You can’t change what you won’t confront:
Courage and sacrifice are the price we pay for freedom …
While evil thrives on lethargy and fear.
Category: Simple Truth
“The Pastor” of a church, ministry or whatever …
Is a phrase and a concept utterly absent from the New Testament.
Nope, not, nada …
Just ain’t there.
Instead, it comes from reading post-Biblical assumptions, presumptions and meanings not found in Scripture back into Scripture.
In the New Testament, some minister pastorally …
As simply one of many different functions expressed within a healthy church by a diversity of people.
More specifically, the New Testament references multiple elders in each church, each of whom is to function pastorally …
As well as teach, watch over and protect God’s flock together, among other things.
But no one is ever called a “Senior Pastor,” “Lead Pastor,” or any other form of “Pastor” in the New Testament …
And the word is never, ever used as justification for one person to be over a church.
Be a Berean …
Search Scripture to see if these things be so.
Then have the courage to follow what God’s Word actually says …
Rather than subsequent human traditions.
Anarchy begins when the State elevates the right to choose sin …
Over the right to choose virtue.
Biblical Christians who submit their sensibilities to Scripture …
End up trusting God and doubting doubt.
Existential “Christians” who submit Scripture to their sensibilities …
End up doubting God and trusting doubt.
“Progressive” nonsense distorts love by affirming life-controlling sin …
And those who promote it.
The New Legalism:
Repressive progressive “Christians” who elevate their own sensibilities above Scripture in the name of “tolerance” …
While being intolerant of those who honor Scripture instead.
Saying Jesus is all about relationship and not religion …
Is narcissistic.
It’s an attempt to have Jesus on our own terms, without His Scriptural authority and the propositional truths, commands, precepts and moral imperatives He reveals there.
Yes, Jesus wants a relationship with us …
But on HIS terms, not ours.
Only reprobates call virtue …
The new hate speech.
It is narcissistic foolishness to twist the truth that all Scripture points to Jesus …
Into the lie that our own perceptions of Jesus therefore supersede Scripture.
Such non-sequiturs, and those who promote them, inevitably destroy all they touch …
Including authentic faith, discipleship and churches.
In life, faith and culture …
Without virtue, liberty is impossible.
The Gospel works for none of us …
Unless it works for the worst of us.
But it’s only through Godly repentance …
That it works for any of us.
How can some say they believe in the authority of Scripture …
When they keep reading post-Biblical meanings, presumptions and traditions back into its original words and contexts?
Wolves twist the saying “all Scripture points to Christ” …
To subjugate all Scripture to their concept of Christ,
Rather than subjugating their concept of Christ to all Scripture.
If history proves anything, it’s that God’s people change history when they refuse to go along to get along …
And God’s not yet done with history.
Because He loves us, Jesus affirms in Romans 13 – and elsewhere – the State’s obligation to stop evildoers and protect innocent lives …
Through the judicious use, if needed, of deadly force.
Some deny this by elevating their own sensibilities above Christ and His Word …
While reducing love to distorted sentimentalities.
I have yet to see Christ entrust authentic spiritual power …
To those who dismiss His plenary authority of Scripture.
You can’t know the power of His Name …
If you reject the power of His Word.
Choosing the lesser of two evils, at a certain point, is more about rationalizing what is wrong …
Than making an imperfect choice for the greater good.
Tolerance without discernment …
Is like the blind leading the lost.
When corporations use their growing power over speech, commerce and social interactions to oppose virtue …
They become as much a threat to faith and freedom as any totalitarian government.
Expediency destroys our witness …
When we no longer speak truth to power.
For-profit non-prophets peddle their wares to naïve Christians …
Because there’s always a market for playing on fears and tickling ears.
When we replace prudence with expediency …
We lose our moral witness.
Those with the Biblical commitment and personal humility needed to actually function together as part of a simple, participatory church in their home or other hospitable local gathering place …
Do.
Those who don’t and can’t make it work in their own lives and home towns, however …
Seem most inclined, regrettably, to write books and blogs – and travel around – telling everyone else how to.
Unfortunately, great has been the wreckage they’ve caused.
Such “organic church” writers and “itinerants” peddle what they themselves don’t do, under a plethora of misleading titles and slogans like:
“Beyond Evangelical,” “Deeper Life” and now “Insurgence” (Frank Viola); “Subversive” and “Red Letter Christians” (Keith Giles); House2House and Apostolic “Workers” (Milt Rodriguez, Jon Zens and Felicity Dale); “Viral Jesus” (Ross Rohde); and “Houses That Change The World” (Wolfgang Simson).
When it comes to them and their mutual promotion networks, be discerning …
Because you can’t get to authentic from phony.
Nor can you get there with their general distain for God’s plenary authority of Scripture as His written Word …
Or their competing, trans-Biblical existential ideologies.
Please hear me:
For the health of God’s people, it’s time for those of us who are actually making simple, participatory churches work in our own lives and home towns – through a firm commitment to the apostolic foundation already laid in Scripture as God’s authoritative written Word – to begin looking towards each other for mutual encouragement.
If we refuse to be discerning and instead continue to look to – and promote – those who peddle other agendas, pretenses and ideologies …
Then their persistent pattern of failed lives and failed churches will continue to be a hindrance to our own churches and what God wants to do among us.
Their bad fruit and inability to make their own books work in their own lives and home towns – or consistently and sustainably anywhere else – should be a clear warning which we all heed …
No matter how deceptively charming and misleadingly enticing they otherwise may seem.
Healthy churches and healthy lives deserve no less.
So-called progressive “Christians” dismiss Christ’s plenary authority of Scripture, seeking instead a Jesus of their own creation …
Who reflects their own sensibilities and insecurities.
Fundamentally, they worship themselves …
Rather than the authentic Christ of Scripture.
The world claims human dignity comes from self determination.
This destroys individual worth, because dignity – when anyone can make it mean anything – means nothing.
In contrast, Scripture says human dignity comes from God …
Who created us in His likeness and image.
This preserves individual worth, because dignity – when it comes from a fixed standard apart from us – is inalienable.
Plumbline Faith 