Thu, Nov 30th - 11:46AM

Discipleship?

What is a Disciple?

The disciple is not above [his] master, nor the servant above his lord.  Matt. 10:24

          One of the newer writers on our web site here posted an interesting statement on her first (or second) log.  She mentioned how she admired the Christians in China.  She didn’t elaborate much, but I’m sure that the rest of us caught on to her impression that probably we all share about these dear, persecuted saints in that land oppressed by a wicked, tyrannical government.  Interesting also, is the fact that we Americans buy most of our junk (a great variety of our consumer products) from that country.  There is this common notion that Christians in that country, as well as in the many other countries where Christianity is suppressed and Christ’s followers are persecuted outwardly, that perhaps those Christians are more authentic in their religion.  I tend to agree with that assumption, but refuse to allow it to control or influence my understanding of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  What I mean is that, while the New Testament clearly teaches that all true followers of Christ will suffer persecution (2Tim. 3:12), one does not need to live a country such as China to be a genuine Christian.  Nor is it true that a Christian living in such a country is any more authentic (sincere, obedient, true to his Lord) than one who lives in a relatively free country such as ours.  My feelings toward the Chinese Christians is one of compassion because of their persecution, and for many of them admiration because they are willing to persevere in their worship and service to Christ despite this persecution.  However, there certainly must be secret believers there for fear of the persecution, and, also false believers, who perhaps lead and participate in the government sanctioned churches.  There are also, undoubtedly cowardly believers and lazy, self-consumed believers as abound here in America, although I admit it must be harder to be that kind of a Christian in an oppressive place like China.

          The dear lady who made the comment I refer to concerning Chinese Christians seemed to be asking the same question I am asking here:  “What actually is a disciple of Jesus?  What characterizes such a person?”  The Lord Jesus and the writers of the New Testament didn’t cater to the curiosity of idle readers by giving technical, dictionary definitions of spiritual truths and concepts.  I say this, notwithstanding the fact that Paul presented a very detailed and intelligent argument for the Gospel in his epistle to the Romans.  But, for the most part we are left to gaining an inward, heart understanding of God’s truths and His grace toward us that isn’t always easily defined with words.  Maybe that’s why there are so many interpretations of the Bible and the many ideas it presents.  Certainly the words of Scripture must be sealed upon the heart of a willing vessel in order for their true meaning to be imparted, and for a genuine change to take place in that heart and life.

          So, what is a disciple?  I hope you don’t want me to try to spell it out for you here in these few lines.  You have the Word and (hopefully) the Spirit of God.  You know as much as I do.  Go find out for yourself.  Take up the cross, deny yourself, give up all that you hold dear and surrender all to Him.  Then let Him graciously lead you in the way and on the way to His heavenly kingdom.  You’ll learn how different His ways and thoughts are than your own.  You’ll be surprised, and jolted, and joyed, and gratified and comforted and distressed and a host of other things you never dreamed of.  He’ll make a disciple of you, and in your heart along the way you’ll know that you are one.  And you will thank Him for the marvelous work that He performs in little ol’ you.  Isn’t that good?

Tue, Nov 28th - 8:17PM

Sports Heroes

MILLIONAIRE FOOTBALL GODS  According to USA Today's cover story for November 16 (Million-dollar Coaches Move into Mainstream) the average salary for a Division I-A college football coach in America is almost $1 million per year ($79,000 per game). One coach in Texas makes $4.7 million. These salaries are ten or more times that of a college professor and many times that of a college president. Commenting on the amazing sports frenzy that has permeated the land, sports psychologist Alan Goldberg of the University of Connecticut said: Sports [is] like a religion, and the god of that religion that we all worship is the god of winning (CNSNews.com, August 31, 2001). An extensive survey commissioned in 1983 found that seven in every 10 Americans watches, reads, or talks about sports every day. It was also in 1983 that World Almanac and Book of Facts polled 2,000 8th-grade students to see which persons they most admired. There was not a single name on the list that was not that of an entertainer or a sports figure. In 1982, the famous sports announcer Howard Cosell, while viewing the largest Sunday football game attendance in Texas history, said the Cowboys are more than a football team in Dallas; they are a religion. Indeed, professional football has become a religion all across the world. In the USA the chief god is American football, while in most of the rest of the world it is soccer. A person's god is that which he loves and serves the most. Professional sports is certainly one of the chief idols in the lives of people today, and God hates idolatry. The prophets and apostles of old preached against idolatry, and so should we. What is wrong with professional sports today? It is all about pride, boasting, covetousness, hero worship, superstition, gross commercialization, vain philosophy, gambling, beer drinking, indecent clothing, cursing, rock & roll, and neglecting the house of God, to name just a few of the ungodly things that are intimately associated with professional sports today. When evangelist Billy Sunday turned his back on a successful professional baseball career in 1893, he gave ten reasons for leaving. Reason number two was "Because it develops a spirit of jealousy and selfishness"; one's whole desires are for personal success regardless of what befalls others.

Taken from:(Friday Church News Notes, November 24, 2006, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

Sat, Nov 18th - 12:50PM

Encouragement from the past

Wickedness Defeated

By E. A. Gafford

But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy kingdom.  Heb. 1:8

          Wickedness feels as if it has power to rule if it can get the crowds on its side, but God’s kingdom was upheld when He had only one true Man on His side.  It is not a question as to what wickedness shall do---it has been defeated.  If the whole world is finally deceived, righteousness shall remain.  The One Who loved righteousness and hated iniquity suffered all that opposing power cold raise against Him, but in His suffering He kept Himself committed to God’s righteousness.  He did not choose some way of His own.  All things were committed to Him that He might commit them to God.

          Wickedness thought it could raise its flag of triumph over the grave of God’s Son, but when that grave was empty, its supposed triumph was put to shame.  The full triumph is stated in those words, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.”  And we can be servants to His throne.  God’s voice of authority has never been stilled.  He has spoken in manifold ways, and He has ceased to speak to those who ignored His word, but His word is settled forever.  When He speaks to us by His Son, the power of triumph is in His words.  He has upheld all things on the righteous side “by the word of his power.”  The triumph of His word reaches our need, for He has power to purge sin from our hearts.  That purging leaves the whole man on the side of righteousness.  We can be filled with the Spirit, for the Spirit’s fullness came because the throne of God had power to rule.

          However severe the warfare may seem, the victory has been won on the right side.  No storm or strife shall ever affect God’s throne.  We have our portion of this conflict, but every conflict meets its defeat when the heart has been purged from sin.  The everlasting God, the Almighty, offers Himself to those who choose to be His.  Whether in the path of life there may come prosperity or adversity, whether health or sickness, whether God’s glory is present or if the enemy’s power seems too strong, those who keep themselves committed to God’s throne have sufficient sustaining power.  When the smoke or smog is cleared from earth’s battlefields, the flag of God’s triumph shall be flowing as if no war had been raised against Him.

          Righteousness includes true holiness, for holiness is the perfecting of righteousness.  The purging power of Jesus’ loyalty left no place of the opposite power to rule.  Wickedness tried to rule Him out because He came to rule it out.  He could pass through death, but wickedness cannot.  Jesus’ agreement with the throne of God permitted Him to fill His place on the right hand of the Majesty on High, and when He took His place of authority there, the Holy Spirit came with power to make the heart pure.  The pure heart is a living witness that the throne of God has prevailed over all wickedness.

Taken from "Devotional Readings on the Book of Hebrews," by Edwin A. Gafford.  Printed by Old Paths Tract Society, Shoals, Indiana.  Sentences highlighted in bold type are my emphasis. 

Tue, Nov 14th - 11:46AM

Prophecy to the Wind

New Life or Old Death?

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works [are] truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.  Dan. 4:37

But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:  Dan. 5:20

For the time [is come] that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if [it] first [begin] at us, what shall the end [be] of them that obey not the gospel of God?  1Pet. 4:17

          In the modern, contemporary church sin is no longer sin.  Yes, there is a concept of sin that is, after all in the Bible and cannot be rightly excluded from our vocabulary without actually removing it from the sacred word of God.  But according to many of our present leaders and teachers, we need to bend with the times.  So the concept of sin must retain a place in our collective thinking, but a new “understanding” of it needs to be set forth.  That old, mean, fundamentalist idea that sin is arrogant rebellion against the Author of creation, and has a just reward of vengeance and wrath in the ultimate degree is far too harsh for the present, “sensitive” generation that has sprouted in our modern world.  Hence, the gospel message rooted in such a base concept needs modification and adjustment so as to be properly understood and received by this enlightened world in which we now live.  This new gospel (though we dare not call it new) is undoubtedly the seed planted by a man who, well-meaningly established a work here in Colorado Springs a few short years ago (New Life Church).  Though this work has grown up and has the appearance of a strong and vigorous plant, flourishing and providing food and shade for thousands of hungry and thirsty travelers, its fruit has now exposed its root for all to see.

          Like me, the writer of these words, Ted Haggard, leading Evangelical mega-church pastor has been found out by his sin.  But since sin is no longer sin, in the classic, Biblical, authoritative sense, brother Ted and all of his 14,000 or so disciples cannot receive the classic, Biblical and authoritative remedy for it.  The old prophet spoke so aptly of this new view and its modern remedy when he said,

They have healed also the hurt [of the daughter] of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace.  Jer. 6:14

“Ted Haggard will undergo a complete psychological/sexual evaluation of his personality in the restoration process.” (a condensed facsimile of a quote in the news)  What is really meant by such a statement?  Will Ted and his gracious healers discover the deep, inner secrets of his poor, errant soul?  And then what?  Will we be granted glimpses of his repentance with terse press releases, like “Ted acknowledges a long, buried tendency toward ‘abnormal’ sexual behaviour given vent by his driven personality and desire to meet needs in others.”  (That sounds pretty good.  Maybe I should go into psychology)  Eventually, through forgiveness, and the healing of time and absence, Ted will triumphantly emerge and ascend the pulpit of New Life Church, though never to lead there again, in a grand climax of godly (?), ecclesiastical restoration.  Everyone, except those cynical non-believers, and those few discerning Christians who see the falseness of it all, and the false foundation that this counterfeit gospel has laid from the beginning, will go away feeling a lot better about the whole thing.  And we’ll all (except those discerners) forget and go on to our next fall and injury to the body of Christ and discredit to His cause.  Praise God!  Huh?

          You know, Ted Haggard was absolutely right when he said, “I’ve been a liar and a deceiver.”  The injury to Jesus and to His people wasn’t so much what Haggard did, but the fact, like Bill Clinton that he denied it and kept it a secret for so long until somebody else exposed it.  The essential question that must be asked here is, “What message was this man actually conveying to these sheep in the entire process of organizing them into that gargantuan edifice known as New Life Church?”  Was it the Gospel of grace with all of its divine aspects so wonderfully wrought in the mind of a loving Redeemer from before the foundation of the earth?  Or was it, perhaps just a masterful scheme, a subtly contrived human replication of Christ’s simple Gospel, dressed up in contemporary religious garb and tailored to a self-loving, self-serving and self-exalting generation?  Can we know the answer to that question?  I believe we can, dear reader, if we're willing to open our peepers just a little.

          It all goes back to our first question and how would we answer it.  "What is sin?  And how do we deal with it?"  I have repented toward God and have manifested that repentance toward all in the past fourteen years.  Has Ted done so, and will he do so in the coming time?  I pray for him and for the  sheep that he and his fellows have beguiled so terribly in this generation of ours.  May the risen, glorified Christ return to a church prepared as a spotless bride for Him!

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  Heb. 9:14

Mon, Nov 13th - 7:01AM

Hell is for Sinners

   Is anybody alive out there?  It's as though a massive dose of some numbing drug like prozac has been administered to God's people.  You're all just going on as usual as though nothing were wrong, nothing to be too concerned about, nothing has really happended to cause any alarm.  My friends, the ship you're on is of your own making and it can sink!   If you are a part of a church that is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals, your leader has just fallen.  Even if you're not a part of this association you are very likely very connected to this modern movement of trendy  "Purpose Driven Evangelicalism," and whatever the case might be concerning your affiliations, you cannot continue to deny that something is very basically, fundamentally wrong with what is going on in the Christianity that you are a part of.  I read through the posts made in the past week or so and, nothing.  Not a clue.  "Oh that doesn't concern me."  or  "That's our brother Ted.  He just slipped.  He's really a good man.  Very talented, you know.  Did a great job of getting all those Yuppies together in Colorado Springs.  They even got 'the World Prayer Center' going where folks can go and do battle against international principalities and tear down regional strongholds."   Blah, blah, blah!  What about the stongholds of carnality in our own hearts?  O, our pastor wouldn't fall like that.  He's building on a solid foundation.  He teaches a really conservative doctrine right out of the Bible, verse by verse "expository preaching."  He's a Dallas grad.  Solid family man, athletic, very talened and handsome too.

     What about the cross my friends?  Does he teach and exemplify a crucified lifestyle that is separated from the world?  Does he have the guts to tell his wife and daughters to dress modestly, to throw the TV in the garbage and really fast and pray for the sheep?  "Don't lay your legalism on us, Michael!"  Whatever!  But we'd better get back to the very basics of being disciples of Jesus, folks because something's coming that is going to shake up our little "Christian" worlds like we've never seen, whether we like it or not.  It's time to get down on our knees, friends and find out about a little thing that our Master called repentance and true faith, and quit playing church, and listening to hollow, movie clip-assisted sermons as we swing our hips to the hip-notic sound of our "praise-team."  The problem today is not any different than it ever was.  The problem is sin in the human heart.  Yours and mine.  Applying organizational schemes with a "seeker-friendly" emphasis is like trying to cure stomach cancer with aloe vera juice.   Talk about the blood of Jesus as the only effective cure.  Emphasize judgement and repentance and faith that obeys in the least little ways and "we're driving them away."  Well good!  It's better than lying to them and promising them that they can get to heaven and take their sins with them.  Hell is for sinners whether they believe themselves as such or not.  

     Do I have to put on a robe and smear ashes all over my face to get the point across?  I'm using rational, English words, put together in (relatively) correct grammatical sequence to attempt to communicate with you all.  Why can't you hear what I'm saying?  Am I crazy?  Should I violate some law technically so they would put me back in prison and have a better excuse for ignoring me as you all seem to do.  O, I get it.  The rapture has already taken place and everyone down here that claims to be a Christian is really a part of that apostate, anti-christ church that LaHaye and Jenkins talk about in their novels.  Then what am I doing here still?  Lord, I really want to go to heaven.  Take me now.  This is like surreal, man!  I am going crazy.  They'll be coming to get me soon to take me away.  No!  Please don't.  I retract everything I said.  Everything's really OK in all your churches.  Really neat things are happening.  You're all following Christ and getting rejected by the world and persecuted, and people are getting genuinely saved and integrated into a truly alive body of spirit-filled believers.  I promise I won't say anything negative anymore.  (See my fingers aren't even crossed.)

And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:  For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  Matt. 13: 14,15

("This guy's a nut.  A real coockoo.  We need to do something about him."

"No, just keep ignoring him and he'll probably get bored and go away."

"But what if somebody, or even a few people start listening to him?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  In the meantime we'll let him prattle on."

Fri, Nov 10th - 9:03AM

Whassup wit da church?

Shake Up

Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.  Heb. 12:26

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, [yea], all ye beasts in the forest.  His watchmen [are] blind: they are all ignorant, they [are] all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.  Yea, [they are] greedy dogs [which] can never have enough, and they [are] shepherds [that] cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.  Come ye, [say they], I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, [and] much more abundant.  Isa. 56:9-12

            The recent revelation of three year tryst with a sodomite prostitute by, perhaps the leading Evangelical in America has confirmed what should have been apparent to discerning Christians all along in our contemporary world.  A fallen comrade, or a false prophet?  God knows:  we judge wrongly and are led astry.  A certain king in Israel, the very first of their kings, was, like Ted Haggard, a natural leader with all the admirable qualities connected with such.  And yet his arrogance and rebellion were manifest in time.  Her second king, David, fell into what we would judge, certainly as the more serious and punishable offense, but was nevertheless counted as “a man after God’s own heart.”  The sins of neither were justifiable, but the repentance and deepest motives of the latter were seen before God and honored accordingly.

            I myself have fallen into sexual sin and am certainly not one to cast stones on the guilty.  The sin and disgrace to those I loved was great, though I was not a official leader in the church at the time.  But one must wonder at the prolonged deceit and obvious hypocrisy of a man so trusted by so many.  Could one whose foundation was laid upon a sure footing be capable of such duplicity?  And could the multitude of disciples be any more founded and grounded upon the real thing than their master and leader?

            And yet we go in our folly.  Tomorrow night some sort of “comedy” event is scheduled at New Life Church here in Colorado Springs.  Laudamussy on us oxes bein’ led to the slaughter!  Will we laugh when the firestorms sweep across the planet?

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh:  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors.  Matt. 24:32,33

Tue, Nov 7th - 10:22PM

Voting

For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.  And truly, if they had been mindful of that [country] from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.  But now they desire a better [country], that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. Heb. 11:14-16

Sun, Nov 5th - 10:40AM

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.  Matt. 7:24-27

Questions  

   Can a man be wrong about what he is building his life upon?  Can he unite with another who is, likewise in the dark, and can they build a structure together that has unstable foundations?  Then can others join with them and work together until a very great and impressive ediface has been erected that everyone marvels at? 

     When someone comes into their midst and observes the flaw in their building foundation and attempts to warn them of the danger, can they hear his voice?  Or will they ignore him, reject him and even treat him shamefully?

     When the structure that they have so carefully and diligently erected begins to manifest cracks in it's walls and portions begin to fall, will these people continue to deny the problem they  had in building it from the very beginning?  Will they go on in their folly because of their willfull ignorance and pride?

When that structure falls, as it surely will because of their deliberate disobedience of the clearly stated laws of contruction, can all those many people advance an explanation that is in total denial of the facts of the matter and proceed with their foolish plans until they are finally destroyed in the building of their own creation?  

     How many excuses can these "well-meaning" people advance before they waste all of their precious resources in their rebellion against the Master Builder?  Will they ever listen to the voice of warning before it's too late?

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.  Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.  But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.  For every man shall bear his own burden.  Gal.6:1-5

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  Gal.6:7,8

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  Matt. 7:15-23

     When are we going to quit playing the double-minded Christian church and quit listening to these church growth schemer-dreamers?  When will we be willing to truly forsake the world and cease to crave their vain approval?  When will we forsake our spiritual harlotries, put aside this contemporary, sin-justifying gospel and turn wholly to our heavenly bridegroom in purity and sincere, obedient devotion?  What's it gonna take my friends to ween us of our love of this present life?

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you,  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.  2Cor.6:17,18