The Dividing Line

THE LINE. It's an interesting term that holds intrigue. As kids, who didn't want to be the line leader? As adults, we see lines and wonder where they go. Perhaps some of us even fear lines such as when we enter the grocery store...and then immediately walk back out. Perhaps you like to pretend you're Johnny Cash and walk the line. There are many different applications that you may have never thought of. In fact, ask yourself what Mormons, dots, and lines have in common? If you're curious, read on!

 

A few months ago, I received a knock on my door. As I opened it, I saw two clean cut young men standing before me wearing black slacks and white button up shirts. I instantly knew God was showing me His good favor! I stepped outside and greeting each of them with enthusiasm and a smile. After a brief introduction, I invited them into my living room so we could sit down and get comfortable. As expected, they opened with passages out of the Book of Mormon. To be honest, it was interesting to see where they were coming from. I'd had discussions with many Mormons in the past but this one just felt different. I felt more of a desire to show them truth than a desire to show them their error.

 

I presented to them the problem of reconciling the Bible to the Book of Mormon. They admitted that the Book of Mormon was viewed as being without error whereas the Bible

was not. However, they claimed that both were equally as important. That was when they brought up the subject of dots and lines. They told me to imagine a single dot. They asked me how many lines I would be able to draw through this one dot. They proceeded to tell me the dot was the Bible and the lines were the many different interpretations. They next asked me to imagine two separate dots with a line connecting them both. This represented the single interpretation when the Bible was interpreted through the Book of Mormon. Their claim was that this is the only way to accurately interpret

the Bible. Through prayer and study, they were certain that this was the irrefutable and infallible interpretation. They used something as simple as a line to show why they were right.

Our discussion continued for another half hour before we said our goodbyes. We scheduled another time to meet and I marked it in my calendar. As the days went on, I pondered their illustration. I was no more convinced than I was before we first met but I was intrigued by what they had presented. That was when it hit me. Just as they used lines to prove their point, that same line could easily be used to prove mine. What if the single line wasn't horizontal at all but was actually vertical? This would change everything.

 

Eventually, we had our next meeting. Once again, I invited them into my living room. Once again, they presented to me a case from the Book of Mormon. However, my mind was still set upon the illustration of lines. I reminded them of what they had said and they instantly appeared curious as what I was about to say. First, I brought up the case of the Roman Catholic Church. They, too, hold Scripture to be on an equal level with something else. They interpret all Scripture against Sacred Tradition. Unfortunately, they tend to not only hold it against Sacred Tradition but actually interpret the Bible in light of it. Just as Mormons are positive their interpretation is correct, so are Roman Catholics. I asked them how they know theirs is the correct one. They said the Father confirmed it through prayer. Again, I asked how this was different from the Roman Catholics. To this, they didn't have an answer.

 

 

It was at this time that I began to present my case of the vertical line. I asked them to first confirm that they held both the Bible and the Book of Mormon on equal ground. They agreed. I then asked them to confirm that they believed the Book of Mormon to be infallible whereas they believed the Bible had some errors due to years of translational differences. Again, they agreed. Lastly, I asked them to confirm that, if a text in the Bible conflicted with a text in the Book of Mormon, they chalked that portion of the Bible up to error and chose the Book of Mormon's "truth" instead. As with before, they once again agreed though they were a bit more reluctant to do so in this case. Since we had established our foundation, I felt free to proceed to my point.

 

If any part of the Bible is false, we need to throw out the entire thing. It's either God's infallible Word or it isn't. I told them, out of necessity, their own admission splits the Bible up into three categories. First, there are those parts that agree with the Book of Mormon. Since there wasn't really anything to add to this, I left it alone. Next, there are those areas that disagree with the Book of Mormon. Passages in this category are rejected as being erroneous. Once again, there wasn't much left to say on this category so I left it alone. Finally, we're left with the third category. This is the category that gives problems. It's the rest of the Bible. It's the passages that neither agree nor disagree with the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon simply doesn't speak on these passages so there's nothing to compare them to or hold them against. The dilemma is in whether one should accept or reject them. I dare say the latter. After all, the Mormon has already shown the Bible to contain unreliable error. How are we to know with certainty whether or not the third category is truth or not? The Mormon may say prayer will provide the answer. To that I say that prayer has shown me that the totality of Scripture is true. As a result, it would appear as if we're left with a very large third category of uncertainty. Unfortunately, there is only one way to safely handle it. Again, if the Bible has shown itself to be unreliable in any way at all, we must reject anything that might possibly contain error. To blindly accept it would be irresponsible. Thus, we're left with only the first category. We're only left with those parts of the Bible that agree with the Book of Mormon. With this being the case, what is the need for the Bible? By their own admission, the Bible is pointless and erroneous. Using basic logic and

reasoning, their illustration instantly goes from horizontal to vertical line drawing. Simply put, the Bible and the Book of Mormon are forever separated by a solid line and cannot be reconciled.

 

I took this opportunity to explain the importance of knowing the Bible to be the untarnished and infallible Word of God. I stressed that it's only through the Bible that one can know Christ and know the gospel. I urged them to find comfort in knowing that we can never earn our salvation and that it's only by the blood of Christ that we find forgiveness of sins. I made every attempt to show them that Christ was not merely a created being but is actually the second Person of the Trinity, God the Son from eternity past. We discussed a great many things as I presented the gospel to them in my living room that evening. Once again, God's favor was shining down on me as he gave me a spirit of boldness yet a heart of compassion. I can't say anybody was converted in my living room but I trust that God's Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). I pray that seeds of truth were planted and that God would send somebody else's living room their way in the future.

 

 

~ Travis W. Rogers

A Horrified God: The Black Hole Gospel

"(God) still has not gotten over the horror of being without you in His life." 

I know this is a bit of a re-do but after reading this statement this week, well, it's worth another blog post. Such a statement (made by Daniel A. Brown, PhD, to new believers) is the epitome of the black hole gospel. This "gospel" will suck you into an alternate universe.  One where salvation is all about you, all about how God just can't live without you.  This universe is an alternate reality.  Yes, the eternal God who created the sun, moon and stars.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  (Gen 1:1)

The eternal, all powerful, self-sustaining Maker of all things, heaven and earth, man and beast.  The One who holds the universe together, the Lord Jesus Christ.

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ~ Colossians 1:16–17

This Almighty God lived in eternity past in agony because He found no contentment in His Triune perfection. That is until He created man in His own image and likeness.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. ~ Genesis 1:26

Not!  Come on.........please!  Do you really believe that you are that important?  That special?  That essential to 'completing' the Godhead?  Now don't get me wrong, God indeed has a special love, an everlasting love for His people but make no grievous mistake in thinking that He had to have you, He had to have me.  That is not only shear arrogance, it is utter folly.  God has no need of any man.  He has no need of anything. (Acts 17:25)


Now if you like, if you insist, you can take the blue pill and be sucked away into an ignorant and blissful alternate reality.  One where you live under the illusion that you are the center of the universe and God needs you.  One where He was wringing His hands in hopes that you would pick Him.

Or you can take the red pill of reality and embrace the God of the bible, The Way, The Truth, The Life......Jesus Christ.  For, there is no other way to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6) The reality where He chose you before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4)...for His good pleasure, not ours.  (Philippians 2:13)  Our pleasure is a side benefit and to make God's pleasure in us primary is truly horrible.

In this alternate universe, this illusion modern day preachers have mastered purveying to the gullible masses of humanity, we have been told that Jesus stands at the door and knocks, hoping that we will let Him in. (Revelation 3:20)  Oh yes, mighty men of our day, highly esteemed men.  Men like Greg Laurie and Billy Graham and Charles Stanley.  They twist this scripture for their own benefit.  Yet like Uzzah they attempt to do the right thing in the wrong way.  (2 Samuel 6:3-6)  Instead this passage in Revelation is directed dead on to the church of Laodicea.  The church who claimed to be

rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” yet Jesus said... and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. ~ Revelation 3:17

Yet this Jesus, the One men claim loves you so much, in your sin, that He is horrified at life without you.  This God says....

I will spit you out of My mouth. ~ Revelation 3:16 and repent (v 19)

Come on now, have you ever thrown up?  Have you ever made that dreadful sprint to El Bano to vomit? Not pleasant!  Why is your body expelling the contents of your stomach?  What is in there is no bueno my friends, no bueno at all.  And the lies being trumped today are no bueno for your body, soul and spirit. Friends, this is not a pleasant walk in the park sniffing roses that Jesus is talking about here.
He is not happy.

He stands outside the door of many churches, perhaps your church and He says I stand at the door and knock.  He does not stand at the door of a sinners heart and knock.  Stop using this text in isolation and twisting it's meaning!

These type of men also say things like "God isn't waiting to judge you.  God isn't waiting to condemn you." (Billy Graham website) Well, you're half right about that.  This is what He has said about that,  

....he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ~ John 3:18

He did not come into the world to judge it but to save it (verse 17) precisely because OF verse 18. Don't buy the lie that Jesus is a gentleman and He will meekly, even, pardon the pun, sheepishly cower at some perceived 'door of your heart' and politely ask you if you would let Him out of the cold dark night and into your heart where He can be warm and fill you with warmth as well.  No, No!  He commands men everywhere to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.  (Acts 2:38) These modern day evangelists will tell you that "you were created to know God in a personal way." (Greg Lauire website) IF indeed you repent and place your faith in Jesus Christ, you will know Him personally and savingly but if you remain in your rebellion, yes, admit it.......it's rebellion.......you will prove you are a vessel of wrath to make God's power known and you will still bring Him glory. (Romans 9:22)

So returning to the quote at the top of this blog and that birthed this rant, God is not, has not been, never will be...............horrified at life without you.  He's not!  Really, not in the least!

You should be horrified.  I should be horrified. Here is good and proper horror,

         The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge ~ Proverbs 1:7

We should be horrified at the evil thoughts we have had, that we have.  We should be horrified at how we have trampled the blood of His Son underfoot.  How we have regarded His blood as unclean. How we have insulted the Spirit of grace.  (Hebrews 10:29)  We should be horrified that we have heard of the cross, heard of His sacrifice and yet we turned our nose and said "Hmmmm!  I don't believe that!  I am not a sinner worthy of punishment.  I can't believe such a God exists!"

So my friends, if you do not know this Jesus, I ask you, (and I ask those who do know this Jesus to shout from the rooftops the glories of His name)

why have you not gotten over the horror of being without God in your life?

He must increase!
~ Kevin

We Don't Understand?

In this day and age, it seems that the line of morality is quickly being erased, both in the world and in the visible church. Hyper-gracers flaunt their liberty and show how well they flirt with "the line;" Hollywood keeps pushing the envelope to see how debauched they can get without the whistle being blown. And so, the attack against God's holy standard comes from both sides, as people both saved (supposedly) and unsaved daily refuse to bow the knee to the lordship of Christ and then kick dirt on the clear line of demarcation that is contained in the Holy Scriptures.

But here's the dilemma: While the world becomes increasingly hostile to Christian faith, the visible church compromises its faith and accommodates said culture. Why is this a problem? Because in the middle of this squeeze play are people who need to hear the gospel. People who need to be set free from their bondage to sin. People who need Christ and the cross. But regardless of which way they turn their heads, they see the same thing, and so they have no real answer, no real anchor for their soul. And while the world parties it up, and the church seems oblivious to this glaring issue, these same spiritually bankrupt people are going to hell on a daily basis.

That is why they find it so easy to remain in their sins. They have an excuse, a catchphrase that they like to proclaim as a defense to justify their ungodly lifestyle.

"You just don't understand."

You don't understand that even though I'm in adultery, I love her.

You don't understand that porn is a release for me.

You don't understand that I have so much fun when I drink and smoke.

You don't understand how I feel about this person of the same sex.

You don't understand that this little bit of money out of the cash register keeps my baby in diapers.

You don't understand. You don't understand. 

You. Just. Don't. Understand.

As I thought about this excuse, I realized how little sense it made. None of us who were saved by God were born that way. None of us who are children of God are going through life without experiencing anything bad. None of us who are saints are squeaky clean. No! The Bible makes that glaringly clear:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality [or women], nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV

Do you see that? And such WERE some of you. Some of us. We have also struggled with the chains of bondage. We have also been driven by sin. We have also done some heinous things. We were porn addicts, alcoholics, partiers, adulterers, murderers, thieves, sexually immoral, drug dealers, gang-bangers, drug addicts, and the like. 

So, yes, we DO understand. We understand ALL TOO WELL.

Now, I do apologize for those of us in the ranks who have made it appear as if they have never been through anything and have been holy all of their lives, but many of us care. Many of us know about depression, anxiety, doubt, sadness, and the pain you deal with as you look for a remedy. We know what that darkness feels like. We know what it's like to delude yourself into thinking everything's OK when it is all crashing down around you. We know what it feels like to be oblivious to wrongdoing, or to justify why we do what we do. 

We know that destruction leads to more destruction; that sin leads to more sin. We know that there is no way for you to get loose from those chains you're shackled in. We know that you can try and try and try but the result will be the same. But most importantly, we know the end game.

That is why Paul warned the Corinthians not to be deceived: the ungodly WILL NOT inherit God's kingdom. Never. Ever. Absolutely not. 

There is nothing you can do to change that. There is no amount of good that you can do to gain entrance. You can clean yourself up morally and still not make it. Without belief in the saving power of Christ Jesus and repentance of sin, your current state will not change. 

We don't understand? Yes we do. We understand what you're dealing with and going through. We understand your struggle. We understand your frustration and pain. 

But we also understand some things that you don't. We understand that without Christ, there is no hope for you. We understand that the broad path you are on leads to eternal death. We understand that God's wrath is upon you.

We also understand what you really need. The gospel. The death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. So before you prepare your mouth and vocal cords to strain out that phrase, turn your ear to us and hear the redeeming, freeing truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Oh yes, we understand.

How Long Has That Been Like That?

I think we've all had that moment.
The one where you are driving by the same place you've always driven by and you suddenly realize you've been missing something, or someone real sneaky like added something to the landscaping.

This happened to me on Thursday evening. I was on my way home from my bi-weekly men's group and my wife's bi-weekly women's group and I drove by these wooden carvings that I've driven by for years. These carvings look like totems to the gods of golf and they come complete with a carved golf ball. I mean seriously, whoever did this work or commissioned the work has to have been a huge fan of golf and possessed of a goodly amount of money. In fact they have to truly worship the sport; because I just can't see putting these things in your yard if you aren't obsessed with the it. These things are only endearing in that, the town I reside in is a small town, and one expects eclectic things like this in a small town in Southeast Minnesota.

You try putting these things in your yard in a more urbane city and your neighbors will have the planning and zoning commission raining municipal hellfire down on you in no time. One can only imagine that more cultured and sophisticated city dwellers would drive through our little town and comment at how quaint and precious these things are. Of course they would also comment on how unsightly they are and about how they would never put them in

their yards. Yet it is still so cute and oh so small town country folk like.

But anyway I got sidetracked there. I've always noticed these carvings. One just can't drive by them without seeing them. And there is something oddly comforting about driving by them when it is -25 degrees with 5' of snow on the ground and they still stand there playing their perpetual 18 holes without ever getting anywhere. But what hit me today wasn't their presence in their accustomed place. Instead what I noticed and what caused me to take a second glance was the golf ball.

For the first time I noticed that despite the artist's best shot at carving a perfect golf ball, dimples and all, that thing was totally misshapen and not round by any sense of the imagination. In fact it looked more like a rectangle with the edges rounded off. The first thought that went through my mind was "Well that ball is never going to fly very far". Now despite the obvious fact that it's an over-sized wooden golf ball and the golfers are wooden and over-sized themselves, the aerodynamics were of little to no consequence. One would imagine that if one of the chaps standing there for perpetuity were to come to life and take a swing, that ball would probably take off quite well. I wouldn't want one of them taking a swing at me considering their size.

The second thought that went through my mind immediately following that odd set of observations was "Well how long has that been like that?" Mind you that was probably the most inane and idiotic thing I could have said at the moment, but it was honestly what went through my mind. Of course the answer to that question was "Since it was made you moron."

But here is where I am going with this. How often does this happen to us in our walk with Christ? It can be an issue of seeing a doctrine clearly taught in a favorite passage of Scripture that we have never noticed before, despite the numerous of times we have read it. It can be something as powerfully impacting as hearing the Gospel proclaimed from the lyrics of a song that you have listened to a thousand times, but for some reason you have missed it because you have become all too familiar with the song. The old saying is that familiarity breeds contempt, and I would add that often times it also breeds blindness. Sometimes we just don't have the desire to see what should be readily visible to us.

And no place it this more apparent than in our own lives. How many times have I willingly overlooked a sin that is besetting me and is growing in me? How often have I ignored the conviction brought on by the Holy Spirit? Proverbs 29:1 says this to us:

"He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,
    will suddenly be broken beyond healing."

This stiffening of our necks to the rebuke of the Holy Spirit leads us to become blind to the sins that are having their ways with us. Eventually this sin becomes all too familiar to us and not only do we cease to struggle with it, but we also cease to see it for what it is.

I deal with this often, not only in my life, but in the lives of many of the people I deal with on a daily basis. They just don't see that the thing they are most in love with is wrong.

Often times they have been told that it is  merely a societal issue with what they are doing that makes it wrong. Some have even been sold a bill of goods that has promised them that they are genuinely good people who have been born again but are only victims of the wiles of the devil. I often deal with those who see what they are doing as only a societal issue but take a dim view of others who have, in their minds and by their perspectives, committed far more heinous crimes than they have ever dreamed of committing. To some degree they are right. One would have a hard time ever seeing a man or woman who is destroying their own body with meth or heroin as a plague on society, as long as they are only hurting themselves. At the same time anyone who victimizes a child, in any way, is truly the worst of the worst in society's eyes.These views, when considered through the lens of societal mores and values, makes perfect sense. Yet as Christians we are

not called to make our judgments based on what society dictates as the worse crime or the acceptable bad behavior.

It is this horribly flawed view that tells us that a man getting trashed on Saturday night but getting a sober cab home is a righteous man while the guy next to him who attempts to drive home drunk but gets picked up for drunk driving is a criminal. It is this view that allows us as a society to see two sixteen year old high school students engaged in sex in private as being in charge of their own bodies and exploring a good thing. Yet the nineteen year old man engaging in sex with his seventeen year old girlfriend is a criminal and faces the most severe judgments and life altering penalties that society and the justice system can throw at him. I am not attempting to give anyone a pass here. I am not looking to make light of any of these issues that so often end with justice being served in the eyes of culture and society. What I am trying to do is point us to the reality that all too often we, even the most orthodox amongst us, turn a blind eye to our own sins as we gaze so eagerly at the sins of others. Because each of the things I just listed above are indeed sins; and God views them as tragically severe.

Yet, every so often what we need is for someone who loves us to come up to us and ask the hard questions. How many times have I been in need of hearing "How long has that been like that?" as someone points out what should have been glaringly obvious to me. All too often though we spend as much time ignoring the

planks we see in others. So much so they end up building themselves nice little houses of sin and rebellion. We are terrified of hearing "Ignore my speck take out your own plank man!" So instead we allow ourselves to be hardened to our own sin and the sins of those around us that we love the most. I know this seems to run counter to the thought process that we perceive being out there today. But I am convinced that it isn't. I am convinced that we have become so myopic in the "ophthalmological" sense that we have become dangerous to one another. We are starkly near-sighted almost to the point of blindness. So we ignore our own sins and to avoid having them pointed out we ignore the sins of those we love.

So we all get really wrapped up in this strange ignoring of sin. We gather together and we love one another by way of service to one another. We read to one another from Scripture and we pray for one another. We sing songs together and we just get really used to and familiar with one another. We have these drive by relationships that allow us to get used to seeing everyone around us without really seeing them. We talk about "pressing in" (that's the new Christian phrase for forcing people to be transparent) on one another but we never really put any weight on the pressing. We talk about accountability partners, but we never really stop and hold anyone accountable. Mostly because we are afraid that they may do the same for us.

All of this builds and builds and piles up and pretty soon, as result of our blindness and the fear of being exposed by others, we become these walking talking misshapen people. It takes something drastic to happen before any one will say about us, or we will say to ourselves, "How long has that been like that?"

The elder who sees his marriage and his ministry destroyed as a result of infidelity didn't just slip into it one day. The Christian woman who has her kids taken away from her for abusing them didn't just lose it one time. There were tell tale signs in both of these cases. The guy who was so faithful about coming to worship and other functions but slowly starts to fade out of the picture only to get arrested for possession of narcotics and ends up locked up for a long time or in court ordered treatment didn't just get wrapped up in that type of mess one day.

Two things happened in these cases and in a million more like them. The person guilty of these things hardens themselves to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the people closest to them did not love them enough to point out the planks. So everyone fails in this. Oh sure it is a catastrophic failure for the guilty one, but is just as much a failure of the local church as well. There are always signs. There are always indicators and we have to be willing to watch one another in love. We have to be willing to not wait until the last minute when the problem has erupted like Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii is buried. We can't wait until nothing is left but a destroyed brother or sister, a wrecked home and a reeling church family. That is when it has become too late. That is when we are left scratching our heads and asking ourselves and everyone around us, "How long has that been like that?"

If we love one another in light of the finished work of Christ. If we are living outwardly what the Gospel has done to us inwardly, we will pay careful attention to ourselves and to those around us. We have to be so very careful to not be like Cain when God asked him where his brother was, and Cain replied "Am I my brother's keeper?" Because, if we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will be their keepers, and they will be ours. But if we think we aren't, we are sadly wrong. Because when those we claim to love the most and share the most with through the bonds of the Holy Spirit, fall, the wreckage of their fall will cry out against us when God asks us where we were before it all fell apart. And scratching our heads in disbelief and bewilderment over the mess and saying to God 'How long has that been like that?" just isn't going to cut it.

God has loved us enough to send His Son to die in our stead despite our utter worthlessness and undeserving state. He has loved us enough to send the Comforter to encourage and convict us. And He has loved us enough to put other believers in our lives. So we would do well to not ignore the problems we see creeping in to each others'  lives as if we are waiting for them to become tragedies...

Soli Deo Gloria,
Todd

The Utmost of Ends in the Pursuit of God

The pursuit of God in all areas of life is the utmost of ends. It is the goal that all Believers should aspire too.The thought or idea that a genuine child of God can be separated from the pursuit of Him as they go about their daily lives is foreign to the Scriptures that so many of us spend our time pouring over.

To find within ourselves the ability to mark off or encapsulate areas of our lives as distinctly different from our pursuit of God is to say to Him that we are not desperately in need of Him in all things. This was the entire ministry of Christ as He walked the earth; to point all He encountered to a passionate pursuit of the God of creation. This was His meaning with His words "If you love me keep my commandments", "The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength."

This pursuit is to consume us in all things. Are you a spouse? Be the spouse you are taught to be in Scripture by going hard after God. Are you a parent? Be the parent you are taught to be in Scripture by going hard after God. Are you a son or a daughter? Be the child you are taught to be in Scripture by going hard after God. Are you an employee? Be the employee that you are taught to be in Scripture by going hard after God.

Yet make no mistake, the pursuit of God is not mere religious moralism. It is not deific piety. It is a bending of the knee to the authoritative Word of God and recognition of the reality that all we need to is contained in Scripture. I practice my religion in vain if I merely work toward behavior modification in myself and others. One does not need Christ to be a stellar employee. But to be a stellar employee who's good works cause others, even the lost and spiritually dead of the world, to glorify God requires the imputation of the righteousness of Christ.

When the world praises the "good deeds" of a non-believer they are praising the self-centered works of a self-righteous person. But when the world praises the good works of the child of God, whether they are aware of it or not, whether they care to acknowledge it or not, they are praising God.God is the one who receives the glory when you hear "Job well done." There is no need for you to say to the non-believer "Praise God". They already have.

This is the difference in how we pursue God. We are not to spend every moment of every day wondering how to see God in each thing. We do not need to look for calculated times to say to ourselves, or even to others, "Now this I will do for the Lord." Every action we take should be done with this in mind. This is the meaning of Paul in his letter to the Church in Corinth when he wrote "In all that you do, do it all to the glory of God."

Our pursuit of God is meant to move us into a lifestyle of constant action. And we are to understand that all actions we take are to be done as spiritual work unto the Lord. There are no common daily tasks that are not permeated by our faith in God, our trust in Christ for salvation. The daily work of a minister or pastor are equally as spiritual as the work of a day laborer or a doctor. One is no more highly esteemed than the other. While God places a very high expectation on those whom He has called to shepherd, He does not value them or their work anymore than the work of the rest of His sheep. Because He has ordained them each to the work it is they do.

Just as marriage is a powerful image of the Gospel. So salvation is a powerful image of God's view of mankind. yes He did indeed call Abraham and make a special people out of him, but he also brought many people from out of the lands of the gentiles and pagans. So it is with those whom He calls to specific vocations. The man He has called to full time shepherding is no more called or sent than the woman who stays at home and labors to raise her children and manage her household. The believing trash collector is every bit as called to his vocation as is the seminary professor.

Each of these, and all of the Church Universal, is called to do what they are doing. So, outside of those behaviors and occupations which are by their very nature violations of God's law, all activities are meant by Him to be pursued to His glory.

Yet we must understand this, an unregenerate, God hating heathen is not pursuing God in even "good Christian" acts. The unbeliever who reads the Bible and sees a command and then performs that act, is in reality heaping up condemnation on himself. This is because he is doing this thing to appease God. Yet God is not pleased or appeased in the acts done to cover over our natural state. In Hebrews we are taught that the blood of bulls and goats do not satisfy Him, so it is with the acts of self-righteous merit done by the unbeliever.

So even a minister or shepherd who believes that they are doing good, yet is not truly converted, is in grave sin. This is not to say that God does not work through that person. It is to say however that they are not pleasing God. Consider Joseph's brothers. They were in grievous sin and yet God planned and worked through their evil. So it was with Judas. So it is with the multiple stories of street preachers who in sharing Gospel have come to understand that they themselves were not saved.

True pursuit of God- active seeking of Him- comes as a product of the realization of salvation through Christ alone. So even pursuing God is a gift to the saved. However, or because of this, the one who professes Christ as Savior and Lord, but does not pursue Him in that way, is not saved.

So this leads to a strange dichotomy. On the one hand you have a man or woman who is giving the appearance of of being spiritually alive, doing good works and claiming God, but is yet unconverted and is only behaving as they are to appease the God that they fear. On the other hand you have the man or woman who gives lip service to being a believer. They claim to be spiritually alive in Christ; yet they have no drive to actually pursue Him. And while the activities are vastly different neither is actually pursuing God.

What it the cause of this? What leads to such misapprehensions of what it means to pursue God? In both examples it is the presentation of a less-than-sufficient or incomplete Gospel. A gospel that according to Paul in Galatians is accursed. These people who suffer from these faulty views of what it means to pursue God, or believe pursuing Him is not necessary at all, do so, not from a lack of hearing about God, but from a lack of hearing the true Gospel and it caters to their own wicked designs.

These people are the same as the unregenerate heathens of the of the world who have never heard of Christ. They are justly deserving of condemnation and remain under the just wrath of God. They truly have no one to blame but themselves for their current state. Yet unlike the heathens who have never heard the Gospel, these folks are burdened with the poor theology of the theologically inept and the willful deceivers they heard this false gospel from.

The theologically inept are the untrained and and uninformed believers. These are the folks who have zeal without knowledge. Passion without clarity. This could be a man, who takes on the mantle of leader or teacher without the proper training or guidance from his elders. Maybe his elders even look at his zeal and encourage him to this end thinking he is prepared without using their discernment. While the intention is well meant it is fraught with danger and pitfalls and in the end often leads to death.

The willful deceiver is the one who knows that what he or she is teaching is a lie and perversion. Consider all of those holding themselves up as pastrixes or prophetesses today. These women are self-deceived believing that they are called to an office that God has not ordained for them. To ascend to this office they must twist and taint scripture with abandon and this wicked habit continues from there on. Because of this, every message they deliver must take on the tainting of scripture that these women wallow in. So even a presentation of the true Gospel by one of them becomes a happy coincidence and not a matter of design.

So the same can be said for all of the deniers of the Biblical Doctrine of the Trinity. Oneness Pentecostals, modalist like TD Jakes, Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons all fall into this camp. But worse yet these folks can never preach the true Gospel even by accident because they believe in a false Christ.

In the end the theologically inept often times preaches the same false gospel message as do the willful deceivers. It is a gospel of earned righteousness. It paints a picture of a god who grants desires no matter what those desires may entail. It is a message of universal love that would never allow any person to go to hell. It preaches about a god who accepts all people just as they are with no requirement to change. What does not matter in this is the intent. All that matters is the end.

The theologically inept may mean well while the willful deceiver intends to drag people to hell, but a bullet to the head from a genuinely nice guy kills just the same as a bullet to the head from a notorious hit-man.

So what is the solution to this disastrous problem? How do we remedy the outcome of the false gospel preached by so many today? Are the individuals who have been victimized by these problems, who think they are pursuing God but in reality pursuing their own ends, salvageable so-to-speak? The answer is yes.
No one this side of eternity is beyond hope of redemption.

The answer is to proclaim the Gospel to them.
Proclaim it to them constantly.
Proclaim it with authority because the God of all creation stands behind His words and promises that His word will accomplish what is is sent to do.

Along with this we must remember that it is not our end to ensure results, but to remain faithful. When we boldly preach the Gospel we are also laboring to make disciples. In the making of disciples we are pursuing God and and compelling others to do the same.

While we pursue God in the making of disciples we are working to ensure that we are also not causing the same problems we have been seeking to remedy. Paul used the phrase "follow me as I follow Christ"; this is a compelling thought. It points us to a reality in which we go before those we are leading. We are walking a trail, following a path laid out by Christ and carrying the light of Scripture as we go.

The amazing thought in this is that the path we are on isn't simply the footsteps of Christ, but the deep furrows of His Cross. The humbling thought in this is that that furrow that was made by His Cross is so deep that once we are in it and walking we cannot get out of it. There are no fatal missteps precipitous cliffs with a fall to our death. He has gone on before us lighting the path He has made at His own great expanse and suffering. As He leads us He cries out "Pick up your cross, follow me. Come to me all of you who are heavy laden and weary and I will give you rest."

The promise of God is that pursuit of God is a guarantee that we will reach Him through the work of Christ. And as hard as it may be in the pursuing it is a joy for us!
Soli Deo Gloria!
-Todd

Healthy Fruit or Rotten Tomatoes?

    Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,

    and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,

    and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ~ 2 Peter 1:5–7

How well do we know these words?  If we know them at all.  Knowing is living.  The seven qualities in this classic passage are the necessary fruit of a healthy Christian life.  They are not multiple choice. They are not for picking which ones we'll practice today and which tomorrow.  If you call yourself a Christian, are these true of you?  If you have placed yourself in the camp of believing in Christ rather than Christ calling you out of darkness and into His marvelous light then not only will you lack these qualities but they will be completely foreign to your way of life.

It is my prayer that anyone reading this will carefully consider what follows and might be encouraged to cultivate a life that imitates Christ.  Doing so is not only right and good but it brings glory to the One to Whom glory is due.  So the question begs, will we reflect that glory or will we smell like week old trash that everyone plugs their nose at as they walk by?

First, what reasons?  Why should we apply all diligence?  Well, we must take a bigger bite to get the full picture.  We see Peter has given us four reasons here but the list could get very long if we consider the work of Christ deeply.

4 Reasons to Diligently Pursue

• We have been given everything that pertains to life and godliness
• We have been given exceedingly great and precious promises
• We have become partakers of the divine nature
• We have escaped the corruption that is in the world 

Think about this for just a moment and every one of us that possesses life in Christ should be brought to our knees, no, brought to our very faces in humble adoration and amazement at the manifold mercies of our great God and Savior! 

Number one, the scriptures are fully, absolutely, completely, authoritatively, all-sufficient to give us, the believer, everything, all, we need in this life to direct us. We need not look outside of scripture.  We need not look beyond scripture.  No, instead we must search the scriptures, for within we will find everything pertaining to life and godliness........and everything means everything!

Secondly, we have promises!  The promise of eternal life, of an abundant life, of fullness of joy, of power to overcome, of freedom from sin, of the removal of guilt, of divine completion, of One who bears our load, of never stumbling, of being carried up to glory.  

Third, that we might be made partakers of the divine nature.  Huh?!  Really?  Before you go too far, it's about Him!  Not you, not me.  No, scratch the thought of becoming a god, even a little one.  There is only one God.  He shares His glory with no one.  We're just small moons reflecting that glory.  What we are is a partner, a companion.  We have innate properties that make us different from the person who does not believe in, who does not trust Christ.  

Faith is the gift of God that no man should boast. ~ Eph 2:8-9  

Jonathan Edwards said, "grace planted in the heart in a new birth is a principle of holy action and always produces an abiding change of nature in a true convert." 

Lastly, we've escaped!  Escaped what?  Corruption!  We will not escape, we have escaped.  Oh dear, believer, if you've escaped, since you've escaped, stop going back into the cesspool of sin!  Flee youthful lusts.  Pursue righteousness. (2 Tim 2:22)

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:11

Some of what?  This was our camp.  

the unrighteous......the fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

We were not on our way to inherit the kingdom of God but are now in it, one day to fully realize it.  So we have a new nature and we are no longer enslaved by sin to seek our own gratification but instead find our greatest joy in Him.  You're dead man! 

How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?............For he who has died has been freed from sin. ~ Romans 6:2, 7

....having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. ~ Romans 6:22

Beloved, there are our reasons to apply all diligence.  So let's see what application looks like.  Let's see what a healthy Christian walk looks like.  

We must apply, we must bring in or supply besides.  John MacArthur said this about applying, it "implies making a strong effort to provide something necessary."  And we must do so with diligence. That is, to do so with great earnestness, with haste, with a striving after.  It is so crucial to have that we pursue with the greatest effort as if our very life depended upon it.  If that is not the case for you dear reader, have you comprehended the depth of the forgiveness you have received?  Have you understood the height of His love toward those who believe?  Do you really and truly possess salvation and forgiveness of sin?

So what are these qualities, these traits?

• Moral Excellence
• Knowledge
• Self-control
• Perseverance
• Godliness
• Brotherly Kindness
• Love

In all these we begin with faith, lest we forget, it is the gift of God that no man should boast.  Faith is the foundation.  Without faith these qualities are houses of windows with no structure, cars without engines. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, "it is not enough to say we have faith; we must apply our faith, we must relate it, we must see that it is where it ought to be at any given moment."  Brethren, our faith must be active and vigorous!  We must labor and strive, knowing that it is the power that works within us.  We must be doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves.  (1 Tim 4:10, Eph 3:20, James 1:22)  That said, we give maximum effort.  After all, where would we be if Jesus gave less?

To be morally excellent is to have a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action.  It speaks of a moral goodness. (Strong's Enhanced Lexicon)  This is a demonstrated purity that flows out of our life naturally.  It is not only good but it glorifies God.  (Matt 5:16)

"It was such a lofty term that it was used for moral heroism, viewed as the divinely endowed ability to excel in heroic, courageous deeds. It came to encompass the most outstanding quality in someone’s life, or the proper and excellent fulfillment of a task or duty (cf. Phil. 4:8). Aretē never meant cloistered virtue, but that which is demonstrated in the normal course of living." (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2005). 2 Peter and Jude (p. 40). Chicago: Moody Publishers.)

In order to supply to our faith this moral excellence we must supply knowledge.  This knowledge is not the mere knowledge of the world.  It is a moral wisdom obtained by carefully searching the scriptures and meditating upon the truths therein.  

• We must be diligent
• We must search
• We must meditate

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. ~ 2 Timothy 2:15

Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. ~ Acts 17:11

         O how I love Your law!

         It is my meditation all the day. ~ Psalm 119:97

We cannot be slothful.  We cannot depend solely upon a weekly feeding from the hands of our teachers. We must do the work.  We must dig and mine the precious jewels of the Word that will provide encouragement and sometimes a swift kick in the back side.  This pursuit of knowledge is not for the bloating of ourselves, to show the world how smart we are.  This knowledge is so that we would be conformed to the image of His Son. (Rom  8:29)  It is essential that we saturate our minds with the Word of God for the sole purpose of transforming our minds into conformity to Christ rather than the world. (Rom 12:2)

In attaining moral wisdom we will be able to practice self-control.  We must master our desires and passions.  As we seek Christ in His Word our desires will match His desires.  They will be holy desires, profitable and good.  This life is a fight.  We will always battle against sin within ourselves but as we mature we will sin less frequently and the fight will be against smaller sins than when we were less mature in the faith. Since we died....

do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 

and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ~ Romans 6:12–13

We must be proactive rather than reactive because when we're reactive we are unprepared and we hamstring ourselves to good decision making.  So we attack the temptations that come our way.  We get on the offensive by proactively praying beforehand.  We often know when or where we will face the temptation to sin.  Knowing this we pray up and read up and then when that mortal enemy of our soul arises we slay it with one swift blow.

We must also possess perseverance and godliness.  We are steadfast and enduring of troubles and trials knowing that it is the Lord who is working all things according to His Sovereign plan, not ours. Nothing happens by chance, even the "bad", because His love is towards those who are His and called according to His purpose.  (Romans 8:28)  We are characterized by an unswerving loyalty in every and all trials. 

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. ~ 1 Peter 5:10

we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;

and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;

and hope does not disappoint. ~ Romans 5:3–5

Godliness is an inner quality that bleeds out of our life.  Many can be morally excellent but with no substance. Remember the illustration of a house of windows with no foundation, no walls to support it. Godliness comes by careful examination of God's Word, our hearts and our motives with an intent to diligently put to death the old man and the sins that beset us and to put on the new man.  (Col 3:1-17, Eph 4:17-32)

Lastly we must possess brotherly kindness and love.  We must love and cherish those of the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and those outside of faith.  Love is sacrificial.  It gives.  It does not seek its own. It does not boast.  It is not rude.  It gives honor and preference to others.  It does not hide truth.  No, no.  True love speaks the hard things but always in gentleness with the goal being the benefit of the other.

Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. ~ Romans 15:2

    Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

  do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ~Philippians 2:3–4

After all, was this not the attitude of our Lord?

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4–6

With all that said, we can be one of two men, or two women.

The Fruitful Man and the Unfruitful Man

We can abound or increase or we can lack and be blind.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. ~ 2 Peter 1:8–9


We must be careful to maintain good works, not unto salvation but as proof of salvation. (Titus 3:8, 14, James 2:14-26)  We must remember that we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. ~ Titus 3:3

In all this our goal is holiness for without it no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14) and our reward is heaven.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. ~ Hebrews 11:6

So are you a barren tree or a fruitful tree?  Are you blind and short-sighted or are you increasing in these qualities?

Beloved, we must be diligent in our faith to supply moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.  When we abound in these qualities we will be fruitful, we will not stumble and we will gain an entrance into the eternal kingdom by the abundant supply of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He must increase!
~ Kevin

Silence of the...

FREEDOM. What does it mean? Who does it apply to? Is it really free? These are all questions which have come to light over the generations. Once again, the question has come to light in the form of the media. As many of you have probably heard, Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, recently made several racist remarks while in an argument with his girlfriend. If you listened to the audio clip, you probably heard her baiting him into saying more and more. Whereas I question the ethics (or lack thereof) within the deceit, he did still make the statements. Though he may have been baited, we know that the only thing to come out of the mouth of a man is that which is already in his heart (Luke 6:45). Ultimately, we have seen that Donald Sterling is a bigot. This is the inescapable truth. As a result, Adam Silver, the Commissioner of the NBA, took action in the form of banning Sterling from anything NBA related and fining him $2.5 million. On top of this, he is pushing for Sterling to be forced to sell the team to a new owner.

There are many out there who think this is a valiant move. Donald Sterling is the new trend. A quick look at Facebook, Twitter, or any other media outlet will show countless individuals praising Silver for his quick decision. There are herds of celebrities who are condemning Sterling as a hateful bigot. Multiple sponsors of the Clippers have withdrawn their support. It’s clear what the world thinks of this man. On the flip side, you have others who feel the punishment is unjustified since they were the beliefs of a single man in his private life. They say that, since Sterling never publicly vocalized his beliefs and never discriminated against anybody, he hasn’t done anything worthy of a punishment. Personally, though I think he is a despicable man, I still find myself in the latter category. However, for the purpose of this blog, that’s neither here nor there.

In this moment, I’d like you to think of the future. We’ve seen how the lynch

mob mentality can silence individuals. Let a man speak an opinion that goes against what the masses believe and he’s sure to receive backlash. We saw this when Chick-Fil-A President, Dan Cathy, made a public comment regarding his belief in marriage being between one man and one woman. The backlash was everything from vandalism to sponsor withdrawal to media fire. Where will we, as Christians, stand in the future?

While I see Sterling in the current news, I can’t help but think of what lies ahead. You can agree or disagree with the NBA’s decision but it won’t change the fact that we all need to be concerned about our freedom to follow Christ unashamed (Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:8). You may think this is unrelated. What on earth does a bigot being shunned and punished have to do with a Christian standing up to values that God Himself has instated? Well, how do we define values in the world? Can you honestly say that your values line up perfectly with the values of the atheist next door? Do they align themselves perfectly with the homosexual across the street? For that matter, do they even align themselves perfectly with the professing Christian in the pew next to you on Sunday mornings? Truth be told, values differ from person to person regardless of their walk of life. That being said, if we are to take the different walks of life into account, we can see a stark contrast between what Christianity teaches as good and what the world professes to be good (Isaiah 5:20). As a result, if you stand for Christ, you are sure to receive backlash at some point.

We live in a world where atheism is on the rise. Whereas I don’t hate atheists, I will unashamedly speak out against atheism as I find it to be blasphemous against the Lord. I’ve learned to refine my methods over the years but there are still many who view me as arrogant, ignorant, or hateful. Just as with Cathy, if a Christian dares to say marriage is between one man and one woman, he is viewed as an anti-gay bigot. While it isn’t a fair assessment, sadly, it is the way it is. If a man such a Sterling can be silenced for NOT vocalizing his beliefs, how much more should we expect to be silenced when we DO proclaim ours? What kind of punishment does the future hold for Christians who stand for Christ? Taking it one step further, will we see a day when Christians are punished simply for holding a private belief in Christ even if they never make it known? In fact, we have a biblical example of this in the form of Nicodemus (John 3:1-21). He had to sneak out in the middle of the night to see Christ because, if he had made his beliefs known, he would have not only been punished but he also would have surely lost his status as one of the Sanhedrin. Joseph of Arimathea is another prime example (John 19:39).

I think we’ve taken our freedom and liberty for granted for far too long. This didn’t always exist. There was a time when followers of Christ had to live in fear of what the masses would do to them if they ever found out what they believed in. Christianity is being shunned more and more by the world. It’s being viewed as an organization which consists of nothing more than hypocrites and extreme zealots. As this caricature gains popularity, I foresee many problems coming our way. Are you prepared to be silenced?


~ Travis W. Rogers