The Furthest Galexy Cluster Measured

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4, ESV).

This is JKCS041 - The furthest galaxy cluster measured so far.

The vastness of God's incredible creation is absolutely astounding!

Biblically Critiquing Pastors and Teachers

This past weekend I attended a "Christian" women's conference that jump-started my thoughts how to properly make biblical judgements and how and why to critique preachers and speakers in a biblical manner.

At this conference Bibles were not used, the Gospel was not preached, Jesus and the cross were ignored and replaced with woman empowerment. Needless to say, the conference was far from edifying.

The best way to guard yourself from false teaching is to know the truth and know how to correctly handle the truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) So that is my goal this week, to learn how to correctly handle the truth.

From GotQuestions.org

Paul instructs the Ephesians, we are to “no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14). Rather, we are to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” and we do this by “the knowledge of the Son of God” (v. 13). The knowledge of Christ can only be obtained through the Word of God, and it is by that Word that we distinguish between the true and the false.

In the book of Matthew (7:15-20), Jesus says, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?"

If a church or ministry has is not producing good fruits, then you can know that there is something wrong with the teaching.

What is "Good Fruit"?

• Good fruit (Matthew 7:17) is that which occurs when the Holy Spirit is present. Romans 8:9 says that we are controlled by the Spirit (rather than our sinful nature) the moment we believe in Christ. The fruit of the spirit is the the work He does in the hearts and minds of believers to conform them to the image of Christ. It is the inevitable transformation that takes place in true followers of Christ.
• "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."- Galations 5:22-23
• Matthew 7:1 - Every good tree bears good fruit and every bad tree bears bad fruit.

Sermon/Teaching Discernment:

The apostle John tells us in his first epistle (1 John 4:1-6) how we are to discern which spirits are from God. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.” - From GotQuestions.org

Only through the work of the Holy Spirit will you be able to discern what is true and what is not. However, I believe that if you are at all concerned about truthfulness in teaching, that is proof that the Holy Spirit is in you. If honest, God-centered, Biblical teaching is something you desire, here are three questions that you can ask whenever you hear a sermon by a new preacher.

1. What does this teacher/pastor say about Jesus? It must be in line with the Jesus of the Bible and not some made up idea of Jesus.
2. Does this teacher/pastor preach the Gospel? 2 John 9 says that "Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God."
3. Does this person exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord?

Questions I Ask:

When I hear a preacher/Christian speaker for the first time, this is usually the process that I go through in my head.

1. Is this God-centered theology or man-centered theology? Usually you can tell right away.
2. How does this person handle scripture? As an advice column or a revelation from God?
3. Does any of this contradict what I already know to be true about God and the Bible? If what they teach does not line up with the Bible, it is not a good teaching.
4. Did I learn about God through this sermon/message?

Other things I take into consideration:

• Is this a comedy show or a sermon?
• Does this person ever talk about sin and hell? If not, they are not teaching the Bible accurately.
• Does this person focus only on sin and hell? Again, that is not accurate teaching.

Be Careful Little Mouths What You Say

Recently I was reading an article by Tim Challies and something he reminded me of something very important to keep in mind to when critiquing something or someone online, particularly those who are Pastors. We need to be cautious and careful about what we say online, especially if it is about a person. Whatever we say should be something we could say to them face to face. In this article Tim was talking about Pastor Mark Driscoll. Tim is responding to some of his readers that were obviously not fans of Driscoll:

We need to be certain that in our critiques we do not say things that we’d never say to him face-to-face and that we do not treat him as a guy that, since he is so remote from us, is somehow less human than we are. It’s an obvious point, I know, but in this depersonalized online world it’s worth reminding ourselves of it quite often. - Tim Challies

This struck a cord with me this week because lately I've been critiquing certain teachers in my head and I've even become angry with some of these teachers, all of whom I do not known personally. Even though I believe I have good reason to be critical of these teachers, I do not want to turn into a person that harbors bitterness and does not choose to love these people regardless of whether or not they are true believers.

So far, there have been very few instances where I've publicly spoken out against a specific person or ministry, but if I do write about people (particularly Pastors or teachers) I try to make sure that I am not dehumanizing them and saying things I wouldn't say to them face to face. I need to keep this in mind when I'm critiquing in my head as well! The goal in critiquing (at least in my view) is not to humiliate, be rude or hurtful, be disrespectful, or manipulate someone to thinking the way I do. The goal is to re-enforce truth. In the case of critiquing a Pastor, teacher, or ministry, the goal is to make sure that Christ is receiving the glory He deserves!

In regards to the article on Driscoll, Tim makes the point that people are truly being saved through Mark's ministry because He is preaching the Gospel! The man has good solid Biblical theology behind his teaching. Driscoll's critics usually choose to ignore that and instead they choose to pick apart his personality and his style of teaching. The truth is that we can see the fruits of this ministry (Matthew 7:15-20). There is wonderful fruit that continues to multiply out of that ministry each year. Regardless of how people feel about Mark's over-the-top personality, they have no place in arguing that his ministry is in any way fruitless.

If a ministry is not preaching the Gospel of Christ...that's another story. In this case you definitely have a reason for critique! My next post will be about Biblical Critiquing. Since I have been struggling with critiquing and judgments lately I feel its a good time to do some studying on what the Bible says about it.

Love is Here - Tenth Avenue North

Psalm 11

I was up all night last night worrying about anything and everything. I finally fell asleep at about 6 this morning. I've always been one to worry way too much. My mother was a worrier and somehow as I was growing up, I became a worrier as well. It stems from wanting to be in careful control of everything and wanting me and my family to be as safe as possible. The last thing I want my daughter to learn from me is how to worry. The world is definitely a scary place these days but it is also under the complete control of God and He is worthy to be trusted. The Lord loves justice, nothing will go unnoticed! This morning I began a new Bible Reading plan that had be beginning with Psalm 10 and 11. God used this passage to remind me that he is always there and he is watching closely. He is my protection and there is no need to worry.

1 I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety! 2 The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right. 3 The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?”

4 But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth. 5 The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. 6 He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds. 7 For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.

Isaiah 6:1-7

This portion of scripture has come up quite a bit in my studies in the past several months. It is one of my favorite scripture passages because it gives us a clear view of what is to happen when we encounter the holy God of the Bible. After seeing the LORD in all of his glory, Isaiah's response is, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

Isaiah's response to seeing the LORD was repentance. He saw God in all of his glory, and his first responses were 1) Woe is me, 2) I am lost, and 3) I am a man of unclean lips. His first 3 statements all dealt with his own sinfulness. He understood his need for cleansing! I pray that I may always, before anything else, recognize my own wretched sin and understand my own need for cleansing, and that I may know that God reigns supreme through every circumstance and he will grant me love and mercy if I am consistently surrendering my life to Him.

Hosanna!