Don't Waste Your Time in Worship

When I was in Bible college I came across a book that completely changed the way I looked at corporate worship. Originally written in 1978 and now long out of print, the little book Don't Waste Your Time in Worship by James Christensen continues to challenge me. Here's how the book starts:

"To worship God meaningfully is a supreme accomplishment. For a finite person to be in communication with the Infinite is not something done on the run. Nor is it a reality when approached flippantly or grudgingly.

For the community of faith to corporately magnify the Lord, and to adequately praise Himis an activity that requires spiritual perception, preparation, and concentration.

After thirty years as a Christian minister, I am convinced that many people who attend church do not really worship God at all. They waste their time. Furthermore, I am increasingly humbled by the awesome responsibility of leading a congregation in this intimate, soul-searching, and exalting experience."

Merry Christmas!

"4 For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the {battle} tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the increase of {His} government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this." (NASB)

Preachers - Are We THERE?

Do we believe in our message this much?

Sacred Music Sans Message

I enjoy all sorts of good music. There are romantic ballads that can deepen your love for your spouse, patriotic songs that can rally the spirits of our countrymen, soaring arias that can instill a sense of awe . . . but just because I enjoy Foggy Mountain Breakdown in my car doesn't mean it belongs in church. Todd Friel with Way of the Master has written an article recently that is well worth considering:

Jesus Just Wants to Give You a Hug?

Over thirty years ago, the great philosopher Paul McCartney asked, “What’s wrong with silly love songs?” Having given this over three decades of serious consideration (OK, at least several months), I have Sir McCartney’s answer.

It depends.

If you want to fill the world with silly love songs, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you want to fill the church with them, I say, “Stop it!”

Tune into your “get you through your day” Christian music station and you will hear grown men, whining like love sick puppies, “Nothing else can take your place, or feel the warmth of your embrace.” Who are they singing to? The One who holds the universe together by the power of His word, or a chick?

Take the Quiz
Here are six phrases from six contemporary songs. Can you pick which phrases belong to secular songs and which to the sacred?

1. All I need to do is just be me, being in love with you.

2. My world stops spinning round, without you.

3. I never want to leave; I want to stay in your warm embrace.

4. I’m lost in love.

5. Now and forever, together and all that I feel, here's my love for you.

6. You say you love me just as I am.

The first three are from a popular Christian band called Big Daddy Weave, the second half are from Air Supply.

More and more of our Christian music is sounding one note: Jesus loves you soooooo much. Do I doubt for a second that Jesus loves His children? Nope, but it depends on what your definition of “love” is.

God “agape” loves His children. Agape love is not an emotions based, warm and fuzzy kind of love. Agape love is a self sacrificing, “I will help you despite how I feel” love.

William Tyndale was the first translator to use the word “love” for agape. Prior to the 16th century, the word “charity” best described agape. Leaving that debate aside, since Tyndale’s time, the English definition for love has expanded. Our modern day use of love ranges from a love for an object to physical love/sex (eros love). I love that new car. I love that girl. I love that God. That God loves me.

Not only do we use “love” in romantic ways to sing about God, we have added other romantic phrases to our Christian music repertoire: hold me, embrace me, feel you, need you. This criticism is not new, in fact, it has existed since Godly men began endeavoring to sing anything but the Psalms.

John Wesley considered an “amatory phrase” to be language that was more feelings based love than self-sacrificing agape love. John deleted “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” from one of his brother Charles’ collections because it was too romantic sounding.

Amatory Phrasing
Not only are musicians guilty of writing amatory phrases, but they are singing with amatory phrasing. Christian men sing with such romantic longing and neediness it makes me want to scream, “Man up!”

Christian women are singing with such throaty breathiness you would think they had just run from their home to the studio. To whom exactly are they singing? Brad Pitt or the Savior?

There are two consequences to this “Jesus is my boyfriend/girlfriend” music. Needy, emotional women continue to need more counseling, self help books and conferences where they can spread their wings and soar. Men simply are not showing up for church. It is my belief they simply can’t stand the mood manipulating worship times designed to help them “feel the Lord’s embrace.”

Musical Mermaids
Without theology in music, we are offering fluff that will not comfort when bridges collapse and test reports are negative. Songwriters could provide true hope if they would write about the sovereignty of God rather than crying about “how safe I feel when Jesus is holding me.”

Charles Spurgeon had the same criticism of “Hymns for Heart and Voice” published in 1855. He condemned the hymns as being “little better than mermaids, nice to look at but dangerous because they cannot deliver what they promise.”

Is there anything wrong with being reminded that our God is our help from ages past? Of course not, the Psalms are loaded with promises of God’s comfort. But unlike the Psalms (and theology based hymns), contemporary music is void of the reason why we should not worry. We do not worry not because someone purrs that we shouldn’t fret, but because God is our shelter in the stormy blast and our eternal home. Our comfort comes from knowledge, not caterwauling.

If you enjoy a silly love song now and then, knock yourself out. But leave them where they belong, in the world or in the bedroom, not in the church.

Night and Day

Here is a segment from Way of the Master radio, highlighting the difference between the authentic Gospel and the poisonous, man-centered imposture of the wolves who have become oh-so-popular.

Assembly-Line Evangelism

"Ours is the technological age, when enormous harvesting machines bring in wheat or maize. There is no such thing as a parallel in the kingdom of Christ. The method He stipulated in the Great Commission is to be followed to the end of the age. We are to make disciples."
- Erroll Hulse, The Great Invitation: Examining the Use of the Altar Call in Evangelism, p. 164

More Classical Music

Here's another good'un.

Stay in Your Box!

Immediately after leaving the ICU at McKay-Dee hospital, where a parishioner had just passed away, I heard a Christian make what is without a doubt the tackiest, most thoughtless statement I have ever heard--and I've heard some doozies, having grown up in a Hyles-ite church (pausing to check that the garlic & crucifix are in place to ward off the fundarnmentalists). I won't tell you what he said, since it was SO egregious that you probably wouldn't believe me anyway; but it underscored an important lesson that I've learned about this sort of thoughtlessness.

Think back to the woman taken in adultery. The Scribes and Pharisees caught a woman in sin. What was their reaction to her? "How can we use this woman to achieve our ends?"

Now, what was Jesus' reaction? He defended the helpless and, more importantly, provided for her deepest need--real forgiveness of sins.

Nothing has changed. Legalists use people; Jesus loves them. We must be on guard against the creeping blight that would start us thinking of statistics instead of people. Numbers NEVER trump relationship. I would remind you that Jesus left the multitudes behind to minister to individual needs. Pragmatism has begun to drive our ministry decisions, and twisted good people into something hard and grotesque. Keep your focus where Christ kept His--on real people with real hurts and real needs. Losing that focus has brought fundamentalism to the place where people are little more than a commodity--numbers to pad our stats and impress our seminary buddies. And it's one of the main reasons that modern fundamentalism, as a movement, needs to pass into extinction.

A Calvinist Said THAT??

Came across this clip from an Alpha-Omega Ministries conference. Now this is what a real Calvinist sounds like -- a deep understanding of the doctrines of grace drives him to make a passionate, genuine appeal to everyone to repent and believe! Don't be fooled by imitations. This is authentic, historic Calvinisim.

Welcome to the Deep End

On Sunday Grace Bible Church voted to call me as their pastor. On Tuesday morning I was in the hospital, comforting a woman as she watched the doctors remove the respirator from her husband of 53 years, who was lying in a coma. My first sermon as pastor will be a funeral service. Welcome to the deep end.

But it's only in the deep end that you get to see Romans 8:28 really work. Only our great God could turn a day like that into a good thing. But He does. All the time. It was an opportunity to really minister to the flock He has placed in my charge. It was an opportunity to offer whatever comfort can be had in a time like that. It was an opportunity to show and tell the love of Christ. It was an opportunity to see God's peace surpass all human understanding yet again. And it was an opportunity to have the honor to see a hero -- a hero of our country and a hero of our faith -- enter his reward.

Praise the Lord for the wonderful, mysterious ways in which He works His will. Keep your forty-billion-served, numbers-centered, activity-focused, Bible-Belt McChristianity. This is ministry.

Grapes and Giants

Just got this email from my father-in-law. Good stuff at just the right time.


The following is by Missionary Buddy Smith of Malanda, Queensland,
Australia :

We have been reminded again just recently that
grapes and giants are most often found in close proximity.
They just seem to go together. When the spies brought back
from Canaan a great cluster of grapes, they also brought back
reports of giants living in walled cities. In fact, the Bible
dictionary I use indicates that the grapes came from the very
location, Hebron, where the giants lived. I must confess that I
would rather it were not so. My flesh is a lover of grapes, but
has no affinity for giants. I would like for them to be found
far apart so that I could rest in peace under the shadow of the
grapevine and eat to excess the grapes of Eshcol, all the while
avoiding all contact with the giants. The apostle wrote to the
Corinthian church this very truth when he penned the words,
‘There is a great door and effectual opened to me, AND there
are many adversaries. (16:9). Great door, many adversaries!
Opportunities and Opposition, Doors and Difficulties,
Blessings and Burdens, Grapes and Giants! This is God's plan
for His servants. The very fact that they are found together
teaches us to be optimistically realistic and realistically
optimistic. If there are giants who are harassing you at this
moment, then there must be large clusters of grapes nearby! It
is God's way to plant them in close proximity. If there are
grapes growing in abundance in your life, then you must be
ever so watchful for giants! And just here you will see one of
those Bible portraits of the servants of Christ. In one of his
hands is a cluster of the very largest, lushest grapes, sweet
and rich, blest of God. And in the other hand he holds a sharp
sword, with which he fights off the giants. While he tastes the
sweetness of God’s richest blessings, his eye is sharp and his
arm is strong and he holds the Sword of the Spirit, because
the giants, the enemies or God, are ever near. We have been
enjoying many wonderful grapes of blessing in the church
planting work here, and there are also giants. Over the past
few months our church has been under severe attack from
many quarters. False accusations, slander, threats of lawsuits,
unrest in the homes of our members, dissatisfaction on the
part of some, and a thousand other difficulties have come our
way. These are our giants.”

Another Frivolous Post

This is COOOOOL. It's a project from a book called Forbidden Lego. Gonna have to pick one up & work on with the boys!

The Call - or Just a Wrong Number?

By far and away the very BEST, that is, the most helpful, thoughtful, and above all, Scriptural, treatment of the "call" of God to the ministry comes from R. L. Dabney. In volume 2 of his Discussions collection there is an article titled, "What is a Call to the Ministry?" Here is an excerpt:

"What, then, is the call to the gospel ministry? Before the answer to this question is attempted, let us protest against the vague, mystical and fanatical notions of a call which prevail in many minds, fostered, we are sorry to admit, by not a little unscriptural teaching from Christians. People seem to imagine that some voice is to be heard, or some impression to be felt, or some impulse to be given to the soul, they hardly know what or whence, which is to force the man into the ministry without rational or scriptural deliberation. And if this fantastic notion is not realized–as it is not to be, except among those persons of feverish imagination who of all men have least business in the pulpit–the young Christian is encouraged to conclude that he is exempt. Let the pious young man ask himself this plain question, Is there any other expression of God's will given to us except the Bible? Where else does God authorize us to look for information as to any duty? The call to the ministry, then, is to be found, like the call of every other duty, in the teachings of God's revealed Word."

It just gets better from there. Dabney does not deny the validity of a call to the ministry; rather he demands that we anchor our call in the Bible . . . as we should!

Rapture Drills Scheduled

Let's face it: every generation has suffered from eschatological tunnel-vision, convincing itself from good, sound eisogesis that IT is the generation which will see Christ's return. Every once in a while, when I start to feel myself caught up in the perennial enthusiasm, I break out an old vinyl LP of Jack Van Impe preaching on "The Coming War with Russia," to remind myself of the true nature of the dogmatic certainty of the date-setters (in the Old Testament these guys were stoned; today they become bestselling authors--go figure).

Nevertheless, from time to time a story pops up on the radar that seems to lend some credibility to the idea that we may be living in the last of the "last days". Consider this article about the completion of a tzitz, the High Priest's headpiece, by the Temple Institute in Israel.

I'm not really referring to the crown itself, since the bare existence of such an article is not proof; but to the fact that it can be produced and immediately announced worldwide. The framework for the sort of global events of Daniel and Revelation has always existed--His name is Jehovah. However we are seeing, from a human perspective, an increasing plausibility that the conservative, dispensational, pre-trib, pre-mil scenario could play out on CNN today. Hmmmm . . .

Classical Music

Okay, here's a totally frivolous post. This one goes back to the days when singers could, well, sing. Enjoy.

EXCELLENT Apologetics Resource

Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason now has a series of short apologetics videos on YouTube. Over the years I have found his work to be not only accessible and winsome, but deeply profound and on-point. You would do well to watch these several times and bookmark his STR channel to be able to play them for co-workers as well as fellow Christians. This is powerful stuff--you don't want to miss having it in your tool kit!

Here's a sample on "Why is Jesus the Only Way?"

Dabney on Eternal Security

Why "Dead Theologians' Society"? Because there is a reason that the works of these old-school theologians are considered classics. Consider this example from one of my favorites, R. L. Dabney:

"Scripture and experience concur in imputing to man, in his natural state, an obduracy and deadness of heart, which would leave the preacher of the gospel to labor in despair, were it not for his dependence on the sovereign grace of God. But when he believes firmly in the eternal covenant of grace, whereby God has promised His Son a chosen seed, not for any merit which He sees in sinners, and to call and perfect this seed by His efficacious grace, there is ground laid for cheerful exertions. The laborious Christian then looks upon his own efforts for sinners, as one of the preordained steps in this plan of mercy, upon his prayers as taught him by the Holy Spirit, and therefore surely destined to an answer; and upon the visible success of his labors, as the evidence that God, whose plans are immutable, and who always perfects what He undertakes, is working. He is joyfully hopeful concerning the final triumph of those who are born unto God by his instrumentality, because he sees an eternal purpose and unchangeable love engaged for their upholding. He can cheerfully leave them, though surrounded with the snares of the world; because he leaves the Chief Shepherd with them, who will easily raise up other instruments and provide other means for their guidance."

I have noticed that the more man-centered our concept of the Gospel becomes, the more we struggle with assurance. The doctrine of eternal security must be founded upon a monergistic concept of salvation or it crumbles into nonsense.

Bible Study at Warp 10

You've been there. You have a Sunday school lesson to prepare and 1,001 other things to do this week as well. And, let's be honest, the same holds true for those preparing Sunday morning sermons as well. You've just settled in with your favorite commentary and a good cup of coffee, and the phone rings. A young couple in the church is having their first big fight. Sermon prep gets pushed aside as you address the next crisis in line.

Most of us have two choices, really: either you do your best to squeeze study in around everything else, or you try to convince the flock that they're not being neglected as you squeeze everything else in around study. Some take a third choice--sacrifice the family; but that's not a Biblical choice so let's PLEASE drop it off our radar.

There is another option, though. You can concentrate your Bible study during the time that you do have. That is exactly what Logos Bible study software enables you to do. If you only have an hour here and there, use the FULL hour studying, rather than hunting books, trying to remember where you read this or that quote, turning pages, bouncing back and forth to an index, and shuffling books and papers around to make room on your desk.

I was one of those bibliophiles who swore that I would never switch to electronic books. But I cannot tell you how thankful I am that I did. Now I have access to more books in less time, and my study time is concentrated, allowing me to prepare higher-quality meals for the sheep.

Stop by the Logos web site and check out the demo videos. Yes, the packages are pricey, but as the old saying goes, "You can make more money; you can't make more time."

When the Church Gets Long in the Tooth

Douglas Wilson posted this on Blog & Mablog this morning:

"'For example, the biblical pattern of evangelism was not at all like our modern method of picking off the devil's stragglers, but rather a pattern of bringing the good news to household after household' (Mother Kirk, p. 236)."

I couldn't help but think that the reason the church only goes after stragglers now is that she's just not as quick on her feet as she used to be.

Isaiah 43:11-13

Another text to avoid if you want to remain comfortably Arminian:

“I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me. It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And I am God. Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?” (NASB)

Theology Matters

James White has some excellent thoughts in his latest blog post here.

Here's a sample to whet your appetite:

"Theology matters. The substance of what God in His infinite wisdom has revealed to His creatures is the marrow of the joy of the believer's heart---and mind. Theology matters because theology is possible because of God's initiative in revelation. What God reveals is, by definition, important, central, vital, life-changing, heart-enrapturing, for all in whom the Spirit dwells. And thanks be to God, when one is absorbed in seeking to think God's thoughts after Him, the resultant joy cannot be touched by all the enemies in the world."

Amazingly Close

Just finished the new movie Amazing Grace (I was going to catch it in the theaters but frankly I got so sick of seeing LifeWay prostituting itself once again for the sake of yet another movie that I held off). I found that it was a very enjoyable movie -- I love period pieces -- with a stellar cast. Albert Finney has always amazed me with his abilities. He is an absolute chameleon. But there was something unsatisfying about the film. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time, but I think that I've figured it out now:

The movie treats the Christianity of its main characters with respect. I am actually glad that they avoided clubbing us over the head with it, as it made the characters more natural (although they certainly didn't mind a good deal of preachiness regarding the abolition issue). The movie does a wonderful job of capturing Wilberforce's passion and Newton's abject repentance as the core of the characters. However, it seemed to fail to make the vital connection to show that the men were abolitionists BECAUSE they were Christians--that their compassion for the helpless arose from their Christianity and not from mere humanitarianism.

Wilberforce, a student of the great Calvinist preacher John Newton, had a profound understanding of man's sinfulness. His theology was captured in the words of his mentor, preserved in the film, that "I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior." It was a lack of this understanding, he believed, that was at the heart of the corrupted Christianity of his day; and that led professing Christians to support social evils such as slavery.

In his book Real Christianity Wilberforce wrote:

"But here, I am afraid, is the very place where we find the greatest flaw in the faith of most professing Christians. This flaw is like a physical defect, like a malfunction in our hearts that at first has no external symptoms and yet eventually puts out all the body's energy and motion, a paralysis that spreads through the entire organism until each molecule of the body falls still and silent. This defect that I am talking about is closely related to the last chapter's main subject: "They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick" (Luke 5:31). If we had really felt the burden of our sins, if we were aware that they are a load that we are not strong enough to bear, if we knew that eventually the weight of them would sink us into destruction, our emotions would have rejoiced when we heard the grace in this invitation: "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28).

But when we barely feel the weight of our sin at all, we would be merely putting on an act if we pretended to think highly of the deliverance we have been offered. That is why few people even bother with this pretense anymore; if the most superficial observer were to compare the feelings and opinions of most Christians with the doctrines that we still keep in our creed, and with the Scripture's strong language, that person could not help but be struck by the amazing contrast between the two."

The more things change, the more they stay the same, n'est ce pas?

Why Not? part 2

You have GOT to see that this is the real strength of the praise & worship push.

Why Not?

"John the Baptist Gummy Locusts". I love it. Coming soon with the DELUXE Jerry Falwell Faith Partner Home Communion Kit.

Let's Do the Time Warp Again

A friend of mine just sent me this plaintive cry from a seminary student. It reminded me of when I was in Bible college, and the theory of relativity took on new meaning as one second in a certain prof's class lasted 1,527 times longer than an equal amount of time talking to my fiancé.

"I’ve recently fallen into a paradoxical blip in the time-space continuum. That is, to me, each day lasts for one week (7 days; 168 hours; 10,080 minutes; 604,800 seconds) while each week is as short as a single day (24 hours; 1440 minutes; 86,400 seconds). Wrap your firing synapses around that one. Believe me; I’m just as bewildered as you are. As far as I can tell, for the rest of humanity, time crawls by second-by-second, minute-by-minute, hour-by hour, and so on. For me, however, the past two months—I mean years, no, minutes—have been the slowest, fastest months I’ve ever encountered. Imagine: in the same amount of time (I struggle to use that term with a straight face) it takes the earth to make one 360° rotation, I’ve aged a full week. Yet, after the same earth has completed the same 360° rotation seven times, I’ve only experienced one 24-hour period. At this rate, I will have aged approximately sixty years in the next ten; but I won’t celebrate my 24th birthday until the year 2014, 25th until 2021, and so on. This doesn’t compute.With all of my extra free time (that I keep running out of) I have been trying to pinpoint the exact moment this paradox began. I ate some stale cheese a while back. I knew it wasn’t healthy, but extreme hunger (just like extreme boredom, lust, fatigue, obsession, and temperatures) cause one to do things outside of one’s character. I figured the worst that would happen to me is an upset stomach, a doctor’s visit, or a stomach pump—nothing too serious. How was I to know that some green cheese was would cause a catastrophic lapse in time? I doubt that was the cause."

EXPELLIARMUS!

Something I've been noticing more and more lately is the way prayer has been transformed into a series of magical incantations. And I'm not talking about the Ken Copeland "prayer is the container of the force of faith" gibberish. I'm talking about US. We are told to "pray on" God's protection, to "pray a hedge around" someone. Or how about the classic preaching on "the power of prayer". We don't really mean that the power is in our prayers, but in God; nevertheless this kind of sloppy terminology leaves its mark.

Prayer is treated like a series of magic spells, and if we can just use the right words our conjuring will be successful. Don't believe me? Charismatics aren't the only ones with a "prayer language". Where else would you use phrases like "travelling mercies," "lead, guide, and direct," or constant repetitions of the name of the addressee? ("Lord, I pray, Lord, that you would help me, Lord, to do what's right" etc. -- next prayer meeting, just count the number of times you do it.)

How about we substitute "the power of prayer" with the phrase "the power of God" for starters.

Heaven's Credit Check?

In a discussion Sunday about the ordo salutis I was a bit stymied by some questions I was getting peppered with. The questions focused on what I would say to invite a sinner to be saved. Maybe it was the post-fellowship-dinner Call of the Nap, but I just wasn't getting it. Then I caught some comments by Erroll Hulse in the classic The Great Invitation that shed light on the issue:

Apparently, some hyper-Calvinists have advanced the idea that there must be some perceptible, preparatory work in the heart before a person has the "right" to believe; and we therefore have no business calling anyone to believe until they have been "pre-qualified" through the work of the Spirit.

In the immortal words of Nero Wolfe, "Pfui!"

Yes, I believe that regeneration must precede faith. You don't get from "there is none that seeketh after God" to "Lord, I believe" without Divine intervention. But that is a logical order, not a chronological order. Hulse puts it beautifully:

"Why then should a man believe? The answer is that the sovereign God of heaven and earth commands it. This is called the 'warrant' of faith. The word warrant simply means the right to believe. This is important because many think that they must first be subject to a spiritual experience which gives them a reason or right to believe. It may be an experience of inspiration or of deep conviction of sin, but the idea is that you should experience something special before you believe. Once this erroneous concept possesses the soul, much harm is done because it means that the person in question becomes passive. Instead of thinking in terms of working for faith, the soul says to itself, 'There is nothing I can do until something happens within me.' I have come across such people who are very faithful in church attendance, but are dominated by the idea that nothing can be done by themselves. They have become fatalistic in attitude." (Hulse, The Great Invitation, p. 56)

God Glorified in the Ruins

"To study atheistic nations, pantheistic, polytheistic nations that have renounced God for themselves, you don't study them by travelling to them. You go to books and look at pictures of their ruins. You study their charred remains."
- Tommy Nelson, "A Sermon to America from a Long Gone King"

MUST-HEAR Sermon!

You have GOT to hear this message. Powerful, timely, Biblical. Download it, stream it, audio or video -- but don't miss it!

Men That We Need

I've been reading Erroll Hulse's book The Great Invitation. Last night my father-in-law sent me a link to an article by Hulse. Here's the cap-stone of the article:

Let us intercede earnestly for:
1. Men who have burning hearts of love for God and men, who fear God and nothing else but sin, who have an inexhaustible zeal for God's glory, and who are ready to die, if need be, for Christ.
2. Men who possess a thorough knowledge of Scripture and who are able to expound any text in a systematic and convincing manner.
3. Men who are gifted in doctrinal comprehension and who love the tried and tested doctrines of the faith.
4. Men who love and study church history, who specialize in the history of evangelical reformations and revivals, who know what the martyrs believed and died for, and who can competently apply an extensive knowledge of church history to the present day.
5. Men who are humble enough to apply themselves to small spheres of labor but who, at the same time, have a world vision, following missionary movements everywhere, doing everything in their power to help fulfill the Great Commission.
6. Men who know how to meet the evils of the age, who have a plan from God for our day, who are competent and aggressive in evangelism, and who are sons of thunder rather than showmen.
7. Men who do not follow infidels but concentrate like the apostles on power in preaching the gospel.
8. Men who will not compromise the truth for the sake of expediency, who have the courage to discard that which is merely traditional, oppose that which is unscriptural, and yet be respectful of those who do not measure up to the spiritual dimensions here described.

And may the Lord grant that we would be such men.

Butchering Longhorns

Chuck Swindoll posted an excellent comment on Longhorn Sermons on his blog "The Pastor's Soul". Here's a quick exerpt. Be sure to check out the entire post.

"There are all kinds of sermons: topical sermons, biographical sermons, expository sermons . . . and longhorn sermons—a point here, and a point there, and a lot of bull in between! It’s easy to preach those kinds of sermons, isn’t it?
A mentor of mine told me about the time he worked for an older pastor who used to come to the pulpit unprepared. So he would try to prepare during the song service. “Lord, give me something to say,” he’d pray. “Give me Your message.” After another song he’d ask again, “Lord, give me Your message.” Every Sunday it happened.
“One day,” the pastor said, “the Lord finally gave me His message. God told me, ‘Ralph, you’re lazy. That’s my message.’”
To be blunt, the issue of pastoral sloth is one of the major battles we must fight as pastors. It breeds longhorns."

Parents are Geniuses

Check out this mind-blowing revelation from ABC News.

WELL, DUUUUUUHH!!

A Prada Bible Belt (and matching purse and shoes)

Came across this article in the Christian Post this morning. Here's an idea: let's forget about our Baptist roots and focus on coloring our highlights.

"Texas Baptists elected their first female president in a narrow vote on Monday.
Retired missionary Joy Fenner was elected by a 900 to 840 vote during the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) – the largest state Baptist convention in the country. She defeated second-generation candidate David Lowrie by one of the smallest margins in BGCT history."

Isn't Christianity so much simpler since we decided we knew better than God? Hey, it's not like it's His Church or anything, right?

My Favorite Preachin' Bible

In our "Bible DIY" category, I wanted to show you my new favorite Bible. A couple of months ago Cambridge, the Aston-Martin of Bible publishers, came out with their first NASB Wide-Margin Bible. My understanding is that Pastor Mark Minnick from Mt. Calvary Baptist, as well as some other pastors, had a great deal of input into the new design features such as thicker paper and a wider margin. This is a Bible for serious study -- built to last under heavy use. It's fairly pricey (I found Amazon has the cheapest list price now), but with the top-quality leather and hand stitched, lay-flat binding, you get what you pay for. Some may find the print a bit small (if you're familiar with Cambridge Bibles, they used their Pitt-Minion typeface). My biggest problem has been adjusting to the paragraph format. Takes some getting used to when you grew up Old Scofield like I did, but the clarity and precision of the NASB makes it well worth the effort.

I've found that, with proper care, a Uni-Ball Signo Micro 207 gel pen does really well for clean, bold marking on Cambridge's paper.

The Bible for the Blogosphere

Found a new online Bible reading tool designed with the MySpace crowd in mind. You can read your favorite translation, highlight & markup your favorite texts, and then journal your thoughts. A great way to spend your breaks and lunches at work. Check it out here.

God at Work as You Work

Reading from one of my favorite Systematic Theologies this morning. Related to the idea of Divine Concurrence, Augustus Strong writes:

"The divine efficiency interpenetrates that of man without destroying or absorbing it. The influx of God’s sustaining energy is such that men retain their natural faculties and powers. God does not work all, but all in all."

"The movement of the electric car cannot be explained simply from the working of its own motor apparatus. The electric current throbbing through the wire, and the dynamo from which that energy proceeds, are needed to explain the result. In like manner we need a spiritual Christ to explain the spiritual activity of the Christian."

Phil. 2:12-13
"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

For All the Blissful People Out There

There are those who condemn teaching on such difficult topics as election on the basis that "we shouldn't pretend like we understand everything about God". Setting aside the fact that this is the biggest straw man since Ray Bolger, is that really the goal of theology? Of course we will never fully understand God, but are we not called upon to understand God to the extent that He has revealed Himself? Shouldn't the fact that certain teachings of Scripture are difficult cause us to grapple with them more diligently? And, does understanding God better somehow cause us to marvel at His immensity less?

Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason has an excellent post this morning. Well worth the read.

Prayer Warriors

Listening to a powerful sermon by Pastor Tommy Nelson. He is preaching on "Prevailing Prayer," from Romans 15. In it he made a statement, regarding prayer as "the breath of the warrior" (Ephesians 6:18) that is well worth remembering:

"Successful ministry is the spoil of prayer."

For too many of us prayer is a txt msg to JC our BFFL, rather than the agonizing exertion we see in the Bible. It is a matter for the shopping mall, rather than the Garden. And the enemy is ROTFL.

Jewish Whassup

For students of the Old Testament, here is a deep insight into Jewish culture.

Jumping Over the Stumblingblock

If you missed it, here's an interview with Joel Osteen and counterpoint by Dr. Horton. Ya know, I don't care if the guy preaches to more people than God, shouldn't we at least balk a little when he says, "There's a lot better people qualified to say, 'Here's a book that's going to explain the Scriptures to you'." If you're not qualified to explain the Scriptures, Joel, then how are you qualified to be a PASTOR?!?!?

"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." (2 Tim. 4:1-2, NASB)

So, just how does that compare to Joel's comments?

Cooties in the pulpit

If the church of, say, the Reformation era, was a majestic eagle then the church of today is Beaky Buzzard. Take the example of the 7-year-old preacher and the 9-year-old "prophet" in this video. I only WISH it were a joke.

So, how can you be "the husband of one wife" when she still gots cooties? I guess since the kid "got saved" when he was 3, and he's now 7, that means he's not a "new convert"?

"It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.
2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.
4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity
5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),
6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.
7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." (1 Tim. 3:1-7, NASB)

Psalm 115:3

Another verse to avoid if you want to remain comfortably Arminian:

But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. (Ps. 115:3, NASB)

Music that Feeds

If you haven't yet heard the Steve Pettit Evangelistic Team's recordings you have GOT to check them out. These are skilled musicians, but they are first and foremost committed Christians. You'll find this music uplifting and relaxing in turns. And they just get better and better with each recording. Here's a great place to start:

Creator of It All

Enjoy!

Keeping Our Focus

While preparing for Sunday morning's sermon on Ephesians 4:11-16 I came across this statement in a commentary:

"The first concern of the leadership of the church should be for the filled seats, not the empty ones. When a young preacher complained to Charles Spurgeon that his own congregation was too small, Spurgeon replied, 'Well, maybe it is as large as you'd like to give account for in the day of judgment'." (MacArthur, John. The MacArthur NT Commentary: Ephesians, p. 154)

What an excellent perspective, first from John MacArthur as he reminds us that we were given as gifts to the church and therein lies our first duty; and then from C. H. Spurgeon as he reminds us that the larger the congregation, the greater the responsibility. We must break out of the "double your pleasure; double your fun" view of church growth, and get back to the Biblical view:

"Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." (James 3:1, NASB)

The Wrong Side of Easter

"This broken, warring world is living on the wrong side of Easter Day. That is the basic fact, and the source of all our troubles. We are back where the disciples were, between Good Friday and the Resurrection. . . . We are standing helpless before the towering mystery of evil's tragic dominion, feeling our hopeless inadequacy in the face of the grim facts of sin and chaos and man's ruthless inhumanity to man. . . . the supreme need of the world at this moment is to start living on the other side--the right side--of Easter. It is to know that in the Resurrection of Jesus God Himself has spoken, and God's empire of righteousness and peace and joy and liberty has been brought decisively to light." (James Stewart, The Strong Name, p. 35)

Hosea 6:6

"They will go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn from them." (Hosea 6:6, NASB)

Evolution of a Heresy

"Church history shows over and over again that slight errors develop into serious errors which soon become heresy. In this case one of the most serious heresies of our generation has developed, namely, the idea that human decision is the cause of regeneration." (Erroll Hulse, The Great Invitation: Examining the Use of the Altar Call in Evangelism, p. 6)

Job 9:10-12

Another text to avoid if you want to remain comfortably Arminian:

"Who does great things, unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number.
11 “Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.
12 “Were He to snatch away, who could restrain Him?
Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’" (Job 9:10-12, NASB)

I Can't Believe It's Not Arminian!

For those who have never encountered authentic Calvinism:
"There should be no inhibitions in proclaiming the gospel of the good news of salvation in the person of Christ. There are no doctrines in the Bible which in any way limit the free offers and invitations of the gospel. The preacher of the gospel should never feel any inhibition in declaring the free justification held out by God to every sinner who will repent and believe in Christ." (Erroll Hulse, The Great Invitation: Examining the Use of the Altar Call in Evangelism, p. 5)

Here is Love Vast as the Ocean

Today I discovered the wonderful Welsh tenor Huw Pridday. Here he is singing "the love song of the Welsh revival," a hymn called "Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean". He starts in Welsh, then switches to English. Good luck making it all the way through with a dry eye.

His CDs are available in the US through http://www.backusbooks.com/audiocds.htm. Enjoy!

Just Take a Look at ME Now

Back to my adventures in The Church That Trump Built. I noticed something else sriking about the service. It's a common feature now in larger auditoriums (autidoriae?) and, I think, a symptom of a theological DVT in the church today.

On either side of the platform, suspended from the ceiling, was an enormous monitor displaying the lyrics for the praise songs (with appropriate floral backgrounds) as we entered. Later, as the preacher took center stage, the cameras zoomed in on him. Sitting half-way back and to stage left, I still had a pretty good view of the man; but found myself constantly distracted by the massive Oz-like apparition to either side of him. That's when a thought struck me, and I've been mulling on it ever since: just why in the name of Charles Stanley do we need two jumbotrons in a church?

"Well," someone says, "it's so the people in the balconies [there were two] can see the preacher." But that would be my point: why do we have to SEE the preacher? Isn't he up there to proclaim the truth of the Word of God?

If this were a rock concert I could see the need for a clear view: you paid to be entertained, and you don't want to miss the show. But since when is church about being entertained? Let me suggest that we went astray at some point (I blame it on Finney, but then, I blame most of our modern churchianity on Finney). For decades Fundarnmentalism has been more about the centrality of the preacher than the centrality of preaching, and that has been the movement's fatal flaw.

Don't see the difference? Look up on the big screen(s).

Why Men Have Nipples

You've seen (and promptly forwarded to all your friends) the clever little emails with the list of unanswerable questions such as, "Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?" and "Why is there braille on drive-up ATMs?" One of my personal favorites is the perennial anatomical puzzler, "Why do men have nipples?" I'm sure evolutionists (who I've found generally lack a sense of humor) have opined in sonorous tones about vestigial remnants etc ad nauseam. I have my own theory, courtesy of cable TV.

As I've watched broadcast TV in the hotel room this week, for the first time in quite a while, it has dawned on me exactly why men have nipples: we are evolving into women. Strange but true. Consider the parade of foppish, effeminate, bed-headed metrosexual slobs who pass for masculine today. Now cast your mind back along the timeline. Remember that picture of your grandfather in his crisp new dress uniform? There was fire in those eyes; the best we can manage nowadays is a twinkle. That tan was baked-in, not sprayed-on. And for heaven's sake, that high-and-tight haircut never even SAW "product".

The only difference between this and other evolutionary theories is that in this scenario we are NOT evolving into higher life forms (not to say that women are lower life forms; rather, any male describing an item of clothing as "fabulous" is a sign that the gene pool needs some chlorine). But don't worry -- this process is reversible. First, we capture enough of these "metros" to form a decent gene pool. Shouldn't be hard--clothes horses, like other horses, tend to run in herds. Then we duct tape them to chairs (duct tape can be obtained at the Home Depot -- that's the big store next to the Supercuts). The next step is to tuck their shirt-tails in and button their sleeves. If they're wearing a ball cap, we turn it around so the bill is once again functioning properly. Then comes the most important step:

Pop a copy of High Noon into the DVD player and wait. When Gary Cooper strides down the middle of the dusty street, on his own in the face of a town of cowards and a group of men out to kill him, for no other reason than that it's the right thing to do, you point to him and say, "You see the guy with the tin star? THAT is how a man carries himself."

Or, better yet, "You see that carpenter hanging on the cross, bleeding and broken yet finishing the job because it's the right thing to do? THAT is how a man carries himself."

Now, tuck in your shirt. Make your grandpa proud.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
(Ecc. 3:11, NASB)

Luddite Homiletics

A mad brilliant post about Luddite fundamentalist homiletics -- I remember many of these from the theological train wreck of a Bible college that I attended. Check it out:

Signs That You Might Need to Study

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Worship: the Musical

This is why I'm blogging now: spent Sunday night with friends at one of those Bible-Belt uber-churches. By the time the saccharine, mood-lit, look-at-me music performance was done, and it was time for the pastor to take center stage, I expected to see Michael Crawford in black cape and half-mask. "The Paaaaastor of the Opera is theeeere . . ."

I am certainly NOT opposed to large churches. They can accomplish things that small churches simply can't. But surely there is a line we cross somewhere before climbing onto the second escalator to get to the upper balcony. Or maybe it's before installing the second jumbotron big-screen (more on that later).

It tends to put a bit of a damper on my worship when I'm sitting in a church thinking, "I could plant half a dozen churches on their printing budget alone!" But, hey, the full-sized daycare had really cool playgrounds. Hey, shoppers, join today and get a 2% discount on your tithe for the first 30 days (with paid membership, some restrictions apply, see store for details).

Psalm 65:4

As I've read through my Bible again this year, the sovereignty of God has seemed to stand out in a special way. In an effort to show that His sovereignty is in fact discussed outside of Romans 9 and Ephesians 1&2, I'm starting a series of posts consisting of Texts to Avoid if You Want to Remain Comfortably Arminian.

How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You
To dwell in Your courts.
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple. (Ps. 65:4, NASB)

Welcome to my catharsis.

I had always thought that blogs were little more than a catharsis for 21st-century Travis Bickles trapped between the Scylla of narcissism and the Charybdis of agoraphobia. I guess I was right to some extent (he says as he looks into the mirror and practices his "Are you looking at me?"), because after a visit to one of the Bible-belt's infamous uber-churches it was either start blogging or pray that over-the-counter Valium gets FDA approval fast. And, hey, this is free.

More about my field trip to B.B. Warfield's worst fever dream later. For now, I'll pause to let you wiki Travis Bickle, Scylla, and Charybdis.

Seeya.