They Died for the Church---We Sign Commitment Cards and Manifestos

Here are some interesting and well thought out excerpts from Pastor Kevin Johnson at Prophezei about the True Woman '08 conference.

"The legitimate role of women in church and society is often something sneered at by men who seem envious of the legitimate role God has given them in being who they are. That’s one reason why I vigorously oppose the True Woman Manifesto (which you can actually read here). Pastorally, it’s dangerous to give men and pastors in the Christian community one more plank to abuse women with by providing them with a signed copy of a manifesto that could easily be interpreted and used in ways it was perhaps not originally intended. Additionally, it’s irresponsible to think that the whole of Christian womanhood is aptly summed up by this manifesto or that it ought to be used as a guide in understanding what role women ought to play in the life of the church, their families, and in society. Whatever happened to the Bible? Why do we need cue cards for everything?"

And this...

"Beyond all this, however, is the idea prevalent in conservative Christian circles that problems of our day can somehow be solved by signing a commitment card or having one more Christian conference about it. I wonder what the early Church and her martyrs would have thought about our busybody approach to the Kingdom of God. "

Why do we need so many conferences, books, man made manifestos and commitment cards? Could it be because we are not immersed in the Word and being taught by the ONE TRUE TEACHER? It is much easier to follow man made manifestos, rules, roles and formulas than it is to abide in Christ minute by minute and be guided by the Holy Spirit. Jiang Zongxiu did not need a True Woman Manifesto to serve her Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ.

When 34-year old Jiang Zongxiu went to her neighboring market last June in Guizhou Province, China. Along with her mother-in-law, Jiang went through the marketplace, taking opportunities to hand out Bibles and Christian literature and telling people about Jesus. Only this day they had an encounter with the Chinese police.

The two Christian women were handcuffed together and brought to the police station. They were interrogated throughout the evening of the 17th. The next morning they were sentenced by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) to 15 days incarceration for "suspected spreading of rumor and disturbing the social order."
Jiang and her mother-in-law knew the risk of spreading Christian literature in communist China. Both had been active in their church for more than 10 years and dared to go forth. Even when they were arrested, interrogated and sentenced to serve 15 days, they were willing to accept the consequences of their actions - all from a government that claims to have "freedom of religion."

But it was not enough for the PSB to arrest and beat these two Christian women for the crime of passing our Christian literature. In the afternoon of June 18th, Mrs. Jiang Zongziu was pronounced dead by the PSB office of Tongzi County. They claimed she died of "natural causes." The fact is she was beaten to death.
The Voice of the Martyrs has received video testimony from the surviving family, photos of Jiang's body showing her bruised body, and a copy of the actual arrest document. All of this had to be smuggled out of China as the authorities continue to attempt to hide their systematic persecution of Christians. An international campaign is now under way on behalf of the surviving family.

Much of the world would like you to believe Christians are no longer persecuted. Sister Jiang's family would disagree.

Leaving "Church"

Suffering by Design

There is Design in This Suffering

Listen to the first part of this show with John Piper preaching.

Bold Missions At McDonalds

During our nightly bible study, my 6 year old daughter relayed an incident that took place while climbing around in the McDonald’s Playland maze that evening.

She was climbing up into the maze and came across two kids arguing over who is the boss. She said, "Mom, I just sat there and listened to them argue over and over about who was boss. They finally looked at me and I said, 'Jesus is boss over EVERYBODY!' "

I asked her if they said anything in return but she sighed and said they just went down the slide.

Then she asked me the most important question of all: “Mom, was that kinda like being a missionary?”

You bet.

Others May, You May Not

"Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done."

Matthew 16

If God has called you to be really like Jesus He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. God’s call will put such demands of obedience on you that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians. At times, He will let other people do things which He will not let you do.

Other Christians who seem very religious will push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans. You cannot, and if you attempt it, you will meet with failure and rebuke from the Lord. Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their successes, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you to despise yourself and all your good works.

Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but it is likely God will keep you poor. God wants you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence upon Him, that He may demonstrate His faithful love for you in supplying your needs day by day. God may let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hidden in obscurity in order to produce some fragrant fruit for His coming glory which can only be produced in the shade.

He may let others be great, but keep you small. He may let others do a work for Him and get the credit for it now. The reward for your work is held in the hands of Jesus and you will not see it until He comes. The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you with a jealous love. He will rebuke you for the little words and feelings or for wasting your time.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do as He pleases with His own. He does not owe you an explanation of these mysteries. But if you give yourself to be His child, He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and give you the precious blessings for those who belong, heart and soul, to Him.

Settle it forever, then, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit. It is His option to tie your tongue, or chain your hand, or close your eyes in ways that He does not seem to use with others. And when you are so possessed by the living God that your heart delights over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of Heaven.

-G.D. Watson

(1824-1945) Wesleyan Methodist Minister in Los Angeles

Professing Believers In Continual Sin

I came across this teaching by John McArthur on http://www.biblebb.com/macqa.htm. It is very interesting but poses a bit of a problem for many churches that not only do not practice discipline, but dumb down sin to the point it is unrecognizable. The answer of course, is get into a Bible teaching church that exposits scripture so you will know!

Question

I have a question about worshipping and fellowshipping with so-called, or a professing believer who is in sin, hardened sin of a grievous nature. You’ve come along side them to confront them and there is no repentance. They go to another church and that church does not practice Matthew 18, and so you have a situation where the four steps of Matthew 18 are not applied by their church. They want to go to conferences with you, perhaps pray with you, have fellowship with you, and yet, you’re reluctant to do that because of their lack of repentance.

Answer

Well, I think you should be reluctant to do that. I think that’s the whole point of putting someone out of the church’s fellowship. I don’t think that means you can’t come in the building; I think it means you’re disconnected from the people who are the church. And I think that that’s exactly the intent of Scripture when we are instructed that we have to separate from these people in the fullest sense. I think anybody who walks disorderly--I’m just looking at the end of II Thessalonians--“who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which you received from us. You yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you. We did not eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but work with labor….” and so forth and so forth and so forth. If anyone doesn’t work, then he shouldn’t eat, and if there’s somebody walking disorderly (not working at all), they are “busybodies,” and he says, you know, “These are the people who affect the fellowship.” And he says in verse 14, “If anybody doesn’t obey this word in our epistle, note the person and do not keep company with him.” That’s verse 14. Why? “That he may be ashamed.” In other words, you want to heap the real shame on him that he deserves.

You don’t count him as an enemy; don’t consider him an enemy. But, admonish him as a brother. And how would you admonish a brother? Get it together--confess, repent, get your life right. But, do not “keep company.” That’s as explicit as it can be.

Our Eyes Look To The Lord Our God

The vast majority of people on planet Earth want nothing to do with the real Jesus. Many love and hold dear another Jesus, but he is one made up by people who don’t know the one who is real. Tragically, the numbers of professing Christians are growing continually who are also following another Jesus who does not resemble in least the one found in scripture. Those who hold dear the real Jesus are those who are entirely reliant upon the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Read this rest of this piece here from possessing the treasure )