When the Torah Club lesson mistranslates and misquotes an Early Church celebration of the Lord's Day to make it sound pro-Sabbath keeping instead

 

Everybody makes mistakes, myself included.  But when you publish a book, shouldn't there be an editor who asks if the quote you are using means what you think it means?  In lesson 22-23 of the Beginning of Wisdom, Daniel Lancaster quotes an anonymous work of the Early Church (probably from the 4th century) known as the Apostolic Constitutions.  The quote is used by Lancaster to illustrate the supposed high view of the early disciples of Jesus for the Sabbath.  There's just one problem, while they did indeed respect the Sabbath as something that had been important to God's work with Israel, the actual context of the quote is an entire extended paragraph about the superiority of the New Covenant in Christ, including that of the Lord's Day (resurrection day, Sunday) over the Old Covenant and the Sabbath.

How can this quote be used for the purpose to which the Torah Club material puts it?  Easy enough, part of it is mistranslated, something FFOZ does all the time with, "my translation" uses and explanatory brackets inserted into the text, or as in this case, with blatant word substitution.  Here we have the original Greek nomos (presumably, any ancient editions have been lost, our oldest surviving manuscript of it is from the 12th century; the text's history is actually fairly complex), which means law, casually replaced by Lancaster with Torah.  I've pointed out this liberty taken with the NT text (a far more serious charge) over and over again in FFOZ publications.  Whenever it is advantageous to their argument, Torah is inserted into NT quotes, often when the author's context makes it clear that it isn't the Law of Moses that he's writing about.

The second way in which this quote is abused is by leaving out what comes before it, including the very next sentence, which dramatically undermines what Lancaster is trying to say.  Let's look at an English translation of the entire 36th chapter of book 7 (All emphasis below is mine):

XXXVI. O Lord Almighty Thou hast created the world by Christ, and hast appointed the Sabbath in memory thereof, because that on that day Thou hast made us rest from our works, for the meditation upon Thy laws. Thou hast also appointed festivals for the rejoicing of our souls, that we might come into the remembrance of that wisdom which was created by Thee; how He submitted to be made of a woman on our account; (2) He appeared in life, and demonstrated Himself in His baptism; how He that appeared is both God and man; He suffered for us by Thy permission, and died, and rose again by Thy power: on which account we solemnly assemble to celebrate the feast of the resurrection on the Lord's day, and rejoice on account of Him who has conquered death, and has brought life and immortality to light. For by Him Thou hast brought home the Gentiles to Thyself for a peculiar people, the true Israel beloved of God, and seeing God. For Thou O Lord, broughtest our fathers out of the land of Egypt, and didst deliver them out of the iron furnace, from clay and brick-making, and didst redeem them out of the hands of Pharaoh, and of those under him, and didst lead them through the sea as through dry land, and didst bear their manners in the wilderness, and bestow on them all sorts of good things. Thou didst give them the law or decalogue, which was pronounced by Thy voice and written with Thy hand. Thou didst enjoin the observation of the Sabbath, not affording them an occasion of idleness, but an opportunity of piety, for their knowledge of Thy power, and the prohibition of evils; having limited them as within an holy circuit for the sake of doctrine, for the rejoicing upon the seventh period. On this account was there appointed one week, and seven weeks, and the seventh month, and the seventh year, and the revolution of these, the jubilee, which is the fiftieth year for remission, that men might have no occasion to pretend ignorance. (3) On this account He permitted men every Sabbath to rest, that so no one might be willing to send one word out of his mouth in anger on the day of the Sabbath. For the Sabbath is the ceasing of the creation, the completion of the world, the inquiry after laws, and the grateful praise to God for the blessings He has bestowed upon men. All which the Lord's day excels, (4) and shows the Mediator Himself, the Provider, the Lawgiver, the Cause of the resurrection, the First-born of the whole creation, God the Word, and man, who was born of Mary alone, without a man, who lived holily, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and died, and rose again from the dead. So that the Lord's day commands us to offer unto Thee, O Lord, thanksgiving for all. (5) For this is the grace afforded by Thee, which on account of its greatness has obscured all other blessings.

The compiler of the Apostolic Constitutions is writing about, or quoting someone else who had previously written about, the respect that the Early Church felt for the Sabbath because of its connection to Creation and the Exodus, but at the same time he emphasized that the Lord's Day, that is Resurrection Day, i.e. Sunday, had become the day on which Jesus' followers gathered to worship because what Jesus had accomplished in the Incarnation, Cross, and Empty Tomb, was so great that it "excels" what had been done before, and "obscured" all previous blessings of God.

Why, then, do Christians worship on Sunday, is it because we hate the Sabbath and all things Jewish?  Nonsense, that's a ridiculous Straw Man.  We do so because even though God's work through Israel before Jesus was awe inspiring and worthy of praise, his work through Jesus and in Jesus puts all of it in the shade.  The Incarnation is a greater visitation of God than Mt. Sinai, and the New Covenant which is open to all the world's people is a greater outpouring of grace than the Law of Moses. 

Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #22: Luke 4:5-8

Luke 4:5-8     New International Version

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

How many Lord of the Rings references have I made over the years?  Too many to count, and with that in mind, here's one more:

Toward the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo offers the Ring of Power to Galadriel, and elven Lord who has taken a leading part in the war against evil (first Morgoth, now Sauron) for thousands of years.  What will she do if given the chance to end the fight, to take in her own hand sufficient power to put aside all doubt and fear that Evil might triumph over Good?

 “And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!”

She lifted up her hand and from the ring that she wore there issued a great light that illuminated her alone and left all else dark. She stood before Frodo seeming now tall beyond measurement, and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful. Then she let her hand fall, and the light faded, and suddenly she laughed again, and lo! she was shrunken: a slender elf-woman, clad in simple white, whose gentle voice was soft and sad.

“I pass the test”, she said. “I will diminish, and go into the West and remain Galadriel.”

Galadriel passed the test.  She chose to reject the power of domination and subjugation in favor of trusting in the hope that Frodo can somehow destroy the Ring, "a fool's hope" as Gandalf describes it, but better than the folly of embracing evil to fight evil.

Jesus, of course, does the same thing.  He resists the easy path, the one without sacrifice, the one that has a deal-breaker of a caveat (worshiping the Devil), choosing instead to continue on the pre-ordained path of the Suffering Servant until the brutal end. 

How then does this apply to 'Christian' Nationalism?  A straightforward application, indeed.  'Christian' Nationalism's premise is that it can serve the purpose of God by dominating the kingdoms of this world, to do so it chooses to utilize the tools and methods of this world, crushing and subjugating all opposition, and somehow in the end hoping to create a nation that honors God.  It would be laughable if it were not so deadly dangerous.  It won't work, it cannot work.  Galadriel was wise enough to see the folly of trying to overcome evil with evil, Jesus wasn't about to entertain it, let alone try it, so why have so many self-professed Christians today decided that they can get the better out of a deal with the Devil?

Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #6: Isaiah 1:11-18

 

Isaiah 1:11-18     New International Version

11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—

    what are they to me?” says the Lord.

“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,

    of rams and the fat of fattened animals;

I have no pleasure

    in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.

12 When you come to appear before me,

    who has asked this of you,

    this trampling of my courts?

13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!

    Your incense is detestable to me.

New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—

    I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.

14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals

    I hate with all my being.

They have become a burden to me;

    I am weary of bearing them.

15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,

    I hide my eyes from you;

even when you offer many prayers,

    I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood!

16 Wash and make yourselves clean.

    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;

    stop doing wrong.

17 Learn to do right; seek justice.

    Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless;

    plead the case of the widow.

18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”

    says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

    they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson,

    they shall be like wool.

As someone who has belonged to and served only small churches (yes, the building we have here is huge, the congregation hasn't been big since the 1970's), I can attest to the desire and hope for growth coupled with the insecurity about the future that typifies small churches and their pastors.  We want our churches to grow, and we want the Church in America to grow.  What I don't want, and what I hope most of my fellow pastors can see to be for what it is, is insincere or coerced growth.  What is the value of a church bursting at the seams if the Gospel is not preached, if lives are not being transformed by the Spirit, and if the prayers offered up are not sincere?

As the prophet Isaiah made clear, God is not impressed with acts of worship from hearts that are far from him, even multitudes of them.  When it seems that everyone in a community is a Christian, the pressure to fit in can result in people being along for the ride, enjoying the benefits (economic, cultural) of belonging to the group without any of the personal sacrifice and commitment demanded of disciples of Jesus.  Bonhoeffer railed against this shallowness in the German Lutheran and Catholic Churches, calling it "cheap grace."  Such a scenario existed in America during the 1950's, for example, often seen as the Golden Age that 'Christian' Nationalists are hoping to bring back, but outward conformity does not guarantee a healthy Church, Jim Crow's power among millions of 'Christians' made that clear enough.

Now, however, with Church attendance declining, the temptation offered by  'Christian' Nationalism is to compel various forms of participation on behalf of an unwilling population, to fill our churches again with the stick since the carrot is not longer available.

One of the clearest example of this type of mandatory participation would be the reimposition of prayer in the public schools.  While millions of American Christians would cheer this as a victory, the cost to future evangelism would be high, and the result far less than what is promised.  Would God suddenly bless America's geopolitical position in the world and economy because school children are required to say a prayer written by a government official?  Isaiah knew the answer to that one.  In fact, God would be angry rather than impressed with such empty gestures.

{The theology of mandated/compulsory prayer in public schools is atrocious, its implementation would be worse.}

In the end, the path that 'Christian' Nationalism offers is a worldly solution (ironic isn't it) to a spiritual problem, both our theology derived from the Bible, and our knowledge of Church History assure us that it won't work.  The Church's ultimate victory will not be won at the ballot box, by legislation, or as has been tried far too many times, by the sword.  

What should the Church be doing instead of scheming to wield political power?  As vs. 16-17 explain, what God actually wants from his people is a (1) rejection of immorality, (2) an embrace of righteous living, (3) and a genuine commitment to work on behalf of those facing injustice and oppression.

Sermon Video: "A house of prayer for all nations" - Mark 11:15-18

Having entered the Temple courts on Monday of Holy Week, before his upcoming time spent teaching the people there for the last time, Jesus drives out of the Court of the Gentiles those who were doing the business of the Law of Moses (selling kosher animals for sacrifices and exchanging foreign money for coins that could be put into the Temple treasury) in that supposedly sacred space.  Gentile converts, those who had chosen to join Judaism, could not enter the temple itself (warning signs on the entrances reminded them they'd be executed if they tried) and could only worship/pray to God from a greater distance than Jewish women, who were kept further away than Jewish men.  However, for convenience sake, the sacred space they're supposed to worship God in was turned into a marketplace (and a short-cut from one side of city to the other).  

Can a church negate the sacred nature of its house?  Certainly, among the way happens is: (1) By not making everyone welcome {racism, sexism, class divisions, unwelcome attitude toward ex-cons, those with addictions or questions about their sexuality, etc}, (2) Through a focus on perpetuating the ministry, primarily through emphasizing money, more than fellowship and worship, (3) through a focus on earthly power instead of God's kingdom, typically by making the church a Red Church or a Blue Church, or (4) by failing to be a place of Love and the Fruit of the Spirit (a spirtually dead church).  In each case, depending on the severity {a church could suffer from more than one, many do}, the worship done in that space is wasted, for naught.  

May God help us to see where we fall short, as a church, of creating/maintaining sacred space, and may God grant us the humility to change.

The Mark of the Beast isn't what you think.

1. The Early Church context of the Mark were certificates attesting to worship of the emperor.
In 249, Trajan Decius seized the throne of Rome.  He believed that the empire's troubles were caused by the neglect of the old gods (traditional religion was in steep decline, in contrast to the growth of Christianity and Mithraism).  "For Decius the solution was simple: enforce sacrifices on every citizen, man, woman and child, or at least the head of a household in the name of all of its members...It was obvious that the group which had most systematically avoided sacrifices in the empire was the Christians, and the confrontation which now took place turned a pitiless spotlight on an intransigence which had often previously been unobtrusive.  In 250 the new imperial policy was implemented with bureaucratic efficiency.  Those who sacrificed were issued with certificates of proof, some of which have been preserved for us in the rubbish pits and desert sands of Egypt.  The order was coupled with punishment, usually imprisonment but in some cases death, for those who refused.  Two later emperors, Trebonianus Gallus and Valerian, revived the policy in 252 and 257." (Christianity The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch, p. 173, emphasis mine.)
The generation who first received John's Apocalypse did not yet face such a stark choice, and persecution was localized not empire-wide for several generations, but the pressure to worship other gods (and the emperor as a god) already existed, both social and governmental.  The historical context points to a very strong connection to public false worship as the key element.

2. There is a long list of things that turned out to NOT be the Mark of the Beast.
Social Security numbers, bar codes, credit cards, cell phones, RFID tags, and now an upcoming COVID-19 vaccine have all been viewed, by some, as The Mark.  There's just one problem, each in turn has proven to be a false alarm, as will the current identification related to a potential vaccine, because none of them were connected to false worship (#3).  In addition, there will only be one period in history with a Mark of the Beast, and that will be the one where the events of Revelation are unfolding, without those clear and obvious precursors, there will be no Mark.  In case you're wondering, "Are those events already happening?"  The answer is no.  Whatever the correct interpretation of John's vision may be, it won't be ordinary history.  Life on this planet proceeds as it has for millenia, when they begin to occur, the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls of Revelation will not exactly sneak up on anyone.

3. Every use of the term in Revelation is connected to worship of the Beast (false worship), thus it is a sign of chosen behavior, not an unwitting trap.
In the 4 passages below, Revelation 13:11-18, 16:2, 19:20-21, and 20:4, the Mark of the Beast is specifically connected to false worship.  Those who refuse to receive the Mark also refuse to worship the Beast, those who receive it also worship.  The overall picture of the Mark is not one of accidental acceptance or trickery.  The choice presented to the people is clear: Worship the Beast or be cut off from commerce/killed.  Note: This is the same choice faced by the Early Church.  There will be no accidental acceptance of the Mark (whether or not it is literal or figurative), only a conscious choice between one side or the other in the final showdown between God and all that oppose his will.

4. Those in Christ already have the Mark of the Lamb, and cannot belong to another.
One of the things that baffles me about the ongoing fear of a potential Mark of the Beast among Christians is that those who are in Christ are the only ones with nothing to fear from this future either/or choice.  Why?  We've already made our choice.  Those who are in Christ have already been sealed with the Holy Spirit, and cannot belong to another. {Ephesians 1:13 New International Version (NIV) And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit}.  In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul lists all the things that might possibly separate us from the love of God, only to reject them all as impotent compared to our designation as God's children.  What God has begun in us, he will finish.  So, why are some Christians afraid of being duped into accepting the Mark of the Beast?  The answers probably vary, but one of them is likely to be a lack of understanding about the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints. 

So, unless the COVID-19 vaccine is only given to those willing to publicly worship someone who claims to have been healed from a fatal wound (Rev. 13:12) as an alternative to adherence to Jesus Christ, it is not, nor can it be, the Mark of the Beast.


Revelation 13:11-18 New International Version (NIV)
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.

Revelation 16:2 New International Version (NIV)

2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

Revelation 19:20-21 New International Version (NIV)

20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Revelation 20:4 New International Version (NIV)

4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Revelation 7:3-4 New International Version (NIV)

3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

Revelation 14:1 New International Version (NIV)

14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

Sermon Video: Sing to the LORD - Psalm 98

Why do we sing in Church?  What is it about singing that connects so well to worship?  If you've not thought about these questions, perhaps you should, because as the writer of Psalm 98 makes clear, the people of God need to sing to the LORD.  Why?  Because God has done marvelous things.  In particular, God has made his salvation, his willingness to rescue humanity, known to us.  That effort began with Israel, but it spread to all nations.  The end result?  The people of God can sing (!) while standing before the judge of all the earth.  Amazingly, we will not stand before our righteous and holy judge with fear, but with gratitude and joy.  Why do we sing in Church?  Because our hearts are full of joy, for God has done wondrous things among us.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Intelligible words in the Church - 1 Corinthians 14:13-19

Having established the priority of building up the Church when ranking the desirability of spiritual gifts, the Apostle Paul continues the theme by explaining that even 10,000 words given in a language unknown to the hearer(s) are worth less than 5 intelligible words whose meaning can be grasped.  In stating this, Paul asserts that our minds needs to be engaged in prayer and worship, not just our emotions, and that our end goal, edification, requires understanding (on the part of the recipient) in order to be fruitful.  Illustrations utilized: the Western Church's use of the Latin Mass (a barrier to understanding), the dense verbiage of Martin Buber's I and Thou (verses the accessibility of Max Lucado's Just like Jesus), and the unnecessary barrier of teaching English to non-speakers envisioned by Sam Gipp's KJV Only position.  In the end, it is incumbent upon us that we make a serious effort, in both evangelism and apologetics, to share, explain, and defend God's Word with both intelligibility and clarity.

To watch the video, click on the link below:  As a bonus, the introduction features the story of my preaching in Guatemala in 1997 through an interpreter, as well as my fumbling my way through a lesson in Spanish (not a pretty picture).

Sermon Video: Propriety in Worship - 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Having dealt with issues relating to how Christians ought to function within the outside culture, Paul now turns to the proper function of the Church itself, beginning with propriety of worship.  In doing so, Paul relates the 1st Century viewpoints regarding what is fitting and proper for both men and women to show respect for God while at worship to the Genesis account of Creation, a connection aimed at ensuring that the way in which the Christians were conducting themselves would bring glory to God, not man.  In doing so, Paul appeals to traditions that he taught to the church when he founded it, reminding us that our worship (and the way our local church or denomination functions in general) is by necessity both a reflection of theological choices and the culture from which we are drawn.  As such, it is not incumbent upon 21st Century Christians to imitate the style of worship of our ancestors in the faith, but rather to ensure that our worship is also fitting and proper, that it glorifies God and serves as a witness to those outside of the Church of our submission to the Lordship of Christ.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Our mandate to be intrafaith but not interfaith - 1 Corinthians 10:18-22

While trying to help the community of the church at Corinth, a small minority among the people of Corinth, Paul warns them about "participating" with the pagan idol worship of their neighbors.  While Paul concedes that idols "are nothing" in reality, he still warns them that to worship anything/anyone other than God himself is to become "participants with demons".  What are we to make of this perspective?
As Christians, we believe in the Gospel proclamation that Salvation is found in/through Jesus Christ, and no other source.  As such, we cannot pray/worship with those who follow other religions, as these are not valid paths to God.  It is not a question of respect or dignity, for Christians ought to treat everyone with kindness, but a question of Truth.  It is perfectly acceptable (and encouraged) for Christians to dialogue with those of other faiths, to work together on things like disaster relief and public health initiatives, and to insist upon their equal right to live and worship freely, but the line has to be drawn between working and living peaceably together, which is good, and worshiping together, which is not acceptable.  Why not?  Because, as Paul says, "Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy?"  God refuses to share the devotion of his people.  If we, as Christians, attempt to divert our required devotion from God to other things, (whether they be other religions or materialistic pursuits) we will, as Israel of old learned, anger God.

To watch this video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." - Luke 19:37-40

As Jesus enters into Jerusalem to the joyous proclamation of his followers that he is the long-awaited Messiah come in the name of the Lord, he is confronted by the request of the Pharisees that he squelch the enthusiasm of the crowd.  In response, Jesus tells the Pharisees that, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."  Hyperbole?  It feels like it, but pointing to an important theological truth: The glory of God will not be denied.  God, being God, and being holy, righteous, and abounding in loving kindness, must be praised; it will happen.
What then is our response?  How effective and sufficient is our praise of God?  Is our worship all that it should be, as individuals, and as a church?  Do we encourage others to praise God, or get in their way?  These are important questions of self-examination we ought to actively pursue.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "My house will be called a house of prayer" Matthew 21:12-13

When Jesus entered the outer court of the Temple, after his recent triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he encountered something that had no place in that sacred space: commerce.  What was supposed to be a place for worship and prayer, in particular for Gentile converts to Judaism, had been transformed into a place of business.  Zeal for the purity of the worship due to God led Jesus to drive the merchants from that space, in the process quoting Isaiah's warning that God welcomed outcasts among his people, and Jeremiah's warning that impure worship/immorality would cause God to expel the people from the sacred space in which they had put their trust.

The most readily apparent parallels for the Church, today and throughout its history, are the twin pursuit of money and power, both of which have infected portions of the Church, tainting the worship of God's people and blunting the effectiveness of their ministry.  We too have failed to make all welcome with us as we worship, and we have certainly in some cases allowed the pursuit of money and/or the desire to influence political power to creep into both the ministry of the church, and even more alarmingly, for some churches the worship time/space as well.

If both the temple in Jeremiah's day, and the one that Jesus walked in, were destroyed because of impure worship on the part of the people, ought not churches whose worship is diluted by their own interests and priorities and hence not wholly devoted to God be fearful that they too will face God's displeasure?

To watch the video, click on the link below:

A political rally is NOT a worship service

At a mid-week Church Service held at Magnolia Springs Baptist Church of Theodore, Alabama, a protest began with shouting during a political speech being given by Senate candidate Roy Moore.  Protests during speeches are nothing new, they're happening increasingly often and increasingly violently whether the speaker represents the political Left or Right, but the important thing to note is that the protest happened during what was described by Rev. David Gonnella as a worship service.  The pastor said, "I would remind everyone again that this is a worship service.  And by the way it is illegal to disturb a worship service.  The next one to disturb the service will be turned over to the police."  At least four uniformed police officers were in the sanctuary for the service, when the protest broke out they removed the protester and a few minutes later a comedian posing as a Moore supporter.

The Alabama Senate special election says a lot about politics in America, not much of it good, but it says something far more disturbing and dangerous about the Church.  How can a worship service be a political rally, just who/what is being worshiped by the local church when a politician is campaigning for him/herself?  Perhaps money and power are being worshiped, but to say that God is being worshiped at any such service, whether at a liberal or conservative church, whether the politician is a Democrat, Republican, or independent, is to risk (if not outright commit) blasphemy against God.

God is not an American, God is not a Republican or a Democrat, and in case you've been under a mistaken impression, God isn't white either.  God is the creator of the universe and the redeemer of humanity, we do God a great disservice when we lower the respect, admiration, and worship that we owe to Almighty God by bringing our own battles for money and power into the house of the Lord.  Politics is not pure, it cannot be, but the time and place where we worship God must be.  That worship has no room for ego, pride, jealousy, greed, or the pursuit of power.  When we the people of God, who are the Church, gather together to worship our Savior, our priority must be the elevation of God and the proclamation of his Holy Word as those who are the disciples of Jesus Christ fellowship together and the Lost are invited to hear the Gospel and repent.  Where in Scripture is the Church called to advocate for any political cause?  Where is the command to mix the worship of God with the business of man?

To put a man or a woman behind the pulpit, when God's people are gathered in worship, who has his/her own advancement as the goal of what is being said, is a slap in the face of God.  That this practice has a long history in America is no excuse.  Politics is an unholy marriage with the Church, the Bride of Christ is having her reputation dragged through the mud.

You can ignore the first part of the video if you like, it is the introduction to and commentary on this clip by James White, the relevant portion begins at the 6:58 mark and lasts until 8:40.  The voice in the background is actually that of a comedian, but you can hear the words of the pastor as quoted above for yourself (beginning at 7:49 where he begins his comments by insulting the protester from the pulpit).

Commercialism and Politics interrupt worship at a Baptist Church

It saddens me that some of the most head-shaking things that happen within the "church" in America today happen at Baptist Churches.  On one hand you have the screeching hate/conspiracy theories coming out of Westboro Baptist in Topeka, Kansas whose website is primarily dedicated to the things they're currently yelling about, and with them you can place Steven Anderson's Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, who at least puts forth a normal website, but a quick Youtube search will find plenty of videos of his favorite targets for yelling.  Contrasting those in the us vs. the world camp, are those who have embraced the power that this world offers, going so far as to carve out time during Sunday's worship service to bring in a TV political celebrity to advocate for a new movie and of course promote the latest book from the famous pastor who himself regularly goes on the TV show of the famous guest.  Scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

Pastor Jeffress interviews Sean Hannity during the worship service

First Baptist Church of Dallas, with Dr. Robert Jeffress as pastor of the mega-church, interviewed Fox News host Sean Hannity this past Sunday for fourteen minutes, at the end of which pastor Jeffress encouraged his audience to go see the movie that Hannity was there to promote.  Hannity received a standing ovation from the congregation (or is audience the right word here?).  This wouldn't be the first time that I've warned about the danger of how readily Pastor Jeffress is mixing politics with the Church, (blog post: Assassination, Pastor Jeffress, and Romans 13) as he has made quite a name for himself since the start of the 2016 election cycle, appearing on TV thousands of times and becoming a regular contributor to Fox News. 

At one point Hannity said, "I don't like liberals", which earned laughter and applause from the audience, then said, "I'm in the right church" as Jeffress laughingly said, "Hannity country right here".

At the end, as Jeffress indicated that his producers were telling him to wrap it up, Hannity joked, "We haven't even talked about Trump yet", leading Pastor Jeffress to chuckle and respond, "That's another sermon".

Perhaps this doesn't seem wrong to you, maybe you applaud the melding together of Fox News and First Baptist Church of Dallas, if so you probably won't be swayed by the mountain of historical evidence that shows the danger to the Church of getting in bed with political power, money, and fame.

At what point is the attention turned from the worship of God and the edification of his people onto the things of man, the pursuit of wealth and power?  If this isn't too far, how far can it possibly go, during a worship service, before you think it is a problem?  Will it be too far when they have commercial breaks during the service??

At what point does a pastor stop being a shepherd and start becoming a celebrity?  Is it not a problem when a pastor hocks products and helps people make money instead of leading people in worship of Jesus?  Whatever came before or after this point in the service, these 15 minutes were not in service to the Gospel.


If only Jesus had a book to sell, or was running for office...



 

Sermon Video: Sacrifices Worthy of God - Malachi 1:6-14

Following up on his explanation as to how God has loved his people, Malachi examines the way in which God's people have shown love, devotion, and honor to God in return, and the results are not good.  The priests in Israel had been offering animals for sacrifices with significant defects, in violation of the Law of Moses.  The implications of this violation are very serious, not only is it a sign of great disrespect for God, it will also result in sacrifices which are not accepted by God, causing a rift to develop between God and his people.
Now that Christ has fulfilled the sacrificial system, the equivalent of Malachi's warning for the Church age is the ongoing need for God's people to show respect and gratitude to God by giving God acceptable offerings of love, worship, prayer, and service, offerings that reflect our best not our leftovers.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Mary's Anointing of Jesus - John 12:1-8

As the time of Jesus' passion in Jerusalem nears, he visits friends in nearby Bethany: Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.  In the previous chapter, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, now he and his sisters hold a dinner in Jesus' honor.  During the dinner Mary takes it upon herself to show her gratitude and love for Jesus by pouring a very expensive perfume on his feet and wiping them with her hair.  This culturally risky decision is looked upon with derision by Jesus' disciples, but he chooses instead to praise Mary for her devotion.  Why?
The answer lies not in a practical consideration of her actions; the perfume was indeed very expensive and this action can hardly be called anything but extravagant.  Instead, Mary is commended for her willingness to go beyond the ordinary in order to worship Jesus.  Her financial sacrifice and her risk of public shame (for letting her hair down in public) have brought comfort to Jesus and "prepared" him for his upcoming burial. 
What value is this story to us?  Mary's example teaches us to allow ourselves to worship God from the heart, boldly pushing past cultural pressures to embrace the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  Whether that means a Catholic Mass, a Pentecostal shout of "Hallelujah” or something in between is up to you.  Those who would follow Jesus must not only live a life of service to others, but also raise up their hearts in praise regardless of the form it takes.  If Mary had listened to the voice of caution, or had worried about the cost, the opportunity to kiss the feet of the Son of God, her Messiah, would have been lost.  Don't miss your chance to follow her example and worship God with all your heart.


To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

"God doesn't need candles, we do"

That was a line from the Christmas Eve homily of Msgr. Herbein, the priest of St. Patrick's here in Franklin, as he explained that the incense, the candles, Christmas trees, etc. are not a part of worship for the sake of God, they are a part of worship for the sake of the people of God.  That's the best explanation for liturgy that I've heard, the kind of thing I knew I would blog about when I had the chance.  Every church has a liturgy (yes, even Baptists do, try to change the order of worship and see what happens), and every church has things which have symbolic value to them.  Why do we do these things?  Why these and not others?  The answer to that is always interesting, it usually involves history and the choices of men, for both good and ill, that have led us to this point.
The biblical example that inspired Msgr. Herbein's comment was the conversation between David and God about building a temple in II Samuel 7 in which God tells David that he has no need of a house of cedar (the Ark of God had been in the tabernacle, a tent, since the days of Moses), nor had he ever asked anyone to build him a fancy temple.  However, the sentiment, the desire to do something out of love and appreciation for God that was behind David's desire was rewarded by God.  David sought to do something to help God out, God responded by establishing a covenant (a promise) between himself and David, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever." (II Samuel 7:16)  That promise was ultimately kept through the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who has once again established the throne of David.
So, why do we build magnificent churches, elaborately decorate them, and create elaborate ceremonies to worship in them?  It isn't for God's sake, but our own.  By putting so much of ourselves into our worship it allows us to demonstrate the extent of our gratitude for what God has done for us. 
It really doesn't matter if you worship in a humble chapel with bare walls, or a magnificent cathedral full of pomp and ceremony, if your place of worship brings you closer in love and obedience to God then it is fulfilling its purpose.  Do yourself a favor, attend a worship service at a church that is very different from your own, open your mind to other ways in which God can be praised, you might be surprised by what you see.

Is this place sacred? John 2:12-17

During our Wednesday night Bible study this week we were continuing through the Gospel of John and came to the passage where Jesus chases the merchants out of the temple courts with a homemade whip.  Aside from how cool that must have been, to see Jesus acting so counter to our conception of him as meek and mild (something we get more from religious art than from the Gospels), it led us to discuss our own sense of sacred places.
Do we have sacred places today?  Should our church sanctuary be treated like the Temple?
It is an interesting discussion to have because most people who enter into a place of worship get the feeling that it isn't just another room.  In some branches of Christianity there is an expectation of silence prior to services, maybe even lowered lighting to enhance the solemn mood.  In other Christian churches you'll enter into the sanctuary and be greeted with a cacophony of noise; from pre-worship music to boisterous laughter from the conversations going on all around you.  I've been a part of both, and I can tell you, it only takes a moment to realize which type you've walked into.  Are both styles treating the space with proper reverence?  What should we be doing/saying/thinking as we prepare to worship?
The simple answer is preparing your heart and mind to praise God, learn from the Scriptures, join in corporate prayer, and partake of the rituals which unite our faith (whether you call them a Sacrament or not).  I can see the value of both approaches.  To focus on God, silence helps.  To remember that you're a part of a family that God has created, the warmth of conversation among friends help too.  There isn't one right or wrong on this, the point is that God's people gather together in worship.  Whether they do it in an old store front or a magnificent Cathedral doesn't really matter.  Whether to do it to silence and candlelight or the beating of drums and the hum of old friends catching up doesn't really matter.
In the end, Jesus has replaced the need for animal sacrifices with his own; he has replaced the need for one central place of worship with the gift of the Holy Spirit to all believers, and he has elevated each humble place where we gather to worship into a sacred assembly.

"worship God acceptably" - Hebrews 12:28

It is amazing how much one word can change what you take from a verse.  If instead, Hebrews 12:28 read, "worship God with reverence and awe" it would certainly make a point worth noting.  God's mercy and love deserve reverence and his power inspires awe, as such the verse makes total sense.  However, when the word "acceptably" is added to the mix (same in NIV, NKJV, the NASB has "an acceptable service"), an added requirement is spelled out for the people of God.  If there is a way to worship God "acceptably" then there must be an unacceptable way to worship God.

Do you mean that I could direct my love and devotion to the right place (that is God) and still be short of what God wants from me?  That's exactly what the verse is saying.  We don't have to go far in Scripture to find examples of people who failed in their worship of God because they did it in the wrong way.  Cain springs to mind, whose sacrifice was inferior to that of his brother Abel.  King Saul learned the hard way that to offer a sacrifice to God that was unauthorized would cost him the right to rule Israel.  Throughout the prophets God warns his people that their hollow sacrifices would mean nothing without obedience.  As Jesus teaches the people he repeatedly demolishes the Pharisees for having the letter of the Law but being far from the Spirit of the Law; they may have perfected the form of worship, but are nowhere near the heart.

Is an acceptable form of worship the serious approach of many Catholics and Orthodox who treat the Mass with great solemnity?  Or does God prefer the utter exubrance of the Pentecostals who celebrate like no other?  The answer is not to be found in the form of worship (each end of the spectrum has something to offer, and many places in between as well), but the heart of the matter.  If we appreciate the seriousness of what Jesus has done for us and find the joy that being forgiven should bring, we're on the right path.  The question is not so much how you worship, as it is why.  If you feel connected to God through Latin chants, go right ahead.  If shouting out during the praise band's modern anthems brings you closer to God, knock yourself out.  Why do we worship?  To bring glory and praise to God.  In the end, it is your heart that determines if your worship is "acceptable" in the sight of God.

Sermon Video: "the word of Christ" Colossians 3:16-17

As Christians, we're supposed to "let the word of Christ dwell" in us "richly".  What does this mean.  Paul explains that in order to mature and grow in our faith we must be willing to teach each other and learn as well.  In addition, we must embrace worship of God as a way of expressing our gratitude to God and ensuring that whatever we do will be done in the name of Jesus.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Hear Us From Heaven

We sang the iworship song, "Hear Us From Heaven" in church this morning; as I was thinking about the song (and getting the a/v equipment ready to start it), I shared this thought with the congregation, "What do we want God to HEAR from us? What is it that we really want God to know about?" It's the kind of thing that we don't stop to think about very often. Sure, we pray, we talk to God, but how often to we stop to examine what it is that we're saying to God, and what we hope to hear in return? The next time you pray, take a moment to consider what it is that you're hoping God will hear from you (obviously, I know that God knows and hears everything; but the point of praying is for us to speak to God {ultimately, for our benefit, to learn obedience and trust, and also because we're in a relationship with God (as opposed to a cosmic ATM, God is a PERSON)}...If God is going to Hear Us From Heaven (and he will), what are we saying??