False Teaching!

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Lynn

false-teachersRecently I did a little research on a few different churches in the Calgary and Cochrane region.  It’s not that I want to change churches (far be it!!…no worries, Pastor Dwight!), but there have been several people I know who are attending new churches and I am always interested in hearing about new church plants.

The first thing I do whenever I research a church is look at their website and read their doctrinal statement.  I look for sound, Bible-based doctrine that does not add or take away from the Word.  For example statements like:

THE SCRIPTURES

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.

GOD

There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

God the Son

Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself the demands and necessities of human nature and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, partaking of the nature of God and of man, and in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.

SALVATION

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification. A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour. Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer into a relationship of peace and favor with God. B. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual perfection through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life. C. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.

THE KINGDOM

The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.

LAST THINGS

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will he raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.

Excerpts taken from: http://www.cnbc.ca/articles/statement-of-faith  Full doctrinal statement on the CNBC website.

Our church website states that we are aligned with the CNBC (Canadian National Baptist Convention) so that statement of faith is OUR statement of faith.

I believe wholeheartedly with that statement of faith, so when I investigate other churches, inside and outside of our convention, I look for similar statements that align with what is taught in the Bible.

I was intrigued when I came across a non-denominational church website with a catchy “come on” line and a website that was modern-looking and definitely meant to draw in people who were looking for a fresh, new approach to “doing” church.  It definitely drew me in, but as is my custom, I immediately went in search of their doctrinal statement of faith.  To say I was shocked when I read this “belief” statement was an understatement.

We do not believe that God will eternally torment anyone in hell as this is not fundamentally taught in scripture but is a misinterpretation seen through eyes of fear and hate, anger and mankind’s desire for vengeance and violence. We believe that according to scripture such teaching of hell is outside the context of the historical teaching of the early church in the Eastern Orthodox tradition of Polycarp, Origeon, and Gregory of Nicee (father of the Nicene Cree). The teaching of infernalism or eternal conscience torment has its roots in paganism and Platonic philosophy of the immortality of the soul which lies in contrast to the Pauline teaching of the mortality of the soul.

In the end our position is to walk humbly in the teaching of final judgement. We hold to the belief that all mankind and/or created things will walk through the fire of Gods’ merciful, gracious presence and all works will be judged but in the end every knee will bow and swear allegiance to the Lamb of God, Jesus.

That is only ONE of many statements in this church’s overall ideology that contradicts with what is written plainly in Scripture.  In this particular statement this “church” has completely negated Revelation 20 and 21, and the many scripture passages that speak of hell.  Here are just a few:

“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”  Revelation 21:8

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”  Matthew 25:46

“All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.”  2 Thessalonians 1: 5-10 

Paul is the writer of Thessalonians by the way.  Paul is quite clear that God will “punish with everlasting destruction” those who “do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus”.  Paul may not have used the term “hell” in his writings but he was quite clear that there is an eternal separation from God, an “everlasting destruction” that is the consequence of sin and not accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

Along with this “church’s” declaration that they do not believe in hell, the last statement that “all works will be judged but in the end every knee will bow and swear allegiance to the Lamb of God, Jesus.” is just as disturbing.  If I read this right it in essence says that we will be judged on our “good works”, but regardless every person will go to their eternal reward with Jesus.  This is false teaching!

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. ”  Ephesians 2:8-9

“So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.  And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”  Romans 11:5-6

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”  Titus 3:4-5

In conclusion, when I read statements of faith of churches that don’t line up with what it says in scripture, I can’t help but wonder what that “church” is teaching to people who are searching for Truth.

Will they feel welcomed?…possibly

Will they feel comfortable?…probably

Will they feel good about themselves?…definitely

Will they be saved?… unlikely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Proverbs 16:9 - Journey Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Live Long and Prosper

Posted on September 10, 2016 by Lynn

star-trek-original-seriesIt may surprise you to find out that I have been a “trekkie” for many, many years.  I have loved the original Star Trek T.V. series since it premiered on September 8, 1966.  My husband, knowing my affinity for the series, bought collector coins for my birthday this year that commemorate the 50 year anniversary of the show.  I think I can recite by memory the “Trouble with Tribbles” episode with no “tribble at all”!  My kids patiently indulge my Star Trek guilty pleasure, but have not joined me to “boldly go where no one has gone before”.  If asked, they would probably say they can “take or leave” the new Star Trek movies with Chris Pine in the role of Captain James T. Kirk, mostly because the modern day movies showcase an extravaganza of special effects which capture their millennial interests but nothing more.

I will admit that I am more a fan of the original series, but I reluctantly warmed up to the Next Generation when it debuted in 1987.  I know of the other Star Trek spinoffs (Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise etc.) and have watched a few episodes from all of them, but they never seemed to capture my attention or my imagination as much as the original series did.  And just so you know, I don’t go to Trek conventions or dress up in Starfleet uniforms, nor do I have a collection of Star Trek memorabilia…just those three collector coins I got this year for my birthday.  I have a collection of Star Trek movie DVD’s but mostly I watch the syndicated reruns on T.V.  I may be a fan but I’m not a full-fledged fanatic.

That said, I am celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the series by binge-watching the original episodes and I may give the Vulcan hand-salute to “Live Long and Prosper” to my kids every once in a while just to tick them off.

Star Trek was the brain child of Gene Roddenberry, a man who grew up in a Southern Baptist home according to his biography but eventually grew to reject religion of any kind:

“I handed them a script and they turned it down. It was too controversial. It talked about concepts like, ‘Who is God?’ The Enterprise meets God in space; God is a life form, and I wanted to suggest that there may have been, at one time in the human beginning, an alien entity that early man believed was God, and kept those legends. But I also wanted to suggest that it might have been as much the Devil as it was God. After all, what kind of god would throw humans out of Paradise for eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One of the Vulcans on board, in a very logical way, says, ‘If this is your God, he’s not very impressive. He’s got so many psychological problems; he’s so insecure. He demands worship every seven days. He goes out and creates faulty humans and then blames them for his own mistakes. He’s a pretty poor excuse for a supreme being.”  Gene Roddenberry

It was because of his rejection of religion that many called him an atheist, but he disagreed with them: “It’s not true that I don’t believe in God. I believe in a kind of god. It’s just not other people’s god. I reject religion. I accept the notion of God.”  It is obvious to all of us of faith who watch the Star Trek series that he was a man who desperately wanted to find answers to the universal philosophical questions: Why am I here and how do I fit into God’s Story? and he created a science-fiction series to “boldly go” in quest of  that knowledge.  Roddenberry admitted that science would always fall short in that quest:

“Reality is incredibly larger, infinitely more exciting, than the flesh and blood vehicle we travel in here. If you read science fiction, the more you read it the more you realize that you and the universe are part of the same thing. Science knows still practically nothing about the real nature of matter, energy, dimension, or time; and even less about those remarkable things called life and thought. But whatever the meaning and purpose of this universe, you are a legitimate part of it. And since you are part of the all that is, part of its purpose, there is more to you than just this brief speck of existence. You are just a visitor here in this time and this place, a traveler through it.”  Gene Roddenberry

In Roddenberry’s imaginative attempt to explore galaxies far, far away while creating the Star Trek enterprise (pun intended), several biographies indicate that while the franchise soared to new heights, he struggled personally with drug and alcohol addiction here on Earth.  He had affairs with women while married to his first wife, Eileen, including Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Uhura in the original series, and Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel).  He had numerous health issues that were exacerbated by his drug abuse.  When he passed away following a stroke in September 1989, he was but a shell of a man, who had in his last years been confined to a wheelchair.  Grace Lee Whitney, who played Yeoman Janice Rand in the original series shares in her book, “The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy” that while attending Roddenberry’s funeral,  she was surprised when two kilted pipers played “Amazing Grace” towards the end of the service.

“The theme of that famous hymn is God’s amazing grace to sinners… That hymn is my anthem.  It’s the story of this book, the story of my life.  People sometimes call me “Amazing Grace,” but I’m not amazing – I’m a lost, blind wretch, saved by the amazing grace of God.  The reason the piping of that song at Gene’s funeral seems so odd is that Gene hated that song.  When “Amazing Grace” was bagpiped during Spock’s funeral near the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Gene objected strenuously, and was overruled by Harve Bennett and Nick Meyer.  It really seemed out of place at Gene’s funeral – and I doubt he would have approved.”  Grace Lee Whitney

Unlike Roddenberry, Grace Lee Whitney understood what it meant to be saved by grace.  She had battled addictions, depression and the horror of a sexual assault to find peace only God can give.

“You can’t lead anyone out of the desert unless you’ve been to the desert yourself. You can’t lead anyone out of the gutter unless you’ve spent some time there… I think that’s why God saved me, and why he saves a certain remnant of alcoholics and addicts and doesn’t let them die in their addictions. A lot of his precious children are out wandering in the desert, they’re dying in the gutters, and it’s breaking his heart. So he let Grace Lee Whitney go to hell and back so that she could point the way out of the desert… Apart from God, Grace Lee Whitney is a miserable wretch who hasn’t enough sense to stay out of the gutter. And that’s okay. Because, as it turns out, that’s exactly the kind of person God was looking for. God uses the foolish to confound the wise. He uses miserable wretches like me to tell his good news to all the other miserable wretches—the news that there is hope, there is love, there is a way out of hell, there is a way home.”  Grace Lee Whitney

Grace passed away at the age of 85 in 2015, and as much as I love the series, I will never be able to watch the episodes that feature Janice Rand in them without remembering the powerful testimony of the actress who played her.  I will also not be able to watch the shows and movies without feeling profoundly sad that the creator of Star Trek, ended his life journey without ever discovering what Amazing Grace is all about…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Proverbs 16:9 - Journey Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

I’m Missing the First Day of School – Sort Of

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Lynn

I have been scrolling through FB this morning as my friends post their kid’s First Day of School pictures.  “Happy 1st Day of Grade One!” First Day of School Prayershows little ones with brand new runners and backpacks on, proudly holding up the colourful signs.  Excited kindergarteners meeting their teachers for the first time, and the more sombre pictures of teens who would rather not have their mother’s take the obligatory first-day pictures every year.  I smile at the toothy grins of the young ones, so excited for their school year to commence as well as the youth who may not have as wide a smile, but are nonetheless looking forward to connecting with their school buddies even if they’re not keen on the school year ahead.

I remember my oldest daughter’s first day of kindergarten like it was yesterday.  I snapped the First Day picture of her on our front porch and then watched with tears in my eyes as her tiny legs climbed up into that big school bus for the twenty-minute bus ride to school.  No sooner had the bus turned the corner from our house that I was blasting into the house to grab my purse and car keys so I could beat the bus to the school to snap the next picture of her stepping off the bus!  I followed her into the school with all the other parents who confessed they had done the exact same thing as I, and then waving good-bye to my baby, reluctantly leaving her to face her First Day of School without me.  I remember crying all the way home.

It was the same scenario every year more or less.  First Day of School pictures snapped as the kids waited for the bus and me crying all the way down the driveway when the big school bus picked them up.  Truth be told, it seemed harder and harder each year to see them go.  When we dropped our daughter off at the University of Lethbridge to live away from home for the first time, I wept all the two and a half hour drive home!

I have not snapped “First Day” pictures with my kids for several years and I miss it – sort of.  It’s nice to not have to worry about school supplies and all the stresses that go with First Days in school.  Now I look forward to seeing my grandchildren’s First Day pictures posted, one is starting Grade One this year and the other is starting preschool.  My daughter is homeschooling them both and so she is spared the angst of seeing them climb up on a bus and meeting a new teacher and wandering into an unfamiliar school classroom for the first time and yet she admits she is overwhelmed with emotion still.  She snaps the pictures of them on their First Day even though their “school” is in their basement and she cries like I did.  She is her mother’s daughter.

The last several years I have been on the other side of the desk, so to speak, welcoming new students into my classroom.  My kids threatened last year to take First Day pictures of me because I was the only one going back to school.  Not so this year.  I’m not teaching this year and it’s weird not having to prepare my days around a busy teaching schedule.

I slept in this morning, and it wasn’t until I saw all the pictures posted that I realized it was the First Day of school.  I have mixed emotions.

I scroll through the pictures and I can’t help but feel a little on the outside looking in.  I miss those First Days.  I am feeling a little melancholy – sort of.

My husband is calling to me…

While everyone else is in school today, my husband and I are going for a wonderful drive to the mountains.  It’s the first time we’ve been able to do that on The First Day of School in eons.  We’ve got some trips together planned during this school year.  I’ve got some writing projects in the works, there’s a new grandbaby coming in December…

I’m feeling a little less melancholy all of a sudden. 🙂

 

 

 

 

Posted in Family Life, Proverbs 16:9 - Journey Thoughts | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments