THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS...first biblically / not culturally

QUESTION: How does one become discerning? How do believers in the Lord Jesus Christ guard themselves from becoming just another part of evangelicalism's groupthink on issues? How does one not become a slave to culture's conventional wisdom?

ANSWER: Think biblically. Be students of God's Word. Have your mind guarded and guided by the truth of Scripture. Be heavenly-minded on earthly things. Be Bereans. Love His law. Meditate on it day and night. Hide it in your heart. Let it become your sojourners song. Let it take permanent residence in you. Turn to it as lamp to your feet and a light to your path. Treasure it more than silver or gold and feast upon it more than your daily food. Let it be the joy and rejoicing of your heart. Crave it as newborn babes and find its words sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.

____________

"All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."
-Isaiah 66:2

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
-Philippians 4:4-8

FROM THE HYMNBOOK OF HEAVEN...prove all things by the Word of God

an encore presentation

What a powerful reminder below, from the pen of John Wycliffe, to "prove all things according to the Word of God." All matters of life and godliness ordered according to His truth (2 Peter 1:3-4); not according to our feelings, desires or whims. No genuine Christian would dispute that claim, would they? But yet in the current spiritual climate in evangelicalism we find well-meaning believers abandoning this simple axiomatic truth of the sufficiency and authority of God’s Word (cp, Psalm 19:7-10; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Whether it be an issue in the culture, politics, family, one of church polity, worship, missions, music, personal relationships, etc., may our hearts, minds and consciences be bound to the eternal Word of our Lord. May they not be bound to what some call "the flavor of Scripture"; or bound not to what I want it to mean to suit my own fancy or desires; but bound to what in reality it is actually saying. There is no spiritual authority afforded any pastor, eldership, congregation or individual believer in the Lord outside of the authority of the Word of God.

May we be like Jeremiah, beloved, finding the joy and rejoicing of our hearts in the immutable truths of God's Word (cf, Jer. 15:16).

Grace and peace to you,
Steve
Psalm 119:1-9

"Prove All Things 

by the Word of God"
by John Wycliffe

"I will run in the way of Your commandments..."
-Psalm 119:32

The true Christian was intended by Christ to prove all things by the Word of God, all churches, all ministers, all teaching, all preaching, all doctrines, all sermons, all writings, all opinions, all practices. These are His marching orders. Prove all by the Word of God; measure all by the measure of the Bible; compare all with the standard of the Bible; weigh all in the balances of the Bible; examine all by the light of the Bible; test all in the crucible of the Bible. That which can abide the fire of the Bible, receive hold, believe, and obey. That which cannot abide the fire of the Bible, reject, refuse, repudiate, and cast away. This is the flag which He nailed to the mast. May it never be lowered!

A church which does not honor the Bible is as useless as a body without life, or a steam engine without fire. A minister who does not honor the Bible is as useless as a soldier without arms, a builder without tools, a pilot without compass, or a messenger without tidings. Stand fast on old principles. Do not forsake the old paths. Let nothing tempt you to believe that multiplication of forms and ceremonies, constant reading of liturgical services, or frequent communions, will ever do so much good to souls as the powerful, fiery, fervent preaching of God's Word. If men want to do good to the multitude, if they want to reach their hearts and consciences, they must attack them through their ears; they must blow the trumpet of the everlasting Gospel loud and long; they must preach the Word.

LIVING DANGEROUSLY IN THE HANDS OF GOD...the cost and grace of living faithfully each day for the Lord

A very special thanks to Brian for posting this at his website and for Blaine for putting this encouraging video picture montage together and using one of my songs as the music bed. I am honored and humbled. 

SDG, 

Steve

2 Cor. 4:5-7

DISCERNMENT...spiritual survival for a church in crisis

This is an excellent article on equipping the church to be spiritually discerning. It is a portion of an article you can find here written by John MacArthur.

John is a time-tested, biblically sound, and theologically precise preacher/teacher of God's Word. INHO, he is the finest Bible expositor in the world today and his words below here are essential ways to instruct us to "test everything and cling to what is good." They are "equipping truths" where we may find solace, wisdom, and exhortation to live discerning lives of glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace,
Steve
Col. 1:9-14

How Can I Be Spiritually Discerning?
"but test everything; hold fast what is good."

-1 Thessalonians 5:21

Desire It
Spiritual discernment starts with your desire for it. If you seek only to be happy, healthy, and wealthy, you will not be spiritually discerning. You must be humble enough to admit your need to develop discernment. Proverbs 2:2-5 says, "Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God." Are you willing to follow the path that leads to spiritual discernment?

Pray for It
You must balance your desire for spiritual discernment by depending on the Lord for it through prayer. King Solomon prayed, "Give Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people to discern between good and evil" (1 Kings 3:9). The Lord replied, "Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you" (vv. 11-12). James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

Learn from Others
You can learn how to be spiritually discerning from the example of gifted, mature believers in the church. Some in the early church were specially gifted to discern between divine truth and error (1 Cor. 12:10). That gift was essential since false teachers tried to destroy the early church with their teaching. First John 4:1 says, "Test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Does that gift exist today? Yes, there are theologians or Bible scholars who are gifted by God to unmask false teachers. They have a special ability to think carefully, critically, and analytically. They are the church's guardians of truth. Some teach in seminaries while others do such things as write books. In whatever capacity they serve, they give clarity and insight to help us know right from wrong. You need to learn from what they teach and write.

You also need to follow the example of other mature believers. As it takes years of parental training for children to become mature, so

it takes years of godly training

for believers to become spiritually mature.

It's not a matter of praying in the evening,

"Lord, give me discernment,"

and then waking up the next morning and having it.

Spiritual maturity is the result of

being nourished by God's Word.

First Peter 2:2 says, "Long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation." God also uses trials to mature believers: "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you" (1 Pet. 5:10).

Depend on the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the true Discerner who will lead you into all truth (John 16:13). He perfectly knows the mind of God: "The thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural [lost] man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:11-16).

Allow the Holy Spirit to control your life by confessing and forsaking sin and living a pure, holy life. Galatians 5:16 says, "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." As you are obedient to that, He will make you a discerning believer.

Study God's Word
Spiritual discernment flourishes in an environment of intense, faithful Bible study. You will not be spiritually discerning--even though you desire it, pray for it, learn from the gifted and mature, and depend on the Holy Spirit --unless you diligently study His Word. Only there will you find the principles and truths to discern between truth and error. In Acts 17, for example, the Jewish people of Berea received Paul's preaching eagerly, and then tested his gospel message by comparing it to the teachings of the Old Testament. As a result many became believers.

In Acts 20 Paul warned the church leaders at Ephesus about false teachers who would try to infiltrate and devastate the church. His concluding word to them was this: "I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (v. 32). Paul knew that their careful study of God's Word was essential for protecting the church from error.

Second Timothy 2:15 says, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth." The laborer who gives maximum effort to the quality of his work will not be ashamed because of any faulty workmanship. That means the believer is to present God's Word accurately to others in contrast to those "wrangle about words" or engage in "worldly and empty chatter" (vv. 14, 16). By doing so, he will receive God's approval and be counted as one worthy to stand alongside Him. The unashamed believer can say, "Lord, I studied and presented Your Word with integrity."

What about you? How do you study God's Word? In a superficial, careless way, or carefully and thoughtfully? Digging deeply into God's Word requires effort, but remember this: "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Conclusion
Spiritual discernment requires desire, prayer, learning from the gifted and mature, dependence on the Holy Spirit, and a diligent study of God's Word. If you follow those steps, you will strengthen your doctrinal convictions, think antithetically, be kept from worldly approaches, be a good interpreter of God's Word, and confront sin. All that will help you mature and bring honor to God!

Pride and Humility...the war between vice and virtue

Pride is the most serious of sins in all of Scripture. Pride caused Adam and Eve to disobey God, sin to enter this world, and to cause all mankind to become children of wrath by nature. Pride caused Lucifer to be cast out of heaven because he tried to exalt himself above the throne of the Most High God. Pride drove Nebuchadnezzar to be stripped of his royal position and eat the grass of beasts in insanity for seven years for proclaiming: "this is the Babylon that I have built, by my might, and my power, for my glory." Pride made Herod believe his own press release that he had "not the voice of a man, but the voice of a god." And he fell over, was eaten by worms and died for he failed to give God glory. And my friends, pride will bring us low as well. It will cause us to forget our Lord and dishonor His Word. Pride will find sweet solace in wounding others. Pride will split churches, destroy families, cripple ministry, and forfeit God's blessing. Pride seeks and relishes the demise of others. Pride fans the flame of self-importance and with a malicious spirit rejoices in crushing ones neighbor. Pride puts down another in order to lift self up. Pride seeks only the advantage of self. Pride's first impulse is not to serve, but to be served. And pride cherishes unforgiveness and savors revenge.

Humility, however, is the daily surrender of our will to the submission of God’s will so that we may live pleasingly to Him and in right relationship with others in every circumstance and area of our lives. It is the purposeful yielding of ourselves to the Lordship of Christ. It is unqualified obedience to the truth of God. It is the unremitting state of being humble. Humility is quick to confess sin and seek repentance and restoration. It is being a living sacrifice. It is the broken and contrite heart, the broken spirit in which God is not despised. It is an all-inclusive dependence upon the Lord for all things pertaining to life and godliness. It is the denunciation of self-sufficiency, self-fulfillment, and self-aggrandizement. It is loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Humility is counting all things as rubbish except knowing Christ Jesus the Lord. It is denying yourself, taking up your cross and following Christ. It is not loving your life, even unto death. It is embracing the right to be wronged; free from retaliation, revenge and retribution. It is blessing those who curse you, praying for those who mistreat you, doing good to those that hate you. It is loving your enemy. It is to giving up all rights to us so that God may be glorified in all things. It is selflessness. It is treating the eternal as preeminent; and the temporary as modest. It is a high view of God and a low view of ourselves.

I pray the following words will encourage us all to daily guard against the pride of man; and with a whole heart to pursue the humility of Christ.

His Unworthy Servant in His Unfailing Love,
Steve
Jer. 9:23-24


Pride:
"Pride is self contending with God for preeminence."
-CHARLES BRIDGES

"A proud faith is as much a contradiction as a humble devil." -STEPHEN CHARNOCK

"Pride is the shirt of the soul, put on first and put off last." -GEORGE SWINNOCK

Job 35:12 “There they cry out, but He does not answer because of the pride of evil men.

Prov. 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate.

Prov. 11:2 When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom.

Prov. 16:5 Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD;

Prov. 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.

Prov. 29:23 A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

Dan. 4:37 “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

James 4:6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

1 Pet. 5:5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.

1 John 2:16 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.


Humility:
"The meek man will attain a place of soul rest. As he walks on in meekness he will be happy to let God defend him. The old struggle to defend himself is over. He has found the peace which meekness brings." -A.W. TOZER

"Repentance is a grace of God's Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed." -THOMAS WATSON

"Humility and love are precisely the graces which the men of the world can understand, if they do not comprehend doctrines. They are the graces about which there is no mystery, and they are within reach of all classes... The poorest Christian can every day find occasion for practicing love and humility." -J. C. RYLE

Prov. 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility.

Prov. 16:19 It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Prov. 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor.

Prov. 22:4 The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, honor and life.

Is. 66:2 “For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD. “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”

Zeph. 2:3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’S anger.

Eph. 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

Phil. 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;

Col. 3:12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

James 1:21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

1 Peter 2:23 When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued trusting Himself to Him who judges justly.

1 Pet. 5:6 ¶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

"Contemplate" This:...the mantra of the new age is now considered Christian?

Guest blog by Carla Rolfe

This is not going to win me any popularity points, but that is not my primary concern. I care much more about biblical truth than falling in with the evangelical trend du jour.

It used to be that if you discovered a reformed/Calvinistic/sovereign grace website you could pretty much recommend that site to others without having read every word on the site. It used to be a given, in most cases, that if a person held to the sovereignty of God in the affairs of men (i.e. Psalm 139), that they were promoting solid resources on their sites.

This is NOT the Case Anymore
More and more all the time I notice websites that are promoting and endorsing the very same authors, speakers, churches, books, seminars or conferences that are also embracing or promoting new age/eastern mystic "theology." This is just garbage; you heard me correctly, garbage. Contemplative/centering/breath prayers, mantras, labyrinths, mood altering-worship enhancing music or visuals or scents, etc. does not represent biblical Christianity. "Contemplative spirituality" represented as Christian is quite frankly... unthinkable. Yet, there are people sounding this warning that this movement is spreading quickly into all kinds of churches... Why it is making major inroads into evangelical circles these days and even being endorsed by evangelical leaders is the concern and theme of this article.

Are We Ready to Listen?
With those who biblically and boldly try to confront this issue, have we unwittingly written them off as crackpots who see demons behind every bush or embrace them who are simply trying to apply the biblical mandate of "test all things; cling to that which is good"? (1 Thess. 5:21). Do we continue to make excuses and say things like "well, let's not go overboard, because they're quite solid in other areas". Granted, some of the churches and ministries embracing this new Contemplative Spirituality may be biblically solid in other areas. But in my way of thinking this is all the more reason to exhort them away from the eastern mystic influences, rather than pacify them and give them the false idea that CS "is okay". And it's most certainly not okay.

Time and time again I see glowing recommendations for some of the leaders of this movement; such people as Richard Foster, Brennan Manning, Eugene Peterson and Thomas Merton - just to name a few. It's not as if folks who endorse these men are ignorant of what they held/hold to. They DO know and they endorse them anyway. That's the kicker. They see NOTHING wrong with endorsing those who embraced teachers for themselves that were either heavily involved in the occult, or Hinduism, or all kinds of other unbiblical "spiritual disciplines".

What does surprise me is that many of the websites and blogs I see out there that are promoting these guys (and gals - make no mistake, there are just as many contemplative women "leaders" out there as there are men) are sites that at the same time, strongly promote Sola Scriptura.

Question: let's back up the truck there: how can one endorse eastern mystic religious practices and defend Sola Scriptura at the same time?

Answer: YOU CAN'T. But they do; and many do it by saying "oh there's nothing wrong with this, it's been around for centuries, it's a good thing". Leprosy has been around for centuries too, but I wouldn't want it. Being "ancient" means nothing, if it's wrong.

What Sola Scriptura Really Means
The Cambridge Declaration gives a very good and concise definition of Sola Scriptura:

Sola Scriptura: The Erosion of Authority
Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church's life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too often, by the culture . Therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God . Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction.

Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church's understanding, nurture and discipline.

Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliches, promises and priorities of mass culture. It is only in the light of God's truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God's provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preacher's opinions or the ideas of the age. We must settle for nothing less than what God has given.

The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture. The Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture . Apart from Scripture we would never have known of God's grace in Christ. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth.

Thesis One: Sola Scriptura
We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation,which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured.We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian's conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.

I fully agree with those statements; and more so now than when it was written in 1996 and signed by the executive council. The "Christian culture" of our day has nearly obliterated Sola Scriptura right off the evangelical map. Anymore, saying one affirms Sola Scriptura seems to be an empty claim. Just a nice thing to say in order to affirm in the eyes of others that you're orthodox in your theology.

As Christians, we should not be a people
who long to just "feel" our God,
but to know our God (Phil. 3:7-11).

Embracing authors who teach us all about chanting ourselves mantra-style into numbing our brains into silence so that we can attain some spiritual level of communication with God - unfortunateley appears to be acceptable in some evangelical circles today. This falls square into the category of personal spiritual experience and cannot be justified by one verse or one passage of Scripture at all. Nowhere is this "spiritual discpline" or "contemplative spirituality" to be found in the Bible; especially as it pertains to prayer. But hey, it's assisting me to achieve "a deeper relationship" with God, so it can't be wrong... right? Um... no, Very wrong.

Mainstream Mantra
To give a very real example of just how pervasive this is among "mainstream" Christian websites, let's use a very popular Christian book site: Christian Book Distributors. Truth be told, I love CBD. For selection and price I haven't found a better source for our homeschool books over the last 8 years I've been a homeschool teacher. With that said, take a walk over there and type in "contemplative" in the search box. No less than 166 to choose from. Do the homework: look at the titles; notice the authors; and then test it with Scripture.

Among the top 10 bestsellers at CBD is "Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us" By Adele Ahlberg Calhoun. At the publisher's site you can find much more information about this book and what it contains. I'd strongly recommend you do that to see exactly what it is you're getting into when you pick up this book (or any of the others on this topic) to begin your "contemplative spiritual journey".

The Need for Discernment
The fact is, the local church is changing, and it's NOT all for the good. Unbiblical practices are being endorsed and taught and those who stand up and speak out for biblical discernment on this issue are being mocked, ridiculed, or just written off as someone who doesn't understand where the church is going and why these things are all part of a "personal transformational journey".

Personal spiritual experiences and disciplines must line up with the teachings of Scripture. If they do not, they must be rejected. And most importantly, the diligent student of the Word must ask themselves why they're participating in such things that cannot be supported by the written word of God (Acts 17:9-11; 2 Tim. 2:15, 3:16-17; 4:1-5; Titus 1:9). In addition, such experiences and disciplines can certainly feel fulfilling and exhilarating AND they might even make you feel more spiritual. If they don't line up with God's Word, one must consider that such things are not of God at all, but another spiritual realm that Christians have no place dabbling in.

More from the Cambridge Declaration

A Call To Repentance & Reformation
The faithfulness of the evangelical church in the past contrasts sharply with its unfaithfulness in the present. Earlier in this century, evangelical churches sustained a remarkable missionary endeavor, and built many religious institutions to serve the cause of biblical truth and Christ's kingdom. That was a time when Christian behavior and expectations were markedly different from those in the culture. Today they often are not. The evangelical world today is losing its biblical fidelity, moral compass and missionary zeal.

We repent of our worldliness. We have been influenced by the "gospels" of our secular culture, which are no gospels. We have weakened the church by our own lack of serious repentance, our blindness to the sins in ourselves which we see so clearly in others, and our inexcusable failure to adequately tell others about God's saving work in Jesus Christ.

We also earnestly call back erring professing evangelicals who have deviated from God's Word in the matters discussed in this Declaration. This includes those who declare that there is hope of eternal life apart from explicit faith in Jesus Christ, who claim that those who reject Christ in this life will be annihilated rather than endure the just judgment of God through eternal suffering, or who claim that evangelicals and Roman Catholics are one in Jesus Christ even where the biblical doctrine of justification is not believed.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals asks all Christians to give consideration to implementing this Declaration in the church's worship, ministry, policies, life and evangelism.

For Christ's sake. Amen.

I couldn't agree with this more.