I'm happy to admit when I'm wrong, especially when what I'm wrong about is something like the disturbing news I shared regarding the alleged schism in the Assemblies of God. General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, George Wood, sent me an email to set the record straight, with a well deserved admonishment to double check facts before reporting a story such as that. My apologies to my readers. While I did do some double checking with local contacts on this account, it was my error for not allow the A/G Headquarters to respond directly to what my sources were accusing. According the Superintendent Wood, "Nothing could be further from the truth. There has never been a resolution to change our views on these matters; and if there were, they would be resoundingly defeated."
In all honesty, I've never been more happy to be wrong. As I said in my previous post, I'm no longer a member of the Assemblies of God, but I actually have a copy of the 16 fundamental truths in my house, and hold the positions taken by the Assemblies of God as a standard to judge my own beliefs by, after the Bible of course. While many churches are being swayed by the false doctrines of the seeker-sensitive movement, I'm very happy to see that it hasn't affected the doctrines of at least one denomination.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Practical Marriage Counselling
If you're a church-going person (and even if you're not), chances are you got some form of marriage counselling from your pastor before he/she agreed to join you in matrimony. And if you're much like me, you look back and find that marriage counselling session to be woefuilly inadequate for the great challenges you began facing . . . oh . . . about a day after you got back from your honeymoon. I feel like my session was much better than most people get, and really did equip us for some of the struggles we faced, with very practical, if simple, tools. My favorite among them, is the deceptively simple, "The way you don't end up getting a divorce is simple: don't get a divorce."
I'm not sure what most churches do, but most that I've seen around here have one conselling session with a pastor, who typically discusses the importance of following God together, and living a biblical life. Then it's down the aisle you go. These brief sessions don't scratch the surface of the many issues you will face together. To remedy this situation, I am proposing a series of Marriage Counselling Sessions, that I hope many of you will adopt in your churches.
At this point, the betrothed couple should be marginally better prepared for the circumstances they will soon be facing. "Oh!" you may say, "but this will discourage young people from getting married!" Why yes, good friend, I believe you have the point exactly. If someone gets married after these effective lessons, they are either A) Wealthy enough to circumnavigate most marital problems, or B) Very committed to becoming a Godly couple, and working hard together through touch times. Either way, you should have no problems marrying them.
This valuable addition to any Pastor's counselling plans is available for the affordable price of 2 pairs of shoes, 1 Doctor's Visit, and 2 Outfits for young children.
I'm not sure what most churches do, but most that I've seen around here have one conselling session with a pastor, who typically discusses the importance of following God together, and living a biblical life. Then it's down the aisle you go. These brief sessions don't scratch the surface of the many issues you will face together. To remedy this situation, I am proposing a series of Marriage Counselling Sessions, that I hope many of you will adopt in your churches.
- Session 1 will be held individually with each person, and will be entitled "Men/Women are actually much crazier than you previously thought." Topics in this session will include what to do with an angry and hormonal wife. How wives should approach a husband who wants to play video games/ watch sports all the time, and not spend time with them. Bonus topics will include defensive postures for protecting yourself against flying remote controls and cordless phones.
- Session 2 brings the couple together to discuss finances, the single greatest cause of marital problems, in a lesson entitled "Women Are Expensive." Men are very unprepared on their wedding day for the expense of frequent gynecological exams and mall shopping trips. This lesson aims to familiarize men with what they will face as provider for the family, and help women understand that men rarely have any of these expenses. Topics include the ridiculous regularity with which women:
- Go to the doctor
- Buy shoes
- Buy Makeup
- Buy more clothes to match their new shoes
- Buy more shoes to match the new clothes
- Get medical tests run
- Session 3 delves deeper into financial issues surrounding marriage with a lesson entitled, "No Really . . . Women are Really Very Expensive." The shady ways in which hospitals and clinics bill multiple times for the same things will be discussed, as long as financial planning help for men to begin early to prepare their budgets for their new-found debt bliss.
- Session 4 entitled "And just wait until you have . . ." is a relatively short lesson, due to budget constraints of the counsellor. He didn't have the money to finish this topic on having children. But the point should be easy to articulate by this time in the limited amount of time you have before your interview for a second job.
- Session 5 has been cancelled, in order for the counsellor to take on a second job to better pay for his own children and wife.
At this point, the betrothed couple should be marginally better prepared for the circumstances they will soon be facing. "Oh!" you may say, "but this will discourage young people from getting married!" Why yes, good friend, I believe you have the point exactly. If someone gets married after these effective lessons, they are either A) Wealthy enough to circumnavigate most marital problems, or B) Very committed to becoming a Godly couple, and working hard together through touch times. Either way, you should have no problems marrying them.
This valuable addition to any Pastor's counselling plans is available for the affordable price of 2 pairs of shoes, 1 Doctor's Visit, and 2 Outfits for young children.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Are you a DC or Marvel Christian?
Whose side are you on?I'm a big fan of comic books. I grew up reading them, and to me, DC Comics was always my favorite. For the unintiated, DC Comics is the home of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman - basically all the characters we think of when you think of iconic superheroes. I occasionally picked up a few Marvel books, playing around for short times with X-Men and Spiderman, among a few others, but the characters and the stories never resonated with me much, so I stuck with DC by and large.
It wasn't until adulthood, when a post by Jeremy Pierce got me thinking about it, that I realized what the fundamental difference in the two universes is, and perhaps what that says about people in terms of how they view themselves in the Kingdom of God. (It's a stretch, I know . . . humor me) There are tons of other differences, and tons of exceptions, but the basic fundamental difference is this: in DC Comics Superman is Superman, Clark Kent is a facade. Superman is the core of who he really is. In Marvel comics, the masks and tights is the facade. Spiderman is really Peter Parker, at his core. He's just a kid trying to make it, and help some people out along the way. A good kid, but Spiderman is a mask for him to do good works. Ponder on that a minute, and let's continue.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A Look in the Mirror
I always know when God is trying to show me something about myself, that I'm uninterested in seeing. My showers get much longer in the mornings, so I have to rush through Bible/Prayer time. My prayers get very "surface" and short. I decide I should read a book about how to live for God better, instead of seeking God for what he wants me to do each day.
This pretty much sums up the last few days. Apparently I also get irritable, since I've been accused of being in a bad mood not a few times since the weekend.
I'm generally what I would call a "closed" person. I like people... so long as they leave me alone. I like them as long as they don't interfere with my plans or encroach on my life in any kind of bothersome way. I can see personally that this is obviously not the way to live, if I also intend to live my life in a way that shares the love of Jesus with people. I certainly don't recall Jesus ever saying, "What? You want me to pray for what? It's 8:00 at night, I worked all day, and I'm tired. Don't bother me." Because that's the way I view people: bothersome. When all of this was working it's way into my attention, my wife frustratedly exclaimed, "That's why you don't have any friends. People are scared to talk to you." My quick and rather hateful response back was, "I have NEVER complained about not having friends." Upon saying it, I realized that I take a little perverse pleasure in every time someone says that people find me intimidating or unapproachable. I found myself smiling when my wife told me that people are scared to talk to me, because they think they're bothering me. For some reason, I've developed an attitude that people are to be kept as far away as possible, at all costs. And the more foreboding and intimidating I can be, the less I actually have to talk to any of them.
I recall, as a child, a particular incident where someone I considered a friend said, "Nobody likes you because you're so smart." It was elementary school in the 80's. I was one of the few kids that had a computer, and my dad had found some silly program that let you make crossword puzzles. I thought it would be neat to make one of some of our vocabulary words, and had him make it, so I could take it to class. Teachers are typically very thankful for anything that helps pass the time in a class, so she copied it and passed it out. A lot of kids thought it was neat that I (my dad) made it, and some didn't. Looking back, I can see that perhaps my little friend was jealous of the attention, or perhaps hated schoolwork, and didn't want to do the crossword puzzle. Maybe she just enjoyed being the "good" student in the class, and I had taken her out of the spotlight. Either way, those words stuck with me. Nobody likes me because I'm smart.
Now, I know many of your are reading this and thinking, "Really? Get over it. It was elementary school. You're an adult now!" But in order to change the person we have become, I think we have to take a long look at what made us this way.
I'm not bragging about my intelligence here . . . I consider myself to be of relatively average intelligence, however sometimes people make me reconsider that idea. ;) I did make straight A's in school, and generally enjoyed (and still do enjoy) learning something new. Anything new. I rock at Trivial Pursuit. But the perception was there, at least for that little girl, at that moment. And at that moment, I embraced a very dangerous way of thinking, to ease the pain of the idea of nobody liking me. I embraced superiority. People didn't like me? That's fine . . . it's because I'm smarter than them. She said as much. It may be lonely at the top, but it just means I can look down on everyone else. That began the wall building project in my heart. And it didn't stop for many years.
Now, I didn't go around acting and claiming to be smarter than anyone. It was the window through which I viewed the world. Who needs friends and other people? Not me. Why would I? I don't need their help. I was, and still am, for a large part, an island unto myself. The foundation was laid for the walls around my heart. And we know that our enemy took every opportunity to continue building them.
I never made friends easily. I was pretty shy. But probably as a result of this self-righteous and arrogant view of the world, many of them parted ways with me. Each time adding another brick to my wall. I remember when I was 15 having a friend that was one of the few I had personally gone out the way to make throughout my life. On a school trip, his entire attitude changed towards me. To this day, I'm not sure if or what I could've done to illicit that type of response from him, but we never spoke again. We sat next to each other in a few classes. The next day at school I turned around to try and see what was wrong, and he told me to never speak to him again. Ever. Ouch.
I did finally find some good friends, that I'm still friends with today. So this isn't a total pity party. More of a "bringing you up to speed" explanation. By the time I was an adult, however, I typically preferred being alone, and enjoying whatever things I found to pass my time. My walls were complete. Few came in. The gates were way too guarded for that. Too afraid to be hurt, too proud to open the gates, and walled in from all other sides.
Which brings us to today. I'm a know-it-all. But I'm seldom hurt, because few people get that close. I can even admit to holding my wife at arm's length occasionally. The situation, at this point, requires more than my decision to go out and be nice to people. I need God's help to tear down the walls that I've built up. It's ugly to see myself as an arrogant, self-righteous smart-alec who believes he is never wrong. I'm ashamed of my attitudes towards other people. But I'm thankful that God showed me this in prayer, and is giving me the opportunity to change rather than causing circumstances to come about in my life that would force me into it.
I've let the cares of the world choke out the love of God in my heart. It's still alive in there, just small. But luckily, if I let it, there's nothing that can keep something that powerful walled up. Now . . . I think I have a few relationships to mend, and perceptions to change.
This pretty much sums up the last few days. Apparently I also get irritable, since I've been accused of being in a bad mood not a few times since the weekend.
I'm generally what I would call a "closed" person. I like people... so long as they leave me alone. I like them as long as they don't interfere with my plans or encroach on my life in any kind of bothersome way. I can see personally that this is obviously not the way to live, if I also intend to live my life in a way that shares the love of Jesus with people. I certainly don't recall Jesus ever saying, "What? You want me to pray for what? It's 8:00 at night, I worked all day, and I'm tired. Don't bother me." Because that's the way I view people: bothersome. When all of this was working it's way into my attention, my wife frustratedly exclaimed, "That's why you don't have any friends. People are scared to talk to you." My quick and rather hateful response back was, "I have NEVER complained about not having friends." Upon saying it, I realized that I take a little perverse pleasure in every time someone says that people find me intimidating or unapproachable. I found myself smiling when my wife told me that people are scared to talk to me, because they think they're bothering me. For some reason, I've developed an attitude that people are to be kept as far away as possible, at all costs. And the more foreboding and intimidating I can be, the less I actually have to talk to any of them.
I recall, as a child, a particular incident where someone I considered a friend said, "Nobody likes you because you're so smart." It was elementary school in the 80's. I was one of the few kids that had a computer, and my dad had found some silly program that let you make crossword puzzles. I thought it would be neat to make one of some of our vocabulary words, and had him make it, so I could take it to class. Teachers are typically very thankful for anything that helps pass the time in a class, so she copied it and passed it out. A lot of kids thought it was neat that I (my dad) made it, and some didn't. Looking back, I can see that perhaps my little friend was jealous of the attention, or perhaps hated schoolwork, and didn't want to do the crossword puzzle. Maybe she just enjoyed being the "good" student in the class, and I had taken her out of the spotlight. Either way, those words stuck with me. Nobody likes me because I'm smart.
Now, I know many of your are reading this and thinking, "Really? Get over it. It was elementary school. You're an adult now!" But in order to change the person we have become, I think we have to take a long look at what made us this way.
I'm not bragging about my intelligence here . . . I consider myself to be of relatively average intelligence, however sometimes people make me reconsider that idea. ;) I did make straight A's in school, and generally enjoyed (and still do enjoy) learning something new. Anything new. I rock at Trivial Pursuit. But the perception was there, at least for that little girl, at that moment. And at that moment, I embraced a very dangerous way of thinking, to ease the pain of the idea of nobody liking me. I embraced superiority. People didn't like me? That's fine . . . it's because I'm smarter than them. She said as much. It may be lonely at the top, but it just means I can look down on everyone else. That began the wall building project in my heart. And it didn't stop for many years.
Now, I didn't go around acting and claiming to be smarter than anyone. It was the window through which I viewed the world. Who needs friends and other people? Not me. Why would I? I don't need their help. I was, and still am, for a large part, an island unto myself. The foundation was laid for the walls around my heart. And we know that our enemy took every opportunity to continue building them.
I never made friends easily. I was pretty shy. But probably as a result of this self-righteous and arrogant view of the world, many of them parted ways with me. Each time adding another brick to my wall. I remember when I was 15 having a friend that was one of the few I had personally gone out the way to make throughout my life. On a school trip, his entire attitude changed towards me. To this day, I'm not sure if or what I could've done to illicit that type of response from him, but we never spoke again. We sat next to each other in a few classes. The next day at school I turned around to try and see what was wrong, and he told me to never speak to him again. Ever. Ouch.
I did finally find some good friends, that I'm still friends with today. So this isn't a total pity party. More of a "bringing you up to speed" explanation. By the time I was an adult, however, I typically preferred being alone, and enjoying whatever things I found to pass my time. My walls were complete. Few came in. The gates were way too guarded for that. Too afraid to be hurt, too proud to open the gates, and walled in from all other sides.
Which brings us to today. I'm a know-it-all. But I'm seldom hurt, because few people get that close. I can even admit to holding my wife at arm's length occasionally. The situation, at this point, requires more than my decision to go out and be nice to people. I need God's help to tear down the walls that I've built up. It's ugly to see myself as an arrogant, self-righteous smart-alec who believes he is never wrong. I'm ashamed of my attitudes towards other people. But I'm thankful that God showed me this in prayer, and is giving me the opportunity to change rather than causing circumstances to come about in my life that would force me into it.
I've let the cares of the world choke out the love of God in my heart. It's still alive in there, just small. But luckily, if I let it, there's nothing that can keep something that powerful walled up. Now . . . I think I have a few relationships to mend, and perceptions to change.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
A Relevant Gospel for a Web 2.0 World
I've been working on some new features for the main site, and haven't really had much time to sit down and collect my thoughts recently. If you've followed me for long, you know how fervently I strive to be a "witness," whatever that may entail. And as a self-professed geek, I feel that these internets can and should be used as a tool for evangelization. The question is: "How?"
I teach the Teens' Sunday School class at my church, and have a mission for it that I believe is somewhat unique to a class of that age-range: to teach them how to read and understand the Bible for themselves. Somewhere along in my life, I got a pretty decent understanding of the Bible, how to study it, etc. . . and that was before my brief and disappointing stay at a Bible college. So, we go through a book of the Bible, taking our time, reading, and learning how to take the story, and apply it to our lives, how to read it in context so we don't get wacky with things, how to study a topic throughout the Bible as a applicable one arises through our reading. Most of the kids didn't even realize there was a concordance in the back of their Bible before it started, and they've really learned how to dig in and find answers to tough questions in the Bible.
We recently began studying the book of Acts, and while we've only talked about 2 verses in it in depth, so far, it's really started changing the way I view my witnessing activities. In Acts 1:8, we see a mandate that represents an almost insurmountable slew of cultural barriers. Not only should the disciples witness to their own kind, but to the Samaritans (gasp!) and eventually even the Gentiles! We're studying the book in this light: as a manual for reaching across barriers and winning the lost.
In my class, I used the example of me and a redneck. I am, at my heart, a city boy. I don't hunt. I don't fish. I don't really even like to be outside, except for perfect, cool days, with no bugs. I like the hustle and bustle of a city. I don't particularly care for country-style fried foods (they do fry everything...ever had a fried twinkie? I have). I don't like football. Basically, it's nearly impossible for me to connect with the traditional southerners of small-town Arkansas. However, I have the mandate to do just that, to spread the Gospel. And to be effective, I feel, I must do it in a way that is relevant to the person receiving it. I think, here, is where we lose a lot of effectiveness has Christians today.
Paul famously (infamously?) said when he was in Rome, he did as the Romans. That he becomes all things to all people, in order the spread the Gospel. I think I can surmise, that this means if I'm going to witness to rednecks (and I don't use that term derogatorily) then I have to "become one" . . . so to speak. I have to be willing to show them I care about them, and that usually means showing that I care about the things they care about. That I "get" them. I mean . . . seriously . . . what country fellow, who hunts and fishes, and loves the outdoors and all the stuff in it, is going to take a look at a pale, pasty, computer nerd, who is never parted with his iPhone and think, "This guy really gets where I'm coming from . . . and I should listen to what he has to say." I'm not saying be fake . . . I'd be ridiculed pretty fast if I went around with boots talking about shooting animals in the woods. But I can engage Mr. Redneck in areas where we can connect. I can show I care by saying, "Hey . . . you been fishing lately? Catch anything?" I think the working premise here, is that I care enough about him to engage him in his culture, if I can't engage him as part of his culture. Maybe even go fishing with him. Believe me, he'd only invite me once. ;)
We've become so accustomed to "church-centered" evangelization, that we miss out on the true secret of church growth in Acts: personal evangelism. They were at each other's houses, breaking bread, and believers were added to the church daily. That means that on a daily basis, regular believing Jews would have to go out of their way to befriend Gentiles and Samaritans. To love them. Care for them. Looking at churches today, we've evolved into our own brand of Judaism. We don't reach to the world, we look down on them. We don't go to the lost, and pull them up to where we are, we look down on them and expect them to come to us. I believe that the relevance of evangelistic crusades for this generation just isn't there. Basically, we've gotten a little too self-righteous.
So, for today's generation, the internet is obviously a relevant way to engage them, but I haven't seen it used effectively (yet) to reach anyone. I have an idea, but I'm interested in hearing your opinions. Leave some ideas in the comments, or share a new way to engage anyone in a way that is relevant to who they are. One way I think the internet can excel, for us, is to provide a place for us to encourage each other to go out and win the lost. To share ideas, stories, and testimonies of how to be an effective witness. That's why I started TheLimitless.com, and that's especially why I opened it up to a community of bloggers to host their own blogging site on, or share their current blog with a new audience. Hopefully, we can all help each other become real and true witnesses.
I teach the Teens' Sunday School class at my church, and have a mission for it that I believe is somewhat unique to a class of that age-range: to teach them how to read and understand the Bible for themselves. Somewhere along in my life, I got a pretty decent understanding of the Bible, how to study it, etc. . . and that was before my brief and disappointing stay at a Bible college. So, we go through a book of the Bible, taking our time, reading, and learning how to take the story, and apply it to our lives, how to read it in context so we don't get wacky with things, how to study a topic throughout the Bible as a applicable one arises through our reading. Most of the kids didn't even realize there was a concordance in the back of their Bible before it started, and they've really learned how to dig in and find answers to tough questions in the Bible.
We recently began studying the book of Acts, and while we've only talked about 2 verses in it in depth, so far, it's really started changing the way I view my witnessing activities. In Acts 1:8, we see a mandate that represents an almost insurmountable slew of cultural barriers. Not only should the disciples witness to their own kind, but to the Samaritans (gasp!) and eventually even the Gentiles! We're studying the book in this light: as a manual for reaching across barriers and winning the lost.
In my class, I used the example of me and a redneck. I am, at my heart, a city boy. I don't hunt. I don't fish. I don't really even like to be outside, except for perfect, cool days, with no bugs. I like the hustle and bustle of a city. I don't particularly care for country-style fried foods (they do fry everything...ever had a fried twinkie? I have). I don't like football. Basically, it's nearly impossible for me to connect with the traditional southerners of small-town Arkansas. However, I have the mandate to do just that, to spread the Gospel. And to be effective, I feel, I must do it in a way that is relevant to the person receiving it. I think, here, is where we lose a lot of effectiveness has Christians today.
Paul famously (infamously?) said when he was in Rome, he did as the Romans. That he becomes all things to all people, in order the spread the Gospel. I think I can surmise, that this means if I'm going to witness to rednecks (and I don't use that term derogatorily) then I have to "become one" . . . so to speak. I have to be willing to show them I care about them, and that usually means showing that I care about the things they care about. That I "get" them. I mean . . . seriously . . . what country fellow, who hunts and fishes, and loves the outdoors and all the stuff in it, is going to take a look at a pale, pasty, computer nerd, who is never parted with his iPhone and think, "This guy really gets where I'm coming from . . . and I should listen to what he has to say." I'm not saying be fake . . . I'd be ridiculed pretty fast if I went around with boots talking about shooting animals in the woods. But I can engage Mr. Redneck in areas where we can connect. I can show I care by saying, "Hey . . . you been fishing lately? Catch anything?" I think the working premise here, is that I care enough about him to engage him in his culture, if I can't engage him as part of his culture. Maybe even go fishing with him. Believe me, he'd only invite me once. ;)
We've become so accustomed to "church-centered" evangelization, that we miss out on the true secret of church growth in Acts: personal evangelism. They were at each other's houses, breaking bread, and believers were added to the church daily. That means that on a daily basis, regular believing Jews would have to go out of their way to befriend Gentiles and Samaritans. To love them. Care for them. Looking at churches today, we've evolved into our own brand of Judaism. We don't reach to the world, we look down on them. We don't go to the lost, and pull them up to where we are, we look down on them and expect them to come to us. I believe that the relevance of evangelistic crusades for this generation just isn't there. Basically, we've gotten a little too self-righteous.
So, for today's generation, the internet is obviously a relevant way to engage them, but I haven't seen it used effectively (yet) to reach anyone. I have an idea, but I'm interested in hearing your opinions. Leave some ideas in the comments, or share a new way to engage anyone in a way that is relevant to who they are. One way I think the internet can excel, for us, is to provide a place for us to encourage each other to go out and win the lost. To share ideas, stories, and testimonies of how to be an effective witness. That's why I started TheLimitless.com, and that's especially why I opened it up to a community of bloggers to host their own blogging site on, or share their current blog with a new audience. Hopefully, we can all help each other become real and true witnesses.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Era of Mega-Preachers is Over.
I've been noticing the trend lately, amongst the charismatic/pentecostal circles to focus on something our movement has ignored for quite some time: service. Full Gospel denominations and movements have had their voices overshadowed, intentionally or not, by the mega-preachers. The Benny Hinns, Creflo Dollars, Joyce Meyers, and (God help us) the Joel Osteens of the world. I'm calling it today, and we'll reconvene in a few years to see how right I am (Hint: very). While we'll probably see Benny's giant hair, Joyce Meyers man-pants, and Joel Osteen's impossibly large teeth for on TV for quite some time, I believe their influence on modern churches is waining.
Recently, I was encouraged to hear Dutch Sheets really ripping into modern churches today, and he said something I found incredibly interesting, "It's my goal to keep as many people out of the pulpit as possible . . . from what I do . . . it's my goal to ordain lawyers, and doctors . . . to go out into the world and share Jesus." According to Matthew 11:10-13, we are a kingdom at war. We've always been at war, and we will continue to be, until Jesus returns, sets things right, and hands the Kingdom over to his father (1 Corinthians 15:24-26). We can't win a war with the troops sitting around marveling at the equivalent of super-solders showing off their strength by ripping phone books. We win a war by training and equipping soldiers to fight, and then sending them out to defeat the enemy.
I believe this celebrity-focused Christianity we've experienced thanks to TBN and the like over the last few decades has created a dangerous set of circumstances in the church. We have people praying for hours, to get deep revelations, just for sake of praying for hours and getting revelations. To impress friends and church members. To share with other Christians, who are also sharing their "deep revelations" to the same group. Never leaving the church... never venturing outside to a world in need of salvation. We have more and more dramatic church services, with people being slain in the spirit, getting one deliverance after another. It's bred an inwardly-focused body of Christ. This is clearly not conducive to gaining new converts, winning the lost, or impacting this world for Jesus.
But, during this time, I've also noticed a movement among young people and college students towards what I'm calling here, "new-radicalism." They have an understanding that the ministry is not about being in a pulpit. That revelations are practical knowledge from God for one purpose: to aid in preaching the gospel to the utter-most parts of the earth. These young people are embracing something I did several years ago: you don't have to have a ministerial license, or a theological degree, to be in the ministry. We're in the ministry because we've accepted Jesus Christ, and have committed our lives to serving him, and spreading his Gospel everywhere we can. I work in the business world . . . a place many traditional preachers can't reach. I meet people regularly with very comfortable lives, who are seldom confronted with the Gospel. How do you show someone a need in their lives, when they believe they have every need met, and plenty more laid up in store? A preacher can't . . . but one of their own can. Doctor's are notorious know-it-all's. But who can reach a doctor? A better doctor.
So, while I'm boldly proclaiming that the era of Mega-Preachers is over... I do expect to see them on the Television for several years to come. But always catering to the same crowd...an aging crowd...a self-indulgent crowd. And as they die out, and retire to their mega-mansions and yachts, I believe we're going to see a movement dramatically rise to fore-front of Christianity that is starting right now - a movement of regular people, in regular jobs, who are sold out to God. A movement of regular people who boldly preach the Gospel on streets, brokerage floors, board rooms, hospital rooms, court houses . . . the list can go on forever. I believe this is a group that won't compromise with the seeker-sensitive movement, and will call sin sin. I believe this group will be empowerd by God to do greater works than the televangelists ever thought about. I expect healings, miracles, signs, and wonders to happen...in ordinary lives, in ordinary circumstances . . . through extraordinary and yet totally average people.
The next time you see Joel Osteen's grin...the next seeker-senstive service you attend...the next time Joyce Meyers tries to make you believe it's okay for women to look like men...just smile and realize that they're on the way out. A revival of a church similar to the Book of Acts is happening. And I'm joining in. Are you?
Recently, I was encouraged to hear Dutch Sheets really ripping into modern churches today, and he said something I found incredibly interesting, "It's my goal to keep as many people out of the pulpit as possible . . . from what I do . . . it's my goal to ordain lawyers, and doctors . . . to go out into the world and share Jesus." According to Matthew 11:10-13, we are a kingdom at war. We've always been at war, and we will continue to be, until Jesus returns, sets things right, and hands the Kingdom over to his father (1 Corinthians 15:24-26). We can't win a war with the troops sitting around marveling at the equivalent of super-solders showing off their strength by ripping phone books. We win a war by training and equipping soldiers to fight, and then sending them out to defeat the enemy.
I believe this celebrity-focused Christianity we've experienced thanks to TBN and the like over the last few decades has created a dangerous set of circumstances in the church. We have people praying for hours, to get deep revelations, just for sake of praying for hours and getting revelations. To impress friends and church members. To share with other Christians, who are also sharing their "deep revelations" to the same group. Never leaving the church... never venturing outside to a world in need of salvation. We have more and more dramatic church services, with people being slain in the spirit, getting one deliverance after another. It's bred an inwardly-focused body of Christ. This is clearly not conducive to gaining new converts, winning the lost, or impacting this world for Jesus.
But, during this time, I've also noticed a movement among young people and college students towards what I'm calling here, "new-radicalism." They have an understanding that the ministry is not about being in a pulpit. That revelations are practical knowledge from God for one purpose: to aid in preaching the gospel to the utter-most parts of the earth. These young people are embracing something I did several years ago: you don't have to have a ministerial license, or a theological degree, to be in the ministry. We're in the ministry because we've accepted Jesus Christ, and have committed our lives to serving him, and spreading his Gospel everywhere we can. I work in the business world . . . a place many traditional preachers can't reach. I meet people regularly with very comfortable lives, who are seldom confronted with the Gospel. How do you show someone a need in their lives, when they believe they have every need met, and plenty more laid up in store? A preacher can't . . . but one of their own can. Doctor's are notorious know-it-all's. But who can reach a doctor? A better doctor.
So, while I'm boldly proclaiming that the era of Mega-Preachers is over... I do expect to see them on the Television for several years to come. But always catering to the same crowd...an aging crowd...a self-indulgent crowd. And as they die out, and retire to their mega-mansions and yachts, I believe we're going to see a movement dramatically rise to fore-front of Christianity that is starting right now - a movement of regular people, in regular jobs, who are sold out to God. A movement of regular people who boldly preach the Gospel on streets, brokerage floors, board rooms, hospital rooms, court houses . . . the list can go on forever. I believe this is a group that won't compromise with the seeker-sensitive movement, and will call sin sin. I believe this group will be empowerd by God to do greater works than the televangelists ever thought about. I expect healings, miracles, signs, and wonders to happen...in ordinary lives, in ordinary circumstances . . . through extraordinary and yet totally average people.
The next time you see Joel Osteen's grin...the next seeker-senstive service you attend...the next time Joyce Meyers tries to make you believe it's okay for women to look like men...just smile and realize that they're on the way out. A revival of a church similar to the Book of Acts is happening. And I'm joining in. Are you?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Where have all the posts gone?
It's been quite an ordeal, lately. I say "it," as if I'm referring to a single issue, but that's quite the over-simplification. My posts from the last few months have disappeared, due in large part to my failure to back things up, and in small part to a rough and bumpy ride taken by my web server. This has also encouraged yet another look on this page...which is not yet complete, and a reinvention of TheLimitless.com . . . again. I've learned an awful lot about web servers, and php, and the dreaded CSS, and how not to cook microwavable pizzas lately, so it wasn't an incredibly taxing endeavour, except that the front page of TheLimitless.com lots all its modifications, such as they were, and is now a relatively blank slate, waiting for my clammy and cludgy fingers to manipulate it into a somewhat presentable affair.
Now, I know that the few people who still visit my blog (very few, after over 2 weeks with no site up at all) don't come here to hear me prattle on about web servers, and CSS, and all that crap. Oh no, you come here to watch me get all red faced and rant about politicians, or to see me be a bit too honest, and make a fool out of myself, in the attempt to share a little truth about life and Godliness.
So, I must be honest, I don't really keep up with political news anymore. Tabitha, or Pinky, as I call her behind her back, and the slightly unwelcome tweets of the #TCOTers are about all the news I force myself to consider, and I typically read the headline and never click through on the link. So guess what that leaves us with? :D
I recently lost a mentor. Not only a role model, but possibly the single most influential person in my spiritual life. And I was okay with it, as she was a woman of God, and a person who lived the fullness of the Gospel in every area of her life. She has a great reward in Heaven that I'm sure she's enjoying right now. However, a few days after the funeral, I found myself perusing job sites, and I thought to myself, "Uh-oh...I don't have anyone to ask if this is right or not...I better pray and know the will of God before I go off on a job hunt."
A sound idea, at any time. But I realized what an unGodly burden I placed on this person, to be my conduit to God, my oracle. And how spiritually lazy I had been to think like that. Wow.
But don't wag your finger, my friend, because I'm not the first person to think like that. The only difference is that I'm portraying as an unrighteous behavior. This type of spiritually damaging dependency is not only tolerated, but encouraged in many churches. Either because the pastor is controlling and self-aggrandizing, and wants to be able to take credit for every victory in his member's lives, or because the pastor is a poor and lazy shepherd, and allows his people to use him up, abuse him, and leave him out to dry, instead of teaching them how to be profitable Christians.
In saying that, I obviously can't blame pastors only, or even mostly. We Christians are a lazy, self-absorbed lot. Instead of reaching out to help others, with an honest eye turned toward ourselves enough to realize we're no better than anyone else, we choose to spend our time self-analyzing, and fault-finding, and asking for help and prayer over the little things we go through. I'm not suggesting that what you're going through isn't important, but there's one important difference between you and sinner in the same situation. You have hope. Act like it.
It's been a dangerous and selfish practice of Charismatic/Pentecostal circles over the last century to experience "More of Your Glory, More of Your Power, More of Your Spirit in me," simply for the sake of experiencing it, and impressing other Christians with how spiritual we are, and sharing our deep revelations with other Christians so they can marvel at our wisdom, while the world goes to hell. There are great deep things of God, and they need to be searched out, but there is always a purpose to it: souls.
And yet, we're still babies needing to be weaned off the pastoral nipple. Something is dreadfully and horribly wrong. In being forced to "grow up" through my loss, I've had my eyes open to what a pitiful little infant I was. And I'm concerned that as much as I thought I was spiritually mature, there many more out there who believe the same, in the same situation, who may never see the truth, because they believe it's the right way to be.
I think that God is shaking things up in the church worldwide, to allow us to see this, and take on our mantle of servanthood and ministry. And I'll talk more about that soon. Welcome back readers. I hope to see you all a lot more soon.
Now, I know that the few people who still visit my blog (very few, after over 2 weeks with no site up at all) don't come here to hear me prattle on about web servers, and CSS, and all that crap. Oh no, you come here to watch me get all red faced and rant about politicians, or to see me be a bit too honest, and make a fool out of myself, in the attempt to share a little truth about life and Godliness.
So, I must be honest, I don't really keep up with political news anymore. Tabitha, or Pinky, as I call her behind her back, and the slightly unwelcome tweets of the #TCOTers are about all the news I force myself to consider, and I typically read the headline and never click through on the link. So guess what that leaves us with? :D
I recently lost a mentor. Not only a role model, but possibly the single most influential person in my spiritual life. And I was okay with it, as she was a woman of God, and a person who lived the fullness of the Gospel in every area of her life. She has a great reward in Heaven that I'm sure she's enjoying right now. However, a few days after the funeral, I found myself perusing job sites, and I thought to myself, "Uh-oh...I don't have anyone to ask if this is right or not...I better pray and know the will of God before I go off on a job hunt."
A sound idea, at any time. But I realized what an unGodly burden I placed on this person, to be my conduit to God, my oracle. And how spiritually lazy I had been to think like that. Wow.
But don't wag your finger, my friend, because I'm not the first person to think like that. The only difference is that I'm portraying as an unrighteous behavior. This type of spiritually damaging dependency is not only tolerated, but encouraged in many churches. Either because the pastor is controlling and self-aggrandizing, and wants to be able to take credit for every victory in his member's lives, or because the pastor is a poor and lazy shepherd, and allows his people to use him up, abuse him, and leave him out to dry, instead of teaching them how to be profitable Christians.
In saying that, I obviously can't blame pastors only, or even mostly. We Christians are a lazy, self-absorbed lot. Instead of reaching out to help others, with an honest eye turned toward ourselves enough to realize we're no better than anyone else, we choose to spend our time self-analyzing, and fault-finding, and asking for help and prayer over the little things we go through. I'm not suggesting that what you're going through isn't important, but there's one important difference between you and sinner in the same situation. You have hope. Act like it.
It's been a dangerous and selfish practice of Charismatic/Pentecostal circles over the last century to experience "More of Your Glory, More of Your Power, More of Your Spirit in me," simply for the sake of experiencing it, and impressing other Christians with how spiritual we are, and sharing our deep revelations with other Christians so they can marvel at our wisdom, while the world goes to hell. There are great deep things of God, and they need to be searched out, but there is always a purpose to it: souls.
And yet, we're still babies needing to be weaned off the pastoral nipple. Something is dreadfully and horribly wrong. In being forced to "grow up" through my loss, I've had my eyes open to what a pitiful little infant I was. And I'm concerned that as much as I thought I was spiritually mature, there many more out there who believe the same, in the same situation, who may never see the truth, because they believe it's the right way to be.
I think that God is shaking things up in the church worldwide, to allow us to see this, and take on our mantle of servanthood and ministry. And I'll talk more about that soon. Welcome back readers. I hope to see you all a lot more soon.
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