Christianity & Current Affairs

THE COMMUNIST CHINA

2023-12-28T10:48:00.000-08:00

THE COMMUNIST CHINA

The Communist Party in China is reminiscent of the former Soviet Union. Both are Communists and have killed millions of Christians across the years. Now the Communist Party in China is using political propaganda to persuade Chinese Christians to abandon Christ. However, their efforts have not been successful. The Chinese people are still coming to Christ in numbers. Covid-19 has shattered their propaganda because they cannot find a panacea forr the Coronavirus. The Roman Empire used similar propaganda to deter people from following Christ. In fact, they killed all the twelve disciples of Jesus except John who died a natural death. The question is, "Where is the Roman Empire today?" The Roman Empire is history, but Christ and Christianity are alive and well. Christianity is thriving all over the world, but the Roman Empire is history. One day, the Communist Party in China will become just like the Soviet Union. The people will come to see the light and the deception of communism would crumble.

THE GAY AGENDA

The Gay Propaganda machine is not working. First, they wanted to accept the Gay Lifestyle as a norm. Christians did not buy into that. They tried to force it on our throat but that too did not work. Therefore, they tried to rewrite the Bible by letting it say something it did not. They wanted to pin the label "gay" on Jesus because Jesus had twelve disciples of men. If Jesus were "gay" He would not promote heterosexual marriage which was God, the Father's original ideal for marriage. However, we as Christians should not hate gay people. We should love them but tell and teach them the truth. This is the only means by which gay people would know the truth that can set them free.

A BAD EXAMPLE

You have answered the question, so I do not have to waste precious time here. The church is using a wrong context and misinterpretation of Scripture to justify their belligerence and rebellion against the rule of law by the State. Second, by disobeying this simple law, they are putting others in danger of contracting the COVID-19 or coronavirus pandemic. This is not the way that Jesus wanted the Christian community to act in times of crisis. It is anathema for the church to conclude that Jesus died of coronavirus. We all know why and how Jesus died. This church is setting a bad example for the Christian community.

OUR ROLE IN THE EASTER STORY

2023-10-18T12:40:00.002-07:00

It is not strange that Christians today cannot react the same way the disciples reacted on the Day of Resurrection because they were eyewitnesses. In our case, we did not see the physical Jesus the time we believed in Him. Nevertheless, that does not diminish or take away the validity of our encounter with the risen Christ. Ours is the walk of faith because of the testimony of the writers of the New Testament and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Those of us who are not of the stock of Israel should count ourselves as privileged to share in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This should motivate us to share the Easter story with joy and enthusiasm.

Worse, Paul goes on to explain that no one can redeem himself by means of righteous living (3:19–20). We are therefore utterly helpless. Fortunately, however, God has provided a means of escape: Jesus Christ has died for the sins of humankind, thereby satisfying the demands of God’s justice, and facilitating reconciliation with God (Acts 3:21–26). By means of His atoning death salvation is made available as a gift to be received by faith.

The logic of the New Testament is clear: The universality of sin and the uniqueness of Christ’s atoning death entail that there is no salvation apart from Christ. As the apostles proclaimed, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 RSV).

"I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE"

2023-10-06T12:42:00.004-07:00

“In the era of religious pluralism, Christianity’s exclusive claims are considered inappropriately narrow, even intolerant. What is more, pluralism itself, has ironically, become the criterion by which all truth claims are judged” (Köstenberger and Kruger 2010). First-century Judaism prized law-keeping and scrupulous observance of religious customs. By contrast, Jesus claimed that allegiance to Him was the way. Some have tried to argue that “way,” “truth,” and “life” should be read together as “the way of life.” Yet John elsewhere uses multiple terms that remain distinct when linked with the conjunction “and” (e.g., John 2:14; 14:6). Carson rightly notes that in the larger context, Jesus is claiming to be “the Savior (John 4:42) and the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 34), the one who speaks that those who are in the graves hear His voice and come forth (5:28-29). He so mediates God’s truth and God’s life that He is the very way to God, the one who alone can say, No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Carson, 1991, 491).

“In the OT, people expressed their faith in God by keeping the law given through Moses; now that Jesus has come, [He] is the way. In the monotheistic Jewish world and polytheistic Greco-Roman culture of the first century, as well as in today’s pluralistic climate, Jesus’ message is plain: [He] is not one among many different options—[He] is the way” (Andreas Köstenberger).

"I AM

The reason some people reach the conclusion that because they are good, they are destined for heaven is that they do not read the Gospel narratives. If they read the Gospels, they would have found out that one's goodness cannot be used as a passport to heaven. For example, the young rich ruler who came to Jesus and asked what must I do to be saved? Jesus gave him a parable of the Good Samaritan. In the end, the ruler realized that he loved money more than anything else. He left the scene with his head bow down, because he did not love God and his fellow man.

Furthermore, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is uncontested historical evidence of the uniqueness, superiority, and supremacy of Christ.

ACTS 4:12

2023-09-29T15:08:00.001-07:00

According to Witherington (1998, 194), “Peter is no advocate of modern notions of modern religious pluralism” (also John 14:6; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 2:3). The consistent message throughout the NT is that Jesus is the only Savior for humanity (Köstenberger). Köstenberger goes on to state, “Human ignorance about the size of Earth’s landmass and human population has no bearing on the central facts of humanity’s need for redemption and the one means of redemption that is provided” (Köstenberger, The Holman Apologetic Commentary on the Bible, 671).

Of course, the exclusiveness claim offends many readers, and they seek to avoid it by noting the primitive geographical understanding of biblical times. According to Köstenberger, two considerations speak against such an argument. “First, the Roman Empire was like a sponge when it came to religion. Romans accepted all kinds of gods and religious ideas that came from the far corners of their empire. Peter and the other apostles were well aware of the plurality of religions, and they understood that many of these originated in faraway places they would never visit.

Second, and more importantly, the claim was that Jesus meets an internal need all people everywhere have. Their claim was not that other people did not seek to be pious; they knew that virtually all people are religious. Their claim was that Jesus alone can remedy what is wrong with us” (Köstenberger, 671).

The difference is that Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is a relationship with a personal Redeemer. In religion, it is doing something to be saved, but in Christianity, it is done. Religion is based on personal performance, but Christianity is based on grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That is the main difference. The tombs of all religious leaders are occupied but the tomb of Christ is empty; that is the difference between Christianity and other religions

OUTLINE OF MY THIRD BOOK

2023-06-20T09:50:00.002-07:00

MY THIRD BOOK

My name is Kennedy Ahenkora Adarkwa. I was born in Obogu, Ashanti Akim, Ghana. I had my Elementary and Technical education in Ghana. However, I had my undergraduate and postgraduate education in the United States of America. The purpose of this video presentation is to solicit your indulgence to promote my third book, titled The Anointing of God: Is it for a Select Few? Copies of the book can be purchased at Amazon.com. The book consists of nine chapters.

1. In the first chapter, I deal with The History of the Practice of Anointing. In Chapter 1, we will discover that anointing did not originate from the Hebrew people.

2. The second chapter highlights The Meaning and Practice of anointing in the Old Testament. In this chapter, we examine the anointing of the first king of Israel---King Saul

3. Chapter three focuses on the choice of David and its ramifications: the anointing of the second king of Israel.

4. In chapter four the attention is set on Solomon, the third king of Israel. The book does not gloss over the shortcomings of these kings despite their anointing.

5. Chapter five shifts attention from the Monarchs to the anointing of the prophets. Among the prophets, I selected Elijah, the most prominent prophet in the Old Testament.

6. Chapter six explores the anointing of the prophet Elisha. Elisha requested a double portion of the anointing of Elijah before God took the latter home.

7. Chapter Seven makes a transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament. The emphasis of this chapter is placed on the Ultimate Anointing: the anointing of Jesus.

8. Chapter eight poses a question which is the gist of the book, “Are all Christians anointed?”

9. Chapter nine postulates that some preachers and Christian leaders contradict the biblical revelation of anointing.

You must purchase a copy of the book to find the biblical answer to the gist of the book. The book has been written with the laity in mind. However, scholars will also benefit from reading the book. In my hand is a copy of the book. Get your copy today. Thanks.

VIDEO FOR MY THIRD BOOK

2023-06-17T13:10:00.004-07:00

frame:https://christianitycurrentaffairs.blogspot.com

This video is about my third book

DIVINE GIFT AND FAITH IN CHRIST

2023-05-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

1 JOHN 5:13-17
INTRODUCTION

J. I. Honeycutt, a character on the T. V. series “M.A.S.H.,” gave this reason for why he did not give in to temptation during the Korean War. “I have lived in an insane world where nothing makes sense. Everyone around me lives for the now because there may not be a tomorrow. But I must live for tomorrow because for me there is no now.”

For B. J., his hope for the future was to see his family again. That hope was sufficient to define how he would behave in an extremely difficult situation. How much more so should our future hope of the kingdom of God shape how we live?

I. THE POSSESSOR OF ETERNAL LIFE V. 13

This section of John’s epistle is a sort of recapitulation or summary of the

entire letter. John the Beloved Apostle combines some of the leading ideas and gives them a final statement. The central concept is the assurance of eternal life, a thought which has played a prominent role throughout this letter.

John begins this passage with a statement concerning the believer’s assurance of eternal life (v. 13) and his/ her confidence in the realm of prayer (vv. 14-17). The first certainty of faith, which John mentions, has to do with our possession of eternal life. Eternal life is both quantitative and qualitative. That is, it is endless in duration and spiritual (even God-like) in nature. Eternal life, which existed only in God, was historically manifested in the coming of Jesus Christ (1:2). When you receive Christ and you are born again, eternal life becomes yours (John 3). Some people hope they would be given eternal life. John says you can know you have it now. Your certainty is based on God’s promise that he has given you eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is true whether you feel close to God or distant from Him. Eternal life is not based on feelings but facts. Eternal life is not based on feelings but faith in Christ. You can know you have eternal life if you believe God’s truth. Do you lack the assurance of salvation? Then ask yourself if you have honestly committed your life to Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. If the answer is yes, then you know by faith that you are a child of God. I would like to draw an illustration from an African American woman who used to attend Bible studies with us a couple of years ago. There are many people who are saved by faith but live their lives based on salvation by works. The reason is that they belong to churches that teach and preach that they can lose their salvation when they sin.

Such believers live in fear; as such they cannot enjoy the liberty which Christ has given to them. The fact of the matter is that these believers do not understand the full significance and implications of “grace” and “eternal life.”

There are three things that I would like for you to observe in verse 13. First, the verse declares the purpose of John’s letter. Repeat this verse after me. I want this verse to be etched in your mind and heart. Assurance of salvation is the privilege and the birthright of every genuine believer. You do not have to grope in the dark about your relationship with God. The problem with some Christians and churches is that they do not realize that the Christian life is based on relationships. The Christian life is based on our relationship with God and God’s relationship with us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. As I have repeated many times from this pulpit, when a truly born-again person commits sin, it does not affect his relationship with God. Rather, your sin ruins or hampers your fellowship with God until you confess and repent of your sin. As a father or mother when your son/daughter sins against you, the sin does not jeopardize the relationship that you have with your child. Your son or daughter’s sin, whether rebellion or stealing affects the child’s fellowship with you. A typical example in the Bible is David and his son Absalom. Therefore, every Christian may know and should know that he has eternal life. Amen. The word “know” means to know with absolute certainty. In this context, the word “know” means positive, confident assurance. It signifies an abiding conviction, resting on known facts.

Second, the verse reveals how this assurance of eternal life may be gained. “These things I have written . . . that you may know.” This suggests that John’s letter contains a number of tests that can be applied to your life to determine your true status before God. For example, 2:3, “By this we know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments.” 3:10, 14, 18,-19, 24; 5:10. You can apply this to yourself or others.

Third, the verse plainly implies that you may be a believer, may have eternal life, and yet not know that you have this eternal life. That is to say, you may be truly saved and at the same time entertain doubts about your salvation. You and I should be able to distinguish between salvation and assurance of salvation. Every believer is saved, but not every believer has the assurance that he is saved. The downside to those who lack assurance of salvation is that your doubts may affect your spiritual growth, rob you of joy, and cripple your usefulness, but they do not change the fact that you are saved. If your father were a king and everything, he had was yours, but you did not know that they were yours, it does not affect your relationship with your father, the king. You may be living in poverty, but you are rich, yet you do not know that you are rich. This is an unhappy way to live. That is the way some Christians live their lives. They live their lives trying to measure up to God because they do not know who they are in Christ. That is a picture of many members of the “Deeper Life Church.”

II. THE BELIEVERS’ PRAYERS AND GOD’S ANSWER VV. 14-17

I think you know what John is doing. Having spoken of our assurance of eternal life, he moves now to discuss another assurance; that of answered prayer. John is saying that assurance in prayer is the natural consequence of the assured possession of eternal life. Prayer is based on relationships. Only those who are children of God can truly pray. First, we who are believers must know that we are accepted with and in God; then on the strength of this assurance, we have great encouragement to approach Him with our needs (3:19-22).

Verse 14 reveals our confidence in prayer. Here the Apostle John emphasizes the spirit in which the assured believer comes before God (v. 14). Boldness or confidence has reappeared again. Already we have seen the word three times in this letter. Once it was used in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus (2:28; once, in reference to the judgment (4:17); and once, in reference to prayer (3:21). I have explained the meaning of the term “confidence” or “boldness” to you. However, in this verse, it means the childlike confidence with which you and I approach God. As Paul puts it, God has “sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6). You and I can, therefore, as the writer of Hebrews says, “draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help us in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). The word “hears” means to hear favorably. When God hears your prayer with favor that means He will grant your request. The problem, however, is that God is more ready to hear than we are ready to pray. Many Christians are spiritual paupers because they refuse to pray. Many Christians are living with unmet needs because they feel reluctant to pray to their heavenly Father who is always ready to hear from His children. If you refuse to pray, how are you going to get your needs met? You get your needs met like the people of the world. Some too, do not have the boldness to pray because they do not want to give up their sinful pleasures. They know that what they are doing is not right, but they refuse to give it up. Christians who are living in sin are spiritual paupers. That is why some of them move from church to church wanting some sort of external experience. If you are a true Christian, God has not been confined to a certain church or some Christians. God is already resident in your heart. The Holy Spirit who lives in you is God Himself. Therefore, stop going up and down as if God is on the run and yield your life completely to Him and He will manifest Himself strongly in your life. (Illustration of those of us who come from a polygamous background). How many of us who grew up in Africa had a close relationship with our fathers? Could you freely go to your dad and discuss or converse with him?

The one limitation or condition to this assurance of answered prayer is that the thing you request in prayer be according to “His (God’s) will” (v. 14). Elsewhere in the New Testament, we are taught that prayer to be effective must be “in Jesus’ name” (John 14:13). Jesus’ name is not some sort of magical formula. You can pray in Jesus’ name only when you are properly related to Him. Prayer must proceed from a righteous life (James 5:16; 1 John 3:22) and from unselfish motives (James 4:3). Prayer also must be offered in faith (Matt. 21:22; James 1:6).

However, the statement, “According to His will” seems to be the inclusive way of setting forth the fundamental condition of effectual prayer. This implies that you realize God’s infinite wisdom and will and you subordinate your desires to it. This is not a restriction to your freedom but a safeguard to it. “The marvelous and supernatural power of prayer consists, not in bringing God’s will down to us, but in lifting our will up to His.” I like what William Barclay wrote. He writes, “The ultimate test of any request is, Can we say to Jesus, “Give me this for Your sake and in Your name?” Your request would be granted if it would bring honor and glory to Christ. Prayer has to do with your motive and the will of God.

Second, the consciousness that we have our request (v. 15). The phrase “if we know” does not suggest some sort of doubt. The phrase should have read “And since we know.” This is the point. When you align your prayer to the will of God, He will listen; and you can be certain that if he listens, He will give a definite answer. Therefore, begin to pray with confidence. Knowing God’s will ensures confidence in prayer. There are Christians who do not have confidence in prayer because they do not know the will of God. In the model prayer, Jesus taught us to pray “Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus demonstrated to us the supreme example of prayer in the will of God.

Let me give you some guidance in prayer as you determine the will of God in your life. This has helped me in my own life. First, God guides through circumstances (Acts 16:7-10). God closes some doors and opens others. Our responsibility is to be sensitive to His leading and to follow through the door when they open. Do not try to open a door, which God has closed, or else you will be in trouble. Second, God guides through other mature Christians, as He did in Acts 6 when the whole church chose the Seven, or in Acts 13 when the Spirit spoke to the church in Antioch about the need for Paul and Barnabas to go abroad. Your personal convictions should be opened to testing by the guidance of other Christians. If your convictions really come from God, others who are in touch with God will confirm it. Third, God guides us through the Scriptures. The Spirit who inspired the writing of Scriptures is perfectly well capable of taking them and writing it on our hearts so that it becomes an inescapable pointer to a particular course of action (Col. 3:16). An increasingly broad appreciation of Scriptures will give you a developing ability to scan the will of God in any given situation. Fourth, God guides us in prayer (Col. 3:15). There is such a thing as praying a situation through until you are virtually sure of the will of God on the matter. When this happens God gives you inner peace about it; not absolute intellectual certainty, but practical confidence, which allows you to proceed to action with joyful assurance.

Third, the duty of intercessory prayer (vv. 16-17).

In verses 14 &15 the Apostle John has spoken of the efficacy of prayer in general terms, now he proceeds to speak of the effectiveness of praying in a particular direction, which is intercessory prayer. What is intercessory prayer? It is a prayer offered on behalf of another person. Besides the prayer of adoration or praise, intercessory prayer is the most important form of prayer. This does not mean that you must ignore your own petition or supplication. You do not neglect to pray for yourself, but you do not spend all your time praying for yourself. You pray for yourself, but you pray more for others. When you do that, your life does not become self-centered, but Christ and others-centered. Intercessory prayer is unquestionably one of the highest privileges of the Christian life and one of its most sacred responsibilities.

Verse 16a may be seen as a specific example of prayer, which is in accord with the will of God. The thought here is reminiscent of Galatians 6:1. Christian scholars differ widely in their thoughts about what this sin is and whether the death it causes is physical or spiritual. Paul wrote that some Christians have died because they participated in the Lord’s Supper “in an unworthy manner” (1 Cor. 11:27-30), Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead when they conspired and lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11). Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit results in spiritual death (Mark 3:29). The book of Hebrews describes the spiritual death of a person who turns against Christ (Heb. 6:4-6). If we are to understand the nature of this sin, we must keep in mind the background of this letter. Considering what we know of that, it seems that “sin unto death” must have had primary reference to John’s Gnostic opponents who had willfully rejected the Spirit’s witness to the person and work of Christ. Gnostics by rejecting the only means of salvation, which is Jesus Christ, the Gnostics have forged an alliance with the antichrist.

When you remove yourself from Christ and you join fellowship with the antichrist the battle lines are permanently drawn. The Gnostics by rejecting Christ had put themselves out of the reach of prayer. Whereas you and I cannot be adamant as to the precise form of sin, we know that this is a kind of sinning whose natural consequence is death (spiritual ruin). To pray for forgiveness of such sin is to pray for salvation outside of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Verse 17 shows that sin even if it does not lead unto death is never a trivial matter. In other words, God does not treat sin lightly; and we are likewise not to treat it lightly. The caution here is that it is not our responsibility to determine whether someone has committed the sin unto death. Our responsibility is to become faithful intercessors. The judging of the sin of death must be left up to God. As a Christian intercessor, some people’s lives are in your hands. Intercessory prayer is not for a selected few. It is the privilege and responsibility of every Christian. Do you have a list of people that you pray for? Compile a prayer list and state what you want God to do in the life of each person on your list. Try this and you will see a significant difference in your prayer life.

THE YIELDED LIFE

2023-04-06T11:43:00.002-07:00

Until every believer begins to understand the yielded life and embrace it, he or she is living the Christian life on his/her own. However, the unyielding life is frustrating and fruitless. The reason it is fruitless is that Jesus has said that “without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). However, when you surrender to Christ, you give the Holy Spirit the authority to come alongside you and live the Christian life through you. That is when you begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit.

The Musical Life

The musical life is an appropriate title for a believer who sings to and for God. The good news is that our lives is a song whether we know it or not. However, it all depends on the kind of song that our lives sings for the Lord and others. These two persons (Paul & Silas) that you chose were vessels that the Lord used to promote His kingdom's work. Therefore, I encourage you to let your life continue to be a great music for Christ.

The Dynamic Life

I encourage you to read the Biography of DL Moody. Moody put many Christians to shame today who are always giving excuses for what they cannot accomplish for the Lord. That is why he is dead and yet speaks and continues to influence people today.

The Unwavering Life

I like the title you have chosen, "The Unwavering Life." Today, we need many Christians of unwavering life. The waves of destruction are waging on our culture today and we need believers of unwavering convictions to stand up for Christ in these turbulent times.

The Delightful Life

The Delightful Life is a great title for the life of an outgoing believer. The delightful life can be contagious and infectious. People would flood to the delightful life. I believe Jesus lived a delightful life that was attractive even to sinners. Delightful does not means that you approve everything or you become a person without conviction. Your life becomes delightful because it is winsome and people want to be around you. You can be firm and delightful at the same time.

The Disciple Life

The Disciple Life is one that should be thought through very carefully. When you read the Gospel of John, many who wanted to become the disciples of Jesus withdrew because they were not willing to pay the cost or the price. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ first of all, means a total commitment to Him and to follow wherever He sends you. Finally, it is a life of denial and sacrifice. Today many people want to become Christians but they don’t want to deny themselves; neither do they want to make any sacrifice. However, the disciple is not greater than the Teacher Himself. Jesus lived a life of self-denial and sacrifice for us. Therefore, to be a disciple of Christ is to be His follower---to walk in His shoes.

The Determined Life

We can call the Apostle Paul the "Determined Life." Paul did not want anything to stand between his life and Christ. He was willing to know Christ in all His fullness. This should be the determination of every Christian but sadly and unfortunately, many Christians are side-tracked by so many things.

The Faith-Filled Life

We need many faith-filled believers today. The Post Modern world is one of cynicism and skepticism. Therefore, we need many faith-filled believers to face the assault on Christians and Christianity today. This means that we should have believers who know Christ intimately and can stand on the grounds and resist any dart the enemy sends our way.

The Freed Life

The freed life is the same as the liberated life. Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you would be free indeed” (John 8:36). True followers of Christ enjoy the free life. Unfortunately, some of us have encumbered our lives with so many entanglements that we barely live as the freed followers of Christ.

Less Stressful Life

“Less stressful Life” is one that in unheard of in our contemporary American stress society. We live in a nation of stress. Many people are filled with stress. The offices of Psychologists and Psychiatrists are filled with clients of stress, anxiety, and depression. Therefore, people would even pay to hear you speak on how to live a less stressful life. When your life exudes less stress people would come to you for solutions to their problems. This would give you the opportunity to point them to Christ.

The Lonesome Life

I do not encourage the Lonesome life. Jesus died alone but He was not lonesome because He did not live alone. He surrounded Himself with disciples who loved Him and were willing to learn from Him. It is true that some people are lonely. That is why the believing community should reach such people to help them come to Christ and they would not be lonely again. Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

THE NECESSITY OF APOLOGETICS

2023-03-24T10:45:00.001-07:00

Arguments cannot be taught from a vacuum. The preacher himself should know how to present arguments. That is why apologetics is crucial. The pastor or the Christian leader should be well-versed in Scripture. I am not talking only about memorizing scriptures and quoting them out of context. It is fundamentally important to know the background of a biblical text, the culture, context, historical, lexical, exegetical, and expository presentation of the biblical text. Most importantly bathe the presentation in prayer for the recipient to respond favorably to the word of God.

Know your Audience

One crucial factor in preaching effectively is to know your audience. When I say know your audience, I don't necessarily mean know their names as individuals. I mean know who they are as persons, their academic level, their level of maturity in Christ, and the average age of your audience. These will prove beneficial to you in your ministry. Sometimes preachers preach or teach over the heads of their congregations. In certain situations, some preachers preach and teach below the level of their audience. Therefore, these things are important for communication, persuasion, and faith development of a church.

When you are ministering to children you should use arguments in only rare cases. Children prefer audio-visuals to pros or argumentative presentation. Children also like stories that draw their attention and curiosity. However, make sure that the story is very engaging and presents Christ at the end.

In preaching or witnessing, the Bible should be the foundation. Proof-texting becomes a problem because some Christians use the Bible to back up their statements or their beliefs. However, the reverse should be the case. The Bible should be the authentic source from which we base our beliefs and statements.

All that you have stated are good. However, you have left out the most important person. The most important person is the Holy Spirit. Without His conviction and convincing the new birth will not happen. That is why we have to live in His fullness and pray for His presence to take over everything we are doing.

Furthermore, Jesus is exclusive when it comes to His claims of lordship. Therefore, preaching and sharing the gospel should be done in love and truth.

The Importance of Prayer

I believe that our world today is in trouble and chaos because many Christians have ignored the power and the effects of prayer. If prayer was not essential, Jesus would not have spent more time teaching us to pray. Furthermore, if prayer was not important, Jesus would not have spent His time praying all the time. In fact, Jesus commands or compels us to pray (Luke 18:1-8). Therefore, we have to maximize our prayers and the way we live our lives should reflect the character of Jesus.

You are not an Accident

What a testimony. I would like you to read 2 Corinthians 1:3-11. In spite of the circumstance in which every person was born, we are not in this world by accident. Michele, you are not an accident and Lizzie is not an accident. God has placed every person on earth for a purpose. Unfortunately, some allow their circumstances, family background, and their environment to paralyze them that they do not allow God to use them to touch other lives. God comforts us so that we can comfort others. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are redeemed to become a conduit of redemption to others.

God can and is willing to use any person who surrenders his/her life to Him in spite of your background, ethnicity, race, social status, and academic standing. God is going to use your motto to help you draw others to Christ.

JEREMIAH 29:11

Many Christians have memorized and quoted Jeremiah 29:11 to encourage themselves and others in times of difficulty. There is nothing wrong in using Scriptures to help or comfort others. However, the context of every biblical text is especially important. Another thing is that some biblical passages are to be used carefully because they may be conditional and limited to the Jewish people. One of such passages is Jeremiah 29:11. Jeremiah wrote this biblical text at a time when the children of Israel were in captivity in Babylon due to their rebellion against God. In fact, many of them died in captivity. Therefore, the promise in this text was limited to the remnant who would return to Jerusalem to rebuild their lives again and assume a proper form of worship of God. Therefore, we cannot claim this promise for ourselves today because it does not apply primarily to us but the returned and restored remnant of Israel.

THE SPIRIT-FILLED OR SPIRIT-LED LIFE

The Purpose Driven Life written by Rick Warren has touched and transformed many lives. The book asks the penetrating question, "Why are we here?" Where are we going? That is the meaning or purpose of life. Every person needs to answer that question in life.

The Spirit-filled or Spirit-led life is the Christ life. Jesus did everything and accomplished it because He was directed and led by the Holy Spirit. He did not do anything without the will and consent of the Father. Even during His temptation, He was led by the Holy Spirit. He lived life in the perfect will of God. Jesus then is our perfect model in the Christian life.

The Grace-filled Life

The grace filled life is the life that every Christian should aim at living. I called the Apostle Paul the Apostle of Grace because I believe he understood grace more than many of the disciples of Christ. However, we have realize that if we are the vessels of grace that does not mean that we at liberty to live as we please. Grace does not mean self-indulgence or antinomianism (against law). Second, grace does not mean that we are not to correct or rebuke the erring ones. Grace means that we give room for the Holy Spirit to do His work in the life of others.

In your case, when a church splits it demonstrates to the watching world that the congregation is devoid of grace. That is a poor testimony to the world.

The Certain Life

We live in a world of uncertainties. Therefore, when a believer lives a life of certainty, it becomes something rare that requires examination. People become curious as to why your life has a focus on direction because you are certain of your source of living. Many people are inquiring of certainty in life. Therefore, continue to exude certainty and point others to Christ.

THE PURSUIT OF GOD

You are right. The pursuit of God is a lifetime venture. I believe that many Christians are living a life of regret because they refused to yield to the pursuit of God. When you surrender your life to Christ and take up your cross to follow Him, you may not be the richest person on earth but you would be the most fulfilled person of God because you would always have His blessing, approval, peace, and presence with you. You will live life without regret.

THE ACCEPTED LIFE

I believe that God is using and going to use you to turn people's lives around. The problem that I have for some Christians who hate gays and lesbians is that some of these people adopt this aberrant and devious lifestyle because of what happened to them in the past. Therefore, it is better to listen to a person's story before you jump into conclusion. If we take time to love people in spite of themselves, the Lord will use us to help them to connect with Him and overcome any addiction or bondage in which they find themselves. God accepts people the way they are but He transforms their life in His own time and use them to influence others for Christ.

THE RENEWED LIFE

If those of us who call ourselves Christians would have the patient, pursuit, and love of God, He would use us to bring many people to Him. However, while we can tolerate our sins we hate the inconsistency and sins we find in others. We have to realize that the pull of sin is strong and it takes the strength and love of Christ to break that stronghold. May the Lord use you to help others find their way back to Christ who is patiently waiting.

THE WORD OF GOD AND PRAYER

2023-02-17T11:09:00.001-08:00

You are right. Some churches put more emphasis on prayer than the study of the Word of God. Some on the other hand, put more stress on the study of the Word than prayer. However, Acts 6 teaches the balance. Therefore, my suggestion to you is not to ignore either of the two disciplines. You have to maintain a balance between the two. In fact, any vibrant Christian living cannot neglect both disciplines or draw a dichotomy between the two. They should go together.

SEEKER-SENSITIVE CHURCH VS. TRADITIONAL CHURCH

I do not think that you can make such an adamant statement that a seeker-sensitive church cannot grow deep disciples of Christ. These were some of the issues we dealt with in one of my doctoral seminars in Evangelism when we were studying contemporary evangelism. I think you have to belong to a seeker-sensitive church to be able to make a fair judgment on the matter. The church to which I belong is not called seeker-sensitive but we use similar methods. I believe that members of such churches can grow deeper in Christ when the growth and discipleship process do not end at the church premises. In my local church for instance, we have Life Groups. The growth process continues in the Life groups. We have a large library and various discipleship materials that help leaders and members to grow. Therefore, I can say that in every church whether seeker-sensitive or not, the growth process depends on the individual Christian.

Mutual Love and Care

I don’t know about your church but what I know is that the lead pastor should initiate the vision, purpose, and direction of the church. There are a plethora of biblical directives pertaining to mutual love and care of the Body of Christ. However, many pastors take these directives for granted and do not preach and teach them to their congregations. Therefore, in an average church you find or see that only a few people provide the caring. When a member is grieving or hurting few people are there to console and help him/her. However, that should not be the case. All or almost the entire membership should rally their support behind the individual. That alone speaks volume to the watching world. That is what the early or first century was known. That is why in Acts 6 when the Grecian-Hebrews began to murmur and complain, the Apostles asked the congregation to set aside seven leaders with qualifications of wisdom, and full of the Spirit to lead them to stop the bias and complaint. The Bible is the Blueprint for Christian practice and living.

FELLOWSHIP AND MISSIONS

You have put your finger on something that the church should notice and address. Fellowship is very important in every church. Fellowship seeks to welcome, embrace, and integrate new members and guests of our churches. However, if a balance is not struck between fellowship and the Great Commission, soon the church would become an aquarium. The members become comfortable and infatuated with each other that they neglect people on the outside. Soon the church begins to die from the inside because they are not reaching any person on the outside. That unfortunately has happened to many churches that are dying today because they threw away evangelism and outreach. Therefore, the church should be careful not to neglect those on the outside.

A SENDING CHURCH VERSUS A COLLECTING CHURCH

2023-02-10T12:37:00.003-08:00

A sending church versus a collecting church is a false dichotomy that is responsible for the death of many churches in the Western World. A sending church becomes missional in the sense that every member becomes an evangelist who reaches out to the lost. A collecting church becomes too much preoccupied with the people in their local church. The people begin to think that the work is to be done by the paid staff, which includes the senior pastor, the administrative workers, and the Associate Ministers. It is like we pay you to serve us so that those of us who are not paid become spectators. Many churches that are growing today have become sending churches. These are Great Commission Churches. The collecting churches are dying because they do not utilize their God given spiritual gifts to reach out to the lost people around them.

FAITH VERSUS REASON

This problem may be unique to your church. Is your church in an urban center or a rural area? Those who do not understand Christ and the local church would create a dichotomy between faith and reason. It is the cults who prey on people to jettison reason, not true evangelical churches. Reason does not contradict faith if the faith is reasonable faith.

Faith and Reason is a topic that has been written about in Philosophy extensively. First, one has to define faith. Second, one has to state one's object of faith. Then one has to define reason and its implications. Faith goes hand in hand with reason. However, if there is a conflict between reason and faith in Christ, I postulate that a believer should choose faith in Christ. Let me give you a practical example. When you read Luke 5, it is recorded that after Jesus had ministered to the multitudes, he told Peter to launch his net for a catch of fish. Peter and his fishermen colleagues had been fishing all night without any catch. Furthermore, Peter was an experiences and veteran fisherman, but Jesus was not. However, because Jesus commanded Peter to launch into the deep, Peter obeyed. To his surprise, he caught a large swath of fish that he alone could not pull the net. The other fishermen had to help him. When Peter saw the great catch of fish, he came and bowed before Jesus and told Him, “ Go away from me, Lord for; I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). If Peter had used his reason to conclude that because he was a professional fisherman, he knew more than Jesus, he would not have experienced this miracle that turned his life around.

The Church V. the State

You are right. If the church is being what Christ meant it to be, we would not be depending on the government to solve every problem. We have to overcome prejudice and injustice in any form or fashion to champion the cause of Christ. The government should not dictate to the church because we dance to a different drummer. When the church relies too much on the government then the government would dictate to the church. The church also would lose its prophetic voice because the church has become corrupt because of what it can gain from the government.

THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION AND CRITIQUE

2023-02-04T16:11:00.003-08:00

You have put your finger on some of the problems that are affecting the contemporary churches in this post-modern generation. Many of the professors who taught me in both college and the seminary told us to balance the academic aspect and spiritual growth of our Christian life so that we can influence and impact our churches. Today, it seems such an advice is non-existent in many seminaries and Bible Colleges. Therefore, we are producing pastors who are lazy that they cannot study and preach the Word of God with any effectiveness. As such we are producing shallow Christians who cannot defend their faith in the public square. I believe that there should be a balance between the intellectual or academic and the spiritual side of ministry. Pride always brings a fall and destruction of an individual who allows it to take over his or her life. The reason is simple. Since pride was the downfall of Satan, he uses it to destroy any person who embraces it.

Pride is an insidious sin that the Bible condemns vehemently. It can be displayed overtly or covertly. However, if it is allowed to persist in the Body of Christ, then the church has opened the door wide for the devil to make the church ineffective. It can be destructive and deadly in the life of an individual believer in Christ.

OUTREACH AND DISCIPLESHIP

Outreach and Discipleship when integrated and done well will make a vibrant church. Outreach alone without discipleship becomes a revolving door to a local church because the members will not have a solid grounding in the Lord when they are confronted with false teachers and prophets. Discipleship without outreach will also create a stagnant church. Therefore, there should be a purposeful and intentional balance between the two to make the church steadfast and strong both numerically and spiritually.

A SENDING CHURCH VERSUS A COLLECTING CHURCH

LOVE VERSUS SCRIPTURE

2023-01-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

You have put your finger on something that is very important and needs to be addressed in the contemporary churches. Love and Scriptures. First, one has to define love in the biblical sense. Today some think that if you love somebody you allow him or her to do whatever seems good or right even though it might be definitely wrong. That is why the church is full of people who are living in sin without any repentance because the pastor and leaders have concluded that if they rebuke or correct such people, they would be regarded as unloving. This understanding or position is biblically wrong. In fact, when you do not correct a sinning person that is the true definition of unloving. The culture today is on the precipice of destruction because there is nobody who is able to stand up and say enough is enough.

THEOLOGY AND CULTURE

You are dealing with true current trends in the world today. Many churches have become anemic and powerless because they have swallowed everything that the culture dictates. Political correctness has dissipated the effectiveness and the passion of many pastors and evangelists today because they don't want to offend anybody. One thing that many Christians do not know or realize is that John the Baptist and later many Christians died or were killed because they did not allow the culture to dictate to them. Ponder on the reason why "Gay Marriage" has become an acceptable practice in the United States. Many preachers kept their mouth shut because they did not want to rock the boat or lose money and prestige. Some of the advocates of Gay lifestyle have resorted to violence and intolerance. Therefore, some preachers are afraid of being attacked or maligned. However, we must speak the truth, but at the same time gracious. The Bible teaches that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. The Law was given to Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). This truth has major theological implications.

PRIDE

The story you have shared is amusing and sad at the same time. My question is how involved is this person in witnessing and the discipleship of others who are babies in Christ? So in effect, this person is saying that he cannot receive any encouragement, benefit, and growth from any other church? Then, I suggest the person should begin his own church. This is pride of the highest proportion that ruins those who think they are more mature to receive nourishment from others. It also demonstrates that such an individual does not have a teachable spirit. If a person does not have a teachable spirit, he or she cannot be a true follower of Christ.

MILLENNIALS, GEN-X VERSUS BABY BOOMERS

2023-01-21T12:53:00.002-08:00

You have hit on something that if pastors and church leaders do not address soon and carefully can be the end of the church as we know it. I saw this in the 80s when I lived in Munich, Germany. I saw that the church left the young people behind. In other words, nobody reached the young people with the gospel. Therefore, when you attended the local church there, only old people attended church. Churches that have and are addressing these problems are growing both spiritually and numerically. First, the senior pastor and elders or church leaders should call young ministers who are dynamic and can lead the young people in ministry. Our church here in Arlington, Texas has a solution to this problem, so the church is growing rapidly. The ministers should continue to encourage parents not to leave the children home on Sundays when they are coming to church. They must bring the children with them so that they can learn biblical truth. Our world has become atheistic because we are not living what we believe as Christians. We must encourage and preach the Christian worldview from pulpits and inculcate them in the minds and lives of our children.

FAITH AND WORKS

This dichotomy is simple to rectify. All that you have to do is to teach and preach through the Book of Galatians with supporting scriptures from Ephesians 2:1-10, and the Letter of James (The Epistle of James). These biblical texts will settle this false dichotomy without much problem. That means you have to be prepared to exegete the passage, you have to know the cultural, historical, contextual, and lexical background of these biblical books.

REPENTANCE AND HUMILITY

Did you want to see humility and repentance in the life of the "executive pastor?" One thing is that the pastor has to understand that people volunteer from their own will and heart. That means they are not paid. They do the work from the love they have for Christ and His church. Therefore, the pastor needs to understand that. The pastor needs to study the life of Christ and the apostles especially the Apostle Paul.

If you have noticed this in your church, have you brought it to the attention of the senior pastor of your church? When these types of behavior begin to rear their ugly head, it is better for the senior pastor to preach and teach on such topics so that they do not affect the fellowship and unity of the church. Without true humility, one can't be a follower of Christ. Christ had to model and mold humility in the lives of His disciples. Read some of my blog. I have several articles on humility that many people have responded. Your pastor also needs to preach and teach on repentance. Repentance is not a dirty word. It becomes a favorite word of every genuine follower of Christ. It means to change the direction of your life and follow the ways and the mind of Christ. Repentance literally means, “a change of mind and behavior.”

CRITICISM

2023-01-13T15:10:00.003-08:00

The generational gap has always created tensions in church history. However, the tension can be eliminated through proper and biblical means. Now back to your thread. Criticism is not a bad thing. The society put criticism in a bad light. However, criticism can be positive. First, criticism can make a person who is being criticized conscious of himself. Second, criticism can provide a change in an organization or fellowship. Third, and finally, positive criticism can produce unity in the Body of Christ (Galatians 2:11-21).

The reason criticism is opposed in some churches is because of the way it is done. If you criticize a person with a harsh tone, condescending, and judgmental attitude then criticism becomes offensive to people. However, if the criticism is positive and it is made in gentleness and love then people would embrace or welcome it. Therefore, the attitude behind criticism is very important. Finally, we have to employ the biblical statement which the apostle Paul gave to the Corinthian Church, “And now these three remain; faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). Love should be the distinguishing characteristic in the Christian life.

Homogeneous Church

I think that this attitude can change depending on the church and its polity. There are some churches where the lay leaders have more power than the Pastor. Therefore, if such an attitude prevails in this type of church then, it can stop the spiritual and numerical growth of the church.

However, in a church where the lead pastor is given a delegated authority, he can change the direction and the attitude of the church for positive and dynamic growth. This can happen through prayer, teaching, preaching, and living by example.

Grace and Accountability

You have put your finger on something that the contemporary culture continues to promote today. We live in a political correctness society. This mentality has infested the local churches of our day. As Christians we are to emphasize grace as the followers of Christ. However, at the same time we are to promote accountability in the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 5 and 6; and Galatians 6:1-5). Some pastors and Christian leaders have succumbed to the over-emphasis of grace to the neglect of correction in the Body of Christ. However, they have to realize that the church is unlikely any other institution on earth, political, social, tribal, or national. The local church is a spiritual organism established and ordained by Christ. Therefore, we take our orders and teachings from Christ. He was the most gracious person ever lived but He gives us instructions on how to correct erring brothers and sister in the local church. Therefore, we are to balance grace with accountability.

FAITH VERSUS KNOWLEDGE

I have heard that line of argument several times. When I went to college in Kentucky in the 80s and early 90s, I heard people say that we are to have more faith and less theological education or knowledge. However, what type of faith were they talking about? Is it a saving faith? Is it faith based on faithfulness? Or is it faith that acknowledges that something is going to happen? Some argue that all the Disciples of Christ were men without letters or education. However, that statement in Acts 4 does not mean that Peter, John, and the others were illiterates or “unlettered” as some call it. It means they did not have formal theological education. However, they received education when they walked with Jesus for about three and half years. Jesus trained them. Furthermore, Apostle Paul was a highly educated person. Luke was highly educated because he was a physician. Today without education some ministers cannot minister in suburbs and metropolitan cities because the congregations there are highly educated. Whiles education alone does not make an effective pastor and communicator of the Word of God, both faith in Christ and knowledge should be balanced to make a minister of the gospel productive and effective.

PROVERBS 22:6

2022-12-20T11:27:00.001-08:00

PROVERBS 22:6

Proverbs 22:6 has been used as a proof text to put false guilt on many parents. What those who quote that passage do not realize is that Proverbs are not unconditional promises to Christians. Proverbs is part of the Wisdom Literature. Therefore, a bible scholar should understand what the wisdom literature is. Wisdom literature is a different genre unlike other genres. Furthermore, parents should realize that every child has his/her own bent. Therefore, you cannot shape the life of your children to be the same. So the first thing every parent should do is to pray for the spirit of discernment as the children are growing.

Many quote this passage because they do not put everything into context. Many Christians think that they can claim every promise in the Bible for themselves. However, they do not realize that some promises were for the Hebrew people. Also, some do not take into account that some promises are conditional.

MARK 16:17-20

You have cited a very controversial passage. This text has given ammunition to higher criticism of the Bible. It is not included in some of the manuscripts. Therefore, even it is excluded in some of the English translations. We believe (I am included) that a scribe added verses 17-20 to the text. The chapter from Mark 16 should end in verse 16. This passage is in harmony with the Great Commission passages in the Gospels and the Book of Acts. Some Bible scholars and preachers do not want to admit that these verses are not in the best manuscripts but they were added by a scribe that should have been emendated.

Matthew 18:20 continues to be used out of context until preachers and Bible teachers preach and teach the people of God the context and background of that passage. In the Nehemiah's prayer, include the purpose or significance of the broken walls of Jerusalem. Why was Nehemiah concerned about this situation? When you have dealt with this then you can go ahead and deal with the prayer and fasting.

“Like Fire Shut Up in My Bone

Many use this verse out of context to teach the necessity of sharing one's faith in Christ. However, Jeremiah did not mean that when he penned the statement or phrase under the inspiration of God. Jeremiah did not have any illusion about his calling by God (Jer. 1). He had a divine compulsion to preach unpopular message to a rebellious and disobedient people. God told him what the reaction of the people would be. Jeremiah loved his people but he hated their sin and rebellion against God. Nevertheless, he knew the consequences of their rejection of his message from God. A time came that he wanted to resign his position as a prophet of God. However, he knew that he could not give up on God and His calling upon his life. In the face of rejection, persecution, and suffering Jeremiah remained faithful to the Lord by proclaiming His word to the people. The people did not obey the Lord and Babylon invaded the land and took them to captivity in Babylon. God vindicated his servant. How many Christians today would have remained faithful like Jeremiah in the face of persecution and suffering?

Jeremiah was under divine compulsion to preach a message of God to a rebellious people who were not willing to repent walk in obedience with God. Any preacher who wants to use this passage should understand the context and the cultural and historical setting of the book in general.

2022-10-20T15:48:00.002-07:00

I am writing to inform my readers and followers that my third book has been published and you can purchase a copy at Amazon.com.

Thanks.

LOVE AND DISCIPLINE

2022-09-23T11:53:00.004-07:00

The culture today teaches people to jettison discipline and only embrace love. However, the society’s understanding of love is flawed. Love without discipline is license, which promotes freedom without restraint. Discipline without love gives birth to legalism and aloofness and detachment from people. The society has become fragmented today because we have detached love from discipline. Therefore, we are to reconcile or combine the two concepts and virtues.

The Sovereignty of God and Human Responsibility

The sovereignty of God and human responsibility is a thread that runs through biblical revelation beginning with Genesis to Revelation. God is sovereign that means God is in absolute control. There is nothing that happens or occurs without His knowledge. God is sovereign in His power, wisdom, and knowledge. However, God gives humans responsibility to respond to His love and His mission. Therefore, there are certain things that God expect humans to do. For instance, if He wants to save people today, God does not send angels. He sends some of His servants to take the gospel of Christ to them. God gives human responsibility because without that responsibility, we would not know human freedom and love. God did not create robots in the Garden of Eden. He created humans and gave them responsibility (Genesis 1-3). The tension in God’s sovereignty and human responsibility will continue to exist until Christ returns. This tension also helps us to yield our lives to God and seek His help realizing that we cannot do anything with our own strength. However, with His strength we can accomplish everything given to us (Phil. 4:13).

Your church is being the church that Jesus Christ would be proud of. I assume some people might have left the church because you are inviting "undesirables" into the fold. That is the same problem that Jesus encountered with the Pharisees and the religious leaders of His day. Your church will thrive because the Spirit of God will bless the church. Today many churches that are exclusive are dying, whiles those who open their doors to everyone are thriving. This does not mean that you do not preach about sin or living a disciplined life. It means that you embrace the attitude of Christ in the midst of a broken society.

First, I would like to find out where the Pastor received his theological education. There is an on-going debate whether Christians are to jettison the Old Testament and embrace only the NT. However, that is just beside the point. The complete canon of Scripture includes the Old Testament. If we neglect the Old Testament, we would not be able to address the cultural, social, and political issues of our day. Many of the events of our day are similar to the events some of the Prophets of God addressed in the Old Testament. My suggestion is that a Pastor should endeavor to preach through the Bible beginning from Genesis 1.

Is the church still large today? I believe you have put your hand on one of the issues that have made many churches irrelevant and dying today. When a church becomes inward looking it ceases from being the true church of Christ. Authoritarians whose mantra is that we have done it the "same way" and we do not want to change control such churches. Churches saved us to become servers. In fact, He said that He came to serve but not to be served. He used this statement as repudiation to the disciples who were scrambling for positions and status of prominence.

Your story represents the situation that many Christians encounter in many churches. In fact, I have written about this in response to many articles. I believe that the government has become too intrusive in the lives of people because many churches have neglected their responsibilities to help the poor and needy both in and outside the church. Jesus addressed this in the Gospels. Paul, James, and John address this in their Epistles. It is an unfortunate situation. I believe that is why some churches have become irrelevant and dying today.

LOVING THE SINNER AND HATING SIN

2022-09-17T13:16:00.002-07:00

Kapic's treatise here is similar to what Will McRaney, Jr., deals with in his book The Art of Personal Evangelism. Involving in people's life is messy. That is why Jesus used the analogy of farming in many of his teachings especially, the Parables. Not only that, Jesus also demonstrated this principle in His dealings with people. Let me give you at least three examples. The first one is Zacchaeus. Jesus loved Zacchaeus but hated his sin of being a crook and a greedy tax collector. The second example is the Samaritan woman (John 4). The disciples did not want Jesus to waste His time with this woman of bad reputation but Jesus loved the woman and revealed Himself to her. The third illustration is the man born blind from birth (congenital blindness) (John 9). The Pharisees on one hand hated such people but Jesus on the other hand loved them and saved them. The truth is that we are to hate sin as Jesus hates sin but we are to love the sinner as He still loves sinners. A typical example is the woman who was caught in adultery and brought to Jesus for condemnation. Instead of condemnation and imminent death, Jesus offered forgiveness and a reprimand. That is what we need to do as followers of Christ.

How old was this pastor? I believe that he did not use wisdom and tactfulness. These are some of the mistakes that bring about church splits. These things can be prevented if pastors and spiritual leaders would overcome pride and self-centered attitude.

Do you think that Jesus, the early church, and the Apostle Paul would make such a statement that this church is not for everybody? On the contrary, Jesus said the Son of Man came to seek and to save those who were lost. Paul said that I have become all things to all men so I may win some.

I believe that there should be other means of spiritual growth for believers besides the preaching on Sunday. In my local church, we have small group meetings outside the church in various homes.

What I differ with you is that of infants in the main service. I don't think that it is appropriate for infants to be crying during the middle of preaching by the Pastor or a guest preacher. That is child care is provided for mothers with children.

You have identified one of the common dichotomies in the local church today. What you have stated here is similar to salvation by works versus faith alone. However, both should walk hand in hand (Eph. 2:8-10). We should endeavor to avoid both extremes. There should be a balance between good works and faith.

You are dealing with an important issue that has been the downfall of many young preachers today. Many young preachers in their enthusiasm enter the pastorate with a mind full of new ideas. However, what they don't realize is that it takes time for people to change. There is nothing wrong with tradition. However, what is wrong is traditionalism and there is a difference.

The knowledge of God that does not lead to a true worship of God becomes idolatry. Seminarians are often warned to be careful that they do not become too focused on the academic side of theology that they forget to worship God. For instance, a seminary student can become too pre-occupied in learning how to parse Greek verbs while he neglects having his quiet time with God in His Word and in prayer. There should be a fine balance between the two.

PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS

2022-09-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

This is what we deal with in Contemporary Evangelism course. We call this transformational and incarnational evangelism. Christians should not draw any distinction between both physical and spiritual needs. In the ministry of Jesus He did not draw any dichotomy between the two. In fact, most of the time He used people’s physical needs to meet their spiritual needs. For instance in John 6 Jesus used the lad's bread and a few fish to feed the 5000 people. He used it to teach them a great spiritual lesson. When the lesson was over, many of the people left the scene. Jesus then turned to the Disciples and asked them whether they too would leave. The problem that some churches have is that they cannot connect the physical needs to the spiritual. Therefore, they settle for the physical needs. If we do that then we are not true to Christ and His church. We have to combine both and reach the whole person.

The reason our world has become so wicked, evil, and dangerous is that Christians have kept the good news to themselves whiles the world is rapidly heading to a Christ-less eternity. Our contemporary church is unlike the New Testament church, in that the NT church took the gospel to the whole world. They did not have any governmental or human protection. All that they had was the presence, power of the Holy Spirit, and prayer and that was enough for them. In fact, they turned the pluralistic world of the time upside down.

THEOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY

I believe that in the urban and suburban centers of the world, a pastor without any theological education or training would probably resign. Why? The answer is simple. In such environments you would have congregants who are medical doctors, lawyers, engineers, university students, etc. If the minister does not have the proper theological education, how can he minister effectively to such people in the church? While I am a proponent of theological education, I am also an advocate for the balance between sound theological education and true spirituality. I believe that God used the Apostle Paul effectively to plant churches in the Gentile world because he had a good balance of true spirituality and sound theological education. Any minister of the gospel that wants to be effective should not stop learning and studying.

And also the more we know God the more we want to make Him known but that is not the priority of many churches today. It is no wonder this world has become more dangerous.

THE WORD OF GOD AND PRAYER

2022-08-19T11:54:00.005-07:00

A pastor who maintains this balance will be effective in his ministry and the church will continue to grow spiritually and numerically.

SEEKER-SENSITIVE CHURCH VS. TRADITIONAL CHURCH

I do not think that you can make such an adamant statement that a seeker-sensitive church cannot grow deep disciples of Christ. These were some of the issues we dealt with in one of my doctoral seminars in Evangelism when we were studying contemporary evangelism. I think you have to belong to a seeker-sensitive church to be able to make a fair judgment on the matter. The church to which I belong is not called seeker-sensitive but we use similar methods. I believe that members of such churches can grow deeper in Christ when the growth and discipleship process do not end at the church premises. In my local church for instance, we have Life Groups. The growth process continues in the Life groups. We have a large library and various discipleship materials that help leaders and members to grow. Therefore, I can say that in every church whether seeker-sensitive or not the growth process depends on the individual Christian.

A SENDING CHURCH VERSUS A COLLECTING CHURCH

2022-08-08T11:22:00.004-07:00

FAITH VERSUS REASON
This problem may be unique to your church. Is your church in an urban center or a rural area? Those who do not understand Christ and the local church would create a dichotomy between faith and reason. It is the cults who prey on people to jettison reason, not true evangelical churches. Reason does not contradict faith if the faith is reasonable faith.

The Church V. the State
You are right. If the church is being what Christ meant it to be, we would not be depending on the government to solve every problem. We have to overcome prejudice and injustice in any form or fashion to champion the cause of Christ. The government should not dictate to the church because we dance to a different drummer. When the church relies too much on the government then the government would dictate to the church. The church also would lose its prophetic voice because the church has become corrupt because of what it can gain from the government.

THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION AND CRITIQUE

2022-07-22T12:05:00.004-07:00

Theological Reflection and Critique

OUTREACH AND DISCIPLESHIP

REPENTANCE AND HUMILITY

2022-07-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

These are my responses to some of my students

If you have noticed this in your church have you brought it to the attention of the senior pastor of your church? When these types of behavior begin to rear their ugly head, it is better for the senior pastor to preach and teach on such topics so that they do not affect the fellowship and unity of the church. Without true humility, one can't be a follower of Christ. Christ had to model and mold humility in the lives of His disciples. Read some of my blog. I have several articles on humility to which many people have responded. Your pastor also needs to preach and teach on repentance. Repentance is not a dirty word. It becomes a favorite word of every genuine follower of Christ.

Repentance without humility is not genuine; it is incomplete. Repentance is a military term; it describes an army marching in one direction and then turn on a different direction. All humankind is marching in one direction--the direction of sin. However, when Christ saves us, He shows us the right direction where we are to be marching. Humility was a major characteristic of the life of Jesus Christ, and it is still a great virtue in the Christian life. The antithesis of humility is pride. Pride comes before a fall. It is the number one character trait of Satan. Therefore, when humility is absent from the life of a believer then he or she is heading on a dangerous precipice.

LOVE VERSUS SCRIPTURE

THEOLOGY AND CULTURE

PRIDE

FAITH VERSUS KNOWLEDGE

2022-07-08T13:38:00.006-07:00

MILLENNIALS, GEN-X VERSUS BOOMERS