My good friend Lynn Green over at Hicktown Press, an excellent blog that pulls no punches, recently wrote an article about four churches that took off a Sunday to do work in the community. The link is here (Canceled Church Service). She and I mildly debated regarding the issue and while I do not advocate canceling church every Sunday, one Sunday out of the month to get the entire congregation involved in serving the community is not a bad idea. The issue centers around the scripture in Hebrews 10:23-25 where the bible says this:
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who
promised is faithful. And let us consider
how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to
meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the
more as you see the Day drawing near"
If we unpack this scripture we see several things but not one of them is where we are to worship. The scripture says simply that we not forsake assembling together, not in a building, not to hear preaching, but to encourage one another! We are to encourage each other and provoke each other to love and good works...in this way, we glorify God, we show proof of our discipleship and we obey God's word. The Christians that this scripture is referring to did not meet in a particular place. Actually, in the 1st century, they met house to house.
What these four churches did is commendable and I don't think anyone will be going to hell over serving the community with Jesus in their hearts and God's love on their minds. They were doing exactly what the bible says to do, spur each other to good works and to love. What better way to do that than to take the church to the community and show them that there are Christians that put some works behind their faith. James 2:14-16 is succinct about how faith and works correlate:
"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have
works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister
is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to
them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed
for the body, what goodb is that? So also faith by
itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
These people did no wrong in canceling one Sunday to do what the bible says we should do. Jesus said that we are to let our lights shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father that is in heaven. If this were me, I would have had a few minutes after all of the work was done to lift the name of Jesus and to help the congregation understand why we did what we did. I don't know if the pastor(s) actually did that but I would not be surprised if they did. What the pastor should stress is this, these things WILL NOT get you into heaven. We are not saved by works, but saved folks ought to have some works to put behind what we say. Staying cramped within the four walls of a building does nothing to stretch a person's faith. Actually, we have gotten too comfortable and we don't do enough of this type of stuff in the church.
We go to church to "worship" God. Worship simply means that we make God the center of our lives. The actual word in Greek, proskeuno, means to kiss towards. Literally, to kiss the ground that the object of worship walks on. We know that God does not walk on the ground but the thought is that God is so awesome that we should bow at his feet and kiss the very ground before Him! Knowing this, we should worship God every day with our lives. We should worship by using our talents and gifts to glorify God, we should worship by living out what the Bible says. We should live as if we KNOW that God is real and as if Jesus was coming back tomorrow. That cannot be contained within a building but within the heart of the believer.
I am not saying that people should not go to church. The apostle Paul laid out the offices of the "church", that we call the body of Christ, in Ephesians 4. We know this model as the five-fold ministry. Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers all work together to build up the body of Christ to unity of the faith. The model has been working for thousands of years. We get a room full of like minded people (hopefully they are like minded) together to encourage one another, corporately worship the living God and to hear the Word of God proclaimed. I actually enjoy going to church and I also enjoy preaching the gospel. But we cannot simply think that we can hole up in a building and love on one another but not love those that are outside of the walls as well. Our good works may be the thing that reminds some lost soul that God loves them. However, if on a given Sunday I choose to go to a homeless shelter and serve breakfast and break bread with the men and women that live there, I do not believe that God would be mad at me.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Addicted
In this post, I want to address a very serious issue in the church. I want to address the issue of addiction. Not to drugs or alcohol or even sex, but to charisma and fame. Preachers are addicted to fame and parishioners are addicted to charisma. Preachers want the most followers and followers want the most charismatic and eloquent preacher. They want to brag and boast about "passtah" and repeat what "passtah" said. Addiction is killing the church and it is luring many away from the faith.
One who is addicted to fame seeks his own fame at the expense of all else. One who is addicted to fame will say whatever they have to in order to get a crowd. Pastors/preachers seeking fame take the word of God don't adhere to orthodoxy or proper tradition. Someone might counter with the assertion that Jesus was radical and he railed against orthodoxy and to that I will say that Jesus railed, not against orthodoxy, but against hollow religion. Jesus was against false religiosity and those that knew the practices and the traditions but not God Himself. Fame addicts speak their own version of what the Bible says, not what God actually said. Jesus set the model for preachers. John 17:4 says "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." Jesus glorified the Father through His work here on earth. Jesus set his own needs aside in order to fulfill the agenda of the Father! In his prayer he says "YOUR will be done on earth as it is in heaven." He did not twist the words of the Father, he did not add to them nor did he sweeten them to tickle itching ears. Jesus said plainly that he did not speak on his own initiative but He only spoke what he heard from the Father (John 14:10). In John 6, the message that Jesus preached regarding "eating my flesh" and "drinking my blood" turned many people off. Jesus was saying this figuratively and was likely looking forward to his departure and the remembrance of His death during the Lord's supper. But those that followed left. They thought He was a madman and they were unable to bear His teaching. I would not doubt, although the bible does not give an indication of this, that many of the ones that left were seduced by false teachers and led away from the truth by even more bizarre teachings.
There is another class of addicts in this mix of religiosity. These are the charisma addicts that follow the fame addicts! Charisma addicts are always looking for who sounds the best, who whoops the best, who sings the best, who makes them feel the best- but are uninterested in a true and Spirit led interpretation of the word. Charisma addicts are wide awake during praise and worship and yet sound asleep at the preaching of the word. Charisma addicts repeat what the pastor said instead of what the Bible says. The problem with repeating what the fame addict says is this: it probably is not what is in the bible, but a cleverly crafted distortion of what is in the bible. If you ever notice people that are involved in cults or churches that resemble cults, they never talk about what the Lord says, they only parrot what the pastor says. Even if what "passtah" said contradicts scripture, they will believe it. A perfect example is Jonestown, Guyana. People addicted to Jim Jones followed him thousands of miles away from home into the jungles of South America only to be led to commit suicide because of Jones' deranged mind and teachings. A further example is the Word of Faith movement that has gobbled up many with their promise of health, wealth and prosperity and those that leave that cult come forth battered, broken and shaken because what "passtah" said was not the truth. The Emergent Church, a movement within the evangelical circle, has sought to reinterpret the bible to fit society and to dismiss sin and the penalty of sin as figments of our imaginations and yet God says "I change not" (Malachi 3:6). The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) so we know that God is not a shifting shadow but a constant, Holy, Righteous Spirit who does not bend to the will of man nor does He condone sin. The Charisma addicts want a God that they can control, they want a God that they can put in a box and tell what to do. That's not the true and living God. The Corinthian church was addicted to charisma and even sought to put a rift between Paul and Apollos because of the physical stature and oratorical skills of Apollos. He looked and sounded the part, and although he was not seeking is own glory, there would be many that would use that situation to their advantage.
My advice to those that are hooked on their pastor or to a pastor/preacher that is hooked on fame...go to rehab. Search the scriptures, pray and ask God for forgiveness and ask God to show you that He is to be glorified above all else. Preachers, preach the WORD, preach what is in the bible and not what is in your head. Parishioners, test everything and hold fast that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and never exalt a man above God. Jesus Christ is the rehab for these addictions that eventually will lead to death. In Philippians 2:21, Paul gives Timothy a vote of confidence while simultaneously exposing the glory seekers in saying that the glory seekers, the fame addicts seek their own interests and not those of Jesus Christ. God said that his glory will not be shared by anyone. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we detox from our addictions and come to know God in a real way.
One who is addicted to fame seeks his own fame at the expense of all else. One who is addicted to fame will say whatever they have to in order to get a crowd. Pastors/preachers seeking fame take the word of God don't adhere to orthodoxy or proper tradition. Someone might counter with the assertion that Jesus was radical and he railed against orthodoxy and to that I will say that Jesus railed, not against orthodoxy, but against hollow religion. Jesus was against false religiosity and those that knew the practices and the traditions but not God Himself. Fame addicts speak their own version of what the Bible says, not what God actually said. Jesus set the model for preachers. John 17:4 says "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." Jesus glorified the Father through His work here on earth. Jesus set his own needs aside in order to fulfill the agenda of the Father! In his prayer he says "YOUR will be done on earth as it is in heaven." He did not twist the words of the Father, he did not add to them nor did he sweeten them to tickle itching ears. Jesus said plainly that he did not speak on his own initiative but He only spoke what he heard from the Father (John 14:10). In John 6, the message that Jesus preached regarding "eating my flesh" and "drinking my blood" turned many people off. Jesus was saying this figuratively and was likely looking forward to his departure and the remembrance of His death during the Lord's supper. But those that followed left. They thought He was a madman and they were unable to bear His teaching. I would not doubt, although the bible does not give an indication of this, that many of the ones that left were seduced by false teachers and led away from the truth by even more bizarre teachings.
There is another class of addicts in this mix of religiosity. These are the charisma addicts that follow the fame addicts! Charisma addicts are always looking for who sounds the best, who whoops the best, who sings the best, who makes them feel the best- but are uninterested in a true and Spirit led interpretation of the word. Charisma addicts are wide awake during praise and worship and yet sound asleep at the preaching of the word. Charisma addicts repeat what the pastor said instead of what the Bible says. The problem with repeating what the fame addict says is this: it probably is not what is in the bible, but a cleverly crafted distortion of what is in the bible. If you ever notice people that are involved in cults or churches that resemble cults, they never talk about what the Lord says, they only parrot what the pastor says. Even if what "passtah" said contradicts scripture, they will believe it. A perfect example is Jonestown, Guyana. People addicted to Jim Jones followed him thousands of miles away from home into the jungles of South America only to be led to commit suicide because of Jones' deranged mind and teachings. A further example is the Word of Faith movement that has gobbled up many with their promise of health, wealth and prosperity and those that leave that cult come forth battered, broken and shaken because what "passtah" said was not the truth. The Emergent Church, a movement within the evangelical circle, has sought to reinterpret the bible to fit society and to dismiss sin and the penalty of sin as figments of our imaginations and yet God says "I change not" (Malachi 3:6). The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) so we know that God is not a shifting shadow but a constant, Holy, Righteous Spirit who does not bend to the will of man nor does He condone sin. The Charisma addicts want a God that they can control, they want a God that they can put in a box and tell what to do. That's not the true and living God. The Corinthian church was addicted to charisma and even sought to put a rift between Paul and Apollos because of the physical stature and oratorical skills of Apollos. He looked and sounded the part, and although he was not seeking is own glory, there would be many that would use that situation to their advantage.
My advice to those that are hooked on their pastor or to a pastor/preacher that is hooked on fame...go to rehab. Search the scriptures, pray and ask God for forgiveness and ask God to show you that He is to be glorified above all else. Preachers, preach the WORD, preach what is in the bible and not what is in your head. Parishioners, test everything and hold fast that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and never exalt a man above God. Jesus Christ is the rehab for these addictions that eventually will lead to death. In Philippians 2:21, Paul gives Timothy a vote of confidence while simultaneously exposing the glory seekers in saying that the glory seekers, the fame addicts seek their own interests and not those of Jesus Christ. God said that his glory will not be shared by anyone. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we detox from our addictions and come to know God in a real way.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Disappointed
Dr. Brad Braxton has a very distinguished career. He has been a professor at Wake Forest, McCormick Theological Seminary and will soon assume an endowed chairmanship at Southern Methodist University. Dr. Braxton has also been the pastor of the prestigious Riverside Church in New York where his compensation package exceeded $600,000 (Big Bucks). I know that Paul said that the worker deserves his wages but this was quite exorbitant. The church was split because of the monetary issue and Braxton resigned in less than a year. I recently stumbled upon an interview conducted with Dr. Braxton on McCormick's website (Braxton Interview) and I was really taken aback by what I read. It was actually confirmation of something a friend of mine told me as I drove to church to our men's meeting tonight.
I first encountered Dr. Braxton when I was a postdoc at the University of Maryland. He was the guest speaker at our church graduation celebration. I was thoroughly impressed. He spoke glowingly about his wife and their dogs that he humorously referred to as their children (he does actually have a daughter now). He gave a powerful message that was enlightening and uplifting at the same time. I remember vividly that he was livid over black men calling each other "dog" as a euphemism for friend and he said something to the effect of taking his belt off and whipping the next person that he heard call someone a dog. Suffice it to say, I was impressed with his preaching and his personality. He preached from a three ring binder with neatly typed notes and I was taking notes as well. Pulpit etiquette and the whole nine. I was paying attention to this brother.
Now Dr. Braxton is joining the "emergent church" movement (the website Apprising Ministries, www.apprising.org, has some very good information regarding the emergent church) and has started his own church in Baltimore, "The Open Church". He is openly courting the LGBT community which is not a bad thing if your goal is to evangelize them and to exalt Jesus as Lord and Savior. I think that all sinners should be welcomed into God's house without exception. However, one of the central tenets of Christianity is that we must actually confess our sins to be forgiven. Herein lies the problem because the LGBT community does not even consider their lifestyles sinful. So, what exactly is going to be preached? How can you preach repentance from sin with a congregation filled with folks who refuse to do just that? It is totally pointless. Why even start a "church" unless Christ and EVERYTHING that He taught, and EVERYTHING that the Bible teaches as it pertains to life and godliness are going to be communicated to the ears of the congregation? Will he even preach from the Bible? The Bible becomes more of a fairy tale and less of a light if he preaches anything other than the gospel or if he waters down the gospel to suit itching ears.
While I applaud Dr. Braxton’s social justice efforts and his desire to be progressive, this is a slippery slope. While Dr. Braxton is quite a dynamic speaker and he has distinguished himself, I cannot agree with this “Open Church”. Where is the emphasis on the gospel and on change or transformation? Years of seminary training and teaching and this is the best that he could muster? Having a lesbian agnostic, with an M. Div might I add, (read the interview for yourself, 9th paragraph down) speak the first words in his initial church meeting? Wow. This has completely turned me against attending seminary. If seminarians come out with lots of fancy words like “messy eclecticism”, which is how Dr. Braxton defines what the Open Church will be like, but forget the main Word, Jesus, then I want no part of that.
This entire “emergent church” movement is drifting further and further away from orthodoxy. I pray that the “Open Church” becomes a real church where people come to be set free from sin and to become disciples of Christ. Here is some advice, Read the bible- not in a technical scholarly way, but in a plain way. Read the book of James, read the fourth chapter and go down to about the fourth verse. This is a passage of scripture that passes the first test of hermeneutics which is, if a plain reading of the text is clear, interpret it the way that it reads. This is for the scholarly folks that put more emphasis on exegesis, which I deem very important, than they put on Jesus. Read it with me:
"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
OK. This isn't out of context, it passes muster upon the plain reading, no need to ask what James means here or what thought he was trying to communicate...it is plain and simple. The emergent church is trying to be friends with the world and as a result are making themselves enemies to God. Please wake up brothers and sisters.
I first encountered Dr. Braxton when I was a postdoc at the University of Maryland. He was the guest speaker at our church graduation celebration. I was thoroughly impressed. He spoke glowingly about his wife and their dogs that he humorously referred to as their children (he does actually have a daughter now). He gave a powerful message that was enlightening and uplifting at the same time. I remember vividly that he was livid over black men calling each other "dog" as a euphemism for friend and he said something to the effect of taking his belt off and whipping the next person that he heard call someone a dog. Suffice it to say, I was impressed with his preaching and his personality. He preached from a three ring binder with neatly typed notes and I was taking notes as well. Pulpit etiquette and the whole nine. I was paying attention to this brother.
Now Dr. Braxton is joining the "emergent church" movement (the website Apprising Ministries, www.apprising.org, has some very good information regarding the emergent church) and has started his own church in Baltimore, "The Open Church". He is openly courting the LGBT community which is not a bad thing if your goal is to evangelize them and to exalt Jesus as Lord and Savior. I think that all sinners should be welcomed into God's house without exception. However, one of the central tenets of Christianity is that we must actually confess our sins to be forgiven. Herein lies the problem because the LGBT community does not even consider their lifestyles sinful. So, what exactly is going to be preached? How can you preach repentance from sin with a congregation filled with folks who refuse to do just that? It is totally pointless. Why even start a "church" unless Christ and EVERYTHING that He taught, and EVERYTHING that the Bible teaches as it pertains to life and godliness are going to be communicated to the ears of the congregation? Will he even preach from the Bible? The Bible becomes more of a fairy tale and less of a light if he preaches anything other than the gospel or if he waters down the gospel to suit itching ears.
While I applaud Dr. Braxton’s social justice efforts and his desire to be progressive, this is a slippery slope. While Dr. Braxton is quite a dynamic speaker and he has distinguished himself, I cannot agree with this “Open Church”. Where is the emphasis on the gospel and on change or transformation? Years of seminary training and teaching and this is the best that he could muster? Having a lesbian agnostic, with an M. Div might I add, (read the interview for yourself, 9th paragraph down) speak the first words in his initial church meeting? Wow. This has completely turned me against attending seminary. If seminarians come out with lots of fancy words like “messy eclecticism”, which is how Dr. Braxton defines what the Open Church will be like, but forget the main Word, Jesus, then I want no part of that.
This entire “emergent church” movement is drifting further and further away from orthodoxy. I pray that the “Open Church” becomes a real church where people come to be set free from sin and to become disciples of Christ. Here is some advice, Read the bible- not in a technical scholarly way, but in a plain way. Read the book of James, read the fourth chapter and go down to about the fourth verse. This is a passage of scripture that passes the first test of hermeneutics which is, if a plain reading of the text is clear, interpret it the way that it reads. This is for the scholarly folks that put more emphasis on exegesis, which I deem very important, than they put on Jesus. Read it with me:
"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
OK. This isn't out of context, it passes muster upon the plain reading, no need to ask what James means here or what thought he was trying to communicate...it is plain and simple. The emergent church is trying to be friends with the world and as a result are making themselves enemies to God. Please wake up brothers and sisters.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
The Illogical Made Logical and Vice Versa
I was reading the Huffington Post and I read a comment from an online user regarding gay rights, gay equality etc. The comment said something to the effect of not using Paul's writing as an interpretation of what Jesus said. The crux of the argument was that if Jesus never condemned homosexuality then we cannot say that it is wrong. This argument has a two-fold problem as I see it. It sounds logical on the surface but it is actually quite illogical theologically.
The first issue with the "did Jesus say it" argument is based on a faulty premise regarding the Old Testament. Many that argue that Jesus never condemned homosexuality say that you cannot use Leviticus 18:22; 20:13 as proof that homosexuality is wrong because the scripture in the Old Testament never came from Jesus. A glaring ommission from these Old Testament arguments is the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah which could not be more clear. The men of Sodom were homosexuals, they liked other men, they sought to sleep with the angels that came to rescue Lot and they TURNED DOWN Lot's daughters because they did not want them, they wanted the angels (Genesis 19:4-11).
The second issue with the "did Jesus say it" argument is based on a faulty premise regarding the New Testament. Paul's writings are our best examples of the bible's denouncement of homosexuality as a lifestyle. Romans 1 paints a vivid picture of what happens to folks that refuse to repent of sin, folks that exchange the truth of God for a lie and folks that choose their fleshly desires above what God demands. 1 Corinthians 6:9 is also one of the biblical references commonly quoted from the New Testament. There is also a reference in Jude 7 regarding sexual immorality but it is usually skipped over because it ties in Sodom and Gommorah with the New Testament's rejection of sexual immorality, of any kind, as a lifestyle. Their argument is this: Paul is not Jesus and therefore Jesus did not ever condemn homosexuality. While Paul is definitely not Jesus, he saw Jesus on the Damascus road (Acts 9), he saw the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6) and He spoke directly to Jesus (Acts 9; Acts 22:17, 22:21, 23:11, 2 Cor 12:9) which, in my opinion, qualifies him to speak for Jesus. He met all of the qualifications of an apostle and according to Jesus Himself, was a chosen insrument (Acts 9:15).
Both of these issues have gaping theological holes. For those that wish to use the Old Testament argument, the problem comes when we speak of the eternity of Jesus and the fact that the members of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are co-equal and coeternal. Jesus existed prior to time just as the Father did (See John 1:1, John 8:58). In Genesis 1, prior to man being created, the bible says in verses 26 and 27 "Let US make man in OUR own image..." it also says "male and female, He created them". There is much evidence for Jesus in the Old Testament! The Angel of the Lord is a typology of Christ, there are other symbols such as Aaron's Rod and the rock that was in the desert.
For those that wish to use the New Testament argument to say that Christ never condemned homosexuality, you are partially right. The words NEVER came out of His own mouth. However, they did come from Him. Here is why, 2 Timothy 3:16 says that ALL scripture is inspired by God. 2 Peter 1:21 says that no prophecy ever emanated with the person speaking, but God's Spirit moved them and they spoke from God. We know that the bible was written by men that were inspired by God's spirit to write down what God spoke to them. And we know that the Godhead functions in unity. What the Holy Spirit spoke to the writers of the Bible, Jesus and the Father were already in agreement with! A.W. Tozer makes this very plain in his book, "The Knowledge of the Holy". In the chapter on the Trinity, Tozer says this: "The Persons of the Godhead, being one, have one will. They work always together, and never the smallest act is done by one without the instant acqueiscence of the other two. Every act of God is accomplished by the Trinity in unity."(Tozer, A.W., "The Knowledge of the Holy", p. 22)
So while the argument from the gay rights advocates might seem logical on the surface, it is illogical when we consider the true nature of God and the true nature of Scripture. Scripture, although being made up of different genres, exists as a cohesive whole and we cannot use the fact of whether something is in the OT or NT to determine what we will and won't obey. God inspired Scripture such that a story unfolds from Genesis to Revelation. Sure, someone will argue about the Nicene Creed and canonization but I will counter and say that although the Council of Nicea has great relevance, God is the ultimate authority on Scripture and again, inspired even the events that occurred at Nicea. Lack of a true understanding of Scripture generally leads to faulty premises and illogical conclusions. The fact is, the Bible says what it says and there is really nothing that we can do about it. For believers, for people that see Scripture as authoritative, it is logical for us to conceive that Scripture governs every aspect of human life and that we must live according to the Scriptures. This is illogical to those that have the 2 Cor 4:4 complex in which the mind is blinded by the god of this world. I pray that as this debate continues, rather than being lulled to sleep by halfhearted theological discussions,we remember that ALL Scripture comes from God and that there is undeniable continuity between the two Testaments. God bless you.
The first issue with the "did Jesus say it" argument is based on a faulty premise regarding the Old Testament. Many that argue that Jesus never condemned homosexuality say that you cannot use Leviticus 18:22; 20:13 as proof that homosexuality is wrong because the scripture in the Old Testament never came from Jesus. A glaring ommission from these Old Testament arguments is the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah which could not be more clear. The men of Sodom were homosexuals, they liked other men, they sought to sleep with the angels that came to rescue Lot and they TURNED DOWN Lot's daughters because they did not want them, they wanted the angels (Genesis 19:4-11).
The second issue with the "did Jesus say it" argument is based on a faulty premise regarding the New Testament. Paul's writings are our best examples of the bible's denouncement of homosexuality as a lifestyle. Romans 1 paints a vivid picture of what happens to folks that refuse to repent of sin, folks that exchange the truth of God for a lie and folks that choose their fleshly desires above what God demands. 1 Corinthians 6:9 is also one of the biblical references commonly quoted from the New Testament. There is also a reference in Jude 7 regarding sexual immorality but it is usually skipped over because it ties in Sodom and Gommorah with the New Testament's rejection of sexual immorality, of any kind, as a lifestyle. Their argument is this: Paul is not Jesus and therefore Jesus did not ever condemn homosexuality. While Paul is definitely not Jesus, he saw Jesus on the Damascus road (Acts 9), he saw the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6) and He spoke directly to Jesus (Acts 9; Acts 22:17, 22:21, 23:11, 2 Cor 12:9) which, in my opinion, qualifies him to speak for Jesus. He met all of the qualifications of an apostle and according to Jesus Himself, was a chosen insrument (Acts 9:15).
Both of these issues have gaping theological holes. For those that wish to use the Old Testament argument, the problem comes when we speak of the eternity of Jesus and the fact that the members of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are co-equal and coeternal. Jesus existed prior to time just as the Father did (See John 1:1, John 8:58). In Genesis 1, prior to man being created, the bible says in verses 26 and 27 "Let US make man in OUR own image..." it also says "male and female, He created them". There is much evidence for Jesus in the Old Testament! The Angel of the Lord is a typology of Christ, there are other symbols such as Aaron's Rod and the rock that was in the desert.
For those that wish to use the New Testament argument to say that Christ never condemned homosexuality, you are partially right. The words NEVER came out of His own mouth. However, they did come from Him. Here is why, 2 Timothy 3:16 says that ALL scripture is inspired by God. 2 Peter 1:21 says that no prophecy ever emanated with the person speaking, but God's Spirit moved them and they spoke from God. We know that the bible was written by men that were inspired by God's spirit to write down what God spoke to them. And we know that the Godhead functions in unity. What the Holy Spirit spoke to the writers of the Bible, Jesus and the Father were already in agreement with! A.W. Tozer makes this very plain in his book, "The Knowledge of the Holy". In the chapter on the Trinity, Tozer says this: "The Persons of the Godhead, being one, have one will. They work always together, and never the smallest act is done by one without the instant acqueiscence of the other two. Every act of God is accomplished by the Trinity in unity."(Tozer, A.W., "The Knowledge of the Holy", p. 22)
So while the argument from the gay rights advocates might seem logical on the surface, it is illogical when we consider the true nature of God and the true nature of Scripture. Scripture, although being made up of different genres, exists as a cohesive whole and we cannot use the fact of whether something is in the OT or NT to determine what we will and won't obey. God inspired Scripture such that a story unfolds from Genesis to Revelation. Sure, someone will argue about the Nicene Creed and canonization but I will counter and say that although the Council of Nicea has great relevance, God is the ultimate authority on Scripture and again, inspired even the events that occurred at Nicea. Lack of a true understanding of Scripture generally leads to faulty premises and illogical conclusions. The fact is, the Bible says what it says and there is really nothing that we can do about it. For believers, for people that see Scripture as authoritative, it is logical for us to conceive that Scripture governs every aspect of human life and that we must live according to the Scriptures. This is illogical to those that have the 2 Cor 4:4 complex in which the mind is blinded by the god of this world. I pray that as this debate continues, rather than being lulled to sleep by halfhearted theological discussions,we remember that ALL Scripture comes from God and that there is undeniable continuity between the two Testaments. God bless you.
God's Greatness Cannot be Hidden
Jesus spoke very plainly about how the believer is to carry themselves. Matthew 5:14-16 states the following “You
are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor
do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives
light to all in the house. In
the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
So, here, Jesus says that His followers are the light of the world and uses two analogies to help us to see understand exactly what He means.
1. A city on a hill. Imagine walking in a valley, a very dark valley and looking up and seeing a city with lights blazing, homes with lights in their windows, etc. How would you feel? How would a non-believer feel if he saw your city? A city on a hill is set as a beacon of light and hope to a person walking in a valley. It can also lead the way for the person travelling in darkness.
2. A candle on a stand. Notice, Jesus immediately says that you don't light a candle and then put under a basket. A candle is meant to give off light and to illuminate the room in which it is lit. Jesus said to put the candle on a stand and allow it to light the entire house.
I love his final statement- he says let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. The light comes from the Light. Jesus is the light of the world, those that He lives through because lights in the world and therefore we are to let the light of Jesus shine everywhere we go. It reminds me of the song that they used to sing at my church when I was a child, "This Little Light of Mine"- I'm gonna let it shine! Let Jesus shine through you.
All that leads me to the point of this message. I met a man at the Montgomery Cancer Center on Friday. He was a tall man with a very thick medical record in his hand. When I asked him how he was doing, he looked at me and smiled and said, "God is taking care of me." He said that he had been coming to the cancer center for 12 years! I was like wow. But it got better, he said that at one point in his life he was laid up for 8 months on a feeding tube and for 6 of those months he did not watch TV, listen to the radio or really feel much like talking. He simply asked God, "Am I going to die?" We chatted for a while and I noticed that tears began to well up in his eyes and he said, "You smiling at me just made my day." Little did he know that he had also made my day. If God was merciful to him, I know that God has enough mercy and enough grace to be merciful to me too! God has enough goodness to go around! Not only that, God is so good that you cannot help but tell it to someone else! His final comments were this: "God is in this place."
I know that some people there did not want to hear our conversation but I really didn't care. We talked loud enough to be overheard because you cannot hide the light under a basket. You can't hide God's greatness! He gave me a card with a poem that he wrote on the back and I want to share it here. It really touched me and I thank God that we crossed paths. I know that God does everything for a reason and I am encouraging anyone that may be reading this to let your light shine! Do not worry about what someone else thinks of you, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. You might just make someones day. Here is the poem:
GOD for His reason
gave me cancer
Will I die!
He did not answer.
With love He told me,
do not worry,
Just be patient,
not in a hurry.
For I'll be with you,
so have no fear,
I'll carry you gently,
and hold you near,
As days turned to weeks,
and weeks to months,
I never worried,
not even once,
For the I knew
that the promise is true,
There can be no fear
while GOD carries you.
The destination,
I may not know,
But wherever He takes me,
I will gladly go.
RBW
God bless you!
So, here, Jesus says that His followers are the light of the world and uses two analogies to help us to see understand exactly what He means.
1. A city on a hill. Imagine walking in a valley, a very dark valley and looking up and seeing a city with lights blazing, homes with lights in their windows, etc. How would you feel? How would a non-believer feel if he saw your city? A city on a hill is set as a beacon of light and hope to a person walking in a valley. It can also lead the way for the person travelling in darkness.
2. A candle on a stand. Notice, Jesus immediately says that you don't light a candle and then put under a basket. A candle is meant to give off light and to illuminate the room in which it is lit. Jesus said to put the candle on a stand and allow it to light the entire house.
I love his final statement- he says let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. The light comes from the Light. Jesus is the light of the world, those that He lives through because lights in the world and therefore we are to let the light of Jesus shine everywhere we go. It reminds me of the song that they used to sing at my church when I was a child, "This Little Light of Mine"- I'm gonna let it shine! Let Jesus shine through you.
All that leads me to the point of this message. I met a man at the Montgomery Cancer Center on Friday. He was a tall man with a very thick medical record in his hand. When I asked him how he was doing, he looked at me and smiled and said, "God is taking care of me." He said that he had been coming to the cancer center for 12 years! I was like wow. But it got better, he said that at one point in his life he was laid up for 8 months on a feeding tube and for 6 of those months he did not watch TV, listen to the radio or really feel much like talking. He simply asked God, "Am I going to die?" We chatted for a while and I noticed that tears began to well up in his eyes and he said, "You smiling at me just made my day." Little did he know that he had also made my day. If God was merciful to him, I know that God has enough mercy and enough grace to be merciful to me too! God has enough goodness to go around! Not only that, God is so good that you cannot help but tell it to someone else! His final comments were this: "God is in this place."
I know that some people there did not want to hear our conversation but I really didn't care. We talked loud enough to be overheard because you cannot hide the light under a basket. You can't hide God's greatness! He gave me a card with a poem that he wrote on the back and I want to share it here. It really touched me and I thank God that we crossed paths. I know that God does everything for a reason and I am encouraging anyone that may be reading this to let your light shine! Do not worry about what someone else thinks of you, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. You might just make someones day. Here is the poem:
GOD for His reason
gave me cancer
Will I die!
He did not answer.
With love He told me,
do not worry,
Just be patient,
not in a hurry.
For I'll be with you,
so have no fear,
I'll carry you gently,
and hold you near,
As days turned to weeks,
and weeks to months,
I never worried,
not even once,
For the I knew
that the promise is true,
There can be no fear
while GOD carries you.
The destination,
I may not know,
But wherever He takes me,
I will gladly go.
RBW
God bless you!
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