Monthly Archives: February 2013

Feb 28 2013

The Bible Has Gone Hollywood

Or perhaps Hollywood has gone… biblical?

Hollywood has a long history of digging into biblical story lines to come up with epic productions like Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, and The Passion of the Christ.  And now, Hollywood mega couple Roma Downey and Mark Burnett (producer of popular shows like Survivor) have come up with the highly acclaimed and well reviewed miniseries “The Bible,” which will run this Spring on the History Channel.

The docudrama will present 10 episodes with major stories from the Old and the New Testament, and evangelicals like Rick Warren are not only endorsing it, but Rick Warren himself is presenting a preview and a behind-the-scenes look at the series.

Unlike Rick Warren, I personally do not endorse Hollywood efforts depicting aspects of the Judeo-Christian faith and stories from the Bible.  This is a personal decision, and I understand that many Christians are eager to promote movies such as The Passion in an effort to extend the Kingdom of God.

There are several reasons why I do not get excited about these projects, and have serious reservations about recommending them:

1. I have a difficult time receiving a Bible story, especially one that encapsulates the gospel, told by directors and actors who do not know the LORD.  Some may know the LORD, but I suspect that their numbers are very low, or perhaps almost non-existent.  Again, this is a personal stumbling block for me.  Generically speaking, how can an actor “become” a depraved character in one movie, and then turn around and depict Christ in the next movie?  How can a depraved director depict for us the inspired word of Scripture in a film?

2. Every year around Easter and Christmas (I stopped watching TV for the last few years but I assume the trend continues) the Discovery Channel and History Channel present shows about Jesus and various aspects of our faith which are plain wrong.  Various forms of heresies are presented mixed in with fragments of truth as was the case with the all the shows surrounding the Gospel of Judas and the Da Vinci Code a few years ago. Moreover, authorities from all kind of backgrounds are interviewed, from Universalists, to Catholics, to atheist historians who weigh in on Christian doctrine, and these are people who do not know the LORD.  Having been illuminated by the Holy Spirit to understand God’s Word, it becomes a difficult exercise watching these “everyone-has-an-opinion” on the Bible shows.

3. Many of these shows and movies are not done with the intent of spreading the gospel message but with the intent to make money.  Lots of money.  The masses of Christians out there soak these projects up like they are supposed to soak up the real thing: God Word.  For example, the Passion of the Christ is the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time (yes R-rated in the same sentence as Christ).  It made $600 million just during its theatrical release, and many millions since then.  Producers are getting very wealthy from these “Christian” films.

4.  The gospel message and the Word of God as a form of entertainment is a turn-off for me.  Many Christians do not have a problem with this aspect, but the Holy Spirit speaks to me when I read Scripture, and I feel that the Word is profaned when the depraved of this world take advantage of it to create films… whatever their motives are.

So, starting next week I will not hold my breath for “The Bible” miniseries to entertain me.  “The Bible,” the real thing, is sitting right here on my desk ready to receive my delight.  It’s a delight in truth.

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Feb 27 2013

Perspectives on the Unfriendly Starts of New Churches

Thom RainerThis short article was written by Dr. Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of Life Way Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, and it highlights some painful truths about the issue of churches breaking up.  It also holds the party that initiates the split accountable:

“A new church is started in a community with many members of an existing church. Unfortunately, the existing church has not blessed the new church start, nor has it been consulted about it. In many cases, a staff member from the existing church has led the unfriendly church start.

I have emails that include phrases like “deep hurt,” “betrayal,” and “kick in the stomach.” In other words, this new church start has not been received well at all by the existing church. I understand that there are two sides to these stories, so I am ready to be corrected. Nevertheless, I have some strong opinions about unfriendly church starts. Allow me to share four of them.

1. The DNA of the new church is a problem. In most unfriendly church starts, the new church is a negative reaction to the existing church. Thus, the very reason for the existence of the new church has negative overtones. The DNA is, at least in part, filled with negativity.

2. Ill will is immediately established between two churches. There is the perception that members were wrongfully taken from one church. Often the existing church feels the immediate pain of loss of people, finances, and leaders. They simply did not have time to plan to replace those who would leave.

3. The new church begins with a potential negative reputation in the community. The church is the congregation that “split” or “took members” or “fought” with the existing church. Those words do not enhance the reputation of a church that is trying to reach its community.

4. Reconciliation must begin with the new church. At some point, the chasm between the two congregations must be bridged. In most cases the new church should initiate that effort, especially since it started without the blessing or knowledge of the existing church.

A few years ago I spoke with a young associate pastor who told me that he had been approached by a large group in the church that wanted him to lead a split and start of a new church. Even though there seemed to be serious problems in the existing church, he refused to make such a move. When I asked him why he was not seizing the opportunity, his response was telling: “God called me here to honor this pastor as long as I am here. There are a lot of problems that I see in the church, but starting a new church is just not the answer. It’s just not the right thing to do.”

I agree. It’s just not the right thing to do.”

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Feb 26 2013

Light Before the Sun… Possible?

by John D. Morris, PhD.

According to Scripture, God “created the heaven and the earth” on Day One of Creation Week (Genesis 1:1). Initially all was dark, until God said, “Let there be light” (v. 3). Days Two and Three saw the oceans, firmament (or atmosphere), continents, and plants formed, as the earth was being progressively prepared for man’s habitation. It was on Day Four that God created the sun, moon, and stars, proclaiming, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven” (v. 14), one purpose of which was “to give light upon the earth” (v. 15).

This light was directional, coming from a particular source. The earth was evidently rotating underneath it, causing alternating periods of light and dark. “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night” (v. 5).

Skeptics have long ridiculed the science of biblical creation over this point. How could there be light bathing the earth before the sun was created? Obviously the Bible must be in error. But as always, this apparent error drives us to look more closely at the relevant data, both scientific and biblical.

Actually there are many sources of light, not just the sun. There are also many types of light, not just visible light. Short-wave light includes ultraviolet light, X-rays, and others. Long-wave light includes infrared light, radio waves, etc. Light is produced by friction, by fire, by numerous chemical reactions, as well as the nuclear reactions of atomic fission and fusion, which is what we think is occurring in the sun. God had at His fingertips many options to accomplish His purposes. Light does not automatically require the sun.

Furthermore, we have important data given by the Hebrew words used in the creation account. When God created “light” in verse 3, the word used connotes the presence of light only, while the word used for “lights” on Day Four is best translated “light bearers,” or permanent light sources. Their purpose was not only to give light, but to serve as timekeepers for man once he was created. According to the best stellar creation theory now available, light from stars created anywhere in the universe on Day Four would reach earth in two earth days, and would be useful to Adam on Day Six. (For more information, see Dr. Russell Humphrey’s cosmology articles on http://www.icr.org.)

Keep in mind that the Creation Week was a uniquely miraculous time, and we are justified in speculating that miraculous events may have been taking place outside of today’s natural laws. Especially when we realize that “God is light” (1 John 1:5) Himself, thus no outside natural source is necessarily mandated.

For semi-creationists who claim that the “days” of Genesis 1 must have been long periods of time, a more serious problem arises. Genesis plainly teaches that plants appeared on Day Three, and the sun on Day Four. But plants need sunlight for photosynthesis and cannot wait in darkness for millions of years. If the days were long epochs, as demanded by critics of a literal Creation Week, plants could not survive.

How much better and more satisfying it is to accept Scripture as it stands. It doesn’t need to be fully understood and explained by modern scientific thought; it just needs to be believed and obeyed.

* Dr. Morris is President of the Institute for Creation Research.

Morris, J. 2008. Sunlight Before the Sun. Acts & Facts. 37 (1): 14.

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via WBMoore @ http://wbmoore.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/where-did-light-come-from-before-the-sun-was-created/

Feb 25 2013

Counterfeit Praise and Worship in the Evangelical Church

A friend added me to a Facebook group called Gear Talk: Praise and Worship.  It’s a place where worship leaders discuss their instruments, gear, songs, and other things related to praise and worship through music.  There are thousands of members in this forum.

As I scrolled through the posts, I come upon this beauty:

“Prepping songs for Lifechurch.tv Stillwater campus tomorrow.  Here’s the set list:
Lights – Journey (opener)
Cornerstone
One Thing Remains
Christ Is Risen
God of Our Salvation

Pumped for 6 services!!”

So, under the category “be angry and do not sin” I felt the need to tax this level of counterfeit Christianity and leave this comment:

“you guys play non-Christian songs by non-Christian bands during worship? (Lights – Journey)”

Journey is a rock band from the 80’s and not only is their music NOT praise and worship, but they are completely secular.  The responses I received from these so-called praise and worship leaders included:

“Love me some Journey!!!”

“There really is no such thing as a Christian/Non-Christian song…songs are songs, meat is meat, days are days. (Rom 14:5-6)”

“Lights is a great song and pretty fun to play so I don’t have a problem with it.”

My friends, this is counterfeit Christianity at its worst.  These praise and worship leaders do not understand the first thing about our God, and the fact that He is “holy, holy, holy,” and He will not receive the worship of the depraved!  How can He receive a song by Journey, a song that has nothing to do with Him, an uninspired song written by people who do not know Him?

Moreover, the guy is using Scripture to defend his position! Unbelievable!

Looking through this forum, and seeing other similar posts, I began to realize how deep this unholy cancer runs in our post-modern churches.  I am realizing that we have people who are not born-again leading congregations in so-called “worship.” And God is not receiving this worship unto Himself because these are not his children. These congregations have a “form of godliness but denying its power.”  They are doing exactly what the Israelites of old were doing in mixing their worship for God with worship for Baal, Asherim and Molech.  And God despises it today just like he did back then.

The rebuke through prophet Isaiah applies to these false Christians today: “this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men…” Isaiah 29:13

This is how we have wanna-be rockers in their 50s rocking out in churches secular songs such as the theme song from the depraved adult TV show The Simpsons.  Watch the “worship” below from Granger Community Church and be shocked that this happens in church:

Feb 23 2013

Theology 101: Is Decision Theology Biblical?

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I used to attend Monday nights with Greg Laurie at Calvary Chapel when I was a kid. At the end of every service Greg used to invite people in the front to make a decision to accept Christ and become born-again after repeating a one minute “sinner’s prayer.”

This practice became more pompous at the yearly Harvest Crusades when after reciting the sinner’s prayer, fireworks went off and Greg would declare: “welcome to the family of God.”

Is the personal decision to become born again unto eternal life grounded in the Bible? And is it ok to label a person born again after reciting the sinner’s prayer?

Billy Graham has been applying decision theology throughout his evangelistic career, and he famously declared that only 5% or less of those making a profession of faith at his crusades eventually make their way into the Body of Christ by joining a church.

It then follows that a huge number of people who make a decision to believe, make a profession that is NOT of faith. That is just the tip of a nefarious iceberg. These folks leave the crusade thinking they are saved and they continue to live unchanged lives. They are left with an empty decision, a profession, and a false declaration of salvation by a celebrity evangelist.

This problem invariably gets into the monergism vs synergism debate. Monergism holds to the supreme sovereignty of God in matters of salvation, and states that a human decision is not involved in becoming born again, while synergism claims that a human decision for salvation is necessary and synergistic with the work of the Holy Spirit.

But I argue that when it comes to conversion, philosophy can muddy the waters. Let us go to the Scriptures to highlight the fact that salvation belongs to God and it is the work of the Holy Spirit. The only thing that humans can do is abandon salvation.

First, a confession of true faith stems in the gift of faith given by God, NOT in a human decision:

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”

Second, this faith cannot be activated by a human decision because such an action is contrary to fallen human nature:

1 Corinthians 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

It becomes clear that in order to make an authentic confession of faith one has to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit because the unregenerated natural man is not able to do this.

Even repentance is not the result of human decision but something that is granted by God:

Acts 11:18 “When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.””

I need to stress that human participation in salvation is not robotic. But also, it is not a man initiated event by decisions and sinner’s prayers. It is the result of the quickening of the Holy Spirit.

An appropriate altar call should include the presentation of gospel facts and gospel terms followed by an invitation to repent and surrender to God. Decisions to become born again have no place in a biblical understanding of salvation. Neither do declarations of eternal salvation for those who make professions of faith.

Feb 22 2013

Could Jesus Culture Be More Popular Than Jesus Christ?

Following a provocation by Todd Friel from “Wretched” (here)I dared to Google “Jesus C” and observe the prompt choices that come up. The first choice in my browser’s search bar was “Jesus Culture” followed by “Jesus Christ.”

Through no fault of their own, at least by this metric, the band Jesus Culture has become more searchable and popular than Jesus Christ. Many young Christians are aware of who they are and probably listen to their worship music.  Jesus Culture is way bigger then Hillsong was in their prime (early to mid 2000’s) or any other worship band.  Ever.

They are part of the New Apostolic Reformation charismatic movement out of Redding, CA based at Bill Johnson’s church, whose theology is very focused on the mandate given to the 12 disciples in Matthew 10:  heal the sick, raise the dead and exorcise the demon-possessed.  That, and also establish God’s kingdom in Redding.

The question is why are they so popular? I’ve done some research on this including attending their conference in Los Angeles (mostly out of curiosity) and try to analyze this phenomenon. I personally believe that a pure gospel message based on the cross would not bring a band to this level of popularity.

The music is well done from an artistic stand point but this alone does not explain it. While many of their songs do have an uplifting message (some are not written by them), the lyrics are mostly your usual modern worship lyrics centered on what God does for us, and NOT Who God is… So the lyrics do not necessarily explain the Jesus Culture phenomenon.

The answer is that Jesus Culture popularity has to do with the package they have become.

1. In their interviews and concerts they are focused on promoting “deep encounters” with God and experimental trance-like scenarios built around receiving power and baptism with fire. At the Los Angeles concert they performed a maneuver where after a 10 minute instrumental and light show build-up to a climax, everything suddenly stopped, the crowd went nuts and received power on command from the speaker who declared “receive it, receive it, receive it.” This transfer of power is practiced in the “tunnel of fire” at their church as well. Wild expressions of ecstasy on command from the speaker were common throughout the event.

2. They advertise “new experience” when attending their conferences. This makes them highly attractive for those who seek this type of physical stimulation of the senses. We live in a world which loves sensational experiences, and Jesus Culture provides that. For example vocalist Kim Walker’s testimony of her physical/metaphysical encounter with Jesus is astounding (here, starting at minute 28). It sounds like a description of a scene from a badly made 80’s movie, where she hugs Jesus and presses Him to answer how much He loves her, and whether she was really meant to be a girl and not a boy.  For comparison… a look back at the encounter Paul had with Jesus on the way to Damascus which left him as dead, reveals a completely different type of encounter than the one experienced by Kim.

3. Another reason for their popularity is the fact that their message and conferences have nothing to do with repentance, the new birth, and the cross. Instead the message is focused on power. Power to perform miracles, heal the sick, raise the dead, etc. That is attractive! It makes the followers feel good, and it empowers them, but  in a misleading way.

So, the question will come up… Should we listen to this music because after all, the sound or the lyrics are not different from Hillsong and Gateway?

Can one can separate the recording from the band’s theology and practice, and be edified by songs with a biblical message like “There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain…?”  One has to use his discerning ability and decide for himself.  I will personally never attend another Jesus Culture event, and I will warn the youth about their practices.

But if you really love this music and want to listen to it, I strongly caution you not to get sucked into the bad theology and mystical practice of Jesus Culture.

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Feb 21 2013

A New Passion: The Taylor 414ce

This beautiful new guitar is my new passion. I will experiment using it during worship at church as I try to make a transition from playing keys to playing guitar.

I have been playing keyboards and piano since I was a kid, but I have been secretly loving the idea of leading the church in worship using the guitar.

So I took a big step and purchased this instrument from Sweetwater after bargaining for a good price.

It is made of spruce wood in the front giving the sound a bright tone, while the ovankol wood found in the back and sides provides for deep bass. And my favorite part, it is fitted with the Taylor Expression System Electronics which make it ready for playing in a church setting using amplification.  The sound is absolutely full-bodied and overall amazing.  My finger tips are already calloused 🙂

Psalm 150

1 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD!

Feb 20 2013

Evangelical Romanian Gypsy Worship: Psalm 117

These are songs from Romanian Evangelical Gypsies in the middle of a wedding.  The first clip is based on Psalm 117.  The second clip is a simple “Hallelujah.” All I can say is… amazing.  Worship atmosphere during a wedding…

Praise the Lord all ye nations,

Praise Him all ye people.

Everlasting is His truth,

And His kindness is great to us.

Hallelu, hallelujah, hallelu, hallelujah

Praise the Lord, hallelujah, hallelujah!

Praise the Lord, hallelujah,

Hallelu, hallelujah!

Praise the Lord, hallelujah, hallelujah!

Feb 19 2013

There Is Nothing New in NBC’s Mocking of Jesus

What was NBC thinking?

What was Saturday Night Live (SNL) thinking when they mocked Jesus Christ in this skit (here) this past weekend? What possible reason could they have in doing this?

For the purpose of entertaining the masses, SNL/NBC is portraying Jesus as a revengeful post-resurrection Christ out on a murderous spree. There is gory, blasphemous killing and blood spilling everywhere to the delight and comic relief of the studio audience.  How low will NBC go to mock our Savior?

Dear Christians, this is nothing new.

NBC is merely borrowing an old Satanic technique showing that depravity and mockery are siblings.

Evangelist Luke tells us in chapter 22 how they mocked Jesus after His arrest:

63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. 64 They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?”

And Matthew details in chapter 27:

28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

NBC, enticed by Satan to obtain comedic value and ratings out of mocking Jesus, decided to go ahead and broadcast this clip for the world to see.  Unfortunately for them,  this clip will serve as eternal evidence on Judgement Day, evidence which will convict them before God.

Imagine if NBC/SNL did a skit linking Islam’s Mohammed to such images or to pedophilia.   They wouldn’t dare do such a thing because they fear for their lives.  They know that Christians respond differently from the followers of Mohammed, and that Christians do not respond violently to the mocking of their faith.

Should we be offended and protest against NBC?  No.  This is expected.  The work of Christ is based on mockery and death.  That is how he took our sins upon Himself, and apostle Paul teaches us that we must identify ourselves with the sufferings of Christ as we are united with Christ and hidden in Him.

Satan will continue to mock Jesus.

The world will do the same.

By doing this they will mock His followers as well, which will continue and intensify until His glorious return.