Doug Phillips, who was my elder for several years, taught me that God’s Word addresses every situation in life, but that rather than looking for a single verse to support our “beliefs,” we must look at the whole counsel of God to determine precisely what God wants us to do and how we are to live our daily lives. As we consider this situation with Ligonier, I want to stay focused on our responsibility as Christians in these types of circumstances. Sola Scriptura.
If we are to develop a biblical worldview in life, it must differ from the world’s ways; as Christians, we should stand head and shoulders above the world in the way we conduct ourselves. Let’s take a look at a few of the world’s ways and see how we are doing.
“The West Point Military Academy has a Cadet Honor Code which is defined as "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." West Point expects that all cadets will strive to live far above the minimum standard of behavior and develop a commitment to ethical principles guiding moral actions. An officer who is not trustworthy cannot be tolerated. USMA expects its graduates and cadets to commit to a lifetime of honorable living.
“A leader of character knows what is right, and possesses the moral courage to act on that knowledge. The principles of truthfulness, fairness, respect for others, and a personal commitment to maintaining values constitute that fundamental ideal known as the Spirit of the Code. A leader of character will apply the Spirit of the Code when making decisions involving ethical dilemmas.
“The Corps of Cadets bears the responsibility to resolve all possible violations of the Code through detailed, independent investigations and, when required, Honor Investigative Hearings. If a cadet (or anyone else) suspects that a violation occurred, then she or he is expected to approach the individual to clarify what happened (this step is optional). If that approach resolves the issue; i.e., the cadet making the allegation realizes no Honor violation occurred, then the issue will be dropped. However, if the person making the allegation still believes a violation may have occurred, she or he is obligated to inform a member of the Honor Committee within 24 hours. Failure to do so is considered "toleration," which is itself a violation of the Honor Code (the 24 hour rule is a guideline, cadets are not automatically in violation of the Code if they take more than 24 hours to report a violation). Once a suspected violation is reported to a member of the Honor Committee, it must be investigated.” This investigation then leads to several levels of hearings and judgments, similar to our judicial system.
The US Army drills and instills seven core values into all its soldiers:
Loyalty
Duty
Respect
Selfless Service
Honor
Integrity
Personal Courage
These seven character traits are not only inculcated in and demanded of each soldier, but they are also a foundation for promotion. All officers and NCOs are rated annually on how they embody these seven character traits, which then forms a basis for potential promotion.
How are we as Christians doing so far? Are we standing head and shoulders above the world’s ways? Have we all demonstrated God’s ways in our handling of the Ligonier situation?
I was having a conversation with a friend once and she had asked me a question. She said, “I know you are just going to ask me, ‘What does the Bible say about it?’ but I don’t know what the Bible says about it!” Maybe that is where we need to start.
What does the Bible say about this situation with Ligonier? First, we need to understand that it is our responsibility as Christians to judge one another. This concept of judging others has been greatly taken out of context in our day. This Scripture is not referring to a pharisaical “holier-than-thou” type attitude where we either think we are better than others or we put it upon ourselves to tell other Christians all their sins. The Bible never tells us to do either of those. This type of judging regards things that pertain to this life, even the smallest matters, Scripture tells us; it is the settling of differences, as we clearly see the connection to the previous verse that tells us not to take matters to the world’s courts. Not only is this verse a clear prohibition of lawsuits, but it appears to ban all forms of using the world’s courts to settle matters between professing Christians, such as injunctions. So our first point is that Christians are to judge one another in ALL matters, big or small.
Next, we are told that we should have nothing to do with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather to expose them. Since “deeds of darkness” is just another name for sin, we see that we are actually told to expose sin. There are certainly biblical times, ways, and means to do that, though, so we can’t put all our money on just this verse. But we do need to realize that there are definitely times to expose the evil “deeds of darkness.” We are having no problems following this Scripture lately!
Most people will probably think of Matthew 18 next, so let’s look briefly at its three steps.
First step: Go alone to the person who offended you.
Second step: Take one or two others with you. Notice that this verse does NOT say that the others must have witnessed the offense, but rather that they be witnesses to the conversation.
Third step: Tell it to the church. “Church” here does NOT necessarily mean the local body of believers you fellowship with. It MAY mean that, but it is not limited to that definition. The “church” here means to the extent that other believers are affected by this offense, or those who have a need to know.
Fourth step: Treat him like a heathen and a tax collector.
This situation with Ligonier and this verse reminds me of Martin Luther. Luther realized as he studied God’s Word for himself that he had a responsibility to judge what was going on in the church at that time. He realized that he had a responsibility to expose the “deeds of darkness” within the very church he loved. He also followed the steps of Matthew 18, but when he got to step number three, the “church” meant all the believers had a need to know. It is not easy to be the messenger and tell God’s own people to repent, and Martin Luther was not very well loved in his day. People today want to shoot the messengers that are exposing the “deeds of darkness” within Ligonier, but God clearly tells us in this Scripture to take it to the whole church, if necessary. To the extent that the sin is made public, exposure should be given to the same extent. I wonder where we would be if Luther didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to call the church to repentance.
Do we have an example in Scripture of exposing evil deeds to the whole church? This might seem like a really small matter, but it must have been important enough to not only confront the sinner, but also to take it to the whole church. Peter was eating with the Gentiles, as God had called him to do, but when James sent some visitors, Peter lost his first vision and withdrew from them and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. Paul says that he had to confront Peter to his face; but even that wasn’t enough. Paul then put it in writing for the whole church to see, for all time! Sometimes I’m glad I didn’t live in the Bible times, because I wouldn’t want my sin to go down in history for the whole world to continue to see for thousands of years! Anyway, Peter’s sin of fearing for his reputation doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to us, but Paul thought it serious enough to tell the whole church.
What is our attitude to be during all this exposure and confrontation? First, I think it’s important that we walk the very fine line of being as wise as serpents, yet as harmless as doves, since we are as sheep being sent out into the midst of wolves. I am not going to call anyone a wolf in this Ligonier situation, but let us say that God knows each of our hearts, and He knows His sheep, and He knows if there are any wolves. We do, however, bear a responsibility here to be wise in discerning when people are conducting themselves as Christians or not; the Bible says that we will know that they are Christians by their fruit, by the way they behave. While we are busy being wise, let us be just as busy being harmless. I fear there is much harm being done in this situation.
And not only are we to be harmless, but we are to restore those who are caught up in sin with a spirit of gentleness. You know, I think that old saying still rings true: You will catch more flies with honey than with vinegar! When we put others on the defensive, why are we surprised when they defend themselves? This is certainly one of the hardest areas for me, but I truly desire to have a gentle spirit so that I may help bring restoration where there is still sin.
Sometimes as Christians we are called to confront sin in other believers. The Bible tells us that Christians are to judge between Christians, in both small and large matters; that we are to expose the “deeds of darkness;” that we are to follow the three steps listed in Matthew 18, which include telling it to as many Christians as it pertains to; to be as wise as serpents in being alert for wolves in our midst, yet harmless as doves in dealing with them; and to restore sinning believers in a spirit of gentleness. For those who are doing the confronting, let us remember to do it God’s way.
Sep 25, 2006
Sep 21, 2006
Did Ligonier Ministries REALLY sue Frank Vance?
Brrring. Brrring. Brrring. (phone ringing at Ligonier Ministries, Inc.)
Ligonier: Thank you for calling Ligonier Ministries, the home of "Renewing Your Mind" with RC Sproul. … For all other inquiries, please press '5.'
Ligonier : Ligonier Ministries. How may we help you today?
Joe Christian: I have been a supporter of Ligonier for quite a while now, but I am a little concerned about what is being reported in the open press concerning Ligonier. Is it true that Ligonier has filed a lawsuit against a Christian?
Ligonier: I am not able to comment on that at this time. It would be best if you e-mailed customerservice@ligonier.org.
Joe Christian: You can't comment -- does that mean there is a lawsuit but you can't comment or there is no lawsuit but you can't comment?
Ligonier : I am not able to comment on that at this time. It would be best if you e-mailed customerservice@ligonier.org.
Joe Christian: It does seem there is a lawsuit. Can you tell me why Ligonier is suing a fellow believer when that is a clear violation of I Corinthians 6?
Ligonier: I am not able to comment on that at this time. It would be best if you e-mailed customerservice@ligonier.org.
Joe Christian: Well, how about you personally? As a Christian, and I'm assuming you are a Christian since you work for a Christian ministry, don't you think you personally should take a stand when Scripture is being violated by a policy or action of that ministry?
Ligonier: I am not able to comment on that at this time. It would be best if you e-mailed customerservice@ligonier.org.
Joe Christian : Can't you just answer 'yes' or 'no?'
Ligonier : They won't let us say anything else. It would be best if you e-mailed customerservice@ligonier.org.
Frustrated? Confused? Feel betrayed? Heard through the grapevine that Ligonier is denying the lawsuit? I did. I called to check and was told that no lawsuit had been filed. I called back and now they won't say anything. Don't know who's really telling the truth?
Well, it turns out that Ligonier did file suit against a Christian blogger. And we were able to track down a copy of it. It's right here, in black and white. Take a look at it for yourself. It's not very long.
What does it all mean in plain English? Well, it means that Ligonier as an organization, along with Tim Dick as an individual, filed a lawsuit against Frank Vance, a professing Christian, on August 25th for allegedly defaming them by the comments he made on his blog, Contending for the Truth. Tim Dick and Ligonier also ask the judge to act quickly to order Frank to stop saying bad things about Ligonier. They say the judge should issue this order quickly even without hearing Frank's side of the story because it's urgent and because they could not contact Frank to give him notice of the suit.
The above story is today’s version of events at Ligonier. To read last week’s version of events on the same subject, read here.
Once again, Ligonier, the Christian community calls upon your organization and the individuals responsible for this unbiblical lawsuit to repent. Dr. and Mrs. Sproul, Mr. Dick, board members, and any employee who has misinformed callers and supporters concerning the existence of this lawsuit, please, please repent of this latest transgression of God’s Holy Word, which we as Christians commonly call “lies.” For the sake of the gospel and for the holiness of God, please turn from the course you are on.
Ligonier: Thank you for calling Ligonier Ministries, the home of "Renewing Your Mind" with RC Sproul. … For all other inquiries, please press '5.'
Ligonier : Ligonier Ministries. How may we help you today?
Joe Christian: I have been a supporter of Ligonier for quite a while now, but I am a little concerned about what is being reported in the open press concerning Ligonier. Is it true that Ligonier has filed a lawsuit against a Christian?
Ligonier: I am not able to comment on that at this time. It would be best if you e-mailed customerservice@ligonier.org.
Joe Christian: You can't comment -- does that mean there is a lawsuit but you can't comment or there is no lawsuit but you can't comment?
Ligonier : I am not able to comment on that at this time. It would be best if you e-mailed customerservice@ligonier.org.
Joe Christian: It does seem there is a lawsuit. Can you tell me why Ligonier is suing a fellow believer when that is a clear violation of I Corinthians 6?
Ligonier: I am not able to comment on that at this time. It would be best if you e-mailed customerservice@ligonier.org.
Joe Christian: Well, how about you personally? As a Christian, and I'm assuming you are a Christian since you work for a Christian ministry, don't you think you personally should take a stand when Scripture is being violated by a policy or action of that ministry?
Ligonier: I am not able to comment on that at this time. It would be best if you e-mailed customerservice@ligonier.org.
Joe Christian : Can't you just answer 'yes' or 'no?'
Ligonier : They won't let us say anything else. It would be best if you e-mailed customerservice@ligonier.org.
Frustrated? Confused? Feel betrayed? Heard through the grapevine that Ligonier is denying the lawsuit? I did. I called to check and was told that no lawsuit had been filed. I called back and now they won't say anything. Don't know who's really telling the truth?
Well, it turns out that Ligonier did file suit against a Christian blogger. And we were able to track down a copy of it. It's right here, in black and white. Take a look at it for yourself. It's not very long.
What does it all mean in plain English? Well, it means that Ligonier as an organization, along with Tim Dick as an individual, filed a lawsuit against Frank Vance, a professing Christian, on August 25th for allegedly defaming them by the comments he made on his blog, Contending for the Truth. Tim Dick and Ligonier also ask the judge to act quickly to order Frank to stop saying bad things about Ligonier. They say the judge should issue this order quickly even without hearing Frank's side of the story because it's urgent and because they could not contact Frank to give him notice of the suit.
The above story is today’s version of events at Ligonier. To read last week’s version of events on the same subject, read here.
Once again, Ligonier, the Christian community calls upon your organization and the individuals responsible for this unbiblical lawsuit to repent. Dr. and Mrs. Sproul, Mr. Dick, board members, and any employee who has misinformed callers and supporters concerning the existence of this lawsuit, please, please repent of this latest transgression of God’s Holy Word, which we as Christians commonly call “lies.” For the sake of the gospel and for the holiness of God, please turn from the course you are on.
Sep 18, 2006
My Tribute to Ligonier
When we were still on a spiritual “milk” diet, God brought Dr. RC Sproul into our lives to put some spiritual “meat” on our bones. He taught us many things that we had never heard before, but had been desperately hungering for: holiness and truth. It was as if we stepped out of the Dark Ages and into His marvelous light! RC taught us the foundations of reformed doctrine without being extreme on either side. He taught us the doctrines of Grace in a clear, biblical, and gracious manner. We consider him to be a spiritual father to us, of sorts. And for that, we are eternally grateful.
Likewise, we have visited St. Andrews Chapel several times while traveling, the church where Dr. RC Sproul is the teaching elder. This is, by far, the most worshipful church we have ever been in. Everything about both the outward structure and the format and form of the service is truly glorifying to God. We were filled with a quiet sense of awe as we entered the sanctuary filled with people, quietly listening to classical arrangements from a strings ensemble while each was preparing their hearts for worship. The sanctuary is laid out in the shape of the cross, with an elevated pulpit in the center. Dr. Sproul explained that the only thing that was truly elevated there was the Word of God, that the Word of God was central to worship in that place; and it truly was, the times we were there. The incredible biblical art and the glorious classical God-honoring music truly created an atmosphere that would lead each one into worship that glorified God.
As I consider what is happening currently in Ligonier, I want to hold them accountable for the current sin that seems to permeate certain aspects of this Christian ministry, but I always want to give credit where credit is due. I pray that Ligonier as a ministry will repent and set the highest of standards for Christian ministries everywhere.
We are praying for you, Dr. Sproul, and your ministry, Ligonier.
Likewise, we have visited St. Andrews Chapel several times while traveling, the church where Dr. RC Sproul is the teaching elder. This is, by far, the most worshipful church we have ever been in. Everything about both the outward structure and the format and form of the service is truly glorifying to God. We were filled with a quiet sense of awe as we entered the sanctuary filled with people, quietly listening to classical arrangements from a strings ensemble while each was preparing their hearts for worship. The sanctuary is laid out in the shape of the cross, with an elevated pulpit in the center. Dr. Sproul explained that the only thing that was truly elevated there was the Word of God, that the Word of God was central to worship in that place; and it truly was, the times we were there. The incredible biblical art and the glorious classical God-honoring music truly created an atmosphere that would lead each one into worship that glorified God.
As I consider what is happening currently in Ligonier, I want to hold them accountable for the current sin that seems to permeate certain aspects of this Christian ministry, but I always want to give credit where credit is due. I pray that Ligonier as a ministry will repent and set the highest of standards for Christian ministries everywhere.
We are praying for you, Dr. Sproul, and your ministry, Ligonier.
Sep 15, 2006
Contending With Ligonier Ministries
Nathan, the prophet, went to see David, the king, one day. He told him a heart-wrenching story: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
David was furious and wanted to kill the man on the spot AND make him pay restitution.
But Nathan said, “You are the man! God blessed you with everything; why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword.” He then pronounced the Lord’s punishment for David’s disobedience of the Lord’s command, saying, “For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel.”
So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Here we have the man after God’s own heart committing at least two very grave and serious sins in secret, a man of God doing evil in His sight. Thankfully, someone has the guts to stand up to the King of Israel and say, “You are the man! You are the sinner. Repent!” And because David was a man after God’s own heart, his wicked heart was teachable and tender when confronted with his breaking of the law, God’s law.
Proverbs tells us that “those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But such as keep the law contend with them.”
God calls those who keep His law to contend with the wicked (those who forsake God’s law are wicked). Even though David was a man after God’s own heart, he was behaving in a very wicked way and God was extremely displeased with him. God sent Nathan to contend with David. Look at the fruit of that contention!
We don’t like confrontation, we don’t like contention. It is much easier to bury our heads in the sand and pretend like it doesn’t affect us than to “get involved.” Contending with those who forsake God’s law is hard work and just plain isn’t fun. It’s too much work. The other person might attack us. They might retaliate. What if they don’t repent? It’s too much of a risk, we reason. Someone else will do it.
Will they? Who is that someone else? If you are reading this, that someone else should be YOU! Are you following the story of sin in great men of God? Then get up and do something about it. Don’t let it be an issue of gossip in your life. Whether you write or speak about it, or whether you just read or hear about it, it is still little more than gossip if you don’t get up and DO something about it.
Maybe you don’t know what to do. Great! Then you came to the right place! I am going to give you some ideas of exactly what to do about a current situation where Christian leaders need to have their feet held to the fire leading to repentance.
Edmund Burke once said, “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
Are you willing to let evil triumph in the Lord’s work? Or are you willing to contend with those who are breaking God’s law at Ligonier Ministries?
Every Christian can, and should, pray. That is the first thing.
The following three posts are open letters to Dr. RC Sproul, Vesta Sproul and the board of directors, and Tim Dick, president of Ligonier Ministries. I would strongly encourage each person reading this to cut and paste these letters into Word and mail them to Ligonier (addresses provided). If you do not financially support Ligonier Ministries currently, please delete that part and still send in the letters. Ligonier needs to be inundated right now by Christians who will contend with them for breaking God’s law.
You may also call Ligonier Ministries at 800-435-4343 and tell them the same things. I do not recommend e-mailing, but you may. Ligonier’s customer service e-mail is customerservice@ligonier.org. This e-mail account is read by Tim Dick, who then forwards it to the person responsible. I asked Ligonier today if RC’s e-mails were forwarded to him. They assured me they were, although RC does NOT have e-mail. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Let me just mention that a hard copy is more binding than e-mail and much more likely to go to its intended recipient.
Here are some additional addresses to use for the Board Of Directors
Dr. R.C. Sproul, Chairman
Founder & Chairman, Ligonier Ministries, Inc.
Lake Mary, Florida
R.C. Sproul
2741 Deer Berry Ct
Longwood, FL 32779-3071
Mrs. Vesta Sproul, Director
Co-founder of Ligonier Ministries, Inc.
Lake Mary, Florida
Vesta Sproul
2741 Deer Berry Ct
Longwood, FL 32779-3071
Mrs. Pat Dizney, Director
Entrepreneur
Orlando, Florida
(unlisted)
Mr. Stephen Levee, Director
Real Estate Developer
Madisonville, Louisiana
Steve Levee
324 Robinhood Rd
Covington, LA 70433-4763
(985) 809-1717)
Mr. Greg Miseyko, Director
Investment Management Consultant, Morgan Stanley
Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Gregory Miseyko
63 Little Harbor Way
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441-3606
(954) 596-2111
Mr. Archie Parrish, Director
President, Serve International, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia
Archie Parrish
Serve International
P.O. Box 71716
Marietta, GA 30007
770-642-2449
http://www.kingdomprayer.org/
When you write or call, please remember to consider all of God’s counsel about how we are to handle ourselves as Christians, such as with charity, being kind, and in a spirit of gentleness. “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
It is time to call Ligonier Ministries to repentance.
David was furious and wanted to kill the man on the spot AND make him pay restitution.
But Nathan said, “You are the man! God blessed you with everything; why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword.” He then pronounced the Lord’s punishment for David’s disobedience of the Lord’s command, saying, “For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel.”
So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Here we have the man after God’s own heart committing at least two very grave and serious sins in secret, a man of God doing evil in His sight. Thankfully, someone has the guts to stand up to the King of Israel and say, “You are the man! You are the sinner. Repent!” And because David was a man after God’s own heart, his wicked heart was teachable and tender when confronted with his breaking of the law, God’s law.
Proverbs tells us that “those who forsake the law praise the wicked, But such as keep the law contend with them.”
God calls those who keep His law to contend with the wicked (those who forsake God’s law are wicked). Even though David was a man after God’s own heart, he was behaving in a very wicked way and God was extremely displeased with him. God sent Nathan to contend with David. Look at the fruit of that contention!
We don’t like confrontation, we don’t like contention. It is much easier to bury our heads in the sand and pretend like it doesn’t affect us than to “get involved.” Contending with those who forsake God’s law is hard work and just plain isn’t fun. It’s too much work. The other person might attack us. They might retaliate. What if they don’t repent? It’s too much of a risk, we reason. Someone else will do it.
Will they? Who is that someone else? If you are reading this, that someone else should be YOU! Are you following the story of sin in great men of God? Then get up and do something about it. Don’t let it be an issue of gossip in your life. Whether you write or speak about it, or whether you just read or hear about it, it is still little more than gossip if you don’t get up and DO something about it.
Maybe you don’t know what to do. Great! Then you came to the right place! I am going to give you some ideas of exactly what to do about a current situation where Christian leaders need to have their feet held to the fire leading to repentance.
Edmund Burke once said, “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
Are you willing to let evil triumph in the Lord’s work? Or are you willing to contend with those who are breaking God’s law at Ligonier Ministries?
Every Christian can, and should, pray. That is the first thing.
The following three posts are open letters to Dr. RC Sproul, Vesta Sproul and the board of directors, and Tim Dick, president of Ligonier Ministries. I would strongly encourage each person reading this to cut and paste these letters into Word and mail them to Ligonier (addresses provided). If you do not financially support Ligonier Ministries currently, please delete that part and still send in the letters. Ligonier needs to be inundated right now by Christians who will contend with them for breaking God’s law.
You may also call Ligonier Ministries at 800-435-4343 and tell them the same things. I do not recommend e-mailing, but you may. Ligonier’s customer service e-mail is customerservice@ligonier.org. This e-mail account is read by Tim Dick, who then forwards it to the person responsible. I asked Ligonier today if RC’s e-mails were forwarded to him. They assured me they were, although RC does NOT have e-mail. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Let me just mention that a hard copy is more binding than e-mail and much more likely to go to its intended recipient.
Here are some additional addresses to use for the Board Of Directors
Dr. R.C. Sproul, Chairman
Founder & Chairman, Ligonier Ministries, Inc.
Lake Mary, Florida
R.C. Sproul
2741 Deer Berry Ct
Longwood, FL 32779-3071
Mrs. Vesta Sproul, Director
Co-founder of Ligonier Ministries, Inc.
Lake Mary, Florida
Vesta Sproul
2741 Deer Berry Ct
Longwood, FL 32779-3071
Mrs. Pat Dizney, Director
Entrepreneur
Orlando, Florida
(unlisted)
Mr. Stephen Levee, Director
Real Estate Developer
Madisonville, Louisiana
Steve Levee
324 Robinhood Rd
Covington, LA 70433-4763
(985) 809-1717)
Mr. Greg Miseyko, Director
Investment Management Consultant, Morgan Stanley
Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Gregory Miseyko
63 Little Harbor Way
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441-3606
(954) 596-2111
Mr. Archie Parrish, Director
President, Serve International, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia
Archie Parrish
Serve International
P.O. Box 71716
Marietta, GA 30007
770-642-2449
http://www.kingdomprayer.org/
When you write or call, please remember to consider all of God’s counsel about how we are to handle ourselves as Christians, such as with charity, being kind, and in a spirit of gentleness. “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
It is time to call Ligonier Ministries to repentance.
Open Letter to Dr. RC Sproul
Dr. RC Sproul,
2741 Deer Berry Court
Longwood, FL 32779-3071
Dear Dr. Sproul,
We are so grateful to you for all the years of incredible Bible teaching you have imparted into our lives. You have taught us about the holiness of God and why He wants us to obey Him. You have helped change our hearts and our lives to live in a way that glorifies Christ and enjoys our Creator. We are so appreciative of all that you do for the work of the Lord in this fallen world.
Yet we have this against you: Ligonier Ministries, under the direction of Tim Dick, is blatantly violating I Corinthians 6, by filing a lawsuit against Frank Vance, a fellow believer. We know that Mr. Vance has made some allegations against Tim Dick in particular, and Ligonier Ministries as well, but you yourself said that the Gentiles should never judge between the Israelites, just as the world should not judge between Christians.
We respectfully implore you to have Ligonier Ministries and Tim Dick, as president of Ligonier Ministries, drop this lawsuit which is contrary to the ways of the Lord.
In addition, we would ask that you answer the charges Frank Vance makes against Ligonier regarding duplicity in a contract with Don Kistler.
We would also hope that in all the areas of your family over which you have control, that you would meet the qualifications of an elder according to God’s Word. I Timothy 3:4-5 says that an elder is “one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)”. Only you know the truth in this area. Please set a good example for the rest of us in ruling your own house well.
These are all important issues to the kingdom of God as a whole, since you are a public figure in that arena. The “world” is watching. God is watching. We plead with you to repent for the sins listed above, to immediately drop the lawsuit, and to set the godly example of an elder for all Christians who have been so blessed by your ministry.
It is with profound regret that we will need to discontinue our financial support of Ligonier Ministries if the lawsuit isn’t dropped by Friday, September 29, 2006. We pray that you would have a teachable heart like David did when Nathan confronted him with his sin and say, like David said, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Our prayers are with you daily.
Your grateful servants,
Mark and Jennifer Epstein
2741 Deer Berry Court
Longwood, FL 32779-3071
Dear Dr. Sproul,
We are so grateful to you for all the years of incredible Bible teaching you have imparted into our lives. You have taught us about the holiness of God and why He wants us to obey Him. You have helped change our hearts and our lives to live in a way that glorifies Christ and enjoys our Creator. We are so appreciative of all that you do for the work of the Lord in this fallen world.
Yet we have this against you: Ligonier Ministries, under the direction of Tim Dick, is blatantly violating I Corinthians 6, by filing a lawsuit against Frank Vance, a fellow believer. We know that Mr. Vance has made some allegations against Tim Dick in particular, and Ligonier Ministries as well, but you yourself said that the Gentiles should never judge between the Israelites, just as the world should not judge between Christians.
We respectfully implore you to have Ligonier Ministries and Tim Dick, as president of Ligonier Ministries, drop this lawsuit which is contrary to the ways of the Lord.
In addition, we would ask that you answer the charges Frank Vance makes against Ligonier regarding duplicity in a contract with Don Kistler.
We would also hope that in all the areas of your family over which you have control, that you would meet the qualifications of an elder according to God’s Word. I Timothy 3:4-5 says that an elder is “one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)”. Only you know the truth in this area. Please set a good example for the rest of us in ruling your own house well.
These are all important issues to the kingdom of God as a whole, since you are a public figure in that arena. The “world” is watching. God is watching. We plead with you to repent for the sins listed above, to immediately drop the lawsuit, and to set the godly example of an elder for all Christians who have been so blessed by your ministry.
It is with profound regret that we will need to discontinue our financial support of Ligonier Ministries if the lawsuit isn’t dropped by Friday, September 29, 2006. We pray that you would have a teachable heart like David did when Nathan confronted him with his sin and say, like David said, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Our prayers are with you daily.
Your grateful servants,
Mark and Jennifer Epstein
Open Letter to Vesta Sproul and the Ligonier Board of Directors
Vesta Sproul
2741 Deer Berry Court
Longwood, FL 32779-3071
Dear Vesta and the Board of Directors of Ligonier Ministries,
We are so grateful to Ligonier Ministries for providing many great resources, such as books, radio programs, sermons, CDs and iPods, TableTalk, conferences, and a great many other incredible resources that teach us about the sovereignty of our great God and how we are to live our daily lives in that light. Thank you for all the hard work you do to help Christians grow in their daily walk.
Yet we have this against you: Ligonier Ministries, under the direction of Tim Dick, is blatantly violating I Corinthians 6, by filing a lawsuit against Frank Vance, a fellow believer. We know that Mr. Vance has made some allegations against Tim Dick in particular, and Ligonier Ministries as well, but there is never any excuse for disobeying God. As board of directors, we hold you directly responsible for this despising of God’s Word.
We respectfully implore you to have Ligonier Ministries and Tim Dick, as president of Ligonier Ministries, drop this lawsuit which is contrary to the ways of the Lord.
In addition, we would ask that you answer the charges Frank Vance makes against Ligonier regarding duplicity in a contract with Don Kistler.
These are important issues to the kingdom of God as a whole, since you are a public ministry in that arena. The “world” is watching. God is watching. We plead with you to repent for the sins listed above, to immediately drop the lawsuit, and to be a godly example of ministry in this sinful, wicked world.
It is with profound regret that we will need to discontinue our financial support of Ligonier Ministries if the lawsuit isn’t dropped by Friday, September 29, 2006. We pray that your ministry would have a teachable heart like David did when Nathan confronted him with his sin and say, like David said, “We have sinned against the LORD.”
Our prayers are with you daily.
Your grateful servants,
Mark and Jennifer Epstein
2741 Deer Berry Court
Longwood, FL 32779-3071
Dear Vesta and the Board of Directors of Ligonier Ministries,
We are so grateful to Ligonier Ministries for providing many great resources, such as books, radio programs, sermons, CDs and iPods, TableTalk, conferences, and a great many other incredible resources that teach us about the sovereignty of our great God and how we are to live our daily lives in that light. Thank you for all the hard work you do to help Christians grow in their daily walk.
Yet we have this against you: Ligonier Ministries, under the direction of Tim Dick, is blatantly violating I Corinthians 6, by filing a lawsuit against Frank Vance, a fellow believer. We know that Mr. Vance has made some allegations against Tim Dick in particular, and Ligonier Ministries as well, but there is never any excuse for disobeying God. As board of directors, we hold you directly responsible for this despising of God’s Word.
We respectfully implore you to have Ligonier Ministries and Tim Dick, as president of Ligonier Ministries, drop this lawsuit which is contrary to the ways of the Lord.
In addition, we would ask that you answer the charges Frank Vance makes against Ligonier regarding duplicity in a contract with Don Kistler.
These are important issues to the kingdom of God as a whole, since you are a public ministry in that arena. The “world” is watching. God is watching. We plead with you to repent for the sins listed above, to immediately drop the lawsuit, and to be a godly example of ministry in this sinful, wicked world.
It is with profound regret that we will need to discontinue our financial support of Ligonier Ministries if the lawsuit isn’t dropped by Friday, September 29, 2006. We pray that your ministry would have a teachable heart like David did when Nathan confronted him with his sin and say, like David said, “We have sinned against the LORD.”
Our prayers are with you daily.
Your grateful servants,
Mark and Jennifer Epstein
Open Letter to Tim Dick
Tim Dick, President
Ligonier Ministries
P.O. Box 863595
Orlando, FL 32886
Dear Mr. Dick,
We are so grateful to Ligonier Ministries for all the years of incredible Bible teaching Ligonier has imparted into our lives through Dr. Sproul’s teachings. He has taught us about the holiness of God and why He wants us to obey Him. Ligonier has helped change our hearts and our lives to live in a way that glorifies Christ and enjoys our Creator. We are so appreciative of all that you do for the work of the Lord in this fallen world.
Yet we have this against you: Ligonier Ministries, under your direction, and you personally, are blatantly violating I Corinthians 6, by filing a lawsuit against Frank Vance, a fellow believer. We know that Mr. Vance has made some allegations against you in particular, and Ligonier Ministries as well, but we ought to obey God first – in all situations. You are despising the Word of God by filing this lawsuit.
We respectfully implore you to drop this lawsuit which is contrary to the ways of the Lord.
In addition, we would ask that you publicly answer the charges Frank Vance makes against Ligonier regarding duplicity in a contract with Don Kistler.
We would also hope that in all the areas of your family over which you have control, that you would meet the qualifications of an elder according to God’s Word. As president of a Christian ministry, you are in a position of biblical leadership and therefore must meet the qualifications of elder. I Timothy 3:4-5 says that an elder is “one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)”. Only you know the truth in this area. Please set a good example for the rest of us in ruling your own house well.
These are all important issues to the kingdom of God as a whole, since Ligonier is a public ministry in that arena. The “world” is watching. God is watching. We plead with you to repent for the sins listed above, to immediately drop the lawsuit, and to set the godly example of an elder for all Christians who have been so blessed by Ligonier ministries.
It is with profound regret that we will need to discontinue our financial support of Ligonier Ministries if the lawsuit isn’t dropped by Friday, September 29, 2006. We pray that you would have a teachable heart like David did when Nathan confronted him with his sin and say, like David said, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Our prayers are with you daily.
Your grateful servants,
Mark and Jennifer Epstein
Ligonier Ministries
P.O. Box 863595
Orlando, FL 32886
Dear Mr. Dick,
We are so grateful to Ligonier Ministries for all the years of incredible Bible teaching Ligonier has imparted into our lives through Dr. Sproul’s teachings. He has taught us about the holiness of God and why He wants us to obey Him. Ligonier has helped change our hearts and our lives to live in a way that glorifies Christ and enjoys our Creator. We are so appreciative of all that you do for the work of the Lord in this fallen world.
Yet we have this against you: Ligonier Ministries, under your direction, and you personally, are blatantly violating I Corinthians 6, by filing a lawsuit against Frank Vance, a fellow believer. We know that Mr. Vance has made some allegations against you in particular, and Ligonier Ministries as well, but we ought to obey God first – in all situations. You are despising the Word of God by filing this lawsuit.
We respectfully implore you to drop this lawsuit which is contrary to the ways of the Lord.
In addition, we would ask that you publicly answer the charges Frank Vance makes against Ligonier regarding duplicity in a contract with Don Kistler.
We would also hope that in all the areas of your family over which you have control, that you would meet the qualifications of an elder according to God’s Word. As president of a Christian ministry, you are in a position of biblical leadership and therefore must meet the qualifications of elder. I Timothy 3:4-5 says that an elder is “one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?)”. Only you know the truth in this area. Please set a good example for the rest of us in ruling your own house well.
These are all important issues to the kingdom of God as a whole, since Ligonier is a public ministry in that arena. The “world” is watching. God is watching. We plead with you to repent for the sins listed above, to immediately drop the lawsuit, and to set the godly example of an elder for all Christians who have been so blessed by Ligonier ministries.
It is with profound regret that we will need to discontinue our financial support of Ligonier Ministries if the lawsuit isn’t dropped by Friday, September 29, 2006. We pray that you would have a teachable heart like David did when Nathan confronted him with his sin and say, like David said, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Our prayers are with you daily.
Your grateful servants,
Mark and Jennifer Epstein
Sep 13, 2006
I Have Every Right
Recently large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration. Certain people are angry that the US might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely.
Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.
Let's say I break into your house.
Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave.
But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors; I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).According to the protesters, not only must you let me stay, you must add me to your family's insurance plan, educate my kids, and provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do your yard work because he too is hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).
If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my right to be there.
It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself.
I'm hard-working and honest, um, except for well, you know.
And what a deal it is for me!!
I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of selfishness, prejudice and being anti-housebreaker.
Oh yeah, and I want you to learn my language so you can communicate with me."
Why can't people see how ridiculous this is?!
Editorial in some newspaper by a very smart lady, but I can't find the original source.
Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests.
Let's say I break into your house.
Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave.
But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors; I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).According to the protesters, not only must you let me stay, you must add me to your family's insurance plan, educate my kids, and provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do your yard work because he too is hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).
If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my right to be there.
It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself.
I'm hard-working and honest, um, except for well, you know.
And what a deal it is for me!!
I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of selfishness, prejudice and being anti-housebreaker.
Oh yeah, and I want you to learn my language so you can communicate with me."
Why can't people see how ridiculous this is?!
Editorial in some newspaper by a very smart lady, but I can't find the original source.
Sep 10, 2006
Where Are the Ecclesiastical Courts?
Some Christians are up in arms about Ligonier Ministries suing Frank Vance, a fellow believer, and rightly so, as it is plainly against Scriptural teaching. But my question is: where do they go? Where are the ecclesiastical courts of which a Christian can avail himself? If Christians are to judge one another, who are they, and where are they?
Oh, there is some semblance of provision within denominations for "courts," per se, but they are extremely limited in their scope, and I'm not so sure how truly unbiased the "upper echelon" in a denomination truly is. Why, for example, did all those sexually abused altar boys wait until they were adults in their own right to take the abusive priests to court, and a worldly court at that? Where were their God-given advocates, their church "courts?"
We see that RC Sproul, the younger, for example, was defrocked by a Christian "court," but did it really mean anything? Did it really change anything? Were the judgments followed? Why did Doug Wilson feel he had the right to defy a Christian "court" and re-frock RC? Did the "court" truly have any meaningful authority?
What is the everyday Christian to do? God's Word clearly provides for Christians judging one another and amongst ourselves, but have we provided an acceptable alternative for carrying out God's plan for legal ethics and issues? Where are the wise men that God has established as judges for the church today? Would Christians really obey them? Where is their authority?
When Moses was worn out from adjudicating 3-4 million Israelites, his father-in-law, Jethro, came up with a brilliant plan: "You shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens... And so they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. "
Rulers of thousands.
Rulers of hundreds.
Rulers of fifties.
Rulers of tens.
Where are these able men now? Where are those such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness (that's an interesing qualification, by the way! - God clearly foresees bribery in the justice system, doesn't He?), men who are able to adjudicate the SMALL matters, and men who are able to adjudicate the HARD cases? Where are they today?
I recently read a story about Constantine, in the 3rd - 4th century AD, bemoaning the ineffectiveness of his own courts and judges, but at the same time having a deep admiration for the judges of the Christian church. He then asked the Bishops to wear the judicial robes of that day, which were bright and colorful, out on the streets among the people, to denote that Constantine approved of the bishops as judges. Here we have a story of the church doing a better job in adjudicating than the world, as it should be.
But that was then. What do we have now? I recently checked out the Peacemakers website and found they have an allowance for being a go-between among differing parties. This is certainly a step in the right direction, but I don't think they have any legal authority, per se.
I know of several young, dedicated Christian men who are studying to be lawyers of the world. I wonder what they will do with their training?
I am a strong believer in NOT complaining about something unless I have an answer. If Ligonier Ministries cannot sue Frank Vance, under biblical authority, what should they do? First, we do have Matthew 18, of which apparently Frank Vance already has used every possible application, but has Ligonier Ministries availed themselves of Matthew 18 yet? Second, we have I Corinthians 6, where Paul says that if we can't get able men to judge, then "Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?" This is not always a viable answer, but it is Paul's answer when the church won't do its job and judge itself.
This is a call for the church to wake up and take over the judicial system, at least the judicial system that involves Christians. There is a need for judges of thousands, judges of hundreds, judges of fifties, and judges of tens, on a daily basis, in every town. Denominational ecclesiastical courts aren't cutting the mustard.
Where are the able men?
Oh, there is some semblance of provision within denominations for "courts," per se, but they are extremely limited in their scope, and I'm not so sure how truly unbiased the "upper echelon" in a denomination truly is. Why, for example, did all those sexually abused altar boys wait until they were adults in their own right to take the abusive priests to court, and a worldly court at that? Where were their God-given advocates, their church "courts?"
We see that RC Sproul, the younger, for example, was defrocked by a Christian "court," but did it really mean anything? Did it really change anything? Were the judgments followed? Why did Doug Wilson feel he had the right to defy a Christian "court" and re-frock RC? Did the "court" truly have any meaningful authority?
What is the everyday Christian to do? God's Word clearly provides for Christians judging one another and amongst ourselves, but have we provided an acceptable alternative for carrying out God's plan for legal ethics and issues? Where are the wise men that God has established as judges for the church today? Would Christians really obey them? Where is their authority?
When Moses was worn out from adjudicating 3-4 million Israelites, his father-in-law, Jethro, came up with a brilliant plan: "You shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens... And so they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves. "
Rulers of thousands.
Rulers of hundreds.
Rulers of fifties.
Rulers of tens.
Where are these able men now? Where are those such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness (that's an interesing qualification, by the way! - God clearly foresees bribery in the justice system, doesn't He?), men who are able to adjudicate the SMALL matters, and men who are able to adjudicate the HARD cases? Where are they today?
I recently read a story about Constantine, in the 3rd - 4th century AD, bemoaning the ineffectiveness of his own courts and judges, but at the same time having a deep admiration for the judges of the Christian church. He then asked the Bishops to wear the judicial robes of that day, which were bright and colorful, out on the streets among the people, to denote that Constantine approved of the bishops as judges. Here we have a story of the church doing a better job in adjudicating than the world, as it should be.
But that was then. What do we have now? I recently checked out the Peacemakers website and found they have an allowance for being a go-between among differing parties. This is certainly a step in the right direction, but I don't think they have any legal authority, per se.
I know of several young, dedicated Christian men who are studying to be lawyers of the world. I wonder what they will do with their training?
I am a strong believer in NOT complaining about something unless I have an answer. If Ligonier Ministries cannot sue Frank Vance, under biblical authority, what should they do? First, we do have Matthew 18, of which apparently Frank Vance already has used every possible application, but has Ligonier Ministries availed themselves of Matthew 18 yet? Second, we have I Corinthians 6, where Paul says that if we can't get able men to judge, then "Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?" This is not always a viable answer, but it is Paul's answer when the church won't do its job and judge itself.
This is a call for the church to wake up and take over the judicial system, at least the judicial system that involves Christians. There is a need for judges of thousands, judges of hundreds, judges of fifties, and judges of tens, on a daily basis, in every town. Denominational ecclesiastical courts aren't cutting the mustard.
Where are the able men?
Sep 9, 2006
Control Freak Quiz
You Are 12% Control Freak
There's no way you're a control freak. You're totally laid back - and able to take life as it comes.While you definitely have a healthy mental attitude, don't get suckered into letting someone control you.
Take the Control Freak quiz yourself!
There's no way you're a control freak. You're totally laid back - and able to take life as it comes.While you definitely have a healthy mental attitude, don't get suckered into letting someone control you.
Take the Control Freak quiz yourself!
Ligonier Ministries: Divorcing Orthodoxy From Orthopraxy
I have written several times about one of my very favorite Bible teachers, RC Sproul. Before we ever heard of "reformed theology," we started listening to RC Sproul every day on the radio. Most of what he taught seemed to be accurate when lined up with the whole counsel of God. We greatly appreciate the meat of his messages and many a sermon has transformed our lives. This kind of biblically sound teaching is called "orthodoxy" - correctness of beliefs - and is sadly lacking in so many churches today. Once we had a taste of it, we craved more and more in-depth sound biblical teaching.
As we started listening to other reformed teachers, we eventually found out that "reformed" does not necessarily mean "reformed," just as "baptist" doesn't necessarily mean "baptist." We still find RC Sproul to be the best teacher of orthodoxy as it lines up with God's Word, especially since he does not seem to take an extreme position on anything, which is often what turns off so many people to reformed theology.
However, orthodoxy must always be wed to orthopraxy - correctness of actions. Why do we study God's Word? There are certainly many reasons, such as to know God, but out of our daily study should come the fruit of orthopraxy, that is, the fruit of a changed life. Knowing what God has to say about something (orthodoxy) and doing what God says (orthopraxy) are, unfortunately, sometimes two very different things. However, in God's eyes, they must always be fully wed. God will hold us to a higher degree of accountability when we have studied His Word, seen clearly what He tells us to do, and then do the opposite.
God does not look lightly on divorcing orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
Having then been both an avid listener and a financial supporter for years to Ligonier Ministries and RC Sproul, I was deeply grieved to hear that Ligonier, through Tim Dick, RC's son-in-law, is suing a fellow believer, in obvious contradiction to God's Word, which says clearly that a Christian will not take another Christian to the courts of the world.
I want to make clear that RC Sproul himself is NOT suing Frank Vance, the man who has exposed some very serious sins within the ministry of Ligonier and also some of the personal life of RC Sproul's family, who runs Ligonier. However, by not stopping these actions, which must be fully known to RC Sproul, he is implicitly condoning suing a fellow believer.
I am NOT an internet assassin, nor do I condone internet assassins, but since I have written here previously praising the works of RC Sproul (for which I still think he is a great Bible teacher), I feel an ethical obligation to let others know that his superb orthodoxy is currently divorced from his orthopraxy. I will not relate the details of what is going on at Ligonier Ministries, but you may read about it here. When Matthew 18 seems to be exhausted, the internet has provided a way to expose those who need to be exposed, for various reasons. Many brethen spent two years appealing to those in the wrong, only to meet with continued resistance and lack of repentance. As a supporter of RC Sproul and Ligonier, and having attended his incredible church several times, I fully appreciate being made aware of how my money is being used, and how orthodoxy is currently divorced from orthopraxy in this group of people, although I am deeply grieved and saddened by this whole scenario.
I pray for a quick and complete repentance from all involved, and until such time, feel we must withhold our financial support. Will I still listen to RC Sproul? Probably. I have long ago learned not to throw the baby out with the bath. But my enthusiasm for his incredible teaching will be dampened slightly.
May the Lord open his eyes to the correct orthopraxy, even when it's the hard thing to do.
As we started listening to other reformed teachers, we eventually found out that "reformed" does not necessarily mean "reformed," just as "baptist" doesn't necessarily mean "baptist." We still find RC Sproul to be the best teacher of orthodoxy as it lines up with God's Word, especially since he does not seem to take an extreme position on anything, which is often what turns off so many people to reformed theology.
However, orthodoxy must always be wed to orthopraxy - correctness of actions. Why do we study God's Word? There are certainly many reasons, such as to know God, but out of our daily study should come the fruit of orthopraxy, that is, the fruit of a changed life. Knowing what God has to say about something (orthodoxy) and doing what God says (orthopraxy) are, unfortunately, sometimes two very different things. However, in God's eyes, they must always be fully wed. God will hold us to a higher degree of accountability when we have studied His Word, seen clearly what He tells us to do, and then do the opposite.
God does not look lightly on divorcing orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
Having then been both an avid listener and a financial supporter for years to Ligonier Ministries and RC Sproul, I was deeply grieved to hear that Ligonier, through Tim Dick, RC's son-in-law, is suing a fellow believer, in obvious contradiction to God's Word, which says clearly that a Christian will not take another Christian to the courts of the world.
I want to make clear that RC Sproul himself is NOT suing Frank Vance, the man who has exposed some very serious sins within the ministry of Ligonier and also some of the personal life of RC Sproul's family, who runs Ligonier. However, by not stopping these actions, which must be fully known to RC Sproul, he is implicitly condoning suing a fellow believer.
I am NOT an internet assassin, nor do I condone internet assassins, but since I have written here previously praising the works of RC Sproul (for which I still think he is a great Bible teacher), I feel an ethical obligation to let others know that his superb orthodoxy is currently divorced from his orthopraxy. I will not relate the details of what is going on at Ligonier Ministries, but you may read about it here. When Matthew 18 seems to be exhausted, the internet has provided a way to expose those who need to be exposed, for various reasons. Many brethen spent two years appealing to those in the wrong, only to meet with continued resistance and lack of repentance. As a supporter of RC Sproul and Ligonier, and having attended his incredible church several times, I fully appreciate being made aware of how my money is being used, and how orthodoxy is currently divorced from orthopraxy in this group of people, although I am deeply grieved and saddened by this whole scenario.
I pray for a quick and complete repentance from all involved, and until such time, feel we must withhold our financial support. Will I still listen to RC Sproul? Probably. I have long ago learned not to throw the baby out with the bath. But my enthusiasm for his incredible teaching will be dampened slightly.
May the Lord open his eyes to the correct orthopraxy, even when it's the hard thing to do.
Aug 24, 2006
Weekly Recipe: Potato Pie
A delicious mashed potato variation!
5 lbs. potatoes, boiled
1 c. butter
1 lb carrots, peeled and grated
2 c. cheese, grated
1 c. orange juice
4 eggs, beaten
2 t. sugar (healthy)
S/P to taste
Make mashed potatoes with the butter. Mix all ingredients together and put in a 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 min.
5 lbs. potatoes, boiled
1 c. butter
1 lb carrots, peeled and grated
2 c. cheese, grated
1 c. orange juice
4 eggs, beaten
2 t. sugar (healthy)
S/P to taste
Make mashed potatoes with the butter. Mix all ingredients together and put in a 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 min.
Aug 23, 2006
Weekly Recipe: Taco Soup
2 cups cooked kidney beans (1 can drained and rinsed)
2 cups cooked pinto beans
2 cups cooked black beans
2-4 cups shoepeg corn (preferably organic)
2 c. chicken broth (or water with boullion)
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 T chili powder
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 T dried or fresh parsley, crushed
(sea) salt to taste
Mix all ingredients and cook for at least 2 hours or in a crock pot.
Serve with healthy tortilla chips, grated cheese, and sour cream. Enjoy!
2 cups cooked pinto beans
2 cups cooked black beans
2-4 cups shoepeg corn (preferably organic)
2 c. chicken broth (or water with boullion)
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 T chili powder
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 T dried or fresh parsley, crushed
(sea) salt to taste
Mix all ingredients and cook for at least 2 hours or in a crock pot.
Serve with healthy tortilla chips, grated cheese, and sour cream. Enjoy!
How Children Spell Love
I recently asked my children if they thought I loved them.
“Yes!”
Then I asked if they thought I liked them.
“Of course!”
“Why do you think that I LIKE you?” I probed.
The answer was swift and unanimous: “Because you spend TIME with us!”
Children spell love T-I-M-E.
Children spell like T-I M-E.
You can love someone without liking them. I know many parents who love their children very much, but it is obvious that they don’t really LIKE them.
You can also like someone, such as an acquaintance, or a speaker you listen to, without truly loving them.
Is loving your children enough to have their hearts?
I think you have to truly LIKE your children to have their hearts and keep them.
If children spell love T-I-M-E, they will only know that you truly love them if you LIKE being with them, if you LIKE doing things with them, if you LIKE what they like, if you LIKE them. In the big picture, children do not count much what you do FOR them; it is only what you do WITH them that matters in their eyes.
Here are some ways I spend time WITH my children, enjoying them every minute. There are many other ideas that you will have, but this will get you started.
Work ~ It is fun to work together, side by side. When it is time to fix a meal, for instance, my children are almost always with me, working together, in the kitchen. We will often work in the yard and garden together, or do laundry together.
Eating ~ We eat 3 meals a day together and often have a snack together. It is very rare that we ever eat separately. This is a wonderful time of fellowship as well.
Music ~ Instead of sending my children to piano lessons, I teach them myself. Singing, dancing (to the Lord), and playing instruments together seem to form a bond unlike any other. I also LIKE the music my children enjoy. I listen to them sing and play, with undivided and rapt attention.
Reading ~ Reading aloud is so much fun! Reading a great book is always an incredible experience, but reading that same book at the same time, out loud, with your children, multiplies that experience exponentially, building precious memories together.
School ~ Although I began homeschooling my children for a very different set of reasons, I continue homeschooling my children now so that I can be with them. Call me selfish, if you will, but my number one reason for homeschooling my children is to be WITH them, working side by side, learning together.
Errands ~ When I go someplace in my truck, I almost always take someone with me. This is free time just looking for a relationship.
Exercise ~ We often exercise together. There are times when I just can’t, because I’m not up to it physically, maybe, but as often as possible, exercise time is together time.
Games ~ Solitaire is not a game that is played in our family, nor are video or computer games, which teach self-centeredness. Games are great learning experiences that come with a relationship. You know those special little made up games that little ones like to play, over and over and over again? Enjoy them every single time!
Jokes ~ We get an e-mail joke every day and we laugh together as we hear it all together. It’s an easy way to take our daily medicine together.
Talking ~ I have one child who LOVES to talk, for hours and hours and hours. Listening is included. If I don’t have those long conversations with her, she will find someone else who will!
Quiet ~ I have one child who enjoys just sitting with me quietly, no talking. That’s important, too.
Movies ~ Watching a movie can be a great tool, if you make it such. We ALWAYS watch movies together, to learn together, to talk about them together, to be together. Movies are NOT a babysitter.
Bedtime ~ Special bedtime routines are important to each of my children. It takes a LONG time to tuck in all 3. I don’t know what I’d do if had more!
Sermons ~ If there is a sermon I would like to hear that might impact the family (OK, there are TONS of these for us!), we all listen to it together, and then we discuss together if it lines up with God’s Word. If it does, we discuss together what changes we ought to make. This helps set a foundation in our family that God’s Word tells us how to live our lives, not a set of do’s and don’ts.
Projects ~ Sewing, crafts, models, building, organizing, moving – all kinds of projects lend themselves easily to togetherness. Look for these and you’ll find one around every corner.
I don’t spend ALL my time with my children, but I do spend as much time with them as I possibly can, while I have them with me. No one ever died regretting spending TOO MUCH time with their children!
I know some people think it takes too long to do these things WITH your children. Wouldn’t it be easier to just do them FOR your children? Or don’t you get more done if you all spread out and just do what needs to be done? Maybe. But there is nothing in this life more important than relationship – with God first, with family second. God did not call us to put time management ABOVE our relationship with our children. God did not call us to put our own interests ABOVE our relationship with our children.
The next time you find yourself doing something alone, ask yourself if you could involve someone with you. Making a bed is much easier with two than just one!
God called us to LOVE our children = TIME.
God wants us to LIKE our children =- TIME.
Where their TIME is, there will their heart be also.
“Yes!”
Then I asked if they thought I liked them.
“Of course!”
“Why do you think that I LIKE you?” I probed.
The answer was swift and unanimous: “Because you spend TIME with us!”
Children spell love T-I-M-E.
Children spell like T-I M-E.
You can love someone without liking them. I know many parents who love their children very much, but it is obvious that they don’t really LIKE them.
You can also like someone, such as an acquaintance, or a speaker you listen to, without truly loving them.
Is loving your children enough to have their hearts?
I think you have to truly LIKE your children to have their hearts and keep them.
If children spell love T-I-M-E, they will only know that you truly love them if you LIKE being with them, if you LIKE doing things with them, if you LIKE what they like, if you LIKE them. In the big picture, children do not count much what you do FOR them; it is only what you do WITH them that matters in their eyes.
Here are some ways I spend time WITH my children, enjoying them every minute. There are many other ideas that you will have, but this will get you started.
Work ~ It is fun to work together, side by side. When it is time to fix a meal, for instance, my children are almost always with me, working together, in the kitchen. We will often work in the yard and garden together, or do laundry together.
Eating ~ We eat 3 meals a day together and often have a snack together. It is very rare that we ever eat separately. This is a wonderful time of fellowship as well.
Music ~ Instead of sending my children to piano lessons, I teach them myself. Singing, dancing (to the Lord), and playing instruments together seem to form a bond unlike any other. I also LIKE the music my children enjoy. I listen to them sing and play, with undivided and rapt attention.
Reading ~ Reading aloud is so much fun! Reading a great book is always an incredible experience, but reading that same book at the same time, out loud, with your children, multiplies that experience exponentially, building precious memories together.
School ~ Although I began homeschooling my children for a very different set of reasons, I continue homeschooling my children now so that I can be with them. Call me selfish, if you will, but my number one reason for homeschooling my children is to be WITH them, working side by side, learning together.
Errands ~ When I go someplace in my truck, I almost always take someone with me. This is free time just looking for a relationship.
Exercise ~ We often exercise together. There are times when I just can’t, because I’m not up to it physically, maybe, but as often as possible, exercise time is together time.
Games ~ Solitaire is not a game that is played in our family, nor are video or computer games, which teach self-centeredness. Games are great learning experiences that come with a relationship. You know those special little made up games that little ones like to play, over and over and over again? Enjoy them every single time!
Jokes ~ We get an e-mail joke every day and we laugh together as we hear it all together. It’s an easy way to take our daily medicine together.
Talking ~ I have one child who LOVES to talk, for hours and hours and hours. Listening is included. If I don’t have those long conversations with her, she will find someone else who will!
Quiet ~ I have one child who enjoys just sitting with me quietly, no talking. That’s important, too.
Movies ~ Watching a movie can be a great tool, if you make it such. We ALWAYS watch movies together, to learn together, to talk about them together, to be together. Movies are NOT a babysitter.
Bedtime ~ Special bedtime routines are important to each of my children. It takes a LONG time to tuck in all 3. I don’t know what I’d do if had more!
Sermons ~ If there is a sermon I would like to hear that might impact the family (OK, there are TONS of these for us!), we all listen to it together, and then we discuss together if it lines up with God’s Word. If it does, we discuss together what changes we ought to make. This helps set a foundation in our family that God’s Word tells us how to live our lives, not a set of do’s and don’ts.
Projects ~ Sewing, crafts, models, building, organizing, moving – all kinds of projects lend themselves easily to togetherness. Look for these and you’ll find one around every corner.
I don’t spend ALL my time with my children, but I do spend as much time with them as I possibly can, while I have them with me. No one ever died regretting spending TOO MUCH time with their children!
I know some people think it takes too long to do these things WITH your children. Wouldn’t it be easier to just do them FOR your children? Or don’t you get more done if you all spread out and just do what needs to be done? Maybe. But there is nothing in this life more important than relationship – with God first, with family second. God did not call us to put time management ABOVE our relationship with our children. God did not call us to put our own interests ABOVE our relationship with our children.
The next time you find yourself doing something alone, ask yourself if you could involve someone with you. Making a bed is much easier with two than just one!
God called us to LOVE our children = TIME.
God wants us to LIKE our children =- TIME.
Where their TIME is, there will their heart be also.
Keep Your Mouth Shut!
Everyone knows the damage a big mouth can do, but have you ever considered the physical damage of opening your mouth?
Yes, breathing through your mouth is dangerous to your health! We must all become nose breathers from now on!
Having experienced episodes of hyperventilation often in my younger years, I thought I had outgrown them, and certainly thought I understood the symptoms, until recently. Some of the symptoms can be scary, but they are not life threatening: tight chest; feeling like you can’t catch your breath; tingling in hands, feet, and lips; dizziness or lightheadedness; among a few others.
Hyperventilation means that you breathe out too much carbon dioxide, which then causes an imbalance in the oxygen/carbon dioxide ratio. This can be caused by stress, which usually brings on an “attack,” of sorts; or it can be a result of improper breathing patterns, which can cause long-term difficulties such as lightheadedness or headaches, a racing heartbeat or heart and/or blood pressure problems, weak lungs, allergies (due to mouth breathing), chronic fatigue (due to improper oxygen/carbon dioxide balance), weak adrenals (chronic hyperventilation is like having your fight-or-flight response turned on all the time, which severely drains your adrenals), difficulty concentrating or remembering (brain doesn’t have enough oxygen), and can weaken all the inner organs (and cause eczema on the skin as well since mouth breathing causes more dehydration than usual).
Knowing that I have always been a mouth breather, I shall now attempt to keep my mouth shut and breathe through my nose and use my whole body to take deep healing breaths.
So, keep your mouth shut!
Yes, breathing through your mouth is dangerous to your health! We must all become nose breathers from now on!
Having experienced episodes of hyperventilation often in my younger years, I thought I had outgrown them, and certainly thought I understood the symptoms, until recently. Some of the symptoms can be scary, but they are not life threatening: tight chest; feeling like you can’t catch your breath; tingling in hands, feet, and lips; dizziness or lightheadedness; among a few others.
Hyperventilation means that you breathe out too much carbon dioxide, which then causes an imbalance in the oxygen/carbon dioxide ratio. This can be caused by stress, which usually brings on an “attack,” of sorts; or it can be a result of improper breathing patterns, which can cause long-term difficulties such as lightheadedness or headaches, a racing heartbeat or heart and/or blood pressure problems, weak lungs, allergies (due to mouth breathing), chronic fatigue (due to improper oxygen/carbon dioxide balance), weak adrenals (chronic hyperventilation is like having your fight-or-flight response turned on all the time, which severely drains your adrenals), difficulty concentrating or remembering (brain doesn’t have enough oxygen), and can weaken all the inner organs (and cause eczema on the skin as well since mouth breathing causes more dehydration than usual).
Knowing that I have always been a mouth breather, I shall now attempt to keep my mouth shut and breathe through my nose and use my whole body to take deep healing breaths.
So, keep your mouth shut!
Aug 22, 2006
The World
I have always wondered exactly what I John means when he talks about all that is in the world. Here is the list.
The World
The lust of the flesh
The lust of the eyes
The pride of life
I did an interesting comparison today with the passage in Genesis that talks about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Here is what Eve saw:
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
Good for food
Pleasant to the eyes
Desirable to make one wise
Comparing Scripture with Scripture sure does make it come alive!
The World
The lust of the flesh
The lust of the eyes
The pride of life
I did an interesting comparison today with the passage in Genesis that talks about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Here is what Eve saw:
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
Good for food
Pleasant to the eyes
Desirable to make one wise
Comparing Scripture with Scripture sure does make it come alive!
Aug 20, 2006
And Having Done All, To Stand
I was just reflecting that the last four churches which we have left were all for pretty much the same reasons: I will not back down from the truth of the Word of God. We are certainly not church butterflies, flitting about from place to place, never staying long enough to develop relationships. Far from it. I learned from Henry Blackaby long ago that we should never leave a church unless God directs us to and there are really only two reasons God usually directs in that way: moving and violations of God's Word in either word or deed, after having done all to gently restore the church to the Bible.
Here is a summary of our leaving the last four churches:
Church #1 ~ Stayed 6 years and then moved far away. However, about 2 weeks before we left, I was fired as the adult Sunday School teacher because I taught that wives should obey their husbands and that one of the reasons God was judging America is because of our national sin in this area. There weren't any real harsh feelings, and although there was a definite chasm, there is still respect both ways. We still have some incredibly great relationships from that church.
I would not change my position. I will stand on what the Bible says.
So, in looking for a new church, we made sure we included this in our list of important areas to look for.
Church #2 ~ Although it was very often preached from the pulpit that we should live soberly and righteously in this present age, that we would never have entertainment in this church, at the very same time, the children's and youth programs were being run by none other than worldly entertainment. At one point, the children's church "praise and worship" was led by a local non-Christian TV show! After teaching the children that LIFE means:
L - Love
I - Integrity
F - Friendship
E - Encouragement
~ and that if you have those things you will have true life, I said that my Bible says that he who has the Son has life. When they started singing (during "praise and worship!") "I Love Rock and Roll," I had had enough. Suffice it to say that God's Word was not in any way being taught to any of the youth in that church. After several meetings with the pastors, we were asked to find another church more to our liking. We still have friends from that church and the pastor is still friendly.
I would stand fast on God's Word.
We then abandoned youth and children's programs and looked for a church that didn't separate the family every time we walked in the doors.
Church #3 ~ After attending for 5 years, we began to see this church lean in an extreme right direction (as compared to the left leanings of most American churches). We feel that any extreme is extra-biblical, and therefore, unbiblical. When I realized this church was taking a position that we cannot help but sin (every 10 minutes!), I took God's position that we are no longer slaves to sin, that God has promised that we will never be under more temptation than we can bear, and that Jesus expects us to obey Him. I was excommunicated for this position and all those friends I spent hours each week developing relationships with now turn their backs on us in public.
I still stand on God's Word alone.
Church #4 ~ Although we had major doctrinal disagreements when we agreed to attend this church for six months, the love of Christ that permeates that church was what drew us there. However, when they started a series on how you can lose your salvation, we had to draw the line. Eternal security is a major doctrinal issue, but we still have many good friends from this church.
We will stand on only what God's Word says.
Should doctrinal differences divide us? Yes, if they compromise the truth of the gospel of God's Word. Yes, when it comes to choosing a church, if a doctrinal error is consistently being taught from the pulpit and it is enough to cause either confusion or irritation.
Should doctrinal differences divide friends? I say never. I have friends of all different doctrinal persuasions and we can still love each other in the Lord. I am grateful for the friendships that are so solid that we can discuss our doctrinal differences rationally and search the Scriptures together to see if these things be so.
I am saddened that some would think that turning their backs on a five-year relationship is the best way to handle a doctrinal difference. Even so, and having done all, I will stand, stand on God's Word, and His Word alone.
Here is a summary of our leaving the last four churches:
Church #1 ~ Stayed 6 years and then moved far away. However, about 2 weeks before we left, I was fired as the adult Sunday School teacher because I taught that wives should obey their husbands and that one of the reasons God was judging America is because of our national sin in this area. There weren't any real harsh feelings, and although there was a definite chasm, there is still respect both ways. We still have some incredibly great relationships from that church.
I would not change my position. I will stand on what the Bible says.
So, in looking for a new church, we made sure we included this in our list of important areas to look for.
Church #2 ~ Although it was very often preached from the pulpit that we should live soberly and righteously in this present age, that we would never have entertainment in this church, at the very same time, the children's and youth programs were being run by none other than worldly entertainment. At one point, the children's church "praise and worship" was led by a local non-Christian TV show! After teaching the children that LIFE means:
L - Love
I - Integrity
F - Friendship
E - Encouragement
~ and that if you have those things you will have true life, I said that my Bible says that he who has the Son has life. When they started singing (during "praise and worship!") "I Love Rock and Roll," I had had enough. Suffice it to say that God's Word was not in any way being taught to any of the youth in that church. After several meetings with the pastors, we were asked to find another church more to our liking. We still have friends from that church and the pastor is still friendly.
I would stand fast on God's Word.
We then abandoned youth and children's programs and looked for a church that didn't separate the family every time we walked in the doors.
Church #3 ~ After attending for 5 years, we began to see this church lean in an extreme right direction (as compared to the left leanings of most American churches). We feel that any extreme is extra-biblical, and therefore, unbiblical. When I realized this church was taking a position that we cannot help but sin (every 10 minutes!), I took God's position that we are no longer slaves to sin, that God has promised that we will never be under more temptation than we can bear, and that Jesus expects us to obey Him. I was excommunicated for this position and all those friends I spent hours each week developing relationships with now turn their backs on us in public.
I still stand on God's Word alone.
Church #4 ~ Although we had major doctrinal disagreements when we agreed to attend this church for six months, the love of Christ that permeates that church was what drew us there. However, when they started a series on how you can lose your salvation, we had to draw the line. Eternal security is a major doctrinal issue, but we still have many good friends from this church.
We will stand on only what God's Word says.
Should doctrinal differences divide us? Yes, if they compromise the truth of the gospel of God's Word. Yes, when it comes to choosing a church, if a doctrinal error is consistently being taught from the pulpit and it is enough to cause either confusion or irritation.
Should doctrinal differences divide friends? I say never. I have friends of all different doctrinal persuasions and we can still love each other in the Lord. I am grateful for the friendships that are so solid that we can discuss our doctrinal differences rationally and search the Scriptures together to see if these things be so.
I am saddened that some would think that turning their backs on a five-year relationship is the best way to handle a doctrinal difference. Even so, and having done all, I will stand, stand on God's Word, and His Word alone.
The Pendulum Swings
In Paul's day, women were generally treated as being inferior to men. Husbands ordered their wives around, and wives had no choice but to obey whatever he said. So why did Paul tell wives to submit to their own husbands then, if wives were treated in much the same way as servants?
We have a clue in the same passage, where Paul tells husbands to love their wives and not be bitter toward them. The KJV word "embittered" can also be translated "harsh." Paul realized that it does not come naturally to a man to self-sacrificially love another, namely his wife, so he encouraged men to think selflessly in marriage. Paul knew that men could easily get irritated with their wives, so he encourages them not to be harsh in tone, in demeanor, in manner. Instead, they are to cherish their wives as they would a set of fine china, being gentle and tender with her as with something so precious and fragile.
God made women to naturally respond to men, and the more a man leads lovingly, the more a woman will naturally respond. Leadership of this type is servant leadership. A husband ordering a wife around will generate a response in the woman, but it would not naturally generate a loving response. If a husband truly desires a respectful, submissive wife, he will look to see what he can to help her, to bless her, to serve her, to cherish her. A woman who is treated with such honor will naturally be motivated to respond in kind. This is simply human nature, Christian or not.
However, Paul elevated the position of the woman in the New Testament era to higher than it had ever been by telling wives to submit to their own husbands. How can that be? The verb tense in Greek of the word "submit" indicates a purely voluntary action on the part of the wife. These passages by Paul are not "commandments" to the wife that she must obey every whim of an overbearing, authoritative, demanding husband. Rather, if a wife loves the Lord, she will choose to obey her husband, no matter how he treats her, because she desires solely to please the Lord. It does not come naturally to a woman to do what her husband tells her to do, but if she truly places her relationship with Christ first, she will choose to submit to her husband for the Lord's sake. Paul tells us that being submissive is fitting in the Lord, not a place of subservience (abject or cringing submissiveness). If both the husband and the wife have their hearts right before God and they both follow God's roles for marriage, a woman will naturally respond respectfully and submissively to a man's love and tenderness.
In Paul's day, wives had almost no rights. Paul tells us that in Christ male and female are equal. Now, in giving wives the responsibility to voluntarily submit to their husbands because of their relationship with Jesus, Paul is elevating the status of women to that of equality with men.
Modern-day feminism, a knee-jerk reaction to men not fulfilling this aspect of Scripture, attempts to place women in a higher status than men. This is equally wrong. This is not a treatise about feminism, but there were definitely reasons that catapulted it into the forefront where it now stands. Some Christians have returned to God's Word to see what God says is a woman's role, and some have even considered a man's role as well, but let us be careful that, as Christians, we are not just as guilty as the feminists in letting the pendulum swing too far in the opposite direction of where America is today. While I am sure there are many husbands and wives who are clearly following Scriptural patterns of authority ~ the husbands truly loves and cherishes his wife as he seeks the Lord for leading his family, the wife gladly submits to his authority and respects him ~ I have also seen far too many knee-jerk reactions to feminism, trying to take Christian families back to the culture of Paul's day, where a woman was little more than a subservient doormat.
True biblical submission and respect on the part of the wife, and a husband's true biblical love and cherishing his wife will play out differently in every marriage. In some marriages, the husband is more detail-oriented and wants to know everything and be involved in everything and plan everything. In many marriages, the husband and wife work together as a team, and if there is a true conflict, one of them will yield their rights. If the man decides that he will take full responsibility for the conflict, then the wife has the privilege of voluntarily submitting because she loves Jesus and trusts Him. And in some marriages, a husband safely trusts his wife, his helper, and relies on her to make many decisions that would benefit the direction of the whole family, or even asks her to do certain things another man might think was his own responsibility.
Let's be careful not to judge another marriage. How submission and respect play out for one wife could be vastly different for another. The key is in that individual marriage. While one wife may be satisfied and happy being a doormat, another wife may have different responsibilities and her husband may want her to take initiative for their family sometimes. Some men may desire to be in control of every detail, while others are grateful they can trust their wives to keep the family going in his absence, or that she may prepare devotions for him to share with the family later that evening. These are two extremes that still appear to be within the biblical roles for husbands and wives. Blessed is the marriage where husband and wife work side by side!
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
We have a clue in the same passage, where Paul tells husbands to love their wives and not be bitter toward them. The KJV word "embittered" can also be translated "harsh." Paul realized that it does not come naturally to a man to self-sacrificially love another, namely his wife, so he encouraged men to think selflessly in marriage. Paul knew that men could easily get irritated with their wives, so he encourages them not to be harsh in tone, in demeanor, in manner. Instead, they are to cherish their wives as they would a set of fine china, being gentle and tender with her as with something so precious and fragile.
God made women to naturally respond to men, and the more a man leads lovingly, the more a woman will naturally respond. Leadership of this type is servant leadership. A husband ordering a wife around will generate a response in the woman, but it would not naturally generate a loving response. If a husband truly desires a respectful, submissive wife, he will look to see what he can to help her, to bless her, to serve her, to cherish her. A woman who is treated with such honor will naturally be motivated to respond in kind. This is simply human nature, Christian or not.
However, Paul elevated the position of the woman in the New Testament era to higher than it had ever been by telling wives to submit to their own husbands. How can that be? The verb tense in Greek of the word "submit" indicates a purely voluntary action on the part of the wife. These passages by Paul are not "commandments" to the wife that she must obey every whim of an overbearing, authoritative, demanding husband. Rather, if a wife loves the Lord, she will choose to obey her husband, no matter how he treats her, because she desires solely to please the Lord. It does not come naturally to a woman to do what her husband tells her to do, but if she truly places her relationship with Christ first, she will choose to submit to her husband for the Lord's sake. Paul tells us that being submissive is fitting in the Lord, not a place of subservience (abject or cringing submissiveness). If both the husband and the wife have their hearts right before God and they both follow God's roles for marriage, a woman will naturally respond respectfully and submissively to a man's love and tenderness.
In Paul's day, wives had almost no rights. Paul tells us that in Christ male and female are equal. Now, in giving wives the responsibility to voluntarily submit to their husbands because of their relationship with Jesus, Paul is elevating the status of women to that of equality with men.
Modern-day feminism, a knee-jerk reaction to men not fulfilling this aspect of Scripture, attempts to place women in a higher status than men. This is equally wrong. This is not a treatise about feminism, but there were definitely reasons that catapulted it into the forefront where it now stands. Some Christians have returned to God's Word to see what God says is a woman's role, and some have even considered a man's role as well, but let us be careful that, as Christians, we are not just as guilty as the feminists in letting the pendulum swing too far in the opposite direction of where America is today. While I am sure there are many husbands and wives who are clearly following Scriptural patterns of authority ~ the husbands truly loves and cherishes his wife as he seeks the Lord for leading his family, the wife gladly submits to his authority and respects him ~ I have also seen far too many knee-jerk reactions to feminism, trying to take Christian families back to the culture of Paul's day, where a woman was little more than a subservient doormat.
True biblical submission and respect on the part of the wife, and a husband's true biblical love and cherishing his wife will play out differently in every marriage. In some marriages, the husband is more detail-oriented and wants to know everything and be involved in everything and plan everything. In many marriages, the husband and wife work together as a team, and if there is a true conflict, one of them will yield their rights. If the man decides that he will take full responsibility for the conflict, then the wife has the privilege of voluntarily submitting because she loves Jesus and trusts Him. And in some marriages, a husband safely trusts his wife, his helper, and relies on her to make many decisions that would benefit the direction of the whole family, or even asks her to do certain things another man might think was his own responsibility.
Let's be careful not to judge another marriage. How submission and respect play out for one wife could be vastly different for another. The key is in that individual marriage. While one wife may be satisfied and happy being a doormat, another wife may have different responsibilities and her husband may want her to take initiative for their family sometimes. Some men may desire to be in control of every detail, while others are grateful they can trust their wives to keep the family going in his absence, or that she may prepare devotions for him to share with the family later that evening. These are two extremes that still appear to be within the biblical roles for husbands and wives. Blessed is the marriage where husband and wife work side by side!
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
Jul 10, 2006
Pray for the Mall Kids
I just spent several hours observing teenagers who were hanging out at our local mall. I came to the conclusion that many teenagers in America are living in poverty.
Most of the young men I observed didn't even own a belt; there was not one among the whole group. But that wasn't the sad part -- many of them were wearing their daddy's jeans. Some of these jeans were so big and baggy that they hung low on their hips, exposing their underwear. I know some of them must have been ashamed that their daddies were short, because the jeans hardly went below their knees. They weren't even their daddies' good jeans, for most of them had holes ripped in the knees and had a dirty look to them.
It grieved me that in a modern, affluent society like America, there are people who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I have been thinking about asking my church to start a jeans drive for the "poor kids at the mall."
I don't think this group of guys even had much to eat, because as they were walking, their heads leaned to one side as if they didn't have enough strength to keep them up. Oh, they tried. With each step, they tried to lift them up, but to no avail: they always dropped back to the side. This group of guys must be from the same family, because they all walked with their heads bobbing together in the same manner.
But that wasn't the saddest part. It was the girls they were hanging out with that disturbed me the most. I have never in all of my life seen such "poor" girls. These girls had the opposite problem of the guys -- they all had to wear their little sisters' clothes. Their jeans were about five sizes too small. I don't know how they could even put them on, let alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their hipbones. Most of them also had on their little sisters' tops; it hardly covered their midsections. Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight to see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes. However, it was their underwear that bothered me the most. They, like the boys, because of the improper fitting of their clothes, also had their underwear exposed. I have never seen anything like it. It looked like their underwear was only held together by a single piece of string.
I know it also saddens your heart to receive this report on the condition of our American teenagers. While I go to bed every night with a closet full of clothes nearby, there are millions of "mall girls" who barely have enough material to keep it together. I think their "poorness" is why these two groups gather at the mall, the boys with their short daddies' ripped jeans, and the girls wearing their younger sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can find acceptance.
So, the next time you are at the mall doing your shopping and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you say a prayer for them?
~~author unknown
Most of the young men I observed didn't even own a belt; there was not one among the whole group. But that wasn't the sad part -- many of them were wearing their daddy's jeans. Some of these jeans were so big and baggy that they hung low on their hips, exposing their underwear. I know some of them must have been ashamed that their daddies were short, because the jeans hardly went below their knees. They weren't even their daddies' good jeans, for most of them had holes ripped in the knees and had a dirty look to them.
It grieved me that in a modern, affluent society like America, there are people who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I have been thinking about asking my church to start a jeans drive for the "poor kids at the mall."
I don't think this group of guys even had much to eat, because as they were walking, their heads leaned to one side as if they didn't have enough strength to keep them up. Oh, they tried. With each step, they tried to lift them up, but to no avail: they always dropped back to the side. This group of guys must be from the same family, because they all walked with their heads bobbing together in the same manner.
But that wasn't the saddest part. It was the girls they were hanging out with that disturbed me the most. I have never in all of my life seen such "poor" girls. These girls had the opposite problem of the guys -- they all had to wear their little sisters' clothes. Their jeans were about five sizes too small. I don't know how they could even put them on, let alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their hipbones. Most of them also had on their little sisters' tops; it hardly covered their midsections. Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight to see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes. However, it was their underwear that bothered me the most. They, like the boys, because of the improper fitting of their clothes, also had their underwear exposed. I have never seen anything like it. It looked like their underwear was only held together by a single piece of string.
I know it also saddens your heart to receive this report on the condition of our American teenagers. While I go to bed every night with a closet full of clothes nearby, there are millions of "mall girls" who barely have enough material to keep it together. I think their "poorness" is why these two groups gather at the mall, the boys with their short daddies' ripped jeans, and the girls wearing their younger sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can find acceptance.
So, the next time you are at the mall doing your shopping and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you say a prayer for them?
~~author unknown
Jul 9, 2006
Grace and Mercy
Grace - God teaching you what you need to know.
Mercy - A measure of time to figure out what He said.
Mercy - A measure of time to figure out what He said.
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