A Tale of Two Super Bowl Ads

There was a lot of controversy regarding this first advertisement, and its pro-life message.

And though I am a football fan, and unashamedly pro life, is this really the pro life message that we want to send? It seems to scream that you should risk your life in a pregnancy only because your child may become a Heisman trophy winning football player (unless it is a girl). Does anybody else believe this is pretty Machiavellian? The end justifies the means? What if the child would have become an axe murderer?

No, Focus on the Family, though the Tebow’s brave choice to have the baby who turned out to be Tim Tebow despite huge dangers to the health of the mom and the baby is a very heroic story, that should have been the focus. That the end does not justify the means. That the Mother was sick, comatose, under heavy medication that could have caused great harm to the baby. I suspect that had Timmy succumbed and become mentally or physically challenged, they would not have dropped 2.5 million on having the ad out there. And if mom would have died, there is no way. The choice to honor and obey God and acknowledge that human life is valuable is enough- tell that story. And shame for dropping that kind of money with no hint of the Gospel. Is this really what the church ought to be spending its funds on?

But the second ad is worse than the first.

Erwin McManus decided the best way to exalt Christ Mosaic Church was to spend money and time creating and making a video for the Super Bowl that had NOTHING to do with the Gospel, and even if people like the video, and they go to the church site, or, I would guess, the church itself, there would be no presentation of the Gospel!

The ad itself is funny, yet tasteless and has no hint that it is a church that did it, much less a Southern Baptist church, except that Erwin, his pal Rick Warren, and others promoted this video tirelessly over the last several months. I wonder if Warren, McManus et.al have ever spent that kind of energy and effort in the spreading of the Gospel, or do they justify it in this instance with expediency of being relevant to the culture.

Here is the problem with both ads: They both used a vehicle (the Super Bowl) to reach the millions of people with a message about God, and yet both these groups, with all their energy and effort took a big swing and a miss with a great opportunity to make a real impact with the simple yet powerful Gospel.

The guy with the $2.50 John 3:16 placard did far more.

He who loves his life…..

John 12:25 25He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

By Eliot Kleinberg Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 12:29 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010
Posted: 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010

BOYNTON BEACH — Jeriah Woody executed two men who made the mistake of preaching religion to the 18-year-old, a witness has told police.
Woody, who turned himself in to Boynton Beach police Wednesday, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the Saturday night deaths of Stephen Ocean, 23, and Tite Sufra, 24, near the Boynton Beach city library.
He was expected to be taken to the Palm Beach County Jail later today and have a bond hearing Thursday. Boynton Beach spokeswoman Stephanie Slater said this afternoon he was still being questioned and she would not immediately provide information about a motive.
A woman who identified herself as Ocean’s sister, but did not want to give her name, said the two men, best friends, were ministers who were ordained last year and had turned their lives around after run-ins with law enforcement. She did not want to identify the church with which they were aligned.
“They go around and minister to boys and say where they came from,” the sister said. “They did that all day and all night.”
Jail records show no adult arrests for Sufra. Ocean was arrested in 2003 on robbery charges and in 2004 for violating probation on previous battery and petit theft convictions. He was arrested in 2006 for carrying a concealed firearm and resisting an officer.
Jail records show no adult arrests for Woody.
According to a Boynton Beach police report, a person who was with the two slain men told police that, about 8 p.m Saturday, the three were walking through the neighborhood, preaching, and encountered Woody under a tree.
They had been preaching to him for about 15 minutes when he received a call on his cellphone.
The three heard him tell the person on the phone that he was “right down the street.”
He then told the three preachers he had to go.
As the three began walking east, they noticed Woody running toward them.
The friend said he saw Sufra walk toward Woody; he then saw a flash and saw Sufra fall.
Ocean began running and was dropped by a shot to the buttocks, the witness said.
He said Woody then walked up to Ocean and shot him in the head execution-style.
The third man was able to flee and call police, the report said.
Officers found the two lying in the 100 block of Southwest Second Avenue.
On Tuesday, a source alerted detectives to a man with the street name of “plug” who matched the description of the shooter.
The man who’d been preaching with the two other men picked Woody out of a lineup, the report said.

This news story which broke Wednesday helped me to focus better on the scripture which I had been studying for a message this week. This story gave me a modern insight into what these disciples experienced who listened to Jesus speak these words. As background and context, because for the last number of weeks, we have departed from the Gospel of John, and have been exploring the Biblical Jesus, as well as the Biblical teaching on the Church. It is time, however, to return to our study of the Gospel of John where I left off these 8 weeks ago. We left off in the final week of Jesus; He has just entered into Jerusalem for the last time after being anointed by Mary at Bethany. There was a plot to kill Lazarus, you will remember, because he was living testimony that Jesus Christ was indeed God, as Jesus had raised Him from the grave in the presence of many witnesses. We enter back into the story where Jesus has just been sought by the Greeks, which is reflective of the rejection by the Jews and the fulfillment that through Abraham’s seed the nations would be blessed. The Good News is a worldwide phenomenon, and is for all people everywhere that would believe. We enter here in the final week of Jesus on this earth, and the cross is looming large in his thoughts as he ministers to His disciples, which makes this passage even more significant.

We need to break down this verse phrase by phrase, word by word to truly understand what it means, because the teaching here is so deep and instructive how we ought to live our lives in Christ Jesus, and this make the impact of one grain wheat dying in order to bear much fruit, as Christ said in verse 24.

He that Loveth his life This is literally translated whoever has a friendship (phileo) love relationship with his psuche which is soul, me, myself. Whoever has a love relationship with his own life, his own self has a problem, because he shall lose it apollumi, that is, it will perish, be destroyed, cease to exist. This word is used to explain the doom of the sinner. In other words, if we love ourselves, the life that we have in the natural, our unredeemed soul and all of its trappings, we will lose that life. If we do not recognize this life as a gift from God, and we look and love only ourselves and our life and not God, then we will surely perish, be surely lost, be destroyed utterly. This does not mean that those who love their lives will have an immediate punishment of death, but life is also not seen by us as only this temporal life. Life is eternal, and destined for either punishment or reward.

So this phrase has temporal, if even eternal consequence. Many who look at this verse see simply the physical trappings of this world, and they are partially correct. But it is not just a temporary consequence. If we have a friendship with our unredeemed soul, one that has not been cured and cleansed by the truth of the Gospel, we will be destroyed. A great illustration is the study that we are doing on Tuesday mornings, that our wives have the marriage manual inside their hearts and souls, and we men do not. We need to read it in our wives, hear it from her lips. If a man is in love with himself, and with his ways, he will never see or hear from the wife. This reality results in many destroyed marriages, whether from disconnection or divorce. In the same way, if we are in love with ourselves, we can never hear from Christ, will never be converted, and never have our sin forgiven. The book of John in Chapter 3 describes this as loving darkness rather than light. Many people love the darkness of their soul, the trappings of their flesh, the lusts of this world so much they will never turn to Christ for cleansing. The earthly reality is that anybody so focussed on self will be destroyed for lack of vision. The eternal reality is that they will perish, experiencing the second death in hell, and ultimately in the lake of fire.

Worse than that, our life is a temporary entity. If our focus is on this life, this lifes pleasures, or even this life’s pains, then we. like all other men, will eventually come to an end. If we have placed no thought in eternity, if we do not see outside of this window, then our life as we know it will indeed come to an end. Perishing is no small deal, for as my friend John likes to remind people when he is preaching that at least in this life we have pain medication. Imagine being burned for just one moment. Imagine if you had no salve, if you had no pain medication. Imagine if you were dehydrated, yet had no water. The promise for those who do not have their sins forgiven and do not have new life in Jesus Christ, indeed who are not found written in the lambs book of life, whose primary affection is self, they will lose that thing that they love, their very life. And they will lose it for eternity, feeling the very wrath of God in Hell.

The opposite of all of this is he that hateth the word, miseo translated hate is the opposite of agape This can indicate anything from a casual disregard all the way to an intense hatred of the object. We see in 1 John 2 this same phrase, meaning that if you, as a Christian, have a casual disregard for your brother, you do not walk in the light, and you are a murderer. In the positive, as far as this verse, it is the man or woman who has no regard for his life, does not place any trust in it, does not have it as his primary focus or love shall keep it unto life eternal. Let us understand it this way, in this context. If you hate your life meaning that you understand yourself in truth; that there is nothing good about you except Jesus Christ and His Spirit and Character being developed in you, that your heart is deceitfully wicked outside of Christ and His saving work.
Nowhere is Christ calling you to be a gnostic here, in other words looking at your physical flesh as evil and seeking to destroy it. He is not calling you, as ancient monks believed, to flagelate or to discipline yourself physically with a whip. It is our natural man, our flesh, that soul that makes up our personality that must be mortified, or put to death so that we can walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. This is the call of Christ in our lives! It is a call for revival, a call to obedience, a call to holiness, a call to repentance! If we have been loving our lives so much that there is no room for Christ, we will lose that life; eventually physically and potentially spiritually! But if we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, lay down our lives, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things- food, drink, clothing- things that concern us for our lives that worry us and frustrate us in the provision of them will be provided for us. Jesus is saying here as in Matthew 6:33 that we ought not worry about our lives, indeed, we should have a casual disregard for them, laying them down as we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. God at that point will provide both- our daily physical needs AND his righteousness as we walk according to the Spirit and not the flesh. It is only in this laying down of our lives that we get to keep them. It is only in the casual disregard, in the hatred of our lives, in humility and brokenness that Christ can save them.

These young men who were preaching when they were shot were formally criminals themselves. As the story tells us, they had been converted after run-ins with the law. Their ministry was warning young people about the temporal and eternal consequences of transgressing God’s law. The Gospel had changed their lives, and they were on the same streets they had broken the law on to witness Christ’s love and promise of conversion to the young people who were going down that path they formally were traveling. They had gone from death to life, and they were sharing the good news with anyone that would listen. They no longer loved their life, and the trappings of their life. They had died to their old way of life, and they had given their bodies as a living sacrifice to Jesus Christ. They no longer were concerned with anything but the righteousness of Christ, and the preaching of Christ and Him crucified.

It is easy to admire these young men, but this is a challenge to all of us who name the name of Jesus Christ. Is Jesus Christ elevated to such a point in your life that He is the most precious, the most desirable thing in your life? Or do you instead elevate temporary things to God in your life, even your own comfort, your own style of life? Where has that gotten us? Before I was saved, drugs, sex, alcohol, clothing and my free time surfing and skateboarding consumed my entire life. Those things marked my life, they are what I loved, what I elevated. Deeper than that, I had a view of myself as a pretty good person with some minor flaws that the god of my understanding would overlook because I was religious. Then I was saved; having become aware of who I was in truth before God. These things all became secondary to me, for I had found Christ.

But in our lives as Christians, like the church at Ephesus so long ago (Rev. 2) We have fallen from that place, and the cares of the world have taken over our lives. So many of us have replaced God again with our lives, our flesh, what makes us feel comfortable. We need to heed the call of Jesus, and return to those works we did at first, indeed, return to our first love.

26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.

Where is Christ leading? His life is going to be laid down at the cross. We need to lay down our lives at the cross, dying to ourselves so that we can truly live. If we disregard our lives, trading them for the life of Christ, then we will truly live.

A New Kind of Christianity

Brian McLaren’s new book, A New Kind of Christianity will be hitting the shelves on February 9th. I was able to look at the sample pages put out by Harper-Collins, and what I was truly interested in was in the 14th Chapter entitled “What is the Gospel?”. The Gospel is the centerpiece of our faith, indeed, as Paul put it, it is the “power of God unto salvation for those who believe” (Romans 1:16).

On Page 139, after explaining to us that Christians are in fact worshiping Theos, a violent Greco/Roman deity as opposed to the all loving non-violent God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, because the loving God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would never send anyone into a place of conscious and violent torment forever (ANKOC, 99), he makes a statement that is clearly his belief that the good news is for all people practicing all religions:

“Jesus did not come to start a new religion, to replace first Judaism and then all other religions, whether by the pen, the pulpit, the sword or the apocalypse…..Instead, he came to announce a new kingdom, a new way of life, a new way of peace that carried good news to all people of every religion. A new kingdom is much bigger than a new religion, and in fact it has room for many religious traditions within it. ” (ANKOC, 139)

Within the pages of this book, we see Brian McLaren dismissing orthodox and Biblical Christianity throughout, mocking those who follow Christ as ignorant sheep who do not understand the announcement of the kingdom and all it means. His condescending tone does not offend me nearly as much as his reframing of the one true God as unrighteously wrathful, and that somehow we must convert the God of the Old Testament (the violent tribal God) to one who is more ‘Christlike’. In reality, the entire book is about Brian McLaren forging a new idol of Jesus that is in Brian’s image of righteousness and ‘Christlikeness’. It has little or nothing to do with the Bible.

But then we get this nugget, this truth that wraps it all up. The coming of Jesus was not (as Jesus Himself stated) to seek and save that which lost, nor was it to lay down His life only to take it up again. The coming of Jesus was not to bind up the wounded, to set the captive free, or to heal the lame. The coming of Jesus was not to forgive sin, or to bring about justification. Jesus came, not as THE way THE truth and THE life (that would be way to narrow), or as THE gate ( that is really too narrow). No, McLaren’s gospel is that Jesus came to build a kingdom that included all religions. Jesus’ kingdom message (according to McLaren) is a broad road in which all people and all religions already worship the same god in their own image and understanding. There is no need for salvation, indeed, no need for this violent penal substitutionary atonement (he attacks that again in this book) because his god would never punish anybody with eternal conscious torment.

Brian should read again the red letters of Jesus, where Jesus continually warns of Hell:

Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hellof fire.

Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

Mark 9:43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.

Mark 9:45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.

Mark 9:47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,

Luke 12:5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

Not to mention John (writing the words of Jesus) in Revelation when death and hell (the holding place) and all people who are not written in the book of life are cast into the Lake of Fire:

Revelation 20:10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 20:14-15 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

And finally, all people who are marked in their nature by sin:

Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

My problem with Brian McLarens universal salvation regardless of religion is that it is not good news. It attacks the character of God, who is indeed merciful, but He is also just. It makes eternal life and citizenship in the Kingdom of God in reality by default, there is nothing God honoring or glorifying in people who are not good winding up there. And that is in reality the basis for the idea; that we are all good, that people follow their understanding of God from a good heart desiring to know and to seek God. The Bible seems to teach the exact opposite. Romans 2 makes it clear that we are storing up wrath for ourselves because of our sin. Romans 3 quotes the Old Testament in telling us that there is no one righteous. Romans 4 explains that it is not by works but by faith. Romans 5 tells us who saves us, because we were too weak. And who is this Lord who saves? It is Jesus, and faith in Him alone is required for this salvation, this entrance into the Kingdom of God. There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved.

Indeed, Brian, the time has come to stop being ignorant and to follow God’s command to repent:

Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed m a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Brian, I urge you to repent. You are leading people down the broad way that leads to destruction. It is the narrow way, through the narrow Gate (Jesus) that leads to life.

Jay Bakker hates Homosexuals

Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Bakker, has caused quite a stir being one punk under God at his Revolution Church in NYC. In this video, he is bringing his message to what appears to be a predominately African- American congregation. He is going fine as long as he stays with his wealth and being the temple of God, and hope, and dreams etc. He is welcomed with Amens, with Hallelujahs, and encouragement of this very vocal crowd.

The encouragement continues as he speaks about change in the church, about justice and mercy. He is even encouraged when he begins to speak about persecution for living and speaking for God. He shares a story about a loving Pastor who told him that God was against him, and that his ministry would be destroyed. Jay tells the crowd the reason; that he came out for change in the church.

When he told the crowd what the change was, suddenly, they fall silent. There is no more encouragement, no more amens. This Gospel Church fell silent. The looks on their faces demonstrated their disapproval.

Jay had announced that he was for gay marriage, feeling that it was not a sin. You could see the crowd wiggle uncomfortably.

Jay accused them of not being ready. Jay’s supporters who watch this video see and affirm that this just means that the church is narrow minded, that the church is not ready for this idea, and that it means that the church is wrong, that it is not just, that it does not show mercy.

I see them as a church that is standing for truth, having a foundation of the Word of God, along with an innate knowledge that Jay is speaking lies in direct opposition to what their conscience and the Word of God has taught them.

I think Jay hates homosexual people. It is a strong statement, so I will back it up. He hates homosexual people because He will not warn them that their lifestyle choice is in fact a rebellion against God and His clear prohibitions on fornication, sodomy, and the sacredness of marriage as a covenant between one man, one woman, and God. He will not warn them that their lifestyle of sin and rebellion against God will condemn them to Hell. He also hates them so much that he will not give them the message of grace through faith, demonstrated in our lives by bearing fruit in keeping with repentance.

He also, I believe, has a wrong view of God and His ability to make new creatures. I think Jay has a misunderstanding of the transformative nature of the Gospel, that it does not affirm our opinions about ourselves and our ideas, rather, it brings them in line with God’s righteous judgments of us. God’s truth is a mirror, showing us our condition in truth, and revealing His own holy nature in comparison. But in that is the promise that he desires to save us from our condition of sin, if we will place our trust in Jesus Christ for pardon from our sins. He desires to conform us to the nature of His Son. It is the most loving truth, that despite our rebellion against God, He desires to save us from our sins to bring glory to Himself.

Individuals who follow Jesus do sinners no favors by lying to them about the eternal consequences of their sins. Churches who compromise Biblical standards (like the ELCA, Episcopal Church USA) demonstrate hatred towards God and hatred towards the Bible the Bible ostensibly so that they can show love towards people. They say “love the sinner, hate the sin, just like God does”.

Well, my friend, the sin is inextricably linked to the sinner. God will not cast sins into the lake of fire, he will cast sinners there on the day of judgment. We are to demonstrate God’s mercy by telling people this truth, so that they will not have to experience His judgment.

To my friend Jay, REPENT! It is obvious you love your friends. If you love your friends, tell them the truth. Warn them of judgment. Give them the good news that Jesus can save them and transform them into His image, just like I am doing for you today.

An Open Letter to the ELCA

I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.–Martin Luther–

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Recent historical events have taken place within the denomination that you call your own, as many of you well know and are concerned about. There are rumblings throughout our communities, and we see in the news many stories about decline in attendance and giving. For some, this has soured you on the institutional church, and you have separated from all fellowship. Some have moved on to other churches, and others are sitting quietly in the churches, hurting on the inside, but desiring the family and the fellowship of friends that you have made over the years.

I am inviting you to come out. Jesus Christ is calling you to come out.

The Church is not a social club, nor is it a building or a method of worship. The Church is the living body of Jesus Christ. Individuals who have trusted Christ alone for salvation, like some Lutherans, are part of that universal and invisible body. Martin Luther was a great example of this, upon realizing by the scripture that the Just shall live by faith (Romans 1:16-17) came out of the church that He was a part of very loudly by posting the 95 theses on the Wittenburg door. His protest was in part of the un-biblical use of indulgences. Luther cared about the scripture, and what it taught about His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When the Roman Catholic Church refused to follow the scripture, Martin Luther had to leave, he had to take a stand.

ELCA Lutheran Christians today must take a stand.

Those who have simply left the church must take a stand for the true church, the invisible body of Jesus Christ, and choose a local church that takes the Bible and Church practices seriously, so that they can be built up and restored in Christ. Those who are sitting in the ELCA church, waiting it out and hoping that things will change, while staying silent must come out, taking a stand for all that the Bible teaches. What we communicate when we remain a part of an apostate church is that we do not take the Bible seriously, and that we do not fear God. While unity in the Body of Christ is important, it is equally important that we are unified in truth.

In Revelation 3:20, we see Jesus knocking on the door. It is not the door of an individual heart, as has been taught by many, but the door of the church in Laodecia:

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Jesus Christ is outside the door of the apostate church, who see themselves as wise, prosperous, and in need of nothing. The ELCA has the gospel and the sacraments, and have chosen to disdain both by departing from scripture and right practice by recent votes held by the national church. Local ELCA churches, whether or not they abide by that vote have the unfortunate scar of that vote on their churches. Individuals who continue to attend also share in that guilt.

Open the door to Jesus, His word, and His life. Repent! Come out from among them and be separate. Seek a Bible teaching Church in your community. Join with Luther and others throughout history who have made a stand on the Word of God at great risk to their status, their families, and their relationships. God will bless that stand of faith that you take, and in some cases you may give others the courage to take a stand themselves.

The ELCA has made its choice, along with the Episcopal and other mainline denominational churches, taking a stand against the Word of God. In doing so, they have become apostate. Come out from them, separate from them, and join with Luther and other reformers who have made a stand at risk of life and limb on the Word of God, trusting in God alone to be their Savior and protector.

The Church Jesus Planted: Spiritual Sacrifices Part II

Giving-
Phil 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

The heart attitude is important here- one of love which also brings joy to the giver as well as the one who receives and it is a sacrifice that God receives as a sweet smelling savor. Our attitude in giving should be the same as in singing a praise song, or in prayer. It should be done as a giving thanks to God for his provision. In the scripture, it is also seen as a demonstration of where your heart is- for where your treasure is there your heart is also. When the scripture talks about giving, it is more than money or time, it is, as we have said earlier, our bodies as living sacrifices poured out willingly to Him so that Christ can be fully developed in us. We cannot allow an idol of possessions or popularity to get in the way of having God fully formed in us. We must give out of a willing heart, as we are able, not under compulsion, but because we love God. The Spiritual aspect of giving is very important:

2 Corinthians 9:6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

When we give, it is a thermometer of how much we love God, how much we trust God, and how much of Christ is formed in us. And it is reciprocal; according to this passage God is glorified, your brothers and sisters are blessed, and you will be enriched in every way. It is also an expression of love, for God’s love is demonstrated in His gift of salvation in Christ Jesus. I am not promoting a word faith doctrine here, but it seems pretty clear that God graciously provides for us in every way, even when we are haters of God. When we are believers and we give, it is a spiritual sacrifice that is pleasing to God and glorifies him in the world, and demonstrates our love and appreciation for His provision.. It also demonstrates our trust in God, the same way that giving our bodies as a living sacrifice does. When our finances, our time, our very lives are in the hands of God to be used for His direction and control He will take that and He will use that for His glory. Finally, it demonstrates Christ’s formation in us in that it shows our priorities are in order; indeed the promise is to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness as our primary affection, and all these things- what we wear, where we live, and what we eat will be added unto us. When we are able to do that in His strength, with the attitude of thanksgiving, it demonstrates His formation in us.
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

Praise: Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
As the book of Hebrews reminds us so frequently, Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice one and for all for us. But one Old Testament Sacrifice that demonstrates that we are fully formed in Christ, living stones, is the sacrifice of praise. Jesus reminds us in John 4 that those who worship the Father must do so in Spirit and Truth. This means that our heart needs to be right with God, indeed, the sacrifices that God accepts (Psalm 51) are those of a broken and contrite heart. The Psalms remind us to render to God praise and thanksgiving with our lips, that is, verbally. The Author of Hebrews reminds us in chapter 12:

Hebrews 12:28-29 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

Worship and Praise of God is not something that should be entered into casually. We should sanctify ourselves by the Spirit and the Word before we enter into the sacrifice of praise. The sacrifice of praise should be with reverence, or more properly, shamefacedness (translated from Greek aidos) This type of reverence means that we are in a state of mind that recoils from anything immoral or impure, our focus is on the holiness of God, and even our own sinfulness in repugnant to us as we sit in his presence. If there is anything impure in this time of worship, we recoil from it. This, combined with awe (eulabeia) or Godly fear reminds us that we must be circumspect, considering God’s greatness and holiness. The focus here is that we should never be those who honor God with our lips but our hearts are far from him. Yes, we have gained the right to enter in through Jesus Christ, but we should not enter into the sacrifice of praise and worship lightly.

I am not just talking about Sundays in church either; the sacrifice of praise where we give glory to God for his many blessings should be on our lips continually before the people that we work with, who we share our home with, who we go to school with. What was so amazing about the Church in Acts was the attractiveness of the Gospel displayed in their gladness and generosity displayed in the community. When we continually praise God, with an honest heart, it demonstrates that we are indeed living stones being made into the likeness of Christ.

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Prayer: Revelation 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

I would expect, and hope, that we as individuals already have a regular habit of prayer and intercession before God. I am not talking about before meals, or at church, but a regular, daily, habit of praying to God, communicating with Him in truth. Prayerlessness is pridefulness, and indication that we believe that we can do life on our own. Prayer includes regular confession (which is agreeing with God about who HE is and who We are), repentance, supplication, praise, adoration, indeed, casting all of our cares on Him while worshipping Him in Spirit and in truth. Our prayers are a sweet smelling incense of worship to our Father. But, more importantly, one of the benefits of salvation is that Christ has opened up the throne of grace for us by His sacrifice on the cross. He lives forever to make intercession for us. Even when our prayers are imperfect and insufficient, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid, praying on our behalf for things we do not even know that we need. Prayer is a wonderful opportunity and privilege that we all need to take more advantage of. It is our one offensive weapon against the powers of the enemy.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers

Evangelism Romans 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

The final spiritual sacrifice that we should be performing as priests, as living stones, is the sacrifice of Evangelism. Evangelism is a natural response to the formation of Christ in you. What I am trying to say is that the scripture is pretty clear that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He saved you, from sin, and from death. Pause for a moment and think about it: That is the best news ever. As we become more and more like Christ, we become more and more painfully aware of our sin and what that sin cost Jesus. That makes us want to praise Him more, exalt Him more, and proclaim Him more to lost people. There is no greater spiritual sacrifice that we can make. Paul saw that as people got converted, that was a wonderful sacrifice to God. Jesus said that all heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents! Imagine the joy that you would have in contributing to the rejoicing in heaven!

Evangelism is an natural outworking of all the other spiritual sacrifices. Look how this works; We give our bodies over to God as living sacrifices, allowing him to have control as we walk in holiness before Him because of the work in Christ. We love others, and demonstrate it by being a servant of one another within the body, and demonstrate it by how we treat others. We build up and equip the body for ministry, pouring ourselves into one another as an offering to God. We give with great joy and gladness, trusting God and praising Him for every provision. The focus is on the kingdom God and His righteousness, not on ourselves. We praise God for all of his wonderful works on a daily basis, in the presence of all people. We give thanks for the basic things, the food we eat, the job we have, the weather- all of God’s provisions. We pray, individually and corporately for the needs of the church, the community, and the world. This makes us naturally other-focussed, and increases our love and compassion. Finally, we evangelize, which is a verbal proclamation of the Gospel. But when we live our lives in such a way in front of people, the evangelism comes naturally. People are attracted to others whose focus in not on themselves and who demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit. And of course we realize that ultimately, it is the Lord doing the multiplication. We are called to be obedient, He finishes the work.

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

I believe that as we are obedient to His Word concerning the functioning of the church, we will have Jesus Christ formed in each of us in a much deeper way. In other words, the growth will be inside us individually, as well as with the church as a whole. The living stones that we are will be built higher and deeper on the Lord Jesus Christ, the cornerstone. And He will build His church- granting repentance and salvation to all those on whom He will have mercy. He does not need the church in order to accomplish His sovereign purposes, but He has blessed us with the privilege of partnering with Him to accomplish His plan. Who will join with me this year to see it done?

The Church That Jesus Built Part 2: Spiritual Sacrifices

This last week, we looked into what the church that Jesus established looked like, by going to the Gospels and looking at Matthew 16- On this rock I will build my church!” From there, we wandered to Peter’s first epistle and discovered that we are living stones, being built up into a spiritual house. The question then arose from the scripture, “how are we supposed to live out this call as the spiritual house, this visible local church and the invisible universal church?” First, as a holy priesthood of called out ones, we are to make spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. The Greek word for sacrifices is thusia, and throughout the New Testament, that same word is used to describe different sacrifices we are to make for God as individuals within the church, as well as the church together in this sacred, living, spiritual house being built. The end result is that we are to become more like Jesus Christ, and that we are to fully formed disciples, that Jesus Christ will be fully formed in us. We introduced what these sacrifices are that we are supposed to be offering as a church last week, and today, we will dig deeper into what they are and how we ought to walk them out.

Our Bodies
- Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The first sacrifice which we are called upon to make is that of our bodies. In this context, we see this as an offering that is to be made for God’s glory. The whole purpose of the church, and of the spiritual sacrifices are ultimately to bring glory to God. How do we bring glory to God by offering a sacrifice of our body? Contained in this verse is the answer: By being holy, in living a life that is acceptable to God. In and of ourselves, this is impossible. What God is calling us to do as individuals is to give ourselves completely to Him, to yield ourselves to be his instruments, under His complete control. It is only in that position that Jesus Christ can be formed in us.

This is not something that comes naturally, either the presenting or the sacrificing. Some people believe that they can present themselves to God, but once the sacrificing gets underway, when the call on their lives is something that they see as impossible or undesirable, they take back the offer, and crawl off the altar. We see this in the case of the modern American church, when the individual is called to sacrifice time in service to the body or gifts to benefit the body with no promise of benefit or return to themselves, they often will withdraw from that fellowship to find a better offer, usually by going to a different fellowship. I am not going to lie to you, as many of you have seen, being a part of a church plant is no picnic. Oh yes, we have experienced many blessings, but it has been a hard struggle in a hard place. My friends, many of you have been here since the start, and you have been faithful in tough times, and I bless God for you. But here is the deal, when God calls on us to participate in the spiritual sacrifice, it is no sacrifice at all if you crawl off the altar when the fire starts to lap at your feet. We must take the position of Isaac in the hands of His father, fully trusting him to do what He will, to do what is best, for His glory. That is a sacrifice that is acceptable to God. How we lay ourselves on the altar makes little difference, it is if we stay on the altar that brings glory to God.
42 And they devoted themselves

Walking in Love -Ephesians 5:1-2 1Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children:And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

Walking in love,and being followers of God are inseparable. The type of love spoken of in verse two is the agape, that is, the love which springs from admiration and veneration, and which chooses its object with decision of will, and devotes a self-denying and compassionate devotion to it. It is love in its fullest conceivable form. It is the love that God showed to us when he chose us to be saved, and sent His Son Jesus to accomplish the task. It is the love demonstrated by Christ in laying down His life willingly for us. Love cannot be demonstrated outside of relationship; this type of love must have an object towards whom it can be given, which is why it must be practiced in fellowship, and it is listed among the sacrifices that we as living stones and the living temple must demonstrate.

In other words, those of us who are married and have kids can experience this in our everyday lives outside of the church within our families. However, that is not the only place as a church that we should be demonstrating this self sacrifice and love towards one another. We must do so in our relationships within the church, and it is necessary when we gather together for Bible studies, worship services, and other projects to demonstrate this love towards one another because it is a sacrifice that is pleasing to God, it builds up the church, and it is a testimony to the outside world. It is completely a wrong view of the church to believe that the church is only functional for a couple of hours in one day. The church should be living and active every day of the week in demonstrating this one another love and fellowship. This is how Christ becomes formed in us, and it shows the world how much Christ is formed in us by how we love.

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

Doing Ministry-building up others

Philippians 2:17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.

Part of the love aspect of the church fellowship is the sacrifice of building up others. Paul reveled in this, comparing it (in the Greek) to being poured out like a drink offering. If you have ever poured liquid into a hot frying pan, and watch the steam rise above it, this is what a drink offering looked like. Paul was sold out to Christ, and his greatest joy was seeing people having Christ formed in them. He was willing, and in fact was poured out like a drink offering on their behalf. This was a demonstration of Christ like agape love, and the sacrifice He gave in building up others in their faith was also a spiritual sacrifice to God.

I have the great joy of being a Pastor, and I have the great joy of building people up in faith. I believe that as the body of Christ we can do a better job teaching the Word. We need to go deeper as individuals and as a household of faith in studying God’s Word! If you are qualified as a teacher, according to 1 Timothy 3 (you do not need to be a man, only exception) and willing to submit to supervision of the elders of your church, you have the qualifications to teach. Those who are Elders in the church ought to be apt to teach, and each elder in the church ought to be doing so in one form or another. The only reason that we desire to oversee these things associated with this church is that it is our responsibility, but also, so many Bible Studies have become places where heresy and false teachings have developed, or they have ceased to be Bible Studies at all. We want to make sure that all the ministries of this church are doing the job of building individuals up into the image and likeness of Christ.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Emergent Avatar Evangelism: Finding God in the Other

Samir Selmonovic

This is a response to the following post:
AVATAR: a metaphor for emergent evangelism
Published January 4, 2010

Warning: to those who choose to read the original post, you may want to put on a helmet to protect your head, because you will want to find a wall to bang it against.

Warning: Avatar is a movie that is full of blasphemy, no professing Christian should attend this movie or pay to see it and line the pockets of James Cameron who uses the name of our Lord Jesus in vain.

Although evangelism is a term associated with the evangelicalism (for apparent reasons), anyone who’s set to follow in the way of Jesus will inevitably be involved in evangelism. It is what has been called The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:46-47 and Acts 1:8). The question is: what does it mean to do evangelism?

The scripture listed here is enough to destroy the entire premise of what this author says emergent evangelism ought to become. All of these verses encourage us to make disciples, and the first step to do that is of course to proclaim the Gospel. You cannot make disciples out of dead people, they must be quickened spiritually, and this is an act of God. The proclamation of the Gospel is a needed part of this.

Mark 16:15 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Luke 24:47And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

The Greek word that is translated preach or proclaim leaves no room for debate- it certainly is very clear:

κηρύσσω (kērussō 2784)- preach -ed, -est, -eth, -ingto be a herald, discharge a herald’s office, to make proclamation, proclaim, announce publicly, publish announcements.

This is the main complaint of the author of this post:

The recent movie Avatar is a great illustration of the way Christians have been relating to the rest of the world and a lesson for how they should relate. Truth is, we don’t relate to the “other” from a position of equality. For a long, long time Christians have made evangelism a one way street. They have projected themselves to be God’s brokers to the world. Their role was to bring God to places where there is no God. This approach has put Christians in a posture of superiority.

We are not in a position of equality, for we are witnesses, and must proclaim the Gospel as witnesses. In other words, we have seen and experienced something (the Gospel) that the people we are preaching to have not.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The Greek word from which we get witness is very interesting:

μάρτυς (martus 3144) witness [noun] -es(from the Sanscrit root, smri, smarami, to remember; smrtis, remembrance; Latin, memor); hence, literally one who remembers, that is to say one who has information or knowledge of a thing, and can therefore give information concerning, bring to light or confirm anything. Also, it sometimes implies that the witness avers something and supports his statement on the strength of his own authority

The reason it is interesting is that it is also translated into English martyr. All too often, one who held the truth of Christ and bore witness to it was killed for that proclamation, because it stands counter to the truth of the world and the world’s gods. The ‘god’ that we are supposed to see and compromise with in ‘the other’

As Samir Selmanovic writes in “It’s really all about God”, we don’t think the other has anything of value to offer us about God. We certainly don’t need them; they are the ones who after all need us. If we care, we care for “their potential”.

We don’t bring God to the other, but find God in the other.

Here is what God says about the other, and the god in the other:

Ephesians 2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

The rest of mankind, kronos, the world, is dead in trespasses and sins, and are, by nature, children of wrath. We are certainly not superior to them, for we once were that. But we have been saved, we have been quickened, brought from death to life, and our responsibility is to be heralds of that good news. It is only the Christian, the one who has been born again, who can proclaim this good news to those who are as we once were. It is not incumbent on us to discover god in the other, because the god that they follow (no matter the name they give it) is the prince of the power of the air, that is, Satan.

Samir Selmanovic, (one of Doug Pagitt’s friends who are under attack by us ‘fundamentalists’) who this fellow quotes on his blog, seeks to find god in the other by running a ‘church’ called Faith House in Manhattan, where Jews, christians, and Mulims all worship the same god- which is not the God of the Bible. Allah is the moon god, The God that the Jews worship is the God of the Old Testament, who has revealed Himself in Christ Jesus. They are still worshiping the God of the Old Testament, the God of their understanding. The christians who worship there also worship a god of their own understanding, one who is not exclusive to those who have called upon the name of Jesus is repentance and faith. They believe that god can be found in the other, which is false. They will share the same lake of fire with their Muslim and Jewish comrads if they do not place their trust in the Jesus of the Bible alone for their salvation. Everyone who has not turned to Christ alone shares the same fate, and the same present condition. They are dead in trespasses and sins, and must be quickened by God in order to be saved.

This is where the Avatar movie is a great metaphor for what evangelism could and should become. Although Jake Sully entered Na’vi world initially with an agenda in mind, he got to appreciate their way of life, its beauty so much so that he wanted to become part of it.

Well, here is the deal friend: We are not to love the world, or the things in the world. Whoever loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. We are but heralds of the good news. We are not supposed to pick and choose things in the world that we like and use them, or try to be like them in order to make Jesus more attractive. Jesus is the lily of the valley, the bright and morning star, the fairest of ten thousand. We do not need to make Jesus more attractive. He is THE way THE truth THE life, and no one comes to the Father but by Him! (John 14:6) He is attractive, but He is not seen as that by the world who hate Him.

Eventually his presence there really helped to save them.

God saves us, by His grace. Our presence does not save anybody, but Christians adorn Christ by the way that they live, as well as the truth that is proclaimed. We are but vessels that are meet for the Lord’s use. Christians are called to be preachers, heralds, witnesses, ministers of reconciliation, ambassadors for Christ. We are His representatives to a lost and dying world. We are not representing ourselves, seeking god in the other, but bringing the truth of the One True God, the God of the Bible, to the world.

A theology of the Church: What Would/Did Jesus Build?

We are fast approaching the beginning of our fourth year in Marshall, MN with the purpose of planting a church. While we didn’t actually launch a public service until the August after arriving, this plant has been in process for three years. We have seen many changes over these years, but the focus has remained the same. We are called as a church to love Jesus as our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King, and love others into His Kingdom by proclaiming the truth found only in Christ. We desire to be the church that Jesus built in Marshall, doing the very things that the church of Jesus should be doing. In order for that to happen, we need to refocus on the Church that Jesus Built, and we will do that as we enter the new year. This is not the first time I have considered this, and I am sure it will not be the last. Before I came into the community, through prayer and study, and reading about philosophy of Church Planting, as well as attending conferences, I came in with a ‘business plan’ of sorts, just by a different name. Within that plan were budgets, numerical goals, philosophy, and vision for the future. Still, The most important question for me then was “ If Jesus planted a church today, what would it look like?” Suffice it to say that most of the goals I made before even being on the ground were quite unrealistic. I look back at this plan, and I giggle somewhat. The one thing that remains the same is that vision, that mission statement that states why we exist:

River of Life Alliance Church is a Great Commission Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance; Existing to know Christ and to make Him known by reaching people with the whole Gospel in our communities, bringing them to faith in Jesus Christ, and making disciples that reflect the character and priorities of Jesus Christ.

Within our mission statement I hope that we find the biblical reason for planting a church, along with a Biblical method for growing the church, as well as the Biblical purpose of the church. It is my hope that it matches the priorities of Christ, that is, my thought was and is if Christ were to plant a church, what would it look like? I want to take the next few weeks leading up to our annual meeting talking about where I feel that we have looked like Christ, and therefore successful in accomplishing this mission, and some areas we (together) need to change as we enter a different phase of this plant.

Jesus established the Church, and He is still the head of that Church. He established the Church to carry out his work on this earth. The Church He built is empowered by his Holy Spirit to act as His representatives on earth. To understand what that looks like, lets look at the first mention of Church in the New Testament, found in Matthew 16:

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

The word “Church” (Gk. ekklēsia) is used only here and in Matt. 18:17 as far as in the Gospels. This passage is one of the most controversial and debated passages in all of Scripture, so far as the establishment of the church. As Jesus establishes the church, “This rock” that the Church is to be built on has been variously interpreted as referring to (1) Peter himself, specifically by the Catholics (2) Peter’s confession; or (3) Christ and his teachings. Who and what is Jesus referring to and what does the Rock have to do with Jesus’ church?

(1) Peter himself, specifically by the Catholics

Roman Catholics have appealed to this passage, specifically verse 18, to defend the idea that Peter was the first pope, and from him they get apostolic succession through today. However, the real founder of the Catholic Church was Constantine, with the Edict of Milan in 313, decriminalizing Christianity. It was the original ecumenical movement, bringing together the paganism that was the religions of Rome, and a form of Christianity. Constantine continued with the title Pontificus Maximus, which was the title emperors held as the head of the Pagan Priesthood. The pope today is still called the supreme pontiff, or priest. He continued the tradition of the priests and the local parishes and services of worship to control the people. We do not have time to discuss all the implications of this, suffice it to say that Constantine did a brilliant job unifying pagan and christian religions by putting together aspects of both that live on today. The point for our digestion is that Christianity was not dead for three centuries leading up to the Edict of Milan, it was established by Jesus and lived on. The true church, followers of Jesus Christ, were underground and worshipping Christ in homes, on beaches, and anywhere they could get together and fellowship, as we see in Acts 2:42-47. Despite the persecution by Roman Emperors up until Constantine, the Church grew and it thrived. We will study the formation of the church that Jesus established over these next weeks to understand the dynamics and the form of the Church that Jesus built.

The key question we must look at in this interpretation of this verse concerns Peter’s relationship to “this rock.” In Greek, “Peter” is Petros which is a small stone. Jesus used a play on words here, and related Petros to petra (“rock”), which would be used as a foundational boulder. The other NT name of Peter, which is Cephas (cf. John 1:42; 1 Cor. 1:12), is the Aramaic equivalent: kepha’ means “rock,” and translates in Greek as Kēphas. Jesus’ entire pronouncement seems directed toward Peter, and the connecting word “and” (Gk. kai) most naturally identifies the rock with Peter himself. But even if “this rock” refers to Peter, the question remains as to what that means. Peter was not the foundation of the church, because Jesus was, as Peter acknowledged in 1 Peter 2:6-7. Peter would not take over for Jesus as the physical head of the church, for Christ still reigns in heaven and He is the head of the church (Ephesians 5). Jesus’ statement did not mean that Peter would have greater authority than the other apostles, for we see even Paul correcting and rebuking him publicly in Gal. 2:11–14, It did not mean that he would be infallible in his teaching, we see Jesus rebuking him in Matt. 16:23, and we see him giving an account of his actions to the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:1–18). Jesus’ statement did not initiate or imply anything about a special office for Peter or successors to such an office. Certainly in the first half of Acts Peter appears as the spokesman and leader of the Jerusalem church, but he is still “sent” by other apostles to Samaria (Acts 8:14). Peter is presented as having only one voice at the Jerusalem council, and James has the decisive final word (Acts 15:7–21). And, though Peter certainly has a central role in the establishment of the church, he disappears from the Acts narrative after Acts 16. So Peter was certainly a great influence, and a bold leader of the early church in Jerusalem, but he was not ‘THE’ leader, Christ was, and still is. There was no succession after his death, there was no Pope who was a solitary voice. There was the church, headed by Christ, directed by His Spirit, remembering His words and teachings. So the establishment of the Church was not on a man, but Peter was an incredible example of the saving grace of Christ, and the transformation that ensues when one is truly Born Again. Peter’s confession, (as Jesus said) was revealed to him from Heaven, and it is this confession that identifies one as a living stone.

(2)Peter’s confession: Mt 16:16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Protestants generally have thought that the ‘Petra’, the foundation Rock that Jesus refers to is the confession of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, and that the other disciples and future confessors would share in that role as they made a similar confession. This is also a great interpretation, Jesus playing on Peter’s name saying that a foundation rock (the confession) came out of the mouth of a little stone. This imagery is played out by Peter, and it is an important part of understanding the Church that Jesus built, and is building:

1 Peter 2:4-10 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,” 
8 and “A stone of stumbling,and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The idea of ekklesia is a group of called out ones, called out from the world to serve Christ as a people of His own possession. We are all, like Peter, little stones, but we have been chosen to be built up as a spiritual house. The ekklesia, the church, is a spiritual house that is made up of every single person who has been called and chosen to follow Jesus Christ. We are built up on the foundation stone (Jesus Christ), which was rejected by the religious establishment of his day. We share the confession that Peter made, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. We believe on that name for salvation. We are called out ones that have been called out to this community at this time to fellowship in this church. We are primarily responsible to one another in this fellowship, but we are also part of the whole Body of Christ. More on this later, but suffice it to say that we are responsible as members of the whole building of Christ, we are all part of one another. When one part falls into disrepair, the whole building, the whole temple suffers. We do well to maintain ourselves, and others around our state and around the world in this coming year.

How are we supposed to live out this call as the spiritual house, this visible local church and the invisible universal church? First, as a holy priesthood of called out ones, we are to make spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. The Greek word for sacrifices is thusia, and throughout the New Testament, that same word is used to describe different sacrifices we are to make for God as individuals within the church, as well as the church together in this sacred, living, spiritual house being built. What are these sacrifices?

Our Bodies- Romans 12:1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Our desires/needs for the good of brothers/sisters -Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

Doing Ministry-building up others- Philippians 2:17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.- note this sacrifice brought Joy also to Paul!

Giving-
Phil 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.
Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.- note- the heart attitude is important here- one of love which also brings joy to the giver as well as the one who receives and it is a sacrifice that God receives!

Praise: Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Prayer: Revelation 8:3And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

Evangelism Romans 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

How Important Is Mary’s Virginity? **Updated**

Over at Tony Jones’ blog he raises this question regarding the virgin birth of Christ:

The virgin conception of Jesus has been questioned since the beginning of the church. As early as AD 177, the anti-Christian philosopher Celsus claimed that Jesus himself made up the story of the virgin conception to cover up his own illegitimacy. Others, including more liberal biblical scholars associated with the Jesus Seminar, have noted that virgin conceptions are common in the birth narratives of pharaohs, emperors, and kings, which indeed they are.

This is a question that the Emergent movement has struggled with, as we read in Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis:

What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archeologists find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births?

But what if, as you study the origin of the word “virgin” you discover that the word “virgin” in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word “virgin” could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being “born of a virgin” also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse?

What if that spring were seriously questioned? Could a person keep on jumping? Could a person still love God? Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live? Or does the whole thing fall apart? (VE 26-27)

The problem with emergent in my view has always been their elevation of doubt over faith, and, indeed, their alignment with the serpent in the garden when they question the veracity of God’s Word- “Hath God really Said?” Tony Jones gives his answer:

Miraculous births are an important part of the biblical narrative, most notably the birth of Isaac to the aged Sarah, and the birth of John (the Baptizer) to the aged Elizabeth. This trajectory culminates with the birth of Jesus.

Let us simply address the conception of John the Baptist by Elisabeth:

Luke 1:23-24And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,

Zechariah, the old priest, was told that his wife, Elisabeth, would bear a son named John, as a direct answer to his prayers. The scripture necessarily places Zechariah in his home, and after those days Elisabeth συλλαμβάνω (sullambanō) translated conceived,(literally grasped, caught hold) and in the tense and context it simply means that Elizabeth (for example) conceived naturally with the foreknowledge and help of God. It was miraculous, but significantly different from the conception of Jesus.

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke recount that Mary was a virgin when she became pregnant with Jesus, the conception being the result of impregnation by the Holy Spirit,(emphasis mine) and the church has held this as a core component of orthodoxy since. (Some branches of the Christian church have added the beliefs that Mary was still a virgin when Jesus was born (Virgin Birth), that Mary remained a virgin her entire life (Perpetual Virginity), and that Mary herself was born without sin (Immaculate Conception), but none of these is mentioned in the Bible.)

This is the announcement of the angel towards Mary, and it differs very much from the situation with Elisabeth:

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called m holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.

More correctly, the Holy Spirit overshadowed (ἐπεσκίασα; to throw a shadow upon, to envelop in shadow, to overshadow:) and did a creative work inside of Mary, so the conception of Jesus was a unique creative act. This is unique in that, as Mary said, How is it possible since I am a virgin (in the KJV ‘know not a man’) which is accurate in the greek γινώσκω which, as a Hebrew euphemism, is used of the carnal connection of male and female. In other words, virgin, as translated ‘young woman’ is improperly translated by Rob Bell. It is more appropriate in the KJV, literally, never had sexual relations. So it is not only the creeds, and the old orthodoxy that states the importance of the virgin birth, it is God’s Word itself.

In every miraculous birth in the Bible, and most significantly in the birth of Jesus, the theological point is that God’s Spirit has been involved in human affairs—actually in the biology of a woman—in order to precipitate the birth of a special, anointed, and holy person. And the virginal conception of Jesus signals that his direct progenitor is God’s Spirit, and we have since worshipped him as the incarnation of Logos (i.e., the second person of the Trinity).

Another false statement by Jones, who tries to cheapen the creative act of the Holy Spirit by reducing it to God’s involvement, like with other affairs. There is a difference between God’s involvement with Elisabeth and Sarah in the births of their old age, and the involvement of God in his sovereignty in our everyday lives and the virgin birth of Jesus. The argument that it is unimportant to the Christian faith is liberalism at best and heresy at worst. In the virgin birth of Christ, we see God directly involved in the incarnation of His Son, (John 1:14) sending Him (John 3:16) to a fallen world.

The virgin birth has its importance in Christology as well as Soteriology; I have addressed this at length in other blog posts, so I will not address it here. But Jones’ closing statement of the next to last paragraph sounds like Arianism at its root:

Suffice it to say, I think that God is capable of creating and maintaining Jesus and a sinless person without needing a lack of semen to do it.

This heresy resulted in exiling Arius; perhaps the best answer is for Biblical Christians to exile such teachers from their fellowships.

The closing statement:

So, for me, the virginity of Mary is not some forensic, mechanical doctrine that makes sinlessness possible, but is instead a testimony to the miraculous power of God’s Spirit and the anointing of Jesus that is confirmed at his baptism.

Is also questionable, perhaps a poor choice of words, but it is not about the anointing of Jesus, it is about the incarnation (John 1:14) of Jesus. It is the power of God sending His Son, born of a woman, born under the law (Galatians 4:4) so that, as fully human he could die for our sins, but also begotten (not made) of God, fully and truly God, so that he could bear the full penalty, in three days, of the wrath of God poured out on Him for our sins.