What Changed?

  Remember when everything was Modern? The Modern Age peaked in the 1920's, but that didn't stop us from calling every new invention or social improvement, Modern.
  We stopped that a few years ago. Now, everything is Contemporary. Like modern, if it's contemporary it must be good! At least it's not Old, which is Bad! Contemporary means we're keeping up with the times, not rotting on the proverbial vine.
   We've even done this with Church, as though the concept of Church evolves through time, depending on what is popular at the moment.
   In the past, various evolutions of 'church' have occurred, not all of them bad. Remember The Reformation? Of course there was that charismatic movement of yesteryear. That wasn't so good. But, it didn't last. It morphed!
   We thought folks who believed it necessary to speak in gibberish, to verify that they were actually saved, was nonsense [and it was / is]. These folks infiltrated various churches, spreading their variant doctrine and undermining many. But that pretty much faded away.
   It faded away because it was replaced with something New and more exciting: Healings! Now, the concept of spiritual gifts was expanded to include the special ability to touch someone and have them healed. It was wonderful! Or, at least it would have been, had there been such a gift of God.
   Healings went the way of tongues, that is it gave way to the Health/Wealth gospel. Now God wants all His children to be healthy and have great wealth! It's in The Atonement, don't you know?
   No, I didn't know! But, then all I have is The Bible.
   Things kept going, with all sorts of new gifts popping up and more and more preachers and preacher-etts holding forth with ever-increasing New Teachings and New Power from God. An entire Cable TV Channel was dedicated to it. Soon, we got tired of it all.
   Or did we?

   Today, in churches all across America; country churches, city churches, mainline denominational churches and independent churches, the story is the same: We have our Traditional Service at 11, but our Contemporary Service is at 10!
   Meaning? The young people [or the young at heart] like the more jazz-ed up choruses and the swing and sway they engender, as opposed to the old, staid, sorry hymns.
   Meaning? The younger set doesn't want to be preached at! They want 'Teachings' on practical subjects they can use everyday. They want non-judgmental teachings. They don't want finger-pointing or negativism. They get enough of that from their parents and on the News.
   This is the 21st Century! Things are different, now! That old stuff is no longer relevant!
  
   What "old stuff" are they talking about?
   Preaching? But doesn't The Bible tell us that it is by the preaching of the Word of God that people    are saved?
   Negativism? Isn't The Gospel negative? "You are a sinner, hell-bound, if you don't repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" sounds negative to me!
    Hymns? Aren't they designed to lift our soul to God? To challenge our heart to bow before Him? Don't they exalt the nature and purpose of God? Are they not emotionally stirring....for those who love Him?
    Worship? Isn't that the bowing of the heart before God? Isn't that an abject denial of our worldliness and recognition of His worth?

   See, I must have it all wrong! Or has someone changed The Bible, when I wasn't looking? Then I saw the Trailer for the new Reality Show on the Bravo Channel: Thicker Than Water. Now I know where I went wrong. These folks are living the life God intended for every believer.
   Wealth, Greed, Pride, Selfishness, Pride....have you seen the trailer?

   The Point? God doesn't change. His Word doesn't change. Worship of God doesn't change. Sin doesn't change. God still honors preaching, even if no one [popular] is doing it.
   I read an article, lately, entitled: Pastor INC.  It's about how every pastor, who wants to get somewhere, is doing whatever he must in order to elevate his 'brand.' Pastor as commodity. Big congregation; TV ministry; Internet presence; Book deal; DVD's; Conference Speaker; whatever it takes to 'make it big in the preaching business.'
   Now that's Modern!
  

We Often Learn Too Late

  The testimony of the Kings of Judah and Israel are instructive: 

  God divided the kingdom because of Solomon's pride. Solomon allowed his many wives to draw him away from God, worshipping at pagan altars. In the days of this divided kingdom, the kings of both Israel and Judah were not much better. Israel's kings were universally bad, while Judah's kings were generally good, although inconsistent and sometimes bad.

  The lesson is: when the king (and the people) resorted to God, removing the pagan altars and priests, crying out to God in repentance and faith, worshipping God according to His dictates rather than their own desires, listening to God's Word through His appointed prophets, there was Victory over her enemies and Peace.

  When Pride was king, there was defeat in battle, disaster in their plans and devastation in their crops. What we are to learn of all this is simply: The Battle Is The Lord's! Our responsibility is to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We are to rely upon Him for whatever victory there may be; to trust Him and His Word, not our own perceptions and abilities.

  Failure is what defeats us, not the evils of this world, nor the circumstances of life. We will have peace and joy of heart in a dungeon, should our heart be right with God. The battle is not waged against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers; forces of wickedness in high places. 

  Contemporary views of Christianity, Salvation and Worship grow out of a denial of the doctrine of Total Depravity. Should our view of self collide with a biblical view of God, this problem would be instantly resolved!

  So often, in Scripture, the judgment of God against a person or a nation, is that they will not hear [Isa. 6:9-11], with God therefore hindering the work of grace in their lives, as judgment [Rom. 1]. God's punishment is not arbitrary, we must earn it! We earn it through repeated and determined rejection of the grace He has bestowed. It's called 'hardening of heart.' When God hardens a heart, it is only after that heart has been hardened by sin.

  Evangelical Christianity has always been about exposing the Light of God, pointing it toward the dark places of mans' heart. Much of The Evangelism of the last 50 years has had the opposite effect. Glorious emotional responses! Significant renovations! All of which paved the way for alternative doctrines, alternative worship forms, alternative power.

  Neo-evangelicalism, of the late 1940's - 1960's, culminated in The Evangelical [political] Right of the 1990's. This was a movement more social and political than evangelical, although many in the movement didn't know it at the time. A movement co-opted and manipulated by more skillful operatives, leaving gullible Christians embarrassed and disheartened.

  America is merely a moral and physical shell of her former glory, whatever that may have been. God is Out! Humanity is In! This means depravity, corruption and destruction on every hand. The News of the day is all we need in order to be convinced that things have changed. 

  What is a Christian to do? Learn the Lessons before it's too late. Realize our responsibility is to The Lord as Witnesses of His grace and mercy in Redemption, not as political change-agents. The world is hurling itself toward Armageddon! Nothing we do will stop that! Along the way there are glimpses of hope and possibilities for real change. These are fleeting events, more in the style of a Revival than any meaningful, long-lasting change.

  We SHOULD vote! We SHOULD care! We are still citizens of a Free Country! But the change we seek is not at the ballot box. It is in the hearts of men and women, whom Jesus came to save. We are now the 'seekers' of those souls. They aren't color-coded, so we must BE what God made us to be and DO what God has instructed us to do, before every human being we can.  Until Jesus Comes!

WHY RELIGION IS LOSING INFLUENCE IN AMERICA

A recent Gallup Poll found 77% of Americans believe religion is losing its influence on American life. This compares with 1957, when 69% thought religion was increasing its influence on the culture. The highest point was December, 2001, when 71% of the folks thought this way. This was right after 9-11.

Reality? For all it's philosophical stance, as a predominantly Christian culture, America has largely paid lip-service to The Gospel. The rise in public opinion about what Gallup calls "religion,' has been largely emotional. the high-water mark of 71% is a case in point. Patriotism [survival?] was running high and God was on everyone's lips.

After WWII, the same religious euphoria prevailed. Foxholes tend to clarify the realities of life and death as little else does. Men, coming home from war, saved in many cases while in the military, were zealous about Christ and the rise in Evangelistic zeal, as illustrated by Crusades and Campaigns, reflected that zeal. Additionally, there was a 'Baby Boom.'

By the late 1950's, teenagers were everywhere, with more wealth and leisure time than any society this world had ever seen. Youth Ministries were popping up all over the world. It looked good! It felt good! God was making inroads on every front, or so it seemed.

The late 1960's brought reality home, as social, political and racial unrest erupted in city after city. Stirred by the idealism of college campuses and an unpopular (and frightening) war, fueled by drugs, sensual music, Free Love and radical political rhetoric, America woke up!

The euphoria of the 1950's was apparently not real! The perception of peace and prosperity masked a systemic reality: Religion [Christianity] was not as dominant as we thought.

Why? In large part because of the Peace & Prosperity. To a greater degree, because of the Evangelistic Campaigns, both in churches and in Colosseums. These evangelistic appeals relied too much on emotionalism.

There is an excitement generated by public meetings. Religious meetings tap into a deeper part of our psyche. The atmosphere, the staging, the music, the 'star power' of some preachers as well as simply preaching, as a technique, are all calculated to bring folks to a climax: The Decision!

Herein lies The Rub! Salvation is NOT, strictly speaking, a Decision! That Americans have assumed as much may be why so many think themselves to be Christians, while their lives speak a very different language.

We see it in the divorce rates among Evangelical Christians, the drug rates, the abortion rates, the fashions, the worldliness and greed. We see it in the theatrics, the music, the carelessness of what is now being called worship. We see it in the gullibility, foolishness and strange behaviors of church-goers, not to mention the preachers. It is not uncommon to hear about a popular preacher involved in some form of immorality: sex, drugs, alcohol, thievery, etc.

It may be Gallup has it right when they speak of Religion, because biblical Christianity is not like any other religion. Christianity has always been about a heart change. In this sense, it has always been a minority influence.

Well, The Pope Just Threw Jesus Under The Bus!

    In an Open Letter to the founder of La Repubblica, Pope Francis stated that non-believers would be forgiven by God if they followed their consciences.

    La Repubblica is a radical / socialist newspaper that has moderated to a center-left political stance, in recent years, and was the largest circulation newspaper in Italy in 2011

    This is astounding! Why then did Jesus die? What was that all about? What, then, is the pope's role in the world? Why have a Roman Catholic Church? Or any Churches?

    The questions are legion. They range from core doctrinal issues to philosophical issues. Not the least of which is: "What Is My Conscience?"

   Is my conscience a reliable spiritual guide? Does it operate independently of my mind or my spirit? Is it an independent quality or is it influenced by my heart? Can my conscience be corrupted? Should I let it lead? Is Romans, chapter one, wrong? 

    What about faith? Will my conscience guide me to Jesus? Is my conscience being protected from all the influences my mind and body experience? Why does the Roman Catholic Church put so much emphases on being holy? What, then, is sin? What is Catholic Confession all about? Why does the Catholic Church insist it's devotees accept [by faith?] the existence of saints? or what these saints presumably can / are doing for 'The Faithful?'

    The questions just keep coming! Then there's what the last pope said! His comments on this subject were just the opposite from this one. What are we to make of that? 

    One Catholic man, asked this question, said the Pope was not speaking 'ex cathedra' -- that is with the authority of the church or of God, merely speaking 'off hand.' So, as a pastor, I can have one doctrine in the pulpit and another on the street, off hand? Or is it that what I say, after studying the issue and preparing the statement can be different from what I really believe?

    The New Testament is filled with references to my conscience, not all of them good. What am I to make of this?

    The questions just keep coming! 

The Yom Kippur Crises In Jerusalem

   In some circles there is great concern that Israel is NOT observing God's calendar, in observing the High Holy Days. Reference is being made to Psalm 81 where God declares He gave Israel up to their own hearts' lust because they walked in their own counsels and did not hearken unto Him.

   Here's how it goes: God declared, in Leviticus, that The Day of Atonement [Yom Kippur] would be celebrated on the first day of the seventh month. The Hebrew Calendar, starting with Passover, counts the 7th month as beginning with the New Moon of our September. If this is followed, Yom Kippur is Tuesday [Sep't 17]! Not yesterday [Friday, Sep't 14].

   Big Deal? To some it is. The Day of Atonement is a Big Deal to observing Jews. They do not have a Temple, nor do they have an altar or Holy of Holies in which to actually celebrate God's atonement. All this was removed with the crucifixion of Christ, Who did away with atonement [the covering of sin], by fulfilling God's Plan of Redemption on The Cross.

   However, religious Jews still observe the atonement as a religious rite, waving live chickens over peoples' heads -- a practice being condemned by animal rights groups. The Point is not atonement, per se, but whether or not Israel is following God's Word or simply operating according to human invention.

   According to Jonathan David, Israeltoday.co.il, "After Israel's captivity, the Jews stopped waiting and watching for the Lord to reveal the exact date of these holy days, by means of the New Moon. Since the 4th century, Jewish leaders have held that Rosh Hashanah / Feast of Trumpets should never fall on a Sunday, a Wednesday or a Friday. Why? Because God's Covenant People were driven out of the land of Israel and scattered throughout the earth, making it hard to know whose observation of the New Moon and which location on earth should have been used to determine the date."

   Will Israel ever get it right?  Yes! When Jesus returns! We are told, in the scriptures, that during the Righteous Rule of Jesus, we will celebrate The Feast of Tabernacles in The Kingdom [Zech. 14]. There is no doubt that it will be celebrated on the correct day! 

It's A Mystery!

     It's a mystery to me why so many people reject The Gospel! Are they brain-dead? The Bible says only a fool believes there is no God [Ps. 53]. This type of fool [there are at least 4 different types in the Bible] is stupid! wicked! impious! Maybe this is the answer, since rejecting The Gospel brings the specter of an unpleasant eternal hell.

    I ponder these things and then remember what the scriptures say: "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." [II Thess. 2:7] This adds a spiritual dynamic beyond intellect, alone. 

    Human beings are characterized in The Bible as sinners, from birth: born in iniquity. We are 'cut off' from God, unable and unwilling to repent and believe on The Lord Jesus Christ. But here's an additional limitation: The Enemy of our soul is at work hindering men and women from believing!

    The old English "let" is confusing. It's referencing the restraining work of the Holy Spirit that keep Satan's efforts from succeeding completely. This restraining ministry will continue until the Spirit of God is 'taken out of the way.' Of course, then, Satan will have almost carte blanche to work his wiles and deceive the masses, even more.

    Dispensationalism sees The Church personifying this restraining power, until she is taken from the earth, in The Rapture. This easy solution does not answer some other important questions, however. Satan's liberty to deceive and enslave does not become a reality until the middle of the Great Tribulation, which has given rise to the Mid-Tribulation Rapture Theory. Rapture issues are not the purview of this treatise.

    The Point is: The Church represents at least A restraining influence in this world, perhaps THE restraining influence. The reality that sin and wickedness is once again on the increase makes us wonder about how close we are to Christ's Return. In the past couple of centuries we have had The United States as the bastion of Christian Testimony. We have looked to the U.S. for hope and for a hedge against the evils of this world. No More!

    Now, the U.S. is at the forefront of wickedness. We just celebrated(?) forty years of Roe v. Wade. Did you know in Liberal, Humanist, Progressive, Socialist France, it is a crime to abort a child after the first Tri-mester? In Russia, their Parliament, the Duma, has recently backed a draft law that outlaws homosexual propaganda.

    At home? We're doing all we can to open the flood gates of wickedness and immorality, in every area of society. Social policy, economic policy and government policy. We WANT to get God out of our life and out of our thinking. Keep in mind, God is still restraining wickedness. Can you imagine what the future will look like, if Jesus tarries? It apparently will be worse, if He doesn't!

    The Church, The Bride of Christ, is at her weakest point in recent memory. In the past we dealt with men and women who sought to depart from the cardinal doctrines of The Faith, creating new and different doctrines. We called this Liberalism. Today, we are watching folks who think themselves to be Christians flocking to large, impersonal, venues to be titillated and entertained and calling it worship of God. 

    This is not the worst, however. The newest [and oldest] fad is mysticism. Christians are embracing a mystical form of Christianity where how The Word of God makes them feel or how various techniques can get them out of their bodies, so as to merge with The Spirit, or how these techniques can improve upon what we know of God or of His Word, passes for worship and/or study and/or meditation.

    Christian Yoga, Lectio divina, Emerging Church Movement, where feelings matter more than reason; a growing number of young pastors fixated on teaching about sex, in graphic terms, others playing with alternate spiritualities and doctrines. These are what we read about, not Evangelistic efforts or about strong families or dedicated Christians.

    There are more "mysteries" afoot than we know. The mystery of iniquity is just one. Mystery Babylon is another. We'll talk about that on Sunday Evening, from 8 - 11 pm.  Join Us!

     PS: You can watch the Bible Forum from our Facebook Page

 [www.facebook.com/BibleForum]

RACISM IN AMERICA?

   25,000 people gathered around and in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to remember Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech. This speech, delivered in 1963, is a stirring, dynamic speech clarifying all that he was trying to achieve.

   Many in the Civil Rights Movement were present, along with invited guests, to 'Remember' and to 'Remind.' It's hard to remember how this segment of our society was treated, for no reason than the color of their skin. It's good to be reminded of what we once were, lest we forget how easy it is to drift back.

    However, many who spoke at this Event were not Marking the passing of an era. They were stirring up old animosities as though they were current. Are they current? The Black community does not enjoy Middle Class status. Is that my fault? The Black community is a protected group. Is that what America is about?

    The cry is Racism! It sounds bad. It is bad. But is it true?

    For generations, people have claimed racism where none exists! How do I know? Because, to denigrate or otherwise discriminate against another race, there must be another race! And there isn't!

    I know. This sounds all too petty! But, stay with me. The problems we have in America, today, regarding discrimination are not, technically, racial. To keep maintaining this terminology is to miss The Point!  To miss the point is to avoid The Problem. Avoiding the problem means it will NEVER go away!

    Our current concept of racism is a Darwinian idea. More specifically, a theory posited by British sociologist, Herbert Spencer, in his book, entitled: "Social Statistics," 1850. 

    Spencer coined the phrase, "survival of the fittest" to describe the outcome of competition between social groups. He argued that through competition social evolution would automatically produce prosperity and personal liberty unparalleled in human history.  

    This doesn't sound bad. What made it bad was Darwin's adaptation of it. He suggested that persons, groups and races are subject to the same laws of natural selection as were perceived in plants and animals in nature.

    This means some human beings have a greater ability to achieve than others, based on where they are in their evolution. Think about that! Human Beings who are not fully evolved? How does that work? What does that mean? Is that every Black person on the planet or just those who aren't able or willing to achieve? It's astounding!

    The men and women on the platform in Washington, this past week would have shouted "NO!" But, every day in State Schools and on TV and the Internet we are told and told and told that we have evolved, incrementally, up from primordial slime to sentient creatures [oops] with opposable thumbs. What's the logical conclusion, when we have an entire group of people we must care for and protect, lest they be left behind?

    It takes an evil heart to create this sort of disparity in society, based simply on the color of a person's skin!  The kind of evil God describes in Jeremiah 17:9 -- 'desperately wicked,' 'deceitful above all things.' This is exactly the way God describes the human heart. 

     This is exactly what we saw in Nazi Germany, during WWII. Drawing from these principles and applying them in a most logical way, Nazi Germany went about systematically weeding out undesirable illustrations of humanity under the Banner of Eugenics.

     Eugenics was / is the term coined by Social Psychologists to describe the effort to purge weaker DNA from the human genome. They didn't know about all that, except that there were people on this planet who were inferior and they could not be permitted to reproduce, if we were to reach the pinnacle of humanity, the stylized 'Aryan Race.'

    Blacks, Jews, Homosexuals, Gypsies, the Insane, the weak, Educated men and women who did not support the Nazi goals, and preachers were systematically eliminated. Some were summarily shot, others systematically gassed, while others were useful slaves in work camps, until they died of starvation, depravation and hard work.

    After the war, Eugenics fell into disrepute. Not before it was applied to the Black community in notable experimentation. In recent years, in N.C., reparations were paid out to survivors and their families of these so-called efforts to cleanse the gene pool.

    Today, it is the Liberal Elite in Academia, Psychology, Sociology and Politics who keep the idea of Eugenics alive. If Darwinian Evolution is true, Eugenics makes great sense!

    The Black community would do well to keep a weather eye on their 'Friends.' And, since "Success is the Best Revenge," it would do well for them if they found a way to reclaim the integrity and strength of the Family and focus on becoming a more productive segment of society, before their 'Friends' find a way to use them.....again! And, not simply as stepping stones to their own wealth and power.