Why? . . . Because IT Changes Lives!

"The Gospel alone is sufficient to rule the lives of Christians everywhere. . . any additional rules made to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

~ John Wycliffe

12:30 AM | 14 comments | Read More

Are We Defending God's Truth? Or Tolerating the Enemy's Lies . . .

"A dog barks when his master is attacked.
I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."

~ John Calvin

. . . It's sorta' the theme of my entire blog. (See the definition of Apologia in scrolling text of the header.) And I have learned over the years that one of the most challenging places to stand firm and defend the truth of God's Word is in the company of other church-goers.

Are you tilting your head wondering, "uHmmm??!"

It doesn't take too many clicks of your television remote, or even a trip through a grocery store checkout aisle, to be convinced that we live in a time of complete spiritual confusion and blind exploration. Satan has indeed conquered the world in terms of winning it over. Which makes one of Satan's most preferred workplaces in our current culture -- the "church." The spiritual confusion is just as readily found inside the church as it is outside the church. Just because you're sitting in a church building does not mean you are surrounded by Bible-believing saints!

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,
so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel . . . "

~ II Corinthians 4:4

Peer pressure within the Christian world to "match-up" our faith with fellow Christians is great. And the pressure to accept and tolerate ideas and doctrines and theories that are flat-out against God's Word is rampant. Satan has become very proficient at working within this subset of culture known as the Evangelical Church.

Making matters worse in the fact that so few churches really offer expository preaching/teaching from the Bible anymore -- nor do they teach people how to study the Bible. One well-known mainstream Christian pastor has admitted that certain passages of Scripture are offensive to his followers and he will not preach from them. How can Christians defend something they are not familiar with?

The Result: Satan has been given a place of honor in the life of every Christian who is unable to or refuses to defend God's Word.

Take the Harry Potter craze for an example. The Bible is very clear about the sin of witchcraft, abstaining from the appearance of evil, and about casting down imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. End of discussion.

Or is it?

Satan's job is to attack God's Word and to twist it and to confuse its true message and cause Christians to accept or tolerate the untruths and he does not rest in his quest to achieve this goal. Enter: J.K. Rowling. How many Christian kids do you know who are fans of J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series? And how many Christian parents do you know who tolerate it. Whose fault is this?

The parents?
The church?
The pastor?
How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent!?

What about the self-help industry? Consumer psychology and the self-help industry are among the biggest money generators in our society. And the biggest problem in the self-help industry is that many (not all) promoters make false promises. They promise hugely unrealistic results, as if reading a single book or attending a single seminar will produce all the permanent changes you need to make your life absolutely perfect.

Yet Christians still purchase these products as frequently as non-Christians because they really want to believe the marketers are telling the truth. And probably more notably, people are keenly aware that they do indeed need help.

For the most part, secular psychology has attacked if not completely dismissed God's Word. And lamentably, many Christians have accepted it. And if they haven't accepted secular psychology for their own lives, they have learned to accept and tolerate it in the lives of their friends and family .

If every God-fearing Christian (there is no other kind) would stand up for God's Word and God's plan for psychological wholeness, the self-help industry would most certainly go broke! Romans 3:23-24 says more about self-improvement than 10,000 self-help books. But until God's Truth is spoken and defended and accepted and one's attitude is changed, Satan wins the battle and God's Word is not only attacked, but dismissed.

How many Christian friends do you know who are caught up in secular psychology? Whose fault is this?

The psychologist?
The person's friends?
Family?
The church?
How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent!?

Let's talk politics.

Okay. . . second thought, let's not.

But surely you can fill in the blanks here. To try and put GOD and the Truth of HIS Word into the confining and humanistic box of politics makes Him a very,very small God.

Yet . . . it is abundantly clear that our current political climate has made a mockery of God's Truth on everything from the value of human life itself to the work ethic of those who are allowed to live. Whose fault is this?

The politicians?
The President?
The church?
How about anyone who sees God's Truth attacked and remains silent?!

When Christians choose to remain silent when God's Word is attacked, we have effectively learned to accept and tolerate the Enemy's lies and Satan does indeed gain a foothold; and this primes the church for accepting the New Age Movement much more easily.

Sure . . . as "good Christians" we can pick and choose our causes. We can rail against abortion or pre-marital sex or witchcraft or even Mormonism or Catholicism. Some of us even like to take on "false versions" of the Bible in order to gain credibility as a "real Christian." Our individuality does drive us to hand-pick what we will defend from God's Word. But this is NOT what the Gospel calls us to do!

Christians must "bark" when our Master is attacked. On any subject. If we don't, then Satan wins another battle and God's Word is not only attacked, but eventually dismissed altogether. And then . . . what's the point?

"A dog barks when his master is attacked.
I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked
and yet would remain silent."

~ John Calvin

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,
to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. . . "
~Ephesians 6:13-14

~ Esthermay V. Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife
[This article also submitted for outside publication]

* * * * * * * * * *

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12:30 AM | 21 comments | Read More

Good Enough Christianity . . .

"Good-Enough Parenting" is a phrase familiar to developmental and child psychologists. The idea is this: No parent can be perfect so we should stop trying.

We should stop reading Parenting Magazine. We should stop making bunny-shaped pancakes. We should stop beating our heads against that Pottery Barn furniture that never did come together correctly after we took it out of the box . . . . and just be real. We'd do a better job of parenting if we'd just leave our terror driven, self-hating perfectionism behind and be happy with being (hold your breath)

. . . average.

But does this apply to being a Christian?

Will the pursuit of "Good-Enough Christianity" get us farther along the path of spiritual maturity than aiming for "Perfect Christianity?"

My husband and I have been reading Devotional Classics together for several weeks now over our morning coffee. We've been immersed in the writings of authors such as C.S. Lewis, Bernard of Clairvaux, George A. Buttrick, Martin Luther, John Bunyan, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Chrysostom, Jean-Nicholas Garou, Charles Spurgeon . . .

I think you get the point.

Why are we reading these authors? You should not have to ask, but just in case you're wondering . . . it's because these Christian authors actually believed God's Word to be inerrant and sufficient and infallible and inspired and the absolute final authority on all things! And, frankly, there aren't all that many authors today who write from this perspective.

If you hadn't already observed this phenomena, our culture subscribes to an anti-authority mentality which contributes to an anti-Bible mentality. God's Word has been depreciated by rationalism, existentialism, egoism, relationalism, ritualism, liberalism, intellectualism, mysticism, socialism, and probably a few other-isms as well.

These Christian writers of previous centuries would have been appalled by "Christians" today who blindly believe that God's Love will carry them to heaven simply because they've avoided the big, bad sins like embezzlement and murder. They would be sickened by the mass number of "Christians" who attend church for no other reason than to socialize. They would be horrified to see that "worship" was now defined by a certain style of music. They would be dismayed to know that most Christians only view Christianity as another of the world's many Religions.

These great Christian writers and preachers of yesterday would be aghast to realize that an immesurable number of Christians really are living a "good-enough" Christian life if only because they've never actually read their Bibles!

If St. John of the Cross had seen people today living a "good-enough" Christian life, he would have cried out,

"Oh soul created for this greatness and summoned to it -- what are you doing?"

Christianity is not about public or even private devotion. The Christian is the person who has seen his wretched and prideful state before God and chooses instead to acknowledge God's will. Such people consider God in EVERYTHING they do and live out EVERY aspect of their lives in accordance with God's Perfect Will. And -- Yes! They strive for perfection in their lives.

Listen to the words of William Law:

The simple point is this: either Christianity prescribes rules to live by in our daily lives, or it does not. If it does, then we must govern all of actions by those rules if we are to worship God.

. . . Our blessed Savior and his Apostles were very intent on giving us teachings that relate to daily life. They teach us:
to renounce the world and be different in our attitudes
and ways of life;

to renounce all its goods, to fear non of its evils, to reject its joys, and have no value for its happiness;

to be as newborn babes who are born into a new state of things;
to live as pilgrims in spiritual watching, in holy fear, and heavenly aspiring after another life;

to take up our cross daily, to deny ourselves,
to profess the blessedness of mourning, to seek the blessedness of poverty of spirit;

to forsake the pride and vanity of riches, to take no thought for the morrow, to live in the profoundest state of humility, to rejoice in worldly sufferings;

to reject the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;

to bear injuries, to forgive and bless our enemies,
and to love all people as God loves them;

to give up our whole hearts and affections to God, and to strive to enter through the straight gate into a life of eternal glory.

Isn't it strange that people place so much emphasis upon going to church when there is not one command from Jesus to do so, and yet neglect the basic duties of our ordinary life which are commanded in every page of the Gospels?

~ William Law (1686 - 1761)
From "A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life"

If every Christian were to read the New Testament from its beginning to its end, we would find our course of life condemned in every page of it.

We would then conclude -- with pride -- that the Christian life is impracticable and unattainable in today's world and that the Bible does nothing but condemn and judge. We would also settle once and for all that those Christians who do believe the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God are delusional.

So then . . . we become content to live out "good-enough" Christianity because the Christianity of the New Testament is hopelessly out of reach in today's world and just flat-out absurd.

No Christian can be perfect so we should stop trying. We should just live like the rest of the world. God's Word is desperately behind the times and can't possibly be relevant to our lives today.

Right?

~Esthermay Bentley-Goossen
© 2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

6:24 PM | 11 comments | Read More

Facing The Winter Seasons of Life . . .

". . . Moving to Disney world is not an option. There will be tribulation; Jesus said so. But be of good cheer: He’s still in the business of guiding and strengthening and healing and overcoming. . .”
~ When the Glass Slipper Doesn’t Fit

by Claire Cloninger & Karla Worley

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Scripture -- often overlooked -- is a verse that brims with meaning and emotion. Reflect on these ancient words from the pen of Job:

“From the city men groan; And the souls of the wounded cry out”

~ Job 24:12

Slip into the landscape of this verse for just a moment: Beneath the loud splash of commotion and bustle in our homes and neighborhoods, behind the flurry of display and showi'ness in our churches and communities and cities, there are invisible, wounded, broken hearts --- souls aching from shattered relationships, illness, death, financial despair, crushed hopes, unforeseen disaster, hidden sins, shame, the list goes on and on. Job calls them groans.

In Hebrew, the word suggests that this groan comes from one who has been wounded. Perhaps this is why Job uses this very meaning in his poetic line: The souls of the wounded cry out. In this line, “wounded” comes from a term meaning pierced -- as if stabbed.

But . . . it is the soul (not the physical body) that is crying out! . . . because the deep hidden lacerations of the heart can be -- and are -- far more painful than a physical stabbing. Does this describe you today? Someone you know?

And why is this 'crying out' so often likened to a 'winter season' in one's life. Why is that?

Winter is more that just a season of the year . . . Here in Minnesota, it is a way of life for many (many!) months. And we do not escape to Disney World!

Hardly! Here's what we do: We wear turtlenecks and scratchy wool sweaters and coats and hats and mittens (and boots and scarfs and hand warmers and earmuffs and long thermal underwear and sometimes spikes on the bottom of our boots), and we make industry of our climatic condition: Snowmobiling, skiing, ice-skating, hockey, dog-sledding. The more foolish and irrational among us chose to support the Minnesota Vikings. Who knows why -- really. The cold air does something to our rational thinking processes.

For the most part, Minnesotans love winter! And if I've learned anything in North Country it is this: We cherish the Summer months because we know that Winter is inevitable.

In very much the same way . . . Jesus told us that we would inevitably face tribulation:

". . . In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

~ John 16:33

Winter most definitely speaks of barrenness: Icy shadows. Naked branches. Short days. Long nights. It is an ideal time to slow down in quiet reverence and remember that

“God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.”

~ Psalm 115:3

If you've been a Christian for very long you know that our lives here on earth are indeed God’s agenda. Not our own. If you are a mature Christian, you know that our plans and designs are actually laughable in God's grand plan for us and for His Kingdom.

Look at your own life today. Were there any designs ten years ago for the current state of things in your home and family? Be honest. Who in their proper mind would ever predict how life will turn?

But is God still working in your life? Can you look back and see His guiding hand throughout those last ten years?

If we're walking in fellowship with Him, His blessings and His agenda become more evident with every step we take -- despite what "season" we happen to be in at the moment. When the despair of a winter season has past, we are always wiser, stronger, and deeper in love with Jesus. Because He is most assuredly "still in the business of guiding and strengthening and healing and overcoming. . .”

Every Christian reading this post stands at a crossroads as this New Year - 2009 - begins to unfold. We can look backward or we can look forward. The backward glimpse is often devastating. It hurts. For many of us, unexpected circumstances and Satan's handiwork to injure and impair occupied and dominated a great part of 2008.

The good news is that God’s Word holds answers. The Word of God brings light and understanding to the perplexities and heartaches of life. BUT. . . the only way to discover these precious Scriptural principles to direct and sustain us in the winter seasons of life it to actually open our Bibles and read from it!

Oh! how sad it is to see Christians whose knowledge of God's Word is so obviously lacking. There is only ONE thing that will guide us through tribulations of this life -- the groanings that we will inevitable experience. It is God's Word!

Is it winter right now in this season of your life? Are you weighed down with feelings of confusion, depression, and loneliness? Do you feel forsaken, spiritually on hold, barren, cold?

There is absolutely no questioning it – our lives here on earth will always include winter. But, beyond the thick gray clouds of winter…is God! His agenda is miraculously greater than ours. And some days His Light just makes everything beautiful and shiny! Let HIS WORD be a blessing and a source of comfort to you in 2009!

Heartlight's Daily Bible Reading Plans http://www.heartlight.org/devotionals/reading_plans/

Bible Gateway's Reading Plans
http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/

BiblePlan's Reading Plans
http://www.bibleplan.org/

~ Esthermay Bentley-Goossen

©2009 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

This installment of InOtherWords is hosted by Bonnie at Ink It Blog.
And. . . Yea! That's my front yard in the photo!

12:01 AM | 18 comments | Read More

Saturday Selah. . .

Saturday Selah is a new meme on Patricia’s blog, Typing One Handed. Here's the idea behind it:

Learning to be still takes practice. With that in mind, and in the spirit of the Titus 2 Woman, Saturdays are set aside to share how the Lord is teaching us to be still and know. . . .

- - - - - - - - - -

Throughout the Book of John, Jesus keeps saying, "I Am:”

“I am the bread of life.”

“I am the light of the world.”

“I am the good shepherd.”

“I am the living water.”

“I am the door.”

“I am the way, the truth and the life.”

“I am the vine.”

"I am Sam, I am…"

OH, wait. SAHM gets confused. . .

…although there is much to be said for Dr. Seuss.

But, I wander …

Jesus says, “I AM.” . . . whatever we need, Jesus can be!

And John 21:35 also says this:

“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.”

So . . .

We know that Jesus is Everything we need. . . yet what we know about Him could be written on the back of a toothpick.

Here's where I get into trouble:

If Jesus is Everything –

. . . and we know so little about Him, why have so many Christians quit reading The Word of God to gain knowledge of Jesus and set up websites and blogs and seminars and discussion groups and entire movements that claim to be about Jesus, yet fail to include the Word of God?

And in more than a few instances, the people behind these matters have misquoted, misinterpreted and de-legitimized God’s Word!

I admit I am sensitive on the issue – but I am also adamant and unmovable.

God’s Word is the absolute final authority on all things.

Last week I received three personal e-mails from women who either follow or frequently visit my blog. All three women presented legitimate and serious questions which they (I presume) are hoping I will address on The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife.

Pros & Cons:

Con: In answering the questions posed, am I de-legitimizing God’s Word and making my thoughts the “final authority” and God’s Word simply a “reference?” (All three questions are clearly and unambiguously answered in Scripture.)

Pro: In answering the questions posed, am I pointing people to God’s Word and making clear that His Word is the answer? Is God’s Word that difficult for some people to grasp, understand, and incorporate into their own lives that it takes a discerning writer or speaker to reveal, uncover and bring to light its Truth? And am I that writer?

(Comments welcome. . . . )

Laurie Ann wrote on the Importance of Reading God’s Word yesterday and it really hit a chord in me. Do you hear it?

This is my Saturday Selah. . . .

I believe the Lord is teaching me to be still and dwell in His Word . . .

I believe the Lord is teaching me to open my heart and sharpen my mind. . .

I believe the Lord is teaching me to perfect my understanding and discernment of His Word. . .

I believe the Lord is teaching me to know that I must use discernment and wisdom in choosing whether or not to answer questions presented to the blog.

~ Esthermay Bentley-Goossen

12:28 PM | 8 comments | Read More

God Said It. . .

. . . God said that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, then the whale swallowed Jonah, and we do not need a scientist to measure the gullet of a whale.

~ A. W. Tozer

There are people with PhD’s who know so much more about religion and theology and biblical history than most of us will ever desire or care to know. They know how the Bible was constructed. They can present time lines and carbon-dating evidence to prove Noah’s Ark and the Tower of Babel and Solomon’s Temple and the covering used to shroud the body of Jesus.

They can tell you exactly why we can declare certain attributes to God and exactly why Jesus should be perceived as God’s Son. They can give you an absolute conclusive and indisputable scientific argument for Creation. They know the historical events surrounding all that we hold dear and they can give all the theological sides to all of the major conflicts in Christianity. They can explain (or attempt to explain) predestination, sanctification, justification, glorification and all the other ‘tions.

I love the mental handiwork of these people. They make solid hermetic arguments that leave most atheists looking like idiots with speech impediments trying to defend their way-crooked worldview

While . . .

". . . faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
- Hebrews 11:1

. . . the scientific community has done much to bring some of those immovable scientific types to a clearer understanding of God’s World.

But -- for the most part – the extent of their knowing is simply that. Knowledge. It’s all about precise, logical and systematic head knowledge.

Most days, I’m just not there.

I’m a SAHM. Today we made the letter “M” out of homemade play-dough! It’s been in a 175 degree oven for eleven hours now.

I’m a law-school drop-out too.

. . . Sigh.

Have you ever heard this cliché?

God said it, I believe it, that settles it.

So much for Sherlock Holmes.

Why calculate the dimensions of the esophagus of a fish when the God of the Universe already declared that the fish in question did indeed swallow the man?!

Here’s a quick summary of my worldview:

The Bible is the absolute final authority on all things.

And in I Peter 1:24-25, The Apostle Peter made it clear that the word of God abides forever:

"For all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord abides forever."

When God speaks, His word (i.e., whatever He says) continues forever and ever--eternally, as a matter of fact! In other words (no pun intended), we can depend upon and totally rely upon what God has said and we can do so throughout eternity with so scientific data to authenticate it!

The Bible is the absolute final authority on all things.

And “God said it, I believe it, that settles it” is good too.

But here’s a better one:

God said it. I believe it. So I’m going to do it!

The test to know that we really know and really believe in God is obedience to His commands.

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
- John 14:21

And – in following the thoughts of A.W. Tozer:

“Salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred scriptures.”
- A.W. Tozer

Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.
- AW. Tozer

- Esthermay Bentley-Goossen

© Copyright 2008 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

For more In Other Words, visit Deborah at Chocolate & Coffee

12:02 PM | 10 comments | Read More

Confronting Fundamentalism

I am thankful today for the Blogosphere where all of us are utterly free to express ourselves and agree or disagree with others in the community. We each have the unreserved right to write what we feel and moderate comments however we see fit in keeping with the spirit of our own blog.

The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife received this comment following Tuesday’s Post, “Hanging Christians. . . ”

. . . Don't you think Christians need to let up a little on preaching about sin and start emphasizing more love and acceptance of people who don't believe exactly like we think they should? Not everything is a sin! God is the final judge. Preaching about sin only makes people angry and drives them away from the church. Isn’t God the final judge? I just think that Christians need to learn more about love and acceptance and compassion. Christ was all these things.

With all proper respect to this commenter (who happens to maintain a perfectly attractive and purposeful blog), I disagree.

And in offering an explanation to a comment that I chose otherwise not to publish, I am calling attention to an issue that has effectively altered the Church over the last several decades.

First I should point out that I am not prancing through my church and neighborhood preaching to and labeling everyone I see a "sinner." (My husband did require that I take "Christian Diplomacy 101" as a pastor's wife.)

That said, I do fall into the “Fundamentalist” category when it comes to evangelical labels.

What exactly is a “Fundamentalist?” One meaning the dictionary gives is "one who is immovable from [her] beliefs."

Sadly, the trend over the last 20 years in the “evangelical” church is to lean away from the absolute Truth of God’s Word and the meaning of the term “Fundamentalist” has undergone a change in meaning.

Used to be that the term "fundamental" by definition, meant not only believing in and sharing the Gospel of Christ -- but also pointing out err. That is, showing others -- by the use of Scripture -- that we are by our very nature – intrinsically, inherently and naturally -- sinners.

But the evangelical movement has leaned away from the absolute Truth of God’s Word and has chosen instead to offer the Gospel of Love/Acceptance/Tolerance. The thinking is that to call someone a sinner might offend them. (Oh MY!)

To a Fundamentalist, this sacrifices the Truth of Salvation! And thereby the Truth of Scripture.

How can anyone come to a true faith in Jesus Christ without first seeing their sinful nature and their great need of salvation? The Book of Romans is very clear - and very much addresses sin in full -- and previous to -- the introduction of Grace and Love.

The Gospel of Love and Acceptance alone does NOT offer eternal salvation.

Today, the word “Fundamentalist” is often used as a term of mockery and ridicule – even contempt – against those who still believe that God’s Word is the absolute final authority on all things --including the portions that address behaviors that offend God.

The term “Fundamentalist” is also loosely interpreted to describe anyone who expresses any kind of belief in the teachings of the Bible.

So you can see that there is a collaborative effort made by both the secular media and some “Christians” to smear “Fundamentalists” with the image of being unloving, intolerant, unkind, judgmental, snobbish and unattractive. …All because Fundamentalists believe God’s Word is genuine, accurate and all-inclusive.

When the Apostle Paul was leaving the church in Ephesus, where he had ministered for three years, he reminded the Christians there, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27) What he was saying was, “I have spoken the truth of God’s Good News to you. I spoke the whole truth. I left nothing out. I gave you all the facts.

Sounds a lot like,” Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”

Works well in the state and federal court systems.

Not so well in all churches.

The whole counsel of scripture includes a great deal about sin. If you really examine the major themes of the New Testament, you would find a great number of passages addressing people (including “Christians") who are not living as True Believers.

The entire Old Testament is a chronicle – the complete story – of mankind's sin against God. Beginning in the Garden of Eden and narrated right up to the destruction and rebuilding of the temple in The Book of Nehemiah.

Proverbs and Psalm are abounding with cautions and warnings and reprimands.

The entire New Testament in confrontive in nature. Every New Testament Epistle was written to a local church body with problems. (See I and II Corinthians, James, I and II Peter.)

Turn to the Gospels: In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jesus confronted people with Truth. Remember the Woman at the Well. (John 4:1-42) Jesus confronted her. He did it, of course, with abundant compassion, concern and kindness. But he did not offer that compassion, concern and kindness by itself. Had he done that, she would have walked away believing she was "okay in HIS sight." And she was not. He confronted her sin.

Remember Zacchaeus (Luke 19)? Remember Nicodemus (John 3)? How about the scathing rebuke of the Pharisees in Matthew 23?

As a writer with discernment, I fall on the side of "confrontive" rather than "tolerant and accepting." I never want anything I’ve written to be misconstrued. I never want anyone to misinterpret Scripture based on something I’ve written. A misunderstanding of God’s Word can/will have eternal consequences.

As a Christian Counselor, I recognize and appreciate that working with people is a delicate zone that love must guide.

Confronting in Love. What a calling!

It is not a bad thing to be a fundamentalist!

I am thankful that God's Words as revealed in the Bible are just as true today as when they were first spoken by chosen men of God under divine inspiration.

I am thankful that the solutions God provides in His Word are suitable for all the problems we face today.

I am thankful to be counted as one who believes in the absolute inerrant reliability of God’s Word.

- Esthermay Bentley-Goossen

© Copyright 2008 The Heart of a Pastor's Wife

1:06 AM | 15 comments | Read More

Hanging Christians. . .

"Still, accepting God's existence is one thing; honoring His command is another matter entirely. . . "

-Liz Curtis Higgs

from Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible

Remember this?

Is it a vote? Not a vote? If yes, is it for Bush? Gore? Wait, let's attempt to interpret who the voter meant to vote for . . . Oh, wait! You can't make that call, you have political bias! Do you remember this? What a circus!

Same thing happens in Christian circles:

Do you think he's really a Christian? I just don't see any fruit in her life. I wonder if she's even saved. Wait, you can't make that call, you're no better than she is. How can you judge? . . . "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7)

Is it wrong to look around and wonder if people who claim to be Christian really are what they profess? Is it wrong to presume that they are simply acknowledging His existence without honoring His commandments? How about questioning and evaluating our own lives? . . .

Here's an example from Christ's own ministry:

"Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men." (John 2:23-24)

Jesus knew the difference between the small-minded, shallow faith of the religious people and the saving faith of a true believer. And in the following verses of John Chapter Three we read about Nicodumus, who was almost certainly the most religiously qualified person in the crowd. Yet, he was lost. Is there a correlation here?

According to Christian pollster, George Barna, there's little difference between today's Christian and non-Christian. You don't have do much research to see the startling similarities between today's lost and "saved." Except for the fact that the "saved" people attend church, there appears to be very little difference at all. The churchgoers think the same, talk the same, look the same, act the same and go the same places to do the same things non-churchgoers do – except that they go to church on Sunday and act religious. And, many churchgoers attend church just to give God (or the pastor) another chance to stir up their emotions. This is the same shallow faith that Jesus did not trust. Correlation? Yeah.

Accepting God's existence and actually reading and embracing His Word are two entirely different matters. Without a love for -- and a living out of His commands -- we are like the hanging chad: We're questionable, undefined, scrutinized, and -- probably and ultimately -- not counted.

Even Hollywood embraces Christ. It is unquestionably a politically correct, new age, designer Christ. What you won't see or hear from Tinsel Town is an endorsement of God's Word. You won't see any Hollywood celebrity honoring His commands. And that is the proverbial line in the sand that separates God's enemy from God's own: His Word – you either believe it, or you don't. Merely calling oneself a Christian does not make it so.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." – Matthew 7:21

"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." James 2:19

The world has no problem with silent and submissive churchgoers who merely acknowledge God's existence. And this is comforting to the silent and submissive churchgoers.

But, let the Word of God pour out of their lips and challenge anyone based on Scripture. . .

Let the Word of God pour out of them to confront a the secular worldview or a political theory (oh, lets just say. . . pro-choice, e.g.) . . .

. . .and you'll see a hatred come out of people's hearts like nothing you've ever witnessed. This is what marked a true believer in the new Testament Church. And it is what still marks a true believer in the church today.

Acknowledging God's existence is pointless. If you don't believe in God -- know God -- and study His Word, your passion is pointless and it will inevitably do more harm than good. Remember, Satan prizes a lukewarm religious person far more than a cold hearted sinner. He can do far more damage to God's Church with these kind of "Christians." You're no more recognizable in God's Kingdom than countless other hanging Christians.

Question yourself.

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him." – 1 John 2:3-5

- Esthermay Bentley-Goossen
See more "In Other Words" at Miriam Pauline's Monologue
For More Information on Knowing God AND Living out His Commands as a True Beleiver, Visit NeedHim.org

12:21 AM | 13 comments | Read More

Is Preaching All That Important?

"Word and worship belong indissolubly to each other. All worship is an intelligent and loving response to the revelation of God, because it is the adoration of his Name. Therefore, acceptable worship is impossible without preaching. For preaching is making known the Name of the Lord, and worship is praising the Name of the Lord made known. Far from being an alien intrusion into worship, the reading and preaching of the Word are actually indispensable to it. The two cannot be divorced. Indeed, it is their unnatural divorce which accounts for the low level of so much contemporary worship. Our worship is poor because our knowledge of God is poor, and our knowledge of God is poor because our preaching is poor. But when the Word of God is expounded to its fullness, and the congregation begins to glimpse the glory of the living God, they bow down in solemn awe and joyful wonder before his throne, It is preaching which accomplishes this, the proclamation of the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit of God. That is why preaching is unique and irreplaceable."
- From "I Believe in Preaching" London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1982), p. 82

Teaching historical and sound doctrine should be the passion of every church. A generation has arisen that seeks answers. And real answers are not found in a cursory understanding of God’s Word. Yet a generation has arisen that does not grasp simple Biblical concepts. A generation has arisen that has not been taught sound doctrine. A generation has arisen that cannot even sit still long enough to hear and listen to a sermon or Bible lesson and when they do, they hear topical sermons that with only a glance into God’s Word for a simple answers to complex contemporary issues. This produces superficial Christians who are no better than the world we are instructed to “go into.” (Matthew 28:19)

Defining Expository Preaching
Let me define expository preaching: Expository preaching is a kind of preaching that expounds upon the meaning of a particular text or passage of Scripture. It gives full meaning -- in context -- to what God's Word actually says and what it actually means. The defining characteristic of expository preaching is that it does not dwell on non-biblical examples. It does not focus on stories, jokes and anecdotes. Instead, it seeks to stay focused on Biblical text. In other words, expository preaching brings God's Word alive! It applies God's Word to today! And because every word of Scripture is God-breathed, expository preaching is the only avenue by which we really know God's heart. Don't you want to know all about Him?! Or do you prefer an out-of-context-soundbites understanding of the creator of the universe?

Let me make a comparison: I am homeschooling my children. At this point, they understand basic math: 1+1=2, 2+2=4, 4-1=3. I would not attempt at this point -- and no teacher begins -- teaching math by explaining long division or calculus. You need to understand the "whole counsel" of math beginning with counting to ten before you can solve quadratic equations.

In the same way, you cannot understand perplexing difficulties in your life or your children's lives or the life of your church if you simply open your Bible to one passage and rely solely upon it to address and solve the problem. Yet we do this all the time! We take pieces of Scripture -- out of both textural and historical context -- and attempt apply it to our lives and circumstances and we wonder why God doesn't bless us. Christians need the whole counsel of God's Word.

Studies prove that most "Christians" do not read their Bibles. To say that Bible illiteracy is rampant in America is black eye for a nation that thinks of itself as Christian. Sixty-five percent of Americans agree that the Bible "answers all or most of the basic questions of life." Amazingly, 28% of Americans who believe the Bible “answers all or most of the basic questions of life” say they rarely or never read the Bible. Therein lies the problem. An even smaller number actually study the Bible. The percentage of frequent readers, those who read the Bible at least once a week, has decreased from 40% in 1990 to 37% today. Only one American in seven reports an involvement with the Bible that goes beyond reading it (The Gallup Organization, October 20, 2000). These statistics are nearly a decade old! You know that they can only have gotten worse in the society in which we live.

So they're getting fed in church. Right? Think again. Most church members frown on the idea of studying the Bible in depth. Contact any church and ask about the attendance at its mid-week Bible Study. Or its Sunday evening service. It is a fact born of study and statistics that the majority of "Christians" in America prefer a feel-good-about-myself sermon about "God's Love" over an expository study of -- lets just choose . . . the Book of Romans or I Corinthians. And even then, the preaching should never come before or take precedence over the music/worship/drama portion of the Sunday morning church service.

The preaching in most churches is a secondary portion of the service when most people feel it's okay to leave either early or altogether. Yet -- for those who want the feel-good sermon about God's Love -- what a far more astounding understanding and grasp of "God's Love" when we understand the depths of ugly that He overlooked when bestowing such Love! The "Love of God" has profound and inexpressible meaning once you've read and fully understand the entire story! Have you ever read the book of Hosea in the context of a lesson on John 3:16? A good expository preacher has. If you have a good expository preacher, you have. The vast majority of Christians have not. And the vast majority of Christians don't care to read it either. They want sermons fed to them that make them feel good about themselves. They want sermons that do not offend anyone. They want a watered-down doctrine that does not confront or label or condemn. The sorry news for these people is that the Bible absolutely does confront and label and condemn.

Paul addressed this in II Timothy: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (II Timothy 4:3-4)

Here's what Martyn Lloyd Jones says about expository preaching: "One advantage in preaching through a book of the Bible… is that it compels us to face every single statement, come what may, and stand before it, and look at it, and allow it to speak to us. Indeed it is interesting to observe that not infrequently certain well-known Bible teachers never face certain Epistles at all in their expositions because there are difficulties which they are resolved to avoid."

e.g. Preaching Romans. . .
"Bible teachers never face certain Epistles at all in there expositions because there are difficulties which they are resolved to avoid." That's interesting. No wonder people are so Biblically illiterate. Pastors are afraid to preach God's Word! My own husband faced criticism when he preached from the Book of Romans. (Any surprises here?) Sadly -- so sadly -- people just didn't want to hear what Roman's had to say to them. Romans is but one example. And denominational boundries and theological differences are illigitimate arguments when people are unhappy over Scripturally-based preaching. When a body of belivers is confronted with the Truth of Scripture, troublemakers always rise to the surface. It's an old preachers' saying that "when you throw out the Word of God, the ones who 'yip' are the ones that got hit." Whether you're Methodist or Baptist or Lutheran -- Calvinist or Armenian, God's Word is God's Word. Truth is Truth -- and but for a few churches which could be categorized as cults, the entire Bible -- from Genesis to Revelation -- is still God's Word. (And "troublemakers" aren't so much troublemakers as they are blinded by satan to the Truth of God's Word.)

For Christians, an understanding of the Book of Romans is the crucial hinge on which Salvation rests: If you don't understand the book of Romans - you're not intellectually capable of understanding salvation. That's sounds more complicated and harsh than it is. And this is not to say you must sit and read vast passages of this Book everyday and study and research the original Greek meaning of every word in every passage. But. . . it is the very simple and elementary understanding that being human equals being full of sin, that makes the entire plan of salvation even necessary. How can you be saved, if you don't know what you are being saved from? But people don't want to hear about sin. Most pastors who've been preaching for a while will tell you that it is easier to reach an un-churched and completely biblically illiterate sinner on the street with the message of salvation than it is to reach the religious sinner sitting in a pew with a fifth-grade knowledge of Scripture. Maybe because sin is embodied in many activities which are practiced so readily in churches: envy, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, insolence, arrogance, pride. Romans tells us that people invent ways of doing evil, that they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (Romans 1:29-31)

Maybe its the gossip or envy part people don't like because they're engaged it . . . For whatever reason, something just hits too close to home and people get uncomfortable -- then they get angry -- then they gossip more -- then they begin to feel arrogant and heartless -- then they begin to slander -- and then they begin to invent ways of doing evil -- and before you know it, the preacher has created strife in the church. If the pastor just wouldn't preach from the Bible - none of this would happen.

Feel Good Sermons
"I fear that sometimes people in our church. . . want to be flattered more than they want to hear the truth. When you go to the doctor, do you just want a good report so you feel good when going home or do you want the truth?"

-- Mark Dever, Capital Hill Baptist Church, Feb 26, 2008, Southeastern Seminary Chapel

"The early church was met with persecution. Modern churches are met with a yawn."

-- Frank Page, SBC President and pastor of Taylors First Baptist, Taylors, SC, Feb 12, Southeastern Chapel

Modern day church-goers simply don't want to hear anything negative. My father (a pastor) was reprimanded once by a woman after he preached a sermon about hell! She thought it was wrong for a pastor to be so negative. Quite honestly, there's more negative in God's Word than there is positive when it comes to the human condition. And -- news alert! . . hell is real!

If pastors have to avoid expository preaching because -- as Martyn Lloyd Jones puts it -- "there are difficulties which they are resolved to avoid," what does that say about the future of the church? If pastors are having to water-down their messages to keep church attendance up, what does that say about the future of that rising generation with all the questions -- those in their teens and twenties who have little or no grounding in the Truth? And what happens when members of this rising generation are put into positions of leadership? It is a sad realization and a sad fact that pastors and ministries everywhere are attacked when the full Truth of God's Word is preached. As a result, ministries are abandoned, pastors leave the ministry, leaders and teachers leave churches. And in many cases, God's Word is compromised -- a divine calling ignored -- and a pastor caters to church members who want "Love of God" sermons to the exclusion of the other 90% of Scripture that might actually bring about revival and change in the church.

And How Does This Apply to Me?
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16-17)

Sounds like the role of the church is to equip us. Yes, there is room for worship... Worship is scripturally based, however, churches should not be so concerned about drawing crowds with -- or losing people because of -- a certain type of worship style: Contemporary, Classical, Heritage, Hymns. . . you know what I'm talking about. Google "Worship Wars," and see what I mean. (The worship wars are for another time and another post.)

If you're in ministry: Preach the Word! "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction." II Timothy 4:2.

If you're a church member: tell your pastor you'd like to hear more expository preaching.

If you're searching for a church: ask if the pastor preaches topically or expositionally.

If you're more into the worship part of Sunday morning than you are the preaching: re-read the entire post!

Acceptable worship is impossible without preaching. The two cannot be divorced. Indeed, it is their unnatural divorce which accounts for the low level of so much contemporary worship. Our worship is poor because our knowledge of God is poor, and our knowledge of God is poor because our preaching is poor. But when the Word of God is expounded to its fullness, and the congregation begins to glimpse the glory of the living God!

- Esthermay Bentley-Goossen

6:14 PM | 3 comments | Read More

My Mom Signed my Autograph Book!

"What is the greatest lesson you learned from your mother?"

(In response to the Internet Cafe's Weekly Question)When I was in fourth-grade, autograph books were really cool, in vogue, modish, all the rage. I wanted one so badly. All my girlfriends had one. But my mom was not exactly a trendy mom of the times. My mom was a "so if all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?" kind-of mom. I didn't get my autograph book right quick; and when she finally did buy me one, she wanted to be the first to sign it. Of course it was not very cool, in vogue, modish, all the rage to have your mother sign your autograph book. But what could I say? Here's what she wrote:

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. - II Timothy 3:16-17 Love, Mom

My mother was a straightforward, uncomplicated theologian who was not ashamed of anything the Bible had to say. She was an astute student of God's Word. And I don't use the word "theologian" just to add panache here. Theology is simply the knowledge of God. It is not the result of organized higher education and study or exercising reason. My mom was simple. She loved Jesus and she read her Bible. And the older I get the more I look just like her I mean. . . the more I am beginning to #1 appreciate this; and #2 live it.

A quick summary of this doctrine is this:

The Bible is the absolute final authority on all things.

And this is the greatest lesson I learned from My Mom.

Of course, my mom was not without advice for the less consequential things in life. Secondary to doctrine (but no less important), I learned the following things from My Mom:

► Always carry kleenex in your purse. And if you're not carrying a purse, stick a kleenex in your sleeve.

► Always carry a purse.

► When shopping for clothes, always go with the one you picked off the rack first.

► The color of your shoes should never be lighter than the hemline of whatever you're wearing.

► If you lose track of time while shopping, blame the very l--o--n--n--n-g train you had to stop for.

► If you're short on funds, take it out of your tithe - because God probably wants you to have it.

► Men can't hear. And they don't listen either.

Esthermay Bentley-Goossen

4:08 PM | 8 comments | Read More