Exploring Truth Ministries

The last 3 days I have attended 2 different Bible Conferences and have been privileged to sit under the teaching of 3 of God’s great Bible Teachers in this modern day; Mike Williams, Paul Washer and Voddie Baucham.

Mike Williams, in my opinion, is the best expositor of the scriptures I’ve had the privilege of listening too.  He pastors Pioneer Baptist Church in Santa Fe, TX.  God’s graced me with the friendship of Bro. Mike since the first time I heard him preach on the Gospel of God in 2000.

Paul Washer is the director of HeartCry Missionary Society, Muscle Shoals, AL.  I have known Bro. Paul for close to 10 years.  I first heard him he came back from Peru as a missionary.  God has used him in my life tremendously.

Voddie Baucham is an Elder at Grace Family Baptist Church.  This is the first time I have ever heard Bro. Voddie preach in person and I was extremely impressed with what God is doing in His life.

I hope that you will check these men out.  They have blessed my heart and “recharged my batteries” through their preaching this weekend.  I among all men have been truly blessed to hear such edifying and convicting preaching through God’s word.

The following article is in honor of reformation day and submitted to Tim Challies for his Reformation Day Symposium.

One of the main tenants of the reformation was the ardent opposition to Johann Tetzel and his uncanny ability to squeeze blood out of the proverbial turnip of 16^th Century Europe for the rebuilding of St. Peter’s Basilica. As he sold indulgences for the remission of sin he caused an oceans tide of fervency for the proclamation of the truth to rise up in the heart of Luther. Luther, being compelled by this opposition, began the quest for regaining the Biblical truth of salvation by faith alone through grace alone. Thank God that Luther had the brazenness and courage to start what we know to be a great era in Christendom.

However, we as evangelicals may want to look at this situation from a different perspective. I do not think that we should only view this as a war that was waged between Tetzel and Luther. Nor should we look at it as a war waged between the Catholic Church and Evangelical freedom. I believe that we can draw some great conclusions about our own time period from what went on in the days of the reformation by looking into the lives that it affected most, the common people.

One reason why Tetzel was so successful in the selling of indulgences was because of the people’s lack of the knowledge and understanding of scripture and soteriological truths. I find that in our own day we have multitudes that pass through the doors of our modern churches that are in a similar spiritual state to those people in Europe during and prior to the Reformation.

Many people today are not versed in either biblical knowledge or theological study. This being the case we now have a generation of people who are susceptible to whatever doctrine blows their way, right or wrong. The average church member instead of desiring to take hold of what is true wants to grasp what makes them feel good. I believe it must have been largely the same way in Tetzel’s day.

More than likely when someone gave money for an indulgence to free either themselves or a loved one from purgatory they went home smiling. I don’t believe that it was drudgery at all for someone to pay for an indulgence. It was simply their means of being right with God and they were ok with that. In all honesty it made them feel good about themselves and their loved ones. Who can blame them? Who wouldn’t want to be right with God or see their loved ones released from purgatory?

Today many evangelicals find themselves in a similar state of mind. Every time Joel Osteen comes out with another book they run to the bookstore as fast as possible to see what he has to say. Why not, it makes them feel better, doesn’t it? Or how about when the latest fad comes out in Christian clothing, people flock like Dr. Phil to a sizzler to buy the latest bracelet or t-shirt. If you think those are bad wait until the next Narnia movie comes to the theatres. People will be standing in line for 2 days for tickets to a movie that includes symbolism that many of them can not understand. Indulging themselves in these types of things creates a euphoric feeling in them because they are “being Christian” and it makes them feel good about themselves. In other words, they take what evangelicalism affords them in order to feel better about themselves. Sound familiar? Seriously though, who can blame them?

What have evangelicals done in this state of crisis? Have we taken Luther’s approach? Have we stood for Truth? Many would like to think we have. But I’m not so sure that the majority of evangelicals even realize that there is a problem. It seems that most of us have adopted the slogan, “Every time a Benjamin in the offering plate falls, a new t-shirt movie or book gets bought” and we are found embracing the problem instead of resolving it.

However, there are those who are standing tall, the Mohler’s, Piper’s, and Dever’s of this age along with a score of other unknown and unnamed men. But as heroic as the efforts of these are it’s my prayer that the Tetzelizing of Christendom will awaken more Luther’s and continue to raise that same ocean tide of fervency for truth in their hearts that marked the start of the great reformation.

The goodness of God is revealed to me the most when I am dry and thirsty for something to quench the parching spiritual dullness that sometimes overtakes me. His presence is counted so much more glorious when I “feel” like I have been stowed away from God. Like I have been hidden deep in the recesses of the earth so far down that God Himself could not reach me. When my emotions are waging war on my own soul and I am desperately longing to be enlightened by the Holy One.

This is when the greatest hopes and and the richest joys are born in my heart. It has happened over and over again. After days and weeks of struggling, wrestling, fighting and failure to be in the presence of God. Without even a moments notice God once again grants His presence and restores elatedness to my heart. Why does God tarry? Why does he hide His face? In order to make us appreciate Him more and long for His presence, that’s why. No time is so glorious as the blessed reunion of the Christian and the divine presence of His Savior. Those are truly the most glorious times in life!

So my dear brothers and sisters don’t give up. Fight to enter into the presence of God. Pray without ceasing and fast with the intentions of God’s presence. Shun sin and shake off your guilty fears. Come boldly to the throne of grace knowing that we have a great and merciful high priest who is praying for us always. Who has also made availible to us presence of God through His sacrifice. Don’t be lazy, don’t be unintentional but rather strive to be consumed by the Glory of God.

The greatest joy of being a Christian is simply knowing Jesus Christ. What an unspeakable gift! We have the ability to know God. As a matter of fact he commands us to know him. God’s heartbeat is that we should know him in His fullness. His every action is motivated by His desire for us to know Him more. And He compells us to that very act by loving us.

The one who is all together lovely has shed His love abroad in our hearts causing us to desire that which we once did not naturally desire. And in this impartation of divine love into our soul He is determined to keep us in that place, through whatever means necessary, where we constantly with all our being seek to know Him more. What a glorious thought that God sanctifies His children in love. Ever drawing them closer to Himself through Himself. To truly know God is to Love Him and everyday experience His love.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2Co 4:6

Just got back from at trip to Gatlinburg with a group of WONDERFUL people and it was great! I thank the Lord so much for speaking to me while I was there. The whole time we were there everyone was going on about how the Lord had made all the mountains and how grand they were. This is true and I am awed at the gloriousness of the mountains that we hiked in. However, throughout the entire trip the Lord kept gently reminding me that the work of creation that He has done in my own heart is far greater than what He created in the beginning.

He kept reminding me that He is going to receive more Glory for redeeming me and ultimately conforming me to the image of His Son than He will from the Smokey Mountains. How humbling it is to know that God chosen me to me to bring Him more Glory than all the world and it’s beauty. It has left me wondering with the apostle John “What kind of wild, strange, exotic love is this that I may be called a Son of God?”