Sunday, February 28, 2010
Missional Living
Being a Christian who is committed to Missional Living is not something that can be taken lightly. God wants people to be faithful in the Great Commission and proclaim the gospel to the people groups of the world. God has a heart for the unreached people groups of the world, and his desire is that people groups from all nationalities will give Him the worship and exaltation that He deserves. I read John Piper's book Let the Nations be Glad and reading that book gave me more of a heart for missions than never before. I realized that if I give the Lord the proper respect He deserves, then God can use me and others as a vessel to the world.
Life is a war. Everyday is a constant struggle. In this world, Christians will face tribulation and opposition in ministry. Evangelizing the lost is something that has to be a lifelong commitment. It is not something that can be done overnight. Evangelizing is not an option, it is a command. Sometimes, we as a Church fail at witnessing to people like we should. People everyday are dying without Christ and everyday people are going to hell. My job is to do my best with the help of God through prayer to witness to these people so that God can rescue these people from Hell. People who have never heard about Jesus can not be saved because it takes that person knowing about Jesus and the redemptive work he did for them in order for there to be any decision made for Christ. Piper says “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more (pg.17)". By no means am I saying that missions is not important.
When people worship God the way they should, then missions will be an overflow of worship.When people exalt God the way that they are supposed to then missions will be a result of worshiping God. People who will worship God will want to be involved in missions. That is the purpose of missions. The purpose is to exalt almighty God, and in doing so missions will be empowered and the people groups of the world will come to know Jesus as their personal Savior. However if God is not exalted,missions will not be effective and will not produce any spiritual fruit.
When we are doing God's will and we are focused on reaching people groups for Christ we will experience opposition and even suffering in life. In this life there is going to be suffering. Suffering is inevitable for every believer at some point in time. There are six reasons why God appoints suffering for His servant and they are the following: Suffering deepens faith and holiness, suffering makes your cup increase, suffering is the price of making others bold, suffering fills up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions, suffering enforces the missionary command to go, and the supremacy of Christ is manifest in suffering. All of these reasons shows that although there will be pain involved in the Christian life, there are rewards for those who endure to the end.
There are three questions that are crucial for the missionary task of the Christian church and they are the following: Will anyone experience eternal conscious torment under God’s wrath? Is the Work of Christ necessary? Is conscious faith in Christ necessary? These are all questions that are of the utmost importance.When it comes to the first question, the answer is that Hell will be a place of unending torment. The torment experienced in Hell will last forever. When it comes to the second question, the answer is that Christ’s shed blood is necessary for the atonement of sins. When Christ died he died for everyone. The “point here is the universality of the work of Christ. (123)” All people are under the power of sin if they are lost and can not say anything when it comes time for the judgment. According to the Word of God, the problem of sin is universal, cutting people off from God. The solution to that problem is the atoning death of the Son of God offered once for all. The final question is answered by stating that people can not come to Jesus without hearing the gospel preached to them. According to the book, people who have never heard about Jesus can not be saved because it takes that person knowing about Jesus and the redemptive work he did for them in order for there to be any decision made for Christ.
God wants people from every nationality to get saved and come to know Him personally. It is our job to tell others about Jesus. It is our responsibility to carry out the Great Commission. We all need to have a mindset for Missional Living.
Life is a war. Everyday is a constant struggle. In this world, Christians will face tribulation and opposition in ministry. Evangelizing the lost is something that has to be a lifelong commitment. It is not something that can be done overnight. Evangelizing is not an option, it is a command. Sometimes, we as a Church fail at witnessing to people like we should. People everyday are dying without Christ and everyday people are going to hell. My job is to do my best with the help of God through prayer to witness to these people so that God can rescue these people from Hell. People who have never heard about Jesus can not be saved because it takes that person knowing about Jesus and the redemptive work he did for them in order for there to be any decision made for Christ. Piper says “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more (pg.17)". By no means am I saying that missions is not important.
When people worship God the way they should, then missions will be an overflow of worship.When people exalt God the way that they are supposed to then missions will be a result of worshiping God. People who will worship God will want to be involved in missions. That is the purpose of missions. The purpose is to exalt almighty God, and in doing so missions will be empowered and the people groups of the world will come to know Jesus as their personal Savior. However if God is not exalted,missions will not be effective and will not produce any spiritual fruit.
When we are doing God's will and we are focused on reaching people groups for Christ we will experience opposition and even suffering in life. In this life there is going to be suffering. Suffering is inevitable for every believer at some point in time. There are six reasons why God appoints suffering for His servant and they are the following: Suffering deepens faith and holiness, suffering makes your cup increase, suffering is the price of making others bold, suffering fills up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions, suffering enforces the missionary command to go, and the supremacy of Christ is manifest in suffering. All of these reasons shows that although there will be pain involved in the Christian life, there are rewards for those who endure to the end.
There are three questions that are crucial for the missionary task of the Christian church and they are the following: Will anyone experience eternal conscious torment under God’s wrath? Is the Work of Christ necessary? Is conscious faith in Christ necessary? These are all questions that are of the utmost importance.When it comes to the first question, the answer is that Hell will be a place of unending torment. The torment experienced in Hell will last forever. When it comes to the second question, the answer is that Christ’s shed blood is necessary for the atonement of sins. When Christ died he died for everyone. The “point here is the universality of the work of Christ. (123)” All people are under the power of sin if they are lost and can not say anything when it comes time for the judgment. According to the Word of God, the problem of sin is universal, cutting people off from God. The solution to that problem is the atoning death of the Son of God offered once for all. The final question is answered by stating that people can not come to Jesus without hearing the gospel preached to them. According to the book, people who have never heard about Jesus can not be saved because it takes that person knowing about Jesus and the redemptive work he did for them in order for there to be any decision made for Christ.
God wants people from every nationality to get saved and come to know Him personally. It is our job to tell others about Jesus. It is our responsibility to carry out the Great Commission. We all need to have a mindset for Missional Living.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wake Up Church! (Romans 13:11-12)
Romans 13:11-12- And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
Wake Up Church of the Living God! I write this exhortation to tell you that it is time for the Church to arise out of its slumber. It is time for the Church to let their candle burn bright again in a lost and dying world. While the world becomes more and more inherently evil, the Church needs to realize that our redemption draws nigh, and we as a Church need to be about doing the Lord's business and laboring for the King so that when He does return, he will not find us lax and apathetic towards the things of God.
The Church of the Living God has been duped by the demonic doctrines of hyper Calvinism and hyper Pragmatism. What I mean by hyper Calvinism is the belief that God predestined the elect (saved people) before the foundation of the world and that since they are predestined to heaven there is no way for them to turn from irresistable grace. On the other hand, God predestines some people to go to Hell and there is nothing that they can do to change their eternal destination because God already predestined it before the foundation of the earth. This particular idea is heresy, but nevertheless it is spreading in the churches of America at a unprecedented rate. What is so appalling about this particular aspect of Hyper-Calvinism is the fact that it teaches that some people from the moment they were born are damned to Hell and there is nothing they can do to change their destination! Oh, but I have good news for you. The Bible says that God would have none perish but that all might come to everlasting life. Focus on the word ALL. That is clear that God wants all of humanity (that includes every man, woman, boy and girl that has existed or ever will exist) to be saved, and to experience everlasting life. The fact of the matter is that God created us with a free will. People have the choice of whether to accept what he did on Calvary, or people can reject what he did on Calvary. God wants us to choose to love him. If we did not have a choice or a free will then we would be no better than robots.
There is also a heretical doctrine spreading known as Hyper-Pragmatism. Pragmatism says that if it feels right then it is okay to do. The truth is that every man thinks he is right in his own eyes. Pragmatism is currently sweeping through the Churches at an astonishing rate. Many Churches are compromising their convictions in order to appease the flesh. Many Churches are using the methodologies of the world and are in effect saying it is okay to use the world and the world system in order to keep people entertained and keep people happy. Folks the truth of the matter is that this whole idea of collaborating with the world is heresy and has no place in the Church of America. Churches have become so worldly and they have bought into the idea of pragmatism and the sad truth about it is they don't even know it. When a evangelical Church in this country is playing secular songs in the pulpit there is something wrong. Not too long ago a evangelical Church played the AC/DC song I am on a Highway to Hell. The sad truth about it is that many people in that Church is probably really on the highway to Hell. It is so sad to see the Churches in America for the most part become so apathetic and become so duped by demonic doctrines. It is obvious that they are not reading the same Bible that I read. The Bible clearly states in 1st John to love not the world neither the things that are in the world. The Bible clearly tells the Church that we are not citizens of this world. We are pilgrims and sojourners passing through.
We must never expect the Lord to bless a church that is duped by these doctrines. We must never expect God to bless a church that is full of proud and conceited people. God will only start to bless the Church of the Living God when it is humbled to the dust under a sense of its own shortcomings. When the Church does this then God will look upon the Church with mercy. God blesses his people when they begin to pray, as well as when they confess their sins. The prayer is urgent, humble, and believing; therefore, it has to speed to the throne of God. "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us". These agonizing desires will be part of the mourning of a Church that is conscious of having lost the blessing from God when the entire Church is interceding with urgency and persistence.
Prayer is the best resort of an earnest people. I can testify to this. In my church (Second Baptist Church), we have had prayer meetings in which everyone has been stirred, much as the trees of the forest are moved in the wind, and afterward the presence of God has always been manifested by conversion of souls. Our best times of prayer have always been followed by joyful harvests of new believers. Churches everywhere must be prayerful, intensely so, or else they cannot expect that the sound of abundant rain will be heard throughout their land.
I call on the church to awake, to confess their sin, to awake to struggle in prayer for the souls of men. The the Lord God will visit us from on high. Come Holy Spirit, and rouse your slumbering people Stir up the lazy multitude of believers, for when Your power is felt, then the bright day of triumph has dawned upon us.
Wake Up Church of the Living God! I write this exhortation to tell you that it is time for the Church to arise out of its slumber. It is time for the Church to let their candle burn bright again in a lost and dying world. While the world becomes more and more inherently evil, the Church needs to realize that our redemption draws nigh, and we as a Church need to be about doing the Lord's business and laboring for the King so that when He does return, he will not find us lax and apathetic towards the things of God.
The Church of the Living God has been duped by the demonic doctrines of hyper Calvinism and hyper Pragmatism. What I mean by hyper Calvinism is the belief that God predestined the elect (saved people) before the foundation of the world and that since they are predestined to heaven there is no way for them to turn from irresistable grace. On the other hand, God predestines some people to go to Hell and there is nothing that they can do to change their eternal destination because God already predestined it before the foundation of the earth. This particular idea is heresy, but nevertheless it is spreading in the churches of America at a unprecedented rate. What is so appalling about this particular aspect of Hyper-Calvinism is the fact that it teaches that some people from the moment they were born are damned to Hell and there is nothing they can do to change their destination! Oh, but I have good news for you. The Bible says that God would have none perish but that all might come to everlasting life. Focus on the word ALL. That is clear that God wants all of humanity (that includes every man, woman, boy and girl that has existed or ever will exist) to be saved, and to experience everlasting life. The fact of the matter is that God created us with a free will. People have the choice of whether to accept what he did on Calvary, or people can reject what he did on Calvary. God wants us to choose to love him. If we did not have a choice or a free will then we would be no better than robots.
There is also a heretical doctrine spreading known as Hyper-Pragmatism. Pragmatism says that if it feels right then it is okay to do. The truth is that every man thinks he is right in his own eyes. Pragmatism is currently sweeping through the Churches at an astonishing rate. Many Churches are compromising their convictions in order to appease the flesh. Many Churches are using the methodologies of the world and are in effect saying it is okay to use the world and the world system in order to keep people entertained and keep people happy. Folks the truth of the matter is that this whole idea of collaborating with the world is heresy and has no place in the Church of America. Churches have become so worldly and they have bought into the idea of pragmatism and the sad truth about it is they don't even know it. When a evangelical Church in this country is playing secular songs in the pulpit there is something wrong. Not too long ago a evangelical Church played the AC/DC song I am on a Highway to Hell. The sad truth about it is that many people in that Church is probably really on the highway to Hell. It is so sad to see the Churches in America for the most part become so apathetic and become so duped by demonic doctrines. It is obvious that they are not reading the same Bible that I read. The Bible clearly states in 1st John to love not the world neither the things that are in the world. The Bible clearly tells the Church that we are not citizens of this world. We are pilgrims and sojourners passing through.
We must never expect the Lord to bless a church that is duped by these doctrines. We must never expect God to bless a church that is full of proud and conceited people. God will only start to bless the Church of the Living God when it is humbled to the dust under a sense of its own shortcomings. When the Church does this then God will look upon the Church with mercy. God blesses his people when they begin to pray, as well as when they confess their sins. The prayer is urgent, humble, and believing; therefore, it has to speed to the throne of God. "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us". These agonizing desires will be part of the mourning of a Church that is conscious of having lost the blessing from God when the entire Church is interceding with urgency and persistence.
Prayer is the best resort of an earnest people. I can testify to this. In my church (Second Baptist Church), we have had prayer meetings in which everyone has been stirred, much as the trees of the forest are moved in the wind, and afterward the presence of God has always been manifested by conversion of souls. Our best times of prayer have always been followed by joyful harvests of new believers. Churches everywhere must be prayerful, intensely so, or else they cannot expect that the sound of abundant rain will be heard throughout their land.
I call on the church to awake, to confess their sin, to awake to struggle in prayer for the souls of men. The the Lord God will visit us from on high. Come Holy Spirit, and rouse your slumbering people Stir up the lazy multitude of believers, for when Your power is felt, then the bright day of triumph has dawned upon us.
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Truth about Rick Warren and The Purpose Driven Life
Before I begin, I want to say that what I am about to say will have opposition. Some people will agree with what I am about to say and some will vehemently disagree. I am writing this because I believe that many evangelicals have read the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. This book at one time was the most popular book in America. It was promoted by well known evangelical leaders such as Max Lucado, Billy Graham, and Bruce Wilkinson. Sales soared into the millions and the church became fascinated with the Purpose Driven Life. It has now became one of the best selling books of all time. Churches all over America have adopted the 40 days of purpose and the book gave Rick Warren worldwide recognition. Many churches have had seminars and went through the Purpose Driven Life. With that being said I want to warn the church that are many deficiencies in Warren's theology that need to be pointed out. My goal is not to label Warren as a heretic, but to warn people that the Purpose Driven Life is not what it claims to be, nor should it be applauded as a book that will dramatically change your life in 40 days.
The first thing I want to point out is that Warren's style promotes a casual approach to Scripture. At first glance, Warren's initial claim sounds great. Warren states that " the best way to explain God's purpose for your life is to allow the Scripture to speak for itself, so in this book the Bible is quoted extensively(11)." However, after further examination, it is this writer's opinion that Warren pulls passages completely out of context and applies them however he sees fit. In seminary, I have learned that there are two primary methods of interpreting Scripture: The Allegorical Method or the Literal Method also known as the Grammatical-Historical Method. The whole idea of the Allegorical Method is simply to find some hidden spiritual meaning within the text or the passage. There are four dangers to this method: 1.)It does not interpret the words of Scripture, 2.) The basic authority in interpretation ceases to be the words of Scripture and becomes the mind of the interpreter, 3.) There is not an objective test to determine which interpretation is correct, and 4.) If used consistently, the method could destroy all systematic systematic understanding of doctrine. Warren in some cases uses the allegorical method of interpreting Scripture and thus takes the clear meaning and comes up with his own spiritual meaning.
For example on page 19, Warren cites Matthew 16:25 from the Message(I do not endorse the Message) paraphrase ("Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self"). Warren argues that in order to be successful in life, you need more than self help advice. The literal translation of Matthew 16:25 tells you that Christ is not talking about self-help advice in this context but rather Christ is referring to the regenerating nature of the Gospel(KJV:For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it"). By not giving the literal context of the verse, Warren changes the meaning of Jesus' statement. On page 139, Warren states that " God has made an incredible promise about small groups of believers: For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there in the midst(Matt 18:20). The truth is that the context of that verse has nothing to do with small-group fellowship, but instead it deals with church discipline.
It does not take long to realize that the way he interprets Scripture is headed towards disaster. Using his method of interpretation, Warren sets a dangerous example- implying that his type of interpretation (where accuracy and context seem to be ignored) is acceptable.
Secondly, Warren's book promotes an incomplete approach to theology. For example, on page 58-59 Warren says concerning the presentation of the gospel that a person should " First, believe, Believe God loves you and made you for His purposes. Believe you're not an accident. Believe you were made to last forever. Believe God has chosen you to have an relationship with Jesus, who died on the cross for you. Believe that no matter what you've done, God wants to forgive you. Second, receive. Receive Jesus into your life. Receive His Spirit, who will give you the power to fulfill your life purpose. The Bible says," Whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! Wherever you are inviting this, I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity: Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you." Go ahead. If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God! You are now ready to start living and discovering God's purpose for your life.
Although Warren, focuses on many aspects of Scripture, he leaves something out. His gospel presentation leaves out two important elements that are essential to salvation: repentance and self-denial. Also absent is the eternal consequences of sin. Warren's gospel presentation is inadequate because it leaves out those important elements. Although, Warren does mention Hell, he does so passively, without emphasizing the gravity of eternal condemnation.In the words of Bob DeWaay, DeWaay states that " Warren's explanation of God leaves out many important truths and emphasizes those qualities that make God feel close and safe. This does not result in a full, biblical understanding of God. You will never hear about God's wrath against sin from Warren. You will never hear the warnings about God's coming judgment.You will not learn about God's holiness from Warren. You will not hear passages like this: " See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from Heaven" (Hebrews 12:25). In other words,Warren's portrayal of God is not complete. Yes, God is a loving, and caring God, but He is also perfectly holy, just, and righteous.
The third problem is that Warren's book has an inflated position of prominence. It seems that some people within the evangelical community has promoted the book to a position of prominence that should only be reserved for the Word of God. Bob Dewaay says, that " Rick Warren's eleven million and rising best seller has replaced Bible preaching in thousands of pulpits and has replaced the Bible in many thousands of Bible study groups.... The amazing thing is that thousands and thousands of groups around the world have taken Warren's advice( I strongly urge you to gather a small group of friends and form a Purpose-Driven Life Reading Group to review these chapters on a weekly basis"(pg307) and began studying his book, leaving their Bibles at home. Pastor's are preaching from Warren's material rather than the Word of God. Warren also says, "After you have gone through this book together as a group, you might consider studying other purpose driven life studies that are available for classes and groups. The message of the gospel has been replaced by the methods of Rick Warren. The Bible has been supplanted by the methods of man." Anytime, a book supplants the Word of God there is a problem and that is exactly what Warren's book has done in many churches.
Warren also says in page nine of the book that "This is more than a book; it is a guide to to a 40 day spiritual journey that will enable you to discover the answer to life's most important question: What on earth am I here for? By the end of this journey you will know God's purpose for your life and will understand the big picture- how all the pieces of your life fit together. Having this perspective will reduce your stress, simplify your decisions, increase your satisfaction, and, most importantly, prepare you for eternity". WAIT A MINUTE!!! This book seems to suggest that a invention of the flesh can do what only the Spirit of God can do. This book is not the Word of God. It is not infallible. This was book was written by an fallible human being who certainly can not promise you anything.
Finally Warren's book the Purpose Driven Life promotes the seeker-sensitive movement. The seeker- sensitive church tends to minimize the gospel message in order to soften topics such as sin, repentance, divine, wrath, and eternal damnation.The goal is to make people feel comfortable until they are ready to accept Jesus.Thus sermons are often replaced with short talks, skits, secular music- anything that will make church more entertaining and more comfortable. Success is measured by the number of people in church. True Biblical success, however is measures by faithfulness and obedience to God. Churches should never compromise and buy into the world system just to get a large crowd. Preachers who have faithfully preached the Word for years but can not draw a large crowd are told that they must be doing something wrong. That is completely absurd!
In conclusion, by embracing the Purpose Driven Life, some readers and some churches have become entangled in the seeker-sensitive movement and embrace postmodern thought. Simply put, the seeker-sensitive movement promoted by Rick Warren, is unbiblical. So after reading this, I hope that I have shed some light on the Purpose Driven Life and the ministry of Rick Warren. Is he a heretic? That is for you to decide through studying the Word of God. The Bible does say that in the last days false prophets will arise, and they will deceive many. When the Word of God is watered down just so people's ears can be tickled, there is a problem. So practice discernment, and realize that not everything you hear is truth.
The first thing I want to point out is that Warren's style promotes a casual approach to Scripture. At first glance, Warren's initial claim sounds great. Warren states that " the best way to explain God's purpose for your life is to allow the Scripture to speak for itself, so in this book the Bible is quoted extensively(11)." However, after further examination, it is this writer's opinion that Warren pulls passages completely out of context and applies them however he sees fit. In seminary, I have learned that there are two primary methods of interpreting Scripture: The Allegorical Method or the Literal Method also known as the Grammatical-Historical Method. The whole idea of the Allegorical Method is simply to find some hidden spiritual meaning within the text or the passage. There are four dangers to this method: 1.)It does not interpret the words of Scripture, 2.) The basic authority in interpretation ceases to be the words of Scripture and becomes the mind of the interpreter, 3.) There is not an objective test to determine which interpretation is correct, and 4.) If used consistently, the method could destroy all systematic systematic understanding of doctrine. Warren in some cases uses the allegorical method of interpreting Scripture and thus takes the clear meaning and comes up with his own spiritual meaning.
For example on page 19, Warren cites Matthew 16:25 from the Message(I do not endorse the Message) paraphrase ("Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self"). Warren argues that in order to be successful in life, you need more than self help advice. The literal translation of Matthew 16:25 tells you that Christ is not talking about self-help advice in this context but rather Christ is referring to the regenerating nature of the Gospel(KJV:For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it"). By not giving the literal context of the verse, Warren changes the meaning of Jesus' statement. On page 139, Warren states that " God has made an incredible promise about small groups of believers: For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there in the midst(Matt 18:20). The truth is that the context of that verse has nothing to do with small-group fellowship, but instead it deals with church discipline.
It does not take long to realize that the way he interprets Scripture is headed towards disaster. Using his method of interpretation, Warren sets a dangerous example- implying that his type of interpretation (where accuracy and context seem to be ignored) is acceptable.
Secondly, Warren's book promotes an incomplete approach to theology. For example, on page 58-59 Warren says concerning the presentation of the gospel that a person should " First, believe, Believe God loves you and made you for His purposes. Believe you're not an accident. Believe you were made to last forever. Believe God has chosen you to have an relationship with Jesus, who died on the cross for you. Believe that no matter what you've done, God wants to forgive you. Second, receive. Receive Jesus into your life. Receive His Spirit, who will give you the power to fulfill your life purpose. The Bible says," Whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! Wherever you are inviting this, I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity: Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you." Go ahead. If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God! You are now ready to start living and discovering God's purpose for your life.
Although Warren, focuses on many aspects of Scripture, he leaves something out. His gospel presentation leaves out two important elements that are essential to salvation: repentance and self-denial. Also absent is the eternal consequences of sin. Warren's gospel presentation is inadequate because it leaves out those important elements. Although, Warren does mention Hell, he does so passively, without emphasizing the gravity of eternal condemnation.In the words of Bob DeWaay, DeWaay states that " Warren's explanation of God leaves out many important truths and emphasizes those qualities that make God feel close and safe. This does not result in a full, biblical understanding of God. You will never hear about God's wrath against sin from Warren. You will never hear the warnings about God's coming judgment.You will not learn about God's holiness from Warren. You will not hear passages like this: " See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from Heaven" (Hebrews 12:25). In other words,Warren's portrayal of God is not complete. Yes, God is a loving, and caring God, but He is also perfectly holy, just, and righteous.
The third problem is that Warren's book has an inflated position of prominence. It seems that some people within the evangelical community has promoted the book to a position of prominence that should only be reserved for the Word of God. Bob Dewaay says, that " Rick Warren's eleven million and rising best seller has replaced Bible preaching in thousands of pulpits and has replaced the Bible in many thousands of Bible study groups.... The amazing thing is that thousands and thousands of groups around the world have taken Warren's advice( I strongly urge you to gather a small group of friends and form a Purpose-Driven Life Reading Group to review these chapters on a weekly basis"(pg307) and began studying his book, leaving their Bibles at home. Pastor's are preaching from Warren's material rather than the Word of God. Warren also says, "After you have gone through this book together as a group, you might consider studying other purpose driven life studies that are available for classes and groups. The message of the gospel has been replaced by the methods of Rick Warren. The Bible has been supplanted by the methods of man." Anytime, a book supplants the Word of God there is a problem and that is exactly what Warren's book has done in many churches.
Warren also says in page nine of the book that "This is more than a book; it is a guide to to a 40 day spiritual journey that will enable you to discover the answer to life's most important question: What on earth am I here for? By the end of this journey you will know God's purpose for your life and will understand the big picture- how all the pieces of your life fit together. Having this perspective will reduce your stress, simplify your decisions, increase your satisfaction, and, most importantly, prepare you for eternity". WAIT A MINUTE!!! This book seems to suggest that a invention of the flesh can do what only the Spirit of God can do. This book is not the Word of God. It is not infallible. This was book was written by an fallible human being who certainly can not promise you anything.
Finally Warren's book the Purpose Driven Life promotes the seeker-sensitive movement. The seeker- sensitive church tends to minimize the gospel message in order to soften topics such as sin, repentance, divine, wrath, and eternal damnation.The goal is to make people feel comfortable until they are ready to accept Jesus.Thus sermons are often replaced with short talks, skits, secular music- anything that will make church more entertaining and more comfortable. Success is measured by the number of people in church. True Biblical success, however is measures by faithfulness and obedience to God. Churches should never compromise and buy into the world system just to get a large crowd. Preachers who have faithfully preached the Word for years but can not draw a large crowd are told that they must be doing something wrong. That is completely absurd!
In conclusion, by embracing the Purpose Driven Life, some readers and some churches have become entangled in the seeker-sensitive movement and embrace postmodern thought. Simply put, the seeker-sensitive movement promoted by Rick Warren, is unbiblical. So after reading this, I hope that I have shed some light on the Purpose Driven Life and the ministry of Rick Warren. Is he a heretic? That is for you to decide through studying the Word of God. The Bible does say that in the last days false prophets will arise, and they will deceive many. When the Word of God is watered down just so people's ears can be tickled, there is a problem. So practice discernment, and realize that not everything you hear is truth.
Demons Are Real
We all know that Satan has a definite plan. He invisible and very powerful. Therefore, we must make ourselves aware of his schemes. His method is deception and his target is the mind of man. He desires to see the unsaved damned, He further desires to see the saved defeated. To withstand the enemy we must have our minds filled with the Word of God. The importance of this is extremely increased because Satan has a host of helpers, referred to as demons, working with him in his unholy pursuit for the minds of men. Let me caution you before we go any further.
We need to understand what the Word of God has to say about these evil companions of the devil. To help you understand the powers of darkness, it will be the purpose of this message to present to you a Demon Diagram. Let us consider first of all consider the demon's master. You may learn much about a person by knowing whom he follows. The demon's leader is mentioned as the prince of the devils (demons). He is also known as Beelzebub. Different meanings are attached to this name: Lord of flies, Lord of dung, Lord of habitation, or Lord (Beel) of dung (zebub). The term zebub comes from a root which has the shade of meaning to dangle and move back and forth. Could this, when connected with the idea of habitation, have anything to do with demonic possession taking place as a charm or amulet being dangled back and forth to put one in a hypnotic state? You decide! The significance of the title is clear when we consider the filthiness of dung and the torment and spread of disease and germs of the fly. Flies can affect and infect all sorts of people. So can Satan. No one is immune to him.
We need to understand what the Word of God has to say about these evil companions of the devil. To help you understand the powers of darkness, it will be the purpose of this message to present to you a Demon Diagram. Let us consider first of all consider the demon's master. You may learn much about a person by knowing whom he follows. The demon's leader is mentioned as the prince of the devils (demons). He is also known as Beelzebub. Different meanings are attached to this name: Lord of flies, Lord of dung, Lord of habitation, or Lord (Beel) of dung (zebub). The term zebub comes from a root which has the shade of meaning to dangle and move back and forth. Could this, when connected with the idea of habitation, have anything to do with demonic possession taking place as a charm or amulet being dangled back and forth to put one in a hypnotic state? You decide! The significance of the title is clear when we consider the filthiness of dung and the torment and spread of disease and germs of the fly. Flies can affect and infect all sorts of people. So can Satan. No one is immune to him.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Speaking the Truth in Love
I speak the truth in love, but I do so boldly! Some people might say that I am a narrow minded fundamentalist and the truth is I am a fundamentalist. God can not tolerate sin. There are certain things that I can not tolerate. I can not tolerate abortion and I can not tolerate same sex relations. The truth is that when I sin or when you sin I can assure you that God is not pleased with it. God's ultimate goal for a individual is to restore, not to condemn. However, God can not look on sin and there are certain things that God says are an abomination to Him. As far as America goes, America has become a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. Consider that almost everything in society is geared towards pleasure and feeding the flesh. Most churches (not all) will not preach on sin anymore. They will not stand up for righteousness and proclaim what the Word of God says about how people should live in society. Understand that the moment we were born into this world we were corrupt. Our righteousness are as filthy rags. Our works could never be good enough to deserve Heaven. Only the blood of Jesus can save a soul from Hell. The Bible says that broad is the way that leads to destruction and many will take that road. On the other hand, narrow is the road that leads to everlasting life and few will find it. When a person is saved, he or she has become a new creature. In fact the Word of God says that we are pilgrims and sojourners passing through. That means that we are separate from the World. We are a peculiar people. That does not mean that we isolate ourselves from society. It means that we let our light so shine before men that they will see that there is something different about us, and they will want what we have. Sooner or later if Christians began to tolerate one another, then no one will be able to tell us apart from the world.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
True Biblical Unity
When thinking about true biblical unity I came across a quote made by Charles Spurgeon and I feel it is important that I share this with the Body of Christ. Charles Spurgeon said, " The best way to promote unity is to promote truth. It will not do for us to be all united together by yielding to one another's mistakes. We are to love each other in Christ, but we are not to be so united that we are not able to see each other's faults, and especially not able to see our own. No, purge the House of God and then shall grand and blessed times of unity dawn upon us." This quote was given in Charles Spurgeon's sermon entitled the Importance of Small Things in Religion.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Let Him Who Hath A Ear, Let Him Hear
Revelation 2:7 says, Let him who hath a ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. There are two types of hearers. The first is the man who hears and takes action. In this case, the man hears the Word of God and then the man takes action! He not only talks the talk, but he walks the walk. The second is a man who hears but does not take action! Sadly, if we really think about the majority of men in our community and in our nation, the fact is we as men for the most part are not taking action. We are not making a difference for Jesus! If we as men truly want revival in this nation and in our community, then we are going to have to die to self. True Revival will not happen unless a person dies to self, and listens to the Holy Spirit and then takes action. We are on the verge of revival! Imagine what God could do now and in the future if men in our community would sell out for Jesus and leave the things of the world behind. The world would never be the same again!
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