5 Things Christians Should Do in Response to the Supreme Court's Ruling on Homosexual Marriage

By now, every blogger in every corner of the Net has either written on or otherwise elaborated on yesterday's history-changing decision of the Supreme Court's ruling on homosexual marriage.  To boot, many Christians have responded with articles and blogposts about how Christians should respond. I don't propose to offer anything new or insightful, or even anything significant. But I would like to offer my two-cents worth on five things that I think that true (and I emphasize that word) Christians can do in response to this ruling.

1. Focus on the gospel (Rom 1:16, Mt 16:18). Politics will never change hearts and minds. Too many Christians have seemingly equated Christianity with political agendas. Do politicians make evil laws? Yes. Should we be salt and light against these laws? Again, a resounding yes! But to mistakenly believe that somehow Christian politics will cure the root of the problem is a faux belief and should be abandoned.
   
   But the gospel is different. It reaches a person at the deepest level. It cuts through all of their agendas, hatred, bigotry, and most importantly, it breaks every stronghold in their life, allowing them the freedom from their sin and self-destruction. What a powerful weapon we have in the gospel! It is the same gospel that turned Paul from a Christian-hating mongrel into one of the most beloved and Christian-loving apostles. No wonder Paul stated his unashamedness in the power of the gospel. The gospel raises dead souls to life. And that is what we as Christians need to focus on.
2. Evangelize (Acts 2:42-47, John 14:6). The one thing that stands out to me in the Acts 2 passage is verse 43, which states, "And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles." 
   
   The preceding verse tells us that the early believers were focused on two things: the apostles' teaching and the fellowship (doctrine & other believers) and prayer and breaking of the bread (supplication/intercession and the Lord's Supper). It's a very simple formula that the modern church needs to repeat once again. They were concerned about learning God's Word and then going to their neighbors and co-workers to share that word with them. It was bathed in fellowship with each other and prayer that was dependent upon the Holy Spirit's power.
   
   In other words, they were living church rather than playing church. And the result of their genuine efforts was, "And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."
3. Stand firm (2Tim 4:2, Eph 6:10-19). The gospel has always been an unpopular message. It is contradictory to the normal pattern of this world. This is why Paul instructed Timothy to continue to preach the Word even when it was unpopular. It is also why he exhorted the Ephesians to take up the whole armor of God.
   
   Christians, we too must continue to preach the word in season and out of season. Though we may be viewed as "freaks" and out of step with modern society, we must resolve that because God's Word never changes He will accomplish with it that which pleases Him.
4. Expect retaliation (John 15:18, Mt 5:11). There is one simple point I wanted to make with this one: expect lost people to act like lost people! Scripture clearly tells us that those who are unregenerate are alienated from God and therefore hate Him (John 7:7). Jesus warned His followers that because the world hated Him it would also hate them. Jesus lays this out well in the gospel of John : "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19).
   
   Expect the persecution to come, my brothers and sisters. Expect that the world will seek your property, your freedom, and maybe even your life.
   
   
   
   
5. Remain calm (Psalm 37:7, Psalm 46:10). Don't fret over the High Court's ruling. God is still God and He is still sovereign. David recognized this in both the preceding Psalms and quieted himself with this comfort. Remember that David was continually pursued by his enemies, and even his own son. But God finally gave him rest and brought him to the place that He had promised him. All David needed to do was to wait patiently for the Lord.
   
    The Lord has promised His people that He will come again and take us home to be with Him and the Father and the Spirit for eternity. He is in the midst of preparing a place for us that we may be forever free from the taint of our own sin and away from the sinfulness of the world into His holy and beautiful presence. Let us comfort one another with this thought. Let us remain calm and wait patiently for that day. 

Paula White Promotes New Age Music

Well folks, throw away your Bibles. We don't need them anymore thanks to "Whole Tones". Now with "Whole Tones" you, yes YOU can learn the "7 Amazing New "Musical Tones" Found To Relieve Stress... Promote Healing... Break Negative Cycles... and Restore Sound Sleep... in Minutes."

Why bother with those pesky Scriptures that require study and constant reading? Now, with "Whole Tones" you can by-pass the Bible and go right to the "7 Secret Frequencies Uncovered in the Music of King David" himself!

And don't let the fact that this crap is "New Age" bother you! We've covered up our "New Age" terminology with good ole Christian jargon, so you don't have to fear that annoying little conscience of yours.

What do you get with your $49.00, or $99.00 package? Glad you asked! Here's what you get:

1. "Wipe out your unhealthy fears, drop feelings of guilt and shame, and show you how you can help restore your liver, brain, and kidney functions...(SONG 1, 396Hz)"

2. "Remove the recurring, negative cycles in your life like procrastination, addiction, and junk food...watch as sluggishness and lethargy disappear and productivity and creativity increase...enhance your digestion, ease stomach issues, balance your metabolism, and erase headaches and lower back pain...(SONG 2, 417Hz)"

3. "Discover the Master Key that precipitates all other frequencies. You'll feel soothed by its multiple health benefits as you're tenderly enveloped in peace. This is the very same frequency David used to soothe King Saul's depression...(SONG 3, 444Hz )"

4. "Hear the most curious frequency of all... it has the power to relax you... transform your stress into peaceful bliss. Creating the ideal environment for your body to repair hormonal imbalances, ease muscle tension, and release troubles of circulation... (SONG 4, 528Hz)"

5. "Enjoy the fostering of peace and forgiveness in all your relationships. Also known to positively affect the endocrine system – particularly gall bladder and adrenal issues...(SONG 5, 639Hz)"

6. "Gain a keen awareness of your very own spirit in this powerful yet delicately performed miracle of healing. Experience deep spiritual and emotional healing while cleansing your immune system of common infections. Super-charge your circulatory system to support your healthy heart and blood flow...(SONG 6, 741Hz)"

7. "Revel in the frequency that celebrates the King of Kings. Purely spiritual – connect in the worship of God, His love for humankind, and His return to those who await Him...(SONG 7, 852Hz)"
"Best of all...Some listeners have reported almost automatic healing ... one in as little as 22 minutes!"

 Even "Pastix" Paula White is getting in on the action.





So why bother with the Scriptures when we have "Whole Tunes?"

2 Peter 2:1-3 (ESV) But 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. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep

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Links to Make You Think

It's been a while since we've done a "links to make you think." But since these are some of our most popular posts, we'll try to start getting them back out on a regular basis.

Would you like to know for sure whether or not your part of the "great falling away? This post will help!

Tired of squishy, weak, "Jesus is my girlfriend" worship music? Here's an open letter to worship leaders. Make sure you check out the link in the post of "the worst worship song ever."

Looking for the "secret key" to living the Christian life? Guess what. There ain't one.

 

What happens when pastors stop preaching "it is finished?"

 

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Hermeneutics part 4: The 3 Steps of the Observation Phase

Do you remember the four steps of hermeneutics? Here is a quick reminder:

• Grasp the text in their town - what did it mean to the original audience?
• Measure the width of the river to cross - what are the differences between the Biblical audience and me/us? 
• Cross the priciplizing bridge - what is the theological principle in this text?
• Grasp the text in our town - how should the individual Christian today apply this text? 

Welcome to the beginning of the first step–Grasp the text in their town. Today, you begin the actual process of interpreting a Biblical text. So let's get ready!

In our last hermeneutics post we discussed the importance of observing the text. Today, I would like to briefly discuss the three steps to the observation phase.

Someone once said that in order to really understand something you first must read it. Then, when you are finished you must read it again. Afterwards, to really begin to grasp the meaning you read it again...and again...and again.

You get the idea. Reading a text over and over will help you understand the flow of thought and argument an author is presenting. Therefore, we could say that the first step in observation is:

1. Read the text. In fact, you may want to read and re-read as many times as you need in order to really understand what is going on. I would personally recommend that one read the text at least 10-15 times before going any further. This is especially helpful if you are beginning a book study. Ideally, it is better to read the entire book in one sitting, if at all possible. There are several short books where this could be easily accomplished. Again, I cannot overstate how important this first step is. If one cannot grasp the flow of thought & the meaning of authorial intent then the rest of the study will be fruitless.
2. Observe the text. This next step is just as important! Observing the text means you are reading the text, but with intent. That is, you are now reading to look for specific things: coordinating conjunctions, repeated words/phrases, verbs of action, figures of speech, comparisons, and many other clues that will help you better understand and apply the meaning of the text (pp. 30-38 in Grasping God's Word). One helpful way (and this is also suggested in the book) is to copy & paste your text to a text document such as MS Word or Pages, or even a plain text and then print out the text to mark it up. Mark them in a way that is unique for you to understand so that you will know what you are looking at later on. Below, I've submitted my own example from a sermon in Acts that I preached a few years ago. I hope it will be helpful for you to see a real example. Examples are also provided in the book. 
3. Evaluate the text. One sure way to quickly gain the main points or thoughts of an author is to Phrase or Block Diagram a text. Phrasing is a method that takes all of the main thoughts and clauses and puts them on the left while indenting all of their subordinating clauses underneath of them. The example below is a a Phrase or Block Diagram, though at the time I was still perfecting the methods. It is a tool that I continue to use to this day. For more about phrasing just visit Biblearc.com (Phrasing) as well as their video examples. This English example video is excellent!

BD-Acts_1_1-8.1

Your next step is to find a passage and begin to observe. I recommend a something simple to start with. 1Peter is a good place to begin. Copy & paste and print out the first 9 verses and begin the observation phase. Remember to leave at least 2 spaces between each line so that you have plenty of room to note any significant points, such as comparisons, conjunctions, contrasts, etc. Happy hunting!

Are They Preaching the Gospel at Bethel?

The gospel "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes," (Ro. 1:16). The apostle Paul makes it clear that it is the power of God, not that it only contains power so that we could somehow make it powerless.
For example, Paul tells the Philippians:

Philippians 1:14-18 (ESV) And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

So whether the gospel was preached from false motives or pure, Paul rejoices that the gospel is preached. Why? Because the gospel is power. The Holy Spirit connects Himself with the preaching of the gospel and saves sinners. The Spirit is always present with the preaching of the gospel.
Why is it then that preachers like Kris Vallotton of Bethel Church in Redding California teach that in order for the gospel to have power, it must accompany signs and wonders? Is this biblical, or does Vallotton and others like him take passages that talk about signs and wonders out of context?
In this podcast episode I review a sermon that Valloton preached at Bethel called "The Gospel of Power." We also look at an article by "Let Us Reason called " "The Purpose of Signs and Wonders." Enjoy!

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