Riddle me this:

Five frogs are sitting on a log.  Three of them decide to jump off.  How many frogs are left on the log??

I was never very good at story problems in school, nor at riddles, for that matter.  But the answer to this one seems pretty straight-forward.  The obvious answer is two.  But of course, it wouldn’t be a good riddle without a twist.  The real answer is five.  Why?  Because making a decision to do something is different than actually doing it.  The riddle never told us any frogs actually jumped, just that they decided to jump.  Big difference.

This is very similar to what I see in modern evangelism and alter-calls.  We are told to “make a decision” for Christ.  The preacher often asks those who “made decisions” to raise their hands.  And of course we will certainly hear what the “decision count” was the next time we all get together.  But is “making a decision” what the Bible preaches as the Gospel?  No.  The Bible tells us to believe.  Believe Christ is the Son of God, God in the flesh who paid for our sins on the Cross and rose again.  We are to repent of our sins and follow Him as Lord and Master, living a life of repentance.  A simple nod of agreement or decision that we need God means nothing.  We find in Luke 24 what is supposed to be preached, “repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Jesus name.”

Have you “made a decision for Christ”?  Wonderful.  It means nothing.  Let me now ask you some questions that mean everything; Have you believed the message of Jesus Christ?  Are you putting all your trust in Him?  Are you relying on His work on the Cross to pay for your crimes and do you realize that your good deeds have no value whatsoever in settling your debt with God?  Do you now call Him Lord, Savior, Master, and God?  Have you repented of your sins?  Are you striving to be Holy, because He is Holy?  Do you hate the sins you once loved because He has changed you?  Is the change so profound that it is noticeable to those around you or have you just made inward “decisions” to change?  Do you truly believe and follow Him??  True belief will be reflected in every aspect of your life.

The most determined frog of the five is still, to this day, sitting on the log.  Don’t be a decisional frog, repent and believe today!

For a moment, I would like to address any preachers, teachers, bloggers or evangelists that may be reading this article.  For that matter, I would ask anybody who is discussing the Gospel with others, written or verbally, to take a moment to consider my plea.  I guess I am addressing all true Christians.  My plea is this, Please stop protecting Jesus!  He does NOT need a bodyguard!

Let me explain.  Most professing Christians, and especially pastors, would gladly admit verbally that Christ is sovereign, omniscient, and omnipotent.  But it seems the more I listen to sermons and read blogs, I keep encountering the same problem.  Their messages often don’t reflect their professions.  People are trying to protect Jesus…from Himself!  When Jesus says something in His Word very pointed and direct, the modern worker often tries to soften it so as not to offend the sensibilities of the modern audience.  When He says something that is an offense to our culture (perhaps something that chafes against the high esteem with which we view freedom and choice) we try to merge our culture with these teachings upon delivery.  We turn commands into choices and factual realities into mere analogies.  While the teacher acknowledges Jesus is all-powerful and cannot be harmed by man, their messages often show their view of His knowledge and wisdom is not as lofty.  So many feel deep down inside that they must carefully edit His Holy Word into something more palatable to the modern listener.  They are compelled to round off the pointed corners, so to speak.  In other words, there is a trend, a feeling they must change His poor choice of words (which were acceptable in primitive societies) into something that will draw modern men rather than alienate them.

Here are a few passages with profound meaning, that I have noticed are rarely addressed

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Originally posted at ChurchSalt.com

I have been wanting to write a few words on this subject for a while now, but was unsure how to address it.  The problem I find myself facing is in trying to expound upon, further illuminate, or unveil something that is crystal clear in Scripture.  When something is presented in a straightforward manner (black and white, so to speak) but is completely ignored by a great number of those professing Christ, what conclusion can be made?  The passage I am referring to is James 4:4

 Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.

Maybe it is the word “enmity” that is used in so many translations of Scripture.  Perhaps because interpreters have often chosen this uncommon (and often misunderstood) word many have not come to comprehend the full meaning of this passage.  It seems obvious enough what the meaning of enmity truly is, for the statement is made twice, using slightly different terms, to make the meaning more than clear.  Those who seek friendship with the world make themselves God’s enemy.  You read correctly….enemy.  When was the last time you went to a church service and heard the Pastor state that there were people in the crowd who have been striving, working toward the goal of making themselves an enemy of the Lord?  Probably never.  In many churches it is simply stated that God has a wonderful plan for your life if you would just let him in the door to your heart (a message found absolutely no where in Scripture).  But here we have it stated quite clearly that we can indeed become an enemy of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.  Yikes!

So how does someone go about making themselves a friend of the world (and therefore an enemy of God)?  The same way any friendship is made.  Spending time together, learning to appreciate the same entertainments, discussing and evaluating issues and coming to a common view, and other such activities.  Looking at just these few methods brings up an obvious question.  Are you and I making ourselves friends with the world?  Do we watch the same TV networks, programs and sports as those who are lost around you?  Do you listen to music that sounds just like the world’s music so that the others will see “there is no difference, Christian don’t miss out on anything”?  Do you invite people to church knowing your church will be viewed as friendly, or with the knowledge that they will hear the Word of God?  Do you have more in common with the viewpoints of secular organizations such as the Republican Party, the NRA, or United Way than you do with the political and social views of God as explained in Scripture?  Do you try to justify your social & political views with Bible or do you search the bible to try to learn what your views should be?  In other words, do you try to be a well-liked Christian or do you just try to be a Christian?

If the World hated the most humble, giving, loving, righteous and kind man who ever walked the face of the Earth, and in fact hated Him so much they tortured and crucified Him, why does it get along with you and I just fine?  Please do not flatter yourself with the notion that you know how to blend Christianity and culture better than Christ did (and do so in a Godly way)!  Jesus Himself told us that if we are humble and giving servants of Him, preaching the Gospel wherever we went, we would be hated.

Read John 15:18-19

 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

 This passage is also very clear.  If you are truly not of the world you will be hated.  Period.  So why does everyone at work, your old friends from high school, and your neighbors all like you?  I am not suggesting Christians should strive for unpopularity.  What I am saying is we should strive for radical love and obedience to Christ, and let the chips fall where they may.  Preach the Gospel to all creatures (especially if you truly care for them) and live an upright life.  Not to earn salvation, but because you have already been purchased by Christ and belong to Him.  Bring glory to his name not an increase in diameter to your social circle.

When one takes the time to think about it, it is obvious that this problem of ignoring the word “enmity” is not limited to individuals.  Many modern churches are striving to be friends with the world as well.  View a sampling of Rick Warren videos on YouTube or Google sometime and see how many different groups he agrees with.  When speaking to Jews he never discusses Jesus.  When speaking with Muslims he only discusses the common ground found in the Old Testament.  When speaking with Reformed groups he states he agrees with Reformed theology.  He will be anything to anybody to gain their friendship.  How is this not striving to become friends with the world?  It is not just polite small talk so he can access a platform in which to preach the Gospel, because he never actually goes back and preaches the Gospel, just self-help and friendship.  The reason I am picking on Rick Warren is because he is a highly visible example of how Christian ministries are NOT supposed to operate.  Where did Paul and Peter ever compromise their message of repentance and the exclusivity of Christ to become friends with the world?  It takes Scripture twisting of Olympian proportions to say “I have become all things to all men” actually meant Paul agreed with heretics so they would like him!  Why are so many churches and individual Christian ashamed of the true Gospel message (repentance and the forgiveness of sins in Jesus name) when around the lost?  We are more concerned with making them comfortable around us and in our churches than offering them the only message that brings eternal life.  It is not loving or “relevant” to deny them the Gospel nor is it true friendship to make them comfortable living in unrepentant sin.  It is hateful and selfish, leading only to our popularity within worldly social circles while condemning them to an eternity in torment, all so we can maintain a level of social comfort.   Worst of all, it denies the glory due to Jesus Christ who bought you.

What about music?  Why is it that so many churches claim they have “freedom in Christ”, but the first thing they do with that freedom is to play worship music that is nearly identical to popular worldly music?  Is it impossible to write and play Godly music without mimicking the ungodly?  I have heard of many churches now actually playing AC/DC, Jonas Brothers, and other worldly music unashamedly in their Sunday morning services in an attempt to be relevant.  The stated purpose is to make the lost comfortable in Church.  “Church” is by the very definition of the word the body of Christ.  How can the lost be comfortable?!?  Talk about not understanding the word “enmity”!  Wow!

If after examining ourselves and our churches, we are found to be walking shamefully after the world’s affection, what are we to do?  Repent, and again submit to the Lordship of Christ, asking His forgiveness and the mercy available even now because of His work on the Cross.  He paid for all sins, even for the adultery of ignoring our first love and flirting with another.  Of course, a life with a trademark of disobedience and the affection not of Christian Brothers and Sisters, but of the lost indicates not a wandering, but that you yourself are not redeemed (read 1^st John).  Repent and believe, calling on Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  Cast all your hope of salvation on Him and give him your adoration and loyalty.  Please, do not avoid or misunderstand this passage any more.  Gaze at the word “enmity” until you grasp every ounce of its’ fearful meaning and examine yourself today.  May Christ convict us all of all we should be convicted of, and lead us in His grace!

Also see Is “Enmity” the Problem??  pt.2 by clicking HERE

Hungry to experience God?  Jealous of encounters that you have heard from other people?   Click on this LINK for a short talk regarding passion and experiencing God yourself.   Remember, if you have heard of a new way to experience God, than be careful!  If it is new, than it probably isn’tBiblical because the Bible is old (simple, but true).  If it imitates monks or “great” teachers of meditation, then it is works oriented, as they were.  Take a few minutes to listen and see what you think.  

Part 2 of this video can be viewed on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Click HERE to go over to a page filled with free MP3 audio sermons available for download (or you can listen online).  Most of them are short (less then 30 minutes) and to the point.  They are posted over at ChurchSalt.com, and are worth a listen!

I found a great article today discussing modern church methods.  It is clear after reading this that Jesus probably doesn’t think too highly of many of the gimmicks and advertising methods of today’s church (and sadly, Texas churches are no exception).  Please read this article and ask God to provide clarity.

The Church of No Offense

There was a time during Jesus’ earthly ministry when the crowds that followed him grew quite large. He had become what we would call today, a “celebrity” and, by those same societal standards, a “success,” even though He had not yet faced the cross for which He came.

The Gospel of John tells about “a great multitude that followed Him because they saw His miracles.” When Jesus looked up one day and surveyed the enormous crowd before Him, He knew they needed to eat. So, taking “five barley loaves and two small fishes” that were found among them, He fed His followers. The men alone numbered five thousand.

Considering the seductive tactics many churches use to draw crowds these days, it is important to note that Jesus did not use food or the promise of it to bribe people into following Him. The crowd was already there to see and to hear this “prophet” – and in His compassion, He saw to it they were fed. In other words, He did not entice them with food or anything else – He merely tended to their needs.

“Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” – John 6:14-15

As the scripture verses above reveal, Jesus resisted their efforts to make Him their king because they did not yet understand why He had come. They only knew that as long as He was around, there would be plenty of food. Their concern was not for their souls, but for their stomachs, which the Lord scolded them for the very next day, telling them:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” – John 6:26

Can you imagine the pastor of a local church today publicly rebuking visitors or even members for such a thing? Most of us would consider a statement like that to be harsh and spiritually counterproductive, wouldn’t we?

Click HERE to go to Paul Proctor’s blog to read the complete article.

1st Timothy 4:1-5

Now I’ll ask you a simple question. Why are people unwilling to endure sound teaching? Because they love…what?…sin. Sound preaching confronts and rebukes sin and people with love for sinful life style will not tolerate it, they just want their ears tickled. Paul says we can’t do that…we can’t do that.

They want to be entertained. We can’t do that. I think there are thousands of evangelical churches worldwide that can’t even tolerate sound doctrine. They wouldn’t listen to it for two weeks in a row because it would confront their sin, it would confront their error, convict them, call them to truth and obedience. They don’t want healthy teaching. Why? Because they’ve been corrupted by the world. They don’t want to give up their sinful life styles. They want someone who makes them feel good about the way they live.

And what do they want to hear? Ear tickling stuff and they will literally heap to themselves teachers who give them that stuff. In periods of unsettled faith, says one writer….

Click HERE for the rest of this article by John MacArthur over at DefCon.

Originally posted over on “Moore to the Point” Blog by Russell Moore.

“Now these three abide: anger, outrage, and fear—and the greatest of these is fear.”

That’s not in the Bible.

But sometimes I wonder if I think it is.

The United States House of Representatives just passed a health care reform bill that I and lots of other Christians opposed. Such legislation should concern us. There are some bad consequences for the weakest and most vulnerable among us, principally unborn children. But should it also concern us that so many of us are talking today about how afraid we are?

Is it a problem that some of us who are tranquil as still water about biblical doctrine and ecclesial mission are red-faced about Nancy Pelosi and the talking heads on MSNBC? Is it a problem that some who haven’t shared the gospel with their neighbors in months or years are motivated to vent to strangers on the street about how scary national health care will be? 

Read the rest of Russell Moore’s article HERE.

By John MacArthur, originally posted at GraceToYou Blog

You don’t have to be an astute observer of the evangelical scene to notice the unrelenting barrage of outlandish ideas, philosophies, and programs. Never in the history of the church has so much innovation met with so little critical thinking.

Giving a thoughtful biblical response becomes harder and harder all the time. Merely sorting through all the evangelical trends and recognizing which of these novelties really represent dangerous threats to the health and harmony of the church is challenging enough. Effectively answering the huge smorgasbord of accompanying errors poses an even greater dilemma. New errors sometimes seem to multiply faster than the previous ones can be answered.

To sort it all out in a godly way, cutting a straight path through the wreckage of evangelicalism, several old-fashioned, Christlike virtues are absolutely essential: biblical discernment, wisdom, fortitude, determination, endurance, skill in handling Scripture, strong convictions, the ability to speak candidly without waffling, and a willingness to enter into conflict.

Let’s be honest: those are not qualities the contemporary evangelical movement has cultivated. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Consider the values and motives that prompt postmodern evangelicals to do the things they do. The larger evangelical movement today is obsessed with opinion polls, brand identity, market research, merchandizing schemes, innovative strategies, and numerical growth. Evangelicals are also preoccupied with matters such as their image before the general public and before the academic world, their clout in the political arena, their portrayal by the media, and similar shallow, self-centered matters.

Maintaining a positive image has become a priority over guarding the truth.

The PR-driven church. Somewhere along the line, evangelicals bought the lie that the Great Commission is a marketing mandate. The leading….

Read the rest of this article by clicking HERE to go to John MacArthur’s blog over at Grace to You.

Is the Baptism commonly done in much of Texas being done in a Godly and Biblical way?  It is fairly obvious that Baptism is often marginalized to some extent  in our culture, maybe even thought of as not much more than a nice tradition.  But I have come to the conclusion that we are seeing something much more serious (even dangerous) being played out in many of our local baptism ceremonies.  In fact, I recently witnessed a baptism ceremony that made me feel very uncomfortable, and was the inspiration for this article.  Please read Baptism or Inoculation  (PDF file) with a Bible in hand and a prayerful heart.

Have you said the sinners prayer and truly meant it, yet keep finding yourself walking in sin?  Do you read the book of 1st John and say to yourself, “I don’t care what the preacher says, this book is telling me that I do not belong to God!”  Does this conviction and doubt drive you to tears and despair?  Well, click HERE to view a short video addressing this very subject.  Do not just discount your conviction as an attack of the enemy!  It might be that, but it also might be God trying to get your attention!

When the Manhattan Declaration controversy came about last year, it was truly amazing how God used that to clarify the dividing line between true Christianity born from above and that which is a manmade facsimile, which is, of course, not genuine. That dividing line was very precise. On one side were those who took a stand against signing the declaration because it stated that all who signed it were in agreement based on a fellowship of common beliefs. It inferred that within those common beliefs was that all practiced the sharing of the Gospel. The refusal to sign the document was because they would have by signing it, in essence, been showing an agreement with some who call themselves Christians, but who do not hold to the same concept of what the Gospel is in accordance to that held by Orthodox Evangelicals. In other words, this declaration was a means to make the Gospel an unimportant side issue.

I have been dealing with this on a different plane or level lately. When I compare and contrast true Christianity with what has been shown to be false such as that which claims to be “missional,” its defenders have made comments to me along the lines of, “Surely the gospel is defined in such sufficiently broad terms that we would be considered fellow Christians too, right?” This is the issue my brethren. The pressure being brought to bear on us as we stand firm in the middle of God’s Truth will be for us to compromise on what the Gospel is and what true Christianity looks like, et cetera. This confusion is the fruit of many years of deterioration through compromises in the Truth War. We are now at the stage where most professing Christians are biblically ignorant and view doctrine and theology as mumbo jumbo or the realm of the legalistic. If those concepts are true…  Click HERE to go over to “Possessing the Treasure”  for the rest of the article.

We are talking about the Gospel, and the technical answer is that the word “Gospel” literally means, “good news”.  But if what you regularly hear being preached isn’t something you would describe as “good news”, then that means you are being starved.  The true Gospel message is something that everyone needs to hear…regularly.  It is also something that a lot of folks in the Bible Belt say they know a lot about, but often can’t seem to describe it, or even tell you the last time they actually heard it!  Listen to this short (30 minute) sermon in which the Gospel is laid out in a simple and refreshing way.  Don’t think you need to hear it?  Think again!  CLICK HERE to listen or download.