Let me make this clear before you read any further, I love and appreciate John MacArthur. I have learned immensely from him and his level of biblical expertise is hard to match. He’s an inspiring leader for a variety of reasons. But his most recent blog post at the Shepherd’s Fellowship blog (which I do highly recommend) about TBN being an “Unholy Trinity” has me a little troubled.
Stop it people!! Stop with your negativity! Stop the bickering, complaining, murmuring, backbiting, negative-thinking junk. Stop the stinkin’ thinkin’!!
This is adapted from a sermon based on Judges 13
I really don’t have to belabor the point of how morally confusing these times are, do I? We hear the news. We read the stats. And we know how tough it is to be growing up in this present culture. That’s how things were for Israel when Samson was born.
We’re concerned right now about N1H1. We’re washing our hands more, avoiding crowded waiting rooms, and quarantining those who do come down with the nasty bug. Why? It spreads easily and has a lot of impact.
There are two traits that will make or break a church, a family, or any kind of an organization. They both go viral and leave a recognizable mark upon their culture. They are simply two attitudes – one positive, the other negative. Oh, and one spreads faster than the other… guess which one!
I’ve argued for quite some time that abortion is not just a religious issue. Don’t misunderstand – for me – it is first and foremost religious in the sense that I believe God creates every unique human being with dignity and value at conception, and He alone has the authority to give and take life. But that’s not the only argument in favor of being pro-life.
Consider the statements made by David Harsanyi, a self-avowed atheist who practices moral relativism, in a recent opinion piece in the Denver Post in which he states, “…it’s difficult to understand how those who harp about the importance of ’science’ in public policy can draw an arbitrary timeline in the pregnancy, defining when human life is worth saving and when it can be terminated.”
I first saw this video at Michael Hyatt’s blog (CEO of Thomas Nelson). It’s so powerful and moving and I wish every kid, teen, parent, grandparent, politician, and Pastor could see and feel the passion in it.
Sometimes I think we miss the point. Change the world.
The Southern Baptist Convention has recently released its Annual Church Profile report, which spells out that the denomination is in decline. Last week, the Baptist Missionary Association of America welcomed three new churches into its fold. While we have a hard time tracking statistics of churches that have died, I’m going on an assumption that we lost more than three. Mainline Protestant denominations have been declining for a decade or more. What’s happening to my denomination?
I’m not an expert on denominational history or organizational tactics, but I am an observer of culture, so I want to throw out some possibilities of what could be happening, and why it may not be such a bad thing after all.
I’m deeply concerned. Jesus made a bold statement once about the influence of believers when He said, “If the salt loses its savor, it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under the foot of men.” I’ve just finished reading an article by Al Mohler that gives an articulate voice to a rising concern within Christianity – are we losing our savor?
John Owen preached in the early 1660’s in London. He felt that his times were times of increasing immorality and that God’s impending judgment upon the city was inevitable. Hear his words…
You know that for many years, without failing, I have been warning you continually of an approaching calamitous time, and considering the sins that have been the causes of it… I have told you that judgment will begin with the household of God; that God seems to have hardened our heart from His fear… and that none knows what the power of His wrath will be. In all these things I have foretold you of perilous, distressing, calamitous times… These now lie at the door, and are entering upon us.
I’m convinced that we need such prophets today to call God’s people to a place of repentance and prayer. Some will think me crazy, but I’m firmly convinced that God is beginning to deal with the enormous piles of our sins as a nation and that this judgment will begin with God’s people, who have mimicked the world’s philosophy and behavior.
Perilous times are ahead and we haven’t really seen anything yet. And as we continue to watch the steady erosion of the family, the murder of the innocent unborn, the celebration of sexual deviance and promiscuity, the filling of our prisons with violent prisoners, and the materialism that has so gripped us in our comfortable times, we’ll see God’s hand grow more and more heavy.
Is such a prophetic message politically correct? Absolutely not. Is it fashionable or acceptable to our tamed age? Not at all. But neither were the messages of Isaiah and Ezekiel, or of John Owens or Richard Baxter.
If times get tough (assuming we’ve seen little so far compared to what God may intend to do), are you prepared? Repentant? Clean? Saved? Secure?
photo credit: walrusoflove43
Brandon is first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ. He's a husband to Angie and a Dad to Ella Grace and Samuel David. He's a Pastor to Bethel Baptist Church, Editor of Fuel Your Blogging and also a logo and web designer.
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