Military in Iraq celebrating Christ amidst war, chaplain says

By Staff @ Baptist Press

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (BP)--A Southern Baptist chaplain in Iraq says military personnel are celebrating the birth of Christ in the midst of a war-torn country.

Chaplain LTC Jim White, 3rd Infantry Division, says "in spite of the circumstances," America's finest are celebrating Christmas in Baghdad and throughout Iraq. White, stationed in Baghdad, requested prayer for members of the military who are away from family during the Christmas season -- that they may "sense God's presence each and every day."

Following is the full text of White's message to Southern Baptists:

"Here in Baghdad our soldiers are celebrating the Christ in Christmas in spite of the circumstances. All across our area of operations, Christmas trees are going up, choirs are singing. We're celebrating the birth of our Lord. On behalf of all military Southern Baptist chaplains, we'd like to thank you for your support and wish each of you a Merry Christmas. We'd like to ask you to lift us up in prayer this time of prayer, praying for our Soldiers and Sailors and Airmen and Marines as they go about their work in some of the most dangerous places in the world. As they go about that work, may they sense God's presence each and every day.

"We also [ask that you] pray for our families and loved ones back home, [asking] that you will lift them up before our Lord in a very special way, that they might sense His presence also and that they might have the Christmas spirit and bring us all safely home to them. We also ask that you'll pray for each of our chaplains, that they will sense the when, the where and the how to share God's love this Christmas season to all that they serve. Meanwhile, here in Baghdad, we continue to celebrate the Christ of Christmas."

Wise Men Still Seek Him

From Suzanne Bowdey.
Senior Writer and Editor at Family Research Council

In Baghdad, the blackened cars outside churches and abandoned houses where people once worshiped point to an even greater emptiness in Iraq. Since the war, Christians have faced great persecution and hardship, all signaling a new era in a country that was once the cradle of their faith. While it may be home to the ancient cities of Ninevah and Babylon, Ur and the Garden of Eden, families of God are fleeing Iraq—afraid for their lives and the daily threat of terrorism. Frightened by a future where they would be hunted or outcast, thousands of Christians have fled for safe havens.

In the past few years, the fragile peace between the country’s Christians and Muslims has been shattered. God-fearing Iraqis have watched helplessly as their brothers and sisters in Christ fall victim to bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, and intimidation. In the face of great suffering, the shrinking population still searches for asylum. By record numbers, nearly half of what was once considered the world’s oldest Christian body has disappeared. As one religious leader said, “The situation that is in the country will not allow us to practice our services freely. It is not safe to go [out] from home. We are meeting every Sabbath, but it is very difficult. We expect an explosion at any time during the day.” Like every Iraqi, he prays for a better tomorrow. “We hope that things will change,” he said. “But no one knows except God.”

Two thousand years ago, the fate of the world hung by a similar thread. A virgin birth. The innocent manger. A promise of salvation. All were endangered by a Middle Eastern tyrant who slaughtered millions in hopes of killing the rightful King, Jesus Christ.

‘…After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we have observed his star and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened… Then Herod secretly called for the wise men… and sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage… When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising… When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. They saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage… And having been warned by a dream… they left for their country by another road… Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up and take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt… for Herod is about to search for the child and destroy him.’ (Matthew 2:2-3, 9-13)

Just as the Savior is born every year within the hearts and minds of His people, so too are the modern Herods, armed with angry troops and deadly weapons. But I am grateful for this side of the nativity story, because we learn that in the face of evil and corruption, the Messiah still finds His way.

Though suicide bombers threaten and war tears many apart, the faithful have clung to the Light in a world that seeks to destroy it. While the course is difficult, and fear and darkness often cover our path, history tells us that somewhere behind these horrors are the stirrings of peace and goodwill. On the other side of this manger is the Kingdom of Heaven. We celebrate with the poet T.S. Eliot, who wrote of the Magi, We returned to our places / But no longer at ease here / in the old dispensation / with an alien people clutching their gods / I should be glad of another death. This season, may the world be grateful “of another death” that brings new life in Christ.

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Not Our Buddy: A Call To Revere God's Holiness

By Jim Bublitz @ http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.558

God is not our buddy. In fact, He levels this charge against sinful man: "These things you have done, and I kept silent. You thought I was altogether like you, but I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face. Consider this you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces with none to rescue" (Psalm 50). When pastors, preachers, or bible teachers attempt to "make God more relate-able" and bring Him down to a more accessible level that people can appreciate, by representing Him as having human attributes, ideas, techniques, or behaviors, they are actually representing God in a way that is exactly opposite of who and what He is. God is Holy, apart and separate from human folly and thinking.

As Isaiah 58:8 says: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord".

These churches should reconsider the damage that they are doing to this solemn yet beautiful attribute of God's holiness. To turn the pulpit into a place to elicit belly-laughs not only has zero-precedence in scripture, but it's outright irreverent, thoroughly demeaning, and utterly distracting to the holiness of God and to the reverence that He rightly deserves. It's significant that . . .

Anyplace scripture ever describes anyone, anywhere, anytime, who has actually entered into the presence of God, every single one of those people went immediately DOWN - down on their faces, in holy reverent awe and respect. Old Testament and New.

It's also worth noting that in all of the sermons found in scripture, none of them are ever flip, funny, or casual.

This 13 minute audio includes actual sermon clips
from God is our buddy churches, but a couple of
other examples worth noting include this video from Community Christian Church in Illinois, in which Jesus is depicted as a high-fiving employer that you can horse-around with, and this video (from the same church) in which Jesus is playing baseball with the guys.

May you be blessed by this audio clip on the holiness of God.
It's from the Attributes of Christ video series from CrossTV,
which borrows heavily from AW Pink's book.

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CLICK HERE TO PLAY NOW . . . or to download this MP3 file for later: right click the link and then "save target as"

More Old Truth Audio Files:

• 12/07/06 - "Hell is Complete Separation From God"
• 12/06/06 - How Could Heaven Be Joyful if Family Are in Hell?
• 11/15/06 - There is No Formula For Making Revival Happen
• 11/02/06 - Error is Pervasive, Subtle, and Damning
• 10/22/06 - 'Chipper Churches' Distort Reality of Christian Life
• 10/05/06 - Who Could Be Saved Prior To The Reformation?
• 09/15/06 - Short Belief Statements Do More Harm Than Good
• 08/21/06 - Today's Denial of Original Sin. Is Man Dead in Sin?
• 07/21/06 - To Love Christ is To Love Doctrinal Truth
• 06/28/06 - Accurate Biblical Interpretation is Hard Work

Detailed Listing of All Audio Files

Dropped Calls & Pastoral Ministry

Posted by Dave Mallinak @ http://www.jackhammr.org/

The fact that he had no business being in the ministry never even slowed him down. He loved mammon, loved to have the preeminence, loved pleasures, especially the pleasures of sin. He sought his own, not another’s. Far from blameless, he had had only one wife at a time. If he was sober, he was vigilant… vigilant to end that condition. When it came to the neighbor’s wife (or the deacon’s for that matter), he certainly was given to hospitality. He was apt to teach, for by it he seduced many. Never had he been given to wine, though plenty had been given to him. No striker could match his tantrums. He was not greedy of filthy lucre. He liked the clean kind, which was why he insisted that money always be laundered. When it came to getting an angle, he was the most patient of men. Give him his way, and he wouldn’t be such a brawler. He was not covetous, he just wanted lots of things. His children all followed in his footsteps, of course. Just that they weren’t so sly about covering it. You can believe that this man was not a novice. His chicanery came from years of experience. He had a good report card, though. Back in first or second grade – he couldn’t remember which. But hey, he desired the office of a bishop. It had filled his coffers, and made him fat.

You might be thinking that it obviously is not God’s will that this man be a pastor. But then again, you could be wrong. Sometimes, God brings these men to such positions. After all, God chose Saul to be the first king of Israel. God called Judas Iscariot to be a disciple. Sometimes, God chastises a nation with such men. God raised up Pharaoh. God gave Israel ungodly preachers (I Kings 22:22-23). Joseph’s brothers fulfilled God’s will, even as they didn’t. Surely, this reveals something about God’s will.

This reminds us that men often displease God even as they do God’s will. Was God pleased when David committed adultery with Bathsheba? Yet David’s act most certainly fulfilled God’s will (consider Matthew 1:6 with Psalm 119:152; Isaiah 46:10-11). It pleased the LORD to bruise Christ, and God was displeased with those who bruised him. Even so, a man may advance to the pastorate without the call of God, and may displease God through his grasping, and this may be according to God’s will. I dare say that if the man is in the pulpit, that means it is God’s will that he be in the pulpit, even as it isn’t.

Those who seek a pastoral position must be concerned about this. Yes, you can take a pulpit without a divine call. But that doesn’t mean God will be pleased. God uses usurpers, though not usually for their own good (see Jeremiah 14:14-15ff and Jeremiah 23:21-22ff). Disqualified pastors are a scourge on a nation.

Sadly, stubbornness keeps men in pastoral ministry who long ago disqualified themselves. They destroy and devour the flock (Jer 23:1-2, 9-15), and by them many are devastated. And despite the carnage, these wolves in shepherds garb will smugly insist that the “gifts and calling of God are without repentance,” demonstrating that God’s Word is to them a lever for gaining advantage over God’s flock.

Jack Hyles taught us that repentance is not necessary for salvation. And his “preacher boys” learned their lessons well. If salvation comes without repentance, then so does “the call.” And once you get “the call,” this too is without repentance. The smart ones connect the dots well. They can live like the devil and still go to heaven. So they do (live like the devil, at least). Ironically, if one gets caught, all one needs to do is “repent.” Not that repentance is necessary. Just that if he wishes to keep preying on the sheep, it is.

Whether God actually calls a man to pastor who later disqualifies himself or not is a discussion for another time. For now, we can be sure that this too was God’s will, and according to his plan. In other words, it was God’s will that there be a First Baptist Church of Hammond, that Jack Hyles pastor it, that he found Hyles-Anderson College, and that this college produce graduates like John Price. It is God’s will that Jack Schaap pastor that church today. And that should bring us to repentance if nothing else does.

Slappy holiday

Why not take the Santa Claus tradition a little further? |

By Gene Edward Veith @http://cranach.worldmagblog.com/cranach/

Santa Claus had his origins in St. Nicholas, the fourth-century bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey. Known for his generosity and his love of children, Nicholas is said to have saved a poor family's daughters from slavery by tossing into their window enough gold for a rich dowry, a present that landed in some shoes or, in some accounts, stockings that were hung up to dry. Thus arose the custom of hanging up stockings for St. Nicholas to fill. And somehow he transmogrified into Santa Claus, who has become for many people the secular Christmas alternative to Jesus Christ.

But there is more to the story of Nicholas of Myra. He was also a delegate to the Council of Nicea in a.d. 325, which battled the heretics who denied the deity of Christ. He was thus one of the authors of the Nicene Creed, which affirms that Jesus Christ is both true God and true man. And unlike his later manifestation, Nicholas was particularly zealous in standing up for Christ.

During the Council of Nicea, jolly old St. Nicholas got so fed up with Arius, who taught that Jesus was just a man, that he walked up and slapped him! That unbishoplike behavior got him in trouble. The council almost stripped him of his office, but Nicholas said he was sorry, so he was forgiven.

The point is, the original Santa Claus was someone who flew off the handle when he heard someone minimizing Christ. Perhaps we can battle our culture's increasingly Christ-less Christmas by enlisting Santa in his original cause. The poor girls' stockings have become part of our Christmas imagery. So should the St. Nicholas slap.

Not a violent hit of the kind that got the good bishop in trouble, just a gentle, admonitory tap on the cheek. This should be reserved not for out-and-out nonbelievers, but for heretics (that is, people in the church who deny its teachings), Christians who forget about Jesus, and people who try to take Christ out of Christmas.

This will take a little tweaking of the mythology. Santa and his elves live at the North Pole where they compile a list of who is naughty, who is nice, and who is Nicean. On Christmas Eve, flying reindeer pull his sleigh full of gifts. And after he comes down the chimney, he will steal into the rooms of people dreaming of sugarplums who think they can do without Christ and slap them awake.

And we'll need new songs and TV specials ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Slap," "Deck the Apollinarian with Bats of Holly," "Frosty the Gnostic," "How the Arian Stole Christmas," "Rudolph the Red Knows Jesus").

Department store Santas should ask the children on their laps if they have been good, what they want for Christmas, and whether they understand the Two Natures of Christ. The Santas should also roam the shopping aisles, and if they hear any clerks wish their customers a mere "Happy Holiday," give them a slap.

This addition to his job description will keep Santa busy. Teachers who forbid the singing of religious Christmas carols—SLAP! Office managers who erect Holiday Trees—SLAP! Judges who outlaw manger displays—SLAP! People who give The Da Vinci Code as a Christmas present—SLAP! Ministers who cancel Sunday church services that fall on Christmas day—SLAP! SLAP!

Perhaps Santa Claus in his original role as a theological enforcer may not go over very well in our contemporary culture. People may then try to take both Christ and Santa Claus out of Christmas. And with that economic heresy, the retailers would start to do the slapping.

The Gospel Truths of CHRISTMAS

By Rev. Charles R. Biggs (OPC) @ http://www.reformationtheology.com/2006/12/the_gospel_truths_of_christmas.php#more

I’m not a big fan of such things as books addressed to “dummies”, nor theology that has to be proven relevant before being heard, nor am I a fan of education for the sake of merely getting a job, nor of little cutesy figurines with scripture slapped on them, nor of plastic lit up baby Jesus in someone’s front yard, nor of reality TV, and neither am I a fan of acrostics in order to communicate biblical truths.

With that said, I must say that sometimes one perhaps will look inside a book addressed to dummies for some quick info, try to work hard and make theology relevant to the theologically skeptical, go to some classes for a raise or a new position, receive and proudly display a cutesy figurine with a scripture from someone who loves us, reflect upon the meaning of the incarnation upon seeing a lit up baby Jesus, watch a reality show to see what all the hype is about, and someone may even use an acrostic to communicate some gospel truths.

I am about to be guilty of the last one of those things of which I’m not a big fan.

With that warning, and with the reminder that acrostics have limits, and can be simplistic if that is all that is all the understanding we have, I want to send your family an acrostic to reflect upon the gospel truths we learned together and summarizes the preaching and teaching this year at Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian Church (www.aplacefortruth.org/ketoctin).

Using the letters from the word 'Christmas', we can reflect and be reminded of Christ's birth during the Advent Season, but let us also be constantly reminded of Christ’s accomplished work that he merited on our behalf.

We rejoice that the "LORD is come" at Christmas, but we should also rejoice and be reminded of what the "LORD has done" for those who love him!

The first letter of the word 'Christmas' is C...

C: CHOSEN IN CHRIST- Ephesians 1:11-14:
Ephesians 1:11-14: "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory."

What great news for those who love Christ: "Chosen according to God's plan, because of the purpose of his will, for the praise of his glory!" God is so gracious and good to his people! What we could never have done in choosing the Lord Jesus as Savior because of the weakness, disinterestedness, and pathetic sinfulness of our hearts, God did - -for us! God loved us long before we loved him and chose us in Christ, so that we might be given the righteousness that Jesus earned in his perfect obedience to the Father.

Christ came to earn our salvation, to obey where Adam failed as our representative. Because we are chosen in Christ, we are privileged to be called the children of the Living God and receive all of the benefits of Christ's blessed work as our inheritance. When we believe, we receive Christ's righteousness to cover our unrighteousness, so that his righteousness is truly "alien", yet God views it as our own for Christ's sake! Remember to rejoice this season in Christ's birth, but remember also to rejoice this season in his atoning death for sinners, his resurrection on our behalf, and his ascension to the right hand of the Father where he ever lives to make intercession for his justified people!

The second letter of the word 'Christmas' is H...

H- HE IS OUR HOLINESS- I Corinthians 1:30:
"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."

All the benefits of Christ's perfect life: living in perfect conformity to God's Law, loving God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength are given to the believer. All the benefits of Christ's perfect death: dying on behalf of sinners as a ransom, taking the wrath of God as punishment. God credits this "active" and "passive" obedience of Christ to his people!

1 Corinthians 1:2,10 says that we are "sanctified in Christ Jesus". That is, we are holy in Christ because we have been united to him and receive his holiness which is part of the revealed wisdom of God in sending Jesus to save his people. There should always be a distinction between our justification, or being declared righteous based on Christ's perfect merits, and our sanctification, or being conformed and made holy like him. However, we should never separate these two.

Both justification and sanctification are benefits of being united to Jesus Christ by faith. This means that all who are united to Jesus by faith partake of all his benefits, including righteousness and holiness. While justification is an act of God that is once and for all, sanctification is a process or work that begins when we are justified. Rejoice today that when you see your many sins and how far you fall short of the glory of God, you know that if you have believed in the Lord Jesus, that God is at work in you to conform you to Christ's image and make you holy as he his holy. When we confess our sins and are obedient to his gracious commands by the power of the Spirit, he forgives us and strengthens us to grow in more holiness!

The next letter of the word 'Christmas' is R...

R-RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST IMPUTED- Romans 4:5-8-

"However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 'Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him'."

Justification is forensic (that is, it is "courtroom language"). We are declared, counted or reckoned to be righteous when God imputes the righteousness of Christ (an "alien righteousness") to our account. In other words, the Judge of all the earth declares us "not guilty" when we believe because Christ was pronounced "guilty" for us on the cross.

We are NOT first made righteous, then declared righteous; we are declared righteous by grace through faith in Christ, then made righteous through sanctification!

When we believe, God imputes Christ's righteousness to us 'as if' it were our own. However, it is HIS righteousness, that is why Paul says in Romans 1:17 that there is a righteousness that has been revealed from God, a righteousness not of our own, but a righteousness revealed from God and freely given to those who do not work, but to those who believe.

In light of the goodness and graciousness of God who was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, we should daily repent of our own self-righteousness (our works), and constantly be trusting in the righteousness of Jesus Christ that has been given to us!

Remember the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18 who go up to the temple to pray and seek God's forgiveness? The story begins with these words: "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable..." The Pharisee in the story basically thanked God he was not unrighteous, thinking that he was a righteous, God-fearing man. While the tax collector could not even look up to God but said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Jesus said the tax collector went home justified. The tax collector was justified because he asked God for mercy and trusted the Living God who justifies the wicked and credits righteousness apart from works! Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

The next letter of the word 'Christmas' is I...

I-INCARNATION- Hebrews 2:14-18:
"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-- that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Great news for those who are united by faith to the Son of God and thus become sons of God! God became man, "enfleshed" himself, took upon our flesh so as to destroy the devil who holds the power of death.

The Son of God became a son of Adam to represent those whom he loved and to be obedient to God in the face of the greatest temptation presented to him by the devil. Jesus knew when tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Mt. 4), that his provision, power, and promotion were going to be given to him by God his Father upon perfect obedience to his will, going to the cross to die for sinners, taking God's wrath upon himself, and being justified and raised from the dead, so that those who believe will never die but inherit eternal life!

However, the devil offered him provision, power and promotion if he would believe his words and be prevented from going to the cross to offer himself as a substitute for sinners.

He was made like his brothers in every way to represent us before the Living God as a perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins and to be a perfect mediator representing those he loved before the Father, ever living to make intercession for them. When we are tempted, we know that Jesus can help us because he knows our weakness, our trials, the deceit and subtlety of the devil, and by his Spirit can help us to overcome in the power of His Name.

The next time you are tempted to submit yourself to the devil's teaching and to resist God's commands (rather than to submit yourself to God and to resist the devil as James teaches), remember Jesus who was made like you, who has overcome, defeating death, hell, and the devil on your part, so that you might overcome! He understands because he was made like you and he can indeed help those who are being tempted!

The next letter of the word 'Christmas' is S...


S: Sola Fide- "Faith Alone"

Ephesians 2:8-10- "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Another important truth about justification is that it is "by faith alone" (sola fide). Faith is the instrumental cause of justification, in that faith is the means by which the merits of Christ are appropriated or given to us.

We are not justified because of our faith because then it would be "by works" (although some would argue it is a very small work). Paul clearly says in Ephesians 2:8-10 that we are saved by the grace of God through the instrument of faith, which is a gift from God, not "because of" our faith, but simply because of the grace and mercy of God while were were dead in trespasses and sins as he says early in chapter 2.

This means that faith is the empty open hands by which we grab hold of the grace of God in Christ that is held out to us in God's Word. As we sing in the great hymn: "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling." That is why Paul says that we cannot boast!

Faith alone also means that faith is a faith in Christ's saving work without anything else added to it. Our salvation is never to be understood as "faith plus something" ("it is not from ourselves"). It is simply by grace through faith - -alone. According to Ephesians 2:9, though we are saved by faith alone, we are not saved by a faith that is alone. That means, that God has created us in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared for us to do, but that these works follow our justification in that we bear good fruit and show forth our being united to Jesus Christ by producing fruits of the Spirit.

Philippians 2:13 reminds us that our works that follow our justification are works because the Father is committed to working in us that which is good and pleasing according to his will. God is committed to making his people look like the LORD Jesus. Rejoice today that the faith God has given us is not a dead faith, but a working faith! A faith that desires to serve the Lord Jesus, and out of gratitude for what he has done, live according to his gracious word!

The next letter of the word 'Christmas' is T...


T- "THEOLOGICAL ARTICLE UPON WHICH THE CHURCH OR INDIVIDUAL STANDS OR FALLS"- MARTIN LUTHER

Galatians 1:6-12: "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed....For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."

During the Reformation of the 16th century, the doctrine of justification was called the "theological article upon which the church or individual stands or falls". The revelation of justification by faith alone is the one and only gospel. As Paul says in Galatians 1:6-12, there are indeed counterfeits and other "gospels" but they are in reality no gospels at all, because they do not in reality bring good news!

In Galatians 3:6ff, Paul teaches us about the one and only gospel according to Jesus. He says: "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned (credited) to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham....Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, 'The righteous man shall live by faith'."

The reason why justification is the theological article upon which the church or individual stands or falls is because it is the gospel as revealed in Scripture. As Paul says in Galatians 1, even if he had gone back to the Galatian church and preached another gospel, or an angel from heaven preached another gospel, they should be accursed (he repeats this twice to emphasize the great importance of holding to the true gospel).

The reason why they should be accursed is because Paul received the gospel of justification by faith alone from Jesus Christ himself. His good news was revealed to him from the Living God; it was not something he dreamed up in his own theological mind. And because it is the revealed gospel of Jesus Christ, it is the only gospel, the only good news of Jesus Christ!

The good news is that we are justified, or declared righteous by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. The extremely good news is that what we could not do in living a perfect life of upholding God's Law in thought, word, and deed - -Jesus did- -all for those who believe in him! This is a salvation that is revealed apart from our works, because the focus is on Christ's work for those whom he loves!

If a church, or an individual denies the truth of the one and only gospel of the Lord Jesus revealed in Scripture, that church or that person will not stand on the Day of Judgment, but will be condemned to eternal wrath and punishment for their sins from the hands of the Living God. However, for those who turn from their sins in daily repentance, believing by faith that Jesus took their wrath and punishment for them on the cross, they will receive his righteousness so that they might humbly, yet confidently stand in Christ's righteousness alone! If Jesus were to return this moment to judge the world would you stand or fall?

The next letter of the word 'Christmas' is M...

M- MESSIAH-THE LAMB OF GOD-

John 1:29: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

The Substitutionary atonement of Christ- Romans 3:23-26: "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

Jesus was 'Messiah' or the Anointed One of God that Israel had expected for many years, but when he came, he came quite unexpectedly. He came as the long expected King that Isaiah 40 spoke of in "Preparing the way of the LORD." But he also came as Isaiah 52-53 prophesied: as the Suffering Servant of the LORD.

The Israelites expected the 'Messiah', or 'Anointed One', or 'Christ' to overthrow the temporal and provisional Roman government and to set up his throne over all the rulers and nations. Jesus was to rule over all the nations as the Son of Man (Daniel 7:14)- - but not yet! He was first to suffer as Messiah, the Lamb of God on behalf of his people.

The great King, or Anointed One was to take the sufferings for sin and the wrath of God upon himself as the pure and unblemished Lamb of God for the sins of those who would believe in his work on their behalf.

When John the Baptist prophesied about the Messiah, the Lamb of God to come, he said that he was one to bring salvation, but also judgment (Mt. 3: "His winnowing fork is in his hand...and he will burn up the chaff"). Later, John himself would be confused over whether Jesus was the one they were to expect (Mt. 11). The problem was that John did not understand that when Messiah came, he would suffer, then a time period of patience would pass as Jesus ruled at God's right hand until all of his people were saved, then he would return in judgment. Jesus the Christ ("Messiah", or "Anointed One") was to complete the work of God out of love for his sheep, but then there was to be a undetermined period before his final judgment upon the world.

The reason Jesus laid down his life as the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, was so that God could be just and the justifier of those who believe in Christ Jesus as Romans 3:23-26 teaches.

God is loving as well as just and cannot allow sin against his holy character to go unpunished. Therefore, God the Father offered his own Son as a sacrifice without blemish, a sacrifice of atonement to himself so that he would be just in punishing sin, but also the justifier who believed in his only begotten Son. God cannot overlook sin, so he placed all the sin of his people upon Jesus's precious, unblemished back, and poured out his terrible wrath upon his Son, so that those who believed in him, would be justified by faith alone! The great news at Christmastime is that God himself saved us from God! He remains just and and still justifies those who believe in Jesus the Messiah!

The next letter of the word 'Christmas' is A...

A- ACCOMPLISHMENT OF CHRIST IN ETERNITY AND THE APPLICATION OF HIS WORK BY THE SPIRIT-

Ephesians 1:4: "...even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love..." Titus 3:4-7: "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

Christ's accomplishment of his work on behalf of those he loved was a reality even before he put on human flesh and stepped into time and history to accomplish this work. From the foundation of the world, we were chosen in Christ based on the work he would perfectly perform on behalf of those who believe (cf. Matthew 25:34).

However, the work of Christ was accomplished in time and history in his substitutionary life, death, resurrection, and ascension for those who believe (Hebrews 9:26-28). On the cross, Jesus said: "It is finished" indicating the finality of his substitutionary death for sinners and atonement for sin. The Father vindicated, or justified Jesus in his resurrection, and Jesus accomplished his work on earth when he sat down at the right hand of the Father in heavenly places (1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 10:12; Col. 3:1).

His work "continues" still today in the sense that he prays for and ever intercedes for those he loves at God's right hand, as well as keeps believers safe in his grip, but his once and for all work for sinners has been accomplished on earth (Heb. 7:25; cf. Heb. 9:28). Now all men living and dead await His Judgment.

When he sat down at God's right hand in his ascension he sent the promised Holy Spirit to be with his people and apply the salvation which he secured for his own people (Acts 1:8ff). The Spirit's primary ministry is to make known Christ's salvation to his people and to glorify Christ in his perfect work by applying this work to believers by grace, through faith in real time and history when the Spirit unites them to Jesus Christ to partake in all of the benefits of his salvation accomplished from the foundation of the world (John 14:15-21; 25-31; 15:1-17).

When we believe and the Spirit unites us to Jesus Christ, we receive all the benefits of his work on our behalf: justification, adoption, sanctification, and eventually our glorification with him! (Romans 8:28-31).

Once we are united to Christ by faith, the application of his work continues by him making us holy and without blemish as Ephesians 1:4 teaches. According to Titus 3:7, we also become heirs of God having the hope of eternal life! (cf. Romans 8:15-17). Once we are justified by his grace, we are sanctified by his grace of working in us that which is good and pleasing according to his will (Phil. 2:13), while we work out our salvation with fear and trembling by his grace, and because he is working in us (Phil. 2:12).

The Spirit uses the Word of God, primarily through the preaching of the Word and the sacraments of the Lord's Supper to help us to be spiritually strengthened and nourished, so that we might be ever more conformed to Christ's glorious image, and that we might persevere in faith to the end! As John says: "What great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called the children of God and that is what we are (present tense)....and when he appears (future tense) we shall be like him!" (1 John 3:1-2 paraphrased).

Give thanks to God this Christmas season that because of God's great love for you, you are now receiving the benefits and gifts Christ secured for you! And our contentment in these benefits and gifts cause us to realize that there is absolutely nothing here on this earth that could be given to us at Christmas that could bring us greater joy as we serve God wholeheartedly out of gratitude for what he has given to us!

The last letter of the word 'Christmas' is S...


S- SIMUL IUSTUS ET PECCATOR- "JUSTIFIED, AND AT THE SAME TIME SINFUL"
Eternal life is Christ dwelling in His righteousness in the soul of the justified person. So eternal life can be easily understood as union with Jesus Christ.

And the word for that union with him is faith. The sinner comes to him, rests in him, trusts in him, is one with him, abides with him; and this is life because it never ends. The united soul abides in the Vine eternally. Weakness, sin, proneness to sin never brings separation, but only the Father's pruning, which cements the union even and ever tighter (John 15:1-8).

Our great hope in our union with Christ is that we know that we are truly forgiven of all our sins. Christ died for all of our sins, not merely a few of them, but all of them.

As justified sinners, we will still struggle with sin and temptation, in fact a Christian ought to be described as a "struggling sinner", or better "one who struggles with sin". In John's first epistle, he writes that if we say we have no sin we lie and we call God a liar (1 John 1:8-10). In fact, John says if we claim to be without sin "his word has no place in our lives" (primarily because the Word became flesh "to save his people from their sins").

However, those covered with Christ's righteousness given to them, those who have Christ as their Advocate with the Father, can go to Christ confessing their sins and he is faithful and just and will forgive as well as purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8,9). We have this great benefit because we are united to Christ and because he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2).

To be justified and at the same time sinful ("simul iustus et peccator") is to be one who is united with Jesus Christ while truly struggling against our sinful nature, or "old man" as Paul describes our former way of sinful life in this world. We are truly at war with our sinful nature as justified sinners!

The difficulty with the war is that we know our sinful inclinations are not good, yet we still are very much attracted to our sins. We hate our sins, while we love them; we love certain sins, while we at the same time hate them! It is like in the 'Fellowship of the Rings' when Bilbo desires to get rid of the great ring he has obtained from Gollum. He knows it is evil and too powerful for him to control, yet he tells Gandalf the Wizard "it is precious" to him. While we struggle to kill our "old man", our sinful nature and the sins that so easily beset us, we at the same time think they are "precious" to us. Notice how Paul describes this life-long battle with sin in Romans 7.

Paul describes the conflict in this way: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do...As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me...For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - -this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:15-20).

In our conflict with our sin, this is exactly how we feel as well! We want to do good, we desire to obey God's law because it is our delight, but at the same time our sins are still "precious" to us. Where can we go? What can we do? We must run to the Lord Jesus Christ daily confessing our sins and transgressions, knowing confidently that he will forgive us and purify us. This is exactly what Paul does: "Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God --through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom. 7:24,25).

There is a daily struggle and battle going on in the heart's of justified sinners! We are at the same time justified and yet still tainted with sin. Our hope is that he will cleanse us, he will purify us and one day will present those who are united to Jesus Christ as a Bride without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. I

n other words, we shall be perfect as he is perfect when we are glorified on that Great Day when Christ shall return for his bride! This is our hope today! God, who began a good work our uniting us to His Son, shall complete it on the Day of His return! Glory be to God! May God grant us more grace and strength to overcome our sins, to despise and hate the sins that so easily beset us, causing us to see Jesus as more "precious" in our sight, and our sins as truly heinous in His sight!

Remember that God has granted us means of grace to help us in our battle: the Word of God and the Lord's Supper! May His Spirit help us today to hate the sins that are so "precious" to us and may we be more conformed to his image this Christmas season! Amen.

2006 Christmas Message—Redemption Provided

by John C. Whitcomb, Th.D @ SharperIron

The second Person of the Triune God added a human nature to His divine nature a little more than 2,000 years ago! This stupendous and miraculous event was revealed to God’s people from the beginning of the world. God announced to Satan (in Gen. 3:15) not long after the creation of Adam and Eve (which occurred “at the beginning,” Matt. 19:4, KJV): “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed (the unbelieving community of mankind) and her seed [all true believers represented by their Savior]; [He] shall bruise thy head [a fatal, judicial blow delivered to Satan at the cross—John 12:31], and thou shalt bruise His heel [the crucifixion of Christ]” (KJV).

Especially noteworthy is the emphasis on “the woman” (rather than “the man” or even “the man and the woman”). If Adam was the responsible head of that family unit (”by one man sin entered into the world,” Rom. 5:12, KJV; and “by man came death,” 1 Cor. 15:21, KJV), what function was Eve to have, in the light of this prophetic announcement? Adam perceived that his wife, though instrumental in the fall (1 Tim. 2:14), would, by the amazing grace of God, be instrumental in bringing their Savior into the world. Therefore he named her “Eve” (i.e., “life” or “living”), “because she was the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20, KJV).

Our first parents could not, of course, have understood when or how this wonderful Seed would accomplish their delivery from the power of Satan. Eve may have thought that her first son would be that person (”I have gotten a man from the LORD,” Gen. 4:1, KJV). And the name Adam gave to her (”life”) shows that he also believed God’s promise. This is confirmed by the fact that “the LORD God made coats of skin, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21, KJV). By shedding the blood of innocent beings in order to provide, symbolically, coverings to protect them (in their sinful state) from His holy wrath, God demonstrated to them that their sin was atoned for (temporarily covered, or passed over). It still had to be, however, completely expiated, or taken away, by the blood of the Seed, “to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Rom. 3:25, KJV). Adam and Eve, therefore, are now in heaven.

Eve’s part, then, in our redemption, was to be “the mother of all living.” She would become the mother (or ancestress of the mother), sooner or later, of the Seed, through Whom alone sinful people can be saved. Thus, absolutely true to the ancient promise, even though thousands of years would intervene, “when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman . . . that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:4-5, KJV).

God is never in a rush to do His perfect work. He is always perfectly on time. But when the perfect time for the Seed to appear finally came, behold, a virgin woman was told by God that she would become the mother of “the Son of God” (Luke 1:35, KJV). Realizing that the angel Gabriel was speaking of a virgin conception, she was deeply perplexed and asked: “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34, KJV).

God’s answer to her legitimate question—and ours—is astounding: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35, KJV). By means of this totally miraculous overshadowing, the Son—the Seed—would be protected, not only from the sinful nature of a human father, but also from the sinful nature of a human mother. He would have a perfect and complete human nature through Mary (which she inherited from Adam and Eve) but without the sin nature she also inherited from Adam and Eve. In this way, He could be our genuine human representative on the cross, but also our sinless substitute.

Only One who was fully human and fully divine—the God-man—could pay the price we could never pay. Only the Son of God, who became, by virgin conception, the Son of Man, could crush the serpent’s head and rescue us from the awful penalty our sin deserves. This is the true message of Christmas, which was announced in cryptic (but adequate) words to our first parents at the beginning of the world.

———–
^{Dr. John C. Whitcomb has been a professor of Old Testament and theology for more than 50 years and is widely recognized as a leading biblical scholar. He taught at Grace Theological Seminary (Winona Lake, IN) from 1951-1990 and gained much recognition for his work on The Genesis Flood (Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company), which he co-authored with Dr. Henry Morris in 1961. That book has been credited as one of the major catalysts for the modern Biblical creationism movement. His ministry homepage is Whitcomb Ministries, and his sermons are available at SermonAudio.com.}

Amazing Grace Movie Trailer

Horrific Argumentation Illustration-Hermeneutics & Baptism

From James R. White @ http://www.aomin.org/

The following argumentation appears in Patrick Madrid's Does the Bible Really Say That? under the topic of...infant baptism.

Some argue that the command to repent in Acts 2 means that repentance, something only someone above the age of reason can do (i.e., not an infant), is a prerequisite for baptism. Since infants lack the capacity to repent, they argue, infants can't be baptized. This is a faulty argument however.
Let's apply the same logic to 2 Thessalonians 3:10, where Saint Paul says that if someone does not work he shouldn't be allowed to eat. Of course, infants cannot work. So does it follow therefore that infants should not eat? Of course not! (p. 114).

Now, having engaged the infant baptism issue in debate not too long ago, I admit it a little hard to shift from the meaningful arguments of my Presbyterian brothers to this kind of argument. We are truly in another world when we move from an intramural debate based upon the sufficiency of God's Word to the Roman Catholic realm, where we always must keep in mind that the conflict between sola ecclesia and sola scriptura defines the battle lines.

I would surely make the argument presented by Madrid. The text is clear and compelling:

Acts 2:37-41 37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

Let us consider the text (something that we do not find Madrid doing in his book). Let us ask basic questions: who is the audience? What does the audience do? If this text is important in establishing the objects of Christian baptism, what conclusions can we draw from it? Having first allowed Acts 2 to speak for itself, we can then turn to Madrid's attempted parallel to 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

First, the audience to which Peter speaks in v. 38 heard his preaching, v. 37. They respond to what they hear for they are "pierced to the heart." That is, they heard, and they heard with understanding. They respond to what they hear and the conviction it brings by asking what they should do as a result of the proclamation they have heard and, evidently, believed. These are Jews gathered at Pentecost, and they have just heard their entire nation charged with the betrayal and crucifixion of none other than the Messiah Himself!

Peter's response is direct. They are to do two things. They are to repent, an action that surely follows upon the previous indications of the capacities and abilities of Peter's audience. And they, individually ("each of you"), are to be baptized, but not just any baptism, a uniquely Christian baptism, in the very name of the Messiah crucified, Jesus Christ. It is their repentance that brings the forgiveness of sins (1 Peter 3:21), and upon which grounds they are baptized. The first part of the promise is repentance brings forgiveness of sins; the second follows hard on it, they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The promise of the Holy Spirit brings to mind the promises of God regarding the New Covenant, and Peter says that the promise is for you (his immediate audience), "your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." Some interpret "your children" to refer to those who would have been present at the Pentecost celebration, referring to children who have not gained the age of maturity, but not to infants. I prefer a less complicated reading, where "to you and to your children" refers to the Jews, "those who are afar off" to the Gentiles.

In any case, there is a delimiter present in the text: "as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." Some see a general call here, but that would make the entire phrase extraneous, for if the "as many as" has reference to a universal group, no limitation or definition is being expressed. Instead, we have here the call of God unto salvation, for this is directly related to the promise of the Holy Spirit, who brings salvation to God's people. So the promise is for Jews and Gentiles, for all the elect of God, or to borrow John's later phraseology, "men from every tribe, tongue, people and nation." But the promise is to those who are called.

We note that after this commandment Peter did not stop testifying and exhorting, again, actions aimed at those capable of understanding. Note as well the fact that "those who had received his word were baptized" (41). Reception of the word indicates cognition, understanding, and acceptance. For those who look to the Scriptures as their rule of faith, there is little question as to who was baptized by Apostolic command here at the very beginning of the New Testament era. A great deal of extraneous argumentation must be mustered to find infant baptism when the text is clear: those who received the word were baptized.

Now, is the argument from this text as simplistic as Madrid represented it? Surely not. In fact, the text taken as a whole is compelling. And, it is that full examination of the text that shows just how shallow Madrid's attempted parallel is to 2 Thessalonians 3:10:

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.

See how Madrid created his own parallel that is not even in the text? Madrid has "if someone does not work he shouldn't be allowed to eat." The text actually says, "if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either." This is in the context of undisciplined people "acting like busybodies" in contradiction of the apostolic command to "work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread." This is a discussion of adults who are busybodies and unwilling to work. The entire connection drawn by Madrid is missing since Paul is talking about busybodies, people unwilling to work. Even attempting to draw the parallel demonstrates a cavalier mishandling of the text.

But, of course, the text of Scripture, since it is not the final authority in Roman Catholic teaching, can be used in any fashion the Roman apologist wishes: contextual considerations and care in handling the Word as a consistent revelation is overthrown by the exaltation of Roman tradition and teaching. This kind of argumentation is common in Roman Catholic works, all across the spectrum of issues where Rome's tradition has violated Scriptural norms.

World Religions and Heaven

posted by Wayne Shih @ http://acts18910.blogspot.com/

Tonight ABC is airing Barbara Walters Special Heaven -- Where Is It? How Do We Get There? Here are a few quotes from the different views of heaven:

Catholic
"I always think of heaven as being a place where we won't have any troubles anymore. Heaven is a place where there will be peace and tranquility." - Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, former archbishop of Washington, D.C.

Buddhist
"[Heaven] is [the] best place to further develop the spiritual practice … for Buddhists the final goal is not just to reach there, but to become Buddha. [It's] not the end." - Dalai Lama

Muslim
"The real life is the next life … and based upon how we live this life, it determines where we shall be in the next. We are told we will be in comfortable homes, reclining on silk couches … so we're given the delights of sex, the delights of wine, the delights of food with all of their positive things without their negative aspects." - Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of the American Society for Muslim Advancement

Jew
"For the past 2,000 years, most Jews believed that at death, the body and the soul separate, the body is interred and disintegrates in the earth, the soul goes off to be with God.... "At the end of days, God will resurrect bodies, will reunite body and soul, and the individual will come before God to account for his or her life." - Rabbi Neil Gillman, a professor of philosophy at New York's Jewish Theological Seminary

Atheist
"Heaven doesn't exist, hell doesn't exist. We weren't alive before we were born and we're not going to exist after we die. I'm not happy about the fact that that's the end of life, but I can accept that and make my life more fulfilling now, because this is the only chance I have." - Ellen Johnson, president of the American Atheists.

Truth or Dare: Make the Church Whatever you Want Conference

Review By Ingrid Schlueter @ http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/

You really need to watch this video for an upcoming February conference. The website is ChurchDare.com and it pretty much sums things up.

The first segment where the pastor says you can change your church from this...(cut to a clip of a church singing a hymn) to this....(cut to scenes that look like a rehearsal for hell), is about as clear as I've seen it. The claims are that you can double, triple your size as a church if you follow this latest growth guru.

I looked at the church that is sponsoring this conference and how it's in a certain "phase" of its building program with orgeous new buildings, etc. It is nothing that money, good business management and creative thinking couldn't have built in an office park.

There is no need for the Holy Spirit here to build this kind of church. This is carnal thinking and it is producing carnal evangelical pastors who delude themselves into thinking they are doing the work of the ministry.

Interesting that there is a "hot sauce" theme for the church conference. The hot sauce bottle says, "recipe taken from the book of Acts". Friends, that's a lie. Their recipe is taken from Peter Drucker and the best of the the business schools. The Holy Spirit will not try to compete with these pastors' raw ambitions cloaked in religious jargon. Either God builds the church or you're building in vain.

These churches will reach people, but nobody is actually asking what they're reaching them with or for. Answer: They are being reached for a thumping good and entertaining time while they avail themselves of all the programs and resources a megachurch provides. Think YMCA. Self improvement with a little Jesus drizzled on top. So do want a dare as a church, or do you want the truth of God's Word? You can't have both.

Q&A - Can I Learn to Love Evaluation?

From Bob Kauflin @ http://worshipmatters.com/

Aaron left this question on a recent post:

I've found it difficult at times to be in a mindset that is ready to accept encouragement and critique after a "big event." I realize that a large part of this is my own pride and desire for everyone to like what happened and move on. However, I am often so drained and spent after an endeavor like a conference or a Christmas musical that I don't even want to think about it anymore. Is this a symptom of focusing on the event more than Christ? Is there a way to get through the "big events" in church life without losing your focus on Christ and still be excited about your job after the event is over?

I smiled when I read this because I've experienced what Aaron is talking about so many times. For years, I've had the privilege of working with senior pastors who recognize and appreciate the value of review and evaluation. Each year as we return to a similar event, they pull out their notes from last year and make improvements.

I've usually only had problems with this approach when I've played a major role in the planning or execution of an event. Then, surprisingly, it becomes all about ME. Here are some thoughts I've found helpful in learning to love the evaluation process.

1. Start by thanking God for all the ways he DID work.
I can't always control when people give me evaluation, but it's always a good idea to begin with drawing attention to the way God blessed the service. Take time at the start of any evaluation to highlight specific ways people were encouraged, things went well, and the name of Jesus was exalted. “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds”(Psa. 9:1).

2. Look for ways God has worked through others.
When I'm actively looking for evidences of grace in other people, I have less time to be concerned about myself. Rather than waiting around for others to tell me what a great job I did, I aggressively look for others to thank and encourage for their contribution. “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others”(Phil. 2:4).

3. Cultivate a heart to serve and bless, rather than wow and impress.
My response to evaluation often reveals my motive. If I want people to say "This is the most incredible service we've ever had!" then I'll fear, ignore, or reject any comment that suggests it wasn't. If I want people to see Christ more clearly and love him more deeply, I'll want to hear any comments that would help me do that more effectively. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1Pet. 4:10).

4. Make your own list of what could be better.
I've started taking my own mental notes during "big events" of ways things could be better, and I'll write them down as soon as I'm able. I've just seen the value of having notes I can refer to after a meeting. I'm probably like most people in that I quickly forget what went wrong, and end up making the same mistakes next time. "The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”(Prov. 21:5).

5. Be aggressive in seeking evaluation from others.
After most events in our church, the person in charge of the event typically sends out an e-mail to everyone on staff asking for their input and evaluation. You may want to be the one to bring it up at a follow-up meeting. Just ask, "Any thoughts on how the service/event could have been better?" It makes it much easier for people to suggest changes when they're asked. It takes humility, but isn't that what the Savior came to produce in us? Don't we want to be more like him? Won't it bring us joy to know that we're serving God's people more effectively? “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid”(Prov. 12:1).

6. Rejoice that Jesus makes our best and worst offerings acceptable to the Father.
Finally, remember that no matter how flawless the transitions, how in-tune the vocalists, or how impressive the arrangements, all of it is stained by our sin apart from the atoning work of our Savior. We'll never have the "perfect" meeting. All our offerings are made "acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).

Over the years, I've learned that the less I'm concerned about how I look and the more I'm concerned about how Jesus looks, the more I enjoy the process of leading a meeting or putting together a special event. If you're in a leadership role, I pray that you find God's grace more than sufficient to consistently seek ways to improve what you do, for the glory of God and the good of his church.

Maybe not your best Nativity Choice.

Product Description:

From the story book The Stable that Bob Built comes this extra special Nativity play set! It's been revamped to include fun lights and sounds!

On top of the stable sits Laura dressed as an angel. You can hear a song when you press her, and she lights up the night too! This 15-piece set has a large cast of characters including: Mary & Joseph Gourds, Pa Grape, Larry, Junior, Mr. Lunt, and Baby Carrot. But don't forget the French Pea Sheep and Jimmy & Jerry Gourd in a cute cow costume! The stable measures 11" by 9". Recommended for ages 3 and up.

The missionary and the first Christmas tree

By Gene Edward Veith @http://cranach.worldmagblog.com/cranach/archives/2006/12/draftanother_ac.html#more

The origin of the Christmas tree goes way, way back to the missionary who first evangelized the German tribes. That was St. Boniface. His apologetic technique to get through to the barbarians was to cut down the Sacred Oak of Thor. To the Germans' amazement, Boniface did not get hammered. This convinced many of them that Boniface had the true God after all. According to this story, after cutting down the Sacred Oak, Boniface saw an evergreen tree nearby, which he used as an object lesson to teach about the everlasting life through Christ, who died on a tree:

According to tradition, when he chopped down the pagan Thor's Oak at Geismar, Boniface claimed a tiny fir tree growing in its roots as the new Christian symbol. He told the heathen tribes: - "This humble tree's wood is used to build your homes: let Christ be at the centre of your households. - Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days: let Christ be your constant light. - Its boughs reach out to embrace and its top points to heaven: let Christ be your comfort and your guide." So the fir tree became a sign of Christ amongst the German peoples, and eventually it became a world-wide symbol of Christmas.

One of my students wrote a paper about the Church fathers and how they appropriated Greco-Roman education. They were extremely careful about distinguishing between the true God and the pagan gods. Those who believe these guys would conflate Christianity and paganism just have never read the original sources.

Christmas in the Qur'an

By Colin Smith @ http://www.aomin.org/index.php?itemid=1659

As a rule, while Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet, they do not celebrate Christmas, mostly because they recognize it is a distinctly Christian festival espousing a particularly Christian belief (the Incarnation) that is blasphemy to Muslims. While some Muslims might put up lights and Christmas trees in response to the cultural celebration, even this is regarded as dangerous since it can lead to making a special occasion out of a non-Muslim holy day which might cause confusion, especially in the eyes of Muslim children.

Muslim apologists prefer to regard Christmas as an opportunity to show Christians how much there is in common between the two faiths, and how Muslims can respect the season without participating in it. "After all," the Muslim might say to his Christian co-worker, "we worship the same God, and we both give honor to Jesus. Hey, we even believe in the Virgin Birth, just like you!" Of course, attitudes like this are capitalized on by secular society to the extent of using similar argumentation to promote some kind of "why can't we all just get along" attitude.
In light of this, I thought it might be interesting to look at exactly how the Qur'an deals with Christ's birth, and how this reflects Islamic belief with regard to Jesus' mission. I would also like to examine how this contrasts with what the Bible teaches, and the significance of this difference. For the purpose of the blog, I will keep the study brief; however, there are plenty of online resources (including The Qur'an) for you to pursue more in-depth study.

The Gospel According to Muhammad
The account of Christ's birth in the Qur'an is found in Sura 19. Each Sura of the Qur'an has been given a heading that reflects either the main point or character of the Sura, or identifies a distinctive element of the Sura as a memory aid. For example, the Sura titled "The Bee" is not about a bee, but a bee features in part of the Sura which makes this Sura distinctive. Sura 19 has been given the title "Maryam," or "Mary" because Mary is a prominent figure in the Sura. The general message of the Sura seems to be Allah's grace and mercy to those who are faithful to him, and warnings to those who are not. This is not unique to the Qur'an; a similar synopsis could be provided for other Suras. This one in particular, however, starts with the birth of John the Baptist, recalling the story of his father, Zacharias, and how he pleaded for a child to be given to his barren wife. In the Qur'an we are told that after Allah said He would answer Zacharias' prayer, He struck Zacharias dumb in response to his request for a sign. Zacharias then, by means of sign language, commanded the people to praise Allah. Allah then, according to the Qur'an, gave John "wisdom, piety, purity," and he was "devout, kind to his parents, and he was not overbearing or rebellious" (19:12-14).

The story of Mary starts with her turning from her family and going East. An angel appears to her and tells her that she is about to receive "the gift of a holy son" (19.19), even though she is a virgin. This "holy son" is appointed by Allah as "a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us" (19.21). Mary gives birth to the child under a palm tree, with much pain and agony. Allah provides water and fresh ripe dates for her to drink and eat, and makes her vow not to speak with any man she may see. When she brings the baby to her people, they are amazed, but Mary has vowed to say nothing, so she merely points at the child. The child then miraculously addresses the people telling them that He is indeed a servant of Allah, and has been made a prophet by Him. He also informs them that Allah has bestowed upon Him "Prayer and Charity" and made Him to be "kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable."

At this point, the Qur'an asserts the veracity of this account against its detractors:

35. It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, "Be", and it is.
36. Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a Way that is straight.
37. But the sects differ among themselves: and woe to the unbelievers because of the (coming) Judgment of a Momentous Day!
38. How plainly will they see and hear, the Day that they will appear before Us! but the unjust today are in error manifest!
39. But warn them of the Day of Distress, when the matter will be determined: for (behold,) they are negligent and they do not believe!
40. It is We Who will inherit the earth, and all beings thereon: to Us will they all be returned.

The Sura then goes on to relate Abraham's turning from his father's idolatry, and also mentions Moses, Aaron, Ishmael, and Idris, who were all also raised to prophetic status. The Sura concludes with condemnation against those who have been negligent in prayers and subsequently fallen prey to their own desires, as well as the "Unbelievers" who have ignored the "Clear Signs."

The Gospel According to Matthew and Luke
Even if your only acquaintance with the Biblical account of Christ's birth is Linus' speech in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," you should notice some very stark differences between what the Qur'an says, and what the Bible says. First, the Qur'an neglects to mention that Zacharias was struck dumb as a punishment for his faithlessness, and only had his speech restored when he wrote the name of his son, calling him "John" as the angel instructed. About the only point of contact the Qur'anic account of Christ's birth has with the Biblical narrative is where Mary points out to the angel that "no man has touched me," and the angel assures her that her pregnancy will come about by divine agency. Significantly, the Qur'an skips over Zacharias' prophecy, as recorded in Luke 1:67-79 where he speaks of how God has "visited us and accomplished redemption for His people."

As for the description of Christ's birth itself, the Qur'an says nothing of the angelic proclamation to the shepherds, the message given to Joseph (indeed, Joseph is not mentioned at all), there is no manger, there is no star, there are no magi; indeed, there is no sense of the humility of Christ's birth so vividly portrayed in the Gospel narratives. In the Qur'an, the birth of Jesus is the birth of another prophet. In the Bible, the birth of Jesus is the birth of the Christ, the Son of God: Immanuel, God with us. Sure, the Qur'an surrounds the birth of Jesus with the supernatural as befitting a prophet, but there is certainly no sense of the singularly significant event that was Christ's birth, no sense of this being a pivotal point in human history.

The Mission of Jesus in the Qur'an
As far as I can tell, the main reason for this lack lies not only in the denial of Christ's divinity (based on a view of the Trinity that has more in common with the Arian heresy than with Biblical theology), but also in the perceived mission of Jesus as a prophet of God. Islam means "submission [to God]," and throughout the Qur'an, the purpose of Mohammad's preaching, teaching, and campaigning was to bring the heathen Arabs and wayward Jews and Christians back to the doctrines and lifestyle Allah had originally intended for them (according to Mohammad). The Qur'an teaches a continuity throughout the prophets from Abraham, through Jesus, to Mohammad (Sura 3.84). The Jews and the Arabs both need to accept that Mohammad is the true and final prophet of God, and they need to submit to God by accepting the revelations given to Mohammad as being continuous with, and a final fulfillment of, their Scriptures. The Christians also need to do this, but they also need to turn away from the sin of ascribing deity to a man, teaching polytheism, and teaching that God can have offspring. Muslims see Jesus as a forerunner of Mohammad, and one who, as a prophet of God, exemplified the kind of thing Mohammad would proclaim. Hence, Jesus was a servant of Allah, He submitted to Allah, He attended to "Prayer and Charity" (two of the five pillars of Islam), and was respectful and obedient (See Suras 2.128-138, 3.55-73, and similar passages). In short, Jesus' life and mission in the Qur'an has been tailored to fit the message of Mohammad, just like the other Biblical prophets whose stories have been adapted in the Qur'an. What is missing from the Qur'an is the reason for man's waywardness from God. The Qur'an does not deal with sin other than call men to repent and submit to God. The Qur'an assumes that man is capable of turning from sin, because the Qur'an does not teach the doctrine of Original Sin (see Sura 2.35-37). According to the Qur'an, men are able to be persuaded to do good or evil (see, for example, Allah's words to Iblis (the Devil) in Suras 15.42, 17.63-64), and despite the strong insistence upon God's sovereignty (you have probably heard "if Allah wills" or the Arabic phrase "insha' Allah" on the lips of Muslims many times), there is no sense in which God infallibly secures the salvation of His own. In Islamic theology, sin is not something from which God needs to save you; it is something you simply need to repent of and renounce. Hence, there is no need for a Saviour, and, therefore, the entire meaning and purpose of Christmas, of Christ's coming to earth, is gutted.

The Problem of Christmas for the Muslim
The problem that Muslims have to come to terms with regarding what the Bible has to say about the coming of the Son of God, is the fact that the Qur'an affirms the divine inspiration of the New Testament:

He hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel. (3.3)

And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah - a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil). (5.46)

If the Qur'an affirms that the New Testament is revealed by God, then the Muslim must reconcile this fact with the vast difference we see in the purpose of Christ, and the central message of the Gospel compared to the message of Islam. The message of Islam is repent and submit to God; obey His commands, follow the prescribed rituals, and you just might be acceptable to Him. The message of the inspired Gospel is that mankind is at enmity with God, and in Christ God has made provision for His justice and His mercy by giving His only Son so that sinful men might be made righteous before their Creator. Those whom God justifies, these He also sanctifies, and ultimately glorifies.

(I note in passing that Muslim scholars might respond to the assertion that the Qur'an teaches the inspiration of the New Testament by saying that the Qur'anic injil refers not to the Gospels, or the New Testament, but the original message taught by Jesus. This message, they believe, is contained in part in the canonical Gospels, but also in other writings. So, essentially, the Muslim must weed through the New Testament to find those aspects of Jesus' teachings that conform to Islamic doctrine, since these comprise the true Gospel. The problems with this approach are manifold and beyond the scope of this study. Suffice it to say that many of the critiques of the Higher Critical approach apply to this assertion. Moreover, the Qur'an itself does not qualify what it means by injil any more than it does the term taurat for the Old Testament, which Muslims appear to accept as true revelation from God.)

The message of the Gospel is a compelling message of hope, one that the Qur'an simply cannot offer. While Muslims may claim they share common beliefs with Christians, the fact is that there is no hope, no consolation, and ultimately no salvation in Islam. In the Qur'an, a just and holy Allah looks down on his creation and demands obedience of them. Allah is gracious and merciful to those who believe, and those who keep to his ways; but Allah does not deal with the core problem of man's sinful heart, so Muslims must constantly try to appease Allah in the hope that their obedience will earn them a place in Paradise. In the Bible, we are told that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). God did not wait for His people to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps; He knew they could not. So He provided for their salvation by making atonement for their sins, changing their hearts so that they might be God-lovers and not God-haters. In the true Gospel, those who believe are those whom God has saved, not those who have managed to save themselves. And those whom God saves are truly saved, and will by no means perish (John 10:28-29), because the work is all God's.

At Christmas, Muslims are encouraged to use the season to reach out to Christians with the message of Islam. I encourage Christians out there to consider the contrast between the Qur'anic view of Christmas and the Biblical view of Christmas, and be prepared to share with your Muslim friends, neighbors, and co-workers the hope that you have.

What Came "After Jesus?" A Look at CNN's Take on the Question

By Albert Mohler @ http://albertmohler.com//blog.php

Just in time for Christmas, the major news media regularly present magazine cover stories and prime-time television events that focus on the historical questions concerning the birth of Jesus Christ and the theological issues central to Christianity.

Like clockwork, the programs and articles appear -- often following a predictable pattern. A question related to a Christian claim is raised and a panel of experts is asked to respond. This panel most often ranges across the theological spectrum, providing the appearance (and sometimes the reality) of a fair consideration. These are secular news magazines and networks, after all. The supposed interest of the media lies in the current relevance of the issues and the impact of these beliefs upon the world. We should not expect the secular media to serve as evangelists for the Christian Gospel. We are right to expect that the media should be fair in their consideration of these subjects.

Fairness does not mean that evangelicals should not expect to see non-evangelical and non-Christian viewpoints expressed. Liberal theologians and biblical scholars are to be expected among the sources cited or consulted. Fairness does suggest that the orthodox position and a representation of evangelical conviction should be present as well.

CNN presented a major news production Wednesday night as "CNN Presents: After Jesus." Narrated by actor Liam Neeson, the special program was described as an investigation of "how the earliest Christians spread their message, despite infighting over the faith and violent persecution by Rome."

From the CNN Pressroom release:

Immediately following Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, the first Christians were challenged to define their faith. Two of Jesus' disciples – Peter, who preached that the followers of Jesus had to be Jewish, and Paul who argued that this new faith must be available to all – would emerge as Christianity's first and most influential leaders. Their eventual consensus, that Christianity would be available to all through conversion, and their missionary zeal throughout the Roman Empire, helped the new faith to spread rapidly. But Christianity's growing power was also a threat to the empire, so the Romans killed Peter and Paul and other early leaders. Christians were so brutally persecuted that Christianity's survival was repeatedly in danger. That Christianity eventually became the world's largest religion is perhaps the faith's second biggest miracle.

In all, that paragraph is a good summary of the facts and the central question -- how did Christianity grow from a band of frightened followers of Jesus into a world-changing force?

CNN described its program as "the story behind the greatest story ever told." Mark Nelson of CNN explained: "The fundamental themes of challenge and resolution, power and struggle that we explore continue to be relevant in modern times." So far, so good.

The teaser is found in this paragraph:

In telling this remarkable tale, viewers may be surprised to learn that followers of some early branches of Christianity believed in more than one god; that there were many more Gospels than those included in the New Testament; and that Christmas was originally a springtime celebration. There was also a group of Christians – the Gnostics – who believed that man's existence on Earth was a mistake and that salvation required a mystical experience of self-discovery and self-realization. They wrote their own Gospels, and their power struggle with the orthodox Christians was a threat to the new faith.

That paragraph should stand as a reminder that theology and scholarship are not well reduced to press releases. In this case the teaser is indeed a tease.

The related press materials available at CNN's Web site were a source of evangelical concern. The panelists chosen by CNN did not include an evangelical theologian, historian, or New Testament scholar. The network claimed to have consulted "the most renowned authorities on the ancient church," but no evangelical scholar appeared. Given the issues and questions covered by the program, a fair observer would wonder about the absence of any scholar like Darrell Bock, D. A. Carson, or Bishop N. T. Wright -- all of whom have internationally established reputations for scholarship in these areas -- and with extensive published engagement with these issues. None is a stranger to the media.

Instead, the authorities featured on the program included, among others, figures like Amy-Jill Levine, a Jewish scholar of the New Testament who teaches at Vanderbilt Divinity School; Judith Lieu, who teaches New Testament at King's College London; Rabbi Richard Freund of the Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford; and Marvin Meyer, a specialist on Gnostic texts who teaches at Chapman University.

Most notable among the panelists was Bart Ehrman, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who has published several books that cast doubt upon the New Testament canon and reject Christian orthodoxy. Ehrman, a former evangelical, often appears in the media as an opponent of evangelical faith. Yet, to his credit, Ehrman often criticizes the worst arguments of the sceptics as well.

Why no evangelical scholar? Only CNN can answer that question.

Nevertheless, when the entire program is reviewed, I would judge the project to be more even-handed and responsible than I had at first expected. My main criticisms would have to do with some of the claims made in the program and especially with the teasers used for the program as a whole and its individual segments.

The production was visually engaging, fast-paced, and respectful in tone. Liam Neeson brought his vocal skills and theatrical experience to the narration.

The program began with good historical background material. The context of the Roman Empire in the first century, the political unrest and messianic expectation of Jerusalem, and so on. The problems emerge when the program explains Jesus and his mission. As Neeson narrates:

Into this powder keg walks Jesus of Nazareth. His protests against the Romans make him a popular hero. To some, he is the messiah. But to the Romans, he is political trouble. So they crucify him.

This is just not an accurate representation of the events and the New Testament texts. Where in the New Testament is Jesus portrayed as leading "protests against the Romans?" Nowhere. The program blames the Romans alone for the crucifixion of Jesus, studiously avoiding any suggestion that the Jews rejected Jesus and demanded his crucifixion. The program is left with an account that is politically correct but demonstrates little resemblance to the New Testament. Pilate, you might remember, is presented in the New Testament as very reluctant to crucify Jesus. Political correctness simply trumped historical accuracy.

The program's treatment of the earliest experiences of the church and the first Christians contains much good and even fascinating material.

Why would Jesus become a focus of Christian worship? Lawrence H. Shiffman, who teaches Hebrew and Judaic studies at New York University, argued this way:

So the problem is not in the belief that Jesus is the messiah. The problem is when the belief is moving from messiah to a kind of deified messiah and as this begins to be understood by the Jews, then opposition to this movement is no longer a political thing. It's a very strong religious thing.

The problem with this statement is the fact that it presses the recognition of the deity of Christ to a later development after the resurrection. The New Testament claims that it was Jesus' claims to deity that were, at least in part, what led some Jews to demand his crucifixion.

Neeson does a good job of explaining the transformation of Saul the persecutor of the church into Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. "Saul of Tarsus, who never met Jesus in the flesh, never traveled or supped with him, and who wanted to kill his followers, becomes the greatest defender of the Jesus faith, known to the world by the Greek version of his name, Paul." Further: "People listened to Paul because he was the perfect man for the job, able to speak to both Jews and Gentiles in their own language."

The program also provided a rather fair explanation of the roles played by the apostles James, Peter, and Paul. The Jerusalem council is presented as the "first apostolic council" and Professor Levine rightly explains:

Paul argues that the Holy Spirit had descended upon the Gentiles apart from the Law of Moses. Therefore, there was no reason to insist that those Gentiles be converted first to Judaism in order to be a member of the church, and James, the brother of Jesus, presiding over this Jerusalem council, agrees with Paul.

Levine, a Jewish professor of New Testament studies, also offers keen insight into the mission of the Apostle Paul:

I can picture him just trying to convert the entire Praetorian guard. The early Christians, particularly the evangelists, the apostles, were politically problematic. They were proclaiming a son of God, a god from God, a savior, but those happened to be titles that the Roman emperor arrogated to himself.

The program presents the next great crisis of the faith as the deaths of James, Peter, and Paul. This argument has significant theological and historical merit. Interestingly, the program assumes the traditional (but non-scriptural) explanations of the deaths of James and Peter. It is clear from the New Testament that James was executed in Jerusalem and that Peter was martyred as well, most likely in Rome. However, the specifics ascribed in the program to the martyrdom of James are from only two historical sources (Josephus and Hegesippus as cited by Eusebius), and the upside-down crucifixion of Peter is likewise attributed only to later tradition.

What makes these observations relevant is the fact that so many authorities seem willing to accept such details on scant evidence when they often cast doubt upon the much more substantial evidence offered in the New Testament text.

The program also did well in describing the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (the great crisis of Judaism) and the rise of Roman persecution of the Christians.

The portion of the program perhaps most vulnerable to controversy had to do with the emergence of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) as the authoritative historical texts concerning the life and ministry of Jesus.

Neeson points to the controversies in this statement: "At the end of the first century, Christian leaders decided they needed a new holy scripture. They started writing down what Jesus had said and done. And now Christianity would take a new direction, a religion based on the word of the written gospels, a religion that would guide them far into an uncertain future."

Further:

The core of Christian belief is the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, as told in the four gospels, the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, named after the evangelists said to have written them.

At this point Bart Ehrman appears to make this claim:

I think most people imagine that after Jesus died, the Church just emerged suddenly and that you had Christians confessing the Nicean Creed, reading the canon of the 27 books of the New Testament, and that it was all in place right after Jesus' death. And, in fact, it took centuries for these things to fall into place.

Fair enough. It did take centuries for all that to "fall into place." But the insinuation of the program is that Christianity was in tremendous flux at this time. Interestingly, the authorities cited in the program take the view that the Gospels were all written before the end of the first century -- a fact well established in modern scholarship but denied by many liberal scholars just a few decades ago.

The program then turned to the conflict of early Christianity with Gnosticism. Neeson dramatically narrated that "By the start of the second century, Christianity was at a crossroads."

Further:

After the crucifixion of Jesus, around 30 A.D., the New Testament recounts how the faith he started took on a new life. Inspired by the leadership of the apostles Peter and Paul, the message of the resurrected Jesus spread into the heart of the Roman empire. But success brought persecution and death. As Christianity's early leaders began to die out, it was critical to keep the story of Jesus alive. So, they compiled sacred books about his life, what we know today as the New Testament. But to the south, in the desert sands of Egypt, a group of Christian monks and mystics were writing their own gospels with a very different version of the life of Jesus, one that launched a battle for the very heart of Christianity. Of all the threats to Christianity over the past 2,000 years, perhaps the greatest came in 1945, near the village of Nag Hammadi in southern Egypt, where the waters of the Nile dry up into desert sands.

This is hyperbole made for television. The Christian faith was hardly shaken by the discovery of Gnostic texts at Nag Hammadi. Gnosticism is a perennial heresy and a powerful competitor to orthodox Christianity in the early centuries of the church. But the undeniable fact, left unacknowledged by many current controversialists and popularizers, is that the church effectively denounced the Gnostics and their texts.

The program presented the core beliefs of the Gnostics fairly well. Professor Meyer explained:

The word "Gnostic" comes from the Greek "gnosis," which means knowledge, but it's not the kind of knowledge that you simply get out of books, but, rather, it is mystical knowledge. It is insight into the true nature of -- of who you are, and what is your relationship to God, and is there an essence, a spark, a bit of the light of God within your own self.

Neeson rightly commented: "The Gnostic message was very seductive: a mix of Greek philosophy, Egyptian religion, and Eastern mysticism, all very contemporary in its spirituality."

Meyer pointed right to the key distinction between the canonical Gospels and the Gnostic texts:

The New Testament Gospels are gospels of the cross. The Gnostic gospels are gospels of wisdom. The New Testament Gospels care about salvation from sin. The Gnostic gospels care about salvation from ignorance. The New Testament Gospels look to stimulate faith. The Gnostic gospels look to stimulate knowledge and insight.

That statement is worth filing away for future use. He got it just right.

The program was less sure-footed when it tried to present Gnostic variants as more friendly to feminist concerns. Meyer claimed: "It was the Gnostics that thought that the role of the female as an image and the role of women within the church should be advanced, so that God is not only male; God is also female. There are not only male leaders; there are female leaders. There are not only male priests; there are female priests. And, in this way, there is a kind of gender balance found in these texts."

Well, as long as you look at the texts that fit that characterization. Neeson quickly commented: "That balance is not found in the Gnostic gospel of Thomas, where Peter asks Jesus to send Mary Magdalene on her way, for women aren't worthy of apostolic life." Ehrman further explains: "And Jesus replies, "Leave her alone, for I shall make her a male, for every woman who becomes a male will enter the kingdom of God." That statement will not go over well where feminist theologians gather. It is also a rejection of New Testament Christianity. As Ehrman notes, "This isn't a very liberating view of women, and not one I think that people probably want to latch on to today."

The panelists helpfully rejected the most hysterical suggestions of recent days, including the claim popularized by The DaVinci Code that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children with her. Further, Neeson also noted: "Perhaps the biggest problem with the Gnostic gospels is that they were written decades, and even centuries, after the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. For some historians, that passage of time raises serious questions of authenticity." Indeed.

In the end, the program was more fair than the advertising materials would have indicated. The most ideological portion of the program came when claims were presented to the effect that early Christianity was "completely egalitarian." This is irresponsible. It is not true to the Gospels, much less to the remainder of the New Testament. The program insinuated or claimed that the development of church offices, the restriction of the teaching office to men, and the development of the New Testament canon were basically due to political concerns rather than theological imperatives.

Ehrman went so far as to claim: "Eventually, Christianity came to oppress women and to silence women. And, so, throughout history, of course, Christianity has been known as a male religion, in that only the leader -- only the men can be leaders of the churches. Only men can be the priests or the pastors or the pope."

Finally, the program attempted to explain the transformation of Christianity from a movement oppressed to the point of martyrdom by Rome into a faith officially recognized by the Emperor. In the course of this consideration, the program turned to the Council of Nicea, called by the authority of Emperor Constantine in 325. The program got the theological judgment right, but confused the context.

Neeson explained:

In the year 325 AD, Constantine called the world's bishops to the small town of Nicea outside the imperial city of Byzantium to grapple with the essence of Christian belief. . . . And the heart of the Nicean Creed and Christian faith is the Jesus was both God and man.

Ehrman commented:

The Council of Nicea was not called in order to decide whether Jesus was divine. It was called in order to decide in what way is Jesus divine. Is Jesus a secondary deity, a subordinate deity or, in fact, is he equal with God the Father. And the side that won out was the side that declared that Jesus was equal with God the Father, that he had always been God.

Further:

Constantine declared Christianity a legal religion and he stopped the persecution. But it's not correct to say that Constantine made Christianity the official Roman religion. In fact, he didn't make it the official religion. He did make it a favored religion and he started giving lands to Christian bishops and supplying funds for the building of churches and so forth. This made it a very popular thing to become a Christian, especially to become a Christian leader. So from going from being a persecuted small sect, it turned into an important religion that was favored by the emperor.

The program concluded by repeating the current claim that early Christianity was a diversity of belief systems and conceptions of the faith. The point of all that was made clear by Meyer's claim: "The struggle regarding orthodoxy and heresy never comes to an end and these battles about truth and inclusion and exclusion are with us to the present day."

To this day, yes. But this does not mean that there is no recognized orthodoxy – no standard and classical expression of the Christian faith. That standard was already in view when Jude instructed the church to contend for the faith – the faith once for all delivered to the church.

Programs like "After Jesus" can cause some Christians to wonder about the very foundations of the faith. But, in the beginning and in the end, the church must learn to trust the New Testament as the only authority for defining Christian faith and practice. The discovery and publication of "other gospels" should only serve to remind Christians of how thankful we must be for the four New Testament Gospels given by divine inspiration to the Church.

Christians should not be shaken by the recognition that centuries of development stand between, for example, the end of Jesus' earthly ministry and the adoption of the Nicean creed, along with the canonization of the New Testament. The orthodox faith was already defended and the truth about Jesus Christ was already confessed long before the Council of Nicea. Indeed, even as the New Testament books were already recognized, the true Gospel was already defended.

Christianity has nothing to fear from an honest investigation of the facts. Next time, let's hope that CNN invites some evangelical scholars to join their team of authorities.

But remember this – it is not the job of CNN to defend the Christian faith and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the job of the church. Let's get to it.