10 Indictments Against the Modern American Church

If you're wondering why I'm up at 4:45 in the morning...it's because this sermon by Paul Washer has rocked my world tonight.

Pendleton, Indiana

It's true. I'm home for Christmas! Pendleton Indiana. Very different from Texas life, or should I say, Teen Mania life. Going from Teen Mania life to home life has always been an awkward transition...but in a good way...kinda. Leaving a completely God saturated culture for a worldly culture is a pretty intense experience. But I'm extremely grateful for it, because it gives me time to reflect on what God's been teaching me since my last time home 6 months ago.

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon said something like: "If you're not concerned about the salvation of others, you're not saved yourself." Well, my concern for the lost while I've been home has never been deeper! God's grace is such an amazing gift...and to think...people actually want to live without it?! Bizarre. 

What Jesus said in Luke 13:22-33 has been on my mind a lot since being home.

 22And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

 23Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,

 24Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

 25When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

 26Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

 27But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

 28There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

 29And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

 30And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

God has pressed Eternity on my heart. So many are deceived in to thinking they're going to Heaven...but they don't know Jesus Christ. They don't know that Christ is the only way to the Father.

Through this truth, I believe God has revealed to me the sin of Idol time. How much more could I have done for God's kingdom if I didn't play that video game? Watch that movie? Take that half hour nap?

God forgive me for desiring things of the flesh and not your Kingdom!

The Prosperity Gospel

Why do I preach against the Prosperity Gospel so much? Why am I convinced that Jesus DID NOT die on the cross so we can live a more fullfilled life? I think John Piper puts it in a pretty clear perspective.



But Josh, doesn't Jesus say in John 10:10 that he's giving us life abundantly? Yes, but we must look at the big picture. Jesus isn't talking about promising great finances or giving you that car you always wanted. Jesus never promises that.

John 10
I Am the Good Shepherd
1"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5(A) A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." 6This figure of speech Jesus(B) used with them, but they(C) did not understand what he was saying to them.
7So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you,(D) I am the door of the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the door. If anyone enters by me,(E) he will be saved and will go in and out and(F) find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and(G) kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11(H) I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd(I) lays down his life for the sheep. 12He who is(J) a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and(K) leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and(L) scatters them. 13He flees because(M) he is a hired hand and(N) cares nothing for the sheep. 14(O) I am the good shepherd.(P) I know my own and(Q) my own know me, 15(R) just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and(S) I lay down my life for the sheep. 16And(T) I have other sheep that are not of this fold.(U) I must bring them also, and(V) they will listen to my voice. So there will be(W) one flock,(X) one shepherd. 17(Y) For this reason the Father loves me,(Z) because(AA) I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18(AB) No one takes it from me, but(AC) I lay it down(AD) of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and(AE) I have authority to take it up again.(AF) This charge I have received from my Father."

19(AG) There was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20Many of them said,(AH) "He has a demon, and(AI) is insane; why listen to him?" 21Others said, "These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon.(AJ) Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

We must realize that God is in control. God knows what's best for us. For the Christian, Jesus is our Shepherd, and His ways are ALWAYS better than our ways. We find our satisfaction in knowing and trusting our Father. This is why I don't believe in the prosperity Gospel.

-josh

Modern Preachers and the Cross

Why are modern preachers afraid to preach about the Cross? Why are modern preachers ashamed to preach about the wrath of God? Our new Gospel (Good News) Consist of "how to live our best life" or "how to life a purpose driven life." This is not Christianity! We ARE NOT "all that," we are NOTHING! We're sinners given grace by the blood of Jesus Christ.

The grace given to us by Jesus Christ is the most encouraging message in the entire world! We don't need preachers explaining to us how to have the most abundant life, we need a Savior who takes God's wrath on our behalf. We need Jesus.

The death of Christ was the ONLY way to satisfy God's wrath on us...why don't we preach this? Jesus is not an accesory to make our life better. Jesus shed his blood for my soul. I don't need a motivational speaker disquised as a preacher telling me how to live my best life now, I need a Savior. I need someone to bear my sins. I need Jesus.

Please, do not turn my Jesus in to someone who died to simply make my life more satisfying. That's not my Jesus. My Jesus is so much more than that. My Jesus bore the sins of the World. And God's wrath is now satisfied. THAT is the Jesus that I love with all my heart.

-josh

Reformed Thinking

Never have I been so eager to study before...until now. The past 2 months of my life have been filled with late nights and early mornings of studying. My desire for studying mainly comes from the realization of how little I know about God. I know very little about Biblical Doctrine, God's character, biblical evangelism, etc.

I've gone through countless seminars, bible studies, and books in the past year, but I feel as if I'm just now starting to get a glimpse of who God really is, and it's very humbling.

My first year with the Honor Academy was mainly devoted to learning Christian Character, and understanding the Worldview of a Christian. All of my influence came from my Honor Academy instructors. Mainly Ron Luce, Dave Hasz, and Randy Olson. I'm very grateful for these men and what they've taught me, as well as what they continue to teach to new undergrad interns.

But I've entered in to a new season of learning. The season that I'm in now doesn't really consist of what the Honor Academy teaches. (Graduate Interns don't have many classes)

As much as I love Teen Mania and The Honor Academy, I'm very grateful that I've stepped out of the "Honor Academy Box" I put myself in, and for the past several months, I've been reforming my thinking.

Lately, I've been listening/watching a lot of sermons by Paul Washer, Phil Johnson, and Jeff Noblit. I also watch a TON of Way of the Master shows on evangelism.

I'm realizing more and more each day how the Christian churches in America today don't focus on what's most important. Churches are becoming more like self-help organizations. The main message of today's American Church seems to be, "How to get the best out of life." How to have the best family, job, marriage, friends...you name it.



But what about the Gospel of Jesus Christ!?! What about God recieving the Glory he deserves?!? What about pastors teaching Biblical Doctrine!?! This is what the Church really needs. If we could simply focus on learning true doctrine and what the bible says and apply the word of God in to our lives, we wouldn't need a "Self-Help Church." God's word is the standard for right living.

The Gospel, Evangelism, God Glorified, and the state of the American Church; this is what's on my mind lately.

Well, it's now 3:49 in the morning, but I'm wide awake. So...time to listen to another Jeff Noblit sermon...WHOO HOO!


-josh

That's My King!

Can Satan Hear our thoughts?

By John MacArthur

Can Satan hear what we say and know our thoughts? Should we avoid praying out loud because Satan might hear us?

There is nothing in the Bible to indicate that Satan is omniscient. There are no verses that say he knows everything or that he can read our thoughts. But he is very adept at predicting human behavior because he’s seen it operate for so long. He can anticipate what you might do in a given situation without knowing your thoughts because of his knowledge of humankind and because he has a supernatural mind.

But in terms of being omniscient and being able to read your thoughts (as God can), the Bible does not support that idea at all. It never tells us that angels are omniscient. And if a holy angel isn’t omniscient, neither is a fallen one. So, Satan can’t read our thoughts, even if he’s great at predicting human behavior because he’s seen so much of it.

I was speaking at a conference in Iowa about this problem. People were asking questions like “How do you deal with demons?” and “Do we need exorcism to get rid of demons?” Well, there are a lot of people today who say you do. I once read a book about deliverance in which the author described a doctor who was supposedly delivered from the demon of post-nasal drip. And in this approach, whenever you think you have a demon, there’s a certain magical formula you say or you run around or “plead the blood”—whatever that phrase means, since it’s not from the Scripture. The blood has already been pled in your behalf at the time of your salvation and that takes care of it.

There are people who advocate little formulas and séance-type practices with a Christian connotation, claiming that they can cast out demons and so forth. But when you get into the Bible, you find that dealing with the devil is really as simple as going to Ephesians 6 and putting on the armor of God. You see, in Ephesians 6, it says, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers,” right? We’re wrestling against demons and against Satan.

But what do we do about it? The best place to find out is to read right in that same chapter, isn’t it? Notice that it does not say, “Go get your demons exorcised with a Christian exorcism.” Nor does it say, “Go get somebody to cast your demon out.” It says, “Put on the whole armor of God,” and what that whole armor really consists of is righteousness. The heart of it is “the breastplate of righteousness.” The key then is to live a righteous, Spirit-filled life and to trust in the sovereign power of God.

So, there is nothing in the Bible that says Satan can read our thoughts. Certainly demons can hear what we say. They can understand what we say. And as I said before, they are very good at predicting the common responses of man because they’ve been at it for such a long time.

But don’t worry about that! A lady once said to me, “We whisper,” because she was afraid of demons hearing her prayers. My response was, “Well, that’s foolish!” You can go boldly before the throne of grace. In the Old Testament, it doesn’t say, “And David whispered to the Lord;” it says, “And David said unto the Lord”—and out it came. You never hear any time in the apostle Paul’s instruction to us about prayer when he says, “Don’t talk out loud.” When he wanted to pray, he just flat out prayed and it didn’t bother him whether Satan heard it because he was living in such a way that Satan couldn’t do anything about it anyway. That’s the issue.

Joel Osteen's false teachings

As a defender of the true Gospel, I must warn you of the false teachings of Joel Osteen.

2 Peter 2:1-3
False Prophets and Teachers
1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Joel never addresses the issue of sin in his teachings. Joel usually changes the meaning of sin to "problems" or "bad habits." This is extremly dangerous and misleading considering that because of sin, we've been completly seperated from God.

Romans 3:23
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:1-11
Peace with God Through Faith
1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Because Jesus died on the cross, God's wrath was satisfied, so that those who live by faith in Jesus would no longer be seperated from God.

Joel Osteen DOES NOT teach that and preaches a false Gospel.

Check out these videos to see what I mean:

Pray for Ray Boltz

It deeply saddens me to discover that Ray Boltz, a famous Contemperary Christian singer, recently announced that he's gay. My favorite music video of all time comes from his song "I Pledge Allegiance To the Lamb, a wonderful song about being faithful to Jesus in the mist of persecution.

For the record, struggling with homosexual thoughts is forgivable. A Christian struggling with homosexuality has a choice; repent or refuse to repent. A Christian who repents (turns away from his sin) is forgiven, but a person who lives in the sin is NOT a Christian, and therefore isn't saved.

Pray for the salvation of Ray Boltz, and that he realizes that believing God made him gay is unbiblical.

-josh

Check out this teaching in referance to people who call themselves Christians

How To Botch An Altar Call

A few keys for those who don't want people saved in their altar calls)

1. Present an unbalanced message. Only let them see the heart-warming part of God’s character. Preach God’s love but leave out His holiness and justice. That way they’ll think He’ll let them into heaven no matter what.

2. Don’t mention repentance until they’re repeating a “sinner’s prayer.” Just get them to say, “I repent of all my sins” while they’re echoing you. They won’t know what they’re saying and they won’t count the cost.

3. Above all else, be dignified. Don’t get heart to heart with the people. They would get something out of what you said.

4. Skim over the gospel and push the prayer. Pretend the lost naturally understand what Christ has done for them.

5. Preach Jesus as a life enhancer not a life rescuer. Tell them how Jesus can improve their life but don’t show them Jesus as the only One who can save them from Hell. People will think if they reject Him they’re only losing out on a spiritual high.

6. Try to please the people instead of convert them. Tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

7. Compromise the message to speed up the process. The Christians who have heard it a hundred times before will be pleased with that. The quicker they get out the quicker they can get to the restaurant.

8. Give them the impression that God is so good He won’t send anyone to hell. Don’t present the whole counsel of God or they might realize He is so good that He’ll see to it that justice is served and that all unrepentant sinners will be punished in the fire that is not quenched.

9. Speak to sinners as though they were saints. They’ll think they’re God’s children instead of the enemies of God they’ve made themselves into because of their sin. You’ll give them false assurance and mislead them.

10. Don’t mention sin or man’s guilt. Resist the urge to explain what Christ came to deliver us from. Don’t show them their need for the Savior. Otherwise it may all make sense.

11. Don’t look to the Bible for the substance of your altar call. Only mimic other preachers with large congregations.

12. Tell the lost not to feel bad about their sins. That way you will work against the Holy Spirit who’s convicting them

13. Whatever you do, never mention Judgment Day. Your audience might take spiritual matters seriously.

14. Tell them Jesus is the only way to heaven but don’t explain why. They may think it’s nothing more than fear tactics and leave offended instead of enlightened.

15. Confuse the call. This is a great way to botch up an altar call. Don’t let people know you’re asking them to commit their life to Christ. Be vague and general in what you’re saying. Neglect to mention following Christ in your evangelistic altar calls and say things like, “If you don’t feel you’re as close to God as possible raise your hand,” “If you feel lonely come to the front for prayer,” “If you want more of God this is your time,” and, “If you have struggles and need the answer come down.” Just get them to raise a hand. That way no one will be able to count the cost and you’ll even get saints to respond to salvation altar calls, making the results look more successful.

16. Only give them half the story. Tell them Jesus died to forgive everyone but overlook the fact that they must personally receive Him to partake of that forgiveness.

17. Present the truth as though it isn’t. Be so funny when you share Christ that you belittle the seriousness of the matter.

18. Preach forgiveness without repentance. That way no one will know how to be forgiven.

19. Be unbiblical. Present repentance and faith as an offer instead of how God does as a command (Acts 17:30).

20. Let them think next Sunday is the day of salvation. Don’t make them feel it’s urgent to respond today.

21. Never warn of hell. Dangle heaven in front of their nose but rarely mention hell, certainly not as much as Jesus did.

22. Only do altar calls inside the church. Never take the gospel where sinners congregate. The lost might get saved.

23. Use churchy terms. Use words like, “saved,” “repent,” and “born again,” without any explanation. That way your hearers won’t comprehend what you’re saying. If they can’t understand it, it’s probable they won’t be changed by it.

24. Give false assurance of salvation to unsaved Christians. Assure church folk that they are saved even if they bear no fruit. So that you don’t offend the unsaved pew warmers never quote 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.” You could lose some financial supporters and have to depend on God.

25. Never mention the wrath of God. If you mention it, people might be awakened to flee to Jesus who “saves us from the wrath to come.” ( 1 Thess. 1:10)

26. Study how the apostles preached and witnessed and do the opposite. Don’t explain Jesus’ suffering death on the cross. Otherwise they may think of running to Him for forgiveness. Don’t speak of His burial or resurrection or they might realize He is God. Refrain from commenting about the hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw Jesus after He rose from the dead. That way they can go on thinking He’s a fairy tale. Overlook talk of the messianic prophecies Jesus fulfilled or they might realize that the Bible is true. If they see it’s the truth they may see that following Christ is the logical decision. And whatever you do, avoid what the apostles did when it came time to call people to obey the gospel. Don’t tell them to trust Christ and live for Him. That is too accurate. If they know how to get saved your altar call will be a success.

27. Put more emphasis on the “sinner’s prayer” then on repentance and faith. Satan will smile over your departure from Biblical instruction. We are never taught to use a ‘sinner’s prayer’ throughout the entire Bible. If you decide to use it and put more emphasis on the technique than on what we’re commanded to preach: faith and repentance you’ll certainly botch things up. A ‘sinner’s prayer’ doesn’t equal salvation, only faith in Christ and repentance toward God do.

28. Let Christians think you’re the only one who can do it right. Always leave the impression that they should only invite friends to church and never actually witness themselves. It will keep you in business and the lost unsaved.

29. Don’t let the lost know they are. Disregard subjects like Judgment Day, God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness and justice. That way the lost can continue to think they’re “good enough” to get into heaven.

30. Rely upon psychological techniques to manipulate people into responding to the altar call. Don’t rely upon the Holy Spirit or they may actually get saved.

31. Make sure you’re the main attraction. Remember the goal in botching up an altar call is for people to leave and say, “What a wonderful preacher,” instead of, “What a wonderful Savior.” Draw all possible attention to how great a speaker and person you are. Otherwise people might see Christ in your preaching and get saved.

32. Don’t focus upon Jesus. Finally, the best way to botch up an altar call is not to preach the gospel. Just get people to lift up a hand and pray a prayer with you. Resist the urge to speak of the only One who could save them.
Sometimes the best way to get a point across is to put it in a different light. You now know a few ways to botch up an altar call. Please do not employ them. Do the opposite. You may already do some of them. Don’t let pride keep you from changing and doing things in a Biblical fashion. The bottom line is how true we are to Christ and His word. Effectively reaching the lost is our purpose. Let nothing hold you back from that agenda. May God bless you as you seek to win people to Christ in Bible clubs, churches, conferences, on the street witnessing encounters, at your school, and at your workplace.

Adapted from Becoming an Emissary for God by Allen Atzbi

Ex Porn Star Tells the Truth about Porn

I don't agree with a lot of her Christian Theology, but this is an amazing testimony about a porn star who became radically saved by God's grace. Praise God!

There is so much pain in her testimony, and what really sticks out to me is how her walk into sexual sin all started from the neglection of her family.

Men, watch this series. If you're going to be a man.....DO NOT WATCH PORN!!!

Fathers, if you're going to be Fathers, realize how important your role is in the family.

I hope this helps.

Paul Washer - Be a Man

This is an awesome sermon by one of my favorite Preachers, Paul Washer. Enjoy!

The first 15 Months...

Friends and Family,

Tommorow will mark my 15th month with Teen Mania Ministries in Garden Valley, Texas. My only regret in the last 15 months is the failure to keep an updated account of what God's been doing in my life since coming here. He's done so much!

I can still vividly remember the thoughts and feelings I had before departing Pendleton, Indiana back in August 2007. My biggest desire was to know God, and to know his purpose for my life. I figured that coming to the Honor Academy would put me on track for working in Christian Media, something I really desired at the time.

Before coming to the Honor Academy, I thought of myself as...well...holy. I compared myself to the people around me, whether it was at school, church, or anywhere really. My relationship and understanding of God was oviously better...or so I thought. Whether that's true or not, it doesn't matter. I can confidently say that I've learned more in the last 15 months then all of my life combined.

It's impossible to sum up the entire experience thus far, so I'll skip to what my life looks like now. And trust me, the entire experience has been humbling.

I'm now a Graduate Intern at Teen Mania's Honor Academy. This means that I graduated from the Undergrad program which lasted 12 months, and I'm now in a place of leadership in this ministry as a Management Associate, which is one of several Graduate Intern tracks.

I'm currently working as the Regional Manager of a BattleCry youth conferance that will take place in Greensboro, North Carolina on March 13-14. I'm also the Assistant Regional Manager for the BattleCry event coming to Indianapolis on April 4th. I'm the direct manager for 16 Undergrad Interns. My job is to network with churches in/around North Carolina and get them and their church to the Greensboro BattleCry. We do this mainly by phone and e-mail. A lot of my time is spent developing my Undergrads so they can make better calls, connect with youth pastors better, etc. You can check out my my work blog and what I'm doing with my Greensboro event at http://greensboro.acquirethefire.com

I'm also apart of a "Family Core." Family Cores are basically the people you hang out with most. At the beginning of the year, you're assigned into a Family Core at random, and you get the oppurtunity of taking the next 12 months to get to know them and grow together. Every core get's a Core Advisor (which is another Graduate Intern track) to advise the core. Core Advisor's are the leaders of the Core. If a Core Advisor chooses, they can adopt other Graduate Interns in to the core for more leadership. I've been adopted in to Nick Glaro's core. (Because he's a Core Advisor now) Nick and I were roomates as undergrads.

Last but not least, I'm the President of Terra Nova, which is a Creative Ministry on campus that serves through Prayer and Outreach events. This is probably my most difficult part of leadership at Teen Mania, because as President, I'm the main decision maker of this Creative Ministry. I have about 23 Undergrad Interns that are apart of the Terra Nova team with me, as well as 3 Lead Team members. Terra Nova is a College Credited ministry, so basically, me and my Lead Team are the Professors for a College class!! We're currently teaching evangelism to the Terra Nova team, and we're in the process of putting together our first outreach event for December.

Well, that's all for now. I plan to be more diligent with updates of what's going on in my life. Thank you for all of your support, and for my Indiana friends, I'll see you this Christmas!


in Christ alone,


-josh

Flame & Lecrae - Joyful Noise