Lying in the Church? NEVER!

Lying in the church?  Does this actually happen?  Do people stand up and tell downright lies in the Church? Do they realise what they are doing?  Not just lying to men, but to God the Holy Spirit.  To lie in the presence of the God of all truth is a terrible sin; yet it's done regularly.

Sunday is when Christians worship the Lord corporately.  They stand up and sing words that they just do not believe.  Is that lying?  They will sing words that do not relate to their own spiritual experience and knowledge?  Is that lying? 

When it comes to professing faith in order to have a child baptised, or an older believer, how many lies are told in one of the most solemn occasions in the church's, and individual's, life.  Yet it done with relish, and without compunction.

In what other ways, then, do we lie in church?  Exaggeration and blaming are kinds of lying. In fact, blaming may be described as at least half lying, whatever that is. This church problem was great enough to deserve more than one mention in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. The letter was to be circulated among a whole presbytery, or group of local churches. So this problem wasn't just in the First Ephesus (Presbyterian) Church; it seems to have been almost epidemic in the other churches too.

Just like today; lying in church in order to have a church rite administered to you or a family member is not just a one-church issue; it pervades all of them.  To deny that this is a problem only adds to the problem. To deal with it by admitting it exists in your church is the first step to sorting it out.

That brings me very naturally to another point. We lie in church by what we don't say - the sin of omission. For example, when we avoid facing up to hard truth; or when we deny those dark things that are obvious to other people. The list would also include forms of abuse that churches use such as the abuse of power, the use of guilt to make people feel bad and bring them back into line (with prevailing policy, not necessarily with biblical trust), mismanagement of congregational funds or property, bad leadership of the church or its organisations, and destructive behaviours by church members or leaders. The sad thing is that church leaders often imagine that these things will simply disappear if we don't talk about them out loud.

Does this describe YOUR church today?  Are you a minister in your church and do you recognise truths that are just too close for comfort?  Are you afraid to address and deal with these issues?  What if income dropped and I couldn't get my salary?  What if church authorities took a dim view of a drop in numbers attending the services?

Are you a church member and does this describe your life?  Do you contribute to this problem of ecclesiastical dishonesty?  Do you need to own up and repent of your sin? Do you enjoy the dishonesty that is your church?

That this is a problem in all churches is too obvious to deny.  And that nothing is done about it is also factual.

What do you think ought to be done when such sin envelops the church?

Ulster Evangelists With Romanist Tendencies

It is quite daunting that those preachers who have scandalised other churches for their unfaithfulness to the Gospel have adopted as clear a Roman practice as is imaginable by suggesting to converts or awakened sinners that they come to the 'priest' for spiritual counsel in becoming Christians.

I always believed that the preacher/evangelist's job was to preach the Gospel so that those listening will know exactly what coming to Christ involved and means.  His job is to tell the way the Christ and salvation; to explain in clear and unambiguous language how to become a Christian.  The reformed evangelist will study to keep himself out of the picture as much as possible, and will not want to help the Holy Spirit do His sovereign work of regeneration.

Not so today in Ulster (a practice that has been imported wholesale from USA).  No, no.  The preacher/evangelist's job is to tell part of the story of the Gospel, and leave out the final bit so that the seeker is constrained to come into the back room (inquiry room) in order to helped to become a Christian.  This was a practice adopted by great men of God such as D. L.Moody and Charles Finney.  The Protestant 'priest' has to be involved in the final step of becoming a Christian.  Indeed, so deeply ingrained is this unbiblical thinking in the minds of Ulster evangelicals is this that if anyone wishes to become a Christian, a believer will not lead them to Christ, but first seeks out a preacher/evangelist who alone can do that critical work.  Thus the believer is deprived of the privilege and pleasure of leading others to Christ; and the preacher/evangelist can then boast of his spirituality and faithfulness to the Gospel and accept all the plaudits as an evangelist.

The point I am making is that the Protestant 'priest' must be involved to ensure that the seeking sinner is lead properly to the Saviour.  It is a form of 'last rights' that assures entrance into the Kingdom of God.  In order to be sure that you have made it into the Kingdom of God, the 'priest' has to be present and ministering, otherwise it might be a 'still birth.'

But look.  Why should we be so concerned to do the work of the Holy Spirit when He is quite able to do it Himself and to do it properly?  There is a conviction abroad within Ulster evangelicalism that often carnel appeals have to be made to bring the sinner to Christ.  Nothing could be further from the truth, of course.  When God the Holy Spirit shows a person their spiritual and eternal need, that person will trust Christ as his Saviour and Lord.  He will flee to Him, nothing standing in his way.  He will seek out the Saviour out of a deep desire to be saved for time and eternity.  Nothing will stop such an awakened sinner.

So carnal appeals are unnecessary and indeed may even inhibit the work of the Holy Spirit.  The one thing that we do not wish to see is the work of the Holy Spirit interfered with by overly enthusiastic preachers who are wanting to chalk up how many conversions occurred under their ministry, or how many sinners they led to Christ.  Preach the Gospel passionately, faithfully, personally, from the heart, and let God do His own work.  Appeal with sinners in the message to get right with God, by all means; but do not have this kind-of add-on at the end of the service where emotional music and singing are done in order to make it easy for sinners to come to the Saviour.

What lies behind this is the need for 'priests' (and as someone wisely said, "Presbyter is just Priest writ large."  We are not Roman Catholics nor are we Anglo-Catholics, therefore we do not believe in that kind of priesthood.  What we do believe in is the priesthood of all believers, so every believer is a priest unto God.  That means that any Christian ought to be able to point a sinner to Christ for salvation.  There is therefore no need for a 'priest' in this respect.

I know one thing: the evangelical priests in Ulster will go spare at this posting.  They will see themselves as being made redundant in the work of evangelism.  And they do not like that one little bit.  They have a psychological need to be in the centre of things, running the entire show.  If they are not involved at the heart of it, it cannot be right or good.  In their mind, 'priests'are indispensable to the work of evangelism; no priests, no salvation.

And what do you call that?  Unadulterated Romanism.

Any comments?

How to End Well - Dr Charles Stanley

2 Timothy 4:6-8 Many people think about the last years of life as an opportunity to just relax. But this does not  align with God's purpose for us; He wants us to serve Him all the days of our lives. Let's look at the apostle Paul's journey and explore what it means to finish well. He spent time  pouring into others until the very end of his life. Consider the letters he wrote to Timothy from a  prison cell prior to being executed. In every season of life, God calls us to serve others. And notice how, when writing about his life, the apostle chose words descriptive of a battle. He  understood the human struggle against sin as well as the challenges of pain and persecution in the  trials we all face--even in doing kingdom work like preaching Christ to a fiercely resistant society. This godly servant's life was also marked by surrender. His mindset is obvious in these words:  "present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service  of worship" (Rom. 12:1). He was not afraid of Nero, nor was he struggling to stay alive. Paul trusted  God to determine everything about his life, including where he would go, what he would do, and  when he would die. Death did not scare him, because he knew he would dwell with Jesus forever. God doesn't require our lives to be perfect in order to finish strong. We can live life fully and be  ready to meet our Maker by surrendering, walking victoriously with Christ, and serving others. If  Jesus called you home today, would you--like Paul--be confident that you lived well until the end?  For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit  www.intouch.org. Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2009 All Rights Reserved.

Essential Knowledge For Evangelists

It is surely true to say that unless one has a true understanding of sin he will never really understand salvation.  Indeed, he will never understand the need for salvation until he realises that man by nature is spiritually dead.

Take it the other way.  If a sinner does not realise his need of salvation, it is because he has not understood the nature and effects of sin in his heart.  Or, if he does not see that he is spiritually dead, he will not appreciate what salvation is or what it can do for the spiritually dead sinner.

This explains the reason why defective evangelism is being conducted in the name of Christianity.  It is so glib, so superficial, so inane.  It has degenerated into a farce with evangelists doing his comedians stunt before preaching with a view to conditioning the congregation to receive the Gospel message.  Entertainment is used to soften people up, or to win their confidence, or to prepare them for the Gospel.

But these ploys are resorted to because of a fundamental flaw in their theological understanding of the Gospel message.  Were they to believe with Paul that unconverted sinners are "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph.2:1), they would depend totally upon God the Holy Spirit to do His sovereign saving work in the sinner's heart.  Until he grasps the fact that the unconverted sinner is governed by this world and its thinking; and until he sees that his life is governed by the principle of evil that is working in this world and which in turn is governed by the "prince of the power of the air," his evangelism will be flawed.

Preachers must grasp the reality of what it is they are dealing with when they evangelise.  What they ought to be seeking God for is a spiritual resurrection in those to whom they preached the good news.  This is essential basic understanding that will determine our approach to evangelism, as well as enabling us to understand why the world is as it is today. 

Preaching Engagements

May I inform my readers that I am available for preaching appointments in your church or community.

You can contact me at jehlynch[at]gmail.com if I can be of use to you in your work for the Kingdom of God.

I have experience in conducting two-week evangelistic missions, teaching weeks for believers, etc.  My approach is to preach the biblical Gospel in a direct, pointed and personal way.  It is to bring sinners to see their need of the Saviour of the world.  God blesses such preaching.

Incipient Atheism

It is amazing how we can be tempted to put our trust in the skills of the medical profession, indicating that perhaps this has become a substitute god for us.   

Sometimes we have emphasised statistics – how many people come through this type of surgery with flying colours.   

While I have no desire to minimise what medical practitioners can do and have done, it is important to affirm that no matter how good these professionals might be at their job, our trust is in the Lord our God.  To leave Him out of the equation is atheism, and we are not into that.   

But to see the skills of medical practitioners as being the gifts of God for the benefit of mankind and a demonstration of His common grace to all, is to view them in their proper perspective, for then we can pray to God the Father to use and bless the gifts He has given to men for the benefit of those we are concerned about.

Overcoming Fear - Dr Charles R. Swindoll

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

—Psalm 23:4

Lord God, fear threatens to overtake us, to hinder us from trusting You. We often seek to rely on ourselves, trusting in our own strength to accomplish our own desires. Because we recognize the realities and the dangers of this distressed world, we thank You for making Your plan clear to ultimately remove all fear and anxiety and worry. Thank You for communicating the truth about fear in terms we can grasp. Thank You for challenging us to trust You as You unfold Your plan in the teaching of Scripture. Give us a commitment to Your truth, so that we live differently and think differently. Help us to be passionate about what matters so that we care more about the eternal and less about the temporal.

Shake us awake, our Father, with the reality that the world is heading in the wrong direction. Remind us that we have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people, despite the lawless times . . . if we would but trust You. Deliver us from fear that holds us back, that we might magnify the name of Jesus Christ, regardless of our work, our calling, and our involvements. For Jesus's sake we pray. Amen.

See also  Genesis 26:24 ;  Deuteronomy 3:22 ;  Psalm 46:1–2 ;  Luke 12:7