Tag Archives: Purpose Driven
Tis so Sweet to Tweet… (Humor)
Piper: I just tweeted, “Farewell, Rob Bell”. If you don’t distance yourself from those new-age Bhagwans you consulted for your diet plan, you’re next…
The Emergent Bakery (Satire)
The Emergent Bakery (Satire) by Wallace Revels
Guy: I would like a muffin, please, do you have any?
Emergent Baker: One can never be sure…
Guy: Do you have a banana nut muffin?
Emergent Baker: That sounds a little dogmatic to ask if I have one. I prefer to have a conversation about muffins.
Guy: Uh, you sell muffins, right?
Emergent Baker: We provide an atmosphere where people can safely explore whether they can perceive if muffins exist without the ridicule and legalism of the traditional bakery.
Guy: Do you know how to make muffins…do you have a cookbook?
Emergent Baker: I prefer to meditate about the ingredients that make up a holistic muffin in my mind’s eye. We do not use that old, outdated, tradition-steeped cookbook used by the irrelevant traditional bakers. We prefer the Purpose Driven Chef and Your Best Baking Now. These offer much less restrictions to our sense of self expression in the kitchen. They also boost our sense of self-importance.
Guy: Look, spaceman, do you have a muffin or not?
Emergent Baker: That is not the real question. The real question is how to meet your felt need of desiring a muffin. We have found that replacing the tired old order & serve process with drama, relevant FM-type radio music, and impressive-looking teenage bakers calms the customers and keeps them coming back.
Guy: Coming back for what? I need something to eat!
Emergent Baker: There you go again. Your mentality is the reason why most traditional bakeries have gone out of business.
Guy: Never mind, I will get a pack of crackers at the office… A bakery that doesn’t bake is worthless!
Daily Truth Bible Study Acts 11:1-30 part 2
Notice in verse 19 how believers had scattered to far away places as a result of the persecution that arose concerning Stephen’s ministry. Notice particularly that despite Stephen being killed by the Jewish religious leaders, the spreading of the good news of Jesus continued and increased! The scattering of some resulted in the Gospel being taught in new and different places. The work of God had not been halted, it had increased!
Notice also in verse 20 how it was the Lord Jesus that was being preached to the locals. It was not felt-needs, pop psychology, how to improve your sex life, prosperity now, or any other such madness. They were preaching the Lord Jesus. The result was that the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believed and turned to the Lord (verse 21).
This is not the first time we have seen this formula (if we can call it that). The disciples of Jesus took His message to people and the Lord’s hand blessed this activity resulting in many believing and being saved. Wow, so simple yet so profound…why is this so hard to understand? Why do so many today put on entertainment extravaganzas each week to entertain men producing little if any lasting changes in their lives and call it ministry?
The book of Acts makes it amazingly simple and easy to understand. Faithful men preach the Lord Jesus to unbelievers. God blesses this activity. Many believe and are changed. Any questions?
A Lesson in Relevance (satire)
After attending a Pompous Driven Church conference in southern California, brothers Fred, Bill, and Tom misinterpreted 1 Cor 9:22 by actually becoming Amish…
Their conversion was short-lived however. Once they found they had to give up their Twitter and iphones, they were out like a 1692 candle in a windstorm…
Decisionalism vs. Regeneration What does your church teach?
It is a modern-day epidemic. You will hear a preacher say something like, “If you want to know you can have Heaven as your home, then ask Jesus into your heart” or “Raise your hand if you have made a decision to allow Jesus to be Lord of your life” or something similar but is this true? Sometimes, you will not even hear mention of the need for salvation. Instead you will hear a preacher say something like, ” We would love to have you as a part of our loving and thriving congregation, please sign the tear-out in your welcome kit and become a member today” or ” Your wonderful life could be made much more fulfilling by having Jesus in it; send a text to 2125LOVE and you will be assured of eternity in Heaven” but is this true?
In the clip of the Paul Washer sermon, you will hear Paul challenge some of the inaccurate and eternally damning assumptions made by too many people. Paul shares with us what the Bible really teaches about regeneration.
Who is a Christian? The one who confidently proclaims Christ but lives like the world or the one whose life changes 180 degrees for a Godly instead of worldly existence? God is the judge. Make sure on which side of the aisle you are standing. (Thanks to www.illbehonest.com)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5bc8QU4h2w&feature=channel
Paul Washer Regeneration Salvation Repentence New Nature Evidence of Salvation Calvinism Transformation Carnal Christian Sin New Creature Church Worldly Decisionalism Easy Believism Saved Lost Eternity Heaven Hell God Jesus Cross
Brian McLaren’s new book: New Christianity or Old Liberal Heresy ?
I admit up front that I am no fan of Emergent Church (cult) leader of sorts, Brian McLaren. He simply does not believe the Bible and has set out to change Christianity repairing the damage the creator did along the 13,000 years before McLaren burst onto the scene.
Many detailed reviews are available for the new book, A New Kind of Christianity so I will not add to the clutter. I will use this time to review McLaren and his ilk.
After following McLaren for years, I have been aware of his heresy and general distaste for the real God of the Bible. But, what has become amazingly clear since the publication of the new book is his ARROGANCE. Now, it is obvious that anyone who seeks to re-write God and His word in order to make Him more up-to-date and palatable to man is arrogant. I would lump Rick Warren, Robert Schuler, Bill Hybels, Joel O$teen, and many others into this category. However, there is a new king mackerel in the arrogance sea and his name is guru McLaren!
At least McLaren comes out in the open about his unbelief. He names 10 things he would do differently if he were God…basically. I know a great deal of reading any material is wrapped up in context and point of view. Apparently McLaren envisions himself as an envoy who will bring people of many faiths together around a new set of rules for engaging in the discussion of faith. Some may agree with him that new rules are necessary since many do not like the existing guidelines put forth in the Bible. I am not in that camp.
What McLaren and his heretical ilk are doing is redefining what it means to be a Christian. The only problem for them is … God is not threatened by their wishes, desires, or plans to take over. In school yards across the world, strong kids take over the games and change the rules as they please by overcoming the weaker classmates. God will not be manhandled by anyone!
McLaren fans beware! There is already a God of the universe. He has written a book. It contains the information He wanted to communicate. The ego of man is no match for the power of the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God.
Brian McLaren Rick Warren Bill Hybels Joel Osteen Emergent Church Cult A New Kind Of Christianity Brian McLaren Rick Warren Bill Hybels Joel Osteen Emergent Church Cult A New Kind Of Christianity Brian McLaren Rick Warren Bill Hybels Joel Osteen Emergent Church Cult A New Kind Of Christianity
Brian McLaren Rick Warren Bill Hybels Joel Osteen Emergent Church Cult A New Kind Of Christianity
Whom should we fear?
In these present days of man-centered dogma delegating what can and cannot be taught or preached in churches in America, I think a little cleansing is due. Let’s look at some teaching that is Biblical but not often taught: The fear of God. J. Randall Easter of Azle, TX brings this brief message about the fear of God. (Thanks to www.apprising.org)
But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! (Luke 12:5)
Fear is something that mankind deals with on several different levels. Fear causes mankind to hide, rebel, lash out, slander, panic, and to be something that they really are not. The fear of man is a great snare that binds men and constrains them to simply be tossed around by the greatest pressure. Pressure comes from one side and they move the other way and then a greater pressure comes from the other side and they move the other way. Unstable men are unstable in all their ways. Jesus makes it clear who men are to fear. It is not the government, the religious leaders of the day, the employer, or the influential people of the community they Jesus tells us to fear, but rather we are to fear God. It is God and God alone who should cause mankind to tremble. The fear of God is to affect the way that we speak, act, make decision, set priorities, establish goals, love our spouses, train our children, serve our churches, and live in our communities.
A healthy fear of God is what is greatly needed in our churches today and it is the very thing that will bring lost men to repentance. Churches are filled with people pleasing, back patting, high-fiving; emotional babies who seek to make sure that the whole thing is about them. Jesus says, “Fear him!” Jesus says he will tell us who to fear and then he specifically shows that we had better fear the one who holds man’s eternal destiny in his hand. Eternity! Eternity! The word is filled with fear and it is filled with hope. Mankind will have to stand before this God some day. Man will stand before the One who utters his voice and causes the earth to melt, who judges in righteousness and truth and who will not allow anything unclean to enter into his presence.
Dearly beloved, meditate upon the Lord your God today and seek to have a right vision of him. Examine your life and see how it is that you worship, pray, study Scripture, treat your spouse, train your children, and how you live in the world. Are these areas of your life reflections of your fear of God? What is the first thought that comes to your mind when a difficult situation comes your way? What is your first area of refuge when trials come? If you have a healthy fear of God, he will be the one who has the greatest effects upon you daily life in all these areas.
J. Randall Easter, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Briar, Azle, TX.
Discerndamentalist or Pharisee ?
Rick Warren Rick Warren Rick Warren Rick Warren Rick Warren Rick Warren
In case you are not up-to-speed on your emergent church lingo, let me clue you in to a term they use for anyone who does not validate them by approving of every hair-brained idea they come up with. They call you a pharisee. So, when you see Warren and others do unbiblical things and call them on it…you’re a pharisee. I prefer the term, discerndamentalist.
Playing the Pharisee Card (excerpted from www.betterthansacrifice.org )
Rick Warren, CEO of Saddleback Church, yesterday played the Pharisee card. He wrote: ‘It drives Pharisees nuts to watch God keep blessing ministries they ridicule & despise. God’s sovereignty is often humorous.’
Now, Rick Warren’s proof of the rightness of his position (and that his opponents are wrong) seems to be based on his claim of God’s ‘blessing’. And, as CEO of Saddleback and self-proclaimed disciple of management guru Peter Drucker, he knows how to apply best 21st century management practice to his business. So, it is important for Mr. Warren to be able to quantify this blessing.
How is God’s blessing measured? Well one easy way, in Mr. Warren’s book, is by seeing how much your church grows. A numerically growing church is a blessed church. Saddleback has grown vastly over the last three decades. So, God must be blessing it. And He must approve of their theology and practice. Quod erat demonstrandum.
The only problem with this, and it is just a teensy-weeny one, is that not all growth is good growth.
Measured on the basis of numerical success, Baal-worship was doing pretty well in ancient Israel. (If you are unfamiliar with the story, now would be a good time to read 1 Kings 18.)
All but a remnant of 7,000 people had bowed the knee to Baal. Thus, the 450 prophets of Baal whom Elijah confronted must have been pretty confident of God’s favour. After all, 450–1, that’s pretty good evidence of whose side God is on, right?
At least, it must have seemed that way.
Until Elijah routed the prophets of Baal and had them all executed at Brook Kishon.
It turned out that Elijah was the one who had been listening to (and trusting in) God, after all. He was the real Prophet. The prophets of Baal? They were self-deceived impostors, false prophets with no legitimate place in God’s kingdom.
Which brings us to the question, how does Rick Warren know that God is blessing him and those ministries fashioned after his own?
Baptist Bible Brian McLaren Christianity Church Emerging Church Emergent Church Conservative Creation Discernment Doug Pagitt Evolution Faith Fundamentalist God Gospel Intelligent Design James McDonald Jesus Christ John MacArthur Joel Osteen John Piper Liberal Logic Relevance Missions New Age New Testament Old Testament Paul Washer Politics Post-modern Purpose Driven Religion Rick Warren Rob Bell Scripture Spiritual Theology Truth Inspirational Intellectual Calvinist Orthodox Bible Study Bible Study Theology Doctrine Daily Truth Calvinist Calvinist Calvinist Baptist Bible Brian McLaren Christianity Church Emerging Church Emergent Church Conservative Creation Discernment Doug Pagitt Evolution Faith Fundamentalist God Gospel Intelligent Design James McDonald Jesus Christ John MacArthur Joel Osteen John Piper Liberal Logic Relevance Missions New Age New Testament Old Testament Paul Washer Politics Post-modern Purpose Driven Religion Rick Warren Rob Bell Scripture Spiritual Theology Truth Inspirational Intellectual Calvinist Orthodox Baptist Bible Brian McLaren Christianity Church Emerging Church Emergent Church Conservative Creation Discernment Doug Pagitt Faith Fundamentalist God Gospel Intelligent Design James McDonald Jesus Christ John MacArthur Joel Osteen John Piper Liberal Logic Relevance Missions New Age New Testament Old Testament Paul Washer Politics Post-modern Purpose Driven Religion Rick Warren Rob Bell Scripture Spiritual Theology Truth Inspirational Intellectual Calvinist Orthodox Bible Study Bible Study Bible Study Christian Christianity Religion Religion Religion Reigion Grace Grace Grace Hope Hope Hope Change Change Change Doctrine Doctrine Bible Bible Bible Relevant Relevant Relevance Post-Modern Church Truth Truth Truth Truth Truth Emergent Church Emerging Church Emergent Church Emerging Church Emerging Church Discernment Discernment Discernment Discernment Discernment Discernment Soteriology Apologetics Hermeneutics Soteriology Apologetics Hermeneutics Soteriology Apologetics Hermeneutics Peace Mercy Grace Peace Mercy Grace Apologetics, Hermeneutics, Soteriology, Mercy, Grace, Peace, Hope, Change, Bible Study Perry Noble Perry Noble Perry Noble Perry Noble Perry Noble Perry Noble Perry Noble Mark Driscoll Mark Driscoll Mark Driscoll Mark Driscoll Mark Driscoll Mark Driscoll Election Election Election Election Election Election Election Election Election
Daily Truth Bible Study Acts 9:22-43 part 1
Daily Bible Study Acts 9 Daily Bible Study Acts 9 Daily Bible Study Acts 9 Bible
Daily Truth Bible Study Acts 9:22-43 Let us continue to follow what God is doing in the Church during its formation. How does this compare with what is happening in the “church” today?
Verse 22 tells us that Saul/Paul confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus proving that Jesus is the Christ. Now we know that it was not the lesser of the Jews he was confounding because, in every other situation we have seen, the leadership of the Jews is always out in front of the confrontation. It was true in the very beginning. The Jews who were leading the battle against Jesus were the leadership and that continued. So do not think that Saul/Paul was sneaking around and talking to the lowest level of Jew only. He was confounding the leadership and proving that Jesus was indeed who He had said He was.
How did Saul/Paul do this? I would say that he did it the same way he continued to do it throughout his ministry. He taught that Jesus is the Son of God who died, rose, and ascended to be with the Father. He taught that there is salvation in no other name except Jesus. This is the same message Paul taught throughout his ministry. The power of God was also involved without question. God’s power was at work to accomplish His purpose. Saul/Paul was only as able as God made him to be.
Now, I would like to combat the thought popular today that “since modern people do not want to hear about doctrine, we need to be relevant to them and meet them where they live”. This type of thinking is bankrupt. It implies that God and His word is not relevant unless man gives it the right to be. This is an abomination! God is Holy, Holy, Holy. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-encompassing. He determines what is relevant.
The “relevance to the world” crowd are working from the belief that man is sovereign in determining whether or not he will accept God. They may not admit it but it is true. Why else would a person think it necessary to the relevant to a group in order to tell the group what it needs to hear? They are trying to get the group’s approval or buy-in.
We have already covered the fact that God is sovereign and determines those who will be saved and is justified in doing so. God predetermines and calls those who will be saved unto Himself. This is why God is always relevant. People need to hear the truth so the elect will come to God in repentance (which is a sign they are the elect).
Saul/Paul could talk the talk and reason with the educated. He was a well-educated pharisee before his conversion. If he had wanted, he could have argued Jewish beliefs all day long. As an educated man, he could have also argued Roman politics and world events. He did not do this however. He preached Christ alone as the savior of the world.
Next, look at verse 23. After many days, the Jews plotted to kill him. Here we go again. Not much has changed. The Jews realized they were in trouble of loosing their hold over the people. Saul/Paul’s message threatened to undo their religious system. Their hardened hearts were not capable of repenting (apparently) and thus they planned to kill the messenger so as to remove the problem.
Wow, what a religion! They could not win the argument with facts and they did not apparently have a great deal of faith in their religion so they plotted to kill Saul/Paul to quiet him.
What does this tell you about Saul/Paul and his message. There was real power there. If not, would the Jews desire to kill? Maybe. Saul/Paul’s message was considered blasphemous to them. However, watch how they planned to kill him. They were not planning to walk up to him and kill him publicly. They waited at the gates to catch him. This may suggest the Jews were not acting with the popular opinion of the population of the area.
Regardless of the exact reason for their plans, Saul/Paul was not to be stopped. God made a way for his escape. Saul/Paul was a force to be feared by the Jews. He carried the message of redemption to his part of the world.
