The Cost and Benefits of Obediently Standing in the Gap

I was involved in a discussion the other day with someone who claimed that it was impossible for a person to be both a Baptist and Reformed in their Theology. I got involved because I saw no sense to what he was saying in the discussion group. When I assured him that I was a Baptist, but not Dispensational he said that was a contradiction in terms. It was then that I went after his presuppositions. His presuppositions was that only those in the Covenant and given a mark of that Covenant, which was reference to their infant baptism, and no one else could be a member of the New Covenant. I then challenged his understanding of believer’s baptism throughout the book of Acts of Jewish and Gentile believers. He then said they were believers not disciples. His theology stated that a person could be a disciple and not be a genuine believer. I disagreed saying that a genuine disciple was a genuine believer while all false disciples were also false believers. This is where we came to the crux of the disagreement. I went to the Greek in The Great Commission and our Lord’s statement about the true cost of Discipleship in Luke 14:25-33. It was then that he claimed that using the Greek meant nothing and I then accused him of playing word games insisting that just because of false disciples such as Judas meant that the term “disciple” was nearly meaningless. That ended the discussion. I doubt if there will be another.
However, we do know that believers are called to role of reconciliation, forgiveness, loving our enemies, and turning the other cheek by being Spirit-filled. Also, the genuinely humble believer will not be timid, but bold.
Part of being bold because of the moving of the Holy Spirit within us is to proclaim the truth even if it takes the form of a rebuke. We are told to love our enemies, but we must not have unity with professing believers who are mired in heresy. On the other hand, those in apostasy must be rebuked in love with the goal of restoring them to fellowship and unity within God’s truth.
Much of the Bible is prophetic in nature. A large part of those prophecies take the form of God rebuking His people for their apostasy as well as declaring His coming judgment upon the world for their rebellion against Him and His ways.
One such prophet was Ezekiel. His book opens with him witnessing the glory of God in a magnificent vision. His account of it in Ezekiel 1 is utterly amazing. It is obvious that when he wrote it that he was struggling to describe the indescribable. In v26-28 Ezekiel describes his reaction to seeing this.

26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking. (Ezekiel 1:26-28 ESV)

I marvel at those nowadays who claim to have had personal visits from our Lord. They never describe a reaction to God’s glory like Ezekiel’s. I am sure that none of us could stand in His presence even if we only had a glimpse of His magnificent glory.

1 And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn:I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ (Ezekiel 2:1-4 ESV)

Notice that God commanded Ezekiel to stand, but he could not until the Spirit entered into him and set him on his feet. All of God’s commands to His people are like this. He commands us, but it only in the power of the Holy Spirit that we can obey Him. What is Ezekiel’s mission? He is being sent by God to the Jews to say, “Thus says the Lord God.” Why?

5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. (Ezekiel 2:5 ESV)

God is going to make sure that those to whom Ezekiel prophesies will know that God has sent him and that he is a prophet indeed. Notice that God is not guaranteeing to Ezekiel that his mission or ministry will be a success as people measure success. Instead, some will believe while others won’t. God will be glorified either way.

6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 2:6 ESV)

Ezekiel’s ministry will cause his hearers to become hostile, but God commands him to not be afraid of them or their words. He is to proclaim the truth directly from God, but he is not to expect any repentance. Instead, it will be as if he is being constantly struck with briers and thorns while sitting amongst scorpions. In other words, for all his preaching and prophecy, he will receive nothing but antagonism from those to whom God sent Him.

7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. 8 “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe. (Ezekiel 2:7-10 ESV)

God gives Ezekiel a scroll. God infers that he is to eat the book. Ezekiel looks at the writing that is on the front and back. The words there are of lamentation and mourning and woe. His ministry will be one of rebuke that is full of grief and hard words. He will not become popular with those to whom he ministers will he? Notice again that God directs him to eat the book. What does that mean? Ezekiel was not to literally eat the pages of the book, but he was to spiritually receive God’s message in such a way that it would become his inward passion. Does this not describe the same process by which we become Spirit-filled? If we internalize God’s Word, permeating our entire being with it, we will become controlled by its power that is the Holy Spirit.

1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. (Ezekiel 3:1-3 ESV)

The message from God was judgment, but, since it is God’s Word and it also vindicated His holiness, righteousness, glory, and faithfulness, it is sweet as honey.

4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me:because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, ’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.” (Ezekiel 3:4-11 ESV)

In this passage we see that Ezekiel’s sufficiency in his ministry comes from God enabling him to be so. Ezekiel’s name in Hebrew means, “strengthened by God.” Ezekiel’s ability to live up to his name comes from God. This strength will enable him to faithfully prophesy to the Jews whether they hear or refuse to hear or whether they attack or don’t attack him.

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake:“Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me. (Ezekiel 3:12-14 ESV)

The Word of God is as sweet as honey because it is the truth and it glorifies Him. However, that does not mean that His Word does not also contain rebuke and judgment. God sends those who proclaim His truth. I would doubt that any of them had a vision like Ezekiel’s to prepare them for their ministries, but that does not mean that when these men stand in the gap and prophesy the truth they aren’t being led spiritually in their obedience to speak lamentations, mourning and woe. However, to the man, I also would not doubt that they know all about the sweetness of God’s Word and the Bitterness in the heat of their Spirit that comes from obeying Him in proclaiming it. The Apostle John also experienced this.

8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” (Revelation 10:8-11 ESV)

In our day and time the apostates have overrun the Church. Their leaders are becoming progressively more and more apostate with each sermon they preach and each book they publish. There are the Word-Faith preachers who have totally misinterpreted scripture so they can become wealthy by duping millions to give them their money. Then there are the emergents who don’t like “church” or even being called Christians. They want a new reformation to form the church into something cool. The neo-Evangelicals are all about easy-believism to the point that their “gospel” is not longer the Gospel from the Bible. Cults are becoming recognized as mainstream Christians. These are only a few examples.
What are we supposed to do? Are we to fight or are we to do nothing or are we to love them? If we fight them, we will use tactics that are not edifying because it will be born from our flesh. If we do nothing then we are being self-protective and are actually being timid in our fear of being harshly treated by those who refuse to hear. However, if we choose the third option, which is to love them, does that mean we accept their apostasy and love them like brothers, accepting them with open arms? No! It means that we rebuke them based entirely from God’s Word. His Word will be sweet as honey in our mouths as we lovingly share the truth from God’s Word and why we are shining His light into their ministries. We do this boldly with the goal of restoration, but we must not flinch when the bulk of them refuse to hear. It is when their defenders come after us that we will experience the bitterness in the heat of the Spirit.
Are you willing to stand in the gap, sword drawn, filled with God’s Word and empowered by the Holy Spirit? If so, then you will know the sweetness of God’s Word and you must not become dismayed when the bitterness comes upon you in the heat of your Spirit. God’s will be done!

Living A Life Well Pleasing to God

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9 ESV)
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. (Revelation 3:14-16 ESV)

We live in an evil day. When “cultural relevance” carries more weight within the leadership of a church than conformity to the revealed Word of God then it should grieve those who know the Lord and are known by Him. All around us are examples of “churches” that would best be described as “Laodicean,” that is, people-centered rather than God-centered. “Laodicean churches” are always “lukewarm” and a word study of Revelation 3:14-22 makes it clear that a professing believer who is “lukewarm” is actually a “temporary christian,” not a genuine disciple of our Lord Jesus at all. In fact, this lukewarmness is so disgusting to our Lord that he tells them that he will “spit” them out of his mouth.
What is the marker of this lukewarmness? It is as I said, lukewarm “professing christians” are “man-centered” rather than God-centered. They go out of their way to never offend anyone about anything for instance.  As we have said many times here at Possessing the Treasure, there are only two religions in the whole world. There is genuine Christianity, which is based entirely in God’s Sovereignty and consists of those whom He elected, called, justified, sanctified, adopted, and glorified. Then there are all other religions, which are based entirely in the sovereignty of Man’s Free Will. Which are those who are “lukewarm” and those who are “hot”?

1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 ESV)

Carefully read the passage above (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8). Notice that Paul both “asks” and “urges” the Thessalonians to “walk” a certain way before God. The Greek word used here that is translated as “asks” is ἐρωτάω or erōtaō. It is translated as “beseech” in the KJV and “urge” in the NKJV. The ESV translation of “ask” is probably the best in this context. The Greek word translated here as “urge” is παρακαλέω or parakaleō. This word literally means, “to call to one’s side.” It is used to describe the calling of a person to produce a particular effect. This is an appeal by Paul to the Thessalonians to walk before God just as he instructed them.
The present, infinitive verbs “to walk” (περιπατέω or peripateo) and “to please,” (ἀρέσκω or areskō) in Greek, are in active voice. Present infinitive verbs pertain to continuous or repeated action, without any implications as to when the action takes place.  Active voice means the subject of the verbs does the action. Who is being exhorted? That would be “brothers” who are the Thessalonians and, by implication, all Christians. περιπατέω refers to how a person deports himself or herself before Men and God. This is who a person really is because it refers to how they do all they do continually. On the other hand, ἀρέσκω refers to acting in such a way that it makes another to be content with the person doing the action. This action implies a relationship prior to behavior. This behavior is actually satisfying or behaving properly toward one with whom one is related. Christians are intimately related to God because He has adopted each of them into His family. Paul is telling us that our actions, our behavior needs to conform to certain standards that will cause God to be pleased with us. There are standards of behavior implied here. Christians can behave in such a way that they do not cause God to be pleased with them at all. If this was not so then why does Paul exhort us otherwise?
What is the will of God for all Christians? It is their sanctification. This is the Greek word ἁγιασμός or hagiasmos. This word is also translated as ‘holiness.’ This word refers to separation unto God. In this context, ἁγιασμός refers the resultant state of sanctification, which is the behavior befitting those so separated. What behavior? It is, “that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust.” The word “abstain” is the Greek word ἀπέχομαι or apechomai. This verb is in present tense, infinitive mood, and middle voice. Christians are to continually ἀπέχομαι from sexual immorality. The middle voice tells us that the subject is acting in some way upon himself or concerning himself. ἀπέχομαι gives us the word picture of a person ‘holding himself or herself off.’ In other words abstaining from lust, from sexual sin, is something each of us must do. We cannot abstain through good intentions or simply wishing for it. No, we must abstain continually with action upon self.
How does Paul tell us to do this? We are to learn how to control our own bodies in holiness and honor instead of immersing them in the passion of lust. The word “know” is the Greek word εἴδω or eidō. Again, Paul used a present tense, infinitive mood, and active voice verb to describe the process of our perceiving and understanding with our minds “how to control” our bodies this way. The words “how to control” is the Greek word κτάομαι or ktaomai. We must acquire knowledge from God continually and apply it with His wisdom continually to κτάομαι our bodies. κτάομαι is in present tense, infinitive mood, and middle voice. Remember what the middle voice indicates from above! That means that this verb is reflexive. It is an action one does in some way upon self or concerning self. κτάομαι means to acquire to own. In other words, when we κτάομαι our bodies we purchase them by some means for our own. It is as if someone else formerly owned them. That would be our flesh my brethren. This process of abstaining from lust is taking back possession of our bodies from our flesh.
When we do this as a way of life we are keeping our bodies in a state of holiness and honor. The Greek word used here for holiness is ἁγιασμός, which was translated as ‘sanctification’ in v3. The word honor is the Greek word τιμή or timē. This word describes a state of high esteem. It is holding something apart and above because it is of great value and even precious. The opposite would be to immerse our bodies in the passion of lust. Those who do this are treating their bodies as if they are simply a vehicle or means to an end. They are actually selling back their bodies to their flesh. Also, Paul admonishes us all in vv6-8 that to disregard this exhortation is to defy God Himself.
Now, let us look again at this knowledge which we must possess continually and then apply with the wisdom of God in order to take ownership of our bodies away from our flesh and then walk in holiness and honor before God. I know I use this passage a great deal, but I offer no apologies.

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 ESV)

We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God each day as an act of worship. Then, instead of being continually conformed to this world, we are to be transformed through mind renewal. This is how the mind of Christ is developed in us. Our part is to immerse ourselves in God’s Word. We must get it into us and work with the Holy Spirit in learning all we can about God and His ways. We are then to live it out through the wisdom the Holy Spirit imparts unto us. This is how we take our bodies back from our flesh to be living sacrifices before the throne of God. If we will do this then our flesh will be denied and as long as we remain in this mode of worship and service then it remains so. However, the moment we become self-sufficient in our own eyes it will come out of hiding and demand to be fed. This is the battle my brethren. The life that is pleasing to God is one that is dedicated to continually fighting in this battle to the end.

What is Genuine Repentance?

1 Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus said to them, ”Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? 3 ”I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 ”Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? 5 ”I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5 NASB)

Not long ago I became involved in discussion on a blog that was proclaiming that it is perfectly fine for Christians to use profanity and those who call them on it are being hypocritical and self-righteous. I have been teaching for quite a while that the genuine believer is regenerate, a new creation, whom God is the process of sanctifying. Our humility must come to predominate our pride. The prideful person is self-focused while the humble person is not. What are the motives for using coarse or vulgar language? There are many, but not one of them will cause a believer to edify others or glorify God. In fact, in the Bible, in every mention of coarse language, it is cast as part of sin or sinful itself. What was Isaiah’s lament when he saw the Lord high and lifted up?

1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” (Isaiah 6:1-7 NASB)

Being in the presence of God and thereby being exposed to His Holiness and Glory, caused Isaiah to see his sin clearly. What was it? What comes from the mouth reflects what is in the heart. If coarse or unclean language commonly comes from our mouths then bitterness is present in our hearts. We have become defiled by our pride, which has caused us to become resentful and bitter. When we are squeezed by God then out comes what is really inside. Isaiah’s sin of having unclean lips was rooted in the fact that he was full of pride and not humble. He was a man of unclean lips, but when he became broken before God, his pride was shattered and God forgave and cleansed him.

7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.  (1 John 1:7-10 NASB)

That is exactly what Isaiah did. He confessed his sins. He did not try to rationalize his sin or say that others are worse than him or that his was only a little sin or that swearing and cursing is not really sin. God’s light shining into our hearts always brings what is within us into our perception. God squeezing us reveals to us what we are really like and what is under attack from His sanctifying grace.
There is genuine repentance and false repentance. Genuine repentance brings salvation to the lost and is how genuine believers do not continue to be conformed to this world, but, instead, become transformed by the renewing of their minds.
As the passage above from Luke 13 at the top of this post says, salvation comes only to those who repent. Genuine salvation does not happen unless the believer repents. If this is true, and I contend that it is, then what does this say about professing Christians who refuse to stop being conformed to this world? Have they repented?

8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.  (2 Corinthians 7:8-10 ESV)

The Apostle Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians to the Corinthian church as a rebuke. They were having a great many problems due primarily to being fleshly about several things. They were not being humble nor were they worshipping or serving God, as they should. Paul’s letter hit home. In the passage above we see that Paul wrote in the power of the Holy Spirit being in the midst of God’s Word, which is sweet as honey, but he also experienced the bitterness in the heat of the Spirit by being part of God sending judgment into that church. God’s powerful word caused them to grieve and repent. Their grief was godly and genuine. On the other hand worldly grief produces death. What does that mean?
Godly grief comes from conviction of sin. Where does this conviction come from? It comes from God and it is the result of God being revealed to the conscience. The Holy Spirit, who is God, rouses the conscience and brings the one being convicted into the presence of God. It is at this point that we see our sin clearly and that we have sinned against God alone. This causes godly sorrow and genuine repentance. Conviction of sin leads to forgiveness as we repent. It is the Christians who walks in repentance whose personal holiness is growing ever deeper and wider. These believers prove that God has forgiven them by the evidence of turning from what they were before. This is repentance. It is all by God’s grace.
Genuine repentance always brings us to the point of confessing our sin. This is the evidence of God working in us when we do this. Godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance. However, there is also another form of sorrow or grief that leads to false repentance and spiritual death.

24 God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.” (Genesis 31:24 NASB)

God warned Laban in his dream to be very careful how he treated Jacob. However, he continued in his pursuit the next day. Laban even threatened Jacob after he overtook him. He had been warned, but he continued. What was his problem? Laban didn’t want to be called a failure. He didn’t want people to think that his plans went wrong and that he had to return without doing what he intended to do. It was all about his image.
Laban is a Biblical example of a hypocrite pretending to repent. Unbelievers often pretend to be sorry and say they’re going to change the way they think and act, but inside they know it’s a lie. When David confessed that he had sinned in 2 Samuel 12:13, it was entirely different from when Saul admitted he had sinned in 1 Samuel 15:24. They used the same words, probably even the same tone of voice, and showed the same feeling of remorse, but their motivation was quite different.
Ungodly sorrow or grief is an expression of being sorry for one’s sins, but that sorrow is really the expression of disappointment that one will no longer be able to do what he or she wants. They don’t really want to change their behavior. A criminal who has been arrested and convicted, such as a thief, expresses sorrow, but it is only a grief that he or she can’t steal anymore. The Bible portrays Laban in this same way. Deep down, he didn’t really repent. His sorrow was only an outward show. Those who are truly repentant aren’t afraid of anything except God’s anger and displeasure. They aren’t concerned about being humiliated and disgraced in front of other people as long as they know that God is with them. Hence, they become bold in their genuine humility.
The bedrock of Christianity is repentance. The Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” This is asking God to grant repentance through godly sorrow or grief. They understood that it is God who grants repentance. Those who see no value in repentance from things such as cursing or swearing or using coarse language, for example, are in darkness.
Those who cling to their favorite sin will tell us that those who call them on it are being hypocritical and self-righteous and that is worse than them practicing their sin. This is self-deception, which is rooted in pride that resides in an unrepentant heart. We must pray for God to shine His light of rebuke into their dark and self-deceived hearts, drawing them into godly sorrow and repentance, which leads to genuine salvation.

Love What God Loves But Hate What God Hates

For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! (Psalms 97:9-12 ESV)

   As I drove home from work today, I saw a bumper sticker on a SUV in another lane. I had seen this particular bumper sticker before so I was not surprised by it. However, for some reason it caused me to focus on the message it was attempting to convey. The bumper sticker read, “Hate is not a family value.” Now, I know and I am sure most of you know that that statement is meant to cause those who stand firm for family values and parental rights pertaining to the exposing of their children to the Homosexual agenda in school or any other public institution to become intimidated. The message conveys the idea that those taking this stance are expressing hatred towards people who only want to be accepted for how God made them. Of course, the Bible clearly teaches us that that concept is a lie and that Homosexuality is a set of perverse, sinful, sexual behaviors that are condemned by God as an abomination. It also says that any who practice them will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:11 that God is love and in vv7-8 he states emphatically that genuine Christians will also be partakers and givers of that same love. However, love cannot exist in a vacuum. If one loves, then he or she will also hate. The hate will be directed at anything or anyone who threatens the object of that love. God does hate and all who belong to Him are called to hate what He hates. The following is a list from the book of Proverbs of some things that God hates.
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. (Proverbs 6:16-20 ESV)
God hates a proud look. This is a manifestation of pride. In Hebrew this phrase, “haughty eyes,” literally means “lofty eyes.” The prideful has his or her nose in the air and their eyes uplifted. When pride fills the heart, it does manifest itself in the mannerisms of the person. God hates those who disdain everyone and everything. The sin of pride is probably listed here in this passage first because it is the root of all disobedience and rebellion against God. When I was in the US Navy in the early 1970′s, I was stationed at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in our nation’s capital. There was a fellow who worked in another department on a floor above ours who was probably the most arrogant person I have ever met. He was also blatantly homosexual. The few times I had to deal with him, he made sure I understood how inferior I was to him by not doing his job, but instead deliberately giving me the run around.
When I first arrived at that station in November 1973, I was considered a ‘boot’ so I had to do all of the unpleasant things that those who were there before me did not want to do. That included dealing with that person in question. However, unlike those who passed this task on to me, I was probably just as arrogant as him and had a very short fuse. I was not a believer at that time and so much of my behavior back then is painful for me to recount. What I did was go talk to my Chief. As I spoke to him, I did not know that the Commander who was over us could hear our conversation. I told my Chief about the runaround that fellow gave us every time we tried to get information for our work from his department.  Those over him were always upset with us because they had to continually redo orders that should have been given to us each day, but the process was being short circuited by this fellow when we tried to get help with understanding what the detailer was actually requesting. My Chief cleared his throat and I stopped complaining because we both detected our commanding officer entering the office. He asked which department was the problem and whom it was that was doing this. My Chief looked at me and I answered the question.
The next time I had to go to that department to get help understanding what was being requested I thought that fellow’s stare was going to set me on fire. However, he did his job, I was able to connect with the detailer, and get things straightened out. A few days later, I was walking down the hall on his floor and saw him standing in the alcove where the pop machines were. However, he was not alone. His Chief had him cornered in there and was obviously explaining things to him so that he could not misunderstand it. I overheard this, “Your arrogance has to go. You are going to do your job or I will put you on report. If I hear one more thing from anyone about this, you are going to Captain’s Mast! Do you understand?” I thought I would enjoy it, but I really did not. I simply made an enemy. I was overjoyed a few months later when I was transferred to Data Operations in a totally different wing.
Many years later after God saved me, I reexamined much of that old behavior of mine and that of those with whom I had conflicts like that fellow. I was no less arrogant than him, however, when God saved me that died. Isn’t this the point? God hates arrogance and pride in people because those things are markers of our rebellion. When He regenerates us, we are new creations who are reborn and the rest of our lives He grows us unto Christlikeness.
God also hates a lying tongue. God is a God of truth who cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18). That He loves truth and hates lying is illustrated in the account of Ananias and Sapphira, who lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11). God took their lives as an example to the early church of His holiness. Christians are expected to be truthful even when it appears that it will be costly.
Verse 17 says that God hates “hands that shed innocent blood.” God hates people with murderous, cruel dispositions who will kill rather than be denied or frustrated of what they want. God hates murder because He created life and established its sanctity. Therefore, God ordained that when someone takes a life, he should pay with his own life (Genesis 9:6). Now consider the Abortion industry. Like Homosexuality, it has attained its own set of “rights” under the law. This would include euthanasia as well. Do you remember that case a few years ago when a Florida judge ruled that Terri Shivo’s husband could ask that she be starved to death because she was an invalid? Yes, our government, which is supposed to protect its citizens and deal justly with everyone, has become corrupt and diluted by compromise. Our political system is geared towards appeasing those with perceived political clout. Christians must stand firm against these things no matter who threatens us to back away. Evil is evil and we must hate it just as God does. All who compromise here will be held accountable when they stand before the Lord.
God hates a heart that devises wicked plans. This is a description of a wicked heart. God hates it. I have met a few people in my time who fit this perfectly. These people are reprobates and have no fear of God because their conscience is seared. They plan at great length on how to do evil. These people are constantly devising new ways of sinning. Not many weeks ago, I was having to delete several hundred spam comments from Possessing the Treasure each week. I would get close to a hundred a day. Most were filth or ‘phishing’. Then all of sudden it stopped. I now get five or six a week. Our security officer where I work sent me an email that confirmed that one Internet hosting company had been identified to contain millions of spam robots. The FCC shut it down through a court order. With it also went all those attempts to seduce people into replying to emails that were deviously designed to get them to give up financial and personal information for use by these swindlers. I believe that those who lost their robots or ‘bots’ will simply find a new host and begin again. This is devious, wicked planning in action and God hates it.
God also hates “feet that make haste to run to evil. The difference between this and normal sinning is that normal sinning is described in the Bible as a falling or a tripping. But the mischievous person purposely runs as fast as he can-he or she is in a hurry to sin. Examine yourself my brethren. Do you hate the sin that so easily trips you or are you so compromised that you hasten to partake of it? God hates this because it is a mark of enslavement to the flesh, which is rebellion against Him. Many of the emergent folks attempt to say that God is okay with our sin since it has been paid for at the cross. Nope, He is not okay with it. Our attitude towards sin must be the same as His and He hates it.
Another thing God hates is “a false witness who breathes out lies.” God hates people who put the blame on an innocent party. David, Jesus, and Paul experienced accusations by false witnesses (Psalm 27:12; Matthew 26:59-61; Acts 25:7-8). Bearing false witness obstructs justice, destroys reputations, and even destroys lives in some cases. False prophets are guilty of doing this as well. They will usually have a list of people who have stood up to them and revealed their heresy to the Church. They will list them as “False Prophets.” I am on one that I know of because I refused to allow them to take over my blog. I looked at others on their list of false prophets and saw that I was in good company. John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, John Piper, Jonathan Edwards, John Bunyan, John Calvin to name just a few were listed there as well. These false prophets are quick to call what is truth a lie and what is a lie the truth. I have also debated with some from the Emergent and Neo-Evangelist groups who twist and misuse scripture in order to beat down whoever they are trying to silence. God hates this. I have learned that it is a total waste of time to even engage them in debate. They do not listen and I am not going to compromise so that is that.
God hates those who sow discord among brothers. These troublemakers create divisions where there should be unity. These would also include those who bear false witness and breath out lies. These would also include those who attempt to divide God’s people on the issues of Homosexual rights or the right to life. God hates this.
The issue for us is that much of the visible Church has been compromised by its love of the world. The compromised professing Christians do not know the Bible. Their concept of Christianity is that is a set of religious works that earn points from God. It is all about performance and the criteria of it is based on Man’s view of God and what is right and wrong within that view. It is not biblical at all. We are commanded in scripture to not love the world. We must be in the world, but we cannot be part of it. If we love the world then we will also take on a love for the things above that God hates. We must love what God loves and hate what He hates. He hates compromise with the world and its ways. We must do the same.

Soli Deo Gloria!

CONCERNING FREE WILL OR THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL

In the Apprising Ministries post The Gospel: God-Centered Vs. Man-Centered we discussed what is meant by our use of these particular terms. A man-centered gospel is the belief that the determining factor in whether or not a man is eternally saved—in the end—relies upon an act of his own will i.e. a human decision where he cooperates, on some level, with God.
While the Reformation solas of e.g. sola fide and sola gratia mean that while the sinner is dead in his trespasses and sins it is God Himself sovereignly regenerating those whom He will and gives them as His gift the faith to believe and repent. This is diametrically opposed to any of the Seeker Driven evangelical movements like that led by Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren.

Fueled by its infatuation with corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, today the contemporary American Christian community largely believes in synergism (man cooperates with God in his salvation); while in opposition to the synergism of apostate Roman Catholicism, the Reformers—even before John Calvin—taught monergism (God alone saves a man, i.e. soli Deo gloria).
Once you grasp this idea then you’ll more readily understand why Rick Warren’s purpose driven man-centered mythology has been so readily embraced within apostatizing evangelicalism, which believes that revival can be worked up by human endeavor. Yet sadly, now we’re even witnessing ostensibly Calvinist leaders like John Piper and Al Mohler apparently working more closely with Warren.1
This is also why more and more pretending to be Protestant evangelicals have come under the delusion that we can even do pre-conversion discipleship. For example, consider the following from Emerging Church missiologist Alan Hirsch from a book actually endorsed by Rick Warren himself:

we need to reframe evangelism within the context of discipleship…even “the Twelve” (and “the Seventy”) were all what we would call “pre-conversion disciples.”2

In closing this out, for now, let me point you to Recovering Reformation Theology: Rejecting Synergism and Returning to Monergism by Christian apologist Bob DeWaay. Keeping all of this in mind you’ll see that DeWaay begins with the core issue and is dead-on-target when he says:

Please realize that free will is more of a philosophical concept than a theological one, though it has theological implications… free will is not the simple solution to many important theological issues that many people think it is… I will be discussing two alternative definitions of free will. The first is the typical definition demanded by Arminians (those who believe that a free will choice to believe brings about salvation): “The ability to choose between options, either of which could be actualized by the act of choosing.” The second definition was proposed by Jonathan Edwards: “The ability to choose as one pleases”…

Free will is assumed from passages that teach human responsibility… [because of a ] most important problem: free will is never directly addressed in the Bible. Even in passages where prophets and others asked God why He allowed so much evil to harm the innocent, it was not discussed. The answer was never that God was committed to the principle of free will and determined that allowing evil was a necessary by-product of free will…

[People can produce] a long list of scriptures on human responsibility…[and then assume] that if we are responsible we must have free choice in the matter… If we say that in order for a person to be responsible, that person must be perfectly able to make correct choices to obey God—it is the same as rejecting the teaching of the Bible. The Bible teaches that humans are both responsible for their sin and in bondage to their sin. It teaches that God’s grace is necessary to deliver us from sin. If man were free to perfectly choose obedience, then someone other than Christ could have lived a sinless life and escape judgment based on human merit. That idea denies Paul’s teaching in Romans 3:9-18…

Charles Finney, the 19th century revivalist championed the idea that Biblical passages about man’s moral responsibility imply complete ability to perfectly obey God:

Moral agency implies the possession of free will. By free-will is intended the power of choosing, or refusing to choose, in every instance, in compliance with moral obligation. Free-will implies the power of originating and deciding our own choices, and of exercising our own sovereignty, in every instance of choice upon moral questions of deciding or choosing in conformity with duty or otherwise in all cases of moral obligation. That man cannot be under a moral obligation to perform an absolute impossibility is a first truth of reason. But man’s causality, his whole power of causality to perform or do anything, lies in his will.

This sounds logical to the unregenerate mind; but it is not Biblical. Finney’s position is a reiteration of the Pelagian heresy. It goes so far in the direction of human ability that even Rome anathematized it at Trent: “If any one saith, that the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, is given only for this, that man may be able more easily to live justly, and to merit eternal life, as if by free-will without grace, he were able to do both, though hardly indeed and with difficulty: let him be anathema.”

Rome also anathematized Luther’s opposite position on this, the bondage of the will: “If any one saith, that, since Adam’s sin, the free-will of man is lost and extinguished; or, that it is a thing with only a name, yea a name without a reality, a figment, in fine, introduced into the Church by Satan: let him be anathema.” Roman Catholic theology is semi-Pelagian, which it viewed as middle ground. That means Rome taught “prevenient grace”: “If any one saith, that without the prevenient inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love, or be penitent as he ought, so that the grace of Justification may be bestowed upon him: let him be anathema.”

Summary Statement

Let me summarize the three basic positions on the will of man in relationship to ability to choose to obey God: 1) Pelagianism like that of Finney teaches that humans are fully able to obey God without any special work of grace. The mere presence of a command from God, they say, requires the reality of free will ability to comply. 2) Semi-Pelagians teach that without prevenient grace, man would not be able to respond freely to the call to believe; but that God has already provided such grace to all humans. “Prevenient” is an old English term that means “to go before.” The semi-Pelagian view is also synergistic—meaning that salvation and sanctification are a cooperative effort between God and man.

3) Luther and the other reformers taught the bondage of the will. This position, anathematized by Rome in several canons on justification, was that all fallen sinners are in bondage to their own sin so much so that they will not submit to God without a prior sovereign work of God’s grace. This became the Reformation doctrine of “grace alone,” also called “monergism.” By this thinking salvation is an act of God alone. I agree with Luther on this matter. (source)

THE GOOD NEWS BECOMING NO GOOD NEWS AT ALL

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

When Good News Turns Into No Good News At All
As most of us already know, the word “gospel” comes from the Old English and refers to “good news.” Today we speak of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, although in the muddy and confused contemporary evangelical community today—believe it or not—there is considerable debate as to what this Gospel actually is.
Because so many weak-willed ministers jumped headlong into deceptions like Purpose Drivenism a la Rick Warren, and/or the Emerging Church, much of what purports to be the Body of Christ is now merrily marching down the ecumenical road that leads right back to the apostate Roman Catholic Church.
The truth is, having had their spiritual backbone removed through Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, they’re attempting to undo the Protestant Reformation and are once again more than ready to place themselves under the slavery and bondage of the Church of Rome with her sacramental system of works-righteousness.
However, this really should come as no surprise as the Apostle Paul warned us long ago of this kind of treachery when he wrote to the church at Corinth:

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere andpure devotion to Christ.
For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)

So we can see here that God the Holy Spirit warns us that there is such a thing as a different gospel; and it isn’t the only warning of its kind in Scripture. So it becomes obvious that the Christian is to be on our guard about such trickery of the enemy of men’s souls.
Unfortunately so much of the Church has come under Satan’s spell of a twisted type of love, peace and tolerance (didn’t we learn anything from the 60’s) that they have simply laid down the weapons of our warfare (cf. 2 Corinthians 10:4) without so much as a token struggle.
Sad—very sad indeed; but the Lord be praised that He already anticipated this silly time of sappy sentimentality in which we now live and preserved the actual Gospel for His Church right within the pages of the Bible itself. And you know, it really couldn’t be any clearer.
Our opening text is the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its beautiful simplicity. The Gospel, I might add, that was faithfully preached by the Apostles and would cost all but John their very lives to fearlessly proclaim. Remember, God also told us through His inspired Apostle Paul:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you,let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9)

Yet today we watch more and more leaders within mainstream evangelicalism falling one by one for the ecumenical cotton candy fluff being preached by false prophets. And how it sullies the memories of our dear brothers who paid the ultimate price so that you and I would know this Good News.
O how tragic that right before our eyes the Good News is being transformed into no good news at all.

DELICATE, BRITTLE, SO-CALLED SAINTS

It’s time for some brutal honesty. The evangelical community in America continues to wander almost aimlessly through this nation, which has now become as foreign a mission field as the deepest depths of the rain forests in Africa. An ostensibly Christian group that is apostatizing at an alarming rate.
Unfortunately there are those who don’t like to hear it, and even more who won’t believe it. Even so, I’ve told you here at Apprising Ministries that a rotten root of this growing rebellion against sola Scriptura is evangelicalism’s embrace of the Emerging Church and its spiritually corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM).
The result is too many today calling themselves Christians—who should be filled with His Spirit—are instead considering many other paths such as the romanticized Roman Catholic mysticism of CSM for spiritual experience to fill a nagging emptiness. They may get a spiritual buzz but they remain empty before God.
It’s a sad fact that mainstream evangelicalism, once a vibrant section of the church of our Lord, long ago turned from the Bible unto myths of man-pleasers (cf. 2 Timothy 4:3-4) like former rock star EC pastor Rob Bell. Men long ago corrupted by predecessors like Robert Schuller and his disciple Rick Warren.
Prior to contracting the deadly cancer of the Cult of Liberal Theology, evangelical Christinaity in this nation did have some strong preachers who weren’t afraid to tell the devil where he could go, and just how it is that he can get there. Why even Billy Graham appeared to stand boldly for the Lord…in the beginning.
Today, however, this is simply not the case within the mainstream of professing Christendom. In fact, A.W. Tozer—in spite of his foolish forays into the writings of apostate Roman Catholic mystics—is even more on target now about too many of our churches than when he wrote these words in the late 50′s:

The contemporary moral climate does not favor a faith as tough and fibrous as that taught by our Lord and His apostles. The delicate, brittle saints being produced by our religious hothouses today are hardly to be compared with the committed, expendable believers who once gave their witness among men. And the faults lies with our leaders.
They are too timid to tell the people all the truth. They are now asking men to give to God that which costs them nothing. Our churches these days are filled…[to a large degree] with a soft breed of Christian that must be fed on a diet of harmless fun to keep them interested.

As has been well stated elsewhere: Soft lights, soft music, and even softer sermons–that’s what people want today. Tozer then concludes:

About theology the [modern church-goers] know little. Scarcely any of them have read even one of the great Christian classics, but most of them are familiar with religious fiction and spine-tingling films.
No wonder their moral and spiritual constitution is so frail. Such can only be weak adherents of a faith they never understood.

Some one hundred years before Tozer penned those insightful words Charles Spurgeon put it this way — ”I think most people who attend church today are merely sleepwalking worshippers of some unknown god.” I would now offer what I believe to be a key question for mainstream evangelicals to consider.
Do you seriously think things are better now that your leaders brought the Trojan Horse of the Emergent Church, with its postmodern form of liberal theology, behind your walls? However, there is still some good news. I want you to know there is an antidote to all of this false teaching and spiritual lethargy. Prayer.
For you see, the old preacher of the Gospel was right when he taught:

People say, “I’m filled with the Holy Spirit.” If the Spirit didn’t revolutionize your prayer life, you’d better check on it…  Jesus the anointed of God, made prayer His custom.

And, so should you and I. Our Master says — “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do”  (John 14:12). So be of good cheer fellow Christian; any effort empowered by the Spirit to seek the Lord will be more than worth the time as you come to:

know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you. (1 Chronicles 28:9)

Here’s some more encouragement. First of all, we who are chosen by God need to realize that Jesus already did all of this for us; and secondly, the Holy Spirit has promised to lead us to:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

If we truly long to see the visible Christian community in this nation once again become part of God’s Lighthouse, and to shine the light of His glorious Gospel into the darkness of a spiritual wasteland we call America, then it is vital for each of us to ask Jesus to help us to understand these truths.
The effort to cultivate an intimate relationship with God will prove worth it. And if you claim to be a Christian, but you don’t feel the desire growing inside you to see the real Jesus lifted up as this age comes to a close, then you do have reason to wonder whether you were ever really regenerated in the first place (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:5).
Let’s not forget our Master clearly told us how He feels about those professing Christians who’re busy today trying to also keep one foot in the world:

 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:37-38)

Now this is the Jesus of the Bible, which will come as a bit of a shock for those who have been slowly swallowing the seeker sensitive spiritual cyanide being fed to them today. After-all, Jesus is God and He long ago warned us about spiritually malicious ministers claiming to speak for Him:

they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all.
“Come,” they say, “let me get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure.” (Isaiah 56:11-12)

In closing this, for now, while I’m still here, today I admonish you; from such, turn away…

DOCTRINE OF DEMONS

Paul writes about the devil that “we are not ignorant of his devices”2 Corinthians 2:11, yet it seems that many of us are ignorant of the tricks and devices the evil one uses in his attempts to thwart the plan of God. Satan knows that many cannot be persuaded or intimidated to give up the good fight, so he uses schemes that serve his purpose just as well. One of those is diversion from the central issue.
Some people speak of “chasing rabbits” when we lose sight of the real goal and begin to follow red herrings and other things that are designed to get us off course.
Our ultimate goal should be to know, glorify, and be conformed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said:

“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,
and count them as rubbish,
that I may gain Christ and be found in Him,
not having my own righteousness, which is from the law,
but that which is through faith in Christ,
the righteousness which is from God by faith;
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of His sufferings,
being conformed to His death,
if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” 
(Philippians 3:8-11).

Anything else is a minor issue. Satan knows if he can get us to focus on anything other than Christ, he has us majoring on a minor and we are diverted from God’s purpose for our lives. He therefore uses many things, even spiritual, biblical, and good things to get us to waste our time on futile pursuits that rob time and devotion that belongs to God alone.
One of these areas that is trapping more and more Christians and leaders is the study of Satan and demons. I have heard preachers say that we must know the enemy if we are going to do effective spiritual warfare. Really? So the Bible is a handbook that, amongst other things, tells us all about the devil and demons, where they come from and how they operate? Actually, no. The Bible tells us very little about Satan, his origins,… how [demons] function etc.
Here is what the Bible does tell us about Satan:

• He occupied a powerful place in heaven but was cast out because of his pride and ambition (Isaiah 14, 1Timothy 3:6).
• He tempted Eve, Adam (Genesis 3) and Jesus (Matthew 4:1).
• In Job, he had access to God and power to afflict Job (under God’s authority).
• He has many schemes, opposes the work of God in people (Luke 8:12),
• tempts and deceives people (Revelation 12:9),
• and unbelievers are his children (1John 3:8,10).
• Satan was defeated at the cross but still attacks Christians (Ephesians 6),
• will empower the Antichrist and False Prophet, and will eventually be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).

That’s all. We do not know when he fell and was cast out of heaven, where he is “resident” at the moment or what he looks like. There is a very little we know and a lot we do not know.
Here is what we know about demons:

• They work under the direction of Satan (Matthew 12:24),
• some are chained in the Abyss and others are “free” (Luke 8:31; 2Peter 2:4).
• They were likewise defeated at the cross (Ephesians 1:21 Colossians 2:15)…
• Idols represent demons (1Corinthians 10:20,21).
• Demons are the source of false doctrines (1Timothy 4:1, James 3:15).
• They will be cast into everlasting fire with Satan (Matthew 25:41).
• They occupy “heavenly places” (Ephesians 3:10, 6:12).

Once again, that is about all we know: The sum total of what God revealed in His Word about Satan and demons can be contained in two paragraphs!… Yes, I know you maybe think we know a lot more, but we don’t. Here’s the thing. Most of what fills the many books and sermons on the subject are pure conjecture and speculation.
We cannot build any doctrine on conjecture, analogy or oblique references. We can only base doctrine on the clear and specific statements of Scripture. In spite of this, a significant portion of what is held as doctrine by Christians and published in books is pure speculation. Yes, we can speculate and guess, but this can never be doctrine and we should rather use our time obeying what we do know than being fascinated with what we do not know.
But even worse, our knowledge base on demonology (the study of demons) is rapidly being expanded by means of extra-biblical sources, over-active imaginations, science-fiction books and even Hollywood. All these weird ideas are rapidly being added to Scripture to form a picture never revealed by God. Some of the ideas that authors and preachers are propagating seem remarkably similar to the monsters that shamans, witchdoctors and drug addicts “see” in their drug-induced delusions! These include vivid images of extra-terrestrials, hybrid super-humans, UFO creatures, chimera monsters, mythological gods, ghosts and apparitions of the dead, fairies and elves, Bigfoot and giants.
Contending with such individuals is an impossible task. How do you convince someone on a hallucinogen that the monster he sees is not real? The moment we forsake the safety and boundaries of Scripture, everything becomes relative. Once we leave the light of Scripture, we enter the confusion and darkness of earthly and demonic wisdom (James 3:15). Without the solid datum of Scripture, logical and sound reasoning flies out the window. Once the question “where is it written?” is discarded as irrelevant; and once extra-biblical sources are deemed just as authoritative as the Bible, any counter-argument based on the Bible becomes pointless.
But why does the Bible not give us more information on Satan, his demons and fallen angels? Should we look to other sources in the absence of sufficient Biblical data? No.
The Bible does not tell us more because it is a distraction from the central message – Christ. The Bible is not a handbook on demons but it is God’s revelation of His Son: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (John 5:39). Jesus said these words to the Jews who claimed to be Scripture-based yet rejected Him and replaced Him with an emphasis on other minor issues, such as endless debates on the meaning of words, technical details about laws and so on.
One of the things we do know is that demons concoct false doctrines. The process of developing a false doctrine takes many forms, but one of the most recognizable (at least, it should be) methods is to over-emphasize truths beyond their God intended priority. This is exactly what the modern emphasis on demons, fallen angels, Nephilim and Satan is all about. Even if what they are saying is correct (which it is not – as Herescope has clearly shown), the very emphasis is erroneous in, and of, itself.

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times
some will fall away from the faith,
paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” 
(1Timothy 4:1)

They are energized by Satan…. This is the only place where demons are mentioned in the Pastoral Epistles. Just as there is a “mystery of godliness”concerning Christ (1 Timothy 3:16), so there is a “mystery of iniquity” that surrounds Satan and his work (2 Thessalonians 2:7).[1]
The Bible states these things are “mysteries,” and we should not delve into sources outside of Scripture to try to understand them. Especially we should not read occult writings, mythology, and any other ancient and modern extra-biblical “spiritual” writings.
Satan is an imitator (2 Corinthians 11:13–15); he has his own ministers and doctrines, and seeks to deceive God’s people and lead them astray (2 Corinthians 11:3). The first test of any religious doctrine is what it says about Jesus Christ (1 John 4:1–6).[2]
Spiritual error is seldom due to innocent mistakes. It is more often due to the conscious strategies of God’s spiritual enemies (cf. Eph. 6:12). The teachings (didaskaliais) of demons are false doctrines taught by errorists whose views are instigated by demons.[3]
What then should we say about authors and preachers who are “specialists” on demons?… Writing books, and theorizing, about the Devil is exactly what he wants – Jesus is no longer in the spotlight. Publishing and selling such books serve the purposes of Satan since believers are seduced to take their eyes off the Lord Jesus Christ and to focus them on the kingdom of darkness. There is little difference between the consumption of such material and the modern fascination with monsters, witchcraft, death and the macabre.
Satan and demons are hardly mentioned in the Old Testament and they receive no more than a few cursory references in the New Testament, except for Revelation which shows their final defeat. They are really a side issue in the glorious scheme of God’s grace and of Salvation History.
It may come as a shock to some people that Satan uses professed Christians in the church to do his work. But Satan once used Peter to try to lead Jesus on a wrong path (Matthew 16:21–23). Paul warned that false teachers would arise from within the church (Acts 20:30).
Involvement in this kind of material does not glorify Christ, which should be our ultimate goal, but it glorifies the kingdom of darkness. Technically there is no difference between the Goth who is fascinated by everything dark and the “Christian” who actually pays money to buy a book [of wild speculations] about demons, extra-terrestrials and Satan.
True worship of God is done by giving Him the sacrifices of our time, attention, money, thought, and energy that He deserves. When devoting anything (including just 5 minutes of our time) to Satan, we have robbed the Lord of what is His and given it to His enemy. We have in reality begun to worship Satan.
While we acknowledge that Satan is powerful and that he causes great damage to Christians and the Church, he is a defeated enemy over whom Christ will finally triumph in the end. We ought then not waste our time by being fascinated with a defeated enemy but give our undivided attention to the Conquering King, the Lord of Lords, the Great “I Am”!
Every Christian needs to devote more time to knowing the Lord Jesus better, yet thousands have been deceived into studying fiction, the hallucinations of perverted minds and the doctrines of Devils, rather than having eyes for Jesus only.
Revelation reveals Christ as the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end. By saying He is the beginning and the end, the Spirit is therefore saying He also is everything in between.

“For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through Him and for Him.
And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
And He is the head of the body, the church,
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things He may have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself,
by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
having made peace through the blood of His cross. “
(Colossians 1:16-20)“I am the LORD, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.” 
(Isaiah 42:8)

Endnotes: 
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (1 Ti 4:1). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
2. Ibid.
3. Litfin, A. D. (1985). 1 Timothy. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.) The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 739). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
For further reading, see Pastor Larry DeBruyn’s article The Supreme Supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ: Christ before Cosmos.

Separating Regenerate Christianity from Counterfeit Christianity

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34-39 ESV)

God is sovereign. God is a Covenant God who has not relinquished any of His sovereignty nor has He left His people’s eternal status up to their fickle, fallen natures. However, those God saves are truly saved. Their hearts are regenerate. They are eternally His. None of eternal security is in their hands. Instead, they are held in His capable and omnipotent hands.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 ESV)
22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” (John 10:22-30 ESV)

Now, with these two passages firmly in our understanding, look at the passage I placed at the top of this post. What did Jesus say would mark His disciples? Here’s the passage again.

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34-39 ESV)

Not only are God’s people eternally His, they are changed eternally as well. They love God above all. They put God first in everything. They do and say things that will incur the wrath of this lost and dying world, but that does not deter them at all. They serve God as Lord — naturally. They keep His Law naturally. They die to self and live for Him alone. Of course this is a process and will increase in their character over time as God sanctifies them. They will find true life in their death to self. This is true godliness. All of this is genuine Christianity that is born from a regenerate heart. Notice, those who truly belong to God will be focused or centered on him, not men while the disingenuous (so-called christians) will be much more concerned about offending men. The regenerate will be all about bringing glory and honor to God while the focus of the false Christians will be on pleasing the world, to not be offensive to men. That’s a huge contrast.
What is Counterfeit Christianity then? All we have to do is look at the passages we have already read here and look at the contrasts. A counterfeit Christian is one who is not regenerate. God has not made them new creations. They have not been reborn as genuine Christians have. (2 Corinthians 5:17) If this is the case then how do people become deceived into believing that they are Christians when they aren’t? The answer is quite simple. Christian leaders (so-called) tell them lies based upon a false theology that is found nowhere in scripture. This false theology says that people are saved by doing religious things such as praying a sinner’s prayer. When doubt falls heavily upon them, and it will because of their lack of spiritual growth, their Christian leaders (so-called) tell them to trust in “their decsion” that was sealed by their sinner’s prayer. Since these people are incapable of true godliness that lines up with Christ’s standards in the above scriptures, their Christian leaders (so-called) have created a new form of godliness that any religious person can do, regenerate or not.
This new form of godliness does not include suffering for Christ’s sake. It does not include denying self, at least not much. It does not include living for God and His glory above all else. Instead the bar is set very low. It includes things such as faithfulness in Church attendance, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, and of course, financial support of their local church. When asked to serve in church, those who agree to do so are looked at as “godly” while those who don’t are looked down on by those who do. Is this the form of godliness that Jesus was talking about? These are good works, but anyone could do them, regenerate or not. The Scribes and Pharisees did the same thing with their own version of the Law during the day of our Lord’s earthly ministry. They deceived themselves and their followers into believing they were actually keeping God’s Law, which no one can do, by keeping a rigorous set of man-made Laws that, even though burdensome and a heavy load, they were sure they were earning their salvation by keeping them.
Genuine godliness exists consistently as a marker in the lives of God’s regenerate believers. They may be religious, but their relationship with God and their resultant obedience to all of His commands will mark them as “not of this world.” They will deny self, take up their crosses, as they do and say things that most “religious Christians” would never do or say because that would get them in hot water and mark them as troublemakers. They will obey God no matter the cost because they have counted the cost and know that the eternal is what really matters, not the temporal. They may even take on a false christian (so-called) teacher or leader and using their godly armor and God’s Word to smite them hip and thigh all for the glory of God even if no else notices. Lastly, I believe the following passage describes those Christian leaders (so-called) that are leading masses of religious people to destruction with their false doctrines.

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. (2 Timothy 3:1-9 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria!

What’s Wrong with Pragmatism?

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober- minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV)

The proponents of the seeker-sensitive church growth model may very well have had good intentions when through it was spawned the rise of contemporary mega-churches such as Willow Creek and Saddleback Valley Baptist and their clones. The focus was outreach to the unchurched. While that appears to be a proper function of the New Testament Church one of the model’s fundamental components is actually an antithesis of the clear instruction to Church leaders found in God’s Word. That component is pragmatism. 

Pragmatism is deadly to New Testament Christianity because it is based on human reasoning and human ingenuity in solving problems or issues. It utilizes expediency in dealing with issues rather than prayer and obedience to what is clearly taught in scripture. The reason expediency is wrong is that its solutions will always be short term in focus while neglecting the long term. Here is a secular example. Think of the United States Social Security system. It was designed during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. It was based on the number of workers and on the cost of goods and services at that time. However, that was more than seven decades ago and with the ravages of inflation plus the number of Baby Boomers nearing retirement age, we have a system that is upside down and completely irrational in scope and function. That is a product of the expedient approach to problem solving.

The seeker-sensitive church growth model is pragmatically based. It seeks to restructure “church” so that it appeals to the unchurched. Rick Warren formulated his version of it by doing a survey of the unchurched in his area about what form of church they would attend. He then came up with the Purpose Driven Church model and implemented it over time at his church. The model stresses the form of worship and preaching to be ‘done’ in a way that does not offend the lost. It seeks to keep them interested. Therefore, doctrine is never mentioned nor is hell or sin or why Jesus went to the cross. Sermons are pragmatic and ‘light.’ They are full of self-help and are geared to increase the crowd’s self-esteem. This structure is totally expedient because it neglects the more mature Christian. In fact, when a church is being transformed into a Purpose Driven Church, those who resist the changes because of the lack of spiritual depth and theological focus are systematically driven off. Hence, they lose the saved and actually save very few. This process creates a “church” full of tares.

In these churches, hymns are replaced with entertainment. Sermons are not biblical in nature, but instead are motivational with no spiritual depth or theological foundation. With all expediency, however, the bill eventually comes due. A good example of this is at Willow Creek when a survey revealed that the more mature believers in that church were hungry. They wanted to be fed spiritual food. They were starving spiritually. Sadly, the “solution” the leadership at Willow Creek came up with was nothing more than another example of expediency. It was decided to not change the level of Bible teaching to feed the sheep there, but to insist that those who want to be fed learn to feed themselves.

Let me say right here my brethren that I believe that the take over of so many churches by the seeker-sensitive paradigm was very easily accomplished because the root present in those churches was in many cases rotten. Evangelicalism now is not what it once was. It has been decaying for quite some time as the leadership within them made compromise after compromise in order to not offend their members so that they would not split their membership. Those who caved in to this had been compromised by existentialism and/or humanism. When the seeker-sensitive package became apparent to these leaders they jumped at it. It looked like a quick fix for their ailing churches. Again, this is expedient thinking.

Many Christians are simply quitting church in our time because their only alternatives where they live are dumbed-down mega-churches or spiritually dead liberal churches. A survey of the age group that comprises the teens in our time showed something very striking. Most were not interested in the dumbed-down seeker-sensitive churches nor were they interested in the doctrinally light and ceremonially focused churches (these are the ones not yet picked off by the seeker-sensitive paradigm). No, they wanted a church that actually taught and discussed doctrine and had Biblically based worship. What does the Bible tell us about this?

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober- minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:1-5 ESV)

American Evangelicalism actually did meet this criterion when I was growing up. I was a Southern Baptist until just a few years ago and I can tell you that things changed dramatically as we approached the end if the 20^th Century. It became “out of season” to preach the Word. Some never forsook their calling, but many did. They made expedient choices that resulted in their churches becoming compromised. However, the command is to, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” Expediency says to abandon what does not appear to be working and seek that that does appear to produce immediate results. However, that would mean not preaching the Word when it is not popular. Has it ever occurred to anyone that God meant what He said?

Notice that even when people will not endure sound teaching the Pastor is to never abandon his calling. He is to continue to obey His Lord in being faithful to Word of God by doing the work of an evangelist, fulfilling his ministry. My brethren, if you are in a church that is pastored by a man or men who obey this command then rejoice and thank God for you are blessed indeed. Never stop praying for your pastor(s). On the other hand, if your knowledge of the Bible and doctrine is not growing in depth and you are not being fed the deep nourishing meat from God’s word where you ‘go to church,’ then there is a problem. Go to the throne of grace, seek the face of God and pray for wisdom and discernment about what you should do.

I know that many reading this are in the ‘quitting church’ mode. I was in that mode for many years after we lost our church in Kansas to the Purpose Driven Paradigm. We have relocated from Kansas to Oklahoma and are now part of a good church here. However, during those years of constantly seeking the right church in Kansas it was tough. Why? Those in that mode either have few if any churches in their area that have not been compromised or, if they have not, they are spiritually dead. We know that religiosity saves no one. However, all genuine believers hunger for the pure food of God’s Word. If you are in Christ, you do. While we searched I compensated by listening to godly preaching nearly every day through podcasts. I also had good fellowship with believers where I work and with those who comment here. I also fellowship with friends at the church where we were attending even though we never became part of it. As I still do today, I studied my Bible and prayed everyday to prepare for these posts. However, what was missing was the family atmosphere of belonging to a local body of believers. With a church family, we have accountability and ministerial opportunities.

Let us not walk before the face of God with pragmatic expediency. No, instead, let us always seek His wisdom and discernment and obey Him in all we do. How can we go wrong if we do that?

Soli Deo Gloria!