As I read the Gospel records of the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, I am often struck by the way our Lord responded to the questions and teachings of the Pharisees.  I find them one of the most striking groups in the time of Christ’s ministry.  I sometimes wonder how we would see them if they existed in our day under a more respectable moniker.

It fascinates me that the people in that day who had a reputation for knowing and revering the Scriptures above anyone else were the ones whom Jesus most virulently condemned.  These were the people who had the highest standard of behaviour among God’s people, Israel.  They would be viewed as the ultra-conservative.  Fundamentalist Jews, if you will.  They were passionate about standards of behaviour, dress, and cleanliness.  They expended great efforts in proselytizing even if it was only to have one convert who would join them.  And having accomplished that, they would succeed also in reshaping his life into the same respectable standard that they espoused.  What great energy exerted in fashioning their lives into a nearly flawless image!

Yet Christ warned His disciples not to be like them.  Imagine a Christian who looked like they never did anything wrong, dressed right, acted right, and went to great lengths to bring people to church.  We’d be shocked if Christ showed up and said, “Watch out for that guy!  Do not be like him.”  Yet there is a huge danger in conformity instead of conversion.  The adorning of our outwardness is not as vital as the hidden man of the heart.  Many of the things the Pharisees were doing were outwardly good, but inwardly vile because of a wrong heart.  Don’t think you’re so special just because everybody else does!  Let us come to God and say “search… and see if there be any wicked way in me.”  O Lord, when you look deep inside may my inner man not show Pharisee, but a disciple!

Pastor Paul Gibbesh

-Nathan D. Jones, Rankin Inlet, NU, Canada

As a fellow church planter/missionary, I agree wholeheartedly with Bro. Jones.  We also have felt the need and seen the benefits of doing it the Bible way.  Consider it!  YOU could be his answer to prayer!

• Let your supreme motive be to increase your own popularity — then, of course, your preaching will be suited for that purpose, and not to convert souls to Christ.

• Avoid preaching doctrines that are offensive to the carnal mind, lest they should say to you, as they did to Christ, “This is a hard saying, who can hear it?”

• Make no distinct points, and do not disturb the consciences of your hearers, lest they become alarmed about their souls.

• Avoid all illustrations, repetitions, and emphatic sentences that may compel your people to remember what you say.

• Avoid all heat and earnestness in your delivery, lest you make the impression that you really believe what you say.

• Address the emotions, and not the conscience, of your hearers.

• Be careful not to testify from your own experiences of the power of the Gospel, lest you should produce the conviction upon your hearers that you have something which they need.

• Do not awaken uncomfortable memories by reminding your listeners of their past sins.

• Denounce sin in general, but make no reference to the specific sins of your present audience.

• Do not make the impression that God commands your listeners here and now to obey the truth.  Do not let them think that you expect them to commit themselves right on the spot to give their hearts to God.

• Leave the impression that they are expected to go away in their sins, and to consider the matter at their convenience.

• Dwell much upon their inability to obey, and leave the impression that they must wait for God to change their natures.

• Preach salvation by grace, but ignore the condemned and lost condition of the sinner, lest he should understand what you mean by grace, and feel his need of it.

• Preach the Gospel as a remedy, but conceal or ignore the fatal disease of the sinner.

• Do not speak of the spirituality of God’s holy law (by which comes the knowledge of sin), lest the sinner should see his lost condition and flee from the wrath to come.

• Make no appeals to the fears of sinners, but leave the impression that they have no reason to fear.

• Preach Christ as an infinite amiable and good-natured being, but ignore those scathing rebukes of sinners and hypocrites which so often made his hearers tremble.

• Admit, either obviously or casually, that all men have some moral goodness in them, lest sinners should understand that they need a radical change of heart, from sin to holiness.

• Say so little of hell that your people will think that you do not believe in its existence yourself.

• Make the impression that, if God is as good as you are, He could not send anyone to hell.

• Make no disagreeable references to the teachings of self denial, cross bearing, and crucifixion to the world, lest you should convict and convert some of your church members.

• Do not rebuke the worldly tendencies of the church, lest you should hurt their feelings, and finally convert some of them.

• Do not rebuke extravagance in dress, lest you should make an uncomfortable impression on your vain and worldly church members.

• Encourage lots of church socials, and attend them yourself.

• Make it your great aim to be personally popular with all classes of your hearers.

• Aim to make your hearers pleased with themselves and pleased with you, and be careful especially not to wound the feelings of anyone.

• Especially avoid preaching to those who are present.  Preach about sinners, but not to them.  Say “they,” and not “you,” lest anyone should take your subject personally and apply it to their own life, securing the salvation of their soul.

(With thanks to David Harness Jr.  Nice Find!)

1. A fire needs dry wood suitable for burning.  It is difficult to burn green, unseasoned wood.  Likewise, it is difficult for a church to be warm toward each other and God without a certain amount of Christian maturity. In 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul tells the church at Corinth that they were carnal, baby Christians whose lack of maturity was shown in their divisions and lack of love one toward another.   1 Corinthians 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2. A fire needs a solid base.  One of the most effective means of starting fires is to use several larger sticks as a base.  This provides insulation from cold or wet ground, and serves as a reflector to intensify the heat. Colossians 2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
3. Fires need progressively larger fuel.  It is imperative as a church that we never forget that the grand doctrines are built on simple faith, and simple facts.  It is also essential that we not forget the new Christians, who often follow Christ quickly but burn out without assistance from others.  Yet at the same time, we must keep learning. Hebrews 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. Are we growing, or are we content with where we are?
4. Fires need wood in close proximity to each other.  To burn properly, firewood must be close to each other.  In practice, sticks need to be laid about one inch apart.  That way, the fire warms several sticks at the same time, and as one starts to burn, it intensifies the burning of its neighbour.  In our personal relationships, how close are we to other members of the church?  Are we trying to keep a fire hot on our own, or are we getting involved in other’s lives, helping them to burn brighter?  1 Corinthians 11:18  For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. It is imperative that members of a church are involved in each other’s lives on a regular basis.  Interaction at services is NOT enough!  We need to emulate the disciples in Acts 2:44-46, who were visiting each other, eating together, and sharing all things.  Build relationships beyond the pews.
5. A fire must have an adequate air supply. Just as a fire must have sufficient air, so the Christian and the church must have great quantities of the Spirit of God.   We can become so concerned with external forms that we quench the Spirit of God.  Standards, order, and structure are important, yet without the moving of “God’s breath”, the fire will smoke and smother itself.
6. The best campfires are built within reflecting walls.  Without stretching the analogy too much, the best heart-fires are built within the walls of the church.  Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

As I watched the video I began to notice less and less of the song, and more and more of the situation of its performance. I saw that those who were in attendance at that concert were a large multitude. I would venture to guess that there were quite likely tens of thousands of people. As I watched this vast host they sang along with the song, and many seemed to have a great deal of enthusiasm. In their excitement many were jumping and waving their arms; all were on their feet.

I looked at this mass of people with their voices and bodies shouting of the power and passion of our God. I began to think of the power of influence such a group of people could have for Christ if their passion for God was expressed in actions. I have no desire to decipher their motives or judge their hearts. As a man I only look on the outward appearance, while the Lord looks on their hearts. But if I had even a thousand Christians who had absolutely, unreservedly sold themselves as bondslaves to Christ, I could not begin to imagine what might be done. Why is it that so many people in our churches today manage so much enthusiasm in church while we live day-to-day in such spiritual barrenness? How is it that we as Christians can justify receiving God’s blessings when we do so little with them? Do we have a real relationship or are we just trying to “fake it until we make it?” If we are going to talk it, we should walk it! If we are going to sing it, we should bring it! If we are going to say it, we should pay it! Talk is cheap, and faith without works is dead. My heart is greatly burdened by the full mouths and empty lives I so often see. Are we living in faith expressed in action, or is it just false fire that we have laid on the altar instead?

Pastor Paul Gibbesh

Ezekiel 22:30  And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

To those who study the sorry state of Christianity in this land, these verses are painfully appropriate.   The news in Christian circles is constantly full of leaders who have fallen.  Almost daily I read the sad news of some fellow-soldier who has weakened, to say nothing of the hundreds who never make the news, or the thousands of Christians who daily lay down their arms and retreat from the fight.  As a fellow soldier of the Cross, I feel compelled to ask you to stay in the fight for these reasons.

We are in a war. To most Christians, spiritual battle is about as real as the war in Afghanistan.  We read about it, but have never truly experienced it.  But to those who will surrender their wills and fully enlist in God’s service, the battle is intense and constant.  Hebrews 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. We are in a bloody battle, don’t forget it. The only way out is surrender or victory!

War requires sacrifice. I am reminded of the battle recorded in 1Sam 14, where there Jonathan attacks the Philistines on his own.  But there were also 600 men doing nothing(v.2 Lazy), Hebrews fighting on the Philistine’s side (v.21 Traitors),  and men hiding in the mountain (v.22 Cowards).  Out of thousands of men, only Jonathan and his armour-bearer were willing to sacrifice their lives to win.  It is much the same today.  There are many who claim Christ, but few who bear His cross.  There are many who will sing, but few who will serve.  And there are many who have surrendered to the enemy, but almost no one who will sacrifice for Christ.  Christian, what class are you in? Traitor, coward, lazy, or Sacrificial Servant? If you are not the latter, repent and join in the fight!

War’s require reinforcement. Casualties are a fact of war, and in the spiritual war, there are always soldiers who go AWOL, have self-inflicted wounds, or are ambushed by Satan.  And as the ranks thin, the pressure on those remaining increases.  There is an ever present and always increasing need for skilled, sacrificing servants of God to join the battle.  I beg you; let nothing deter you from putting on the whole armour of God.  Let nothing stop your service for Christ.  Decide right now that you will be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:3-4  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

Christian, the gap is widening.  Will you step into the fight?

Pastor Charles Hollingsworth

And what is it about Calvinism that is so attractive? Interesting to note that the ESV is Calvinist “Flavoured”.  Since when do we flavour Bibles?!!  Oh, right… since about 1881.

Try flavouring your life with the Scripture, and what happens then!

There were more than 65,000 in attendance, around 800 spiritual decisions made, 538 salvations, 300 decibels of sound, I was wearing 100 SPF sunscreen, I went through four quarts of water, and it all made for one remarkable day,” Bruce McCoy, president of the Missouri Baptist Convention and pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in St. Louis, said.

…

“I heard Ruth Graham [Franklin's late mother] say that the bands and music artists attracted the fish to the pond so that Franklin could fish for souls there,” McCoy, chairman of counseling and follow-up for the event, said. “And it worked. They were able to bring in a lot of people who needed to hear the Gospel message.”

Hmm, too bad John the Baptist never heard of Sunscreen!  He could have ditched the camels hair!  And what about live entertainment, he really should have had the Saducees of Sound or the Pharisaical Five perform in between messages! Oh right, he sort of broke that relationship with Matthew 3:7-8

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

And underneath the applause of the mindless masses the hiss of the serpent can heard…

B

Experientialism (what feels right to man) is a leaven working its way through the entire church as it undermines biblical truth. Today there are many infectious manifestations, with heavy emphasis upon the following: signs and wonders, faith-healing and prosperity, logos vs. rhema, the new apostles and prophets, kingdom-dominion, redeeming-the-culture missions, strategic spiritual warfare, inner-healing, 12-steps, Christian psychology, evangelical social-activism; ecumenism, church growth, purpose-driven, emerging church, contemplative/mysticism, church entertainment, contemporary worship, culturally accommodating Bible versions, and visually translated Bibles. All of these movements are in opposition to the clear teaching of God’s Word, yet multitudes follow them eagerly.

While I am no McMahon, Hunt, or Cloud, I can testify to the pervasive influence of these doctrines across our land.  In my town alone, I have witnessed most of these at work, to say nothing of the thousands of example on the internet.  And while my anger burns hotly at the various false teachers, I am DISGUSTED with the jellyfish response of the majority of professing Christianity.  It sometimes appears that many have completely lost the ability to discern between truth and error!

While fishing last week, I tried out a new lure, a #6 spoon.  To my untrained eye, the 15cm piece of yellow metal was more suited to bailing my boat than fishing, and it did nothing to hide the giant hooks trailing behind it. However, I had read that to catch big fish, you need a big lure.  So I began to fish with a lure almost as big as my anchor, and feeling rather ridiculous.  On my third cast, a sizable pike grabbed the bait, but quickly spit it out.  Several casts later, another fish hit the bait and before I could set the hook, spit it out also.  This happened FOUR times under my astonished eyes.  (I finally did catch a fish, a walley from the “Special Education” class in fish school…)

Watching those pike spit out something that was obviously NOT good for them got me thinking about the discernment of many of today’s believers.  It is no surprise to find false teachers, but it does suprise me that they have followers.  The “Christian” spectrum is full of modern SNAKE-OIL salesmen who are after nothing but money, and millions appear to be shelling out their coins to be part of the action.  I mean, I understand the attraction of apparent success, but ask yourself, “Is there a hook?”  What is the catch? It is sad that many Christians are more concerned with organic food than with pure doctrine.  As a collective group we have chased with increasing vigor the flashy imitation of Christianity, and are now firmly hooked on the treble hook of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil.  They tell me Northern Pike will bite anything if they are hungry.  Perhaps so many are hungry for truth that they fall for anything, or perhaps we have less discernment than the Pike in Ethel Lake.

Read your Bible, and spit out the lure!

Hebrews 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

However, there are thankfully some Godly men left who have not bowed the knee to Baal yet.  To these men who have weathered the storms and been strong in the battle I offer my sincerest thanks. Your example inspires me, and lends strength when the battle is long.

If you know a real man, tell him “thank you!”  And if you send me his story, we might post it here as a source of inspiration.

If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.

Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt- spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath. (The Size of the Soul), 128-129.

A.W. Tozer (Posted from Appraising Ministries)