Friday, February 29, 2008

The helpless and the harvest

Matthew 9:35-38

  • "And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
Watch this video in light of the above passage:

Thursday, February 28, 2008

The Great Christian Mask Deception

Although this seems obvious, I think I will state it anyway: the worst kind of deception is the one that is very deceptive. The worst kind of fake Rolex watch, when it comes to being tricked into buying one, is the one that looks the most like a Rolex watch. The most dangerous kind of counterfeit hundred dollar bill is the kind that looks the most real. The most dangerous kind of self-focus is the kind that hides behind the mask of religious terminology and artificial piety. Sometimes we wear the mask so long that we begin to believe it's actually real. We, following our heart, convince ourselves that our Christianeese and Jesus Jargon actually makes us legit. I guess Jeremiah was right when he said the "heart is deceitful above all things" (Jer 17:9)

Vinoth Ramachandra wrote this: "The Good News is packaged and marketed (using, uncritically, all the techniques of modern advertising) as a religious product offering 'peace of mind', 'how to get to heaven', 'health and prosperity', 'inner healing', 'the answer to all your problems' etc. What is promoted as 'faith in God' often turns out, on closer inspection, to be a means of obtaining emotional security or material blessing in this life and an insurance policy for the next. This kind of preaching leaves the status quo untouched... This kind of "gospel" is essentially escapist, the direct descendant of the pseudo-gospels of the false prophets of the Old Testament. It is simply a religious image of the secular consumerist culture in which modern men and women live."

If you "accepted" Jesus primarily based on the lie that He would fix your relationships, remove your problems, guarantee your promotion, and promise you "your best life now" than all you have accepted was self-promotion and self-glory. There are many in the church who have been given an extremely comfortable sheep costume and taught how to ba-aa-aa very well. Even the apostle Paul, in his day, said this: "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel." (Gal 1:1-7). Paul is so agitated because the kingdom of self is the most dangerous, deceptive and destructive when it cloaks itself with the kingdom of God.

As Paul David Tripp puts it: "It is quite possible for you to be convinced that you are living for the transcendent glories of the kingdom of God when you are, in fact, living for yourself... Selfishness is its most dangerous when it masquerades as service. Self-focus is most powerful when it dons the costume of love. Earthly treasures are most seductive when they take on the appearance of spiritual need. Idols do their nastiest work when they wear the latex mask of God." Is the gospel an end for you or a means to an end? Are you excited about the gospel or just the "stuff" that you think it will give you?

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Prosperity Praise

Monday, February 25, 2008

Jesus or Blessings?

Do you value Jesus more than you value what Jesus can do for you?

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Drums

I have always loved the drums so I couldn't help but share these with everyone.



Quiz...

  • If I had something for you that was "pure" and "sweeter than honey"
  • And it was not only "right" but "perfect"
  • If you realized it was something that you should "desire more than gold"
  • If what I had was indeed "true"
  • If it could actually convert "your soul"

What would it be?

!!! ANSWER!!!

God's Law - Ps 19:7-11
  • "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward."

Monday, February 18, 2008

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi

Lex orandi, lex credendi. The way we worship shapes the way we think.

As goes the church so goes the community. Theology collapses before the society crashes. What happens in the worship happens in the world. Belief effects behavior. Compromise in orthodoxy (correct teaching) always precedes compromise in orthopraxy (correct practice). Your professions produce your politics. First the church and then the city. First you lose your doctrine and then you lose your dominion. The further we move from truth the further we move into tyranny. Remove the creeds and ruin the culture.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Frozen

This is kind of funny. Everyone just freezes.

T-Shirt Theology


Here is another one of those ridiculous t-shirts created by "Christians" emulating the culture. The implication here is that Jesus, or the way to Jesus, is simply EASY. What does the Bible say about this?

Compare this culturally relevant t-shirt to Scripture: "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

Yes, salvation is free but sanctification is not! Jesus is not easy. The road to life is rough and rugged and only the righteous reach it.

Shocking Interview with an Athiest

Paul Washer versus Joel Osteen

God Centered or Man Centered Theology?

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Looking Back - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

"It would be easy to show that at our present rate of progress the kingdom of this world never could become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. Indeed, many in the Church are giving up the idea of it except on the occasion of the advent of Christ, which, as it chimes in with our own idleness, is likely to be a popular doctrine. I myself believe that King Jesus will reign, and the idols be utterly abolished; but I expect the same power which turned the world upside down once will still continue to do it. The Holy Ghost would never suffer the imputation to rest upon His holy name that He was not able to convert the world."

~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon (Quoted in David Chilton's Paradise Restored which can be read here)

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Immigration By The Numbers

Monday, February 11, 2008

ER Clip - The Failure of Postmodern Christianity

This is a powerful clip from the show ER. It's a man on his death bed who asked for a chaplain and, of course, instead of getting a Bible-based preacher of truth he got a postmodern female emergent type. This portrays the utter uselessness of this kind of "Christianity". People need to hear the truth!

The "Insanity" of Luther - R. C. Sproul

The Holiness of God - R.C. Sproul - http://www.ligonier.org/

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Looking Back - A. W. Pink

"Not only has the Divine Law been repudiated, but the Divine character has been grossly misrepresented. The attributes of God have been perverted by a one-sided presentation thereof. The justice, the holiness, and the wrath of God have been pushed into the background, and a God that loves everybody thrust into the foreground. In consequence, the masses of church-goers no longer fear God. For the past fifty years the vast majority of pulpits have maintained a guilty silence on Eternal Punishment so that few now have any dread of the wrath to come. This logically follows from the former, for no one needs to stand in any terror of One who loves him. The repercussions have been unmistakable, drastic, and tragic. Sickly sentimentality regulated the pulpit until it dominated the pew, and this evil leaven has so spread that it now permeates the whole nation."

~ A. W. Pink

Friday, February 08, 2008

Quick Fixes from the Psalms:

In a bad mood?

  • "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad." (34:1-2)
Sad about something?
  • "May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” (70:4)
Proud of yourself?
  • "My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone." (71:15-16)
Bothered by enemies?
  • "And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt." (71:24)
Struggling with evil desires?
  • "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." (119:9-11)
Frenzied?
  • "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (46:10)
Guilty?
  • "...as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." (103:12)

Looking Back - J. I. Packer

"In particular, it is important to insist that obscurantism [opposition to the increase and spread of knowledge] in all its forms is wholly out of keeping with true Evangelicalism. The Evangelical is not afraid of facts, for he knows that all facts are God's facts; nor is he afraid of thinking, for the knows that all truth is God's truth, and right reason cannot endanger sound faith. He is called to love God with all his mind; and part of what this means is that, when confronted by those who, on professedly rational grounds, take exception to historical Christianity he must set himself not merely to deplore or denounce them, but to out-think them... If present day Evangelicals fall short of this, they are false to their own principles and heritage."

~ J. I. Packer

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Wedding Dress - Derek Webb

This is an awesome song by Derek Webb. It is about the church who is the bride of Christ. I've heard that he wrote it after he saw Bruce Wilkinson promoting his "Prayer of Jabez" and was very troubled by "formulas" that God supposedly is forced to follow if we pray a certain prayer or do a certain thing. It's about how the church will sell herself to any Christianized cultural fad that comes down the pike. This song is a loving rebuke of the blab it and grab it prosperity movement. "Because money cannot buy a husband's jealous eye when you have knowingly deceived his wife" refers to the holy wrath of Christ, the Bridegroom, that will come on those who deceive His betrothed. We must stop promising to love and obey Him and then prefer possessions, positions and pleasures over the Prince of Peace. "One hand in a pot of gold and the other in Your side." We can never be too Christ-centered can we? We are far too easily satisfied with less than Christ.



Lyrics:
If you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
Should that be all I'd ever need
or is there more I'm looking for

and should I read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich, and wise
Is that really what you want

I am a whore I do confess
But I put you on just like a wedding dress
and I run down the aisle
and I run down the aisle
I'm a prodigal with no way home
but I put you on just like a ring of gold
and I run down the aisle to you

So could you love this bastard child
Though I don't trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side

I am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers so less wild
That I would take a little cash
Over your very flesh and blood

Because money cannot buy
a husband's jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife

Looking Back - Free Grace

"The Lord Jesus Christ is a gift of free grace. Christ is the greatest, the sweetest, the choicest, the chief gift which God ever gave; and yet this gift is given by a hand of love. The only ground of God's love is His love. The ground of God's love is only and wholly in Himself. There is neither portion nor proportion in us to draw His love. There is no love nor loveliness in us that should cause a beam of His love to shine upon us. There is that enmity, that filthiness, that treacherousness, that unfaithfulness, to be found in every man's bosom, which might justly put God upon glorifying himself in their eternal ruin, and to write their names in His black book in characters of blood and wrath."

~ Thomas Brooks