The Jude 23 Network

The Resignation: Emergent Invasion

2010-04-13T23:00:00.357-04:00

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
-George Santayana

Today I "officially" resigned my credentials as a certified minister.

This has come as a huge shock to the many friends and family that have been praying for me and checking in with me from time-to-time to see how things were going. Considering your care, concern and prayers, I wanted to provide you with an explanation. I realize that some may disagree with the decision and many may not even understand and I'm okay with that. I thank God for you and your prayers!!

My intention is to simply explain the events of what transpired and led up to the resignation of my credentials.

Please understand that it is with great disappointment that I write this and truly wish that the events had not transpired.

It is a hard and grievous matter.

No matter how difficult, however, I am ill-content with allowing the matter to be ushered into the dark corner of concealment for the sake of it being a hard and grievous matter.

The public proclamation of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is a serious matter that is not to be trifled with. The lifting up the name of Jesus Christ to this lost and dying world in order that men might be saved should consume us, even to the point of taking Phinehas-like action when we see the opposite occuring, especially within our ranks. We should be mortified at any attempt to redirect the glory of our God, even if that means doing things that seem unseemly.

On March 31, 2010, I posted a link to a blog by a local pastor that was publicly published to the "world".

If you don't want to take the time to read the blog first, here is what transpired in a nutshell. It essentially stated that a new church plant within my denomination was cancelling church service (his words, not mine) and was going to have an Easter Egg Hunt in place of Sunday service. Readers were assured that there would be "no sermons attached" at this event.

Obviously, I felt that my peer was way off base in this matter in his public proclamation of non-proclamation of the Gospel.

I posted a link to his blog on my Facebook page and stated, "Nothing like dropping the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for an Easter Egg Hunt. Seriously?? Is this the direction that we're headed??".

Many posts from both sides ensued and I did ask to speak with the pastor of the church in person if he'd like, with no response. There were no personal attacks made on the "Please don't cancel church and please preach the Gospel at your event" side and a lively Facebook discussion ensued.

80-something Facebook posts later, I received a call from the District Superintendent telling me that I was to cease and desist from making any further comments about this matter on my Facebook.

I later found out that the local pastor was also called and told not to continue the conversation. After the "buzz" that was created and after I had resigned my credentials, he was also told that he needed to make sure to preach the Gospel at his event...which I have been told that he did. Mind you, I wasn't made aware of this information until two weeks had passed.

The fact that I was a credentialed minister and that this was an "official" call came up several times in our phone conversation. In fact, it was obvious that my credentials were being used as a leveraging tool to silence the trumpet that was being sounded, by me and others, on behalf of the Gospel and God's glory.

After I hung up the phone I began to pray...and prayed some more! Finally, I made a decidedly strong "is there not a cause?" decision to resign my credentials rather than remain silent about the matter.

On Monday, April 5, 2010, I received a very gracious call from the Dean of KSOM. He told me that he had received my resignation and we briefly spoke of the situation. He asked that I would pray about it for an additional week before making my final decision "final". As a matter of wisdom and respect, I obliged.

After much prayer and consideration, I called the Dean of KSOM back on the morning of Tuesday, April 13, 2010 to let him know that my unfortunate decision would stand.

A few hours later, the District Superintendent called me back to make sure that I knew that he had no hard feelings towards me and it wasn't a personal matter. I informed him that I felt the same way about him, but was greatly confused by the whole matter because the proclamation of the Gospel is a personal matter to me. I was greatly concerned that God was not glorified on Resurrection Sunday and that He was not glorified in the events that transpired leading up to that Sunday. Unfortunately, the conversation did not go smoothly and the, already brief, discussion ended.

Again, I know many have been praying and asking me how things have been going along my journey. Know that your prayers and concern have not been in vain! Although there may be things that I do not fully understand, please know that my joy is in Christ!! My hope is in Christ!! My life is in Christ!! By His grace, I will continue to live my life to proclaim the Gospel to the lost and fulfill what you and I were made for...His glory!

"Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
-Isaiah 43:7

In Christ,

John@Heuglin.net

Relationship and Doctrine: One Without The Other?

2010-02-15T17:00:00.003-05:00

"Doctrine, doctrine, doctrine." Don't you just hate that word? Let the word be "banished"!! That word only conjures up a "religious and dry" matter that will rob you of your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Is this true?

I find this a bit perplexing. Here's why. I do not believe that a man can have a relationship with God or tell others how to have a relationship with God without being doctrinally sound. It's seemingly axiomatic.

Let me explain...

First, let's define the word "doctrine" by Merriam-Webster:

teaching, instruction
a) something that is taught b) a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief

Wikipedia states:

"A codification of beliefs or "a body of teachings" or "instructions", taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system."

Let's take the simplest definition of "teaching, instruction".

Imagine you, as a Christian, come across an unbeliever and want to explain to them how they can have a RELATIONSHIP with God.

During the course of the conversation you may talk about such things as:

What is the Bible?
What is God like?
What is the Trinity?
What is Creation?
What is Man?
What is Sin?
Who is Christ?
What is the Law?
What is the Atonement?
What is the Resurrection?
What does it mean to become a Christian?
What is Death?
What is the Church?
What will happens when Christ returns?
What is the Final Judgment?
What is Heaven?

Hopefully, you use the Law of the Lord (10 Commandments) to bring the knowledge of sin to help them see their sinful condition before God, coming judgment and punishment in Hell. That they need to repent and put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. That they will be born again and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

In the above paragraph, guess what I just used to explain to someone how to have a relationship with Christ? You guessed it...DOCTRINE!!

Unfortunately, in my travels, I have found that people don't know sound doctrine and, thus, can't clearly communicate to others how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In addition, because of their lack of doctrine, they can't even Biblically explain why they believe what they believe...even the fundamentals.

1 Timothy 1:3 - "As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer"
1 Timothy 1:10 - "for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine"
1 Timothy 4:16 - "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."
1 Timothy 6:3 - "If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching,
2 Timothy 4:3 -"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
Titus 1:9 - "He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it."
Titus 2:1 - "You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine."

Well, overwhelmingly, the Bible makes it very clear that our doctrine is very important. As a matter of fact, without proper "teaching, instruction", no one can gain a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Why? Because 1 Corinthians 1:21-25 states:

"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. for Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

If we do not have a solid handle on Biblical "teaching and instruction", how can we preach a Biblical Gospel so that men may be saved by God?

Let us hold fast to sound doctrine that will, in turn, nurture our relationship with Jesus Christ. On the flip side, let us nurture our relationship with Jesus Christ so that we will desire to hold fast to sound doctrine!

"I Think You Know Why, Sir."

2010-02-13T10:45:00.008-05:00

I walked into the local Lifeway Christian bookstore in search of Wayne Grudem's book, "Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know". I was greeted at the front door by a nice young man that asked me if he could help me find anything. I told him what I was looking for and we we were off.

I followed him past multiple customers and an abundance of shelves filled with thousands of Christian texts. We arrived in the "Theology" section that already had a customer perusing the available books.

The clerk pulled the book I was looking for off of the shelf, made a positive comment about Grudem and then handed me the book. He then asked if there was anything else he could help me find. Seeing an opportunity for humor, with a dead-serious facial expression, I responded, "Oh, yeah. I'm also looking for that one book by Joel Osteen. I think it's called, "My"...um, or "Your Best Life Now".

The man literally stared it me for a moment; it seemed like eternity. With the most sincere and serious face, he retorted, "We don't carry any of Osteen's materials, sir." Still attempting to not bust out in laughter, I responded, "Well, why not?"

He glanced down at the book he had just handed me and then our eyes met, "I think you know why, sir."

[Do YOU know why?]

I could contain myself no longer, especially considering his reaction. I busted out in laughter and let him off the hook. He smiled, I thanked him for his help and he went on his way. I paid for the items and left the store...smiling the whole way home.

"Dear Jesus" or "Dear John"

2010-02-05T23:00:00.003-05:00

Well, the movie industry strikes again with another movie that overwhelmingly appeals to the typical teenage girl. "Dear John" has already been deemed by pop-culture as the "must-see" romantic movie of the new year.

The movie is rated PG-13. Most Christian teens would have never blinked an eye at wanting to see a PG-13 movie because they knew that there must have been some unwelcomed content that would give it the "13" rating. The times, however, "they are a changin'"...

Well, tonight the movie hit the theaters, so I knew that good ole' http://www.pluggedin.com/ would have the movie review up. Of course, I went and checked it out. Here are some excerpts:

"And they do eventually have sex, too. As they undress each other we see his bare chest and her bra and panties. The camera zooms in on their torsos after the rest of her clothes come off. (Shadows and arms cover her breasts.)"

"A small handful of s-words. "Fricking" stands in for the f-word. God's name is abused two or three times. Once it's coupled with "d‑‑n." Jesus' name is misused about that same number of times. Other language includes a few uses each of "a‑‑," "b‑‑ch" and "h‑‑‑."

While as parents we don't always get it right, media choices seem to be the easiest and most obvious pitfall... not to fall into.

Biblically speaking, the use of foul language and, especially blasphemy, should not be condoned by the Believer. I've heard this line of rhetoric...um, justification...from various teens (and others) on the content of movies with foul language and blasphemy:

"Well, the content of the movie is good and it has a meaningful storyline. Everyone in public talks that way anyhow. I hear those words in school all the time. It's no big deal."

That line of thinking greatly frightens me. Here's why...

There is a HUGE difference in overhearing the language in a public environment and making the choice to sit down for two hours and pay $8.50 and condoning the content. Even worse, coming out of the movie and saying that it was the best movie you've ever seen and recommending it to others.

How can we, as Christians, sit idly by while our Savior's name is used as a cussword on multiple occasions?! I can see some Believers not even flinch as they pop in another bite of popcorn and sip at the straw of their soda as "GD" rolls off the lips of an actor on the screen. And why? All in the name of being "entertained".

This should not be. Watch what should be the reaction in a short clip from the movie "Time Changers":

Here's a typical conversation:

"If, in fact, the content of this movie is not THAT bad, would you be willing to show this movie on a Wednesday night or Sunday morning in church?"

"Of course not!"

"Why not?"

"Obviously, because they are cussing and saying 'GD'. You can't show that in church! Plus, they would not think about it the way that I think about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they might think about it in a worldly manner and they might be affected by it. I would not. I'm mature enough to handle the content."

I'm sure you can see where this conversation is going. Maybe you've heard the same line of reasoning from other people, or even maybe you used this line of reasoning with yourself as a form of justification. You wanted to talk yourself into going to see a certain movie and needed your conscience to be muffled.

If the content is not okay to show to the Body on Wednesday or Sunday, then why is it okay for you (part of the Body) to see it any other day of the week? Why have you established a different standard for yourself?

For those that would attempt to sweep this under the rug of "conviction", I challenge you to test the offense of using the Lord's name in vain (blasphemy) and foul language against the Scriptures. After studying it out, you will clearly see this is not a conviction, but rather a command.

I pray that you pray about what you watch before you watch it. Furthermore, I pray that you do not give "Dear John" $8.50 of your money or two hours of your time. Instead, let us stand up and say as the man in the clip above said:

"Stop the movie! You must stop this movie! The man on the screen just blasphemed the Name of the Lord! There must be some mistake! You must stop this movie! This is an abomination!"

"Regenerate Taste Buds"

2010-01-25T23:45:00.006-05:00

I'm often amazed on how professing Believers of all "spiritual ages" have to be seemingly poked and prodded into feeding on the Word of God or having to be coaxed into reflecting a relationship with God by spending time with Him in prayer.

Please understand that my concern is not with the amount of Scriptures that are read in one sitting or if you are "timing your time" in prayer. My concern is if you are possibly living in unrepentant sin.

How many times do you have to give that Bible reading plan to someone? How many times do you have to ask your child if they've read the Bible today? How many times do you have to ask your Christian "accountability partner" if they have prayed today and hear, "Nope."?

While we should stand along side each other and help each other in every manner. Eventually, each Christian must stand on their own and have their own "personal" relationship with Jesus Christ. No longer can you read the Bible for them. No longer can you be the mediator between them and Jesus.

I have often pondered, "If a man has been born again, regenerated, is a new creation...has been given the will and the desire of God, then why would that same man fail to read the Bible and commune with God in prayer?"

Examining my own life, I have come to the conclusion that it is sin. Sin keeps us from the Bible and fellowship with God. In the reverse, the Bible and fellowship with God keeps us from the sin of prayerlessness and becoming "unplugged" from the power source of fellowship with God.

This is where Holy Ghost-empowered discipline comes into the picture. I think of the word "disciple" (follower of Christ) and immediately think of the word "discipline".

Do we have a "disciplined" time that we set aside at some point in the day for meditating on God's Word to follow Him? For chewing on His precepts? For sitting in awe of the Author's amazing story of amazing grace?

Do we take some time to rest in His presence? To fellowship with Him? To have a time of prayer where we are not always talking, but rather listening to what the Spirit of God is saying to us?

I think there are two simple reasons for answering "no" to the above questions.

1) You are not disciplining yourself to set aside the time. Remember, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will not "force" you to read the Bible or pray. He desires fellowship with you and will give you the strength you do not have within yourself! You must understand the balance between His empowerment and your willingness. Yeah, I know "the flesh is weak!"

2) Gulp! You simply aren't saved. The lost do not desire God, nor his Word, nor His fellowship. They do not "thirst for righteousness". In fact, they don't want to have anything to do with Him according to Romans 3:11. Please examine yourself according to 2 Corinthians 13:5.

"Clarification Time" - Your salvation does not rest upon what you "do" according to Ephesians 2:8-9, but doesn't it make sense that if you are saved you will desire His Word and fellowship with Him?

God is faithful and just to forgive you. If this is you, be encouraged, repent and start afresh today with your loving Savior!!

Blind-sided by "The Blind Side"

2009-11-27T22:50:00.006-05:00

Okay, you could say that I "buckled"...like a belt.

After hearing all of the rave reviews and accolades that everyone, especially some of my Christian family and friends, were giving to the new movie, "The Blind Side", I had to go. Some were touting this as the next "Facing the Giants" or "Fireproof" Christian movie of the season. Considering all of the encouragement I was getting to see it, I figured I couldn't go wrong. Our family piled into the car and we headed to the local movie theater.

We arrived in plenty of time to drop the $34 for admission and get good seats. I was ready to see this "extraordinary" movie that was based on a true story.

The movie began and shortly into the movie I knew it was going to be all about a Christian message when I saw an inscription above the school entrance that said, “With men, this is possible. With God, all things are possible." YES!

Unfortunately, it didn't last...

I cringed and felt spiritually vomited on by terms and conversation such as, "And she’s disappointed that a couple of college recruiters took Michael to "t-tty bars." When the family drops Michael off at college, she warns him that if he gets a girl pregnant, she’ll, "Come back to cut his penis off. " In addition, the crude term "tap" (in reference to sex) is thrown around a couple of times.

I was thinking to myself, "Did I actually pay to sit down and be bombarded by this?"

I tried to shake it off, but the "hits" just kept on coming.

My family and I sat and listened to "a‑‑" a half-dozen times and "b‑‑ch". "T‑t" was said a couple of times. God’s name was misused a handful of times as well.

While the story-line was great, I couldn't help but be disappointed and perplexed. Disappointed because this movie was touted as a "Christian" film to me (by Christians) and perplexed because I couldn't figure out why someone would recommend that I support this film with my time, money and willingly expose my family to the content.

My family left the theater very disappointed.

Wait...

Like "Blind Side" some of the above story never happened. Many people did urge me to go see the movie and told me it was a great movie...despite the content. However, I never took my family to the theater to see the movie. We never paid $34 to see the movie. Most importantly, we didn't willingly get bombarded by the offensive content for 2 hours.

You see, before I get "Blind Sided" by any movie, I have learned to wait for the movie to hit the theaters and then go check out the Christian movie reviews found at http://www.pluggedin.com. This site doesn't say that you should or should not go see the movie, but it does reveal the content contained in the movie in an unbiased manner. If you are a Christian that is concerned about what you spiritually "consume", it can sure save you some money!

Furthermore, I've learned to take "advice" on what to see, even from Christians, with a grain of salt. I've had to learn this lesson the hard way in the past by paying for a movie only to have to get up and walk out in the middle of it because they have used my Savior's name as a cuss word (blasphemy).

Think I'm being too "stringent"? Are you even tempted to call me "legalistic"? Before you wear yourself out by jumping to any conclusions, ask yourself a couple of questions:

1) Would you buy a ticket for your Pastor and take him to see this movie, knowing the content? If not...why not?

2) Would you have "Movie Night" at your church and show this movie? (Again, knowing the content.) **-If you say, "Well, um, I would never show that at our church because of the language and blasphemy, but I don't have a problem seeing it at the theater because it was a "good" movie." My response, "Why not? "

3) Would you buy a ticket for the Holy Spirit and take Him to see this movie? If you went and saw the movie...you already did.

Are we compromising Biblical precedents and "searing our conscience" for the sake of being entertained? Think about it...

http://www.HollywoodAndGod.com

Marked By God...Not By Man

2009-09-01T23:00:00.000-04:00

A question was recently posted by a friend of mine on Facebook: "Does the Lord approve of tattoos?"

Well, I wouldn't suppose to speak on behalf of the Lord, BUT...we do have the Bible which is the Word of the Lord!

This is something to definitely discuss, but most stay FAR from. This is a matter that is very pervasive in our culture, has seeped into Christianity and many people struggle with. It's important! And...it's a matter we can look into without dividing.

My initial comments would be to say that I don't think that one can come to a "black and white" conclusion on the matter. *ALTHOUGH*, I could pull the, "God's Word says it in black and white and that settles the matter!" card. I personally don't think that Christians should be running around getting tattoos, but that's just my personal conviction and I find myself hard-pressed to point to definitive Scripture(s) that will allow me to stand on solid ground while defending my (anti) stance.

Of course, there's always Leviticus 19:28:

"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD."

Seems pretty clear to me! Case closed!! End of blog.

Wait...

If we follow that standard we might be in a wee bit 'o trouble. Grab your Bible and let's look at some of the text above and below Leviticus 19:28:

"When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God. Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. Do not practice divination or sorcery. Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD. Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness. Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD."

~Leviticus 19:23-30

Wait five years before eating fruit from a tree you planted? Failed that one! Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it? The prime rib's pushin' it! Hopefully we're not practicing divination or sorcery. Wait, did someone say, "rebellion" (1 Samuel 15:23)? I think we're all in trouble on cutting the hair at the sides of our head or clipping off the edges of our beard. You're REALLY in trouble if you're a woman...clipping your beard and all! I've not cut myself for the the dead, BUT I did get three tattoos in my "B.C." days. YIKES!! (Wait, did John just say he had three tattoos?!) No problem in the "making your daughter a prostitute" here. "Observing Sabbaths and having reverence for my sanctuary"? Most Christians don't blink an eye these days to work on their "Sabbath" (whole other blog on that one!!) and "reverence in the sanctuary"? Gimme strength!!

So do we just throw out the book of Leviticus and all of it's seemingly strange rules and regulations? Of course not!! This is God's Word people!

As I read Leviticus, I glean that it was given for two main reasons:

To provide "right" and "healthy" living.
To set God's people apart from others. People would easily be distinguished as belonging to Jehovah God if they did or did not do something.

It would be kind of like, "Hey, those people are always wearing those 'plain-jane clothes, never mixing two kinds of material. (v.19) And they only worship one God. They don't mess with idols or make gods of cast metal. (v.4) And when they harvest! Man, they don't go over their vineyards a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. They leave them for the poor and the alien.(v.10)" And most important to this conversation, "They don't cut themselves like we do for our dead OR get tattoos! Man, they're weird!!"

In today's society, it's become part of the normal culture to get a tattoo. As Christians, we have to ask ourselves a question, "If the Bible does speak to the matter and it's clearly something that's never been part of Christian history (but rather Pagan and sometimes used as a form of branding and even punishment), should I join the 'world' in running out and getting one?"

Some questions to ask yourself:

*Why do I want to get a tattoo?

*Is this just a fad or phase that I'm going through? (Hey, you'll be stuck with that "Tramp Stamp" for life!)

*Does it bring glory to God or just make me look like I'm conforming to the pattern of the world?

*Have I prayed about this and asked for the Holy Spirit's leading?

With all this in mind, I love what Paul says in Romans 14:1: "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters."

Is this a potential "disputable matter"? I think so. We would do well to hold to and give a Biblical position and perspective if someone asks us, but ultimately we move into dangerous waters if we begin to judge who is saved and who is not based upon the matter of getting "inked".

My final thoughts are from Paul, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

~Romans 12:1-3

While holding to an "anti-tattoo" stance, judgment on salvation belongs to God alone. As Christians, be encouraged not conform to the pattern of this world. Instead, offer your body, not as a canvas for tattoo artists, but as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—let this be your spiritual act of worship.

I welcome your comments at John@Heuglin.net!

A Very Large Straw Man

2009-08-29T06:30:00.014-04:00

A straw man argument is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. To "attack a straw man" is to create the illusion of having refuted a proposition by substituting a superficially similar proposition (the "straw man"), and refuting it, without ever having actually refuted the original position.

Recently, I have been dealing with an issue with a fellow Christian labeling John MacArthur as a "False Teacher". He claims that MacArthur is false for two reasons: 1) Because MacArthur is a Calvinist 2) MacArthur is a cessationalist. This dangerous mindset is possibly prevalent in Christendom, rooted in ignorance and is typically never dealt with.

Many Scriptures were quoted when the charge was made against MacArthur and it was stated that, in so many words, that if MacArthur is teaching or preaching something that differs from their view of God's Word, then he is false. It was further stated that if we are going to "weigh" and label the "Health, Wealth and Prosperity Gospel" folks as false teachers, then we must slap MacArthur with the same label.

Although I would agree that I can Biblically build a case against Calvinism, the irony is that Calvinists could Biblically build a case against Arminianism. Don't believe I could? Click HERE!! Cessationalists can also make a pretty strong case for their view of the Scriptures on the matter.

The bigger question at hand is whether or not MacArthur's view makes him a false teacher. Furthermore, can we lump MacArthur in with those that are truly "false teachers"?

Let me provide some examples:

Scenario #1

A church is having a general business meeting and one of the items on the agenda is the appointing of a woman as a deacon. Upon a women being elected, a man stands up during the meeting and yells, "Heresy!" He begins to explain that we must use the Word of God as our "plumb line" and to appoint a woman as a deacon would be contradictory to the Bible. As he is being escorted out of the church, he exclaims, "Look at the Biblical qualifications for deacons in 1 Timothy 4. Jesus authored the Bible if you believe in the Trinity! Jesus quoted from the Bible. If they're preaching a different Jesus then...you all do believe in the Trinity don't you?" The man is quickly whisked away.

Scenario #2

Two Christians are discussing Wayne Grudem's Post-Tribulation view according to the Scriptures. One of the Christians agrees with Grudem, but the other is a staunch Pre-Tribulationalist and accuses Grudem of being a false teacher. The Pre-Trib Christian begins to quote Scriptures and says that if the Bible says it, then we are going against God to have a different view. The Post-Trib Christian begins to quote Scripture to defend his position. MORE?

Scenario #3

A conference is being held on young earth Creation by the Answers In Genesis organization. The speaker declares, "We hold firm to the Scriptures and they say that the earth was created in six literal days (yom)." A person in the crowd shouts, "False teacher! False teacher! The Bible clearly states that with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." The embarrassed speaker is frazzled and attempts to continue with his presentation as the man who opposed him stomps out of the auditorium.

Scenario #4

An Amish man visiting a local church asks a Christian why the women do not have their head covered when praying because the Bible clearly states that, "But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head; for she is one and the same with her whose head is shaved.”

Scenario #5

A woman is channel surfing with her television remote and comes across a preacher that is telling people to give their money to him if they want to financially prosper. Luke 6:38 is quoted...although in its context it is talking about forgiveness and mercy. The woman continues to watch. In the next segment, a woman sits down at a table with a man and they begin to converse about how Jesus is NOT the only begotten Son of God, we are "little gods", Jesus will physically appear in various churches, etc. Click HERE to watch some actual examples!

I just listed five different examples of disagreement. And trust me, I could list MANY more! The first four may be matters of heated disagreement, BUT none of those items are in disagreement with the fundamental core foundations of what makes us Christians. In each scenario, one could stand and say, "Well, brother, this is what the Word of God says and if you are not abiding by the Word of God, you are false!!"

The fifth, however, is a different matter. The fifth are matters of salvation. Listen to what the Scriptures have to say about one area...the "Health, Wealth (Prosperity Gospel)".

When it comes to utilizing the Gospel for gain, the Bible is very clear about this as being "false".

"If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."

[1 Timothy 6:3-11]

Can we call people "False Teachers"? Yes, we can because the Bible spells it out for us.

However, we need to be very careful on how we compare. Stating that MacArthur is a false teacher is a very dangerous matter. You will be hard-pressed to find a statement from MacArthur that would stray from the core, fundamental teachings of the "church". Even more difficult, would be to find a statement from MacArthur that would cause people to stray or "fall away" from the Lord.

Speaking in tongues is not a matter of salvation. Believing that God is able to "keep" a sinner from falling and that he will, in fact, persevere to the end is not false...it's simply a different perspective. Ironically, it's a perspective that has been the prevalent view of the "church" throughout history. Once again, I challenge you to look to the passages provided HERE to see how one might draw the conclusion for not losing one's salvation.

If MacArthur is a false teacher, then by default, we would have to classify Augustine, Martin Luther (the "father" of Protestantism, who believed one could not lose his salvation), John Calvin, A. W. Pink, Jonathan Edwards ("Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"), George Whitefield, John Bunyan ("The Pilgrim's Progress") and C.H. Spurgeon, who was known as the "Prince of Preachers", also as false teachers. If you research these men, although we may disagree with some of their "non-damnable" teachings, you will find that God used them in a mighty, mighty way to advance His Kingdom.

Are you prepared to call these men "False Teachers"??

This mindset is damaging and dangerous to the unity of the Body of Christ. Beware!

Are Calvinists False Teachers?

2009-08-16T19:45:00.012-04:00

On June 5, 2009 I began teaching John MacArthur's "The Truth War". We are now 10 weeks into the series and only have two weeks left.

If you are unfamiliar with the book, here's a video link that has the author speaking of the book. If you are unfamiliar with John MacArthur, here's a few a quick facts: MacArthur is a conservative Evangelical Christian of the Baptist denomination. He is a proponent of expository preaching, is a Calvinist, cessationist and pre-tribulationalist.

"So what's the big deal?", you might ask.

Well, I am a conservative Evangelical Christian of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God denomination. I, personally, am also a proponent of expository preaching, don't claim to be a Calvinist or Arminian, but lean toward Arminianism just as our denomination "officially" does. (see below) I am a continuationalist and also a pre-tribulationalist.

During the first and second weeks of the class, I began the class by talking about the author, his beliefs and the differences in his doctrine versus ours.

The two main issues that I would disagree with MacArthur on are:

The bigger question is whether or not these issues should divide us as Believers and, more specifically and importantly, to the point of proclaiming that John MacArthur is teaching false doctrine and thus, by definition and accusation, considered a false teacher. Furthermore, subtly implying that I am a proponent of false teaching because I am teaching congregants utilizing MacArthur's materials.

Unfortunately, although I wish that it was, this is not just a hypothetical situation to ponder. This a situation that actually occurred today during my Sunday School class.

A member of my church, who entered the class during the fourth or fifth week of class, began to make implications about MacArthur being a false teacher as we were wrapping up Chapter 5 in the accompanying Study Guide. This portion of the Study Guide focuses specifically on false teachers and our Biblical behavior towards them. He began to make various allusions to someone teaching against tongues and brought up the matter of Calvinism. His overarching point, without coming right out and saying it, was, "Hey, if the author teaches against continuationalism and he's a Calvinist...he's a false teacher!" Mind you, this began with about 15-20 minutes left of the class. The class was hi-jacked and the lesson that I had prepared for came to a grinding halt. I spent the remainder of the class attempting to do damage control and squelch confusion as he brought up this "should have approached me off-line" issue in the middle of class.

I re-affirmed with the class that although we believe in baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, no one believed that speaking in tongues was a Heaven or Hell issue. Everyone concurred. I further mentioned that we are "Arminian Leaning" and explained the Assemblies of God position on Calvinism vs. Arminianism.

In regards to Calvinism, the Assemblies of God says, "The Assemblies of God leans toward Arminianism, though it accepts scriptural truth found in both positions. We agree with the Calvinist emphasis on God's sovereignty or supreme power and authority. But we also firmly believe the Arminian emphasis on mankind's free will and responsibility for his actions and choices. We believe the Bible teaches both truths."

They also state: "Certainly there are true Christians who believe and teach Calvinism; there are also true Christians who believe and teach that men and women have free will. Unfortunately, both sides have spent more time arguing doctrinal terminology and interpretations of theology than reaching out to a lost world. The irony of the disagreement is that Calvinists, who believe in predestination, are sometimes more active in witnessing and evangelism than Arminians who believe that man has a free will and should be encouraged to accept Christ as Savior."

One student piped up, "Well, we don't necessarily believe in what the Assemblies of God position paper states on the matter, we believe what the Bible says!" My retort was, "If we can't trust in the leadership of the AG (which I'm sure has put much thought and prayer into the position paper), then why come under the umbrella of fellowship with the AG?" It truly doesn't make any sense IF...it's a matter over which we should divide.

The person who brought the original accusation kept mentioning "Once Saved...Always Saved." This is the charge often made against most Calvinists; that they believe in the phrase "Once Saved...Always Saved." This is true, BUT with a proper explanation. Any Calvinist that I know will tell a professing Christian living in sin that they need to repent and it doesn't matter that they were "once saved" at age 11 and filled out a "Decision" card. Here's Paul Washer, a Calvinist, affirming that fact. I've heard Calvinists say over and over to do what the Scriptures say in 2 Corinthians 13:5: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?"

I truly believe that statements like these are made and misconceptions about Calvinists are driven by ignorance of what being a Calvinist actually means. The bottom line is that some have simply not taken the time to research the matter to see why Calvinists believe the way that they do. I must admit that there are very difficult Scriptures as an "Arminian-leaning" Christian, while realizing that Calvinists would have some problems with some Arminian proof texts as well.

MacArthur states on page 150 in his book "Kingdom Living Here and Now": “Eternal security is a great spiritual truth, but it should never be presented merely as a matter of being once saved, always saved--with no regard for what you believe or do. The writer of Hebrews 12:14 states frankly that only those who continue living holy lives will enter the Lord's presence."

I summarized the class by challenging the students to pray over what was mentioned in class and search the Scriptures. I told them that no one should violate their conscience if they felt MacArthur was, in fact, a false teacher by continuing forward and coming back to class next week. I recommended that they either sit in another Sunday School class or skip Sunday School altogether.

Do we look at Calvinists who do not believe in speaking in tongues for today [because there are some that do!] as our brothers and sisters in Christ? Do we look at Calvinists who do not believe in speaking in tongues for today as false teachers? Although we would vehemently disagree with their stance, can we still call them Christians and even learn from their teaching? Are these two issues Heaven or Hell issues that would cause others to stumble and possibly be damned to Hell?

According to what I have studied in the Scriptures, I cannot come to the conclusion that we should not call them our brothers and sisters in Christ or deem them as apostates or false teachers. In addition, the leadership in the denomination in which I am part of, whole-heartedly agrees. These are matters that we can disagree upon, but still love and consider one another as brothers and sisters in Christ...not false teachers.

Since the matter was brought before the entire Sunday School class, I have taken the matter to my Pastor to officially address the matter with the Sunday School class. I am also going to forward this blog link to John MacArthur to see whether or not he would like to provide any comments on the matter.

As further evidence that Calvinism should not be a matter that we deem as false teaching, the Assemblies of God wrote an article that was published in our "Enrichment Journal" about Calvinist C.H. Spurgeon titled, "Charles Haddon Spurgeon: The Greatest Victorian Preacher."

One last, and very interesting note...In Louisville, there is an ordained Assemblies of God pastor that is unabashedly a Calvinist. He also taught one of my classes at the Kentucky School of Ministry. Here's a link to his website. **Notice the "Reforming In Faith" on the site. (This is code for Calvinism!)

I welcome your comments at John@Heuglin.net.

UPDATE!!

I posted a link to my blog on Albert Mohler's Facebook and he responded on 8/18/2009 with the following:

"John, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I would reserve the label "false teachers" to those who deny or subvert the Gospel. I am thankful for the clear witness of the Assemblies of God to the Gospel. See; http://www.ag.org/top/Beliefs/Statement_of_Fundamental_Truths/sft_full.cfm#5"

My response to him:

"Thank you, Dr. Mohler, and everyone for taking the time to look at the blog and provide godly input. I thank God for all of you!! It looks as if I may have some rough waters ahead. Who would have ever thought that I would be defending Calvinists!?!? (LOL!)"

UPDATE!! (Part Two)

I received the following EMail from Dr. James Galyon on Friday, August 21, 2009:

John,

I read your recent blog entry (re: Are Calvinists False Teachers), and appreciate your thoughts and the tone of the essay. I was raised in the Assemblies of God, but became a Baptist/Calvinist after leaving home. To this day I regard my old AoG pastor, who is now a missionary, with deep respect. My boss is an AoG chaplain. He is the best boss I've ever had, and I respect him greatly as well. Despite the differences, there is much upon which we agree. We agree on the gospel - justification by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone. We agree upon the necessity of holiness in life (sanctification). All too often the doctrine of the perseverance and preservation of the saints is lumped in with the Antinomian "once saved, always saved" position. The two are diametrically opposed. Ironically enough, it is generally not Calvinists who hold the OSAS position, but Baptists who disdain Calvinism.

As for "my side of the house," there are at times Reformed brothers who refer to "Arminians" as false teachers and such. I don't care for that at all. It's wrong, on both sides. Now, I'm not saying there aren't false teachers out there, because there certainly are. It is my hope that conservative evangelicals, who agree on the doctrine of justification, and assert that sanctification necessarily follows justification, will band together for the sake of our Lord and His Kingdom. The Kingdom is much larger than any particular denomination or evangelical group.

Again, thank you for your thoughts,

By His Grace Alone,

Dr. James Galyon
MDiv, PhD

Breathed Her Last

2009-03-10T13:35:00.019-04:00

"I wrapped up my class at 12:15pm and left the campus. I felt prompted to visit my wife's grandmother, Joyce, who lay in a bed in a building downtown dying of cancer. This was unusual because I was by myself. Typically I would visit her with my wife. However, I felt the need to go.

I drove to 315 E. Broadway and took the elevator to the sixth floor. The door to room 608 was open when I arrived. She was laying on her left side with her back to me looking out the window. Her breathing was very labored.

I pulled a loveseat over next to her bed and held her hand and told her that I was there. I knew that she was in the throes of death and it would not be long. I got up and walked over to the nightstand in the room and searched through the drawers. I found what I was looking for...a blue-backed Gideon Bible with the New Testament and Psalms. I walked back over to her and sat down.

I opened the Bible to the Psalms. I held on to her left hand with my right hand and began to read, beginning with Psalm 1. I looked intently into her eyes as I intermittently read, prayed and sobbed. I prayed that the peace that only God can provide would comfort her as she stepped off into eternity.

After a number of chapters, I noticed that her breathing had become much more relaxed. The doctor entered the room and examined her with a stethescope. She also looked at Joyce's hands. The doctor said that it would not be long now. The doctor asked if I wanted the Catholic chaplain to come in. My initial reaction was 'no' (as not to be disturbed), but I knew that Joyce was Catholic and wanted to respect what she would want. I nodded my head in affirmation and continued to read.

Joyce's breathing became more shallow and sporadic. She seemed to sometimes go thirty seconds or longer before taking her next breath. I continued to read, but then stopped when I realized she had breathed her last at 1:35pm. I was about midway through Psalm 18 and here are the last verses I recall reading:

"For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great."

Psalm 18:28-33 (KJV)

As I sat there I thought, "How fitting? God is our rock! He has given her a shield of salvation, His right hand holds her up and His gentleness has made her great!" I muttered to myself, "Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:55)

My realization for the reality of death became even more vivid today. My thoughts raced to my living loved ones. Were they ready for this moment? Are YOU ready for when that 'day' comes. We are not guaranteed our next breath, much less our 'tomorrow'. Every one of us will die. In fact, 150,000+ people die EVERY day. The Bible declares in Ezekiel 18 that "the soul that sins, it shall die." We have all sinned (broken God's Law-10 Commandments) and are, therefore, going to die. Do you think that you are 'Good Enough' to go to heaven and you'll be 'okay' when you die? Click here to find out...

A "Fray"ed Not

2009-03-01T22:00:00.002-05:00

"Hey, dad...did that guy just say that God was standing on a street corner smoking His last cigarette?" WHAT??? Um, I don't know. We'll have to look up the lyrics when we get home..."

It never fails. I'm listening to "Christian" radio and I hear music that doesn't really sound very Christian. So how do I know if it's Christian? Well the name says it all. Christian radio is called "Christian Radio" for a reason. They play "Christian" music. Music that is Christian-themed and have people singing about the "Christ" and "Christian" themes and situations.

A recent song that has hit the air waves of a local Christian radio station that I listen to, blatantly flies in the face of what would be considered "Christian". The group, "The Fray", has always been suspect to me and I have written them off as a non-Christian group that, for some reason, gets air play on Christian radio. Here's the first verse of the song called "You Found Me":

I found God on the corner of First and Amistad
Where the west was all but won
All alone smoking His last cigarette
I said where You been, He said ask anything
Where were You when everything was falling apart
All my days were spent by a telephone
That never rang and all I needed was a call
That never came to the corner of First and Amistad

Have you found anything wrong with the above lyrics? How about God standing on a street corner smoking His last cigarette?!?!?! (Yeah, sing that song during the offeratory at church...LOL!) The song goes on and has overtones of God not being there for him and God being "late" and asking God where He was.

My problem is that I WANT to like "The Fray"! They have a great sound and I love their style. Their music, however, should not be played on Christian radio because I really don't want to have to explain to my daughters about "God smoking His last cigarette on a street corner."

"The Fray" may not be anti-God and clearly had a Christian background, but are they a Christian group? I did a "Google" search on "The Fray" and it is apparent that other people are wondering the same thing..."Is 'The Fray a Christian Band?"I'll let them speak for themselves.

Wysocki, one of the band members, said in an interview: "The band avoided Christian record labels, saying God called them to the secular market instead. "I feel he would be disappointed with us if we limited ourselves."

Wow! So you are "limiting yourself" by signing with a Christian label and feel like God called you into the secular market? Interesting. D.C. Talk sang Christian music and ended up getting air play on secular radio. Great!! God may call you into the secular market to reach the lost, but He won't call you to be an "undercover Christian". You will find no biblical examples of this approach.

Slade, another band member, says he used to "write all Christian lyrics" until he had an epiphany while working a shift at Starbucks: "None of my friends outside the church understood any of my songs; we had a different set of vocabulary," he says. "So I went home and threw away all those songs."

I wonder where he got the lyrics for "all those songs" he threw away? Clearly groups like Third Day and Casting Crowns are Christian groups with overtly Christian lyrics that non-Christians can listen to and easily understand. Is "The Fray" concerned about their non-Christian listeners not relating or are they "selling out" to the industry by making sure not to talk too blatantly about their "Christianity" in their music?

Slade continues, "If we grow up in the church, it's easy to think it's our Christian duty to preach to every single person because God is the most important thing. And he is, but I'm a musician first. This is my job. We're not pastors. We're not preachers. We're not even missionaries."

It IS our responsibility to preach the Gospel as Christians!! Check out Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15. Which is actually first in your life...your music or God? We may not be pastors or preachers, but we all have a responsibility as Christ's Ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) to present a Biblical view of God to a lost and dying world. By the way, you cannot seperate your Christianity from anything else that you do. You ARE a Christian that does x or y. You are a Christian that puts God first...everything else is secondary.

One article stated, "Band members don't publicize their faith, but they don't hide it, either." First, why would you not publicize that you are a Christian band (if you are one) unless you are ashamed or worried that it might hit you in the pocket-book? Second, I haven't been able to find a hint of Christianity in the "public eye".

The band's Wikipedia page makes no mention of the band being Christian and only states that some of their songs have gotten airplay on Christian radio. The band's website, which I'm sure has thousands of visitors each day, is void of any mention of Christianity. Don't they want the lost to be saved? Where's the actual connection between reaching your secular fan base and linking them with Christ? I don't see it.

In the Marine Corps we used to have a saying, "If you were accused of being a Marine, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" It seems like "The Fray" wants to have one foot in the world and one foot in Christianity. It doesn't work that way and their lyrics display the confusion that mentality brings.

I'm not saying that the band members are not Christians, I'm simply saying not to call their music "Christian" because it's clearly not and they clearly don't want it to be. Let's pray that "The Fray" comes out of the "spiritual closet" and sings music that glorifies God and clearly points people to Christ.

Sources:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2006/thefray-0706.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fray
http://thefray.net/

Serving Those Who Served

2009-02-18T16:00:00.010-05:00

My heart aches even as I write this blog...

A few months ago I had been praying about a way that I could serve people and possibly share the Gospel with people inside during the inclement weather months. My mom had told me months ago that I should go to the VA Hospital and visit with the veterans. I thought it was a good idea, but never gave it much more thought because I knew that it was going to be a headache to get through the 'red tape' to be able to visit with patients.

About a month ago during prayer, God had really impressed upon me to contact the VA Hospital and see about visiting with some of the veterans at the hospital. I would not put it off any longer. Being a nine-year active duty veteran of the United States Marine Corps, I knew it was time to give back and visit with these brave folks. I went through all the paperwork, medical tests, interviews and orientation to become an official 'volunteer'.

The VA Hospital has a strict 'no religious conversations' policy that I discovered during orientation. I thought, "Great! I've went through all of this and I won't be able to "legally" share the Gospel." I was definitely disappointed, but decided to continue forward.

Today was my first day...

I arrived at the hospital and circled the parking lot for what seemed like thirty minutes looking for a parking space. I finally found one...ironically, in the Volunteer parking lot! I went in and met with my coordinator, Rhonda. She gave me some last minute instructions and I was off. I stopped by the Volunteer sign-in room and then headed to my first destination.

I checked in with the nurse's station and explained that I just wanted to talk to some of the veterans, thank them for their service to our country and listen to them. I asked if there were any patients that would like a visitor. I got the strangest looks! They were like, "Um, yeah, okay. Hold on..." Soon, the head nurse came over and explained that the hospital already had chaplains. Mind you, I was dressed in jeans, a non-collared shirt and a wind-breaker jacket with no Bible in hand. I did not have a Bible and had never mentioned anything about praying for anyone or talking about God (this, of course, was against the policy).

I looked at her with the RCA dog look (huh?) and explained that I was simply there to visit with the patients and pointed to my volunteer badge. She then got a nurse to escort me to my first room.

Nervous, I gingerly stepped into the room. Martin greeted me with a smile. He had long hair and was missing one leg. He looked like the stereo-typical Vietnam veteran. I learned that he did a few tours in Vietnam and that the effects of Agent Orange caused him to lose his leg from the knee down. He was in the hospital waiting to have his other leg removed. I almost started crying right then and had to quickly gain my composure. Every thought of me not getting my way...my selfishness...my taking for granted just how much I have to be thankful for came flooding in. "God help my selfishness and self-centeredness.", I muttered under my breath. I talked with Martin a little while longer, thanked him for his service and proceeded back to the nurses' station. I left the room overwhelmed.

After washing my hands with the 'foam', I stopped in to speak with David. His wife was sitting next to his bed. He was also a Vietnam veteran that was getting treatment for a non-related illness. I soon found out that I was the one who was going to get the treat when I visited David. According to his wife, David is the most decorated soldier in the state of Kentucky. David began to tell me about how he earned one of his awards...a Purple Heart. He said that he was in Hue City and they were pinned down in a building by one enemy, but were out of regular fragmentation grenades. He said that he handed his friend what they had left, a white phosphorous ("Willy Pete" WP) grenade. His friend pulled the pin, let the spoon fly, stood up to throw it out the window...and was struck in the head with a bullet. The WP hit the floor and Dave jumped on it. Needless to say, he was severely wounded. He suffered burns over 40% of his body. He showed me some of the scars. I sat speechless as he continued to share this intimate and personal story with me. After a while, I thanked him and his wife, and as I did with Martin, I thanked him for his service and proceeded back to the nurses' station.

I stopped off at the bathroom to wash my hands and headed to the next floor. I stopped at the nurses' station as I had on the previous floor. They told me to simply choose any room and see if they wanted company. I knocked on Doug's door and he told me to enter. Doug was a mountain of a man that consumed the entire bed. He had the adjustable arm of the television stretched over with the screen right in front of him. I reached out, shook his hand and introduced myself. I explained why I was there and Doug proceeded to tell me that he had completed four tours in Vietnam. We chit-chatted a bit more as I listened to him. Out of the blue he asked me, "Are you a preacher man?" Again, I was taken aback, because I had never mentioned anything about God and wasn't looking too "stereo-typically preacherly" today. I told him that I wasn't "officially" a pastor, but was currently training to be. He replied, "I knew you were. I've been around lots of pastors and I can just tell." I said, "Is that a good thing?" He said, "Oh, yeah, it's a good thing." Dumbfounded, I continued to listen. After a while I thanked him for his service and proceeded to wander into another room.

I happened upon Charles and Eugene as I entered the next room. It seemed like a scene out of "Grumpy Old Men". They both invited me in, but looked at me like, "Who are you?" I explained myself and Charles motioned for me to come help him get up out of his bed. He led me over to a chair and he sat down. I began to have small talk with Charles and found out that he served during the 1950's, possibly the tail-end of Korea. I happened to ask him when he was going to get out of the hospital. He explained that he would be out soon, but it wasn't good. I told him that I didn't understand. He looked at me and tears welled up in his eyes. He put his finger to his throat and made a left-to-right slicing motion. He was letting me know that he had some sort of terminal disease and was going to leave the hospital...by death.

After a few minutes, I helped Charles to the bathroom. While standing at the bathroom door, he whispered, "I ain't gonna make it. That's what I was trying to tell you over there. I don't want him to know it." He went in the bathroom and closed the door. I went back over and sat down in the chair and tried to talk to Eugene. He could not speak well and I just nodded at most everything he said.

The door to the bathroom cracked open and Charles poked his head out. He asked me to get some underwear for him out of a bag behind his night stand. I walked over and noticed a partially torn paper bag that had clothing items in it. I grabbed the bag and put it on the bed. I sorted through the clothes, found a pair of underwear and handed it to him. He said, "I want the ones with the black band." I sifted through and found the ones he wanted. Charles took the underwear and slowly closed the bathroom door.

While I waited, I figured I would do some 'house cleaning'. I folded his clothes that were in the paper bag and put them in the top drawer of his night stand. I picked up paper off of the floor and made his bed. I noticed that he had a fresh hospital top and bottom in his closet. I grabbed the bottoms, knocked on the bathroom door and handed them to Charles. He was pleasantly surprised considering that he had soiled in the pair he had on. When he came out of the bathroom I helped him put the fresh top on after helping him over to his chair.

Charles' food had arrived while he was in the bathroom and he was ready to eat. I wheeled his table around served him by opening up his utensils, food and drink. It was funny...Eugene kept pointing to Charles and then point to Charles' bed. I told Charles, "I think he wants you to get back into bed." Charles said, "Yeah, I know." Eugene kept it up until Charles finally told him that he didn't want to lay down anymore. Eugene flipped him "the bird". I chuckled and then Charles softly, but sternly said, "You go to hell." I have to admit that I laughed...but when I stopped to think about the reality of the possible fate of hell for these two men, was it really funny?

I stayed, prayed silently for these men and visited a little while longer and decided to be on my way. I thanked both Eugene and Charles for letting me spend some time with them and that I appreciated their sacrifice of service to our country. I washed my hands in their bathroom sink and headed down the hallway.

My last stop of the day would be with Billy. Like me, Billy had served in the Army for nine years from 1948-1954. He was very talkative and seemed to enjoy my company. I don't think I said two words in the twenty minutes or so that I was there! It was a blessing just to simply listen to his story. During our conversation, two nurses came in to transport him to another location. I shook his hand, thanked him for the conversation and his service to our country. I walked back to the nurse's station to let them know I was leaving. I had about all I could handle for the day...I was emotionally drained.

I headed back to the Volunteer room in the basement. There were about three or four older men, also volunteers and presumably veterans, waiting to be called upon if needed. They haven't quite figured me out yet. I sat in the room for a few minutes, just collecting myself. I finally decided to leave. I told the guys bye (and thanked them for their service!) and I began the long walk back to my vehicle.

During the ride home, I felt such a strain...a battle waging. I thought to myself, "Those men really needed to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There must be some way that I can "legally" share the Gospel. I can come in and tend to their physical and emotional needs all day long, but if they die without Christ..." I prayed for those that I visited with almost all the way home.

I think my next step will be to set up an appointment with the hospital's chaplain. Will he allow me to speak to the patients about Christ? Will he say that I don't "rate" to share the Gospel because I'm not officially a chaplain? I don't know, but I guess I'm about to find out.

Now I know that some of you "hard-chargers" might be thinking, "John, there's nothing that can stop you from sharing the Gospel! Just do it!!" I just can't do it, not in good conscience. I've signed paperwork and made a commitment to abide by all of the hospital's policies and I intend to keep my word.

I'm continuing to pray and see what happens next...

Give Me A Sign

2009-02-08T17:00:00.004-05:00

Most everyone's heard the saying, "If God would just give me a sign or something, I would believe." Romans 1 says that God has already given us a "sign"...we just have to look at the world all around us. Romans 1:18-23 says:

"For God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles."

This afternoon, I went down to Riverview Park to do some filming for my television show and ended up sharing the Gospel with two people I had never met before. We talked for about twenty minutes and had a great witnessing conversation.

I think the most interesting part of my conversation with Mike and Carolyn was what they said at the end. I asked them what they thought about our conversation. Mike responded that he thought that I was there as a sign from God and that this was a sort of "wake-up call" from God. You don't hear that very often when sharing the Gospel!!

You can check out the video by clicking HERE.

You or the JW's?

2009-01-24T21:15:00.008-05:00

Cults run amok in our society...most of them claiming to be Christian. However, when you look a bit deeper, you realize their doctrines and Christian beliefs are quite different. More about this later...

My oldest daughter and I drove up to a local pizzeria to pick up our call-in order a few moments ago. I paid for the order and slipped the cashier a "Million Dollar Bill" tract and told her to make sure and check out the important message on the back. She grabbed the tract, thanked me for it and began to walk in the back while reading it. I didn't necessarily mean right now, but I'm glad she did! My daughter and I sat down and waited on our order.

Another worker brought out the order ahead of us and called the customer's name. He came up to pick up his order and stated that he wanted some pepperoncinis. I stood up, walked over to him and told him that every customer also got a free "Million Dollar Bill", while grinning. He chuckled, thanked me and commented that he had seen something like this before. I sat back down while he leaned against the counter looking the tract over. I told him that I didn't even realize that they had pepperoncinis here and I was going to request some with my order. I explained that what I had given him was a Gospel tract and had a very important message on the back. I asked him if he had a Christian background. (Meanwhile, the employee who brought the man's order out was looking at me like I was crazy! I think my daughter may have had the same sentiment!! She should know by now!!!)

He said that he had went to a fairly large local church for about a year, but had decided that all the pastor wanted was money. His family had left that church and hadn't landed anywhere else yet. I introduced myself and found out his name was Jeff.

Jeff said, "You know, it's funny that you should hand me this and talk to me about this. Just today the Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) were at my house today talking to me about God." I asked him what he thought about them. He said that after they left, he prayed and didn't have a good "feeling" (some might say 'discernment') about them. I went on to bluntly explain that he should have gotten a bad 'feeling' because they were a cult. (At that moment I was hoping that the employee was not a JW and would call the police!) He seemed to be surprised by my statement, but then asked what I meant. I quickly give him three or four JW beliefs that were contrary to Christianity. When I mentioned the version of the Bible they used, his eyes lit up. He said, "YES! They told me that I could use whatever version I wanted (while they were talking to him at his house), but they would use their "New World Translation" (NWT)." I shook my head in affirmation and explained that it was a distortion of the Bible.

He solemnly looked at me and said, "Today when I was talking with the JWs I got a bad feeling, but after talking to you I sense that you are the 'real deal' and this is a sign from God. Thanks for giving me this!" I gave him my contact info and encouraged him to read the back. By this time, my order was ready and we both walked out of the store together. He was grinning from ear-to-ear and seemed to really be encouraged.

My daughter and I got into my car and I began to back out when I heard a tapping on the passenger side window. I rolled down the window and as I did, a bag of pepperoncinis landed on the pizza box on my daughter's lap. Jeff said, "Hey, you forgot to get your pepperoncinis in there. I had an extra!" I thanked him and drove home praying for Jeff and thanking God for the opportunity to share the Gospel with the lost.

There are sooooo many "Jeffs" out there being influenced by cults. As Christians, we must simply, but bodly share our faith with people. We must let love, compassion and concern for the lost swallow our fear and tell them.

If you don't, the JW's will be happy to tell them about their god.

For more information about Jehovah's Witnesses and their beliefs, please click here.

We Know Not...

2008-12-08T16:50:00.015-05:00

I am grieved in my soul.

I am grieved that the majority of modern, evangelical Christians do not have a clear, concise, Biblical understanding of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We know not the Gospel.

I posted a blog just this morning in regards to a simple, but somewhat controversial topic (for some) of "Asking Jesus into your heart". There is as much Biblical evidence for asking Jesus into your heart as there is the theory-tale of Evolution.

We claim to understand and have even studied words like "hermeneutics" and "exegesis". When confronted to validate a rebuttal against "Asking Jesus into your heart" are either of these tools used? No. Unfortunately, only eisegesis.

I'll let Paul Washer do the talking here. I am pleading with you to watch this...

"We Know Not The Gospel"

There is no other point of reference than the Bible. Not what we've been taught through ways of men, not what we know...or think we know. It is only the Scriptures. I sincerely pray that you would pray and meditate on these things.

Don't Ask Jesus Into Your Heart...WHAT??

2008-12-08T06:30:00.015-05:00

I'm sure you've heard that old cliché that has been used over the course of who knows how many years. You know the one..."If you would like to ask Jesus into your heart...". I must admit that I cringe (and it's probably physically noticeable when I do) everytime I hear someone use this phraseology during a call to repentance.

Never heard that before? Well, that's good, but what about this one?..."With every head bowed and every eye closed, if you would like to make a decision for Christ, please raise your hand..." You MUST have heard that before...okay, look, just check out this short video for a better idea...

Yes, the video was funny, but actually a little scary considering that LOTS of these practices take place across our churches Sunday after Sunday. Where in the world do we get these practices from? Who knows?!? Are pastors and others intentionally using un-Biblical methods? I think not. I think, it's just what they've been taught or have always known.

Salvation is a VERY serious matter and is not something that we should take lightly. So, are these matters something to take a serious Biblical look into? ABSOLUTELY!! Look, oodles of information has already been written about the whole "ask Jesus into your heart" thing, so there's no need in re-inventing the wheel here. Here's an excerpt from a Todd Friel article (WOTM Radio/"Wretched").

Ten Reasons To Not Ask Jesus Into Your Heart

The music weeps, the preacher pleads, “Give your heart to Jesus. You have a God shaped hole in your heart and only Jesus can fill it.” Dozens, hundreds or thousands of people who want to get their spiritual life on track make their way to the altar. They ask Jesus into their heart.

Cut to three months later. Nobody has seen our new convert in church. The follow up committee calls him and encourages him to attend a Bible study, but to no avail. We label him a backslider and get ready for the next outreach event.

Our beloved child lies in her snuggly warm bed and says, “Yes, Daddy. I want to ask Jesus into my heart.” You lead her in “the prayer” and hope that it sticks. You spend the next ten years questioning if she really, really meant it. Puberty hits and the answer reveals itself. She backslides. We spend the next ten years praying that she will come to her senses.

It is not in the Bible. There is not a single verse that even hints we should say a prayer inviting Jesus into our hearts. Some use Rev. 3:20. To tell us that Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts begging to come in.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” There are two reasons that interpretation is wrong.
The context tells us that the door Jesus is knocking on is the door of the church, not the human heart. Jesus is not knocking to enter someone’s heart but to have fellowship with His church.Even if the context didn’t tell us this, we would be forcing a meaning into the text (eisegesis). How do we know it is our heart he is knocking at? Why not our car door? How do we know he isn’t knocking on our foot? To suggest that he is knocking on the door of our heart is superimposing a meaning on the text that simply does not exist.
The Bible does not instruct us to ask Jesus into our heart. This alone should resolve the issue, nevertheless, here are nine more reasons.
Asking Jesus into your heart is a saying that makes no sense. What does it mean to ask Jesus into your heart? If I say the right incantation will He somehow enter my heart? Is it literal? Does He reside in the upper or lower ventricle? Is this a metaphysical experience? Is it figurative? If it is, what exactly does it mean? While I am certain that most adults cannot articulate its meaning, I am certain that no child can explain it. Pastor Dennis Rokser remindsus that little children think literally and can easily be confused (or frightened) at the prospect of asking Jesus into their heart.
In order to be saved, a man must repent (Acts 2:38). Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of repentance.
In order to be saved, a man must trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of faith.
The person who wrongly believes they are saved will have a false sense of security. Millions of people who sincerely, but wrongly, asked Jesus into their hearts think they are saved but struggle to feel secure. They live in doubt and fear because they do not have the Holy Spirit giving them assurance of salvation.
The person who asks Jesus into his heart will likely end up inoculated, bitter and backslidden. Because he did not get saved by reciting a formulaic prayer, he will grow disillusioned with Jesus, the Bible, church and fellow believers. His latter end will be worse than the first.
It presents God as a beggar just hoping you will let Him into your busy life. This presentation of God robs Him of His sovereignty.
The cause of Christ is ridiculed. Visit an atheist web-site and read the pagans who scoff, “How dare those Christians tell us how to live when they get divorced more than we do? Who are they to say homosexuals shouldn’t adopt kids when tens of thousands of orphans don’t get adopted by Christians?” Born again believers adopt kids and don’t get divorced.
People who ask Jesus into their hearts do. Jesus gets mocked when false converts give Him a bad name.
The cause of evangelism is hindered. While it is certainly easier to get church members by telling them to ask Jesus into their hearts, try pleading with someone to make today the day of their salvation. Get ready for a painful response. “Why should I become a Christian when I have seen so called Christians act worse than a pagan?” People who ask Jesus into their hearts give pagans an excuse for not repenting.
Here is the scary one. People who ask Jesus into their hearts are not saved and they will perish on the Day of Judgment. How tragic that millions of people think they are right with God when they are not. How many people who will cry out, “Lord, Lord” on judgment day will be “Christians” who asked Jesus into their hearts?

So, what must one do to be saved? Repent and trust. (Heb.6:1) The Bible makes it clear that all men must repent and place their trust in Jesus Christ. Every man does have a “God shaped hole in their hearts,” but that hole is not contentment, fulfillment and peace. Every man’s heart problem is righteousness. Instead of preaching that Jesus fulfills, we must preach that God judges and Jesus satisfies God’s judgment…if a man will repent and place his trust in Him.

If you are reading this and you asked Jesus into your heart, chances are good you had a spiritual buzz for a while, but now you struggle to read your Bible, tithe, attend church and pray. Perhaps you were told you would have contentment, purpose and a better life if you just ask Jesus into your heart. I am sorry...that was a lie. [End of Article]

In summary, I realize that some might say, "Well, people know what I mean, John." That may be true, but shouldn't we stick to what the Bible has to say? If you are an "ask Jesus into your heart" person, I would ask you to please examine what you are saying in the light of the Scriptures...souls depend upon it!

For further reading: "How To Botch An Altar Call"

"Welcome...Is This Your First Time Here?"

2008-12-07T13:30:00.005-05:00

My church typically has around 250+ people that attend service weekly. You know how it is...you come into church... say "hello" to those people that you pass by on the way into the sanctuary... make a "bee-line" to YOUR seat... have light conversation with the "acquaintances" that sit around you... you listen to the sermon... have light conversation after the sermon... say goodbye to people on the way out to your car and drive home. Wait until next week and repeat the process. Now it may not go EXACTLY as stated (you may have more in-depth and meaningful conversations with people, mingle more, etc.), but this would be a "general" idea of what most people do on Sunday.

Today in church, prior to service beginning, I noticed an older woman and a younger man (probably her son) sitting in the row behind us that I had never seen before. Wanting to be friendly and make sure they felt welcome, I turned around and introduced myself and said, "Hello, Welcome to Trinity Chapel, is this your first time here?" Her response? "Well, no, I've been attending here for over 13 years now!" Obviously, this was an "open mouth, insert foot" moment for me. I was so embarassed! I shook their hand and slowly turned around and sat back down.

During announcements, my pastor said that anyone visiting the church for the first time should fill out an information card. I turned to the woman and her son and said in jest, "Now don't forget to fill out one of those cards!"

After the service, we spoke further and I apologized again. I found out that our church supports her grand-daughter as a missionary to the Dominican Republic. When she mentioned her grand-daughter's name, the irony went even further. I suddenly realized that her grand-daughter and I were Friends on Facebook! Pretty neat, huh?

I don't think there's really any excuse for me not to at least recognize someone that I attend church with, much less someone who's been faithfully attending for over 13 years! Yes, it turned out to be funny, but there's definitely a lesson here. The lesson for me? Try to get to know people more that don't necessarily sit near me. It's going to be difficult, but I'll have to step out of my "comfort zone" on this one!

Facebook Fallout

2008-12-03T15:30:00.025-05:00

Facebook...man, you gotta love it! Facebook is a social networking website that currently has over 120 million users worldwide. The company defines itself as... "Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet." That's awesome!

I know I've been blessed by Facebook to find people that I have lost track of over the years and stay in contact with people that I would not normally interact with on a day-to-day basis. It has greatly helped me with learning more about my church family. My church has around 275 people that attend weekly service and it's very difficult to know and interact with each person each week. This is where Facebook has been a great resource.

For example, I've learned about the different hobbies, interests, careers, family, etc. of the people I attend church with. I've also been able to interact with and get to know people that I may not have ever gotten to know through Facebook. It's like walking down an electronic sidewalk and being able to say "hello" to your friends at church. You can even stop and talk a minute!

So where's the "Fallout"???

Well... my pastor preached a sermon on November 23, 2008 addressing how much the church is being influenced by worldly media. He ran the gamut of various media including music, books, movies and...Facebook. Speaking of Facebook, my pastor was even accused of getting a Facebook account to "spy" on church members. Boy, how ridiculous is that accusation!?!

Pastor preached a strong message and surely stepped on some toes. (If the shoe fits, throw your foot in there!) His main text was from Ezekiel 33 and said that our issue was one of pride. We simply think that we can partake of worldly media and not be influenced. This was definitely not a message that a pastor would preach if he was worried about "numbers". He was preaching in the sight, not of men, but of God.

Pastor showed this video as an example of what some Christians consume on a day-to-day basis and have no problem with it.

For a pastor, diving off into areas of what people watch, listen to, read, etc. are dangerous waters. It obviously leaves you open for the criticism of begin legalistic or judgmental. Typically, however, the ones who pull the "legalistic" or "judgmental" cards are the very ones who are dealing with the issue at hand. Conviction sets in and the defense mechanisms come out. I wonder if Casting Crowns would be considered "legalistic" for their song "Slow Fade"? (We must definitely be concerned about the "little feet behind you that are sure to follow") Or would God be considered "judgmental" for what He said through James in 4:4-6?

After the sermon, I heard many positive comments from various age groups. I didn't actually hear anything negative. However, within a few days of the sermon, I did happen to notice my Facebook "Friends" number diminish. HUH?? I can only wonder how many "Friends" I'll lose after posting this blog...

Facebook is kind of an unusual utility in the realm that it does not notify you when someone drops you as a Friend. I immediately began to browse through my list of Friends to find who was M.I.A. I was shocked to find that I hadn't lost some of the "lost" friends I have on Facebook. I hadn't lost the homosexual friends I have on Facebook. I hadn't lost the "get drunk on Friday and Saturday night and have casual sex" friends I have on Facebook. I hadn't even lost the Atheist or universalist friends I have on Facebook. I lost Christian friends from my church. Why had they dropped me? I don't know for sure in all cases, but I do have a very good idea.

Imagine that you are driving down the expressway and suddenly saw the flashing blue lights of a police vehicle in your rear-view mirror. You pull over to the side of the road and wait for the police officer to approach your vehicle. You roll down the window and the police officer asks you to step out of the vehicle and that he would like to search your vehicle. What would be your response? I know my response would be a very cooperative, "No problem, officer." A drug dealer would not so readily make their car available to search. Why? I have nothing to hide in my car and the drug dealer probably does.

I surmise that some of the people that dropped me as a friend on Facebook had some things to hide on their site. Maybe TV shows, movies, books, activities, sayings, etc. that did not match up with the "I'm a Christian" label that they had on their Info tab. This is a common practice. On the Info tab, most will have the label of "Christian" and then the worldly "stuff" follows thereafter. It's a bit comical, but sad at the same time to see "I'm a Christian" and then see "Favorite Movie: Saw V."

The issue here is not that they dropped me as a friend on Facebook...hey, I'll get over that. I think it points to a deeper issue. An issue of what my pastor preached on (pride) AND accountability. If a person, and especially a person in leadership, can't see someone's Facebook page, then the fellow Christian can't call into account the worldly behavior. And trust me, you conspiracy theorists out there, no one is running around looking at everyone's page to analyze the content. You don't even have to do that when you see Status Updates of "So-and-so is over at whoever's house listening to Flo-rida's "Low" or "So-and-so just got through watching [Rated 'R' movie loaded with cussing and blasphemy]...it was awesome!" Um, yeah, something just doesn't line up here.

In another ironic move, I even saw some people add things not fit for Christian consumption to their list of "Favorite" items within days after the sermon. It was almost in a spirit of, "I'll show them!" The problem is that they did show them (the church)...they showed them just how rebellious they really were.

None of us are without sin and pastor was not talking about "gray area" issues, but blatant things that fly in the face of God and Christianity. One thing's for sure...it appears that some people value the world more than their brothers and sisters in Christ. If all of us, as a church body, cannot be accountable to one another, what have we become?

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WATCH-->Where Did Your Slow Fade Begin?

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Why Obama, God?

2008-11-05T23:15:00.004-05:00

As Christians, we are quick to point out that the sovereign God establishes the office of the President according to Romans 13 and Daniel 2. That begs the question, "Why would God 'establish' a candidate like Barak Obama, who stands for things that are contrary to the Bible (abortion and same-sex marriage)?"

Although I would never suppose to know for sure or put words in God's mouth, I think we can look to God's Word for answers.

More to come!

Suffer The Witch - Part III

2008-10-27T22:30:00.004-04:00

Before you begin to read this blog, you really need to read the three other blog entries I created listed below:

Suffer The Witch - Part I
Suffer The Witch - Part II
The Athesit Pupil

Ironically enough, I had the same student in class this quarter. On Monday, October 6, 2008 , after class, I had a 45-minute conversation with two of my 'self-proclaiming Atheist' students. One of them, of course, was the same student that you've been reading about. To my recollection, I made mention after class of being finished reading the David Mills book he had given me. I was commenting how "tired" his arguments were.

Some how, some way we got back on the subject of witches! (who knows) The student was telling me about how Christians, even today, are killing witches. I told him to send me the info on that, because that's obviously not Christian, but crazy! Well, he did send me an EMail with a link to the article. I will begin by posting the ATHEIST EMail to me followed by my RESPONSE:

ATHEIST

Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 11:48 AM

Here's that article on the witch hunts in Africa I mentioned.

https://owa07.sullivan.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=3b3db5145c1741749cde7c4913c79529&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.guardian.co.uk%2fworld%2f2007%2fdec%2f09%2ftracymcveigh.theobserver

Here's an excerpt

"Although old tribal beliefs in witch doctors are not so deeply buried in people's memories, and although there had been indigenous Christians in Nigeria since the 19th century, it is American and Scottish Pentecostal and evangelical missionaries of the past 50 years who have shaped these fanatical beliefs. Evil spirits, satanic possessions and miracles can be found aplenty in the Bible, references to killing witches turn up in Exodus, Deuteronomy and Galatians, and literal interpretation of scriptures is a popular crowd-pleaser."

I also found a blog dedicated to this situation
https://owa07.sullivan.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=3b3db5145c1741749cde7c4913c79529&URL=http%3a%2f%2fchildwitches.blogspot.com%2f

The discussion last night was fun.

RESPONSE

Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 9:32 PM

I read the article and it's about the saddest, yet silliest thing, I've seen. I didn't really understand the blog site. It had one picture and various other articles and different subjects.

As we've discussed before, you can have various groups of people misuse or misrepresent Christianity. This kooky practice is obviously the exception and not the rule. This is a very "watery" straw man set up to attack the Biblical literalism.

Unless you read the Bible with the ability to understand things from somebody else's point of view, and to appreciate the cultural and social forces that may have influenced their outlook you will end up with a wrong understanding. You must apply this understanding to interpreting the meaning of written texts and symbolic artifacts (such as art or sculpture or architecture), which may be either historic or contemporary.

What if some whacked out member of American Atheists was off in some country killing Christians and someone said, "Um, yeah, Atheists are Christian killers! Here's an article to prove it." You would protest because you are being lumped in to the group. Again, you don't find anyone but fringe, crazy groups running around killing supposed witches.

I'm not sure about the fascination with witches....

I'm out,

John

"I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator. " - Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Vol. 1 Chapter 2

"What we have to fight for is the necessary security for the existence and increase of our race and people, the subsistence of its children and the maintenance of our racial stock unmixed, the freedom and independence of the Fatherland; so that our people may be enabled to fulfill the mission assigned to it by the Creator." - Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, Vol. 1 Chapter 8

Something else to "chew" on...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKM9yoQ3Wug

ATHEIST

Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 11:11 AM

I totally agree about groups misuse or misrepresent Christianity as well as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism etc. My point is that the bible doesn't give you a good sense of right or wrong. It gives you a confused sense of morality. Can a lie be wrong in all cases? When the family that help hide Anne Frank's family lied to the nazis was it really a sin against god? Or when Ray comfort lies his way into a national debate about proving the existence of god using scientific evidence and not using the bible, should he be stoned to death?...That kind of hypocrisy is what gives Christians a bad name. There will always be unscrupulous people that take advantage of a group in order to gain wealth and power. That's exactly what's going in Nigeria...Most of those church leaders are crooks, but there will also be some that genuinely believe what they are doing is right...and they have biblical text to back it up. When you are convinced there is a god then you will be prone to magical thinking.

The only problem is that this is no different than any other religion. If I don't read the Koran, the Hindu Vedas, or the Tao-te-Ching with the ability to understand things from somebody else's point of view....yada, yada, yada...then I won't understand them either. This could even be said to people who have read Origin of Species.

This already happened...except it wasn't an article...it was a documentary. It's basic theme was "Um, yeah, Atheists are Jew killers! Here's a documentary to prove it." Then you are led down a path connecting the dots between atheism, evolution, and the holocaust. All of which are non sequiturs.

It's not limited to witches...the common theme of my interests is magical thinking. This includes demon possesion, prophecy, telepathy, prayer, alternative medicine, and psychics among many others. When you believe in magic of any sort you become susceptible to magical thinking.

Thought that video was good...I like all the irreducibly complex examples. Once you start to understand evolution, these become fun little brain teasers. If you watch the video below you can see how it's done. If you watch the video's back to back then it's like Penn and Teller showing you a trick then showing you how it's done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUvLR2yyWuE

RESPONSE

Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 1:52 PM

~Lying~
Anne Frank's family being hidden from the Nazi's by lying is not a Biblical type of lying, but rather discretion. The Bible shows various scenarios of descretion vs outright lying. "Hey, John, what do you think of my new hat?" "It's okay, look fine." (Although I may not really like it at all) versus...."Hey, honey, how much money did you spend at the 'boat' last night?" "Oh, um, $50." (Although $75 was really spent.) There is a difference and most people outright lie so much every day that we don't have to worry about distinctions too much. They would be guilty. Guilty as sin.

~Morality~
I do not look to the Bible, per se, for my morality. As I've said before, each person knows right from wrong regardless of their environment. Imagine a man who was isolated on an island with no influence from anyone. He is "rescued" and comes back to the U.S. He goes "out on the town", gets drunk, rapes a woman and murders her. First, his conscious would bear witness that what he was doing wrong. Second, once caught, he could attempt to say that he didn't know any better because he was raised on an island without any influence and thought that it was "okay" to do such things. Will a good judge let him go because of his supposed ignorance? Of course not! Many people wanting to hide behind the fig leaves of their excuses will probably attempt to say the same things to God when they stand before Him. It won't work with our court system and it definitely won't work with His.

The conscious is a VERY powerful thing.

~Ray Comfort vs. Rapid Response Squad~
Ray's whole intent was to get the Gospel out on National television. Mission accomplished. The word "science" means "knowledge". Going down the scientific path, one can conclude painting..painter, building...builder, creation/design...Creator/Designer. All of creation testifies to the existence of God. Most Atheists don't care for Ray Comfort because he exposes Evolution as a lie and presents the Gospel while he's doing it.

~What About Other Religions~
Why is Christianity different from other "religions" and the only way? Good question! Find out here.

~Bombadier Beetle RebuttalVideo~
Again, you have GOT to be kidding me! I had already watched the video and thought (it was fleeting) that you may even send it as a rebuttal. However, I thought, Chad would never send me that video because:

The guy readily admits in all caps...my HYPOTHESIS (he's just guessing and with his 3.5lbs of gray matter).

It looks like a 3rd grader got a hold of MS Paint and dropped it into some free video software.

It doesn't explain anything and frankly just doesn't make any sense.

The feeble explanation he does provide is so far reaching he might as well say that the bug "evolved" a mini .50 cal on it's butt, turns its excrement into bullets and expels them with it's own "gas" (Hey, maybe I, too, should make a video!).

EVERYTHING he says is using "could have" "possibly" "might have" lingo.
If I was an Atheist, I would campaign to have the video removed because it's an embarrassment to "the cause".

Scientists have already (heavily) studied the Bombadier Beetle and are stumped.

~Magic~
THIS, not Christianity and the Bible, is an example of "magical" beliefs. Most people are willing to believe anything...as long as it's not in the Bible.

Something else to "peck" on...
https://owa07.sullivan.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=3b3db5145c1741749cde7c4913c79529&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3dvKR9vS4df-I

I'm out,

John
Are You A 'Good' Person? If you think so, by what standard are you measuring your goodness?

ATHEIST

I agree...there is a world of variation in lying...the scale is grey. Speaking for myself, I use a system to decide whether lying would be right or wrong in a situation. The size of lie, the purpose for the lie, the amount of damage done by the lie, or even the amount of good that can be caused by the lie. I'll also compare the situation to any similar memories I have for more experiential knowledge. My brain will do this so fast and at a subconscious level that I won't even be aware that it took place...that is unless there is a conflict in my mind about whether it is right or wrong. If a conflict arises then I'll have to play with the situation in my head to try and make a decision. At this point I might even seek some insight from some other people. More comparison data about this situation might make it an easier decision. Most lies I can judge before I even know it but the difficult one's take time. This lets you know the scale is grey. An absolute commandment like 'thou shall not bare false witness' wouldn't need any time to think it over. You would know immediately what to do and would never need to think about it. It also leaves no wiggle room at all for lying.

This is a head scratcher for me...maybe I'm naive, but this thought has never gone through my mind before. It strikes me as paranoia but I'm not sure. I'll ask around and see if I'm the in the minority. If I don't find very many other people that think most people tell outright lies on a daily basis then I might start worrying about ya.

Yeah...I'm betting you get your morality from the same place I do...the brain. Knowledge of right or wrong comes from many places including your environment. The variation it has in what is appropriate from culture to culture and generation to generation makes this apparent.

Your analogy reminds me of the Adam and Eve problem. Let me know if I get any part of this story wrong. God makes Adam and Eve. He tells them not to eat of the tree of knowledge. At this point they were innocent and knew nothing about right and wrong. Eve meets the snake and it gives her a different set of instructions. She decides to take the snakes advice and eat the fruit. Then Adam and Eve are punished by God for disobeying. The problem is Eve has no “baseline” to make her decision. She couldn’t know disobeying God would be wrong since she hadn’t eaten the fruit yet. The whole Judeo-Christian-Muslim creation story is built around making us feel guilty about a decision that couldn’t be made with any knowledge of right or wrong. This is essentially a choice that Eve had to make blind.

Now there doesn’t seem to be enough detail in your analogy to know if this guy started life on the island or was stranded there from an earlier age. Let me see if I can address each situation

He’s a wild man, grown up isolated on an island. He’s rescued. If during his time in the US he escapes, get’s drunk, and rapes someone then his Guardians would be responsible. They could even be prosecuted for negligence.

He was stranded sometime in his childhood. If he was stranded before the age of reason (before around 6 or 7) then the same rules will probably apply from ex. 1. If it’s after that then his punishment would be decided on the basis of how much experience he had with culture and his ability to make rational decisions.

Your argument seems to be based around the idea of absolute morality. The problem is that with absolute morality slavery is still okay. It was never abolished in the bible; in fact parts of the bible could be read as a slave owner’s manual. If slavery use to be right but now it’s wrong then your morals are relative. If morals are relative, and God can change them at will then your morals are nothing more than a cosmic “Simon Says” game.

When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property. (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB)

And he broke a commandment to do it. It was seen as hypocritical and dishonest by anyone who wasn't already on Ray and Kirk's side. The coke can, painting, and building analogies fall short because they don't replicate. You need replication with variation and natural selection in order to gain complexity. The only example Ray has used that does replicate is the banana...and we know how that turned out for him. Most atheists don't care for Ray because he is dishonest. If you want to know what "Most atheist" think about Ray you should read some blogposts at https://owa07.sullivan.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=3b3db5145c1741749cde7c4913c79529&URL=http%3a%2f%2fraytractors.blogspot.com%2f ...You'll find NSFW language here and there but overall it's not too bad. Here's a good one about the dishonesty behind the WOTM episode on evolution. http://raytractors.blogspot.com/2008/08/debunking-evilution.html

Yeah...notice the big caps...This guy isn't trying to pull anything over on you (I wonder how big Einsteins brain was when he developed the original Hypothesis of Relativity)

Yeah, and E=MC2 doesn't work when you write it in ketchup on a napkin

I didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

EVERYTHING he says is using "could have" "possibly" "might have" lingo.
This IS the way you describe a hypothysis. This argument really makes me think you don’t understand science at all.

Have you been campaigning to get the banana or peanut butter argument removed from youtube?

How do you know the scientists are stumped at this? There are tons of things we don’t know about regarding how things evolved but we have yet to find something that doesn’t have a logical explanation. The challenge of irreducible complexity is that a system couldn’t have formed naturally. If a natural means can be explained regardless of whether it is true then it’s not irreducible complex. This would be like you and I watching David Copperfield make something disappear. If you couldn’t figure out how he did it you might think he really has magical powers. If I could figure out a way he could have done it without magical powers then we know it can be done without magic. This certainly doesn’t mean that it wasn’t done with magic. It simply means your initially hypothesis that it can’t happen by trickery and must be magic is false.
There’s more detail at http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/bombardier.html

Also, I was thinking about the chariots at the bottom of the Red Sea and did some research on it. Answers in Genesis has an article debunking all the claims of that guy. It’s sounds like he had an “Indiana Jones” complex.

OT
Just in case you didn’t get a chance to see it yet…check out this trailer for the new Battlefield: Heroes

...And [Other Student] wanted to be in on the conversation so I CC'd him.

RESPONSE

Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 5:44 PM

I'm sorry that I have not responded to your EMail. I have been super-busy and will respond soon. I also want to re-iterate that really enjoy the dialogue, respect you and your thoughts and look forward to more soon!

Also, I am considering placing the conversation on my blog if that's okay with you. Let me know what you think.

John

ATHEIST

Sent: Monday, October 27, 2008 8:37 PM

yeah...that's okay with me.

[END]

Well, there you have it. I am posting this on the blog so more people can read it and freely comment.

The Atheist Pupil

2008-07-30T22:30:00.000-04:00

I just finished having breakfast and a cup of coffee with my wife. Prior to breakfast, I finished reading a book that was given to me by a former student (and soon to be student again - he's going for a dual degree) on the subject of Atheism. The book is called "Atheist Universe" by David Mills. At the end of the book, the author invites you to visit his website, which I did. I even watched a video on his website called "A Golden Age of Atheism". One quick comment about the video is that he mentions that his wife (Andrea), who he refers to as being in the room, is a Christian (Baptist). He also mentions that he loves watching his "hero" Ashley on YouTube who, in her last video, danced around in her bra and panties. He admits (jokingly) that he visited Ashley's site to watch the video 150 times "yesterday". My immediate thought was, "Wow, how embarassed must his wife be and how much more disrespectful can a man be to his wife." Anyways...

I decided that I would use this blog entry to comment on the Mills' text. While I don't want to devote the time nor do I care to comment about every single point that Mills makes, I thought I might choose one item in each chapter to comment on. I will say this...get ready for the same old tired arguments that we've always heard from Atheists without one single shred of evidence against the possibility of a Creator.

Why So Serious...Blasphemous?

2008-07-18T07:00:00.009-04:00

"Oh, to see the new movie! It's all the buzz and hey, EVERYONE'S going to see it! Yes, it may have a few slight "moral failures", BUT it doesn't really bother me and besides...I'm a strong Christian and the language nor the imagery will affect me..."

This is the sentiment and justification for compromising Christians everywhere for many movies and specifically the just-released Batman movie, "The Dark Knight".

If you are a professing Christian, there's no need to drown you in the many proof-texting Scriptures on this one, just listen to the voice of your conscious...if you haven't already seared it.

Does it bother you to hear your Lord and Savior's name blasphemed? If it doesn't, it should. Hearing blasphemy on the streets is one thing, but dropping your money down and paying to be bombarded by blasphemy and language for over 2 hours just doesn't make any sense and grieves our Lord. By sitting in the movie, you are supporting, commending and showing your approval of the movie.

According to Plugged In Online, a ministry of Focus on the Family (that doesn't necessarily tell the reader to watch the movie or not, but simply lists the content), says that characters in the movie abuse Jesus' name three times, God's name a half-dozen times (once, pairing it with "d--n").

Finally, I'll throw the old cliche' in here..."Would you buy a ticket for you and your pastor to see the movie?" If so, you probably need to find another church. If not, why do you live by a different standard than what you expect from your pastor?

If you come up to me and ask me what I thought of the new Batman movie and I give you the "head-tilted-to-the-side-I-don't-understand-you-RCA-dog-look", well...now you know why.

George...Meet Jesus

2008-06-23T14:00:00.013-04:00

Yesterday, George Carlin got a huge shock. He bowed before the One he blasphemed for so many years, Jesus Christ. He ~~stood~~ was on his face before the King of kings and the Lord of lords giving an account for every idle word he had spoken...not just the "Seven" (and many more) you can't say on television. Oh, the horror...the terror. For Carlin, the revelation that God is real came too late. As a Christian, I do not rejoice in Carlin's punishment, it actually saddens me. I write this so that you might be persuaded. That you, if not a Christian, may be warned and have hope.

Carlin was actually exactly one heartbeat too late. Once a person's heart stops beating for the last time, it's too late. Please do not let it be too late for you. Do you know the date and time in which your heart will stop beating and you will draw your last breath? I know I don't and none of us is guaranteed our next breath or heartbeat. Think about it. Think about the seriousness of it. Look into the eyes of the picture of Carlin and think about where he is now. In hell...unless, of course, if, in his last days, he repented of his sins and put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Then, he is in heaven like any other sinner that is saved by the grace of our loving and merciful God.

Understand that you've sinned against God and are deserving of what George Carlin is facing right now. Realize that Jesus Christ paid your debt that the Justice of a holy and righteous Judge calls for. Repent of your sins and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ today.

Think everythings alright, you're a "pretty good" person and you'll make it to heaven? Take a quick test to see if your "good enough" to make it. Hopefully, you'll realize that no one is good enough. Please, don't end up like George Carlin.

Prosperity Conference

2008-06-20T12:45:00.026-04:00

"Come one, come all! Get your 'prosperity' on! GLORY!" Um, yeah, well... Unfortunately this is what you hear on some 'Christian' radio stations and see being preached on many 'Christian' television stations. Unfortunately, it's not the Gospel. Well, in a sense it is...a Gospel of Greed.

I typically just chalk these charlatans up to the sentiment of, "Well, there's going to be those that preach a false Gospel. Those that are out there to deceive and build their financial kingdom's upon the back of the flock (and say that they "earned" or "deserve" it). Those that are wolves in sheep's clothing. That's just how it is and I will tell the truth about them when necessary, but I won't be vocal about those that malign the Gospel."

However, what one local church has done is so blatantly "out there" that I had to blog about it. Introducing the "Prosperity Conference". A four-day event all about acquiring money and "experiencing supernatural breakthrough in your finances". It is an utter shame that the church has been shifted away from giving the message of the Gospel to a lost and dying world to money-making workshops. Ironically, one of the guest speakers is, "Rich Stocks".

Is there anything wrong with learning how to make money? Of course not! Is it the role of the church? No. I can find no Biblical references at the establishment of the church when Jesus, the Apostles or His followers got together to learn how to make money. Instead Jesus' message and mission was about seeking and saving the lost.

Most of these money-hungry wolves have their covetous eyes fixed and focused on so many worldy things that they can't help themselves. Their goal is to get you to plant your financial "seed" so that they can buy their luxury vehicles, over-priced suits and lavish homes. They typically have no church structure and no one to report to for the sake of godly accountability. They claim that they are accountable to no one but God...and that they will be held. I pray that these pastors repent.

I guess what breaks my heart the most are the awesome, dedicated, Christians who fall into following these wolves. Some of them are "trapped" in one way or another and can't seem to get out. Typically, the leverage of "being helped out by the church" guilts the sheep into staying around.

The biggest guise of this whole movement is that they actually do give some of the money away. You'll hear some of them say, "Well, we gave $10,000 to this cause so they could build water wells in so-and-so country." Sounds good, huh? Yeah, they give $10,000 to a cause while they kept $500,000. Not a bad trade off! I love a statement that Paul Washer said. He said, "You will have to give account not of how much you give away, but how much you keep." How profound!

A random website that I found that hits the nail on the head. Click here.

If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

1 Timothy 6:3-16

Do You Have Your Parachute?

2008-06-14T21:45:00.008-04:00

Last Sunday I read a story about a man that jumped 10,000 feet out of an airplane with just his camera. That's right, no parachute. I couldn't believe it! It turns out that he came up with an interesting way to commit suicide. The follow-up is here if you are not familiar with the news story. Of course, the law of gravity won and he got his wish as he plunged to his death.

This story made me think of the many people out there that deny God exists. If they do believe in "God", they deny that God's Law even exists. They are committing intellectual suicide by saying that there is no God and they are not accountable to the Creator. They are violating their own consciences. They are floating through life saying, "See, there is no God! I can do what I want!" All the while, accountability is there and the Judgment is quickly approaching.

We all have broken God's Law. We have lied, stolen, used God's name in vain, etc. If the Creator, who is good and just, gives us what we deserved, it would be hell...the punishment for breaking God's Law. That's the "Bad News".

The Good News is that God became a man in Jesus Christ and willingly took the punishment that was meant for us. The wrath of God was poured out on His only Son. The wrath that was meant for us. The Bible says that if we repent of our sins and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ then we will be saved and go to heaven.

However, if we do not repent and put our faith and trust in what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross of Calvary, then we are essentially jumping out of the plane without a parachute on. Every single one of us must jump through the door of death one day. Everything we hold dear to us will be snatched away from us in a moment and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. If we fail to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, He will grind us to powder. We will lose our very soul.

I plead with you to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at the Law, see that you have sinned, fling yourself before the mercy of the Judge, repent and trust in the Parachute of redemption provided by Jesus Christ...and never take Him off.

Christian Democrat = Oxymoron

2008-06-05T06:00:00.020-04:00

Okay, someone has to help me understand this one! How can any "Christian" leader say that they are excited about Obama winning the Democratic primary and potentially becoming our next president? Martin Luther King said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Please understand that it's not the color of his skin that is the problem, but the content of his character.

I just read an article by T.D. Jakes, a well-known "Christian" (who I have many doctrinal disagreements with), and he says that he got "goose bumps" upon hearing that Obama secured the Democratic primary nomination. So was he just happy that a person of color made this accomplishment or does he also think that Obama will make a good President? I would hope that Jakes would simply be excited about the progress we have made to look past the color of someone's skin and to who they are as a person. I would definitely be with him on that.

However, Jakes goes on in the article to set a tone that unofficially endorses Obama as a great choice for the President. Jakes says in the article, "...I thank him (Obama) for accepting the torch that was lit by our forefathers and proudly carrying it through the darkness of our struggles, trials and tribulations, bringing light and hope to a new generation..." Huh? I'm not sure I would call abortion and homosexual marriage a "light and hope to a new generation".

How can ANY "Christian" endorse or cast their vote for a candidate with a value system that goes against Biblical teaching? Better yet, how can a presidential candidate claim that they are a Christian and then stand on issues that are blatantly contradictory to obvious Christian doctrine and Biblical stances? "I am a Christian, BUT I think it's okay to kill unborn children. I am a Christian, BUT I think that it is okay for two men to get married." What? This makes absolutely no sense! However, I know the reasoning...

If you are a "Christian" and you put your wallet above God, then you have taken God off the throne and put your wallet in His place. If your wallet is now your god, you will compromise your Christianity for issues like taxes, unions (job security), education, health care, etc. Are these issues important? Of course! However, do they come before Biblical precedents? They shouldn't.
I hear some say, "Well, my Christianity is a separate issue than my political views." Really? Why? Since when can you put your Christianity on the shelf? A "Christian" is who you are, not something that you can take on or off in a moment. Everything that you do in life, every decision that you make should be based upon a Christian, Biblical point of view.

Many "Christians" do not realize it, but when you cast your vote, you are choosing sides. You are saying, "Yes, I believe in what that candidate believes in. Yes, Obama, I will stand with you. I'm coming over to stand with you on abortion and homosexual rights and gay marriages." I would never suppose to put words in God's mouth, but can you just imagine God saying something like, "What in the world are you doing? Why are you siding with someone who stands for everything that I am against?"

I believe every one of us are accountable unto God as to who we cast our vote for. When you pull the lever in November, who's side will you be on?

Surprised On Sunday

2008-06-01T14:00:00.014-04:00

For the past month or so, I have been picking up a young man by the name of Zach on various occasions and we have been going street witnessing with the rest of The Jude 23 Network team. You may recall when I first met Zach at the Flea Market back in April, he had an understanding of Biblical Evangelism, but let me go through the complete Gospel. I made the "assumption" that he was a Christian because that's what he told me. He was attending church and even involved in a Way of the Master evangelism training class.

Over the past couple of months I have been mentoring/discipling Zach specifically in evangelism, but we've talked about general Christianity and other items as well. Zach's a great kid and reminds me of a typical 17-year old young man trying to find his way in life and sort everything out.

I've also been able to give Zach's friend, Miranda, a ride as we have headed out to the streets of Louisville, KY. She's a solid Christian that knows how to Biblically evangelize! She's a great encouragement to me and hopefully to any female who thinks preaching the Gospel is just for men.

Both Zach and Miranda attend the same church and had invited me to attend "Youth Day" at their church. They were both going to be pretty involved and really wanted me to come. Well, you know how that goes. Here's my typical thoughts when someone invites me to their church: "I already attend a church and we go every Sunday." "Would it be okay with my pastor?" "What will my Sunday School teacher think?" "I want to be faithful to my local church."

I knew that this was important to them, so I decided to go. I sent an EMail to both my pastor and Sunday school teacher letting them know the situation. We showed up to Zach and Miranda's church today at 10:30am.

The service started with the youth choir (which Zach and Miranda were part of) singing. It was great. Various other songs and skits followed and then Zach stepped up on the platform with a microphone. Zach began to give his testimony.

Zach began talking about a man who had made an impact upon him in his younger years via the Cub Scouts and also a man who would visit his house weekly and spend time talking about God with him. He then said that he met that same man at the altar of his church when he was about 1o years old. It was a very heartwarming and encouraging testimony. But then the tone changed...

Zach said that he had turned away from the Lord in his early teenage years and began getting involved with the wrong crowd and did not serve the Lord like he once had. He then gave me the biggest shock of my life by saying that he didn't even think he was saved until "I met John Heuglin who witnessed to me and..." I was like WHAT??? My wife and kids were looking over at me and (okay, I'll admit it) I shed some tears. I HAD actually been witnessing to Zach and he did understand the Gospel, but this time crystal clear. Apparently, Zach had went home and did some soul-searching and truly repented before God. Zach continued by saying that only since he had talked with me and was going out witnessing weekly, had he truly been living a Christian life.

Miranda also gave an awesome testimony of how God changed her life and to pray for her as she gets ready to leave for her two-week missionary trip to Belize in Central America. I pray that she goes to Belize as a faithful witness and boldly proclaims, "I am not a tourist."

The highlight of the service for me was when the youth did the skit to the Lifehouse song "Everything". It was awesome! Zach played the character that was luring the young Christian with money. I've included the video here so you can check it out. It's great!

(click on the video at any time
while watching to view it in a larger format)

My family and I left the church that day so encouraged knowing that God is so good and uses us in simple ways to impact the lives of others so that He may be glorified.

Your Religious Shirts Are Offensive

2008-05-28T11:00:00.027-04:00

My wife works part-time a few days a week at a local clothing store during the third shift. Considering the store is closed to customers at this time, store employees can dress casually and the dress code is somewhat lax. My wife typically wears a t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes to work. On occasion she wears a Christian t-shirt. Last night she wore the one displayed at the beginning of this blog to work. She remembers also wearing a t-shirt similar to this design to work.

Her work environment is very secular and hostile in nature. My wife often complains to me about the horrible music that is played while she is working from a portable radio that someone brings in. The music could be describe as sexist and the offensive language used in the songs goes on and on. If the language that is used in the songs would be used between co-workers, there would probably be a sexual harassment suit filed. My wife tells me that almost every employee cusses and blasphemes God's name, including management. My wife has never said anything to anyone and generally keeps to herself.

After coming off of a break last night, my wife noticed this note written by a co-worker named Jacob, stuffed into her time card slot. My wife was taken aback by the note and was initially wondering who would write such a note. It's utterly amazing that someone is not offended by harsh language and sexually explicit lyrics, but their offended by a t-shirt with the name of "Jesus Christ" on it. Well, I guess there is something about THAT name! She decided to speak with her manager.

My wife expressed her concern to her manager and her manager assured her that if another note was written or if she was harassed in any other way, that he would take further action. So how did they know who wrote the note? Good question! The manager actually recognized the handwriting as that of the employee named Jacob.

My wife came home and told me of the incident and told me that she was "being persecuted for being a Christian". I stepped back for a moment and asked her if she really thought that she was being "persecuted". I suppose, in a sense, she was being harassed a bit, but "persecuted"? Not quite. When I read such books as "Foxe's Book of Martyrs", it's really hard to say that any of us in this country (obviously many are being killed for their faith in Christ...even today) are really being persecuted. Yes, we may get some water thrown on us or verbally abused, but not really anything that would fit the definition of "persecution".

I encouraged my wife and told her to hang in there and continue her work as usual and to not be angry or hold a grudge against Jacob. He's simply blind and lost. Who knows? He may just become a Paul one day!

Counseling For Repentance

2008-05-18T18:30:00.005-04:00

Our Sunday School teacher, Ralph, called me earlier today and asked how my student's experience at church. I informed him that he left church halfway through the second song of praise and worship. Boy, was he surprised!

Ironically, my student called me at 3:20pm today and asked if he could meet with me somewhere and talk. I told him just to come on over to my house. I knew that he didn't live too far from me. He was already driving around in his car, so he arrived in about ten minutes.

More to come!

He Shows, Then Fades

2008-05-18T13:30:00.016-04:00

To my surprise, the student I blogged about in my post titled, "David Beaten By Goliath...For Now" actually showed up this morning at my church for Sunday School. He was actually sitting in his car waiting on me! Now I know that I may sound a bit cynical, but if I had a nickel for every person that I invited to church that said that they were going to show up for church I would...(you know, be rich!)

Our Sunday School teach, Ralph Yantz, stayed on the subject matter, but turned it evangelistic for my student's purposes. I really appreciated that from him. David said that he really enjoyed Sunday School and we headed over to the main sanctuary.

I showed my student to a seat, introduced him to my mother and explained that I had to work in the sound booth this morning to advance the slide show for worship. He didn't seem to mind and settled in with his Bible as I walked over to the sound booth.

As the service began, my pastor asked everyone to come up to the front of the church to just come together and worship the Lord. I didn't think too much of this, but then looked over in the direction of my student and my worst nightmare was realized. My student was left standing by himself with no one in 10 feet of him. I could tell by his body language that he was uncomfortable. Halfway into the second worship song, my student walked towards the sound booth with his Bible and asked me if he could talk to me.

I told him that I couldn't talk right now because I had to pay attention to the slides. I asked him what was wrong and he said that he wasn't feeling well. I thought, "Yeah, right. He just feels uncomfortable because he didn't want to go up front." He stood there for a moment and then walked back over to the end of the row. He stood there for a moment and then sat down on the end seat. I was praying to God that he would not leave. That prayer was not answered.

My student came back over to me a few minutes later and said that he wasn't feeling good. I tried to direct him to the bathroom, but he said he wanted to leave. He said,"That's okay, isn't it?" I told him, "Of course it is !" He left and my mind began to race.

"Why was he leaving? Why did the pastor have to start the service that way? Doesn't he know that we might have visitors in the house and that calling everyone to the front might make them feel uncomfortable and out of place?"

The question: "Should church be for the Believer or for the non-Believer?" "Should we change our services to accommodate those in our church that are not Believers so that we do not offend them?"

The answer: At least my answer anyways...NO! The weekly assembly should not be about worshiping God, celebrating our freedom of living under grace and not the Law, the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope that we have in Christ. I'm sure I left something out, but you get the idea. I think this is an area where many churches go wrong. They begin to design church around the Unbeliever verses the Believer. Don't get me wrong, we should have an altar call for those that may come to church, but the overwhelming majority of the people that are in our churches on Sunday morning are Believers.

I know many so-called "Pentecostal" churches that frown upon speaking in tongues on Sunday mornings because they don't want to "scare away" the non-Believer. Preposterous! Take a look at what 1 Corinthians 14:22-25 says. Notice that if "...the church comes together and an outsider/unbeliever enters..." Are "outsiders" welcome? Of course! But should the church service be designed for the outsider? Of course not!

The key here is balance. At our church, we unabashedly, unashamedly lift up the name of Jesus Christ and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth regardless of any "visitors". Everything is done in order and is Biblical, of course. There is no holding back from what God has for the congregation at that time. On the other side, visitors are greeted, welcomed and my pastor always provides the opportunity for a "call to repentance" at the end of each service just in case there is someone amongst the assembly that has not repented and put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Bottom line: We should not allow visitors to our church to hold us captive for the sake of being culturally relevant while possibly compromising authentic praise, worship, preaching, teaching or having the tendency to shy away from Biblically accurate signs and wonders.

I know that I kind of went off on a tangent there about who the church service should look to please (God or man?), but it was an issue that I had to sort out. Before I went off on this tangent I was talking about how my student had left. I guess there's no more to say on that subject.

David Beaten By Goliath...For Now

2008-05-15T22:45:00.004-04:00

Another one of my students in my night class seemed to be at a spiritual breaking point. He came to me prior to class and explained that he was depressed and felt guilt about his life. His guilt was not random. Over the course of the entire quarter, we have discussed various things about Christianity, God, the cross, Jesus, the Bible, etc. My students have asked me various questions and I have answered Biblically, but have always included the Gospel along with my responses.

This student was not one that was a stranger to God, he knew the truth and had said "the prayer" before. He continued to ask questions and an outsider may have thought he was "seeking" after God. However, the only "seeking" that he was doing was seeking to justify his failure to repent and put his faith and trust in Christ. We must remember Romans 3:11.

I assured him that going through depression is a normal thing and there were many people in the Bible that experienced depression, even to the point of wanting to die. The student further revealed to me that he was taking anti-depressant medication, but was drinking very heavily just a few days ago. I warned him about the dangers of drinking while taking medication.

After class, he approached me and told me that he wanted to make a change in his life and that he wanted to go to church. I explained to him that he should go to church, but what he really needed to do was repent before the Lord first. I took him through the Law and he expressed that he absolutely knew that he was guilty before God and needed to get right. However, he would not do it. I told him to please think about what we talked about because it was so important. I printed out directions to my church and told him to meet me for Sunday School at 9:30am. I'll be honest. I didn't think he would show up....I'll create another post to let you know what happened.

Preaching Emily

2008-05-14T15:30:00.008-04:00

Today my daughter, Emily, preached a message on Acts 26:24-29 during her school's chapel service today. She did not want me to go because she said that she was already nervous and me going would make her even more nervous!

I wanted to honor her wishes, BUT I sat down and spoke with her after she got home to find out how everything went. I've included the audio below:

Enjoy!

Hope For Every Man?

2008-05-12T14:00:00.006-04:00

I was driving in my car this afternoon and heard the song "Every Man", by the Christian group, Casting Crowns. The song is one of their latest releases. I've embedded a YouTube video here, not necessarily for the video, but so you can listen to the song.

What do you think about the song? I mean, not just if you like the rythm or beat, but what do you think about the song theologically? What you think about the song theologically will be very telling.

I think the he song is great, but as the song finished this thought popped into my head: "Man, that's a great song! Who wouldn't love that song? A Calvinist, that's who! This song would have Calvinists barely avoiding a driving accident while trying to hit another preset button on their car stereo to change the frequency."

Calvinism...huh? If you are unfamiliar with Calvinism, it might be good to do a bit of research on the subject matter. In a nutshell, Calvinist do not believe that Jesus Christ died to bring hope for Every Man, as the song states. No Calvinists could sing along with that song without violating their conscious. They believe that Jesus did not die on the cross for the hope of every man, but only for a select few. Proof-texters should beware that this erroneous assumption contradicts the very nature of God and skews the overall teaching of the Bible.

I believe that Jesus did die to bring hope to every man, but many will and have rejected the hope offered. What are your thoughts?

I Forgot My Cell Phone

2008-04-18T05:39:00.010-04:00

A few minutes ago, I was in a deep sleep. Suddenly, I was awakened by my bed moving and shaking. I heard the windows in my bedroom creak. I was sure that a tornado must have touched down near my home. I threw the covers off and, in true Marine Corps fashion, belted out the command: "Get up and get downstairs!" I hurriedly moved out of my bedroom and towards the hallway.

My youngest daughter was already startled, which was good. I told her to quickly move downstairs into the pantry in our basement. I entered my oldest daughter's room and she was sound asleep. I immediately grabbed her and put her on her feet and gave her the same instructions.

I followed her out of her bedroom and noticed my youngest daughter grabbing our dog and heading downstairs. Both of my children were on their way down into the basement. I lingered in the kitchen only long enough to grab both our house phone and my cell phone. I quickly proceeded down the stairs.

I walked into the main basement area to grab some blankets and pillows, but could not immediatlely find any. I stopped and listened for a moment. Silence. This prompted me to go back upstairs and look out the kitchen window. No rain. I walked towards the back of the house and peered out the window to view the trees. No wind.

The thought that someone might have been trying to open my bedroom window flashed across my mind, but that didn't explain the bed shaking.

I whirled around and turned on the television only to find a visibly shaken weather reporter begin to talk about the earthquake that just happened. Shocked myself, I yelled for the girls to come back upstairs. I explained the events that just took place to them and told them to go back to bed. My youngest daughter grabbed her pillow and crawled in bed with me and we fell asleep.

On my way to work this morning, I realized that I had forgotten my cell phone. You guessed it, I left it in the basement. I guess earthquakes that measure 5.2 on the Richter will do that to you!

The Human Suit

2008-04-09T07:00:00.018-04:00

On Friday, March 14, 2008, I published a blog titled "Judas Died For Your Sins" as a controversial title to address the issue of Islam's belief that Judas somehow shape-shifted into Jesus and died in His place. Wacky, huh? Interestingly enough, someone (they posted as Anonymous) left a comment. I decided it was a great comment and wanted to turn the comment into a main blog title. So, here it is!

This is the original comment, grammatical and capitalization errors and all: "If jesus was god in the flesh. How could he die ? to save humanity from the wrath of himself? just curious please comment back"

I'm not sure when the comment was made because the comment only had a time stamp and not a date stamp. I hope that I have answered in a timely fashion. I also pray that "anonymous" is truly desiring to learn the truth and not just attempting to play "stump-the-chump".

This question opens a huge can of theological worms and can, at first, seem very perplexing. It may even allow some Atheists (who typically pose questions like these) to think that they have caught the Bible in some sort of quagmire. I do not consider myself a theologian, although I have studied a great deal.

For me, this question easily falls into a category with many supernatural, mind-blowing situations like:

Genesis 1:26 - God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." WHAT?
The virgin birth - How was God in the flesh in Mary's womb and still on the throne? Um, wait...how is a virgin birth even possible. HUH!?!
Jesus' baptism - How was the Son baptized, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and God says from above, "This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased?" Yikes!
Jesus' resurrection - Paul said that the Father would raise Jesus. Jesus said that He would raise his own body and Paul later says that through the Holy Spirit, God raised up Christ from the dead. But then Paul really says something unusual in Acts 17:30-31, when he proclaims that God raised Christ from the dead.

I'm not dodging the question here, but simply laying the groundwork to answer the question the best way my theologically incompetent mind can answer it. Do you notice what all of the above bullet points allude to? Yes, the doctrine of the Trinity. A word never mentioned in the Bible, but pointed out over and over again in the Scriptures. A doctrine that many would say is fundamental and deem a necissity in order to lay claim to true Christianity.

The Trinity is still a great mystery to me (and to anyone else who's honest) and I must admit that it is hard for me to wrap my mind around the concept. However, that doesn't change the fact that the Bible clearly supports it...even if I can't wrap it up in a nice comprehensive package and put a "logical bow" on top.

To get back to the focus of the original question, yes, Jesus did in fact die on the cross. He did not simply faint, but he actually died. Jesus was 100% man and 100% human. This is sometimes referred to by many theologians as the "hypostatic union". NOTE: The table provided at the link provides the Scriptures to validate both the human and divine nature of Jesus so that you see that this is not simply based upon opinion, but upon Scripture.

My simple answer is that Jesus, in human form died, but his divinity did not. God is immutable (absolute and unchangeable) and omnipresent (everywhere present). I think it all ties back to the Trinity and the human and divine nature of Jesus.

Here's a paragraph taken from the CARM website:

"It is true that God cannot die. It is also true that man can die. But we see that Jesus has two natures, not one. It was the human part of Jesus that died on the cross, not the divine. But, because He is both God and man in one person, and because He was sinless, His sacrifice is sufficient to cover the sins of the world." (source)

I hope that my attempt to answer the question was sufficient, but pray that you examine the Scriptures and then examine yourself. Are you a good person? Thanks for giving me the opportunity to provide an answer!

Judas Died For Your Sins

2008-03-14T06:30:00.005-04:00

Whoa! Huh? Yikes! Well, no Judas didn't die for our sins, but Jesus Christ did. The perfect, sinless, God-in-the-flesh, One willingly layed his life down for this world.

Unfortunately, Islam doesn't believe that. And in a feeble attempt to ease tensions between Christianity and Islam, a film-maker has made a huge mistake by claiming that Jesus was taken into heaven and Judas actually morphed into Jesus and was then crucified on the cross. The film is called "The Messiah". He's even provided two endings: one that's Koran-based and another Christian.

In an interview, the film-maker claims that no Christian who has watched the Koran-based ending was offended. My question: Why not?

We should reject this crazy rendition because it's just not Biblical. We should be able to press the Staples "That Was Easy" button and be done with it. But wait a minute. Are there or could there be believers out there who think that Judas could have died on the cross and we would still be saved? I hope not!

Jesus Christ HAD to be the One who died on the cross. A perfect, spotless lamb is the only kind that would do for God to make payment for the sins of this world. Judas was a sinful, wretched man just like the rest of us.

Jesus on the cross, and not Judas, was part of God's ultimate plan to save humanity from the wrath of God. Only those who repent of their sins and place their faith in the one who died on the cross for them will be saved. And that is Jesus Christ.

Jesus not only physically died on the cross, but he physically rose from the grave and physically ascended to heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father and will soon return. Jesus was not just a prophet or a good man, but He was God in the flesh. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. ~Acts 4:12

Communion and a Song

2008-03-13T11:00:00.014-04:00

Today I had the privilege of sharing communion with a couple that do not get a chance to go to church, or for that matter, get out much at all.

As part of my Kentucky School Of Ministry (KSOM) internship training, I have been meeting with my pastor on Thursday mornings. Our intent today was to go to Pastor Hans and Suzanna Steyn's home and share communion with them at 10:00am. Unfortunately, my pastor has been very ill and asked if I would go it alone.

At first I thought it would not be no problem considering that I had led the sharing of communion with my family and in a small setting before. However, this was a retired pastor with the Assemblies of God. A man who has served God and communion for years. Who was I to go serve him communion!?!?

As I prayed this morning before going, God put my fears at ease letting me know that I was simply going to serve and fellowship. This was not about ordinances and perfunctory prayers, but fellowship and remembrance.

I left my house at 9:30am and arrived at Pastor Steyn's house just before 10:00am. I rang his room and he let me in the building. I boarded the elevator and traveled up to his third floor condominium. Please keep in mind that I had never met this couple before. Regardless of that fact, he greeted me at the door and welcomed me in with a smile.

We moved into the living room area where I met his wife, Suzanna. I sat down and we conversed back and forth just to get to know one another. He told me, with his South African accent, of many of his experiences in South Africa and in the United States. We talked for at least thirty minutes and decided to share in communion.

I picked up the Bible that I had brought with me and opened it up to 1 Corinthians 11. I explained that I felt uncomfortable reading to him, as a pastor, but that it's always good to read from God's word. I read verses 23-26.

Afterwards, I told him that I was going to pray regarding the bread and I asked if he would pray in remembrance of the blood after I finished. He obliged. I peeled back the first plastic layer covering the small wafer and handed it to Suzanna. I sat down and prayed. After I finished praying, I picked up the small plastic cup and peeled back the foil layer and placed it in Suzanna's hand. Pastor Steyn began to pray.

He prayed a wonderful prayer and it truly blessed me. What he did next delighted me even more. He began to sing:

It's the power in the cleansing blood,
It's the power in the cleansing blood,

It avails! It avails!
For me, yes, for me

It's the power in the cleansing blood,
It's the power in the cleansing blood,

It avails! It avails!
For you and for me

We sat there for just a few minutes in the presence of the Lord. I gathered up the plastic and foil and thanked them multiple times for allowing me to share in communion with them.

Pastor Steyn showed me out. As I made my way back downstairs and to my car, I considered what a great privilege it was to share in fellowship and communion with this wonderful couple who have followed and served the Lord since their teenage years!

Listen in on the communion and Pastor singing:

Sheep Shifting

2008-03-12T06:30:00.005-04:00

Click on the image to see a larger version. When you do, give a hard stare to the "+" in the center of the circle. You will begin to notice that the purple dots will eventually begin to disappear one-by-one and eventually disappear altogether. If you blink, they might reappear. Hold it, hold it...okay one-by-one, they're gone again. Okay, they're back!

The vision of a typical church: "boost church attendance next month by 100 people". The advertising campaign begins, the flyers are sent out, phone calls are made. Lights, camera...no evangelistic action, BUT the goal is reached. But how?

One might call it "sheep-shifting". It's typically one of two things.

People who have been saved or have had some prior relationship with a church, but do not consistently attend a church decide to come for a time -OR-
Christians from one church "shift" to the other.

How can I arrive at such a conclusion? Well, if there is no evangelistic outreach to reach those that are lost, what else can it be? The illusion here is that the church is growing by leaps and bounds with new people, when in reality they're not "new" at all to Christianity, just that church. It seems to be the church with the latest "buzz-factor" or event wins the swaying crowd...for now, anyways.

Until we, as a church, go beyond the church walls and decide to stop waiting for unbelievers to come to us, "sheep-shifting" is what we can expect. And let me tell you, that drives me about as crazy as that wacky optical illusion.

The Big Give

2008-03-09T21:30:00.002-04:00

While I was unpacking our gear from my car from this weekend's Flea Market, I noticed that my wife had turned the television on and happened upon a new show by Oprah Winfrey called "The Big Give". From what I could gather, Oprah was giving each person money and they were to go out and help someone in need. I watched the show for about the first 20 minutes or so and made two observations:

People can be nice, genuinely care about people and help people out using finances to resolve temporary situations. People can be happy, shed tears and even feel "blessed".

Most of the contestants were just going out to the streets and striking up conversations with people at random. For example, one of the contestants, Carlana, struck up a conversation with a stranger, got to know him for a few minutes and then told him that she was going to financially help him out.

First, let me say that I think this is awesome. I guess what it made think of is the "church". How often do we have our own "Big Gives" where we hand out clothes, serve food, give out 2-liters of soda, hand runners in local parks bottles of water, etc? We do many of these things and call them "evangelistic outreaches". But are they really? If we are giving goods and services and not giving the Gospel along with the material items, are we being evangelistic? I say no. If we do not share the Gospel with the people we are helping, we are no different than "The Big Give", Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.

Second, we say that we cannot just go approach a total stranger on the street. Really? Most of these people did. If they will do it for Oprah can you approach a stranger and strike up a sane conversation with them for Christ? Of course you can! Simply trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to help you and be bold for Christ. See Acts 1:8.

Finally, we must, MUST help people out not only with material needs, but with the greatest need that people have and that is the need for reconciliation with their Creator. Let us go to those that we know and do not know personally and serve, give, but as we go, let us share the wonderful message of the cross.

Taking The Gospel Around YOUR World

2008-03-06T21:00:00.012-05:00

Oh, what a privilege it is to be able to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world! But, wait a minute...why should you be excited about taking the Gospel to the other side of THE world if you are not taking the Gospel to YOUR world?

I have always found this amazing, especially with youth groups who begin fund-raising drives to "take the Gospel around the world". The irony here is that those youth are not actively sharing the Gospel with anyone around them or are not making an active effort to be a witness wherever they go. Yet, strangely enough, they are all of the sudden ready to go on "mission" for Jesus. Something's wrong with this picture.

A couple of years ago a relative of mine went on a missions trip to another country. They were telling me about the beautiful scenery and how unique the customs and food of the country were. They mentioned how they were talking with the children and the interaction that they had. I then proceeded to ask them how many people they shared the Gospel with while they were on "mission". The sheepish response was, "well, no one really." Huh?!? The reality? Thousands of dollars was raised, financial sacrifices were made to send this person on a pseudo-vacation.

Now is this true for every person that goes on a mission trip? Of course not! However, I see many, many Christians who don't share their faith regularly and most couldn't Biblically share the Gospel if they had to. No one's ever trained them or they've never taken the time to get equipped.

Regardless, the letters are sent out, the monies are raised and they are eventually sent over to a country and linked up with an organization that is actually doing missionary work. They might hand out some clothes, crayons and cupie dolls and be forced out of their "lifestyle comfort zone" for a period of time.

At the end of the day, the American youth group member got a chance to go to an exotic destination, experience the culture and say that they went on "mission". Unfortunately, if you asked that same person to go on "mission" to the streets of their local city to share the Gospel in their "Jerusalem", they would probably look at you like you were crazy for even asking.

Hey, Jerusalem first, then branch out to Judea, then Samaria, then to the ends of the earth. Go into strict training, get equipped, share your faith where you live and THEN take the Gospel to the other side of the world.

Visit IAmNotATourist.org for more information.

Righteousness or Life Enhancement?

2008-03-04T14:00:00.006-05:00

Take a look around most churches today and you will find that not everything is as rosy as many of the "health, wealth, name-it-and-claim it" false teachers would have you believe. We live in a fallen world and life just isn't going to always be peachy...even for the Christian. Unfortunatetly, even with this reality, many are still using "life enhancement" as the hook to get people "walk the aisle" instead of preaching a Biblical message of repentance.

Some are preaching that one should come to Jesus so that they can receive the "joy, love, peace, contentment, fulfillment and everlasting happiness" that Christianity brings. The altar call may go something like this, "Friend, if you are down and out and are looking for true happiness, look no further. If you want the peace that only Jesus can provide, just raise your hand and you can recieve it right now. All you have to do is just reach out."

This sounds great, but it's just not Biblical! You will not find anyone in the Bible, including Jesus, preaching this type of message. The kind of peace that sinners need with the Lord is not the kind that allows them to have restful night's sleep, but a kind of peace that literally "brings peace" or reconciliation between them and God. That Peace-Maker is Jesus. Think about it, should sinners come to Jesus for joy or righteousness? Should they come for contentment or in contrition? For fulfillment or fear of the Lord? Happiness or humbleness? Remember, it won't matter how happy, joyful, healthy or wealthy someone is on the Day of Judgment without the blood of Jesus Christ covering them.

Are things like joy and peace legitmate fruits of salvation? Of course! But we should not be using them as draw cards for salvation. If we do, people will look around at the state of the church in a fallen world and say, "Wait a minute, I was promised joy, peace, contentment and happiness and all I'm getting are trials, tribulation and persecution!?"

We must be honest with people and give them a true understanding of the Gospel. Jesus never said that this walk would be easy, but He did say that He would be with us every step. Once people are faced with the Law and realize that they have sinned against a holy God, then they will repent and put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. At that point they can have, as Paul said he had "peace in believing".

Showing A House Like Follow Up?

2008-03-02T16:00:00.005-05:00

I spoke with my father on the phone today, who actually happens to also be a real estate broker representing me in selling my home. As you may have read in previous posts, there was a family who looked at our home last Wednesday. My dad said that there was nothing about my house that they didn't like, spent 45 minutes to an hour looking around and were grinning ear-to-ear when they left.

The next day, my father called me and asked me if they could get back in and look at the house again. This was a good sign and, of course, I said, "sure!" At 6:00pm the man and his father arrived to walk through the house. They left after about 45 minutes.

Unfortunately, we have not heard anything from them since Thursday. My father said that he was going to call and "follow up" with them on Monday or Tuesday. I told him not to worry about. HUH?!? I explained to my father that if they were truly interested they would call him. They had seen the house a couple of times, knew the price, knew the location and all of the details and if they were truly interested in buying the house then they knew how to get in contact with him.

After I got off the phone with my father, I started thinking, "You know, this is a lot like someone that you witness to that understands the Gospel, has a realization of their condition before God, knows where your church is and has been given some sort of contact information (phone/email) and maybe have even 'prayed a prayer'. If they are truly 'interested', they know how to contact someone."

Yes, the good ol' "follow up" program where we spend lots of time trying to chase people down to become Christians. "Um, have you had a chance to read your Bible? Do you think you can make it to church next Sunday? Could you possibly set aside a few minutes today to spend some time with the Lord?"

Folks, if God has drawn/"called" them or is drawing/"calling them and they are obedient to the "call", we will not have to chase or drag them into church. We won't have to "follow them up" to make sure they're "interested". If they need more information then they know how to get in touch with a physical person. If they want to "repent and believe" and get in touch with the One who can save them, He is just a prayer away.

Bottom line..."Do we still believe in the transforming power and work of the Holy Spirit in people's lives or not?"

Russian Roulette

2008-03-01T22:00:00.003-05:00

Have you ever had the opportunity to share the Gospel with someone and then they die later without being saved? I recently had this happen.

A few years back I visited my wife's uncle in the hospital. He was dying of lung cancer and only had a short time to live. I immediately began to explain to him the importance of, not this life, but the next. During my first visit, he was not receptive, but with time and the grace of God, he finally listened. I prayed with him and he repented. He died a few days later. Only God knows his sincerity of his prayer that day.

Many of the relatives came down to Louisville from Chicago for the funeral. I had the chance to witness to many of them in the past and was given another at the funeral. Minutes before the funeral began, my mother-in-law asked me to say a few words during the funeral. After the service started, the Catholic priest called me to the front.

I began to speak about my talks with him in the hospital room and his eventual repentance and faith in God. I then began to talk about the reality of death and that it could be any of us any day. I expounded upon God's Law and the guilt of all humanity and the need for repentance. I urged them to please heed my warning.

Afterwards, at my wife's grandmother's house I overheard a few barbed comments in regards to my statements at the funeral. I didn't let it bother me because these things obviously come with the territory. I talked further with one of my wife's cousins, Adam. He wasn't very receptive to the Gospel, but I decided to come at another angle (after sharing the Gospel, of course). He mentioned earlier that he liked rap music. I decided to make him a Christian rap mix CD for him to listen to on the drive back up to Chicago. I spoke with him a few weeks later on the phone. He said that he enjoyed the CD, but was still skirting the whole topic of Christianity when I brought it up.

Again, that was a few years ago...

This evening I went to the mall with my family and mother-in-law, Judy after doing some door-to-door witnessing with the some of the team of The Jude 23 Network. After parking the car, we walked across the main intersection and headed towards the mall entrance. I noticed five or six 16-20 year olds standing on the curb in front of the mall entrance. I quickly handed all of them a tract and headed on into the mall. On the way in, I heard a faint sound of a mobile phone ringing and looked over my shoulder to notice that Judy had answered her phone. She did not come in the mall, but stood on the sidewalk near the front entrance.

My wife asked me where Judy was and I told her that she had gotten a phone call and was still outside. My wife went out to check on her. The phone call was from Chicago.

The incident was related to me like this: Adam had gotten drunk. He gotten a weapon out and was playing "Russian Roulette" about three o'clock in the morning. He shot himself in the head. The round entered behind his left ear and exited through an eye socket. He died a few hours later leaving a girlfriend and four-year old daughter behind. Yes, he went forward...into eternity to stand before the Creator of the heavens and earth.

Suffer The Witch - Update

2008-02-28T22:00:00.001-05:00

Some of you may be wondering how it's going with my article on Exodus 22:18. Well, I'm still writing. I've been pretty busy lately and haven't been able to devote as much time to it, but it's coming along!

I'll keep you posted...

"Suffer The Witch - Part I"

House Showing...Again!

2008-02-28T19:00:00.003-05:00

Well, the same people that looked at our house yesterday came back to look again. Well, not everyone...the young man didn't bring his wife and child, but brought his dad along to look our house over.

They arrived about 5:45pm and spent about an hour in the house and asked lots of questions. I think that everything went well and hope that this will be the couple that buys our house.

I'll keep you updated!

Pastors Just Work On Sundays and Wednesdays?

2008-02-28T14:30:00.014-05:00

As a continuing process for my internship/mentor program for the KSOM, I met my pastor at our church this morning at 8:30am. I thought that he was just going to speak with me for thirty minutes or so and then I would head back home. Wrong! Pastor asked me what I had going on until around 2:00pm. I said, "oh, nothing." So he said I could just hang out with him and shadow him to get a taste of what he does on a typical day. For fun, I decided to log everything that happened for the day. Our day was packed...take a look!

9:00am
*Pastor worked with Melissa (church secretary) on the Capital Campaign materials for the P.I.E. meetings. He wanted .PDFs of building blueprints/sketches and brochures to hand out at the meeting.

9:10am
*Pastor was on the phone with Eric to come over to the church and fix a leaky sink.
*Pastor asked Melissa to print out driving directions to David and Bea's house at 372 Winton Ave
*Pastor called a shut-in, Hans Steyn, to setup a visitation and communion for next Thursday at 10:00am. He also prayed with him over the phone.

9:15am
*Pastor called and left a voice message for Eric and Emily.
*Pastor called David and Bea to check up on them and ask if it would be okay to stop by and visit with them at 10:00am.

9:20am
*Pastor called and spoke with Faye (and Jerry) to let them know he was thinking of them, praying for them and seeing if they needed anything.

9:25am
*Pastor shares with me the new book from NavPress that they are using in the "New Beginnings" discipleship class, "Growing In Christ".
*Pastor makes a quick glance at the PDF printouts Melissa provided and puts them in order before we head out the door.

9:30am
*Pastor and I get in his car and head toward David and Bea's house.

10:00am
*We finally arrive at David and Bea's house!
*I learn that David and Bea were among the 25 charter members at Trinity Chapel in August 1965.
*They both have been serving the Lord since an early age.

10:35am
*As we pray and are about to leave David and Bea's house, Pastor asks a cabinetry worker in their house if he "knows the Lord". The worker responds that he does and attends Southeast Christian.
*Pastor and I get in his car and head to Baptist East hospital to visit with John Welch.

11:00am
*Pastor and I arrived at Baptist East and went to John's room (405).
*We prayed for John and his heart problems as well as for his wife, Dorothy.
*When Pastor asked him if there was anything else he could do for him, John said that there was nothing more important that one man could do for another than prayer.

11:10am
*Pastor and I left the hospital to head to Jewish hospital to visit Eric Layman in rom 518.

11:45am
*Pastor and I arrived at Eric's room only to find that he was being released after getting medical attention for a stroke...at age 33!

12:30pm
*Pastor and I prayed with Eric and his mother and father and left the hospital to grab some lunch.

12:40pm
*Pastor and I arrived at "Another Place Sandwich Shop" in downtown Louisville.
*Pastor had the Reuben and I had a meatball sub.

1:20pm
*We left "Another Place" to head back to the church.
*Pastor spent time on the way back checking his voice mails and calling in to check in at the church.

1:40pm
*We arrived at the church and I headed home!

If anyone thinks that a pastor just sits around with his feet propped up and just works for a couple of hours on Sunday and Wednesday should definitely hang out with a pastor for a couple of hours to find out the truth!

Showed Our House Tonight

2008-02-27T19:00:00.004-05:00

As many of you may already know, we have been trying to sell our house now since last fall in an effort to financially prepare for future full-time ministry. We have shown the house around 4 or 5 times since it has been on the market. This evening my dad, who is the listing broker, showed the house at 6:00pm.

We've been praying for the house to sell and we know that it will. As my dad has said, "they always do!" Of course, with this crazy housing market, who knows...besides God? We hope to hear something in the next few days.

Want to buy my house?

Funeral Visit

2008-02-27T14:30:00.008-05:00

As part of my KSOM internship I had to interview a funeral director to find out some basics of the funeral home "experience". I had the privilege of sitting down and speaking with Lee McCorkle with Heady funeral home on Dixie Hwy today from about 1:00pm to 2:15pm. Some of the questions I asked Lee were:

What is the process that a family member goes through after they have lost their loved one at the funeral home?
What is expected of the presiding pastor?
What trends do you see for services in this post-Christian era we now live in?

I asked Lee many other questions and he freely expounded and offered additional information and advice. He allowed me to record the entire interview and I am working on editing (for time and content considering that we had a lot of small talk) and posting it here. I'll post it here soon.

In addition, I had the opportunity to witness or some might say "clarify" the Gospel for Mr. McCorkle. By the time I left the funeral home, there was no doubt that he had a complete Biblical understanding of the Gospel!

Should Altar Calls be given at the close of each service?

2008-02-18T18:30:00.004-05:00

Question originally posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:23 pm
(The AG Message Board was hacked so it was shut down, so I posted it here.)

Tell me what you think. There is an increasing number of ministers who do not give altar calls or call their people to a time of reflective response at the close of the services. There's also a trend of not having people walk to the altar to/for prayer, but rather simply raise their hand if they want to acknowledge something the pastor has requested. This approach, while seemingly respectful, and I've used it myself many times, does offer a few set backs, as well. (I'm not sure it's substantiated as a biblical pattern for salvation. I'm quite sure it decreases the opportunity for ever actually getting the person's name/follow up information. I'm questionably sure it may even shallow the focused level of commitment on the part of the person who may raise their hand. Somehow, a public confession at an altar does bring one to a legitimatly more choiced commitment. What's your thoughts?

Thanks,

Pastor Joe Girdler

My Response to Pastor Girdler's question I posted Feb 18, 2008:

A call to repentance should be given at some point during each service. It only takes a few minutes to Biblically explain the Gospel. Unfortunately, most of the "altar calls" that are given today do not present a clear understanding of the Gospel and leave the "sinner" unsure exactly what it is that they are doing when they walk forward and fill out a "decision card". Too often, we use cliche's that are not Biblical like "if you want to accept Jesus" or "if you want to ask Jesus into your heart". A number of years ago I was present when a pastor asked if there was anyone in the room that wanted to "join Team Jesus" during a sports-themed message. YIKES!! Just what exactly does that mean? For that matter, what do any of these cliche's mean!?! I really think that the "church" as a whole, regardless of denomination, needs to get back to calling people to Biblical repentance and presenting a clear understanding of the Gospel to the lost. "So, John, just what is a simple, clear, Biblical presentation of the Gospel" you might ask? Well, I'm glad you did! Click here for the answer. Obviously, this is an example and can be tailored as long as the Law is used to prepare a sinner's heart for grace. Jesus, without exception was always "Law to the proud and grace to the humble." I thank God for the many pastors out there (like mine) that give a clear understanding of the lost state of an individual using the Law as Jesus, Peter, Paul, Stephen, etc. did...leaving a person with no hope. And then revealing the magnificent love, grace and mercy of the cross and payment for sin. If a sinner does not understand that he has sinned, how can he repent? If he doesn't understand his hopeless state, just how "amazing" will God's grace be? Oh! One more thing...the whole "raise your hand thing" to signal that you want to be saved, um, I don't really care for, but it's just my personal opinion. (Althouth I can't find a Biblical model for it!) My thoughts are this...if someone won't take a bold stand for Christ around other Christians inside a church building, then they will not take a stand outside the church building where the world will hate them because of Him. We're asking peple to be sheepish when it comes to salvation and then be bold and faithful witnesses the next day! When I have had the opportunity to preach in the past I explain the Gospel and say this, "With every eye open, every head raised and everyone looking around, if you realize your need for the Savior and you are ready to repent and receive the grace, love and mercy that Christ offers you this day, stand up on your feet and come down to the front and cry out to God." Once they are finished praying (notice no "sinner's prayer") I or someone else will pray with them, not for salvation, but for God's guidance, will, etc. Obviously at this point they need to get involved in some sort of "New Believers" class to begin their discipleship.

John Heuglin
How To Botch An Altar Call
Galatians 1:10

Suffer The Witch - Part II

2008-02-06T22:00:00.002-05:00

The student came in my class tonight and handed me a couple of sheets of paper with about every version of Exodus 22:18 out there! I guess the intention was that I could pass this off as a version issue and what the Bible said was very plain.

I agreed and told him that I was currently composing an article regarding the matter and would let him know when I was finished. I also took the opportunity to give him a copy of Ray Comfort's book "How To Know God Exists". He thanked me for the book and said that he would read it.

Suffer The Witch - Part I

2008-02-05T22:00:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday, February 5th, I had let my students take a break and I was outside with them as they were discussing random topics. One student began to talk about "The Lord of the Rings" and that somehow segued into talking about Harry Potter. A comment was made about the Christian controversy regarding the book/movie series. I made mention that Christians simply abstain from Harry Potter and the like because of Deuteronomy 18:10-12 and Galatians 5.

That led to another student mentioning that the Bible also states that you should not "suffer a witch to live" and that you should cook food over human feces. I explained to the student that those were very interesting claims, but I could not recall anything like that in the Bible! I told him that I would have to look those up and back to him.

I went back into the classroom and did a Google search for the "suffer a witch" verse. I found it...Exodus 22:18. Hmmm, how was I going to explain this one? I was determined to do the research and get an answer back to the student.

After I dismissed class tonight we talked a bit further. I mentioned that these types of questions typically come from Atheists who are simply trying to refute the Bible. He said that he was, in fact, an Atheist and had been for about 11 or 12 years. He said that he had a Catholic background, but "converted" to Atheism because he began to doubt when he could not provide answers to questions some of his friends asked him.

He said that he was really into science and had studied different religions in depth and read a lot. We did a bit of "verbal sparring" (amicably, I might add) for about 20 minutes or so. I asked him if had ever heard of "Way of the Master" and Ray Comfort. He said that he had and had watched the national debate that Ray and Kirk had with the Rational Response Squad. I asked him if he took the "Blasphemy Challenge". He said that he had and even took the pleasure of repeating it for me.

Although our conversation was a bit tense it was very good. What better place to exchange different and diverse points of view than a college campus?

We'll see how it goes on the research!

"XMAS" - Who put the "X" in CHRISTmas?

2006-12-04T13:00:00.002-05:00

The most important part of the word CHRISTmas is CHRIST. However, the common trend is to take the CHRIST out of CHRISTMAS everywhere I turn. Even verbally! “Happy Holidays” No, how about, “Merry CHRISTmas!” Okay, I'm sure you've figured out by now that seeing "XMAS" on billboards, restaurant signage, ads or any other place thoroughly irritates me. My initial reaction is, "I can't believe that CHRIST has been taken out of CHRISTmas!" Oh...I know what some of you scholarly theologian types are thinking, “Well, John, the "X" is actually a Greek abbreviation. The word for Christ in Greek is Xristos. During the 16th century, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ's name, "X" in place of the word Christ in Christmas as a shorthand form of the word. Although the early Christians understood that X stood for Christ's name, later Christians (like you, John) who did not understand the Greek language mistook "Xmas" as a sign of disrespect." Blah! Blah! Blah! Look, there are many that are attempting to take God (CHRIST is God in the flesh) out of every component of our society. And considering that our society was founded on Christianity, I don’t really want to passively roll over on another item. “But, John, what if there wasn’t enough room for CHRIST on the document/billboard?” Not my problem. You’d better make room. Wait, I could do a whole sermon on this! “No room for Christ on the flyer, no room in the inn. No room for Christ on the billboard, no room in my life.” I encourage you not abbreviate CHRISTmas this year or ever again. Take a few moments to write out the most important part of CHRISTmas…CHRIST. Let’s keep CHRIST in CHRISTmas! One more thing…try verbally emphasizing the “CHRIST” in CHRISTmas. For example, when you tell someone, “Merry CHRISTmas”, say it with a long “I” sound. This places the emphasis on CHRIST and may be an open door to sharing your faith with someone.

The "Country-Christian" Deception

2006-11-08T13:15:00.002-05:00

I decided to blog about this because I'm tired of hearing about secular country music and how "great" that it is because the artists will sometimes inject a Christian-themed song into their album. From a Christian's perspective, it's always amazing to me to see so many "Christians" caught up in the world of worldly music. What really got the ball rolling for me was Faith Hill's reaction to Carrie Underwood during the recent Country Music Awards (CMA) after Carrie beat her out on "Best Female Vocalist" all over the news. I wonder how many Christians were glued to the TV that Monday? I did remember Carrie Underwood's song, "Jesus Take The Wheel" and thought, "That's great! A Christian artist coming out on top!" Wait a minute...Is Carrie Underwood a Christian artist? I decided to do a little research. I visited her website to see if she made mention of God or Jesus or gave her testimony as you would surmise a Christian artist would do. Sorry, no mention...I guess the outfit she was wearing with the plunging neckline on the front page of her website should have been my clue. In addition, her new "hit" song "Before He Cheats" came blaring through my computer speakers with the lyrics "...Right now he’s probably slow dancing, With that bleach blonde tramp, And she’s probably getting frisky, Right now he’s probably buying her some fruity little drink, ‘Cause she can’t shoot whiskey..." Later lyrics in the song discuss "keying" up someone's car. Carrie did say the she would never key anyone's car in her BIO! Okay, wait a minute. Is this the kind of music that we should be listening to as Christians? Wait, I know what you are saying, "But, John, the song, "Believe" by Brooks and Dunn won the top award!" Well, I went and watched the "Believe" video on YouTube and I must admit that I liked it. I thought, "Hey, maybe this Brooks and Dunn group is good-to-go?" Well I didn't have to search too far for another video by Brooks and Dunn. I came across the video, "Play Something Country". It's just a little bit different than "Believe". Don't "Believe" me? Here's a link to it if you want to watch it. I watched about 15 seconds and had to "shut 'er down". I think overall that most of these country artists are trying to capture as much of the market as possible. Guess what? Christians are a HUGE market and unfortunately, some are buying the CDs and buying into the music. The psychology is, "Let's throw a couple of "Christian-themed" songs on the album and Christians will love it and buy it." I was going to list a "jillion" Bible verses to back up what I'm saying here, but I'm praying that it's fairly obvious to the reader that secular country music is not something Christians should be supporting or listening to. Dear Christian, take a good honest look and listen to secular country music and see if I'm wrong or see if you're just living in another state because your flesh "likes it"...the state of denial. Think about it.