Most people live listless and dejected lives, knowing only the oscillation between earthly sorrows and joys. These are the timid souls who sit along the wall and do not join in the dance. The knights of faith are the dancers, and they can do what no other dancer can do: They possess the ability to elevate! They leap upward into the heavens and then gently come back down to earth. With their leap and their landing they live in two worlds, and they do it all very gracefully. If there is a slight moment of unsteadiness, it is only when they touch the ground; and this only shows that they are strangers in this world. To be able to leap into the heavens and lightly touch down on the earth, to transform the leap into a walk, all in a single motion, is something only the knights of faith can do. It is their art and their genius.

Was I inspired by Johannes de silentio in this? No doubt. This Friday night I’ll be preaching about the Knights of Faith. Hopefully this whets your appetite.

What am I listening to these days? Bob Dylan’s new album! His 44th album (yes, I have the other 43) and his first new studio album in five years.

Modern Times

My favorite song is the closer: Ain’t Talkin’. A nine minute rambling apocalyptic epic filled with Biblical imagery and prophetic portent.

Ain’t Talkin’
As I walked out tonight in the mystic garden
The wounded flowers were dangling from the vine
I was passing by yon cool crystal fountain
Someone hit me from behind

Ain’t talkin’, just walkin’
Through this weary world of woe
Heart burnin’, still yearnin’
No one on earth would ever know

They say prayer has the power to heal
So pray for me mother

In the human heart an evil spirit can dwell
I am a-tryin’ to love my neighbor and do good unto others
But oh, mother, things ain’t going well

Ain’t talkin’, just walkin’
I’ll burn that bridge before you can cross
Heart burnin’, still yearnin’
There’ll be no mercy for you once you’ve lost

Now I’m all worn down by weeping
My eyes are filled with tears, my lips are dry
If I catch my opponents ever sleeping
I’ll just slaughter ’em where they lie

Ain’t talkin’, just walkin’
Through the world mysterious and vague
Heart burnin’, still yearnin’
Walkin’ through the cities of the plague.

Well, the whole world is filled with speculation
The whole wide world which people say is round
They will tear your mind away from contemplation
They will jump on your misfortune when you’re down

Ain’t talkin’, just walkin’
Eatin’ hog eyed grease in a hog eyed town.
Heart burnin’, still yearnin’
Some day you’ll be glad to have me around.

They will crush you with wealth and power
Every waking moment you could crack
I’ll make the most of one last extra hour
I’ll avenge my father’s death then I’ll step back

Ain’t talkin’, just walkin’
Hand me down my walkin’ cane.
Heart burnin’, still yearnin’
Got to get you out of my miserable brain.

All my loyal and my much-loved companions
They approve of me and share my code
I practice a faith that’s been long abandoned
Ain’t no altars on this long and lonesome road

Ain’t talkin’, just walkin’
My mule is sick, my horse is blind.
Heart burnin’, still yearnin’
Thinkin’ ’bout that gal I left behind.

Well, it’s bright in the heavens and the wheels are flyin’
Fame and honor never seem to fade
The fire gone out but the light is never dyin’
Who says I can’t get heavenly aid?

Ain’t talkin’, just walkin’
Carryin’ a dead man’s shield
Heart burnin’, still yearnin’
Walkin’ with a toothache in my heel

The sufferin’ is unending
Every nook and cranny has its tears
I’m not playing, I’m not pretending
I’m not nursin’ any superfluous fears

Ain’t talkin’, just walkin’
Walkin’ ever since the other night.
Heart burnin’, still yearnin’
Walkin’ ’til I’m clean out of sight.

As I walked out in the mystic garden
On a hot summer day, a hot summer lawn
Excuse me, ma’am, I beg your pardon
There’s no one here, the gardener is gone

Ain’t talkin’, just walkin’
Up the road, around the bend.
Heart burnin’, still yearnin’
In the last outback at the world’s end.

Music and words by Bob Dylan
Copyright 2006 Special Rider Music

Heart Burnin’, Still Yearnin’,

BZ

What an awesome thing it is to be alive…to be…to possess existence…to be a self. The thrill of existence is that we can have a real passion for experiencing life-that we can go for God’s best. Jesus called it having life and having it abundantly.

But there are things that cause us to abandon the passionate pursuit of God’s best in our life. If this happens, we exist listless and bored. Life becomes a duty, a chore, something to be done and we can even come to resent our own existence. What can be done? The cure for dead-end living is to make a faith-based decision. A decision to find the promises of God, believe them and launch out. A faith based decision pronounces its blessing on even the weakest beginning, as long as it is a real beginning. A faith based decision breaks the spell of dispassionate living. A faith-based decision is an awakening to the new possibilities that lie beyond the realm of a limited life. The cynic may say, “it’s all just words”, but words are the essence of ultimate reality. Change your words and you’ll change your ways.

But I will not deceive you-a faith based decision involves risk. If there is no risk involved, it’s not faith. To challenge Pharaoh or face Goliath involves risk. But existence itself is a risky business. If you never challenge Pharaoh or face Goliath, you run the risk of becoming bored, listless and resenting your own existence. If you don’t take the risk of a faith based decision, there is the danger of losing your decisiveness, of going through life without passion or courage and fading away into death.

The path of a true fighter is a difficult one. When the fighter begins to grow cool as time goes by, he is in danger of drifting into a dispassionate life. The fighter who remains faithful to the faith-based decision to go for God’s best realizes that his whole life is a struggle. He does not fall into the trap of looking back and talking about the great faith decisions of the past. He knows full well that at decisive moments you must renew your resolve again and again and this alone makes good the decision and the decision good.

In the end, the archenemy of decision is cowardice. Cowardice is constantly at work trying to interrupt the cooperation of God and choice. Cowardice always finds a reason for not acting now-for saying, “Not today, but tomorrow.” But God in heaven says, “Do it now! Today is the day of salvation.” Cowardice is the Wormtongue that poisons the mind of Theoden and seduces to inaction. If only cowardice would appear in all its baseness, one would recognize it immediately for what it is and fight it with all their might. Cowardice wants to prevent the essential step of making a faith-based decision. To accomplish this it covers itself with a host of glorious names: Prudence. Caution. Reasonableness. Humility. Contentment. But its true name remains: Cowardice.

But cowardice does not come from God. God is not the spirit of cowardice. God is the spirit of power, love and a sound mind. God is the spirit of faith! But if no decision is made, there is no connection made with the Spirit of God. In the end failure to make a faith-based decision keeps us from doing what could be done, from having God’s best.

But this does not mean that everything is determined once a decision is made or that once a decision is made you no longer need to bother with little, everyday things. Such thinking amounts to nothing more than a fine show. We must not think that all that is needed is to make a lofty faith-based decision while ignoring the practical daily stuff of life. Indeed, a faith-based decision to go for God’s best is a great thing and the light of eternity shines upon it, but the decision itself is only the first step. A genuine decision is always eager to change its cloths and get down to practical matters. The real significance of a faith-based decision is that it give us inner conviction and connects us with the Spirit of God.

This much is certain: The greatest thing you can do is to give yourself to God utterly and unconditionally-weakness, fears and all. For God loves obedience more than good intentions or second-best offerings.

Therefore, dare to renew your decision of faith. It will open the door to new possibilities in life and will restore your passion for living. Dare to act on the faith inspired desire that lies buried in your heart. Confess your decision of faith and with boldness go forth!

I love lists. I make lists all the time. I like it when magazines come out with their “greatest” lists; greatest books, greatest songs, greatest guitar players, greatest quarterbacks, etc. Of course they’re always debatable, but that’s part of the fun.

Here’s a list for you: The Twenty-Four Most Important People In The Bible.
Twelve from the Old Testament and twelve from the New Testament.
Make your own list and see if we agree…or not.

(I’m leaving Adam off the Old Testament list because…I want to. And I’m leaving Jesus off the New Testament list because He’s beyond compare.)

The Twelve Most Important People in the Old Testament

(In chronological order)

1. Noah — He saved the world.

2. Abraham — The father of faith; the friend of God.

3. Sarah — Abraham’s partner in the adventure of faith.

4. Isaac — The child of promise, the seed of Abraham.

5. Jacob — The patriarch of the twelve tribes, the man called Israel.

6. Joseph — He saved the seed of Abraham.

7. Moses — Led Israel out of Egypt and gave the Law.

8. Joshua — Led Israel into the promised land.

9. David — The great king and psalmist of Israel.

10. Elijah — The great representative prophet of Israel.

11. Isaiah — Wrote the greatest prophetic book of the Old Testament.

12. Daniel — Provided the foundation for all eschatological prophecy.

The Twelve Most Important People in the New Testament

(In chronological order…sort of.)

1. Mary — The mother of the Son of God.

2. Joseph — The man who raised the Son of God as His earthly father.

3. John the Baptist — The one who prepared the way for Messiah.

4. Peter — The foremost of the twelve disciples.

5. James — One of Jesus’ inner circle of three disciples.

6. John — The “beloved” disciple; wrote five books of the New Testament.

7. Matthew — One of the twelve and wrote the most thorough Gospel.

8. Mark — Wrote the first Gospel.

9. Luke — Traveling companion of Paul; wrote his Gospel and Acts.

10. James the Brother of Jesus — First pastor of the first church.

11. Barnabas — The apostle who opened the door for Paul’s ministry.

12. Paul — Greatest apostle; wrote 13 books of the New Testament.

WARNING: This blog has very little spiritual content!

Snakes alive! In case you haven’t heard there’s a movie out called Snakes On A Plane. I read the producers didn’t screen the movie for critics so as to not give away the plot. Hahaha!!! Like we don’t know the entire plot from the title! Anyway, Friday night I preached a message out of Acts from Paul’s adventure on Malta entitled “Shipwrecked and Snakebit.” Here’s the sermon in two sentences:

When you’re shipwrecked you can still make it on broken pieces.

When you’re snakebit you can shake it off and suffer no harm.

I joked that I thought about calling the message “Snakes On A Ship” but that didn’t really work, so I stuck with “Shipwrecked and Snakebit.” I thought the message went well.

Last Night I was preaching for Pastor Mike Purkey at Lenexa Christian Center in Kansas City. I preached the “Shipwrecked and Snakebit” message. It was a barn-burner! (By the way: A shout out to all the Word of Lifers who showed up. It was great to see you there!)

This morning I was sitting on my deck (I’m still there) reading my Bible and going through emails. My phone cell phone rings. It’s Samuel L. Jackson. He calls me by name and tells me in no uncertain terms that I must go see his movie, Snakes On A Plane. He says if I don’t see his movie (which he claims is “the greatest movie ever”) he’s going to hunt me down or something like that. It really was Samuel L. Jackson…though I think some fancy technology was involved. It was hysterical.

Five minutes later…

Aaron and Philip are in the backyard. Guess what Philip sees? A snake. It slithers off into the woods. Philip runs into the woods after it…and comes out of the woods swinging it over his head and chasing his brother with it. You can’t make this stuff up!

Things have calmed down now. No phone calls from Hollywood movie stars and Philip hasn’t chased anyone with a snake for almost an hour now.

I’m still not going to go see Snakes On A Plane…I don’t care what Samuel L. Jackson says. And if he shows up at my house looking for trouble, I’ll just have Philip chase him off with a snake!

BZ

P.S.

I just heard this song…

Standing on the waters casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing.
Distant ships sailing into the mist,
You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing.
Freedom just around the corner for you
But with the truth so far off, what good will it do?

-Bob Dylan, Jokerman

This blog is coming to you from atop the back deck of the Zahnd home. What a beautiful day! Monday is my reading and thinking day. Today it’s also been a “get caught up on a backlog of emails day.” I’m just about caught up on my emails and I’m looking forward to some fellowship with Brother Dostoevsky. Here’s what I’m reading for pleasure these days. But before I get back to enjoying Demons (there’s a strange line for you!) I thought I’d crank out a quick blog.

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Blame it on Jason Upton. Back in June Jason ministered for two nights during our Youth Conference. After the second night, Jason sat in my study and scribbled these words on a note pad that was sitting on my desk: Provocations -Soren Kierkegaard. I don’t remember him doing this, but I found the note the next day. I ordered Provocations and it’s turned out to be a spiritual gold mine. I’ve read it twice now…slowly, underlining long passages and filling the margins with notes.

During our vacation in Colorado I put some notes in my moleskin from Kierkegaard’s The Sickness Unto Death. At the time they were just for myself. But the following week I shared them with our pastoral team during our retreat. Last Friday I used these notes during my message “I Think Myself Happy.” Several people have asked me for these notes so I thought I would post them here. These notes are not always direct quotes from Kierkegaard, but paraphrases with some of my own thoughts interjected. We’ll call them “Kierkezahnd.” Anyway, here they are as the appear in my moleskin.

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DESPAIR AND THE TRUE SELF

Whoever desire to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? -Jesus (Mark 8:35-36)

Follow Me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, My way to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? -The Message

The human being is essentially a spirit. But what is a spirit? A spirit is a self. But what’s a self? Self is the synthesis of the Infinite and the finite. (God is the Infinite and Eternal Spirit — the Father of spirits [Heb. 12:9]) The task of a spirit is to become itself. This, of course, can only be done in relationship to God. Not to be oneself, as God created you, is despair. Despair comes in three guises…

The Despair of the Finite (Materialism)

This consists in ascribing infinite value to finite things — the trivial and the temporal. Here the self is lost by being reduced altogether to the finite, so that the self is cheated by other things. This form of despair goes virtually unnoticed as despair by the world. Precisely by losing oneself in this way a person gains all that is required for a flawless performance in everyday life, yes, for making a great “success” out of life. But one is ground as smooth as a pebble. Far from anyone thinking of such a person being in despair, he is thought to be just what a human being ought to be. What we call worldliness simply consists of such people who pawn themselves to the world. But they are not authentic selves. They are copies. In a spiritual sense they have not self.

The Despair of Weakness (Conformity)

The despair of weakness is the despair of not wanting to be oneself. This kind of despair is a passivity of the self. It’s frame of reference is the pleasant and the unpleasant. What matter is what happens or does not happen to oneself. True despair is to lose the Eternal, but this kind of despair does not occur to the one who despairs in weakness. He is too preoccupied with securing his earthly existence. To lose the earthly is not true despair, yet that is precisely what this person calls despair. He is turned around and what he says must be understood backwards. He stands there pointing to something that is not really despair (a loss of some kind); he is explaining that he is in despair, and yes, sure enough, the despair is going on, but it is behind him and he is unaware of it. If everything suddenly changes and his wishes are fulfilled, then happiness returns to him. When help comes from outside happiness is restored to him and he begins where he left off. Yet he neither was nor becomes a self. He simply carries on living merely on the level of what is immediate and what is happening around him. This form of despair consists of not wanting to be a self. Actually, it consists of wanting to be someone else! Such a self refuses to take responsibility. Life is but a game of chance. Hence, in the moment of despair, when no help comes, such a person wants desperately to become someone else. And yet a despairer of this kind, whose only wish is the craziest of all wishes — to be someone else — is in love with a fancy that change can be made as easily as one puts on another coat. Or to put it differently, he knows himself only by his coat. He simply doesn’t know himself! He knows what it is to have a self only in externals. There could hardly be a more absurd confusion, for a self differs precisely, no infinitely, from those externals. It is impossible to draw a picture of him that is not comic.

The Despair of Defiance (The Madness of Nietzsche).

Unlike the despair of weakness, the despair of defiance is the despair of wrongly wanting to be oneself. It is rooted in the consciousness of Infinity and of being related to Infinity (God), but the defiant self wants to be infinite (God). In it’s defiance and rebellion the defiant self severs itself from any relationship to the Power that made it. It desperately wants to rule over itself, create itself, make itself what it wants to be and determine what it will and will not have — he seeks to construct his own self, by himself and for himself. The defiant self take notice only of itself, which it does by means of bestowing infinite interest and significance upon all its enterprises. But in the process of its wish to be its own master it works its way into the exact opposite; it really becomes no self and despairs. As it acts there is nothing eternally firm on which it stands. There is no meaning. Yes, the defiant self is its own master, but upon closer examination it is easy to see that he really rules over nothing — he is a king without a country. Does he have the hope of help? No! For he will not recognize his need for God. He would rather be a defiant self with all the torments of hell than ask for God’s help. Ah, demonic madness! Such a self wants to be itself in hatred toward existence (Nihilism). The defiant self both ignores and blames God. It says, “I will not be changed. I will stand as witness against you, a witness to the fact that you are a second-rate creator.” Yes, this is the despair of defiance, and what despair it is!

“Now with God’s help I shall become myself.”
-Soren Kierkegaard

Here is the Hope that brings us out of despair: Christ brings new life! A new life, yes, and this is no platitude. No, it is a new life, literally a new life — because, mark this well, death goes in between life and the new life on the other side of death. Yes, that is a new life.

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Those are the notes from my moleskin. If you would like a fuller explanation of their meaning, I would recommend you check out my message “I Think Myself Happy” from August, 11. You will able to stream it from the Word of Life website in a few days; you can also sign up for the free podcast of the messages and get it that way.

Become yourself in Christ!

BZ

It’s 8:00 on Saturday night. I’m in my study. I’m fired up and ready to rock on Sunday. The message is called, The Way. I’m setting forth The Way as the antithesis of Easy Cheesy Cotton Candy Christianity. I’m going to use a quote from Soren Kierkegaard in the message and I thought I would post it on my blog because I suspect people will be interested in it. But then I thought, what the heck, I’ll just post my entire notes for The Way. So here goes (erstwhile and otherwise preachers, feel free to steal this).

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Sermon # 2278
The Unvarnished Church: Part 24
THE WAY
Acts 24

Paul’s Two Year Confinement in Caesarea
A.D. 58 | Jerusalem (offering) | arrested | conspiracy | Caesarea
trial | Roman governor | Tertullus

Ultimately Paul spent 2 years confined in Caesarea; not in prison, but under house arrest in the palace

Felix and Drusilla
The Roman Governor over Judea at that time: Felix
Married to King Herod’s daughter: Drusilla (21)

* Drusilla’s father was the King Herod who put the Apostle James to death and tried to kill Peter

* Drusilla’s uncle was the King Herod who put John the Baptist to death and sent Jesus back to Pilate

* Drusilla’s great-grandfather was the King Herod who tried to kill Jesus as his birth in Bethlehem

The Way
During Paul’s defense before Felix, the only thing Paul pleaded guilty to was belonging to The Way

The Way: the most ancient term for what we call Christianity (found seven times in Acts)

Acts 24:14, 22-25

I want to confess that I’ve never really liked the name “Christianity.” (not in the Bible)

I use it because it has become the accepted term for this thing we belong to, but it’s always sounded too small, too trite and too much like just another religion.

I like THE WAY. I’m not going to try to bring it back into use, but still I like it.

Christianity sounds very tame, very fixed, very figured out. It’s something you “belong” to; something you can casually “join.”

The Way conjures more of the idea of a journey, an adventure, even a mystery.

The Way is not something you belong to (like a club with meetings and dues).

The Way is something you do, something you live. It’s not weekly or monthly…its 24/7

Some Things Jesus Said About The Way

* Jesus said He is The Way.

* Jesus said The Way is narrow.

* Jesus said The Way is hard.

“How narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it.” ~Jesus (Matthew 7:14)

“Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life — to God! — is vigorous and requires total attention.” ~The Message (Matthew 7:13-14)

Authentic Christianity is not for cowards and softies looking for a comfortable, easy life.

This is so contrary to the way Christianity is “marketed” today.

Two years ago I told you I was rejecting Consumer Christianity.

Now let’s get rid of of easy-cheesy-cotton-candy Christianity!

If you’re looking for an easy going, happy-go-lucky, comfortable life, forget about being an authentic Christian.

(You can settle for being an easy-cheesy-cotton-candy Christian.)

To follow Jesus in this world is not easy — it’s hard — but it’s life!!

back from the mountains | not easy, not comfortable | but when I’m doing it…I’m alive!!

Where did we ever get the crazy idea that the purpose of Christianity is to make life happy and easy?

I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity. ~C.S. Lewis

Acts 24:24-25

Context: Paul is preaching to the man who has the authority to set him free.

Does Paul offer Felix and easy-cheesy-cotton-candy Christianity?

Here Felix, pray this prayer. Amen! Now you’re in, going to heaven, no more worries.

NO! Paul reasoned with Felix about righteousness, self-control and judgment.

Every one of those three topics carries an offense!

* Righteousness carries the offense of the Cross.

* Self-control carries the offense of Discipline.

* Judgment carries the offense of Hell.

How did Felix respond to Paul’s reasoning on righteousness, self-control and judgment?

He was afraid! But easy-cheesy-cotton-candy Christianity never makes anyone afraid.

Better to make people afraid then give them cotton-candy and tell them it’s Christianity!

Easy-cheesy-cotton-candy Christianity covets popularity and will never offend.

Cotton-candy Christianity will sacrifice truth for popularity.

But Cotton-candy Christianity will never change the world, because it is the world!

Authentic Christianity is The Way that runs opposite to the prevailing system. (Babylon)

When you choose The Way that runs opposite to the prevailing system–
There will be collision.

We must awaken the collision. The possibility of offense must again be preached to life. Only the possibility of offense is able to waken those who have fallen asleep, is able to break the spell so that Christianity is itself again. Woe to him, therefore, who preaches Christianity without the possibility of offense. Woe to the person who smoothly, flirtatiously, convincingly preaches some soft, sweet something which is supposed to be Christianity! Woe to the person who betrays the mystery of faith and distorts it into public wisdom in order to take away the possibility of offense! Woe to the person who speaks of the mystery of the Atonement without detecting in it anything of the possibility of offense. ~Soren Kierkegaard, Provocations, pg. 171

I really am in pursuit of authentic Christianity — The Way.

Authentic Christianity cannot be inherited — it must be discovered.

Authentic Christianity must be discovered afresh in every generation.

As spiritual movements become older than a single generation they begin to become a parody and a caricature of themselves.

They become more centered on the movement they have inherited than on Jesus, the Person they have supposedly met and committed their lives to.

When this happens the authority of authenticity is lost and the absurdity of a grotesque parody begins.

This is the hunger of the Emerging Church Movement — the hunger for authenticity.

The hunger for authenticity is what is good about the “Emerging” church.

What’s bad is the adoption of post-modern relativism in the realm of absolutes.

What we need is what Nietzsche and Os Guinness call “Prophetic Untimliness.”

Instead of being shaped by our times, we need to be prophetic people who shape our times.

Conclusion

* “Come with me” is authentic

* The “Five Words” are authentic

* My expectation is authentic

Josh McDowell: “Pastors over 40 won’t change.”

But I will! I do! I have! And I will more and more!

I want the real thing — The Way.

Not easy-cheesy-cotton-candy Christianity!

Altar Call: Felix in Hell

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Alright, there you have it.

Let’s wage a holy war on easy-cheesy-cotton-candy Christianity and go for the real thing!

Not this!

But this!

Press on!

BZ

We’re in the mountains, so no blogging, just some pictures.

Yesterday we hiked 7.2 miles to the 13,153′ summit of Taylor Peak.

On the way back we took the quicker way by glissading* down Andrew’s Glacier.

* Glissade: Fancy mountaineering term for sliding on your butt.

Picture # 1: On the Summit

Picture # 2: Longs Peak in the background

Picture # 3: Andrew’s Glacier

Picture # 4: Peri thinking about it

Picture # 5: Looking back up

Picture # 6: Andrew’s Tarn (the bottom of the glacier)

Praise God for the mountains.

Blessings,

BZ

Allow me to say some things about the current war in Lebanon without making my case for every statement or even necessarily presenting these thoughts in any logical form. In other words, allow me to blog some stream of consciousness thoughts about the war in Lebanon.

Does the Israeli war with Hezbollah in Lebanon have any prophetic and spiritual significance? Absolutely. First of all, all wars involving Israel have massive prophetic significance. The return of the Jews to their historic promised land and the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948 is the most significant prophetic event of the 20th Century. It is the fulfillment of many Biblical prophecies. More importantly, it is the LORD God of Israel keeping the covenant He swore unto Abraham and his seed forever.

That the promises of God made to Abraham extend spiritually to the Gentiles in Jesus Christ in no way negates the literal promise God made to Abraham; specifically to give the descendents of Abraham a land and make them a nation. This is an eternal covenant God will never break. Consider how clear these promises are…

“Now the LORD had said to Abram:
‘Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'”
-Genesis 12:1-3

“For all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.”
-Genesis 13:15

“To your descendants I have given this land.”
-Genesis 15:18

“I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
-Genesis 17:8

“The LORD God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land.”
-Genesis 24:7

“Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.”
-Genesis 26:3

“And give you the blessing of Abraham,
To you and your descendants with you,
That you may inherit the land
In which you are a stranger,
Which God gave to Abraham.”
-Genesis 28:4

“And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: ‘I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.'”
-Genesis 28:13

“The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.”
-Genesis 35:12

“Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.”
-Genesis 48:4

“I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers.”
-Exodus 6:4

“I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.”
-Exodus 6:8

“I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.”
-Exodus 32:13

I’m not posting all these verses for redundancy but for emphasis.

Some Christians seem to think the promises God made unto Abraham have an expiration date. I want to ask them, what part of eternal, everlasting, forever, do you not understand? Do you mean God told Abraham that the land of Canaan would be the possession of his descendents forever, but He really meant till He changed His mind? Does that mean our salvation is not forever, but until God changes His mind? Of course not! When God says, forever, He means it!

The nation of Israel is a sword — it divides the nations. Israel’s right to exist is backed by a moral claim and the assertion of international law, but it is also backed by the promise of God. Nations that set themselves against Israel defy the Word of God and will inevitably fall under the judgment of God. The issue of Israel divides the nations. Woe to those on the wrong side.

Satan always stirs up wicked men to challenge the borders of Israel because he is a liar and wants to make it look like God does not keep his covenant. Israel is a testimony to the nations — a testimony of God’s faithfulness to His covenants. This is why the devil challenges Israel’s borders.

Israel is also a prophetic picture of the church. There is a very real sense in which what happens to the nation of Israel in their wars with their enemies is reflected spiritually in the Church of Jesus Christ and our wars with the powers of darkness. Israel is a prophetic indicator.

Hezbollah brazenly disregarded the sovereign borders of Israel and this has led to the current war in Lebanon. Of course Hezbollah denies Israel’s right to exist. Think about this: If the Islamic enemies of Israel would disarm tomorrow, there would be peace in the Middle East. If Israel would disarm tomorrow, there would be another holocaust. Hezbollah (as well as it’s Palestinian counterpart, Hamas) is demonically controlled. Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. By the way, Satan will brazenly disregard the borders of your promised land and denies your right to exist!

Are you going to stand for that?

No?

Then it’s war.

And as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob gives victory to Israel in this current war, expect the Lord Jesus Christ to lead His church into a season of war and subsequent victory!

Get ready for war. Get ready for battle. Get ready to attack the strongholds of darkness. Get ready for victory!

On January 29, respected prophetic minister, Chuck Pierce, gave this prophecy. I find it highly remarkable and spiritually significant.

In the midst of the summer at the hottest point you will begin to see the snow of Lebanon melt. Watch as Palestine and Syria form an ungodly alliance with Lebanon. For Lebanon is at the end of the fork of the road of change for the Middle East. Lebanon will become an issue that causes the Middle East to go one way or the other. In the midst of the beauty and grandeur of this place I will begin to write a new script over how the nations will realign. Out of Lebanon a new wineskin will form and a new river will begin to rise. I will bring conflict into Lebanon because it is the boundary that I will deal with this year concerning My promised land of Israel. The warlike tribes of Lebanon will once again arise. But in the end I will win this war, and the riches that have been withheld from My kingdom plan will be released. Watch and see for there is a new vision. For in the days ahead you will hear a cry arise from the deep affliction and mourning that comes out of Lebanon. Out of the ancient city of Damascus, you will see a caravan arise. I, Ancient of Days, will create a conflict in Damascus. My power will be displayed to the world when I break the confederation of demonic hosts that are aligned against My covenant plan. Out of Damascus will come a new move of My Spirit. Many conversions and miracles will occur in the region that surrounds Damascus. Watch because I am realigning the nations of this region. I will send angelic forces to guard My plan. No matter how Syria arises against that plan at this time, I will have warring angelic forces that will counteract the plan of men that are aligned with evil forces to create havoc. Sing the songs of the Ancient of Days for it is those songs that will create the sound of victory over the lands of this region.

Last Friday night, at the end of an amazing three hour service, the Spirit of the Lord moved me prophesy with these words.

For it is a time of war and I shall mount an offensive, says the Lord. Changes will be sudden and swift. Those who can move with Me quickly will see a sudden work. Strongholds that have stood for centuries will fall. Prophecies will be fulfilled. You shall watch the nation of Israel, for therein you will find a mirror, you will find a pattern. You will see what I am doing with My Church; keep your eye upon My nation of Israel. I am waking up the mighty men; I am waking up the mighty women. They shall be a mighty army. They shall go forth with My spirit upon them and the gates of hell shall not prevail. Not only will they not prevail, they shall be disconcerted; they shall be confused. They will say, “We have not seen this kind before. We don’t know how to handle them; we don’t know how to manipulate them; we don’t know how to oppose them; we don’t know how to withstand them.” For the Lord says, there is a breed of believer that I have reserved for the end times, but now they shall begin to emerge upon the earth, they shall even be as special forces; they shall even be as commandos. They have had intensive training. They have waited. They have waited long, but now the call has come and they shall rapidly strike the powers of darkness; they shall rapidly strike strongholds. Strongholds that have stood for a thousand of years shall suddenly fall, says the Lord, for it is a time of war. Wake up the mighty men! Wake up the mighty women!

Powerful stuff, I think.

I’ll have more to say about this Sunday morning. I hope to see you then.

Pray for Israel.

Pray for the Church.

Strap on your armor and get ready for battle.

Get ready for God to secure your borders and give you victory!

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

Ever wonder what I think about Catholicism?

(I will call the Catholic theologian, “Zip” — which obviously is not his real name.)

Dear Zip,

Let me make something of a general statement regarding Roman Catholicism. I will speak more bluntly than I have previously. This is not from some anti-Catholic book, but from my heart, my head and my experience.

To begin with, Roman Catholicism has been on the periphery of my experience; my salvation, my growth in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ as well as my labors to promote the gospel has been quite apart from Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholicism has added nothing to me apart from some of the thoughts from a few notable Catholic theologians, thinkers and writers.

But let me be a bit more forthcoming; I have traveled to countries where Roman Catholicism is the dominant religious affiliation over fifty times, and I have discovered that people who come into a vibrant and personal relationship with Jesus Christ nearly always do so outside of the Catholic church, and as they continue in their new personal walk with Jesus Christ they almost always leave the Catholic Church and connect themselves with churches that express the same vibrancy of personal faith in Jesus they have come to experience in their own lives. To put it even more bluntly: In many of these countries, Roman Catholicism has prevented people from coming into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In many cases the local Roman Catholic priests have warranted the rebuke that Jesus gave to the Pharisees when He said,

“You have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” (Luke 11:52)

I could give many anecdotal stories from people I know personally who were priests and nuns before discovering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not that you would find this convincing, necessarily, but I am simply making the point that this is not something I have merely read about, but these are people whom I personally know.

Now, let me press home a very important point: Every church rises or falls on the local level. The seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2 and 3 were not judged on whether they had a particular ecclesiastical connection with Rome, but on their own faithfulness to Jesus. This is where the vast majority of Roman Catholic churches around the world are weighed in the balance and found wanting.

Zip, you are an exceptional Catholic. You know the Word of God, by which I mean you are obviously well acquainted with the Scriptures. I’m sure you realize how rare this is among Catholics in general; the average Catholic has an abysmal knowledge of the Bible — and that’s in America where Protestant Christianity has had an enormous impact on Catholicism. If I were to take you to, say, Bolivia, I honestly believe you would be appalled at the blatant idolatry, animistic practices and pagan beliefs that pass for Catholicism. So in places like Bolivia, those who come to regard the Bible as the sole arbitrator in matters of Christian doctrine and practice inevitably leave the Catholic Church.

Zip, there is a saying you may have heard; “God has no grandchildren.” It is very true. As Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” (John 3:3, 7) Every individual must have their own personal experience of receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is a spiritual truth that also contradicts the Catholic concept of Apostolic Succession. Spiritual authority is not conferred by an ecclesiastic hierarchal system of succession, but by the Holy Spirit. You know as well as I do, that by the Middle Ages the papacy was often essentially purchased by the wealth of godless men who had not the slightest interest in authentic Christianity. This is highly problematic for your interpretation of Apostolic Succession; i.e. when the succession falls to a man that bears absolutely none of the marks of a genuine Christian.

Whatever connection the local church in Rome may have had with authentic Christianity in the first four or five centuries, by the time of the Reformation, Romanism had become thoroughly apostate. If you insist on calling the Reformation a schism, and as such, a sin, then I will insist that the sin of schism was long ago on the part of the popes who embarked on a schism with Apostolic Christianity and Biblical truth. Remember, Jesus threatened the church of Ephesus with the removal of their lampstand if they did not repent (Revelation 2:5). No church can take refuge in their history; each church must be faithful to the Scriptures and the Lordship of Jesus in their own generation.

A few serious objections off the top of my head…

The worship of Mary is idolatrous. I know you will tell me the correct term is veneration, but I’m afraid that is too subtle for me; come with me to Latin America and tell me that they are not worshiping Mary. They are, and we both know it.

The myth of the perpetual virginity of Mary is just that, a myth. It is a carry over from pagan fertility goddess worship. Alexander Hislop’s scholarly work, The Two Babylons, is perhaps the definitive book on this subject. And it means absolutely nothing to me how many Reformation theologians held on to this myth; they simply were not reformed enough, because it flatly contradicts Scripture.

“Then Joseph being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn son.” (Matthew 1:24-25)

“Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” (Mark 6:3)

Zip, you can throw at me dozens of Early Church Fathers who believed in the perpetual virginity of Mary; I will simply counter with Matthew and Mark. And Matthew and Mark’s Gospels trump every Church Father every time.

The doctrine of Mary as the Co-Redremptrix with Christ is both aberrant and abhorrent.

“For there is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

The doctrine of Purgatory is a pure fabrication without any support in Scripture. Furthermore, the idea that the blood of Jesus is insufficient to provide redemption, but rather the suffering of the sinner and the prayers and contributions of friends and relatives can complete what the blood of Jesus was insufficient to accomplish, is blasphemous.

“With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:12)

I could go on and on. Especially if I were to delve back in history; e.g. indulgences, inquisitions, papal infallibility, etc.

As an Evangelical, I continually have the atrocities committed by the feudal Roman Church thrown at me as a reason why Christianity should be rejected. If that was the true church of Christ, I’m afraid the gates of hell prevailed.

Yes, Vatican II addressed and redressed some of these things; but why? Undoubtedly because of the influence of the Reformation, Protestantism and Evangelicalism. The Roman Catholicism of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI owes a great debt to the Reformation, Protestant theology and even Evangelical methodology; a debt, though, which contemporary Roman Catholicism seems loathe to acknowledge.

Zip, as long as I’m on this tear, let me say this: I think part of your zeal to defend the exclusive claims of Roman Catholicism based on Apostolic Succession is simply this: it’s all you have. The average Catholic across the globe today does not have an energetic experience with authentic Christianity, so you must tell yourself the Roman Catholic Church gains its authenticity, not from the fruit it is bearing, but from a supposed ecclesiastical hierarchy. But Peter’s mantle does not extend to apostate popes — and even you must admit that some of those popes were apostate. I’ll leave it to Catholics to determine their worst pope ever, but I would nominate Pope Alexander VI. Once you have a pope like that, where does that leave the theory of Apostolic Succession flowing exclusively through the Bishop of Rome? In shambles.

Jesus is building His church and the gates of hell will not prevail. In fact, the church of Jesus is advancing more rapidly around the globe than at any time in history — by some estimates as many as 250,000 people a day are professing new faith in Christ, and almost all of them outside of the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps you will say, as you did the other day, “this is just statistics and statistics are not Christianity” — then I will say, this is fruit and Jesus said much about bearing fruit. Authentic Christianity must be fruitful or it is not faithful and fruitless, faithless “Christianity” will ultimately be rejected by Christ.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” (John 15:1-16)

“Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receive wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life.” (John 4:35-36)

Zip, I have spoken very plainly. Nevertheless I am not a chronic Catholic basher; I know full well there are wonderful believers within the Catholic tradition and I am happy to call them my brothers and sisters despite my serious disagreement with many Catholic doctrines and practices. I am not one of those who insist the Pope is the Antichrist (though I think some of those cats from the Middle Ages were thoroughly antichrist — and again, this dismantles the Apostolic Succession = Bishop of Rome theory). I have great respect and admiration for Pope John Paul II — I think he was a man used by God. And the fact that Catholics and Evangelicals undoubtedly enjoy more unity today than ever before is a good thing. So, even though I have spoken very plainly about my serious misgivings regarding Roman Catholicism, I nevertheless respect you as my brother in Christ and admire your devotion to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Your Friend,

BZ