True culture change comes when hearts are changed  - by Marsha West

This post by Marsha West falls right in line with the 2 news stories posted yesterday, namely those regarding 2 university’s decisions to expel students based on their moral views of homosexuality.  This is an excellent article providing additional insight into the indoctrination of the homosexual agenda taking place in our public school systems.  It also includes well documented methods being used to promote this agenda in our schools throughout the country.  Do you really know what your kids are learning in school?  If you want to know, read this article and view the linked video clips (which are just plain scary and quite Hitler-esque).

National Right to Life: New Abortion Rule proves defect in Health Law

In a not so surprising revelation, no one really knows what was in the recently passed Healthcare Bill.  Many people might not even be aware that the bill actually included language that permitted taxpayer dollars to fund elective abortions.  A quote from the article linked above shows the confusion: “Without blinking, the Obama Administration had approved high-risk pool plans submitted by at least three states that would have funded virtually all abortions – until NRLC raised the alarms starting on July 13,” said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson.  “In the regulation issued today, the Administration tells states that elective abortions may not be covered in the high-risk pool program – but simultaneously, the head of the White House Office of Health Reform, Nancy-Ann DeParle, issued a statement on the White House blog explaining that this decision ‘is not a precedent for other programs or policies given the unique, temporary nature of the program . . .’” Well that’s just great, nobody knows what it says or what it means or are at least not willing to admit they do.  Sounds like years of legal battles, lawsuits, and blank stares.

Author Ann Rice says she is leaving Christianity - Details from PoliticsDaily

A balanced commentary on Rice from Russell Moore 

Author Ann Rice denounced Christianity this week, while maintaining that she is still a follower of Christ.  I’m not one to judge her heart, but it sounds like she has either been damaged by those who claim Christ, but may not be believers themselves or she is having a difficult time herself understanding the true Gospel.  In any event, the Church is under constant attack from those who preach another Gospel and another Jesus, let alone those who slander the name of Christ by promoting various hate filled agendas, rather than preaching repentance and forgiveness, but that does not mean we all abandon Christianity.  Perhaps standing up for Christianity and representing true Christ-like behavior would’ve been the best approach.   

“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as dust on the scales; behold he takes up coastlands like fine dust.” Isaiah 40:15

Since the arrival of our first child a little over three months ago, my frequency of writing here has noticeably decreased.  Additionally, I’ve been working on writing a Bible study and, Lord willing, a related book, so simply put, I have not had the time to post as frequently as I would like here.  As I continue to adjust to our new addition and prayfully ask for better time management skills, I’d like to begin providing frequent updates to world news.  Last year when I started this blog one of the goals was to keep the Christian community apprised of current world events that were impacting Christians globally.  So I’d like to take the heart behind that thought and make it a regular posting here, in addition to weekly (at minimum) Bible teachings.  With that said, today is the first of hopefully many installments of “Bucket Drops,” taken from Isaiah 40:15, “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as dust on the scales; behold he takes up coastlands like fine dust.”

Grad student faces expulsion over beliefs

Stories like this one concerning Julea Ward, an Eastern Michigan grad student who was expelled for refusing to counsel homosexuals are going to become more and more prevalent.  Especially with recent language inserted into legislative bills it will soon even be against the law to preach against homosexuality from the pulpit.  All it takes is one court case, such as this one, to set precedence for future cases and suddenly there will be a snowball of scenarios where people are expelled, fired, or even imprisoned for speaking out against immorality.  Certainly we are seeing the impacts of Romans 1:18-32 firsthand.

Video: University makes diploma contingent on supporting gay rights?

And so it begins.  As if the previous story wasn’t bad enough, here a second student faces expulsion due to her beliefs on homosexuality.  This video from CNN shows how Augusta State University offered to repeal any expulsion steps if student Jennifer Keaton would attend homosexual sensitivity training as part of a “remediation plan” in order to change her religious beliefs.  It certainly sounds like she must “embrace homosexuality” in order to pursue her degree in counseling.

2 Christians play dead to survive attack in India

2 Christians were attacked by Hindu extremists in India last week and survived by playing dead.  The Christian Post has this story detailing the events following a prayer meeting where Mahindra Kharoley and Munshi Prasaad Bahey were traveling home when they were attacked and accused of attempting to force people into converting to Christianity.  In this country (for now) we truly have no idea what persecution is all about.  Too often we think it consists of embarrassment or ridicule, while those in other countries are risking their lives for the sake of the Gospel.

What is your highest priority?

I’m not really a fan of the Barna polls/work, but this latest result shows the decreasing trend of religion, namely Christianity, as a top priority within American homes.  I would take issue with the statement from the article that 75% of the U.S. population is Christian.  Maybe more accurately 75% of the country CLAIM to be Christians, when in actuality the number of true Christians is much, much less.  The results of the poll show that 12% say that faith is the highest priority in their life.  I would think that number is much closer to the actual percentage of Christians in America, but just my humble opinion.  Jesus’ words are crystal clear, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money.” Luke 16:13 ESV  If Christ isn’t the top priority, what is?

In the Church at Colossae, the young Christians were getting hammered spiritually by the abusive and intimidating tactics of the Gnostics.  As they begin to mix into the church, these heretics brought with them an assortment of doctrinal beliefs bent on confusing the Christians of Colossae, discouraging them, and most likely intending to either change their beliefs or force them to leave the church.  What’s fascinating is that the beliefs of the Gnostics almost 2000 years ago are nearly identical to the pervasive heretical belief systems that are being repackaged and reintroduced into today’s Church and the goal is the same, spiritually abuse the immature Christians and create division amongst believers.

In chapter 2 of Paul’s epistle to the Colossians we find him succinctly addressing each of these false doctrines.  Beginning in verse 8, Paul starts his discourse with a rebuttal of the human philosophies that were infiltrating the church.  Here we find the first wave of spiritual abuse, namely, philosophical Humanism.  “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8 ESV Within the context of this passage, Paul was speaking directly to the Gnostic beliefs which denied the deity of Christ Jesus.  The Gnostics had developed a humanistic philosophy that denied the incarnation of Jesus and subsequently his deity from His birth until His baptism by John the Baptist.  At this point they then claim that the presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descended on Jesus and it was here He received His deification.  As I alluded to earlier, these historic false beliefs of the Gnostics in Paul’s day are the same in today’s church, simply repackaged and rebranded for a greater appeal.  Take for example the following quote from Rob Bell’s book Velvet Elvis:

What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archaeologist find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births? 

Questions. Big questions, right?

Was Jesus born of a virgin?

What if…?

 But what if, as you study the origin of the word “virgin” you discover that the word “virgin” in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word “virgin” could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being “born of a virgin” also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse? What if that spring were seriously questioned? Could a person keep on jumping? Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live? Or does the whole thing fall apart? If the whole faith falls apart when we reexamine and rethink one spring then it wasn’t that strong in the first place, was it? What if… Mary wasn’t a virgin in the way we understand it? The way you handle this question determines how you read this book. 

Bell’s assertion here is that if our faith so weak as to be unable to withstand the possibility of Jesus not being born of a virgin (which denies 1. the miraculous birth and 2. the deity of Christ in His sinless nature) then we likely have no faith at all.  This is the same philosophical false beliefs that were so pervasive 2000 years ago and it should be noted that Bell’s argument is a straw man designed to undermine the deity of Christ.  If we follow his logic in assuming the virgin birth did not happen, clearly this destroys our faith and makes the Bible a book of lies and Christ a sinner like us instead of a perfect, magnificent, and holy King.  Our response should be that of Paul’s, “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”  Colossians 2:9-10 ESV Anything contrary to this Gospel truth is simply heretical and the teacher of opposing doctrine should be treated as a heretic.

The second wave of spiritual abuse that the Apostle Paul addresses is Legalism.  In our Church today there is a common misunderstanding of this word, which at this point we need to clear up.  One pastor makes the following observation on legalism: “it is subscribing spirituality to man-made rules, [while] subscribing to God’s rules is obedience.”  It seems like the opposite definition has become “true” these days, in that no one wants to be told what to do or to be held accountable to an absolute moral truth, namely God’s commands, i.e. the Law.  God’s rules are perfectly holy, perfectly righteous, and perfectly just in holding us accountable and they are meant to point us to Christ (Galatians 3:19-24 ESV).  Likewise in Christ, as Paul points out in Colossians 2:13-14, the legal demands of God’s holy law have been met through Christ’s death on the cross for all who believe in Him.  It’s the institution of man-made rules for the purpose of righteousness that defines legalism, not God’s rules.  Paul addresses this in the verses that follow, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.  These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” Colossians 2:16-17 ESV In the Old Testament, God instituted these rules to keep Israel a holy nation unto Himself, such that it would be impossible to intermix with other people, but as Paul reminds these observances were a foreshadow of Christ and upon the establishment of His Kingdom in the hearts of men, these rules and rituals were done away with.  The Gnostics however, were forcing these rules onto the Church at Colossae and in doing so proclaiming that Christ alone was not sufficient, but that the keeping of these additional rules was necessary.  In essence what they were teaching was “works-based righteousness”, a belief that prevails even to this day amongst the various world religions.  In fact as one pastor says, “Every false system of religion in the world says you get saved by works; Christianity is the only one that employs grace.  Satan counters grace with works.” 

In addition to these works outside of Christianity, within the Church has crept a sect of people who are simply repackaging these old Gnostic ideas into a social gospel/justice agenda.  As Christians, we are instructed to feed and clothe the poor, and care for the homeless, but all in the name of Christ, with Him being both the motive and the goal, an outworking of our love for Him.  However, the social gospel pushes a new agenda sometimes even in the name of Christ, but with man-centered motives and goals.  The Social Gospel seeks to meet peoples felt needs, i.e., their physical needs, while ignoring their spiritual needs, with the goal of “action” speaking louder than words.  The problem with this application is that it tells nothing of the substitutionary atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross and while a person may have clean drinking water, food, clothing, or shelter, they are starving just as spiritually as they were before hearing this “gospel”.  The Bible is crystal clear, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 ESV Ministering physical needs with Christ-like love is Biblical, but leaving out the spiritual needs, i.e. the Gospel, reduces the act to merely “good deeds”.  “But he answered, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”” Matthew 4:4 ESV  In a similar fashion, Social Justice seeks equality and rights of those “disenfranchised” or “lesser” individuals with the goal of cultural or societal reform.  The real Gospel of Jesus Christ produces holiness, the social gospel of man produces artificial happiness.

                The third characteristic of spiritual abuse that Paul addresses to the church at Colossae is Mysticism.  We read of this in the following passage, “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in details about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” Colossians 2:18-19 ESV The Gnostics that were infiltrating this early church were likely members of a religiously zealous sect of Jews known as the Essenes.  They believed in the worship of angels and were attempting to bring these beliefs into the church in order to promote a higher form of worship.  Like the previous two forms of abuse, this third form is also prevalent in today’s church and becoming more so on a seemingly daily basis.  Today, what we are beginning to see coming into the Church is the practice of contemplative spiritual meditation/prayer, which get’s its roots from eastern cultures and involves the chanting, mind clearing, breathing, and focusing techniques that fall far short of Biblical spirituality and instead create an altered state of consciousness conducive to satanic influences.  Make no mistake about it, it is prevalent, it is real, and it is very dangerous.

            As Paul alluded to in the earlier passage, the fourth wave of spiritual abuse is Asceticism.  “If  with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations - ‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’ (referring to things that all perish as they are used) - according to human precepts and teachings?  These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” Colossians 2:20-23 ESV Asceticism is the practice of self-denial and it takes the inverse approach to legalism.  While legalism says “do this”, asceticism says “don’t do this” and both are dangerous traps by which man attempts to improve his standing with God through differing forms of self-righteousness.  Getting rid of everything you own, for the sake of feeling more godly is not a Biblical principle, yet this idea continues to lurk in the shadows of churches still.  The monastic lifestyle of a monk does not in itself create any higher standing with God than a person who is a responsible steward of the possessions that God has allowed. 

            As we’ve seen, the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to the Church at Colossae in the face of these spiritual abuses can be directly applied to the false teachings infiltrating the Church today.  Be encouraged Christian.  Don’t be swept away by the various philosophies of man, by legalistic “do this” rules, mystic practices, or ascetic “don’t do this” mandates.  Instead focus on Christ and be complete in Him for “Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:11 ESV

“And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” Colossians 2:10 NKJV 

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church at Colossae, was faced with the challenge of spiritually encouraging this relatively young church while at the same time refuting the Gnostic beliefs that had been creeping into the church.  After having just exhorted the church to beware of the philosophies of man that deviate from Christ, Paul takes the next several verses to teach them that in Christ is where the fulfillment is found.  Beginning in the verse above, Paul teaches that believers are “complete in Him,” meaning Christ.  But what does this completion mean and what does it include?

First let’s address what this completion includes, so that we can better understand how we are complete in Christ.  In the verses that follow, Paul outlines 3 specific components of this completion that is provided in Christ.  The first comes in verses 11-12, “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”  There are multiple complex references in these two verses, but for our purpose, let us focus on the declaration that those who are in Christ have been circumcised “without hands.”  This refers to a circumcision of the heart, the New Testament spiritual counterpart to the Old Testament physical ritual.  Deuteronomy 30:6 says, “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”  We read in Romans 2:25-29:

“²⁵For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. ²⁶So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? ²⁷Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. ²⁸For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. ²⁹But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”

In this passage, though complex, we can begin to understand that the physical Old Testament ritual of circumcision is of no value, unless you can obey the law perfectly.  However, spiritual circumcision performed by the hand of God is a matter of the heart, as we read in our earlier passage from Colossians.  This regenerative work of the heart is God’s action in us that becomes complete when we trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life.  We are complete in Christ through Salvation by our circumcision in Him.

            We find the second piece of our completion in Christ in Colossians 2:13 ESV, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.”  We who were dead in trespasses, God made alive, or as Romans 5:8 says, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” and Ephesians 2:5 affirms, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved.”  How can we possibly be dead in our sins and made alive with Christ?  That old dead man was made alive in Christ through His death on the cross, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Romans 6:5 ESV Salvation through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection provided not only eternal life, but also the forgiveness of sins, our second part of completion in Christ.  God sent His Son Jesus forth to be a propitiation for our sins (Romans 3:25 ESV), meaning He satisfied the legal demands of God’s justice towards us the sinner, as we read in Colossians 2:14, “by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.”  Likewise, Jesus averted God’s wrath from us onto Himself.  The Son of God purchased for us not only the forgiveness of sins, but also forgiveness of our sinfulness and in doing so satisfied the Holy demands of God.  We are complete in Christ through Forgiveness.  

            Finally, we are complete in Christ through Victory.  “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.” Colossians 2:15 ESV  We are complete in Christ through salvation, forgiveness, and now victory because the cross severed the ruling power of Satan in our lives.  He is no longer our master and sin no longer has dominion over us.  We have been set free and can stand in the place of victory because of Jesus Christ.  In Genesis 3:15, God alludes to His forthcoming plan of salvation in His declaration of the curse on Adam, Eve and speaking here to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Paul speaks to this in Romans 16:20 as he states, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” and similarly the author of Hebrews writes, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.”  Jesus Christ defeated Satan and the principalities of darkness with His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection proving that He could also reign over death.  As Romans 6:4 says, “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”  Victory is ours in Christ.  Stand in it and work down from it, knowing that it has already taken place.  Completion in Christ means that through His atoning, sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection, all of the work has been done and our justification is therefore by His grace through faith.  We can’t try harder or work more to obtain a right standing with God.  We are complete in Christ.

He answered them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’  And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’  You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” Matthew 16:2-3 ESV

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared”  I Timothy 4:1-2 ESV

In the past year, I’ve written several posts on deception that has crept into the modern church in the form of false teachers/preachers.  The Bible provides the basis for the increased presence of these leaders as we head towards to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ (II Peter 2:1-3, I Timothy 6:3-5, et.al.).  To date, my primary focus of discernment has been on emerging/ent church pastors, such as Rob Bell and Brian McLaren, whose “gospel” is twisted and dangerous and prosperity/social gospel-lite teachers like Joel Osteen or Rick Warren.  Each of these “preachers” present their own unique dangers and personally I prefer to ascribe to the practice of avoidance rather than acceptance and picking and choosing what is right or wrong with their ministries.  A half-truth is still a lie.  But there is a storm approaching that has potential to be just as dangerous.  Consider this post of a weather storm warning that is quickly turning into a storm watch. 

This new storm has some interesting twists and plots associated with it that I’ve been watching unfold for almost a year now and it involves a pastor whom I highly respect and have grown from spiritually.  But like all men, pastors, even those on the national scene, are fallible and must constantly be tested against the Word of God.  It doesn’t matter if it’s your own pastor, one down the street, or one you see on TV, we should always be discerning as to test them against the Bible.  There is a danger with following men too closely, and especially “living” men because they are constantly moving and developing themselves, whether for good or bad.  That’s not to say we can’t learn from those church fathers that have come before us, but most of them have withstood the test of time, the scrutiny of their words have withstood against the truths of the Bible.  Most pastors on the scene today have not withstood that test and have not gone through that level of scrutiny, like for instance a Charles Spurgeon, Martin Luther, John Owen, John Calvin, etc.  We know where these men stood on doctrinal issues and while not perfect, they remained faithful to God in their ministries. 

The storm of which I am speaking has Pastor John Piper in its eye and his decision to extend an invitation to Pastor Rick Warren to speak at the upcoming Desiring God conference.  I’ve held off until now with posting on this, mainly to remove any potential emotionally charged response, but this announcement was made in April and sent shock waves throughout the evangelical world.  Blogs, talk shows, and social media alike have been abuzz over what the implications of this decision might mean and the dust has yet to settle.  Pastor Piper’s biblically sound ministry is one of the more popular reformed ministries today and he has done a faithful job in his nearly 4 decades of preaching the Word.  However, despite some questionable alliances recently, this latest one has many confused about what this means for his ministry going forward.  Many less-discerning evangelicals may see nothing wrong with Pastor Warren and his Purpose Driven Ministry so in order to make this more evident, I’ve included a link below to some of Pastor Warren’s publically stated positions on various theological topics, along with a clip from him speaking to a group of unbelievers, and have included Pastor John MacArthur’s revealing look at the Purpose Driven Life. 

 Apprising Ministries - Chameleon-Like Rick Warren

Below is a clip from Pastor Piper where he addresses questions concerning the announcement of Rick Warren joining his conference.  I don’t disagree with inviting someone to a conference where a discussion can take place over various beliefs, doctrines, and theological differences, however, what I do take umbrage with is the insistence that Rick Warren is theologically sound and the validation that his association with this conference, and specifically John Piper, gives him within reformed circles.

PRAGMATISM - a practical approach to problems and affairs; a movement in philosophy marked by the doctrines that the meaning of conceptions is to be sought in their practical bearings, that the function of thought is to guide action, and that truth is preeminently to be tested by the practical consequences of belief.

Finally, in this clip is where John Piper seems to be confused on his stance with Rick Warren.  At one point he states Rick Warren is a “problem” while he next states he is theologically sound.  Then Piper states that Warren frustrates him with some of his teachings, but ensures that he likes him.  Is it therefore any wonder why there is so much confusion over this decision when Piper himself is confused?  Until a public repentance is issued regarding this alliance or unless the conference proves to be a venue for revealing Rick Warren a false teacher, I can no longer endorse the teaching of Pastor Piper.

Below I’ve included my public statement on the Piper/Warren Alliance that was posted on other blogs around April 9^th, roughly a week after the announcement:

This news saddens me deeply, but really comes as no surprise. I felt discernment was needed with Dr. Piper considering his close allegiance to Mark Driscoll, but nevertheless I didn’t dismiss him completely because I had hoped he was taking a mentoring approach in their relationship (though one has to question the presence of the Holy Spirit within a pastor that enjoys being so crass to the point of vulgarity and his loose handling of scripture for comedic relief, but I digress). Admittedly I have enjoyed listening to some of Dr. Piper’s many sermons, specifically those on Romans, and have grown through his expositional teaching while in the back of my mind there has been an “approach with caution” warning light. I’m hesitant to say this is what I’ve been waiting for, perhaps more so what I was praying against, but this turns the warning into a full-fledged alert.

I suspect however that this relationship is deeper than a conference invite because as we know the iceberg tip is all that can be seen, the depth of which likely extends into Driscoll’s Acts 29 Ministry and Warren’s various ecumenical groups/agendas each of which spread like a spider’s web among the evangelical who’s who. When Piper aligned with Driscoll, he brought a certain level of validity or endorsement to Driscoll’s ministry wherein many fringe reformers were willing to overlook language and behaviors as being merely “rough around the edges” like a John Calvin or Martin Luther. The problem is they weren’t offensive for the sake of attention or relevance, it was for the sake of the Gospel, of which they were prepared to die. The addition of Warren to Piper’s circle of reformed influence is especially disconcerting because the common theological ground on which he stood with Driscoll bears no merit with his relationship to Warren, despite Piper’s efforts to defend his selection. What it does however, is add validity to a ministry that continually seeks to evolve to the current trends in the religious marketplace, in this case Calvinism or perhaps more accurately “New Calvinism.”

If I may, a quote from Dr. John MacArthur’s book Ashamed of the Gospel:

“In the first quarter of 2009, Time magazine ran a cover story titled “10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now.” Number three on their list was “The New Calvinism.” All of this, obviously is strong motivation for evangelical and post-modern pragmatists to jump on the Calvinist bandwagon. (Why wouldn’t those who think of religion as a product to be marketed-as well as those addicted to popularity-want to get into the fastest growing demographic?) Prepare yourself for a wave of erstwhile Emergents and evangelical pragmatists to run to the crowd and declare themselves the true representatives of neo-Calvinism. They will bring every pragmatic tool in their arsenal and will exert all their energies toward making “the New Calvinism” seem even more stylish-until the glow fades and something else becomes stylish, and they will run after that. The sober, biblically minded remnant in their [reformed] midst need to remain on guard.”

Sadly John Piper’s latest alliance has ushered in that which Dr. MacArthur warns about, because now Warren can put his marketing skills to work within Calvinistic circles.  Piper himself in the video above recognizes Warren as a self-described pragmatist, but dismisses this notion quickly. As a result of this alliance, there needs to be either concern about the discernment of Dr. Piper or concern over his willingness to overlook obvious issues within the ministries of fellow pastors, neither of which is especially flattering for a man like him. The question is will those of the “sober, biblically minded remnant” be courageous and bold enough to take a stand when even those most prominent among them seem to be faltering? On a side note, it’s interesting how this announcement seems to coincide with John Piper’s planned 8-month leave of absence, curious if the timing is related or merely coincidental.

I will continue to pray for JP.

Romans 8:13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” KJV

The conditional assertion from the Apostle Paul could not be more clear, living in the flesh results in death while mortifying, or killing, the deeds of the body through the Spirit results in life.  But what inferences are there for us to make here and how can we apply this mortification to our lives?  Sometimes, we Christians know just enough to be dangerous.  Give us one grain of truth and we’ll take it, expand it, and offer up overgeneralizations for any and every situation that arises.  Perhaps this is never more evident than the passivity with which we treat the presence of indwelling sin in our lives.  We read verses like Romans 3:10 ESV “None is righteous, no, not one,” or we see Paul’s discourse on the presence of sin in his own life, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.  For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out” (Romans 7:18 ESV) and we apply them outside of their contextual meaning and assert that these, and similar verses on the nature of sinful man, must mean that there is nothing to be done regarding sin in our lives.  We instead hang our hat on our “decision” made to “receive” Christ as Savior, simply stopping there and neglecting the main purpose for our salvation, “to be conformed to the image of Christ” through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. 

Far too quick are we to presume that since sin is ever-existent on the earth and that our past, present, and future sins are forgiven by the blood of Christ, then it really doesn’t matter if we sin or not, it’s covered and we’re still on our way to heaven.  Nothing could be further from the truth that God’s Word teaches.  Salvation is not the end in and of itself; it’s the means to the end of glorification with Jesus Christ in heaven for all eternity.  Paul affirms this later in the same chapter of our subject passage, “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.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30 ESV

“Predestined to be conformed to the image of his son,” in other words, holy.  While we know holiness is impossible as long as we remain in our fleshly bodies, it still remains the goal of every person that professes Christ as Savior, the duty to obey out of love His command to “be holy as I am holy.”  It is with this perspective we can view Romans 8:13 and realize our duty as believers is to not be satisfied with the presence of sin in our lives, but to kill it, to mortify it through the power of Holy Spirit.  The Puritan great, John Owen, in his monumental work The Mortification of Sin, describes the role of believers as follows, “The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make it their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin.”  If Owen and the Puritans recognized this nearly 400 years ago, why then have we become so desensitized toward sin these days?  The answer is likely due to multiple reasons, not the least of which include a lack of reverence for God, failure to recognize His holiness, lack of fear of God, and a lack of love for Him.  Nevertheless it is the role of those who follow Christ to put to death the deeds of the flesh, to make it our “business…to mortify the indwelling power of sin,” that we may be vessels “for honorable use.”  Owen continues, “Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self invention, unto the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world.  The principle efficient cause of the performance of this duty is the Spirit - ‘If by the Spirit.’  All other ways of mortification are vain, all helps leaves us helpless; it must be done by the Spirit.”  Christianity is not a will power religion, as one pastor states, it’s a supernatural one and as such, we must constantly be looking to God for our daily bread and this is especially true in regards to our war with sin.  The key clause in this assertion from Paul is, “through the Spirit” and is a necessary statement because it removes any works-based sanctification from our own power, the self-strength that John Owen made reference, but instead instructs us to rely on the divine power of God.

What then is our role in this matter?  We must ask if it is the Spirit that mortifies sin, why then does Paul exhort us to do this, just as he did in Romans 6:12 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body.”  We can conclude 4 principles that outlines our role, 1) “It is no otherwise the work of the Spirit, but as all graces and good works which are in us are His.” 2)”He doth not so work our mortification in us as not to keep it still an act of our obedience” 3) “The Holy Ghost works in us and upon us, as we are fit to be wrought in and upon; that is so as to preserve our own liberty and free obedience.” 4)”He works upon our understanding, wills, consciences, and affections, agreeably to their own natures; he works in us and with us, not against us or without us; so that His assistance is an encouragement as to the facilitating of the work, and no occasion of neglect as to the work itself” ¹   

Everything we do is by the power of God’s grace and this includes the good works that He has prepared us to do, while our mortification of sin through the Spirit is a direct result obedience to God.  The power and presence of the Holy Spirit working in our lives sanctifies us while retaining our innate gift of liberty and freedom for obedience such that the blame of not mortifying sin, i.e. disobedience, falls squarely on our own shoulders leaving us without excuse.  Finally we see that the Holy Spirit works in us and with us, encouraging us all the while to fight the presence of sin in our lives, perhaps similar to the effect of a young child riding a bike all the while their father is holding onto the seat helping them to balance and maintain forward progress, only in this instance He will never let go but instead will guide us all the way.

We may conclude with one final thought from John Owen, “Do you mortify; do you make it your daily work; be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

¹ Owen, John. Volume 6 Temptation and Sin from The Works of John Owen, ed. William Goold. 24 vols. Edinburgh and London: Johnstone and Hunter, 1850-53; vols. 1-16 reprint ed., London: Banner of Truth, 1965.

An interview by Pastor Kevin Boling with Author James DeYoung about his book Burning Down the Shack, in which he deconstructs the message within William Young’s bestselling book The Shack, one which many Christians and churches have read and endorsed.  It’s important that we understand the implications of books we read and recommend to ensure that those which creep into the evangelical world maintain Biblical integrity.  The Shack’s popularity within the Christian community is disheartening and my prayer is that we would become Berean-like in our discernment and “test everything” against God’s Holy Word.

By Charles H. Spurgeon

“strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”  Acts 14:22 ESV

Perseverance is the badge of true saints.  The Christian life is not a beginning only in the ways of God, but also a continuance in the same as long as life lasts.  It is with a Christian as it was with the great Napoleon: he said, Conquest has made me what I am, and conquest must maintain me.  So under God, dear brother in the Lord, conquest has made you what you are, and conquest must sustain you.  Your motto must be, Excelsior.  He only is a true conqueror, and shall be crowned at the last, who continueth till war’s trumpet is blown no more.  Perseverance is, therefore, the target of all our spiritual enemies. 

The world does not object to your being a Christian for a time, if she can but tempt you to cease your pilgrimage, and settle down to buy and sell with her in Vanity Fair.  The flesh will seek to ensnare you, and to prevent your pressing on to glory.  It is weary work being a pilgrim; come, give it up.  Am I always to be mortified?  Am I never to be indulged?  Give me at least a furlough from this constant warfare. 

Satan will make many a fierce attack on your perseverance; it will be the mark for all his arrows.  He will strive to hinder you in service: he will insinuate that you are doing no good; and that you want rest.  He will endeavor to make you weary of suffering, he will whisper, Curse God, and die.  Or he will attack your steadfastness: What is the good of being so zealous?  Be quiet like the rest; sleep as do others, and let your lamp go out as the other virgins do.  Or he will assail your doctrinal sentiments: Why do you hold to these denominational creeds?  Sensible men are getting more liberal; they are removing the old landmarks: fall in with the times. 

Wear your shield, Christian, therefore, close upon your armor, and cry mightily unto God, that by his Spirit you may endure to the end.

What does it mean to be a disciple?  This is a question I’ve been asking in recent months, not only to myself, but likewise to others.  In my opinion the application of discipleship has become so neglected within the Church these days that this has in turn created an inaccurate and dangerous definition of the word itself.  When we look to describe a word such as disciple, it’s easy enough to turn to a dictionary where we’ll find words like: follower, believer, supporter, or student, which is in line with the Greek meaning of the word mathetes meaning learner.  But in any Biblical application, we cannot look merely to external sources, we must look internally to God’s Word to find out what being a disciple means in context with Jesus Christ.

Through asking the above question, I’ve come to the conclusion that many people today believe that being a disciple of Christ is a different or higher ranking within the body of Christ.  In fact, it appears as though many of those who claim Jesus Christ as Savior are “mere Christians” while there are others who strive after Jesus with their whole hearts, maybe denying themselves the pleasures of the world, becoming a pastor, theologian, or missionary.  The latter of which essentially devotes their life to Christ, while the remaining majority are content to give Jesus small slivers of their life as they see fit.  So in essence, the majority seem to want just enough Jesus to get to heaven, not enough to suffer in anyway here on earth, not enough to turn their back on the world, and certainly not enough to be fully submitted and obedient to the Lord.

Our support text for the Biblical definition of disciple comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9 where Jesus is speaking to a crowd as He states, “²³…”If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. ²⁵For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? ²⁶For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:23-26 ESV  In verse 23 Jesus is stating the requirements of discipleship and establishing who it applies to, namely “anyone” who follows Him.  Dear friend it’s so critical to note this, Jesus doesn’t create a hierarchy of followers, there’s no advanced elite group, anyone that follows him and claims Him as their Savior must deny themselves and take up their cross daily. All believers are part of the body of Christ, while we may make-up different parts, i.e. some may act as the hands and serve and others act as the feet and spread the Gospel (Romans 10:15).  Although we may each have different roles as allotted to us by Jesus, and there certainly may be different maturity level amongst believers, we are not in a hierarchal relationship with Christ.  Even the Apostle Paul refers to himself as the chief of sinners (I Timothy 1:15) and states openly that it’s not as though he has obtained anything yet (Philippians 3:12).  If anyone could brag about his status it was Paul, but he knew he had obtained nothing in and of himself and in reality he was no better than anyone else. 

Jesus next addresses those who seek security, those who seek monetary or worldly desires, and those who are too proud lest they be embarrassed for claiming Christ.  These groups are where the majority of people fall, yet none are disciples and none have the assurance of salvation as Jesus qualifies his argument with, “whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

For our second proof text we will stay in Luke 9 where Jesus begins to describe what the costs of discipleship are, “⁵⁷As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ⁵⁹To another he said, “Follow me. “But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶²Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62 ESV In the first verse of this passage we read of a man stating his allegiance to Christ, much like the majority that we identified in the opening.  Jesus immediately reminds them that He has nothing, not even a place to sleep at night.  Discipleship is not popular, not extravagant, and it certainly doesn’t produce wealth.  To the next person Jesus says, “Follow me,” yet instead of coming with Him, this person makes an excuse that he needed to wait for his inheritance at the burial of his father.  Again, the choice of the world is at odds with being a disciple.  A third says he will follow, so willingly he commits, yet is unable to give himself fully because his priority is not Jesus first. 

The third and final text that we’ll examine to find how Jesus defines a disciple comes from Luke chapter 14:

“²⁵Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³²And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. ³³ So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

Again He opens with a qualification, “anyone”, if anyone comes to Jesus and does not hate his family, he cannot be His disciple.  The text here is not saying a literal hate, but instead if someone isn’t willing to choose Christ over choosing their family, then they are not worthy.  A strong claim indeed and perhaps this is why Jesus states in Matthew 7:14 the, “gate is narrow…that leads to life.”  Next He states you cannot be His disciple if you don’t bear your own cross.  Meaning dying to self and living to Christ and the will of God. 

Jesus concludes His discussion by using two parables to illustrate the cost of discipleship, the first of which He uses the analogy of a man building a tower, whose foundation is lain but the costs to complete have not been calculated and people begin to mock him because he could not finish.  So too is the Christian life.  Many start, many many, claim Jesus as their Savior, or they say they are going to heaven.  But there are never signs of repentance, never evidence of a changed heart, no fruit, nothing but a broken down foundation from a once well intended plan of one that has not counted the cost of discipleship.

I’m reminded about the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:18-23), the seed was sown to all four, but the devil snatched it from the heart of the first, the second received it with great joy, yet it took no root, the third took root but got choked out, nothing more than a foundation, only the fourth seed took root and bore fruit.  Three had what appeared to be faith, yet only one remained in the end.  So too is a disciple of Christ.  He counts the cost, builds upon the foundation with silver and gold, not straw and stubble, and he finishes the race complete in his faith to the day of salvation.  Have you counted the cost and renounced everything else?  Are you denying yourself in order to be a disciple of Christ’s?  Or have you cheapened the grace that Jesus’ blood purchased by deceiving yourself into a second rate salvation and pretending the rest are the ones to whom discipleship belongs?  In closing, I want to include a quote by John Stott, from his book Basic Christianity,

“The Christian landscape is strewn with the wreckage of derelict half-built towers. The ruins of those who began to build and were unable to finish. For thousands of people still ignore Christ’s warning and undertake to follow Him without first pausing to reflect on the cost of doing so. The result is the great scandal of Christendom today, so called nominal Christianity. In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent but thin veneer of Christianity. They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved, enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable. Their religion is a great soft cushion. It protects them from the hard unpleasantness of life while changing its place and shape to suit their convenience. No wonder the cynics speak of hypocrites in the church and dismiss religion as escapism.”

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Psalm 51:3 “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.”

For many of us in our personal lives, and sadly within many churches, we have become far to unconcerned with sin.  It’s rarely if ever preached on, never disciplined, and we personally have accepted it and gloss over it as part of who we are.  This isn’t something that’s occurred overnight, but has more been a slow progression and culture has aided in our callousness toward the recognition of sin in our lives.  We were born sinful and predisposed to overlook it in our lives.  In our culture, television, music, commercials, consumerist mentality, everything that we come in contact with has worked collectively with our nature to numb us toward sin.  Don’t believe me?  Just watch T.V. for a few minutes and you’ll either hear or see things that would not have been mainstream a few years ago but more likely been Rated-R.  It’s become so prevalent that it has actually worked to change the mindset of the everyday Christian.  If I were to tell you that it’s inappropriate to watch a show such as South Park because they mock, belittle, and ridicule the One true living God, many people would cry out “That’s Legalism!” or “I have freedom to watch what I want.”  But if you stop and think about what’s going on, our sensitivity toward sin has become so minimalized that we now create faux arguments, which we claim to be Biblical, to support our sinful behaviors.  The Bible calls for us to “be holy” (I Peter 1:15) yet that prosecuting statement gets often overlooked in our defense against sin. 

Charles Spurgeon offers the following thoughts on the weightiness of sin in our lives:

Beware of the light thoughts of sin.  At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender, that we are afraid of the slightest sin.  Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear lest they should offend against God.  But alas! Very soon the fine bloom upon these first ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world; the sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in after life, too pliant, too easily yielding.  It is sadly true, that even a Christian may grow by degrees so callous, that the sin which once startled him does not alarm him in the least.  By degrees men get familiar with sin.  The ear in which the cannon has been booming will not notice slight sounds.  At first a little sin startles us; but soon we say, Is it not a little one?  Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as but a little ill; and then follows an unholy presumption: We have not fallen into open sin.  True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright in the main.  We may have uttered one unholy word, but as for the most of our conversation, it has been consistent.  So we palliate sin; we throw a cloak over it; we call it by dainty names.  Christian, beware how thou thinkest lightly of sin.  Take heed lest thou fall by little and little.  Sin, a little thing? Is it not a poison?  Who knows its deadliness?  Sin, a little thing?  Do not the little foxes spoil the grapes?  Doth not the tiny coral insect build a rock which wrecks a navy?  Do not little strokes fell lofty oaks?  Will not continual droppings wear away stones?  Sin, a little thing?  It girded the Redeemer’s head with thorns, and pierced His heart!  It made Him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe.  Could you weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would fly from it as from a serpent, and abhor the least appearance of evil.  Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Savior, and you will see it to be exceeding sinful.

How true this is.  When we begin to sweep what we call “little” sins away until like a layer of skin to a callous our hearts become more and more hardened.  Our conscience becomes more willing to overlook sin until our lives take the appearance of being no different than that of nonbelievers.  We begin to watch the same shows, laugh at the same jokes, drink the same drinks, but yet we claim Christ as Savior and declare that He gives us freedom to do those things.  Meanwhile those of the world look at us a hypocrites and rightly so as we mock the name of the Lord with our actions.  Oh the dangers of not knowing our sin.

King David did not downplay his sin.  When confronted by Nathan about his murderous adulterous affair, he was sincerely broken over his sins.  How easy it would’ve been for him to sweep his transgressions away by claiming he had every right as king to do what he pleased.  We’ve talked here before about King Herod and his murderous schemes, his adulterous, incestuous affairs yet he felt entitled to act this way because he was king, but not so with David.  I often wonder if as Christians we don’t have a little bit of King Herod’s entitlement mindset and think that because we have been saved by grace through faith that we are permitted certain “freedoms” or pleasures. 

David felt the weight of his sin in his life and was broken by it.  He knew his sins and came face to face with them.  And he cried out to God for forgiveness.  “¹ Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. ²Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. ³For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. ⁴For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.  Selah  ⁵acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” Psalm 32:1-5 ESV

It’s time for us as believers in the body of Christ to likewise begin to feel the weight of sin in our lives.  We need to come face to face with the fact that we are not good, that even are good deeds are nothing, “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6 When we come to this realization and know our sin, we begin to see how unworthy we are to stand before the Holy God.  We can begin to understand that we’re not entitled to anything, but instead reliant on God for everything.  The weight of our sin should break us, it should make us feel like King David and swim in sorrow at night in our sheets.  Only then can a loving God put us back together and mold us in the image of His Son.  Only then can we truly realize our need for a Savior and that life apart from a total reliance upon Him is impossible.  Know your sin.  Repent of them. And run to Jesus Christ for forgiveness.