Facebook Topic Transplant – Scott S. and Belief in God

At the request of Scott S., this page has been removed. Please contact Scott S. personally for info re: his beliefs in God.

- Rob

A Warning to Modern Day Pastors and Preachers from Matthew 11:20-30

This is a message for pastors. I am discharging this message to you. You’ve been duly warned.

Matthew 11:20-30 is one of the most sobering, yet hopeful sections of Scripture in all of Matthew. Jesus gives a stern warning to three cities (Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum) that should have repented because of his testimony. Listen to what he says:

Matthew 11:20 Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21″Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22″Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

23″And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24″Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Why is Jesus speaking so harshly against these cities? Because they would not repent! Their hearts were hardened. They would not turn from their wickedness. Jesus even used “Woe!” The word “woe” is used to express grief, regret, or distress. Can you imagine if Jesus were to say that to you? How would

you

respond? It is my prayer that you would respond with repentance!

This message is repeated many times throughout Scripture. One prominent is Luke 16, with the story Jesus tells of the rich man and Lazarus. Bear in mind: this is not a parable. In no other parable does Jesus use a proper name to describe any of the participants. He calls the poor beggar Lazarus, signifying that this was a real event, not a parable simply meant to impart meaning. The events Jesus describes actually happened.

You know the story. Lazarus died as did the rich man. Lazarus goes to Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man goes to Hell. At first, the rich man is thinking only of his own torment, and asks if his tongue could be cooled. After he is told that he’s not going to receive any reprieve from his punishment, he asks that someone be sent to his five brothers to warn them of impending doom if they don’t change their ways. (Even from Hell, the man wants an evangelist sent to his brothers.) But he is told the following:

Luke 16:27 “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house– 28for I have five brothers–in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29″But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

Notice that Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; Let them hear them” Let’s translate that to today for us: WE have the Scriptures. We have the testimony of God’s saints. We have the very WORD OF GOD! What gives me chills are the two following verses:

Luke 16:30 “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31″But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Does this not convict you? Oh that we would truly understand this teaching! They will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead! In our generation, Jesus’ resurrection is being attacked, especially by some of those in the emergent movement (process theology) camp. Phyllis Tickle has even said that it’s possible to be a Christian without believing in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ. What rank heresy! Repentance is necessary for true Christian faith, as well as believing in the physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Back in Matthew 11, three cities were mentioned. The precise location of Bethsaida and Korazin are not known today, but we know of Capernaum. Bethsaida means “a house of hunting or of game.” It was probably located near the Galilean sea banks. We also know from Scripture (John 1:44) that Phillip, Andrew, and Peter were from Bethsaida.

However, we DO know something of the cities (Tyre and Sidon) that these unrepentant villages were compared to. Tyre and Sidon were opulent, wealthy places. 2 Chronicles 2:11-16 lists these cities as places where building materials for Solomon’s temple were derived. These cities were very old and yet Jesus is saying that these cities would have repented if they’d seen the miracles in them that were performed in Bethsaida and Korazin.

What would have caused them to repent? The Mighty works of Jesus Christ!

In our culture, what mighty works have been done? What has Christ done for us? Has Christ been proclaimed here? Of course! Do you realize that westernized countries are overrun with Bibles? We have churches everywhere. Pastor, what of Jesus have you shown forth to this wicked generation?

But WOE to us! We kill 3,700 babies A DAY in the US due to abortion alone. The figures below from AbortionNO should shock you into how wicked our nation is:

UNITED STATES
Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996)
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 3,700

Who’s having abortions (religion)?
Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as “Born-again/Evangelical”.

Did you catch that? Add it up: 55.4% of the women having abortions (OVER HALF) of them either claim to be Protestants, or “Born-again/Evangelical.” What wickedness!

Why? Why does this happen? I blame many pastors for this tragedy. In an effort to be culturally relevant, many pastors are preaching “feel-good” messages aimed at increasing church attendance, rather than preaching messages of holiness, righteousness, and what we must do to live lives that are pleasing to God!

You see, in whatever direction culture turns, the church is not far behind. Don’t believe me? Just go to Youtube and do a search for church humor. The videos that result should be revolting. We pastors have turned church into an entertainment center and as a result, MEN are not being taught to be the biblical, Godly leaders of their homes that they should be. Because of the lack of Biblical men in the church today, women (our daughters and wives) are coming to their own conclusions about whether life is sacred, and how important careers should be, instead of how precious life is. Christian women today are making decisions to kill their children because they truly believe that it’s for the best.

WAKE UP! Woe to us, American pastors!

In Leonard Ravenhill’s book “Why Revival Tarries”, he says the following on p. 20:

“The tragedy of this late hour is that we have too many dead men in the pulpits giving out too many dead sermons to too many dead people.”

I wholeheartedly agree! Pastors and preachers need to be alert, and sober-minded. What is it going to take for us westernized Christians to wake up and realize we’ve fallen into a pit? When are we going to repent with sackcloth and ashes and turn away from our wickedness?

Matthew 11:23 “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24″Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Did Jesus really say that it would be MORE tolerable for the land of Sodom? Yes, He did! Oh, that we would wake up! This is not some sort of word game we Christians are playing. This isn’t a time to just nod in mental assent to the teachings of Christ! This is absolute spiritual warfare between those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who oppose Him.

Jesus now THANKS God the Father that these things were hidden:

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26″Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

Has Christ revealed the Father to you? Do you realize your need for repentance? Pastors, are you teaching your flock the truths of the Bible? Are you broken in prayer for your sheep? Do you realize the peril they are in if they perish without Christ?

Yet still, we must praise the Lord! He continues to offer us redemption! Even though we are wicked, even though we murder our children daily, Christ has come! He offers us rest!

Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Rest from what? From the yoke of legalism, for one.

I love to evangelize. I love sharing the Gospel with someone for the first time. It’s so exciting to me, knowing that I have been given an opportunity to share the love of Christ with someone who may not believe. Most of the time, if I ask someone, “Why should God allow you into Heaven?” the answer I receive is: “Because I am a good person.”

My answer to them? No you’re not! Even if someone managed some sort of humanistic change and they were able to stop sinning from this moment forward until their life ended, they would still wind up in Hell for their hardness of heart because of the unforgiven sins of their past. We must NEVER presume to say that God OWES US salvation! God forbid it! We all deserve punishment for our past. If you think that you can just be good from this day forward consider this verse:

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
You’re not good. There is but one who’s good, and that’s God. And it is this self-same God who offers us salvation through the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus rescues us from that yoke of self-righteous legalism. He rescues us from our sin and wickedness. The Holy Spirit removes our stony hearts, and gives us hearts that beat for him!

Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30″For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

What are you yoked to? Are you yoked to the Law, or to Christ? If you are yoked to the law, you’re yoked to the entirety of it.

Galatians 5:1It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. 2Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. 4You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. 7You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?

Pastors, are you preaching weak sermons that are meant to attract goats? Or are you preaching with unction, praying and pleading that the Lord would draw His own elect unto Himself? Do you soft-pedal the Gospel, like Rick Warren, Robert Shuller, Joel Osteen, and others? Or do you preach God’s word with the power of the Holy Spirit?

I am laying this charge at your feet, pastors. The sheep are not being fed, so instead they turn to wickedness. Are you going to be faithful to preach God’s word and stand firm, come what may?

National Association of Evangelicals Asked to “Unsign” the Covenant of Civility

Over at the blog “My Word Like Fire” (link here), John Lanagan has written a short blog post where he asks: Will NAE disavow “Covenant of Civility”? In case you didn’t know, NAE is the National Association of Evangelicals, currently headed by L. Roy Taylor. In no uncertain terms, Lanagan puts him to the point:

L. Roy Taylor,
It is my understanding that you have signed the “Covenant of Civility.” As you may know by now, Assemblies of God General Superintendent George O. Wood has asked that his name be removed from this document.

I respectfully ask that you, as President of the National Association of Evangelicals, do the same.

You see, Brian McLaren and other signatories have added their signature to the document. I applaud Lanagan’s letter written to L. Roy Taylor, and here’s why: Scripturally we cannot support joining hands with those who deny some of the basic tenets of the Christian faith.

I was a musician before I was saved, and I often think of things in musical terms. If two people were singing in unity, it meant that they were singing the exact same pitch or note. If they were singing “in harmony”, it meant that the two notes were not the same pitch, but they complemented each other. Finally, if they were singing in “discord”, or in dissonance, then the two notes being sung would have a rather grating effect.

This is what we have going on when you have people such as the Superintindent of the AoG and the President of the NAE signing a document with the likes of Brian McLaren and others who cannot agree with us on the core tenets of the Christian faith.

Scripture explains it like this:

2Co 6:14-18 (ESV) Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? (15) What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? (16) What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (17) Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, (18) and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

I hope that more men will step forward and take their names off such a document. It may seem fruitful from a pragmatic sense to sign such a document, but as Ken Silva has pointed out over at Apprising.org (link here), this will only serve to help those who wish to silence those of us who hold to orthodox Christianity.

This sounds to me like a warmed over version of Catholics and Evangelicals Together. Am I wrong?

Stupid is as Stupid Does

Pro 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid.

My daughter was watching TV recently, and she shocked me when she came and told me she heard the “S-word” on TV. I was horrified and wondered what she could’ve watched that used the “S-word”. I couldn’t think of what it was. I asked her and she said it was a children’s show. Now this really had me puzzled so I asked her, “Honey, what’s the S-Word?”

She whispered her reply: “Stupid.”

You see, around my house stupid is the “S-word”. My daughter has been taught since she was young that you don’t call people stupid. Yet here in the Proverbs we find the word stupid leading off the 12th chapter. For those of you who are fans of the King James version the word “brutish” is used. Yet the meaning is still the same.

Albert Barnes in his commentary on this particular verse writes:

Brutish – Dumb as a brute beast. The difference between man and brute lies chiefly in the capacity of the former for progress and improvement, and that capacity depends upon his willingness to submit to discipline and education.

Psalm 49:20 also reveals this same idea:

Psalm 49:20 Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.

Albert Barnes also has the following to say about the final phrase of Psalm 49:20 …”Is like the beasts that perish.”

They live only for this life. They have no higher nature than that which pertains to the senses, and they live accordingly. The man who, though of exalted rank, lives for this life alone, herein resembles them. See the notes at Psalm 49:12. Alas! what multitudes there are who thus live – whose only aim is to secure the wealth and the honors of this life – who have no more thought of a future state, and who form no more plans in regard to a future world, than do the brutes! For many there are in exalted stations, who are surrounded by all that wealth can give, yet who no more admit the thought of a future world into their hopes and plans than if they had no other endowment than the camel or the ox, and whose conduct in this respect would not be changed if all the higher endowments which constitute the nature of man were withdrawn, and they were at once reduced to the condition of a brute. While, therefore, the main purpose of this psalm is to show that wealth confers no “power” which is to be dreaded – that its possessor, though wicked, cannot permanently injure us, since he must soon pass away by death – the course of thought at the same time teaches us that we should not “desire” wealth as our portion; that we should not live for this, as the main object of life. The possessor of the most ample fortune must soon be laid in the grave. All that he has acquired will pass into other hands, and will be his no more. But he “has” a higher nature. He “may” live in a manner different from the brute that perishes. He “may” act with reference to a higher – an eternal – state of existence; and, when he dies, he “may” leave his earthly inheritance, whether great or small, only to enter on an inheritance that shall he permanent and eternal. “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36.

Proverbs 12:1 uses two contrasting verbs: love and hate. Whoever loves discipline gets one result. Whoever hates reproof, another. God in his amazing wisdom didn’t just give us one glimpse, but as is so often the case in the Proverbs, comparison is drawn between two different ideas in order to help us understand.

So in order to understand the brutishness, or stupidity of those who hate reproof, God gives us a glimpse of those who love discipline.

For me, discipline conjures up two different thoughts: correction, and discipleship. These two run hand in hand in my mind. How can I call myself a disciple of someone if I am not willing to subject myself to their correction? But before we just run ahead with my opinion of this proverb, let’s look at what the original Hebrew calls discipline. From Strong’s we read the following definition of discipline:

From H3256; properly chastisement; figuratively reproof, warning or instruction; also restraint: – bond, chastening ([-eth]), chastisement, check, correction, discipline, doctrine, instruction, rebuke.

We can see that both chastisement and doctrine/instruction are seen in this word. Let me take this to a conclusion: By loving the chastising hand of the Lord, I also love his instruction and knowledge that he gives me.

Likewise with the second half of the verse, Strong says of reproof:

From H3198; chastisement; figuratively (by words) correction, refutation, proof (even in defence): – argument, X chastened, correction, reasoning, rebuke, reproof, X be (often) reproved.

So if I hate the chastisement of the Lord, I am stupid – even brutish in nature. That sounds harsh doesn’t it? I mean, do the Scriptures actually teach me that I have to LOVE correction from the Lord?

Yes! It does. If I am to love the Lord, then I will love even his correcting hand.

If you are a parent, you know this is true because your own children bear this out as a witness. Imagine what would happen if you were to let your child run free, and never correct them. It wouldn’t take long until you’d have a spoiled brat on your hands with no boundaries, and no respect for you the parent. It’s true.

So why would we think that spiritually things would be any different for us? God loves us and he corrects us. Scripture consistently bears this out:

Pro 3:11-13 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, (12) For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. (13) How blessed is the man who finds wisdom And the man who gains understanding.

If we are truly to gain in our understanding of the Lord and knowledge of the Holy One, then we must begin loving His correction.

How NOT To Study the Bible

John 12:47-48 “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. (48) “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

One problem that I have with the Emergent movement that is so rampant within my own denomination is the lack of clear, biblical interpretation. The text is often obfuscated to the point that many in the emergent camp make claims that we evangelicals would have considered heretical in the past. Eisegesis is considered more valid when studying the Scriptures than exegesis. In other words, reading your own interpretation into a text is now considered just as valid (if not more so) than reading the text and studying the grammar and history of the text in order to gain a clearer picture of the original writer’s intention.

John 12:48 is the reason why I have problems with modern bible studies in general. So often I hear people in bible studies say things like “What does this Scripture mean to you?” or “What is your take on the Scripture?” This is often followed by a cafeteria-style process where members of a bible study will pick through the various interpretations offered and choose whichever interpretation best fits some preconceived assumtion they’ve made. That’s not bible study. Listen to what Jesus says in John 12:48:

“He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”

Notice Jesus does not say “My word AS YOU UNDERSTAND IT is what will judge you.” Nor does He say “My Word that YOU ARE AWARE OF is what judges you.” Instead, Jesus makes it plan, that the word HE SPOKE is what will judge us at the last day. Ignorance of the Word will not be an excuse on the final day of Judgment.

Now there are times when a text is APPLIED differently to different people. Here’s an example:

I counseled a man (Dave) who was deeply upset because a woman he’d dated recently left him with little notice. He couldn’t understand why she would leave. In the course of counseling him, it became apparent that cohabitation and fornication were two chief sins that were occuring in his life with this previous girlfriend. Yet the man claimed to be a Christian. So I took him at his word and began counseling him as a Christian. While counseling him, I brought him to the following verse:

1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;

After he read the verse aloud, he said “This verse is about fornication.” In it’s interpretation, the verse is not about fornication. It’s about claiming fellowship with Christ while walking in the darkness, and how those two are mutually exclusive.

Yet the Holy Spirit caused the verse to come alive to Him, and bring rememberance of sin. He realized what he was doing was wrong, and subsequently repented of it.

However (and this is important) he was not guilty of misinterpreting the text. What God revealed to Him in his heart from the text through the Holy Spirit was certainly the truth: Fornication was a sin, and he needed to submit that area of his life to Christ and ask him for forgiveness. Yet he didn’t misinterpret the text. He understood the plain meaning of the text. Christ and darkness don’t fellowship together. The Holy Spirit through the power of God’s word brought him into right relationship with God. (See Hebrews 4:12-13 for similar verses)

It may be true that how a verse is APPLIED to a believer’s (or non-believer’s) heart may differ. But the intent and message of the Scripture NEVER changes. The Word itself says “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” The intent and message of Scripture never changes.

“He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”

If we are to be judged by the words that Jesus spoke, then I want to make sure that I understand what he says as much as I can. This means I must make a careful examination of the text, the history surrounding when it was written, the context it was written in, and other factors to make sure that I am not guilty of eisegesis (reading into the text).

To my emergent friends, let me speak plainly so you won’t misunderstand my words: The virgin birth is a reality. Jesus did lead a sinless life. After dying on the cross for ours ins, he was buried. And on the third day he arose BODILY, not metaphysically or spiritually. Jesus is coming back (and hopefully soon!)

I hope this small article will in some way encourage you this Sunday to open your bibles and read what it actually says, not what you think it means. God bless you!

Rob