Wednesday, May 28, 2014


What Can We Learn from the Recent Violence in California?
 

          When horrendous rampages, along the order of the one which took place last Saturday in Santa Barbara, CA, occur certain groups and individuals quickly start assigning blame.  Guns are the most common and easiest target it seems.  But this case, unlike some of the more notable events of recent memory, many people are left scratching their heads as there was murder by means of more than guns alone.  The deranged killer, Elliot Rodger, apparently drugged his roommates then viciously stabbed them to death.  He then went out shooting people with guns and even used his car as a weapon, hitting bicyclists.  To cap it off, he took his own life committing one last act of rebellion against his maker.           

           Since the events occurred, a few days ago, many attempts have been made to try and process and understand the actions and the state of mind of the young man who set all in motion.  Words and phrases like “insanity,” “temporary insanity,”  “mental illness,” and even “evil” are being thrown around.  Anti-gun advocates are playing their predictable role in the crisis by calling for tougher gun laws and somehow finding a way to blame the NRA.  Hollywood is having fingers pointed in its direction due to the glorification of violence and huge windfalls from Americans consuming the portrayals of violence they produce.  Violent video games, as usual, are getting a strong factorial mention.  There is a strong element of sexism involved here as one of the primarily motivations for the killer was apparently the rejection he felt by women specifically directed toward what he called the “Blonde women of the Alpha Phi fraternity.”  As we might imagine, this hateful display and written manifesto of Rodger directed toward women, has feminists speaking out.

          When we see and hear about these horrific events, it is easy for us to view this young man as distant from ourselves.  In other words we see him as nefarious, deranged, and just plain sick.  And indeed, who could disagree?  There is no doubt he is, at a minimum, all those things.  But where the shocker might come for most people, especially those who are not very biblically literate, is in the fact that none of us are really much, if any, better. This young man committed these external, overt acts of violence against fellow human beings, but the underlying cause is identical in all of us.  

          Ephesians 2 makes it clear that the only thing standing between a person living their life for Jesus Christ and a person “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1, 5) is God’s intervention – specifically His act of “making them alive.” (Eph. 2:1, 5)  It is true that perhaps even as lost, unsaved individuals we did not commit horrible acts like Elliot Rodger, but how much profit is there really in bragging “I am lost, but not quite as lost as this other guy.”  It is the absurdity of a 400 pound man seeing a 500 pound man and then commenting, “How could anyone let themselves get in that kind of condition!”

          We have all heard the saying/statement “But for the grace of God, there go I.”  This is not a direct quote from the Bible, but the principle is easily established in many places throughout, including Ephesians 2.  You cannot understand violent behavior until you understand sin.  The media talks about violence, seemingly all day every day, but rarely if ever, mentions sin.  These are inseparable concepts going back to the origin of sin (Gen. 3) and the violence that quickly followed when Cain rose up and violently slaughtered his brother Abel. (Gen. 4)

          Since the dawn of human history people have fallen hopelessly into the trap of comparing themselves against the one standard that does not matter – fellow man; and failing to actually compare themselves against the one standard that actually does matter – God, as revealed through His Word.  Since the media, Hollywood, the criminal justice system, and a growing number of Americans fail to factor in the total depravity of the human heart it is easy to understand their scramble to try and find order in the midst of chaos.  Imagine hundreds, even thousands of persons, blind from birth, trying to describe the beauty of a clear night sky appearing on news programming giving their opinions as to what it looks like and why the stars shine so brightly.  Imagine print journalists writing articles describing what they cannot see.  While they fail to see the night sky with physical eyes, the vast majority of those commenting on the crime scene in Santa Barbara, CA are doing so while suffering from blindness of spiritual eyes.  That is the state all people are in apart from the enlightenment only God can bring to a person’s eyes, spiritually speaking.  2 Corinthians 2:14 says “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 

          The pursuit of truth, in this world, eventually leads a person back to the giver of truth – God.  Man, in his natural state, cannot and will not, ever see what the spiritual man alone has the ability to see.  The events of recent days are not a weapons problem, or a Hollywood problem, or anything other than the same heart problem that is universal among the entire human race.  We grieve over this situation and with the families who lost loved ones, but we grieve most of all because of the present reality of sin which brought it all to pass.


In Christ,

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor

Tuesday, May 20, 2014


How Does True Revival Come?

 
          Not long ago, in my reading, I encountered a quote, which was actually a question posed by the late teacher and author Leonard Ravenhill.  (Learn more about Ravenhill by following this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Ravenhill ) Writing more than 50 years ago, he asks:

               What are we Christians doing?  To use a very tattered phrase, are we just

               ‘playing church?’  With all our revival campaigns, are we getting folks

                into biblical regeneration?  Is it really a comfort to know that the recent

                converts will become just like us?  What if they are as lazy and

                self-excusing in the matter of personal devotion to Jesus and active

                engagement in soul-wining as the rest of our listed church members?  Is

                that a thrilling thought?  Or is it a spine-chilling one?  If ‘like produces like,’

                does this prospect of the new additions to the church furrow our brows or

                flood our hearts with joy?” (Leonard Ravenhill; Revival Praying; 29)

Food is a good and desirable thing.  We likely have our personal favorites.  I for one, really like Mexican food.  But when I am already full or when I am sick I don’t want any Mexican food.  However, when I am hungry, my mouth waters at the thought of tacos, tamales, and enchiladas!  I also like to get a good night’s sleep each night, but when I wake up well-rested, taking a nap is the furthest thing from my mind.  However, the night before I yawned and stumbled to bed, anxious to put my head on my pillow and close my eyes.  The difference is in the appetites.  Both you and I have a daily appetite for food and sleep.  However, I am not so sure we have a strong, compelling, and passionate appetite to see revival.

          We are not opposed to the concept of revival nor to seeing it take place; but we are also not necessarily inclined or motivated to work toward aiding it in taking place either.  In many cases we are, as Ravenhill says, “just playing church.”  He calls them out for this lackadaisical approach which stems from a lackadaisical attitude. 

           In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we are told “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things have become new.”  The “regenerate,” according to the New Testament standards, will never be content to merely “play church.”  Salvation is far too real and earth-shattering for them.  It seems like they are a different person now; and indeed they are!

          There is an old hymn written by B. B. McKinney nearly a hundred years ago entitled “Lord, Send Revival.”  The chorus of that hymn says “Lord, send a revival, Lord send a revival, Lord send a revival, and let it begin in me.”  We have been repeatedly taught that revival should begin with us.  However, my observation over 20 years in ministry, is that most people could more accurately sing “Lord send a revival, and let it begin with anyone else but me.”  Many readily point out the ways others need to change but are not so quick to identify and then change problems within themselves.

          When Ravenhill asks “Is it really a comfort to know that the recent converts will become just like us?” he is pointing to the inherent danger of existing believers negatively influencing new believers.  One of the saddest things I have ever observed – and I have done so on a number of occasions – is to see new believers lose their enthusiasm and become complacent and even spiritually lazy.  Most always, one of the biggest contributing factors is their observation of other Christians.  

          Ravenhill goes on to write that they are prone to “be self-excusing in the matter of personal devotion to Jesus and active engagement in soul-winning as the rest of the ‘listed’ church members.”  It is hard to be the only one with enthusiasm.  So often the one possessing enthusiasm is brought down by those who don’t have it.  This negative pier-pressure can even be leveled against pastors.  In one former church I served as pastor, a person commented positively one day about my enthusiasm.  Another person quickly responded to her that ‘he will soon figure out how we do things around here.’  And sadly, that lady was correct.

          What is the answer for the problem Ravenhill identifies?  It is the problem we have probably all observed.  I believe people need to become biblically literate and devote themselves to the basic and fundamental practices they have known from the beginning.  There is nothing any more foundational to the Christian life than Bible study, prayer, and church gatherings yet all too many of our folks don’t seem to know that at best, and at worst don’t seem to care.

          At a time when the church of the Lord Jesus ought to be energized and magnified it is perhaps at its weakest point.  These days simply watching the evening news should cause us to pick up our swords (Bibles) and be ready to go to war!  But sadly we are preoccupied with any number of things which drain us and severely hinder us from having the enthusiasm we might have had for the things of God.  Well, the devil is more than happy to bring us a spiritual blanket, prop up our feet, serve us snacks, and keep us comfortable and away from doing God’s work.

          If revival is to come to our homes, our churches, and our nation it is going to come when we say goodbye to our zones of comfort and become equipped, brave, and willing to engage the culture around us which is increasingly marching lock-step with the enemy.  Satan’s lies are hurling all around the church today and we are scared to death to try and engage the culture because we are low on confidence in “Christ our Warrior’ who has already conquered sin, death, and the grave.  All we need to do to get genuinely revived is spend some time thinking about many of the things we already know.   Indeed, this is how revival comes. 

In Christ, 

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor

Thursday, May 15, 2014


God and the “Gay” Christian:
A Response to Matthew Vines

          We expect attacks from those outside the Kingdom of God.  After all it is not shocking for a non-believer to act according to his/her nature.  But when attacks come seemingly from the inside, it is particularly disturbing. 

          Who would have thought we would ever see a book title like the recent release by Matthew Vines, God and the Gay Christian.  Vines claims to be an evangelical Christian with a high view of Scripture.  He argues that being “gay” in a committed same-sex relationship (and eventual marriage) is totally compatible with biblical Christianity.  His arguments are not completely new, nor are they unique, but rather a synthesis of arguments previously made by revisionist Bible scholars.

          Vines identifies six Bible passages that he claims have stood in the way of countless gay people who have longed for acceptance from their Christian parents, friends, and churches.  These passages are Gen. 19:5; Lev. 18:22; Lev. 20:13; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9; and 1 Tim. 1:10.  He basically argues that mankind has always had a flawed understanding of human sexuality stemming primarily from wrong teaching by the church on the issue. 

          Albert Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, comments in a recent article countering Vine’s conclusions, “His book flows from a startling ambition – to overthrow two millennia of Christian moral wisdom and biblical understanding.”  (Albert Mohler “God, the Gospel, and the Gay Challenge – A Response to Matthew Vines.”  Read the full article at: http://www.albertmohler.com/2014/04/22/god-the-gospel-and-the-gay-challenge-a-response-to-matthew-vines/ )

          Inherent to all human being’s sinful nature is the inclination to interpret Scripture to fit our lifestyle rather than adjust our lifestyle to align with Scripture.  We do not want to violate God’s Word, largely out of fear of consequences; therefore it is much easier to try and seek out ways to synthesize our practices with Scripture.  Since Scripture does not, and cannot, change it is incumbent on human beings to change their behavior.  However, compelling desires have proven to lead people toward seeking to change Scripture instead of themselves.  Attacking it head-on has proven far less effective than more subtle attempts to undermine.  All human beings seek acceptance and justification for their lifestyle and/or behavior, which has led some to highly creative and imaginative interpretations.

          The Bible was not written in a complicated manner.  The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, the common vernacular of the people as opposed to the Classical Greek of the more learned and of literary prominence.  This means the Bible was written and inspired in such a way that even the under-educated could read and generally understand. 

          The Bible is as clear, or clearer, on the issue of homosexual practice than it is on any moral teaching.  There is absolutely no doubt what it says and what it means.  God did not give us a complicated set of Scriptures in order to keep 2 millennia of Christians completely confused and misled on the issue of homosexuality just waiting for Matthew Vines to come along and finally show them the light.  I know it sounds crazy, but Vines is saying, in effect, all the most Godly and learned theologians, pastors, seminary presidents, authors, professors, early church fathers, popes, reformers, missionaries and billions of laypersons have been wrong on this issue but now he has been honored as the one to reveal the truth at a moment in time when the political climate just happens to be primed and ready to applaud his efforts for doing so.  What a coincidence; quite interesting indeed.

          Certainly we should have a measure of compassion and concern to reach persons like Matthew Vines with the Gospel of Christ.  Salvation, we remember, is delivery from the bondage of all sins which enslave us.  Salvation was never intended to merely provide a coping mechanism by which we could somehow better tolerate remaining in bondage.  Vines is saying, in effect, that any salvation he claims to have is incomplete.  It is lacking in its ability to take control of his life.  Instead his homosexual desires still constrain him and control him.  He is the typical lost person in that sense – one who is lost/wandering/confused within his sinful passions.  Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove to do that which is the good, the acceptable, and perfect will of God.” 

          Vines doesn’t need to try and worry about what the Bible has to say concerning homosexuality until he can understand what the Bible says about giving his life to Christ.  The Apostle Paul claimed all sort of justification to persecute and kill Christians and believed he was, in so doing, performing a service for God.  But then he met Christ on the road to Damascus and his theology, wants, desires, passions, and outlook were changed in an instant.  He went from following a religion (set of ideas) to following the Redeemer (Christ)!  Matthew Vines needs to study carefully passages that tell one how to have a changed life and study carefully the overwhelming number of passages which give insight as to what that changed life looks like before he tackles moral teachings that can only truly be understood as the “new creature” 2 Corinthians 5:17 identifies.

          Vines writes of being raised in an evangelical Presbyterian church by Christian parents.  He says he came relatively late to understanding his own sexual desires and pattern of attraction.  He seeks acceptance from his parents, society, and from God.  But ultimately wants to be married to a man.  He argues the Bible simply has no concept of sexual orientation and that to deny him access to marriage is to deny justice and happiness which he has a right to enjoy.  He argues that celibacy cannot be mandated for same-sex individuals within the church, for this would be unjust and wrong.

          Although, still highly inaccurate, his arguments might carry slightly more weight if they were not so obviously self-serving.  If someone who did not desire to justify their own behavior and lifestyle – who had no dog in the hunt – compiled this research it might be more convincing to a few people.  But overwhelmingly, it clearly is antithetical to the Scripture’s teachings to a degree that is beyond dispute by any reasonable interpreter.  And his conclusions are self-serving to the point of absurdity.

          As I have considered these things, once I get past the initial anger of how someone could attempt to subvert and malign the clear teachings of Scripture on this subject, I cannot help but feel deeply saddened for this man.  Look at how far his sin has led him.  Not merely to get involved with homosexual practice, in the first place, and then to push for marriage, but literally to the extent of setting down with the Bible, eisegeting (reading into Scripture one’s own biases and presuppositions) it to fit his own desires.  The New Testament is clear.  It is “He” (Christ) who justifies us and we cannot justify ourselves.  Our justification does not come by strong/compelling desires, political movements, rhetoric, or even writing a book.  It comes only by repentance from our sins, turning our whole lives over to Christ and following Him.      
 

In Christ,

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor 

Thursday, May 8, 2014


When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood

          As I talk to Christians today I hear expressed a handful of common concerns.  Many of the words I hear express concern, disbelief, and discouragement.  It seems as though Satan has come in like a tidal wave drenching everything in his path and bringing about mass destruction and chaos.  Many believers have become discouraged and some are expressing grave concerns about the future.

          It seems like such a short time ago, the concept of “gay marriage” was totally unthinkable.  Yet, in 2014 we find the remaining barriers to this cultural phenomenon being dismantled on practically a daily basis.  In 2012, Barak Obama running for re-election, became the first setting President in American history to openly express support for “gay marriage.”  Also in 2012, the Democratic Party became the first major political party in American history to have marriage equality (same sex marriage) as a plank in its national party platform.  Politicians such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, who previously publicly rejected the notion, said they were “evolving” on the issue and now supported this new take on marriage equality.  Other politicians have followed suit.  Additionally there have been a significant number of actors and actresses, athletes, and other well-known individuals who have thrown in their support.

          The rapidity of the change in this “politically correct” culture has been overwhelming.  Some have commented it is as though we are now living in a Twilight Zone episode.  Nothing is as it should be.  Nothing is the way we had come to expect.  Most all the episodes of the original Twilight Zone were scary because they stretched and tickled the imagination and forced viewers to focus, if only briefly, on the eccentric and bizarre.

          When we consider the character of the world in end times, or last days, many Scriptures come immediately to mind.  The obvious ones are those which actually alert us to the fact they are describing end times, but some are far less obvious.  I would argue that any verse which explicitly or implicitly describes or otherwise gives insight into human nature is telling and revealing.  The key characteristics of end times are really nothing new, but instead the same old characteristics operating without their former societal restraints.

          We live in a darkening culture that is running as fast as it can from any memory of its Christian past.  The changing attitudes concerning marriage are among the chief ways of illustrating this reality.  In a recent article entitled “Same-Sex Marriage and the Future” Russell Moore, President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, says the short-term prospects for God-honoring marriage do not look so good; at least where popular culture is concerned.  Marriage has been attacked on many fronts.  However, he reminds that the long-term prospects concerning marriage are excellent.  When the Lord returns he will set all things right and restore the foundations which appear to be crumbling under the weight of this ungodly culture. (Read Moore’s full article at http://www.russellmoore.com/2014/04/15/same-sex-marriage-and-the-future/ )

          Many verses give us hope in these perilous times, but as I consider the things which are happening and the severity of the attacks launched by “the enemy of our souls,” I think of the words of Isaiah the Prophet.  In chapter 59 of his prophesy he is writing concerning “The Redeemer of Zion” promised to come.  But the people of the day were caught somewhere in the middle.  Their “glass half full” side wanted to believe there was hope and that God would do all the great things he had promised and that he had not forgotten about them and their struggles.  But their “glass half empty” side tended to watch the signs of the times and political climate and get really distraught.  It was exactly to those battered and discouraged people that Isaiah wrote “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” (Is. 59:19)  John N. Oswalt commenting on this verse writes “The wrath of God against sin will be like a stream thundering through a narrow canyon, pushed on by a roaring wind; and those who choose to ally themselves with sin, no matter where they are in the world, will have good cause to be terrified.” (John N. Oswalt; New International Commentary; Is. 40-66; 530)  Really, in a nutshell, what is being promised here is that God will fight and overcome the forces of evil that attempt to engulf His people.

           The Apostle Paul, writing to his young protégé Timothy, in his second letter stated “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”  (2 Tim. 3:1-4)  Every one of the descriptive terms used by Paul fit either totally or partially with the current race for “gay” pride, “gay” rights and “gay” marriage here in these “perilous times” and/or “last days.”

          There is no doubt the enemy Satan, has come into this culture like a mighty, roaring, destructive, wall of water leveling destruction and devouring anything and everything in its path.  We may look at those massive flood waters and feel powerless – and indeed we are except for one thing; our Redeemer!  Remember the words of tremendous assurance written by The Apostle John “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world!” (1 John 4:4)


In Christ,

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor