Monday, April 30, 2012

Born-Againism

Born-Againism by Richard Ochs

There is much talk these days about the rapid growth of the cults. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, Mormonism, the Unification Church, and a host of lesser-known groups are making converts at astounding rates. Yet, the combined effect of all these groups is over-shadowed by a movement that in the last few years has grown to include over 30% of the U.S. population. The amazing development of what might be called “Born-againism” is affecting all sectors of our society. In fact, if the latest figures presented in the religious polls are accurate, the current Born-again phenomenon could well be viewed as the fastest growing cult in America. Born-againism has permeated the fundamentalist denominations as leaven in dough, and expanded into the culture at large. Candidates espouse it in order to get votes, entertainers use it to attract crowds, pro-football players proclaim it to give respect to their Sunday afternoon brutality, and the business world promotes it in order to make money. Even the secular press, radio, and T.V. have found it fashionable to occasionally slip the little words “born again” into their speech and print.


That the world has jumped on the Born-again Bandwagon in order to exploit it is sad but not surprising. We really shouldn’t expect anything else from the spiritually blind worldling. The real tragedy is that this whole mess was spawned and spread by the “Church” and is now lauded as a great revival of Christianity.


The truth is that much of contemporary evangelicalism, like the church of Sardis, appears to be alive, but actually is dead (Rev. 3:1). And we can’t blame the atheists, the agnostics, or the liberals for this condition. No, the fault lies with the supposed “Bible believers.” Error has been preached as truth and propagated with cultish zeal. As a result multitudes have believed a lie and are headed for hell from fundamentalist church pews with a Bible in their hands and a prayer on their lips. Many others have become disillusioned with all the hypocrisy and false “fulfillment,” and have concluded that there is really nothing to this “born-again” stuff after all.

Truth turned to error

But doesn’t the Bible teach that men must be born again? Was this not an absolutely fundamental teaching of our Lord, His apostles, and the Church down through the ages? Yes, of course it was, and without this there is no true Christianity. But error cloaked in Biblical terms is still error. In the case of the current born-again movement, Scriptural terminology is being used to teach just the opposite of its original meaning. The great doctrine of man’s need for regeneration (i.e. miraculous new-birth) is being presented in a way that denies the very point it is supposed to teach. Stated simply the error is this —that men are born again as a result of something they do. This something may be “going forward” at the close of an evangelistic message, making a “decision” for Christ, or “repenting” and “believing” the gospel. Whatever the requirement that is put before the sinner, the impression is given that sinful man himself is the one who brings about regeneration.


The sad results of such a teaching can be seen all around us. Evangelists who believe that men dead in sin can and will turn to God if the right kind of emotional and psychological inducement is presented, push and pressure lost people into making “decisions.” Whatever is necessary to get people to come forward, or raise their hand, or sign a card, is tried by today’s “soul-winners.” Highly emotional meetings, prolonged appeals, repeated musical choruses, and even the deceitful tactic of having counselors strategically placed in the audience to come forward at the time of the “appeal” —all smack of the techniques of crowd psychology. 


Those who do come forward (or raise their hand, or sign a card) are then coached into believing that God has come into their lives, and that they are now “saved.” Deep down, though, they know that nothing has really happened. The evangelist has done something, the lost person has done something, but God has done nothing. There has been no miracle. The person may give mental assent to the doctrine of the new birth and try to rejoice in it, but there has been no supernatural passing from death to life (Ephesians 2:4-5). This is why most of the “converts” of this kind of “born-againism” show no real zeal for God, and many fall away completely after a month or two.

That some people are brought into the kingdom in these situations is no doubt true. But it is in spite of these methods, not because of them. If we turn to the section of Scripture most often quoted regarding the new birth we find the Lord teaching just the opposite of the modern “soulwinner.”


You must be born again


In the third chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” What did the Lord mean by this statement? First of all, it should be noted that Jesus said nothing of any action or decision that Nicodemus must make, nor did He even tell him to repent and believe the gospel. As a matter of fact, Jesus was not telling Nicodemus to do anything! “You must be born again” was not a command Nicodemus was to obey, it was simply a statement of fact. Nicodemus, in his blindness, misunderstood this statement and asked how anyone could do such a thing as that —a man “cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” To this Jesus said in effect, “I’m not talking to you about you doing anything, I’m talking about God doing something.” “I’m talking about the Spirit of God coming and miraculously generating life in you.


You being flesh can only produce flesh. Only the Spirit of God can produce the spiritual birth you must have in order to enter the Kingdom of God, and God’s Spirit blows where He wishes” (John 3:1-8).


The modern evangelist’s techniques and teaching are conspicuously absent in this account. The Lord gave Nicodemus no “Four Spiritual Laws,” nor any instructions on “How to be Born Again,” and He certainly used no manipulative tricks. He was concerned to emphasize just one thing. Regeneration is a miraculous work of God’s Spirit.


We can, and must, tell men to turn from their sins and believe the Gospel, but in doing this we should realize that when a man does repent and believe, it is the result of God’s prior regenerative working within him. If this were not the case, if man must actually initiate his own salvation, then it would be impossible to escape the conclusion that men do not need regeneration at all, but possess in themselves an innate goodness which causes them to seek after God. Though it be ever so slight, this goodness is then the ultimate reason why one man is saved and another is lost. But the apostle Paul clearly teaches the contrary when he writes:


There is none righteous, not even one;
There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God...
There is none who does good,
There is not even one (Romans 3:10-12)


Here Paul states plainly that there is no “spark of goodness” in man that causes him to respond to the gospel. In fact, man, blinded by sin and Satan, does not even understand the gospel. He is in total rebellion against God and His truth. If regeneration were contingent upon man first desiring God, no one would ever be born again, for “there is none who seeks for God.” Moreover, if man must ultimately be given credit for coming to God, Christianity is turned into just one more of the world’s man-centered religions or cults which teach salvation by works. All such man-centered systems offer a false hope, for it is simply impossible for sinful man to make himself different than he is —he needs a new heart, he needs to be “born again!”


Again, it should be stressed that we are certainly to tell men to seek God. We must tell them to believe and receive Christ. But these commands will fall on spiritually deaf ears unless God first generates life through the inward workings of His Holy Spirit.


You may protest that this makes God the ultimate determiner of who is saved. To this the apostles and prophets with one voice cry, “Amen!” “Salvation is from the Lord.” Christians, as John puts it in the opening chapter of his gospel, are people, “who were born not...of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:13). That’s why we give thanks to God when someone is converted. We know that God has graciously wrought a miracle —the sovereign, supernatural miracle of the new birth.


This truth should give us confidence to present the pure gospel, knowing that it is not up to us to somehow maneuver and manipulate men into Christianity. It should also bring us to our knees before the God Who is sovereign in salvation. Only He can remove the heart of stone and give a new heart. Only He can give life to the dead. Only He deserves the blessing, glory, and honor.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Homeschool Domination

Homeschool Domination
Created by: CollegeAtHome.com

Saturday, April 28, 2012

The Roots of the Emergent Church

This is a two hour video, but very educational. Every Christian needs to watch this. The emergent church is one of the fastest growing movements in the world cloaked in "Christianity". Parents especially need to watch this because the majority of their converts are young people who grew up in churches. This is why studying and teaching church history and doctrine is so important.

Related Links:

10 Signs You May Have Just Entered a Emergent Church

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Favorite Baked Ham with Pineapple Glaze

Both my Father and Father-in-Law are ham nuts. They went really crazy over my ham and glaze. I'm always getting requests for the recipe, so I might as well share it here.  It is so simple, inexpensive and sure to please.

1/2 smoked ham
1 medium can crushed pineapple juice (with juice)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. cloves, powdered form
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1/2 cup brown sugar

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Slice any remaining skin off the ham and cut criss-cross lines on the top. Place it in a roasting pan and put in oven; bake for 1-1/2 hours. Add remain contents in a sauce pan and heat on stove, stirring constantly until glaze it thick. Spread glaze evenly over ham, back for another 30 minutes.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The Best Carmel Popcorn

Today was a rainy day, so it made sense to make something new.  I made this carmel popcorn from "A Reforming Mom's" blog, and man was it good stuff. It is good enough to give out as gifts for neighbors or co-op teachers.

First Make Popcorn:

Here is what you'll need:

1 large pot
1/3 cup of oil
almost 1 cup of popcorn kernels

Over medium heat, place the oil and 4 or 5 kernels into the pot. Keep it covered and watch it. When the kernels start popping, remove the pot from the heat. Pour the rest of the popcorn into the pot and set a timer for 45 seconds. This allows the kernels to be brought up to the heat of the oil and makes for more even cooking.

Place the pot back on the heat, gently moving the pot around on the burner. When the kernels begin popping, slightly crack the lid, so the steam can escape. Otherwise, you will end up with soggy popcorn.

At this point, I pour the popcorn into a large bowl....being sure to get rid of the few kernels that never popped. We don't want broken teeth, do we?

When it has been about 10-15 seconds in between popping, remove from heat.

At this point, you can add butter and salt.....but if you want to hit a home run, then you'll make up a batch of caramel!

Here is what you'll need to make the caramel:

2 sticks of butter (not margarine)
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Once that is melted, add the brown sugar and corn syrup....mixing constantly. When bubbles start to appear, stop mixing and set the time for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the pan, but do not mix at all!

When the 5 minutes are up, remove from heat and add the vanilla and baking soda and mix thoroughly. The caramel will expand and turn lighter in color.

Once it's mixed, pour onto the popcorn and mix. Be sure not to touch it, since it is still very hot!

Set the oven temp to 250 degrees. Place the coated popcorn onto a large cookie sheet. Be sure that you place them on a wire rack that is not too close to the burners.

This is going to bake for an hour. You are going to mix it up every 15 minutes....so set your timer!

When your hour is up, remove it from the oven, and carefully spoon into a large bowl. As it cools, you'll want to take a spoon and break it up a bit. Once it's cool, bag it up or just eat it straight from the bowl!

After making it for your family.....your kids will thank you....and you will never go back to store bought caramel corn ever!!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Raising Men in a Man Hating World

I'm a bit of a blog novice, so I'm not sure if copying and pasting from another blog is kosher or not. 

Anyway, here is another copy and paste from a woman name Kelly (I couldn't find her last name). Her post  is here.

Raising Men in a Man Hating World

They were too loud and fidgety so we drugged them.

They were too “rough” so we softened them.

They were too given to leading us so we insulted them.

They were too protective so we started opening our own doors.

And still they simply try to be who we need and want them to be.

Men are rare. Real men allowed to be who God made them. And like almost everything in the universe, we, WOMEN, hold the power to shape and change. We are the ones who have so craftily disassembled the real men. And only we can help build them back and raise a new generation of them.

I want to love my boys, but let them be boys.

I expect a lot from them. I tell them they are leaders, even now, in our family, either modeling character, sacrifice and honor before their siblings, or living an example of self-centeredness and foolishness.

I am glad they are rugged, like to pretend to shoot things and play in the dirt. It serves an important purpose and I don’t want to feminize their tendencies, calling it “learned behavior” that needs to be unlearned in order to be “better managed”.

I want them to give special honor to women, children and the elderly. I want them to live out “my-life-for-yours”.

I want them to have role models like Daniel and Joshua; not Justin Bieber.

I want them to think, even now, about the family they will likely have one day. I want them to be planning, dreaming and making wise decisions now that will find them prepared at the right time.

I want them spending time wisely, preparing in their youth for one woman, not wasting it dabbling in relationships for which they have no business pursuing, wrecking hearts and lives along the way. I want them to pursue purity of mind, body and spirit.

I want them to have vision and I speak to them of such. I want them to have purpose, to connect actions with consequences, to be wise and walk circumspectly. This requires a basic rejection of typical “adolescent” thinking.

I want them to pursue the Lord young, to thirst after righteousness, and so we raise them to love Him, not as “pagans yet to pray a prayer”, but as children “holy” and beloved, members of His covenant of grace, and ever pressing toward the mark of the high calling of Christ Jesus.

Let’s. raise. men.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Jesus Absorbed the Wrath of God ~ David Platt

Jesus Took Our Place - A Message for Good Friday


Sermon from Paul Washer

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=3912818480

Comment Reviews: "Praise the Lord. This is a great sermon and in it Paul Washer very clearly explains the Gospel. I encourage you to listen to it and share it with others! Praise the Lord Jesus!"

“ Wow... This is probably the best sermon I've ever heard...Glory to God"

Sunday, April 1, 2012

A Challenge to the True Pastors ~ Paul Washer

"When you no longer have regeneration in preaching, you have nothing." Paul Washer