Hell's Flames at Heaven's Gates?

Last night I attended the presentation of Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames. It is quite sad to witness hundreds of people being taught a false gospel. Here I will point out just a few of the heresies.
1. Satan is portrayed as ruling hell. There he torments and tortures those who have not "prayed the prayer." Look at Revelation 20:10, "And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Hell was created for the torture of Satan not for his rule.
2. One scene depicts a mother and daughter at the gates of heaven. The daughter has prayed the prayer but the mother had not. Next, Satan comes out of hell and drags the mom away from the daughter. What?!
3. A girl is in the process of committing suicide. Behind her, Satan is pacing back and forth excited about what he sees. Behind Satan stands Jesus, hopeless and unable to help her. Poor Jesus is no competition for Satan. Or, as I recall, "greater is He (Jesus) that is in you than he (Satan) that is in the world." Does not Jesus exercise authority over Satan and demons at every occurrence in the Scriptures?
4. It is explicitly taught in this production that one's name is not written in the book of life until they pray "the prayer."
5. When a family dies in a car wreck and is reunited with their other daughter who had gone on before them, they simply walk right past Jesus, not even recognizing His presence. This may be a small point for some but it is misleading at best. It definitely minimizes Christ. I believe I will fall on my face when Jesus is before me, regardless of who else I see in that glorious place.
6. My next point has to do with the invitation. This was a classical example of emotionalism and manipulation. With all heads bowed and eyes closed four, maybe five hands are in the air. For every hand we heard about five, "thank yous." With a few hands up we are told that hands are up all over this place. This is called, "Everybody is doing it. Don't be scared or embarrassed."
Also, we are encouraged not to move around too much as we might effect someone's decision. To use a bit of sarcasm, I suppose a possible scene would be a friend who is headed to hell crying to a believing friend, "I almost prayed the prayer, why did you have to go to the restroom. Now I'm going to hell because you couldn't control your bladder."
According to this production, God is not sovereign. Believer, be comforted. Paul says, "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." We don't have to worry about spending a few moments in purgatory watching our loved ones being drug into hell.
To end the evening with a nice ecumenical seal, those who have prayed "the prayer" are encouraged to go back and speak to their pastor or their priest and get involved.
The gospel is adequate for salvation. The true gospel.
There is a holy God. He created you and me in His image. We fell into sin and now every person born is born into sin. This holy God has a perfect law. We are all guilty of breaking it. We all deserve His just and righteous wrath. For this reason, God sent himself in the form of His Son; the God-man, Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect life without sin. He obeyed the perfect law perfectly. He was innocent; guiltless. He was then crucified. He was accursed. He died a sinner's death. He was the perfect sacrifice; the only acceptable payment or appeasement for the sin of man. All who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. The Lord reveals Himself to those whom He chooses. The Holy Spirit convicts the child of God of their sin according t0 the Word of God. The true child of God then repents of that sin and surrenders his whole life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This Christian will suffer trials and tribulation. If a Christian is living in this world according to their heavenly citizenship, they will be persecuted for their faith. This is the will of God. Jesus did not come for us to be happy and have our best life now. He came that we would be righteous. We have none (righteousness) of our own. He imputed His to us (the children of God). Oh what manner of love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called the children of God. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any created thing shall be able to separate me form the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Just a final note. I appreciate our brothers and sisters for their love for the lost. They have put many of us to shame in their efforts. I do not doubt their love for the Lord. I simply plea that we not think the sovereign Lord of the universe who holds all things together needs us to use our craftiness to accomplish His work.
In His Grace, Robert

Follow-up

Allow me to follow up on my previous post. I pray it did not come across arrogantly. I will say, I do hate divorce. My life has been torn up because of it. I bring that presupposition into my study, I know. Although it may not appear so from the post, I would not go to the firing wall for my position. This is my position thus far. It appears to make sense from the Scriptures. It appears to be consistent with God's character. I continue to search this topic out. The bottom line for my family is that divorce is not an option. By God's grace I will hold true to this declaration. Please read the posts on two of my brothers' blogs here and here. I share their heart.
In His Faithful Grip,
Robert

I Hate Divorce! Did God Really Say...?

(I reserve the right to sway from my Galatians series at any time)

Is divorce permissible at all? Some say under two circumstances it is. I disagree. After a discussion at church I have been asked to place my position on my blog. So here it is.

The idea of divorce begins, of course in the Old Testament. Deu 22:19 is the first time we see the English word divorce in the Old Testament. Here God sets the tone for disliking divorce. He says the man, even in strong disagreeing circumstances, cannot divorce the wife all his days. Then there is the popular Jer 3:8 where God says He has given Israel a writ of divorce. Even more He says it is because of her many adulteries. What is often over looked though is that in that same chapter God is calling for Israel to return to Him and we know that eventually Israel does return. Divorce is not used with the sense of permanence as we use it today. God is a covenant-keeping God. Of course this paper would not be complete without mentioning the ever so famous Malachi 2:16, “‘For I hate divorce,’ says the LORD, the God of Israel.” No where in Scripture do we see God saying that He has changed His mind about this.
In the New Testament we find seemingly clear instructions on divorce. The pharisees, in Mat 19:3, have done us the favor of asking Jesus, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all?" Jesus answers by repeating Scripture and telling of creation and the beginning of marriage. The couple becomes one flesh and “what God has joined together, let man not separate." This response does not seem to make room for divorce for any reason. After all, how is it possible to saw a person (ONE FLESH) in half and them live? But why did Moses command the man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away? Jesus, once again, supplies us with this answer as well, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." I think there are a few important points here. First, the text says Moses permitted, not God permitted. Moses is not God. Our sovereign Lord does not necessarily approve of everything he allows to take place. Second, read my point below about the betrothal. Third, Jesus said it was not that way from the beginning. This is not how God intended it. Marriage was not designed with divorce. It was created to demonstrate Christ and the Church. Remember when Christ talked about divorcing the Church. Oh yeah, He didn’t! Marriage was created perfectly as was the earth. Like the earth, marriage has been negatively affected by the fall. At the outset it appears these two passages contradict one another. First Jesus says marriage is a done deal and then he says it’s O.K. to end the marriage for certain reasons. I will show later how this is not a contradiction.
This takes us to the scapegoat of choice. The idea that divorce is justified by adultery has taken over. Here is an easy way out of working on your marriage, one of you have an affair! That is not even what Jesus said in Matthew! Let’s look closely at the two passages used, Mat 5:32
and Mat 19:9. It is important to look at the vocabulary used. The two words used as exceptions are unchastity and immorality. They are the same word in the Greek, porneia. The word actually means fornication which is different from adultery. This will become important when we look at the culture of the context. The text says if divorce happens for this reason, fornication, it will cause the individuals to commit adultery, moicheuw in the Greek. First I will explain the difference between the two words and then we will examine who is being spoken to in these passages. Fornication is sexual intercourse between a man and woman who are not married. Adultery is sexual intercourse between a man and a woman who is not his wife or a woman and a man who is not her husband. Please read the previous two sentences once more, slowly. Some say the word porneia is broad and includes adultery. If this is the case, why is the specific word for adultery used six words later?
It is very significant that both of these passages, the only ones in the NT giving this exception, occur in Matthew. It is well known that Matthew was written to a Jewish audience. In that culture the married couple went through a betrothal period of their relationship. Although they were referred to as husband and wife during this time, the marriage had not yet been consummated. It is at consummation that two become one flesh. The vocabulary of the passage suggests it was this betrothal period of the marriage Jesus was speaking of. Although there are vast cultural differences, one might compare this to our engagement. An example from scripture would be that of Joseph and Mary. The same Greek word used for divorce in these passages is the same one used in Mat. 1:19. Here it is very clear that Mary and Joseph were simply betrothed and yet he was going to “divorce” her when he found her to be with child. Though he did not, this would have been the acceptable time to do so for they were not yet “married.” And now my point about the certificate from Moses above. The Deuteronomy passage does not necessarily speak of something other than the betrothal period of marriage. The passage about the certificate of divorce is found in Deut. 24:1-4. But look with me at Deut. 22:23-24. Here we see the virgin girl who is engaged is referred to as "the neighbor's wife." Can you say betrothal? Deut. 24 seems to be speaking of the first period of the marriage relationship, does it not?
In light of this discussion, it is clear that Jesus was, in fact, not contradicting Himself in the passages mentioned earlier.
But what about 1 Corinthians 7? What about it? Show me in that passage where it says believers may get divorced. Paul reaffirms in verses 10 &11 that the wife should not leave the husband and the husband should not send his wife away. It says in verse 15 of the same chapter, “if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave.” I do not see Paul giving permission for a believer to pursue a divorce.
Finally, some food for thought:

1. Of all the sin mentioned in the Bible, divorce, which God says he hates, is the one sin we may commit under two circumstances? WOW! That’s rich!

2. Is adultery now the unpardonable sin? Oh Robert, of course we should forgive it but it does give us an excuse to commit another sin, divorce. Oh really. Is that what the LORD teaches us with Israel? Remember Hosea?

My Study in Galatians

For a period of time you will find my notes from my study in the book of Galatians. I have decided to use my blog for study accountability. So, it is here I will post my study notes. Please do not print them and spend too much time with them because you may hear them in a sermon sometime. I will simply end at the end of my study session whether my time is up or I am interrupted and pick up where I left off. I hope that you, the reader, will be encouraged and exhorted. Praise God we have this privilege. I welcome your comments and questions.

And now…


Paul’s Letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 1:1
Paul was obviously not present with Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry. During Paul’s time it was well understood that the qualification for being an apostle was that one was with the Lord. For this reason some accused Paul of not being an apostle. Therefore time and time again, Paul reminds us that the Lord appeared to him (1 Cor 9:1, 1 Cor 15:8) and that his apostleship was from the Lord. Unfortunately, they could not turn to Acts 9:15 and 13:2. His apostleship did not come through the authority or direction of any man or group of men but it came from God. So Paul proceeds in his opening greetings to the churches to identify himself as an apostle and servant of Christ Jesus.

1:2
On his first missionary journey, Paul planted four churches in the province of Galatia. It is my assumption these are the churches he is writing to (1:2). These churches are Antioch (Acts 13:14), Iconium (Acts 14:1), Lystra (Acts 14:6, 8&9), and Derbe (Acts 14: 20-21).
Lord willing, I will pick up tomorrow.

Polytics?

Poly means more than one. Over time church after church after church has split over, sometimes, trivial issues. I will pick on just us Baptists for now. We now have a group of denominations which could be called polybaptists. Some of the issues that have split us were necessary, like God's sovereignty and the doctrines of grace. Others were not so necessary. As I tread into to the latest controversy in the blogosphere, I 'm afraid I am witnessing perhaps the newest division of the polybaptists. It really is sad. This issue of politics; I now call it polytics. I am not in opposition to mature brothers debating any issue. I am in oppostion when it leads to character bashing.
It seems to me, if Christians would simply live their lives as living sacrifices, allowing one another to obey their consciences in obvious areas of liberty, we could blog about the wonderful things the Lord is doing instead of bashing one another for doing things we disagree with. Perhaps I am oversimplifying the issue. I do tend to be a Simpleton. Our church had a wonderful opportunity to worship with a dear brother in the Lord and now we our putting out the fires it caused. Why? Polytics. One brother disagrees with the level his other brothers are involved. He feels they should be more involved with the gospel. The result, he has forsaken the gospel in order to rebuke those he disagrees with. Am I the only one puzzled here? If your conscience does not allow you to get involved, don't. If it does, do everything you find your hands doing with diligence as unto the Lord. But for crying out loud, do not forget to love one another. You could have all the wisdom in the world and be slicker than Slick Willy, but if you have not love you are but a clanging cymbol.
Should Christians be involved at any level in politics? Absolutely. To what level? The Bible does not say. Do not forsake the gospel. I think we all agree there. Let us be about the work the Lord has given us and not worry about being each others consciences is such matters.
Thank you to those who are trying to better the environment we have to live in. Remember our true citiznship is in Heaven. We share that. We all (believers in Christ alone for salvation) represent the same homeland. Let's start acting like it. Let us not now allow polytics to divide us.
This is my humble, perhaps simple, opinion.

Revival Anyone?

The longer I remain in fulltime ministry, the more I see my own sin. As I am continually confronted with the problems of God's children, I see that I share in their misery. Perhaps, at times, mine is a little more dressed up than theirs, but it is there nonetheless. At the beginning of this year I was challenged by the beloved Jonathan Edwards:

8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and to let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.
- Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions; And Advice to Young Converts pg.18

As we exhort and challenge one another in the things of God, let us never forget that the beginning of understanding any biblical doctrine is to understand our own sin. It is then and only then that we will see scripture properly in the light of His grace. When we understand our own sinfullness, His sovereignty is a "duh."

If we, as the body of Christ, would grasp the concept of how sinful we are, we would focus less on the sin of others, more on the holiness and grace of God and we would see world-wide revival.

Blog Clog.

Do I have much to offer? Like my brother Russ, I'm afraid not. In fact, I only created this blog to be able to comment on Russ'! As the world of blogging grows, many blogs are just clogging the line. If I were to put much here, I would be a contributer to the Blog Clog! Therefore, I will keep it short. As the Lord teaches, I may from time to time journal the lessons. But rest assured, I will not blog just to blog.
Thanks for listening.