The Fundamental Blog

“Test everything. Hold on to the good.” 1Thessalonians 5:21. If ever there was a time to test, this is it! I call for urgent prayer that the Lord may yet open the ears of the pastor in Florida who is intent on burning copies of the Quran as a tribute to the memory of the September 11th atrocities committed by those who claim the dictates of radical Islam as justification for the murder of thousands of civilians. You know that I’ve had a go at the Roman Catholic church and before too long I’m liable to go off on the Mormons and I could certainly make a compelling case against the teachings of Islam but that is not what I want to discuss. I want to suggest that we need to examine ourselves!

I claim to be a fundamental Christian, that is, one who believes in a fundamental interpretation of the Bible. Now the fundamental believer is likely to catch some flack because the soft and fuzzy crowd of arena Christians think that a fundamental view is too harsh and antiquated to be of any use in today’s post-modern society. I contend that there is nothing wrong with a fundamental viewpoint as long as that, which one is being fundamental about, is the truth. This is not to say there aren’t times when the Bible needs to be correctly understood as figurative or that every parable is supposed to be received as though the subjects were all literal people, but there does need to be some testing in the interpretations being passed around today.

Was Job a real person? I can’t say for sure, though I have no reason to conclude that he was absolutely not a real person, this is simply mincing. But when we have clear instructive doctrine and the pastorate is fleeing from it to satisfy themselves, we need to draw a line. To take an action, or merely suggest an action, that violates the teaching of scripture is something that should never come from the lips of the lay-Christian, much less the leader of a congregation. But we now see a leader of a small Florida church, (50 or so), getting ready to commit an act which will only serve to anger an entire faith for no good reason.

The logic is that since the radical Muslim has no qualms about burning our American flag, or even our Bible, there is no reason that we should restrain from doing unto them the same as they do unto us. This is the height of absurdity! Because we can not endure the actions that an enemy undertakes, are we are now going to use the same tactics against them and then justify it by saying, “Well, they did it first?” We are ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ and though we may face enemies, we are to respond differently than other people.

This supposed Christian pastor in Florida is not Christian if we can know him by his fruit. Where is his doctrine? Jesus said, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46. And what He says is that we are to love our enemies and pray for them and do good to them. This can be found in Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27 and other places as well. By example, Jesus did not antagonize those who were against Him but offered forgiveness to them. But is Islam our enemy? This ought to be the first question we decide before we even begin to consider how we should respond to those who follow Muhammad.

The Bible tells us that if a thing is not of God then it is of the Devil; and if it is of the Devil, then it would have to be considered an enemy of Christianity. All religions do NOT teach the same thing so if there is a difference then it must be decided which is true and which is false. Even simple logic will show that Islam is wrong, here’s how I got there… Christianity shows Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, God incarnate, but Islam says that God, (Allah), has no children and that Christ is no more than a prophet. Still, Islam esteems all the prophets of God equally. So if Islam says Christ is a liar because God has no children then Muhammad, (an equally esteemed prophet), is also a liar. Islam defeats Islam! So now, since Christ is God and Islam is counter to this biblical truth, the only conclusion is that Islam must be of the Devil and therefore an enemy of Christianity.

Now that we have reached that conclusion, all that remains is to see how we are to deal with our enemies. We are definitely not supposed to incite the enemy to violence. This is counter-productive on so many different levels. First, it has the potential of increasing hostilities between the faiths, it also makes it much harder to approach them with the truth and it certainly does not glorify God. We are absolutely not called to sink to their level and use their own tactics against them. When that happens, what makes the Christian any different than them? Who is going to be likely to seek Christ when we have posers in public sticking out their tongues saying, “I know you are, but what am I?” Are we a bunch of 6 year olds on the playground?

Christians, it disgusts me to see this type of behavior cloaked in the robes of Christianity. It should be obvious to anyone who is a true believer that this is only a sham gathering of pseudo-Christians acting out in a destructive manner because the evil sides of themselves feel good knowing that they are stirring up trouble for no good reason. But to the worldlings, this is going to look like what Christianity is all about. They don’t know any better and if this does anything, it is sure to drive people away from the church in droves! We are supposed to be loving the lost into the church, not hating them away and this message needs to be ringing out from every pulpit throughout Christendom.

I am not saying that we should bargain away the truth of our faith, never! But neither can I condone the ravings of a lunatic who defies the Word of God for the supposed sake of promoting God. This is not about doing something extreme and claiming that God is in it, as Christians, real genuine Christians, we must remember that it is not about having God on our side, its about us being on God’s side and that can not happen if Scripture is being defended by violating Scripture.

“Father, I pray that by the power of Your Holy Spirit, truth and sensible action may yet prevail in that small Florida church. I ask that you might convict those involved that there is a better way and that the ways which may seem right to them are foolishness bound to bring more problems than they solve. That what they hope to be a statement of righteous indignation will only be seen for what it is; a dangerous, feeble attempt at self glorification. Lord, we know that though this may be the natural inclination of the hearts of men, guide them in the ways which are right and glorifying to You. Help them to see that the ways of man are not Your ways and that the thoughts they entertain are far from Your thoughts. By the authority of Your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.”

I hope you will join me in that simple prayer. Perhaps we might pass the test, perhaps the prayers of sincere hearts might yet do enough to result in a thing which is…


All for the Glory of Christ

I hate to have to work out in the rain. I hate to bring wet raincoats and soggy shoes into my truck, but if I don’t have to get out and I am merely driving through an occasional storm, I am thankful that the Lord has seen fit to allow me to wash my windshield. We make plans to go to the park and the sky opens up and we get stuck inside brooding because our plans were foiled. We work hard to get ahead but the rain of continuous problems drag us to the pit of despair. Our souls long to sing praises but our hearts are breaking and the rain floods our faces. The rain is a horrid thing and we might all be a lot better off without ever seeing it again, except that it is good and useful at the same time as it is troublesome. Rain is a double edged sword.

God sends the rain to water the plants so that we can enjoy the fruit of the field but just as surely as the rain is necessary for the farmers crops, it also nourishes his enemy, the weeds. The rain falls on the just and the unjust, it builds up and destroys and our view of the rain depends on what is going on around us. The farmer loves the rain in June when it causes the corn to send out its deep secondary roots, but he hates it in May when the fields are so muddy that he can not even set out a crop at all. We like that the rain feeds the rivers so that we can fish, swim and go for a boat ride, but when the streams become devouring monsters, when the rivers turn into oceans that consume thousands of acres, when the water is already three feet over flood stage and the forecast calls for more, no one wants rain. And when you feel beaten down to the point that you can’t take anymore and there is still one more problem to face, don’t we cry out, “Lord am I not broken enough?”

I know a man who has had a terrible time dealing with others because his heart is so soft. The things that most, “manly,” men would think nothing of, or scoff at as unworthy of emotional energy, absolutely destroy this man and as a result, he has taken his share of lumps from grade school to the present day. He hates the rain that streaks his face every time the smallest thing tugs at his heartstrings and because his heart is worn so prominently on his sleeve, that happens often. But he is not alone, there are many people who hate the rain. Whether it be the rain of one’s soul or the rain that falls spoiling the plans for a picnic or the rain of trials that come our way in life, most of us would gladly trade away the overcast skies for snow-white clouds, blue sky, sunshine and cool breezes.

It is only because it’s inconvenient to us that we think that God should relent and allow us to live in peace. Until we are completely broken, we are not broken enough. Until we are at the point where the Holy Spirit is able to have His way with us, we are not ready to be rebuilt. Until we accept the humiliation of breaking down in tears for what would seem like nothing to most other people, we are held in that place of purification with our feet to the fire. Until we become absolutely nothing in our ability to do for ourselves, the Spirit can not transform us into the tools that the Father wants to use to fulfill His good purposes, “For My ways are not your ways…”

My friend asks why he is such an emotional wreck and I find that there is no sure answer because who can know the mind of God? He feels as though he is ineffective in spreading the Gospel, (He is a Godly man), because he becomes so wrapped in emotion that he can hardly get the message out before he is overcome by the depth of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. If he goes to a ball game, the playing of the national anthem causes him to crumble because of the numbers of the fallen who gave everything for the sake of freedom. If he drives down a country road and the blowing Autumn leaves make him realize that he just had a Norman Rockwell moment, his eyes fill up. And most films, especially the old classics, forget it! He can not sing a hymn because he knows how unworthy he is to even lift his voice, and the tears come. Even though he knows that God wants him to be rooted in the faith that the righteousness of Christ makes him worthy, its all he can do to get through a church service.

It boggles his mind to imagine that someone could lose his daughters and then, crossing the very spot on another ship where they had drowned on an earlier crossing, write something like, “It is Well With My Soul.” To look around and see the destruction of a world that God had intended to be pure and good, even though he is sure of God’s certain promise of a new Heaven and the new earth, makes him mourn for the paradise lost. His soul is ripped out and the rain comes, the salty tracks forever burned into his face. The only way he can sing along with the radio is to forget that the words are meant for God, and that’s the last thing he wants. If you were to ask him, he would tell you that, that is the measure he uses to gauge his heart; if he can sing a Christian song that’s playing on the radio without losing it, than he knows his walk is not where it should be, but at the same time, he knows that God has something more for him than to always be walking in tears.

“Even when it’s a song that was written as a secular love song, (because all love songs are really hymns), if I can sing it without crying, then there’s something missing in my walk with the Lord.” Here is a guy who really hates the rain! But the question becomes, should he? Is the fact that the rain falls so easily in this man’s soul a problem in itself, or merely a symptom of something deeper? We hear the prophet Jeremiah referred to as the weeping prophet, but even Jeremiah would have to tell this guy to, “Get a grip!” As I said earlier, who can know the mind of God, but maybe it would not be out of line to speculate just a bit as to what may be happening here.

I think that perhaps, (and again this is only speculation on my part), he is like a reservoir in the mountains being held back by a formidable dam. The water is at the very top and every time it rains, a little bit has to spill over the top. Every drop of rain that falls in the watershed ends up causing a trickle over the top of the dam. Perhaps the flood gates are not working right, perhaps there is still some prideful thing that prevents him from completely emptying out so the emotional rains can be managed in a more productive way. The Spirit is trying to make him more than he is, trying to make him into the chosen tool God intends him to be, but is he is still resisting that one thing that would set it all free? Is there still some garbage that needs to be purged so that the Spirit can have His way? Even though the only way to get the air out of an empty bottle is to fill it with something else; unless the bottle is completely empty to begin with, the filling by the Holy Spirit can not be complete. If the filling by the Holy Spirit is anything less than 100%, it is not what God intends.

So how about the rest of us? How are we doing? Are we as filled as the Spirit wants us to be, and if not; what are we holding back? If we are standing around grousing every time it rains in our life, is it because the dam is already spilling over and we can’t stand even a little more? How can we call God a liar? He promises that we will not be given more than we can bear, so if we truly believe that the rain in our lives is going to overwhelm us, then aren’t we challenging the Word of God? Are you standing in a garden that is already overrun with weeds? The rain may have helped the weeds grow, but the rain was also necessary for the flowers, and it’s the flowers that are…


All for the Glory of Christ