Scriptures: Psalm 131:3 - "As is true of all of us on special occasions, David had learned a truth that was so exciting he had to share it. He wanted his entire nation to enter into this joyous experience with him. As Psalm 131 concludes, David expresses his desire for the nation he leads.
Verse 3 - "O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever."
Please allow me a personal comment here. David's little song has been so comforting to me. I have loved its quiet peacefulness. I have needed its message. Perhaps you have too. It is quite possible that God is "weaning" you away from every source of pride. You may have trusted in the fleeting silver and tinsel of this world, only to have it tarnish and melt in your hands. You may have believed in someone only to have him or her fail you and even turn against you. Quite possibly, you have fallen into the trap of self-exaltation and recently failed miserably. Maybe you've been accustomed to honor and public notice, but (like Moses) all that has passed, at least for a while. Perhaps your talent is no longer in demand, or your job is not now needed, or your counsel is no longer sought.
"What's happening?" you may be asking. Arrogance refuses to accept such humbling experiences; patience must take over and consciously command our souls to be still at such times. But "Why?" you may wonder. God is answering your question in Psalm 131.
Perhaps you are being "weaned" from the mother of importance, prestige, public applause, honor, and (dare I say it?) pride. Who does the weaning? The child? No, never. The act of weaning is done to the child. All we can do is submit. God is responsible. He is removing every crutch upon which you would lean so you will lean hard upon Him only. (See Proverbs 3:5�6.) He is changing your diet to a new kind of food�from the milk of immaturity to the meat of genuine humility. And He wants you to learn this "from this time forth and forever."
God sometimes removes every crutch upon which we would lean so we will lean hard upon Him only."
� ABOUT: Charles R. Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God�s Word and His grace. A pastor at heart, Chuck has served as senior pastor to congregations in Texas, Massachusetts, and California. Since 1998, he has served as the founder and senior pastor-teacher of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck�s listening audience extends far beyond a local church body. As a leading program in Christian broadcasting since 1979, "Insight for Living" airs in major Christian radio markets around the world, reaching people groups in languages they can understand.
While on the island of Okinawa during his tour of duty in the United States Marine Corps, Chuck recognized that the Lord was calling him to devote his life to the gospel ministry. With Cynthia, his partner in life for more than fifty-one years, Chuck has devoted himself to the challenge of communicating practical, biblical truth and its application in the context of God�s grace.
After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, Chuck enrolled in Dallas Theological Seminary [DTS]. Chuck�s course of study at DTS and the lifelong mentors he met there have permanently marked his life and the course of his ministry.
Chuck graduated magnacum-laude from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1963. Chuck has also received four honorary doctorate degrees in recognition of his outstanding contributions to ministry.
For more than forty years, Chuck�s pulpit ministry has emphasized the grace of God alongside an uncompromising commitment to practical, biblical truth and its application. In October of 1998, Chuck founded Stonebriar Community Church, where he continues to serve as senior pastor.
Hmm, another posting of someone else's beliefs. When will you post what the Holy Spirit reveals to you about Messiah, not another's words.
You seem to boast and brag about achievement, cemetery training, and government required certificates. Why not boast about what GOD Almighty reveals to you about Himself in His Word; maybe He reveals nothing to you because you do not want His Word, but the words of men
As early as 2001 Chuck Swindoll was already extolling the twisted teachings of universalist Roman Catholic Henri Nouwen.
The problem is, Swindoll ends up sowing confusion because he�s importing his own definitions into Nouwen�s teachings on CSM. Those of us who�ve studied the language of the mystics know solitude and silence means CCP.
Nouwen taught the alleged �inward journey� of meditation inherent within this spurious CSM. Essentially this mythology holds that those who practice CCP, meditation in an altered state of consciousness, meet God this way.
Let me point you to someone who knows Nouwen�s work much better that Chuck Swinsdoll. Nouwen biographer Wil Hernandez, who �teaches a course on the spirituality of Henri Nouwen at Fuller Theological Seminary� says:
This deep experience of ourselves captures the nature of our inward journey. Henri Nouwen himself embarked on what journalist Philip Yancey calls a form of �inward mobility� wherein �[h]e withdrew in order to look inward, to learn how to love God and be loved by God.� Such movement is best realized in the context of solitude. In solitude, we can pay closer attention to our inner self and consequently become present to our own experience�
Our inward ability to relate to and be at home with our own self is what enables us to live from the center of our existence and thereby relate with others in terms of who we are and not so much by what we do� Reaching into our inmost being connects us to the reality of our own soul�that mystical reality that Henri Nouwen simply calls the heart.
The fact is, mystics absolutely reject sola Scriptura in favor of experiences they have in the solitude and silence of contemplative meditation. However, the genuine Christian faith doesn�t teach us to go on some journey inward.
Bob DeWaay is right when he explains:
The Bible nowhere describes an inward journey to explore the realm of the spirit. God chose to reveal the truth about spiritual reality through His ordained, Spirit-inspired, biblical writers. What is spiritual and not revealed by God is of the occult and, therefore, forbidden�
This sort of meditation is not meditating on what God has said, but uses a technique to explore the spirit world. In other words, it is divination.
I Timothy 3:16,17: All Scripture is **GOD-BREATHED** and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead and in view of His appearing and His Kingdom, I give you this charge: **PREACH THE WORD**; be prepared in season in out of season, correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear!!
I Peter 1:23-25: For you have been **BORN AGAIN**, not of perishable seed but the imperishable, through the living and enduring **WORD OF GOD**. For all people are like grass, and all their glory is like flowers in the field; the grass withers and the flowers fail, but the **WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER**!!
Mystics seek after an alleged �true self� supposedly �untouched by sin,� as Roman Catholic mystic Thomas Merton dreamed. The Christian knows his true self is a hopeless sinner; so we look outward to Jesus on the Cross.
The fact is it�s past time for people like Chuck Swindoll, sowing confusion by pointing people to mystics, to repent.
Richard AGAIN, YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CHUCK SWINDOLL, IN FACT, YOU NEVER HEARD OF HIM UNTIL I POSTED this devotional by him. And as for your article post, Do you KNOW WHO WROTE THAT ARTICLE YOU POSTED? NO! you don't even have a clue, not only as to who the person is, but you don't know a clue as to what he has written in his article.
BTW, Richard, did you know Ken Silva? NO! AND NOT ONLY THAT YOU NEVER HEARD OF HIM OR KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HIS MINISTRY A. Did you know Richard that Ken Silva is said to have not like ANYONE and DID NOT treat too many of the brothers in a Christ-like manner? DID YOU KNOW RICHARD that it is with GREAT SUSPECT THST HE KILLED HIMSELF?
George, I have YET TO FIND A THREAD WITH YOU POSTING ONE THING SPIRITUAL... IT SEEMS YOU CAN FIND MUCH CRITICISM ON EVERY THREAD BY EVERY PERSON ON THIS BOARD, BUT YOU HAVE NOTHING TO POST OR SAY SPIRITUAL ABOUT THE LORD AND WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM AS YOUR PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOR. WHAT do YOU have to give or OFFER to the Lord and/or to those reading on the forum BESIDE CRITICISM AND COMPLAINS... Dot' you KNOW THIS IS SIN???!!!...
"Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field . . . let us see if the vine flourish."�Song of Solomon 7:11,12. - THE church was about to engage in earnest labour, and desired her Lord's company in it. She does not say, "I will go," but "let us go." It is blessed working when Jesus is at our side! It is the business of God's people to be trimmers of God's vines. Like our first parents, we are put into the garden of the Lord for usefulness; let us therefore go forth into the field. Observe that the church, when she is in her right mind, in all her many labours desires to enjoy communion with Christ. Some imagine that they cannot serve Christ actively, and yet have fellowship with Him: they are mistaken. Doubtless it is very easy to fritter away our inward life in outward exercises, and come to complain with the spouse, "They made me keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept:" but there is no reason why this should be the case except our own folly and neglect. Certain is it that a professor may do nothing, and yet grow quite as lifeless in spiritual things as those who are most busy. Mary was not praised for sitting still; but for her sitting at Jesus' feet. Even so, Christians are not to be praised for neglecting duties under the pretence of having secret fellowship with Jesus: it is not sitting, but sitting at Jesus' feet which is commendable. Do not think that activity is in itself an evil: it is a great blessing, and a means of grace to us. Paul called it a grace given to him to be allowed to preach; and every form of Christian service may become a personal blessing to those engaged in it. Those who have most fellowship with Christ are not recluses or hermits, who have much time to spare, but indefatigable labourers who are toiling for Jesus, and who, in their toil, have Him side by side with them, so that they are workers together with God. Let us remember then, in anything we have to do for Jesus, that we can do it, and should do it in close communion with Him."
ABOUT: When Charles Spurgeon died in January 1892, London went into mourning. Nearly 60,000 people came to pay homage during the three days his body lay in state at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. Some 100,000 lined the streets as a funeral parade two miles long followed his hearse from the Tabernacle to the cemetery. Flags flew at half-staff and shops and pubs were closed.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Victorian England's best-known Baptist minister, was born on June 19, 1834 in Kelvedon, Essex and spent his childhood and early teenage years in Stambourne, Colchester, and Newmarket. In 1856 he married Susannah Thompson; their only children, twin sons Thomas and Charles, were born on September 20, 1857.
Spurgeon had no formal education beyond Newmarket Academy, which he attended from August 1849 to June 1850, but he was very well-read in Puritan theology, natural history, and Latin and Victorian literature. His lack of a college degree was no hindrance to his remarkable preaching career, which began in 1850, when he was only fifteen years old. A few months after his conversion to Christianity, he began preaching at Teversham. The next year, he accepted his first pastorate, at the Baptist Chapel in Waterbeach. The church quickly grew from fewer than a dozen congregants to more than four hundred, and Spurgeon's reputation as a preacher caught the attention of New Park Street, London's largest Baptist church. He was invited to preach there in December 1853 and, following a brief probationary period, he agreed to move to London and become the church's new pastor.
Spurgeon's contributions were larger than his pulpit, however. He established alms houses and an orphanage, and his Pastor's College, opened in 1855, continues to this day. He preached his last sermon in June 1891 and died six months later.
Ephesians 6:10-14 - 10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."
Every believer faces temptation. Take a moment to recall a particularly enticing situation involving something that would displease God. Did you realize you were involved in a satanic battle?
The Devil is real. Scripture reveals that he leads an army of fallen angels and is prideful enough to think he can gain victory over God. By definition, a satanic attack is a deliberate assault upon an individual, which is designed to cause spiritual, physical, material, or emotional harm. Satan desires to thwart the Lord's purpose in believers' lives, to rob them of joy and peace, and ultimately to deny God the worship He receives through yielded followers.
As in any war, knowing the enemy's plan helps us prepare for the attack. First, be aware that the battlefield takes place in our minds. To walk in a godly manner with Christ, we must first be sure that our thoughts are in submission to His Spirit. This takes daily surrender and time in God's Word. Second, Satan tempts us during vulnerable moments. Be cautious when you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (This is often known as the H.A.L.T. warning). Third, he is deceptive; we won't recognize the trap as an evil scheme. Instead, it will seem good, and we'll likely wrestle with some sort of doubt.
As Christians, we should walk closely with Jesus. Satan desires to lure us into destructive actions that rob us of God's plan for a good, full life. Stay connected to the Savior: read the Word, pray, and fellowship with other believers. These are weapons we use against the Devil in spiritual war.
ABOUT: Charles F. Stanley is the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. While his teaching is transmitted throughout the world to millions of people, Dr. Stanley has been said to demonstrate a practical, keen awareness of people's needs and provide Christ-centered, biblically-based principles for everyday life.
Dr. Stanley�s motivation is best represented by the truth found in Acts 20:24, �Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus�the work of telling others the Good News about God's mighty kindness and love.� This is because, as he says, �It is the Word of God and the work of God that changes people�s lives.�
Stanley is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Atlanta (FBCA). His popular radio and television broadcast, �In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley,� can literally be heard around the globe in every nation and in more than 50 languages.
In the mid 1980s, Dr. Stanley also served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. His long-held goal and the mission statement of In Touch Ministries is "to lead people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and to strengthen the local church." Charles Stanley is best-known for providing solid biblical truth through his practical teaching style that can be applied to everyday life.
Born in Dry Fork, Virginia, Charles Stanley's childhood was marked by the tragic death of his father, Charley, at a very early age. He recalls feeling the support of God during that difficult time, chiefly though the strong example of his young, widowed mother, Rebecca Stanley, and his godly grandfather, who instilled in him a desire to trust and obey God's Word.
By the age of 14, Charles Stanley had begun to sense a call to follow God in full-time Christian ministry. First, he earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Richmond in Virginia and later a bachelor of divinity degree at Southwestern Theological Seminary in Texas. He obtained his master of theology and doctor of theology degrees at Luther Rice Seminary in Georgia.
Today in the United States, Dr. Stanley's television program airs on 204 channels and seven satellite networks. His radio show is heard on 458 stations as well as shortwave radio and his church membership now numbers 15,000. The ministry also produces a popular daily devotional magazine called In Touch. In his personal biography, Stanley says he models his ministry according to this message from Paul to the Ephesians: "Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus�the work of telling others the Good News about God�s mighty kindness and love." (Acts 20:24, The Living Bible) Charles Stanley has written more than 45 books.
Ella, you do a great job in listing all the educational degrees and books these people have written. However you do not specify whether their beliefs agree with God's Word!!
I Timothy 3:16,17: All Scripture is **GOD-BREATHED** and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead and in view of His appearing and His Kingdom, I give you this charge: **PREACH THE WORD**; be prepared in season in out of season, correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear!!
I Peter 1:23-25: For you have been **BORN AGAIN**, not of perishable seed but the imperishable, through the living and enduring **WORD OF GOD**. For all people are like grass, and all their glory is like flowers in the field; the grass withers and the flowers fail, but the **WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER**!!
Charles Stanley's idea of eternal security is twisted (2 Peter 3:16), and turns the "grace of our God into lewdness" (Jude 4). In Stanley's book, Handbook for Christian Living (copyright 1996, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville) Stanley writes,
"Faith is simply the way we say yes to God's free gift of eternal life. Faith and salvation are not one and the same any more than a gift and the hand that receives it are the same. Salvation stands independently of faith." (p. 174}
It is a lie to say, "Salvation stands independently of faith." Salvation and faith go hand in hand, as Ephesians 2:8 illustrates,
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.
Stanley continues,
Consequently, God does not require a constant attitude of faith in order to be saved - only an act of faith in Christ.
You and I are not saved because we have enduring faith. We are saved because at a moment in time we expressed faith in our Lord. (p. 174}
In another place Stanley writes,
"Even if a believer for all practical purposes becomes an unbeliever, his salvation is not in jeopardy."?? (Eternal Security, chapter 10, p. 93, copyright 1990, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Contrary to this, Jesus said, "He who endures to the end shall be saved." Also, Revelation 21:8 says, "the unbelieving . . . shall have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Note also 1 Corinthians 15:1-2.
I Corinthians 15:1,2: Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain.
If someone believes at some "moment in time" but they do not "hold fast that word," they "believed in vain." This is the exact opposite of Mr. Stanley's teaching. Stanley opposes the Word of God, and by this, he turns the grace of God into lewdness.
Ephesians says, "you have been saved by grace through faith" (Ephesians 2:8). If there is no faith, there is no grace, and thus no salvation (Revelation 21:8). Yet Stanley says,
And last, believers who lose or abandon their faith will retain their salvation, for God remains faithful. (Eternal Security, p. 94)
Indeed, God remains faithful. He remains faithful to His word.
This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:11-13)
Romans 11:22 warns: Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
Also found in Stanley's Eternal Security is this statement:
It is not lying, cheating, stealing, raping, murdering, or being unfaithful that sends people to hell. It is rejecting Christ, refusing to put their trust in Him for the forgiveness of sin. (p. 70)
The truth is, it is all of the above and more that sends people to hell.
Ephesians 5:5,6: For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (see also Galatians 6:7-8; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8)
Also in Stanley's perverted view of eternal security he teaches that you can "fall from grace" and believe a false gospel and still be saved, on your way to heaven!
In the above quote Stanley teaches you can be estranged from Christ, and yet enter His kingdom. If this is so, who needs Jesus? According to Stanley, you can accept Him "at a moment in time" (Handbook for Christian Living, p. 174), and then throw Him away like a used rag (be "an unbelieving Christian")! You can fall for a false gospel, fall from His grace, be estranged from Him, and yet still enter His kingdom (Handbook for Christian Living, p. 175). This is lewdness!
Even though Stanley recognizes "A disciple is a follower of Christ." (Handbook for Christian Living, p. 461), he nevertherless teaches,
"Discipleship has nothing to do with whether you will go to heaven or not."?? (Handbook for Christian Living, p. 460-461)
"And, It is possible to be a child of God and never a disciple of Christ. We can live the Christian life with the assurance of heaven as our ultimate destiny but miss the process of maturing as a disciple. "??(ibid., p. 461)
Scripture nowhere teaches this. On the contrary, Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). If you don't follow Christ (i.e. discipleship), you are not one of His sheep, and you do not have eternal life. It is His sheep to whom eternal life is given (John 10:28).
Stanley promotes self-love.
But there is more. Not only am I to love God, but I am to love myself. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31). Some say, "That sounds haughty and egotistical." The world has corrupted this self-love into the motto, "You gotta look out for number one." The Bible does not teach that. The Bible teaches a healthy love for ourselves because we are His workmanship and worth loving. (Handbook for Christian Living, p. 381)
Mark 12:31 is not a command to love yourself. It is a command to love your neighbor. People naturally love themselves (Ephesians 5:29). It is their neighbor that they find difficult to love (Titus 3:3; Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:3). 2 Timothy 3:2 makes it clear that self-love is not a virtue.
2 Timothy 3:2: But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves!
In Stanley's book, Handbook for Christian Living, Stanley records a time in which he spoke to "a group of ministers."
I was speaking to a group of ministers, and I asked them how many of them wanted to know God like the apostle Paul did. Each pastor raised his hand. I then asked how many were willing to go through stonings, beatings, shipwreck, prison, being left for dead, and many other persecutions that the apostle experienced. No one raised his hand. (p. 185)
Since Stanley believes you can be an "unbelieving Christian" (Eternal Security, p. 94), instead of exposing these men as false (Ephesians 5:11), Stanley writes,
I understand the hesitancy. No one enjoys pain and hurt. But we prove His immeasurable grace in the middle of terrific heartache.
Paul was consumed with the gospel of grace. He was willing to die for it.
Paul was not only willing to die for the gospel, but he longed to know "the fellowship of His sufferings" (Philippians 1:20; 3:10), and He did know the fellowship of His sufferings (2 Corinthians 6:8-10; 11:23-29). Why? Because he was a true man of God. This "group of ministers" are false teachers unwilling to "endure hardship" (2 Timothy 2:3). In fact, note the wording in 2 Timothy 2:3: "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." Hardship must be endured, as Paul and Barnabas said in Acts 14:22, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
The following Words of God can not be found in Charles Stanley's Bible!!
Revelation 17:14: They will make war against the **LAMB** but the **LAMB** will overcome them because He is **LORD** of lords and **KING** of kings and with Him will be His **CALLED** **CHOSEN** and ***FAITHFUL*** followers! {Riding on heavenly white horses right after the Marriage Feast of the **LAMB** as per Rev 19:7-21}
Whereas, Charles Stanley states you do not have to be **FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS**!
Matthew 13:20-23: Jesus says, "The seed falling on the rocky ground refers to someone who hears the Word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the Word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word, making in unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the Word and **UNDERSTANDS IT**. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown!!"
Whereas, Charles Stanley beliueves that everyone mentioned above will inherit eternal life???
Matthew 7:21-23: Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven but only those who do the **WILL OF MY FATHER** who is in heaven! Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?" Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!"
Matthew 24:9-13: Then {During the Great Tribulation} you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but those who **STAND FIRM TO THE END WILL BE SAVED**!" {The **CALLED** **CHOSEN** and **FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS**!!}
In His Presence: According to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:16).
When a baby matures, it also develops. The baby learns coordination, and its body parts develop, grow, and work together. Babies move from milk to solid food. Paul compared this development to that of a Christian: �Everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity� (Hebrews 5:13�6:1).
There is a developmental progression in Christian maturity, and one concept depends on understanding another. Elementary principles must be mastered before you can move on to deeper things, but we�re not supposed to dwell on elementary things forever. Spiritual growth takes place on the playing field of life, not in the classroom. If you never make the connection between the things you learn in Scripture and the way you live your life, you will never mature into anything beyond a Sunday Christian. You are to �work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure� (Philippians 2:12-13).
Development is marked by change. If you give earthly excuses about why things are happening in your life, you are living as a natural man. But if your reaction to your situation is to focus on Christ at work in you, you are becoming a mature believer. When you are mature, you will react, think, and act like Christ because you are being conformed into His image.
One Minute Please - Do you consistently live life looking through the eyes of Christ or are you still a natural man or a natural woman?
ABOUT: Dr. Tony Evans is one of the country�s most respected leaders in evangelical circles. As a pastor, teacher, author and speaker, he serves the body of Christ through his unique ability to communicate complex theological truths through simple, yet profound, illustrations. While addressing the practical issues of today, Dr. Evans is known as a relevant expositor. New and veteran pastors alike regard him as a pastor of pastors and a father in the faith.
The first African-American to graduate with a doctoral degree from Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), he served as an associate professor in DTS� Pastoral Ministries Department in the areas of evangelism, homiletics and black church studies. He continues to serve DTS on the Board of Incorporate Members. Dr. Evans holds the rare honor of serving as chaplain for the NBA�s Dallas Mavericks over the last three decades, the longest standing NBA chaplaincy on record. He is also the former chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys.
Through his local church and national ministry, Dr. Evans promotes a kingdom agenda philosophy that teaches God�s comprehensive rule over every sphere of life as demonstrated through the individual, family, church and society.
At the heart of this vision is the use of church and school partnerships to effect spiritual and social change in communities. Dr. Evans� church and school outreach philosophy has been attributed as a catalyst for former President George W. Bush�s Faith Based Initiative, which was his first formal act of office. Dr. Evans seeks to train churches, schools and volunteers in this philosophy, as well as in the functional practicalities, through the National Church Adopt-A-School Initiative which is a ministry underneath the umbrella of The Urban Alternative.
Dr. Evans has served as the senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship for over 40 years, witnessing its growth from ten people in 1976 to now over 10,000 congregants with 100 plus ministries.
Dr. Evans also serves as president of The Urban Alternative, a national ministry that seeks to restore hope and transform lives through the proclamation and the application of the Word of God. His daily radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,200 radio outlets throughout the United States and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans launched the Tony Evans Training Center in 2017, an online learning platform providing quality seminary-style courses for a fraction of the cost to any person in any place. The goal is to increase Bible literacy not only in lay people but also in those Christian leaders who cannot afford nor find the time for formal ongoing education.
Dr. Evans has authored over 100 books, booklets and Bible studies including his legacy work, Oneness Embraced, as well as his vision work, The Kingdom Agenda. Some of his most popular books include Kingdom Man, Kingdom Woman, Prayers for Victory in Spiritual Warfare and The Power of God�s Names.
Dr. Tony Evans is married to Lois, his wife and ministry partner of over 40 years. They are the proud parents of four, grandparents of twelve and great-grandparents of two.
Unnoticed? Neglected? Ignored? Not even close�to how God sees you! If you�re feeling unnoticed and under-appreciated, take a look at how God sees you as recorded in 1 Peter 2:9: �You are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God�s own possession.� Or how about this description from Isaiah 61:10: �He has covered me with clothes of salvation and wrapped me with a coat of goodness, like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding, like a bride dressed in jewels.�
When your self-esteem sags�remember what you�re worth! Remember that you were bought with a price, not with something that ruins like gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, the pure and perfect lamb. Remember that! Meditate on it! Focus on it! Allow God�s love to change the way you look at�you!
ABOUT: Max Lucado is a preacher with a storyteller�s gift � a pastor�s heart and a poet�s pen. Max�s message is simple: God loves you; let him. Max serves the people of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. He is a best-selling Christian author. He preaches and writes to the hurting, the guilty, the lonely, the discouraged.
Lucado was born on January 11, 1955 in San Angelo, Texas, the youngest of four children to Jack and Thelma Lucado. He grew up in Andrews, Texas. His father was an oil field worker, while his mother served as a nurse.
Lucado attended Abilene Christian University where he received an undergraduate degree in Mass Communication. During his time at the university, he was a member of The Fraternity of Galaxy. Initially he wished to become a lawyer, but has said that a required Bible course at the university and a mission trip made him change his mind, deciding instead to become a missionary. However, this required that Lucado get a graduate degree in Bible and Biblical Studies; and, have at least two years experience ministering to a church. Lucado graduated from Abilene Christian University with a master�s degree in Bible and Biblical Studies.
In 1988, he was hired as a minister to the Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio, Texas. He stopped taking a salary from the church in 1990, because he was already an established successful author. Lucado has been associated with teaching that was seen as too innovative by some and causing divisions amongst the Churches of Christ. Unlike the typical Churches of Christ, Oak Hills began using musical instruments in worship services and held the belief that baptism isn't required for salvation. Lucado no longer affiliates himself with the Churches of Christ. Under Lucado's ministry, Oak Hills dropped the "Church of Christ" affiliation from its name in 2003, calling itself simply "Oak Hills Church".
After serving as the senior minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, TX for 20 years, Lucado announced in early 2007 that he was stepping down due to health concerns related to atrial fibrillation. Lucado has since resumed the more limited ministry role of writing and preaching at Oak Hills with co-pastor Randy Frazee, formerly of Willow Creek Community Church of South Barrington, Illinois.
Lucado was named �America�s Pastor� by Christianity Today magazine and in 2005 was named by Reader�s Digest as �The Best Preacher in America.� He has also been featured on The Fox News Channel, NBC Nightly News, Larry King Live, LLBN, and USA Today. He has been featured speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast.
Max and his wife Denalyn, have three grown daughters.
Tony Evans is rich pastor of a charismatic Prosperity Gospel mega-church of about 10,000. His daughter is a woman preacher and he is close friends with Paula White who is Donald Trump's favorite Pastor and adviser. Paula believes it is OK for married people to view pornography to improve their sex life and also believes that divorce is a wonderful gift of God. Paula was divorced 2 times like Trump and has had an adulterous relationship with Benny Hinn, the king of the prosperity gospel preachers.
Some interesting quotes by Tony Evans:
"If a person believes somebody�s up there that created this... I don�t know who He is but I want to know Him... if that person were to have a heart attack at that moment, God could not condemn him and be just because God says he who seeks shall find, so since God makes that promise, if God doesn�t give him the Gospel or give him a direct revelation then He has to judge him out of another dispensation." ​(Interview with Glenn Plummer)
Tony Evans clearly explained that he believed if someone had not heard the Gospel but died believing that there was a god and wanting to know that god, that person would be saved. This is the heresy of Inclusivism. Evans is essentially denying the necessity of faith in Salvation. The Bible says, "Whoever believes in him 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." (John 3:18}
In the case of a person who never hears the gospel and never knows the name of Jesus, but who responds to the light he has, God treats that person like an Old Testament saint, if you will. That is, if the person trusts in what God has revealed, God deals with that person based on the knowledge he has, not the information he never received. I call this transdispensationalism." (Totally Saved, Page 360)
Tony Evans is the one who made up the word, "Transdispensationalism", and it is essentially just a rebranding of Inclusivism. John MacArthur said about this comment, "Obviously, there is no biblical defense for that, and none is attempted in the book�none. There isn�t even a verse to defend that. Furthermore, living up to natural human light, apart from the revelation of the true and living God, wouldn�t save anybody in any dispensation. But, it is a very�it is a very strange thing and, to this degree, to the degree that He gives salvation to those who have never heard the gospel, it�s a departure from what we believe the scripture teaches."
Max Lucado claims to have split from his Church of Christ belief in Baptismal Regeneration and yet his church has the following statement of faith:
"It is necessary to respond to God's free offer of salvation by faith, repentance, **AND BAPTISM**. As we confess Christ as our Lord and are **BAPTIZED** by immersion, God meets us, forgives our sins and gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit that empowers each of us."
Max Lucado was a speaker at the 1995 Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) Convention. Lucado gave a call to unity among Christians across denominational lines. Likening Christians to sailors on the same boat with "one captain" and "one destination," Lucado urged acceptance between Protestants and **ROMAN CATHOLICS**, Baptists, and Presbyterians. (Reported in the 12/95, Fundamentalist Digest.)
Max Lucado is a member of Promise Keepers which is the gigantic new (1991) "men's movement" among Christians. Its roots are **ROMAN CATHOLIC** and charismatic to the core.
