2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
2:9 Not of words, lest any man should boast.
2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
2:19 Now, therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The Greatest Churches in America
by David Ravenhill
"How many are you running these days?" or "How many do you have?" are frequently asked questions among ministry leaders. As the numbers are disclosed, the 'pecking order' is established. The pastor with the largest congregation is indisputably the 'top gun' while those with fewer numbers take their respective positions on the 'failure-to-success' continuum.
Why is it that whenever the secular or spiritual media rate 'The Greatest Churches in America,' the one overriding criteria for measuring success is membership numbers. We've become mesmerized by crowds rather than character.
Speaking of numbers, just this morning I was meditating on what the Lord said to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 44). God told him that there were two classes of 'ministry.' One class was refused access before Him and thus relegated to ministry to the people only. The second group of ministers/priests was chosen by the Lord for His own personal satisfaction. They alone had access into His inner court. God spoke to Ezekiel saying "they shall come near to ME, to minister to ME and they shall stand before ME, to offer to ME the fat and the blood declares the Lord."
Let us make a clear distinction between these two groups. The ministry of one was public; the other private. One ministered to the crowd, the other to Christ. One group was seen, the other unseen. One had the approval of men, the other the approval of God. All of which begs the question, which had the superior calling? According to today's standard, those with the largest following would be the clear winners. After all, they have numbers on their side - and numbers are a sure sign of ministerial success, right? Wrong!
Is it possible even today God still sees two groups of ministers? Does He still retain some for His own personal enjoyment, those invited into the inner court, while others are relegated to the lesser position of ministering to the crowds in the outer court?
One further thought: why were two categories of leaders established in the first place? The Lord revealed to Ezekiel that one group had permitted mixture to infiltrate the camp, thereby polluting His sanctuary. This act of compromise, along with gluttonous idolatry, penalized them from access before the Lord.
I see striking parallels between those in Ezekiel's day and those in ministry today. Many have adopted a seeker-sensitive approach to ministry because, frankly, it draws the crowds. Sin is seldom mentioned; as for sanctification, it is unknown word to many believers. God forbid that we should offend someone by telling them to repent and live a holy life.
The end result is that many, like those priests of old, have allowed the uncircumcised to enter the house of the Lord. Those who draw the largest crowds, are too often most susceptible to the pressure to patronize the people by 'tickling their ears.'
Someone has said 'The one thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history'. Success is not determined by how many people you minister to, but whether or not we, corporately, minister to Him. How successful are you?
"How many are you running these days?" or "How many do you have?" are frequently asked questions among ministry leaders. As the numbers are disclosed, the 'pecking order' is established. The pastor with the largest congregation is indisputably the 'top gun' while those with fewer numbers take their respective positions on the 'failure-to-success' continuum.
Why is it that whenever the secular or spiritual media rate 'The Greatest Churches in America,' the one overriding criteria for measuring success is membership numbers. We've become mesmerized by crowds rather than character.
Speaking of numbers, just this morning I was meditating on what the Lord said to Ezekiel (Ezekiel 44). God told him that there were two classes of 'ministry.' One class was refused access before Him and thus relegated to ministry to the people only. The second group of ministers/priests was chosen by the Lord for His own personal satisfaction. They alone had access into His inner court. God spoke to Ezekiel saying "they shall come near to ME, to minister to ME and they shall stand before ME, to offer to ME the fat and the blood declares the Lord."
Let us make a clear distinction between these two groups. The ministry of one was public; the other private. One ministered to the crowd, the other to Christ. One group was seen, the other unseen. One had the approval of men, the other the approval of God. All of which begs the question, which had the superior calling? According to today's standard, those with the largest following would be the clear winners. After all, they have numbers on their side - and numbers are a sure sign of ministerial success, right? Wrong!
Is it possible even today God still sees two groups of ministers? Does He still retain some for His own personal enjoyment, those invited into the inner court, while others are relegated to the lesser position of ministering to the crowds in the outer court?
One further thought: why were two categories of leaders established in the first place? The Lord revealed to Ezekiel that one group had permitted mixture to infiltrate the camp, thereby polluting His sanctuary. This act of compromise, along with gluttonous idolatry, penalized them from access before the Lord.
I see striking parallels between those in Ezekiel's day and those in ministry today. Many have adopted a seeker-sensitive approach to ministry because, frankly, it draws the crowds. Sin is seldom mentioned; as for sanctification, it is unknown word to many believers. God forbid that we should offend someone by telling them to repent and live a holy life.
The end result is that many, like those priests of old, have allowed the uncircumcised to enter the house of the Lord. Those who draw the largest crowds, are too often most susceptible to the pressure to patronize the people by 'tickling their ears.'
Someone has said 'The one thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history'. Success is not determined by how many people you minister to, but whether or not we, corporately, minister to Him. How successful are you?
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Getting to Know Jesus: Ephesians 1
1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.
1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in who also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in who also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Monday, December 28, 2009
"Things" That Divide
from the book A Witness and a Testimony by T.A. Sparks
I will be very practical and come right to the point. It is a false apprehension of a heavenly position for anyone to run down Christians because they are in denominations, and to have anything in them which separates them from children of God because they are in these things.
That is a false apprehension of a heavenly and spiritual position. I want to say that with great emphasis. Such people have not yet come to the place where they can discriminate between children of God and things in which children of God may be.
You and I might come to the place where, more or less, we could not participate in the things, and might see that the things -- call them what you like, 'sects', 'denominations', such things -- are limiting things and are a contradiction to the thought of God. We may come to see that there is all the difference between a very strong feeling and conviction about that, and allowing our feeling toward the thing to touch the people who are children of God.
Dear friends, you have to keep a very wide gap between those two things, and when you meet someone who is in something, which thing you feel the Lord has delivered you from or led you out of or shown you to be not in accord with His mind, you must not allow your feeling toward that thing to touch that child of God.
Our attitude toward a child of God is to be the love of God for His children as His children wherever they are, and there are children of God in some extraordinary places and in things which may be unthinkable to us. You and I have to recognize children of God wherever they are, in whatever they are, and keep the street intact -- one street, one thoroughfare. We walk with children of God as they walk with the Lord because they are children of God.
Satan's business is to try and make that impossible and to split up this street into a thousand highways and byways and cul-de-sacs. It is true! He is fighting against this all the time, and there is nothing too sacred for him. The tragic, painful, grievous story of the Church is just this -- the story of Satan's mischief in dividing the Lord's people.
I will be very practical and come right to the point. It is a false apprehension of a heavenly position for anyone to run down Christians because they are in denominations, and to have anything in them which separates them from children of God because they are in these things.
That is a false apprehension of a heavenly and spiritual position. I want to say that with great emphasis. Such people have not yet come to the place where they can discriminate between children of God and things in which children of God may be.
You and I might come to the place where, more or less, we could not participate in the things, and might see that the things -- call them what you like, 'sects', 'denominations', such things -- are limiting things and are a contradiction to the thought of God. We may come to see that there is all the difference between a very strong feeling and conviction about that, and allowing our feeling toward the thing to touch the people who are children of God.
Dear friends, you have to keep a very wide gap between those two things, and when you meet someone who is in something, which thing you feel the Lord has delivered you from or led you out of or shown you to be not in accord with His mind, you must not allow your feeling toward that thing to touch that child of God.
Our attitude toward a child of God is to be the love of God for His children as His children wherever they are, and there are children of God in some extraordinary places and in things which may be unthinkable to us. You and I have to recognize children of God wherever they are, in whatever they are, and keep the street intact -- one street, one thoroughfare. We walk with children of God as they walk with the Lord because they are children of God.
Satan's business is to try and make that impossible and to split up this street into a thousand highways and byways and cul-de-sacs. It is true! He is fighting against this all the time, and there is nothing too sacred for him. The tragic, painful, grievous story of the Church is just this -- the story of Satan's mischief in dividing the Lord's people.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Getting to Know Jesus: Galatians 6
6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.
6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
6:11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.
6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
6:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
6:5 For every man shall bear his own burden.
6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
6:11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.
6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
6:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
A Wonderful Example of a True Prophet
by Zac Poonen
In 1 Kings Chapter 17 the first thing I want you to notice about Elijah are his words to King Ahab: "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand". These true prophets did not fear kings who were mere specks of dust before God. The great need is for young men who can be prophets like that. Knowledge of the Bible is important.
But more important than that is this: You must live before God's face. To live before God's face, you must live before conscience 100% clear - not 99%, but 100%. And you must humble yourself totally. Your face must be in the dust all the time. That's how Elijah lived.
If God can't find young men like that, I hope He will find some young sisters who live before God's face and be a voice for Him. You may not stand in a pulpit, but you can influence people from your homes. God needs many brothers and sisters in our land who live before his face.
Elijah was a man who was instantly obedient to every little thing that God said. God told him one day to go and hide himself by the brook Cherith - and he went at once (1 Kings 17:3). There the ravens brought him bread and meat and he drank from the brook (1 Kings 17:6).
At 8 o'clock every morning, a raven would bring him some food. Again 5 o'clock in the evening, another raven would bring him some food. These crows would bring him meat. If the crows had brought him vegetables, that itself would have been a miracle. But for a crow to bring meat (which it loves) is a greater miracle. That's how God provided for Elijah. But gradually, after a few days, Elijah began depending on the ravens and not the Lord!
Many servants of the Lord start out trusting the Lord for their financial needs. But after a few years, they are no longer depending on the Lord, but on some ravens - human beings who send them regular support! That is exactly what happened to Elijah. So what did the Lord do? He stopped the ravens. God wanted to shake off Elijah's dependence on ravens and to teach him once again to depend on the Lord.
So thank God when the ravens stop coming - when the promised support doesn't come. Then you will learn once again to trust the Lord alone for your needs. I have been through experiences like that. I thank God for the times when He has turned away my eyes from ravens to Him Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and Who has said that He will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.
The Lord then changed His method and told Elijah now to go to Zarephath. Zarephath was outside Israel. Elijah may have imagined that some rich businessman there would take care of him. But when he reached Zarephath, what he found was not a rich businessman, but a poor widow who was just about to have her last meal! And the Lord told Elijah, "She will support you"!
God's ways are truly amazing. God does things like that, because He is a jealous God. He wants us to trust in Him, and not in ravens or rich businessmen. He will use a weak person whom you least expect to be able to help you, and use him, so that no flesh may glory in His presence.
The widow said, "We were just about to have our last meal and die." Elijah told her, "Don't be afraid. Make me a little bread cake from it first. The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth" (1 Kings 17:13, 14). And the bowl of flour was not exhausted and the jar of oil did not become empty.
There are many preachers today who use this incident to teach poor people to give them money. But that is a total misinterpretation of this incident. First of all, most of today's preachers are not prophets like Elijah. Secondly, most of today's preachers are lovers of money, unlike Elijah. These two facts alone put Elijah in a different class altogether, from most of today's preachers who exploit the poor.
Further, Elijah asked the widow for just a bare meal to survive in a time of famine; and he ate the same food that the widow and her son ate. Today's preachers are not asking for money for them to survive, but for them to support their grand lifestyles. There are multitudes of false prophets around today. Unfortunately, since most of God's people do not know how to distinguish between a true prophet and a false one, they are deceived.
In 1 Kings Chapter 17 the first thing I want you to notice about Elijah are his words to King Ahab: "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand". These true prophets did not fear kings who were mere specks of dust before God. The great need is for young men who can be prophets like that. Knowledge of the Bible is important.
But more important than that is this: You must live before God's face. To live before God's face, you must live before conscience 100% clear - not 99%, but 100%. And you must humble yourself totally. Your face must be in the dust all the time. That's how Elijah lived.
If God can't find young men like that, I hope He will find some young sisters who live before God's face and be a voice for Him. You may not stand in a pulpit, but you can influence people from your homes. God needs many brothers and sisters in our land who live before his face.
Elijah was a man who was instantly obedient to every little thing that God said. God told him one day to go and hide himself by the brook Cherith - and he went at once (1 Kings 17:3). There the ravens brought him bread and meat and he drank from the brook (1 Kings 17:6).
At 8 o'clock every morning, a raven would bring him some food. Again 5 o'clock in the evening, another raven would bring him some food. These crows would bring him meat. If the crows had brought him vegetables, that itself would have been a miracle. But for a crow to bring meat (which it loves) is a greater miracle. That's how God provided for Elijah. But gradually, after a few days, Elijah began depending on the ravens and not the Lord!
Many servants of the Lord start out trusting the Lord for their financial needs. But after a few years, they are no longer depending on the Lord, but on some ravens - human beings who send them regular support! That is exactly what happened to Elijah. So what did the Lord do? He stopped the ravens. God wanted to shake off Elijah's dependence on ravens and to teach him once again to depend on the Lord.
So thank God when the ravens stop coming - when the promised support doesn't come. Then you will learn once again to trust the Lord alone for your needs. I have been through experiences like that. I thank God for the times when He has turned away my eyes from ravens to Him Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and Who has said that He will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.
The Lord then changed His method and told Elijah now to go to Zarephath. Zarephath was outside Israel. Elijah may have imagined that some rich businessman there would take care of him. But when he reached Zarephath, what he found was not a rich businessman, but a poor widow who was just about to have her last meal! And the Lord told Elijah, "She will support you"!
God's ways are truly amazing. God does things like that, because He is a jealous God. He wants us to trust in Him, and not in ravens or rich businessmen. He will use a weak person whom you least expect to be able to help you, and use him, so that no flesh may glory in His presence.
The widow said, "We were just about to have our last meal and die." Elijah told her, "Don't be afraid. Make me a little bread cake from it first. The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth" (1 Kings 17:13, 14). And the bowl of flour was not exhausted and the jar of oil did not become empty.
There are many preachers today who use this incident to teach poor people to give them money. But that is a total misinterpretation of this incident. First of all, most of today's preachers are not prophets like Elijah. Secondly, most of today's preachers are lovers of money, unlike Elijah. These two facts alone put Elijah in a different class altogether, from most of today's preachers who exploit the poor.
Further, Elijah asked the widow for just a bare meal to survive in a time of famine; and he ate the same food that the widow and her son ate. Today's preachers are not asking for money for them to survive, but for them to support their grand lifestyles. There are multitudes of false prophets around today. Unfortunately, since most of God's people do not know how to distinguish between a true prophet and a false one, they are deceived.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Getting to Know Jesus: Galatians 5
5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whoseover of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
5:8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
5:10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
5:11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
5:12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whoseover of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
5:8 This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
5:10 I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
5:11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
5:12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you.
5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Laying Up Treasures
Christ's Message to American Christians
by Roger Hertzler
In Matthew 6:19 Jesus commands us, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth." He commands us further in Luke 12:33 and Matthew 6:20, "Sell that ye have, and give alms," and "Lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven."
Why is it wrong for Christians to accumulate wealth on this earth? Because it steals our love, for Jesus said our hearts will be with our treasures. Because it denies the hungry, thirsty, and naked of the provisions that we could be giving them. Because it destroys our faith in God, Who ought to be the focus of our trust. Because we have a far better investment opportunity available to us, namely, treasures in Heaven.
But the number one reason that it is wrong to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth is that it is direct disobedience to the commands of Jesus, the very One that we claim as our Lord and Master. The simple fact that He told us to "lay not up" and to "sell and give" ought to be more than enough reason to simply obey.
Yet for most Christians in America, it is just as though these commands do not exist. Our behavior in this area is no different from that of the non-Christians around us. We have piled up enormous amounts of wealth in stocks, bonds, savings accounts, retirement plans, and other earthly investments with no regard whatsoever to the fact that Jesus told us not to do it. If anything, in fact, Christians tend to be more enthused about accumulating earthly wealth than their non-Christian neighbors.
Jesus' teaching on this subject is so abundant and so plain that it is truly amazing that we as Christians could have missed it. He made statements like "Woe to you who are rich" and "Blessed are you who are poor". He said it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to make it to Heaven. He told stories of rich men going to Hell and poor men going to Heaven. And in Matthew 25 he indicated that a key factor in our eternal destiny is whether or not we have used our earthly resources to help those in need.
Christ's disciples also taught and practiced these commands of their Teacher. In Acts 2 & 4 we see the early Christians obeying Christ's commands explicitly. In 1 Timothy 6, Paul writes that the love of money is the root of all evil. James tells rich men who have heaped together wealth for the future to "weep and howl" for the miseries that are coming upon them. And John writes that if we withhold our possessions when we see a needy brother, then the love of God cannot be in us.
Our disobedience in this area has brought much reproach to Christ's name. Christians are known in this country far more for their greed than they are for their generosity. The non-Christians around us would be utterly astounded to hear that our Leader said anything at all against the accumulation of wealth.
What shall we do then? How will true repentance look for those of us who have broken these commands of Jesus?
Sell the possessions you have that you really don't need, especially the investment type assets (treasures) that you have stored up on this earth. If there are taxes due as a result of these sales, pay them. If there are debts connected to these assets, satisfy them. If you have restitution to make or other bills that are due, take care of those things as well.
Then take the money you have left and begin in the name of Jesus to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and spread the gospel, especially to those in third world countries. By doing so you will be laying up treasures in Heaven, "where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth."
If you are willing to consider that this might be a message from the Lord, and would like to take a more detailed look at this subject, then I invite you to read the free book "Through the Eye of a Needle".
Conclusion:
Lately it has been very encouraging to see increasing numbers of Christians beseeching God to pour out revival upon the American church. The great revivals of the past have all been preceded by much prayer by God's people, and I long for this to be an indication that another great revival is not far away.
Yet is it possible that God is saying the church in response to these prayers, "I am willing to revive when you are willing to repent."? Could it be that God is saying to us, "I've already told you what you need to do. Go listen to the words I spoke to you through my Son. Go read His words in the Sermon on the Mount. Hear His commands, obey them, and teach others to do the same. Then, and only then, will I send you the revival you are seeking."?
Is there any price too high for the church to be revived, for sinners to be saved, and for Christ to be glorified?
___________________________________
This has not been an easy message to write, and I'm sure it hasn't been an easy message for you to read. But today is not a day for ease, but rather a day to humble our hearts before God. This life we are living is not a playground, but a battlefield. Most of the people living on this earth (including many who call Jesus their Lord) will end up in Hell rather than in Heaven, according to the words of our Savior. Time is short, eternity is near, and the need is desperate for men and women to become brave soldiers in the army of God.
I did not write this message for the fun of it, but because I desire to honor and obey my King. I believe God gave me this burden because it reflects His heart toward American Christians and because he desires that they would all hear this message while there is still time to respond to it.
Perhaps there are actually some of you who have not rejected this message immediately. Perhaps after reading it, you believe that it might in fact be a true reflection of God's heart. If so, I would encourage you to share it with the other Christians you know.
Don't do it for my sake, however, since I'm sure it won't be any more fun sharing it with others than it was for you to read it yourself. Do it rather for the sake of Him Who died for you, as He gives you courage and guidance, that He alone may be glorified.
by Roger Hertzler
In Matthew 6:19 Jesus commands us, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth." He commands us further in Luke 12:33 and Matthew 6:20, "Sell that ye have, and give alms," and "Lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven."
Why is it wrong for Christians to accumulate wealth on this earth? Because it steals our love, for Jesus said our hearts will be with our treasures. Because it denies the hungry, thirsty, and naked of the provisions that we could be giving them. Because it destroys our faith in God, Who ought to be the focus of our trust. Because we have a far better investment opportunity available to us, namely, treasures in Heaven.
But the number one reason that it is wrong to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth is that it is direct disobedience to the commands of Jesus, the very One that we claim as our Lord and Master. The simple fact that He told us to "lay not up" and to "sell and give" ought to be more than enough reason to simply obey.
Yet for most Christians in America, it is just as though these commands do not exist. Our behavior in this area is no different from that of the non-Christians around us. We have piled up enormous amounts of wealth in stocks, bonds, savings accounts, retirement plans, and other earthly investments with no regard whatsoever to the fact that Jesus told us not to do it. If anything, in fact, Christians tend to be more enthused about accumulating earthly wealth than their non-Christian neighbors.
Jesus' teaching on this subject is so abundant and so plain that it is truly amazing that we as Christians could have missed it. He made statements like "Woe to you who are rich" and "Blessed are you who are poor". He said it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to make it to Heaven. He told stories of rich men going to Hell and poor men going to Heaven. And in Matthew 25 he indicated that a key factor in our eternal destiny is whether or not we have used our earthly resources to help those in need.
Christ's disciples also taught and practiced these commands of their Teacher. In Acts 2 & 4 we see the early Christians obeying Christ's commands explicitly. In 1 Timothy 6, Paul writes that the love of money is the root of all evil. James tells rich men who have heaped together wealth for the future to "weep and howl" for the miseries that are coming upon them. And John writes that if we withhold our possessions when we see a needy brother, then the love of God cannot be in us.
Our disobedience in this area has brought much reproach to Christ's name. Christians are known in this country far more for their greed than they are for their generosity. The non-Christians around us would be utterly astounded to hear that our Leader said anything at all against the accumulation of wealth.
What shall we do then? How will true repentance look for those of us who have broken these commands of Jesus?
Sell the possessions you have that you really don't need, especially the investment type assets (treasures) that you have stored up on this earth. If there are taxes due as a result of these sales, pay them. If there are debts connected to these assets, satisfy them. If you have restitution to make or other bills that are due, take care of those things as well.
Then take the money you have left and begin in the name of Jesus to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and spread the gospel, especially to those in third world countries. By doing so you will be laying up treasures in Heaven, "where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth."
If you are willing to consider that this might be a message from the Lord, and would like to take a more detailed look at this subject, then I invite you to read the free book "Through the Eye of a Needle".
Conclusion:
Lately it has been very encouraging to see increasing numbers of Christians beseeching God to pour out revival upon the American church. The great revivals of the past have all been preceded by much prayer by God's people, and I long for this to be an indication that another great revival is not far away.
Yet is it possible that God is saying the church in response to these prayers, "I am willing to revive when you are willing to repent."? Could it be that God is saying to us, "I've already told you what you need to do. Go listen to the words I spoke to you through my Son. Go read His words in the Sermon on the Mount. Hear His commands, obey them, and teach others to do the same. Then, and only then, will I send you the revival you are seeking."?
Is there any price too high for the church to be revived, for sinners to be saved, and for Christ to be glorified?
___________________________________
This has not been an easy message to write, and I'm sure it hasn't been an easy message for you to read. But today is not a day for ease, but rather a day to humble our hearts before God. This life we are living is not a playground, but a battlefield. Most of the people living on this earth (including many who call Jesus their Lord) will end up in Hell rather than in Heaven, according to the words of our Savior. Time is short, eternity is near, and the need is desperate for men and women to become brave soldiers in the army of God.
I did not write this message for the fun of it, but because I desire to honor and obey my King. I believe God gave me this burden because it reflects His heart toward American Christians and because he desires that they would all hear this message while there is still time to respond to it.
Perhaps there are actually some of you who have not rejected this message immediately. Perhaps after reading it, you believe that it might in fact be a true reflection of God's heart. If so, I would encourage you to share it with the other Christians you know.
Don't do it for my sake, however, since I'm sure it won't be any more fun sharing it with others than it was for you to read it yourself. Do it rather for the sake of Him Who died for you, as He gives you courage and guidance, that He alone may be glorified.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Getting to Know Jesus: Galatians 4
4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
4:2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under law,
4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
4:12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.
4:13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
4:15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.
4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
4:17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
4:18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
4:20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
4:2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under law,
4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
4:12 Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.
4:13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
4:15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.
4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
4:17 They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.
4:18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
4:20 I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.
4:21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Love Your Enemies
Christ's Message to American Christians
by Roger Hertzler
In Matthew 5:44 Jesus commands us, "Love your enemies." In Matthew 5:39 He tells us to "resist not evil" but rather to turn the other cheek when someone smites us. And in John 18:36 Jesus told Pilate, "My Kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, than would my servants fight...: but now is my kingdom not from hence."
Though literal obedience to this kind of teaching appears unreasonable and unworkable, we find Jesus' disciples reiterating it in the epistles. Paul, for instance writes in the book of Romans:
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:18-21).
For many years after Christ left this earth, His followers strove diligently to obey these commands of their Lord. They were known far and wide as people who would take wrong rather than do wrong to others. They showed love to their enemies and preferred to suffer or even die rather than inflict injury on someone else.
Consistent obedience to these commands, understandably, was never easy to carry out. Eventually Christians began to make excuses and ask questions about whether this teaching really ought to be taken literally. "But what if my enemy attacks my family? May I not seize a weapon to defend them?" "But what if my enemy crosses the border of my country? Shouldn't I take up arms to defend my nation?" "But what if my government asks me to join its military and fight against its ungodly adversaries? Am I not responsible to obey my authorities?"
In response, the church's theologians began to develop complicated ideas (such as the "just war theory") to rationalize how followers of Jesus could be involved in earthly warfare without violating the commands of their Savior.
As Christ's teaching was gradually discarded in favor of human reasoning, the church entered into a compromise that has probably brought more reproach to the name of Jesus than any other since the beginning of Christianity. It is truly staggering to imagine all the wrongs that could have been avoided had Christians everywhere stayed true to Christ's call to love our enemies.
There would have been no bloody crusades in the middle ages in the name of Christ. There would have been no Catholic inquisition in the name of Christ. There would have been no enslavement of the American blacks in the name of Christ. Even Hitler's evil plans would have been thwarted since most of the recruits in his army were people who claimed to be part of the body of Christ.
The commands of Christ regarding the treatment of our enemies are so numerous and so clear that it is hard to see how any Bible-believing Christian could miss them. Yet here in America it is nearly impossible, by looking at Christ's followers, to discern that He said anything at all about loving our enemies. In fact, Christians generally are even more likely than non-Christians to be supportive of military power and action. Christians generally are more likely than non-Christians to champion the right to own weapons to defend ourselves from criminal activity.
What shall we do then? How should we repent from our disobedience to the commands of Christ in this area?
If you are a member of the armed forces of an earthly nation, get out of that position regardless of what it will cost you. Enlist instead in the army of Jesus and begin to fight the good fight of faith, laying hold on eternal life. Pledge your allegiance to Christ's kingdom and commit to obeying its laws, even when they come into conflict with the laws of an earthly kingdom.
Get rid of any carnal weapons that you own for self-defense, and pick up instead the true weapons of our warfare, weapons which are not carnal but are mighty through God. Purpose in your heart that you will love and pray for your enemies rather than fight them, choosing to take wrong yourself rather than inflicting injury on another person.
And through it all, don't forget these encouraging words from our brother Peter: "And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;" (1 Peter 3:13, 14).
by Roger Hertzler
In Matthew 5:44 Jesus commands us, "Love your enemies." In Matthew 5:39 He tells us to "resist not evil" but rather to turn the other cheek when someone smites us. And in John 18:36 Jesus told Pilate, "My Kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, than would my servants fight...: but now is my kingdom not from hence."
Though literal obedience to this kind of teaching appears unreasonable and unworkable, we find Jesus' disciples reiterating it in the epistles. Paul, for instance writes in the book of Romans:
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:18-21).
For many years after Christ left this earth, His followers strove diligently to obey these commands of their Lord. They were known far and wide as people who would take wrong rather than do wrong to others. They showed love to their enemies and preferred to suffer or even die rather than inflict injury on someone else.
Consistent obedience to these commands, understandably, was never easy to carry out. Eventually Christians began to make excuses and ask questions about whether this teaching really ought to be taken literally. "But what if my enemy attacks my family? May I not seize a weapon to defend them?" "But what if my enemy crosses the border of my country? Shouldn't I take up arms to defend my nation?" "But what if my government asks me to join its military and fight against its ungodly adversaries? Am I not responsible to obey my authorities?"
In response, the church's theologians began to develop complicated ideas (such as the "just war theory") to rationalize how followers of Jesus could be involved in earthly warfare without violating the commands of their Savior.
As Christ's teaching was gradually discarded in favor of human reasoning, the church entered into a compromise that has probably brought more reproach to the name of Jesus than any other since the beginning of Christianity. It is truly staggering to imagine all the wrongs that could have been avoided had Christians everywhere stayed true to Christ's call to love our enemies.
There would have been no bloody crusades in the middle ages in the name of Christ. There would have been no Catholic inquisition in the name of Christ. There would have been no enslavement of the American blacks in the name of Christ. Even Hitler's evil plans would have been thwarted since most of the recruits in his army were people who claimed to be part of the body of Christ.
The commands of Christ regarding the treatment of our enemies are so numerous and so clear that it is hard to see how any Bible-believing Christian could miss them. Yet here in America it is nearly impossible, by looking at Christ's followers, to discern that He said anything at all about loving our enemies. In fact, Christians generally are even more likely than non-Christians to be supportive of military power and action. Christians generally are more likely than non-Christians to champion the right to own weapons to defend ourselves from criminal activity.
What shall we do then? How should we repent from our disobedience to the commands of Christ in this area?
If you are a member of the armed forces of an earthly nation, get out of that position regardless of what it will cost you. Enlist instead in the army of Jesus and begin to fight the good fight of faith, laying hold on eternal life. Pledge your allegiance to Christ's kingdom and commit to obeying its laws, even when they come into conflict with the laws of an earthly kingdom.
Get rid of any carnal weapons that you own for self-defense, and pick up instead the true weapons of our warfare, weapons which are not carnal but are mighty through God. Purpose in your heart that you will love and pray for your enemies rather than fight them, choosing to take wrong yourself rather than inflicting injury on another person.
And through it all, don't forget these encouraging words from our brother Peter: "And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;" (1 Peter 3:13, 14).
Monday, December 21, 2009
Getting to Know Jesus: Galatians 3
3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
3:4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
3:4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
3:5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Divorce and Remarriage
Christ's Message to American Christians
by Roger Hertzler
Jesus states in Luke 16:18, "Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery." In Mark 10:11, 12 He says similarly, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery."
Few subjects were discussed by our Lord as much as the subject of marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Yet the average unbeliever looking at the American church today would have to conclude that Jesus said absolutely nothing about this subject! There is essentially no difference between the world and the church in regards to the frequency of the divorces and remarriages that occur.
Both the teaching of Jesus and the teaching in the epistles make it clear that divorce is wrong, and should seldom if ever occur among His people. If divorce does take place, however, it is always wrong for the divorcee to remarry while the former partner is still alive. Such an action, according to Mark 10:11, constitutes adultery against the former spouse.
The apostle Paul confirms this in two separate passages by writing, The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:39). For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man (Romans 7:2, 3).
How much wreckage could have been avoided if Christians had stayed true to Christ's teaching? More, no doubt, than what anyone could possibly imagine. The devastation that has occurred because of the plague of divorce and remarriage is incalculable. The injured spouses, the suffering children, the juvenile delinquencies, and the escalating crime rates are all fueled by the explosion of this practice during the last 50 years.
The church of Jesus, which should have been standing as a fortress against this evil, has instead given way to it completely. Only eternity will tell how many souls will be lost as a result of this horrible compromise by the professed body of Christ.
God says in the book of Malachi that he hates divorce. His will is that it would never happen, especially among those who claim to be His people. In the not-so-distant past, divorce actually was relatively rare in this country. Part of the reason it was rare was because remarriage after divorce was severely stigmatized. Once remarriage became an acceptable option, however, the number of divorces increased exponentially.
This epidemic has grown so quickly that we have now reached the point where there are nearly a million divorces filed in the United States every year. Most of those who do get a divorce will eventually get remarried. And most of these remarriages will occur while the former spouse is still living.
The professed church of Jesus Christ has entered into this deception wholesale. Very few are the church leaders who are speaking out against divorce and remarriage at all. Fewer still are the pastors who bravely refuse to marry someone who has previously been divorced. And almost nonexistent are those who teach that true repentance for divorced and remarried couples will mean to separate themselves from these adulterous relationships.
Most conservative Christians would rightly conclude that a homosexual couple, even a married homosexual couple, would need to repent of their relationship and separate from each other if they want to become followers of Christ. Yet we have somehow concluded that the only thing necessary for a divorced and remarried couple to do (if anything at all) is to repent of the ceremony but then go on living together just as though they are not committing adultery against anyone. By making this compromise, we as Christians have effectively given up our right to call homosexuals to true repentance.
What shall we do then? How exactly is God calling us to repent from this our wickedness? How does He want us to deal with all the mixed-up situations created by the vast number of divorces and remarriages occurring today?
Let me put it as simply as I can. If you are married today, and either you or your spouse has an ex-spouse who is still living, your current marriage is an act of adultery against that person. True repentance means to get out of your adulterous relationship, ask the forgiveness of those you have wronged, and live in celibacy from this day forward. By taking this courageous step you will be lifting up a powerful testimony for truth and holiness and striking a mighty blow against the kingdom of Satan.
Most will react to this proposal by rejecting it immediately as utter nonsense. "How cruel and unloving you are," they will say. "A merciful God would never ask me to do such a thing." If that is how you respond, then I guess I must simply leave this issue between you and your God. Please keep in mind, though, that if this message I am writing is true, then it would have been cruel and unloving on my part not to have told you. Keep in mind also that God is a God of love, and if this really is what He is asking you to do, then it is for your eternal benefit and not for your harm.
Others will respond to this message by saying, "There is probably some truth to what you are saying, but I think there are some exceptions we need to consider." If this is your response, then I'm sure that this short message won't be enough to convince you otherwise. But let me ask you, before you travel down that road, to please consider where the "exception" road has taken us. It is by making exceptions that American Christians have eventually gotten to the place where Jesus might as well have not said nothing about divorce and remarriage. There simply is no noticeable difference in practice between Christians and non-Christians.
So to those of you who have ears to hear: listen to the words of Jesus, read the words of His apostles, and respond in humility to what God is asking you to do. Not for your happiness or for the happiness of those around you, but for the reputation of our God. We have brought awful blasphemy to His name by this wickedness of ours, and only radical repentance will do anything at all to restore to Him the glory He deserves.
If you are willing to consider that this might possibly be a message from the Lord, and would like to take a more detailed look at this subject, then I invite you to click here. This will take you to an online book entitled "Dear Pastor".
by Roger Hertzler
Jesus states in Luke 16:18, "Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery." In Mark 10:11, 12 He says similarly, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery."
Few subjects were discussed by our Lord as much as the subject of marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Yet the average unbeliever looking at the American church today would have to conclude that Jesus said absolutely nothing about this subject! There is essentially no difference between the world and the church in regards to the frequency of the divorces and remarriages that occur.
Both the teaching of Jesus and the teaching in the epistles make it clear that divorce is wrong, and should seldom if ever occur among His people. If divorce does take place, however, it is always wrong for the divorcee to remarry while the former partner is still alive. Such an action, according to Mark 10:11, constitutes adultery against the former spouse.
The apostle Paul confirms this in two separate passages by writing, The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:39). For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man (Romans 7:2, 3).
How much wreckage could have been avoided if Christians had stayed true to Christ's teaching? More, no doubt, than what anyone could possibly imagine. The devastation that has occurred because of the plague of divorce and remarriage is incalculable. The injured spouses, the suffering children, the juvenile delinquencies, and the escalating crime rates are all fueled by the explosion of this practice during the last 50 years.
The church of Jesus, which should have been standing as a fortress against this evil, has instead given way to it completely. Only eternity will tell how many souls will be lost as a result of this horrible compromise by the professed body of Christ.
God says in the book of Malachi that he hates divorce. His will is that it would never happen, especially among those who claim to be His people. In the not-so-distant past, divorce actually was relatively rare in this country. Part of the reason it was rare was because remarriage after divorce was severely stigmatized. Once remarriage became an acceptable option, however, the number of divorces increased exponentially.
This epidemic has grown so quickly that we have now reached the point where there are nearly a million divorces filed in the United States every year. Most of those who do get a divorce will eventually get remarried. And most of these remarriages will occur while the former spouse is still living.
The professed church of Jesus Christ has entered into this deception wholesale. Very few are the church leaders who are speaking out against divorce and remarriage at all. Fewer still are the pastors who bravely refuse to marry someone who has previously been divorced. And almost nonexistent are those who teach that true repentance for divorced and remarried couples will mean to separate themselves from these adulterous relationships.
Most conservative Christians would rightly conclude that a homosexual couple, even a married homosexual couple, would need to repent of their relationship and separate from each other if they want to become followers of Christ. Yet we have somehow concluded that the only thing necessary for a divorced and remarried couple to do (if anything at all) is to repent of the ceremony but then go on living together just as though they are not committing adultery against anyone. By making this compromise, we as Christians have effectively given up our right to call homosexuals to true repentance.
What shall we do then? How exactly is God calling us to repent from this our wickedness? How does He want us to deal with all the mixed-up situations created by the vast number of divorces and remarriages occurring today?
Let me put it as simply as I can. If you are married today, and either you or your spouse has an ex-spouse who is still living, your current marriage is an act of adultery against that person. True repentance means to get out of your adulterous relationship, ask the forgiveness of those you have wronged, and live in celibacy from this day forward. By taking this courageous step you will be lifting up a powerful testimony for truth and holiness and striking a mighty blow against the kingdom of Satan.
Most will react to this proposal by rejecting it immediately as utter nonsense. "How cruel and unloving you are," they will say. "A merciful God would never ask me to do such a thing." If that is how you respond, then I guess I must simply leave this issue between you and your God. Please keep in mind, though, that if this message I am writing is true, then it would have been cruel and unloving on my part not to have told you. Keep in mind also that God is a God of love, and if this really is what He is asking you to do, then it is for your eternal benefit and not for your harm.
Others will respond to this message by saying, "There is probably some truth to what you are saying, but I think there are some exceptions we need to consider." If this is your response, then I'm sure that this short message won't be enough to convince you otherwise. But let me ask you, before you travel down that road, to please consider where the "exception" road has taken us. It is by making exceptions that American Christians have eventually gotten to the place where Jesus might as well have not said nothing about divorce and remarriage. There simply is no noticeable difference in practice between Christians and non-Christians.
So to those of you who have ears to hear: listen to the words of Jesus, read the words of His apostles, and respond in humility to what God is asking you to do. Not for your happiness or for the happiness of those around you, but for the reputation of our God. We have brought awful blasphemy to His name by this wickedness of ours, and only radical repentance will do anything at all to restore to Him the glory He deserves.
If you are willing to consider that this might possibly be a message from the Lord, and would like to take a more detailed look at this subject, then I invite you to click here. This will take you to an online book entitled "Dear Pastor".
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Getting to Know Jesus: Galatians 2
2:1 Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.
2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated upon them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
2:3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
2:5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
2:6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:
2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
2:8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
2:12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
2:13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
2:15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated upon them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
2:3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:
2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
2:5 To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
2:6 But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:
2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
2:8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
2:12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
2:13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
2:15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
2:19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Any Message from God Must Be Founded Firmly Upon His Word
Christ's Message to American Christians
by Roger Hertzler
Any so-called message from God must be firmly founded upon His Word, the Bible. It is His Word alone that can give any authority at all to the message I am about to share.
As we examine God's Word from cover to cover, we find that every part of it points in some way to the person of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament points forward to Him, the Gospels reveal Him, and the rest of the New Testament points back to Him. Even the other two persons of the Trinity point to Christ.
Jesus said of the Holy Spirit that "He shall testify of Me" and "He shall glorify Me". God the Father said about Jesus "This is My beloved Son: hear Him." And Hebrews 1:1, 2 tells us that whereas God in former times had spoken through prophets, He has "in these last days spoken to us by His Son."
So if it is true that all of the Divine revelation points us to Jesus, then where is it that Jesus points us?
We get our answer to this question by simply reading through the words of Christ as recorded in Scripture. Here we find Him directing us over and over again to one central theme: the commands that He gave us. Listen to these words of Jesus from the Gospel of John.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death (John 8:51). If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me (John 14:21). If a man love me, he will keep my words (John 14:23). He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Fathers which sent me (John 14:24).
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love (John 15:10). Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14). At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, right after giving us a long list of revolutionary commands and teachings, Jesus says these words:
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it" (Matthew 7:24-27).
We in the American church have tried to explain away the Sermon on the Mount and other commands of Christ by saying that they are part of the Old Testament Law (and thus anyone who repeats what Jesus said about obedience is guilty of legalism). Or we've said that His commands were given only to reveal our own sinfulness, and even with the power of God they are impossible to obey. Or we've argued that literal obedience to them is not necessary now, but rather postponed until some future period of time. Yet Christ's plea to those who use this type of reasoning is:
"Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46). Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into he kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23).
Some have speculated that Christ's cross was the dividing line between the Scriptures that apply to us and those that do not. Thus, we can basically ignore everything revealed prior to Christ's death, including the vast majority of His commands. Yet Jesus said to His disciples after His resurrection, "Go ye therefore, and teach...teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19, 20).
Then, in the remainder of the New Testament, Christ's followers repeatedly affirmed the importance of obeying His commands. Listen to these words: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:3, 4). In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (2 Thessalonians 1:8). If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing... (1 Timothy 6:3, 4).
"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:2, 3). Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:14).
Yet here in America we Christians, even conservative Christians, have largely ignored the commands given to us by Christ. Whether through heresy, carelessness, or pure rebellion, we have put much of Christ's teaching into a place where it might as well have not been said. As far as the world around us can tell, Christ must have commanded His followers absolutely nothing about certain subjects: subjects which in actuality were discussed by Him extensively.
Through our actions, we Christians have caused the name of Christ to be blasphemed among the heathen. We have ceased to be the true salt and light that God has called us to be. Through our compromises, we have lost our preserving influence in this society, and iniquity has truly come in like a flood. And now, with the last moments of time ticking quickly away, God is calling us one more time to genuine repentance: repentance from sin and toward God.
When we speak of America's need to repent, we could mention numerous horrible sins into which this country has fallen headlong, sins such as abortion, homosexuality, drunkenness, and witchcraft. We could also discuss the many false philosophies that have swept this nation, philosophies such as Darwinism, Mormonism, liberalism, and humanism. Yet because this is a message to believers, we're not going to take the time and space to do that. Though these plagues have been destroying the souls of multitudes, I thank God that there are still many Christians who are boldly speaking out against them.
But there are three major areas of disobedience that virtually no one seems to be mentioning, three specific subjects about which Christ taught extensively but which Christians today are teaching virtually nothing. Three issues about which God is saying to the church of today, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
When John the Baptist came preaching repentance and warning of the coming wrath, his audience responded in brokenness by asking, "What shall we do then?" Just as John gave specific answers in response to this question, so I also hope to give specific answers about how true repentance will look for American Christians.
To the unrepentant, these answers will seem downright ludicrous. To the semi-repentant, they will appear burdensome and impossible. But to the truly contrite ones, to those who tremble at the Word of the Lord, I trust that this call to radical repentance will be received as a blessed gift from God to sinners who deserve nothing but His wrath.
by Roger Hertzler
Any so-called message from God must be firmly founded upon His Word, the Bible. It is His Word alone that can give any authority at all to the message I am about to share.
As we examine God's Word from cover to cover, we find that every part of it points in some way to the person of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament points forward to Him, the Gospels reveal Him, and the rest of the New Testament points back to Him. Even the other two persons of the Trinity point to Christ.
Jesus said of the Holy Spirit that "He shall testify of Me" and "He shall glorify Me". God the Father said about Jesus "This is My beloved Son: hear Him." And Hebrews 1:1, 2 tells us that whereas God in former times had spoken through prophets, He has "in these last days spoken to us by His Son."
So if it is true that all of the Divine revelation points us to Jesus, then where is it that Jesus points us?
We get our answer to this question by simply reading through the words of Christ as recorded in Scripture. Here we find Him directing us over and over again to one central theme: the commands that He gave us. Listen to these words of Jesus from the Gospel of John.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death (John 8:51). If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me (John 14:21). If a man love me, he will keep my words (John 14:23). He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Fathers which sent me (John 14:24).
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love (John 15:10). Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14). At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, right after giving us a long list of revolutionary commands and teachings, Jesus says these words:
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it" (Matthew 7:24-27).
We in the American church have tried to explain away the Sermon on the Mount and other commands of Christ by saying that they are part of the Old Testament Law (and thus anyone who repeats what Jesus said about obedience is guilty of legalism). Or we've said that His commands were given only to reveal our own sinfulness, and even with the power of God they are impossible to obey. Or we've argued that literal obedience to them is not necessary now, but rather postponed until some future period of time. Yet Christ's plea to those who use this type of reasoning is:
"Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46). Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into he kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23).
Some have speculated that Christ's cross was the dividing line between the Scriptures that apply to us and those that do not. Thus, we can basically ignore everything revealed prior to Christ's death, including the vast majority of His commands. Yet Jesus said to His disciples after His resurrection, "Go ye therefore, and teach...teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19, 20).
Then, in the remainder of the New Testament, Christ's followers repeatedly affirmed the importance of obeying His commands. Listen to these words: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:3, 4). In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (2 Thessalonians 1:8). If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing... (1 Timothy 6:3, 4).
"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:2, 3). Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city" (Revelation 22:14).
Yet here in America we Christians, even conservative Christians, have largely ignored the commands given to us by Christ. Whether through heresy, carelessness, or pure rebellion, we have put much of Christ's teaching into a place where it might as well have not been said. As far as the world around us can tell, Christ must have commanded His followers absolutely nothing about certain subjects: subjects which in actuality were discussed by Him extensively.
Through our actions, we Christians have caused the name of Christ to be blasphemed among the heathen. We have ceased to be the true salt and light that God has called us to be. Through our compromises, we have lost our preserving influence in this society, and iniquity has truly come in like a flood. And now, with the last moments of time ticking quickly away, God is calling us one more time to genuine repentance: repentance from sin and toward God.
When we speak of America's need to repent, we could mention numerous horrible sins into which this country has fallen headlong, sins such as abortion, homosexuality, drunkenness, and witchcraft. We could also discuss the many false philosophies that have swept this nation, philosophies such as Darwinism, Mormonism, liberalism, and humanism. Yet because this is a message to believers, we're not going to take the time and space to do that. Though these plagues have been destroying the souls of multitudes, I thank God that there are still many Christians who are boldly speaking out against them.
But there are three major areas of disobedience that virtually no one seems to be mentioning, three specific subjects about which Christ taught extensively but which Christians today are teaching virtually nothing. Three issues about which God is saying to the church of today, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
When John the Baptist came preaching repentance and warning of the coming wrath, his audience responded in brokenness by asking, "What shall we do then?" Just as John gave specific answers in response to this question, so I also hope to give specific answers about how true repentance will look for American Christians.
To the unrepentant, these answers will seem downright ludicrous. To the semi-repentant, they will appear burdensome and impossible. But to the truly contrite ones, to those who tremble at the Word of the Lord, I trust that this call to radical repentance will be received as a blessed gift from God to sinners who deserve nothing but His wrath.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Getting to Know Jesus: Galatians 1
1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
1:2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia;
1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
1:5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
1:14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
1:16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
1:17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
1:18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
1:19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
1:20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
1:21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;
1:22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
1:23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
1:24 And they glorified God in me.
1:2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia;
1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
1:5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
1:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
1:14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
1:16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
1:17 Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.
1:18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.
1:19 But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
1:20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
1:21 Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;
1:22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
1:23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
1:24 And they glorified God in me.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Christ's Message to American Christians
by Roger Hertzler
Introduction:
It is truly a tragedy for an eternal soul to end up in Hell. It is a worse tragedy for someone to end up in Hell without being warned.
In numerous Biblical passages we read of God sending clear warnings of impending judgment to backslidden, rebellious people. It seems that His desire is to extend an offer of mercy to everyone, even to those who will ultimately harden their hearts and experience His wrath.
For this reason He raised up Noah to preach to the world before the flood came. For this reason He sent two angels to Sodom before the fire fell. For this reason He anointed Jeremiah to take a message to the Jews before the Babylonian captivity. And for this reason He commands us in Ezekiel 33 to give warning to the wicked, for if we do not, their blood will be upon us. If we do warn them, however, we have delivered our own souls even if they choose not to repent.
Sometimes there are happy endings as a result of these warnings. Jonah warned the Ninevites of a coming judgment (without really offering them any hope for mercy) and the entire city repented and received God's forgiveness. Even in nations headed for destruction there are often a few lonely souls who see their plight and heed the call to "flee from the wrath to come". These results are the ones God truly desires, for He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Recently God has been burdening my heart with a message of warning for the American people. Specifically, it is a message for the Christians in America, for those who in some way name the name of Jesus. Since it is a message that will seem radical and even absurd to our American mindset, my fear is that it will be immediately rejected by all who hear it.
My prayer, however, is that this message will fall into the hands of at least a few earnest believers who care for nothing but the glory of God and for whom no sacrifice is too great to see Him magnified. My prayer is that they would take heed to the message that God has weighed us in the balance and found us wanting, and that Christ is about to spew us out of His mouth unless we repent. My prayer is that they would break their hearts before their Creator, turn from their sin, and render to God the glory He deserves from their lives.
It is not my desire to bring this message in a spirit of arrogance or harshness, and I apologize in advance if it sounds that way. It is only my desire to pass on to you the heavy burden God has laid on my heart, though it causes me to tremble greatly to do so.
By God's grace I hope to write this message clearly, reflecting accurately God's hatred for sin as well as His love for mankind. I hope to write it in a way that allows readers to verify its truth for themselves, from the Word of God, without relying on any private revelation I have received personally. I hope to write it in a way that explains exactly what our sin is and precisely why God is displeased with us. And I hope to write it in a way that gives specific answers about what we would need to do to repent.
It is not my responsibility to convince others to accept this message, but rather to simply communicate it to as many as I am able. I must leave it up to God to take this message to those who are out of my reach as well as to convince those who are out of my power. God has many tools that I do not have, very effective tools He has often utilized to coax reluctant souls to accept His gift of repentance.
War, famine, disease, economic hardship, and natural disasters are just a few of the means God has used in the past to get the attention of His people, and I have no doubt that He can use them again today. When He does choose to use such methods, it is indeed an act of mercy on His part; none of us deserve even one chance to repent, much less a second or third chance.
Introduction:
It is truly a tragedy for an eternal soul to end up in Hell. It is a worse tragedy for someone to end up in Hell without being warned.
In numerous Biblical passages we read of God sending clear warnings of impending judgment to backslidden, rebellious people. It seems that His desire is to extend an offer of mercy to everyone, even to those who will ultimately harden their hearts and experience His wrath.
For this reason He raised up Noah to preach to the world before the flood came. For this reason He sent two angels to Sodom before the fire fell. For this reason He anointed Jeremiah to take a message to the Jews before the Babylonian captivity. And for this reason He commands us in Ezekiel 33 to give warning to the wicked, for if we do not, their blood will be upon us. If we do warn them, however, we have delivered our own souls even if they choose not to repent.
Sometimes there are happy endings as a result of these warnings. Jonah warned the Ninevites of a coming judgment (without really offering them any hope for mercy) and the entire city repented and received God's forgiveness. Even in nations headed for destruction there are often a few lonely souls who see their plight and heed the call to "flee from the wrath to come". These results are the ones God truly desires, for He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Recently God has been burdening my heart with a message of warning for the American people. Specifically, it is a message for the Christians in America, for those who in some way name the name of Jesus. Since it is a message that will seem radical and even absurd to our American mindset, my fear is that it will be immediately rejected by all who hear it.
My prayer, however, is that this message will fall into the hands of at least a few earnest believers who care for nothing but the glory of God and for whom no sacrifice is too great to see Him magnified. My prayer is that they would take heed to the message that God has weighed us in the balance and found us wanting, and that Christ is about to spew us out of His mouth unless we repent. My prayer is that they would break their hearts before their Creator, turn from their sin, and render to God the glory He deserves from their lives.
It is not my desire to bring this message in a spirit of arrogance or harshness, and I apologize in advance if it sounds that way. It is only my desire to pass on to you the heavy burden God has laid on my heart, though it causes me to tremble greatly to do so.
By God's grace I hope to write this message clearly, reflecting accurately God's hatred for sin as well as His love for mankind. I hope to write it in a way that allows readers to verify its truth for themselves, from the Word of God, without relying on any private revelation I have received personally. I hope to write it in a way that explains exactly what our sin is and precisely why God is displeased with us. And I hope to write it in a way that gives specific answers about what we would need to do to repent.
It is not my responsibility to convince others to accept this message, but rather to simply communicate it to as many as I am able. I must leave it up to God to take this message to those who are out of my reach as well as to convince those who are out of my power. God has many tools that I do not have, very effective tools He has often utilized to coax reluctant souls to accept His gift of repentance.
War, famine, disease, economic hardship, and natural disasters are just a few of the means God has used in the past to get the attention of His people, and I have no doubt that He can use them again today. When He does choose to use such methods, it is indeed an act of mercy on His part; none of us deserve even one chance to repent, much less a second or third chance.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Getting to Know Jesus: 2 Corinthians 13
13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
13:2 I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:
13:3 Since ye seek proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.
13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
13:6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
13:7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
13:8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
13:9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.
13:10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.
13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
13:12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.
13:13 All the saints salute you.
13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
13:2 I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now I write to them which heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare:
13:3 Since ye seek proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you.
13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.
13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
13:6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
13:7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
13:8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
13:9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.
13:10 Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction.
13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
13:12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.
13:13 All the saints salute you.
13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
Monday, December 14, 2009
lite church
by David Ravenhill
Go into any supermarket these days and you will find a vast variety of 'lite foods' which offer less fat and fewer calories. While this may constitute smart marketing on the part of food producers, it should not be carried over to the Church. Some years ago I saw a cartoon in a Christian magazine that showed a sign in front of a church with the following statement:
LITE CHURCH
1 service weekly
13 minutes of worship
10 minute message
No repentance
7 commandments
8% tithe
While I don't recall the entire sign, this was the gist of its message. I chuckled to myself when I first saw it but have since come to see that this cartoon has now become a reality in many churches.
There is a rapidly growing trend throughout Christendom to be culturally relevant. While I have no problem with using new methodology, I deplore the new message that shuns any mention of sin, repentance, judgment, or hell.
I recently spoke with a pastor friend who moved to a major southern city to plant a new congregation. Desiring to sense the spiritual pulse of the city, he spent a few months visiting various congregations. The successful pastor of a growing church told him, "I have several lesbians passing out bulletins. I also have a number of unsaved people in the worship team."
This pastor believed that these people would eventually be converted as they became exposed to the gospel. I assume that these people had been attending for some time prior to being asked to serve. Consequently, I must also assume that in his preaching there was no mention of sin or the need for repentance. Apparently there was no conviction from the Holy Spirit to cause these people to feel uncomfortable in their sin.
As I'm writing this commentary, I've just returned from ministering at the annual Pure Life Ministries Alumni Conference. What an incredible experience to see dozens of men - who had previously been involved in every imaginable type of sexual perversion - testifying to God's amazing grace.
These men knew the power of sin, but they had also come to know the greater power of God's deliverance. To hear them sin about their mighty Redeemer and Emancipator brought tears to my eyes; no professional choir could compare with the genuine gratitude with which they sang.
With the growing popularity of the seeker-sensitive church movement, we are seeing less and less mention of sin. This, in turn, is leading to an overemphasis on the acceptance of people just the way they are - sin and all. Some of our leading theologians have already eliminated the doctrine of preaching, then there is nothing to repent of or to be saved from.
The end result of all this is that we will no longer feel a need for a Savior. This devilish doctrine will surely lead to the eternal destruction of many souls. The very foundation of the Church is being undermined and its very existence is being threatened.
If this is the path we are going to take, then we should change the word Church (ecclesia, which means "the called out ones") to Arab (the Hebrew word meaning "to mingle or braid or mix"). May God have mercy upon us all.
Go into any supermarket these days and you will find a vast variety of 'lite foods' which offer less fat and fewer calories. While this may constitute smart marketing on the part of food producers, it should not be carried over to the Church. Some years ago I saw a cartoon in a Christian magazine that showed a sign in front of a church with the following statement:
LITE CHURCH
1 service weekly
13 minutes of worship
10 minute message
No repentance
7 commandments
8% tithe
While I don't recall the entire sign, this was the gist of its message. I chuckled to myself when I first saw it but have since come to see that this cartoon has now become a reality in many churches.
There is a rapidly growing trend throughout Christendom to be culturally relevant. While I have no problem with using new methodology, I deplore the new message that shuns any mention of sin, repentance, judgment, or hell.
I recently spoke with a pastor friend who moved to a major southern city to plant a new congregation. Desiring to sense the spiritual pulse of the city, he spent a few months visiting various congregations. The successful pastor of a growing church told him, "I have several lesbians passing out bulletins. I also have a number of unsaved people in the worship team."
This pastor believed that these people would eventually be converted as they became exposed to the gospel. I assume that these people had been attending for some time prior to being asked to serve. Consequently, I must also assume that in his preaching there was no mention of sin or the need for repentance. Apparently there was no conviction from the Holy Spirit to cause these people to feel uncomfortable in their sin.
As I'm writing this commentary, I've just returned from ministering at the annual Pure Life Ministries Alumni Conference. What an incredible experience to see dozens of men - who had previously been involved in every imaginable type of sexual perversion - testifying to God's amazing grace.
These men knew the power of sin, but they had also come to know the greater power of God's deliverance. To hear them sin about their mighty Redeemer and Emancipator brought tears to my eyes; no professional choir could compare with the genuine gratitude with which they sang.
With the growing popularity of the seeker-sensitive church movement, we are seeing less and less mention of sin. This, in turn, is leading to an overemphasis on the acceptance of people just the way they are - sin and all. Some of our leading theologians have already eliminated the doctrine of preaching, then there is nothing to repent of or to be saved from.
The end result of all this is that we will no longer feel a need for a Savior. This devilish doctrine will surely lead to the eternal destruction of many souls. The very foundation of the Church is being undermined and its very existence is being threatened.
If this is the path we are going to take, then we should change the word Church (ecclesia, which means "the called out ones") to Arab (the Hebrew word meaning "to mingle or braid or mix"). May God have mercy upon us all.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
VIDEO: Demographic Problem
courtesy of Zerah600
Is this a problem for our future world? This may seem a little off-topic for this blog, but the video's narrator brings home the true purpose of this subject matter.
Is this a problem for our future world? This may seem a little off-topic for this blog, but the video's narrator brings home the true purpose of this subject matter.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Getting to Know Jesus: 2 Corinthians 12
12:1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
12:3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
12:5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
12:6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
12:11 I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
12:13 For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.
12:14 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.
12:15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
12:16 But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.
12:17 Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?
12:18 I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?
12:19 Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.
12:20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:
12:21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
12:3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
12:5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
12:6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
12:11 I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
12:13 For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong.
12:14 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.
12:15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
12:16 But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.
12:17 Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?
12:18 I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?
12:19 Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.
12:20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:
12:21 And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Become a Better You: Reflections on Joel Osteen's Latest Book, 2
by Michael S. Horton
Redefining the Christian Message
In the only clear reference to trusting in Christ that I came across in this book, Osteen still feels compelled to include us as the object of faith: "When we believe in God's Son, Jesus Christ, and believe in ourselves, that's when our faith comes alive. When we believe we have what it takes, we focus on our possibilities" (emphasis added).
Even when the concepts of sin and redemption are employed, they are redefined. Sin is not a condition of rebellion that we inherit from Adam, but diseases, poverty, and bad attitudes that we inherit from our family line. In the Bible, a "curse" has its proper place in the context of the covenant. For example, in Ancient Near Eastern treaties, which form the pattern of covenantal thinking employed in the Bible, an emperor would bring down his judgment on a rebellious tribe or nation under his rule. This sanction would be called a "curse."
However, in the prosperity gospel, "curse" is more nearly related to the world of magic - the way we usually speak of curses in our culture today. So where the curses that God invokes upon humanity as a result of Adam's sin in the garden are a judicial sentence, Osteen speaks of "generational curses" that have no obvious reference to divine judgment.
You may have inherited your grandmother's genes, which included the curse of diabetes. However, "You need to put your foot down and say, 'Grandmother may have had it [diabetes]. Mother may have had it. But as for me and my house, we're redeemed from diabetes. I'm going to live under the blessing and not the curse."
A doctor named Vanessa refused to accept her joint disease and she was eventually delivered of it, Osteen relates. "This type of blessing is for believers, not doubters." His father had high blood pressure, but kept saying, "Joel, I will never have a stroke." "He was saying that by faith because he struggled with high blood pressure his entire life. He would say, 'I'll never be incapacitated. I'll never come to the place where I cannot preach.'
And true to his faith, my father preached just eleven days before he went to be with the Lord." It would not be surprising, then, if such teaching led a sincere follower to conclude that a failure to be healed or to become financially prosperous was the result of one's own disobedience.
If I am diagnosed with Grandma's diabetes, am I a doubter rather than a believer? "The Bible calls it an iniquity," Osteen writes. It is a curse from generation to generation "until somebody rises up and puts a stop to it. For example, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, that decision didn't affect them; it affected their children. Do you know who the first murderer was in the Bible?...The iniquity kept getting passed down through generations of Cain's offspring."
Therefore, in the place of the Christian doctrine of original sin (viz., the whole human race being guilty and corrupt in Adam) is the notion of "iniquity" as a genetic trait that someone in one's family tree allowed into the bloodstream. Quite literally, Osteen believes, the curse is in the blood, just as each person has God's DNA. The generational curse is lifted by our obedience, when someone in the family line finally "takes authority" over it.
Absent is any reference to sin as a condition of being opposed to God, guilty before God, and corrupt in heart, mind, soul, and will. The ethical character of sin as both a condition and specific actions of transgressing or failing to conform to God's law is exchanged for a magical conception.
At the same time, our victory over generational curses is entirely manageable. We can overcome the "iniquity" that has been passed down to us: "God has given you free will. You can choose to change...People who have been abused are the most likely to become abusers. Why is that? It is not because they want to. They know how destructive it is. It's because that negative spirit keeps being passed down. Thank God, you and I can do something about it."
Just as sin is redefined as a failure to attain prosperity in all areas of life, redemption is now understood as freedom from pain, illness, poverty, as well as the bad attitudes and negative habits that our parents or grandparents passed on to us.
"Your faithfulness is noticed in heaven. You are storing up equity for both yourself and generations to come." A more thorough-going works-righteousness is difficult to conceive:
So we see once again that Osteen has not abandoned the "legalism" of previous generations. If anything, he intensifies it, but his followers do not recognize the tightening noose or the mounting burden because he makes it sound so easy. It is not easy, however, to be told that one's health, wealth, and happiness - as well as one's victory over sin and death - depend on the extent of our determination and effort.
A weak view of sin fails to bring us to the end of our rope; instead, it encourages us to try just a little bit harder to save ourselves. It's easy. Really. Therefore, Osteen advises, we need to stop listening to accusing voices. Any voice that accuses, convicts, or condemns is the voice of Satan, according to Osteen. He nowhere suggests that this may be the voice of the Holy Spirit, showing us our guilt and helplessness before God's law in order to drive us to Christ.
We are not morally bankrupt before God. Sin is reduced to certain attitudes and actions that we can put a stop to whenever we want. Therefore, we do not need a one-sided rescue operation outside of us. The seed of goodness is still within us, waiting to explode if we will just nurture it.
One wonders what Osteen would do with the following passages: "Our righteousness is like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6); "There is no one righteous; there is no one who does good, no not even one" (Romans 3:10).
Where Jeremiah says, "The heart is more deceitful than anything else" (Jeremiah 17:9), Osteen says that his confidence before God is in the righteousness of his own heart: "I may not have a perfect performance, but I know my heart is right...Similarly, as long as you're doing your best and desire to do what's right according to God's Word, you can be assured God is pleased with you. Certainly, He wants you to improve, but He knows that we all have weaknesses."
Sin is reduced to "human foibles and imperfections" that "poke through our idealism..." "As long we're doing our best, we don't have to live condemned even when we make mistakes or fail."
Although he does mention God's forgiveness and mercy, this divine grace is not understood as something that comes at the price of Christ's atoning sacrifice. It is not because God has reconciled us to himself through the death of his Son, but because he is an indulgent father who let's bygones be bygones, that we can receive his forgiveness and move on.
Even Paul's experience in Romans 7 is reduced to a "nobody's perfect" kind of speech. "The Apostle Paul once said, 'The things I know I should do, I don't. The things I know I shouldn't do, I end up doing.' Even this great man of God who wrote half the New Testament struggled in this regard. That tells me God does not disqualify me merely because I don't perform perfectly, 100 percent of the time. I wish I did, and I'm constantly striving to do better. I don't do wrong on purpose, but like anyone else, I too have weaknesses."
However, this trivializes Paul's travail in that chapter, where he laments not simply his failure to score a perfect 100, but his failure - even as a believer - to gain victory over his sins. This does not lead him to say, in effect, "Let's brush off and do our best anyway. He does not say, "Nobody's perfect. At least my heart is right," but rather, "Oh, wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Only this deep anguish over the depravity of his own heart can lead him to look not within but outside of himself: "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24, 25).
There is no clear sense in Osteen's message that God has forgiven and justified us because even though we stand condemned according to the law we are declared holy by Christ's imputed righteousness. Rather, God just ignores our guilt and focuses on the good things he apparently sees in us. "However, God does not focus on what's wrong with you. He focuses on what's right with you. He's not looking at all your faults and weaknesses."
Again, the "good news" according to Osteen is that God does not judge us according to his law (the 100 percent rule), but looks at our heart and sees something decent in all of us. "I am bold enough to believe that I am a friend of Almighty God, and that he is smiling down on me right now. I've accepted the fact that I don't perform perfectly all the time, but I know my heart is right. To the best of my ability, I'm doing what pleases Him."
His forgiveness is due not to Christ's having borne our debts, so that there is no more guilt to be judged, but to God's decision to overlook our faults: "He chooses not to remember your mistakes, your sins, your failures." "God approves you unconditionally, just as you are." Again, no mention of Christ. "Frankly, it's not because of what you have or haven't done; God loves you because of who you are and because of who he is. God is love."
We do have to be careful here. Of course, God is love. He is also righteous, holy, and just. God's love and justice are fully realized together - not by overwhelming these other attributes with his love, but by sending his own Son to live a perfect life in our place, suffer judgment in our place, and be raised for our justification. By setting the justice aside, Osteen actually obscures the glory of the cross and greatness of God's grace.
Instead of acknowledging that we are still sinners, though justified and renewed in Christ, we need to confess that we are "no longer poor old sinners, we are sons and daughters of the Most High God." Osteen confuses the bad preaching of the law as scolding with the proper preaching of the law as driving us out of ourselves to Christ.
"Sometimes religion tries to beat people down and make them feel bad about themselves. 'You've done this and you failed here, and you didn't treat this person right, and you didn't raise your kids as well as you should have.'...'Why don't you lighten up and give yourself a break?...If you've made mistakes, just say 'God, I'm sorry; I repent. Help me to do better next time.'"
Instead of pointing us to Christ, where God's record-keeping was justly satisfied and the court transcription was nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14), Osteen just gets rid of the idea of any negative record. God is certainly recording our good works, but not our sins. If this is the case, however, why do we need Christ at all? We certainly do not need him to live a perfect life in our place, but do we even need him to offer himself to death in our place if the only record-keeping that counts is the good things that we have done? Osteen adds,
Far from the struggle of Paul in Romans 7, Osteen makes it sound as if we can manage the sin-problem by our own positive outlook. "If you want to sin, you can sin. I sin all I want to," he says. "The good news is that I don't want to...Stop dwelling on everything that's wrong with you and taking an inventory of what you're not. The Scripture says in Hebrews, 'To look away from everything that distracts.'"
Once again, Osteen misquotes the Bible to make his point. Hebrews 12:1, 2 actually reads, "Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God's throne."
In other words, the counsel is to look away from ourselves - both our sins and our good works - and not let anything distract us from Christ. Yet Osteen's entire message represents a distraction from Christ. Who needs Christ if this is the gospel: "You're not perfect, but you are trying to live better, and God looks at your heart. He sees the inside, and he is changing you little by little"?
Once again, Osteen's message - though perhaps a bit more explicitly oriented toward the prosperity gospel than most - is not all that different from the general drift of a lot of popular religion and spirituality that pervades even our own evangelical circles today.
The focus is on us rather than on God, on our happiness apart from God's holiness, on our "ascending higher" by moral effort rather than on our being receivers of God's saving work in Jesus Christ. "I know, too, even when my plans don't work out, even when things don't go my way, because I am honoring God and striving to keep the right attitude, God will make it up to me."
The Good News? God's Keeping Score!
Having exchanged the gospel of Christ's doing, dying, and rising, for a pep talk for our doing, declaring, and rising, Osteen can say, "The world does not need to hear another sermon nearly as much as it needs to see one." Now we are the "good news." And here is the gospel according to Joel Osteen:
But once we are placed back under the law for righteousness, on what basis can Osteen claim that God only counts the good works? Is there a single passage in the Bible that separates God's record-keeping in this way, so that our good works can bring God's favor and blessing but our sins do not count at all? If we are going to inherit God's promises by the "righteousness that is by the law," then Osteen's pleasant outlook hardly seems justified.
Make no mistake about it, behind all the smiles, there is a thorough-going religion of works-righteousness: "God's plan for each of our lives is that we continually rise to new levels. But how high we go in life, and how much of God's favor and blessings we experience, will be directly related to how well we follow His directions."
God "is waiting for your obedience so He can release more of His favor and blessings in your life...My question to you is: How high do you want to rise? Do you want to continue to increase? Do you want to see more of God's blessings and favor? If so, the higher we go, the more disciplined we must be; the quicker we must obey."
"You don't get the grace unless you step out. You have to make the first move. God will see that step of faith and He'll give you supernatural strength to help you overcome any obstacles standing in the way of doing the right thing...Remember: How high you go in life will be directly related to how obedient you are."
And if anyone has any questions about whether this plan is workable, Osteen offers himself as an example:
By contrast, Jesus and his apostles taught that the searching judgment of God through his law brings conviction, pricking my conscience that I have fallen short of God's glory. My conscience does not render a positive verdict in God's courtroom. The only reason I can sleep well at night is that even though my heart is still filled with corruption and even though I am not doing my best to please him, I have in heaven at the Father's right hand the beloved Son who has not only done his best for himself, but has fulfilled all righteousness for me in my place.
Just as Joel Osteen has decided for himself the message that he will preach, he has also tailored his own vocation. In interviews, he has said that he is not called to explain the Scriptures or expound doctrine. In this book he adds, "I'm not called to explain every minute facet of Scripture or to expound on deep theological doctrines or disputes that don't touch where real people live. My gifting is to encourage, to challenge, and to inspire." Ambassadors do not get to choose what they say. As ministers of the gospel our "gifting" is to "preach the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).
Have we actually come to a place in Evangelicalism where he will listen to people who clearly tell us that they are not called to explain and expound the Scriptures? A number of responses I have received after being interviewed regarding Osteen's message criticized me for failing to show a united front against the real enemies: the liberals.
However, it is unclear to me how Osteen's message displays any higher regard for the authority and basic teaching of the Scriptures. Once upon a time, conservative Protestants imagined that theological liberalism was the greatest threat to authentic Christianity in our time. With liberalism almost completely irrelevant as an active school movement, Osteen's success confirms my suspicions that evangelicalism itself is becoming a more serious obstacle to evangelical faith and practice today.
Redefining the Christian Message
In the only clear reference to trusting in Christ that I came across in this book, Osteen still feels compelled to include us as the object of faith: "When we believe in God's Son, Jesus Christ, and believe in ourselves, that's when our faith comes alive. When we believe we have what it takes, we focus on our possibilities" (emphasis added).
Even when the concepts of sin and redemption are employed, they are redefined. Sin is not a condition of rebellion that we inherit from Adam, but diseases, poverty, and bad attitudes that we inherit from our family line. In the Bible, a "curse" has its proper place in the context of the covenant. For example, in Ancient Near Eastern treaties, which form the pattern of covenantal thinking employed in the Bible, an emperor would bring down his judgment on a rebellious tribe or nation under his rule. This sanction would be called a "curse."
However, in the prosperity gospel, "curse" is more nearly related to the world of magic - the way we usually speak of curses in our culture today. So where the curses that God invokes upon humanity as a result of Adam's sin in the garden are a judicial sentence, Osteen speaks of "generational curses" that have no obvious reference to divine judgment.
You may have inherited your grandmother's genes, which included the curse of diabetes. However, "You need to put your foot down and say, 'Grandmother may have had it [diabetes]. Mother may have had it. But as for me and my house, we're redeemed from diabetes. I'm going to live under the blessing and not the curse."
A doctor named Vanessa refused to accept her joint disease and she was eventually delivered of it, Osteen relates. "This type of blessing is for believers, not doubters." His father had high blood pressure, but kept saying, "Joel, I will never have a stroke." "He was saying that by faith because he struggled with high blood pressure his entire life. He would say, 'I'll never be incapacitated. I'll never come to the place where I cannot preach.'
And true to his faith, my father preached just eleven days before he went to be with the Lord." It would not be surprising, then, if such teaching led a sincere follower to conclude that a failure to be healed or to become financially prosperous was the result of one's own disobedience.
If I am diagnosed with Grandma's diabetes, am I a doubter rather than a believer? "The Bible calls it an iniquity," Osteen writes. It is a curse from generation to generation "until somebody rises up and puts a stop to it. For example, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, that decision didn't affect them; it affected their children. Do you know who the first murderer was in the Bible?...The iniquity kept getting passed down through generations of Cain's offspring."
Therefore, in the place of the Christian doctrine of original sin (viz., the whole human race being guilty and corrupt in Adam) is the notion of "iniquity" as a genetic trait that someone in one's family tree allowed into the bloodstream. Quite literally, Osteen believes, the curse is in the blood, just as each person has God's DNA. The generational curse is lifted by our obedience, when someone in the family line finally "takes authority" over it.
Absent is any reference to sin as a condition of being opposed to God, guilty before God, and corrupt in heart, mind, soul, and will. The ethical character of sin as both a condition and specific actions of transgressing or failing to conform to God's law is exchanged for a magical conception.
At the same time, our victory over generational curses is entirely manageable. We can overcome the "iniquity" that has been passed down to us: "God has given you free will. You can choose to change...People who have been abused are the most likely to become abusers. Why is that? It is not because they want to. They know how destructive it is. It's because that negative spirit keeps being passed down. Thank God, you and I can do something about it."
Just as sin is redefined as a failure to attain prosperity in all areas of life, redemption is now understood as freedom from pain, illness, poverty, as well as the bad attitudes and negative habits that our parents or grandparents passed on to us.
Think of it like this: Each of us has a spiritual bank account. By the way we live, we are either storing up equity or storing up iniquity. Equity would be anything good: our integrity, our determination, our godliness. That's storing up blessings. On the other hand, iniquity includes our bad habits, addictions, selfishness, lack of discipline.
"Your faithfulness is noticed in heaven. You are storing up equity for both yourself and generations to come." A more thorough-going works-righteousness is difficult to conceive:
Get up every day and give it your best effort. If you will do that, not only will you rise higher and accomplish more, but God has promised that your seed, your family line for up to a thousand generations, is going to have the blessings and the favor of God - all because of the life that you've lived.
So we see once again that Osteen has not abandoned the "legalism" of previous generations. If anything, he intensifies it, but his followers do not recognize the tightening noose or the mounting burden because he makes it sound so easy. It is not easy, however, to be told that one's health, wealth, and happiness - as well as one's victory over sin and death - depend on the extent of our determination and effort.
A weak view of sin fails to bring us to the end of our rope; instead, it encourages us to try just a little bit harder to save ourselves. It's easy. Really. Therefore, Osteen advises, we need to stop listening to accusing voices. Any voice that accuses, convicts, or condemns is the voice of Satan, according to Osteen. He nowhere suggests that this may be the voice of the Holy Spirit, showing us our guilt and helplessness before God's law in order to drive us to Christ.
We are not morally bankrupt before God. Sin is reduced to certain attitudes and actions that we can put a stop to whenever we want. Therefore, we do not need a one-sided rescue operation outside of us. The seed of goodness is still within us, waiting to explode if we will just nurture it.
One wonders what Osteen would do with the following passages: "Our righteousness is like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6); "There is no one righteous; there is no one who does good, no not even one" (Romans 3:10).
Where Jeremiah says, "The heart is more deceitful than anything else" (Jeremiah 17:9), Osteen says that his confidence before God is in the righteousness of his own heart: "I may not have a perfect performance, but I know my heart is right...Similarly, as long as you're doing your best and desire to do what's right according to God's Word, you can be assured God is pleased with you. Certainly, He wants you to improve, but He knows that we all have weaknesses."
Sin is reduced to "human foibles and imperfections" that "poke through our idealism..." "As long we're doing our best, we don't have to live condemned even when we make mistakes or fail."
Although he does mention God's forgiveness and mercy, this divine grace is not understood as something that comes at the price of Christ's atoning sacrifice. It is not because God has reconciled us to himself through the death of his Son, but because he is an indulgent father who let's bygones be bygones, that we can receive his forgiveness and move on.
Even Paul's experience in Romans 7 is reduced to a "nobody's perfect" kind of speech. "The Apostle Paul once said, 'The things I know I should do, I don't. The things I know I shouldn't do, I end up doing.' Even this great man of God who wrote half the New Testament struggled in this regard. That tells me God does not disqualify me merely because I don't perform perfectly, 100 percent of the time. I wish I did, and I'm constantly striving to do better. I don't do wrong on purpose, but like anyone else, I too have weaknesses."
However, this trivializes Paul's travail in that chapter, where he laments not simply his failure to score a perfect 100, but his failure - even as a believer - to gain victory over his sins. This does not lead him to say, in effect, "Let's brush off and do our best anyway. He does not say, "Nobody's perfect. At least my heart is right," but rather, "Oh, wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Only this deep anguish over the depravity of his own heart can lead him to look not within but outside of himself: "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24, 25).
There is no clear sense in Osteen's message that God has forgiven and justified us because even though we stand condemned according to the law we are declared holy by Christ's imputed righteousness. Rather, God just ignores our guilt and focuses on the good things he apparently sees in us. "However, God does not focus on what's wrong with you. He focuses on what's right with you. He's not looking at all your faults and weaknesses."
Again, the "good news" according to Osteen is that God does not judge us according to his law (the 100 percent rule), but looks at our heart and sees something decent in all of us. "I am bold enough to believe that I am a friend of Almighty God, and that he is smiling down on me right now. I've accepted the fact that I don't perform perfectly all the time, but I know my heart is right. To the best of my ability, I'm doing what pleases Him."
His forgiveness is due not to Christ's having borne our debts, so that there is no more guilt to be judged, but to God's decision to overlook our faults: "He chooses not to remember your mistakes, your sins, your failures." "God approves you unconditionally, just as you are." Again, no mention of Christ. "Frankly, it's not because of what you have or haven't done; God loves you because of who you are and because of who he is. God is love."
We do have to be careful here. Of course, God is love. He is also righteous, holy, and just. God's love and justice are fully realized together - not by overwhelming these other attributes with his love, but by sending his own Son to live a perfect life in our place, suffer judgment in our place, and be raised for our justification. By setting the justice aside, Osteen actually obscures the glory of the cross and greatness of God's grace.
Instead of acknowledging that we are still sinners, though justified and renewed in Christ, we need to confess that we are "no longer poor old sinners, we are sons and daughters of the Most High God." Osteen confuses the bad preaching of the law as scolding with the proper preaching of the law as driving us out of ourselves to Christ.
"Sometimes religion tries to beat people down and make them feel bad about themselves. 'You've done this and you failed here, and you didn't treat this person right, and you didn't raise your kids as well as you should have.'...'Why don't you lighten up and give yourself a break?...If you've made mistakes, just say 'God, I'm sorry; I repent. Help me to do better next time.'"
Instead of pointing us to Christ, where God's record-keeping was justly satisfied and the court transcription was nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14), Osteen just gets rid of the idea of any negative record. God is certainly recording our good works, but not our sins. If this is the case, however, why do we need Christ at all? We certainly do not need him to live a perfect life in our place, but do we even need him to offer himself to death in our place if the only record-keeping that counts is the good things that we have done? Osteen adds,
He's not keeping a list of your shortcomings. God is not looking at everything you've done wrong over your entire life or your disobedience last week. He's looking at what you're doing right. He's looking at the fact that you have made a conscious decision to be better, to live right, and to trust Him. He is pleased that you are kind and courteous to people.
Far from the struggle of Paul in Romans 7, Osteen makes it sound as if we can manage the sin-problem by our own positive outlook. "If you want to sin, you can sin. I sin all I want to," he says. "The good news is that I don't want to...Stop dwelling on everything that's wrong with you and taking an inventory of what you're not. The Scripture says in Hebrews, 'To look away from everything that distracts.'"
Once again, Osteen misquotes the Bible to make his point. Hebrews 12:1, 2 actually reads, "Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God's throne."
In other words, the counsel is to look away from ourselves - both our sins and our good works - and not let anything distract us from Christ. Yet Osteen's entire message represents a distraction from Christ. Who needs Christ if this is the gospel: "You're not perfect, but you are trying to live better, and God looks at your heart. He sees the inside, and he is changing you little by little"?
Once again, Osteen's message - though perhaps a bit more explicitly oriented toward the prosperity gospel than most - is not all that different from the general drift of a lot of popular religion and spirituality that pervades even our own evangelical circles today.
The focus is on us rather than on God, on our happiness apart from God's holiness, on our "ascending higher" by moral effort rather than on our being receivers of God's saving work in Jesus Christ. "I know, too, even when my plans don't work out, even when things don't go my way, because I am honoring God and striving to keep the right attitude, God will make it up to me."
The Good News? God's Keeping Score!
Having exchanged the gospel of Christ's doing, dying, and rising, for a pep talk for our doing, declaring, and rising, Osteen can say, "The world does not need to hear another sermon nearly as much as it needs to see one." Now we are the "good news." And here is the gospel according to Joel Osteen:
God is keeping the records. He sees every act of kindness you show. He sees every time you are good to somebody. He hears every encouraging word you speak. God has seen all the times you went out of your way to help somebody who never said thank you. Your good deeds do not go unnoticed by Almighty God.
But once we are placed back under the law for righteousness, on what basis can Osteen claim that God only counts the good works? Is there a single passage in the Bible that separates God's record-keeping in this way, so that our good works can bring God's favor and blessing but our sins do not count at all? If we are going to inherit God's promises by the "righteousness that is by the law," then Osteen's pleasant outlook hardly seems justified.
Make no mistake about it, behind all the smiles, there is a thorough-going religion of works-righteousness: "God's plan for each of our lives is that we continually rise to new levels. But how high we go in life, and how much of God's favor and blessings we experience, will be directly related to how well we follow His directions."
God "is waiting for your obedience so He can release more of His favor and blessings in your life...My question to you is: How high do you want to rise? Do you want to continue to increase? Do you want to see more of God's blessings and favor? If so, the higher we go, the more disciplined we must be; the quicker we must obey."
"You don't get the grace unless you step out. You have to make the first move. God will see that step of faith and He'll give you supernatural strength to help you overcome any obstacles standing in the way of doing the right thing...Remember: How high you go in life will be directly related to how obedient you are."
And if anyone has any questions about whether this plan is workable, Osteen offers himself as an example:
I know I'm not perfect, but I also know this: My conscience is clear before God. I know that I'm doing my best to please Him. That's why I can sleep well at night. That's why I can lie down in peace. That's why I have a smile on my face. Friend, keep your conscience tender, and you will discover that life keeps getting better and better.
By contrast, Jesus and his apostles taught that the searching judgment of God through his law brings conviction, pricking my conscience that I have fallen short of God's glory. My conscience does not render a positive verdict in God's courtroom. The only reason I can sleep well at night is that even though my heart is still filled with corruption and even though I am not doing my best to please him, I have in heaven at the Father's right hand the beloved Son who has not only done his best for himself, but has fulfilled all righteousness for me in my place.
Just as Joel Osteen has decided for himself the message that he will preach, he has also tailored his own vocation. In interviews, he has said that he is not called to explain the Scriptures or expound doctrine. In this book he adds, "I'm not called to explain every minute facet of Scripture or to expound on deep theological doctrines or disputes that don't touch where real people live. My gifting is to encourage, to challenge, and to inspire." Ambassadors do not get to choose what they say. As ministers of the gospel our "gifting" is to "preach the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).
Have we actually come to a place in Evangelicalism where he will listen to people who clearly tell us that they are not called to explain and expound the Scriptures? A number of responses I have received after being interviewed regarding Osteen's message criticized me for failing to show a united front against the real enemies: the liberals.
However, it is unclear to me how Osteen's message displays any higher regard for the authority and basic teaching of the Scriptures. Once upon a time, conservative Protestants imagined that theological liberalism was the greatest threat to authentic Christianity in our time. With liberalism almost completely irrelevant as an active school movement, Osteen's success confirms my suspicions that evangelicalism itself is becoming a more serious obstacle to evangelical faith and practice today.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Getting to Know Jesus: 2 Corinthians 11
11:1 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.
11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
11:5 For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.
11:6 But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.
11:7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?
11:8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.
11:9 And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.
11:10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
11:11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.
11:12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
11:13 For such false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
11:16 I say again, let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.
11:17 That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
11:18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.
11:19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
11:20 For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.
11:21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.
11:22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
11:23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
11:29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
11:30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
11:32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:
11:33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
11:5 For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.
11:6 But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.
11:7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?
11:8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.
11:9 And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.
11:10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
11:11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.
11:12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
11:13 For such false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
11:16 I say again, let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.
11:17 That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
11:18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.
11:19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
11:20 For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.
11:21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.
11:22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
11:23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
11:29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
11:30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
11:32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:
11:33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Become a Better You: Reflections on Joel Osteen's Latest Book
by Michael S. Horton
It was a pleasant afternoon a few years ago in my back yard, writing an article, when Modern Reformation executive editor Eric Landry informed me that he had scheduled me for an interview on Joel Osteen for "Dateline NBC." Knowing nothing about Mr. Osteen or his message at that time, I declined - with no effect whatsoever on Landry's force of will. "Here's the book: Your Best Life Now. So you'd better get reading!"
Little did I know then that Osteen already was a phenomenon and would only become a greater one as months wore on. In retrospect, I am glad to have had the opportunity to talk to so many people who are confused about the message that Osteen preaches and that seems to pervade so much of ordinary American preaching and spirituality in our day.
A CBS "60 Minutes" interview sparked more recent requests for comment concerning Osteen's new book, Becoming a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day. I took it with me on a recent flight and I offer the following reflections.
Heavier Emphasis on the Prosperity Gospel
Under the Library of Congress identification, this book is classified as "1. Self-actualization (Psychology)-Religious Aspects-Christianity." Even the Library of Congress seems to know what sort of message this represents. "You can be better," Osteen invites. "The question is: 'How? What must I do to become a better me?' In my first book, Your Best Life Now, I presented seven steps to living at your full potential." But with Becoming a Better You, he wants to go a little deeper. "I'm hoping to help you look inside yourself and discover the priceless seeds of greatness that God has placed within you. In this book, I will reveal to you seven keys that you can use to unlock those seeds of greatness, allowing them to burst forth in an abundantly blessed life."
The theme is "coming up higher." From beginning to end, Osteen addresses his vast readership as though each person is "a child of the Most High God."
It is indeed true that there are appeals to the Bible scattered throughout this book. However, in nearly every case a verse is either torn from its context and turned into a "fortune-cookie" kind of promise that one can name-and-claim for oneself or it is actually misquoted to serve Osteen's point.
For example, we read that when God confronted Adam and Eve after their sin, "He said, 'Adam, who told you that you were naked?' In other words, 'Who told you that something was wrong with you?' God immediately knew the enemy had been talking to them. God is saying to you today, 'Who told you that you don't have what it takes to succeed?'"
Where, in the passage he refers to (Genesis 3:11), God asks Adam this question in order to convict him of his sin, Osteen makes it sound as if it were Satan who told Adam that he had failed the test.
As in his earlier book, Osteen here never speaks of sin as falling short of God's glory, but of falling short of God's best for your life. In fact, Osteen's attachment to the prosperity gospel is even more explicit in Become a Better You. Just as Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, and other "faith teachers" speak of believers as "little gods" who share God's nature, Osteen has an entire chapter devoted to "The Power of Your Bloodline." "You have the DNA of Almighty God." It's "what's in you" that is divine seed, he says.
It is not that God has imputed Christ's righteousness to us and adopted us as his children. We are not saved by an external and alien righteousness, but by an internal and essential righteousness that belongs to us simply by virtue of our being created in his image. Therefore, throughout the book Osteen can address all of his readers as semi-divine without any reference to faith in Christ.
As if the fall never happened, Osteen writes, "He has programmed you with everything you need for victory. That's why every day you can say things like, 'I have what it takes. I am more than a conqueror. I am intelligent; I am talented. I am successful; I am attractive; I am an overcomer."
Where Paul, in Galatians 3:29 argues that the inheritance of eternal life comes through the promise (i.e., Christ) rather than by the law, Osteen again lifts a single verse out of its context as a promise of temporal prosperity:
This is a clear example of how Osteen turns even the most obvious references to Christ (as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy) into timeless examples of what can happen to us if we name and claim our blessings. He does not interpret Scripture; he uses it as a book of quotations to serve his own prosperity message.
The book is shot through with the lingo of the prosperity gospel: we are to "declare" God's blessing, "speak" prosperity, and "prophesy" health, wealth, and happiness into our lives. All of this creates the impression that God has set everything up for our victory, but it is up to us to actually plug into the power-source and create our blessings by following the proper principles and procedures.
So in spite of the supernatural rhetoric, at the end of the day it all sounds deistic: God has set everything up, with the laws of prosperity in place, and now the ball is in our court. Following a well-worn path of "victorious life" teachers, Osteen speaks of "tapping into" the eternal realm. In this way, even religion becomes a species of technology: by knowing the right principles, formulas and steps, prosperity, blessing, and favor can be yours here and now. Once again, the Gnostic brand of spirituality is readily apparent.
I'm all for positive thinking - as long as we don't call it the gospel. I come from a long line of Wild West pioneers and can identify with Osteen's commendation of his parents as a major source of an optimistic outlook. The problem is when we blindly ignore the reality of our condition before God. Whatever good things there may be about me, none of them commend me before God's righteous judgment.
Moving beyond positive thinking, Osteen embraces "positive confession," the prosperity doctrine that says if you not only believe for something but declare that it is already yours, the desired blessing will come true. God may be the source of this blessing in an ultimate sense, since he set things up, but whether we actually receive God's favor and blessings depends entirely on our attitude, action, and obedience.
Osteen devotes a chapter to "Making Your Words Work for You." "Every day, we should make positive declarations over our lives," he writes. "We should say things such as, 'I am blessed. I am prosperous. I am healthy. I am talented. I am creative. I am wise.'" Joe's wife could not carry her pregnancies to full term, so Joe changed his name to the fuller name, "Joseph," meaning "God Will Add."
"Several months after Joseph began believing his name," Osteen tells us, "his wife became pregnant again. And for the first time in ten years, she carried the child full term, and gave birth to a healthy baby boy...With our words, we can prophesy our own future." "Something supernatural happens when we speak it out. That's how we give life to our faith...Declare it by faith and use your words to change that situation."
This means that whatever God has done to make all of this possible, the victory that we are actually able to achieve and the blessings that we are actually able to receive depend on our effort. So in a chapter titled, "Have Confidence in Yourself," Osteen repeats his mantra, again misquoting the Bible:
The closest thing that I have been able to find to the wording cited by Osteen is Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians 12:9: "But he [Jesus] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me."
Of course, if this is the verse that Osteen has in mind, it says exactly the opposite of Osteen's paraphrase. In fact, it is part of a larger explanation of why Paul, in contrast to the "super-apostles" who were leading the Corinthians astray with their "smooth talk and flattery," would "not boast about myself, except of my weaknesses."
In fact, Paul says that God gave him a "thorn in the flesh, so that I would not exalt myself" (2 Corinthians 12:5-10). In times of weakness, distress, and difficulty, Paul says, where we lose our self-confidence to handle our situation before God, we are actually in the best position for God to show his power.
It was a pleasant afternoon a few years ago in my back yard, writing an article, when Modern Reformation executive editor Eric Landry informed me that he had scheduled me for an interview on Joel Osteen for "Dateline NBC." Knowing nothing about Mr. Osteen or his message at that time, I declined - with no effect whatsoever on Landry's force of will. "Here's the book: Your Best Life Now. So you'd better get reading!"
Little did I know then that Osteen already was a phenomenon and would only become a greater one as months wore on. In retrospect, I am glad to have had the opportunity to talk to so many people who are confused about the message that Osteen preaches and that seems to pervade so much of ordinary American preaching and spirituality in our day.
A CBS "60 Minutes" interview sparked more recent requests for comment concerning Osteen's new book, Becoming a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day. I took it with me on a recent flight and I offer the following reflections.
Heavier Emphasis on the Prosperity Gospel
Under the Library of Congress identification, this book is classified as "1. Self-actualization (Psychology)-Religious Aspects-Christianity." Even the Library of Congress seems to know what sort of message this represents. "You can be better," Osteen invites. "The question is: 'How? What must I do to become a better me?' In my first book, Your Best Life Now, I presented seven steps to living at your full potential." But with Becoming a Better You, he wants to go a little deeper. "I'm hoping to help you look inside yourself and discover the priceless seeds of greatness that God has placed within you. In this book, I will reveal to you seven keys that you can use to unlock those seeds of greatness, allowing them to burst forth in an abundantly blessed life."
Remember, God has put in you everything you need to live a victorious life. Now, it's up to you to draw it out...What does it mean to become a better you? First, you understand that God wants you to become all that He created you to be. Second, it is imperative that you realize that God will do His part, but you must do your part as well. To become a better you, you must:
- Keep pressing forward.
- Be positive toward yourself.
- Develop better relationships.
- Form better habits.
- Embrace the place where you are.
- Develop your inner life.
- Stay passionate about life.
The theme is "coming up higher." From beginning to end, Osteen addresses his vast readership as though each person is "a child of the Most High God."
God has breathed His life into you. He planned seeds of greatness in you. You have everything you need to fulfill your God-given destiny...It's all in you. You are full of potential. But you have to do your part and start tapping into it...You have the seed of Almighty God on the inside of you...We have to believe that we have what it takes.
It is indeed true that there are appeals to the Bible scattered throughout this book. However, in nearly every case a verse is either torn from its context and turned into a "fortune-cookie" kind of promise that one can name-and-claim for oneself or it is actually misquoted to serve Osteen's point.
For example, we read that when God confronted Adam and Eve after their sin, "He said, 'Adam, who told you that you were naked?' In other words, 'Who told you that something was wrong with you?' God immediately knew the enemy had been talking to them. God is saying to you today, 'Who told you that you don't have what it takes to succeed?'"
Where, in the passage he refers to (Genesis 3:11), God asks Adam this question in order to convict him of his sin, Osteen makes it sound as if it were Satan who told Adam that he had failed the test.
As in his earlier book, Osteen here never speaks of sin as falling short of God's glory, but of falling short of God's best for your life. In fact, Osteen's attachment to the prosperity gospel is even more explicit in Become a Better You. Just as Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, and other "faith teachers" speak of believers as "little gods" who share God's nature, Osteen has an entire chapter devoted to "The Power of Your Bloodline." "You have the DNA of Almighty God." It's "what's in you" that is divine seed, he says.
It is not that God has imputed Christ's righteousness to us and adopted us as his children. We are not saved by an external and alien righteousness, but by an internal and essential righteousness that belongs to us simply by virtue of our being created in his image. Therefore, throughout the book Osteen can address all of his readers as semi-divine without any reference to faith in Christ.
As if the fall never happened, Osteen writes, "He has programmed you with everything you need for victory. That's why every day you can say things like, 'I have what it takes. I am more than a conqueror. I am intelligent; I am talented. I am successful; I am attractive; I am an overcomer."
Where Paul, in Galatians 3:29 argues that the inheritance of eternal life comes through the promise (i.e., Christ) rather than by the law, Osteen again lifts a single verse out of its context as a promise of temporal prosperity:
I love the Scripture that says, 'If we belong to Christ, we are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.' That means that we can all experience the blessings of Abraham. If you study Abraham's record, you'll discover that he was prosperous, healthy, and lived a long, productive life. Even though he didn't always make the best choices, he enjoyed God's blessings and favor.
This is a clear example of how Osteen turns even the most obvious references to Christ (as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy) into timeless examples of what can happen to us if we name and claim our blessings. He does not interpret Scripture; he uses it as a book of quotations to serve his own prosperity message.
The book is shot through with the lingo of the prosperity gospel: we are to "declare" God's blessing, "speak" prosperity, and "prophesy" health, wealth, and happiness into our lives. All of this creates the impression that God has set everything up for our victory, but it is up to us to actually plug into the power-source and create our blessings by following the proper principles and procedures.
So in spite of the supernatural rhetoric, at the end of the day it all sounds deistic: God has set everything up, with the laws of prosperity in place, and now the ball is in our court. Following a well-worn path of "victorious life" teachers, Osteen speaks of "tapping into" the eternal realm. In this way, even religion becomes a species of technology: by knowing the right principles, formulas and steps, prosperity, blessing, and favor can be yours here and now. Once again, the Gnostic brand of spirituality is readily apparent.
He wants us to have a little heaven on earth, right where we are...[Y]ou can accomplish your dreams before you go to heaven! How can you do that? By tapping into God's power inside of you...Please understand that those are all things from which you have already been set free.
But here's the catch: If you don't appreciate and take advantage of your freedom, if you don't get your thoughts, your words, your attitudes going in the right direction, it won't do you any good.
You may be sitting back waiting on God to do something supernatural in your life, but the truth is, God is waiting on you. You must rise up in your authority, have a little backbone and determination, and say, 'I am not going to live my life in mediocrity, bound by addictions, negative and defeated.
I'm all for positive thinking - as long as we don't call it the gospel. I come from a long line of Wild West pioneers and can identify with Osteen's commendation of his parents as a major source of an optimistic outlook. The problem is when we blindly ignore the reality of our condition before God. Whatever good things there may be about me, none of them commend me before God's righteous judgment.
Moving beyond positive thinking, Osteen embraces "positive confession," the prosperity doctrine that says if you not only believe for something but declare that it is already yours, the desired blessing will come true. God may be the source of this blessing in an ultimate sense, since he set things up, but whether we actually receive God's favor and blessings depends entirely on our attitude, action, and obedience.
Osteen devotes a chapter to "Making Your Words Work for You." "Every day, we should make positive declarations over our lives," he writes. "We should say things such as, 'I am blessed. I am prosperous. I am healthy. I am talented. I am creative. I am wise.'" Joe's wife could not carry her pregnancies to full term, so Joe changed his name to the fuller name, "Joseph," meaning "God Will Add."
"Several months after Joseph began believing his name," Osteen tells us, "his wife became pregnant again. And for the first time in ten years, she carried the child full term, and gave birth to a healthy baby boy...With our words, we can prophesy our own future." "Something supernatural happens when we speak it out. That's how we give life to our faith...Declare it by faith and use your words to change that situation."
This means that whatever God has done to make all of this possible, the victory that we are actually able to achieve and the blessings that we are actually able to receive depend on our effort. So in a chapter titled, "Have Confidence in Yourself," Osteen repeats his mantra, again misquoting the Bible:
The Scripture says, 'Our faith is made effectual when we acknowledge everything good in us.' Think about this: Our faith is not effective when we acknowledge all our hurts and pains. It's not effective when we stay focused on our shortcomings or our weaknesses. Our faith is most effective when we acknowledge the good things that are in us.
The closest thing that I have been able to find to the wording cited by Osteen is Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians 12:9: "But he [Jesus] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me."
Of course, if this is the verse that Osteen has in mind, it says exactly the opposite of Osteen's paraphrase. In fact, it is part of a larger explanation of why Paul, in contrast to the "super-apostles" who were leading the Corinthians astray with their "smooth talk and flattery," would "not boast about myself, except of my weaknesses."
In fact, Paul says that God gave him a "thorn in the flesh, so that I would not exalt myself" (2 Corinthians 12:5-10). In times of weakness, distress, and difficulty, Paul says, where we lose our self-confidence to handle our situation before God, we are actually in the best position for God to show his power.
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