Doctrinal Ideology

     Since my inception into Christianity I have been raised in a Christian school/church, I went to college for a time studying under professors, then from there have had somewhat close relationships with pastors having many intellectual conversations on Theology and Doctrines, studied many books and read many articles.

      However, here is what I am observing through my many classes, conversations and readings when it comes to the doctrines that are in the church today. There are many who while explaining the doctrines they hold to, cite their own reasoning, history, or teachings of other men rather than scripture or "whole of scripture". What do I mean by "whole of scripture"? Well, they will throw out a phrase from the Bible. Phrases from the Bible can be very powerful and will have great meaning, but it cannot be used apart from the rest of Scriptures and how they direct the meaning of that phrase.

       Here, however, lie the problems with Doctrinal Ideology, here is the great abyss in which we find ourselves whilst we are plagued with this problem. First and foremost is the fact that we take away from the truth and if we take away from the truth we take away from its power. If I tell someone they don't have to repent in order to be saved then I am a liar or if I tell them they need to repent but they can go on living according to their own ways and need not recognize Jesus as Lord then I have deceived them and thereby send them on a potential path to hell. There are many other doctrines this applies to not just salvation, but we must be careful not to take away from the truth.

       The other major issue that it causes is schisms in the church. Today we have so many different doctrines going around the "church" that there is great confusion and disunity. (The author of which is not God) The idea that as long as we are together in our beliefs in our local church is all that matters and we will do our part in kingdom building doesn't cut it anymore. Maybe it was tolerable in the age of a very "religious" nation that the United States use to be, but it is not that anymore and we need to gather our strength and resources. You can see what it did to Europe by the church being split and ununified, it has fallen apart and is merely now but a vapor. (By church I mean the born again believers who put their faith in Christ alone...I speak neither of ecumenicalism nor the blending of faiths) So here we are in America barely able to hold ourselves up against the world because we would throw walls up against each other because others do not agree fully with our own personal beliefs.

     But to go back to my original issue with Doctrinal Ideology it is not the repercussions (although they are tragic) but the ideology itself. It is the way of thinking that if a certain doctrine is true than that means this principle must be true even though there are scriptures that say otherwise, and they begin to ignore those scriptures or simply twist them to fit their beliefs. First of all the original doctrine that they are basing their subsequent doctrines on may be flawed itself...not that it always is though. And they end up so entangled in thought and philosophy, deceived by the devil, that they don't know how to get back to ground zero.

     Now you may be saying, "Give me an example". Well I am not going to do that, because here is the very issue...it again opens up argument and debate and this is very unproductive especially in this type of blog format. But let's look at the History of "Theology".  Theology dawns back to the age of the Catholic church which I believe at all times was apostate. Theology is a Study of God as if we have any right to study Him in the same way we would study a worm or pig. Many have said that through theology we know God, but the Bible says through Christ we know God. So we see unregenerate men in the middle ages trying to know and understand God simply because they were in a religion that based itself on the Bible though it and they were far from God. But many of the traditions and doctrines that we hold to today have some sort of basis in this time period. Even John Calvin the "Father" of Calvinism was superseded in his beliefs by St. Augustine of Hippo (Catholic Bishop) and John Calvin was a very ruthless man who if you look at his life would be very hard to prove that he was a Christian. Now I am not saying that to play one side or the other in the Calvinism/Armenian debate but simply let us really look at the origins of our doctrines. I personally go back and forth in this Calvinism debate and am trying to reconcile the scriptures involved, but I cannot hold to a set of beliefs because they were nicely put together by a certain individual and have credible philosophical merit. Logically I can absolutely understand the TULIP philosophy, but the points must be undoubtedly substantiated by scripture. But like in one of my previous blogs I stated regardless of our point of view we must simply obey the command of Christ and bear fruit. But there are so many other doctrines out there that I do not want to focus on just one. I simply want us as followers of Jesus to obey Him and His wishes. John 13:35- "by this will people know that you are my disciples, that you have love one for another." and John 17 as Christ prays that all who believe in Him will be united as He and the Father are one.

     Before the establishment of the Catholic Church the Christians were undergoing persecution so for them it was simply to survive and bear fruit. Yes, they had false teachers, but I don't believe they were as subtle as they are today. (Satan has had many years to craft his technique) Do we need severe persecution to again get us on the right track? Paul gives us this warning-
(Rom 16:17-18)
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

      In fact in Romans 14 Paul says not to get involved or even discuss these minor differences so as to not build potential strife and in chapter 15 says this- (Rom 15:5-7)
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

    So what should our Primary Doctrine be? What is the doctrine that unifies us in the name of Jesus Christ? I believe Paul puts it very eloquently here-(Php 3:8-15)
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.      

     Let’s look at what Paul is saying:(understand the context of this passage is in the midst of his warning of men promoting false doctrines to the Philippians...people who would take them from their Jesus and lead them away from their heavenly calling-
1. We must be willing to give up all (whether material, knowledge, or prestige) to know Christ
2. By knowing Christ we will have a righteousness not of our own that comes from the law but by faith in Him
3. To know Christ and His Power- A power so great that it conquered death
4. To share in the sufferings of Christ so that through them we can become like Him
5. None of us are perfect as of yet, but we continue on to eventually to obtain it because we belong to Christ
6. It is not of our works or efforts, but our commitment to Him that we press on toward Him
7. Those of us who are mature need to think in this way and if there are doctrines you do not understand continue to think this way and God will reveal them to you

      And yet beyond doctrine we have churches that are still battling over KJV issues and music issues, these aren't even biblical doctrinal issues, but reasoning issues that comes from personal preferences and logic. So let us put away all envy, malice and strife seeking after Jesus and walk in the Love that He so audaciously marched. 

Doctrinal Myth Busters: The Backslidden Christian

    I believe I have a better chance of finding Big Foot than I do a "Backslidden Christian". Why? Because according to scripture I don't believe they exist. And here is why as we look at a couple of passages that most christians use to try to explain the existence of Backslidden Christians and then look at the definition of it as well. The one that many look at as the existence of this elusive creature is I Corinthians 5 where it speaks of "church discipline", however, I believe this is slightly misinterpreted. In verse 5 Paul says to get rid of the individual so that his soul may be saved. Well, this can mean only two things either by his sin he lost his salvation or he was never saved and implies that hopefully outside of the acceptance and love of the church Satan will bring him to a breaking point where he will finally repent and trust Christ. My take is the later as I don't believe that someone can "lose" their salvation.Which means this was not a "Backslidden" christian but a non believer in the midst of the church.
     The other big passage that people point to is in Revelations where Christ is speaking to the church of Laodicea. And this passage is really the core of the message which I want to get across. First lets get away of the traditional teaching (just because it is traditional teaching doesn't mean it is true to the text) that God wants you either Hot or Cold for Him, so that if your Cold he can deal with your sin. Firstly, God never in scripture says that he wants anyone to be cold for Him or involved with Sin. This is the first part we need to get away from and the second is that He says to those who are lukewarm that he will vomit us from His mouth. So our misunderstood notion is that if we are lukewarm that somehow we have found a loophole and God can't deal with our apathy and sin? Not to mention in the next sentence He says that he will vomit us from His mouth...I must say that doesn't sound pleasant to me.(I don't want my Father in Heaven, God of this Universe, or even Jesus who gave himself for me to want to spit me from his mouth) That sounds like rejection or at the least severe discipline. Thirdly, what is this metaphor that He is using? It is water so we have to understand that when He speaks of us being cold or hot that He is comparing us to water. Either you are Cold Water or Hot Water so in other words you are usable, effective water. But it is the lukewarm water that is ineffective and has no use so He spits it from His mouth.
     Ok so here is the point I am trying to make with all of this together concerning the "Backslidden" Christian. There is no such thing...You are either a mediocre "Lukewarm" Christian which God says he will deal with you harshly or you are an effective christian serving God and His kingdom. So now let's bump it up a notch and define the lukewarm christian.  Is this someone who is living in sin...possibly, but it also includes the moral individual that goes to church, but doesn't serve or minister. It is speaking about the one who is apathetic toward proclaiming and furthering God's Kingdom. In the same passage He states He will discipline them if they do not repent. He was giving the lukewarm christians a warning to repent because they were not repenting of their sin or their apathy. Understand those who live in sin need to repent and those who do not the works of righteousness need to repent just as much. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (Jas 4:17)     The follower of Christ who will inherit eternal life will either have a repentant attitude and seek God's Kingdom being effective or he will be ineffective and God will have to discipline him because as it says in Revelations- As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Rev 3:19)     
      So I hope that I have made clear my point and findings that we will never find the elusive "Backslidden Christian" because there is no such thing only those who are being effective disciples, ineffective disciples and false disciples. But this gives me encouragement, because I know that when I am serving Him despite my imperfections...God Loves Me. When I am consumed with myself and the things of this world...God Loves Me, but things will get rough as he disciplines me. And for those of you who are being apathetic and sinful but there is no repentance or discipline...God loves you and you need to repent and trust in Jesus Christ for the redemption of your soul. So end your days as an ineffective or false disciple and become the Cold refreshing water or the Hot soothing water that the Lord takes pleasure in.

Hot Vegas, Sleepless Nights

     Here we are into a week of our scouting trip. I am sitting in Las Vegas hoping to not melt as it is 102 degrees. The transition to camper life has been difficult, but manageable. We have been very busy not only traveling from Indiana to here, but scouting the areas and figuring out the best most efficient way of living in this box with 5 other people. Especially when two of them like to scream and cry about everything.
     The good news is that every community I have scouted so far has brought forth great potential for our future evangelistic efforts and working with established churches. In fact so much so that it is a bit overwhelming. My heart is heavy over the fact that I must move on so soon rather than simply stay in these areas and proclaim Christ to the people. Knowing that not only are these communities ripe for the harvest, but so are the many towns and cities that surround them and I am only one.
     However, here are my sleepless nights, here are the yearnings of my heart. Why are we not reaching these people? Where are we in our efforts to be the light and gospel to the people of our own nation. In Acts it says that those early Christians and apostles were daily in the temple and many were added to them. They were not in the temple, I believe, for religious reasons as the veil had been torn and the temple rendered futile. I believe they were there for the means of spreading the gospel, for this is where the people of that day gathered to purchase items, be taught things about God and in their religion continue in the sacrifices and offerings.  It is my absolute belief that all those who know Christ and are inheritors of eternal life are agents of the reconciliation. This means that we should all be active participants in ministering to, loving, and guiding the lost. Guiding them back to their Creator, reconciling them to the one who loves them. I go back and forth on this election issue of those who were chosen of God to receive salvation through both scripture and my philosophical notions. But regardless of whether God chose the elect completely or they had some small part in the choosing of their faith then it still comes down to the simple act of obedience on our part. We are to be a light unto the world, we are to be these agents of reconciliation. We need to be praying for the lost and the ministers to them. We need to be praying that the light of God would shine forth through us and reach the spiritually dead.
      So my sleepless nights, my daily yearning will not cease until the Lord comes back and makes things right. My heart will remain heavy until I see we the agents of reconciliation actually performing our mission. Give up the things of this world, the distractions of life and spring forth ready to suffer through your Hot Vegas and your Sleepless Nights.