Hello,
Have you seen James White's Alpha & Omega website. It is a treasure chest of vital information. It should be on your blog roll.
See it here:http://aomin.org/aoblog/
Enjoy!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Check Out Ed Decker's website
Here is a link to Ed Decker's website called Saints Alive In Jesus. Have a look around the place and gather the info that you need. Mr Decker's a wonderful apologist from the 1st generation of apologists like Walter Martin.
http://saintsalive.com/
http://saintsalive.com/
Friday, November 18, 2011
Good Advice from J. Lee Grady.
Here is some advice form Mr. Grady that needs to be heard...
It’s (Past) Time for a Charismatic Reformation
In honor of Reformation Day, here are some complaints I’m nailing on the Wittenberg door.
Long before there was an Occupy Wall Street, Martin Luther staged the most important protest in history. He was upset because Roman Catholic officials were promising people forgiveness or early escape from purgatory in exchange for money. So on October 31, 1517, Luther nailed a long list of complaints on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.
Luther’s famous 95 theses were translated from Latin into German and spread abroad. Like a medieval Jeremiah, Luther dared to ask questions that had never been asked, and he challenged a pope who was supposedly infallible. Through this brave monk, the Holy Spirit sparked the Protestant Reformation and restored the doctrine of grace to a church that had become corrupt, religious, dysfunctional, political and spiritually dead.
“I’ve grown increasingly aware that the so-called ‘Spirit-filled’ church of today struggles with many of the same things the Catholic church faced in the 1500s. We don’t have ‘indulgences’—we have telethons. We don’t have popes—we have super-apostles.”
I am no Luther, but I’ve grown increasingly aware that the so-called “Spirit-filled” church of today struggles with many of the same things the Catholic church faced in the 1500s. We don’t have “indulgences”—we have telethons. We don’t have popes—we have super-apostles. We don’t support an untouchable priesthood—we throw our money at celebrity evangelists who own fleets of private jets.
In honor of Reformation Day, I’m offering my own list of needed reforms in our movement. And since I can’t hammer these on the Wittenberg door, I’ll post them online. Feel free to nail them everywhere.
1. Let’s reform our theology. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is God and He is holy. He is not an “it.” He is not a blob, a force, or an innate power. We must stop manipulating Him, commanding Him and throwing Him around.
2. Let’s return to the Bible. The Word of God is the foundation for the Christian experience. Any dramatic experience, no matter how spiritual it seems, must be tested by the Word and the Holy Spirit’s discernment. Visions, dreams, prophecies and encounters with angels must be in line with Scripture. If we don’t test them we could end up spreading deception.
3. It’s time for personal responsibility. We charismatics must stop blaming everything on demons. People are usually the problem.
4. Stop playing games. Spiritual warfare is a reality, but we are not going to win the world to Jesus just by shouting at demonic principalities. We must pray, preach and persevere to see ultimate victory.
5. Stop the foolishness. People who hit, slap or push others during prayer should be asked to sit down until they learn gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
6. End all spiritual extortion now. Christian television ministries must cease and desist from all manipulative fundraising tactics. We must stop giving platforms to ministers who make outlandish claims of supernatural financial returns, especially when Scripture is twisted, deadlines are imposed and the poor are exploited.
7. No more Lone Rangers. Those who claim to be ministers of God—whether they are traveling evangelists, local pastors or heads of ministries—must be accountable to other leaders. Any who refuse to submit their lives to godly discipline should be corrected.
8. Expose the creeps. Churches should start doing background checks on traveling ministers. Preachers who have been hiding criminal records, lying about their past marriages, preying on women or refusing to pay child support should be exposed as charlatans and shunned if they do not repent.
9. Stop faking the anointing. God is God, and He does not need our “help” to manifest Himself. That means we don’t sprinkle glitter on ourselves to suggest God’s glory is with us, hide fake jewels on the floor to prove we are anointed or pull chicken feathers out of our sleeves to pretend angels are in the room. This is lying to the Holy Spirit.
10. Let’s return to purity. We’ve had enough scandals. The charismatic church must develop a system for the restoration of fallen ministers. Those who fall morally can be restored, but they must be willing to submit to a process of healing rather than rushing immediately back into the pulpit.
11. We need humility. Ministers who demand celebrity treatment, require lavish salaries, insist on titles or exhibit aloofness from others are guilty of spiritual pride.
12. No more big shots. Apostles are the bondslaves of Christ, and should be the most impeccable models of humility. True apostles do not wield top-down, hierarchical authority over the church. They serve the church from the bottom up as true servants.
13. Never promote gifts at the expense of character. Those who operate in prophecy, healing and miracles must also exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. And while we continue to encourage the gift of tongues, let’s make sure we don’t treat it like some kind of badge of superiority. The world needs to see our love, not our glossolalia.
14. Hold the prophets accountable. Those who refuse to take responsibility for inaccurate statements should not be given platforms. And “prophets” who live immoral lives don’t deserve a public voice.
15. Let’s make the main thing the main thing. The purpose of the Holy Spirit’s anointing is to empower us to reach others. We are at a crossroads today: Either we continue off-course, entertained by our charismatic sideshows, or we throw ourselves into evangelism, church planting, missions, discipleship, and compassionate ministry that helps the poor and fights injustice. Churches that embrace this New Reformation will focus on God’s priorities.
J. Lee Grady is contributing editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He expounds on these topics in his 2010 book The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale (Chosen).
Oh we need to learn some things.
It’s (Past) Time for a Charismatic Reformation
In honor of Reformation Day, here are some complaints I’m nailing on the Wittenberg door.
Long before there was an Occupy Wall Street, Martin Luther staged the most important protest in history. He was upset because Roman Catholic officials were promising people forgiveness or early escape from purgatory in exchange for money. So on October 31, 1517, Luther nailed a long list of complaints on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.
Luther’s famous 95 theses were translated from Latin into German and spread abroad. Like a medieval Jeremiah, Luther dared to ask questions that had never been asked, and he challenged a pope who was supposedly infallible. Through this brave monk, the Holy Spirit sparked the Protestant Reformation and restored the doctrine of grace to a church that had become corrupt, religious, dysfunctional, political and spiritually dead.
“I’ve grown increasingly aware that the so-called ‘Spirit-filled’ church of today struggles with many of the same things the Catholic church faced in the 1500s. We don’t have ‘indulgences’—we have telethons. We don’t have popes—we have super-apostles.”
I am no Luther, but I’ve grown increasingly aware that the so-called “Spirit-filled” church of today struggles with many of the same things the Catholic church faced in the 1500s. We don’t have “indulgences”—we have telethons. We don’t have popes—we have super-apostles. We don’t support an untouchable priesthood—we throw our money at celebrity evangelists who own fleets of private jets.
In honor of Reformation Day, I’m offering my own list of needed reforms in our movement. And since I can’t hammer these on the Wittenberg door, I’ll post them online. Feel free to nail them everywhere.
1. Let’s reform our theology. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is God and He is holy. He is not an “it.” He is not a blob, a force, or an innate power. We must stop manipulating Him, commanding Him and throwing Him around.
2. Let’s return to the Bible. The Word of God is the foundation for the Christian experience. Any dramatic experience, no matter how spiritual it seems, must be tested by the Word and the Holy Spirit’s discernment. Visions, dreams, prophecies and encounters with angels must be in line with Scripture. If we don’t test them we could end up spreading deception.
3. It’s time for personal responsibility. We charismatics must stop blaming everything on demons. People are usually the problem.
4. Stop playing games. Spiritual warfare is a reality, but we are not going to win the world to Jesus just by shouting at demonic principalities. We must pray, preach and persevere to see ultimate victory.
5. Stop the foolishness. People who hit, slap or push others during prayer should be asked to sit down until they learn gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
6. End all spiritual extortion now. Christian television ministries must cease and desist from all manipulative fundraising tactics. We must stop giving platforms to ministers who make outlandish claims of supernatural financial returns, especially when Scripture is twisted, deadlines are imposed and the poor are exploited.
7. No more Lone Rangers. Those who claim to be ministers of God—whether they are traveling evangelists, local pastors or heads of ministries—must be accountable to other leaders. Any who refuse to submit their lives to godly discipline should be corrected.
8. Expose the creeps. Churches should start doing background checks on traveling ministers. Preachers who have been hiding criminal records, lying about their past marriages, preying on women or refusing to pay child support should be exposed as charlatans and shunned if they do not repent.
9. Stop faking the anointing. God is God, and He does not need our “help” to manifest Himself. That means we don’t sprinkle glitter on ourselves to suggest God’s glory is with us, hide fake jewels on the floor to prove we are anointed or pull chicken feathers out of our sleeves to pretend angels are in the room. This is lying to the Holy Spirit.
10. Let’s return to purity. We’ve had enough scandals. The charismatic church must develop a system for the restoration of fallen ministers. Those who fall morally can be restored, but they must be willing to submit to a process of healing rather than rushing immediately back into the pulpit.
11. We need humility. Ministers who demand celebrity treatment, require lavish salaries, insist on titles or exhibit aloofness from others are guilty of spiritual pride.
12. No more big shots. Apostles are the bondslaves of Christ, and should be the most impeccable models of humility. True apostles do not wield top-down, hierarchical authority over the church. They serve the church from the bottom up as true servants.
13. Never promote gifts at the expense of character. Those who operate in prophecy, healing and miracles must also exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. And while we continue to encourage the gift of tongues, let’s make sure we don’t treat it like some kind of badge of superiority. The world needs to see our love, not our glossolalia.
14. Hold the prophets accountable. Those who refuse to take responsibility for inaccurate statements should not be given platforms. And “prophets” who live immoral lives don’t deserve a public voice.
15. Let’s make the main thing the main thing. The purpose of the Holy Spirit’s anointing is to empower us to reach others. We are at a crossroads today: Either we continue off-course, entertained by our charismatic sideshows, or we throw ourselves into evangelism, church planting, missions, discipleship, and compassionate ministry that helps the poor and fights injustice. Churches that embrace this New Reformation will focus on God’s priorities.
J. Lee Grady is contributing editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He expounds on these topics in his 2010 book The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale (Chosen).
Oh we need to learn some things.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
A Post From Apologetics Guy Website.
Mikel Del Rosario has some interesting tips on his website about witnessing to Cult members. Read it here.
10 Surprisingly Simple Tips for Talking with Cult Members – Part 1.
Pop Quiz
Here’s the scenario: A couple of clean-cut guys on bikes show up at your door. White shirts. Black name badges. What do you do?
A. Pretend you're not home
B. Crack open the door and try to get rid of them
C. Stand in the doorway and talk with them
D. Invite them in and talk with themSpiritual Talk at Your Door?
I still remember feeling kind of uneasy the first time I met a couple of Mormon missionaries. Maybe you can relate. A lot Christians don’t feel confident when spiritual talk comes knocking at the door.
In this series, I’ll share 10 surprisingly simple tips for talking about Biblical Christianity with cult members. This is very practical advice that represents countless conversations with Mormon missionaries, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others who follow cults of Christianity. I learned these lessons directly from one of my mentors, Kevin Lewis, at Biola University.
And these tips aren’t just for for talking with cult members who show up at your door. You can apply a lot of these ideas to just about any spiritual conversation you might have. But first, let’s get something straight.
What is a Cult?
The word “cult” seems like a loaded term. Most people think a cult just means a group of religious wackos who do some truly crazy stuff: Jim Jones, the Heaven’s Gate cult—even Harold Camping’s followers (who really thought the world would end today). That’s not too bad of a definition, if you’re talking about the sociological definition of a cult. In sociology, the term “cult” just means a religion that’s outside the mainstream religions you see in society.
But there’s actually a more technical definition. For our purposes, I’m gonna go with a theological definition of a cult. One of my former professors at Talbot School of Theology, Alan Gomes, defined it well in his book, Unmasking the Cults:
A cult of Christianity is a group of people claiming to be Christian, who embrace a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible (p. 7).
This would describe the views of people who come to your door, saying they follow the Bible’s teachings but think Jesus isn’t God (Jehovah’s Witnesses), or that everyone can become a god (Mormons). These were the two groups Kevin focused on the most while teaching my Cults of America class back in the day. In this class, I learned a surprisingly simple question that every Christian should ask the cult member at your door. Before you start talking, do this to keep your discussion from getting cut short right when it starts to get interesting:
Tip #1: Ask, “How much time do you have?”
Cult members generally want to discuss spiritual things. After all, that’s why they showed up at your door! But when an informed Christan starts asking tough questions about their teachings, some may be quick to abandon the discussion. This is especially true with Mormon missionaries. For example, one of the missionaries might suddenly say they’re late for another appointment or have to leave abruptly for some reason. So, before you begin, ask, “How much time do you have?” Most will probably be OK with about an hour. Once you get the commitment, you’re ready to begin.
Of course, your preparation should begin way before they show up. Here’s another surprisingly simple thing you can do to prepare for impromptu spiritual conversations at your door—something even experienced defenders of the faith might sometimes overlook.
Tip #2: Pray, Pray, Pray
Before the conversation ever happens, pray. Ask God to give you wisdom and help you think clearly. Pray that the people you talk with would take a step closer to a real relationship with Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your discussion. Prayer is key in these everyday situations.
Tell the missionaries you’d like to pray with them before diving into your conversation. You can lead into the discussion with a prayer that highlights an essential Christian doctrine. Something like this:
Lord Jesus, there is no one like you. We’re so grateful that you would take on a human nature, die for our sins, rise from the dead, and offer salvation as a free gift through faith…
People tend to actually listen to the words of a prayer and this helps the people you’re talking to focus on essential truths of the faith. As Kevin often reminded me, “Nobody will interrupt a prayer!”
After they leave, pray for them. If I remember, I actually write down their names in the back of my Bible and pray for them when I’m in church. Who knows how God might direct their path and lead them to freedom in Christ?
Next Time
In the next part of this series, I’ll share 4 more surprisingly simple tips for talking to cult members about spiritual things. In the meantime, please share any ideas you might have for opening up the lines of communication and having good conversations with people who follow the cults of Christianity. Drop a comment below.
Cult Following
Discover how groups like the Mormon church and Jehovah’s Witnesses emerged in the United States. Learn the important figures, histories, documents, and ideas behind key religious movements and the cults of Christianity. This is an updated version of Walter Martin’s classic work, “The Kingdom of the Cults.” His original book was one of the first books I ever read on cults. Highly recommended.
From the website: http://www.apologeticsguy.com/2011/10/witnessing-sharing-the-gospel-cult-members/
10 Surprisingly Simple Tips for Talking with Cult Members – Part 1.
Pop Quiz
Here’s the scenario: A couple of clean-cut guys on bikes show up at your door. White shirts. Black name badges. What do you do?
A. Pretend you're not home
B. Crack open the door and try to get rid of them
C. Stand in the doorway and talk with them
D. Invite them in and talk with themSpiritual Talk at Your Door?
I still remember feeling kind of uneasy the first time I met a couple of Mormon missionaries. Maybe you can relate. A lot Christians don’t feel confident when spiritual talk comes knocking at the door.
In this series, I’ll share 10 surprisingly simple tips for talking about Biblical Christianity with cult members. This is very practical advice that represents countless conversations with Mormon missionaries, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others who follow cults of Christianity. I learned these lessons directly from one of my mentors, Kevin Lewis, at Biola University.
And these tips aren’t just for for talking with cult members who show up at your door. You can apply a lot of these ideas to just about any spiritual conversation you might have. But first, let’s get something straight.
What is a Cult?
The word “cult” seems like a loaded term. Most people think a cult just means a group of religious wackos who do some truly crazy stuff: Jim Jones, the Heaven’s Gate cult—even Harold Camping’s followers (who really thought the world would end today). That’s not too bad of a definition, if you’re talking about the sociological definition of a cult. In sociology, the term “cult” just means a religion that’s outside the mainstream religions you see in society.
But there’s actually a more technical definition. For our purposes, I’m gonna go with a theological definition of a cult. One of my former professors at Talbot School of Theology, Alan Gomes, defined it well in his book, Unmasking the Cults:
A cult of Christianity is a group of people claiming to be Christian, who embrace a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible (p. 7).
This would describe the views of people who come to your door, saying they follow the Bible’s teachings but think Jesus isn’t God (Jehovah’s Witnesses), or that everyone can become a god (Mormons). These were the two groups Kevin focused on the most while teaching my Cults of America class back in the day. In this class, I learned a surprisingly simple question that every Christian should ask the cult member at your door. Before you start talking, do this to keep your discussion from getting cut short right when it starts to get interesting:
Tip #1: Ask, “How much time do you have?”
Cult members generally want to discuss spiritual things. After all, that’s why they showed up at your door! But when an informed Christan starts asking tough questions about their teachings, some may be quick to abandon the discussion. This is especially true with Mormon missionaries. For example, one of the missionaries might suddenly say they’re late for another appointment or have to leave abruptly for some reason. So, before you begin, ask, “How much time do you have?” Most will probably be OK with about an hour. Once you get the commitment, you’re ready to begin.
Of course, your preparation should begin way before they show up. Here’s another surprisingly simple thing you can do to prepare for impromptu spiritual conversations at your door—something even experienced defenders of the faith might sometimes overlook.
Tip #2: Pray, Pray, Pray
Before the conversation ever happens, pray. Ask God to give you wisdom and help you think clearly. Pray that the people you talk with would take a step closer to a real relationship with Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your discussion. Prayer is key in these everyday situations.
Tell the missionaries you’d like to pray with them before diving into your conversation. You can lead into the discussion with a prayer that highlights an essential Christian doctrine. Something like this:
Lord Jesus, there is no one like you. We’re so grateful that you would take on a human nature, die for our sins, rise from the dead, and offer salvation as a free gift through faith…
People tend to actually listen to the words of a prayer and this helps the people you’re talking to focus on essential truths of the faith. As Kevin often reminded me, “Nobody will interrupt a prayer!”
After they leave, pray for them. If I remember, I actually write down their names in the back of my Bible and pray for them when I’m in church. Who knows how God might direct their path and lead them to freedom in Christ?
Next Time
In the next part of this series, I’ll share 4 more surprisingly simple tips for talking to cult members about spiritual things. In the meantime, please share any ideas you might have for opening up the lines of communication and having good conversations with people who follow the cults of Christianity. Drop a comment below.
Cult Following
Discover how groups like the Mormon church and Jehovah’s Witnesses emerged in the United States. Learn the important figures, histories, documents, and ideas behind key religious movements and the cults of Christianity. This is an updated version of Walter Martin’s classic work, “The Kingdom of the Cults.” His original book was one of the first books I ever read on cults. Highly recommended.
From the website: http://www.apologeticsguy.com/2011/10/witnessing-sharing-the-gospel-cult-members/
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Recently bought
I recently bought a few book. One of them was the MASSIVE apologetics text by Douglas Groothuis entitled Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith. It clock in at 752 pages from IVP. I will look forward to reading this but it will have to wait as I have other things on the plate right now. Keep reading and learn something.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
D.A. Carson and R.C. Sproul
Here is a short video on the meaning of exegesis.
Enjoy!
RC Sproul interviews DA Carson on biblical exegesis from Ligonier on Vimeo.
Enjoy!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Sermon Prep. on LOGOS!
You know that after seminary I have a thousand sermons to write. And I believe that Logos can help and found this series on sermon prep online. It at least gives me some ideas. Here is the videos...
Enjoy! And learn something!
Enjoy! And learn something!
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