Americanized Church

“What would things look like if Satan really took control of a city? Over a half century ago, Presbyterian minister Donald Grey Barnhouse offered his own scenario in his weekly sermon that was also broadcast nationwide on CBS radio, Barnhouse speculated that if Satan took over Philadelphia, all of the bars would be closed, pornography banished, and pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The children would say, “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am,” and the churches would be full every Sunday ... where Christ is not preached.

“It is easy to become distracted from Christ as the only hope for sinners. Where everything is measured by our happiness rather than by God’s holiness, the sense of our being sinners becomes secondary, if not offensive. If we are good people who have lost our way but with the proper instructions and motivation can become a better person, we need only a life coach, not a redeemer. We can still give our assent to a high view of Christ and the centrality of his person and work, but in actual practice we are being distracted from “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). A lot of the things that distract us from Christ these days are even good things. In order to push us off-point, all that Satan has to do is throw several spiritual fads, moral and political crusades, and other ‘relevance’ operations into our field of vision. Focusing the conversation on us – our desires, needs, feelings, experience, activity, and aspirations – energizes us. At last, now we’re talking about something practical and relevant.

“I think that the church today in America today is so obsessed with being practical, relevant, helpful, successful, and perhaps even well-liked that it nearly mirrors the world itself. Aside from the packaging, there is nothing that cannot be found in most churches today that could not be satisfied by any number of secular programs and self-help groups.

“As provocative as Barnhouse’s illustration remains, it is simply an elaboration of a point made throughout the history of redemption. Wherever Christ is truly and clearly being proclaimed, Satan is most actively present in opposition. The wars between the nations and enmity within families and neighborhoods is but the wake of the serpent’s tail as he seeks to devour the church. Yet even in this pursuit, he is more subtle than we imagine. He lulls us to sleep as we trim our message to the banality of popular culture and invoke Christ’s name for anything and everything but salvation from the coming judgment. While undoubtedly stirring his earthly disciples to persecute and kill followers of Christ (with more martyrdoms worldwide in an average year now than in any previous era), Satan knows from experience that sowing heresy and schism is far more effective. While the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, the assimilation of the church to the world silences the witness.” 'Christless Christianity' by Michael Horton

Exciting Weekend

Good Morning, all you Kingdom Seekers,

Just a few minutes here to let you know about the exciting weekend I had. I had mentioned in a post or two ago that my very favorite Bible teacher was coming to my home church. Well, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum did come and held a three day conference absolutely free of charge. He taught on the book of Zechariah and if you've every read Zechariah you know that you need someone to help you understand all those visions and all the symbolism. Dr. Fruchtenbaum is a Messianic Jew and because of his Jewish background teaches the Bible like no other. It was such a privilege to see him in person and I had him sign every book that I own which he has authored; and that's quite a few. I encourage you to visit his website (http://www.ariel.org/) and take advantage of his free teaching under the 'Come and See' link; and then order any of his teaching - you will be blessed and edified in the Word of God.

Here's a couple of pictures from the weekend:

This is myself (on the end closest to the center aisle), my best friend Tracie, my niece Angie, and my sister Carol listening to Dr. Fruchtenbaum. What studious Bible scholars we are!!! Notice we are right up front!!!




Here is a picture of myself with Dr. Fruchtenbaum. What a privilege to hear this awesome man of God. I wanted my picture taken with him because I may not see him again until we are in heaven and then we will all sit at the feet of 'The Master' and let Him teach us. My hair looks absolutely horrible in this picture; it must be from all the learnin' we did. My brain was about to explode from all the information Dr. F taught us and my head was little lopsided from it. The way my hair is in this picture, I look like a conehead.





Gotta run, be blessed today,

Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,

Hi, all you K.S. gals,

Just a quick post to say 'Hi' and let you in on what's new. I started a new college class last night on the book of Romans. I'm not taking this class for credit as I am already working on my Doctorate through another college; but since this was offered at my home church (via Tyndale Theological Seminary - good, solid school; I highly recommend it, check it out) and I'm doing Romans for my Doctorate degree (which is via Internet) at this time, I thought it would help me to sit in a classroom with a live professor to whom I can ask questions (a disadvantage to doing college online, but I'm grateful for online schooling, it definitely works with my schedule).

Anyway, the class last night was so interesting and I thought I would share with you some of the things that we learned that a lot of people may not know. Here goes:

Did you know that the gospel or the 'good news' has not always been the same message throughout the dispensations of time? The 'good news' of the coming Messiah, in the OT, was definitely different than the gospel message we hear today. And the time period that Christ was on earth the message was different from both OT and NT (NT meaning the church age or the dispensation of grace). OT message was the law and the prophets which pointed to the coming Messiah, who would solve their 'sin problem' and usher in the Kingdom upon their acceptance of the Christ (however, as you know, they rejected their Messiah and the legitimate offer of the Messianic Kingdom; so the offer was withdrawn and will be made again at a future date).

While Jesus was on earth the Kingdom offer was made available to the Jewish nation. It was a genuine offer, but was not accepted. The Jews did not want a king that was a suffering servant, but they wanted a conquering King. And so the 'good news' or gospel message was different from OT and NT in that it was the message of the 'Kingdom of God.' Jesus said in Luke 16:16, "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."

Since the time of Christ's death, which purchased our salvation, the 'good news' is the message of grace for all men.

Here are the notes from the class about this topic:
It's important that we don't confuse the uses of the word 'gospel' in the Scriptures.
Dr. C. I. Scofield identifies 4 different messages of good news:

1) The Gospel of the Kingdom - This is the good news that God purposes to set up on the earth, in the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7), a kingdom, political, spiritual, Israelitish, universal, over which God's son, David's heir, shall be King, and which shall be, for one thousand years, the manifestation of the righteousness of God in human affairs... (there are two preaching of this gospel - one past, one future).
a) Beginning with John the Baptist, continued by our Lord and His disciples and ending with
the Jewish rejection of the King.
b) During the great tribulation and immediately preceding the Lord's return (Matt. 24:14).

2) The Gospel of the grace of God - This is the good news that Jesus Christ, the rejected King, has died on the cross for the sins of the world, that He was raised from the dead for our justification, and that by Him all that believe are justified from all things (this is the gospel of God described in Romans 1:1).

3) The everlasting Gospel - (Rev. 14:6) This is the good news to be preached to the earth-dwellers at the very end of the great tribulation and immediately preceding the judgement of the nations (Matt. 25). It is neither the gospel of the Kingdom, nor of grace. Though its burden is judgement, not salvation, it is good news to Israel and to those who, during the tribulation, have been saved.

4) That which Paul calls 'My Gospel' - (Romans 2:16) This is the good news of the grace of God in its fullest development, but includes the revelation of the result of that Gospel in the out-calling of the church, her relationships, position, privileges, and responsibility. It is the distinctive truth of Ephesians and Colossians, but inter-permeates all of Paul's writings.


Whew!!! That's a lot to wrap your mind around. I pray that you will consider this and pray for all truth. Pray for all truth in all things. You will be abundantly, spiritually blessed for it!!!

Be blessed today sweeties,
Your Kingdom Seeking' Mama,

Catching Up

Hey, all you Kingdom Seekers,

Whew! My life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately. My precious 83 year old mother just spent 15 days in the hospital with an ailment that had the doctors baffled until they did exploratory surgery. Once the problem was discovered and remedied, the recovery began only to have new issues pop up one after another. Her entire hospital stay should only have been 6 or 7 days, however she was released on day 16. She is still very weak and I solicit your prayers. But, our God is faithful in all things and so our trust is in Him that she will make a complete recovery and quickly return to her old self.

The only good thing that has come out of my mom's hospitalization is that I've lost 7 1/2 lbs. - WooHoo!!! I'm going to try and keep this weight-loss going - pray for me!

Here in southwestern Ohio it has been in the 80's. Absolutely beautiful outside! Everything is blooming and how appropriate since Easter is only 2 days away. Myself, Bob, and the boys sat around our fire pit and roasted marshmallows after the sun went down last night. I so enjoy our family times together. The boys and myself will be coloring our eggs today and what beautiful weather to be outside for an Easter egg hunt.

I'm so excited because in a couple of weeks my very favorite Bible teacher is coming to my home church for a 3 day conference. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum (www.ariel.org) will be at Grace Baptist Church, Mason, OH on April 16 - 18 and will be doing a verse by verse teaching on the book of Zechariah. If you have never heard Dr. Fruchtenbaum please visit his website; there is a lot of free material for your spiritual edification. He is Jewish and because of his up-bring in Judaism, has an advantage in teaching us the Bible like no other Bible teacher I know. He is a great scholar and theologian and if you are in the area I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to hear Dr. Fruchtenbaum and be blessed.

I want to leave you with a quote from a book that I am reading right now from Dr. Paul Tripp:

We all live on the continuum between slavery and freedom. The Bible warns about he deceitfulness of sin and its bondage. It is full of promises of the freedom we have in Christ. But our culture has its own warnings and promises of freedom, false solutions promised in various theories of change. These alternative theories seem appealing. They promise us that we can avoid chaos, live in freedom, and keep our own agenda and pride intact.

Christians have always faced these problems. We have always had to sift through false promises and theories of change. Even in the first century, Paul had these words for fellow believers:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus our Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (Col. 2:6-8niv).

Paul is concerned that we not allow ourselves to be taken "captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy." The Greek word translated "taken captive" is actually closer to "abducted" or "kidnapped.'' Paul's point is that we can be abducted by falsehood when we least expect it. He urges us to live with our eyes open to the culture influences that seek to gain our allegiance when we are not really paying attention. Don't be fooled. Don't think that Paul's advice applies only to big decisions and major doctrines. It is in the little moments of life that battles are lost or won.*

Gotta run, be blessed today and God glorified,
Your K.S. Mama,



*Paul Tripp, 'How People Change,' New Growth Press, Greensboro, 2006, pg. 23.

Another Jesus

Hi, all you Kingdom Seekers,

Ran across this article from Henry Morris and wanted to share it with you. Mr. Morris is the founder of an organization called 'The Institute for Creation Research.' He was a great scholar and theologian. Mr. Morris has gone on to be with the Lord, but his legacy lives on through his many writings and 'The Institute for Creation Research.' Check out the ICR on the web at http://www.icr.org/. Here's the article:


Another Jesus
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
"For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." (2 Corinthians 11:4)
The verses following our text contain an enlightening warning about false teachers. One should not carelessly follow a personable religious leader merely because he "preaches Jesus" or urges audiences to "receive the Spirit."
"Jesus" is quite popular among worldly people today, but not the true Jesus. The popular Jesus may be the baby Jesus in the manger at Christmastime, or the buddy Jesus of Nashville "gospel" music, or the success-counseling Jesus of the positive thinkers. He may be the romantic Jesus of the Christian crooners, the rhythmic Jesus of Christian rock, or the reforming Jesus of the liberals, but none of these are the Jesus preached by the apostle Paul, and therefore not the real Jesus who saves men and women from their sins.
Jesus in reality is the Lord Jesus Christ, the offended Creator of the universe (Colossians 1:16), who had to die as man on the cross to redeem us through His shed blood (Colossians 1:14, 20), and who then rose from the dead to be set "far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named" (Ephesians 1:21). Finally, it is this Jesus "who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:1).
The Lord Jesus, as He really is, is not the popular Jesus of T-shirts and bumper stickers, politicians and entertainers. He was "despised and rejected of men" (Isaiah 53:3) so they "crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8).
He is the mighty God, the perfect man, the only Savior, the eternal King, and Lord of lords. God-called teachers will not preach an imaginary Jesus who appeals to the flesh, but rather the true Christ of creation and salvation. HMM


http://www.icr.org/article/5187/

Be blessed today, and God glorified,
Your K.S. Mama,

Woman of Influence

Hello all you Kingdom Seekers,

Wanted to pass on an article from a local newspaper about a woman, in the city where my family resides, who is doing a great work for the Lord. Makes ya wonder what kind of rewards Jesus has stored for her in heaven. Check it out:


Woman of Influence: Cope’s hope for the North End
By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer
Updated 9:16 AM Monday, February 15, 2010

HAMILTON — Barb Cope is a visionary who sees things other people can’t. And she hears things that no one else does.

“People think I’m nuts because I say God talks to me so much, but he really does,” Cope says. “I walk with him every day of my life.”

It’s not what Cope sees or hears that sets her apart so much as the fact that she spends her life doing things that a lot of other people don’t. Or won’t.

The 68-year-old Cope has dedicated her life to helping others. She has run a nursing home ministry, a jail ministry, a street ministry and a women’s ministry.

And she has traveled the world on mission trips to Egypt, Israel, Trinidad, Honduras, Brazil and Africa.

“I’ve been to all of those places, but God brought me right back here to this corner,” Cope says, referring the intersection of Seventh and Heaton streets in Hamilton’s north end.

That’s where eight years ago Cope opened Kelly’s House of Love, an outreach ministry named for an abuse victim who committed suicide.

Kelly’s caters to children ages 6 to 18, featuring activities such as crafts, singing, dancing, basketball, junior police academy, face pointing, animal balloons and puppets.

“It’s a place where kids of all ages can go to have a great time in a positive way,” Cope says. “We tell them we love them and let them know how important they are to Jesus and that there’s a better way of life to encourage them.”

Cope’s vision for a playground across from Kelly’s came to fruition last spring, and she has dreams of opening a teen center once she comes up with the funds.

She’s a positive force in a neighborhood with plenty of negatives, and you don’t have to be a visionary for that to be plain to see.

‘Not a bit afraid’

Cope is not wealthy, but that doesn’t prevent her from giving something valuable to those who need it most.

That something is hope.

“I see the people walking by here,” Cope says of the corner of Seventh and Heaton streets, where she runs Kelly’s House of Love on a modest monthly Social Security check and donations.

“You’re supposed to have a sparkle in your eye, and so many of these people don’t,” she continues. “And it’s not the drugs or alcohol. They’ve just lost all hope. I want to give these people something to dream about, something to hope about.”

An acquaintance of Cope’s, Kelly was a woman in her mid-20’s who had been sexually and physically abused her whole life until she ended it with a gunshot through her heart.

A survivor of abuse herself, the 68-year-old Cope has dedicated herself to helping other people, whether it be children through Kelly’s House of Love or adults through one of the many ministries she has run.

She is intent on making both her neighborhood and its people better, and she gets that done in ways that are both gentle and fierce.

One day she might be dropping off groceries at the home of someone who is down on his luck or buying a meal at McDonald’s for a homeless person. The next day she’s charging across the street to get in the face of a man 40 years younger who dared to bring a beer can onto the playground she worked so hard to have built.

“If they’re drinking or doing drugs around my kids, I will run them out of there,” she says. “I’m not a bit afraid to go over there, and if I have to jerk them by the hair or the collar, I will.”

Cope has carried a soft spot for young people in her heart for 38 years, ever since a miscarriage and the subsequent news that she would never be able to have children.

“I remember driving in my car and there was a preacher on the radio who said, ‘There’s a woman out there who feels like she has failed because she can’t have children,’ ” Cope recalls. “God said to tell you that he has a higher purpose for you to help children all over the world.”

And that is exactly what she’s done. In addition to giving the children of Hamilton a place to come and have fun while learning about God, Cope has helped children in countries all across the globe through her mission trips.

And within the past year, she has found someone who calls her “mom.”

Stephanie Brown moved in with Cope in November after her mother passed away.

“I call her mom because that’s what she is to me,” says Brown, who has lived a difficult 33 years.

“I never knew anybody could care this much about me and not want something,” Brown continues. “I’m learning so much from her.”

One of Cope’s favorite sayings from the Bible is “Trade your title for a towel,” referring to the story where Jesus picked up a towel and started washing the disciples’ feet following the last supper.

“That never leaves me,” she says. “That’s all I think about. Don’t get caught up in who you are. It’s all about servanthood.

“When you believe in something and you know that it’s the right thing to do, you can’t give up,” Cope continues. “You’ve got to push forward. You have to have hope.”


Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.



Find this article at:
http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/woman-of-influence-copes-hope-for-the-north-end-548530.htm



Be blessed today, and God glorified,
Your K.S. Mama

Choices

Good Morning Kingdom Seekers,

Here's another 'devotional' that I sent out to the gals that I mentor. Hope it encourages you and prods you on to good works (it is unedited):

1/13/10

Hi Girls,

I talked with you a few days ago about ‘choice and time.’ I really want to focus on the topic of ‘the choices you make’ (or have made). It’s so important to our Christian maturity to make good God-honoring choices and decisions. Think about how many times in a day you have to make a choice or a decision about something. When I really get down to the nitty-gritty of it, I guess I make in a single day hundreds of decisions choices. What will my kids eat for breakfast, what will Caleb wear to school today and what is Josh going to wear out of the house today, what should I lay out in preparation for dinner tonight, what am I going to wear today, will I work on laundry today, work on Bob’s business paperwork, continue to get Christmas decorations put away, clean any room in the house that needs immediate attention (and they all do), go visit my mother, spend time studying God’s Word, etc. Hundreds of choices and decisions, minute by minute, have to be made everyday of my life. Some days for me it can get a little overwhelming; because no matter what I choose to give my time and energies to there are a dozen things that are being left undone. So, as part of my New Year’s goals I have to start making better choices with my time.

But, the things I just mentioned are everyday, mundane activities that we all have to make choices about. What I really want to talk to you about is making choices that are going to affect you long-term. Have you made decisions / choices in the past that you are still living with? What decisions / choices have you made and it is not only affecting you, but your kids and possibly your husband? Think back on some of your life choices and how they are affecting you now – either good or bad.

According to Dr. Paul Tripp we don’t make many ‘really big’ decisions in life, only about three or four – what will you pursue as a life-long career, who you will marry, how many children will you have, how will you prepare for your retirement. These are the biggies and from the time we decide what we want to do with these big decision they can have effects that will last a life-time. How important is it to make wise choices for ourselves; and maybe more importantly, for our children because everything we do affects them.

Stop and think about the bad decisions you’ve made and you’re still living with the effects of them. Maybe you chose to have pre-marital sex at a young age (and with a man that God did not intend to be your husband), produced one or two children and now the relationship is long over and your children are the victims of an absentee father and lack of good parenting from you because you have to work non-stop to support them. Or maybe you’ve spent money on drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and paying off debt that was created due to bad choices and you have nothing to show for it, and now you’re financially busted and disgusted. You haven’t got enough money to ‘pay attention’ due to poor choices in your past. Think about who you’ve chose in the past to be your most intimate friends and all they’ve done is drag you down and have left you ‘high and dry.’ Think about who you hang around with now – are they an asset in your life, or a liability; are they someone who adds to your life or takes away?

Girls, as the New Year is getting underway, as adult, Christian women, we must make wise, godly choices for our lives and our families. I’m not telling you this in order to condemn you- Oh, no; never!!! The Bible tells us,”There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Only to prod you into becoming the wise, God-honoring woman that you were created to be. Trust me, I’ve made some bad decisions myself, and Oh, how I regret them.

But, you may be saying, ‘Charlotte, what can we do; it’s all in the past and I can’t make the decision over.’ True, but I want to tell you about something that I’ve done over my ‘bad decisions’ and I pray that you will take this bit of advise and incorporate it into your own life. The first thing I do when I realize that I have messed up is to ‘Repent’ before the Lord. Be very specific about what decision you made and the actions that followed that caused a negative effect in your life. For example, if you did not raise your children properly then tell God just that. Tell Him you messed up and it was not only a sin against Him, but against your children; because our children are a ‘major’ stewardship from God and we must make right decisions with this very precious commodity that God has entrusted into our care.

So, the first step is to repent! But, I know what you’re thinking, “Charlotte, that was all so long ago and I’ve accepted Christ since then. All my sins that have resulted from poor decision-making are under the blood of Christ and I have been forgiven. May sins have been cast into God’s forgetting sea, never to be remembered no more.” That’s true to the extent that God will not hold them against you concerning your salvation and your admittance into heaven. But, we still live with the affects of our sins even though we’ve been forgiven. It’s like giving your child enough money to get a good college education and they blow all the money on cars, vacations, and stuff. You may forgive them, but they will be flipping burgers instead of working in a high-rise office building, wearing a business suit, and making a 6 digit income. And what makes things like this so hard is when someone is not remorseful over their bad decision. We must, as we journey to Christian maturity and the heart of God, not be passive in this area and accept responsibility to our decisions and actions. We must repent; this is at the heart of true humility and humility is at the heart of the gospel.

We must in our pursuit of Christian maturity take responsibility for our sin even if it was before our salvation experience. Ask God to forgive you specifically for the bad choice you made and then there a second thing we can do... Our God is the God of yesterday, today, and forever. Did you see that – He is the God of yesterday!!! Our God has the ability to walk right into your past and redeem back to you what you messed up or foolishly gave away. Oh, how many times have I repented before the Lord in sack-cloth and ashes, and then asked Him for a do-over? How many times have I asked God to redeem back to me something I messed up due to a bad decision? More times than I care to admit!!!

Don’t ever forget that our God’s specialty is redemption. He can redeem back to you whatever is wrong, whatever needs to be straightened out, what needs to be fixed because of poor choices. Oh, let Him do it!!! I believe when we have come to the end of ourselves in this way, knowing that we cannot change the past, and we turn to Him in total repentance and dependence, He delights in ‘stepping up to the plate’ for one of His children. I believe that doing this sort of thing – taking responsibility of our sin, repenting of our sin, and then asking God to give us wisdom to make better choices the second time around (thank God, He’s the God of the second chance) is one of the most important ways to mature in Christ.

Also, from this point on, every decision must be bathed in prayer. No major decisions without prayer!!! I personally cannot navigate life’s rocky roads, the twists and turns, the ups and downs without a heavenly guide. I desperately need Someone who knows the road far better than I and can give me directions that will lead me on a smooth straight path. Oh, what peace can be found when we allow our blessed, heavenly Father to guide us through the decision-making processes of life. It’s like a divine GPS system.

Girls, we want to be mature, ‘wise,’ godly women. We want to possess something that we can pass on to the next generation. Let’s start by humbling ourselves before the throne of God in repentance, asking Him for His redemption, and then petitioning Him for His wisdom in making wise choices.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 niv

Be blessed today, and God glorified,
Charlotte