You may remember that in 2005 Christmas fell on Sunday and many Evangelical churches decided to cancel their services and have “family celebrations” at home. You may also remember that I took a very strong public stand against this practice and NewCov celebrated the birth of the King with an overflow crowd that Christmas Sunday. However, it seems that many high-profile Evangelical churches are continuing the practice of doing “family” home celebrations if a Sunday falls near Christmas.

The irony of this is overpowering. To me, it seems very much like the Chief Priest and Scribes who delicately desired not to crucify Jesus on the Passover (Mark 14:1-2). Evangelicals don’t want to impede their fun, frolic, feasting and family celebrations by having to go to church. By this single act we prove to the world that the “family” is officially more important than gathering on Sunday to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

But, don’t take my word for it. Believe me... the non-believing world is getting the message about Evangelicalism. Here is part of an article written by a British agnostic that I found to be representative of the growing attitude toward “born again” believers:


US CHURCHES CLOSED AT CHRISTMAS
The Pub Philosopher
To agnostic British people like me the decision seems rather strange. This is the time of year when many who do not usually go to church decide to turn up for a Christmas service. It is the one day of the year when you find more people than usual in the pews. So why would a church cancel its service at what should be one of its holiest and busiest times of year?

Could it be that the evangelical Christian revival in the USA is driven more by the desire for entertainment rather than by belief in God? Do people go to these huge services because of their spiritual conviction or because they like the singing, the music and the charismatic speakers. A mega-church service is similar to a football match or a rock concert. You get some good entertainment, the chance for some rousing communal singing and a sense of belonging, which you can reinforce by buying the t-shirts and associated merchandise to show that you are part of the tribe.

If church is seen as entertainment, the decision not to hold services on Christmas Day starts to make sense. Most people have a quiet family day at Christmas. Just as few people would want to go to a football match or a rock concert, so they would not be in the mood for a mega church service either. That would be saved for after Christmas when life gets back to normal.

Despite their attempts to put a positive spin on it, the decision by the mega-churches to cancel Christmas shows that much of the evangelical revival is hollow. These churches have packaged and marketed religion, turning it into a commodity. At Christmas, there are more distractions for consumers than usual. The mega-church is just another brand trying to compete for consumer attention in a crowded market. The churches are closing because their customers have decided to do something else on Christmas Day.

Read the entire article HERE.

What do you think? You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!

Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Karl Weatherly. Image #: 200366370-001

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8)

THE REAL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
Christmas is not about Santa, reindeer, presents, or sugarplums dancing in your head. Christmas is about Immanuel, God with us. Without the Incarnation, Christmas becomes a meaningless celebration for celebration’s sake.

By the word Incarnation we mean that the babe in the manger who grew to be Jesus of Nazareth was fully God and fully man. When we read in Scripture that the Lord showed fear, grieved, thirsted, and died we understand this to mean that in his human nature he suffered these things. Then when we read that by his power he healed the sick, raised the dead, commanded nature, drove out demons, forgave sins, and rose from the dead we understand that these reveal his divine nature.

The two great theological mistakes are to depreciate either Christ’s human nature or his divine nature. Both of these mistakes have arisen at different times in history. Currently we are in a time that struggles with the idea of God’s supernatural intervention, so, the tendency is to see Christ as some sort of better-than-normal man. This was the ancient error of the Ebionites and the false teacher Cerinthus. By the way, the gospel of John was written to counter the teaching of Cerinthus.

Basically, these false teachings asserted that Christ only had a human nature and that divinity was in him by some sort of outstanding participation in God’s glory based upon Christ’s personal merit through his own goodness. This, of course, is not just an ancient heresy. Today many people view Christ in this way. The bottom line is that these people doubt that God would assume human flesh to become a man; rather, they believe that it is possible for a man to be so good that he can become godlike. As I mentioned, the gospel of John was written as a rebuke against such notions and it powerfully states that the “Word became flesh” and not that flesh became the Word.

Additionally, the exact opposite moral lesson is taught by the Cerinthian heresy than is taught by the Bible. The Bible teaches that the Son of God humbled himself and was made man. The Cerinthian heresy teaches that a man was glorified to become godlike. One, (Scripture) teaches humility, whereas the other (heresy) teaches exaltation. The heresy appeals to man’s pride and vanity whereby he thinks that by the merit of his good works he can become a god. The gospel teaches that even Almighty God humbles Himself for others. The gospel rebukes man’s pride and vanity which seeks to crown his own efforts with deity by pouring a massive dose of God’s humbling love upon his ego.

PRAYER
Father, this Christmas help me to have the same attitude that Jesus had when he humbled himself for others. Thank you for the peace and joy of the season, but, most importantly I want to thank you for your love. By your grace allow me to be your humble servant during Christmas time.

ONE MORE THING...
Please join us this Sunday, December 30, 2007 at 9:00 am 10:30 am. This week, Pastor Scott will be sharing a message for the New Year entitled, "On the Edge of Greatness."

Blessings...





P.S. I'd also love to get your comments and questions. You can leave a comment or question by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!


tags: Ebionites | Cerinthus | Christmas
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Tamara Reynolds. Image #: 993275-001

The Apostle Paul wrote these wonderful words to the church at Colossi:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

Paul understood that every second, minute, hour, and day of our lives should overflow with gratitude for God’s goodness expressed to us through Jesus Christ. And he wasn't kidding when he wrote to the Colossians that their every word and deed should be done in thankfulness.

He must have known something that we often lose sight of. I think it is this: when our lives are immersed in gratitude to God, our attitudes become strengthened against to the natural ups and downs of life.

It is inevitable that downturns happen. Downturns upset our happy apple-carts. Downturns frustrate and anger us. But when we remember to live and breathe gratitude, it has a natural and positive effect on our attitude.

Not only this, but gratitude opens the floodgates of God’s grace. Think about it this way: God the Holy Spirit is grieved by our anger. Conversely, the Holy Spirit pours forth God’s presence and blessing in and through our praise and thanksgiving.

A few weeks ago I faced a number of very difficult challenges. Frankly, because of the circumstances, I found myself with a very negative and pessimistic attitude. In a wonderful "God moment" the Lord directed a friend to give me a call to tell me of her prayers for my family and me. She ventured to say that the Lord had directed her to encourage me to praise Him. I thought about it for a couple of minutes and gave up my stinky attitude and began to praise God. Immediately, things began to look remarkably different. Circumstances didn’t change - I changed. I also sensed God’s grace entering into every facet of my life. It was as if the clouds broke open and God’s sunshine burst through.

I want to encourage you: celebrate and enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving - feast and laugh and fellowship with your family. Then build thanksgiving into your life every day of the year. He is worthy of our praise.

PRAYER
Lord, I thank you for all of the wonderful gifts and blessing that you have given me. You are a gracious and good God who loves me with an everlasting love. Help me to cultivate a grateful heart so that even in the tough times You will find a word of thanks upon my lips.

ONE MORE THING...
Please join us this Sunday, November 25, 2007 at 9:00 am 10:30 am. This week, Ed Kaczmarek, Executive Director of the Fresno/Madera Youth for Christ, will share a message of Thanksgiving at our Youth Led Service

Blessings...





P.S. I'd also love to get your comments and questions. You can leave a comment or question by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!


tags: thanksgiving | thankfulness | gratitude
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Tamara Reynolds. Image #: 993275-001

We have all felt pinned down by the challenges of life or the enemy. We seem to be under attack from every angle and unable to gather enough strength to face the battle. This is magnified by newspaper headlines that scream about a clash of warring camps in a culture war. It is easy to develop a bunker mentality. In the face of all of this, how do you keep your faith vibrant and growing? How can you have real success in this life without becoming a casualty? Pastor Jan will walk us through an in-depth encounter with 2 Peter 1:3-11 where we will hear God's voice through the disciple-fisherman, Peter.

In this thought-provoking message, Pastor Jan van Oosten shows us that everything you need for a happy, God-honoring, productive and eternally rewarding life is attained though a full knowledge of God and a life-long commitment to excellence.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

NOTE: This is the Enhanced Edition of the NewCov Podcast. The enhanced edition includes images and links from the message. This version can only be viewed with Apple's Quicktime viewer or through iTunes. Both can be downloaded from Apple (Quicktime | iTunes). For the Standard Version of this podcast, go here.

To listen now, you will need to either download the Enhanced Version to your computer, or subscribe via iTunes... it will not play through your browser.

To download the file, right-click (PC) or option-click (Mac) the "Podcast" icon below and choose "Save". To subscribe via iTunes, click the "Subscribe with iTunes" button below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

You may have heard these lyrics from John Lennon and The Beatles:

There’s nothing you can make that can’t be made.
No one you can save that can’t be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be in time
It’s easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.

OK, yes, the Beatles’ song "All You Need is Love" is insipid nonsense. On the other hand, it represents the nearly total sentimentalization of the traditional hard-edged Christian concept of love. G. K. Chesterton, in his classic book, Orthodoxy, noted that the secularized modern world exploits and expends the moral capital of Christianity by pulling the great virtues of our faith apart and running off with them in various directions. These moral truths then become ideological half-truths and sappy cliches.

Look, for instance, at how the Beatles song uses - and abuses - the distinctly Christian virtue of love. Instead of it being the selfless giving of oneself for the sake of others, love becomes a sugary sentiment. This saccharin and sappy form of love denies that we need to repent of our sin or that sin even exists. Love loses its deepest meaning and becomes a superficial feeling.

However, true Christian love is not rooted in human feelings. Rather, it is rooted in the act of God to give His Son to die for our sins. Paul puts it this way:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Christian love first looks to God and not to man or to self. Christians don’t determine their love by what they feel for other people. Christians determine their love by what God has done for them. As I fathom God’s unimaginable love for me - in all my failed humanity - I am compelled to offer the same kind of self-giving love to others. To do this, I desperately need God’s grace and help.

PRAYER
First, Lord, today I thank you for your amazing love. Help me to focus on all that you have done for me and how you gave your Son to die for my sins and failings. Help me also to give love to others, even those who are unlovely. It is easy to love those people that are a blessing to me. Help me to love those who are not.

ONE MORE THING...
Please join us this Sunday, November 18, 2007 at 9:00 am 10:30 am as we continue our series, "War of the Worlds". I will be taking an in depth look at 2 Peter 1:3-11 with this week's focus being on the "winning the war of MATURITY."

Blessings...





P.S. I'd also love to get your comments and questions. You can leave a comment or question by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!


tags: John+Lennon | The+Beatles | All You Need is Love | G. K. Chesterton | Orthodoxy | love as a Christian virtue
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Tamara Reynolds. Image #: 993275-001

We have all felt pinned down by the challenges of life or the enemy. We seem to be under attack from every angle and unable to gather enough strength to face the battle. This is magnified by newspaper headlines that scream about a clash of warring camps in a culture war. It is easy to develop a bunker mentality. In the face of all of this, how do you keep your faith vibrant and growing? How can you have real success in this life without becoming a casualty? Pastor Jan will walk us through an in-depth encounter with 2 Peter 1:3-11 where we will hear God's voice through the disciple-fisherman, Peter.

In this thought-provoking message, Pastor Jan van Oosten shows us that everything you need for a happy, God-honoring, productive and eternally rewarding life is attained though a full knowledge of God and a life-long commitment to excellence.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

NOTE: This is the Enhanced Edition of the NewCov Podcast. The enhanced edition includes images and links from the message. This version can only be viewed with Apple's Quicktime viewer or through iTunes. Both can be downloaded from Apple (Quicktime | iTunes). For the Standard Version of this podcast, go here.

To listen now, you will need to either download the Enhanced Version to your computer, or subscribe via iTunes... it will not play through your browser.

To download the file, right-click (PC) or option-click (Mac) the "Podcast" icon below and choose "Save". To subscribe via iTunes, click the "Subscribe with iTunes" button below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness… 2 Peter 1:5-6

In 2 Peter 1, Peter admonishes us that if we are going to be mature and fruitful Christians, then we are going to have to make it a life-long commitment to add seven qualities to our walk with the Lord.

In verse six Peter speaks of godliness. The Greek word for Godliness is eusebeia which refers to piety, man’s honor, fear or reverence for God. Well, how do we do that? We do that through Worship. There two responses to worship: private and corporate. Private worship takes the form of prayers, confessions, silence and mediation on God’s word (Romans 12:1-2).

Corporate worship - assembling together in worship (Hebrews 10:24-25) - is an affirmation of what worshipers believe and an opportunity for mutual response to the gracious actions of God. Specific times and places are very important in regards to worship.

Here’s what A.W. Tozer says about worship:

What is worship? Worship is to feel in your heart and express in some appropriate manner a humbling but delightful sense of admiring awe and astonished wonder and overpowering love in the presence of that most ancient Mystery, that Majesty which philosophers call the First Cause, but which we call Our Father Which Are in Heaven.

It’s important for Christians to realize if they are going to mature in worship and contribute to the body of Christ, it takes a consciousness decision of setting a time and place to experience both private and corporate worship. To be productive for Lord we need the both; we just can’t have one without the other.

The bottom line is this the more I grow in my private worship, the more I grow and contribute in corporate worship. The more I grow in corporate worship, the more I realize His Divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who has called us by his own glory and goodness.

PRAYER
Lord, I really want to grow in my private and corporate worship. Yet, I admit that I allow busy-ness to creep into my life and rob you of what you deserve. Help me to keep my priorities straight so that I can give you my best! Today fill my heart and life with your spirit. Allow me to be led by your Spirit even when the going gets tough. May I be your servant of mercy and love in my world today.

ONE MORE THING...
Please join us this Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 9:00 am 10:30 am as we continue our series, "War of the Worlds". I will be taking an in depth look at 2 Peter 1:3-11 with this week's focus being on the "winning the war of WORSHIP."

Blessings...

-Pastor Mike


P.S. I'd also love to get your comments and questions. You can leave a comment or question by clicking on the thought bubble below.


tags: godliness | self-control | A. W. Tozer
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Tamara Reynolds. Image #: 993275-001

Why People Don’t Persevere
Paul offers the following insight about the final days before Christ’s return.

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. (2 Thes. 2:3)

Paul paints the picture of a general falling away from Christianity that will take place before the "son of perdition" is revealed (also known as the Lawless One or the Antichrist). A question to ponder is why do people fail to persevere "to the end" in the Christian faith? I think the answer can be found in Christ’s powerful parable of the seeds recorded in Matthew 13.

When Jesus explained the meaning of the parable to his disciples, he said this about the seed that fell on "rocky" soil:

The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. (Matt. 13:20-21)

We learn from this that there are many people who receive the gospel joyously but when "trouble or persecution" comes into their lives because of the Christian faith, they abandon it. Paul, therefore, notes that at the end of the age there will be an unusually large number of people who - because of the trouble and persecution associated with Christianity - will abandon the faith.

However, this begs a further question, why will so many people abandon Christianity? Hasn’t Christianity always been a tough "row to hoe" and didn’t Jesus warn his followers that they would face troubles and persecution? Why so many drop-outs in the last days? Here I will offer an opinion:

We live in an age of growing material wealth and prosperity. The average person living in the industrialized West lives with more affluence and leisure opportunities than the kings of any ancient era. My guess is that the Egyptian King Tut - if given the opportunity - would gladly have exchanged places with the typical middle-class Californian. We, of course, generally try to deny that we live such luxurious lives. We like to make a big deal about our bills, stress, and pace of life. However, in my view, this is merely a smoke-screen to hide from ourselves our own lavish living.

Please understand, I do not believe that our affluence is inherently a problem. It is a blessing from God. Yet, it comes with one huge downside problem: When people become accustomed to enjoying pleasures it is very difficult for them to endure the lack of them. Toil and difficulty are opposed to bodily pleasure. Consequently, toilsome things are a huge hindrance to a pleasure-centered life.

The point is this, with affluence people become very used to enjoying pleasures and entertainments and, therefore, they develop a certain delicacy of nature. Our great-grandparents used to call this an "effeminate nature." Today this terminology is associated with male homosexuals, but it used to be more generally applied to people (men and women) who weren’t mentally tough. People who were effeminate were seen as too delicate to go without pleasures and were unable to handle the toilsome difficulties of life. This type of person is mentioned in the Bible:

The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity… (Deut. 28:56)

Unfortunately, with increasing affluence, many people who profess to be Christians have grown accustomed to the pleasures of life and, therefore, they have developed very delicate and sensitive natures. They find it too hard to go without pleasure. This makes them ripe for the Devil’s picking. Simply put, in the era before Christ’s return, the Evil One will work to create a context in which people have to deny the true Christian faith in order to avoid the sorrows caused by the lack of pleasure. Those who profess Christ but have developed a delicate nature which is accustomed to the pleasures of life will find it easy to abandon the faith.

The antidote to pleasure-seeking is self-denial. Jesus told his followers that they need to deny themselves and take up their cross daily. Then, no matter how affluent the era, the Christian will be prepared to persevere in any trial. The Apostle Paul also said this:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. (1 Cor. 16:13)

We are to be people of courage who are strong by nature and not delicate pleasure-lovers.

What do you think? You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!


tags: perseverance | persecution | anti-Christ | King Tut
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Karl Weatherly. Image #: 200366370-001

We have all felt pinned down by the challenges of life or the enemy. We seem to be under attack from every angle and unable to gather enough strength to face the battle. This is magnified by newspaper headlines that scream about a clash of warring camps in a culture war. It is easy to develop a bunker mentality. In the face of all of this, how do you keep your faith vibrant and growing? How can you have real success in this life without becoming a casualty? Pastor Jan will walk us through an in-depth encounter with 2 Peter 1:3-11 where we will hear God's voice through the disciple-fisherman, Peter.

In this thought-provoking message, Pastor Jan van Oosten shows us that everything you need for a happy, God-honoring, productive and eternally rewarding life is attained though a full knowledge of God and a life-long commitment to excellence.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

NOTE: This is the Enhanced Edition of the NewCov Podcast. The enhanced edition includes images and links from the message. This version can only be viewed with Apple's Quicktime viewer or through iTunes. Both can be downloaded from Apple (Quicktime | iTunes). For the Standard Version of this podcast, go here.

To listen now, you will need to either download the Enhanced Version to your computer, or subscribe via iTunes... it will not play through your browser.

To download the file, right-click (PC) or option-click (Mac) the "Podcast" icon below and choose "Save". To subscribe via iTunes, click the "Subscribe with iTunes" button below.



If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness… 2 Peter 1:5-6

The Apostle Peter tells us that we are to add perseverance to self-control if we are going to be fully mature in Christ. Why? Well, the simple answer is, "Because 'stuff' happens." The biblical word for stuff is "trials."

In fact James tells us that in this life we will face "trials of many kinds" (James 1:2). Sorry, I know this is not the happy-face-Christianity that people love to hear about. However, this is a realistic and important truth.

OK...why trials and perseverance? Here is what James says:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

The short version is this: in order to be grown-up Christians we must have perseverance, but, perseverance is something that is developed in tough times. There is no such thing as microwave maturity.

Bruce Charlton, a professor in the School of Biology at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, England is one of a growing number of researches that have confirmed that "grown-ups are more immature than ever." He noted for Discovery News in 2006 that this grown-up immaturity includes shorter and shorter attention spans, "sensation and novelty-seeking, short cycles of arbitrary fashion and a sense of cultural shallowness." (Read the full article HERE).

My point is this: contemporary society and even many Christians want quick and easy access to God’s blessings. However, God’s blessing of maturity doesn’t come easily. Maturity in Christ is developed slowly as we walk through life’s trials depending upon God’s grace to sustain us and strengthen us.

PRAYER
Lord, today I will "count it all joy" for the difficulties and challenges that you allow to come in my life because I know that as you sustain me by your grace, I can become the godly person you desire. Help me develop powerful perseverance.

ONE MORE THING...
Please join us this Sunday, November 4, 2007 at 9:00 am 10:30 am as we continue our series, "War of the Worlds". Pastor Mike will be taking an in depth look at 2 Peter 1:3-11 with this week's focus being on the "winning the war of WORSHIP."

Blessings...





P.S. I'd also love to get your comments and questions. You can leave a comment or question by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!


tags: perseverance | self-control | Christian maturity | Bruce Charlton | University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Tamara Reynolds. Image #: 993275-001

"(add to your faith)…and to knowledge, self-control..." (2 Peter 1:6)

In 2 Peter 1:6 the Apostle Peter uses an important Greek word that had a long and important history in Greco-Roman society. It is the word egkrateia, which means "self-strength." Commentator Adam Clarke defines this word as the "proper and limited use of all earthly enjoyments, keeping every sense under proper restraints, and never permitting the animal part to subjugate the rational." The King James translation renders this word as "temperance." In the ancient world, temperance was understood to be that quality which allows one to refuse to overdo anything which may be a good thing in and of itself.

Unfortunately, in our culture the word temperance is associated with the Temperance Movement which strove to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages. The Temperance Movement culminated with the passing of the 18th Amendment in 1920... and that began the era of Prohibition. However, temperance has a much richer and longer history than this.

Since the time of the early church, temperance has been understood to be one of the four moral virtues. The four moral virtues also include fortitude, justice and prudence. Augustine defined virtue as "a good quality of the mind by which we live righteously, of which no one can make bad use." From this perspective, then, temperance is the virtue (quality of mind) that orders and directs man’s ability to act appropriately in relationship to his own desires. Furthermore, temperance is primarily concerned with controlling one's desire for the greatest pleasures. The greatest pleasures are those that are connected with the preservation of human life both individually and collectively. Consequently, these great pleasures can be found in the consumption of food and drink and human sexuality. The bottom line is that temperance is focused primarily on the proper use of the pleasures associated with food, drink and sex.

It is, though, important to remember that pleasure itself is not evil. It is the immoderate or unbiblical use of pleasure that is evil. This means that it is not wrong to desire pleasant things... as long as they are in accord with God's will. Since antiquity, Christians have believed that the simple rejection of pleasure for its own sake is unreasonable and immoderate. In other words, it can be just as much a sin to forsake the pleasantries of food and drink to the point of jeopardizing one's health as it is to overindulge.

To get a better understanding of self-control (temperance), it is sometimes helpful to look at its opposite. The opposite of temperance is intemperance. Anyone who has raised a child knows that it is very unwise to let a child parent himself. You can discover just how intemperate a child can be by taking him to a department store. There is virtually no end to what a child thinks he needs.

In fact, the more a child is left to himself, the more self-centered he will become. Likewise, when we don’t learn how to be self-controlled, we become less and less able to subject our desires to God’s will. We become like a spoiled child. The remedy for adult intemperance is the same remedy for human childishness. A child is corrected by being restrained. So too, by restraining our desire for inappropriate pleasures we learn how to moderate those desires and grow to maturity in Christ.

Amazingly, self-control (temperance) has the added benefit of bringing about moral and spiritual beauty in a person. Peter says this:

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Something is beautiful when there is harmony and proper proportion. Temperance promotes moral harmony and proper proportion. Consequently, the spiritual beauty of an inner self that is under the Lordship of Christ spills out onto the body, particularly the human face. Conversely, there is something unattractive about a physically beautiful person who has a selfish and self-centered heart.

What do you think? You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!


tags: Adam Clarke | Temperance Movement | 18t Admendment | Prohibition | Augustine
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Karl Weatherly. Image #: 200366370-001

I was asked on Sunday by one of our staff members about Rob Bell and his influence on Christians. Because of the relevance of this topic, I’ve chosen to submit this as an addition to our weekly deeper teaching.

First, some background. Here's some biographical information about Rob Bell from Wikipedia:

Robert "Rob" Bell (born August 23, 1970) is an author, Christian speaker, and the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church located in Grandville, Michigan. He has authored two books: SEX GOD: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality (Zondervan, 2007) and Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Zondervan, 2005). Rob Bell is also a frequent speaker at youth ministry conferences.

In a 2004 Christianity Today article titled "Emergent Mystique," Bell said:

We're rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion, as a way of life... The Bible is still in the center for us, but it's a different kind of center. We want to embrace mystery, rather than conquer it.

Around the same time the time that Rob Bell made this comment I was engaged in an email debate with Leonard Sweet (one of the leading lights of the Emerging Church movement) that was published by Fresno Pacific University. I had challenged Dr. Sweet’s conception of Christianity as an "eastern religion" and the idea of "embracing mystery" in an irrational way. My point with Dr. Sweet was that the essential doctrinal truths of Christianity - while they may be beyond our full comprehension - remain fundamentally coherent and rational. They are not irrational and riddled with paradox as Dr. Sweet had suggested at a conference at FPU.

Therefore, the key issue comes back to the propagation and reception of truth. With this in mind, here are some things that trouble me about Rob Bell’s thinking:


PROBLEMATIC THEOLOGICAL IDEAS FROM ROB BELL:
Quote #1:

The philosopher Arthur Holmes is known for saying, "All truth is God's truth." It is such a great statement, because what other kind of truth could there be... So as a Christian, I am free to claim the good, the true, the holy, wherever and whenever I find it. I live with the understanding that truth is bigger than any religion and the world is God's and everything in it...

Pastor Jan's response:
Actually, it was St. Augustine that first propagated the concept that "all truth is from God." He did this in his powerful book On Christian Doctrine. Augustine’s main thesis was that since all truth is from God, Christians have the right to affirm and use all philosophical, scientific and sociological insights that have truth-value even if they are first discovered by non-Christians. This insight has given Christianity a huge advantage over Islam which struggles with the issue of what to do with insights engendered by so-called infidels.

Where Bell’s position goes off the tracks is when he says "truth is bigger than any religion." This, it seems to me, is part and parcel of the multicultural (and postmodernist) agenda which posits that no world religion or philosophic system has a corner on the truth. This, however, is essentially a straw-man argument.

Christians have never claimed that its doctrinal truths contain all the truth that can be known. What orthodox Christians believe is that its essential doctrinal truths are revealed by God and are supernatural in origin. Furthermore, Christians hold that these truths would have never been found if God had not revealed them. These truths include the Triune nature of God, the Incarnation of Christ, salvation as through Christ’s atoning death, the resurrection, the Second Coming and other important doctrinal truths. Therefore, none of these are found in any other religion or philosophic system. So, while all truth is from God and vast amounts of it can be found in nature and non-Christian sources; none of the essential truths that secure eternal life can be found in other religions.

Quote #2:

I don't follow Jesus because I think Christianity is the best religion. I follow Jesus because he leads me into ultimate reality. He teaches me to live in tune with how reality is. When Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through me," he was saying that his way, his words, his life is our connection to how things truly are at the deepest levels of existence. For Jesus then, the point of religion is to help us connect with ultimate reality, God. I love the way Paul puts it in the book of Colossians: These religious acts and rituals are shadows of the reality. "The reality... is found in Christ."

Pastor Jan's response:
Here, again, Bell is mixing and matching ideas in order to submit Christianity to a multiculturalist and postmodernist agenda. The multicultural idea that he is furthering is that "all religious roads lead to God." This, of course, is diametrically opposed to the orthodox Christian belief that without God’s supernatural intervention into human history to reveal His truth, man would be lost.

The key theological mistake that Bell is making is his denigration of the incarnation. Jesus doesn’t lead "me into ultimate reality." Jesus is the ultimate reality. Jesus is God. Notice that Bell subtly moves the reader off the bedrock of the deity of Christ with this statement:

When Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through me," he was saying that his way, his words, his life is our connection to how things true are at the deepest levels of existence.

In other words, in Bell’s view, Jesus connects us to "the deepest levels of existence" much like an electrical cord connects us to a power source. However, the biblical and Christian view is that Jesus is the power source - He and the Father are one. Once we move away from this incarnationist view of Jesus, then He merely becomes one of many possible "connections" that we can find in the world that lead us to "ultimate reality."

According to Rob Bell himself, he believes that of all the possible sources of connection, Jesus is the best one. Muslims, of course, believe something very similar to Bell. However, they prefer Muhammad as the best connection to the source.


ROB BELL'S VIEWS CONCERNING HOMOSEXUALITY:
In February, 2007 Bell spoke in Lexington, KY to a sold-out crowd. During the Q & A he made these points when asked about his view of homosexuality:

Rob Bell:

We have no right to speak about homosexuality unless we have homosexual friends and know of their struggles.

Pastor Jan's response:
First, this view This would immediately eliminate the Apostle Paul. Secondly, this is a self-denying position from the perspective that Bell makes a big point about how we, as Christians, need to be sensitive and listen to all different and contrary points of view.

In my opinion, this is the typical neo-liberal view of freedom of speech and conscience which fosters all kinds of aberrant viewpoints but disallows certain speech or views (usually conservative and traditional) as "insensitive" or even "hate speech." This is simply a way of silencing the opposition.

Rob Bell:

Jesus didn’t say anything about homosexuality.

Pastor Jan's response:
This is an argument from silence. However, Jesus had plenty to say about sex outside of the legitimate bounds of marriage. Jesus recognized only two God-honoring ways to use human sexuality: in marriage or as celibate for the sake "of the kingdom." This, obviously, does not leave room for homosexual acts to be legitimate. Jesus was also very clear that marriage is a God-ordained institution between a man and a woman (Matthew 19). A "gay marriage" is not a lawful marriage in God’s eyes and all sexual contact in such a relationship is evil.

Rob Bell:

Christians should not single out homosexuality because we have a bad record with marital fidelity.

Pastor Jan's response:
This is another straw-man argument coupled with a wrong-headed notion. Because I have been cited for speeding does not mean that I cannot say that burglary is wrong. Additionally, the Bible gives special attention to certain sexual sins as particularly abhorrent to God. Homosexuality is one of those. Thomas Aquinas termed it a "double" violation of God’s law. It violates both God’s divine statutes and the natural purpose of human sexuality.

Again, Bell is simply trying to silence the opposition and he fails to recognize the extreme stigma that the Bible and traditional Christianity place upon homosexuality as a threat to the God-ordained institution of the family.

Rob Bell:

The Bible says nothing about sexual orientation.

Pastor Jan's response:
This is another straw-man argument. The Bible has plenty to say about homosexual acts and the purity of our thought-lives. Whatever my orientation, I must bring it - by God’s grace - into conformity with God’s will.

I'd also love to get your comments and questions about this topic. You can leave a comment or question by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!

Blessings...






tags: Rob Bell | Mars Hill Church | SEX GOD | Velvet Elvis | Christianity Today | Leonard Sweet | Fresno Pacific University | FPU | Augustine | On Christian Doctrine | homosexuality | Thomas Aquinas
Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Chris Cheadle. Image #: 200383696-001

We have all felt pinned down by the challenges of life or the enemy. We seem to be under attack from every angle and unable to gather enough strength to face the battle. This is magnified by newspaper headlines that scream about a clash of warring camps in a culture war. It is easy to develop a bunker mentality. In the face of all of this, how do you keep your faith vibrant and growing? How can you have real success in this life without becoming a casualty? Pastor Jan will walk us through an in-depth encounter with 2 Peter 1:3-11 where we will hear God's voice through the disciple-fisherman, Peter.

In this thought-provoking message, Pastor Jan van Oosten shows us that everything you need for a happy, God-honoring, productive and eternally rewarding life is attained though a full knowledge of God and a life-long commitment to excellence.

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War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)

NOTE: This is the Enhanced Edition of the NewCov Podcast. The enhanced edition includes images and links from the message. This version can only be viewed with Apple's Quicktime viewer or through iTunes. Both can be downloaded from Apple (Quicktime | iTunes). For the Standard Version of this podcast, go here.

To listen now, you will need to either download the Enhanced Version to your computer, or subscribe via iTunes... it will not play through your browser.

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If you have iTunes 7, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Within forty-eight hours after Pastor Jan delivers his weekend message at NewCov, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.





If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/newcovpodcast

You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. Thanks for listening!
War of the Worlds image © 2007, New Covenant Community Church. Artist: Pat Callahan (based on an iStockPhoto image. Artist: cyrop. Image #1802666)