HEARTBROKEN OVER THE CHURCH

My friend has been going to seeker-sensitive churches (SSC) for a good 20 years. I therefore listened carefully as he explained what he has observed. In the more biblically-faithful SSCs, Scripture is not distorted or denigrated. However, many doctrines are left out – those which might cause offense – resulting in a distorted and unbalanced Gospel presentation.

Just about all of these churches place a great deal of emphasis on home fellowship groups. The need for community is regularly emphasized, but not doctrine. Consequently, group leaders are not chosen because of their accurate and faithful understanding of Scripture, but as facilitators – those who are able to make the participants feel comfortable and valued. Therefore, all comments are valued and accepted, except those that might disrupt the community spirit.

Consequently, doctrine has little to do with the building of community and the unity in Christ. SSCs ignore the fact that when Christ sent out His Apostles, He instructed them to:

·       “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20; ESV)

Are SSCs faithful to Christ’s commission? Are they faithful to the many teachings of Scripture that measure our love of God according to following His commands?

·       Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. (John 14:23-24)

Instead, the SSCs seem to ignore many Scriptural teachings, as if they think that they have a better formula. Instead, Paul had taught about what preaching should look like in the last days when people would no longer hear the Gospel (2 Timothy 3:1-5; 4:3-4):

·       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: PREACH THE WORD; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, WITH COMPLETE PATIENCE AND TEACHING. (2 Timothy 4:1-2)

SSCs have left out the admonition for “complete…teaching,” lest it might cause offense, without thinking that such omissions might be an offense to God. Paul understood that they these omissions would constitute an offense. Therefore, he stated:

 

·       Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:26-27)

In contrast SSCs shrink back from much. Not only is this an offense to God, but it is also depriving the congregation of spiritual growth:

·       Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2-3)

I could not have survived without the Word. I had suffered from decades of severe depression followed by panic attacks, which left me devastated. I didn’t know if I could endure much longer. I loathed myself, and projected this onto everyone else, thinking that they too loathed me.

However, the Spirit began to apply the Scriptures to my heart and mind. Through them, He taught me that it wasn’t about me but about Him (Galatians 2:20), that God didn’t hate me, as my emotions were informing me. Instead, He loved me with a love that went far beyond anything that I could conceive (Ephesians 2:16-19).

Once the Spirit and convinced me that He loved me, I could begin to accept myself and then to feel accepted by others. Jesus’ teachings became very real to me:

·       So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

As Jesus had indicated, it was a process. However, now I feel freed and empowered. My greatest joy is now serving Him according to His Word.

The SSCs are depriving their sheep of this. Some of these churches even scorn Scripture. I grieve deeply, but this should lead us to prayer.

UNDERSTANDING “CHRISTIAN” EVOLUTIONISTS

“Christian” evolutionists (CE), and this is how they refer to themselves, believe in both evolution and in the Bible. They claim that we can have both without compromising.

However, we should be quick to observe that the Bible presents, right at its foundation, a very different worldview. It claims that God created animals after six sets of days and nights, each producing after its own kind. Each had been an herbivore, and God considered everything He had created as “very good” (Genesis 1:31), suggesting that there had been no sin and death.

Meanwhile, evolution claims that God created through natural selection, the bloody quest for survival and dominance, over billions of years. This means that sin and death were from the beginning, part of the “glorious” plan that God had originated to create the species.  

In contrast, the Bible holds that sin and death found its origin in Adam and Eve and the resulting Fall (Genesis 3; Romans 8:20-22). In other words, sin and death came because of our rebellion and not because of any fault in God’s plan.

Clearly, evolution is at odds with the Bible and its theology. If God’s ultimate plan had relied upon the survival-of-the-fittest, then who could blame Cain, evidently the fittest, for killing his relatively unfit brother, Abel! Besides, Christian theology depends on the Fall to explain the work of Jesus, the “second Adam.”

How does the CE reconcile these very evident tensions? Easy – the CE regards Genesis 1-11 as non-historical. According to their formulation, science is concerned about the physical world, while the Bible is concerned about the spiritual or theological world and not history or science. And since the two are dealing with entirely different worlds, there can be no possibility for contradiction, right?

Wrong! For one thing, the Bible makes no such distinctions. Instead, we find that theology is directly and inseparably connected to the physical world. For example, we cannot have a theology of the Cross without a history of the Cross – that Jesus actually and historically died on the Cross.

Besides, the contexts of the Bible argue persuasively that theology and history (the physical world) are interconnected. For example, the many genealogies tell us that Adam and Eve were historical:

·       This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died. When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. (Genesis 5:1-9; ESV)

This narrative also affirms the historicity of God created the first couple in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). And the problems of the CE do not stop here. Every time that the NT refers to the verses of Genesis 1-11, they invariably refer to them as an historical account of what actually happened. For example, when Jesus was asked about divorce, He answered:

·       “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning [actually and historically] made them male and female [ Gen. 1:26-27], and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ [Gen. 2:24]? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has [historically and actually] joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6)

Had God not actually and historically created and joined them, His argument against divorce would have immediately fallen apart with the simple challenge:

·       Well, this is just a parable. Therefore, if God didn’t historically make them one, then we are free to divorce, since we are not undoing the work of God.

Therefore, to not regard Genesis 1-11 as history is to contradict the entire NT commentary on these chapters.

When I confront CEs with these insurmountable problems, they respond:

·       We have to be humble about our interpretations.

If only they were as humble about the TOE! However, with such “humility,” they have condemned themselves to uncertainly about the entirety of the teachings of Scripture. If they cannot accept the teachings of Jesus and His Apostles at face value, they cannot accept anything that the Bible teaches. This leaves them in a state of confusion and uncertainly.

Consequently, since they are confused about the teachings of the Bible, they have left themselves vulnerable to everything that this world has been teaching them. As a result of this, I have observed that their views are indistinguishable from those of the educated elite, the universities.

I have challenged them about this on many CE Facebook groups and on numerous occasions, asking them, for instance, if they believed in same-sex marriage. None have ever answered this question in the negative.

I have also noted that they never evangelize the non-Christians who frequent their groups, until I shame them into doing so.

Why the reluctance? Without any confidence in their faith in Christ, they understandably will not put their neck out on the chopping block. They have condemned themselves to worldliness. And, if they lack the confidence to speak for Christ, they also lack the confidence to be a Christian in any area that might place them in opposition to their university-educated peers.

Consequently, they think that I am judging them. Although I do not tell them they are unsaved – I will leave that to our God who examines the heart – I point out their inconsistencies and compromises. In love, I think that this is the very thing that our Lord would do.

WHAT TO SAY TO A FRIEND WHEN HE IS NOT FAITHFUL TO JESUS AND HIS WORD

Here is my letter to a Facebook group which intends to block me:

I can certainly understand your annoyance and discomfort with me, since I am calling question to your Christian faith. However, there are things that are discomforting that are also necessary to endure, like the removal of a malignancy. Jesus had warned:

·       "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;” (Matthew 10:37)

Whenever we elevate a person or even ideas above Jesus and His teachings, we are not worthy of Him. What are the consequences? He continued:

·       “And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:38-39)

We might “find [our] life” through social or professional acceptance/approval, but Jesus warns that the price is high if we have placed anything above Him – We “will lose” our life.

When we fail to abide in His Word (John 15:7-), we risk losing our life:

·       "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” (John 14:23-24)

You are certainly free to excommunicate me, and I will accept your judgment. I bear you no ill-will. Nor do I have any reason to look down on you. However, I would like you to consider this – That when you reject me, you might also be rejecting the Savior:

·       "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” (John 15:18-20)

But perhaps I am distorting Scripture? Therefore, I would encourage you to pray that our Lord would examine you (Psalm 139) to see if you are bearing His Name in vain. My prayers go with you.

When Christians Embrace Darwin: Some Things Gotta Change

A Christian embracing evolution is like lava embracing a village. There are going to be changes. As villages weren’t made to welcome molten lava, Christianity cannot marry Darwin without modification to its faith. One “Christian” wrote me in defense of his marriage:

·       Jesus is the Logos, the Word. He is the physical embodyment of the Word of God, the scriptures are not the Word of God, they are the testimonies of the people of God.

This Christian evolutionist (CE) demoted Scripture as mere “testimonies of the people of God” not testimonies of the Holy Spirit:

·       Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21)

Why does the CE demote Scripture? To comfortably welcome Darwin! However, there is not a verse in the entire corpus of Scripture that gives the slightest nod to evolution. Meanwhile CE college teachers cry out that there are many Christians ready to abandon the faith because they have been convinced of evolution. Therefore, these troubled souls need an updated Christianity that will work for them.

Why not instead show them the fallacies of evolution and unmask the faith that has been foisted upon them by the evolutionary community! After all, it is a faith which they have adopted from the highly biased proclamations of the evolution establishment.

Don’t be surprised by this. Sadly, the church has often played lapdog to the current social/scientific trends. When the scientific community was geocentric (that the earth was in the center of the solar system), the church followed along. When science embraced the steady state theory (the universe always existed), the church gladly trailed behind, even at the expense of Scripture. When the evolutionary establishment endorsed theories of racial superiority, the church became convinced that these experts knew better. And now that society has insisted upon the correctness of gay marriage, many churches have marched in lock-step, lest they be labeled a “homophobe.”

What will we not sell-out for the sake of acceptance!

The Dangers of Friendship Evangelism

How I long for the days described by the Prophet Micah:

• Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." (Micah 4:2)

Instead, we find the very opposite thing here in the West – the nations fleeing from any mention of the Lord. This disappointment has led to an assortment of reactions – “mea culpa,” revisioning the church, evangelistic silence, and other ways of trying to be less offensive to the non-believer. Some have adopted a saying falsely ascribed to St. Francis:

• Preach the Gospel wherever, but use words only when necessary.

This often takes the form of the widely popular “friendship evangelism.” However, this inoffensive attempt at evangelism carries its own potential costs, and so before we adopt this practice, we must be aware of them:

EVANGELISM DOES REQUIRE WORDS: In His “great commission,” Jesus required words:

• “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20) 

WE MUST NOT MISREPRESENT OUR INTENTIONS: When we misrepresent ourselves, we delude and lose our moral high-ground, ultimately bringing the Gospel into disrepute. Instead, transparency and honesty are essential:

• So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. (1 Corinthians 4:1)

• Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2)

We must not hide the fact that we are “servants of Christ.” To hide this is to deceive. One dear friend went to a Muslim country as an undercover missionary. She followed the instructions of her missions board and found lodgings with a Muslim family in order to befriend them for the sake of the Gospel. However, she began to feel that they were more righteous than she. She was deceiving them about her true intentions and felt ashamed of herself and eventually dropped out.

Whenever we befriend someone for the sake of the Gospel and fail to make it plain the them who we are, they may feel that they have been deceived. Besides, it will become difficult to transition into the Gospel once the pattern of the friendship had been established around common secular interests.

I manage a group on Facebook for seekers who want to explore Christianity. However, I have received about 50 requests from Mormon missionaries to join. Often, they are not candid about who they are and what are their intentions. Often, they will post Mormon evangelistic material without identifying it as such, or else they will target a seeker and invite them to attend one of their studies. It is offensive that they will secretly use my group for their clandestine purposes. This doesn't produce respect. Nor will misrepresenting our intentions.

WE SHOULD NOT HIDE OUR LIGHT: We are to be the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). When we hide the light, we fail to bear witness to our Savior. Even when we perform acts of love, we need to let others know why we are doing so. When we fail to give this acknowledgement of our Savior, our silence will communicate a different message – that secular motivations/intentions are enough! Besides, the pattern of interaction that we establish at the first will be difficult to break once we decide that we must speak.

WE CAN’T JUST “HANG OUT,” DOING THE THINGS THAT THE WORLD DOES: If we fail to establish from the start who we are and what our intentions are, we become vulnerable to compromise, trying to affirm what our friend affirms so that we can “truly” be a friend. Instead, we must be clear about our boundaries:

• Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)

Besides, this form of spiritual passivity will make us more vulnerable to other influences. Instead, it is important to proactively be moving forward.

WE MUST NOT BIND OURSELVES TOGETHER WITH NON-BELIEVERS: If we make vows of friendship, we have committed ourselves in a way that compromises our commitment to our Savior:

• Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. (Ephesians 5:7-8)

• Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14) 

When we associate with non-Christians without speaking the Gospel, we preach another message – “The way you are is perfectly fine!”

WE TOO WILL BE INFLUENCED BY OUR FRIENDS: Paul had warned, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’" (1 Corinthians 15:33). To think that we are above such influence is naïve.

“DATING EVANGELISM” WILL NOT ONLY PLACE US IN JEOPARDY BUT ALSO OTHER CHRISTIANS WHO MIGHT SEE US: We also have to be concerned about the impact of our behavior on other Christians, as Paul insisted:

• Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall. (1 Corinthians 8:13)

Paul was not only concerned about eating but also about anything that might lead the brethren into what they regard as sin or into something that they cannot handle in a godly manner. We cannot use our freedom in a way that will cause others to violate their conscience.

FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM TENDS TO FORGET THAT THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL IS GOD’S CONVERSION TOOL:

• I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed. (Romans 1:16-17)

We have grown ashamed of preaching the Gospel. We are embarrassed by others who preach it. However, “it is the power of God for… salvation.” Therefore, ask the Spirit for His guidance and empowerment.

We should not expect to be a blessing unless we are in line with the Lord and His program. We are His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:19) and not independent friendship gigolos. Faithfulness requires us to sow His seeds and not our own.