Tragically it is often other professed believers who would also wish to be considered capable Christian Scholars. How sad. I address this topic with the motive and purpose of launching a MOVEMENT.

What will this require? Nothing more or less than ‘Life in Community’.

Accountability is – - each one helping the other keep the commitments they have made to GOD on the basis of loving relationships.

Believers have a commitment to the NEW COVENANT. That covenant contains a very explicit communication protocol. When I write something that violates this covenant, you, ALL of you, bring that to my attention with precision and a call to repentance. You cite the error (sin) that I am guilty of and call me to confess and repent. It is a violation of our union with Christ to merely shrug and say – - “Oh, that is just Tom”. Not acceptable. People who engage in ad-hominem attacks, shoddy scholarship and just plain ineptitude do so because the ‘body’ remains silent. This kind of abusive communication is the “Funny Uncle” in our living room. No more! Expose him and shine the light of Truth on his abominable abusive behavior.

Here are some characteristics I propose. These are the bare minimum that must shape acceptable communication that honors Christ and promotes open and honest consideration of the text of Scripture and the application of that text to life – Applied Theology.

1. Logical non-contradiction. (God is not schizophrenic and neither is His revelation of Himself).

2. Empirical Adequacy (exegetical substance/accuracy that supports the thesis I am promoting).

3. Existential Viability (what we are deliberating really matters in the real world).

4. Humility (if it is demonstrated that I am in error, I submit graciously to the Truth and modify my position to harmonize with Truth).

5. Civility (if we cannot agree on a position that is clearly preferable to others, we accept the impass and do not engage in immature and unkind exchanges).

6. Contact with the Principal (I address the issue with the primary participants, not through a circuitous collection of others to whom I disparage the other Principal in that exchange).

7. Collaborative Consultation (Both parties are receptive to the larger Christian Community and are willing to consider their contribution to the issue being deliberated).

8. Historic Orthodoxy (I acknowledge the historic perspective embraced through the centuries of church and draw effectively on the fruit of that history).

9. Exegesis not Polemics (Most exchanges are heavy on polemics and light on exegetical substance. The issue is ‘what does the text say?’).

I am praying earnestly that this profile becomes an operative and beneficial addition to understanding and applying Truth to life – - A MOVEMENT. Join this effort. Hold one another accountable. Remember Joshua & Caleb (Num. 14:36-38). They were true Leaders. The other ten were impostors. Together we can do this. God is honored by this endeavor and He will bring it to pass!

I close this post with the exhortation of Paul to Timothy. These words capture the heart of this process. If applied, Truth will reign supreme, God will be honored and we as His servants will benefit.

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Tim. 2:23-26; ESV).

Resources:

Exegetical Fallacies, D. A. Carson

Integrative Theology, Gordon R. Lewis & Bruce A. Demarest

“We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jonadab son of Recab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine. Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’

Read the chapter. Then re-read the closing paragraph. This is where I get Remnant Theology. The Recabites obeyed a seemingly innocuous command for several hundred years. They became the metaphor for fidelity to Jehovah. Their reward?

“Jonadab son of Recab will never fail to have a man to serve me.” Quite a heritage. ‘

Could it be that we ought to pray for this kind of zeal and joyful fidelity to God’s Truth in our day? I have three adult children and thirteen grandchildren. They all give evidence of honoring the LORD. Could there be a more precious or treasured heritage than that?

Be a Recabite!

In Grace,
Tom

The following criteria represent a partial list of the spiritual dynamics that please our God. In light of this he MAY be disposed to once again “establish the work of our hands” (Psalm 90:17). That was Moses’ prayer, probably near the end of His life. We would all do well to pray this with passion on a daily basis.

Confession of Sin – Personal & Corporate; agreeing with God. The text uses the word ‘homologeo’, viewing our thoughts, words and deeds exactly as God does (1John 1:9).
Repentance of Sin - Turning around; a distinct change of conduct, ceasing to sin and pursuing our life in Chirst, the expression of righteousness found only in Him.
Wholeheartedness – This would bring incredible transformation to the church in broad and sweeping terms (2 Chron. 15:10-15; Eph. 6:7).
Life in Community – Every true believer living in obedience to all of the one another commands of the NT. The world would take note of this and the church would be immersed in the presence and power of our God.

Psalm 137 records the agony of soul expressed by the Israelites who endured the 70 years of Babylon. They could not sing the songs of Zion while in a foreign land. Their captivity was geographical and national. The captivity of the church in the West is no less real. How can we sing the songs of triumph and genuine effectiveness while we languish in cultural captivity and spiritual impotence?

Until God in His Sovereign grace chooses to free us, IgniteUS pursues a remnant. That remnant is made up of those few leaders who seek His face. God has always had a remnant. He always will. He delights in showing Himself mighty by bringing victory out of what appears to be insurmountable odds against His people. (Judges 7).

Are you that leader?

Several years ago, an evangelical spokesperson said, “It is time that evangelicals are known for what we are for, not, just what we are against.” A cogent and reasonable appeal.

Why was it necessary to make such an appeal? Because the usual approach to polemics in the evangelical world is ad hominem attacks. I may not have the best case, but I will surely make you wish you had never engaged the discussion when I am through trashing your person, character and maybe even your family! Sadly, none of what I have just written is unusual.

Knee Jerk Reaction

The tragic typical response on the part of many has been to abandon the clear and unambiguous declaration of the text of Scripture. We now must deal with such bewildering nonsense as ‘Open Theism’, ‘Post Modern Hermeneutics’, the ‘New Perspective on Paul’, ad infinitum, ad nauseum. **PLEASE NOTE** I addressed issues not personalities. Each of us must stand for and by the positions we articulate. However, in such dialogue all parties should appeal to the accurate exegesis of the text of Scripture. It is never wise, prudent or permissible to permit the dialogue to degenerate into personal attacks. Humor, satire, but not ridicule or attacks.

A Better Way

The following is a first draft attempt to restore sound exegesis and biblical authority to the ministry of the evangelical church. I welcome your dialgoue on this subject. Principles essential to this process are:

1. An uncompromised conviction that the Bible is God’s Word and is fully sufficient for faith and practice.

2. The Bible addresses either in precept or principle every aspect of life. We may draw clear direction for life and ministry by correctlyunderstanding God’s revelation.

3. The foundatin for all such dialogue must be the accurate exegesis of the text on the given subject.

4. The Holy Spirit intended one interpretation for each passage of Scripture.

5. The possible outcomes are:

a. you are correct and I am incorrect
b. I am correct and you are incorrect
c. both of us are incorrect
d. but it is not possible to arrive at differing interpretations and claim
that our exegesis is correct

6. The end of the matter must be Applied Theology.

God’s people when coming face to face with the declarations of Scritpure must surrender (Luke 9:23), be Transfromed (Rom. 12:2), and live as Salt & Light (Matt. 5:13-16)in an increasingly dark and decadent America. We must bring Life in Community to the fabric of the evangelical church through obeying the one another commands of the text. Jesus has given us the means. Do we have the courage as Pastor/Shepherds/Leaders to apply the text to life?

In Grace,
Tom

The NAMB (North American Mission Board – SBC) did a study of persons who had been baptized in SBC life. They sought to determine where they were in their spiritual walk one year after their baptism. Less than 10% were still affiliated with the church and involved in any semblance of spiritual growth. I hope that offends and stuns you. It surely should.

What do you in terms of “Due Diligence” to baptize only those persons that show genuine evidence of conversion? What do you offer to other pastors that will help them in this matter?

This makes me ask a disturbing and probing question. Have those who participate in the life of the church been inoculated? Do they have just enough relationship to make them a genuine disciple, a real follower of Christ – - but – - not a threat to become a wholly devoted passionate world changing, world shaking ???????

Seems to me that there is a very real and binding command that I must obey daily. It is a command to die (Luke 9:23). Further, that death is by crucifixion – - deny self, take up your cross daily. That is the petibulum, the cross member of that most cruel of deaths.

Then and only then am I ready to Follow. Just wondering.

What do you think?

My question – How was the knowledge of the liberating power of the gospel lost? Luther, Calvin and a multitude of others to numerous to list here gave their very lives to decalre this Truth. I visited the burial place of William of Orange, credited with founding the Netherlands and a giant in promoting Truth.

Jesus made a statement that still shakes the citadels of Christianity – - A city on a hill cannot be hidden. His imagery in this passage is Salt & Light. He is speaking of those who are His disciples, His followers. When the church looses her saltiness and hides her light under a bushel, evil flourishes and the guide knows nothing of The Lamb.

How far is North America behind Europe? Not far.

Brain = down 7%

Katie = down 7%

Charles = up 3%

Net Results = down 11%

However, this does not deter CBS et al. They continue to whistle through the cemetery as though some new fad, some new feature, some new ? ? ? will resurrect their decades old choke hold on America every evening at 6:30 PM. NOT! NOT! NOT!

The church in America engages in a similar lunacy. The tincture of reality seldom, if ever, graces the assessment of our, to quote Jim Collins, “Brutal Reality”. We continue to decline at a rate that accelerates faster than NASCAR. Denominations continue to bring sophomoric and utterly ineffective pseudo solutions to profoundly real problems. Their chief concern is to preserve staus quo and most of all, protect the ‘coffers’. Don’t do anything that might disturb the constituency and perhaps cause them to dry up the cash flow. The church in America continues to ‘count the numbers on the roles’ much like the networks count viewers.

The viewers are disappearing and so are the members. Soon, the church will be forced to face ‘Brutal Reality’ or resort to counting the dead in the cemetery out back!

We simply must face our ‘Brutal Reality’. We must confess that we have become so much like the world around us that there is little or no distinction. We have reduced the responsibility of belonging to a sporadic ‘guest appearance’ on an occasional weekend when we don’t have any other activity that we prefer. We have reduced Pastor/Shepherds to mere managers of the gig once a week with a lot of activity in between, but most certainly, nothing that grapples with the utterly essential dynamic of Transformation, redeemed sinners becoming like the Chirst who purchased a people for Himself and left us here to honor Him as Salt & Light!

So, we either change, or start numbering those grave markers out back. Which will it be?

Tom