Month: September 2011

Will You

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Will you carry My cross

and be misunderstood

They might think that you’re crazy

That you’re up to no good

Will you show in your living

the way that I died

Letting death work within you

so that others find life

Will you sing in the shadows

remaining unknown

They’ll question your timing

if you play My song

Will you shout on the rooftops

what I show you in prayer

It’ll cost your reputation

and not many will care

Will you drop what you’re doing

and let go of your dreams

Instead of master be servant

Will you follow Me

( “Will You” © 2011 B. Kyle Fuller)

Reflections

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

“So which shall we choose? Experience or truth? The left wing of an airplane, or the right? Study or service? Evangelism or discipleship? The front wheels of a car, or the rear? Subjective knowledge or objective knowledge? Faith or obedience?”

“Damn all false antitheses to hell, for they generate false gods, they perpetuate idols, they twist and distort our souls, they launch the church into violent pendulum swings whose oscillations succeed only in dividing brothers and sisters in Christ.”

“The truth is that Jesus Christ is Lord of all- of the truth and of our experience. The Bible insists that we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.” (D. A. Carson Becoming Conversant With The Emerging Church: Understanding a Movement and Its Implications)

Better Than Life

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

” O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in your sanctuary
and gazed upon your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.

I lie awake thinking of you,
meditating on you through the night.” (Ps. 63: 1-6 NLT)

When you read these words of David you can’t help but be moved by his expression of longing and love for the Lord. You get a glimpse into the heart of a man who has a very real love relationship with the living God. “I long for you, I thirst for you, I lie awake thinking of you;” these are words lovers use.

David goes on to say that the love of the Lord is better than life itself. In other words, he is saying that if he were to be deprived of God’s unfailing love, life would not be worth living. Lord, your nearness, your fellowship, experiencing your love is something I can’t live without.

Notice what this intimacy, this love inspires : WORSHIP. The  intimacy David shares with the Lord moves him to worship the Lord. He says,  “I will praise you, I will lift my hands to you, I will pray to you, I will sing to you.” Intimacy and worship go hand in hand. As we began to discover how high, how deep, how wide, and how long the love of God is, our hearts will naturally overflow with worship.

Jesus, I don’t want to just know about you; I want to know you.

NLI Ministries: “In The Midst of the Madness”

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

You hear people say all the time that it seems like the whole world has just gone crazy. The global political and economical landscape is changing at break-neck speed. The ecclesiastical landscape is also undergoing changes; some say for the good, while others warn of impending doom. We need to know that “In The Midst of The Madness” there is a God who is calling us to Himself through Jesus Christ.

NLI Ministries presents a five part sermon video entitled, “In The Midst of The Madness.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNMC1CnkA6w

In The Night Watches

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

It’s late and I really should be in bed right now; but, I sit here with my cat staring at me, trying to put into words all that is on my heart. I have such a burden for the body of Christ; but, there are times when I find myself becoming argumentative, trying to prove a point about this or that.  I’m reminded that Paul told Timothy that the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome.  I struggle with that.

I see those who are ministering within the traditional church trying to hold on to traditions that God is quite obviously shaking to the very core.

I see those who have been hurt and rejected by the traditional church; so, they leave, resolving to “do church” the right way, only they have not allowed the Lord to truly heal them, or reveal to them the desire for power, recognition, and control that lurks within them and they end up becoming the very thing they so adamantly opposed.

I see those who have such a desire to be deep and spiritual that they have rejected the sound teaching that Paul said we must pay close attention to.

I see those who believe that Jesus has called the church to take over the world and right all wrongs.

I see the dispensationalists, amillennialists, post-millennialists, pre-millennialists, preterists, pre-tribbers, mid-tribbers, and post-tribbers.

I could go on and on describing the differences one finds within the body of Christ; but, do you know something we all have in common…? Give up? I’ll tell you: doctrine.

Each camp holds to certain doctrines or teachings. Even the ones who insist you don’t have to worry about doctrine cling to and assert doctrine in the mere act of claiming you don’t need doctrine.

Many within the church today flinch at the word doctrine and because of various reasons (a subject for another time) reject the truth about the importance of doctrine. We have come to view doctrine as a nasty word that stifles the true moving of God’s Spirit when in all actuality doctrine is designed to promote intimacy with Jesus, ensure salvation, and enable one to listen to the very heart of God.

The Greek words διδαχή (didache) and διδασκαλία (didaskalia) are the primary words translated doctrine in our New Testament. It simply means that which is taught, or a teaching concerning something.  Didache or didaskalia is used many times in the New Testament. (Many translators opted to translate these Greek words into our English word “teaching” and that’s perfectly acceptable.) Here are a few scriptures (KJV) that talk about doctrine:

Matt. 7:28 “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine”

Matt. 22:33 “And when the multitude heard [this], they were astonished at his doctrine.”

Mark 1:22 “And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.”

Mark 1:27 “And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What thing is this? What new doctrine [is] this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.’”

Rom. 16:17  “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”

I Cor. 14:26 “Ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”

I Tim. 4:16 “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

I Tim. 6:3  “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness…”

Titus 2:1 “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.”

 Titus 2:7 “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine [shewing] uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity…”

There are more, but I think the examples cited suffice to show that doctrine is important and not intended to be negative; but, positive, life changing and life giving.

I so desire that we in the body of Christ be able to discern true, sound biblical doctrine; and the way we do it is to come to the Bible humbly asking the Spirit of God to teach us. We need to ask the Lord to remove the presuppositions each one of us bring to the table, and allow Him to teach us the truth. Also, whereas we each do have a personal relationship with Christ, God has set things up so that the life we have in Christ is fully expressed as we live in community with each other. The Holy Spirit will minister to us through our brothers and sisters (Col.3:16), and there is a “checks and balances” system in place. I don’t know everything. I get it wrong sometimes. I need the body of Christ and the body of Christ must adhere to the sound doctrine found in the Bible.

Doctrine was never intended to be some legalistic set of traditions that we have to follow or we’re kicked out of the body of Christ. Instead, doctrine is that which reveals to us the heart of God, creating intimacy with Jesus as His Spirit reveals to us the life we have in Him. The doctrine of godliness is not a goad to be kicked against, but rather that which is to be sought after and embraced.

Remember, true doctrine always glorifies Jesus, promotes intimacy with Him, calls for holiness in life, and reveals the need for Christ to those who are without Him.

Hey Jude

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

It is increasingly obvious that we are in that kairos (see “Preach The Word”)  time when many who name the name of Jesus are rejecting the sound doctrine of the Bible and have made for themselves “another Jesus”. This Jesus is careful not to offend. He is not too concerned if His disciples continue to practice a lifestyle of sin. This “Jesus” is more or less a Gandhi like figure (thanks Mike) whose main concern is social justice and the redistribution of wealth.

I have within me a burden, one that never goes away; always in my heart and on my mind, to preach the truth of God’s word. I have a desire that burns within me to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” So, when I discern these false doctrines that are based on a “self-constructed Jesus” and a mishandling of scripture, I feel compelled to write or preach or respond in someway. But alas, someone has beat me to the punch.

As usual, the Bible has addressed this time we live in (wow, you would almost think God’s word is alive and able to transcend time and culture) with astonishing clarity. Jude says:

1This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.

I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.

2 May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

The Danger of False Teachers

3 Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. 6 And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. 7 And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.

8 In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. 9 But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels,did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) 10 But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. 11 What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

12 When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you.[e] They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. 13 They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.

14 Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones 15 to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

16 These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.

A Call to Remain Faithful

17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

22 And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others,but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

A Prayer of Praise

24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. (Jude NLT)