The Word of God Endures Forever! August 7, 2008

I heard this poem from the late Dr. D. James Kennedy (coralridge.org). God was faithful in putting this in my path. I have been exposed to some of the most recent attacks on the Word of God. Currently I am reading and trying to respond to a book that has been embraced by some “evangelical” circles. (Marcus Borg’s Reading the Bible Again) The claims made in the book are not new but they do have a new face and a new stronghold on the minds of even some believers. This poem helped me further realize that no human effort could endure the onslaught of hatred. People have been burned at the stake for refusing to renounce the God that this Divine Book tells about. God has preserved His Word and our praise is due!

Hammer away ye hostile hands; Your hammers break, God’s Anvil Stands

Centuries follow Centuries but there it stands;

Dynasty succeeds Dynasty but there it stands;

Kings are crowned and overthrown but there it stands;

Despised and torn to pieces there it stands;

Storms of hate swirl about it but there it stands

Agnostics smile cynically but there it stands

Thunderbolts of wrath are hurled against it but there it stands

The flames are kindled under it but there it stands

The arrows of hate are discharged upon it but there it stands

The tooth of time gnaws and makes no dent and there it stands

An Anvil upon which have been broken a million hammers:

HAMMER AWAY YE HOSTILE HANDS; YOUR HAMMERS BREAK, GOD’S ANVIL STANDS!

THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOREVER!

Fourth of July Pics August 7, 2008

Holy Conviction or Satan’s Bondservant July 7, 2008

I am sometimes amazed at Satan’s ability to play just the right tune to keep me in bondage for days. He is the master fisherman (KVD style–shout out to Kelley) and knows the exact lure to use on me. I respond so well to guilt and shame. If he can accuse me and make me feel guilty, it automatically transforms into shame. And I mean…it can get so overwhelming I can hardly lift my eyes to God and pray. Usually when this happens I must medicate with truth from God’s word. I generally begin in Romans Chapter 5 and revisit the doctrine of Justification by grace through faith alone. I continue through to Chapter 7 and read about Paul’s ongoing struggle with missing the mark of perfection. This is the climax of the Book; ending in the beautiful statement of Chapter 8 of “There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Jesus Christ.” I praise God for Romans 8:1. Without it there is no telling how long Satan could keep me in bondage to shame.

So now the question comes…when is it Satan guilt-ing me and when is it the Holy Spirit convicting me? Should I repent or should I ask God to protect me from the enemy. I always want to be responsive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and his counseling me onward toward holiness…but I don’t want to be in bondage to some moralistic idea that God is no part of. (I am not talking about things that are outright abominations of God…rather things that are not found specifically in the Bible… i.e. Spending time with your children. Should they be my only priority or should I be sharing life in ministry to others? That kind of question) I suppose discernment is key here. Praying that God will make his conviction so heavy on my heart that I will not get off my face until I repent. Also that he will shield me from the enemy, his accusations and allow me to feel Jesus’ covering of righteousness. Either way that the guilt will be abundantly clear…it is from God or it is Satan mastering me with guilt and shame once again!!!

My sweet friend Carrie (check out her amazing blog on my blogroll) is so amazingly sure of God’s grace. She totally gets the “if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed.” I love her for this. She and I can read the exact same passage of Scripture and I will be on my face afraid to look up and she will be gloriously freed by it. God is continually teaching me about His love, His Grace and His favor to me!

You might be emergent if… July 1, 2008

I recently finished the book Why We’re Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be. (Authors: Kluck and DeYoung) Fascinating Read. To begin they explain that there is no good definition of Emergent…rather they give a very amusing Jeff Foxworthy style test. “You might be emergent if: you listen to U2, Moby and Johnny Cash’s Hurt (in church), use sermon illustrations from the Sopranos, drink lattes in the afternoon and Guinness in the evenings…your reading list consists primarily of Henri Nouwen, N.T. Wright, Stan Grenz, David Bosch, John Howard Yoder, Wendell Berry, John Franke, (Doug Pagitt, Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, etc)…if your idea of quintessential Christian discipleship is Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela…If you don’t like institutions, big business or capitalism…if your political concerns are poverty, AIDS, war-mongering, CEO salaries, global warming and not so much abortion and gay marriage;…if you love the Bible as a beautiful, inspiring collection of works that lead us into the mystery of God but is not inerrant; if you search for truth but aren’t sure it can be found; if you’ve ever gone to a church with candles, Play-Doh, or beanbags (youth group excluded); if you grew up in a very conservative Christian home that in retrospect seems legalistic, naïve, and rigid; if you believe salvation has little to do with atoning for guilt and a lot to do with bringing the whole creation back into shalom with its Maker; if you believe following Jesus is not believing the right things but living the right way; …you might be emergent.”

Emergents are not only attempting new things stylistically but also theologically. The chapters address such topics as the Knowability of God, Inerrancy of Scripture, Embracing Doubt as the new form of humility, Rejecting the propositions of Christ for the person of Christ, and moving close-handed doctrines (derived specifically from scripture) to the open-hand of liberalism: i.e. Hell, Virgin Birth, etc. Most of those involved in the movement reject calling it a movement at all. They are merely asking questions and allowing conversation. (See Gen 3 “Did God Say…) Paraphrasing Mark Driscoll (pastor of Mars Hill church in Seattle) The chief end of Scripture is not conversation or dialogue, but obedience. Emergents also wear the label “heretic” as a badge of honor.

My conviction is that some churches are totally oblivious to the play the enemy is making. They are not outright “emergent” and may not even know what that is all about. But they are also not interested in holding-fast to statements of faith or propositions of doctrine. (for fear that some may be excluded on that basis) They do not realize the necessity in contending God’s word is without error as well as inspired, and authoritative. Also it is epidemic in our culture to remove authority from anything that is outside of personal experience. Truth does exist regardless of our belief in it. There is such thing as objective certainty. My favorite section of this book is a quote from J.I. Packer:

Once I too avoided the word inerrancy as much as I could, partly because of the tendencies mentioned, and partly because the word has a negative form and I like to sound positive. But I find that nowadays I need the word. Verbal currency, as we know, can be devalued. Any word may have some of its meaning rubbed off, and this has happened to all my preferred terms for stating my belief about the Bible. I hear folk declare Scripture inspired and in the next breath say that it misleads from time to time. I hear them call it infallible and authoritative, and find they mean only that its impact on us and the commitment to which it leads us will keep us in God’s grace, not that it is all true. This is not enough for me. I want to safeguard the historic evangelical meaning of these three words…So I assert inerrancy after all. I think this is a clarifying thing to do, since it shows what I mean when I call Scripture inspired, infallible and authoritative. In an era of linguistic devaluation and double-talk we owe this kind of honesty to one another.
J.I. Packer, Truth and Power

I am joining Packer in this effort. This is my heart on this subject. Satan has reverted to his oldest trick in the book and is making a fresh attempt at confusing and distorting God’s word.
IMO (in my opinion) this is simply a fad. The new sexy. It is no longer sexy to be heterosexual, self-assessing, Bible Thumping, repentant, monogamous and not compete for the “most screwed up in the group” award. Just another notch in the belt of “this world is all about me.”

Did Diddy Get it Right? July 1, 2008

In the 2004 election Sean Combs, (aka Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy or Diddy) coined the phrase, “VOTE or DIE”. I assume he was trying to rally others to exercise their right to vote. I also wonder if he was using that phrase as a scare tactic…like, “vote because your life’s freedom depends on it?” I do not know the real meaning behind Vote or Die, he could have just been adding to his millions by the t-shirt sales; but it does seem a strange slogan. Shouldn’t we encourage voters to engage in the process before making a ballot decision? Shouldn’t the slogan be “Get Informed or Don’t Vote?” I love the political scene in general. It is kinda like a sanitized soap opera. Of course I have my affections, my bent and bias…but in general I love the process. I like hearing the reasoning behind political convictions. One quality this country has lost (IMO) is the ability to think someone is absolutely wrong and still remain civil. I love a good debate where two people spar out ideology in a logical and respectful way. There is no need for name calling if you have a good argument. Perhaps the reason some lose their footing in a debate is that we begin to be on a conversion crusade. I generally spar with others about politics with the assumption they will never change my mind about my conviction…nor should I waste time trying to change theirs. I digress…Do you know why you vote? Are you concerned with a certain issue? Do you just vote the same party for safety sake? Have you ever voted for the lesser of two evils, or more specifically voted for someone you are not crazy about to prevent someone you are less crazy about to be voted in? What issues are at the front of your mind when evaluating a candidate…Environmental Issues…Home land defense issues…Economic Issues… Public Welfare Issues…Moral Issues?

As we approach the 2008 election, it should be an exciting year. There is no incumbent so whoever wins will be a fresh face in office. Our country is facing many tough situations with Iraq, Iran, China etc., the oil crisis, the economic downturn, as well as the unusual amount of natural disasters over the last 5 years. I would encourage you to get involved in the process. Know who stands for what…which party supports what…and most importantly be convinced in your own mind the right candidate for you. Then boldly go to the polls in November knowing that you are making an informed decision as to the direction of this country. Informed Voting…won’t sell many t-shirts but might come a little closer to the purpose of the democratic process!

Easter Family Pics June 10, 2008

Finals are over, Finally! June 10, 2008

I am finished with my third year of law school. What a drag it has been. I have got to get some steam before starting my last year!!

Knowledge is for Worship April 30, 2008

For about 2 years I have been on an amazing learning adventure. Pouring over God’s word and prayerfully searching the Scriptures for insight has increased my knowledge base. Just like a sponge I was completely thirsty for knowledge of HIM. I soaked up a lot of information from the Word, from sermons via podcast and from writings by time tested theologians. When I would get to my saturation point I poured out in worship. Bursting into song, Amen-ing like a fool and worshiping the Almighty through sacrifice and service to others.
Many times in the Bible knowledge and praise are paired. Also increasing knowledge seems to be a precursor to God’s blessing of grace and peace. I can testify to having received many blessings from increased knowledge.
The Bible warns against increasing knowledge for vain purposes. Knowledge puffs up (1 Cor 8:1). Knowledge is not for knowledge sake. We do not learn about God to simply consume ideas—We learn and increase knowledge for worship. Knowledge puffs up but love builds up (1 Cor 8:1). Our sponge should puff up or swell as we gain insight. It should then shower others in loving sacrifice of service, which is our supreme act of worship to God!
As a new member of a charismatic church, I finally understand charisma. Our worship time of singing and praying is a total body experience for me. After preparing my heart all week through study and meditation in the Word I am ready to explode with a thankful heart and overflowing love to the Almighty.
But there is a connection—if I am not fervently learning about Him I cannot emote as freely. Just like knowledge should not serve to make us proud—nor can worship be just about feelings or emotion. God has designed us to be a head discerning His Word connected to a heart responding to His Word in love, obedience and service (or worship).
In Hosea God says: “My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge.” (Hos. 4:16). Just like the faithful Bereans we must make it practice and priority to increase our knowledge of the God who wants to make Himself known. Our churches must be diligent in teaching the Word of God to those in attendance. Not only does this give security against following every wind of doctrine, it allows for sincere worship in Spirit and in Truth!

You must be born again… April 30, 2008

“Born Again” by Charles Colson gets a 4-star rating. Its blend of politics, law and love of Jesus made it a must read for me. In his autobiography, Colson describes his position as Nixon’s Special Counsel. He was a faithful believer in Nixon’s politics and defended him to the bitter end. His book really exposes the issues surrounding the “Watergate” scandal. I learned this was not really one scandalous event but a general distrust of the Nixon Administration, which came to a head when a break in at the Watergate building occurred. Colson did not have any direct involvement with the break in. He did go to Federal prison. The details are pretty interesting. Prior to his indictment God touched his heart and saved him. Through some strategic encounters with friends Colson was given a copy of “Mere Christianity”, which God used to logically appeal to this lawyer and political mastermind. Through Colson’s use of deductive reasoning it was revealed to him that Christ could not be thrown into the mix and just respected. He demands either allegiance or complete disdain. Needless to say Colson reasoned the former to be the most profitable and logical and became a warrior for Christ. This is a flesh and blood tale of Romans 8:28, God does bring an ultimate good for those who love him. Colson lost his political standing, was disbarred and imprisoned; but God has done amazing good through all of this. Colson is now the leader of Prison Fellowship Ministry. What a mighty God we serve!! His purposes do prevail!!! I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in seeing the Hand of God moving in and through circumstances to produce the fruit of his purpose.

‘Tis the Season April 28, 2008

It is finals season. Finals are to blame for my lack of blogging lately. I do want to share the great lessons learned from the Colson book I just finished. I have already begun a new read. It is really good. The title is “Why we are not emergent–by two guys who should be”. I found the book and the review on Challies.com blog. I am almost finished and it is very enlightening. So both reviews will be due and are promised by the end of May. As soon as finals are over the vaccum in my life will hopefully be filled with sharing all my thoughts.