Join me on Sunday, April 18, 2021, as I begin preaching through the letter from the apostle Paul to the faithful believers in Colossae.
the Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ
Posts Tagged with Christ
The Head of the Church
Who would have thought that a claim of a global pandemic would help wake up the sleepy western church?
Today, the local church has to at least ask questions about who they believe the head of the church is. Fundamentally; is the state the head of the church, is the pastor the head of the church, or is Christ the head of the church?
One will treat the church depending on how they answer this question.
If the pastor is the head of the church, that church will soon collapse. Personalities come and go. Trends eventually need to be adjusted to stay in front of the secular trends.
If the state is the head of the church, that church will capitulate to another God ordained institution that does not have the jurisdiction to be the head of the Lord’s bride, the church. That local church would eventually look to the state for permission to speak, meet, act, read, sing, evangelize, etc… The state is responsible to protect the church from infringement from any other, including the state.
If Christ is the head of the church, and He is, then no other institution under heaven has the authority to instruct the church on when, what can be said, what to wear, or what percentage of its seating capacity can attend.
Most are watching what will come of the recent arrest and imprisonment of a pastor in Canada. James Coates, pastor at Grace Life Church in Edmonton, Canada was arrested this past week for preaching to a gathered people of more than what the government permitted them to have. When told he could go home if he promised to not preach to more people than permitted he informed the authorities that he would not and could not make such a promise. The result, he will remain in jail until his trial date of March 31.
What now?
First, do you see how important it is to how you answer the above question? Who you say is the head of the church is how you will act toward the church.
Then, you should not willingly abandon the church house this coming Lord’s Day. Heads of homes, gather your family together before Sunday morning and instruct them that we are no longing treating the bride of Christ with such careless attention.
I encourage you to gather your family together and listen to the sermon James Coates preached the day before he was arrested and imprisoned (see link below). Put Christ in front of yourself and your family and be resolved to not let any temporary discomfort keep you from gathering with the local followers of Christ ever again.
You Have 90 Seconds. What Do You Say?
I was on CrossPolitc a few weeks ago (a completely enjoyable experience). While there I was asked, “You have 90 seconds to speak to Rep. Steven Harris, what do you say?” Rep. Steven Harris is the chairman of the Idaho State Affairs Committee who has been holding the Idaho Abortion Human Rights Act (IAHRA) since it was first introduced by Rep. Heather Scott and Rep. John Green.
I had been trying to get an appointment with Rep. Harris since the IAHRA was introduced. By the grace of God, I was able to get a meeting with Rep. Harris last Tuesday. It was my expectation to have just a few moments so I had been working on fine tuning what I would say if I had 90 seconds with Rep. Harris. (I actually had 1 hour and 15 minutes, but following is my early attempt to speak clearly and articulate.)
Following is what I wrote, I said most of this (and a bit more). It was a pleasure to travel with several men from the Magic Valley
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We are first and foremost Ambassadors of the reconciliation of Christ. Christ the only begotten son of God, as described by the Bible, stands as a required atonement for sinful people who have broken the law of God, that includes the very matter we are here before you today. Life.
God himself told all of humanity “Do not murder.”
A people have sinned against God. A state has sinned against God. Today, while it is still called today, hear our redeemer, repent of delaying what you claim you hold a true, and allow the gate to be opened to end the murdering babies in the womb.
The Bible describes contrasting conditions of nations. One of splendid comfort, thriving economies, flourishing families, bumper crops, abundant water supply for the coming growing season. Another of a barren wasteland, a day of grave darkness, a land with no moister, a cloud that rains no rain.
I would not want to think of living in either condition without the protection and salvation of Almighty God. Whether the economy is abounding or the crops are failing, God will not abandon His obedient people.
I’m here today to ask you to give the Idaho Abortion Human Rights Act a path for debate.
- It may die in committee.
- It may survive a heated debate.
- It may become a law that claims every child in the blessed womb of women in the state of Idaho is sacred and worthy of defense at all costs.
- It may get challenged in court
- It may get defeated and cost Idahoans millions and millions of dollars.
- It may withstand the scrutiny of supreme court.
We want to assure you we will not abandon our God. We will not abandon our fellow citizens. We will not abandon the child in the womb.
Rep. Harris, rise up today and submit to the Almighty God of the Bible who stands as a righteous judge with indignation against nations who oppose Him. Do not bury the Idaho Abortion Human Rights Act in the rear guard of the winter barracks. Set this bill loose and let it cry out for the babies in the womb.
Rep. Harris, when will someone in our state finally stand up for the unwanted baby? Who will defend them? Who will fight for their rights?
These are Idaho citizen who will never dip their toes in the Clearwater or float the Salmon, they’ll never hear the mountain blue bird sing or hear the roar of the Niagara of the west. These citizens will not have the temporal pleasure of seeing the mighty Sawtooths, breath our fresh air or eat a world famous Idaho potato. Thousands of Idaho citizens will never experience these blessed temporal pleasures.
No nation, no people, no government can withstand the righteous indignation of the Holy God.
You have been appointed by God for this day. You are not responsible for the unpredictable path of how men will respond. You answer to higher authority. May God have mercy upon our land in this day with clouds that rain down righteousness that the fruit of salvation may bear forth and righteousness spring up with it. (Isaiah 45:8)
Will you fear men today, who can kill the body, or will you fear God who can destroy both body and soul?
Rep. Harris, will you be the principled man today and give the children in the womb a path to let the state of Idaho speak for them? Will you print this bill?
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Rep. Harris: “No, I will not print this bill.”
You have 90 seconds to speak to Rep. Harris, what would you say?
Continue praying. Pray for Rep. Harris. Pray that God will awaken the conscience of the legislative branches of Idaho to not fear men (Planned Parenthood) and introduce legislative language that abolishes abortion in the state of Idaho.
Write Rep. Harris.
email: sharris@house.idaho.gov
snail mail: Rep. Steven Harris
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0038Share this will others.
(All posts are eligible for ongoing editing for spelling and typo)
Meet Adam Madden
On March 4, 2018, Eastside Baptist will host our third Burning in the Soul preaching event. I have invited Adam to come and preach what God has on his heart. He will be preaching from John 14:1-6 on the exclusivity of Christ. How important is it that the church gets why Christ is humanities only hope.
Adam Madden, of the Golden Spike Network of Churches, is in one of the most unchurched regions of the United States. Adam and his wife Paige have nine children, Gavin, Aslan, Sadarius, Jarrett, Amya, Aizley, Avery, Silas, and Asa. They live in Brigham City, Utah.
Adam moved his family to the west 7 years ago to plant a network of churches in the greater Salt Lake region known as Christ Fellowship.
Adam is currently the church planter catilyst for the Golden Spike region of Northern Utah.
Here’s an interview I did with Adam in 2014. Enjoy.
Here are some book titles that Adam has read and are influential. I encourage you to consider reading them and be encouraged. The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter, Family Shepherds by Voddie Baucham, Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul, Uprooting Anger by Robert Jones,
Be sure to invite someone to come with you.
Hobby Lobby
Today, a landmark case before the U.S. Supreme Court may be a revealing day at the lowest level of interest even though it is in the highest court in our land.
Yet, I will find my hope here today: “God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers . (Psalms 82:1 NASB)
I’m interested in this case because of respect for the owners of Hobby Lobby. I have a hope for people in America who live devoted lives to worship God in all that they do. I respect that for hundreds of years in America this has been the norm and part of what makes this land so attractive to the nations of the world.
It is possible that God will move the supreme court to side in favor of Hobby Lobby. Regardless of the ruling on the matter before the supreme court today, I only see the work on the Cross by the Lord Jesus Christ as my only victory to rest in. I pray for a victory over the supreme court today, but I don’t have to pray that Christ’s work on the cross will defeat death, He already did and it is in that court that I will find my rest today.
God, bless Hobby Lobby with the fellowship of your suffering that all may believe upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is a good day to be the church!
Preach Christ or Nothing
It’s not unusual to read history of churches using a bar as a gathering place for a worship service, especially in the west, but not as a time to get a drink or two. An article that was posted over the weekend at npr.org has some churches thinking that it would be a good idea to bring the two together to attract a younger crowd at a church event called “Beer and Hymns”.
I know that some would defend this as a good idea. I have friends who will think ‘at least they will hear the gospel’ or ‘if just one person finds God this way it can’t be all wrong’ or the favorite ‘Paul became all things to all people so he might save one.’ Of course believers want to see all people everywhere find God. But there is a hellish lie that causes evangelism to abandon the one method sanctioned by God so that man might be saved.
Where in all of the universe does God need to be dressed up and made attractive so that people will come to Him? Nowhere does this happen, except when some thieves in the church read a statistic of church attendance declining and they begin to think God needs help. Once we leave the sufficiency of Scripture we open the door for all kinds of poison.
A statement like this, “I’m not interested, frankly, in making more church members. I’m interested in having people have significant relationships around Jesus. And if it turns out to be craft beer, fine” will become a battle cry against the Lord Jesus Himself and the blind guides leading the way have a crowd of deaf minions waving their banner.
Full NPR article HERE (It will shock most of you. If you have the time, listen to the report too.)
Last week, Scott Brown posted this excerpt from Spurgeon on his blog (www.scottbrownonline.com).
“Mark you, in proportion as the modern theology is preached the vice of this generation increases. To a great degree I attribute the looseness of the age to the laxity of the doctrine preached by its teachers. From the pulpit they have taught the people that sin is a trifle. From the pulpit these traitors to God and to his Christ have taught the people that there is no hell to be feared. A little, little hell, perhaps, there may be; but just punishment for sin is made nothing of. The precious atoning sacrifice of Christ has been derided and misrepresented by those who were pledged to preach it. They have given the people the name of the gospel, but the gospel itself has evaporated in their hands.
From hundreds of pulpits the gospel is as clean gone as the dodo from its old haunts; and still the preachers take the position and name of Christ’s ministers. Well, and what comes of it? Why, their congregations grow thinner and thinner; and so it must be. Jesus says, “Follow me, I will make you fishers of men;” but if you go in your own way, with your own net, you will make nothing of it, and the Lord promises you no help in it.
The Lord’s directions make himself our leader and example. It is, “Follow me, follow me. Preach my gospel. Preach what I preached. Teach what I taught, and keep to that.” With that blessed servility which becomes one whose ambition it is to be a copyist, and never to be an original, copy Christ even in jots and tittles. Do this, and he will make you fishers of men; but if you do not do this, you shall fish in vain.“
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Soul Winner, (New York: Cosimo Publications, 2007) p. 227.
This is a powerful reminder from the Prince of Preachers to “preach Christ or nothing.”
I would rather use one way to reach a thousand than a thousand ways to reach one.