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The Days Of Noah (Part 2)

2009-11-16T00:55:00.000-08:00

Continued from Wednesday . . .

Jesus said in Matthew 24 that it would be like the days of Noah when He returns. Today we continue on this series starting with the first of five important lessons we can learn from the days of Noah as we approach the day of Christ's return and judgment.

LESSON 1 - JUDGMENT IS COMING

Let’s start three generations before Noah at Genesis 5:21 where we’ll find the answer to the riddle which I posed at the end of last wednesday's post - the oldest man who ever lived died before his father.

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:21-24)

Something happened with Enoch when Methuselah was born. Methuselah was the oldest man who ever lived but he died before his father because Enoch never died. God took Enoch whilst still alive - possibly in the same way that He took Elijah. We know so little about Enoch and I’d love to know so much more. But all God thought necessary for us to know was that Enoch walked with God for 300 years after the birth of Methuselah.

The New Testament also reveals these little windows of information about Enoch:

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)

It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones" (Jude 1:14)

So we know that Enoch was a changed and transformed man after Methuselah's birth. At 65 years of age, and from then on, Enoch walked with God as a prophet among a wicked and perverse society (which will be discussed in part 4). The name Methuselah seems to carry the meaning “his death shall bring” (according to scholars including Dr. Henry Morris). It seems to be that God grabbed Enoch’s attention that judgment was coming – the great flood - and Enoch was a changed man from that day on.

Jesus also warns us that just as the flood came when no one was ready, His day of judgment is coming too and it will hit us before we know it! Like Enoch, we must feed off that revelation. By the Holy Spirit, it must fuel our preaching to continually warn of the coming judgment on a society that continually spirals downward in the pursuit of carnal pleasure that is grievously offensive to God - much like they did in the days of Noah!

To be continued on Wednesday: Lesson 2 - God's Great Mercy Has A Limit

Rob Bell Exposed - Coming Soon

2009-11-13T14:03:00.003-08:00

Due to my only form of internet access being my wife's iPhone, I have had to postpone the second installment of my series "The Days Of Noah" until Monday. I am sorry for breaking my word and hope that you can understand. Have you solved Wednesday's riddle? All will be revealed on Monday!

But I did think it would be a good idea to take the opportunity to respond to the many questions and comments I receive regarding heretic extraordinaire Rob Bell. Your requests have been heard so stay tuned for further and more detailed discussion concerning Mr Bell later this month.

I have no problem with Bell's books or teaching . . . so long as they stop classifying it as "Christian" and start filing it under "new age postmodern fiction". Rob Bell's theology has as much in common with Christianity as the Dalai Lama (at least the Dalai Lama doesn't pretend to be one) and I will be explaining why. In the mean time, if you click on the "Rob Bell" label under this post, you will find a fairly extensive archive of articles and information that I have compiled thus far. If you take the time to sift through it you may find some answers to your questions and a large amount of useful information.

And please tune in on Monday for the second installment of "The Days Of Noah" . . .

The Days Of Noah (Part 1)

2009-11-11T05:03:00.000-08:00

It was the day before Good Friday in 2007. Denmark had become my new homeland just two months earlier. I witnessed to some people asking them if they knew what Easter was about. Noone had the foggiest idea. As I watched the shoppers scurrying about spending their money and seemingly oblivious to the reason for the holiday I was pierced with a dreadful irony. Firstly, that they gave no thought or regard for the reason why they got to enjoy several days off work. Secondly, the reason these people had affluence and the technology it could buy can be traced back to the days when Christian Reformers blazed a Gospel trail across Europe lifting it out of the dark ages. The tragedy was quite grievous to an outsider saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ and inspired by reformers like Martin Luther.

As I stood to preach in the town square I couldn't help but feel like I was standing amidst the ruins of the mighty reformation that happened almost 500 years earlier. And Jesus words from Matthew 24 took on a spooky reality:

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:37-39)

How terrifying to think that those swept away by the flood of Noah were oblivious until it was upon them and it will be just the same for those oblivious to the coming wrath of God that draws closer every day. The day when Jesus Christ returns, not as a Lamb, but as a Warrior making war with His enemies (see Revelation 19:11-21).

Theologians tell us that we have been in the “last days” ever since Christ’s return to the Father and the day of Pentecost. Maybe we are getting close to Christ’s return but the issue I desire to stress is the darkness of our day, the urgency of the hour, and the power of the Gospel.

Since it shall be like it was in the days of Noah I believe it a worthwhile exercise to take a closer look at the days of Noah and turn to the book of Genesis. I have five major lessons from the days of Noah that I will be revealing over the coming days but in the meantime I have a riddle for you to try and solve before it gets used as a prop in the next post. Here it is - the oldest man who ever lived died before his father! Answer that and you will go a long way towards the subject of Friday's post - Lesson 1 From the Days of Noah . . .

The Background Story To Paul Washer's Shocking Youth Message

2009-11-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Paul Washer is probably best known because of a stunning sermon he delivered at a youth conference back in 2003. Someone filmed it and when the video started to circulate it generated a huge underground buzz. Paul Washer went from an obscure (and faithful) missionary to the most downloaded preacher on youtube. Millions download his sermons all the while Washer remains almost oblivious to the whirlwind. Brother Paul is largely ignorant of the, now massive, internet archive of his preaching. He has his hand to the plow preaching continually like a "dead man walking" - a preacher unaffected by the applause of men, and unencumbered with the need to please them.

It is no secret that Paul Washer's preaching has affected me in a large way. John Wesley once shared this advice with a group of preachers - set yourself on fire and people will come to watch you burn! That comment sums up Paul Washer. But my personal experience of Paul Washer goes beyond that. I know him as a compassionate and affectionate man who cares deeply about lost sinners and God's glory. Someone desperate to be a husband and father who honors God. A man who loves the precious Gospel so much that he rails against preachers who pervert it. A man so broken and acutely aware of his own human frailty (I doubt he would like me saying these things about him. I sincerely hope my comments do not convey a form of human adulation. He is a fellow son of Adam saved from a life of wretchedness to the glory of God. But I cannnot help but speak glowingly of my up close experience of a man being spent in labor for the wonderful Savior). In the video that follows Paul Washer gives the background story to the events that led up to the most downloaded sermon on youtube. Here is a quote from the interview:

When Jesus was persecuted, when people said bad things about Jesus, they were always wrong. When people make critiques of me they are not always wrong. We are men, we are weak, we are failing. I just want people to know that when someone says something about me that is not very positive, they may be right. And I want them to know that I know that they may be right, and it breaks me, and I do want to be more exact; I do want to be more Holy.

So here's the interview, an interview that is fascinating for those who have already been deeply impacted by Paul Washer's "shocking youth message" . . .

Obama To Enter Diplomatic Talks With Raging Wildfire

2009-11-06T03:46:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama has taken diplomatic skill to a whole new level. This video courtesy of www.onion.com . . .

Obama To Enter Diplomatic Talks With Raging Wildfire

This video is an excellent satire that highlights the delusions of grandeur that world leaders can have and also the delusions Christians can have in the political process. We should support things that are morally right and stand for righteousness - this is all part of exercising the biblical worldview. But the only way to bring about genuine change is to prioritize our energies towards the proclamation of the Gospel. Because the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.

Only God can change that sinful heart. We may receives plenty of good counsel on how to conduct ourselves or bring about change but it will all turn out to be a complete failure with no positive results unless conversion lies at the heart of the process. From that point on godly counsel serves as a valuable outlet to demonstrate how God has changed us inwardly. Please hear me on this – there are good programs out there but unless God has done a regenerative work in our hearts the program becomes worthless. This is the issue that must be explored before all others.

The issue of being transformed or “saved” by God has become the Evangelical no-brainer of the 21st century. We all like to think we’ve got a tick in the salvation box and it’s time to move on to more interesting stuff. If that is your thinking then you need to take a holy pause. It can be a dangerous assumption to think that we or our neighbor are “right with God”, especially if there is no outward fruit of inner transformation. I have to confess that I spent many years of my Christian walk with only a shallow understanding of the Gospel. When I stopped trying to move on from it and started to mine deep into it I was able to find pearls of wisdom and treasures of truth that transformed my life. To correct a famous quote of Billary Clinton “it’s the Gospel stupid”.

Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron have an entire ministry (Way of the Master) focused on understanding, experiencing, and articulating the Christian Gospel rightly. They do a lot of interviews and street witnessing, and regularly speak with professing Christians. This has made me acutely aware of the massive subculture out there who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and deny Him with their lifestyle. Christianity for most of these people hinges on good works, church attendance, birthright, or baptism. I think Keith Green summed it up well in the seventies when he said that “going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger”.

But easily the most deceptive and alarming trend that Ray and Kirk have exposed is the multitude of professing Christians out there still living in slavery to their pet sins all the while entrusting their salvation in a ”sinners prayer” that they once recited. I’m not saying that altar calls are totally wrong, but what I am saying is that prayer does not save people – it is the One we are praying to who saves us (provided it is the biblical Jesus) and initiates a miraculous transforming work within us. Jesus told Nicodemus “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3b) and that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5b). Jesus is talking about a lot more than a sinner’s prayer here. What Jesus is referring to with water and Spirit is explained in Ezekiel 36.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your
Uncleanness (there’s the water), and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I
will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you (there’s the Spirit). And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

It is God Who is speaking in these verses and it is worth noting how He explains conversion and Who it is that does the converting. I will sprinkle clean water on you; I will cleanse you from all your idols; I will give you a new heart; I will remove your heart of stone; I will put MY Spirit within you; I will cause you to walk in MY ways; I will cause you to obey MY commandments. God does everything when he saves someone – even the ability to walk in obedience is a gift from God. This is what happens when someone is truly born again.

Please understand that this is not about judging every person’s salvation. But it is a call not to take salvation for granted. It is a call to heed the Apostle Paul’s advice to the church in Corinth (II Corinthians 13:5) and “examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith”. To see whether we are bearing the fruit of the Spirit that testifies to His inner work. CJ Mahaney always reminds his church members to preach the Gospel to themselves daily. In his book “The Cross Centered Life” he says:
These are God’s promises to all who respond to His wonderful plan of salvation. Too many of us have moved on from that glorious plan. In our never-ending desire to move forward . . . too many of us have stopped concentrating on the wonders of Jesus crucified. Too many of us have fumbled the most important truth of the Bible, and therefore we’ve suffered the consequences (p17).

AnI have really labored this point because it gets so easily bypassed in our haste for practical solutions to every conceivable problem. Genuine conversion and the resultant indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the foundation that must be in place in order for us to enact all other biblical principles. Wherever we are in our relationship with God, let us pause and take stock. May we come humbly before God and examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith. May we fervently explore the endless depths of Christ’s love for His Church demonstrated in the cross.

Living In The Second World

2009-11-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

I just have to face up to the fact that I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. I have spent my entire life being continually confused by things that seem obvious to everybody else. Sometimes people would say to me "Cameron, you can't have your cake and eat it too". Now I just don't get that saying at all - whenever I've had a cake in my hands it was for the sole purpose of eating the thing! I don't get antiques either. Can someone please explain to me the good sense in buying something old when a new one costs less? And why do all those people who want to stop polluting the atmosphere smoke those strange looking cigarettes? My life has been one perplexing ride!

But amidst all this personal confusion has come a recent resolution to one of the more challenging questions I've had since high school. It was in school that I learnt about the western world and how it is often referred to as the first world. And then there was all the poor countries otherwise known as the third world. Excuse me - what about the second world? How come nobody ever talks about it? Is it some secret bunker in Roswell, New Mexico? How come it gets no airtime? During Church discussions on mission I would often point out that I had a heart for the people groups of the second world - but that was more out of confusion than compassion. Who were these people and where did they live!

My seemingly futile search for answers concluded this week when we moved house to a rural location - with no internet access. Yes, I've finally figured it out, the second world is all the people who have no access to the world wide web. It certainly explains the complete lack of blog posts on the subject. So here I am, living life in the second world. My inbox runneth over!

We might have three worlds, but when it comes to eternity there is no middle ground. Heaven and hell are divided by an unbridgeable gulf. I've learnt that the second world has one particular thing in common with the first world and the third world - it's full of sinners. And they'll all end up in the same world unless they are born again . . .

For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:16-19).

Soppy liberals and emergents love to point out that Jesus didn't come to condemn. What they always fail to point out is that He didn't come to condemn because the whole world was already condemned because of their lawless rebellion against God. They are bound for hell and God will be just in sending them there . . . but . . . in the fulness of time God sent forth Jesus, God in human form, to fulfill the law that God demands and nobody keeps. Christ died as a propitiation, which means he endured God's just wrath against sinners as a substitute, fulfilling the requirements of justice and making a way for God to grant repentant sinners pardon and clothe them in the righteousness of Christ. Penal Substitutionary Atonement is great news - anyone who attacks this doctrine has a zipper on their sheep suit.

So now you know which of the three worlds you live in - but do you know which of the two worlds you'll end up in. You see that death counter to the right on this blog? It's only a matter of time before you become a part of the statistic. Cry out to God - how kind He is to give us time to repent.

A Post From The Internet Wilderness

2009-11-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Oh the shame of it all! Here I am writing this post on my wife's iphone, and typing at the speed of a VHS (when it's nearly finished rewinding). Three days "offline" and I feel like Tom Hanks in that movie where he gets stuck on a deserted island . . . except for the growing a beard part. All these years of mocking the nerd community without ever seeing my face in that crowd. How did I become so dependant on cyberspace?

I believe it is often the Holy Spirit that gives me a good whiff standing downwind of myself! I am reminded of my precious brothers and sisters in the persecuted church. Christians in places like North Korea and Saudi Arabia who suffer atrocities infinitely worse than going three days without checking my inbox. These people are the real heroes that gain fellowship in the sufferings of Christ.

How precious is my Jesus Who loved me while I was in my sins. How priceless is His blood that paid for my littany of crimes against Him! How glorious is the resurrection hope! And how pathetic of me in the light of these unshakeable truths to lament my lack of internet access over the last three days.

If you can't find me tomorrow I'll be in the repentance corner!

Moving House

2009-10-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

I´m moving house as I write today and don´t have any time to feed the readers today. Please pray for us as it is always a bit tumultuous as a family with three young kids moves house. One word of advice for those in the same boat - whatever instrument of discipine you use on your children, make sure it is the last thing you pack and the first thing you unpack. TTo give you a taste of the challenges we face and the remedies we will attempt to pursue in an apostate nation this interview with Paul Washer may be of interest to you . . .

Paul Washer Describes The Virtuous Woman

2009-10-28T03:53:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted a three part series on God's design in marriage. It is based on a short sermon I recently delivered at my brother-in-law's wedding. To discuss male headship and female submission in Denmark (even among professing Christians) is extremely counter-cultural. Feminist ideology has infiltrated the culture on every level - so much so that I've heard pastors steer around verses that may offend the "independant woman". Two of the great tragedies in the ignorance of the biblical truth concerning male and female roles are the failure to see male headship as a demonstration of Christ's sacrificial love for His church, and secondly, to see the great God honoring nobility in being a virtuous woman as described in Scripture. Paul Washer sheds some much needed light on the subject of the virtuous woman . . .

Why America Is So Great!

2009-10-26T05:16:00.000-07:00

Now that I have the aggravated attention of my native Australians and the Europeans I live with - let me explain why the USA is the greatest nation on earth. And the point of this is not to inflate American delusions of grandeur, it is actually for the benefit of those of us who live outside "the land of the free". And I think the reasons I give are going to surprise you. (I think I can hear my Aussie friends gnashing their teeth already).

Am I saying that the USA is a bastion of righteousness and that the prevailing "brand" of Christianity over there is the train we all need to get on? My answer to this question is a resounding No! America is in big trouble and the decline seems to be accelerating. This should be of great concern to any Christian because America is still the global engine room of missions funding, missionary activity, and theological training. But something great is also happening over there at the underground level and it is something that those of us on the outside would do well to embrace. Though one can never speak for every individual citizen, there are still some very distinguishable marks at the ground level of American culture.

There are three major reasons or observations that necessitated this post. Firstly, because those of us living in western countries with a Christian heritage need to wake up from the cancerous passivity and indifference that plagues us. Secondly, because the only form of politically correct racism is American bashing. And thirdly, because the health of the church in America has massive repercussions on all of us.

Observation 1
One thing I continually find to be overwhelmingly different in the USA is the common belief that there are still things worth fighting for. Right now there is a truth war going on over the Christian Gospel. In both Europe and Australia, the passivity of professing Christians concerning the fundamental truths of the Christian faith has allowed the false gospels of life enhancement and post modern philosophy to have an open door into mainstream evangelical churches. This has also happened in America but at least there is a fight going on over it. We seem to roll over and play dead when it comes to defending the once for all delivered glorious Gospel purchased with the precious blood of Christ. Meanwhile in America, there are still great preachers who are leading a growing phenomenon of churches and young preachers who will not compromise on the purity of the true Christian Gospel. This is important for all of our sakes. It is also a call to men who have relinquished the roles of priest in their home and guardian in their church to man up, realize that there are hills worth dying on, identify those hills, and go out there and fight to the death.

Observation 2
For many years I have heard the anti-American tirades of many a man on the street and sometimes even in the pulpit. There is no doubt that there is legitimate criticism that can be levelled at the American culture - not least of which their disastrous choice of a radical pro-abortionist President. People certainly vary from state to state and demographic to demographic but I have to say that when it comes to Christian hospitality and compassionate love, I have never experienced it on the level that I have in the local church communities that dot the American landscape. This is something that has humbled me in my travels and caused me to reexamine my own life and conduct among the body of Christ. So instead of taking up the popular pastime of "yank bashing" maybe it's time to at least try to adopt one of the finer points of their culture.

As an extra note I find it interesting how often I find myself discussing the war in Iraq or Afghanistan with my Christian neighbour in a conversation that never transcends the worldly level of foreign politics and anti-americanism. How about, as Christians, we evaluate the goings on in Iraq and Afghanistan in the context of Christian persecution and advancement of the Gospel. If you come at the subject from this angle and study the plight of Christians who live in these places it may radically alter your view.

Observation 3
May we never forget that America is the engine room of missions giving, missionary activity, and theological training. The global blessing that this has been is a sleeping giant that those of us who are Christians living outside the USA take for granted. (It also needs to be said, in fairness, that much of what is bad has also emmanated from the USA and we have been quick to embrace many of these in the name of pragmatism). In spite of all the flaws, there is a lot for us to be thankful for when it comes to American contributions to the Great Commission. And pray for the great arsenal of faithful preachers as they persevere in the "Truth War" that rages over there.

There is so much more that could be said. But I just decided to throw in my ten cents worth today. I am curious as to the response this might provoke. But more than that I am hopeful that it will awaken us to the need to fight for the Gospel on our home fronts, support our Christian brothers and sisters fighting in the "Truth War" over there, and cause us to give thanks for the great ways God has used America to bless the world.

Just Give Obama All The Prizes

2009-10-23T03:37:00.000-07:00

This weeks sarcasm award has to go to Gene Edward Veith for the recent post on his blog regarding Barack Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize:

Yes, President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. But why didn’t he win the Nobel Prize for Medicine, seeing as how he is trying to reform American health care? And the Nobel Prize for Economics, since he is trying to fix the collapse of the economy. And the Nobel Prize for Literature for his book and speeches. And the Nobel Prize for Physics for trying to make something out of nothing. And the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his chemistry with foreign leaders. I’m personally offended that our president is not getting the international respect that he deserves.

Am I going political on the readers? Perhaps, but only insofar as what we can learn from how the world has become enamored with this man. I mean, really, the Nobel Prize has become a complete joke (if it wasn't already). The radically pro-abortion (including grotesque late term abortions) President might be the master of cliche loaded speeches devoid of substance as well as pandering to muslims with historical myths and revisionism - but it seems that being light on substance and long on rhetoric is good enough for the judges of all that is Nobel! Is it really that easy to seduce the masses? Judging by the favor Obama has already garnered, it seems reasonable to say that we well and truly live in an age where the words of Isaiah 5:20 are coming to fruition:

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

In my years as a Christian, I have often pondered the Scriptures that envision the rise of the Antichrist and how he will capture the affection of most of the world. I have to admit that I used to struggle in believing how this could possibly happen, especially the worship of a man, in a hedonistic world with 24/7 media scrutiny. But as of now, I certainly have a lot less trouble believing how this can happen. Am I saying that Barack Obama is the Antichrist? It would be a foolish call to make. But whether he is or not, the global community is now witnessing a global seduction that many of us would not have thought possible.

How creepy was that? No, it was not footage from one of the Left Behind movies. It actually happened in America. But Obama's appeal has extended to almost every continent it seems. It is patently clear, here in Denmark, that the amount of disdain that the public held for George W Bush is the polar opposite of the affection held for Barack Hussain Obama. If you are one of the many being seduced then I suggest you turn your head away from your television screen and in the direction of that Bible gathering dust on the shelf.

Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? "I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds" (Jeremiah 17:5-10).

Obama might have plenty to say about hope but the only hope of any substance will be found in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The only real hope we can give this condemned world is by preaching about it. The days are evil so let us trust in Christ - the ONLY way, the ONLY truth, the ONLY life - and preach the Gospel, both in season and out of season!

God's Design In Marriage (Part 3)

2009-10-21T02:42:00.000-07:00

Continued from Monday . . .

That leaves one final person to talk about. And if I don’t talk about Him then none of this can make sense. Everything I’ve said so far hinges on both husband and wife understanding how Christ loved the church and I am inadequate to ever fully explain that. But it would be wrong if I didn’t try to give you some small glimpse of His amazing grace. To tell of the great love of my precious Savior. The Bible tells us that Christ’s love was revealed by dying for a people while they sinned against Him. You see if we don’t understand our sin we cannot understand Christ’s love.

Did you ever wake up in the morning and wonder “where did all the stars go?” Did they all just disappear? No – but we only ever see them shining in their glory against the background of a dark night sky. And the cross of Jesus Christ shines in its glory against the dark background of our sin against Him – and it was only when God helped me to see the awful darkness of my sin against Him that I could start to see the depth of His love for me in sending Jesus Christ - and this has everything to do with marriage!

Sin is so offensive to God, not only because of how evil sin is, but also because of how perfect God is. Good judges can never ignore crime. How much more can God never ignore every time we break one of his laws. If I lie to my daughter she can do nothing to me. But if I lie to my wife I’m going to be sleeping on the sofa. If I lie to my boss he can fire me and if I lie to the government they can throw me in jail. Did you notice that it was the same crime but when I did it against a higher authority the consequence became more and more severe. How serious is it to lie against an infinite authority? It is an infinite crime and that is why there is a hell.

I used to ask how can a loving God send people to hell? But then I realized that I was asking the wrong question. The right question was “how does God put up with me?” And there are times in marriage when you’ll be wondering “how can I ever put up with her” or “how can I ever put up with him”? Those are the times when you need to look in the other direction toward the cross and remember how much mercy God gave you and how He calls you to reflect that love to your sinful partner.

If you really see the dark night sky of your own sin then the question you will ask is this – How can God ever forgive me without violating His goodness and justice? How can He be both just and the justifier? How can He save me from the hell that I deserve? There was only one way and that is why He is the only way - it would cost Him everything! The God Who created the universe had to become a man, Jesus Christ, and live a perfect life keeping all of the laws that we have broken. He then had to die on a cross as a substitute, suffering God’s holy wrath that we deserve. God treated Christ as if He had lived our life so that He could treat us as if we had lived His - if we repent from our sin and cry out to Him for mercy.

Let me ask you – is God’s grace really amazing to you? May God’s amazing love be the fuel that keeps the fire of your love blazing for your spouse. May you always look in the direction of the cross when you don’t like what you see in the direction of your partner. Never move on from the cross. Dive deeper into it full of awe and wonder so that the wife's submission to her husband, and the husband's love for his bride will be a shining star of the resurrected Jesus in a very dark world.

God's Design In Marriage (Part 2)

2009-10-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Continued from Friday . . .

Now for the men! In case you're confused - we're the ones who don't look as good! As a husband you are called to love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave His own life for it. Years ago in my Air Force days I can remember the day that my ultra feminist, commanding officer came walking towards me with steam coming out of her ears. Some of the guys I worked with had told her about me, that I was a Christian, and that I didn’t think that husbands should treat their wives as equals. That was fuel on her fire! In a voice that sounded like a volcano that was ready to blow, she asked me “Is it true that you don’t think women should be treated equally?” I looked that woman straight in the eye and told her that what she heard was true because real men don’t treat women as their equals, they treat them better than themselves.

Nowhere should this be more true than in the marriage relationship. Maybe you will never be called upon to give your own life for for your beautiful bride – but you’d better be willing to! And I can guarantee you that you will be called upon to die to your own agendas and desires in order to serve your wife. Yes your wife is called upon to submit to you - in all things! But remember also that her husband is called to be a servant and not a dictator. I’d be lying if I told you that I always do this right – but it is the goal that I must always aim for – always chasing it though never fully reaching it. So that is the other side of the picture that you and your wife are to present to a world that doesn’t know God. You are to portray Christ’s servant heart and sacrificial love for His church in the way you love your wife, and she is called upon to submit to you in complete devotion portraying the church’s submission to Christ. This is God’s design and plan for men in marriage.

Concludes on Wednesday . . .

God's Design In Marriage (Part 1)

2009-10-16T02:51:00.000-07:00

Some of you might be thinking – hmmm what could Cameron possibly know about marriage, after all, I’ve only done it once and that was ten years ago! But in reality it is a very fair question to ask of me. Who am I to speak on a subject of such great importance. The only reason I’m willing to speak here on this subject is because of my Maker and His Manual. I’ve come to learn that He speaks with authority on every subject in the Bible and this includes marriage. And I’ve come to learn that His advice trumps Oprah every time. God is always right about everything – hey, it isn’t arrogant if it’s true! So my answer to the question is that I can speak with authority purely because God speaks with authority through His Word and God is so kind that He made His Word knowable for a simpleton like me.

The God Who made the universe also designed marriage. He knows how it works and He gives clear counsel on how to make it work. This is because marriage is an earthly picture of Christ’s love for His Church. The book of Ephesians tells us:

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband (Ephesians 5:22-33).

The wife is called to submit to her husband just as we are called to submit to Jesus Christ. This verse is very unpopular in “modern Denmark” and many try to deal with it by ignoring it or denying it. I think we should try and understand it because the One Who made woman, and knows what is best for her, gave the Bible to teach her everything she needs to know about everything. To understand God's calling for a wife, she needs to see the big picture in this – and it is something very glorious!

The Scripture teaches that the church is the bride of Jesus Christ. It is made up of all the people who have repented from their sin and trusted in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). So first of all we know that the call to submit does not categorize the wife as someone of lesser value, but rather someone different in function. Secondly, we see that she is not called to submit to other men in her role as a wife but to her husband, and that he belongs to her. His body is her possession. Thirdly, submitting to her husband is not about slavery. It is about a devotion that is so great that it paints a picture to the rest of the world of how devoted the church is to Jesus Christ. This is God’s design and plan for the wife in marriage.

Continued on Monday . . .

Ravi Zacharias Warns About Hell

2009-10-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Eternal damnation is unbelievably horrific to meditate on. How can one grasp forever? As dreadful as it is, it is worth pondering from time to time. To stir us to evangelism, to recognize so great a salvation as found in Jesus Christ, and to examine ourselves in the light of God's holiness. Ravi Zacharias waxes eloquent on this frightening subject . . .

What David Letterman Can Teach Us About the Gospel

2009-10-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

How relevant is this blog? David Letterman and the scandal surrounding him has been headline news recently. We have no interest in dredging the cess pool of gossip that swirls around media scandals. But Russell Moore has written a post on his blog that gives a great angle for us as Christians to learn from - what David Letterman can teach us about the Gospel. It is a great read and I couldn't help but post it on my blog as well. Take it away Russell . . .

If you pay a little attention right now to David Letterman, you could learn something critical about carrying the gospel to your neighbors, and to yourself.

I’m not talking about re-tooling some Christian version of the late night comedian’s “Top Ten Lists” or his “Stupid Pet Tricks.” I’m not talking about his cynical humor, or emotionally detached coolness. I’m talking about why he was so scared of a blackmailer’s extortion.

We’ve all been there.

Last week Letterman started off a segment on his nationally-broadcast program “The Late Show” by telling his viewers a “story.” The studio audience, laughing along, seemed not to be able to tell, at first, if this was a set-up for a joke or a skit, but it became clear this wasn’t a gag.

Letterman said that he had gotten into his car at six in the morning one day to find an envelope in his car, an envelope with details and evidence of Letterman’s sexual affairs with women on his staff. The extortionist wanted two million dollars or he’d make it all public in a screenplay or book.

At first glance, this is just another celebrity soap opera, and, frankly speaking, not a particularly shocking one. What interests me, though, is not that Letterman was doing “terrible things.” What else would I expect a man outside of Christ to do?

What’s interesting to me is that the blackmail scared Letterman, and the reasons why.

Letterman said the extortion note was disturbing, first of all, because he feared the mysterious correspondent was watching him. Someone who knew this much about his life, would this figure be tapping him on the shoulder from the shadows? Pulling him into the back of the car?

Letterman also, though, was upset by the note because it was true.

Letterman acknowledged to this viewers that he had, in fact, had sex with women on the “Late Show” staff. He also said that seeing his “terrible things” there in print, with evidence for it all, in front of him, made him feel “creepy.” Even in his deadpan comedic, “aw shucks this ain’t so bad” wink-and-grin performance, we can hear a terror, a terror that is common to humanity.

If the envelope in the car had accused Letterman of being a member of an Islamic terrorist cell, he might have still been worried that the crazed writer was around, but, after getting out of the parking garage, Letterman wouldn’t have been, in his words, “menaced” by the accusations. Why not?

It’s because he knows he’s not a member of an Islamic terrorist cell. There could be no evidence to show it, because it’s not a fact. The power the blackmailer had over the comedian was in the truthfulness of his accusations, and in the cold, rational evidence he had for each of his charges.

You and I once felt a deeper, more primal blackmail, and it scared us to the core. In fact, we often still do. Now, for most of us, it’s not the same kind of transgression or the same type of discovery. But we’re blackmailed just as surely, in fact even more so.

The Scripture says that Satan’s reign over this present order is by holding us captive through the slavery of the “fear of death” (Heb 2:15). And why are all humans afraid of death? Because, like Letterman’s letter in the back of the car, our conscience is pointing us to judgment, with a “black box” of evidence of our guilt (Rom 2:15-16).

That’s why the gospel is such good news for blackmailed creepy people like us.

Jesus says of Satan, in one of the most remarkable passages to me of all of Holy Scripture: “The ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me” (John 14:30). Jesus’ calm is the same as if I were asked to take a DNA test to prove that I’m not the father of one of Michael Jackson’s children. I know there’s just nothing there.

Jesus knows that, as the one sinless human since Adam’s catastrophe, Satan has no evidence of guilt in Jesus. He’s been tested, and he’s still standing.

Jesus doesn’t fear Satan’s accusations because he has nothing to hide, from the demonic watchers, from his Father, from himself. He is truth, and the truth makes him free indeed. With his tranquil conscience, Jesus marches right to the pole of slaughter, paying the wages of sin for those in the satanic slavery.

That’s why our Lord Jesus shows us, through our brother John, that “the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God” (Rev 12:10). And how do those in Christ triumph over this accusation? It’s “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev 12:11).

Satan has nothing left to accuse because at the Place of the Skull “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). If you’ve already been exposed, you can’t be re-exposed. If you’ve already been damned, you can’t be re-damned.

David Letterman said the accusations bothered him because he’s a “tower of Midwestern Lutheran guilt.” But there’s nothing particularly Midwestern or Lutheran about it. It’s a signal of a conscience that points to judgment. But it could also point to the One who has borne all the penalty due at judgment, including the public humiliation of being caught. We’ve all been there.

Let’s remember the gospel, and learn from Dave Letterman how scary blackmail can be. As the accusations come at us, let’s acknowledge the truth of the satanic claims. Let’s find ourselves in Jesus. And let’s point to a bloody cross and an empty tomb where those accusations were verified and crucified.

Poor David Letterman. This extortion is nothing like the one he, and billions more, are facing from a threatening presence who can’t be indicted by a New York grand jury. Let’s pray for him, and plead with those like him in our neighborhood and in cities and villages all around the world, as we remember what it’s like to be that scared.

And let’s remember not to be paralyzed by cosmic blackmail. The satanic powers have the evidence against us; yes, they do. But every accusation comes before an Advocate with a still conscience in his chest, scabbed-over spike-marks in his hands, and a crushed snake skull at his feet.

The satanic accusations are usually true. They wouldn’t bring them up if they weren’t. But if Christ Jesus is raised from the dead (and he is) then they can’t paralyze us anymore.

In fact, if you think about it, they’re just stupid demon tricks.

What You Missed At Deeper

2009-10-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

For the last two years Living Waters/Way Of The Master (the evangelism ministry of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron) has held a conference called Deeper. I am one of the priveledged people to attend both conferences. Coming from the reformation watelands of europe it was such a rush to fellowship with thousands of like minded Christians and be assaulted by powerful sermon after powerful sermon. It can be quite overwhelming for someone living in an apostate land. For those of you who weren't there here are some bite sized samples (the DVD's can be purchased here) . . .

First up is the man with a brain that's bigger than Richard Dawkins' faith in himself . . .

Deeper is so huge that even Mike Seaver got excused from detention . . .

And the stage had been sanitized to the point where Todd Friel will even venture onto it . . .

Mark Cahill - a man so intense his head could explode at any moment . . .

Johnny Hunt downed a Red Bull before he preached . . .

I cannot reveal this man's identity but I can tell you that his intials are EZ . . .

And how about the man who was genetically engineered in the 50's using DNA from George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, and Mini-Me . . .

For some reason the video of Greg Koukl is not available on youtube yet but I can tell you that it was an outstanding apologetic presentation on the Trinity. It is a great ride when you get to listen to a top drawer apologist when he is "in the zone".

In hindsight, the only counsel I can offer is to be there when Deeper 2010 rolls around!

Is Kirk Cameron An Evangelism Actor?

2009-10-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder if Kirk Cameron is an evangelist or an actor whose acting career has extended into evangelism videos? Do you wonder if witnessing encounters like this are engineered events far removed from real life? It's a fair question . . .

Reality TV has become an oxymoron. It seems that most things get staged, one way or another, and are rigged in an effort to improve ratings or gain publicity. Kirk Cameron is someone who learnt to thrive in this environment. He grew up in "Tinsel Town" and became very successful at Hollywood's game of succeeding at pretending to be someone else. In the late 80's and early 90's Kirk won adoration in living rooms all over America as a fictional character called Mike Seaver. Mike Seaver might be long gone but Kirk Cameron soldiers on as a co-host of the TV series The Way Of The Master. This time around he's kept his real name but you may be left wondering if the character is still fictional. Does he revert back to an insecure celebrity in an ivory tower once the cameras stop rolling? Is the evangelism captured on film a thin veneer for a man who likes to live in isolation from the general public? Well I know the answer!

I got to scratch through that veneer and guess what I found - more veneer! To put it more accurately I found out that there was no veneer. What I found was a humble man (almost as humble as I am) who is keen to share the Gospel with strangers and hungers to learn how to better represent Christ on this planet. What you see on film is "reality reality television". It's how he really is!

Recently, when visiting Atlanta for the Deeper Conference, I had the great fortune of eating at a restaurant with a group of people, one of whom had an uncanny resemblance with Mike Seaver. Kirk, not being a local in Atlanta, asked his hosts if the restaurant had been "sufficiently tracted" (that's Raycomfortese for making sure all staff have received Gospel tracts). When he found out that it hadn't been "sufficiently tracted" he then took it upon himself to hand out tracts to each of the staff and then proceeded to preach the Gospel to them. Kirk is definitely the real deal. It was me who walked out of the restaurant feeling like an actor that night!

Stay At Home Moms/Mums Are My Heroes

2009-10-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

I had the great fortune of being hosted by three different families during my recent trip to the USA. In a world that seems to have gone totally mad, I have found some oases out there. They are the households of true Christian families, and these are households that run largely on the labor of stay at home mums (that's moms for you Americans who can't spell).

Though it is an occupation of ridicule among feminists and social engineers, it is a pursuit that exceeds the demands of "higher education", is way more important than any other career, requires skills beyond any rocket scientist, greater sacrifice than any political office, and a lot more intelligence than any social worker. These women are the true heroes rising above the ashes of "feminist utopia". The guys from Go Fish might not be able to spell mum correctly but they do get it right when they say that it's the most important job in the world . . .

So to Laura, Susan, and Chelsea - I cannot thank you enough for going the extra mile for me when I stayed in your homes. You all have full plates as it is and I am truly humbled by the kindness, selflessness, and amazing hospitality you all extended towards me. Your amazing children shine in a dark world as a testimony of your godliness and discipling. You've all chosen the narrow road that requires sacrifice but also yields the greatest rewards as you nurture a new generation of Christian missionaries. It is also the career for women that God is most pleased with due to it's alignment to His plans and purposes . . .

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled (Titus 2:3-5).

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates (Proverbs 31:10-31)

And finally, the even greater blessing in my life! God, in His immense kindness, granted me a wife, who surpasses anything I could have hoped for, and goes way beyond any blessing that I never deserved. To my darling Mrs Buettel - thank you so much for your constant integrity, support, and selflessness. I am already seeing real dividends from your immense investment in our three children. How could I ever thank you for your Christ-like love that hides my failures and makes me honorable among my peers. The favor I gain from being the husband of you is a revelation of what grace really means - undeserved favor.

My words fall short of doing justice to the labor of these amazing women. Nevertheless - to all you stay at home mums out there, especially Laura, Susan, and Chelsea, and none more so than my gorgeous wife - you are all true heroes, missionaries, and world changers. The Bottom Line salutes you!

Foxes Book Of Emergents With Hurt Feelings - Rob Bell (Part 10)

2009-10-03T00:45:00.000-07:00

Phil Johnson over at Pyromaniacs has writen an article on the emergent sacred cow otherwise known as Rob Bell. It is such a great and insightful read that I have posted it here as well. If ever there was a barometer of the lack of discernment among professing Christians, Rob Bell´s popularity certainly makes it very obvious. The guy is a seductive speaker and innovative story teller but if you don´t get a lot of red flags every time you hear this guy speak you need to give your biblical literacy a serious boost. In this article on the Pyromaniacs blog, Phil Johnson responds to an interview Bell did with a Boston newspaper which has a link below. Johnson is a truly exceptional Christian thinker of the modern era and I encourage you, the reader, to take the time to digest Phil´s words . . .

See, this kind of stuff is why I keep saying the historic meaning of the word evangelical will probably never be recovered. (You might want to read The Boston Globe's religion section and then come back here. The rest of this post will be more relevant if you have the full context.)

I do agree with Rob Bell about one thing. (Quick. Somebody wash my mouth out with soap. Please.) He's right when he points out that the way the secular media usually employ the term evangelical—as a synonym for religious right-wing politicos—is a misnomer. Bell says, "For many, the word has nothing to do with a spiritual context."

Well, yeah, OK. I suppose that's part of the problem. More precisely, the term evangelical has been systematically evacuated of any reference to its historic doctrinal roots. People today therefore feel free to assign it any meaning they fancy—religious or non-religious. Practically everyone in the world of popular religion now claims to be "evangelical" in one sense or another. That includes not only old-line Moral Majority types who think the Republican Party agenda is gospel truth; hip middle-class Willow Creekers who couldn't care less about either doctrine or politics but just want to be entertained; crypto-Socinians like Bell and McLaren; crass socialists like Jim Wallis and Sojourners; heavily politicized left-wing wingnuts who think Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, and Al Franken are all good medicine—or whatever.

In fact, listen to Bell's own cockamamie claim about what the term properly describes: "I embrace the term evangelical, if by that we mean a belief that we together can actually work for change in the world, caring for the environment, extending to the poor generosity and kindness, a hopeful outlook. That's a beautiful sort of thing."

So is that what Bell considers "a spiritual context," or did he already forget what he had just been saying about how the term became politicized and corrupted in the first place? Hmmm.

An interviewer at The Boston Globe evidently wondered the same thing. He tells Bell, "I'm struck by the fact that I don't hear a lot of explicitly religious language, or mentions of Jesus, from you."

Bell's answers to that question and others in a similar vein are instructive. Among other things, he admits, "I have as much in common with the performance artist, the standup comedian, the screenwriter, as I do with the theologian. I'm in an odd world where I make things and share them with people."

One thing is clear: Bell himself is no true evangelical in any historic sense of the term. The Boston Globe's headline ("Bell aims to restore true meaning of 'evangelical'") is exactly backward. Bell has no agenda to "restore the true meaning" of the term evangelical, much less encourage a revival of true evangelical belief. In fact, Bell has made a career of attacking historic evangelical convictions—laying siege to the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, the wrath of God against sin, the authority and perspicuity of Scripture, the necessity of the virgin birth, the coherence of the biblical testimony about the Resurrection, the exclusivity of Christ, and whatever other historic Christian doctrines Bell finds politically incorrect.

In fact, if you have the stomach to read the complete version of The Boston Globe interview, don't miss Bell's arrogant skepticism about the sovereignty and omniscience of God: "For a lot of people, dominant questions center around, 'Why is this happening? Why me? Why now?' Unfortunately, the religious voice often enters into the discussion at an inappropriate time—'God just planned this.' Really? Your God planned this, not mine."

If any popular figure "in the evangelical movement" (or on its copious fringe) deserves the label "heretic," it is Rob Bell. The guardians of evangelical politeness don't like that kind of candor, but when a secular newspaper like The Boston Globe is publishing pieces implying that the best, most promising alternative to right-wing civil religion is a mish-mash of Open Theism and performance art—and that whatever "evangelicalism" is, it must be one or the other of those two abominations, it's time for people with historic evangelical convictions to speak up clearly and make the biblical message heard again.

Coming Soon - God's Wrath

2009-09-29T22:38:00.001-07:00

I am currently having the great pleasure of reading AW Pink's classic work The Attributes Of God. As I was reading through Pink's chapter on God's wrath I was reminded of both the importance of this doctrine as well as it's lack of popularity in modern Evangelicalism. If you never read older authors then there are a lot of gems you're going to miss out on. Pink, obviously, also held to that notion as can be seen by his quote from the 17th century writer William Gurnall. Just read this quote and meditate on it for a good while. It'll be a great investment in some biblical perspective:

When I consider how the goodness of God is abused by the greatest part of mankind, I cannot but be of his mind that said, The greatest miracle in the world is God’s patience and bounty to an ungrateful world. If a prince hath an enemy got into one of his towns, he doth not send them in provision, but lays close siege to the place, and doth what he can to starve them. But the great God, that could wink all His enemies into destruction, bears with them, and is at daily cost to maintain them. Well may He command us to bless them that curse us, who Himself does good to the evil and unthankful. But think not, sinners, that you shall escape thus; God’s mill goes slow, but grinds small; the more admirable His patience and bounty now is, the more dreadful and unsupportable will that fury be which ariseth out of His abused goodness. Nothing smoother than the sea, yet when stirred into a tempest, nothing rageth more. Nothing so sweet as the patience and goodness of God, and nothing so terrible as His wrath when it takes fire. (William Gurnall, 1660).

Crossing Paths With The FBI And A US Marshall - In One Day!!

2009-09-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

Most of us watched enough TV as kids to gain at least some sort of fantasy based understanding of the FBI or what it's like to be tracked down by a US Marshall. Yes, I must confess to my own personal guilt of watching too many Tommy Lee Jones movies and having a twisted fascination with alien conspiracies. I'm no dummy - I know how many spaceships they've got impounded in Roswell and I know that a US Marshall is someone who persitently pursues people who are convicted of crimes they never commit . . . or so I thought.

While attending the Deeper Conference at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia (The church that Johnny Hunt pastors) I had the great fortune of brushing with the law. Two members of the church, Todd and Jeremy, were on the scene to help me with a transport dilemna. They were two of the kindest people I could encounter to help me out - a couple of godly men. Once they had sorted my transport problems we were able to engage in a bit of social chit chat and it was then that I saw their badges! Todd informed me that he was an agent with the Federal Bereau of Investigation (FBI) and Jeremy was a US Marshall. They had plenty of cool stories to tell but there's only one that I will share today. And that is the huge challenge faced by Christian men and women within these organizations to glorify God within their professions.

The pressures come from every side for our brothers and sisters that work within these agencies as well as those serving in the military and police. Life threatening dangers, temptation to compromise integrity, the infringements shift work can make on family life, and being an active member of the local church are all challenges that can conspire against our brothers and sisters within these services. Couple those pressures with the challenge of continually dealing with, and working alongside, unregenerate people who are hostile to Christianity and you've got a dangerous mix of ever-present obstacles to running a strong race and finishing well. So please pray for them and next time you bump into one on the street (regardless of their profession of faith), thank them for the job they do . . . and tell them your praying for them . . . and slip 'em a Gospel tract.

To Todd and Jeremy, thank you for the job you do! It was a real priveledge to meet you. May you both abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Been To America, Back In Denmark

2009-09-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well yes, I have returned from the USA and what an amazingly good trip it was. So good in fact that I'm still processing and digesting all the great things I learnt, experiences I had, and the profound level of fellowship. I'm just not ready to talk about it yet. The Deeper Conference in Atlanta was definitely a major highlight. The sheer caliber of preaching and teaching in such an intense format is overwhelming for someone like me coming from the barren land of Denmark. Here is a little bite sized piece of Deeper for you to snack on:

I'll be speaking more about the Deeper Conference in some later posts but one thing I will mention, which was of great encouragement to me, was the number of people who recognized me and thanked me for this blog and some of the videos I've made. I do need to be wary of flattery but it is comforting to know that my tiny labor in an obscure part of the world is touching the lives of people. One of these people interviewed me between messages while I was sitting in a pew at the conference. I've posted it because it gives an update on our labor in Denmark and desire to see biblical churches planted - and thankfully we are now seeing some positive signs!

The Archbishop Of Canterbury Is Biblically Illiterate!

2009-09-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

The worldwide head honcho of the Anglican church, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has made another brazen display of sheer incompetence as a "Christian". Not only has Rowan Williams played a large role in perpetuating and expanding the sheer disarray of the Anglican movement. He has also presided over their failure to take a biblical stance on a wide range of issues (including the ordination of unrepentant practising homosexuals), making sissy boy apologies to Muslims (for all that worldwide violence perpetrated by Christians against "peace loving" Jihadists), and a total failure to proclaim the Gospel in a culture being rapidly paganized.

Now he has given another startling display of his sheer biblical incompetence (which is a tragic reproach brought upon the remnant of faithful Gospel preachers that remain within the Anglican movement). Either the Archbishop doesn't have a Bible, or he has one but never reads it, or his Bible highlighter is a black texter. The Archbishop recently vented his self-righteous indignation at what he perceived to be a lack of repentance by all those financial movers and shakers who brought us the global credit crisis. Here is an extract from the article in British tabloid "The Daily Mail":

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said he fears that the City is returning to business as usual with no 'repentance' for the excesses which led to the economic collapse . . . 'There hasn't been what I would, as a Christian, call repentance. We haven't heard people saying "well actually, no, we got it wrong and the whole fundamental principle on which we worked was unreal, was empty".'

Earth to Rowan - get a grip! You are clearly confused about the distinction between believers and those who are unconverted, the scope of church discipline, and the role God plays in dealing with those who are outside the body of Christ. Here's some advice from the Apostle Paul . . . you've heard of him haven't you??

But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you." (I Corinthians 5:11-13)

Deal with the heretics in your own Anglican camp, Rowan - they're pretty easy to detect, they're the guys who always vote against the clear teaching of Scripture. That is your scriptural scope of responsibility. I find it staggering that you use time and energy lamenting the sins of unconverted heathens who the Bible describes as "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1) and "enemies (of God) in their minds through wicked works" (Colossians 1:21). They need the Gospel, Rowan, because it is the only power that can make those dead bones live! All the while wolves in easily detectable sheep outfits run amok right under your nose and you refuse to impose any church discipline whatsoever.

Furthermore, the moral decline of the once mighty England, that revived and roared in the days of Whitefield and Wesley, is intrinsically connected to the continual dilution, and ultimate abandonment, of the glorious Gospel that thundered across Britain during the Awakening. It is that Gospel which you are called to preach as your primary duty. The time you waste lamenting the sins of pagans in a now secular culture should be spent preaching the Gospel - then, maybe, you might have less of those greedy sinners to complain about.

Some may question my tone in this post and I am willing to concede that I could have ramped up my intensity several notches further. This is so farcical that antics like this demand the sternest possible rebuke. It is not arrogant of me to do so for the Scriptures speak so plainly on this subject that even a knucklehead like me can figure this one out. REPENT ARCHBISHOP REPENT!!!

Kirk Cameron Masterclass - How to Witness to a Catholic

2009-09-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned on earlier posts how much I respect Kirk Cameron as an authentic Christian who actively shares the Gospel. Just over three years ago on "Way of the Master Radio" Kirk was in the studio and a Catholic guy named Tim called in asking some questions. What followed was an amazing fly on the wall experience of listening to a born again Christian witness to a Catholic with tremendous wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures.

This is a brilliant case of turning on the light instead of exposing the darkness. Kirk never points out to Tim the erronous doctrines of Catholicism but rather explains the Gospel with clarity and Tim joins the dots. Click here to download the podcast and hear the encounter. It starts about four minutes into the program. Kirk teaches us that we can lead a horse to water, and while we can't make it drink, we can salt his oats.

But the story doesn't end there! It was very apparent that Tim was massively convicted. As Tim got off the phone they pleaded with him to think long and hard about their conversation. Well Tim did think long and hard and actually called the radio show back about a week later. Download this podcast and find out what happened to Tim. Tim calls at 26 minutes into the program (have a box of tissues handy).

Pay particular attention to Tim's hunger for God's word and desire to witness to others - generally strong indicators of genuine conversion.