IN SUBMISSION to SOVEREIGNTY

2010-09-01T11:28:00.003-04:00

AT YOUR "BECK" AND "FINAL CALL"

The view and priority of the Word of God for many Christians was tested last week; as the 'net and the airwaves were abuzz with the question of whether or not Christians should join conservative television personality and professed mormon, Glenn Beck, at his "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington. D.C. last Saturday.

For the record, I was completely opposed to any Christian participation in this event. Beck, himself, said this was to be a "spiritual" revival. That along with the blasphemous joining in "prayer" by mormons, muslims and Christians at his other public rallies, made it impossible for me to be a part of this unholy alliance. I cited II Corinthians 6:14 and Amos 3:3 among the many Scriptural admonitions to have no part in any such denial of the one true God, Yahweh.

What I'm finding so frustrating about the Christians who cheered and attended this event is their rationalizing and minimizing the clear teaching of Scripture. Truly, it is their dismissing of its clear teaching. II Corinthians 6:14, Amos 3:3, etc. are quite plain. What amount of human wisdom and contemporary contextualizing is sufficient to trump the holy wisdom of God? He said not to, period. End of contemplation. Why is that so difficult to understand?

I Corinthians 10:6 explains that the things that happened to the Old Testament saints were for our example and instruction. Have we forgotten Sarah's "helpful idea" to have Hagar for a surrogate? Have we forgotten that King Saul had his kingdom taken because he disobeyed Samuel's instructions? Have we forgotten that Uzzah was struck down for touching the ark?

No, I mean NO, amount of "good" (even the salvation of some of those in attendance/watching) ameliorates the fact the God was disobeyed in this activity and it will reflect.

I heard many say that God was glorified and was pleased with this rally. Why, because His name was mentioned? I would be very interested to know if the Gospel of Jesus Christ was publicly proclaimed. Did anyone have the gumption to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way of salvation; to the exclusion of all others. Was salvation by GRACE ALONE, through FAITH ALONE, in JESUS ALONE, to the glory of GOD ALONE proclaimed to the mormon host, his brethren and a watching world?

I also wonder, how many of the Christians who attended this rally were vehemently opposed to participating in the "Million Man March"(of course, that even was predominantly a CP production; however, I found myself debating with a good number of CP's over this rally)? What were their reasons for not participating in that interfaith event? Could it be because the leader, Louis Farrakhan, is a muslim? Could it be because the muslim god is not the God of Christianity? But isn't the mormon god different than the God of Christianity? In fact was not the mormon god once a man who attained godhood?

Could it be that the Jesus of islam is different from the Jesus of Christianity? Could it be because the muslim jesus is only a prophet and not God incarnate? But isn't the mormon jesus different from the Jesus of Christianity? In fact, isn't the mormon jesus just satan's little, nicer brother and the literal son of a god and his wife?

I know, I know Farrakhan is overtly muslim (not really, the Nation of Islam is not orthodox muslim). Beck doesn't emphasize his mormonism. And that is with good reason. It would definitely hinder their assimilation if everybody knew that according to mormon founder, Joseph Smith's First Vision, God said that the churches of Christendom "were all wrong"; that "all their creeds were an abomination", and that Christian ministers "were all corrupt" (from One Nation Under gods" by Richard Abanes, p377; quoting Joseph Smith, Pearl of Great Price; Joseph Smith-History 1:19)

It might strain relations between us if Christians knew that mormons "have repeatedly confirmed that their church is the 'only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth' and that ' the power of God unto salvation-(Romans 1:16) is ABSENT from all but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'" (from One Nation Under gods" by Richard Abanes, p378; quoting Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine p.9).

It seems to me there are just as many reasons not to join up with Beck as there were not to join up with Farrakhan. I guess Beck and the mormons are just a bit more subtle. Hey . . . wasn't that the key characteristic of the serpent in the Garden of Eden?

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:3)

2010-03-09T13:16:00.006-05:00

I Think I May Be On to Something . . .

I don't read signs into everything that happens; but I do find a tasty bit of serendipity in an article I just read two days ago. If you have been following along, my first post of this year was entitled, "2010: The Year of Thinking Biblically". Most recently, have posted, "The Tyranny of Our Emotions". Well, the wise men (and ladies) over at Modern Reformation magazine obviously have been thinking along the same lines I have. They have published a powerful article by Charlie Mallie who hits one out of the park on this very important subject.

Since I barely scratched the surface of the problem of the need for Biblical literacy and commitment; I thought I owed it to my readers to add more meat to the bones. So please dig in to this article and be armed for the Year of Thinking Biblically!!!

"Without the Word,
by Charlie Mallie

I can barely open my eyes this morning as I stumble out of my car into the pre-dawn mist and try to get my bearing. The wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee hits my senses and my body turns as if on autopilot. I reach for the door, tripping over the threshold as I step into the soft light and the morning sounds of beans being ground and the espresso machine giving birth to that mysterious dark elixir. The birth pangs continue as ordinary milk is transformed into a magical delight added to the more superior of coffee possibilities. Dr. Rosenbladt once posited that coffee was an ontological argument for not only the existence of God but also that he wanted us to pay attention. I am in complete agreement. I order my usual "Vente Mocha, triple shot with whip."

"$3.87, Charlie. How's it going today?" a friendly voice offers.

"Mm," my words stick to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter. Plumbing the depths of my pocket I manage a "Good, thanks," as I hand John $4.12.

He looks utterly confused by my accounting, as if someone took a big monkey wrench and jammed it straight down into the gears of his mental machinery. He looks at the coins and then at the register and then at me. He tries to give back the change and says, "It's only $3.87." There's a bit of an uncomfortable pause.

"I know," I say, "but I need quarters for the meter," but still there's no understanding. It's pointless. In my mind a voice is yelling, "I'm not even going to think about what they didn't teach you in high school math." "Never mind, just keep it," I say, smiling.

I grab my beverage and walk over to the corner table and take a seat. As I take my first sip I think, "What if the world becomes like this?" More thoughts like these begin to swirl behind my eyes as I imagine a culture in which the ability to read becomes a lost art, math is treated like magic, and anyone who can make change at the cash register a modern magician. Can you imagine a world where doctors no longer have a competent grasp of human anatomy and physiology? Would you go under the knife knowing it was a gamble? How about a world where lawyers no longer understand the concept of justice? Wait--scratch that last one. Or what about a world where the church no longer bases its teachings on the Bible, or where Christians are completely ignorant of God's Word? It's that last thought that preoccupies the rest of my morning, and the issue that seems to be every solid pastor's challenge these days.

Some would argue that we're already there. I know, I've had those arguments with fellow pastors. I don't think that all is lost, not completely, not yet. Things may be bad, but I know some real oases in this wasteland of American Christianity, and for them I give thanks. I hope and pray that all of you reading this are at some such place, a bastion of orthodoxy of some sort. But I also realize that in surveying the landscape, things are not as well as they could be among the Christians in this country. Trying to find water in the desert is becoming more of a challenge.

As an adult convert I can say that my first hundred or so encounters with Christians or with various churches didn't impress me much. When I had courage enough to darken the doorway of some assembly, often I found the teachings shallow and gimmicky. There was so very little of the Word, if at all. I remember one mega-thon in Southern California where the "youth dude" was standing in for the main pastor one particular Sunday. When it came time to "do the Supper," he had us all bow our heads and "in our hearts intensely remember Jesus," and then he looked up and yelled, "Here's to Jesus," as if toasting the skylight with his little plastic cup filled with Welch's. That was the last church I walked out of with five-thousand-plus people watching. So began the years of my church fast--and my struggle to find genuine biblical Christianity, one that was saturated through and through with the Word of God.

It occurred to me back then (now over fifteen years ago) that the very aspect of what pulled me with great velocity out of those churches seems to be what draws so many others to them. The emphasis on marketing rather than teaching, offering choices, rather than calling for commitment, entertainment rather than substance flows like a chapter out of Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. If you look at it from 40,000 feet, regardless of the individual manifestations of the malady, the source is always the same: a lack of teaching founded on the whole counsel of God or at the very least an inoculation against such teaching. Why, in some places, you can have solid biblical teaching and have it be rejected wholesale remains, for the most part, a mystery to me. The parable of the sower may offer some explanation with the seed that falls upon the side of the road.

How dangerous is it to have a church that isn't completely shaped by the Holy Word of God in doctrine and in practice? What's the big deal? Can't we just form a group of Christians based on whatever we feel will best serve our needs? We need to be culturally relevant and sensitive. As we look at the way the church has operated in the history of Christianity we can certainly say that there are more efficient models for conducting business. We're modern thinkers; look at all the advances in science and technology--look at how much we now know about this human condition called life. Surely the church cannot operate as it has for the past two-thousand years. Surely the times have changed--and the church must change with it, right?

Maybe not. I hope you wholeheartedly disagree with the previous sarcastic statements. If you do in fact disagree, it is unquestionably the result of a particular thing in your history. Somewhere in your background the Word of God came to you. A passage that you read or that someone spoke stuck with you. Some pastor preached on a given text and it took root. You read your Bible and the Word was implanted. That living and active Word, the vehicle of the Holy Spirit, was buried in the soil of your heart and it grew. As that seed did its seedy thing, a small part of you was conformed to the image of the Sower. In that moment you were given discernment by the Word and the Word became a part of you. Because of that gift of being taught by the Holy Spirit through his Word, you can look at such silly assertions and say, "I think not."

But that's really the key, isn't it? The Word. It all turns on the Word of God. Not just a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, but the very means that guard our steps as we walk with Christ who is the Way, the Truth, the Life. The Word, the Word, the Word! Sola Scriptura we Reformation folk like to say. Once upon a time, people thought it a principle worth fighting for and even dying for. But why? They thought it that important because they knew it was the Word that must be their foundation. They took passages such as Matthew 7:24-25 to heart. They believed 2 Timothy 3:16. They held fast to a whole host of testimony that if condensed said, "Sola Scriptura!"

Without the Word, we are sitting ducks for all sorts of trouble. If it is true that the devil roams about like a lion seeking to devour whomever he will and that the only weapon we are given is the Word of God--that double-edged sword of the Spirit that proceeds from the mouth of Christ--then without the Word we are truly vulnerable. Worse than that, we are helpless against whatever wind of doctrine blows through our doors. But I can only know such things from the Word. I will not come to the conclusion of such things by a careful contemplation of the starry sky--sorry, Mr. Kant. Without that transcendent eternal Word dropping down from the lofty realm of the neumena confusion, heresy, even apostasy becomes commonplace and talk of absolutes degrades into discussions of preference. Without a raft of revelation to sail me through this sea of doubt, there is no distilling ought-ness from is-ness. We are adrift in this sea of doubt, seeking and never finding, grabbing hold of whatever promises a remedy, even if it is just a temporary distraction from the pain upstairs that makes our eyeballs ache. The idea of victimhood gives credibility to this destructive narcissism as we become so singularly focused on our own needs to the exclusion of culture, community, and even family. The church fares no better, for it is filled with such individuals who are without the Word to straighten their inborn crookedness (in curvatus se), and instead it panders to their felt needs.

The recognition of this total depravity, without the mirror of God's law, is merely an optimistic attempt to place bandages on the devastating cancer of our sin, topically treating an inborn propensity for death with modern-day snake oils, peddled by religious carnies. Without the salve of the gospel, the message of God's salvation in Christ pro nobis (!), these souls are merely relegated to a hot and hopeless eternal existence, and an earthly life where meaning isn't given from above but must be mined from the depth of the human condition. Tell me I'm wrong! But if this were not the state of things in these latter days, there would be no need of a publication such as this calling for a modern Reformation and a return to the solas! We are in dire need of the Word of God to be present in our churches.

And it's not just that the Word be present but that we as the body of Christ persist and remain fluent in that Holy Word of God. The old Lutherans called this catechesis: the teaching, or the passing on of the teachings of the apostles, specifically those concerning Christ's death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. This we did from the passages and we believed catechesis was to be lifelong. The best of Lutheran orthodoxy on the subject reveals a deep understanding that the Word of God is to be understood as living and active. It is the creative, redemptive Word that is the vehicle through which the Holy Spirit delivers God's law, illuminating our sin, and thereby showing us our need for our Savior, but it is also the means of communicating the gospel. That gospel, delivered by the Word, was the thing that got into your heart, soul, mind, and body, straightening you up to look anew at Christ's death for you, absolving you of guilt and shame--forgiving your very sins--and that's how you were conformed to his image, by putting to death the deeds of the old Adam in you. It was the gospel, the forgiveness of sins, that delivered the Holy Spirit to you personally; and once the gift was given, faith was created ex nihilo or, as the old Lutherans said, what was delivered was "forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation."

Once upon a time every young Lutheran was expected to have memorized about twenty pages of questions with answers that were verses from the Bible in Luther's Small Catechism. These days, many Lutheran churches no longer use the catechism at all. Don't even ask me about their use of the Bible. Because of this, whether it was laziness on the part of the pastors or resistance on the part of the people, biblical ignorance abounds. Within my own church body, it is a huge struggle to try and teach out of several generations that took so much for granted. Scriptural familiarity is at an all-time low. That's a dangerous place to be for a church body that claims to be roundly and soundly about Jesus. It leaves us open to all sorts of things that range from just plain silly to the outright demonic.

For without the Word to inform my life in Christ, what do I have? I will almost certainly clench tightly to flowery or fiery words that sound conservative or wholesome. The prophets to whom I give ear will be of my choosing, certainly not those of old to whom the Word of the Lord came. I will be drawn to messages and teachings that anesthetize and comfort my ignorance. I will do this because it is easy, comfortable, and familiar. What I will not do in this is confront my sin. At best, I will define my sin not in biblical terms but in humanistic ones, ways in which I can make progress and chart my ascendance. At worst, I will ignore it and bury it where it cannot be confessed and it cannot be forgiven. I will, given the inclination of my heart, rank myself among my peers and compare my "progress in enlightenment" to that of my associates. I will be a bigger Pharisee than I am already--and not just me, millions like me, all who call themselves Christian. Where will it end?

It's one thing when a lack of biblical acumen affects my course in this life, but what happens when the problem becomes so widespread that it pushes the entire Christian church on earth off her intended heading? Students of history well realize this has happened before. The last, most significant realization perhaps, called for reformation when a young Augustinian monk, who, having had the stage set for him by a previous generation of humanists, heard the cry ad fontes and returned to the Holy Word of God for teaching and direction. We know the result; it's a matter of history. For a time there was division, dissention, and destruction; but there was also life and as a direct result, after a while, real peace in a land marked by civil unrest. The gospel of Jesus Christ through Reformers the likes of Luther, Calvin, and others, came to the forefront in the life of the church. Because the gospel of Jesus Christ, understood as the real rescue of sinners sola gratia, came to be the center and the circumference of the public life and expression of the church, the benefits of that gospel flourished as well. God's Word being given its rightful place did what God's Word always does: it creates life.

But if it is God's Word that creates life, then what about its absence? Well, if it is true that through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned, and that death reigned from Adam until this present age, and that through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, then through the one transgression there resulted condemnation of all men. That condemnation of sin reigns in death. Without the Word there is only death; without the Word of the gospel, that death is eternal. Without the Word of God--it matters little how you dress it up, market it, or in what words you couch it--it is merely the dry dusty breath of a dead man on his way to the valley of dry bones in the desert. To be without the Word is to be without Christ. To be without Christ is to be without a Savior. To be without a Savior is to succumb to that insidious hereditary darkness that results in our ultimate demise without hope of resurrection. The question is, "Son of man, can these bones live?" What can we say? Our own words fail, even here, "You alone, O Lord, know."

What we do know, and that again from the Word, is that the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one death reigned through the one, how much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17). But here again, what I'm trying to show through example is that it is only a fluency in the Word and with the Word that best provides protection against all forms of this death that manifests itself both in the world and in the church.

I don't think there are many in the various camps of the orthodox who would argue that American Christianity has drifted away from Scripture. The signs are too clear, the marketing too effective, the billboards are everywhere. If space permitted, a contrasting of a knowledge of Scripture over and against the smooth-tongued seductive attacks against the Word would make the case even clearer and the need and urgency to return to the Word rather stark; but this article merely paints with a broad brush, leaving the detail work to more competent individuals.

Before I close, I'd like to leave you with just a few thoughts. The Reformers understood very well that the entire Scriptures were about Jesus. He himself says as much in Matthew. But in addition to that, Luther and those who followed understood that the Word was not just casuistry concerning Jesus, but that it was about Jesus in a particular way. Holy Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, described in infinite detail the scarlet thread of redemption--Jesus primarily in his dying and saving office for sinners, of which you and I are included. Should we lose that message in its particulars and its entirety, we lose the ability to communicate our very salvation. Apart from God's Word, the only knowledge of God we have is one of power and might, of justice and of law. We lose Jesus, we lose the Christ, and we lose our very salvation.

Can we have a church that is completely devoid of Scripture? Will it still be church? I'm afraid, given the current trend, this question might be answered for us all. May it never be, but nevertheless, come Lord Jesus".

Charlie Mallie (M.Div., Concordia Theological Seminary) is associate pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Tombal, Texas.

Thanks, Charlie!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2010-02-22T19:20:00.007-05:00

THE TYRANNY OF OUR EMOTIONS

Much to the detriment of our spiritual growth and maturity, many of us believers are still under the bondage of one very stubborn taskmaster: Emotion. I am all too aware of the common stereotype of us Calvinists: we're supposedly cold, robotic, non-empathetic and dull. Like most stereotypes these are dreadfully wrong; but presenting the "touchy-feely" Calvinist is not the aim of this post. The beast that I would like to destroy here is: The Thing that Ate Their Brains!

To our shame "unregenerate emotion" has blunted our witness to the world and made thousands of us prey for every pulpit pimp to come down the pike with a new revelation from a god. Why? Because when unregenerate emotion is on the bench, reason is prima facie evidence for a lack of faith. "Unregenerate emotion" declares "reason" to be antagonistic to trusting God. "Unregenerate emotion" is especially dangerous to a Christian because it negates discernment. The "pimp in prophet's clothing" can go virtually undetected because he tells the "unregenerate emotions" everything they want to hear. Most heinously, "unregenerate emotion"; like the traditions of men makes void the Word of God (Matthew 15:6).

I recall a discussion I once had with a dear friend regarding the then popular practice of "pleading the blood of Jesus". I explained to my friend that this nauseating phrase was not only unbiblical; but it also mocks our Lord's precious blood. The word "plead" only appears four times in the entire New Testament (38 times in the OT, but of course it would not appear with Jesus' blood there) and each time it is in the past-tense with nary a drop of Jesus' blood in the vicinity. The phrase mocks the blood of the Lord because it doesn't honor it as the invaluable propitiation for the sin of mankind that it is. It remands it to some sort of mystical, cartoonish force-field that protects even inanimate objects like your car or your lawnmower. Despite the fact that there is no biblical precedent or instruction for this practice (or any proof that Jesus' blood stops bullets or is better for a car than regular scheduled maintenance); my friend stated that he would continue the practice because he "felt" it was right.

Consider that ol' chestnut: "slain in the spirit". I've debated this topic a number of times with other believers who swear it's real and that it has happened to them. I've walked with them through the Scriptures and pointed out that there is no account of this phenomenon happening to believers even once. The only occasion that even remotely resembled this side-show attraction was when the men who came to arrest Jesus fell down when He told them who He was (John 18:7). And these men were certainly not believers; but were enemies of Jesus. Yet, in the face of clear reason, "unregenerate emotion" drew the reigns and made them reject truth.

Many have somehow allowed a false dichotomy to be forged between the mind and the emotions. As if in the act of saving us, God somehow left the mind unredeemed and it is now imperative that the mind and reason not be trusted. They believe that too much thinking is a foil to going deeper with God or seeing Him really "move" in their lives. The pulpit pimps sense this blood-in-the-water and stoke the frenzied feeling festival with the most outlandish of claims: "stomp on the devil's head", "speak your break-through into reality", "talk to your wallet", "tell cancer it has to go", "tell the devil to give you back your stuff". And we're supposed to judge angels (I Corinthians 6:2-3).

True regeneration includes the emotions. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul AND with all your MIND (Matthew 22:37). The heart and the mind are equally important; but the heart must be informed by the mind. The feelings must be informed and guided by the intellect. God did not create us with an internal civil war raging between our faculties; that's an effect of sin. Our intellect and our emotions should be working in concert allowing us to fully commune with our Creator. That goal can only be reached by divorcing our emotions from the flesh and uniting them with a redeemed, Christ-submitted, Holy Spirit-guided, Bible-renewed mind.

We must understand that our salvation and our standing with God are grounded in objective truth. The righteous life, death, resurrection, ascension and return of our Lord Jesus Christ are realities that make a difference for our real eternal destinies. This faith makes claims and proffers doctrines that must be intellectually embraced if ever our emotions will truly glorify our God.

Christianity, more than any other pursuit, is truly for the thinking man. Don't worry, when we contemplate with keen minds the majesty of God and the pure genius of the redemption that He has wrought for us more than enough emotional flooding will overtake our hearts.

Think. It ain't illegal . . . yet!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2010-01-15T10:02:00.004-05:00

Is Haiti Cursed?

Sure, but so is Houston and Hawaii. Honduras and Hattiesburg. So is Holland and Hong Kong. For that matter the whole earth is cursed!

What is so surprising is the fact that so many people who should already understand this (Pat Robertson!) act as if Haiti is being singled out. Can you handle the truth? The truth is: Haitians and all the rest of mankind, in Adam, made a pact with the devil a long long time ago. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve entered in to a pact with satan to throw off God's rightful authority as their sovereign king and creator; to grasp after autonomy, godhood. And because of this ill-fated folly they and consequently all mankind and the earth itself was cursed. God had warned them that in the day they ate of the fruit of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" they would surely die. And men have been dropping like flies ever since. We don't get to choose how we go. Some will go in their sleep. Some will be killed in earthquakes. The fact is: we are going to go. Are we prepared to meet God on the other end is the major concern.

Perhaps it seems as though Haiti has been receiving a disproportionate percentage of the curse. Like every nation on earth they have sinned against Almighty God. Their government is corrupt. So is ours. There's the practice of voodoo. Ever been to Louisiana? I think, however, the unsaved among us should give heed to Jesus' words when he was questioned regarding some other deaths that seemed to be curse-related . . .

" There were some present at that very time who told him [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-5.

When it comes to "perishing", does it really matter how you get there?

Take a look in the mirror, Pat!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2010-01-11T23:26:00.006-05:00

BEAUTIFUL FEET

" . . . As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:15

Let's break down what the Apostle Paul is saying in this verse. In chapter ten of the letter to the Romans, Paul is summing up what is required for a person to be justified before our Holy God. As we come to verse 15, he is detailing how one actually comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Simply put, the Gospel (the Good News) must be fully heard and believed in order for a sinner to be saved from the just wrath of God. Of course, you don't have to be an ordained minister to be qualified to explain the Gospel; but I hope no one would deny that this is the ordained minister's primary and most crucial function.

The verse that I have highlighted is actually a quote from the prophet Isaiah, who in chapter 52 verse 7 of his prophecy stated,

" How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

I wonder how many preachers today have "beautiful feet"? As I look over the biggest names in popular christianity; I have to say, "not too many"! What does every single individual who walks into a church on Sunday morning have in common? The have all sinned against a Holy God. For many people this is a way of life; they are called "the unsaved". This is what they do. The others are believers; but even so, throughout the week they have betrayed the innocent blood Jesus shed for them on the cross.
R. C. Sproul aptly refers to this as "cosmic treason".

But when these kind of folks walk into the churches of Dollar, Jakes, Osteen, Hinn and their ilk what do they hear? Do they hear of the offense they have given to their Creator? Do they hear that they are fallen creatures in need of a foreign righteousness to clothe them that they will not be condemned by the unrelenting justice of Almighty God? Do they hear that the entire penalty has been borne and full debt has been paid by the sinless Son of God? And that trusting Jesus alone to bear their guilt is the ONLY way to be saved from Almighty God's righteous wrath? Do we hear the Good News that there is now a way for sinful men, like you and me, to stand justified before a Holy God? I've watched a lot of these guys' broadcasts and have yet to hear it, even once.

What do we hear instead? We hear: "God wants you to be a champion", "Jesus was rich and His children should be rich, too", "Dogs have little dogs, cats have little cats; so what does God have", "If you have enough faith, sickness cannot exist in your body", "Jesus wasn't God; Jesus was a man, because God wanted to show what He could do through a man"!

These preachers (and any who model them) have hammer-toes, bunions and their feet stink to high heaven!

We don't need self-glorifying and blatantly false proclamations. We, saved and unsaved, need to repeatedly hear the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must always be brought to terms with the loving God who sacrificed His innocent Son because He did not want to condemn His people. We have to face that even in our saved state we continually spurn that unfathomable love by our every sin. Nonetheless, we still have the promise of forgiveness if we come to Him in repentance. We must constantly be encouraged to mortify our sin and to vivify Godly virtue that we may be conformed to the image of our Lord. Our hope must be perpetually stoked by the proclamation of justification by faith ALONE in Jesus Christ ALONE to the glory of God ALONE! And that hope may only be promulgated through the triune God's sole method of special revelation: the Bible.

There are too many pretty hair-do's, too many GQ suits, too many bulging biceps, too many flashy cars, too many shapely legs haunting our pulpits. We need more beautiful feet. Feet tirelessly leading us to the cross. Feet leading us to repentance. Feet leading us to gratitude. Feet leading us to biblical faith. Feet leading us to contentment. Feet leading us to to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. We need beautiful feet!!!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

P.S. I am eternally thankful for the beautiful feet of men like Michael Leach, R.C. Sproul, Michael Horton and John Piper who have helped me to understand and love this Gospel.

2010-01-05T23:31:00.005-05:00

2010: The Year of Thinking Biblically?

It's a new year and already I'm a little ticked off. If you are the least bit curious as to where I have been hiding since my post of June 7, 2009, the answer is: over at Facebook. Now, you may think Facebook is a monumental waste of time; but it has afforded me the opportunity to share a little of what I talk about here without always preaching to the choir. What has ticked me off is the large number of professing "christians" who have espoused this "designer christianity" that does nothing but make unbelievers all the more resistant to true Biblical theology.

Recently, I posted a statement condemning abortion as a sinful and heinous act. One of my friends (a female) responded in opposition stating that there were valid reasons for a woman to have an abortion. I challenged her position in private emails, away from the public forum of Facebook and I was blind-sided by one of her defenses. I shouldn't have been; but I was and I'll explain why. Part of her defense for abortion was her perception that the Bible is "full of contradictions". Of course, she failed to provide even one example of any such contradiction. Here is the kicker: she continually posts these pithy, quasi-spiritual statements on Facebook. One of her recurring posts is the "Go to Church" command that she posts frequently on Sunday mornings. I can't help thinking: "Whatever for? To hear teachings from a book that is (as she believes) 'full of contradictions'"? What is mind-blowing is that she has absolutely no clue as to the duplicity infecting her words.

This is the kind of non-thinking that I hope becomes extinct among professing Christians in the Year of our Lord, 2010. Folks, we have to make a decision and commit to it. Either the Bible is the inerrant, infallible and immutable Word of God; authoritative in all it teaches or it is not. It's that simple. If it is the former, then it must be the final rule of our faith and practice.

I challenge all of you "designer christians" to at least be honest. If you don't believe the Bible please have the common decency to stop calling yourselves "Christians". Try "Cubic Zirconiums" or "Soy Beans"!

Notice I didn't say, " if you're not going to do everything the Bible says . . ." That would mean we all would have to stop calling ourselves "Christians". None of us can keep the whole Word without fail. But if at the very minimum you don't even acknowledge the veracity of Scripture, then you are not a Christian. You are a fake a fraud and a total black-eye on Jesus' bride! So please, go set up a religion of your own; draft official tenets to which you can submit and support. Recruit those who think like yourselves. Before you know it you'll be featured on Oprah and even have a television network of your own . . . you can call it TBN!

Now for those of you who love, and I mean Psalm 119-Love, God's Word . . .what must we do to make 2010 the "Year of Thinking Biblically"? The first thing we must do is READ God's Word. ALL OF IT!!! We have many guides to help us read the Bible through in one year. This is a fine goal; but I think it is more important to read the Bible through continually year after year. We must continually feast on Scripture.

"But brother Keith, I need a plan". Today is your blessed day for I, indeed, have a plan! I highly recommend reading the Bible chronologically. I'm positive that many of you have read the Bible through in its given order. A chronological study of Scripture will allow you to understand God's redemptive plan linearly as it unfolded. This is particularly helpful when studying I and II Samuel, I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles. When read chronologically the prophecies of the major and minor prophets are inserted into the books where they were historically pronounced. This gives the reader a more clear understanding of the status of the divided Kingdoms; and the acts of the people and various kings in light of the warnings they received. I must say that reading the Bible this way made a huge difference in my understanding. Huge!

Here is the chronological list of the books of the Bible

The next thing we must do is commit to memorizing Scripture. No small order here. Knowing exact chapter and verse is a great goal; but we should at least know where to find just about anything in our book. Thank God for James Strong and biblegateway.com!

Next, meditating on the Word. Now I'm preaching to myself. We have to hide God's Word in our hearts if we are going to live by it. A bevy of good sound Bible commentaries are available online for free! Try this one:

Christian Classics Ethereal Library

Finally, we've got to follow James' admonition to be "doers of the Word and not hearers only"! As Nike says, "Just Do It"! Caution: not in a sense that there is any merit toward salvation in it, but because we know the Word is the Truth and we are the people of the Truth. Face it, because you trust chairs to hold you, you never hesitate to sit in one. Because you trust your spouse, you never hesitate to leave your house. Because you trust your President . . . well, y'know what I mean!

I'm throwing down the gauntlet fellow believers. Are we "Christians" or are we "Cubic Zirconiums" Let's resolve (strong word) to love God's Word as we do the God who reveals Himself in it!!! Remembering that we can do NOTHING on our own. It is our sovereign king, Jesus who is our nourishing vine. And if you run into any of those "designer christians", give 'em a packet of soy sauce and a smile!

Let's make 2010 (and beyond) the year of thinking Biblically!!!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!(Acts 17:11)

2009-12-29T11:03:00.005-05:00

The Intertestamental Period

Now I know (somewhat) how Israel felt during the period between Malachi 4:7 and the advent of our Lord Jesus . . . No, God has not been silent; but let's just say He hasn't exactly been locquacious where my blog is concerned!!!

Sure there's been plenty of fodder for discussion; but none of it has seemed to have been "blog-worthy". I know , I know, Tiger has given us much to discuss about adultery, hero-worship and evasive driving maneuvers. The Prez is always good for a lesson in "how to kill your young and get other people to pay for it". And you just can't beat a good "end of the world" story with the Mayans and 2012 knocking on our door. Certainly there was something I could milk out of these hot issues; but that's exactly what I promised not to do!

I want to thank each of you who have checked back here over the last few months to find out if I posted anything new; and I want to apologize for not having anything. I do, however, want to assure you that I am still committed to this blog and to blogging that which has substance and not just space-filling capability. I hope that 2010 will bring a rush of topics for me to give you my insignificant two cents. I hope that anyone who is new to In Submission to Sovereignty was able to get something out of my old stuff and that you'll check me out again in the new year. For those of you who have been with me for a while thanks for not abandoning the ship!

Doubtless there will be plenty that the pulpit pimps will serve up more that needs to be debunked. The atheists will provide more distortion and inconsistency to be refuted. TBN will always present more brazen heresy that needs to be denied. At the same time there will be triumphs for God that need to be trumpeted; and God-willing, yours truly will give an interesting perspective on it all.

Thanks for reading. May the always triumphant, infinitely Holy and intentionally near God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually comfort, protect and mature you throughout a God-glorifying 2010!!!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2009-06-07T23:49:00.005-04:00

GRACE ALONE
by Dr. R.C. Sproul

Hi there; long time no pontificate! Well, you know my promise: "NO FLUFF"! Technically I still have nothing new for you so I'm deferring to a true genius: Dr. R.C. Sproul. This article, "Grace Alone" is from the June 2009 edition of Tabletalk Magazine. I think Dr. Sproul's logic and reasoning are air-tight. I double-dog dare you to refute him!

Grace Alone (from Dr. Sproul's monthly column: Right Now Counts Forever)

Soli Deo gloria is the motto that grew out of the Protestant Reformation and was used on every composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. He affixed the initials SDG at the bottom of each manuscript to communicate the idea that it is God and God alone who is to receive the glory for the wonders of His work of creation and of redemption. At the heart of the sixteenth-century controversy over salvation was the issue of grace.

It was not a question of man's need for grace. It was a question as to the extent of that need. The church had already condemned Pelagius, who had taught that grace facilitates salvation but is not absolutely necessary for it. Semi-Pelagianism since that time has always taught that without grace there is no salvation. But the grace that is considered in all semi-Pelagian and Arminian theories of salvation is not an efficacious grace. It is a grace that makes salvation possible, but not a grace that makes salvation certain.

In the parable of the sower we see that regarding salvation, God is the one who takes the initiative to bring salvation to pass. He is the sower. The seed that is sown is His seed, corresponding to His Word, and the harvest that results is His harvest. He harvests what He purposed to harvest when He initiated the whole process. God doesn't leave the harvest up to the vagaries of thorns and stones in the pathway. It is God and God alone who makes certain that a portion of His Word falls upon good ground. A critical error in interpreting this parable would be to assume that the good ground is the good disposition of fallen sinners, those sinners who make the right choice, responding positively to God's prevenient grace. The classical Reformed understanding of the good ground is that if the ground is receptive to the seed that is sown by God, it is God alone who prepares the ground for the germination of the seed.

The biggest question any semi-Pelagian or Arminian has to face at the practical level is this: Why did I choose to believe the gospel and commit my life to Christ when my neighbor, who heard the same gospel, chose to reject it? That question has been answered in many ways. We might speculate that the reason why one person chooses to respond positively to the gospel and to Christ, while another one doesn't, is because the person who responded positively was more intelligent than the other one. If that were the case, then God would still be the ultimate provider of salvation because the intelligence is His gift, and it could be explained that God did not give the same intelligence to the neighbor who rejected the gospel. But that explanation is obviously absurd.

The other possibility that one must consider is this: that the reason one person responds positively to the gospel and his neighbor does not is because the one who responded was a better person. That is, that person who made the right choice and the good choice did it because he was more righteous than his neighbor. In this case, the flesh not only availed something, it availed everything. This is the view that is held by the majority of evangelical Christians, namely, the reason why they are saved and others are not is that they made the right response to God's grace while the others made the wrong response.

We can talk here about not only the correct response as opposed to an erroneous response, but we can speak in terms of a good response rather than a bad response. If I am in the kingdom of God because I made the good response rather than the bad response, I have something of which to boast, namely the goodness by which I responded to the grace of God. I have never met an Arminian who would answer the question that I've just posed by saying, "Oh, the reason I'm a believer is because I'm better than my neighbor." They would be loath to say that. However, though they reject this implication, the logic of semi-Pelagianism requires this conclusion. If indeed in the final analysis the reason I'm a Christian and someone else is not is that I made the proper response to God's offer of salvation while somebody else rejected it, then by resistless logic I have indeed made the good response, and my neighbor has made the bad response.

What Reformed theology teaches is that it is true the believer makes the right response and the non-believer makes the wrong response. But the reason the believer makes the good response is because God in His sovereign election changes the disposition of the heart of the elect to effect a good response. I can take no credit for the response that I made for Christ. God not only initiated my salvation, He not only sowed the seed, but He made sure that that seed germinated in my heart by regenerating me by the power of the Holy Ghost. That regeneration is a necessary condition for the seed to take root and to flourish. That's why at the heart of Reformed theology the axiom resounds, namely, that regeneration precedes faith. It's that formula, that order of salvation that all semi-Pelagians reject. They hold to the idea that in their fallen condition of spiritual death, they exercise faith, and then are born again. In their view, they respond to the gospel before the Spirit has changed the disposition of their soul to bring them to faith. When that happens, the glory of God is shared. No semi-Pelagian can ever say with authenticity: "To God alone be the glory." For the semi-Pelagian, God may be gracious, but in addition to God's grace, my work of response is absolutely essential. Here grace is not effectual, and such grace, in the final analysis, is not really saving grace. In fact, salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end. Yes, I must believe. Yes, I must respond. Yes, I must receive Christ. But for me to say "yes" to any of those things, my heart must first be changed by the sovereign, effectual power of God the Holy Spirit. Soli Deo gloria.

*****

Dr. R.C. Sproul is founder and president of Ligonier Ministries, and he is author of the books A Taste of Heaven and Getting the Gospel Right.

Unleash your hidden calvinism!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2009-05-01T15:43:00.003-04:00

In Submission to Sovereignty: Greatest Hits

While still mired in blogging-burnout, I remembered what many popular musicians do when new material is slow in coming: they release a "greatest hits" album. So having complied a modest library of blogs (some of which some of you may have missed)I present to you: In Submission to Sovereignty: Greatest Hits!!!

With the increased media exposure of the likes of Creflo "Cashflow" Dollar; I thought we should be reminded of . . .

The Subtle Sinfulness of Silence

I knew when I began publishing this blog that my comments about heretical teachers, aberrant theologies, etc. would ruffle a lot of feathers. I expected to encounter fierce opposition and that many would be offended by what I have to say. I can honestly state, however, that it is not my intention to offend. It is my hope that someone, somewhere is given pause to think about what their being taught and then to move in a God-honoring direction. One of the unfortunate side-effects of "truth" is frequently "offense".

Of greater concern to me, is the prospect of having to stand before God one day and having to explain why I was silent. Having to explain why I said nothing when I observed some of those very near and dear to me walking toward a cliff. I firmly believe that my salvation is a done deal and that my sinful silence would be forgiven; but let's just say that I want to be able to cast as many crowns before the feet of my Savior as is possible.

That said, I would like for you to consider a few scenarios and honestly answer for yourself . . . what would you do?

Imagine, your mother needs serious medical treatment. She selects a physician whom you know to have been misdiagnosing illnesses, prescribing improper medications and has been successfully sued for malpractice multiple times. Would you warn your mother? She really likes this doctor. She really trusts this doctor. What would you do?

Imagine, your brother receives a large sum of money and decides to invest in the stock market. Your brother chooses a stockbroker whom you know to be entirely disreputable. He charges exorbitant fees for his services, all his clients have lost large sums of money while he continually prospers greatly. Would you warn your brother?

Imagine, your sister falls in love with the man of her dreams. They become engaged and begin to plan their wedding. One night, your staying at a hotel and you hear the unmistakable sounds of a loud sexual encounter going on in the room next to you. When you leave the next morning, you observe your sister's fiance exiting that same room with another woman (or man, you pick). He looks at you winks and says, "C'mon, dog, you know the deal"! Would you tell your sister?

I'm not the "Amazing Kreskin", but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that in each of the scenarios, you would be singing like a canary. So why is that where health, money and romance is concerned we feel duty bound to reveal the truth; but where the more eternally consequential effects of false teaching are concerned, we suddenly clam up? Why are we not concerned about being perceived as judgmental, arrogant and holier-than-thou in those scenarios; but just want to live and let live when a person's walk with Christ is endangered?

I recently received a couple of answers to this sort of question. One person said that they would pray for the person and wait for God to reveal to them that their place of worship was apostate. Then they hoped that the person would see it for themselves and leave. Let's apply this solution to the scenarios that I have just presented. Praying is absolutely necessary and should be the first step; but are you going to tell me that as your mother is being prepped for surgery by Dr. Hamhands, all you are going to do is pray?! Please don't tell your brother that you prayed for him as he cashes in his son's college fund to pay his mortgage because Dewey, Cheatum and Howe landed him in the poor house! And after your sister contracts AIDS from her philandering husband, I'd keep that "I prayed you would find out" stuff on the down-low!

As bad as these results are, the result of failing to speak up to our brothers and sisters who are under the thrall of false teaching and counterfeit christianity is far more detrimental. A false teacher, by definition, teaches falsehood and a house built on the sands of falsehood will surely collapse. And unfortunately, no one who has been ensnared by these lies can point their finger at the teacher on the day of judgment. They failed to study to show themselves approved and they will reap what they have sown. But you said nothing.

It was also suggested that since the person is "saved" it doesn't matter that he is under false teaching because he's going to Heaven anyway. My response to this is always, "are you sure"? I mean you have to be omniscient (God) to rest in this assumption. It was further suggested that, if a person walks down the isle and has the Gospel explained to him and he receives Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, then he is "saved". My answer to this is, "possibly". It depends on which Jesus he "received". If he received the Jesus of the prosperity gospel, or the Jesus who according to Creflo Dollar was not God is he really "saved"? These are false Jesuses and a false Jesus cannot save, truly. If, however, they somehow trust in the Biblical Jesus Christ (how that is possible in places that barely mention Him is truly a miracle) they are now obliged to forsake false teaching! A "profession" doesn't save anyone. A life of obedience and trust in the person and work of the Biblical Jesus Christ is evidence of our salvation. To paraphrase "Forrest Gump": "saved is as saved does" (see James 2:14-26).

In my humble opinion, there are four main reasons why a person who knows better would remain silent in the face of a loved one's peril.

1. Fear of losing friends/relations.

You might remember the old cliche': "If you love something set it free. If it comes back, then it's yours. If it doesn't come back, then it never was". As mushy as it sounds, I believe that it is true. If you are not allowed to openly express your heart and concerns to someone whom you call "friend", I suspect the term "friend" has been misapplied in this particular arrangement. It is said that "friendship is essential to the soul". Can it be denied that trust is essential to friendship?

The stance I have taken has caused major arguments with members of my family; it has even loosened bonds with those who once pledged that nothing could ever do so. I would like to think that if the situation was reversed they would love me enough to warn me, regardless of my reaction. The Word of God says to do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12). I can sleep well at night knowing that I have.

If someday I am shown to have been wrong about the deeds I have charged any of these teachers with, I will be the first to repent and apologize. If the future proves me to be correct, my door will always stand open to them.

2. Fear of confrontation.

Going along just to get along. I don't have a lot of sympathy for this situation. Let's just say I'm happy that Martin Luther King didn't suffer with this problem. I'm glad Muhammad Ali didn't have this problem. I'm really glad Jesus didn't have this problem.

Jude urges us to "contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). Paul instructs us to ". . . rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to . . . the commands of people who turn away from the truth" (Titus 1:13-14).Peter warns us to ". . .take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose you own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:17-18).

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (II Timothy 1:7). Go grow a backbone!

3. Individualism.

We as the body of Christ have lost our understanding of community, the communion of the saints. An "I've got mine, you better go get yours" mentality pervades. We are saved individually, but we are ingrafted into a shared vine. We are our brother's keeper. Paul vividly illustrated that we all are to function together and if one of us is damaged, we all are damaged (I Corinthians 12:12-26).

4. Lack of love.

Oh, I can hear the jaws tightening already. "Who are you to suggest that I don't love my family/friends"! Hold on there, Tex! Don't get your drawers in a wad! As shown in the previous scenarios, "Love" compels us to act in the best interest of those we love. Love compels us to protect those we love. Love sacrifices it own comfort for the sake of others. Love weathers the misunderstandings and anger directed at it. If your "love" is lacking these qualities, maybe your heavy on emotional love and a little light on volitional love, agape love.

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful". Proverbs 27:6

---------------

Is this silence sin? Here's the bottom line, the Word of God states that to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17). We really have no excuse for our silence. Are we going to repeat Adam's folly in the Garden of Eden? Are we just going to stand there knowing the commands of God and say nothing while the serpent seduces our friends and family? That's how we all got into this mess in the first place!

"Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand." Ezekiel 33:2-6

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2009-03-26T12:19:00.005-04:00

The Greatest Trick Satan Ever Played . . . Deepak Chopra and Carlton Pearson

Every now and then we need something to make us angry and digusted. Well, I have just the thing for you. Last night on ABC's Nightline, they had another in there series of debates called "Face Off". Last Night the topic was, "Does Satan Exist"? On the "pro" side was a former prostitute-turned-evangelist, Annie Lorbert; and a guy who is fast becoming one of my heroes, Mark Driscoll (Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA- see link on my sidebar).

On the "con" side, as you might expect was the elegant idiocy of Deepak Chopra and the apostate Carlton Pearson. Yes, evil does indeed make strange bedfellows.

So, put down anything fragile or anything you don't want thrown against your computer screen; in fact for the safety of your computer maybe you'll want to listen to this in another room! Follow the magic link and come back here to give your comments!!!

"Does Satan Exist"? an ABC Nightline "Face Off" Debate

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2009-02-11T23:21:00.006-05:00

NO RANDOMNESS

During the summer of 1982 I had the privilege of attending the United States Marine Corps' Platoon Leaders' Class in Quantico, Virginia. To this day, that remains one of the top three hardest things that I have ever done. My life was not my own; we were told when to eat, when to sleep, when to awaken, when to wash, where to be, etc. We were constantly barked at and nothing we did was ever correct. We were told we would not last an hour in combat; and if we ever even mistakenly brush against one of our instructors we were threatened with certain death. But other than that we had a great time.

What I didn't realize at the time was that every detail of our time at PLC was planned to the nines. Even the badgering and death threats were all part of a master plan. There was nothing random, nothing left to chance. Every detail of this six weeks of "hell on earth" had one purpose: to make us battle-ready Marine Corps officers. No randomness.

I played football throughout high school and for my first two years in college. I remember two, sometimes three-a-day practices in the heat of summer that made men barf up a lung or two. I remember constant drilling to prepare our team for the gridiron battles that lay ahead. We scrimmaged and watched films of our opponents ad nauseum; yet it was always according to the plans of our coaches. We prepared for every contingency that might happen during the games. All of this was for the purpose of making us ready to fight to the finish on the football field. No randomness.

Today, I am an airline pilot. But before I was could wear my airline's uniform, I had to endure two years of professional pilot training, three weeks of indoctrination by my airline and worst of all: nine rounds of "no holds barred" wrestling with a beast they call the "Simulator". Now, some guys are born to fly and they take to that cursed box like a duck to water. I'm not one of them. That unfeeling, merciless contraption of satan has made me want to rip up my pilot's license, put on a blue vest and welcome people to Wal-Mart on more than one occasion! It is also on that "top three hardest things I have ever done" list. By the grace of God; however, I have made it through every time. The point is: they put us through every conceivable emergency scenario for one purpose . . . to make ready to be responsible for the lives of countless travelers. No randomness.

While reminiscing over these events recently, it gave me an insight about our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Let's face it, if you have been a Christian for any length of time you already know the belief that "once you get saved your life get's easier" is a lie from the pit of hell. From relationships to finances, death and disease, from being put down to pagans bent on world domination; our very souls are tried regularly. Thanks be unto God for the gifts of faith and prayer which are the only avenues by which we are strengthened and given peace in the midst of our trials.

My insight; however, presented another perspective. One which I hope is biblical and will be of some help. Here it goes: if fallen man rightly attempts to prepare himself for the demands of temporal pursuits, shouldn't Almighty God even more so prepare His children for eternal glories? We proudly boast of our all-knowing, all-seeing, ever-present and almighty God. We profess of a God who is "sovereign" over every facet of life. By this we mean that God is in control of ALL things, big and small. God, Himself, testifies to this in Scripture when He says in Isaiah 14: 24, 27: "The Lord of hosts has sworn:

“As I have planned,
so shall it be,
and as I have purposed,
so shall it stand . . .

For the Lord of hosts has purposed,
and who will annul it?
His hand is stretched out,
and who will turn it back"?

These truths, taken to their logical conclusion, say to me that nothing we encounter in this life is random. As a matter of fact, I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that everything we encounter and every event on earth is planned by our sovereign God. If every detail of Marine Corps Officer training or every detail of the Pittsburgh Steelers' training camp, or every detail of airline pilot training is planned in order to arrive at a specific outcome; how much more are the events of God's world planned to bring about His desired outcome of an exalted Savior of men and the bringing of many sons to glory? No randomness.

Scripture makes clear that Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8KJV). It also proclaims that those who are in Christ were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4KJV). This clearly indicates that a plan was in place long before the earth began. A plan that encompassed all the failings, victories, temptations, trials; and yes even sins that the participants would ever commit. Notice that in the Old Testament after God established His covenant with the children of Israel He declared that they would not keep the covenant. "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them'" (Deut.31:16). Consider this: if the Israelites had been faithful and kept the covenant, would Jesus' death have been necessary? I think not. But that's the whole point of redemptive history; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. An exalted Savior and Lord, a glorified Father and a redeemed people of God; that's the Bible! No randomness.

Did God make Israel fail? Certainly not! Israel, as are all mankind, was responsible for their choices; but their failure was inevitable. God is not the author of sin.

So, what of the trials and triumphs of our lives today? They are the training eternally planned for each of us. God, in His infinite wisdom, has planned every detail of our lives from the womb to the tomb. All with the purpose of glorifying Himself and producing battle-tested replicas of His perfect son, Jesus.

" For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers" (Romans 8:29)"

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)"

What does this mean for our prayers and our expectations? If I am correct, does that mean we have figured out God's plan? Does that mean that, now, the jig is up and He must do something new? God forbid! Knowing this, is the reason for an even more uncompromising trust in our sovereign God. Since we know that He is invincible and that He is incapable of failure; we should of all people be the most assured and the most at peace. Jesus was able to endure the cross because of the glory that lay beyond it. Jesus was able to endure the very wrath of God the Father because of the glory that lay beyond it. Who are we to imitate?

Talk about "dangling chad" . . . for us who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, this is the most rigged "election" (Ephesians 1:4-6) in the history of the world. I, for one, would have it no other way.

No randomness.

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2009-01-28T03:44:00.005-05:00

Why We Contend

I'll let the videos speak. Here's Mark Driscoll . . .

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2009-01-28T02:57:00.002-05:00

The Gospel that Repels

Some time ago, I posted a series of blogs called: "Say 'ello to the Good Guys". Somehow I forgot to include this next gentleman. I have to thank "The Pilgrim" over at the blog, "Defending. Contending." for posting the following video of
Pastor John MacArthur.

If your pastor is not telling you this every Sunday, he is not doing his job . . .

You can slap me silly and call me "Shirley"; but somehow I don't think you'll be seeing Dr. MacArthur on TBN again any time soon. Just a hunch.

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2009-01-24T10:38:00.001-05:00

CAMPONTHIS: THIS IS THE KIND OF BIBLICAL PRAYER THAT GOD HONORS<br>...a prayer for President Obama by Dr. Al Mohler

2008-12-29T20:47:00.009-05:00

2008-12-10T23:12:00.001-05:00

INTERNAL AFFAIRS

As part of my normal cyber-patrol, I have taken part in several forums on various "Christian" websites over the last few weeks. What I have confirmed (much to my chagrin) is that as the Apostle Paul predicted most of our trouble is coming from within the Church. I know that the LORD said that the tares must grow along with the wheat; but judging by what is passing for Christianity out there this wheat field needs some spiritual DDT! The locusts are afoot!

The willingness of many to argue to the death for nonsense is unfathomable. Here' a short list of what I have encountered within the last month:

1. The Bible has "thousands" of errors.
2. The Trinity is a false doctrine.
3. Jesus suffered a "spiritual death" on the cross.
4. The Bible doesn't teach eternal punishment.
5. The Holy Spirit is not a Person.
6. We shouldn't eat turkey for Thanksgiving because it is a "bird of prey".
7. The repentant thief did not go to paradise as Jesus promised him on the cross.
8. Those dead in Christ remain in the grave until Jesus' return.
9. Culture trumps Christianity.
10. God does not give people faith.

There is obviously an attack of lunacy infecting the Church!

After expending far too much time and energy debating these nut-jobs, yours truly is suffering from burnout. I simply have not been able to focus on any one subject long enough to come up with a decent post. So please bear with me; I'm going to clear my head for a little while. When the muse hits me again, you'll be the first to know!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

P.S. If you would like a first-hand look for yourself . . . pray hard, then visit The Black Church Page and Gospelpals

2008-10-15T14:18:00.006-04:00

What? You Mean It Was True!!! (Part III)

In our last episode Adam and Eve had just eaten the forbidden fruit . . . The Bible states that after consuming the fruit Adam and Eve's eyes were opened. This means that they now recognized that their nakedness was exposed and it also means that they understood that they had done something very wrong. This is evident in their hiding themselves from God when He entered the Garden for His evening stroll. When God asked Adam why they were hiding themselves, he answered that it was because they were naked. Adam then blamed Eve for their disobedience and Eve then blamed the serpent. God then pronounced curses on each of them for their role in this act of cosmic treason. Most interesting was the curse He pronounced on the serpent. Keep in mind that this was no garden-variety snake. This snake was under the influence of the Adversary, satan himself.

God said to satan that He would put enmity between satan and the woman; between satan's offspring (the wicked throughout the ages) and the woman's offspring (the faithful throughout the ages, epitomized by Jesus Christ). Enmity is defined as, "positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will ". So basically this curse created an enduring hatred and warfare between those who would be the followers of satan (offspring) and ultimately the prominent child of Eve and His followers (Eve's faithful offspring). God goes on to say that satan will do harm to this ultimate offspring; but this offspring will utterly crush satan and triumph over him. This passage of Scripture has been dubbed the "proto-evangelion" or "first pronouncement of the Gospel". It is here that the redemption of the now fallen human race is promised.

So what does this all mean? What does it have to do with you and me today? Well, Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden affected all of us. Adam was declared, by God, to be mankind's perfect representative. Not perfect as in he was incapable of failing; but perfect in that all of mankind after him would be of equal character and capability. Therefore, we can never say that if we had been in Adam's place we would not have done the very same thing. It's easy to play Monday-morning quarterback and tell Adam what he should have done. The truth is, we would have fallen just as hard.

But here we have it, a fallen creation. What is God going to do? The more proper question is, what had God already done? The remainder of the Bible is God's revelation of His glorious plan of redemption for fallen mankind. To demonstrate His grace, glory and might, God chooses one man, Abraham, and his people to be the example of all these truths throughout human history. You might say, "why him"? The answer is simply because he was God's choice, period. From the introduction of Abraham, God's dealings with him and his people come to fruition with the entry of the Savior Jesus Christ some two thousand years later. Now, I would be posting forever, if I were to attempt to recap the whole Bible for you. No can do.

Man's fall radically altered his nature. Prior to that fall, man had perfect fellowship with his Creator and could stand before Him without a mediator. With his fall man did die just as God warned him. He died spiritually and volitionally, the instant he ate the fruit. Man's physical death was progressive with time. That spiritual and volitional death made man completely unresponsive to God. Man no longer wanted to be with God, nor obey God, nor love God. With the onset of spiritual and volitional death, men became haters of God and set out to be their own god. This all was to the absolute delight of the Adversary.

Now I ask you, if you were the Adversary how far would you go to prevent man from ever be reconciled to the God you hate more than anything in the universe? Would you influence man to worship himself or gods that didn't exist? Man is incurably religious. Yes, even the atheists. We will worship something or some one; it's built into us. Whether it's money, power, sex, self, science, allah, Oprah or Obama, we will worship something. The Adversary is very aware of this; so would it not be a useful tool in your tool belt to have as many false religions around as possible in order to keep men off the trail of the true God? Wouldn't it be amiable to your cause if you could keep people so distracted by economic issues and wars and racism and various supposed rights? Wouldn't you prop up false teachers who come performing signs and wonders that they claim come direct from heaven's throne-room? Wouldn't you promise prosperity, health and influence if it would keep people from reading the truth from Scripture? Speaking of Scripture wouldn't you do your best to discredit the Bible and make it seem unreliable and irrelevant? Wouldn't you promote killing more potential believers in Christ by killing them in the womb? Wouldn't you place innocent children in homosexual homes in order to completely obliterate their understanding of sexual roles?

How far would you go if you knew that there's no way in heaven you can strike directly at God Himself? How far would you go having already been kicked out of heaven and knowing that you ultimate home is hell and eternal torment? Would you drag as many as you could to go down with you? satan would and he's working on it while your sleeping.

Of course, all our modern knowledge will tell you that this is all mythology. That this is insecure man's way of dealing with the unknown. Science has proven that we all come from slime, hasn't it? Or could that be another of the Adversary's ploys to keep you with him where he's going? What say you?

So here it is. What has God done to make this date with the devil avoidable? Here is the ultimate question? How can a sinful man stand justified before a Holy God? There is only ONE way. Every single human being since Adam's fall in the garden stands condemned before God. Without some kind of intervention on his behalf every man will justly join the Adversary in hell for all eternity for both the infection of original sin AND the actual sins every man commits. God has only one penalty for sin, that penalty is death(Romans 6:23a, " For the wages of sin is death . . .). There's no community service, there's no paying a fine, there is only death. God is just and therefore He must punish sin, every man's sin. But God is also loving and He does not want to banish His entire creation to hell. So what was required was that someone would fulfill all (each and every one) of God's righteous laws and live a perfect life (in word, thought and deed). This perfect man would also have to pay the penalty due to those who had sinned against God and endure their punishment in their place. This is because God had decreed that without the shedding of blood there is NO forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22, "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."). It's God's rule, deal with it!

I submit to you that the man who accomplished this task was none other than Jesus Christ, the ultimate seed promised to Adam and Eve way back in Genesis. Jesus was the seed of the woman and He is also the Son of the living God, the triune God. This second person of the Godhead was given human flesh in the womb of the virgin Mary and was born into the world of sinful man. He lived 33 years without so much as a sinful dream, fulfilling the law and willfully laid down His sinless life on the cross of Calvary. His death and His death alone was sufficient to satisfy this just demands of Holy God for sin. And because Jesus was sinless death could not keep Him and God raised Him from the dead. This gracious act of God now paved the way for sinful man to be born again and reconciled to God. This miraculous act, planned before the world was ever created, enabled God to carry out His justice while at the same time extend mercy to repentant sinners. It is often said that in this transaction, mercy and justice kissed each other.

What is required now is that man confess and repent that he is a fallen, rebellious and sinful creature who is in need of a Savior; if he is to avoid the Adversary's fate. Man must place his trust in Jesus Christ ALONE for the forgiveness of his sin and rebellion. This being done, God has promised that that man shall in no way be condemned. His sins will be forgiven and the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to his account. This is indeed GOOD NEWS for sinners like me and you! The only catch is that you must accept this good news now, today. Because a day is coming when God is going to settle all accounts. We don't know when that day is; it could be one hundred years from now. It also could be tomorrow. And it would be the tragedy of tragedies to appear before the judgment seat of Almighty God and utter these bewildered words: "What? You mean it was true!"

I know there will be severe objections to what I have written here. If you were satan, wouldn't you have objections?

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:3)

2008-09-23T12:42:00.003-04:00

What? You Mean It Was True!!! (Part II)

When last we left our Hero, He had given specific instructions to the first man and woman to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. An intruder, however, has come into the garden to tempt sweet innocent Eve . . .

As any good husband would, Adam warned his wife about God's instructions. However, Eve got the story a little twisted. The Adversary (disguised as a serpent) asked her: "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'"? You see, this was a very loaded question. First of all, God never said that Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from "any tree in the garden". He only forbade the tree in the center of the garden; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Second, the Adversary was subtly bringing doubt on the Word of God. To this very day, God is being charged with things that He has never said in His Word and He is being misrepresented by distortions of what He has said in His Word. As we are about to see, loose lips certainly do sink ships.

Oblivious to the Adversary's ploy, Eve volunteers a distortion of her own. She stated that God said, " We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Notice the subtle addition that she made, "neither shall you touch it". God never said that. You might say "big deal, if they didn't touch it; they certainly couldn't eat from it". This is true, however, it gave the serpent more to work with in inducing doubt into Eve about her Creator.

Now the serpent lowers the boom, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”. The Adversary audaciously impugns the character of God. By this statement he accuses the triune God of lying, jealousy and insecurity. Assailing God's character, casting doubt on the veracity of His Word(s) and portraying Him as an evil dictator has been the serpents tactic since the garden and he continues it to this very day. As I previously stated, the adversary is powerless before the triune God; so his only hope is to distort Him to us or destroy us in order to get at Him.

So what was Adam doing during this dialogue between his wife and the talking snake? Well Scripture makes it clear that he was right there with Eve, yet he said nothing. I can't begin to explain this. As you might have guessed Eve, drawn by the beauty of the tree's fruit, eats and also gets silent Adam to join in. If I may come to ol' Adam's defense for just a moment, when a beautiful naked woman asks you to have some fruit . . . you have some fruit!

With this act all creation is cast into utter bondage. This act of disobedience to the clear command of God introduces that thing which severs man from his creator and deprives man of spiritual, volitional, and ultimately physical life. That thing is SIN. You might say, "is it really that deep"? Yes, it is. Wrapped up in that little piece of fruit was mankind's whole future. Had they obeyed and not eaten the fruit Adam and Eve and thereby all of their descendants would have lived forever in perfection with their triune God. By eating the fruit, they committed treason on the grandest scale against their triune God and ushered in all of the evil, sickness, war, famine, pestilence and death that you see overrunning our world today.

You are probably saying that that is much too great a penalty for such a simple transgression. It was just a piece of fruit. Consider who was transgressed against in this event. This triune God is the more than the supreme example of holiness, goodness, truth, justice, love, mercy, faithfulness, power or any other superlative you can think of. HE is the being who gives these words their meaning . . . and then some!!! Adam and Eve by their disobedience sided with and trusted a snake. Need I say more. The question that now might be asked is, is the triune God petty and vindictive in banning the first couple from His garden and declaring their death? ABSOLUTELY NOT! As I said, He already knew what was going to happen and He already planned the outcome. This outcome would be the most glorious outcome "inconceivable" . . .

Is it all over for Adam and Eve? Has the Adversary overthrown God's creation? Is God wringing His hands in despair? Is Obama really a muslim? The answer to these questions and more, next time when: The Umpire Strikes Back!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Berans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2008-09-16T13:29:00.003-04:00

What? You Mean It Was True!!! (Part I)

What I have in mind for the next few posts isn't for you. "You" being my readers who are my brothers and sisters in Jesus the Christ. Of course I still want you to read it; but it's really for the unbelievers out there. What are the chances that there are actually unbelievers who read this blog? Well, being a Christian I don't believe in chance. And being a reformed Christian, I believe that if it is God's will, He will providentially lead that unbeliever whom He wants to read it directly to this blog . . . even if the unbeliever thinks it's an accident.

I have recently been thinking about how this blog and many of my buddy-bloggers (see my blogroll) have been battling a lot of in-house (?) problems. We are usually sounding the alarm against the false teachers out there and decrying the unbiblical trends that are developing in the church. I realized that as far as my blog is concerned, I had never extensively addressed the unbelievers. I guess that's because I didn't think many would ever read this blog. Charge it to a lapse in my reformed thinking. So, Mr. or Ms. unbeliever . . . this one is for you!

I realize that there are many different kinds of unbelievers out there. You have your Richard Dawkins/Michael Hitchens/Bill Maher-types who nothing short of a slap in the face by Jesus Himself will convince. You also have the "I believe in God, just not the God of Christianity"-types. And then there's the type I really want to engage: the "I'll listen to what you have to say and I'll give it some serious thought"-types. I pray that at least these last two groups will hear me out.

Humor me for the next few posts and assume that there exists an infinite, all-powerful, all-knowing, loving and just God. This God is the source of all goodness righteousness and justice. And as incomprehensible as it may be; this one God subsists in three distinct persons. I know I'm asking you to go quite far with me; but just hang in there. This God's goodness and glory is of such magnitude that it simply must be displayed. This unbounded goodness cannot be subdued. So in order to give full expression to this glory, this one God takes counsel among His persons. The outcome of this counsel is that this one God will create a universe upon which to display His infinite glory.

The pinnacle of this created universe was man. I say he was the pinnacle of God's creation because it was in man alone that the triune God decided to place His own image. Trust me, that's no small deal. As with all finite creatures mankind had to start with the first man; let's call him "Adam". The triune God (one God who subsists in three distinct persons)created a planet, Earth, and on that planet created a garden and gave it to Adam to live in. After an undetermined amount of time God observed that Adam needed a mate; so He removed one of Adam's ribs and created "Eve", the first woman. As was His prerogative, the triune God laid down some regulations for Adam and Eve. These were no mere suggestions; but the very grounds on which their continued existence in the garden were based. Little did Adam and Eve realize that God already knew that they would fail to obey the regulations. You see, God had plans that were much larger than just giving the first couple a nice place to live. As I said, this triune God's goodness and unbounded glory simply must be displayed. So God had already prepared a plan that would display that glory in the most significant way conceivable.

What were these regulations? Well, there were a few but the most important one had to do with the first couple's diet. Basically, they could eat anything the land produced except the fruit of one particular tree. This tree was in the center of the garden and God had enriched the fruit of this particular tree with the ability to give its eater the God-like knowledge of good and evil. God warned Adam that this tree was off limits. They could eat from any other tree; but eating of this tree was strictly forbidden. In fact, He made it clear to Adam that should he or Eve eat the fruit of this tree; they would surely die! This regulation served as a test of the first couple's trust and willingness to obey their Creator. Their decision in regard to this regulation would also have enduring consequences for their progeny; for the triune God had determined that Adam would represent all of mankind in this test. The blessings of his obedience would be imputed to all of his descendants. The curse of his disobedience would also be imputed to all of his descendants. The theological big-brains call this the Covenant of Works.

Among the triune God's other creations were the angels. No long lesson on angels here; let's just say they all didn't remain true to their Creator. One in particular got really full of himself and tried to lead a coup. Well, God laid the smackdown on him and he never got over it. We'll call this erstwhile angel, "the Adversary". This is a very apt name because he is stridently against anything the triune God is in favor of or is favorable toward. One thing that it is very important to understand about the Adversary is that he is a creature. He is not some evil doppelganger of the triune God. Although as a former angelic being he has much greater than human strengths and abilities; he is a mere flea before the might of the triune God. Nonetheless, he does come in handy to God in the ultimate display of His unbounded goodness and glory.

Meanwhile back in the garden . . . Adam and Eve are walking through when Eve's attention is attracted by a talking snake (go figure!). By means way to complicated to explain here, the Adversary is allowed to spiritually in habit a serpent. Somehow Eve is not startled by the discovery of this loquacious reptile. And as is his penchant, the Adversary begins to cast aspersions on the character of the triune God. He asked Eve whether God said that she could eat from the tree in the center of the garden (the one with the fruit that would make them know good and evil). . .

Will Eve hold a conversation with a snake? Or will she realize that the snake speaketh with a forked-tongue? Will Adam intervene and defend his wife? Or will they take the snake's bait? For the answer to these questions and more be sure to tune in next week for: The Fall of Man!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2008-08-29T23:38:00.004-04:00

You Can't Spell "Morality" Without G-O-D

I said that I wasn't going to do it; but I did. I watched Obama's speech last night and I must say that I wasn't disappointed. I wasn't disappointed because I expected him to give an eloquent and persuasive speech. I also expected him to give a speech totally void of a godly perspective. As I said, I wasn't disappointed.

Sure, he spoke of opportunities for education for all people. Sure, he spoke of re-establishing America as the beacon of hope for the world. Sure, he spoke of sacrifice and individual responsibility. He spoke of finding common ground between those who are pro-death and those who are pro-life. He spoke of finding common ground between those who want to protect the 2nd amendment and those who want complete gun control. He spoke of finding common ground between those who want to protect our borders and those who want to fling them open. All very fair proposals. However, Obama and his minions continue to overlook (perhaps ignore) one very simple, yet indispensible fact. A fact that he, as a professed Christian and as one who respects the "Great Teacher", should understand . . . the fact that morality apart from God is still SIN.

I have no doubt that Obama wants to achieve what he spoke of last night; but just as he accused his opponent "he just doesn't get it". As a Christian he should realize that mixing pagan/godless morality with the truth of God will not work. Has he not understood what caused Old Testament Israel to be sent into exile? The very same syncretic dabbling with paganism in which the church and our country is engaged today. Christians like Obama and our society in general compromise God's clear denunciation of abortion homosexuality, etc. under the guise of tolerance and inclusion. DO NOT BE DECEIVED; GOD IS NOT MOCKED (Gal 6:7)!!!

Doesn't anyone get it that the material ills this country is currently enduring are merely the symptoms of our true and more deadly affliction? We have abandoned God just like the Israelites. We simply cannot flout God's righteous will and expect to prosper.

You believe it's evil for wealth to be concentrated in the hands of so few? Blame the destruction of God's image in millions of womens' wombs every year. Not white people. You believe that the oil companies are evil for profiting so much at our expense and misery? Blame the abomination of homosexuality and homosexual "marriage". Not capitalism. You believe the war in Iraq is evil? Blame the fact that we have allowed God to be removed from the public square.You believe blacks don't have equal opportunities in this country? Blame the religious pluralism and relativism that has gained acceptance even within many of our churches. Blame SIN! You want it to stop? REPENT!

We have millions of professing Christians shouting the praises of God, claiming to love His Word and we don't really believe the prophet Jeremiah (ch.2:5-37):
"Thus says the Lord:
What wrong did your fathers find in me
that they went far from me,
and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?
They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us in the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
in a land that none passes through,
where no man dwells?’
And I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in, you defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.
The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who handle the law did not know me;
the shepherds [1] transgressed against me;
the prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after things that do not profit.

“Therefore I still contend with you,
declares the Lord,
and with your children's children I will contend.
For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,
or send to Kedar and examine with care;
see if there has been such a thing.
Has a nation changed its gods,
even though they are no gods?
But my people have changed their glory
for that which does not profit.
Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.

“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
The lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.
Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have shaved [2] the crown of your head.
Have you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
when he led you in the way?
And now what do you gain by going to Egypt
to drink the waters of the Nile?
Or what do you gain by going to Assyria
to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
Your evil will chastise you,
and your apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and bitter
for you to forsake the Lord your God;
the fear of me is not in you,
declares the Lord God of hosts.

“For long ago I broke your yoke
and burst your bonds;
but you said, ‘I will not serve.’
Yes, on every high hill
and under every green tree
you bowed down like a whore.
Yet I planted you a choice vine,
wholly of pure seed.
How then have you turned degenerate
and become a wild vine?
Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,
declares the Lord God.
How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
Look at your way in the valley;
know what you have done—
a restless young camel running here and there,
a wild donkey used to the wilderness,
in her heat sniffing the wind!
Who can restrain her lust?
None who seek her need weary themselves;
in her month they will find her.
Keep your feet from going unshod
and your throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
for I have loved foreigners,
and after them I will go.’

“As a thief is shamed when caught,
so the house of Israel shall be shamed:
they, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets,
who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their back to me,
and not their face.
But in the time of their trouble they say,
‘Arise and save us!’
But where are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can save you,
in your time of trouble;
for as many as your cities
are your gods, O Judah.

“Why do you contend with me?
You have all transgressed against me,
declares the Lord.
In vain have I struck your children;
they took no correction;
your own sword devoured your prophets
like a ravening lion.
And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
or a land of thick darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,
we will come no more to you’?
Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
Yet my people have forgotten me
days without number.

"How well you direct your course
to seek love!
So that even to wicked women
you have taught your ways.
Also on your skirts is found
the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;
you did not find them breaking in.
Yet in spite of all these things
you say, ‘I am innocent;
surely his anger has turned from me.’
Behold, I will bring you to judgment
for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’
How much you go about,
changing your way!
You shall be put to shame by Egypt (Iran, Russia, China)
as you were put to shame by Assyria (Iraq).
From it too you will come away
with your hands on your head,
for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
and you will not prosper by them".

It's deja vu, all over again. Those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it.

To our shame, far too many professing Christians are cut from the same cloth as Obama. Our Christianity does not pierce to the level of our lives and actions (or even our vote). Someone I know opined that maybe Obama doesn't realize that abortion is a sin. Maybe . . . but WE do! So how can we tolerate by our vote that which God hates? We continue to place culture above Christ; color above conviction. Perhaps color is our only conviction.

Please do not construe this as an endorsement of John McCain either. The republicans have held the white house for 8 years and the congress for 6 and no legislation protecting life or traditional marriage has been passed. They have miserably failed on their promise.

You like prophecy? Here's a little prophecy for you. If this country does not change course (and I'm not talking about that vacuous/godless nonsense Obama spouts) we will go the way of Old Testament Israel. WE will be defeated and we will learn the hard way what happens to those who forsake God. We will owe Jeremiah Wright an apology. God will "damn" America if we persist not in mistreating black people; but in mistreating Him and His revealed will. Take that to the bank.

Last night Obama promised a godless morality. He promised the good at the cost of the best. I believe he can deliver . . . and that scares the hell out of me.

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2008-08-22T01:39:00.003-04:00

God's Inner Conflict?

At last someone has said something dumb enough to break my blogger's block!

In Monday's (8/18) USA Today op-ed page, a Mr. Thomas Dunham of Hillsdale, Illinois commented on the use of the phrase "Act of God", calling it a "misnomer". He stated that it is wrong to attribute floods and hurricanes, etc. to God; and that they should be attributed to satan. The statement he made that got my blogging juices flowing was: "God is love. He can do no other besides love".

Now, I never deny that we have a loving God. The Scriptures make that clear (I John 4:8); but far too many Christians trumpet God's love at the expense of His holiness and justice. God is love AND God is Just! Again, I find this to be another horrendous example of how people have created a god after their own image.

Has anyone read the oft neglected book of Nahum recently? Here's how God describes Himself . . .

"The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies" Nahum 1:2

"Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.
The Lord is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him.
But with an overflowing flood
he will make a complete end of the adversaries,
and will pursue his enemies into darkness" Nahum 1:6-8

"Behold, I am against you,
declares the Lord of hosts,
and will lift up your skirts over your face;
and I will make nations look at your nakedness
and kingdoms at your shame.
I will throw filth at you
and treat you with contempt
and make you a spectacle" Nahum 3:5-6

Now, of course these words were directed to the cruel and godless Ninevites and I'm not saying this is the reason behind every flood or hurricane; but does God feel any different toward His enemies today? I think not, as He says in Malachi 3:6, "For I the Lord do not change . . ."

Maybe the reason there is so little awe of God (even in His church) is that in an attempt to be His "public relations men" we have not proclaimed ALL the attributes of God. Maybe by playing up God as doting grandfather and playing down God the Just Judge, we have led folks to believe that they can live however they please and even if they are wrong God will just "understand".

We should not be afraid of God (that is if you are His); but we should still reverence Him and tremble at His awesome might and holiness. And this trembling, paradoxically, should be the most reassuring and comforting thing in the world to us. For if this awesome, mighty and holy God tells us He loves us and that nothing can separate us from Him; we should be the most confident, assured and obedient people on the face of the earth.

On the other hand, the unbeliever should be afraid . . . VERY AFRAID. For he is an enemy of God:

"remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" Eph 2:12.

God's love is NOT at war with His justice. God is to be glorified for every saints he brings into heaven; and God is to be glorified for every sinner He condemns to hell. The saint receives mercy instead of justice, the sinner receives justice instead of mercy; neither saint nor sinner receives injustice. God is Holy.

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

2008-08-05T10:35:00.002-04:00

I Got Nuthin'!!!

Hi folks! I know that I was supposed to be back with more riveting commentary for you after July 7th; but I presently have the world's worst case of blogger's block. I've scoured my brain, I've prayed and I've even considered borrowing other people's material! But still . . . I got nuthin'!

As has been my pledge, I refuse to throw meaningless filler out there. And I realize this can cost me some readership. I just hope that you'll bear with me and know that when something worthwhile hits me, you'll be the first to know!

To quote a famous actor-turned-governor, "I'll be back"!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2008-06-24T13:47:00.004-04:00

Kickin' It With the Canucks

No, I haven't become extremely lazy. I'm across the northern border in Montreal, Canada doing more training for the job. So I won't be posting until after July 6. I'll miss you guys! See you when I get back!!!

Viva la reformation!!!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2008-06-14T15:33:00.004-04:00

The "Aha" Moment: Why It's Right to Be Reformed (Part III)

Another defining mark of Reformed theology is its view of the Church of Jesus Christ. With the recent debate over the statements made by the likes of
Jeremiah Wright and Father Michael Pfleger and the renewed interest in black liberation theology; it is of paramount importance that the biblical definition of the "church" be clearly understood. It is here, as with all of its distinctives, that Reformed theology is more scripturally attuned and intolerant of deviation than any other system of theology.

The first thing that must be made clear is that the church is Jesus' church. Therefore as a matter of biblical fact there is no Baptist church, no Methodist church, no Pentacostal church, no "my" church and no "your" church. There certainly is no "black" church or no "white" church. At best (or worst, depending on your perspective) these adjectives can only be justly applied to traditions; which ironically Jesus said make void the word of God and cause men to leave the commandment of God. The church is the exclusive possession of Jesus Christ, it is His standards which determine what a true church is and not ours. So what does He say, through Scripture, are the marks of a true church? What does reformed theology demand?

1. The preaching of the Gospel

2. The Biblical administration of the sacraments

3. The faithful exercise of Biblical discipline

There are longer lists but if these three are missing none of the rest matter. This is the viewpoint that was an integral part of the Protestant Reformation. The very event that Reformed theology is founded upon and (truth be told) in which each of the previously mentioned "traditions" and more are rooted.

"The protestant Reformation presented people with many serious issues . . . Both Rome and Protestants claimed to be the true church, each denouncing the other as a false church. Additionally, there were Anabaptists and other sects which condemned both Rome and Protestant congregations as false churches. Today, the problem is exacerbated by a myriad of religious assemblies, all claiming the title of Christ's church . . . In a most practical manner, these marks provide the believer with a measure by which to evaluate a local congregation before joining it. If the marks are conspicuous, we may join with a clear conscience, knowing it to be a genuine Christian congregation. If these three marks are not plainly manifest, we should look elsewhere; we are not obligated to join an assembly which does not exhibit the marks of a true church" (Kevin Reed, "The Marks of the Church").

What marks the "popular" church today? The preaching of the Gospel is inconspicuous by its abscence. Instead we have the prosperity gospel, which is no gospel at all. We have "seeker-sensitive churches" which cater to those who only can seek fleshy desires and not the Jesus of Scripture. For Scripture states clearly that "There is none who seeks after God" (Romans 3:11b). We have a plethora of female pastors, bishops and even apostles when the Bible clearly states: "Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor" (I Timothy 2:11-14). We have "church" leaders sitting down to meet with unrepentant homosexual "christians" in order to gain "understanding". The Bible, however, clearly commands that we are " . . . not to associate with sexually immoral people . . . I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one". We still have "churches" asking the spiritually dead to make a "decision" for Christ, when Scripture plainly teaches that: "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (I Corinthians 2:14). They expect the unregenerate to use his "free will" when the Scriptures proclaims, " . . . it depends NOT on human will or exertion, but on GOD, who has mercy" (Romans 9:16). "CEO's have replaced pastors, psychology has replaced theology and marketing has replaced evangelism" (Os Guiness, Prophetic Untimeliness)

Church discipline has all but gone out of the window in today's "church". Sheer size alone allows grievous sins to go unchecked. Couples living together outside of wedlock, unrepentant homosexuals and adulterers share in the Lord's Supper without fear of reprisal. While the "leadership" does little more than comically chide the guilty from the pulpit, they carry on searing their hearts against the truth.

In the Church that is Reformed, the sermon is not complete that does not end up at the cross of Jesus Christ. The person and work of Jesus Christ is the focus of all Reformed teaching. Man's sinfullness is never neglected or shoved under the rug. The reformed realize that it is only against the backdrop of man's utter guilt and rebellion against a just and Holy God that the glory of the Gospel burns brightest.
The "popular" church "finds the preaching of 'repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ'(Acts 20:21) too simple a remedy to be effective against the ills of the world, Christ insists that . . . such preaching will produce a result far out of proportion to the means employed" (Joel R. Beeke, How the Kingdom Comes, Tabletalk vol. 32, #6, p.39).

Reformed theology is by its very definition a return to the biblical foundation of the church. Its concern with sound doctrine and faithfulness to the apostolic teaching find it more consistent with these marks than any other theology. The knock against this throughout time has been that this insistence on theological precision has made reformed christians cold and unfeeling; "the Frozen Chosen". Certainly, there have been those who have given evidence for this stereotype. However, those who have allowed the lofty truths of the reformed perspective to "freeze" them have only themselves to blame. It has been my experience that the biblical understanding of the love displayed by a holy and just God whom I have brazenly offended and yet has planned my redemption before the world began; motivates me to joy beyond my ability to explain.

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!(Acts 17:11)

For greater depth on the marks of a true church please view this article from A Puritan's Mind: "Is Your Church a Biblical Church?"

2008-06-08T21:34:00.005-04:00

The "Aha" Moment: Why It's Right to Be Reformed (Part II)

Before I dive into Part II here I would like to clear up something from my last post. From my description of us believers as "wretches" and "worms", some might get the impression that Christians have to be miserable and haters of themselves in order to be pleasing to God. Nothing can be further from the truth. What we do have to realize and admit about ourselves is the condition we were in before God the Holy Spirit regenerated us from spiritual death. Let's face it before we are born again we may think that we are fine, upstanding and beautiful people. We think that if there is a "God" he sure ought to be impressed with us because, we're good enough, we're smart enough and gosh darn it people like us! The truth is; however, prior to rebirth we are vile creatures in God's eyes. We are covenant-breaking, God-hating, rebellious sinners. After being saved and honestly looking back at who we truly were should cause to understand that were worse than "wretches" and "worms". But God . . .

What we need is God's view of us. We, as his children, are now certainly precious in His sight. But we must acknowledge (and therefore tell the unbeliever) that prior to salvation we are abhorrent things and nothing short of the saving grace of God is able to change that. The truth is also; however, that we still have a bent toward that. Without the restraining power of the Holy Spirit, even in our regenerated condition we still sin. That capacity to still sin is still vile in God's sight. The Puritans put it this way:

"O Fountain of All Good,
Destroy in me every lofty thought,Break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds,
Annihilate each clinging shred of self-righteousness,
Implant in me true lowliness of spirit,
Abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence,
Open in me a fount of penitential tears,
Break me, then bind me up;
Thus will my heart be a prepared dwelling for my God;
Then can the Father take up His abode in me,
Then can the blessed Jesus come with healing in His touch,
Then can the Holy Spirit descend in sanctifying grace . . ."
(The Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett, p.8)

This is the type of submitted contrition that comes from the Reformed perspective.

Now on with part deux . . .

Why is it right to be Reformed? Because of Reformed theology's relentless submission to the authority of Scripture. For the Reformed, the Holy Bible is without exception the final rule for his faith and practice. The reformed person bows his knees to Holy Writ no matter how much his personal situation may beg him to do otherwise. The reformed believer filters every suggestion, idea, impulse, teaching, action, thought, word, dream, etc. through a biblical grid. In other words the Reformed believer maintains a biblical worldview (for the easily offended: I realize that no one does this perfectly).

Here is an excellent distillation of the Reformed view of Holy Scripture from the Westminster Confession of Faith(chapter 1, section 1):

" Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God, and of His will, which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal Himself, and to declare that His will unto His Church; and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which makes the Holy Scripture to be most necessary; those former ways of God's revealing His will unto His people being now ceased"

Now it's not my intention here to go into the proofs for the veracity of Scripture or to define the proper method of biblical interpretation. What I want to submit for your consideration is one perspective on the Bible that I have found to be foundational to the Reformed perspective. And that is . . . the Bible is not about us. The Bible is God's book, God's HIStory, God's historic plan of redemption for His fallen creation.

As I alluded to in my last post, the normal conceptions of the Bible are inadequate. It is not just a "good book" of the "instruction manual for life". These perspectives necessarily place mankind in the spotlight of Scripture. No perspective could be more wrong. Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is carefully crafted into every page of Scripture; and if you do not find Him . . . you ain't readin' it right!!! If there was movie poster for the Bible, top billing would be given to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Man would not be found until you read the scribble at the bottom of the poster!

Of course, this runs contrary to our "it's all about me", "gotta get my needs met" mentality. Well, we either get over that or we live far short of glorifying God. "Choose this day whom you will serve . . ." For the Reformed, to compromise Scripture is to violate God. Therefore the commitment to the study of Scripture and to rightly divide the Word of Truth is right up there with breathing. The Reformed believer is never embarrassed by the wrath of God nor over-reaching in the love of God because he allows Scripture to tell him who God is not modern psychology. He stands in awe of the God who deigns to reveal Himself in the words of Holy, infallible and inerrant Writ.

Many might say, this view of Scripture is held by all Christians. I'll close with one final statement. Have you watched TBN, lately?

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2008-06-03T23:29:00.006-04:00

The "Aha" Moment: Why It's Right to Be Reformed (Part I)

Many great men of far far greater theological acumen than myself have attempted to explain Reformed Theology. In fact, I have absolutely nothing to add that can improve on what has already been done. My hope, however, is to exacerbate that faint notion that someone out there may be having that something just isn't right. That peace-robbing drip in the back of someone's brain that is saying there's something missing in their current walk with God. I'm hoping there is somebody out there who has experienced the fulfilling of the "prophecy", they have seen their debt miraculously removed and they've witnessed the healing from the deadly disease; but they still are not satisfied. I'm praying that these next few posts find their way into the hands of someone who has experienced great victories and yet still feels like something is missing. I'm asking the Lord to allow these weak little seeds to be the seeds of someone's "Aha" moment.

What do I mean by an "Aha" moment? I think the best description that I have heard of it comes from a new book by Rev. Richard D. Phillips entitled, "What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace". In this passage he is addressing the doctrines of grace specifically; but I believe his words can be applied to Reformed theology as a whole . . .

"There are moments in life you never forget: the first time you kiss your spouse, the birth of your first child, your favorite baseball team finally winning the World Series. For many of us, the awakening of our minds to the sovereignty of God is one of these unforgettable moments. “It's like being born again, again,” many Christians remark after their faith is renewed by an understanding of the doctrines of grace. Everything changes. It is not that they begin to trust God—all believers must trust God—but that they see the truth about the God they trust" (pg.1).

In my conversations with friends who have received the Reformed faith, "Aha" moments are certainly more the norm than the exception. Over the next few posts, I would like to share with you my "Aha" moment and then from there attempt to explain why receiving the Reformed faith necessarily leads to such a response.

If you have been reading In Submission to Sovereignty for any length of time, you probably know that I am formerly a member of New Birth Miss. Baptist Church(1990-2001). The circumstances of my joining and my leaving New Birth are not truly germane to this topic so I won't venture down that trail for now. Suffice it to say, that a preponderance of events culminating in a farce of a fundraising ploy really let me know that it was time to go. But go where and to what? Everything I knew at that time would lead me back to a church cut from the same cloth.

By God's design, at this same time I had recently been hired (2000) by my current employer (Mesaba Airlines) as a pilot. I was based in Detroit, MI so my wife and I were considering a move north. After my first winter up there, I decided that there was no way on earth I was going to endure those winters so we resolved that we would continue to live in Georgia and that I would commute to work. Commuting to work in Detroit meant long waits in airports and frequent overnights away from home. It was during this ordeal that I discovered books. They were cheap, you didn't need special equipment to operate them and heck, time really flies when you read 'em!

I can't exactly recall how I decided to read it; but, the first book on reformed theology that I read was "Back to Basics: Rediscovering the Richness of the Reformed Faith" by Douglas J. Wilson, et al. That was followed by "Knowing God" by J. I. Packer. And the trifecta was completed by R. C. Sproul's "Grace Unknown" (now retitled-"What is Reformed Theology") What each of these three books consistently teach is the sovereignty of God in ALL things and His rightful place at the epicenter of the Christian faith. They also constantly drove me back to Scripture.

I know many would say that all Christians recognize the sovereignty of God and keep Him at the center of their faith. I would slightly adjust that to all true Christians do exactly that. What these books helped me to realize was that like many professing Christians, I had been primarily interested in the benefits of Jesus Christ rather than Jesus Christ Himself.

While obeying Paul's admonition to examine myself (II Corinthians 13:5), I found that like many professing Christians I had been paying lip-service to the notion than man is a fallen creature; therefore I, too, am fallen. I discovered that God's purpose in all things is primarily His glory; not my happiness. I learned that although the Bible is a "good book" and that it contains "the instructions"; it is God's self-revelation. The Bible is God's story, God's record of His historical plan for the redemption of a mass of fallen creatures all for the purpose of His glory.

Now, to my old way of thinking this information would cause me to recoil from God in horror and disgust. This was because it made God seem like some kind of narcissistic glory hog . . . like us. But what these books also made clear was that as the utterly holy, utterly good and utterly perfect being that he is; God is utterly worthy of all the glory the universe can muster and then some . . . unlike us. They made it clear that there can be no narcissism or glory hogging where God is concerned, because He is worthy. He is all that, the bag, the chips, the t-shirt, the way, the truth and the life! And the realization of this caused my knees to bend and to worship Him in spirit and truth as I never had before.

That was the "Aha"! That God is so so much much more more than guaranteed health, wealth and security. That His glory is the reason for my life. That my sin is no minor indiscretion, mistake or faux pas; it is cosmic treason and rebellion against a Holy God who by all rights demands my death. Yet in a glorious display of mercy, grace and love poured out His just wrath on His sinless Son INSTEAD OF ME! And now sees me as if I had never sinned! And He put a cherry on the top by making me, a guilty sinner, a co-heir with that same sinless Son!!! What kind of God is this?! How do I ever find myself not worshiping Him?

I have observed that our society in this country makes it very hard to admit these things of God. We put men on the moon, we have the Internet, we were personally offended when the USA Men's basketball team was defeated in the world games. Even the Christians among us; do we really believe the "wretch" part when we sing "Amazing Grace" or that "such a worm as I" stuff. Do we not in our heart of hearts ever say, "yeah, but as far as worms go I'm a pretty darn good worm"! What my "Aha" moment revealed to me is that judging by the things that go through my mind when even the most average of young ladies cross my path or the things I sometimes think about doing to my wife when she makes me angry; calling me a worm is an insult to worms.

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:4-10).

I leave you with these words by Terry L. Johnson from his great book, "When Grace Comes Home":

" . . . I hadn't really dealt with God except to treat Him as a personal asset. He was there for me. Of course, this is how so much of today's Bible teaching makes it seem. God is portrayed as the Ultimate Helper in dealing with self-image, anger, decision-making, fear, relationships, finances, etc. When I realized that He had saved me and that I was in His sovereign hand, it reordered my perspective. I came to realize both that He was far beyond the little boxes I had constructed for Him and that I was there for Him, not Him for me. It made me bow in adoration before the God who I was made to glorify" (pg.19-20).

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

If you have had an "Aha" moment with Reformed theology, please feel free to share it with us in the comments section. I look forward to reading about them!

2008-05-28T10:20:00.004-04:00

Justification by Slavery Alone

I argue with my mother a lot. Not in a way that I break the fifth commandment; but we do go at it. Most of our arguments are over (you guessed it): politics and religion. You see, Mom was raised in the south (Augusta, Georgia) came up through segregation and the civil rights era. Yes, she had to ride on the back of the bus and she had to drink from the "colored only" water fountain. She was called "nigger" and MacDonald's would only serve her if she went to the back door of the restaurant. So she feels that since I was spared all of these dehumanizing events I have no clue as to why we black folk can't just forgive and forget.

I know it doesn't compare in magnitude; but I have to remind her that I have had a taste of racism in my life also. I grew up in the Bronx during the 70's and 80's. My friends and I were physically attacked by white boys for riding our bikes through the Castle Hill area while being black. I've been called "nigger" while walking on the street minding my own business. I remember ambulances taking their sweet time to respond to calls from black neighborhoods (911 is a Joke! Thanks, Public Enemy). I remember Crown Heights and Bensonhurst. I can't claim the levels Mom has seen; but I'm not totally unstained by dehumanizing events.

My point here is not so much how my Mom still holds a grudge about these things. It's about how she and so many of her generation (and some of mine) have tricked themselves into believing that having experienced these events,the evils of slavery and racial discrimination are somehow salvific. It's this mindset that fuels the Jeremiah Wrights, Al Sharptons and James Cones of the world. And that is a source of great discomfort for me. Contrary to what my Mom sometimes states, I love my people a great deal. It would be tragic for vast numbers of us to experience the eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth only because we thought we had some sort of "get out of hell free" card because of slavery.

Oddly enough, Mom easily dismisses the facts that we too enslaved people in our history. She forgives the Africans who sold other Africans to the "white man" cheap for slave labor. I guess since all that happened so long ago that makes it okay. I guess it's like us calling each other "nigga". We can do it to each other; but it's off limits to you "white man"!

What Mom and many of us black folk fail to realize is that God is not particularly enamored with us. Yes, black is beautiful, but even "black" shows the stain of sin. You can try soaking it out, you can try scrubbing it out; but it won't come out until the blood of Jesus is applied.

My friend Alex Compere emailed me a very powerful video by Pastor Paul Washer. After viewing it, I watched more of Washer's videos and I thought these two, in particular, spoke to what I'm trying to convey here. The bottom line here is that all of us (black, white, yellow and chartreuse) are sinners from birth. The total depravity of man is a fact that has enabled all the atrocities of history . . . those blacks have committed also! The balancing factor and the only remedy for our sin is the love of God shown through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus. Being black and having survived slavery and racial discrimination may prove our endurance, tenacity and more likely God's grace; but it doesn't guarantee our salvation.

In his epic work "The Institutes of the Christian Religion" John Calvin stated that "without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God". He also stated, "without knowledge of God there is no knowledge of self". Please watch the following videos . . . in some small way, I hope the first will be seed for a more Scriptural view of ourselves and the second for a more glorifying view of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!(Acts 17:11)

2008-05-23T03:02:00.013-04:00

Same-Sex Anti-Marriage and Other Signs of the Apocalypse

Well, it is certainly good to be back! However, I now know how Moses felt. I go up to the mountains for a few weeks and when I come back all hell has broken loose! As I am sure you all know, our wacky neighbors on the "left coast" have decided that their state should recognize the homosexual's "right to choose" to become wedded (I can no longer bring myself to say "married" because that was God's invention and He did not design it for homosexuals). I guess I can't honestly blame everyone in Cali for this decision; after all it was just a bunch of "U.S. Constitutionally-challenged" justices who made the decision. Fret not, they will meet the Righteous Judge one day.

Again, politics is certainly not the warp and woof of this blog; however, a couple of items have come to my attention that simply must be shared. Short of a master stroke of "Bill-like" ingenuity on Hillary's part, the presumptive candidates for president this year will be: Barack Obama and John McCain. This places Christians on the proverbial horns of a dilema. Now, I would not dare attempt to use my blog to attempt to tell anyone who to vote for. I will, however, attempt to influence the reason for your vote.

My position is plain: Christians should not be beholden to ANY political party. As Christians we are to be informed about the candidates and support those whom we have determined (as best as we can) have taken a biblical stand for the issues that confront our country and communities.

I am very familiar with brothers and sisters in Christ who propose that we cannot disqualify a candidate because of his/her position on any one particular issue (it seems uncanny to me that that one issue is always abortion). Frankly, I think they are deceived. If the issue is "life", that is the one issue on which every other conceivable issue is founded upon. God evidently thinks that "life" is so important that He put a pretty strong fence around it . . .

"Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image"(Genesis 9:6).

Then of course comes the dishonest and ill-informed question: "duh, whose to say when 'life' actually begins?" As always, our gracious Father gives the definitive answer . . .

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb"
(Psalm 139:13).

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you . . . (Jeremiah 1:5a)".

Can you handle the truth? A candidate who can't get the "life" issue right can't, from a godly perspective, get any issue right. Then of course comes the defense: "duh, well, you're never gonna find a perfect candidate". How about this, I'll take an imperfect candidate whose imperfection does not include being on the wrong side of the "life" issue!

You might now be thinking, " hey, this is a back door endorsement of John McCain!" Well, you are wrong. I personally think John McCain is like Miller Lite. Call him "Democrat Lite": Same taste as a regular democrat, but with half the guts to actually say so.

The last deception that I want to address is the the deception that "we must support someone who can actually win". Here, again, is where the "American" and the pragmatism is showing up in our Christianity. Whatever happened to being faithful? Why is "winning" the end all be all? Please define "win". Does "win" mean that the guy we voted for got the office or does "win" mean that despite the actual outcome of the election we were true to our God and to our Christian convictions? Is God less apt to complete His agenda because the guy we should be supporting can't "win"? Should we not vote for the more Christ-like candidate regardless of who "wins"? If Satan, himself, "won" the presidency of the United States would not God still be in control? Or is "God is in control" just a cliche'?

It's obvious that God is getting a lot of props during this campaign. Every candidate has made a point of reassuring us of his/her faith in God. Interestingly enough, neither Hillary nor Obama can force themselves to say that a woman carries a living child in her womb from conception. Even when the Bible which they quote and claim to believe teaches that she does. Even when cold science demonstrates this fact. Obama has famously stated that he wouldn't want his daughter to be "punished" with a baby should she accidentally become pregnant. And ol' Johnny Mac once stated that if he learned that his daughter were pregnant and wanted to have an abortion to ease her burden; he would have a family meeting with her and hope she would make the right decision. As Alan Keyes(McCain's opponent during the 2000 primaries)astutely challenged him, "what would you do if your daughter told you she was thinking about killing off grandma to ease the burden on the family"? You see, someone who is authentically "pro-life" will resolutely renounce the taking of innocent life no matter who it is.

That brings me to the real "back door" reason for this blog. There is a candidate currently running for the presidency of the United States of America who is consistently and unabashedly Christian in his stance on all the issues (most importantly "life") facing this country. I invite you to listen to this recent statement that he made and decide for yourself: have you heard this type of absolute Christian conviction from any other candidate you have observed? If you haven't, then why aren't you supporting him also?

Keyes' remarks to supporters following Constitution Party Roll call

Can Alan Keyes actually "win" the presidency of the USA? I'll put it this way: on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 both Alan Keyes and myself will have zero electoral votes. I'm not even running and I will almost beat him. The better question is: should Alan Keyes "win" the votes of Christians? My answer is "yes", what is yours? I will be writing in the name Alan Keyes on November 4, 2008. God will take care of the mess everybody else makes of this place.

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

Oh, by the way . . . Keyes is black too! Alan Keyes: America's Revival

2008-04-18T00:55:00.007-04:00

Separating the Men from the Rabbits

In general, I would consider myself to be a fairly optimistic person. I believe I have very good reason to be optimistic because I know God wins every time. When it comes to converting false teachers in the church and awakening their ardent followers; however, I have to admit that the prospects of overwhelming success are quite minute. The deceived are content and the deceivers love having it so.

Confronted with this reality, I have often asked myself what would have to happen to change this situation. Today I was reminded of a story that was once emailed to me. It went something like this . . .

"One Sunday morning, Rev. Smith (not his real name)was about to begin his sermon at ____________(insert name)___________(insert denomination)Church. Just as he was about to speak, the doors to the sanctuary were thrown open. Ten masked men, dressed in black and brandishing semi-automatic weapons charged into the room. The leader of the intruders stepped forward and announced, "We are going to kill every Christian in this room. If you wish to live, deny your Christ and we will spare you and let you leave." The men went through the congregation of more than 100 people and demanded their denial of the Lord Jesus. When they were through all that remained were the ten masked men, Rev. Smith and 15 of the congregants. Among those who denied Jesus and fled were: 3 ushers, 6 deacons and the entire mass choir.

When all those who had made their denial were gone, those remaining were gripped with fear as they faced their last moments of life. Just then, the masked man who had issued the ultimatum removed his mask. It was Deacon Jones, a member of the church for over forty years. Deacon Jones smiled broadly and said: "Now that only true Christians are here, Rev. Smith, we can really have church!"

What's your point, Tolbert? My point is: the only thing that will bring out the real church, the invisible church is some good old fashioned persecution. Nothing like a little suffering for Jesus' sake to separate the men from the rabbits! Now, don't get me wrong, I hope it doesn't come to this. I can't even claim to know conclusively that I would pass this supreme test; but it sure would ease those church parking and traffic problems every Sunday morning!

Yes, persecution has that peculiar power to reveal our true character and to display our true allegiances. Undoubtedly, those who are only in this for the big house, the fancy car, and the six-figure income would fold up their tent and try their luck on "Jeopardy" rather than face the big "P". After all, it's hard to enjoy routinely eating at five-star restaurants when you have been disemboweled.

I know, I know, this isn't Nero's Rome. That sort of thing could never happen here . . . right? Well, what if the secular humanism that is gaining so much strength in our society becomes the norm? What if the philosophies of Richard Dawkins and Bill Maher held sway rather than those of our founding fathers (which have lost considerable influence already)? Would the prosperity gospel have the power to sustain its adherents in the face of the loss of home, fortune and freedom. In the face of death for confession of Christ? Would black liberation theology prove to be a mighty fortress against blacks who throw in their lot with anti-Christian forces? Just as in the story, I have a feeling that only those who love the Gospel and love the Jesus of the Gospel would be left if true persecution fell upon us.

I am currently studying the book of Judges and it's words seem very haunting to me. I see so much that the church (the visible church) has in common with the children of Israel. Consider this passage from Judges 2:11-15:

" And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress."

With few alterations, can this not be said of the church(the visible church)today? We have pastors who are not content with one jet, but must have two. We have pastors who are not satisfied with their church building them 10,000sq ft homes, but also must also have attached a 10 million dollar line of credit. We have pastors who have grown weary of their Bentleys and therefore have added Maybachs to their repertoire. All of this while influencing their followers to aspire to the very same things. Can it not be said that the church(the visible church)has fallen into idolatry just like the Israelites? Are we not also kindling the Lord's anger potentially to the point that, for our sake, He must give us over to "plunderers"? Do we not deserve to be "plundered" so that the church(the visible church)may be purged of all those who fake the faith?

I get the feeling that many of us are starting to feel like Deacon Jones in the story. We want to somehow slap the church(the visible church)around and make it come to its senses. Blogs like this give us the opportunity to vent; but we realize that more times than not we are preaching to the choir. Our comfort, however, comes from the secure knowledge that God has dealt with this kind of thing before. God surely will redeem His own.

For our part, we must pray earnestly and remain faithful. We must not delude ourselves into believing that God would not allow the church to be plundered. We must continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. For, " . . . God is not mocked,for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith". Any of this sound familiar?

Now, where did I put my ski mask and grenade-launcher?

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

Feel like throwing up? Check out Richard Dawkins' website

2008-04-11T19:15:00.006-04:00

Renouncing Their Pimp Card

Here's one for the readers. I often wonder, of all the "Pulpit Pimps" out there, who is the most likely to see the light? Which of them is most likely to recant their false teachings, forsake their vast fortunes and start preaching the Gospel?

I realize this is the height of wishful thinking; but let us not forget that God called a former persecutor of the church and made him the Apostle to the gentiles and author of two-thirds of the New Testament. The bottom-line is . . . no one is beyond the power of God to redeem. NOBODY.

So, if you were close to one of the "pimps" that we critique so often on this and like blogs and believe your ex-pimp will turn; tell us why. Perhaps you just have a hunch, who do you think would repent first and why? Dollar, Jakes, Osteen, Meyers? Who could possibly lead the way to a massive renouncing of "pimphood"?

Hey, it could happen.

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2008-03-18T23:43:00.005-04:00

BAA, BAA BLACK SHEEP

I have never waxed political on this blog. This has been my practice because although I have strong political opinions I want this blog to be centered on three topics only: The God of the Bible, The Jesus of the Bible and the Gospel of the Bible. This week's blog, however, is somewhat of an exception . . .

By this time most of you have at least heard about the controversy surrounding presidential candidate, Barack Obama, and his pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I don't intend to delve too deeply into what Wright said; but the reaction of some of his followers has truly saddened me.

For the record, I vehemently disagree with Wright's sentiments about the government's creation of HIV as a means of destroying the black race. I vehemently disagree that we brought 9/11 on ourselves. And I will never sing "God @#$% America"; because America is one of the few places left on Earth where Wright could say what he said and not find himself headless 24 hours later. Maybe if Wright took off the dashiki, turned his calendar to 2008 rather than 1968 and preached the Jesus of the Bible rather than the "Jesus" that James Cone told him about; he would understand that the "white man" is not our problem. Besides, there's a plane or a boat leaving America every 10 minutes. Anybody with that much against the country should be on one of them.

And is the government only out to get black folks when a republican is in the white house or also when a democrat is in there? If not, why didn't any of the democrat presidents expose the black-hating republican regimes and retain power forever?

Frankly, the government would be cutting its own throat by getting rid of us. Why would they want to kill us off when we are, almost singlehandedly, keeping the sport shoe, music, sports, designer clothing, child legal and abortion industries etc. afloat! We are the biggest consumers in the history of mankind and all these industries pay taxes to the government. The bottom line is that the government's favorite color is neither white nor black. It's GREEN! And whomever keeps it comin' for the government is it's darling. The government needs us!

The real shame is on the people of Trinity United Church of Christ. I watched the news in horror Monday evening as person after person expressed their support for this vulgar, gospel-free performer. Actually, I should not have been surprised; but this level of credulity was just incredible. One truly clueless member proudly proclaimed that "whatever Dr. Wright says I support him". I suppose that if Wright said this ignoramus' mother was a hamster, he'd support him in that too!

As I watched helplessly, I told my wife that anyone who was not sure and was watching this report would have to come away saying, "black people are stupid". They'd have to think we are mindless sheep and honestly, it hurts. It hurts not only because it's not true of all of us; it hurts because those of us who have half a brain will be condemned by the truly mindless ones. If any of those members of Trinity United Church of Christ were to stand up and say Wright was wrong, he'd be automatically branded as a traitor. He would be accused of hating his own race or being full of self-hatred. The truth simply does not matter to the people who would do this. Instead of standing on the infallible words of an invincible Creator. Instead of confronting the evils of racism and division the way He has commanded, they would rather play the victim. It hurts.

Al Sharpton, in his denouncing of the US' invading Iraq, said that Iraq didn't send those planes into the World Trade Center. He claimed that the perpetrators were in Afghanistan not Iraq. I ask my people: does the government have a 69% out of wedlock birth rate? We do. Does the government make up only 12.9% of the US population; but is responsible for 35.1% of the abortions in the US? We are. Does the government have an 11% high school dropout rate? We do. Perhaps it is us who are fighting the wrong enemy. Perhaps it is us who should pull out our troops from this truly unjust war.

Now, before you send all your comments about how much of a race traitor I am; and how much I sound like the "white man", etc. Let me say unreservedly that I am proud to be a black man. Wouldn't trade it for another race on the planet. But the truth is we have planks in our own eyes brethren and it is passed time that we deal with them forthrightly.

Can you handle the truth? Despite the various colors, shades and hues we come in there are really only two types of people on this Earth: the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). That is, those who are the redeemed children of God and those who are the reprobate children of Satan. The latter come in every color of the rainbow as do the former. With whom do you think our battle should be?

I know, I know . . . we have been so mistreated, so discriminated against. There’s no denying that. There’s no denying that racism is still rampant in our (yes, Our) country. But that does not excuse Wright’s venom. I can’t imagine that our Lord Jesus is in heaven saying to His children, ’’God bless the Pharisees and the Romans, No! God @$& the Pharisees and the Romans!!! They crucified Me! They beat me!" I seem to remember Him saying something like, "Father forgive them for they know not that which they do". Rev. Wright is supposed to be instructing his congregation on how to be like Jesus, how to be conformed to His image. Not to do what the heathen do, no to meet hate with hate. Oh, that’s right, he’s not familiar with the Jesus of Scripture. He’s only familiar with the "black" Jesus of liberation theology.

I coulda sworn Jesus was born Jewish!

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

" My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge,
I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children." Hosea 4:6

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!
Acts 17:11

P.S. The silence from the ACLU has been deafening in the wake of Wright's political endorsements from the pulpit . . . hasn't it?

2008-03-07T10:27:00.008-05:00

Take My Free Will . . . PLEASE!

It's good to be back in the much milder climes of good ol' Covington, Georgia. Snow is sure beautiful to look at, but I'd much prefer warm snow!

For some reason, while I was resting in my hotel room in Eagan, MN., my mind was drawn back to this biblically-alien concept of "free will". And as I pondered it, I came to the conclusion that "free will" can get you killed! As the age old adage goes . . . let the buyer beware.

First of all, we are very inconsistent with our application of this concept. We want to enshrine "free will" when it comes to expressing ourselves, the choices we make and of course that ultimate expression: our salvation. But then we turn around and want to limit it where it comes into contact with the "free will" of others. The thinking goes something like this, " you have 'free will' as long as it doesn't interfere with someone else's 'free will'". Well, the question then becomes, how "free" is my "free will"? "Freedom", in it's most popular sense, means completely unbounded. So what does the fact that one person's "free will" might interfere with another's have to do with anything? This seems to be the perfect opportunity to prove Darwin's "survival of the fittest". If my "free will" and your "free will" come into conflict, may the "freeest" "free will" win.

Why should we get upset with murderers and rapists? They are merely expressing their "free will". If their victims were bigger, stronger or more careful then the victims' "free will" would triumph. "But", you say, "that's why we have laws and police, etc." Absolutely, and since the politicians have used their "free wills" to enact laws and the police have used their "free wills" to enforce those laws it all works out. Viva la free will!

So what it boils down to is: who ever has the biggest stick has the "freeest" will. There is one small problem; however, we still inconsistently deprive the One with the biggest stick this prerogative. Somehow, where our salvation is concerned, we deny that God uses His "big stick" in our lives. Due to either, some divine act of civility or just wanting to play nice; our Arminian/Semi-Pelagian brethren believe that God has to sit on His hands until and if man decides to place his trust in Jesus for eternal life.

"God won't violate your 'free will'" is the Arminian/Semi-Pelagian cry. Consider this . . . there was once was a man named Abimelech who wanted to bed down a woman named Sarah. His "free will" was to "know" this Sarah in the biblical sense. But God gave him the first recorded case of erectile dysfunction in the Bible when God appeared to him in a dream and said," . . . it was I who kept you from sinning against Me . Therefore I did not let you touch her" (Genesis 20:1-7). Abimelech's "free will" came into conflict with God's "free will" and God's "free will" won.

There once was a man named Onan, his "free will" was not to impregnate his sister-in-law Tamar and to go on with his life. God's "free will" was for him to impregnate his sister-in-law (according to the customs of the times, you understand) or die. Scripture bears out that Onan's "free will" was severely violated as, the Lord " . . . put him to death . . ." (Genesis 38:8-10)

What is it that we pray for whenever we ask God to save our loved ones; but that He violate their current "free will" to be a sinner and turn them into a saint? As the cliche' goes: sinners are merrily on there way to hell, minding their own business when all of a sudden God just steps right in. He doesn't ask for permission, He doesn't leave a message and wait for them to call back.

OK, so maybe you'll stipulate to a "limited free will". I'm afraid that that just won't fly either. If "free will" is an oxymoron like "jumbo shrimp" and "conservative democrat"; then "limited free will" is a bioxymoron like "mini jumbo shrimp" or "conservative democrat"! This concept of "free will" is founded upon a perverse definition of "freedom". This definition of "freedom" (particularly popular in the good ol' USA) dilutes the idea to the wanton abandonment of all restraint and responsibility. That is diametrically opposed to the biblical definition of "freedom". Biblically speaking, you are not "free" until you are submitted to Jesus Christ. And no human being, Arminian, Semi-pelagian or Calvinst, submits to Jesus Christ of his own "free will". This is because God meant it when He warned Adam that in the day he ate of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" he would surely DIE. Unregenerate man's fallen state is one of death not just injury. He cannot choose to be saved, salvation must happen to him.

"Free will" is woefully overrated. I'm willing to wager that there is no one in hell singing, "(I Did It)My Way"! Marinate on this for a minute, "free will" will land your butt in hell!

Y'know what every roastee in hell is screaming right now? "Why, oh WHY didn't you violate my 'free will', Lord!!!

Take my "free will" . . . PLEASE!!!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2008-02-23T08:57:00.005-05:00

Our Sovereign Lord's Impeccable Timing

Greetings from the frozen tundra of Eagan, Minnesota! I tell you, I cannot figure out how the native Americans ever survived up here. There aren't enough buffalo skins in the world to keep a person warm in this cold. I guess there was a heap of snuggling going on in the ol' tee pee, if you know what I mean!

I'm stealing a moment to share with you my joy and continued amazement at the boundless grace of our God. Yesterday (2/22) marked the promotion of my uncle, Andrew Stoney, from a world of sin and death to the beatific vision and eternal presence of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. I can say this both confidently and joyfully because God allowed me to witness "Bip"'s conversion.

For years now, it has been a constant part of my prayers that our LORD would save all of my family members. "Bip" (that's what we call him) was in the top three of that group. Let's just say that he was not a faithful churchgoer. Matter of fact, I can only recall being in church with him on one occasion: a Christmas Sunday back when I was about 14 years old (I'm 44 now)! The reason that that occasion stands out is because his reaction to receiving communion was so comical (o.k. it was really disrespectful, but when you're 14 it's funny!) that it has left an indelible mark on my memory. My grandmother's church in Augusta, GA wasn't exactly financially well off. I distinctly remember finding out that they had been using "Thunderbird" for the communion wine. For those of you who don't know what "Thunderbird" is; it's known for being one of the wine's of choice for winos along with "Mad Dog 20/20" and "Boone's Farm" because it's very cheap. Well after drinking his small cup of communion "wine", my uncle "Bip" smacked his lips and let out a deep and loud sigh signaling his satisfaction with the church's fine selection! My dad and I laughed hysterically (we were all "heathens" then)!

After years of pleading with God for "Bip"'s salvation the LORD made it clear to me that He was pleased with my persistence; but He chided me that I had not put any "feet" to my prayers. It was as if He had said, "Your prayers are all real nice and everything; but how about you get off your knees and go share the Gospel with your uncle". So, a couple days later I drove to Augusta and visited him. "Bip" was a bit surprised to see me as it was the middle of the week and I wasn't just seeing him as part of a larger visit to my grandmother. We sat down in his living room and I asked him, "Bip, have you come to the point in your spiritual life that you are certain that if you were to die today that you would go to heaven; or is that something you are still working on"? He kind of looked at me as though he was actually considering this for the first time. I went on, "If you were to die today and stand before God; and He were to ask you, 'Why should I allow you into my heaven' what would you say"?

Bip then listed several of his good qualities and good works that he had done. I explained to him that these were dreadfully insufficient to earn the approval of God and that the only way he would get into heaven was to receive it as a gift. I explained that we can't earn heaven and that we certainly don't deserve heaven. We are both sinners by birth and in deeds and that we are the just recipients of God's holy wrath should He not mercifully withhold that wrath. The problem is: God just can't arbitrarily withhold His wrath. "The wages of sin is death" and that sentence cannot be commuted. I explained that God is loving and merciful, but He is also Holy and just. He simply must punish sin. I told "Bip" that that's exactly where Jesus comes in. Jesus, the infinite God-man, provided the solution to "Bip"'s problem. Jesus, by living a sinless life and perfectly fulfilling God's Holy law, qualified as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of His people. Jesus took sinful man's place and endured the unabated wrath of God on the cross. And I told "Bip" that everyone who places their trust in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ, ALONE, has the promise of God that he will live forever in the bliss of God's presence.

I asked "Bip" if he thought this was good news. He said that it was. I asked him was there any reason that he would not accept this gift of eternal life that very day. For the first time in my life, I saw my uncle cry. He said to me, "I know that God sent you here to me today. I needed to hear this". I told him that I was glad he recognized God's moving in his life, "are you willing to place you trust in Jesus, alone, for salvation"? My uncle "Bip" said, "Yes".

I've only seen "Bip" one additional time since that December afternoon. He died yesterday. But due to our glorious God's impeccable timing, I can rejoice that my uncle "Bip" is reveling in His presence. Thank you, Father!

It was a difference of only two months or so before "Bip" would be facing his creator. He was just two months away from spending eternity in hell. Wrap youy mind around that. On the one hand, we can say that as long as we have breath there is time to come to Jesus. On the other hand, "TODAY is the day of salvation" don't presume upon His grace. My uncle was 65 years old, the bulk of those years were not spent glorifying God. But God is, without a doubt, most merciful. It may be a cliche', but tomorrow is not promised to you. Trust Jesus, alone . . . NOW!

I love you, uncle "Bip" . . . welcome to the family!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2008-02-16T21:09:00.004-05:00

Off to the Frozen Tundra

Well, I have good news and I have bad news.

The good news is I am upgrading to Captain with my airline, Mesaba! I start this Monday (2/18) and will be training over the next few weeks to fly the Canadair 900 Regional Jet. I'm looking forward to flying to some new cities and at much greater speeds than the ol' Saab 340 I'm used to flying.

The bad news is twofold:(A) I have to go to Minneapolis, MN. for the first portion of my training. The high temperature up there this time of year is like 3 degrees!!! I guess I'll survive, Lord willing. (B) I won't be able to blog for a few weeks. That's the worst part. But I'm sure that after I'm all done there will be plenty fodder for my theological ranting. So please don't bail on me, I shall return. Who knows, if I get a free half-hour or something I may still drop you a line or two!

In the mean time, if you are so inclined, I would truly appreciate your prayers for me that I get through training successfully and pass all of my flight tests. I thank you in advance. Who knows, maybe one day one of you will be on one of my flights!

Take care all, God bless you!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2008-02-13T10:18:00.004-05:00

You Might Be in a Cult . . .

What immediately comes to your mind when you hear the word, "cult"? Do you think of people like Jim Jones, David Koresh, Charles Manson or Rev. Sun Myung Moon? Do you think of things like: "killer kool-aid", "brain-washing", or hooded figures chanting around a pentagram? Do you think of Led Zepplin records played backwards revealing embedded satanic messages? Do you think of blue oysters?

These are just some of the things that come to mind when most people hear the word "cult" mentioned. But it would be a gross error to believe that these are the only flavors in which "cults" come. In my last post, "BooBoo's Daddy" declared that another gentleman was in a cult led by false teacher, Joyce Meyer. He made the key statement that people who are in cults don't realize that they are in cults. Certainly, cults don't use the word "cult" in their literature or on the sign at their front door. "World Changers International Cult", just wouldn't have the same ring to it! One reason why telling our friends and loved-ones that they are involved with a cult is ineffective; is that they only consider the extreme examples(like those listed above)to be actual "cults". In this, they make a huge mistake.

How should we define a "cult"? The Britannica Encyclopedia defines a "cult" in this way:

"Collective veneration or worship (e.g., the cult of the saints—meaning collective veneration of the saints—in Roman Catholicism).

In the West, the term has come to be used for groups that are perceived to have deviated from normative religions in belief and practice. They typically have a charismatic leader and attract followers who are in some way disenfranchised from the mainstream of society. Cults as thus defined are often viewed as foreign or dangerous".

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, in its three most typical uses, defines a "cult" as:

1: formal religious veneration : worship
2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3: a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents

Dr. Walter Martin, in his classic work "The Kingdom of the Cults", defines a "cult" as "a group of people gathered about a specific person or person's misinterpretation of the Bible".

Throughout the history of this blog, I have endeavored to identify the various misinterpretations of Scripture by the purveyors of that atheology called Word of Faith/Prosperity/Triumphalism. I have also noted the fierce loyalty that these false teachers have engendered among their disciples. So do these facts lead one to the conclusion that the adherents of these teachings are members of a cult?

Let's see, what other clues do we have . . .
(1) they are sheepishly gathered around a charismatic personality.
(2) this charismatic personality's teachings are demonstrably unorthodox, abberant and spurious.
(3) to question or critique the charismatic personality's teachings is considered to be sedition and blasphemy.
(4) said charismatic personality is frequently found to be under(sometimes)armed guard.
(5) a great deal of ecclesiastical power concentrated in the hands of charismatic personality with little or no oversight or accountability.
(6) charismatic personality's image (rather than Jesus, the Bible, etc.)synonymous with the church/cult.
(7) charismatic personality's personal indiscretions, Biblical contradictions and/or arrests have no impact on his continuing leadership or hero status.

I think it was that great philosopher, Goofy, who once said, "if it walks like a duck, it talks like a duck and it looks like a duck; then, by gum, it must be a duck"!

The cults of Jones, Koresh and Manson were undoubtedly the most extreme and immediately dangerous; however, the cults of Dollar, Meyer and Osteen cause no less spiritual damage than the bloodiest cult you can imagine. The sway that these cult-leaders hold over their minions is no less powerful. No, they will probably never lead their people to mass suicide; but why would they when those people keep them in power and rolling in cold, hard, tax-free cash. Martyrdom looks good in the history books; but it won't buy you the latest Bentley! They'd be fools to cut of their own gravy train. Jones, Koresh and Manson were/are stark raving mad (which in a minute way might explain their actions); but for the current charismatic personalities it's just business.

I agree with "BooBoo's Daddy" that there is nothing we can say to convince a "Meyerite" or a "Osteenian" that they have been brainwashed. That is the province of the Holy Spirit alone. Let those of us who have been deprogrammed by the Word of God continue to pray and shout "wolf" from the rooftops!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

You might be in a cult . . . if you believe that the U.S Congress' investigation of your preacher is persecution for righteousness sake!

You might be in a cult . . . if you believe that anyone who questions your preacher's teaching is an agent of satan!

You might be in a cult . . . if your pastor's picture upstages the name of Jesus on church advertisements!

You might be in a cult . . .

Have more? Send them in!

2008-02-06T09:55:00.000-05:00

Get Out Before They Suck You Dry

This next post was originally posted over at my friend Melvin Jones' blog,
"Pulpit Pimps". It was so poignant that I simply had to share it with my readers . . .

"Get Out Before They Suck You Dry!!!
Posted by Melvin Jones on February 5th, 2008

( On several occasions readers have written comments [in this case it was to another reader by the name of Bill] that are so on the money [and too long be presented as simply a comment] that I see the necessity of promoting those comments to full-fledged postings.

BooBoo’s Daddy made such a comment. His experience is one of the reasons I maintain the site. Telling you about it, marking the wolves, and making sure you understand that they are out there will perhaps equip you to a) avoid getting sucked into the same thing yourself and b) give you information to use in rescuing those who are trapped inside the WoF/Pimp organizations or c) help you understand that you CAN walk away from these pimps.

These types of postings also help all of you to understand what the effects on the individual can be and thereby encourage you to be more willing to be very patient with individuals as they work through the damage done by the pimps and pimpettes. From my point of view, this spiritual pimping is very much like sexual abuse perpetrated by the predators. It’s very difficult to get over and hey, the abuser blames the victim for the abusive behavior. )

BooBoo’s Dad’s Response to Bill

Bill, you say that Joyce Meyer doesn’t run a cult, otherwise you wouldn’t be in it. Let me say that the people who are in cults think the same way! Nobody likes to think that they have been deceived,. They want to think they are smart enough to know better. I assure you that if Joyce Meyer teaches the prosperity gospel or that Jesus went to hell so you wouldn’t have to (and she does!), then she IS running a cult, and if you are supporting her, then YOU ARE in a cult and you don’t even know it!

What’s more, there is probably nothing anyone here can say to you that will convince you otherwise, and I for one will not attempt to do so. All anyone here can do for you is speak the truth. It’s up to God and you from there. If God can’t take some of what we say here and get it through to you, then you cannot be reached sir.

A few years ago, I supported Joyce Meyer with everything I had. I regarded her as a true, down to earth, sincere, and prosperous role model. I hung on every word that came out of her mouth as if they were the words of God straight to me. I never missed a show, and if I did, I watched her internet broadcasts. When she held her conferences in my area, I went to see her in person. I would do as she said to prove my commitment to God and take vacation days and drive 3 hours to Tulsa to see her preach at the ORU campus and drive 3 hours back home, justifying myself to God by reminding Him of these sacrifices.

Talking about sacrifice, not only did I give up a day’s pay to see her, but it was nothing for me to sacrifice $100 or more into the white buckets they’d pass around as offering plates, knowing all along that I’d have to sacrifice again when I didn’t have that money to pay a bill with! That, in addition to the hundreds of dollars I’d send her through the mail every month! In the typical Word of Faith fashion, I would then go to God in “prayer” and tell Him what He had to do (you [God] MUST keep your word; you MUST provide ‘pressed down, shaken-together’ etc; if I delight myself in you, you MUST give me the desire of my heart, ad nausea!).

Bill, that’s NOT praying! When a WoF preacher “prays” by saying “we bind you Satan, we come against all the powers of darkness, we rebuke all poverty and lack” etc, they are NOT praying to God! They are talking to the devil and speaking as if they were God Himself. It is NOT prayer. But I digress.

I absolutely LOVED Joyce Meyer! But God had other plans for me. I was DEEP into the Word of Faith . It was all I had ever known all my life. My grandmother latched onto the seed faith teachings of Oral Roberts back when it first came out. She taught my mother in the ways of the WoF, and my mother in turn taught us the same way!

I grew up thanking God for being numbered among those who knew the “truth!” Needless to say, I naturally equated the WoF to be the one and only WILL OF GOD, and anyone who believed otherwise was deceived and damned to hell! That being the case, I grew up feeling at one with all the T.V. ministers. I loved them ALL! As a young boy, I read Copeland’s “The Laws of Prosperity” and I was determined to make those laws work … after all they are LAWS and even God must abide by them!

But taking an honest look back over the past 30 years, I had to admit that they never worked for me. I grew up into my 40’s all along thinking there was something wrong with me. I would actually look at a mustard seed in the spice rack and wonder why my faith was so much smaller that that and didn’t work. Then I would get depressed because my faith was so much tinier than that mustard seed that God wouldn’t honor it.

I felt rejected by God. Sometimes that feeling of rejection made me angry at Him and there were times I actually told Him that he was a liar! That He WAS a respecter of persons; that He showed favoritism, and that He didn’t love me, even though I was doing everything I knew to do to keep with “His” teachings as I was taught them!

All that being said, let me say this: there was nothing wrong with my faith, so don’t even try to tell me “oh ye of little faith!” I’ve heard that all my life and now I know better. My faith was fine, but the problem was that my faith was in a LIE! The “god” I was mad at was NOT the God of the Bible! The “god” of the Word of Faith is a demon straight from HELL! I know that now, but therein lies the danger in Word of Faith teachings. The people in that CULT don’t even know who the TRUE God really is, and are damned as a result!

Back to Joyce Meyer. I supported her “ministry” with ALL of my substance, and I thought she was truly God speaking straight to me. But the more I gave to her, the poorer I got (the story of my life)! It wasn’t until I got down to where I was about to LOSE MY HOUSE the Lord began to act on the anguish inside me. I remember back in 2005, watching Joyce on T.V. One day she was talking about how she had brought her parents to St Louis and bought them a house close to her. She said “I was just in the mood to buy houses!” I almost screamed at her “why don’t you buy MINE for me?”

I pleaded with God to speak to her heart to send me a check and prevent the impending disaster facing me. Then I would know that God really heard me and loved me enough to finally do something after 30 years of giving!

But of course Joyce never did do that, and since I thought she was close to God and had his attentive ear, that it must be that God wanted me to suffer all the more! I couldn’t understand it. I had donated to her (God’s?) ministry, I helped her build her headquarters building and all the furnishings in it. According to her plea for funds back then, I was promised that I would “own” one square foot for each $100 I gave towards it (I gave $300, so I “owned” 3 square feet).

Had God forgotten that ????? Now I was in desperate need, had NOBODY to beg from like she did, and I felt God didn’t care. I told Him He was cruel and mean! But I still loved Him because even then, if I had given up on my ONLY hope, then I REALLY had no hope at all. Even then, I felt that my breakthrough might still come, so I’d pick myself up and apologize to God for my ill will towards Him.

Then one day, as I was watching Joyce on T.V. it seemed like literally “scales” fell from my eyes! Near the end of the show, as she was begging for donations, and her announcer came on talking about all her books that we could have for a “gift” of X-dollars, and then talked about “seeing Joyce in person” and hearing “Joyce preach the word as only she can do.�? God Himself spoke to my spirit in that still small voice and told me “this isn’t about God, this is about JOYCE!” “Joyce” this, and “Joyce” that! And all the dollar signs on the T.V. screen seemed to “stick-out” like sore thumbs, and the whole thing smacked of one big long INFOMERCIAL about Joyce Meyer!!

That, my friend, was the beginning of my exodus from the Word of Faith! Each time I saw her show, it got even more disgusting to me … and I stopped giving to her. S L O W L Y, by putting a stop to the hemorrhage of money flowing out of my bank account to these people, I was able to recover somewhat, and I never did lose my house. But it was close. That, my friend was GOD showing me that He really did care about my financial well-being. He didn’t want my money!!!!! And not only did He NOT want my money, I was NOT cursed with a curse if I KEPT it !!!! That is freedom!

About the same time, I just happened to stumble upon this website, Pulpit-Pimps.org, and God has used this site TREMENDOUSLY to teach me the truth about where I had been all my life and that the Lord loved me enough to lead me out of it into the truth!

Unbeknownst to me, my mother, who had raised me in the WoF, had been led out of their heresy about a year before I had! She never told me though. I asked her why, and she said that I would have thought she was backslidden and lost in heresy forever. And she was right. Some other members of my extended family are not convinced, and there is a definite divide - but even that is mentioned in the Bible. That’s why I say that nothing any of us say will EVER convince you of the truth. You will just think that we are deceived and damned to hell. If God doesn’t get through to you, then YOU are not reachable. It’s as simple as that!

I know this is a LONG post, but before I stop there is some more I want to say about the Word of Faith.

The salvation of Jesus Christ is NOT about all the things that the Lord gives to His people! And people who seek the Lord for what He can give them are seeking Him for all the WRONG reasons! A person cannot receive the salvation of Christ unless first he realizes that he is a wretched sinner who deserves HELL, not all of the worldly stuff you WoF people clamor after! It’s not about getting all the STUFF. It’s about giving up their lives for HIM and becoming His slaves. Somehow you Word of Faith people have gotten that all backwards. You think salvation is about getting, and getting more It’s just STUFF, material worldly stuff, it’s CARNAL and ungodly! You think that all your STUFF is proof that you are blessed. There is one thing that is promised for sure to all true followers of Christ and that is PERSECUTION!

You Word of Faithers only think of earthly “blessings”. But God does not promise us the things of this world. Think about it What would it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your own SOUL? Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Paula White, all of those hellish creatures on TBN - I can’t even name all of the pulpit pimps on TV (and maybe even your pastor too by the way) all of them have their reward. They have their “Best Life Now” But they can’t take any of it with them where they go

What about later on? The Bible speaks of the rich man and Lazarus. That kind of reminds me of the relationship between all these RICH pastors and their pimped followers. I believe they will suffer the same fate!

God does promise us SPIRITUAL prosperity, but you Word of Faith people only think on things of this world. When people like you give expecting your 100-fold return, you are giving to GET !!!! But the true Jesus tells us to give, expecting NOTHING in return. Do any of you honestly do that? Neither are we supposed to give out of NECESSITY or of COMPULSION … tell THAT to all of the pimp preachers on TV who incessantly compel us to give to their ministries ad nausea! It’s WRONG! If any of them really believed what they “preach” then all they really have to do is give and expect their 100-fold return and leave their audiences ALONE! But they won’t ever do that, because they really don’t believe what they preach either. Otherwise they would practice what they preach. YOU are profitable to them, and they fear that if they don’t ask YOU for it, YOU won’t give it to them. YOU are their cash cow, not GOD.

I am not attacking you, so don’t even go there. I am speaking from a life of experience. As I said, I was all bound up and hog-tied in all that Word of Faith crap for almost 30 YEARS!!! I gave, and I gave. I did all of the right things according to our famous PIMPS! It was nothing for me to fork over almost everything I had … tithes and offerings above and beyond what was expected, because I BELIEVED what the pimps said. I thought that I was doing what GOD wanted, and I suffered the consequences of that for far too long.

Like Joyce Meyer always says “give until it hurts!” — “give SACRIFICIALLY!” My intentions were good. And I had faith. But my faith was in a LIE! I was sincere and honest, but I was sincerely and honestly WRONG. I think that the Lord really knew that, and finally got through to me to just STOP IT! Like, HELL-OOOOO! If this thing still doesn’t work after nearly 30 years, guess what - IT DOESN’T WORK!!

I see myself all over all of you defenders of these people. I was just like ALL of you. And a couple of years ago, I would have been standing right there by your side. That’s why I say that ONLY THE LORD will ever get through to you. Nobody could have EVER gotten through to me so I know that.

I guess you can tell I am just a little bit angry about this lie that is continuously propagated by the deluge of televangelists spewing this prosperity vomit into living rooms across this country and bringing millions to hell with them. But maybe somehow the Lord can use my experience to help lead someone else out of this DELUSION you call faith. It is another gospel, and the “Jesus” you think you worship will someday be crystal clear to you. I just hope that you find out who it really is before it’s too late. REALLY! The Bible is the truth, and it contains the way to the real Jesus. This Word of Faith gospel is pure MADNESS !!!!!"

Pulpit Pimps | 30 Comments »

God Bless BooBoo's Dad!

Keith
B.L.B.B.!!!
Be Like the Bereans Baby!!!

2008-01-25T09:46:00.001-05:00

PULPIT PRINCES

Having been completely bowled over by Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile's most recent work, "the Decline of African American Theology", I just had to go back and read his first offering, "The Faithful Preacher". I believe it is actually better to read them in this order because he seems to thoroughly diagnose the problem and perform the surgery in second book. He seems to provide the healing balm and "spiritual" therapy in the first book.

In "The Faithful Preacher" Anyabwile focuses on three of black history's most neglected heroes: Lemuel Haynes, Daniel Alexander Payne and Francis James Grimke ("neglected" is a severe understatement). In the process of delineating the characteristics of a truly faithful preacher, Anyabwile inevitably reveals that many of today's so-called "men of gawd" are sorely wanting.

I would like to compare and contrast what these pulpit princes of the past have bequeathed to us with the offerings of some of the acclaimed preachers of out time.

Lemuel Haynes: "We are taught in the text (Hebrews 13:7) and elsewhere that the work of a gospel minister is not with the temporal but with the spiritual concerns of men: they watch for souls. Their conversation is not about worldly affairs but about things that relate to Christ's kingdom, which involves the everlasting concerns of men's souls. When a minister's affections are upon this world, his visits among his people will be barren. He will inquire about the outward circumstances of his flock and perhaps, from pecuniary motives, rejoice at prosperity, as though that was of greatest concern. But he will have nothing to say with respect to the health and prosperity of their souls, having no joys or sorrows to express on account of the fruitful or lifeless state of the inward man". (The Character and Work of the Spiritual Watchman Described -1792- "The Faithful Preacher" p. 27)

Creflo Dollar: "I don't have to tolerate sickness! I don't have to tolerate bondage! I don't have to tolerate debt! I don't have to tolerate lack! I don't have to tolerate insufficiency! I don't have to be broke, busted, and disgusted all my life...My God is a God that has given me the power to get wealth." (Creflo Dollar, "Growing Up In God," April 4, 2004, Product Number: 6512091)

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Daniel Alexander Payne: "First, then, the preaching of the gospel. . . it is his business to make man acquainted with his relations to God as a sinner. To accomplish this he must re-echo the thunders of Sinai until the slumbering rebel is brought into a sense of his danger and looking into his own heart sees it as a cage of unclean birds or a lair of hissing serpents - the enemy of God by wicked works and the enemy of his own soul". ("Who is Sufficient for These Things?, 1852 "The Faithful Preacher" p.85)

Joel Osteen (from June 20, 2005 interview on Larry King Live):
KING: But you’re not fire and brimstone, right? You’re not pound the decks and hell and damnation?

OSTEEN: No. That’s not me. It’s never been me. I’ve always been an encourager at heart. And when I took over from my father, he came from the Southern Baptist background, and back 40-50 years ago, there was a lot more of that. But, you know, I just—I don’t believe in that. I don’t believe—maybe it was for a time. But I don’t have it in my heart to condemn people. I’m there to encourage them. I see myself more as a coach, as a motivator to help them experience the life God has for us.

KING: But don’t you think if people don’t believe as you believe, they’re somehow condemned?

OSTEEN: You know, I think that happens in our society. But I try not to do that. I tell people all the time, preached a couple Sundays about it. I’m for everybody. You may not agree with me, but to me it’s not my job to try to straighten everybody out. The Gospel is called the good news. My message is a message of hope, that’s God’s [message] for you. You can live a good life no matter what’s happened to you. And so I don’t know. I know there is condemnation, but I don’t feel that’s my place.

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Francis James Grimke: "The minister is a moral teacher. his duty is to rebuke wrong and to keep steadily before his hearers the right. His work, mainly, is character building, to give the right direction to the budding and expanding life around him- in a word, to develop and strengthen Christian character . . . Everything is done to convince men of sin, to lead them to repentance and to show them a better way . . . Character first, last always was the keynote struck by every apostle, prophet and teacher mentioned in the inspired volume". (The Afro-American Pulpit in Relation to Race Elevation - 1892, " The Faithful Preacher" p.123)

Bishop Eddie L. Long: "We're not just a church, we're an international corporation,... (W)e're not just a bumbling bunch of preachers who can't talk and all we're doing is baptizing babies. I deal with the White House. I deal with Tony Blair. I deal with presidents around this world. I pastor a multimillion-dollar congregation. "You've got to put me on a different scale than the little black preacher sitting over there that's supposed to be just getting by because the people are suffering." (August 28, 2005 Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

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Granted these are mere crumbs from the collective teachings of these three great men. I submit to you; however, that if you were to perform a thorough investigation of their teachings, at least four things would stand out in contrast to what is popular today:

1. The faithful preacher will wrestle with Scripture. Attractive or offensive, the faithful preacher brings the entire force of Biblical text to the forefront. In other words, faithful exposition of Scripture is a hallmark of the faithful preacher.
The false teacher will always "cherry-pick" texts to fit his premise. Completely ignoring the context, he seeks passages that will seemingly support his position.

2. The faithful preacher will always return to the Cross and to the Gospel. The false teacher will always get to the temporal benefits and blessings.

3. The faithful preacher will confront sin in order to bring about godly sorrow and (with the Holy Spirit's intervention) repentance. The false teacher will appeal to emotion to bring about short-term relief.

4. The faithful preacher's message will always be God-centered. The false teacher's message is always ultimately man-centered.

The faithful preaching of men like Haynes, Payne and Grimke is in sinfully short supply in our time. Additionally, that the selfishness of our age demands "Your Best life NOW"(Joel Osteen's current bestselling self-help book) provides much reason for concern for the future of the body of Christ. This is why I believe that it is vitally important for those of us who understand the problem to irrepressibly vocal in challenging false teaching. The Church cannot evangelize a society that permits infanticide, endeavors to remove every remaining vestige of God from its public square, promotes acceptance of all manner of deviant sexual lifestyles, syncretizes all religions and generally attacks all things godly; while our greatest interest is our own personal peace and prosperity.

We can't be content with being reformed and just knowing the truth for ourselves. We must put ourselves "out there" like the Luthers and Calvins (as well as the Kings and Xs) that we admire so deeply. We must risk revilement and disdain just as they did because that is the only avenue by which change comes.

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ". (Jude 3-4)

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

"He (Grimke) understood that two great obstacles assaulted the church: ignorance and demagogism. Ignorance he thought could be combated with education and learning. But demagogism, or 'the combination of unprincipled men within the church to get control, the monopoly of all positions of honor and trust of a general character,' needed the warring reaction of godly men who would protect the church and drive out unprincipled men. Without such warfare, Francis Grimke believed, 'the usefulness of the church [was] at an end,' and though 'it may increase in numbers . . . in moral and spiritual power it will become a constantly diminishing factor." ("The Faithful Preacher" p.117)

"Francis Grimke summed up the state of the church thus: 'Up to this time, any ignoramus who imagined that he was called to preach, who thought that the Lord had need of him, felt that it was his right to be ordained, or at least to be licensed; and no objection was interposed by the church, under the impression that if a man opened his mouth the Lord would fill it'". ("The Faithful Preacher" p.78-79)

Joel Osteen on Larry King:
"KING: Where were you ordained?

OSTEEN: I was ordained from the church there, Lakewood, under my dad's ministry.

KING: So you didn't go to seminary?

OSTEEN: No, sir, I didn't.

KING: They can just make you a minister?

OSTEEN: You can, you can.

KING: That's kind of an easy way in.

OSTEEN: Yeah, but I think it happens more than you think. But I didn't go to seminary. I have a lot of great friends that did. But I didn't. But I did study 17 years under my dad. You know ..."

2008-01-21T12:31:00.001-05:00

The All Saints Website is Up and Running!

Just a short note gang to invite you to visit my church's new website. For those of you who don't know, I attend All Saints Redeemer Church in Decatur, Georgia. Our pastor is Michael Leach and we are a community of reformed believers. The bottom-line of that is we zealously guard the sovereignty of God in ALL things and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is vigorously and consistently preached.

Our new site contains sermons, various articles by Michael and the membership, and you can even listen to previous broadcasts of our radio program; "the Glory of the Gospel". I invite you to frequent the site and whenever you find yourself in Decatur to drop in and witness what God is doing through this ministry. Also, please feel free to contact us through the link on the site!

www.allsaintsredeemerchurch.org

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2008-01-11T23:18:00.000-05:00

Drawing a Line in the Sand

Happy New Year! Yes, I'm eleven days late. Please accept my apologies. I just never want to be accused of publishing "filler". If I don't have truly have something to say, I won't waste your time by just rattling off junk.

Thankfully I found something worthy of blogging about! It has been my extreme privilege to read Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile's new book:

"The Decline of African-American Theology: From Biblical Faith to Cultural Captivity

To say that this book is vitally important would be an understatment of the grossest sort. Bro. Anyabwile throws down the proverbial "gauntlet", calling us to "choose this day whom we shall serve"; the God of the inerrant, infallible Holy Bible or the god of our subjective, personal/cultural experience.

On the one hand is the omnipotent, just and providential God, who has revealed Himself in Holy Scripture; and who has commanded us in the way of true worship of Himself. On the other hand is the sympathetic, manageable and culturally-biased idol whom many of us have created in our own image. This non-God will prove to be naught in the judgement to come.

I challenge all the readers of this blog to obtain and read this challenging tome and consider whether you have inherited the original and more importantly Biblical faith of our enslaved ancestors or the personalized faith of the post-reconstruction era. Your answer is of eternal portent.

I also encourage you to visit Bro. Anyabwile's blog, Pure Church and let him know how his book impacts you. I'm sure he would appreciate it.

I leave you with this quote from his book's afterword: " . . . sincerity and truth are not synonyms. Theological errors and , in some cases, heresies have opened up fault lines that threaten to quake and destroy the souls of those inside a crumbling church. Faulty theology is not a victimless crime".

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-12-17T01:48:00.001-05:00

The Difference Between Jesus and Your PC

Merry Christmas!!! Tis the advent season! The time when those who know Him kick up their celebration of our Lord's incarnation a notch. Yes, we realize that Jesus was not born on December 25th, but for the Christian everyday is both Christmas and Easter! God has intruded into His fallen creation and provided salvation for His people. Glory be to God in the Highest!!!

How is it then that even believers in the Lord Jesus Christ confuse Him with ordinary Christmas gifts? Take, for instance, the personal computer. The vast majority of PC users don't really know how these blasted things work. Yeah we know some of the component names and the functions; but as for how or why they do what they do; but only the computer geeks and manufacturers have a real grasp. The rest of us only care that if we want info, pictures, music or e-mail it shows up when we request it. Who cares how the machine does it; just as long as it does it!

Unfortunately, too many professing Christians today are treating the King of Kings (the gift who truly keeps on giving) the same way. They don't really care about the "how", the "why", or the doctrines of the salvation of man; they just want to be saved. "As long as I make it to heaven, who cares about theology, hermeneutics or pneumatology. Covenant, schmovenant, just get me out of hell!!!"

Can you handle the truth? Jesus Christ is not a "salvation machine". You don't go to www.HeSaves.com, type in Romans 10:9 and your personal information and get salvation delivered to your front door by FedEx overnight shipping. Having Jesus as Savior and Lord requires a relationship; a relationship that goes beyond just warm fuzzy feelings. Speaking of "warm fuzzy feelings"; remember when you first met your spouse? Remember how you wanted to know everything there was to know about them? How many spouses have written entire books that reveal everything about themselves that was important for us to know about him/her? I'm willing to bet that if they had we would have studied that book like our lives depended on it. Well, guess what? Our lives do depend on the book Jesus wrote for us.

Many will protest that they do indeed read the Scriptures. I'm talking about more than just reading the Scriptures. I'm talking about mining the Scriptures for all they are worth. I'm talking about absolutely making the Word of God the FINAL RULE of our FAITH and PRACTICE. Consider the following quote I read from a professing Christian. This woman was responding to the question: "What is our (the Christian's) stance on abortion"?

"Most of you are not going to like my answer...but such as life this is not a popularity contest! In the situation with a young child or rape ... I think at that time there are some instances where abortion is the answer...I know its wrong and the bible says Thou shalt not kill...But it also says he who is without sin cast the first stone"!

When she was challenged about this response (not by me, thank you very much!) she responded with this:

"Sir, I can really care less if you didn't like the answer that I gave, it was my OPINION. Who said it would be ok to have an abortion. I am not here to defend my feeling or thoughts. I am a realist and from a realist position I feel we know its wrong but at times some people are not focused on the act of sin and its result they are focused on the impact that the act of sin will make in their future...meaning if they have a baby from rape then this child may grow up not knowing the father or the criticism of others and there are so many negatives I can name...or if its a young child the impact of having a baby at a young age is a task in its self...especially if this young person is already living at home with their mother in an already crowded house. I didn't really have to justify my opinions however since you went there I decided to at least explain a little..."

I'm not questioning this woman's salvation; but I am certainly questioning her understanding of whom Jesus is and the importance of His Word in her life. Assuming she is saved, she certainly has not conformed her thinking to her Lord's. Perhaps she will someday. I only use these statements to illustrate the serious disconnect there can be between a person's profession and their practice. Of course, we're all guilty of it to some degree. I just hope, by the grace of God, to eliminate the vast majority of it in my life.

There is a huge difference between Jesus and your PC. With your PC, it's "garbage in, garbage out". With Jesus, it's "garbage (us and ours) in and: righteousness, justification, sanctification, glorification, provision, protection, peace, unconditional love, discipline, growth, adoption, wisdom, discernment . . . out"!

The single most important relationship we will ever enter into is that which we share with Jesus Christ. May we develop a ravenous appetite for Him and for His doctrines. That's all I want for Christmas. How 'bout you?

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-11-17T11:02:00.000-05:00

WHAT DO YOU REFORMED GUYS HAVE AGAINST "PROSPERITY" ANYWAY?!

Nothing. It's just the "prosperity gospel", in all it's insidious forms, that I hate. Why? Well, it's not because I think that money, good health and fruitful relationships are bad things. After all, as we all know, it's not money that is the root of all evil. It's the love of money that is the root of all evil. Trust me, I'm the guy who used to hold to the "pre-tribulational rapture". Not because I thought it jibed with Scripture; but because I have a low threshold for pain!

I have several problems with the "prosperity gospel". First and foremost, it just ain't biblical! Regardless of how many testimonies you may have heard to the contrary, the "prosperity gospel" is not the Gospel that courses throughout Scripture. It is a different gospel. One that the Apostle Paul calls for the pronouncement of "accursed" for it and its purveyors (Galatians 1:6-9). Ask yourself this question: What did mankind truly lose when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden? Yes, they lost the comforts of paradise. Yes, sickness now entered their experience. And, yes, all their increase would come through toil ans sweat. These things cannot be denied; but these were mere asides compared to the reality that they had now been cut off from their Creator. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve would walk and talk with Almighty God. Now, their fellowship was entirely severed. Consider this (those of you who have been fortunate enough to have had strong and loving relationships with your earthly fathers), what do you most cherish about your earthly father? What most readily comes to mind when you remember your childhood relationship with him? Is it, how much money he earned and spent on you; or, is it how vital his guidance, wisdom and support was to your growth and maturity?

The Gospel that pervades Scripture is about a loving, righteous and Holy God. Who, although He was spurned for the selfish pursuit of prosperity (a prosperity of knowledge and autonomy), sovereignly conquered sin and death redeeming a people to Himself through the precious and innocent blood of His only begotten Son.

The "prosperity gospel" misses this entire message. It indulges man's proclivity for selfish gain and personal well-being. The Word of God consistently warns us about the pitfalls of pursuing wealth and how riches become idols and enslave us. In fact it commands us NOT to pursue riches. Yet somehow the very same people who can't stop lying, who can't stop cheating, who can't stop buying bootleg DVD's, believe they can overcome the pitfalls of earthly prosperity. How foolish.

The second reason I despise the "prosperity gospel" is that it is predicated on twisted Scriptures.One of the favorites of the prosperity preachers is Mark 10:29-30.

" Jesus said, "Truly I say to you,there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for My sake and for the gospel's sake,but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life".

This passage usually gets a few folks up and running around the building. The problem is, however, these preachers always make the "houses" and "lands" literal and the "brothers", "sisters", "mothers" and "children" figurative. These they say are the hundreds of brothers, sisters and "mothers", etc. "in Christ" that you will receive. And the "persecutions" you'll receive are just the misguided jealousy and backbiting other will do because of your blessings. How convenient.

My third reason for anathematizing the "prosperity gospel" is that it puts believers in bondage. When this "WMD" of a theology (it's unfounded, get it!)fails to work for people, what's the excuse? Usually, it' s the persons fault. Either they didn't have enough faith, or there must be some secret sin in their life. My personal favorite is that it's just not their season yet. If I see another church marquis with the message "Your Breakthrough is Coming" ever again, I think I might breakthrough it with a nice rock! Some people who really want to leave their false church are actually afraid to do so because they think they might miss their "breakthrough" if they leave too soon. And these predators in the pulpit know that they hold people with this type of message. It's down right satanic.

Fourth, the "prosperity gospel" leads believers to inadvertently contend against God.
The credo of this bastard gospel is that if one has faith one should never be sick or in want. This automatically places one in contention with God when He desires to glorify Himself through sickness, want or suffering. Remember John 9:1-3. . .

"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him . . .'"

If the blind man had been sitting under the "prosperity gospel" he and his parents would have been binding satan and speaking sight back into his eyes. God's sovereignty and divine will would not have even been considered. The disciples and today's prosperity pushers assume sickness is due to sin. The truth is, sometimes God is glorified in sickness. A word to the predators: your arms are too short to box with God.

Lastly, the "prosperity gospel", even when it "works", gives a false sense of security. The Pharisees were prosperous; but Jesus called them "whitewashed tombs".
Solomon was prosperous; but he realized that it was all vanity, a "chasing after the wind" Dives was prosperous; but he woke up in Hades where he couldn't buy anything to drink. Oh, how much better is godliness with contentment. They're not called the "deceitfulness" of riches for nothing!

That's what this "reformed" guy has against the "prosperity gospel". I believe it is far more prosperous for us to pursue what the Westminster Shorter Catechism states is the "chief end of man". That is to glorify God and to enjoy HIM forever!

The question becomes (this is where the preacher begins to "whoop") . . .

Can you glorify God and enjoy Him forever, when you're sick and in pain?
Can you glorify God and enjoy Him forever, when you're broke and have not gain?
Can you glorify God and enjoy Him forever, when you're alone and your eyes are wet?
Can you glorify God and enjoy Him forever, when you're bank account is empty and you're deep deep in debt?
Can you glorify God and enjoy Him forever, when mother and father don't know your name?
Can you glorify God and enjoy Him forever, when wife and kids forsake you and the dog does the same?

Welllll!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

P.S. What did Lazarus die of the second time, anyway?

2007-11-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

Representin' for the Reformation

I've been hanging out over at The Black Church Page over the last week. Yeah, I remember what I said, but I figured I'm preaching to the choir over here. So, as I expected, I found some true opposition over there.

I opened a forum on Reformed Theology and as usual it got bogged down into a debate over election/predestination. Nonetheless, I do believe I did win a friend and found another reformed ally. If you would care to review the forum here's a link for you . . .

The Black Church Page Forum on Reformed Theology

I thought I'd just leave you with my semi-closing statement (the forum is still open if you would like to weigh in) from the forum and let you tell me what you think.

"As is far too often the case, this discussion which was to deal with the whole of Reformed Theology, has bogged down to a debate over 'election'.

As my opening quote indicates RT is about much more than just this hot-button issue. The central tenet of RT is not election, but the supremacy and sovereignty of God in ALL things. It also focuses on man's faithful worship of this triune, omnipotent and incomprehensible God in "spirit and in truth". As Pastor John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN says: "God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him".

How does RT compare with much of the church ( yea, even the "black" church) today. Here is what I have observed . . .

Modern Church: Increasing emphasis on personal health, wealth and materialism.
Reformed Theology: Emphasis on personal holiness and submission to God's sovereignty

Modern Church: Triumphalism/claiming earthly territory
Reformed Theology: Rejoicing in suffering which produces endurance, which produces character, which produces hope (Romans 5:3-5a)

Modern Church: Declining emphasis on the preaching of the Gospel
Reformed Theology: Insistence on the preaching of the Gospel persistently.

Modern Church: Increasing espousal of heresies ( deification of man, the denial of the deity of Christ, etc.) False prophecy
Reformed Theology: Emphasis of the Five Solas: Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone) Sola Fide (by Faith alone) Sola Gratia (by Grace alone) Sola Christus (Christ Alone) all for Sola Deo Gloria ( the glory of God alone).

Modern Church: Increasing "new" revelation
Reformed Theology: Contending "for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" Jude 3. Agreeing with the Apostle Paul that " even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed" Galatians 1:8. There is no "new" revelation.

Modern Church: Proliferation of female "pastors", "elders", "bishops", and even "apostles" .
Reformed Theology: Honors biblical standard for leadership in the church.

Modern Church: Lack of accountability for pastors/maverick preachers
Reformed Theology: High accountability through governing bodies.

Modern Church: Abandonment of confessionalism resulting in biblical illiteracy and doctrinal ignorance.
Reformed Theology: Strong, well established confessional history and doctrinal instruction.

Modern Church: Compromise with false religions (muslims particularly)
Reformed Theology: Firm denunciation of false religions.

Modern Church: Celebrity status of many Pastors.
Reformed Theology: Pastors castigated for uncompromising stance on biblical truth.

Modern Church: The church as a multinational corporation/ the pastor as CEO.
Reformed Theology: the church as the "house of prayer"/ the pastor as faithful servant and under-shepherd.

That's the short list of what I have witnessed.

I submit to you that a return to the foundational tenets of the historic Christian faith is what is desperately needed today. We have fallen from being the conscience of the nation to being the entertainment of the nation. As a pilot by profession, I travel widely and I frequently hear the world's impression of the church. We are more known for our conflicts, wife-beatings and world-likeness than for our flat-footed uncompromised preaching of Christ and Him crucified.

I believe this can only be because we have abandoned the principles we fought and died for during the Protestant Reformation. We have effectively been cut off from that history ( one of satan's most devious tricks). The average Christian can tell you nothing beyond the history of his own church (if that). What we fail to realize is that all our denominations are rooted in the Reformation. The great reformer,
Martin Luther, understood that when he translated the Scripture into the vulgar (common) languages he was opening a hornet's nest(denominationalism). But He fought for our right to be able to read God's word ourselves in our native tongues. But as is our way, we have turned this to a means toward our ends rather than God's ends.

As blacks we are still so wrapped up in our plight that we believe we hold the patent on suffering. We discount the persecution and suffering of our Christian brothers and sisters have faced long before our enslaved ancestors ever lived. They were fed to lions in the Roman Coliseum, disemboweled and broiled alive in the "iron chair". Their bodies were tarred, set aflame and used as human torches to light the emperor's courtyard. We dismiss the courageous stands of great men like Athanasius, Polycarp, Augustine, Wycliffe and Hus. God used these men to ensure that we'd have this faith that has sustained us through so much suffering.

As proud as we are of our black heritage, how many of us are familiar with Lemuel Haynes, a Calvinist black minister in the 18th century who argued vigorously against the slave trade. Haynes along with other 18th century black authors (Jupiter Hammon, James Albert Ukasaw Gronniosaw, Phillis Wheatley, John Marrant, Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and Olaudah Equiano) "found in calvinsm a tradition of exegesis that could be leveled against the slave trade and slavery". John Saillant, biographer of Haynes, states "early black calvinism was vigorously anti slavery" and Lemuel Haynes was its most prolific voice and writer.

Heart and Mind

Reformed Theology is both experiential and intellectual. It realizes no dichotomy between heart and mind. It's not puffing up the mind (even if fallible people do fall into that trap) leading to a cold, indifferent religion. It's about a mind nourished in the truth of the triune God, who He is and His unimaginable splendor, glory and holiness. All leading to an outpouring, from the heart, of unyielding worship, trust, obedience and love of Him who is infinite. RT recognizes that emotion is a good thing; but it must bow its knees to the truth. Truth is obtained through the mind.

When we enter into the presence of God in our churches on Sunday morning, we are not supposed to check our brains nor our hearts at the front door. I am confident that if any of you were to perform an objective and honest investigation of Reformed Theology, you will find a profound and revolutionary deepening of your walk with Jesus Christ.

If you are willing to accept my challenge, I have a suggested list of books (links) that will be indispensable in conducting your study . . .

History: Eusebius, "The Chuch History"

Not necessarily a RT book, but essential for understanding our roots.

RT:

1) "Knowing God" J. I. Packer

2) "Back to Basics" Douglas J. Wilson

3) "Grace Unknown" R. C. Sproul

4) "When Grace Comes Home" Terry Johnson

5) "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ" John Owen
Tough read. Not for the squeamish!

6) "The Holiness of God" R. C. Sproul

7) "Desiring God" John Piper

"Chosen by God" R. C. Sproul

9) "The Doctrines of Grace" James Montgomery Boice

10) "On Being Black and Reformed" Anthony Carter

11) "Holiness" J. C. Ryle

12) "Essential Truths of the Christian Faith" R. C. Sproul

13) "The Sovereignty of God" Arthur W. Pink

Special Bonus: Reformed websites/blogs (links):

Monergism

In Submission to Sovereignty - My personal blog.

Ligonier Ministries

Non Nobis Domine (Not Unto Us, O Lord)

Blaque Tulip

Council of Reforming Churches"

Viva la Reformation!!!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-10-26T10:04:00.000-04:00

The Subtle Sinfulness of Silence: The Remix

My regular readers will recognize that I have used the title of this post previously. I have been blogging for just over a year now, and I really thought "The Subtle Sinfulness of Silence" was one of my more original posts. Well, I have found that this is not truly the case.

I have just begun reading the indisputably classic Christian work "The City of God " by one of Church history's most revered fathers, Saint Augustine. In the very first chapter of this masterpiece I have discovered that my previous post was definitely not original and that it certainly was not the most thorough treatment of this topic. I imagine that if he were still among us former vice-presidential candidate,
Lloyd Bentsen might comment," Mr. Tolbert, I served with Saint Augustine, I knew Saint Augustine, Saint Augustine was a friend of mine. Mr. Tolbert, you are no
Saint Augustine".

For those unfamiliar with this seminal work, "The City of God" was Saint Augustine's apologetic for Christianity in the wake of the fall of Rome. It seems that blame for this great catastrophe was placed on Christians by the pagan citizens of this once great empire. They believed that their gods were punishing them because the Roman Christians refused to make sacrifices to their false deities. Saint Augustine authored "The City of God" in order to refute this false accusation. He argued the point that it was only the grace and mercy of the God of Christianity that Rome stood as long as it did (note to the pagans of the USA: those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it!)

Section nine of the opening book of "The City of God", is entitled: "Of the Reasons for Administering Correction to Bad and Good Together". In this section,
Saint Augustine reprimands Christians for remaining silent while their countrymen fall into sin. It is this section that put my little diatribe to shame.

"For often we wickedly blind ourselves to the occasions of teaching and admonishing them, sometimes even of reprimanding and chiding them, either because we shrink from the labour or are ashamed to offend them, or because we fear to lose good friendships, lest this should stand in the way of our advancement, or injure us in some worldly matter, which either our covetous disposition desires to obtain, or our weakness shrinks from losing . . . If any one forbears to reprove and find fault with those who are doing wrong, because he seeks a more seasonable opportunity, or because he fears they may be made worse by his rebuke, or that other weak persons may be disheartened from endeavouring to lead a good and pious life, and may be driven from the faith; this man's omission seems to be occasioned not by covetousness, but by a charitable consideration. But what is blameworthy is, that they who themselves revolt from the conduct of the wicked, and live in quite another fashion, yet spare those faults in other men which they ought to reprehend and wean them from; and spare them because they fear to give offence, lest they should injure their interests in those things which good men may innocently and legitimately use- though they use them more greedily than becomes persons who are strangers in this world, and profess the hope of a heavenly country . . . do often take thought of their own safety and good name, and abstain from finding fault with the wicked, because they fear their wiles and violence. And although they do not fear them to such an extent as to be drawn to the commission of like iniquities, nay, not by any threats or violence soever; yet those very deeds which they refuse to share in the commission of, they often decline to find fault with, when possibly they might by finding fault prevent their commission. They abstain from interference, because they fear that, if it fail of good effect, their own safety or reputation may be damaged or destroyed; not because they see that their preservation and good name are needful, that they may be able to influence those who need their instruction, but rather because they weakly relish the flattery and respect of men, and fear the judgments of the people, and the pain or death of the body; that is to say, their non- intervention is the result of selfishness and not of love".

"They are punished together, not because they have spent an equally corrupt life, but because the good as well as the wicked, though not equally with them, love this present life; while they ought to hold it cheap, that the wicked, being admonished and reformed by their example, might lay hold of life eternal. These selfish persons have more cause to fear than those to whom it was said through the prophet, 'He is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.' For watchmen or overseers of the people are appointed in churches that they may unsparingly rebuke sin. Nor is that man guiltless of the sin we speak of, who, though he be not a watchman, yet sees in the conduct of those with whom the relationships of this life bring him into contact, many things that should be blamed, and yet overlooks them, fearing to give offence, and lose such worldly blessings as may legitimately be desired, but which he too eagerly grasps".

Please don't get me wrong. I am not saying that our family and friends who sit under false teachers are "wicked" or that they don't have eternal life. Only God knows the heart of man. He knows who truly are His. But when a person places his faith more in a man's teaching than in the Word of God; or gives his pastor more praise than he does to his supposed Savior, there is sufficient warrant for concern regarding that man's salvation. I say, we (after having thoroughly examined ourselves-II Cor. 13:5) must err on the side of caution. We must tell them the truth . . . in love. That is, if you do love them.

It is clear that Saint Augustine was exhorting Christians to be more God-honoring and bold by confronting the pagans in their midst. This directive is even more valid in our present age. The most regrettable fact today, however, is that it seems to be more necessary within the Body of Christ(?). Those of us who have been graced to receive the Holy Spirit's gift of discernment and can see through the shenanigans of the Osteens, the Bynums, the Dollars, et al, must be more faithful to tell the truth to out family and friends who are blinded by the bat-guano that these false teachers are peddling.

If we refuse to do so, according to Saint Augustine (and Scripture backs him up), it is an indication that we also love this present life a tad too much, not holding it as "cheap" as we should.

Will they call you arrogant? You betcha! Will they say you are jealous? Count on it!
Will they cease fellowship with you? Quite possibly. Will they change? Not necessarily. The mere fact that these questions disturb us is evidence that Augustine was right about us. If the praise and favor of men holds that great a sway over us in this transient vapor of a life perhaps it is us who need to know the truth.

"Stand
There's a cross for you to bear
Things to go through if you're going anywhere
Stand
For the things you know are right
It s the truth that the truth makes them so uptight
Stand
All the things you want are real
You have you to complete and there is no deal
Stand. stand, stand
Stand. stand, stand
Stand
You've been sitting much too long
There's a permanent crease in your right and wrong
Stand
There's a midget standing tall
And the giant beside him about to fall
Stand. stand, stand
Stand. stand, stand
Stand
They will try to make you crawl
And they know what you're saying makes sense and all
Stand
Don't you know that you are free
Well at least in your mind if you want to be

Everybody
Stand, stand, stand "

"Stand", Sly and the Family Stone 1969

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-10-16T12:05:00.000-04:00

Say 'ello to the Good Guys: Part III

I must immediately issue an apology to this weeks featured teacher. When I began this series of posts I stated that each of these teachers were "white". Well, Dr Ravi Zacharias is definitely not caucasian, he is of Asian descent. My apologies to Dr. Zacharias.

Dr. Ravi Zacharias is a profound apologist for the Christian faith. I was first introduced to him via radio on Dr. James Dobson's program, "Focus on the Family" in 1992. This program featured Dr. Zacharias' sermon, "I, Isaac, Take You, Rebecca". This sermon was particularly profound for me at that time because I was just a few short months away from marrying my lovely wife, Lisa. The impact of this sermon still resounds with me today after fifteen years of marriage and I try to remember to give a copy of it to anyone I know who is contemplating this huge step.

Dr. Zacharias is a prodigious thinker and a sincere lover of God's truth. I highly recommend his book "Jesus Among Other Gods"; and you must get your hands on his lecture "The Uniqueness of Christ" (his dismantling of a college professor who holds to the Eastern philosophy of the "both/and" is worth the price of the recording!)

Here's a brief biography of Dr. Zacharias from Ravi Zacharias Ministries Intl.

For thirty-four years Ravi Zacharias has spoken all over the world and in numerous universities, notably Harvard, Princeton, and Oxford University. He has addressed writers of the peace accord in South Africa, President Fujimori's cabinet and parliament in Peru, and military officers at the Lenin Military Academy and the Center for Geopolitical Strategy in Moscow. He has been privileged to bring the main address at the National Day of Prayer in Washington, DC, an event endorsed and co-hosted by President George W. Bush, and at the Pentagon. Additionally, Mr. Zacharias has spoken twice at the Annual Prayer Breakfast at the United Nations in New York, which marks the beginning of the UN session each year, and at the invitation of the President of Nigeria, he addressed the delegates at the First Annual Prayer Breakfast for African Leaders, held in Mozambique.

Mr. Zacharias was born in India in 1946 and immigrated to Canada with his family twenty years later. While pursuing a career in business management, his interest in theology grew; subsequently, he pursued this study during his undergraduate education. He received his Masters of Divinity from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. Well-versed in the disciplines of comparative religions, cults, and philosophy, he held the chair of Evangelism and Contemporary Thought at Alliance Theological Seminary for three and a half years. Mr. Zacharias has been honored by the conferring of a Doctor of Divinity degree both from Houghton College, NY, and from Tyndale College and Seminary, Toronto, and a Doctor of Laws degree from Asbury College in Kentucky. He is presently a Visiting Professor at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University in Oxford, England.

At the invitation of Billy Graham he was a plenary speaker at the International Conference for Itinerant Evangelists in Amsterdam in 1983, 1986, and 2000. Mr. Zacharias has been a visiting scholar at Cambridge University, where he studied moralist philosophers and literature of the Romantic era. While at Cambridge he also authored his first book, A Shattered Visage: The Real Face of Atheism (Baker Book House, 1994, 2nd ed.), which in 2004 was updated and republished by Baker as The Real Face of Atheism. His second book, Can Man Live without God (Word Publishing, 1994), was awarded the Gold Medallion for best book in the category of doctrine and theology. Deliver Us from Evil (Word, 1996) followed with an accompanying video series. Cries of the Heart (Word, 1998) was his fourth book. His first children's book, The Merchant and the Thief (Chariot Victor), was released in 1999, followed by The Broken Promise (Chariot Victor, 2000). Jesus Among Other Gods (Word, 2000) was nominated for a Gold Medallion. The first in a series of great conversations, The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha was released by Multnomah in 2001, and the second, Sense and Sensuality: Jesus Talks with Oscar Wilde, in 2002. Mr. Zacharias' very personal response to the September 11th tragedy is Light in the Shadow of Jihad (Multnomah, 2002). Recapture the Wonder was released by Integrity Publishers in 2003 and I, Isaac Take Thee, Rebekah, a book on marriage, in February 2004 by the W Publishing Group. His latest work is Walking From East to West: God in the Shadows (with R.S.B. Sawyer) published by Zondervan (2006). Several of these books have been translated into many other languages including Russian, Arabic, Korean, and Thai.

Mr. Zacharias is listed as a distinguished lecturer with the Staley Foundation and has appeared on CNN and other international broadcasts. His weekly radio program, "Let My People Think," is broadcast over 1500 stations worldwide, and his weekday program, “Just Thinking,” began airing in November 2004. He is president of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with additional offices in Canada, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Mr. Zacharias and his wife, Margie, have three grown children

Now listen to the man . . .

Can you handle the truth?

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-10-08T21:40:00.000-04:00

Say 'ello to the Good Guys: Part II

I continue my hit parade of sound, biblical teachers this week with a profile of Pastor John Piper.

What stands out about this faithful preacher of God's Word is his intense passion for the supremacy of God in all things. To hear this man preach is to come as close to the beatific vision of God as a human being can be before the actual triumphant return of Jesus Christ.

My life has been irreversibly impacted by his books, "Desiring God", "The Pleasures of God", "Future Grace" and "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ". If you are at all concerned with deepening your walk with Jesus, you simply must read these works.

Here is a brief biography of John Piper from Desiring God Ministries . . .

"The ministry of preaching is the central labor of my life. My prayer is that through that ministry and everything else I do the great glory of our God and Savior Jesus Christ would be magnified as more and more people come to live out the obedience of faith more and more deeply."

John Stephen Piper was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee to Bill and Ruth Piper January 11, 1946. When John and his older sister were still small the Pipers moved to Greenville, South Carolina where John spent the rest of his growing-up years. His father was an itinerant evangelist who is still actively ministering through international radio and Bible courses. John has written a tribute to his mother, who died in 1974, in the booklet, "What's the Difference" (Crossway Books, 1990) which is also chapter one of the book, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Crossway Books, 1991).

At Wheaton College (1964-68), John majored in Literature and minored in Philosophy. Studying Romantic Literature with Clyde Kilby stimulated the poetic side of his nature and today he regularly writes poems to celebrate special family occasions as well as composing story-poems (based on the life of a Biblical character) for his congregation during the four weeks of Advent each year. At Wheaton John also met Noel Henry whom he married 1968.

Following college he completed a Bachelor of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (1968-71). While at Fuller, John took as many courses as he could from Dr. Daniel Fuller, the most influential "living" teacher in his life. Through Dr. Fuller he discovered the writings of Jonathan Edwards, his most influential "dead" teacher.

John did his doctoral work in New Testament Studies at the University of Munich, Munich, West Germany (1971-74). His dissertation, Love Your Enemies, was published by Cambridge University Press and Baker Book House. Upon completion of his doctorate he went on to teach Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota for six years (1974-80).

In 1980, sensing an irresistible call of the Lord to preach, John became the senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he has been ministering ever since. Together with his people, John is dedicated to spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.

John and Noël have four sons, a daughter, and an increasing number of grandchildren.

Now see for yourself:

This is what sound teaching looks like.

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

Please visit and or contact these websites:

Michael Leach, Atlanta, GA (email)
website coming soon. Please email mleach818@comcast.net for more info.

Robert Benson & Anthony Carter, Atlanta, GA

Lance Lewis, Philadelphia, PA

Ken Jones, Compton, CA or
Ken Jones

Roger Skepple, Atlanta, GA

2007-10-04T13:04:00.000-04:00

Say 'ello to the Good Guys!

Lest we believing Christians give in to what I call the Elijah Syndrome
(see I Kings 19:1-18), I thought it would be beneficial to share with you some of those who faithfully uphold the blood-stained banner of true Christianity. I may have mistakenly taken for granted that most of you are familiar with the faithful teachers that I have referred to in this blog.

Although these teachers do have a wide following they are not all that recognized in the black church community. The reasons for this are many and I hope race is a very small part of those reasons. Yes, the teachers that I will highlight over the next few posts are white. This, however, is not intended to insinuate in any way that white preachers are more faithful than black preachers. It is my hope that now that we have greater opportunity and access to serious theological training, we will make even greater contributions to the "Queen of the sciences".

Albeit, on a stage that is not yet as widely known as that of these teachers, there is a growing number of strong, sound and reformed black preachers. Teachers such as: Michael Leach, Robert Benson, Anthony Carter, Lance Lewis, Ken Jones, Roger Skepple and many others are, by the grace of God, introducing many in the black community to the reformed perspective. With men such as these the future is bright for a resurgence (or should I say "surgence") of reformed theology among black Christians. I will make it a point to include links to the ministries of these and other black teachers at the end of these posts.

Now, to this week's featured teacher . . . Dr. R. C. Sproul.

Dr. Robert Charles Sproul was born in 1939 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries, which started as the Ligonier Valley Study Center in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, more than thirty years ago. In an effort to respond more effectively to the growing demand for Dr. Sproul’s teachings and Ligonier’s other educational resources, the general offices were moved to Orlando, Florida, in 1984, and the ministry was renamed “Ligonier Ministries.”

Dr. R.C. Sproul is featured daily on Renewing Your Mind, an international radio broadcast that has aired for more than ten years with an estimated two million people tuning in every week on more than 235 radio outlets in the United States and throughout more than 40 countries. Dr. Sproul is a respected teacher, theologian, and pastor. He is currently serving as the director of Serve International, and as senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida. Dr. Sproul is ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.

In addition, Dr. Sproul was the general editor of The Reformation Study Bible, which was also known as The New Geneva Study Bible, and he is the executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. As a prolific author he has written more than 60 books and scores of articles for national evangelical publications. Dr. Sproul has produced more than 300 lecture series and has recorded more than 80 video series on subjects such as the history of philosophy, theology, Bible study, apologetics, and Christian living. He signed the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which affirmed the traditional view of biblical inerrancy, and he wrote a commentary on that document titled Explaining Inerrancy.

Dr. Sproul holds degrees from Westminster College, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and the Free University of Amsterdam, and he has had a distinguished academic teaching career at various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida, and Jackson, Mississippi, and Knox Theological Seminary in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Personally, I credit Dr. Sproul as being the vessel God used to lead me out of man(self)-centered religion into Christ-centered Christianity. I came to embrace reformed theology through his radio program and through his book "Grace Unknown". Also very worthy of your perusal are his books: "The Holiness of God", "Chosen by God" and "Essential Truths of the Christian Faith". I truly thank God for Dr. Sproul's relentless desire to "awaken as many people as possible to the holiness of God by proclaiming, teaching, and defending His holiness in all its fullness."

Here is a small dose of Dr. R. C. Sproul . . .

I hope this introduction to Dr. Sproul will inspire you to look deeper into his ministry. Please visit the Ligonier Ministries
web site

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be like the Bereans, Baby!

Please visit and or contact these websites:

Michael Leach, Atlanta, GA (email)
website coming soon. Please email mleach818@comcast.net for more info.

Robert Benson & Anthony Carter, Atlanta, GA

Lance Lewis, Philadelphia, PA

Ken Jones, Compton, CA or
Ken Jones

Roger Skepple, Atlanta, GA

2007-09-28T19:03:00.000-04:00

Turning Lemons into Lemonade

Well, you can't keep a good false teacher down. Just when you thought it was safe to put away your put away your replica of the Ark of the Covenant,
Juanita "No More Weeks" Bynum is back to fleece her sheep once again.

It seems that the "new face of domestic abuse" has a new scam, I mean, commission to intercede on behalf of the nations. And she needs you to fork over 200k to do it.

Take a look . . .

Can someone please tell me what advantage Bynum will have by praying before a fake relic of an abrogated ritual? The sad thing is that she will receive thousands of dollars from ignorant people who are absolutely oblivious to the fact that Christians now have the reality to which this outmoded Old Testament symbol pointed. His name is Jesus Christ. Not only is this whole threshing floor/ark of the covenant ritual unprofitable, it is blasphemous. It is an implicit statement that Jesus is not enough. We must simply cease rewarding these flim-flam artists for holding the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in complete and utter derision.

And how abysmally arrogant can one individual be to elect herself as "the" intercessor for the nations. I find it impossible to believe that Ahmadinejad over in Iran is seeking Bynum's intercession on his behalf.

"For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers . . . They must be silenced since they are upsetting entire families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not teach". Titus 1:10-11

If anyone out there is even giving one nanosecond's thought to actually supporting Bynum in this slap in the face to Jesus, I bid you to meditate on the words of the writer to the Hebrews in the ninth chapter:

"9:1
Now even the first covenant had regulations of divine worship and the earthly sanctuary.

9:2
For there was a tabernacle prepared, the outer one, in which were the lampstand and the table and the sacred bread; this is called the holy place.

9:3
Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies,

9:4
having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron's rod which budded, and the tables of the covenant;

9:5
and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

9:6
Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,

9:7
but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

9:8
The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,

9:9
which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,

9:10
since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.

9:11
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;

9:12
and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

9:13
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

9:14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

9:15
For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance . . .

9:23
Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

9:24
For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

9:25
nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.

9:26
Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

9:27
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
9:28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him."

Finally, may the God-breathed words of the Apostle Paul give many pause before they write that check:

"I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed"!
Galatians 1:1-6

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-09-10T22:18:00.000-04:00

Holes in the Dike?

Until now I have been silent about the recent news coming from the false teaching front. You know, the beatdown of "Profitess" Juanita Bynum by her obvious WWE fan, soon-to-be ex-husband, "Bash-up" Thomas Weeks. The pending divorce of "Profitess" Paula White from her overshadowed husband, Randy.

Let me first state my obligatory denunciation of spousal abuse: I, in no way, condone or excuse this horrific and despicable act by any man upon his wife. When the accused is supposed to be the under-shepherd of God's people and an example it is especially disgusting.

That said, I can't help hoping that these events are but the beginnings of birth pangs for these and all the perverters of true Christianity. No, I do not hope that more of them receive physical beatings. I just hope that it becomes more and more undeniable that what they preach is truly snake oil. I hope that these wizards of Oz become exposed for the charlatans that they are. I hope that enough of their duplicitous lifestyles become such a public spectacle that their deceived minions will finally have to abandon their worship of them. A guy can dream can't he!

I wonder what would it take to make the duped flee? My mind reels at the possibilities: murder charges, arrest at a crackhouse, long established Republican voting record. But I realize that these Svengali's have their sheep so drunk on their kool-aid that even these "mistakes" would be excused.

Although these reapings within the ranks of heretics have had little effect on their followers; the unfortunate hardening of unbelievers is evident. A brief perusal of the internet will reveal the heyday unbelievers are having with these events. Among the more clever are statements like these: "if Bynum is supposed to be a 'prophetess', shouldn't she have seen this beatdown coming", "I guess Weeks never heard 'touch not my anointed and do my prohpets no harm'", "You mean to tell me God 'told' her to marry this guy, but He didn't 'tell' her to watch out for the left hook", "I guess Bynum's next book will be entitled, 'The Thrashing Floor'"(for those who aren't aware, on of Bynum's best selling books is entitled, "The Threshing Floor").

Using nothing but "worldly" wisdom, the unregenerate are able to discern the folly of these liars. And the eye of Christianity gets a little blacker. Yet, many of those professing to be "blood-washed, Holy Ghost-filled, blessed, sanctified and highly-favored children of God" remain clueless. It's a shame! It's a travesty! It's a sham! It's a mockery of a shame of a travesty of a sham!

I know, I know, I should be praying for the Bynums, Whites and their ilk. Believe me, I do. Want to hear it? Here it goes:

"Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Yes Lord God, dear Father, hallowed be Your name, both in us and throughout the whole world. Destroy and root out abominations, idolatry and heresy of all false teachers and fanatics who wrongly use Your name and in scandalous ways take it in vain and horribly blaspheme it. They insistently boast that they teach Your Word and the laws of the church, though they really use the devil's deceit and trickery in Your name to wretchedly seduce many poor souls throughout the world and in such persecution they believe that they render You a divine service. Dear Lord God, convert and restrain them. Convert those who are still to be converted that they with us and we with them may hallow and praise Your name, both with true and pure doctrine and with a good and holy life. Restrain those who are unwilling to be converted so that they be forced to cease from misusing, defiling and dishonoring Your holy name and from misleading your people. Amen"

Name and claim that!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

The prayer comes from Martin Luther's: "A Simple Way to Pray"

2007-08-23T14:26:00.001-04:00

Turning Triumph Into Tragedy: The "Church"'s Abandonment of the Gospel

With all my talk about T.U.L.I.P.s and R.O.S.E.s lately, I somehow forgot to provide any follow-up regarding the recent 2nd annual Stone Mountain Conference on Reformed Theology. As I mentioned in my post leading up to the conference, the theme this year was: "Recovering the Gospel: The Crucial Need of The Church". I won't dare attempt to review the entire conference for you here; but if you would like to listen to the four presentations you may listen to them at the Southwest Christian Fellowship website.

I would like to focus on the last question that was addresses by the conference speakers (Pastor Michael Leach, Pastor Robert Benson, Pastor Roger Skepple and Rev. Anthony Carter) during the final Q&A session. Yours truly submitted this question and the responses to it accurately reflect how far too many "churches" have deviated from the mission given to it by the Lord Jesus Christ. My question was this: "Many professing Christians seem to believe that since they are saved they have the Gospel in their back pocket; it is a done deal. Now they believe that they must go forth and conquer and take authority for the Kingdom. Is this valid? How should we respond"?

Pastor Leach, in his response, stated that this idea is called: "Triumphalism". It also goes under the title of "Dominionism", "Kingdom Triumphalism" and "Kingdom Dominionism". Whatever the title, it is NOT Scriptural. This idea has as it basic tenet that the church is here to take over. As part of that taking over, Christians (having gotten the business of getting saved out of the way) are to go into society and take back the territory that satan has stolen from them. We are to go back into the sectors of business, education and government and show 'em how to do things God's way. It even goes much further. This "triumphalism" even goes to the extreme of preaching that the church holds the key to Christ's return and that all of Jesus' authority has been given to the church to use on earth while He reigns in heaven.

While we certainly are to glorify God in everything aspect of our lives, the triumphalist ideal gives new meaning to the old cliche: " give a n@!#$% a rope and he'll want to be a cowboy"! Proponents of the triumphalist doctrine such as, Earl Paulk and Rod Parsley, believe that the church will one day rule the world thereby allowing Jesus to return. The saddest part of this whole mentality is that while all this conquering and taking authority over the earth is going on; very little preaching of the Gospel and the conquering of personal sin is going on. Whatever happened to "small beginnings"? There is much more to be said about "Triumphalism". Consider this article:Kingdom Triumphalism.

Even more piercing was Pastor Skepple's response. Pastor Skepple stated that those who adhere to the triumphalist doctrine are preaching a gospel; but they are not preaching THE Gospel. And according to the Apostle Paul: "even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed"(Galatians 1:8-9). Skepple warned that "any movement that doesn't allow you to say what Paul says in this passage, you know is false".

Pulling no punches, Skepple further cited Romans 5:1-4:

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have* peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and exalt in hope of the glory of God.And not only that, but we also exalt in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;and perseverance, character; and character, hope."

Emphasizing that as Christians we are commanded not only "to rejoice in hope of the glory of God" but also to rejoice in tribulations, Skepple stated that "any movement that does not advocate or support exalting in tribulation, difficulty, hardship, trial, failure; any movement that does not allow for the exaltation in tribulation, you know is unbiblical . . ." Strong words . . . TRUE words!

Another unfortunate outgrowth of this triumphalist thinking has been the transformation of the church into the corporation. Churches now boast of not being churches but being businesses. Pastors have traded being under-shepherds for becoming CEO's. Inevitably, the church ceases to be house of prayer and spiritual healing and now becomes the clearinghouse of networking, finance, and economic empowerment. How quickly is the lesson of the children of Israel forgotten. In their frenzy for position and power these triumphalist followers blend the faith of Christianity with the savvy of Wall Street, just as the Israelites blended faith in Yahweh with the religions of the Canaanites. It's called syncretism and idolatry and God hates them both. So much so, that He sent His people into captivity under those they so wanted to be like!

I hear your objection, "God never rescinded His original mandate to man that he subdue the earth and have dominion over it". Nice try. First of all, triumphalism is an absolute perversion of the creation mandate. If you reread Genesis chapter one, you'll notice that this mandate is given prior to Adam's fall (it was Eve's fall to0, why do we keep leaving her out!:-)); therefore this mandate was issued to all mankind not just Christians. Every man and woman from Adam forward was supposed to be keeping this mandate. Marriage, procreation, Sabbath-keeping was intended for everybody. Christians do not have a monopoly on these things. Secondly, triumphalism is a self-glorifying theology. It desires the benefits of the Gospel without the suffering of the Gospel. It craves victory now without having to follow the steps of Jesus. Here is the truth: following Jesus inevitably leads to a crucifixion . . . ours! We claim to want to follow Christ, but when we get to the cross we suddenly want to take a detour. The Apostle Paul made it crystal clear: "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake . . ." (Phil 1:29).

We naturally want a crown without the cross, but the writer of Hebrews said,

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, 'MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.' It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline"?

According to Apostle Peter unjust suffering is the way to glory. The truth is, not many of us here in "persecution-free America" are worthy of it (me included).

We must return to the expository preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. True power exists nowhere else. The Gospel is THE POWER of God for salvation to everyone who believes . . . for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'the just shall live by faith'". Notice, "the righteousness of God" is revealed every time the Gospel is preached. How often do you think God's righteousness should be revealed? Notice, "the just shall LIVE by faith". "Live" here is an ongoing process. "Faith" is the fuel for the just person's living. How many times should we continue to hear the Gospel, even after we have been born again? Once for every sin we commit! That ought to cover it!

Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-08-02T17:53:00.000-04:00

T.U.L.I.P. vs. R.O.S.E. (Part IV)

For whom did Jesus Christ die? That is the question. Did He die with no one in particular in mind? Did He just intend to put His sacred atoning blood up for grabs so that any "Joe" off the street could choose to treasure it or trash it? Or did He "foreknow", intimately know, each and every individual for whom He would make the supreme sacrifice? Did He sovereignly ordain that each person whom He foreknew would be granted the new birth and given the gift of faith? Let's look to Genesis.

In Genesis 3:15 we have what has come to be called, "the proto-evangelion". This is our LORD Yahweh's first pronouncement of the coming Messiah:

"And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

It is evident in this passage that there are two "seeds", the "seed" of the woman (Eve) and the "seed" of the serpent (satan). For those of you who are jumping ahead and saying, "the 'seed' refers to Jesus!"; yes that is correct. But do I have to go get a Hebrew grammar text and demonstrate that "seed" in this context has a dual application? Don't test me, cause I'll do it! "Seed" refers to the woman's ultimate "seed", Jesus; and it also refers to each of the woman's offspring throughout time.

The two "seeds" from this point in Scripture forward are embroiled in an epic struggle. We observe this struggle as it is played out between: Abel and Cain, Jacob and Esau, Israel and everybody else. The "seed" of the woman being God's people and the "seed" of the serpent being those enslaved to sin and satan. I hear an objection coming, "we all are enslaved to sin and satan prior to salvation". This is true; but thanks be unto God we have received the "adoption as sons". So this "adoption" that we receive necessarily identifies us as the "seed" of the woman. Question: as with any parent who desires to adopt children, does God have the right to choose whom He will adopt and whom He will not? We find no fault in the couple who chooses to adopt child "A" over child "B". Why do we find fault if the ruler of the universe exercises the same right? The adopting couple chooses based on something they see in the child. God would find nothing in us to make us worthy of His choice, but does so based on His own sovereign will. Who chooses more wisely?

But who did Jesus die for? The "seed" of the woman or the "seed" of the serpent? The "seed" of the serpent by nature hate God. They detest His law. They would destroy Him, if they could. The Jezebels, the Manassehs, the Herods, the Neros, the Nietzsches, the Russells of history demonstrate this. Did Jesus die for them? Millions of the serpent's seed died never even having heard of Jesus? Whole barbaric civilizations came and went before Jesus was ever born and died in their sin knowing nothing of redemption. Did Jesus die for them? Could they make a "decision" for Christ never having heard of Him? What about those who were wiped out in the flood, did Jesus die for them? Those whose "every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5)? Such are the "seed" of the serpent.

The "seed" of the woman, according to Scripture have been chosen from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). These having been regenerated by the Holy Spirit are given the gift of saving faith (Eph 2:4;8-9). These have been granted repentance (II Timothy 2:25) and then place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for the salvation of their souls. For such, and such alone, has the LORD Jesus Christ shed His precious blood.

There is also much debate over the use of words like "all", whole", and "world" in Scripture. Many point to these words and argue that they indicate that God's intent in sending Jesus to the cross was for every human being to have the opportunity to be saved. Hogwash. Have you ever said (or heard some one else say) something like this: "the whole world is ___________" Did you mean that every human being (past, present and future) was doing "____________" including yourself? And if you did, how did you know? Words like these are often axiomatic, general terms that describe a perceived overall condition. The Bible sometimes uses axioms just like we do today. Consider the following examples.

"And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness"(Numbers 14:2). Did all the children of Israel complain? The babies, Moses' wife, Moses and Aaron themselves.

Picky you say? How about this one?

"The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him" (John 12:19). Had the entire world gone after Jesus? Obviously the Pharisees had not gone after Him. Are they not part of the entire world? What about the ancient aborigines in Australia?

"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you"
(John 15:19). Did the whole world hate the disciples? Did the disciples hate the disciples? Did Jesus hate the disciples?

Get the picture? Words like those above when used regarding salvation refer to every kind of people. People of every single tribe and tongue and nation; but not every single member of every tribe and tongue and nation. When people try to apply these words to every single human being they habitually forget all those who died prior to Jesus' incarnation. As listed above, these people were long dead before Jesus came. How could they have been included in the "all", the "whole", the "every" or the "world"? Even if everybody since Jesus' death is covered, that leaves out a major chunk of humanity!

Since every single human being (past, present, and future) deserves death and hell, there's no sin in that. Some receive mercy, some receive justice, no one receives injustice. If you have been saved by Jesus Christ, rejoice! You have received mercy! If you think you had anything to do with it, you'll learn better in glory!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

P.S. I highly recommend "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ" by John Owen. It's a tough read, but you will be highly blessed. Trust me! :-)

2007-07-20T16:19:00.000-04:00

T.U.L.I.P. vs R.O.S.E.(Part III)

Let's take a look at our Lord's high priestly prayer in chapter 17 of the Gospel of John.

Just prior to His betrayal and arrest, Jesus in chapter 17 prays for Himself, His disciples and all those who will trust in Him for salvation through the disciples' teaching. Let's consider some facts about Jesus and about prayer.

Fact #1: According to John 9:31,God does not hear the prayers of sinners (except the prayer of repentance). Jesus is the perfect and sinless Son of God. Therefore, Jesus' prayers would always be heard by God.

Fact #2: According to I John 5:14, we have this confidence that if we ask anything in accordance with God's will He will hear us. Jesus clearly proclaimed that He and His father are one and that He always does the will of His Father. Therefore, God always hears His Son's prayers.

Fact #3: I John 5:15 states that if indeed God hears us in whatever we ask (according to His will), we KNOW that we have the requests that we have asked of Him. As established by fact #2 Jesus always prays according to the Father's will; therefore, Jesus (above every other being in history) most certainly obtained every request that He has ever asked of His Father.

With the above facts in mind, let us consider John17:6-9, 20, 24.

17:6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

17:7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.

17:8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

17:9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

17:20 "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;

17:24 Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Jesus states in His prayer that He has made known the Father's name to those whom the Father had given Him. In verse 9, Jesus make it very clear that He is only praying for these same people. In fact to avoid any confusion, He further clarifies His request by stating He is "not praying for the world but for those whom You (the Father) has given me, for they are Yours". Now, some might argue that this prayer was made soley for the disciples. I think that upon further inspection this would prove too much. According to the facts listed above, restricting this prayer to the disciples only would mean that only they would ever be saved. Jesus makes misconstruing His words nigh impossible in verse 20 when He states, "I do not ask for these (the disciples) only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word . . ."

It is apparent here that Jesus is distinguishing between two different groups of people. One group consists of His disciples and those who would trust Him because of their teaching. The other group consists of the world, i.e., everybody else. It is also apparent that this high priestly prayer is basically a prayer for the salvation of the people included in the former group. In accordance with Fact #1 (above), the Father would definitely hear this prayer of Jesus because Jesus is not a sinner. In accordance with Fact #2 (above), The Father would also hear this prayer of Jesus because it was in accordance with His will. In accordance with Fact #3 (above), Jesus would definitely obtain His desire in this prayer be cause of its adhereing to Facts #1 and #2.

Without question, I believe that each and every person who is included in the group for whom Jesus did pray are the exact same persons for whom Jesus made atonement. What about the other group, the world?

Did Jesus go to the cross and make atonement for those whom He did not even care to include in His high priestly prayer? Jesus was certainly aware of the truths expressed in the facts listed above. If He intended to atone for the world's sin also, why did He leave them out of His prayer? Surely had He intended for the world to be saved, His prayer would have cinched it.

Conversely, it follows that the atonement of the world's sin was not the Father's will. If it had been His will, Jesus could not truthfully state that He and the Father were one and that He always did what the Father did. This is so because, nowhere in Scripture does Jesus ever pray like this for the world.

Did Jesus still atone for those for whom He did not care to pray but they still somehow end up in Hell? Based on the listed facts this is impossible. The Father would have heard, agreed with and granted Jesus' request for the entire world's salvation.

Did Jesus or the Father intend for the precious blood of Jesus to be shed for those that they knew had no chance in hell of getting to heaven? For this to be the case, the Father would have to intend to waste the precious, innocent and altogether holy blood of His sinless Son to a great degree. Consider, Jesus in addtion to atoning for sin also suffered the unfettered wrath of God while on the cross. The combined weight of all the sin of mankind and the wrath of God all endured knowing that it would be wasted on the vast majority of mankind. Is man so precious in God's sight that He would treat His perfect Son's blood as such a common thing? I think not. I believe that God is victorious in everything He does. Every drop of Jesus' precious blood was effective in bringing to salvation those He intended to save. Not a single molecule of it was wasted. If His atonement is just available, and only made it possible for whoever would take Him up on it; then there was always the possibility that no one would ever take Him up on it. I'm sorry, but I just believe God thinks more of His Son than that!

Jesus also identifies who His atonement is intended for in chapter 10 of John's Gospel. One of Jesus' famous "I am" statements was the He is "the Good Shepherd".
In verse 14 He states, "I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father know Me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep". In verses 26-28, Jesus told some of the Jews that they did not believe Him because they were "not part of my flock". He continued to say that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him and that He gives them, His sheep, eternal life . . .

The language in these passages is very exclusive. Earlier in the chapter Jesus makes it clear that He calls His own sheep by name (v.3-4)In verse 14, who is that knows Jesus? It is His own. Who is it that Jesus lays His life down for? It is the sheep. Matthew makes it clear in his Gospel that there are sheep and there are goats. In the end the sheep go on to eternal life with God, the goats go on to eternal damnation. So, who here wants to pitch his tent on the belief that Jesus intended to atone for the goats? Again, this absolutely smacks of treating the blood of Jesus as a common thing.

In my next, and hopefully concluding, post I will tackle Genesis 3:15 and the use of the words "all", "every" and "world" in Scripture. Study up!

Keith
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-07-12T11:32:00.000-04:00

T.U.L.I.P vs. R.O.S.E (Part II)

Well, now comes the big one . . . the “L”. "Limited Atonement". The very words send shivers up the spines of many. To reduce the shock some have renamed this tenet as: “definite atonement”, “particular atonement”, “particular redemption” and others. The bottom line is, who did Jesus die for?

But before we explore the possible answers to that ultimate question, let’s deal with some preliminary issues. First, why did Jesus give His life on the cross in the first place? The short answer is: in order to satisfy the just penalty of death and separation from God for sin. Second, was Jesus successful in this quest? In other words, has the penalty for sin been fully and completely paid/satisfied? I hope we all will agree He most certainly has done so. Third, does their remain any portion of this payment/satisfaction yet to be paid? The Reformed response is that there is absolutely NOTHING that must be added; Jesus + 0 = Salvation. Fourth, Jesus’ death on the cross was also redemptive for the Old Testament saints due to their looking forward in faith for the then coming Messiah. Therefore, Jesus’ victory on the cross is effectual for all eras: past, present and future.

With these issues in mind, I can conceive of only three options for the scope of Jesus’ atonement:

Option “A”: Jesus died for everybody on planet Earth. This position is known as “Universalism”.

Option “B”: Jesus died to make salvation “possible” for everybody. This is a major tenet of Arminianism.

Option “C”: Jesus died to absolutely guarantee salvation for only a portion of humanity. This is a major tenet of Calvinism.

No doubt, veterans of the Calvinist/ Arminian/Universalist debate are familiar with the texts each side uses to support their position. I will not post an exhaustive list of them here, but I will list a few for the Calvinist (and therefore, correct) argument. You “Arminians” out there may feel free to provide your texts in the “comments” section and I will promptly show you your error in response. As for any “Universalists” in our midst, I must dismiss you with one simple statement from our Almighty, All-Knowing Savior, “I tell you, many will come from the east and west and recline at the table with Abraham , Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. (Matthew 8:11-12). That doesn’t sound like salvation to me!

Matthew 1:21 states in regard to Jesus that, “ . . .He will save His people from their sins”. I derive two conclusions from this statement from the inerrant, infallible Word of God.

1) Jesus, being sovereign and invincible God, cannot fail in anything He attempts. If indeed He intended to save everyone and some one ends up unsaved; then Jesus has failed in this thing which He has attempted. But that is impossible because He is the sovereign and invincible God. Therefore, Jesus did not intend to save everyone.

2) If indeed, He will save His people from their sins and some people end up unsaved; then all people cannot possibly be His people. Therefore, Jesus did not intend to save everyone.

The Arminian will often point out II Peter 3:9 in response to verses like Matthew 1:21. This verse states: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance”. There are a couple of issues which must be understood with this passage. First of all, who are the “you”,the “any” and the "all" referred to in the verse? Speculation is unnecessary for who the "you" are as the answer is provided in the very first verse of Peter’s letter. In verse 1, Peter addresses those for whom his instructions are intended: “To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours . . .” The “you” of chapter 3 verse 9 are these same people (and consequently all people throughout time) who have obtained this faith, no one else. The “any” in verse 9 has a referent, that referent is the “you” of the same verse. God is not willing that any (of “you”, you who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours, you of all eras) should perish . . . The "all", consequently, are of those referred to by the "you". Peter is quite simply addressing true Christians in this passage. And God will not allow true Christians to perish.

Second, there is the matter of God’s not “willing” that any should perish. On the surface it might be assumed that since God is not “willing” that any perish, then none should perish. Well, that leads us back to “universalism” which is patently false (previous discussion on Matthew 8:11-12). So there must be some caveat regarding God’s will. Dr. R.C. Sproul delineates this caveat for us in his, “Chosen by God”:

“In the first place we must understand that the Bible speaks of the will of God in more than one way. For example, the Bible speaks of what we call God's sovereign efficacious will. The sovereign will of God is that will by which God brings things to pass with absolute certainty. Nothing can resist the will of God in this sense. By his sovereign will he created the world. The light could not have refused to shine.

The second way in which the Bible speaks of the will of God is with respect to what we call his preceptive will. God's preceptive will refers to his commands, his laws. It is God's will that we do the things he mandates. We are capable of disobeying this will. We do in fact break his commandments. We cannot do it with impunity. We do it without his permission or sanction. Yet we do it. We sin.

A third way the Bible speaks of the will of God has reference to God's disposition, to what is pleasing to him. God does not take delight in the death of the wicked. There is a sense in which the punishment of the wicked does not bring joy to God. He chooses to do it because it is good to punish evil. He delights in the righteousness of his judgment but is “sad” that such righteous judgment must be carried out. It is something like a judge sitting on a bench and sentencing his own son to prison.

Let us apply these three possible definitions to the passage in 2 Peter. If we take the blanket statement, “God is not willing that any should perish,” and apply the sovereign efficacious will to it, the conclusion is obvious. No one will perish. If God sovereignly decrees that no one should perish, and God is God, then certainly no one will ever perish. This would then be a proof text not for Arminianism but for universalism. The text would then prove too much for Arminians.

Suppose we apply the definition of the preceptive will of God to this passage? Then the passage would mean that God does not allow anyone to perish. That is, he forbids the perishing of people. It is against his law. If people then went ahead and perished, God would have to punish them for perishing. His punishment for perishing would be more perishing. But how does one engage in more perishing than perishing? This definition will not work in this passage. It makes no sense.

The third alternative is that God takes no delight in the perishing of people. This squares with what the Bible says elsewhere about God's disposition toward the lost. This definition could fit this passage. Peter may simply be saying here that God takes no delight in the perishing of anyone.”

Wow, I know this is a lot to chew on. So why don’t I break here and let you digest this. I ‘ll see you next time with T.U.L.I.P. vs. R.O.S.E. (Part III)!

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans Baby!!!

2007-07-03T10:13:00.000-04:00

T.U.L.I.P. vs. R.O.S.E.

Well, it's good to be back! In case you hadn't noticed, I've been away for a while. I have recently returned from a wonderful vacation ( or as they say these days, "vay-kay") with my family. The high point (figuratively and literally) was our visit to
Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Beautiful country out there and quite a thrill to see the monument up close and personal. For any of my readers in the Black Hills area, "thanks for your hospitality"

Back to cases . . . my pastor, Michael Leach, and I are currently discussing the "Doctrines of Grace" on our radio program "The Glory of the Gospel" ( Sunday mornings @ 9:30 on WNIV-970AM in Atlanta or on the 'net @ www.wniv.com). Of course this is still a heavily debated issue and we certainly cannot fully exhaust the topic on the radio. Over the next couple of posts, however, I would like to take a shot at the two most contested members of the T.U.L.I.P., Unconditional Election and Limited Atonement.

As you may know the chief question concerning the Doctrines of Grace is: how does a person receive salvation. Without going into all the history of how they came about, I will jump ahead to the doctrines themselves ( "TULIP: The Five Points of Calvinism in the Light of Scripture" by Duane Edward Spencer is a good concise history of the meetings that lead to the development of the doctrines). Here are the five points as described by the acronym:

T=total depravity
U=unconditional election
L=limited atonement
I=irresistible grace
P=perseverance of the saints.

As I stated, the most hotly debated members of the T.U.L.I.P. are the "U" and the "L". First the "U". The fact that God elects people to salvation should be rather plain. I can't list all the verses here, but I would challenge you to look up the words "elect" and "election" in a concordance and count for yourself how many times the people of God are referred to in this manner. So the real issue is, on what basis does God elect people to salvation. It is the testimony of Scripture and therefore the Reformed position that God elects individuals to salvation unconditionally and according to His own good pleasure. Opponents of this position generally argue that God foresees something in the individual that prompts Him to elect that individual to salvation. Basically the argument goes that God, with His omniscience, looks into the future and observes that the person will eventually be receptive to the Gospel. Or that God foresees great promise in an individual and on that basis elects the individual. These arguments are really a misinterpretation of Romans chapter 8, where the "golden chain of salvation" is described by the Apostle Paul. The misinterpretation centers on the meaning of the word "foreknew".

Thanks to the "Open Theists" among us, God's omniscience has become doubted by many professing Christians. But for the remaining faithful, God's knowledge of ALL things, past present and future, PERFECTLY is undisputed. However, in the case of Romans 8, it is not God's knowledge of things or events that is described. It is God's intimate knowledge of PERSONS that is extolled. Just as Adam's "knowing" his wife Eve leading to the birth of Cain and Abel, portrays intimate love; God's foreknowledge of those He has elected to salvation portrays intimate love of them. These verses do not describe God as foreseeing any particular action by His elected persons. They describe Him as intimately loving these person long before the foundations of the earth and having purposed to save them even before they have been born. As for any future promise they might have or good they might do, how could that possibly figure into God's decision? What do they have that God has not given them? Any promise they have is given to them by God, so how can that help them get elected? Jonah chapter 2 makes clear, salvation is ALL of God.

The great American ideal of fairness and equality leads many to ask, why doesn't God elect everyone to salvation. "In the interest of fairness; if God elects one, He should elect all". Don't ask God to be fair, you wouldn't want to see God when He's fair. Fairness demands that every human being that has ever walked the earth go to Hell. Don't pass "Go", don't collect 100 dollars, go directly to Hell! We are justly condemned sinners, God owes salvation to NO ONE. That He saves anyone is a testimony to His mercy and grace. Perhaps the following diagram will help illustrate:

Some sinners sent to Hell= JUSTICE/NO MERCY
Some sinners are saved= MERCY/NO JUSTICE
No sinner receives INJUSTICE

Justice requires a good judge to punish sin, God is THE good Judge. God is not embarrassed by His wrath and He is glorified by His perfect justice. He sovereignly chooses those in whom His glorifying, righteous wrath will be displayed. Mercy requires love and forbearance, God is love. God's love is glorified in His perfect mercy by granting pardon to undeserving sinners of His sole choice via the shed blood of His sinless son, Jesus Christ. No man will ever be able to accuse God of injustice. And no man will be able to boast that God chose him because of anything within himself.

I think that the main reason that so many can't come to grips with T.U.L.I.P. these days is that far too many of us subscribe to another acronym: R.O.S.E.

R= restricted sovereignty
O= obnoxious egoism
S= Sick in trespasses
E= extreme equality

As I've said before, most professing Christians will claim that God is sovereign. But for some odd reason, when it comes to our salvation (in their minds) God restricts His sovereignty and hopes and prays that people will "make a decision for Christ". Evidently, there are some people who God desperately wants to save, but He is helpless unless they exert their "free will" to accept Him. Sounds more like Sally Fields to me, "You like me, you really like me"!!!

It can only be Obnoxious Egoism that makes the creature believe that the creator would not overrule their hell bound will in order to save it. The constant refrain that states, "God will not violate your will" is blatantly false. Ask Abimelech, who willed to violate Sarah, but whose will God violated (Genesis 13). Ask Jonah who willed to go to Tarshish, but God violated his will and landed in Nineveh. Have you ever prayed for someone to be saved? What are you asking God to do, but to violate their will?

Contrary to the report of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2, which states that prior to salvation we are "DEAD" in trespasses and sins; R.O.S.E. subscribers must only believe that we are only Sick in trespasses and sins. Because the last time I checked, dead men don't do anything. They can't move , they can't breath, they can't eat and they certainly can't CHOOSE! The Bible, however, reports that God said to Adam and Eve that in the day they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil the would surely DIE. Not that they would get really sick, but still be able to reach out. Not that they'd get really sick, but would improve. No, they would die. And everyone that would come after them would be born spiritually dead. Unresponsive to God, out of fellowship with God, unable to please God. Not choosing the good, not knowing the good, not wanting the good. Therefore, if anything good was going to come from them or be chosen by them, God would have to bring them back to spiritual life FIRST=REGENERATION.

Extreme Equality suggests, once again, that if God offers this wonderful gift of salvation to one of us, He is somehow obligated to offer it to us all. That's as american as hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. God is SOVEREIGN. God would be just to send us all to Hell and start all over. Get over yourself.

God is the author and finisher of our salvation.

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!

2007-06-13T19:50:00.000-04:00

Recovering the Gospel: The Crucial Need for the Church

I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to the

2nd Annual Stone Mountain
Conference on Reformed Theology

Borrowing on the theme of the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, I invite you to join us at Grace Presbyterian Church, 650 Rowland Road in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The dates for the conference are Friday, July 27 through Saturday, July 28.

The Speakers will be: Pastor Roberts Benson, of Southwest Christian Fellowship in Atlanta, Georgia, Rev. Anthony Carter, Associate Pastor of Southwest Christian Fellowship and author of "On Being Black and Reformed", Pastor Roger Skepple, of Berean Bible Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia and
Pastor Michael Leach, of All Saints Redeemer Church in Decatur, Georgia.

The theme for this year's conference is: Recovering the Gospel: The Crucial Need for the Church. There are many "gospels" being preached today; but the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is largely neglected. These thoroughly Biblical expositors will demonstrate to you that no gospel but the Gospel of Jesus Christ will lead His church into the only kind of worship He is seeking . . . worship in spirit and truth. It is only this gospel that will draw men to the Savior.

Please join us for this important conference. For further information and directions please contact Pastor Leach at (678)849-0048. You can also e-mail yours truly at
sound-doctrine@myway.com

Be there, or be Arminian!

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-06-08T00:34:00.000-04:00

The Subtle Sinfulness of Silence

I knew when I began publishing this blog that my comments about heretical teachers, aberrant theologies, etc. would ruffle a lot of feathers. I expected to encounter fierce opposition and that many would be offended by what I have to say. I can honestly state, however, that it is not my intention to offend. It is my hope that someone, somewhere is given pause to think about what their being taught and then to move in a God-honoring direction. One of the unfortunate side-effects of "truth" is frequently "offense".

Of greater concern to me, is the prospect of having to stand before God one day and having to explain why I was silent. Having to explain why I said nothing when I observed some of those very near and dear to me walking toward a cliff. I firmly believe that my salvation is a done deal and that my sinful silence would be forgiven; but let's just say that I want to be able to cast as many crowns before the feet of my Savior as is possible.

That said, I would like for you to consider a few scenarios and honestly answer for yourself . . . what would you do?

Imagine, your mother needs serious medical treatment. She selects a physician whom you know to have been misdiagnosing illnesses, prescribing improper medications and has been successfully sued for malpractice multiple times. Would you warn your mother? She really likes this doctor. She really trusts this doctor. What would you do?

Imagine, your brother receives a large sum of money and decides to invest in the stock market. Your brother chooses a stockbroker whom you know to be entirely disreputable. He charges exorbitant fees for his services, all his clients have lost large sums of money while he continually prospers greatly. Would you warn your brother?

Imagine, your sister falls in love with the man of her dreams. They become engaged and begin to plan their wedding. One night, your staying at a hotel and you hear the unmistakable sounds of a loud sexual encounter going on in the room next to you. When you leave the next morning, you observe your sister's fiance exiting that same room with another woman (or man, you pick). He looks at you winks and says, "C'mon, dog, you know the deal"! Would you tell your sister?

I'm not the "Amazing Kreskin", but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that in each of the scenarios, you would be singing like a canary. So why is that where health, money and romance is concerned we feel duty bound to reveal the truth; but where the more eternally consequential effects of false teaching are concerned, we suddenly clam up? Why are we not concerned about being perceived as judgmental, arrogant and holier-than-thou in those scenarios; but just want to live and let live when a person's walk with Christ is endangered?

I recently received a couple of answers to this sort of question. One person said that they would pray for the person and wait for God to reveal to them that their place of worship was apostate. Then they hoped that the person would see it for themselves and leave. Let's apply this solution to the scenarios that I have just presented. Praying is absolutely necessary and should be the first step; but are you going to tell me that as your mother is being prepped for surgery by Dr. Hamhands, all you are going to do is pray?! Please don't tell your brother that you prayed for him as he cashes in his son's college fund to pay his mortgage because Dewey, Cheatum and Howe landed him in the poor house! And after your sister contracts AIDS from her philandering husband, I'd keep that "I prayed you would find out" stuff on the down-low!

As bad as these results are, the result of failing to speak up to our brothers and sisters who are under the thrall of false teaching and counterfeit christianity is far more detrimental. A false teacher, by definition, teaches falsehood and a house built on the sands of falsehood will surely collapse. And unfortunately, no one who has been ensnared by these lies can point their finger at the teacher on the day of judgment. They failed to study to show themselves approved and they will reap what they have sown. But you said nothing.

It was also suggested that since the person is "saved" it doesn't matter that he is under false teaching because he's going to Heaven anyway. My response to this is always, "are you sure"? I mean you have to be omniscient (God) to rest in this assumption. It was further suggested that, if a person walks down the isle and has the Gospel explained to him and he receives Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, then he is "saved". My answer to this is, "possibly". It depends on which Jesus he "received". If he received the Jesus of the prosperity gospel, or the Jesus who according to Creflo Dollar was not God is he really "saved"? These are false Jesuses and a false Jesus cannot save, truly. If, however, they somehow trust in the Biblical Jesus Christ (how that is possible in places that barely mention Him is truly a miracle) they are now obliged to forsake false teaching! A "profession" doesn't save anyone. A life of obedience and trust in the person and work of the Biblical Jesus Christ is evidence of our salvation. To paraphrase "Forrest Gump": "saved is as saved does" (see James 2:14-26).

In my humble opinion, there are four main reasons why a person who knows better would remain silent in the face of a loved one's peril.

1. Fear of losing friends/relations.

You might remember the old cliche': "If you love something set it free. If it comes back, then it's yours. If it doesn't come back, then it never was". As mushy as it sounds, I believe that it is true. If you are not allowed to openly express your heart and concerns to someone whom you call "friend", I suspect the term "friend" has been misapplied in this particular arrangement. It is said that "friendship is essential to the soul". Can it be denied that trust is essential to friendship?

The stance I have taken has caused major arguments with members of my family; it has even loosened bonds with those who once pledged that nothing could ever do so. I would like to think that if the situation was reversed they would love me enough to warn me, regardless of my reaction. The Word of God says to do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12). I can sleep well at night knowing that I have.

If someday I am shown to have been wrong about the deeds I have charged any of these teachers with, I will be the first to repent and apologize. If the future proves me to be correct, my door will always stand open to them.

2. Fear of confrontation.

Going along just to get along. I don't have a lot of sympathy for this situation. Let's just say I'm happy that Martin Luther King didn't suffer with this problem. I'm glad Muhammad Ali didn't have this problem. I'm really glad Jesus didn't have this problem.

Jude urges us to "contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). Paul instructs us to ". . . rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to . . . the commands of people who turn away from the truth" (Titus 1:13-14).Peter warns us to ". . .take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose you own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:17-18).

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (II Timothy 1:7). Go grow a backbone!

3. Individualism.

We as the body of Christ have lost our understanding of community, the communion of the saints. An "I've got mine, you better go get yours" mentality pervades. We are saved individually, but we are ingrafted into a shared vine. We are our brother's keeper. Paul vividly illustrated that we all are to function together and if one of us is damaged, we all are damaged (I Corinthians 12:12-26).

4. Lack of love.

Oh, I can hear the jaws tightening already. "Who are you to suggest that I don't love my family/friends"! Hold on there, Tex! Don't get your drawers in a wad! As shown in the previous scenarios, "Love" compels us to act in the best interest of those we love. Love compels us to protect those we love. Love sacrifices it own comfort for the sake of others. Love weathers the misunderstandings and anger directed at it. If your "love" is lacking these qualities, maybe your heavy on emotional love and a little light on volitional love, agape love.

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful". Proverbs 27:6

---------------

Is this silence sin? Here's the bottom line, the Word of God states that to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17). We really have no excuse for our silence. Are we going to repeat Adam's folly in the Garden of Eden? Are we just going to stand there knowing the commands of God and say nothing while the serpent seduces our friends and family? That's how we all got into this mess in the first place!

"Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand." Ezekiel 33:2-6

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-06-02T13:40:00.000-04:00

All the Homers in the House Say, "D'oooh"!!!

My friend, the good Reverend Anthony Carter ( www.cyreneministries1.blogspot.com ) put me to shame recently. He was so kind as to mention the radio program that Pastor Michael Leach and myself host every Sunday morning on WNIV-970am in Atlanta. Thanks, Tony!

The name of the program is, "The Glory of the Gospel". Mike and I are striving to join the effort to bring the glorious gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ back to the forefront of American Christian consciousness . . . Help!!! I say that Tony shamed me because he has helped to publicize us when I have failed to do so. We've been on for a month now and I have said nothing about it on my very own blog. D'oh!!!

So at last, I invite you to tune to "The Glory of the Gospel" with Michael Leach and Keith Tolbert every Sunday morning from 9:30am to 10:00am on 970am, WNIV. If you live outside of the Atlanta area you can catch us on the web on www.wniv.com during the program. We hope to also be available at oneplace.com (anytime) in the near future.

I'd also like to acknowledge Christian rap artists, "Christcentric". They are three reformed Christian brothers who are matching sound (and I mean, SOUND) Christian doctrine with Christ-exalting, creative hip-hop (something your "Boogie Down Bronx" blogger can truly appreciate). Their thought-provoking song, "Sufficiency of Scripture" will serve as our opening and closing theme for "The Glory of the Gospel" in the very near future. Please visit the "Christcentric" website and check out their music and their story.

www.christcentric.net/main.html

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-05-27T17:02:00.000-04:00

Bringing Knives to a Gunfight

I recently visited a relatively new website, The Black Church Page www.blackchurchpage.com . I guess you might call this the Wal-Mart of online "black" church information. You name it, you can find some info about it at this site. Unfortunately, like many "black" churches this site is heavy on culture and light on Scripture.

Desiring to understand the foundation on which this site was built, I naturally visited the site's "About Us" page. I could not help but to shake my head in disbelief at what I found. You know that I had to get in touch with "The Black Church Page". Here is my e-mail . . .

" Dear Mr. Matthews,

My name is Keith L. Tolbert. I am a newcomer to your website. I was struck by the opening paragraph of the "about us" section . . .

'God implanted into the spirit of Alphonse D. Matthews long ago that the answers to the socio-economic problems that exist with The African American community are within the African American church. The answers to unemployment, wealth creation, education, poverty, drug abuse all are within the walls of the African American church.'

I have always heard that the best way to chop down a tree is not by cutting off the branches, one by one; but by chopping it down at the trunk where the whole tree will fall down. Why is solving 'socio-economic problems' viewed to be the most pressing need in the 'black' church? It is plainly evident, according to Scripture, that the most pressing need for the "black" church as well as the body of Christ as a whole (where does the Bible ever address a 'black' church?) is to deal with that which so easily entangles us all . . . sin. "Sin" is the tree, our 'socio-economic' problems, et al, are but branches on this tree.

All of us (black, white, yellow, red, etc.), even the saved among us, are still encumbered with a sin nature (indewlling sin). And until this root issue is confronted by the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, the tree (sin) will live and the branches will grow back two for every one you chop off. When will we, especially the 'black' church, understand that our temporal issues such as racism, poverty, education, equal opportunity, etc. are just that, TEMPORAL. As Christians, we are to be fervently mindful of eternal verities. As we deal with the true culprit behind our temporal troubles, we become less vulnerable to them.

The truth is we may not overcome most of these temporal issues in this life. Contrary to popular teaching, the Kingdom of God has not been consumated yet and this life is filled with tribulations and trials. All due to our own sinfulness. The Gospel of Jesus Christ ALONE is the antidote for all of this. And there is less and less of this being taught today in the church, yes even the 'black church.

And when I say the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I do not only mean Jesus' death, burial and resurrection that is only part of the story which is all too easily romanticized. I additionally mean Jesus' sinless life that fulfilled the requirements of God's holy law which qualified Jesus as a perfect sacrifice. I mean His selfless suffering in our stead that we now (as was the apostle Paul) are blessed (yes, BLESSED) to share in (see Phillipians 1:29; Romans 8:17 etc.). His current reign and intercession at the right hand of the Father on behalf of His people.

We often acknowledge that this life is brief and but a vapor; but we still cling to it as if it were all there is. Should not our attitude, and consequently the message of websites like this one, be like that of Paul's who taught us in ll Corinthians 4:7-18 that 'though we are afflicted, we are not crushed. Though we are perplexed, we are not driven to despair. Though persecuted, we are not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed. That this "slight momentary affliction is PREPARING for us an ETERNAL (not temporal) weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look NOT to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are UNSEEN are ETERNAL'.

Since Jesus' ascension back to the Father the church has endured great suffering for the cause of the Gospel. Our brothers and sisters in Christ (not just black folks) have endured being fed to lions, burnings, disembowelment, and relentless torture for THIS cause. Not for "socio-economic" empowerment. I think that it is past time for this shallow, Christ-betraying selfish hew and cry for material health and prosperity. Jesus made it crystal clear that these things make entering His Kingdom
difficult (Matthew 19:23), please consider why we should play up a mindset that only makes our ultimate goal of living with our LORD and Savior, eternally, more difficult.

I think you would be hard pressed to confirm anywhere in Scripture where the goal of the church has been to remedy 'unemployment, wealth creation, education, poverty' and 'drug abuse'. The clear purpose of the church, biblically, is to train God's people in holiness and righteousness and to facilitate their maturing in Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. Success in these areas will necesarily lead to a Christ-like response to the problems you have cited.

Pleae don't misunderstand me, I am not suggesting that we show no concern about these problems. But if any of these issues of socio-economic problems are to be lessened in this lifetime, it will NOT be by focusing the 'branches', we absolutely must deal with the "trunk" continuously. You have quite an opportunity to make a difference with this website. Please do not squander it by joining in with the 'popular' nonsense that is being promoted by far too many pulpits ( black and white) today. We must stand on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ and His Word. Not what itching ears want to hear.

He who has an ear . . . "

To this Matthews replied . . .

"Keith Tolbert,

I appreciate you sharing your viewpoint, however with all due respect this is misdirected. Unless your view is one of I am either lying on God, or I am mistaken about what He shared with me...You would have to take this up with God as to why He gave me this information.

If you do feel that I am lying, or that I am mistaken, then you should pray me and/or this site.

But based on the fruit of this site, and where He is currently taking us, I am going to hold on to what I believe He told me.

Thank you for your comments,
Alphonse D. Matthews
The Black Church Page"

Now, I have no problem with Mr. Matthews sticking to the direction he has chosen; but I would have appreciated a response to the BIBLICAL objections that I raised. Do you notice how he immediately retreated to a self-defensive posture? I didn't accuse him of lying on God or lying at all. I merely challenged him to do what Scripture tells us to do anytime we receive an impression on our "spirit". I John 4:1 admonishes us to "test the spirits". Had Mr. Matthews done this, I believe there would have been a chance that he might have discerned much of what I said to him in my e-mail.

I replied to Mr. Matthews reply with this . . .

"Mr. Matthews,

I am in no way accusing you of lying on God. In fact, I'm not accusing you of anything at all. I just wanted to express my hope that your website would be bold enough to take the less traveled path of refusing to cater to the least common denominators among man: self and materialism. I wanted to both encourage you and prove to you that there is in the 'black' church a market for the strong meat of God's word, sound Biblical exposition and a Christianity that is not characterized by earthly-mindedness. Please do not leave us out of your considerations for the content of this website.

Thanks for reading, considering and responding to my comments. May God bless all of your Christ-centered endeavors!"

And . . .

"Mr. Matthews,

Upon further reflection on your response to my e-mail, I just wanted to ask you what you meant by my viewpoint being "misdirected". I am positive that I presented a purely Biblical viewpoint which was worthy of consideration.

Your response addressed none of the Biblical points I made and seemed to immediately retreat to a defensive position. Please understand that my comments were not an attack upon your website. As I stated in my previous reply, I only hope that you will also consider the needs of the full spectrum of believers within the "black" church community. Such as those who hold to a Reformed, Christ-centered, Biblical perspective of the historic Christian faith; rather than only the man-centered, materialistic, emotion-driven variety. Or should we look for another . . ."

To which he replied . . .

"Mr. Tolbert,

The way your email was presented, it basically stated that the direction that I received from God was not correct. You are entitled to your opinion, but this one you would have to take up with God; not me. (Misdirected)

-Alphonse"

O.K., maybe I got a little dig in there with the "the man-centered, materialistic, emotion-driven variety." thing; but if this website wants to be the site for the "black" church, it ought to "represent" for all of the "black" church! You betta reckanize!

It seems that the Bible is off-limits at this website. So, if you are in the mood for more "Christianity-lite" please visit "The Black Church Page". Be warned, if you want to be armed for a deeper walk with Jesus, these guys can only give you a knife for a gunfight.

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!

2007-05-20T16:50:00.000-04:00

HOW NOT TO WALK THE PLANK (The one in our eye, that is)

I'm still being enthralled by Jeremiah Burroughs this week. Although I had completed my reading of his, "A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness" a week ago, I felt compelled to read it once again. This time I observed a stern warning for those of us who are reformed and are strongly drawn to apologetics. So for all you "word-faith" fans and "little gods" out there, we reformed folk do turn the radar on ourselves!

In chapter five of this superbly insightful book (Nine Proofs of Earthly-Mindedness), Burroughs warns us to beware that "through some predominant lust for something else, a man may seem to despise some earthly thing". Basically, he is saying that a man's apparent despising of one sin may actually be due to a lust for another rather than a true hatred for the first. For example, a man may apparently despise the love of money but only because he doesn't want to be generous. This, according to Burroughs, is also a proof of earthly-mindedness.

Burroughs uses Isaiah 13:17 for a text that illustrates this principle. Scripture, here, describes the Medes as a people that did "not regard silver, and as for gold they shall not delight in it", apparently the love of money was not a problem for them. God, however, still describes them as wicked and heathen and having no grace in them at all. Burroughs elaborates, "Some men think it is through the work of grace because they are above the base covetousness they see in other men. They do not regard silver and gold, or getting all for themselves and they despise those men who are of such a base, covetous way". Burroughs states that this makes a man no better than a Mede. Although he may disregard silver and gold, it is only because his spirit entertains a different lust.

Herein, I believe, lies the stern warning for those of us who are reformed and love apologetics. Is our readiness to hold others' feet to the fire only a means to deflect further investigation of ourselves? Is our love for sound doctrine and biblical accuracy somehow a disguise for our own sin? In other words, have we removed the plank in our own eyes in order that we may see more clearly to remove the speck in another's eye? This calls for much self-examination.

Burroughs provides a strong test. He challenges us with this: "Can you say this, you who seem to scorn covetousness, and hate such base sordidness as you see in some men, "The LORD has made me to know what communion with Himself in Jesus Christ means; and since that time I bless God that my heart has been above all these earthly things. And that's the reason that I look upon all these earthly things as vanity, because the LORD has revealed to me those excellent and glorious thing that are infinitely above these earthly things . . . where lies the chief joy and sorrow of men's hearts? What is it that most troubles your heart? Is it the loss of the light of God's face or the loss of an estate; the loss of a voyage, or the commission of a sin? What's your chief joy, your profiting from the Word or gaining from a bargain? You have come to the Word and, sometimes, God has there revealed some truth to you, and you have profited. Can you go away rejoicing because God has made you to know His Law?" This is indeed a stern test. May all who endeavor to decry the abuses of the modern pulpit first pass it before ever uttering a single criticism.

The Apostle Paul instructs us through Titus to "rebuke them sharply (false teachers), that they may be sound in the faith . . ."(Titus 1:13) and this is not to be disregarded. However, the Apostle James also warns, "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment". For,with the same measure that we mete, so shall it be meted unto us!

There. Now, having fulfilled my contractual obligation to be self-effacing let us return to the business at hand; that Benny Hinn is a . . .

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans Baby!

2007-05-15T12:06:00.000-04:00

THE ANTIDOTE FOR "WORD-FAITH" THEOLOGY

Recently, it has been my privilege to read another convicting and growth-provoking book from one of the most piercingly insightful and most beloved writer/pastors of the English Puritan era; Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1646). In his "A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness", Burroughs accurately diagnoses what remains a blight on Christianity today. We have often heard the cliche that someone can be so "heavenly-minded that they are no earthly-good". I think that it is safe to say that much of Christianity, especially that sector that subscribes to "word-faith" theology (oxymoron), need not have any fear of that because the lion share of the popular preaching and teaching in the American church is firmly rooted and grounded in the dust of the earth.

In the foreword, Dr. R. C. Sproul (founder of Ligonier Ministries) is quite forthright about his low expectations for the reception of this venerated book by today's Christians. He states, "My guess is that few people will ever pick up this book and read it. Its theme and content are too alien to modern Christianity. Twentieth-century Christians have been seduced by a world-view that makes the thrust of this book seem archaic. It simply doesn't fit our times . . . Our thinking is earth-bound . . . Gone is the Biblical doctrine of the soul. There is much concern about self-image, self-esteem, and self-gratification. Yet, in all this, the 'self' itself has become a philosophical conundrum."

In focusing on only a portion of one verse of Scripture, " . . . who minds earthly things . . ." (Phil. 3:19), Burroughs sets out to defend his doctrinal statement: "The great difference between a wicked man and a godly man is that one minds earthly things and the other has his conversation in heaven". Burroughs explains that in the preceding 17th verse, the Apostle Paul argues that the earthly-minded are " . . . enemies of the cross of Christ, and they make their belly their god, and they mind earthly things". His defense of this point is irrefutably expounded throughout the remainder of the treatise. For the purposes of this post, I wish to focus on that part of this treatise that, I believe, is particularly contradictory of the far too popular "word-faith" teaching that is infesting the minds of far too many professed Christians today.

In chapter six of his treatise, Burroughs presents "Seven Reasons of Men's Earthly-Mindedness". Reason #4 gives us the first ingredient of the antidote for "word-faith" teaching, " . . . these things of the earth have a fair show in the flesh. Under this head, Burroughs directly addresses what drives false teachers. Quoting Galatians 6:12, Burroughs explains that there will be men who dress themselves luxuriously and having handsome features will be splendid to the eyes of all who behold them. These, he says , are false teachers who desire to make a "fair show in the flesh". They take satisfaction in having fine estates and appealing apparel and all creature comforts. They, according to Burroughs, are here enemies of the cross of Christ. They think suffering for Christ, poverty, or disgrace looks bad. But those who would make a fair show in the flesh and be somebody in this world, forsake the truths of God and seek to provide for themselves in the things of the flesh (pp. 70-71). This was first published in 1649 people! Same dog, same tricks!

What do the false teachers of our day, (the Dollars, the Harrison-Bryants, the Jakeses) all have in common? Among other things, is it not a virtual deluge of temporal and material goods. The very things that Jesus warned us would make entering His kingdom all the more difficult. I guess these guys are willing to take the risk after all they are spiritual giants; so they must be able to handle it.
Of course, they always frame they're riches as a means to demonstrate what Jesus can do for His people. Yeah, so that whole fulfilling the law, being savagely beaten, being nailed to a cross and dying thing was just so we could have the wealth of the world! Which is going to be destroyed anyway. How could I have missed that? Talk about rearranging the deck-chairs on the Titanic!

In chapter seven,"Eleven Considerations to Take the Mind of Earthly-mindedness" (pp.73-75),Burroughs deals another death-blow to "word-faith" teaching. He says, "First consider this: if you could possess all the thing of the earth that your mind and heart are upon, there is still not enough good in them as to undo the evil of the least sin, not the least sin of thought . . . if you had but one sinful thought, there is more evil in that than there is good in all that you shall get all the days of your life". He further explains that if this is so it concerns us rather to have our minds on how to avoid sin, how to get the evil of sin removed, and how to mortify (kill) our sin. In other words we much too concerned with the wrong problem. It's not about to get back the stuff that "satan" has stolen from us (which usually translates to material things in "word-faith" circles); it's about dealing with our all too present and persistent sin.

A second consideration under this heading is this: "the chief things that are in the earth have been the portion of reprobates (the unsaved) heretofore and are to this day, and shall be the portion of multitudes whom God hates and has set apart to glorify His infinite justice eternally". The reprobate has his reward now, in finite time. Our treasures in Heaven are eternal and without regret. God has made man for higher things than the things of this earth. Consider, these earthly treasures are the treasures of a fallen creation. Of how much greater worth are eternal treasures. Here's a four-letter word for you: delayed gratification.

Consider what Jesus had done, he took man's nature and died for man. As Burroughs exclaims, "Surely there must be some other manner of things that are the fruit of the purchase of the blood of Christ than the things of the earth". He says, of all the creatures God has made on earth we are the only ones capable of knowing Him. God has given us a nature that is capable of conversing with Him. therefore there are infinitely higher things that God has made us for than to have meat, drink, and clothes just to live here for awhile and enjoy creature features. Doubtless meat drink and clothes are necessary but when we live for the material, the eternal suffers greatly. Ask the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:1-30).

I would ask my "word-faith" believing friends to consider who is truly the focus of this atheology. Is it truly Yahweh, or is it Yourway. Yahweh is eternal. Yourway leads to death. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" (Proverbs 14:12).

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!

2007-05-05T04:27:00.000-04:00

A Lil’ Somethin’-Somethin’ for the Ladies (one in particular)

Dear Readers,

I have to venture out on a slightly different path with this post. Please allow me a little unburdening time as I deal with the 800-pound gorilla in my living room. Maybe those of you who have had their daily dose of theology and doctrine will be interested in a little “nuts-n-bolts,” “rubber-meets-the-road” Christianity.

I confess to you that there is currently trouble in my home. That’s right, Mr. “In Submission to Sovereignty” and his spare rib are at odds. Of course, I won’t go into detail (c’mon, I hardly even know you!), but I just want to comment on some analysis I received from a mutual friend of ours.

Among many other valuable insights our friend said to me, “Well, y’know Keith, Lisa has been through a lot with you . . .” That little chestnut sent me into a firestorm of self examination. I hope some of what I have gleaned will give some of my female readers (if I have any) some food for thought when dealing with the strange creature that God has made called, “husband.”

"Y'know, Keith, Lisa has been through a lot with you . . ." Well, yeah! I make no claim as to being the easiest guy to live with. I’m argumentative, I’m opinionated and I’m rarely wrong. Gimme a break I’m a Marine, I’m Reformed and I am Blanton W. Tolbert’s son fer cryin' out loud! I also have a very clear sense of right and wrong. It seems to me that the “wrong” way always seems to lead to regret and pain in the end. So I figure, “hey, just for spits and giggles, let’s just try it the ‘right’ way, God’s way.” Yes, He’s a little slow sometimes for our taste, but I say what the heck, let’s give Him a crack at it.

One thing that I have pretty much settled in my mind is that the Bible is true. I know that “truth” is a very fluid concept in our postmodern times; however, for my purposes “truth” is objective, it is absolute and it is epitomized in God’s Word, the Bible. Now, call me “foolish,” but I hold all professing Christians to the same standard. I can hear you all saying in unison, “O.K., you’re ‘foolish’.” A guy can dream, can’t he? Just for the sake of argument, let’s assume (yikes) for a moment that my wife, our friend and I are absolutely convinced of the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible. To say that my wife has “been through a lot” with me brings loads of what the Bible teaches to mind for me.

Immediately my mind flies to I Corinthians 10:6, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” I also flash back to Malachi 3:6 in which Yahweh declares, “For I am the LORD, I do not change.” With these passages in mind, I am led to believe that for a wife to “go through a lot” with her husband is the Biblical norm, rather than the exception.

I think of Noah’s wife. Picture Noah coming home one evening and saying this, “Honey, pack up the kids and get all of your stuff together; we’re going for a ride on the ark that I’m about to build. It’s gonna rain. A lot!” Can you imagine the conversations she had with her girlfriends the next day?

I think of Sarah, wife of the father of the faithful. Abe comes in one day and says, “Sarai, pack up all your stuff, kiss momma and all your family good-bye cause we’re leaving Ur.” Sarah says, “Abe, sweetheart, where are we going?” Abe responds, “I have no idea.” I can imagine Abe’s mother-in-law had her ear bent that night!

Then a few months later, Abe approaches Sarah with this bombshell: “Sarah, sweetie, while we’re here in Egypt, would you mind saying that you’re my 'sister'? Oh, and would you mind being in Pharaoh’s harem . . . just for a little while? So he won’t kill me.”

Lot’s wife also had to go through a lot. One night, Lot walks into their bedroom and says, “Saltina, there are two strangers in the living room and they say we have to leave Sodom, NOW.”
She didn’t even have time to take the rollers out of her hair!

These men received directives from God and responded in faith. If they are our example, should we not be doing so as well and with even greater confidence. For we have the completed text of the “truth” in God’s inerrant and infallible Word. Now, I’m not ringing my own chimes here, but I have trusted Jesus Christ and His substitutionary death on the cross for my sin. Because of that, God now calls me a “righteous” man. God has promised me in Psalm 37:23 that the steps of a “righteous” man are ordered by the LORD. Therefore, knowing that He ordered the steps of Noah, Abraham, and Lot (righteous men), I’ve gotta believe He’s ordering mine too.

What of the wives? Knowing that their husbands were “righteous” men, they trusted them and were spared even while having no direct word from God. Noah’s wife trusted him and was spared having to tread water for 150 days. Lot’s wife was spared from real acid rain, but got homesick and was turned into a table seasoning. Sarah trusted Abraham and became the mother of all the faithful. In fact, she even made the “Faith Hall of Fame” (Hebrews 11:8-39). Sarah, as it turns out is the standard to which the Apostle Peter holds all godly wives in I Peter 3:5-6.

So ladies, having these examples and having been forewarned of having to “go through a lot” (Phil 1:29), what then should be your response when these “truths” show up at your door? Should you let what you see and feel dictate your response? Should you pull away from your spouse and regard him as your enemy? It’s my guess that the devil is planning on just that reaction. It would provide just the foothold that he needs to wreak havoc on your family, your marriage and your life.

Shouldn’t you rather turn back to the inerrant and infallible Word of God and heed His charge to walk by faith and not by sight? Is it not wiser that when these “truths” show up at your door we should cling even more tenaciously to each other? Shouldn’t we hold at the very front of our minds the vows we pledged to each other that rainy Saturday, September 5, 1992 afternoon? When we looked deeply into each others’ eyes and promised before God and man that for better or worse, through sickness and in health . . . to love, honor and cherish each other until death do us part. Shouldn’t our words be as inerrant and infallible as our heavenly Father’s words?

Ladies, the Scriptures tell us that we are wise to the devil’s schemes. We know that he comes to you today, just the way he came to Eve in the garden. He slithers up to you and he whispers seductively into your ear: “Adam doesn’t love you. Adam is only thinking of himself. Adam doesn’t care about how you feeelll.” But you are wise to his schemes. When he speaks, he speaks in his native tongue: “lie-lie.” He is the one who doesn’t love you. He is the one who is only thinking of himself (he knows his time is short). He not only doesn’t care about how you feel, he wants to destroy your life and that of your entire family.

God, in His Word, has told us how to respond. He said, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). God, the Omniscient, has declared that you and your husband are “one flesh.” Do not allow the one who was a murderer and a deceiver, from the beginning, to rob, steal and kill yet again. What God hath joined together let no man or demon put asunder. Your war is not against the flesh and blood of your husband. It is against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Yeah, I’m not the easiest guy to live with. Yeah, I have taken her through a lot. But never, no never have I taken a major step without first bathing it in prayer and getting God’s answer. Never, no never have I wanted anything less than the absolute best for my best friend, my helpmate, my wife. Never, no never have I done anything to betray my love’s trust. Never, no never have I tried to crush the gifts that God has blessed her with. Never, no never has my love for her waned or wandered. And with the Holy Spirit to strengthen me, I never, no never will.

Lisa, I don’t know if only two or two million eyes will ever read this post. But I unabashedly declare to you my undying, unyielding and irrepressible love to you. If ever this should change then may my tongue be cleaved to the roof of my mouth and my left hand lose its cunning for naught but Almighty God, Himself, shall ever be able to cleave me from you.

To you other ladies out there . . . remember if your husband is saved, God calls him a “righteous” man. The sovereign God of the universe says that He is ordering your husband’s footsteps. So if bruh’man comes home one day and says: “Babe, we’re moving to New Zealand” or “I think we should get the 72-inch plasma HDTV” and you know that he’s a man of prayer, try giving him the benefit of the doubt. After all, Sarah didn’t make it to the “Faith Hall of Fame” by rolling her neck and watching “Oprah.” As long as he is not asking you to sell your body, knock over a liquor store or cheer for the Boston Red Sox, he ‘s not leading you into sin. Just think about this, do you want to be the one who got in the way of the steps of a righteous man whose steps were being ordered by the LORD?

Keith
B.L.B.B!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!

P.S. To the end that we professing Christians may walk our talk, I leave you with some poetry. I have held this poem near and dear to my heart ever since that dark and crisp night of March 5, 1983 when I crossed the burning sands of
Omega Psi Phi. Enjoy!

Live Your Creed

I'd rather see a sermon than to hear one any day.

I'd rather one walk with me than just to show the way.

The eye is a better pupil and more willing than the ear.

Advice may be misleading but examples are always clear.

And the very best of teachers are the ones who live their creed,

For to see good put into action is what everybody needs.

I can soon learn to do it if you let me see it done.

I can watch your hand in motion but your tongue too fast may run

And the lectures you deliver may be very fine and true

But I'd rather get my lesson by observing what you do.

For I may misunderstand you and the fine advice you give

But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.

2007-04-18T11:13:00.000-04:00

SIN 2007: WHY DIDN'T GOD ALLOW THIS to HAPPEN to US?

I think it's pretty safe to say that by now most of us have heard about the horrific events that took place at Virginia Tech this past Monday. My prayers are with all the families of the victims as well as the family of the killer. More specifically, I have prayed that the God of All comfort would indeed comfort these sorely bereaved families in the wake of this senseless act. I also pray that those among these families who have saving faith in Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior and rest in the assurance of dwelling eternally with that very same God, will so intimately know His comfort that they will in turn so shine and glorify God that the unsaved families will at last find hope and comfort. I have prayed that a "peace that surpasses all understanding" among these believers will stand out in such stark contrast to all the despair that the media is promoting that hearts related and unrelated to the victims and their families will be convicted and effectually called. I have prayed that, as is His modus operandi, God will take this heinous, vile act and turn it around for His own glory and the salvation of many.

I also pray that it will give those of us, who have been thus far spared of such a fate pause to consider,"why didn't God allow this to happen to us"? I realize that a question of this nature is counter-intuitive. We naturally ask the more common questions, "why did God allow this to happen" or "where was God when this happened"? Indeed, this event brings into focus, once again, "the problem of evil". Men who were and are of far greater preeminence than myself have tackled this problem with little ultimate success. What little I have to offer is this and it is in no wise original: the "problem" is not the existence of evil, the "problem" is the existence of any "good" in this fallen world.

The LORD Jesus gives us, in Luke 13:1-5, the perspective that we who have been spared tragedies such as Virginia Tech, Colombine or 9/11 should have. Jesus was, for all intents and purposes, asked: "where was God when Pilate mingled the blood of the Galileans with their sacrifices" and "why did God allow the tower in Siloam fall on and kill eighteen people"? Jesus didn't give a sermon on the "problem of evil" or provide a thesis regarding God's ultimate intentions for these events. Jesus responded with His own penetrating question: "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered this way . . . or those on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem"? He answered for them twice, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish".

Why didn't God allow this to happen to us? We are all guilty of sin (cosmic treason and rebellion) against a Holy God. A Holy God, who in order to be true to His own holy nature MUST punish sin. Who are we in His sight without Jesus? The Apostle Paul describes us: "They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know the decree of God, that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them" (Romans 1:29-32). Earlier Paul charges us with suppressing the truth of God in our unrighteousness. He exposes our guilt saying that we are without excuse because we do know that God exists from creation alone; yet although we know God we do not honor Him as God and rebelliously turn to worship idols of our own creation. I challenge you to study the first chapter of Romans again. Do it while sitting in front of a mirror . . . ouch!

Indeed, it is truly a testament to the mercy and grace of God that there aren't Virginia Techs, Colombines and 9/11's every hour. We deserve worse, BUT thanks be unto God for His Son Jesus Christ!!! Yes, these tragedies strike Christians and non-Christians alike, for all of us are citizens of a sin sick world. The difference, however, is that those who have received God's gift of saving faith in the LORD Jesus Christ live on eternally in the massacre-free, terrorist-free, sickness-free, death-free loving presence of the Almighty Invincible Holy Triune God of All comfort. With Him there will be no more death, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore (Rev 21:4).

There is another ending, however, for the unbeliever. Having rejected the mercy of God as displayed in Jesus, the unbeliever freely chooses to receive the justice of God. Without the atoning blood of Jesus to expiate the sin guilt of the unbeliever, a Holy and Just God must punish that sinner, if indeed He is holy and just. The one who faces death, either violently or in the peace of sleep, not having accepted God's gift will enter an eternity of unending conscious torment, a place the Bible calls, "Hell". The horrific experience of this place will dwarf the total combined suffering and evil of the entire existence of planet Earth.

What do these two outcomes have in common? In both, by displaying His mercy and grace or by displaying His justice and wrath, God is glorified! Amen!

That leaves us who have been spared, thus far, from tragedies like last Monday with a decision to make. "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31). I've made my choice, how about you?

Keith,
B.L.B.B!
(Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!)

P.S. I received an e-mail containing a video which seemed truly appropriate at a time such as this. I would like to share it with you for your consideration.

www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.646

2007-04-02T11:01:00.000-04:00

Yes Virginia, There are False Teachers

I know many believers who profess a a strong love and dependence on the Bible. In virtually any and every conversation with them reference is always made to some portion of the Scriptures. Many times the passages they refer to are taken out of context, but it at least indicates an understanding that our faith is based on God's revelation of Himself and His will in the Bible. It tells me that, at least, if we come to a topic that is clearly addressed by Scripture, the Bible's instruction on the point should be the authoritative answer that should settle all debate. But, then again, I used to sell Amway products.

One such topic that seems crystal clear to me is that there are, living and breathing today, false teachers. It seems equally clear to me that the Bible makes it clear that there would perpetually be false teachers throughout history. Jesus, Himself, instructed us to, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15 ESV) I looked up the word "beware" in the greek; you know what it said, it said "BEWARE"!!! The arguably clearest evidence that the would be false teachers throughout history comes from the Apostle Paul. In Acts 20:29-30 he states, "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert . . ."(ESV). I asked my 7 year old son, Kyle, about these two passages and he answered my questions about them correctly. This is from a kid who still watches "Spongebob"!

So why do so many credulous Christians, year after year, swallow blatantly false teaching and support false teachers? Here's a shocker . . . I have a few ideas.

1) Pride. I have a sneaking suspicion that many believers do actually know that they have fallen prey to one of those "ravenous wolves" Jesus was talking about; but they are just too proud to admit that they were taken in so easily and for so long. So they are not really that involved where they attend church. They just go because, hey, the pastor puts on a really good show and since they have to go to church anyway they might as well have a good time.

Certainly, they can't let "heresy hunters" like myself prove them wrong. In their minds, they are just as good a judge of character as anybody else and there no way that they could have been duped. Theology is over-rated anyway, and theologians are just a bunch of unloving, divisive, old white men.They can read the Bible for themselves without any help from them, thank you very much! Besides, "them Morton boys sho' can sang"!!!

Being in a position of leadership in a false church also creates quite a hold on the pride victim.

2) Emotional Attachment. Some common traits among false teacher are: they are very charismatic, they tend to be very warm and loving, they are very philanthropic, they had great hardship and/or pain before entering the ministry. These traits tremendously endear them to their congregations. This figured largely in my own case.

When an emotional attachment is in force, a person confronted with the fact that his/her pastor is a false teacher will look for any and every possible loophole to exculpate that pastor. The intense loyalty begotten by these warm fuzzy teddy bear pastors makes all the controverting evidence from their own mouths completely inconsequential. The emotionally attached person while make statements like: "You are taking my pastor out of context,when he said 'men are little gods", "Just because the words 'Jesus was not God' came out of his mouth doesn't mean he believes that" and my personal favorite "he needs that Gulfstream V private jet to spread the gospel".

3) Pragmatism. When you question this person about their Bishop's heretical teachings on the Trinity, he might say, "I found my wife at this church", "My business has flourished since I joined this church", "Pastor said I was going to get a house and I did", "This church has wonderful programs for my kids".

4) Biblical Illiteracy. Yes, these folk read the Bible, but only through the grid that their friendly neighborhood false teacher provides for them. These folks find insights such as: God is a being standing about 6 foot 2 inches tall and weighs about 230lbs(Kenneth Copeland), or each member of the Trinity has His own body, soul and spirit; therefore there are nine of them (Benny Hinn)as absolute revelational gold!!!

For these people "Hermeneutics" might as well be the latest exercise craze from Sweden.

Of course, this doesn't even nearly exhaust the reasons people fail to obey Paul's admonition to avoid these false teachers (Romans 16:17). Instead when " . . . someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we (Paul and the Apostles)proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough" (II Corinthians 11:4).

Yes Virginia, there are false teachers even today. But they don't wear t-shirts that say, "Hi, I'm a false teacher"! Their warmth and charisma are the bait by which the capture the believer. "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds" (II Corinthians 11:13-15).

What does it matter whether it is intentional or not? Your reward in heaven, your witness as a Christian, perhaps your very relationship to the Eternal God of the universe hangs in the balance.

Wake up o sleeper! To the proud: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverb 16:18). "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin"(James 4:17).

To the emotionally attached: " . . .you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength"(Mark 12:30).

To the pragmatist: "'Consider your ways. You have sown much and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns his wages does so to put them into a bag with holes . . . Consider your ways . . . that I may be glorified', says the LORD. You looked for much and behold it came to little. And when you brought it home it blew away. Why, declares the LORD of Hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house"(Haggai 1:5;7-9).

To the biblically illiterate: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge . . ."(Hosea 4:6). " . . . no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit"(II Peter 1:20-21). "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth"(II Timothy 2:15).

Oh, one last thing. Here's a little something I learned while pledging my frat:

"Excuses

Excuses are the tools of the incompetent.
They build monuments to nothingness.
And he or she that uses them seldom excel at anything at all" Big Brother Sir, roof!

Keith
B.L.B.B!
(Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!!)