Black Eyes Needed

By Monte Shanks, Ph.D.

Dr. Monte Shanks is an Asst. Professor of NT at Liberty Seminary

Good Reasons for a Black Eye

I love cowboy movies, they are just plain fun to watch.  Westerns always have a few necessary components.  Obviously there is the climatic gunfight.  There usually is a break-neck horse chase.  There should always be a heroine or women worth fighting for.  And generally there needs to be a barroom brawl in which the hero gets beat up.  One of the best lines I ever heard in a movie occurred when a kid asked the hero “Hey, who gave you that black eye?”  The hero stared at the boy with an unflinching gaze and forcefully said, “No one gave it to me, I earned it!”  I guess one of the reasons to like western movies is that the line between right and wrong is clearly drawn in the sand, and when it’s crossed then the time has come to take a stand and let the chips fall where they may.  Regrettably churches today are losing their capacity to not only draw a line in the sand on moral issues in society, but to even take stands for doctrinal issues within the church.  Many seem to believe that “tolerance” and “peace” are the most important things for a church to hold to, and under no circumstances should anyone endanger them.  Well, there are times when we should take public stands in our churches—even at the expense of unity and peace, and below is a list of some of these non-negotiables.

*    The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Paul said that if Jesus has not risen from the dead then Christianity is a vain faith and we are still in our sins (1 Cor. 15.12-19).  The doors of every church should be locked if Jesus has not bodily risen from the dead.  But he has risen, and he now sits at the Father’s right hand mediating on our behalf.  The bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is a non-negotiable for anyone who would call themselves a Christian.

*    The divinity and incarnation of Jesus Christ.  The apostle John stated that anyone who denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh was of the spirit of anti-Christ (1 Jn 4.1-3).  The scriptures are clear; Jesus is literally the incarnation of God in the created realm (Jn 1.1-18; Col 1.15, 19; 2.9; Phil 2.5-11; Heb 1.1-3).  The confession that Jesus is fully man and fully God is a non-negotiable for any claiming to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

*    The Trinity.  If you review the doctrines of any major historical denomination of Christianity you will notice that they all have a Trinitarian declaration.  Christianity confesses and proclaims that there is one God who has revealed himself in 3 persons who are united essence, nature, and being.  This unity and diversity within the Godhead is a mystery that is hard to fathom, but there are other complex truths that are also hard to fathom but nonetheless they exist.  For example, take “love” and “justice”; we know that they exist, but can you explain how they exist?  You cannot, and so it is with the Trinity.  Christians do not profess that God is one person who reveals himself in 3 different ways at different times, but that God is one who co-exists in 3 different persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—all are equally divine and perfectly one while sharing the same essence and purpose (Matt 28.19).  Although each member in the Godhead simultaneously functions differently in the created order, they all are nonetheless equally divine.  True believers can accept no less; consequently, neither should they tolerate any fellowship that would promote anything contrary to this essential truth.

*    That Salvation is through faith alone in Christ alone by God’s grace alone.  Salvation is not received or earned by humanly participating in the ordinance of a church (i.e., baptism or communion); neither is it the reward of human effort or endurance. It is only received after one repents of his or her sin and personally entrusts themselves and their sin debt to the Lord Jesus Christ through his substitutionary death on the cross. This redemption is a gift that God freely offers to all who would receive it, and his offer is completely a gift of his grace.  In other words, it is a gift that is completely undeserved, and its reception by the desperate sinner can in no way be perceived as a meritorious act (Eph 2.8-10).

The above 4 are non-negotiable for anyone who would call themselves a Christian.  There are others, such as that God exists, that there is an afterlife, a final judgment, etc., etc.  But these confessions are so fundamental that to mention them would be elementary.  Indeed, even these listed above are elementary, but the fact is that some churches and denominations today are losing sight of the fundamentals of the faith.  Below are 3 more items that I would argue are doctrines worth fighting for; regrettably there are some churches that are not sure that these also are worth defending publically.

    

 *   The exclusivity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus claimed to be the only person through which anyone could be reconciled to God (John 14.6).  Paul wrote that if there was another way to God then Jesus died needlessly (Gal 2.21).  And John said that if anyone does not confess personal trust in the Lord Jesus Christ then they do not know the Father (1 Jn 4.1-6).  If someone professes that there are ways to be saved other than placing one’s personal faith in Christ then he or she is misguided and needs to be discipled into the truth, or they are false believers that should be avoided. 

*    The inspiration and authority of the Gods word, which is the Bible.  The division of the Christian church between Protestantism and Catholicism largely rests on this one issue.  It is ironic that the Roman Catholic Sir Thomas Moore once said “I never intend, God being my good Lord, to pin my soul to another man’s back, not even the best man that I know this day living: for I know not where he may happen to carry it.”  Believers must not abdicate their consciences to the decisions of others no matter what positions they may hold in a church.  Our sole authority for the rightful belief and practice of the Christian faith is the Bible and not submission to the offices of man-made religious institutions, whether they are local churches or worldwide denominations. The freedom of conscience to follow God’s word is a doctrine referred to as “the priesthood of the believer.”  It simply means that each believer has the capacity through the indwelling Holy Spirit to rightly discern God’s will for himself or herself, so long as their decisions do not contravene God’s written word.  Consequently, if someone demands that you submit to any doctrine, profession, or behavior contrary to God’s word then it is your duty to respectfully rebuke them irrespective of what office they may hold.

*    The security of the believer.  I hold this doctrine as something worth fighting and possibly “loosing” for because to proclaim otherwise is to rob the gospel of its glory and to suggest that human will is greater than the power of God.  Jesus himself said that anyone who has received eternal life through faith in him will never again suffer the threat of eternal damnation (John 5.24).  Paul clearly promised that there is no longer any condemnation for those who have been justified through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 8.1).  And Peter wrote that we have received by God’s power an imperishable promise of eternal life through Christ (1 Pet 1.3-5).  If salvation can be lost by an act of human volition then it cannot under any pretense be described as “imperishable,” “eternal,” or under the control of the “power of God.”  Consequently, this is a doctrine worth taking a public stand for against those who would declare otherwise.

This is my list and I’m sure there are others that I have failed to consider.  Nevertheless, it is time to take a public stand for these fundamental truths when confronted in churches by others advocating contrary doctrines.  Some may ask is this really necessary?  Yes it is!  One of the least known scriptures is 1 Corinthians 11.19, where Paul wrote, “For their must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.”  Paul said that conflicts within congregations are a necessary part of protecting the flock and identifying those who are truly in the faith.  Did Paul want the body to experience harmony and unity, or course he did—but never at the expense of the truths concerning Christ and his promises.  Just a word of warning, don’t be surprised when after taking a public stand for the true faith that at time you “lose.”  It will happen and it will bother you, but don’t let it do so for long.  Jesus took your lashes and your nails in order to hang on your cross; consequently, the very least you can do for him is to earn a black eye.

Copyright @ by Monte Shanks, 2015

Humpty Dumpty Church Leadership

Dr. Monte Shanks is a NT Professor at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

10 Signs Your Church Is Ready for a Fall

Remember the rhyme about Humpty Dumpty and his tragic fall?  It’s really a sad little story; even now I get depressed thinking about it.  Humpty’s real problem, however, was not that he had a great fall, but rather that he was foolish enough to sit on a wall in the first place!  In other words, he was content to hang out in a precarious situation in spite of his fragile condition.  I bring up ole Humpty because many churches have experienced significant crises that were the results poor leadership decisions.  There are obviously many reasons for church splits, but bad leadership always seems to be one of the more frequent causes.  As refugees begin to leave their churches they inevitably ask one question, which is, “How did we get here?”  I’ve been thinking a lot about this question lately.  These musings have led me to evaluate several churches that have recently experienced catastrophic “falls,” and as a result I’ve identified several indicators that those churches were on the verge of a significant crisis.  These are not signs that a church is already in a crisis—no one needs a list for that.  Rather, this is a list of signs indicating that a church is precariously “sitting on a wall” if you will—so here we go.

1.      An emphasis on a comprehensive biblical theology is not appreciated.  This sign may seem obvious, but quite often it’s not.  Sometimes a church’s theology is not unbiblical per se, but instead it’s just precariously out of balance.  Here is a simple test, ask yourself this question: is your church always emphasizing a specific area of theology?  For example, is your church always focusing upon a concern for meeting the social or physical needs of the poor; or on miracles; or on God’s predetermined plan for salvation; or on retaining seekers; etc., etc.  If the answer is yes, then your church is potentially heading for a crisis.

2.      The Sunday morning “experience” is the priority.  In other words, what happens on Sunday mornings and how people feel about it is pretty much all that really matters.

3.      Biblical practices are altered with no scriptural explanation.  If your church changes how the gospel is communicated, how baptisms and/or communions are performed, or who is accepted as leaders or members within your church without any biblical inspection, then your church is napping on the edge of a wall.

4.      Leadership positions are filled because of relationships rather than qualifications.  This point is easily testable.  Just look at the staff and lay leaders of your church.  If you brought them all in one room would it look like a family reunion?  This is a real problem in many churches today.  Too many churches are basically family franchises rather than ministry centers.  A major problem with filling a church’s leadership spots with friends and family is that it inevitably leads to “group think,” which is not a problem if the group is thinking correctly—but let’s be honest, that hardly ever happens.  Another sign that this may be occurring in your church is that leadership positions are being filled by domineering women in spite of the biblical mandate for churches to be led by qualified men.

5.      Diversity is valued without any insistence of biblical conformity.  As people become refugees from other liberal or unhealthy churches and join yours, does your church accommodate them rather than disciple them in biblical spirituality and theology.  In other words, is your church just glad to have them and only concerned with making them feel comfortable?  If the answer is yes, then your church is making a big mistake!  Look at it this way: initially they were content with attending unhealthy churches to begin with, so why should anyone assume they aren’t also bringing some unbiblical baggage with them?

6.      Mature believers and innovators begin to disappear.  When the most biblically grounded people begin to leave, or those that are most passionate about reaching others for Christ start visiting other churches, then your church is not sitting on a wall—its tightrope walking!  

7.      Methodology and/or environment are viewed as “the solution.”  When leaders suggest that “if we would just start doing ministry in the right way,” or that “if we just create the right environment then God will bless us,” then your church is in real trouble.  God is not obligated to bless any church’s efforts at anything simply because it uses specific methods or creates the “perfect” environment.  Of course doing ministry the wrong way is a non-starter, but the important point is that ministry atmosphere and specific types of ministry methods are no guarantee that “times of blessings” are just around the corner. 

8.      Results are emphasized without respect for any process.  If a church’s leaders have a history of making major decisions on their own without any interaction from the congregation, then your church is in a very precarious situation—even if in their short-term decisions are perceived as successful.  Short-term growth that is sown with seeds of failure inevitably leads to crisis—even weeds look like vegetables when they sprout.  This type of attitude is evident when leaders claim that they can’t fail because they have “prayed about it.”  In other words, prayer is a license for them to do whatever they wish regardless of how many red flags are raised.

9.       Leaders aren’t held accountable for their responsibilities or the impact of their decisions.  The great thing about church is that they are tolerant.  A weakness of many churches is that often they are too tolerant.  If leaders aren’t held accountable in small matters, then why should we be surprised when catastrophes occur?  Many poor leaders justify their rash or bad decisions because they are concerned for the health of the ministry or because they sense that their “church is dying.”  When leaders justify their bad decisions with these excuses they don’t realize that they have just indicted themselves. The reality is that they’re the ones responsible for their church’s failing condition in the first place, how on earth then can they be a part of any solution?

10.   Stagnant policies are protected while attempts at outreach are squelched.   I’ve been involved in countless churches that when ministry opportunities are presented they require insurmountable paperwork, accountability to impenetrable policies, and restrictive supervision that makes no sense to volunteers, all of which generally causes lay people to simply give up.  You find this hard to believe?  Then try this, suggest starting an outreach ministry at your church on a different night of the week.  If immediately you are required to interact with several committees and fill out countless forms then your church has issues.  We aren’t talking about hiring a new cleaning service; we are talking about rescuing people from Hell!  If anything is true for a church then evangelism, discipleship, and worship should be the easiest ministries for us to do—regardless of a church’s size.  Incidentally, Jesus didn’t leave behind a single form for anyone to fill out before attempting to reach the lost with the gospel.

Well that’s my list.  I’m sure there are many other signs, but this is a blog and not a book.  Noticing one or two of these signs does not mean that you church is about to experience a significant fall.  However, if this list describes how your church operates, then it may well be that your church is on the verge of becoming a burnt omelet.  It may not be this year or the next; nevertheless, if you can’t talk your church off the wall now, then there will be no repairing the scrambled mess it will become in the future.

Standards and Expectations

By Joanna K. Harris

Joanna Harris is an author and blogger with a tremendous passion for God.  You can contact Joanna here.  For more on Joanna and her ministry, check out her website here.  There you can also find links to her other blogs.

I think sometimes we need to raise our standards and lower our expectations.

Let me explain.

Modern culture continually sends messages telling people to lower their standards and raise their expectations.

Example: "Just live together before you get married. Then you can find out if you're compatible and if the other person will make you happy."

Lowering of moral standards – devaluing purity and commitment. Raising of personal expectations – someone else is responsible for your happiness.

I believe that during my lifetime there's been a dangerous shift in both standards and expectations.

My parents' generation grew up with high standards and reasonable expectations for themselves, others, and life in general. They valued character and integrity. They didn't expect life to always be easy. They were prepared for hard work, sacrifice, and delayed gratification.

In today's world, most people have few, if any standards, and many unrealistic expectations.

I think it's time we get intentional about reversing this trend. It’s time to start practicing raised standards and lowered expectations.

Here are some practical areas I've thought about where we can apply this:

- Raise our standards of what we put into our bodies (leave unhealthy things and junk food behind), and lower our expectations that what we consume is supposed to make us feel good.

- Raise our standards of how we treat other people, and lower our expectations that we'll never have conflict or challenging relationships.

- Raise our standards of personal integrity, and lower our expectations that everything in life will come easily for us.

- Raise our standards of how we invest our time, and lower our expectations that we can do everything we want.

- Raise our standards of financial stewardship, and lower our expectations of what we think we need.

Ouch. Did any of those prick you a little as you read them? What other areas can you think of where this principle is needed?

I'm really excited about this concept. Yet, the thought of trying to apply it to my specific situation is a little daunting. And it probably should be.

I think too many of us, perhaps unconsciously, have adopted a mindset of "easier is better" or "if it feels good, do it." But Christ has called us to a completely different worldview and lifestyle. He calls us to the highest standard: His life living through us, and His choice of humble and self-less expectations. 

This life is not about me – my comfort, ease, happiness, or personal fulfillment. This life is about God's glory.

If we lower our standards and pursue unrealistic, selfish expectations, we’ll only end up unhappy, unfulfilled and wondering where our life went.

But the good news is that as we rely on God’s power and grace to live with His higher standards and Spirit-led expectations, God Himself fills us with His comfort, His joy and happiness, and sweet satisfaction in seeing His plans for us fulfilled. What could be better?

So what is God saying to you? Where is He calling you to raise your standards and lower your expectations?

I want to heed His call. Is it easy? No. But by God’s grace and Christ’s life in me, it is possible. And I believe it will be well worth it.

…we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. -2 Thessalonians 1:11

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. -Hebrews 3:1, 12:1-2

www.newlineministries.com

Man-Up!

By: Adam McClendon
www.newlineministries.com

Manhood is not an age thing, it’s a character thing.  Interacting with men who profess to know Christ is increasingly becoming frustrating in ministry and especially marriage counseling contexts.

Honestly men, it’s time to step up and stop blaming everyone else for your problems.  Stop blaming others for your sexual exploits, drinking, bursts of anger, laziness, gluttony, loose spending, etc.  Stop blaming mommy and daddy, wife and kids, bosses and co-workers, or anyone else.  Everyone is broken in their own way.  Everyone has been abused in their own way.  Your past does not define who you are and your wounds do not excuse you.  Sinful or shameful behavior is just that and is inexcusable.  

All too often society teaches that someone else is to blame for your problem or hey, take this pill and it will dull your pain.  Rarely are you taught to stop making excuses, take responsibility, and do what you are called to do.

Men, start leading your family, and stop expecting your wife to carry the load.  Stop playing video games half the night and looking at inappropriate, sexually explicit images, the other half.  Stop couch-potatoing it: eating junk, drinking sodas, watching Netflix until 1am, and then complaining when your wife doesn’t want to “sleep” with an overweight slob that has ignored her and done nothing to help around the house.  Stop treating your wife like a servant, and treat her like the treasure that she is.  You will be amazed the difference it will make in your home.

Men, God has given you the privilege of leadership.  All too often men want to privileges of leadership without the responsibility of it.  One does not go without the other.  Model godliness for the next year then go to lead your family and you will be amazed the difference it will make. 

‘Nuff Said.’

www.newlineministries.com