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GUIDELINES FOR OPEN AIR PREACHING

Remember the Battle!

"Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle"

Psalm 144:1

In the midst of the daily routines of life,

The mundane cares and everyday strife,

While thoughts, lists and numbers run laps through your mind

Look to heaven--

And remember the battle. 

When the waves and the billows have gone over your head

In the fires of affliction and in moments of dread,

When trials and temptations have lowered your gaze

Look to heaven--

And remember the battle. 

In the joy, in the pain,

During sorrow or gain

'Till God's glory is revealed and the Enemy slain

Look to heaven--

And remember the battle.

Look to heaven--

And remember the battle.

Look to Christ--

And remember the battle.  

May we never forget that we are in a war. The spiritual battle we fight doesn't begin the moment we hit the streets--tracts and Bible in hand.  It begins every time we wake up, and continues on in every part of the day, in every circumstance. Often the battle rages most intensely while we least realize it is occurring.

The victory is already ours, Christ has purchased it for us with His precious blood. May we never forget this blessed truth, either! In the light of this wonderful reality, let us boldly take up the armor of God and withstand the daily attacks of the flesh, the world and the devil. Let us storm the gates of hell in triumph, counting any casualty of war as a "momentary light affliction", looking only to the joy set before us. Let us valiantly fight the good fight of faith and take hold of eternal life. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Blessed be the LORD, who trains our hands for war, and our fingers for battle!

Is Christ or Apologetics your Focus in Open-Air Preaching?

A Little R&R in the Woods

We went to Bosque Los Colomos on Monday to get away from it all. Was blessed to be able to read and relax, and enjoy the Lord and His creation.

THE CULT CHRONICLES: Does God Kill?

On our evangelistic outings to downtown Guadalajara we come across people from all walks of life, religions and beliefs. In the course of our conversations with such people many raise interesting questions and objections, especially those in cult groups. This new section of my blog will tackle some of these issues. May it be of blessing and edification.
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The above issue came up two Saturdays ago. After I open air preached, a "prosperity" pastor and his family, and some members of his congregation, came up to talk to us. Now, many things can be said about the Prosperity/Word of Faith movement...hopefully I will get to some of the main tenets of their false doctrine another day. But in the course of a discussion that I had with the pastor's wife and two other girls, one of the main problems that they seemed to have with what I believed, and with the message that I had just preached, was my absolute declaration that God not only kills, but sends people to hell. One of the girls displayed utter shock after I told them that God kills people. They told me that God is good, and therefore would never kill anyone. According to them, Satan is the only one who steals, kills and destroys. God only brings good things, and only desires to bless His people. Death is simply a "curse" that we brought upon ourselves, God had nothing to do with that. Sickness, suffering, and short life-spans are a result of our "negative affirmations"; and as far as future punishment goes, we send ourselves to hell by choosing to reject Christ.

Well, what saith the Scriptures? Is God so loving that He would never kill anyone? Do we send ourselves to hell, or does God? Let's let the Lord speak through His Word:

"See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand."
Deuteronomy 32:29

"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear Him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!"
Luke 12:4-5

The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
1 Samuel 2:6

In addition to the above clear verses, there are many other passages, including:

-The parable in Luke 12:16-21, where God kills a rich man;

-Acts 5:1-11, where Ananias and Sapphira are struck down dead by the Lord for having lied;

-2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, which says that Christ will return "in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel";

-And, of course, the book of Revelation which from beginning to end is filled with descriptions of the Lord pouring His terrible judgments over the earth and casting sinners into eternal hellfire (see Rev. 2:16, 22-23; 19:11-16; 14:9-11; 15:7; 20:11-15; 21:8, etc.). 

The god of the Prosperity Movement is appealing to fallen man because he is presented as a well-meaning Santa Clause figure who leaves salvation, prosperity, sickness, and death in our hands. Apart from our cooperation and positive declarations, he can do nothing--not even counter the works of the devil.  Theirs is an impotent god, and the human creature is the sovereign. What depraved sinner wouldn't want that?

No, the reality is that the God of the Scriptures, as we have seen, is an omnipotent and righteous judge who has the authority and power to give life and to take it. And because He is holy and just and good, He must give guilty sinners what they deserve: an eternity of His wrath in hell. He therefore commands all men everywhere to repent and turn to Christ, the only one who has the power to save us from our sins and from His wrath.

CUT OFF GOLIATH'S HEAD!

The Real John Wesley: Part 2

On the last post about Wesley, we examined the life of this fallible, human preacher, and especially the details of his life pertaining to his separation from George Whitefield. A chapter from the book, George Whitefield: God's Anointed Servant in the Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century, revealed John Wesley's insistence on contention with Whitefield, his predisposition to, and desire for, the preeminent role among his brethren, his slight exaggerations in describing the actions and beliefs of those with whom he was in disagreement, his misunderstanding of the Calvinistic viewpoint of the doctrine of Predestination, and the propagation of his newly formed, and often inconsistent, doctrine of sinless perfection.

Again, the purpose of this series of posts is not to attack and defame, but to present a balanced image of the 18th Century preacher, and remove Wesley from the pedestal that we as human beings are so often prone to placing godly men of the past on.

That being said, the following excerpt further reveals the grieving details of Wesley's division and contention with George Whitefield, and consequently also reveals the humility of Whitefield, and the great love and forgiveness that he had for his two dear friends, John and Charles Wesley.
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Chapter 10: Whitefield’s Darkest Hour

We have seen that there already were doctrinal differences between Wesley and Whitefield. When Whitefield returned to England, these differences brought about a separation between them. The truth of this matter is often distorted, for although professed reports of it have frequently been published, almost all are so strongly biased in Wesley’s favor that both his and Whitefield’s actions are very falsely presented.

Accordingly, as much as both writer and reader may find the subject distasteful, if we are not to let falsehoods continue to cloud a most noble portion of Whitefield’s life, we have no choice but to look into this matter. We do so, however, very briefly, noticing merely the chief facts.