Challenge

Which activity do you do more of?

1) TV and movies
2) Prayer

You show your priorities and your heart by where you spend time.

Challenge: The next time you are going to watch a movie with one or two other people, ask them if they want to spend those two hours praying instead. Do this once a week at least.

Thoughts on False Doctrine

Understand all things through the Word. Doubt yourself, trust the Word.

A rule we can know about the course of false doctrine comes from the book of 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.

Observation: The course of false doctrine will be in line with the sinful desires of men.

Observation: Men will actively seek out teachers who speak what they secretly long to hear.

This is true now. This is true of me. When thinking of false doctrine and the susceptibility of the human heart towards it, we tend to think of others, as if we were completely level-headed and able to in all things discern truth without any selfish desires entering in.

Know that this itself is dangerous! Apply the Word to yourself! I am in danger of gathering around myself teachers who tell me what I want to hear! My heart longs to be free to pursue what is sinful! And so does yours.

So, what are some common courses that we should expect false doctrine to take?

1. Teachers who give men license to sin.

Here is probably the dominant course of false doctrine. The fallen human heart loves sin. Teachings which remove the guilt we feel at our sin while still allowing us the freedom to sin will always be popular.

There are many, many degrees of this, whether it be teachers that simply wink at certain areas, teachers that actively condone certain sins, teachers that lessen the severity of sins, teachers that deny the concept of sin in general, teachers that remove the consequences for sin, etc.

2. Teachers who give men a law or method with which to establish their righteousness.

This also can be subtle. This often works hand-in-hand with number one...since holiness is too difficult, men will be provided with an alternate path, one that soothes their consciences while providing them freedom.

3. Teachers who allow men to be at peace with the world.

The values of the world, in particular. This includes, teachers who allow men to gather possessions and riches. Teachers who advocate storing up treasures on earth. Teachers who place a primacy on this life. Teachers who say that the teachings of Jesus are "attractive" to natural man. Teachers who try to make Jesus's teachings "attractive" to natural man. Teachers who teach men to value the opinions of the world.

I know I am treading on some thin ice here.

4. Teachers who remove the necessity of evangelism.

I say this one because I observe it constantly. And because it is one I myself have often tried to rationalize and accept. I think it is also the one that is currently most attractive to serious minded young Christians. But it is false. Those outside of Christ will perish for eternity! The preaching of the Word through the power of the Holy Spirit is the path laid out by God for entrance into the kingdom. No either priority towards men has any comparative weight.

Russian Facebook

So, to keep in contact with my Russian friends, I joined a social networking website called VKontakte.

It is one giant rip-off of Facebook. The literally copied Facebook, and just changed the name. The colors are the same and everything.

Except...there are no copy-right restrictions. So you can post videos and music to your profile. My friend Tanya has a pirated video from the new Pixar movie on her profile.

So in summary, VKontakte is Facebook with no copy-right restrictions.

False Christian Cliche of the Day

I hate religion but I love Jesus.

There is even a whole book, written by a fellow named Bruxy Cavey, called The End of Religion. His central point is that religion was like, what the Pharisees were doing man, and that Jesus was about tearing down those walls, or whatever.

I am not sure when this became such a big deal. At any rate, it is not true unless you redefine "religion" to mean "legalistic requirements to appease an unhappy God."

Jesus didn't hate religion, but submitted to the requirements placed upon him by God with regard to the proper worship of God. And so should we.

The problem is that religion can be false, like the imaginary rites and rituals of so many churches. So perhaps it would be more accurate to say, "I hate false religion, but I do submit to true religion as laid out for the church by Jesus and his apostles. In fact, I even love true religion."

Besides, the main reason for this professed hatred of religion is to make Christianity more palatable. It is not about religion, see, so you don't really have to make many changes to your life, and you certainly don't have to go to church!

False.

The Progress of Sin

Taken from II Samuel xi, the famous account of David and Bathsheeba...

1. A door is opened for temptation to enter.

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab...But David remained in Jerusalem.

David sends his army off to war but remains idle at home. This creates the opportunity for sin to enter. In itself, it is not sinful. Often times, our sin begins in something seemingly harmless that gives sin access to our hearts. Look at your life! Do you flee not just temptation, but the opportunity for temptation to strike? This is humility.

2. Desire meets with its object.

From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful.

David does not go out on the roof to look for beautiful women. But when he sees one, his desire is aroused. The sin in him sees what it desires and he is tempted. Still, he has not yet fallen into sin. But he has placed himself into a position where is strength is tested. Now, God has promised strength for us to turn away from all temptation. But David has willingly brought himself to the place of temptation.

Do you think you have the strength to resist temptation? By the grace of God, you do...but it is a grievous sin to presume on the grace of God. Who knows how you will respond to such temptation? Most of us resist sin only because we do not have the power to act on it. This is the grace of God, not our strength!

3. Desire takes its object

Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him and he slept with her.

David acts to satisfy his desire. He thinks no further then the immediate future. This is the act of passion, coming from the disorder of our desires and the mastery sin has over us.

God knows the power of our sin, better than all of us do. We tend to underestimate its strength and overestimate our power. In fact, but for the grace of God our sin would have immediate mastery over us, plunging us into a flood of sin such as which consumed the antediluvian world. There is a hedge around you which restrains your sin! And also the Holy Spirit is at work in you, if you are in Christ.

This moment of sin is perhaps the least serious of all that happens. Don't get me wrong, it is gravely serious! But it is what leads up to it and proceeds from it that causes David problems.

4. Covering it.

David calls for the woman's husband, hoping he will sleep with her and cover up his sin.

The moment of passion gone, the immediacy of sin over. Now David is left only with the consequences of his sin. Note that at each stage, David has a choice. Here, his choice is to confess his sin, seek forgiveness from God, etc. Instead, he acts to cover and hide his sin. He employs deception and lies.

What is your first reaction to your sin? To hide it? To move quickly through it? We don't know what was going on internally for David. Perhaps he was wracked with guilt, shame, etc. Perhaps he urgently pleaded with God for forgiveness. But we see his actions. They show a man who is concerned only with the consequences of his sin.

5. Willful sin

In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line were the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."

David moves from what John Owen calls "being surprised by sin," into a willful, planned sin. This is far more serious and far more damaging. No matter what distance David tries to maintain, he kills Uriah here to hide his sin. And he does so in a deliberate, planned way. This is where we become hardened in our sin. It is dangerous, dangerous.

6. Hardened complacency

After the time of mourning, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son.

Was David troubled in his heart? Perhaps, perhaps not. But he arrives at a complacent state. He knew his sin intellectually. But it was over, and he seemed to be at peace. Here is the spot where God is free to leave us, if he should choose. I have been here.

It makes me cry to remember the mercy of God in not leaving me here! Praise his grace and mercy!

The chapter ends on this ominous note: But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

Warning

Attention Long Beach: I'm on my way home.

I haven't been in Long Beach since June 9th. Dang! that's a long time to be on the rode, living out of the same durn suitcase.

Sunday afternoon looks good.

Dudes

Do you realize that there are new depths to be discovered in God? Do you realize that knowing him is endless? Do you realize that the Word cannot be searched enough, that you will find new things the tenth, 20th, 200th time you read the same verse?

Do you realize that there are experiences to be had with God of such whelming intimacy that you at your present understanding cannot even comprehend?

Do you realize that God is to be known deeper and deeper each day? Do you realize that the glory of God in the face of Christ is meant to transform us?

Let us seek the Lord while he may be found!

What are you playing at? What are you giving time to? Let's pursue the Lord together!

Quote of the night while clubbing in St. Petersburg

Me: Well, shall we head over to Fidel's?

Misha: First, let me call and tell my girlfriends goodnight.