::choose joy::: February 2013

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The First Step Astray...

"The first step astray is a want of adequate faith in the divine inspiration of the sacred Scriptures. All the while a man bows to the authority of God's Word, he will not entertain any sentiment contrary to its teaching. "To the law and to the testimony," is his appeal concerning every doctrine. He esteems that holy Book, concerning all things, to be right, and therefore he hates every false way. But let a man question, or entertain low views of the inspiration and authority of the Bible, and he is without chart to guide him, and without anchor to hold him.
In looking carefully over the history of the times, and the movement of the times, of which we have written briefly, this fact is apparent: that where ministers and Christian churches have held fast to the truth that the Holy Scriptures have been given by God as an authoritative and infallible rule of faith and practice, they have never wandered very seriously out of the right way. But when, on the other hand, reason has been exalted above revelation, and made the exponent of revelation, all kinds of errors and mischiefs have been the result."
Robert Schindler, "The Down Grade," (second article) The Sword and the Trowel (April 1887), 166.

Spurgeon and the Down-Grade Controversy by John MacArthur

Jude

Contend for the Faith (v.3)

"the faith" - doctrine, the body of truths taught by the apostles - not just the gospel proper
"once for all" - the canon is closed
"contend" - agonize, struggle (like a gladiator)

Why - because it is true and essential

Related Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5.21-22 - "Test everything"
Ephesians 5.6-13 - "expose the works of darkness"
2 Corinthians 10.3-5 - "take every thought captive", "destroy arguments"

The reason to contend - false teachers (v. 4)

They are unnoticed. - "crept in unnoticed"
They live immorally. - "turn the grace of God into licentiousness"
They deny the truth. - "deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ"
Ungodly lives stem from a denial of God's truth.

False Teachers (v. 5-19) (2 Peter 2.1-3)

Francis Bacon - "Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true."
Characteristics (v. 8-13)

Reject authority

"by dreaming" - claiming special revelation
"revile angelic majesties" - speaking flippantly
pronounce judgment - when God is the ultimate judge

Michael left Satan's personal judgment to God. (v.9)

"Feelings" and instincts (v. 10, 18)

Live by
Destroyed by

Walking in error (v. 11)

Cain (Gen. 4) - "worshiped" his own way
Balaam (Num 22) - seek gain
Korah (Num 16) - reject God-given authority

Leading falsely (v.12) - (2 Timothy 4.3-4)

"caring for themselves"
"clouds without water" (Ephesians 4:14)
"trees without fruit" (Psalm 1)

Barren (v. 12-13)

"without water"
"without fruit"
"uprooted"
"foam"

Pleasing self (v. 16)

"following after their own lusts"
"flattering people" to gain advantage

"Grumblers" (v. 16)
"Fault-finders" (v. 16)
"Arrogant" (v.16)
Expected (v.18) - their presence in the church is not a surprise

Prophesied by the apostle Peter (2 Peter 3.3)

Causing divisions (v.18)

False teaching is what causes divisions (Romans 16:17)

"Worldly-minded" (v. 18)
"Devoid of the Spirit" (v.18)

Punishment

Real (v. 5-7)

Israelites
Angels (Gen. 6)
Sodom & Gomorrah (Gen. 19)

Certain (v. 10-11, 13)

"they are destroyed" (v. 10)
"they have... perished" (v. 11)
"for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever" (v. 16)

Prophecied (v. 14-15)

By Enoch (v. 14-15)

Live obediently (v. 20-21) - "keep yourselves in the love of God"

Incomplete

Show mercy (v. 22-23)

Incomplete

Conclusion (v. 24-25)

Incomplete

Mark Driscoll - Danger

Mark Driscoll claims extra-Biblical revelation from the Holy Spirit. Enough said.

Semi-Related Links
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2011/08/pornographic-divination.html
http://global.christianpost.com/news/mark-driscoll-on-joel-osteen-there-are-worse-things-than-being-happy-and-encouraging-89426/

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Beth Moore - Direct Revelations from God?

LINK:

Beth More DOES Claim Direct Revelation From God

...having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

(2 Timothy 3:5-9 ESV)

Clips from Beth Moore's "Believing God" Bible Study series.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rVkJiYEyRwc)

Transcription: “… to beg to differ with people that are ten times smarter than I am. But I want to say to you I see something different than that. I see God doing something huge in the body of Christ. I do not know why I have had the privilege to get to travel around, see one church after another…one group of believers after another, interdenominationally, all over this country, but I have gotten to see something that I think is huge.

And I’ll also suggest to you I am not the only one. And tonight I’m going to do my absolute best to illustrate to you something that God showed me out on that back porch. He put a picture…I’ve explained to you before I am a very visual person…so He speaks to me very often of putting a picture in my head.

And it was as if I was raised up looking down on a community, as I saw the church in that particular dimension- certainly not all dimensions, not even in many, but in what we will discuss tonight, the church, as Jesus sees it, in a particular dimension.”

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DOlCicOQygE)

Transcription: "What God began to say to me about five years ago, and I’m telling you it sent me on such a trek with Him, that my head is still whirling over it. He began to say to me, ”I’m gonna tell you something right now, Beth, and boy you write this one down, and you say it as often as I give you utterance to say it: ‘MyBride is paralyzed by unbelief. My Bride is paralyzed by unbelief.’” And He said, “Starting with you.”

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Moore's Believing God study, Session 7:

"That when He gives us a word, when He commands us to do something, that with that revealed word to us, comes the empowerment to obey. Now listen carefully. I believe with all my heart, when an anointed word comes to us personally - every single time you believe God has just spoken a word over you, He has revealed an anointed word to you, with that anointing comes the power to obey it."

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Beloved, I am convinced one of our severest needs is pure rest. Not only sleep, but refreshment and recreation. Recently God spoke to me about capturing what He and I are calling "Sabbath moments." Like many of yours, my schedule right now is particularly tough, and I see no time in the near future for a number of days off. God spoke to my heart one Saturday morning while I was preparing for Sunday school: "My child, in between more intense rests, I want to teach you to take Sabbath moments." I wasn't certain what He meant. Just that morning God confirmed His desire for me to drive all the way to the other side of Houston to the medical center to visit a patient with brain cancer. I was very thankful for the privilege of visiting this patient, but I knew in advance it would be tough emotionally and far from restful.

I fought the traffic across Houston, then visited with my new friend and her husband while choking back the tears. They have two young sons, and unless God performs a miracle, their mother will go home to be with the Lord before they are grown. I got in my car and prayed. I pulled out of the parking garage, fighting the tears. A few blocks later as if on autopilot, I turned my steering wheel straight into the parking lot of the Houston Zoo!

Christ seemed to say, "Let's go play." And that we did. I hadn't been to the zoo in years. I heard about all the improvements, but I never expected the ultimate: Starbucks coffee! (OK, so I don't have all my health issues down pat.) Can you imagine watching a baby koala take a nap in a tree on a rare cold day in Houston with a Starbucks grande cappuccino in your hand? Now that's a Sabbath moment! God and I had a blast.

Beth Moore, The Beloved Disciple, (B&H Publishing: 2003), 220.

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So... How does God speak today?
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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The Greatest Protestant Heresy?

“The greatest of all Protestant heresies is assurance.”

- Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621),

personal theologian of Pope Clement VIII

"A moment’s reflection explains why. If justification is not by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone — if faith needs to be completed by works; if Christ’s work is somehow repeated; if grace is not free and sovereign, then something always needs to be done, to be “added” for final justification to be ours. That is exactly the problem. If final justification is dependent on something we have to complete it is not possible to enjoy assurance of salvation. For then, theologically, final justification is contingent and uncertain, and it is impossible for anyone (apart from special revelation, Rome conceded) to be sure of salvation. But if Christ has done everything, if justification is by grace, without contributory works; it is received by faith’s empty hands — then assurance, even “full assurance” is possible for every believer." - Sinclair Ferguson

Find more here.