Todd Friel of Wretched.com explains
What does a seared conscience look like?
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,“
(1 Timothy 4:1-2)
(1 Timothy 4:1-2)
What does a seared conscience look like? Like this:
Now as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” And he said, “If the Lord will not help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?” And the king asked her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ So we boiled my son and ate him. And on the next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him.’ But she has hidden her son.” (2 Kings 6:26-29)
You see the issue. The woman was appealing to the King for justice. For a breach of contract. But what a breach of contract! She was SO SEARED in mind that she never stopped to think of what she was saying. “I want justice because the other woman broke our deal to cannibalize our children?!” The horror is that she related this so matter of factly. The worse horror is that she was so unconscious about her sin that she simply and unemotionally stated the facts of the case without stopping to think of what she was actually saying.
That is a seared conscience.
That is also a judgment. Judgment for their apostasy was prophesied by Moses in Deuteronomy 28:56-57:
The most tender and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because she is so delicate and tender, will begrudge to the husband she embraces,to her son and to her daughter, her afterbirth that comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears, because lacking everything she will eat them secretly, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in your towns.
Cling fast to the faith. In my opinion, this is why Paul said to take very thought captive, every thought. (2 Corinthians 10:5). Do not listen to liars with seared consciences, who have already been pre-judged for their lies by having the seared conscience to begin with. The road which they travel and lure followers only gets darker and more evil with every step. As with everything biblical, there exists a progression. Ascent into holiness and then glorification is a process and descent into evil and the final apostasy is also a process. It all begins with one step.
This is where sin brings the unwary to: cannibalism…and worse. How can it get worse you ask? Apostasy is a terrible thing. It brings people so deep into sin they can’t even feel their sin anymore. People who have seared consciences are not only sinners, but are “inventors of evil”! (Romans 1:30) Worse, they not only sin deeply, don’t care, and invent ways to perform more evil, but they give hearty approval to those who practice the evil. (Romans 1:31).
Times of great apostasy are always dangerous for the vulnerable- the physically vulnerable and the spiritually vulnerable. In the Tribulation, the vulnerable will be at most risk once again. (Matthew 24:21-22; Luke 12:51-53). It will be a free-for-all of sins like we saw in the 2 Kings passage. A seared conscience is a terrible thing.
If you still feel conviction over your sin, great! Keep that feeling alive by remaining in a humble and penitent relationship with your Holy God. If you do not feel the same about sin as you used to, you must check yourself to see if you are in the faith. (2 Corinthians 13:5). If you don’t, you know the outcome. You will get eaten up- either by your neighbor because love has gone cold (Matthew 24:12) …or by satan, for the wages of sin is death.
Creation Grace: Fields
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| Photo EPrata |
Sunday Martyr Moment: the Overseer of the church at Rome, Felix
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. According to this summary from Christian Book Summaries,
Writing in the mid-1500s, John Foxe was living in the midst of intense religious persecution at the hands of the dominant Roman Catholic Church. In graphic detail, he offers accounts of Christians being martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ, describing how God gave them extraordinary courage and stamina to endure unthinkable torture.
From the same link, the book’s purpose was fourfold:
- Showcase the courage of true believers who have willingly taken a stand for Jesus Christ throughout the ages, even if it meant death,
- Demonstrate the grace of God in the lives of those martyred for their faith,
- Expose the ruthlessness of religious and political leaders as they sought to suppress those with differing beliefs,
- Celebrate the courage of those who risked their lives to translate the Bible into the common language of the people.
Text from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
We left off with the conclusion of the eighth persecution under Emperor Valerian. Here we begin The Ninth Persecution Under Aurelian, A.D. 274.
From the modern language version of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, it is stated that “Historians know Aurelian as the Roman Emperor who held the barbarians in check beyond the Rhine River and regained Britain, Gaul, Spain, Syria, and Egypt for the Empire. Christans know him as just another barbarian and persecutor of the Church of Jesus Christ.”
The overseer of the church at Rome, Felix, was the first martyr during Aurelian’s reign. Felix was beheaded in AD 274. Agapetus, a young gentleman, who sold his estate, and gave the money to the poor, was seized as a Christian, tortured, and then beheaded at Praeneste, a city within a day’s journey of Rome.
These are the only martyrs left upon record during this reign, as it was soon put to a stop by the emperor’s being murdered by his own domestics, at Byzantium. Aurelian was succeeded by Tacitus, who was followed by Probus, as the latter was by Carus: this emperor being killed by a thunder storm, his sons, Carnious and Numerian, succeeded him, and during all these reigns the Church had peace.
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The Christian rarely has peace on this earth. Even while the Apostles were laying the foundation of the church, spiritual war erupted in the heavenlies and satan sent his minions to lob weapons of false doctrines and false teachers to enter the church and sow tares. Spiritual war is continuous and we are never at real peace.
Though when our church and its doctrines are being attacked in the heavenlies by false prophets, AND we are being attacked in the earthly realm by bodily threats, harm, and death, it is a wonder that the church remains alive at all.
Thank the Lord that He is the Overseer of the Church at Earth and in Heaven! He is powerful enough that the gates of hell will never prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18).
It is only by His power and His Spirit that we have true, inner, spiritual peace, being reconciled to God once again. When Jesus comes in His glory, then all the saints will also have the peace that eludes us on earth, freedom from sin’s effects, and freedom to proclaim His name without persecution. I can’t wait for that day.
How do you confront a brother or sister who follows a false teacher?
This blog is about prophecy, discernment and encouragement. In the discernment department, I write a lot about false teachers and show from the bible how and why the particular ones mentioned are false. I do the same with false doctrines.
However it is harder to know how to approach a person in your church who is under the sway of some of these teachings. You know that so-and-so is false. They don’t. There is no question that the issue shouldn’t be raised, because after all, the gifts are to be used for the building up of the saints to the ultimate glory of His name. Jesus wants a pure church. The Spirit works hard to ensure it, so that we can point to Jesus in holiness. But HOW do you approach someone you see involved in a Beth Moore study, or going to a Bethel Redding or IHOP conference, or using a curriculum by Henry Blackaby?
It reminds us that faith cannot be removed or detached from the realm of real life.
~John MacArthurIt’s one thing to know about false teachers in the academic sense, but quite another to put the information to edifying use inside a church teaching situation. Both theological knowledge and deeds are important in a Christian. I’ve had the opportunity to approach some various church leaders and some brethren in various churches regarding different false teachings or teachers. With that in mind here is what I did when approaching a person about a false teacher.
Please understand that this is not a template or a method to be mindlessly copied. I’m just a forgiven sinner, a woman in Georgia working out my salvation with fear and trembling. There may be other ways to bring up the subject in a church or with a person. There are undoubtedly other scriptures to rely on as the basis for the action. Please share your method and your thoughts on scriptures that apply to the issue.
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| Painting by echo feng, cc license |
First of all, if you desire to approach someone about a false teacher or false doctrine in your church, it demonstrates the love you have of Jesus to care for His name so much that you want to protect your sisters from the dangers and poison that false teaching brings! “And many will follow their [false teachers] sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed,” (2 Peter 2:2). False teachers bring these heresies in and it always leads to destruction of those who follow- if they don’t repent. (Revelation 2:22-23). Therefore, remaining silent about the poison false teaching brings is actually hate. Helping brethren avoid the predators is helping them to abide in Him (1 John 2:27) and is love.
Though it is for the glory of the name of Jesus, it’s hard to share even with a wise and trainable sister, one who wants to know and asked to know, about a favored false teacher, only to then see her saddened over the truth. Thankfully, these kind of hard feelings are fleeting and ultimately relationship building and not relationship-destroying.
On the other end of the spectrum, some people become very angry when told that a false teacher isn’t worth pursuing. These people are usually bound up in pride, and they cling to the teacher because they have invested their ego and pride in making the decision to follow them in the first place. It is called “Deception by Investment”, and these people remain angry, but at you, for bringing it to light. They would rather continue investing in the false teacher instead of looking it up like a Berean, so as not to puncture their pride. This kind of anger can be relationship destroying because you become the object of their ire rather than the false teacher who is blaspheming Jesus.
The first step is always prayer. The first pass in the process is always pray for your pastor, teachers, and
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| By Chris Yarzab, cc license |
Sunday School Director (who makes the decisions about which books to buy) or brother or sister you’ve developed a burden for.
Second, because it is a leader who makes the decisions on what curriculum to bring forward, I usually make an appointment with the leader and sit down in private and discuss my concerns. Even if it is a church member and not a leader who you want to talk with, still, make an appointment, maybe for coffee. Ask to stay after Wednesday night prayer meeting for a few minutes. Go to brunch after church.
I’d let the leader know that in the upcoming meeting you’re going to share concerns about such and such a teacher, so they will know what the meeting will be about- and so they can pray more specifically too. I’ve done this with the Pastor, Sunday School Superintendent, Teacher, and Ladies Ministry Leader. I don’t want to sandbag them or embarrass them publicly so I always ask to meet.
Most importantly and scripturally, meeting in private is also an acknowledgement of their office as leader, Hebrews 13:17 says,
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Pray before the meeting. A lot.
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| Molly Sabourin Original was in color |
Third, when you meet: if they are a leader worth their salt, they will appreciate your humble approach and also appreciate the opportunity you’ve given them to personally research the issue you’re putting before them, and to pray. Even if you’re speaking with a sister, and even if they are confused or angry with the subject of the talk, they will see the lengths you’ve gone to reach them in love. If you were in error and didn’t know it, wouldn’t you want someone to come alongside and put their arm around you and take time and speak to you in love? (Mark 12:31).
In my opinion another benefit of doing it this way is that if my interpretation of the verses and the scriptures leading me to a conclusion that a teacher is false is actually incorrect, the leader can then have an opportunity to instruct me.
This woman’s short essay on how she chose to bring up a Beth Moore teaching to a sister who was about to enter a BM study was really good. I find it instructive and encourage you to read it, too. Loving sisters who love Beth Moore.
Fourth, in the meeting, (if you get a chance to meet in privately or one-on-one), I’d have put together some notes about why you feel so and so is an unprofitable teacher. I use notes when I speak to the leader or person because I’m very shy socially and I refer to notes because I get really tangled up and I forget the points I’d wanted to make. I give it to them when we’re done. This helps because it gives someone a chance to later read over what you’ve said.
I’d keep it short and choose the worst offenses from the teacher’s cadre of false indicators. For example, though I’ve written about Beth Moore’s falsity many times, I am especially aggravated at the vision she says she had where Jesus spoke to her like she was a prophet and told her the church was paralyzed by unbelief. To me, it is the clearest example of her falsity. The link for that essay explaining why it is a false vision, with scriptures, is here: “Examining Beth Moore’s Statement ‘My Bride is Paralyzed by Unbelief’
Here is a good web page from Rev Matt Slick (who runs CARM.org) outlining succinctly Beth Moore’s many aberrations, you could pick and choose which ones the Spirit seems to be leading you to. The site has similar summaries for other false teachers, as well.
FMI: Is Beth Moore a false teacher?When you meet, the main idea is not to make an airtight legal case, but to share solid information particular to your heart and the church’s situation, and then to step back and let the Spirit apply these truths to their hearts.
I’d also include some verses which support your right and duty to point these things out, a few are above in the beginning of this post, a few are below. Just in case you get the old chestnut “Judge Not!” verse or “Touch not God’s anointed!”
- Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
- 2 Timothy 3:5 Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people
- Romans 16:17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.
5. When it comes time for the ladies study to begin, and the leader has dismissed your concerns or hasn’t had time to work through it yet, or the Sunday School class is about to start, have your prayerful decision ready. I hope it is that you will choose not to attend. If you’re asked by the other ladies or men why you’re not attending, have a short statement ready in your mind to reply. Not as detailed as you give the leader, but enough to say in a sound bite which conclusively states your opinion.
Something like “I have researched Beth Moore’s doctrine and her teaching methods and have come to the conclusion that since she confesses hearing from Jesus and having visions, she twists scripture from its historical context and allegories it too often, as she did in her Strongholds book with misapplying Galatians 5:1, so it seems she is a false teacher and I decided not to partake of the study. I’d be more than happy to talk about this later with anyone who has concerns with my (and my husband’s?) decision.”
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| Salem (MA) Public Library, cc photo |
Or you might say, “Joel Osteen is a word-faith preacher who refuses to preach the whole counsel of God and since Ephesians 4:14 says to preach the whole counsel of God, Osteen demonstrates a lack of discernment and a rebellion against the Spirit inspired word, so I humbly decline to attend the study.” And then your absence from it will be the continuing statement.
Use scripture in all cases, with the leader and with the brethren and in all discussions. It is the power of God to apply truth to hearts. Always use scripture. I can’t say it enough, it is of extreme importance. Use scripture. It is not our earnestness or our fervor or our zeal which will win them over. It is not a carefully constructed argument. It is not the power of our intellect which will pierce the spell they are under with a false teacher. It is the Word!
“Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13).
The Spirit will resonate the verses you use in minds and hearts, and if I was a betting woman, at least one of them will seek you out later to say, “I had concerns too, but couldn’t put my finger on them. Can you tell me more?” And by golly you can hand them the same paper you gave the Leader you chose to speak with previously.
6. At all times keep praying. And keep loving the sisters and brothers who are under the teacher’s spell, by all means. Some of them might be false converts but some of them will be truly brethren in the faith, standing on the same blood soaked ground you’re standing on.
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| ‘Under A Spell” rjg329, cc license |
The spell of the false teacher is always powerful. Picture a doctrine-whisperer seducing the brethren.
I was reading up on Beth Moore the other night. I read one woman’s blog where she had written that she had attended a Living Proof conference and really wanted to talk with Moore, because two of her children had died and she knew Moore could share the grief of child-loss, since Moore had given her adopted son back to his mother after raising him for 7 years. This blogger said she approached a counselor at the back of the arena when the conference was over. The following is an excerpt from her narrative. While I understand the woman was in the throes of grief, it is still a startling example of how deeply people get wrapped up in false teachers:
“As we were walking and I was crying, I realized that Beth Moore was standing right beside me with her back to me. I looked at the woman leading me out of the room and held up my hand as if to say, “Just one minute.” With my other hand, I reached out and literally took a hold of Beth’s arm as if it were my only chance to ever be that close to her and feel her love. I couldn’t help but think of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ robe……not implying that Beth has this same power, but simply saying that I truly wanted a blessing from Beth and in touching her hoped that I would receive it.”
These women are truly ensnared! Those who follow false teachers are caught up on something satanic. We can’t beat satan but the Spirit of God can. I say satanic because the false teacher always tries to shift your gaze from Jesus to themselves. So many of them have elevated the teacher to a status they certainly don’t deserve but if they are so emotionally (or financially) invested, they will balk at the notion that they have misplaced their trust. Just be sensitive.
On the other hand sometimes the Spirit helps by moving a person out off range of the predator. Distance helps clear the vision and they see the false teacher in a new light.
This is the narrative of a pastor’s wife who moved from Alabama to Wisconsin to plant a church with her husband. She used to love Beth Moore but found out after the move that her love affair was drying out. Her writing is clear and down to earth funny. “Secret Life of a Pastor’s wife: Breaking Up with Beth Moore“
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| Josh Mishell, cc license |
“Even though I am a native Southerner, born and bred in Alabama and having lived in the south all of my life, when I look through my Midwestern lenses, Beth Moore is not relevant. Her homey humor, “beloved,” and “bless your heart” sayings don’t translate. I would watch the faces of native Wisconsinites as they watched her DVD. They thought she was cheesy and as much of an over-the-top caricature as Jeff Foxworthy. “You girls, know what I’m sayin’, right? We wouldn’t be caught dead without our face on and our hair did.” Hah! Most of the Wisconsin women I know can shovel snow, chop wood, and milk a cow without batting an eye. So many of my students grew up on dairy farms and were out milking cows by 5 am, shared a room with 4 other siblings, and didn’t have a car until they graduated from college and bought their own. Concern about curling their hair in Africa would not rank in their list of concerns. And quite frankly, she’s very patronizing to women and holds very, very strict gender stereotypes.”
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| Nick Sherman, cc license |
If a teacher doesn’t translate it is because they are embedded in the world and using the world’s language- the wrong language. God’s word always translates because He transcends distance and time.
The upshot is that even if initially your message about a false teacher is not received, the Spirit is always working. He perhaps had prepared the person you’re going to speak with by sending other people prior to you. Or subsequent to your talk, His work might continue in physically moving the person from the location of false teacher’s sphere…or cause financial hardship to prevent cable subscription so TBN won’t come into their house anymore, or to simply illuminate the scriptures when that person is reading the bible, or continue the work in a zillion ways we can’t anticipate. Though we get emotionally wrapped up in the conversation, it is not the only thing the Spirit is doing and His work extends far beyond our little participation in it.
“so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
That’s why we use the Word and not our opinion in these talks. Our opinion is just a puff of wind, but His word is always working!
7. Not to say that it always works out. Sometimes the person you speak with doesn’t see the light but your exhortation might entrench them further into their snare. This, too, is the work of God. His glory is always the highest outcome of everything we do. He is working for the glory of His name. This is where I found Ezekiel 2:3-7 especially helpful-
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“And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.”
NOT that we’re prophets but on His day the person will have no excuse. In Revelation 2:20-22 Jesus is describing a false prophetess and commanding John to tell the church at Thyatira to leave off her and repent, and He gave them time to repent. He is always reaching for His sheep. But not all repent and leave off the false teacher, but His glory is such that they will know they were told. Ultimately, it is not up to us and it is not about us, but about Him and His glory, now and on His Day.
In conclusion, those are my thoughts on how to approach a person involved with a false teacher.
- Pray, (Philippians 4:6)
- Research with biblical accuracy to the best of your ability, (2 Timothy 2:15)
- Respect your leaders, (1 Thessalonians 5:12-14 )
- Meet and talk humbly of the issue, (Galatians 6:1)
- Share notes, (1 John 2:1)
- Be open to correction, (Hebrews 12:11)
- Pray some more, (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18)
- Separate from the false teacher, doctrine, curriculum, or teaching (Romans 16:17)
- Remain reliant on the Spirit no matter the perceived, observed, temporal outcome, (John 14:26)
- Pray (Romans 8:26).
Often, I’ve discovered that there are more people in the church who feel the way we do but simply don’t
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speak up because they don’t know HOW to go about bringing difficult topics up. And for others, the notion of challenging a current popular teacher’s doctrine on a biblical basis will be a new thing to them, because many churches or church members never do it at all. They are watching what we do, which is pursuing holiness and building each other up. (Ephesians 4:11-32; Philippians 2:1-18). There are always wider lessons in everything the Spirit in involved in. Just make sure the Spirit IS involved by being gentle, prayerful and biblically accurate.
This is what I came up with after prayer and research. What do you think? What has been your experience?
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Further Reading
Is It Right for a Christian to Expose False Prophets and False Teaching ? (by Damon Whitsell)
Ambrose Bierce on the Silent Christian
Our pastor said that we should not be silent Christians. The next day once again I came across Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary. His book is a satirical reference book which lampoons hypocrisy in politics, law, religion and culture. I looked up what he had to say on certain religious topics. It has been a few years.
On Religiosity:
Religion, n. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable.
“What is your religion my son?” inquired the Archbishop of Rheims.
“Pardon, monseigneur,” replied Rochebriant; “I am ashamed of it.”
“Then why do you not become an atheist?”
“Impossible! I should be ashamed of atheism.”
“In that case, monsieur, you should join the Protestants.”
On Carnal Christians:
Repentance, n. The faithful attendant and follower of Punishment. It is usually manifest in a degree of reformation that is not inconsistent with continuity of sin.
On our Sinful State:
Man, n. An animal so lost in rapturous contemplation of what he thinks he is as to overlook what he indubitably ought to be. His chief occupation is extermination of other animals and his own species, which, however, multiplies with such insistent rapidity as to infest the whole habitable earth and Canada.
On Neighbors:
Neighbor, n. One whom we are commanded to love as ourselves, and who does all he knows how to make us disobedient.
Then I read this Paul Washer quote on Twitter. He has a point, doesn’t he?!
If you notice in the New Testament, the invitation comes in the form of an authoritative command. Repent and believe! ~Paul Washer
Isn’t it great when we see mature preachers proclaiming the word of God! Who doesn’t thrill in their heart when they see a Paul Washer unapologetically proclaiming his fear of the LORD, his persistence in confronting sin, and his humble explanation of the blood of Jesus!
Who doesn’t love to see Tony Miano’s calm love reaching out to angry people on the street?
Who doesn’t stand in admiration of John MacArthur’s poise while graciously continuing to proclaim Jesus even when heckled during the Christmas concert, never stumbling but even reaching his hand out to the person and asking to speak to him later.
These are mature men of the faith, whom I look up to.
But the proclamation of Jesus and Him crucified (and resurrected!) is not just for mature men. It is for me, too. I exhort us to proclaim Him boldly, but do I? Sometimes I do not. Sometimes I faint in fear or swallow my tongue.
So when I say let’s be bold this year, let’s keep exhorting for His return even though the culture mocks eschatology, let’s not swerve from confronting sin even though the culture eviscerates us for it, let’s vow to know nothing among us but Christ and Him crucified…I mean me too!
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:2
Unity among the body, no divisions
It is important to pursue unity. It is equally important to know exactly what unity you’re pursuing. Paul said,
“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10).
Though the liberal, the post-modernist, emerging church would like it to, the verse does not stop here:
‘I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united.’
No. Scriptures say we are to be united in the same mind and in the same judgment. Mindless unity among any person whether or not someone professes all the Gospel is not what is in view here. So what does ‘the same mind’ mean? Matthew Henry’s Commentary says,
“In the great things of religion be of one mind; and where there is not unity of sentiment, still let there be union of affection. Agreement in the greater things should extinguish divisions about the lesser. There will be perfect union in heaven, and the nearer we approach it on earth, the nearer we come to perfection. Paul and Apollos both were faithful ministers of Jesus Christ, and helpers of their faith and joy; but those disposed to be contentious, broke into parties. So liable are the best things to be corrupted, and the gospel and its institutions made engines of discord and contention. Satan has always endeavoured to stir up strife among Christians, as one of his chief devices against the gospel.
You see his point. Satan even uses the Gospel to divide. We must agree on the greater things and to do that, we must know what they are.
Amos 3:3 says, “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?“
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Much happens before two people arrive somewhere and then go forth together. They individually and then together study on where they are to go, and what they are to do, how they will get there, and at what time. How will they know where they are going unless they consult and agree, and are friends? Of first importance is that the individual agrees with God in all His statutes, and then the two who are to go walking agree with the basis for their appointment. Then they walk. No one arrives at the designated place and one says to the other, “Ready to go get our haircut?” and the other says, “But I thought we were going to the movies?” They know why they are there and where they are to go.
It is this kind of agreement that Paul has in mind in instructing the Corinthians. He doesn’t mean unite with all who profess Christ so that there will be no divisions. Divisions are inevitable and never let a post-modernist liberal tell you otherwise. The Gospel divides. (Matthew 10: 34-37; John 7: 5). Those who adhere to it are always offending those who don’t, even within the church of Christ, for there are many tares.
A mindless unity would indicate Paul was saying the Corinthians should unite with Judaizers, Gnostics, and Nicolaitans, so that the body is not divided. But uniting with false professors always divides anyway, that’s what Matthew Henry was saying when he explained that satan uses the Gospel to divide. Division is not the issue. If there are divisions over doctrine, that is good. If there is division among those who agree, it is bad. There’s a huge difference.
Biblical unity is not nor should be mindless. It is a problem when it is not of same mind and not of same judgment, meaning of the same doctrine and same discipline.
In modern days, false teachers urge us to unite with Mormons, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, any and all people who speak the name God and mention Christ, but in fact there is NO agreement behind it. We hear people say “The three Abrahamic religions” and claim “we worship the same God.” Therefore they are not of the same mind and the same judgment. They cannot go walking with a true Christian.
If those I mentioned above agree and then meet to go walking, they will find that they are in fact divided. “I thought we were going to Kolob?” The other one says, “But I thought we were headed to Purgatory?” while the third remarks, “No, I thought we were going to Mecca.” And the fourth comments “But we should go to the Western Wall and then to synagogue…” You see? They do not agree after all and should not go walking. There is no unity there.
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| CC photo by supernovaK |
Whenever someone tells you that we should unite in order to reduce division, refer them to Paul’s full exhortation and ask what it means to be united in same mind and same judgment. And in case we ourselves are not sure, please listen to this fantastic sermon from Phil Johnson, who goes over exactly what the Gospel is, and the things of first importance that make up its necessary elements. After hearing this, you will know what it means to have same mind and same judgment with other Christians, united in His atoning, bloody death and glorious resurrection.
Things of First Importance (Phil Johnson)
1 Corinthians 15: 1-5
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| “Walking” by Katherine Johnson, CC photo |
Jesus IS the AMEN!!!
In Revelation, Jesus instructs John to write seven letters to seven churches. He introduces Himself to each church as a different aspect of Himself.
In Revelation 3, Jesus instructs John to write to the Church at Laodicea. He is concerned that this church is lukewarm, not hot nor cold. He began it this way:
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;” (Revelation 3:14 KJV)
JESUS IS THE AMEN.
Pulpit Commentary says of The Amen, “The word “Amen” is here used as a proper name of our Lord; and this is the only instance of such an application. It signifies the “True One.” It is a word much used in St. John’s Gospel, where it appears repeated at the commencement of many discourses, “Verily, verily.””
Gills Commentary says of The Amen,
“Christ may be so called, because he is the God of truth, and truth itself; and it may be expressive of his faithfulness, both to God his Father, and to his people, in whom all the promises he either made, or received, are yea and amen; and also of the firmness, constancy, and immutability of Christ, in his nature, person, and offices, in his love, fulness of grace, power, blood, and righteousness…”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says “His unchanging faithfulness as “the Amen” contrasts with Laodicea’s wavering of purpose, “neither hot nor cold” (Revelation 3:16).”
In Isaiah 65:16 it is noted in the Hebrew He is the God of a-men (truth)
“So that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth,” (God of Amen)
In the New Testament Paul explains, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)
God is the God of truth, His Son is Truth, He is the Amen! John MacArthur explains both the Revelation 3:14 verse and the 2 Corinthians 1:20 verse:
“Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20, a very important truth. It says, “For all the promises of God in Him are amen.” All the promises of God in Him are amen. What does that mean? That means that all God’s promises and all God’s covenants are guaranteed and affirmed by the person and work of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament God said I will forgive your sins. God could never do that if it were not for the person and work of Christ, right? Because forgiveness was purchased by His atoning death. All of the promises that God made to take men and show them mercy and loving kindness, grace and give them a Kingdom and a hope and an eternal life are bound up in Jesus Christ fulfilling His work. So that everything that God ever planned or purposed for man, everything that God ever promised for man finds its amen in Jesus Christ. God’s promises are all certain in Him. They all become sure in Him. And so, Jesus Christ is God’s amen, “
Happy New Year, Amen!
By The Numbers 2013: how many earthquakes this year?
As the New Year enters and the old year departs, it is time for me to produce my annual By The Numbers, year in review. It has no particular meaning, other than it demonstrates that either I have too much time on my hands, or I enjoy research and manipulation of data as a hobby. Both, I think!
A few years ago I became interested in the schism between what I saw were definite increased numbers of global earthquakes and the US Geological Survey’s equally definite insistence that quakes were not increasing. I decided to look into the data, using their own numbers, benchmarks, and search engines. Well guess what? Earthquakes were increasing.
Jesus said that His coming would be preceded by signs. Some of these signs are emotional, such as men becoming greedy, loveless, brutal, etc, as listed in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Some of the prophesied signs are religious, such as apostasy rising among the professing church, false doctrine being accepted, and a loss of discernment, as many verses in 1 John, 1 Thessalonians, and other passages tell us. Some of the signs would be geophysical or celestial. There will be earthquakes in diverse places, the seas will be roaring, there will be signs in the skies and so on.
Most of those signs mentioned in the passages, notably Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Revelation 6, are going to occur in the Tribulation period. However, the signs Jesus enumerated and are listed elsewhere in the Old and New Testaments are for the entire church age and will continue into the Tribulation. The church age is between the moment Jesus ascended (Acts 1:11) and when He calls for His bride, ending the Age of Grace. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). The Tribulation period will begin the moment after the rapture and finish when Jesus returns to the Mount of Olives. (Zechariah 14:4). His signs of return are spread throughout the church age and then are clustered heavily well into the Tribulation.
As Jesus likened the signs to birth pangs, and birth pangs increase as the event nears, so will the signs increase. I could look at numbers of baptisms to determine if apostasy is rising, or number of crimes to see if lovelessness is increasing, but there is a large element of subjectivity to them. Instead I just concentrate on the geophysical signs presented in hard data because there is a lesser amount of subjectivity included in the results. It is in that context that I put together an annual look at the data than can be quantified.
One final caveat: we don’t need signs to tell us Jesus is coming, because He said He is coming and that is all we need to know. I do this out of curiosity and interest, not because we need validation from scientific sources for the certainty of His appearing.
Meanwhile we can learn from the lessons every disaster gives us. John MacArthur’s church is in California. In January 1994 a tremendous earthquake occurred. It is known as the Northridge quake. The earthquake had a “strong” moment magnitude (Mw) of 6.7, but the ground acceleration was one of the highest ever instrumentally recorded in an urban area in North America.
The epicenter was practically underneath Grace Community Church. Five days later, Dr MacArthur delivered a sermon titled “Lessons from the Earthquake.” It is a tremendously relevant and insightful sermon, and I urge you to read to or listen to it. Here are the main bullet points he shared. In every calamity, there are many lessons for the Christian, and many other, separate lessons for the non-Christian. He preached 7 lessons for each.
Lessons for Christians
God is sovereign,
What is eternal can’t be destroyed,
Disaster produces dependence on God,
Adversity enriches fellowship,
Suffering makes us long for the perfect kingdom,
Calamity strengthens us to serve others,
What is the greatest calamity can bring God the most glory.
Lessons for not Christians
For those unprepared to die, lesson number one, life is fragile,
There are limits to self-protection,
Death is inevitable,
We live in a cursed world,
Temporal disasters are only previews of coming attractions,
God uses calamity to call people to repentance,
Time is limited to heed the warning.
Time is limited. All of history is dwindling down to the moment when Jesus will return, and judge the living and the dead for all eternity. THAT is the main lesson I share with you. Repent, while there is still time. Let these statistics and notes be a lesson to you and to us all through the year: life is fragile, and to enter death unprepared is an eternal tragedy.
WEATHER
“The 2013 extreme weather events included several all-time temperature records in Northern and Southern Hemisphere. The February extent of snow cover in Eurasia and North America was above average, while the extent of Arctic ice in the same month was 4,5% below the 1981–2010 average.” (source)
There were lots of record high temperatures, and record lows. It snowed in Cairo Egypt, and in many other places in the usually arid and snowless Middle East. Typhoon Haiyan was the largest storm on record. “With sustained wind speeds of more than 310 kilometres per hour, Haiyan was the most powerful tropical cyclone to make landfall in recorded history. … Unusually warm subsurface Pacific waters appear to have endowed Haiyan with the energy that made it the strongest typhoon ever known to make landfall.” (source)
TORNADOES
Though the top deadliest tornadoes occurred in the 1800s and the early part of the 1900s, tornadoes in the new millennium have some notable aspects.
Notable events for the 2013 tornado year were-
–A general under-performance of tornado activity continued for the second straight year across the United States during 2013,
–The largest tornado outbreaks occurred in times typically not noted as the main tornado season,
–Two confirmed violent tornadoes that passed through New Minden and Washington, IL. are “the only violent tornadoes on record in Illinois during the month”. (Tornadoes.com)
–On May 20, 2013an EF5 tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma – the first EF5 tornado to occur in nearly two years. (Wikipedia)
Notable events for the tornado year 2011 were:
–553 people in the United States died, compared to 564 US deaths in the prior ten years combined. (Wikipedia)
–The April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak is the most prolific tornado outbreak in US history. It produced approximately 358 tornadoes, with 209 of those in a single 24-hour period on April 27. (Wikipedia)
–The May 22, 2011 Joplin MO tornado is the 7th deadliest US tornado on record, with 162 deaths
General note:
–Four of the top ten costliest tornadoes occurred in the last two years. Costliest tornadoes number 1 and 2 were the April-May 2011 Joplin MO and Tuscaloosa Alabama tornadoes, and 3rd, the May 2013 Moore OK, and 4th, Hackleburg, Alabama in April 2011.
2004, 2008, and 2011 were the highest number of tornado years. Click to enlarge
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LIGHTNING
I know the men at the Weather Service have been working for many years to get lightning information out to people. I think – hope- this graph shows their efforts are working.
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Dave Barry wrote a laugh out loud, hilarious review of the year. I mean Laugh. Out. Loud. In it, Barry said, “the economy’s been recovering for years now without actually getting any better.” He’s right. But at least the bank bailout has been successful. Fewer banks are failing. But there are still more failing in this decade than at the beginning of the millennium.
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VOLCANOES
The go-to database for searching eruptions is Smithsonian Volcano Project. However, they shut their database down recently for searching with filters. So I can’t get good volcano information. Here is an article from The Atlantic, though the first sentences drive me crazy:
2013: The Year in Volcanic Activity
“This been a particularly eventful year for the world’s volcanoes. Out of an estimated 1,500 active volcanoes, 50 or so erupt every year, spewing steam, ash, toxic gases, and lava.”
OK…so if this was a ‘particularly eventful year’ and 50 volcanoes erupt every year, how does this year compare?? Did 60 volcanoes erupt? 70? 1000? How many eruptions over 50 qualifies as a ‘particularly eventful year?’ But the article does have lots of beautifully photographed volcano eruptions.
This was interesting, from Dec 29: El Salvador’s Chaparrastique volcano erupts for first time in 37 years , and there was this
Seven Volcanoes In Six Different Countries All Start Erupting Within Hours Of Each Other “A new island has appeared in the Pacific. A submarine eruption just off Nishino-Shima Island Japan has erupted for the first time in 40 years. The Japanese Navy noticed the explosions as boiling lava met sea water giving rise to plumes of steam and ash.“
The Extinction Protocol person published a volcano report which got a lot of attention, and I looked into it but can’t see where he got his data from. Caveat Emptor:
2013 marks record year for the number of volcanoes erupting across the planet (as of Dec 5, 2013)
“This year will go down on record, as seeing the most volcanic eruptions recorded in modern history. The previous number was set in 2010, at 82 volcanic eruptions for the year. The number of volcanoes erupting across the planet has been steadily rising from a meager number of just 55 recorded in 1990.”
He also said that all the planet’s supervolcanoes are in a phase of simultaneous inflation, but…I dunno. Caveat Caveat Emptor.
EARTHQUAKES
Here is the updated chart of the global number of earthquakes in various magnitudes. USGS benchmarks are seen in the left-most column. Numbers in red indicate meeting or exceeding those benchmarks. Click to enlarge.
This science researcher named “R. Webb” in the UK looked into long, long-term trends, over centuries. He reports of earthquake trends,
“Apart from the “long-term” trends… which show an ongoing persistent increase, it is perhaps more stark to record that earthquakes across the planet show a marked increase in activity since 1997. There are more major earthquakes occurring now, and this on an ever more frequent basis.
Trends since 1986
For example, between 1986 and 1996 (incl), a period of 11 years, there were “just” 15 earthquakes listed by USGS of magnitude 7.0 or greater. This is not markedly different (albeit a slight decrease) from previous (similar periods) of 20th century, where an average of about 18 might be expected.
But between 1997 and 2007 (incl), a period of only 11 years, there were 99 earthquakes with magnitude 7.0 or greater : This is more than a six-fold increase on the previous similar period – and is a stark increase on any earlier decades in 20th century too.
His estimation of there being 190 quakes greater than 7.0 magnitude during the 38 year period between 1977 and 2014 was grossly underestimated. There were 583! (as of Dec 31, 2013)
The trends in nature here, particularly from 1997 support the wider realisation of prophesy about the “End Times”, namely that an increase in earthquake activity is a per-requisite for the “second coming of Jesus Christ” foretold in the bible. It does not indicate how close we are to this event, but suggests it is not too far away. …Although Jesus is clear that no one will know the day or the hour, and his return will indeed happen “when you do not expect”, he does give us broad pointers, one of these being natural events – like earthquakes. (source)
Broad pointer…I agree. And as John MacArthur advises, there are lessons to be learned in each and every calamity. These aren’t just numbers on a page but lives affected, deaths injuries, lives changes. As always, be in prayer for the people affected by disasters, and be in prayer that the Lord should come soon. May 2014 be the year of the rapture.
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:8
Everyone’s literal about sin until you bring up homosexuality
In the crucible of what passes for discussion about the sin of homosexuality, I’ve noticed an insidious acceptance in Christians of one of the conditions that the gay lobby insists we make. This acceptance has crept in and is in fact a double standard. It is akin to the scenes in the old Seinfeld episode “The Outing.” Let me explain.
Twenty years ago, in an episode of the comedy sitcom “Seinfeld,” Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza, lifelong buddies, are mistaken for a homosexual couple, and “strenuously deny that they are gay, conditioning their denials with ‘Not that there’s anything wrong with that.’ The line would soon afterward become a catchphrase. Jason Alexander maintains that it is the most popular to originate from the series. The episode earned a GLAAD award. (source)
In each case when the catchphrase was uttered, the person would shrug, throw up their hands in a mock submission and shake their head. See this 17 second compilation:
In discussing homosexuality today, immediate ire rises from all quarters unless homosexuality is couched in the most glowing of terms. If a person does not give hearty approval to homosexuality, (Romans 1:32), one is immediately scourged. The scourging is fast, immediate, and vicious. Just ask Phil Robertson.
If it were up to the homosexual lobby, no one would ever mention homosexuality as a sin. Evah. Failing that, the double standard now is that we can’t mention homosexuality as a sin unless we also mention all the other sins too, at the same time. To paraphrase many of the other discussions I’ve read, such as Rachel Held Evans’s question, “Why is homosexuality the great biblical debate of this decade and not slavery?” a discussion along those “not that there’s anything wrong with that” lines might go like this-
“Homosexuality is a sin”.
“Wait just a minute, bub. Gossip is a sin, what about that? Or envy, that’s a sin too. And drunkenness. Why single out homosexuality? Hey, bub, there’s lots of sins. Not that there aren’t other sins too!”
We are now supposed to cushion the sting of stating sodomy is a sin by including it in a list of all other sins.
The double standard enters in because the reverse is not true.
“Murder is a sin.”
“Wait just a minute, bub. Homosexuality is a sin, too. What about that? You didn’t mention that one. Or envy, that’s a sin. And drunkenness. Why single out murder? Hey, bub, there’s lots of sins. Why aren’t you talking about them, too?”
“Gluttony is a sin”
“Wait just a minute, bub. Homosexuality is a sin, too. What about that? You didn’t mention that one. Or drunkenness, that’s a sin. And anger. Why single out gluttony? Hey, bub, there’s lots of sins. Why aren’t you talking about them, too?”
We have allowed ourselves to substitute the phrase, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that” with “Not that there aren’t any other sins!” And throwing up our hands in a mock submission and shaking our heads, in vain attempts to stave off anger and vicious comebacks.
Don’t fall for it. This is just a temporary compromise to the gay lobby’s ultimate goal: full-on prohibition of any talk of homosexuality being mentioned as a sin at all. (Romans 1:32 again). It’s a diversionary tactic.
It is a given that we understand there are many sins. Lists and lists of them are given in the bible. (Romans 1:29-31, 2 Corinthians 12:20, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Jude 1:16). Committing even one of them disqualifies a person from heaven and Jesus is great enough to forgive them, no matter how many you committed. If a person is talking about the greatness of Jesus in His ability and desire to forgive any and all sins, then by all means, list the bunch of them to illustrate the breadth of His mercy and grace! That’s what Phil Robertson was doing when he mentioned a hearty selection of sins, not just the one that must not be mentioned.
Even then, you see the gay lobby can’t ever be satisfied, because they complained that in mentioning homosexuality together with a bunch of other sins, he was comparing homosexuality to them…you see the pointlessness of caving even an inch to their demands.
But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. (Galatians 2:5)While the discussion may legitimately call for an expanded list of sins, it is not necessary to hide homosexuality within a larger list of sins just to make it palatable to the LGBT lobby. If the discussion is about the sin of gossip, then the discussion will be about gossip. No one will suggest including adultery in the talk because it is in some way perversely fair to all the other sins to mention them too.
So if the discussion arises about homosexuality, it is disingenuous to force an inclusion of all sins along with homosexuality. Homosexuality is not a protected class of sins, and it has biblical merit as a discussion point all on its own.
Here is where some, like Rachel Held Evans, make the mistake of selective literalism. The doctrinally ignorant will insist that if we are going to take the bible literally and include homosexuality as a literal sin (all I can picture is Sheldon saying ‘Literally? Literally?’) then we must also wear head coverings and gouge out our eyes if looking lustfully at another woman. Because, let’s be literal. It’s just another diversionary tactic.
Evans wrote: “We may laugh at these examples or dismiss them silly, but the biblical language employed in these contexts is actually pretty strong: eating shellfish is an abomination, a bare head is a disgrace, gossips will not inherit the kingdom of God, careless words are punishable by hell, guys who leer at women should gouge out their eyes.“
Below is a parable of incorrect biblical literalism as acted by the Big Bang Theory’s Zack, posed by Evans above:
Correct use of literally:
So if you’re discussing homosexuality as a literal and factual sin and that is the topic, don’t feel you have to say “Not that there aren’t other sins too!” We don’t bow in subjection to them for even a moment, give not an inch. Here’s why. Going back to the Galatians 2:5 verse above,
“The unyielding stand of Paul and Barnabas and their strong support by the Jerusalem apostles and leaders was to show the Judaizers that from now on, no Judaizer could ever say that Paul deceived you. No Judaizer could ever say that the prominent leaders of Jerusalem agree with us, not him…” (source)
Don’t cave. Stay strong. Speak plainly the truth of the bible, not compromising its truths where and when we are called to proclaim them. Otherwise, all too soon, “Not that there aren’t other sins too!” literally will become, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that!”
the-end-time.org 