SINCERE, BUT SINCERELY WRONG

SINCERE, BUT SINCERELY WRONG

(by A.W. Pink) 

It is greatly to be feared that there are

multitudes in Christendom who verily

imagine and sincerely believe that they

are among the saved, yet who are total

strangers to a work of divine grace in

their hearts. 

It is one thing to have clear intellectual

conceptions of God's truth, it is quite

another matter to have a personal, real

heart acquaintance with it. 

It is one thing to believe that sin is the

awful thing that the Bible says it is, but

it is quite another matter to have a holy

horror and hatred of it in the soul. 

It is one thing to know that God requires

repentance, it is quite another matter to

experimentally mourn and groan over our

vileness. 

It is one thing to believe that Christ is the

only Savior for sinners, it is quite another

matter to really trust Him from the heart.

It is one thing to believe that Christ is the

'sum of all excellency', it is quite another

matter to LOVE HIM above all others. 

It is one thing to believe that God is the

great and holy One, it is quite another

matter to truly reverence and fear Him. 

It is one thing to believe that salvation

is of the Lord, it is quite another matter

to become an actual partaker of it through

His gracious workings.

Altar-ed Call

I've set through a lot of altar calls in my life. Some of these altar calls were bad, in the baddest sense, others were worse, but none worse than the one I set through last night. It was actually three altar calls strung together over about an hour and a half.

Being raised in a typical “American church” I grew up with altar calls after every service. It was just how the service progressed: Singing, prayer, preaching, altar call with soft music, proclamations of salvation, leave. Of course, I use the “preaching” and the “prayer” in loose terms as they were both usually man-centered. But hey, it's all I knew as a child and I was a fine product of the “modern gospel” for 30 years, believing I was saved because of an altar call. I was “held over hell on a corn stalk” being told how terrible hell was, literally having the hell scared out of me and driving me right to the altar to say the prayer. It was just “how it was” and that's all I knew.

Thirty years later, when I actually had an encounter with God He began to show me things. I had returned to the church of my youth and had heard the same messages, seen the same methods, witnessed the same results. People flocked to the altars to “get saved” or “rededicate” their lives to Christ. The altar call trip when I was 8 was my only one, but I would say 50% of the other altar calls I set through I was praying that prayer all over again. As a mater of fact my prayer before going to bed each night usually had some form of, “God, if I'm not really saved, please forgive me and don't send me to hell”.

The extended altar call last night really struck bad to me. I had just enjoyed a great concert from a Christian band that I really like. I made my way to the merch table to pick up a t-shirt and have the band sign my CD cover before I left. The guest “evangelist” began to speak and they shut down everything, no sales, everyone stop and pay attention. I was told that, “We can't sell anything now, this is why we put this on tonight, right here”, with a head nod to the stage area. The “evangelist” started out making fun of how a few girls had laughed at other events that he had been a part of. I would say that if any of those girls had been there they would not have been very flattered by the words he was saying. He was after laughs and he received laughs. I guess this was his ice breaker routine to grab attention of everyone. It worked, because my attention was fixed on him, wondering why he would be squandering this opportunity to share Christ with the crowd before him. He did speak a little about the bible, told how God's sheep hear His voice and then the altar call commenced.

“Do you want to hear God's voice?”

“Do you want to go to heaven when you die?”

That's about it in several different forms. By this time a brief shower had started falling, so he was rushing to get to the altar call and rushing, somewhat to get to “the prayer”. He asked everyone to bow their heads, raise their hand if they wanted to be able to hear God's voice an commenced the text book “sinner's prayer”. He then did the next thing in the “Altar Calls 101” play book and asked those that said the prayer to stand up, “nobody's looking” after all. Then after a few had made it to their feet began to tell them, “OK, now don't be ashamed, come on forward.” Typical psychological manipulation. I would guess that about 35 kids went forward and were passed off to the events counselors at the side of the stage.

The rain had stopped, so the second altar call commenced. This time it was geared at those that “have heard God's voice, but now listen to the voice of the world instead”. He was giving the altar call for people to rededicate their lives. This was filled with a story about scaring girls when he was younger and was played into “don't be scared to live for God”. Not much of a reaction to this part of his extended altar call. He ended it with “prayer” and handed the mic to the promoter.

I was ready to buy my t-shirt and hit the road for the hour drive back home. But, alas, the promoter must not have thought that the second altar call was good enough. He began with the same “don't be scared” ploy. This was followed by “we have to do....”, “why aren't you.....” and “If you don't.....”. This man was filling these people's heads with works and trying to lay guilt trips on everyone. At one point he said, “If you are not out evangelizing then you are sending people to hell”. My head was about to explode because I had yet to hear anything, in the three altar calls, about God's holiness, God's requirements, man's sinfulness and rebellion, Christ's perfect atonement, the blood of Christ that takes away all of our sins, the grace of God in even allowing us to have a breath because of our rebellion. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. No Gospel. No call to repentance. Nothing of the true Gospel whatsoever. Only a emotional call and guilt trip to garner decisions. I prayed during all of this that God would save despite the false message. He saved me despite the false teachings I was sitting under, so I know He does it.

If I were a confrontational person I would have been in a serious discussion with the promoter and staff last night. If there ever was a time I wanted to confront someone it was last night. It was probably for the best that I did, at that time, not say anything. But, I will probably say something if I ever happen to be at another event that this guy puts on. I know that this false gospel is sending millions to hell. I also think that most of these people mean well, but also that the “road to hell is paved with good intentions”. Unless someone repents and is born again they will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus made it clear that you must follow Him, lay everything aside, even the love for your family is to seem like hate in comparison for your love for Him. The easy believism that permeates most “churches” and “Christian” events must be addressed and must be stopped. Then again, this may just be part of the judgment of God, giving man over to their own self centered desires and works mentality, trusting in themselves for salvation and not on Christ.

We must stand on the Word of God alone. We must not water down the Message of Christ. We must not tickle the ears of others and tell them what they want to hear in order to get them to commit to a decision. We must not play people's emotions and instead preach the full council of God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in convicting them, God made it simple enough to trust in Him. Sell it all and follow Him. Do not give regard for the things of this life, but instead have the mind of a pilgrim, just passing through, making disciples, pointing to Christ in all that we do, exalting His Name, preaching the Gospel in season and out of season. Proclaiming The good News to this lost and dying world. Are you ready? Then Go!  

A Damaged Testimony?

Have you ever damaged your testimony? You know, damaged your story of your walk with Christ? Do you even know what that means or have you never heard of damaging your testimony?

I used to hear that a lot growing up at my childhood church. It seems that was the appeal to the members of the church, don't do something that will make you look bad in front of others. Of course at the time it sounded really good, then again so did the idea of just saying a prayer and getting it “all taken care of”. Now, looking back, I can see why this was a popular saying in the realm of the “modern gospel”. It is directed at “self” just as the “gospel” was directed.

So, what is wrong with this? Why am I now, 30 something years later bringing this up? Because I had an epiphany today about “damaging my testimony”. I don't know why it popped into my head at work today, other than it lead me to write this blog and shed my thoughts on the matter. I've never really thought about damaging “my testimony” before, so this was kind of out of the blue as I was thinking back over how God has worked in my life, through childhood, my teen years, my young adult life and now my middle years. I can see how God has guided me through the years, even when I was not yet His child.

First the phrase, My testimony, is directed at self. Just as the easy-believism message prominent in my childhood and which has grown to the “norm” now, so was this admonishment to not “damage your testimony”. This was said to those rebellious teenagers out on the weekends doing stuff they shouldn't be doing or the person cheating on their taxes or husband cheating on their wife. It addresses a great problem in the world of professing Christianity (churchianity): If you do not preach a message of repentance, new birth, faith, sanctification and holiness then you have to continually address a lifestyle of sin. Of course ,to those that are truly a child of God this idea seems foreign, to have to continually tell people NOT to sin, the same sins... over and over again. To try and reach a mind and conscience that doesn't grasp the idea of sin in the first place.

The cause of this message is the false gospel that creates false converts that give lip service to the name “Christian”. They said a prayer, walked an aisle, have been in church since they were born, their parents are Christians, or any other number of things that lead someone to believe they are “saved” but actually are still under the wrath of God. I have seen it a thousand times, people make emotional decisions, are pressured into saying a prayer, raising their hand, walking an aisle and their name is jotted on a decision card, they are paraded in front of the congregation and the “preacher” pronounces them saved. The emotionalism reaches its peak as the crowd erupts into applause, tears flow and another person has their fate of hell sealed under the guise of making a “public profession”. They are told to write the date in the back of their bible, and show the devil that page any time he comes sticking his nose in their business. Only thing is the devil never got his nose out of their business and was along side the congregation in applause for the false profession. As the days go by, the weeks add up things change. The elation of the applause was gone after shutting the car door in the parking lot. The handshakes and back slaps lasted a few services, but were quickly diminished. Life resumed as normal. The temporary halting of some sins halted itself and the sins came back, even greater than before. After all, you “got saved”, you live under grace now and all you have to do is ask for forgiveness and it's all taken care of.

When the lifestyle of sin rears its head once again, what is a preacher to do? Go back to the emotionalism once again. Set up a meeting with the one living in sin. Address the emotions once again, something along the lines of “Bubby, you know you shouldn't be doing those things. You can't hurt your testimony like that. What's your mama gonna think if she finds out you been drinking again? Does your wife know you've been dancing with those other women? Don't you feel bad about doing those things again?” Appeals to the emotions to not “damage/ hurt your testimony”, just as the emotional plea to “Come to Jesus. All you have to do is say this prayer”. It's a never ending cycle Why? Because it was a false gospel, by a false teacher, making a false convert.

A major issue with the statement “damaging your testimony” is the fact that you don't really have a testimony. A true believer has a testimony to God about what He has done to you, in you, through you. So how could you damage something that God has done in the first place? A Christian that does sin, who repents, will give testimony to how God, once again, graciously pulled them out of sin. It will not be focused on “me” or “my” anything, but on the One that actually did something, God. Which counteracts the whole message of the easy-believism message today.... It's all about ME. When the true Gospel is all about God.

The whole belief structure of easy-believism/ American gospel is based on self. This goes all the way through the life cycle of the false convert of this system. I say a prayer, I ask Jesus into my heart, I cleaned up my life, I stopped drinking, I stopped smoking, I started going to church every Sunday morning, I got baptized, I sang in the choir, I taught Sunday School, I went to Sunday School, I went on a mission trip, I, I, I. When it should be God saved me, God pulled me out of the mire and changed my heart, God took away my vices, God cleaned me up, God used me to teach other about Him, God, God , God. This mentality follows through when the false convert returns to sin and the leaders or friends see that something is wrong. It's often called “back sliding”, but honestly it is just a returning to the sin that never was washed away in the first place. But damage control has to start and the emotional appeals start again.

If the majority of “preachers” today would actually preach the Gospel then they wouldn't have to continually meet with people to appeal to them to stop sinning. Divorce rates would drop, if not completely go away among those professing Christianity. There would be no more “re-dedications”. There would be filled pews instead of only filled membership rolls. False conversions would be the exception instead of the norm. People would have testimonies of God's greatness instead of having “my testimony”. Sinners would repent. God would be glorified.

The remedy? The Gospel. God. Christ crucified. Repentance. Re-birth, a new creation. Sanctification. Faith. The Blood of Jesus.

Right On Tract

Day 251 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

The guys over at Custom Tract Source have just came out with a really cool looking tract. It is actually perfect for an area local festival that heavily leans on the Confederate history in its festivities. Well, not really the festivities as much as the ones that attend like to wave Confederate flags and such. This makes this festival perfect for these tracts, or vice-versa in that these tracts are perfect for the festival.

The festival? Tater Day. The place? Benton KY. The time? First Monday in April, along with the weekend before. How many times I have been? Almost every year that I can remember, but mostly and lately the weekend before and not the actual Monday of Tater Day. Reason for going? The flea market now, to run around like a heathen when I was younger. So, I am really familiar with what is there, what happens there and what type of people attend the happenings. This is how I know that these tracts are a perfect fit and that, prayerfully, they will be used to further the Kingdom and glorify God. The hopes are to be able to use these tracts as ice breakers to share what God has done in our lives and to share the Gospel with as many people as possible. Of course, the message on the reverse of the tract is not going to be that well received by the majority, but in being obedient we know that God will use this time to glorify Himself.

As Sons of God we are commanded to share the Gospel and to make disciples. Are we doing this as a body? I would say not as we should be. We, as Christians, need to start following out he great commission in our hometown, our local area, our state and this world. We barely, if ever, even share the gospel within the confines of our own home or at our job. Why is that? Do we think someone else is supposed to be doing this, or that all we need to do is invite people to go to church with us? Never sharing what God has done for us, too ashamed to bow our head before our meal at work, not bat an eyelash when someone uses the Name of God as a curse word and then expect everyone to just kind of assimilate what we "believe"? That's not how it operates, my friends. As God is our Lord, we are to follow His commands, striving for His acceptance and not the false acceptance of those around us. We should not give second thought about someone being offended at our proclamation of Jesus IS Lord.

I do understand that this mentality is not readily accepted and goes against the teaching of most churches. They say accept everyone, never be offensive, always "love" the sinner and hate the sin. Hog wash! (To use a Tater Day term). Show me in the Word where we are to do any of those things and I will happily apologize and recant my words here. We are to be salt and light to this dark and dying world, not just happy-go-lucky people walking around with smiles and t-shirts with ICHTHUS on them. The most loving thing you could ever do to a person is tell them their need of the Savior. Explain to them their sinful and wretched sate before the Holy God and then tell them the grace of God through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. That is and should be the message of EVERY Christian and if it is not then you may seriously need to examine your own standing before God. If the Gospel doesn't resonate in your heart then God does not know you and has not converted you. You, my friend, still have the wrath of God on your head. Turn to Him, turn from your sin, cry out to God to save you not because of what you have done but only for what Christ has done. Repent and believe is all you can do and pray for the mercy of God to be bestowed on you. Until God changes you into a new creation, then you are still on the path of destruction and not on the narrow path to His Kingdom.

Day 174: More Of What Our Kids Are Consuming

Saw this set of books in the local Lifeway store tonight. They caught my eye walking down the aisle, as I very rarely venture down the kids book section. But the evil depiction of a clown sparked some curiosity. I had to know what this tin held. Then I found out, a mystery book series targeted at Christian kids. Let me clarify that last sentence, professing Christian kids.

This is the kind of product that should probably be thrown out of any bookstore that professes to be for Christians. Why even sell something like this? No wonder when the kids that claim to be Christians are "backsliding" when they get a taste of freedom in college when they turn 18. Their minds are being filled with trash like this in the name of Christ.

Of course, I have not read these books, I am going on appearance only. The graphics and the titles are as far as I would venture with something like this. I can see no reason to justify a product like this in any way, shape or form. But, once again I ask "Where are the parents?" Why do parents let their sweet children partake of this rubbish? I would even say the parents are the ones that are buying this stuff for their kids for the sole purpose of trying to keep their interest in Jesus instead of falling into "worldly" things. But, isn't this the exact type of things they are trying to keep their kids from?

When a parent does not condemn stuff like this, and even actually condone it with purchasing or turning a blind eye, the kids are being put into a very deep pit that is getting very slippery on the sides. A child is not a discerning being, they strive for attention, they seek relativity and they want to fit in. So, reading the latest John MacArthur book is not the source material that finds a young person labeled as cool.

Please parents, be more discerning as to what your kids are partaking of. Look through their bookshelves, ask them about what they are reading, stay on top of them. I am sure you will not be spotless parent in their eyes for long if you convey the morality that the bible say we need to put forth. But, then again, most of these kids are still unconverted, even those that have professed Christ 10 years earlier in Sunday school. These kids are lost and on the road to hell, so please ask God to give you a more discerning spirit on your children's intake of "entertainment" and other areas.

Day 158: Back To Cable

We made the move back to cable today, we are ditching the dish. The offers from the local cable company were just too good to pass up, with the offering of cable with a DVR, the higher tier internet and telephone service for about the same as we were paying just for TV through DirecTV. It was a no brainer for us as we will be saving about $30/ month plus having faster internet and now a home phone again. So, it is a win for us.

Direc did have some advantages, but we weighed out the costs and the made a decision. This is what we must needs do when making any decision, weigh out all sides with the adequate information then proceed or withdraw. In Luke 14:25-35 Jesus tells us a parable about counting the costs of building a tower in reference to salvation. Who does not weigh out the costs before them before committing? It is a sharp stab to the easy believism of today, as people are not told to count the costs and only told they need to make a "decision" for Christ. A decision, itself, infers that their is another side and that something must be decided against, a rejection if you will. But through the altar call methodology of today no costs are expounded on, only an emotional call to "decide to be a Christian".

Emotionalism is rampant throughout the church buildings. Repentance is talked of as just being sorry about your sins, not the 180 degree turn of what true repentance is. Why is that? It boils down to an ego issue. The evangelists and preachers today must puff up their numbers and brag about how many wee "saved" or how many "gave their life to Christ". In all actuality these poor souls are double damned. They are on their way to hell plus they are brainwashed into thinking they are "good to go" or "have their ticket". They are worse off than before they heard the preacher speak.

This is a major issue as millions of souls are on their way to hell. We need a return to biblical Christianity, a return to what the bible, God's Word, says about salvation and conversion and not what these charlatans have been spreading. God's Word is clear, someone that is saved is changed. They no longer walk in this world and will walk in the statutes of God. He gives a new heart that hates the sin they loved and loves the God they hated. They are new, not this deceived sinner that "took care of it".

Stand up for God's Word. Sow the seeds of the true gospel and expose those that spread the falsities of this modern "gospel".

Did I Choose God Or Did God Choose Me? The Recent Calvinist VS Arminian Debate

There is a unnerving debate going on right now. You may have heard a little about it, it is the old “Calvinism VS Arminianism” debate. Actually it has been escalated from debate to all out “you sere a different god than I do, a different jesus than I do”. So, I am perplexed. I am actually feeling pain from this as it is a strong tactic of the enemy to cause division among the brethren.

If you read over my posts here, you will probably be hard pressed to say which you would call me – an Arminian or a Calvinist. I simply call myself a Christian, although I do have scriptural basis for the actual “structure” of my soteriology. I am not about to go into that here, but want to start by saying that I have dear Arminian brothers and sisters and I have dear Calvinist brothers and sisters.

So what is the big deal then? Why does it matter if you either or neither of these? I don't think it really does matter, other than having a wrong view of the condition that man is in and what, if any, ability God has allowed or disallowed of Himself in the salvation process. I honestly believe people from each camp are going to be very surprised in heaven when they see or do not see certain people. I think that is why we are not to judge superficially and instead make our judgments based on the adherence to God's Word. One thing that should not be happening is exactly what has happened – saying the other structure is going to hell.

I think the current debate/ misinformation is actually the common misunderstand of what Calvinists actually believe. Mark Cahill has the common view that all Calvinists are actually Hyper-Calvinists, which is simply untrue. He has a caricature view of that view, possibly because he holds a wrong view of God and/ or humanity. There are also Hyper-Arminians around as well, but for the most part they are actually Pelagian or Semipelagian in their soteriology. I would even venture to say that most “churches” today are actually Pelagian in nature and neither Calvinistic of Arminian in their views of salvation.

So, what is a person to do? Do we say we are of Calvin or of Arminius? Not at all, just as Paul told the Corinthian church not to say they were of him or Appolos (1 Corinthians 3:1-16). What should be happening now is a searching of scripture, a study of the teachings of Christ and the Apostles and of the Old Testament Saints. We (modern Christianity) put too much stock in men's words and do not compare them to what God has revealed to us in His Word. That is the main reason we have so much heresy rampant these days. People are lax in their discernment and give ear to the many false teachers out there today.

I am not discounting true men of God and their work in the furtherance of the Kingdom. God has given us men that have a love and a passion for His Word and that same love for exposition of His Word. There are many authors and preachers alive today that God has gifted as true voices to a dying world. There are also many great saints of past that who had the same gifts from God. I will say that these men will also tell you that their words are not authoritative without their adherence to scripture. God has given these men to help us, to teach us and to help guide us along the path to His righteousness. I can also say without flinching that these authors and preachers will tell you to search the scriptures yourself, that anything they say or write has to come under the scrutiny of scripture, to the fullest extent. Do not take anyone at their word alone, ever, when it comes to teaching on the character and holiness of God.

I want to close by saying that I was brought up with a distorted view of God. I was taught many things in my youth that I question today, things that molded my view into a very un-powerful god. My views were like most of the professing Christians today. I had created a god in my mind that allowed many things, that overlooked many things and that was going to let me into His Kingdom just because I had mumbled and agreed to a few points when I was 8 years old. Only when I actually saw my standing before the most Holy God was I able to truly repent and turn from my sins and to that Holy God for my salvation. Did I choose Him or did He choose me? That is the question of the day. Better yet, was I able to choose Him would be the proper question.

Please examine scripture to see what God has to say about salvation, His will, His power, His Kingdom, His Word, His holiness, His worth, His demands, His love, His judgment, His world. It is all His and He has allowed us to be a part. How awesome is that? That the God that created the universe, has allowed us communion with Him? How awesome is it that we, as sinful creatures, are able to enter into His presence because of our Mediator, Christ Jesus. Why? Because He loves us.

Day 90: Measure Of Things

Well, day 90 - 3 months in to this little experiment of a series. In case you've jumped in late, or just happen on this post, I have created this series to chronicle 1 year in my life with a picture of the day. Today marks 90 days, or about 3 months. I started it on my birthday, July 2nd, and will end it on my birthday next year, Lord willing.

Today's post of a tape measure is just a catalyst for a question - What are you measuring your chance of eternal life against? A lot of people bank on their goodness, which has nothing to measure it against, only their moral inclinations, which can vary greatly from person to person. Hence the tape measure, it is used to gain a proper and consistent guide to length of an object. You could say that its measurement is "truth" and something used to measure, other than the tape measure, that comes up with a different measurement is outside of that truth. The same hold true with what we are measured against to attain eternal life.

When you ask someone why they have eternal life, are saved, converted or going to heaven, most will tell you it is because of something they did in the past, because they believe in Jesus, they made a decision or their goodness outweighs the bad they have done. But the bible says something different- it says that none are good, that we all fall short of the glory of God and that we are destined to an eternal hell or the second death. We have no hope in and of ourselves. Our "goodness" is measured against the Perfect Lamb, Jesus Christ. On judgment day we will stand before God and have to tell where our hope lies. It will either be in our own "goodness", with hopes that we somehow did enough good in our lifetime to merit eternal life or it will lie solely on Jesus for His sacrifice and His redemptive work on the cross as the Spotless Lamb.

See, we all will go to heaven when we die, but we will all not stay there. On the day of judgment many will stand before the Holy God and proclaim their goodness, saying they healed the sick, done good their whole life, even cast out demons in the Name of Christ. Will that matter? No. Will someones profession that they believed in God be enough? No, even the demons believe and they are smart enough to tremble where they stand. Will feeding the poor trump the lies you told to your parents? Or will giving $5.00 to the Salvation Army take precedence over lying on your taxes? Not at all. If you have told one lie you are under the judgment of God. Saying everyone has lied will not be an excuse, because it will be you and you alone before the Judge.

If you have broken even one single commandment you are doomed, there is no hope in and of yourself. Romans 3:20 says there is none righteous, not even you. Then in Romans 6:23 it says the wages of sin is death, or you are buying your own ticket to hell with your sins against God. But there is hope, a free gift, the gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ. He came to take away the sins of the world, if one would simply trust in Him, believe his Word and repent of their sins, placing all faith and hope in Him for everything. In other words, instead of paying your own way to hell, you can have a free gift to eternal life with God.

Sounds like a no brainer to me. But so many are also deceived by a false gospel these days. So many are influenced by a very man centered message that demands nothing but a "decision" to be made. Men declare other men saved instead of pointing them to scripture to see what God says about that. After the "decide" then they are back to their sin filled lives focused squarely on themselves, thinking nothing of God unless they need something. They may even rededicate themselves to God if they happen upon a good sermon or are in some kind of great need at a moment in their lives - financial needs, marriage issues, addictions, jail time, etc. Then it is right back to the same old purchasing of their eternal ticket in hell. No remorse, no grief over their sins against God, just a whole lot of "me, me, me" and none of God until they are in need of something once again. I know, I was there for 30 years of my life, saying the damning "sinner's prayer" countless times through my life.

How many times have you said that prayer, hoping it would stick this time? How many times you you ask for forgiveness for the same old sins? Daily? Have you ever repented, not just say you are sorry, but turn from your sins to God and lay your life at His feet for His will to be done? Are you your own or are you God's? When you think about eternal life in heaven does it seem boring to you? Do you still focus on what you will be doing to make you happy for eternity? If yes, then you have some issues to work out. I have heard it said that everyone wants to go to heaven, they just don't want God there when they get her. And I would say that is fairly accurate. Most people just want a reunion with their loved ones, be able to eat as much as they want in their glorified bodies, play golf every day, go fishing every day or do whatever else their self centered minds love more than God here on this fallen Earth. They think nothing of Jesus who will be there to tell us of His love for us. They think nothing of sitting at His feet as He tells us the secrets of scripture that we all got wrong. Nothing about God, except as a divine butler to wait on their every want and need for eternity. How twisted is that?

With every post I make on this little ol' blog, I pray that someone will come across it and God will use it to open someones heart to hear His truth. I desire to see my Lord high and lifted up. Am I perfect? Not even close, but my faith is in the One that is Perfect and I want to share that with you all. I want everyone to know the richness of God's grace and love toward them. I have no hidden agenda, I don't want anyone's money or for them to attend a certain church - I am in it for God's glory. May He use this small blog to reach even one person to pour His glory on. Who knows who might be lead here? I may never know this side of heaven, but I know one day Jesus will tell me. If He has been glorified, then I have done what should come natural to any born again believer - I have sown the seeds of God's Word so that He may water and bring forth fruit - to His glory.

Day 80: Coexist? Can You Say Universalism?

Oh my. Thought I had seen all of the "Coexist" types of bumper stickers. I was wrong. Here is the newest, at least to my eyes, on the market. It says "respect" if you can't make it out. Also on this car is the ever popular and aforementioned "Coexist" sticker. At least the "respect" sticker doesn't have any Christian imagery.

I addressed the "coexist" thing a while back in a posting about the rock group U2 and so many people's claims of them being Christians. Uh, not. At least unless they have recently repented of the Universalism and all inclusive "all roads lead to God" rhetoric. Since that posting I have seen a "Coexist" brand of bed linen at the local KMART and Sears stores. The logo of this, however, also does not include any Christian images. The place of the cross in the original coexist logo has been taken by what looks like a glove or some kind of monster.

Many people now do not see anything at all wrong with this type of thing. Many professing Christians will tell you that other roads lead to the True God as well. This in direct contradiction to Jesus' Words in John 14:6 "No one comes to the Father except through me". I think that is really cut and dry. Some prominent preachers also have said that other religions would be saved. Joel Osteen and Billy Graham have both said that other religions followers would be in heaven.

Christianity is a very narrow road. There are many that think they are on it because they simply said a prayer or believe the facts about Jesus. A relationship is non existent and not wanted. They are perfectly content of having their "ticket" to heaven as long as they don't have to give up any of their sins during this life. They grasp at straws and redefine Christianity with their morals and standards instead of the One that set the standards. Oh lost and deceived people they are. In their deception and self righteousness they deny God and will fight tooth and nail with you about their having "taken care of it already". These are the the most lost of the lost, because they have a form of godliness, but not true Christianity. An atheist that totally forsakes God is more accepting of the true message of the Bible than these poor souls.

They really need prayer. These people are your friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances. You talk to them every day. Pray that God will give you the opportunity to share with them, to till the ground and sow the seeds of God's Word in their hearts. They need to hear the truth, at any costs. I think this is what was meant by dying to yourself, denying yourself and sharing the Word. It should be a desire to share the truth of God's Word to those you know and love. You want them saved, right? This should be the top priority of your conversations with them. Pray for opportunity, pray for strength and pray that God uses you to reach them in their lost state.

Day 77: You Say Caffe' I say Cafe'

Walking through the local clearance store, Surplus City, I saw this piece on a shelf. My first thought "Ha, ha - they misspelled cafe'", then the second thought was "I guess that's why it's in Surplus City". Well, the jokes on me. I was incorrect and caffe' is the Italian word for coffee. Even though my spell-check is saying that it is a misspelled word it has been trumped by the online definition. I also learned that the word is likely from the region Kaffa in Ethiopia where coffee originated.

So, I can still learn a thing or two when I am wrong. And yes, I can admit when I am wrong. What happened when I discovered I was wrong? I first thought, "This can't be my picture of the day now, I'd better find something else in a hurry." Then my ego had a second thought, yes I need to show that I can be incorrect and learn from that. So there, I was wrong, but I learned from the experience and moved on, having a new bit of knowledge. Useless knowledge, albeit, but new knowledge.

I had to humble myself about 4 years ago to, when God showed me that I had been dangerously incorrect about my salvation. I had always banked on my experience at 8 years old, the preacher doing all of the talking and me doing a lot of head nodding. I didn't even know what sin was at 8, but I did get very good at it a little later in life. I always looked back at that moment as when I got saved, but all I wanted was to be saved from hell because I had heard a scary story about burning in a lake of fire forever. That is part of salvation, but should not be the focal point of salvation.

Christ is the focus of salvation, the cross the centrality, His sacrifice, His goodness, His righteousness, bestowed on me. I do deserve hell for how I did view myself in my sins. I was a good guy in the eyes of the world, and a super guy in my own eyes. I did do some bad stuff here and there, but I was nothing like those other guys that did much worse than I was doing. I was doing okay. That is okay for the next 30 years, mired in the filth of my sin but then God stepped in and opened my eyes to my true state. I had created a god of my own that was more of a senile old man that said "That's okay Jeff, I forgive you, you said the prayer, you took care of it when you were 8." And so goes many other people through life, looking to a moment in time to define their salvation. But true salvation is from far more than just the flames of hell. It is salvation from a sinful life that does not glorify God, it is a life of praise to God, a life of thanks to God, a life of sharing the gospel with others, a life in full submission to Him, His slave because He purchased us with the greatest price.

No where in scripture is salvation talked about in a past tense. Not that you gain salvation through your life, but that we are saved daily by God to walk the path He lays before us. Paul said it like this in 1 Cor. 1:18 "but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" and then again in 2 Cor. 2:15 " For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." We are continually being saved from hell, from our own sinful desires and from, most of all, denying God in our actions, words and choices. We are being saved from us.

Are you being saved? Do you point to a single moment in time that bares nothing on your eternity? Does a fleeting profession define your salvation or does a life lived dedicated to God? Does living for God come natural to you or is it a burden? Do you think of Christianity as "a lot of rules you have to follow" and burdensome? Is it a joy to fellowship with others or is attending church "optional" in your eyes? Are you being saved daily? Are you repentant about your sins? Is your life a steady climb towards Christ-likeness? If you could still go to heaven without attending one more church service, reading one more verse or saying one more prayer - would you be content with that? Most people really want to go to heaven, they just don't want God to be there when they get there. They want an eternity of living as free as they can, doing what will make them happy and most of all not being in the alternative place. That's all it is, a salvation from from torment. Is that true salvation? Wipe the dust off of your bible and dig in deep to see.

Day 69: The Savings Place

Oh Wal Mart, you are the savings place. Well, you are the convenience place, that is for sure. My hometown of Paducah has 2 Supercenters, which was once unheard of. From different stories I have heard that our mall are Wal-Mart was once the top grossing Wal-Mart of the entire business. The second location is said the consistently be in the top 10 in sales as well. Is that true? I have no idea. It might be just rumors that circulate through a small-ish town, but I would welcome anything concrete if anyone knows the facts.

This does remind me that most people take almost anything they hear as fact. They do not discern that it could be false, they do not look into it, they just take it at face value and run with it. This often times happens at church buildings across the world. There is something that sounds like Christianity being proclaimed, same words, same characters, but something so very different. That difference is the man-centered message that has permeated our world.

THis message puts man at the center of salvation, instead of God. It boils down to a "decision" or someone doing something to gain salvation. A works based religion that has the same lingo of biblical Christianity, but is oh so different and oh so dangerous. I am not referring to Mormons or those fringe, radical poison drinking - snake dancing groups. I am talking about the majority of churches today. They preach a message that says that "accepting" Jesus will get you to heaven. That all you have to do is walk the aisle, say a prayer and BAM - you're in. Nothing else to do, you don't even have to go to church, but asking forgiveness is highly suggested because you might lose some of your rewards in heaven. There is no talk of holiness, repentance or living a life that glorifies God.

What a dangerous state this is. This is the apostate church that relies on its goodness and morality to work its way to heaven. The pews are filled with professing Christians that care nothing about being at a church, nothing about God, but yet really want to go to heaven. Why? Probably because the alternative is not very pleasant. They really do want to go to heaven, get all their rewards, talk to all of their past relatives and friends, eat whatever they want, not have any aches or pains, never be sick, never get old. But what is missing in their view of heaven and eternity? Well, the most important reason to go to heaven is God. AS a matter of fact He is the ONLY REASON to go to heaven. Eternity with the Creator. Countless hours at the feet of Jesus praising His Name and trying to discern how He chose to die for you. A far cry from the false converts view of heaven.

These false converts are in much need for prayer. I was one for 30 years, until God saved me from my sins, my sinful lifestyle and from Hell. But most of all He adopted me as His son, so I can be joint-heirs with Christ. I am a son of God and He is my Father. I pray that He sends His Spirit one more time to save many souls, false converts and all, for His glory.

Day 44: On The Road Again

Seems like we take a little day trip every weekend. I guess it's to just get away from the sprawling Metropolis that Paducah is. Well, not really that reason, but it is refreshing to just take a little drive an hour or so away, have lunch, do a little shopping (tax free in Illinois today) and come back home. A not so expensive outing that everyone can participate in and no one get hurt.

We were in Carbondale again today. We stopped at a used book store called the Bookworm. This store has one of the most diverse and largest inventories of used books I have seen. It is also home to a rather over sized cat named Casper, who pretty much runs the place.

Most of the books are older, some newer. I imagined today, while looking over the "religion" section of whose hands held these books and read their pages. Were they deep theologians, someone taking a class at SIU-C and doing their required reading or just a regular person like me, who wants to read to get a better understanding of the character of God. I deduced that it was probably a cross section of all mentioned and then some. I did see a few copies of "Purpose Driven Life" from Rick Warren, that I assumed were read by someone that were looking for a way to be more pleasing to God. Me, not a fan of Warren or his methods and would rank him with other pragmatists whose "purpose" is to lead astray those that are either still young in the faith or just beginning to have curiosities peck at them.

I did not find any John MacArthur or John Piper books, nor any on or about Spurgeon or other faithful proclaimers of God's Word. There were other religions present in the religion section, but in a college town I am sure that their are many different religions present and available.

On a side note, I did see the "thriller" section and thought of Michael Jackson. I did a little thinking about him for a few steps, thinking about his trying to be accepted by others, his plastic surgeries, "alleged" small boy complaints and his religions of choice - his parents raised the Jacksons as Jehovah Witnesses which he renounced around his Thriller days. He later had a stint with the Muslim religion when his brother Jermaine was converting and also sported a red yarn bracelet symbolizing Kaballah. Just avery twisted process by a twisted man in need of a Savior.

Truth be told, without the grace of God I could have been a Jehovah Witness, Muslim, Mormon or any other false religion. I actually was for part of the most deceived religion in the world, the one that are probably the hardest to witness to - the false convert Christian. Seems like everyone around here is a "Christian", but no one seems to know what that entails. They know they were lead in a prayer or had some kind of crying/ emotional experience, but they know nothing of Jesus Christ. They want nothing to do with holiness and are quite comfortable thinking they have their ticket to heaven and an inexhaustible ticket to sin. As long as they say "sorry about that", they are fine and still on their way to heaven. It is a very sad reality that most of these souls are on their way to hell.

Deception is rampant. What better lie to use by Satan than one that uses supposed men of God to proclaim? Sunday after Sunday false prophets stand in pulpits across the globe and proclaim that all you must do is make a decision for Christ, then *BAM* you're in. Nothing about the sacrifice of Christ, the punishment of their sins being poured out by the Father on His Son, nothing of the wrath of God that hangs over their heads, nothing of repentance and a true turning to God, nothing of the grace God can bestow on them or the completely vile person they are in the sight of God. The message that is proclaimed is very different than that proclaimed by Christ, Himself, and the Apostles. Galatians 1:8 says that if anyone proclaims another gospel that they are cursed. That means the majority of those standing in pulpits across the globe are apostate, false prophets and are cursed. Pray for them. They need the One that can intervene and glorify Himself through their true conversion, the humble display that they have been wrong and a call to repentance.

A Year In My Life Through Pictures Day 9

Today's photo is of the building that once housed the S.S. Kresge store. My mother worked there when I was a child, although I can't remember the exact years I do remember I was around the 6-10 year old range over her time there.

I remember back then my father would take my brother and I with him to pick my mom up from work. We would leave a little early so we could go to the dining area/ lunch counter for dinner. I can distinctly remember a cutout sign of Dagwood promoting the sandwich that bares his name, but not much else about the interior of the store.

I do remember when school was called off for a snow day we would have to go to work with my mom. Usually they would let us go upstairs in the stock area and just play around. My brother, being the entrepreneur he is, would bring his snow shovel and make some cold cash shoveling snow off the sidewalks for close by businesses.

This is significant because this time frame was when I said "the prayer" to be saved. I was around 8 years old and on an excursion with the youth group at my former church. The exacts I can't quite remember, but I do remember crying my eyes out, not wanting to go to hell and not being able to say anything. The gentleman that led me through "the prayer" said it for me and just asked me to nod my head if it was what I wanted to say.

Fast forward to my 14th year of life. I was introduced to some pretty life changing things..... at church camp of all places. A fellow there was really cool to me and he took me under his wing. He also let me have his cassette player and introduced me to Ozzy Osborne, while at church camp. After church camp he continued to introduce me to other "friends" of his, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Iron Maiden, Rush, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Mary Jane and Bud Weiser. All became very good friends of mine, very quickly. This is also when I began smoking, which lasted for 24 years.

Now, I had said "the prayer" when I was 8, so I was all set with that. It was done and over with, so I had nothing to worry about. I could do whatever I wanted as long as I asked for forgiveness. I did, every night, except the ones I passed out drunk on before I could ask for forgiveness. And so it went for 24 more year, a total of 30 years from when I said "the prayer".

Then something started happening. Things started to come to my attention. I started seeing my sins differently for some reason. I was starting to feel really bad about things I was doing and things I had done my whole life. My 400+ CD collection went in boxes, the smoking habit of 24 years disappeared, another addiction to nose spray was gone and I was feeling less and less good about all of my goodness. I was feeling, well, wretched.

This is the time that God truly saved me from my sins. I was that new creation talked about in 2 Corinthians 5, my desires were changing, all of me was changing. God put some solid biblical teachings in my path at that same time, Ray Comfort, Paul Washer and John Macarthur became my pastors even though I was attending the church of my youth once again. I was seeing things that did not align with what I was reading in scripture and to what I was hearing preached to me. That is the time frame that I got increasingly agitated at that "church". If you go way back to my very first post on this blog it picks up about the same time I left that church. It was about a year or better process of leaving it after the scaled fell off my eyes.

God used my childhood upbringing and teachings in that church to show me how countless millions are being deceived. Not just at the church, but thousands across the United States and across the globe. That is a fire that God put under my feet to move me to compassion for those dear souls that are being lied to and pandered to. The ones that are just like I was for 30 years, sitting in a pew Sunday morning but living like hell the other 167 hours of the week. My heart bleeds for those people, but their deception runs deep.

Please pray for those millions of people being deceived. The ones being told that all you have to do is "make a decision", "say this prayer" or "just nod your head if you agree". Pray that God will take the scales from their eyes too, so they can see Him in all His glory and not cheapened by their false and man centered nonsense.

My Birthday, The Past 42 Years, The Next 365 Days

Today I celebrate my 42nd year of life. Actually I didn’t have much to do with it, my mom should be the one to be congratulated as she gave birth to my 8.9 lb of babyness.

The Lord has richly blessed me over the years. Even through my childhood years, young adult life and up until my conversion at 38 years old, He has been good to me. I was a false convert for 30 year of my life. Beginning at the age of 8 I put my hopes of salvation in a prayer of a child and in the words of a man’s assurance that I had taken care of it. But, praise be to God that He showed me the errors of what had been instilled in me.

I was brought up to believe that just saying a prayer was all that was needed to be saved. Actually, it is a lot more simpler than a prayer, it just takes trust in the Word of God to be truth. In that trust is found the repentance of ones sins, not just a momentary feeling of sorrow, but a real feeling of hatred for your sins against a Holy God. I never felt that, I never had that from the age of 8 up until the age of 38. I based my salvation on a fleeting moment of time as a child that didn’t even really know what sin was. But for the next 30 years I really delved into it and learned sin very well. All the time professing to know Jesus as my savior because I took care of it when I was younger. Never did I have someone tell me I needed to examine myself to see if I was in the faith. Never did I have someone tell me my sinful lifestyle was in direct opposition to what the bible describes a believer’s life to be.

Thank God that He saw ft to remove the scales from my eyes. After 30 years of asking God to forgive me of my sins when I went to bed, He finally did forgive me. He finally showed me my sins as they appear to Him. He showed me why His Son was put on the cross. He showed me that I was deceived by some very convincing lies, twisting of scriptures and vain words of men. He saved me. Something that I tried to do for 30 years by being “good” to others, not saying too harsh of curse words, not killing anyone, not lying (too much anyway). He convicted me of my sins and broke me and through His grace saved me.

Now my heart bleeds for those that are in the condition I was in. I had returned to my childhood church for a year or so and saw the same things playing out with the children there as they did with me. False assurances spewed from the preachers mouth, pats on the back as associate pastors gave comfort to those that were feeling conviction only to be pulled away from that conviction with, “Bubby, you know you’re all right. You just gotta get yourself right again, give your heart back to God and stop sinning’.”

Oh, how do we open the eyes of these poor, deceived souls? Short answer, we can’t. All we can do is sow the seeds of the True Gospel of Christ. We pour our hearts out to the Father to be merciful to these people that are living in deceptions, sitting in the pews Sunday after Sunday after being in the bars Saturday after Saturday. The one’s that are living in sin with their girlfriend or boyfriend, seeing nothing wrong with their choice to go against God’s Word. We must cry out to God to pull the scales from these peoples eyes as well. He did it for me, so why wouldn’t He do it for someone else? Someone was praying for my salvation and I may never know whom until I meet them in heaven one day. But someone did pray for me, someone did see my deceived mentality and they loved me and prayed for God to save me….. and He did.

Beginning today I am also going to start a series that I hope to update on a daily basis. I am going to call it “A Year In My Life Through Pictures”. I hope to post one photo per day of something that has touched me during the day. It may be something small and seemingly meaningless or something large like the birth of a child. The guidelines I want to use are: 1. The photo must be taken the day of its entry 2. The photo must contain a description of why I took it and what the photo means to me 3. I won’t try to get all “artsy” in taking pictures, just simple snapshots maybe even taken from my cell phone most days 4. Tell of how God used the subject in the photo to speak to me.

Fairly simple rules to go by. I am sure that it will be quite boring to some along the next 365 days, but I pray that it might be used to show that sometimes what we perceive as small or simple can and is used by God to accomplish something we may never realize without stopping to see the forest beyond the trees. I will post my first photo this evening, after the day has mostly passed because I want to take this day a little slower and reflect on God’s mercies and see what He places in my path this day.

Craig Groeschel's "The Christian Atheist" review (Kinda)

I did it. I finished the book “The Christian Atheist:Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist”. I actually finished it in fairly decent timing for me, 9 days. I am not the most avid of readers and another thing I am not is a book critic, but one of the main reasons I chose to read this was for that very reason, there were no reviews. Tim Challies, you have nothing to worry about from me. I can barely put 2 words together to make a thought, much less pass an adequate understanding of a book along to others.

This book piqued my curiosity. Its title caught me off guard one day, with the thought “Hey, that’s not even possible!” I even commented on a friend’s wall post (see earlier blog) on facebook and had a “conversation” as to the meaning of the book.

Before reading the book, my number 1 gripe with the book was the title. “The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist”. To me, before even reading the book its title alone was blasphemy. You can’t take the word Christian and tack the word atheist onto it to describe a person’s belief structure. Like I said, that was before I read the book. Now, after reading the book, I still say the same thing. The title is blasphemy through and through. So much that when I was reading he book, as I took notes I had to abbreviate it CA because I couldn’t bring myself to even write it down.

I want to first contrast the term “Christian Atheist” with another term “Skydiving atheist”. Not that the skydiver doesn’t believe in God, he doesn’t believe in parachutes. He has decided that he is ready to take up skydiving, he goes to a land school where they teach him all the terms, safety aspects, altitude dangers, etc. but most important, they teach him about his parachute. Without his parachute he will plummet to the ground, nothing to slow his fall and ease him softly to the ground he would end up a pile of broken bones and flesh. So, the new skydiver packs into the airplane so very excited at his first jump. The whole class is with him and he volunteers to go last, so he can take part in the others experience as they yell going out of the door. Finally it is his turn, he gets to the door and the instructor says, “Wait a minute. Where’s your chute? You’ll never make it without your chute.”
The newest skydiver looks steadfastly at the instructor and says, “Sir, I have listened to you for a week tell me the ups and downs of parachuting. I can recite everything in my sleep. I know it so well, I don’t need my chute. I believe that it can benefit me, but I definitely do not need it. Seeeee yaaaaaaa!” As he jumps from the plane.
No need to say what happened to him. Splat is the only word needed. But he believed in the chute. Isn’t that enough? Not at all. He did not put his faith in the parachute.

So, why can a story like that sound so ludicrous but not the picture that Groeschel paints? How can someone truly believe in Jesus, the Son of God, but yet not live like it? It is an oxymoron, it is not possible. To believe in God and the atonement of Jesus on the cross for sins is not a pick and choose kind of thing.

Now that I vented somewhat, I will actually say a little about what Groeschel has to say in the book. Actually I do not have many issues in what the book does say as much as the issues in what it doesn’t say. As I mentioned, the title itself is very offensive and blasphemous, the term “Christian atheist” used by Groeschel should actually be “professing Christian” and is what I used when reading the book. Professing Christian is exactly what the author is portraying in this book, someone who believes in the facts of God, but still lives like there is no God. This, my friend, is not a “Christian atheist” but a lost person.

Groeschel puts into 21st Century wording what most easy believism church pastors and evangelists have been saying all along. Another word that could is used interchangeably with Groeschel’s term is “backslider”. These terms and false theologies are very damning and are sending many to hell. At their core is the mentality that since you have “taken care” of your salvation you are free to do what you want, your sins are forgiven anyway, so you might as well keep on sinning. This, of course, is a far cry from the repentance and faith demanded by scripture.

Groeschel’s personal biography plays into the book from cover to cover. He is very free with his life story, which I applaud. He recounts a VBS story about being told to raise your hand then into mid teen years conversation with a pastor who pretty much told him to just do good things, stay away from evil and that’ll get you to heaven. After this his college days are talked about, when he started actually realizing something wasn’t aligning, that something was missing in his relationship with God. That “thing” actually was God that was missing. His “conversion” happened on a softball field where he fell down and cried out to God “take my life”, which I will not knock, it’s not the words one says, it is the heart condition that reveals if the conversion was true.

The years tick by, Groeschel becomes a pastor and gets wrapped up in his ministry. In fact his ministry actually is his god as he tried to “collect converts like Michaels Phelps collected gold metals”. Sadly, this too is the mentality of most pastors and evangelists today. It is more about the numbers than it is about proclaiming the truth of God’s Word.

I will not pick the book apart piece by piece, even though it is warranted to do so as Groeschel is supposedly relaying God’s Word to others. To sum the book up, it is basically the pats on the back self serving pastors give to the teenage boy that is standing in their office, wondering if they are actually saved or not. With 240 pages Craig Groeschel reaffirms the reader that they are okay after all, that it’s o.k. to not believe in God to the extent scripture dictates. The non – “Christian atheist” Christianity that Groeshel describes is a works based righteousness as well.

The Emergent theology is apparent in the closing chapters as Groeshel talks about a social gospel. Just do good to people and show them Jesus, preach the gospel and use words if necessary kind of philosophy is prevalent in his words. Of course he lists some of his accomplishments and how his church changed peoples lives, what his church did for those in his communities. Don’t get me wrong, these are good things, but without the gospel they are just good deeds done by some good people. One not need to be a Christian to do good in their community and any good done should be capped off with why that good was done in the first place. This is what Jesus and His disciples did. They gathered groups of hungry people, fed them all then proclaimed the truth of the gospel of Christ. They did not waste an attentive crowd to let it be known that these 13 men fed us and then left. Those that got fed also got a big dose of truth. Jesus never left a sinner without letting them know their sinful state and telling them to sin no more. Some even went away sad, some never got it like the Pharisees, but they always got the truth of the Word.

In that is our command, to spread the seed of the Gospel of Christ. Sadly, this book does not do that and only adds more to the arsenal of the lost, professing Christian/ false convert. The bit of truth that shines through in Groeschel’s words on page 233, “God created me in my image. I returned the favor and created Him in mine”. But he never tells of his repentance to that fact, never tells of the True God of scripture. What he does do is set a 3-line division between levels of Christianity. The first line believers “believe just enough to be saved”, but still love the world, still live a worldly life. The second line “Christian” have a little change, but do just enough to benefit and give a little back, as long as it doesn’t cost too much. The third line “Christian” are the ones that believe enough to give your life to “it” (Christ). He does say that the first 2 lines do not really seem like real Christianity to him anymore, but does not give a call to those still living there to repent and believe as commanded.

So it is not really what Groeschel says is any different than any other “pastor” out there. It is what he and the other do not say. They do not give a true account on what the bible says a true believer does, the evidences that a true believer will have (fruit) and that his 3rd line Christian is the only true Christian. He sidesteps the answer and says “they don’t seem to be” to him, not that they really need to examine themselves to see that they are in the faith. A person with the readership of Groeschel should be taking the opportunity to sow the seeds of the Word in his reader’s hearts and minds. He has done a dis-service to his readers and taken them to a comfortable level again, they are still lost, they are still comfortable with being false converts, still living in sin and still not concerned. They have their “ticket” to heaven and are going to live like hell on this earth. They now have one more catchphrase to use to describe themselves - adding to nominal Christian, worldly Christian, carnal Christian and the ever popular backslider. The term “Christian atheist” is an abomination and blasphemy. To mix the Holy Name of Christ with the term that is blatant disregard of Him is worthy of damnation.

I pray that Craig Groeschel will one day repent of making up this term. I pray that God uses this book to actually save souls, after Groeschel rebuts it for being forgiving of the unforgiven. Any book that invokes the Name of Christ and does not adequately portray Him is very dangerous. I recommend this book only to those that need to see the mentality of professing Christianity today. If you think yourself to be a “Christian atheist” then you are lost. You need to repent of your sins and believe in Christ. You need to get out of the church that condones this type of “theology” and into a true Church that leans on the Word of God for everything, that leans on Christ for everything.

I am sorry if you thought you were going to get a real review of this book. I am not a reviewer and I am not much of a writer. What I am is someone that loves the Lord and what He has done for me. I do not profess anything except to be His and be available to be used by Him in whatever ways He sees fit. This “book review” started with a post on Facebook that just gave the title of the book. Following the post was a local “pastors” comments about the book, how he was mentored by Craig Groeschel, etc. I asked a few questions and then realized I was talking about a book that I knew nothing more about than the title and what the dust jacket said. I was commenting about the title and knew I needed to read the book to see if my concerns were warranted or not. They were and so I needed to write a little about the book. I am really concerned with the social gospel that is being portrayed by the likes of Groeschel and the others that seem to be in the Emergent movement. They like to explain what the “Church” needs to do to reach the community, but always seem to leave out telling the true Gospel that Jesus and His disciples preached. They want it to be relational and pragmatic, the ends justify the means mentality. But, the end is more often the pits of hell, as they do not tell of the repenting faith that Jesus spoke of during His earthly ministry. Without that, building houses, cleaning up and painting brothels, helping an old lady across the street are but wood, hay and stubble. They are meaningless.

What Is Your Addiction?

Seems like we’ve got a bit of an epidemic on our hands. David Duchovney, Tiger Woods, Jesse James and now Bruce Springsteen. Anything familiar between these 4 men? These men are claiming to have contracted a newfound condition, which is called sex addiction.

Let me break it down even further and tell you what it is and what it’s not. First I will say that all men are addicted to sex, so yes, it is true these men suffer from the same thing all of us men suffer from. Men are inherently sexually natured, they thrive on it and if not kept in check leads to what these men are currently battling…… divorce. Actually every person ever born is addicted to sin. We can’t get enough of it, that is, unless God changes your sinful nature into a spiritual nature.

I will in no way condone or even give credit for the “sex-rehab: these men are or have already embarked on. These men are sinners against God and against their spouses. What God designed to be a reflection of the marriage between Jesus and His Church has been defiled and these men try to justify what they have done by calling it an addiction. Hogwash! Society now looks to what these men have done with a compassionate heart thinking “poor guys, they can’t help accidentally having sex with all of those women. They are the victims here.”

With the mentality of this being an “addiction” it joins the ranks of alcoholism and overeating. All of these things, if done outside the confines of their design, will bring destruction. Er, uh SIN. Call it what it is people. It is sin against a Holy God and trying to offer a man centered explanation is nothing more than justifying a wicked man. Check out Proverbs 17:5 for what God thinks of those that try to justify a man in sin. But this is just another example of societies downward spiral to destruction.

So, what can we do about this? All we can do is pray for these people, pray that God will be merciful and save them from their sinfulness. I will not entertain what these men claim to believe spiritually, because if it is not God centered it is false. If God was these men’s focus they would not be cheating on their wives and they would not have, to in turn, lie about their condition. I am not going all “Britt Hume” here, but these men need the God of the bible, just as we all did and still do. Outside of the grace of God, we would all be mired in sins trap. Only through the great richness of God’s love has He pulled me from my love of sin and focused me firmly in His Word and in His hands.

I can do nothing good without God’s mercy upon me; I was just as vile as all of these men before God saved me. I may not have ever physically cheated on my wife, but Jesus said that if you even look at a woman to lust after her, you have already committed adultery in your heart. (Matt. 5:28) Ouch. That kinda stings doesn’t it? He got to the heart of the situation, literally. Jesus was saying that your sins are not what people see, they are what is in your heart and mind. What people see are just the outward signs of the internal condition. He again addressed this with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30) but with his love of money. Jesus did not question his assertion that he had kept the whole of the law since childhood, He went straight to the young rulers heart, to his love of money.

Jesus said that your love of even your mother and father must seem like hate compared to your love of Him. (Luke 14:26) Can you say that? Or are the gifts of your family an idol to you? Through Jesus all things were created, so the Father, through the Son, gave everything you have to you. Do you love the gift more than the giver? Do you act like a spoiled kid on Christmas? With a “mine, mine, mine” attitude? Or do you praise God for His goodness to you? Being ever thankful for everything? Praising Him for the food you eat, the water you drink (or diet coke in my case) and everything else? (1 Cor. 10:31). If not, then you may be in the same condition as the rich young ruler. You may have a lot of idols in your life that you love more than God. This could be a sign that you do not truly know God, so I ask that you seek His Word and see that you are His. (2 Cor. 13:5, 2Pet 1:10). Repent and turn to God, seek and you will find Him, ask and it will be given.

Do not allow society to conform your mind to its lies. You must guard against these things and stay focused on the Truth of scripture. If it does not align with scripture it is false, no compromise. Call sin what it is and do not make it shiny call it addiction or anything else. It is sin, pure and simple and God hates it.

I'm a Pharisee? That's Being Awfully Judgmental of You.

Are you a Pharisee? Well, then have you ever been called a Pharisee? I have and it is becoming a more common occurrence. So much that I am in the process of doing a study to see if I actually do have what it takes to be called a Pharisee, in a biblical sense.

I start with Merriam Webster’s definition:
1 capitalized : a member of a Jewish sect of the intertestamental period noted for strict observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on the validity of their own oral traditions concerning the law
2 : a pharisaical person

I can pretty much cross out #2 since I am not #1 either. I am not Jewish, a member of a Jewish sect, do not observe rites of ceremonies of the written law (the Law of Moses and Levitical Laws presumably) and I have no oral tradition concerning the law.

In contrast to this definition, I believe the law is/ was a schoolmaster, or a guide, to Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:24). My biblical understanding is that the law is used to show our need for a Savior, that we are born sinners; wretched at birth and in no way can we keep the standards that the Father set forth.

A further study of the Pharisees that Jesus alluded to will show that they were long winded in their prayers, to show everyone within earshot just how holy they were (or thought they were). So, that disqualifies me as well. I think of myself as nothing close to holy, nothing close to long winded, even quite timid in my prayers and to the point. My reliance is on God’s searching and guiding of my heart and my prayer and not on my vain words.

Next would be the Pharisee’s insistence on a strict tithe. I will admit I do not tithe 10%. I actually do not tithe at all. The tithe was yet another system that the Pharisee used to show everyone else how Godly they thought they were. I give back to God what He has entrusted to me, an offering. I would ask that you check out the sermon series on stewardship at Real Truth Matters. This is a very enlightening series on all aspects of giving, notably the false thoughts on tithing. They are not within the New Covenant, check out the rest for yourself. The Pharisee’s tithes went right along with the long prayers, an outward sign that they thought showed they were righteous. Matt 23:5, 13-33, Luke 18:9-14, Matt 9:11. They even weighed out their herb gardens to give 10% of the herbs.

One of the major things the Pharisee’s were known for was their hatred for Jesus. They called for His murder even. Jesus characterized this in Matthew 15:7-9. This is a biggie for me, because I am not capable of hating Jesus. He is my Savior, He is my Everything. He gave all for me, His sinless life to hang on a cross to atone for my sins. So, I could never hate the one that died for me, that I may live. So that was in a big N-O.

So those are the biggest things that Pharisees were known for, the most notable. I will not make a long list for space constraints. Then why am I called a Pharisee? I would have to assume that it is because I hold dear the truths of scripture. I believe that the Lord demands holiness, that His Word is the authority and not personal experience or revelation. There are many truths in scripture that have been deviated from over the past 100 – 150 years. This can be characterized as the “America Gospel”, “Easy Believism” or just a blatant disregard for biblical and historical Christianity. Most notably of late, the denying of he Holy Trinity.

On my facebook wall I recently posted that Philips, Craig and Dean were Modalists and that anyone that were fans of their song “Revelation Song” might want to listen to Kari Jobe’s version instead. I did this after reading an article about PCD’s recent nominations for Dove Awards and mainstream acceptance. To me this is very dangerous, as it should be any Christian. Their false religion denies the Triune nature of God, effectively creating a different god. I was then called judgmental and later I believe a post was put up quoting Matthew 23:13-15 directed at me.

So why are people being called Pharisee’s today? Myself included. This is because the modern definition of Pharisee seems to be simply a hypocrite. The definition of hypocrite is a person that puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion. My life is an open book, I do not parade around saying or believing that I am a “Holier than thou” person. I love my Lord and out of that love He so graciously allows me to have I serve Him and strive to me more like Him daily. This is called sanctification, a term that is not used very much by the modern churches.


So, if this is what they mean by Pharisee (which would negate their quoting of Jesus’ Words in scripture, since they are using it out of context) then I am still not guilty. But, in effect, these people are doing exactly what they are accusing me of. Being judgmental. They expect that anyone that profess’ the Name of Jesus to be of His flock. They say “judge not, lest ye be judged” which too is ripped out of context. We are commanded to judge and hold true to God’s Word. We are told to not be gullible and have itching ears, to not cast pearl before swine or give what is Holy to dogs. How are we to do that if we are not judging and discerning how people’s “professions” of faith in God truly line up with what a true follower of Christ is biblically?

Most people these days that question anyone’s profession, an errant religion, even a blatantly unbiblical religion such as Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses or Modalists, are automatically labeled as Pharisaical. This also happened to me when Todd Bentley was at his peak. I went to the chat room of his website during the Lakeland debacle. I simply asked “How can I be saved” once. Then again, and again, and again. For several minutes I did this, hoping that someone would acknowledge me and give me some scripture reference. I received nothing. Not a hello, not anything. I guess it could have been my requests were being hidden by the flurry of praises to Bentley. But then I posted something else:
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
I posted the Word of God and was immediately rebuked as a Pharisee, told to get off the board and was even blocked by the webmaster who was keeping tabs on the chat board. Many were deceived, many were lied to, many still believe Bentley is a man of God, even after his adulterous relationship, alcohol abuse, knee’s to the stomachs and baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Bam. It’s as if people want to be deceived, like they have itching ears. Any call to discern is met with a cry of “judge not” and being called a Pharisee.

So, if me being called a Pharisee means: One that discerns, calls for discernment, calls for biblical doctrines to be followed and believed, then yes I guess I am a Pharisee in those terms. But I am definitely not what Jesus faced and I am definitely not what Saul of Tarsus was. I could never even remember all those laws, much less follow them and consider myself blameless like the rich young ruler. I am wretched and vile and the only good in me is what my Lord affords. He saved me; He became my master and I His slave. I was born in sin, lived in sin and only have life through Him and His blood that was shed for me on Calvary. A wrong view of Him, His character, His holiness, His attributes, His omnipotence and His awesomeness is idolatry. If someone has made a god to fit their lifestyle, that overlooks sin, turns a blind eye to fornication, drunkenness, lying, stealing or hate is on the road to hell. These are the one’s that Jesus references in Matthew 7 that will be saying “Lord, Lord” that He never knew. These poor souls are deceived and need the Truth and do not need to be lulled into a falseness that is damning them. They need to know who the God of scripture is and what the bible says true salvation is. They must repent of their vileness; they must turn from their sin and to a Holy God and trust in Him only. Not trust in their profession or their prayer to save them. Only God saves. Only God can give life, physical and spiritual.

So if you call people Pharisee’s do your own study of what a real Pharisee is. Do the same if you pull the hypocrite card out as well. Do not use it as a last resort when God’s Word has proved you wrong. Do not be lumped in with the charlatans on TV that blaspheme God’s Name in the real name of greed. These false prophets are dragging millions to a fiery hell with them. Cry out to God for discernment and to open your eyes. If you are sincere He will answer, He will not turn away those that truly seek Him. Drop to your knees right now and cry out to Him.