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