(1) God [creater/sovereignty]
(2) Man [the fall specifically/need for atonement]
(3) Jesus Christ [atoning sacrifice]
(4) Response [will you repent of your sins and believe this]
(1) Sheep in the midst of wolves...
"Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. [Matt 10:16-22, ESV]"
(2) Do not fear those who can kill the body and not the soul...
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell... So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. [Matt 10:28, 32-33, ESV]"
(3) Jesus did not come to bring peace, but a sword...
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. [Matthew 10:34-39, ESV]"
(4) Rewards...you can't lose it if you have received the promise of it... and fruit through actions can give assurance to the faith that the promise is rooted in...
"[for the context read Matt 10:40-41] And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. [Matthew 10:42, ESV]"
Matthew 10:2-4 [Further Devotions]
(1) Simon who is called Peter
(2) Andrew, his brother
(3) James son of Zebedee
(4) John, his brother
(5) Philip
(6) Bartholomew
(7) Thomas
(8) Matthew the tax collector
(9) James, the son of Alphaeus
(10) Thaddaeus
(11) Simon the Cananaean
(12) Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ.
Well, Lindsey and I were eating dinner with my parents on Tuesday, and we were talking about my mom's first day back to school [she's an elementary music teacher].
Anyhow, in music class with the youngest students you usually sing things with the solfege "sol, mi, sol sol, mi" to build tension and then resolve to "doh" eventually. This starts to train the kids, without their knowledge, about melody...etc.
So they would sing about something that they saw in the Summer...they got to one kid and he sang "I saw a monkey wolf." [Or something like that.] They stopped and my mom asked him to explain. Well, he described a creature that drags children off [and I would assume eats them]. Mom correct me if I'm wrong:)
Well, we were all laughing thinking this had to be a campfire story...well I found out that there is such a think as a "Wolf Monkey" [the words are flipped around, but it could be the same thing]. But I doubt this thing eats young children.
Click here to check it out.
"We were pushed down onto the dirt-covered concrete floor and we were forced to lie face down with our handcuffs on,"
"Olaf was in the same room with me. Our shoulders were wrenched back, very painful."
"'We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint,' Centanni told FOX News. 'Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on.'"
1 Peter 1:6-7
"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [ESV]"
Hebrews 4:15-16
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [ESV]"
1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. [ESV]"
1. Centrality of God's Word (II Tim. 3:16, 17)
2. Passionate Spirituality (Eph. 5:18-21; 6:10-18)
3. Fruitful Evangelism (Luke 19:10)
4. High Impact Worship (Psalm 100)
5. Mission and Vision-Driven (Matt. 28:19-20)
6. Leadership Development (II Tim. 2:2, I Tim. 3:1-13; I Pet. 5:1-11)
7. Church Planting (Acts 1:8; Acts 13-28)
8. Financial Stewardship (I Tim. 6:17-19)
9. Intentional Disciplemaking (II Tim 2:2; Matt. 28:19-20)
10. Loving Relationships (John 13:35)
The Mission of 9Marks
We believe the local church is the focal point of God's plan for displaying his glory to the nations. Our vision is simple: Churches that reflect the character of God. Our mission is to cultivate and encourage churches characterized by these nine marks:
1. Expositional Preaching
2. Biblical Theology
3. Biblical Understanding of the Good News
4. Biblical Understanding of Conversion
5. Biblical Understanding of Evangelism
6. Biblical Understanding of Membership
7. Biblical Church Discipline
8. Promotion of Christian Discipleship and Growth
9. Biblical Understanding of Leadership
In identifying and promoting these nine marks, we are not intending to lay down an exhaustive or authoritative list. There are other significant marks of healthy churches, like prayer and fellowship. We want to pursue those ourselves as well, and we want you to pursue them with us. But these nine are the ones we think are most neglected in most local churches today, with the most damaging ramifications. Join us in cultivating churches that reflect the character of God.
Here's another pretty shocking statement by our Lord.
Matthew 7:15-23
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. [KJV, my emphasis]"
First, salvation is by grace through faith not by human works[Ephesians 2:8-9]...yet the works/fruit that we bear is an indication of our faith, because faith without works is dead [James 2:17, 26].
Second, faith in what?? Jesus Christ [Romans 3:22; Galatians 2:20; Revelation 14:12] who is God the Son in the Trinity [Mark 11:22; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 44:6; John 8:58; etc.]!
"Lord, let my faith bear fruit, for your name's sake."
A.W. Pink has this to say:
"Had it been decreed that not a bone of Him should be broken? then the controlling hand of God which suffered the Roman soldiers to break the legs of the thieves (John 19:32), prevented them from doing the same with our Lord. Ah! there were not enough soldiers in all the Roman legions, there were not sufficient demons in all the hierarchies of Satan, to break one bone in the body of Christ. And why? Because the Almighty Sovereign had decreed that not a bone should be broken. Do we need to extend this paragraph any further? Does not the accurate and literal fulfilment of all that Scripture had predicted in connection with the Crucifixion, demonstrate beyond all controversy that an Almighty power was directing and superintending everything that was done on the Day of days? [The Sovereignty of God, Pink, 1959, 88]"
Exodus 12:46: "It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. [ESV]"
Numbers 9:12: "They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. [ESV]"
Psalm 34:20: "He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. [ESV]"
John 19:33-36: "But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness--his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth--that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken.' [ESV]"
He is truly the lamb of God, "who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 [ESV]"
Matthew 5:33-37
"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. [ESV, my emphasis]"
(1) Read the Bible
(2) Preach the Bible
(3) Pray the Bible
(4) Sing the Bible
(5) See the Bible
(1) Do you feel that you are responsible for worshipping God?
(2) Or do you just feel like a spectator during a worship service?
(3) Do you clap at the end of a song for the performers or for the audience [God]?
(4) How much time did you spend in prayer at church?
(5) How much time reading the word?
(6) Discoursing over spiritual things over coffee with a dear brother or sister in Christ?
(7) Did you pray with anyone in the hall?
(8) Did you tell anyone about the struggle you're facing right now?
(9) Do you know what your pastors think?
(10) How many kids they have?
(11) How many responsibilities they have?
(12) What sins do they struggle with?
(13) Do you know where they live, what kind of cars they drive?
(14) Do you know what they enjoy?
(15) What theological topic gets your pastors going?
(16) Are you happy with what you have learned about theology and church history in your local church?
(17) Do you feel like you are being equipped to reach your neighborhood for Christ?
(18) What will motivate you to boldly declare Christ in your workplace?
(19) In your neighborhood?
(20) Would you risk getting fired for preaching Christ crucified at work?
(21) Have you talked to your neighbor RIGHT NEXT DOOR about who Jesus Christ is?
(22) What do they think?
(23) Do they believe in Islam, Christianity...are they jews, mormons, atheists, agnosics, hindus, etc.?
(24) Is your church having an effective witness and communication of the gospel in your community?
(25) What can it/you be doing to do this?
(26) If you are leading a group in the church do you know where everyone is at in their faith?
(27) Are they struggling with anything?
(28) Is there a different way you can structure the group in order to be more effective/deliberate?
(29) When was the last time you saw a fellow believer from your fellowship outside of Sunday worship?
(30) For dinner, lunch or breakfast?
(31) Do you know any elderly people in your church body?
(32) Do you know the budget?
(33) The elders, and deacons?
(34) How many people are in the hospital right now?
(35) Do you know how many people have died in the last year?
(36) How many widows?
(37) How many reformed homosexuals?
(38) How many kids in the student ministry?
(39) How many Adult Bible Fellowship's there are?
(40) Are you aware of the theological "wolves" that are licking their chops to drag off some helpless or ignorant lambs from your flock?
(41) Do you know who you can go to for help emotionally?
(42) Do you know who the members are at your church?
(43) Do those members come very often?
(44) Have you read the bible lately?
(45) Have you read the entire bible?
(46) What am I doing in response to these things?
(47) Am I doing anything under compulsion?
(48) How's my wife doing, and what does she think about all this?
(49) Am I harboring any bitterness toward a brother or sister?
(50) Have I told them?
(51) When was the last time I repented of my sin?
"The glory of Jesus Christ is that he is always out of sync with the world and therefore always relevant for the world. If he fit nicely, he would be of little use. The effort to remake the Jesus of the Bible so that he fits the spirit of one generation makes him feeble in another. Better to let him be what he is, because it is often the offensive side of Jesus that we need most. [Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ]"
Brian McLaren, who is a representative of the Emergent church, recently answered some questions directly related to atonement,
“Q: You wrote, ‘Which reminds us that none of us has a complete grasp of the gospel… It’s very dangerous to assume you’ve perfectly contained the gospel in your little formula.’ I think with all the other change going on, one thing we’ve got to hold firm on is the gospel.
A: What do you mean when you say ‘the gospel?’
Q: You know, justification by grace through faith in the finished atoning work of Christ on the cross.
A: Are you sure that’s the gospel?
Q: Of course. Aren’t you?
A: I’m sure that’s a facet of the gospel, and it’s the facet that modern evangelical protestants have assumed is the whole gospel, the heart of the gospel. But what’s the point of that gospel? (McLaren)”
The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ displayed His glory and set mankind free from the bondage to sin in order to be reconciled into a relationship with Him by faith. He justified us before the law. He propitiated God’s wrath. The atonement is simply what the gospel is, and the point is that God worked atonement on the cross.
Brian Mclaren along with Walter Brueggemann recently endorsed a book called Reimagining Christianity: Reconnect Your Spirit without Disconnecting Your Mind. In his recommendation McLaren said, “It used to be that Christian institutions and systems of dogma sustained the spiritual life of Christians. Increasingly spirituality itself is what sustains everything else Alan Jones is a pioneer in reimagining a Christian faith that emerges from authentic spirituality. (Jones, back cover)” In this book Alan Jones said, “Implicit in the cross that Jesus’ sacrifice was to appease an angry God. Penal substitution was the name of this vile doctrine (Jones, 168)” Jones further said, “what does the image of the cross mean to me? It is a sign of the necessary crucifixion of ideologies in the face of concrete human experience – the crucifixion of power plays, the crucifixion of a god we think we can conceptually control. It also is a sign of humanity’s need to find someone to blame for its ills. When we suffer or are threatened, we look for scapegoats. Scholar Rene Girard suggests that scapegoating is the idée fixe at the heart of our culture. It is, for him, the mechanism on which society, culture, and religion are based. The murder of the innocent and our ability to make acts of scapegoating violence sacred seem to be built into us. The cross speaks directly to this dark issue of scapegoating. (Jones, 168)” He called the doctrine of atonement a “vile doctrine” and ruled it out as a “crucifixion of ideals.” McLaren and Jones need to work with how God developed the doctrine of atonement biblically and in church history and they would benefit from Aquinas. Their view is one step away from Anselm in the direction of universalism [similar to Abelard’s], and Aquinas is one step away from Anselm in the direction of orthodox Christian views that the Reformers relied upon. It would be easier for them to understand Aquinas in where their current thought process lies.
Another strong influence in the Emergent church, Steve Chalke, said regarding the atonement in The Lost Message of Jesus, “The church’s inability to shake off the great distortion of God contained in the theory of penal substitution, with its inbuilt belief in retribution and the redemptive power of violence, has cost us dearly. (Chalke, 30-31)” Steve Chalke went further saying, “[we have] come to believe that at the cross this God of love suddenly decides to vent his anger and wrath on his own Son?' (Chalke, 182).” Penal substitutionary atonement is not a “distortion.” The only thing that this doctrine has cost us is our pride. In losing pride one gains humility, which is not a bad thing as the Lord said in Matthew 18:4, “whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. [ESV]” Chalke would benefit from Aquinas’ view of the atonement in seeing that mankind deserves the punishment that Jesus Christ received. Also, the passion was not a “sudden decision” to “vent God the Father’s wrath.” It was a volitional act of Jesus Christ, and it was preordained. Our sin is a personal offense against God’s justice.
Mark Dever wrote of a theologian, Scot McKnight, who is sympathetic to the Emergent church movement as well in his article Nothing But the Blood, in response to McKnight’s book Jesus and His Death, “[McKnight] assumes that the last phrase in Mark 10:45 – ‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ – reports not Jesus’ original words but Mark’s theologizing. And while admitting that the idea of substitution is strongly suggested here, he finally rejects it. (Dever, 32)” The Emergent Church is primarily based upon postmodern thought. They claim autonomy from Modernism, but D.A. Carson clearly identified that, “…postmodernism [is the] bastard child of modernism: the genetic descent can scarcely be denied… (Carson, 26 footnote 71)” Later in Carson’s book Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church he discusses the Emergent church’s view of the atonement. He quoted Brian McLaren saying, “…substitutionary atonement doesn’t address the question if why, if god wants to forgive us, he doesn’t just do it. How can punishing an innocent person make things better? ‘That just sounds like one more injustice in the cosmic equation. It sounds like divine child abuse. You know?’ (Carson, 166)” Cosmic child abuse is hardly what happened on the cross. This is an example of misunderstanding what Aquinas bridged to the reformers, namely, that, “Christ by His death brought us back to life, when by His death He destroyed our death; just as he who bears another’s punishment takes such punishment away. (Aquinas, Q. 50 A. 1)” This is love and justice, not abuse.
The problem that many postmodernists have with the doctrine of substitutionary atonement stems from their belief that it is not relevant to the culture today. In his extremely popular book Blue Like Jazz Don Miller said, “I don’t think any church has ever been relevant to culture, to the human struggle, unless it believed in Jesus and the power of His gospel. (Miller, 111)” This is a very true statement, but the question remains, “what is the gospel?” Miller clarified what he meant by the gospel saying, “I realized, after reading those Gospels, that Jesus didn’t just love me out of principle; He didn’t just love me because it was the right thing to do. Rather, there was something inside me that caused Him to love me. (Miller, 238)” The Bible teaches that Jesus loves His chosen people without partiality (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Galatians 2:6; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25) and that He loves His people (John 3:16). Also, God propitiated His wrath from us by Jesus Christ’s work on the cross (Romans 3:24-25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). For Miller to say that the cross was only a display of God’s love to him because of some merit he has, and not because of the justice that took place on the cross is to contradict the biblical narrative. As Berkhof said, “If we represent the atonement as founded only in the righteousness and justice of God, we fail to do justice to the love of God as a moving cause of the atonement…If, on the other hand, we consider the atonement purely as an expression of the love of God, we fail to do justice to the righteousness and veracity of God, and we reduce the sufferings and the death of Christ to an unexplained enigma. (Berkhof, 368)” Miller said that the church is relevant only when it believes in the power of Christ’s gospel which he defines as Christ’s loving men because they have merit. Truth is relevant. Therefore, it is relevant to say that the justice of God was satisfied as well as the love of God was displayed in the death of Christ.
