It's 112 degrees out today, so I blew off yard work. I know that the dog poop needs to be picked up, but let's face it, the kids get home from church camp in only three short days! One of my biggest struggles is figuring out what I need to DO and DOING it. In the Christian life, it is one of the biggest questions. What is God's will for my life?
People have suggested many ways to approach this question. First, there's the voo-doo, wah-wah method. Ask God a question and wait for a sign. If I can drive all the way home and not hit any traffic lights, that means that God wants me to quit my job and move to Albuquerque. I know a man that decided to borrow $11 million for a business because he saw three identical license plate frames in a row. I'm not kidding.
Other people practice quietism to find God's will. Quietism is the "let go and let God" method. There is no doubt that God does not need us to accomplish His work. It is also true that in Psalm 127:2b "For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep", but some people take this as a command to sleep! This kind of Christian is comfortable with the thought that he/she can wait until Pastor Smith walks right up to them and asks them directly to help in the nursery or with the work day on Saturday. They are also content waiting for that perfect person that God has sent directly in their paths to ask them, "How can I be saved?", in order to have reason to share the Gospel. Typically, you'll hear this person say, "I am waiting for the Holy Spirit to let me know when to share the Gospel", or perhaps, "Share the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words." Both of those statements have some validity, but frankly MOST of the time they are cop outs.
Another strategy is the practice of pietism. Pietism is the "God helps those who help themselves" approach. This kind of Christian will work themselves to a frazzle and pray that they've made their quota. Some of these folks are just workaholics and have to work because of a compulsion. Others are working because of bad theology. I was was having dinner with a group and I asked one woman how she thought that someone could be saved. She said, "If you work hard and live a good life, then you will go to heaven." I responded, "The Bible says that if you add your good works to your faith, then your faith can't save you!" (See the blog on John 3:16 earlier this week.) She replied, "The Bible also says that 'God helps those who help themselves!' " I almost choked on my taco. Benjamin Franklin said that, not God!
So how can we know what the will of God is? There is a tension between waiting for God to speak and initiating action. In Philipians 2:12-13 it says, "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Italics mine) Here we see a command from the apostle Paul that seems like pietism, "work out your salvation". On the other hand in verse 13 it he sounds like a quietist, "God is at work in you." So what's the answer?
The answer lies in knowing what to work on. First, there are explicit commands from God, and in keeping them, we know that we are doing the will of God. He has told us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together with other believers, to love our wives as Christ loved the church, to subject ourselves to our husbands, to obey our parents and to make disciples of Christ. Hey, let's face it. If you want to know what the will of God is, start with these basics and you're there!
So what about if I want to know if God wants me to pack up my family and move to Albuquerque? Should I look at the tea leaves in the bottom of my cup? Should I wait quietly for God to send a bolt from the blue to show me the answer? Should I work like a tractor until I forge the answer myself?
Here's the answer:
1) Are you saved? If you aren't saved, no matter what you do, you are not in God's will, nor can you know God's will. Romans 8:9 "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him."
2) Are you Spirit filled? Ephesians 5:18 "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit." Here, being filled with the Spirit is contrasted to being drunk with wine. Anyone who has had the experience of overindulging in alcohol knows that when you are under its influence it controls you. That is exactly the same thing we should WANT when it comes to the Spirit of God.
3) Are you sanctified? 1 Thessalonians 4:3 "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality." Sanctified means to be set apart for a purpose. Interestingly, the Hebrew mind doesn't see "sanctification" the way that we do in the West. Sanctification from the Hebrew point of view is when something or someone is not only set apart for a purpose, but that that thing or person are actually in USE for that purpose. As an example, a chair is made for someone to sit on. It is set apart or created, if you will, for someone to sit on. In the Hebrew economy, the chair isn't actually "sanctified" until a butt is planted on it. Notice also in the passage that a part of sanctification is abstaining from sexual immorality. This has always been a killer when it comes to fellowship with God, or knowing His will. In today's world it's even worse. It used to be that if someone wanted to look at pornography, he had to ask the druggist to sell the magazine behind the counter, a feat that very few young men would tackle. Today, with a click of the mouse, you can leave this blog and be looking at the nastiest stuff that the human mind has devised in less than 30 seconds. At a recent Men's conference, held in a huge stadium, Christian men gathered to fellowship and to learn how to be better husbands and fathers. At the gate they were asked to fill out an anonymous survey. The survey asked them if they had viewed pornography in the last week. 70% admitted to looking at porn on the Internet. Over 45% of the PASTORS admitted the same sin. Nothing can kill your sanctification worse than dabbling in sexual sin.
4) Are you suffering? 2 Timothy 3:12 "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Persecution for persecution's sake is not what this passage is discussing. You may be a big, obnoxious jerk, and people may be persecuting you because of that. There is no honor there! Our goal is to follow Jesus and then, the natural outworking of that lifestyle will doubtless produce suffering. 1 Peter 2:21 "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." Notice that the 2 Timothy passage does not say MIGHT be persecuted, it says WILL.
5) Are you submissive? 1 Peter 2:15 "For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men." This is not a call to become a Harvey Milquetoast. It means that no matter what He asks you to do, you must be willing to do it. In response to the question from the rich young ruler, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?", Jesus responded, "Sell everything you have, give to the poor and come follow me." I was sharing the Gospel with a fellow the other day and told him that it wasn't a prerequisite for him to sell all of his stuff, but by claiming the name of Christ, he was saying that he would be WILLING to.
6) Are you serving? Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” If you are waiting for an invitation to help, let me be the one to extend it. Many folks come to church like an audience attending a play. They arrive, listen, are either entertained or not, and then render their critique on the drive home. Hogwash! You have an obligation to "wash one another's feet". If you aren't serving, then don't expect any answers from God.
7) Are you satisfied? Philippians 4:11 "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." 1 Timothy 6:8 "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content." Hebrews 13:5 "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.” " I cited three verses here, because our modern minds can barely grasp this concept. If Jesus is not like "your necessary food" then you can will never be content.
8) Do whatever you want! If you are Saved, Spirit filled, Sanctified, Suffering, Submissive, Serving and Satisfied, then I promise you that the words of scripture will lead you to the right answers.
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Humility
I really love writing this blog. No matter what topic I choose, it always ends up delivering a message to me! Today's topic is no exception. One thing that I've always taken pride in is my humility! (That's a joke, OK?) Out of the three categories of sin that are listed in 1 John 2: 15-16 "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world", the boastful pride of life is my greatest struggle. It always has been. If I didn't take the time to go back and edit my blog I could easily make it all about my recent swim in Lake Me. (You know, I don't want to talk about me, so why don't YOU talk about me!)
Today my wife and I had a few moments of "intense fellowship". For those of you that are married, you know what I mean. We spent a great deal of time propping up our position and building airtight arguments that would make Perry Mason salute. (For my younger readers, Perry Mason was a TV attorney from 1957 until 1966.) In the end we gained what? For a guy who considers himself to be a student of the Bible, I seem to forget pretty quickly Ephesians 5:28-29 "So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church."
I want to WIN because of the boastful pride of life. Pride is the opposite of humility and God has no tolerance for pride. James 4:6b “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” I don't know about you, but if the creator of the universe was opposed to me, I would be worried! I AM worried.
Our culture today loves pride and even celebrates it. Everything from gay pride parades to bumper stickers that tout pride as a virtue rather that what God calls it. Sin. Pride has moved from being the last of the seven deadly sins that many Christians embraced hundreds of years ago, to a trait that is to be admired. Pride has become the core of the Self-Esteem movement. It's really amazing if you think about it. If you were to ask the average person, no, I would go as far as to say that if you were to ask the average professing Christian, they would tell you that self-esteem is GOOD. This error has precipitated from a gross misunderstanding of Leviticus 19:18 and Leviticus 19:34 ". . .you shall love your neighbor as yourself . . ." This was such an important concept that it was quoted seven times in the New Testament. So why has this passage been used to justify the self-love, self-indulgence and self-absorption of the Self-Esteem movement? The assumption made by SE proponents is that we need to learn to love ourselves in order to love others. I have six children and I can tell you that from the first time that they entered into this world kicking and screaming, they loved one person intensely and it wasn't their mom! If my oldest son, Chase would have weighed 190 pounds and had the physical strength and coordination of an adult, instead of being a crying 9 pound baby, he would have been an axe murderer. From the time we are conceived, we are selfish and sinful, Psalm 51:5 "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." When King David wrote these words, he was not referring to some sin that his mother was engaged in at the time of his conception. He was speaking of himself!
The modern view of babies, children and even adults is that they are basically "good" or if not good, then at worst they are a "blank slate" that is waiting to be written on. The Bible clearly teaches that there aren't any "good" people on the entire earth! Romans 3:10-12 "As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.' " The basis for the sin of pride is an over-estimation of one's self and an under-estimation of God.
The results of the SE movement are far-reaching and staggering. First, it is a deceitful philosophy. A few years ago a study was done using teenagers from six industrialized countries. They were required to take a standardized math test and after the test they were asked to answer "Do you agree with this statement: 'I am good at mathematics'?" The Americans teens were ranked last in the math results, but were ranked first in positive responses to the "I'm good in math" question. Second, the SE philosophy is producing a generation of selfish, self-absorbed people, who are careening into eternity with the power of positive thinking as their only asset.
God was right when he inspired Paul to write to Timothy: 2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. . ."
No one was ever saved by the act of praying some special prayer, or by walking an aisle, or by signing a card or making a pledge. (I am NOT saying that people that did those things are NOT saved!) God only accepts people with a humble and contrite heart. In Luke 18 Jesus told the story of the honored religious leader standing at the front of the synagogue saying, "God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get." At the back of the room stood the despised, traitorous tax collector. This man could not look up toward heaven and was beating on his breast. "God, be merciful to me, the sinner." Jesus stunned his audience with this statement: Luke 18:14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Not only has no one ever been saved who has not humbled himself before God, but no Christian has ever been blessed with the sweet fellowship of God who is not humble before him. Psalm 10:17 "O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear." If your Christian life is wearisome, your prayers are not being answered and you are not feeling the vigor of the "abundant life" that is promised in scripture, fall down on your face tonight next to your bed and with a heart that matches your posture, beg Him for forgiveness and fellowship.
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
Today my wife and I had a few moments of "intense fellowship". For those of you that are married, you know what I mean. We spent a great deal of time propping up our position and building airtight arguments that would make Perry Mason salute. (For my younger readers, Perry Mason was a TV attorney from 1957 until 1966.) In the end we gained what? For a guy who considers himself to be a student of the Bible, I seem to forget pretty quickly Ephesians 5:28-29 "So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church."
I want to WIN because of the boastful pride of life. Pride is the opposite of humility and God has no tolerance for pride. James 4:6b “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” I don't know about you, but if the creator of the universe was opposed to me, I would be worried! I AM worried.
Our culture today loves pride and even celebrates it. Everything from gay pride parades to bumper stickers that tout pride as a virtue rather that what God calls it. Sin. Pride has moved from being the last of the seven deadly sins that many Christians embraced hundreds of years ago, to a trait that is to be admired. Pride has become the core of the Self-Esteem movement. It's really amazing if you think about it. If you were to ask the average person, no, I would go as far as to say that if you were to ask the average professing Christian, they would tell you that self-esteem is GOOD. This error has precipitated from a gross misunderstanding of Leviticus 19:18 and Leviticus 19:34 ". . .you shall love your neighbor as yourself . . ." This was such an important concept that it was quoted seven times in the New Testament. So why has this passage been used to justify the self-love, self-indulgence and self-absorption of the Self-Esteem movement? The assumption made by SE proponents is that we need to learn to love ourselves in order to love others. I have six children and I can tell you that from the first time that they entered into this world kicking and screaming, they loved one person intensely and it wasn't their mom! If my oldest son, Chase would have weighed 190 pounds and had the physical strength and coordination of an adult, instead of being a crying 9 pound baby, he would have been an axe murderer. From the time we are conceived, we are selfish and sinful, Psalm 51:5 "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." When King David wrote these words, he was not referring to some sin that his mother was engaged in at the time of his conception. He was speaking of himself!
The modern view of babies, children and even adults is that they are basically "good" or if not good, then at worst they are a "blank slate" that is waiting to be written on. The Bible clearly teaches that there aren't any "good" people on the entire earth! Romans 3:10-12 "As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.' " The basis for the sin of pride is an over-estimation of one's self and an under-estimation of God.
The results of the SE movement are far-reaching and staggering. First, it is a deceitful philosophy. A few years ago a study was done using teenagers from six industrialized countries. They were required to take a standardized math test and after the test they were asked to answer "Do you agree with this statement: 'I am good at mathematics'?" The Americans teens were ranked last in the math results, but were ranked first in positive responses to the "I'm good in math" question. Second, the SE philosophy is producing a generation of selfish, self-absorbed people, who are careening into eternity with the power of positive thinking as their only asset.
God was right when he inspired Paul to write to Timothy: 2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. . ."
No one was ever saved by the act of praying some special prayer, or by walking an aisle, or by signing a card or making a pledge. (I am NOT saying that people that did those things are NOT saved!) God only accepts people with a humble and contrite heart. In Luke 18 Jesus told the story of the honored religious leader standing at the front of the synagogue saying, "God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get." At the back of the room stood the despised, traitorous tax collector. This man could not look up toward heaven and was beating on his breast. "God, be merciful to me, the sinner." Jesus stunned his audience with this statement: Luke 18:14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Not only has no one ever been saved who has not humbled himself before God, but no Christian has ever been blessed with the sweet fellowship of God who is not humble before him. Psalm 10:17 "O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear." If your Christian life is wearisome, your prayers are not being answered and you are not feeling the vigor of the "abundant life" that is promised in scripture, fall down on your face tonight next to your bed and with a heart that matches your posture, beg Him for forgiveness and fellowship.
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The Mission in Life
Did you ever wake up in the morning and think to yourself, "What am I doing all of this for?" I have to tell you that I've had that thought many times. The days become weeks, the weeks become months, then years and suddenly you are looking at your life passing you by and the question has to be asked, "Is this all there is?"
As you might be able to tell, today has been a bit melancholy for me, (read yesterday's blog!). That's why I'm writing this kind of post. I need to remind myself of the mission. I have close relatives that have used up almost all of the time that God has allotted them on this Earth and they still haven't answered the big questions. The individuals that I'm referring to have been blessed in a material way, so they have the luxury of leisure time. Isn't that the goal? The thing that most people spend their entire working lives striving for is to have the time to do whatever they want. For some it's retirement. For others it might be a hobby or a "fun" career. My observations have led me to believe that most of these folks are either keeping themselves so busy that they don't have to face the hard questions or they indulge themselves in destructive pursuits like alcohol, drugs, pornography or other illicit behaviors.
My relatives have chosen the latter. Many famous people like Howard Hughes, Michael Jackson and Kurt Cobain have found that the pleasures of life that they desired so much, left them empty. The fact of the matter is this, the good things in this world were NEVER meant to satisfy us. God warned us about the folly of loving the world. 1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." The pursuit of comfort and diversion inevitably ends in bitterness, pain and an incurable dearth of satisfaction. I've always said that Mick Jagger, lead singer with the Rolling Stones said it best, "I can't get no satisfaction!"
Most people don't have the time to contemplate the whys of life. They are far too busy trying to put bread on the table and convince themselves that they have a modicum of control over their own destiny. These folks don't have the luxury of stepping back from their lives and waxing philosophically. Life becomes a search for small comforts and tawdry glories. When is our next vacation? My son made the soccer team. I got a 10% raise and a promotion at work. In the end, socioeconomics and other externals don't matter. Regardless of our stations in life, we all have to face the facts. Nothing brings permanent satisfaction, time is running out and no matter what I do, my life will end in tragedy. I will either be wiped out in some cataclysm or I'll die lying on my bed gasping for my last breath.
OK, OK D. L. enough of the macabre prose!! So what is our hope? One of the great men of the Old Testament, the man that had it all, King Solomon figured it out. He was wealthier that any man in history. He had over 1000 wives and concubines. His earthly kingdom was extensive and he ruled in peace his entire life. God granted him more wisdom than any other human being and he was incredibly intelligent to boot. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon lists all of these assets and recounts his many experiences. When he piled all of the "good things" in his life in front of him and measured them, he could only say, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" His answer to the big question: Ecclesiastes 12:13 "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person."
The only satisfaction in life is to fear God, in other words, have a healthy dread of displeasing the Master, and to keep His commandments. To put it in New Testament terms, keep the Royal Law, which is to sacrificially love others. Simply put, love God and love others.
In order to love God, we need to figure out what He wants us to do. Jesus said in John 15:14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you." So what does He want us to do? Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
If you want to wake up tomorrow and KNOW what to do, this is it! You can't demonstrate your love for God or your love for others in any better way than to let everyone in your path know the good news of Jesus Christ. The mission: Pour your life, the life of Christ, (Galatians 2:20), into everyone you meet. God made you as a tool in His hand for a purpose. I want to wake up tomorrow with that thought!
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
As you might be able to tell, today has been a bit melancholy for me, (read yesterday's blog!). That's why I'm writing this kind of post. I need to remind myself of the mission. I have close relatives that have used up almost all of the time that God has allotted them on this Earth and they still haven't answered the big questions. The individuals that I'm referring to have been blessed in a material way, so they have the luxury of leisure time. Isn't that the goal? The thing that most people spend their entire working lives striving for is to have the time to do whatever they want. For some it's retirement. For others it might be a hobby or a "fun" career. My observations have led me to believe that most of these folks are either keeping themselves so busy that they don't have to face the hard questions or they indulge themselves in destructive pursuits like alcohol, drugs, pornography or other illicit behaviors.
My relatives have chosen the latter. Many famous people like Howard Hughes, Michael Jackson and Kurt Cobain have found that the pleasures of life that they desired so much, left them empty. The fact of the matter is this, the good things in this world were NEVER meant to satisfy us. God warned us about the folly of loving the world. 1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." The pursuit of comfort and diversion inevitably ends in bitterness, pain and an incurable dearth of satisfaction. I've always said that Mick Jagger, lead singer with the Rolling Stones said it best, "I can't get no satisfaction!"
Most people don't have the time to contemplate the whys of life. They are far too busy trying to put bread on the table and convince themselves that they have a modicum of control over their own destiny. These folks don't have the luxury of stepping back from their lives and waxing philosophically. Life becomes a search for small comforts and tawdry glories. When is our next vacation? My son made the soccer team. I got a 10% raise and a promotion at work. In the end, socioeconomics and other externals don't matter. Regardless of our stations in life, we all have to face the facts. Nothing brings permanent satisfaction, time is running out and no matter what I do, my life will end in tragedy. I will either be wiped out in some cataclysm or I'll die lying on my bed gasping for my last breath.
OK, OK D. L. enough of the macabre prose!! So what is our hope? One of the great men of the Old Testament, the man that had it all, King Solomon figured it out. He was wealthier that any man in history. He had over 1000 wives and concubines. His earthly kingdom was extensive and he ruled in peace his entire life. God granted him more wisdom than any other human being and he was incredibly intelligent to boot. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon lists all of these assets and recounts his many experiences. When he piled all of the "good things" in his life in front of him and measured them, he could only say, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" His answer to the big question: Ecclesiastes 12:13 "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person."
The only satisfaction in life is to fear God, in other words, have a healthy dread of displeasing the Master, and to keep His commandments. To put it in New Testament terms, keep the Royal Law, which is to sacrificially love others. Simply put, love God and love others.
In order to love God, we need to figure out what He wants us to do. Jesus said in John 15:14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you." So what does He want us to do? Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
If you want to wake up tomorrow and KNOW what to do, this is it! You can't demonstrate your love for God or your love for others in any better way than to let everyone in your path know the good news of Jesus Christ. The mission: Pour your life, the life of Christ, (Galatians 2:20), into everyone you meet. God made you as a tool in His hand for a purpose. I want to wake up tomorrow with that thought!
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Accountability Wednesday!
First, I would like to thank many of my readers from all over the United States for your encouraging emails. You have no idea how important it is for me to know that someone besides my darling wife is reading my stuff! I especially appreciate the constructive criticism. Please feel free to "front me up" if you see anything that strikes you in the wrong way. This afternoon, I would especially like to thank Chris, my wife for pointing out that Amazon was advertising books that promoted atheism on my website! Hopefully, we have that fixed now.
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I both love and dread Wednesdays. Why? Because at high noon every Wednesday, I have the privilege of sitting down to lunch with my accountability partner, Tom. Why do I love it? After the meeting, I return home with a new resolve to live the Christian life with a passion! Why do I hate it? During most meetings I feel like a little kid going to the woodshed. For those of you who aren't old enough to know what the "woodshed" was used for, it's the place where little boys and girls receive a well-deserved butt whipping!
My wife and I are the parents of six great kids. Several years ago, we had the opportunity to share with young families, in a teaching environment all that we knew about raising kids. (This was about 15 years ago, and all I can say is, if I knew then what I know now!) One thing that we did learn was the value of a spanking! Besides the Biblical mandate to administer corporal punishment to our children, God in His wisdom made it so that the spanking produces incredible side benefits for the kids. (Once, my baby, who is now 12 years old, told me thank you for spanking him. He said, "I needed that!") The benefit? God made it as a relief to the conscience and He gives us the understanding that the administrator of the spanking really loves us. Remember what he said in Hebrews 12:5b-6 “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
I need to make this point very clearly. All Christians need accountability. I don't care if you are a pastor, a missionary or a seminary president. If you don't have someone in your life that you have given permission to tell you the unvarnished truth, then necessarily you are NOT walking in God's will. How can I say that? Let's face it, who in your life is the most likely to give you a pass when you sin? Who in your life is most likely to rationalize your bad behavior? Who is most likely to sinfully allow you to make positive comparisons between your life and the lives of other people you know? It's the person that greets you in the mirror every morning of course! Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things and is desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel." Is this clear enough?
So what is the point of this article? D. L.'s accountability lesson for 6/27/07:
I spent the whole of last summer in California doing consulting work. I was working on commission, so I needed to drum up my own business. The project was much more extensive than I had imagined, so I ended up being away from home for nearly five months. When I returned home, I continued to work as an outside account executive. That's a euphemistic term for "salesman".
Finally, after months of phone calls and emails to potential clients, (32 calls and emails to ONE prospect!), I earned some commission! Last week my big paycheck was due and nothing came. Yesterday, I received an email from the company's chief executive letting me know that he wanted to renegotiate my pay. I wrote him a very aggressive email, marking out my turf and then I carbon copied it to everyone I knew! After I sent it, an associate of mine told me that he thought that it was inappropriate for me to involve others in my situation and after struggling with the man in the mirror, I came to believe that he was right. I immediately sent a letter of apology to the chief as well as to the folks that I included in the carbon copy. Some of you may have guessed it. He asked me to dissociate from the company. Worse than that, there is no indication that I'm ever going to get the thousands of dollars that I'm owed!
Today at noon I met with Tom my accountability partner. He let me whine for a few minutes, but I could tell from his knowing smile that he was going to hit me with the truth, (whether I wanted to hear it or not!). First, did I owe the chief an apology for dragging disinterested parties into the dispute? Answer: YES! Why? Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother." We could niggle over whether or not the chief is a "brother" or whether the proper application for this situation is Biblical discipline, but I am sure that I owed him a private conversation, before I informed anyone else. (Thanks Tom, for pointing out this sin!)
Second, yes, from a human perspective, the chief is wrong for not keeping his agreement. However, I need to fan through the Bible to determine what my REAL rights are. I have a right to be condemned to hell by the righteous God of the universe. I have a right to fall on my face and worship Him. I have a right to beg His forgiveness for my selfishness. I have a right to ask the forgiveness of the chief and the people that I dragged into this mess. Darn! I was hoping to find a passage on revenge or fire and brimstone. No such luck!
Lesson number two from my partner Tom: Confession. What is confession? It must be important or God wouldn't have made this statement: 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Confession is agreement. I must agree with God that I missed the mark. I must repent. What is repentance. In the Greek language, repentance is a military term for "stop going in the direction you are headed" and not only this, but "start marching in the opposite direction."
First, confession. I am doing that before you, (James 5:16 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much"), and before God. Second, repentance. Regardless of the results and with no hope for gain, I owe the chief an apology.
Thanks Tom, for my lesson this week.
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
-------------------------------------
I both love and dread Wednesdays. Why? Because at high noon every Wednesday, I have the privilege of sitting down to lunch with my accountability partner, Tom. Why do I love it? After the meeting, I return home with a new resolve to live the Christian life with a passion! Why do I hate it? During most meetings I feel like a little kid going to the woodshed. For those of you who aren't old enough to know what the "woodshed" was used for, it's the place where little boys and girls receive a well-deserved butt whipping!
My wife and I are the parents of six great kids. Several years ago, we had the opportunity to share with young families, in a teaching environment all that we knew about raising kids. (This was about 15 years ago, and all I can say is, if I knew then what I know now!) One thing that we did learn was the value of a spanking! Besides the Biblical mandate to administer corporal punishment to our children, God in His wisdom made it so that the spanking produces incredible side benefits for the kids. (Once, my baby, who is now 12 years old, told me thank you for spanking him. He said, "I needed that!") The benefit? God made it as a relief to the conscience and He gives us the understanding that the administrator of the spanking really loves us. Remember what he said in Hebrews 12:5b-6 “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
I need to make this point very clearly. All Christians need accountability. I don't care if you are a pastor, a missionary or a seminary president. If you don't have someone in your life that you have given permission to tell you the unvarnished truth, then necessarily you are NOT walking in God's will. How can I say that? Let's face it, who in your life is the most likely to give you a pass when you sin? Who in your life is most likely to rationalize your bad behavior? Who is most likely to sinfully allow you to make positive comparisons between your life and the lives of other people you know? It's the person that greets you in the mirror every morning of course! Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things and is desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel." Is this clear enough?
So what is the point of this article? D. L.'s accountability lesson for 6/27/07:
I spent the whole of last summer in California doing consulting work. I was working on commission, so I needed to drum up my own business. The project was much more extensive than I had imagined, so I ended up being away from home for nearly five months. When I returned home, I continued to work as an outside account executive. That's a euphemistic term for "salesman".
Finally, after months of phone calls and emails to potential clients, (32 calls and emails to ONE prospect!), I earned some commission! Last week my big paycheck was due and nothing came. Yesterday, I received an email from the company's chief executive letting me know that he wanted to renegotiate my pay. I wrote him a very aggressive email, marking out my turf and then I carbon copied it to everyone I knew! After I sent it, an associate of mine told me that he thought that it was inappropriate for me to involve others in my situation and after struggling with the man in the mirror, I came to believe that he was right. I immediately sent a letter of apology to the chief as well as to the folks that I included in the carbon copy. Some of you may have guessed it. He asked me to dissociate from the company. Worse than that, there is no indication that I'm ever going to get the thousands of dollars that I'm owed!
Today at noon I met with Tom my accountability partner. He let me whine for a few minutes, but I could tell from his knowing smile that he was going to hit me with the truth, (whether I wanted to hear it or not!). First, did I owe the chief an apology for dragging disinterested parties into the dispute? Answer: YES! Why? Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother." We could niggle over whether or not the chief is a "brother" or whether the proper application for this situation is Biblical discipline, but I am sure that I owed him a private conversation, before I informed anyone else. (Thanks Tom, for pointing out this sin!)
Second, yes, from a human perspective, the chief is wrong for not keeping his agreement. However, I need to fan through the Bible to determine what my REAL rights are. I have a right to be condemned to hell by the righteous God of the universe. I have a right to fall on my face and worship Him. I have a right to beg His forgiveness for my selfishness. I have a right to ask the forgiveness of the chief and the people that I dragged into this mess. Darn! I was hoping to find a passage on revenge or fire and brimstone. No such luck!
Lesson number two from my partner Tom: Confession. What is confession? It must be important or God wouldn't have made this statement: 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Confession is agreement. I must agree with God that I missed the mark. I must repent. What is repentance. In the Greek language, repentance is a military term for "stop going in the direction you are headed" and not only this, but "start marching in the opposite direction."
First, confession. I am doing that before you, (James 5:16 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much"), and before God. Second, repentance. Regardless of the results and with no hope for gain, I owe the chief an apology.
Thanks Tom, for my lesson this week.
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
John 3:16 - What does believe mean?
A few years ago I attended an Athletes International Ministries luncheon. I was pretty excited because Michael "Little Hands of Stone" Carbajal and Earnie "Black Destroyer" Shavers were the keynote speakers. I really enjoyed listening to the testimony of Shavers. He recounted the time that he fought Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden back in 1977. Ali said that Shavers was one of the toughest men he ever fought.
Near the end of his speech Mr. Shavers asked everyone in the room to bow their heads in prayer. Dutifully everyone did so. I can't remember the exact words, but they went something like this:
Shavers: "Please repeat after me. Dear Jesus, I am sorry for my sins."
Crowd: "Dear Jesus, I am sorry for my sins."
Shavers: "I want to ask you into my heart as my savior today."
Crowd: "I want to ask you into my heart as my savior today."
Shavers: "Amen!"
Crowd: "Amen!"
Shavers: "Who here prayed that prayer for the first time in your life?"
In a crowd of about 2oo, four hands went up.
Shavers: "I want everyone to give these folks a big hand and welcome them into the kingdom of God!"
I almost fell out of my chair. I once read a story about a king that marched his troops through a nearby river in order to "baptize" them. His theory was that if he got them wet, their souls would be saved. Mr. Shavers' theory isn't much different. If you get folks to recite a prayer, then they're saved! Are they?
One of the most often quoted scriptures in the Bible is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." If you can remember back that far, there was a guy in the 1970's that used to figure out the camera angles at every big sporting event. He always sported a rainbow colored wig and usually had a sign with John 3:16 brightly displayed. Most casual church attenders are at least somewhat familiar with this passage.
On the face of it, the verse seems pretty straight forward. If you believe in Jesus you're saved. It sounds simple enough to me. Is it? Let's look at another passage that I mentioned earlier this week. James 2:19b . . . the demons also believe, and shudder. Are the demons saved? They certainly believe. They more than human beings, have been around long enough to see God's power demonstrated in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though they are created beings and therefore finite, have seen all of the evidence. They were certainly there at the crucifixion. They saw Jesus' body laid in the tomb. They watched as the most incredible miracle in history occurred when God raised Jesus from the dead. Of course they believe!
Against this evidence alone we can see that to believe MUST mean more than an intellectual affirmation of facts about the Son of God. First, I must affirm that faith in Christ alone is all that is necessary for salvation. The so-called "good" works of men, (Isaiah 64:6), are not only insufficient to save you, but if you ADD works to the Gospel of Christ, the Gospel is no longer the Gospel and it has no power to save. (Galatians 1) So what is faith? A dictionary definition alone is certainly not enough to explain it. The proper way to understand the Bible is to let the Bible interpret the Bible.
John wrote John 3:16, so our best bet for proper interpretation is the words of John himself. In this case we don't have far to go. John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (italics mine) John is setting up a comparison here. He is making an equation between belief and obedience. Are there other passages that would support this? James 2:14 "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?" According to this passage the answer is clearly NO! Wait a minute! D. L., didn't you just say that if you add works to the Gospel it can't save you? Yes I did. Again, context is king.
The passage in James 2 has been the most misunderstood passage in all of Christendom. It has been used by many cults and false, so-called Christian religions to enslave their practitioners to liturgies, sacraments, rights and rituals that ultimately will cause their demise. James 2:20-24 is that passage that caused Martin Luther to declare the entire Book of James to be the "Epistle of Straw". It states, "But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone."
Are works involved in salvation? Yes. Do works need to be added to faith in order to be saved? Absolutely NOT! Is this just my opinion? Allow me to prove it. James 2:20-24 uses Abraham as the example to make James' point. Here's the big question. When was Abraham saved? Genesis 15:6 is not only quoted here, "Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness", but is also quoted by Paul in two other passages, (Galatians 3:6 and Romans 4:3) as the declaration of Abraham's salvation. How old was Abraham in Genesis 15? He was 80 years old. At 80 Abraham was declared right before God. James continues with his example. The DEMONSTRATION of Abraham's faith was when he "offered up Isaac his son on the altar." How old was Abraham when that happened? He was 100 years old when Isaac was born. It must be assumed that Isaac must have at least been a strapping young teenager when he went with his father out into the wilderness in Genesis 22. Some have suggested that he could have been in his 30's. Here's the point. God declared Abraham righteous when he was 80. Abraham demonstrated that his faith was REAL when he sacrificed his son Isaac at least 35 years later. James could not and was not saying that you need to add works to faith to be saved. What he was telling his reader was that if you SAY you have faith, but no works follow, you don't really have faith at all! James 2:18 "But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Notice that the conversation that James is having is NOT demonstrating good works for God, but demonstrating good works in the sight of other men, including ourselves.
One of those men that need that demonstration in order to KNOW if he is saved is ME. John gave this test in 1 John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." Paul commanded us to examine ourselves in 2 Corinthians 13:5 "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?" There are 13 tests in 1 John for people like me to "test" myself to see if I am "in the faith". Let's face it, if I don't love, then I'm not a Christian. If no "good works" are present in my life, then I'm not saved. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." If no new thing have come, it didn't happen.
Belief is more than an affirmation of a set of facts. True belief is a conviction and will ALWAYS produce action. Before we are saved, good works and faith are mortal enemies. (If we add our "good works" to faith, it's not the Gospel and our faith cannot save us.) After we are saved, good works and faith are inseparable twins. (If there is no evidence of a changed life, then salvation NEVER HAPPENED.)
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
Near the end of his speech Mr. Shavers asked everyone in the room to bow their heads in prayer. Dutifully everyone did so. I can't remember the exact words, but they went something like this:
Shavers: "Please repeat after me. Dear Jesus, I am sorry for my sins."
Crowd: "Dear Jesus, I am sorry for my sins."
Shavers: "I want to ask you into my heart as my savior today."
Crowd: "I want to ask you into my heart as my savior today."
Shavers: "Amen!"
Crowd: "Amen!"
Shavers: "Who here prayed that prayer for the first time in your life?"
In a crowd of about 2oo, four hands went up.
Shavers: "I want everyone to give these folks a big hand and welcome them into the kingdom of God!"
I almost fell out of my chair. I once read a story about a king that marched his troops through a nearby river in order to "baptize" them. His theory was that if he got them wet, their souls would be saved. Mr. Shavers' theory isn't much different. If you get folks to recite a prayer, then they're saved! Are they?
One of the most often quoted scriptures in the Bible is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." If you can remember back that far, there was a guy in the 1970's that used to figure out the camera angles at every big sporting event. He always sported a rainbow colored wig and usually had a sign with John 3:16 brightly displayed. Most casual church attenders are at least somewhat familiar with this passage.
On the face of it, the verse seems pretty straight forward. If you believe in Jesus you're saved. It sounds simple enough to me. Is it? Let's look at another passage that I mentioned earlier this week. James 2:19b . . . the demons also believe, and shudder. Are the demons saved? They certainly believe. They more than human beings, have been around long enough to see God's power demonstrated in the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though they are created beings and therefore finite, have seen all of the evidence. They were certainly there at the crucifixion. They saw Jesus' body laid in the tomb. They watched as the most incredible miracle in history occurred when God raised Jesus from the dead. Of course they believe!
Against this evidence alone we can see that to believe MUST mean more than an intellectual affirmation of facts about the Son of God. First, I must affirm that faith in Christ alone is all that is necessary for salvation. The so-called "good" works of men, (Isaiah 64:6), are not only insufficient to save you, but if you ADD works to the Gospel of Christ, the Gospel is no longer the Gospel and it has no power to save. (Galatians 1) So what is faith? A dictionary definition alone is certainly not enough to explain it. The proper way to understand the Bible is to let the Bible interpret the Bible.
John wrote John 3:16, so our best bet for proper interpretation is the words of John himself. In this case we don't have far to go. John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (italics mine) John is setting up a comparison here. He is making an equation between belief and obedience. Are there other passages that would support this? James 2:14 "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?" According to this passage the answer is clearly NO! Wait a minute! D. L., didn't you just say that if you add works to the Gospel it can't save you? Yes I did. Again, context is king.
The passage in James 2 has been the most misunderstood passage in all of Christendom. It has been used by many cults and false, so-called Christian religions to enslave their practitioners to liturgies, sacraments, rights and rituals that ultimately will cause their demise. James 2:20-24 is that passage that caused Martin Luther to declare the entire Book of James to be the "Epistle of Straw". It states, "But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone."
Are works involved in salvation? Yes. Do works need to be added to faith in order to be saved? Absolutely NOT! Is this just my opinion? Allow me to prove it. James 2:20-24 uses Abraham as the example to make James' point. Here's the big question. When was Abraham saved? Genesis 15:6 is not only quoted here, "Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness", but is also quoted by Paul in two other passages, (Galatians 3:6 and Romans 4:3) as the declaration of Abraham's salvation. How old was Abraham in Genesis 15? He was 80 years old. At 80 Abraham was declared right before God. James continues with his example. The DEMONSTRATION of Abraham's faith was when he "offered up Isaac his son on the altar." How old was Abraham when that happened? He was 100 years old when Isaac was born. It must be assumed that Isaac must have at least been a strapping young teenager when he went with his father out into the wilderness in Genesis 22. Some have suggested that he could have been in his 30's. Here's the point. God declared Abraham righteous when he was 80. Abraham demonstrated that his faith was REAL when he sacrificed his son Isaac at least 35 years later. James could not and was not saying that you need to add works to faith to be saved. What he was telling his reader was that if you SAY you have faith, but no works follow, you don't really have faith at all! James 2:18 "But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Notice that the conversation that James is having is NOT demonstrating good works for God, but demonstrating good works in the sight of other men, including ourselves.
One of those men that need that demonstration in order to KNOW if he is saved is ME. John gave this test in 1 John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." Paul commanded us to examine ourselves in 2 Corinthians 13:5 "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?" There are 13 tests in 1 John for people like me to "test" myself to see if I am "in the faith". Let's face it, if I don't love, then I'm not a Christian. If no "good works" are present in my life, then I'm not saved. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." If no new thing have come, it didn't happen.
Belief is more than an affirmation of a set of facts. True belief is a conviction and will ALWAYS produce action. Before we are saved, good works and faith are mortal enemies. (If we add our "good works" to faith, it's not the Gospel and our faith cannot save us.) After we are saved, good works and faith are inseparable twins. (If there is no evidence of a changed life, then salvation NEVER HAPPENED.)
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
Monday, June 25, 2007
Does God Care What We Believe?
I recently heard someone say, "It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere!" I know that in this world of political correctness, that this sentiment is shared by many, and those that may not agree are loath to comment lest they be thought insensitive. I don't happen to be one of those folks.
I think that this situation would be akin to presenting an astronaut a selection of air tanks containing a variety of gasses that he/she might breathe. If the vessels contained air, cyanide, ammonia, nitrogen and helium, and I had the opportunity to advise said astronaut of which tank that I would draw breath from, without hesitation I would scream, "Air!" In today's world, the only absolute truth that one is allowed, is that there is NO absolute truth. If one should claim that their position is correct, then implicit in that statement is that everyone else is wrong! In an age where there are no absolutes, then sincerity must be the final arbiter of truth. Is that right?
Many ascribe to Jesus an attitude of tolerance. They might say that Jesus ate with sinners and prostitutes, so he must be a tolerant fellow. Is this an accurate representation? The Bible must render its own definitions. The following list contains quotes of Jesus that come directly from scripture:
1) Matthew 10:34-36 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”
2) Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Mark 7:26-27 Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Do these quotes make you uneasy? Do they sound like they came from the Jesus that you are familiar with? If not, then I want to burst your balloon! Many people like the Jesus that they see depicted on many of the old master's paintings. You know the ones I'm talking about. I'm referring to the beautiful oil paintings of Jesus with the little children at his feet and a dove on his shoulder. Now that's the kind of non-threatening, gentle guy that I'd like to tip my religious hat to! Unfortunately, that guy doesn't exist. Yes, Jesus is the most loving and gentle human being that ever lived, but to believe that's a complete picture of the REAL Jesus would be to err. Jesus was NOT politically correct. In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Italics mine)
Jesus wouldn't have been very popular today. In fact, his views would have been considered so narrow that he wouldn't have had a chance on a political talk show, either right or left! However, Jesus spoke truth boldly. Not only that, he WAS the truth.
I would like to plead with my readers. If you are sincere in your faith, whatever faith that might be, an if you believe that you have lived a basically "good" life, and you have that assurance that you are going to see Heaven, stop! Please don't breathe the cyanide. A relationship with Jesus is the only way.
Tomorrow I would like to examine John 3:16 and all of its implications with regard to that relationship. (For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.)
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
I think that this situation would be akin to presenting an astronaut a selection of air tanks containing a variety of gasses that he/she might breathe. If the vessels contained air, cyanide, ammonia, nitrogen and helium, and I had the opportunity to advise said astronaut of which tank that I would draw breath from, without hesitation I would scream, "Air!" In today's world, the only absolute truth that one is allowed, is that there is NO absolute truth. If one should claim that their position is correct, then implicit in that statement is that everyone else is wrong! In an age where there are no absolutes, then sincerity must be the final arbiter of truth. Is that right?
Many ascribe to Jesus an attitude of tolerance. They might say that Jesus ate with sinners and prostitutes, so he must be a tolerant fellow. Is this an accurate representation? The Bible must render its own definitions. The following list contains quotes of Jesus that come directly from scripture:
1) Matthew 10:34-36 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”
2) Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Mark 7:26-27 Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
Do these quotes make you uneasy? Do they sound like they came from the Jesus that you are familiar with? If not, then I want to burst your balloon! Many people like the Jesus that they see depicted on many of the old master's paintings. You know the ones I'm talking about. I'm referring to the beautiful oil paintings of Jesus with the little children at his feet and a dove on his shoulder. Now that's the kind of non-threatening, gentle guy that I'd like to tip my religious hat to! Unfortunately, that guy doesn't exist. Yes, Jesus is the most loving and gentle human being that ever lived, but to believe that's a complete picture of the REAL Jesus would be to err. Jesus was NOT politically correct. In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Italics mine)
Jesus wouldn't have been very popular today. In fact, his views would have been considered so narrow that he wouldn't have had a chance on a political talk show, either right or left! However, Jesus spoke truth boldly. Not only that, he WAS the truth.
I would like to plead with my readers. If you are sincere in your faith, whatever faith that might be, an if you believe that you have lived a basically "good" life, and you have that assurance that you are going to see Heaven, stop! Please don't breathe the cyanide. A relationship with Jesus is the only way.
Tomorrow I would like to examine John 3:16 and all of its implications with regard to that relationship. (For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.)
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
Sunday, June 24, 2007
90% of America Believes in God! Good News?
The news is out! Fox News reported today that in spite of the incredible increase in atheistic books that are making the best seller lists, America is still a nation that believes in God. Shouldn't Christians celebrate? I don't think so.
What exactly does it mean to believe in God? Some folks are like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. They believed in God, but were deists. They believed in a god that never intervened in the universe. They probably would have been proponents of the new alternative to evolutionary theory, "intelligent design". The seeds of the destruction of the Christian nation concept here in America were sown by the likes of these fellows when they helped pen the Constitution. Make no mistake, the letter that Thomas Jefferson penned to that Bible Society in Connecticut in 1800 was the source of the phrase, "wall of separation between church and state." That phrase has come to haunt those who try to put some context in the interpretation of the First Amendment.
Other god believers are the folks that say they don't attend church, because it's so full of hypocrites. (Yes, indeed it is, in the same way that a hospital is full of icky sick people!) These folks say they can commune with God through nature. That is a nice sentiment, and there may be some backing for that position in Romans Chapter 1 verses 18-25 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Yes God CAN be known through His creation, but not salvifically. In this passage we can clearly see that those who know God in this way ARE held accountable, but without exception, "suppress the truth in unrighteousness." God's word states clearly that He gives these folks over to their own lusts.
Another group of people that would say they believe in God are the church attenders. Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with church attendance. In fact the scriptures encourage it in Hebrews 10:25 . . . not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. The problem is the compartmentalized life that some folks are practicing. You know the type. He's yelling at her and the kids on the way to church, gets out of the car an with a broad smile and a firm handshake, it's "amen" and "Jesus loves you" at the door of the sanctuary. On Monday he fashions some way to manipulate some poor soul out of his money in the name of "well that's just good business"!
The last group that believes in God and in fact knows Him better than practically anyone in America are the demons! James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. OK, I know that's not fair! The demons aren't American citizens. (Maybe I ought to comment on the illegal alien problem in another post!)
Allow me to posit this statement. In spite of the Fox News declaration, there are very few that truly believe in the God of the Bible. In light of the James passage above, it's obvious that the belief spoken of in John 3:16 MUST be something different than an acknowledgement of some set a facts about Jesus. (“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.")
I would encourage all of my readers to find out who the God of the Bible is and give your heart and life to Him. I would pray that you NOT fashion a god to worship that you are comfortable with. Frankly, in the end that god can't save you.
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
What exactly does it mean to believe in God? Some folks are like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. They believed in God, but were deists. They believed in a god that never intervened in the universe. They probably would have been proponents of the new alternative to evolutionary theory, "intelligent design". The seeds of the destruction of the Christian nation concept here in America were sown by the likes of these fellows when they helped pen the Constitution. Make no mistake, the letter that Thomas Jefferson penned to that Bible Society in Connecticut in 1800 was the source of the phrase, "wall of separation between church and state." That phrase has come to haunt those who try to put some context in the interpretation of the First Amendment.
Other god believers are the folks that say they don't attend church, because it's so full of hypocrites. (Yes, indeed it is, in the same way that a hospital is full of icky sick people!) These folks say they can commune with God through nature. That is a nice sentiment, and there may be some backing for that position in Romans Chapter 1 verses 18-25 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Yes God CAN be known through His creation, but not salvifically. In this passage we can clearly see that those who know God in this way ARE held accountable, but without exception, "suppress the truth in unrighteousness." God's word states clearly that He gives these folks over to their own lusts.
Another group of people that would say they believe in God are the church attenders. Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with church attendance. In fact the scriptures encourage it in Hebrews 10:25 . . . not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. The problem is the compartmentalized life that some folks are practicing. You know the type. He's yelling at her and the kids on the way to church, gets out of the car an with a broad smile and a firm handshake, it's "amen" and "Jesus loves you" at the door of the sanctuary. On Monday he fashions some way to manipulate some poor soul out of his money in the name of "well that's just good business"!
The last group that believes in God and in fact knows Him better than practically anyone in America are the demons! James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. OK, I know that's not fair! The demons aren't American citizens. (Maybe I ought to comment on the illegal alien problem in another post!)
Allow me to posit this statement. In spite of the Fox News declaration, there are very few that truly believe in the God of the Bible. In light of the James passage above, it's obvious that the belief spoken of in John 3:16 MUST be something different than an acknowledgement of some set a facts about Jesus. (“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.")
I would encourage all of my readers to find out who the God of the Bible is and give your heart and life to Him. I would pray that you NOT fashion a god to worship that you are comfortable with. Frankly, in the end that god can't save you.
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Theology - The Word of God
Today I had an interesting conversation with a 20 year old friend of my daughter's. She was lamenting how bored she was with her church and wanted to know if she could tag along with our family next Sunday. Of course we were thrilled to hear of her interest in our church, but I had to inquire why she was thinking of abandoning her childhood church for something new.
She said that she attended a Lutheran church in her neighborhood and that the congregation "was getting old"! I queried her further and she told me that all of the stuff that her pastor talked about was boring and she wasn't getting anything out of it. I asked her what he typically preached about. She said that it was mostly platitudes about being good and helping others. I asked her if he ever preached out of the Bible and she replied, "Well, he may use a Bible verse somewhere in his sermon, but generally no."
Holy cow! How can that be? What on earth would a good pastor use to preach on other than the Bible? It seems that this story is being repeated more and more these days. Many mainline denominations are slowly shrivelling up and "getting old". I will make this bold assertion. The Word of God is not being preached in many of the churches in our country. I have had the opportunity recently to visit several large churches and a few smaller ones, as part of my training with the Training Center at East Valley Bible in Gilbert, Arizona. It's pretty amazing. There seems to be two directions that these churches seem to be headed.
First, there's the mega-church. They can really fill the building up. It is really a testament to the felt needs that people have. Without being rude, the sermons that were preached in those big places were "sermonettes for christianettes". They did mention the Bible, but for the most part, it could have been an EST meeting from the '70s or a giant rally for some political cause. It got everyone on their feet and and evoked plenty of amens, but the message was puerile. It was incredibly entertaining and the crowd left satisfied that they had heard a great message. Did they?
The other path that some of the churches that I have visited are taking is the "avoid the Bible and anything convicting, because our church has lost so many members" route. This seems to be the path of many mainline denominations. Most of the folks that attend are people that have a "mid-western" mentality. In other words, they go to church there, because they've always gone to church there. The pastors here seem to be attempting to run some sort of a Lions, Elks or Rotary club, except for the cross prominently, (or sometimes not so prominently), displayed up front. These poor fellows don't have the charisma of the super-pastors that lead the mega-churches, so they are left with the more mature congregations that necessarily shrink with age.
Why is this happening? I believe that the church will always be a force in the community. Look at the Acts church. Acts 5:13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. This passage comes right on the heels of the untimely deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. They were confronted with the truth of their sin and were dropped in their tracks by God himself. Interestingly, though the local community didn't want to have anything to do with them, they were respected and held in high esteem.
So why is the modern church so maligned? I submit that God's church is still out there doing it's work and is respected in those quarters that it exists, but for the most part, at least in America, it doesn't exist! God's word is not preached. Sound doctrine has been replaced with programs and video entertainment.
Look at how the word of God is supposed to be preached in our churches. Ezra himself saw it this way: Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. First, he studied the Word in order to PRACTICE it! Isn't that a novel idea? How many of the our modern day churches have blown up because the pastor was involved in some less than honorable activity and through his sin, the entire church was given a black eye? Next Ezra preched the Word! Another novel idea. Think about it. In those days, the people would travel from miles around and plan to spend the day, sometimes in the hot sun, listening to the teaching from the first five books of the Bible! When Ezra read the law, it wasn't as a prop to make a point for some inane story. Nehemiah 8:8 says it this way, "They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading."
Ezra preached as an expositor. He went to the Word and was a facilitator rather than a story teller. Now with all due respect, I don't have anything against a good story from the pulpit, but when that becomes the backbone of the worship service, something is wrong.
I invited my daughter's friend to church with us next Sunday. In spite of the expository teaching and the direct and challenging manner that our pastor delivers the Word, our church, in spite of ourselves, has grown to over 800 in three years. In spite, I say, because he teaches on such controversial subjects as men's role in the family, women's role in the family, God's predestination and election of some to salvation, sharing the Gospel with our neighbors as the primary duty of our lives, etc. We never take up a "collection", very rarely talk about money and we are 25% over budget. I wonder what is going on?
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
She said that she attended a Lutheran church in her neighborhood and that the congregation "was getting old"! I queried her further and she told me that all of the stuff that her pastor talked about was boring and she wasn't getting anything out of it. I asked her what he typically preached about. She said that it was mostly platitudes about being good and helping others. I asked her if he ever preached out of the Bible and she replied, "Well, he may use a Bible verse somewhere in his sermon, but generally no."
Holy cow! How can that be? What on earth would a good pastor use to preach on other than the Bible? It seems that this story is being repeated more and more these days. Many mainline denominations are slowly shrivelling up and "getting old". I will make this bold assertion. The Word of God is not being preached in many of the churches in our country. I have had the opportunity recently to visit several large churches and a few smaller ones, as part of my training with the Training Center at East Valley Bible in Gilbert, Arizona. It's pretty amazing. There seems to be two directions that these churches seem to be headed.
First, there's the mega-church. They can really fill the building up. It is really a testament to the felt needs that people have. Without being rude, the sermons that were preached in those big places were "sermonettes for christianettes". They did mention the Bible, but for the most part, it could have been an EST meeting from the '70s or a giant rally for some political cause. It got everyone on their feet and and evoked plenty of amens, but the message was puerile. It was incredibly entertaining and the crowd left satisfied that they had heard a great message. Did they?
The other path that some of the churches that I have visited are taking is the "avoid the Bible and anything convicting, because our church has lost so many members" route. This seems to be the path of many mainline denominations. Most of the folks that attend are people that have a "mid-western" mentality. In other words, they go to church there, because they've always gone to church there. The pastors here seem to be attempting to run some sort of a Lions, Elks or Rotary club, except for the cross prominently, (or sometimes not so prominently), displayed up front. These poor fellows don't have the charisma of the super-pastors that lead the mega-churches, so they are left with the more mature congregations that necessarily shrink with age.
Why is this happening? I believe that the church will always be a force in the community. Look at the Acts church. Acts 5:13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. This passage comes right on the heels of the untimely deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. They were confronted with the truth of their sin and were dropped in their tracks by God himself. Interestingly, though the local community didn't want to have anything to do with them, they were respected and held in high esteem.
So why is the modern church so maligned? I submit that God's church is still out there doing it's work and is respected in those quarters that it exists, but for the most part, at least in America, it doesn't exist! God's word is not preached. Sound doctrine has been replaced with programs and video entertainment.
Look at how the word of God is supposed to be preached in our churches. Ezra himself saw it this way: Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. First, he studied the Word in order to PRACTICE it! Isn't that a novel idea? How many of the our modern day churches have blown up because the pastor was involved in some less than honorable activity and through his sin, the entire church was given a black eye? Next Ezra preched the Word! Another novel idea. Think about it. In those days, the people would travel from miles around and plan to spend the day, sometimes in the hot sun, listening to the teaching from the first five books of the Bible! When Ezra read the law, it wasn't as a prop to make a point for some inane story. Nehemiah 8:8 says it this way, "They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading."
Ezra preached as an expositor. He went to the Word and was a facilitator rather than a story teller. Now with all due respect, I don't have anything against a good story from the pulpit, but when that becomes the backbone of the worship service, something is wrong.
I invited my daughter's friend to church with us next Sunday. In spite of the expository teaching and the direct and challenging manner that our pastor delivers the Word, our church, in spite of ourselves, has grown to over 800 in three years. In spite, I say, because he teaches on such controversial subjects as men's role in the family, women's role in the family, God's predestination and election of some to salvation, sharing the Gospel with our neighbors as the primary duty of our lives, etc. We never take up a "collection", very rarely talk about money and we are 25% over budget. I wonder what is going on?
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
Friday, June 22, 2007
Bible Truth Today Introduction
My name is D. L. Culiver and I am starting this blog with the thought that perhaps I can assist others in coming to a true understanding of the Bible. More than that, I would hope that through a better understanding of the Word, my readers can come to know more intimately the God of the Word, Jesus Christ.
I am a layman, but I have studied the Bible formally through the Training Center at East Valley Bible Church in Gilbert, Arizona under the direction of Pastor Chris Mueller, who is currently the senior pastor at Faith Bible Church in Murrieta, California. I have an intense passion for the Bible and have made it a practice to read and study it virtually every day for the past ten years. I am the father of six children and have been married to my wife, Chris for over 25 years.
What has driven me to the blog is an overwhelming feeling of helplessness. When I watch the news, I shudder. So many people in the world have no knowledge of God and what god they do acknowledge, they have crafted in their own minds to meet their perceived needs. Worse yet, is the condition of the church. When I examine the surveys done by George Barna, I can hardly believe my eyes, when the beliefs and the behaviors of God’s people are scarcely different than those of the rest of the population. How can this be?
This blog is intended to challenge its readers. For my non-Christian readers, I pose these questions:
1) Do you have any assurance about your fate when you die?
2) You obviously believe something about your destiny. What is it? Why do you believe it? How do you know you are right?
3) Have you examined the Bible? Have you rejected it, or have you rejected the authority that it might impose on your life? Why?
4) Have you rejected Christianity because of the behavior of those who claim Christ as their lord and savior, (hypocrisy)? How do you know that those that claim Christ are really believers, and are truly representatives of Jesus?
5) Have you rejected the veracity of the Bible because of one of the many so-called problems with it, such as:
a. The origin of evil
b. The so-called contradictions in Scripture
c. Hard questions like:
i. What happens to the pygmy in Africa who doesn’t know Jesus?
ii. What happens to babies when they die?
iii. What happened to my relative who died without Christ?
iv. How can I trust the Bible?
v. Where did the Bible come from?
vi. Is the Bible really the actual word of God?
vii. Isn’t believing in the Bible just “blind faith”?
viii. If I live a good life, will God allow me into His heaven?
ix. What will happen to the billions of people who don’t have a relationship with Jesus?
x. Don’t all religions lead to God?
xi. I prayed a prayer when I was young and asked Jesus into my heart. Since then, I have walked away from the faith. Am I saved?
xii. Aren’t there a million interpretations of the Bible? How do you know that yours is right?
For my Christian readers:
1) Is the Bible really the rule of faith, or is it just a book full of platitudes that barely affect your life?
2) How can you know God’s will for your life?
3) Does God hear all of your prayers?
4) What is my mission in life and does it line up with Scripture?
5) How can you be sure that you are a Christian?
6) Why are there so many translations of the Bible? Are they all trustworthy?
7) Does your life have purpose, or are you living each day in the futile pursuit of comfort and diversion?
8) Should I become involved in politics? Do they matter? What is my duty as a Christian and a citizen?
9) Does it matter what you believe about God’s predestination and election of certain individuals to salvation and not others? Do you understand the ramifications of your belief? Do you hold whatever position you hold because of a sound exegesis of Scripture, or do you hold your position because it “feels” right?
10) Does it matter what you believe about evolution vs. creation?
11) Does it matter what you believe about psychology and other human means to better your life?
I am praying that these questions and many more may have piqued your interest. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, (bibletruthtoday@gmail.com). Also, if you believe that I am in error in whatever position I take, please let me know. My only request is that you use Scripture to back up your position. I promise that I will do my best to let you know when I am giving you my opinion as opposed to dogmatic truth.
His servant,
D. L. Culiver
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