Eroding Of The Man Of God

Those of us who aspire to leadership in the church, particularly pastors and evangelists, must be diligent in safeguarding our identification as men of God who speak with the authority of the Bible. As I have examined the lives of the men and women who have been the most instrumental in impacting my life for God, I have noticed a common trait...they seemed to be almost passionless about everything in their world with the exception of their family and their faith. It was as though nothing else mattered to them, and in reality nothing else does matter....everything but family and faith is temporary, not eternal. 

Sadly, we are living in a strange time. Preachers and evangelists are leading their ministries by measurements of success rather than landmarks of faithfulness.....how unlike Jeremiah who was unsuccessful in the shallow terms of the way we of the modern church measure success, but he  was faithful; and faithfulness  is far more important to God because when Jesus comes, the scriptural question is poignant, "Will he find faith?"

Since Christ will be looking primarily for faith when he comes, I suggest it would be a good thing for us to do likewise. Is there a touch of the supernatural about your church or the ministry of your pastor, or with all honesty, is it all slick programming with high-tech videos and a stand-up comedian for a pastor whose personal goal for his congregation is "to make them laugh, make them cry, make them feel religious."

There is another kind of deception that is evidenced during presidential election cycles. It is satanically seductive indeed to anchor oneself to one candidate so firmly or in opposition to another candidate so firmly that a pastor erodes his position as a man of God. I notice with chagrine as some pastors have frequent comments on social media in which they aggressively support a particular candidate and/or aggressively attack another. We must remember that at the very best these are flawed people; and,  as a result, could have such political or moral failure as to bring reproach upon a pastor's integrity if he aligns himself too much with that flawed 

politician. 

It is my view that it is perfectly proper, after fervent prayer, to voice only once or twice his support for a candidate; however, after that,  a man of God should support biblical and  moral positions but leave the names of candidates out of public pronouncements on social media, the press or the pulpit. For example, it is sufficient for me to say that I will never vote for a candidate that openly in his campaign for office endorses abortion. As a Christian, I will never vote for a candidate who approves that vile act. However, it is, in my opinion, inappropriate for a man of God to use his position to support or attack by name candidates who are for or against abortion. Why do I feel so?  1 Peter 2:13 says we are "to obey every ordinance of man." The Tax Code strictly forbids leaders of non-profit ministries from endorsing or attacking particular candidates. Someone may argue the IRS almost never enforces this requirement. Please note the Bible does not say "Obey every ordinance of man UNLESS  YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH VIOLATING IT." For the man of God, his faithfulness to Scripture demands that he avoid the appearance of becoming a political pundit and more a powerful preacher. 

If I die before Jesus comes, I want it said and said often, my sole commitment to a human endorsement was never to a candidate but always to Christ. 

The Constitution And The Bible

SERMON IN MINIATURE: As some of our present political leaders are deciding that the Constitution is too old-fashioned and legalistic,  we are seeing our new generation of citizens become increasingly anti-American....and that is a decision that can destroy the nation. Likewise, as some of our present religious leaders are deciding that the Bible is too old-fashioned and legalistic, we are seeing our new generation of church members become increasingly  anti-Christian...and that is a decision that can destroy the church.  The Constitution is the nation's ultimate legal authority; the Bible is the church's ultimate divine authority. Every song, sermon, sin, seminar or strategy played out in the public arena that diminishes either of these documents one jot, one tittle or one deletion of one bit of truth these hallowed writings contain will not only have done inestimable harm to the goodness and peaceful future of America but also to the peace and prosperity of the church as well and the eternal tranquility of its members. Above all people on earth, if you are an American, you have the highest of privileges, bought by the blood of many valiant patriots, to daily thank God for the liberties outlined in our magnificent Constitution and to daily thank God for the superb and precious Bible from which churches all across this land can give communities every where a sure word of hope from the very Word of God in darkest times! It is time for men and women of noble hearts to stand up in defense of these great gifts....the Constitution and the Bible! Neither is old-fashioned nor legalistic!  If we follow closely their guidelines, they are relevant and powerful to defend us against enemies, uproot tyranny and to replace the fears of the day with serene hopes for tomorrow!

The Conservative Pastor And Misplaced Priorities

At this season of my life and ministry, where the inevitable but natural end of my calling is nearer than the beginning, I have begun casting my eyes across the religious landscape and trying to formulate what the future holds for my grandchildren and their children. I am not encouraged by what I see. I detest cynicism. Nevertheless, what I see unfolding before me has little to do with a religious system that is conforming to a changing world culture in order to expedite the propagation of the gospel, but rather a truly worldly church that is all too willing to mirror societal modes of behavior and entertainment, while, at the same time, having a pastor who is either blatantly denying basic tenets of the Word of God or else refusing to proclaim those tenets for fear of a carnal congregation's reprisal. The great man of God and scientist, Dr Henry Morris, once told me that the way to discover if a conservative pastor is compromising the faith is rather easy. He said, "Attend his church any given Sunday and you will agree with every thing he says. However, if you attend his church every Sunday for a year, it isn't what he has preached that's wrong, it's  what he's failed to preach that's wrong."

I am not too concerned with the avowed liberal pastor. He wears his intellectual skepticism openly as a badge of honor. My inward angst is for the Bible-pounding conservative pastor who regularly flaunts his belief that the Bible is indeed the Word of God in front of an agreeable congregation who will reward his "bold stand for truth" with loud amens, roaring laughter as he excoriates social sins or sometimes applause. That breaks my heart, and I think also the heart of God. Without question a faithful pastor should denounce sin in the strongest and plainest terms but always with a broken heart for the sinner because Jesus died for him at Calvary. To use that poor sinner's plight to gain points with a complicit congregation is to diminish the depth of God's love for fifteen minutes of grandstanding. 

Reaching people for Christ is a command for all of us....including the pastor. Here are some honest questions a congregant has every right to ponder concerning his pastor. Does your pastor regularly one-on-one go into homes of unsaved people and attempt to lead them to Christ? Does your pastor regularly visit the fatherless and widows? Does your pastor regularly visit nursing homes? Does your pastor regularly visit jails and prisons? All of these are basic to pastors following the model that Jesus established for genuine ministry in His name. If your pastor is doing these things, you would know it by comments from people both inside the church and outside the church who have been blessed by his daily ministry to them. If your pastor is not involved in these commands of ministry by Jesus, you have a pastor who leads by the faulty admonition to "do as I say not do as I do." Think of that the next time you are distressed about the condition of the world. Who is visiting them bearing the good news of God's love? If not your pastor, who?

I love pastors, but I'm concerned about the future. No politician can provide the solution for our national woes. Our only hope is with pastors who not only preach boldly in the pulpit but also lead throughout the week into the highways and byways compelling the unsaved to come in and find the answer to all life's problems in Christ. Let's be honest....really honest. The pastor who makes visitation into homes, hospitals and jails a priority is a dinosaur. The modern pastor can give you plenty of reasons he doesn't have time to do it. In fact, he is so adept at giving reasons, you will probably give him a pass because, after all, he's such a good preacher. Those reasons will stand up in the court of public opinion but will miserably fail in the court of heaven. 

Pastors, Jesus loved us, all of us, enough to die for us. His mandate to us is to take the gospel to all the world, not for the world to come to us. Other than your pulpit on Sunday or your radio/TV broadcasts, are you doing it? After all, you lead better by example than by exhortation.

Time To Pray.....Whether We Like It Or Not

1 Timothy 2:1-2 says,   1First of all, then, I urge that entreaties andprayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."

There are very few things with which I agree with President Obama. In my opinion, his views are harmful to our nation in terms of military preparedness, the social culture, the economy and the general defense of the nation. However, having said that, the verse just quoted is a command that I am to pray for him and all others in authority over me. By the use of the word "kings" it is clear that Paul has in mind governmental leaders and not just leaders in the church. What does this mean? It is clear to me that I have no right to complain or criticize the president or other political individuals who agree with him in Congress unless I pray regularly for him and for them. So, I have begun praying that our Lord will protect the president and his wife and daughters, and shield them from all harm. However, on the other hand, I also pray according to Proverbs 21:1 that God will direct the president and all individuals in Congress regardless of political party affiliation.  That verse says, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, asthe rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." In other words, I ask the Lord to intervene and change the president's mind if he is making a flawed decision but to affirm him if he is making a wise decision. 

Likewise, those of you who identify yourselves as Christians and hold political views that are in agreement with the president are under the same command to pray for those political figures who oppose him and with whom you strongly disagree. Before you can fairly make critical statements of criticism or condemnation of the president's opponents, you must ask yourself this question....."have I prayed for them?"

I have made my position very clear on this blog and other places of communication such as lecterns and pulpits how strongly I believe in freedom of speech as well as freedom of expression. As Americans, we should feel free to make statements of our opinions, regardless how offensive or obnoxious they may be to others. However, those of us who are believers march through life under the orders of the King of kings who requires that we obey His commandments, and one of those commands is that we pray for "kings and all who have authority," and ALL includes prayers for both sides of the aisle, be they Democrats or be they Republicans

As a believer, you need to truly put into practice what you say with your lips. The hope of America lies not in political parties, lobbying groups, presidents, senators, representatives or jurists. Since only God has the power to bring a fresh revival or a final ruin upon our country, don't you think it's time to obey His direct command and pray for our national leaders......whether we like it or not?

I'm Starting A Church....But Not With Sin Of Jeroboam

Jeroboam was one of two rulers over a divided Israel. Upon Solomon's death, he took eleven tribes to the north while Rehoboam took one tribe, Judah, to stay with the holy places of worship, including Jerusalem. When the time of the year came for worship, Jeroboam realized he had a problem. If he let his people go to Jerusalem as was their custom, Rehoboam might turn their loyalties from him. So, Jeroboam devised a plan. He would designate places of worship in the north but allow for pagan worship. Why did he allow pagan worship? He did it because much of it as evidenced in baalism centered around sexual perversions. Men would attach themselves to temple prostitutes and women would do the same in this despicable act of false worship. Jeroboam reasoned that by introducing these vile deeds, he  knew he could draw the crowds to these alternative worship sites in the north; and, after all, once the people were there, they could worship Jehovah. So, why was this endeavor by Jeroboam so hated by God and called an abomination thereafter in the Bible? Simply, God abhorred it because it was using worldly methods to get people to come to worship Him.

Let's be honest.....really honest. Much of what is being done in modern churches is nothing more than the sin of Jeroboam all over again in a modern setting. We are now subjected to a strange philosophy of turning the church worship services into a mishmash of whatever is hottest in the world. God said we are to be peculiar people but we don't want the world to see us as peculiar,  so we disregard God's direct command that we are not to be friends with the world and then build our church services to show that we can actually be worldly friendly. We change the music to be more like the world. I will address that in a moment. We dress like the world, preach like the world and apologize to the world if we accidentally say something that offends. We allow members to live virtually the way they please just as long as they are present on Sunday and put a nickel in the offering. All of the just-mentioned things sound a lot like the sin of Jeroboam.

I'm seriously considering the starting of a church, but some of the things I will install as foundational principles will probably cause you to wince if you do not actually believe I've taken leave of my senses altogether. Here are some of them:

(1) ALL MUSIC, EXCEPT FOR ISOLATED CASES, WILL BE CONGREGATIONAL. We will have at most three congregational hymns in order for everyone to sing praises to God as a body. We will have instrumental accompaniment. This keeps the worship service from turning into a spectator experience.

(2) ALL SONGS OR HYMNS MUST BE DEEPLY DOCTRINAL. Even Christian songs that are light on things of the Word of God will be excluded. The style of music  (traditional, contemporary, etc) will not be the deciding consideration for whether a song is used.  Everything done at this church will be to take the individual deeper with our Lord. I do not believe a genuine worship service should turn into an emotion-satisfying concert. Concerts are wonderful, but I am convinced they are for another night in the week. On Sunday, we are gathered for worship centered around the meat of the Word of God in song and sermon.....not sugary, easily digestible substitutes in either the songs or the sermon.

(3) TIME FOR PRAYER WILL BE A MAJOR PART OF ALL SERVICES. Jesus said that his house would be called a house of prayer. Ask yourself. How many minutes does the church you attend spend in prayer at a service? This will be different. People who attend these services with written prayer needs will have them bathed in prayer in detail regardless of the time required.

(4) ALL SERMONS WILL BE PREACHED WITH A CENTRAL GOAL OF SAYING EXACTLY WHAT GOD WANTS SAID AND SAYING IT THE WAY HE WANTS IT SAID. The unspoken secret in the American church is how many preachers plagiarize the messages God has given others. Church members have a right to expect of me and anyone who preaches for me that the messages we deliver are warm bread from the oven of God, and if we share an experience from a book or another preacher, we give credit....that's transparency. 

(5)MEMBERS WILL BE EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT AT ALL SERVICES UNLESS PROVIDENTIALLY HINDERED. The modern church has many members whose addresses are unknown and no longer attend. Yet, because of this, the church reports larger memberships than are practically true. At this new church, each year members who have not attended a single service without an understandable reason during the previous twelve months will be removed from membership. 

(6) INDIVIDUALS WHO SEEK MEMBERSHIP WILL BE TOLD THREE THINGS:

     (A) No negative words can be said about another member. Every statement must be measured by three questions:

          Is it true?

          Is it kind?                                                 

          Is it necessary?

     (B) Each member is expected to tithe.

     (C) Each member is expected to share his personal testimony each week with either another Christian or a lost person.

     (D) Each member understands that living the presence of Christ in his behavior during the week is an expectation. 

You may think this is such a radical departure from your experiences with churches. I believe I can support each point biblically. Nonetheless, I have spent a huge amount of time praying for God's wisdom for what He wants in this church and I'm convinced these are His answers.

The great man of God, Dr Peter Lord, says we proclaim that Jesus is Lord of the church but do we ever bathe in prayer the things we do? On an occasion, he asked me why my church had a choir or praise groups. I responded that when the church was formed, the founding members started a choir because the churches they came from had choirs. He answered that, in other words, it's a lot like Israel wanting a king....everyone else has a king so we should, too. Then, Dr Lord said, "Did anyone ever ask God if He wanted a choir or praise group at your church?" My honest answer was no one had...not even me. We take youth trips, have conferences, do musicals, etc....but is the church ever called to prayer and fasting to see if that's what God wants? 

Let's be honest.....really honest....we need a spiritual awakening in America but I know of no church of any significant size spending any time at all in real fasting and prayer about what they do in any of their organizations or projects. They just assume God's in them. If I follow God's leadership, which I must do because of my pledge of loyalty to Him, the modern threefold measurements of church success (more budget, more buildings, more baptisms) will not be an issue at all. What will be the measuring rod will be that absolutely nothing, large or little, will be done without His prior consent, regardless of what other churches on the other side of town or the nation are doing. I will say with Paul, "To him (Jesus) be glory in the church forever!"

In summary, I refuse the sin of Jeroboam. If the truth cannot draw individuals by lifting up Jesus, we don't need those individuals anyway. Besides, the frank truth of it all is that it is recognizably obvious to worldly individuals when the church tries to out-world the world....and they want none of it when their lives start falling apart. 

Ok....If Nobody Else Steps Up....I Volunteer

In John 16:1-4 are found these sobering words of Jesus to his followers:

   1“These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. 2“They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. 3“These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. 4“But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you."

These are perilous times during which there is a global attack on Christianity. The satanic ISIS is leaving a trail of gore and blood across the Mideast with particular cruelty to those of Christian faith who are savagely beaten, raped, beheaded, burned alive, crucified and martyred in a multitude of other ways even more despicable than the human mind can conceive. These vile acts are done in a maniac passion for the false god called Allah. Other countries dominated by atheism continue their efforts to terrorize church congregations who are forced in many places to worship in secret to survive. Stories of their persecution are horrible to hear.

All of this murder and mayhem of our brothers and sisters in Christ world wide deserve our most earnest prayerful attention. They are paying the ultimate price for their faith. These accounts of such suffering are hard for those of us in America to understand. After all, we have our conflicts to suffer, too....like the arguments over traditional or contemporary worship, whether to have Kool-Aid and cookies or milk shake and Big Macs at Vacation Bible School and whether or not we should take Bibles on our mission cruise to the Caribbean this year.

But......I think we are beginning to get it.

Notice that Jesus said those of the synagogue will try to kill his followers. In other words, religious people will become the enemies of those who love Christ.....those of "politically correct" religion. Can you imagine the shock of these words as they fell on the ears of our Lord's followers, most of whom were Jewish? Jesus gave the real reason for the coming persecution. He said that these religious people of the synagogue would try to destroy them "because they had not known the Father nor me." He was actually saying that a person can know a lot ABOUT God but never really know God.  So, I disagree  with a common refrain heard so often today that the church in America is under siege. For the most part, the church in America is not under siege. Listen to the liturgies, participate in the rituals, sing the songs and listen to the sermons of the average church. There is no urgency, no desperation. The attack by politically correct social engineers is against those who are not just religious but really have a heart to know God. Jesus said his followers would be killed by the religious people of the synagogue in order to silence their witness. Similarly, those of us who strive to know Him in all of his glory are now targets of having our witness banished (killed) from the marketplace of ideas. We are now, as people of biblical conviction, being branded as hate-mongers and bigots if we dare voice a deep personal belief founded in faith.We are being admonished that if we are indeed "real" Christians that we should love the choices and behaviors of everyone. As wonderful as the love of God is, and it is indeed wonderful, love is not His primary attribute. They do not chant, "love, love, love" around the throne of God. Rather, they chant, "Holy Holy, Holy!" (Rev 4:8).  Holiness, which has to do with our behavior, should also be the hallmark of the believer. Look at this piercing warning from Hebrews 12:14, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." There it is!  Do you see this clear biblical command? There is nothing said here about loving every person, although I think we should, but it clearly says we are to have behaviors that are holy or we shall not see the Lord!

If you determine to know Jesus, really know Him, get ready to be misunderstood, persecuted and in whatever ways available, silenced; but why should you be surprised? In the opening verse of this article, our Lord advised us to remember that He warned us. Also, we are reminded by Him in John 15:18 that when we are hated by the world that the world hated him first.  He also said in Matthew 10:22 that we who love Him are destined to be hated for His name's sake. So, you have a choice. You can settle down and have a mild-mannered religious experience in a church with no zeal while listening to a sermon exhorting tolerance and cooperation with a world that by Jesus' own words hates Him, or you can choose to be maligned, scorned and ignored.

Here is my decision.

I have decided that I will accept any invitation to debate anyone who advocates a cultural or behavioral view that is in opposition  to the historic orthodox Christian position. I will affirm the validity of the orthodox Christian position and support my statements with biblical, philosophical, sociological and historical evidences. I am offering myself for such discussions before small groups, large groups, television, radio or newspaper. Only scheduling, health or other providential considerations will prevent my acceptance. 

Why am I suggesting such? Anyone can say anything from behind a pulpit, university lectern, media microphone or blog. Those are monologues with no chance for rebuttal. I believe it's time for a defense of the faith. I would rather someone more qualified than I should do it, but until that person steps forward, I volunteer.....

Is There A Champion?

Because Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary has students and alumni in over eighty denominations, I feel that I am in a unique position  to direct my remarks primarily toward these and other denominational groups as well, but also include those people  who lead and attend non-denominational churches. Additionally,  my remarks are directed at the leadership of larger churches.  From a recent flurry of cultural and political events, it is evident to even the most casual observer that our nation is spiraling out of control. By now, you may have read a myriad number of comments presenting every facet of the controversies or else you've been inundated by the views of television pundits. Perhaps my opinions that I shall present are some you have not considered and, of course, with which you will not agree. I'll take that chance. 

WE MUST RECOGNIZE THERE IS A HUGE DISCONNECT BETWEEN DENOMINATIONAL LEADERS AND GRASS ROOTS MEMBERS. Consider annual organizational meetings and highly visible conferences. Almost without exception, only very high-profile religious celebrities or pastors of large churches are listed as program personalities. It is exceedingly rare to see a pastor of a small church,  a missionary or an evangelist scheduled to speak. The religious world has adopted a Madison Avenue definition of success. Only the higher echelons of leadership in the denominational hierarchy and mega church pastors are showcased because they have been obviously successful. By that definition, the prophet Jeremiah would never be introduced as a featured speaker because, after all, he was a miserable failure......he preached forty-three years, had one convert, and that rascal backslid. Some of the most community-changing and culture-challenging pastors are nameless pastors of small, obscure churches who tirelessly minister to the needs of their entire community as well as their church families. Since I am a former mega church pastor, I can say with truthful conviction that many, yes many, mega church pastors scarcely attend to the needs of their flock much less their community by using the lame excuse that their congregation is too large for personal ministry by them. I never used that excuse, and I knew my members well. I know only a few other mega church pastors about whom that is true. The average mega church pastor is too busy getting ready to preach at an out-of state Bible Conference, go on another cruise or lead another Holy Land tour, but somehow doesn't have time for his beleaguered sheep. By comparison, I saw an article in the New England Journal of Medicine that the average family doctor works 50-60 hours per week, makes or takes 24 telephone calls per day, reads 17 emails each day, reviews 20 lab tests each day, examines 11 imaging reports each day, reads 14 consultation notes each day, processes 12 prescription refills each day, and sees 25 patients each day. Simply preaching a couple of sermons per week, even with adequate preparation time, does not begin to keep pace with the example of the family doctor. Why am I saying this? We are increasingly seeing the entire scope of evangelicalism move to a celebrity subculture that is led by the "stars" of the denomination and mega churches who preach at national conferences a message that church members should be led to challenge the culture but do not themselves return home to lead their own people on a personal level to attack the culture. All of this celebrity adoration of the "stars" and the disregard for the grassroots is having an horrendous trickle down effect that is destroying the influence of evangelicalism in the political and social world. The troops of the evangelical world are the "lesser knowns" and the "nobodies" but they are always the ones whom we must have in unity and passion if we are to win in this culture battle; yet, they are tired, disillusioned and increasingly apathetic because of the steady drift from the once powerful evangelical river that influenced politics and society that has now become a powerless swamp of polluted uselessness that is rife with gifted orators who are lazy leaders as defined by biblical examples and injunctions of true leadership. In summary, the enemies of the faith in America have nothing to fear from the once great denominations or mega churches because we are an army without committed generals who should have a "whatever it takes" attitude. Our enemies full well fear the power of the grassroots but laugh mockingly at our lack of impassioned and sacrificial leadership. Please note that every time Israel was faced with a crisis, God always used a man. Denominational committees, well-meaning petitions, proclamations, resolutions and more meetings will not suffice in this current state of affairs. We need God to raise up a man who fears no other man, a man with a sacrificial heart and a resolute devotion to the cause of national revival and righteousness. To paraphrase Israel of old, is there one among us to champion our cause, one who would rather go than give up, fight than flee, strengthen the sheep than abandon the flock, be found on the battleship instead of a cruise ship, and do everything within his being at whatever personal cost or sacrifice to stand for God by the power of the Holy Spirit and lead the American church into victory over the evil tide that is rising? Is there a champion?  As of old, I pray that God is this moment anointing one.