Mature Christian Thinking

PHIL. 3:15-16 Mature Christian Thinking

Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

To Mind is not just mental attention, but thought and life regulated by a given perspective.
...Literal translation of verse 16 "Only to what you have attained with the same keep in line"

I have been so taken and encouraged and convicted by these two verses in the context of this passage. There is Exhortation and Consolation. We have much to thank and praise God for Maturing us in spiritual things. And if we are not there yet God will not leave us in the dark. We began by trusting Christ and we must continue to trust Christ. He is our ALL in ALL.

Nothing like Expositional Preaching

Twelve Reasons Why Membership Matters

I have heard many say, I don't have to go to church to be a Christian. I believe this is true because it is not what you do to become a Christian. It is what Christ has done for you. While going to church is certainly not a cause for salvation I do believe it is an evidence for salvation. Church membership is essential in the life of a believer. Jonathan Leeman does a great job of expressing this very fact.


By Jonathan Leeman
(The following is excerpted from Jonathan Leeman’s forthcoming book Why Church Membership? from Crossway, 2012).

1) It’s biblical. Jesus established the local church and all the apostles did their ministry through it. The Christian life in the New Testament is church life. Christians today should expect and desire the same.

2) The church is its members. To be “a church” in the New Testament is to be one of its members (read through Acts). And you want to be part of the church because that’s who Jesus came to rescue and reconcile to himself.

3) It’s a pre-requisite for the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a meal for the gathered church, that is, for members (1 Cor. 11:20, 33). And you want to take the Lord’s Supper. It’s the team “jersey” which makes the church team visible to the nations.

4) It’s how to officially represent Jesus. Membership is the church’s affirmation that you are a citizen of Christ’s kingdom and therefore a card-carrying Jesus Representative before the nations. And you want to be an official Jesus Representative. Closely related to this…

5) It’s how to declare one’s highest allegiance. Your membership on the team, which becomes visible when you wear the “jersey,” is a public testimony that your highest allegiance belongs to Jesus. Trials and persecution may come, but your only words are, “I am with Jesus.”

6) It’s how to embody and experience biblical images. It’s within the accountability structures of the local church that Christians live out or embody what it means to be the “body of Christ,” the “temple of the Spirit,” the “family of God,” and so on for all the biblical metaphors (see 1 Cor. 12). And you want to experience the interconnectivity of his body, the spiritual fullness of his temple, and the safety and intimacy and shared identity of his family.

7) It’s how to serve other Christians. Membership helps you to know which Christians on Planet Earth you are specifically responsible to love, serve, warn, and encourage. It enables you to fulfill your biblical responsibilities to Christ’s body (for example, see Eph. 4:11-16; 25-32).

8) It’s how to follow Christian leaders. Membership helps you to know which Christian leaders on Planet Earth you are called to obey and follow. Again, it allows you to fulfill your biblical responsibility to them (Heb. 13:7; 17).

9) It helps Christian leaders lead. Membership lets Christian leaders know which Christians on Planet Earth they will “give an account” for (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2).

10) It enables church discipline. It gives you the biblically prescribed place to participate in the work of church discipline responsibly, wisely, and lovingly (1 Cor. 5).

11) It gives structure to the Christian life. It places an individual Christian’s claim to “obey” and “follow” Jesus into a real-life setting where authority is actually exercised over us (John 14:15; 1 John 2:19; 4:20-21).

12) It builds a witness and invites the nations. Membership puts the alternative rule of Christ on display for the watching universe (Matt. 5:13; John 13:34-35; Eph. 3:10; 1 Peter 2:9-12). The very boundaries which are drawn around the membership of a church yields a society of people which invites the nations to something better.

When Should a Christian Leave a Church? (Part 1)

by John G. Reisinger

The following article is written primarily for Reformed Baptists only because that is the group with which I have been identified for over twenty years. There are Brethren Assemblies, Presbyterian, Independent, and Charismatic churches, as well as other types of Baptists, that clearly fit the description given in these pages.

Many who read this will say, "none of those things could ever happen in my church." You may be surprised! If you have a truly Godly pastor, these things will not happen regardless of how wrong your view of Elder authority may be. However, if your system is that held by many Reformed Baptists, you have a ready made situation for these same things to happen in your church at a later date with another pastor.

A good man in a bad system will not misuse his authority. A good system can deal with a bad man and get rid of him. A bad man in a bad system is an untouchable pope simply because he is protected by the system. He may be the worst of tyrants, but nothing can be done by anyone. A sincere sheep has only one option in such a case.

I recently preached at the First John Bunyan Conference on the subject of law and grace. About fifty people attended from various places and nearly all of them had recently left a church with a heavy "law ministry" where the Elders were the "Lords and Masters" of the Assembly. Many of these dear people had helped to start the very church they had recently been forced to leave. They had watched a warm hearted fellowship of believers become what Spurgeon called "a better representative of the law than of the gospel." There were three things that seemed to be true in the recent experience of each of these people.

(1) The "law ministry" they had been under had robbed them totally of the joy of their salvation. It is amazing how many preachers believe it is a sin to be genuinely happy in the Lord. They think a believer has to squirm like a worm under every sermon and go home feeling depressed and miserable in order to be sure that he heard "the whole counsel of God."

(2) These people noticed a marked change in their marriage relationship when they got out from under legalism and fear. One brother said, "My wife and I have never loved each other so much. Our home and marriage has changed radically since we left our former church." How can it be otherwise? A "worm theology" must produce a "mud hole" home. If you cannot smile and rejoice in church with the saints, how can you do so at home with your family?

In a few extreme cases, a pastor had deliberately placed himself between the husband and wife and was using his pastoral authority as a means of manipulating them both into personal loyalty to himself. If either the husband or wife became in any way critical of the church or his ministry, the pastor would "counsel" the other mate to put pressure on the first one to repent. This was done on the ground that "your mate's soul is in danger" because they were daring to question God's "duly authorized" minister. One dear Christian lady was under such pressure to force her husband to submit to the pastor's authority that she felt she was being torn in half. She told someone, "I feel like I must choose between the two most important men in my life." The person wisely answered, "God never intended you to have two men in your life in any sense where you had to make a choice between them."

My friend, if your loyalty to, or dependence upon, any preacher ever comes close to being equal to your loyalty and love to your husband or wife, then you are so sick spiritually that you can't think straight.

(3) These people all had a new desire to witness the amazing love of Christ to poor sinners the moment they themselves began to experience again that love in their own hearts. How can it be otherwise if "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"? If your salvation does not thrill your heart with joy, why would you want to share it? If all you have is doubts and fears, then that is all you can share with others. If all you do is sit in the corner and lick your wounds after examining your heart to "find evidences of true holiness," how can it be possible for you to be thrilled with the Saviour and His amazing love?

In no sense am I suggesting that we should never examine our hearts. We are fools of the worst kind if we do not heed the exhortations in the Scriptures to do that very thing. Psalm 139:23, 24 and 2 Corinthians 13:5 are just as true today as when they were written. For me to be unwilling to examine myself as these verses command is to prove that I am probably a deceived hypocrite. Only a hypocrite is afraid of examining himself. We must examine our heart and we must feel our sin and guilt. However, we must always see Christ as greater than our sin and our guilt! McCheyne was right when he said, "Take one good look at your heart, and then take ten thousand looks at Christ."

Spurgeon has given us a description that, sad to say, fits some present day churches. He was preaching on the "Full Assurance of Faith" and answering common objections made by people who feel that full assurance can be dangerous. He sounds like he has just finished arguing with some "law centered" elders that I know.

I have one more class of objectors to answer and I am finished. There is a certain breed of Calvinist, whom I do not envy, who are always jeering and sneering as much as ever they can at the full assurance of faith. I have seen their long faces; I have heard their whining periods, and read their dismal sentences, in which they say something to the effect - "Groan in the Lord always, and again I say, groan! He that mourneth and weepeth, he that doubted and feareth, he that distrusteth and dishonoureth his God, shall be saved." That seems to be the sum and substance of their very ungospel-like gospel. But why is it they do this? I speak now honestly and fearlessly. It is because there is a pride within them - a conceit which is fed on rottenness, and sucks marrow and fatness out of putrid carcasses. And what, say you, is the object of their pride? Why, the pride of being able to boast of a deep experience - the pride of being a blacker, grosser, and more detestable sinner than other people. "Whose glory is in their shame," may well apply to them. A more dangerous, because a more deceitful pride than this is not to be found. It has all the elements of self-righteousness in it."

From "Full Assurance" by C. H. Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, 1861, p. 292.

My first message at the conference I mentioned was on "John Bunyan and the Law." I was covering the section in Pilgrim's Progress where Christian was pulled out of the Slough of Despond by a man named Help. I used the following quotation and was quite surprised at the response from those listening:

"Help is one of the King's officers who are planted all along the way to the Celestial city, in order to assist and counsel all pilgrims. Evangelist was one of these officers; this Help was another; Goodwill will be another, unless, indeed, he is more than a mere officer; Interpreter will be another, and Greatheart, and so on. All these are preachers and pastors and evangelists who correspond to all those names and all their offices. Only some unhappy preachers are better at pushing poor pilgrims into the slough, and pushing them down to the bottom of it, than they are at helping a sinking pilgrim get out..." Bunyan's Characters, by Alexander Whyte, Volume I, page 48.

When I read the above quotation, nearly every person looked at the person sitting next to him, grinned from ear to ear, and nodded his head in agreement. After the session one person said, "John, you understated it. When we tried to pull ourselves out of the Slough, our pastor would step on our fingers." A lady standing nearby said, "Our preacher did not step on our fingers, he used a sledge hammer."

John Newton was dead right in that great hymn when he said, "It was Grace that taught my heart to Fear," but he did not stop there. He went on to show that Grace my fear relieved." Let no one ever down play the need to fear the wrath of God against sin. It is most gracious of God to convict us and make us feel our guilt and shame. One of the distinct purposes for which the blessed Holy Spirit was given is to "convict of sin." We can never be saved until we know, feel, and admit that we are guilty before God. It was the grace of God that made Pilgrim feel so afraid that he was forced to flee from the city of destruction.

I am fully aware that many preachers do not preach either the holy character of God or His holy demands upon us, and thus they never reveal the awful guilt and corruption that must be exposed. No one has endeavored to expose this horrible distortion of the gospel more than I have. I freely admit that the accusations of the Old Testament prophets can be leveled justly against many evangelical preachers in the land today.

They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. "Peace, peace," they say, when there is no peace. Jer. 6:14

Because they lead my people astray, saying "peace," when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall...Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. I will tear down the wall you have covered with white wash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord. So I will send my wrath against that wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace," declares the Sovereign Lord! Ezek. 13:10-16

Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel are talking about what we today would call "easy believism." It can only produce a false wall of assurance. They are condemning preachers who do not preach the need for Biblical repentance. Their gospel only tells about the "good things" and the "love of God." These preachers never talk about the punishment of sin and the holy wrath of God against sin. They even go further and label any preacher who teaches "hard things" as being a false prophet. The people who listen to such preachers must be warned in the same manner Jeremiah and Ezekiel warned the people of Israel. People need to be told that their cheap assurance will be destroyed by God's wrath. They, like all sinners, want a religion without pain or sacrifice and a God who is all love and no wrath. Unfortunately, the preacher of "easy believism" gives them exactly what they want.

We insist that Newton was right in his hymn. It is God's grace that brings our conscience to fear His awesome wrath and drives us to a Saviour for mercy. We totally reject both the false prophet and his message of "easy believism." However, easy believism is not a problem in any of the churches that I have been describing! The problem in these churches is the exact opposite. They don't preach enough of any kind of believism. They seem to be as much afraid of joyous assurance as the easy believist is afraid of searching his heart.

John Newton did not stop with the words "T'was grace that taught my heart to fear." The next line is just as true as his first line. "T'was grace my fears relieved." The amazing grace that Newton loved did not leave men under the fear of the law and its judgement. Bunyan's Slough of Despond was neither a necessary experience (remember Pilgrim was chided for not walking on the stones) nor is it to be a continual experience. Christiania and her children did not fall into the Slough, and even Mr. Fearing had enough spiritual sense to walk on the stones and not fall in. If you are wallowing in such a Slough and bragging about a "deep work of God" in your soul, you are nothing but a self righteous hypocrite braying like a donkey and showing your spiritual ignorance. I suggest you get the taped message on Bunyan and the Law. I believe it will help you.

The grace of God that leads to true fear also leads to true peace. If John Newton had preached like the present day apostles of law, poor William Cowper would have committed suicide every week. The preaching of the law that sends believers home week after week with a despondent and despairing heart is just as opposed to God's truth as is the preaching condemned by the OT prophets in the passages quoted above. The preacher whose congregation is not truly happy in the Lord and yet at the same time is proud of its ability to endure his constant "heart searching preaching" is as much a false prophet as the preacher of easy believism. He has merely distorted the gospel in a different direction.

I would like to put the following words by Horatius Bonar in large letters over the head of both the legalist preacher and his opposite, or counter part, the antinomian preacher:

The way of peace and the way of holiness lies side by side; rather they are one. That which bestows the peace imparts the holiness; and he who takes the one takes the other also. The spirit of peace is the spirit of holiness. The God of peace is the God of holiness.

If at any time these paths seem to go asunder, there must be something wrong - wrong in the teaching that makes them seem to part company, or wrong in the state of the man in whose life they have done so....

The two are not independent. There is vital fellowship between them, with each being the helpmeet of the other... The peace is indispensable to the production or causation of the holiness, and the holiness is indispensable to the maintaining and deepening of the peace.

He who affirms that he has peace, while living in sin, is "a liar, and the truth is not in him." He who thinks that he has holiness, though he has no peace, ought to question himself whether he understands aright what the bible means by either the one or the other. As the essence of holiness is the soul's right state toward God, it does not seem possible that a man can be holy so long as there is no conscious reconciliation between God and him. There may be a spurious holiness founded upon a spurious peace or upon no peace at all. But true holiness must start from a true and authentic peace.

From: God's Way of Holiness, by Horatius Bonar, Moody Press, page 7,8

The "easy believe" preachers have separated peace and holiness by offering peace without repentance and without demanding that true holiness follow a profession of faith and a claim of assurance. The "obey the law" preachers have also separated peace and holiness by urging holiness as the only safe ground upon which to build the peace of assurance of salvation. They try to produce peace of conscience by holy living. The first group believes that holy living is not essentially connected to peace and the second group believes that a conscious peace can be attained only by obedience to the law. I disagree with both groups and agree with Bonar in his entire statement, especially in the following areas:

(1) Peace and holiness cannot be separated from each other. They are two distinct parts of one whole. You cannot have one without the other. True holiness and a valid assurance of salvation cannot be separated from one another. Most "obey the law" preachers would wholeheartedly agree with that statement, but most of them will also deny it by their lopsided preaching. You have no more Biblical right to be talking about "holiness" if you are not consciously sure of your peace, than you have the right to be boasting about "assurance" if you are living in sin. One of these mistakes is just as bad as the other one.

(2) Our argument today is NOT over whether you can have true peace without also having true holiness attending it. We all wholeheartedly agree that such a possibility is contrary to the very heart of the gospel in both its message and results. Grace makes men holy! Titus 2:11-13 settles that question forever. I have never questioned that fact in the least. "He who affirms that he has peace, while living in sin is a liar, and the truth is not in him" is the message I have preached, do preach, and shall preach as long as I live. Our argument, like Bonar's, is that you cannot have true holiness without first having true peace with God in your conscience. "He who thinks he has holiness, though he has no peace, ought to question himself whether he understands aright what the Bible means by either the one or the other" is also the same message that I preach. The first part of the message gets me in trouble with the antinomians and the second part gets me into worse trouble with the legalist.

The legalist binds your conscience to the law in a manner that makes assurance of salvation and real joy nearly impossible, and the more sincere and conscientious you are, the more difficulty you will have with assurance. If you are one of those dear souls that is earnestly "striving to be holy" in order to find real heart felt assurance, then in Bonar's words, you do not understand either Biblical holiness or true assurance. Your theology has been warped by legalistic preaching.

(3) Our main difference with many Reformed Baptist preachers is not over the necessity of holiness in the life of a true child of God; we agree with them that this holiness is essential. Our disagreement is over how that holiness is produced. I believe the Scriptures lead God's sheep into true holy living by making Christ Himself precious to their hearts. Some of my Reformed Baptist brethren believe that the sheep are led to true peace by whipping them with the law every week. That is the heart of the present law/grace controversy. A pastor's wife told a friend of mine, "We need to be constantly whipped into submission by the law or else our sins will conquer us." That approach is exactly opposite to the theme of Bonar's book and also contrary to the consistent teaching of the Apostle Paul.

Bonar's statement that "peace is indispensable to the production or causation of the holiness" is the foundation of my position and preaching. The foundation of all legalistic preaching is the exact opposite. The goal of a legalist's preaching is to make people feel holy enough so that they then might dare to believe that they are finally acceptable in God's sight. The basic premise of the legalist is that the rod of the law is the only God ordained way to whip the sheep into shape. The feeling of genuine acceptance with God will only come when you can examine yourself and your obedience and "feel" that all is well because you passed the test. The legalist puts the law into the Christian's conscience as his judge in such a way that a sheep has no right to feel "secure in Christ" until his daily life can "pass inspection" by the "holy Law of God." This horrible distortion of both the Law and the Gospel can only lead to either constant despair and doubt on the one hand, or self-righteous conceit on the other hand, and both of these states or conditions are enemies of the sovereign grace of God.

If some who are legalist revile me and my friends and say, "That is what we also believe," I can only respond, "Brother, the content of 95% of your messages as well as the look on your face and tone of your voice as you preach sure does not prove it!" If preachers really believe (1) that the law cannot sanctify or justify, and that (2) only the preaching of the cross can produce true Biblical holiness, then why are the sheep under their ministry sent home nearly every week so badly beaten and bleeding? Why are the marks of Moses' rod on their backs so visible and the fruits of the spirit so conspicuous by their absence? Do these preachers believe that the majority of their congregation are "hypocrites" that need to have their "lost estate" exposed instead of sheep that need to be fed? These preachers clearly use, or misuse, the law in a manner that indicates most, if not all, of their hearers are lost hypocrites.

Let me say again that I abominate the message of "easy believism" and all of its attendant evils, but I must also repeat that easy believism is not a problem in the churches I am describing. The problem in these churches is that there is not enough "only believe" and too much "obey the law or else you will be damned." These is too much Moses and the law covenant's threat and not enough Christ and the grace covenant's blessing of forgiveness.


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My Aim of the Knowledge of Christ

I have been preaching through the book of Philippians on Sunday mornings. I have really been going at a slow pace. My desire is for the people in our church to have a good solid handle of the book. Exposition of Scripture requires prayerful and careful examination in order to communicate the authorial intent and not my input. I must look it up and dig it up not make it up. I could take bigger chunks just to get through the book but I have found it helpful to me and the congregation to clearly see the flow of thouhts that are being commuincated. There are major bible doctrines taught throughout the book that need to be clearly understood to help establish God's people in His Word so that they not be tossed arounded by every wind of doctrine that blows about. My aim is for the people of God to learn to recognize and agree with sound biblical preaching and not with smoothe sounding preachers. There is much that sounds good that is not sound preaching. I do not write this to belittle others and elevate myself. I am just conscious of my standing before God to give an account of my own stewardship. II Tim. 4:1 Here is my outlines for the verses I have been dealing with. Sundays message The Fuition of the Knowledge of Christ. Please pray for my efforts to make clear the Gospel of God's Free and Sovereign Grace.




Philippians 3:10-11
v. 10 The Focus of the Knowledge of Christ - that I might know HIM - The Person of Christ.

The Framework of the Knowledge of Christ - and the power of His resurrection and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death - The Redemptive Activity of Christ.

v. 11 The Fuition of the Knowledge of Christ - that by any means possible i may attain the resurrection from the dead - The Resurrection of Christ

Is a Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Necessary for Easter to Have Validity? Pt.2

Dr. Mcswain:The hardest thing in life for me -- and I suspect the same is true of most people -- is staying here and now. So this is my daily spiritual practice. And when I do this, I've discovered a kind of resurrection all it's own -- a resurrection within my attitudes, my actions, as well as my sense of inner peace. At times, this inner peace is so wonderful, I could not imagine anything MORE wonderful beyond this life. So what I'm saying is something similar to what my favorite French writer, who is also an atheist, Andre' Comte-Sponville said. In one of his books, he asked, "Why would I want eternal life when I'm experiencing it already?"


Keelan: Ummm……… his favorite writer is an atheist?

Dr. Mcswain: There was at time in my life when I would not have understood what he was saying at all. But ever since that moment I describe in my book, I now get it. This is the miracle of the resurrection to me. It is this Jesus whose life, influence and teachings, when practiced, so transform today that there is little interest in you for yesterday or tomorrow. This is a resurrected Jesus I can relate to -- and I do.


Keelan: Jesus is not who we want him to be He is who He says he is. Many create their own Jesus, the one they can relate to. If one says he is going to do something (resurrection bodily) and he doesn’t he is a LIAR. If one says he will do something (resurrection bodily) and knows he has no capability of doing it He is a LUNATIC. If one says he will do something (resurrection bodily) and does it he is LORD. I lean to the latter perception of Jesus Christ. I have not read his book so I have no idea what he is talking about here. Personally I don’t think he does either. The Gospel is not Be like Jesus. It is Receive Jesus.
Based of what I have heard in this article, I would not encourage anyone to read his book. Much of what I discern he is rooted in Secular Humanism. His views are not Christian by any means.


Dr. Mcswain: And this is precisely the second reason why the Easter story need not be literal to have transformative power. My own experience gives witness to this. For example, when I tried to believe the things I was told to believe and that questioning my beliefs was a sign of weakness and lack of faith, I tried to conform. For much of my adult life, I ignored my questions and said silly things like, "The Bible says it, I believe it; that settles it." But then, a death in my family, as well as the death of a marriage and a few other traumatic things, caused that weak foundation to give way. My life shattered. So did my fragile faith. I realized I could no longer ignore my doubts or my questions. So, I let them rip. But, amazingly, what I discovered is, instead of being obstacles, they became the building blocks of a resurrection faith.


Keelan: Faith is the gift of God. Man is his natural depraved state will never believe God on his own. The natural man does not accept the not 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. (Eph. 2:8-9, I Cor. 2:14)


Apostle Paul said of Israel, Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. They are guilty of INSUBORDINATION. They want submit to God’s plan so the develop their own. (Rom. 10:1-3)


Dr. Mcswain: You can delude yourself into believing that questioning things is a lack of faith. But I would be inclined to remind you that until you DO question your faith, you really have no faith at all. What you have instead is a collection of beliefs -- beliefs that a frightened little ego in you will cling to for a sense of security and identity with other little egos that cling to a similar set of beliefs -- but these beliefs will not translate into personal inner transformation. They will not sustain you through life either. They didn't for me. It was not until I questioned and doubted the things I was taught, including the bodily resurrection of Jesus, that I met, and believed -- or, fell in love with -- a genuine and believable Jesus whose teachings, whose enduring spirit, and whose eternal influence continues to guide seekers into a transformative relationship with themselves and with the Divine. So, this Easter, I have a lot to be grateful for. And, I am.


Keelan: Certainly there are times when even a Christian question things and even doubt, however this is not a call to create a Jesus of their liking. The goal is not make God come to my frame of thinking but for me to be brought to the place of His thinking. My failure to understand why God does what he does in my life is not a call for God to change but for me to submit and trust in the fact that he is God and I am not. Does the clay shape the potter or the potter shape the clay? God is Sovereign He does what he wants when he wants and to whom he wants all in keeping with his nature and purpose and no one can stay his hand. We can write our own bibles but we can’t rewrite THE BIBLE. Many say God said it I believe and that settles it, but the truth is GOD SAID and THAT SETTLES IT. My belief only has impact me not what God says. For God’s Word will not come back void but shall accomplish what He purposes. Any attempt to celebrate an Easter without the Bodily Resurrected Christ is invain.

Conclusion.........By Pastor Keelan A. Atkinson

Church we must have spiritual discernment. This will not take place without sound biblically teaching from our pulpits in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pastors we must give time to prayer and the study of God's Word. Pastors we must get away from the entertaining style of preaching and start feeding the people of God good solid bible doctrine. There is too much focus on how a man says it and not on what he says. We are agreeing with preachers and not preaching. God is going to hold us accountable for every word we speak. It is time out for wanting to be popular. Popular and preaching don't go together.

God has called us to speak for Him not for the people nor ourselves. May God grant us discernment to know the truth from error. May He gives us discernment about what institutions we send our young preachers and children. Many of them are prestige in name but are only instrumental in the destruction of their faith.

Philippians 1:27-28
For His Glory In All Things

Is a Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Necessary for Easter to Have Validity? Pt.1

This is an article I pulled from a friends face book page. We as Christians must get rid of our biblical illiteracy and become rooted and grounded in our faith. Dr. Steven Mcswain is some distinguished professor of religion, claims to be a Christian. Run from this name saints!I am not sure where he teaches. I know he is speaking at many churches across the country. My friend is a student at Harvard. Many of these prestige institutions are confusing and leading people into major doctrinal errors as it relates to Christianity. I have incuded my statements in the atricle to help you see his errors. Please read this prayerfully and carefully. I will have pt. II tomorrow.


Is a Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Necessary for Easter to Have Validity? Pt.1

Soon, millions of Christians will gather to celebrate Easter. For many of them, the literal, not merely metaphorical, resurrection of Jesus -- that is, a bodily resuscitation -- is necessary for any of it to have validity.

Is this necessary? Does the resurrection need the resuscitation of Jesus' body to have any transformative significance in the 21st century?


Keelan:I say it does for me. The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event to occur in the history of man-kind. The Christian faith hangs on the very hinges of the resurrection. This doctrine is one of the most important doctrines of the Bible. I will go a step further and say that the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a fundamental and foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. If Jesus did not rise from the dead bodily, then we have no faith and Christianity is no better than any other cult or false religion in the world. Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:14, "and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain." Three verses later, in verse 17, he again says, "and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins."


Though there are many subjects with which Christians may disagree and still are considered Christian, this is not one of them. To deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus is to deny the heart of Christianity itself. The reason I stress the word bodily or physical is because simply put a "resurrection" of the dead (Matthew 22:30-31; Luke 14:14; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16) is to imply physicality. That is what a resurrection is. The Bible has no categories for the concept of a resurrected body that remains dead and physically lying in a grave.

Dr. Mcswain: It doesn't for me. Although, like many other Christians, I grew up being taught that on the third day after his crucifixion Jesus' body, which was wrapped and buried in a tomb, miraculously came back to life, and he wiggled out of his clothes, got up and walked out. When I got a little older, I began to question both the validity of this version of the story and the necessity of a physical "come-back-to-life" miracle in what we now know as Easter.
Keelan: I believe one has the right to question the validity of what is told to them; however the standard of the test of all Christian subjects must be the Word of God. Any test that does not and an Absolute Standard is merely speculation.

Dr. Mcswain: Today, I think the significance of Easter is more metaphorical than literal. Few theologians have helped better articulate what I've felt and thought for years than Marcus Borg. If you have not read his book, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, I think you would find it inspiring reading. Believable too. It's a bit dated now, but if you've ever wondered how to make more logical sense of your Christian experience than the explanations you were taught as a child, this is a pretty good book to read to enhance your Easter experience.

Keelan: The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a documented historical fact. Something that Paul points out in 1 Cor. 15:5-8. We have the testimony of Peter, Paul, all the disciples and of over 500 brethren who all saw the risen Lord on one occasion. The resurrection is documented in the Bible, Luke 24; John 20-21; Matt. 28; Mark 16; Acts 1:3, etc. There are our secular resources as well such Historian Josephus. Not only is it an historical fact it is a Present Reality that holds the Christian Faith it tact. Christ is not metaphorically alive He is actually alive forever making intercession for His people (Heb. 7:5)

It is interesting that for such a serious subject, Dr. Mcswain endorses Marcus Borg’s book any never endorses the bible. I wonder why? What do he believe about the bible? Well here is what

Marcus Borg believes:
Borg advocates entering into relationship with God as more important than belief about God. He has a panentheist understanding of God, which sees God as both indwelling in everything and transcendent.[6] He teaches that a historical-metaphorical approach to the Bible is more meaningful for today's world than is the historical-grammatical approach or that of biblical literalism. He also distinguishes between the pre-Easter Jesus, who was a Jewish mystic and the founder of Christianity, and the post-Easter Jesus who is a divine reality that Christians can still experience personally.

Borg does not believe that the Bible has to be taken literally if it is to be taken seriously, an idea he develops in his book Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, subtitled Taking the Bible Seriously but Not Literally. He claims that truths can be found in the many messages and metaphors of the Bible stories even though he states that such stories may not have actually happened at all. Rather than asking what the events in certain New Testament stories actually were, he challenges his audience with another question, 'What effect must this man (Not GOD MAN) Jesus have had on the people he came into contact with for so many rich stories to have been written about him after his life?' (Wikipedia Biography)

Dr. Mcswain: Why have I come to believe the resurrection story is more metaphorical than literal?

Well, the most obvious reason is, it's more believable. Maybe it's easy for you to live in a mythical, magical world of make-believe (and, if so, so be it), but I cannot. I've conducted too many funerals in my lifetime, walked through too many stone-cold cemeteries and stood beside too many grieving souls (my own included) whose family members had gone the way that we all will go -- the way of death -- to believe anything other than death is pretty fatal and pretty final. You can pretend all you'd like that it isn't so. Dress up the altar with lilies and sing as loud as you can "Up From the Grave He Arose." But, one day, you'll discover for yourself that all the pretending in the world won't keep you from going to the grave. You will die, just as I will die.

Keelan: The Christian Life is rooted in faith, God given faith (Rom. 10:17). Everything that is not of faith is SIN (Rom. 14:23). So anything that is not believable in the bible we shouldn’t believe? Sounds like I’m the standard of what is true. This is Post-Modernism to the core – the denial of Absolute Truth. Truth is not only subjective but it is also objective. My experiences don’t determine what is true. Who is living in the world of make-believe? Yes death is real and it is fatal but death doesn’t have the final say, God does. We do hurt over the lost of love ones. Death is the terrible result of sin. However, God has not left us ignorant on this matter.

I Thes. 4:13-18
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep (dead), that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep (died in Christ). 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,4 that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (fatal but not final) 17 Then we who are alive, ( all will not experience death) who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Hallelujah for the LAMB!!!!!! Someone is not reading their Bible or don’t believe the Bible.

Dr. Mcswain: Now, that does not mean that I have given up believing in something after death. I have not. I can't prove there's life after death. I'm pretty sure no one has proven there is nothing either. For me, I prefer to imagine something goes on beyond this life and that, whatever that something is, it's all good. I can get real metaphorical about it, too. But, the fact is, I don't think much about life beyond death, I've got too much to ponder now. And, it's infinitely more meaningful to me than either the past or the future. I suspect this is because, whenever I think about either the past or the future, I'm either regretting something I've done or worrying about something I'm getting ready to do.

Keelan: Christians don’t believe something we believe the Lord and His Word. Christians are intelligent articulate and kind people (I Pet. 3:15). We don’t believe something we know and should be prepared to say what we know when we are asked. Truth is not authenticated by my proving it. The truth is authenticated by the validity of the One who established it. Truth lies in the reliability of the One who establishes the truth. God cannot LIE! (Heb. 6:18) For those who deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ life after death will not be good. Christian are taught to focus on what is not seen not the things that are seen for the things seen are transient but the unseen is eternal (II Cor. 4:18)

All men have two dimensions of implanted spiritual consciousness that they every man cannot escape.

1. The Awareness of Accountability to and guilt before the True and Living God. Romans 1 and 2 make this clear. Romans 1&2
2. The Consciousness of their capacity for and need of communion w/God. Acts 17:26-28

These dilemmas can only be sufficed by the provisions of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The two provisions in the gospel for these dilemmas are:

1. Christ is the Objective Provision of Perfect Righteousness
2. Christ is the Subjective Provision of Knowledge and Communion with God.
Philippians 3:1-16 clearly articulates.

Dr. Mcswain: So, I find my biggest challenge in life, as well as reward, is staying present. That way, I'm not wasting my time thinking of situations that might have been better, of the stupid things I've done or the people who have offended me and what I wish I had said or done in those situations and so on. Such is madness. Conversely, I'm not wasting my energy with the future either -- a future that, when and if it does come, will only ever come as this present moment. I don't think anyone has ever lived in the future until they got there. When I don't stay anchored to the present, I'm anticipating some conversation, what I'm going to say, how he or she is likely to respond, what I'm going to do with the imagined response, and, well, you can see how this madness goes, too.

Keelan: What a blessing to be able to have a Personal Testimony like Apostle Paul;
“For to me to live (presently) and to die (future) is gain” Paul says in essence “When Christ is your EVERYTHING you handle ANYTHING. Past Present or Future.

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
And I don't borrow from the sunshine
'Cause the skies might turn to grey.

And I don't worry about the future,
'Cause I know what Jesus said,
And today I'm gonna walk right beside him
'Cause he's the one who knows what is ahead.

There are things about tomorrow
That I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

And each step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb.
And every burden is getting lighter
And all the clouds, they're silver lined.

And, I'll bet the sun it's always shining
There no tears will ever dim the eye
And the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains, they touch the sky.

There are many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

There is great theology in this song. I love to hear my Pastor Dr. James Brown Sr. sing it. He sings it with so much passion and assurance.

Dr. Mcswain: The hardest thing in life for me -- and I suspect the same is true of most people -- is staying here and now. So this is my daily spiritual practice. And when I do this, I've discovered a kind of resurrection all it's own -- a resurrection within my attitudes, my actions, as well as my sense of inner peace. At times, this inner peace is so wonderful, I could not imagine anything MORE wonderful beyond this life. So what I'm saying is something similar to what my favorite French writer, who is also an atheist, Andre' Comte-Sponville said. In one of his books, he asked, "Why would I want eternal life when I'm experiencing it already?"

Keelan: Ummm……… his favorite writer is an atheist?

These are the type of men teaching in these Liberal Seminarys. Then the young guys graduate for these prestige institution and many can't wait to call them as pastors because of where they studied and they say things we never heard. Church Wake Up!

JUDE

Jude, a servant1 of Jesus Christ and brother of James,

aTo those who are called, bbeloved in God the Father and ckept for2 Jesus Christ:

2 May dmercy, epeace, and love be multiplied to you.

Judgment on False Teachers
3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our fcommon salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you gto contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For hcertain people ihave crept in unnoticed jwho long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert kthe grace of our God into sensuality and ldeny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

What Has Jesus Done For Me?

Many Christians wear the bracelets saying, What would Jesus do? This becomes the motivation for them on what they should do. The question is, What has Jesus done for me? The motivation for godly living is His Performance not MY Performances. Don't look for something to do to gain God's Acceptance. Receive what He has freely given in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is not Be Like Jesus. It is Receive from Jesus.

Jesus says If you love me you will keep my commandments (John 14:15)Obedience is the test of love. Obedience is an evidence of love not the cause of love. Love is the cause of obedience. When we are struggling with obedience we immediately start trying to adjust our behaviors. Problems with obedience is not with our behaviors it's with our love. This goes back to the source, we love God because He first loved us. Where do we find the greatest expression of that love? It is in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. It is in His atoning death and glorious ressurection.Jesus Christ alone in the perfection of His Work and the Glory of His Person is the Sum and Substance of the Christian Faith. Therefore, this is God's greatest expression of love toward His people.

What would Jesus do, places your focus on YOUR Performances. What has Jesus done for me, places the focus on HIS Performance, which ignites our LOVE FOR HIM and produces obedience to HIM. What He has done for me is the ROOT that leads to FRUIT. Get your eyes off of your FRUIT and fix them on the ROOT. The question is WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR ME?

The Framework of Knowing Christ

THE FRAMEWORK OF KNOWING CHRIST

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event to occur in the history of man-kind. The Christian faith hangs on the very hinges of the resurrection. This doctrine is one of the most important doctrines of the Bible. I will go a step further and say that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a fundamental and foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then we have no faith and Christianity is no better than any other cult or false religion in the world.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a documented historical fact. Something that Paul points out in 1 Cor. 15:5-8. We have the testimony of Peter, Paul, all the disciples and of over 500 brethren who all saw the risen Lord on one occasion. The resurrection is documented in the Bible, Luke 24; John 20-21; Matt. 28; Mark 16; Acts 1:3, etc.
The resurrection is God the Father’s full approval and acceptance of Jesus Christ payment for the sins of His People. It is the receipt of our redemptions purchased price. The benefits of the resurrection to the believer in Christ are many. But three stand out;
1. THE BENEFIT OF A GENUINE FAITH
2. THE BENEFIT OF A GODLY FAMILY
3. THE BENEFIT OF A GLORIOUS FUTURE
The resurrection must be embraced because it:
A. It Authenticates our Justification – Past Tense – The Penalty and Guilt of Sin
B. It Orchestrates Our Sanctification – Present Tense – The Power and Dominion of Sin
C. It Anticipates Our Glorification – Future Tense – The Presence of Sin
Praise God for the Resurrection! There is the Three Dimensional Blessing of the Resurrection, which leads me to our text.
Paul has been asserting the fact that Jesus Christ alone in the perfection of His Work and the Glory of His Person is the Sum and Substance of the Christian Faith. He is the Center and the Circumference of the Christian Joy.
Paul wants the Gospel alone to serve as immunization for the Philippians and us against the Judiaser and their legalism.
3:1 Exhorted To Rejoice in the Lord
3:2 Warning Against the Judiaser and Legalism
3:3 Marks and Identity of True Christians
3:4-6 Testimony of His Life of as a Legalist and His Fleshly Advantages
3:7-11 Evaluation and Explanation of Knowing Christ.
Remember there are two dimensions of implanted spiritual consciousness that they every man cannot escape.
1. The Awareness of Accountability to and guilt before the True and Living God. Romans 1 and 2 make this clear.
2. The Consciousness of their capacity for and need of communion w/God. Acts 17:26-28
We all struggle with these two dilemmas but there are two provisions in the gospel for these dilemmas.
1. Christ is the Objective Provision of Perfect Righteousness
2. Christ is the Subjective Provision of Knowledge and Communion with God.

I showed from the one phrase in verse 10 THAT I MIGHT KNOW HIM those two realities.
So we saw first, The Focus Of this Knowledge and Communion with Christ. The Person of Christ, THAT I MIGHT KNOW HIM.
We saw the:
• The Nature of that Knowledge
• The Characteristics of the Knowledge
a. Illumination – II Cor. 4:6, Eph. 1:17-18
b. Appropriation – Phil. 3:8
c. Transformation - II Cor. 3:18
d. Aspiration – Phil. 3:7-9
We saw how this text clears up all religious misconceptions.
1. Exposes Heresy of Legalism and Ritualism.
2. Exposes the Curse of Decisionism. Assuring people of salvation on the basis of what they did. Always relying upon their decision for forgiveness. Christ is not an insurance policy. Get the policy you don’t need the agent. No you need both.
3. Exposes the problems with Objectivenism. Love v. 9 Praise God for Grace. Grace is an objective provision.
4. Exposes the faults of Mytism. Only wants experiences.
5. Constitutes the Powerful Comfort to the true people of God
a. Are you fully satisfied with your acceptance before God in Christ? Are you done with plus signs. No more plus signs not adding anything to the Gospel.
b. Are you dissatisfied with your present level of knowledge with Christ. Paul says THAT I MIGHT KNOW HIM. Paul I thought you knew Him. Paul do you know Him? Yes and NO
6. Constitutes a Sounding Board of the Gospel.

So today on this Resurrection Sunday we want to look at the Framework of the Knowledge of Christ. The Focus of the Knowledge of Christ was on His PERSON. The Framework of the Knowledge of Christ is on His REDEMPTIVE ACTIVITY,
That I might know HIM and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
The Framework comes to us this morning in 3D, The Framework of the knowledge of Christ is three dimensional, this means it will require Spiritual Glasses to see all the special effects.
I. Paul had a Past Experience with Christ
a. Found In Christ - When I am found in Christ – when I am united to him – I have a righteousness from God that depends on faith.
“union with the resurrected Christ by faith…justification is the first thing that Paul thinks of as one of the benefits of that union. Positionally He is Declared right with God. This is that Objective Righteousness I spoke of that takes care of that conscious awareness of accountability and guilt before God.

II. Paul had a Present or Continuous Experience with Christ
a. That I might know HIM and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, – when I am found in Christ and united to him having a declared righteousness it evidence itself by a pursuing desire to know him. This is the Subjective Knowledge that longs to commune with Him.

III. Paul sought a Future Experience with Christ
a. becoming like him in his death

But the second thing that Paul thinks of as connected with our union with Christ is sanctification. that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

There are three things that Paul wants to know:
1) “Him” – I want to know Christ – Himself. A Desire to Know His Person Intimately
This reminds us that we are not just talking about a moralistic “I want to be a better person” I want to know Christ – I want to know him. We come to know him by faith. True faith is Knowing Believing Pursuing and Resting.

If that is not the first thing that you want to know, then you need to rethink your priorities!
This means you have faulty framework. You never see in 3D without first seeing in 1D

Well, what does it mean to know Christ? Intimately and Experientially
The next two things help us:
2) “I want to know the power of his resurrection” A Desire to Know His Power Experientially

The power or victory over defeat
The power of life over death
The power of winning when it looks like I am losing
The power of knowing truth as opposed to lies
The power to believe when I am drowning in unbelief
The power to love the unlovable
The power to befriend my enemies
The power to trust God’s Heart when I can’t see his hand
The power to shut up when I want to speak
The power that will enable me to resist the World the Flesh and the Devil.
The power that will make me cry when nothing wrong
The power that will make me strong when I know I am weak
The power to forgive when people keep on hurting me
The power to continue speaking boldly when others are silent
The power to give my last because my trust is in my First


This is the power for holy living. This kind of power requires a dead man. For resurrection power works best in the graveyard. Many can’t experience this kind of power because they want die or deny self. Paul says I have counted everything loss for the surpassing knowledge of knowing Him. Being found in him not having a righteousness of my own but a righteousness from God that depends on faith in Christ that Justification and the evidence of my justification is sanctification.


Sanctification is a profoundly doctrinal, theological process. You will never grow in grace, if you are not growing in knowledge. I want to know Him and the Power of his resurrection

Of course, there is always the opposite problem – of people who are always studying and never doing – but my observation is that those who are seeking to know Christ
in the manner that Paul describes here are invariably the most active Christians in the church. Because knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection is nothing less than experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit – who is, after all, the presence of the resurrected Christ with his people.

The resurrected Lord has poured out his Spirit on his church – and therefore the power of the exalted Messiah is at work in you.

3) “I want to know the fellowship of his sufferings” A Desire to Know Him Identically by Participate Sufferings

This comes about first in our baptism – and outward expression of an inward change. To be Identified with Christ as participants in the death and burial of Christ. As he identified with us in his incarnation, we identify with him – we are united with his death – in our baptism.

But this definitive breach with sin then is worked out throughout the life of the believer.
“becoming like him in his death.”

This is simply another way of saying, “to live is Christ; to die is gain.”
that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Verse 11 then emphasizes our “final” sanctification in glorification.
As Paul had said in Romans 8:17, “we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”

Many have been struck by the tentativeness of this – almost as though Paul was in doubt whether he would attain the resurrection!

But I don’t think we need to read any doubt into this. Rather, Paul is emphasizing the need for perseverance.

Your present status in Christ does not remove or reduce your need to persevere.
The only way to glory is the way of the cross. Knowing the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings and being conformed to the likeness of his death is the only way to glory.
After all, if Paul has come this far, refusing to have confidence in himself
and his own righteousness, then how could he have confidence in his own efforts at sanctification?

His only hope is Christ – and so he wants to keep his confidence fixed there. Paul wanted to be found in Christ in his living and in His death.

And so the 3 dimensions of the framework of the knowledge of Christ are
Justified
Sanctified
Glorified

Saved Being Saved Will Be Saved Past Present and Future

I have a Personal Relationship
I have a Powerful Relationship
I have a Perfect Relationship

All because He Died was Buried And Has RISEN God raised Him up.

Because He Lives
________________________________________
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.


Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.