Hey everyone! Just want to remind you that we will have two gatherings now on Sundays: 10:00am and 6:00pm. Wow! What the Lord has done in the last year and eight months is truly amazing! We give Him all glory, honor, and praise! We desire to open up space for more people to meet Jesus and grow in Jesus! Be praying for God to save thousands in the city of Eugene!
Love You All!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The "Shack" and other Worthless Books!
Why is it that all of the faddish books in Christianity are trying to re-invent the wheel? They want a new God, a new program, a new doctrine, a new just about everything. Maybe they have not encountered the Almighty, powerful, gracious, righteous, holy, and just God of the Bible. He is God and He is who He says He is--that is found in the BIBLE! Maybe they have no faith in the life changing power of God's inspired Word--that is the BIBLE! But, I am obviously not too enthused with all these lets re-invent the wheel books? As if, these men are so inspired that they are making up a new form of Christianity that we have never found before. Listen, we have the Bible and a few thousand years of church history that believed in God and His Word. We don't need these faddish, fluffy, and often heretical books.
For example, The Shack. Yes, The Shack is not a book worth the price. Kevin DeYoung & Tud Kluck in their book, Why We Love the Church offer a great theological summation of this book: "Young (the author), like his friend Wayne Jacobsen who published the book, are no longer a part of the institutional church. They say they have found Jesus in more depth and more freedom outside the walls of organized religion. In watching some interviews with Young, I'm struck by his sincerity. He seems a kind man, one who didn't set out to write a theologically controversial book. But after reading The Shack, I conclude that Young has rejected more than just the church. He has rejected evangelical Christianity and historic orthodoxy. In telling the story of Mack's (the book's main character) encounter with the Trinity in an old shack in the woods, Young introduces us to God the Father as a big, black woman named Papa, God the Son as a Jewish man with a big nose, and God the Spirit as a woman of Asian extraction named Sarayu. Young's God is a God who is especially fond of everyone everywhere and loves everyone in the same way, a God who doesn't punish people for sin (because sin is its own punishment). There is not order or authority in God. The Father submits to Jesus just as Jesus submits to the Father. In fact, God even submits to us. In Young's theology, evil and darkness do not really exist, but are just the absence of goodness and light. I could keep going with the theological problems in The Shack... God's sovereignty over suffering is rejected, and all human beings are already reconciled to God (we just need to choose to live in the relationship)... But the depiction of the Christan faith in The Shack is not simply a little off here or there. It is a deviation from the historic faith in many, and important, places."
Yes! I applaud these two men of God for calling on the carpet these worthless faddish books that are not worth the hour read, let alone the first chapter. They are denying the God of the Bible and always deny the inspiration, reliability, and authority of the Bible.
Let me give you a piece of advice: open up your Bible and read the living/powerful/life-altering Word of God! Don't waste your time with books that attack the God of the Bible! Let God's Word teach you about God, not some person who wants to re-make God. No! That is heresy! God is who God is, and the Word of God is His self-revelation to mankind! Just stick with THE WORD!
I don't need to list the other books... You know the titles I am talking about. Let's just get back to God's Book--THE BIBLE!
Love You All!
Wesley
For example, The Shack. Yes, The Shack is not a book worth the price. Kevin DeYoung & Tud Kluck in their book, Why We Love the Church offer a great theological summation of this book: "Young (the author), like his friend Wayne Jacobsen who published the book, are no longer a part of the institutional church. They say they have found Jesus in more depth and more freedom outside the walls of organized religion. In watching some interviews with Young, I'm struck by his sincerity. He seems a kind man, one who didn't set out to write a theologically controversial book. But after reading The Shack, I conclude that Young has rejected more than just the church. He has rejected evangelical Christianity and historic orthodoxy. In telling the story of Mack's (the book's main character) encounter with the Trinity in an old shack in the woods, Young introduces us to God the Father as a big, black woman named Papa, God the Son as a Jewish man with a big nose, and God the Spirit as a woman of Asian extraction named Sarayu. Young's God is a God who is especially fond of everyone everywhere and loves everyone in the same way, a God who doesn't punish people for sin (because sin is its own punishment). There is not order or authority in God. The Father submits to Jesus just as Jesus submits to the Father. In fact, God even submits to us. In Young's theology, evil and darkness do not really exist, but are just the absence of goodness and light. I could keep going with the theological problems in The Shack... God's sovereignty over suffering is rejected, and all human beings are already reconciled to God (we just need to choose to live in the relationship)... But the depiction of the Christan faith in The Shack is not simply a little off here or there. It is a deviation from the historic faith in many, and important, places."
Yes! I applaud these two men of God for calling on the carpet these worthless faddish books that are not worth the hour read, let alone the first chapter. They are denying the God of the Bible and always deny the inspiration, reliability, and authority of the Bible.
Let me give you a piece of advice: open up your Bible and read the living/powerful/life-altering Word of God! Don't waste your time with books that attack the God of the Bible! Let God's Word teach you about God, not some person who wants to re-make God. No! That is heresy! God is who God is, and the Word of God is His self-revelation to mankind! Just stick with THE WORD!
I don't need to list the other books... You know the titles I am talking about. Let's just get back to God's Book--THE BIBLE!
Love You All!
Wesley
I LOVE Jesus' Church!!!
Jesus loves His church! In Ephesians 5 the church is pictured as the Bride of Christ that has been saved and is being prepared to meet it's Savior. He cares for, shepherds, lovingly disciplines, feeds, and shepherds His church. According to Matthew 16, the church is His church and He builds His church. Sure the church has flaws, but Jesus in His grace loves His church. His church is a forgiven church! I LOVE JESUS' CHURCH! I am so glad I get to be a part of Jesus' church! I love serving Jesus' church. Truly, I cannot believe that God chose me(?) of all people to be a part of Ekklesia. I love Ekklesia! I love this local church that God has graciously allowed me to serve. The depth of love and obedience to Christ as a whole is something I have never seen. I am so blessed and inspired by all of you! Keep living for Jesus... Keep glorifying Jesus... Keeping telling people about Jesus... Keep Jesus on the throne of your life! His church is all about Him--a testimony of His redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, justification, and power to save! Thank You Jesus! Thank you that we can be a part of your church!!!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
AWESOME!
This morning a college student at Northwest Christian University led another student from the same school to the Lord. AWESOME! PRAISE GOD! WOW! Believe it or not in the church and at Christian schools there are a lot of people that have not put their faith in Jesus. So praise God for all of you out there sharing Jesus with your friends, classmates, co-workers, neighbors, etc. Keep sharing the gospel! We are missionaries on this earth called to spread the best and greatest news--Jesus died for ours sins and rose again! We have the hope of eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and a new life through faith in Christ!
Love You All!
Love You All!
One of the Best Sermons Ever!
This weekend I read S.M. Lockeridge's sermon at Ekklesia and promised to put the link online. So here is the link to the audio and written copy http://www.walkintheword.com/CoolStuff.aspx
The message is called "My King." Scroll down the page and you will see it!
The message is called "My King." Scroll down the page and you will see it!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Divorce and Remarriage
Tonight we are studying Matthew 5:31-32. The subject matter in this passage is DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE. As no message can do justice explaining all that the Bible teaches on this subject, I am going to reference two resources that I am in agreement with that offer further explanation on this subject. Especially further explanation concerning some of the more difficult questions and situations.
Wesley
- Grace Community Church Distinctive: Divorce & Remarriage -The web address is www.gracechurch.org/home/doclib.asp?ministry_id=1&dlcat=Distinctives
- Andreas Kostenberger. God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation. - You can find at www.amazon.com
Wesley
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Humility
Wow! We just finished a study in Philippians 2:1-11. It was a reminder of the absolute value of humble service in the body of Christ. Humility is so essential in God's eyes and Jesus perfectly displayed humility. He humbled Himself in multiple ways: He left heaven to come to earth as the God-Man, He came to serve sinful people, He died a shameful death on the cross, He paid the penalty for sinners sin... The beauty of this is that through His humiliation He was highly exalted. May we learn that in God's economy the humble shall be exalted! We are to simply and humbly walk with and serve Jesus and let Him take care of the rest!
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