Go Dogs, and Eat Your Garbage

You just have to love the timeless nature of Spurgeon's works. Here's a worthy read at Symphony of Scripture.

"Got" To or "GET" To?

Frustrated with contemporary attitudes toward personal evangelism? Have you (as I have) seen it in yourself? Then give this a read. It's all about attitude. Setting the mind (and heart) with the right perspective.

It's Time To Shake Off Indifference

Wow. Seems like evangelism is simply not a priority any more.

Before I explain that statement, let me focus on a positive. Your prayers would be appreciated as I gear up to do training in evangelism using "The Way of the Master". I've got a laptop, the DVDs, tracts and just about everything else I could think of. As of now, I'm looking for people to train in Biblical evangelism. Part of my reasoning is it will provide accountability for me to be consistent in my outreach efforts.

Ok. So what prompted my opening statement?

Well, it seems that so many "Christians" are not interested in evangelism. And for those who seem to be, it's not much of a priority.

Last night I was approached by someone asking for donations for a walkathon for Alzheimer's disease. At first, I was slow to fork over anything, seems like the line for this kind of thing never ends. But I saw it as a possible opening. So I donated.

Before the woman could walk off, I said "hold it a minute" and gave her a "Living Waters" pressed penny mounted on one of their tract cards. People tend to like these, mainly women. Anyway, she was very surprised and happy to have this handed to her. She really appreciated it!

Because I was excited about this transaction, I gave a few to some guys that I had just met. We were out bowling and these guys profess Christ. One of the church leaders was there. He got one too.

Sadly, the response from the woman was much better than the response from the professing Christians. I found that they kind of liked the idea of evangelism, but frankly, they seemed more interested in bowling. Now, I enjoy bowling -- even with my bad knees. But let's face it, we only have so much time on this planet and we need to make the most of it. We need to "redeem the time".

The coins and cards went into wallets and pockets and were a non-priority. I understand not everyone is going to go into dance and song, but I was just taken aback by the relative indifference.

Do we really care about going out of our way to share the gospel with those who are stumbling toward judgement? Are we really convinced that what we have to share is important?

If you saw someone in a burning building, would you just go on your way and let them burn?

When I tried to discuss my evangelism training efforts to the church leader, I got a nod of the head and a glazed look. And these people would normally talk a lot about sharing Christ.

While I waited my turn to bowl, I found myself sitting there wondering how many "christians" are into whatever gimmick to "attract the unchurched" yet simply don't think sharing your faith is a priority! It's kind of like saying "Hey, come here, we want your attention but we won't come out and tell you what you need". What hypocrisy!

Only the Lord knows, at this point, what the woman did with that card I gave her. Maybe one day this side of heaven I'll know. But it was joyful to share it with her and to see her appreciation for it. I pray she reads it and comes to know the Lord, assuming she doesn't already.

And I pray we drop the indifference.

Emergent Fruit Check

Don't understand the issues surrounding the Emergent Church movement? You say you don't see any problem with it? Well, then you need to consider this article at Apprising Ministries and decide where you stand.

What To Look For In A Church

So many of us are personally all too familiar with the struggle of finding a good, solid church. Evangelicalism has become the "evangellyfish". No spine. No willingness to preach the true Gospel of repentance and faith. Instead of understanding and obeying Ephesians 4:11-13, todays "church" is more like a circus, using whatever gimmicks it can come up with to draw "seekers".

It is with pleasure that I commend to you this new series by John MacArthur, which he gave at The Master's Seminary. Be prepared to be strengthened in knowing you are not alone and that there is no reason to compromise.

Warrenism Bears More Rotten Fruit

Well, here's another one. Of course, this shouldn't be any surprise considering Rick Warren's marketing of "Purpose Driven" at Synagogue 3000. This was a conference for Orthodox Jewish leadership. Yes, you read that right. There was also a write-up in the Jewish Journal which reported that Rick Warren is "not interested in converting Jews to Christianity"...seems he "has enough trouble with Christian souls".

In this Synagogue 3000 clip, you can see and hear for yourself as Slick Rick lumps Jews, Baptists and Buddhists all together and says that "he isn't telling...what parameters (beliefs) are wrong..." Of course not. That would diminish the size of his target audience.

Stir the Jews to jealousy? Nah. That doesn't serve his "purpose".

Rick? When do you plan to do your regular bait-and-switch and tell them that Jesus is the Messiah?

Truly, the blind continue to lead the blind.

The Sufficiency of the Scriptures

Ok, maybe it is time we go back to some basics. Having dealt, this past week, with an issue which really involves the perceived inadequacy of scripture to deal with porn addiction, I think it's time for a review. John MacArthur reaffirms here and here that the Bible is all we need. Not human strategies or gimmicks. Not human philosophy or "wisdom".

The Scriptures are sufficient to deal with any matter of faith and practice.

Rick Warren Bashes Fellow Believers on National T.V.

With everything else he's been saying and doing, are any of us surprised? The rest of the story is here.

The Way To Deliverance?

Ok, let me be upfront and admit that my b.p. is still high. But I'll try to keep this as civil as I can.

It was my "privilege" this morning to get another copy of our church newsletter. As per usual, I browsed it. I'll admit it, I'm not a "newsletter" person.

Then my eyes fell on an article by our pastor. It was an article on deliverance from pornography. What did I read? Basically a promotion for the online xxxchurch website. The article (with names and other information smeared out) can be found here.

I have taken the opportunity to write a response to the pastor. And because this is something that was published for public viewing, I copied the elders of our church. The text can be read here.

Do I believe that we should reach out to those caught up in the sin of pornography? Of Course! The Lord Himself reached out to me when I was alone at my computer! But we don't need to smear filth on ourselves to reach out to those who need to be set free.

Let us pray that discernment will prevail.

Tired of 'Chipper Churches'?

So you say you're tired of everyone at your church (maybe even your pastor) always walking around looking like they've overdosed on "Perma-Grin"? You say you're tired of thinking you've always got to look like "Mr. Happy"? I understand your position.

Maybe this will help you see that such a condition isn't even normal. That doesn't reflect the real hardness of the true Christian life. To be brief, if you see them always smiling, it's because they are most likely wearing a mask.

The sad thing is that masks short circuit spiritual growth. This occurs because the adversary can convince us that we are alone in our struggles. If the masks were to come off, we'd all know we aren't alone. Even more, 2 Corinthians 1 would find a practical place in the church.

(Click on "Listen" at the top of the manuscript when you get to the page).

John Piper's Dad Has Died

How well I can relate to this story, having lost my earthly father this past November. My sympathies to John and his family. We mourn, but not as those who have no hope.

The Future of the Church

John MacArthur has proven time and again that he is willing to stand for the truth. In this video clip, he is no different. Do we have distress over the current state of the church? Yes. But we realize that even in the midst of the Purpose Driven, Seeker Sensitive, Emergent mess God is still in charge and is still calling people to be His own.

I believe that Rick Holland is the guy holding the microphone. Great to see him again. I attended Logos Bible Institute at Grace Church with him back in 82-3, and he's the guy who turned me on to grits and eggs. He's aging very "gracefully", although his Tennessee accent has faded a bit....

Phil Johnson on Cultural Relevance

If you have a chance, here is an encouraging read at TeamPyro. With everything else going on here, I must confess I haven't visited their blog much lately. I have since repented and bring you the link to the article mentioned here.

Anyway, let it be known that Phil is certainly no starched social wallflower. So, read and be encouraged.

Today he posted a follow-up article here.

Enjoy.