Discerning Contemporary Church Slang

1. Wear What You Want / Be Comfortable
What if I feel comfortable in a thong? This kind of talk is usually a dead giveaway for an easy believism gospel, but not always. Actually addressing what one should or shouldn't wear speaks louder than if they had just not mentioned it all. (Matthew 6:31) "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" If Christ doesn't make clothing an issue why are contemporary preachers’s doing it? Also the words "casual" and "Christianity" just seems like an oxymoron to me.

2. Unchurchy Church

Really, an unchurchy church? Going to an unchurchy church is equal to going to an unhospital hospital and getting treatment for an unbroken broke arm. While you’re at the unchurchy church maybe you can get unsaved saved or unbaptized baptized, though it is likely that you will hear the unword word at the unchurchy church. Wake up people for "The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going" (Proverbs 14:15). Is not this kind of language the very thing Paul warns Timothy about in 1 Timothy 3:8 that deacons be "not doubletongued"? So just be warned "For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers," (Titus 1:10).

3. We Design Our Worship Services / Practical Dynamic Worship Experience
Oh, your church service isn't designed by God? Be sure that if they are taking credit for it then God's not in it. Any so called church that promotes its music worship service over everything else is a clear sign that it is an emotionally driven church that has elevated their experience over the Word of God. "And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed" (2 Peter 1:18-19). What does practical worship look like as opposed to unpractical worship? How about true worship vs. false worship, or maybe that's too divisive. That's the whole point; they want to make you think that the church down the road just doesn't worship as dynamically as they do, in a word it's nothing short of marketing the church to draw in the most consumers. It's the same thing the retail stores do to get your money, if that doesn't raise any suspicions then you’re just not thinking discriminately. I am always skeptical of church's that only describe worship as the music event, this is dangerously close to what the Jews had done by saying "Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship" rather than in "spirit and in truth", all of life is to be worship of Christ not just the musical/praise aspect of a worship service.

4. Your Best Life
If the words "Best Life" appear anywhere in a church advertisement you can be sure it's not a Biblical church even if they say they are, it's a deception, maybe unknowingly but a deception none the less. The Christian life presented in the Bible is one of self-denial and self-crucifixion (Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23, Mark 8:34), just read the book of Acts or just read the historical tradition of the eleven apostle’s eventful deaths or John Foxe’s “Book of Martyr’s”. “You’re Best Life Now” message doesn’t sell in a third world country for they have experienced the realities of life; it’s only a western cultural phenomenon. What’s ironic is that these same church’s proudly say they are about being real, how far from being real is the message of “Your Best Life Now”.

5. Connect or Plugged In
Well the first thing most contemporary church's want you to connect is your debt card to their automated online giving and isn't going to church and Sunday School connecting with other believers, or could I just friend them on FaceBook and still be connected? I have found that what contemporary church's really want you to plug-in to are the needed places of service regardless if you have the desire or gifts to serve in the area they have placed you in, this is not just a contemporary church problem but I have found it to be rampant within good church’s as well. Too often I have seen new believers get pushed into areas of church service where they are neither called nor lead with little or no training. Too many times I have seen a "novice" put in the place of leadership where chaos soon becomes the norm. Again I believe these terms to be deceptive talk in order to keep people busy in the church, like a form of control rather than shepherding and leading the flock.

6. Traditional and Contemporary Worship Services
Any church that says they offer two services one traditional and one contemporary is a church that is all ready divided, and a "house divided against itself shall not stand:" (Matthew 12:25)

7. Core Values
This is just a postmodern contemporary church term that means we don't have a doctrinal statement! If you are attending a church that does not have a church doctrinal statement then stop attending that church ASAP, because without a doctrinal statement anything goes. (Titus 1:9) "give instruction in sound doctrine".

8. Life Coach
Again, another postmodern term that simply means someone who wants Senior Pastor Pay without Senior Pastor Responsibilities; you know the guy who likes to give out advice but doesn’t want the blame if it goes bad. People don't need a life coach to guide them through the moral choices in order to win at the game of life, for they are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) and need to be born again with sound instruction in Biblical truth for the saved and lost alike both need a pastor who will preach the Word of God to them for "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14).

9. Relevant
What they really mean is culturally relevant or better yet what's popular, not what's Biblical which is always relevant. The problem is what maybe culturally relevant to me could be completely irrelevant to the guy sitting next to me, which would actually make their attempt at relevance irrelevant to some. Cultural relevance is not transcendent and does not sound the same wherever you take it, and must be changed depending on its relevance again this is closely related to consumer marketing. Whereas the Word of God cross’s all cultures, races, generations, traditions and never sounds like "a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1) for “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: “ (Psalm 19:7).

10. Missional
Being “missional” is just another word for pragmatism, in other words whatever the church needs to do in order to engage the lost community with a view to winning them to Christ, just as long as it works for our predetermined positive outcome then it should be accepted and implemented. The problem I have with this is when it affects the worship service with worldly concepts, for the church is a gathering of believers who's relationship with God is covenantal by nature and unbelievers have no part with that (at least not yet) and we should in no way adjust our worship or discipleship methods in order to please the unbelieving with hopes of drawing them to Christ, that's God's work for "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44). If we make our worship services look more like a rock concert or a comedy club to win people to Christ we only make our efforts less effective and may actually hinder unbelievers coming to true faith in Christ.

Spurgeon on Rob Bell

“Find if you can, beloved, one occasion in which Jesus inculcated doubt or bade men dwell in uncertainty. The apostles of unbelief are everywhere today, and they imagine that they are doing God service by spreading what they call “honest doubt.” This is death to all joy! Poison to all peace!…

I have not much patience with a certain class of Christians nowadays who will hear anybody preach so long as they can say, “He is very clever, a fine preacher, a man of genius, a born orator.” Is cleverness to make false doctrine palatable? Why, sirs, to me the ability of a man who preaches error is my sorrow rather than my admiration.

I cannot endure false doctrine, however neatly it may be put before me. Would you have me eat poisoned meat because the dish is of the choicest ware? It makes me indignant when I hear another gospel put before the people with enticing words, by men who would fain make merchandise of souls; and I marvel at those who have soft words for such deceivers.” —C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

The Path of Error

"A new age this, when falsehood and truth can kiss each other! New times these when fire and water can become friendly! Glorious times these when there is an alliance between hell and heaven, though God knows, we are of vastly different families. Ah! now, who cares for truth except a few narrow-minded bigots as they are called. Election—horrible! Predestination—awful! Final perseverance—desperate! Yet, turn to the pages of the Puritans, and you will see that these truths were preached every day. Turn to the Fathers; read Augustine, and you will see that these were the truths for which he would have bled and died. Read the Scriptures, and if every page is not full of them I have not read them aright, or any child of God either. Ay, laxity of doctrine is the great fault now; we solemnly protest against it. You may fancy that I am raising an outcry about nothing at all. Ah! no; my anxious spirit sees the next generation—what will that be. This generation—Arminianism. What next? Pelagianism. And what next? Popery. And what next? I leave you to guess. The path of error is always downward." —C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Excerpts taken from a sermon title "A Solemn Warning for All Churches" delivered February 24, 1856, by C. H. Spurgeon

Christians Who Murder Christianity

"Sadly true is it that the Lord Jesus Christ is still of so little account in this world. His name, ah, I am sick of the way in which they use His name today! Shame on some that are called Christian ministers! They believe in Christ, but it is a Christ without His crown, His atonement, His judgment seat, or even His Godhead. They mock us with orthodox phrases, from which the essential truth is gone. They pretend that they believe in the atonement, and when we listen to their atonement we find that it does not effectually atone for anyone. It is a mere fiction, and not a fact. It saves nobody, but is a mere sham. They have eviscerated the gospel, and then they hold up the empty carcass, and claim that they are Christians still. Christians who have murdered Christianity! Believers who doubt whether there is anything to be believed! Yet we are entreated in our charity to hug such traitors to our bosom. We shall do nothing of the kind. We would sooner believe in infidels outright than in those who pretend to be Christians and are infidels at heart. “Modern thought” is a more evil thing than downright atheism; even as a wolf in a sheep’s skin is worse than a wolf in his natural form. There are pretty things said of our Lord Jesus by those who deny the faith which are sickening to me. I loathe to hear our true Lord praised by false lips. They deny the doctrines which He taught, and yet prate about believing Him. It is a shallow trick, but yet it deceives shallow souls. Poor, weak minds say, “The man speaks so beautifully of Jesus, surely he cannot be in error.” I tell you it is the old Judas trick--the Son of man is betrayed with a kiss. How nauseating their praises must be to Him whom they are betraying. Think not that they are honest; their designs are far other than appear upon the surface. They laud Him as man that they may dishonor Him as God: they cry up His life, and His example, that they may cast His atoning sacrifice into the ditch. They lift up one part of the divine revelation with no other intention than that they may dash down the other: they crouch at His feet that they may stab at His heart." —C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Excerpt taken from a sermon titled "Recruits for King Jesus" preached February 17th, 1884 by C. H. Spurgeon

The Most Dangerous Sadducee

"I consider the most dangerous champion of the Sadducee school is not the man who tells you openly that he wants you to lay aside any part of the truth, and to become a free-thinker and a skeptic. It is the man who begins with quietly insinuating doubts as to the position that we ought to take up about religion, doubts whether we ought to be so positive in saying "this is truth, and that falsehood," doubts whether we ought to think men wrong who differ from us on religious opinions, since they may after all be as much right as we are.

It is the man who tells us we ought not to condemn anybody's views, lest we err on the side of the lack of love. It is the man who always begins talking in a vague way about God being a God of love, and hints that we ought to believe perhaps that all men, whatever doctrine they profess, will be saved. It is the man who is ever reminding us that we ought to take care how we think lightly of men of powerful minds, and great intellects (though they are deists and skeptics), who do not think as we do, and that, after all, "great minds are all more or less, taught of God!"

It is the man who is ever harping on the difficulties of inspiration, and raising questions whether all men may not be found saved in the end, and whether all may not be right in the sight of God. It is the man who crowns this kind of talk by a few calm sneers against what he is pleased to call "old-fashioned views," and "narrow-minded theology," and "bigotry," and the "lack of liberality and love," in the present day. But when men begin to speak to us in this kind of way, then is the time to stand upon our guard. Then is the time to remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and "Be careful and be on your guard against the yeast."

Once more, why do I say this? I say it because there is no security against Sadduceeism, any more than against Phariseeism, unless we resist its principles in the bud. Beginning with a little vague talk about "love," you may end in the doctrine of universal salvation, fill heaven with a mixed multitude of wicked as well as good, and deny the existence of hell. Beginning with a few high-sounding phrases about intellect and the inner light in man, you may end with denying the work of the Holy Spirit, and maintaining that Homer and Shakespeare were as truly inspired as Paul, and thus practically casting aside the Bible. Beginning with some dreamy, misty idea about "all religions containing more or less truth," you may end with utterly denying the necessity of missions, and maintaining that the best plan is to leave everybody alone.

Beginning with dislike to "Evangelical religion," as old-fashioned, narrow, and exclusive, you may end by rejecting every leading doctrine of Christianity--the atonement, the need of grace, and the divinity of Christ." —J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

Excerpt taken from a sermon titled "Warning to the Church: Pharisees and Sadducees" by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

The Emergent Way?

The postmodern mind set has so invaded every area of society that it's almost impossible not to see it's effect everywhere I go. Below is actually my employer's company motto that they want us not to just work at but they even seem to want us to live by it, they call it The COMPANYNAME Way. I have had this new slogan staring at me for several months now, and I thought; you know there maybe a Emergent Church out there some where that could use some of these statements in their Church by laws, just change a few words around to suit your Church needs and presto, The Emergent Way.

Be Cross-Functional, Cross-Cultural: Be open and show empathy towards different views, welcome diversity.

Be Transparent: Be clear, be simple, no vagueness and no hiding.

Be a Learner: Be passionate, learn from every opportunity to help create a learning company.

Be Frugal: Achieve maximum results with minimum resources.

Be Competitive: No complacency, focus on the competition and continuous benchmarking.

Evil Disputings

Mark 7:20-23 “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

“Carefully notice the range which this catalogue takes. It is a very singular one, for it begins with thoughts, and then it runs on until it lands us in utter want of thought, or foolishness. Matthew Henry says, “Ill-thinking is put first, and unthinking is put last.” Sin begins with “evil thoughts,” but ends in foolishness. The word rendered “evil thoughts” may be translated evil disputings, evil dialogues. Now this is thought by some to be almost a virtue, certainly a manly exercise. To be able to dispute, to be a questioner, a caviller, a perpetual and professional doubter; that, I say, is highly esteemed among men. What is modern thought but evil thought? David says, “I hate vain thoughts;” and all thoughts which run counter to the revelation of God are vain. In this instance I may quote the Psalmist: “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men, that they are vanity.” Thoughts which are devout and reverent towards the sacred oracles are to be cultivated; but the thoughts which cavil at revealed truth, and would improve upon the infallible declarations of Jehovah, are evil and vain thoughts. All manner of mischief may come out of thinking in opposition to God; hence it is said, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts.” Thinking contrary to God’s mind, and disputing with the clear statements of God’s own word, may be the first step in a descent which shall end in everlasting destruction.

Rising in evil thought, sin flows through a black country full of varying immoralities, until it falls into the Dead Sea of “foolishness.” How often have I heard it said of a vicious life, when it has ripened into horror: “The man must have been mad! He was not only wicked, but what a fool he must have been! The devil himself seems to have forsaken him. He acted craftily enough at one time; but afterwards he went against his own interests, and insured his own destruction.” Yes, men begin with the thought that they know better than their Maker, and at last they reach utter thoughtlessness, stolidity of conscience, and stupidity of mind. In the end they refuse to think at all, and nothing can save them from reckless defiance of common prudence. They are given over to judicial senselessness. Though God himself should speak, they have no ears for him: their sin has brought on them the punishment of utter hardness of heart. They have made themselves to be as the adder, which will not hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. This is the way of sin — to begin with fancied wisdom, and end with foolishness. The man who thought himself more than a man, at last ends as a brute beast devoid of reason. What a range, my brethren, there is between these two points! Read the words again, and see what a terrible zig-zag path lies between wrong thought and no thought at all.” —C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Excerpt taken from A sermon delivered on Lord's-Day morning, July 25th, 1886, by C. H. Spurgeon titled Hidenous Discovery.

Valiant for the Truth!

After reading Phil Johnson's post on How Can I Be Sure? and the many other post around the blog world on the topic of the Emergent Church and the battle over the "Truth War" and recently I heard an interview on Way of The Master Radio with Doug Pagitt and Doug refused to let Todd Friel quote Psalms and I wondered why he would do that, so I decided to do a search for the word "Truth" in the bible and found that Psalms is so full of truth claims (imagine that) which is exactly what Mr. Pagitt tries to avoid. In my search of the word "Truth" in scripture I have compiled a summery of my thoughts in line with what the bible reveals concerning truth, I hope and pray it sheds some light on the false notion that as Christians we must embrace ambiguity and reject absolute truth.

The God of the Bible is the "God of Truth" (Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 31:5, Isaiah 65:16), God "lives, in truth" (Jeremiah 4:2) and the Bible is called the "scripture of truth" and the "Word of truth" (Daniel 10:21, John 17:17, 2 Corinthians 6:7, Ephesians 1:13, James 1:18). Jerusalem is "called a city of truth" (Zechariah 8:3) the ten commandments are called "the law of truth" (Malachi 2:6) and God "desires truth in our inward parts" (Psalm 51:6), and the only way we can truly serve God is "in Spirit and in Truth" (John 4:23). We are reminded to continually walk before Him "in truth" with all our soul (1 Kings 2:4) and to "serve him in truth with all your heart" (1 Samuel 12:24). The man who wants to walk righteously before God must "speaketh the truth in his heart" (Psalm 15:2) and he wants to be "guided and taught in truth" (Psalm 25:5), and will "not conceal" the truth from others (Psalm 40:10), but will gladly "rejoiceth in the truth" (1 Corinthians 13:6).

But today within Christianity there are those who deny that there is even an absolute truth to be known but without truth there is no mercy for "mercy and truth are met together" (Psalm 85:10), they say that this is a new generation where truth is within each of us but "His truth endureth to all generations" (Psalm 100:5) and "endureth for ever" (Psalm 117:2). If no one can surely know truth then there is no actual right or wrong which is the basics of all laws and without laws there is only anarchy but God's "laws and commandments are truth" (Psalm 119:142,151, Malachi 2:6). Those who deny absolute truth also deny the Lord Jesus and call Him a liar for Christ said "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6) and was "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Jesus taught "the way of God in truth" (Matthew 22:16, Mark 12:14) we are told that "the truth is in Jesus" (Ephesians 4:21). These same false teachers also deny the Holy Spirit for the Spirit is called "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13, 1 John 4:6) and "the fruit of the Spirit is in truth" (Ephesians 5:9). We are to be "sanctified through the truth" (John 17:19) and we are to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) and we are to have our "loins girt about with truth" (Ephesians 6:14) and how can we do this unless we study so that we can "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15), and we know that it is God's will that we "come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4) so that "the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

But those who maintain that we can't know truth are "false witness's and speak deceit" (Proverbs 12:17), they are "in err and devise evil" (Proverbs 14:22), they make mention of God "but not in truth, nor in righteousness" (Isaiah 48:1) they "obey not the voice of the Lord and truth is cut off from their mouth" (Jeremiah 7:28). "And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 9:3). And "they will deceive his neighbour, and will not speak the truth" (Jeremiah 9:5) and their "father is the devil" (John 8:44) for they have "changed the truth of God into a lie" (Romans 1:25) and are "instructors of the foolish" (Romans 2:20) and they "hinder you that ye should not obey the truth" (Galatians 5:7) for they have "received not the love of the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:10) and are "men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth" (1 Timothy 6:5). These same men have "turned away their ears from the truth" (2 Timothy 4:4, Titus 1:14) and are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7).

But these men have been led "captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ" (Colossians 2:8) and are "a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right!" and "full of all kinds of deceit and trickery" (Acts 13:10). So I pray that these men "will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:26) otherwise they might be counted among those who "might be damned who believed not the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:12) because the Lord will "judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth" (Psalm 96:13).

"There is one sure and infallible guide to truth, and therefore, one, and only one corrective for error, and that is the Word of God." —G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945)

Meddle Not With Them!

Proverbs 24:21 "My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:"

With all the Emergent church leaders like Brian McClaren who are declaring that Everything Must Change I believe it's quite clear from this verse that as Christians we are commanded not to meddle with them that not only are given to change but who openly proclaim that a change is needed within Christendom, and you may ask why? Well just read the next Proverb.

Proverbs 24:22 "For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?"

Clearly the Emergent Church Movement has risen suddenly and who will know the ruin of them that follow this change? The famous Baptist Preacher John Gill commented on these verses in his Exposition of the whole Bible he said concerning verse 21 quote:

"Or who are given to change in religious things; make innovations in doctrine and practice, always love to hear or say some new thing; turn with every wind, and shift as that does; are tossed about with every wind of doctrine, fickle and inconstant, carried about like meteors in the air, with "divers and strange doctrines"; such as disagree with the perfections of God, the doctrines of Christ and his apostles, the Scriptures of truth, the analogy of faith, anti form of sound words; and so the word here used signifies "divers", and is so rendered Es 3:8; and may design such who hold doctrines and give into practices divers and different from the faith once delivered to the saints, and from the institutions and appointments of Christ; innovations in doctrine and worship ought not to be admitted of; and such who are for introducing them should not be meddled or mixed with; they should not be countenanced and encouraged; they should not be attended upon or given heed unto; have no fellowship, and join not in communion with them." —John Gill (1697 – 1771)

I would like to leave you with a quote from D. A. Carson that I think speaks volumes of truth on this subject of change within Christendom.

"Always be suspicious of church's that proudly flaunt how different they are from what has gone before." —D. A. Carson

Double Talk

I know I am about four days behind on this post but if you haven't taken the time to listen to the October 22nd broadcast of Way of the Master Radio with Todd Friel interviewing Doug Pagitt, emergent church leader and pastor of Solomon's Porch in Minneapolis, MN. You may not want to eat before listening or else it may come back up as you hear what its like trying to nail jello to the wall. You dear folks who attend Solomon's Porch and have to listen to Doug on a regularly basis I have some words of advice for you, RUN away from this man as fast as you can and don't look back your eternal destiny depends on it, not to mention your present sanity. Is it just me or does Mr. Pagitt seem to talk out of both sides of his mouth at the same time?

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Psalm 36:3 "The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good."

Proverbs 10:14 "Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction."

Ecclesiastes 10:13 "The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness."

Matthew 5:37 "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

1 Timothy 6:4 "He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,"

2 Timothy 2:16 "But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness."

Jude 1:16 "These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage."

Evil Surmisings

1 Timothy 6:3-6 "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain."

The reason why men’s minds are corrupt is because they do not stick to the truth as it is in Jesus: supposing that gain is godliness, making religion truckle to their secular interest. From such as these Timothy is warned to withdraw himself. Whoever teaches otherwise, and does not consent to these wholesome words, he is proud, knowing nothing; for pride and ignorance commonly go together. Paul sets a brand only on those who consent not to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine which is according to godliness; they are proud, knowing nothing: other words more wholesome he knew not. We learn the sad effects of doting about questions and strifes of words; of such doting about questions comes envy, strife, evil surmisings, and perverse disputings; when men leave the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, they will never agree in other words, either of their own or other men’s invention, but will perpetually wrangle and quarrel about them; and this will produce envy, when they see the words of others preferred to those they have adopted for their own; and this will be attended with jealousies and suspicions of one another, called here evil surmisings; then they will proceed to perverse disputings. Such persons as are given to perverse disputings appear to be men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth; especially such as act in this manner for the sake of gain, which is all their godliness, supposing gain to be godliness, contrary to the apostle’s judgment, who reckoned godliness great gain. Good ministers and Christians will withdraw themselves from such. "Come out from among them, my people, and be ye separate,’’ says the Lord: from such withdraw thyself. —Matthew Henry (1662–1714)

Rendered Useless

With all the attention that Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC is getting of late I thought this quote really sums up his messages of course his are without the wisdom of words.

"What a number of elaborate sermons have been preached to no purpose! Even the truth that is in them is rendered, in a great measure, useless, by the wisdom of words with which it is clothed." —Joseph Milner (1744-1797)

Nothing but an Apostate

In a follow up to "Nothing but a Dreamer" todays radio program Grace To You aired a sermon by John MacArthur that describes how to spot apostate false teachers like Dave Parker host of "The Living Room". If you don't believe me please view his dream that he calls "God's Dream" and then download and listen to this sermon by Dr. MacArthur and decided for yourself.

Apostate false teachers from Joseph Smith to Benny Hinn and everybody in between claim that God speaks to them in their dreams, in their visions. And this, of course, transcends the necessity to be submissive to the Word of God which is not in their hearts anyway. And it gives them the illusion of authority and God gets blamed for all their aberrations. They reject the Word of God.

Now that is a fair way to interpret that. But even if you want to beg the question of revelatory dreams here and go another direction, you could interpret it this way, “Yet likewise these dreamers,” and you could...we’ll come down from that lofty claim to revelatory dreams and you could come down and say it this way, “What they teach is nothing but the figment of their own...what?...imagination.” That’s all it is. It’s not anything more than that.

These apostates with their evil corrupted minds who stay in the church to destroy, these spiritual terrorists controlled by Satan have nothing but perverted sensual ideas running around in their minds and they become the authority for their own deceptions. At its simplest, they reject the Word of God and base their lies on the musings of their own deluded brains. At its highest, they claim God speaks to them and God told them and God gave them the Book of Mormon and God gave them The Science and Health and Key to the Scripture and God gave them the revelation that told them to do this and to do that, and God spoke to them in a dream, a vision. But the bottom line is, they are unwilling to bow completely to the authority of the Word of God.

Excerpt taken from a sermon preached by John MacArthur titled "How To Identify Terrorists In The Church" you can download this sermon in it entirety at gty.org or read the entire transcript here.

Evil Interpreters

I am just so fascinated by the writings of the early church fathers and how their words still ring so true today. This quote by Irenaeus sounds as if he could be addressing the Emerging Church Movement leaders of today.

Inasmuch as certain men have set the truth aside, and bring in lying words and vain genealogies, which, as the apostle says, "minister questions rather than godly edifying which is in faith," and by means of their craftily-constructed plausibilities draw away the minds of the inexperienced and take them captive. These men falsify the oracles of God, and prove themselves evil interpreters of the good word of revelation. They also overthrow the faith of many, by drawing them away, under a pretence of [superior] knowledge, from Him who rounded and adorned the universe; as if, forsooth, they had something more excellent and sublime to reveal, than that God who created the heaven and the earth, and all things that are therein. By means of specious and plausible words, they cunningly allure the simple-minded to inquire into their system; but they nevertheless clumsily destroy them, while they initiate them into their blasphemous and impious opinions respecting the Demiurge; and these simple ones are unable, even in such a matter, to distinguish falsehood from truth. - Irenaeus

Excerpt taken from "Irenaeus Against Heresies" Book I

Absolutely Not!

Here is an excellent sermon on the Emerging Church Movement, by Phil Johnson, who is the Executive Director of Grace to You ministeries, given at the 2006 Shepherd's Conference.

Quote: Emerging. In the first place, I object to the implications of the word emerging. This movement is not some beautiful new butterfly coming out of a cocoon. Although people in this movement sometimes claim to represent the next great step forward after the failure of modernism, my assessment would be that what we are really seeing here is the collective dying gasp of every major modernist idea evangelicals and fundamentalists have stood against for the past century and a half.

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Thanks to www.takebackcanada.com

Emerging Bridges

In one of the latest podcast by the White Horse Inn which is a nationally syndicated radio talk show hosted by Michael Horton, Rod Rosenbladt, Kim Riddlebarger and Ken Jones where they recently tackled the subject of The Emergent Church Movement on the air. I think it's a must listen because this movement is coming to a church near you soon; if it's not already there. In this show they play clips of interviews of people attending the latest Emergent Conference held in San Diego. Beware some are a bit scary like the one around the 25:00 minute mark where they ask one of the attendees "what does he think is the biggest problem in the church today", his answer made my head spin. The scariest thing about his answer was that I recently heard a pastor use some of the exact same language in his sermon.

Profane Monsters

Sometimes at work I am still caught off guard by the profane and vulgar talk that comes out of the mouth of people, I know it shouldn't because they are lost and unregenerate; but I still wonder what pleasure they seek to find in speaking such things and what a terrible condition their soul must be in that their own words constantly condemn themselves. It amazes me that today we have so called preachers within the Emergent Church that actually swear from the pulpit in order that they may be relative to the culture just stupefies me. Oh what a reproach this must bring to the name of Christ. I found this little gem by Thomas Boston on the subject of Profanity and oh how preachers and men in general should heed his words.

Which of your senses does swearing and cursing gratify? If it gratifies your ears, it can only be by the noise it makes against the heavens. Though you had a mind to give up yourselves to all manner of profanity and sensuality, there is so little pleasure that can be strained out of these sins of swearing, that we must needs conclude, your love to them, in this case, is a love to them for themselves, a devilish unhired love, without any prospect of profit or pleasure from them otherwise. If any shall say, these are monsters of men—be it so; yet, alas! the world is full of such monsters; they are to be found almost everywhere. Allow me to say, they must be admitted as the mouth of the whole unregenerate world against heaven, Romans 3:14, "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." Ver. 19, "Now we know, that whatever things the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." Thomas Boston (1676-1732)

Nothing but a Dreamer

Have you been wondering just what the emerging church really wants? Well just listen to Dave Parker host of "The Living Room" as he shares his dream for the emerging-church gathering that he calls GOD'S DREAM. This will give you an exact overview of probably what the newest church in your community will be all about. Be sure to listen for the subtle attack on the authority of scripture and the man-centeredness of his dream, he starts out by saying it's his dream but then goes on to blame God for it by calling it God's Dream, he wants a "community of church people who gather to be un-churched" or better yet he wants them to question what they believe to even be true, but he still wants to hold the Bible in high esteem. Be sure and see how he questions the authority of the Bible by saying "The explanation of the truth, or God's Word, the Bible didn't hinge on any one person's the buck stops here preaching, but rather on creative teaching and the community's collective responses and thoughts on the matter where people are free to think, to think of questions and to question the answers." Dave that is no way to hold the Bible in high esteem, the truth is not hinged on collective responses by the community, but rather the truth was nailed to the Cross and the preaching of the Cross brings about the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Why do you want to question that? Also notice that Dave wants homosexuals to find commonality at the foot of the Cross, surely Dave wouldn't call this vision of his God's Dream if he had ever read in the scripture, 1 Corinthians 6:9 NASB "do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,", or maybe he just doesn't care if his dream lines up with scripture. Does Dave really want people to think that God's Dream differs from his Word?

Jude 1:8 Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. NASB

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk So you shall purge the evil from among you. NASB

Emerging Discussion

If you haven't downloaded the latest podcast from Grace To You radio, don't wait any longer. Grace To You has added a full length feature on the topic of the emerging church movement to the end of their regular broadcast. It's a one on one conversation with John MacArthur and Phil Johnson discussing what is so bad about the emerging church movement. It's a great tool to have in our defense of the truth as the church faces an onslaught from yet another false movement. You can download it here or here as well.

Increasing Apostasy

I picked up a little gem today in a tiny antique store in historic downtown Bell Buckle, Tennessee it is titled "Expository Notes on the Epistles of James and Peter" by H. A. Ironside. As I turned to page 86 I read the following that really brought to mind men like Brian McClarin, Rob Bell and Jay Bakker who are heading up the Emergent Church Movement and spreading another gospel. Mr. Ironside quotes the following as he exegete's from 2 Peter 2: 11-17.

"While these ungodly men vaunt themselves against all authority, and as these teachers of error mingle among the people of God they are spots and blemishes, marring and disturbing the fellowship of the saints, giving themselves over to self-indulgence as they feast with Christians as though they belonged to the family of God. Because there is no power in error to subdue nature's sinful lusts they are described as having eyes full of adultery; they cannot cease from sin. It is only the might of the Holy Spirit which can subdue and hold in check the lusts of the flesh. False doctrines never do this. While beguiling or leading astray unstable souls that is, those who are not well-grounded in the truth of God, they prove themselves to be an accursed generation whose hearts are exercised not unto godliness but with covetous practices.

While the propagators of unholy and unscriptural theories profess to have just the message that men need, they actually have nothing that can give victory over sin or relief to a troubled conscience. They are like wells without water which only disappoint the thirsty who go to them, or like clouds that look as though they might soon pour down refreshing showers but are carried away by gales of wind, and so the land is left as dry and arid as ever. The doom of these misleading teachers is sure. The mist of darkness is to be their portion forever. The sad thing is that even among professing Christians so many are ready to listen to these pretentious vendors of false systems only to be destroyed at last when they find that they are left without anything upon which the heart and conscience can rest for eternity."

Excerpt taken from "Expository Notes on the Epistles of James & Peter" by H.A. Ironside, Publisher: Loizeax Brothers (1947)