I do not endorse Brannon Howes, but this audio from his radio interview with Mike Gendron is worth a listen.  If you are unsure of whether or not Francis Chan is false teacher then this should help clarify.

Pan Evangelicals Still Wield the Broken Sword 
of Political/Cultural Evangelism

An editorial by Orrel Steinkamp

“This appears to be a “circling the wagons” to recruit every able-bodied sort of evangelical into the new effort. Converting the culture appears harder than anticipated. [...]  If you can’t defeat the culture in the ballot box or with political alliances then you need to circle the wagons. If you can’t dominate the culture by “apostolic and prophetic decrees” in league with political forces, and if you can’t become junior partners with the Vatican and Jesuits,… Well! recruit every able body in sight. Different doctrine does not deter them. Anyone can enter this wide circle.”

Read the entire article at http://herescope.blogspot.com/2013/04/circling-wagons.html

The way to stimulate unity in the church is by a faithful ministry of your gifts to
the other members. The way to stimulate unity in the church is by getting involved so that what you are in the Spirit of God and what you are by the saving grace of Jesus Christ can make a contribution to what somebody else needs. You see the unity of the church is not kept by being silent about things you disagree with. The unity of the church is not kept by not making trouble, it’s kept by making a concerted effort to build the body of Christ into oneness. ~John MacArthur, ‘The Mystery Revealed‘ 

“Conformists believe relationships, camaraderie, and affability will lead people to Christ.  It’s a sort of salvation by osmosis.  In their view, redemption will be subjectively induced without verbal definition.

The problem is, it doesn’t work that way.  Jesus’ command to preach the gospel to a lost and dying world is an absolute, not an option.  We can and should be pleasant folk, but you can’t smile people into heaven.  Remove the message of life-transforming salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and there is nothing left but another emaciated religious faction.” ~ Elwood McQuaid, ‘The Changing Face of America’

by Mark Dinsmore
The Berean Call
February 2013

“Everybody Wants to Rule the World”

Last month, we looked at a number of historical efforts to “Christianize” different cultures at different times—each one by political leaders who believed they were exercising “God-given authority” to rule over the earth. Usually, those involved in orchestrating such efforts misquote the book of Genesis and point to Adam and Eve’s failure to “take dominion” as the basis for needed “restoration” of this mandate. And of course, such a goal always comes by human effort—which is nothing but another attempt to reach “heaven” by climbing up another way (Jn:10:1).

Dave Hunt and  TBC  have long addressed Kingdom-Dominionism in many forms—from the heresies and evil deeds of Roman Catholicism to the aberrations of Reformed theology and modern Reconstructionism to the extrabiblical and occultic practices of the Charismatic Latter Rain movement (see  Whatever Happened to Heaven?  and  Temporal Delusion ). Each of these historic cults and schisms has shared the same goal: to establish a “Christian” religious and political authority—first nationally and then globally. Historically, however, such attempts have always led to the  removal  of “Christian liberty” through tyrannical oppression and eventual persecution of true saints in Christ. The same holds true for the ongoing advancement of ecumenical unity in the New Religious Right of today—a  converging  church that is being built on the foundation of “common ground” with Masons, Mormons, and even Muslims.

It should be clear from Scripture and history that our God-given assignment is not to take dominion over unregenerate individuals, nor to become lords over human government, but rather to preach the gospel and make disciples. Yet, the temptation for some to “Christianize” the nation—and ultimately, the world—through human government is too great.

In divining “God’s Plan for America,” (see Part One ) Pat Robertson and other Christian patriots have evidently not consulted with the Scriptures—or else they must not be familiar with the depictions of world kingdoms as they pertain to past, present, and future prophecy. Did not the statue dreamt of by Nebuchadnezzar and interpreted by Daniel depict Babylon as the head of gold, Medo-Persia as the chest and arms of silver, Greece as the thighs of bronze, and Rome as the legs of iron—all fulfilled in history? And despite all the emotional idealism about America’s unsurpassed wealth and unrivaled power, where does America fit into this vision of earth’s sequential kingdoms?

Is America “The Stone Kingdom”?

Most conservative evangelical scholars would agree that the US will be squeezed into the “western” foot and/or toes mingled of iron and clay. Yet, Robertson insists that “the magnificence” of the US  dwarfs  that of every single kingdom identified in the vision of Nebuchadnezzar? This is, at best, pure delusion! That is, unless Robertson somehow believes that America is itself the “stone cut out of the mountain without hands” (Dn 2:45) that crushes them all. But how could such a twisting of Scripture occur? And where is the discernment of viewers and the rebuke of leaders who seek to protect their flocks from such deception?

Probing further, it appears that Robertson’s hopes are indeed pinned on a little-known aberrant doctrine that refers to America as “The Stone Kingdom.” In a book by that title, author E. Raymond Capt claims to present “compelling evidence that the United States of America  is that final kingdom!” In fact, the author declares that America will “become a great mountain and eventually fill the whole earth.” At first glance, one may dismiss this notion as ridiculous but harmless. However, as TBC has long documented, Christian Dominionism is a “doctrine of devils,” which continues to deceive millions while laying the foundation for the coming kingdom of Antichrist.

Strange Doctrine Makes Stranger Bedfellows

One basis for this heresy is the doctrine of British Israelism, an idea originating in the mid-1600s, which attempted to prove that Western Europeans were principally descended from the “lost” tribes of Israel. Some even attempted to connect the Royal Family to the lineage of King David. A number of “Bible teachers” pursued this idea, and by the mid-1800s it became a significant “Christian” movement, impacting the direction and development of various cults—including those established by Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, and Herbert W. Armstrong. Joseph Smith declared that “the whole of America is Zion itself from north to south” (http://globalmormonism.byu.edu/?page_id=9). Even today, Christian Science adherents proclaim that “America is The Cradle for the Second Coming of the Christ” (http://mbeinstitute.org/America/AmerIntro.html). Pat Robertson’s declaration that all the kingdoms of history “are dwarfed by the magnificence of the United States” seems to echo these unbiblical sentiments.

When viewed in this light, one can begin to see the method behind Pat’s mantra when he repeatedly insists: “God has a plan! And he’s not finished with this nation yet! We are a covenant people! Don’t let any politician tell you we’re not! This nation was ordained by God in the midst of the nations of the earth…. We are here! God Almighty has a plan, and that plan is not finished yet.”

Tragically, not only is Robertson filled with the pride of Christian nationalism—which is rooted in the unbiblical doctrines of British Israelism, Freemasonry, and Mormonism—but he is sadly mistaken that such defiant declaration is warranted on the basis of Scripture. Though he evidently intends to encourage anxious believers and crestfallen patriots lamenting the course of their nation, his position is in direct conflict with the Scriptures.

Viewed in this light, calling America “the stone kingdom” is exceedingly dangerous. Under no circumstances should the professing church exalt America to the position reserved for Christ! This nationalistic idolatry is particularly offensive when one understands the extent to which the United States was conceived and built not by God, nor by his Spirit, but by  Masonic  hands that  literally  cut out and established America’s capitol—as well as its first great cities. Were true Christians among these occultists? Absolutely. Did they invoke the name of God? Most certainly. But America’s founding was an unholy mixture of the sacred and profane—with evil men and seducers, being deceived and deceiving others, mingled with many good men (some godly) who “knew not what they did.”

The pattern of deception continues now as it did then: True believers and professing Christians alike engage in ecumenical efforts for the building or restoring of “God’s kingdom on earth.” In the process, they “wittingly or unwittingly” practice occult methods for the purpose of “entering” the heavens, after the manner of ancient pagan kingdoms. Tragically, while believing themselves to be more educated and advanced, many “modern” Christians are no better off than the ancient Hebrews who “ignorantly” worshiped Baal.

The Cornerstone of American History—or Heresy?

Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of America’s occult foundation can be seen in the Babylonish ceremony for the laying of the US Capitol cornerstone. Dressed in full Masonic regalia, our nation’s first president, George Washington, presided over the elaborate parade and ceremony—entirely conceived and conducted by  Freemasons —which concluded with a ritual “dressing” of the cornerstone with an engraved silver plaque, on top of which was poured corn, wine, and oil, and “sealed” with a Masonic chant.

Is such ritual Christian—or pagan? Could America’s “destiny” have been “sealed” from its very foundation and dedication to the god of Freemasonry? Lodge records faithfully document every detail of the cornerstone ritual’s procession—which concluded with “The President of the United States, the Grand Master… and the Worshipful Master of No. 22, taking their stand to the East of a huge stone; and all the Craft, forming a circle westward, stood a short time in silent awful order”  (http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/gw_laying_the_cornerstone_mural_medallion.htm ).

If the modern reader did not know the event being described, the parallels to the practice of witchcraft (also called “the  craft ”) are striking—particularly with regard to the reverence paid in “silent awe” to the  East . In a counterfeit reference to Christ’s Second Coming (Mt 24:27), Freemasonry regards divine light, or knowledge, as coming “from the East.” This is why the former women’s auxiliary of Masonry (now open to all male and female relatives) is called the Order of the  Eastern  Star. Though cloaked in a “Christian” veil, the Gnostic light of this star is Lucifer, “light bearer,” which Scripture also depicts allegorically as “a bird of prey” (Jer:49:16).

What about 2 Chronicles:7:14?

In clip four of the preview for  God’s Plan for America , Robertson simultaneously issues a caveat and a call to action with the question:

And so God says to us, “Will you be faithful to the covenant? Will you renew the covenant that I made with your forefathers on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean when they knelt in prayer and claimed this land for me? Will you renew that covenant?” And if we do, we will enter a period of unprecedented prosperity and blessing, and the blessing of heaven will be showered down upon us. And that’s the challenge that I give you and He gives us. To renew once again that covenant, and to grasp hold of the plan that God had before the creation of the earth, that this land would be here, as first among nations.

Once again, Robertson exposes his own heresy with the declaration that God intends for  America  to be “ first  among nations.” This is defacto anti-Semitism. And yet, even those evangelicals who reject this unbiblical doctrine fall into the same trap of exalting America to an idolatrous height. As we’ve seen, American believers in particular love to view Scripture through the myth of an imagined covenant with God—which they believe makes the United States a “Christian nation.” Though it  was  once a nation of predominantly Christian-minded people who long enjoyed peace and prosperity—as a partial result of governing and living by biblical values—America was never ordained to be “The Stone Kingdom.”

This aberrant view of history, in turn, results in a skewed perspective when it comes to interpreting and applying Scripture. As Dave Hunt responded on  Search the Scriptures Daily  radio: “If you don’t recognize that there is a difference between Israel and the church, you will be very confused both as to salvation and the Rapture [and] the Second Coming. God…has promised full restoration of Israel to her land. There’s no restoration to a land for the church. There’s no way that you can make the prophecies to Israel fit the church, but people try…. For example, you have 2 Chronicles:7:14:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Dave continues, “Now, there are people who…say, ‘Now, look, if the church in America would just confess her sins, and get right with God, and really—let’s have a campaign of prayer, and pray and  pray  for our country—God would turn America into a Christian nation.’ But of course, God…never gave the Americans America, and he certainly never gave the Christian Americans America. So they are badly mistaken when they try to apply [2 Chronicles:7:14].”

Tragically, innumerable campaigns, programs, and crusades have been based on this single verse alone—leaving untold millions of believers under the delusion that this is a promise of God  for   America . Stop right there. Consider the context! The entire chapter is about Solomon’s dedication of the temple and consecration of the nation of  Israel  to God—an account that starts all the way back in the second chapter. Throughout Scripture, the  only  nation and the only culture that God addresses as “my people” is Israel and the Jews.

Although it is true that the account of Israel throughout Scripture has various application for  believers  both personally and corporately, it is a patent falsehood to misapply this promise to the United States—or to any other country. For example, can you picture an evangelistic crusade in China based on 2 Chronicles:7:14? In India? In Syria? Why not? After all, if the promise of this passage is directed to God’s people everywhere  (the Bride of Christ), then why not encourage the persecuted church to rise up and proclaim this promise for a communist nation? a Hindu nation? a Muslim nation?

The absurdity of this suggestion should illustrate the seriousness of wresting Bible passages from their context. And yet, even “solid” evangelicals have put their trust in a promise  never intended  for American believers. But despite decades of political activism and countless perennial prayer events, faith in America’s flag—along with its moral fabric—has continued to unravel. Even culture warrior and psychologist James Dobson acknowledged bleakly in his farewell address at Focus on the Family:

We are awash in evil and the battle is still to be waged. We are right now in the most discouraging period of that long conflict. Humanly speaking, we can say we have lost all those battles….

The secular media was quick to rejoice at this admission, as  Washington Monthly  columnist Steve Benen gloated in his “Political Animal” column of April 12, 2009:

Whether Dobson and his cohorts give up now or not, his assessment about their lack of success is nevertheless accurate. The culture war is all but over, and far-right evangelicals have precious little to show for their efforts. After about three decades of fighting, the culture warriors are hard pressed to point to any progress at all.

Considering this dismal reality (from an earthly perspective), is our goal for evangelism  really  to help make America “be a great nation again?” If that’s the hope we’re promoting through grand crusades with popular bands and patriotic bunting, then I fear it is false advertising for God. It’s like the well-intended, but misguided gospel presentation of the classic Campus Crusade tract,  Four Spiritual Laws,  in which the first law states: “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Really? What if that plan includes pain, suffering, trial, tribulation—and by worldly measure, abject failure?

The  truth  is, God’s word declares: “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tm 3:12). And unlike the imagined “God’s Plan for America,” this is one principle repeated throughout the New Testament that  does  apply to the church in America. Therefore, if crusade converts pray to receive Christ, and then have their earthly dreams fall apart—or after years of ceaseless labor in some ministry of conservative political activism, they see the degradation and depravity in our nation continue to spiral out of control, what will be the end of their faith? As the Apostle Paul mused, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor:15:19).

With great respect for all those who have labored for the vision of a “Christian America,” I submit that our God-given purpose in evangelism is not  to “dominate” government, nor to restore an Edenic utopia. Our Creator has promised to do this in His time: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD” (Zec:4:6). Until that day, we are strangers in a strange land—pilgrims on this planet, whose assignment is  not  “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (the endless material accumulation for ourselves and our posterity) but rather to participate in God’s great rescue mission—which was that of Christ, who came “to seek and to save that which [is] lost” (Lk 19:10).

Unlike America’s broken (and impossible) promise of “liberty and justice for all,” only one King and His Kingdom offers true “liberty and salvation  for all” who believe: Jesus Christ. This alone is the greatest (and only) hope for America—and for the world.

With whom will you share God’s  truly  wonderful plan today?

by Mark Dinsmore
The Berean Call
January 2013

“God’s Not Finished with U.S. Yet”

How many of us have heard this statement recently: “God isn’t yet finished with the United States of America”? How many of us have spoken it? Well, if you’re reading this and still breathing anywhere within the confines of the 50 states, that’s a pretty safe statement to make—for if God were truly “finished” with America, then none of us would be here.

Given the frequency and fervency with which this statement is often made, it seems apparent that it’s born out of deep-rooted conviction that holds broad appeal among Christians of all denominations whose love and commitment to political conservativism rank right up there with “God, apple pie, and baseball.” But what does this popular statement mean?

If I may take a swing at it, it seems that this statement is generally aimed at providing encouragement for quick relief from depression over election outcomes or other statistics that depict the erosion of long-held liberties and the onset of advanced societal decay. But is it biblical? And does it have any more lasting effect or theological depth than other popular Christian clichés? Indeed, the belief that “God’s not done with the US yet” is generally based on hope for national spiritual revival and a second “rebirth” of America.

Selling this hope also seems to be the stock and trade of politicians and Christian leaders alike who seek to rally their constituents and reassure their flocks of better days yet to come, usually based on misapplication of Scripture. Capitalizing on the fears of many who are anxious at the changes occurring in our nation—which threaten to irreversibly affect the quality of life for generations to come—a myriad of ministries compete for the pocketbooks of those who give as generously as possible in a last-ditch effort to “restore America.”

Pat Robertson’s (Misplaced) Hope for America

Not surprisingly, one such proclamation is still being uttered post-election by the perennial prognosticator and purveyor of hope in Christian Patriotism— 700 Club founder and one time presidential candidate, Pat Robertson. Robertson continues his tradition of raising “ministry” funds by selling hope to anxious viewers concerned over what’s happening in America.

Titled God’s Plan for America: How to Prepare for the Days Ahead , Pat Robertson’s newest DVD claims to reveal “the covenant God has with America and the steps necessary to see the blessings of heaven showered down on our nation.” The marketing copy declares that “there is still an opportunity to enter into a period of unprecedented growth and national blessing—if we will follow the plan God has for us.” But this DVD is “not for sale in stores.” It’s not even available for purchase on the CBN website, for any amount. No, in order to discover, understand, and implement this plan, prospective viewers must “become a CBN partner” for a minimum monthly donation of $20 ($240 per year)! Inspiring clips and compelling testimonies of those who endorsed the DVD will undoubtedly pay for this slick production thousands of times over—especially considering that many “club members” will remain on the roles long after the DVD is either collecting dust or used for target practice.

Before dismantling Robertson’s case for American exceptionalism, we must acknowledge that he is not alone in his belief, which is echoed, as we’ll address, by many other conservative evangelicals. But even without the benefit of hearing Pat’s entire message, the promotional clips give us sufficient insight to evaluate whether Robertson’s hope for America is biblical—or bogus. The first clip opens with Robertson reading from Isaiah:46:9-11

, which he follows with this bold declaration, “Now I want to submit to you today that God has a plan for the United States of America. To say that this land is not exceptional is to insult the word of God Almighty.”

By “exceptional” Robertson does not mean “better than average” but rather means “specially selected, prophetically promised, divinely ordained.” He also appears to justify this misplaced faith by finding America in this passage described as “a bird of prey” (an eagle). However, the context describes the then-future judgment of Israel “from the East,” and does not depict a nation from the west (most scholars agree that this prophecy was fulfilled by King Cyrus).

Dreams of American Grandeur

In clip two, “A Covenant People,” Robertson declares, “America has risen to be the greatest nation on the face of the earth. It’s the richest nation, it’s the most powerful nation, of all the kingdoms and all the empires that have been in the history of mankind. Whether it’s the empire of Greece, or the empire of Rome, or the empire of Alexander, or the empire of the Persians, the Babylonians, or the whoever. They are dwarfed by the magnificence of the United States of America.”

Oh my! Is such aggrandizement of the US yet rational? Especially considering the country’s precipitous national debt, which is poised to enslave future generations? Yet most taxpayers remain unaware that the “Federal Reserve” (which is neither Federal nor has any reserve) is likewise indebted to foreign banks and multinational corporations, which, in turn, hold enormous equity in America’s vast natural resources. As but one example, Red China now owns more than $1 trillion dollars of US debt (enough to collapse our economy overnight) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt) and has begun the purchase of US land for the construction of massive walled “free trade” cities from coast to coast (http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/12/31/1472023/chinese-company-eyes-bo…) with the aid and approval of corrupt politicians (http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/09/04/Harry-Reid-s-Son-Repr…). This is potentially the realRed Dawn , of which most citizens are completely oblivious. And yet, “Christian Patriots” believe that we’ll somehow be able to “take back” this land? And take over the government to boot? (Talk about “strong delusion”!)

It would take another article to document what appears to be a systematic coup underway in our nation—and yet, even as the heathen rage and “imagine a vain thing” (Ps:2:1-6) it is with full consent of our sovereign God, who “changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Dn 2:21a). But in spite of what many consider to be “handwriting on the financial wall” for the US, Robertson brazenly asserts that America remains at the pinnacle of world power and prominence.

What Went “Wrong” in 2012?

The impossibility of achieving “Christian Dominion” should be evident by the outcome of the 2012 elections, which not only highlighted increasing corruption in the entire candidate selection and election process but also an unprecedented degree of ignorance and apathy in both political parties. On the Democratic side, the number of activists and voters who don’t know (and don’t care) about the history of the communist cry, “Forward!” (Obama’s chosen campaign slogan) is astounding. On the Republican side, Romney’s campaign suffered from a split within conservative evangelicalism: Some, offended by his Mormon faith, forgot they weren’t appointing a pastor, but a president. (These voters also failed to consider the fact that many past “Christian” presidents have been so in name only; and that for those in office who embraced Freemasonry, the Lodge—not God—is the higher authority to which they had already sworn allegiance. This, too, is “Satanic.”) Intent on derailing a second term of perceived Muslim-Marxist influence, many prominent evangelicals switched tracks, jumping on the bandwagon of the New Religious Right—even to the shocking extent of removing references to Mormonism as a cult (as did the Billy Graham Association website). But after the stage-managed media shutout of Ron Paul, not even the combined ecumenical might of conservatives could elect the RINO (Republican In Name Only) Romney. To top off this political circus, Bill Keller (tireless self-promoter of “Live Prayer” fame) even bragged that he got over 1 million evangelicals to write in the name of “Jesus” for President of the United States. What utter absurdity!

Add that to the gross manipulation of candidates by the media, forcing out any non-establishment candidate with truly Constitutional views, and mix it with a corrupted mail-in and electronic voting system that has vastly increased undetected tampering, and top it off with a massive influx of “undocumented citizens” whose votes are “pre-purchased” by the promises of progressive incumbents—and it should be abundantly clear that no uncompromising, Bible-believing Christian will ever win popular approval. Should American Christians be surprised? Should we react with patriotic indignation? Or should we remember the words of Scripture:

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (Jn:15:18-19)

Yet, every four years, there a fresh fervor—even frenzy—among concerned Christians to “put the right man (or woman) in office.” But is our faith in ballots? or in the Bible? God’s Word states, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes” (Ps:118:8-9). Even if another “Ronald Reagan” could win the election, the victory would be symbolic, not substantive. As the media-driven antichrist culture shift overruns the moral and Constitutional restraints of former generations, American believers need to prepare their own hearts and minds—as well as those of their children and grandchildren—for this “new” reality, which, as long as the Lord tarries, threatens to darken our future with tangible consequences.

In spite of this, those who know and love God should not be anxious or fearful, recalling the words of Jesus: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John:16:33). This assurance is echoed in 1 John:4:4: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Church Is “Clogged”—Someone Call Roto-Rooter!

There is an even more critical issue facing the church than any presidential election, and that is this: The majority of professing Christians are either ill-equipped—or unwilling—to address the stench of corruption, immorality, and doctrinal deception in the church! How, then, could they ever hope to rise up and “restore” an entire nation? It is no wonder that the world views the church as hypocritical.

The fact is, biblical moralism can’t be legislated, at least for very long. It didn’t work during Prohibition—and it didn’t work for John Calvin in 16th century Geneva during his dictatorial reign as “Protestant Pope” (see Calvin’s Tyrannical Kingdom ). Likewise, attempts at “Christianizing” the Netherlands at the turn of the 20th century by the Dutch Reformed statesman Abrahm Kuyper (Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901-1905) seem to have produced a permanent boomerang effect: The “modern” city of Amsterdam makes America’s most immoral cities appear family-friendly.

Expanding on his Calvinistic worldview, Kuyper developed the Reformed doctrine of “Common Grace,” which in his view not only enables the ungodly to “develop the creation positively, that is, according to God’s standard and toward God the Creator,” but also “permits Christians, indeed calls them, to join hearts and hands with the ungodly in this positive development of culture” (http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/eschatology/worldview.html).

In other words, Kuyper was an early proponent of perhaps the first ecumenical “moral majority” tasked with social and political activism to build a better world. Interestingly, it is Kuyper’s concept of “sphere sovereignty” that led to development of the heretical Latter Rain agenda for restoration of America through the “Seven Mountain Mandate”:

In 1975, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade, and Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With a Mission, had lunch together in Colorado. God simultaneously gave each of these change agents a message to give to the other…. Francis Schaeffer was given a similar message [that] if we are to impact any nation for Jesus Christ, then we would have to affect the seven spheres , or mountains of society that are the pillars of any society. These seven mountains are business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, the family and religion…. God was telling these three…where the battlefield was [and] where culture would be won or lost. Their assignment was to raise up change agents to scale the mountains and to help a new generation…understand the larger story. (http://www.reclaim7mountains.com/)

This extra-biblical “revelation” was picked up and championed by motivational speakers like Os Hillman as well as the mystical leadership guru, Lance Wallnau (disciple of self-proclaimed “Super Apostle” C. Peter Wagner). But ironically, even Christians who recognize the doctrinal errors of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and who realize the futility of this unbiblical “mandate” still fall prey to the same delusion that we must somehow “reclaim” society. However, God has not called us to redeem the culture, but to redeem the time , “for the days are evil” (Eph:5:16).

When All Else Fails, Read the Instructions!

Considering the past, present, and future failure of each of these “restoration” movements—especially when a secular majority begins to overwhelm a moral minority—the church should recognize that it’s been on the wrong mission all along. “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps:11:3). Even John Adams, our second president, declared that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Christians should by now realize the futility of “bringing heaven to earth,” whether by false “revivals” or spreading “democracy.” True democracy (51 percent) is mob rule—and that clearly explains the spoiling of our republic through corruption, collusion, and what some foresee as a second American “revolution.”

Population statistics alone confirm that the demographic landscape—and political future—of America is being permanently altered, in terms of national “identity” and religious conviction. Historically, this is normal over time through legal immigration. But one would have to be blind not to see an agenda behind the “failure” to protect our nation’s borders since 9/11. The number of US troops entangled in foreign wars, serving at the pleasure of the military-industrial complex, has only increased since the so-called “war on terror.” Yet, the same powers—under both Democratic and Republican administrations—that have sworn to protect our nation from enemies “foreign and domestic” have been repeatedly caught assisting with the international flow of drugs, guns, and money at the expense of American lives, both enlisted and civilian, with apparent impunity.

Understandably, such blatant racketeering and disregard for the rule of law has left conservatives and Christians alike concerned for the future of their country. Many are asking: “Is there hope for America? What is a biblical response? Where is America in Bible prophecy? Can we claim the promises of God in 2 Chronicles:7:14?”

We’ll address these issues and more next month, in Part Two .

by Dr. Paul Elliott

America’s real problem is one that no President can solve.

As we prepare to release this article, President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney are in the final hours of their long campaigns for the presidency of the United States. People on both sides of the partisan divide say that the election of one man or the other will mean either the salvation or the damnation of the country. We hear, as we always do it seems, that “this is the most important election in our lifetimes.”

Many, especially in the Evangelical community, are convinced that a Romney victory will mean the salvation of America. They are equally convinced that if Barack Obama wins, it will be an unrecoverable disaster. And so, large segments of the Evangelical church have become obsessed with the outcome and with having an effect upon it, to the detriment of the church’s true calling and mission. But the fact is that the election of a new president of either party will neither solve America’s real problem nor push her over the brink. That is because America’s real problem is not political, economic, social, or even moral. It is spiritual. It is a problem that no President can solve.

America’s Real Problem: Whose Fault Is It?

America, which was for centuries systemically influenced by Holy Scripture, has for decades systematically suppressed and abandoned the influence of the Word of God. We now have what amounts to a Bible-less generation in charge of government and every other aspect of society. The killing of the unborn, the sanctioning of perverted sexual unions, nearly half of all children born out of wedlock, saturation levels of pornography, widespread enslavement to drugs, unending wars, pervasive immorality in government, and all the rest are the symptoms of that basic problem.

Who caused America to abandon the influence of the Bible? Not politicians. Not economists. Not the social engineers of our era. Not even those who have endeavored to substitute a “whatever feels good is right” philosophy for true morality. The nominally Evangelical church caused America to abandon the Bible. As the church goes, so goes the nation.

How did the church do this? Decades ago, large segments of the nominally Evangelical church began to abandon the twofold mission that our Lord Jesus Christ gave to His church before He ascended to Heaven. That mission is a simple one, but it is the most cosmically profound one of all: to evangelize the world with the one true Gospel of salvation by faith in Christ alone, and to edify the saints – those who truly believe the Gospel message and whose lives are therefore forever changed by it – by instructing them in sound doctrine from Holy Scripture.

Large segments of the nominally Evangelical church have effectively stopped doing both. Much of this has taken the form of subtraction by addition. But the Gospel plus anything else is less than the Gospel. The power of such a “gospel” resides in the weak arm of fleshly wisdom, not in the mighty arm of God. Large segments of the Evangelical church have ignored this central truth, and have become obsessed with political activity, economic success, social reform, and moral improvement, and they have redefined the “gospel” in those terms. These are ways that seem right to many of today’s church leaders and their followers, but “the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

The Evangelical Church on a Fool’s Errand

The church has therefore embarked on a fool’s errand. It seeks to give the world the benefits of the Gospel without the preaching and the power of the Gospel. It seeks the temporary “salvation” of the nation rather than the eternal salvation of souls. It seeks the fleeting “redemption” of the culture – of government, of science, of the arts, of politics, of economics, and so on. What the present-day church seemingly fails to recognize is that all of these are merely components of what Scripture calls thekosmos, the world-system that is under God’s curse and Satan’s sway because of man’s sin:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10)

It is a fool’s errand to seek to “redeem” that which God says is inexorably doomed to destruction. The only true redemption, according to Scripture, is the redemption of souls from the curse of sin and the eternal wrath of God through faith in Jesus Christ.Those redeemed souls will be delivered from this present evil world by the One who gave Himself for their sins (Galatians 1:4), so that they may live with Christ in the new world order that only He – and no President - can bring: the New Heavens and New Earth in which there shall be no more curse, but only righteousness forever (2 Peter 3:13).

When the Evangelical church loses this Biblical perspective on the state of this present world and its inexorable future course, it inevitably leads to the substitution of other things for Christ’s Great Commission – or perhaps worse yet, an un-Biblical redefinition of the Commission to suit man-made agendas. The church of Jesus Christ must understand that this present world is destined to destruction by design. The church of Jesus Christ must likewise understand that He is on the throne of Heaven, He has been given all authority and power in the universe, He is sovereign, and He is Lord. As the world-system moves toward its end, He raises up one ruler and puts down another by His sovereign choice.

And, Scripture tells us that God often chooses the basest of men to rule in His world (Daniel 4:17). What could better illustrate this than the present candidates for president? On the one hand, we have a man who is without doubt the most anti-Christian president ever; on the other hand, a man who is the most prominent figure in a religious cult that is based on the worst sorts of lies about the person and work of Christ, a cult that believes it is its destiny to “save” America.

What Must Christians Do?

Because all of these things are true, if Barack Obama wins the election, Christ’s people must not be any more troubled than if Mitt Romney wins. Whatever the outcome, it is all part of the Godhead’s design and Christ’s sovereign rule. The world is headed inexorably downward. Scripture tells us this is so (e.g., 2 Thessalonians 2:5-12). We may think that one man will lead America down the slippery slope more rapidly than another. But the fact is, neither man – and no other man – will lead America upward.

On the day after this election, whatever the outcome, Christians should neither be dancing in the streets nor wringing their hands in despair. Our proper position will be on our knees. We have much of which to repent. We have, as is described in Nehemiah 9:26, in many ways tossed the Word of God behind our backs, and we have plodded onward, encumbered by the pursuit of many things – even good things – but not the one needful thing. That one thing is to do the work that Christ has given us to do, which is not to make this world a better place for the Hell-bound, but to be used of God in calling out and setting apart a people for Himself to live in the world to come. Judgment must begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). We must become a holy people ourselves – set apart from this present world-system and its godless philosophy.

This is not fatalism, nor is it a lack of concern for the future of America and the rest of the nations of the world. But man’s destiny is not tied to any earthly nation or political system. Man’s destiny hinges upon each individual’s relationship with Jesus Christ. For each individual who has ever lived or will live, Jesus Christ is either Lord and Savior or condemning Judge. There is no third alternative.

If Christ’s church does anything else instead of proclaiming this to the world, and pursuing Scripture-driven holiness in every area of life and ministry, we fail. The men and women of the great roll-call of faith in Hebrews chapter eleven understood that “here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come” (13:14), “the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (11:10). They were those “of whom the world was not worthy” (11:38) – literally, this present world system was not worthy to have them living in it. In stark contrast, the Apostle Paul exhorted the Philippian believers to remember their destiny:

Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame – who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:17-21)

The writer to the Hebrews, having spoken of the stalwarts of past generations who lived in the light of these great truths, exhorted those of succeeding generations to think and act as they did:

Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Dear Christian friends, may we do no less. May we ever and always keep this focus, regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s election, or any other event that may confront us in the future. We must be about our Lord’s business.

Copyright © 1998-2012

TeachingtheWord Ministries . www.teachingtheword.org

What Is Friendship Evangelism?

by Tony Miano,

I received the following message from a friend on Facebook. While it is a topic I’ve tackled many times in the past, I thought the way my friend honestly asked her questions accurately expressed how many Christians feel about sharing the gospel with their friends. Her words also helped to reaffirm what I have believed for a very long time. “Friendship Evangelism,” as it is most commonly taught and practiced by Christians, is neither friendship nor evangelism.

With my friend’s permission, I would like to share her note with you; and then I will answer her questions.

I have made a lifetime of friends, and up until about 6 years ago, I was a partier and not walking with the Lord. Since become a Christian, I have made myself known to all, but not gone out of my way to share the gospel. I know my friends “think” they know what the Bible says and I also know that they don’t want me to preach or share. I have hoped that Facebook would encourage them to ask me, but they don’t.

I watch like a voyeur, their lives on Facebook and I hate it. I see them post pictures of nights on the town, glazed eyes, draped over a different guy in each shot. Today I read as they talked about spending money frivolously and obnoxiously. I see so much “selfism” and today it really started to hurt.

I keep thinking that, by example, they might want to know more or ask…instead I see them avoid my page and my comments. They never address anything I say regarding our Savior, God, or the written word, and only comment on the “regular” things I post.

Most of my “friends” from the past, I still DO care about their salvation. I’m certain that my approach will mean the end of life-long friendships. Should I just keep exposing the Lord to them? Our Christmas cards and small other things are about all the contact we really have. Should I just go for broke and risk turning them off completely? I know it would mean the end of friendships in most cases.

Part of me knows that losing these friendships shouldn’t matter. I’m more concerned that is I can keep the door open, they might …might…someday come to repentance. I want the door to remain open.

I need some advice. I’m pretty sure your going to tell me to go for it…but I thought you might have a perspective or a way that I should use as an approach . . .

[P.S.] I’m thinking of how to approach evangelizing them. I know the approach that Ray [Comfort] uses, letting them convict themselves through the 10 Commandments (which really works) and you too have mastered it. I have also been told to have them read the word themselves because the word has power. As a chicken, I was hoping to be “non-confrontational” and send it in a letter. A letter of love, and a pouring out of my heart for them. But that leaves them with the ability to not answer, or reply. I know that God would use me MUCH better if I had the nerve to deliver my (HIS) message in person. I want to engage their minds. I’ve never been a “chicken.” I don’t want to fail God. I want my (HIS) words to pierce. So…praying and waiting for His inspiration and His way to lead me, and maybe your words will help push me into the world. I’m NOT ashamed of Him, I’m afraid of them, so to speak. I know if He is with me, who can be against me? Why…do I struggle? Oh, the flesh.

Before I answer my friend’s questions, it is important that I preface my commentary with a few clarifying remarks. First, my commentary is not a critique of my friend–neither of her love for Christ nor of her love for people. I donot question her salvation or the genuineness of her desire for her friends to be saved. My commentary will be, however, a pointed critique of what I believe is a profoundly effective tool of Satan (1 Peter 5:8) — “Friendship” or “Relationship” evangelism.

I believe many Christians practice “Friendship Evangelism” with sincerity. But sadly, it is a sincerity most often born out of ignorance (1 Peter 1:13-16), an ignorance of the Word of God in general and biblical evangelism in particular. At the same time, I feel no such obligation to extend charity toward authors, pastors, teachers, speakers, and movement leaders who propagate this spiritual fraud upon followers of Christ — both true and false converts. Theirs will be a stricter judgment (James 3:1).

Now, let me take a moment to answer a couple of baseless objections to what I will put forth as my position, before I even articulate my position. I do this in advance of making my case because I know for some Christians “Friendship Evangelism” is treated as if it is sacrosanct — an essential evangelism tradition. I use the word “tradition” since there is no biblical support for this methodology and/or philosophy for ministry. It is traditions like this one, “friendship evangelism,” that are evidence of the sad reality that modern-day evangelicalism, especially the American variety, has yet to completely break free of Rome. For Rome also holds traditions with more reverence and gives tradition more authority than Scripture (Matthew 15:1-6).

Let make it very clear that Christians are called by the Word of God to be both friendly and relational. “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3). To be opposed to “Friendship Evangelism” as it is most commonly practiced is not to be opposed to friendship or relationships. But a godly and biblical Christian will put God and friends before and above friendships (Luke 14:25-27).

Second, a common objection to any argument against “Friendship Evangelism” is, “There are many ways to share the gospel and friendship evangelism is one of them.” Not so. There is only one way to communicate the gospel, which can take different forms — the Bible’s way. Any methodology that is extra-biblical (meaning the Bible neither commands nor condemns the activity) should be approached and applied with extra care and caution. The immeasurable harm done by “Friendship Evangelism” is evidence that the American Church has thrown caution to the wind and has operated carelessly when applying this extra-biblical, faux-evangelistic methodology.

Does Friendship Evangelism Cause Harm?

How do I know “Friendship Evangelism” has done great harm? I meet false converts who are byproducts of this unbiblical form of evangelism almost daily on the streets. They have been welcomed into the Christian community. They have been converted to the creature comforts of the church, but they have never been converted by and to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I once attended a baptism where several people were baptized. One teenage girl stood in the pool to share her “testimony” before being baptized by the pastor. Her testimony, albeit paraphrased, went something like this: I grew up Roman Catholic. I started to attend this church. I’m more comfortable with Christianity, so I want to be baptized.” And the pastor baptized her as a follower of Jesus Christ.

With the above in mind, I will now address my friend’s questions and concerns.

Friendship Evangelism Doesn’t Preach Christ

My friend wrote:

“I have made myself known to all, but not gone out of my way to share the gospel.”

In a sentence my friend summed up one of the great deficiencies of “Friendship Evangelism.” With the shockingly low number of professing Christians sharing the gospel with a single person in a year’s time (or in a lifetime), it’s obvious most Christians practicing “Friendship Evangelism” are part of that indefensible number. Why? By engaging in the practice of “Friendship Evangelism,” the Christian spends far more time making themselves known to their friends than making Christ known (1 Corinthians 2:2) to their friends.

Many Christians who practice “Friendship Evangelism” have been led to believe that it is evangelistic to live a perceptible Christian life in front of unbelievers, or to openly admit to unbelievers that they are Christians. There is nothing remarkable about such an admission, especially in America. The majority of the American population will indicate on surveys and censuses that they are Christians. Many Christians will answer the “What religion are you” question with “I’m a Christian” for no other reason than they are not Jewish, Muslim, or Atheist. To check the Christian box is the default position of most Americans. But many are no more Christian than the Jew, Muslim, or Atheist.

Part of the evidence that “Friendship Evangelism” is not evangelistic is that the practice makes the Christian known but it all-too-often fails to make Christ known.

My Friends Don’t Want to me Preach Christ to Them

My friend wrote:

“They [her friends] don’t want me to preach or share.”

Modern evangelicalism has wrongly placed an unregenerate sinner’s felt needs over their very real need of salvation. This is not to say that we shouldn’t address a person’s felt needs. In doing so, one can often discover that the root of a particular felt need is sin; which then presents the opportunity to share the law of God and the gospel with that person. However, where evangelicalism has woefully dropped the ball is in the practice of trying to meet felt needs and stopping there, as if to address felt needs is the same as evangelism.

Dear reader: if you feed, clothe, and house people for the glory of God (Matthew 5:16), but you do not share the gospel with them, all you have ultimately accomplished is making those same needy people warmed and filled on their way to Hell. You have merely made their bodies more comfortable. You’ve done nothing for their souls.

More to the point regarding my friend’s assertion: of course the unregenerate person doesn’t want their Christian friends to proclaim the gospel to them. Why? They hate Jesus (John 15:18). They love their sin (Job 15:16) and they hate God (Romans 1:30). Cockroaches don’t run to the center of the floor and square dance when you turn on the kitchen light. They flee to the dark regions underneath the cabinets and appliances. They hate the light, and so does the unregenerate sinner (John 3:20). Their love for the darkness of their sin is so great that any holy light brought to bear in their lives is not only uncomfortable and unpleasant, it is detestable.

Sadly, modern evangelicalism has responded to this reality by doing everything it can to engage lost sinners in their culture, and according to their felt needs, without ever bothering to flip on the light switch of the gospel. Modern evangelicalism has allowed how lost people feel about “the light” to determine whether or not it shines the light. Many Christians have become man-pleasers to the point of hiding the gospel from people (Matthew 5:15). In doing so, they cease to live as servants of God (Galatians 1:10). Frankly, it doesn’t matter what lost people want. What matters is what they need, and what they need is salvation by the grace of God alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), through faith alone (Romans 1:17), in Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4:12). What they need, whether they feel it or not, is to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15; Luke 13: 1-5; Acts 17:29-31).

Friendship Evangelism is not Evangelistic

My friend wrote:

“I keep thinking that, by example, they might want to know more or ask…instead I see them avoid my page and my comments.”

Part of the evidence that “Friendship Evangelism” is not evangelistic is the practice of “Assisi-ism.”

Francis of Assisi is far-too-often quoted as saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” There are two problems with this quote: 1) it is unbiblical; and 2) Assisi never said it. Catholic scholars have methodically and exhaustively searched the extant writings of Assisi and cannot attribute the quote to him. These days, this is common knowledge. Yet Christians continue to refer to the mythical quote, and worse they errantly apply it in their lives. The quote also has a modern-day translation. It goes something like this. “Live your life in such a way that people ask you why.”

While it is true that our good works, when performed for the glory of God alone, can cause lost people to glorify God (Matthew 5:16), it is not to say by living a Christian life in front of lost people that they are going to see Jesus in you. Why? The reason is simple enough. Unregenerate sinners are spiritually blind.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:14).

It is also important to note what Matthew 5:16 doesn’t say. The verse says nothing about people coming to genuine repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing.

Not only are unbelievers spiritually blind, they are also dead in their sins. Not asleep. Not sick. Not in need of a little help. They are dead.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

The Gospel is a Spoken Message

The gospel is a spoken message–meaning it is communicated in verbal and/or written formats. The gospel is not communicated through interpretive dance, random acts of kindness, or mimes.

“How then will they call on him of whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:14-17).

With 160,000 people dying every day, and the vast majority of them facing God’s judgment (Matthew 7:13-14), it amounts to depraved indifference to wait for the lost people around us to see something special in us and ask what’s different about us. We are commanded by God’s Word to go (Matthew 28:18-20) and preach (Mark 16:15) the gospel to as many people as we can, whenever we can, as often as we can (Acts 1:8). Time is far too short to wait for what will never happen — spiritually dead and blind people seeing Jesus in Christians, believers who are still clothed in sinful human flesh.

It is also rather arrogant, self-righteous, and self-absorbed for the Christian to think he or she regularly looks like Jesus. Jesus was and is God (John 8:58; John 10:30; Philippians 2:6-11; Hebrews 2:5-18). The Christian is not. Jesus was and is without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Christian is not. Jesus was and is perfect (Hebrews 1:3). The Christian never will be perfect this side of Heaven. And since an unbelieving world hates Jesus, the spiritually dead and blind are going to see in you what is most appealing to them (Romans 1:28-32; 2 Timothy 3:1-5) — your sin. People are also going to look for you to sin in a failed attempt to justify their own unbelief (Luke 10:29;Luke 16:15).

Friendship Evangelism makes Friendship More Important than Evangelism

My friend wrote:

“I’m certain that my approach will mean the end of life-long friendships.”

The tragic result of “Friendship Evangelism,” as Christians most often practice it, is that friendships often become more important than the souls of friends. Christians have been wrongly convinced that they must take time (often lots of time) to cultivate relationships with people so that, someday, they may gain the lost person’s permission — to “earn the right” — to share the gospel with them. So the Christian invests time, energy, and resources sincerely trying to establish loving and caring relationships with people. Is it wrong to do that? No. But the all-too-often tragic result of the practice is that if the Christian ever feels the desire to share the gospel with his lost friend, he won’t. Why? The Christian doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the relationship he has worked so hard to build. So, again, the friendship becomes more important than the soul of the friend.

Upon closer inspection, this is really selfish behavior. Does the Christian believe that he is so valuable that his lost friend can’t live without him? Or is it that the Christian derives so much pleasure out of the relationship, from what his lost friend does for him, that he doesn’t want to ruin a “good thing”?

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). If Christians truly love their lost friends they will give up everything, even their very lives and certainly their relationships, so that those same lost friends might have eternal life. Or do Christians really want their friends to be with them in this life more than they want them to be with Jesus having received eternal life?

No One Goes to Hell Because You Weren’t Their Friend

My friend wrote:

“Part of me knows that losing these friendships shouldn’t matter. I’m more concerned that is I can keep the door open, they might …might…someday come to repentance. I want the door to remain open.”

No Christian can close a door that God wants open. No Christian can open a door that God wants shut (Revelation 3:8). God is sovereign (Acts 4:24), and He doesn’t need our help. God needs nothing from people (Psalm 50:7-15). The gospel alone is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). God, by His grace, chooses to use His children to communicate the life-saving gospel to a lost and dying world. No one goes to Heaven because we’ve made friends with them, and no one goes to Hell because we’ve failed to establish relationships with them.

Conclusion

In closing, let me reiterate that Christians should be loving (1 Peter 4:8), merciful (Zechariah 7:9), gentle (Galatians 5:23), and kind (Proverbs 21:21) to people. We should speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Evangelism is not a game. It is not a sport. It is what God has commanded every follower of Christ to do. Evangelism is a lifestyle — not that the way we live our life is evangelism, but rather our verbal proclamation of the gospel should permeate every aspect of our life and impact every relationship we have.

My friend understands all of this. She knows what she must do. She acknowledged as much toward the end of her note. I hope I’ve answered her questions, and maybe some of yours too.

from Dr. Paul Elliott, Teaching the Word Ministries:

Taking on a man-made label is problematic, and actually un-Biblical.

He’s Not in the Text

A very well-known Reformed preacher once delivered a powerful sermon on the first chapter of Ephesians and related passages. In this message he set forth what are often referred to as the doctrines of grace.

He began by setting forth the great doctrine that God by His free grace chose a people for Himself in Christ before the foundation of the world. He expounded the fact that these chosen ones of God are predestined to adoption as sons by His sovereign choosing.

He also preached the great fact that redemption is by God’s grace alone through faith alone, accomplished in full by the shed blood of Christ alone, apart from any human works or merit, because the totally depraved sinner has no such offering that is acceptable to God as a propitiation for his sins.

He went on to preach about the great work of God the Holy Spirit in applying the redemption accomplished by Christ to the elect of God by convicting them of sin, bringing those who are dead in trespasses and sins to spiritual life, giving them the gift of saving faith, and indwelling them as the down-payment of their ultimate and glorious redemption. He also preached the marvelous fact that this entire plan of God has as its ultimate goal the gathering together of all things in both Heaven and earth under the headship of Christ.

At the end of the service, a man came up to this preacher and said that he thought it was a wonderful message. “But,” he said, “in preaching such a message from such a text, why didn’t you mention Calvinism?” The pastor replied, “Because I did not find the words “Calvin” or “Calvinism” anywhere in the text.”

“I Am of Paul” - “I Am of Apollos”

Now, the pastor who gave this reply was a “Calvinist” in the sense that he taught with fervor God’s plan of salvation as stated above. But I believe that his answer to the man’s question applies a great truth in a very pointed way. Many people are anxious to wear labels, or to apply labels to others. But in the Word of God we find that Paul took the Corinthians to task for this:

Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Corinthians 1:12-13)

For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:4-15)

There is just as great a danger in saying, “I am of Calvin” - ”I am of Luther” - ”I am of Wesley” - ”I am of Arminius” - or in saying “I am of (fill in the blank with any name you wish)” as there is in saying “I am of Paul” or “I am of Apollos.”

The Problems of Labels

I am often asked the question, “Are you a Calvinist?” This is how I respond. The man who says, “I am a Calvinist” is saying, in effect, “I agree with Calvin’s positions all the way up and down the line.” I would submit that such an outlook is problematic indeed, for at least five reasons.

To begin with, I doubt there have ever been two human beings on earth who totally agreed in every detail of their theology. In the case of Calvin, it would take a literal lifetime of study to fully understand whether or not you agreed with the entire scope of his massive Institutes of the Christian Religion, his commentaries on many books of the Bible, and his other writings.

Secondly, to make the statement “I am a Calvinist” but to mean only “I generally agree with the teachings of Calvin” does a great disservice to those who hear you say, “I am a Calvinist.” They are left to speculate as to which parts of Calvin’s teachings you agree with fully, agree with partially, or disagree with completely.

Thirdly, to say “I am a Calvinist” effectively makes Calvin the standard. But the question that God asks us is not, “Do you agree with Calvin?” but rather, “Do you submit to My Word?” Scripture is the standard by which both we and Calvin and every other Christian, preacher or layperson, must and will be judged.

Fourthly, some men today are called Calvinists because they often invoke the name of Calvin, but in fact their theology is nothing like Calvin’s. Sometimes their theology is actually Roman Catholic at its core. They teach that man is justified before God by faith in Christ plus their own works, a heresy that Calvin opposed with such fervor that he frequently worked himself into ill health.

Finally, labels are often uncritically applied to an individual by others. Many would call me a Calvinist because I believe that the exposition of Ephesians chapter one that the prominent preacher gave above is the truth. Calvin certainly believed it as well. But that does not make me a Calvinist.

While I am on the same page with the great Reformer in vast areas of theology, I strongly disagree with him in a number of important areas. Let me offer two examples. In his Institutes, Calvin vigorously promoted the doctrine of infant baptism. I vigorously believe that Scripture proves Calvin entirely wrong on this. In hisCommentary on Romans, Calvin teaches that chapters 9-11 tell us that all the promises of God to ethnic Israel have been transferred to the Church. I disagree with Calvin’s interpretation of those chapters on exegetical grounds. I believe that Romans teaches us that God is not finished with ethnic Israel. I believe that Romans tells us of a coming day, after “the fullness of Gentiles has come in,” when a generation of those who are the physical seed of Abraham will be, in their entirety, the spiritual seed of Abraham as well - believers trusting in the shed blood of Christ for salvation, members of His one true and indivisible body for eternity.

I could say much more, but this is enough to demonstrate that the Biblical warning against man-made labels is of great practical importance.

The Label We Should Wear

This leaves a question that I am also sometimes asked: Is there a label that we should bear? There is only one, and that is the name of Christ.

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family [of believers] in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)

And they shall see His face; and His name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no lamp nor light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:4-5)

Is not that Name, which is above every name, label enough for every true saint of God?

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