Leadership Lesson 1: Influence and Service (speaking notes)

Tonight I want to talk to you about a very important subject – Leadership

What is a leader?

You are the next leaders of this church – and if we will grow into the church God wants us to be we must approach leadership according to God’s pattern

I was going to use some books I read in Bible School but I decided let’s go with the Bible instead.

God needs leaders in His Church. While the Pastor is the senior Shepherd – God never intended for him to do all the leading and do all the work.

In the OT Moses was trying to lead the Children of Israel to the Promised land but he kept getting distracted because the people were getting into disputes and disagreements. Moses’ father in-law gave Moses the idea of splitting the camp into teams.

God needs people who can step up to the plate and lead.

Leadership is about influence not position – never chase a title or power. If that’s what you want then you are too spiritually immature to lead.

Many of the prophets of the OT were not from the formal ministry (priestly line) but were called by God to speak for Him.

Ie: Samuel was a little boy, Elisha was a farmer

God calls people to lead before he ever gives them a title.

Influence defined

1.the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others:

2 Tim 2:24-26

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

NKJV

Influence is about becoming a positive impact on their life

Discipleship

Building people through positive affirmation

How can I influence people in my youth group

Example – remember somebody is always watching you

o Worship with all your heart even when you don’t feel like it

o Pray and seek God to show others how they should do the same

o Live a life that brings glory to God

Positive Affirmation

o Find someone and invest time into their life

o Call them on the phone

o Pray with them at youth

o Pray with them

o If they aren’t in the altar on Sun find them and bring them to the front

Leadership is about service not power

Jesus is our perfect example

Jesus was the perfect servant leader

John 13:3-5

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

NKJV

John 13:12-17

12 So when He had washed their feet , taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet , you also ought to wash one another's feet . 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

NKJV

Jesus was the King of Kings and yet He washed feet!

Jesus’ was motivated by a desire to SERVE. He didn’t speak with authority and rebuke just because He could - He did it for the betterment of those He was serving.

What did a servant look like in the Bible?

A servant is nice word for slave.

A person could become a servant if they were in debt to their master

We are indebted to Jesus – we serve Him b/c he paid the penalty of sin for us

Find a place of service and do it with all of your heart.

Four keys to servant leadership

• A servant takes responsibility

Matt 25: 14-19, 26-30

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents , to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents . 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

26 "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents .

29'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Be responsible for your place of service

• A servant is owned by someone

1 Cor 3:23-4:1

And you are Christ's , and Christ is God's. Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God

NKJV

Remember: You are doing this for Jesus not for yourself

• A servant is submissive

Heb 13:17

17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

NKJV

Remember: Submit to God and His undershepherd – your pastor

• A servant isn’t in it for himself/herself

Heb 12:2

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross , despising the shame…

NKJV

Remember: Jesus didn’t die because he thought it would be enjoyable. He died for us so that we could be saved. We serve people not b/c of what we get but b/c it helps others

If you will commit to becoming the leader God wants you to be – he will bless your life!

Matt 25:23

23 His lord said to him,'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

NKJV

Next Time…“The Character of a Leader”

Homosexuality Lesson Notes

What’s the big deal about Homosexuality?

Homosexuality and alternative lifestyles are becoming more and more popular. It’s now cool to sexually experiment. Couple all of that with media and political pressure in our schools, workplaces and public spaces – standing up for what you believe can be difficult. I want to give you a biblical explanation why homosexuality is wrong.

Outline

What does the Bible Say about the GLBT lifestyle?

Rom 1:24-27

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

NKJV

What’s interesting here is the Paul’s word for women and men in the Greek is barely used anywhere else in scripture. It refers to biology – the words women/men are not used to represent the idea of gender. But in this context, Paul is very pointedly saying the homosexual behavior committed by these people was unnatural to them as males and females (arsenes and theleias). He is not considering any such thing as sexual orientation. He is saying, in other words, that homosexuality is biologically unnatural-not just unnatural to heterosexuals, but unnatural to anyone (“Homosexuality and the Bible, Jason Dull, http://www.apostolic.net/biblicalstudies/homosexualbible.htm accessed Feb 7/08)

In other words, God made men for women and women for men.

The Old Testament declares that Homosexuality is a sin

Lev 18:6-23

22 "'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.

23 "'Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

NIV

Homosexuality, like all sexual sins, is a sin against yourself and God

It is sin against God because you are violating His Word.

It is a sin against your self because you are violating God’s natural design for human sexual relationships

1 Cor 6:8-11

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Cor 6:12-20

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

NKJV

The bottom line is this – Homosexuality is condemned by the Bible as a sin. It’s a sin b/c it violates the Word of God and God’s design for normal human sexual relationships

Are people born Gay?

Is there a genetic link that makes people gay. No!

Is being gay a pure choice? NO!

Researcher Dean Hamer (1993), for example, attempted to link male homosexuality to a stretch of DNA located a the tip of the X chromosome, the chromosome that some men inherit from their mothers. Referring to that research, Hamer offered some conclusions regarding genetics and homosexuality.

"We knew that genes were only part of the answer. We assumed the environment also played a role in sexual orientation, as it does in most, if not all behaviors..."(Hamer and Copeland, 1994, p. 82).

"Homosexuality is not purely genetic...environmental factors play a role. There is not a single master gene that makes people gay...I don't think we will ever predict who will be gay" (Mitchell, 1995).

Citing the failure of their research, Hamer & Copeland further write,

"The pedigree failed to produce what we originally hoped to find: simple Mendelian inheritance. In fact, we never found a single family in which homosexuality was distributed in the obvious pattern that Mendel observed in his pea plants" (1994, p. 104).

What's more interesting is that when Hamer's study was duplicated by Rice et al with research that was more robust, the genetic markers were found to be nonsignificant. Rice et al concluded:

"It is unclear why our results are so discrepant from Hamer's original study. Because our study was larger than that of Hamer et al, we certainly had adequate power to detect a genetic effect as large as reported in that study. Nonetheless, our data do not support the presence of a gene of large effect influencing sexual orientation at position XQ 28" (Rice et al, 1999, p.667).

Simon LeVay, in his study of the hypothalamic differences between the brains of homosexual and heterosexual men, offered the following criticisms of his own research:

"It's important to stress what I didn't find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn't show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain.

"The INAH 3 is less likely to be the sole gay nucleus of the brain than a part of a chain of nuclei engaged in men and women's sexual behavior....Since I looked at adult brains, we don't know if the differences I found were there at birth, or if they appeared later." (Nimmons, 1994, p. 64).

Indeed, in commenting on the brain and sexual behavior, Dr. Mark Breedlove, a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley, demonstrated that sexual behavior can actually change brain structure. Referring to his research, Breedlove states:

"These findings give us proof for what we theoretically know to be the case-that sexual experience can alter the structure of the brain, just as genes can alter it. [I]t is possible that differences in sexual behavior cause (rather than are caused) by differences in the brain" (Breedlove, 1997, p. 801).

http://www.narth.com/docs/innate.html accessed Monday 2008-02-04 @ 1:10 pm

In other words people are not born gay. Nor does someone wake up one morning and decide they are sexually attracted to people of the same gender. It is a product of environment, personality, family and choice.

What is the appropriate response of the Church to Homosexuality?

1 Cor 6:9-11

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

NKJV

Paul seems to indicate that there were former homosexuals in the Church.

While we must never back down on our beliefs we must not be afraid to reach out to homosexuals. Everything that I have read leads me to believe that most homosexuals fall into that lifestyle because events leading up to their life left them broken, confused and empty. God help us if we turn our backs on a group that is so destroyed by sin. We must without compromise hold to our beliefs, but at the same time be like Jesus and reach out to the sinner. A homosexual must never be ostracized from the Church, they must not feel hated or rejected. We must welcome them with open arms and shown the love of Jesus Christ just as we would the adulterer, drug addict or any other sinner desperately needing Christ to cleanse them of sin.

SPEAKING NOTES: BIBLE MYTHBUSTERS 2 "PREDESTINATION"

Our purpose tonight is to bust the myth of Calvinism and explore the biblical doctrine of Predestination and Eternal Security.

Outline
1. Read the biblical passages that contain the word “predestination”
2. The Confusion: exploring John Calvin and His theology
3. The Truth: What does the Bible say?

MAIN TEXT

Rom 8:29-30

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (KJV)

Eph 1:4-5

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
KJV

Eph 1:11

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
KJV

The Confusion: John Calvin’s theology

John Calvin wasn’t that bad of a guy.

Born
July 10, 1509(1509-07-10)Noyon, Picardie, Kingdom of France, Kingdom of France
Died
May 27, 1564 (aged 54)Geneva
Occupation
Pastor and theologian
Religious stance
Reformed Protestant

He always claimed to try his best to stick with what the Bible said and not follow any creed or church doctrine.

He rejected Roman Catholicism, the pope and the indulgences.

His business training and skills lead to the development of the silk industry in Geneva. His writing heavily influenced the city of Geneva and they adopted a moral and government system that proved to be very effective.

He was one of the first male theologians of the Protestant reformation to speak out against male marital infidelity and spoke harshly against spousal abuse.

The Five points of Calvinism, sometimes called the doctrines of grace and remembered with the acronymn TULIP. [1]

While he never articulated these ideas this way – this list is based upon his works

Total depravity
Also called "radical depravity" and "total inability", this point means that every person is corrupt and sinful throughout in all of his or her faculties, including the mind and will. Thus, no one is able to do what is truly good in God's eyes. (This does not mean that every act is as evil as it could be, but rather that every good act is corrupted by sin.) As a result of this corruption, man is enslaved to sin, rebellious and hostile toward God, blind to truth, and unable to save himself or even prepare himself for salvation.
Unconditional election
Election means "choice." God's choice from eternity past, of whom he will bring to himself, is not based on foreseen virtue, merit, or faith in the persons he chooses but rather is unconditionally grounded in his own sovereign decision.
Limited atonement
Also called "particular redemption" or "definite atonement", the doctrine of limited atonement is the teaching that Jesus' atonement was definite and certain in its design and accomplishment. The doctrine is driven by the concept of the sovereignty of God in salvation and the Calvinist understanding of the nature of the atonement: In the Calvinist view, the atonement is viewed as a penal substitution (that is, Jesus was punished in the place of sinners), and since, Calvinists argue, it would be unjust for God to pay the penalty for some people's sins and then still condemn them for those sins, all those whose sins were atoned for must necessarily be saved. Moreover, since in this scheme God knows precisely who the elect are and since only the elect will be saved, there is no requirement that Christ atone for sins in general, only for those of the elect. Calvinists do not believe, however, that the atonement is limited in its value or power (in other words, God could have elected everyone and used it to atone for them all), but rather that the atonement is limited in the sense that it is designed for some and not all.
Irresistible grace
Also known as "effectual grace" or the "effectual call", this doctrine does not hold that every influence of God's Holy Spirit cannot be resisted but that the Holy Spirit is able to overcome all resistance and make his influence irresistible and effective. Thus, when God sovereignly purposes to save someone, that individual certainly will be saved.

Perseverance of the saints
Also called the "preservation of the saints" or "eternal security," the fifth point teaches that, since God is sovereign and his will cannot be frustrated by human will or anything else, those whom God has called into communion with himself will continue in faith until the end. Those who apparently fall away either never had true faith to begin with or will return. This is slightly different from the "once saved, always saved" view prevalent in some evangelical churches in which, despite apostasy or unrepentant and habitual sin, the individual is truly saved if he or she had truly accepted Christ in the past; in traditional Calvinist teaching, apostasy by such a person may be proof that they never were saved.

The Truth

What does the Bible say?

There is some confusion on this topic b/c the knee-jerk reaction of some Apostolics leads to a misinterpretation of this topic. There is some predestination that takes place in God’s plan

Predestination Defined: To predestine means to foreordain, to determine in advance, to plan ahead of time with no possibility of alteration.[2]

Things and people that are predestined:

The Atonement

The sacrifice for our sins, the blood of Jesus Christ, was and is predestined to cover sin.

Zech 12:10

10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
KJV

Heb 9:13-14

13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
KJV

The Incarnation

The incarnation was predestined.

Well didn’t Jesus say “not my will but yours be done” Yes – but I believe that it would have been impossible for Jesus to fail in His mission. People who believe that He could have failed misunderstand the nature of the incarnation – another topic for another day.

God predestined Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice for all humanity.

Acts 3:18
But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
KJV

Acts 4:27-28

27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
KJV


The Church

The book of revelation describes the marriage supper of the Lamb – a future event illustrating the predestination of the church.

Rev 19:7-9

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
KJV

The confusion arises when people incorrectly assume that since the atonement, the incarnation and the church are unconditionally predestined that they are too!

God has not unconditionally predestined the individual soul. To do that would completely remove free will from the picture. While Calvinists rightly exult salvation as the unconditional mercy and grace of God they err in the area of free will.

Free will
The Bible states that man was created with a free will.

Gen 2:17

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
KJV

Even after the fall man still has the ability to choose


Matt 16:24

24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me
KJV

Eph 2:8

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
KJV

While it is impossible for us to be saved outside of the unmerited favour we are not so depraved that when confronted by our sin, convicted and drawn by His spirit we are not able to choose to follow His

Context

In order to figure out these scriptures (our text) we must examine them in their context.

If we interpret the scriptures incorrectly then we are going to get the wrong conclusion.

Think of biblical interpretation as a recipe. We must understand the different ingredients and add them all together to get a finished interpretation. Here are the ingredients:
· Author
· Audience
· Book
· Verses
· Passage
· The rest of scripture.

If these ingredients are missing, we miss what the Bible is trying to say, we fall into false doctrine and possibly lose out on salvation.

John Calvin’s false doctrine is based upon poor interpretation of the Scriptures

The doctrine of predestination becomes clearer once we examine the scriptures in their context.

Let’s look at Romans first.

Author: Paul, a Christian missionary. Paul was a highly educated man and was skilled in the OT Law. He dictated His book to a scribe named Tertius.[3]

Audience: The Christian church in Rome; primarily made up of Gentiles though it did have strong Jewish population. The readers were evidently familiar with the OT Law. This is largely because of the strong Jewish influence in the city of Rome.[4]

Book: Romans is a powerful book. It’s the cornerstone in the biblical doctrine of Justification by faith. It explains why, when and how a person receives biblical salvation. It’s purpose is to give a comprehensive statement of the Gospel.[5] It’s written in the ancient language of Koine Greek à which we must refer too if we wish to discover

The book is a doctrinal exposition of the Gospel

Outline for the book of Romans.[6]

This divides the topics Paul wrote about as they are found. You’ll notice the outline is not based upon chapter and verse divisions; that’s because there were no chapter and verse divisions in the original document. Chapters and verses were added several hundred years later to help us reference scripture. But they should never have any influence on interpretation.

I. Prologue (1:1-17)
II. Universal Guilt (1:18-3:20)
Ill. Justification by Faith (3:21-5:21)
IV. The Believer’s Life (6:1-8:39)
V. The Condition of Israel (9:1-11:36)
VI. Practical Exhortations for Christian Living
VIl. Epilogue (15:14-16:27)

Why is it important to do look at an outline?

The passage dealing directly with predestination is found in the section where Paul deals with the believer’s life. The first four sections chronologically detail the relationship of the Christian to Christ:
Universal Guilt
Justification by faith in the Blood of Christ
Living the Christian life

We have come a long way from Calvin’s doctrine

We’ve proven that:
Predestination applies to the atonement, the incarnation and the church
Man has free will and has the ability to accept or reject God
Predestination applies only to believers

Now let’s go a little deeper and explore not just predestination but eternal security as well.

The verses:

Rom 8:29-30

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (KJV)

“Whom” is a key word in this scripture.

Whom in the original language, Greek, is plural; lending to an interpretation that God has predestined a group not a single individual.[7]

“The point is that the believer’s salvation is not just a wish or a mere possibility. It is an absolutely certain event if the believer will only remain in God’s plan. Moreover, salvation will consist of a transformation into the image of the Son—the image of God in human flesh. We will not become God, but we will receive a sinless nature and an immortal body like that of the man Christ.”[8]

This is further cemented when we examine the context of verses

Context of the passage:
Rom 8:1-9
8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
KJV

The context of predestination is smack in the middle of a passage describing living in Christ by the Spirit.

The only way then to be predestined is to be in Christ, His church and live in the Spirit!

Eph1: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

It is easy to see that the context of these “predestination passages” applies DIRECTLY to those sealed by the Holy Ghost.


Unconditional Election/Eternal Security

Is it possible for a Christian to be lost? YES!!!

Gal 5:4
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
KJV

Gal 5:4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace
NKJV

Heb 10:26
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
KJV

James 5:19-20
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
KJV

While these scriptures state that it is possible for a believer to sin – all of the one’s we read involve a WILLFULL and DELIBERATE rejection of Christ.

The Word of God is able to “divide the thoughts and intents of the heart.” There will be times while you walk on the straight and narrow that you will fall and fail but if you will repent, get up and keep going – you are still in Christ. However, if you wilfully reject Him you will be lost.

But if you’ll do your best; rest in Christ’s mercy and live in the power of the Spirit there is nothing that can stop you from reaching heaven. If firmly believe that God knows what will happen in your life and has worked everything for your and His favour. In a practice this means that you live everyday not worrying about your future or health b/c God is at the wheel of your life.

Conclusion: The Christian is predestined b/c of their place in Christ Jesus. As long as you walk with Him you will not fail! Heaven is your final destination – you are eternally secure. Through the Holy Ghost we have abundant, victorious and ultimately a triumphant life! Your life is in the hands of the Lord. So when life throws you a curveball don’t loose hope – God’s mapped out the destiny for those who live for Him – He’s not surprised or thrown off by adverstity. A predestined life is for all those who’ll deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow Jesus Christ.

[1] TULIP found http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_points_of_Calvinism on October 30, 2007
[2] The Message of Romans Bernard, WAP, 190
[3] The Message of Romans, Bernard, WAP, 20
[4] Ibid, 21-22
[5] Ibid 23
[6] Ibid, 9-10
[7] ibid 191
[8] ibid 191

Speaking notes: Bible Mythbusters 1: Does Truth Exist?

PLEASE NOTE: THESE ARE MY LECTURE NOTES AND DO NOT CONTAIN PROPER CITATION - SORRY FOR THE OVERSITE

Mythbusters Series is based on apologetics or defending the Apostolic faith to the world and denominal and Charismatic Christian world. Our first lesson in this Mythbusters Series is called “Does Truth Exist? Shattering the myth of Postmodernism.” Our study will be part Bible study, part history lesson, part Christian apologetics Now before you roll your eyes, yawn and prepare for a good nap let me explain where and why we’re going in this direction tonight.

Why study this topic?

Dominant philosophy of the culture – new philosophy only been an academic discipline since 1980s

Postmodernism in a nutshell:
· Absolute truth does not exist
· The only truth is created by the culture
· You must find your own truth, morality, faith and spirituality
· “Do what is right in your own eyes”

Most of us know that this isn’t true – so I doubt that I have to convince anyone here – but I want to give you the tools to deconstruct this Satanic lie and understand it’s true origin.

We have an obligation to answer the unique spiritual cry of our culture

The Apostle Peter said

1 Pet 3:15
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
(KJV)

Answer:
627 apologia (ap-ol-og-ee'-ah); from the same as 626; a plea ("apology"):
KJV-- answer (forself), clearing ofself, defence.

§ In this scripture we are commanded by Peter to defend what we believe.
o Above is the Strong’s definition for the word answer – which as you can see is not to merely reply but to vigorously contend for our faith.

We have a scriptural obligation to answer our culture with the truth of the Gospel. Just as Paul was aware of the culture when he stood before the Greeks on Mars Hill and said that they were very religious but were missing the point we must answer the unique spiritual cry of this culture with the unchanging power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ..

Our faith is based on absolute facts

1 Cor 15:12-18
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
(KJV)

Paul was writing in defense of a bodily resurrection – but in the process makes a very important point about the nature of our faith.

We believe that Jesus died for our sins, and then rose again on the third day to conquer death and give those who follow him victory over sin and death.
But let me ask you, what if Jesus didn’t die or even worse, died then did not rise again? I borrow the words of Paul, “you faith is also in vain.”
The Christian belief is utterly different from other religions because it is based upon actual events that took place in time and space – not mystical experiences or philosophy.
That is why we defend absolutism, if there is no absolute truth we have no faith.

What is it?

History (human)
One of the best ways to discover what something is like is to look at its roots.

Postmodernism is a response to modernism.

Modernism is what most of you grew up around…
Sought to understand everything in terms of rationalism and the scientific method
It emphasized materialism
o Matter and the physical world are the only reality
o Science is the only answer for the origin of the universe and human existence
Major philosophers
o Darwin - evolution
o Karl Marx – the founder of Communism
o Nietzsche – “God Is Dead” Secularism and Science had killed the notion of God in western culture

Now Postmodernism is the recent response to Modernism
o Science has not answered all of the questions about the origin of man and the universe
o The advancement of technology, science and knowledge did not answer humanity’s nagging spiritual longing for more from life
o Pop Psychology is rejecting the idea that human emotions, feelings are nothing more than chemical processes. My psychology professor “seems to be something more to the human mind”

Until the world recognizes, submits to and serves Jesus Christ life will continually be void of meaning and purpose. True happiness exists in the loving arms of Jesus Christ.

However, instead of embracing God when modernism fell to pieces culture embraced posmodernism

Philosophy described

Truth is relative – meaning is created by the human mind and the culture.
§ We believe in Christianity not b/c it’s true but b/c it’s the dominant religion of our childhood
Religion and truth are then a product of the human mind and the culture
Religion is a human attempt to consolidate power within a culture
§ This part irritates me!
§ Postmodernism is widely embraced by society b/c it’s selfish.
· If you don’t want to do something that’s ok! You don’t have too!
· If you want to have an affair – you can! B/c you have to look after you – do what’s right for you.

How many have ever heard the following statements?

“Well that may be true for you, but it’s not for me”

“Look don’t force your values on me. Just because they’re true for you doesn’t mean they’re true for me”

“There are so many religions how can you say yours is true..that’s intolerant”

It is my personal belief that this philosophy with the popularity Hinduism and Zen/Yoga – both systems teach that the only reality is the one you experience and your experiences and your reality is unique to you

With these statements in mind let’s begin to build our case against postmodernism

Philosophy Refuted

Truth is not subjective
§ For something to be true it must correspond to an objective fact (correspond to its referent)
· Consider this statement: The earth is round.
o For that statement to be true the earth must in fact be round.
Doesn’t make sense
§ Something is either absolutely true or absolutely false
§ Opposing statements would have to be true
Milk example
Postmodernism is dumb: Consider these two statements
§ The milk is in the fridge
§ The milk is not in the fridge
· According to postmodernism it would be possible for milk to both in and not in the fridge at the same time!

Philosophy is self-destructive/contradictory
§ If it is absolutely true it collapses upon itself
· It makes relative truth an absolute. Either you accept relativism or you’re wrong and intolerant
§ If it is relatively true


And that, dear saints of God, is crazy!

The Bible says
Ps 31:5
Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
KJV
The Bible declares over and over and over again that truth is not in the eye of the beholder but is absolute and determined by God. If there is absolute truth then there is absolute morality and accountability to one God. Whom this world will stand before and be judged according to their works. And if, this world wants to escape that day Jesus said
Matt 7:13-14

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
KJV

Postmodernism is the most dangerous philosophy to enter our culture
o It’s really not new
o It’s as old as eden
Satan’s temptation of Eve sounds just like this philosophy

Gen 3:1-6
3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
KJV

Postmodernism is the ultimate Satanic Deception! It allows you to be your own God. If you create your own reality, morals then you are accountable only to yourself – you are god!!!

Do know that the modern day Church of Satan do not necessarily believe in the worship of the Devil as supreme god! Do you know who they worship SELF!!
Quotes from the Satanic Bible and Satanic founder Anton LeVey Listen to what Anton LeVey the founder of the Church of Satan believes


They do not worship a living deity.
Major emphasis is placed on the power and authority of the individual Satanist, rather than on a god or goddess.
They believe that "no redeemer liveth" - that each person is their own redeemer, fully responsible for the direction of their own life
The Church of Satan is highly decentralized, believing that a strong central organization is not desirable. Each Satanist is expected to follow his/her own path.
Truth does exist both the Bible and the brain God gave you declare that there are absolutes in our world – Postmodernism has just been busted

a blurb about holiness standards - Part one

This is the first of a mini-blogging-series on holiness I'm working on. Enjoy!

I believe in having holiness standards. I believe that our outside appearance should reflect Christ. However, I also believe that they are maturity issues. In other words, our external appearance is to reflect an inward relationship and experience with God - one that comes only with development. If people do not have that inward relationship than we cannot expect them to have a strong external witness. Because of my presupposition towards these teachings I find it perplexing that so many are so quick to judge others based soley on their appearance. Pastors and churches are called "weak" or the dreaded UPer label "liberal." The fact of the matter is none of us are perfect, we're all flawed, we all have our weaknesses. Some internal, some external. But instead of pointing fingers, I would rather have Paul's outlook on life:

Phil 3:12-13Not that I have already attained , or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
NKJV

In other words, I'm not perfect yet. Therefore, my main goal in life should be to work on me.

Jesus also said
Matthew 7:1-5
"Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. NKJV

I think the application of this passage for our topic is this: It's a bigger sin to judge/gossip about/alienate a fellow saint, pastor and/or church based soley on standards than that individual or groups lack of teaching and maturity.

Don't get me wrong, standards are important! But let's remember why we're teaching, believing and practicing external witnesses. They are a reflection of a work Christ is doing IN us.

Next time we will examine the importance of holiness standards in light of popular culture's sexualisation of youth.

God bless,
adam

Stupid Secularists (adam's random rant part deux)

In a few weeks the people of Ontario will hit the polls for our provincial election. There are some hot topics this year. Healthcare, electoral reform, taxes - the usual stuff that riles up the public. However this year a major issue has arisen. The Conservative party is promising if elected they will remove the discrimination in public education funding. Right now only public and Catholic schools recieve funding. The Conservatives pledge abolish the old system and make funding availiable to all faith-based schools.

My random rant today doesn't deal with whether or not the Conservative party should fund faith-based schools. I would rather discuss the rising animosity towards Christians and other faith-based groups in the media as a result of this debate. The secularists in the media state that all funding to faith-based schools (including Catholic) should be abolished - there should only be a single public system. This public system they argue should be completely and totally secular - meaning having no affiliation with a particular faith. "After all", the secularists say, "faith has no place in the public square" WHAT? Did I hear that correctly? Last I checked Canada and her provinces were democratic societies. Since we all cannot leave our homes and jobs to participate in the governing process we elect others to perform those duties on our behalf. These elected representatives make laws, impose taxation, protect, maintain transit, monitor the economy, according to the will of the people. Therefore, if the elected are representatives of the people and those people are of faith then that faith MUST be fairly represented in the public square. The philosophy of the separation of church and state is to protect religious groups from state interference not to prevent faith-based groups from having their voices heard in government. Next time you hear someone say that religion has no place in politics, calmly remind them that if they want a secular society that silences all religion they should move to China.

Serve your place with pride (adam's random rant)

Nothing is more annoying than hearing someone describe their place in God's Kingdom beginning with the phrase, "I'm just...." "I'm just a Sunday School Teacher." "I'm just a church cleaner." "I'm just an usher." "I'm just...." Makes me sick. Somewhere in Pentecost we developed a philosophy that places certain church positions in a pseudo hierarchy. I'm sure we all realize that with different positions come different levels of delegated spiritual authority. However, authority does not equal importance. My homeboy Paul said in 1 Cor 12:18-20, "But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body." (NKJV)

Remember you are important to the Church! Serve your place with pride.

This concludes adam's random rant