End Times Confusion and Red-Letter Clarification

How and why do unbelievers and believers approach the future differently? 

Does it really matter if a Christian understands the details of biblical 'eschatology' (truth related to the "end times")? 

How does understanding what God has revealed concerning the future impact the here and now? 

We will address this and more on Sunday at Lake Country Bible Church. Revelation 20:1-6; Matthew 24-25. "End Times Confusion and Red-Letter Clarification."

The New Covenant, Israel, and the Church

Why should I care about the Biblical Covenants?  For one, because the character of God is at stake with regards to the fulfillment of these promises.  Two, they are the catalyst for a believer's comfort and hope (especially during dark days).  Three, you will have a superficial understanding of the overarching story line of the Bible, the Christmas narrative, and the future (eschatology).

Having spent a month or so studying the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants Dan brought an overview lesson on the New Covenant on Wednesday night at Lake Country Bible Church.  Here are his student notes.

The New Covenant, Israel, and the Church
(Jeremiah 31:31-37; Galatians 3:13-29; Romans 11:11-36)

Introduction: Brief OT Survey

Genesis 6:5-8- "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

Genesis 8:21-22 = “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. While the earth remains,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.’”

The Abrahamic Covenant
Summary:
1.) God will give land to the descendants of Abraham.
2.) God will give Abraham a great number of descendants.
3.) God will bless all nations of the earth through Abraham.

Mosaic Covenant
Summary:
1.) The Law was given to govern all of life for the people of Israel.
2.) The Mosaic covenant was bilateral, conditional, and contingent on the people obeying it.

Same Sex Attraction: Attraction versus Lust (pt. 2)

This blog post continues where Pastor Phil Johnson left off.  Johnson is trying to help his readers think through the implications of same sex attraction as these have been issues of compromise within certain Southern Baptist and PCA congregations lately.  

"Regarding the previous post, let me underscore my answer to an objection that keeps coming up. One of my critics on Twitter stated it as succinctly as anyone. He wrote, "Attraction and lust aren't the same thing. [Therefore] your proposition collapses entirely."

I'm aware, of course, that the words attraction and lust have different shades of meaning. Not every attraction entails lust. Attraction is the action or capacity of eliciting interest, affection, sympathy, fascination, or some similar eager response. It's possible—even desirable—to be attracted to things that are altogether holy and good, or even morally neutral, without being guilty of lust.

Lust is a sensuous appetite or desire that is inherently sinful—or one that leads to sin. To explain the idea of lust in the sense Scripture uses the word, it is any desire or affinity for something that God has forbidden. "All that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world" (1 John 2:16).

In short, you cannot define lust without the idea of attraction. What distinguishes a neutral attraction from a sinful one is both the object of desire and the source of your inclination. To desire what God forbids is a sin, full stop. And such desires are "not from the Father." This is never treated as an ambiguous or murky concept in Scripture."

Pastor Phil Johnson is one of John MacArthur's closest friends and is an Ast. Pastor at Grace Community Church.  His main work takes place at Grace to You.

9 Practical and Spiritual Benefits of Home CARE Groups

Do non-megachurches really need home CARE groups?  What are the practical spiritual benefits of starting up such a ministry?  The following thoughts will help each of us in our understanding of what the purpose of a care group (small group) is and why it is important for the growth of the church, families and individuals. When properly done CARE groups can help a local church achieve it's biblical philosophy of ministry- which is to "present every believer mature in Christ" (Colossians 1:28-29).

Care groups are about fellowship – the Greek term (Koinonia) the root word is koinos, koinos, translation is common. So we have things in common and can even be translated as communion. Here with believers it has to do with a sense of community in which Christians share the work and pray together comforting and encouraging one another. Fellowship according to the New Unger’s Bible Dictionary: fellowship means companionship, a relation in which parties hold something in common, familiar interaction. (See Acts 2:42)

Consequently, as we can see from these brief interactions with the term and its meaning we can say the underlined words, communion – community – one another – companionship – familiar interaction is needed in every believer’s life. A smaller, more informal context can be a helpful place to practice the New Testament one anothers and to deepen and sweeten the fellowship of the local church.

With that brief understanding let me list for you some ways care groups help with shepherding and caring for the flock:

1. Care groups foster close relationships and integral community. The small group atmosphere is ready-made for building and deepening gospel friendships. People often share more in small groups and are quick to recognize needs, and willing help to meet them. The relationships formed within small groups form a strong fabric within a church. Many times it is these kinds of relationships that are formed outside of the formal setting of a church service, will endure and strengthen over time. We can say this is a natural place for even discipleship relationships to happen.

2. Care groups provide an ideal way to care for the needs of people within the church. When one believer in a small group is struggling financially, emotionally, spiritually, socially, etc., it is much easier for the members of the small group to notice and provide help. The structure of a small group is essentially a community of believing friends. Friends should help one another, especially Christian friends. (Gal. 6:2, Bear one another’s burdens…)

Regarding "Sexual Orientation," Evil Desire, and the Question of Moral Neutrality. (Is Same Sex Attraction ok?)

Regarding "Sexual Orientation," Evil Desire, and the Question of Moral Neutrality by Pastor Phil Johnson.  "Full disclosure: Here is the development that finally provoked my sense of consecrated indignation enough to motivate me to start blogging again: REVOICE? It's the latest "evangelical" superconference. As you see, their own ad copy tells us they are devoted to "supporting, encouraging, and empowering gay, lesbian, same-sex-attracted, and other LGBT Christians so they can experience the life-giving character of the historic Christian tradition." The conference is being organized and supported by a large cast of evangelical thought-leaders—including some people generally assumed to be sound and reliable spiritual guides.

Fred Butler blogged about it yesterday, and it'll save me some work if you read his assessment of the actual conference itself. (You may need a translator for the cornpone-and-pot-likker dialect he slips into occasionally, but the cardinal points he makes are unassailable.)

Anyway, I want to comment on the conference's underlying theory,because it strikes me as a Really Bad Idea (and a patently unbiblical opinion). Nevertheless, it seems to be gaining traction rapidly—even among many influential and hitherto trustworthy evangelical leaders. It's the notion that homosexual orientation is morally neutral. The claim being made is that gay desires are not really sinful unless they are acted upon. So a person can fully self-identify as lesbian, bi-sexual, gay, transsexual, gender-fluid, or otherwise "queer" and be a church member in good standing—as long as he, she, xe, (or whatever) remains celibate.

I first began to realize realized how widespread that idea has become in the evangelical community two years ago, when the following Tweet was posted from the official Twitter account of The Gospel Coalition (TGC):  "It's more masculine to be attracted to men yet obedient to God than attracted to women and disobedient to God."

I referred to TGC's Tweet as a "hazy, misleading sophism" and added, "Lusting for something sinful is not 'obedien[ce] to God.'" A long argument ensued, with several friends on my FaceBook page and lots of my Twitter followers expressing shock and surprise that I would hold an opinion so egregiously out of step with postmodern political correctness. The "proper" postmodern opinion was succinctly stated by an exasperated commenter on my FaceBook page: "Desires are neutral until they are used sinfully," he wrote. "DESIRES ARE NEUTRAL UNTIL THEY ARE USED SINFULLY- see Romans 6:12-14"

I fear that idea is finding currency among leading evangelicals. But it is dead wrong and subversive to genuine holiness. Scripture is chock full of statements emphatically condemning evil desires—from the Tenth Commandment (Exodus 20:17) to Jesus' words about mental and visual lust in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:27-29). What, after all, is lust but raw, sinful desire?

Those who argue that LGBT "orientation" is morally neutral often point out that an unmarried heterosexual man's attraction to women isn't necessarily deemed sinful, assuming he remains celibate. Why, then, should we consider a celibate gay man's attraction wrong, as long as he doesn't act on it?

I'd like to suggest two replies to that. First, a celibate heterosexual's attraction to women might indeed be sinful, if, say, he is attracted only to married women or underage girls. It would likewise be sinful if he allowed his interest in a particular young woman to become a fixation that distorts his perception of reality. A perfectly innocent attraction can even become a sinful passion for the person who indulges in immoral fantasies. No sane and reasonable person would try to argue that heterosexual desires are always wholesome. Second (and this is pretty straightforward:) Scripture says inordinate affections are sinful and commands us to mortify them (Colossians 3:5). I didn't make that up.

But my Bible uses the expression "evil desire" in Colossians 3:5. How do I know if a desire is "evil"  In short, Scripture teaches plainly that any desire is sinful if it entails a wish for what we cannot righteously have.

Far from "supporting, encouraging, and empowering" people with perverse sexual desires, Scripture repeatedly urges us to repent of all sinful desires—especially those wicked sexual passions that so easily entrap young minds (2 Timothy 2:22; 1 Peter 2:11). All of us—not just LBGTQ folk—are commanded to renounce and mortify every desire for anything God has forbidden. Those who think people beset with perverse desires can wear their peculiar lusts as badges of group identity merely demonstrate that they haven't a clue what repentance means. Furthermore, to omit or purposely obscure the Bible's clear call to repentance is to show contempt to one's unbelieving neighbors.

Let me be clear: I, too, have friends and close neighbors who identify as LGBT, and I abominate the way some Christians seem to think it's OK to heap unbridled scorn, mockery, or insults on them. All our neighbors should be shown Christlike, loving compassion with the dignified respect that befits anyone who bears God's image.

But to encourage them in their sin or offer them the false comfort of approval for their sinful desires is a serious breach of the Second Great Commandment.

Let's not try to make any sin seem less wicked than it is.

I would not necessarily single out homosexuality as the chief example of abominable sin if our culture didn't constantly insist on treating homosexual desire as a privileged category. Sodomy is only one of several notoriously odious abominations, and Jesus expressly said the hard-hearted unbelief of those who have actually seen and know the truth is a worse sin than all the evils of Sodom (Matthew 11:24).

Furthermore, I'm happy to assert, emphatically, that any evil attraction is appallingly sinful, including that heterosexual tendency to want to click on clickbait when the link features a picture of some scantily-clad tart.

But this one class of sins (LGBT etc.) is the only one that demands special status and unconditional affirmation.   So perhaps the main point I want to make will perhaps be clearer if we consider one of the sexual perversions that hasn't yet successfully lobbied for social acceptance and special rights.

Here's a real-life example:  During my first year at Grace to You (1983), a man wrote our ministry looking for affirmation and encouragement. He wanted us to agree with his belief that mere attraction to a forbidden object is not inherently sinful. He gave a convincing testimony about his conversion from a life of sin and rebellion. He said he was now serving as an AWANA leader in his church. Then he got specific about what he was asking us to sanction.

He said he felt sexually drawn to "large farm animals." (Those were his exact words.)

I wrote back, citing Matthew 5:28, and told him it is our position that the desires he was describing are not morally neutral at all but a sinful perversion that he needed to repent of and vanquish through the means of grace. I'd give him the same answer today, even after reading reams of sophisticated evangelical reasoning trying to argue that "attraction" and "lust" are categorically different.

One other point needs to be made before I wrap this up.  People sometimes suggest that all sin is equally vile. That's simply not true. It's true that all sin is damnably wicked, but Jesus Himself made clear that some sins are worse than others (John 19:11; Luke 10:12-14). And Scripture clearly portrays certain sexual perversions (lesbianism and bestiality among them) as unusually and unnaturally perverse. (See, for example, Romans 1:26-28.)

All of this raises an important question: How far do the culturally-engaged evangelical trend-setters want to take the notion that mere attraction is morally neutral? I hope we'd be concerned about the sanctification of someone who insisted on self-identifying as a pederast living a celibate life. Or my cowboy correspondent who harbored a secret desire for a closer relationship with his livestock. Or people drawn to any number of kinky fetishes too perverse to even talk about (Ephesians 5:12).

Yes, all of us struggle with evil desires. That's part of our fallenness. Even Paul struggled with covetousness—evil desire (Romans 7:7-25). But Paul's whole point was that those desires (even if never acted on) are sins to be mortified, not prize ribbons to be worn as badges of one's identity."

Pastor Phil Johnson is on staff with John MacArthur at Grace Community Church (CA).

Preaching that Prepares People to Suffer

Preaching that Prepares People to Suffer-  It’s been eight years since my wife and I were told devastating news. Without any warning signs, Julie had stage-3 colon cancer. We both felt like we had been hit by a train—our four children all young, the imminent medical treatments all harsh, and the toll on our spirits weighty. We were pressed downward like never before and humbled far more than I could have imagined.

So, we did the only thing we could do, we clung to the promises of our gracious God. “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (1 Pet 4:19). Then, day after day, and now these many years later, this truth is still the anchor of our treasure.

Pastor, you may never know suffering on such a personal level, but many of your sheep will. Your weekly ministry of the Word, in all its forms, is building into your flock the abiding realities of God’s faithfulness. I did not fully appreciate it at the time, but our church’s commitment to biblical exposition had prepared us to walk through a season of intense suffering. I had been preaching every week, not fully realizing how God was storing up His truth in hearts and lives to be used when the time would come. Suffering is like an audit that reveals what has been stored or treasured in the soul of the believer.

Chasing relevance in preaching will not cultivate a mature people ready to stand under the weight of suffering. So much preaching today is designed to cater to the lowest common denominator of fleshly affections. Some claim such preaching is “relevant” to where the people supposedly are, but the reality is such preaching is basely carnal in nature. I think most pastors have no desire to lead their people down such paths, yet that is what they’re doing when they walk such roads without the lamp of God’s Word. To offer God’s people meatless sermons week after week is to offer a plate of sand to the hungry.

Having been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, pastor Paul Wolfe has walked the valley of cancer too. In his book, My God is True: Lessons Learned Along Cancer’s Dark Road, Wolfe details how careful preaching prepares the people of God to suffer with grace.

With the blessing of the Lord, such preaching prepares Christians for the future as well as arming them for the present. It is sometimes said that the minister must seek in his sermon to meet the people where they are. That is a noble aspiration, of course, but the minister’s job is also to get the people ready for where they will be. No, he cannot know precisely where their roads will take them, but he does know that the truths of Scripture are crucial to prepare them for every circumstance. So let him serve up a steady diet of those truths.

We see this principle drawn out in a little New Testament letter aimed at suffering Christians. Our fellow elder, Peter, carefully measures each word so that the sheep will be ready for whenever a cloudy providence crosses their path:

Men’s Leadership Training and Discipleship

A year ago a large percentage of men from our beloved congregation at Lake Country Bible Church prayerfully decided to make a commitment to Track 1 of a new Men’s Leadership Training and Discipleship ministry.  The basis of this ministry flows out of many passages of Scripture.  Such as 2 Timothy 2:2, And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.  Matthew 28:18-20, ...teach them to observe all that I commanded you; and Colossians 1:28, .... that we may present every man mature in Christ- to name but a few texts.

The specific goal(s) of this ministry was to encourage each brother to be God's kind of man.  A man of the Word and of prayer.  A doctrinally sound member.  A courageous churchman. And for many of us, more exemplary husbands.  Faithful lay leaders are the backbone of any local church.

We have now come to the final stretch of this mini-Marathon. Saturday is our final session before “summer break.” I am asking the Holy Spirit to help these dear brothers to finish strong and to not take a seat on the final lap.

6 Keys to More Effective Sermon Preparation

To be the Senior Pastor is, among other things, to be the primary feeder of the flock.  It's to be the lead teaching shepherd (1 Timothy 5:17-19).  

Pastor Jason Allen highlights 6 Keys to More Effective Sermon Preparation (which hopefully leads to more soul-stirring, Textually precise, God-honoring messages).

"Every pastor knows the constant weight of sermon preparation. Sunday is a standing, unmovable deadline. It is like living in final exam week, with a massive deadline before you every Lord’s Day. But the preacher’s test is a public one, for all to see. He will be judged by God’s people. And, more importantly, he will be judged by God himself.

To weekly stand before God’s people, open his Word, and be his spokesman is a daunting responsibility. I question the judgement—if not the calling—of those who take it lightly. That is why pastors spend so much time each week preparing sermons. To be a preacher is to be a sermon preparer.

Given the neediness of the church, the cultural pressures we face, and the general social upheaval of our times, how we preach has never been more important. That means our sermon preparation has never been more important either.

Stand Firm!

After nine years of church revitalization work in a previous ministry context I can personally affirm the points Charles Spurgeon drives home in his short address on "Standing Firm."

As was noted in a previous article the three major Trojan Horses that are sneaking into the Bible-believing Church right now are: 1) Thin Complementarianism ("Christian feminism" is en vogue again); 2) A modified view of sexuality (note Same Sex Attraction teaching), 3) A left leaning understanding of racial justice (i.e. a Christianized version of critical race theory/cultural Marxism).  Because conservative evangelicals have been swept away in the "Celebrity Culture" the Church today as at risk of making subtle compromises.  Have you noticed how if well known church leaders ("experts") from the Gospel Coalition or _____ promotes something how the masses seem to almost blindly follow?  Sola Scriptura is affirmed on paper but is often not fleshed out in daily life and in church ministry.  Now more than ever, do we need courageous believers who are willing to flesh out the implications of 1 Corinthians 16:13 and to stand firm (regardless of the cost)! 

The Future of Pastoral Training

"What was one of the most powerful sermons Martyn Lloyd-Jones ever gave? According to his biographer, Iain Murray, it was ML-J’s address at London Bible College on May 10, 1958. His text from his AV was 2 Timothy 2:15-16: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” Some may think this merely the uncritical reflection of a hagiographer, yet the great OT scholar E. J. Young, who was present, told some students later that he had heard nothing equal to it since the death of Gresham Machen.

The mood leading up to this event was rife with tension because ML-J disagreed sharply with founding principal—and his host—Ernest Kevan, who led the school from 1946–65. ML-J believed that the uncritical acceptance of unbelieving and liberal studies did not equip students for the pastorate. It is one thing to expose students to such beliefs, yet another to raise critical questions without bequeathing the biblical and critical apparatus that dismantles such foolish and tired speculations. Kevan, for his part, promoted this widening theological posture of academic training that would be accepted by more liberal-minded denominations. For ML-J, this poison in the classroom would eventually mean death to the churches, a mistake that seminaries today continue to propagate in the name of academic acceptance.

The Doctor’s address took aim at the complete lack of concern over error in the religious world raising Paul’s warning that it “will eat as doth a canker” (2 Tim 2:17). Raising his voice to the issue at hand, “It kills, robs of life and leaves a festering mass at the end. The church today is a travesty of the word ‘church’ all because of this cancer.” The only way out, ML-J counseled, is for the seminaries to concentrate on “the word of truth,” underscoring that the name of the institution was London Bible College.

He concluded with the question, “How may the College know if it is attaining this object and rightly dividing the word of truth?” Those who are trained by such institutions, he pressed, should ask themselves these questions upon graduation:

• Are the men more certain of the truth at the end of their studies than at the beginning?
• Are they more steadfast?
• Do they know God better and desire to serve God better than when they came in?
• Have they a greater zeal for God?
• Do they have a greater love for the lost and the perishing?
• What is the purpose of doctrine and knowledge if it is not to know God? 

He then issued a warm pastoral reminder to the students,

Israel, the Church, and the Middle East (pt. 2)

As a natural overflow of our recent expository series on "Revelation 20:1-6 and the Kingdom of God" we recently started a special miniseries on Israel, the Church, and the Middle East at Lake Country Bible Church.  Specifically, I'm addressing "The Plight of Israel: a Historical, Biblical, Theological Study."

This study has been eye-opening on many fronts.  For one, I never realized how widespread Christian anti-Semitism, and/or Christian anti-Judaism has been among genuine believers.  Church history is both informative and, at times, quite painful.  Throughout our Sunday AM and Wednesday PM studies we are seeing just how practical and timely biblical prophesy and eschatology truly is.

The picture posted with this blog highlights some of my written resources for this teaching series.  I have tried to read broadly. By "broadly" I mean I have read historical/theological works by secular, Christian, and Jewish authors. I have listened to lectures by Jewish and Gentile professors from various backgrounds.  Most importantly I have attempted to put everything through the grid of Holy Scripture.

Join us on June 20th for Part 2 of our study.  If you do not live in Wisconsin or cannot make it tonight at 6:30pm you can find free audio/PowerPoint study-guide resources on our website (Click here).

Microaggressions, Social Justice, and Racial Politics: Evangelicalism Divided

Quite a few voices from the Gospel Coalition, the Acts 29 network (formerly led by Mark Driscoll), Russell Moore, Matt Chandler, Eric Mason, Tim Keller and a list of other big wigs have been urging the evangelical church to embrace a Christianized version of critical race theory (often under the banner of "racial justice" or "Gospel-centered" politics).   Not all Conservative Evangelical leaders believe this is a wise or biblical trend.  Pastor John MacArthur, apologist James White, blogger Phil Johnson, and many, many others have pushed back against this trendy movement- understanding full well that it has the potential to needlessly divide the Body of Christ.  This has already happened in more than one local church.  With the LGBT movement determined to silence or sue anyone who embraces biblical/traditional morality the last thing we need right now is a Civil War over racial politics within the Bible-believing American church.

If you do choose to push-back, be warned!  Despite my families personal investment in low income/minority gospel-centered ministry (among many other things) I was publicly slandered and called a "racist" by a deacon of one of TGC's leading social justice advocates.  This public accusation came in the aftermath of the Michael Brown/Ferguson riots wherein I had the audacity to share Voddie Baucham's point of view (against what Thabiti Anyabwile regularly promotes).   I have done my best to plead with evangelical pastors, lay leaders, and church members to think very carefully before jumping on TGC/Russell Moore's MLK50 bandwagon.  In this vein, the following article and personal testimony by Hohn Cho is well worth your prayerful consideration.

"In my pre-Christian life, I was a political leftist who considered identity politics to be the pathway to a more enlightened future. I was deeply invested in what I like to call a "race-centric" view of the world, so much so that I would bristle and correct anyone who dared to use the word Oriental in my presence—with a toxic blend of self-righteousness, condescension, and pique that is sadly so common in much of today's political discourse.

If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in "wokeness", I far more. As a student, I marched and protested and helped occupy buildings for the cause of affirmative action in faculty hiring, and my course of study was all about ethnicity in America. I was steeped in concepts of critical race theory at one of the most liberal campuses in the nation, and considered myself to be a full-blown socialist (not the weak-tea Bernie Sanders types that we see these days).

Fast forward to today, and thanks to God's free gift of salvation, followed by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit working through the perfect Word, I can honestly say that verses such as Galatians 3:27-28, Colossians 3:11, 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Corinthians 5:16, and John 3:30, among others, have thoroughly demolished my race-centric worldview. And so it is that I marvel when I see significant portions of the conservative evangelical church appearing to move more and more toward a race-centric worldview, while the Gospel is seemingly emphasized less and less.

Now, I will readily admit that even the most race-centric evangelicals would likely dispute that characterization quite vigorously, but the reality is that when race seems to be all that a person talks about, other topics—including the Gospel—start to recede into the background. This is the very point that Phil made to Thabiti Anyabwile in his article, "Against Mission Drift."

As it has been in the world, this discussion is fraught with challenges in the church. Some people object to using the term "race" while others might prefer or actually insist on it. There are explicit or implicit questions about who is allowed to speak on the topic, or at least speak with any degree of perceived credibility. Actual data and even Scripture are sometimes minimized or ignored in favor of emotions and experiences. Positions are staked out, often at increasing distances from one another, the temperature rises, cognitive biases hinder understanding, unfair generalizations abound, and soon you realize that you're in the middle of a giant mess and you've lost sight of the exit.

And very often, you see people bemoaning others' tone and diction. Offense is taken, accusations fly, people become defensive, and the odds of having a meaningful discussion plummet. This is a real shame, because in order to make any progress on an issue as intense and emotionally charged as race, the order of the day must be level-headed civil discourse—and in the church, always keeping central what the Word of God says.

Don't Become a "Cyber-Disciple"

Christian Marriage: A Blessed Covenant Celebration

Andrea and I met Anna when she was only 15- she's now 25 and as of 3:00pm today she is married to a godly young man! The Jungles family are some of the most committed believers we know. Though we no longer serve together in the same local church they will no doubt remain lifelong friends.

My wife and I had the joy of doing premarital counseling with Justin and Anna.  Since biblical marriage is for life it is wise to do something like this before saying "I do."

On Saturday June 16th I officiated their wedding. It was an honor and privilege to have a part in this sacred ceremony. Christian marriage is truly a wonderful grace of life!

The Gospel Coalition's Infamous "No Whites Allowed" Ministry Event

Fresh off of the massive Martin Luther King 50 conference (where Matt Chandler called former church members who disagreed with him "ignorant fools") the Gospel Coalition is at the center of "race" related controversy yet again.   This time in the shape of  a "No Whites Allowed/ a Special Women of Color (WOC)" event at TGC's forthcoming ladies conference.

Pastor Tom Ascol writes, "Whatever doubts I may have harbored about having recently fallen down an evangelical rabbit hole were completely erased by the announcement of a racially segregated meeting at the upcoming TGC Women’s Conference (TGCW18). “Women of Color” is being promoted as a “special evening of fun and fellowship” sponsored by Legacy Disciple that will “engage with a few of our TGCW speakers, and also enjoy discussion with one another.”

Legacy Disciple’s stated rationale for the conference is a study in polite rejection.

TGCW18 will hold a special Women of Color (WOC) gathering because of those shared, distinct experiences. I understand that many white women attending TGCW18 deeply and sincerely desire to participate in an event like this so they can learn. Praise the Lord! May their tribe increase! However, we run the risk of the audience growing so large (and perhaps even resulting in our sisters of color being the minority at an event specifically designed for them to be the majority) that the goal of cultivating a space for more honest discussion and direct encouragement for women of color would be compromised.

May your tribe increase but please stay on the whites only part of the reservation. All of the kind and sweet language that is used to justify this “coloreds only” meeting cannot cover up the dangerous, gospel-denying foundation on which it is built. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

Racial Justice Politics in the name of Jesus and the Division It Brings

For some time we have witnessed the resurgence of racial justice politics under the guise of "Gospel-centered' reconciliation taking root within the evangelical church.  Tragically, this Christianized version of Critical Race Theory is further dividing the Body of Christ.

Those who fly this flag often talk about the "systematic oppression of minorities" by white ("anglo-Americans").  Listen to Charlie Dates and Matt Chandler's "sermons" at MLK50 if you are need examples of what this article is talking about.  The call to keep politics out of the pulpit seems only to apply to those who are privately Right-leaning.

Gospel Coalition/MLK50 leaders believe racism is alive and well in America today.  The "colonizers" are often blinded by their "white privilege" we're told.  Southern Baptist big wigs, like Dr. Russell Moore, are trying to help the Church embrace these theories under the banner of the cross.  From what I can tell, the end game seems to be more power and influence for non-whites within the larger Evangelical church.  How this is going to be accomplished is the subject of great debate.

Pastors with large social media platforms regularly take to Twitter to express their personal opinions.  This would be ok (I suppose) if these prominent Evangelicals would refrain from promoting identity politics and class/race warfare as being part and parcel of living the "Gospel-centered" life.

Men like Thabiti Anyabwile need to follow the advice they give Donald Trump and stay off of Twitter.  Anyabwile has regularly blown up the blogosphere after posting Tweets where he says "Bernie Sanders is the best candidate for the African-American voter" (REALLY?) or when he rushed to judgment in the Michael Brown/Ferguson case.

Paul Tripp's pastor, Eric Mason, recently took some shots on Twitter attacking long time Christian apologist/evangelist James White (who has expressed many concerns related to the MLK50, TGC racialization of the church stuff).  The more this unfolds I keep asking myself, "Who is dividing the Lord's people today?"

The three major Trojan Horses that are sneaking into the Bible-believing Church today are: 1) Thin Complementarianism (Christian feminism leanings), 2) A modified view of sexuality (note Same Sex Attraction teaching), 3) A left leaning understanding of racial harmony and racial reconciliation (i.e. a Christianized version of critical race theory).

Thabti promotes BERNIE SANDERS on Twitter.  Sander's is of course a socialist who supports abortion, all things LGBT, etc.  The same Gospel Coalition then posted many articles that chastised for voting against Hillary Clinton (and for Trump) in the national Presidential election.  "I've long been utterly disenchanted w/ national electoral politics. But if I had to say, right now it'd be Sanders."

Charles Spurgeon once noted that discernment is not simply the ability to discern between right and wrong.  No discernment is the wisdom of understanding the difference between right and ALMOST right.  A biblically illiterate church is very susceptible of "being tossed here and fro from every wind of doctrine" (Eph. 4:11-16).  May God help us all!

"The reactionary voices of some people simply seeks to put a chill on the kinds of things that actually increase diversity, representation, and genuine unity so the status quo remains intact. Don't give that retrograde thinking a toehold."

Thabiti A-2018

"If there’s going to be genuine unity in the body, it won’t come thru maintenance of informal segregation while decrying what you think is public segregation. It won’t come as some maintain all-white social orbits while criticizing ppl who spend bulk of their life in mixed grps."

Thabiti A-2018

The Front Porch- "We begin today with snippets about Dr. Korie Edwards who works on issues of race, ethnicity, gender and power in the local church.'

Despite Kyle Howard's posts look at the diversity of leadership that took place after the SBC's recent national meeting.  Some critics have argued that it is now politically correct to embrace "Affirmative Action" measures within evangelical institutions.  Those who fail to get behind such efforts are labeled closet "racists."  As a non-SBC pastor I have no idea how the politics work within the SBC.

J.D. Greear, center, pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., will lead a diverse slate of officers including (left to right) John Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, recording secretary; Felix Cabrera, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Central in Oklahoma City, second vice president; A.B. Vines, pastor of New Seasons Church in San Diego, first vice president and Don Currence, minister of children and administration at First Baptist Church in Ozark, Mo., registration secretary.

Israel’s Plight: a Historical, Biblical, Theological miniseries

A new miniseries at LCBC

Join us at 6:30pm-8:00pm for a Wednesday PM prayer time and miniseries on “Israel’s Plight: a Historical, Biblical, Theological Study.” In this midweek series we’ll ask and answer many questions. Such as: Why 2000 years of such intense suffering for the Jewish people? Who killed Jesus? How should we view the land war between Modern Israel and the Palestinians? What role has the Church played in “Anti-Judaism and Anti-Semitism?” What ideologies fueled the Nazi Holocaust? Where is everything ultimately headed in biblical prophecy? Historically, how has a believer's eschatology impacted their attitude and perspective regarding the Jews? What can believers learn from this subject?

For more information contact Lake Country Bible Church (WI).

Hymns For Every Congregation

Classic and Modern Hymns of Praise and Worship

Dr. Duncan wrote a helpful post recently titled, "Hymns For Every Congregation."  Below is an abridged copy of this helpful article.  How many of these classic and modern hymns do you know and sing?

"A pastor friend of mine contacted me this week and asked if I had written an article on my “top twenty” hymns. The reason he asked me for this is that he pastors a church that has not been using much in the way of traditional hymnody for a number of years, and they are now trying to introduce more hymns into their congregational singing. He wanted a good list of hymns for them to use as they try to reincorporate hymns into the diet of their Sunday worship services.

His question got me thinking: what hymns would I recommend to any and every pastor and church for regular usage. I jotted down some ideas and sent them off to him, and I’ve been reflecting on a “must know” list of hymns ever since.

Before I offer a preliminary list, let me make just a few qualifications.

I have not aimed here at producing a list of hymns that cover the whole scope of biblical doctrine. I have tried to think of hymn and tune combinations that will help “win over” a congregation to the treasures of the church’s hymnody. Once the congregation comes to know and love some of these great traditional texts and tunes, then the pastor and musicians can began to expand the hymn repertoire of the congregation in order to cover more important biblical themes.

A quick note on resources: there are some outstanding online sources that should be well-known to pastors and others involved in choosing the hymnody and psalmody for Lord’s Day Worship Services. I list a few here. These sites have material on both traditional and contemporary hymnody

Cyber Hymnal http://www.hymntime.com/tch/

Doxology & Theology http://www.doxologyandtheology.com/

Hymnary.org https://hymnary.org/

Indelible Grace Music http://www.igracemusic.com/

Matt Merker Music https://www.mattmerkermusic.com/

Music for the Church of God http://www.cgmusic.org/

Sovereign Grace Music https://sovereigngracemusic.org/

Part of the reason that I’ve chosen these hymns below is that they still “work” in contemporary English-speaking American Protestant congregations, with their traditional tunes (though some of them also have very good contemporary tunes now associated with them, and I recommend a number of these). I have been in multiple church and conference settings, in every part of the country (and all over the English-speaking world), in places where most of the material given to the congregation to sing is drawn from current popular Christian music, and whenever a hymn of the quality of the ones I am going to suggest below is sung, those congregations/conferences have invariably sung the hymn better than whatever else they had been singing. Which fascinates me. At multiple levels.

The Plight of Israel: An Historical, Biblical, Theological Study

1930's Antisemitism in Italy

Looking forward to our Wednesday PM series on "the Plight of Israel: An Historical, Biblical, Theological Study." This not only relates to our series on Revelation 20 and the Kingdom of God but to many contemporary events.

Here's a preview from this study:  In the 1930's fascist leaders in Italy began to target Jews for their religious beliefs. Censorship was also common. Today the LGBT and secular/liberal political machine is targeting anyone who doesn't embrace the sexual revolution and/or pledge allegiance to the rainbow flag (note recent firing of CrossFit executive and the businessmen who publicly apologized for eating at Chic-fil-a during Pride month). One of the tragic lessons in history is that when this began to take place in the 1930's and 40's is that the Roman Catholic leadership did not speak out clearly or boldly (think Reichskonkordat). Will evangelical pastors and leaders in America make this same mistake today? Will we fear man more than God? Will we modify our biblical convictions when our beliefs cost us something?

"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it."  Join us this Wed. at 6:30pm at Lake Country Bible Church.

Israel's Future Salvation and the Messianic Kingdom: Rev. 20; Luke 13:34-35

 Revelation 20:1-6 and Luke 13:34-35

Future Things: Israel’s Salvation and the Messianic Kingdom

(pt. 4)

INTRO:  “In God we trust.”  But should we: Can God and Christ be fully trusted?

(By the end of this sermon you should be able to explain how these questions relate to Luke 13:34-35 and how they’re connected with the biblical promises God made with Israel).

In effort to help us understand Revelation 20:4-6 we’re establishing 4 Central Affirmations of King Jesus Concerning the Forthcoming Kingdom of God.

   From Luke 19:11-44 and Luke 21:24 we’ve noted that:

I)                   When the Messianic King Comes, He Will Establish the Kingdom-- just not right away!

(Luke 19:11-27)

II)               For Rejecting her King, the Jewish People will be repeatedly trampled upon UNTIL

“the time of the Gentiles is complete.”

(Luke 19:28-44; Luke 21:24)

III) The Glorious Kingdom will be established WHEN national Israel finally welcome Jesus as Savior, Lord, and King!

(Luke 13:34-35)

To help us understand and apply Luke 13:34-35 in a God-honoring way we’re going to hang our thoughts on 4 “R’s”

I) RUEFULNESS-  Luke 13:34a; 19:41; Ezekiel 18:23

II) REJECTION  -  Luke 13:34b; 19:27; Acts 2:22-23; 3:13-15

Christian Marriage- "A Wonderful Grace of Life"

Andrea and I have known the Jungles family for 10+ years now.  They are as faithful of a family as you will find (Eph 5-6).  They are the kind of sheep that making shepherding a joy- and not grievous to the soul (per Heb. 13:17).  Even though we now live in Wisconsin they remain good friends.  We are blessed to know them.

It was my wife and I's great joy to do biblical, pre-marital counseling with Anna Jungles (who we've known for a decade) and with her husband to be- Justin Hauck (who we now know better). 

By the time you finish premarital counseling you want to feel confident that the "couple to be" understands why God invented marriage, what their respective roles are, etc.  We are excited to celebrate with them next Saturday.  Christian marriage is surely one of the wonderful "graces of life." 

We believe the Lord has brought them together to "have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do they part!"

Come With Me to an African Funeral

My D. Min, pastor/missionary friend Paul sent me this compelling article this week.  One doesn't need to buy into critical race theory in order to effectively reach people for Jesus.  The gospel and the Christian faith transcends cultures, "races," and everything in between.  See for yourself.  Come With Me to An African Funeral-  "A couple weeks ago, a 14-year-old in a nearby village died suddenly of a brain aneurism. The family members were not churchgoers so they asked me to do the funeral.  If you are unfamiliar with the African view of funerals and the history of white-black relations in South Africa, it’s difficult to fully appreciate the significance of this family’s decision.  If African social gatherings were trees, funerals would be a forest of Sequoias shooting straight from the center of village life. In funerals, Tsongas live, and move, and have their being. They invest extreme amounts of time, money, and planning into the deceased. Week-long gatherings often culminate with a 6am to noon Saturday burial service.

To attend the internment of their dead is one thing. To preach and officiate is another. Whites in South Africa don’t live in rural black villages. Ever. Not farmers, not missionaries, not teachers. Combined with the fumes of decades old apartheid, the idea of a white man conducting a funeral in the local dialect is absurd.

Yet here I was, a half-dozen funerals conducted since ’06, and a participant in a hundred more. How did this happen?

THE LONG ROAD TO GET HERE

It took years of humbling. In the early days of village ministry I ministered with my shoelaces tied together—tripping over language, customs and a host of other cultural obstacles.  I didn’t understand why such pomp and circumstance was wasted on a funeral. I knew cynically that some of those wailing and writhing in the dirt hadn’t visited the now deceased in half a decade. “Just a show, this is.” My language wasn’t very good either. I didn’t know when to say “died” and when to say “passed”, when to use humor and when not, when to use my vehicle and when to walk, what passages of Scripture breezed by their minds and which verses grabbed them by the lapels. This takes years, something short-term missionaries can’t attain.

I began to view the funeral through a gospel lens. I learned to shoulder the plow of cultural expectations. To succeed as a missionary, I had to button up my chinstrap and get in the game. The people began to see I was staying here for keeps.

Recommended Resources for Future Church Leaders and Pastors in Training

Photo Credit: Christianity Today

A young man in our local church ministry recently asked for a list of recommended resources for future church leaders and/or pastors in training.  Here are the books/helps I recommended: 

I would begin with Hermeneutics as it is the foundation of everything.  Abner Chou’s newest book is a must read.   The Hermeneutics of the Biblical Writers: Learning to Interpret Scripture from the Prophets and Apostles.  Read Roy B. Zuck’s Basic Bible Interpretation book and then end with DA Carson’s “Exegetical Fallacies.”  If you eventually add any Greek or Hebrew you will want to then read Kaiser’s Towards an Exegetical Driven Theology.  All of Abner Chou’s lectures on the textual flaws of the “Christocentric hermeneutic” or of “the Redemptive-Historical” hermeneutic are invaluable.

OT Survey-  Eugune Merrill’s Kingdom of Priests; Walt Kaiser’s The Promise Plan of God, and Merrill’s The World and the Word are foundational resources.  For extra credit read Gleason Archer’s A Survey of the Old Testament: An Introduction.

NT Survey- Donald Guthrie’s NT Introduction;  F.F. Bruces NT History; and Tom Schreiner’s Magnifying God in Christ: A Summary of NT Theology.

Systematic Theology- Wayne Grudem- Systematic Theology (you know where we differ); MacArthur/Mayhue- Biblical Doctrine; Michael Vlach- Has the Church Replaced Israel?  Matt Waymeyer- Amillennialism and the Age to Come.

Greek/Hebrew- This should be done via Mounce or with someone who is a likeminded linguist and who offers on line videos/classroom lectures, etc.

Are you a "Fanatic and a Bigot?!?"

The Overcooked Steak: Personal Reflections On Sermons that Lasted Too Long

I've only been to really expensive steakhouses a few times in my life.  During these delicious feasts I discovered a simple principle: You really don't want to overcook an expensive cut of meat.  For most meat lovers a well-done steak represents a wonderful meal that was simply overcooked.

Most expository preachers who have received proper mentoring and exceptional seminary education know the plight of the overcooked steak.  How so?  When a large percentage of Spirit-filled believers (see 1 Peter 2:2; Psalm 119:97) go away talking more about the duration of your message rather then it's content the spiritual meal was likely (inadvertently) over baked.  Recently, I have had to own up to a few messages during a series on the Kingdom of God that fit this description.  Sometimes less truly is more.

Exactly how long should the sermon be?   Many factors need to be considered when answering this question.  Such as the communication/oratory ability of the preacher (in general, novice preachers and/or less gifted communicators should deliver shorter messages), the pulpit history of the congregation you are addressing (what was the average sermon length of your preaching predecessor?), and the specific context in which you are preaching (is it an outdoor wedding in 100 degree weather; are you a guest preacher; are you the Sr. Pastor; etc).  One of the best articles on this subject was written by a missionary to Africa; (you can read his post by clicking on the link above).

Three Factors for why Sunday's sermon may have been slightly (or greatly) overcooked: 

1) Excitement and personal passion.  This past week a group of church members attended a Milwaukee Brewer game.  As I watched the 3 hour 15 minute sporting contest unfold I could easily discern different levels of interest, excitement, and/or boredom in the crowd. Some interest waned by the second inning, others by the seventh, and some not at all.  The die-hard Brewer fans were easy to distinguish from some of the children who were simply there for the food and entertainment (two of my daughters fit this bill).  Whenever a preacher enters the pulpit he should be a man on fire.  By the time the expositor closes in prayer the goal is for the Holy Spirit to ignite that same holy fire for the truth in the hearts and minds of one's hearers.  An over-baked message can inadvertently lessen the potential for this kind of spiritual impact. 

For preachers, it is wise to "deliver every sermon as if it were your last" so long as you keep in mind the principles listed in paragraph two and three.  I am learning that a overcooked sermon may not be boring it may have simply exceeded the reasonable saturation point of your flock.  A few of my recent sermons should have been turned into a two part message series.  To goal of all Christian ministry is to "present every believer in your spiritual care MATURE in Christ" (Col. 1:28-29).  Raising the spiritual bar in your ministry contest is a good thing (Heb. 5:11-14; Eph. 4:11-16) so long as it done with proper care and proportion.

2) Personal growing pains.  When I started preaching and teaching on a regular basis 13 years ago I would bring 17-19 half sheets of paper into the pulpit with me.  For good and bad, I said very little that wasn't in my sermon manuscript.  As I have grown and developed over the years I now try and bring fewer than 6 half sheets of paper into the pulpit. 

The Weeping King: Luke 19:28-44

 Revelation 20:1-6 and Luke 19:28-44

The Catastrophic Consequences of Rejecting King Jesus (pt. 3)

INTRO:  Super bowl fever and Messianic hype.

What event(s) triggered Jewish expectations related to the Kingdom of God? (note Luke 19:37b; John 11:1-45; Psalm 118)

In effort to help us understand Revelation 20:4-6 with greater precision we are establishing 4 Central Affirmations of Jesus Concerning the Forthcoming Kingdom of God.

Last Sunday we considered Kingdom affirmation one:

I)                 When the Messianic King Comes, He Will Establish the Kingdom-- just not right away!

(Luke 19:11-27)

This morning we encounter another central Kingdom affirmation:

II)             For Rejecting her King, the Jewish People will be repeatedly trampled upon UNTIL 'the time of the Gentiles' is complete.'

(Luke 19:28-44)

Luke 19:28-44 sermon outline:

1) The Messianic King’s Triumphal Entry (vv. 28-40).

 Luke 19:28-40 highlight two things about King Jesus:

A)     His Divine Omniscience 

B)     His Prophetic Awareness  

(Zech. 9:9; Dan. 9:24-27; Isaiah 53)