Doctrine and devotion

Cold, dead orthodoxy is just as much a slander of God as wild-eyed heresy. All true doctrine is devotional. The truth of the gospel always crushes mens pride and pronounces judgement on apathy. It exalts Christ and lays men low. It demolishes mens puffed up philosophies and lifts up the wisdom of God. Orthodoxy is far more than a bored assent to the truth of Christ, it is a heart-felt glorying in the goodness of God alone. Heretics are often more passionate in their allegiance to hell bound lies about God, than those who profess truth are to the heaven-birthed realities of Christ Jesus. No one can really grasp the truth of the gospel without their heart being filled, their mind being enlightened and their voices being loosed to sing and declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His glorious light.

You must be born again

I’ve come to the sad conclusion that much of what goes by the name church today is really unregenerate religion.

Not just the in the Roman cult or the liberal mainliners but the evangelical pentecostal supposedly bible believing church.

This explains so much. The adoration of religious humanism in the form of the Rick Warrens and Bill Hybels etc of the church world. The passionate pursuit of emerging non theology. The political mindset and the promotion of left wing causes by those who claim to follow the One who said His Kingdom is not of this world.

George Whitefield when asked why he kept preaching you must be born again, replied, “Because, you MUST be born again!”

His friend Wesley agreed as did Spurgeon, Moody, Edwards, the reformers, the apostles and Christ Jesus Himself. Many of these names mean nothing to the modern churchgoer. And many modern religionists know nothing of the biblical doctrine and the personal reality of the new birth.

Jesus said to the foremost religious leader of His day, “You must be born again” and Nicodemus was completely baffled as is many seminary trained “Nicodemus” today. (There is some evidence that Nicodemus did finally grasp this vital spiritual truth later on.)

What goes by the name church today can not be fixed. It can’t be repaired or tweeked, it must be resurrected. The problem is not some doctrinal errors here and there. The problem is it is dead. And the only solution to death is new life.

How did the organization that claims allegiance to Christ lose sight of the most fundamental teaching of the the Saviour? Over the years the pursuit of influence, numbers and  a political voice  saw the promotion of “preachers” and teachers” who promised to show new ways to achieve influence, numbers and a political voice. This allowed for the promotion of more and more ”leaders” who have no personal story of salvation but are very good at playing this new church game.

Folks in the pews bombared with a constant stream of organisational teachings on “vision” “leadership” and “church growth” learned the jargon, bought into the new “paradigm”, and embraced a religion without cost, a faith without faithfullness and church in rebellion against the Head of the church. Those who had experienced the new birth either lost their fervour and settled in to the comfortable orthodoxy of heresy or they left, to wander the increasingly barren fields of churchianity in search of others who know what they know (or more importantly know WHO they know)

Many voices are today addressing the ills of the institutional church, perceived or real, and yet even some of the apologists seem to have as their goal the return of the church to a rose coloured image of a childhood memory; but much that is wrong today had it’s birth in compromises of yesterday. You only have to read of Spurgeon battling the downgrade controversy of his day to know this is a long standing problem. Not to mention revivalists, reformers and prophets of even earlier ages who suffered cruel persecution because of their bold message, “You must be born again!”

The new birth is the unltimate equalizer.

Catholic and protestant must be born again.

Pope and Archbishop must be born again.

Conservative and progressive must be born from above.

Religious and atheist must be born of the Spirit.

Gay and straight must be born again by the living and enduring word of God.

Rotary member and Hells Angel member must be regenerated.

Drunk and teetotaller, politician and voter, church goer and church leader must all be transformed by the power of God.

There is no other entry to the eternal city other than the rebirth through faith in Christ.

Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, occultists of all descriptions and “Christians” must be born again.

The one who is still dead in their sins may parrot the creeds, have perfect church attendance, “tithe”, pray and even read the Bible and yet still be outside the family of God.

The religious adherent without the new birth is still part of this world sysytem. Their goals, though religious, are worldly. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life operating in a carnal religious system.

The affections of the the twice born are a mystery to the once born. The love for Christ, the emphasis on His cross, the joys of worship, the passion for prayer, the desire to congregate with God’s other children and the holy devotion to God’s written word can not be conjured up by human effort. These are fruit of the Spirit implanted by Him the moment He exchanges our heart of stone for a heart of flesh.

No one enters this new life by human effort anymore than a child can choose to be born.

Many are wandering in a maze of religious confusion and yet refuse to enter the Gate.

Much of what the world offers, including the church world, is rotten, worm riddled timber gilded with thin layers of fools gold. What Christ offers is eternal gold hidden beneath the wooden cross of the Roman executioner.

This heavenly birth is not obtained by the lazy lifting of a hand in a meeting. It’s not secured by repeating a half understood prayer. It’s not received from any other than the God of the Bible. The new age rebirth leaves the practioner dead still. The occultic rituals of various cults and secret societies can only increase the darkness. The new years resolutions of the masses reveals perhaps desire to change but is without the power to accomplish it.

And the one who is a recipent of God’s grace through the heavenly birth is not better or brighter than any one else. Although declared citizens of the heavenly city there is still much of their former neighbourhood clinging to their robes. But they are children of God though even the Creators kids can be messy.

But change comes. Not coerced from the outside in but growing from the inside out, from a divine seed: the holy Word of God  received by faith.

To speak in some church circles today of the new birth can draw blank looks and a scornful twist of the lip. Some are full of mockery towards the ignorance of those who simply believe in the hidden treasure of divine life in Christ. Church folks can speak long and loud of their “vision” and their “ministry” and their inroads into popular culture and yet so many remain silent of His grace and His provision through His cross.

The apostles went to the synangogues of their day to preach the word. The assemblies that should have been the joyful recipients of what God was doing were often the hardest to reach. Today churches may well be the hardest mission field their is. And yet the message must be preached to church and non-church alike. “You must be born again”.

Demas

2 Timothy 4:10 …for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world…

Paul, the battled scarred veteran of so many years of spiritual conflict writes from a damp prison cell to Timothy, his protegé.

In the midst of the encouragement and advice and instruction concerning the end time scenario to come, he bears his heart concerning the loss of his friend and fellow minister, Demas.

The hurt bleeds through the simple words on the page.

Demas who had stood with Paul and served the gospel along with the great apostle, had now for whatever reason deserted his mentor, and it seems had deserted Christ.

One of the greatest pains that a believer has to endure is to see someone fall from the faith. A friend, confidante and brother or sister in Christ leaves the path and wanders off into a barren future, devoid of the fellowship of the Saviour.

Over the thirty years I have been following Jesus, I’ve seen so many, TOO many, abandon the faith and walk off into the sunset of apostasy. Sometimes they have been dear friends, We had worshipped together, shared from the scriptures what God was speaking, seen each other through trials, victories and heartaches. But now, when and if there is a chance meeting there is no life, no fellowship and no spiritual companionship.

Demas… the names change but the pain’s the same.

It’s different if a faithful follower of our mutual Saviour leaves our side to follow their calling. They may have changed location but the heart connection remains. But when they have loved this present age and it’s not their bodies that have changed location but their heart, it is a deep spiritual wound.

David felt this when he wrote in Psalm 41 about the enemies who devised evil against him and plotted his downfall and then with a choked voice in vs 9 “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”

The LORD put this in scripture for those who lose friends in the faith to apostasy. And so often the one who was a beloved friend in the faith becomes a sworn enemy when they lose their devotion to Christ. The one who once gave strength now mocks. He who once gave godly advice now wants us to stumble. The one who stood near, now stands afar off with scorn and derision.

Oh Demas. What happened to your zeal and faith and love. What in this present age could be so attractive that you would give up eternity for it. What short-term goal, what demonic deception, what cherished sin could induce you to give up your inheritance in Christ.

Oh Demas. You walked with God and now you stumble along the path to destruction.

Demas, Demas. Is it too late? Are you so far gone? Does the name of the LORD no longer bring a warming of your heart? Do you ever think of your previous life?… Your love for the Word?… Your insights into the scriptures?… Your desire to share your faith?… Your concern for the saints?… The things you endured and the One you enjoyed!??.

How did the devil take you captive? What lies did you listen to? What earthly desire overtook your heavenly passion?

Demas, I miss you. I grieve for you. I know I can knock on your door or pick up a phone and we can share words. But the Demas I knew is no longer present. The words are lifeless and no longer Spirit-filled. I can meet you in this life, but Demas it’s in the life to come that I wish to walk with you again.

Demas we are in the last days. The march of history is coming to an end. Jesus IS coming soon. Now is not the time to give up. If there is any spark of faith left, call upon Him. He is merciful. He is able to bring you back. For I too nearly fell. I stumbled. I also took my eyes off the King. But He brought me back. He forgave. He restored. What He did for me, He can do for you.

For those who have endured the grief of a Demas, my heart is with you. A child, a parent, a spouse, a friend who you once shared sweet counsel with. A companion, an acquaintance who walked the divine path with you and now reproaches and despises your faith. (Psalm 55:12-14) Take a leaf from Paul’s example. He carried on in the work. He did not allow this greatest of griefs to disable him. He fixed His eyes on Jesus who, even though God in the flesh, also knew the pain of betrayal by a friend. And it’s not the personal betrayal that concerns us but the loss of a brother or sister in the Lord.

Stay firm, stay strong, stay close to Christ. He will bring comfort from His throne room. And you will in time be able to comfort others with the comfort you have received from Him.

Father, I pray for the Demas’, I commend them into Your trustworthy hands. I do ask you to grant repentance and restoration. Father I pray too for those who are suffering under the loss of a brother or sister in Christ. Grant them, grant us, strength to not let grief hobble our service to You. In the Name of Christ the Head of the church and the strong Son of God.

The command to judge

To judge: To form an opinion or estimation after careful consideration

It’s never a good idea to get our theology from the devil.

Jesus refuted satan in the wilderness when the serpent tried to “spin” the scripture to trap our Lord. One of the scriptures that the adversary is using today to immobilize God’s people is a twisted view on judging.

You can guarantee that the minute you hold up God’s word against some false presentation of an important biblical truth that someone will reflexively quote “Thou shalt not judge” (It’s always quoted in King James English for some reason)

But is that verse honestly telling us we are not to evaluate, discern or test anything against the immutable word of God? Of course not.

This is satan’s attempt to silence the prophetic voice of the church. This is his way of getting people to turn off their brains, harden their hearts and block their ears to what the Spirit is saying to the church, and to individual members of the church.

The very verse so often deployed against discerning disciples of Christ goes on say to “Do not throw your pearls before swine or give what is sacred to dogs.” (Matthew 7:6). Why is that portion of scripture never used? Because it’s too “judgemental” of course. So now Jesus Himself is judged as too judgemental. You do see the problem here, I’m sure.

In fact there are multitudes of scriptures and entire books of the Bible commanding us to judge. If we don’t heed those writings we are not being non-judgemental…we are being disobedient.

Look at it this way; supplement some synonyms for “judge” and see how it plays out.

Thou shall not be discerning.

Thou shall not think.

Thou shall not weigh up whether something is true or not.

Thou shall not test all things and hold on to what is good.

Thou shall not test the spirits.

Thou shall not evaluate, take heed or beware of false teachers.

Thou shall not be a Berean of more noble character.

Do you see how this injunction to not judge, employed constantly by judgemental voices, becomes a nonsense when misapplied.

This one verse taken out of context has perhaps done more in our generation than all the bars and brothels combined to send people to a Christless eternity!

Now of course only the righteous Judge of the universe can look into a person’s heart and know perfectly what are their motives, their pains, their heartaches or secret sins. In that sense we are not to judge. Only God knows a mans heart and only God through the gospel can change it. But it is NOT judgemental to agree with God’s word. It’s eminently sensible and the only wise way to live. To state for instance that homosexuality, or adultery or fornication are sinful is not judgemental, it’s true. According to God Almighty Himself. To state as some religious leaders do that these things are not sin, is not tolerant and gracious, it’s rebellion and a lie. To speak clearly and without apology scriptural truth is not negative or critical; it’s faithful discipleship.

Unfortunately there is a category of believer today who thinks ignoring, downplaying or rejecting God’s clear word on an issue is being loving and generous; Well, it’s not! It’s a hateful thing to steal at any time, but to rob people of truth is perhaps one of the most wicked things we can do. Jesus soundly rebuked the religious elite of His day who saw God’s word as their personal possession to do with as they saw fit. Those who follow their lead today face the same rebuke from Christ.

Obviously God’s people are not to be hypercritical and jump on the smallest deviation of their self-assumed truth.

The children of God should never instantly expect the worst of people.

We should not categorize and label and reject people because of their race, gender economic or educational background etc. We should not accept gossip as gospel or slander as true.

We are never to declare that some individual is too wicked for the grace of God to change; after all He changed us. So in those instances to judge is wrong and sinful, but as mentioned previously to extend that to become a doctrine of silence where God’s clear declarations are avoided or rejected is a terrible twisting of the truth.

In our particular time in history it is imperative for the twice born sons of God to once again take seriously the charge and command to judge. To judge righteously to be sure. To extend grace for certain, but to judge nevertheless.

We must ask, “Is what I’m hearing true? Does it line up with Christ’s clear words? Is it accurate and complete?”

Much error is truth pushed to an extreme.

Many deceptions have been wrongfully backed by a scripture wrenched from its context.

Many of the devil’s lies are promoted as biblical truth.

The only way we can tell truth from error is to exercize our God-given capacity to discern, evaluate and judge whether a thing is so or not.

Afeter all Jesus Himself said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgement”… John 7:24

Loving God and loving people is not the gospel

It’s become quite popular for religious folks to declare they don’t like religion but that they are instead ”spiritual”. It’s also become fashionable in that same  spirit to state, “ I just love God with all my heart and love my neighbour as myself”. You do? Really??

These words are Jesus’ reply to a teacher of the law, who asked the Messiah, “What is the greatest commandment?”

Jesus answered “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40)

All kinds of folks today are quoting these verses as if they are the basics of the gospel. One denomination in Australia even has it as their slogan (with the addition of loving “life”. Jesus apparently forgot to add that one)

For those who wish to make this the new “spiritual” gospel, are you sure you have thought this through?

To adopt these commands as the basis of our relationship with God means we must love Him with complete, unfailing love…all the time…under every circumstance… for our entire lives. We must never have wavered in our devotion. We must have completely resisted every temptation. We must have always walked in perfect worship. Never resisted the Holy Spirit. Have had every motive and goal in perfect alignment with His word. And then to have consistently put others needs before our own. To always seek the best for the other even at great personal cost. And to do that not on occassion, but at every moment, of every day, for our entire sojourn on this planet.

It becomes obvious that these words of the Lord are not a declaration of how to be reconciled to Creator God but are a summary of the Law.

The first four of the ten commandments were all about loving God. The next six all about how to love our fellow-man. In other words the instruction to love God and people perfectly is not a nice, liberating, non religious way to “do” Christianity. It is a reminder of how helpless and hopeless we are in the sight of God without the cross.

Does anyone really want God to judge them on their fulfillment of these two commandments? If they do, they are doomed to a certain and fearful end.

For no one loves God with ALL their heart soul, mind and strength. And no one loves their neighbour as they love themselves. What sounds at first hearing as so nice and gracious and spiritual, is in fact a sentence of doom to every human who has ever lived…except One of course; Christ Jesus. This is the very reason why the gospel is good news and the law without the cross is bad news. Jesus perfect fulfillment of loving the Father and loving humanity made His sacrifice on behalf of we who are crippled by our lack of love, so perfect and so necessary.

He died in our place as a perfect act of love to redeem us who have lived our entire lives in selfishness toward our fellow humans and in rebellion towards our Creator.

So, as for me, I’ll rest in what Christ has done at the cross. I’ll trust in His ability to love and to forgive my imperfect love toward God and man. I’ll trust in His word and His redeeming power and the grace He distributes through His gift of faith in Him and His written truth.

I never want to rely on my power to love. I rely on His power to love.

For sure I want to grow in love. I want to  be more faithful to Him who rescued me. I want to be more sensitive to people and more importantly more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It’s not that I don’t desire to love God wholeheartedly and people more perfectly. It’s just that I don’t want to rely on my frail and faulty love when I can instead rely on His pure, powerful and unpolluted love.

So friend next time you here someone sanctimoniously declare that they aren’t religious, they just love God and love people, lovingly remind them of the consequences of relying on the law to be reconciled to God. And point them to Christ on a cross, our perfect Redeemer, Ransom and Risen Regent.

Father we who are born from above love in some measure as a fruit of Your infinite love toward us. We love because You first loved us. Thank You for providing redemption for our absence of love, and not judging according to our lack but by His fullness. Grant us the ability to accurately communicte this glorious message of grace through Christ for His sake

I charge you therefore…Preach the Word!!

1 Timothy 3:16-4:3

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.

 

Surely it’s not too much to ask. Certainly it’s a reasonable, sensible and logical instruction. If a man wishes to bask in the glorious titles offered by men, to men. If he desires to be recognised as a “Preacher”, “Teacher”, “Reverend” or “Pastor”, it’s a vital component of the divine job description to preach the word. Faithlessness in this area  cripples the entire ministry of a Christian leader. A preachers task is not to immerse himself in political agendas; as much as he may have opinions. And indeed he may have opinions on many topics, but his opinions have no life, no power and no blessing of God upon them, unless his opinion is a firm stand that God’s opinion is right and immutable.

Men make much of preaching “vision” today. This business principle promoted by academic organizational “experts” may build a business but it can not build the church of Christ.

The vision the Bible recognises as valid is a vision of the LORD, high and lifted up, with His train filling the temple and surrounded by angelic beings lost in worship. Holy holy holy they cry; but mere men preach vision, vision, vision, with vision statements and vision Sundays and vision meetings but for for all their talk of vision they are blind. And those who listen and applaud the latest vain glorious exalting of man’s ideas are also blind and if the blind leads the blind both fall into a pit.

(One famous Christian leader categorically denied the place of prayer in his “success” and gave all the glory to his “vision”. This is close to blasphemy and he will discover God will not share His glory with any mans puny vision)

Sifting the word through a carnal seive to remove any truths hard to swallow is also not preaching the word. Its simply a base exercise in popularity and is beneath any one truly called to preach.

The task of the man of God is not to revel in the Phariseeical delight of his clerical elitism but to preach the word.

The word on sin, hell, eternity, imputed righteousness through Christ, holiness, the resurrection of the dead and other topics increasingly ignored in the Babylonian churchianity that has risen to power today.

So called preachers can wax long and eloquently on the unbiblical teaching of tithing every meeting and yet their church members are ignorant of the uniqueness of Christ and the necessity of believing Him to have eternal life. (One woman “preacher” testified how she was saved as a prostitute and initially she tithed out of her earnings as a sex worker. Apparently she knew to tithe before she knew harlotry was forbidden by God!)

Clerical con men convince even God’s people to dabble in witchcraft and to vainly attempt to change their circumstances with positive confessions. We`are not to rise above our situations with our words, but we are to submit our futures to God’s word.

The list of ecclesisatical errors stretches out beyond the horizon at this point in history but all of them would be solved in an instant if “preachers”would simply preach…Preach the living word

the written word

the cross

and the position, priorities and purpose of God’s people.

Paul goes on to highlight the problem. The time has come when the religious rabble will not endure sound teaching. They gather around them teachers who tell them what their itching ears want to hear….Entertaining stories, humourous anecdotes, superstious fables, and deathly doctrines of the magnificence of men.

It seems as if the Lord of Glory will extend much grace to those who will set their hearts to preach His gospel in all it’s beauty and simplicity; but those who speak great swelling words of the the wisdom of men will one day wish to eat their words…when they stand before Him.

Dear preacher, if you are drawing a wage because of your title, well; preach the word! Not half of the word, not disected, homogenised or pasteurised, the scripture needs no adjusting for the ears of men. Hearts need adjusting through the declaration of the word.

And dear preach-ee, if you sit under one who has no honour for the scriptures, no testimony of salvation and no focus on eternity; get out of that place. You’re in danger. Deadly, spiritual, eternal danger.

A man is not a preacher because of his title. He is not a servant of the gospel because of his pulpit. He is not a man of God because of his popularity.. and in fact popularity may well be the death of him.

A man is a preacher only when, and if, he will …Preach the word!!

Father,

We of the human race are frail and faulty is so many areas, as is every one called to preach. But Lord graciously grant us those who will have this right that they will preach, herald declare and expound Your holy word. For Jesus sake

Preaching as worship

This is a repost from some time ago.I thought it appropriate considering the burden on my heart at this time.

 I’m praying for preachers of God’s word at the moment. Praying for The LORD to raise up faithful preachers and bring conviction on those who have succumbed to the temptations to seek man’s favour or to get immersed in political activity  or have focussed on building a memorial to their own cleverness, and calling it church.

Those who claim to be preachers or teachers of God’s holy word and misuse the scriptures or misrepresent God are treading a slippery path. Those who are faithful have the joy of experiencing the leading of the Holy Spirit, what the old saints called the unction of God. They may well also see people wonderfully saved as a result of God blessing the “foolishness of the gospel”

Click on link to read more

 

Preaching as worship.