Do you remember a story in 2011 where a man got arrested after shooting at the White House? Did you ever hear why? Well, that guy thought he was the second-coming of Jesus Christ, and he needed to stop Obama, the antichrist, from ruling the world. His name was Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez. In a video addressing Oprah, he announced his divinity and said, "It's not just a coincidence that I look like Jesus. I am the modern day Jesus Christ that you all have been waiting for."

Many others have claimed to be the second coming of Jesus Christ, and unfortunately, some of them aren't as on-the-fringe as Oscar. They have duped thousands, even millions of followers. Yet the true Jesus has said to us:

"If anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." Matthew 24:23-27

The following are twelve of the most notorious prophets who claimed to be the return of Jesus. Some of this is just downright ridiculous and will probably make you laugh. But we need to have broken hearts and remember that unless false teachers and their followers repent, they will stand before the true Christ in judgment who will say to them, "Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. I never knew you."

We must remain committed to the true words of the Bible, preaching them to the world, and exposing the fruitless works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). The false gospel will damn (Galatians 1:8-9). Only the true gospel has the power to save (Romans 1:16).

Ann Lee
Ever heard of the Shakers? Less popularly known as the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, they were called the "Shaking Quakers" or just Shakers because of their spasmatic behavior during their worship services (hmmm, that sounds familiar). The sect was founded in 18th century England, known for practicing communal living and egalitarianism, believing that the second coming of Christ would be through a woman. Along came Ann Lee who said she was the female incarnation and second coming of Christ. Mother Ann, as she was known, preached that sex of any kind, even sex in marriage, was lustful, and told her followers to forsake marriage (which 1 Timothy 4:1-3 calls the teaching of demons). The Shakers are still around, though I'm not sure how that's possible if they aren't allowed to breed. Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, located in Maine, is said to be the last existing Shaker community.

Arnold Potter
From among the Mormons came a guy named Arnold Potter who also went by Potter Christ. In 1840, Potter was ordained by Mormon founder Joseph Smith and given the Melchizedek priesthood, becoming one of the seventy. In 1856, Potter was called by Latter-Day Saint Church President, Brigham Young, to serve as a missionary in Australia. It was on that trip that Potter claims that he became Potter Christ, Son of the living God. What else can you expect from a religion based entirely on new revelation? He moved back to Independence, MO, which the Mormons claim is the true Zion, then to Council Bluffs, IA where he maintained a group of devout followers. In 1878, on the day of his death, he rode on a donkey up to the bluffs and told his disciples it was time for him to ascend into heaven. Then he jumped off the cliff, and... well, I'm sure you can guess what happened.

Baha'u'llah
In 1844, a man named Sayid Ali Muhammad claimed to be the Bab (meaning "Gate"), the eighth manifestation of God and first since Muhammad. Before his execution by Persian and Ottoman authorities in 1850, the Bab spoke of a coming prophet. On April 22, 1863, Mirza Husayn Ali, one of the Bab's followers (also called Babis), claimed to be the fulfillment of that prophesy. He took the name Baha'u'llah, which means "the glory of God," founder of the Baha'i faith who claimed to be the second coming of Christ. The faith believes it is the reconciliation of all major religions; therefore, Baha'u'llah is not just the second coming of Christ but the fulfillment of the greatest prophets in every major religion. Their yearly annual conferences are held in Haifa, Israel. It is estimated that the Baha'i faith has up to 8 million members, about as large as the Jehovah's Witnesses and half as large as Mormonism. But unlike those two religions, the Baha'i do not believe in proselytizing. The Baha'i faith is monotheistic, but says that God is unknowable.

The Baha'i House of Worship for North America, located in Wilmette, IL.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
An Indian religious leader and founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, Ahmad claimed to be the coming of the Mahhdi, the redeemer of Islam, in the likeness of Jesus. In 1891, he claimed that God told him, "The Messiah, son of Mary, Prophet of Allah, had died and thou hast come in accordance with the promise." Ahmad is among the first, certainly the most influential, to suggest that Jesus survived his crucifixion. He then traveled to India where he died a natural death. Therefore, since he died of natural causes, Jesus would not return physically but would return in the likeness that Ahmad represented. Ahmad's teachings continue to be followed by an estimated 10 to 20 million people to this day, though he's considered a false prophet by most Muslims.

John Hugh Smyth-Pigott 
The Agapemonites, also known as the Community of the Son of Man, was founded in 1846 by the Reverend Henry Prince, a former minister in the Church of England. Prince gained several interested followers which he narrowed down to primarily wealthy single women, and initiated what he called "spiritual marriage" (as opposed to a legal marriage, I guess). Prince believed himself to be the visible embodiment of the Holy Spirit. He lost a number of followers in 1856 after a ceremonial act of public sex in front of a large audience. Those who remained received titles such as the "Anointed Ones," the "Angels of the Last Trumpet," and the "Seven Witnesses." After he died in 1899, he was succeeded by John Hugh Smyth-Pigott who claimed to be Jesus Christ reincarnate. The claim apparently traveled from England all the way to India, where Mirza Ghulam Ahmad condemned Smyth-Pigott as a false teacher, and warned him that it would result in a miserable end. So one false Jesus said to another false Jesus, "You can't be Jesus, I am!" The last member of the Agapemonites died in 1956 and the cult came to an end, but not before having produced several illegitimate children.

Haile Selassie I
Though Selassie never claimed to be Jesus Christ, he had a group of followers who did. When Selassie became Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930, a group of worshipers in Jamaica hailed him as the second coming of Jesus Christ. Perhaps you've heard of them -- the Rastafarians. Selassie was born Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael, which is where Rastafari gets its name ("ras" means "head" in Amharic, and the name Tafari means one who is revered). But Selassie was not so on-board with the whole worshiping thing. He sent an archbishop to Jamaica telling them to convert to Ethiopian Orthodox. The parts of Rastafari that remain popular today are the smoking of pot and rejection of materialism and oppression. It gained widespread recognition thanks to reggae music and Bob Marley. But the whole thing started because they believed the Emperor of Ethiopia was the second-coming of Christ. True Rastafarians believe Selassie's death in 1975 was a hoax, and he still reigns on earth to this day.

Yes, Bob Marley believed Selassie was the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

James Warren Jones
Perhaps you know all about crack-pot Jim Jones and the mass murder-suicide of his cult in Jonestown, Guyana, killing 918 people by cyanide poisoning, the assassination of Congressman Leo Ryan, and Jim Jones himself with a gunshot wound to the head. What you might not know about Jones is that he claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ -- also the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, Buddha, Vladimir Lenin, and African American spiritual leader Father Divine, who also had claimed to be God. It's from the Jonestown deaths that we get the phrase "drinking the Kool-Aid," when a person goes along with a false teacher or group that may have dangerous consequences. Until the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Jonestown was the largest loss of American civilian life by a single event. By the way, that happened in November, 1978, 38 years ago this month.

Ahn Sahng-Hong
A former Seventh-Day Adventist, the church excommunicated him in 1962 and twenty-three people followed him. Two years later, he founded the Witnesses of Jesus Church of God. After his death in 1985, the church split and formed the New Covenant Passover Church of God with both churches claiming Ahn as their founder. Ahn was among some of the end-times kooks who thought the beginning of the modern state of Israel was a sign of the end of the world, which he predicted would happen in 1988. He died before he saw his prophecy flop. The Witnesses of Jesus Church of God maintain that Ahn is the Second Coming of Christ (even though he's dead). Arguments persist between the Witnesses New Covenants as to what Ahn actually claimed and taught. His churches have been planted in over 150 countries with 2 million registered members.

Sun Myung Moon
A Korean religious leader and media mogul who founded the Unification Church, Moon told his members that he was the Messiah and the Second Coming of Christ. His influence is pretty incredible. His international media conglomerate, News World Communications, runs newspapers in South Korea, Japan, South America, and North America, including the Washington Times. Moon invested $1.7 billion in the Times, which he said was an "instrument in spreading the truth about God to the world." In the 1970s, he gave a speech in Washington D.C. about "God's Hope for America," attended by 300,000 people. He has also spoken in New York City at Madison Square Garden and at Yankee Stadium. He had many political ties, including relationships with Presidents Nixon, Reagan, and both Bush's, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbechev, North Korean President Kim Il Sung, and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. His book Divine Principle is considered Scripture by Unification Church adherents. Moon died in 2012 at the age of 92. His wife, Hak Ja Han, has assumed leadership in the church, and is believed to be a reincarnation of Eve.

Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda
Born in Puerto Rico and based out of Miami, FL, Jose Miranda claimed to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. He had millions of followers in several countries who sang songs to him and worshiped him as though he was Jesus. He would be introduced at church services as "king of kings and lord of lords." Eventually, he also claimed to be the antichrist, and his followers showed their support by getting tattoos of 666, the mark of the beast. Miranda said that 666 wasn’t the devil’s number, but is actually the number of wisdom and shows who is truly following Jesus Christ. He was interviewed by Bill Maher in his mocumentary Religulous, where Miranda claimed there's no more sin because he already died for our sins. NBC did an exposé on him, which you can view here. He died in 2013 of cirrhosis of the liver. His church maintains that he’s still Christ and has just become immortal. Even his own kids claim he is God.

Sergey Anatolyevitch Torop
In 1990, a then 29-year-old Russian man claimed to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. His followers called him Vissarion. He founded a church called the Church of the Last Testament, and a utopian community called Petropavlovka, where eating meat, drinking alcohol, smoking, and cursing is prohibited. The community still exists, located in remote Siberia where Vissarion also lives, and reportedly has a population of 800. But it is said that including the surrounding churches that worship Vissarion, he has about 50,000 followers. There's a YouTube video on this "Siberian Messiah" that has over 8 million views.

Apollo Quiboloy
Claiming to be the "Appointed Son of God," Apollo Quiboloy is the founder of a church in the Philippines called the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name, Inc. Like an American megachurch, he has turned this into an enterprise. He is the President and CEO of Sonshine Media Network International, he founded Sonshine Sports Management based in Davao City, and is attempting to infiltrate politics having anointed the next Philippian president in 2010. When the man he anointed failed to win the election, Quiboloy blamed his followers for not stepping up. According to Quiboloy, God has appointed him Son of God or the reincarnation of Jesus Christ to become the Savior of the Gentiles. He claims to be sinless, and that God has given him the authority to enforce the laws of the Kingdom throughout the world. It is estimated that he has over 6 million followers, most of whom are in the Philippines with 2 million abroad.

This is a false christ warning about other false christs.

(Dis) Honorable Mentions

• William W. Davies, another from the Mormon camp, began the Kingdom of Heaven sect in Walla Walla, WA. Davies claimed he was the archangel Michael who previously lived the lives of Adam, Abraham, and David. When his son Arthur was born, February 11, 1868, Davies declared him the reincarnated Christ. He would become known as Walla Walla Jesus, and his followers increased. He had another son whom Davies said was the reincarnated God the Father. Both children died of diphtheria, and his followers sued him.
• Marshall Applewhite, though not as notorious as Jim Jones, was also an American kook cult-leader who convinced his followers to commit murder-suicide. Applewhite was the founder of the Heaven's Gate cult back in the 90s, and called himself, "I, Jesus, Son of God." He convinced his followers to kill themselves so they could rendezvous with the mothership flying in the tail of the comet Hale-Bopp.
• Wayne Bent, a former Seventh-Day Adventist pastor, founded Lord Our Righteousness Church, also called Strong City near Clayton, NM. Bent claimed, "I am the embodiment of God. I am divinity and humanity combined." He went to prison for allegedly having sex with a minor, but was released due to a mistrial. There have been numerous investigations into Bent's cult practices. His community still exists, and Bent is still writing stuff online. It was reported this year that he has cancer.
• Mitsuo Matayoshi founded the World Econominic Community Party in Japan, a political party he started based on his claim that he is Jesus Christ. Within this claim, Matayoshi says that he will be the one judging all mankind at the end of the world according to the current political system.
• Hogen Fukunaga, also from Japan, founded Ho No Sanpogyo, known as the Foot Reading Cult. Fukunaga attended a Clinton fundraising dinner in the 90s with Yogesh Gandhi, a distant relative of Mahatma Gandhi, and presented President Clinton with the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Award. Fukunaga claims he is the reincarnation of Christ and Buddha.
• Inri Cristo from Brazil claims to be the second Jesus reincarnated. He has been on television and debated others regarding their own claims of reincarnation. He still gives lectures on college campuses and has a smattering of followers in several countries.
• Alan John Miller is a former Jehovah's Witness elder who claims to be the second coming of Christ and started the Divine Truth movement in Australia. Also a prophet of the 2012 Mayinism phenomenon, he prophesied catastrophic waves would turn the land he owns, 150 miles from the coast, into beachfront property by 2013. His partner, Mary Suzanne Luck, is said to be the second-coming of Mary Magdalene.

The following is an exchange I had a few months back with a woman named Melissa via e-mail. These kinds of exchanges are fairly regular with a wide variety of people, but all making the same arguments. Receive my tone as even and caring. I want a person to love Christ and His church, which is why I share His word: so they will repent of their sins and through Christ be reconciled to God and to His people. A person will hear the gospel and be broken by it, or they will be crushed under it (Matthew 21:44). There's an omission and edits for grammar.

Mr. Hughes

I read your blog about the disagreement with Pavlovitz. I'm a once-in-a-while church person. The way you attempted to contradict Pavlovitz on why people leave Church is why people leave Church. My interpretation of what you are saying is that if you aren't a 100% believer of "our" beliefs you do not belong "here".  

Everyday people don't feel accepted in one way or another. It would be nice to enjoy a Sunday morning with people that are unbiased and accepting, unfortunately that's not reality. Do individuals or corporations own a Church or does God? It's interesting how people will say "our" Church or "my" Church as if it's something they own or a club they belong to.  

This is why Church Goers become Used to be Church Goers. The disillusionment is revealed & then they wake up and realize they belong to a cult where their true selves aren't accepted.  

I realize the Southern Baptist ways tend to rely on fear and intimidation to "keep its flock in order", but people are smarter than that. They want compassion, understanding and treated with dignity. 

Melissa

Dear Melissa

Thank you for reading the blog, and I appreciate you reaching out and sending me an e-mail. People leave the church because they hate God and they hate God's people. There is no other reason. The blog mentions 1 John 2:19 where the Apostle says they went out from us so that it might become plain that they were never of us to begin with.

Romans 8:7-8 says, "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." We read in 1 Corinthians 1:18 and 2:14, "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

You're an occasional church-goer because you also don't love God or His people. I pray that you will repent of this and that you will love the body of Christ. You like listening to men like John Pavlovitz because he makes you feel better about your decisions, accumulating for yourself false teachers to suit your own passions (2 Timothy 4:3).

Pastor Gabe

Mr. Hughes

I don't hate God or "his" people. Wasn't I a product of God and doesn't He have a plan for me? Is God only in a structure that is man made? Instead of quoting scripture maybe you should spend more time trying to understand human beings. Humans feel more accepted when one tries to understand their questions and concepts. The minute one starts to "preach the Gospel" I feel alone, threatened and alienated. Follow these words or else... is what I hear. 

Dear Melissa

Thank you again for your reply. I don't understand what you're asking by your first few questions, but let me say that all those who are in Christ, who are part of His church, are His people. It says in 1 Peter 2:10, talking about the church, "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people." And in Titus 2:14, Jesus "gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."

We read in 1 John 3:10, "By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother." As it says previously in 1 John 3:8, "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil."

The reason why you feel threatened and alienated when you hear the Bible quoted to you is because your conscience is guilty. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." You feel exposed when the word of God is given to you. Rather than ignore it and try to tell people not to speak the Bible, repent of your sins and desire Christ the Lord.

Jesus said, "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God" (John 3:19-21).

If you don't hate God, then you'll come to the light of His love and mercy as spoken about in His word. But if you hate God, you will hate His word, and will run when you hear it.

Pastor Gabe

Wow!! Just wow. I can't be a part of your world. I guess I must hate people that love God. I should quit my job as a nurse who goes on mission trips to third world countries and join the devil. 

This condescending "Join God and his people or else you're a hateful person" is what drives people away from your kind of Church.

Thank you for your response again. I just wanted a real human discussion with a pastor that had different thoughts than mine and you could not even do that. 

I won't email anymore as I'm sure I'm an insult to your belief system.

"All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." Isaiah 66:2

The following is a response given on a recent episode of the WWUTT podcast, answering a question on who wrote the book of Hebrews. If you'd like to submit a question, the e-mail address is whenweunderstandthetext@gmail.com, and subscribe to the podcast here! Questions are answered on Fridays.


Hey Pastor Gabe, I really enjoy your WWUTT videos! My question is: who do you think wrote the book of Hebrews? What do you think are the best arguments out there? A.W. Pink makes very strong internal arguments from the Scripture in favor for Paul writing the book.

Thank you
Jeremiah

Greetings, Jeremiah!

Thank you for your question! It's hard to say who wrote Hebrews, but I do not believe it was Paul. Now, I'm not versed in Greek and am unable to compare Paul's Greek to the Greek in Hebrews. But I don't think a person would need to know Greek in order to rule out Paul as the author.

There are two reasons I don't believe Paul wrote it. First, there's no clear greeting. In all of Paul's letters that we have, there is a distinct introduction and conclusion. He identifies himself in every letter, and in Hebrews he does not. This is an argument from silence of course, but it's a very loud silence given the nature of the letter, who it's written to, and yet Paul doesn't find it necessary to remind them that he's a former teacher of the Law.

The second reason I believe is the strongest reason. Hebrews 2:3 says of the gospel, "It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard." Well, Paul didn't receive the gospel "by those who heard." He received it from direct revelation from the Lord himself (Galatians 1:12, Ephesians 3:3).

So who did write Hebrews? Well, considering there are some stylistic similarities to Paul's writings, it would have to be someone close to Paul. The mention of Timothy in chapter 13 suggests someone from Paul's group. The most likely candidates are Apollos and Barnabas. Despite the fact that Martin Luther argued for Apollos being the author, I think Apollos can be ruled out in favor of Barnabas.

Apollos was a Jew, but he was from Alexandria, Egypt. He had a Greek name, and his ministry outreach was primarily to the Greeks, particularly in Ephesus and Corinth. Barnabas, however, was a Levite (Acts 4:36). He would have known the levitical system well which is a central theme in the book of Hebrews. In Acts 11, we see Barnabas sent out from Jerusalem to find Paul, and they served in ministry together. Barnabas was present at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15. His acquaintance with both Hebrews and Paul runs much deeper than Apollos.

That would be my argument for the author of Hebrews. I hope I've been able to give you something to consider. Ultimately the author of Hebrews is the author of the Bible: God Himself. It is in Him we marvel when we read His inerrant word, delivered to us through His apostles and prophets to the praise of His glorious grace. God bless, Jeremiah!

Pastor Gabe

Last week, I published a series of videos through WWUTT about false teachers at Bethel Church and Jesus Culture, including Bill Johnson and Todd White. This began with a video that Todd White posted on Facebook preaching a false man-centered gospel. I followed that up with a video on Bethel Church and Todd White. The last of the trilogy was a video addressing Bethel Church and Jesus Culture's use of "glory clouds"during their worship services. How do I know these men are cons? Because the Bible says so. The following are some of the comments we got about those videos. The comments are in bold and my response follows.

You still don't have proof. God manifest His glory in myriads of ways. What Moses experienced was unique and only occurred one time in the Bible. What about the cloud that was present in the camp? God was present in the cloud by day and the fire by night. God was present in the cloud that covered the tabernacle in the midst of over 2 million people. "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34). I'm not defending Bethel but you have made baseless accusations that you simply cannot verify. You do not know with absolutely certainly whether or not your accusations are true. Why not send someone to collect some of the dust and have it analyzed?

Ben
Overland Park, KS

Understand something: It is Bethel Church that calls this glitter-and-fog-machine manifestation a "glory cloud." That's their name for it, not mine. If it was the glory of God, it would kill everyone in that room. The pillars of cloud and fire described in Exodus 14 were not a display of God in His glory. Exodus 14:19 says that it was an angel of God that was in the pillar of cloud (not to be confused with the Angel of the Lord). In Exodus 40:34, "The cloud covered the tent of meeting" and "the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" are two different statements. It's not saying the cloud which was the glory of God filled the tabernacle.

Furthermore, it's as if Ben didn't actually watch the whole video (which is only 90-seconds long). The book of Exodus is not the only Scriptural evidence given as to how I know God's glory is not appearing in gold dust at Bethel Church. Hebrews 1:1-3 explicitly states that God does not appear to us in such ways anymore. He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, through His word, the Bible -- which is not preached at Bethel Church. That's how I know they are liars and deceivers, and they're piping in gold dust and fog through their ventilation system.

Thank the Lord, I don't need to invest the time and money to go to Bethel church and scoop up some gold dust to have it analyzed or crawl through their air ducts and take pictures. I have a much more infallible resource -- the word of God. If you won't believe that word, you'd never believe any other form of proof.

Is it bad to play their music in church? Some of their songs aren't bad.

Aisha
Plantation, FL

Here's three reasons why you shouldn't play their music in church. First, their songs offer nothing substantive. Your church will not be missing anything if you don't play Jesus Culture songs, but you will be missing something if you do. As I've written about before, there's nothing biblically solid about their music. If you think you hear doctrinally sound lyrics, that's because the song is ambiguous enough to allow you to impose your (probably better) theology upon it. But if their teaching isn't biblical, neither will their music be.

Second, you would inadvertently be endorsing their church. If someone found out the song you sang on Sunday came from Jesus Culture, that could open the door for that person exposing them to Bethel's teaching and heresy. I shared an occasion of this happening in a previous article (linked above).

And third, you would be paying them for their songs. If your church is singing something other than hymns or what's in the public domain, then you probably have a CCLI license. That means you pay royalties on the songs that you sing. If some of those songs are from Jesus Culture, you are paying them to sing their music. (By the way, these reasons also apply to why we shouldn't sing Hillsong tunes either.)

My friends, to correct your closing statements, there is no question that WWUTT, Pastor Gabe, and others who do what they do are false teachers. Leave God's anointed alone for once. That would be great.

Evans
Marion Station, MD

Regarding the video exposing Bill Johnson and Todd White, the closing statement is, "There's no question that Bethel Church, Todd White, and others who do what they do are false teachers." Evans was trying to be witty and turn that back around on me. His insistence to "leave God's anointed alone" is a common one used often in charismatic circles. The irony is that it's actually these charismatic false prophets who are harming God's anointed ones.

Upon the return of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, David gave praise to God for His faithfulness to His people. While they wandered from Egypt to the Promised Land, and were yet so few in number, God allowed no one to oppress them and "rebuked kings on their account, saying, 'Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!'" (1 Chronicles 16:22, repeated again in Psalm 105:15).

God's anointed ones are those who are descendants in the line of Abraham. In our case as Christians, it's all who are in Christ, Himself a descendant of Abraham and through whom we are adopted into the family of God. In 2 Corinthians 1:21, Paul says that we have been anointed in Christ. John says this also in 1 John 2:20, anointed by the Holy One. We who are in Christ are God's anointed.

Those who speak against God are the false shepherds and teachers talked about in Ezekiel 34 and John 10. In 1 John 4:1, we read, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." These false teachers are a burden upon the people of God, unsettling them by teaching for selfish gain what they ought not teach.

Jesus said, "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24). Just as God protected his people from pagan kings in the Old Testament, so He will continue to protect His people from the wiles of false prophets. It is to these false teachers, like Bill Johnson and Todd White, that God is saying, "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!"

Psalm 105:15 and 1 Chronicles 16:22 are in no way meant to give false teachers a pass. Rather, it's all the more reason why we need to test all things according to the Scriptures. This will be a topic in a future WWUTT video.

Another lovely video taken out of context. Watch the rest of the video and you'll see how Todd White realizes that it's all grace and mercy. Todd White realizes we were wretched but aren't anymore now that we are in Christ. Come on, Pastor Gabe. So as a Christian it's wrong to say we are a new creation?

Ricky
Omaha, NE

Ricky expressed appreciation for my ministry and WWUTT, so I know that his disagreement is respectful. The video that the Todd White clip was taken from was shared by White on his Facebook page, and has been seen over a million times. In the three minutes that he spoke, he never once mentioned grace or mercy. The 45-second clip that was used in the WWUTT video was perfectly in context.

I have watched dozens of Todd White sermons since I was first introduced to him in 2014. His messages are always the same. He constantly abuses Scripture, rambles on about nothing, and never shares the gospel. He uses the word "gospel," but doesn't preach it. There is never any understanding of guilt before God, repenting of sin and receiving forgiveness. He doesn't tell people to turn from their rebellious nature to the righteousness of Christ, who by His death satisfied the wrath of God burning against ungodliness, and by His resurrection has rescued us from the grave we deserve and given us the eternal life we do not deserve. Those who are in Christ are saved from God's judgment, those who are not will be consigned to an eternal hell at the last judgment.

That's not White's message. White's message is always about how we're great and deserving of the blessings of God. When he talks about God's love, he talks about it from the standpoint that the love God has for us proves that we are inherently lovable. We're not. We were children of wrath like the rest of mankind saved by the mercy of God (see Ephesians 2:1-10). White's doctrine could not be more man-centered. It is this very kind of teaching that prompted Spurgeon to say, "If you meet with a system of theology that magnifies man, flee from it as far as you can!"

White preaches about dominion and stuff he'll call "the gospel" that isn't the gospel. He thinks that "By His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24) means that we're supposed to go up to people on the street and make their legs grow. And even that work is a total con. He is a liar, a Bethel Church cad, leading thousands of people astray into a false gospel of works-based evangelism. I pray he repents or the day of judgment will not go well for him. Have nothing to do with this charlatan.

A church here in Garden City has promoted him and has had Dan Mohler, one of Todd's mentors, to speak at the church. Thank you for your time to bring this to light.

John
Garden City, KS

As a former resident of Garden City, this grieves me. This is why it's so important to speak up about these things and alert people to this false teaching. People are being deceived. They think miraculous clouds and healings (which are nothing but tricks) are the gospel. They're trading in sound preaching and teaching of God's word for goosebumps and charismania.

Not so long ago, I was having my quiet time with God and I was sharing what's on my heart on how jealous I am for God, how I wanted to fight the false teachings in church that led God's sheep astray, how I wanted to expose it and burn it. And as I was sharing that, God spoke to me in a personal way and told me that to get the darkness away you need light. To fight falsehood, you need the truth to shine. Go share the truth instead of dedicating yourself to exposing falsehoods in other teachings. I quickly stepped down from my anger toward the false teachings in obedience and decided that I want to pursue learning the Bible so I can share the truth to all that I bump into. I'm sharing this testimony because I would love for the WWUTT team to stop releasing videos accusing others and instead focus more on sharing the truth without having to point fingers in order to do that. All that is doing is creating hostility, and I'm saying that from personal experience. Press on, aspire on being salt and light to the world, and may God bless you.

Daniel
New Cairo, Egypt

There were a couple of men that responded to Daniel with Scripture, and he seemed to be appreciative for the correction. For that reason, I rejoice. Daniel's experience is subjective and not based in Scripture. He heard something in his mind instead of reading for himself what God has truly said in the Bible. There it says we need to take no part in the fruitless works of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11). The church is to be a pillar and buttress of the truth, declaring the truth and defending the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). One of the responsibilities as a pastor is to hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught and be able to rebuke those who contradict it (Titus 1:9). Sometimes that means naming names.

Preaching the truth and occasionally calling out false teachers does not divide. It unifies. It is the false teachers who divide. It is men who are faithful to the sound teaching of the Bible who are the peacemakers. The word of God pierces to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). If declaring it offends someone, that's not on the part of the teacher who humbly submits to and declares its truth. Jesus said, "I came not to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). Many will be divided from the people of God when the word of God is declared because they were not really of the people of God in the first place.

The annual Passion conference was held last week at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, headed up by Passion City Church pastor Louie Giglio and featuring speakers like John Piper, Beth Moore, Christine Caine, and Francis Chan. The conference targets mainly young adults. In addition to preaching and music, there's a big push for ending the evil of human trafficking. I've never attended, but my sister has. The year that she did, I watched the entire thing online.

This year's conference caused a stir making even the pages of Rolling Stone when pop star Carrie Underwood took the stage with David Crowder to sing her song about baptismal regeneration, Something In the Water. Underwood claims to be a Christian, known for another Christian-esque hit, Jesus Take the Wheel. However, the often scantily-clad performer came out in support of same-sex marriage years ago. She has no business having a platform at a Christian conference, let alone being invited to sing a song about baptismal regeneration.

Josh Buice, director of the G3 Conference (which I really wish I was attending this year), wrote a great article at Delivered By Grace, which you can read by clicking here. The article was wisely entitled Passion Without Knowledge is Deadly. That's not only a warning concerning Underwood's cameo, it's a concern regarding the conference et al.

Over the last couple of days, John Piper and Matt Chandler have both drawn criticism online for reposting -- okay, hang on, this is going to get confusing -- a comment from Beth Moore taken from the sermon she preached at Passion as summarized by Louie Giglio's wife, Shelley, and retweeted by Ann Voskamp. Did that make sense?

Here was Moore's comment as recalled by Shelley Giglio and retweeted by Voskamp:

You will watch a generation of Christians -- OF CHRISTIANS -- set the Bible aside in an attempt to become more like Jesus. And stunningly it will sound completely plausible. This will be perhaps the cleverest of all the devil's schemes in your generation. Sacrifice TRUTH for LOVE's sake. And you will rise or fall based upon whether you will sacrifice one for the other. Will you have the courage to live in the tension of both TRUTH and LOVE? -Beth Moore

Now that sounds about right, right? Someone in my congregation might even say, "Brother Gabe, haven't you preached that exact same thing?" I have. I have warned my congregation about teachers in particular who will set the Bible aside while calling for unity -- "just love" at the expense of the truth. In fact and ironically, Beth Moore is one of those teachers I've warned about.

About three years ago, Beth Moore spoke at James Robison's Awaken Now conference where she said the following about a coming revival:

"I believe that the Lord has placed it on my heart to tell you that as it comes, and it will... If we'll be willing to stop telling what it has to look like, it's coming. But we must be prepared in advance for scoffers. I'm going to say that again: we must be prepared in advance for scoffers. I want you to look at one another and say, 'Be prepared for scoffers.' And here's the thing: the unbelieving world's scoffing is not going to bother us that much. We're used to them thinking that we are idiots... But it's going to come from some in our own Christian realm, our own brothers and sisters. We're going to have people who are honestly going to want to debate and argue with us about awakening and downpours. They're going to say, 'That's not the way it should look.' You know what, dude? I'm just asking you are you thirsty?"

At Awaken Now 2014, we have Beth Moore warning about those who are going to be critical regarding what authentic unity should look like according to the Bible. At Passion 2017, we have Beth Moore pleading with Christians to watch out for those who are going to set aside the Bible for the sake of unity.

If the statement from Passion 2017 came from anyone else but Moore, I'd be fine with it. Like I said, I've preached on that very thing as recently as the last few weeks. But Beth Moore does ministry with noted heretics like Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer. So when she says that there are Christians who are going to set the Bible aside for love's sake, I look at her ministry and I see her doing that exact thing.

From left to right: Victoria Osteen, Beth Moore, Liz Curtis Higgs, & Priscilla Shirer; preaching at Osteen's church.

This is why, much to Moore's chagrin, doctrine is so important. Hermeneutics are important. Theology is important. We can all use the exact same words but be coming from completely different approaches. Words have meaning, and those meanings are best understood in context. As much as we talk about understanding the Bible in context, we need to understand our teachers in context as well -- not just the sermons we take their pithy quotes from, but their teaching overall.

John MacArthur is someone I've listened to for years and am familiar with his teaching. So when MacArthur says, "Watch out for scoffers," I know it's coming from a sound doctrinal base (2 Peter 3:3). When Beth Moore says, "Watch out for scoffers," I know it doesn't. Again, both teachers are using the same words, but they have different meanings.

I'm not terribly concerned with Piper's and Chandler's hearts in reposting the Moore/Giglio/Voskamp quote -- even though all three women operate their ministries in biblical disobedience and have their own sets of serious doctrinal problems. When John and Matt read that quote from Moore, they were reading it from their own hermeneutic, not Moore's. It's poor judgment on their part and lacking in discernment. But it doesn't mean we throw Piper and Chandler out with the hypocrites. Take note of it, scratch your head if you must, and move on.

I love both men. We have a couple of their books in our church library under recommended reading: Chandler's Explicit Gospel and Piper's Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. I appreciate the gospel basics both books offer. As invaluable as these men have been to me over the course of my young adult life, I hope and pray they will be more discerning as to who they're reposting on Twitter and thus giving an endorsement of.

Piper's continued involvement with Passion is becoming a growing blemish on his ministry for a number of reasons I won't get into here. I've defended him to my friends in the past, but it's increasingly difficult to do so the worse Passion is getting. I'm hoping that he will reconsider his participation with the conference and withdraw from future appearances.

Buice was right on point when he said passion without knowledge is deadly (read also his article on why pastors should stop using Beth Moore). We can have even a passion for the Bible but misuse it in such a way that it becomes a danger to us and to others -- mind you, with eternal consequences. Regarding the handling of Paul's letters, Peter warned, "There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures" (2 Peter 3:16).

There will come a generation of Christians who will set aside the Bible in an attempt to be more like Jesus. But don't think of Moore as being some kind of prophet in that sense. That generation is right now, and Moore is among those teachers we should be watching out for.

From Walden Media, Vertical Films, and ... the WWE? comes the Christian-themed movie The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, hitting theaters January 20. Because wrestler Shawn Michaels plays a minor role in the movie, apparently that makes it the property of WWE Studios. Which means you'll find it in the library of WWE greats like See No Evil, Leprechaun: Origins, and Queens of the Ring.

Please understand I'm being wildly sarcastic.

The story is set in the present-day fictional town of Masonville, a suburb of Chicago. It involves a washed-up actor and former child-star Gavin Stone (played by Brett Walton of Agents of SHIELD fame), who gets arrested for disorderly conduct and is forced to do community service at, of all places, a church. After not having much success with a mop, he figures out he can join their production of a Jesus play entitled Crown of Thorns and work out his community hours doing what he loves to do the most.

Since Masonville is conveniently Gavin's former hometown, his dad lives nearby, so Gavin has a place to stay and a loose subplot of having to work on his estranged relationship with his father (Neil Flynn of Scrubs fame). The director of the play, Kelly (Anjelah Johnson-Reyes), happens to be the pastor's daughter, and brings a bit of romantic tension into the story (it's just a crush, nothing serious).

The lighthearted moments...

One of the issues with the storytelling is that it's a small-church plot squeezed into a mega-church setting (yes, I'm being ironical). The church is huge. There are literally thousands of people at their disposal and a budget that is in the millions of dollars annually. But they act like they're limited on people and resources, including good actors for their big-budget play.

When we first meet the pastor, he is dressed in work-clothes laboring on a water heater. This is right after we've watched Gavin enter a nice building, walk long hallways, witness staff prayer meetings, stroll past a cafeteria full of children, and peer through big picture windows. It makes no sense when seconds later the pastor is crawling out from under an appliance saying, "At $30 an hour, it's always better to just fix it yourself" and then sits down in his leather chair in his immaculate office. Pastor Alan (played by D.B. Sweeney from The Cutting Edge for those 90s movie buffs) is a complete dud of a minister, but we'll get to that.

Though the first half of the movie has its share of problems, it can still be rather witty. When Gavin was a child-star, he was known for a sitcom character named Cliffy whose catch-phrase was, "Don't look at me!" They work that into the movie where Gavin says, in some manner of words, "Don't look at me, look at Jesus" (but bear with me, that's not as genuine as it sounds).

The movie also makes fun of American Christianity. When Gavin stands up at his audition and gives his testimony, it's Christianese cliches and lyrics from secular songs:

"Hi, everybody! As you probably already know, my name is Gavin Stone. But, what you probably didn't know is that I'm a Christian. I wasn't until a few years ago, when I hit rock-bottom. I just felt something missing. I guess you could call it a God-shaped hole. So I came to a place where I decided to climb that stairway to heaven and let Jesus take the wheel. And ultimately, hey, let go and let God. I'm still a bit new to it, too. So forgive me if I don't always get the details perfect."

And everyone totally buys it with nodding heads and moist eyes. That was hilarious. He had pulled out his smartphone and looked up what a "Christian testimony" was, that's what he came up with, and everyone is totally fooled. There's a massive irony regarding that scene, and you probably already know what it is. But I'll wait until the end of the review to pull back the curtain on it.

Gavin's treatment of Jesus is also rather amusing. The way he delivers Jesus' lines is very, "Look at me, I'm Jesus! Even the wind and the waves obey me!" In the background the disciples are all talking over each other because they can't get their pacing right. I laughed a time or two in those scenes. Kelly has to tell Gavin that Jesus was humble, not an attention-getter.

There's a touching moment I enjoyed where Gavin talks to a young girl who is hearing-impaired using sign-language. He tells Kelly that he played a role in a Hallmark movie where he had to learn how to sign. Kelly tells him that if he can learn sign-language for television, then he can spend at least half that time learning about the role he's playing as Jesus. That was a well-done scene. Unfortunately, that very scene sets up a huge theological problem.

And then it all falls apart...

Gavin's research about Jesus never involves reading the Bible. He Googles some Christian catch-phrases, but never opens up the Scriptures. There's not one sermon. Not even a Bible lesson. He goes to church, but we only hear a popular worship song, never any of the pastor's message. He goes to a small group, but Gavin prays a Braveheart prayer over pizza. We never actually witness them studying the Bible.

Gavin offers to help his dad with his carpentry work because Jesus was a carpenter. He helps out in an auto-garage fixing up cars for single moms because, you know, it's what Jesus would do. Gavin learns about being humble because Jesus was humble. But he never once hears a single passage on who the Bible says Jesus is. In fact, the movie mocks having to know anything about the Scriptures.

There's a scene in the movie where they're working on a part of their play, the story from John 8 where the woman caught in adultery is brought before Jesus. When Gavin, in the role of Jesus, is attempting to say, "Neither do I condemn you," he breaks character and says, "I'm sorry, why does he stick up for her like that? Does he know this person?"

At that point, one of the disciples stands up and says, "Hey, I can answer that question." And his explanation, word-for-word, sounds like this: "It's called the doctrine of atonement. What it means is the totality of human iniquity can only be removed by the one who establishes those moral parameters. However..." Then the director interrupts him and says, "Not right now."

Not only is that not the doctrine of atonement, the movie is making fun of learning about theology. The plot literally hands control of understanding Jesus to a character who is an unbeliever. The pastor, who couldn't distinguish between a genuine Christian and a tree stump (Matthew 7:19), says to his daughter, the director of the play, "We need Gavin." Then obviously the church doesn't need you as their pastor!

All a person needs to do is be humble, do nice things for people, learn wood-working with your dad, go to a Jesus play, and hey, you've got Jesus figured out. I'm not crazy about Jesus plays in the first place. I don't think churches should be doing them. But setting my own convictions about that aside, this movie never delivers on what it promises. The "resurrection of Gavin Stone" never happens.

Even the slogan gets it wrong. Church doesn't change anyone. Jesus does.

And then it gets even worse...

Gavin bails on the play to take a role in a show filming in LA. In the midst of dumping everyone who was depending on him, he confesses, "I am not a Christian" (no duh). Then he goes to take his part in a Hollywood production, which he discovers he doesn't like, so he decides to go back to Chicago and fulfill his obligation to the Jesus play -- simply because he didn't like the TV role he was being offered. Oh, and because there's a girl he likes.

The cast, the director, and the pastor let Gavin back in the play to play Jesus -- despite the fact that Gavin has fully and openly confessed to not being a Christian. When welcoming him back to the production, the pastor's daughter says, "Dad reminded me of all that Christian stuff, you know, what our church is about, and how this could really impact you, and what grace looks like, and blah blah blah." Yes, blah blah blah indeed.

Understand me clearly: that is not what grace is. Grace is not letting an unbeliever play Jesus in a church play. When a person is lost, when they are dead in their sins, when they have broken the perfect law of God, when they are under His wrath, when they are headed for hell, grace is showing them their sin and telling them the gospel. It is not a gracious thing to lead them to believe lost sinners can still be part of the body of Christ anyway. That's a lie, which you might recognize as being very ungracious and unloving.

The Bible says it is through the law of God that we come to a knowledge of our sin (Romans 3:20, 7:7). When we preach the gospel, it is imperative to first tell a person that they have broken God's perfect law and what they deserve for that is death. Once they realize they stand condemned before God and under His wrath, they have ears to hear the good news of the gospel, that through His Son Jesus Christ our sins will be forgiven.

There's a place in the movie that would have been perfect for that message. After flying back from LA, Gavin says to Kelly, "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this right." Kelly could have said, "There's nothing that you can do to make this right, just like there is nothing you can do to make yourself right with God."

She could have showed him his rap-sheet; all of the things he has done as Gavin Stone (which by Hollywood standards is actually rather tame -- I don't think they ever go into him being a sexual deviant, just a heavy drinker and public nuisance). She could have then pointed to the Bible and showed him how fornicators, drunkards, and liars will not enter the kingdom of God. They will be cast into hell (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Revelation 21:8).

Being in a Jesus play doesn't make him right before God. Neither does doing nice things for people or making handicapped little girls laugh. Only the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ can make him right. Jesus is the one that makes you humble before God. He's the one that brings you from death to life. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, and whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life! But no genuine love exists in this movie, and no such message of grace is ever told to Gavin Stone.

Furthermore, it's ungracious and unloving -- downright destructive, actually -- to tell the audience that this guy, Gavin Stone, is fit to tell you who Jesus is. I guess I'm referring to two audiences here: there's the audience that is watching this movie, and there's also the fictional audience who paid for tickets to see a production where the lead is being played by a professing unbeliever.

"Look at this poster and receive eternal life!"

It doesn't matter that the church had a sold-out crowd -- shut the production down and refund their money. The guy playing Jesus has a mind that is set on the flesh and is hostile toward God (Romans 8:7). The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh (Galatians 5:17). But the movie sends the message that Jesus plays make people Christians, and if they hadn't let Gavin play Jesus, then he wouldn't have become a Christian and neither would anyone else. (Again, the pastor has virtually zero function in this movie.)

While "hanging on the cross," Gavin's silent prayer of confession to God is this: "Alright, I give in. I surrender. My way didn't work. I missed out on all this. I missed out on you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it. So here goes." Then in the character of Jesus, he rolls out the line, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Next, Gavin is walking out of the tomb to audience applause. The resurrection of Gavin Stone. Get it?

But there's been no understanding of sin, and therefore no repentance, and therefore no resurrection of his dead soul. There's no understanding of who God is or who His Son is, therefore Gavin does not know God and cannot worship Him. What Jesus' death on the cross means and what His resurrection means is mocked in the script.

All that Gavin decided was that church is a better deal than Hollywood. The people treat me better here, the girls are still pretty, and hey, I can still be an actor, even playing the biggest roles on the biggest stages. When his girlfriend asks him, "What happened out there?" He tells her, "I believe." But believe what? Nothing has been presented to believe in!

In conclusion...

The Resurrection of Gavin Stone is a light-hearted film that pretends to be a Christian movie but is actually everything wrong with American Christianity. What makes the scene where Gavin shares his mock-testimony ironic is this: That's everything this movie is. It makes you think you're hearing and seeing something genuinely Christian. But it's every bit as fake as fake Christianity can be.

Above All is a popular praise and worship song made most famous by Michael W. Smith, released on his album Worship (which came out on September 11, 2001). Smith first came across the song, written by Lenny LeBlanc and Paul Baloche, when he was going through material to sing at George W. Bush's inaugural prayer service.

Smith said President Bush was so receptive of the song, he asked Smith to play it every time he saw him. Said Baloche, "I'm humbled and blown away that a simple prayer of worship, started at my little piano, found its way to the President of the United States. The possibility that this song could be an encouragement to him is such an honor."

CCM Magazine later included Above All in their list of the 100 Greatest Songs in Christian Music. Lenny LeBlanc talked with CCM about why he thought the song had been so meaningful to many Christians: "I think because it's such a beautiful picture of how a God that is above everything would become like a rose trampled on the ground, take the fall and think of us... above all."

While that sounds lovely, it's not true. Biblically, the song is false.

I remember being taken with the song and falling in love with it. But it was sometime around 2006 or 07, when I was coming out of a spell of listening to false teachers, that I began to realize just how off the song really was. It starts out wonderful but meets its demise at the end of the chorus. The first verse goes:

Above all powers
Above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began 

Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what you're worth

So far, so good. The Bible says that Jesus is preeminent (Colossians 1:18), meaning that He is truly above all. Above Him there is nothing to gain. Nothing is higher. Surely you've been taught that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).

Who knows the mind of God? Who can be His counselor? Who can give Him anything that He must repay? "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:34-36). And if the song ended there, we'd be pretty good. But then we get to the chorus:

Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone 

Like a rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

And suddenly the song has just contradicted itself. If Christ is above all things, and yet He thinks of us above all things, then He cannot be above all things. He has elevated something higher than Himself, and that's us. You might say, "But wasn't that His ultimate motivation when He died for us? Because He loved us?" Actually, no.

Now, don't get me wrong. God does indeed love us. Ephesians 3:18-19 says that it is a limitless love that surpasses knowledge. Romans 5:8 says, "But God shows His love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us." His love for His children is demonstrated in the cross of Christ. But don't confuse His love for us with being His ultimate purpose.

Philippians 2:9-11 says that "God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Christ's ultimate purpose in His incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension was the glory of God.

Jesus is the ultimate example of what it means to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves, which you might remember as being the summation of all the law and the prophets. Jesus saves us from our sin, death, and the wrath of God not because He thinks of us as being more important than His own glory, but rather for His glory.


Psalm 23, that hugely popular Psalm that says such pleasing and comforting things like "The Lord is my shepherd," and "He makes me lie down in green pastures," and "He leads me beside still waters," and "He restores my soul," says in verse 3, "He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake." This is a constant theme throughout the Psalms:

• Psalm 25:11, "For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great."
• Psalm 31:3, "For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me."
• Psalm 79:9, "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake!"
• Psalm 106:8, "Yet He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make known His mighty power."
• Psalm 109:21, "But you, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!"
• Psalm 115:1, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!"
• Psalm 138:2, "I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word."
• Psalm 143:11, "For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!"

Notice that God has exalted above all things His name and His word, not us. The skeptic will say, "What an egotistical, self-centered God!" But exactly whose glory should God be for? If He is for ours, He would cease to be God. The reason why we, as sinful human beings, have a problem with God being for God is because we want to take God off His throne and seat ourselves there.

But even while we were enemies of God, we have been reconciled to God by the death of His Son (Romans 5:10). Jesus gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and purify for Himself a people for His own possession (Titus 2:14). Our salvation in Jesus Christ is to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6). We read in 1 John 2:12, "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake."

There are two reasons I believe Above All has been so popular: 1) Because there are some people who like the idea of God exalting us above Himself; or 2) Because those who love the song think it sounds pretty and are not actually considering what they're singing, or maybe even what the Bible says.

Let us be mindful that in our worship we are giving praise and honor and glory to the right person. God alone is worthy of our worship... above all.

This morning I shared a quote from J.C. Ryle, former Anglican Bishop of Liverpool. He was big on evangelism and critical of ritualism. From his book Practical Religion, he wrote, "Give me a candle and a Bible, and shut me up in a dark dungeon, and I will tell you all that the whole world is doing."

One of the most common criticisms I face as a preacher, and perhaps any Christian faces today, is that I don't have the right to judge anyone (the accuser always misses the irony that they are, in fact, judging me). I'm reminded constantly that judging a person's behavior is contrary to the Bible which commands Christians not to judge (news flash: it doesn't).

But I don't have to judge anyone. The Bible has already judged everyone. All I need to do is repeat what the Bible says.

Recently, I was invited over to someone's home to share the gospel with a young man. His parents were of a false religion, but he said he didn't believe any of their religion or mine. I knew nothing else about him but his first name and that he needed to hear about his sin and the One who died for sin. So I simply went to the Scriptures.

I told him the Ten Commandments and he said he was familiar with them. I said that this is the Law of the God who created the whole universe. Everyone is guilty of breaking God's law. None of us can keep it. None of us have. I asked him if he'd ever told a lie before. He said he had, sure. Everyone has. Who hasn't? I asked him what you call a person who tells lies. He said, "You call them a liar."

I asked him if he's ever stolen anything before. And he hesitated. There was clear guilt in his face. I wondered later if he had stolen merchandise on him at that moment. But he answered, "No." I replied, "Are you sure? Because you just told me you're a liar." He sat back and said, "Okay, sure. I've stolen something before." I asked him what you call a person who steals and he said a thief.

I asked him if he's ever taken the Lord's name in vain before, like saying "Oh my God" or "Jesus Christ" as a swear. He said he had. I said, "Have you ever thought about what you're saying when you cuss like that? Who's name you're using?" He said he hadn't given it much thought. I said, "This is a sin called blasphemy. It's very serious. The Bible says God has exalted above all things His name and His word, and you exalt yourself above that name whenever you misuse it."

I asked him if he's ever looked at a woman with lust in his heart. He admitted he had. I said, "In Matthew 5, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that if anyone has ever looked at someone with lust, he's committed adultery with that person in his heart."

I asked him if he's ever murdered anyone before. To that he kind of chuckled and said he hadn't. I said, "Same sermon, Jesus said if you've ever called anyone a person names or had hate toward them, then you've murdered them in their heart and you are worthy of the fires of hell. Have you ever hated anyone or called them derogatory names?" He said he had.

I said, "Okay, then by your own admission, you are a lying, thieving" -- he squirmed -- "blaspheming, adulterous, murderer. That's just five of the Ten Commandments. So if you were to stand before God today, and He were to judge you just based on these commandments, would you go to heaven or to hell?" He said he would probably go to hell.

Now that he had heard the truth about his sin, and now that he was clearly uncomfortable about it, I could tell him the gospel. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, the Bible says, and the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 3:23-24, 6:23).


God so loved the world that He sent His Son, Jesus. The Son of God became a man and perfectly kept the law when we could not. He is the only good man who ever lived. But the people hated Him and committed Him to be crucified. The wrath of God that we deserve because of our sin was poured out on Christ instead, and by His death on the cross we can be saved.

For all who turn from their sin and believe in Jesus, their sins are atoned for. You are no longer guilty. The debt has been paid. God looks at you as innocent. But if you do not believe in Jesus, there's still blood-guilt on your hands. And on the day of judgment, you will stand before the throne of the Creator of the universe. He will judge you for your wickedness, for thinking you're better than He is and you are above the Creator's law, doing what you want to do instead of worshiping the King.

For those who are followers of Jesus Christ and do the things that Christ did, they have been made fellow heirs of His kingdom, and they will live forever with Him. But those who are against Christ will be sent to a place of eternal torment. They will be judged to hell. You have this life only to repent and believe. After this comes judgment.

I asked him if he understood what I was saying, and he said that he did. I asked him what his thoughts were, and I believe he said something to the effect of, "Well, it's a nice story." I assured him that it was all true and talked to him about the trustworthiness of the Bible. I said that in the cross of Christ, we see the wrath of God and the love of God. Our sin is so serious, it required the sacrifice of God's own Son for us in order to pay for it.

It was a friendly chat. After a little more talking, our host was treating us to lunch which was waiting in the kitchen. The young man said that he needed to make a phone call. As we were standing in the kitchen preparing our plates, he suddenly and strangely got choked up and escaped rather hastily through the back door.

I would find out later that he went immediately to a friend of his (who came and talked to me) and said, "That was total [expletive], man. All they did was sit there and judge me. Told me about how I was a liar and a thief and how I was going to hell." I told his friend all we talked about was what the Bible says.

Jesus said, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him." I hear that verse repeated a lot as another reason I don't have the right to judge anyone. But have you ever asked why Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, didn't come to condemn the world? It's because they're already condemned. Every person condemns themselves.

The next verse says, "Whoever believes in Him," meaning Jesus, "is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light," again, referring to Jesus, "has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God" (John 3:17-21).

The Bible tells us the condition of every person in the world: that without Christ they stand condemned before a holy God. The Bible tells us the direction the world is heading: into more and more depravity, further and further away from God (Romans 1:18-32).

It's a good idea to read the news and keep up on current events. But in doing so, what we will observe in the condition of whatever culture we live in, wherever we live on the globe, whatever time period this is happening in, an affirmation of what the Bible has already told us a long time ago. And that the only remedy is Jesus.

I'm presently in California for the Shepherd's Conference held at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley. The theme this year is in honor of the 500th anniversary of the protestant reformation. Speakers include John MacArthur, Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Steve Lawson, and many others. It's going to be a great week of teaching and fellowship with other pastors.

I wasn't in California for very long before I was exposed as "not from around here." Yes, the "You're not in Kansas anymore" jokes abound. I've been all over the U.S., having set foot in about 40 different states, but I guess there's just something different about California.

When I got to my hotel, a gentleman recommended to me that Uber was the best way to get a ride, much cheaper than a cab. I'd never used Uber before, so I downloaded the app and scheduled my first trip. The Uber map put me in a weird place to rendezvous with my driver, but we managed to find each other. I apologized and told him this was my first Uber experience, and he explained to me how it all worked.

My destination was Grace Community Church. How I ended up there is a story in itself. The short version is that Nate and I need to work on our communication skills. But since I was on the GCC campus, I figured I would look around. Everyone was getting ready for the conference. There's tables and tents and more tables and somewhere there's surely chairs.

I found my way to the Master's Seminary library. There in a display case under glass are Dr. John MacArthur's first sermon notes -- on the book of Philippians! That's also the first book I preached through. I had no idea it was Dr. MacArthur's first as well. When was that, 1878? Did he ever meet Charles Spurgeon?

Anyway, once it was dark, I figured it was time to head back to my hotel. For some reason, my Uber app didn't want to work. I became concerned I wasn't going to be able to get back to Burbank. I was just about to start fasting and praying when suddenly a car pulled up in front of me. The driver rolled down the window and said, "Gabriel Hughes?"

"Yes?" I replied.

He said he was my Uber driver. We were both kind of stunned because my app wasn't working and he said his was acting up, too. But he did get a notice that a Gabriel Hughes needed a ride from my current location. Because I'm a trusting person, I hopped in and off we went back to Burbank.

He asked me if I went to church there at Grace Community since that's where I was coming from. I said I was in town for a pastor's conference. I asked him if he was a Christian and he said he was an Armenian Christian. Well, I thought he said he was Arminian.

Now, I've never had anyone just outright say to me that they're an Arminian. But this was in a certain context. I was just coming from John MacArthur's church, after all, a famous Calvinist preacher. In my brain, I thought this driver knew of the church and its Calvinist teaching, and he found it necessary to clarify that he was Arminian.

So I started explaining to him the doctrines of grace. I explained that mankind is inherently sinful. In fact, he's so depraved that he can do nothing righteous before God. Romans 3 explains that no one is righteous, no one understands, and no one seeks for God. We cannot will ourselves to believe in Him. But we also can't resist His will when He calls us to Himself.

In God's infinite grace and mercy, which He predestined for His children, He regenerates our hearts to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. We turn from our sin and believe on His name. His sheep know the voice of the Good Shepherd and they follow Him and no one is able to snatch them out of His hand. In the Spirit we are sealed for the day of redemption. That's the short version, anyway.

The driver was rather confused. Somewhere in his attempt to clarify, he said that Armenians were the first Christians. I thought he said that he was First Christian; as in, the First Christian Church denomination. So I asked him, "Is your church like a non-denominational First Christian church, or are you Stone-Campbell and teach baptismal regeneration?" Now he was really confused. (You can look up what he meant by "first Christians" on your own.)

I was eventually able to figure out that he was saying that he was an Armenian Christian, not an Arminian Christian. He explained he had never heard these terms before: Arminianism and Calvinism. So I explained to him that Arminianism was named after Jacobus Arminius from whom the doctrines were derived, and Calvinism was a response to Arminianism named for the teachings of protestant reformer John Calvin.

So this unassuming Uber driver got a theology lesson in the short distance from Grace Community Church to Burbank,. We also managed to get the difference between Baptists and Presbyterians in there. I told him that while there are different perspectives of covenant, we're still brothers and sisters in Christ and Him crucified. That was probably another confusing reference.

It wasn't until the end of our trip that I figured out he considered himself a Christian because he was Armenian, but didn't actually know the gospel. Sometimes he went to church and lit candles, he said. Though I'm sure I gave him a very confusing gospel message, I pray that the Spirit will make sense of it for him. Maybe he knows he can always go to Grace Community Church.

I'm a stranger here in more ways than one. It's all Nate's fault.

Hot on the release of the mediocre film The Shack (18% approval rating by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, 6.8 viewer rating on IMDb), the book's author William Paul Young has released Lies We Believe About God. It came out March 7, less than a week after The Shack hit theaters.

If there was any question about Young's theology, this book leaves no doubt. Personally, I had no questions about what Young believes about God -- it's all in The Shack. But this hasn't stopped scores of people from defending the book/movie as "just a story." For example, rapper Lecrae, featured on the film's soundtrack, defended it as just fiction and not theology, as though fiction gets a pass when it comes to the scrutiny God commands we are to give everything (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Aside from the fact that any talk about God is theology, Young has outright said The Shack is theology. In the forward to C. Baxter Kruger's book The Shack Revisited, Young wrote, "Please don't misunderstand me; The Shack is theology. But it is theology wrapped in story, the word becoming flesh and living inside the blood and bones of common human experience." (This is the quote given in the WWUTT video on The Shack vs The Bible.)

Kruger returned the favor by writing the forward to Young's book Lies We Believe About God. And it's a really weird forward. It's almost as if Kruger is saying, "I know the stuff you're going to read in this book is kind of wonky, but I can verify that William Paul Young is still a Christian!" In actuality, Young in his own words exposes himself as a heretic. Again, we shouldn't be surprised. He already did this in The Shack.

All of Young's chapters in the book are "lies we believe about God." There are 28 of them, chock full of man-centered doctrine. It's not kind-of man-centered. It's all man-centered. Here are ten of the titles of these chapters and the theology they contain. Again, the titles are all "lies" Young says most people believe about God.

"God is good, I am not." 
And again, I must emphasize Young believes this is a lie. He goes as far as saying that there are pastors who are allowed to stand in their pulpits and preach this lie that people are not good. Young has a tenuous relationship with the Bible. Sometimes entire chapters of his don't contain a single verse. So we don't know how Young deals with passages like Romans 3:12 which says, "No one does good," or verse 23 which says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Young repeats the liberal theological trope that everything God makes is good, and since I'm made in the image of God, I am good. But he misses the reality of original sin: since Adam, we have taken that image and desecrated it with our sin, exalting ourselves in the place of God, and for that we deserve His holy and divine wrath. Jesus, the only good man there ever was, satisfied the wrath of God with His sacrifice on the cross. All who believe in Jesus will live. That gospel message does not exist in Young's theology.

"God is in control." 
Yes, Young actually believes that God is not in control. He says, "God has the creative audacity to build purpose out of the evil we generate, but that will never justify what is wrong. Nothing, not even the salvation of the entire cosmos, could ever justify a horrific torture device called a 'cross.'" Does Young just not know that the Bible addresses this very thing? Peter preached at Pentecost, "This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men" (Acts 2:23). God foreordains, but this in no way absolves men from the guilt of his evil acts. What we mean for evil, God always means for good (Genesis 50:20). We are responsible to turn from sin and to Christ for forgiveness.

"God does not submit."
Young comes back over and over to the fact that we are created in the image of God and proceeds to draw false conclusions: Since I'm made in God's image, whatever I'm like, God must be like that. Since I have to submit, then God also has to submit. Young also believes the Father submits to the Son. He does not. Young goes as far as saying God even has to abide by the golden rule: He treats us the way He wants us to treat Him. But Jesus serving us (Matthew 20:28) is not the same thing as submission. To submit means to yield to authority. We have no authority over God. Absolutely zero. The only person Jesus submitted to was His Father in heaven. He submitted to God and served us as the ultimate example of what it means to love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. This fulfills the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17, 7:12).

"God is more he than she."
Young tells a very remarkable story about how his mother saved an infant child who then grew up to become an Anglican priest who tells Young's mother that Young was right to make God in The Shack into a large black woman named Papa. Ugh. He took a true, very heart-felt and inspirational story, and turned it into something self-centered and pretentious. Young says God possesses feminine qualities (nurse, mother, etc.); therefore, He can be a woman, too. Again, it's all man-centered and feelings-based, not biblical. God created man to be the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. The husband is to be a picture of Christ laying His life down for the church, the wife is a picture of the church submitting to Christ, and the head of Christ is God our Father (1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 5:22-33). For all Young's talk about "submission," the one thing he doesn't seem to want to submit to is the Bible.

"You need to get saved."
Young says, "God does not wait for my choice and then 'save me.' God has acted decisively and universally for all humankind. Now our daily choice is to either grow and participate in that reality or continue to live in the blindness of our own independence. Are you suggesting that everyone is saved? That you believe in universal salvation? That is exactly what I am saying!" He goes on: "Every person who has ever been conceived was included in the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. When Jesus was lifted up, God 'dragged' all human beings to Himself." He references John 12:32 which says, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." It's the favorite verse of all universalists, and it's totally out of context. Previously in John 3:36, we read, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."

"Hell is separation from God."
Since Young has already revealed himself as a universalist, surely you know he doesn't believe anyone goes to hell. In fact, he quotes Romans 8:38-39 which says nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God. Therefore, hell cannot be a place where we are separated from God. Rather, Young says, hell is God. It is "the continuous and confrontational presence of fiery Love and Goodness and Freedom that intends to destroy every vestige of evil and darkness that prevents us from being fully free and fully alive." But Jesus said those who do not believe in Him and do the will of His Father in heaven will go away into eternal punishment at the final judgment (Matthew 25:46, Revelation 21:8). Hell is a real place that real people will be cast into unless they in this life repent of sin and follow Jesus Christ. The Bible could not be more clear.

"The Cross was God's idea."
Young says God didn't come up with the cross -- we did. Again, the Bible addresses this point. See above. The Bible foretold that Christ would be crucified centuries before crucifixion was even invented (Psalm 22:16). This is not because God looked down the tunnel of time and learned something about the future, as though God needed to learn anything. That is a pagan myth rooted in fortune-telling and soothsaying. God knows the future because He foreordained it.

"Not everyone is a child of God."
This again is something presented in The Shack, that everyone is God's child. Logically, if everyone is made in the image of God, and everyone is good, and everyone is going to go to heaven, then of course according to Young, everyone is a child of God. He takes out of context a passage from Ephesians 4 to back up his point. But he missed the one in Ephesians 2 that says before we come to Christ, we are children of the devil subject to the wrath of God (see also John 8:44). God adopts us into His family through Jesus Christ, and we become the adopted sons and daughters of God (Ephesians 1:4-5, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:4-7, 1 John 3:1). Indeed, not everyone is a child of God. Only those who are followers of Jesus are children of God.

"Sin separates us from God."
Again, we're created in the image of God, and God doesn't create anything bad. Sin, according to Young, "is anything that negates or diminishes or misrepresents the truth of who you are, no matter how pretty or ugly that is." He then goes into a bunch of Osteenian affirmations of who the Bible says you are: "You are trustworthy! You have integrity! You are loving!" No, you're not. The Bible says very specifically what sin is: "Sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4). It is willful, open rebellion against the High King of the universe. Everyone has done it (Romans 3:23) and everyone deserves death for it (Romans 6:23). But the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord for all who believe. Those who are in Christ will turn from a life of sin and pursue the righteousness of God.

"God is One alone."
Young says that the God who "needs to be appeased, and failure is met by wrath and judgment" is a false one. Unfortunately for Young, that's the God of the Bible, only it's not the whole picture. He is indeed a God of wrath and judgment, but He is also a God of love and mercy. Young says those two things cannot co-exist. God says that they do (Exodus 34:6-7). He displays the full spectrum of His glory by saving for Himself the objects of His mercy, and pouring out judgment on vessels of wrath prepared for destruction (Romans 9:22-23). God is eternally gracious toward those whom He has saved and adopted as His children. He is eternally wrathful toward those who have rebelled against Him and rejected His Son. Repent of your sin and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, and be saved from the coming judgment.

Conclusion
Young closes his book by presenting a quote from the god of The Shack, and says that's the god he believes in. Quite literally, he says the god he believes in is the god he invented in his own story. The Shack is a story, and it is a lie from the heart of a liar. With this new book, Young set out to "expose" lies we believe about God. Instead, he presented a lot of lies he believes about God.

Last week, the hashtag #ThingsOnlyChristianWomenHear was trending on Twitter, and there were some beautiful things that were said. Such as:


There is no place a woman can find her greatest joy and worth than in her Maker, Jesus Christ, being encouraged and built up by His bride, the church. The world uses and abuses women, this crooked and twisted generation that we live in (Philippians 2:15). The church is where she can know she is cherished.

But then there were those bitter souls who hijacked the hashtag to express their grievances with Christianity -- which has never solved a single problem in the church ever...


Notice that they're complaining about something the Bible says. So their problem is not with the church -- it's with God. That's not the side of an argument you want to be on. A number of complaints had to do with attire. Apparently these ladies have quite a chip on their shoulders about being told what is proper for a woman to wear and what is not respectable. For example:


Two questions come to mind. First of all, how many of the fashion police are men and how many are women? In my experience in church (which is my whole lifetime), I've heard far more women admonish one another for their attire than I've heard men criticize revealing apparel. So don't automatically assume men are the purveyors in these instances.

Secondly, have you not read that "women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control," known by their godly behavior and not by drawing attention to their appearance? (1 Timothy 2:9-10) And that your adorning should be "the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious"? (1 Peter 3:4)

A woman who fears the Lord "dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come" (Proverbs 31:17, 25). By contrast, a woman who thinks she has to show skin, cleavage, or leg in order to have influence or gain recognition is neither strong nor dignified, and probably has no fear of God.

Consider that last comment where the woman says, "Don't wear [blank] because it could cause your brother to stumble." Now, men are responsible to take every thought captive and make it obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). But it's inconsiderate of any woman to dress however little she wants and not think about how it will affect her Christian brothers.

Ladies, don't you want men to be considerate regarding your mind and heart? Then you should also be considerate regarding how a man's mind works. Contrary to what the culture wants you to believe, men and women are wired differently. How a man views a woman who is dressed immodestly is different than the way a woman perceives it. And it is as selfish for a woman to expect men to think like her as it is for men to insist women get used to living in a man's world.

Remember, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." If you want more respect, then be more respectful. If you want empathy, be more empathetic. If you don't get what you want, remember that you work for the Lord and not for men (Colossians 3:23). The whole point of the golden rule is not to get what you think you deserve. It's realizing that you don't deserve the love of God, but He gave it to you anyway, so you must share that same love with others.

The ground is level at the foot of the cross, where Christ died for the sins of men and women. No one earns the favor of God because they're a man or because they're a woman. All have sinned and fallen short of His glory, and all those who are His have been forgiven their sins and given His life. Men and women are both made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and both are fellow heirs in the kingdom of God (1 Peter 3:7).

You must love others as you are loved, even if they've done nothing to deserve it. Loving others means you deliberately consider the needs of others (Philippians 2:3-4). There are things for men to work on and for women to work on. Ladies, you must think about what you wear. The Bible commands you to. Do that with joy, knowing that you are serving the Lord Christ.

"But everyone else dresses this way!" is a common retort. "Everyone else is wearing a bikini! Everyone goes to the store in yoga pants!" You're not called to dress like everyone else. You are called to be holy in all your conduct (1 Peter 1:15). To be holy means to be set apart. You are not to conform to the pattern of this world but to obey the will of God (Romans 12:2).

God created your body, and His works are beautiful. "I am fearfully and wonderfully made," David praised. "Wonderful are your works! My soul knows it very well" (Psalm 139:14). Since God is the designer, He gets to decide how one is to treat their body. This goes for men as much as it goes for women. There are parts of you the world is not meant to see. So dress modestly.

Perhaps you need to learn to "count it all joy, my brothers [and sisters], when you meet trials of various kinds" (James 1:2). And you need to do that first before taking your grievances to Facebook or Twitter. Slandering the church is demonic. Watch out that you're not like the wicked servant who beats his fellow servants in Matthew 24:45-51. God will cut you into pieces and throw you out with the hypocrites.

The church is certainly not perfect, but unlike the world, it is being perfected by the love of Christ. Churches are full of sinners, after all. People can still get hurt and hearts can still be broken even in the church. But God's people have been given His grace, and that grace is shared with one another. Even on its worst days, the church is far more beautiful than this fallen and unforgiving world.

We must love the church as Jesus loves the church. He gave Himself up for her, and is sanctifying her by the washing of water with the word, according to Ephesians 5:26, "that He might present to church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." He is not cleansing her with hashtag wars. And neither should you.

Aaron Hernandez, the famed football tight-end for the New England Patriots, was convicted of the murder of Odin Lloyd who died of a gunshot wound on June 17, 2013, in North Attleborough, MA. Hernandez was arrested 9 days later in connection with his death, and was found guilty of first-degree murder which came with a mandatory life-sentence without the possibility of parole.

Hernandez was also indicted for the 2012 double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, but was acquitted earlier this year. Just days after his acquittal, Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell having hanged himself. His death was ruled a suicide. Cardboard was jammed under the cell door to make it difficult for someone to enter and stop him, and Hernandez had covered the floor in shampoo so his feet would slip and he'd be unable to save himself if he had second thoughts.

He left three handwritten letters next to an open Bible and had written the reference to "John 3:16" in ink on his forehead. He also had rosary beads hanging on the wall of his cell. In addition were drawings on the walls in his own blood. One drawing was an unfinished pyramid with the Eye of Providence and the word "Illuminati" scrawled underneath. In the notes he had written, he said he was entering a "timeless realm," that he loved his family, and no one should shed any tears for him.

Today, less than three weeks after his suicide, a Massachusetts judge acquitted Hernandez of murder, and based her decision on a legal rule called abatement ab initio. According to the rule, if a defendant dies before their appeal is heard, the conviction gets thrown out. Hernandez did not have the chance to appear before he took his own life. So though Aaron Hernandez died a convicted murderer, in the eyes of the law, thanks to this legal loophole, he is an innocent man.

There is a day that is fixed on which God will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31). Everyone will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and He will gather the nations before Him and separate them as one separates the sheep from the goats. Those who worshiped Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and did the things that Jesus did will enter into eternal life. But those who did not know Christ will suffer under the eternal wrath of God (Matthew 25:31-46).

There will be no legal loopholes. It is appointed for a man to die once, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27). None of the laws that man can devise will be able to save a person on that day. Such laws and legal stipulations have no bearing on the condition of a person's eternal soul. Jesus said not to fear the one who can destroy the body and after that can do nothing. Instead, we are to fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell (Luke 12:4-5).

A man or woman can die innocent in this life, having not broken any law of man. But on the other side, he or she will be found guilty of breaking the Law of God. As for the lawless and disobedient, the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the Law of God (1 Timothy 1:9-11).

As for adulterers, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). As for the heart that brings forth evil thoughts, murder, adultery, theft, false witness, and slander (Matthew 15:19). As for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).

All have sinned, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23, 6:23). The only way that a man can escape this sentence under the holy and righteous justice of the living God is if his sins have been atoned for by the perfect blood of Jesus Christ. This is not a "loophole." Justice has been paid, and it has been paid by Christ. This is the grace and mercy of a loving God who, though we deserve His wrath and nothing else, gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14).

The wrath of God was poured out upon Christ on the cross. He took our sentence upon Himself, and by His wounds we are healed of our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5). He cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14). Jesus kept the Law when we could not and lived a perfect life, and for our sake He became sin who knew no sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

For those who have turned from sin and worship Christ the Lord, your sins are forgiven for His name's sake (1 John 2:12). Let your conduct in this world be honorable, so that when others speak up against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day that He returns to judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 2:12). This is the only way for you to be saved -- through faith in Jesus Christ -- and no other way. There is no other way one can stand righteous before God than clothed in the righteousness of Christ. He will forgive you your sins, cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), and save you from the day of wrath, making it for you a day of rejoicing.

Even more than this, we will be raised with new and imperishable bodies, like the body of Christ our Lord (Philippians 3:21), and will become fellow heirs with Him in His kingdom. He will wipe away every tear and death shall be no more, neither will there be mourning, crying, or pain ever again (Revelation 21:4). Turn from sin and cry out to God for forgiveness, and you will have it. Go to church so that you may grow in the knowledge of Him, in brotherly love and kindness, stirring one another to love and good works, encouraging each other as we see the Day of the Lord drawing near (Hebrews 10:25).

No one knows the day or the hour that they will die. And there are any number of ways that you could be taken out of this world at a moment. A feather can hold itself to the ground against a strong gust of wind more effectively than you can hold your life in your own hands. As the great preacher Jonathan Edwards has said:

"It is no security to wicked men for one moment, that there are no visible means of death at hand. It is no security to a natural man, that he is now in health, and that he does not see which way he should now immediately go out of the world by any accident, and that there are no visible danger in any respect to his circumstances... All the means that there are of sinners going out of the world, are so in God's hands, and so universally and absolutely subject to His power and determination, that it does not depend at all the less on the mere will of God, whether sinners shall at any moment go to hell, than if means were never made use of, or at all concerned in the case."

It is by the grace and will of God that you have not been snuffed out in this very moment, though that is what you deserve. And God has no obligation to spare you His wrath. Who has done anything for God that He owes something to them (Romans 11:35)? He sits in the heavens and He does as He pleases (Psalm 115:3).

But it has pleased God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to atone for the sins of His people. He rose again from the grave, showing that He has power over death itself, so that all who believe in Him will inherit His eternal life. He has done this by His great mercy and love, to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6). We know God is true to His promises to save the people of Jesus Christ because He is true to Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).

The verse that Aaron Hernandez scrawled on his forehead, John 3:16, says this: For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Aaron Hernandez did not understand this verse or any of the word of God, nor did he have the life of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, he would not have taken his own life, for no one who murders has the eternal life of Christ abiding in him (1 John 3:15).

There is no sin Aaron Hernandez committed that he would not have been forgiven. But instead of trusting in Christ, he tried many other ways to get to heaven by his own power -- not through the God of the Bible, but through the false god of the Illuminati and the false god of the Roman Catholic Church. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one gets to the Father but by me" (John 14:6). Jesus is not one of the ways. He is the only way to God. And whoever does not know the truth does not know the way.

Though a judge on earth may pardon the sins of Aaron Hernandez, the judge of all the universe does not submit to the will of men. He is great and He is fearful, which is why it is said, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7). Whoever does not fear God knows nothing (1 Corinthians 8:2). All of His works are wonderful. The stupid man cannot know and the fool cannot understand the mighty workings of God; that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever (Psalm 92:6-7).

Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). This is the day to turn from your sin. Call upon the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will exalt you (James 4:8-10). Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31).

A young couple wanted to be famous on YouTube. They aspired to have 300,000 followers and millions of views. What kind of stunt could they do to get that much attention? So the young man, Pedro Ruiz III, got an idea. He would have his girlfriend, Monalisa Perez, fire a gun at an encyclopedia he held to his chest, convinced the bullet wouldn't go through.

The gun Perez used would be a Desert Eagle .50 caliber pistol -- comparable to a .44 Magnum and can hit with the force of a .308 Winchester rifle. But Ruiz thought he was safe. He had tested the stunt on a stack of encyclopedias and it didn't even go through the first one. Perez was of course reluctant to participate, but her boyfriend talked her into it. She posted on Twitter that they were "probably going to shoot one of the most dangerous videos ever."

Ruiz thought this was the ticket to becoming internet famous and he would be throwing parties. The couple resided in rural Minnesota, Perez a stay-at-home mom pregnant with their second child and Ruiz working for a railroad company. They wanted something more than their meager living. YouTube fame was their way to stardom.

But the stunt went horribly wrong.

On Monday evening at the couple's residence, a camera was fixed on a ladder and another on the back of the car to catch the feat from two different angles. Ruiz held the inch-and-a-half thick book in front of him. Perez fired the gun from a foot away. It went through the volume and hit Ruiz in the chest. Their three-year-old daughter was with them.

The Norman County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call around 6:30 from Perez, admitting that she and her boyfriend were trying to make a YouTube video and she accidentally shot him in the chest. Ruiz was pronounced dead on the scene.

Perez is being charged with second-degree manslaughter, meaning that according to the law she killed her boyfriend out of negligence and not malicious intent. For this stunt, she could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Her family has said that she will have to live with this for the rest of her life, and that's penalty enough.

"I really have no idea what they were thinking," said Sheriff Jeremy Thornton to the New York Times. "I just don't understand the younger generation on trying to get their fifteen minutes of fame."

Indeed, fame is toxic. Even deadly. The Apostle Paul said, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life" (Galatians 6:7-8).

In other words, anything we try to gain in this world that we think will bring satisfaction to our flesh will ultimately result in destruction. That might not happen as quickly for you as it did for this young couple, but it's still corrupt and will come to ruin.

You know that. You observe it in the world around you. The tech gadgets you love so much today that you can't imagine your life without are the stuff of tomorrow's garage sales and garbage heaps. So why are you trying to find joy in things that will not last? That ultimately we know cannot bring us any lasting satisfaction? Surely you've heard the proverb that says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25).

That's what happened to Pedro Ruiz III and Monalisa Perez. And everyone else thinks they know better. Prior to this disastrous stunt, their YouTube videos had a couple-thousand views each at the most. Thanks to the attention caused by Ruiz's death, they now have views into the tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands, one video with half-a-million views.

I scrolled through the comment section of those videos, and it's full of people who think they have more sense than Ruiz or Perez. Said one comment, "Now you're a stay-in-jail mom!" Another said, "I hope nobody feels sorry for his death, you two are idiots" (profanity omitted). Another said, "Playing Stupid Games will award you Stupid Prizes."

But what if the stunt had worked? What if they got the attention they wanted without someone having to lose their life to get it? I wonder how many of the same people who are decrying the couple's foolish antics would have become immediate participants in their quest for fame. How many copycats would have tried to concoct a potentially deadly stunt just to get a million thumbs ups?

Maybe you have enough sense not to shoot someone in the chest. Maybe internet fame is not important to you. But given the circumstances, you are just as capable of doing self-destructive things to get the things you think you need to be happy. Maybe that destruction won't happen in the length of a trigger-pull, but again, you will be destroyed with whatever worldly thing or idea you sow to your flesh.

The Bible talks about a day that is coming when the world will be judged with fire, and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Whatever was done for the glory of God will survive, and that person will receive an imperishable crown in Christ's eternal kingdom. Whatever was not of God will be destroyed, along with those who did such godless works.

Said the Apostle Peter, "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace" (2 Peter 3:11-14).

The Bible says to set our minds on things that are above, not things that are on earth, and we will live forever with Christ in glory (Colossians 3:1-4). All flesh is like grass and its glory like the flower which withers and fades into nothing (1 Peter 1:24). For those whose minds are set on earthly things, their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame (Philippians 3:19).

Jesus said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:23-26).

Brian Zahnd has a bone to pick. By the title of his upcoming book, slated to release on August 15, you might think his bone is with puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards. The title of the book is Sinners In the Hands of a Loving God, a play on words against Edwards' famous sermon Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God, perhaps the most famous sermon ever preached on American soil. But Zahnd's bone isn't with Edwards. It's with the Bible.

Zahnd hates the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. He has made no secret of this. I believe that if he and I were sitting next to one another, he would go, "Yup, I hate it." He agrees that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but he has a rather vague way of explaining that. Zahnd says, "We violently sinned our sins into Jesus." Okay, what does that mean? Where is that in the Bible?

The Bible says Jesus died on the cross as a substitute for sinners. God imputed the guilt for our sins onto His Son, and He bore the punishment that we deserve in our place. By his sacrifice, God's wrath burning against unrighteousness is appeased. All who believe on the name of Christ are covered by His blood, and they have peace with God. The theological term for this is penal substitutionary atonement.

The Bible says, "He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned -- every one -- to His own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:5-6). Notice there that God put our sin on Jesus.

The Apostle Paul says the same in 2 Corinthians 5:21, stating that for our sake, God made Him to be sin who knew no sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. God did that. To the Romans he wrote, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith" (Romans 3:23-25). Again, God put Him forward to be a propitiation by His blood.

Propitiation specifically means that God's anger has been turned away by the ransom that Christ paid for us. R.C. Sproul explains, "Propitiation brings about a change in God's attitude, so that He moves from being at enmity with us to being for us. Through the process of propitiation, we are restored into fellowship and favor with Him."

John wrote, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). The doctrine of the atonement is a beautiful word of God that brings forth praise in the heart of every Christian who looks upon the cross and sees the love of the Father displayed in His Son Jesus Christ who shed His blood for our sins.

Brian Zahnd doesn't think so. He's quite sour over it, preaching that it makes God out to be a monster. Consider the implications of that -- If the doctrine of the atonement is biblical, Zahnd says God is a monster. How can Zahnd worship God if he thinks Him monstrous? Is he willing to hinge his own salvation on this issue?

Now, I've only read the first chapter since that's what his publisher has made available online ahead of the book's release. Lest anyone think I'm being unfair limiting my judgment to one chapter, the chapters in the table of contents happen to be titles of articles Zahnd has written on his blog: Jesus Is What God Has to Say, Who Killed Jesus?, Closing the Book on Vengeance, etc. I doubt the rest of the book says anything I haven't read or heard him say somewhere else.

From Jonathan Edwards to George MacDonald

Apparently Zahnd used to be quite the fundamentalist and his inspiration was Jonathan Edwards. He even made his own handwritten copy of Edwards' sermon Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God. That's dedication. But then turning to criticize the sermon, Zahnd is on his way to calling God a sadistic juvenile by page three, and a merciless torturer and keeper of an eternal Auschwitz by page five.

Now a far cry from Edwards, Zahnd's opinions on divine punishment are heavily influenced by the late George MacDonald, of whom Zahnd gives glowing praise. MacDonald likewise hated the doctrine of the atonement and taught that Jesus atoned for sins simply by defeating evil (known as the Christus Victor theory). He also believed that hell was not a place God sends people to, but a fire he uses to purify the heart of a hardened sinner just as a doctor uses fire to cauterize an infectious wound.

Zahnd quotes MacDonald's repudiation of Edwards believing that the Puritan's teaching was not Christ-like: "From all copies of Jonathan Edwards' portrait of God, however faded by time, however softened by the use of less glaring pigments, I turn with loathing. Not such a God is he concerning whom was the message John heard from Jesus, that he is light, and in him is no darkness at all."

According to Zahnd, God can't be a God who destroys sinners because that's too dark and God is light. He craftily pieces together fragments from Jeremiah, Paul, John, David, Hosea, Solomon, Job, and Hebrews. He insists, "The Old Testament is a journey of discovery," and "The Old Testament gives us many (and often contradictory) options." In between he says, "The Bible itself is on the quest to discover the Word of God."

Ah, and there's the fault in Zahnd's doctrine. The Bible is not a quest to discover the word of God -- the Bible is the word of God. All Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). The God on the right side of the book is the same God as the one on the left side of the book. Jesus Christ is the God of Leviticus. He is the God who delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and destroyed those in the wilderness who did not believe (Jude 1:5). He was not idly standing by while He watched His angry dad reign down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah but was active in that judgment (Genesis 19:24).

How does Zahnd deal with such stories and passages? The same way MacDonald did concerning hell. Whenever we read about God's "wrath" in the Bible, Zahnd says it's simply a metaphor. Citing Psalm 7:11-13, Zahnd says God doesn't actually abhor sinners. Rather, sinners destroy themselves by their own sin and the Bible calls this the wrath of God.

The truest picture of God we have in the Bible, believes Zahnd, is seen in the parable of the prodigal son. "This is the portrait that preachers and theologians and artists should work from," he says. By that one quote it should be apparent how Zahnd attempts to paint the version of God he likes best. When you approach the Bible as a quest or a metaphor, then you can start with any allegory in the middle and work out from there.

I'd like to note that the story of the prodigal son is not actually called the story of the prodigal son. That's the name most popularly attributed to the parable, but it would be more accurate to call it the parable of the older brother. Why? Because that's who Jesus is addressing. The Pharisees and scribes were grumbling that Jesus "receives sinners and eats with them" (Luke 15:2). So Jesus told them three parables: one about a shepherd who rejoices when he finds his one lost sheep, one about a woman who rejoices when she finds her one lost coin, and one about a father who rejoices when he receives his one lost son.

All three parables illustrate that all of heaven rejoices when even one lost sinner repents (verses 7 and 10). But the parable of the prodigal son contains an element the other two stories don't have, and that's the older brother. When Jesus gets to the third parable, he hammers his point home to the audience he was addressing -- the Pharisees and scribes who were grumbling. They're like the older brother who doesn't rejoice over the repentance of sinners, but rather believes he deserves a party because he kept all the father's rules.

In a sermon on this parable entitled Beware the Elder Brother, Voddie Baucham preached that the older brother here is saying, "I don't care that the death of Christ on the cross made the redemption of my brother possible. I just care that you don't think enough of me keeping the rules. What's important here is not the Father's delight in a sinner who was ransomed by the Son and brought home by the Spirit. What matters here is that you make much of me." That's the point of the parable. It's to warn the elder brother, not to preach the gospel.

Much to Zahnd's chagrin, Benjamin Warfield has pointed out that the parable of the prodigal son does not contain the gospel. Jesus said, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10), yet there is no seeking on the part of the father in the story. But most importantly, Warfield says, the parable is not the gospel because there's no atonement for sin! Of little wonder why Zahnd likes it so much.

Warfield dealt with this same matter in his day. Certain false teachers were denying the atonement and trying to push the message of the gospel contained in the parable of the prodigal son. Warfield responded:

 "It is precisely because there is no atonement in this parable that it has been seized upon by the modern tendency to which we have alluded, as the norm of the only Christianity it will profess. For nothing is more characteristic of this new type of Christianity than that it knows and will know nothing of an atonement. The old Socinians were quick to perceive this feature of the parable, and to make use of it in their assault upon the doctrine of Christ's satisfaction for sin. See, they cried, the father in the parable asks no satisfaction before he will receive back his son: he rather sees him afar off and runs to meet him and gives him a free and royal welcome. The response is no doubt just that other Scriptures clearly teach the atonement of which no hint is given here; and that we have no right to expect that every passage in Scripture, and least of all these parables, which exist under necessary limitations in their power of setting forth the truth, shall contain the whole circle of Christian doctrine."

Bam. So again, nothing that Brian Zahnd has written in Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God is anything new. Warfield was combating these same criticisms a hundred years ago. It's just the same old heresies with a different book jacket on it.

In Conclusion

The doctrine of the atonement has taken some punches this year, but the word of the Lord stands forever. Michael Gungor went on a Twitter tirade in which he called the doctrine of the atonement "horrific." William Paul Young, who wrote the forward to Zahnd's book (and whose most recent book I reviewed a few months ago), calls the atonement a "lie."

In response, Owen Strachen wrote the following: "What truly horrifies sinful humanity is not, in the end, Scripture's stubborn reliance upon blood atonement. The problem is much deeper. What truly offends human nature about the atonement is the greatness of the God who forgives through it, the lavish nature of the mercy that flows from it, the salvation for the wicked accomplished by it. It is precisely this salvation our fallen hearts reject. It is exactly this forgiving God we defy and even dare to correct. We must take care here: to promote the cross without the atonement means we do not promote the cross at all."

I fear for Zahnd's soul when he calls God a monster for the atonement when the Bible clearly teaches it. If Zahnd doesn't repent, he may soon discover that the wrath of God is not a metaphor, no matter how much he insists it is. If Zahnd does repent, he will finally see the grace, love, and mercy of God in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ for sinful man -- as he has yet to see it.

When my oldest daughter, Annie, was about three years old, she didn't have many toys. I was an associate pastor at the time, and Beki had just given birth to our son, Zeej. Things were really tight for us financially. We ended every month in the red, and could only buy Annie the things she needed, like clothes and homeschool supplies. Occasionally we would splurge and buy her a new cup or some coloring books.

Most of our money had to go to food, bills, debts we'd incurred before we got married (like student loans), and of course the baby supplies. Still, God kept in our hearts an understanding that we were very blessed. Some friends of ours were trying to adopt, and we bought some things from them as well as sold some things of our own to help with the adoption costs. Sometimes people would come to our house asking for help and we never turned anyone down.

Our church family was very kind and took good care of us. They made us meals, took us out to eat, and on occasion handed us some food cards or some petty cash. Friends of the family would buy Annie dolls, but most of her toys were hand-me-downs. All of our furniture was given to us, including our TV. We were living in a borrowed home. We didn't have cable or smartphones. It was very basic living.

Even when things were at their most difficult, we didn't complain. And bless her heart, neither did Annie. I'm sure she recognized that she didn't have the nice play-things her friends had, but she never argued about it. She had a very vivid imagination, and would make her fingers have conversations with each other as though they were action figures. Really.

One time a friend of the family handed us a gift card and said, "Use this to buy something nice for Annie." So we bought her something she always wanted and we never had the money to buy -- a Disney princess castle. It wasn't one of the more elaborate castles. Just a small, cheap, plastic, pink castle. But for Annie, it may have well been Neuschwanstein Castle. She adored her new palace.

In case you didn't get the reference.

We also got her a few Disney princesses with exchangeable outfits. Again, nothing fancy. They were small figurines with rubber dresses, and you could trade the dresses among the princesses. Annie had a horse and carriage that had been given to her, a piece from some other kind of play set. It wasn't even to the scale of her castle, but she made it her royal carriage, large enough to transport all her princesses from one place to the next.

And yet, there was something missing from her magical fantasyland. She had the princesses. She had her elaborate castle. She even had an over-sized horse and carriage. But there was no hero. No prince charming to come and sweep any one of these deserving princesses off her delicate plastic feet.

One day, while listening to her play, my dad heart was overcome. I went out to the garage and opened one of my totes in storage. It was full of Star Wars action figures, still in their original packaging.

Perhaps you'll remember that back in the 90s, George Lucas re-released the original Star Wars trilogy in theaters as an enhanced special edition. It was Star Wars' 20th anniversary, and along with the film they also remade the action figures. I was in high school at the time, and I bought at least two dozen, all main characters -- Luke, Leia, Han, Vader, Obi-Wan, etc.

I didn't buy them to play with them. I bought them so they would accumulate in value and one day sell them for a profit. My younger brothers were totally baffled by this. Why was Gabe buying action figures he had no intention of playing with?

Somehow they'd survived college and multiple moves, and were still just as new-looking as the day I bought them. And I was about to give one of them up. Because I didn't even have enough money to buy Annie a Disney prince charming, I had to liquidate an investment.

Han Solo seemed like the best candidate. Yeah, I know, he's a nerf herder and a bit of a scoundrel. But of the bunch, he at least looked the most like a prince charming. I felt like it was my solemn dad duty. I needed to sacrifice Han from my treasure trove for the happiness of a little girl. I opened the package, and brought him to Annie.

She hadn't seen Star Wars yet -- again, she was only three. She didn't recognize him. So I introduced him to her: "This is Han Solo, and he has come to take your princesses to the ball." She was so ecstatic! And I'm sure somewhere in his plastic chest, so was Han Solo. He'd been set free from his tote prison and introduced to a harem of Disney princesses.

It's kind of prophetic now, when you think about it...

Fast forward about six years to this past weekend. I've been working on constructing a more adequate laundry room down in our basement for my wife. We've accumulated so much junk in our garage that I don't have anywhere to cut wood. Most of the stuff just needed to be tossed, so I went on a cleaning spree and in the process, I came across my boxes of action figures.

It's now been 20 years since I first bought those Star Wars figurines (minus a Han Solo). How much could they have accumulated in value over the past two decades? So I hopped on the computer and started doing some research. The answer is -- not much. The Darth Vader that cost me $4.95 in 1997 was now worth $14.95 in 2017. What? Really? That's it?

Alright, well how much had Han Solo accumulated in value? Surely that was a more noble sacrifice than a mere $10 mark-up, right? I mean, the guy's dead now and will only be featured in prequel movies from here on out. Surely that's got to increase his demand.

Well, it turns out that very Han Solo which cost me $4.95 in 1997 was now worth a whopping... five dollars and ninety-nine cents twenty years later. A difference of one dollar and four pennies. That doesn't even cover inflation! My Han Solo actually lost value!

Of course, I didn't know that at the time I gave him up. It was a big sacrifice! Annie surely didn't care if Han Solo cost 495 pennies or 495 dollars. He was worth his weight in gold when I handed her the little figurine to become part of her magic kingdom. Thankfully, love cannot be quantified in dollars and cents -- because I still don't have a lot of that!

Even the piano and the Christmas tree... donated.

Sometimes we might think the kind deed we did for someone else mattered a lot, and then we find out it really wasn't worth as much as we thought. Other times we might think we haven't done much of anything at all, and it turns out to be a priceless act of love.

The Bible says, "Let love be genuine" (Romans 12:9). Don't be fake. Don't do things to get recognition for yourself. Give without expecting anything in return. Consider the needs of others ahead of your own. Be grateful when someone else does something for you, even if what they gave didn't quite meet your expectations. They may have given you all they could.

You don't know the intentions of someone's heart, but you can know if your own intentions were authentic. Test yourself. Examine your own heart against what God says in His word, the Bible. What does He say love is supposed to look like? Give to the glory of God, not for the glory of others. Then the Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:3-4).

I held on to some action figures for about 20 years that turned out to be worth not as much as I had hoped. So I'm giving them to my kids now, and they're excited to play with them. I did get something wonderful out of them after all -- it just wasn't the treasure that I thought I would get when I first started investing!

Moments like these that I experience on earth with my kids and with my family, are but a small, tiny taste of the overwhelming joy of heaven that awaits all those who are followers of Christ. Store up treasures in heaven and not on earth, Jesus said. The reward you will receive will be worth far more than you could have asked or imagined.

"Let's make a deal, you and me," writes Gregory Coles, author of the book Single, Gay, Christian: A Personal Journey of Faith and Sexual Identity. "Let's make promises to each other. I promise to tell you my story. The whole story. I'll tell you about a boy in love with Jesus who, at the fateful onset of puberty, realized his sexual attractions were persistently and exclusively for other guys. I'll tell you how I lay on my bed in the middle of the night and whispered to myself the words I've whispered a thousand times since: 'I'm gay.'"

As a pastor, this is not the first time I've listened to that confession. The first person I ever baptized used to call herself a lesbian. She sat across from my wife and me on our couch and wanted to know how she could still be a lesbian and be sure she would go to heaven when she died. I read to her 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which says:

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men [or women] who practiced homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

It was important to help her understand that one of the sins that will keep a person from the kingdom of God is homosexuality. "Idolatry" is grouped together with sexual sins because to engage in any sexually immoral practice is to bow at an altar to a false god -- a god of your own design, who will fulfill all your desires and give you all the pleasures that you want.

But those who belong to Christ "have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24). Peter said to "live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God" (1 Peter 4:2). Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24).

The young woman responded with a common rebuttal: Jesus didn't say anything about homosexuality. So I took her to the part of Scripture where Jesus talked about marriage, sexuality, and the sexes in Matthew 19:4-6. He said:

"Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let man not separate."

"Or in other words," I said to her, "let man not redefine." Sex was made by God. It is His gift. Since He created it, He gets to define it. And here He says it is meant for a man and his wife, "and the two shall become one flesh." Later the Apostle Paul wrote, "Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, 'The two will become one flesh.'" So sex outside the context of marriage between a man and a woman is sin. It is immoral. And Jesus explicitly said sexual immorality is evil (Matthew 19:9, Mark 7:21).

Furthermore, Jesus said that He would send the Holy Spirit, who would reveal more truth (John 16:13, 1 John 4:6, 5:6). As the Holy Spirit is God just as Christ is God, whatever the Spirit has said through the Apostles and the Prophets is also what Christ has said. Therefore, when we read in Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, or 1 Timothy 1 that homosexuality is sin, though these words were written by the Apostle Paul, they are also the words of Christ. Jesus is also the author of Leviticus. Jesus reigned down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Bible strictly condemns homoerotic behavior. To encourage someone in sin that God has promised He will judge is not loving. With the love of Christ for this woman, who had been attending our church and was listening to me preach, I was not about to let her leave our living room believing that she could practice a gay lifestyle and still inherit the kingdom of God when the Bible says the opposite.

I told her to notice the part in 1 Corinthians 6:11 where Paul said, "But you were washed!" Some of the men Paul wrote to were formerly guilty of homosexual sin. But they were loved by God and forgiven their sins. They were washed and cleansed by the Holy Spirit. Sitting among the people of the Corinthian church were those who could say, "I once was that! But I've been washed!" They were being made into the image of Christ, who died for their sins so that He might present us before God purified and holy with great joy.

So I put this before her: "The question you need to ask is not, 'Can I still be this and still get to heaven?' The question is rather this: 'Do I want God?' Do you want Him so much that you would be willing to give up every desire of the flesh that you have in order to be like Jesus? The Bible says it is they who will be given life, and given it more abundantly. It is they who will receive His kingdom. Revelation 12:11 says of them, 'They have conquered [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.'"

She said she believed the words that I told her. She wept and said that she wanted to repent of her sins and no longer be identified by a label of her flesh, but by the name of Jesus. I was privileged to be the one to baptize her, her appeal to God for a good conscience (1 Peter 3:21, Hebrews 10:22).

Note that when I started, I said I baptized a former lesbian. I didn't baptize a lesbian. I baptized a woman who had crucified the old self and was raised anew in Christ. She no longer recognized herself by her former sins. She was no longer a leper. She had been washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

After reading Single, Gay, Christian, I wondered if Gregory Coles had ever heard the things I told that young woman.


Prior to picking up the book, I had been told that Single, Gay, Christian was about a young man who struggled with same-sex attraction, but he had made a commitment to Christ to remain celibate -- hardly common in today's hyper-sexualized, gender-confused, instant-gratification culture. I was intrigued, even though I had some misgivings with the title of the book.

Gregory calls himself a gay Christian. The last time I'd read a book with those two words in the title, the author was attempting to rewrite the Bible and redefine marriage. Much ink has been spilled (or keys have been clacked, I guess) about whether or not a person can be gay and a Christian. To call oneself a "gay Christian" is to tack a sin adjective to the front of the pursuit of holiness.

What if the book was entitled Single, Adulterous, Christian, the story of a man who identified himself as an adulterer? Ever since he was twelve, he's had thoughts about sleeping with women he wasn't married to. He feels incomplete without a woman. It's a temptation so pervasive sometimes the desire consumes him and makes him feel dirty. But he fled from temptation and entrusted himself to Christ, who forgave his sins and clothed him in righteousness.

I've basically told the story of just about every maturing Christian male. So why aren't there young Christian men walking around calling themselves single adulterous Christians? Because we understand that adultery is a behavioral sin. Who wants to be called an adulterer? Only people who behave adulterously are called adulterers. Only people who hijack planes are called hijackers. Only people who kill other people are called murderers.

There's no such thing as being gay. There is no evidence that there are people who have a permanent orientation for homosexuality. It is not an immutable characteristic, and no one has proven otherwise. As we just read above in 1 Corinthians 6, there are men who used to do those things, but they have been cleansed by Christ, and they don't do them anymore. Homosexuality is, by biblical definition, wrongdoing.

So why was Greg choosing to call himself gay? (There is actually an answer to this question, and I'll get to it later on.) Other questions I had heading into the book were these: Does Greg understand holiness and sanctification? Does he know what it means to repent? Does he understand grace? Not taking anything for granted, does he understand what it means to be a Christian? Is he aware of what he's calling himself when he proudly admits that he is gay?

Unfortunately, Single, Gay, Christian is a book that fails to define its terms. Greg makes allusions to the gospel, but he never actually says what it is. He might say something like, "Jesus died for me," but he doesn't explain what that means. Also absent are words like justification, sanctification, redemption, salvation, or righteousness. Greg talks about sin and repentance only in the abstract. In fact, I'm not even convinced Greg understands what homosexuality is. I came away from the book knowing more about Greg, but I'd not been any more informed about "Single Gay Christians."

I have counseled persons wrestling with the things Greg says he's fought through, and their stories are nothing like his. In fact, his story is quite easy compared to the testimonies I've heard (I'm not at liberty to provide examples). In the story he told, he was never actually oppressed by anyone. His grief was largely self-imposed, even to the extent of taking offense at things he had no reason to be offended by.

My review will sound a little harsh, and maybe it already does, but it needs to. This is serious. Deadly serious. I cannot let you leave believing that a person can be gay and a Christian when the Bible says the opposite. That doesn't mean I think Greg isn't a Christian. I think he's confused and he will lead others into confusion. Whether he likes it or not, Greg is a teacher with this book, and teachers will be judged more strictly (James 3:1).

You might say, "But brother Gabe, he's committed to celibacy! Surely that's worth something, right?" Indeed that is brave of him. I hope he continues entrusting himself to God. However, Greg's celibacy is a personal commitment that's built more on what he feels is right rather than solid, convicting truth. He doesn't make an appeal to any other self-ascribed gay men to leave a life of sinfulness and be celibate. He's just telling his story, and he thinks that's enough.

I'm going to do more than tell a story. I'm going to tell you to repent. I'm going to tell you to die to yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. I do this in love. It's because I love you that I must tell you harsh truths. My desire is to glorify and imitate my Savior God, who from the moment he began to preach in His earthly ministry, He was preaching harsh truths: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 4:17)


Greg is a gifted writer and his book is easy to read. Before becoming a teacher in Pennsylvania and a worship leader in his church, he grew up in a Christian household devoted to ministry. Greg is still a young man, and many of the experiences he talks about in the book come from his time attending a Wesleyan college.

"The evangelical church is a strange place to be a sexual minority," Greg says. "What do you call yourself when you're gay and celibate in the church? There's no easy word for it, no label that doesn't confuse people or carry a heavy suitcaseful of connotations." So believing that he had no where else to turn, Greg became content in calling himself gay.

"When you say 'gay' in the church context, many Christians assume you mean the active pursuit of gay sex," he says. "But when I hear most people outside the walls of the church use the word gay, they're talking about an orientation, the nature of a person's attractions, not about a specific sexual act." Greg wants us to believe that the world has the best intentions when it applies the word "gay." It's not about a sexually immoral act. It's about who a person is, he insists.

"Being gay doesn't mean you're actively having sex, in the same way that being straight doesn't mean you can't be single and committed to sexual abstinence." The world doesn't have a problem understanding what a person means when they say "gay," Greg says. The church has the problem.

All this tells me is that the strategy to normalize terms like gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender as an identity has worked, and Greg has naively bought into it.

In 1988, a group of prominent homosexuals gathered in Warrentown, VA to map out a plan that would make homosexuality accepted by the general public. As a result of this meeting, Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen wrote a book entitled After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90s. When you read that book now, it is uncanny how much it describes our culture today. Their strategy worked. Part of that strategy was to portray gays as victims and to make those who oppose homosexuality into vicious haters, using bumper-sticker rhetoric and appeals to emotion rather than facts and logic.

Kirk and Madsen wrote the following:

"Our effect is achieved without reference to facts, logic, or proof. Just as the bigot became such, without any say in the matter, through repeated infra-logical emotional conditioning, his bigotry can be alloyed in exactly the same way, whether he is conscious of the attack or not. In short, jamming succeeds insofar as it inserts even a slight frisson of doubt and shame into the previously unalloyed, self-righteous pleasure. The approach can be quite useful and effective -- if our message can get the massive exposure upon which all else depends."

The homosexual agenda got massive exposure through music, movies, television, and the arts. A word like "gay," defining men who had sex with other men, was redefined to describe a person with a natural, unchangeable orientation. If anyone says otherwise, they lack love and empathy and compassion for another human being. Some of you are convinced a person can be gay, and they can't help themselves. Why do you believe that? The same reason Greg believes it: because it's been repeated to you over and over and over and over again.

Greg even does this to himself. He talks about how for years he would lie in bed and repeat, "I'm gay. I'm gay. I'm gay." He describes his acceptance as coming out of the closet. He uses all the words of the popular nomenclature without the least hint of irony. "I called myself 'gay' in my own head, because it was the best word I knew to describe the world I occupied. It meant that I shared an important piece of my life story with others in the LGBTQ community," he says. "I called myself 'gay' because I was tired of euphemizing, tired of being ashamed."

Though Greg is not giving into the temptation to be with other men, he doesn't want to let go of it either. Greg feels more comfortable identifying himself with a repurposed label once used for male prostitutes who serviced other men, and the church should feel ashamed for not embracing that label in a non-dirty or non-sexually-explicit context. We all have to change our minds (which is exactly what the culture wants us to do), but he doesn't have to change his. That is an astonishing argument.

It also exhibits Greg's confusion. He claims, several times in the book, that his identity is in Christ, yet he keeps coming back to finding his identity in cultural labels. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the word "gay" appears 160 times in Greg's book. The word "Christian" appears half that many times (the benefit of reading a book on Kindle is I can look up stuff like that). He spends less time talking about what it means to be a Christian, and more time making sure that you know he's gay. No one will find peace redefining words. Peace is only found in Christ.

Yet Greg insists, "Most of the English-speaking world is already using gay to describe sexual attractions. If I refuse to call myself a gay Christian, if I say that 'gay' and 'Christian' are contradictory identities, a lot of people will hear me saying that they have to be straight to follow Jesus. And I'll do whatever it takes not to communicate that message. I'm willing to risk being misunderstood by the church if it means being understood by the world Jesus died for."

And therein lies the flaw in Greg's doctrine. Who did Jesus die for? Ephesians 5:25-27 tells us, and it just so happens to be in the context of marriage:

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."

There we have that word "washed" again, another term strangely absent from Greg's book. Now, when Greg says Jesus died for the world, maybe he was thinking of verses like John 1:29 or John 3:16 or 1 John 2:2. I'm sure he means well. But to insinuate that Christ died for the world and not the church, and to think that comment was profound, goes to show how immature he is in his doctrine. We are to take the gospel to the world, not sexual identity categories to the church.

Furthermore, Greg says "I'll do whatever it takes" to not sound confusing to the world. Friends, the church is always going to sound confusing to the world. Read John 6. Scores of people walked away from Jesus because they didn't get what he was talking about. Jesus said, "Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word" (John 8:43). "You do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:26-27).

Not that we should try to sound confusing, but we certainly shouldn't be confused ourselves when the world thinks of us as strange. Peter said we are like strangers and aliens (1 Peter 2:11). Paul said, "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10). That's something Greg really needs to think deeply about. In the meantime, he is placing an unnecessary burden on his brothers and sisters in Christ that has the potential to cause division, not the unity he desires.


Though Greg wants the church to accept the word gay and use it without the connotation of sinfulness it justifiably evokes, his appeal is inconsistent. There are times he wants people to call him gay, and then there are times he doesn't. Is it then the responsibility of the church to learn when it is appropriate to use this word and when not to? Requiring everyone to walk on eggshells around you is hardly evidence of the grace of God.

Greg is simply not aware of the problems caused by blurring the lines of sexuality and normalizing "being gay." For example, he talks about sharing a bunk with another man and admiring his body when he undresses in front of him. Follow the logic here: How is this not the same as a man sharing a bunk with a woman he's not married to, and she undresses in front of him? Is it okay as long as the man doesn't feel guilty about watching another woman undress? Say that man was married. Do you really think his wife would be okay with him sharing a room with another woman, and that woman undressed in front of him?

Greg takes the approach that "I have these thoughts and there's nothing I can do about them" (not an exact quote). Folks, that's not a good message for anyone, homo- or heterosexual. Jesus said that if you look at someone with lust in your mind, it is the same as committing adultery with them in your heart (Matthew 5:28). The Apostle Paul said there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality among you (Ephesians 5:3). To be sexually pure even in our thoughts is sanctification at its most basic level. If you've not mastered this, you've not even ascended to the first rung of what it means to grow in holiness in Christ. We read the following in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8:

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you."

We are reminded that we were bought with a price, therefore we are to honor God with our bodies, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Every other sin a person commits, they commit outside the body. But sexual immorality is committed with the body. We are told to flee from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:15-20). Sexual sins are unique. They are unlike any other sin. Homosexuality even more so because it is described as unnatural desire (Romans 1:26-27).

This is not okay that Greg can talk about this and write a book about it without blushing. It is not good for him, is not good for any other young man struggling with homosexuality, and it is not good for anyone else who struggles with any other kind of impure thoughts. It is not okay for us to think we're just always going to have those thoughts and there's nothing we can do about them. Do you honestly believe you can have the mind of Christ if you're still enslaved to your lusts?

Have you not read that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37)? Did Paul not say "I will not be mastered by anything" (1 Corinthians 6:12)? Why do you continue to whine about things that God has given us power to master? Why do you continue to submit to them and be labled by them as though they have power over you? Friends, I emplore you -- be holy as God is holy!

Greg also talks about a time he was riding in the car with his sister-in-law, the wife of his brother. The two of them were alone together. His sister-in-law said it would be weird riding along in a car with another man, but because Greg is gay, then it's okay. Really? Greg is a worship leader in a church, and he says his church doesn't know he's gay (though after this book, surely they do now). Does the Bible not tell us that we should avoid even the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22)? That we should be above reproach (Colossians 1:22)? If someone were to raise an objection about this driving arrangement, what would his sister-in-law say: "It's okay, he's gay"? That's better?

Regarding this exchange, Greg says, "My gay body knows by instinct what so many straight men must fight to learn: that a woman's body should never be just an object of male sexuality." First, just because he's not sexually attracted to a woman does not mean he instictively knows she's not a sex object. You can watch gay men on reality TV shows cat-call women more suggestively than a football team. But we dismiss that as okay because those men are gay and they don't actually want that woman's body. Secondly, this story is right after Greg just watched a man undress and "admired" his body. Greg's veiled rebuke is rather hypocritical.

Now, there are times when Greg will challenge the church's understanding of masculinity and intimacy among men, and I can appreciate that. But hearing a professing gay man tell me how to be affectionate with other men is as awkward as if a woman were to instruct me about male sexuality. Why does Greg think he's qualified to talk to me about intimacy, especially when he confesses confusion about his own sense of intimacy?

At one point he says that he's "unable to conjure even the slightest heterosexual desire." Yet he tells a story about a time he made out with a girl and did in fact become sexually aroused. But he doesn't have even the slightest heterosexual desire? What does Greg think that sexuality is?

As he doesn't seem to understand human sexuality, he's equally confused as to what qualifies as sexual immorality. He presents the following hypothetical question:

Let's say I have two female friends. One is a lesbian. She's desperately in love with Jesus, willing to follow the cross no matter where it leads her. After years of study and prayer and reflection, she concludes that God can bless same-sex unions. She marries another women. 

The other friend is straight. As a Christian, she believes that any sex outside of a heterosexual marriage is wrong. But following her own sexual ethic is easier said than done. Year after year, she keeps falling for men she believes are "the one" and going to bed with them. Eventually she finds a steady boyfriend and agrees to move in with him to save money. After they get married, she flirts with cute guys at work to make herself feel desirable. She doesn't want to do any of it, but she can't seem to stop. 

Theologically, I am more in agreement with the second friend. But whose life is most honoring to God? Who really loves Jesus more? Who am I more likely to see in heaven? 

I don't know.

He then goes on to say it's not his place to judge either of these women; he can only judge his own story. Then who is he to say that the church has done anything wrong related to the acceptance of whom he calls sexual minorities? He's been making judgments all the way through this book. Suddenly it's not his place to discern the spiritual condition of two sexually depraved women?

He says, "If the only hope the church can offer to sexual minorities is the hope of orientation change, we have a weak gospel indeed." Exactly who has said the only hope for sexual minorities is orientation change? If Greg doesn't think the gospel can change a person who identifies as gay, then it's Greg's gospel that is weak.

A gay friend of Greg's asked him, "What if I decide it's okay to be in a same-sex relationship? What if I get married to another guy?" And Greg refused to tell him it was sin that will exclude him from the kingdom of heaven. What about Romans 6, where Paul says that if we've truly died to sin we can no longer live in it? Instead he says, "I'm convinced that in the end, God is more concerned with the depth and the recklessness of our love for him than he is with our right answers." Huh?

Jesus said the true worshipers of God will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). The Apostle Paul said, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law" (Romans 13:10). There is no conflict between love and law. There is no love in any kind of sex outside the biblical definition of marriage. How can you say you love someone if you're going to permit them to commit sin God has promised He will judge?

The Bible is clear: the sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom of God. But by the grace of God, we can be forgiven our sins and made new! For those who are followers of Jesus, our iniquities have been placed on Christ on the cross. His righteousness has been placed on us. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). That message is absent from Greg's book.


During the writing of this review, I had to stop, go upstairs, and spank our daughter for drawing in marker on the fireplace. She has been told dozens of times she is not to draw on anything but paper. Nonetheless, she continues to draw on walls, tables, banisters, floors, and now a brick hearth. Through consistent and loving discipline, she will learn that is wrong, and a day will come when she will no longer be Aria Who Draws On Walls.

That's something Greg has yet to learn. He lacks discipline. He's not yet been broken enough over his sin since he is still clinging to even the label of his sin. The Bible says:

"In your struggle against sin you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? 'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by Him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives'" (Hebrews 12:4-6).

There's no mention of Greg's relationship with the Father in his book. He never mentions the Holy Spirit either, which is surprising for a guy who's been a worship leader in the American evangelical church. It is the Spirit whom Christ has poured into the heart of every believer and washes us with His word. Greg's theology has a unitarian "only Jesus" kind of feel. I don't know what his relationship in Jesus is like, but I can safely say it's not as intimate as he thinks it is.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Single, Gay, Christian. His writing style is wonderful and the book was an easy read. But the doctrine is too poor, his experiences are too immature, and his conclusions are too self-centered. The young man has some growing up to do, and his skin needs to thicken a little bit. He needs to receive more grace and give more grace. That is not to belittle. Again, I say this in love.

Though he's torn between who the world says he is and who Christ says he is, he has made the decision to honor God and be celibate, and that is extremely big of him. I hope that serves as an example to other young men struggling with the same thing. My concern, however, as I expressed early on, is that his commitment is based more on what he feels is right rather than what he knows is right.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh, and refreshment to your bones." (Proverbs 3:5-7)

I hope Greg continues seeking the Lord, and I hope God protects him in the environment of a liberal college campus, where he is currently pursuing his doctorate. Surely after this book, he's going to become a target. I pray Greg submits his whole body unto Lord, holy and acceptable in spiritual worship. I pray he will not be conformed to this world, but he will be transformed by a renewal of the mind, that he may test and discern what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

A few years down the road, on the other side of that growth, perhaps Greg will write another book. I'd be interested in reading it.

Nabeel Qureshi, best-selling author of Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, died of stomach cancer this past Saturday at the age of 34. I never met Nabeel, but I followed his ministry and believed him to be a dear brother in the Lord. Nabeel grew up a devout Ahmadi Muslim. His college roommate, David Wood, challenged his beliefs in the Quran, Muhammad, and Allah, and helped lead him to saving faith in the one true God, Jesus Christ (1 John 5:20).

Nabeel spent the last several years as a Christian apologist, and I've enjoyed listening to him and Wood. I find their testimonies astonishing, full of the grace of God. Both Wood's and Nabeel's stories are amazing in their own right, setting aside the fact that these two men were good friends. Not only college roommates, Wood baptised Nabeel upon his confession of faith.


In August a year ago, Nabeel informed viewers and readers that he had stomach cancer and needed to step away from pursuing his doctorate and the work he was doing with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. Over the course of his treatment, he provided regular vlog updates through his YouTube channel. I often watched these updates and prayed with him as he led his audience in prayer at the end.

Nabeel prayed for a miracle. He prayed to be healed. And guess what? God healed him! He delivered Nabeel into a healing far greater than he could have asked or imagined. Sickness and death will never touch Nabeel again. This man who once worshiped a false god had turned from idolatry to worship the one true and living God! That itself was miraculous. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). Nabeel is alive forever with Him in glory. Praise be to the Lord!

Yesterday, several websites, including that Serial of Saint Stalking Sneaky Squid Spirit Silliness known as Charisma Magazine, published an article by Dr. Michael Brown entitled Why Do Some Believers Like Nabeel Qureshi Die of Cancer? Before considering Dr. Brown's answer, Scripture tells us plainly why people die of cancer -- it's because of sin. Because of Nabeel's sin? Sure. And because of your sin and because of my sin. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

Your body will suffer from disease, decay, and death. We live in a fallen world subjected to futility by God who cursed creation because of mankind's sinful rebellion against Him (Genesis 3:17, Romans 8:20). Even people who have faith in Jesus get sick. Sometimes sickness is a judgment on a person because of unrepentant sin (1 Corinthians 11:29-30, James 5:16), sometimes it's just the natural course in a fallen world, and sometimes it's God's will for a person to get sick.

Paul got sick while he was traveling through Galatia, so he stopped to preach the gospel, people got saved, and God was glorified (Galatians 4:13-14). A man was born blind not because he or his parents sinned, "but that the works of God might be displayed in him," and then Jesus healed him (John 9:3). God put His own Son to death, for our sake and for His glory (Acts 4:28, Romans 8:32).

If you live long enough to die of a ripe old age, it will not be easy. You will feel death coming on you long before it happens. You might even find yourself wishing to die. We still inhabit sinful flesh in a fallen world, and we will feel the effects of the curse as long as we live in these broken bodies. But we have hope knowing that followers of Christ have been promised a kingdom where Jesus will wipe away every tear, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain ever again, for the former things will have passed away (Revelation 21:4).

Only Christians will receive this kingdom and are even now His kingdom people -- those who have repented of their sin, their record of debt has been nailed to the cross and paid for by the blood of Jesus, they've been justified before God by His free grace as a gift, and their dead spirits have been raised to new life in Christ. We have peace with God that surpasses human understanding, for the sacrifice of Jesus has satisfied the wrath of God burning against all the unrighteousness of man.

Those who are in Christ Jesus will never have to experience the wages of sin again after their body has died (or, Lord willing, upon Christ's return). If you know Jesus and He knows you, this life is the only hell you will ever know. Sickness by comparison is nothing. You might be sick for a few years, but you have all eternity to experience an imperishable, glorified body, in which sickness and death and even sorrow and grief will be no more! (Philippians 3:21)

However, if you do not know Jesus, this life is the only heaven you will ever know. When you die, death and suffering will not end. You will suffer for your sins forever. You would take cancer for all eternity over eternity in hell. So repent, and ask Christ to heal you of the disease in your body -- the disease called sin, the most deadly sickness a person has. If you ask Him, He will heal you. He won't make your life easier, but He will make your eternity glorious.

Isaiah 53:5 says, "But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed." By Christ's shed blood on the cross your sick spirit has been healed and made brand new. Here's Romans 6:23 again, but this time the whole verse: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."


But that's not the way Dr. Brown approached the question of why Nabeel died. As an apologist for charismaticism, believing that miraculous healings are regular and ongoing occurrences, Dr. Brown felt it necessary to have to respond to why people like Nabeel don't get healed of their cancer, and his answer wasn't helpful: "As for our brother Nabeel (or, another loved one you lost to sickness), God alone can tell us why he (or that loved one) was not healed."

Here's the question Dr. Brown attempted to answer, presented a different way: If Nabeel and thousands of others were praying for Nabeel's stomach cancer to be healed, why didn't it work? Jesus said, "Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do," a verse that Dr. Brown referenced in his article. So why did Nabeel still die?

Jesus did heal Nabeel! He is healed forever in glory! Sadly, most charismatics are not satisfied with this answer. They insist that God does mean for His children to be healed of their physical diseases right here in this life. Said Dr. Brown:

"What was my conclusion after these years of intensive study and prayer? I concluded that healing was God's ideal will for His obedient children, and that rather than praying, 'Lord, if it be Your will to heal,' we should pray with the expectation that it was His will, sometimes even rebuking the sickness at its root."

Respectfully, I would suggest he study some more. Jesus Himself prayed, "Lord, not my will, but your will" (Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42). He taught us to pray that way (Matthew 6:10). James rebuked believers for not saying, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:15), and said, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (James 4:3).

The Bible gives absolutely no promise whatsoever that you will be healed of your disease in this lifetime. None. It is utterly foolish to say we should not pray, "Lord, if it be Your will to heal." We are not magicians that we can utter some magic words and magically heal people of their diseases, no matter what any name-it-and-claim-it teacher will tell you.

Jesus and His apostles performed miracles to affirm they were from God, and the words that they said were God's words (Acts 2:22). I would present to you that when Jesus said, "Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do," He didn't mean what Dr. Brown thinks He meant. Did the people Jesus healed still get sick and die? Eventually, yes. You are not promised healing in this life. You are promised healing in the next life, if you believe in Jesus.

Now, does that mean we shouldn't pray for healing? No, I pray for healing all the time. I cast all my cares on Him for He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7). John prayed for Gaius, "Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul" (3 John 1:2). I don't want to be sick. I pray for health in my body. My kids and I pray for health in our family and in our church. I've entered into the homes of my church members, laid hands on them, anointed them with oil, and prayed for them to be healed. I do believe God still heals. Read that: God heals. We don't heal anyone.

In John 5, we read about a man by the pool of Bethesda. There were actually many invalids there. They believed the pool had healing powers. But Jesus approached this one man in particular, and He said, "Do you want to be healed?" The man said, "Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the waters are stirred up. And when I try to get in the pool, someone goes in front of me." Jesus said, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk." And the man was healed.

The man had no idea who Jesus was, and again, there were dozens of people by the pool. Jesus healed just this one man, and his faith had nothing to do with the success of this miracle! It is God who heals, and He does it His way in His timing for His reasons. Often when Jesus healed, people believed in Him for the wrong reason (John 2:23-25). God save me if I think the reason God didn't answer my prayer my way was because I said, "Lord, if it be Your will to heal."


I have a sciatic nerve that likes to act up every once in a while, and there's simply no telling when it's going to happen. I can still remember the first day I felt it. I woke up one morning in immense pain and never had that pain before in my life. I walked around limping for 3 weeks, and probably should have used a cane. Whenever my nerve acts up, the pain is so debilitating, I can neither walk nor sit. I can't drive anywhere. I can only stand or lie down. I pray for God to take it away. Sometimes He does quickly and sometimes He doesn't.

Do you know what that pain does for my faith? It makes me pray longer prayers and long for heaven even more. It makes me want to get out of here! I don't want to be on this earth anymore. I don't want this body. I want to be with my Lord forever in glory. Likewise, whenever someone I love gets sick or dies, it makes me long for Christ to put an end to all of this. I have never longed for His deliverance as much as when I experience pain or hurt in my body.

Heaven was hardly mentioned in Dr. Brown's article. A call to repentance wasn't given at all. When Jesus was told about some Galileans who were murdered while they sacrificed in the temple, His response was "Repent, or you will likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). Exactly what hope was Dr. Brown expecting to give his readers when his message was basically, "Most people won't be physically healed, and hardly anyone is ever healed of something major like stomach cancer, even by modern medicine, but pray as though they will be healed anyway, regardless of God's will"?

Now, there was one paragraph I particularly appreciated. He said:

"You might say, 'Obviously, people who die of sickness don't have enough faith.' But that would also mean that the many people who prayed for Nabeel, including some used powerfully in healing, lacked faith, too. And if you have so much faith, why didn't you successfully pray for his healing?"

Yeah, looking at you, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Ken and Gloria Copeland, Todd White, and Bethel Church! Where was all the naming it and claiming it for Nabeel?

Dear Christian, you may not have been healed of your diseases, but as a follower of Jesus, you have been healed of your sin. A day will come when your body will reflect the healing that has happened in your soul. The Bible says death is an enemy, and we serve a Christ who has conquered that enemy. All who believe in Him will receive a resurrection like His (Romans 6:5).

In the meantime, we will continue to feel the effects of this fallen world while we are in it. Nabeel Qureshi is in glory with His Lord, but he has left behind a wife and daughter who are crushed by the loss of their husband and father. They need our prayers. Let us continue to show the love of Christ to one another, all the while praying, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus!"

Hugh Hefner died yesterday at the age of 91. He was a pornographer, most famous of course for the publication of Playboy magazine. His Wikipedia profile, and probably any other biography you'll read of Hefner's, describes him as a political activist and a philanthropist.

His "charity" contributions included giving to free-speech causes that kept porn easily accessible, supporting an anti-vaccination campaign, and saving the Hollywood sign. I guess that qualifies as philanthropy. It is said Hefner also fought for civil, gay, and women's rights. But the reality is that Hefner did not free, liberate, or defend anyone. He enslaved them. Millions and millions of them. And made millions and millions of dollars in the process.

The Bible says that everyone is enslaved to various passions and pleasures (Titus 3:3), most especially sexual perversion. Jesus said if a person lusts after another, they have committed adultery in their heart (Matthew 5:28). Whatever overcomes a person, right down to what dominates his thoughts, to that he is enslaved (2 Peter 2:19).

Though Hefner claimed to be a sexual liberator, he was an enslaver. The notorious Playboy Empire shackled men and women conquered by their lust, and the people happily gave themselves over to be ruled. They gave their money and their bodies, while the empire gained fame and fortune.

Women and also men gleefully wore the attire of the empire, which... wasn't much of anything. The emperor said, "Take off your clothes," and they obeyed. The emperor said, "Glory in your shame before the world," and they struck a pose. They wore the imperial brand (the bunny ears logo). They coveted the imperial body standards like Adolf Hitler aspired to have his Aryan race.

Playboy destroyed marriages. A husband became disappointed and unsatisfied with the body of his wife. Instead he retreated into a Playboy fantasy land, picturing himself frolicking among satin bed sheets and having sex with airbrushed centerfolds. Meanwhile, his wife found herself unable to compete with his mythological, impersonal, unemotional sex-object.

Playboy destroyed the consciences of young boys. Barely old enough to understand their own sex organs, in their curiosity they were introduced to naked women in submissive poses and come-hither looks on their faces. This developed an unrealistic portrait of a woman, one that is to be dominated and used for pleasure rather than respected and celebrated as a person.

Playboy destroyed the image of women. Even if a woman was appalled at the idea of taking off her clothes and posing for a porno, the Playboy mindset of the world around her demanded that she possess a certain body image. And if she couldn't accomplish that look or she refused to abide by their standards, she was not as important or valuable.

Playboy destroyed the meaning of sex for a civilized culture. No longer reserved for marriage and procreation, sex was a revolution. It wasn't meant to be private but flaunted and boasted about. A man who used to be called a pervert or a deviant became a playboy, hound, or player. A woman who used to be termed a prostitute or a whore became a bunny, pin-up, or centerfold.

Many of the most admired celebrities in our culture frequented the brothel known as the Playboy mansion, Hefner's home, or they were Playboy models themselves. Even our own American president was featured on the cover of Playboy magazine, and evangelical Christians gave him the thumbs-up.

There's little difference between Hugh Hefner and Donald Trump.

Playboy destroyed lives -- literally. Because sex was not just about marriage or procreation, because it was something that could be enjoyed liberally with anyone at leisure, many out-of-wedlock pregnancies resulted, and many children were aborted and killed. The normalization of pornography has also led to an increase in sex crimes and sex trafficking.

Since Playboy was one of the most influential publications in the sexual revolution, and since the meaning of sex had been redefined to build an empire, of course Hugh Hefner also became a champion for gay rights, "a fight for all our rights," he said. "Without [gay marriage], we will turn back the sexual revolution and return to an earlier, puritanical time."

Puritanical? Ironic. Hefner did not realize that by his own words, he admitted what he had done was impure. Unclean. Sinful.

Evil.

The Bible says that the perverse and the sexually immoral will be cast into the lake that burns with fire and sulfur (Revelation 21:8). We are told to see to it that "no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal" (Hebrews 12:16). The writer of Hebrews likened sexual immorality to selling your own soul.

Hebrews 13:4 says, "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous." Sex is a beautiful gift from God meant to be enjoyed between a husband and his wife only. Any other kind of sex is immoral. Sexual immorality destroys you and destroys other people.

Sexual sins are unique because every other sin is committed outside the body, but sexual sins are committed against the body (1 Corinthians 6:18). It is also likened to idolatry. You take what was made in the image of God and make an idol out of it, worshiping the created rather than the Creator. You use people for your own pleasure, and the Bible is clear, God will destroy you for it.

But there is forgiveness in Christ, and only He can wash you from the stain of this perversity. We read in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

Only those who are followers of Jesus have been washed of this sin, made pure in the eyes of God. The shame of their nakedness has been clothed by the righteousness of Christ. And they are in bondage to this sin no longer, set free by the power of the gospel. John 8:36 says, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

That means you can no longer walk in the sins of your former self, the old man you were before Jesus made you new. If you are still in that sin, you are still in bondage, and you've not yet been set free. You can no longer submit your body as an instrument for unrighteousness but you must become an instrument for righteousness (Romans 6:12-13, 12:1-2). Paul said in Colossians 3:5-10:

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away... seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."

If you cry out to Him for forgiveness, Jesus will forgive you and save you from your sins. He will give you a new heart in place of your old, dead, perverted heart. He saved me from this sin. He will save you, too. Psalm 101:4 says, "A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil."

Hugh Hefner will be buried alongside Marilyn Monroe, the first Playboy nude. Shortly after the news broke that Hefner had died, social media was all a twitter (pun intended) with kind regards for the porn mogul. It was said that the Playboy Mansion is heaven. The most common comment was this: "Hef is the only person to ever die where the phrase 'he's in a better place now' doesn't apply."

I tell you the truth: Hugh Hefner will stand before God in judgment, and the eternal sentence that God lays upon him will be holy and right and just. The wrath of God is coming against all the unrighteousness of men. Save yourself from this crooked and depraved generation. Repent of your sin and worship the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

Last week, a reporter at BuzzFeed posted an in-depth article after going undercover during prophecy week at the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. The school is one of the darling ministries of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, which also includes the music of Jesus Culture and their healing ministry Bethel Sozo. Any look into Bethel is bound to uncover some strange things, and the author certainly did. But despite an excellent exposé, she overlooked something crucial.

Molly Hensley-Clancy's revelation of the charismatic school -- nicknamed Christian Hogwarts by its own students -- presented more than the usual anecdotes of the weird. She also brought to light what Bethel is doing in their own city. They've given money to civic government, invested in the town's infrastructure, and even paid handsomely to save the jobs of four police officers. Bethel Church members have run for public office and started a secular public school (they get by with this saying the message of the "kingdom" is love, not religion).

All the kooky trickery that Bethel is known for was there, too: glory clouds, fire tunnels, grave sucking, dancing, chanting, healing, creepy laughter, and speaking in tongues. Oh, and false prophecy. Lots and lots of false prophecy. As one former student named Chris pointed out, what they call prophecy is no different than when a psychic does a cold reading. Only one out of every hundred prophecies are "true." We hear all about those, which they catalog along with their "miracles" like a baptist church does its baptisms. We never hear about the failures.

Hensley-Clancy also pulled back the veil on the dark side of Bethel's reckless charismaticism, from being a disruption in the community to the point that it has cost people their lives. Perhaps you've heard the story about a man who fell down a cliff and some students of Bethel attempted to heal him before they finally got help. There's another about a young man who died after an asthma attack. Neighborhood Bethelites wasted precious time trying to heal him instead of calling 911.

The coverage was thorough, sure to mention that Bethel is part of the New Apostolic Reformation, (though Hensley-Clancy called it New Apostolic Christianity) before shifting to the new name they wish to go by: the Independent Network Charismatic, or INC. Chris Rosebrough reported earlier that the NAR was attempting to shed the term coined by the late C. Peter Wagner and adopt this new moniker. That's a change we might have to get used to.

Bethel Church INC makes a lot of sense, when you think about it...

Hensley-Clancy also noted the seven mountains mandate believed on by every NAR church... sorry, INC. She says it is the "belief that Christ will only return to Earth when true believers bring God into seven spheres: religion, family, education, government, media, arts, and business." Mike Bickle at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOP), just down the road from where I live, has taught the same thing. It's one of the reasons I've paid so much attention to Bethel in recent years. Even though I'm in Kansas, this does affect my area.

It's an excellent piece of journalism, something I'd expect to see in a more high-profile publication. As I said, Hensley-Clancy's writing is great, but the story lacks an important consideration, which even reputable media outlets miss when covering these kinds of things, from religious movements to radical religious extremism. That crucial examination is this: theology. Why is Bethel different than most Bible-believing churches? Are there any spiritual concerns we should be aware of? Is it really all that bad if they are lying about their miracles and glory clouds if they do so much good for a community? The article only barely touches on such questions, much less gives answers.

The reporting is straight-forward and the writing balanced enough that you could fall to either side of the opinions about Bethel: you might think they're a nuisance, or you might see them as harmless, even helpful. Sure, there are those students who were so charismatic that their detachment from reality resulted in someone's death (IHOP has those stories, too, and attempts to cover them up). But at the same time, Bethel is doing a noticeable amount of good for an otherwise drug and crime-riddled city.

Students are coming to BSSM from all over the world, and they're staying and contributing to the local economy. Hensley-Clancy's reporting is so fair that she included a comment from a community member who wasn't thrilled with the international presence Bethel brings to Redding. The resident's comment came across as bigoted. Who wouldn't want to see the kind of unity promoted by Bethel Church? Furthermore, their students are often educated, employed, entrepreneurial, and eager to do more.

This is where theology becomes really important. It really doesn't matter how much good Bethel does in their town. It doesn't matter that Bethel produces quality and inspiring music being sung all over the world, even in otherwise doctrinally sound churches. It doesn't even matter where you fall in the cessationism-vs-continuationism debate, whether you believe miracles are still common or not. What Bethel Church is doing is deeply and deceptively demonic. Bear with me as I explain.

Bill Johnson, pastor of Bethel Church, preaches a different gospel. This is a very serious charge, and I'm very serious when I make it. Galatians 1:8-9 says, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."

Citing this very same passage, Johnson teaches that the gospel is miraculous physical healing, and if anyone says that God doesn't miraculously heal, or that He would even bring harm rather than healing, they're teaching a different gospel. But the gospel of Jesus Christ isn't physical healing, it's spiritual healing. More than that, it's spiritual regeneration. The Bible says, "You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked," but God who is rich in mercy "made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:1-10).

As I pointed out in another recent article, the Bible does not say or even allude to the idea that the good news of Jesus Christ will miraculously heal you from any of your physical diseases. Bill Johnson would say I'm teaching a different gospel. But it is he who is preaching a message that can neither save the human soul, nor can it deliver what Johnson says it will. Johnson cannot heal you. Just look at the man. If the gospel means miraculous physical healing, why is he wearing glasses?

He won't heal his wife either? What a monster!

Johnson teaches about a different Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible. He and many other word-of-faith charismatic preachers believe that when the Bible says Jesus left His throne in heaven and "emptied Himself" (Philippians 2:7), He actually gave up being divine. The incarnate Christ was fully man but not at all God. When Jesus lived a life of sinless perfection, it wasn't as our substitute but as a model. Any one of us are capable of the same perfection. Jesus didn't do miracles because He was God. He did miracles to show us that we can do them, too, if we just believe that we can.

Here is Johnson in his own words (Justin Peters also mentioned a portion of this sermon in his DVD series Clouds Without Water):

"Jesus was so emptied of divine capacity, eternally God but He chose to live with the restrictions as a man. Why? To set a model, to set something to follow, an example. His lifestyle, if He did all of His miracles as God, I'm still impressed but I'm not compelled to follow. I just stand back and go, 'Wow, that's amazing. God, do some more. That's awesome, do some more, God!'  

"But when I find out that He set aside divinity and chose to display what life would be like for anyone who had no sin, and was completely empowered by the Spirit of God, He models something that is made available because the blood of Jesus was shed to deal with the sin issue. There is no lack in the power or the effectiveness of the blood of Jesus. There is nothing He left outside of its reach. There's nothing if He had it to do over again He would include that He didn't already include. It's all covered. 

"When He said, 'It is finished,' He meant it. He meant it is a complete job, and it is more than sufficient for absolute transformation. So what does He do? He models for us the normal Christian life."

Boy, there are all kinds of problems with this, but let me try to narrow it down to three. First of all, did you catch that Johnson isn't interested in following Jesus if Jesus was still God? He would be amazed by Him, but he wouldn't be compelled to follow Him. That's craziness. Many unbelievers think Jesus was a good man who did some amazing things, but they refuse to honor Him as God (Romans 1:21). Johnson's Jesus is no better than an atheist's!

Secondly, there's no room for sanctification in his message. If the moment you come to Christ, you're instantly perfect, there's no growth in holiness because you're instantly holy. That is counter-biblical. If you are not being sanctified, you were never justified. Those whom Christ has justified, He also sanctifies (John 17:17, Romans 8:29-30, 1 Corinthians 6:11, 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Hebrews 10:14).

Those who follow this teaching believe they are sinless. Todd White, an evangelistic partner with Bethel Church, recently said about himself that he was without sin. But the Bible says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). If we become sinless the moment we believe in Jesus, then why did He teach us to daily pray, "Forgive us our debts"? (Matthew 6:12) Why did He tell us we are evil? (Matthew 7:11)

Third, if Jesus was not God, then He is not good. Jesus Himself said, "There is no one good but God alone" (Mark 10:18). If Jesus wasn't good, then He was imperfect. If He was imperfect, then He could not have been the spotless sacrificial Lamb whose blood atoned for sins. If you follow the Jesus of Bill Johnson, you believe in a different Jesus, therefore you have received a different atonement. If you have a different atonement, you are still dead in your sins, and you are not saved.

When the Bible says that Jesus "emptied Himself," it does not mean that all of His divinity drained out of Him. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." So at no point did Jesus cease being God. Rather, He set His rightful claim as God aside and willingly submitted to the will of His Father, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-11). The miracles that Jesus did were not because He modeled a perfection that every human is capable of. It was to verify that He was from God.


When you hear the word "gospel" mentioned at Bethel Church, know that it is a different gospel they're talking about. This filters into all of their ministries. The "Jesus" in the name "Jesus Culture" is not the Jesus of the Bible. When you listen to their worship songs, you might hear all the right Christian words, but you are not praising God with them because they are writing and singing about a different Jesus.

Even if the signs and wonders witnessed at their school were real -- and they aren't -- they're encouraging students to follow another god. Deuteronomy 13:1-3 says, "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

The work of Bethel Church is for the devil's kingdom, not God's (Romans 16:18). Satan is absolutely delighted with the work Bethel is doing for the city of Redding. Good deeds if not accompanied by good doctrine are as good as polishing the brass on the Titanic as its sinking. Michael Horton on page 15 of his book Christless Christianity said the following:

"What would things look like if Satan really took control of a city? Over a half century ago, Presbyterian minister Donald Grey Barnhouse offered his own scenario in his weekly sermon that was also broadcast nationwide on CBS radio. Barnhouse speculated that if Satan took over Philadelphia, all of the bars would be closed, pornography banished, and pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The children would say, 'Yes, sir' and 'No, ma'am,' and the churches would be full every Sunday... where Christ is not preached."

In the case of Bethel Church, a different Christ is preached. Molly Hensley-Clancy is a good reporter, but she didn't go far enough. Only when you consider the theology do you understand just how dangerous Bethel really is. She admitted that she's not a born again Christian and mildly hinted at being raised Catholic. I have prayed for her salvation, and I hope over the course of her investigation that someone shared the gospel with her.

Hensley-Clancy mentioned in her article that Bethel takes its name from the place where Jacob the patriarch had his vision of a stairway to heaven. That place eventually became a great city in Israel. Do you know what happened to them? They chased away the true teachers of God and were destroyed for worshiping false gods.

#ChurchToo is a social media hashtag movement to expose sexual harassment and abuse in churches. While that might sound like a noble and necessary cause, this campaign was started by two women, one of whom a lesbian, who hate God and His church. How do I know this is an effort to tear down the church rather than build her up? Well, consider this tweet from one of the co-authors of the movement:

"It is THEOLOGY that makes the church an unsafe place for survivors and a haven for abusers. This is not just 'people hurting people.'" Hannah; Phoenix, AZ

I agree in the sense that bad theology leads to all kinds of sin. But she and I wouldn't agree on what constitutes as bad theology. She goes on to say, "When theology tells us that being LGBT+ is a sin, sexual desire comes out sideways and abuse is perpetrated." So according to her, when a church teaches the sound doctrine of the Bible and says being gay or lesbian or transgender is sin, it leads to sexual abuse. That couldn't be further from the truth.

It is exactly through sound doctrine and right theology, according to the very word of God, that the church is purified and made holy. The Bible says that "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:25-27).

The authors of #ChurchToo would rather you not follow sound doctrine and theology. That is not of Christ. It is antichrist. As Hannah also said, "Yes, this is a witch hunt, in that we're the witches, the survivors, the Scarlet-A Sisters, and we're hunting YOU." This is not a loving endeavor. It is a movement of anger and hate. They are using genuine accounts of sexual abuse in many so-called churches at the hands of so-called Christians to slander the true church of Christ.

Hashtag campaigns like this are often little more than virtue signalling, which is "publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one's good character or moral correctness on a particular issue" (Google search definition). Virtue signalling is vanity. It does less to confront and/or solve a genuine problem and more to parade one's own definition of righteousness. It also promotes gossip and slander.

"Do Not Associate With a Simple Babbler" (Proverbs 20:19)

Consider some of these tweets that have come from the #ChurchToo campaign. These were easy-to-find examples, and all of them have at least several hundred likes.

"I CANNOT COUNT the number of times I've heard guys in church PUBLICLY admit to molestation, harassment, assault, etc, only to be praised for their bravery and honesty. No consequences. The church's legacy of protecting abusers is sickening. #churchtoo" Rosemary; Chicago, IL.

I grew up in the church. I've probably attended 20 different churches in my lifetime, and filled the pulpit in over 100 other churches. I've not witnessed one single instance of this. I'm not saying it doesn't happen -- I'm just saying it's not as common as this individual makes it sound. I'd be interested in knowing what kinds of churches she's calling "churches."

"The church sets women up for abuse by teaching that women brought sin into the world, and that women should submit to men. #churchtoo" Debbie; Madison, WI

The Bible doesn't say women brought sin into the world. It says all sin and therefore death came through one man, Adam (Romans 5:12). It doesn't say women should submit to men. It says that a wife is supposed to submit to her husband as a picture of how the whole church is to submit to Christ (Ephesians 5:22-24). Like the hashtag's authors, this woman believes biblically sound teaching causes sexual abuse. Again, this is not out of love for the church or the word of God.

"Let's remember the indigenous women who have been assaulted and raped by men who claimed to be Christians, speaking of salvation for the heathen savage, while destroying lives and cultures that thrived before they got here. #churchtoo" Kaitlin; Atlanta, GA

These kinds of statements are meant to make the whole church culpable. On the contrary, if someone used the name of Christ to assault women, they're more likely not a Christian, and the church that participated or allowed him to do so are not the church.

There are instances in which the church can say who is of Christ and who is not. God gave it to the church to make such determinations (Matthew 18:18). As a broad example, the Roman Catholic church is not the church. When a priest molests an altar boy, or when stories of sexual abuse surface from Catholic schools, that has happened in the church of the antichrist, not the church of Christ. Unfortunately, there are instances of abuse that happen in evangelical churches as well.

In the midst of some of the more gossipy tweets, there were also some very tragic stories that were shared, grievous first-person accounts of sexual abuse. The fact such assault exists in churches is not lost on me. In no way am I attempting to dissuade anyone from participating in #ChurchToo because I want sexual abuse to be kept under wraps. It must be exposed. But it must be done in the right way, and this for the sake of the whole church.

We prevent harassment, deal with offenders, and counsel victims through sound teaching of the word of Christ -- which is exactly what the #ChurchToo movement opposes.

"May Every Charge Be Established" (Matthew 18:16)

Jesus gave instructions for dealing with sin in the church in Matthew 18:15-20. Now, let's say that a woman was sexually abused by a pastor. In that case, she's probably not going to want to "go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone" (v.15). In fact, she shouldn't go to him alone. She should, however, "take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses" (v.16). As Paul instructed Timothy, "Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses" (1 Timothy 5:19).

Why is this important? Because an accusation against a leader of the church -- or anyone, for that matter -- must be provable. You may not like that method when it comes to accusations of sexual assault, but that's part of due process. A person cannot be accused by just anyone of anything. There must be evidence. (You'd certainly be in favor of that method if you were wrongly accused of something you didn't do.)

Now, you might say, "But they were alone together! How can she prove he made a sexual advance if they were alone and there were no witnesses?" Well, the pastor's fault is being alone with a woman who is not his wife. That should not ever happen. He should be reprimanded for that and dealt with accordingly. If such a circumstance repeatedly occurs, his character is suspect. He's not above reproach and disqualified as pastor (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:6). But you can't charge him for sexual harassment without evidence. If this was an assault case and you took this before a court of law, they would tell you the same thing.

Let's say a person is guilty of sexual abuse, and it can be proven. Perhaps the "evidence of two or three witnesses" is that two or three accusers have all come forward with the same story, and the pastor has no way of providing an alibi or proving that these accusations are false. Maybe his response, like in the case of Roy Moore, is suspicious and unconvincing -- he's so convicted he can't give a straight answer. The circumstances are now leaning toward very real faults in his character. What should be done? He should be rebuked in the presence of all, and the whole church should make a determination regarding his position as pastor, or even his standing in the church altogether (v.17).

Why should the law not be involved? Because this is sexual harassment and is not a crime. According to an article posted today by Joe Carter, sexual harassment includes "unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature." If a church staff-member has been harassed, they can file a complaint with the EEOC (who handles 12,000 complaints of sexual harassment per year from the general public, and will likely not make a determination on the matter soon).

But depending on the offense, the law might not do anything -- not until sexual misconduct can be defined as sexual assault, which is "any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape." These things are all crimes. Contact the authorities. The offender is under the judgment of the state, who is an avenger of God (see Romans 13:1-7).

"So the Rest May Stand in Fear" (1 Timothy 5:20)

Even if the law has to get involved, the church should still go through the procedure of bringing such an offense before the entire body. Why is that? Because those overseers who persist in sin are supposed to be rebuked "in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality" (1 Timothy 5:20-21).

Many pastors were probably unqualified before they were given their positions. Did they meet the qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9? How did the church test him in this? A proper biblical model of church leadership involves a plurality of elders. The pastor is not supposed to be someone who sits high on a perch that no one can touch. He is as accountable to the other elders as they are to him. He is also as human as anyone else and not invulnerable to temptation. Plurality eldership helps protect one another from falling into sin.

Confronting these problems according to Scripture, the word of God which is the truth, is the only way to solve the problem of sexual abuse in any church. There is only one kind of church where sexual immorality is not confronted: a church that does not teach right doctrine, and does not follow it. The only kind of church where people -- men, women, or children -- suffer abuse and the powerful are protected from facing the consequences for their actions are churches where sound doctrine isn't taught and isn't obeyed.

The Apostle Paul was clear with the Corinthians on dealing with the sexually immoral in the church, pastor or layperson: "Now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality. Purge the evil person from among you" (1 Corinthians 6:11,13). If the rest of the church has been told of sexual immorality and turn a blind eye or choose not to confront it, everyone is guilty. Church discipline, based on the guidelines given in Matthew 18:15-20, involves the whole church.

Unfortunately, too few churches deal in biblical discipline, and that's part of the reason sexual misconduct has become so common. (It's a bigger problem in public schools, but I've yet to see a #SchoolsToo or a #EmptyTheClassrooms hashtag movement.) The American church is a cesspool of bad doctrine. I've made no secret of this. It's how the ministry When We Understand the Text came to be -- correcting much of the false doctrine that has become so prominent in today's churches. The gospel produces godliness (1 Timothy 6:3). Where the gospel isn't taught, sins abound.

Predators should not be protected by the church from facing the consequences for their sin, for this is unloving to both the victim and the offender. There is no sin that Jesus won't forgive. But that is not a license to sin (see Romans 6, Hebrews 10:26-27, and 1 John 2:1-6). If sin results in a person going to jail, they have reaped what they have sown (Galatians 6:7). They can still be forgiven, but they will be praying for forgiveness from behind bars. Their sentence on earth is not nearly as bad as suffering the wrath of God if they do not repent. May they praise God that the law got to them before death did.

Yes, there will still be instances where a person was harassed or abused, and the "church" they thought they could trust did nothing. Does a church not follow God's word? Leave it, for it is corrupt. But not attending church at all isn't a solution. The victim of sexual abuse would then be sinning before God for separating themselves from His church. For those who have suffered sexual abuse and come forward with it, the true church of Jesus Christ needs to receive them and be full of grace; a place of love, comfort, gentleness, and fellowship. Only the word of Christ can offer a person healing that the world cannot give.

"But God, Who Comforts the Downcast" (2 Corinthians 7:6)

Not only is right teaching how we prevent and confront sexual abuse in the church, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true healing to those who have been abused. Jesus said He would never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 9:10, Matthew 28:20, John 14:18). He said, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Human relationships we believed were safe can turn out to be dangerous. Those whom we thought we could trust become the ones who wound us the most deeply. But even if our mother and father forsake us, the Lord will take us in (Psalm 27:10). He is a Father to the fatherless, and will do justice for "the oppressed, so that the man who is of the earth may strike terror no more" (Psalm 10:18).

Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" (Romans 8:35-39). Even if it seems those who do harm might get away with it, God will have the final say: "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord" (Romans 12:19).

God comforts the mourning and the downcast (Matthew 5:4, 2 Corinthians 7:6). He comforts us in our affliction (2 Corinthians 1:4). Paul wrote, "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word" (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

Many times victims of sexual abuse don't come forward because they feel dirty and ashamed, or they've been made to feel that way. They as much as anyone need to hear, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame (Romans 10:11). They have an inheritance that is undefiled (1 Peter 1:4). Their identity is in Christ, not man. Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Only the gospel -- the good news that Jesus died for sinners and rose again from the grave -- is so comprehensive to offer forgiveness for your sin and peace when you've been sinned against. The peace of Christ surpasses all understanding, guarding your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). Not even a lifetime of therapy could guarantee this kind of peace for a person. Only Jesus heals, and has prepared for His own a place in His eternal kingdom. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

When a person who has carried this burden of sexual abuse for many years comes forward to share their story, they need to be listened to and it needs to be believed. They need the fellowship of good friends that only the body of Christ can be. Let it not become a fiery spectacle, which leads to bitterness and hardness of heart. Let it become a tender setting of genuine love and concern, full of the gospel -- where seeds are planted, hearts are watered, and the grace and forgiveness of Christ can blossom and flourish.

The #ChurchToo hashtag campaign is a faceless and careless movement that uses victims, not heals them. Jesus Christ is the only true healer. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). His people weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). The peace of Christ rules in their hearts, they love and encourage with His word, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs together, with thankfulness to their God and Savior (Colossians 3:15-16).

"By the Word of Truth" (James 1:18)

Wade Mullen, a professor at Capital Seminary and Graduate School, had been working on a list of reports of evangelical pastors charged or arrested for a crime in the U.S. There were 143 reports in 2016 alone, more than 90 of them sex crimes.

When Professor Mullen presented his data, he gave the sources of his information, the crimes  committed, the positions in ministry the offenders held, and which churches or organizations the offenders were part of. This was not gossip or hear-say -- he presented actual facts and names of proven cases. That's how this problem is truly going to be dealt with in a legitimate way. It cannot be left to assumption. It has to be confronted head-on.

I am one who names names and calls sin sin. But everything must be done in the right way. Our God is not a God of disorder, but of order (1 Corinthians 14:33). We must be sober-minded, with our hope set on the grace of Christ (1 Peter 1:13). Not every sound is an alarm. If the accuser automatically has more legitimacy than the accused, justice is perverted (Leviticus 19:15). If we follow the majority regardless of the facts, justice is perverted (Exodus 23:2).

We also must realize that all human beings are sinful, and not every person who does evil on this side of heaven will receive the punishment for what they have done. Remember that when our Lord Christ was reviled, "He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:23). The Lord will cast all evil-doers into the lake of fire at the last judgment (Revelation 21:8).

The gospel is beautiful. Even in the midst of darkness and chaos, it shines brightly with the power to save all who believe. Twitter and Facebook don't have the answers to sexual abuse. The Bible does. Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.

This blog was removed, revised, and re-posted to include information from the Joe Carter article, which was published later in the day. A few other edits were made. The purpose and message remains the same.