There is real confusion today about Christianity and the Christian church—her nature and her message. This is a great tragedy, especially if you think of the unhappiness, cynicism and bitterness that grip the heart of people on a day to day basis.

If people could only truly understand and see what a true Christian is and was, then most of those problems would be immediately solved. This would happen on an individual level and on an international level. Enmity, war and strife are caused by and due to the fact that men and women are in wrong relationship with God. Only believing, accepting and submitting themselves to the message of the Christian Church and the message of the Gospel can solve this.

The history of the Church and Christianity has been a great fight between two ideas: the false idea of what church is and the true one of God moving through His church. Before we look at what Christianity is, let’s look at what it is not.

First, Christianity is not a dead religion. The greatest enemy to Christianity has been, and will always be, religion. It is religion that confuses the mind and brings bondage to the soul.

Secondly, Christianity is not a national religion. Christianity does not define a nation - it defines a person. The church is not a social club or a self-help society. I don’t like it when people say “I am going to church”. The church does not consist of a building; the church consists of Christians. A building can’t be Christians - only people can. We must rid ourselves of this notion that Christianity is an external thing. We must cast out the notion and idea that the church or Christianity is an action we do or clothing that we wear or a liturgy that we say. We, the people, are the church of Jesus Christ!

Thirdly, people think of Christianity in terms of formal occasions like weddings, baptisms, Easter and Christmas. Christianity is not a festive season or a marriage certificate.

Finally, Christianity is not what the media defines. It is not what the secular media defines, and it is not, for the most part, what the religious media defines it as. Large numbers of people have gone to church for years out of a sense of duty and obligation, hoping each week that the service will not be too long or too boring. The service is lifeless, the worship is powerless and the message irrelevant. And because of this they have thought that this is Christianity; they have turned their back on church altogether and rightly so.

Now let’s go to the other extreme. There are some who have grown up with formality and religion and have seen through its facade and have over compensated by turning the Christian faith into a marketing exercise and a gaudy cabaret show in an attempt to make church exciting and lively and bright. The problem is this: this has no lasting effect. More may attend for a season, but no more lives are changed. This is not different than religion: it is still a vehicle organized by men and women. It may be livelier, but the life is not the life of the Spirit - it is the stage craft of man. You can draw a crowd based upon the super-soulish. You can only grow a church based upon the supernatural. True Christianity (now remember this is the discussion) is always an activity of God. “Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty rushing wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” Anything controlled by us, whether lifeless or lively, is not Christianity. Christianity is when Christ controls us, when He masters us: it is that which happens to us.

There is real confusion today about Christianity and the Christian church—her nature and her message. This is a great tragedy, especially if you think of the unhappiness, cynicism and bitterness that grip the heart of people on a day to day basis.

If people could only truly understand and see what a true Christian is and was, then most of those problems would be immediately solved. This would happen on an individual level and on an international level. Enmity, war and strife are caused by and due to the fact that men and women are in wrong relationship with God. Only believing, accepting and submitting themselves to the message of the Christian Church and the message of the Gospel can solve this.

The history of the Church and Christianity has been a great fight between two ideas: the false idea of what church is and the true one of God moving through His church. Before we look at what Christianity is, let’s look at what it is not.

First, Christianity is not a dead religion. The greatest enemy to Christianity has been, and will always be, religion. It is religion that confuses the mind and brings bondage to the soul.

Secondly, Christianity is not a national religion. Christianity does not define a nation - it defines a person. The church is not a social club or a self-help society. I don’t like it when people say “I am going to church”. The church does not consist of a building; the church consists of Christians. A building can’t be Christians - only people can. We must rid ourselves of this notion that Christianity is an external thing. We must cast out the notion and idea that the church or Christianity is an action we do or clothing that we wear or a liturgy that we say. We, the people, are the church of Jesus Christ!

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Sermon prep to me is like unraveling a great mystery.

I have a sense.

I know the answer is there somewhere.
I can see the clues.
And once it all comes together, like the pieces of a puzzle, I am always amazed.

I am never dismayed, for me it is like the ultimate game, with the ultimate reward - the presentation of what a Living God is trying to say to His people.

The opposite of faith is unbelief, so what does unbelief look like? A dear friend of mine Pastor Ted Estes explains it this way. During the Exodus from Egypt and we know the story the children of Israel failed to achieve or act on the promise of God because of unbelief, So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief . Heb 3:19. Num. 14:22 Not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times. Ten times the children of Israel disobeyed and in every instance they displayed the same 3 manifestations of unbelief. They were;

1.) They murmured and complained about their circumstances.
2.) They tested and rebelled against the authority God established.
3.) They wanted to quit and go home to Egypt.

Consider for a moment the circumstances in your life as they related to the vision in your heart, are you complaining about them? Does it seem that problems and difficulties are at every turn? Seem like everything you do is a failure or simply leads to another problem. Are you just sick and tired of all the crap life seems to heap on you? If you can see these things in your life do you blame them on the devil? Is it the enemy that is trying to abort that dream and causing all the problems? Well hold that thought and lets explore the story some more to see where the problem originates and why.

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Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire.

There have been periods in history and even whole denominations when the anointing of God upon a preacher has been identified by mannerism, gestures even dress styles.

There is a differences between pulpit styles and powerful preaching.

One may grab your attention, the other will grab your soul and spirit and change your life.

Most of us live on three different levels during our lifetime: the Valley, the Plateau and the Mountain. Each of these has a distinct purpose in our life. Each has a plan for successful travel. The valley is for growth. The plateau is for consolidation and assimilation. The mountain top is for vision.

Let’s break those out a little bit.

In the valley we grow in faith and through prayer. Often in these places we painfully feel the absence of God’s active presence. We have to rely on His word and His character. During my sickness many people have assumed that I am experiencing a very special closeness to God unlike anything known in my wellness. I may disappoint them, but I tell them that it just isn’t so. I know He is here because He said He would be —- on that I depend. My good friend Howard Butt once said, “Jesus is a gentleman. He keeps His promises and appointments.”

A key to the valley experience is knowing that you are going through it and not building a house to stay there. I appreciate the words, “and it came to pass.” Great hope! We can be thankful in the valley that the time didn’t come to stay, but came to pass.
I find that most of my time is spent in the plateau. Here is where we walk without fainting. Here is where we assimilate the power of faith that we learned through prayer in the valley. When you combine the inspiration of vision you have a place to combine the elements and get ready for the next climb. I always like to think that the plateau has an upward slant.

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Calvinism vs Arminianism - What on earth are you talking about?

Charles Spurgeon said: “Calvinism is nothing more than a nickname for Biblical Christianity.”

Calvinism and Arminianism are two systems of theology that attempt to explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and humanity’s responsibility in relation to salvation. Calvinism is named for John Calvin, a French theologian who lived from 1509 - 1564. Arminianism is named for Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who lived from 1560 - 1609.

Both systems can be summarized with five points.

Calvinism holds to total depravity while Arminianism holds to partial depravity. Total depravity states that every aspect of humanity is tainted by sin, therefore human beings are unable to come to God on their own accord. Partial depravity states that every aspect of humanity is tainted by sin, but not to the extent that they are unable to place faith in God of their own accord.

Calvinism holds to unconditional election while Arminianism holds to conditional election. Unconditional election holds that God elects individuals to salvation based entirely on His will alone, not on anything inherent in the individual. Conditional election holds that God elects individuals to salvation based on His foreknowledge of who will believe in Christ unto salvation.

Calvinism holds to limited (particular) atonement while Arminianism holds to unlimited atonement. This is the most controversial of the five points. Limited atonement is the belief that Jesus only died for the elect. Unlimited atonement is the belief that Jesus died for all, but that His death is not effectual until a person believes.

Calvinism holds to irresistible grace while Arminianism holds to resistible grace. Irresistible grace argues that when God calls a person to salvation, that person will inevitably come to salvation. Resistible grace states that God calls all to salvation, but that many people resist and reject this call.

Calvinism holds to perseverance of the saints while Arminianism holds to conditional salvation. Perseverance of the saints refers to the concept that a person who is elected by God will persevere in faith and will never deny Christ or turn away from Him. Conditional salvation is the view that a believer in Christ can, of his/her own free will, turn away from Christ and thereby lose salvation.

I think Larry King has a greater revelation of Christ than Joel Osteen

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Larry King interviewed Osteen on June 20, 2005. King asked Osteen if he always believed the Gospel. Osteen said, “I
have always believed…I just grew up believing.”

King asked, “But you’re not fire and brimstone, right? You’re not pound the decks and hell and dam nation?”

Osten said, “No. That’s not me. It’s never been me. I’ve always been an encourager at heart. I don’t believe in that. I don’t believe — maybe it was for a time. But I don’t have it in my heart to condemn people. I’m there to encourage them. I see myself more as a coach, as a motivator to help them experience the life God has for us.”

KING: What if you’re Jewish or Muslim, you don’t accept
Christ at all?

OSTEEN: You know, I’m very careful about saying who would
and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know …

KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They’re
wrong, aren’t they?

OSTEEN: Well, I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I
believe here’s what the Bible teaches and from the
Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think
that only God with judge a person’s heart. I spent a lot of
time in India with my father. I don’t know all about their
religion. But I know they love God. And I don’t know. I’ve
seen their sincerity. So I don’t know. I know for me, and
what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with
Jesus.

How often is the Lord Jesus Christ presented as someone who can help us with our problems? You know the type of preaching. ‘Are you in trouble? Is some particular sin getting you down? Is something worrying you? Come to Christ; He will put you right. Come at once. He is
waiting for you, and He will take all your troubles away, and you will walk with a light step tomorrow - you won’t know yourself. All your problems will have gone. Come to Him’. That never offends anybody; how could it?

Such a ‘gospel’ cannot offend people, because they are in trouble and they want help, and here is someone who is ready to help them at any moment. They only have to come to Him and He will do everything for them. Oh, how often has the Christ, the Son of God, been
preached as if He were but a super-psychologist, who can help people to resolve their difficulties and to solve their problems and put everything right, and make them happy once and for ever! That does not offend anybody.

Or if His teaching and He Himself are presented as some kind of noble, ethical moral uplift, giving a wonderful philosophy of life - the pale Galilean, the aesthetic poet, the delicate one who is too refined for the world, which could not follow Him, and as they drove Socrates to drink hemlock, so they crucified Him, and so on - that never annoys anybody at all. It just puts Christ among the philosophers. He is one of them, and you admire them all together in the same way.

- Dr Martyn Lloydd Jones

I love this guy…..
One of the best ways of testing the preaching or exposition of the gospel is just that - Is it offensive to the natural man? Will it annoy the natural man?

Will the natural man hate its I assert that if it does not do that, there is something wrong with it somewhere. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not popular with the natural man.

He is against it. So that if you find the natural, unregenerate man praising either the preacher or his message then, I say, you had better examine that preaching and that preacher very carefully.