Because all truth is God’s truth …
What God reveals – whether in Scripture or through creation – is infallible and inerrant.
Our own interpretations – whether theological or scientific – are not.
Wisdom comes from distinguishing between what God has actually revealed …
Verses what we presume about it or project back onto it.
We seem to have many Christians …
But not many truth tellers.
Over the years, my wife and I have ministered to literally thousands of individuals trapped in life-controlling bondage.
Addiction, sexual perversion, gender confusion, abuse, violence, despair, chronic homelessness …
We’ve been there helping others, up close and personal.
In the jail, in the woods, in the ‘hood and in other places where polite society seldom goes …
And seen God redeem many lives.
We have yet, however, to meet anyone who’s there simply because of poverty or racism.
Although those are real issues, they are more often symptoms than root causes.
For the vast majority, the key issues go back to dysfunctional upbringings due to dysfunctional or absent fathers …
Often affecting multiple generations.
Although the power of the Cross can heal individual wounds …
Without restored fatherhood, there’s not much else a nation as a whole can do to actually prevent most social ills.
Spiritual narcissism in pursuit of significance …
Inevitably leads to dead ends.
Godly unity isn’t about tolerating those who deny Biblical authority …
But calling them to repent of it.
If the righteous remain silent …
Nations which elevate public sin over private virtue will not long endure.
When nations forget God:
Liberties orginally adopted to protect virtue become twisted entitlements for sin …
Until liberty itself is lost.
Never underestimate the ability to rationalize evil …
Among “Christians” who create their own Jesus to affirm their own comfort zones.
God’s truth is objective, but He can communicate it subjectively.
Only fools use the latter to deny the former.
Doing for others what they should be doing for themselves …
Is no mercy.
Using others as pawns in the vision, mission or purpose God’s given you …
Never turns out well.
For you or for them.
Although there are mysteries in the Bible, it is not “mystical”.
What God chooses to reveal there – including Himself – is accessible to all who simply repent, embrace His forgiveness, submit to the authority of His word and relate together in healthy local fellowships.
The mystical fringe, however, is driven by their own angst, anxiety and insecurities …
To go “deeper” or “beyond” the simple truths of Scripture by dismissing elementary repentance, basic forgiveness, Biblical authority and functional churches …
Which is why they never seem to find the authentic Christ of Scripture.
Don’t be led astray by them.
Hollow existential ideologies distort Christ and His Word to appease prevailing sensibilities …
And lack actual spiritual power.
Those who claim that the Holy Spirit no longer convicts them of sin because of grace …
Know not grace.
Mercy can be an amazing wellspring of good …
Or a naïve enabler of evil.
Discernment makes all the difference.
Cynicism is often a convenient excuse …
For lazy.
It is not reasonable to ultimately rely on reason …
When its legitimacy ultimately depends on reason seeming reasonable.
Absent a transcendent God who alone can immanently define all – including the foundations of logic and meaning – because He alone created all …
“Reason” apart from God ultimately leaves us stuck with ourselves in circular absurdity.
Those who claim that their relationship with Jesus is all about their relationship with Jesus …
Know not Christ.
Let’s see:
Morning cup of coffee. Check.
Log on and notice all the social media posts about the latest outrage du jour. Hmmm.
Wisely decide to wait a few days until the real facts come out. Priceless.
In the meantime, continue to live a life that makes a difference in this world by loving God and obeying His commands. Eternal.
The fruit of the Spirit are rooted in …
Truth and virtue.
The best bulwark against human authoritarianism in all its many forms …
Are the precepts of God’s written Word.
By which, history shows:
Free men stand;
Liberty springs; and
Tyrants fall.
Never underestimate the power of people – including Christians – to perceive and believe what they want to perceive and believe …
All evidence, logic and morality to the contrary.
Which is why God gave Scripture as His external standard of truth on those issues where He wants to hold us accountable …
To Himself and each other.
And why those who reject God’s plenary authority of Scripture as His written Word become stuck in existential quagmires …
From which healthy churches and healthy disciples never seem to emerge.
When exposed, some play the victim by seeking sympathy for the consequences of their hidden sins on them …
But never openly confess, repent or ask forgiveness for the consequences of their sin on others.
If so, they remain a danger to all.
You will never experience viable organic, simple, participatory church …
If you fall prey to books, blogs and seminars promoting “how to” by those who “don’t do”.
Seriously, when it comes to “itinerant” authors like Frank Viola, Milt Rodriquez, Jon Zens and other self-styled “apostolic workers” who promote themselves as “church planters” …
You can’t learn to be the church from those who consistently fail to make it work in their own lives, home towns and elsewhere.
Break free of their extraneous existential agendas; their disdain for the plenary authority of Scripture; their cookie-cutter “deeper life” visions; their post-modern “beyond” ideologies; and their history of abuse, sexual predation, infidelity and cover up.
Because you’ll never learn to authentically be and do what we see in the New Testament …
Until you leave phony behind.
It’s easy to have simple church, community, mission and discipleship all figured out …
And tell others “how to” through books, blogs, seminars and online posts …
For those not distracted by actually doing it.
We need more people humbly living it and making it work in their own lives and home towns …
And fewer peddling it everywhere else instead.
Plumbline Faith 