Category: Discipleship

Not Tonight Lord; I Have a Headache

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

We have been making excuses ever since Adam & Eve blamed the devil and each other when they rebelled against God. Even after we come to Jesus, we have plenty of excuses why we don’t move closer to Him in intimacy. Our culture has made famous the adages, “Not tonight dear; I have a headache” and “I’m sorry darling; I’m just really tired,” but did you know there is something similar to this kind of thing in the Bible? Check out the following passage:

“I slept, but my heart was awake,
when I heard my lover knocking and calling:
‘Open to me, my treasure, my darling,
my dove, my perfect one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.’”

“But I responded,
‘I have taken off my robe.
Should I get dressed again?
I have washed my feet.
Should I get them soiled?’” (Song of Solomon 5:2, 3 NLT)

Reading this passage makes me think of the many times I hear the Lord speaking to my heart and drawing me near, inviting me to spend time in communion with him, but I offer a weak excuse, and turn to follow my own desire. I don’t know about you, but I’m so messed up that I’ll use even “good” things as an excuse to not spend that intimate time with the Lord like, “Well Lord, I need to prepare this sermon” or “Lord, I really need to study” or “Lord, I’ll catch you later; brother so and so needs my help.” There are countless others, but these are the first that come to mind. Well, these things are good things, but I hear Jesus saying, “That can wait; come to ME.”

We do the same things in our churches. Jesus makes an invitation for us to come closer and go deeper, but that would mean having to get a little “dirty” and we’ve already “taken off our robes and washed our feet.”

We say, “Lord, we’re all good here. Things are going just fine; I’m not sure how the congregation would respond to what you’re asking here. We’re not really comfortable with emotional displays, and God forbid if someone were to speak in tongues or shout hallelujah or something like that.”

In our hearts we know that the Spirit is speaking to us about how HE wants us to “do church,” but we are content with business as usual, and decide on hiring consultants and demographers to tell us how to grow instead of opening up to Jesus and allowing him to simply have his way.

Sadly, we as individuals and churches run the risk of ending up like the bride in our passage above. Later on, in the same section we read,

“My lover tried to unlatch the door,
and my heart thrilled within me.
I jumped up to open the door for my love,
and my hands dripped with perfume.
My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh
as I pulled back the bolt.
I opened to my lover,
but he was gone!
My heart sank.
I searched for him
but could not find him anywhere.
I called to him,
but there was no reply.”

After giving her excuse as to why she could not open up to her lover, she was moved and thought the better of it; however, the groom had gone. Let’s pray that God will give us grace to respond to his wooing with an immediate, “Lord, have your way with me.”

Thy Kingdom Come

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

(While I most definitely “see through a glass darkly,” I wanted to share with you  some of the research I’ve done as I have tried to understand a little bit more about the Kingdom of God. As you will see, I am really fond of Ladd’s The Presence of The Future , probably because  I agree with a lot of what he has to say (just being honest). While this is in no way a comprehensive study on the Kingdom of God, I do hope it will cause you to think and seek the Lord earnestly about these things.)

There is an abundance of discussion pertaining to the Kingdom within the ecclesia today. One could almost say that we have become inundated with “Kingdom Talk,” and there are as many points of view as there are people discussing them. If we are to understand the relationship between the Church and the kingdom we must first understand exactly what the kingdom is. Are the Kingdom and the church synonymous? If not, what is the church’s role and message in the world as it relates to the Kingdom? These are the questions we shall explore in our present endeavor.

According to George Eldon Ladd, the relationship between the church and the Kingdom will ultimately be defined by what one understands the Kingdom of God to be. If the dynamic concept of the Kingdom is correct, it is never to be identified with the church. The kingdom is primarily the dynamic reign, or kingly rule of God, and derivatively, the sphere in which the rule is experienced. In biblical idiom, the kingdom is not identified with its subjects. They are the people of God’s rule who enter it, live under it, and are governed by it. The church is the community of the kingdom, but never the kingdom it self. Jesus’ disciples belong to the kingdom as the kingdom belongs to them; but they are not the kingdom. The kingdom is the rule of God; the church is a society of men.[1]

Ladd insists that the New Testament never equates the believers with the kingdom, and that the message of the early church was the Kingdom of God and not the church itself.[2] Despite the analogies in the parables of the Kingdom given by Jesus in the gospels, one must resist the temptation of declaring the Kingdom and the church as synonymous. Ladd concludes that the parables, specifically the parable of the tares found in Matthew 13, have “nothing to do with the nature of the church but rather teach that the kingdom of God has invaded history without disrupting the present structure of society.”[3]

There is without a doubt an inseparable relationship between the church and the Kingdom of God; but one must be sure to recognize that there is, at the same time, an overt distinction in identity between the two. Entering the church is not tantamount with entering the Kingdom in that the Kingdom, in its present form, is an invisible realm in which God rules, whereas the church is both visible and tangible. True, to enter the Kingdom means to participate with the church; but one can see, as in the parable of the dragnet, that an entrance into the church does not guarantee one’s participation with the Kingdom. The church is the result of the Kingdom entering the world and is itself a creation of the Kingdom.[4]

The Kingdom takes its departure from God, the church from men. The Kingdom is God’s reign and the realm in which the blessings of his reign are experienced; the church is the fellowship of those who have experienced God’s reign and entered into the enjoyment of its blessings. The Kingdom creates the Church, works through the church, and is proclaimed in the world by the church. There can be no Kingdom without a church- those who have acknowledged God’s rule- and there can be no church without God’s Kingdom; but they remain two distinguishable concepts: the rule of God and the fellowship of men.[5]

Once it as been established that the Kingdom and the church are indeed separate entities, perhaps the question should be asked in what way is the church an instrument of the Kingdom. Is the church the means by which the Kingdom of God is ushered into the world?

There is much talk within the church, especially within the Dominionist and Emergent factions, that the church should infiltrate the various sectors of “secular” governance, and work to usher in the Kingdom of God upon the earth. These factions see it as necessity for the church to institute the rule of God in the society and culture of contemporary historicity; a posture which has had adverse effects when assumed in the past.

According to Murray Rothbard, it was ideology including Christian involvement in politics that precipitated the “welfare state” now entrenched in American society. Rothbard says: “A critical but largely untold story in American political history is the gradual but inexorable secularization of Protestant postmillennial pietism over the decades of the middle and late 19th century. The emphasis, almost from the beginning, was to use government to stamp out sin and to create a perfect society, in order to usher in the Kingdom of God on Earth. Over the decades, the emphasis slowly but surely shifted: more and more away from Christ and religion, which became ever-vaguer and woollier, and more and more toward a Social Gospel, with government correcting, organizing, and eventually planning the perfect society. No matter how commendable the goal of such tactics, there is not one example in the entire Bible of political or social “activism” ever being advocated or used by God’s people.”[6]

It would seem to this writer that the function of the church as an instrument of the Kingdom should perhaps be understood in an evangelistic context as opposed to a political movement. It may be that the church, in preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, is the means by which men are exposed to the message of the Kingdom and are thereby born again into the Kingdom of God’s rule. Instead of attempting to subjugate an unbelieving world, perhaps the church’s true mission is to preach the gospel of the Kingdom, subjugating the hearts of men, and as a result the ethics of the Kingdom would become more and more prevalent within the society in which man lives.

If the Church is an instrument of the Kingdom and not the Kingdom itself, if it is indeed to be understood as an evangelistic tool and not a political movement, it behooves the church to understand the message it is expected to declare to the world. What is the declaration the King would have His citizens declare to those who have not yet submitted to the rule of God?

The King himself has given the church the paradigm for Kingdom preaching. The gospel that Jesus preached was that the Kingdom of God, while to be completely consummated in the future, had indeed, by the appearing of himself, come into history. Again, Ladd gives a beautiful summation asserting that Jesus’ Kingdom message was: God is a seeking God, God is an inviting God, God is a Fatherly God, and God of judgment, who in the person of Christ is acting redemptively upon the earth.[7]

“Jesus proclamation of the presence of the Kingdom means that God has become redemptively active in history on behalf of his people. This does not empty the eschatological aspect of the Kingdom of its content, for the God who was acting in history in the person and mission of Jesus will again act at the end of the age to manifest his glory and saving power. Both the present and the future display God’s Kingdom, for both present and future are the scene of the redemptive acting of God.”[8]

The message the church should be preaching to the world is the same one Jesus preached during his earthly ministry. The gospel of the Kingdom is that God has now come in the person of his Son to seek out, and invite mankind into a relationship with himself through Christ, thereby escaping the judgment which will be executed upon those who are unwilling to submit to his rule. The church proclaims in its message, and displays by its ethics that while the final consummation of the Kingdom awaits future realization, the reality is that the Kingdom of God has indeed come.

While the church is not synonymous with the Kingdom, it nevertheless exists in an inseparable relationship with it. The church, as often has been said, is a people who live “between the times.” They are caught up in a tension between the Kingdom of God and a sinful world, between the age to come and the present evil age. The church has experienced the victory of the Kingdom of God; and yet the church is, like other men, at the mercy of the powers of this world. The church is a symbol of hope, a proof that God has forsaken neither this age nor human history to the powers of evil. The Kingdom of God has created the church and continues to work in the world through the church.[9]

While Jesus never talked about building the kingdom or of his disciples ushering in the kingdom as do so many within today’s ecclesia,[10] the church is indeed inextricably bound to the Kingdom in that it is both its creation and instrument. Until that time in which the not yet is eternally transformed into the now, the church will be that which is made up of them who cry, “Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

1. George Eldon Ladd, The Presence of The Future, (Grand Rapids, Michigan- Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974), 262.

2. Ibid., 263.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid., 264, 265.

5. Ibid., 277.

6. Murry N Rothbard, “Origins of the Welfare State in America,” Ludwig von Mises Institute (August 11, 2006), http://mises.org/daily/2225, (accessed October 4, 2011).

 7. George Eldon Ladd, The Presence of The Future, (Grand Rapids, Michigan- Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974), 171-217.

8. Ibid., 172.

9. Ibid., 338.

10. Ibid., 333.

The Way of the Cross

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

I think if you look at the way in which Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness you’ll find that perhaps his primary objective was to circumvent the cross. As I have thought about this, and considered the current climate in the Church today, I believe that the body of Christ is being tempted in much the same way: There are other ways than the “way of the cross” to achieve God’s purposes.

Jesus  had come, assuming the brokenness of his creation, and this meant going to Jerusalem, and dying on a cross (Matt. 16:21, 20:18; Mark 10:33; Luke 18:31).  After being baptized by John, the Bible tells us that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, and that the Devil tempted him. Jesus had been fasting in this barren place, he was hungry and tired, and it was at this point (and probably all during the 40 days) that the Tempter confronted him.

“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” The Devil is telling the Church the same things today. The Tempter comes and says to the body of Christ, “Look guys if you really are the Church, if you really have his Spirit and are full of God’s power, use it to meet your needs. Hey, you’ve got needs and rights, the Lord wouldn’t want you to suffer. Use that faith of yours to manifest what you need to sustain you. It’ll increase your faith when you see your needs met. After all, you’re no good to any one else if you don’t survive.”

The enemy knows that like Jesus we are to be submitted to the purposes and the will of God. Like Christ, we are to willingly lay down our rights, denying ourselves, existing off of the very “bread” that comes from having heard God speak. Satan knew that if he could get Jesus to give in at this point he was one step closer in diverting him from the cross. And the Tempter seeks to do the same thing to us.

“Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

   ‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

“Jesus,” the Devil was saying, “the cross can be avoided altogether with one big miracle; just show them who you are.” We are offered the same alternative today. The Enemy comes and says, “Hey, this cross business is going to be really painful and messy. There’s no need for you to suffer like that. What better way to get people to see than a miracle! They’ll believe, and you don’t have to suffer! Let’s concentrate on miracles, spiritual gifts, and stuff like that. Ah, think about it. A ‘bull’s-eye’ word of prophecy would blow their minds. They’d have to believe.

Here again we see the enemy offering an alternative to the way of the cross.  The Church is being tempted to bypass the way of the cross for the miraculous.

“Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ‘I will give it all to you,’ he said, ‘if you will kneel down and worship me.’”

Here we see the devil again tempting the Lord to bypass the way of the cross. He tells Jesus that he’ll give him all the nations if Jesus will simply worship him. “Look Jesus, if it’s nations you want, I can give them to you. There doesn’t need to be a cross, just do it my way, and they are yours.” We learn in scripture that Satan’s way is primarily the flesh way. When Peter told Jesus that he (Jesus) should not have to suffer and die, Jesus responded, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” See, Jesus knew his was the way of the cross, and this way is always contrary to what man or Satan would pursue. I think the Church is tempted (regarding the nations) in much the same way today.

The Devil comes and whispers, “Listen Church, no need for this cross business, take the nations by influence and power. Take over the political arena, get the right laws passed, infiltrate the culture, and I’m out of business.”

We are called, as followers of Jesus, to the way of the cross. It is in our weakness that the strength of God is made manifest. As we lay down our lives, take up our cross, and follow him, the life of Jesus and power of God will be made known. Are we to do justice, feed the poor, clothe the naked, and disciple the nations? You betcha! But, these things are the result of the way of the cross, not a substitute for it. Remember when Jesus fed the 5,000? Did it make everyone a believer? Did they all repent and follow him? No, they tried to take him by force and make him king. What did Jesus do? He left, and then later rebuked them for not truly wanting him. They were only seeking to use him. Jesus had his face set towards Jerusalem and the cross.

The Apostle Paul knew that the way of the cross was the way to really touch people for Jesus. He told the Corinthians that true ministers are “always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death works in us, but life in you.” (II Cor. 4:10-12)  Friends if we are ever to truly know the power of Jesus’ resurrection we must first be conformed to the image of his death. This is the way of the cross, and the means by which we are to make disciples.

I Wanna Get Spiritual, Spiritual…

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

It is very popular in our culture today for people to say they are attempting to become more spiritual. It is greeted with general acceptance when people claim to have come to a realization that materialism in its many forms is not the chief end of man, and decide that perhaps spirituality is what’s missing in their lives . Many today are claiming to have experiences with God. There is indeed a trend towards the spiritual in American culture today. We are encouraged by talk show hosts and self-help gurus alike to return to traditional values, begin to pray, have faith and seek after God. Sounds pretty good huh?

Jesus said that no man can come to the Father (God) except through himself. He told the Jews at one point that if they were truly hearing from God, if they were taught of God as they claimed; they would believe in him because he was sent by God. Jesus said that the Father himself testifies that he (Jesus) is the way by which men can come into relationship with God. Jesus also said that the Holy Spirit testifies concerning him. He said the Spirit would glorify him. Jesus also told the people that if they truly understood scripture they would believe in Him. The point I’m trying to make is that if we are truly having a “spiritual awakening,” if we really are in touch with and hearing from God; it will be centered on the person of Jesus. Trying to be more spiritual without an intimate relationship with Jesus is really just another way of being religious.

It is vastly unpopular today to claim to know something absolutely. It is frowned upon by the majority of the populace when some one claims that this or that is the only way. However, that it is exactly what Jesus did. He said I am the way, the truth and the life. The apostle John, in his writings, tells us that you can’t have the Father without Jesus. We find that any one who does not confess that Jesus is the Christ, God who took on a real flesh and blood body, is not of God. I know you’re not supposed to say stuff like that nowadays, but it’s true. John tells us that if you have Jesus you have eternal life. He put it like this: “…for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (1John 5:9-12)

Power!!

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Jesus said that we would receive power when the Holy Spirit indwells us, and that we would be his witnesses. I began to think of this verse in a little different way the other day. Normally, maybe it’s just me, but; when I think of that verse (Acts 1:8), I think of the miracles the Apostles did in the book of Acts. Maybe I’m just a product of the times in that so much is preached now a days concerning how we are to be doing the miraculous, walking in the prophetic, conquering this, and subduing that. Don’t get me wrong; I understand, for the most part, what folks are trying to say. Lately though, I’ve been thinking of “witness power” a little differently.

As we walk in the Spirit, as Jesus is saving us, healing us and giving us his love, as we experience the love and forgiveness of God and the powers of the age to come; it is truly mind blowing! How do you adequately describe the holiness of God, the unconditional love, the peace of God, the way he can take the mess I’ve made of my life and turn it into something that will glorify his wonderful name? You’ve got to have the power of the Spirit! Paul told the Corinthians that  “we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. (I Corinthians 2:13)

I can’t even begin to describe the awesomeness of God without the power of his precious Spirit. As we walk with him, as we come together in holy fellowship, as we wait on him, as we minister to him in those “secret times” of loving intimacy, prayerfully seeking his face, meditating on his words; it is in those quiet places of surrender, being filled freshly with his Spirit  that we are equipped to show forth his glory.

My prayer today is, “Lord, fill me with your Spirit that I may have the ability to put into words just how awesome you really are!”

Trim The Fat

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

Many medical authorities are asserting that Americans have a definite obesity problem. We Americans are quite simply among the most overweight people groups on the planet. Along with this excessive weight comes increased risk of disease. Diabetes, hypertension, and cancer are just a few diseases that may be triggered by “a bulging belly.” I think that perhaps we who make up the “American Church” also suffer from an obesity problem and that rampant false doctrines, heretical teachings, immorality within the leadership, etc… are the diseases this obesity has produced and perpetuated. 

Here in America we are inundated with Christian programming, Christian radio, Christian Bookstores, mega-churches, how to do this & how to be that instructional teachings, and all of this has served to produce an overweight, self-indulgent body more concerned with her own glory and beauty than that of the Lord who purchased her with His own blood. We have fed to the point that we have come to resemble the “fat cows of Bashan” spoken of by the prophet Amos. 

All of this “feeding” has produced a people who worship the way God makes us feel instead of worshiping God Himself. We scramble to and fro to find the preacher with the “fresh word”, the worship leader with the “heavy anointing”, and we feed upon that which only makes us fat and diseased. We have ceased to eat the “true Bread which came down from heaven” and crave the “raisin cakes” of our own idolatry instead. Sure, we are to come together, be built up, be encouraged in the Lord, exercise our gifts for the building up of the church; but, that’s not where it ends.

The Church is not designed to be a “social club” comprised of people who have received their “get out of hell free cards” and now, while waiting to be raptured out of here, indulge themselves in an endless feeding frenzy. No, we are called to the work of ministry. There is a world filled with people who need to hear of the love of God that is only found in Jesus. There is a hurt and desperate world (not to mention those who fill the pews) waiting for someone to minister to them. Can we not push ourselves away from the “table” long enough to feed someone else?

Just like the physical body has to have exercise and proper diet to combat obesity, the church must also utilize these elements in a spiritual fashion. Hebrews 12 tells us, “let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” Perhaps the sin which so easily entangles the American church is the sin of gluttony, and this constant feeding has produced an over weight body wrought with disease. 

Let us pray that the Lord will grant us mercy, that we may again fix our eyes solely upon Him, that we may be filled “with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit [instead of fat] in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” 

House on the Risen Son (Doing)

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the flood waters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.  But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” (Luke 6:46-49)

In our previous segments we’ve talked about coming to Jesus. We’ve looked at how he desires us to be hearing him speak. Now, we want to look at a third aspect of  the wise builder: doing. So many today shout “legalism” or “Pharisee” anytime they are told they must obey or do something. We are sometimes sold an imitation gospel here in the USA, one that says all you have to do is come, ask Jesus in your heart, and then; you’ll prosper, achieve your divine destiny, etc… However, Jesus assures us that unless we do something about what we hear as we are coming to him, we are building on unstable ground.

Here, in Luke 6 this doing, the third leg on our tripod, has the same connotations as coming and hearing- it’s a continuous doing.  I want to keep repeating this: coming, hearing, and doing are continuous, a right now ongoing thing. Jesus said his disciples are not just the ones who hear his word but do it. It is those who are coming, are hearing, and finally, are doing that are his disciples. Remember he asked, “Why do you call me Lord and don’t obey me?” You see, when you study the Bible you find out that “being” and “doing” are always linked. If you really are what you say you are you will do his word and not just hear it. Jesus says he who keeps my word, continues in my word, who obeys and does my word; this one is my disciple. None of us are perfect my brothers & sisters, but the New Testament clearly teaches that a disciple is one who is doing the word.

 James 1:22 tells us that the  one who hears and does not do is deceived. Remember how I said that the Greek, here in our Luke 6 text, showed that this coming, hearing, and doing, was something we did ourselves, for ourselves? Well this being deceived is the same type of word. The one who is merely going to the Bible, hearing the words of the Lord, and not doing them, are right now, present tense, walking in deception which they have brought upon themselves. You know, some people enjoy hearing the word of the Lord. Some people enjoy being convicted. I think of Herod who was moved when he would listen to John the Baptist  preach, but; he never did anything about it!!  I want to drive this home: Jesus is telling us that as disciples we must be coming to Him for the word, continuously hearing His word, and continuously doing His word. Pastor Dennis Hall mentions that Christ, while on earth, enjoyed constant communion with the Father as he continuously sought him in times of isolated intimacy. Jesus continuously came to the Father, heard him speak, and then did what he said. And so it is with us- You can’t only come, you have to hear. You can’t only hear you have to do. (One thing we need to remember is that unless this doing flows out of  the intimacy of coming to him we can easily wind up wind up like the Pharisees.)

Let’s come to Jesus and put into practice the things we hear from him. As we do, we will dig deep and build our house on the risen Son of God.

House on the Risen Son (Hearing)

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the flood waters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.  But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” (Luke 6:46-49)

The last time we looked at Luke 6 tEditogether we saw that there are three things that really stand out in the story Jesus is telling about house building: Coming, Hearing, and Doing. We have discussed that Jesus says the wise builder is one who continuously comes  to him. Next, we observe that Jesus says the wise builder is the one who is continuously hearing him.

As we are continuously coming to Christ, we will be continuously hearing God speak. Again, the original Greek brings out the fact that it is a continuous hearing that Jesus is speaking of: “Everyone who who is hearing…”

Scripture repeatedly warns against becoming “dull of hearing.” There are so many places in the Bible that we find comments like, “He that hath ears to hear” or “Having ears but not hearing.” How any of us came to Christ after hearing the gospel but have stopped coming to hear from him? When is the last time you heard God speak to your heart? So many say, “Well, God never talks to me, etc…” Well, are you continually going to him in prayer, reading his word, spending time in worship (just you & Jesus),  and in fellowship with your brothers and sisters?  Jesus promised that his sheep would hear his voice, that they would know him, but, as we see in Luke 6; this hearing is linked to a continual coming to Him.

Check out these verses:

Jeremiah. 6:10 “To whom  shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears  are closed And they cannot listen Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.”

Zechariah 7:11 “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing.”

As I was thinking about hearing , I read the story of the deaf  gentile man with the speech impediment found in Mark 7:32 . This guy had been brought to Jesus and his friends were asking Jesus to heal him. I am deeply moved by the compassion and tenderness Jesus displayed in his dealing with this man, how he took him off to the side, away from the crowd. As I read,I began to remember all the times I have heard people mock the way deaf people speak and I imagined that people may have indeed mocked this man as well. It occurred to me that perhaps Jesus did not want to subject him to ridicule or embarrassment so he took him off to the side, by himself to minister to him. The deaf man’s speech impediment came as a result of his inability to hear, in many ways; this mirrors what happens to us when we don’t come to Jesus and hear him speak, or when we grow dull of hearing. When we fail to continuously come to Jesus and hear him speak,  when we become deaf to his words, our ability to communicate to others the awesomeness of knowing Jesus is impeded. We are not hearing and we are therefore not able to speak clearly the things the Lord desires for us to share with others. Like the deaf man, we need to come to Jesus, and once we are able to hear, we will be able to tell others of  all that God has done for us.

Jesus said that the wise builder is the one who is coming to him, who is hearing him, and as we shall see next time; the wise builder is one who acts on the words of of the Lord.

House on the Risen Son

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

By now every one knows about how the “housing bubble” burst here, in America. But what we don’t hear a lot about are the spiritual houses collapsing around us everyday.  Luke 6:46-49 has this to say:

46 So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.

 If we look closely at this passage from Luke, a couple of obvious things stand out: coming, hearing, and doing. I like how the scriptures  point out  the way Jesus would wait upon the Father, continuously seeking Him, and hearing from Him as to what to do and what to say. We find that Jesus said, “I’m never alone because I always do that which pleases the Father.” Jesus continuously came to the Father, he continuously listened to the Father’s words, and finally; he always did what the Father showed him. Jesus’ relationship with the Father had the same characteristics he talks about in our section out of Luke 6. If we are to avoid a housing collapse in our lives we need to understand  what Jesus was talking about in regards to this Coming, Hearing, and Doing. Let’s look first at the Coming.

As most of  you know, our English New Testaments were translated from Greek manuscripts, and sometimes looking at a verse as it is written in the Greek will bring out aspects of the verse we might otherwise miss. In the case of our passages out of Luke 6, the original Greek brings out clearly that the coming to him Jesus has in mind is a continuous coming to him. The Greek reads, πᾶς ὁ ἐρχόμενος πρός με or,  “Everyone who is coming to me” Just as Jesus went continually before the Father, so we must continually come to Christ. So many refer back to the time they came to Christ, “Yeah, 20 years ago I got saved…” But are we coming to him today?  Jesus said that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the Father. Our relationship with Jesus must be an on going, right now, present tense relationship. Remember during their time in the wilderness, after the Exodus, the children of Israel were to gather fresh manna every morning. In Moses’ tabernacle, fresh bread was placed upon the table of show bread every Sabbath. It was not allowed to get stale. Brothers and sisters our coming to Christ must be continuous. There is fresh bread but we must come!

The Greek also depicts this coming as something that we do. It carries the aspect of the subject (us) doing something intentionally, with his own benefit in mind. (We Americans ought to be good at this: “What am I going to get out of this?”) This is an intentional coming to Christ on our part. So often we think that we are just going to magically grow in Christ through some kind of osmosis, but; Jesus is saying here in Luke 6 that it is you and I who are to come to him on purpose, continually. Let me ask you to think for a moment… What do you continuously run to? We intentionally go to the TV, the computer, our entertainment,  our families, and the list goes on and on, but; do we intentionally turn aside and draw near to hear God speak to us?  We ask God for his grace for this and that, but; what about asking him for the grace to seek his face. Grace is not solely for when we mess up.  Grace is the power of the kingdom! Let’s ask him for the grace to seek his face.

We also need to see here in Luke 6 that Jesus said we are to be continuously coming to HIM, hearing Him, and doing His word. It’s all in Him! So many of us spend our time running here and there, looking for the latest word from this one or that one, and; Jesus wants us to be coming to him, and hearing his words.  Intimacy with Christ is the key thing here. Let me tell you something, “God is not hiding out in the Bible.” Now understand me, the Bible is the inspired word of God profitable for teaching, correction, reproof and training in righteousness, so that you and I can be adequate and equipped for every good work; but the only way we can properly understand this book is through relationship with Christ. This is what Jesus told the Jews in John 5:39, 40, “You search the scriptures but you don’t see that they speak of me, and you are unwilling to come to me that you may have life.” This book speaks of him! The Bible is not intended to be worshiped or as some kind of magic book with spells in it that will magically give us eternal life- No!! This book is to bring us to Jesus. We can read this book every day (the Jews had most of it memorized, and oh yeah, the devil can quote it too), but if we are not continually coming to Christ, they are merely words on a page.

Here is  the best part of all: Even though our passage tells us that our continuous coming to Christ is something we do ourselves, he is the one that makes first contact!  Remember  the story of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9? Remember he was the crippled son of Jonathan who David sought out to show mercy and kindness to? (See our post Mephibosheth Saith)  Like David, your King is seeking you out, he will carry you into his presence himself, and he will make the way. Mephibosheth was not seeking David, David sought him. And Jesus is seeking you!

The first step in building a House on the Risen Son is a continual coming to Jesus!

(Next time we’ll look into the hearing part.)

Postmodern Reflections: Concluding Thoughts

Posted on by Kyle Fuller

The most obvious  evidence of  the Emergent/Postmodern Movement’s (EPM) heretical nature is the treatment of the Lordship of Christ and the atonement. To the EPM, Jesus is more or less a social activist and the cross is rarely referred to.  The need for forgiveness and freedom from sin is, for the most, part ignored by the EPM, and an emphasis is instead place upon the “work of the Spirit” already present in various cultures and faiths. It is not a relationship with God through faith in Christ that is stressed within the EPM, but rather it is the enlightenment which comes through communal fellowship that appears to be the primary objective. Perhaps an emphasis on the cross and the blood is somewhat offensive to the delicate, sensitive, enlightened minds of the EPM. Perhaps  the cross and the blood have become irrelevant as they maintain that while God has indeed acted uniquely in the person of Christ; he is just as active through the means of other religions and one had better not try and restrict God to one belief system. “One can never tell what God might do.”

It is obvious that many within the body of Christ are aware of the danger of  the EPM and are speaking out against it. The internet is filled with numerous sites dedicated to the exposition of false teachings and it appears that the EPM is at the top of the list. However, I have observed that many so called evangelical sites seem to be adverse to any type of new “preaching method” While  I am adamant in my insistence that the EPM is a major factor in the end time apostasy as told by the apostle Paul, I cannot however take the stance of many that the only way to “have church” is by strict adherence to the “three hymn, three point sermon, and out by twelve o’clock” paradigm, or that strict historical/grammatical interpretation of the Bible is the only legitimate form of hermeneutics. (An interesting study is how the New Testament writers made use of the Old Testament.)

The EPM  is correct in insisting that the world no longer follows a modernity minded motif and sadly many within the body of Christ have refused to acknowledge this fact. While many have stuck their heads in the proverbial hole in the ground, hoping for the good old days to return; what is at stake  are the countless souls that will be lost should the people of God fail to learn from the weaknesses the EPM  heresy has revealed. Michael Andrus claims that heresy (i.e.  EPM)) is a tool God uses to reveal deficiencies within the church, and I am inclined to agree. The church must be willing to utilize tools found within the postmodern culture as instruments of preaching the gospel. To many within the traditional church it seems strange to say that the gospel can be preached through art. But in an age that is increasingly visual and sense oriented, art may be a tool by which the cross of the Lord Jesus is put on display. Concurrent with this visual genre is the utilization of video and other multimedia tools. In the postmodern world, “sermon jams” and gospel oriented videos are an outstanding means by which to communicate the gospel.

While one must be careful to understand that the Bible is not simply a narrative to be interpreted as one filters it through his own cultural context, this writer would agree with the EPM that too often the modern mindset of ecclesiastical institutionalism has restricted biblical interpretation to a form whereby, much like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, scriptural interpretation is  static and rigid. While comprehension is academically acquired; the heart of the interpreter does no encounter the living Christ scripture is pointing to. To many modernists, the Bible itself has become God. Listening to many “evangelical” preachers one often finds the minister quoting the Bible in a fashion which depicts it as the “end all” instead of the means to the Ends. I  believe that the Bible was provided for man, by God, who watched over and guided its compilation, breathed every word as it was written in its original language, and was given as a means by which to encounter the one true God in the person of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, while the EPM claims to desire an authentic encounter with Christ, through scripture (even though they can’t be sure who he really is), given their epistemology; one wonders how this could be achieved.

It should be stated that EPM communities vary greatly. While one group may have certain emphases, another is vastly different. One would be hard pressed to say, “This is what EPM churches look like.”  Emergent communities may “shed their skin” and take on a new look as the community feels the need. The differences between an EPM church and the traditional church are a bit more obvious.

Whereas the traditional church has a senior pastor, deacon board, and perhaps elders; the EPM makes every effort to appear leaderless and communal. The traditional church will meet in the traditional church building and be decorated with the traditional accessories (pews, pulpits, choir lofts, hymnals, etc…). An EPM church on the other hand may meet in a house, coffee shop, warehouse, or whatever kind of facility that is available. The décor will be postmodern, featuring old and new, art work, perhaps a prayer labyrinth, and it will differ as to the respective communities. The traditional church will have the “three songs and a sermon by the senior pastor” paradigm whereas the EPM church may have a drama acting out a story from the Bible, a group discussion on verses from the Bible, someone painting a picture on site while relating what it means to their spiritual journey, or perhaps even a trip to the local Buddhist temple for some guided meditation.

Often we imagine what it would look like if we were to live in the book of Revelation. How will the deception, the false church, etc…  look when it is  truly among us? While the end time scenario will indeed evolve; it is obvious to me that all one has to do is look around and see that it is even now beginning to be made manifest. In II Thessalonians 2 the Bible speaks of a deluding spirit sent by God upon those who have not loved and received the truth. Already, even those within the church are being deceived by the EPM lie and preaching and believing in another Jesus. Although, safely tucked away in the very buckle of the Bible Belt (as I am), one may not be exposed to such extreme manifestations of the EPM heresy as portrayed in Gibb’s & Bolger’s Emerging Churches; the tendrils of the movement can be seen wrapping itself around the institutions men have erected and insist on calling churches.

My study of the EPM has led me to believe that while there are indeed aspects of the movement that could be culled and appropriated by the so called traditional church ; the EPM itself is heretical and is a very real manifestation of the deception which is to befall many as eschatology is realized.  “Business as usual” for the traditional church is over to be sure and while the message of the church is now, has always been, and forever more shall be the message of the cross of Christ; the means by which the gospel is conveyed to a postmodern world should and must, be adapted to the culture itself. While the body of Christ must surely be careful to avoid the trap of cultural assimilation which has ensnared the EPM, it must  understand that cultural identification is imperative in postmodern evangelism. While admittedly society has evolved from a modern to a postmodern culture, the gospel must not be influenced and altered for the sake of relevancy, rather; the cross of Christ must be preached, the gospel creating its own relevance in the cultures and subcultures  in which its ministers find themselves.

(Oh yeah, Check out  Gregory Fisher’s comments on Postmodern Reflections (part 3), very insightful.)