My daughter Anna wrote a wonderful tribute to our precious Snickers who was put to rest today.
Snickers Brimberry was the first addition to the Brimberry family, born May 28th 1995. I remember harassing the Sarjeant family, our neighbors a few houses down, when Bailey (sp?), their precious Golden Retriever, was pregnant with her first litter. Both Butner and I were home schooled at the time, and any free time I had, I spent with those puppies, in the Sarjeant's garage.
I will always remember looking at Bailey’s puppies fighting for food and the one tiny runt of the litter squealing, squirming, and attempting to nudge her brothers and sisters out of the way. This runt was given the name Snickers by the Sarjeant’s because she was darker than the other puppies and well, we were young and she looked like a Snickers bar.
After crying, begging and pleading with my parents for one of the puppies they gave in! I knew once my parents saw the puppies; they would be just as in love with them as I was. I was right!!
That day was one of the happiest for me as a child. I had never wanted something so wholeheartedly and my reality set in; I was getting a Golden Retriever puppy. There was that agonizing torture of having to wait 6 weeks before we could take her home, even worse when my parents said we could get her and she was still too young to be taken away from her mother. But finally the day came; Butner and I pulled out a red wagon and followed out parents down the street to pick up Snickers Brimberry.
July 4th 1995 my family fell head over heals in love with Snickers, and she with us. On that day the thought never hit me that one day this precious animal would one day no longer be around.
It’s so easy to love an animal; because they don’t have conditions you have to meet to gain their love. I believe that’s because they know nothing else but love to give and all they really want back is to be loved.
July 4th 1995 through November 16th 2009, Snickers Brimberry brought love and joy into each of the lives of my family member, love and joy that we hadn’t known was missing until Snickers came into our hearts and showed us.
Snickers you are irreplaceable. I cried when I got you, and I cried when I lost you. I won’t forget the time in between though, the happy times; rather not mourn your death but celebrate your long lived life.
Abe and Abegail Agenda - They may look sweet and docile but they are like ducks going around the water at your local lake. Everything looks good on the surface but underneath they are kicking up a storm. Normally they are older and rigid in the ways church should be done. Their motto becomes "have it my way."
Charlie and Coleen Critical - It doesn't matter how you do it or what you do they will find a way to criticize it. A pastor told me that a couple approached him with a problem in the church. He listened and suggested that it might be the very thing that God was leading them to do. They got upset with his answer and said "if that is the best you can come up with then we are going to leave the church." Their motto is "why be part of the solution when you can continue pointing out the problem."
Paul and Pauleen Post Modern - this couple thinks we need to find out what music draws the crowd, especially the young crowd and then provide it. They think we have too much preaching and sermons should be short motivational stories that make people feel good. Paul and Pauleen are in to comfort without any conviction. Their motto is "we don't need more conversions in the church we just need to have some good conversations."
Harry and Henrietta Hypocrite - they look good, sing, teach and even hand out cookies on Sunday but they are not genuine. They gossip, tell about how they did things in there former church and even question if leadership is capable. They end up in leadership and sometimes in small groups to the point that they when they get mad and finally leave others go with them. Their motto is "we are looking good, smelling good and talking good but we just aren't living good."
Ned and Nellie Non-Biblical - this couple when approached about not using their gifts, reading the Bible, or leaving over the color of the carpet use experience and feelings instead of going to the word of God. If they don't feel it then they just don't do it. If you ask, can you support this kind thinking or action based on the Bible they will say things like "not really." Their motto "we don't know what it means but that's ok because it can mean what we want it to mean-right?"
Earl and Edie Expert - This couple lives by the statement "if we want your opinion then we will give it to you." They know what to do and how to do it. Some of the things they share and implement have been on their minds for years and years. And now that the group is gathered and they are the so-called experts the attitude comes out my way or the highway. However sometimes enough is enough, and if challenged they will take their ball and go home! Their motto "it's not as easy as it looks to always be right."
Mack and Mabel Mono-ministry - they take a ministry and own it, do it and build a fence so high around it that it would take an act of congress to get into it! When Mack and Mabel show up they dominate and dictate their own ministry area. There is no Timothy support or back up plan. And if others offer. Their motto for others who want to involve themselves in their ministry "do not go away mad, just go away."
Ted and Thelma Teflon - whenever they are approached regarding problems they have caused you can be sure that nothing sticks to them. Their motto "we didn't do anything wrong, just ask us."
Dick and Darlene Deflective - this couple has the extraordinary ability to put everything back on those that come in contact with them. The strategy is not to deal with the problem but deflect it away from themselves. By the way they are first cousins of Ted and Thelma Teflon. You might hear statements like the following "of course we would join small groups if the leadership team would stop having people in them." Their motto "take it easy greasy because the problem your trying to lay on me has got a long way to slide."
Ben and Bonita Been-Around - This couple looks the part except they have been to 12 other churches over the years. Upon talking to this couple each church they left has been somewhat off in doctrine, method of understanding of this couples skill and abilities. Their motto "we leave right before church discipline can arrive."
Sammy and Sandy Snitch - this couple comes to attend but really never joins. However they call and meet with pastor in order to give inside information on some of the problem people. Their motto "maybe this pastor will confront them on the sin that we are too intimidated to discuss with our family member, friend or co-worker."
Grant and Gertrude Grumpy - it doesn't matter what you preach, teach, or what you do, this couple finds a way to be and stay unhappy. Their motto is "of course we are happy just look at our face."
As a former pastor of a small church I experienced a tremendous learning curve. Mark Driscoll who pastors a mega-church in Seattle writes a helpful article on the three types of people he finds in the church - the positives, negatives and neutrals. I think this provides a good summary of those that attended the Shepherd's Church before we disbanded. Whenever the negatives have a place of leadership and leave the church then it drastically impacts those who are or who have been neutral. It is amazing when reading an article like this how the names and faces of people from the past come immediately to mind. There are at least two books that could come from those 4 years of our small church experience. Book #1 - "What happens when a small church disbands" and Book #2 "You would not believe what people say to the pastor." And maybe book #3 "You can't use church discipline on me because I'm already gone."
The Positives, Negatives and Neutrals by Mark Driscoll
Every ministry leader needs to be a positive. They also need to know who the positives, negatives, and neutrals are both in official leadership and unofficial leadership in their ministry.
Positives
Positives are people who do gospel things in gospel ways for gospel reasons. They are trusting, supportive, and encouraging. They build bridges and mediate conflict. Positives bring organizational health, work for the good of the gospel over any single issue or cause, and are a blessing because they humbly want the gospel to win. Positives are prone to turn neutrals into positives, while they also work to neutralize negatives. In the Bible, positives are often referred to as shepherds.
Negatives
Negatives are people who do ungospel things in ungospel ways for ungospel reasons. They are distrusting, unsupportive, discouraging, and contentious. They burn bridges, are wounded by bitterness from past hurts, and are often the center of criticism and conflict. Negatives bring organizational sickness, division, and trouble because they are proudly more interested in their cause winning than the gospel and the good of the whole. Negatives tend to draw other negatives toward themselves as factions, and they also prey on neutrals in order to increase their own power and control. In the Bible, negatives are often referred to as wolves.
Neutrals
Neutrals are followers who are easily influenced. They are prone to being unsure, confused, and fearful. Neutrals are often caught in the middle when there is conflict between positives and negatives. A neutral becomes a positive or negative depending upon who their friends are, whom they listen to, what information they have access to, which books they read, and which teachers they look up to. In the Bible, neutrals are often referred to as sheep.
Sadly, in most ministries, the negatives are the most vocal, most exhausting, and most distracting, as well as the least likely to contribute to growth and health. Though they are few, they are often loud and difficult, spreading—as Paul says—like gangrene through the church body (2 Tim. 2:17). Practically, this means that even a few negatives working together can become quite difficult. The Bible reveals that negatives often pair up like two barrels on a gun, as was the case with Jannes and Jambres opposing Moses, Sanballat and Tobiah opposing Nehemiah, and Hymenaeus and Alexander opposing Paul.
How to Stay Positive
For a ministry to remain positive, three things need to occur.
First, the senior leader and the other official and unofficial leaders who wield the most influence must be positives. Further, they must be continually exhorted to remain positives. This means that even when they deal with negative things, they do so in a positive way for the glory of God and the good of his people.
Second, the negatives must not be allowed into leadership. If they are in leadership, official or unofficial, they must be rebuked. Titus 3:10–11 describes this rebuke: "As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned." Too often negatives are tolerated for too long; the longer their sin is tolerated, the more toxic the ministry culture becomes. Therefore, unrepentant negatives need to be brought through formal church discipline after their negativity has been documented and addressed; this process may end with their removal from the ministry, if needed. Ministry leaders are often reticent to deal so forthrightly with negatives; however, the longer they are tolerated, the more neutrals they infect with their gangrene.
Third, the neutrals need to be lovingly and patiently informed that they are in fact neutrals and that they need to take responsibility to not give in to negatives. Additionally, neutrals cannot be allowed into ministry leadership because they are prone to be influenced rather than be influencers. Sadly, neutrals are often nominated for and voted in to ministry leadership because they tend to be nice people who are likeable because they are amiable and easily influenced. But they are prone to work toward consensus rather than lead and are therefore not helpful for moving a ministry forward into innovation and growth. Change is controversial and requires someone who is a strong positive to build consensus for change and who is also able to neutralize the negatives rather than being influenced by them.
This is from the blog site of Ed Stezler and very insightful regarding some key issues for pastors of a small church.
1. Time. According to Waggoner, 32 percent of the respondents said they were bivocational pastors and didn't have enough hours in the day to do what they were called to do. "I read comment after comment which said pastors were under pressure to juggle responsibilities," Waggoner said. "The fact is they have 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They worked at their job somewhere and also dealt with the church. They were tired, drained of energy. They try to fulfill their calling and get the job done. There's no easy way to get it all done.
"All pastors fight that battle. Every leader is tired. But, at the end of the day, they trust the Lord to do the best they can with [the] energy they have and just trust Him."
2. Resistance. Small-church pastors said their congregation doesn't want to change, which leads to stagnation. Pastors have to deal with individuals who want to usurp authority from the pastor, forgetting that it's God who controls His church.
"We have to patiently hold the standard high and teach the Word of God," Waggoner said. "It takes a while for the church to grow biblically ... and takes expositional teaching for the church to get healthy. We can't lower the standards of church. Preaching precedes change. We have to raise the bar of expectations."
3. Lack of commitment from members. Many pastors said they deal with apathy and indifference. Waggoner said it doesn't matter what the size of the church is, but small churches feel it more.
"There are no quick fixes," Waggoner said. "It can't be about the man in the pulpit. We hear so much fluff and stuff. We try to sneak up on people with discipleship. You have to start out with discipleship. We've underestimated the power of a godly man or godly woman."
4. Too few workers. If the church's philosophy is that the pastor is a hired gun, the professional, it will wear the pastor out, Waggoner said. He also said most churches do not have a strategy to equip the laity for ministry.
"You have to teach what the Bible says about the pastor's role," Waggoner said. "I think every church should have a class on teaching spiritual gifts so people ... can take the next step on finding a place in the church ministry. You have to look people in the eye. There needs to be a strategy for involvement which fits the size of your church."
5. Age of the congregation. As the church gets older, young people do not feel attracted to the church. Waggoner said there's no easy answer, but pastors have to serve whomever God brings into their midst.
"Talk to the young people," Waggoner said. "There may be things that can be done to reverse it."
6. Lack of money. Waggoner said he had no easy answers for pastors who say they don't have resources. He did say pastors have to do a better job of teaching about the importance of tithing.
"Too often we preach [on money only] when we go into a building campaign or there's a budget shortfall," Waggoner said. "I think we should teach God's standards on biblical discipleship along the way. It should be part of disciple-making. You honor the Lord with your wealth."
7. Worldliness of the church. Waggoner said he saw in the survey something he called "cultural seepage."
"We allow the world's standards to come into the church," he said. "Sometimes we have propagated that through our arrogance. We're dictatorial, self absorbed. Often preaching becomes a performance. Preaching is not an end but a means. Have we allowed the world to permeate how we think?
"I'm grateful for the Conservative Resurgence," he said of the SBC's theological direction since 1979. "But we have been deceived to think that being conservative is being godly. We have to make sure we are walking in a way that honors God."
8. Age of the pastor. Several said they were getting too old in the survey.
9. Too few people. In the survey, pastors said they couldn't get things done because not enough help was available.
10. Demographics. The community around the church is changing but the church isn't growing.
Dr. Filbert Bukk considered to be one of the great thinkers of the 21st Century was spotted recently in Atlanta, GA. This rare video gives some insight as to why in Atlanta and by the way he is at "The Varsity."
May I introduce you to 17 year old tennis sensation whose name is Melanie Oudin. If you have not been following this story at the U.S. Open this year thankfully you still have time. Click on this LINK.
Occasionally here at Pilgrim in Foreign Land I will post a sports story. Unfortunately this is the sad state of affairs when college athletes resort to sucker punches. Well Mr. Blount from Oregon threw the punch that caused his suspension for the rest of the year.
Here is a summary of the summary in pictures of our time this summer at the Isle of Palms. It was marked by many photos, great fellowship and fun was had by all.
In 2007 I started this blog. And in 2008 I ventured out into the world of building a website through a software called Rapid Weaver. If you are not a technical type (I am not) then you need help with those who build templates and then you just add the content so to speak. However for those who have struggled with banner headings, lightbox effects and the other things involved in building a website then this video is for you. Enjoy!
Nancy and I met at Gardner-Webb College. Today she met with two other girls that were in Nanny Dorm with her over 30 years ago. So here is a toast to these ladies who are still looking great after all the years!
What a surprise to find this couple happened to be in Charleston, so we had an evening of fun and fellowship. The first stop was SeeWee Restaurant which is one of the best local food places you can find and then Sullivan's Island. Nancy even showed them where Gov. Sanford is presently residing and then it was down to the end of the island for a sunset view.
This comes from free online outline by Curt Daniel looks like a really helpful site as it relates to the Basics in Christian Doctrine.
THE TRINITY
1. The Trinity is the Mystery of Mysteries. The doctrine of the Trinity is the greatest mystery in the Bible. It is revealed, but not fully revealed. Nor will it ever be fully comprehended by Man even in Heaven. It is vastly deep and high, and inspires holy awe in those who approach it rightly. It has been accepted by evangelical Protestants, historical Roman Catholics, and the Greek Orthodox. But it has been rejected by many cults, some liberals, and even some Pentecostals, such as the United Pentecostal Church, not to mention Jews and Moslems.
2. The Trinity is Taught in the Bible. There is no perfect analogy to the Trinity in Creation, so the doctrine is taught by Special Revelation and not by mere Natural Revelation. Yet no one place in Scripture discusses it at length. It is learned by comparing text with text. Still, some places are of particular importance in setting forth the Trinity, such as the Baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3) and Christ's command to baptize “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt.28:19). All three members of the Trinity are sometimes mentioned together, such as 2 Cor. 13:14, Eph. 2:18, 3:14-16, I Peter 1:2, 2 Thess. 2:13-14, 1 Cor. 6:11, Gal.4:6, etc.
3. There is Only One God. The first truth of the doctrine of the Trinity is that there is only one God. Perhaps the most important truth of the Old Testament was the “Shema” (Hebrew for “Hear”) of Deut. 6:4, “Hear, 0 Israel. The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” This truth is repeated over and over in both testaments. There has always been only one God and will always be only one God. The doctrine of the Trinity does not teach that there are three gods. The unity of God disproves polytheism (that there are many gods, such as in Hinduism) and henotheism (one favorite god among many others).
4. All Members of the Trinity are Equal. The Bible also teaches that there is something plural within God. We call them “persons”. They share the same one divine nature, the same substance of deity. Thus, all are equal, for one infinite being cannot be larger than another infinite being. There is no hierarchy or subordinate natures within the Trinity. Each one is fully God and has all the attributes of full deity. Each one is God and with God (John 1:1-2). The Son is equal with the Father (John 5:18, Phil. 2:6). Theologians speak of the Trinity in two ways. The “Ontological Trinity” is what God is in-and-of Himself from all eternity. The “Economical Trinity” is the Trinity in relation to time, history and Man. The latter reflects and reveals the first.
5. The Members of the Trinity are Not Identical. The three divine members share the same nature, but have distinct persons. They are not three in the same sense that they are one, so there is no contradiction here. The Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Spirit; the Spirit is not the Father. There is only one Father, one Son, and one Spirit (Eph. 4:4-6). It was the Son, not the Father nor the Spirit, who became a man. It was the Spirit, not the Son nor the Father, who came at Pentecost. The atonement was presented to the Father, not to the Son or the Spirit. Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17, not to Himself. The Father spoke to Jesus at His Baptism; this was no ventriloquism. Jesus called the Spirit “another comforter”, therefore not Himself. Some groups reject the idea of the Trinity but accept the deity of Christ, saying there is no difference between the three at all. This is Oneness, Modalism, “Jesus only”, or Patripassionism. But it is not Biblical Trinitarianism.
6. The Father is God. Matt. 28:19 specifies that the three members of the Trinity are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Scripture repeatedly speaks of God as the Father. This one is not just Father of Christians, but the Father of the Son. And He is eternally the Father of the Son, not just in the Virgin Birth. He was Father to the Son from all eternity. It was decided in the eternal Trinity that the Father would represent God in His dealings with Man, and so the name “God” by itself sometimes refers to the Father. “God” sent His Son into the world, meaning the Father sent His Son (John 3:18). The Father received the atonement from the Son, who represented Man.
7. The Son is God. The Second Person of the Trinity is the Son, God the Son. Later we will discuss the deity of Christ more fully. Over 100 Bible verses prove the deity of Jesus Christ (e.g., John 1:1, 20:28). He is the great “I AM” (John 8:24, 58). He was worshipped as God. Many Old Testament verses that speak of Jehovah are applied to Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus is God, but is not the only person in the Godhead, as taught by the advocates of the “Jesus Only” heresy. There are three divine persons, but only one is Son.
8. The Son is Eternally Begotten by the Father. The distinctive feature of the Second Person of the Trinity is that He alone is eternally begotten. He is God the Son within the Trinity. This eternal begetting is indicated in John 1:14, 18, 3:16-18. In theology, it is called Eternal Generation. It is eternal; there was never a time that He was not the Son. Some Evangelicals deny this. They say that the term “God the Son” is synonymous with “Son of God”, and that both refer to the incarnation. But Jesus was Son before the Incarnation. In fact, the Incarnation is the historical (or Economical) display of the eternal (or Ontological) nature of the Trinity. Just as a human father has the same nature as his son (e.g., John and Joe Smith are both Smith), so do the eternal Father and eternal Son share the same nature. The Father alone begets the Son. There is no divine mother, no, not even the Spirit.
9. The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. He is “the eternal Spirit” (Heb. 9:14). There is only one Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:4). He is personal, for He speaks, feels, thinks, is grieved, has joy, etc. He convicts of sin, regenerates sinners into saints, indwells believers, etc. But first of all, the Holy Spirit is God. To lie to the Spirit is to lie to God (Acts 5:3-4), and to blapheme the Spirit is unforgivable. The Spirit is God (Isa. 48:16, 63:10, Psa. 51:11, I Cor. 3:16, 6:11, 19, 12:4, 2 Cor. 3:17-18, etc.). He is every much eternally God as are the Father and the Son. All three are equal in power, glory and majesty.
10. The Spirit Eternally Proceeds from the Father and the Son. The distinctive feature of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity is what is called “Eternal Procession.” It is found in John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:13-15. It is not the same as the eternal generation of the Son, which comes from the Father, not the Father and the Spirit. The Spirit eternally proceeds from both the Father and the Son. The Greek Orthodox Church says the Spirit proceeds only from the Father. It is difficult to ascertain just what this procession is. It is akin to eternal breathing, thus an eternal spiration. This was reflected in the Spirit coming in a special way on the Day of Pentecost. He reveals the Father and the Son, and stays in the background. Sent by Christ, He is the “Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9, Phil. 1:19). He brings the elect to Christ, who brings them to the Father. All in all, the members of the Trinity work together for their mutual glory, which is a display of their perfect unity and diversity.
Each year the anticipation of coming to the beach is always fun! This summer, Lord willing, there will be friends and family as we fellowship in the low country. The weather is warm but the fishing is good and the memories made are even better.
What is the core sin of the human heart? Is it pride? Is it the sin of unbelief? Theologians have debated this topic for centuries. But According to Dr. David Powlison, the sins of pride and unbelief are really “two doors into the same room.” And he adds a third door—the fear of man.
These three core sins are interrelated, and it’s not difficult to see how. Pride is the act of installing myself as the king of my own autonomous kingdom. Unbelief is the act of erasing God from my kingdom (functionally, if not deliberately). Fear of man is the act of installing other sinners as big players in my kingdom (When People are Big and God is Small).
And it’s no surprise that all of the lies and lusts of our hearts are to be found rooted in these three core sins. These lies and lusts are expressions of the three core sins.
As I come across sound articles of Bible doctrine and I will continue to share on this blog site. Michael Patton over at the Parchment and Pen is a theologian who teaches Bible hermeneutics. Hermeneutics means a system by which we come to study the Scriptures. If you want to read his full article then click on this LINK. Here is what really caught my attention that I want to share especially with our community.
Today, I believe that we (evangelicals included) are dangerously close to Gnosticism with regards to our Bible study. We have lost the spirit of Reformation hermeneutics, especially in the pews. We sit around in Bible study circles and ask “What does this passage mean to you?” We applaud as someone gives their answer and then move on to the next and ask the same question. “What does it mean to you Billy?… And what does it mean to you Sal?… What does it mean to you Kevin?” We affirm each person’s response even if it means something different to each person. Can the text have different meanings? Only if you are practicing a Gnostic hermeneutic where the Bible becomes a magic book with a secret spiritual meaning that transcends the literal.
While the Bible can have different and subjective applications, it cannot have different and subjective meanings. It means what it meant. Nothing more, nothing less. There is no person, group, denomination, tradition, or magisterial authority who has a magic decoder ring. There is no secret hidden meaning. The only meaning that we can discover is what the original author meant.
While this does produce fear of the Scriptures, I believe that this is a healthy fear. After all, the Bible is God’s word, isn’t it? We can’t take it lightly.
At our men's Bible study the other night I opened with some comments about the consumer mentality that exists in America. How easily that has invaded the church today and we have in essence a "Burger King" (have it your way) Jesus. In this sense we market the gospel to be a self help program, a gospel that can develop better leaders, fix a bad marriage, keep our children from rebelling, give better health, and even secure our 401 K plans via divine guidance and protection. So think about this for a minute, if Jesus can do all of that, plus I don't have to go to hell where I suffer for an eternity, and my sins can be forgiven so I don't go to bed with a guilty conscience, and you can convince me that God does have a wonderful plan for my life, then sure I will take Jesus - do you have more than one?
We have created in our consumerism a gospel of felt needs and we sell Jesus as the One who can fill the need. The Christian life becomes in essence an off shoot of going to the local Jiffy Lube where they roll out the red carpet and give you service in 15 minutes and you are on your way. I go into Christian book stores and see devotion books that are labeled a "5 minute time with God daily." And in my mind I am thinking "love the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul and strength." Folks there are 1,440 minutes in every day which means 1% of our day would be 14 minutes with God in the morning or evening for prayer and Bible. And yet for the American consumer who has little time for Christ other than Sunday, holidays and emergencies, we market a 5 minute devotion book. This is the day of "fast food" religious activity but it is not the gospel spoken of in the Bible. Something is wrong, desperately wrong and every fiber of my being wants to cry out REPENT AND BELIEVE!
I am drawn to the language in the Bible that the Lord Jesus Himself spoke when it comes to being a "genuine" Christian. Look closely at these words and compare them to the consumeristic gospel that exists for us so that we can have our "BEST LIFE NOW!"
Mark 8:34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. The context of these words are when Jesus first tells His disciples in plain language that He must go to cross and die and then 3 days later be raised from the dead.
The Christian life is about: 1. Denying self - in the day and time in which we live this is something I rarely hear talked about or preached. This is about us denying everything in our lives that could be a distraction from the real treasure and prize which is Christ Himself. As C.S. Lewis once stated "we have been so happy for years playing with mud pies in the streets and we have no idea what it would be like to enjoy a day on the shores of the Mediterranean. Do you see how this statement of "deny yourself" plays out in a day of consumerism? Tell the people in church, it is not about what you can get from Jesus but what you are willing to give up in order to follow Jesus. Let me ask you a question - what are the things in your life right now that take your time and attention away from Christ? Is there something or are there things that you value here on planet earth that you value more than Him?
2. Take up your cross - Every day you must go to the electric chair, the hanging gallows, the lethal injection chamber and die. You are dying daily to everything that would keep you from the main thing and the main thing is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Check out this verse Romans 8:13 "for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." The only way this can be done as you read carefully through this section of Scripture is via the Spirit by the very word of God! Are you in the word daily, consistently and getting saturated to the point that when others bump into you throughout the day you bleed Jesus. Please don't confuse DUTY with DELIGHT. Is Christ the passion and treasure of your life so that you are a man or a woman after God's own heart? 2Chronciles 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.
3. Follow Christ - this verb is written in the present tense which means to be a continual and habitual way of life. And once again if you were to ask in the context "how am I to follow Jesus Christ" the answer is as follows - by denying self and taking up your cross!
Please notice there is nothing in this verse about any guarantees to health, wealth and prosperity. He doesn't say follow me that I can fix the marriage, help with your time management skills, make you a better steward of the environment. Jesus did not come to be a "life coach" or a good example. Jesus came to reconcile us from the wrath of God. He absorbed, on the cross, the full wrath of God that we deserved and at the same time credited to us a righteousness that we did not deserve. It is the understanding of this grace, yes this AMAZING GRACE, that should overflow with delight into lives that are about denying anything that would take away from Him as our treasure and killing daily things like lust, envy, greed, jealousy, pride by His Spirit and through His word! (By the way this will take more than 5 minutes)
The Christian life is not about us! The Christian life is about Christ! The only right we have is the right to eternal judgment, damnation and hell. It is only through God's wonderful grace and mercy that He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son. May in this age of consumerism and getting what we want when we want it, that we would be the people of God who live not for us but for Him and Him alone.
The contemporary moral climate does not favor a faith as tough and fibrous as that taught by our Lord and His apostles. The delicate, brittle saints being produced in our religious hothouses today are hardly to be compared with the committed, expendable believers who once gave their witness among men. And the fault lies with our leaders. They are too timid to tell the people all the truth. They are now asking men to give to God that which costs them nothing.
Our churches these days are filled (or one-quarter filled) with a soft breed of Christian that must be fed on a diet of harmless fun to keep them interested. About theology they know little. Scarcely any of them have read even one of the great Christian classics, but most of them are familiar with religious fiction and spinetingling films. No wonder their moral and spiritual constitution is so frail. Such can only be called weak adherents of a faith they never really understood. (That Incredible Christian, 76).
Here is a short series of flip video's that document our trip up to Asheville last week for our class retreat. We were packed to the gills and really looked liked the Beverly Hillbillies of the Carolinas. Nancy could not see out the back of the car but what a great time we had in Asheville!
“We’ve become very familiar with preaching that, pays scant attention to the Bible; is self-focused; and is consequently only capable of making the most superficial impact upon the lives of the listeners. This would be bad enough were it not for the fact, that large sections of the church who listen to this kind of stuff are actually oblivious to the fact that what they’re getting is a placebo rather than the real medicine. And therefore they leave satisfied with the feeling that it has done them some good. A feeling which disguises the gravity of the situation… They get bloated up by all this stuff, and it gives them the feeling that somehow or another they’ve had a meal, but after a few hours they say, ‘You know, I don’t know whether that thing did anything at all…’ And so, in the absence of bread the population grows accustom to cake.” - Alistair Begg
Here is a small sample of John Piper's talk that he gave on God is the Gospel. Listen carefully to his Biblical definition that he gets from 2 Corinthians 4.
Worst Easter Sermon of 2009 Award Winner Announced from Christian Research Net by Editor...(original source)
Chris Rosebrough, captain of internet based Pirate Christian Radio and host of the Fighting for the Faith Radio program announced on Monday that Joel Osteen is the winner of the “Worst Easter Sermon Award” for 2009.
“Every Christmas Christians whine and complain about secular and atheistic efforts designed to take Christ out of Christmas yet more and more Christian pastors have committed an even worse offense and have removed Jesus Christ and His victorious resurrection from the grave from their Easter sermons,” said Chris Rosebrough. “Far too many pastors have played the role of Judas and have betrayed Jesus. Rather than being paid 30 pieces of silver, these pastors have sold Jesus out for the fame and adulation that accompany having a ‘growing, relevant ‘man-centered’ church’.”
Worst
Said Rosebrough, “These Churches have stopped preaching the offense of Christ Crucified for Sins and His resurrection for our justification and have traded the Biblical Gospel for empty feel-good platitudes, and self-help mythologies that scratch itching ears.”
Rosebrough decided that it was time to raise awareness of this serious and growing problem within Christianity and to call these pastors to repentance by holding a contest on his radio program whereby his listeners would decide which sermon was the Worst Easter Sermon of 2009.
In preparation for this contest, Rosebrough screened nearly 100 sermons from churches across America and picked the 5 worst ones to be contestants for this new ‘award’.
The sermons Rosebrough picked for this year’s contest included:
A sermon that explored the “deep” spiritual lessons of the movie Slumdog Millionaire .
A sermon entitled “Beer Babes & Baseball”
A sermon entitled “Livin’ Venti” that encouraged people to live life to the fullest.
A sermon entitled “You Have Come Back Power”
And a sermon entitled “Easter in the Octagon”
This year’s winner of the first ever, Worst Easter Sermon Award went to Joel Osteen’s sermon “You Have Come Back Power”.
Commenting on Osteen’s sermon Rosebrough stated, “Jesus didn’t die on the cross and rise again so that you can have ‘come back power over life’s boo boos and little set backs’. Osteen completely missed the point of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and as a result he missed the entire point of Christianity.”
Said Rosebrough, “I wasn’t surprised that Osteen was the first winner of this award. Osteen is like the Tiger Woods of heresy, he takes false teaching to a whole new level.”
When a group of people become man-centered then "how to have a better sex life" is the key topic. But when a group of people become God-centered then "how can I live in such a way that Christ is demonstrated as great" becomes the main focus. Today the newest fad in the "professing" church is to take on the subject of sex. It makes the headlines in the local paper, even gets some pastors national attention. But what it fails to do is explain why man needs a Savior. And that is a topic that we need to know about for eternity.
Many in the mainstream evangelical church are wondering how low will we go. This video is from a church in Melbourne, Florida that is promoting a series on sex.
When the in-laws come over it's time to break out the steaks. Bill and Betty are wonderful people who we love and deeply admire. Tonight was a time to catch up and talk about summer nights down in Charleston. The last time I grilled something out it came back like sausage patties that had been attacked by a flame thrower.
Here is another example of a church that is focused on improving your life rather than preaching the gospel. Here is a summary of Chris Rosebrough's lesson on 3D theology which gives a great explanation.
This comes from a Sunday School lesson given by Chris Rosebrough. And also was posted on his daily podcast "Fighting for the Faith." Excellent evaluation of the difference between a man-centered and a God-centered theology.
The charge is bandied about that the new breed of Evangelical Seeker-Sensitive pastors are preaching a Me-Centered Gospel, a watered down gospel or are preaching a Christless form of Christianity. But in my conversations with Church Planters and in taking the time to listen to thousands of hours of their sermons I can definitively state that their theology isn't technically 'Christless' and that they believe with ALL of their hearts that they are fulfilling the calling to which they feel Christ has called them.
The problem lies in their popularized form of Baptist theology and its Material and Formal Principles. The center of their religion is off and as a result they are focusing on the wrong things and are trying to produce the results they are seeking with the wrong tools. I know this sounds like an outrageous and conceited charge on my part. But, please bear with me.
I had the opportunity to speak with and interview a large number of pastors at the Evolve 08 conference. I asked every single one of them the exact same question. Here is the question I asked:
"€œWhen was the last time you preached the Gospel message of Christ crucified for our sins and applied it to the BELIEVERS in your church instead of the unbelievers?"
Sadly, tragically, every single pastor that I asked this question answered with these words, "€œThe believers in my church already know that."
That answer more than anything exposes the scriptural bankruptcy of this theology's material principle. It's focus is not on Christ who is the author and the perfecter of our faith (). It's focus is on ME and the things I need to do to change my life. What my friends in the Baptist stream of the Church Planter Movement have failed to understand is that the gospel message of 'Christ crucified for our sins' is not mere information that applies only to unbelievers but that the Gospel message itself is at the very heart of the Biblical doctrine of sanctification. Without the Gospel you cannot and do not produce Christian disciples. You only produce self-righteous followers of a performance-based religion who have no assurance of their salvation.
Let me demonstrate.
Below I've produced a graphic with "MY Changed Life" in the center and orbiting it are the most common sermon topics that I hear preached by those in the Baptist stream of the CPM.
The Material Principle of this popularized form of Baptist theology is the 'Changed Life'
The Formal Principle of this popularized form of Baptist theology is 'The Bible as Guidebook for Living'
Almost without exception the sermons that I hear from this stream of the CPM are all topical, all of them are based upon 2 to 4 verses ripped out of context and preached as a life application. IF Jesus is mentioned in the sermon He is usually brought in as a moral example. AND the main reason given to people by these pastors to apply these Biblical principles to their lives is that '€œGod has called them to greatness or has a special purpose for their lives'€ . All too often the thorny subject of sin is left out or not mentioned at all.
The method of evangelism that these church planters are employing is to market to people in their community offering them advice for becoming a better parent, having a more fulfilling romantic life, financial advice or career guidance. The assumption is that if unbelievers show up then they can apply these Biblical principles as a means of '€˜trying'€™ Christianity before they '€˜buy it'€™. Once they experience positive change in their lives then that will motivate them to make a commitment to Jesus Christ. But the problem is that what they are buying is not the gospel message of Christ crucified for our sins. Instead they are buying a performance based religion that promises to help them overcome and solve the everyday issues of life. Based upon what is being preached the people in these churches are being led to believe the Bible is merely a guidebook for living and that the primary message of Christianity is about life change. Therefore, the object of this religion isn't Jesus Christ it is ME and the progress that I need to be making so that I can experience life change or the methods I need to employ to form better habits. This is nothing more than a merry-go-round of self-improvement and I don'€™t need a savior for this. In reality, all I need is a good life coach and some good advice.
In this theology those who are having success at experiencing this life change are held up and praised for their changed lives while those who are not nearly as victorious silently suffer as they wonder what they are doing wrong or question whether or not God loves them because of their inability to see positive life change in all of these areas. There is no assurance of salvation for anyone who hops onto this merry-go-round. In a performance based religion you never know if you'€™ve done enough and the entire time your conscience is screaming at you every time you sin and fall short. But because Jesus death for sins is ONLY ever applied to unbelievers in these churches the assumption is that Jesus death on the cross DOES NOT APPLY to believers. This is not an overstatement of the facts. I grew up in a performance based form of Christianity and know this is true from personal experience.
Now let me offer an alternate theology. One whose Material Principle is 'Christ Crucified for our sins'€ and whose Formal Principle is Sola Scriptura (the whole council of the word of God instead of the guidebook for living approach)
Notice that the Gospel Message of Christ Crucified for our Sins is the center and substance of this theology. That means that the Gospel is preached Sunday after Sunday and is the main feature of EVERY sermon and EVERY Bible study.
In this theology sin is dealt with as a serious and deadly problem and every person, including the pastor, has the mirror of God's perfect law held up to them to expose their utter depravity and sinfulness. The solution that is offered to solve this problem is NOT practical steps to experience '€˜life change'. The ONLY solution that is offered for this problem is Christ crucified for our sins. Why? Because scripture is clear that the law cannot save us NOR sanctify us. But that we are saved AND sanctified by the good news that Christ died for OUR sins. The good works that we do are not done out of selfish motivations (I want a better sex life) but they are done because we are NEW creations in Christ and our new nature given to us by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel () naturally produces good fruit and this fruit is produced as an act of worship to our savior who in His love and mercy rescued us from the bondage of sin through Christ's propitiatory sacrifice for our sins on the cross ().
I offer these passages of scripture as further proof that what I am saying is in accord with sound Biblical doctrine.
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Notice that Paul said '€œto us who are being saved'€™. The "€œIT"€ Paul is referring to is the message of the gospel NOT the message of the law and the message of principles to be applied for life change.
Paul continues...
"Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Again notice that Paul says in verse 23 '€œwe PREACH (present active indicative) Christ Crucified'. Paul did not limit this preaching to only unbelievers!!! It is undeniably clear that this message was the center and substance of Paul'€™s preaching to both believers and unbelievers.
Then Paul wrote this...
"And I, when I came to you, brothers,did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Was Paul actually saying that he ONLY preached Christ Crucified? In a VERY real way that is EXACTLY what Paul was saying. He was making it very clear that "Christ Crucified for our sins" (The Gospel) was the Material Principle of his theology and therefore Jesus Christ NOT Paul and his progress in a performance based religion was the object of Paul'€™s faith.
In fact Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote his harshest letter to the churches in Galatia who had abandoned the message of Christ Crucified for our sins and had replaced it with a performance based religion. Said Paul...
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
So many Christians today talk a lot about 'being in the flesh' versus 'being in the spirit'. But, do they actually know that being on the merry-go-round of a performance based religion is exactly how scripture defines what it means to be in the flesh? Do they actually know that this passage teaches that to 'be in the spirit'€™ means to trust and have faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross as opposed to trusting in your changed life?
Regarding performance based religion, which Paul was all to familiar with, wrote...
"Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh'€” 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith'€” 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Here's the bottom line. Those members of the CPM who have the 'changed life'€™ as their theological center and material principle are in grave spiritual danger. Even worse, it is more than likely that the people who are attending their church plants have the wrong idea about what the Christian faith is about. I therefore am making an appeal to Church Planters to repent and preach the gospel to both believers and unbelievers every single Sunday. I am making an appeal to them based upon the clear teachings of the Word of God to change their material principle from the 'changed life' to 'Christ crucified for our sins'. Then and ONLY then will they witness the Holy Spirit effecting real and eternal change in people's lives.
My daughter Anna wrote a wonderful tribute to our precious Snickers who was put to rest today.
