Driscoll on the Chucks - (3) Hell and the Rapture

Driscoll's next point of commentary/analysis:

Hell. Again echoing McLaren and the Emergent folks, Smith Jr. says in his response video that he does not believe hell should be used for evangelism and such. While this sentiment may sound kind, it is not. Jesus spoke of hell more than anyone in the Bible and any effort to downplay eternal conscious torment of the unrepentant in hell is the first step in promoting false doctrine. Additionally, for those who are dying, the consideration of an eternity in hell is not only an effective means by which to compel them to repent of sin and trust in Jesus, but also a pastorally kind one because if they die apart from Jesus they will spend eternity in a fiery hell. It is more kind to offend them today and spare them that fate than to spare them today and send them to that fate.

Not much I can add here, except to lend a hearty "amen." This is one of the reasons I have come to really like Driscoll; at the end of the day, he is Biblically conservative.

Next point:

Rapture. The rapture, like the age of the earth, is an issue that Christians should discuss and debate, but not divide over. Years ago when I first read Smith Sr.s book Calvary Chapel Distinctives, I was surprised to see that in addition to the Holy Spirit, Bible, grace, Jesus, and love, which all make sense, the premillenial pretribulational rapture of the church was an essential doctrine. Curiously, the rapture is a doctrine that has existed for less than two hundred years in the church's history. The word itself started at a peculiar and possibly cultic charismatic prayer meeting where a women prophesied that the church would be raptured. From that simple beginning, the doctrine has now become the leading eschatological position in American evangelicalism. For more on this issue, the book The Incredible Cover Up: Exploring the Origins of Rapture Theories by Dave MacPherson is a fascinating historical read. Since the doctrine was not even heard of by men such as Athanasius, Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Zwingli, and Wesley, we should not make this doctrine the litmus test of biblical faithfulness, otherwise we are saying there was no faithful eschatology for the first 1,800 years of the church.

...and this is one of the reasons why, though I like Driscoll, I find myself having to disagree with him.

Before analyzing Driscoll's analysis, I must again point out that this is an "in-house" debate. This is an area over which we can vigorously disagree (and we do) and still remain brothers and maintain the bonds of peace and unity. That I maintain that Mark is wrong here is not the same thing as saying I think he's not a brother. Again: this is not an apologetics issue.

So, first off, and sort of as a "things that make you go hmmm" thing, note that Driscoll says, "The rapture, like the age of the earth, is an issue that Christians should discuss and debate, but not divide over." True; however, we're not "dividing" over this particular doctrine in the sense of breaking fellowship with those who are wrong. To be sure, Calvary Chapel has defined adherence to a hope in the pretribulational, soon return of Jesus for His Church as being part of that which defines us as a movement; but we do still think that at least one or two of those who get it wrong on this point may yet still make it to heaven (tongue-in-cheek alert, tongue-in-cheek alert). Later in the post he says, "Since the doctrine was not even heard of by men such as Athanasius, Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Zwingli, and Wesley, we should not make this doctrine the litmus test of biblical faithfulness, otherwise we are saying there was no faithful eschatology for the first 1,800 years of the church." I'll comment on the bulk of the statement later on; for right now, I want to focus on his assertion that "we should not make this doctrine the litmus test of biblical faithfulness..."

...okaaaaaaay...

Calvary Chapels don't use the Rapture as a litmus test of biblical faithfulness - at least, not in the way that Driscoll's implying here (that is, of drawing that proverbial line in the sand and saying, "if you're on that side, you're nothing but a filthy rotten heretical ninny!"). We do unapologetically say that we adhere to it, and that such adherence is a sine non qua of our movement. If you disagree, we love you, we can interact as brothers and gain much from each other... but you'd be much more comfortable in another movement which doesn't hold to this doctrine as a distinctive. No harm, no foul. I mean, you're wrong, but we still love you. (...do I really need to flash the tongue-in-cheek alert again...?)

It is fascinating, however, to note Driscoll's glaring inconsistency here. Driscoll's church puts Calvinism, and his Acts 29 church planting netowrk puts elder-led church polity, and the like in their Statement of Faith - defining these things as being their distinctives, foundational to who and what they are.

At John Piper's recent Desiring God convention, Driscoll delivered a session in which he delineated nine "non-negotiables" of the faith:

1. The Bible


2. The sovereignty of God


3. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ


4. We must argue against Pelagianism, a denial of original sin


5. We must contend for penal substitutionary atonement


6. The exclusivity of Jesus


7. We must contend for male and female roles


8. We must contend for hell


9. We must contend that kingdom is priority over culture.

Not a bad list, but as a non-Calvinist, I have certain problems with it. I don't see God's sovereignty in quite the same fatalistic/deterministic sense that he does... and though I confess to not having yet listened to Mark's session (though I fully intend to) I cannot help but wonder whether or not his stance on "Pelagianism" is really a poorly veiled attack on Arminianism - which is not the same thing, Calvinist calumny aside. (Okay, I just finished listening to his session at the conference, and I must say, it was for the most part quite good... but he did, in keeping with his ingrained Calvinism, make continual reference to Arminianism, equating it with semi-Pelagianism, which totally cheeses me off, but is the subject of another post... Also spared few words denigrating dispensationalism... so my point in this paragraph stands.) I'm not a Calvinist, and I'm not an Arminain, either; but he'd almost certainly consider me one, given that I reject things like limited atonement and double-predestination. So... am I "off the list" as far as not meeting "the litmus test of biblical faithfulness...?"

...why is Driscoll and Mars Hill allowed to delineate their distinctives, but we aren't, I wonder?

...pot... kettle... black...

Like I said, "things that make you go, hmmmmmm..."

Now, regarding Driscoll's redredging up of the common nondispensationalist contumely that the doctrine of the Rapture is a recent development by some chick in England and is really an elaborate plot... blah, blah, blah... and that Dave MacPherson did a bang-up job in shattering its myth... ::yawn:: MacPherson's scholarship is occluded by his loathing of dispensationalism, and his fact-checking is a bit... wanting. There are many great, shcolarly dispensationalist responses to MacPherson & others... but for a simple, short, easy-to-understand treatment of the more glaring problems with his entertainingly flawed hypotheses, check out this article.

Did dispensationalism only erupt on the world stage in the "last two hundred years," as Driscoll asserts?

Well, my first question would be, even if that were true (which it ain't), "What possible difference would that make?"

Driscoll's a Calvinist, for crying out loud! Calvinism has only been around since - what - the 1600's? Okay, so it's got 200 years on Darby. Yippie. And yes, I know that many Calvinists argue that they're really Augustinians... fine; I personally like going back a wee tad farther to - oh, say, the New Testament. For me, the question isn't, "did the church fathers believe x, y, or z," but rather, "what did the Holy Spirit originally say?" Church history is a history of compromise and failure and continual restoration due to that failure. Driscoll's own Reformed tradition exists precisely because certain doctrines had been lost to the church, and needed to be restored. Driscoll's also friendly to the gifts of the Spirit - something which is also a recent development in church history (as the expression of the gifts is currently understood). He has no problem with that - even though his more cessationist brethren would use the same argument against the gifts as he tries here against the Rapture (the gifts weren't practiced like that in the 1800 years before Azusa Street, etc.). We could go on.

An appeal to authority only works if that authority is, in fact, authoritative. Or, in the context of Driscoll's argument, an appeal to history is only valid if history is considered authoritative.

Now, before you go and get all freaked out on me, let me point out that I'm not advocating historical isolationism or a minimalist/reductionist view of history. The fool ignores that which has gone before.

The fool also places that which has gone before on too high a pedestal. And interpreting Scripture through the lens of church history rather than church history through the lens of Scripture places history at minimum on par with it. The strongest arguments that Catholics and Eastern Churchmen have revolve around this very appeal.

Besides, the argument that nobody prior to about the 1800's is... well, to be charitable, I'll call it inaccurate.

• Check out this article on Ephraem the Syrian


• this article about the early church fathers' views on immanency


• this article which, interestingly enough concerning the issue of Driscoll's enamorment with Ladd's eschatology - but specifically in relation to the early fathers' views concerning the distinction between Israel and the Church - a key element of dispensational thought


• this article dealing with pre-Darby (and by extension, pre-MacDonald) Rapture statements


• this article concerning the post-apostolic fathers and premillennialism - another key element of dispensational thought


• and on...


• ...and on...


• ...and on.

I'd formally like to recommend Koinonia House, the Pre-Trib Research Center, and these articles, among a plethora of other resources, for "from the horse's mouth" perspectives on dispensationalism, rather than the weak caricature that we usually read from those who don't much care for the doctrinal perspective.

But, bottom-line, the issue boils down to, "what does the Bible say?" This is not the place for an in-depth Bible study, so I won't go there here. Driscoll & co. state in the Acts 29 Network's statement of beliefs that, "We are not eschatological Theonomists or Classic Dispensationalists (e.g. Scofield) and believe that divisive and dogmatic certainty surrounding particular details of Jesus Second Coming are unprofitable speculation, because the timing and exact details of His return are unclear to us." I thoroughly disagree - and a quick reading of the relevant section in the Distinctives gives a pretty good theological argument for the Blessed Hope that lends the lie to Mark's assertion. I won't waste blogspace recreating the arguments here.

So, to recap: Driscoll states that Calvary Chapel (in essence) has made the Rapture an "essential doctrine." ...yes and no. "Essential" in respect to being a Calvary Chapel, but not in respect to what Driscoll means, in respect to being Christian. Driscoll states that the Rapture is a recent innovation. Yeah, ah... no.

Soooooooo... on to the next point, when I can scare up time for that...

Wings 2, Sharks 1

Okay, last post of the night. Yes, yes, I know; if you're going to blog, the experts say, you should have a clearly defined purpose and not be so scatterbrained - current events one post, then theology, then spirituality, then sports, then...

Blah, blah, blah...

The Wings won 2-1. Good game... it was dicey up until the third period... I'm so excited about sports season!

During first intermission, I found this great classic clip on YouTube...

There is no greater rivalry in all of the sporting world...

Wings vs. Sharks

Okay, total stream-of-consciousness time here... I'm watching the Wings play the San Jose Sharks... it's just about the first intermission, San Jose's scored a weasel of a goal... game's at 1-0.

I love digital cable...

Bob Coy @ Midwest Conference - Session 8 Notes

More of my notes from the recent Midwest Pastors' Conference... this is from Bob Coy's second session (actually Session 8 of the conference)...

---

2006 Midwest Conference

Session 8

Bob Coy

------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Our mission, our mandate: make disciples.


• How prepared really are the folks in our fellowships?


• II Timothy 2:1-7
  
  • v.7 "consider" = "silly putty"
  
  
  • much like chewing the cud


• Spirit of a soldier:

1. Submission in all soldiers (II Samuel 15)
   
   1. "heed" = "pay attention"
   
   
   2. do I think that I'm more fair & kind & merciful than God?
   
   
   3. I want to be that person, that pastor, that God can depend on.
   
   
   4. I never want the Lord to say I Samuel 15:11 about me.
   
   
   5. Did He ask me to be here?


2. Submission with absolute surrender (Ephesians 6)
   
   1. "evil day" = "evil in effect or intent"
   
   
   2. the enemy, and the Lord, will push us beyond our
      limit...
   
   
   3. when I gave my heart to Him, I gave everything to Him
   
   
   4. we are His illustrations
   
   
   5. we are on display
   
   
   6. "casualties of war"


3. Serves with the hope of reward (Hebrews 11)
   
   1. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him
   
   
   2. purple heart
   
   
   3. some soldiers advance - some hold the ground
   
   
   4. the rewards for sowing & reaping are the same.

Mark Driscoll on the Chucks - (2) The Kingdom

Quoting from Driscoll's blogpost:

Kingdom: The problem with the older generation of strong dispensationally minded evangelicals was that they had an under-realized eschatology. By this, I mean that they saw the kingdom of God as an almost entirely future event. The younger generation of evangelicals are more prone to embrace an over-realized eschatology whereby the kingdom of God is essentially here already, so talking about heaven, hell, and the eternal state is not important. On this point, Smith Jr. echoes a drum regularly beat by McLaren and others affiliated with the Emergent group. The problem is that the kingdom of God is not yet here, but it does break in through the church, the preaching of the gospel, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, a balanced eschatology that holds the "already/not yet" tension of Paul is the only hope for a biblical position on this issue.

This critique has a bit more of a leg to stand on. Important as eschatology is, and I believe it to be one of the most important of the secondary ("right-hand" is the Piperism) doctrines of the faith, it is secondary. I think I stated it in a previous post, but here it is again: I believe Creationism to be more foundational than one's eschatology.

Even so, much like how one's approach to the first chapter of the Bible ultimately dictates one's approach to the rest, I've found that one's eschatology can tend to determine his approach to the rest of
Scripture, too.

Somewhat of a side note: "Secondary" does not mean unimportant or even less important. All doctrine is important, all doctrine should be taken seriously and prayed through & thought out thoroughly, and not be considered "disposable" - otherwise, why bother? "Secondary" refers to the nature of the doctrine as not being definitional to Christianity - Biblically faithful Christianity, anyway. We can disagree all day long on secondary points of doctrine and still be brothers. Primary doctrine, by way of comparison, are those which define what a Christian is. Differ on primary points of doctrine, and now we're no longer brothers in Christ.

Incidentally, I find it more than slightly disingenuous that Driscoll consistently (albeit, gently) chides Chuck Sr. for holding "right-hand" doctrines like eschatology too tightly when he himself puts things like Calvinism in the "left hand" (see his session at the recent Desiring God conference). Ooops. My faults always look worse on you.

Now, on the subject of the Kingdom, Driscoll demonstrates a penchant for Laddian thought. George Eldon Ladd was a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary who taught (in a nutshell) that the Kingdom of God is both a future hope and a present reality. In effect, that the Kingdom is "now and not yet". The defining element of his thinking is eschatological tension. However, Ladd's recognition of eschatological tension - in and of itself - is not unique; only in its scope and application.

Perhaps the most prominent of his doctrinal scions was John Wimber - and through him, the Vineyard. (Interestingly, the Vineyard and Calvary Chapel share a common history. The Vineyard broke away from CC early in the 1980's over the issue of the primacy of experience over the Word.) Wimber took Ladd's eschatology and ran with it, and paved the way for the Vineyard's current (in my opinion) de facto abandonment of the Blessed Hope - among other things, this comprises perhaps one of the greatest weaknesses/shortcomings of the Vineyard movement, which in turn stems necessarily from "the" issue which led to the Vineyard breaking fellowship with the Calvary Chapel Movement: a sidelining of the Word in favor of experience. But I digress.

The Achilles Heel of Laddian thought is the same one shared by virtually all non-dispensational theologies: a failure to properly distinguish between Israel and the Church. Coupled closely with this is a tendency to equate the Church and the Kingdom (though, admittedly, less so than Kingdom Now or more magisterio-temporal groups like the Roman Catholic Church). This twin failure leads directly to an abandonment in effect and practice of the "Blessed Hope" of the Church - note Driscoll's commentary on dispensationalism: "[t]he problem with the older generation of strong dispensationally minded evangelicals was that they had an under-realized eschatology." The very fact that "looking unto and hastening" the Day of the Lord can be called "under-realized eschatology" by Laddites is quite telling.

The Kingdom of God is "now" in the sense that a "kingdom" is anywhere a king reigns, and so we as Christians do experience a foretaste of the Kingdom now in the Person of the Holy Spirit. But it is "now" only in the most anticipatory sense. The Kingdom was offered to and rejected by Israel, and awaits its fulfillment in the end times when Israel calls for her Messiah-King to return [cf. Luke 13:35... note it says until, directly implying that the time will come when Israel will reverse her corporate rejection of the Messiah, an event which signals the end of the Time of Jacob's Trouble and the commencement of the Kingdom Age]. It is the "not yet" aspect of the Kingdom which Ladd, in my opinion, didn't adequately appreciate, and which his spiritual sons likewise miss.

The problem with most of the critiques I've read of the dispensational position from Laddites (such as Driscoll) is that they tend to set up, then promptly and with aplomb proceed to knock down a straw man. Note Mark's contrasting of an "under-realized eschatology" (i.e., looking for the Blessed Hope) with the "over-realized eschatology" of liberals like MacLaren & Co. Inherent in the contrast is the supposition that unlike liberals, dispensationalists aren't getting involved in social works, and are thus missing it RE: the "now" aspect of the Kingdom (liberals, on the opposite end, miss the boat on the "not yet" aspect). It is only the erudite Laddites who have a properly balanced view, and we should all lock arms and sing We Shall Overcome while keeping a vague notion that "one day" Jesus will return, but there are far more pressing things to concern us in the meantime, thank you very much. The implication is that dispensationalists are generally unconcerned with temporal issues and are just waiting around for the Rapture.

Here's the problem with that: it ain't so. Not with consistent dispensationalists, anyway.

Consistent dispensationalists take Jesus' command to "occupy 'till I come" seriously. We are to "look for and hasten" that Day, but we are to be about our Father's business in the interim - and that business includes clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and giving cups of cold water. This is because of the doctrine of immanency.

Basically, that means that Jesus can return at any time. Corollary to that is the fact that if He can return at any time, then it necessarily follows that He does not have to return at any specific time. Hence, no consistent dispensationalist will be caught dead date-setting. And, it's why we "occupy 'till He comes." Calvary Chapels are and have consistently been at the forefront of humanitarian causes. Note that one of the most active (albeit unassuming and self-consciously "under the radar") expressions of the Body of Christ in post-9/11 NY and the post-Katrina Gulf Coast has been the Calvaries (we're still in both places - long after the TV crews and disaster paparazzi are gone, long after the ADHD-like attention of the American people have turned elsewhere). And just "everyday" feeding the hungry and clothing the naked? Yeah... we do that, too. We just generally don't toot our own collective horn about it and seek to show everybody just how compassionate & relevant we really are; we're just quietly taking our King's command to occupy 'till He comes literally and applying it without a whole lot of fanfare.

But a more full analysis of Driscoll's analysis of the place of the Blessed Hope will be taken up in a later blogpost dealing with his treatment of the Rapture.

The real problem that a Laddite (and, by extension, Driscoll & other more conservative ECM types) has with consistent dispensationalism is the fact that we dispies view social justice & similar subjects as inevitable consequences of the mission of the church, but not the actual mission of the church itself. In other words, we see the Bible as giving the church a tightly defined mission:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you..."

Matthew 28:19-20

The mission of the church, which the Head of the Church deigned to deliver to the very ones He selected to lay the foundation of that church, is to go into all the world and make disciples.

Thus, the mission of the church is not:

• evangelism


• worship


• political activity


• feeding the hungry


• clothing the naked


• succoring the poor


• uplifting the downtrodden


• righting wrongs


• correcting injustice


• leaping tall buildings in a single bound


• group hugs


• finger painting

The mission of the church is to go into all the world and make disciples.

Now, as a necessary consequence of living out that primary mission, these other things may naturally flow. As we seek to make disciples, we will naturally evangelize the lost. In the process of becoming disciples, we will naturally become worshippers. As disciples who worship the King, we will naturally desire to reach out and do His works - which include feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc. And as a natural result of walking with our Master (which is what a disciple is, by the way - one who walks with and emulates the life of another), we will increasingly see beauty in His world, and as stewards over that and created in His creative image, we will want to improve and beautify the world around us. In reaching out, we'll seek to engage the culture... yadda yadda yadda. You get the picture.

But all of this flows from and is a consequence of the real mission of the church: Making disciples.

These are not in themselves that mission.

And when these things - or anything else - begin to supplant the real mission of the church (and make no mistake: they will supplant that mission, eventually), we have problems.

So should the church clothe the naked, feed the hungry, etc.? Answer: Yes and no.

GAAAAAAASP!!!

Allow me to explain.

The church, Biblically, should be about making disciples.

CHRISTIANS should be about clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, evangelizing, worshipping, etc., as an outgrowth and expression of their relationship with Jesus and as a fruit of their growing in Christlikeness (i.e., discipleship).

Thus, social works, social justice, and all other "extra-curricular" activities are the jurisdiction of Christians, whether individually or in aggregate; but the job of the church is to make disciples. To the extent that that disciple-making works itself out in doing all these right and lovely and good things, all is well. The problem arises when these things begin to be viewed as being the raison d'etre of the church, rather than an auxiliary of its mission. Subtle distinction, perhaps, but utterly vital.

The question has arisen in Calvary Chapel on the Lakeshore as to why we don't do ____________________, and usually involves something like, "why don't we dance during worship?" or "why don't we allow utterances in tongues during our corporate gatherings" (usually asked by those who don't come to the Sunday night prayer meeting, which is also our time set aside for the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but I digress), or something similar. What I've noticed is that usually people want to do in public what they are not doing but should be doing in private. You want to be very expressive in your worship? Great! Go to your prayer closet. In corporate worship, we want to make sure the attention is on Jesus and not drawn to any individual, so we voluntarily refrain from flamboyant expressions of worship there, out of love for our brother who will certainly be distracted by our "Holy Ghost Jackhammering." Why insist on doing it in public - is it less worshipful if it is done in private? Is it more valid if everyone can see how spiritual we are because we dance before the Lord? Where's my heart and what's my motive?

The same applies to acts of social justice & the like. Why does it have to be an official instrument of the church? Why can't Christians, as a holy outworking of the Spirit's work in their hearts as He through His church makes them disciples, just go out and do it? Individually, or even as groups? Hey - as a church, we (and by "we" I mean CC Lakeshore) get behind the saints when they step out in faith to minister to the hurting. We come alongside the Muskegon Rescue Mission, the Crisis Pregnancy Center, and other ministries and groups that are doing the grunt work of reaching out in physical/material ways. We have gone to Ground Zero after 9/11, we have supported those who ministered and continue to minister to the Katrina victims, and we seek to meet the needs of those within our body and others within the household of faith...

...but all of this comes as an outgrowth of focusing on the primary mission of the church, making disciples. None of it is that mission or supplants it in any way.

Now, for the Laddian, this does not compute. Because of their peculiar view of eschatological tension (which we dispies, incidentally, recognize, but see from a very different perspective), the church's function is to... do a whole lot more than what Jesus actually gave her to do. So even though we dispies are doing these things, since we're not self-consciously (the ECM Dilbertism for it is "intentional") focusing on them as our sine qua non, we've got an "under-realized eschatology."

Ppppthphtphphtphphtphphtthtphtphttt.

The Kingdom of God is present in the Person of the Son as mediated through the Person of the Spirit; but it also is not, in a very profound way that your typical Laddian can't wrap his mind around, and attempts to make it otherwise end badly.

And we dispies (Calvary Chapel is decidedly dispensational in eschatology) focus unapologetically on the "not yet" aspect of the Kingdom, recognizing that the "already" aspect is really a "preview of coming attractions" and is not the main event.

I've said it before: I predict that the ECM will eventually and inevitably (and in the none-too-distant future) either re-merge back into more mainstream evangelicalism, or continue its leftward gallop and become fully liberal. Or both.

Article on media reporting of goings-on in Iraq

Great blogpost here from the In From The Cold intelligence analysis blog run by "Spook 86". Well worth the read (and the read of the linked National Post article).

Important articles on the Middle East

I get the "News Report from Jerusalem" weekly missive from CC Jerusalem and pastor Bradley Antolovich. The latest NRFJ contains some very interesting, very important articles concerning the Middle East adn what we're not hearing from the managed U.S. media...

• The Coming Middle-East War


• German Jews: Atmosphere like 1930s


• The Czechoslovakia Solution

Mandriva Linux 2007

I have long been a Linux fan - and I have in the last few years become a fan specifically of Mandriva Linux (formerly: Mandrake) for a variety of reasons...

• Power of Linux


• Ease of use (designed so that the power user and the neophyte can use, enjoy, and appreciate it...)


• Well-stocked package inventory, even in the free-distribution download


• Cool name (MANdriva... 'cause I'm a MAN, hear me geek...)


• Redmond doesn't like it

So I'm very excited to download, install, and try out the new 2007 distro.

Thought I'd share that.

Bob Coy @ Midwest Conference - Session 4 Notes

Bob Coy spoke at the recent Midwest Pastors' Conference; I think you can
order the DVDs of the conference from CC Crawfordsville...

I was very blessed by Bob's sessions. As sort of a "preview of coming attractions" for those who order the DVDs, I'm uploading my notes I took during his sessions...

---

2006 Midwest Conference
Session 4
Bob Coy
------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. We are in this to win
   
   1. Prov., "he "who wins souls is wise..."
   
   


2. "...the face of somebody I lost, somebody the devil has had his way with."


3. We are in competition with the devil...


4. Walkman... to iPod
   
   1. the method has changed, but the message has not.
   
   


5. John 1:19-23 -> our call...


6. I am not the Christ.


7. Am I okay with being one crying voice?


8. Home stereo...


9. You don't answer the call to get stuff... you answer it to be one crying
   voice.


10. Our Cause: to bring people to repentance.


11. Repentance must be a part of the message.


12. The truth will set you/them free... so give them the truth.


13. Who are we to tell the world how to live if we won't live it...?


14. Mark 6:24 -> Stay the Course
    
    1. ...even if you loose your head.
    
    


15. Staying the course is a vital part of our message.


16. Matthew 28:18 -> He didn't separate the doubters! He called them all to make disciples
    
    1. He knows that when you do ministry, all doubts are dispelled.
    
    


17. Having better stuff doesn't make ministry better.


18. Keep on doing ministry! Keep on keeping on!


19. God honors those who honor Him.

Still more on coffee...

Another great one I found regarding that subject near and dear to my heart... coffee...

Speaking of coffee, I need to get out the door to hit Speedway on the way in to church so that I'm awake enough to coherently lead worship and deliver the Word! DOH!!!