Got Fruit ?

Before I get into the heart of this post, let me say or rather make clear that Got Fruit(?) is not being transformed into a discernment oriented ministry so to speak.  I sensed  after reviewing the past few posts, that impression may have been given.  Please do not take my  statement as me downplaying the importance of discernment, I believe that it is vital for Christians to be discerning, however, it is not an area that I feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to jump into with both feet.  There are countless areas of spiritual growth that we all must be matured in be it, forgiveness, discipline, service, humility, to name a few.  It is simply my opinion that a Christian, particularly one that is a "spiritual babe" (of which I consider myself), can become sidetracked from experiencing Christ in their life fully if they pursue a narrow scope of Christianity.  My own experiences and opinion tell me that an infatuation, particularly from an intellectual "collecting’ mindset, may not lead one to truly knowing Jesus.

Soooo.. with all of that said.   More on discernment.

I was in the process of replying to a reader comment  from the Emergent Motivational Posters post this evening (ok, yesterday evening by the time I actually get this posted, but I’m filling it under yesterday); and we we’re exchanging some ideas and thoughts concerning discernment, in particular the Emergent Church doctrine/theology.  I won’t rehash the entire conversation here, but one of the questions or thoughts that came up was about how EC leaders, speaking for the whole I gather, have a warped sense of SIN and REGENERATION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT is.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist taking at least a little step upon the the ‘ole soap box.  The short of what I understand from reading EC propaganda is that their "gospel" is along the line of social transformation with a jesus twist.  Yes, no capital "J" on that jesus, because he is not the same Jesus that I read about in the Bible or pray to.  The jesus of the EC seems to be everyone’s homie, that’s just happy to have been  able to be crucified.  Not really sure why he was pleased to be crucified as the EC doctrine, or at least Rob Bell seems to not make it clear that the purpose of the crucifixion was to redeem us because of OUR sins against him.  For more in depth reading and commentary, I suggest heading over to Apprising Ministries headed up by Ken Silva.  You’ll find plenty of informative posts concerning EC doctrine and it’s leaders there.

Anywho… one of the comments by the reader regarding our discussion of the EC’s failure to comprehend the gospel was along the lines of a paraphrased passage: "Be ye transformed".   The Bible passage that came to mind for me is from Romans:

Romans 12:2
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Kind of hard to understand God’s holy and sinless agenda if your trying to approach Him from your naturally sinful and unregenerate perspective, don’t you think?

Grace and peace be with you.

Just thought I’d share the outline from Part 1of last night’s Bible study for the Young Adults group available…

Acts 17:11
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

I. What is Discernment?

From a Biblical perspective discernment implies scrutinizing for accuracy, validity or truthfulness, etc;.

Webster’s Dictionary defines discernment as:

1. To see and identify by noting a difference or differences; to note the distinctive character of; to discriminate; to distinguish.

2. To see or understand the difference; to make distinction; as, to discern between good and evil, truth and falsehood.

John MacArthur’s definition of discernment:

In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think biblically.

First Thessalonians 5:21-22 teaches that it is the responsibility of every Christian to be discerning: “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” The apostle John issues a similar warning when he says, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). According to the New Testament, discernment is not optional for the believer-it is required.

Citation from “The Vital Importance of Biblical Discernment” by John MacArthur (http://bible.lightsource.com/11531806/)

II. Biblically speaking, what is the purpose of discernment?

1. To avoid being deceived

• 1st Timothy 1:3-4
• 1st Timothy 1:8-11 (Note verse 10! “contrary to sound doctrine”)
• Mark 13:5,22-23 (warnings directly from Jesus!)

2. To know and recognize the true Jesus Christ from the false christs (antichrists)

3. To distinguish Biblical fact from “fiction”, to recognize Orthodox Christian doctrine from worldview “religion”/man made doctrines

4. To be obedient to God and His Word

• 1st John 4:1
• Ephesians 5:6-7
• Colossians 2:8

5. To become matured Christians

• Wisdom - James 3:13-17
• Discipline
• Discretion
• Knowledge - Ephesians 4:12-16

6. Love (1st Timothy 1:3-5 Note verse 5!)

1st Timothy 1:3-5
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

III. Why study and discuss discernment?

1. The Bible tells us to be discerning (1st Thessalonians 5:21-22, 1st John 4:1)
2. To be obedient to God and His Word (1st John 4:1, Ephesians 5:6-7, Colossians 2:8)
3. To become matured Christians (Ephesians 4:12-16, 1st Timothy 1:3-5)
4. Concerns over the many misleading spiritual leaders, sects, movements, and religions masquerading as being of God and “Christian” in the Orthodox sense.

IV. Warnings directly from Jesus!

Matthew 24:4
4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.

Mark 13:22-23
22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect—if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

Luke 21:8
8 He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.

V. How does one become a discerning Christian?

1. Discernment is imparted by the Holy Spirit - 1st Corinthians 2:12-14

• Not “learned” or “taught” from self-help or self-esteem books
• Not based on our wisdom (human intellect) nor solely on our experiences See: Proverbs 3:5-6

1. Referring to the Bible for direction & spiritual nurturing
2. Relying on God’s wisdom, not ours - 1st Corinthians 1:25-30
3. Habitual prayer and reading of God’s Word - it’s vital that this is a regular part of your daily walk with Christ
4. Application of what God’s Word says, to your life
   These are components of spiritual nurturing which result in spiritual maturation.

Grace and peace be with you

I need a break from the study and research I’m prepping for Wednesday night’s class over discernment, so I thought I’d just comment a bit on what’s going on with the preparation (not H) process plus whatever else comes to mind from the past few days.

I had a chance to chat briefly with a friend this weekend and I was sharing with my friend about the "teaching" opportunities put before me; and about how for the past few months I really felt this urging to address the young adults group about discernment.  My friend who serves in a ministry capacity informed me that discernment is a big subject but gave encouragement.

Well let me tell you, I can definitely appreciate my friends outlook.  I must have spent at least 3 hours yesterday evening just trying to weed through notes and information gathered to come up with an outline of the materiel to be presented.   Keep in mind this is a subject that I hope will cover the next 6 to 8 weeks of 1 hour Bible Study/discussion.

Initially my ideas were born more out of concern to specifically inform the young adults about some of the teachings and movements that are Biblically unsound or at least cause me to look on them with a skeptical eye.  Thankfully, I quickly realized (thank you Lord, for your wisdom) that unless approached systematically, there was the potential for any study and or discussion to turn into several non-constructive and distracting practices such as:

• joy derived from witch hunting versus truth seeking
• us vs. them mentality
• an hour of self-righteousness and haughtiness
• discussion of a word with no weight to it (because no one understands from a Biblical perspective what, discernment is)

The last bullet is therefore going to be the base, with everything else discussed in the weeks to come originating from principles disclosed in that base topic (Discernment: What is it?).  Below is an outline (for the curious or for anyone else considering engaging a similar study time)… for what it’s worth.  This is simply a skeleton view of general ideas and questions to develop a broader study upon as it relates to defining discernment before jumping into examining doctrines and beliefs.

 Discernment: What is it?

• What is discernment
• What is the purpose of discernment
• Why study the subject of discernment
• How does one become a discerning Christian

The Gospel and Christian Doctrines defined (via CARM resources)

• Essentials
• Secondary Essentials

Comparison of doctrines (not all inclusive nor exhaustive)

• Prosperity Gospel (Name it Claim It):
• Emergent Church/Social Gospel:
• New Age mysticism/spirituality/Contemplative prayer:
• Humanism
• Charismatic Movement
• Classic cults: Mormonism, Catholicism, Jehovah’s Witnesses

Anywho…  just a few thoughts and ideas being kicked around the ‘ole noodle that I felt like sharing.

Proverbs 15:14
14 The discerning heart seeks knowledge,
       but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

folly:
1: lack of good sense or normal prudence and foresight
2 a: criminally or tragically foolish actions or conduct obsolete : evil, wickedness; especially : lewd behavior
3: a foolish act or idea
4: an excessively costly or unprofitable undertaking
5: an often extravagant picturesque building erected to suit a fanciful taste

Grace and peace be with you.

Discernment is the next topic of study and discussion for the young adults group that I’m leading on Wednesday evenings, so I’ve been spending the past day or so preparing an introduction and overview.  During my research and study time I ran across some Bible passages from Mark8 that have me a little stumped (I can hear Jesus asking me "Chris!?.. are you so dull?").

Maybe you’ve experienced this as well?  You’re looking into a specific passage or topic, when something else catches your attention.  Sometimes it’s perhaps a different passage and context altogether that your sidetracked by.  In this case, it’s within the context of discernment and I think I have a grasp of Jesus’ warning.  What’s been busting my noodle though; is what Jesus says at the conclusion of His teaching to the disciples regarding the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod.

Mark 8:21
21 He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

Feeling about as dense as Pound Cake, your’s truly confesses: "Uh.. yes Lord, I’m feeling as though I’m missing something?"  (there we go with those "feelings" again).

Now Jesus had asked His disciples, "Do you still not understand?"; after the Pharisees had come to the region of Dalmanutha questioning and demanding a miracle to test Jesus following His feeding of four thousand (men) off of seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. Apparently exasperated by the Pharisees’ unbelief and scheming ways, Jesus responds:

Mark 8:11-13
11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

So Jesus gives the old religious farts a verbal smack down in a "killin’ ‘em softly" manner and leaves with His disciples.  I imagine the Pharisees were standing there in their fancy threads with a totally dumbfounded look on their face after this Jewish son of a carpenter slighted them.  But Jesus isn’t finished, He uses the moment as an opportunity to pass on a lesson and wisdom to His disciples, by warning them to be careful; and to watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod.  The disciples apparently also of the Pound Cake clan, are confused by Jesus’ warnings of the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod:

Mark 8:14-21
14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15"Be careful," Jesus warned them. "Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod." 16 They discussed this with one another and said, "It is because we have no bread." 17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"
      "Twelve," they replied.
20 "And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?"
      They answered, "Seven."
21 He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"

Hmmm…  So after realizing that I was probably too focused on both the number of loaves of bread and fish used to feed the thousands (men), and the amount of bread left over (Jesus uses guided questioning to get the disciples to "see"), some clarity comes (or so I think).

Two distinct groups witnessed the miracle: the disciples, and the 4000 that were fed.  The Pharisees who’s hearts were hardened questioned Jesus not for truth but in attempt to trap or discredit Him.  This is speculation on my part but, the Pharisees could have simply inquired of any of the men fed, since from a cultural perspective their testimony seems to play well in being "credible" witnesses versus the testimony of women. 

In verses 17 and 18 Jesus says a few things to the disciples that compares their lack of understanding to the willfully "religious" ignorance practiced by the Pharisees, and in doing so serves to reiterate His warnings in verse 15:

• Do you still not see or understand? (Different "sign" from what the Pharisees demanded yet the same in purpose, evidence of Jesus being whom He claimed to be)
• Are your hearts hardened? (Like that of the Pharisees)
• Do you have eyes but fail to see and ears but fail to hear? (Where the Pharisees wouldn’t believe the evidence, the disciples may have become spiritually lazy and unappreciative, having witnessed  Christ feed 5000 as well)
• And don’t you remember? (The disciples were there, they distributed the food & collected the abundance!)

Where the Pharisees could not "see" Jesus for who he was because of their hypocrisy, Jesus was warning the disciples to not become like them.  Jesus was pointing out to the disciples that they had in fact received miracles as proof of whom He claimed to be, just not a "sign from heaven" in the same manner that the Pharisees were demanding.  A thought here also is that, as far as Jesus was concerned feeding four or five thousand from a few loaves of bread was as sufficient a miracle as a grand celestial presentation.

Grace and peace be with you.

A few days ago I was sitting around at the PC (as usual) with a movie playing on another system as background noise.  The movie of choice was "Office Space".  Office Space (Rated R) is about a mid to late twenty-something named Peter Gibbons who’s burned out with his job at Initech (Yeah..burned out at 26?).

Peter’s problem as he sees it, is that his job is a routine of tedious tasks, he’s micro-managed by multiple layers of management, and aside from his friends Michael (Bolton) & Samir; he’s surrounded by a host of quirky co-workers that he would probably categorize (Proverbs 16:18) as corporate sheep.   To top it off, he detests his boss Bill Lumbergh (Romans 13:1).  Peter basically has become disillusioned with how his life has turned out to this point.  His expectations and dreams are not on track.  He wakes up every morning and trudges into the office with his funky attitude (Ephesians 4:22-24).

As I said Office Space was really just on as background noise however, I picked up on a piece of dialog from the movie that spoke to me and prompted this post.  The scene… 

Peter’s back at his apartment and is visited by his neighbor Lawrence. (Diedrech Bader: Rex Kwan Do of  Napolean Dynamite and Oswald Harvey Lee of  The Drew Carey Show)  in their conversation, Peter daydreams about getting out of his rut.  Thinking out loud, he asks Lawrence:

Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
Lawrence: I’ll tell you what I’d do, man: (I’ll let you figure this part out)
Peter Gibbons: That’s it? If you had a million dollars, you’d (I’ll let you figure this part out)?
Lawrence: D*** straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I were a millionaire I could hook that up, too; ’cause ****** dig dudes with money.
Peter Gibbons: Well, not all ******.
Lawrence: Well, the type of …. like me do.
Peter Gibbons: Good point.
Lawrence: Well, what about you now? what would you do?
Peter Gibbons: Besides …""?
Lawrence: Well, yeah.
Peter Gibbons: Nothing.
Lawrence: Nothing, huh?
Peter Gibbons: I would relax… I would sit on my (butt) all day… I would do nothing.
Lawrence: Well, you don’t need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Take a look at my cousin: he’s broke, don’t do (squat).

There’s some truths to that last line uttered by Lawrence.  Not all of us have such a simple want as Pete, should we instantly come into financial riches.  More likely we would go on a cruise, travel, help someone less fortunate, invest, put away for our kid’s college fund.  The list is endless and depends on who you are and to some extent how you’re life experiences have molded your thought process towards money.  The thing that is sought, at least in Peter’s eyes is some type of happiness to achieve through his equation of having a specific sum of money.

Contentment is of course an obvious Biblical principle that comes to mind, there is however another perspective regarding Lawrence’s statement: "Well, you don’t need a million dollars to do nothing, man. …"  We sometimes take on this same mentality in our walk with Christ, coming in the form of thoughts such as:

• "Oh Lord, if you would bless me with (insert "magic pill"), I could then focus more on you because I wouldn’t have (insert name of your "burdens") to deal with."
• "Oh Lord, if we just had more attendees, we could spread the word mo betta’ for you".
• "Oh Lord, if our building was as big as the 1st Assembly of United Holy Rollers, we could do great works for the building of your kingdom."

At my church there at the end of service is a hymn of invitation for folks to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, the hymn is by Charlotte Elliot and is titled: "Just As I Am, Without One Plea".  I think the title kind of sums up how our attitudes need to be with Christ.  We just need to let Jesus work the kinks out of our hearts as they are, and not try to take back His atonement for our sins by using excuses to cover our shortcomings, weaknesses, or fears.

Just as I Am, Without One Plea

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee Whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Grace and peace be with you.