LayGuy

The Gospel message Jesus left us behind to tell the world is a very powerful message.  Untouched and delivered faithfully, it can have an enormous impact on a person’s life.  It’s got nothing to do with the charisma or the story telling ability of the person sharing the Gospel – rather there is power behind the message.

Apostle Paul fully understood this power when he penned..

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..” Rom 1:16a

Through the story of the Gospel, God’s power can break into a persons life and bring salvation into it.  However, if you were honest with yourself, the story of a man who lived more than 2000 years ago, did some miracles, was murdered, died for all our sins and was mysteriously resurrected and taken back into heaven seems a little far fetched to base your life on.

And according to the Bible, God loves the “foolishness” of the Gospel message to shatter the “wisdom” of man.  To the hard hearted human, the Gospel message seems like utter nonsense – verbal diarrhea – and a great way to ridicule those “simple minded people” who place their trust in such a story.

As Christian’s, we should take delight in the fact that God has purposely designed things to be this way.  He is in control and He uses the “folly” of the Gospel to separate those who will believe and those who won’t.  Have a read of this…

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Cor 1:18

There it is again, “the power of God.”  Embedded into the Gospel message is the power of God.  This invisible power has the ability to penetrate a persons heart and soul and bring about change no natural process can explain.  We’ve seen it time and time again where a person is confronted with this power – they are never the same again!

For this reason, we should never shrink back in our responsibility to share the Gospel.  If we do, we are holding back the power of God to impact a persons life.  Will all believe?  Nope – actually most will see it as complete nonsense.  But to those who God has already begun His work on, whose hearts have been been softened by the Spirit of God, the sharing of the Gospel will allow the power of God to come flooding through.

What an awesome privilege and responsibility God has left us with!  Our job is to simply pass the message along, step back and watch the result.  And it’s in this context that I share the following video as a great help.  Please feel free to pass it along to your friends and family.  The direct link can be found here.

The debate between Calvinism and Arminianism is alive and well in my heart and mind these days.  In a very basic nutshell, Calvinism says that God chose us to be saved and Arminianism says that we chose God.

In my opinion, both have valid points and scripture to back the theological bend they are trying to achieve.  And both have their problems.

In regards to Calvinism, I agree that we are totally depraved (I’m a classic example of this) and that on our own, we are incapable of seeking God.

In regards to Arminianism, I concur with a tonne of Scripture that God is willing to accept anyone who confesses and repents and turns to Him.

And just by saying that, I realise that I have just totally contradicted myself!  Hence the debate in my heart and mind.

I lean more towards Calvinism for a number of reasons.  But this also makes me wrestle with so many issues that it messes with my mind.  For example the other day, I was talking with my 6 year old daughter and and thought in my mind, “what if she isn’t one of the elect?  What if she hasn’t been singled out by God to spend eternity with Him?”

If this was the case, the moment she was conceived, she was doomed to burn in hell.  And that messes with my mind.  Or another example, many times, I struggle with sin on so many different fronts and Calvinism makes me ask the question, “Am I really one of the elect?  Or am I just kidding myself?”

One thing I never question is God’s integrity.  I take comfort in the song of Moses mentioned in Revelation.  Here, when everything is said and done and God’s plan for salvation has come to a close, the words used to describe God’s ways are “just and true.”  I like that.  I like that a lot.

Just being honest and transparent.  Or maybe both schools of thought should be swept away in my heart and replaced with a solid chunk of Jesus instead.  Yeah, I think that’s way better.

Anyway, in light of this, I thought I may share the following two video’s of evangelism gone wrong from both camps.  Hope you enjoy…they are meant to be funny.

Arminian Witnessing

Calvinist Witnessing

I got to listen to Matt Chandler today again as I drove around seeing my customers.  This guy is quickly becoming my favourite bible teacher.

Love his passion and, more importantly, his angle in tackling the text and the insight he has in understanding the big issues.  This is especially true in the area of being a disciple of Jesus and making Him Lord of your life instead of simply being a Christian.

Today I listened to his take on the parable of the Ten Mina’s found in Luke.

“A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’

But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business.

The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’

And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’ Luke 19:12-27

There is so much packed into the that parable that to “unpack it” – as Chandler likes to say – would take a very long time.  For a great take on this from Chandler’s mindset, be sure to listen to his sermon below.

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In the middle of listening to the sermon, something struck me.  Here we have 3 servants singled out from among the 10.  One used what Jesus gave him and his efforts brought a huge return.  Jesus was pleased and gave him 10 cities.

The other had a smaller return.  Jesus wasn’t as pleased as the first guy, but still rewarded him proportionately.

But the third guy didn’t do anything and actually accused Jesus and pointed his finger at him.  Jesus then took what He had given to him in the first place.  He then equated this wicked servant to the ones who are “enemies of His” and had them slaughtered.

Chandler does an excellent job in describing these enemies as those who don’t want Jesus to be Lord of their lives – again, something resonating with me greatly these days.

But you know what strikes me?  This wicked servant was still a “servant”.  He still served Jesus.  But he didn’t have Jesus as his Lord and he had a wrong understanding of Jesus.  But at the end of the day, he was still a servant.

Made me think about what I do.  Sure I serve in my church.  Stuff done behind the scenes no-one has any awareness of.  I also put my hand up for many ministries ranging from multimedia to running the men’s group to looking after the kids.  So in effect, I am a servant.

But I need to ask myself the questions, “Do I know Jesus in the proper way?” and “Is He Lord of my life?”  If I have a “no” in my answer, then I really need to revaluate my walk with Him.  Because if I have a “no”, I’m the same as those who are enemies of Jesus and my serving is pointless and futile in nature.

And what about everyone else in Church?  In reality, our churches are made up of a bunch of people who sacrificially serve day in, day out but will end up in hell.  Because they serve while not knowing Jesus, nor are known by Him.  And they serve because of religion – not relationship.

Our churches are full of good servants and wicked servants – but servants nonetheless.

“Easy believism” is a term coined by Chandler in this sermon and it refers to modern Christianity’s watering down of how we are saved.  This is in total contradiction to what scripture teaches in the following versus..

“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” Phil 2:12b

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Mat 7:21-23

This morning as I drove off to work, I asked Jesus to teach me to live with Him as Lord of my life.  He answered me through this sermon.

Thank you Jesus. This sermon was a great start.

Earlier this week, I read the New York Times front page article on my favourite Pastor, Mark Driscoll. I love this guys preaching and the impact his ministry has for many people.  I even got the chance to meet him when he visited Australia last year.

But the one area I still struggle with is Calvinism – Driscoll’s belief system.  So much of me gets it and believes in the teaching of Calvinism, but the opposite belief of Arminianism also resonates with me in a huge way.  In a very basic nutshell to those of you who don’t understand the difference:

• Calvinists say that God chose you to be saved
• Armenians say that we accept Christ and are then saved

So the fight is about “who chooses who?”  There are a tonne of scriptures to back both views and this topic is HOTLY debated amongst the best and brightest Christian leaders and teachers – both past and present.  Me? I’m kind of stuck in the middle – slightly leaning to the Calvinist side.  But Driscoll is a full on Calvinist.

And in the New York Post article, amongst other things, the topic of Calvinism was discussed at length – especially in contrast to the “seeker sensitive” movement and the pathetic “bling” gospel of the biggest loser, Joel Osteen.

But it was interesting to see how the article focused on Calvinism and below are a couple of quotes:

“God has predestined every human being’s actions, yet we are still to blame for our sins; we are totally depraved, yet held to the impossible standard of divine law.” authors take on Calvinism.

Elsewhere the author writes…

“(Calvinistic theology)… strike[s] many modern evangelicals as nonsensical and even un-Christian. …and some babies who die in infancy — if God placed them among the reprobate — go straight to hell with the rest of the damned, to “glorify his name by their own destruction,” as Calvin wrote.

Although I lean towards Calvinism, this line of thinking makes Calvinism look very harsh indeed.  However I feel it’s a bit unfair only to focus on this aspect of Calvinism and not on the grace shown to mankind also.

In regards to Arminianism, again I think the author got it completely wrong.  The article says:

“Since the early 19th century, most evangelicals have preferred a theology that stresses the believer’s free decision to accept God’s grace. To be born again is a choice God wants you to make; if you so choose, Jesus will be your personal friend.”

Makes it sound so pussy and week!

But at the end of the day, like I said, the battle is about “who chooses who?”

Enter the atheists.  In the climate described above and the misuse of faith (aka religion) and all the stupid things done in God’s Name like wars and causes, the atheists are fighting back – and they’re doing it in a mass market kind of way.  Have a look at the following clip to see what I mean:

This is happening in many countries and in an increasing trend.  But good ‘ol Australia bucks against the trend – for how long is any one’s guess.  Sure flies in the face of Christianity doesn’t it?  Especially against Calvinists.

So it got me wondering.  With the growing popularity of Calvinistic theology amongst many churches, is this atheistic activity only the beginning of a new power struggle?  Is there a spiritual battle brewing as the mindset of man is once again being influenced by two opposite extremes?

I know which side I’m taking but I’m sure there are many people out there about to be duped “Da Vinci Code” style with this new advertising trend.  What they are doing is great advertising – only for a stupid cause.  Maybe we should copy their idea and adapt to a Calvinistic worldview and have massive billboards saying:

“God chose you to be saved.  Now live it out!”

Or  – a more tongue in cheek slogan for our atheist friends could read:

“April Fools Day – International Day of the Atheist”

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God” Ps 53:1

Yeah I know that last one has been done to death – doesn’t mean it’s not true though!

Final words, click here for a detailed article regarding Calvinist V Arminian debate and click here for Driscoll on GodTube – another error from the author of the article as it stated Driscoll is to rough for GodTube.

For some reason, I really felt God tugging on my heart tonight to open His Word as He had something to share with me.  As an experiment, I did one of those cliche things Christians do and just opened up the Bible randomly to see where it would lead me.

And my finger landed on the following parable from Jesus:

“And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29

Being a member of a small church plant and seeing new people walk in every week, this parable struck a chord within me.  Being a church plant in a poor neighbourhood of a major Australian city is tough work.  I take my hat off to my Pastor who planted this church 7 years ago for his unending perseverance in what he does for our little church.

But this passage gives me a glimpse into how God works in the lives of our immediate and extended community and provides me an awesome motivation to keep doing what we do at Church.

At first, the farmer scatters the seeds.  it’s his job to do what he needs to do.  This represents our need to be faithful servants in the matters of the Kingdom. Do our job, fulfill our duties – share the Gospel.  As the seed needs to dig into the soil, so our message needs to be relevant to our community – or else it simply won’t stick.

But the reference to “sleeping and rising” indicates a long passing of time.  Sometimes we want immediate results from our efforts.  However imagine how bizarre it would be to a farmer if, the second he threw his seed and BANG, he had a mature crop.  It’s absurd indeed.

The reference to “he knows not how the seed grows” is an awesome reference to how the Spirit of God does His work.  We need to get the message out there and learn to relax and rely on the Spirit of God to do His thing.  Those destined to love God will grow and will thrive – often without us even being aware of it or even understanding it.

But that’s cool.  Just like the farmer scratching his head day and night as he sees the seed he’s thrown sprout into “blades and ears and full grain” I think we should allow God to do His mysterious work in the lives of people.  And we should do this in the absence of anxiety.  Imagine a farmer peering out his window at the end of the day looking for sprouting blades and ears – he would go nuts!

But the stickler in all this is the farmers knowledge of when the crop is ripe – it’s harvest time! In his experience, he whips out the sickle and, once again, does what he needs to do.  And this is where I believe, we as Christians, should ask for wisdom.

I think it’s prudent to ask God when the harvest is ripe and when to step in and do our thing when it comes to the spiritual development of people.  May we have the insight to whip out our “spiritual sickles” and lead people to Jesus.

God’s in partnership with us.  We do our thing, He does His and then allows us the delight to “close the deal” in the salvation of human souls.  What an honour! And how terrifying it is to do so if we haven’t a clue as to how to “swing that sickle!”

My prayer for me and all those at our church plant is to have our eyes opened to this reality.  God is bringing people into our church.  The harvest seems to be on our doorstep.  May we know how to lead people to Jesus.  Afterall, all the mystery of salvation is in his hands – we just need to be available and do our thing.  But may we do our thing in the best way possible! And be expert “sickle swingers!”