My New Year’s Resolution. . .

. . .is to love God with all of my mind in 2012.  This one seems to be a struggle for me (since I’m already being vulnerable in my blogs this week, I will confess that).  This resolution has actually been on my list for a year or two, and although I know I won’t reach perfection until I pass through heaven’s gate, as a self-professed worry-wart, I would love to trade my “what-if” thinking for a more disciplined mind.

The Bible tells me that I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), that I received it when I accepted Christ as my Savior, as the only One who could free me from my enslavement to sin (including the sin of worry).  However, I do not claim that promise often enough and instead of thinking of “whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8), I am often tempted to think of whatever is scary, worrisome, uncertain, out of my control, unlikely to happen, and harmful to my body and spirit.

Pastor John MacArthur has said, “Worry is needless because of God’s bounty, senseless because of God’s promise, useless because of its impotence to do anything productive, and faithless because it is characteristic of unbelievers.”

Ouch!  But true.  Does this mean that, along with engaging in something needless, senseless, and useless, I’m also weakening my witness to unbelievers because of my worry?  I believe so!  Are they drawn to the awesomeness of God when they see me exhibiting such a lack of trust in my Creator, Provider, and Heavenly Father?  I’m showing (contrary to what I actually believe) that I don’t rest in God’s promises to love and not condemn (Romans 8:1), to work everything for my good (Romans 8:28), and to take care of me even more than He cares for the birds of the air (Matthew 6:25-34).  Will He “supply all my needs according to His riches in glory” (Philippians 4:19)?  Will His grace be sufficient for anything I need and His power “perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9)?   Is He “able to guard what I have entrusted to Him” (2 Timothy 1:12)?  Will I take care of my body which is the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19)?

I’d really like to just get over myself already (isn’t worry just a whole lot of self-focus?), stop excusing it with “well, worry is just what mother’s do,” and put my mind’s focus solely on loving and worshipping God. . .because He is worthy of my whole mind and the list of praiseworthy things about God that I could think on, instead of the endless list of earthly things that I concern myself with, is eternally long.  And I know He’s already given me enough grace to get there–but as many before me have pointed out, we are in a battle for our mind and the arsenal we need to take our mind back from the Enemy in this battleground is found in reading, memorizing and meditating on the Word of God and hiding it in our heart (Psalm 119:11) and MIND.  Hopefully, by God’s grace and enablement, I can chip away at my undisciplined mind a little bit more and more so that my life will draw unbelievers to the God that saves, provides, and is fully and completely trustworthy.

The Broken Commandment

“You shall not make for yourself an idol” (Exodus 20:4).

Many of us think of idols as those bronze statues that we bow down to, but if only that were the only kinds of idols we make.  A definition for idolatry from my Webster’s Dictionary says it is “excessive admiration or devotion” and calls an idol “a person or thing devotedly or excessively admired; a false notion.”  The way that I understand it, this includes the material (money, gold, people) and the non-material (fame, love, comfort) idols that we can create; the people, things or ideals that we place in direct competition to God for our focus and attention.

For myself, I have made an idol–a false god–out of my health. . .and my god will fail me.

It began innocently enough.  I developed an interest in health in my early 20’s and decided that before starting a family, I would become as knowledgeable as possible on how to take care of myself and my family from a nutritional standpoint.  I went back to school and ate up those textbooks on enzymatic therapy and power food antioxidants!  I finished a master’s program in holistic nutrition and began implementing many of the principles that I read about and studied into my family’s diet and routine.  Sometime after this, good health changed from a passion to something I felt that I needed in order to feel in control.  Health became my god.

And then I started to feel tired all the time and I developed food sensitivities that left me often guessing what was wrong.  That’s the thing about being overly focused on your health–you then start to notice each and every sign of your body being out of balance, and if that is your measure of security, your mind and body can be your worst enemy.  Yes, I have a gluten-free and dairy-free diet that I am supposed to follow in order to feel at my best.  And yes, I can get incredibly cranky with too much sugar.  But the more my need for perfect health took over (and who has perfect health?!), the more I began to obsess about it.  And the more that I began to need my health more than I needed my God, the more God lovingly showed me that any god we put in place of Him will fail us.  My health can never comfort me and love me and protect me like my Savior can.  All gods will fail except the One True God that has proven Himself over and over again to be trustworthy, capable, and personally interested in each one of us.

So I gave up my idol–with my words of surrender which I often have to repeat daily and in the way I try to live “by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7); living by what I know to be true about God and His love and protection over me rather than what signs of health or lack thereof I see in my body.  Health is a great blessing from God.  It is something for which I continue to strive and always will as my body is a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  But my motivation is different, my intensity is different, and my need to have control over it is different–because any control I try to obtain is just an illusion anyway.

I remember well what Pastor Jack Graham said one time as he battled prostate cancer, and this may be a paraphrase of what he said, “My power in this life is not in my strong constitution–it’s by God’s Spirit.”  It is this truth from Zechariah 4:6 that I remind myself of often.

Remembering September 11, 2001

Yesterday, my husband and I were trudging through the almost surreal and certainly horrific events of September 11th, explaining it to our son for the first time.  We realized that the only way we could possibly make even a modicum of sense from it was to frame it through a biblical lens.  And as we pray today for God to comfort those who were personally affected with a loss in their circle of friends or family, I realized that what I also pray for is that we can truly and deeply grasp some biblical truths from this, and return to a pure and whole-hearted devotion to our Creator, as a nation and as individuals.

1.  Evil exists.

My son loves good guy/bad guy scenarios–whether in movies, books, or his own vivid imagination.  He pits good against evil every day with his army guys, matchbox cars or detailed drawings in his sketchbook.  And although, in real life, none of us are “good” of our own accord (Romans 3:23), the underlying principle of a battle being waged in the unseen world in which we are all players, is very real (Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”).  Unfortunately, not only does evil exist in partnership with free will to commit that evil, but not one of us is immune–apart from God, we are a slave to our sin nature which is at work tempting us to all sorts of evil, and September 11th reminds us of that.  It reminds us that we need a Savior.

2.  Death is certain.

This life is but a blip on the screen of eternity.  My heart breaks for those who lost a loved on in the terrorist attacks 10 years ago.  My heart also breaks for those who have lost loved ones by other means.  We all have, or will face that sorrow, unfortunately.  And we all must face death ourselves one day.  Are you certain, without any doubt, that you are going to spend eternity in heaven with God?  If not, do you know how you can be?

3.  What’s the Point?

My family is in the middle of a painful trial right now and I can tell you with certainty that the Lord God is the only thing fully sustaining us.  I also know that I never want to face a single trial without Him.  Furthermore, what’s the point of going through a trial if it doesn’t bring us more to the end of ourselves and fully surrendered at the feet of our Savior?  Self-help books may say, “trials make you stronger,” and maybe in the short-term that could be true, but sooner or later our own resources will run out, and it is only in our weakness that Christ’s strength abounds (2 Corinthians 12:9).  It’s only as we become less central to our lives that He becomes more in us (John 3:30).  I see trials as totally futile unless they bring us to Jesus.  Otherwise, what’s the point?  They would just be terribly difficult things that have no lasting purpose!  September 11th, 2001 brought many to Jesus.  I pray for our nation, and us individually, to turn to Him again, as our Sustainer, Savior, and Friend.

Women of Faith was “Over the Top” in Dallas

Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Those who attended the Women of Faith “Over the Top” conference in Dallas, TX this past weekend understand this promise from the Lord, and saw Him deliver. 

Our time together began with a bang.  Patsy Clairmont took her signature style, including sparkling jacket and bright red shoes, and her quick wit, to the stage and without delay won the audience’s attention and affection. 

“The things that break your heart, God will use for your refinement.”

“We are willful people.  Sometimes we have habits that need to be broken by God because they are not good for us.”

“Sometimes we just want God to fix us while we are resting in the night–instead, we have to take responsibility.”

“Begin your day with ‘Yes, God.’”

She spoke of her past struggle with agoraphobia and how fear made her a prisoner and a slave. 

“Put boundaries on your emotions.  Don’t just make everyone take cover when you come.”

“Your will is stronger than your emotions.  Feelings don’t have brains for a reason–they were not designed to do our thinking!”

“Imagination is a gift when controlled by a holy God.”

She reminded us of 2 Corinthians 10:5 which says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ,” and also Proverbs 29:11, “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.”   Patsy challenged us to “Refuse.  Replace.  Repeat” when it comes to our toxic thoughts and emotions, and assured us that if she could survive herself, as she called it, we could too.

Later in the weekend, she also shared her heartbreaking family struggle of when her eldest son Marty was in a 21-day coma and nearly died, and he now lives in pain 24 hours a day with no end in sight.  And after all her family has been through recently, her faith shined through when she challenged us to “wake up with a ‘yes’ in your heart for what God wants for you.”  She is truly a gem being used mightily by God.

* * *

Andy Andrews convinced all of us early on that he had missed his morning dose of ADHD medication, but he kept us laughing and on the edge of our seats with his energetic storytelling and ability to connect.  After losing both of his parents at age 19 and becoming homeless for a time, he learned some valuable lessons, which he writes about in his books. 

“Realize that you have choices and many of your choices lead you to good or to bad.” 

“Nobody cares how you feel as much as they care how you act.  We are a culture that cares too much about feelings,” as if we elevate them above all else.

“There is an answer for what to do when you don’t know what to do–do something!”

Andy encouraged us to take responsibility for our lives and pursue God’s will as He shows us His plan.

* * *

Friday evening we were brought back in time as Lisa Whelchel reminded us of the 1980’s when life was simpler and Blair from “The Facts of Life” was learning life’s lessons and building friendships.  She shared her own struggle with trying to make friends in her 40’s and warned of the dangers of isolation. 

                “There is a difference between being transparent and vulnerable.”

                “I invited people into my home but not into my heart”

We all have a desire to know and be known, she said, and while no one is perfect, we need each other, and building deep friendships, no matter what age we are, is valuable and rewarding.

* * *

Mandisa, from American Idol fame, who has now built quite a name for herself in the Christian music world, brought emotion and vulnerability through her songs “Stronger,” “Lifeline,” and “A Broken Hallelujah,” reminding us of the power of praising and worshiping God in the midst of any and every trial.  She also asked us to consider, “What if we were real,” instead of “hiding what’s going on inside.”  She had energy and heart, and was clearly a favorite with the crowd.

* * *

The newest member to the Women of Faith team is Brenda Warner, and although she is known as Kurt Warner’s wife in some circles, or “mother of 7!”, to those of us listening to her story and experiencing her warm heart, we now know she has quite the testimony even apart from her famous husband.  After marrying young and experiencing the pain of infidelity and divorce, she also had to face the devastating news that her baby boy, Zach, at 4 months old, had a terrible accident, became legally blind, and would be “lucky to ever sit up again.”  If this wasn’t enough to break her heart, both of her parents died in a tornado that killed 7 in an Arkansas town.  Realizing that she could either choose to rise above and over her circumstances, or be buried by them, she chose to go to school and become a nurse as a single mom.  She met a football player named Kurt Warner who immediately came to love and accept her and her children.

“My circumstances did not determine God’s love for me!  Your circumstances don’t determine who you are–God does!”

Zach is now 22 and doing well (and is cute as a button!).  Brenda Warner is making an impact with her story–those terrible circumstances no one should have to go through–because of her faith in the Lord.

* * *

Sandi Patty, a Women of Faith alum, shared her struggles with always wanting and striving to be “good enough.”  How many times do we say, “If only I had been good enough. . .” this or that wouldn’t have happened?  But Sandi reminds us that God says, over and over again to our broken hearts, “My child, you are enough for Me, and I am enough for you.”

* * *

Katharine Everett, Baylor University graduate and actress, performed three inspiring and encouraging dramas throughout the weekend, written by Women of Faith favorite Nicole Johnson, and moved the audience to tears.  One sketch in particular spoke to me personally, as a mother.  Some days we can feel invisible, as if what we are building in our children and our families is not being noticed, appreciated, or showing the results for which we hope.  Katharine reminded me that “my invisibility is the cure to my self-centeredness . . . the antidote to pride.”  Our prayers should be, “O Lord, help me to be more invisible.”  And just as the builders of the greatest cathedrals all over the world are often not known by name, Katharine reminded us through her skit that they have built something long-lasting and grand even while being “invisible.”

* * *

For those of us like myself who grew up with Amy Grant in our boom boxes and walkmans, Saturday afternoon was a real treat.  She took the stage for nearly an hour (and I’m fairly certain she was barefoot–her signature) and sang favorites old and new, such as “My Father’s Eyes,” “Lead Me On,” and “Better Than a Hallelujah,” to name a few.

* * *

Another Women of Faith alum, Marilyn Meberg, gave unarguably the most life-changing message of all.  She presented the gospel in clear and compelling detail, saying that each one of us has a craving for more in our life and until that “more” is filled with Jesus, we will still be left wanting.  I pray that those who felt the Lord tugging on their hearts as Marilyn spoke will answer Him and receive Jesus to fill their want.

* * *

The talented Women of Faith Worship Team led us in a weekend of contemporary worship music and helped to prepare our hearts for life-changing messages. 

For the woman needing hope, I pray that she found Immanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

For the woman needing rest, I pray that she met the One who takes our weary souls and renews our strength; who makes us “soar on wings like eagles” and “walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

For the woman needing faith, I pray that she encountered the most trustworthy and faithful Servant of all.

For the woman needing a big hug, I pray that she fell into the arms of the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

For the woman needing something powerful to happen in her life, I pray that she experienced the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient Creator of the universe.

It was a weekend of “over the top” talent and heart from very gifted speakers and musicians, and “over the top” love from a God who created us in His image, loves us beyond human understanding, and wants a personal relationship with each and every one of us. 

For more information on how to attend a Women of Faith conference in your area, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Days and Counting!

 

Couldn’t you use a weekend away with your friends, your mom, your sister, your grandmother, and a few thousand of your neighbors?  The stock market is volatile, relationships are hurting, people are suffering and lost, and the heat throughout much of the nation is unbearable.  The perfect answer to what ails you could very well be found at this year’s “Over the Top” Women of Faith conference!  I have no doubt that it is God’s desire to meet you there, where you are, and show you His infinite, perfect, unfailing, “over the top” love for you and His plan for your life.  He’s met me there before and as the Spirit moves in that stadium full of spiritual seekers, lifelong faith warriors, and every woman in between, whether you are flying high in life or battle-weary, you will be changed.  Count on it, because God loves showing us His strength in our weakness, and when I listen to the speakers at Women of Faith tell their stories, I see women being used by God in powerful and dramatic ways, and it all began for them when they were weakest. 

Check out this preview video of Women of Faith and consider attending a conference near you!  For details, go here.

Casey Anthony Not Guilty

Much of the world is stunned today.  In the court of public opinion, Casey Anthony was guilty, no doubt, but in a court of law, she was found not guilty.  I’m speechless, and as much as I’m tempted to say the jury must have been in the sun too much over there in Florida to render this verdict, I have to respect our judicial system.

In the middle of my yelling at the television, which I then had to explain to my son who observed me, a spiritual truth hit me. 

The same rage, disbelief, and disgust that many of us feel as we watch someone we believe to have gotten away with murder. . .

The same injustice we feel has been done as little Caylee suffered and died and no one will pay. . .

The same judgment we feel towards Casey as we watched her party and dance on her daughter’s grave, so to speak. . .

Isn’t this the same rage, disbelief, disgust, injustice, and judgment we should feel towards ourselves as sinners condemned to die, but whom Jesus declares NOT GUILTY?!

Casey received GRACE.

Casey received MERCY perhaps.

And in no way do I mean to imply that she is innocent (I personally do not believe that for a second), nor that she shouldn’t have had to pay for her crimes if she committed them (and I personally believe she did).  I’m simply illustrating a spiritual truth by way of a real life example. 

The Bible says that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  We all have sin in us, and as repulsive as the alleged sin of Casey Anthony is, God sees all sin as the same, and I am just as separated from a holy God for any number of my sins as a murderer (or “worse”) would be. 

Not only that, but the Bible also says that we are all capable of murder.  “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.  Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9)  If 1 John 3:15 is to be taken literally, and I believe that it is, “anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer.”  Did we catch that?  I am a murderer (and here, “brother or sister” is generic for anyone).   

But we have been offered grace and mercy by Jesus dying on the cross for us, bearing the weight of all our sin, so that we might be presented to God, “holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault” (Colossians 1:22).

GRACE

MERCY

Casey Anthony was offered a “Not Guilty” verdict, and it angers many of us, but she would by crazy if she refused it.

We know we are guilty of sin.  We are offered a “Not Guilty” verdict.  Will we refuse it, and instead, point fingers at other’s sin while rotting inside with our own?

To be declared “Not Guilty,” click here.

TRUTH Wins

There is a new book out that is getting a lot of people talking, myself included.  In fact, I’m doing more than talking. . .I’m a little bit steaming, a little bit grieved, a little bit disappointed, a little bit challenged.  Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, has written a book entitled Love Wins.  I am steaming because Bell’s interpretations of Scripture are erroneous and misleading.  I am grieved because many, many are being led astray with Bell’s teachings–away from the Truth of God’s Word.  I am disappointed because many are being pulled in to these “preferred” (easily digested) beliefs maybe without discernment and Bell is unknowingly (I will give him the benefit of the doubt) spreading this false teaching.  I am challenged to “stand on truth” as best as I can and challenge the “theology” of this book, and to be a megaphone of Truth to all those who are lost.

A few weeks ago, the pastor of my church spoke out against this book.  I had just finished reading it a few weeks earlier and felt as he did–upset, grieved, and obligated to speak about it.  Here are the notes I took as I read the book, with Bell’s text in black, my thoughts in red.  You will not find an eloquently written book review here.  My passion is still running too high to do anything more organized than repeat some of his words and react to them.  I hope it sparks good discussion and, for all of the fellow apologists out there, helps us to be aware of the false teachings that are so rampant here in the end times.  And so we begin. . .

“Rob Bell goes a long way in helping us acquire just such an imagination.  Love Wins accomplishes this without a trace of soft sentimentality and without compromising an inch of evangelical conviction in its proclamation of the good news that is most truly for all.”–Eugene Peterson (in the front flap)

I am very disappointed to find Eugene Peterson here with this quote endorsing Bell’s book and his theology.  It makes me very suspect of his interpretation of the Bible in The Message Bible.

“A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better…. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’s message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear.” (Bell, 2011, preface)

                A fair summary of what we are about to delve into here.  Toxic? 

“So is it true that the kind of person you are doesn’t ultimately matter, as long as you’ve said or prayed or believed the right things?  If you truly believed that, and you were surrounded by Christians who believed that, then you wouldn’t have much motivation to do anything about the present suffering of the world, because you would believe you were going to leave someday and go somewhere else to be with Jesus.  If this understanding of the good news of Jesus prevailed among Christians, the belief that Jesus’s message about how to get somewhere else, you could possibly end up with a world in which millions of people were starving, thirsty, and poor; the earth was being exploited and polluted; disease and despair were everywhere; and Christians weren’t known for doing much about it.  If it got bad enough, you might even have people rejecting Jesus because of how his followers lived.” (Bell, 2011, p.6)

True followers of Jesus, when they have the Spirit living and moving in them, are motivated to do for those “starving, thirsty, and poor” of this world–in fact, it is the very power of Christ living out His life through us that moves us towards that.  What breaks God’s heart comes to break ours.  I see almost no basis for the thought that true believers, because they have a ticket to heaven, would then say to heck with the suffering in this life.  True followers know that Jesus commanded us in John 13:34 for example to “Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  In Matthew 25:40, we read, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”  We see over and over again throughout the Bible that the mark of a true Christian is his or her love for others, caring for the poor, and taking care of “the least of these.”  I would question those who have “prayed or believed the right things” but they don’t live out the fruits of that relationship with Christ, whether they have a true relationship with Christ or not.  Therefore I disagree with Bell’s premise here.

“Jesus teaches us to pursue the life of heaven now and also then, anticipating the day when earth and heaven are one.” (Bell, 2011, p. 46)

                Bell frequently seems to be implying that heaven is here on earth now.  Good theology?

“To portray heaven as bliss, peace, and endless joy is a beautiful picture, but it raises the question:  How many of us could handle it, as we are today?  How would we each do in a reality that had no capacity for cynicism or slander or worry or pride?  It’s important, then, to keep in mind that heaven has the potential to be a kind of starting over.  Learning how to be human all over again.” (Bell, 2011, p. 50-51)

This sounds to me like complete New Age jargon.  Not only that, but heaven will not be full of cynicism and slander.  There will be no sin in heaven, as only those who will be there are those whose sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus. 

“Sometime when Jesus used the word ‘heaven,’ he was simply referring to God, using the word as a substitute for the name of God.  Second, sometimes when Jesus spoke of heaven, he was referring to the future coming together of heaven and earth in what he and his contemporaries called life in the age to come.  And then third–when Jesus talked about heaven, he was talking about our present eternal, intense, real experiences of joy, peace, and love in this life, this side of death and the age to come.  Heaven for Jesus wasn’t just ’someday’; it was a present reality.  Jesus blurs the lines, inviting the rich man, and us, into the merging of heaven and earth, the future and present, here and now.  To say it again, eternal life is less about a kind of time that starts when we die, and more about a quality and vitality of life lived now in connection to God.” (Bell, 2011, p. 58)

                Again, this part about the word “heaven” sometimes being a “substitute for the name of God” sounds like really faulty theology.  Those of you with seminary degrees, any response?

The best thing about heaven is being with Jesus forever–I don’t believe, to the best of my recollection, that Bell mentions this glorious truth anywhere in his book.

“So how do I answer questions about heaven?  How would I summarize all that Jesus teaches?  There’s heaven now, somewhere else.  There’s heaven here, sometime else.  And then there’s Jesus’s invitation to heaven here and now, in this moment, in this place.” (Bell, 2011, p. 62)

HUH?  This is what disturbs me about these emerging church pastors. . .they love using their words to ask a bunch of questions, provide little answers, keep everything mysterious, and cause everyone to scratch their head and say, “What on earth are they REALLY saying, beneath all these poetic frills?!”  Is that intentional–talk all over the place so that fewer of us can criticize what they are saying?

“And that’s what we find in Jesus’s teaching about hell–a volatile mixture of images, pictures, and metaphors that describe the very real experiences and consequences of rejecting our God-given goodness and humanity.” (Bell, 2011, p. 73)

So hell is rejecting our God-given goodness?  What about rejecting God, and just putting the period there, after ‘God’?  Again, very faulty theology and sounds like New Age.

“Some people are primarily concerned with systemic evils–corporations, nations, and institutions that enslave people, exploit the earth, and disregard the welfare of the weak and disempowered.  Others are primarily concerned with individual sins, and so they focus on personal morality, individual patterns, habits, and addictions that prevent human flourishing and cause profound suffering.  Often the people most concerned about others going to hell when they die seem less concerned with the hells on earth right now, while the people most concerned with the hells on earth right now seem the least concerned about hell after death.  What we see in Jesus’s story about the rich man and Lazarus is an affirmation that there are all kinds of hells, because there are all kinds of ways to resist and reject all that is good and true and beautiful and human now, in this life, and so we can only assume we can do the same in the next.” (Bell, 2011, p. 78)

Again, the “hell” on earth that I am most (not exclusively, but most) concerned about right now is the eternal destiny of billions of souls who do not accept Jesus.  This does not mean that I am not concerned with other’s suffering here on earth.  To me, Bell’s comment implies mutual exclusivity, and I don’t agree.  I do, however, think there are many people here today that “do good” around the world, but do it completely apart from the name of Jesus.  But why mention them here–they aren’t going to be concerned about other’s going to hell after death if they aren’t even saved themselves.  And again, why are we mentioning “all kinds of hells,” but neglecting to clarify the one hell that will be for those who reject Christ?

“. . .Jesus talked about hell to the people who considered themselves ‘in,’ warning them that their hard hearts were putting their ‘in-ness’ at risk, reminding that that whatever ‘chosen-ness’ or ‘election’ meant, whatever special standing they believed they had with God was always, only, ever about their being the kind of transformed, generous, loving people through whom God could show the world what God’s love looks like in flesh and blood.” (Bell, 2011, p. 82)

“Putting their ‘in-ness’ at risk”?  Our salvation, if we are truly saved, is not at risk of being lost.  Where does he get this ‘theology’?

” ‘Satan,’ according to Paul, is actually used by God for God’s transforming purposes.  Whoever and whatever he means by that word ‘Satan,’ there is something redemptive and renewing that will occur when Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy) are ‘handed over.’” (Bell, 2011, p. 89)

                Why is Satan in quotes?  Is he just a concept to Bell?

“To summarize, then, we need a loaded, volatile, adequately violent, dramatic, serious word to describe the very real consequences we experience when we reject the good and true and beautiful life that God has for us.  We need a word that refers to the big, wide, terrible evil that comes from the secrets hidden deep within our hearts all the way to the massive, society-wide collapse and chaos that comes when we fail to live in God’s world God’s way.  And for that, the word ‘hell’ works quite well.  Let’s keep it.” (Bell, 2011, p. 93)

                He keeps saying “reject the good” rather than reject God.  Hell is more than just a word.

1 Timothy 2–”God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  “So does God get what God wants?  How great is God?  Great enough to achieve what God sets out to do, or kind of great, medium great, great most of the time, but in this, the fate of billions of people, not totally great.  Sort of great.  A little great.  Will all people be saved, or will God not get what God wants?  Does this magnificent, mighty, marvelous God fail in the end?” (Bell, 2011, p. 97)

As in, if He doesn’t get what He wants, He’s not great enough?  This is so very offensive to me–equating what God wants with what he is able to do or not do, and his greatness.  Completely erroneous logic on Bell’s part.

“Once again, God has a purpose.  A desire.  A goal.  And God never stops pursuing it.  Jesus tells a series of parables in Luke 15 about a woman who loses a coin, a shepherd who loses a sheep, and a father who loses a son.  The stories aren’t ultimately about things and people being lost; the stories are about things and people being found.  The God that Jesus teaches us about doesn’t give up until everything that was lost is found (what biblical reference is he using to support this?).  This God simply doesn’t give up.  Ever.” (Bell, 2011, p. 101)

                It’s not about God “giving up.”  It’s about our free will to choose to stay lost.   It’s also about the joy in finding something that once was lost.  God wants our legitimate love, not a bunch of robots forced to love Him.

2 Timothy 2, God “cannot disown himself.”  “As Abraham asked in Genesis 18, ‘Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’  Which is stronger and more powerful, the hardness of the human heart or God’s unrelenting, infinite, expansive love?  Thousands through the years have answered that question with the resounding response, ‘God’s love, of course.’” (Bell, 2011, p. 109)

                Again, Bell seems to be making this a question of God’s competence and that is offensive to me.  The conclusions he draws from that logic are completely anti-biblical.

Why does Bell assume that “right” from Genesis 18 does not include holy and just?  He assumes the only “right” thing to do would be to save all?  So if I don’t believe “love wins,” I don’t believe God’s love is unfailing?

“A seed has to be buried in the ground before it can rise up from out of the earth as new life.  Think of what you’ve had to eat today.  Dead.  All of it.  So when the writers of the Bible talk about Jesus’s resurrection bringing new life to the world, they aren’t talking about a new concept.  They’re talking about something that has always been true.  It’s how the world works.  Although the cross is often understood as a religious icon, it’s a symbol of an elemental reality, one we all experience every time we take a bite of food.” (Bell, 2011, p. 130-131)

Am I being too sensitive?  Resurrection of plant life is same as the resurrection of our Lord and Savior?

“What kind of universe are we living in?  Is it safe or dangerous?  Is there a force, an energy, a being calling out to us, in many languages, using a variety of methods and events, trying to get our attention?” (Bell, 2011, p. 141)

A force?  Energy?  These are very New-Age terms.  And New-Age is one of the valid criticisms of the emerging church movement, of which Bell is a part.

“First, there is exclusivity.  Jesus is the only way.  Then there is inclusivity.  The kind that is open to all religions, the kind that trusts that good people will get in, that there is only one mountain, but it has many paths.  And then there is an exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity.  This kind insists that Jesus is the way, but holds tightly to the assumption that the all-embracing, saving love of this particular Jesus the Christ will of course include all sorts of unexpected people from across the cultural spectrum.  As soon as the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baptists from Cleveland, many Christians become very uneasy, saying that then Jesus doesn’t matter anymore, the cross is irrelevant, it doesn’t matter what you believe, and so forth.  Not true.  Absolutely, unequivocally, unalterably not true.  What Jesus does is declare that he, and he alone, is saving everybody.  And then he leaves the door way, way open.  Creating all sorts of possibilities.  He is as narrow as himself and as wide as the universe.  He is as exclusive as himself and as inclusive as containing every single particle of creation.” (Bell, 2011, p. 154-155)

                So is he saying the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., no matter what they believe about Jesus Christ?  No matter who they surrender their lives to?  That it’s all okay because Jesus will take the credit for saving them?  This is such dangerous teaching. 

“Some people have so much baggage with regard to the name ‘Jesus’ that when they encounter the mystery present in all of creation–grace, peace, love, acceptance, healing, forgiveness–the last thing they are inclined to name it is ‘Jesus.’” (Bell, 2011, p. 159)

                Again, suggestions of New-Age here.  Unfortunately, the “baggage” is a real issue that we need to address, but that doesn’t mean we should apologize that Jesus is who He is, and that He is the only way.  Is Bell suggesting that we condone crediting “the mystery present in all of creation” to someone or something else, instead of Jesus, because of those with baggage? 

“But there’s more.  Millions have been taught that if they don’t believe, if they don’t accept in the right way, that is, the way the person telling them the gospel does, (what about the way the Bible says?) and they were hit by a car and died later that same day, God would have no choice but to punish them forever in conscious torment in hell.  God would, in essence, become a fundamentally different being to them in that moment of death, a different being to them forever.  A loving heavenly father who will go to extraordinary lengths to have a relationship with them would, in the blink of an eye, become a cruel, mean, vicious tormenter who would ensure that they had no escape from an endless future of agony.” (Bell, 2011, p. 173)

He is not a “different being” in one moment than the next.   He’s the same!  He is perfectly just, perfectly holy, and perfectly loving.  Bell seems to want to keep the “perfectly loving” but dump the “perfectly just and holy” (the part that tells us God will not co-exist with our sin).

“We do ourselves great harm when we confuse the very essence of God, which is love, with the very real consequences of rejecting and resisting that love, which creates what we call hell.” (Bell, 2011, p. 177)

Again, God is also HOLY and JUST.  And again, hell is created by us?

And those are just some of the thoughts about heaven and hell according to Rob Bell. 

The way that I see it, we believers have little choice but to get involved, and that’s okay by me.  It is the Great Commission of Matthew 28.  And in these end times, deceptions are on the rise, false beliefs are disguised as being more loving or politically correct (which is a deception in and of itself), and our “enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8)!  We have a mission, and the stakes are high.  The Holy Spirit wants to work through us as He draws lost souls to Himself.  It is not loving to tell others what they may want to hear, but at the expense of keeping from them the very loving truth of the gospel–the love of a perfect heavenly Father, but also the wrath and judgment of a holy God.  Rob Bell is wrong in much of what he says (or even implies) in Love Wins, and I, for one, want to stand on truth and spread God’s Truth of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ regardless of what Rob Bell teaches, and because of it!

Storm Warning by Billy Graham

 

Many see Billy Graham as a cornerstone of Christian evangelism and faith in America, but yet, I confess, this is the first Billy Graham book I have ever read.  I have read some of his daughter, Anne Graham Lotz’s, writings and her talent as a writer is God-given and undeniable.  Now I see where she gets it.

Storm Warning is aptly titled–it is a warning of the coming storm, or even more specifically, the coming hoofbeats of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.  As Graham states himself, “The purpose of this book is to look into God’s Word for the answers–to review the state of the world in troubled times and to examine the circumstances confronting us today in the light of the only reliable standard:  the Bible” (p. 16). 

In the world today, we find instability, fear, struggles, sin, a need for moral leadership, suffering, worldliness, and spiritual deceptions, to name a few.  Billy Graham looks at these in light of the end times and what the Bible and much of its prophecy has to say.  I was intrigued.  I was drawn in.  And Graham wrote and explained in such a way that I understood much of Revelation and God’s warning of the end times (which is not always easy to do).

Billy Graham calls us, through John’s revelations, to overcome (being lukewarm, sin, lack of passion, darkness, idol worship), to stand (on Truth, before the nations, before God), and to “return to the things of the Lord” (p. 106).  And in true Billy Graham style, he has woven the gospel message in very clearly throughout the book.  Always the evangelist!

Chapter 11, “The Cult of Self,” is alone worth the price of the book!  And as Graham ends Storm Warning, we see a final warning and a final encouragement.  “As we review the history from the beginning of time, God’s voice has been heard through His servants and it has fallen on deaf ears and hardened hearts” (p. 259).  But after the judgment, the ”white horse” of Revelation 19 will bring peace and an end to all pain and suffering, and that gives me great hope.

I, without any hesitation, gave this book 5 stars.

You can check out the details of this book and order it at BookSneeze, where I am a Book Review Blogger - http://www.booksneeze.com/.

To God Be the Glory

The plan for today was to blog about something very personal to me and on my heart lately.  Then I got the political passions flowing after reading the latest Bill Maher/Sarah Palin controversy and started thinking about writing about the hypocritical nature of and frustratingly biased women’s organization NOW. . .and then launching into my thoughts on how the modern feminism movement is harming women more than they are helping.

SO, I decided to go back to my original plan, but if you want to read what’s really chapping my hide today, see the story here:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/03/23/slams-maher-sarah-palin-insult-chides-media-asking/

As I was saying. . .

Romans 7:22-25 is a beautiful Bible passage, especially in The Message translation:  “I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight.  Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.  I’ve tried everything and nothing helps.  I’m at the end of my rope.  Is there no one who can do anything for me?  Isn’t that the real question?  The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does.”

Earlier in this chapter of Romans, Paul says, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. . . For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:15, 18-19 NIV).

Lately the Lord has shown areas of my life that I have been disobedient to things He has been telling me to do, and I’ve found every way to dismiss it, justify it, defend it, and avoid it.  Although I don’t think I became completely numb to my sin (although I’m still processing that)–I think I always knew to some degree that I wasn’t behaving as the Lord wanted me to in this area–again, I found ways to put off the inevitable submission.  But then He showed me that I could either surrender to God and recognize my rebellion as sin, or I could be consumed by my sin.

Surrender is sweet.  I hope I never forget the joy that has come lately from doing it His way.  And I hope I can remember the hope to which He has called me (Ephesians 1:18), the strength I find in Christ alone to carry out my life (Philippians 4:13), and the forgiveness which only God can grant without condemnation (Romans 8:1).  I know I have a LONG way to go in many areas of my life, but because of the Holy Spirit’s conviction and enablement, maybe my eyes have been opened even a little bit.  To God be all the glory. . .

Witnessing to the Witnesses, Eighth and Final Part

We will conclude our series with Part Eight today.  This series about what Jehovah’s Witnesses believe has been based on months of my own study of their doctrine, their New World Translation Bible, and how it compares to God’s Word–the Bible I have read completely and studied for 30 years.  This study, and the resulting research, was the result of a challenge I took on from a relative who has been a Jehovah’s Witness for decades and wanted to share her religion with me, a born again Christian.  I gladly did so, but under the guidance and discernment of the Holy Spirit living in me.

As we seek to share the truth with those deceived Witnesses, Part Eight will cover many of the basic doctrines of Christianity. 

Click here to read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, and Part Seven.

In order to share the Truth with our misled friends, we need to understand clearly what the Bible says and how our Christian doctrine differs from their JW doctrine.  This list is borrowed from CARM:  Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry, a very informative site that I’ve come across while writing these blogs.  They list very simply (although that is not to say Christian doctrine is all simple) 40 doctrinal statements of Christianity, with references from the Bible which support those doctrines.  This list is not exhaustive, nor are these the only biblical references to support these doctrines:

1. There is only one God - Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8; John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:5-6; Gal. 4:8-9
2. God is a Trinity - 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2
3. There are no Gods before or after God - Isaiah 43:10
4. God knows all things - 1 John 3:20
5. God is all powerful - Psalm 115:3
6. God is everywhere - Jer. 23:23,24
7. God is sovereign - Zech. 9:14; 1 Tim. 6:15-16
8. God is spirit - John 4:24
9. God created all that exists - Gen. 1:1; Isaiah 44:24
10. Spirit does not have a body of flesh and bones - Luke 24:39
11. God has always been God - Psalm 90:2
12. Jesus is God - John 1:1,14; 10:30-33; 20:28; Col. 2:9; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 1:8
13. Jesus became a man - Phil. 2:5-8
14. Jesus has two natures: divine and human - Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5
15. Jesus was sinless - 1 Pet. 2:22
16. Jesus is the only way to God the Father - John 14:6; Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22
17. The Holy Spirit is God - Acts 5:3-4
18. The Holy Spirit is not a force. He is alive - Acts 13:2
19. The Bible is inspired by God - 2 Tim. 3:16
20. All people have sinned - Rom. 3:23, 5:12
21. Man did not evolve, he was created - Gen. 1:26
22. Adam and Eve were real people - Gen. 3:20; 5:1; 1 Tim. 2:13
23. Death entered the world because of Adam’s sin - Rom. 5:12-15
24. Sin separates us from God - Isaiah 59:2
25. Jesus died for all our sins - 1 John 2:2; 2 Cor. 5:14; 1 Pet. 2:24
26. Jesus’ sacrifice was a substitution, for us - 1 Pet. 2:24
27. Jesus rose from the dead in His physical body - John 2:19-21
28. Those who reject Jesus will go to Hell - Rev. 20:11-15
29. Hell is a place of fiery punishment - Matt. 25:41; Rev. 19:20
30. Hell is eternal - Matt. 25:46
31. The unsaved go to hell forever - Rev. 21:8
32. Salvation is a free gift of God - Rom. 4:5; 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9
33. The Bible is the Word of God - 2 Tim. 3:16
34. Jesus will return visibly to earth - Acts 1:11
35. Christians will be raised from the dead when Jesus returns - 1 Thess. 4:14-17
36. There will be a rapture (being caught up into the clouds with Jesus) - 1 Thess. 4:14-17
37. There will be a final judgment - 2 Pet. 3:7
38. The damned will be thrown into a lake of fire - Rev. 20:15
39. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire - Rev. 20:10
40. There will be a new heavens and a new earth - 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1

http://carm.org/basic-christian-doctrine

This same ministry, CARM, has another resource on their webpage in which they go deeper into many of these doctrines.  I have read enough to feel comfortable passing them along as a good resource, but obviously could not read everything, so, as always, use your biblical grid in discerning His Truth as you study. 

http://carm.org/christian-doctrine

So at this point, in addition to challenging them on some of the issues raised in this eight part series or in this list of Christian doctrines, what do we do in order to help rescue our friends from the deception of the Watchtower?  In my experience, I have found that not only the most powerful tool, but also the one I feel most comfortable overusing, is Scripture.  Click and study the verses above.  Find others (there are plenty).  Get as much of God’s Word to them as you can, for there is power in His Word.  Expose them to His Words on each of the doctrines we’ve discussed, for it may be their only exposure to the Truth.

Also, in every interaction you have with your friend, whether it be on the phone, in person, or by mail, speak the truth in love and show them that love at every opportunity.  That love is the love of Jesus Christ, the Son of God whom they have limited and put in a box while the Watchtower assumes final authority.  Let Jesus out in a humble, loving way, and then they will see the Jesus whom the Watchtower has kept hidden. 

Finally, let prayer precede every step you take in their direction.  Seek His guidance in everything you say to them, asking God for His wisdom, His words, and His motivation first and foremost.  Then respond with patience.  We have a tendency to want them to “hurry up” and realize the truth–I know I did.  Our human nature wants to almost shake them, scold them, or scream the truth to them and let them know how blind they seem.  That response will not only get you nowhere, but it will hurt the very cause of Christ.  Remember, Satan has “blinded the minds of those who don’t believe” (2 Cor. 4:4), but God is more powerful.  Allow Him to work through you in His timing and with His perfect love.  There is no secret or misleading doctrine that the Lord’s light cannot penetrate and illuminate, in His time and His perfect will.

Recommended Resources

Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz

Jehovah’s Witnesses: Answered Verse by Verse by David Reed

The Watchman Fellowship http://www.watchman.org/ (this organization has volumes of the Watchtower’s own material that show their inconsistencies and deceptions)

Reasoning from the Scriptures with Jehovah’s Witnesses by Ron Rhodes

The Ten Most Important Things You Can Say to a Jehovah’s Witness by Ron Rhodes

The Deceivers by Josh McDowell and Don Stewart

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