The Gospel

It has been a while. Sorry for the delay in my post. The Rob Bell video in my last post has stirred up some angst and defense about what the Gospel is. So I am going to throw up some clips of speakers defining the Gospel. Maybe a web source containing many will trump bell and his user friendly version. Enjoy.



John Piper...(below)

"...and now for something completely different...." by Rob Bell

Below you can view Rob Bell, a popular icon in the egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church—morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC)—as he shares his gospel-less view of “Good News According to Rob Bell”. This is not the Gospel I love, know, and cherish...

I keep hearing John Cleese from Monty Python in the back of my head.."...and now for something completely different..."






source

2 or more

Matthew 18:19 and 20 are oft-quoted verses that most of us know by heart. Verse nineteen is the favorite of the Word of Faith so-called Christians. It reads “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.” Just about anytime you choose you can turn on your television and find people abusing this verse, offering to “join their faith with yours” or “agree with you in faith” so that you can have the selfish desires of your heart. They believe this verse gives Christians license to demand anything from God and that He is beholden to provide us what we want when two Christians believe in faith for the same thing.

The following verse is quoted just as often. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” This verse is often used to indicate to Christians that where two or more believers get together, Jesus is somehow more present in that situation than He is when a Christian is alone.

SOURCE

Students of the Bible know that when it comes to Bible study, context is king. I believe both these passages have far different meanings than we may think when they are examined in context.

To find the true context, we need only look a few verses above them. There we see Jesus discussing the method of properly dealing with a believer (or a supposed believer) who is sinning. He tells us first to address that person on our own. If he does not turn from his wicked ways we are to take two or three witnesses and try again. If he still does not listen we are to take it before the church and if he will not heed the warnings of the church he is to be cast out of the church and considered as an unbeliever.

Verse eighteen then says “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Clearly God gives the church extraordinary power here. When the church decides that someone is living a sinful lifestyle and excommunicates that person on Biblical grounds, that excommunication is binding in God’s eyes. God has given the “keys of the kingdom” to the church. You can read Matthew 16:19 for more information about this.

Verse nineteen follows this instruction saying that where two or three agree on earth concerning a matter of church discipline, God will do it for them. So why is it that many Christians choose to tear this verse from its logical context? Clearly it is a further application of verse eighteen. God is affirming that where the church makes a decision based on Biblical precepts, God will agree with it.

Verse twenty follows logically as an extension of verse nineteen. Where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there. What this means is that Jesus is present spiritually to validate the decision that has just been made. Jesus will help guide the church officials and give them peace that the decision they were forced to make was the right one. I see no reason to expand this verse to mean that whenever two Christians are in the same geographic location, Jesus is somehow more present there than when they are apart.

Now the improper interpretation of verse twenty is not dangerous and in a sense is not even unscriptural, for God is present where people are gathered in His name. However, I do not think that is the meaning of the verse in question. Evidently an improper interpretation of verse nineteen can lead to many false teachings.

I would be interested in hearing some further opinions on my interpretation of these verses.

-Adam

Church...or Club?

I just visited this Blog and found a good post about helping people as a standard facet in any person in any church. I liked it, and was glad to see it posted. It reminded me of a John Piper sermon I heard a while back. Here it is. Enjoy...Piper is 31 flavors of fun.

I am at a loss...

I am really not sure what can be said about this one... except this is a perfect example of how ridiculous some of the stuff Christians are doing today in the name of relevance will look 20 years from now.

Relevance is a fickle lover. She’ll make you feel like a king one day and yesterday’s garbage the next....

On the Road Again...with Willie

Well, A good friend of mine and I had some free tickets to a Willie Nelson concert up North in Interlochen Sunday night. You cannot say no to seeing Willie. It would be a drive, but a worthwhile one, for sure. On the way up we Geocached a bit, of curse. My friend lived in the area at one time, so was a great tour guide...much better than my TOMTOM could ever be. :) The concert was at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. It was in a covered outdoor theatre. Willie came out and played for 1.5 hours nonstop. His energy was awesome. It was a late one getting home. I got in at 1:30 AM and had work at 8AM that morning. I actually, really felt O.K. at sunrise. The concert was better than I hoped. Willie is a heck of a guitarist. I had no idea how good he was. The concert was simple and Willie was awesome. He is 76 and performs like he is 21. Except for a flat tire on the way, and some car issues after the trip, it was a blast. Good friends, good weather, and good music. No regrets.

Pastor Matt Chandler on Irreverent, Silly Myths

In 4 minutes 16 seconds Pastor Matt Chandler exposes the core problem behind so much of Purpose-Driven / Seeker-Driven preaching.

Blogging to the Glory Shame of God

This was originally posted on Theologica.com. It is a worthy, and well written article/post by Michael Patton. take a few minutes and read. Well Done Michael.

I am going to post a couple of blog posts that I did last month that are especially relevant considering Theologica.

I believe that we are to defend the faith. I believe that we are to contend for the faith. One of my great loves in theology is the discipline of apologetics. But sometimes our zealousness for our faith can have the opposite effect and actually undermine our witness. We can shame God.

For the next two blogs I am going to be talking about how to engage people in theological issues. This will have particular relevance to how we interact online, especially in blogs.

Before the internet, maybe things were a little more tame. I don't know. Maybe people expressed themselves with more caution, more gentleness, more respect. This is not so today. Not by a long shot. If I was a non-Christian and witnessed how Christians often treat each other in the blogosphere, I would have a natural reaction of disgust.

Today your voice can be heard by an unheard of number of people . . . anyone's voice can. Set your light on a hill. Not only do we have a bigger hill to let the Gospel shine brightly, but through blogs, forums, emails, and many other forms of quasi-anonymous venues, we also have the chance to let our sinfulness shine brightly.

The other day I drove up to a stop sign. Another car, just to my left, was pulling up as well. It was one of those times where I was not sure who got there first. Since I was to the right of them, I went ahead and turned. As I went past their car to my left, I could plainly see the two young college boys were not too happy with my presumptuous decision. They were shouting and pointing and looking at me as if I had just crossed the line which kept their self-control at bay. I am not a lip reader, but I could tell that they were calling me names that would have given them time-out in Hell.

I thought about this and wondered whether they would have reacted the same way if we were not in our cars. What if we were just walking and I happened to cut in front of them. I am sure that the reaction would have been much different. Much more cordial and tame.

Why? What an odd people we are. Put up a safety barrier of a car and we will act in a way that dehumanizes one another. We will say things about another person created in the image of God that would never be said in most other contexts. Why not? We will never actually meet this person. It is not as if this person, were we to see them in line at McDonald's, would come up to us and say "Hey, I am the guy that cut you off at the stop sign. Now what is it you were saying?" Then we would be in trouble.

This is the same context that the internet provides. People say whatever they have on their mind relying on the virtual barrier of cyberspace to protect them.

We must exercise caution. The barrier of the internet does not provide us with a black megaphone named "Judge Dredd."

Here are some principles that I aspire to live by while interacting online, especially in this blog:

1. Never say anything to someone online that you would not say in face to face. (2 Cor. 10:10-11)

2. Don't take things too personally. Understand that many people are insecure and will interact with violent resolve to shield their insecurity. (Prov. 16:18)

3. Don't take things too personally, but realize that some of the things we may need to hear. (Prov. 27:6)

4. Don't respond immediately. Give yourself some time. Rash reactions are like drops of blood. Once the shark smells it, he will attack for the kill. (Prov. 12:18)

5. Interact with great humility. Go out of your way to recognize the right things that are said before you respond to the attacks. (Prov. 15:1)

6. Recognize that while you are separated from the other person by cyber space, there is no space that can separate you from God. (Ps. 139:7-9; Matt. 12:36)

7. Remember that virtual interactions have real people on the other end. These people are created in God's image. Whether believers or not, they are like God. Who are we to curse someone created in the image of God? (Jam. 3:8-9)

8. Shower your response with biblical truth, but don't shove the Bible down people's throats. This can come across and arrogant and sloppy. Be tactful and sensitive to the context of the situation. Often, people do not avoid the Bible, they just avoid you with a Bible in your hands. (Eph. 4:29)

9. Don't be a people pleaser. You will never satisfy everyone all the time. Speak what needs to be said without fear of reprisal from some particular group that you are trying to please. This is particularly hard for me. Sometimes when I write, I write to the donors of Reclaiming the Mind Ministries. Sometimes I shape it for the legacy of Dallas Theological Seminary. Sometimes there are particular people (other bloggers) that I am fond of that I don't want to hurt or disappoint. There is a fine line between being sensitive to an audience and compromise to an agenda. (Gal. 1:10)

10. If you are going to take people to task, rarely do this in a public forum. Contact them personally and try to resolve the situation. Don't use people as a public punching bag. (Matt. 18:15)

CHARLES SPURGEON: AGAINST EMERGENCE ELOQUENCE

For awhile fascinated by the siren voice of vain philosophy and affected culture, many of the churches have drawn perilously near to the rocks of heresy and doubt, but divine grace is visiting them, and they will shake off the spell.

Everywhere there is a cry for the gospel, for men who will preach it in the love of it, for ministers who will live it, and inoculate others with its life: the church is growing sick of essayists, and asks for men of God. She is weary of word-spinners, and pretenders to deep thought, and she cries for men full of the Holy Spirit, who are lovers of the word and not speakers only.

Soul-winners will soon be in demand, and your genteel essayists will have to carry their dry goods to another market. Sane men do not need fiddlers, while the life-boat is being manned to save yonder perishing ones from the devouring deep. (Online source)
Charles Spurgeon

The Mega House of God at rest

I go to a large, but not the largest church in West Michigan. And I grew up in a smaller church. So there are soem stark diefferences in style, design, and therefore differences on Sunday Morning. Here are some pictures of some Mega churches when they are empty. Amazing to me. why can't we just preach and sing songs of praise to Him? All of the other stuff is for man alone, not God. I get so tired of churches expanding and spending because they can, and not because they should. When a church pays off a mortgage, what a blessing! But do not then expand, or move, or buy because you can. Use the gifts fo money for God, not for a new big screen, or a new coffe bar, or stage lighting etc.



Lakewood Mega Church ~ Houston


Joe Johnson says on Michael Paulson's Articles of Faith blog, "With the Mega Church project, an interesting point of tension lies in a secular treatment of contemporary religious practice within Mega Churches. . . .This body of work attempts to reveal the mechanics of creating faith by capturing the wires, computers, light bulbs, and cords that are used to construct mysteries on stage for the faithful. The rawness of the abandoned mega-space and the eerie familiarity of its commercial fixtures question the intention and business of faith in the 21st century."

These are good photos....take a look. And look at joe's website for more. There are some great photo's.



Desk. Fort Wayne, IN. 2007 © Joe Johnson. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Kayafas.


Seating. Temperance, MI. 2006. © Joe Johnson. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Kayafas.


Stage Set. (Children's sermons) Munster, IN. 2008 © Joe Johnson. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Kayafas.

More images are available on the photographer's and the gallery's websites.

A New and Powerful Pro-Life Tool

A New and Powerful Pro-Life Tool
May 19 by Ingrid Schlueter

It’s Ingrid here with another armchair dispatch on behalf of preborn babies. As I wait for my own baby to arrive, I am reminded again and again of the barbarism we have embraced in this country with abortion. I am grateful for the work of Shari Richard. Nearly 20 years ago, I interviewed her on her new video, Window to the Womb. Back then, the grainy, black and white ultrasounds were all there was to try to “prove” the humanity of the unborn child. Technology has changed. America’s unwillingness to recognize the personhood of the preborn has not. But new technology affords an even more intimate look at the beauty of preborn children in the womb. Shari has updated her Window to the Womb video with the new 3D and 4D imaging available. It is breathtaking to see these children smiling, frowning, sucking their thumbs and kicking around in their little world, completely unique and beautiful human beings who are trusting completely in their mothers to take care of them. Click here to see the 4D ultrasound images I just had done of our baby. To think that they are murdering these babies in clinics like Dr. Tiller’s in Wichita on a weekly basis is monstrous. Yes, abortion is the conduct of moral monsters. Below is the press release from Shari Richard. Spread the word about her newest DVD. It is a powerful pro-life tool.
New Pro-Life Video Provides Updated ‘Window to the Womb’ and Historical Perspective
MEDIA ADVISORY, May 19 /Christian Newswire/ — Almost twenty years after the debut of the videos Window to the Womb and Eyewitness to the Earliest Days of Life, which brought ultrasound images to the masses for the benefit of unborn children, sonographer Shari Richard is following up with Eyewitness 2 and Window to the Womb 2 “The Next Generation,” this time employing the latest revolutionary digital ultrasound technology of 3D & 4D imaging.
In addition to the updated imagery, Window to the Womb 2 includes a documentary about Ian Donald, the pioneer of clinical ultrasound who opposed The Abortion Act of 1967. Richard, who continues Donald’s legacy, takes you through the 50 year battle of abortion fought with the scientific technology of ultrasound. Also included is the testimony of Richard and other post-abortive men and women who break the silence by sharing their personal stories about the grief, pain and healing from abortion.
The powerful imagery from the latest ultrasound technology, combined with the history of the movement and the moving testimony of those who have suffered from abortion personally makes Window to the Womb 2 a comprehensive tool for schools, medical groups, Pregnancy Care Centers, and pro-life advocates. As an introductory offer the complete 3 Disc package can be ordered together for $30 off the retail price. Bulk discounts are also available. Information on ordering these and other videos and CDs can be found at www.unborn.com.
Over 500,000 of Richard’s first pro-life videos, Window to the Womb and Eyewitness to the Earliest Days of Life were distributed and translated worldwide. Her testimony before the U.S. House and Senate in March of 1990 during the first hearing on the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) brought national media attention. President Obama has made it a priority to implement FOCA during his presidency.
Shari Richard is an Obstetrical Ultrasound Expert and Educator whose medical experience spans 35 years. She is the founder of Sound Wave Images, an international organization established in 1990 to network with medical professionals, Pregnancy Care Centers and schools to provide educational resources and ultrasound training. In 1992 she established the first Medical Pregnancy Center in Michigan and continues to provide consulting and training for Pregnancy Centers nationwide. Shari has appeared on national radio and television programs, and has presented lectures for schools, pregnancy centers, and fund raisers for pro-life organizations.
For information regarding interviews, speaking engagements, or ordering, visit http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/www.unborn.com/contact.htm or call 1-800-364- 4942

Where is your Joy?

This is my first post on my first blog. Rightly so it should be of value. So here it is, a quote from John Piper. What do you think?

"The critical question for our generation—and for every generation— is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there? "
— John Piper (God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself)