WHAT CHRISTIANS BELIEVE ABOUT....PART ONE

I AM NOT PARTISAN

By "partisan", I mean that am a straight shooter. I call it like it is. As with any other theology that is suspect, I want to be as honest as I can when I critique a particular, sermon, doctrine, or practice of The Crossing church.  The purpose of my blog is to examine the teachings and practices of a controversial church, The Crossing, in light of the Bible; does The Crossing uphold what the Scriptures teach or do they not? My blog does not exist to just blindly shoot holes through The Crossing church uncritically, arguing a popular position if the teachings and practices I am critiquing are biblically justified. I want to uphold Truth, and rejoice when Truth is preached. In other words, I don't take sides.

WHAT CHRISTIANS BELIEVE ABOUT ...BLOOD, THE CROSS, THE GUY WHO DIED ON IT; WHY DOES IT MATTER?

 Now that I have clearly stated the intent of my blog, I want to give praise when praise is due. I just got done watching the April 5th Easter sermon preached by Crossing Church pastor Eric Dykstra called, "What Christians Believe About...Blood, the Cross, The Guy who Died on it; Why Does it Matter?". This was actually a great sermon! It marks the first time I have ever listened to a Crossing Church sermon by Eric Dykstra and heard the Gospel message clearly proclaimed throughout the entire sermon, and in that I rejoice!

ERIC DYKSTRA IS GIFTED...

....I don't think anyone can deny that. Eric Dykstra has an IQ. He has a unique, frantic style in the pulpit, with all four limbs flailing away accentuated by his shrill, expressive voice. Eric uses his gifts to clearly communicates his message in way that is shockingly funny and demonstrative. Has he always done this in the past? Yes. It is the way the good Lord made him. Has he always communicated biblical Truth in the past throughout his whole sermon? All prior sermons I have listened to he has not, and I admit, I haven't listened to all of them. Did Eric Dykstra clearly communicate biblical Truth, the Gospel message of Jesus Christ in his April 5th sermon? Yes!

CONTENT....

The biblical text Eric Dykstra used for his sermon was Isaiah 53; a very apt selection, given the Christocentric nature of this famous passage of scripture and the fact that it was an Easter sermon. I applaud the fact that Eric read the text, stuck to the text, and did not take the text out of context. As stated earlier, his preaching style was and is unconventional, [My pastor Bob Glenn of Redeemer Bible Church is equally dynamic] but is it unbiblical? No. I understand his method of contextualization, that is, understanding his target audience, knowing where they are at in their lives, and explaining the Scriptures in a way that makes it easier for them to understand according to their customary way of approaching spiritual matters.The Apostle Paul did this, and he is certainly someone we are commanded to emulate.

SIN

Overall, I thought Eric communicated the doctrine of sin in a way that his audience could understand. He didn't give a full exposition on the doctrine of sin, and I would have liked to hear him explain sin in the context of "lawlessness', as in [1JOHN 3:4] , that is, explicitly breaking God's laws incurring actual guilt in God's court. But overall, I thought he got the point across to his audience.

THE CROSS

Again, Eric is to be applauded for a very good exposition of the cross. The doctrine of imputation of our sins to Christ was clear, concise, and memorable. 

FAITH 

"Justification By Faith Alone" was the clarion call of the Reformers. The Bible is clear that we are justified, that is, acquitted in God's court, by faith alone, apart from works. And Eric Dykstra nailed it with beautiful simplicity citing the Apostle Paul in Romans 10: 9, 

"if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved".

That's pure Gospel gold! 

CONCLUSION

There were a few minor problems, but I don't really want to get into them. I am just grateful the Gospel of Jesus Christ was clearly preached at The Crossing. By comparing my critique of Dykstra's April 5th sermon today juxtaposed with my last post about the demonic nature of false religions and philosophies, it would appear as if I am going to go join The Crossing church. Well, no, that is not the case. A single solid sermon from a controversial church does not necessarily indicate a trend away from heresy. I'll still be keeping my watchful eye on The Crossing. I intend to go through this entire sermon series as it rolls out over the next few weeks. I have a few sermons to catch up on, bu hopefully I can get caught up in a couple weeks. But you can count on biblical objectivity from me.

  

THE CONCLUSION OF THE CONCLUSION...

...ending on a positive note, favorable to Eric Dykstra and The Crossing church, if I were an unbeliever who was invited to The Crossing and heard the message Eric Dykstra preached on April 5th, was there enough Gospel Truth in his message to be saved? My answer, Yes, abundantly! And I praise the Lord for that! 

      

 

UPDATED POST

Since my last post will obviously brush some people the wrong way, I wanted to take the effort to supply some actual scriptural proof texts to support my thesis from my last post. I suggest any who have read that post without the proof texts should do so know. Try to read all the proof texts and let God's Word speak to you. It should be obvious that the Word of God does indeed bear witness to my claim. If anyone disagrees, I welcome all criticism, so long as you provide the necessary proof texts as I did.  Thanks, Casey

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I AM AMAZED,,,,
...that my blog is still garnering attention, with many visits to my site, even though I have been inactive for well over a month now. Thanks to all followers for your interest, whether you realize that The Crossing is not an authentic church in the biblical sense, sitting on the fence, or oppose my criticism posted through my blog. I will press on. I realize that my blog is not a popular item for some, and that I will be attacked and marginalized by those involved in The Crossing, but that doesn't matter.

WHAT IS TRUTH?[JOHN:33-38]

What matters is the Truth [1TIMOTHY 3:15]. And the Bible, God's Word, clearly teaches what the Truth is. The Bible is God revealing Himself, the unveiling of His attributes and character [2PETER 1:21] to a fallen, broken, lawless, rebellious, God-hating, sin-polluted people [JAMES 2:10] [JEREMIAH 17:9] [GENESIS 6:5] [MATTHEW 27:22] The Bible then, is "true" Truth. The Bible, being the very Word of God, interprets historical events from a particular point of view, that being the view of the one and only God [ISAIAH 44:6]. He is the Holy One [ISAIAH 6-1-6], Creator and Maker [GENESIS 1:1], King and Sovereign [ISAIAH 40: 13-14], Judge and Savior, the God who has revealed Himself through His infallible and inerrant written Word [2TIMOTHY 3:16-16], and ultimately through the Person and work of Jesus Christ.[HEBREWS1:1-3]

JESUS CHRIST: THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE [JOHN 14:6]

Jesus, the Son of God, is the second Person who is God [JOHN 8-58]-one God in three Persons [LUKE 3:22] [2CORINTHIANS 13:14] . He took on human flesh, lived a perfect and morally flawless life that we are unable to do because of our sin, and then died the death that we deserve on a cruel cross [PHILIPPIANS 2:7-8] [HEBREWS 4:15] [2CORINTHIANS 5:21], experienced in Himself the outpouring of the Father's wrath on our behalf [MATTHEW 27: 45-46]; and then conquered death by rising from the grave [1CORINTHIANS 15:1-8]. Jesus promises salvation from an infinite succession of moments of agony and suffering in God's prison called Hell [MARK 9:42-48] [MATTHEW 7:24-27] Salvation also comes in the form of restoring the broken relationship with God  we were created for, the alienation and enmity we have with our Creator [COLOSSIANS 1:21-22], to all of those who bend the knee at His Lordship, and trust in Him alone for the salvation of their souls [ACTS 4:12] [LUKE 13:3] [ACTS 2:38]


The Bible teaches that it is God who took the sole initiative in saving us. Sinner's are spiritually dead and spiritually blind; in our fallen state we have no ability to save ourselves [EPHESIANS 2:1-9] [ROMANS 3:10-20], no love for the true God, only vicious hatred and contempt. Therefore, it's not about what we can do for God to rescue ourselves, but what God has done for us to rescue us from the just sentence that we deserve and the prison and bondage of sin we are totally enslaved to.  And God rescues us only through the Person and work of Jesus Christ. That's the Truth, and that's the Gospel. It's in the Bible.

DOES THE CROSSING PREACH THE GOSPEL?
The Crossing is a controversial church. There seems to be two sides of the story, and I have met with people on both sides. On one side there are those who are in agreement with The Crossing's teachings and practices, and on the other side are there are those who disagree. This is no small matter. Whenever a controversial church like The Crossing is accused of being spiritually abusive to many people who were formally involved in the church, that fact alone ought to serve as a red flag that all is not right with The Crossing. 

What is most important in sorting out which side is right and which side is wrong boils down to the question, "Do The Crossing's teachings and practices accord with The Bible or do they not?" In other words, does The Crossing clearly, effectively, and consistently communicate the Gospel message in word and deed? Or do they preach a false Gospel? If you attend The Crossing Church but have never heard the Gospel as outlined above, and instead are being taught that you ought to "do more, give more, try harder, then God will bless you", you are not being taught the Gospel and I fear for your very soul. You may be sincere and firm in your belief that The Crossing is a great place and their teachings are true, but still end up in Hell.

GOOD VERSUS EVIL
The Bible teaches that God is supremely good and beneficent [PSALM 145].  He is without moral flaw and is absolutely and infinitely pure in His holiness and righteousness; there is not a speck of evil in Him.On the flip side, there is the devil and his demons, angelic creatures who have rebelled against this Holy and righteous Deity [2PETER 2:4] [JUDE 1:6]. The Bible teaches that demonic forces are active in our world, influencing people and institutions to their evil end [1PETER 5:8] [EPHESIANS 6:10-12]. This is not to say that God is hamstrung here. He has allowed this to happen in order to accomplish His Divine purposes. In other words, the devil and his demons are all on a leash and cannot do anything without God's permission [JOB 1:12 [JOB 2:4-7].

All false religions and all of man's philosophical ideas purporting to point to truth are ultimately demonic in nature; demons influence people to become leaders of philosophical movements and religious movements outside and within the Christian church [2CORINTHIANS 4:3-4] [1THESSALONIANS 2:18]. I'll remind you that "church" is not just a building, but the distinct population of redeemed sinners who believe the Gospel and trust Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior. The dichotomy of good and evil presented above presents a clear line. There is no gray area here. Either something is from God, or it is from Satan and his foul, obscene, Christ-hating minions.

What I find ironic in the Crossing Church controversy is that the people who are faithfully involved in The Crossing fail to see the elephant in the bathroom. If a religious entity such as The Crossing claims that they are a true Christian church, but fail to manifest good fruit that reflects God's character of Truth, goodness, kindness, mercy, grace, and patience, then doesn't it logically follow that such an entity is ultimately the result of demonic activity and therefore evil in nature? [1JOHN 3:10] [MATTHEW 7:15-20].

THE FRUIT OF THE CROSSING CHURCH
I know for a fact that The Crossing does do some good things in the world. For example, when I visited The Crossing, everyone was encouraged to give up their shoes before they left so that they would be given away to the poor. That is a good thing, and no no one can deny that helping the poor is a bad thing to do.

However, doing good things like ministering to the poor by giving away shoes does not necessarily negate demonic involvement, especially when accusations are flying all over the place that The Crossing is a spiritually abusive church. The Bible teaches that Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light [2CORINTHIANS 11:14]. Doesn't that comport well with what is going on at The Crossing? How about the fact that in The Crossing's sermon archives I have listened to, there is a palpable omission of the genuine Gospel of Jesus Christ as clearly taught in the Bible? Or how about the rampant heretical teachings of The Crossing church? They twist God's Word so that the actually meaning of the text is obscured by an idea it was never meant to covey. They teach doctrine that flat-out contradicts the Word of God. Does God contradict Himself? [2TIMOTHY 4:1-4]

And then there is the leader of The Crossing church, Eric Dykstra. Is he truthful, honest, and transparent with his congregation? Does he approach God with reverence and humility? Do his words convey undying respect for the Lord of Hosts? Or does he speak with undertones of pride and contempt? Does Dykstra bear witness to the true character of God through the spiritual abuses that occur within his church, abuses that wreak havoc on people's lives? Are all these things the work of God? Or is it the work of the legions of demons who have the ability to easily influence and persuade the corrupt hearts of fallen men and women? [1TIMOTHY 3:1-7] [2TIMOTHY 2:24-26]

THE TRUTH BEHIND FALSE GOSPELS
The answer to these questions is intuitive. Demons hate God, they hate every way about Him. and they hate His people, They lie, deceive, distort, and twist God's Word. They will make every attempt to re-invent the Gospel of Jesus Christ into a false gospel, a gospel that leads to Hell [GALATIANS 1:6-10], and they accomplish this task through the mouthpieces of corrupt men who themselves hate the Lord and have no desire to preach the Truth.

Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, the Roman Catholic Church, and all other false Christian religions are in the same camp. They have the appearance of goodness and godliness on the outside, they sound convincing, and perform charitable deeds and do good works for other people. But underneath they churn out distortions and spew out filthy lies that contradict the Bible that are ultimately demonic in origin [MATTHEW 23: 27-28]

I realize that what I have to say about The Crossing church and the demonic origin of false gospels will not be well received by some, but it is the Truth as revealed by God's Word. And if you do not seek Truth about God, then you are in opposition to Him.

In my next post I will give the necessary biblical proof texts to support all I have said here, so hold your tongue and my the good Lord bless you.

Casey          

"THE CROSSING: CHURCH OR CULT" WILL RE-OPEN FOR BUISNESS!

I AM AMAZED,,,,
...that my blog is still garnering attention, with many visits to my site, even though I have been inactive for well over a month now. Thanks to all followers for your interest, whether you realize that The Crossing is not an authentic church in the biblical sense, sitting on the fence, or oppose my criticism posted through my blog. I will press on. I realize that my blog is not a popular item for some, and that I will be attacked and marginalized by those involved in The Crossing, but that doesn't matter.

WHAT IS TRUTH?
What matters is the Truth. And the Bible, God's Word, clearly teaches what the Truth is. The Bible is God revealing Himself, the unveiling of His attributes and character to a fallen, broken, lawless, rebellious, God-hating, sin-polluted people.  The Bible then, is "true" Truth. The Bible, being the very Word of God, interprets historical events from a particular point of view, that being the view of the one and only God. He is the Holy One, Creator and Maker, King and Sovereign, Judge and Savior, the God who has revealed Himself through His infallible and inerrant written Word, and ultimately through the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

JESUS CHRIST: THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE
Jesus, the Son of God, is the second Person who is God-one God in three Persons. He took on human flesh, lived a perfect and morally flawless life that we are unable to do because of our sin, and then died the death that we deserve on a cruel cross, experienced in Himself the outpouring of the Father's wrath on our behalf; and then conquered death by rising from the grave. Jesus promises salvation from an infinite succession of moments of agony and suffering in God's prison called Hell. Salvation also comes in the form of restoring the broken relationship with God  we were created for, the alienation and enmity we have with our Creator, to all of those who bend the knee at His Lordship, and trust in Him alone for the salvation of their souls.

The Bible teaches that it is God who took the sole initiative in saving us. Sinner's are spiritually dead and spiritually blind; in our fallen state we have no ability to save ourselves, no love for the true God, only vicious hatred and contempt. Therefore, it's not about what we can do for God to rescue ourselves, but what God has done for us to rescue us from the just sentence that we deserve and the prison and bondage of sin we are totally enslaved to.  And God rescues us only through the Person and work of Jesus Christ. That's the Truth, and that's the Gospel. It's in the Bible.

DOES THE CROSSING PREACH THE GOSPEL?
The Crossing is a controversial church. There seems to be two sides of the story, and I have met with people on both sides. On one side there are those who are in agreement with The Crossing's teachings and practices, and on the other side are there are those who disagree. This is no small matter. Whenever a controversial church like The Crossing is accused of being spiritually abusive to many people who were formally involved in the church, that fact alone ought to serve as a red flag that all is not right with The Crossing. 

What is most important in sorting out which side is right and which side is wrong boils down to the question, "Do The Crossing's teachings and practices accord with The Bible or do they not?" In other words, does The Crossing clearly, effectively, and consistently communicate the Gospel message in word and deed? Or do they preach a false Gospel? If you attend The Crossing Church but have never heard the Gospel as outlined above, and instead are being taught that you ought to "do more, give more, try harder, then God will bless you", you are not being taught the Gospel and I fear for your very soul. You may be sincere and firm in your belief that The Crossing is a great place and their teachings are true, but still end up in Hell.

GOOD VERSUS EVIL
The Bible teaches that God is supremely good and beneficent.  He is without moral flaw and is absolutely and infinitely pure in His holiness and righteousness; there is not a speck of evil in Him.On the flip side, there is the devil and his demons, angelic creatures who have rebelled against this Holy and righteous Deity. The Bible teaches that demonic forces are active in our world, influencing people and institutions to their evil end. This is not to say that God is hamstrung here. He has allowed this to happen in order to accomplish His Divine purposes. In other words, the devil and his demons are all on a leash and cannot do anything without God's permission.

All false religions and all of man's philosophical ideas purporting to point to truth are ultimately demonic in nature; demons influence people to become leaders of philosophical movements and religious movements outside and within the Christian church. I'll remind you that "church" is not just a building, but the distinct population of redeemed sinners who believe the Gospel and trust Jesus Christ alone as Lord and Savior. The dichotomy of good and evil presented above presents a clear line between good and evil. There is no gray area here. Either something is from God, or it is from Satan and his foul, obscene, Christ-hating minions.

What I find ironic in the Crossing Church controversy is that the people who are faithfully involved in The Crossing fail to see the elephant in the bathroom. If a religious entity such as The Crossing claims that they are a true Christian church, but fail to manifest good fruit that reflects God's character of Truth, goodness, kindness, mercy, grace, and patience, then doesn't it logically follow that such an entity is ultimately the result of demonic activity and therefore evil in nature?

THE FRUIT OF THE CROSSING CHURCH
I know for a fact that The Crossing does do some good things in the world. For example, when I visited The Crossing, everyone was encouraged to give up their shoes before they left so that they would be given away to the poor. That is a good thing, and no no one can deny that helping the poor is a bad thing to do.

However, doing good things like giving away your own shoes to the poor does not necessarily negate demonic involvement, especially when accusations are flying all over the place that The Crossing is a spiritually abusive church. The Bible teaches that Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light. Doesn't that comport well with what is going on at The Crossing? How about the fact that in The Crossing's sermon archives I have listened to, there is a palpable omission of the genuine Gospel of Jesus Christ as clearly taught in the Bible? Or how about the rampant heretical teachings of The Crossing church? They twist God's Word so that the actually meaning of the text is obscured by an idea it was never meant to covey. They teach doctrine that flat-out contradicts the Word of God.  Does God contradict Himself?

And then there is the leader of The Crossing church, Eric Dykstra. Is he truthful, honest, and transparent with his congregation? Does he approach God with reverence and humility? Do his words convey undying respect for the Lord of Hosts? Or does he speak with undertones of pride and contempt? Does Dykstra bear witness to the true character of God through the spiritual abuses that occur within his church, abuses that wreak havoc on people's lives? Are all these things the work of God? Or is it the work of the legions of demons who have the ability to easily influence and persuade the corrupt hearts of fallen men and women?

THE TRUTH BEHIND FALSE GOSPELS
The answer to these questions is intuitive. Demons hate God, they hate every way about Him. and they hate His people, They lie, deceive, distort, and twist God's Word. They will make every attempt to re-invent the Gospel of Jesus Christ into a false gospel, a gospel that leads to Hell, and they accomplish this task through the mouthpieces of corrupt men who themselves hate the Lord and have no desire to preach the Truth.

Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, the Roman Catholic Church, and all other false Christian religions are in the same camp. They have the appearance of goodness and godliness on the outside, they sound convincing, and perform charitable deeds and do good works for other people. But underneath they churn out distortions and spew out filthy lies that contradict the Bible that are ultimately demonic in origin.

I realize that what I have to say about The Crossing church and the demonic origin of false gospels will not be well received by some, but it is the Truth as revealed by God's Word. And if you do not seek Truth about God, then you are in opposition to Him.

In my next post I will give the necessary biblical proof texts to support all I have said here, so hold your tongue and my the good Lord bless you.

Casey