Category — instruction

Concise and excellent teaching from Grace in Focus writer/teacher Bob Wilkins. Bob lays out five ways the church (and its leadership) can significantly reduce sexual immorality in the body of Christ. Read and discuss.

First, let’s not deny that it is a very significant problem. Recognizing the problem is a key step in dealing with it.

Second, let’s avoid changing the gospel message as a solution. Lordship salvation has a deep concern that believers live holy lives. I share that concern. However, the solution which Lordship salvation offers, adding works to the gospel, is one I cannot adopt. Salvation is a free gift. It is received by faith alone, not by faith plus works.

To tell a person that he or she must stop living with their lover in order to be saved from hell is to contradict the idea of a free gift. If I must give up something (other than self-righteousness and unbelief)–or even be willing to do so–then salvation costs me something. Lordship salvation advocates do not deny this. Dr. James Boice, for example, in his book Christ’s Call to Discipleship (Chicago: Moody, 1987) in a chapter entitled, “Counting the Cost,” asks the question, “What must I pay to be a Christian?” (p. 112). Notice that he is speaking of what we must PAY. We do not pay for gifts. Boice then answers his own question, in part, by noting, “I must pay the price of those sins I now cherish. I must give them up, every one. I cannot cling to a single sin . . .” (pp. 112-13).

Third, let’s avoid changing the basis of assurance. Some pastors preach and counsel that believers engaged in ongoing sexual sin are probably not “true believers” and hence are probably not saved. Sadly this encourages believers to look at their works instead of the Word for assurance. It turns their eyes off of the Savior and onto themselves. The cross goes out of focus. Grace becomes forgotten.¹ Such teaching can lead believers to despair, depression, and such an overwhelming sense of frustration that some give up completely their efforts to live for God.

Fourth, it is vitally important in terms of discipleship that we maintain lives of sexual purity ourselves. All of us are capable of adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, addiction to pornography, etc. To avoid these calamities we need accountability in our families and churches, high standards carefully maintained, and a track record of obedience over time. If we who proclaim his grace and the freeness of the gospel fall into sexual sin, many will point their fingers and say that it was the doctrine which produced the immoral conduct. Sexual sin can destroy lives, ministries, and reputations.

Fifth, in our preaching, teaching, and interacting with other believers, let’s be clear that sexual immorality is a big problem, one which can easily trip us up, and one which has terrible consequences. Rather than occasionally making a reference to adultery, pornography, homosexuality, or premarital sex when we preach or teach, it seems to me that we should address these problems frequently.

If done tactfully, I think that sharing some of the illustrations which Alcorn and other Christian authors provide may have a very beneficial effect. When talking about sexual sin we can discuss the chastising ministry of God, the Judgment Seat of Christ, the ridicule such actions bring to the cause of Christ, and how the powerful motivation of gratitude can transform the lives of those touched by His grace.

We can counter the claim that we give people a license to sin by living godly lives ourselves and by repeatedly calling others to do so. May the grace of God spur us on to live exemplary lives. While the rampant immorality of our day is a terrible thing, it does provide us with even more of an opportunity to stand apart and to let our lights shine before men so that they might see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.

“At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here,for Herod wants to kill you.” And he said to them, ”Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.’ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ’Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Luke 13:31-35

As I read these words from My Savior, I thought of this an appropriate message to “the black church”.

Ode to the black church

When the word of God is taught/preached in a complete and sound method (expository), you will always have those who obfuscate the truth. Meaning they will purposely teach and lead their listeners into confusion and error. They do not present what the bible says with clarity and understanding to bless those who hear it. But again they pose as real God-fearing, bible believing teachers, when in reality they are nothing more than spiritual dung beetles who desire the spotlight. 

One need no more than to look around at the majority of Christian “bible” teachers on the media scene today. Most, (and it saddens me to say this) have no more bible knowledge than a cockroach has lips, yet they are loved and lifted up as the Men of God for today! While those who labor in the word both day and night suffer for righteous sake, are frowned upon, rejected and scorned for their exclusive, non ecumenical, uncompromising message, which is exactly what our Lord and Savior preached.

The only way to fight lies and error?

By boldly presenting, teaching, preaching, and living out the TRUTH (God’s word). But one must first grasp the truth before they can teach it. One must fully know and understand the truth, before attempting to distribute it to others.

So let’s make one thing clear

By the grace of God I know the truth, not to sound boastful, but its true. I know the truth, and it’s because I know the word of God. You can take that statement as you want, but understand that the truth is not my truth. It didn’t originate with me, nor am I its author. The truth comes from God. It belongs to Him, and He gave it to us. When I preach my authority comes from God. For His words are the authority.

Where can we find that truth?

Only one place….His Word. His open letter to us concerning Him, His Righteousness, His Holiness, His Peace, His Salvation, and His Glory. The Autobiography of His Son, The Christ, The Messiah, The Anointed One, The Mighty God and Everlasting Father.

This Truth is the Truth (John 1:1-3). He is both Lord of all and Savior to those who believe.

So why in the world would people (in the church) tolerate a person who comes not in the name of the Lord to bring Him glory, but in His own name with doctrines of demons and lies that lead to hell? Why would the church completely reject sound teaching and doctrine that is taught for their spiritual health and soul salvation? That question is a glaring one, bold and rebellious sitting right in the faces of so-called church leaders who have turned from God and have embraced humanism. Humanism that will never ever be able to save the souls of those who hear it. Humanism that teaches man that they can be good and better people without ever leading them to the only one who is good. GOD! (Mark 10:18)

The wisdom of men will do that to you. The wisdom of men will raise up large religious cults (Jehovah’s Witness, Mormonism, Islam) that fall vastly short in addressing man’s biggest problem. Sin! The wisdom of men will try to change a sinful world by engaging in politics and legislation to change the laws of the land, but never successfully changing the nature of men, thus keeping them dead in their sins.

When did we lose sight of what truth is?

How have we (the church) fallen so far away from the very thing that was given to us to lead us into the truth? Why is it that churches no longer preach the gospel message? Preferring instead to lure in the sinners with music concerts, kids jams, raffles, and free gas offers. Why have we left the gospel? Don’t we understand the gospel is the power of God that changed our lives? (Romans 1:16) Don’t we remember the dread, the anguish, and condemnation that pressed heavily upon our hearts sending us into hopelessness when we found out that our sin totally separated us from God, and exposed us as hell bound sinners deserving of every ounce of wrath that God would pour upon us? Don’t we remember the sweet and loving peace that fell over us when we finally understood that Jesus Christ died for that very sin, He drank the wrath of God, to save us from that awesome and terrible day?

How dare we rob people of the same conversion! How dare we look at God in the face and tell Him His message in out of date no longer needed to save the lost!

Who do we think we are?

That’s our problem. We are what the world tells us. We are great and special and somebody. And even if we don’t feel that way the world tells us to embrace it anyways. We reject what the bible says about us being hell bound sinners in need of a savior. No, we would rather hear how diverse and unique we are. How we should be ourselves and embrace ourselves not knowing that as we do that, we are embracing the very disease (SIN) that God hates, and sent His Son to die for so that those who believe might be saved.

In other words man has an identity crisis.

Is there any hope?

I’ll echo the words Paul Washer uttered to a man who asked Him if He could be saved: “I  don’t know….”

If the church, who claims to know God and His Son Jesus Christ, will repent and turn back to Him. If…

In this case, queer is never a good thing.

Charlotte based Coalition of Conscience founder Dr. Michael Brown appeared on Sid Roth’s television program, “It’s Supernatural” to talk about his  new book  “A Queer Thing Happened to America.”  During the interview Brown revealed that no Christian publisher wanted to touch his book because of the fear that the homosexual community would come down on them hard and virtually cause them economic loss. One literary agent told him to change the title of the book because a publisher believed the title was to controversial. This eventually caused Brown to self- publish the book.  It has been one of amazon.com’s top selling…and most controversial. Based on some of the comments from the customer review section this book definitely has edge.

In the interview, Dr. Brown touches on the subject that the homosexual agenda has impacted all facets of America life and driving American society more tolerant and accepting to homosexuality. Sadly, the church is following the lead of culture and not the Word of God.

In April, just a month after Dr. Brown interviewed with Sid Roth, the California Senate passed  Senate Bill 58.  This legislation would require California public schools to add gay history to its already overcrowded curriculm.   This  bill is now waiting to be approved by the California  State Assembly.   A Queer Thing is Always Happening in California that is for sure ( here, here, here).  This is further confirmation of what Dr. Michael Brown has spoken in his interview and written about in his book.  Please take out the time and view Dr. Michael Brown’s interview with Sid Roth.

In part one of this article, I talked about how far too many Christians have shifted their positions on morality and perhaps have moved it to the bottom of their contemporary concerns. But what could have contributed to that?

Recently, I heard a pastor state that it was his intention to be “culturally relevant” in these last days so that the church can become the center for evangelism, community driven and to be intriguing for sinners to come to church and get saved. Sounds good, but it’s wrong.

Since the past few years I’ve heard many Pastors, youth leaders, Christian entertainers and Christian laypeople state this same rhetoric, that in order to win the world, we must become relevant enough to get their attention so that we can give them Jesus. But are we?

I do not doubt for one moment the sincerity of these people, I honestly believe that they believe they are doing what they think is best to win the lost, to garner more attendance, to satisfy the great commission for their cause. But the problem persists that as more and more churches declare this agenda, they are merging on the edge of losing their identity simply to appease the world.

Because of this style of evangelism which is found in many churches, it’s leading many into an open area of compromise and sin. This is why the number of fallen Pastors has risen sharply in the last few years. Because of this new concept to become current with the world, we have allowed the world’s ideas and beliefs within the church itself. Hence, why so many believers are now struggling with sexual sin and immorality like never before. We are getting sick from the disease we once had an immunity to.

The argument for this philosophical nugget is that if we can become more appealing to those in the world who are already engaging in behavior that is both sinful and ultimately harmful, then we can draw them away from that style of entertainment or lifestyle with something identical yet spiritually enriching. I call it the “New Coke” syndrome.

Back in the early 90′s Coca-Cola decided to create a new Coke, something better, something people would want that would replace the old Coke. What they discovered was that although ideal, it was a marketing nightmare. People tasted the “new stuff” and realized that the old was a lot better than the new. Soon, people demanded the original, they wanted to good stuff! They couldn’t stomach the new formula for taste and I’m sure stock holders couldn’t stomach the drop in revenue.

Reinvention or Revival?

What was the problem? They tried to re-invent a tried and true formula for success and it didn’t work. It’s the same with the church today. I see more and more preachers today trying new ideas, new concepts, new messages, new songs; it looks good, it sounds good, but when you taste it then you are left with something that is not genuine, it’s an imitation of the original. The church today is trying it’s hardest to replace a tried and true formula, something that has worked for over a thousand years and that is the basic message of the cross.

In a day when the church is trying to look as much as possible like the world, where we dress like the world, talk like the world, are entertained by the world, how can we even begin to fulfill the great commission? The very idea of being holy, separate, and pure, is counter to the real goal of “reaching the world”. Yet, we are doing it trying to be relevant at the cost of our very identity of a holy ghost filled church. It simply won’t work!

This is why our young people are giving in to the lie of alternative lifestyles, bi-sexuality and homosexuality, because we changed the purpose of the great commission and we didn’t stay true to the core message of the cross.

God has one method to win the world – just one. It’s the gospel through the preaching of the word. That’s it! Uno tournaments, Christian rock concerts, seminars, community activism, none of it can never or will ever become the tried and true formula that God has placed into position to win the world, it’s still the preaching of the word and nothing more.

The problem is, when we start going to bed with the world to win the world, you wake up with contamination, a spiritual STD. This is why the church today has virtually no power it once had, all because it tried to be like the world in almost every way, yet God said over and over to be less like the world and more like him. Until we realize this, the less of an impact we will have on society and the world. And God knows we need to be an impact on the world today!

When the message is about loving ourselves, there’s something wrong. When leadership begins to fall morally, there’s something wrong. When a Pastor can write a book and state that Hell no longer exists, there’s something wrong.

We must begin to shake ourselves as Samson did and realize that the enemy is all around us, we’ve slept in the lap of Delilah for too long and it’s time to wake up and loose the bindings on us. The world is in chaos, the world is hurting, it’s looking for something that is true, tested, sure and not been re-invented. It’s looking for the gospel.

We must return to a faithful prayer life. Give ourselves over to fasting at times as well as getting back into the word of God. A faithful dedication to reading our Bibles, studying the scriptures daily, is the only true means of success the church can assure a positive and healthy life.

We must be willing to denounce our sins, our pride and arrogance which has brought us false teachings and corrupt ideas. When we remove the leaven in our lives, we’ll begin to see God’s healing within us.

I believe in the coming years God is going to wake his church and then the greatest revival of evangelism will occur, but we need to start preparing and part of that is going back to what is true and good, the old paths, the old ways.

I’ve tried the new Coke and you can have it, give me that old stuff, the good stuff. It might sound cliche’ but that old time religion was good enough for my parents, it’s good enough for me.

Before any problem can be accurately assessed, its origins must first be reviewed. In this case, God’s original intent (the blueprint) for human sexuality so that we understand what was meant to be as opposed to what it has become.

In the bible, the consummation of creation was man and woman having relational sex.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Sex was not an afterthought. It was a significant part of God’s purpose for man to enjoy within the context of  covenant companionship.

Sex was never intended to evoke feelings of shame or guilt because man knew only good. Until he sinned.

What changed?

Sin created an imbalance and awakened a knowledge of evil man was never intended to have.

Gen 3:22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

Sin created selfishness

Sin created lust

Sin created perversion

The consequences of rebellion against the plan of God

Man’s sexuality is now broken.  Any and every form of sexual expression (beastiality, homosexuality, pornography, adultery, prostitution, bisexuality, transgenderism, masturbation, rape, pedastry, pedophilia, etc) outside the male-female covenant marriage construct —whether consensual or not— all stem from man’s break with God’s intent for sexual health.

Man lusts for sexual intimacy without covenant. The desires of the flesh are fed by insatiable lust. The Creator’s intent was a  covenant with one person of the opposite gender for life). However a covenant is restrictive to a lustful spirit. Moreover, if a  man is married and yet does not submit his sexuality to Jesus’s lordship, lust will eventually consume him and damage the covenant.

In his book Holy Sex, Pastor Terry Weir contends man is now subjected to over 400 (and counting) sexually transmitted diseases. One 1996 study found that over 50 million people in America carry sexual diseases. Sexual diseases are a built in consequence of sexual sins. While all sin is the same in terms of its eventual sentence (death) not all sins have equal consequences in the now. Most, if not all sexual sins carry immediate consequences: some incurable, some deadly. God will forgive sexual sin, but the consequences may or may not be removed. The best protection is prevention. Prevention is much more effective than a cure.

Man’s sexual crimes have spawned exponential problems. The pressing desire of lust fuels violence and no one is exempt. Sexual crimes committed against men, women, children, the elderly, the infirm and everyone in between, has been one of the most vicious variants of sexual sins.

Restoring sexuality and who can fix what is broken?

Can a man’s broken sexuality be repaired or restored to the Creator’s original plan?  It most certainly can.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.  Then the word of the LORD came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Jer 18:1-5

The issue per se is not just restoring sexuality, but restoring the whole man. While sex and sexuality is an integral part of man, it is just a part. And God does not deal in partial restoration. He reworks, renews and restores the heart and spirit of man until (as Jeremiah states) he sees best. And even when a man is finished on the “potters wheel” he is still not finished. The discipline of the flesh is a mandate for the Christian man. An undisciplined flesh will only lead a man back into the clutches of sinful conduct.  The bible does not teach that the flesh is “saved” rather it must be treated as dead.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.  The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8

Sanctification is a lifelong journey incorporating discipline, vigilance, caution and continuing submission to the will of God. Nothing is fixed overnight or in a day. God’s process will take you through his own plan to make you whole.

Change your mind about rules and embrace his process of healing your brokenness. The attitude of a broken vessel should be humility, submission, willingness and endurance.

If you are a Christian man and you have been struggling to recover from broken sexuality, get your heart in the right place with God and follow these basic principles:

1. Rediscover the foundations and fundamentals of your faith and what they are intended to accomplish in your life. Holiness, submission, repentance, faithfulness, sanctification will ensure the ground you stand on is solid. Embracing the whys and hows help to stabilize your life and prepare it for sustained progression.

2. Rebuild the breaches in your life using spiritual and relational processes. Reconnect your life with people who are living and maturing in the faith. Weak people with weak morals will only keep you weak.

3. Recreate your desires with intentional strategies. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Its one thing to know God’s standard, its quite another to consistently apply it. You must have more than just a desire to live sexually pure, your desire must conjugate into a holy pragmatism.

Proverbs 4:7 strongly encourages us to get an understanding in all that we do. And it can be said that much of our problems stem from a lack of understanding. Sometimes that understanding is because we just havent walked into yet, sometimes it is because we reject it when it comes. Thus, this post on understanding the Church and the Kingdom. I will try to keep it as simple as possible. Hopefully, it can clear up some misunderstandings you have had, if at all and consequently help you better understand certain situations and circumstances happening around us. Many times we question how can these things happen in the church? It is confusing and distressing. Why? Because we do not have a proper biblical perspective of church and kingdom.

There are a lot of religious people who are employing the word “kingdom” as a new buzzword of sorts. It gives the appearance that such people are in tune with God, but on closer examination some are simply playing a word shell game. To the unsuspecting, it can be a deadly one, both spiritually and naturally.

One very important distinction to remember is that Jesus said the kingdom of God ( per Romans 14:17 love, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost) is within you and eternal. Conversely, the kingdom of man (buildings, money, fame, positions, sexual desires) is external and temporal. Most people see the church as a building ( i.e. New Joy Church 1500 West Adams Street). A building can be called a church but it is not the church.  The reason is because buildings can be destroyed and/or used for altogether different purposes, even evil. Changing your thinking paradigm about the church versus a church will significantly enhance your ability to endure when the sinful excesses in the building conflict with the purity of the kingdom of God.

While the terms “church” and “kingdom” are generally used  interchangeably by people,  in scripture there are distinct differences in the two. Both are present expressions of The Lord Jesus Christ, yet one has not reached its perfection. (Eph 4:11-15).

Let’s deal with the kingdom first. In simple terms a kingdom is the domain or residence under authority of a king. When applied to God, David said it best in Psalms 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. Thus it is clear that God’s kingdom comprises both heaven and earth. Heaven is under control, but earth is still in transition. As Jesus prayed:  “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

One theologian described the kingdom of God like this:

In today’s parlance the equivalent of the Kingdom of God would be something like the Presidency of God rather than the Nation-State of God; or the Episcopacy of God rather than the Diocese of God. This Divine Regime or Presidency which operates by gracious mercy (because of God’s love) and righteous justice (because of God’s holiness) is unlimited, eternal, spiritual, and sovereign over all. Since Christ came in grace and in the flesh and began His earthly ministry, the inward earnest of the Kingdom life became accessible as a present mediatory EXPERIENCE for whosoever believes in Christ. The full outward manifestation of the Kingdom is a future vindicatory EXPECTATION when Christ comes again in judgment (Eph 1:7-14).

The Kingdom (of God, of Heaven) are also used interchangeably in scripture. Jesus did in several places but there are differences that should be noted. Both the “kingdoms” are ruled by God. The main difference is time. The kingdom of God is within us now, while the kingdom of heaven has not yet come.   (Matthew 16:19,Luke 17:20,21)

The Kingdom of God is physically represented by the earthly Church of Christ (this is not the denomination of the same name).

The tale of two churches

As with many situations in the bible paradoxes exist and quite frankly appear to the undiscerning eye to be contradictory. Such is the case with what I will call the church triumphant and the church universal.

The church triumphant is triumphant (victorious) both now and forever. It has both corporate and individual applications. I take that from 1 Cor 2:14. The CT isnt defined as a denomination. Nor is it a nondenominational, interdenominational or independent religious body.  It is understood to be comprised of those out of every kindred and nation, every tongue and tribe, who have been washed in the blood of the lamb and whose names are written in the lamb’s book of life. The church triumphant has formed and is forming daily as the Lord adds to the church. It is the church which, according to Matthew 16:18, is indestructible, built on the Rock. It is this church-bride which will be presented in that day: pure, holy, blameless, faultless before the presence of God (Jude 24,25). While the church triumphant is universal, the church universal is not necessarily triumphant.

The church universal is universal because it worldwide in terms of its logistical placement and membership. Thus, it is comprised of those who are joined to the physical church of Christ. It is a consortium of the denominations, nondenominations, interdenominations, et al. The church universal includes the wheat and the tare, the hypocrite and the saint, the open homosexual and the downlow choir leader, the sheep and the goats. It is from this church which will come those who find out that their good works are useless because they feigned relationship with Christ or had none at all. They will discover that they will be rejected because they added or detracted from the words of the Lord causing others to be lost. The church universal is in essence a snapshot of the doctrine of inclusion pre-judgment day. All are included, but the day of separation has not come (see Matt 25:31-46).

The church has “membership” rolls and on any given Sunday whether  a person is redeemed or not, they can step out into the aisle, walk up front, shake the pastor’s hand and become a member. Even if they never confess Christ and are never born again and filled with the Spirit, they can remain “members” of the church. Even become “leaders”.

But not so in the kingdom of God.

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders ¹⁰nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor 6:9-11

The entrance requirements are set not by the will of man, but by God. Only those who are redeemed, washed in the blood of the Lamb and sanctified by the spirit of Christ will come in. There’s no hand to shake , no secretary to see, no new members class to attend, no St Peter at the gate, just a change of heart and lifestyle. That’s not the gospel of inclusion, its the gospel of exclusion. And its 100% the will of God.