Galatians 1:6-10 (New King James Version)
Only One Gospel
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
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Written by Scott M. Kendall
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Sunday, 04 January 2009 15:57 |
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I love dogs. When I lived in Michigan, my dog was Bear. He loved to chase balls. I would take Bear to Van Etten Lake, and we would play fetch. Sometimes I would throw the ball into the field; sometimes into the lake. Bear would do anything for me. I am sure he would die without a moment of hesitation to protect me. At the lake, I would keep throwing the ball, and Bear would keep on chasing. Finally, when he couldn’t keep going, Bear would just drop, panting for a long while before he recovered. At the time I thought Bear loved every minute. Now I think he loved every minute right to the moment when he could not serve anymore—when he dropped. Bear put his trust and loyalty in me, and I think I abused his trust. This dynamic—chasing balls—is one that all leaders must carefully consider and appreciate. Followers, with a desire to please, will follow the high expectations of leaders, often without regard to the cost. This is especially true in Christian leadership, when the believer believes the leader reflects God’s vision. The child of God desires to please his heavenly Father. This powerful desire to please God can be and is abused by those who claim to speak for Him. When a suicide bomber sacrifices himself for Allah, he sincerely believes he is doing God’s will and that he will be richly rewarded—because his spiritual leaders tell him so. In Evangelical culture, the same desire is present. When the Christian leader declares God’s vision, the committed adherent will do almost anything in his power to achieve the vision—he will chase the ball until he drops. If the leader is correctly articulating God’s will, sacrifice is often necessary and appropriate—and leaders must not shrink from their responsibilities. In times of conflict, military leaders are routinely required to sacrifice the lives of those they lead to complete the mission. Christian leaders might be confronted with similarly difficult decisions to confront the enemy in the spiritual war that rages. But if the Christian leader is not discerning God’s will, and is merely reflecting his own vision or the vision of others, the sacrifice of those who follow is nothing less than a tragedy. Such a leader breaches the trust of his people—demanding sacrifices that God does not seek. Leaders—Christian leaders—have a difficult responsibility. So if you are a leader, think before you throw. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 04 January 2009 16:10 )
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Written by Scott M. Kendall
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Sunday, 21 December 2008 14:03 |
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Merry Christmas! I pray God blesses each of you, and that you have a wonderful new year. I look forward to visiting with you after the holidays. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 21 December 2008 14:10 )
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Written by Scott M. Kendall
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Tuesday, 25 November 2008 14:06 |
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Your general admission ticket, which admits you to all of your church’s activities for the week, costs $30 per person. This price seems to hold true for large churches, small churches, and medium churches. Your weekly pass is only for general admission, and does not include special costs, such as building programs and missions. Each family, however, does not pay full price. It turns out—studies show over and over—that 20% pay for 80% of the costs. This means the top 20% regular givers in a church pay about $130 per ticket. Ouch. The others pay about $10 per ticket. So the regular givers pay a $100 premium so the others can pay $10. These facts might be troubling to premium givers. The issue is not whether the ticket price is fair—it is not. The issue is whether or not, on balance, the price of admission is worth it. It may be; but maybe not. Could that premium be placed in another venue, giving the giver more value? What do you think? |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 26 November 2008 12:56 )
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Sunday, 16 November 2008 12:27 |
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You are in an elevator with five other people on the thirtieth floor. You are the only person of faith—the only representative of the Body of Christ. Suddenly, the elevator brakes to a stop between the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth floors. The power has failed throughout the city. An overweight man is claustrophobic and begins to sweat. You can see his face begin to turn red in the soft emergency lighting. The big man crumples to the floor of the elevator. He has had a catastrophic heart attack. A woman picks-up the emergency phone, but it will take more than thirty minutes for paramedics to climb to the twenty-seventh floor. Through His Holy Spirit, in that voice you recognize as His, God speaks to you and asks you to fall to your knees, place your hand on the man’s heart, and to audibly pray for a miracle. Immediately, the internal debate begins: Is God really speaking to me? What if nothing happens? What will the others think? You choose to remain silent. What will happen—will the man die? Assume that it is God’s will for the man to live. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 November 2008 21:12 )
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Written by Scott M. Kendall
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Monday, 10 November 2008 18:52 |
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With a group of friends, an unexpected opportunity developed for me to share my faith. I narrated my stories, with positive response. But then, to my surprise, a lady put me on my heels. She said, “Scott, if God did what He did for you, why would God allow what happened to me?” As an innocent girl, my friend Tammy was molested and bears the pain and scars today. In an unusual moment, I was silenced. Tammy was right. If God is in control, then He allowed this deep infliction of pain on my neighbor and friend. If this is true, I find God’s conduct to be appalling. But I do not believe it for a moment. When we repeat the slogan, “God is in control,” we unwittingly make God an accomplice with evil. God had nothing to do with what happened to Tammy. She was the victim of an evil doer. I grant that in a cosmological sense God is in control, as the universe only exists by His will. But usually this is not what is meant when these words are spoken. Most often they are said as a comfort for those suffering from the difficulties of this life, or to calm fears in an uncertain world. But words have consequences, and the salve of this slogan alienates Tammy from the God that desires to comfort and heal her. God’s promise is that He would be with me when I suffer. He never promised that I would not suffer the consequences of my decisions, the decisions of others, or even the effects of nature and physics. Please do not misunderstand me: - God is sovereign; but in His sovereignty He has given human beings the right to make their own decisions—including evil decisions.
- God can be in charge of my life; but only if I choose to surrender my life to Him.
- God can intervene in my affairs or the affairs of my neighbors; but only if I or my neighbors ask Him.
If I say God is in control, it relieves me of all responsibility. Why pray? Why love my neighbor? God is in control; He does not need my help. The next time you have the urge to repeat this favorite Christian slogan, think of my friend Tammy. When confronted with suffering, perhaps you might pray for God to intervene and relieve the suffering; or perhaps you might pray for God to provide comfort; or perhaps you might intervene and relieve the suffering; or perhaps you might provide comfort. Don’t blame God—He put you in control. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 10 November 2008 21:42 )
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Apostolic Certainty
All Christian doctrine is found full, complete, and exclusively in the teachings of Jesus Christ and the authoritative writings of the Apostles.
- The remaining scriptures are primarily descriptive, poetic, or prophetic and establish the need, foundation, and witness for Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
- The teaching of Christian life application outside of Apostolic Certainty is likely to cause error and confusion.
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