Thursday, June 30, 2011

Description of an Leader:

This is an interesting little excerpt from Iain Murray’s recent biography of John MacArthur. In his Introduction Murray seeks to show what makes a man a leader among evangelicals. He offers a five-point answer:




In brief, an evangelical is a person who believes the ‘three rs’: ruin by the Fall, redemption through Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit. It follows that an ‘evangelical leader’ is a person who stands out in the advancement and defence of those truths. The title does not necessarily imply success judged by numbers and immediate results. on that basis neither Paul nor Tyndale might qualify.



An evangelical leader is one who leads and guides the lives of others by the Scripture as the Word of God. he seeks to repudiate every other form of influence and pressure. His great concern is to teach Scripture accurately, and to see lives submitted to its authority.

An evangelical leader inspires the affection of followers because they learn Christ through him, and see something of Christ in him. They follow him because he follows Christ. And they love him because he loves them in Christ’s name. ‘The apostle Paul summarized the spirit of the true leader when he wrote, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”’ And what is to be imitated the Scriptures do not leave in doubt: ‘Almost every time Scripture holds up Christ as our example to follow, the stress is on his humility.’

An evangelical leader is a man prepared to be unpopular. From the days when Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Are you he that troubles Israel?’, faithfulness to Scripture will not bring the approval of the majority. Dr MacArthur says bluntly, ‘You cannot be faithful and popular, so take your pick.’ A quest for popularity is a very short-term thing. For an evangelical, ‘success isn’t measured in hours, or even centuries. Our focus is fixed on eternity.’ Success ‘is not prosperity, power, prominence, popularity, or any of the other worldly notions of success. Real success is doing the will of God regardless of the consequences.’

An evangelical leader is one who is awake to the dangers of the times. Not every Christian has the distinction that was once given to the tribe of Issachar, ‘The men of Issachar had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do’ (1 Chron. 12:32). There are periods in church history when the leaders have seriously mistaken the way in which the cause of Christ is to be carried forward. The signs of the times have been misread. A true evangelical leader is raised up to provide God-given direction.

An evangelical leader will not direct attention to himself. He personally owes everything to Jesus Christ. As a sinner he sees the need to live in a spirit of repentance all his days. He knows the contrast between what he is in himself and the message that he preaches: ‘We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us’ (2 Cor. 4:7). ‘God chooses whom he chooses in order that he might receive the glory. He chooses weak instruments so that no one will attribute the power to human instruments rather than to God, who wields those instruments.’


It follows that genuine spiritual leadership will lead others to the conclusion: ‘Not unto us, o Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth’ (Psa. 115:1).

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Bob Dlyan Was RIght: (in his song) You Gotto Serve Somebody








Slaves of Righteousness, Pt. 1
Romans 6:15-19[i]
FREED FROM SIN AND FORGET UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS[ii]
 BOB DYLAN HAD IT CORRECT: YOU GOT TO SERVE SOMEBODY
Bob Dylan actually had it correct in his song, “Gotta Serve Somebody”, 1979,[iii]
You may be an ambassador to England or to France;
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance;
You may be the heavy-weight champion of the world;
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls;

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Yes indeed you're gonna have to serve somebody.
Well it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
but you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Free from Sin, Slaves of Righteousness[iv]  Romans 6:15-19 Slaves to God, Sanctification, Eternal Life. Romans 6:20-22 The Free Gift of God is Eternal Life Romans 6:23


Don’t Let Sin Master You, Because Sin Is not Going to Master You

What does it mean to live "under grace" rather than "under law"? That question has been asked in many ways over the centuries. The latter, "under law," refers to the self-achievement of righteousness. It is man relying on himself to produce enough righteousness for his standing with God. "Under grace" is just the opposite. It is reliance on the righteousness of Christ for one's standing with God. So to be "under grace" is to be in Christ rather than in Adam; it is the old man crucified with Christ and the new man living unto God.
As John MacArthur has said  there are only two forms of religion: The religion of self work or human achievement or  and the religion of Christ achievement.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) “fought” for the freedom of enslaved and oppressed peoples for over thirty years and is rightly recognized as one of the world’s great leaders in this regard. He protested racial legislation in South Africa and led civil disobedience campaigns in his native India in order to secure home rule. He was especially noted for his commitment to non-violent ways, his self-discipline and denial, as well as his championing of the underclass within the caste system. It has been said that the theme of his life revolved around the question: “How can people know freedom from slavery—politically, socially, or internally within themselves?”50 [v]
o   Christian, this too should be your theme. Not freedom from political institutions per se, but freedom from sin, on the one hand, and enslavement to God, righteousness, sanctification, and eternal life, on the other. Again, we should ask how can I, as a believer in Jesus Christ, be freed from the reigning power of sin in my daily life? Gandhi was quoted as saying, “the moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall.”51 [vi]The gospel has made every provision for this reality in your life. Have you resolved that sin will no longer have dominion over you? Paul says in Romans 6:15-23 that a proper understanding of grace (and the fact that the Christian is not under law) should lead to freedom from sin and enslavement to obedience.
Near the end of Gandhi’s life he made the following comment:
o   What I want to achieve—what I have been striving and pining to achieve these thirty years—is self realization, to see God face to face, to attain Moksha (spiritual deliverance)…I have not yet found Him, but I am seeking after Him…For it is an unbroken fortune to me that I am still so far from Him…I have not seen Him, neither have I known Him.52 [vii]
o   But according to Jesus Christ, the Christian knows God and has been spiritually delivered from sin. Therefore, Christian, live like it is so, for the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Now, one would think that these two terms would be easy to grasp and apply in daily life. Yet that does not seem to be the case. Once man is confronted with the gospel of grace that strips him of all self-dependence for righteousness, it dramatically changes his thinking. He has been so accustomed to living in bondage to sin that the liberty that comes in redemption through Christ shatters all notions of daily life. He has new capacities, abilities, strength, power, and ambitions in which he grows and matures.
Yet not without struggles along the way. He still lives in a body affected by sin. He still faces the tyranny of sin trying to reclaim mastery over his life. Ironically, the more he grows in grace the more he realizes his weakness and helplessness in the daily battle with sin. More and more, he learns to rely upon Christ and His gospel. Each stage of his pilgrimage he finds the truth of grace reigning through righteousness more liberating.
Idea:  Romans 6:15-23[viii]
The reason Christians who are no longer the law, but under grace should not sin is because it leads to slavery to sin and death, whereas slavery to righteousness leads to eternal life.
I. Should Christians who are no longer under law, but under grace, continue in sin? Absolutely not! (6:15)
II. A person is a slave to the one whom he obeys, whether sin resulting in death or obedience resulting in righteousness (6:16)
III. Paul gives thanks for the Roman Christians because they had become obedient to righteousness which leads to sanctification and he encourages them to continue to offer themselves as slaves to righteousness (6:17-20)
IV. Paul reminds the Roman Christians that their previous way of life reaped shame and death whereas now, having been freed from sin, they are reaping sanctification, the end of which is eternal life (6:21-22)
V. The payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (6:23)

I. The Choices
II. V. 17-18 THE CHANGES
 Not only does Paul speak of the choice we must make in life, but he also refers to the changes that come about in our lives when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Romans 6:17  “But God be thanked, that you were slaves11401 of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.”
But
·       Paul now is going to change direction:  He begins a contrast which expresses the absolute incompatibility of living in sin on the part of the believer.
God be thanked: i.e. “grace to God.
THAT YOU WERE THE SERVANT[ix] OF SIN
·       The idea that you committed over and over actions that was contrary to the will of God. The point is before we were saved, we were in slavery to the idea of serving self.
  • a slave, bondman, man of servile condition
    • a slave
    • metaph., one who gives himself up to another's will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men
    • devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests
  • a servant, attendant
BUT YOU HAVE OBEYED5219
·       I Peter 1:22-23`
·       You became obedience to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ unto salvation. Literally you listen with attentiveness and you respond graciously to what you heard and you on purpose.
·       There was a definite time in the past that clearly you believed that the life of Jesus Christ was given to you.
FROM THE HEART
·       And gave your heart and mind to what you were hearing.
·       There was a time that you gave your life to Christ’s teaching.
·       It’s the Ezekiel 36:26-27, 11:19; 18:31; Jeremiah 31:33-32, 39-40 idea.
·       I understand you could not live without a physical heart, and if there is something that is going to block the working of the heart, you do something about it.
·       Well in the same way the integrity of our spiritual heart is vital to our spiritual life, for our spiritual life impacts not just our enjoyment of time in this life but thought out eternity.
Spurgeon said:
Spurgeon writes "A short life should be wisely spent. We have not enough time at our disposal to justify us in misspending a single quarter of an hour. Neither are we sure of enough life to justify us in procrastinating for a moment. If we were wise in heart we should see this, but mere head wisdom will not guide us aright."  Psalms 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”


[iii] Bob Dylan video:  GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FavBDpg91gA&feature=related
Born 1941 Rock, folk rock, blues, country, gospel.
64  74198 42010
You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a business man or some high degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,
You may be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
You may be living in another country under another name

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a construction worker working on a home,
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome,
You might own guns and you might even own tanks,
You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk,
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk,
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything but no matter what you say

You're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

In the late 1970s, Dylan became a born-again Christian and released two albums of Christian gospel music. Slow Train Coming (1979) featured the guitar accompaniment of Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits) and was produced by veteran R&B producer, Jerry Wexler. Wexler recalled that when Dylan had tried to evangelize him during the recording, he replied: "Bob, you're dealing with a sixty-two-year old Jewish atheist. Let's just make an album." The album won Dylan a Grammy Award as "Best Male Vocalist" for the song "Gotta Serve Somebody". The second evangelical album, Saved (1980), received mixed reviews, and was described by Dylan critic Michael Gray as "the nearest thing to a follow-up album Dylan has ever made, Slow Train Coming II and inferior." When touring from the fall of 1979 through the spring of 1980, Dylan would not play any of his older, secular works, and he delivered declarations of his faith from the stage, such as:
Years ago they ... said I was a prophet. I used to say, "No I'm not a prophet" they say "Yes you are, you're a prophet." I said, "No it's not me." They used to say "You sure are a prophet." They used to convince me I was a prophet. Now I come out and say Jesus Christ is the answer. They say, "Bob Dylan's no prophet." They just can't handle it.[173]


[v] 50 See Richard Bewes, Great Quotations of the Twentieth Century (Great Britain: Christian Focus, 1999), 115-16, 125.

[vi] 52 As cited in Bewes, Great Quotations, 125.

[vii] 52 As cited in Bewes, Great Quotations, 125.


  1. a slave, bondman, man of servile condition
    1. a slave
    2. metaph., one who gives himself up to another's will those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men
    3. devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests
  2. a servant, attendant

Thursday, June 23, 2011

IsKent Brandenburg Correcd About Separation and John MacArthur?




Kent has written a lot on this subject over a period of time. He believes "separation" is a major doctrine and in the same class as "salvation" is. You will need to read his articles on his website, and I would encourage you to do so to get his points of view.



He believes you should not have any fellowship with anyone who does not separate themselves from the things that you need to separate yourselves from.

QUESTION: Would it be bibical and scriptural for me to go to this conference with these men as speakers?

  1. Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, C.J. Mahaney, and Albert Mohler led the conference, joined by special guests John MacArthur, John Piper, and R.C. Sproul. Along with these men, pastors from many nations spent three days studying and celebrating the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and its centrality to the task of faithful, biblical preaching and pastoring

In our Christian climate today, with so many conferences, you can be in a conference with 5000 people, and you know many will hold different opinions than you do. So the question is do you go to these conferences and line yourselves up with them?

I set for years in the IBYC and All Day Seminar's with Bill Gothard, and most of the people there I would say had different opinions than I did. So was I wrong in going?

Kent has a real problem with John MacArthur it seems. This is where my problem with Kent is.

If I am going to listen to anyone, of course it would be John and not Kent. But with that said, Kent has some good points.

The issue today is "let us get together for the Gospel sake" and set aside the "little minor doctrine issues." This is where Kent has a problem. There are no little "minor" doctrines. They are all the same in importance.

I have always here this statement: "Fundamentalists are often majoring on the minors." They are heavy on not going to be movies, and dancing. But light on the doctrine of salvation. The doctrine of discipleship as not been a strong point, but not having fellowship with those who dance is.

If you are not a KJV only preacher you want get invited to preach at a conference. . But at the same time you can neglect the area of discipleship and its not important that you teach the Word of God as it is in the context of the text.

Are there issues in life that we should not be so dogmatic on? Are come points in scripture that might be ambiguity in nature?

Do we have to all agree on all points to be in right fellowship with God?
What does it mean when we say that we should be obedience to God and His Word, and the authority of scripture in our lives are to be our objective?

Do we separate ourselves from anyone who we believe is wrong in their opinion of what we believe to be the opposite? Of course I do remember I was just about this way in the past. If you didn't believe the way I did, I was not going to have any kind of fellowship with you, no matter what.

I don't believe we should have the minimalism approach of any doctrine in the Bible. There is a danger in this minimalistic approach. At the same time, I can't always agree with all my father in law.. So does that mean I can't have supper with him tonight? Don't thank so.


Can I have supper with a non-Calvinist? Can I have supper with a pastor who is a young creationist? Can I have supper with a pastor who is not a Baptist? Can a pastor have fellowship with me if I have fellowship with John MacArthur? Now here is where I would draw the line? If its between John MacArthur and you, I will choose John MacArthur anytime. Sorry about that. But I would love to have fellowship with you even if you don't like John. By the way, many of the preachers I know, don't like John anyway.

Okay enough of this for now, I need to eat supper with my father-in-law pastor and preacher.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Hannah's Wedding with Becky











Fllip Wilson Was Wrong: The Devil Made Me Do It? Video







John Owen (1616 – 24 August 1683) was an EnglishNonconformist church leader and theologian. said

CHAPTER IV The last principle I shall insist on (omitting, first, the necessity of mortification unto life, and, secondly, the certainty of life upon mortification) is, –
III. That the life, vigour, and comfort of our spiritual life depend much on our mortification of sin.
Strength and comfort, and power and peace, in our walking with God, are the things of our desires. Were any of us asked seriously, what it is that troubles us, we must refer it to one of these heads: — either we want strength or power, vigour and life, in our obedience, in our walking with God; or we want peace, comfort, and consolation therein. Whatever it is that may befall a believer that doth not belong to one of these two heads, doth not deserve to be mentioned in the days of our complaints.

Now, all these do much depend on a constant course of mortification, concerning which observe, –
1. I do not say they proceed from it, as though they were necessarily tied to it. A man may be carried on in a constant course of mortification all his days; and yet perhaps never enjoy a good day of peace and consolation. So it was with Heman, Ps. 138; his life was a life of perpetual mortification and walking with God, yet terrors and wounds were his portion all his days. But God singled out Heman, a choice friend, to make an example to them that afterward should be in distress. Canst thou complain if it be no otherwise with thee than it was with Heman, that eminent servant of God? and this shall be his praise to the end of the world. God makes it his prerogative to speak peace and consolation, Isa. 57:18,19. “I will do that work,” says God, “I will comfort him,” verse 18. But how? By an immediate work of the new creation: “I create it,” says God. The use of means for the obtaining of peace is ours; the bestowing of it is God’s prerogative.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Flip WIlson Was Wrong: The Devil Made Me Do It? For the Chrisitan that is?


FLIP WILSON WAS WRONG:  THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT
Romans 6:15-17a  Charles e Whisnant, #78 June 19 2011

James 1:13-14 . It is not the temptation; it is that which is a part of us that responds to the temptation that we have to contend with day by day.  The word that James used there, "enticed," carries the same basic idea. The word "enticed" is the word which means "to be caught by the use of a decoy." He says he is enticed by his own lusts, not somebody else’s. 

Look at Romans 6 verse 15: "What then?" he says. "Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?"
 
First of all, he reminds them of a universal truth. That whoever or whatever a person chooses to serve becomes that person’s master

"Shall we sin264 hamartano

Webster's 1823 Dictionary has a "bibliocentric" definition of sin as...
·        The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude (righteousness) or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not actions only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts, purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God’s commands or law.
BECAUSE WE ARE NOT UNDER5259 THE LAW351, but under grace?  God forbid.
·       Means not simply to be beneath but to be totally under the power, authority and control of something or someone.
"DO YOU NOT KNOW?1492?"  Romans 6:16
·       The word for know is agnoeo: a (without) and gnoeo (understanding). "Do you not know? Has it not dawned on you? Has it not come to your normal mind that when you were baptized into Christ you were also baptized into His death?" It’s in the present tense, so he’s saying, "You need to understand this."
THAT TO WHOM YE YIELD:paristemi from para = near, beside, histemi = place, set
·       You place yourself alongside the proximity of that which causes your downfall when it looks at unrighteousness. He says, "Don’t you know? Don’t you remember how it used to be?"
·       Means to present oneself for service or to put at the service of.  

“YOURSELVES AS SERVANTS1401  doulos   The word “servant” in this passage is literally “slaves” (CBL 1989)


Part of the outline and notes from the sermon: part two will be later.

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