What is the Purpose of "Ministry"?

The following article from The School of Christ was sent to me this morning and I am sharing it here in case it also edifies others.

Before getting into the article however, I must share that there is a movement in the churchworld to get others out of what is called the "institutionalized church" (IC).  While I completely agree that the experience of false religion can be a deceiving counterfeit for actual relationship with the Lord, the problem itself is not organized church.

In fact, the religious spirit of deception, legalism, bondage, compromise, and control exists primarily in the hearts of men.  So when such leave the "IC", they simply take that same defiling spirit with them, starting up or joining "ministries" which bear the same deadly trademarks of that which they claim to fight against; binding people to themselves as if allegiance & loyalty to them defines one's relationship with Christ.

God has ordained fellowship amongst the brethren as an important part of our growth and maturation in the faith.  It is an opportunity to encourage, refresh, and strengthen each other in the Lord.  We should never let a few bad seeds (or even many) cause us to reject the whole counsel of God in this area.  If God indicates that it is important for the saints to gather together, then it is (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:25; I Thessalonians 5:11).

Whether you are part of an organized church, a home church, a bible study group, or are currently seeking Godly fellowship, we each remain responsible for making our own calling and election sure.  True freedom in Christ is only experienced because we are fully and completely committed to being attached to Him first.  It is only then that we can join in fellowship with others without feeling as if such community threatens our identity in Christ.

There are Babylonian systems and ministers set-up to keep you from Christ.  However, following Him first and submitting to His guidance will keep you wise, even about those.  If we are to truly be free, we must be free within.  There is nothing from outside of a man which defiles him.

With that said, it is important to understand what the standards are for Godly ministry and ensure that we are equipped to recognize and participate in such.  Remember, we are the church...so let's start being the church and not just have it be a verbal confession.  God gives us countless opportunities to minister to others each day.  If our hearts are yielded to Him, we will not let them be wasted.


The Perfecting of the Saints

“And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13)

For what purpose did God give apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers? Verse 12 tells us they are for “the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ”. This, of course, does not mean that the saints are supposed to be perfect in the sense that they never make a mistake or can do no wrong. “Perfection” here means “maturity”, and it would be good to simply remember that whenever we see the word “perfect” used in this context we should think “spiritually mature”.

The perfecting of the saints means the maturing of the saints, the process of bringing the saints out of spiritual immaturity and into spiritual adulthood. This is the purpose for the ministry gifts. We are not born fully-grown; we must “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18a). In Biblical language, to be “perfect” is to be fully developed. For instance, “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (II Corinthians 12:9ff). What does this mean? “My strength is matured through your weakness, and is fully developed in the one who comes to the end of his natural strength.”

After more than twenty years of Christian experience, Paul explains that he has neither attained, nor is he already perfect (cf. Philippians 3:12a). Clearly he expects to be perfect one day, but he has not yet attained it. But to what is he attaining to? Sinless perfection? No. He is striving for spiritual maturity, which he defines as an experiential, intimate, fully-developed relationship with Jesus Christ (“to know Him”). Then he says everyone who is perfect (that is, spiritually mature), will be like-minded in their pursuit of knowing Christ.

Paul says he preaches Christ: “…warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28). This, in essence, is the purpose of all ministry, whether it is the ministry of an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher. It is to preach CHRIST, and to bring all men into a spiritually mature relationship with Him. Christ is at the heart of everything; He is at the center of all activity; we begin with Him and we end with Him.

When we are introduced to a new ministry and we wish to test its authenticity and spiritual value, we need only ask ourselves two questions: is this ministry centered upon Jesus Christ, and does it bring people into a deeper, more experiential knowing of Him?

If we wish to evaluate someone who claims to be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher, we can apply the same test: is this person centered on Jesus Christ? And when they do whatever it is that they do (preach, teach, prophesy, sing, plant churches, etc.), does it bring people into a deeper, more experiential knowing of Him?

Some may think that kind of test is too severe. Why, if we applied this criteria to every minister and ministry in the world (they say) then we would probably disqualify a majority of workers and works that are doing the Church and mankind a great service. Yes, we probably would. Yet in terms of value to the Kingdom of God, if the work is not Christ-centered and does nothing to bring people into a mature relationship with Him then it has no value to God and is worthless in His sight. If we are not preaching Christ then we are preaching something or someone else; and if we are not bringing people into the depths of Jesus with our life and work then we are either leaving them as they are or leaving them worse than when we found them. We become a distraction and a hindrance to the spiritual growth of others.

If the minister or the ministry does not preach Christ, and does not bring people into spiritual maturity, then they fulfill the opposite of God’s intention – they make themselves the center and make the people dependent upon them, guaranteeing the spiritual immaturity of those affiliated with them. A congregation that is dependent upon its pastor to hear from God for them, deliver a message to them, pray for their needs, and take responsibility for their own spiritual growth is doomed to infancy and spiritual immaturity. If the pastor accepts this situation then he reinforces the congregation’s dependency upon himself. Instead of pointing them to Christ as their Shepherd and getting them to stand on their own, he becomes their surrogate mother. Unfortunately, this is precisely where many churches are today. “We leave the spiritual work to the pastor, while we attend the services.”

The prophetic ministry is just as guilty. The “prophet” or “prophetess” and their “word” becomes the focus of everything; and instead of bringing people to Christ and teaching them how to hear from the Lord on their own, they take responsibility for giving them messages from God. So now people are passively depending on the prophetic ministry for direction, instead of growing up into Christ and developing their own discernment and ability to hear His still, small voice. I read recently of a “prophet” who claimed to give personal words of prophecy to over five hundred people in the course of a week. I do not have to know what was said to know that this person’s idea of a “prophetic ministry” will only keep people spiritual dull and incapable of hearing from God on their own. Why should they develop any kind of spiritual sense when they can have a “prophet” come and give them a “word” whenever they like?

Just because we CAN give a word does not mean that we SHOULD give a word. The goal is not to give people a word, but to give them CHRIST as their Word. Or to put it another way, the goal of ministry is not to give people a loaf of bread every day, but to show them how to obtain all the bread they wish in CHRIST who is the Bread of Life. Do you see the difference? If my entire goal is to give people a sermon every week or a prophetic word every day then both I and they will fall far short of God’s Purpose, which is spiritual maturity and knowing Christ experientially. If the crowd is coming to me for a loaf of bread every time they get hungry then they are dependent upon me to feed them. This is only acceptable so long as they are children who cannot feed themselves. But if I show them where to get bread on their own then they will not have to come to me anymore: and THAT is the goal. Then they can get nourished directly from the source, Who is Christ Himself. The truth is that selling loaves of bread is big business, and a ministry whose survival depends on selling loaves actually WANTS the people to come back to them over and over again to be fed!

May we see before God that CHRIST is the object and the reason for all ministry. Our goal is not to see anyone become dependent upon us, our ministry, our work, or our word; our goal is not to give them a loaf, but rather, to encourage them to go experience the depths of Jesus Christ experientially and personally – to show them where the Bread of Life is.

Favored by God

Seeing as God Sees

"Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured." Genesis 29:17

When Jacob went to his mother's kin to find a wife, he fell in love with Rachel.  Scripture indicates that this was because Rachel was more beautiful in her appearance than her older sister Leah. 

As it turns out, Jacob was tricked by his uncle Laban into marrying both Leah & Rachel.  God then notices that - in Jacob's eyes - Leah was hated and Rachel was loved (Genesis 29:30-31).

Jacob placed more value on that which was outwardly pleasing and attractive.  It soon becomes apparent however, that Rachel's outer beauty only went so deep.

• Leah desired to have children in order to win the love of her husband; but Rachel was motivated by spite and a desire to prevail over her sister in all things (Genesis 30:8).


• Rachel was self-centered and lacked compassion; wanting everything for herself - even taking from others who did not have as much (Genesis 30:14-15).


• Rachel was covetous.  Although she prayed desperately to God about the barrenness of her womb, when He gave her a son, she was not satisfied.  Instead, she immediately focused on her desire for another son (Genesis 30:23-24).  It is this desire which eventually consumed her, as she died giving birth to her second son.


• Rachel was a thief and an idolator.  Even after having seen what God had done in her husband's life, she still stole her father's graven images when they departed from him (Genesis 31:19).


• Rachel was a liar.  She lied to her father about the stolen idols in order to hide the fact that she had taken them (Genesis 31:34-35).

"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30

Man often judges by outward appearance, and as a result, misses that which is most precious to God - a humble spirit.  Such was the same for Jacob.

Yet, something strange happens.  When Jacob makes an arrangement with his uncle Laban for his wages, Jacob agrees to take the cattle whose appearance is less desirable/valuable.  He offers that which looks most pleasing to his uncle and consents to take that which is physically marred for himself.

"I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire." Genesis 30:32

In order to trick Jacob once again, Laban gives the visibly marred cattle to his sons and places them 3 days journey ahead of Jacob.  This way, Jacob was only left with cattle which had no visible defects, for Laban assumed this would greatly decrease the odds of Jacob producing marred offspring.

Surprisingly, as they conceived, the unmarred cattle began to bring forth speckled and spotted offspring.  In this way, God overturned the fortune with which He had blessed Laban and gave those riches to Jacob.  When Jacob later reveals to his wives God's providence in this area, he says:

"And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled. And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee."  Genesis 31:10-12

In this vision, Jacob was able to see that all of the rams which mated with the cattle were ringstreaked, speckled, and grisled.  Yet, we know from the previous text that all the marred cattle had been far removed from Jacob and given to Laban's sons.  The only cattle which remained in Jacob's possession were those which were not physically marred.

"...for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." I Samuel 16:7b

Although man may judge by outward signs, God sees the heart. While someone may look attractive, righteous, and unblemished on the outside, God sees the spirit of a man.

Just like those cattle - whether we appear visibly marred or not - we all stand before God with blemishes and imperfections.  This may make us undesirable to men, but it is such persons which the Father seeks.  His favor rests upon those who do not try to hide nor justify their shortcomings, but who openly acknowledge their faults and cry out for mercy (Matthew 9:10-13; Luke 18:13-14). 

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence." I Corinthians 1:27-29

An inability to see through God's eyes can blind us to the things of God; to His ways and to His people.  Such can lead us to embrace as brothers & sisters those who are not, seek favor from those who are against us, or reject those whom God is calling.

And so we see that it was no strange thing why Jacob - who had proven to judge by appearances - would suddenly choose that which was apparently less beautiful.  God was teaching Jacob to see with spiritual eyes and not to rely on his own understanding.  He was revealing to Jacob that is not by power nor by might, but by God's Spirit that His words come to pass (Deuteronomy 8:17; Zechariah 4:6).

Like Jacob, God also needs to teach us how to "see".  We cannot afford to know any man after the flesh. No matter the connivings and contrivances of man, God always works things out according to His own plan; if only we would trust Him (Genesis 30:33).  He opens and He shuts.  He removes and He restores.  He casts down and lifts up.  If we cannot see His hand at work - in our lives and the lives of others - then how can we ever hope to be vessels fit for His use?

Don't settle for a carnal view of life, judging situations and people solely by external attributes and outward manifestations.  Rather judge righteous judgment, seeking God for spiritual eyes to see as He does.  This way, you will not honor that which God despises nor shun that which He honors. 

REPENT and Believe

Preach the REAL Gospel

"Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:14-15

What is the Gospel message?  Ask that question and you are bound to get a variety of answers.  However, Jesus - and His disciples - all seemed pretty sure what the Gospel is and how it should be preached.

"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17

"And they went out, and preached that men should repent." Mark 6:12

"Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24:45-47

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Acts 2:38

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Acts 3:19

"Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Acts 20:21

With the number of false gospel messages being preached these days, it is no wonder that much of the churchworld is in such a miserable state.  Yet, God says what He means and means what He says.  Further - and this may be a shocker for some - we cannot improve upon what God has done.

It is Not "God Loves You, Now Believe"

The first message of the Gospel is not to convince sinners that God "loves" them. Yet, many in the church have made this their primary mission.  They replace the preaching of repentance with the preaching of God's "love".  The problem - the say - is that the lost does not know how much God "loves" them.  Therefore, before we can even think to win them to the faith, we must show them "love" and tell them of God's "love" so as not to push them away.  Only when they are convinced of, and won over by, this "love" will they then desire to come to know the Lord.

It should be noted however that not one time did Jesus or His disciples use the preaching of God's "love" as the impetus to getting others to believe.  Does that mean that God does not love mankind?  Of course not!  But it does mean that such preaching is not the means of leading people to the faith.

Is man less sinful now than 2000 years ago?   Did God make a mistake and send us the wrong Gospel message at the beginning of the church?  When did God realize that a call to repentance was too callous, too unloving, or too demanding? 

According to the Scriptures, we show the love of God to others by walking in what He has commanded (I John 5:2). We are transformed into vessels of His love by being obedient to Him and speaking/living His truths in our lives.  What type of "love" is it which would call for us to disregard God's Gospel in favor of our own?  Any "love" that changes His truths into a lie is a soulish perception of love that is anything but true.

The great divide between God and man is not an absence of God's love; the problem is not on God's side at all.  The one thing that prevents reconciliation between God and man is sin.  As long as we try to pretend that sin is not the issue, then we will never be able to show the way of salvation to others.

It is Not "Believe and then Repent"

Notice as well that we are not called to "Believe and then repent".  Rather, repentance comes first.  Before one can even have a hope of believing, one's heart must have Godly sorrow about sin, turning from it and adopting an attitude towards sin that mirrors God's: despising it (Romans 8:6-8).

We can spend many minutes, hours, days trying to get people to believe in Christ; engaging in endless & senseless strivings about religion, doctrine, and the purpose of life.  Much of this would be curtailed if we but understood that belief must be preceded by repentance.

When man repents, God gives him ears to hear and eyes to see the truth so that he can come to it by the drawing of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 7:11-12; Acts 3:19; Matthew 13:9-15; II Timothy 2:24-26).  Conversely, we must know that people's response to the Gospel does not invalidate the truths of the Gospel. 

Why don't people believe the Gospel? 

It is not because it is too hard for them to understand (II Corinthians 11:3).

Nor is it because they need more proof that God exists (Romans 1:20).

Neither is it that they do not "feel" loved by God (Psalm 145:8-9; Matthew 5:45; John 3:16; Romans 1:19).

It is no great mystery and entails no psychological review.  There is only one reason why people do not come to faith in Jesus Christ and that is because they are not yet through with sin (John 3:19; 15:22-25).  In other words, they are not ready to repent.

If we truly desire to minister to the lost - to be used by God as His witnesses about His great love - then we must be sure to preach the real Gospel.  We must not be ashamed of this message, but should preach it with clarity so that the Spirit can draw men unto Jesus Christ.  It is He alone who saves, not ourselves, and only He knows what men need to hear for their hearts to be pricked (Acts 2:37-38).

Pray for a spirit of boldness, pray for God to open a door of utterance, so that captives may be set free via your unwavering witness for Christ.

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." II Peter 3:9

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent." Acts 17:30

Flee Fornication

Keeping the Marriage Bed Holy

"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." Hebrews 13:4

The above verse has been so abused that it is used to give a virtual "anything goes" approach to sex between married couples. It is often misinterpreted to read, "Everything sexual between married people is okay, but any sex between people who are unmarried is forbidden."

Yet, the distinction that this verse is dealing with married vs. unmarried individuals is a false one.  Does not adultery involve someone who is married?  Sure, they are not married to the person with whom they are committing adultery, but they are in a marital relationship.  The command against being an "adulterer" is relevant for the married person; so also is the command against being a "whoremonger".

The entire verse is addressing how the marriage bed is to be kept holy.  God is giving an admonition for married couples to keep their marriage bed undefiled by avoiding sexual perversion and adultery.  Several other Bible translations make the meaning of this text more evident:

"Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous."  English Standard Version, Hebrews 13:4

"Let marriage be held every way in honour, and the bed be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers will God judge." Darby Translation, Hebrews 13:4

"Let marriage be held in honor (esteemed worthy, precious, of great price, and especially dear) in all things. And thus let the marriage bed be undefiled (kept undishonored); for God will judge and punish the unchaste [all guilty of sexual vice] and adulterous." Amplified Version, Hebrews 13:4

The latter half of Hebrews 13:4 is not primarily for the unmarried, but for the married.  It is possible to be married, yet be an adulterer.  It is also possible to be married, yet be a whoremonger.  In both instances, the marriage bed is defiled and brings about the judgment of God.

"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints...For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." Ephesians 5:3, 5

Part of the confusion in this area is that many do not understand what the New Testament refers to as "fornication".  Fornication - as appearing in the Scriptures - is not simply a reference to sex amongst unmarried persons.  The word for fornication in the New Testament is the Greek word porneia.  It is where we get the English word pornography from, and it is detestable to God.

As early as the 6th Century B.C., Greece had a flourishing sex trade which comprised of their setting up porneias or houses of prostitution.  The word porneia literally means "illicit sexual intercourse" and refers to all acts of sexual perversion including adultery, sodomy, bestiality, incest, etc. - anything which the Lord our God has condemned as an abomination (Leviticus 20:10-21). 

Scripture not only condemns illicit sexual relationships, but also illicit sexual acts.  Who's to say what is an illicit sexual act?  God is to say.

For example, although sex was given as a gift by God to be enjoyed in marriage, even the union between a husband and wife during times of her menstruation was determined by God to be unclean (Leviticus 20:18).  Clearly God has never had the view that "anything which is done in the marriage bed is holy and acceptable".  Similarly, while same sex attraction is condemned by God, so are the "unclean, vile, unnatural, and unseemly acts" performed in such relationships, i.e. oral/anal sex (Romans 1:24-27).

When Christians practice acts of porneia - even in the bounds of marriage - they become whoremongers according to Hebrews 13:4.   The word for "whoremonger" is pornos which means "one who practices porneia or unlawful sexual intercourse".  Such acts are not to be found among the saints of God (Ephesians 5:3).

"I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within?" I Corinthians 5:9-12

The mind of man has become so perverted, that even that which God calls unclean and defiled is justified in the modern day churchworld.  Man has wandered so far from God, that many can no longer even recognize what is holy vs. what is profane...even in the midst of the church!  

I pray that those with a heart to truly serve the Lord in Spirit & in Truth seek Him in this matter and ask for spiritual wisdom regarding how to honor marriage and keep the marriage bed holy. 

"Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." I Corinthians 6:18

Faithfulness in Little Things

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Colossians 3:17

This morning, I have to admit that I was not looking forward to another work week.  Is it Monday already?  Then I read this week's message from Pastor Zac Poonen on faithfulness in small things. 

And as I was reading Genesis 30, again the same message was reiterated.  Jacob worked hard and faithfully for his uncle Laban, even though Laban was an unrighteous idolator.  Yet, Jacob was confident that his industrious nature would make provision for him in spite of Laban's trickery (Genesis 30:33).  The Laban's of the world will not prevail for God sees all (Genesis 31:6-12).

Everything we do is an opportunity for ministry.  An opportunity to be used by God as a light unto others.  An opportunity to better understand the heart of a servant, the meaning of obedience, and the importance of diligence.

May you start off this week with a Godly attitude of gratitude, determining to do all to the glory of God (including our secular jobs); showing ourselves faithful, even in little things. 

God Looks For Faithfulness In Little Things

In 1 Kings 19:19-21 we read of Elijah calling Elisha.

Elisha was working hard in the fields with his oxen, when Elijah called him.

Notice first of all, that God always calls those who are working hard and faithful in their secular occupations. Moses was faithfully looking after his father-in-law’s sheep when God called him. David was looking after sheep and fighting with lions and bears. Amos was a hardworking herdsman. Peter, James, John and Andrew were hardworking fishermen. Matthew was sitting at the table working on his accounts. We never see, anywhere in the Old Testament or the New Testament, that God called a lazy man for his service.

We don’t find Elijah going to Elisha’s house when he was fast asleep and calling him there - because we would have thought he was a lazy man. Jesus also never went to Peter’s house in the evening to call him. He called him when he was fishing.

All these examples show us that God wants us to be faithful and hardworking in our secular jobs, before He can call us to serve Him. If you are not faithful in earthly matters, how can you be faithful in heavenly matters? If you are young and still living at home, then be a faithful son or daughter at home.

Notice secondly, that all these men dropped everything and went, as soon as God called them. We see that in Peter, John and Matthew and also here with Elisha. God calls those who will respond to His call immediately and wholeheartedly. They may seek to confirm God’s call on their lives with godly people in order to be certain that they are not acting on their own emotional feelings. But once they are sure, they act quickly. God can use only such people to serve Him, because His service requires instant obedience, total commitment and hard work.

So God tests us in our secular occupations, to see whether we are faithful. If you are asked to clean a room and you are careless about the way you do it, or you are slipshod about it, I doubt if God will ever call you to serve Him. Because, if that’s the way you clean up a room that will probably be the way you clean up your heart as well. How then can God use you to clean up His church?

It is faithfulness in the little things that God looks for.

The Fundamentals of Fundamentalism

"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.  They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.  And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." John 16:1-3

The following article is from the Lighthouse Trails Research Group on the recent attacks by Norwegian Anders Berhring Breeivik.

Lighthouse Trails wishes to express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims of the Norway shootings and bombing.

The man who committed the atrocities on Friday, July 22, 2011 in Norway is being called a “Christian fundamentalist,” and already, stories are hitting the mainstream media telling the world to look out for Christian fundamentalists. Frank Schaeffer, son of theologian Francis Schaeffer, has likened the Norway killer to those who oppose abortion in his article on Saturday titled "Christian Jihad? Why We Should Worry About Right-Wing Terror Attacks Like Norway’s in the US,"  saying “the terror unleashed on Norway” is “the sort of white, Christian, far right terror America can expect more of.”

But is the Norway killer a fundamentalist Christian (someone who follows the fundamental teachings of the Bible)? The answer to this is a resounding no, for there are no teachings in the Bible that would condone these merciless acts of violence. The killer of over 90 people in Norway cannot claim the name of “Christian” regardless of what he or the media say.

We know that many in the world will now blame “Christian fundamentalism” on this act in Norway. In time, and escalated because of these types of violent acts driven by demonic forces, Bible believing Christians will be told they can no longer say Jesus Christ is the only way to God. It will be a hate crime. As was the case  in the 911 terrorist attack in 2001, the Norway shootings will be used to further the progress of a one-world unified religion that will have no place for the Bible-believing Christian.

In 2006, Rick Warren helped set the tone for animosity and marginalization against Bible-believing Christians (Fundamentalists) when he stated  that fundamentalism will be “one of the big enemies of the 21st century. . . . Muslim fundamentalism, Christian fundamentalism, Jewish fundamentalism, secular fundamentalism – they’re all motivated by fear. Fear of each other.’”1 Less than a year earlier, he defined what he means by Christian fundamentalism when he spoke at the Pew Forum on Religion and said:

Today there really aren’t that many Fundamentalists left; I don’t know if you know that or not, but they are such a minority; there aren’t that many Fundamentalists left in America … Now the word ‘fundamentalist’ actually comes from a document in the 1920s called the Five Fundamentals of the Faith. And it is a very legalistic, narrow view of Christianity. Quote by Rick Warren, May 2005

The fundamentals of the Christian faith include things like the deity of Jesus Christ, the blood atonement, and the inerrancy of Scripture. It is a sad day when the world, the media, and “America’s pastor” think Christian fundamentalism is an enemy and a threat in the way they mean. The Christian fundamentals are the Gospel. One following these fundamentals will care about the souls of the unsaved that they might be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. A true Christian fundamentalist remembers the words of Scripture: “[t]he Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).2 In truth, according to 1 John, love is meant to be the motivating factor in sharing the Gospel.  Obviously, Anders Behring Breivik did not have love or the salvation of the people he killed in mind on Friday.

Many people, when trying to discredit Christian fundamentalists, refer to the Inquisitions; but it was the Christian fundamentalists who were being murdered during Inquisitions (by the Catholic church) – not the other way around. On Anders Behring Breivik’s blog, according to one article,  he stated: “Today’s Protestant church is a joke. . . . I am a supporter of an indirect collective conversion of the Protestant church back to the Catholic.”1 So like the ancient Inquisitioners, Anders Behring Breivik, a fundamentalist of his own making, is opposed to Christian fundamentalists and certainly cannot be labeled as one himself. The acts of violence he committed are not that of a Christian fundamentalist but rather that of a religious tyrannist, which is the spirit of antichrist.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. [the Gospel] 1 John 4:8-9

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 1 John 2: 18

Below, we have posted two articles for further thought and consideration:

Article #1:
“Norway Bombing: Attacker, Shooter Anders Behring Breivik a Christian?”
By Jeff Schapiro
The Christian Post

One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100 000 who have only interests,” is the only post on the Twitter account of Anders Behring Breivik, the man who has been arrested as the possible culprit of Friday’s bombing in Oslo, Norway, and for opening fire on a nearby youth camp. The tweet was inspired by a quote by the British philosopher John Stuart Mill.

So far, 92 deaths have been reported, 85 of which were from the youth camp rampage, but the total number may increase as the day wears on. . . .

OnlineSocialMedia.net reports that on Breivik’s Facebook page he listed his interests as body building, hunting, freemasonry, stock analysis and the Modern Warfare 2 video game. Breivik said he had completed “3,000 hours of study in micro and macro finance, religion,” and describes himself as being both Christian and conservative. . . . .

Larry Keffer of the Biblical Research Center and Norwegian evangelist Petar Keseljevic spoke to The Christian Poston Saturday about the attacks and about Breivik. . . . Keffer warns that people should not think that just because Breivik says he is a Christian that he actually is one.

“When I was out in Norway,” he said, “the people there thought they were Christian because they were Norwegian.” Many people in the so-called “Christian nation,” he says, claim the faith but haven’t necessarily been genuinely converted.

“A true Christian would not go and … shoot people in a camp or blow up buildings,” he said. “That’s not what a Christian does. So just because a man claims to be a Christian, or even believes that he is a Christian, does not necessarily make him so.”

“The Bible says that ‘you know them by their fruit.’” Click here to continue reading.

Note: In another Christian Post article, it states that Anders Behring Breivik said: “Today’s Protestant church is a joke. Priests in jeans who march for Palestine and churches that look like minimalist shopping centres. I am a supporter of an indirect collective conversion of the Protestant church back to the Catholic.”1

Article #2:
“Is Christianity the Reason the World is in Trouble?”
by Roger Oakland

As the world continues to plunge into further darkness and despair, emerging church leaders say it is the church’s fault, particularly that of rigid Christians who won’t bend their beliefs or convictions. While Christians certainly are not without sin, true believers are not causing the world to fall apart. It is happening for one reason alone … man’s sinful condition. We are each responsible for the sin in our own lives. The Bible is clear that the penalty for sin is death. We all, each and every one of us, have had a death sentence meted out to us. But we have also been offered a free gift of salvation.

As Christians, God expects us to reach out to those suffering and in need. When Jesus dwells in a human being, He convicts and He communes with that individual. He has saved us from destruction, and He desires to live in us and fellowship with us. And He compels us to live righteously and care about those less fortunate than ourselves.

The world is in trouble because of sin. And Jesus commissioned us as believers to go out into the world and preach the wonderful Good News of His free gift of salvation to all who come to Him by faith. Satan hates this Gospel message, and he hates the messenger, the church. Is it any wonder that as this new, self-deifying reformation takes form, its followers will grow increasingly hostile to those who preach the biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Ironically, the emerging church, who says its main goal is to help the suffering and to help eradicate the world’s problems, is not pointing the world to Jesus Christ and His body. Rather it is rejecting the atonement, locking arms with a religion (Catholicism) that teaches we are justified by works rather than by grace alone, embracing mystical practices and altered states of consciousness, and pulling these suffering lost souls further and further away from the only thing that will ever help them—a personal one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ, who explains very clearly who He is:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (John 10:7-11) (from Faith Undone, chapter 13)

The Devolution of Man

The Process of Reprobation and God's Longsuffering

We have a couple of college students staying with us this summer, and I was speaking to one of them last week about how Romans Chapter 1 outlines the devolution of man.

Apart from God, man decays; starting with ingratitude -> leading to a wisdom which is dark & empty -> the worship of created things (idolatry) -> fornication -> homosexuality -> reprobation.  This is the path that every single person on earth is set upon outside of God.

The truth of the matter is that in the fallen state, every single man and woman on the earth is being forged into the image of a sodomite, and then - if not repented of - on to reprobation. 

Are you ungrateful towards God, mumbling and complaining against Him, even so far as denying His very existence?  That is the evidence that you are a sodomite at heart.  Does your "wisdom" allow you to justify and condone what He says is forbidden and abominable?  Such is the evidence that you have the heart of a sodomite.  Are you participating in sexual sin, pornography, fornication?  These are the acts of a sodomite. Again, the acts might vary based on how far you have devolved towards reprobation, but the spirit behind it is the same.

Why do we see homosexuality becoming more accepted and promoted?  Because God is making manifest what is in the heart of (fallen) man. It is not about the "acts" man performs; the acts are merely manifestations of what is in the heart.  He is letting man see that he is but a beast.

"I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts." Ecclesiastes 3:18  

The judgment of God against all unrighteousness has already begun by God "giving man over" to his own dark and vain desires.  Even those who profess heterosexuality or Christianity can inwardly still be a sodomite, which is why many cannot acknowledge homosexuality as sin and even engage in homosexual acts with those of the opposite gender (Romans 1:32).  We can outwardly appear to be one thing, but it is what is on the inside which determines whether we truly know the Lord or not.  This is what Romans Chapter 1 depicts; unrighteousness on the inside working its way out to the outside.  All the while, God is longsuffering with us, working with us to change, to repent...until our continued rejection of Him prompts Him to finally gives us over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28).

I found the following video on the Truly for Jesus site this morning.  It is produced by the Edinburgh Creation Group and is entitled "A Letter to a Pagan City" which delves into how the "wrath of God" (Romans 1:18) is often poured out on a cultural level as this devolution of man progresses.

This video shows incredible footage of Edinburgh's Pagan fire festival, which draws over 12,000 people. It also features photos of a government assisted evolution museum that sells books on astrology, tarot, Feng Shui and ghosts. Phil Holden investigates the rise of Paganism in Edinburgh. Edinburgh was at the centre of the Enlightenment movement and was also the city where Charles Darwin was educated. During the Enlightenment in the 18th century, philosophers and scientists agreed that it was unreasonable to consider that God might be a cause of things. Whilst you might expect the result would be a very rational city, it seems the opposite has happened and Edinburgh appears to be one of Europe's most superstitious cities. Whatever your own perspective: Humanist, New Age, Agnostic or religious this video is worth watching.

As Phil Holden examines the rise of paganism, you will see continued references in pagan art/culture to the worship of Baal-Peor as well as the exaltation of the female principle in worship of the earth.  Unlike the authority of God - which rests in patriarchy - the authority of the fallen nature rests in that which is by nature female.  God says that He alone is God, but the fallen nature says man can himself become a god.  Such things are "anti-" Christ because they are opposite to the truths of God and seek to replace the same.

WARNING: Be advised there are disturbing images in this presentation, including footage of sexual immorality during pagan festivals. Viewer discretion is advised.