What is your Testimony?

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Stiftshuette Modell

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Growing up in Evangelical churches, we heard often from folks who wanted to share their testimony with the church. A lot of weight was given to the sharing of one’s testimony. In fact, it was weighted so heavily that many times I heard caveats that both disturbed and discouraged me in my faith. Caveats such as, “well, my testimony isn’t nearly as powerful as that of brother so-and-so” or “I don’t have much of a testimony, because I grew up in a Christian home”. Such rubbish. This is NOT Biblical, and I want to end the week by looking at what our testimony is.

Your Testimony isn’t about you

We will look at the Biblical definition of what a testimony is, and what our testimony is supposed to be in a minute, but I want to point out that the major flaw in the caveats I mentioned is that they betray a fundamentally flawed view that a testimony is about the person giving it. It isn’t. Have you ever heard someone give their testimony and start to get a little uncomfortable about how they keep going on and on about how bad they were? We get into weird competitions over who was the “most bad” person was before they were saved.

Everyone born of man is born equally dead in sin. Sin isn’t a merely list of wrongdoings, it is a state of being.

Ephesians 2:1-3 (ESV)
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Romans 3:9-20 (ESV)
9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
11     no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14     “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16     in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18     “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law,so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Apart from the Gospel, no one is righteous, nor can they be made righteous or justified in God’s sight, even by the Law. Man’s need for Jesus Christ is Universal. In the same way, all who have come to the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ share in that same testimony, that we all need Jesus. We don’t need to add to our sinfulness to amplify the Gospel. On some levels, we want people to know that the Gospel finding ME was such a super big deal that no one should ever doubt in it. But that isn’t the focus of the Gospel, it is a blanket truth for all of mankind. Unless the Gospel of Jesus Christ finds you, you have no hope of salvation. And that is why we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our testimony isn’t supposed to glorify our sin; rather, it is supposed to focus on the Word of God.

Now, let us take a look at some Biblical foundations of what a Testimony truly is so that we might have a better understanding of what it means to share your testimony.

The Ark of the Covenant

If you remember in a post from earlier in the week I made reference to how the Passover Lamb pointed to Jesus on the Cross, as an atonement, the final atonement for all our sin. How in the Israelites leaving Egypt points to our being rescued out of the kingdom of Darkness, and how their passing through the Red Sea points to our water Baptism which represents joining Christ in His death and burial and resurrection to a new life in Him. We also compared the wandering of Israel for a generation in the wilderness to our living in a fallen and sinful world as we make our way to the Promised Land which in our case is the Kingdom of Heaven by the blood of Jesus Christ. In keeping with that same imagery, let us now turn to Exodus 25, when God commanded Moses to build an ark.

Exodus 25:10-22 (ESV)
10 “They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on itsfour feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. 15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you.

17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. 20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. 21 And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. 22 There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

Now, outside of the Law of Moses, this ark is most commonly referred to in the Bible as the Ark of the Covenant. What we see in Exodus and in Numbers, though, is that it is referred to several times as the Ark of the Testimony. I hadn’t noticed that before, so it’s very exciting for me to read now. We see here God instructing the building of the ark, and he tells Moses that he will be giving him a testimony that should be placed into the ark. Before we get to that, notice where the mercy seat of God is placed… over the testimony. We can already see here, that the Mercy Seat of God rests atop the Testimony that God will give. Let us move ahead a bit as we follow the instructions regarding the ark.

Exodus 26:31-35 (ESV)
31 “And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. 32 And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.34 You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place.35 And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side.

This veil, is the one that was found split when Christ died on the cross. Notice that before Christ, the veil separated God’s people from the mercy seat except for certain times, and then only by proxy (the High Priest). Now, let’s jump ahead a bit (Moses was given a lot of instructions here) to chapter 34.

Exodus 34:27-35 (ESV)
27 And the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

34 Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Praise the Lord. The testimony is the Law of God, the 10 Commandments. They were given to Israel as a testimony to His Covenant with them. If you read from the beginning of the chapter, you see God instructing Moses to bring 2 fresh tablets to replace the ones that he smashed after seeing the sin of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai. Those, too, were called the tablets of the testimony.

Exodus 31:18 (ESV)
18 And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

Exodus 32:15-16 (ESV)
15 Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

Exodus Chapter 40 concludes the instructions given to Moses regarding the tabernacle and the ark.

Exodus 40:16-21 (ESV)
16 This Moses did; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did. 17 In the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, the tabernacle was erected. 18 Moses erected the tabernacle. He laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up its pillars. 19 And he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 20 He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Day of Atonement

Now that we know that the testimony Moses was to place inside the ark was the two tablets of the testimony. They were placed into the ark of the Testimony, upon which rested the Mercy Seat of God, and all of it was behind the veil. Let us skip ahead to Leviticus to see the Ark of the Testimony and the Mercy Seat.

Leviticus 16:1-5 (ESV)
1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, 2 and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

Leviticus 16:11-16 (ESV)
11 “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. 12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. 14 And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.

We see a great deal going on here, but I wanted to point out this Day of Atonement and the special place of the ark of the Testimony and the Mercy Seat, and the blood of the atoning sacrifice. All of this points to Christ.

Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant*

In closing, I recommend reading the book of Hebrews. The writer of Hebrews explains the 2 covenants beautifully, and when you read through it, take the time to cross-reference the Old Testament passages.

Hebrews 8 (ESV)
1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

8 For he finds fault with them when he says:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”

13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

And the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, is that this new covenant is available to all people, not just the Jew. And our testimony, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 19:9-10 (ESV)
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Amen. Whenever you share your testimony, know that what you are sharing is not supposed to point to you; rather, it is to point to a risen Savior, whose blood was shed on your behalf, so that you can stand before the Mercy Seat of God without fear of judgement.

Hebrews 10:19-25 (ESV)
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Grace and Peace to you in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Jorge

CTT | Circumcision of the Heart

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CTTHave you ever heard someone talk about how physical circumcision was of the old covenant and those of us who are part of the new covenant look to a circumcision of the heart? Well, today I want to take a look at where that terminology originates and in so doing, we will seek to better complete the thought that is trying to be conveyed.

Most of the time, this phrase comes from one of Paul’s writings. Before we jump to the topic of the day, I realize I’ve yet to discuss at length the 2 covenants. Generally what we are referring to is the covenant with Abraham as the first covenant (sometimes referred to as the Mosaic Covenant since he was given the Law, but the covenant with Israel began with Abraham), and the covenant of Jesus Christ as the second. We’ll look at this in greater detail in a later post, but for now I will present part of Paul’s teaching in Galatians.

Galatians 4:21-28 (ESV)
21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

We will explore the rest of this teaching at a later time, but for now at least we have established the validity of teaching 2 covenants. Paul focused on correcting the Galatians who were buying into the notion that one had to submit to the first covenant in order to take part in the second (Judaizers) which was a false gospel preached by false teachers who should be accursed (twice). Paul also spent time explaining the Law and the covenants to another group of believers in his letter to the Romans. It is here we will find the beginning of our topic today.

Romans 2:17-29 (ESV)
17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

In this portion of Romans (and please, the book of Romans should be read as a continuous letter) Paul is distinguishing salvation and the forgiveness of sin comes through faith rather than by works of the Law. It was difficult for many of the early Jews to accept that the Law pointed to the Gospel, and was not in itself a means of salvation; rather, that Christ fulfilled the Law and gave Himself as the atoning sacrifice. We see it explained in great detail in Hebrews, Romans, and Galatians. We see this truth referenced in several scriptures outside of these epistles. This is critical to understanding the New Covenant Jesus presented at the last supper.

Luke 22:14-20 (ESV)
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.“

Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb, by His blood on our door post we have no need to fear the Destroyer. By His blood, we’ve been set free from Egypt (the kingdom of darkness) and we will pass through the Red Sea (water baptism) in Christ. As we follow Christ, we will spend the remainder of this life (one generation) walking as exiles in the wilderness(still living in a fallen world) with a hope of reaching the Promised Land (Heaven). Praise the Lord.

Was the “Circumcision of the Heart” a New Concept?

Interestingly enough, the answer is “no”. While Paul was clearly writing under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, this concept that the circumcision is a matter of the heart is found in the Old Testament. In fact, in the Law of Moses! I think this is fascinating, so let’s go check it out. For a little bit of background, I recommend reading Deuteronomy 29, beginning in the first verse. God renews His covenant with Israel in the land of Moab. After making clear the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience in chapter 28, God instructs Moses to speak to His people and to set them straight, reminding them of all they had witnessed of the Lord God who brought them out of Egypt. Let’s look at the final verse in chapter 29 and move onto chapter 30.

Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV)
29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 30:1-10 (ESV)
1 “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.4 If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. 5 And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. 6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. 7 And the Lord your God will put all these curses on your foes and enemies who persecuted you. 8 And you shall again obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments that I command you today. 9 The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, 10 when you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Jesus made clear that He didn’t come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. This is on reason why it is so important that we be careful how we refer to the 2 covenants. Here, in the Law, we have the message of salvation, only we lack a pure, spotless Lamb of God to be the final sacrifice. For all men (including Jews) are born in the sin of Adam. The law reveals our sin, but it also points to the Promise of our Salvation in Christ. We see in the first verse a prophesy of the exile and scattering of the Jews. Jesus came to gather his sheep from both the Jews and the Gentiles. Which commandment is the Greatest commandment according to Jesus?

Matthew 22:36-38 (ESV)
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.

Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have access to the Spirit of God, whereby God circumcises our heart (remember, Paul specified that the circumcision of the heart is by the Spirit) so that we can love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, and mind… that we may live, as promised both according to the Law and the Gospel. Let me be absolutely clear… apart from Jesus Christ we cannot fulfill the Law and have no salvation in it; rather, we are condemned by it for we are born in sin. Thankfully, we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as the perfect and final sacrifice, so that in Him we might be saved.

As we continue in our Walk, we must mature and grow into the fullness of Christ. We must search His Word, and rightly understand what is revealed of God in both the Law and the Gospel. It is my sincere hope that you who have accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ, will continue in it, study it, and study also the Law that Christ completed on our behalf. It wasn’t “done away with”, merely completed in Christ. Much of the Law points to Jesus Christ and His Gospel, but it all points to God. I pray for blessing and understanding from God the Holy Spirit as you continue in the Word.

In Christ,
Jorge

DiM | “Always Been About You” Fellowship Creative

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Presentation1As I continue working out a blog schedule here at Faithful Stewardship, I heard a song on the radio this morning that I found rather catchy. I realized it had been a while since we last practiced discernment in music that gets airplay on Christian radio. So, I think a good topic for Tuesday posts will be a music review that we will call “Discernment in Music”. Some common reactions to my music reviews take the form of , “you’re really over-thinking these things…” or “you can’t restrict artists to only writes songs you approve of” or “you have a critical spirit”. Understand that this is an exercise in taking every thought captive… every…. thought. I don’t expect everyone to agree with my assessments, or to like them. If I’ve at least caused you to exercise discernment while listening to music, I’ve done my job.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (ESV)
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

The song I heard this morning that caught my attention was “Always Been About You” by Fellowship Creative. If you listen to popular Christian radio, you’ve probably heard it recently. If your radio station hasn’t played it yet, there’s a good chance they will later (unless they’ve made a stance against certain ministries). Let’s take a look at the lyrics of the song pulled from the band’s website.

Always Been About You

Out here, the greatest love is bold
Out here, the greyest skies are gold
Out here, it’s all laid on the line
Out here, you’re always on my mind

And it’s always been about love
It’s always been about grace
It’s always been about hope
And it’s always been about faith 

It’s always been about peace
It’s always been about truth
Everything that’s ever been before
It’s always been about You

Out here, we’re running with the light
Out here, we’re breaking up the night
Out here, the lost are coming home
Cause out here, no one goes alone

And it’s always been about love
It’s always been about grace
It’s always been about hope
And it’s always been about faith 

It’s always been about peace
It’s always been about truth
Oh and everything that’s ever been
It’s always been about You

We will run for you
We will go for you
We will fight for you, you

We will run, we will run
We will go, we will go
We will fight, we will fight
With everything, everything

And it’s always been about love
It’s always been about grace
It’s always been about hope
And it’s always been about faith

It’s always been about peace
It’s always been about truth
Oh and everything that’s ever been
It’s always been about You

Now, as I said this song was very catchy. It is sung and performed extremely well. Great buildup of instruments, great backup accompaniment, just very well done. Now, the first verse starts off, well… oddly. I have no idea what “Out here” signifies. No clue. I was hoping the song would resolve it later, but it doesn’t really make it clear. I do have a thought about what this means, but we’ll save that for later, because I draw that opinion from outside the song. The chorus is very fun, and quite catchy. The idea that “it’s always been about love, grace, hope, faith, peace, and truth” is awesome and easily draws an “Amen”. The final “You” is assumed to be God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Some Scriptures that immediately come to mind during the chorus are as follows:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV)
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Galatians 3:7-9 (ESV)
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (ESV)
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

John 14:6 (ESV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The chorus of this song is chock full of Gospel nuggets. As the music played, my mind raced through all of the wonderful passages Gospel of Jesus Christ revealed in Scripture, and it put a smile on my face. As the song broke down into the bridge, I started to notice the song was a little unbalanced. If we will run for you, are we running for God (“you” is never clearly defined) or are we running for our brothers and sisters (“out here, no one runs alone”)? If we are fighting for “you”, what are we fighting against? By what means?

If this were a sermon, this would be an example of attempting to preach pure Gospel, while skipping over and avoiding Law. You see, until we come to grips with the reality of sin in our lives, and the debt that we cannot pay on our own, the Gospel rings hollow. This is why I’m not a big fan of the feel-good, “Just ask Jesus into your heart”. Instead, I believe it best to follow Peter’s answer after his first sermon (where he preached both the Law and the Prophets concerning Christ) in Acts 2:

Acts 2:37-41 (ESV)
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

You see, you cannot simply skip over sin and repentance. It has indeed always been about God, but before there was grace, there was Holiness. Adam was to obey. He sinned, and God’s Grace immediately took action, as He promised to send the Messiah to redeem His creation.

This song is not a sermon. If you were attending a concert, you’d be hearing several songs. In the context of a performance, depending on when this song was sung, another song might be dedicated to preaching the Law (calling out sin and the need for repentance). On the radio, you’ll hear this song on its own. By itself, it’s a really catching “positive” message in vague language.

Where is “Out Here”?

The Fellowship Creative is a band that serves as the praise and worship team for Fellowship Church, a seeker-sensitive Mega-church led by Ed Young. Fellowship Creative is to Fellowship Church what Jesus Culture is to Bethel Church. I mention this because it serves as a warning flag. In the vagueness of the lyrics, knowing the theology behind it is necessary for Biblical discernment. As for the “Out Here”, I believe it references their church, and their way of approaching church (seeker-sensitive). I believe it to be intended as an anthem for the seeker-sensitive model of church, where the goal of the actual church meeting is to attract non-believers into the building in hopes that they will embrace the message of Christ (while they skip/gloss over tough topics like sin and repentance). Now, if you are unfamiliar with Ed Young or the seeker-sensitive movement, I can understand if you think I’m “reading too much into things”. While looking through their YouTube channel, they had a video of themselves performing this song at the C3 conference in 2013 (C3 should serve as a warning flag, too).

No doubt an incredible performance and light show. I’ll admit, I thought “that’s cool” when I realized the band was up above the stage light screens. Such a grand display is great for entertaining the world. It’s what they do for each other and for themselves. However, when you take a vague song emphasizing a positive-only Gospel (no sin, no repentance) and wrap it in worldly showmanship, what you get is a great song that might as well have been a cooking recipe. The world often talks/sings about and extols love, peace, and a generic concept of “God”. But they don’t agree with the Biblical definitions of each. They don’t even accept the notion of absolute truth.

Do they have any good songs?

Yes. I quickly found a song on their most recent album that I liked lyrically. We still don’t have a clear picture of the sinful state of man and his need for a Savior, but at least we get more specific on what Jesus did for us.

The One I Need
This world, this beautiful world
Is still not enough for me; it’s not my home
Instead I fix my eyes on the Maker of earth and skies
My Savior, who came and died and rose for me

And I will give my heart to the One who took my place
And I will lift my voice to the Name above all names

Jesus, Lord of Heaven
I give my life to thee
All else, I surrender
You are the One, the One I need

My God, let nothing eclipse my view
Cause nothing compares to you; You’re all I need
At the cross, Your love rained over me
You’re more than enough for me; Jesus, you’re enough

And I will give my heart to the One who took my place
And I will lift my voice to the Name above all names

Jesus, Lord of Heaven
I give my life to thee
All else, I surrender
You are the One, the One I need

And I will give my heart to the One who took my place
And I will lift my voice to the Name above all names

Jesus, Lord of Heaven
I give my life to thee
All else, I surrender
You are the One, the One I need

Jesus, Son of Heaven
You left your throne for me
Forever, I will follow
You are the One, the One I need

Conclusion

This is a seeker-sensitive church band. They represent a brand, a theology, a way of doing church that isn’t prescribed in Scripture. So, when we listen to their music, we ought to pay close attention to what is actually being sung. We must take every thought captive, and that isn’t limited to the obviously sinful thoughts. Every. Thought. For Christians who are grounded in the Bible and have studied what the Bible says about sin, repentance, forgiveness, holiness, grace, love, mercy… this song can serve as a pleasant reminder of scripture. But so can any song on the radio that mentions faith, love, truth, grace. The sad part is that for an organization that calls itself the church and prides itself on reaching the lost… the song teaches nothing. It presents a half-gospel, one that implores the unbeliever to “accept Jesus” without acknowledging and repenting from their sin. That’s great for church attendance, in the short run, but it does the individual no good to only hear half of the Gospel. As with all musical artists, there are some songs that are good, others that are not so good. My concern isn’t really them, but you and your walk in Christ.

Jude 1:24-25 (ESV)
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

In Christ,
Jorge

CTT | The Rainbow is More than a Symbol

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CTTAs we try to get back to a more sustainable blog schedule, I want to start addressing some more current events in snippets. My plan is to keep Thursday as the “big blog” day, but as always we’ll just see where the Scripture leads us.

Today, I wanted to talk a bit about the progressive assault on Christians who do not wish to be forced to celebrate homosexual unions. My wording is intentional, because what you see in the media is a complete twisting of the facts to support the LGBTQ(…) narrative that attempts to paint themselves as victims of bigotry. Florists and bakers are the easy targets right now, but churches are being targeted, too (mainly via their tax-exemption status). Over the past several weeks, I’ve seen far too many LGBTQ(…) flags on the news and in social media, so the nagging question has been, “what possessed them to take the rainbow as the symbol of their rebellion?” I looked up what the movement claims to be the origin of their rainbow flag and I’ll share a link at the end, but what the world claims as their own and how they justify it is irrelevant. Wholly and completely irrelevant.

Psalm 24:1-2 (ESV)
24 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

Therefore, our focus will be on what God has declared in His Word regarding His Rainbow. Our text today will be Genesis 8:13 through 9:25 (ESV).

Genesis 8:13-19 (ESV)
13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah,16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

Here we see a precise accounting of the day that Noah, his family, and every living creature preserved by the Ark finally stepped out to repopulate the earth. We have a similarly precise account of the day the flood began in Genesis 7:11 (ESV) “11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened”. Now the Hebrew calendar followed the lunar cycles and each month was numbered (as opposed to modern secular calendars being solar years). There are 12 months in the ancient Hebrew calendar, but they have a leap month much in the same way we have leap days. Without getting too terribly bogged down in calculations, what we can say is that the Ark protected the remnant of the Earth for at least a full 1 year and 27 days. Now, a year for a man who had already lived 600 might seem to pass by more quickly than a year for a young pup of 36 such as myself; however, given the living conditions on the Ark and the knowledge that God had utterly destroyed the Earth under Noah’s very feet… such a comparison become moot and trite.

Genesis 8:20-22 (ESV)
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Genesis 9:1-17 (ESV)
9 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image.
7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

God set His bow in the cloud. The Rainbow is the Lord’s. He set it in the clouds and He declared what it symbolizes. It symbolizes His covenant with His Creation, with the Earth and everything on the Earth. It is a promise that the earth will receive no new curses on account of man, for man is born dead in sin, and the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Read throughout Revelation, and you’ll not see any mention of a second global flood. As long as the earth remains, the seasons and days will continue. This is why every prophesy regarding the Day of Christ’s return talks about heaven and earth being rolled up like a scroll, or passing away. God’s covenant is all of His Creation. When the end comes, it will indeed be the end of this world. That is why everything longs for the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Genesis 9:18-25 (ESV)
18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.

20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,

“Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

Indeed, the problem of sin was not solved by the Flood, for God preserved sinful man from total destruction. And we see here, the first recorded sinful act committed upon another person, is one of sexual immorality (namely incest, adultery, rape, and homosexuality). How much time had passed since they left the Ark? We only know it was long enough for a vineyard to be planted and harvested and for Noah to drink of its wine. Beyond that, we don’t know how much time had passed, but given that they had spent over a year in the Ark as God was sparing their lives, we see how deeply rooted the curse of sin lies buried in the heart of man. Still, Canaan was cursed by the sin of his father against Noah. Not unlike how we ALL are cursed by the sin of Adam. But we also see Japheth and Shem blessed for their righteous acts, for resisting the temptation to sin. God keeps His covenants, even when we fail Him. God preserved the Messianic line from Adam to Jesus, so that in Christ we might have the Hope of Salvation promised on the day sin and death entered the world.

Which brings be back to the LGBTQ(…) use of the rainbow flag. Regardless of whatever history they claim on their use of the rainbow, the Rainbow has a history and belongs to Almighty God. It’s His Rainbow, placed by Him into the clouds as a reminder of His covenant with the Earth and every living creature on it. Not only has the LGBTQ(…) taken God’s rainbow and created of it a flag for their rebellion against God’s design for man and woman in sexual purity, they do so in the name of “Gay Pride”.

Pride.

Psalm 10:2-11 (ESV)
2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,
and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;
    all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”
5 His ways prosper at all times;
your judgments are on high, out of his sight;
as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;
throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
    under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
8 He sits in ambush in the villages;
in hiding places he murders the innocent.
His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9     he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket;
he lurks that he may seize the poor;
he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down,
and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
    he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

Also in Romans,

Romans 1:18-32 (ESV)
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

That last point is the most powerful and relevant to our day and today’s post. The problem we face now, even within the professing church, is that the world isn’t happy with mere tolerance of their sin, but they insist that we join them in celebration of their sin, under a banner that mocks God’s covenant by way of reminding Him of His promise as they ignore His commands.

These people are not our enemies; rather, they are lost… dead in their sins and trespasses. It is to them that we must continue to preach Repentance and the Forgiveness of sin through the Blood of Jesus Christ. We pray that the Living God have mercy on them, and extend grace to them that they might hear and receive the Gospel of Grace. Your flesh is no different from theirs, it continues to desire sin and self-gratification as it always did, only by the Grace of God you have been made alive in Him and have been given God the Holy Spirit to comfort, strengthen, and grow you into the fullness of Christ. For we were all like them, and only by the Grace of God did we hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repent, and received salvation from the kingdom of darkness, and a promise of eternal life in Christ.

It is tempting to lash out, be confrontational, and to condemn the lost for being lost. Such righteous indignation belongs to Christ, not us. For we are not of ourselves righteous; rather, we rely on the righteousness of Christ to carry us through judgement, in the same way that Noah relied on the Ark. It is not for us to condemn those who blaspheme and hate God, they have already done so. Instead, it is for us to stand firmly on the Word of God, preach the Gospel, and be a living testimony to the greatness of  our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:13-18 (ESV)
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

In Him,
Jorge

Looking for a New Church

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churchBe blessed today and this weekend. So we made it through a 5-part series on The Church. I want to thank you for enduring what was essentially me laying out my understanding of what the Bible teaches regarding the Church and subsequently the church. I am really looking forward to moving on to different topics that have been placed on the back burner while I worked diligently to complete this series. However, I didn’t want to dive into anything new on a Friday, so I thought I might share some thoughts regarding the search for a new church body. I do not presume to be able to tell you exactly how to find a new church body for your family, but I would like to share some thoughts and some questions that I feel should be asked whenever the search for a church body is at hand.

Why are you looking for a new church body?

Aside from having to relocate due to work or family needs, this is perhaps the single most important question for which a Biblical answer must be found. Now, let me begin with the obvious and work toward the subtle. If the church you have been attending has wandered off into false doctrine, false teaching, or a different gospel then the “why” of the matter has been identified. We can then move on to the “how”. Are you leaving because of an individual? Personality Conflict? you were offended? These motivations are tougher to pin down, but they tend to be the vast majority of reasons that folks leave their local churches. I’ve made these categories quite broad because I don’t intend to give a panacea response for highly personal situations. I will say that personality conflicts exist everywhere, because each of us bears responsibility for our own conduct, speech, and personality. The Body of Christ is also composed of people, forgiven and adopted children of God who still walk in fleshly and sinful bodies. So, if your response to personality conflict is to leave the church, you will be leaving often. I’ve met a few church-hoppers who tend to only survive about a year or two before some drama “pops up out of nowhere” and they are “forced” to leave, usually creating as big a vacuum as possible either being on staff or in the worship team. Finally, there are those who want to leave because they (or their kids) just want to find something “cooler”, “more exciting”, or more “relevant”. This last group I can honestly say has the wrong “why”. They don’t understand the purpose for church and are instead looking to be entertained or have their itching ears scratched.

How did you leave the last church?

I have never been a fan of ultimatums. Anyone who demands the church bend to his or her will “or else I’m leaving and taking my money with me” is a carnal, fleshly, immature Christian at best. Similarly, causing a big scene to act out the fore-gone conclusion that you are leaving is equally infantile. So let us look at how the Scriptures tell us to address problems within the Church.

  • A problem of false teaching/doctrine/gospel. While I consider this to be the easiest “why”, it is perhaps the most heartbreaking, gut wrenching, and difficult “how” we will face. Depending on how long you’ve been a part of this congregation, how involved you and your family had become, and how your closest friends feel about the issue at hand, it can lead many to simply never say anything or to suddenly disappear without much explanation. Why? Because this is an issue of leadership in the church. Since we just finished examining 1 Timothy, we’ll start there and I am including old-testament foundation for these rules.
    • 1 Timothy 5:19-21 (ESV)
      19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

      • Deuteronomy 19:15 (ESV)
        15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.
    • Galatians 1:6-9 (ESV)
      6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 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. 9 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.

      • Deuteronomy 13:1-4 (ESV)
        13 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.
        Note: this holds true even if the sign/wonder/miracle actually happens. The miracle alone does not serve as proof.
    • One note I’ll make on this is that if the structure of the local church is in error (not in keeping with Acts, Titus, Timothy) then this matter can be very difficult to resolve. Pray, search out the scriptures, and ask for Wisdom from God the Holy Spirit, and do what is right, leaving the outcome in God’s hands. Something that is prevalent in today’s Evangelical churches is a false notion of “unity under the visionary” instead of Unity in the Word of God. It generally comes with a Mosaic church structure where everyone is expected to follow (and abide by) the word of one or two leaders and they have the final word (often times, preemptively).
  • Personal Conflict. This is a very broad category, but the Bible does cover how we are to respond in these matters.
    • Matthew 18:15-20 (ESV) 15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
    • 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 (ESV) 1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

Now, in the interest of full disclosure and transparency, these things are rarely easy or clean. We recently stopped attending a local church over doctrinal concerns and church-structure. We were very involved in the church and didn’t realize there any problems until some major shifts in doctrinal focus and awkward disciplinary calls forced my wife and me to start searching the Scriptures for answers. That search revealed a great deal. Still, we did not purpose to leave the church because we were sure that God had led us to that church (even more so now that we’ve grown so much as a family through the whole experience). I spent 2 months discussing doctrinal issues with the Pastor (at the time I was on staff) regarding what I believed to be mishandling of Scripture in sermon material taught nearly verbatim from popular mega-church leaders. After two months, I stepped down off of staff. A month later, another family was given a false rationale for why we stepped down and not a single elder of the church approached us. It was then that we decided we could no longer attend that church, though we longed to maintain relationships with those who truly considered us their brother and sister. We are currently being fed in a church of a different denomination, and completely different style of service from what I grew up with, but we are being fed well. We are not in a rush to become members, but we thank God for His Grace and Mercy for our family.

What should we be looking for in a church?

Who is being preached, Christ or man? First and foremost, you should be looking for a church that faithfully preaches the Word of God. This isn’t something you can determine in a single visit. If they post their sermons online, listen to them with an open bible and take notes. Pause the sermon, open to the scripture being referenced. Is the context being conveyed? Is it being used in context? Is it a full quote? Is the passage being defined by Scripture or by the speaker’s life experience? Are you being taught what the Word of God says or are you getting life advice loosely justified by a random scripture quoted out of context? Are you getting an anecdote to help understand what Scripture is teaching or is the anecdote being presented as proof that a life tip is valid? What is the scripture to pastor ratio?

Christian Denomination. This is NOT a denominational choice, because there isn’t a denomination that has a corner on the market. Denomination plays a major role in familiarity and a sense of commonality for many people, so if you are uncomfortable stepping outside of your denomination, then you must continue to focus on faithful preaching of the Word of God, you just might (depending on your geographical location and preferred denomination) be choosing from a very small pool of churches. When it comes to denominations, it is important to gauge each denomination’s doctrine against the Scriptures, not by what one denomination accuses the other denomination of believing. I find this particularly true of the “Reformed” (Calvinist) denominations who are very quick to call anyone who disagrees with TULIP a Pelagean. The best example of this is that despite the Catholic Church declaring Pelagianism heretical (Council of Trent) most Reformed Churches lump Catholics under the semi-Pelagean banner because of their emphasis on man’s response to the Gospel of Grace (Council of Trent also declared the doctrine of passive grace heretical, basically the U, I, P in TULIP). So yeah, take each doctrine and compare it to the Word of God, not to some other doctrine since not every point of each doctrine can be taught from Scripture because they attempt to explain in-depth what the Bible doesn’t explain. What the bible does explain, like the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they must agree upon (and for the most part Protestant denominations do agree on the Gospel). Now, among Protestants there are 2 major divisions, Monergists and Arminians. Monergism is a label that covers Lutheran and Calvinists (who disagree on double-predestination and sacraments). Calvinists are found in Baptist and Presbyterian traditions, though some Baptists lean more Arminian these days. Arminians disagree with TULIP in that they believe that Christ made the only way of salvation but did not preassign people to believe or not to believe; rather, they hold that in the hearing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, man must choose whether to listen and accept the Word of God as the Only Way of Salvation, or reject it and be condemned my their lack of faith. This doctrine can generally be found in Wesleyan Methodist Churches, Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Free-Will Baptists. I’m still dealing with these categories in broad terms, but hopefully you can see that there are denominations you might actually find some common ground with you weren’t aware of before. Once again, the standard is the Word of God… not the denomination you grew up in.

Who is being praised and worshiped? Okay, so we haven’t spent a great deal of time on this one here at Faithful Stewardship. But who is being praised in the Praise and Worship at the church. Is it truly focused on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? Or is it focused more on who we are, what we are doing, and what we are going to get? Are we worshiping the Biblical Savior or are we just sort of singing love songs understood to be pointed at Jesus, but not clearly articulated as such? Is it about praising and worshiping God or is the focus more on entertaining non-believers?

Non-Denominational or Evangelical? While each of these labels has some meaning to those who wear them, they lack any solid definition that could serve as a filter for looking for a new church.

  • Non-denominational. What it should mean is that they don’t point to any ideology of man and their aim is to stick with Biblically defined Christianity. In practice, what you will find is that they broke away from one of the denominations and still hold to most of that denomination’s doctrine except for a few key points. What makes them problematic is that you have no way of knowing up front what they do or do not believe/teach. You just have to talk it out, or attend their membership information classes (even then you still need to ask all of the questions that you can). Many take the road of dividing what they call “essentials” and “non-essentials” of the faith… but rarely are the “non essentials” clearly defined. I have also seen that most “non-denominational” churches are former Pentecostal or Charismatic churches looking to distance themselves from the label. Perhaps one of the most dangerous elements of non-denominational churches is that they are rarely held accountable by anyone. In the New Testament, the Church in Antioch looked to the Church in Jerusalem for encouragement, direction, and guidance. Paul strongly rebuked the Galatians for blindly accepting the false gospel of the Judaizers and exercised authority, correction, and instruction over them.
  • Evangelical. This is supposed to mean that the church’s focus is in Evangelism, or Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What has been taking root in modern Evangelical churches lately is a false social gospel, where the goal of the church is to entice non-believers to enter their doors and stay long enough to hear the Gospel. Much of the church-growth, seeker-sensitive, emergent theology expansion has been within evangelical churches. In order to achieve rapid growth and high attendance numbers, they’ve abandoned preaching Law in accordance with Gospel, therefore we get a half-picture of a Savior but we don’t get an understanding of our need for a savior. Prosperity and Word of Faith doctrines also thrive in non-Denominational/Evangelical circles.

Fathers, remember your role.

In closing, I want to remind fathers to remember your roles as heads of your house. You are the priest of your home. Whether you are members of a local church family, struggling through trials and tribulations, or searching for a new body of believers, your responsibility to feed, nurture, and instruct your family never goes away. Pray continuously, and dig into the Word of God and bury it in your heart and share it with your wife and kids. Church is not a means of offloading the responsibility of leading your family spiritually, church is where you get the training you need to better fulfill your responsibility. Plugging your family into church is essential for Christian living, so I’m not suggesting that a father can replace the church, he can’t. My point is that regardless of church membership, a father’s role remains the same.

Well, this ended up being longer than I anticipated. In trying to address a broad scope of issues, concerns, and categories of doctrines, it is possible that some may feel I misrepresented their denomination or church. That was not my intent, I’m just trying to give some broad-scope definitions for those who (like I was a year ago) might never have thought about what all of the denomination stuff really meant. I’m not interested in bolstering or attacking any denomination or doctrine of men here… my only focus, and sole purpose here is to point to the Word of God and what it teaches. As always, if you have additional or specific questions/concerns, feel free to comment or contact me directly.

 

Jude 1:24-25 (ESV)
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

In Him,
Jorge