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POLL RESULTS FROM FEBRUARY 6th AND WHERE THE LORD IS LEADING ME
On february 6th I made my first post since October 28th. I asked the question WHERE SHOULD I GO FROM HERE? and took a poll to gauge whether or not I ought to continue on with this blog. Well, the poll had only six responses, but the responses were all positive. All six responses said they had a greater understanding of the Gospel and false teachers and that I ought to continue blogging on a limited basis. Only one response indicated I ought not continue blogging on a limited basis.
Since results were overwhelmingly positive, I truly believe the Lord is providentially leading me to continue with "THE CROSSING: CHURCH OR CULT?". However, my critique of The Crossing church will be somewhat limited.
THE PLAN
Since both I and The Crossing church (at least according to their "Doctrinal Statement") agree that the Bible is the authoritative standard in all matters of faith and practice, my plan is to listen to and examine one Crossing sermon a week, preferably the most recent, and expose particular parts of that sermon that either contradict the Scriptures or lack Scriptural support. I may point out examples when something is taken out of it's biblical context to promote an unbiblical ideology or doctrine. I may also bring clarity to parts of a sermon that lacks specificity and definition.
Not only will I address the unbiblical points of a sermon, I will also make observations regarding "the white elephant in the room", that is, the obvious absence of biblical gospel preaching, and the overwhelming emphasis on works-oriented, performance-driven religion. I will not limit my critique to doctrine only, but also The Crossing's practices. I may also comment on the theological "big picture" of what is happening at The Crossing, that I believe undermines the gospel. I will be fair and objective. I will make every attempt to give credit when The Crossing is biblical in their teachings and practices.
I THOUGHT YOU SAID, "MY CRITIQUE OF THE CROSSING CHURCH WILL BE SOMEWHAT LIMITED"? FROM READING THE ABOVE TWO PARAGRAPHS, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE YOU ARE LIMITING YOUR CRITIQUE OF THE CROSSING AT ALL!
Yes, that's still the plan. Because of time constraints, I cannot possibly address every single thing that is wrong and right with a sermon or The Crossing church. My plan is to pick one day out of the week, and that will be the day I will post my critique. Probably a thursday or friday. Whatever day I pick, I will stick with that day as the day I will critique The Crossing church in light of the Scriptures.
Therefore, I will be selective in my critique, picking out one or two examples in a sermon where a critical point can be made. I will not limit my critique to particular parts of a sermon. I may also address the overall thesis of the sermon or sermon series as a whole or I may address the methodology of Eric Dykstra's false teachings, and the impact of his false teachings on the congregation.
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER DAYS OF THE WEEK?
My intention is to post 5-6 times a week, appointing a particular theme for each particular day of the week, to be announced later. It might be a solid, biblical sermon from a reputable preacher on Mondays, teaching a particular point of doctrine on tuesdays, highlighting a great,gospel-centered blog post on wednesdays, my critique of The Crossing on thursdays, practical advise on living the out the Gospel in your everyday life on fridays, and maybe have an "anything goes" day on saturday, etc. Haven't quite worked out the exact details yet.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GOSPEL
The entire point of the blog is sharing the gospel, the good news of one true and living God making good on His promise to rescue His people from their sin's through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, and how to live out the implications of the gospel in our ordinary, everyday lives. Gospel, gospel, gospel, gospel, gospel, gospel, and more gospel. Christians ought to marinade in awesome gospel Truth every single day, and throughout the day. Contrary to what the Crossing teaches, it's not just the ministerial "churchy stuff" that matters.
Every sphere of our lives and everything we do as Christians relates to the gospel. Everything in life is an opportunity to glorify God, a ministry opportunity, an opportunity to share the gospel with an unbeliever, and an opportunity to grow in Christlikeness. Everything from changing a baby's diaper, our dealings with difficult people, our family life, dealing with debilitating physical and psychological afflictions, to tragic accidents and deaths, to taking a relaxing vacation, to learning a musical instrument and enjoying art, to our vocation (whether you are a CEO of a major corporation, someone who picks up road kill off the highways, or removes human waste from Porta-Potty's) and of course, exposing false teachers and counterfeit gospels.
It is plainly stated everywhere in Scripture that genuine Christians are to proclaim the one, true gospel and expose error in accordance with God's will. So to everyone who claims to be a Christian who doesn't like what I am doing on this blog, unless you can point to the Scriptures to support your disapproval, you don't have a problem with me; ultimately, you have a problem with the Lord.
WHY I TEACH THE GOSPEL....
...is not out a sense of duty, is not because I fear God will not bless me for disobeying, and is not because I feel like I owe God a favor for rescuing me. I teach the gospel out of gratitude and joy for what the Lord has done for me through Jesus Christ. The Lord has tenderized my hard heart to love all the wretched, spiritually blind, rebellious people in the world who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the great joy and peace that can be found only in Him.
For the genuine Christian who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the gospel is a compulsion; it is part of who they are according to their new nature of being "in Christ". Just as a fish swims because it is the nature of all fish to swim, genuine Christians cannot help but share the gospel and live out it's implications in their daily lives.
I cannot think of any person in the history of the world I would not preach the gospel to. It is the Lord who has the power to save whom he desires; but it is through sinful, fallable, pathetic, low-life Christians like me whom the Lord has chosen as messengers of His great gospel message. So this blog is all about gospel proclimation, even in my critique of false teachings and practices I am contrasting false gospel from true gospel, and in that, the Lord is pleased.
WHEN WILL THESE CHANGES TAKE PLACE?
The next two weeks will be a bit hectic. I have a vacation planned this friday through tuesday of next week fishing on Lake of the Woods. I want to finish LIBERTY FROM LEGALISM THROUGH THE GOSPEL: MY PERSONAL STORY , and there is no guarantee that will take only one more post. My best guess is that it should take no more that a month before I get this whole thing rolling again. So basically my blog will spend limited time critiquing The Crossing church, and more time proclaiming the gospel, explaining the gospel, and sharing the impact of the gospel on my life.
TAKE THE POLL
I'll be taking another poll to see if there is a general consensus among those who view my blog on a regular basis.
On february 6th I made my first post since October 28th. I asked the question WHERE SHOULD I GO FROM HERE? and took a poll to gauge whether or not I ought to continue on with this blog. Well, the poll had only six responses, but the responses were all positive. All six responses said they had a greater understanding of the Gospel and false teachers and that I ought to continue blogging on a limited basis. Only one response indicated I ought not continue blogging on a limited basis.
Since results were overwhelmingly positive, I truly believe the Lord is providentially leading me to continue with "THE CROSSING: CHURCH OR CULT?". However, my critique of The Crossing church will be somewhat limited.
THE PLAN
Since both I and The Crossing church (at least according to their "Doctrinal Statement") agree that the Bible is the authoritative standard in all matters of faith and practice, my plan is to listen to and examine one Crossing sermon a week, preferably the most recent, and expose particular parts of that sermon that either contradict the Scriptures or lack Scriptural support. I may point out examples when something is taken out of it's biblical context to promote an unbiblical ideology or doctrine. I may also bring clarity to parts of a sermon that lacks specificity and definition.
Not only will I address the unbiblical points of a sermon, I will also make observations regarding "the white elephant in the room", that is, the obvious absence of biblical gospel preaching, and the overwhelming emphasis on works-oriented, performance-driven religion. I will not limit my critique to doctrine only, but also The Crossing's practices. I may also comment on the theological "big picture" of what is happening at The Crossing, that I believe undermines the gospel. I will be fair and objective. I will make every attempt to give credit when The Crossing is biblical in their teachings and practices.
I THOUGHT YOU SAID, "MY CRITIQUE OF THE CROSSING CHURCH WILL BE SOMEWHAT LIMITED"? FROM READING THE ABOVE TWO PARAGRAPHS, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE YOU ARE LIMITING YOUR CRITIQUE OF THE CROSSING AT ALL!
Yes, that's still the plan. Because of time constraints, I cannot possibly address every single thing that is wrong and right with a sermon or The Crossing church. My plan is to pick one day out of the week, and that will be the day I will post my critique. Probably a thursday or friday. Whatever day I pick, I will stick with that day as the day I will critique The Crossing church in light of the Scriptures.
Therefore, I will be selective in my critique, picking out one or two examples in a sermon where a critical point can be made. I will not limit my critique to particular parts of a sermon. I may also address the overall thesis of the sermon or sermon series as a whole or I may address the methodology of Eric Dykstra's false teachings, and the impact of his false teachings on the congregation.
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER DAYS OF THE WEEK?
My intention is to post 5-6 times a week, appointing a particular theme for each particular day of the week, to be announced later. It might be a solid, biblical sermon from a reputable preacher on Mondays, teaching a particular point of doctrine on tuesdays, highlighting a great,gospel-centered blog post on wednesdays, my critique of The Crossing on thursdays, practical advise on living the out the Gospel in your everyday life on fridays, and maybe have an "anything goes" day on saturday, etc. Haven't quite worked out the exact details yet.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GOSPEL
The entire point of the blog is sharing the gospel, the good news of one true and living God making good on His promise to rescue His people from their sin's through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, and how to live out the implications of the gospel in our ordinary, everyday lives. Gospel, gospel, gospel, gospel, gospel, gospel, and more gospel. Christians ought to marinade in awesome gospel Truth every single day, and throughout the day. Contrary to what the Crossing teaches, it's not just the ministerial "churchy stuff" that matters.
Every sphere of our lives and everything we do as Christians relates to the gospel. Everything in life is an opportunity to glorify God, a ministry opportunity, an opportunity to share the gospel with an unbeliever, and an opportunity to grow in Christlikeness. Everything from changing a baby's diaper, our dealings with difficult people, our family life, dealing with debilitating physical and psychological afflictions, to tragic accidents and deaths, to taking a relaxing vacation, to learning a musical instrument and enjoying art, to our vocation (whether you are a CEO of a major corporation, someone who picks up road kill off the highways, or removes human waste from Porta-Potty's) and of course, exposing false teachers and counterfeit gospels.
It is plainly stated everywhere in Scripture that genuine Christians are to proclaim the one, true gospel and expose error in accordance with God's will. So to everyone who claims to be a Christian who doesn't like what I am doing on this blog, unless you can point to the Scriptures to support your disapproval, you don't have a problem with me; ultimately, you have a problem with the Lord.
WHY I TEACH THE GOSPEL....
...is not out a sense of duty, is not because I fear God will not bless me for disobeying, and is not because I feel like I owe God a favor for rescuing me. I teach the gospel out of gratitude and joy for what the Lord has done for me through Jesus Christ. The Lord has tenderized my hard heart to love all the wretched, spiritually blind, rebellious people in the world who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the great joy and peace that can be found only in Him.
For the genuine Christian who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the gospel is a compulsion; it is part of who they are according to their new nature of being "in Christ". Just as a fish swims because it is the nature of all fish to swim, genuine Christians cannot help but share the gospel and live out it's implications in their daily lives.
I cannot think of any person in the history of the world I would not preach the gospel to. It is the Lord who has the power to save whom he desires; but it is through sinful, fallable, pathetic, low-life Christians like me whom the Lord has chosen as messengers of His great gospel message. So this blog is all about gospel proclimation, even in my critique of false teachings and practices I am contrasting false gospel from true gospel, and in that, the Lord is pleased.
WHEN WILL THESE CHANGES TAKE PLACE?
The next two weeks will be a bit hectic. I have a vacation planned this friday through tuesday of next week fishing on Lake of the Woods. I want to finish LIBERTY FROM LEGALISM THROUGH THE GOSPEL: MY PERSONAL STORY , and there is no guarantee that will take only one more post. My best guess is that it should take no more that a month before I get this whole thing rolling again. So basically my blog will spend limited time critiquing The Crossing church, and more time proclaiming the gospel, explaining the gospel, and sharing the impact of the gospel on my life.
TAKE THE POLL
I'll be taking another poll to see if there is a general consensus among those who view my blog on a regular basis.
The Porta Potty service provider will bring down the portable restrooms to the desired location. There are chances of some people becoming disabled due to the effects of disaster.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but even disasters like that when someone is disabled still relates to the gospel
ReplyDelete