odd Friel, Way of the Master Radio Host and Worldview Weekend, Code Blue Rally Speaker
A quick listen to most contemporary Christian preaching, writing or singing would lead you to believe that God is gaga about humans and just longs to spend time with us. The latest dreck from Oneness Pentecostals (i.e., they believe in a heretical Jesus) Phillips, Craig and Dean, is a typical example.
No Matter How Long
I watched you as you stumbled out of bed,
Rushed out the door, your coffee in your hand.
And you looked so lost and lonely,
I knew I had to find a way
To make you understand, I wanna be your friend.
So I painted a sunrise in the sky
And I caused the birds to sing you lullabies,
And I whispered sweet "I love you's".
No matter how long it takes, somehow I'll find a way
Somehow My love will find a way,
No matter how long it takes.
I watched you as you fell asleep last night,
And I trembled as I watched the tears you cried.
So I splashed your face with moonlight, and I longed for your embrace.
A Brief History Lesson
Before we dissect that song, it is crucial we remember that evangelicalism blossomed out of the dead, liberal Protestantism of the middle 20th century. From the early 1900�s, Biblical Christians watched as liberal Protestantism produced false converts who pretended to worship God on Sunday, but were completely detached from Him on Monday.
Evangelicalism roared to life with the correct mantra, �You need to have a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ.� To that I say, �Amen.� But as is the case with every movement that arises in response to a singular problem, it is not long before it falls into an opposite and equally damning ditch. In this case, evangelicalism appears to have fallen into the pit of Godly romanticism.
Evangelicals now present God as a love sick puppy who yearns to spend time with us. We have exchanged His loving-kindness for a gooey, romantic love.
What is wrong with this song?
While I suspect the author is alluding to Psalm 19 and II Peter 3, his repositioning of theology is staggering. My comments are in parenthesis.
I watched you as you stumbled out of bed
Rushed out the door, your coffee in your hand
And you looked so lost and lonely (God does not desire to save us from loneliness, but from our sins)
I knew I had to find a way (This makes God sound less than omniscient)
To make you understand, I wanna be your friend (While the Bible says we can be friends with God, it means reconciled, not bosom buddies)
So I painted a sunrise in the sky
And I caused the birds to sing you lullabies (God gives us creation to appreciate Him, not lull us to sleep)
And I whispered sweet "I love you's" (Is God our boyfriend or the Sovereign Creator of the universe?)
No matter how long it takes, somehow I'll find a way. (God is not thwarted by anything, let alone us)
Somehow My love will find a way, (Poor, pitiful God)
No matter how long it takes. (�It is appointed unto man once to die, then judgment�)
I watched you as you fell asleep last night
And I trembled as I watched the tears you cried. (God trembles?)
So I splashed your face with moonlight, and I longed for your embrace. (This sounds more like a Harlequin novel than Scripture)
Redefining the Atonement
Not a single Bible verse can be found to support the idea that we are so loveable that God yearns for us. Instead, God desires to restore children of wrath to a right relationship with Himself so that His loving-kindness can be displayed (Eph.2).
God does not pursue us because he finds us so adorable that His heart will just break if He can�t find a way for us to fall in love with Him. He desires to save the unlovable so that His mercy can be magnified. The salvation that God offers is for His namesake, for His glory.
Why have we so altered the doctrine of reconciliation? I am convinced it is because we have abandoned expository preaching and the preaching of God�s Law. The result? We have relegated God�s sense of anger, wrath and justice to the Old Testament as if He were a different God than that �nice New Testament God�.
While we do not want to end up in the �God is only angry� ditch, we have to find our way out of our present moat. My suggestion: we need to preach verse by verse to have a complete knowledge of the character and nature of God. We need to preach the Law to understand that we are not loveable, but loved despite what we are.
That is my take. What�s yours?
Friday, July 25, 2008
quick Tips: Witnessing to JW
rarely do we encounter someone who hasn�t had a Jehovah�s Witness come knocking on their front door. The Jehovah�s Witnesses are notorious for their aggressive door-to-door evangelistic strategy. And while many people might view the Jehovah�s Witnesses at their door as an annoyance, they are literally a mission field at our doorstep. Therefore, we try to encourage Christians to view their visits as an opportunity, an opportunity to open their eyes to the truth and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them.
The next time the Jehovah�s Witnesses comes to your front door, instead of simply turning them away, why not spend five minutes and sow some simple seeds of truth into their lives? You may not convert them to true Christianity right there at your doorstep, but you can give them some important truths to consider, truths which may eventually bear genuine fruit of repentance and conversion in their lives.
The basic error of the Jehovah�s Witnesses is what we call a �theology of denial�. Jehovah�s Witnesses basically deny all of the central doctrines of the Christian faith; most significantly, they deny the Deity of Jesus Christ. Jehovah�s Witnesses wrongly believe that Jehovah alone is God almighty, Jesus is only a god- a created being (actually the archangel Michael), and the Holy Spirit is simply an active force. This is a far cry from the true biblical doctrines of the Trinity and the Deity of Jesus Christ.
Now, if you only have five minutes to spend with a Jehovah�s Witness, try walking them through the following passages of scripture, passages that bear witness to the reality of the Deity of Jesus Christ (and the beauty of sharing these passages is that you can even use the Jehovah�s Witness� false version of the Bible, the New World Translation):
1) Begin by reading with the Jehovah�s Witness from Revelation 1:8.
�I am the Alpha and the Omega,� says the Lord God, �Who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.�
After reading this verse together, ask them the following question, �Who is the Alpha and the Omega?� They will respond by saying something like, �Well, it says right there, the Alpha and the Omega is the Lord God (or Jehovah God in their translation).�
2) Next, ask them if they will read another passage of scripture with you, and read from Revelation 22:13.
�I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End�
After reading this verse with them, ask them, �Now, who exactly is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last?� And they will probably respond by saying something like, �We just saw who the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last is, he is the Lord God (or Jehovah God in their translation).
3) Lastly, ask them if they�ll look at one more passage with you, and read with them from Revelation 1:17-18.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: �Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last (stop here and ask again, �who is the First and the Last?�). I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!�
After reading this last passage of Scripture with them, ask the Jehovah�s Witness, �So, when exactly did the Lord God (or Jehovah God in their translation) die?� And most Jehovah�s Witnesses will just look at that passage in bewilderment, for you have just shown them conclusively, even from their own translation, that Jesus is the Lord God (or Jehovah God). If you want to demonstrate this reality even further, read with them from Revelation 22:13 & 16, where the Alpha and the Omega says, �I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.�
This series of passages can be a powerful tool when witnessing to a Jehovah�s Witness. These passages demonstrate that Jesus Christ is the Lord God, or Jehovah God. Jesus Christ is not simply a god, a created being; he is the eternal Lord God.
The next time the Jehovah�s Witnesses come to your front door, instead of simply turning them away, why not try sharing these 3 passages with them? God could use you to powerfully impact the life of a Jehovah�s Witness� and it only takes five minutes! Distributed by www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com
The next time the Jehovah�s Witnesses comes to your front door, instead of simply turning them away, why not spend five minutes and sow some simple seeds of truth into their lives? You may not convert them to true Christianity right there at your doorstep, but you can give them some important truths to consider, truths which may eventually bear genuine fruit of repentance and conversion in their lives.
The basic error of the Jehovah�s Witnesses is what we call a �theology of denial�. Jehovah�s Witnesses basically deny all of the central doctrines of the Christian faith; most significantly, they deny the Deity of Jesus Christ. Jehovah�s Witnesses wrongly believe that Jehovah alone is God almighty, Jesus is only a god- a created being (actually the archangel Michael), and the Holy Spirit is simply an active force. This is a far cry from the true biblical doctrines of the Trinity and the Deity of Jesus Christ.
Now, if you only have five minutes to spend with a Jehovah�s Witness, try walking them through the following passages of scripture, passages that bear witness to the reality of the Deity of Jesus Christ (and the beauty of sharing these passages is that you can even use the Jehovah�s Witness� false version of the Bible, the New World Translation):
1) Begin by reading with the Jehovah�s Witness from Revelation 1:8.
�I am the Alpha and the Omega,� says the Lord God, �Who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.�
After reading this verse together, ask them the following question, �Who is the Alpha and the Omega?� They will respond by saying something like, �Well, it says right there, the Alpha and the Omega is the Lord God (or Jehovah God in their translation).�
2) Next, ask them if they will read another passage of scripture with you, and read from Revelation 22:13.
�I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End�
After reading this verse with them, ask them, �Now, who exactly is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last?� And they will probably respond by saying something like, �We just saw who the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last is, he is the Lord God (or Jehovah God in their translation).
3) Lastly, ask them if they�ll look at one more passage with you, and read with them from Revelation 1:17-18.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: �Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last (stop here and ask again, �who is the First and the Last?�). I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!�
After reading this last passage of Scripture with them, ask the Jehovah�s Witness, �So, when exactly did the Lord God (or Jehovah God in their translation) die?� And most Jehovah�s Witnesses will just look at that passage in bewilderment, for you have just shown them conclusively, even from their own translation, that Jesus is the Lord God (or Jehovah God). If you want to demonstrate this reality even further, read with them from Revelation 22:13 & 16, where the Alpha and the Omega says, �I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches.�
This series of passages can be a powerful tool when witnessing to a Jehovah�s Witness. These passages demonstrate that Jesus Christ is the Lord God, or Jehovah God. Jesus Christ is not simply a god, a created being; he is the eternal Lord God.
The next time the Jehovah�s Witnesses come to your front door, instead of simply turning them away, why not try sharing these 3 passages with them? God could use you to powerfully impact the life of a Jehovah�s Witness� and it only takes five minutes! Distributed by www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com
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