Gospel Presentation

Hey guys, found this while surfing the net.  It's a worthy read.






Once, when I was invited to preach at an evangelistic rally in Dallas, the organizing pastor introduced me to a dear woman before the meeting. He had talked with her previously, but remained unsure whether she was saved or not. He left me alone with her, so I asked some “diagnostic” questions to find out for myself. I concluded that she did not really understand the Gospel, so I explained it to her as clearly as I could, then led her to place her faith in Christ.
When we returned to the pastor to tell him the good news, she instead pointed her finger in his face and in an accusing voice rebuked him, “Why didn’t you explain it clearly to me? You never made it clear!” (No evidential fruit of the Spirit at this point!) It is hard to say who was embarrassed more--I or the pastor who had just graduated from seminary as a “Master of Theology!”
Academic credentials are no guarantee of clarity in communication. Sometimes it seems seminary degrees uniquely qualify a person to make a simple message confusing or complicated--anything but clear. One could even say that seminary grads become more obscure by degrees! Telling the Gospel clearly can be an exercise in art as much as in academics. Preachers and speakers of any kind are word artisans. A speaker shapes a message by the language and methods he uses.
In Col 4:4 Paul asked for prayer to make his Gospel telling “manifest, as I ought to speak.” The NASB and NIV translations prefer the word clear or clearly. F. F. Bruce translates it this way: “that I may publish it openly in the words which I ought to speak.”¹ Paul understood that it was easy to garble the Gospel. He wanted to word it clearly. The word he used, phanerow, has the idea of “to make visible” and is from phainw which means “to manifest” or “to light up.”² The job of the Gospel-teller is to shed light on the message, to make it clear, not to obscure it.
How important is it to tell the Gospel clearly? Well, we only need to think about what is at stake. Only in the Gospel is there the “power of God to salvation” (Rom 1:16). No wonder Paul had an “anathema” for those who misstate the message!
The main assumption behind this article is this: God can use us to reach more people with a clear message than with a cloudy one. A clear presentation of the Gospel is not only more powerful, it also gets people off to a well-grounded start in their Christian walk. They will begin with a firm assurance and appreciation of their new salvation. Below are four essential elements that make for a clear Gospel witness.

I. A Clear Motive

A compromise in integrity will likely tilt the telling of the Gospel. For example, one who is looking for bragging rights about his evangelistic prowess, or one who sweats his monthly field report on the number of conversions, may be tempted to take a shortcut with the Gospel message.
Once I was presenting the Gospel as clearly as I could to about twenty Cambodian refugees. At the end of our time, I invited all who would like to trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior to raise their hands. Everyone’s hand went up! Though it would have made a good story, I never assumed this was a mass conversion. There were too many unknowns: The language barrier made me wonder if they understood my words. (I was speaking through a translator.) The religious barrier made me doubt they really understood concepts like sin and faith. (Most of them were Buddhist.) The cultural barrier made me wonder if they were not just being polite. (Asians are extremely polite, especially to teachers.) The social barrier had me wondering if they only wanted to please me because they saw me as a way to get something more in life (money, a job, etc.). The headlines in my newsletter, “A Miraculous Movement of the Spirit on Refugees,” would have to wait.
How did the apostle Paul handle the temptation to take short cuts in sharing the Gospel for personal gain, or so that he could impress others, or get quick results? In 2 Cor 4:1-6 Paul states his approach to telling the Gospel, first negatively and then positively.

A. Negatively Speaking

Note Paul’s negative terms first in v 2. He renounces “the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceitfully.” He refuses to adopt questionable or shady practices which would bring shame if exposed. He would not use a convenient device or trick to achieve an end. He would not distort, dilute, compromise, adulterate, or falsify God’s message. Paul would never manipulate or pressure people into a profession of faith.
When I was an unchurched teenager, some friends and I went to an all-you-can-eat pizza bash at a local church. As we approached the church entrance, I asked an usher where we could find the pizza. He told us we would have to listen to the evangelist preach first. We looked at each other. Well, if that’s what it took to get pizza, okay. We sat down and listened.
At the end of his message, the evangelist asked all those who were not sure they were going to heaven to raise their hands. I raised my hand, but was determined to do nothing else. But he kept on, and before long we were all standing in place. Then, after we reached the point of no return (and imminent public embarrassment if we sat back down), he got us all to walk down the long church aisle to the front. We had been trapped like tuna in a net--but like dolphins, we didn’t belong! At least we knew we would have the last laugh--we would get their pizza, even if it was a bit cold!
We may have made that evangelist look successful, and we may have been statistics in his newsletter, but I, for one, was not saved. Deceptive or even questionable tactics have no place in sharing the Good News.
Improper motives may muddy the message and methods of telling the Gospel. Below are some unacceptable practices that can grow from wrong motives.

1. Deceitful practices

Deceptive manipulation, such as I just illustrated, is unethical. No one should be tricked into hearing or responding to the Gospel. A minister friend told me how before he was saved he was invited to a luncheon to hear a well-known businessman speak, only to find that the man preached the Gospel. He was furious and had to sit on his hands during the car trip back to work so that he wouldn’t deck his friend who invited him!

2. Dubious practices

Some methods Christians have adopted are not clearly deceptive, but questionable. Invitations to walk an aisle are not necessarily manipulative--it all depends on how the invitation is stated. A “Friend Day” at church can be a good activity for the church and your friends if they know what they are in for when they get there. By the way, could the door-to-door “surveys” conducted by Christians be more accurately named?

3. False promises

We must also be careful of making false promises of a trouble-free life for those who would trust in Christ. When people get saved, their marriage may not also be saved, their daughter may still want to get her nose pierced, and the IRS will still want their money.
When I was in India recently, a pastor friend told me that with Hindus they do not use the promise of an improved family as a reason to become a Christian. The Hindu family is strong, and divorce is not a big problem. Besides, it is the Christians (who usually hold “Western” values) who have the weaker families in India. The pastor said that their appeal in telling the Gospel is the promise of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins. How novel!

4. Sensual appeal

The Children of God cult used to urge their followers to proselytize through “Flirty Fishing.” Attractive young ladies would lure naïve young men to their religious meetings with the impression that punch and cookies was not the main dish afterward. This is an extreme example of a sensual method. But is it so very different from luring people to Christ through the hope of finding a Christian husband or wife, or the promise of financial prosperity or physical healing?
Jesus could get a crowd by handing out free fish sandwiches, but He later chased them away by telling them, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (John 6:27). Missionaries warn of “Rice Christians,” those who profess conversion in hopes of obtaining more of the missionaries’ supplies.

5. Trivialized pursuits

A free dinner for two awarded to the visitation team with the most conversions will likely compromise the message or the methods they use. One friend, who used to be with a para-church organization, told how the pressure to share the Gospel with others was so great he often only shared a brief watered-down word so that he could list the person on his statistics sheet. Once he witnessed to a potted plant and recorded “her” as “Fern”!
I am aware that Gospel blimps and placards with “John 3:16” at football games may have a place in God’s big world. I also remind myself of evangelist D. L. Moody’s words to someone who criticized his methods of evangelism. He told him, “I like the way I’m doing it better than the way you’re not doing it!” But I question the effectiveness of methods that handle the Good News flippantly. The Gospel deserves more than a game-show approach if others are to take us and it seriously.

B. Positively Speaking

Paul disdains all unworthy tactics. Instead, in 2 Cor 4:2 he states positively that he preaches “by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” The word “manifestation” is our word phanerow again. Paul preached clearly, openly, and honestly even when discouraging circumstances tempted him to get fast results. The result of his ministry was that “every man’s conscience”--whether saved or unsaved--commended him for his honesty, and more importantly, so did God.
I once overheard two seminary students discussing a Scripture passage. One said, “I don’t think that’s what the passage is saying.” The other replied, “Yeah, but it’ll preach!” Our standards must be higher than “It’ll preach.” We must only say what God says and in the way He would say it.
In a ministry of light, there is no room for darkness. Paul reminds us that a dark, demonic veil blinds unbelievers (vv 3-4). It is penetrated only by “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” Dark motives and methods cannot penetrate or disperse the darkness. That is why Paul says “we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (v 5). His preaching did not call attention to himself, like the “super apostles” who were subverting his reputation in Corinth (11:5). He lifted up Jesus Christ as the One who died for sins, rose from the dead, and now reigns as Lord.
It is significant that Paul uses the word khryssh for “preach.” In the ancient world, one who proclaimed in this sense was called a khryx, or “herald.” A herald was someone sent by his master to proclaim in public the master’s message. He dared not change the announcement because it was not his own. His responsibility was only to proclaim it accurately. That is how Paul understood his Gospel ministry. He was merely a servant proclaiming his Master’s Good News. The herald should be lost in his message. Only the Gospel of light dispels darkness and brings new life. That’s how Paul got saved (v 6), and that’s how we get saved.
The acid test of a true witness is what he does when no one responds. It is a test of integrity. Skewed motives will skew integrity by a compromise in the message or the methods of telling the Good News.
At the end of my meeting with the Cambodian group, I left them with an assurance of my love and my desire to see them come to know the Lord Jesus as their Savior. Their last words to me came through the translator in his rough English: “They say, `Thank you for advertising Jesus Christ to us.’” I doubt that any of those people even remember my name today, but I trust some of them know Jesus Christ. We advertise Him.
It is a great privilege to be a herald of the Gospel. But we must remember that the greatest thing about preaching the Gospel is the Gospel, not the preacher!

II. A Clear Content

What does a person have to believe in to be saved? I have heard everything from “Believe in God” and “the Ten Commandments” (or “the Sermon on the Mount”) to “Just believe that Jesus loves you.” What is the content of the Gospel and how can we articulate it clearly?

A. Defining the Content

Most of our readers should not need a review of the Gospel’s content. It is laid out no more clearly than by Paul in 1 Cor 15. Paul reminds the Corinthians about the Gospel that he preached, that they received, and by which they were saved (vv 1-2). The message was the one Paul received personally from God (v 3; cf. Gal 1:11-12).
In vv 4-5 we find two great propositions of the Gospel and their supporting evidence. We could diagram the verses like this:

Christ died for our sins		1) First proposition
	according to the Scriptures		a) Scriptural proof
	and was buried		1b) Physical proof
He arose		2) Second proposition
	according to the Scriptures		2a) Scriptural proof
	and was seen		2b) Physical proof

In summoning the evidence for his propositions, Paul is arguing his case like any good lawyer (the possible oxymoron noted!). A brief explanation of each of the statements follows:
Christ died for our sins. The concept of “Christ” may not have been entirely understood by the Corinthian readers, but the meaning of “anointed” and His work of dying for sins certainly points to a special divine messenger. That He died for our sins implies that we are sinners in need of forgiveness. The word “for” (hyper) conveys the idea of “on account of,” i.e., to deal with our sins.
According to the Scriptures. The OT Scriptures pictured or predicted the suffering of God’s Messiah (e.g., Ex 12; Lev 16; Ps 22, 110; Isa 52-55, especially 53:4-6).
And was buried. This statement functions as Jesus’ death certificate. It reminds the reader of the many eye-witnesses to His death, the best evidence which could be summoned. Only dead men are buried. Christ’s death was witnessed by multitudes, including the soldier sent to break His legs. The grave and body were also attended by Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and the women.
He arose. The second proposition attests to Christ’s resurrection from the dead, which implies that God accepted the sacrifice. A dead man cannot save anyone. A Savior has to be alive. Only then can He offer and effect salvation.
According to the Scriptures. It is harder to find the resurrection of Christ in the OT. However it is there not only explicitly (Eg., Ps 16:8-11; 110:1), but also implicitly. When the suffering and death of the Messiah is discussed, this is often followed by a declaration of His reign (cf Isa 53). The implication is clearly that He rose from the dead.
And was seen. Paul lists those who were eye-witnesses. This included the apostles (men of repute), a multitude of five hundred, and himself (vv 5-8).

B. Communicating the Content

Having reviewed the biblical content of the Gospel, what errors do Christians commonly make in articulating its contents? The art here is discerning how much to say. We can say too little or too much.

1. Saying too little

People can be told that God loves them, but certainly that is not enough to save them. They can be convinced they are terrible sinners, but still not know how to deal with that sin (cf. Acts 2:36-37). A persuasive speaker can move people to some kind of response without them knowing exactly what they are responding to. Evangelists know this. Some abuse this. Much so-called “evangelism” is more hype than substance. No wonder there are so many false professors in the church! They are the fodder that feeds the Lordship Salvation teaching.

2. Saying too much

A witness is not the time to dump our “smarties” on a bewildered unbeliever. There are at least two ways Christians frequently do this.
A Bible survey. Too often we try to give too much biblical data. If we start in Genesis, there’s a good chance we will lose our audience by Leviticus, the Bermuda Triangle of the Bible. How much Bible did Jesus use with the woman at the well (John 4), or Paul with the Philippian jailer (Acts 16)? We can tell people only what they need to know from the Bible to be saved, unless circumstances require more explanation.³
A crash course in Theology 101. I recently asked a missionary candidate with seminary training to tell me how he explains the Gospel to someone. I expected a brief outline of his main points. Instead, he took a deep breath and submerged into profound meditation for a good part of a minute. When he surfaced, he began a deep theological explanation of the sinfulness of man. I interrupted him, because I feel I have endured my share of theology lectures.
Lessons in theology work best with Christians. That is why Paul wrote the heavily theological Epistle to the Romans to Christians. But in 1 Cor 15:1-6 he reminds the readers of what he preached to them as non-Christians. Secular Sam does not need to know the definition of justification in order to be justified. He does not need to understand the Abrahamic covenant to become a son of Abraham. Neither does he need to comprehend the ordo salutis to be saved in that order. Melchizedek will be a fascinating study for Sam--after he is saved.
Again, we appeal to Jesus’ example in the Gospels. Isn’t it beautiful that God made the Gospel so simple that a child can understand it? Yet it is so simple that millions miss it. Still, keep it simple!

III. A Clear Condition

Just when I had talked myself into the benefit of becoming involved with my community’s ministerial alliance, they decided to launch a community-wide evangelistic survey. A smorgasbord subcommittee of pastors designed the evangelistic tract that would be handed out door to door. To be thorough, I guess, the tract covered all the bases. It spoke of believing in Jesus as Savior (Amen!), but went on to tell the poor chap at the door (who was probably dying to get back to his television ASAP) that he must confess his sins, call on the name of the Lord, open the door of his heart, receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, and let Him take control of the throne of his life. It’s not that all of this language is unbiblical (though most of it is), but it is so confusing. Since the alliance would not let our church use different literature, I had to drop out of my first foray into cooperative evangelism. The reverends were miffed. Maybe I will check in on them again in a year or so when they calm down.
We will save ink by affirming to our readers that the only condition of salvation is “faith alone in Christ alone.” But this is where much Gospel telling takes a space-walk. Let’s review some language commonly used to explain the condition of salvation.
Ask Jesus into your heart. Not that the heart is not universally understood as the very essence of our being and person. But the issue of trust in Jesus as the One who died in our place is hardly communicated. And wouldn’t this be confusing to a child who thinks concretely instead of abstractly?
As a mother drove with her young daughter in the car, she was explaining what it meant to have Jesus in her heart. The little girl leaned over and put her ear to her mother’s chest. “I’m listening to Jesus in your heart,” said the daughter. “What did you hear?” asked Mom. The little girl replied, “Sounds like He’s making coffee to me!”⁴
Give your heart (or life) to God. A Halloween Gospel tract designed for children to leave at homes when Trick or Treating ends, “Well, thanks again for the treat, but the best treat for me would be for you to give your heart to Jesus.”⁵ How appropriate this could be for Halloween! A child might imagine this as a gruesome display for the local haunted house. Again, picture the scene conveyed to a naïve child. When asked to give his heart to God, one child broke into sobs saying, “If I give my heart to God, how am I going to live?”⁶ The issue in salvation is not what we give to Him anyway, but what He gives to us. Eternal life is Christ’s life in us (1 John 5:11).
Invite Christ into your life. This is certainly a courteous approach, but we must remember that it is the Lord who does the inviting. Another form of this is the admonition to “open the door of your heart,” based on Rev 3:20. Though I used to use this verse a lot, I now see that it was written to the Laodicean church as a whole and was more of an invitation for fellowship than salvation. Again, after you get a child to stop wondering where the knob on the door of his heart is, you have really told him nothing about what it means to believe in Christ. Adults are not helped either.
Receive Christ as your Savior. This one I hesitate to criticize, and even find myself using it sometimes, though I try to avoid it. There is some biblical support for the idea of receiving Christ--John 1:11-12 and Col 2:6. Both uses are in the past tense, pointing to the result of faith, however. Receiving Christ is what happens when we believe and He comes to live in us.⁷ Accept Christ is similar, but not used for faith in Christ in the NT.
Make Christ Lord and Savior. Spare the effort. No person can do this. The Bible says God the Father “has made this Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Of course Jesus is Lord! But He is Lord whether we accept Him as such or not.
Make Christ Lord of your life. This is Lordship Salvation when used as a condition for salvation. Lordship decisions are decisions for Christian obedience made by believers in the light of transforming grace (Titus 2:11-12), not something done to merit that grace (Titus 3:4-7). Sometimes we hear “If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.” Would somebody please tell me what this saying means?
Put Jesus on the throne of your life. In other words, give Him control of all areas of your life. Has anyone accomplished this? It is a commendable admonition for a believer, but again teaches Lordship Salvation if it is made a condition for salvation. It is better to deal with this issue after a person understands the issue of faith in Christ for salvation. I know, however, that some people believe in Christ as Savior and surrender to Him as Lord simultaneously. They inherently understand that if Christ saves us, He also deserves to rule us and both decisions appear as one. Still, the issues are distinct.
Confess your sins. To a priest? How many sins? What about ones that are overlooked, forgotten, unintentional, or by omission? This is confusing. Of course, we must all acknowledge that we are sinners before God, and we confess this to Him when we agree with Him that we are.⁸ We are saved from something, and that is our sin. But the above statement implies our problem is specific individual acts rather than our sinful position or nature. God wants to cure the cause, not the symptoms.
Repent of your sins. Sometimes less sensitively stated as “Turn or burn!” If by this it is meant that we must turn from every individual sin in our lives, then salvation and assurance would be impossible. Repentance in the NT speaks of an inner change of attitude and heart, not an outer change in conduct. Changed conduct is the expected result of true repentance, but we should not confuse the root with the fruit. As we come to faith we may change our minds about a number of things, for example, our sinful status before God, our need for salvation, or our opinion of who Christ is.
Pray this prayer. I have a pamphlet entitled “God’s Anointed Soul-Winning Plan” in which the author is explaining how to present the Gospel. The wording he suggests ends like this:

What I’m going to do toward closing our talk is to say a prayer. And as I say this prayer you can repeat it softly and He’ll come into your heart--but you have to REALLY MEAN it or the prayer won’t work.

Before we pray the prayer I want to say this, this prayer we are about to pray is a special prayer. Do you need to pray this prayer EVERY DAY to go to heaven, or just ONCE to go to heaven? (emphasis his).⁹
I am not making this up. Believe me, you don’t want to see the prayer.
We should not give someone the impression that they can be saved by a ritual such as prayer. It is better to tell them that they must believe in Christ, and they can tell Him through prayer that they want the gift of eternal life or that they are thankful for what He has done.
Not all of the above conditions are totally void of all truth. The point is that they are often misleading or confusing. Why not be as biblical as possible in our communication of the condition for salvation? In the Gospel of John the verb believe is used ninety-eight times as the condition for salvation. We should take the hint, especially when the Holy Spirit had John tip us off that he wrote his book in order to bring people to faith in Christ (John 20:31). We don’t find any of the above language there.¹⁰

IV. A Clear Invitation

A minister acquaintance told me an almost humorous story of his conversion. When he was a totally pagan, long-haired bartender and bouncer, he attended a revival and went forward at the evangelist’s invitation. When he got to the front, the host pastor met him and asked, “Do you come to make a profession of faith in Christ?” Bill looked confused. The pastor asked several times. Bill finally said, “Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just want Jesus.” He told me if it had not been for the evangelist’s clarity in the sermon, he would not have found Christ up front with the pastor. As one of my seminary professors, Howard Hendricks, was fond of saying, “A mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pew.”
A clear telling of the Gospel can easily become unclear when the invitation is given. Whether it is an invitation in a one-on-one encounter or a public invitation by a preacher, there are certain things that will keep it clear. Let’s look at some of the common invitations and comment on each.
Come forward. The invitation to come down the church aisle is used by many preachers, though criticized by others--sometimes rightly so.¹¹ It has only been around since the 1800’s. Some people will quickly respond to such a public expression, and others would rather go through an IRS audit before they would stand up in front of a crowd. In spite of 18 verses of “Just As I Am,” they are singing to themselves, “I Shall Not Be Moved”!
Walking the aisle is not harmful if the person clearly understands the issue. We probably all know someone who came to faith in this way. But people should never be led to believe that they must walk an aisle in order to be saved--even if the preacher’s ego is at stake. They should be encouraged to walk an aisle if they want to talk to someone about their salvation or if they want to make a public statement that they have trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior during the meeting.
Bow your heads and close your eyes. (Not, Close your heads and bow your eyes, as one hapless preacher stated it!). Why must Christians always get saved with their eyes closed? In a séance opening the eyes might break the spell, but in a Gospel confrontation faith can appear with eyes wide open. Funny, but Jesus was always opening peoples’ eyes! On the serious side, closed eyes and bowed heads can create a safe, confidential, and prayerful environment for those who may want to respond publicly.
Raise your hand. Again, we must avoid implying that a physical act is necessary. However, raising a hand is less threatening to a person than walking an aisle. It may give the preacher more opportunity to identify those who are interested in salvation. In fact, I ask people to raise their hands in my invitation, because I want to follow-up with them. I will often tell them something like this:

You don’t have to bow your head or raise your hand to be saved. You can believe in Jesus Christ with your eyes wide open while you are looking at me. I would just like to know that you have placed your faith in Christ as your Savior or that you want to know more about that. The only way I can know who you are, so I can speak with you later in private, is if you raise your hand. I really would like to talk to you about it.

Sign a card. This is also non-threatening to many people, even though a few may have fearful visions of a three-person Evangelism Explosion team ambling up their sidewalk later in the week. It is often wise to ask this only if all the people present at the meeting fill out cards. This makes people feel less conspicuous. A card could include these categories to check:

• I have trusted in Jesus Christ as my Savior today.
• I want more information about knowing Jesus Christ as Savior.
• I want to know for certain that I have eternal life.
• I want to speak to someone about my salvation.

Pray a prayer. An invitation involving prayer can be handled correctly. The Gospel teller must be careful to make the issue faith. When inviting people to Christ, I explain how it is that Christ saves us through faith, make sure they understand the issues, then ask, “Do you believe this?” If they say “Yes,” I say, “Then why don’t you thank Him right now in prayer for dying for you and for giving you eternal life?”
It may not be possible to validate a public invitation from the Scriptures. But then we could not validate Gospel tracts and evangelism training classes either. Sharing the Good News implies an invitation to believe, and giving a clear invitation may help many to actually do it. The main point in relation to the invitation is that in no way do we want a person to get faith mixed up with works. If we have told someone that salvation is a free gift, then we must be consistent and not demand any action as a condition. In fact, when someone decides to respond to any kind of invitation, it seems logical that he or she is already trusting in Christ and just desires to express it somehow. An invitation gives people an opportunity to tell others about their faith, something they should be doing the rest of their lives. Such an expression can help affirm them in their faith.

Conclusion

Clear communication is an art. When it comes to telling the Gospel it is an art worth refining. We must work to tell the Gospel as clearly as possible. Not always will we succeed. But isn’t it a wonderful fact of life that God can still use us in spite of the misplaced approaches and methods that we use? We know, however, that He can accomplish more through us according to how clear and biblical our message and our methods are. And that means that we are clear in our motives, in our Gospel content, in our statement of the condition for salvation, and in our invitation to believe. Given all that is at stake, we want to share the Good News as clearly as possible in a way that is pleasing to God, not just convenient to men.
We give the last word to the Bible:

But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. First Thessalonians 2:4.

---

1 F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Ephesians and Colossians, in The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1957), 298.
2 Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in one volume by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, eds. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich (Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985), 1244-45.
3 Having said all that, we state an important caveat: It does no good to talk about concepts like sin unless our audience has an idea of what it means. We must be careful not to assume too much biblical background for our audience. Paul started his witness with creation in Athens (Acts 17). When in a remote African fishing village, I also found it necessary to begin my witness with the account of creation and the fall of man. Our society is growing increasingly secular and will need more and more explanation, but usually we give too much anyway.
4 James Dobson told this story on his March 1, 1994 broadcast.
5 ^“Thanks for the Treat,” Faith, Prayer, & Tract League (Grand Rapids).
6 Larry Moyer, “Guiding Children to Trust Christ,” Moody Monthly, December 1987, 42.
7 Note how the immediate context of each passage refers to faith as the condition of salvation.
8 The word translated “confess” is homologew which means “to speak the same thing,” thus “to agree with (some person with reference to something)”. See Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament, 3 vols. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1944-55), 1:177-78.
9 Larry Beckmann, “God’s Anointed Soul-Winning Plan,” Baldwin Park, CA: n.p. 1982.
10 Except, as noted above, the mention of receiving Christ in 1:11-12.
11 See my review of Jim Ehrhard’s article in the periodical review section of this issue.

Men's group at Devin's tonight!!

Hey guys, just sending this out to let you know that men's group will be at Devin's tonight.  332 E Micheltorena St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101, it's the pink house on the corner.  6:30 suckas!


Click here for map!

Living Nativity

Sweet Website

Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. Tons of great stuff...check it out.

Worship!

Hey guys, I just wanted to share this song with you all. It's a worship song called "He Will Reign", by a hardcore band called Sleeping Giant. These guys are legit, on-fire, Spirit-filled, Christ-exalting missionaries who spit the Gospel to hardcore kids and metalheads from the US to Israel. They've got two albums of super aggressive (possibly even scary to many Christians) music with loud guitar, heavy drums, and SCREAMING vocals, but then they drop the guitars, raise their hands, and worship God in the midst of 200 sweaty, angry kids. It's amazing. God is using these guys to reach kids who most evangelicals would be afraid to look at wrong!
As I was driving home tonight I was rocking out to this song at the top of my lungs, praising God like a madman in my car, looking pretty ridiculous I'm sure, but it was so powerful I knew I had to share it with you.


It might be an acquired taste- listen to it *at least* twice!


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Love you suckers,


†


Jason

Peet's Coffee TONIGHT (10/19)!

Gents,
Here's the link below:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&source=hp&rlz=1R2ADFA_enUS341&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Peet's+Coffee+1131+State+St,+Santa+Barbara&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Peet's+Coffee&hnear=1131+State+St,+Santa+Barbara&cid=0,0,11777295144726960520&ei=793cSpiPG4WeswPo9KixCQ&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CA0QnwIwAA

We're going to meet at Peet's Coffee tonight at 6:30 PM! If the link doesn't work for you, here's the plain address:

1131 State Street

It's right next to the Art Museum. See you there - and pass on the word!

NEW LOCATION TONIGHT!!!

Boys,
We will not be having men's group at John's house tonight. We are in the process of choosing a coffee shop to gather up at. The Lord is definitely putting us out in the world where he wants us, so let's be excited. We should be courteous, generous and intentional about being whereever we are. That means, don't be rude to the people around us, help someone if they need it, tip well (even if they don't deserve it) - basically, do what Jesus has done for us, but do it for someone else. Stay posted...details to follow!

How would you intorduce Christ?

Well worth the 3 minute video:




peace,
tarik

teaching on Monday

Any Listenupman wanting to teach on monday is welcome too. The teaching will be the third in the chapter 7 of John and should include ch.7 v. 10-18ish.

These verses are:

But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret. So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?” There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.” Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach.The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Let me know, i want to flesh out who can teach early to give you a chance to prepare.

Neil

Puritans Picks

Hey guys,

Netflix for Christians. Pretty cool. The website address is www.puritanpicks.com. I attached a video explaining the service.

This is from the website:
For as low as $4.99/mo you have access to some of the most expensive doctrinal, theological, and seminary grade DVDs around. We also have a wide selection of entertaining Christian movies, historical works, documentaries, children's movies and TV series.
Much love to my homies,
Paul

A Handbook of Enemy Strategies

Here's a recap of the John Piper list we went over in our talk about spiritual warfare. Get familiar with it, so you aren't the one being destroyed out of lack of understanding. Love you guys. Fight on. Praise Jesus!

Men's Group 9/21

Hey Men - We're at John Michael's again tonight starting at 6:30 sharp!!! Hope you all can make it.

Men's group at Justin's tonight!!

Hey guys, we're meeting at Justin's pad tonight (9/14).

318 W Alamar at 6:30 PM sharp. Pass it on and let's make sure that everyone knows what's up!

Happy Labor Day!

Hey men! Just a reminder to everyone that we are not meeting tonight because it's Labor Day! So go grill up some hot dogs and kick back and be sure to spend some time thanking Jesus that He has seen fit to let us live in a land such as this!

See you next week at John Michael's pad at 6:30!

Unpacking Luke 12:51

Hey Men,
Good stuff on Monday night. I was stoked to see you all there and blessed by your words. I was just thinkging about Luke 12:51 today (the verse we prayed over and sought to understand). Not that this is a biblical explanation of what that verse means - as I think we did a really good job letting the Spirit lead us in understanding it, but there are some heavy implications as to the topic of division for us as men in today's world.

In light of walking like Jesus, here's my thoughts:

Division is so clearly an effect of sin and a central reason for the need of Jesus. We're cut off from God in our sin. That's why Jesus had to die. So isn't it natural that when the opportunity arises to choose Jesus or the way of the world, there's going to be division?

In that, we need to stand firm of the foundation of Jesus and take a stand. As men, we're called to lead. And how can we lead if we're going to compromise the truths of our Lord? Simple, we can't. We can't be effective - in our jobs, our relationships, our ministries - if we're just going to "take our hand off the plow" and foresake Jesus because it causes division.

Who's side do you want to be on when it all ends? If your answer is Jesus, then act like it, seriously. This isn't a game where we will all just laugh and hang out together when it's done. People are going to die! Should we go with what the world says and just "co-exist" and accept everyone? Could you seriously do that knowing what's going to come on the day of judgement, where billions of people are going to be thrown into the lake of fire, for eternity?

So don't let the words of men deter us from worshiping our God in "spirit and truth" (John 4:23). Don't be scared just because of division.

I plead with all of you guys, please, don't give in to the world's idea of "peace". It's such a false gospel from the pit of hell. Here, check this out. The world says "co-exist" and "accept people" and be "tollerant", right? Right. The world says that if you're at all a loving person, you will also be tollerant and accepting of people's choices, whether it be political, sexual, moral, etc. (notice that Satan has totally twisted the concept of love and made is synonymous with tollerance and acceptance) And this is all good, unless you disagree. Then you're a biggot and a homophobe and a chauvinist. Do you see the irony here?

Being racist is one thing, being unwavering in our convictions in Jesus is totally different - and should not be confused.

In today's world, division is seen as unpatriotic, unclassy, ungentlemanly, unfriendly, intollerant, and sometimes, even un-Christ-like. This is false. This is a lie straight from the father of lies that the world has swallowed hook, line and sinker.

Jesus never shied away from conflict, not because he was a jerk or didn't care about people's feelings, but because He had the deepest intimacy with the Father which lead to the clearest vision of the Father's will. This lead Him to be uncompromising in his motives, actions and words.

We as men should strive to seek the Father the way Jesus did, so that our hearts could be set on doing His will for His glory and the furtherment of His kingdom "on Earth as it is in Heaven".

Just like Jesus, this doesn't mean that we are mean-spirited, hard-hearted, or cruel in our speech towards others when division exists. Actually, we would become more compassionate (suffering with) towards those who don't know Jesus because our heart is broken for the lack of understanding that God sees every day.

Jesus doesn't cause division, people doing there own thing and disagreeing with God do. Let's live like Jesus. Let's love and be bold and speak truth. No fears. "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Love,
Kyle

Assignment for Monday!

What up, men?

How's everyone doing? Well, here's a little assignment for this Monday... everybody needs to think of one passage in the Bible that is difficult to understand. Or if you have a question on some piece of scripture that you find confusing -- make a mental note of it and where it is found (chapter and verse) and be ready to do something with it when you come on Monday. Okay?

Here is an example: Matthew 24:40 says "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left."

Is this verse talking about the Rapture, Judgment, or something else?

Easy enough? We'll explain the details when you arrive.

Blessings guys,

Luke

Reality London Blog

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let you all know that the Reality London Blog is up and running. Any photos, video journal entries, prayer requests, praise reports, etc. will be posted while we are over there.

London Blog

Hopefully see you guys on Sunday when we are "sent out". If not, expect to hear from me in Jolly Old England!

Peace in Him,

Devin

Listen Up at John Michaels House tonight

Listenupmen,

We will be meeting at 6:30 pm tonight at John Michaels house on the mesa.

The address is:

660 Roberto Ave. Santa Barbara, CA 93109

We will be meeting in the back yark again so as a courtesy to his roomate, walk through the gate on the side of the house instead of through the front door.

Unfortunatly, I will not be able to make it tonight but I hope your time together is fruitful. God bless.

Posted for John Michael

We are good to go for men’s group next week 6:30 at Jesus’ house on Roberto

Pray for Jason my roommate

Additionally, Laura Ling and Euna Lee’s information is found at: http://www.lauraandeuna.com/

Tim Chaddick said it would really help if we all wrote letters (through the website is fine)…but addressed to the First Lady appealing to her as a mother…just FYI

Here's the notes from Monday night. Dig into these verses and chew on what was taught last night!

Intimacy with Jesus

First, lets get a fresh perspective.

• Jesus living; you can know, touch, see, and embrace Him

1. Sgs 2:6 "Let his left hand be under my head And his right hand embrace me."

2. Mat 9:21 for she was saying to herself, "If I only touch His garment, I will get well."

3. Mar 10:13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them;

4. Jhn 14:7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."

• Jesus desires to know us intimately

1. Sgs 2:4 "He has brought me to {his} banquet hall, And his banner over me is love.

2. Psa 139:1 O LORD, You have searched me and known {me.}

3. Psa 139:3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

• We were made to glorify Him & Enjoy Him.

1. Mat 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

2. Luk 10:39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word.

• God made us with the ability [i.e. the facilities] to commune with Him on that intimate level.

1. Jhn 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

• We are even mandated to be intimate with Him: “Love the Lord your God”

1. Deu 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

• Nothing can separate us from Him and His love

1. Rom 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• We show his glory in and despite our yukkiness [i.e. the fact that an Almighty father, God of the Universe, who dwells in the Highest Heaven, would ‘rend* the heavens’ (*a term of immediacy and violence of action) and come down to save a disgusting and pathetic little sinner, much less have compassion or mercy, much less desire to be intimate with us; magnifies His Glory above the heavens][To bring an example down to earth look at the end of any medal of honor recipient’s epitaph: …and in doing so brought great glory upon themselves and great honor upon the United States Army (inferring the statement: ‘what other army has men such as these?’). So then: What other nation of people has a God such as our God?

The model of intimacy given by our father is the convent of Marriage [Ruth]---so we will use Marriage to illustrate intimacy

A perfect wife does nothing for herself, just as Jesus in John 8:28 “I do nothing of myself;” allowing her husband to provide all her needs while uplifting Him with all her heart and strength. Because she knows (or trusts) that his ministry is Jesus’ ministry and Jesus’ ministry is the Father’s ministry. And the Father has already given ALL to Jesus and Jesus will richly supply all to the needs of a husband following/trusting/obeying Him with all his heart, and a husband rich in Jesus will supply all his Bride’s needs: safety satisfaction and love [and all of those flow from the Hand of Jesus].

• [[What do we normally do? We are brides seeking these things in ‘broken cisterns’ like big houses, nice cars, children, financial security, etc]]

A wife should seek only her husband’s glory. She has taken on His name and so her glory is now intimately tied into her husbands. The Holy Spirit does this in John 16:13 “for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak.” Look at the Holy Spirit’s example: every time He shows up in the Old Testament He is introduced as an ‘unnamed servant.’ This is found when Rebecca is introduced to Issac and when Ruth is introduced to Boaz and many others. How terrific an example, that the third person of the Godhead would humble Himself to the point of not being named while doing the work of Glorifying of another. By His example we should never be named. Only Jesus should be named.

Knowing these things we are left with the question of ‘how.’ But if you think about it, the only reason we are asking ‘how’ is due to the context with which we live. We only see the ‘waves’ in which we are drowning. I will not address the ‘waves’ because they are pointless to even mention. I would, however, argue that there is nothing, but to have relation with Jesus Christ. Psalm 93:3-4 “The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is MIGHTIER than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea.” Amen. Lets move to the solution. Two phases:

1. Press into your Jesus 1Chronicles 16:10-11 “Glory in His holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.” Amen
2. Take off everything which hinders [i.e. the world]

Line 1: How to Press into Jesus:

• Read the word for hours a day [a bride needs to become her Husbands ‘biggest fan.’ If she is to be conformed to looking like Him [so is what it means to be one flesh with Him.] She needs to acquire as much information about His character that she can find—to the detriment of all other activities

[Just as you would want your wife to swoon over you---so swoon over Jesus]

• Pray for hours a day (in one sitting) You are the Bride of Christ and what the Bride’s heart needs is constant communication with her Bridegroom.

[just as human wives need this communication]

• Listen for His voice. Jesus speaks in a still, small voice. Satan uses our eyes to lead us astray. So go to a place where satan can’t use your eyes and prostrate yourself and listen. Just listen. Silence before God is right.
• Acknowledge Him in everything. [He brings everything to pass---even the bad---He made the whole world and, like a good husband, delights in giving it all to you!!!]

[articulate this in you conversations with friends Tarik is a good example of this]

• Thank Him [In a marriage, thankfulness is key gigantic. Go overboard! Thank Him for everything that brings you joy—then thank him for proven Character and Hope born from the things which don’t.
• Obey Him [you show your love as a Bride by obeying; Obey his word]

[Submission is right]

Line 2: Rend all which hinders (For me: I always start extreme and work backwards: like Josiah [II Chronicles 34] [Tell the story about Todd and the CD’s]

· Essentially put off everything but Jesus. Lay your daily or weekly pleasures on the alter and walk away. [wait for Jesus to hand them back]

· This includes surfing, movies, dinner out, the mall, the beach, running, weightlifting, shopping, alcohol, video games, magazines, posters or pictures on your wall, television…any input (especially visual) which isn’t Directly Jesus.

· Be mindful that in doing this, we are only creating an environment of intimacy (but like worship at Reality, just turning down the lights doesn’t make people worship---likewise, DEEP AND TERRIBLE HUMILITY is obligitory to truly be intimate with Jesus)

1. weep bitterly

2. die to yourself

3. it should hurt as your divorce yourself from the world and everything you know. All for a promise which is not in this world.

Monday BBQ at John Michael's 5:15

What's up men! For those who don't know, and to remind those that do, we're having a BBQ at John Michael's this week. Plan on showing up around 5:15 if at all possible and we'll break bread (and steaks) and eat together for awhile in Jesus' name!

Here's the deal-

We need to sign up for provisions. John Michael is brining soda and chips for everyone.

We're thinking it's easier if everyone brings their own meat, but if you're bringing enough for two then post up so we don't have a ton of excess.

We need sign ups for the following items:

paper cups

paper plates

ice

napkins

plastic forks and knives

sides (mac & cheese, potato salad, cole slaw, etc)

So leave a comment to this post and let us know what you're gonna bring. Don't forget to sign your name to your comment so we know who's bringing what.

See you guys on Monday!!

In Him,

J

Men's group at John Michael's tonight!!

MEN!!!!!

Hey guys, new time tonight: we'll be meeting at 6:30 tonight (July 20) at John Michael's pad. We'll be on the porch out back again so be sure to bring your hoodies or jackets. Be sure to pass the word around- leave no man behind!

See you tonight!

Bummer Night!!!!!

Hey guys, unfortunately mens group is a no go tonight... July 13 2009... Sorry.. See you next week.. If you want, feel free to do something else tonight ie, love on your wife, call your family, write a friend, walk the hampster, plant a tree, paint your room, volunteer at the rescue mission, do some push ups, make some pasta, read your bible, write a book, pray, fast, run fast, or just get to bed early.. Much Love.. TG

Mens Group on the MESA!!!!

Hey, today is July 06, 2009 .... Mens group is at John Michael's house tonite in the back yard.. Dress warm and be on time!! Seven sharp!! Please call and text and email some peeps so everyone knows.. See you tonite in the mood light.. You know what I mean.. Pass it on.
660 Roberto Ave. Santa Barbara, CA 93109

You Have to Listen to This Sermon

Hey Guys,

Please listen to this sermon. It is hard to swallow, but necessary. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBhqrtMqrv8

Love,
Paul

Welcome Clay and Wood

Hey Clay and Wood! I hope you guys make it tonight.. Try to map quest these directions. Call me if you get lost. Taylor 805 455 4122


2126 East Valley Rd Montecito, CA We star at 700 pm... I don't know the zip code but it should still work on mapquest.com

Being the Salt and Light of the Earth: Full Article in Link

We all know that we are to be a light shining as a city on a hill. We are to be a light in a dark place. I think most of us have that one down. But what about the salt? Every sermon i have ever heard about salt the minister talked about us was this. If salt has not flavor, it had no value. If Christians make no effort to affect the world around them, they have little or no value. We should bring out the best in everyone around us. Pastors have also talked about salt being a natural preservative meaning we are to help each other from rotting spiritually. But here is the thing that grabbed me, i don't know about you but salt makes me thirsty. I think that movie theaters have this figured out. They put extra salt on the popcorn so you will get thirsty and have to buy the big $7 dollar drink. We are to be that way as followers of Christ. We should show the love of Jesus in a way that people looking at us thirst for what we have in Christ. Have them asking about the Living Water that the women at the well asked about and received.


Being the Salt and the Light; Not the Vinegar

Monday, June 22nd in Montecito

Back at Tarik's tonight:

2126 East Valley Rd. See you there!

Men's group at John Michael's tonight!!

Men! Tonight we are meeting at John Michael's house at 7 o'clock. Be there or be square, tell your friends, spread the word. Friends don't let friends show up at Tarik's house.

Love you guys!

Listen Up! Luke is back...

Hey Guys,
Luke's back! Men's group tonight back at tarik's - 7pm. Bring some grub or snacks if you want.

June 1st Mens Group at John Michael's

Hey Men, Come to John Michael's house through the left side of the house gate... Bring a coat!!!!

This is to let all y'all know that Men's Group will not be at Tarik's tonight. Instead we will be meeting at John Michael's pad in SB. Same time though, so plan on getting there before 7 so we can start on time. The address is below.

Please text/email/call any guys you think won't/can't check out the blog. Let's get everybody there.

And, as always, come ready to dig in and dish out.

John Michael's:
660 Roberto Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93109

Link to Google Maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=660+Roberto+Ave,+Santa+Barbara,+CA+93109&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=65.685051,135.351563&ie=UTF8&z=17&iwloc=A>">

Memorial Day Weekend

Brosephs, we traditionally take off Memorial Day Monday. If you want to have a little get together go for it. I'm pretty sure Tarik's house is not an option. Therefore, if you want to have a sesh with some of the guys, someone needs to post it and send out some texts as to the location etc.. Otherwise, there will not be a traditional gathering. If you want to get together but need help spreading the word just call me. Taylor

LISTEN UP! At John Michael's Tonight

Hey Men,

This is to let all y'all know that Men's Group will not be at Tarik's tonight. Instead we will be meeting at John Michael's pad in SB. Same time though, so plan on getting there before 7 so we can start on time. The address is below.

Please text/email/call any guys you think won't/can't check out the blog. Let's get everybody there.

And, as always, come ready to dig in and dish out.

John Michael's:
660 Roberto Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93109

Link to Google Maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=660+Roberto+Ave,+Santa+Barbara,+CA+93109&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=65.685051,135.351563&ie=UTF8&z=17&iwloc=A>">

See you guys tonight!

Men and Marriage

Hey guys! This is a sermon by Mark Driscoll on the roll of men in marriage. In light of what we've been covering the last few weeks, and especially last night, I thought it would be appropriate to post this up here. Now...a brief warning- this message may hurt a little bit, but it's the kind of hurt that is followed by times of refreshing- so don't be scared. Be men.

If you're married, you should hear this. If you're thinking about marriage, you should DEFINITELY hear this. You single guys, remember what Kyle said about staying pure for your wife even though you haven't met her yet. Driscoll will flesh that out for you. He's loving with a tough love here, but it's faithful to God's word. So watch it PRAYERFULLY with an open heart. Be blessed my brothers. Amen.

-J

Our walk as Jesus walked

Hey guys, As I was passing the house on Connor where we used to meet, I was just thinking of how sad I am. Sad that that season has passed, and then I thought of how this little group of very simple men, has been used by God. How He has moved us to Hawaii, Turkey, Washington, Colorado, Orange County, Santa Ynez, maybe soon San Francisco, etc. Wow Praise God! I was reading in Joshua 18:3 "How long will you put off entering to take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?" Then in John 2 about the Miracle at Cana of the water into wine. From verse 3 , " and when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him," they have no wine." vs 4 And Jesus said to her "Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come." Her response in verse 5 is what hit me, 5 His mother said to the servants "Whatever He says to you, do it." He is just waiting for us to possess the land that He has given us. The response He gave to His mom seemed closed ended. Yet she knowing His nature and His promises, pressed Him to show His power. Oh that we would have such a faith. Guys I miss each and everyone of you. But now I am starting to understand how Paul felt when his close friends would be sent out for the Gospels sake. We will have all eternity to speak of our many journeys. God Bless

Rebuttal to those who call Jesus a Man

Hey Guys,

This is a response i sent to a colleague of mine who sent me an article trying to claim that Christians and non-Christian scholars agree on who Jesus was. Here is the link to the article that my co-worker sent. Below is my "scholarly" response. It is very long so if you don't read it i wont be offended, but this may be of use to you in the future. So in the light of John here it is


Article: Who was Jesus the Man?


What does Jesus Say By Neil Roessler
While I am not calling into question the intentions of the writer of this article I would like to point out some very interesting things for your information about the argument presented by the man being interviewed. It is true that we can agree on a historical Jesus. What is interesting though is that the author or interviewer has chosen a man from the Jesus seminar as the main speaker for his subject. The Jesus Seminar is the main institution calling into question the validity of the Gospels and discerning who really was the man Jesus Christ. What is interesting is that, for many years, they, Just like their Christian counterparts are lacking objective analysis of the subject of Jesus Christ. Notice how their rhetoric is inticing, However, they certainly have omitted much of how Jesus presented himself to the world and particularly the disciples.

Hagerland, making a point about how many of the Gospel stories have been exaggerated says this:

"The reactions as depicted in the Gospels must have been exaggerated because, as far as we can know from historical research, no first-century Jew would have considered the proclamation of forgiveness blasphemous," Hagerland said. "It is far more likely then, that the controversy over Jesus' proclamation of forgiveness is not grounded in an historical exchange, but was brought into the episode for rhetorical purposes."

This is very compelling, except it leaves out any scholarly analysis of Jewish beliefs and what Jesus said. Here is the actual story that Hagerland is referring to:

Mark 2:1-12
1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

First off, Hagerland leaves out the fact that Jesus was setting a precedent never before seen by Jewish people. They believed that forgiveness was a part of everyday life. However, for someone to say they had the power to forgive a peoples sins would have been blasphemy to Jews who believe only God can forgive sins. Jesus claiming here that the power had been given to him.
On a similar note, in the gospel of John, the author recalled Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. As Jesus entered the area John was baptizing people, he saw Jesus among the crowd and proclaimed, shortly after John baptized Jesus:
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! [John 1:29]

This is another precedent in Jewish culture. This proclamation would never have been heard before. Jews would have been stunned because prior to this, Jews were only used to having their sins be covered. In the Old Testament the sacrifices offered only served to cover the sins of the world. However, john stated that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Take away, not just cover. Jews would have been perplexed at this because no one before in history could be said to be able to take away the sins of the world.

The second example that Hagerland uses to support his argument is that Jesus did not consider that he would die for the sins of the world. He also misses that fact that although Jesus was crucified by the authorities, Jesus presented his crucifixion in a different manner. To say his disciples only regarded Jesus death as sacrificial for sins and not Jesus himself shows very poor scholarship. According to the article and the Jesus seminar scholars:

"While crucifixion was a punishment consistent with Roman law during Jesus' time, historians say, the circumstances of Jesus' crucifixion certainly morphed in the decades following his death, according to Borg."

"Historically, Jesus was executed by the authorities - Roman imperial authority in collaboration with high-ranking priestly authority. Historically he did not 'die for the sins of the world,' but he was killed by the powers that ruled his world," Borg said."

However, in John chapter 10 Jesus makes this statement in reference to his crucifixion:

18"(W)No one has taken it away from Me, but I (X)lay it down on My own initiative I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again (Y)This commandment I received from My Father."
To second the fact that Jesus approached the cross knowing exactly what he was doing I want to draw your attention to the verse we were discussing yesterday that is used by the blue cross.

The verse, which is documented as Jesus speaking at the beginning of his ministry, around three years before his crucifixion says this:

John 3:10 10You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus [speaking to a 1st century Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who according to John was at Jesus crucifixion and eventually believed In Jesus], "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[d] 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.[e]

The bolded type is a reference to numbers 21. Context of the story is that the Jewish people were sinning against God, so God sent snakes to judge the people. Here is the story
7(J)So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; (K)intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people. 8Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a (L)fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live."
9And Moses made a (M)bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

Jesus, a first century Jew himself, would have known that Nicodemus, a first century rabbi, who was a scholar of the scriptures would have immediately known that Jesus was referring directly to this story and known that the fiery serpents represented Judgement and sin and that in order to receive forgiveness and healing, they needed to express their faith that the serpent lifted on the standard could heal them. I kind of butchered this a-bit. However, immediately in Nicodemus’s little mind, he would have understood that Jesus was saying that he would have the authority for mankind to have eternal life if they repented from their sins and believed in him. Also Jesus was informing Nicodemus that He would need to be lifted up on a standard, The cross/crucifixion. What is cool is that in the versus following these, jesus says the verse you asked me about yesterday, John 3:16, 16"For God so (W)loved the world, that He (X)gave His (Y)only begotten Son, that whoever (Z)believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

There is also the subject of when the documents were written, I don’t want to waste any more of your time. If you are curious come and ask me I can tell you. I hope this helps keep you informed. The scholars out there, especially those in the Jesus seminar are deceiving many many people by misrepresenting what Jesus said. There is a breadth of scholarship about the bible and some of it does not have the best objectivity, including Christians. That is why there is so much debate. If you have any questions, please ask.

“One of the first duties of man is not to be duped, to be aware of his world; and to derive the significance of human experience from events that never occurred is surely an enterprise of doubtful value. To establish the facts is always in order, and is indeed the first duty of the historian; but to suppose that the facts, once established in all their fullness, will ‘speak for themselves’ is an illusion. It was perhaps peculiarly the illusion of those historians of the last century who found some special magic in the word ‘scientific.’ The scientific historian, it seems, was one who set forth the facts without injecting any extraneous meaning into them.”[1]
—Carl Becker (1873–1945)

Mars Hill Church

Hey Guys,
You’ve heard me talk about Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church. This is not to be confused with Mars Hill Bible Church led by Rob Bell, the author of Velvet Elvis and considered “emergent.” Keep in mind these terms are hard to define as movements tend to define themselves after they become institutionalized. Our bro Kyle attended Mars Hill in Seattle for the past year and will be back in SB this week!

To that end, I've added a link to a great resource called The Resurgence. Check it out yo. Below is some additional info you will find useful.

Mark Driscoll is the co-founding Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA. Driscoll, in sermons, has claimed to be "Emerging" or "Emerging Reformed" but not "Emergent."
Here is his description of his association with, and eventual distancing from the Emergent Church movement. The following YouTube videos are worth viewing for further clarification of the terms:

In the mid-1990s I was part of what is now known as the Emerging Church and spent some time traveling the country to speak on the emerging church in the emerging culture on a team put together by Leadership Network called the Young Leader Network. But, I eventually had to distance myself from the Emergent stream of the network because friends like Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt began pushing a theological agenda that greatly troubled me. Examples include referring to God as a chick, questioning God's sovereignty over and knowledge of the future, denial of the substitutionary atonement at the cross, a low view of Scripture, and denial of hell which is one hell of a mistake.





Rob Bell is the founding Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI.
In his writings, Bell affirms things as truth regardless of the source, saying "I affirm the truth anywhere in any religious system, in any worldview. If it's true, it belongs to God." Rob Bell suggested the virgin birth was not essential to the Christian faith in Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, on one page (26), while confirming it on the next (27), and seemed to question the doctrine of sola scriptura on one page (67-68), while affirming it on the next (69).

Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, Zondervan, 2005

Woman at the Well

Hey Guys,
Here's a YouTube contemporary version of the woman at the well. Where is Jesus encountering you?

God vs. Science

This was sent to my facebook and got a kick out of it

" THINK AS YOU READ THIS"

God vs. Science

This is awesome and well worth the read!! Great thought processes!

Excellent explanation!

The science professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, 'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes.'

'Are you good or evil?'


'The Bible says I'm evil.'


The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment.

'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'


'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent.

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'

'Er...yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

Yes, sir.'

Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'

'Yes.'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes'
'So who created them?'


The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

No sir. I've never seen Him.'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes.'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.'


And is there such a thing as cold?'


'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can reach up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees..'

'Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold; Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'

'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'


The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'


'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'

'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that t his process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

he class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.'

The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.

'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain; with all due respect, sir.'

'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'


Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.


Charles

The Doctrine of Perfectionism

Men,
Lazo nailed this topic at Adorn. You can also check out his sermon notes if you don't want to listen to the whole teaching but it's worthwhile.

The Doctrine of Perfectionsm

Even so, don't just take his word for it and be a Berean and study the word for yourself. Use your reason and ask God to give you wisdom.

Don't give up and don't give in. Love you guys.
tarik

Does Satan Exist?

Gents,
This is a debate that was held at the church Brittney and I attend. Our pastor was one of the debators. It was between him, Depak Chopra (the leading New Age guru), a former pastor who now says that Satan and hell don't exist. There's also a former prositute turned christian who now leads a ministry to save prostitutes from off the streets.

Gnarly debate, and really heart-wrenching to watch. It's more sad than anything to see so many people buying into the ideas of Depak Chopra and self-realization. They don't know anything of Jesus, and so, they have no hope in this life or the next. You can check out the whole debate at abcnews.com. There's a video link in the top right hand corner of the page titled "Nightline Face-Off".

If you just want to see the abreviated version, check out www.marshillchurch.org. It's on the main page.

We all have some work to do for the Kingdom. It's not about us. It's about God's glory and going into the places and relationships nobody wants to, but that he calls us to. Jesus' light shines brightest in the darkest places. I love you boys. Looking forward to seeing you.

Kyle

Listen Up!

Men,

Last night was such a great time with the Lord. Thank you Phil for bringing it all nitty gritty tellin us we have to be humble. Bam!! just like that.

Guys a few things that were brought up we need to remember:

^{Philippians 2:
3}Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; ⁴do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ⁵Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,⁶who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,⁷but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men ⁸Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Lets all act on the things we learned and apply it to our lives. Next week we will spend some time to share any nuggets we learned this week about humility. As men we are going to battle this so lets take up our cross and follow Jesus. Remember we arent getting together as a bunch of messed up fools so that we can just talk but "the one who says he abides in JESUS ought himself to walk in the same manner as JESUS walked."

God Bless,

-N

Found this amazing website

You guys have to check it out. You can buy Christian Books and resources. It has a section of book on US christian history as well.

I just found it so i havnt been able to look through everything. but the articles section seems pretty awesome with some relevant discussion about Christians and Politics etc.

American Vision


Check it out and have fun! Love you guys!

N.


Ive been browsing the website for the past week and have found a few issues with the theology of the proponents.
1.) They are Preterists meaning the Second coming of Christ was fulfilled at 70AD
2.) They dont necessarily speak out of humility and love.

Although, there are these two issues that i found, i have been reading their articles still and find them 
very insightful into the discussion of developing a christian world view!

With that said, I advise caution. It is still the best resource i have found that is discussing politics and
Christianity but the guys running the show have different eschatology views than we do. 

Neil

Nicodemus

John.3:1-21

Jesus say Ye must be Born again!
Have You been Born again?