On September 10, 1679, the General Court of the Massachusetts Colony "sitting at Boston in New-England" called on the churches throughout the region "to send their Elders and Messengers" for the purpose of answering two questions: "What are the evils that have provoked the Lord to bring His judgments on New-England?" and "What is to be done so that these evils may be reformed?"
Imagine the government calling for such a meeting in our day! Barring a miracle, it’s not likely to happen. Yet what’s so amazing about The Synod of 1679 is that the assembly’s answers to the above questions could serve as an adequate and accurate response in light of where we are right now, 318 years later!
For the next few blog postings, I want to share with you the findings of this council, which were recorded by John Foster in 1679 and published in Richard Owen Roberts’ book, Sanctify the Congregation (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994). In response to the first question, "What are the evils that have provoked the Lord to bring His judgments on New-England?", there were fourteen answers. Here is a summary of the first seven answers:
1. There is a great and visible decay of the power of godliness amongst many professors in these churches. It may be feared that there is in too many a spiritual and heart apostasy from God. For this reason communion with Him in the ways of worship, especially in secret, is much neglected and thus men cease to know and fear and love and trust in Him but take up their contentment and satisfaction in something else.
2. The pride that abounds in New-England testifies against us (Hosea 5:5; Ezekiel 7:10). There is spiritual pride (Zephaniah 3:11). . . .
3. Church fellowship and other divine institutions are greatly neglected. . . . There are too many that, with profane Esau, slight spiritual privileges.
4. There is also a great profaneness in respect to irreverent behavior in the solemn worship of God. It is a frequent thing for men [to] give way to their own sloth and sleepiness when they should be serving God with attention and intention. . . .
5. There are multitudes who profanely absent themselves from the public worship of God on His holy day, especially in the most populous places of the land.
6. There are many families that do not pray to God constantly, morning and evening, and many more where the Scriptures are not daily read so that the Word of Christ might dwell richly in them . . . . There are children that are not kept in due subjection, their parents especially being sinfully indulgent toward them. This is a sin which brings great judgments, as we see in Eli’s and David’s families. . . . Most of the sin that abound among us proceed from defects in family government.
7. Inordinate passions. There are sinful heats and hatreds and reproachful and reviling expressions among church members themselves, who abound with evil surmising, uncharitable and unrighteous censures, back-biting and hearing and telling tales. There are few that remember and duly observe the rule to drive away the tale bearer with an angry countenance. . . . In managing the discipline of Christ’s Church there are far too many who act by their passions and prejudices more than by a spirit of love and faithfulness to their brother’s soul. All these things are against the law of Christ and therefore dreadful violations of the Church Covenant made in the presence of God.
To be continued. . .
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Our Two Cents' Worth
The above title is taken directly from a World magazine editorial by Joel Belz. He wrote this article in response to a statistic he read in his annual copy of The State of Church Giving. According to this report, only about two cents out of every dollar given to local churches in America gets used for denominational world missions. Just two cents!
Granted, this includes a very wide variety of churches, including extremely liberal ones. But even denominations that are in our evangelical ballpark were right at, or slightly above, the national average of two cents per dollar going to missions.
We also have to consider that some churches do not contribute all of their outreach funds to denominational missions. Indeed, some may not contribute any at all. But even if you allow for that by doubling, tripling, or quadrupling the two-cent statistic, churches are still falling woefully short of what their missions giving should be.
Every now and then I am asked by a pastoral colleague how much of our overall church budget is devoted to world missions. When I say "around 30 percent," they fall off their rocker! So I am thankful for the priority that our church places on supporting world missions.
I think the challenge for us, as I mentioned last Sunday evening, is remembering that missions is not a program but a way of life. In other words, putting dollars into the offering plate doesn't relieve us of our personal duty to "preach the gospel to all creation."
When it comes to missions, some churches -- perhaps most churches -- need to put their money where their mouth is. On the other hand, some churches like ours need to put our mouth where our money is. That is, in addition to supporting missionaries with our finances, we need to be sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, family members and friends.
That's my two-cents' worth, anyway!
Granted, this includes a very wide variety of churches, including extremely liberal ones. But even denominations that are in our evangelical ballpark were right at, or slightly above, the national average of two cents per dollar going to missions.
We also have to consider that some churches do not contribute all of their outreach funds to denominational missions. Indeed, some may not contribute any at all. But even if you allow for that by doubling, tripling, or quadrupling the two-cent statistic, churches are still falling woefully short of what their missions giving should be.
Every now and then I am asked by a pastoral colleague how much of our overall church budget is devoted to world missions. When I say "around 30 percent," they fall off their rocker! So I am thankful for the priority that our church places on supporting world missions.
I think the challenge for us, as I mentioned last Sunday evening, is remembering that missions is not a program but a way of life. In other words, putting dollars into the offering plate doesn't relieve us of our personal duty to "preach the gospel to all creation."
When it comes to missions, some churches -- perhaps most churches -- need to put their money where their mouth is. On the other hand, some churches like ours need to put our mouth where our money is. That is, in addition to supporting missionaries with our finances, we need to be sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, family members and friends.
That's my two-cents' worth, anyway!
Monday, October 22, 2007
What’s Up with Willow Creek?
A few days ago I visited my favorite websites (monergism.com) and saw a link to an article entitled "Willow Creek Repents?", by the editors of Leadership Journal. Of course I went immediately to the article, very curious as to what was happening at Willow Creek. As most of you probably already know, Willow Creek Community Church is pastored by Bill Hybels and has been one of the most influential churches in America for the last three decades. They more or less spawned the modern "seeker-driven" movement. Their ministries have been generated in response to the question, "What are the un-churched looking for in a church?" Thus the church has created programs in accordance with people’s preferences. The idea is that as people get plugged into these programs, they grow spiritually.
Now Bill Hybels says, "We made a mistake."
This confession came in response to a multiple-year qualitative study of Willow Creek’s ministries, the findings of which have just been published in a book, Reveal: Where Are You?, co-authored by Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek. Speaking at the Leadership Summit, Hybels summarized the findings this way: "Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for." Hybels called this "the wake up call of his life" and went on to say:
We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibilities to become ‘self-feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.
Do you hear what Hybels is saying? He’s making the point that "spiritual growth doesn’t happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships." (Leadership)
Where does Willow go from here? According to Hawkins, "Our dream is that we fundamentally change the way we do church. That we take out a clean sheet of paper and we rethink all of our old assumptions. Replace it with new insights. Insights that are informed by research and rooted in Scripture."
Of course time will tell what becomes of all this. But I am encouraged by this response. Hybels is to be commended for responding to these findings with such humility and authenticity. It is my hope that this really will be a fresh start and new direction for Willow Creek, that as they train their congregation to study the Bible and live what they learn, they will grow both deep and wide for God’s glory.
Now Bill Hybels says, "We made a mistake."
This confession came in response to a multiple-year qualitative study of Willow Creek’s ministries, the findings of which have just been published in a book, Reveal: Where Are You?, co-authored by Greg Hawkins, executive pastor of Willow Creek. Speaking at the Leadership Summit, Hybels summarized the findings this way: "Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for." Hybels called this "the wake up call of his life" and went on to say:
We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibilities to become ‘self-feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own.
Do you hear what Hybels is saying? He’s making the point that "spiritual growth doesn’t happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships." (Leadership)
Where does Willow go from here? According to Hawkins, "Our dream is that we fundamentally change the way we do church. That we take out a clean sheet of paper and we rethink all of our old assumptions. Replace it with new insights. Insights that are informed by research and rooted in Scripture."
Of course time will tell what becomes of all this. But I am encouraged by this response. Hybels is to be commended for responding to these findings with such humility and authenticity. It is my hope that this really will be a fresh start and new direction for Willow Creek, that as they train their congregation to study the Bible and live what they learn, they will grow both deep and wide for God’s glory.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Spirit-Induced Emotions in Worship
My last couple of postings have highlighted the dangers of emotionalism. This has been done in a roundabout way by commenting on Brad Pitt’s religious experience and the Joel Osteen interview on 60 minutes.
Today I want to be a bit more direct by looking straight at what Scripture has to say regarding our emotions. Obviously this is not going to be a comprehensive study but more of a glimpse of what God’s Word teaches on this issue.
First, it needs to be stated that the evangelical church as a whole is experiencing a dire lack of true Spirit-induced emotion in worship. In fact, some churches – such as our own – struggle with showing any emotion and enthusiasm in worship. This is a cause for concern as well. After all, the answer to emotionalism is not lack of emotion but rather the right kind of emotion.
Jesus said in John 4:24, "But he hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." Whereas some churches worship God "in spirit" but not in "truth," other churches worship God in "truth" but not "in spirit." The fact of the matter is, trying to worship God with either one of these elements without the other is not true worship at all. Genuine worship is centered on God’s truth, which is celebrated in one’s spirit. (Read that again. It’s important!)
So the question is, how can we worship God in this way? It begins by recognizing that worship is initiated by God, not us. That is to say, God is not only the object of true worship; He is also the originator of true worship! "The Father is seeking such to worship him." R.C.H. Lenski writes, "He seeks them, not as though they have already become such by efforts of their own, but as longing to make them such by His Word and his Spirit."
Since the focus of this article is on the "spirit" of worship, let’s take a closer look at the role God’s Spirit plays in influencing our inner spirit and emotions. The apostle Paul talks about this in Ephesians 5:18-20, where he says, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Paul says in essence: "Don’t get drunk with wine; instead, get intoxicated with the Spirit!" There is a definite parallel here. Just as a person filled with alchohol is "under the influence," so a person filled with the Spirit is under His influence! How many of us harp on the first part of that command without heeding the second part?
Note the effect that God’s Spirit has on the person whom He fills. He produces a song in his heart that fills him and flows out of him for the benefit of everybody around him! He shares the exhilarating experience of David, who exclaimed: "He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord" (Ps. 40:3).
In a day where people are constantly turning to external stimuli (e.g., motivational speakers, upbeat music, etc.) to get them into a spirit of celebration, true worshipers look to the indwelling Spirit to produce a spirit of exhilaration in their soul that no person or pop music can manufacture. That is to say, true worship begins on the inside and radiates to the outside, not vice-versa.
This means that instead of always cramming tunes into my head, or listening to speakers on the radio or watching them on television, I have to set aside time for silence and solitude. I must allow the Spirit of God to use the Word of God to produce in my heart songs to God. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16).
Ah, this is true worship. Get a taste of this, and you’ll see it beats anything the world or superficial religion has to offer.
Today I want to be a bit more direct by looking straight at what Scripture has to say regarding our emotions. Obviously this is not going to be a comprehensive study but more of a glimpse of what God’s Word teaches on this issue.
First, it needs to be stated that the evangelical church as a whole is experiencing a dire lack of true Spirit-induced emotion in worship. In fact, some churches – such as our own – struggle with showing any emotion and enthusiasm in worship. This is a cause for concern as well. After all, the answer to emotionalism is not lack of emotion but rather the right kind of emotion.
Jesus said in John 4:24, "But he hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." Whereas some churches worship God "in spirit" but not in "truth," other churches worship God in "truth" but not "in spirit." The fact of the matter is, trying to worship God with either one of these elements without the other is not true worship at all. Genuine worship is centered on God’s truth, which is celebrated in one’s spirit. (Read that again. It’s important!)
So the question is, how can we worship God in this way? It begins by recognizing that worship is initiated by God, not us. That is to say, God is not only the object of true worship; He is also the originator of true worship! "The Father is seeking such to worship him." R.C.H. Lenski writes, "He seeks them, not as though they have already become such by efforts of their own, but as longing to make them such by His Word and his Spirit."
Since the focus of this article is on the "spirit" of worship, let’s take a closer look at the role God’s Spirit plays in influencing our inner spirit and emotions. The apostle Paul talks about this in Ephesians 5:18-20, where he says, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Paul says in essence: "Don’t get drunk with wine; instead, get intoxicated with the Spirit!" There is a definite parallel here. Just as a person filled with alchohol is "under the influence," so a person filled with the Spirit is under His influence! How many of us harp on the first part of that command without heeding the second part?
Note the effect that God’s Spirit has on the person whom He fills. He produces a song in his heart that fills him and flows out of him for the benefit of everybody around him! He shares the exhilarating experience of David, who exclaimed: "He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord" (Ps. 40:3).
In a day where people are constantly turning to external stimuli (e.g., motivational speakers, upbeat music, etc.) to get them into a spirit of celebration, true worshipers look to the indwelling Spirit to produce a spirit of exhilaration in their soul that no person or pop music can manufacture. That is to say, true worship begins on the inside and radiates to the outside, not vice-versa.
This means that instead of always cramming tunes into my head, or listening to speakers on the radio or watching them on television, I have to set aside time for silence and solitude. I must allow the Spirit of God to use the Word of God to produce in my heart songs to God. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16).
Ah, this is true worship. Get a taste of this, and you’ll see it beats anything the world or superficial religion has to offer.
Monday, October 15, 2007
He Ain't the Prophet Joel
Last night Joel Osteen was interviewed on 60 minutes. I only saw two minutes of the Osteen segment, but that’s all I needed to see. You can see the video or transcript on the CBS News website.
The part I saw was when host Byron Pitts raised the subject of Osteen’s latest book, To Become a Better You, which gets released today (Oct. 15). In the book, Osteen lays out seven principles that he believes will improve our lives. (This book has already improved Osteen’s life. He reportedly got a $13 million advance for the book.) In commenting on the book, Pitt remarked to Osteen: "To become a better you, you must be positive towards yourself, develop better relationships, embrace the place where you are. Not one mention of God in that. Not one mention of Jesus Christ in that."
Osteen’s response? "That's just my message. There is scripture in there that backs it all up. But I feel like, Byron, I'm called to help people…how do we walk out the Christian life? How do we live it? And these are principles that can help you. I mean, there’s a lot better people qualified to say, 'Here’s a book that going to explain the scriptures to you.' I don’t think that’s my gifting," Osteen says.
Then GET OUT OF THE PULPIT.
How can a preacher set forth "Christian principles" without Christ? The fact is, he can’t. I’m glad that Byron Pitts got Michael Horton’s take on this. (Horton is a professor of theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Escondido, California.) Horton rightly observed: "[Osteen’s] core message is God is nice, you’re nice, be nice. It's sort of a, if it were a form of music, I think it would be easy listening. He uses the Bible like a fortune cookie. 'This is what’s gonna happen for you. There’s gonna be a windfall in your life tomorrow.' The Bible's not meant to be read that way."
Horton went on to say that he believes that Osteen tells only half the story of the Bible, focusing on the good news without talking about sin, suffering and redemption.
I agree.
Horton goes even further. He levels the harshest charge of all, calling the Osteen method of teaching heresy. "It is certainly heresy, I believe, to say that God is our resource for getting our best life now," Horton says. "Because?" Pitts asks. "Well, it makes religion about us instead of about God," Horton explains.
Yes, that is precisely the problem. America’s motto has become: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." From that flows the commitment: "As for me and my house, we will serve ourselves."
That’s why tens of thousands are flocking to Lakewood Church and why millions are buying Osteen’s books. As one of our church members put it in an e-mail to me this morning: "It is like god lite or the diet coke of the gospel. All the things you love about God without all of that conviction to weigh you down…."
Well, I had intended to write on something different today – putting forth from Scripture a positive alternative to emotionalism. But perhaps this interview with Osteen was just what I needed to press home the dangers of emotionalism. Wait another day or two, and I will show you from Scripture "a more excellent way."
The part I saw was when host Byron Pitts raised the subject of Osteen’s latest book, To Become a Better You, which gets released today (Oct. 15). In the book, Osteen lays out seven principles that he believes will improve our lives. (This book has already improved Osteen’s life. He reportedly got a $13 million advance for the book.) In commenting on the book, Pitt remarked to Osteen: "To become a better you, you must be positive towards yourself, develop better relationships, embrace the place where you are. Not one mention of God in that. Not one mention of Jesus Christ in that."
Osteen’s response? "That's just my message. There is scripture in there that backs it all up. But I feel like, Byron, I'm called to help people…how do we walk out the Christian life? How do we live it? And these are principles that can help you. I mean, there’s a lot better people qualified to say, 'Here’s a book that going to explain the scriptures to you.' I don’t think that’s my gifting," Osteen says.
Then GET OUT OF THE PULPIT.
How can a preacher set forth "Christian principles" without Christ? The fact is, he can’t. I’m glad that Byron Pitts got Michael Horton’s take on this. (Horton is a professor of theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Escondido, California.) Horton rightly observed: "[Osteen’s] core message is God is nice, you’re nice, be nice. It's sort of a, if it were a form of music, I think it would be easy listening. He uses the Bible like a fortune cookie. 'This is what’s gonna happen for you. There’s gonna be a windfall in your life tomorrow.' The Bible's not meant to be read that way."
Horton went on to say that he believes that Osteen tells only half the story of the Bible, focusing on the good news without talking about sin, suffering and redemption.
I agree.
Horton goes even further. He levels the harshest charge of all, calling the Osteen method of teaching heresy. "It is certainly heresy, I believe, to say that God is our resource for getting our best life now," Horton says. "Because?" Pitts asks. "Well, it makes religion about us instead of about God," Horton explains.
Yes, that is precisely the problem. America’s motto has become: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." From that flows the commitment: "As for me and my house, we will serve ourselves."
That’s why tens of thousands are flocking to Lakewood Church and why millions are buying Osteen’s books. As one of our church members put it in an e-mail to me this morning: "It is like god lite or the diet coke of the gospel. All the things you love about God without all of that conviction to weigh you down…."
Well, I had intended to write on something different today – putting forth from Scripture a positive alternative to emotionalism. But perhaps this interview with Osteen was just what I needed to press home the dangers of emotionalism. Wait another day or two, and I will show you from Scripture "a more excellent way."
Friday, October 12, 2007
Rock Concerts and Revivals
In a recent interview with Parade magazine, actor Brad Pitt said he’s "at peace with his religious faith," though in high school he had "crises of faith."
"I’d go to Christian revivals and be moved by the Holy Spirit, and I’d go to rock concerts and feel the same fervor. Then I’d be told, ‘That’s the Devil’s music! Don’t partake in that!’ I wanted to experience things religion said not to experience."
Though raised in a conservative Southern Baptist environment, Brad abandoned his fundamentalist beliefs by the time he left for college. The reason? "Guilt ... It's the thing I rail against the most." He went on to say, "Religion works. I know there's comfort there, a crash pad. It's something to explain the world and tell you there is something bigger than you, and it is going to be alright in the end. It works because it's comforting. I grew up believing in it, and it worked for me in whatever my little personal high school crisis was, but it didn't last for me. I didn't understand this idea of a God who says, 'You have to acknowledge me. You have to say that I'm the best, and then I'll give you eternal happiness. If you won't, then you don't get it!' It seemed to be about ego. I can't see God operating from ego, so it made no sense to me."
As I read Brad’s story, I was reminded of the dangers of emotionalism. More and more, people are looking for a religion that makes them feel good. Isn’t it interesting that Brad Pitt equated being "moved by the Holy Spirit" with the same sensation he experienced at a rock concert? Yet later he rejects the notion of a God that actually insists that His creation "acknowledge" Him. Pitt found such teaching, well, uncomfortable. So he leaves that to find a religion that "works because it’s comforting."
Brad’s religious history and present spiritual condition makes me sad, because he is missing out on the comfort that could really and truly be his if he would "acknowledge" the God of the gospel and put his faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. But Pitt, like most people, wants comfort without conviction.
That makes me sad. But something else makes me mad. And that is the churches that appeal to people’s emotions in order to produce results. Fearing that people will leave their church if they do not give them the "emotional high" that they crave, these churches – and particularly their pastors – throw out anything that might be distasteful to their congregants (a la Joel Osteen). The "moving of the Holy Spirit" in their churches thus produces the same sensation as a secular rock concert. Of course that’s because people aren’t being truly moved by the Spirit. They’re being moved by the music ... or the drama ... or the sob stories. These churches are giving their people what their "itching ears" want to hear. So they mistake emotional highs for spiritual revival, sensation for salvation. Convinced they’re on their way to heaven, they wind up in hell.
No wonder Paul charged Timothy so strongly to "preach the word ... in season and out of season." He knew – and warned Timothy – that the time would come when people would "not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Tim. 4:1-5a).
When people don’t like what God’s Word says and start leaving the church, it’s tempting to tell them what they want to hear so that they’ll stay. But to do so is to betray God and to damn men. We give them what they want on earth, only to give them hell hereafter.
For the love of God, let’s not do that. Let’s remember that true comfort comes from the Holy Spirit – the true Comforter who indwells everyone who come to God through faith in Christ, receiving Him as their Lord and Savior. Then and only then will they experience a "high" that no rock concert can produce, for it is supernatural in nature. Through faith in Christ they will come to experience not only genuine comfort, but an abiding and inexpressible joy – one that the world cannot manufacture and that no one can take away.
"I’d go to Christian revivals and be moved by the Holy Spirit, and I’d go to rock concerts and feel the same fervor. Then I’d be told, ‘That’s the Devil’s music! Don’t partake in that!’ I wanted to experience things religion said not to experience."
Though raised in a conservative Southern Baptist environment, Brad abandoned his fundamentalist beliefs by the time he left for college. The reason? "Guilt ... It's the thing I rail against the most." He went on to say, "Religion works. I know there's comfort there, a crash pad. It's something to explain the world and tell you there is something bigger than you, and it is going to be alright in the end. It works because it's comforting. I grew up believing in it, and it worked for me in whatever my little personal high school crisis was, but it didn't last for me. I didn't understand this idea of a God who says, 'You have to acknowledge me. You have to say that I'm the best, and then I'll give you eternal happiness. If you won't, then you don't get it!' It seemed to be about ego. I can't see God operating from ego, so it made no sense to me."
As I read Brad’s story, I was reminded of the dangers of emotionalism. More and more, people are looking for a religion that makes them feel good. Isn’t it interesting that Brad Pitt equated being "moved by the Holy Spirit" with the same sensation he experienced at a rock concert? Yet later he rejects the notion of a God that actually insists that His creation "acknowledge" Him. Pitt found such teaching, well, uncomfortable. So he leaves that to find a religion that "works because it’s comforting."
Brad’s religious history and present spiritual condition makes me sad, because he is missing out on the comfort that could really and truly be his if he would "acknowledge" the God of the gospel and put his faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. But Pitt, like most people, wants comfort without conviction.
That makes me sad. But something else makes me mad. And that is the churches that appeal to people’s emotions in order to produce results. Fearing that people will leave their church if they do not give them the "emotional high" that they crave, these churches – and particularly their pastors – throw out anything that might be distasteful to their congregants (a la Joel Osteen). The "moving of the Holy Spirit" in their churches thus produces the same sensation as a secular rock concert. Of course that’s because people aren’t being truly moved by the Spirit. They’re being moved by the music ... or the drama ... or the sob stories. These churches are giving their people what their "itching ears" want to hear. So they mistake emotional highs for spiritual revival, sensation for salvation. Convinced they’re on their way to heaven, they wind up in hell.
No wonder Paul charged Timothy so strongly to "preach the word ... in season and out of season." He knew – and warned Timothy – that the time would come when people would "not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Tim. 4:1-5a).
When people don’t like what God’s Word says and start leaving the church, it’s tempting to tell them what they want to hear so that they’ll stay. But to do so is to betray God and to damn men. We give them what they want on earth, only to give them hell hereafter.
For the love of God, let’s not do that. Let’s remember that true comfort comes from the Holy Spirit – the true Comforter who indwells everyone who come to God through faith in Christ, receiving Him as their Lord and Savior. Then and only then will they experience a "high" that no rock concert can produce, for it is supernatural in nature. Through faith in Christ they will come to experience not only genuine comfort, but an abiding and inexpressible joy – one that the world cannot manufacture and that no one can take away.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Faith Comes by Hearing ... Not Seeing
Lately the Lord has been giving me a greater burden for evangelism. What is evangelism?, one might ask. It's presenting Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to sinful people, so that they might turn from their sin, trust in Jesus as their Savior, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His Church. Or, to define it more succinctly: "Evangelism is communicating the gospel."
I am deeply troubled by the growing number of professing Christians who are under the mistaken impression that as long as we "live out our faith," we don't need to verbalize it. It is true that we are to let our light shine before men (Matt. 5:16) and that we show the genuineness of our faith by our works (James 2:18). But simply living a godly life does not communicate the essential message of the gospel, namely, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
This reminds me of a true story I read about a man who became a Christian at an evangelistic crusade. He was so excited about his salvation, he told his boss about it. His employer responded, "That's great! I am a Christian, and I have been praying for you for years!" The newly saved man was crestfallen. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" he asked. "You were the very reason I have not been interested in the gospel all these years." "How can that be?" the boss wondered. "I have done my very best to live the Christian life around you." "That's the point," explained the employee. "You lived such a model life without telling me that it was Christ who made the difference, I convinced myself that if you could live such a good and happy life without Christ, then I could too."
Do you see how important it is that we not only practice our faith but also to proclaim the gospel? Just this morning I received word that my step-sister suddenly went home to be with the Lord. She was only in her mid-forties and leaves behind her husband and 14-year-old daughter. Had she not heard and believed the gospel, she would be in hell instead of heaven this very moment. What if she had chosen to "live out" her faith instead of also sharing the gospel with her husband and daughter? Then she would have done nothing to offer them the hope of heaven, where they would see her again and be with her and Christ throughout all eternity.
Do you see how important it is that we share Christ with people? How we need to pray for one another as Paul asked others to pray on his own behalf: "... That utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ... that in proclaiming it, I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak" (Eph. 6:19-20).
I am deeply troubled by the growing number of professing Christians who are under the mistaken impression that as long as we "live out our faith," we don't need to verbalize it. It is true that we are to let our light shine before men (Matt. 5:16) and that we show the genuineness of our faith by our works (James 2:18). But simply living a godly life does not communicate the essential message of the gospel, namely, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
This reminds me of a true story I read about a man who became a Christian at an evangelistic crusade. He was so excited about his salvation, he told his boss about it. His employer responded, "That's great! I am a Christian, and I have been praying for you for years!" The newly saved man was crestfallen. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" he asked. "You were the very reason I have not been interested in the gospel all these years." "How can that be?" the boss wondered. "I have done my very best to live the Christian life around you." "That's the point," explained the employee. "You lived such a model life without telling me that it was Christ who made the difference, I convinced myself that if you could live such a good and happy life without Christ, then I could too."
Do you see how important it is that we not only practice our faith but also to proclaim the gospel? Just this morning I received word that my step-sister suddenly went home to be with the Lord. She was only in her mid-forties and leaves behind her husband and 14-year-old daughter. Had she not heard and believed the gospel, she would be in hell instead of heaven this very moment. What if she had chosen to "live out" her faith instead of also sharing the gospel with her husband and daughter? Then she would have done nothing to offer them the hope of heaven, where they would see her again and be with her and Christ throughout all eternity.
Do you see how important it is that we share Christ with people? How we need to pray for one another as Paul asked others to pray on his own behalf: "... That utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ... that in proclaiming it, I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak" (Eph. 6:19-20).
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