Many of you know from a previous post that I have recently discovered the preaching of Paul Washer. Well I have been going on YouTube and watching many of his sermons which a man named Lane Chaplin (?) has posted. His channel on YouTube is awesome and I highly recommend it.
Anyhow, I just viewed this video below and I was totally wowed by it. Please watch it and ponder his words because this man is truly being used by God in a mighty way. Here is a man who loves the Lord with all his heart and who has a passion for preaching the Word. If six minutes is too long for you to sit and watch a video, then at least focus on what he says between 3:55 and 4:15 to start. Truly Mr. Washer understands the pitfalls of a seeker sensitive church!
If you have even more time, please watch 5:00 through 5:57, where he asks..."what is salvation?" In it he takes on "the little tracks that have been developed by men who do not know theology...[and] the evangelists who hardly study their Bibles...[and] church growth movements that are based on wall street marketing schemes..." Sound familiar to any of you? Recognize your churches here? It is pathetic, isn't it? Sad that so many churches have indeed started relying on the methods of business rather then on the power of the Living God.
Indeed, one of my greatest frustrations is those pesky evengi-cubes! Nothing more clearly reveals how little we think of the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation than this cube. Having problems communicating? Show them a picture! And I would have no problem with this cube if it was used solely in ministering to people whose language you don't speak (though in that case why not let the native speakers do the work?), but when I first saw this thing introduced at my old church it was in the context of witnessing to friends and neighbors. So yeah, let's just tell those we love that we think they are unable to read words in a Bible and now need pictures with arrows and no words! That's definitely guaranteed to soften a hearer to the Gospel right?
But I digress...
Just watch and enjoy the video. Be prepared to be convicted and exhorted all at once! :)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
It's All Greek to Me!
It's public confession time...
As some of you may know, I have been trying to learn Greek. Well, I should actually state that I have made a decision to learn Greek because the "trying" part is not actually happening! Which is the reason for this post. You see, over the last three or four months I have not picked up my book on Greek at all! So even though I was going about boasting to my wife that I knew the alphabet and the first three or four verses of John 1 (O how the proud fall!), I tried to recite the alphabet to myself today and I could not do it without looking at my notes! :(
Well, I am giving public notice to everyone that I am going to return to my Greek lessons again beginning tomorrow during my lunch at work. I will not give up...I hope! :)
Seriously though, for those of you who know me, feel free to hold me accountable and to admonish me...though keep it nice 'cause I am pretty sensitive. And truly, I know I will never be a master of the Biblical languages, but I have a desire to someday read the book of John in the Greek, so that is what I am going to do, the Lord willing and the flesh not being too weak! As for that other language, the one revived by those hardy Israelis (formerly known as Israelites!), I won't even try to go there. For that one I will have to rely totally on those who have been blessed with the brain power for picking up languages.
So that's my rant tonight. A rant aimed solely at myself. Though I guess I could blame those Greeks for not having had the sense to come up with an easier language to learn! As some of our KJV-only brethren might say, "if the King's English was good enough for Paul it's good enough for me!" Then again, I don't know the King's English very well either!
God Bless!
As some of you may know, I have been trying to learn Greek. Well, I should actually state that I have made a decision to learn Greek because the "trying" part is not actually happening! Which is the reason for this post. You see, over the last three or four months I have not picked up my book on Greek at all! So even though I was going about boasting to my wife that I knew the alphabet and the first three or four verses of John 1 (O how the proud fall!), I tried to recite the alphabet to myself today and I could not do it without looking at my notes! :(
Well, I am giving public notice to everyone that I am going to return to my Greek lessons again beginning tomorrow during my lunch at work. I will not give up...I hope! :)
Seriously though, for those of you who know me, feel free to hold me accountable and to admonish me...though keep it nice 'cause I am pretty sensitive. And truly, I know I will never be a master of the Biblical languages, but I have a desire to someday read the book of John in the Greek, so that is what I am going to do, the Lord willing and the flesh not being too weak! As for that other language, the one revived by those hardy Israelis (formerly known as Israelites!), I won't even try to go there. For that one I will have to rely totally on those who have been blessed with the brain power for picking up languages.
So that's my rant tonight. A rant aimed solely at myself. Though I guess I could blame those Greeks for not having had the sense to come up with an easier language to learn! As some of our KJV-only brethren might say, "if the King's English was good enough for Paul it's good enough for me!" Then again, I don't know the King's English very well either!
God Bless!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Do I Invite Jesus Into My Heart?
I came across this video post of Paul Washer and loved what he had to say. I hope you will watch it and enjoy it as much as I did. By the way, I don't know much about Paul Washer since I just discovered him, but I'm going to be finding out more about him 'cause he seems to be a man worth listening to.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Rick Warren, Politics, and Preaching
This post was on my mind for awhile but I've just this evening been able to sit down and type it out! :)
This may be old news to some but for some of you it will be nice and fresh, so for those of you who fall into the latter category, here goes:
On Monday August 18th, the Idaho Press-Tribune carried a guest opinion from Star Parker, founder and president of CURE. I'd never heard of her, but after reading her article I have visited her site and am now subscribed in order to receive her articles as soon as they are published...yes I liked what she had to say that much! :)
Anyhow, the article was about the hosting by Rick Warren's Saddleback church of the presidential candidates, or more specifically, about what Warren's hosting represents for America, and in my mind, Christianity. Now then, a quick word about the Press-Tribune...they do not keep online sources for more than 14 days unless you pay to subscribe, so I found the article as published originally on Ms. Parkers own website.
You can read the full article HERE
I do not plan on going into some huge anti Rick Warren rant here (only a small one... ha ha), but I do think it bears mentioning that a few days ago I watched a news report in which he was compared to Billy Graham. And as much as Billy Graham has disappointed me due to some silly comments he has made in the last couple of years, I will generously attribute these to the decline of his mental capacities brought on by old age; and despite those comments, I still do not think Rick Warren is worth mentioning in the same sentence as Billy Graham, unless it is to say something like "Rick Warren is nothing like Billy Graham." :)
Indeed, after reading "The Purpose Driven Life" and "The Purpose Drive Church" it truly dawned on me how lacking in discernment too many Christians really are. As you know, most churches fell head over heels in love with his message, singing the praises of Warren and wanting to be just like him...and I still don't understand completely why! But, I have promised to keep this rant short, so I'll leave it at that and maybe at a later time pick it up again, who knows, right?
Back to Ms. Parker and her article!
In her article, which I hope you will all read, Parker says the following about the event held at Saddleback:
"For whatever good intentions Pastor Warren may have, by posturing as a neutral broker between different points of view, many of which have profound moral and religious implications, he contributes to the moral ambiguity we'd expect a pastor to be combating."
In other words, despite asking tough questions of both candidates, Warren does a disservice to the church by allowing candidates of both parties to speak, especially when one of the candidates holds opinions that, no matter how much he protests that he too is a Christian, are contrary to what Scripture teaches. Now, before someone accuses me of wanting only Republicans to come speak at churches, I will state plainly and without any reservation that I don't think ANY politician should be given the floor within a church and allowed to speak about his/her political stances. If a politician comes to a church and addresses the congregation, it had better be in the form of a sermon and not about politics! The pulpit belongs to those who will carry out that highest of callings, to preach the Word. Not to those who are running for office and want to give their political speech. For Warren to permit his pulpit to be used in this is, therefore, distressing to me because it is indicative of his lack of appreciation for the supremacy of preaching. And as Parker so truly says, moral ambiguity is the last thing we want from our preachers. Warren, by turning over his pulpit to representatives of the political parties, allowed his people to be exposed to this ambiguity...what a sad affair.
Later on we read this:
"When a pastor hosts a political candidate that has a 100 percent rating by NARAL Pro-Choice America and a 0 percent rating by the National Right to Life Committee, he gives legitimacy to that candidate. When legitimacy is given to a line of reasoning that says that poverty and AIDS are symptoms of anything other than moral breakdown, the relativist views of the left are justified...[a]nyone that thinks this ambiguity is helpful in addressing poverty, crime and disease is misinformed."
Wow.
If Ms. Parker can see this so clearly, why can't a man who is supposed to be shepherding the flock of the Lord? Why is he so eager to engage in world wide PEACE initiatives instead of fulfilling His calling? God forbid that it be selfish ambition and the desire to be thought of positively by the world!
But you understand, don't you, that it is indeed disturbing that a man such as the candidate descibed by Ms. Parker in the quote above could enter a church and be given the right to speak? Such a one, if he claims to be a Believer, needs to be chastised, NOT allowed to speak before the congregation. Anyone who wishes to hear him speak has countless opportunities to do so in a secular setting, why profane the place where we meet to worship our holy God?
Finally, Ms. Parker concludes her article with the following statement:
"We need political leaders that are more moral. Not church leaders that are more political."
Did you catch that? Go back and read it again if you did not!
To Rick Warren and to all of his acolytes throughout the world...I implore you, preach the Word and feed the flock. Devote yourselves to this and leave the world of political debates to the secular arena...use your churches instead to call upon the nation to repent and to turn to the Lord as the only solution to all the problems of the world.
This may be old news to some but for some of you it will be nice and fresh, so for those of you who fall into the latter category, here goes:
On Monday August 18th, the Idaho Press-Tribune carried a guest opinion from Star Parker, founder and president of CURE. I'd never heard of her, but after reading her article I have visited her site and am now subscribed in order to receive her articles as soon as they are published...yes I liked what she had to say that much! :)
Anyhow, the article was about the hosting by Rick Warren's Saddleback church of the presidential candidates, or more specifically, about what Warren's hosting represents for America, and in my mind, Christianity. Now then, a quick word about the Press-Tribune...they do not keep online sources for more than 14 days unless you pay to subscribe, so I found the article as published originally on Ms. Parkers own website.
You can read the full article HERE
I do not plan on going into some huge anti Rick Warren rant here (only a small one... ha ha), but I do think it bears mentioning that a few days ago I watched a news report in which he was compared to Billy Graham. And as much as Billy Graham has disappointed me due to some silly comments he has made in the last couple of years, I will generously attribute these to the decline of his mental capacities brought on by old age; and despite those comments, I still do not think Rick Warren is worth mentioning in the same sentence as Billy Graham, unless it is to say something like "Rick Warren is nothing like Billy Graham." :)
Indeed, after reading "The Purpose Driven Life" and "The Purpose Drive Church" it truly dawned on me how lacking in discernment too many Christians really are. As you know, most churches fell head over heels in love with his message, singing the praises of Warren and wanting to be just like him...and I still don't understand completely why! But, I have promised to keep this rant short, so I'll leave it at that and maybe at a later time pick it up again, who knows, right?
Back to Ms. Parker and her article!
In her article, which I hope you will all read, Parker says the following about the event held at Saddleback:
"For whatever good intentions Pastor Warren may have, by posturing as a neutral broker between different points of view, many of which have profound moral and religious implications, he contributes to the moral ambiguity we'd expect a pastor to be combating."
In other words, despite asking tough questions of both candidates, Warren does a disservice to the church by allowing candidates of both parties to speak, especially when one of the candidates holds opinions that, no matter how much he protests that he too is a Christian, are contrary to what Scripture teaches. Now, before someone accuses me of wanting only Republicans to come speak at churches, I will state plainly and without any reservation that I don't think ANY politician should be given the floor within a church and allowed to speak about his/her political stances. If a politician comes to a church and addresses the congregation, it had better be in the form of a sermon and not about politics! The pulpit belongs to those who will carry out that highest of callings, to preach the Word. Not to those who are running for office and want to give their political speech. For Warren to permit his pulpit to be used in this is, therefore, distressing to me because it is indicative of his lack of appreciation for the supremacy of preaching. And as Parker so truly says, moral ambiguity is the last thing we want from our preachers. Warren, by turning over his pulpit to representatives of the political parties, allowed his people to be exposed to this ambiguity...what a sad affair.
Later on we read this:
"When a pastor hosts a political candidate that has a 100 percent rating by NARAL Pro-Choice America and a 0 percent rating by the National Right to Life Committee, he gives legitimacy to that candidate. When legitimacy is given to a line of reasoning that says that poverty and AIDS are symptoms of anything other than moral breakdown, the relativist views of the left are justified...[a]nyone that thinks this ambiguity is helpful in addressing poverty, crime and disease is misinformed."
Wow.
If Ms. Parker can see this so clearly, why can't a man who is supposed to be shepherding the flock of the Lord? Why is he so eager to engage in world wide PEACE initiatives instead of fulfilling His calling? God forbid that it be selfish ambition and the desire to be thought of positively by the world!
But you understand, don't you, that it is indeed disturbing that a man such as the candidate descibed by Ms. Parker in the quote above could enter a church and be given the right to speak? Such a one, if he claims to be a Believer, needs to be chastised, NOT allowed to speak before the congregation. Anyone who wishes to hear him speak has countless opportunities to do so in a secular setting, why profane the place where we meet to worship our holy God?
Finally, Ms. Parker concludes her article with the following statement:
"We need political leaders that are more moral. Not church leaders that are more political."
Did you catch that? Go back and read it again if you did not!
To Rick Warren and to all of his acolytes throughout the world...I implore you, preach the Word and feed the flock. Devote yourselves to this and leave the world of political debates to the secular arena...use your churches instead to call upon the nation to repent and to turn to the Lord as the only solution to all the problems of the world.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Back to My Blogging!
Well it's been a slow month as far as publishing on my blog! The main reason, to be honest, is that I keep hoping and praying that I will soon be able to publish really really good news! Alas, the Lord reminds me through this whole ordeal that I must learn patience and total reliance upon Him! :-)
At any rate, since my last post I have felt very confident about everything, though in His time I would love to hear from the powers that be about the final resolution. Even so, I have spent so much time in the Word that I keep wondering why it is that we Christians so often need the motivation of hardships in order to be completely immersed in the things of the Lord. Oh well, may the Lord help me to remain as faithful every day from now on as He has already helped me these last few months.
So is there anything new to share? No. But don't worry so much about this because in some ways no news is good news in this situation. And how have I been doing? Surprisingly well. Thanks to the patient love and admonition of God. This time has also helped me to bond with friends I did not realize I truly had. I have a dear neighbor who cried with me when all of this first started, and his love for me and his total trust in the righteousness of my case have humbled me so very much. He has been a shoulder to lean on when others were not there for me. Another neighbor down the street also came to me and expressed his support for me. This man assurred me I could turn to him with any needs. In addition to these fine Christian men, a dear brother from my old church has been helping me to deal with all of this too. He and his family came to us as soon as they knew of my situation and offered us their support, bringing us dinner and opening their home to us as well. Every one of my co-workers who is aware of my situation has expressed their support as well. And finally, what could we do without the love of family? They have given the unconditional love which overwhelms a person. Without all of these people and the loving expressions of trust and support...this would have been a far more difficult journey for my family and I.
All of this has made me realize how important one's witness is. Why have I received such support? Without a doubt it is because these people know me and, praise be to God, they have seen in me the man that God has been shaping me into. I do not say this as a boast...I say it in humble surprise. My whole Christian life I have felt like such a failure in the things of my God. I have not been the best husband or father, and yet somehow He has been working in my life. Working to shape me into the "image of His Son." Can I claim that I have been responsible for any of this? NO! For I know my own heart...I know that often I have wanted to do those things I know I should not do, and that sometimes I have not done that which my God requires of me. So it is not what I have done with my life, but what God has done to my life! This is the only witness I have before the world: That God has worked in me despite myself! How precious indeed then is my salvation! All of it is His work and none is mine.
So my prayer is this: That He continue to work in my life, to mold me and shape me; that I be open to all that He would teach me from His Word; and that my wife and children will forgive me when I fail to be a good father and/or husband. My greatest desire is to see my sons walk with God all the days of their lives, and if I live to see all of them grow to manhood and see them walk with Him, then I will give the credit and the glory where it belongs: God deserves it all!
At any rate, since my last post I have felt very confident about everything, though in His time I would love to hear from the powers that be about the final resolution. Even so, I have spent so much time in the Word that I keep wondering why it is that we Christians so often need the motivation of hardships in order to be completely immersed in the things of the Lord. Oh well, may the Lord help me to remain as faithful every day from now on as He has already helped me these last few months.
So is there anything new to share? No. But don't worry so much about this because in some ways no news is good news in this situation. And how have I been doing? Surprisingly well. Thanks to the patient love and admonition of God. This time has also helped me to bond with friends I did not realize I truly had. I have a dear neighbor who cried with me when all of this first started, and his love for me and his total trust in the righteousness of my case have humbled me so very much. He has been a shoulder to lean on when others were not there for me. Another neighbor down the street also came to me and expressed his support for me. This man assurred me I could turn to him with any needs. In addition to these fine Christian men, a dear brother from my old church has been helping me to deal with all of this too. He and his family came to us as soon as they knew of my situation and offered us their support, bringing us dinner and opening their home to us as well. Every one of my co-workers who is aware of my situation has expressed their support as well. And finally, what could we do without the love of family? They have given the unconditional love which overwhelms a person. Without all of these people and the loving expressions of trust and support...this would have been a far more difficult journey for my family and I.
All of this has made me realize how important one's witness is. Why have I received such support? Without a doubt it is because these people know me and, praise be to God, they have seen in me the man that God has been shaping me into. I do not say this as a boast...I say it in humble surprise. My whole Christian life I have felt like such a failure in the things of my God. I have not been the best husband or father, and yet somehow He has been working in my life. Working to shape me into the "image of His Son." Can I claim that I have been responsible for any of this? NO! For I know my own heart...I know that often I have wanted to do those things I know I should not do, and that sometimes I have not done that which my God requires of me. So it is not what I have done with my life, but what God has done to my life! This is the only witness I have before the world: That God has worked in me despite myself! How precious indeed then is my salvation! All of it is His work and none is mine.
So my prayer is this: That He continue to work in my life, to mold me and shape me; that I be open to all that He would teach me from His Word; and that my wife and children will forgive me when I fail to be a good father and/or husband. My greatest desire is to see my sons walk with God all the days of their lives, and if I live to see all of them grow to manhood and see them walk with Him, then I will give the credit and the glory where it belongs: God deserves it all!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
A Short Update...and Good News!
Hello everyone!
For those of you who are aware of the trial that I have been facing...I have received some good news! It is not yet the best news that I wanted to hear but after receiving this latest information I am greatly encouraged and am confident that my cause will be justified. Already much good fruit has been demonstrated through the trust and complete support I have received from so many people. Please continue to pray that final resolution will soon come my way...but even so, ultimately, I truly feel like my cry to my Lord has been heard clarly...the cry which I echoed from the psalmist when he cried out "Make haste, O God,to delive me! Make haste to help me, O Lord!" - Psalm 70:1
So I do indeed thank Him that He has apparently chosen to deliver me in the here and now...as prepared as I was to await my justification until that final deliverance! :)
For those of you who are aware of the trial that I have been facing...I have received some good news! It is not yet the best news that I wanted to hear but after receiving this latest information I am greatly encouraged and am confident that my cause will be justified. Already much good fruit has been demonstrated through the trust and complete support I have received from so many people. Please continue to pray that final resolution will soon come my way...but even so, ultimately, I truly feel like my cry to my Lord has been heard clarly...the cry which I echoed from the psalmist when he cried out "Make haste, O God,to delive me! Make haste to help me, O Lord!" - Psalm 70:1
So I do indeed thank Him that He has apparently chosen to deliver me in the here and now...as prepared as I was to await my justification until that final deliverance! :)
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