In last week’s blog (which I highly recommend you read), I shared what I found about the eight main pillars of the Progressive Christian movement and held four of the pillars up to the Bible—the gold standard—to see if its tenets line up with God’s Word. Today, let’s continue by examining the remaining four pillars.

The Remaining Four Pillars of Progressive Christianity

5. Progressive Christians believe we should find grace in the search for understanding and believe there is more value in questioning than in absolutes. Let’s look at this in two parts. First, as we’re trying to find answers, there should be grace. Who can argue with this? But they should have left it at that. The second part of the statement, well, I wouldn’t quite agree with that. The first thing I notice about this fifth pillar is that it sets understanding and belief (or acceptance) against each other as absolutes or dogma. This is a common mistake in culture today and assumes a fallacy right out of the gate that truth is relative. It’s not. Truth is truth. 

First of all, debate is not kindness versus abrasiveness—or shouldn’t be with Christians. Truth tellers need not, and should not, be abrasive, aggressive, or antagonistic right out of the gate, especially as we’re seeking to convey God’s truth. See, it’s not grace OR truth. It’s not truth without grace. It’s truth AND grace. It has to be, or people won’t listen.

More importantly, there are many truths that are difficult to hear, especially if what we’ve been indoctrinated with is lies (as is practically a requirement of most universities and college campuses today).

6. We need to strive for peace and justice among all people. This is another one that, on the surface, who can argue with that? Not me; I love it. However, there is something to be said here first. Our primary mission as Christians is to introduce people to the Prince of Peace, not claim to be the Prince of Peace. Jesus Christ is the only reason we can truly live peacefully with God. Jesus Christ is called the Prince of Peace because He restores every broken relationship. He provides a well-ordered and balanced life. He offers the assurance of eternal life.And this was predicted as one of the attributes of the coming Messiah hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a Son will be given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” So, any peaceful solution that doesn’t ultimately rest on Jesus and the truth of His Word is a band-aid at best and further contributes to division and hostility at worse.

7. Strive to protect and restore the integrity of our Earth. This is a bit of a straw man. We are commanded to be stewards over God’s creation. It’s not even an option. However, it’s not THE mission for Christ Followers that it’s often presented as today. Far too many Christians forego the Great Commission in favor of being SJWs or advocates for climate reform. We need to be faithful and honoring advocates for this beautiful planet God gave us to live upon. However, Christ Followers know how the story ends, and we do eternal damage when we make this temporary life and its betterment the primary mission to the exclusion of the eternal question ultimately answered only in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Where are we going to spend eternity? In hell separated from Him, or in Heaven with Him, through the reconciliation as I said earlier provided only in Jesus Christ.Now, you might be thinking, why does it have to be one or the other? Can’t we be good stewards of the environment and faithful missionaries too? You know what? That’s a good question, but perhaps a better one is why is it Progressive Christians are so often the ones who abandon the latter in favor of the former? (Ponder that…)

8. Commit to a path of life-long learning, compassion, and selfless love on this journey toward a personally authentic and meaningful faith. Sounds good. I like that. I agree…so long as the path toward life-long learning doesn’t first seek to alter (or throw out altogether) the perfect textbook of God’s Word in said quest. However, altering God’s word is the very premise and foundation of a lot of Progressive Christianity because adherence begins with the conviction that God is old-fashioned, and His word needs constant human intervention and updating, which, for a perfect and unchanging God, it obviously doesn’t.

So, what do you think? Do you think the pillars of Progressive Christianity line up with the Word of God? Do you believe that God’s Word needs to be updated by humans to make it more relevant to the current times? I surely don’t.

Until next time, Peace!

~Pastor Rob

Aka P-Ro

Is Christianity evolving? I mean, does the Bible actually talk about what many refer to today as “Progressive Christianity?” It’s certainly thought-provoking. But what exactly is Progressive Christianity? I’d like to take today and next week to investigate the topic. With me? Let’s start!

What Is Progressive Christianity?

You can google Progressive Christianity and get 17,900,000 results. I looked at several and landed back at the first entry—ProgressiveChristianity.org. On this site, we see a list of the eight pillars—and they’re on several other websites—that most proponents would agree with as being foundational to who they are. These eight pillars are—and read them carefully:

1. Believe that following the path and teachings of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the Sacred and the Oneness and unity of all life.
2. Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the Sacredness and Oneness of life and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey.
3. Seek community that is inclusive of all people, including but not limited to: conventional Christians and questioning skeptics, believers and agnostics, women and men, those of all sexual orientations and gender identities, those of all classes, and those of all abilities.
4. Know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe.
5. Find grace in the search for understanding and believe that there is more value in questioning than in absolutes.
6. Strive for peace and justice among all people.
7. Strive to protect and restore the integrity of our Earth.
8. Commit to a path of lifelong learning, compassion, and selfless love.

Now, most of these sound wonderful on the surface, so maybe you’re thinking, What’s the big deal. Well, Christianity is not a surface-y faith. The truth is, Progressive Christianity is a recent movement in Protestantism that focuses strongly on social justice and environmentalism and often includes a revisionist—or nontraditional—view of the scriptures.

Since this movement entails a number of different beliefs and views on various topics, there’s a lot to unwrap here. It’s difficult to label the whole movement decisively as biblical or unbiblical. Each claim of belief of any movement should be filtered through the Word of God, and whatever does not line up with the Word of God should be tossed out. So, I’m going to do just that.

Let’s take a look at each of these eight so-called pillars, and see just how they line up with God’s Word.

1. Believe that following the path and teachings of Jesus can lead to an awareness and experience of the sacred and the oneness and unity of all life.

So, here’s my question on this one: Who defines this path we’re talking about? Jesus does say in John 14:6 that He Himself is the WAY—or the path—the truth and the life. So the goal isn’t to learn Jesus facts and find a certain path or a certain dozen paths, but to find a certain person, Christ Himself.

Also, Jesus adopts those who confess and place their faith in Him as sons and daughters. He doesn’t simply bestow an “awareness” or “higher consciousness” upon them. And the Bible knows nothing of chasing after experiences. In fact, it’s this emphasis on feelings over faith that has led to most cults and false religions that we have today.

2. Affirm that the teachings of Jesus provide but one of many ways to experience the Sacredness and Oneness of life and that we can draw from diverse sources of wisdom in our spiritual journey. 

Well, we don’t even have to go beyond the verse I’ve just shared to refute this point, John 14:6. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” No one means no one. In other words, there aren’t many ways as Progressive Christians insist; there’s just one. And there aren’t many people providing that way to God. Acts 4:12 makes this irrefutably clear. It says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

To be fair, if Progressives are talking about spiritual disciplines, retreats, prayer, good orthodox Christian books that we read, solid preachers of the Word to help us on our journey, then number two would be right on. However, most of the time, I find this is not what they mean by “diverse sources.” Often, they are referring to the teachings of flat-out false religions or New Age Movement, extra-biblical revelations that do not line up with the Bible, anti-Christian sources, and more.

In the entire book of Galatians, for example, Paul spends most of his time warning us about such people. Not only should we avoid listening to them, he says it’s shocking that any true believer ever would listen to them. Galatians 1:6 says, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.” Well, that’s what Progressive Christianity really is—a different gospel. And he’s not alone in this. One of the most baffling things we see in the church today is how quickly and easily Christians wander from the faith by following seemingly every new fad that comes down the pike.

3. Seek community that is inclusive of all people, including but not limited to: conventional Christians and questioning skeptics, believers and agnostics, women and men, those of all sexual orientations and gender identities, those of all classes, and those of all abilities.

Okay, for this one, I mostly agree with it on its face; however, I suspect, like the others we went over, that there’s meaning behind the meaning. But first, at face value, Jesus came for sinners, not the righteous. The Bible makes that plain. He came for the sick, not the healthy, not because the healthy righteous person doesn’t need salvation—they do—but because those who feel like they’re healthy and righteous are difficult to convince that they’re not healthy and righteous, that they need salvation. Their righteousness and good standing falsely convince them that God is sufficiently impressed with them and that they’ll get into Heaven on their own merit.

However, Romans is 3:10 pulls the rug out on the merit-based admittance card when it says, “It is written: there is no one righteous, not even one.” So, there’s no such thing as a righteous resume impressive enough to nullify our unrighteous condition.

(Now, I think I need to be really clear. Jesus didn’t hang out with sinners because he was somehow interested in becoming one. He hung out with sinners because He came to rescue them from their sins, and quite frankly, people experiencing the pain and consequences of their sin are usually the most open to change.)

1. Know that the way we behave towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe.

Well, this is an easy one. I agree.

So, that’s exactly half of the eight pillars of Progressive Christianity. Eye-opening, right? Come back next week for the remaining four pillars.

Until then, I invite you to join me and the Summit family this Sunday morning—in-person or online—for an awesome time of worship. We’re live at 9am & 11am MDT. Hope to see you there!

Until next time, Peace!

~Pastor Rob

Aka P-Ro

Today, I’d like to share a story with you about a man who lived roughly 1800 years ago. His name…Augustine.

Augustine – The Player

Augustine was focused on his self-centered life. Raised by a God-fearing mother and a pagan dad, loving God and others was just about the last thing on his list. His dad’s style fit him more. As soon as he was able, he left home to fulfill his heart’s greatest desires. A Roman citizen and philosopher, he was looking for success and prestige. He wanted “followers.”

He was a social climber and a player when it came to the ladies. Fear of what others would think of him kept him from marrying his longtime concubine, the mother of his son. She was of a lower class. It would have ruined his optics.

The problem was, good optics or not, Augustine felt empty inside. He was ruled by his passions. He struggled with good choices. He kept switching philosophies. He was confused and desperate. He wasn’t the man he wanted to be. He said, “I looked for pleasure, beauty, and truth not in Him but in myself and His other creatures, and the search led me instead to pain, confusion, and error.”

The Same Now as It Was Then

Narcissism, fake relationships, and self-centered choices hadn’t brought him the fulfillment he had longed for. It’s funny, isn’t it, that even though Augustine lived in 300 AD, his problems sound very much like problems many of us face today?

One night, Augustine experienced the crazy love of Jesus. He felt compelled to pick up the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans. It read, “Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

Those words pinned Augustine to the wall. Paul’s words seemed to apply directly to him. Wild parties? Casual sex? Drunkenness? Those were his go-tos.

But Jesus loved Augustine (just as He loves you). He had more for Augustine than shallow relationships and self-centered living. He wanted to shape Augustine in His image.

Like the woman at the well, Jesus was inviting Augustine to live a different life—a life full of hope and love. Jesus cracked Augustine’s heart wide open in what was actually an agape intervention, drawing on the type of love that is unconditional and divine. Augustine changed into a man “after God’s own heart.” God helped him go Opposite Day on the optics.

Augustine’s life shifted from self-focused to God-centered. He described his change of heart, saying,

“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek Him the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.”

Saint Augustine of Hippo went through a love reboot. That love relationship with God and others spilled over into his life’s work. He was a changed man. He went from being a party boy in pursuit of followers to a God-lover pursuing authentic connection with God and others.

Saint Augustine’s writings still shape Christian life to this day. His was definitely a life repurposed by love.

Your Love Reboot

Like Augustine, we have a unique opportunity for a love reboot. God commands us to love Him and love others. Why do you think that is? Because we are made for love.

Love isn’t just a feeling, as we’ve seen. Love is an action. When we move into a new season of loving God and others, we will make a commitment to recenter our lives around Him instead of ourselves.

As a marriage counselor, I see the effect that inaction has on relationships. In the busyness of life, people get disconnected. Their relationships unravel. They come into my office and are so far apart it’s like they are sitting on the world’s largest sofa. The distance between them is physical and emotional until I start asking them questions. You can see their minds start to filter back through those times of connection. They start remembering the fun and the joy. They start telling the story of how they met and fell in love. And before you know it, they’re sitting close to each other. The world’s biggest couch becomes a love seat. It is a love reboot. Love takes action. Intentional time spent together. Serving each other. Hanging out. These moments of togetherness solidify the bonds between spouses.

Our relationship with God is no different. Love requires action. We are wholly loved by God. Because of that, we respond to Him, spend time with Him, and talk to Him. We read His words of love. Those actions are what solidify our relationship.

So, How Do You Get Over Selfitis?

If changing the optics of your life over and over again is not filling that longing inside for something more, then that longing cannot be satisfied cosmetically. You must move beyond the optics.

It’s my hope that, over these last many Mondays, you’ve seen the challenges of chasing after “likes” and other forms of approval for validation. My prayer is that it has stirred something in you…to take a closer look, not only at your relationship with social media but your relationship with God and others. I hope it has awakened a desire to want authentic relationships and to look for your self-worth in God, not in likes.

It’s your turn to live a life with no regrets.

You are God’s masterpiece. Seeing yourself as God sees you means looking at the value He places on you for the beauty inside of you.

You have value because of who He is, not because of what you look like, what you do for a living, who you know, what car you drive, or how expensive your shoes are.

Seeing yourself as God sees you is actually giving praise to Him because it means you see the beauty in his most precious creation…you!

When you look in the mirror, what you see looking back is a daughter or son of the King eternal. You are a child of the King, made in the image of God Himself.

You were made for authenticity. You were made for wholeness. You were made for true relationship. You were made to unleash God’s amazing, crazy love on the world around you.

If this is striking a chord with you and you want to learn more, I invite you to read my recently released bestselling book, Overliked: Finding Direction, Courage, and Meaningful Relationships in a Society Crippled by Social Media. In it, you will find a 21-day love reboot that will get you on your way to living the authentic life you were meant to live.

Until next time, Peace!

~Pastor Rob 

Aka, P-Ro

Today, I’d like to dig a little deeper and learn more about whether they’ve ceased. Grab your shovel and explore with me.

The Continuation of Tongues

When it comes to the continuation (vs. the ceasing) of tongues, some point to a difference in the tense of the Greek verbs referring to prophecy and knowledge ceasing and that of tongues being ceased. They say this is evidence for tongues ceasing before the arrival of “the perfect” (which I shared about in last Thursday’s blog). While it’s possible, it’s not explicitly clear from the text.

Some also point to passages such as Isaiah 28:11 and Joel 2 as evidence that speaking in tongues was a sign of God’s oncoming judgment. 1 Corinthians 14:22 describes tongues as a sign to unbelievers. According to this argument, the gift of tongues was a warning to the Jews that God was going to judge Israel for rejecting Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Therefore, when God did, in fact, judge Israel with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD, the gift of tongues would no longer serve its intended purpose. While this view, I guess, is possible, the primary purpose of tongues being fulfilled does not really necessitate its cessation.

Scripture does not conclusively assert that the gift of speaking in tongues has ceased. It just doesn’t say this real plainly. However, if the very purpose and conduct of the gift seems to be all but gone, then one has to at least consider that the New Testament gift may have ended. It will, in fact, cease; the Bible makes that clear. It’s simply a matter of when.

What Do Cessationists Believe?

Now, those who adamantly hold to this belief are known as Cessationists. These folks do not say that tongues became corrupted and therefore had to be stopped. More so, they point to the fact that tongues sort of faded away because they were just no longer necessary. Put another way, what got us here won’t get us there. So, the Cessationist’s view will point out that the words used for the cessation of knowledge of prophecy are in the passive voice, indicating that they will be stopped by an outside force. However, the verb used for the cessation of tongues is in the middle voice, which indicates that they will cease all on their own or of themselves.

Now, this is usually seen as further proof that tongues were temporary and would eventually pass away on their own. Regardless of the strength of this argument, though, the grammatical analysis leaves a little something to be desired. Some verbs usually take the middle voice, and the verb translated “be still” in the NIV is one of them. Therefore, there is no particular significance to the change from passive to middle voice in this passage. In Luke 8:24, the storm is still—same word and voice. However, it is clear that Jesus actively stilled the storm, so both tenses are there.

Cessationists also point out that if tongues, prophecy, and knowledge continue, this continuing revelation would, in effect, be adding to Scripture. However, most Continuationists (say that three times fast), who hold to the current exercise of these gifts, do not view the revelations as being on par with Scripture, but more like from the leading of the Holy Spirit. Many Cessationists feel God led them to do something or told them to do something and would maintain that this was some sort of communication from God (but they’d never place it on par with the Bible or on par with Scripture).

What Does All of This Mean?

Now, it’s interesting that both Charismatics (the largest group of Continuationists) and Cessationists seem to want to argue about this, which I have learned, sometimes, means you’re in the right place.

Ultimately, here’s where I landed on the gift of speaking in tongues—and I gained a lot from some great articles on GotQuestions.org. There’s nothing that prevents God from giving any spiritual gift. If God gives a spiritual gift, He expects that it’ll be used in submission to what the Bible teaches about that. Gifts being systematically abused does not necessarily mean that the gifts were not truly present or never real.

The completion and sufficiency of the Word of God have an impact on how the gift of tongues functions today. I guess you could say, as the author in an article on GotQuestions.com said, “I’m a weak Cessationist with an open, but cautious, mindset.” (How’s that? Clear as mud?!) I believe we should avoid extremes. Recognize that both Charismatics and Cessationists are brothers and sisters in Christ. Argue for, and defend, your beliefs, but do it in love (Ephesians 4:15). It needs to be done in truth and grace, not one without the other. Be gentle and respectful (1 Peter 3:15b). Don’t limit what God can do but recognize that everything God does is absolutely—and has to be—in agreement with His Word.

I hope this has helped you learn more about the gift of tongues and whether you believe they are for today or not. Until next Thursday, I encourage you to join me and my Summit family this Sunday morning—in-person or online—for an awesome time of worship. We’re live at 9am & 11am MDT. Hope to see you there!

Until next time, Peace!

~Pastor Rob

Aka P-Ro

Jesus was never politically correct. He was an equal-opportunity irritator, dissing religious leaders and annoying the government. Jesus only cared about one thing: connecting people (you and me) to God. Period. Got one? Good. Repeat. Got another one? Great. Repeat. These were real followers, people whose hearts were transformed by coming into contact with Jesus, not just thumbs-up and heart emojis.

Jesus’s birth and life became the fulfillment of over 300 ancient prophecies. He didn’t come to earth as a mere man like his great-great-great (etc.) great-grandpa, David. And he wasn’t just a “good man” or a “man after God’s own heart.” He was God on earth. Jesus was and is the ultimate hero. He is a flawless, perfect, omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (everywhere at once), omnipotent (all-powerful) being…the true God.

The Real Connection

When Jesus was on earth, He didn’t go about making people “perfect.” He didn’t create His own “image.” He didn’t teach coping skills to troubled people. He didn’t filter the difficult parts of life. He spoke truth, lived truth, taught truth, and walked around as truth personified. He ripped the two religious parties—the Pharisees and Sadducees. He called them “whitewashed tombs,” saying they might look good on the outside, but they were dead on the inside. He could have been talking about influencers or social media addicts today. He could have been talking about Republicans or Democrats. He could have been talking about me.

Who wants to get in the way of those words? Ouch! But Jesus talked that way because He loved people. And He loves us today. He even loves people who have made Him their enemy! He loves the mess-ups, outcasts, and untouchables. He came to spring people out of their fake, addicted, and troubled lives and set them free.

From Outcast to Evangelist

One outcast whose life Jesus reached was a woman from the hated Samaritan ethnic group. He met her at a well in the middle of the day, during the highest heat. She was most likely there to avoid meeting up with most people, who came when it was cool. She was a Samaritan, hated by Jews, and a woman with a bad reputation, hated by her own Samaritan people. Harsh.

Jesus saw something different in her, something that others didn’t see. He saw a woman longing for real connection. So, He reached out to her and said, “Give me a drink.”

When Jesus asked her for a drink, He didn’t really need her help to get a drink. This was Jesus. He was with God creating lakes and oceans. He was with Moses parting the Red Sea. And His first miracle was to turn water into wine. No, He didn’t need help with a beverage.

Jesus asked her for water because He wanted to draw her focus to her own dry condition. He wanted her to see her parched life, her own thirst, and all the dead-end ways she tried to satisfy that thirst.

She responded, “I don’t have a bucket.” Jesus explained that He had living water He could give her. He said that if she drank it, she would never thirst again. Jesus had her attention. She said she would really, really like some of that “living water.”

She admitted her need, but she was really saying, “Please help me so I don’t have to be trapped. I don’t want to keep sneaking back here and hiding. I don’t want to have to keep performing. I don’t want to be so mad and angry. I don’t want to keep being so…thirsty for life. I want real life.”

The woman was in a trap of her own making, caused by her own choices and her attempts to correct those choices through the wrong means. She was dying for an authentic connection with someone who really loved her. Until that moment, she had lost hope.

Jesus said, “Okay, go get your husband.”

Then she admitted another need: “I have no husband.”

Then Jesus stunned her. He said, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with now is not your husband.”

She was probably thinking, Have you been following me on Instagram? Or maybe, Stalker?!

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.” But no. He is not a prophet. He has just revealed that He is the Messiah. He is the Savior all of Israel has been hoping for.

This man, who acknowledges her, knows every detail about her hurting heart and ugly past. She is stuck in a trap. Jesus sees her for who she is and for who He made her to be. He affirms her worth. Only Jesus, who cannot be trapped, can set trapped people free.

In that moment, the woman believes. Her thirst for being known and loved is quenched. This woman is no longer ashamed of herself. She no longer feels the need to hide from people. Instead, she runs back and tells everyone in her village, “Come and meet the man who told me everything I ever did. Could he be the Messiah?” (You can find the full story in John 4:7-29.)

The village outcast became the village evangelist. This is what hope looks like.

Movies often elevate humanity above God. (Narcissists!) But a life centered around the love of Jesus is the only way to have the life that we long for and the life we are made for. And in this crazy world, we need Jesus and everything He gives us. Hope. Peace. Joy. Friendship. Loyalty. Honesty. Forgiveness. Faithfulness.

Jesus gives us all the things we are looking for in our own lives and in our authentic relationships. He has already done everything necessary to give us all of this. It’s just that many of us haven’t made that connection yet.

If you want to learn more about how to make that connection with Jesus—and with others in your life—I invite you to check out my new book, Overliked: Finding Direction, Courage, and Meaningful Relationships in a Society Crippled by Social Media. Join the thousands of others who are also on this journey to the life-giving, authentic relationships you so desire!

Until next Monday, find your hope in Jesus!

~Pastor Rob

Aka, P-Ro

How’s That Possible?

The first time we read about speaking in tongues is in the book of Acts, as it talks about the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2:1-4, the Apostle Peter went out and shared the Gospel with the crowds of people gathered for Pentecost, speaking to them in their own languages. Here’s what they said, “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues.” (Acts 2:11) The Greek word translated “tongues” literally means languages. Therefore, the gift of tongues is speaking in a language a person does not know in order to minister to someone who does speak that language.

In 1 Corinthians, Chapters 12 through 14, the Apostle Paul discusses miraculous gifts in general. He says, “Now brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction.” (1 Corinthians 14:6) According to Paul, and in agreement with the tongues described in Acts that we just read, speaking in tongues is valuable to the one hearing God’s message in his or her own language. But it’s useless to everyone else because they can’t understand it unless it is interpreted or translated for them.

Yet, sadly, while many bicker about the use of tongues today, there are very few who seem to care about the gift of interpretation or translation—the absence of which seems to determine the validity of the gift of tongues in the first place. It’s really quite rare that you will hear people offering interpretations for the gift of tongues. But then, how can they? Most of the time, so many are expressing the use of tongues at the same time—sometimes hundreds or occasionally thousands in church—that translating each one would be impossible in real-time.

This raises another question: Is what I just described the same as the gift of tongues that is described in the book of Acts? If not, then what is this gift we are seeing in so many churches today?

Is the Gift of Tongues Even for Today?

You might be thinking, of course, it’s for today. Well, 1 Corinthians 13:8 mentions the gift of tongues stopping. Ceasing, it says. It connects the ceasing with the arrival of this thing called the “perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13:10. So, there’s no argument that there will come a day when the need for this gift will cease and so too will the gift. So, the question is, has that day already come or is it still way off in the future? Are we getting close? How can we know?

The one clue we are given as to the arrival of that perfect (or that something else that appears) to make tongues obsolete is in the following. It’s when that “perfect” I mentioned earlier comes. 1 Corinthians 13:10 says, “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” This is the translation most still say when they mention this verse. It sounds a bit outdated—like how we recite John 3:16. We usually say it in the King’s English rather than in modern English. It’s just the way we memorized it. This makes the modern reader think only of a noun (a person, place, or thing), and it doesn’t lead us to think of a state of things or an accomplishment or a set of events or a certain period of time.

So, let’s read this verse again in a few of the modern, word-for-word translations, as well as some of the phrase-by-phrase translations, and understand this better.

First, the New Living Translation (NLT), which is a phrase-by-phrase translation, says, “But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.” Now, this makes it clear that there is a new time and age where conditions will render the gift of tongues meaningless.

Next, the New Century Version (NCV): “But when perfection comes, the things that are not perfect will end.” Now, this seems to indicate that, even though this is a gift from Heaven for the times, it isn’t perfect. It isn’t best. It comes up short in some ways that will be made obvious when what is perfect replaces it.

Next, the Modern English Version (MEV) says, “But when that which is perfect comes, then that which is imperfect shall just pass away.” Now, this seems to point to a better version, making the older version obsolete—a bit like trying to run DOS on a computer in 2021. Not only will it not be best, it won’t work at all. (If you’re wondering, “What’s DOS?” Look it up. We don’t have time right now. LOL!)

Finally, the English Standard Version (ESV)—that’s what I frequently use—is a word-for-word translation and the most accurate modern translation we have today. “But when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” I’m reminded of Marshall Goldsmith, the well-known executive educator/coach and bestselling author who wrote the book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. The message here is what’s made clear in the ESV—that the gift of tongues was meant to get the church and believers to a point and no further.

So, I ask again, have we already reached this point? Well, we’ll find out next Thursday in the second part of this blog. In the meantime, why don’t you join me and my Summit family this Sunday morning—in-person or online—for a special time of worship. We’re live at 9am & 11am MDT. Hope to see you there!

Until next time, Peace!

~Pastor Rob

Aka P-Ro

Now, maybe you’ve gone through seasons like this, wondering if God is ever going to deliver you from the valley you’re in. Take heart…our God is the God of deliverance.

Sweet, Sweet Deliverance

In last Monday’s blog, we talked about [King] David and how he went through a period of doubt and near defection from God. Finally, in a moment of clarity, David woke up and finally got his confidence back. Instead of focusing on his problems, he started telling himself the truth—several truths, to be precise.

• Saul is not my master. He’s just a man.
• This wilderness I’ve been in for so long is not my home. That must be somewhere else.
• God called me to be king. I need to start acting like one.
• Maybe this is my training ground, and God’s trying to chisel off the rough edges of my life that don’t look kinglike.
• Maybe when I start looking and acting like a king, I’ll be a king.
• The Lord hasn’t forgotten me. He’s just preparing me.
• I wasn’t called to this place. I was called through this place.

David returned to being the confident man “after God’s own heart.” When he would eventually become king, he had a lock on truth. God didn’t desert David in the wilderness; he developed him in the wilderness.

David learned he could trust God even “in the valley of the shadow of death.” David would face this valley more than once. Doubt and fear have a way of cropping up throughout our lives.

• One time, the Amalekites ransacked David’s camp, stealing away the women and children. David’s own men turned on him and wanted to kill him. (Harsh!) David found strength in his God.
• David later fought the surrounding nations. He relied on God and His direction.
• Untimely deaths continually plagued David and his household. This was what Nathan the prophet said would be the result of his sin with Bathsheba. Over and over again, David reached for and worshiped the God who sustained him by His grace and mercy.
• When his own son, Absalom, turned against him and tried to overthrow his authority, David knew that his anointing came from God alone. David’s life-giving relationship with God anchored him for the rest of his life. That’s where God is taking you today. 

Finding the Truth in Our Valley 

God wants to develop you, just as he did David. You will experience different kinds of valleys from David’s and from mine. By entering your valleys with the same attitude David learned to cling to, with the same mindset David learned to adopt, you can change the outcome of every valley. Instead of dread, you can expect to get fed. Instead of fearing that God is going to burn you, you can trust that he is going to teach you. God loves you. He has a purpose for you. You can trust him, no matter what.

Here’s an idea. Instead of fearing what God might do in our lives and instead of dreading the tools He might use, what if we started chasing the chisel? He wants to smooth the rough edges of our hearts, so what if we let Him? What if we pursued His refining power?

When we recognize the refining of the Lord, we don’t just have to endure it; we can celebrate it. God is shaping us in His image. It’s called “dying to yourself.” It means you give up, at least temporarily, all your own plans, all your own thoughts, and you just lean back and say, “Here I am. Teach me.”

Jesus’s half-brother James wrote, “Count it all joy when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2)

The valleys are made for us. They’re not working against us. We don’t have to be afraid of valleys. That’s where God crafts us, chisels off the rough edges, teaches us new thought patterns, and expands the limits of our endurance. It’s where we learn we can go the distance, run the marathon, climb the mountain, and achieve everything God planned for us from the moment of our birth.

On your hero’s journey, you get to be you. You don’t have to “fake it till you make it.” You get to have valleys, and God will walk through them with you. You don’t have to be a superhero; you get to be the real you.

In a world of gray, it is difficult to see the black and white at times. Thankfully though, the Bible will always guide us and give us that real, raw truth we need. Lock on to the purpose that God has for you and the love He surrounds you with. Instead of dread in the valley, expect to get fed.

To learn more about being the real you and how to be fed in—and delivered from—the valley, check out my bestselling book, Overliked: Finding Direction, Courage, and Meaningful Relationships in a Society Crippled by Social Media. I invite you to dive deeper with me into how you can get to the authentic life God has created for you to live.

Until next time, anchor yourself in God’s Word and the peace only He can give.

~ Pastor Rob

Aka, P-Ro

What are you thinking about? Believe it or not, it matters. Now, if you’re thinking about hurtful and harmful things, you’d better change course really fast because sin starts in the mind. It begins with what you’re thinking about, then moves to words, and, finally, to our actions. So, today, I want to share with you the importance of thinking about what you’re thinking about.

What It Really Means

Now, in the Bible, there are at least a couple of famous, well-known passages that most people know. In the Old Testament, it would have to be the 23rd Psalm. In the New Testament, it’s one verse. Do you know what it is? (Think about what it is.) John 3:16. You see it at football games. You see it all over Wrestlemania. It’s everywhere. These are “classics” that most of us, including many who don’t follow Christ, know. But let’s really think about one for a few moments.

Let’s look at Psalm 23 and look at what it really means.

• “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” This means I shall not have many desires because the greatest desire is God. If I’ve got Him, I’ve got everything else.
• “He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Why do you think He makes us? Well, because we’re not likely to do so on our own. We’re just busy, busy, busy.
• “He leads me beside still waters.” Because we don’t always know where to find them. And we don’t like anything that’s still; like, we want action.
• “He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness.” Paths of righteousness, by the way, are the only way to restore the soul. We spend so much time in unrighteousness. Romans 1:18b says we suppress the truth by our wickedness and unrighteousness. So, leading us to righteous paths is the way to go.
• He does all this “for His name’s sake.” In other words, for His glory, even (or maybe especially), “when I’m in the valley of the shadow of death,” because that’s the single most difficult, scary time that any of us will ever face.
• “I will fear no evil.” Why not? Because “You are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Some of us repeat these verses so much, we forget what they’re really saying. And if it just becomes the endless reciting of formulaic words, well, they’re going to lose any benefit. What should you do instead? Yep, think about what you’re thinking about.

So how do you do that? First, decide if you should even be thinking about what you’re thinking about. Is what I’m thinking about edifying? Is it helpful? Does it draw me closer to God or lead me further away? God’s Word says, in Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there’s any excellence, if there’s anything worthy of praise, think about those things.”

Second, don’t just think about them. Think about what they really mean. Ruminate on them. Meditate on them. Notice how far beyond just thinking these actions should go, how far beyond good intentions it goes.

Good Intentions vs. Obedience

Many times, we mean to do a lot of good things for God. We intend to do a lot of good things. But what do they say about good intentions? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” The Bible calls that road [of good intentions] a broad road—a highway. It says many find this one that leads to destruction. In other words, it’s easy to find, it’s easy to locate, access, travel on. It’s well marked.

But it’s also well paved, and that’s an intriguing way to think about it. What does that mean? Well, it’s got cheap materials. It’s easily paved at a low cost. It’s comfortable. It’s low maintenance. There’s a lot of on-ramps; there’s a lot of off-ramps. There’s a lot of disobedience on this road. There’s lots of virtue signaling on this highway, lots of good intentions, tons of unfulfilled intentions.

Let me put it another way because I really want you to get this. In Oregon, the Rogue River eventually comes to a place called Hell’s Gate. The water there seems very tranquil, with rock canyons on either side. It’s really beautiful. However, that’s on the surface. Here’s what the locals know: The water below is 150 feet deep, and because the river is channeled into such a small area, it is incredibly powerful.

Many years ago, when filming the John Wayne movie “Rooster Cogburn,” one of the scenes called for a guy to jump from one of the cliffs at Hell’s Gate into this 150-foot-deep pool of water. The stunt man studied the currents and found that about four or five feet below the seemingly tranquil surface of the water, there were actually whirlpools that could have sucked him straight down and killed him. Now, although this stunt man was paid $150,000 for one jump (half a million dollars today), afterward, he said he would never do it again. Remember, Jesus said, “narrow is the [way] that leads to life.”

Get this: When things get narrow, they get strong and deep and powerful. Now, the highway doesn’t require much other than that we remain upright and have a pulse. No sacrifice, no real taking a stand. No breaking away from the masses (otherwise known as the herd).

But this is problematic because the Lord loves the sacrificial heart that puts others first. But, you know what He loves even more? Obedience. Not lip service. Not virtue signaling. Not your good intentions. Obedience, which is actually doing what God says. Many Christians talk a good game, but I think far fewer step out in obedience to do what God has asked them to do sometimes, commanded them to do.

1 John makes it clear that those who love the Lord prove it one way and one way only: through their obedience. Anything short of obedience means we never moved beyond just thinking about what we’re thinking about. And that’s especially important in light of Proverbs 23:7, which says, “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” This makes it clear that our thoughts direct our words, as I said before, which directs our actions, which will direct our path.

Think about what you’re thinking about. You know why? Eventually, it’s where you’re going. Eventually, it’s who you’re becoming.

Join us on Sunday mornings at The Summit to move you along the path to becoming who God created you to become. Whether in-person or online, 9am or 11am MDT, we hope to see you there!

Until next Thursday, keep thinking about that which is honorable, pure, and praise-worthy!

~Pastor Rob

Aka, P-Ro

But what happens when your doubt is more serious? When it leads you straight into a valley? David wrote about that valley in the 23^rd Psalm, about going through the valley of the shadow of death. The key is knowing that you’re going through it and not camping out or living there.

David may have forgotten for a while that the valley is a process to get through, not a place to live.

Often, our tough moments in the valley can paralyze us. Instead of taking the next step with God, we stop. Our minds begin to wander from the truth of God’s love. We look at our life and think, I love God, and I gave everything to Him. But the optics of my life make it seem as if He doesn’t love me. Those thoughts begin the downward spiral into the dark.

The Spiraling Effect of Doubt

Spiritual doubt is part of most valleys. But how did it creep into David’s mind? Time after time, God had protected David as he was on the run. David had fully trusted God to rescue him from Saul.

But then, something shifted in David. He got marathon tired. Some call it “war-weary.” In his exhaustion, David’s thoughts gave way to fear. History records that he thought, Someday Saul is gonna get me. At that point, fear gave way to doubt.

David began to doubt his purpose. Even worse, he doubted God. This thrust David into his greatest test. If he was going to fulfill his future as a king, he was going to have to overcome his own doubt and fear.

The Three Kinds of Doubt 

Doubting for David started the same way it does for all of us. With a thought. We encounter three types of doubt on our hero’s journey.

Intellectual doubt creeps in when it seems as though what God has whispered to us is inconsistent with our human experience. We haven’t experienced it, so we can’t believe it. When we read about God’s miracles, we think, That must have been myth or legend, and if God’s word is not true in those instances, then maybe it’s not true for me, either.

We allow doubt to hit our pause button. Everything stops. When we pause, we don’t pass. When we stop, we don’t take next steps.

The second kind of doubt is moral doubt. Moral doubt moves in when we don’t like God’s commands or when following the path He’s given us seems too difficult. We rationalize our doubt. We think, I guess I don’t believe in God or His word after all. This is a convenient way of relieving guilt or escaping accountability. David never stopped believing in God altogether, but his doubt took him deeper and deeper into the valley. That meant further and further from the comfort of God’s unending love.

Circumstantial doubt is the third kind of doubt. It comes when we go through a long period of difficulty. Adversity wears on us. The spread of illness doesn’t stop. The school year stretches on. The friends are still mad. Relief never comes. We begin to doubt that God is in control of the circumstances. If He was, we figure, this wouldn’t be happening.

For nearly a decade, David lived the life of a fugitive, constantly in danger, escaping death day in and day out. Eventually, he succumbed to feeling sorry for himself. After all, he was innocent. He had spared Saul’s life. Didn’t he deserve better? Where was God? Why didn’t He do something?

David had repeatedly witnessed God’s protection, but now he thought that maybe God had given up on him. He let what he thought were rational thoughts trump love. His love was shaken. He’d shaken loose from his hold on God.

Haven’t we all experienced moments of deep and often depressing doubt? At times, we come up against difficulty or adversity and reach for a quick boost instead of tying ourselves to the truth of God’s love. We tend to detour into addictions, wrong friendships, or the pseudo-friendships of social media. To make it to the end of the marathon, we have to attach ourselves to God’s love and truth. It’s the only way to the end of the race—the way out of the valley.

Doubt Unchecked

Doubt left unchecked in our hearts can cause us to defect—to give up on God. As so often happens when anyone gives up on God, David made a major mistake. He defected to the enemy camp.

Once David started dwelling on the first negative thought, Someday Saul’s gonna get me, he descended into more negative thoughts. He shifted from thinking, God will always protect me to I’m going to die. I can’t depend on God, so I’ll take matters into my own hands.

David’s doubt led to a separation from God’s love, which led to a lack of dependence on God. From there, David descended into defection from God and His people. At this point, his thinking was so twisted David thought that hanging out with Goliath’s family and friends was his best bet. What kind of crazy is it when David believes that he is safest among his nation’s enemies?

Where’s Your Focus?

Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar called David’s negative mindset “stinkin’ thinkin’.” Zig said we need “a daily checkup from the neck up” to stay in the right frame of mind. Anytime we emphasize and verbalize the negatives in our lives, we are headed for trouble. When we dwell on our problems, we are done for.

Are you constantly thinking about bad optics? Are you pessimistic or critical? Is your negativity spilling over into your behavior? You might be in the process of defecting from God.

We have to think about what we are thinking about. When we dwell on our problems and make them the focus of our lives, we take God and his steadfast love out of the equation. When we defect from God, we never get out of the valley. We never leave the wilderness to do the great things that God has planned for us.

We have to shift our focus to the trail ahead. We have to lock on to the purpose that God has for us and the love He surrounds us with. We have to never let go. It is not His intention for us to stay in the valley, just to learn in the valley. David finally realized this, and you will too!

I share more about how David got past the bad optics to live the life that God called him to in my book, Overliked: Finding Direction, Courage, and Meaningful Relationships in a Society Crippled by Social Media. I invite you to dive deeper with me into how you, too, can get past the bad optics to the authentic life God has planned for you.

Until next time, stay strong in your faith that Jesus loves you like no other.

~ Pastor Rob

aka P-Ro

Similarly, evil, self-centered people accomplish the same three initiatives via the politics of ridicule in order to shut down anything they don’t like—mostly truth and facts before it can gain traction and expose them. They love the darkness, the Bible says, rather than the light.

Now, none of what I just mentioned is the hidden power of the conspiracy moniker. The hidden power comes from connecting kryptonite to the article, book, statement, theory, or alarm in the form of the implied warning label, “conspiracy theory.” Since many Americans are woefully uninformed about, well, anything, they rely heavily on some pretty shady characters to whittle down their reading list, and by reading list, I mean, Twitter rant, little headline, or just a viral video. If the mainstream media or social media big tech implies that something might be a conspiracy theory, well, the desire to look into it any further drops off a cliff for people.

And they’re very subtle in their labeling, often not coming right out and placing a diagonal red “conspiracy theory” stamp across the title. Instead, they now freeze accounts, shadowban, insert warnings on the bottom from a mysterious group called “fact-checkers” who wouldn’t know a fact if it bit them. Now add in several supposedly trusted media outlets, who cast doubt on the piece, or throw in a couple trusted names who encourage people that, “There’s nothing to see here folks. Move along now,” and you have a problem.

Conspiracy Theories Gone Crazy

However, some vital events have taken place over recent years in which the only thing conspiratorial about the news was that the conspiracy label was rushed into place before anyone has had the chance to take a look at the actual news.

Another shady approach to suppress real news is to try out your own conspiracy theory and strap on rocket boosters so that it overtakes the truth right out of the gate. Next, they’ll put that conspiracy theory of their own on steroids in order to keep it strong—read here, “in the news”—for months or even years, like the news pundits did with President Trump over the whole Russian collusion lie. (The Russian collusion story was finally exposed as a conspiracy theory itself, but only after three years of pounding it into everyone’s frontal lobes that it was absolutely gospel truth.)

But perhaps the most alluring thing about conspiracy theories is that they seem just plausible enough for people to latch on to. This is extremely important and not an amateur tactic. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 that “…Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” Wow. Satan himself doesn’t peddle the craziest, most outlandish theories. He offers up are realistic-sounding ones that people are probably already thinking about. Since most people want to find God and connect with Him, Satan plays off of that and markets himself as goodness and light.

So, what should we do about conspiracy theories? Well, put in some good old-fashioned work. Go digging for the truth. You might have to Google a few minutes longer about the subject, but if you get below the surface, you’ll begin to uncover the facts and not just some mumbo-jumbo that the “conspirators” want you to believe. You can also ask a trusted Christian friend or your pastor or other wise people whom you trust. And pray! Ask Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to you.

As for the crazy stories, like maybe aliens flew the planes into the World Trade Center buildings, don’t even give them the time of day. They really are conspiracy theories.

If you want to learn more about optics, fake news, and how to live a life of authenticity, grab a copy of my recent Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, Overliked: Finding Direction, Courage, and Meaningful Relationships in a Society Crippled by Social Media.

Until next Thursday, live in God’s peace!

~ Pastor Rob

Aka, P-Ro