDLY. We are assured of this gospel not merely through some supernatural experience or a perceived "burning in the bosom" but by the Word of God itself. We, as Christians, place our hope in nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. We repent of our sinful ways which are part of our nature and fling ourselves upon the mercy displayed by Christ Jesus at the cross. We go and proclaim this message, that God uses our foolish proclamation to call his sheep to himself.

We proclaim boldly. This does not mean we be jerks in the process. This is something I have been growing in and am still continuing to grow in during this process of sanctification I think.

A friend of mine, an Evangelical Christian and fellow Religious Studies major, once shared some of his thoughts as to why I have had trouble getting along with other professing Christians in the past. Specifically noting a tendency to drive some outright away. This brother in Christ did not miens words with me: "Ryan, you flat out used to be a jerk about theology and religion." When I would later share this with another friend, she agreed that I had an air of jerkness about me.

At the time I learned this, I did not really want to consider it. ME? A JERK ABOUT THEOLOGY? I honestly was outraged to be accused of such a thing! I was the one proclaiming truth and attempting to be discerning with great fervor... not feeding off of Emergent theology, Rick Warren, or spreading Osteenisms. I wanted the Church to be Christ-driven, not "purpose-driven." I stressed the need to be aware of Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and Doug Paggit. These men did not proclaim the biblical gospel, but heretical lies... and I would quote a fairly accurate translation of Galatians 1:9: "If anyone preaches a different gospel, to Hell with him!" The error came not with what I was saying, but the manner in which I was saying it.

As Christians, we are to "give a defense for the hope that lies within us." Certainly, YES! This is done too little in 21st century American Christianity. As Sola Scriptura is attacked by the "progressive Christians" and the way is paved for a man-centered "Christless Christianity", too few today have a smidgen of discernment needed to tend to the sheep... much less SHOOT THE WOLVES that would devour the sheep! Truth is to be proclaimed. But in what manner is this truth to be proclaimed? Is it to be proclaimed in a manner that is hot-headed and ill tempered? Certainly not... for the fruits of the Spirit include patience, kindness, gentleness AND self-control. And as Peter wrote in his first inspired letter, we are to give this defense "with gentleness and respect." This is what I have had a habit of not displaying--the proclamation of truth "with gentleness and respect."

So then, going back to the previously mentioned quote, WHY should Calvinists be locked up for a period of time? Because upon realizing the truth of God's sovereignty, man's depravity, and God's divine election, there can easily be a stint of ... anger. Anger at the church for not properly proclaiming the gospel of salvation by Grace through faith ALONE. Anger at the pastor for preaching a gospel of God's work + man's effort in choosing to accept the gift of Jesus, denying God's sovereignty in election and glorifying a misunderstanding of man's "freedom of choice" as "freedom of will." Anger that the whole of biblical truth was not proclaimed because the message of free man being subject to a Sovereign is unfamiliar and incredibly unpopular in America today. Anger that the truth of God's Word in respect to man's total depravity and God's sovereign election of his own people was glazed over from the pulpit. I certainly can ascribe to having felt these feelings of anger over what I was taught in a megaChurch that cares more about appealing to the unregenerate sinner than pleasing a Holy God in the manner the Word is preached.

And while this anger was and can be/is a righteous anger... a GOOD reason to be angry/frustrated with the condition of "American Christianity," my own reaction has been unbiblical. Yes congregations and pastors/life-coaches sin when they abuse, mangle, and twist the Scriptures... using the Word of God as fortune cookie statements to aid in life improvement. And I also sin in my response when that response is that of a complete jerk. Responding in harsh manners to those who read certain books or use BAD "bibles" (Message, CEV, NLT, etc). When I learn someone is reading _____________, I should respond with a kind, "I see. What about that do you like? Do we find this in Scripture?" NOT with an angry, "WHAT?! WHAT THE CRAP IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!! WHY WOULD YOU READ HIM--ARE YOU AN IDIOT OR SOMETHING???!!!!!"

This less-than-godly response to those who are subjecting themselves to bad teachers is sinful. And it may have been better to, upon submitting to the doctrines of Grace, have been whisked to some tower, where I would continue to study God's Word, get over my jerkness phase, and be ready and willing to respond biblical to those who are in a position that I myself was in, not four years ago. I too was into Purpose-Driven poo not too long ago... just 4 or 5 years ago really. That's all. God saved me out of that BAD theology. I should be less quick to look at a follower of these bad teachers and write the follower off as "heretic," as they may not know better at this point. I am sure that I do NOT have total biblical discernment (despite what I may let on... lol). God has brought me to where I am now in discerning truth from error and heresy over the course of a few years. I do not know what God is doing along those lines in my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

This does not mean we are to back down from the truth. Rich Warren is in error, and needs to be confronted. Joel Osteen is in error, and needs to be confronted. Rob Bell... Tony Campolo... Brian McLaren... Tony Jones... Max Lucado... Joyce Meyer... Benny Hinn... the Pope... the Mormon Church... these are those who are in error and need to be confronted. Their teachings are often false and must be challenged. Even Evangelical "hero" Billy Graham preaches a "wider-mercy" view of Salvation... a dressed up version of Universalism, believing men and women are saved by God though they never repent of their sin and place their trust for salvation in Christ Jesus' redemptive work on the cross. [This is not made up... click here to watch the video on YouTube about this.] Where there is error proclaimed and false gospels preached, the GOSPEL MUST BE PROCLAIMED. The Word must be preached and the wolves be exposed and be taken care of (even "shot" so-to-speak)! I do not deny nor will I ever deny, by God's grace, that the error and heresies of the past, of our day, and of the future MUST be addressed.

I also stress however, as God has been teaching me through His Word and the teaching of Godly preachers, there is a wrong way to go about doing this-- to be a jerk in the process. It is difficult when I get SO angry by heresy... SO ANGRY by the American Christianity we see today, which does not proclaim Christ and Him crucified. But even in my anger, I should not sin. And I have found many of my responses in the past to such errors HAVE been very sinful. It may have been better for me to have been locked away until I learned to be gentle and respectful than to have shot my mouth off so frequently as I have in the past.

Thankfully though... this close friend of mine and Kacey have seemed to indicate that while I was a jerk about it more in the past... they have seen improvement. I do not come across as much of a jerk as I have in the past... by the grace of God. I am thankful for this, and I hope to be able to continue in my serving God by proclaiming truth... yet doing it with gentleness and respect for others.


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Temptation to dress up the gospel

John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son [Jesus Christ] has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

2 Timothy 4:1-5
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

I recall last summer, I prayed with Nolan about my roommates for this current school year I am in. We prayed that God's will be done and that it may mean being paired with nonChristians, so be it that I may share the good news of Christ Jesus with them. Well, I am thankful Nolan encouraged me to pray God's will be done... because that was his will, and it was done.

Neither of my two roommates happened to be believing Christians. One actually is a member of the Mormon Church, and he and I have recently had some interesting conversations/discussions about Christianity, the origin of the Scriptures, and the personage of Christ. I must remember to write a bit more in-depth about what happened there. Never the less, I did share the gospel with him, sharing the law and the free grace of God with him. This individual, William, is no longer my roommate, as he graduated yesterday. Please keep William in your prayers, that he would respond to the gospel call to repent and believe... not in the Mormon Jesus but in the true Triune God of the Bible (Mormons deny the Trinity, if you did not know. In doing so, they worship a false deity of their own making).

My other roommate, Zhu (pronounced "Jue") is a bit more interesting. After noticing early on that just about every Sunday morning William and Kacey and I would head to our respective church services, Zhu stated he would be interested in going to church, because it was "the good thing to do." I carefully explained to him Kacey and I did not attend church services to "do good" or to earn spiritual points. We go to worship God for who He is and what He's done-- for his mercy in choosing to seek and save the lost who are utterly unable to save themselves. It's not about our spirituality being furthered or earing good points. It's about worshiping YHWH alone. I shared the law and gospel with him as well, encouraging him to consider the things we'd talked about.

Yet when I've tried to speak with him about Christianity recently, his response is to shake his head with a smile on his face and say "No, no." There is no ... interest in the things of God. He once came back from his REL 100 (Intro to Religion) course after learning about Hinduism and their deities very enthused about what he had learned. "I think I like the gods of Hinduism much more than the God of Christianity! I mean, the gods of Hinduism have many arms, and look VERY COOL! Where as Jesus is just a man... and very boring!" is what he told me.

:-\ How do you respond to that? How do you respond to someone who is primarily interested in how COOL God looks or seems to him... how relevant He seems? How do you respond to someone who wants a religion that is pleasing to his eyes and his ears? Do you give him what he wants?

Do you scratch his "itching ears"? The Bible is clear: NO.

Now this seems to go against human wisdom. In advertising and other mediums, you learn to make things attractive so people buy into what you are selling. This is a commonly used tactic in the world... make things flashy, sexy, cool and people will buy into the product so they will seem flashy, sexy and cool.

However this is worldly wisdom... not the way God works.

There has been a lot of temptation to try and dress up the gospel. Take him to a church he would be amazed and wowed by the service. (As if the service is for HIS enjoyment and not for the worshiping of God) Try and suggest campus ministries that reach out to unsaved individuals by preaching "relevant" lessons. This seems like it would do some good from a worldly perspective in getting him saved! right? If you want to see how God saves men... see Romans 10:5-17. God uses preaching the Word of God... the truth of the gospel. Not marketing tactics, but the truth through boldly preaching. This will seem to be the foolish thing to do (1 Corinthians 1:20-25) from a perspective of the unregenerate world. But "the foolishness of god is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:25).

We, as Christians, are not called to scratch the itching ears. We are called to preach the Word, in season and out of season. To preach the gospel of Christ and Him crucified. Not to wow and amaze by how cool or relevant we can seem. But to call all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel.

Tempted as we may be to dress up the gospel in a way that seems relevant and / or hip to the world, we must remain obedient to God's truth that is the Word. Preach the Word... when it is popular and unpopular to do so--in season AND out of season.

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On the Nature of the Gospel

John 3:3
Jesus answered him [Nicodemus], "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

1 Corinthians 15:1-5
Now I [Paul] would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

John 14:6-7
Jesus said to him [Thomas], "I am the way, and the truth, and the life No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

Ephesians 2:4-9
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is a gift from God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.


From the previous post, looking at the Scriptures, we know the following

1. God gave his law to man: to love. To love God and to love our neighbor.


2. We break God's law daily. We should love God and love others... but we DON'T! If we really loved as we are COMMANDED to love, we would not sin.


3. Because of our wretched nature, it is utterly impossible to keep God's law. Spiritual disciplines do not help. Helping the poor won't help. Good works do not erase bad deeds.


4. Basically... left to our own works to save us... we're screwed.

When you look at the mirror of God's law... the result is disgust. I really do not comprehend how wretched and evil I am until I compare myself not to my neighbor's standards or even the actions of my brother in Christ... but compare myself to God's commandments for how I am to live... for what I am to be: PERFECT. I am very-not-perfect. I am a lustful, adulterer-of-the-heart, lying, thieving, covetous, murderous, hatefully wicked man.

If any man deserved to go to Hell and experience the wrath of almighty God, it is I.

But as I stated previously... there is good news... there is the GOSPEL (which translated means "Good News")!

This gospel won't mean you'll have your best life now... it won't mean you'll have a better marriage... it won't mean you will have perfect relationships with others... it won't mean you will feel your life will be driven by a new purpose or that your troubles will be mended and healed.

Then... what?

The Gospel is this: 2,000 years ago YHWH (God) became a man: Jesus Christ, born of a virgin named Mary. Jesus was not merely in human form, nor was he a man who ascended to godhood. He is not, as Mormonism teaches, "the only begotten Son in the flesh," making him a created being, the spirit brother of Satan, who was born of Elohim, who himself used to be a man, who ascended to godhood. This is nonsense, as it is unbiblical. The Gospel of John opens with these words:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made though him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-5, 14).

Later, also in the Gospel of John, Jesus tells the Jews after they ask him how he has seen Abraham, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58) This "I AM" title is a title that God uses for himself (Exodus 3:13-14). In responding to the Jewish people's questions, Jesus proclaimed, "My Father, who has given them [the elect] to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them [the elect] out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one" (John 10:29-30). And how did the Jews respond to Jesus' claim that he was God? not A god, but ONE with the Father? Repeatedly, they attempted to stone him.

I go into this in detail not to beat the point into the ground... but to make clear that I am not speaking of the Mormon concept of "Jesus." Or the Jehovah's Witnesses' concept of "Jesus." I am dealing with the BIBLICAL Jesus-- the Christ. Does it matter what the nature of Jesus is? ABSOLUTELY! You cannot point to a chair, and say "THAT'S JESUS!!" You would be wrong (and blasphemous) to do so. WHO Jesus is matters. I am not, as a Mormon friend of mine claims, "splitting hairs," when I proclaim that WHO Jesus is actually matters. He is the 2nd person in the Trinity. If you worship another Jesus... you have the wrong god, and you do not know the Father either (1 John & 2 John). [For more on Christ's deity and the doctrine of the Trinity, visit here, here or here.]

This Jesus who came to "dwell among us" (John 1:14) is "the God-man." 100% God, 100% man. He came to Earth to "save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:21). He proclaimed, boldly, that if you want to get to Heaven, there is no other way but by him. Jesus Christ is THE way (not A way), the TRUTH (not one truth among many), and THE LIFE (without him, there is no eternal life). NO ONE comes to the Father, but through Him. Here is how that was accomplished: the cross.

Again, we are all lawbreakers. And the worse news is that "it it is appointed for a man to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). If you die in your sins, you will be judged by those sins. Time cannot wash away a crime. Those sins are still your burden to bear. And if you die in your sins, you WILL spend an eternity in Hell. This is not me trying to use a scare tactic, this is Scriptural. There is a real place called Hell, and it is where lawbreakers go. "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8). All this talk about Hell being temporary... dies. All this talk about Hell ONLY being "separation from God?" Well... yes, but it isn't JUST separation from God. You are separated from Him... and also you are paying for your sins for eternity in Hell.

But again, there is GOOD NEWS! Christ displays his love in dying and becoming the atonement for the sin of sinners. I have been saved by grace through faith in what Christ has done for me... He took my place, dying for my sins. He suffered the wrath of God so I would not have to. This is AMAZING LOVE if there ever was! He died as the atonement for sin... to make things right between God and man. Furthermore, Jesus rose from the grave on the third day, proving his conquering of Death and sin. His resurrection is the evidence of this victory over the sin --yours and mine--that put him in the position to die.

This is the good news... Christ died for sin, was buried, and resurrected from the grave. He paid the price of ALL who would respond in faith. What does it mean to respond? To REPENT of your sin... not to just ask God to forgive you... but to forsake and turn from your sin, and to place your trust in Christ Jesus for your salvation. He offers forgiveness of sins. He offers an escape of the wrath that is to come. Run to him! Run to him out of thanksgiving for all he has done--purchasing EVERYTHING that is necessary for your salvation.

I urge any and all of you... REPENT AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL! (Mark 1:15) Do not carry the burden of your sin any longer... turn from your sin and fling yourself upon the mercy of Christ and Him crucified. Scripture says that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:10). I beg of you... repent and trust in His work to atone for sin. I may seem judgmental in all this that I have written. Is it judgmental for someone to urge a blind man to halt before he falls off of the cliff he is headed for? Surely not. God is no liar... His word is truth... Repent and have faith in Christ's atoning work. When God grants you the gift of faith and gives you saving grace... this is ALL of God.... it is not a result of your works. You cannot bribe God with your good works. They cannot save you. If they could, Christ died for no reason (Galatians 2:21). In fact your "good works" that you trust to save you?... In God's eyes, they are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:4-9)... or more accurately, USED BLOODY TAMPONS. God offers you salvation from sin and His wrath... and you hand him old tampons.

Do not trust in your goodness or your works to save you. Repent of your sinful ways and fling yourself upon the mercy of Christ, the atonement bought by his crucifixion. THIS IS the Gospel... the Good News of Christianity.

As I bring this to a close, the lyrics of a new hymn "In Christ Alone" are powerful in their description of the gospel message.

"In Christ Alone"

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand




[[To go into the details of the cross and act of crucifixion and atonement would take up more time and space than many would care to read. For more on that in GREAT detail please check out Driscoll's sermon on the Atonment and / or his series on the cross.]]

Exceeding the Righteousness of the Pharisees

Matthew 5:20
[Jesus said,] ”For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

My name is Ryan.  And I am a law breaker.  Yes, I have broken God's law.  I am a filthy wretch.  I am a liar, a hypocrite, and adulterer at heart... I am a murderer even.

Yes.  A murderer.  As recorded in Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus explained the sin of murder is not limited only to the actual act of slaying someone with a blade.  "Everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment."  Have you been angry with someone?  You are liable to judgment by Almighty God, who is free to judge you as though you HAD murdered someone.  "Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire."  I can say, with confidence, I have insulted others.  My parents... my family... my close friends... my enemies.

Now, I COULD make a case that the use of "his brother" means these offenses are only applicable to the act of murder in God's eyes, IF the offense is toward a FELLOW BELIEVER.  The term "brother" is often used in the New Testament to speak of fellow believers, so this could be extended to this passage (though of course in the ORIGINAL context, the "brothers" would be Jews... however, we Christians are grafted into the vine... so we are all BELIEVERS).  However, I find this irrelevant for 2 reasons:  1) later in the same sermon, Jesus says to love and to greet not only your brothers, but also your enemies (v. 47).  If you are murdering or insulting your neighbor, enemy or not, is that very loving?  Can you flick someone off in love?  I think not.  2) Even if this command is to be concerned ONLY with believers... OK!  So... have I been angry with a fellow believer?  Have I insulted a fellow Christian? YES... ok... so even so, I've STILL not kept that law... and I'm guilty as a murderer in God's eyes, from his standard.

So under the Law, what is the standard to enter the kingdom of heaven?  What is the requirement we must keep, "so that [we] may be sons of [our] Father who is in heaven?" (v. 45)  The answer:  Our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees.  Or... as Jesus restates in v. 48:  "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

:-(

Under the law... the only thing that can save us is perfection.  Keeping the law PERFECTLY.  Time doesn't blot out sin.  There is no statute of limitations when it comes to God's perfect holy law.  If you want to get into Heaven, there's is ONE thing you HAVE to do to get there:  BE PERFECT.  Problem:  I am not perfect.  I look at the mirror of the law, and I only see my own sin.  Any attempt of self-justification is futile.  No amount of convoluted reasoning can change the fact that I am a law breaker.  A transgressor against YHVH.  I sinner.  I sin because I am a sinner.  You sin because you are a sinner.

Left to my own, there is no possible way I would ever inherit the kingdom of heaven.  It's impossible, I am stained by my sin.  And if you think you can earn your way into Heaven, you MUST be PERFECT.  But you know you are not perfect.  Like me, you are a law breaker.  A liar... a hypocrite... one who lusts... and a murderer.  Left up to yourself, you are screwed.  You WILL NOT get to Heaven.  It is IMPOSSIBLE for YOU to DO ANYTHING to make it so that YOU can get to Heaven.  I don't care how much you cared for the orphan and the widow... I don't care how much you gave... how much you read your Bible... how you only had sex within marriage... how you gave up porn... how you don't drink underage... how often you took communion... or if you were baptized...  how often you pray... how you say you don't watch filthy movies... the fact is IT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!  YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH!  If you think you are good enough, you are a LIAR... and right there alone you are disqualified from the inheritance.  Because guess what?  YOU ARE NOT PERFECT!  YOU ARE NOT RIGHTEOUS!  YOU WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ON YOUR OWN BY YOUR WORKS!  I cannot stress this enough.

Nothing I do will make me good enough to inherit the kingdom of heaven.

I have noticed a growing confusion with the law and the gospel.  SO often people are presenting the law AS gospel.  I have encountered pastors saying that the gospel is all about LOVE--Love God, and Love Your Neighbor.  PROBLEM: I DO NOT LOVE GOD WITH ALL MY HEART!  If I did, I would not sin!  Same with my neighbor...if I REALLY loved my neighbor, I would not lust for her... I would not be guilty of murder against him or her by insult.  Did Jesus say, "On love does the gospel hinge?"  NO! On these things (love God, love neighbors) does the LAW hinge.  These 2 things are COMMANDS.  They are part of the LAW.  Loving God doesn't save you... if it did, do you love God PERFECTLY?  Nope.  So you are disqualified.  The law cannot save you.  Or if it could, you MUST keep it perfectly.  If you don't you are disqualified from working your way to the kingdom.

However... praise God... there is good news...

...to be continued...

Searching for a (GOOD) Church... pt 1

Titus 2:1
"But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine."

I attend a university in Springfield, MO.  For those of you not in the know, Springfield, MO is smack in the Bible Belt.  We are just down the road from Southwest Baptist University... have the 2nd largest Assemblies of God church in America (James River Assembly... jokingly referred to by some locals as "Hillsong USA")... we even have the HQ of the Assemblies of God, a Protestant Pentecostal denomination.  And while this place is not like some I've seen in Northern Texas/Southern Arkansas, having a church literally on EVERY corner... it is filled with congregations galore.

So then, you would think finding a church would be really simple... that all you would have to do is walk on into a church, sit down, and you've found one.  Well, that is true for finding a church.  However... finding a good church?... that takes a bit more doing.

What constitutes a "GOOD CHURCH"?  One where sound doctrine is taught (Titus 2:1).  One that preaches a gospel of grace, not just law (Ephesians 1:6-10; 2:8-9).  One that boldly proclaims Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23).  One that is more interested in proclaiming truth than on tickling peoples' ears, telling them only what they want to hear to suit their felt-needs (2 Timothy 4:3-4).  One that teaches the condition of man prior to the new birth as being evil, not basically good (Ephesians 2:1-3).  One that does not perform for the masses to be cool and relevant, but instead worships God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).  One that proclaims Christ as the way, truth, and life--that except through him, there is no salvation (John 14:6).  One that teaches that to see the Kingdom of God, a man must be born again (John 3:3).  One that cares more about feeding the sheep than attracting goats (John 21:16).  One that will guard the congregants from false teachers, who are wolves (Matthew 7:15).  One that proclaims the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-5).  One that teaches that salvation is an act of God--monergism, and not an act of man--synergism (Ephesians 1:4-12, John 6:44, Romans 8:28-30).

Again... one would think this would be an easy task to find churches that did all these things.  But as Kacey and I are finding out first hand... few "churches" care about such things any more. 

...to be continued...