Mike Abendroth's Blog, page 2

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

This is a common question that many wrestle with when it comes to their church. It may be a question you have thought of yourself or are even currently contemplating. Should I stay with my current local church or leave and try to find a new body to be a part of? If you are thinking along these lines there is a reason you are. But like most, you may not know how to navigate through this minefield. Most leave for the wrong reasons and the wrong way.

So to help answer this question, let’s look at wrong reasons and wrong ways to leave a church. Why not right reasons and right ways? Because sometimes the impact is greater when you are able to see the wrong reasons and wrong ways people leave their church. Then you can see more clearly the why and how to leave a church in a way that is God honoring, Christ exalting and Church unifying.

Reasons Not To Leave a Church

1. Conflict and/or Unreconciled Relationships

So you want the perfect church because yours is not. Of course it is not. You are there. No I’m not  joking. I’m serious. Why is there conflict and relationships that need to be reconciled in churches? Because a church is not the brick and mortar but the people. Saints for sure by God’s grace, but still living this side of heaven with the daily reality of the flesh.

Many leave their church with deep bitterness and resentment, leaving behind a trail of scarred relationships. And then they go and infiltrate another church with the same cancerous attitude that at the right moment will once again show it’s ugly head.

2. God-Centered theology.

That almost sounds ridiculous even as I write it. What else would theology be but God-centered. After all by definition theology is the study of God.

But unfortunately many so called churches are all about man-centered theology where the unholy trinity of me, myself and I reign. You just want your felt needs caressed and your ego stroked. That is why so many go to what’s been coined seeker-sensitive churches, ones that function not based on the prescriptions in the Word of God, but on what people want.

When the focus is on God and not man, as it ought to be, then the unadulterated Word of God is unashamedly preached(2 Timothy 4:1-3) and the true biblical Gospel is boldly proclaimed(Romans 1:16; Galatians 1:6-10). But when the focus is on man and not God, then people are being deceived into a false assurance because of a watered-down gospel.

As I was listening to Joel Osteen recently(I’ve since repented), he was talking about people who get down on themselves. His man-centered approach had him telling people that they are not so bad. What I need to hear is not about me but about the glories of who Christ is so that I can take my eyes off of self and fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of my faith(Hebrews 12:2)

3. The music is boring.

No worries. I have a solution. Come with me to a Stryper concert and I assure you that you won’t be bored. I mean, come on, is that the reason you attend church?

Sure, music is a great way to express our worship of God. And those who lead the singing, whether it’s the great hymns of the faith or more contemporary songs that are lyrically God-centered and Christ-exalting, should do it as unto the Lord. I love to sing to the Lord with my fellow believers at church.

But the reason you go to church is not to be musically entertained. Again, it’s not about you. The music is a means as you sing to worship the Lord for how great He is.

4. Sin is taken seriously.

But of course. God’s people are called to be holy(1 Peter 1:16). The ministry of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit are to convict(2 Timothy 3:16; John 16:8). After all, Christ Himself, as the Head of His Church, gives clear instruction on how to deal with a sinning, unrepentant believer(Matthew 18:15-20) Unfortunately this church discipline is not practiced by most churches.

Wanting to leave a church that takes sin seriously is a living commentary that you don’t believe in a holy calling or the convicting power of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. Or even more so it may even be indicative of the state of your soul, that you are lost and not saved.

5. I’m not getting anything out of it.

Now if by that you mean that your soul is not being fed because the Word of God is not being preached, then by all means, approach the pastor and church elders to discuss your concern.

But, my advice to you would be the same that I give to those who take my new members class, and that is, SERVE! The church is not a dispensory to meet your needs. Rather the church is the redeemed people of God who are there to serve one another in love(Galatians 5:13). When you go with the mindset of who can I serve and how can I serve, then your whole perspective will change. What you put into it is what you will get out of it.

How Not To Leave a Church

1. First decide to leave, then tell the pastor.

In this case telling the pastor simply just becomes a formality. You’ve already made up your mind. The pastor is blindsided when you tell him because he had no idea. Oh but wait I forgot that as a pastor he ought to have figured it out on his own that you were not happy. He should have seen it coming. At least that’s what you keep telling yourself. After all, he is the pastor.

And you’re right. He is the pastor. But that does not mean he is God. A little theology lesson here won’t hurt. Only God is omniscient, all-knowing. The pastor is not.

So rather than catching him off guard and by surprise, why not go to him and tell him what you are not happy about. Talk it out. Pray about it. See if there are any changes that can be made. And if so give it a little time.

Then and only  then if you  decide to still leave at least you can with a clear conscience knowing that you did not decide in the dark but first addressed the issue.

2. Through social media.

Email. Facebook. Text. You name it. In our time it’s so easy to communicate. But it’s not the way to leave your church. Unfortunately many do. What a gutless way to go. This is a growing problem in churches today.

Better way to do it is to speak with your pastor face to face or even over the phone.

3. Without thanking the pastor for his ministry in your life.

Let’s be honest. Being a pastor is a thankless job full of pressures. Most drop out within 4 years. Now don’t get me wrong. A real pastor serves out of a love for the Lord and for His flock, not for sordid gain, popularity, fame and self-glory. Nonetheless, it would really encourage your pastor’s heart if you simply went to him as a farewell to tell him how much you appreciate all his ministry to you. Actually you shouldn’t have to wait till you leave to do that. But it’s the least you can do before you leave.

 

 

 

 

 

Before…After

You see it all the time on social media. Before and after pictures of people who changed their eating habits and committed to a training program. They lose weight. They look and feel healthier. It’s almost a brand new person.

Well the Bible explains that there are before and after portraits of those whose lives have been transformed. This metamorphosis has been wrought by the Holy Spirit of God through the power of the Gospel, namely the good news that Jesus Christ died as a substitute for sinners and rose again.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

2 Corinthians 5:17-18(emphasis added)

So what exactly has changed? What are the new creation changes that are from God? To understand let us look at the before and after portraits that the Bible paints with contrasting colors.

A Change in Legal Status

We stand as it were in the divine courtroom with God as Judge, Jury and Executioner. Before salvation, a person stands condemned before God(John 3:18). By nature he is a child of wrath(Ephesians 2:3). The divine verdict is “Guilty”. But after, there is no condemnation for the one who is in Christ Jesus(Romans 8:1). Now he is justified. God, who justifies the ungodly(Romans 4:5), renders a verdict of “not guilty” and declares him righteous. How is that possible? Through imputation. God the Father credits Christ’s perfect righteousness to our account(2 Corinthians 5:21).

A Change in Personal Status

The greatest war that has even been or ever will be is not against another country or our civil war, but our war against God. The Bible declares that before God justified us, we were God’s enemies(Romans 5:10), we were alienated and hostile toward God(Romans 8:7; Colossians 1:21). But after, “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ(Romans 5:1). We have been reconciled to God through the death of Christ(Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:22).

A Change in Familial Status

Before faith in Christ, a person is a child of the devil(John 8:44). But after trusting Christ they are a child of God(John 1:12). They have the high privilege of receiving adoption as sons(Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:16). Adopted into the family of God, the Church. It is not as the world would have you think, namely in the Fatherhood of God for all men and the brotherhood of men. The Bible makes a clear distinction between the children of the devil and the children of God(1 John 3:10), between those whose father is the devil and those whose Father is God(John 8:41-44).

A Change of Spheres

There is a change of spheres because God “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”(Colossians 1:13) and because God “called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”(1 Peter 2:9).

A Change in Relation to Sin

Before, when you were in Adam, you were a slave to sin(John 8:34). After, when you are in Christ, you are free from the dominion of sin(Romans 6:14, 17-18, 20, 22). Before your sins were counted against you. But now, after salvation, your sins are forgiven(Romans 4:6-8; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 2:13).

A Change in Relation to Christ

Before salvation, a person is separated from Christ(Ephesians 2:12). But after salvation, a person is joined to Christ(1 Corinthians 6:17) and is united with Him in His death and resurrection(Romans 6:3-5).

A Change of Affections

The result of partaking the divine nature(2 Peter 1:4) and God’s seed abiding in a person(1 John 3:9) is a change of affections. What one used to love before they now hate. And what they once hated they now love.

Before regeneration, there was no love for Christ, His Word, His cross or His people, but a love for the things of the world. But after regeneration, there is no love for the things of the world(1 John 2:15-17). There is a love, however, for Jesus(John 8:42; John 14:15) and for His Word(Jeremiah 15:16; 1 Corinthians 2:11-15). After there is also a love for the cross because whereas before it was offensive(Galatians 4:11) and foolish, literally moronic from the Greek(1 Corinthians 1:18a), now it is the power of God and that in which to boast in(Galatians 6:14). After there is a love for other Christians that did not exist before(1 John 2:9-11; 1 John 3:14; 1 John 5:1). That is why genuine Christians love to gather with other Christians to worship the One who brought them into the household of faith(Galatians 6:10).

He brings about a rebirth in us that creates new dispositions. We thus become partakers of the divine nature. We experience not only a change of status(as in adoption) so that we belong to God’s family, but also a real transformation of our lives so that we begin to develop the characteristics of our adoptive family. … The Holy Spirit who unites us to Christ for justification, in that very act of union also sanctifies us, transforming our dispositions and desires. Now we love what we once despised, and despise much that we once loved.

Sinclair Ferguson, Devoted To God

Christ’s Bodybuilding Program

“I love going to a church that has many programs. Children’s programs. Youth programs. Music programs.”

This is the common statement made by many who are looking for a church. To them it’s all about programs. The more, the better. After all, the world offers so many programs, so in order to compete with what the world has to offer, the church, AT LEAST, must offer enough programs to keep our attention and interest.

“This is a good church. They have many programs.”

This is yet another statement made by those who have determined they know how to discern a good church from a bad church. This is one I heard growing up.

The idea behind the programs of the church is nothing less than the market-driven church offering what the consumer wants. Can you imagine reading the events of the day of Pentecost as recorded by Luke in Acts 2 culminating in this statement, “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand consumers. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ programs“(Acts 2:41-42, emphasis added)?

While visiting a particular church, a friend of mine recently told me that it was like being in a theatre for the sake of entertainment. Yeah, I mused, but it was a good program.

“It is now common practice in most evangelical churches to offer the people, especially the young people, a maximum of entertainment and a minimum of serious instruction. It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction is God. One can only conclude that God’s professed children are bored with Him, for they must be wooed to meeting with a stick of striped candy in the form of religious movies, games and refreshments.”

A.W. Tozer, Man: The Dwelling Place of God

Well, believe it or not, the Head of the Church, the One who loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, has His own program for the church. It is Christ’s Bodybuilding Program.

After poignantly asking His disciples “Who do people say that I am?” and then turning it around and asking them directly, “Who do you say that I am?”, Jesus made the following pronouncement that still echoes today through the corridors of church history.

“I will build My Church.”

Matthew 16:18

Note the personal pronoun “I”. It is Jesus talking. The One Peter just confessed as the Christ, the Son of the living God.”(Matthew 16:18).

Furthermore, notice the term “will”. Christ did not say He “hopes” to build His Church. Nor did He say He “may” build His Church. He left no ambiguity. There was no doubt in the disciples’ minds when they heard Him. It was a sure guarantee, simply for no other reason than that Christ was talking and as the Head of the Church, as the Her Savior(Ephesians 5:23), as the God-Man, what He said would always come to pass. It was so certain that even “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”(Matthew 16:18).

And last but not least please take note of the term “My”. Whose Church is it? It’s not the pastor’s. It’s Christ’s. He bought the Church with His own blood. The Church is His own possession. As the classic hymn The Church’s One Foundation puts it so well, “From heaven He came and sought Her, to be His Holy Bride. With His own blood He bought Her, and for Her life He died.”

One of my seminary professors and mentors, Howie Hendricks, affectionately known by his students as “Prof”, used to say that when he visited churches to preach or teach or speak at a conference and in conversation with that church’s pastor he heard the pastor say that it was his church, Prof was ready to wring their neck.(For those of the Facebook generation, this was an old school expression that means to put him in his place).

Now the question naturally arises as to how Christ will build His church. And for that we turn to Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians.

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Ephesians 4:11-12(emphasis added)

From the context we see that the pronoun “he” is a direct reference to Christ(Ephesians 4:7-10). And Christ gave something to His Church to build her up. What was it? A group of men, namely apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd-teachers. The sentence structure in the Greek only allows for the last one to be one and the same, pastor-teachers, not two separate, pastors AND teachers.

The apostles and prophets were only for the foundation of the Church(Ephesians 2:20), which has already been laid. But today we have the 2 offices of evangelists and shepherd-teachers. And for what purpose did Christ, who is the “head over all things to the church, which is His body”(Ephesians 1:22-23), give them? If you answered “for the work of the ministry”, you are as wrong as the rest of those reading this who answered that way. Christ gave the evangelists and pastor-teachers…to equip the saints…for the work of the ministry. In other words, the work of the ministry is for the saints to do, not for the evangelists and pastor-teachers. Their role is an equipping role. And the tool they are to use to equip the saints for the work of the ministry is…wait for it…All Scripture because it is breathed out by God and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness(2 Timothy 3:16).

You are now thinking to yourself, “Well, I’m not a pastor-teacher, so what role do I have in the church?” Answer: Read my previous paragraph again, nice and SLOOOOOOWLY. The work of the ministry is for the saints. Note how this is further emphasised through a literary device known as inclusio, which takes a section and brackets it with the same theme.

“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

Ephesians 4:7

“…from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

Ephesians 4:16

“Each one” and “each part” refers to the “saints” who are to be equipped for the work of the ministry. The ministry is not the pastor’s. The ministry belongs to each and every believer who is an integral member of Christ’s Bodybuilding Program. And what is that ministry? It is the ministry of evangelism, proclaiming the Evangel, the Gospel, the good news of salvation in Christ. It is the ministry of discipleship, teaching others who will in turn be able to teach others as well in a ministry of multiplication. It is the ministry of serving to help meet the needs of your fellow members in the Body.

So, there you have it.

Christ building His Church…

…by gifting her with evangelists and shepherd-teachers…

…who use the Scripture to equip each and every believer…

…to do the work of the ministry.

Christ will build His Church and will continue to do so until He comes again to receive His Bride to Himself!

 

 

 

Church Membership: No More Excuses(Part 2)

To claim to be a Christian, saved by God’s grace and by the power of Gospel of Jesus Christ, and not to belong to a local body of believers, is to claim that you are committed to the Head but not to the Body.

“I don’t think the New Testament knows anything about a Christian that doesn’t belong to a local assembly. By belong, what do I mean? I simply mean who is fully identified with a local body of believers.”

John MacArthur

I can hear the objections and excuses coming through the NoCo airwaves, or in this case, blog waves. You are imposing this on people. Where do you find this in the Bible? Glad you asked. I figured if you are a genuine Christian, one who is born of God, you would want to know what the Word of God might have to say about this.

So, what are the biblical grounds for church membership? Let me list them for you and explain them.

1) The New Testament commands commitment to the local church.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Hebrews 10:24-25

This was one of the first verses I memorized as a young Christian. Notice how the habit of some is to neglect to meet together. Actually, nowadays, that seems to be the habit of most. And what are the reasons or motives given for meeting together. There are three. To stir up one another to love. To stir up one another to good works. And to encourage one another. These “one anothers” cannot be fulfilled apart from a local church.

2) The epistles were written to specific local churches. For instance, Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonika(1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1) to the church in Corinth(1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 2 Corinthians 1), to the saints at Philippi(Philippians 1:1), to the saints at Colossae(Colossians 1:1-2), and to the saints at Ephesus(Ephesians 1:1).

3) 95% of the time the Greek term ekklesia is used it is a reference to the local church, not the Universal church.

4) Church discipline is impossible without local church membership.

Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, lays out for us the process of church discipline. Why church discipline? For the purity of His Bride. That is after all why He loved the Church and gave Himself for her(Ephesians 5:25-27).

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”(emphasis added)

Matthew 18:15-17

So if the sinning brother is unrepentant the first time after 1-2-1 meeting and still unrepentant the second time after meeting with one or two others, then Jesus says we are to tell the church. So does that mean as a pastor I would have to call my pastor friends in Greece and tell it to them so they in turn can inform their congregations. Of course not. How silly.

But even more, if the sinning brother is unrepentant the third time after he refuses to listen to the church, he is to be as a Gentile and a tax collector, that is expelled from the fellowship,  So which fellowship is he not to be a part of. The fellowship of believers around the world? No, that particular local fellowship of believers.

That is why Paul used such strong terminology in his letter to the Corinthians when he said “Let him who has done this be removed from among you.”(1 Corinthians 5:2) and “Purge the evil person from among you.”(1 Corinthians 5:13). Paul was not joking around with such terms as “removed” and “purge”. But note that it was to be “from among you.” From among whom? The removal and purging of this unrepentant sinner was to be from among the local church in Corinth. If it doesn’t mean from the local church in Corinth, then Paul’s command makes absolutely no sense!

5) Church leadership is impossible without local church membership.

“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.”

Hebrews 13:17

For you who still hold on to your excuses, I have a couple of questions for you that I would like you to answer. First, which leaders are you to obey and submit to? And furthermore, for whose souls will pastors have to give an account to God for? Is it not yet clear to you that the command to obey and submit to leadership can only be obeyed in the context of a local church body? And is it not yet clear to you that God would not expect pastors to give an account over anyone other than the specific flock they are shepherding?

And that is why when Paul met with the elders of the Ephesian church(Acts20:17-18) he exhorted them to pay careful attention to their flock and to care for it(Acts 20:28).

6) People were numbered in the early church.

“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”(emphasis added)

Acts 2:41

“But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.”(emphasis added)

Acts 4:4

7) The ordinances of the Lord’s Supper, Communion, and Believer’s Baptism can only be practiced in the context of a local body.

8) Widows were to be put on the list if they met the criteria(1 Timothy 5:9) and the early church kept a list of names of deacons(Acts 6:1-6).

9) Letters of commendation were sent from one local body to another(Acts 18:24-27; Romans 16:1-2; Colossians 4:10)

10) The clear distinction made between those inside the church and those outside the church presupposes formal church membership.

“And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.”(emphasis added)

Acts 5:11, 13

The pronoun “them” mentioned twice in verse 13 is a direct reference to “the whole church” of verse 12. The terms “rest” and “people” in verse 13 are references to those outside the church.

No more excuses. Find a local body of believers that exalts Jesus Christ through the preaching of the Word of God and enquire about becoming a member there so you can be held accountable and serve. Maybe I am passionate about this because I teach the New Members class at my home church, Bethlehem Bible Church. Or maybe I am passionate about this because to claim that you are committed to Jesus Christ but not His Church is to believe the heresy of a decapitated Body.

 

 

Church Membership: No More Excuses(Part 1)

Judgment Free Zone. Ten dollars down. Ten dollars a month.

Having been in the health industry for 30 years between being an avid weightlifter, a follower of the Mr. Olympia, a certified personal trainer and a manager at a sport supplement store, I see lines like these fill the ads of many gyms in this competitive industry where everyone wants your money, not necessarily your commitment. After all, last time you skipped, or rather missed a workout, who from your gym or health club called you to check up on you? As long as they get your monthly payments via electronic funds transfer from your bank account, that’s all that matters to them.

This no commitment mindset, no strings attached mentality, has crept into the church. The non-committal gym culture has infiltrated the church so that there is no commitment to a local body of believers and to the governing, ruling, and shepherding of elders. This is manifest by the common phenomenon of church hopping and the uncommon reality of church membership.

I can hear the complaints and excuses echoing down through the corridors of time by those who have been burned in one way or another from the church or have had bad church experiences.

“Someone teed me off today, so I just won’t go to this church anymore.”
“The pastor never says hello. So why even bother going?”
“All Christians are hypocrites. That is why I am not a member of any church.”
“I have a personal relationship with Jesus. I read my Bible and pray alone. I don’t need the church.”

I love that last one. Or how about this one.

“I love Jesus. I just don’t love the church.”

Even better, right?

“I had such a bad experience in my last church, that I simply won’t commit to any one.”

Now, don’t get me wrong. Some of people’s complaints are legitimate. Others are just poor excuses of having been bitten by the non-committal health club bug. And still others are evidence of a clear lack of any interest in the things of the Lord.

So how do you work your way though this intricate maze? Glad you asked. See I knew that NoCo listeners and readers are sharper than most.

First, know the proper responses for everyone of those complaints/excuses I listed above.

“Someone teed me off today, so I just won’t go to this church anymore.”

Response: “How fickle. How childish. How immature. Grow up.” For this response it might be helpful to direct the person who uses this excuse to the nursery of the church and hand them a bag of diapers. I am guessing that would either get their attention about how infantile their attitude is or it would send them running away even faster.

“The pastor never says hello. So why even bother going?”

Response: Give him another chance or go greet him yourself. He may have been busy ministering to someone. He may have had something heavy on his heart and mind. So take the initiative to encourage him.  Send him an email. Or rather, better yet, write him a personal hand written note. Not a note of complaint. But just to let him know you are praying for him.

“All Christians are hypocrites. That is why I am not a member of any church.”

Response: “Come join us. You would fit well.” I remember someone once told me exactly that. I said to him that he should feel welcome because as a sinner like the rest of us he too is a hypocrite. You see, it is easy to point out the faults of others because it takes our eyes of our own weaknesses.

“I have a personal relationship with Jesus. I read my Bible and pray alone. I don’t need the church.”

Response: I am excited to hear that you personally read your Bible and have a prayer life. Great. But remember that the Christian life was not meant for lone rangers. We need one another. You need the church to help you grow and for you to serve.

“I love Jesus. I just don’t love the church.”

Response: If you love Jesus, you would love what Jesus loves. And the Bible is unequivocally clear that Jesus loves the Church. How much? He gave Himself for her.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

Ephesians 5:25

If you love Jesus, you would care for what Jesus cares for. Jesus Himself said that as the Good Shepherd He cares for the sheep. How much? He laid down His life for them.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

John 10:11-15

What a beautiful and descriptive metaphor Christ uses. Unlike the hired hand, who cares nothing for the sheep, because he is not a shepherd and because he does not own the sheep, and therefore flees when he sees the wolf coming, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cares for His own sheep.

If you love Jesus, you would love those who are born of God. Actually, the apostle John says the evidence that you are born again, that you are born of God, is that you love others who are born of God. Obviously, it only makes sense. You love those who are part of your spiritual family.

“…everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.”

1 John 5:1b

“I had such a bad experience in my last church, that I simply won’t commit to any one.”

Response: As I always tell those who take my new members class at our church, the Bible has to be your filter. In other words, whatever bad experiences you may have had, you must interpret them through the lens of Scripture. The mistake that most people make is that they see the Bible through the filter of their bad church experience. The Bible is our final authority for faith and life, not our experience.

Second, obey God’s command to not be conformed to this world.

“Do not be conformed to this world…”

Romans 12:2a

The idea here is the “pattern” of this world(NIV). Or as J.B Phillips puts it, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould.” What a vivid picture that helps us grasp what that means. It reminds me of the plastic or tin mould that mom used to use to make a bundt cake. The world says no strings attached. No commitment. The Word says do not conform.

No more excuses. Know. Obey. Know the responses to any of the excuses you may have used to neglect church membership. Obey. Do not conform to the world by letting the world around you dictate to you the same non-committal cavalier attitude to church membership.

 

 

 

The Gospel and Your Children

I will never forget a few years ago when the ladies from our church, who had recently returned from a women’s conference, were telling me that my wife was the talk of the conference. That alone surprised me because, though she was part of a panel Q & A discussion at the women’s conference, my wife tends to be quiet when it comes to speaking in public. So why was she the talk of the conference? It was because of her answer to a question concerning how to raise your children with the Gospel. Her response on the one hand caused quiet giggles among the ladies of our church who know her but sent shock waves to the ladies who did not. She said that we(husband and wife) present the Gospel and then in order to get the right response out of them we have our children say the “Sinner’s Prayer”.

The Scripture clearly teaches that children are a blessing from the Lord(Psalm 127:3-5) and as stewards fathers are to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord(Ephesians 6:4). Or as the King James says, in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord”. No I am not a proponent of King James only.

There are two extremes you are to avoid when it comes to the Gospel and your children. This should be of no surprise since our natural tendency is to be people of the pendulum. The one extreme is to assure your children when they profess faith that they are saved and that they should never doubt that. The second extreme is to condemn or dismiss any profession of faith by saying that they still possess a heart of stone, not a heart of flesh.

Extreme #1: Assure any profession of faith

Why is this one extreme to avoid? Let me give you a few reasons.

First of all, whether a child or an adult, a profession of faith doesn’t necessarily automatically constitute a possession of genuine saving faith. Genuine saving faith is manifest by the fruit of good works(Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 2:10; James 2:14-26). Assurance of eternal life(1 John 5:13) is based upon obedience(1 John 2:3-5) and love for other Christians(1 John 2:9-11; 3:10-15; 5:1). Children are sometimes too young to demonstrate faith in good works evidenced in obedience and love for believers. And even if they do, their motives are skewed. Therefore there is no guarantee that their faith is genuine. That is not to say that God cannot save a child at a young age. Here we are talking about you as a parent granting them assurance.

Secondly, there is the danger of false assurance. You definitely do not want your child to grow up with the notion that they are saved simply because they are part of a Christian family or said the “Sinner’s Prayer” or even if they say they say they truly believe when God might not have yet caused them to be born again(1 Peter 1:3).

Furthermore, the issue of assurance is the work of the Holy Spirit(Romans 8:14-16). That does not mean of course that you cannot teach your children through the book of 1 John that was written for the specific purpose of assurance. It simply means not to overemphasize objective assurance with your children.

And finally, your children want to please you. You may not think that they do especially when they disobey you regularly and you begin to wonder “Whose child is this?” When it comes to the Gospel and their response to it, your children know that it would please you when they respond positively to the good news. After all, having told them about sin, the wages of it, the reality of hell, the person and work of Christ, why wouldn’t they respond with a yes to your invitation? In their innocent minds, they are thinking that if they can get the assurance that they are escaping hell and guaranteed heaven from their parent, then they are in. So their motives for their profession may be skewed by their desire to please you, rather than making a profession of faith based upon the realization of their sinfulness before God and that Christ is the only Savior to embrace. That is not to say they cannot understand those truths of sin and the Savior, but here we are talking about their heart’s motive.

“As I noted earlier, too many people whose hearts are utterly cold to the things of the Lord believe they are going to heaven simply because they responded positively as children to an evangelistic invitation. Having “asked Jesus to come into their hearts,: they were then taught never to examine themselves and never to entertain any doubt about their salvation. ”

John MarArthur(Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles, p. 209)

Extreme #2: Condemn or dismiss any profession of faith.

Why is this the other extreme to avoid? Let me count the ways.

First of all, a profession of faith, though not necessarily guaranteeing a possession of faith, could mean that God is at work in their young minds and hearts. He may be drawing them(John 6:44). When you, as their parent, condemn or dismiss their profession, you could be missing out on the opportunity to further explain the Gospel and to see the small yet definite workings of the Spirit of God in the life of the child that God gave you.

Secondly, God may have saved your child. Your rebuttal is that if God saved my child he or she would be obedient. Granted obedience is a mark of genuine salvation(1 John 2:3-5). But let me ask you, “Do you always obey the Lord?” Of course not. Growth takes time.

And thirdly, succumbing to this extreme is to not understand that your child’s conversion will not be the same as someone who has not grown up in a Christian home. That is to say, it may not seem as drastic, but it may come more quietly. Nonetheless, that in and of itself does not mean it is not genuine.

“There are Christians who can give day and hour of their conversion, but the great majority do not know exactly at what moment they were saved. The effects of the act are plain, but the act itself was done in the quietness of God. Such, very often, is the experience of children brought by Christian parents. It is not necessary that all should pass through agonies of soul before being saved; there are those to whom faith comes peacefully and easily through the nurture of Christian homes.”(emphasis added)

John Gresham Machen(Christianity and Liberalism p. 140-141)

Having discussed the 2 extremes to avoid, now we turn to the way you ought to raise your children with the Gospel. Let me give you 4 watch words that will serve you well like a pair of lighthouses guiding you through the sometimes fog of parenting.

Watch Word #1: Clarity

As a parent always make sure you clarify the different aspects of the Gospel, whether it be the gravity of sin or the work of Christ. Also clearly explain the proper response to the Gospel, repentance and faith(Acts 20:21). The following will assist you as you seek to clarify the Gospel to your children.

Who God is – Holy, Just, Creator
Who Man is – Sinner(Romans 3:23; 6:23)
Who Christ is- Lord and Savior(John 14:6. Acts 2:36; 4:12; Romans 10:9)
What Christ has done – Crucifixion and Resurrection(1 Corinthians 15:3-5)
What should man’s response be – repentance and faith

“Don’t soften the parts of the message that sound unpleasant. Christ’s blood, the cross, and atonement for sins are at the heart of the message. If we bypass such topics, we’re not giving the full gospel. Don’t tone down the deman for surrender. Christ’s lordship is not too difficult for children to understand. Any child who is old enough to understand the basic gospel is also able by God’s grace to trust Him completely and respond with the purest, most sincere kind of surrender.”

John MacArthur(Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles, p. 209)

Clarity involves thoroughness. When you are thorough with the Gospel it keeps it from becoming obscure to your children. Remember that at the same time your child doesn’t need to understand every aspect of soteriological(the doctrine of salvation) truth in order to be saved. That comes with maturity in the faith. They do need to understand what is germane to the Gospel in order to be saved, such as the holiness of God, the gravity of sin and its consequences, the perfect work of Christ, and what it means to trust in Christ alone. Again seasoned pastor John MacArthur provides godly wisdom and biblical counsel.

“Should we streamline or abbreviate the message when we teach children the gospel? There is no biblical warrant for that. Certainly we need to use terminology they can grasp and be clear and patient in communicating the message. But when Scripture talks about teaching children spiritual truth, the emphasis is on thoroughness. … Remember that the primary factor in any person’s coming to Christ is not how much doctrine he or she knows. The real issue is the extent of God’s work in the heart. Even the most mature believer does not comprehend all of God’s truth. We can only begin to fathom the riches of God’s word in this present life. Full understanding of eery aspect of the Gospel certainly is not required for salvation.”(emphasis added)

John MacArthur(Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles, p. 208-209)

Watch Word #2: Encouragement

Short of granting your child the assurance of salvation, something as we said previously only the Spirit of God can do, encourage them every time they tell you that they believe in Jesus. Don’t brow beat them that they are still unsaved because of their disobedience.

Watch Word #3: Consistency

Your faithful consistency to regularly lead family worship and teach your children the truths of the Gospel is essential in instructing them in the Word, which is the imperishable seed by which they must be born again(1 Peter 1:23)

Watch Word #4: Patience

If God opens their eyes and changes their hearts so that they believe in Him with genuine saving faith, it will be in His time. Don’t push their conversion. Be patient and allow the Holy Spirit to use your nurture in the Word of God.

“…we must eschew the quick, easy response and teach our children patiently, consistently, faithfully over their developing years. Encourage every step of faith as they grow.”(emphasis added)

MacArthur(Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles, p. 210)

Recently, at the end of our family worship, our youngest daughter said to me that she believes that she is a sinner and that she believes in Christ. Then with those large cute eyes that can cause the most hardened heart to melt, she looked at me and asked, “Am I in? Am I in?” So I pulled out my knightly sword, we held an official family ceremony and I took my sword tapping it over each of her shoulders dubbing her a Christian now and forevermore. To use NoCo language:HENNO. Rather, to clarify her understanding of sin I told her that to believe you are a sinner involves believing that you are guilty before God(James 2:10) and believing that you deserve to be punished by God in eternal hell for your sins. Then to encourage her professed faith in Christ I said with enthusiasm in my voice, “Great, keep on believing in Christ alone.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Role of Women in the Church

Why pick such a controversial topic to blog about? Oh I didn’t realize there was controversy surrounding this issue. To use NoCo language: HENNO. Well, what else do you expect from a ministry whose tag line is always biblical, always controversial, always in that order.

The equality of women with men has nothing to do with their role or function in the home or in the church but has everything to do with their identity. In other words, the Bible says that women are equal with men in the church because of who they are in Christ, not because of what they do. The philosophy of the world on the other hand says that women can do anything men can do and that is the basis of their equality.

Consider for instance these foundational truths. Both men and women were created in the image and likeness of God(Genesis 1:27-28) and wives are fellow heirs with their husbands of the gracious gift of life(1 Peter 3:7).

Biblical roles that God has ordained for men and women in the church are to be adhered to for Jesus Christ alone is the Head of the Church. It is His body. Thus we are to submit to Him.

Some have fallen prey to the demonic(yes demonic, that is not a typo)notion that we should do what the world tells us to do for the sake of reaching people for Christ. That is we should allow women to teach and exercise authority over men. After all, women are equal with men the world screams. GONG!!!(Think the Gong Show, if you’re old enough) The Bible is clear that we are not to be conformed to the pattern of this world(Romans 12:2). The idea is that we are not to let the world squeeze us into its mold.

But the church has fallen prey to such notions because we tolerate ministries that promote this. And why do we tolerate? Very simply because the church has lost all mooring of biblical discernment. Let me illustrate. Beth Moore. I can almost see with just the mention of her name some of the hairs on the back of your neck are coming up.

She teaches men in her conferences. Women love her so they see nothing wrong. I won’t even get into her bad hermeneutics and her supposed listening to God, and that not through Scripture. As Pastor and Author Mike Abendroth of NoCo fame has asked in a previous episode, “Where is Beth Moore’s Husband?”

So how are we not to conform to the pattern of this world(Romans 12:2)? The next part of the verse gives us the answer.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”(emphasis added)

Romans 12:2

Transformation comes through our minds. We are to set our minds on things above(Colossians 3:2). Right thinking leads to right living. But before we look at the right way of thinking about this issue, that is what does the Word of God say, let us first confront some of the wrong thinking. In other words, let us bring every thought captive.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”(emphasis added)

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Wrong Thinking #1 – God used women in the Old Testament such as Esther and Deborah.

This is one of the reasons people cite as to why women can teach and have authority over men. This comes from people who believe the Bible to be the Word of God and want to submit to the authority of Scripture. Their hermeneutical(the art and science of biblical interpretation) approach is just so rudimentary they think that just the mention of women qualifies them. Obviously they are untrained in using the literal-grammatical-historical hermeneutical approach as the only valid one that gets to the original meaning of a text.

Wrong Thinking #2 – Jesus Himself ministered to women like the woman at the well(John 4).

To use this as support is to miss the entire point of the Gospel of John. The beloved disciple wrote “so that  you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”(John 20:31) So John’s purpose was evangelistic. In line with that authorial intent, he includes the account of the Samaritan woman in John 4 to demonstrate that Jesus came after all not for the righteous but for sinners(Luke 5:32). Her sin was apparent(John 4:16-18). And on top of that she was a Samaritan, a half-breed as Jews considered them.

In the previous chapter John records the account of THE teacher of Israel, Nicodemus(John 3). Why are these chapters juxtaposed by the Spirit of God? It was to show that the Savior came for both religious leaders who needed to be born again and also for those who were the social outcast of society. He came for both men and women. By recording Chapter 4, John was showing that salvation in Christ was available to women as well.

Wrong Thinking #3 – “there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”(Galatians 3:28)

Paul opened this epistle with a very strong indictment.

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”(emphasis added)

Galatians 1:8-9

Twice he mentions the Greek term anathema, accursed, literally eternally condemned and damned, without the possibility of redemption. Strong language. And rightfully so. The Gospel is at stake. Paul was disturbed that they were turning to a different gospel because of false teachers, “some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ”(Galatians 1:7) His motive was because he was a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser(Galatians 1:10).

Paul did not yield in subjection to these Judaizers, who believed circumcision was necessary for salvation(Acts 15:1). His motive was for the sake of the truth of the Gospel(Galatians 2:5). That would make a good verse for a Christian radio program ministry.

The Nature of True Saving Faith

It was one of the most celebrated times in the Jewish calendar. It was the Passover(See Exodus 12:1-13). Jews would all gather together in Jerusalem to celebrate this feast. Now on one of these occasions Jesus appears on the scene. And what does he do? Miraculous signs. The beloved disciple states very clearly the purpose of these miraculous signs was so that people may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God(John 20:30-31). People saw these miraculous signs, John writes, that Jesus did at the Passover Feast and many believed in His name(John 2:23). What was Jesus’ response?

“But Jesus on His part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.”

John 2:24-25

It ought to shock you that the verse does not begin with the term “therefore” or “so”. That would signify there was something positive in Jesus’ response, such as, “So Jesus on His part entrusted Himself to them”. But that is not what it says. Instead, the verse begins with a contrasting term, namely “but”. Why did Jesus not entrust Himself to them? The text of Scripture is clear. Because of Christ’s omniscience. He is all-knowing. Specifically it mentions twice that Christ “knew” what was in man.

Christ knew that this was not saving faith, but superficial faith. As the God-Man He knew that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick”(Jeremiah 17:9). This kind of spurious faith was throughout Christ’s ministry. On another occasion the crowds were asking Jesus to show them a sign so that they may see and believe(John 6:30). Earlier Jesus exposed their false motives for coming to Him(John 6:26). It was these same people who later on were proven to be apostate(John 6:66).

Furthermore, James says that even the demons believe and that belief is orthodox(James 2:19), yet it is not saving faith. So what is the nature of true saving faith? Let’s look at 6 elements that will help us not jump to immediate conclusions that whoever says that they believe in Jesus or that has grown up believing in Jesus is automatically saved.

1) Saving faith is a commitment.

Systematic theology recognizes three elements of genuine faith, notitia, assensus and fiducia.

NOTITIA
ASSENSUS
FIDUCIA


knowledge
assent
trust


intellectual element
emotional element
volitional element


mind
emotions
will

Notitia is a recognition and understanding of the truth that Christ saves. Assensus is the settled confidence and affirmation that Christ’s salvation is applicable to one’s soul. And fiduciaries the personal commitment to and appropriation of Christ as the only hope for eternal salvation.

Note that faith is not just mental assent as many would have you falsely think. Just give mental acquiescence and you are saved. NO! Though faith is an acknowledgement of the historical facts of the Gospel(i.e. Jesus died on a real tree), it goes beyond that. It is a personal commitment.

“We cannot be said to believe that which we distrust too much to commit ourselves to it.”

B.B. Warfield

“Saving faith, then, is the whole of my being embracing all of Christ. Faith cannot be divorced from commitment.”

John MacArthur(Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles, p. 45)

2) Saving faith is a gift of God.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”

Eph. 2:8

What is an antecedent? I know you’re thinking:  “What is this, English 101 or School House Rock? The antecedent is the noun closest in proximity that a pronoun refers to. In this case, the antecedent to the pronouns “this” and “it” is “faith”. Of course the whole of salvation is all of God, but here Paul is specifically stressing that faith is not our own doing because faith itself is the gift of God.

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,”

Phil. 1:29

The term granted comes from the same Greek word from which we get the term grace. Here Paul is saying that faith to believe in Him is granted by the grace of God.

3) Saving faith is a command to be obeyed in response to the Gospel.

While in jail, Paul and Silas were praising God. Then God sent an earthquake to release them from prison. In fear the Phillipian jailer fell down before them.

“And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Acts 16:30-31

Their answer to his question was a command, believe. Jesus said that if you do not believe you stand condemned already(John 3:18) and you will die in your sins(John 8:24). After all, without faith it is impossible to please God(Hebrews 11:6).

4) Saving faith has Christ as its object.

The references to Christ as the only object of faith are so many that I suppose the world would not contain them all(See John 21:25;   John 3:16; John 8:24; John 20:31; Acts 16:31; Acts 20:21; Romans 3:22, 26). Saving faith must be in the person and work of Christ.

You must believe in His person, who He is, namely…

…the only Savior(Acts 4:12)

…Lord(Romans 10:9a)

…Man – the incarnation, His humanity(1 John 4:2-3; cf. 1 John 1:1-3)

…God – Hs Deity(1 John 5:20)

You must believe in His work, what He has done, namely…

…His substitutionary atonement(John 10:11, 15; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 5:25; Titus 2:14)

…His resurrection(Romans 10:9b; Acts 2:24-29; Acts 13:30-37)

5) Saving faith is manifested by the fruit of good works.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:10

Note that we are not saved by works(Ephesians 2:9), but we are saved unto works(Ephesians 2:10). We are His workmanship. We are created in Christ for good works. And it it these good works which God prepared beforehand for us to walk in.

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”

James 2:14

In his argument in this section of his epistle(James 2:14-26), James’ main thrust comes forth like a neon highlighter from the very outset in this verse. He is contrasting a said faith vs. a saving faith. If someone has a said faith devoid of works, James asks if that faith can save him? A rhetorical question with the loud and clear answer, “But of course not.” or “Perish such a ludicrous thought.”

Good works are the natural consequence of faith so much so that Jesus “gave himself for us…to purify for Himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”(Titus 2:14). We are saved by faith alone but not by a faith that is alone!

6) Saving faith perseveres through trials.

This is Hebrews 11. The Hall of Faith. This cloud of witnesses that is listed here is for our endurance(Hebrews 12:1) because they persisted in the face of trials…by faith… by faith…by faith. Trials are God’s ordinary means that He uses to test the genuineness and authenticity of faith(1 Peter 1:6-7). True saving faith is persevering faith!

The Sovereignty of God Over the Nations

True or False?

God’s sovereign rule over nations is dependent upon the leaders of those nations submitting to His authority.

If you answered true, then you have a low view of God. The God who commanded the universe into existence(Psalm 33:6-9) and who sustains the universe(Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:2-3) does not depend on the leaders of nations, i.e. presidents, kings, etc. to carry out His sovereign decreed will.

“The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

the plans of his heart to all generations.”

Psalm 33:10-11

God is sovereign over all, including all nations and all kingdoms. If He is not sovereign over all, then He is not sovereign at all. At the end of his life(1 Chronicles 29:26-28), king David knew this very well as he blessed the Lord.

“Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.”(emphasis added)

1 Chronicles 29:10-12

As the one who who is exalted as head above all and as the one who rules over all, God is truly and undeniably the Sovereign Lord…of all. And that includes nations and leaders of nations.

With the legalization of same sex marriage, the LGBT agenda and the upcoming election, it doesn’t take an expert to understand that our nation is in a spiral moral and spiritual decline of epic proportions(Romans 1:18-32).

So with the dire situation our nation is in, we need to look to the all-sufficient Word of God. The following 3 case studies from the Scriptures will demonstrate that indeed God will carry out His plans and purposes no matter how ungodly the leaders are.

Case Study Study #1: Nero

This Roman emperor came into power 54 A.D. at the age of 17. At the age of 31 he committed suicide. He was a homosexual. It was under Nero’s reign that Peter was martyred.

When Peter wrote his first epistle to the “elect exiles”(1 Peter 1:1), Nero had burned Rome including all its cultural and religious artifacts and put the blame squarely on the Christians. So to say the least the persecution these Christians were already facing was suddenly intensified. Peter makes direct reference to this persecution when he refers to their trials(1 Peter 1:6-7), being spoken against as evildoers(1 Peter 2:12) reviled(1 Peter 3:9) and slandered(1 Peter 3:16) and suffering(1 Peter 4:12-19).

According to Tacitus, the Roman historian, Nero rolled Christians in pitch and then set them on fire while they were still alive and used them as living torches to light his garden parties. This was the emperor Peter was referring to when he wrote the following.

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,…”

1 Peter 2:13

How could he command these suffering Christians to be subject to such a maniac of an emperor? Because the Lord is sovereign. You see, the term “institution” in the Greek text is used exclusively of God and His work and His enterprises. It is never used of man.

“ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God,…”(emphasis added)

2 Corinthians 5:17-18a

The Greek for the term “creation” is, you guessed it, the same Greek word that Peter uses for the term “institution”. Just as the new creation is from God, so every human institution is from God. Why? Because God is sovereign over every human institution.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

Romans 13:1

“He removes kings and sets up kings;”

Daniel 2:21

Case Study #2: Nebuchadnezzar

No less than 3 times the decree of God is made plain, so that Nebuchadnezzar would “know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He will”(Daniel 4:17, 25, 32). Nebuchadnezzar was so proud that in arrogance he believed that he himself had built Babylon by his own power for his own glory(Daniel 4:30). So to show him that the Most High alone gives kingdoms to whom He wills, God brought him down to the lowliest of places, the kingdom taken from him, living with the beasts, eating grass, and “his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws.” God had said this would happen to Nebuchadnezzar.

“this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”(emphasis added)

Daniel 4:24-25

Note that God’s decree is always God’s  “shalls”. It will undoubtedly happen. And so the word of the Lord was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar, and that immediately!

“All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.”(emphasis added)

Daniel 4:28-33

Eventually Nebuchadnezzar came to realize the sovereignty of God over all kingdoms!

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and He does according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Daniel 4:34-35

Christian. Are you nervous about this upcoming election? Remember that God does according to His will and none can stay His hand because God’s sovereignty rules over the nations and over the ungodly leaders of those nations!

Case Study #3: Cyrus

Yet another case where the word of the Lord is fulfilled from an ungodly king.

“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem.”

Ezra 1:1-3

You ask, “How can this be?” Very simply.

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will.”(emphasis added)

Proverbs 21:1

“declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”(emphasis added)

Isaiah 46:10-11

 

 

Regeneration Precedes Faith

“You must be born again.”(emphasis added)

John 3:7

These words from the lips of the Savior still ring true today as when He first uttered them to Nicodemus. Like a clarion call, Jesus makes it unequivocally clear that one must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of heaven(John 3:5). This is not a suggestion. Jesus did not say you “ought” to be born again. This is not just a good idea. This is an absolute necessity. You must be born again!

Unlike many have erroneously thought, this is not a command to be obeyed. Jesus did not give an imperative, “Be born again.” Rather it is a statement of fact, a declaration of divine truth.

“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (emphasis added)

John 3:3

There is no possibility of entering the kingdom of God without being born again. Without regeneration, entering the kingdom of God is an utter impossibility. Jesus emphatically said that one cannot enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

Christ’s statement is of epic proportions. If for no other reason than the fact that the Jews of His day thought that they had every right to enter the kingdom of God simply because of their spiritual heritage and lineage.(John 8:36, 39).

The Greek term for born “again”, ἄνωθεν, literally means “from above.” Jesus is saying you must be born from above. It is something done to you, not something you do. There is no “how to” be born again for the simple reason that in regeneration man is passive, while the Spirit of God is active. After all Jesus said it is to be born of the Spirit, not to be born of the flesh(John 3:5-6).

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 1:12-13

Regeneration then is a work of God the Holy Spirit(Titus 3:5).

That night when Nicodemus the teacher of Israel approached Jesus, the beloved disciple John was there. He is the one under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit(2 Timothy 3:16) who recorded the account. And I’m sure it was this encounter John was thinking back on when he penned the following words.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God,…”

1 John 5:1a

The perfect tense of the verb “has been born” indicates action that was completed in the past with continuing results in the present. What’s the point? One must be born again first in order to then believe in Christ. I know this goes contrary to many statements of faith and what many have grown up wrongly thinking, namely that an unregenerate person can believe in Christ.

Whomever the Holy Spirit regenerates will believe in Christ. There is no such thing as a believer in Christ who has not been regenerated.

If you are a believer in Christ, it was not your faith that caused you to be born again, but it was God that caused you to be born again, and that according to His great mercy(1 Peter 1:3). It was God, being rich in mercy, who made us alive, even when we were dead in transgressions(Ephesians 2:4-5). 

The one who has been born of God, the apostle John says, literally “is believing” that Jesus is the Christ. The verb is in the present tense signifying continuous, habitual action; a way of life. What’s the point? Genuine Christians will never stop believing! After all, how can they since rebirth is a divine work.

This of course has major implications to assurance of salvation and the perseverance of the saints. We can be assured that we will persevere in the faith because persevering faith is the result of being born of God. We can be confident that God who began His good work in us will complete it(Philippians 1:6) because of the divine miracle of regeneration, giving life to the spiritually dead.

Why are you a Christian? Is it because YOU have decided to follow Jesus? If that’s what you think, then you ought to be singing the self-exalting hymn “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus”. But if it is as the Bible declares because God caused you to be born again, then sing to the glory of God.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay

Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;

Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

My chains fell off, my heart was free;

I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

And Can It Be, That I Should Gain?