A New and Improved Gospel? The Downfall of Hillsong

So I wrote this post a few years back and had it saved as a draft. Why I never posted it, I don't know--I have several blog posts that are in draft form. I have not posted any new blog posts in a few years. So, today I'm just going to publish this, well, because. How telling it is!! As most everyone knows, Carl Lentz was found to be a philanderer and abusive to people on his staff. And Brian Houston is a cad and so much more has been revealed about Hillsong in general that there's now no doubt their fruit is rotten--but we knew that.

One may ask, how can the Gospel of Jesus Christ be improved upon? The answer: it can't! The Bible is perfect, it is the inspired Word of God written for mankind to show that the only way to God is through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.

I am just an old fashioned gal; more precisely, I am a traditional, orthodox Christian who still believes that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is just as powerful to save as it ever was without adding any new and relevant interpretations. No tweeks or paraphrased versions of the "Gospel" are needed. The true Gospel is impervious to the age that we now live in and remains unchanged because there is nothing new under the sun. People are still born sinners the last I checked. We still try to get our own way and will justify it. By golly, we will not bat an eyelash at the opportunity to pervert and change the Gospel to fit our current day lives.

One example that comes to mind is the mega-church, Hillsong, in Australia and the one also in America in New York. Regarding a new film coming out about their church, a worship leader of the band says, "My hope is that the film gives people a "new perspective" of what it actually looks like to believe in who Jesus is, and what it means to live a life that reflects His acceptance and love." What exactly is this new perspective? It is none other than the watered down message of so many churches now-a-days. These seeker-friendly churches emphasize the love of Jesus without any qualifications on how the love of Jesus is shown and appropriated. Theirs is a gospel devoid of power and conviction. Did Jesus come JUST to show love? Didn't He also come to show us who we are...a people lost and driven from the love of Jesus? And then how does the love of Jesus transform us? Does the love of Jesus convict us of our sin and drive us to our knees? Of course it does, but this message is no longer relevant.  In addition to Hillsong's "new perspective", it was recently noted that Pastor Brian Houston removed from their college student handbook the word "homosexuality" as being one of those sinful practices to abstain from. They are now realizing that everyone is on a "journey" and that conversation is a must regarding this topic. Oh, the rubbish! It's their way of saying homosexuality is now on the list of acceptable behaviors for a regenerated Christian! Gay Christian. That is an oxymoron. And for the record, any church that has the name, Journey, well...stay away from it! Just my thought.

And just an FYI - any church that preaches a distorted gospel, e.g., one that eliminates the truth about sin, justification and holiness, it can be said that without a doubt, underneath the seductive layer of feel-good or legalistic teaching lurks the unmistakable reality of sexual sin in one form or another being practiced by both the leaders/pastors and/or their congregations -- freely and without rebuke.

Now, I am not saying that sexual sin, or ANY sin, for that matter, is not being committed in any normal, healthy church, however, it should not be condoned, rather it should be shown for what it is and the members of these churches must know that sin leads to death and that it must be dealt with. A healthy church will reveal it's members to be on the road to sanctification, moving away from sin, not toward it.

We are living in fantastic times. Fantastic in that what we see taking place in this day and age as far as Christianity goes is nothing short of truth-twisting! Did we ever think that sexual sin would be acceptable in our churches? Did we ever think that it would be acceptable to coddle the sinner in our churches? I sure didn't think it would happen in my lifetime. But it is here and it is gaining momentum. We as the true church of Jesus Christ must stand firm in our convictions that are rooted in biblical orthodoxy. We are living in the end times, people. It is a fact. We must especially be on guard, for our enemy goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Devour means to consume recklessly, wantonly or destructively; to engulf or swallow up, etc.

Here is what makes Christianity so beautiful -- Jesus never, ever condoned sin; as we know, He told those to whom He ministered to go and sin no more. His message of love can be summed up this way...1) We are sinners on a direct route to hell. 2) He came to give His life as a ransom for our sin. 3) We accept His unfathomable gift of forgiveness and repent of our sin and place our trust in Christ as Savior. 4) Indescribably, He credits us with His righteousness. Simply put, He gives us His righteousness as a robe to cover our unrighteousness. It doesn't just cover, it takes it away completely! I do not recommend RC Sproul, but he worded this truthfully, "we are just (righteous) without being just (righteous)." At the moment we receive Christ, at the moment of conversion, we are wrapped in the love of God, wrapped in robes of righteousness, cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. In His sight we are now holy and just, and then begins the process of sanctification. The price was paid in full by the death and sacrifice of the spotless Son of God. This is reason to rejoice!!

In the words of Matthew Henry, "Grace despised is grace forfeited." And, "Those that persist in sin make war against God." Which side are you on? Are you on the side of the obstinate or the side of the humbled?

Today is the day of salvation. Today Jesus is saying to you, "Go and sin no more".

The Unrepenting Repenter By: Jim Elliff

The Unrepenting Repenter

The following is a very good article about true repentance. There is much confusion over what it is to turn to the Lord and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. Some of our modern churches do not preach the whole gospel, much to their harm. It is imperative that people know what repentance is...is it just saying you're sorry? or just saying you believe in God and His son, Jesus Christ? or is it more than that? I believe it is more..it is a turning to God and acknowledging that you are a sinner in need, in dire need of forgiveness and cleansing. 

I also believe it can be a progressive knowing, this knowing how sinful sin is. I came to the Lord as a child and I knew, in part, that I was a sinner, but it wasn't until much later that I realized how holy God is and how unholy and undeserving I am. To recognize this is to recognize the import of His sacrifice; how utterly holy and pure He is and how utterly lost and wretched I am. The more I know of His holiness the more my sinfulness stands out in stark contrast. It is a paradox of sorts. But as Paul said, in Romans 7:24-25, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

By Jim Elliff @ www.ccwtoday.org

The believer in Christ is a lifelong repenter.  He begins with repentance and continues in repentance. (Rom. 8:12-13) David sinned giant sins but fell without a stone at the mere finger of the prophet because he was a repenter at heart (2 Sam. 12:7-13). Peter denied Christ three times but suffered three times the remorse until he repented with bitter tears (Mt. 26:75). Every Christian is called a repenter, but he must be a repenting repenter. The Bible assumes the repentant nature of all true believers in its instruction on church discipline. A man unwilling to repent at the loving rebuke of the church can be considered nothing more than "a heathen and a tax collector." (Mt. 18:15-17)

What is repentance?

Repentance is a change of mind regarding sin and God, an inward turning from sin to God, which is known by its fruit—obedience. (Mt. 3:8; Acts 26:20; Lk. 13:5-9) It is hating what you once loved and loving what you once hated, exchanging irresistible sin for an irresistible Christ. The true repenter is cast on God. Faith is his only option. When he fully knows that sin utterly fails him, God takes him up. (Mt. 9:13b) He will have faith or he will have despair; conviction will either deliver him or devour him.
The religious man often deceives himself in his repentance. The believer may sin the worst of sins, it is true; but to remain in the love of sin, or to be comfortable in the atmosphere of sin, is a deadly sign, for only repenters inhabit heaven. The deceived repenter would be a worse sinner if he could, but society holds him back. He can tolerate and even enjoy other worldly professing Christians and pastors well enough, but does not desire holy fellowship or the fervent warmth of holy worship. If he is intolerant of a worship service fifteen minutes "too long," how will he feel after fifteen million years into the eternal worship service of heaven? He aspires to a heaven of lighthearted ease and recreation—an extended vacation; but a heaven of holiness would be hell to such a man. Yet God is holy, and God is in heaven. He cannot be blamed for sending the unholy man to hell despite his most articulate profession (Heb. 12:14).

What are the Substitutes for true Repentance?

1. You may reform in the actions without repenting in the heart. (Ps. 5 1: 16-17; Joel 2:13) This is a great deception, for the love of sin remains. (I Jn. 2:15-17; Acts 8:9-24) At this the Pharisees were experts. (Mk. 7:1-23) The heart of a man is his problem. A man may appear perfect in his actions but be damned for his heart. His actions are at best self-serving and hypocritical. What comes from a bad heart is never good. "Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh." (Jas. 3:11-12)
2. You may experience the emotion of repentance without the effect of it. Here is a kind of amnesia. You see the awful specter of sin in the mirror and flinch out of horror yet immediately forget what kind of person you saw (Jas. 1:23-24). It is true, repentance includes sincere emotion, an affection for God and a disaffection for sin. Torrents of sorrow may flood the repenter’s heart, and properly so (Jas. 4:8-10). But there is such a thing as a temporary emotion in the mere semblance of repentance; this emotion has very weak legs and cannot carry the behavior in the long walk of obedience. Your sorrow may even be prolonged. Yet if it does not arrive at repentance, it is of the world and is a living death—and maybe more (2 Cor. 7: 10). It is an old deceiver. Judas had such remorse but "went and hanged himself." (Mt. 27:3-5)
3. You may confess the words of a true repenter and never repent. (Mt. 21:28-32; 1 Jn. 2:4, 4:20) Confession by itself is not repentance. Confession moves the lips; repentance moves the heart. Naming an act as evil before God is not the same as leaving it. Though your confession may be honest and emotional, it is not enough unless it expresses a true change of heart. There are those who confess only for the show of it, whose so-called repentance may be theatrical but not actual. If you express repentance to appear successful, you will not be successful at repenting. You will speak humbly but sin arrogantly. Saul gave the model confession (I Sam. 15:24-26) and later went to hell. Repentance "from the teeth out" is no repentance.
4. You may repent for the fear of reprisal alone and not for the hatred of sin. Any man will stop sinning when caught or relatively sure he will be, unless there is insufficient punishment or shame attached (I Tim. 1:8-11). When there are losses great enough to get his attention, he will reform. If this is the entire motive of his repentance, he has not repented at all. It is the work of law, but not grace. Men can be controlled by fear, but what is required is a change of heart. Achan admitted his sin after being caught but would not have otherwise. Find his bones in the valley of Achor; his soul, most likely, in hell. (Josh. 7:16-26)
5. You may talk against sin in public like a true repenter but never repent in private. (Mt. 23:1-3) The exercise of the mouth cannot change the heart. Your sin is like a prostitute. You are speaking against your lover in public but embracing her in the bedroom. She is not particular about being run down in public if she can have your full attention in private. "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?" (Jas. 4:4)
6. You may repent primarily for temporal gains rather than the glory of God. There are gains for the repenter, but the final motivation for repenting cannot be selfish. Self is a dead, stinking carcass to be discarded. We are to repent because God is worthy and is our respected authority, even if we gain nothing. Indeed, our repenting may appear to lose us more than our sin had gained. (Mt. 16:24-26; Phil. 3:7-8) And this is a test of true repentance.
7. You may repent of lesser sins for the purpose of avoiding the greater sins. (Lk. 11:42) We try to salve our nagging conscience by some minor exercise of repentance, which is really no repentance at all. The whole heart is changed in the believer. The half repenter is a divided man: part against sin and part for it; part against Christ, part for Him. But one or the other must win out, for man cannot serve God and mammon (or any other idol); he must love the one and hate the other. (Mt. 6:24)
8. You may repent so generally that you never repent of any specific sin at all. The man who repents in too great a generality is likely covering his sins. (Prov. 28:13) If there are no particular changes, there is no repenting. Sin has many heads, like the mythological Hydra. It cannot be dealt with in general, but its heads must be cut off one by one.
9. You may repent for the love of friends and religious leaders and not repent for the love of God. (Isa. 1: 10-17) A man talked into repentance may reform for the love of friends or the respect of the spiritually minded, yet do nothing substantial. If a man turns from sin without turning to God, he will find his sin has only changed its name and is hidden behind his pride. Now it will be harder to rout for its subterfuge. You have loved others but not God. And you have loved yourself most of all. Lot’s wife left the city of sin at the insistence of an angel and for the love of her family, but turned back. She had left her heart. "Remember Lot’s wife." (Gen. 19:12-26; Lk. 17:32)
10. ‘You may confess the finished action of sin and not repent from the continuing habit of sin. If a man is honest, he is a good man in human terms; but he is not a repenting man until the sin is stabbed to death. He must be a murderer if he would be God’s: "For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Rom. 8: 13) God knows what you have done; what He wants is obedience. (Lk. 6:46)
11. You may attempt repentance of your sin while consciously leaving open the door of its opportunity. A man who says " I repent" but will not leave the source or environment of that sin is suspect. Though some situations which invite temptation cannot be changed, most can. A man who will not flee the setting of his temptation when he is able still loves his sin. A mouse is foolish to build his nest under the cat’s bed. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." (Rom. 13:14)
12. You may make an effort to repent of some sins without repenting of all the sin you know. The businessman learns to show concern for the needs of his clients, yet he batters his wife through neglect. Another gives his money in the offering plate weekly but steals time from his employer daily. Every man boasts of some sins conquered, but true repentance is a repulsion of sin as a whole. The repenter hates all sin, though he fails more readily in some than in others. He may not know all his sins, but what he knows he spurns. Repentance is universal in the believer; the spirit is willing even when the flesh is weak (Mt. 26:41).
Repentance and faith are bound together. A repenting man has no hope for obedience without faith in the source of all holiness, God Himself. In repenting of sins, he loses his self-sufficiency. God is his sanctifier. (Jude 24-25; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 1 Pet. 1:5)
Repentance is a gift of God (Acts 11:19; 2 Tim. 2:25) and a duty of man (Acts 17:30; Lk. 13:3). You will know if it has been granted by the exercise of it. (Phil. 2:12-13) Do not wait for it; run toward it. "Be zealous and repent." (Rev. 3:19) Pursue it and you will find it; forget it and perish.

Reprinted in entirety with permission. Copyright © 2013  Jim Elliff

See more at: http://www.ccwtoday.org/article/the-unrepenting-repenter

Defeating Discouragement and Doubt

How often it is that worldly concerns for us believers seem to overtake and consume us! I must confess I have struggled with this throughout my life. I am growing, however, in this area and find that it is grievous to God if I don't trust Him and His ability to provide for me; God desires that we trust/believe and not doubt, for it discredits His promises to us. He delights in our belief and trust! He would rather our thoughts be concerned with doing His will and reaching the lost. How much precious time we waste in our cares of this current life which lasts only as long as a flower -- here today, gone tomorrow. In light of eternity this helps put it in focus.

In Matt 16:6, Jesus said unto them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." The disciples were perplexed and thought Jesus was rebuking them for not bringing bread with them for the journey. But Jesus meant something entirely different - He rebuked them for not remembering that He had performed the miracles of the bread and fish for the multitudes that He had mercy on, thus reminding them that if He can feed thousands with only a few fish and loaves, how much more can he take care of them? Jesus was warning them of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. It had nothing to do with having no bread!

For further insight we find an excellent commentary on trusting the Lord in Matthew Henry's clear terms:

"O ye of little faith, why are ye disquieted for want of bread?’’ Note, To distrust Christ, and to disturb ourselves when we are in straits and difficulties, is an evidence of the weakness of our faith, which, if it were in exercise as it should be, would ease us of the burden of care, by casting it on the Lord, who careth for us."

"The aggravation of their distrust was the experience they had so lately had of the power and goodness of Christ in providing for them, v. 9, 10. Though they had no bread with them, they had him with them who could provide bread for them. If they had not the cistern, they had the Fountain. Do ye not yet understand, neither remember? Note, Christ’s disciples are often to be blamed for the shallowness of their understandings, and the slipperiness of their memories. "Have ye forgot those repeated instances of merciful and miraculous supplies; five thousand fed with five loaves, and four thousand with seven loaves, and yet they had enough and to spare? Remember how many baskets ye took up.’’

For more encouragement in trusting God for all of life, below is a wonderful message from none other than Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher from the 17th century:

"Only be thou strong and very courageous." — Joshua 1:7. Our God's tender love for His servants makes Him concerned for the state of their inward feelings. He desires them to be of good courage. Some esteem it a small thing for a believer to be vexed with doubts and fears, but God thinks not so. From this text it is plain that our Master would not have us entangled with fears. He would have us without carefulness, without doubt, without cowardice. Our Master does not think so lightly of our unbelief as we do. When we are desponding we are subject to a grievous malady, not to be trifled with, but to be carried at once to the beloved Physician. Our Lord loveth not to see our countenance sad. It was a law of Ahasuerus that no one should come into the king's court dressed in mourning: this is not the law of the King of kings, for we may come mourning as we are; but still He would have us put off the spirit of heaviness, and put on the garment of praise, for there is much reason to rejoice. The Christian man ought to be of a courageous spirit, in order that he may glorify the Lord by enduring trials in an heroic manner. If he be fearful and fainthearted, it will dishonor his God. Besides, what a bad example it is. This disease of doubtfulness and discouragement is an epidemic which soon spreads amongst the Lord's flock. One downcast believer makes twenty souls sad. Moreover, unless your courage is kept up Satan will be too much for you. Let your spirit be joyful in God your Savior, the joy of the Lord shall be your strength, and no fiend of hell shall make headway against you: but cowardice throws down the banner. Moreover, labor is light to a man of cheerful spirit; and success waits upon cheerfulness. The man who toils, rejoicing in his God, believing with all his heart, has success guaranteed. He who sows in hope shall reap in joy; therefore, dear reader, "be thou strong, and very courageous."

In closing may I mention a verse out of John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Keep trusting our Lord! He loves you with an everlasting love!

Growing in Him,

Mountain Girl 

The Bible is Not Practical!

South Park, Co


You know, I get frustrated when I read about what is going on in our churches today. Have we all gone mad? Have we lost our love of the truth? Is Christianity just another way to live life, as in, adding Him to our life as an accessory to make our lives more fulfilling? And is the Bible just a guide-book? If this is our approach, oh! how we are missing the very life-giving, life-changing (from the inside-out), life-breath that God offers us! The Bible's words are alive. It says in Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." 

So below check out the article that sounds a warning to current day Christianity by Phil Cooke.

This explains how some Pastors are teaching the Bible to their congregations. Click HERE to read this blog.

Mtn Girl

Christian Sanctification May be Different Than You Think

   Photo taken at Red Rocks in Morrison, Co

                                            

 Sanctify them through Thy truth. — John 17:17

How can the love of truth sanctify us? Isn't sanctification just avoiding sin and trying to do good? No, it isn't. The doing or not doing isn't the question...that isn't what sanctifies. The very strange thing about Christianity is that it is different from other religions...very different. Actually Christianity turns religion on it's head. We as fallen people, born into sin resort to thinking that if we are "good" then we are right with God and will go to heaven. The Bible says something entirely different; it says no one can be good enough, no one can establish a righteousness of their own. We fight to be right, to make ourselves appear good and not evil. But we are evil -- the Bible says our righteousness is as filthy rags. The beautiful reality is that the remedy has been provided for us by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The only righteousness that saves is the righteousness that is imputed to us by Christ. It is a free gift -- we cannot earn it. 

Consider the words of Charles Spurgeon below. He reveals this wonderful truth that says the love of it is what sanctifies. Truth informs; it dispels the darkness and it sets us free!

"Sanctification begins in regeneration. The Spirit of God infuses into man that new living principle by which he becomes "a new creature" in Christ Jesus. This work, which begins in the new birth, is carried on in two ways-mortification, whereby the lusts of the flesh are subdued and kept under; and vivification, by which the life which God has put within us is made to be a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. This is carried on every day in what is called "perseverance," by which the Christian is preserved and continued in a gracious state, and is made to abound in good works unto the praise and glory of God; and it culminates or comes to perfection, in "glory," when the soul, being thoroughly purged, is caught up to dwell with holy beings at the right hand of the Majesty on high. But while the Spirit of God is thus the author of sanctification, yet there is a visible agency employed which must not be forgotten. "Sanctify them," said Jesus, "through thy truth: thy word is truth." The passages of Scripture which prove that the instrument of our sanctification is the Word of God are very many. The Spirit of God brings to our minds the precepts and doctrines of truth, and applies them with power. These are heard in the ear, and being received in the heart, they work in us to will and to do of God's good pleasure. The truth is the sanctifier, and if we do not hear or read the truth, we shall not grow in sanctification. We only progress in sound living as we progress in sound understanding. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Do not say of any error, "It is a mere matter of opinion." No man indulges an error of judgment, without sooner or later tolerating an error in practice. Hold fast the truth, for by so holding the truth shall you be sanctified by the Spirit of God."

Say yes to the truth, say yes to God.

God bless you today,

Mtn Girl

Self-Love.....is it Biblical? Part 1

Today's post is a triple-latte-get-myself-going post! Lots of thought is going into this. In fact this topic is very near and dear my heart as, for many years I fell for the line of thinking that I needed to "accept" myself and "love" myself. If I can help steer anyone away from the pain of this inward journey, then this is well worth the effort. For in seeking self-acceptance one will find that it is a never-ending quest and eventually leads to more and more inward thoughts and self-examination. Now there is nothing wrong with self-examination, but when it gets to the point of taking your eyes off your Savior and putting them on yourself you become less and less Christlike. You will continue in a downward spiral with the need to have more self-understanding. You will have more questions than answers to your problems. You will eventually not ever like yourself -- the very thing you are seeking. You and I are a big black hole and nothing about us will fill us. Only Jesus Christ can fill us and make us content.

We must ask ourselves, is this what Jesus taught us to do, to love ourselves? Is that something we should be seeking? Or is it outright dangerous to our soul to embrace this notion? Let's take a look at the definition of self-love from the dictionary itself...

Definition of self-love: 1. The instinct by which one's actions are directed to the promotion of one's own welfare or well-being, especially an excessive regard for one's own advantage. 2. Conceit, vanity. 3. Narcissism. 

What?? Is that what it says?! On a side note it wouldn't surprise me if we eventually find a different definition of it as I've noticed through the years that "certain" words have changed meaning over time, such as the word meek. In the "old" definition it is a noble thing, as it should be, for our Lord said the meek will inherit the earth. The old definition is: mild of temper, not easily provoked or irritated, forbearance under injuries and provocations, humility, resignations. The "new" dictionary definition is: overly submissive or compliant; spiritless. Now to it's credit it does state some of the more admirable definitions as well, but it's interesting to note that it sheds a bad light on meekness, whereas the old one only put it in it's proper light.

So with that in mind I'd like to point out the reasons that seeking to love ourselves will only lead to frustration and spiritual ruin.

Reasons we are not to even attempt to like or love ourselves:

1. We are not meant to aspire to "like" ourselves.  Paul said he was the chief of sinners. This is the same Paul who wrote most of the New Testament. He clearly did not overestimate himself and neither should we. We are created to love and admire Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls. We are meant to gaze upon Him and to spend our energy loving Him, seeking Him and worshiping Him, not ourselves. Here's a novel idea -- we are not that special and the sooner we accept and embrace that the better off we'll be. Instead of saying, "I'm strong, beautiful and capable", say, "I'm weak, unworthy and incapable", and watch what God can do through you!! He will be your strength, your strong tower and He is more than capable to do His work through you, but before He can work through you, you must be empty of self. And sadly we are so far from that in our culture. John the Baptist said, "Less of me and more of Him". Let us get back to that! Second Timothy 3:1-2 says it all, "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty, for people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy....swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." Do you want to be associated with that or do you want to be meek and lowly like our Lord? I hope it's the latter.

2. It is by it's very nature performance oriented. Let me explain -- when we are on a quest to like or love ourselves it follows a certain line of thought which goes like this, "Today I like myself because I helped my neighbor or gave money to that organization that helps orphans", or "Today I'm not very happy with myself because I lost my temper, or ignored a need that was presented in church, etc." You get my point. We tend to analyze our performance. When we are washed in the blood of Christ we are free from that sort of self-examination. Our response when we fail or come up short should be something like this, "I didn't help that person when I should've, but I know that God knows and He doesn't condemn me, although He may be disappointed, but He also knows that I am weak in myself and powerless. So, Lord, help me and forgive me my oversight and allow me another opportunity to do the right thing." Do you see the difference? The weight of the wrong is laid upon Jesus and His forgiveness. It is a not a weight that either you or I can carry. Our sin nature will show itself more often than we care to admit. This is where sanctification comes in....we should be growing in our faith and obedience and allow the Holy Spirit to work out in us the will to please Him. It is so wonderful and so freeing for me since I have grasped this. I am more free and less concerned about "me" and my performance than I've been my entire life. Jesus sets us free from performance, He sets us free to focus on Him and to please Him. When our focus is on Him and not ourselves the result is that we blossom and mature.

3. The quest for self-discovery is rooted in New Age thought and dogma. Ever hear a New Age-r say, "I'm seeking my higher self"? Or, "I'm getting in touch with my 'authentic' self"? What means do they use to get there? You guessed it, they go inward. They go inside themselves and look to their "divine" inner being, for they believe that all people are divine -- you just have to tap into it. This is dangerous, dear one -- don't venture there and if you have already dabbled in it, get out and get out fast!! A wise quote by someone goes like this, "If you look to yourself for your divinity you eventually will end up worshiping yourself". You don't want to go there! Self-love is without a doubt idolatry. Sadly, sadly, many Christian authors advocate the teaching of the New Age philosophy of loving yourself. I can think of one author who I recently heard on a Focus on the Family broadcast..a note of caution: FOtF has become more Ecumenical and Emergent in years past so it doesn't surprise me they promote authors who are pro-Contemplative. The author, Gary Thomas who wrote, 'Sacred Pathways', said, and I quote, "we are to love our neighbor and love ourselves." No, that's not what it says -- the Bible says we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Big difference. Here's why -- we ALREADY inherently love ourselves. We already want the best for ourselves...it's harder to love our neighbor so we must be reminded to do so. Martin Luther's commentary on Gal 5: 14 goes like this:

 If you want to know how you ought to love your neighbor, ask yourself how much you love yourself. If you were to get into trouble or danger, you would be glad to have the love and help of all men. You do not need any book of instructions to teach you how to love your neighbor. All you have to do is to look into your own heart, and it will tell you how you ought to love your neighbor as yourself.

4. It is the antithesis of what the Bible says. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24,  "....If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." We are not to seek our own welfare. When we focus on Christ, He will take care of us; we need not be concerned with our welfare. He is our Provider, our Healer, our Comforter....He is all we need. If we can grasp this truth we will be the better for it. And you know, the funny thing is when you stop trying to accept yourself and focus on Christ instead, you strangely DO accept yourself -- as the sinner you are, as the weak person you are, as the small and insignificant person you are (in comparison to Him), and all will be well in your world. And accepting that one is not worthy does not mean worthless. Our value is high, after all, we were bought at a price.

My admonition to you is -- reject the current pop-psychology that says we must affirm ourselves and love ourselves. Run from it and run into the arms of Jesus who loved you enough to die for you. It is Him we must worship - not ourselves.

God bless you!

Mtn Girl

                                                   

                               

Rescued....

The word "rescued" conjures up many thoughts on the subject. I'd like to mention a few things about being rescued, but first, here are a few synonyms that describe the word:

Liberate, release, save, redeem, ransom, extricate, recover, liberation, deliverance, release, redemption and recovery. Wow. These words ring "FREEDOM", don't they?

As you can imagine, this applies to us as Christians. This is what it's about, people! But all too often the true meaning of salvation through Christ is twisted to mean something other than it is. For instance, a teaching that is spreading like wildfire throughout Christendom is that God is not a God of judgment, not a God of wrath. For some reason perhaps they think it will offend the unbeliever to include the "less desirable" aspects of God, so they make it more palatable to the masses. If God doesn't punish sin, if God is not a God of justice, if God isn't wrathful against evil, then what does He stand for? What is He rescuing us from? If God is only a God of love, where is the rest of the equation? You can't love fiercely unless you hate fiercely. If you love that which is good, right and holy then you must hate that which is loathsome, wrong and evil.

And so God is a God of love and God is a God of hate. I wrote a comment on a site that referenced the upcoming movie, 'Son of God'. The author of the article said, "...it failed to reveal who the true Son of God is" (my paraphrase). In my comment, in which I agreed with the author, I wrote that God's love is a double-edged sword that pierces and divides and demands that the one He loves give Him their heart, their mind, their very life -- none of this nauseating fluff that Jesus is there to make your life easier.

So when God demands that we love Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, He is saying, essentially, in our doing so, we will be freed from self, from our own evil desires and sinfulness. We will be set free from our sin and we will be given a new nature. How glorious! Freed from sin, rescued from death! But only God Himself can free us from ourselves.

So, yes, I've been rescued. Rescued from darkness and all the things associated with it. A life devoid of God. Darkness. Spiritual Death. Empty. Aimless. I was as it says in Ephesians 2:12, "....without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having NO HOPE, and WITHOUT GOD in the world."

Call out to Him, He's there. He will rescue you.


Mtn Girl