Are You Learning The Lesson?

      Lou Giglio is Pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He's a young guy and a self-styled leader of a so-called New Breed of Jesus, Generation. He was invited to offer the Benediction at President Obama's Second Inauguration, on February 12.

    He has been effectively dis-invited by the Presidential Inaugural Committee because he "does not reflect this Administration's vision of inclusion and acceptance of all Americans."

    Just why he was invited, in the first place, is somewhat of a mystery. Giglio is not a Liberal, in the theological sense of that word. He is not an older cleric who has standing in the broader religious community. He certainly isn't part of any recognized minority population. He doesn't bring a voting block, nor did he raise money for the Obama Re-election Campaign.

    It appears they thought this young pastor would give them standing with the segment of the population he represents and can influence. All that evaporated when the committee found out he'd once preached a sermon against homosexuality.  

     He didn't actually preach a sermon against homosexuality, per se, he simply pointed out that homosexuality was a sin; one of many sins a person must recognize and be willing to repent of, should they want to be saved. He wasn't singling out homosexuals, apparently. He simply mentioned that sin, in the context of things that represent mans' sin nature.

    That Pastor Giglio hasn't preached on this subject since, doesn't seem to matter. That he stated in this letter to the Committee: "Clearly, speaking on this issue has not been in the range of my priorities in the past fifteen year," should have been sufficient to view him differently.

    However, the fact that he did say it.... then, is enough to punish him.... now. 

    The Message is: You can be a Christian; you can believe what The Bible teaches about morality and sin; you can preach what you believe, just don't cross the line and condemn sodomy, ....or infanticide, or....sexual promiscuity, or....any one of the Seven Deadly Sins!

    We saw it at the Democrat National Convention. The Party Platform was taken almost exclusively from Romans, Chapter 1, the last 14 verses. These are the ungodly [attitudes] and unrighteous [behaviors] of men that precipitates the wrath of God being revealed....against men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. [v. 18]

    This is a phrase that describes people who Know what's right / good, but insist on living as though it doesn't matter. It takes a fairly perverse man or woman to kill an innocent child, in the womb. It takes a fairly corrupted man or woman to not only justify sodomy but mainstream it as though it's normal. People don't get this way, over night. They have to be coached; encouraged; trained; desensitized; shamed into acceptance.

    That the Federal Government would be the instrument for this sort of degradation is clearly a Sign of The Times! Al Mohler calls it Moral McCarthysim. The witnesses in those 'Hearings" were universally asked: "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?"  

    Which side are you on? 

Are There Any Adults Left In Washington?

    This week we heard how average Americans are working to get out of debt, while Washington added more debt on top of a mountain of debt! Do these folks know something average Americans don't?

    The Book of Proverbs lists hundreds, if not thousands of Wise Sayings. Some of them seem a little strange. One reason may be that what Solomon [or Agur and Lemuel -- who apparently wrote the last two chapters] wrote was not always the godly advice, but sometimes just the way things work, in the world of men. The cumulative effect, however, is to communicate Wisdom to those who want it.

    The opening chapters explain the Why and the How: as an introduction. With Chapter 5 we receive warnings. Warnings regarding the 'strange woman' and the things God 'hates.' The Strange Women is compared to 'Wisdom' [in chapter 1] who, as a woman, is 'crying in the street.' 

    As you read, you see that godly wisdom is not hidden from men. 'She' cries, not only in the street, but in the place of 'concourse' [business] and in the 'opening of the gates' [halls of justice] and throughout the city. Wisdom is available to all! All, that is, who will hear and heed.

    The wisdom offered covers the totality of mans' existence, from relationships to finances to personal disciplines to education, etc. The problem? Men don't want wisdom until they need it. The wise way is the way of restriction; of discipline; of decency. After 30 years of living any way we want, there are bound to be problems. Then we want wisdom!

    Where is 'she' then? Chapter 1:28 says it is then she will not answer you. She was available 'early' but you did not seek her; did not see a need for her. Now? You shall 'eat of the fruit of [your] own way, and be filled with [your] own devices.' v. 31

    What is the advice God gives?  Chapter 3, verse 16: You will be delivered from 'the strange woman,...from the stranger which flattereth with her words.'  Who is this strange woman? She is worldly wisdom. She is the personification of all the advice; ideas; suggestions which flow from the world of men and cater to our own selfishness. 

    Like what? Like you don't need to obey your parents. Like parents aren't supposed to control childrens' attitudes, vocabulary, ideas, daily routines. Like we can read anything we like, watch anything we like, play with anything we like and it won't matter. Like we can live anyway we choose and the result will be the same as those who live righteous. Like we don't need to focus on an education or a trade and we will have largely the same life as did our parents or as do anyone who DID focus.

    Ques: How do you get 30 years' experience? Where do you buy it? Who will give it to you, when you need it? The obvious answer is 30 years' experience comes only one way: you have to live it!

     This is why 'wisdom' laughs at your calamity [1:26]. It is why she mocks when your fear comes and when your destruction comes as a whirlwind [v. 27].

    Why? Because you didn't want her, when she was 'crying in the streets' and now that you need her, she isn't available to you. The day of learning was ignored. Now, you will learn the hard way.

    America is not like this! America knew wisdom. America has rejected the wisdom she knew in favor of New Wisdom. The wisdom of destruction and dissipation. The idea that everyone can have it all, without anyone paying The Price. It is a Fools Errand, borne of an unseen enemy who gained the ascendency while American Christians slept.

    The destruction about to descend on America is to be laid at the feet of the American Church. As conscience, she failed us. As 'salt' she has lost her savor. As 'light' she is all but extinguished. We have sown to the wind of selfishness and greed. We shall certainly reap the whirlwind of poverty and persecution.

    Surprise? This is what God predicted, thousands of years ago! Americans have simply thought it couldn't / wouldn't happen here. In the midst of this whirlwind The Real Church will grow strong and vibrant, in The Lord. The pretenders will drop off, not finding the benefits they thought were available. New Power will return to America. The Power we now see in The Church in China, Russia, North Korea, Nigeria, Sudan and in a host of Arab countries. 

    Things are changing, when educated people vote to create another four trillion dollars of debt, on top of sixteen trillion dollars of existing debt. A debt that is currently 3X what the government takes in each year. No one believes this is sustainable or wise! But none of that matters. What matters is that we have the society 'we' want. What 'we' want is a global society, completely dependent upon a cadre of elite leaders. A society we can hand over to The Enemy of our soul.

    What will 2013 bring us? A Living Bible! Bible scholars know there is much yet to be fulfilled, before Jesus comes, yet it is hard to imagine what remains before The Man of Sin steps up to protect Israel from her enemies. This is the biblical event that marks the beginning of The Great Tribulation; the Day of Jacob's trouble. If there is something that hinders this event, it is the strength / dominance / individualism of the U.S.  

    This is now evaporating.  Even so, come!

Why Does God Allow Evil?

    This week, two of our most popular Evangelical preachers were interviewed on separate News Shows. Both were asked the same question: Was it God's Will that the children in Newtown were killed?

    Admittedly this is a difficult question to answer. However, those in public ministry need to be able to give a biblical answer.  People depend on them to know the mind of God. They are primarily teachers, explaining the basic tenants of the Christian Faith, as well as the more complex issues of life, from a biblical perspective.

    These men failed....miserably! Both answered by declaring what happened to be the result of mans' Free Will. This is biblically inaccurate, since Man has no Free Will! His will is captive to his heart, which is corrupt and morally evil according to The Bible. 

    He might choose a lessor sin, resist some temptations, do certain outwardly good acts, even seek God from an entirely selfish motive, but he cannot act completely contrary to his heart! Jesus said that it is 'out of the heart men sin.'  [Matt. 15:19].  Jeremiah declared mans' heart to be 'desperately wicked and deceitful above all things.'  [Jer 17:9]

    The Bible declares all human beings to be, by nature, slaves to sin [Rom. 6]. The Bible offers no hope that men would / could rehabilitate themselves [Rom. 7]. In our natural state / condition, we do the things our heart [nature] dictates. It is not that all men act as depraved as they could, but that all men are morally / spiritually corrupt, because of inherent sin, and are simply doing the deeds of their father, the devil [Jn 8:44]

    It is understandable that these pastors would get this part wrong, since most Christians believe in a Free Will. It's the second part that is both amazing and shocking. One of them declared: "God's will is rarely done on earth." 

    This, my friends, is biblical heresy! The Bible sees the world under the immediate control of Satan [I Jn. 5:19]. This does not mean God is simply watching, helplessly, from the sidelines! Our God is sovereign over the universe He created. Nothing happens without His knowledge, permission or direct intervention. Psalm 76:10 tells us that God restrains evil, so things are not as bad as they could be. It also tells us that certain evil is necessary, to further the purpose of God. It is that evil God allows. 

    The will of God includes a certain amount of good and evil. When God allowed sin into the world of men, He did so for a reason. He could have kept it out. Now, when God allows evil, it is for that same reason. He controls evil so it only furthers His ultimate purpose, otherwise no one would be safe! 

    These children did not deserve the violence that ended their young lives in the sense that they did some terrible thing. They are simply part of a world filled with evil hearts, determined to do evil. What happened on December 14 is that God didn't stop it.....this time.

    What kind of a God is that? The kind Who loves us enough to let us see both the good and the bad. If God were to do what most of us want [keep all evil away], we would never see sin for what it is. What happened in Newtown was that only 26 people died. 

    And Where Was God? He was the same place He was when His Son died! He was the same place He was when you were saved! He was the same place He was when countless folks narrowly escaped certain death! It is a testimony to our limited understanding that we want it both ways!

    But what's Joel Osteen and Rick Warren's excuse? They're 'experts' in Christianity. People depend on them knowing God's Truth. Is this more of God's permissive will? How many church-goers were shocked at these answers?

The Day Evil Came To Town

    Friday, December 14, 2012, is the Day Evil Came To Newton, Ct!  So said Connecticut Governor, Daniel Mallory.

    The shooter, Adam Lanza, will be labeled as having a "Personality Disorder." A personality disorder is a type of mental illness in which you have trouble relating to people, so says the staff at The Mayo Clinic [see mayoclinic.com]

    Just what is a mental disorder? Try as I might [at least online], finding the answer to this question is difficult and confusing. Terms are used without definition, while the explanations ramble on for several paragraphs or pages, clarifying and quantifying, until it's not really clear what was being said. 

    Discussion seems to center around the 'mind' [hence: mental] and the 'soma' [that part of the brain where the signals from the dendrites are passed along]. See how clear that is?

    In layman's terms we're talking about a diseased or dys-functioning mind. We're not always sure WHY but we are reasonably sure the mind is disordered, much like a physical organ or system.

    Of course, mental disorders cannot be cured. We can manage them; help you learn to cope, but you will always be broken. Think "Recovering Alcoholic." Were you a "drunk" we can fix that. But, now that you are an alcoholic, you will always be an alcoholic. 

    We may never know why Adam decided to shoot up an Elementary School eleven days before Christmas. Certainly, if mental health professionals could have gotten to him, sooner, perhaps these children and adults would still be alive.

    Let me give you some food for thought.

    Was it because Adam grew up in a divided household -- parents divorced, siblings separated?

    Was it because a single Mother can't be with her children, except after work or on week-ends?

    Was it because a Mother, being female, didn't really understand the male ego; the male psyche?

    Was it because a testosterone-laden teen-ager, now standing eye-to-eye with Mom is hard to handle?

    Was it because of the 12 years, or so, in State Schools, learning that his Self Esteem was valuable?

    Was it because no one ever told him he was 'bad?'  Never understanding the significance of that?

    Was it because he could watch anything he wanted on TV, for as long as he chose to do so?

    Was he using any drugs? Alcohol? Anti-depressants? Uppers? Downers?  From the medicine chest?

    Was he experimenting with other hallucinogens? Or simply staring at the wall for hours?

    Was it because he could surf the 'net in the privacy of his own room, for hours at a time?

    Was it the video games? Played alone, gratifying his Self?

    Was it isolation or too many 'wrong' friends?

    The List is long and growing, but you get the point.

    Then there's Church.  Did Adam go to church?  Was he ever confronted with his sin?  How much moral balance existed in his world? Was there any hope? Were there any people in his life who represented something different than his reality; something better? What was Adam's life like?

    The answer? It was probably not unlike millions of teenagers and young adults all across this country. People living in a world that isn't real. Being told how special they are, regardless of the truth. Learning to accept a dismal life without parents, without structure, without values, without an education. Every day just like yesterday.

    Adam was lashing out at his life; at his world.  His mother was a School Teacher. Is that why he chose a School? Whatever Adam did, it made perfect sense to him. It was his only option. It turned out to be his final option, which was also planned. 

    The Community has rallied around Church and prayer. The Reporters and even some in the Mental Health Community are calling his deeds 'evil.' In a world that doesn't need religion and has outlawed the concept of inherent evil, this is a little schizophrenic.

    Then I wonder, had he gone to Church, what would he have heard? That he was a sinner? Or that he just 'blew it' sometimes? Would he be confronted with a Gospel that required repentance?  Or one that suggested he simply "let go and let God do His work in your heart?"  I didn't pick these ideas and phrases out of the air. I hear them in the sermons being preached in churches today. 

    When things get worse, and they will, what will 21st Century Church-goers have to rely on? My guess is that it won't be much more than Adam did!

A Christian Version of "Two And A Half Men"

    Angus T. Jones, child star of the TV Show, Two & Half Men, is telling everyone to STOP watching his show!

    Those who keep track of such things tell us that 14.5 million Americans tune in every week. I'm reasonably sure that's 14.5 million American men!

    Angus has apparently found Jesus. His church is called Forerunner Christian Church and it is in Fremont, California. Perusal of its website shows it to be a completely mystical, charismatic church with two female pastors. 

    To his credit, Angus is standing up for biblical morality, claiming that nothing about this show is morally good or worthy of our attention.

    The Evangelical Church, however, is not convinced! They are convinced the show is bad, but not that Christians should abandon things like this. As usual, there are folks advocating [anew] for Christians to get involved in Hollywood and TV, in order to make it better.

    Question: Is this the biblical mandate? Does the Bible, anywhere, tell Christians to get involved in filthy schemes or productions in order to cleanse them so Christians can watch without vexing their souls?  Or....does it say 'Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you,...."?  [II Cor 6:1]

    The Evangelical Church began thinking this way in 1945, when leaders were challenging believers to get involved in the culture rather than standing off from it, as the Fundamentalists were doing.

    I don't believe these men had TV programs like Two and half Men in mind! I doubt they were thinking how wonderful it would be to have an entire entertainment system dedicated to decency and respect for godliness.

    In those days Christians didn't even go to movies. The entire entertainment culture was profane, as far as they were concerned. It wasn't too long ago when entertainers were considered among the most debauched in society. Prostitutes were only slightly lower on the social scale. 

    What changed? It wasn't the entertainment community, I can tell you! It was our definition of what constitutes Christianity. 

    Christians want to watch TV and go to Movies, without being embarrassed or offended. Great! I want to eat all the sugar I can without gaining weight or dying young(er) as a result of sugar diabetes! We all want something.

    The Gospel is God's 'call' to the sheep [Jn 10] to "come and follow me." It, alone, is "The power of God unto salvation, to all who believe."  It is an exclusive and insulting message. It declares all men to be sinners before a holy God. It requires those who want Jesus to leave the world [worldliness] and cling only to Him. 

    The effort of Christians and Christianity to be accepted or to somehow sanctify The World is a fools errand!! It can't be done! [Read your Bible]. It should not be done, if it means getting into the cesspool with them in order to do it!

    What do you think?   Vote on my website:   www.thebibleforum.net

I Was Right Before I Was Wrong!

     I predicted that Romney would win the election. It never occurred to me that Americans would NOT put an end to our economic / political slide into social and fiscal oblivion. I Was Wrong! But, upon reflection I realize I was actually Right before I was Wrong!  Let me explain:

    For years I have been warning the Christian Community about the effort to subordinate Doctrine and elevate Experience. This anti-intellectual approach to Christianity has destroyed churches, corrupted doctrine and marginalized The Message. Christianity has become a lapdog instead of a guard dog. 

    What I failed to understand is that the general population has evolved along the same lines. What I thought was a religious phenomena was actually a popular social trend. The recent elections illustrated this fact in frustrating and discouraging ways. 

    The candidate that offered the least amount of sound doctrine and the greatest amount of emotional satisfaction, won! The candidate who has set out to destroy our economy; the candidate who has worked tirelessly to undermine the Rule of Law; the candidate who has worked hard to Regulate every area of American life; this is the candidate a slim majority of voters saw as Qualified to be their President.

    What happened? While we slept the enemy slipped in and sowed tares among the wheat. No, not President Obama! Not the Democrats! Not the Socialist-Progressives! Christians, so-called!

    We bemoan the moral condition of our society without giving credit to those calling themselves Christian who have led the way. The group commissioned to be Salt and Light in a dying world have seen their Mission to embrace that world. In so doing, they have become just like the world they embrace. The consequence of which is a lessening of morality among those who profess Christ, followed by an even lower standard of morality being expressed by the world.

    Let me explain: The Church of The Lord Jesus Christ is the moral conscience of the society in which it exists. In America, more than any other nation on earth, Christianity, as it reflected the legal, social, moral standards enshrined in our Constitution and By-Laws, was the bell-weather of American culture. As it has abdicated its responsibility the culture has become more crude.

    It's like parents in a family. We know children will only live up to a certain percentage of what parents expect: it's in their nature to resist. For this reason, parents have an obligation to hold children to the highest possible standards of morality and character. If a parent lowers the expectation, the child will naturally lower his / her response.  [there are exceptions -- they're called exceptions because they are not normal and they are so rare]

    As Christians sought to 'build bridges to the culture,' [1947  Harold J. Okenga's "New Evangelicalism"] they were forced to compromise. "Politics creates strange bedfellows." 

    As Post-moderism's "Situation Ethics" came along [1957], Christians first reacted against it and then embraced it [The Charismatic Movement of the 1960's -- with it's rejection of the standard interpretation of words and emphasis on subjective feeling].

    Then came the 'Sexual Revolution' [1970's], with it's new-found 'Right' to abortion. Self-centered 'Baby-Boomers' were raising their children to be true to themselves and not let other people squeeze them into their mold. The result was an explosion of drugs, sex and teen-pregnancies. The music was loud and raucous. The fashions were lewd and shocking in its color and style. 

    How did The Church respond? By embracing it!  All of it!  Being non-judgmental and by bringing the music into church, Christians were saying the profane culture was something they could live with. They would modify it, but not condemn it. Thus was born the 'Chorus' which replaced the 'Hymn,' and Doctrine took a back seat.

    Mega-churches sprang up all across America. Not one of them built on the Preaching of The Word of God! 'Sharing' was now the accepted means for communicating to Christians. 'Dialog' was more important than authoritative pronouncement. 'Relationships' were more important than doctrine. How the Service made me "feel" was more important than the information communicated.

    In all of this, groups of 'christians' were finding common-cause with one another -- not around what they believed -- but around their shared feelings / needs. Disparate groups were embracing one another. Religious Cults were being brought into the Christian Fold. Enemies of The Cross of Christ were now 'brothers in the Lord.' No longer was the Goal to Evangelize, now it was to Consolidate in order to influence the world for Jesus. 

    Today, churches spring up like weeds in every city, town and hamlet. The secular-sounding music draws them in. The relaxed atmosphere makes them feel comfortable. The messages delivered do not insult or condemn. All-in-All, folks have a good time. The Message? You're going to church, praying, worshipping, contributing, loving one another -- who's to say you're NOT a Christian?

    The Church following The World. The World feeling greater moral freedom, since Christians are doing it too. The society slipping into oblivion.

    'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee,.....seeing thou has forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children'  [Hosea 4:6]  

    So....when you bemoan the recent election result, look in the mirror. These folks who voted to support and extend the profane, bankrupt, licentious culture are simply acting out, in the extreme, what the visible church is illustrating to be God's purpose for life. 

    I Was Right!

The Day Hope Died, or....The Day The Scriptures Came Alive?

   The day of our General Election, 2012, Matt Barber, writing for ClashDaily.com, called for "Churches to get involved in politics."

   He was referencing the IRS's demonstrated reluctance to pursue pastors who preach political messages from the pulpit. A phenomena recently observed.

   The next day came the re-election of Barack Obama: a president who stands as a living monument to how easy it is to be president of a country you despise. Should he get his way, we can expect MORE regulation by bureaucrats, MORE debt, MORE dependent citizens, MORE pandering, MORE mainstreaming of sinful practices and MORE of everything to make our society morally, economically and socially weak!

   Do we take Matt's advice? The Evangelical community did that in the 1950's. How's that worked out? By the 1980's, Jerry Falwell was taking credit for motivating evangelicals to help elect Ronald Reagan.  It's been pretty much down hill since then!

   It has become conventional wisdom, among many Christians, that The Church is supposed to be involved in politics as a way to influence the culture. Perhaps because that's the way First-Century Christians did it. [That's sarcasm] 

   Has anyone checked the scriptures, lately? The prophets predict a steady decline until Jesus comes. Paul said the Spirit of God 'expressly stated' that men would continually get worse, until Jesus comes. Is there any mention of the United States being an exception? 

   Has anyone looked around, lately? From big cities to the suburbs it looks more like Sodom than The Celestial City. Our population is getting younger and browner and more decadent, even the so-called Christians. After 80 years of Dr. Dewey's psychological experimentation in our classrooms, this younger generation doesn't think or act like anyone you knew in 1965.

   Where does that leave those who are truly redeemed? It leaves us exactly where God wants us! It also leaves us with the tools God gave us: Grace, Prayer and The Gospel! 

   Proverbs 24:19,20  [paraphrased] Do not fret because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the [morally] weak because there shall be no [future reward] to [such men]. [Their life] shall be quenched. 

   We can fuss; we can fret. We can crawl into a hole or organize a political action committee. Or....we can pray; live a truly godly life; be a consistent witness and preach The Gospel when the opportunity presents itself. 

   It's not as exciting as a political rally, but it's how the early Christians 'turned the world up-side down.'