The 4th Commandment is the Most Important

Much confusion surrounds the issue of the 10 Commandments. Christians are all over the map as to their views of them. Where I grew up, the 10 Commandments were certainly elevated above other commandments; they were revered; we fought for the legal right to have them on plaques in courthouses. Yet there was ambiguity, because no one I knew strictly followed the 4th one (the keeping of the Sabbath). So do we "have to" follow the 10 Commandments today? No, we don't. 

And yes, we do. 

The Old Testament Law, in which the 10 Commandments reside, was the authority of the Old Covenant, and was set aside when the New Covenant was enacted. As for dividing the law into 3 categories- civil, moral, and ceremonial- there really isn't much Biblical evidence for that, as the New Covenant theologians have pointed out. Even the fact that the 4th commandment (a "ceremonial" law) was housed within the other 9 great Commandments (which were all moral), makes this evident. The divisions are not so easy to make. Is the 5th Commandment (honoring parents) moral, while the punishment for breaking it (death) civil?? (One reason Christians who follow the OT Law don't make sense. They leave out the enforcement of the OT Law, which has to include OT punishment, if it's really going to be kept.) "No inspired writer makes any distinction between the "moral" law and the "ceremonial" law." (see source below)

"Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴ So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." Gal 3

"But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.... In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." Heb 8:6, 13

7Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. 2 Corinthians 3

What was etched in stone that Moses brought down from the mountain? That's right! The 10 Commandments!

Does this mean we don't have to follow the 10 Commandments? Hardly. In fact, 9 of them are repeated in the New Testament, therefore, we are still to obey them under the New Covenant. This is how often they are repeated in the NT...

1). To worship the Lord God only (1st commandment): no less than 50 times2). Idolatry (2nd commandment): condemned 12 times3). Profanity (3rd commandment): condemned 4 times4). Honoring parents (5th commandment) is taught 6 times5). Murder (6th commandment) condemned 6 times6). Adultery (7th commandment) condemned 12 times7). Theft (8th commandment) condemned 4 times8). False Witness (9th commandment) condemned 4 times9). Covetousness (10th commandment) condemned 9 times
SOURCE 

So those are taken care of. :) What about the Sabbath? I would argue that, in fact, the Sabbath is the most important of all of the Commandments. If you don't believe me, take a look at Hebrews 4. The book of Hebrews sets out to explain to the new Jewish Christians how many things in the Old Covenant were in fact symbols of something coming in the New. 

 "They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things." Heb 8:5 and "the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities..." Heb 10:1

The High Priest symbolized Jesus; the sacrifices, the sacrifice of Jesus, and so on. Since the real thing had come, there was no longer a need for the symbol. So what about the Sabbath? The Sabbath symbolized the rest we have in Christ, resting from our works. 

"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, ¹⁰ for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
¹¹ Let us therefore strive to enter that rest..." Heb 4 and "For we who have believed enter that rest," Heb 4:3

So "there [does] remain a Sabbath rest for the people of God," and it is resting from "our works" and in the finished work of Jesus on the cross (context of Hebrews) for our salvation. 

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.” Heb 4:7

Don't forget the most important commandment- in the Old or New Testaments! It's no longer the seventh day of the week, or even the first day of the week, it's ALL the time; it's our very salvation- resting in all God is for us in Jesus!

Was Osteen really that Wrong?

I was going to write a post about our new play/school room, but for some reason the pictures aren't working on Blogger right now. :( But a topic I have seen floating around on Facebook really has me thinking. It's about that Victoria Osteen video that's been going around; and I think the response to that has been less than perfect. Here are my thoughts, for whatever it's worth....

• Know that I am NOT an Osteen fan. I have been to his church and watched them on TV, and I can say that I would never make that church my church home. The teaching is too surfacy; not enough "meat". There are theology points I disagree with as well that I won't go into here.
• The Osteens are not, in my opinion, heretics or false prophets. To be a false prophet, you have to deny that Jesus is the Christ (1 Jn 2:22), deny the "Master" who bought you (2 Pet 2), "Teach as doctrines the commandments of men," (Mark 7), preach a gospel contrary to what's in Scripture (Gal 1). I only visited the church one time, and he preached the same gospel I've heard since I was 2 years old. If he doesn't do that much, what are the chances that he just happened to be preaching about that the one time I went?
• I think Christians overuse the above terms WAY too much, to oppose almost anyone with whom they disagree. Just for fun, Google any popular Christian author/speaker/pastor with the word "heretic" or "critics", and you will be astonished at the disagreements, factions, and hatred between each other in the church. I mean, it's INSANE! You can find people who think just about anyone is a heretic. 
• On the other end of that, I don't hear too many of these same Christians speaking out against REAL heresy, like that which is found in the teachings of the Roman Catholic church or the Mennonites (see "Mark 7" above), or the Mormon church. Maybe we just all take for granted that our friends know our feelings on these, but many don't, and many are being led astray by these and other similar false teachings. Let's save those words for when we're SURE heresy is actually happening, could we?
• I have heard claims that Osteen NEVER mentions words like sin. Not true; I've heard him. I want to encourage everyone to search out these things for themselves instead of simly trusting what someone else says about something. In doing so, you will either find out that the claims weren't exactly true, or at the very least, gain some understanding into their world, understand why they believe what they believe in order to help them out of it. I would be willing to bet money that most of these bloggers condemning the Osteens have never listened to an entire sermon of theirs.
 

Now about what she said...

• Does God want us to be happy? I think so. Is God concerned with our obedience apart from our happiness? I think not. Check this out. No really, you need to read it. It's excellent. God's glory and our happiness are not only NOT mutually exclusive, they are intertwined. 
• Is the motive for our obedience happiness or holiness? Again, you don't have to choose! Seriously, check out the link above. It explains it better than I ever could.
• Are the Osteens leading people astray because they lack both the theological understanding and the ability to communicate that theology that the article I linked to talks about? Absolutely. People will hear a snippet like that, without the theological foundation under them, and run the wrong way with it. I have no doubt it happens all the time. 

Just some of my thoughts... Please share yours!

A Complementarian Reviews the Pearls

Finally! A non-feminist, honest, and excellent review of Created to be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl. This review is by Tim Challies, a complementarian and conservative reformed minister. Mostly because of my utter disdain for legalism, I am on a tirade to remove the Pearls' books from all Christian homes. It's true that there is some good to be gleaned from them, but since we don't live in the former Soviet Union, where there are only 3 books on parenting and 2 are written by the government, let's pick better books, shall we? (In other words, there are PLENTY of better books out there, so why choose these? :) )

This review is astonishing to me and contains many of my own thoughts as I read many excerpts from her book. It is well worth the read! 

Part 1

Part 2

Here is another, more detailed review from a woman who seems to have a pretty Biblical view on womanhood and marriage.

Why Calvinism Matters...

I don't talk too much about being a "calvinist", only because of the controversy it often stirs up and the misconceptions about it. I also used to think it didn't matter much either way. It matters. Here's why.... 

Status Update

By Desiring God:

Imagine the Last Day when you stand before Jesus. Imagine he asks you, “Why did you believe on me, when you heard the gospel, but your friends didn’t, when they heard?”
You know that is the case. We all have friends, family, people we know, who have heard the gospel but do not believe. And some, sadly, will refuse Jesus all their lives. And there you are, on that Day, and Jesus is asking you why, why you were one of the ones who believed.
“Why did you trust me but these others didn’t?”
You hear his words. You bow your head. And you do not say it’s because you’re smarter. You don’t begin to explain your faith as the result of your wisdom. “Well, Lord, you see, I was just more spiritual than they were.” “I read more book than they did.” “I always had a way of making good decisions.”
No. You won’t say that.
In that moment — picture it — in that moment you and I and every blood-bought saint will put our hands over our mouths, pointing to him, not us. Grace will stand forth with more vividness than we could have ever dreamed. There will be new dimensions of colors then — depths and wonders that we can’t see through the dim mirror of now.
And then, in that glorious moment, we will say, “You, Jesus. It was all you. We believed in your name, only by your sovereign grace. Jesus, it was all you.” [source: http://dsr.gd/1eLZnAe]

It matters because of who gets the credit, and it has to be Him.

Love IS Partly a Feeling!

Sometimes you can roll your eyes or shake your head at an old wives tale that keeps getting repeated, or a saying that's only half true, but you know what people really mean by saying it. But there's one that's really getting old, and it's really starting to get on my nerves. But more importantly, it matters. (Unlike so many sayings, for example- the difference between happiness and joy is that joy lasts through circumstances. Actually, there is no difference. In the Bible, they are interchangeable, but see, I digress into things that don't really matter.) This one does matter. Here it is:

"Love is not a feeling."

It's very true that love encompasses more than only feelings. But I would argue that feelings that do not produce action are not true feelings at all, but are, as James says, "dead". I would also submit that love without any feeling is a cold, hard love if it's love at all, and certainly not a love we should be striving for. It's not the kind of love God has.

"he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing." Zeph 3 That's not emotionless love! 

"The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.”  Ps 147
Pleasure! Not begrudging duty. 

Ironically, people bring up the cross as the greatest act of love, and yet the Bible says, "for the joy that was set before Him [Jesus] endured the cross." Heb 2

Nor is unfeeling, dutiful obedience what God wants from us.

Ps 37:4 tells us to, "delight yourself in the Lord."
Phil 4:4, to, "rejoice in the Lord."
“Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy.” Ps 43:4
“Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” Ps 63:3

And just in case you buy into the other common line that joy is a bonus we sometimes get but not a guarantee, and certainly not necessary, check this out:
"Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, ⁴⁸ therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything." Duet 28:47
This is a warning. I realize it's an Old Testament warning, but it tells us just how seriously God takes emotion. 

If this is how we're to love God, then why would loving others be any different? (see Rom 12:10) Are there days or moments or periods of time when we simply love with action even though the feeling isn't there? Yes! BUT, we should not be OK with staying in that position! We should be praying for and even expecting those emotions to return. As a wise friend once told me, "If you want the butterflies back in your marriage, pray for them to come back!" Don't be content with heartless "obedience" (if you can call it that) thinking you're doing all you're supposed to. 

So why is this so important (other than the fact that it's all over the Bible)? It's important because we can't do it on our own. We need God's help. When He commands things from us we can't muster up on our own, we must rely on Him to do it. We can muster up action; we can't muster up emotion. It's almost impossible. “Who then can be saved?!” ²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt 19 People who serve out of duty and willpower alone glorify themselves. People who serve through the power of the Spirit and out of the joy and desire of their hearts, glorify no one but God. 

This is one old wives tale we need to lay to rest.  

 
Here is an excellent sermon on this very topic.

To Hell and Back, Part 5- Resources

This post has been a long time coming. If you read my story (found here) and struggle with doubting your salvation at all like I did (and still do at times), I wanted to share what has helped me. 

First and foremost, this video.
It's about WHAT to DO when you're doubting- Look to Jesus, not yourself. I think that is the best advice, because people who struggle with this a lot are often very introspective people who think about themselves TOO much. Does that strike a chord with you? This 8 min video is excellent. (It used to be the actual video, but I guess it was deleted, so someone took the audio and put it with this picture.)

Then there's this book, which I actually have not read, but I want to. It was recommended by a trusted source, and I believe the theology is legit.

This Q&A is really good also.

If you want to delve deeper, here are some great sermons on various aspects of this.

Also, research the lives of William Cowper, Martin Luther, and John Bunyan. They have amazing stories of doubt and assurance. 

I have not listed Scripture here, but these resources are all packed full of it. A great place to go in the Bible is 1 John, as its purpose is really to assure believers they are legit. It's full of lists of things to look for in your own life. Just keep in mind that assurance does not depend on perfection!









Side note: A lot of this comes straight from my theology, which is Calvinist/Reformed in doctrine, HOWEVER, I don't think you have to share my exact doctrine to get A LOT out of these resources. These are just the ones I went to in my research, because the answer to this questioning and doubting needed to come from what I already knew to be true. (And some of the reason FOR my doubting actually came from my doctrine, which is too much to go into in this post.) But in my opinion, theology is VERY important when it comes to this issue, because the opposite problem is just as common (if not more)- which is, people thinking they are saved when they are not- because of bad theology.

2 Kids or 20? and judging others

First off, I want to say that while I know this can be a sensitive subject, please try to keep an open mind about it, as well as others' views on it. I also want to say that I LOVE large families. I agree  with my grandmother who always said, "People with enough money to support their kids and who are good people ought to have as many children as they want!" The Bible says that children are a blessing and having lots can be even MORE of a blessing. (see Psalm 127:3-5) My husband is from a family of 12, so we know some of what it's like. 

So let's pick on the "2 kid" families first.  Here are some reasons why being "done" after 2 or 3, or even 5 may not be a good idea....

• You're worried about overpopulation & what your kids will do to the planet.
• Your kids take up too much of your time, or, as the mother, they're hampering your career. You don't have enough patience for any more could also go here. While it's important to know our limits, if our "limits" are sinful, God wants us to push through those and keep growing, leaning upon Him for all that He can be through us and do in us through Christ. He is your strength. The fruit of the Spirit IS patience! ONE of the reasons God may bring children into our lives is to help US along our sanctification path and make us rely on Him every day. Don't be frightened or run from that. I have been tempted to run from that feeling of, "I can't handle this. I need more 'me' time.  If they don't stop coming, when will life go back to normal again?" ("normal" meaning "good for ME".) How sad that you MAY miss out on future blessings because of selfishness?
• Because you're afraid that___________. Whatever fills the blank MAY BE a good reason to stop, but the fear should have no part of your decision making process. He HAS NOT given us a spirit of fear! Take your fears to Him. He knows what's best for you, your family, and your children. Trust Him and let Him guide you. (Furthermore, if you already ARE pregnant and are fearful, because of what Scripture says about life, you can REST ASSURED that life is from God. He planned it, and He will take care of you and that little one!)

Okay, now we can pick on the others. ;) Many of you probably have not heard of the movement called "Quiverfull", but my understanding is that it teaches never using birth control and accepting as many kids as naturally come to you. There may be variations, but that is the basic idea. Here are the problems I have with that.

• It is not in the Bible. Saying children are a blessing does not, logically, signify that you can never prevent yourself from having one. The Old Testament also states that wealth is a blessing and in other places it says not to seek to be wealthy. It says, "It's not good for man to be alone," and yet Paul wished that all men were single as he was. The Bible calling them a blessings means to enjoy the ones you have! Nowhere in the Bible is birth control forbidden or the command given to have as many children as you can.
• The motto seems to be, "we trust God with our family size." Honestly, that's a little offensive to me, because they are implying that if you aren't Quiverfull, you DON'T trust God with your family size. You see, there is a disconnect in thinking that if we do anything to influence a certain area, we are not trusting God in that area. God works through our decision making and our own desires also. I can trust God to bring me the right job, but it's up to me to decide which one I want and go about taking the necessary steps to attain one. In areas where His specific will is unclear or not noted in Scripture (see above) He has asked us to use wisdom to make our decisions.
• They sometimes look down on those who have good reason to be "done" OR to have more spacing between births. If these people are part of their own group, they can come out VERY confused.  These reasons might include but are not limited to: poor health of the mother, a special needs child, lack of funds or needing to go on government assistance long term, a rocky marriage, another stressful life situation.  When these needs are ignored because of legalism, it can wreak havoc on families.  As one mother I know put it, "It's not respectful or loving to my blessings who are already HERE to wreck my body having more and not be able to take good care of them." There is a need for less judgement in this area. You don't know what another family might be going through.
• Mothers who make their children their idols can hide among this idea quite nicely. (I am NOT saying that even the majority of Quiverfull mothers are this way! Most are NOT, but it does occur.) These are the mothers who can not ever see themselves without a baby in their arms and are constantly anxious to get pregnant again and again, their desire going beyond a natural love for babies. They are often left emotionally wrecked (in an extreme way, not just a mourning) when their bodies are no longer able to have babies.
• This idea is also actually not logically feasible if you take it to its conclusion. Can you never chart? Can you never take extra measures to TRY to conceive? Can you follow the doctor's orders to abstain after child birth for healing? Those are taking actions and not just letting things flow naturally, so following the logic, would not be allowed. Even the frequency of "bedroom time" is a decision that would affect this. Since that's not in the Bible either, what is the directive on that? You can see how legalism quickly begets more legalism. 

Having said all that, here are some things large families wish the rest of us knew about them. :) 

• Not ALL of them just love kids and have WAY more patience than you do. Many do it because they feel it's their calling and because it changes them along the way. They do not feel they are special or like "super mom".
• Not ALL of them are Catholic or Mormon, so don't assume. haha ;) 
• They most likely DO know "what causes this" & don't need a lesson. ;) 
•  The answer to any problem they have is not to "stop having kids, then!" Unless it is one of the serious things I mentioned above and you are a close friend, you probably should not ever tell them that. NEVER tell them, "You shouldn't have so many kids!" That's like saying one of their children shouldn't exist. Most of them love every child as if it were their only child. They need your support, just like everyone else.

I wanted to add this I saw yesterday:
Click Here and then go to 5:50 on the video. Such a great perspective on Kingdom children!!

Grace will undo you either way.

Grace will undo you. 

I firmly believe everyone will be touched by and introduced to grace at some point in their lives. (see Romans 1) Our response will change us forever. 

Reasons for rejecting grace are many. You may feel you are too good to need it. You really can earn God's favor through your own merit (enter, Religion). You may feel you are too bad to "deserve" it. Others feel it undermines all the precious rules & laws they live under, that keep them so "safe". More common, I think, is the notion that it is not needed at all. Why? Because you are blind to all the brokenness in your soul. Until you can accept your brokenness, you will really have no room in your life for grace. 

That's why I say it will undo you. If you accept grace, you must first become undone, broken, by your need. You are in a place that is completely without hope. This is reality. We surround ourselves with shiny objects to hide the darkness, but we're just in denial. Have the courage to be honest with yourself. Salvation only comes by grace. (Eph 2:8-9)

My wise husband says, "we all want to take part in our grace," which is human nature but of course is impossible. 

If you haven't seen the latest version of Les Miserables, I would highly recommend it. It's not suitable for children, but this version does an amazing job of bringing out the spiritual theme of the story and of depicting Javert, not as an evil, bad man but as someone completely undone by grace. I honestly believe he depicts not the godless, but the religious who rely on their own efforts and rules & in so doing, reject Christ's grace. It angers him so much that he thinks Valjean a mad man. He is not. He is a broken sinner who understands and has accepted grace, and it "undid" his entire life, and remade it for the better. (Plus, it's just an amazing movie.)

This is from the older movie. It depicts Valjean's encounter with grace.

He will be the truth that will offend them one and all
A stone that makes men stumble
And a rock that makes them fall
Many will be broken so that He can make them whole
And many will be crushed and lose their own soul.
-Michael Card (1 Peter 2)

Through the Bible 2012!

I'm almost done reading through the entire Bible in 1 year! I used this website. I love this site because you can choose from many different reading plans (I chose "ESV Study Bible"), and you can even save your highlighting & notes as you read! You also have the option to listen instead of read, which is what I did.

If you haven't read through the Bible in 1 yr, I would highly recommend you do it once. It really gives a different perspective, mainly in helping piece things together & get the whole theme & reason for the book. When you read things in such small pieces, it just doesn't flow as well. Books I never appreciated much before that I loved were I & II Samuel. It really reads like an exciting novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My least favorites were Jeremiah, Ezekiel, & of course, Lamentations- wow, depressing & tedious! 

I have been thinking about what I want to do this next year. I knew I wanted to go more in depth. I thought an actual study would be nice, but I couldn't find much for free. Then I decided to go back to esv.org and look around. I think I am going to do this one, "Daily Light on the Daily Path." It looks really good, and I think it will really help focus my prayers. I might journal through it as well. I'm excited! What will you be doing in 2013? Spending time in the word will be your most important resolution.

Here is another good site that gives several options & apps for Bible reading programs.

Dropping Potatoes- thoughts on anger

While peeling potatoes over the sink this morning, I kept dropping the slippery suckers. One finally went all the way down into the disposal- yuck! I don't clean that thing like I should, so I had to scrub the potato with soap to make it edible again. It's moments like these, over dumb little things, that really make my temper flare. I have noticed this over the years and have never been able to figure out WHY. WHERE does it come from? I think I heard anger comes from fear, or no, is it fear comes from anger? I can't remember. 

Dropping things, losing things, babies waking up early from naps (isn't that the worst?), husbands forgetting to do the tiniest things and you're SURE it's solely to tick you off!  All these send me into a tailspin of self-pity and dern-near rage at times. But mostly, it's when I fail at something that I think I SHOULD be doing well, like being able to peel a dad-gum potato! Today I was seeking an answer for this. I started complaining to God and then asking him for wisdom. What I heard spoke straight to the heart, uncovering my motives, but most of all, illuminating His grace and love for me. 

He said- "Where did you get the idea that I needed you to be someone who doesn't drop potatoes?!"

"When I was on earth, don't you think gravity got the best of me sometimes, too? Are you saying you should do better than the Most High God?" 

I of course happened to be listening to a sermon on anger when all this happened which was about how anger stems from pride, shame, and not believing God. I dropped a few more potatoes after that... and just laughed when I did. God was laughing too. I don't think he wants me to take myself so seriously.

The Answer when you Doubt your Faith

This explains exactly how I overcame my deep doubting of my salvation a few years ago. It is how I overcome it still, whenever it creeps up. I spent so much time researching answers to this question by Bible teachers, pastors, and theologians, and this is the BEST answer I have come across. It is absolutely amazing! I LOVE it. I can't say enough about it (obviously!) If you've ever struggled with this, this is a must-watch. It's 8 min.

(Copy & paste the above if it doesn't work.)

Through the Bible in a Year- auditory syle!

Lately, I have been feeling pulled toward reading through the Bible in one year. I haven't done it yet, because 1) I am a slow reader, 2) I feel like I will just read through it to get it done, not really getting anything out of it because 3) I'm not really studying it. Then I had a genius idea; OK, not really genius, but I am excited about it. I found this website: ESV online. It is amazing: 1) It's free! 2) You can study from it, even saving your highlighting and note taking on each passage, and 3) It reads the Bible TO you! My plan is to listen to it while I'm nursing. This is why I prefer the ESV.

The reason I want to listen is because I am an extremely auditory learner. It helped me tons in school which is mostly lecture based, but has it's pros & cons in "real life". For instance, I cannot tune sounds out at all, so they drive me crazy if there's too much input in that area. Also, I am basically pretty sure that the auditory part of my brain is crowding out the visual, because I have almost no visual memory and cannot "see" things I'm trying to find that are right in front of me, even though there's nothing wrong with me eyes! Which kind of learner are you?

If you are auditory like me and would like to join, leave a comment! If you are visual & prefer reading, you can sure do that instead! I will obviously be starting January 1!

Power of the Gospel Conquers Fear of Death

I had to share this from John Piper. Amazing. I really needed to hear this!


The Power of the Gospel and the Fear of Death - John Piper from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Reformed Charismatic???

It is so exciting when something that God's been working in your own heart, you find He's also working in those around you. My theology is constantly morphing, as I believe it should be, as I learn more about God & His Word. My foundation, which is basic, God-centered, reformed theology and has been since high school, has not shifted (although it HAS been challenged, lol).

But I've been introduced to some of charismatic theology (for lack of a better term) which has made sense to me, both from experience and from the Bible. I won't go into all the details of what I do & don't agree with about it, but real quick, there are 3 basic things I like about it:

1. The emphasis on spiritual warfare, which is WAY underplayed in most conservative churches today, to the point that no one knows how to handle things when they encounter it. (Many Protestants are even turning to the Catholic church, because no one in theirs knows how to handle it.)
2. Not limiting (or attempting to limit) God's work through the "spiritual gifts". In other words, I'm not a Cessationist.
3. Just the general positiveness of it! (I don't think that's a word, lol)

But what's exciting is that, while God is somehow working this morphing in my own heart & mind, I find there is a whole church movement being led in the same direction! Here is Matt Chandler, a teacher I've been following since college, my absolute favorite preacher, explaining it very well in a recent interview.

"Matt Chandler- 'Reformed Charismatic'"

I was also excited to find this: Sovereign Grace Ministries. A friend on some message boards I frequent was talking about her church's theology, and I thought, "That's me!" Joshua Harris, author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, is one of the leaders, if you've heard of him. Matt Chandler's church is not technically a Sovereign Grace church, but they follow many of the teachings, as does John Piper, actually. Unfortunately, I don't have either church near me, but there's always the internet! :)

Why I Detest Legalism, Pt 2

Cultural Issues....

There are things written in the New Testament that only applied to that specific culture. Critics of this view claim we are picking & choosing what to follow out of the Bible. I'm not going to go into that whole argument here, but check this out if you're interested. (scroll down to question #31-32)

My interest is in what happens when we take something meant for another culture & use it for us today. I believe legalism can easily be found in these circumstances. Take, for example, the passage on head coverings for women. (1 Corinthians 11) The point of this passage is that Paul wants women to look & dress like women (feminine) and for men to look like men (masculine). As cultures change, this standard might change as well. For example, a man would never appropriately be seen wearing a dress today, but in Jesus' day, they wore long robes that resemble dresses. Even today, in other parts of the world men wear robes like this. From this passage we can tell that men never wore head coverings, but it's completely masculine to see a man wearing a ball cap or cowboy hat today. My point is that, as culture changes, the standard of what is feminine & masculine clothing changes as well. But if we're being legalistic, our men might all still be wearing dresses & be seen in this culture as feminine. If that happened, we would then come full circle and actually going against the very point of Paul's (& God's) expectations of us! 

Another example is a certain parenting book that claims to be the way of the Almighty (red flag right there, if you ask me.) It advises against children sleeping in bed with their parents. Like everything they recommend, they imply you're not doing it God's way if you go against their advice. Let's look at that culturally. In many countries co-sleeping is the norm. Not only do they feel it builds community, there is often no money for more than one bed! I wonder what these authors would tell those families.

Am I saying that culture should define morality? Absolutely not! It's clear from the Bible what God wants our moral standards to look like, and those shouldn't change. What I'm talking about are issues that are either not directly addressed in the Bible or are covered by the above "cultural issues". Some people are guilty of taking a wonderful principle and attaching actions & rules to that principle that aren't necessary. (And other times, even the basic principles behind the rules is unnecessary.) 

A good test to use when deciding if something is being legalistic is how it would come across to other cultures. My point in saying all this is to be careful. Legalism is not just something Christians like to argue about. It is a dangerous enemy to faith, unity, and peace. It's also very contagious; once you catch it, you itch to spread it around. Pray & search the Scriptures; God will not play games with you, but He delights in showing you the truth.

Why I detest legalism, Pt 1

I titled this "Part 1" because who knows how many parts this topic will have! hehe. :) This has become something I am passionate about. I feel like I can say that I detest legalism because:

1- I used to be a legalist

2- I still struggle with its hold on my life that just won't let go @ times.

3- It is not just about little rules Christians disagree on. It is destroying lives.

4- And it is destroying our testimonies to a dying world. 

5- It creates divisions in the church.

So what is legalism? I am very interested in how different people define this, so PLEASE, if you can, leave a comment with your definition of legalism. In my opinion, there are two things usually meant by it.

1- A rule that Christians (or people who call themselves Christians) make up but that is not actually mandated by God.

2- Trying to become more acceptable to God by doing ANYTHING other than clinging to the cross of Christ.

The heart of the matter really lies in this second definition. Aren't we all guilty of that? I spent years doing it. The question of legalism really is not so much the action being performed but the motive behind it. I can serve soup in a soup kitchen because I am feeling guilty about another area of my life I refuse to turn over to God. Maybe serving soup will help God forget about that other area; or maybe it will just make me feel better. Legalism. Or I can serve soup because I'm so happy with the soup God has provided me in my own pantry, or I'm concerned about the poor (because God made me concerned about the poor. I've never cared about the poor on my own. ;) ) You can see the different motives there. Most of us find ourselves in a some version of the first scenario far too often. 

But it works, doesn't it? All the rules you've made for yourself, all the boxes you check each day, all "going above and beyond" really helps you feel closer to God, more accepted by Him, doesn't it? Then why, when one box goes unchecked do we run from Him for a week until we think His anger has cooled off? Why do we ruin friendships pointing the finger at others who aren't following our made up rules, which makes us even more lonely? Why, when we've had a bad day do we feel so far from Him? So unloved by Him? It's because of legalism. 

Solution?

1- First off, start by reading Galatians. There was a time in my life where I just read that book over & over & over again. I really didn't read much else until I was sure it sank in. When I start struggling again, I go back & read it again. Other parts of the Bible may confuse you until you get the truths there. Until they really sink in. Then those other passages (like James! ;) ) really started making sense as well.

2- Realize that God accepts you. If that is a cliche to you (it was to me for years), just pray that God will make it so real you will never doubt it. He is faithful. The reason He accepts you has nothing to do with you. He accepts His Son (He has to), and Jesus covers you, so you're included in that Father/Son acceptance that can never fail (His Godhood is at stake if it does). (as long as you've accepted the covering, that is) "God doesn't love some future version of you. He loves you where you are now." - Matt Chandler

Don't worry, there is more to come on this topic! (with more specifics) :)

Memorize Colossians 2011!

Memorizing Scripture in bulk makes sense to me. It's so much harder to take verses out of context that way. I can NEVER remember the references anyway, so why not learn the whole book? hehe. ...especially when it's a book as good as Colossians! I actually started memorizing Colossians once. I only got half way through the first chapter before getting sidetracked. Then I saw this on a message board I frequent, and it made me want to finish it! You only do 2 verses per week. Who can't do that, right? There are also weeks off to review what you've already done, so you don't forget it. I'm excited. Want to join? If you want an accountability partner, I'd be glad to do it with you. :)

Here's the link to the plan.: 

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/01/colossians-in-a-year-details-and-updated/

To Hell and Back- Part 4- Results!

Sometimes the worst things you go through in life change you the most. We don't always see those results, but I definitely have seen some of mine. First a disclaimer: I have in no way arrived in any of these areas; I am just speaking in generalities. So when I write something here, of course know that I still have a ways to go in these areas. (I don't have to tell you this if you know me well. haha!)

• A Love for Christ. This may sound weird, but perhaps some can relate. Jesus (the man) always kind of freaked me out, and I'm not sure why. Taking communion was always a little weird to me. Looking at pictures of Jesus reeeaally freaked me out, as did watching movies where He was displayed. For some reason, and I can't explain it, when I think of Him now, I just feel His love for me, and I fall in love with Him all over again. Hearing songs about how we've been saved and set free from sin almost always bring tears to my eyes out of the sheer beauty of it all. I had sensed that beauty before, but now it's more amazing to me.
• Developed a disgust for effort and duty. This is something that is so ingrained in modern Christianity, and yet it is so close to heresy. The way to holiness is not through your effort or will, it is through surrender and faith. Galatians 3:3, “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Human effort originates in pride and ends in lifting you up. Surrender and faith originates in the Holy Spirit and ends up lifting God up. American culture has really taken hold of this "we can do it religion", and it's working against us, because guess what? You will fail- every time, eventually, in every way. And when you fail, you will run from God because you think you're not worthy of Him, will double your efforts at service and obedience, and it will become a vicious cycle. This experience just really showed me that when I focus on getting close to Jesus and taking in all the love He has for me, holiness can't help but flow out. The Bible says that Jesus is a fountain of living water. Many Christians are filling up their little buckets with water and straining them to carry them to Jesus and pour them in, thinking surely He'll be impressed, that we will somehow earn a place in His heart. How silly. We should be bringing our empty, dry buckets to the well, dipping them in the fountain of Him to fill them up, and then going and serving with that living water. That is the heart of the God we serve. He loves for us to fill ourselves with Him, because the Giver gets the glory. (illustration thanks to John Piper.)
• Love: I have always always struggled with this, and I think mostly because it is the litmus test in the Bible for if you're truly saved or not. (1 Jn 3:14).  I was always good at being "nice", but love is a different story. This is really where things came to head for me, because honestly I was saying to God, "I know I am supposed to love, to feel love for others (and yes, I do believe love has an essence of feeling to it. It is not just action as some teach. More on this in another post perhaps.), but I don't. So You have to do it. Either You come with Your Spirit and Your power and love through me, proving You live in me, or You don't, and I'm done for." It's that hard place where God commands something from you that you cannot do, and you have to come to a place where you 100% depend on Him to carry out that command through you. The good news is, He does! He LOVES when we get to that place, because He LOVES to show up and do it, and it's all Him, and He saved the day. He would honestly have it no other way! I do see love in myself now, and it's really surprising to me. Almost every time it happens, I am honestly shocked. I see homeless people on the side of the road, and my heart breaks for them. When I think of most of the people I see everyday headed straight for Hell, it makes me ache & cry for them. I understand "sinners" now and am MUCH less judgmental. I see people as all the same. I never used to be this way, so I know it's all Him and none of me! What an amazing thing to experience.
• Passion for people who think they are saved and are not. Ug. I could write forever on this one, but I will just say that I think our evangelism efforts are often misleading at best. Yes, the gospel is simple, but getting to point where you're ready to accept it is a big thing. I think it is a shame to assure people of their salvation, because honestly, that is not our place. Only God can do that. Let me ask you this. Would you rather your child struggle their whole over the issue of whether or not they were saved and end up in Heaven or have them hardly think twice about it because they "said a prayer" once and end up Hell? Be very careful with assuring others. Make sure you know everything that's going on. I think the visible church is full of people headed for Hell because of false assurance. If you're not sure yourself, study 1 John. But rest assured of His promise also in Jeremiah 29:13!
• Resources if you're struggling with any of this.... (coming soon, I promise!) :)

To Hell & Back- Part 3- Recovering

Physical recovery- I took a trip to a Christian nutritionist my mom knew about. He put me on a few natural calming supplements that really helped. (Gaba, organically bound minerals, & valerian root, if you're interested.) He also suggested we do some acupuncture. I never really knew what I thought about that, but at this point, I was ready to try anything! It actually did work. He just hit some calming points. All of this helped, but it wasn't a complete fix of course. Another thing that helped was walking every day to get the jitters out.

Help from friends- One thing that really helped was realizing that I was the ONLY one that thought this could even possibly be true- that I was lost with no hope of salvation. It's easy to blow off a few friends who will just say things to be nice, but if everyone says it, hmmm... maybe you're the crazy one. haha! This helped my logical brain some to realize this. So I thought of the most honest, theologically sound, and yet loving person I could think of. My 10th grade teacher came to mind. I called her up, and we met for lunch. The reason I chose her was bc she spent that 10th grade year pounding into us that there are so many people who call themselves Christians who are not. Conversions have been watered down & streamlined, and people are being fooled. She would never tell someone that they were saved bc they prayed a prayer or walked an aisle. There has to be a change (not to save you, but as a RESULT of being saved). She really helped me look at Scripture and the life of her own daughter who struggles with the exact same things. She actually told me toward the end, "If you're not saved, then I'm probably not saved. I've told God I hated him before." This really helped to hear it from someone like her who doesn't take these issues lightly.

Spiritual Healing- I couldn't really pray during this time, but one thing I knew I needed was to be able to worship. I played worship music constantly. (Demons also cannot stand this, so I think it helped in that regard as well.) One major turnaround happened as I was listening to "Jubilee" my Michael Card in my car on the way home. "The Lord appointed for a time for the slaves to be set free. For their debts to all be canceled so His chosen ones could see. His deep desire was for forgiveness, He longed to see their liberty." Then it says, "Jesus is our Jubilee." I just started crying at the joy and beauty of it, the joy & beauty of Jesus and what He did for us. I didn't even know at that point if He did it for me, but I was thinking about my husband and my brother. I knew He did it for them, and I was just so thankful for that. Even that he would save one person was beautiful to me. I knew at that point that that was the Holy Spirit in me showing me that. You can't see the beauty of Jesus w/o the help of the H.S. "no one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit." 1 Cor 12:3. (see also Matt 16:16-17)

Another point came as I was watching a preacher on TV, Joseph Prince. He is an "extreme grace" preacher. He just kept saying over and over in this sermon, "You are forgiven. Your sins are forgiven." About the 10th time he said it :) I just heard God saying it to me. (BTW, if you've ever struggled w/ anything like this or legalism or a lot of guilt, I HIGHLY recommend watching Joseph Prince. I don't agree with all of his theology on smaller things, but his view of the gospel, unmerited grace, & the centrality of Jesus is right on! He comes on Daystar and TBN almost every day. The program is also called "Destined to Reign". He has helped me tremendously to overcome my guilt & accept God's love for me.)


I continued to research and question, and, to be honest, I still do not have a concrete answer to what was meant by that passage. I just know that I have the peace of God now.  


The final "Part 4".

To Hell & Back- Part 2- Coming out of the pit

Well, I found out you can learn a lot at the bottom. I really can't figure out a way to say all of this without sounding so "cliche", but honestly, that is the best thing about it- all those Christian cliches that you just say w/o meaning it or that you know in your head but have so much guilt about not feeling in your heart are so real to me now. It's like I finally know what they mean experientially.

Anyway, here I was at the bottom. And I think the thing I learned there was that I was a sinner. OK, I always "knew" that before. You can't really be a Christian w/o knowing that, right? But I honestly never really felt the weight of my sin before. I had known guilt, but not like this. I had never really felt like I deserved Hell before. In fact, I knew this was a problem in my life (not ever having felt the weight of my sin) and had prayed about it from time to time- that God would show me. In case you're as dumb as I, don't ever pray that. :) I was finally sorry, really sorry, for my sin, not just the one I was currently worried about but every sin I had ever done. I knew that people in Hell are rehashing and reliving ever sin they ever comitted, over and over again. If they didn't feel the weight of it then, they do now. I kind of did a miniature version of that. I knew that I was not a loving person. And I also realized it was all up to God. He could, at that point, do whatever He wanted, save me  or not save me. I was COMPLETELY at his mercy, like a slave who's been sentenced to death but makes one last appeal to the judge to reconsider. That's how I felt, like I didn't know what he would say, but I did know I had already done all I knew to do to fix it and none of it worked. There was nothing left for me to try. Oh, what a glorious place to come to.

As I continued to research, I was astounded at the number of famous & influential Christians who had struggled with this same exact thing- John Bunyan, William Cowper, even Martin Luther. I wish I had saved it, but I read a quote from Martin Luther that really turned things around for me. I will try to paraphrase. He said that when you're at your lowest and really seeing the reality of your sin and that you are without all hope in yourself to bring a remedy, that that's when you're the closest to grace. He said he never knew how close the bottom of the pit is to grace. Well, I know it now. You can never experience the grace of God until you have seen the weight of your sin and your inability to fix it. "People who are blind to their sin don't love grace." -Paul David Tripp. "He who has been forgiven much loves much." 

God didn't let me stay there long. As soon as I reached that necessary bottom, He reached right in and started picking me up. I started to hear little whispers of His love. I knew that He knew that I was sorry. I clung to the promise, "Whoever comes to me, I will never cast out." Jn 6 What I came to know and love was the gospel, the pure and simple gospel. It's like I relived the salvation experience. (Not that I got save again but that I now knew what it was all about.) If you're reading this & wondering what salvation is, I think it's coming to the end yourself. Seeing that there is nothing you can do to take care of your sins or make yourself acceptable to God. And then turning to the right solution for that problem, the work of grace of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Part 3.