JESUS EXPOSES THE WORST IN US: FOR OUR OWN GOOD....

BLIND SPOTS

Jesus has a way of getting under people's skin. He is brutally honest in exposing our wickedness, our waywardness, our self-righteousness, our hypocrisy, our pride, our idols. His teachings are a graceful rebuke to the spiritually blind. We all have blind spots, sins and failures that might be obvious to others but we cannot see ourselves; in terms of exposing our blind spots, no one can champion Jesus. He is the Master!

I kindly encourage attenders of The Crossing to take the time and effort to read this entire post and then listen to two sermons I have provided. Take your time and do it over several days if necessary. I want to emphasize in following through with this because the point I am trying to get across in this post is not from my mind, it is the mind of Christ; as if Christ Himself is personally speaking to you through His Word, preached by a very gifted pastor, Tullian Tchividjian. Jesus Christ wants to expose you to your blind spots.  

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR SALVATION?
I know there are genuine Christians who attend The Crossing, and then there are some who are not Christians, but probably think that they are. I don't know Eric Dykstra's heart, but I do know that Eric Dykstra is not clear on the doctrine of "justification". Justification is the act in which the Christian God aquits us in His court. Are we justified by faith alone? Or, are we justified by "doing"? Protestant reformer Martin Luther said that justification is the doctrine upon which the Church of Jesus Christ stands or falls. 

My concern is nothing less than what is required for your salvation. At the Crossing the central tenets of of the biblical Gospel are usually just given lip service. The emphasis in Eric Dykstra's sermons seems to be "do more, give more, work harder, then God will bless you". Even if that is not his intent, that is the impression that biblically illiterate people will take home with them if they listen to him long enough. 

If you believe that the more you do for Jesus, then God will bless you more in return, well, that is just a dangerous position to take.  If you decide that you want to stay at The Crossing, fine, that's your choice. But I want you to be clear on the doctrine of justification, because if you get it wrong, then you will be ruined for eternity!  

CURTAIN TIME
In this post, and especially the next, I will reinforce exactly what is required for the salvation of your soul. I want you to be clear on that, because my next post will probably be my last post on "THE CROSSING: CHURCH OR CULT?". It will still be available to read, I will still give away gifts to those who ask, but I will no longer do any more posting, unless I am compelled to do so. I don't want to get into the issues as to why I am discontinuing by blog, except to say that I have said enough, and will be focusing my energy on another blog project aimed at reaching the lost for Christ. 

INTENT OF MY BLOG
Just know that my blog has always been about Christ's pursuit of you; He is seeking you out to rescue you. He has a message for you, in the Bible, and that message will liberate you from the  the works-oriented, seeker-driven system, watered-down gospel of The Crossing church that you may be blind to. Christ wants what is best for you, if you will only listen to Him. I am nothing but a tool in the Redeemer's hands; my blog has always been about exposing a dangerous, unbiblical trend in contemporary Christianity; a slippery slope that, however well intentioned, is morphing into an even more dangerous theology.       

DYKSTRA'S EXPERIMENT
If you haven't heard Dykstra's sermon, THE EXPERIMENT" Part One, please listen to it. This will bring the next two sermon's by Tullian Tchividjian into sharp focus. 

To be fair, Eric Dykstra does manage to teach some biblical Truth in The Experiment: Part One. But he takes the Scriptures out of their historical context to make his main point-that we receive God's blessings  by obediently doing more, giving more, and trying harder. Worse, the main point Dykstra is trying to make in "The Experiment" is principly unbiblical. 

CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT

In his sermon, Dykstra starts out by quoting a large passage in Scripture, Deuteronomy 28:1-14. He is right in that this was written to the Israelites; it is God's promise that He will gracefully bless Israel for their obedience. He is also correct in that God is immutable; He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The problem is,  Dykstra does not explain the specific historical context of the Deuteronomy passage he quotes. At that time in history, Israel was operating under the "Old Covenant". 

TWO COVENANTS: THE OLD COVENANT AND THE NEW COVENANT

THE OLD COVENANT: BEGINNING WITH ABRAHAM

The "Old Covenant" I am referring to starts out with the Lord's promise to Abram. God chose Abram out of a pagan, idolatrous nation and set him apart to be the father of a great nation in which all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3) Notice that it is God who initiated a relationship with Abram., not the other way around. By faith in the Lord and His promise Abram left everything behind, including his family, and went to the land of  Caanan, according to God's will. God ratifies (legally binds) that promise in the bizarre events in Genesis chapter fifteen.  It is must reading!

THE NATION OF ISRAEL

To make a long story short, God gives Abram a new name, Abraham. Abraham is the seed of Issac, Isaac is the seed of Jacob, and Jacob is the seed of twelve sons, who later become the heads of the twelve tribes that make up the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel was God's chosen people by which a Savior-Jesus Christ, would come and save people from their sins.  God's promise included a land for His chosen people to reside in. God makes it clear that He did not choose Israel because they were more godly or more obedient that surrounding nations, rather He chose Israel  because it pleased God to do so.

MOSES

 Let's jump ahead to the time of Moses, an Israelite. The Israelites are not yet in the land promised to Abraham-the Promised Land. The Lord appears to Moses in a flaming bush, and consecrates him (sets him apart) to be a great prophet; biblically speaking, a prophet is someone who was chosen by God to communicate His Word. The Lord God gave Moses the Law; in the Bible it is termed, "The Law of Moses". 

THE LAW OF MOSES

 The Law of Moses was a very specific and lengthy list of unique and bizarre ordinances and practices that must be strictly adhered to, by faith in the Lord. This included precise specifications for worshipping the Holy Lord, and how to  approach the Holy Lord for the forgiveness of sins. Much of Exodus, all of Leviticus, and much of Deuteronomy is "Law". "By faith" is critical because God hates empty rituals without a heart that knows and loves Him and wants to obey Him. 

WHY ALL THOSE BIZARRE LAWS?

The reason for all these very specific, very bizarre laws was because the Promised Land they were about to enter was pagan and its people worshipped idols, serving gods of their own invention. Thus the Lord God wanted to protect Israel from Syncratism-the blending of different religious systems into a new religious system.  

The Law of Moses then, was meant to keep the Promised Land of Israel distinct and set apart from surrounding pagan nations; it was the Lord's means to protect Israel, the country from which all the other nations of the world would be blessed by the promise of a Savior, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

THE CONTEXT AND MEANING OF DEUTERONOMY 28:1-14 ESTABLISHED

 Now that I have set the historical context in Deuteronomy 28:1-14,  the meaning of those verses is obvious. Operating under the covenant God made with Abraham [what we call the "Old-Covenant" in retrospect], the nation of Israel is now about to enter The Promised Land. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 was God's promised blessing for obedience to the Law of Moses, meant to be obeyed with a heart that knows and loves the Lord.

GOD'S CURSES

 Notice that Dykstra failed to mention Deuteronomy 28:15-68. These are the curses that the Lord God of Israel would visit upon His people if they failed to obey the Law of Moses, and turn their hearts to serve and worship other gods. Open the link and read the list. It is a reminder that God is Holy; it is a stern warning as to what would happen to Israel if  Israel failed to obey the Lord's laws and ordinances. 

This is quite a long list of curses, more than four times as long as the list of blessings cited in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. But it was meant to emphasize the importance of faithful obedience to the Law of Moses. Yet in these curses are abounding mercy and grace, because the curses of God were meant to demonstrate Israel's inability to keep the Law of Moses perfectly-disobedience, and to bring repentance to Israel for dangerously straying from Him and loving other gods other than Him.

 As you read those curses in the link provided you will be appalled. It will shock and disturb you greatly to think that God would do this to His own people! When we read this passage in Scripture, we think God is wicked and evil, when in reality, we are the ones who are wicked and evil!  

TWISTING SCRIPTURE?

 So once again, Dykstra takes Scripture out of context to make an unbiblical point-that if we obey God than He will bless us when the exact opposite is true. He failed to point out the fact that God pursued and blessed Abram and Moses first, then they sought to obey by faith; God's unilateral pursuit of the disobedient, traitors, rebels, and lawbreakers is a dominant theme in all the Scriptures. Dykstra also failed to connect his assumption that if the blessings of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 applies today as it did back then, then the curses of Deuteronomy 28:15-68 necessarily have to apply today as it did back then also, but obviously they don't. So why don't they? Because we live under the "New Covenant" . 
   

THE NEW COVENANT AND "TYPES"

The Old Covenant and the long chain of historical events surrounding God's people were "types", in preparation for the coming Savior. This Savior would inaugurate a new and better covenant, making the Old Covenant obsolete.

WHAT IS A "TYPE"? 

Biblically speaking, a "type" is a foreshadowing of all the promises made by God to the nation of Israel, the substance, or "anti-type" of which was fulfilled in the Person, work, ministry, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Types are all over in the Old Testament; they are absolutely fascinating because you see God's sovereign hand at work in fulfilling His promises of the Old Covenant through actual historical events.

EXAMPLES OF "TYPES"       
I'll give you some examples of types that were ultimately fulfilled by the anti-type, Jesus Christ.The priesthood and the sacrificial system that required the slaughter of thousands upon thousands upon thousands of bulls and goats "without blemish" for the forgiveness of sins under the Old-Covenant was a reminder that a perfect blood sacrifice was required for forgiveness, fulfilled by the blood sacrifice of the spotless and perfect Jesus Christ on the cross.

Here's another. A "prophet" was one who spoke God's Word to His people. A "priest" is someone who intercedes on behalf of God's people, bringing their prayers and intercessions to God. A "king"  is a sovereign ruler over his kingdom. Both prophet, priest, and king played critical roles under the Old Covenant. These three are types, fulfilled in Jesus Christ; He is Prophet=God's Word, Priest=always praying for His people, and King=sovereign ruler of all.

Here's another type that Jesus taught Nicodemus in John 3:14.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. " John 3:14. 

Here's an explanation of this type/anti-type. In Numbers 21:4-9 the disobedient Israelites were stuck in the wilderness, grumbling and complaining against the Lord. In response, the Lord sent a curse in the form of a hoard of snakes. Many Israelites were bitten and then died from this curse. So the Israelites, realizing they were sinning against the Lord, approached Moses and asked him to pray that the Lord would spare them from the snakes. God told Moses to fashion  a bronze serpent, put it on a pole, and anyone who had been bitten, if they looked upon the serpent, by faith, they would live.  

Jesus taught Nicodemus that when Moses raised the bronze serpent in the wilderness, that was a type to be fulfilled by Him. Anyone who was bitten by the snakes would be spared if they looked to the bronze serpent by faith and a repentant heart.  The anti-type of this type is the forgiveness of sins received by anyone with a repentant heart and faith (submitting to the Lordship of Christ) in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, who received the punishment that sinners deserve on the cross, and also raised up to new life in the resurrection and His ascention to Heaven.

Another type is the Old Covenant tabernacle. The tabernacle was a mobile church of sorts that was made to exact specifications that God gave to Moses. When the nomadic Israelites went from place to place, they packed up the tabernacle and brought it with them. The most sacred item of the tabernacle was the "ark of the covenant". This was housed in "The Most Holy" place, of the tabernacle; this place was where the Holy Lord's presence was accessed only once a year by the high priest to intercede for Israel's sins. If anyone went in there beside the priest, God would strike that person dead on the spot!

The tabernacle was so sacred that no one was allowed to even touch it. When the Israelites improperly transported it on an ox cart, and one of the Israelites put his hand on it to steady it, God struck him dead! The sacredness of the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant alerted the Israelites to the fact that God is Holy, man is sinner, and nobody had direct access to God unless specific requirements were met.  

This type was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It says in John 1:14 speaking of Christ, "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us". "Dwelt" is accurately translated, "Tabernacled" among us. Christ literally and symbolically tore the veil separating "The Holy" place from the "Most Holy Place" making access to God available to everyone who believes in Him, both Jews and non-Jews. This rendered the Old Covenant system obsolete; Christ was the substance and fulfillment of everything the Old Testament taught. Types testify that the entire Old Testament is all about Jesus Christ!        

JESUS ANNOUNCES THE NEW COVENANT 

Jesus taught His disciples the coming of a New Covenant during the Lord's Supper just prior to His crucifixion. The Apostle Paul explains the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and also quote's Jesus announcment of the New Covenant in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, (emphasis added)

 ²³ For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴ and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵ In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

THE NEW COVENANT IS RATIFIED BY CHRIST'S SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS
The symbolism of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper cannot be overlooked in the passage above. In the Old Testament the word "cup" was always associated with God's wrath against sin. The bread represents Christ's life and ministry. The cup represents Jesus blood sacrifice on the cross, and the outpouring of the Father's wrath upon His Son, satisfying His justice against sin while at the same time demonstrating mercy to all who put their trust in the Christian God.  Christ paid the sin debt of everyone who would ever trust God; the saints of the Old Testament had faith in God's promise of a coming Savior, while the New Testament saints look back in retrospect at the fulfillment of God's promise in Jesus Christ. 

The bloody and gruesome Old Covenant sacrificial system never atoned for the sins of God's people, it was merely a "type" fulfilled in Christ. The Lord's ratification (ratify=legally bind) of the Old Covenant with Abraham  is a "type" that was fulfilled in Christ by his blood sacrifice on the cross; in essence, Jesus Christ ratified (made it legally binding) the New Covenant by His crucifixion, being the spotless, sinless sacrifice that God demanded for sin. The book of Hebrews is a very complex, yet excellent book in the N.T. to study the types fulfilled in Christ, and the Old and New Covenants.   

LIVING UNDER THE NEW COVENANT
The implications of living under the New Covenant are astounding. All hostilities between Holy God and sinful man are eternally silenced to those who have faith in Christ. God is never impatient with us and disappointed with us when we are beset with sinful thoughts, words, and behaviors. God remembers our sins no more-past, present, and future-because Christ is our righteousness, and we receive that righteousness as a gift by faith. Our justification results not from having faith in our faith, but through the Object of our faith, Jesus Christ. In Christ we receive all of God's blessings, His approval of us is always based on what Christ has done for us, not according to what we can do for Christ. 


 OBEDIENCE BY FAITH
The New Testament call for obedience under the New Covenant is in a sense different from the call for obedience under the Old Covenant. In the Bible, justification has always been according to faith alone, apart from any works of the law, the Object of faith being God Himself. Even the laws of the Old Covenant were to be obeyed by faith in God. But we are no longer under the Old Covenant system where we have to strictly adhere to the methods and practices prescribed in the Law of Moses.  

For example, one of the Ten Commandments, the command to keep the Sabbath, no longer applies today because it is distinctively Old Covenant Law and does not diminish God's character by not adhering to it. All other commandments are intrinsically tied to the character of God and therefore are still binding.  Amazingly, the Sabbath is actually a type fulfilled in Christ, because Christ is our Sabbath rest. We continually rest in Him because of the work He has done for us.   

REPENTANCE, OBEDIENCE, AND THE NEW COVENANT
The call to repentance under the New Covenant is a call to stop trusting in yourself for your salvation and totally trust in Christ. Repentance is also continual, ongoing  self-examination of the sins in your life  and turning from specific sins and turning to Christ. 

The call to obey under the New Covenant is a call to believe the Gospel, obey the Gospel by trusting in Christ and His finished work. As Christians we try to keep God's laws, do good deeds and obey the Bible, and this is pleasing to God, but it is God who pursued us and changed our hearts in the first place, and we are bursting with gratitude for  saving us; the fruits of authentic saving faith are good works. We can never obey God's laws perfectly, not even remotely close.  But we never have to worry about not doing enough or sinning to much because Jesus obeyed the law for us as the second Adam. As Christians our cup is always full  to the brim with God's blessings. Even in our pain and suffering God grants us infinite, unfathomable storehouses of blessings, mercy, and grace that cannot be added to because of our obedience. 

THE DEBTOR'S ETHIC
One thing that concerns me about Eric Dykstra's teachings is that he instills a legalistic mindset into the hearts of Crossing attenders. God hates business transaction relationships; this is often termed "the debtor's ethic" in which we serve our hearts out for Christ's kingdom, but then we expect blessings in return. When things don't go our way, we often become bitter and accuse God. We think, "All these years I have been serving you and now you allowed this to happen to me." This is reminiscent of the older brother in Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son.

TWO SERMONS THAT PROVIDE A STARK CONTRAST BETWEEN THE CROSSING'S "EXPERIMENT"    

These are two sermons I encourage you to listen to. (actually all sermons in this series are so rich with Gospel Truth, and emphasize the radical nature of the grace of Christ) The first of which is,  PICTURES OF GRACE: PART FIVE  Here pastor Tullian Tchividjian preaches on Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14.

This is extremely important because I believe that if you listen to Eric Dykstra long enough, even if he is sincere, you might adopt the attitude of the Pharisee in the parable. Read the parable and listen to the sermon, ask Jesus to remove your blind spots and open your spiritual eyes so you can see the substantive difference between "The Experiment" sermon versus "Pictures of Grace: Part Five". It will really liberate you!   

The second sermon I encourage you to listen to is, PICTURES OF GRACE: PART SIX.

In part six of this series, Tullian Tchividjian preaches on Peter's denial of Christ as predicted by Christ Himself. Again, compare Jesus' teaching to the teaching that comes out of The Crossing. Ask Christ to speak to you through this sermon and reveal your blind spots. 

My last blog post should be available by the weekend. Until then, God bless you through the understanding of His Word, Casey

HEALING THE WOUNDS/OPEN LETTER TO ERIC DYKSTRA/ BY RANDY QUICK

A FEW IMPORTANT DETAILS...

• PLEASE TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT TO GET THE GOSPEL RIGHT: YOUR ETERNAL DESTINATION DEPENDS ON IT!

•   [If you have experienced spiritual abuse at The Crossing or any other church, you can visit the Facebook page, Back Door Ministries Support Group. This group meets every week to help deal with the grief, anger, and wounds that result from spiritual abuse. This is a GREAT group of people and will give you full support and help your healing process regardless of your situation]  

• Join my ministry, "Fighting the Good Fight: A Gospel Ministry"  and help raise community awareness of The Crossing. Read the document explaining the mission of this ministry. 

• Receive a Free gift! Many to choose from. More resources have recently been added! 

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

HEALING WOUNDS
Randy Quick, a former member of The Crossing church, has written an OPEN LETTER TO ERIC DYKSTRA from his blog. I have met Randy in person at the Back Door Ministry Support Group. He seems like a nice enough guy, no reason to doubt the veracity of his personal testimony regarding the spiritual abuse that allegedly happened to him and his wife at The Crossing under the leadership of Eric Dykstra. So read the letter and ask yourself; does this have the hallmarks of authenticity written from the heart of a man who has been broken by an abusive church? Or, is Randy Quick a liar, willing to make outrageous allegations to bring down an authentic, bible teaching, Gospel preaching church?

CHECK OUT THIS PRIOR POST

In case you missed it, I made a post on July 23rd  titled, "Tornadoes Are Destructive Things" And the point of that post is this. Just a tornado leaves both physical clues and personal testimonies as to the destruction wreaked by that tornado, an abusive, legalistic, non-gospel preaching church will also leave behind physical clues and personal testimonies as to the destruction wreaked by that church. 

PHYSICAL CLUES
Here on my blog I do exactly that. I examine The Crossings teachings, sermons, beliefs and values, and any other information available to the general public, and compare the information with what the Scriptures teach. As I have telegraphed in "PREVIEW: EXPOSING: THE CODE" series, my next project will be to examine each point in The Crossing Code, and see if it matches up with Scripture, after all, The Crossing makes this claim in their "Statement of Beliefs"... 

 "We believe that the Bible is the verbally and totally inspired Word of God, inerrant in it's original manuscripts. The Bible is our supreme and final authority in faith and life. (2Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21).

I will demonstrate that The Code does not comport with their statement regarding the Bible.  

PERSONAL TESTIMONIES
Another critical aspect of examining the allegations that The Crossing is an abusive, legalistic, non-gospel preaching church is to read or hear other people's stories, their personal testimonies on how The Crossing has had a traumatic impact on their lives. Eyewitness testimony is a powerful means to evaluate truth claims. The writers of  the New Testament Gospels relied heavily on the eyewitness testimony to establish the historical reality of the life, ministry, teachings, activities, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Similarly, people who have been abused at The Crossing have their testimonies as well. 

By evaluating informational clues and personal testimonies, I am adding to the  body of evidence that the allegations against The Crossing Church are true.   
I hope to get to value number one of The Code within a week. God Bless, Casey 

PREVIEW: EXPOSING "THE CODE" OF THE CROSSING CHURCH-PART EIGHT

FIRST, A FEW IMPORTANT DETAILS...

• PLEASE TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT TO GET THE GOSPEL RIGHT: YOUR ETERNAL DESTINATION DEPENDS ON IT!

•   [If you have experienced spiritual abuse at The Crossing or any other church, you can visit the Facebook page, Back Door Ministries Support Group. This group meets every week to help deal with the grief, anger, and wounds that result from spiritual abuse. This is a GREAT group of people and will give you full support and help your healing process regardless of your situation]  

• Join my ministry, "Fighting the Good Fight: A Gospel Ministry"  and help raise community awareness of The Crossing. Read the document explaining the mission of this ministry. 

• Receive a Free gift! Many to choose from. More resources have recently been added! 

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

PREVIEW: EXPOSING "THE CODE" OF THE CROSSING CHURCH-PART EIGHT

This will be my last installment on my "Preview: Exposing The Code", series, I promise!!! Then I will move on to value number one of "The Code". 

"I LOVE MY CHURCH", REALLY?
What follows is a preamble of sorts from the "I Love My Church" video; this video can be found in The Crossing church website sermon archives. It was filmed 8/15/2010 in front of the Crossing congregation. It is not a sermon, but a "What The Crossing Church is all about" kind of discussion.

There are four people involved in the discussion; pastor Eric Dykstra, his wife and pastor Kelly Dykstra, Jason-pastor of the Zimmerman campus, and Tom-pastor of the Big Lake campus. The discussion entails a discussion of  The Crossing church, touching on five themes as follows...

• OUR STORY
• OUR VISION
• OUR BELIEFS
• OUR VALUES
• PARTNER

DYKSTRA EXPLAINS WHAT COMES NEXT

In the video the four pastors had just covered the first three themes, and now they turn to address the fourth theme which are the values of The Crossing church, what is called  "The Code". So in the quote below, Eric Dykstra brings up the subject of "OUR VALUES".

What we're going to do next is...talk to you about our values...What are our priorities as a church? How do we make choices to move ahead? So what we are going to do next is the four of us are going to walk through the eighteen major values of the church; we're going to go through them really, really fast.

Now, in telling you these eighteen values, here is what you gotta know. This is "The Code" of The Crossing church. We want to stick to The Code. That's what makes us successful, that's why God (unintelligible word) us favor and blessing on this church is because we stick to The Code. And we're going to keep sticking to The Code, because we got some beliefs, but we also got a Code. We want you to know what The Code of The Crossing church is. There are eighteen of them...

IS IT IN THE BIBLE?
 I have yet to make the case that The Code of The Crossing church is unbiblical, and I will begin to do this next week. But what I want to point out is that nowhere in the Bible does it teach the God blesses a church because they stick to an unbiblical "Code".


PETTY DETAILS?
Now you might be thinking that pointing out such a tiny error like that and making a big deal about it is outrageous. But tiny errors that go unnoticed or unchallenged make way for bigger errors that slide by uncritically, and bigger errors can lead to serious errors, especially in a church like The Crossing where the pastor's teachings and practices are questionable. 

NOT SO FAST
Also notice that Dykstra says this...

So what we are going to do next is the four of us are going to walk through the eighteen major values of the church; we're going to go through them really, really fast.

If you go back just a few seconds earlier during the second half of the twenty sixth minute, Dykstra makes this remark, 

 "I have never preached on the values of The Crossing church." 

Let's ask a very important question. If The Crossing church has eighteen MAJOR values, is it a good idea for Dykstra to go through them "really, really fast"? Especially if this is the first time he has preached on The Crossing values? Or would it be better to take the necessary time and effort to thoroughly explain each value so there is no confusion or ambiguity as to the meaning of each value?

WORDS MEAN THINGS
The problem with a poorly written statement of values like The Crossing's  is that the particular meaning of a key word or key phrase intended by the author can be confused with another meaning altogether. That's why the author of the eighteen major values of The Crossing church ought to be crystal clear, leaving no question as to the actual meaning of each value being taught. I contend that confusion and ambiguity was written into The Code for the purpose of deception.


The same principle applies to teaching The Code to his congregation in the video. Why would Dykstra want to zip through the eighteen major values of The Code in the video? I am not certain why, but I believe he might not want members of his congregation to think about them too long, lest they realize the full implication of each particular value.  

How about if Dykstra spent fifteen minutes explaining and supplying proof texts for each Crossing value? That would pose a huge problem to Dykstra because there would be scant if any biblical proof texts to support each value, and the oppressive principles behind each value statement probably wouldn't fly with the congregation, so by necessity Dykstra must rush through The Code.   


LETS GET SPECIFIC
Here's an example of a crystal clear, carefully worded statement on the authority of the Gospel. This is an excerpt from a book by R.C. Sproul  titled, "Getting The Gospel Right". Notice that the statement is worded in terms of "affirmations" and "denials".

We affirm that the Gospel entrusted to the church is, in the first instance, God's Gospel (Mark 1:14; Romans 1:1). God is its author, and He reveals it to us by His Word. Its authority and truth rest on Him alone.


We deny that the truth or authority of the Gospel derives from any human insight or invention (Galatians 1:1-11). We also deny that the truth or authority of the Gospel rests on the authority of any particular church or human institution.

 If Eric Dykstra really wants to be clear on each Crossing church value, then this is an excellent model to follow. But as I have pointed out, that may not be his intention.


THE WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE
In my blog I have already successfully argued that Dykstra has contradicted himself and have provided proofs that he twists the Scriptures. His words in the pulpit have proven to be irreverent and outrageous by any biblical standard. There are also personal testimonies of people who have been spiritually abused at The Crossing, people I have personally met with; and this is just the tip of the iceberg. By biblically addressing each point in The Code I will add even more credence to my contention that Dykstra is not who he makes himself out to be. 

And just to be clear, I am not condemning any style of worship as long as it glorifies the Lord, and does not contradict the Scriptures. The Bible does not have much to say about worship style and so there is much lattitude there. What does concern me is any teaching or practice that does contradict the Scriptures. 

See ya, Casey 
  

POLLS, POLLS, POLLS...

UPDATE:To help me re-evaluate the continuation of my blog, I have asked a series of questions in the polls below. If you are a visitor to this blog, please take the time to hit the polls. There are several.

I plan to continue going through the values of The Crossing church, known as "The Code". I will be addressing one value of The Crossing Code each week, in chronological order. Hopefully I will begin within a couple of weeks. 

Thanks, Casey

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• PLEASE TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT TO GET THE GOSPEL RIGHT: YOUR ETERNAL DESTINATION DEPENDS ON IT!

•   [If you have experienced spiritual abuse at The Crossing or any other church, you can visit the Facebook page, Back Door Ministries Support Group. This group meets every week to help deal with the grief, anger, and wounds that result from spiritual abuse. This is a GREAT group of people and will give you full support and help your healing process regardless of your situation]  

• Join my ministry, "Fighting the Good Fight: A Gospel Ministry"  and help raise community awareness of The Crossing. Read the document explaining the mission of this ministry. 

• Receive a Free gift! Many to choose from. More have just been added! 

TAKING A WEEK OFF....

I'll be taking a week off this blog and evaluating whether I want to continue on with it. Take Case, God Bless, Casey

PREVIEW: EXPOSING "THE CODE" OF THE CROSSING CHURCH-PART SEVEN

FIRST, A FEW IMPORTANT DETAILS...

• PLEASE TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT TO GET THE GOSPEL RIGHT: YOUR ETERNAL DESTINATION DEPENDS ON IT!

•   [If you have experienced spiritual abuse at The Crossing or any other church, you can visit the Facebook page, Back Door Ministries Support Group. This group meets every week to help deal with the grief, anger, and wounds that result from spiritual abuse. This is a GREAT group of people and will give you full support and help your healing process regardless of your situation]  

• Join my ministry, "Fighting the Good Fight: A Gospel Ministry"  and help raise community awareness of The Crossing. Read the document explaining the mission of this ministry. 

• Receive a Free gift! Many to choose from. More will soon be added! 

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PREVIEW: EXPOSING "THE CODE" OF THE CROSSING CHURCH-PART SEVEN
EXAMINE, COMPARE, CONTRAST...

Below there are two separate vision statements from two separate churches; The Crossing church in Elk River, Minnesota, and Elevation Church in Charlotte North Carolina. Examine, compare, and contrast  both statements and ask yourself, "What is peculiar about these two value statements from two separate churches?"
THE CROSSING CHURCH
1. The Church of Jesus is the only hope for this world. We orbit our personal finances, schedules and talents around the mission of His church.
2. We are united under the visionary. The Crossing is built on the Vision God gave Pastor Eric. We aggressively defend our unity and his vision.
3. We are an invasion force, not a fortress. We invade our city with Christ. We dont hide from the city and condemn people. We are alway missional.
4. We are a hospital, not a cathedral. We believe Jesus came for broken, addicted, average people, NOT religious people. Therefore everyone is welcome, no one is perfect and anything is possible. WE are a safe place for a dangerous message.
5. It’s all about the weekend, Stupid! We focus the majority of our resources, staff and time on our greatest chance to influence the greatest amount of people.
6. We target man unapologetically. If we reach a dude, we reach the family 85% of the time. So we unapologetically target our services to 20-30 something, beer-drinking, McDonald’s-eating men who think church is a waste of time.
7. We need your seat. We will not cater to personal preferences in our mission to reach the city. We are more concerned with the people we are trying to reach than the people we are trying to keep. WE want our back door working properly.
8. We act with racial faith. In order to make a city the hardest place on earth to go to hell from, we will not think small. We set impossible goals, take bold steps of faith and watch God move..
9. We lead with generosity. Our staff and leaders go above and beyond to give sacrificially to the work of God in our city.
10. We are Starbucks, not Old Country Buffet. Simplicity enables excellence. Therefore, we only do a few things, but we do them well. We do weekend services, Crossing Recovery, Small Groups and Cellar Classes. That is ALL we do.
11. We are all about the numbers. Every number is a life influenced. We unapologetically set goals and measure progress so we can influence more lives for God’s kingdom.
12. We are a generation of honor. We freely give honor to those about us, beside us and under us because of the calling and potential God has placed inside of them.
13. The 2-2-2 principle. 2 Tim 2:2 says every Jesus follower needs to teach someone to know what they know and do what they do. Each volunteer apprentices him/herself so the church can move ahead
14. We will not take this for granted. What we are experiencing is not normal. This is the highest calling, and will remain grateful for God’s had of favor.
ELEVATION CHURCH 

1. We Act in Audacious Faith – In order to dominate a city with the gospel of Jesus, we can’t think small. We will set impossible goals, take bold steps of faith and watch God move.
2. We Are a Generation of Honor – We freely give honor to those above us, beside us and under us because of the calling and potential God has placed inside of them.
3. We Lead the Way in Generosity – Our staff and church will go above and beyond to give sacrificially to the work of God in our city.
4. We Are United Under One Vision – Elevation is built on the vision God gave Pastor Steven. We will aggressively defend our unity and that vision.
5. We Need Your Seat – We will not cater to personal preference in our mission to reach this city. We are more concerned with the people we are trying to reach than the people we are trying to keep.
6. We Think Inside the Box – We will embrace our limitations. They will inspire our greatest creativity and innovation.
7. We Dress for the Wedding – We will continually increase our capacity by structuring for where we want to go, not where we are. We will remain on the edge of our momentum by overreacting to harness strategic momentum initiatives.
8. We Are Ruth's Chris, Not Golden Corral – Simplicity enables excellence. We place a disproportionate value on creating a worship experience that boldly celebrates Jesus and attracts people far from God.
9. We Are All About the Numbers – Tracking metrics measures effectiveness. We unapologetically set goals and measure progress through all available quantitative means.
10. We Eat the Fish and Leave the Bones
11. We Are Known for What We Are For – We will speak vision and life over our people. We will lift up the salvation of Jesus rather than using our platform to condemn.
12. We Will Not Take This for Granted – What we are experiencing is not normal. This is the highest calling, and we will remain grateful for God’s hand of favor.

DID YOU NOTICE?
Well, its is obvious that there are striking similarities between both value statements. In fact, some of the points in each statement have the exact same wording. This is peculiar because both churches are hundreds and hundreds of miles apart from each other.
Another peculiarity of these two value statements is that they are both called "THE CODE"; you can see this on their respective church's websites. And within "The Code" is the claim that each church is built on the vision that God gave each pastor. 

So you have two separate churches hundreds of miles apart, both have strikingly similar value statements, and each value statement is called "THE CODE", and embedded in each "Code", is a claim that their church is built on a vision that the pastor received from God. Doesn't that just seem a little bit odd to you? So what is going on?

THE CHURCH GROWTH MOVEMENT

This is what's going on. There is a disturbing trend in the evangelical community today that is an offshoot of the "Church Growth Movement", otherwise known as the "Seeker-Sensitive" model. A recent sub-set of the Seeker-Friendly model emerged several years ago called the "Purpose-Driven model".  The links provided offer a brief explanation of these Church-Growth models and the problems associated with them. Basically these are models are built on the faulty premise that if a church is not growing, it is not a healthy church. So in order to grow a church, the church must attract un-churched people to visit their church by making church more attractive and exciting, and salving their felt needs. 

WHAT DOES A SEEKER-SENSITIVE CHURCH LOOK LIKE?

In a Seeker-Sensitive church there is appealing contemporary music (forget those old hymns), dramas, theatrical lighting, and slick Power Point slide shows to match the sermon points. The atmosphere is to be fun and exciting! The pulpit is devoid of any real biblical teachings. Unpopular yet critical Christian doctrines like Sin, Hell and the Wrath of God are rarely if ever mentioned; because after all, if you start preaching about unpopular doctrines, then people might not come back! Sermons are usually short, intertwined with personal stories revolving around a single topic relevant to un-churched people in the community.  


And not only that, the Seeker-Sensitive church offers services to the un-churched designed to appeal to their felt needs; everything from game rooms to cafes to laundromats are available to appeal to the un-churched. Thus the Seeker-Sensitive church becomes a business commodity wooing people through its doors with messages and features that appeal to un-churched people's sensibilities. 

This does not accord with what the Scriptures teach about the institution of the Christian Church. The Church is not just a building but the population of believers who have been saved through faith by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. A Church then, as revealed in the Bible, is a congregation of God's people under the leadership of qualified elders who preach the Gospel, shepherd God's people, and equip the congregation to proclaim the  Gospel to an unbelieving world. In other words, the Church is primarily, but not exclusively, for believers.

THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN MODEL:THE SEEKER-SENSITIVE MODEL ON STEROIDS
The "Purpose-Driven" model is all of what the seeker-sensitive model is, with an emphasis on "doing more" to serve God. At issue is the character of founder of the Purpose Driven movement, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, California. He has written two best sellers, "The Purpose-Driven Life", and "The Purpose-Driven Church".

The problem with Warren's books is that he begins with a premise, and then twists Scripture to support his premise. He employs multiple translations of the Bible, some of which are very, very poor translations in that they do not effectively communicate the original intent of the biblical author. Any time a pastor purposefully does this, he is engaging in deception. 

The major victims in these unbiblical models are the very people they are trying to save, because in a Seeker-Sensitive environment the Gospel can become so watered down that it has no efficacy to save. I believe that the vast majority of pastors who employ the Seeker-Sensitive tactics described are sincere in their motives to reach the lost, but they are either spiritually blind, deceived, or they do not obey the doctrine of the Church taught in the Scriptures.

THE PURPOSE DRIVEN MODEL WITH A CRUEL, MALEVOLENT ATTITUDE
The problem with unbiblical, yet well intentioned trends like the Seeker-Sensitive model is that they can transform, or morph into something it was never intended to be. Specifically, the Seeker-Sensitive model is currently being hijacked and reinvented by false teachers into a seductive, yet dangerous and spiritually toxic brand of Christianity. This disturbing trend is growing in popularity across the country, and the results are devastating!

Here are some of features that these "churches" have in common.... 

• These churches are lead by a single pastor with virtually no accountability from within their church.
• These "pastors" claim to have received visions from God on how to conduct their ministry. This contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture and thus they are false teachers and false prophets.
• In the mind of these false teachers, anyone who questions their beliefs and practices is to question God's authority. Therefore, anyone indoctrinated into this type of church must follow their leader blindly, with unquestioning obedience and submission. 
• These false teachers preach a false gospel with an emphasis on performing good works and doing more for their church in order to receive blessings from God. Followers are often disciplined for not doing enough or failing to fulfill a particular goal set by their leader. Suspiciously absent from their sermons is any mention of the Gospel.  
• These false teachers downplay the importance of Scripture and doctrine, mocking anyone who wants to go deeper into God's Word. The leaders imply that they are now the mouthpiece of God, not the Scriptures.
• These false teachers are typically young males, charismatic, authoritarian, bold, aggressive, vulgar, and sacrilegious. They say and do provocative things for shock value. They often berate and intimidate those in attendance, belittling them for not thinking or behaving in a certain way. The church therefore, becomes a "cult-of-personality", with their outrageous leader as the focal point.
• These false teachers blaspheme the Holy Lord of Hosts with irreverent speech, crude references, and idolatrous depictions of the Christian God. 
• These false teachers are obsessed with money, and apply guilt trips among other bullying tactics to strong arm followers into giving more money to their church. 
• These false teachers insist that their faithful followers commit all their time, talents, and resources to the church in order to fulfill their self-exalting, never-ending mission to reach the world for Christ.
• These false teachers leave a wide path of personal and spiritual destruction that damns souls, destroys relationships, and causes deep, serious, life-altering scars to those who have been excommunicated or who have decided to leave on their own.
• These false teachers instruct their followers never to have any contact with those who leave the church, for whatever reason. 
• These false teachers are very deceptive and cunning. They proclaim to do ministry in the name of Christ, and always say their mission is to bring people to Christ. They proclaim that God is moving and active in their ministry. They pray , quote Scripture, often condemning orthodox Christianity as a brand of religion that Jesus would condemn. Overall these false teachers appear convincing and authentic.   

 Now doesn't that sound suspiciously like a cult? 

WHO IS GETTING INVOLVED?  This  trend I am talking about here is not an isolated case; it is ubiquitous, and it is gaining in popularity across the country. The leaders seem to target young, undiscerning people and families, many of whom have various addictions and problems. These vulnerable people cling to what these false teachers offer, a sense of community and a sense of purpose by doing something for God. More and more people are getting suckered into these deceptive cults.   

 WHY IS THIS TREND GROWING?
I believe for several reasons. Money, power and influence, selfish gain. I don't know if there is any kind of conspiracy among these false teachers, I truly doubt it. They probably do learn from each other though. I happen to think that once this abhorrent model took hold in some churches, other spiritual predators saw the opportunity and potential for their own personal gain. They took the model and tweaked it to their own preference, and just like that you they now have their very own personal cult. And the bigger the cult grows, and the faster it spreads into surrounding communities, the more difficult it is to stop, which means more more money, power, prestige, and influence for the cult-leader.
 
"THE CODE" DOUBLE VISION
So what does this have to do with "The Code"? The Code is what makes the whole thing work, at least in the case of The Crossing church and Elevation church. The Code is like a computer operating system that must be installed into the hardware of the unwary, biblically illiterate seeker. The old operating system must be removed and the new one installed, otherwise, no cult. And if there is no cult, then there is no money, no power, no influence, no prestige, etc.

ONCE YOU BECOME A PART OF A CULT, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO LEAVE
 Once The Code is firmly established into a person ("Indoctrination" in cult-speak) then the leader can have it their way with that person. Once they commit to faithfully following their leader, and the longer they stay in the cult, it becomes more and more difficult to leave. Why? Pride is one reason. Who wants to admit that they have been fooled for so long, and that they have wasted all their precious time, their energy, their resources, and their talents on a system that is so destructive? So people end up lying to themselves, deceiving themselves into thinking that they are on a good and noble path. 

The other reason is intimidation and threats by the cult-leader and other followers. People involved in cults know that there will be dire consequences if they leave. They know that they will be ostracized, they might even fear for their own safety. This brand of false teacher and his followers will often insinuate that to leave the church is to leave God.

WHAT WOULD DYKSTRA DO?


So that is the dangerous trend. Some of these cults have thousands of followers, and many more daughter churches than the three Dykstra has. But I think Dykstra has bold and aggressive plans to nurture and grow his cult into a monster. Let's stop this thing before its too late! Casey
"Fighting the Good Fight: A Gospel Ministry"                                                 

Fighting the Good Fight: A Gospel Ministry

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT TO GET THE GOSPEL RIGHT: YOUR ETERNAL DESTINATION DEPENDS ON IT!

[If you have experienced spiritual abuse at The Crossing or any other church, you can contact Jeremy Rogahn from the Facebook page, Back Door Ministries Support Group. This group meets every Friday evening to help deal with the grief, anger, and wounds that result from spiritual abuse. This is a GREAT group of people and will give you full support and help your healing process regardless of your situation]  

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By God's unbelievable grace, I am starting up a ministry that I pray will garner interest among my brethren out there. I now have a Facebook group for this ministry called, Fighting the Good Fight: A Gospel Ministry 

What follows is the Facebook group "page" which describes the mission of "Fighting the Good Fight: A Gospel Ministry". This is what I wrote about this ministry... 

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The mission of "Fighting the Good Fight: A Gospel Ministry" is to inform communities of the abusive and destructive nature of Eric Dykstra and his cult “The Crossing church”, based in Elk River, Minnesota.


SOME FACTS ABOUT ERIC DYKSTRA AND THE CROSSING CHURCH

• Eric Dykstra is a false teacher and false prophet preaching a false gospel. He is the self-appointed leader of The Crossing Church. Despite his proclamation that the Bible is his supreme and final authority in all matters of life and faith, his beliefs and practices are patently unbiblical.
• Eric Dykstra claims he has received visions and authority from God on how to conduct his ministry. Therefore, nobody is allowed to question what Eric Dykstra does, because to question Eric Dykstra is to question God.
• Eric Dykstra is a cruel and abusive dictator, not accountable to any board of elders within his church. He is vulgar, narcissistic, sociopathic, and ruthless in his dealings with people. His ministry has already wreaked havoc on countless people’s lives, causing precious relationships to disintegrate, and leaving people who have served under him with deep, ugly, life-altering scars that will last a lifetime.
• Eric Dykstra is a false image bearer. In the name of Jesus Christ, his legalistic, cruel, and abusive ministry lead people to falsely conclude that the Christian God must be similar to Eric Dykstra. Those people who have suffered abuse and cruelty under his ministry may end up with their hearts hardened against any and all things related to Christianity, and lead them to be suspicious of any person (including me) who proclaims to minister in Christ’s name.
• By bearing false witness as to the true nature and character of the Christian God, Dykstra is negatively affecting people’s attitude toward Christianity, and for those people, that could be the difference between Heaven and Hell. 
• Although based in Elk River Minnesota, The Crossing also has daughter churches in Zimmerman, Princeton, and Big Lake. The so-called “pastors” who are charged with leading these congregations are not autonomous, but must do things exactly as Dykstra dictates.
• Dykstra has aggressive plans to plant two hundred daughter churches over the next twenty years. He wants to ravage more cities, more towns, and more communities! This would only serve to bring more misery, more pain, more devastation, and more suffering to bear upon unsuspecting, biblically illiterate people.
• Those who faithfully follow Eric Dykstra and believe his twisted and false version of the gospel would ultimately end up in Hell.

SCARY STUFF!
This is the frightening and terrifying reality of Eric Dykstra and The Crossing Church. He wants to invade surrounding communities and brainwash people, turning them against those who love and care for them. It has happened, it is happening now, and it will continue to happen again, unless God’s people come together and “Fight the Good Fight”. This is a battle worth fighting for, and I sincerely believe that by God’s grace, we can make a real, positive impact on people and communities.


HOW TO FIGHT THE BATTLE
I don’t want to give away too much information to the enemy, but one thing that must be done to get the message out is by systematically blanketing a community with information. I would love to get together with anyone who is interested in helping me with this ministry. Let's bounce some ideas off each other, and come up with a few specific strategies to accomplish the goal of informing entire communities of Eric Dykstra and The Crossing cult. Let's also  inspire more people to get involved.


I AM NOT INTO GUILT TRIPS!
I want to emphasize that I am not trying to guilt anyone into this ministry. Don’t feel like you have to do it. Your heart has to be “in it”, otherwise there is no point in “doing it”. This ministry is for those who want to do it and are compelled to do it, whether you have ever attended The Crossing or not, I invite all who are Christians to participate.     


THIS IS A GOSPEL MINISTRY!
“Fighting the Good Fight” ministry is more than just picking up our spiritual weapons, fighting every false way and exposing God’s enemies, which in itself is a Gospel ministry. It is also an excellent opportunity to be the Light of Jesus Christ, faithfully bearing His image, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a world of unbelief, darkness, and decay.  God is glorified when the non-Christian community sees His people take a hard stand against a dangerous cult invading their community. I think most people appreciate the love and concern authentic Christians have for their safety and well being. And through resources and information made available to people through this ministry, communities will be kept safer, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ will go out into the unbelieving world, and that is exciting to think about!

DEALING WITH ANGER AND BITTERNESS
I also believe this ministry would be an effective way to focus some of the negative energy people have toward Dykstra and The Crossing church by doing something positive and Christ-centered for communities and other people.


I will not downplay the fact that what Dykstra is doing is flat out wrong. Christians ought to have a righteous anger toward Him. But we can become embittered, proud, self-righteous, and hateful toward our enemies unless we keep the Gospel central.


What I mean by that is this. By looking upward at the Cross and reflecting on what God has done for you personally in Jesus Christ, that will help you from looking inward and being weighed down obsessive introspection and sinful attitudes because of your personal history or circumstances, whatever they may be.


When you finally understand that you too were once God’s enemy who would crucify Christ (“We carry His very nails in our back pocket”, said Martin Luther) it helps you from being puffed up with pride and self-righteousness (which I struggle with daily) thinking, “Well, I am a better person than Eric Dykstra!”

The Bible teaches that, "No, you are not a better person than Eric Dykstra." You are actually much worse than you think, yet the Lord saved you without any help from you. The Bible says that even faith is a gift from God. This is Gospel 101. Keep the Gospel central, keep Christ central, look upward instead of inward, and that ought to help you immensly in dealing with your hard feelings and turmoil that result from spiritual abuse.  

LET US WORK TOGETHER TO STOP THIS MADNESS!
Even the farmer who prays for a good harvest must still get out into the field and plow, plant, fertilize, and care for his crops. So I would ask any genuine disciple of Christ to consider helping out in this ministry. Together, by God's infinite fountain of grace, we can work to slow the growth of The Crossing church, and perhaps even frustrate entirely, Eric Dykstra's mission to conquer and destroy communities in the name of Christ.

Will you join me?

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If anyone is interested, e-mail me @ casey.nygren@parknicollet.com, also visit my facebook page and tell me what you think, link provided above.