[socialpoll id=”2191790″]
Posts Tagged with Bible
Arise, Church!
It is a good day to be the church.
It is my argument that it is always a good day to be the church. Earlier this week ChristianAudio announced their free audio book download for the month of March would be “The Normal Christian Life” by Watchman Nee. Where there may be some controversy surrounding his life and especially what became of his teaching when he died in the early 70s, there is no doubt that there is value to the church today. I highly recommend this book to you for consideration.
My intent is not to write about this book, my intent is to speak about this good day for the church and to borrow Nee’s title of this classic book The Normal Christian Life for a moment. I promise to give it back, but it is a good title for consideration.
The normal Christian life is (should be) radically different than the normal American life.
The normal American’s life is expected to be a life of relative ease and marked with a type of common blessedness in comparison to the overwhelming majority of the rest of the world. Over the past couple of centuries, Christians have grown to love this ease of life and have forgotten that the Bible speaks of a normal life that is a marker of true believers.
I fear this is because we have lost the preaching of the Gospel in our land. The Gospel, the biblical Gospel is counter to the secular norm. This secular norm is attractive to the carnal man because it affords him ease of life and the pursuit of pleasure in temporary life and no craving is given to the carnal man for eternal matters.
The carnal man longs for the matters of this world and they are never satisfied until satisfied. He rules his life based on what he is born for. He argues that those who stop him or speak against him are attempting to keep him from being who he was born to be. Demanding, even though he wouldn’t admit that he is like this, that his (created) god would not make him with these cravings unless he meant for him to be satisfied in them.
“for natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised .” (1 Cor 2:14 NASB)
The spiritual man, on the other hand, has been regenerated.
How does a carnal man become a spiritual man? He must be regenerated. He must be born again. In other words, his carnal (old man) must be put to death. Then, he must be given a spiritual nature (new man) that has been made new.
We hear far too often of persons being brought into the kingdom of heaven without being “put to death”. As Charles Spurgeon puts it,
“we hear of persons being healed before they have been wounded, and brought into a certainty of justification without ever having lamented their condemnation, we are very dubious as to the value of such healings and justifyings. This style of things is not according to the truth. God never clothes men until He has first stripped them, nor does He quicken them by the gospel till first they are slain by the law. When you meet with persons in whom there is no trace of conviction of sin, you may be quite sure that they have not been wrought upon by the Holy Spirit.” (the Soul Winner, p.13)
We need gospel preaching, not simply preaching about the gospel.
Too often, the preaching about the gospel leads to emotionalism. Story’s that move even the carnal man, because emotionalism usually touches the temporary. It touches and moves a man, but it doesn’t generate new birth. He’s been part of something that his carnal nature understands and he compartmentalizes the experience as common to all people. But when the doctrines of the gospel is preached or shared, the carnal man is confronted with his offense to God that must be dealt with. Either he must reconcile this offence on his own merit and face the wrath of God without the blood covering of Christ or he must be put to death first, then regenerated by the work of the Holy Spirit and covered by the blood covering of Christ and live.
There will always be true Gospel preaching, may there be an increase of Gospel preaching today. Preacher, look to your bible. Our duty is not to excite the carnal man, our duty is to preach a gospel that first offends, then rescues. We are not called to produce hypocrites. We are called to take this gospel to the nations.
“To make proselytes, is a suitable labor for Pharisees: to beget men unto God, is the honorable aim of ministers of Christ… To introduce unconverted persons to the church, is to weaken and degrade the church; and therefore an apparent gain may be a real loss. (the Soul Winner, p.5)
Arise! preacher, to your post! You and I must continue to aim at men whose hearts are not yet broken of their love for the things of this world and then we must keep on preaching Christ crucified until they are rescued from the sure condemned condition.
“A far greater work must be done before a man is saved.” He must see his condition without Christ. This work is only done with gospel proclamation.
The ‘normal Christian’ sticks to the Gospel. The ‘normal Christian’ is hated by the unregenerate. The normal Christian sticks to the Gospel.
The Gospel
When I say “it’s all about the Gospel” I mean this…
Up For Debate
Over the weekend Moody Radio aired a healthy discussion on the program “Up For Debate” on the issue of modern youth/children’s ministry and age integration. Listen in as Julie Roys moderates discussion between Scott Brown and Luke MacDonald.
Do churches, with their separate children’s and youth ministries, unwittingly divide the family?
Up For Debate: Listen HERE
Preach the Word
To have an opportunity to preach the word anywhere is a humbling occasion. I have nothing to say to any gathered body of believers that is of any value unless it comes from the word of God.
Last week, I was invited to preach (with an interpreter) to the Lord’s people in a faithful church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The occasion was encouraging to me as I witnessed the meeting house fill with worshipers. The gathering was filled from wall to wall, front to back. The worshipers were engaged in the singing without the aid of song books or overhead projection. Attention to the bible was given by the pastor who preached for about 45 min before he introduced me to preach.
At the end of the day, no one will ever remember the visitor from America, but oh that they may forever be influenced by the Lord as the Holy Spirit instructs them in the word.
It was a pleasure to meet pastor Bernito Dorsainvil. It was a pleasure to sit in his home and hear him speak of his desire to see the Lord work through his life and that the church he pastors be a display of the glory of God. His brother Viles Dorsainvil was kind to translate our conversations and the preaching. I hope the Lord will allow other opportunities with these brothers in the Lord.
Rules of Public Engagement
Last year when I was asked if I would be willing to participate in a new venture with the Times News by submitting an occasional article in the weekly Pastor’s Corner I decided that I should establish some personal guidelines for public engagement should I ever get a response or reply to a column I submit. My personal rules of engagement are simple, but I thought I would share them with you today as my last column has generated some response. Here is the reply to the column; the Nature of Man. Here is a letter to the editor that appeared in the Times News on March 29.
- Be-kind
- Be-bold
- be-careful
- Ask clarifying questions
- Quote Scripture often
- Don’t take everything personal
Resurrection Sunday
Today’s message was from the Book of Judges series; Gideon, Part 3.
Here is my most recent contribution to the Times News – Pastor’s Corner. The Nature of Man.
The nature of man is a paramount doctrine in the Bible. Without a proper understanding of the nature of man we are at risk of creating a god for ourselves and believing a gospel with no good news at all.
The Bible teaches us that man is an intentional creation of an all-powerful, eternal God. The Bible teaches that man is not an accidental result of some mindless process. The Bible teaches that the first man was intentionally formed from the dust of the ground and that God breathed life into his nostrils and he became a living soul. The Bible is clear on these matters (Genesis 1-3).
The Bible teaches that both man and woman were created by God and for God. This makes humanity unique among all creatures, namely because man and woman were created in the image of God. This is of great importance. This biblical truth teaches us that we are not the authors of our own existence nor have we accidentally evolved. Humanity was brought into existence by the intentional will and power of God.
God created man in his image and gave him a righteous law. God warned man that he would die if he broke that righteous law. Man did not live long in this honor. Satan used a cunning serpent to seduce Eve, and Adam who was with her, without any force to violate the law of God. Adam and Eve willfully sinned. God allowed this act of sin with intent to put his glory upon display.
Through this willful sin of Adam and Eve, death came upon all, meaning we all become dead in sin and completely defiled in all parts of soul and body. The guilt of this sin was then imputed, transferred, inherited by all descendants of Adam and Eve.
Because of this, all are conceived in sin and by nature children of wrath, servants of sin. This makes all of humanity at odds with God, unable to do any good and pleasing work unto the Lord and wholly bent to all kinds of evil unless the Lord Jesus (God himself) sets them free.
This is what makes the work at the cross such good news. As you ponder the events of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection this week, don’t miss that unless the Lord saves you, you are in grave danger of facing the full wrath of God’s anger. Christ’s work at the cross was God satisfying the requirement that righteousness be held pure. Unless the Lord Jesus (God himself) sets you free, you will be required to save yourself based on your own righteousness. According to the Bible, you do not possess a saving righteousness.
Be with great joy as the Holy Spirit awakens you to this truth. This biblical truth of man’s need for a redeemer mandates that you repent of your sin-nature.
“Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.” Luke 13:5. Consider joining me this coming Lord’s Day at Eastside Baptist Church.
Paul Thompson, pastor of Eastside Baptist Church in Twin Falls, may be reached at 734-7041 or paul@esbctwinfalls.com.
Sufficiency of Scripture
I remember for the first time seriously considering the advice at a type of church growth conference or a leadership development conference I attended. The advice that we attract more flies with honey than we do with vinegar has been around for decades, maybe longer. Where this may be true in the fly kingdom and flies everywhere would like us to continue promoting this belief, I began to question why we use such a metaphor? What are we saying about the Bible when we say something like that? What are we saying about Jesus? What are we saying about the church? These types of questions have lingered in my mind for over a decade.
Let me first define my issue. When it is all thought through and considered it is for me an issue of the sufficiency of Scripture. Meaning that I have had to answer a question that leaves most of us uncomfortable. It is what some might call a “Crisis of Belief.” Do I believe that God will do what He says he can and will do. Am I going to respond as Abraham and Sarah did when the Lord told them that the two of them would have a child? I think they believed God wanted to do this, but they were obviously going to have to help the promise out.
Have we somehow done a similar thing with the promise from our Lord when Jesus told Peter that the gates of Hell will not prevail or when Jesus said that He would build His church? Have we become so enlightened that we dare to make such godless declarations that we can attract more flies with honey than we can with vinegar in relationship to the Lord’s Church? What do we even mean by that?
When a church, who is responsible to preserve the gospel, looks to another source to accomplish her duty she has begun to slide down a slippery slope that we have been warned of from Scripture. (Most all of the epistles warn the church to be careful, even to the point of contending for this truth.) It appears from history that the church has been in this fight from the birthing of the church in the book of Acts. The apostle Paul is engaged in this battle with passion and clarity.
Don’t we have a huge responsibility? The gospel is at stake. I am not at liberty to handle this gospel with such commonness. I am responsible to deliver it rightly today and preserve it for any generation to follow. What kind of church would I want to be part of? What kind of pastor do I want to have? Do I want a church that prefers methods of the secular world over Scripture? Do I want a pastor who will use ‘honey’ to attract a crowd or do I want a pastor who will be bold enough to actually use “vinegar?” As for me and this church we will choose the latter.
I say to the post-modern, world embracing, honey spreading church as Moses did to Pharaoh; “Let my people go.” May the Word of God be enough for you and your church.
_____
adapted from an earlier post: Honey or Vinegar? August 2, 2011
Significant Scripture: woe is me if I do not preach the gospel
What have you been reading from the Bible this week? I’m not meaning from a devotional book (as helpful as they are) I’m meaning; what have you read from the Bible and how has it influenced your thinking and behavior? I would like to hear from you on this… leave a comment below.
This has been an impact on me this week:
15 But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. 17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. 18 What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:15-18 NASB)
Significant Scripture
As I’m preparing to begin preaching through the book of Judges I have been studying the concluding days of Joshua as the people prepare to take the inheritance promised to their fathers. Joshua’s sermon in Joshua 24, has required long moments of meditation and consideration. It has brought a soberness to my mind with consideration to the gospel. It has confirmed the caution that must come with the preaching of the gospel, meaning warning people must consider the cost of following Christ. Too many times the gospel is preached as cheap grace. Too few times is the gospel preached with this kind of boldness.
These verses have become significant to me as I prepare for the preaching of Judges.
19 Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. 20 “If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you.” Joshua 24:19-20 (NASB)
What have you been reading in the bible this week? Share this significant Scripture with me here, I look forward to reading about what You are reading in Scripture.