An Open Letter About the Work of the Holy Spirit

An Open Letter About the Work of the Holy Spirit

Dear Gospel Preachers and saints of God,

God's Word can keep us from sin.

God’s Word can keep us from sin.

I must take exception to what I am hearing you preach more and more often.  The Holy Spirit’s direct influence is not needed and is not given beyond the word to help humanity understand and obey God.  We may have our different understandings about the specifics relating to the Spirit’s indwelling and influence. And on most of those issues I am quite content to live at peace with you on them.  But I refuse to continue to sit quietly while a watered-down version of the doctrine of divine illumination is taught in the Lord’s church. The position is itself wrong and has no principled, textual reason to stop its progress short of full-blown Calvinism.  I hear you and accept that you believe the grace you are proclaiming the Spirit provides is resistible, while Calvinistic grace is irresistible. I hear you say it.  I just don’t believe the text will support the fine distinction you are drawing.  If a direct influence of grace on the human soul is allowed in understanding and obedience, please someone show me in the text, where the resistible/irresistible distinction is made.  I cannot find it. I do not believe it is there.  It is your burden to show the book, chapter, and verse that supports your theory. What you are teaching is wrong, dangerous, and harmful to the Lord’s church – both now and more so in the future.

The scripture is clear on several matters:

  • Knowledge and Understanding Come from the Mouth of God – God’s Spirit reveals the mind of God in words (1 Cor. 2:13). The only source of divine knowledge comes from God’s lips – “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. . .” (Proverbs 2:6).
  • God has Chosen to Proclaim His Knowledge from Human Preaching – Paul makes this clear – “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21). Without God’s knowledge delivered in the words (spoken or written), no person would ever be saved. The Spirit saves no one apart from the word.
  • The Power of Salvation is in the Gospel – God delivered the gospel through the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s power. It is inherently infused with all the influence possible to convert and transform the soul (Short of commandeering man’s free will). The preached gospel is the only power of God in the present in the world for salvation – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
  • The Task of Preaching is the Duty of Man – Paul states that responsibility of preaching is contained in “jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Even in the day of the height of prophetic revelation by the Spirit. The Spirit still used only the preached word to convert the soul.  That’s Paul’s statement.  The Spirit did not intervene with the Ethiopian; he sent Phillip, a human preacher, to use the scripture to preach Jesus to the lost.  Did the Spirit lack the ability to convert the Ethiopian?  Of course not, He is God. But the declaration of God is that all who would be saved are saved by the gospel preached from man to man.  That is the only path that God has provided.
  • Faith is the Response of Hearing – I know you’re tired of old preachers “proof-texting.” But the words of scripture, on occasion, do prove things by the words of the verses in which they are found. On this point, we have a verse which settles this matter: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).  Is there anything hard to understand in that verse?  The one and only source of faith is the hearing of the word of God. There is not now, nor has there ever been, in any person faith that came from any other source than the word of God.  The Spirit has never and will never create faith directly in man’s heart.
  • Faith from the Preached Word is Able to Save and Transform – Accepting the preached word of God is able to make you wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15), build you up (Acts 20:32), give you an inheritance among the sanctified (Acts 20:32), equip you to every good work (2 Timothy 3:16), facilitate your spiritual growth (1 Peter 2:2), and so on. There is not a single verse in scripture that indicates man is incapable of understanding the preached word or the word of God is insufficient in any way to affect the transformation of man that God desires.  There is simply no need of, space for or promise of the Spirit’s direct intervention to cause this.
  • God’s Word can Keep Us from Sin – David knew nothing of and never experienced the indwelling of the Spirit (since I am told that began in Acts 2). He knew nothing of the experience of the indwelling that reportedly gives us the power to obey the gospel. Yet somehow, he knew of a different path to avoid sin: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalms 119:11). David simply thought he could read and learn God’s word and avoid sin it. God believed that saints like Abraham, Moses, Noah, Daniel, Job, David, Asa, Josiah, Elizabeth, Zechariah, and Simeon could all avoid sin without the direct intervention of the Spirit (for each of those Old Testament saints a specific endorsement of their lives before Acts 2 can be found).  All the saints of Hebrews 11 died in faith never having experienced the indwelling of the Spirit preached today. And all of them did under worse covenants with worse promises delivered by worse mediators than every single Christian has known under the better covenant of Jesus.  Yet, I am now asked to believe that the direct influence of the Spirit is needed for me to remain wholly faithful.  I am sorry, I simply don’t see.  I can find no biblical support for your position.

Not many years ago, the points I have just listed above would have been accepted by all but the most liberal preachers among us. Even as we disagreed about the Spirit, we never violated our commitment to the all-sufficiency to the word of God.  Many of us, intentionally or not (in my opinion) have. I am not in the same place as many preachers today.  I have no real connection to the principles I am hearing taught.  This is not simply a matter of a doctrinal dispute. This is a sea change in our understanding of the scripture and man.  It will result in a transformative change in churches of Christ.  It is a change we will not survive as the true church of Christ. My plea is that brethren will stop and think about what we are teaching about the Spirit in the Lord’s church.

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How to Make the World a Brighter Place

How to Make the World a Brighter Place

Have you ever read a social media post that made your blood boil? Have you ever been frustrated with someone who is posting foolish words even though you know they were raised differently. Ever feel like lashing out or posting a strong rebuttal to someone who does not share your same ideology?

Through the path of God you can impact the world.

Through the path of God you can impact the world.

Take out your Bible and study 1 Peter 2:15. “For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” Notice, this is the will of God—our Creator. We are called to do good, and in doing so we silence the ignorance of foolish men. Imagine what social media would look like if Christians truly obeyed this command.

The world expects a fight. The world expects you to say cruel things or mount a massive defense. The world has invested a great deal of time and money to teach you that it’s all about you and your rights—and that your opinion is the only one that matters. So “be bold.” Or “stand up and be heard” … at least that is what the world would have you do.

But God says to do good. Do the opposite of what the world is expecting. Show darkness what His light looks like. Turn the other cheek. Jesus said, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Difficult? Yes, because it goes against what our culture has taught us for so many years. But the rewards are oh, so sweet.

What are some ways you can “do good” in modern times? What are some practical ways to practice random acts of kindness? Here’s some examples:

1. Help change a flat tire (or simply wait with the person while help arrives).
2. Cook a meal for your neighbor for no special reason.
3. Hold doors open for others or share an umbrella with a stranger.
4. Bake a dessert for someone you see on a regular basis.
5. Allow drivers to merge—drive friendly.
6. Purchase a required textbook for a college student.
7. Pay for someone’s meal or coffee.
8. Visit the sick and shut-ins-play games with them or allow them to share stories of their past with you.
9. Plant flowers for someone who is no longer able.

These are just a couple of fun ways we can “do good.” But what I’d really love to read about is practical ways you do good in your everyday walk. What are some examples that you can share with others? Please comment below and mention some ways that Christians can do the will of God by doing good.

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¿CANTANDO MENTIRAS?

¿CANTANDO MENTIRAS?

Esta semana estuve asistiendo a un seminario de dirección de himnos. El hermano Foy E. Forhand mencionaba en una de estas clases, que lo más importante es cantar poniendo atención a lo que cantamos. El hermano mencionó explícitamente que está mal decir una mentira y eso es aceptado por todos nosotros y que cantar algo que no esté de acuerdo a la verdad de la Biblia es exactamente igual que decir una mentira, solo que cantada. Esta frase me impactó de una manera interesante, por lo que discutiremos eso en este espacio.

¿Piensa usted en lo que canta?

¿Piensa usted en lo que canta?

¿Piensa usted en lo que canta?¿prueba usted que el canto es cierto? ¿tiene fundamentos bíblicos que respaldan aquello que se está entonando?. Es probable que por años muchos honestos y sinceros hermanos han estado cantando “mentiras” por el sencillo hecho de la “costumbre”. Puede suceder con el transcurrir del tiempo y con la frecuencia del himno en nuestra congregación o simplemente porque no se considera importante analizar cada letra de los himnos, que simplemente pase desapercibido. Por supuesto como todo, hay himnos que naturalmente son “pegajosos” y por su buen ritmo y animosidad el análisis pasa a segundo plano.  Nosotros deberíamos de analizar siempre lo que cantamos aunque hayamos entonado el mismo himno por años. No pretendemos presentar una lista completa pero al menos algunos de los más populares aquí para su apropiado análisis.

  1. #14 y #91 “Oh que amigo nos es Cristo” y “Dilo a Cristo”: Ambos cantos son clásicos sin embargo  hay una parte en ambos donde se hace una apelación a orar a Jesús. El cristiano verdadero NO ora a Jesús sino al Padre a travez del hijo. Aunque son el mismo en esencia son diferente en persona, y tal verdad es clara en las escrituras (Lc.6:12; Mr.1:24, 4:30; Lc.22:42). El mandamiento explícito ha sido orar al Padre a travez de Jesús y esa verdad no cambia aunque un himno diga o apele a lo contrario.
  2. #250 “La Visión de la Cruz”.  El coro de este himno dice: “A mis pies el infierno se abrió y clamé con el alma a Jesús y al instante el infierno cambió, en la hermosa visión de la cruz”. Primero que nada, el infierno no está abajo en la tierra. Es un lugar espiritual que Dios ha preparado para el diablo y sus ángeles (Mt.25:41-46). Es lógico comprender que no está abajo en la tierra porque la tierra misma será consumida por fuego (2Pd.3:10) entonces ¿Será consumido el infierno también? Segundo, No es algo que se abre, está reservada para el día del juicio de tal manera que nadie ha estado ahí sino hasta después del gran juicio (2Pd. 2:17; Judas 13). Tercero, apela a orar a Jesús cosa que ya discutimos anteriormente no es bíblico. Cuarto, las visiones ya no existen para los hijos de Dios, porque la revelación del Padre  ha sido completa (Ga.1:6-9) por lo que la letra aunque poética de este himno y sea muy bella, la realidad es que estamos frente a  una “mentira cantada”.
  3. #271 “Dios está aquí” el himno dice: “ Dios está aquí que precioso es, él nos prometió donde están dos o tres. Quédate señor, quédate Señor, quédate Señor en cada corazón…”. Dios está en el cristiano a travez de su palabra cuando este camina en conformidad con su voluntad (Heb.8:10 nadie puede negar eso). La invocación de este himno deja ver el deseo de que él Señor se quede en el corazón. Hay hermanos que han defendido a capa y espada que el E.S habita directamente en ellos y que lo han recibido en el momento del bautismo sin presentar ningún solo texto bíblico que haga alusión  directamente a ellos o implique que este sea el caso, pero por el otro estos mismos hermanos a los cuales amo y estimo en gran manera cantan este himno invocando a Dios que se quede en el corazón de ellos. ¿Pero si usted recibió directamente a Dios el día de su bautismo, como es que le pide que se quede? Aquí hay una contradicción absurda en la teología de muchos buenos hermanos en Cristo. La Biblia no se equivoca nunca, más bien la idea pentecostal de este himno es revelada cuando se entona este himno. Cuando la persona entra en “trance” el E.S viene, los llena (caen al suelo, vomitan, patalean, cacaraquéan) y al final el E.S regresa al cielo. De ahí la invocación a que se quede. Amigos tal idea evangélica es totalmente falsa, sin ningún respaldo bíblico, por lo tanto el himno no está siguiendo ningún pensamiento bíblico. Como si esto no fuera poco el pasaje de Mt.18:20 ha sido tan mal interpretado por tantos años y no es la excepción aquí. La frase “donde están dos o tres” en el contexto se está hablando de la resolución de problemas entre dos hermanos, en el momento en que estos se ponen de acuerdo en la tierra el cielo está con ellos y está aprobando el arreglo que ellos han sostenido… la frase que corresponde a este pasaje en el canto está absolutamente fuera de contexto.
  4. Hay otros himnos populares que la Iglesia de vez en cuando canta que son más sencillos de detectar su error como este “Gloria, Gloria Aleluya”  “Es el Dios de los ejércitos, En quien yo confiaré.Y con címbalos de gozo,Al Señor ensalzaré.El despide los relámpagos, Más nunca temeré, él es mi protector.” Hermano Amigo lector, un címbalo es un instrumento mecánico de música. La Iglesia del Señor no adora de esa manera, nosotros cantamos con nuestra voz al Señor usando únicamente nuestro corazón (Ef.5:19).
  5. “ Al que me ciñe de poder, aquel que mi victoria es” Realmente quisiera ver cuales son los poderes que usted posee. No puedo comprender como hermanos incluso alegan y defienden de que si tenemos y recibimos poder pero… cero demostración de ese poder. La Biblia en el N.T habla del “poder de Dios para la salvación”, pero correctamente en su contexto, está refiriéndose al EVANGELIO, sino me cree, lea con cuidado y con una pizca de honestidad Romanos 1:16. El poder de Dios está en el Evangelio de Cristo no en usted mi estimado lector. Otro canto igual a este es: “Tu poder anhelamos en este lugar” ¿Está esperando usted un segundo pentecostés? Willian Seymour propulsor  del movimiento evangélico en los  años 1900’s propuso que cada domingo era un pentecostés. Invocaban largas horas que el poder de Dios bajara sobre su Iglesia, me pregunto ¿Realmente en la Iglesia de Cristo se está pensado así? por las palabras de estos cantos que se entonan sin análisis parece ser el caso. Todo el poder de Dios para salvación reside en el evangelio y no en usted estimado amigo, estoy extremadamente contento que este sea el caso.
  6. “Espíritu Santo, yo te necesito,Manda tu fuego a este lugar. Espíritu Santo, solo anhelo.”Otro de esos himnos totalmente evangélicos  que no tienen más que un sentido de devoción pentecostal. Enviar fuego es algo que Dios hizo muchas veces en el pasado, pero no creo que quienes están entonando himnos como estos hayan visto algunas historias bíblicas como para darse cuenta que las ocaciones que Dios envió fuego lo hizo  en castigo y muerte (Lv.10:1-2) Realmente ¿que es lo que estos cantantes están pidiendo?¿Castigo? . Es más interesante para mí ver a un predicador denominacional tal como lo es John MacArthur atacar y condenar fuertemente en una conferencia(Fuego extraño) hecha específicamente bajo este tema, al movimiento evangélico pentecostal y sus ramificaciones. Interesante ¿No lo cree?
  7. “Tan cerca de mí, que hasta lo puedo tocar, Jesús está aquí”. ¿Enserio? ¿Usted puede tocar a Jesús? Me pregunto como será esto ya que el Señor está a la diestra del Padre y de acuerdo al escritor de Hebreos (de quien estoy seguro no miente), el Señor Jesús aparecerá por segunda vez sin relación al pecado (Heb.9:28). No vendrá ni tres ni cuatro ni quinientas veces cuando a usted se le antoje… Segunda vez solamente. Entonces o usted está mintiendo al decir que hasta puede tocar a Jesús y que está ahí a su lado o el autor de los Hebreos estaba mintiendo al decir que vendrá por segunda vez. ¡Ambas no pueden ser correctas!.
  8. “Renuévame  Señor Jesús ya no quiero ser igual, porque todo lo que hay dentro de mi, necesita ser cambiado Señor”. Primero el cambio en la vida de un pecador toma lugar en las aguas del bautismo solamente (Mr.16:16, Hech.3:19) no a travez de la oración del pecador donde se pide a Jesús que venga al corazón y cambie la vida de tal persona, lo que parece ser la dirección del canto. Alguien puede decir: “Bueno y ¿que tal si el canto está hablando de un cristiano? La respuesta es simple, sigue estando igual de erróneo ya que los cristianos no pedimos a Jesús sino que pedimos al Padre a travez de la persona de Jesucristo (Jn.14:13).

Estos son solamente algunos ejemplos de los muchos cuantos otros que hay por ahí. Es mi sincera oración que usted estimado lector, hermano en Cristo haya encontrado en este escrito alguna ayuda pero sobre todo que juntos regresemos nuestra mirada a la Biblia y que cantemos al Señor en espíritu y en verdad y no saliente apelando a las emociones.

 

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The Hospital of the Great Physician

The Hospital of the Great Physician

As you walk through the halls of a hospital or other health care facility, you will most likely pass by a vast variety of different lives, attitudes, illnesses and stories, all in varying and very differing stages of their existence. Some folks may have just been admitted, while others may be preparing for their departure. Some may have been acutely and accurately diagnosed, while others may be still anxiously awaiting their doctor’s determination. Some may be active and crying… while others may lie silent and somberly waiting. But one thing is certain: The patient’s rooms to either side are occupied by many hurting people whose bodies are in some sort and/or stage of affliction, and whose attitudes are probably as varied as their bodily diseases and diagnoses.

The Lord has the power to heal all our ailments.

The Lord has the power to heal all our ailments.

Take for example, the older gentleman in the room to the left. He has simply decided to stop trying. He knows that his doctor has the medication that could completely cure him – he just refuses to swallow it. He knows that his physical therapist has the plan to get him up, onto his feet, and moving forward to eventually going out of the door again – he just doesn’t want to put in the work, sweat, and effort necessary to accomplishing that. He has decided that it is oh so much easier to just lay there in bed; have hospice come in a couple or three times a week to help make him a bit more comfortable; request a morphine shot every so often just to deaden the pain of his suffering; and then to just eventually, slowly, and silently drift away and die – which is the inevitable end result of any and all such lazy and lackadaisical attitudes of disinterest in putting forth whatever effort is necessary in order to get better, stronger, and back to living life to the fullest once again.

Then, there is the lady in the room to the right. The doctors have done all they can. They say she may never walk again. The accident left both of her legs in a terrible, tangled up, and broken-boned mess. She, like the man in the room across the hall, knows what’s at stake. She knows that her doctors are holding back nothing in their diagnosis, and she appreciates their honesty in telling her the truth. Her physical therapist marvels every time he thinks of how intently she listens, how much pain she pushes through in order to make any progress, and just the sheer amount of effort she puts forth no matter how painful the exercise he promotes. There is no doubt in his mind or anyone else’s at the facility that this lady is absolutely going to do everything in her power to heal, walk, and live again. Just this morning the hospice nurse walked into her room by mistake, took one look at the look in her eyes, and quickly realized without a word that this lady would most likely one day soon be walking again – in the same manner in which she, the hospice nurse, then turned and walked out of this lady’s room and into the needlessly dying man’s across the hall.

Three weeks later, things would be far different. Both rooms would, by then, be occupied by different residents. This, because while the man who refused to put forth the effort to listen to those who knew, and to do what they said must be done in order for him to get better, was three weeks later being remembered and buried by his friends and family. The lady from across the hall was also surrounded by friends and family as well… only it was as she walked very slowly but determinedly down the aisle, to the absolute and teary-eyed delight, and side, of the love of her life.

The Lord’s church is His body (Eph. 1:22). Local bodies of His children are also referred to as “churches” (Rom. 16:16). The Great Physician has given them all the Great Prescription that will heal and help them… but which ones will take it and do it is the greatest of questions. Some of His local bodies are needlessly dying today because of their lack of desire to put forth whatever effort is necessary to truly get spiritually stronger. Others will exhaust any and every effort, no matter how painful, to one day walk with Him in white. Which one are we?

 

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He Had Nothing on Him

He Had Nothing on Him

The night of Jesus betrayal and arrest, he met with His disciples to give them final words of exhortation in the face of His impending death.  During the conversation with His disciples, Jesus said, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here” (John 14:30-31).  Jesus knew that Satan was behind all of the efforts to have Him killed.  Jesus also knew that there was no just reason for Him to be killed.  Satan didn’t have anything on Jesus because Jesus was innocent and had committed no sin.  Jesus was righteous.

In Christ, Satan has nothing on us, for Satan has nothing on Him.

In Christ, Satan has nothing on us, for Satan has nothing on Him.

There’s no doubt Satan has a big long list of things on me and everyone else in the world for that matter.  However, for those who faithfully trust and obey Jesus, God only sees what Satan has on Him, which is a big fat nothing.  Paul wrote, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (1 Corinthians 5:21).  Even though Satan desired it, and caused it to happen, the Father had planned to use Jesus’ death to accomplish His redemptive purposes.  Satan’s greatest victory turned into his greatest defeat because he lost power over all who are in the body of Christ.  What does Satan have on you?  If you are not in Christ, Satan will use all of your sins against you to have you justly sentenced to death.  If you are in Christ, He has nothing on you, because He had nothing on Him.  God bless you, and I love you.

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